Posture - A Career Changing Lesson

By Mike Dillard

When I first started my networking career, I was a pretty shy person. The thought of picking up a phone and calling a stranger horrified me.

I used to literally sit at my desk staring at the phone for hours trying to sum up the courage to call my leads. It was ridiculous, but my mind found a way to justify my inaction with one excuse or another.

The problem stemmed from my lack of posture, leadership, and authority, due to a lack of confidence. When I would call my leads, I came from a place of weakness, need, and desperation.

I was spending every spare cent I had on leads and tools, and I had to sponsor a new rep soon or I would be out of money and a failure.

That desperation, need, and lack of confidence came though on the phone and people took advantage of it in order to give themselves power. I came from a position of servitude, doing anything I could to please the prospect and keep them in the pipeline.

This is a MAJOR problem with people new to this industry. You will never build an organization or sponsor the right people until you move out from a Beta mindset to an Alpha mindset.

It is impossible because people only join Alpha leaders. The good news is that your Beta status can be conquered with a little education.

So what does it mean to prospect with posture? Simple. To be blunt: The person on the other end of the phone is a nobody, that must qualify for and justify your attention and time. Until they prove themselves worthy, they are just a voice and a phone number.

I do not care if it is a doctor, lawyer, business owner, etc. They can waste my time just as easily as anyone else. They have to earn it.

Here is a pretty basic concept that I am adding to this article based on several phone calls I have gotten this week. It is about 800 numbers and whether or not you should use one as a distributor.

I was setting up their websites for them, and they insisted that their 800 number be included because it is easier for the prospect to contact them, and because some people do not want to call long distance.

I have to admit that years ago when I got into this industry, getting my first 800 number was like some cool "right of passage" that meant "now I'm a business owner!"

Ya it was fun to experience that, but I soon learned that an 800 number has no real benefit and can actually be counter-productive.

The only time you should ever use an 800 number is in a direct response advertisement. That is it. I hope by now that YOU can recognize how flawed that above kind of thinking is. ("It makes it easier for my prospects to call me." or "Some of my prospects don't want to call long distance").
First and foremost, why would you even send information to either of those types of people, let alone cater to them? Think of an expert in any field.

Not only do they not have an 800 number, but they usually have a few hoops people have to jump through just to reach them! Receptionist, call screening, etc... forget 800 numbers. They have no benefit to you or your business, and they weaken your positioning.

The best way to build posture if you are lacking it, is to first and foremost, sit up straight or stand while on the phone. Have energy in your voice, and know in your head they you have the keys to the vault. You have already found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

If that is not your normal personality, then change it. This is what it means to become the person you need to be to succeed.

I honestly like to think of Donald Trump, sitting there in the boardroom on The Apprentice. It is an honor for his contestants to have the opportunity to work with him, and they all know it.

It should be no different with you and your prospects. You are the Donald. Act like it. The best way to assert your posture on a call is to keep control of it. Once a prospect asks a question and you answer it, you have lost control.

They are now in charge of the entire call and its outcome. You must take back control immediately! You do not have a choice if you want the call to be successful, not only for your sake, but for your prospects as well. (They just do not know it yet).

The best way to do this is to defer their question and ask them one. Asking your prospect questions keeps you in control of the conversation.

Example Prospect says, "so what kind of business is this? What is the name of your company?
You say, "_____, that is a great question, but we are not to that point yet. This is an interview, and I am trying to qualify you for my time. If you would like to continue that is fine, or we can end the call right now. What would you like to do?" (Did you see the reverse question?) Now you have control again.

What does having a strong posture do for your business? First, it positions you as an Alpha leader. If you are not a leader, how can you expect people to follow you? Second, it positions you as an expert instead of a peddler.

Prospects and customers seek out experts because they have the answers they are looking for and because they gain power by associating themselves with that person. Third, it allows you to guide them though your information system on your terms for maximum effectiveness.

IMPORTANT: People do not partner with you in business because of your product. They do not partner with you because of your compensation plan. They partner with you because of YOU and/or your system.

They partner with you because they see you as an Alpha Networker and someone who can help them achieve success they want. Everything else is secondary.

A great way to help you develop your posture is to just say no to your next five prospects. Do it. Tell them you are sorry, but they are not who you are looking for right now.

This exercise will change your mindset and your posture instantly because it gives you all of the power and it will help you adopt a mindset of abundance which is a critical trait that all Alphas share. Your mind will finally understand that you are the leader, and that the success of your business is not dependent upon any one person or handful of leads.

In all honesty, you should be telling this to at least 50% of everyone you talk to each day if you are building your business correctly! The vast majority of people you meet will not have the characteristics you want in a business partner!

From waiting tables to millionaire at 29, Mike Dillard, is a professional marketer who has taught over 100,000 entrepreneurs from around the world how to tap into the power of his attraction marketing techniques. Sign up for his free on-line boot camp at: BuildYourOwnMLM.com