“I just don’t have time”
We’ve all heard that from prospects.
My friend John Fogg, currently doing network marketing himself, proposes today that if a prospect says that to him, his reply is:
“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?”
To which his prospect says, surprise surprise (!) yes.
This is an extraordinarily effective response to “I don’t have time” and has been drilled into the heads of tens of thousands of networkers over many years.
My question: Does the question bait the prospect? Is it manipulative? Vote and explain your reaction.
P.S. New Manifesto: “Friends, Lies…” click here to download – free.
Based on my own ‘life’ , I will make the time if I really find it worthwhile. Otherwise, ‘no time’ is a great excuse. I don’t find it baiting or manipulative. I fint it to be a qualifying question. My .02
Cathy
Network marketing does not come with a guarantee of success in any amount of time. There are too many factors to consider. The only way this guarantee would 100% happen would be if HE did it for the person.
It’s easier to tell what the person has to do to make $1000 a month in 6 months and say it’s still an experiment, no promises about what will happen to anyone.
Yes he’s baiting her.
Robin
I voted for no because if someone comes in and does as they are taught, it is entirely possible in my company.
The problem is – most people will NOT do what they are taught to do. Most people sit at their computers/desks doing amateur activities. They organize their data and get everything into a spreadsheet so they can go over it again and maybe get a new email address and possibly build a new website and then maybe, just maybe they MIGHT actually talk to someone.
Also, there are people out there (I know this because I used to be one, so I can say this with confidence) that do not believe they deserve success, so they put every obstacle known to man in their path.
WILL it happen with most people? NO
CAN it happen with everyone?
YES – provided your comp plan actually pays you for what you do and doesn’t make you jump through 100 hoops to get a check.
Most people just won’t do what it takes to get to that point. I know that once I made a conscious decision to work my business and give it my full attention, my check was over that in a matter of months.
Baiting? Absolutely not.
Roxanne Green
I feel that he is baiting her because he says “If you knew (without a doubt)”. He’s making a promise that they will be earning $1,000.00 a month within six months. There is no way that he, or anyone else, can guarantee that she will be earning any amount of money. It depends on how much the person is willing to commit to their business and how effective their prospecting methods are. Hopefully she won’t be listening to the old school network marketers. How does he know what she will do?
I think a better way to handle the time issue is to ask them why they feel they don’t have the time. Listen carefully to their response. Many objections come up simply because the prospect is not sure that what we have is the right thing for them, and they feel the objection is a polite way of saying “No”. For others, the time issue may be genuine. They may actually be very busy and don’t have time for anything else. Ask questions to find out what the real objection is and see if there is some way to solve it.
It’s the phrase “without a doubt” that I have a prob with. Nothing is guaranteed, for anyone, ever, even if they do EXACTLY as told,the people they talk to may not know they are supposed to follow the script and sign up! If Mr Fogg put 6k in her bank account after 6 mos, now that would be a guarantee!
I voted yes. How can any of us promise “without a doubt” any income amount? We can’t. But, that phrase implies that we can. Even if the prospect did everything we taught him, we still can’t guarantee him he’ll make money.
I’d say something like, “I understand. I have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else. Bob, would it be worth it to you to spend 15 minutes with me to learn how people can make extra income?” No promises here.
Yes, it’s baiting since no matter how much potential I see in my prospect, I cannot guarantee her results, nor can I predict the future. Sometimes the best laid plans get derailed by major life events and the $1000/month then happens when it happens. I can guarantee that if they stay with the program and follow it consistently, they will someday get where they want to be. The timeframe depends on a lot of variables.
Michele
http://www.Michele.NetworkMarketingCentral.com
I’m glad this question was brought up because we all need to know how to respond to that very popular response that we hear too often.
I have to say that I don’t believe anyone should guarantee anything that they can’t produce.
