As a small biz owner, direct sales leader or party plan rep, you’ve probably heard one or more of these success tips, maybe even from me:
- The more No’s you get, the closer you’ll be to getting a yes!
- No’s are necessary to succeed.
- 1 in 10 will say yes, so keep going when you hear a no.
There’s even a popular book on the subject, aptly titled Go for No!
You see, back in the good ‘ol days, all we had was a phone to connect with humans. I’m talking way back, before caller ID. It was a wonderful time, when a potential customer interrupted everything they were doing (even Dynasty!) to answer the phone and find out who was on the other end. We’d chat like best friends, share our awesome offer, and either get a yes, a not now, or a no. Then came the dawn of email, tele-marketers, caller ID, beepers (can’t believe I let my kids have those), texting, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat and whatever ten year olds are using right now. We’ve never had more ways to reach out and touch someone, yet it seems more of a struggle to make a connection and actually get a response.
And so, while in the midst of yet another “100 No’s Challenge”, which I’ve been doing with my team since big hair was in, a new consultant remarked that she was going for 100 ignores – because when the answer is no, the only sound you’ll hear is crickets. In that moment, the skies opened up and birds began chirping as I had an epiphany – she was right. It’s the dawn of a new day for rejection! Ignores mean we no longer have to hear the word no. Fear not, and message or text your little heart out. When you actually get a reply, it will most likely be a resounding YES!
Take The 100 Ignores Challenge: 10 Step Facebook Strategy To Get More Yes’s
1. Make a list of potential ideal clients who are on your Friends list.
2. Connect by checking out their Facebook page, then LIKE a post (or two) and leave a comment.
3. Wait a few days so you don’t look like a scary stalker.
4. Log onto Facebook and see who’s online in the live chat section. Look! There’s five people on your list on Facebook right now. OMG, this is soooo going to work.
5. Test the waters by sending a private message to say Hi. Wait for a response before you talk about your product. As Elvis said, only fools rush in.
6. When you get a reply keep your messaging personal – just like a conversation in real life. Then ask (because you’re having such a great convo) if they’d like to try out a free sample, which could be anything from a product sample to a recipe or a how-to video. Your message could be something like, “Hey! I just got in some extra samples of ____. I’d love to send you one for free!” Notice I never asked a question there.
7. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. There it is! No response. You got an ignore. Move on to the next person on your list.
8. After 5-7 contacts (random number) a Yes reply finally comes back. Yay! They’d love your free sample! Take a break and do a happy dance. Then reply back to learn more about what kind of sample (product, recipe, how-to video) might interest them most so you can best serve their needs.
9. Follow up immediately – remember they can see that you read their message – or you might end up back on the ignore list. If you really want to get noticed, go old school: write a personal thank you note and mail it.
10. Rinse and repeat without any worry of rejection. Odds are you’ll never hear the word No again.
Bonus Tip: Please don’t copy/paste messages. Facebook flags copy/paste messages as spam, which could land you in Facebook Jail. Your friends can tell when you copy/paste too.
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Lynn Bardowski is an award-winning entrepreneur and bestselling author of Success Secrets of a Million Dollar Party Girl. She speaks to global audiences about Direct Sales Success, Social Selling and Women’s Empowerment and is a resource for press, media and bloggers. Like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her YouTube channel. Learn more about her VIP Group: The Visionista Connection.
