Taking The High Road

PROSPECTING | RELATIONSHIP | SPEAKING & LISTENING Taking The High Road How to turn a negative opinion into a fresh new look at what you have to offer. by Michael Oliver plus AUDIO and ATTACHMENT | 550 words | 3 pages

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Everybody's been there, and most of us wish we were finally done with that— listening to the negative opinions people have about network marketing and being a network marketer. Human nature being what it is, Natural Selling's Michael Oliver, encourages us to take a fresh look at how to handle these naysayers with honest, open non-threatening questions that have them taking another look from a different, more open and understanding perspective.

There are many ways to respond to a negative statement about you being an Independent Network Marketing Distributor to help you and the person who makes the remark to keep things in perspective.

The next time this happens, or someone challenges what you are doing, ask them this simple question...

"Let me ask you, would you make the same remark if I told you I had decided to become a part-time nurse?"

To which their answer will be "No" most times.

You then go on to ask…

"So why then are you judging me and my decision to start my own business?" The key here is to say it in a quiet way... coming from an internal place of peace and quiet and not being attached to the outcome— especially the outcome or the need to be right.

People are perfectly entitled to their opinions. You are perfectly entitled to find out why they think the way they do. In your response allow them to come to their own logical conclusion that their behavior is unacceptable.

Take the high road— stand tall and have the courage of your own decisions and the strength of standing firm on your convictions. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what people think. It’s what YOU think that’s important.

Ironically, when someone says something like this, even if it is something that's potentially offensive, it may be a great opportunity for you. Why? Because when someone makes such a statement, that's one of the four ways a conversation can start.

When someone makes a statement, they are expressing their opinion— and their own opinion carries weight because it's coming from their 'worldview'. Whether you agree with it or not doesn't matter. It's an opportunity for you to acknowledge the statement and to ask questions that will open up what's behind it. You don't have to agree with someone to listen to them to discover what they're thinking and why they're thinking that way.

So, in this particular situation you have the opportunity to find out why the person feels the way they do. And, as a result, the conversation might well lead them to think again and take a fresh look at what you have to offer them.

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Michael Oliver is an Internationally recognized trainer, speaker and author of the best selling book, How to Sell Network Marketing Without Fear, Anxiety or Losing Your Friends!, and the founder of Natural Selling® Sales Training.

His teleconferencing training, coaching and on-site workshops and speeches are in demand around the world. Every year he helps thousands of Independent Distributors and Direct Salespeople achieve outstanding business and personal results.

You can find out more about Michael, his book, his Power Up Your Dialogue CD's and sign up for his free newsletter and learn about Michael's terrific free ecourse 7 Steps to Natural Selling by going to his website with our affiliate link here: NaturalSelling.com

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AUDIO PROSPECTING | SKILLS | SPEAKING & LISTENING Is this network marketing? From Michael's Power Up Your Dialogue series, this excerpt provides you with the questions to ask when people are being negative about the business. As Michael says "Your best defense is not to defend." by Michael Oliver 15 minutes listen only MP3 Michael Oliver makes extensive use of role-playing in teaching the principles and practicals of Natural Selling. This dialogue is a clear and powerful show and tell of how to handle a person with a negative view of network marketing in that 'kinder and gentler' Michael is famous for, and… that gets positive results.

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ATTACHMENT PROSPECTING | SKILLS | SPEAKING & LISTENING Talking with friends A transcript of role plays from the Natural Selling series 'Power Up Your Dialogue' by Michael Oliver This dialogue called "What People Say is Only the Tip of the Iceberg" is between a new independent distributor who recently joined a network marketing company and a close friend Jeri Lyn, a potential business partner. What's particularly instructive is Michael use of questions, such as "How does that affect you? What do you mean by that?" and "If you could...?" that draw out the finer, more subtle and deeper details about the person's past and present circumstances and most importantly, how she feels about her present situation.

16 page downloadable PDF