In my case, my company does have a guarantee. The rep commits to handing out 25 Success from Home magazines featuring our company each month for 12 consecutive months, doing follow-up and registering follow-up data in the reps back office. The magazines have to be on autoship. The rep has 24 months to complete the 12 consecutive month handouts.
The company committs that if the rep does not make at least $6,000 during the same 12 months, that the company will refund the difference between $6,000 and the commissions paid.
So, I could truthfully say, “If my company could guarantee that you will make a minimum of $6,000 in a 12 month period, following our plan, wouldn’t it be worthwhile to find the time?”
JUDY MARSHALL, Travel Consultant
http://www.judyann.networkmarketingcentral.com
Have some time on my hands cuz it’s Friday early eve. and no homework for my boys. 🙂 Hence, I am posting again. 🙂
I’ve read the posts about the fact that you can not guarantee x amount in x amount of time and… agreed….but re-read the question. The member is not promising anything…he is asking “IF” ….To me, that is a fine qualifying question. If the “IF” were pie in the sky , i.e.
$10K/mo in 6 mos. then I would agree w/ manipulation (contingent on the plan and the price of the product). However, if you are involved with an enterprise where it IS possible, given proper focus, to create $1K in 6 mos. time…I find the question to be an excellent qualifying question and in fact, I’ll use it. Thanx Mr. Fogg. 😉
Side Note: If Mr. / Mrs. prospect has given me a specific income THEY would like to create and it’s w/in ‘reason’ given the opp, I would choose to use THAT figure, vs. a figure I pulled out of the air. If their figure is too high, I would adjust either the figure OR the time frame in order to pose a good qualifying question.
Keep in mind that most people offer a ‘knee jerk’ reaction to nearly anything. “no time”, No Money..etc. Hence, I see no problem w/ doing our best to qualify that ‘knee jerk’. IMO, this is simply a qualifying question so as to save valuable time.
As always, only my .02
To Cathy,
The word “If” is still a promise. If I said to you, “If I cook dinner tomorrow night, will you join me for dinner?” am I not promising you that I’ll cook dinner?
It’s his entire phrase that makes it a promise, and it’s a promise that old school network marketers like to use. It brings in the recruits, but it brings in recruits that won’t stay long. I think that Mr. Fogg would be well off to take Kim’s classes before starting his career as a network marketer.
If you went to work for an employer and worked like you “don’t” for yourself, would you get paid? How long would they keep you around? The fact is, everyone has the same 24 hour day and it’s simply a matter of prioritizing what’s more important to you. I never get over the lack of work ethic the American people have anymore. The government programs and “hand outs” seem to have created a bunch of lazy “entitlement-oriented” people who will fight like heck to keep that disability check coming in the mail but they can’t pick up a telephone and call a few people a day! Sorry, for the ranting, Kim. People tick me off with their no time excuse, because that’s all it is.
John Fogg is not baiting her. He is not making any promises. He is simply reframing her statement so she pauses to think. We all have just 24 hrs in each day. And most people already have their 24hrs/day planned out. The question directed at the right person will reflect on thier time management and reprioritize their otherwise busy schedule.
Have A Great Weekend
Craig
http://www.TheGojiNurse.com
Wow… I wonder if I can learn anything about prospects from comments of network marketers?
I said ‘NO’ not baiting…
~~ I must confess I DON’T read/hear John’s statement as any kind of promise or guarantee.
[And no, Joe, I don’t hear ‘promise’ in your ‘If I cook dinner…’ scenario either.]
All of this simply makes me keenly aware that I don’t know jack about how other’s are interpreting me… so it’s also equally likely that I’m misunderstanding their meaning too. So the lesson for me is –
Clarity is valuable…
keep digging for clarity!
Yes, it can be a bait … most of the time. This sounds like one of those STANDARD reply that MLM trainers teach us to use when face with a customer’s objection.
I think Fogg’s customer said Yes to the business because Mr Fogg is an accomplished and successful MLMer in the field. So when he learn from Mr Fogg, he has the confidence that the business is likely to work out.
