Seal the Deal

No Coffee & Chat

Many direct sellers invite people interested in joining for a ‘coffee and chat’ to do that.

I don’t.

Up to about 15 years ago, I used to invite prospects for a coffee and chat but it didn’t work very well for me. Here’s why:

• At the beginning of my direct sales career, I would get so passionate about the business that I’d suddenly develop a massive case of ‘verbal diarrhea’ and scare people away with information overload.
• I found it challenging to schedule time to meet in person for a coffee. At the time, I was working a full-time job, running my direct sales business, and studying for my master’s degree. Then when I stopped working a job and focused entirely on my business, I had young children. Finding time for a coffee (working around naps and babysitting) was a nightmare. Interestingly, when I met them for coffee and a chat (and I kept verbal diarrhea in check), I often had them sign up before the coffee arrived.
• Sometimes scheduling was such a nightmare that by the time we finally managed to catch up, they’d lost interest and turned up out of politeness – if they turned up at all.
• Although the perception of the ‘coffee and chat’ is a low-pressure and casual event, many prospects still feel pressured. You’ve bought them a coffee, and they know you have given up your time, especially to meet them….to talk to them about joining a business. I found that some people struggled with the situation and weren’t comfortable.

So very early in my career, I decided that if I were going to be successful, I would have to find a way to ‘seal the deal’ without ‘coffees and chats’ with each potential team member.

I decided to sign people up at a party/event or over the phone. And that’s what I still do.

I’ve used many strategies to do this, and I’ll talk you through the ones that have worked well for me.

Strategies to Seal the Deal

Don’t be attached to the outcome
Be relaxed about the outcome of your talk with them. If potential new team members don’t feel pressured to join your party plan business, they’re more likely to give it a try. In other words: Don’t be needy!

Use a structured approach
I use the C.O.D.D approach at every party and event. C.O.D.D. stands for Compliment, Objective, Disclaimer, Date. This is a way to structure your talk to someone who has shown interest. To learn how to use the C.O.D.D. approach, read this.

To seal the deal after using C.O.D.D I’ll say something like: “Shall we go ahead and order your starter kit?” or “Let’s work out a date for your starter party – give it a go, you’ve got nothing to lose!”

Find out how ready they are

Ask the potential new team member: On a scale from 1 to 10, where are you now? With 1 being “I’m ready to run away screaming” (this usually gets a chuckle) and 10 being “Yes! Sign me up. I can’t wait to get started!

Few people are actually at a 10, but it’s an excellent way to find out what is stopping them from signing up. So, for example, if they say they’re a 7, you can ask them: “What’s stopping you from being a 10? I might be able to help with that.“

And people who are at a 6 or lower will probably not join your team. That’s fine (remember that you’re not attached to the outcome). You can keep these interested people as VIP customers or hosts.

Pillow test
If potential recruits don’t commit while talking to them, use the ‘Pillow Test’ technique. I say something like: “Let’s give it the pillow test – if you find yourself thinking about the business tonight when you go to sleep, you know it’s definitely for you. Then you should definitely jump in and give it a try!“

The next morning, follow up with a call to ask if they did think about it.

One of the reasons this technique works is because you’ve suggested to them that they will think about it tonight as they sleep. Not to mention, that’s what many of us do anyway. We think about our day as we’re drifting off.

I’ve written the kind of book I would have loved someone to give me when I started out —it’s the HOW-TO OF RECRUITING.

This book comes with dozens of free worksheets, checklists, and templates to get you started on your direct sales journey today!

Order your copy here!

Share this!