MEMBERSHIP SELLING AND
SALES MANAGEMENT INSIGHTS

Go For The Appointment, Not The Sale, Part 2

In our last Insights post, we introduced you to the notion that a prospecting call is no time to try to close a sale. Instead, it's an opportunity to arrange a future call or meeting where your chances of success are far more likely.

We offered four tips to help you secure that next call or appointment. Here are four more to help you lock down a second conversation and gain more control over your recruiting destiny.

5. Don’t overdo it!

Sometimes we are up against a deadline or under pressure to make quota. Still, you can’t let your individual needs influence your actions. Prospects will sense your emotions and shut down. 

Even when you aren’t under the gun to produce, pushing too hard or applying pressure will likely cause your prospects to feel uneasy. People just don’t respond well to high-pressure tactics. Especially when they can just as easily disconnect your call. 

6. Listen, listen and listen some more.

This should be understood, but prospecting and recruiting are not about talking and persuading. The most successful membership pros understand that listening is the most critical component of the recruiting process. 

This means that you need to listen more than you speak. It’s simple, really, the better your listening skills, the better your prospecting calls will be. And you’ll win more appointments.

7. Offer Two Options for an Appointment

Avoid questions like, “Is there a good time for you?” or “What time works for you?” These questions are open-ended, which can get prospects thinking about how busy they are. And they can just as easily conclude that there isn’t a good time. 

Always offer a close-ended choice of two dates/times about a week away. If they don’t choose one of the times offered, you’ll easily find a time slot that works.

8. Every rejection gets you one step closer to a yes. 

If you aren’t experiencing some rejection, you aren’t making enough prospecting calls. It’s that simple. Rejection is part of the game but it’s okay. There is no way to schedule an appointment with every prospect. 

We realize that prospecting can be discouraging at times, but don’t let it dampen your spirits. It will come across in your tone on your next call. We look at it this way, every rejection gets you one step closer to a yes.