Curt Johnson, partner of the Renegade Professional team has given us his insight on what he thinks it takes to sell yourself. He based alot of his points from what Ann Sieg has said in her phenomenal book The 7 Great Lies in Network Marketing. I am in total agreement with what Ann Sieg says, as well as how Curt breaks it down even further.
In Ann Sieg’s book The 7 Great Lies in Network Marketing, the first lie she explains we are told is that Everyone Is Your Prospect. This is so not true. As highly as a feel, and with as much respect I hold true to my personal MLM company, I know that my business is NOT a fit for everybody. To me, that’s what’s so beautiful about network marketing. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of other MLM businesses out there. Find the one that is best suited for you, and your lifestyle. Stop trying to cram what you feel is best for you onto other people. Ann says “People who try to be everything to everybody, wind up meaning nothing special to anyone.” And that’s not the goal here. We want to sell ourselves as respectable, but you are not going to be a fit for everyone, just like everyone is not your prospect. I think people misconstrue that concept by saying everyone is a prospect, when what I really think they want to say is not to pre-judge people and that everyone whether you work at McDonald’s or a Fortune 500 company deserves a shot. But again, you can expose your business but not push it upon them.
Another lie Ann Sieg discusses that Curt Johnson expounds upon is “We have the best product ever.” The person who succeeds is not the one with the best company, but the one who can do the best job communicating the idea of their company” Ann explains. And I agree, I realize we are all in sales, and yes we want to sell our “thing” but you will never get anywhere in life by downing other products and things. Be a great communicator, be a great listener and people will gravitate and respect you more for giving your honest opinion rather than you just trying to hype up your numbers. Another lie we are told in MLM is about The Proven System. People please understand that a system can not do all of the work for you. I have heard lots of times in network marketing that the system will do all of the work for you, basically telling you just to join and watch the cash roll in. That is absolutely ridiculous. If this so called system, did all of the work for you, and you did no need to sell a thing, then why do they need you? Think about that for a moment.
If you really want to learn How To Sell You, you must understand U.S.P. thoroughly. U.S.P. stands for Unique Selling Position. And in reality, the U, starts with YOU! YOU have to be the unique feature. YOU have to understand the niche market and be focused. You might say to yourself, well how do I do that? Curt Johnson says its pretty simple, just ask yourself one question: What can I say to my niche market that no one else can say? And the answer is very simple, tell your story! We all have a story, we all are unique and different, your story is your niche market in so many words. If you are a broke college graduate who couldn’t get a job because you lacked experience, so you turned to the internet and have now found success. That’s your audience. That’s your niche. If you are a baby boomer who forked as an executive for decades, found yourself unemployed and are unemployable, and again, turned to the net for help and have found success, that’s your niche. You can explain all the points in the world on how to do something, give the best advice and strategies around, but what’s going to stick with people is your story. They’re going to identify with you through your past and pain. And that’s what’s going to be unique for you and bridge that gap for your audience. You have something to say, you don’t know what knowledge you are holding onto that just could be the missing link to the puzzle for somebody else. Insignificant as it may seem, tell it anyway.
Please understand that selling You is understanding what your contribution is, what you have to offer. That’s the first step in finding what your unique selling position is, and your target market. Start with your story, write it, and all the pieces will fall in line.