If the sponsor is able to deliver what he promised; it’s not a bait.
Problem is: How many sponsors can truly deliver what they have promised?
My first comment is why are we even having this conversation with this prospect? Some one who thinks they don’t have time we should wish good luck and ask them to get in touch with us in the future when they do.
As for is the question baiting the prospect? I voted yes because the wording implies a financial result designed to change the persons mind.
I remember this joke:
I work 25 hours a day.
How’s that possible?
I wake up an hour early.
I voted that yes, he is baiting her. She probably really needs that $1000. If he follows up with a detailed plan for her to make that goal, then it is a good thing. If he just lets her beleive it, and signs her up while she is excited by what that much extra money will mean to her, then it is a bad thing. In my opinion.
When you use power words and phrases like this, it is unethical to just get them in, without showing them a detailed way to achieve the stated amount.
Tracy
About Me
Inner Circle Moms
MLM Work At Home Blog
Just personal experience, I’ve tried 10 companies in NM and never made 1,000 per month in 6 months.
No to baiting her. What he said is “If you knew” which is more like making her aware the value of what she’s saying no to… which is not “promises and lies”, but “What if”? If we think about it, New School Network Marketing does offer you and I endless possibilities which is worth our time which I’m glad seasoned netorkers like you Kim and John Fogg are willing to wake us up to.
Vicky
Anti-aging Energy Smoothies
http://vickytaylor.blogspot.com
My question: Does THIS POST bait the reader? Is it manipulative? And my vote and explain:
“Bait?” Sure does. Start with the headline. A perfect set-up taking them where you want them to go–shades of the rat-catcher of Hamelin (hold on to your children folks).
“Manipulative?” Sure is–in 3D (Devious, Duplicitous and Disingenuous). Taken so far out of context, readers here are clueless as to the “real” conversation.
And Kim you’re way too smart not to have done this on purpose…
For any of the New School “groupies” here who enjoy thinking for yourself, go here (TheFoggReport.com), read the original and get the “real” (obvious and permission asked-for-and-granted) purpose of my question. It’s here:
I just don’t have time…
K2… thanks for the traffic. I appreciate you.
I must say that I am TOTALLY amazed that the majority of the people here do NOT believe they can be making $1000/mo within 6 months in network marketing.
Either get out of network marketing or find a new company where this is possible.
Find a mentor that can believe in you until you believe in YOURSELF so you know that you deserve success.
Believe me, when you talk to prospects, they can tell if you truly believe in your business or not.
I don’t know how many people call me on a weekly basis trying to pitch me on their companies. The majority of these people aren’t making any money AND they have no or very little belief in their companies. That’s SAD.
I feel so sorry for these people because they don’t believe in themselves and don’t believe a measly $1,000/month is possible (YES – I said measly, because once I believed in myself and began to actually work, I realized how simple that amount really is to achieve), but they are trying to hype me into believing they can help me make $10,000/mo.
I actually made this level in my company with minimal effort. I didn’t work to my full potential. You better believe that when I realized how easy it is, I now give it my full effort.
Guys – $1,000/mo. in MLM should not be hard. If your upline/company doesn’t give you that belief, find something new. You have to believe before you can help others believe. Every person on my team who is working the business KNOWS that they can and will be making $1,000/mo. soon. They know that because I have instilled that belief in them and they know exactly what to do to reach that goal. I believe in every one of them and they borrow from that belief until they believe in themselves.
You need a team that believes in this industry and believes in you.
Roxanne Green
PS – As my mentor likes to say – Network Marketing is self improvement with a compensation plan attached.
One of the things we have to do when leading someone (and that is, *ahem*, leading them), is the same thing a coach does. We need to shift their perspective. This is not manipulation if it is for their benefit. These shifts are almost always done with questions, and questions that allow a person to see something differently. Excuses like “I don’t have time” are never the real objection, and you have to strip away the excuses to get to the core issue. That is almost always a fear of some kind. This is an excellent example, but not just to overcome an objection (manipulative), but to strip away an unreal excuse. If you are going to help someone change, you have to get past their BS. If you see the way Fogg uses it, it is very selfless, kind, and helpful, naturally leading to dealing with a *real* issue, doubt (=fear of failure). I find most people are uncomfortable with leading others in this way because they don’t have 100% conviction that what they are doing is excellent.
