Article

The Power of a Word

Topic: Communication Skills and TrainingFeaturing Michael BernoffPublished June 5, 2009

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Have you ever wondered how many words are in the dictionary? Do you know how many of them we use regularly? Have you ever noticed that some words are much better than others? (i.e. compare pretty too gorgeous) Recently I’ve been playing around with the idea that specific words can make a big difference when a network marketer is speaking with a prospect. If we could just find the right words it would be the answer to that magic pill we’re all looking for that !BOOM! as soon as we take it will automatically let the right words just roll right out of us to be the ultimate recruiting machine.

So as I was playing around with it, I did a little research. I set out to test and prove this hypothesis. And now I believe that the right words can and will increase your prospecting and recruiting success. Here’s how I did it. Here’s the big formula I used:

RIGHT WORDS + VOICE = SALE.

Tested against this formula:

ANY WORDS THAT COME TO MIND + VOICE = SALE.

It’s unbelievable and unimaginable that we start talking around age 1 and live our whole lives without knowing that just a few tweaks to our communication will make a dramatic difference.
I researched words of all sorts. Big words, little words, words used in conjunction with other words, words in phrases, words used at certain times – you name it, I checked it out. And I found out that some words are more powerful than others. Some words will take a nay and make it a yay. Some words will open a closed door, or at the very least, prevent a door from closing altogether. And boy did I love love love the results. Want to know what the results said?

Well my notes are too lengthy to tell you everything, but I can tell you a few of the powerful words and phrases I’ve gathered. A few that you can use and apply to build your network marketing business.

So do you want the good news or the bad news first? Let’s start with the bad news – no matter what you say or how fancy you are, people are going to say no to you. The good news is you can make no mean yes and get people talking rather than walking.

Here’s how – (Ok guys this is Lesson Number 1)

People spend more time in their life saying NO. They say it way more often than yes. So the key is to get someone to say NO so they get the NO out of the way, and the know means yes. Ready? Here it goes…the next time you meet someone you can say “If I could show you a way to make more money and have more fun, would there be any reason why you wouldn’t want to hear about it?” What do you think they’ll say? Ask yourself that question out loud now. Did you answer no? So when your prospect says “No”, you can say “Great, let’s talk tomorrow at 12:30.” Instead of fearing the power word NO, use it to your advantage.

And another good one (Lesson Number 2) is a single word. One powerful word: Results

People want security, right? People want to feel safe that investing in your opportunity (or buying your product for that matter) won’t be a waste of money. So in network marketing, you can get your prospect to feel confident by using the word “Results” as you talk. Give them the reassurance you need by saying things like “You can expect to achieve results like ….” or “These are the results I’ve seen….” Or “If you do ____, then your results will be ____________.”

You can get real with them and let them know that they might not achieve the same amazing results as your upline/sponsor, but they absolutely can put a little effort into it and achieve ___________ results.

And an easy one (Lesson Number 3 folks, are you with me?) is the power word EASY.

I don’t care if you are the CEO of some Fortune 500 company; you still want life to be easy. You still want to open the box to your DVD player and have it all simply explained. Plug this cable here and that cable there and boom – record your rerun of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” It doesn’t matter if you are a card-carrying member of Mensa – you want it easy. And so does your prospect. They want to know the truth, and while network marketing is easy for some and challenging for others…you can spend your time explaining to your prospect all the ways will be easy for them to build their business. Say things like “we make it easy for you by using a 3-way call so you don’t have to explain the business” or “What I found really encouraging about this business is that it’s really easy to follow the directions my sponsor gives me, and in doing so I’ve recruited ____ people already!” I know you can do it to. Or you can say “By Now you can easily see how interesting this opportunity is to anyone looking for a way to may additional income for their family.” n You watch – if you tell someone that they will easily be able to see something, their heads will start nodding yes.

How about this phrase (Lesson Number 4) – Maybe You’re Right!

How many times has someone said to you “I am not good at sales” or “I have to think about this before I make a decision” or “I don’t have the money for that right now” or “My cousin lost $2000.00 in one of those companies” or “This isn’t working for me, I’m dropping my autoship”? What is your typical response? Inside your head you say UGHHHHHHHHHHH and then get stumped on what to say next. But what if you knew that each time someone said something like that you were immediately going to respond with “Maybe you’re right…and then an appropriate response.” Such as “Maybe you’re right that you don’t have the money right now, but how long do you want to go around with not enough money to do the things you want?” or “Maybe you’re right…you’re not good at sales. Most people aren’t! That’s why this company is built to easily share the opportunity with others by using a 3-way call.” Or “Maybe you’re right…this business doesn’t seem to be working for you but I thought you said the product was making you feel great. Are you still using it daily?” (this is a good one to remind people of the power of the product itself)

And last – YOU. I believe that inside every single person, confident or not, skilled or not, successful or not, is our own biggest fan. Even if you beat yourself up with your own thoughts, you know that deep down inside you is a strong, successful go-getter just waiting to come out. So if that’s the case, than so does your prospect. If someone is looking at a way to make additional income, and you let them know that they can do this…they want to believe it about themselves. So you can put it in their court…give them examples of successes they’ve had and parallel it to their future in network marketing. It goes like this…”I know you have the intelligence to do this – I’ve heard you speak.” “I know you are successful at being a mom…look how well you manage your 3 kids' lives with school and activities...if you can do that tha
YOU can do this business.” I know you’ve had a great job in corporate America all these years, now YOU can take that same work ethic and get to keep more of the income for yourself! When is the last time you got an award? In PE in the 5th grade? In college for your frate
ity/sorority? The coloring contest at your neighborhood restaurant? People grow up and as adults…we don’t often receive awards. Some never. Give your prospects an award…give them the compliment of belief in them. Use the word YOU - YOU can do it.

So the results are in…my theory is proven. Now (another power word) I am setting out to teach you and every other network marketer interested in doing what easily works…the most powerful words in the English language. There’s plenty more of them and naturally you’ll want to learn all of them…but work on the ones I’ve explained here first. Then I’ll share the rest with you.

So this week I challenge you, use these words in every conversation. Even if you’re talking to your waitress at a restaurant, a prospect or your brother – see for yourself how powerful these words are. Then apply them to your sales process and see for yourself how they can make a difference. They will.

PS: If you find yourself in the middle of a disagreement - use “Maybe You’re Right!” It’s the number one argument diffuser out there!

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