Strategy #3: Never Prejudge
Let me share with you what the word prejudge means. Prejudge means making a mental decision prior to even engaging in a sales conversation or presentation. In your mind, you're already saying, “You know what? This person doesn't have what it takes to invest my product or service.” Never prejudge a potential client, customer, patient or prospect. This will be one of the worst mistakes that you make in your career!
Remember, I was never prospected for the industry of direct sales. No one ever prospected me. I was a stuttering twenty-four year old kid from Yonkers, New York that was simply not attractive to the average business builder. Here’s the kicker…If someone would have prospected that stuttering kid, they would have earned over $1.1 million off the business that I built. I learned the industry and I was looking, but no one ever approached me and gave me a chance to show my potential. I earned my financial freedom many years ago and retired from network marketing. I still get prospected several times a day, but my answer will ALWAYS be no. Why? Because I respect the fact that many of my students are involved with various companies, and I would never jeopardize those relationships by joining any company.
Back to the topic...people prejudged me. They looked at me and saw a 24-year old, stuttering kid that worked for his successful family business and had a college education. They assumed that I was completely content with my great level of success. That mindset cost numerous people millions -- literally over a million dollars. What they didn’t see was that I was tired of working around the clock and was actively looking for another way of achieving financial freedom. I was hungry for change!
Think about it for a second. I lived in Yonkers, New York. I was often in Manhattan or Long Island. These are very heavily populated areas yet no one, no one, no one (I'm not stuttering) – NO ONE ever walked up to me and said, “By any chance, are you looking to earn extra income? Do you love what you're doing? Do you want to be free?” Instead, people prejudged me. They walked by me every single day. It was definitely their loss!
Never prejudge. You must internalize this by saying to yourself, “I will NEVER prejudge someone in my business.” You never know where someone's coming from. Don't judge them by their dress, by the car they drive or where they live. You never know what's going on inside their mind. Most people who you think have money don't have it, and those you think that don't have it, have tons of it.
When you meet a potential client, have an open mind. This was one strategy that catapulted my level of success. I treated every single person that I showed my business presentation to like they were my next top business partner. When you walk into a sales presentation and you’re already saying to yourself, “I don't think this person has what it takes to invest in my product. I don't think this person has what it takes to get involved in this business.” You are wasting your time. I don’t care what you are selling – legal services, high-end art, health services, furniture, kitchen cabinets, real estate, insurance, travel services, etc. If you prejudge that person before you even begin your business presentation, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Instead, enter the sales presentation saying to yourself, “I will show my product/business the exact same way to everyone with the belief that this person will become a customer of mine long-term.” Once again, you're walking in with the “Always Be Opening” mind set. I'm opening up a new relationship. I'm not prejudging this potential client, customer, prospect, etc. Your mindset going into it will allow you to do a better presentation, and allow your excitement, enthusiasm, belief, conviction, and commitment to flow through. That's what people buy! They buy who you are. They physically buy your product, but they were sold on you.
No matter what type of product or service you’re selling, the potential client is ultimately buying you. They have to believe in you. If you walk in with a mindset of “I don’t believe this person has what it takes to invest in this product or service.”, then they're going to feel that. They'll feel your non-belief. I love walking into some of the snooty shopping areas of Palm Beach in my gym clothes. If the sales person judges me on my clothing and gives me an attitude, then I walk right out the door. I refuse to sow my money into bad ground. In other words, I ain’t giving my money to someone that treats me like garbage. That’s exactly what your potential client will be thinking in their minds too if you prejudge them. Don’t fool yourself to think that they won’t know. They will notice the minute that you walk into the room. They will feel your non-belief in them, and that will dramatically cut your closing ratio down by 80 percent.
As I'm writing this I'm in beat up sneakers, my workout tank top and my workout pants. If you looked at me during the day, you'd walk right by me and say, “Who is he? He doesn’t have a job. Only a loser walks around in the middle of th afternoon with a hat on and unshaven.” You are probably smirking right now, because you know that you have prejudged someone that looks exactly like that for your own business. Little do most people know, I can walk around like that in the middle of the afternoon, because I am free to do what I want, when I want and with who I want to do it with. That’s far from being a loser! A prejudging mindset backed up with assumptions will cost you millions.
Allow EVERYONE the opportunity to own and take advantage of your exclusive offer to own your products. Enter every sales presentation with the belief that the person in front of you is your next big sale. I believe everyone has a champion inside them. Remember who I was and where I came from. No one ever prospected me. I had to answer an ad to get involved in network marketing and earn a million dollars. Isn’t that incredible? No one gave me a chance. Don’t you fall into that same trap of judging people. An open mind leads to a bountiful harvest!
Strategy #3 Champion Tip: NEVER prejudge or assume a potential client, a customer or prospect will not be able to afford or need your product.