Of course it is both baiting and manipualitive. Honestly, who in their right mind would say “no” to that question.
First time post and I haven’t taken the time to figure out this blog’s definition of “baiting”, so maybe I’m way off base, but…
Of course it’s baiting!
And, of course, it’s a good thing!
Those interpreting John’s question as bad should:
1. Re-read the question and
2. Do some serious self-examination.
Here’s the question again with capped emphasis added for the sake of those who still have their heads stuck somewhere they shouldn’t be…
“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?”
I see nothing like “I guarantee…”
As Craig Davis said up a little higher, John simply helped her reframe her thinking. Any reasonable person (that excludes those with welfare mentalities) can see that YOU is the person with all the responsibility here. And if YOU aren’t willing to do what it takes to get YOU to YOUR goal, than EYE will be happy to find another person to coach.
Don’t ya’ll think John is smart enough to direct this question to someone who is capable of thinking (and doing) for themselves? I know EYE certainly wouldn’t direct it to someone looking for handouts and guarantees. Nor to whiners who don’t think they are capable of accomplishing something as basic to most MLM biz plans as $1k/mo in 6mos.
Caleb
I voted no as well. Then I read all the comments and also clicked on John Fogg’s link to the actual conversation. Very interesting. Kim, you are very sly. You neglected to mention that he TOLD her upfront he was about to ask a trick question. Baiting, indeed.
I voted no because first of all, we all know that people use this as an excuse much of the time. If you want/need $1000 per month, you are going to have to dedicate SOME time to that, aren’t you? If you go get a job (full or part time) you are going to have to find a lot more time in your schedule versus the time you can spend on a network marketing business and earn the same amount or more. I have heard this excuse many times, only to find out the person found/made the time to volunteer, join a club, do some other business.
Secondly, I did not hear him make any sort of promise. Only asking if SHE knew it could happen, would she then make time.
I agree with previous comments that most people don’t do the work to make it happen. I do believe that we should be upfront about the work necessary BEFORE they sign up.
And for a handful of us, like Judy and me, yes we can actually talk about guaranteed income. (See Judy’s post above.) And for the non-believers, we have lots of folks who did follow the plan, using the method as Judy described, who have experienced great success. (It was launched approx. one year ago.) Turns out a lot of folks needed another ROM and this one called their name.
After all these great comments and thoughts, I am reminded of something I heard a while back that I keep tucked away in my brain:
Interested vs. Committed
There’s a big difference.
Gayle
Travel Consultant
YTB Travel Network
http://www.SweetDreamsTravel.com
p.s. Roxanne – Thanks for sharing the quote. I love it madly!
“Network Marketing is self improvement with a compensation plan attached.”
I am thankful to say I have moved beyond trying to overcome ANY type of objection.
Time; Money; Product; Anything. PERIOD.
I’m not sure in 14 years if I have ever “overcome” an objection and had the person go on to success.
We all have doubts, eh? We all have fears. We all wonder going into a business if we can do it; if we have time; if we have knowledge, etc.
I don’t know what lies within the heart of any other person; not even my spouse, when push comes to shove.
I have seen people who I never DREAMED would succeed take the business into the stratosphere and others who I felt were destined for greatness drop out because granny said it wouldn’t work.
Most of us don’t even know beyond a shadow of a doubt about ourselves, no less another.
All that said, I don’t believe JMF was baiting her, but more probing her to dig deeper.
My fear though, in doing that, is that sometimes people don’t really know themselves and I would wonder if it’s not just wasted time and energy.
EXPECT Success!
Jackie Ulmer
Street Smart MLM Training BLOG