Here is the seven-second version response to “What do you do?”You:I market a product for people who have achy knees when they go
up and down stairs, like I used to. Do you know anyone who might
like to know about a product like that?Go ahead and read these out loud, and see what your reaction might be if you
met someone who said each one in response to your asking them “What do
you do?”
The results thousands of my students have obtained with this kind of re-
sponse have surprised nearly all of them. Maybe because it’s such a friendly,
non-seller-talk kind of authentic response. They’ve gotten referrals from peo-
ple they never dreamed would give them any. And they’ve made sales that will
warm any heart.
I believe that the greatest obstacle to getting good people to listen to
someone’s business or product presentation has been the urge to try to im-
press the other person. For the business presentations, the “Five Worst Things
to Say,” while intended to impress, are perhaps the greatest turnoff to a good
person, because they know better. Instead they seem to attract those who are
weak and vulnerable. This, of course, adds to the drop out rate, since they’re
not the right ones for our business. At least, not now.
For the product presentation, the urge to impress has led to massive use
of seller talk, which everyone says they’d move away from if someone did it
to them.
So there you have it. Be authentic. Respect your audience—your listener.
Tell your story—your mini-movie. That’s what will connect and endear you
to them.
So now you tell me: What do you do?
I’m listening....
Kim Klaver, aka Ms Stud, has been selling things she loves since she was
eight. The little Dutch girl with broken English sold more Christmas
cards door-to-door in her neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan, than all
her friends.
In her debut as a professional direct seller, Kim retailed more water fil-
ters than anyone in the company’s history—nearly $60,000 worth in her first
month. Five years later with another product she loved, Kim achieved the
highest position in the shortest time in the National Speakers Association’s
history. For the next eight years, she shared her secrets with the entire net-
work marketing industry through her books, audios, and classes. Her web site
Why Won’t They Listen to Me? 111