Master Prospect Secret #3: Master prospectors know what their job description is and what it is not

Summary: Know your job description as a network marketer. The 3rd “secret” of the 17 Secrets of Master Prospectors will literally set you free. Knowing what your job description is, and what it is not, will relieve you from a lot of extra pressure that you put on yourself by not understanding this very important aspect of your business.

If you receive, you must give

We can learn a lot from the Chinese. Just the other day I say a Chinese lady breaking a world swimming record. She was 106 years old. More than that: she did not look a day over 70!

There is an old Chinese philosophy that says:

“When you have been given a gift of great value, You are now obliged to return the favor many times over.”

Master Prospectors understand this. They know what goes around comes around.

The job of the master prospector is to share their gift with as many people as possible – to return the favor that has been given them.

The master prospector’s job is not to judge who is ready to receive this gift. That is the prospect’s job. Master prospectors just focus on doing their job – the sharing of the gift.

Your Job Description

John Kalench used a  very powerful illustration to drive this point home in this chapter of the 17 Secrets of the Master Prospectors. It is an illustration that he first heard from another legend in the network marketing industry, Tom “Big Al” Schreiter. Tom tells a wonderful story about pearls and oysters that will help you understand what your job description is and what it is not. Think of this story as a gift from Tom to John, from John to me and from me to you:

“In every bucket of one hundred oysters, there are an average of ten oysters which contain pearls. Hunting for pearls is a lot like prospecting for serious business builders in Network Marketing.

Most new distributors will pick an oyster out of the bucket, open it up, and see there’s no pearl inside. Then they choose to do something very interesting. They carefully place the two halves of the oyster shell back together again, hold it tight and keep it warm. Then about every week or so, they open it up again to see if it’s grown a pearl.

What is interesting is that they know there are pearls hidden in ten of the oysters in their bucket. Yet they insist on keeping that one oyster cozy and warm, hoping that one of these days they’ll open it up and voila! – a pearl, at last!

Well, my friend, the only way to find those ten pearls is to open up all one hundred oysters. And the chances of someone doing that are pretty slim if they spend all their time keeping empty oysters warm in the hopes that they will magically grow pearls!”

Here is how a Master Prospector, who know what he’s job description is, do oyster shucking (prospecting):

He talks to 25 people every day. He’s a pearl hunter and he just shucks oysters all day long.

When he finds an oyster without a pearl, he neatly and gently puts it back into the “ocean of future pearls” and reaches for another one. He knows there are plenty of pearls out there. He finds ten of them in every hundred oysters he shucks.

The Master Prospector knows that it is not his job to grow pearls. That’s the oysters’ job. His job is finding pearls. And he knows if he just keeps shucking oysters, he’ll find his fair share of pearls – and more.

A Master Prospector knows that his job description is not to make long, technical presentations. He knows that to get through shucking more oysters, he can’t afford to spend major time on long, technical and professional presentations to try and convince his prospects empty oysters that they should in fact grow pearls.

A Master Prospector keep his presentations short, simple and powerful. The purpose of the presentation is only to shuck oysters. Open them up and see if there is a pearl inside. Nothing more.

Master prospectors do not waste their time on trying to convince empty oysters to grow pearls. They just put them gently back into the ocean of future pearls and carry on with their job – shucking oysters.

The Master Prospector’s job is not to convince – it is to sort.

Master Prospectors share their gift. They do not try to force it on people. They don’t try to convince people how valuable it is. They simply share it. They share their gift in the best and most positive way they know how.

The prospect’s job is to say “YES” or “NO”.

Whatever the prospect says is the right answer. Why? Because in their mind they are right and that will be the correct answer for them until they decide to change their mind, which may or may not happen.

If you know your job description YOU can RELEASE the pressure

Master Prospectors take the pressure off themselves and their prospects, by sharing with them up front what each of their roles are: The one share his gift, and the other decides whether he wants to accept it or not.

After a master prospector has built rapport with his prospect, and just prior to presenting them their product and opportunity, the master prospector will say something like this:

“You know Mary, over the next 30 minutes or so, I’m going to share with you information about the company I’m associated with – the people behind it, their vision and integrity. I’ll also introduce you to the products we offer – what they do and why so many people are so excited about them. And then I’ll quickly share with you an opportunity to earn as much money as you’d like, while having the freedom of working for yourself.

Now Mary, if by the end of this short presentation, you do not see any value in this for you, I can respect that and it is totally fine with me. But at least I informed you about it so that you could decide for yourself.

However, if you do see value for yourself, I would like to discuss that value with you, so if you choose, I can help you get started immediately. Does that sound okay to you Mary?”

Now the stage is set. Everyone knows his role. The Master Prospector will share his gift with his short presentation and the prospect will decide if he sees value in the gift. (Nobody wants to receive a gift if they think it’s devoid of any value, right? You would also not like to gift your gift, knowing that the person you are giving it to, does not value it and won’t use it. Therefore, by declaring the roles of each person up front, releases the pressure. As a matter of fact, Mary will listen with a much more open mind to your presentation, if she feels no pressure.)

Everyone understands that it’s okay to do their job because they understand their job description up front. No undue pressure. No hardcore convincing or manipulation. Just a simple process of informing and sharing.

What your job description is not

Your job description as a master prospector is also not to listen to negative people. In the network marketing industry, as a result of the emotional fluctuations that we discussed in secret #2. you will find that people will approach you with their negativity. This is usually other distributors who experience turmoil in their business because they have not learned how to raise their belief levels as discussed in the previous secret.

Master prospectors deal very effectively with these people. They do so by:

1. Listening to the complainant.
2. Ask the complainant, “Am I a part of this problem?”
3. If not, he asks them, “Am I a part of the solution?”
4. If not, then he will politely say, “then I choose not to be part of it at all” and will politely excuse himself.

YOUR HOME WORK:

Well my Master Prospector in the making, here are your Action Steps to apply this “secret” of knowing your job description in your Network Marketing business right away”. Answer the following questions for yourself in your journal. (Write it down.)

1. Have I been doing more convincing than sorting with my prospects? Yes or No
2. If “yes”, what can I do or say in my presentations to help me sort more and convince less?
3. In reviewing my list of prospects and business associates, who are the oysters that I am currently trying to keep warm in the hopes that someday, they will grow a pearl? And what should I do with them?
4. Do I find myself listening to negative, complaining people? If so, what can I do to rise above them and effect positive changes in my life?

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What do you think about this, Secret #3 of the 17 Secrets of the Master Prospectors? Share your comments now while the material is still fresh in your mind. Reflect on it now. Doing so will help you to remember and apply what you have learned.

17 Secrets of the Master Prospectors Series

Book Review: 17 Secrets of the Master Prospectors by John Kalench

Master Prospector Secret #1: Master Prospectors don’t sit on their assets

Master Prospector Secret #2: Master Prospectors are consistently consistent

Master Prospector Secret #3: Master Prospectors know what their job is

Master Prospector Secret #4: Master Prospectors know what to marry

Tags: job description, job description in mlm, job description of a network marketer, job description of a recruiter