John Fogg, Kim Klaver and Me

Kim Klaver, John Fogg and I have been going round and round about the objection "I don't Have Time". Allow me to get you up to speed:

John wrote:

Me: "Boy (sorry...) girl... do I understand that one. May I ask you a trick question."

She:  "What kind of 'trick' question?"

Me:  "It'll be pretty obvious. I'm not devious enough. So, may I ask?"

She: "Sure."

Me: "If you knew (without a doubt) that six months from now you'd be earning at least $1000 a month from your network marketing business... would you be able to make the time?"

She: [Silence.]

Me: "I told you it was a trick question."

She; [Laughing] "Yes you did. Well... (thanks for asking) yes, of course, I would have the time."

Me: "So... can we speak about your doubt?"

She: "Sure... please."

And another prospect is transformed in to business-building butterfly.

Kim posted her thoughts here and here.

I posted some comments suggesting that there is no need for the trick question and that it was cheesey and shiester-esque. I'm guessing that Fogg didn't care much for that because he used the term dribble three times and fool twice (I think) in his response.

First let me say that I don't remember the last time that I got this as an objection. I am not trying to brag here, but it doesn't come up.  By the time people get to me, they are asking for change.

I should also mention that John Fogg and I speak occasionally and I am pretty sure that he would say that he likes me and I would tell you that I like him.  We don't have to agree on everything to be friends. John has some great resources on his blog and I am a regular reader.

So, the fool (that's me) will now "dribble" out (get it? Tribble - Dribble? heheheh) several  questions that could be asked of Fogg's prospect that are more suited for the Bill Gouldd-less Network Marketing in the 21st Century.

A potential business partner says:

"I don't have time"

Now here is what I would say...

"What makes you say that?"

But that is really getting ahead of the situation.  Before that kind of question would even come up (hopefully) you would have talked about what is important to the other person.

So if that question came up, you might say...

"Let me ask you this, if you had more time in your life, what would you do with it?"

You should know about a persons goals and dreams before any sort of "I just don't have the time" objection comes up.

So if I know of some specific goals I might ask...

"You mentioned that you would really like to (fill in the blank...volunteer more time, take more vacations, spend more time with kids, etc) do you feel like you will have the time to do those things if you do not initiate some type of change in your life?"

Do you see where I am going?  You don't need the implied income claim (If you knew (without a doubt)...$1,000). Even if you say that is it a trick question, it is really? 

On the other hand, if you indeed helped people make $1,000 a month within 6 months, why not 3-way them in and let the other person tell them all about it, you and your help.

In that case you might say:

"I understand how you feel about time, in fact, I have a friend who had the same type of question when we started working together...can you hold on for a second?"

(3-way in your $1,000 earner) and then introduce them to each other and ask your $1,000 earner to share his story...

No claims and no mess.

 

Me: "Boy (sorry...) girl... do I understand that one. May I ask you a trick question."

She:  "What kind of 'trick' question?"

Me:  "It'll be pretty obvious. I'm not devious enough. So, may I ask?"

She: "Sure."

Me: "If you knew (without a doubt) that six months from now you'd be earning at least $1000 a month from your network marketing business... would you be able to make the time?"

She: [Silence.]

Me: "I told you it was a trick question."

She; [Laughing] "Yes you did. Well... (thanks for asking) yes, of course, I would have the time."

Me: "So... can we speak about your doubt?"

She: "Sure... please."

And another prospect is transformed in to business-building butterfly.

Kim posted her thoughts here and here.

I posted some comments suggesting that there is no need for the trick question and that it was cheesey and shiester-esque. I'm guessing that Fogg didn't care much for that because he used the term dribble three times and fool twice (I think) in his response.

First let me say that I don't remember the last time that I got this as an objection. I am not trying to brag here, but it doesn't come up.  By the time people get to me, they are asking for change.

I should also mention that John Fogg and I speak occasionally and I am pretty sure that he would say that he likes me and I would tell you that I like him.  We don't have to agree on everything to be friends. John has some great resources on his blog and I am a regular reader.

So, the fool (that's me) will now "dribble" out (get it? Tribble - Dribble? heheheh) several  questions that could be asked of Fogg's prospect that are more suited for the Bill Gouldd-less Network Marketing in the 21st Century.

A potential business partner says:

"I don't have time"

Now here is what I would say...

"What makes you say that?"

But that is really getting ahead of the situation.  Before that kind of question would even come up (hopefully) you would have talked about what is important to the other person.

So if that question came up, you might say...

"Let me ask you this, if you had more time in your life, what would you do with it?"

You should know about a persons goals and dreams before any sort of "I just don't have the time" objection comes up.

So if I know of some specific goals I might ask...

"You mentioned that you would really like to (fill in the blank...volunteer more time, take more vacations, spend more time with kids, etc) do you feel like you will have the time to do those things if you do not initiate some type of change in your life?"

Do you see where I am going?  You don't need the implied income claim (If you knew (without a doubt)...$1,000). Even if you say that is it a trick question, it is really? 

On the other hand, if you indeed helped people make $1,000 a month within 6 months, why not 3-way them in and let the other person tell them all about it, you and your help.

In that case you might say:

"I understand how you feel about time, in fact, I have a friend who had the same type of question when we started working together...can you hold on for a second?"

(3-way in your $1,000 earner) and then introduce them to each other and ask your $1,000 earner to share his story...

No claims and no mess.

 

Comments

[Bud]

Beautiful, Ty. I knew I kept you around for a reason!

Solution provider, not income-promiser. :o)

Feel free to dribble on!

[John Fogg]

You're STILL missing my point to pursue your own... My "deal" has naught to do with an "income claim". (Which btw, was the lady's stated goal.) All I was doing was to remove one "superficial" objection to get to the "essence" of what was bothering her... getting in her way. People have those things, Ty. I just took a classic coaching question designed to get to the heart of the matter with permission as lightly as I knew how.

Had a coach ask me: "So, if you hit the big one... $50 million, after taxes and after you paid all the bills and backs, took the world tour et al... would you come back and keep doing what you're doing now, or something else?

That "trick question" moved me along to consider what was most important to me (I was at one of those quit and do something different or keep going points). Same thing as I did with my lady prospect and her "don't have time doubts".

As it turned out, it wasn't time... It was her lack of clarity about what it would take (with our products and plan) to earn her thou'. Once she saw that laid out... she was confident she could "make the time" to achieve her goal.

Ain't no Gould schatan about it. Just simple honest explaining and enrolling.

Click (if there is one:-)

[Takuya Hikichi]

Good post Ty...

Every successful network marketer has ice brakers and lines they pay attention to master and be good at it, while facilitating the prospect to be sold on the concept of MLM. It's fundamental but we all kind of forget in today's Internet age.

Takuya Hikichi

Education-Based Network Marketing Newsletter Author.