Copyright 2006 Dr. Eileen Silva
I always smile when I think of Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is not confused about its image or its service. When you and I think of Southwest, we probably think of the same things: low fares, one-day affordable service, and peanuts (both price-wise and meal-wise).
When you book on Southwest, you won’t be fighting over a limited number of first class up-grades or trying to negotiate an aisle seat as close to the front of the plane as possible. You know that you, and all the rest of the passengers (including Hillary Clinton if she has booked a seat), will be racing to both the ticket counter and the boarding line-ups for the free-for-all boarding contest.
I’ll never forget the flight attendant’s rendition of passenger flight orientation (in a smiling, booming voice): “Ladies and gentlemen, there may be FIFTY WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER, but there is only ONE WAY to exit this aircraft!”
Predictable Service, Predictable Prices, that’s Southwest Airlines. What does Southwest have in common with your network marketing company?
That is a very good question, one which you should take a moment to analyze so that you can design a precision pitch which accomplishes what you’re intending. Before you make that next business presentation, take active steps to review it, making sure that you are clear about these points:
1. Company’s visual image (consider logo, design colors, materials, etc.)
2. Company’s product appeal (what niche does it fill, and who is your primary target market?)
3. Are you a service company or a tangible goods company?
4. Are you leading with product service or the business opportunity?
5. Are you part-time or full-time, and where do you see yourself two years from now?
6. Is your primary objective, when you do a presentation, to fill a need or create want?
Now, make your presentation (with your tape recorder going) to a family member --- and when you have finished, ask that person to answer the aforementioned questions about your business (you can listen to your tape later to learn from the discrepancies).
If your family member does not come up with the same answers that you expected from #1 to #6, then you most definitely need to redesign your presentation. Until the people you are communicating with are hearing your message the way you intend, you are probably confusing people as to your true message.
Several years ago, my husband, Taylor Hegan, and I enrolled simultaneously in a weeklong communication course in a remote Georgia mountain camp. Six powerful people from around the world gathered with us to sharpen communication skills.
About five days into the training --- after much work and many insights --- we gathered for what turned into breakout sessions to measure the keen skill of listening carefully.
As luck would have it, Taylor and I happened to be seated together. This was a little unusual, because in the many personal development courses we had taken, we had been trained to split up for maximum benefit.
Nonetheless, we found ourselves in an interactive exercise called “Gleaning the Gold.” The object was to share several sentences of detailed information with your partner, who would then paraphrase it back without changing the essence of the meaning.
Taylor spoke first while I listened dutifully. In a short few moments, I “gleaned” the essence, spoke it back to him, and he essentially confirmed that it was fine. Then, it was my turn. (By now, every woman reading this article is probably grinning from ear to ear, predicting what was about to happen.)
As soon as I finished my monologue, Taylor condensed it down to a few sentences that bore no resemblance whatsoever to what I had said. I was, in fact, appalled at his rendition. When I told him that he had missed the boat listening, he did the unthinkable. He said, “Well, why don’t you just open up to the possibility that that’s what you meant?”
After the second aborted attempt (he was getting no closer), I handed him a legal pad and told him to write my dialogue down. I swear I am not making this up, although I am sure that it sounds almost impossible to believe . . . but with it written down verbatim, he still was arguing about what I meant!
Fortunately, the session leader called us back to group session before we could bicker any longer. The results of the exercise were interesting. Out of the 68 people present, two sets of people had failed the exercise, and both sets happened to be married . . . to each other.
The point of it all is that when the people being addressed, i.e., the people you are pitching to, “think” they know the subject being covered, or have a definite opinion already existing about it, they may not hear you clearly.
Because many elements of our programs may appear confusing at first, it is important that everyone be able to ‘glean’ the same gold from your presentation. You will find that your responses will be more positive when you streamline your presentation and don’t provide too much information initially.
Taylor and I focus on a system for recruiting and sponsoring, a system for product usage, and a system for implementation of our product line into medical offices. We introduce these as readiness develops, and we stress the user-friendly duplicable parts so that people can see themselves doing the business.
That really is the purpose of your presentation --- to present a clear, reproducible, and appealing opportunity so that your listeners feel as if they can do the business. This cuts down on the amount of confusion that people get from your presentation. I am reminded of an old Hawaiian motto: “If you can’t convince ‘em, confuse ‘em.” It will keep them occupied for a while, but it will not forward your business.
To be successful, be sure your message is precise, appealing, and has a clean call to action. If the purpose is to sell ‘em, you should leave with an order. If the purpose is to enroll ‘em, you should leave with an application. They should leave with plans and purpose, not questions or confusion.
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Eileen Silva, Ph.D., N.D. is a metabolic health balancing expert, talk show guest, and lecturer. Dr. Silva is also an individual, group, and corporate weight management consultant. Contact Dr. Silva at www.dreileensilva.com
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