Get to know your new acquaintance. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. Yes it’s cheesy but it is also true. Find out his/her likes and hobbies. Find common ground and relate in a real way. Don’t be that guy or gal that is the suck up trying too hard. We all know the suck up who agrees with everything that is being said. We all know the suck up who comes off as fake. Share some of your hobbies. Open up a little bit. People love working with someone they feel is a good person. Find common ground and build on that.
Find hot buttons
During your initial conversation you should be able to start finding his/her hot buttons. What makes him/her tick? What drives him/her?
Tell your story in a credible way
Relaxed intensity should be you the entire meeting. Don’t be over anxious. Show confidence not arrogance. If you have done something great share it. Don’t be shy. Just share it in a way that comes off as confident not arrogant. For example I tell people that I did x,y and z as accomplishments but follow it up with, “the better I get the more I learn that I can always learn more.” Never become a victim! Don’t start blaming others for past failures. Regardless of if it is someone else’s fault no one likes being around a whiner. Turn your negative experiences into positive ones.
Sidenote – Ideally you will have someone else that properly edifies you before your meeting or during your meeting. If that has been done you will be able to give a shorter version.
Sell the vision
Why would they be interested? How is it a fit for your prospect?
There are 2 questions everyone asks themselves that you must answer very clearly
Can I do what is required?
Is is worth it?
You see he/she may feel like they can do what is required but then the bigger question comes into play. Is it worth it? Good recruiters know how to paint a vision that others want to be apart of. Stephen Covey said, “leadership is communicating to others their worth and potential so well that they see it in themselves.” Fit the prospect into the puzzle!
Validate with another voice
It doesn’t matter if you are recruiting your best friend or family member. At some point (the sooner the better) you always want validation from another voice. It is a principle that works. I had to learn the hard way. After having massive success recruiting I thought I could do it on my own without validation. I got my butt kicked and quickly went back to the basics with third party validation.
The Close
Ask what intrigues he/she the most and what would be the biggest hurdles. As you start reading people better and better you will handle most of the objections during the presentation. Take your prospects favorite parts that you pitched and focus more on those than overcoming obstacles. Focus 90% of your time on solutions. 10% on obstacles. Once you have done this ask your prospect on a scale 1 to 10 (10 being the highest for interest) what is their interest level. If your prospects interest level is a 7 or above on a scale 1 to 10 they are typically wanting to be closed. They want you to simply take charge and tell them what to do. If you don’t then you are creating doubt. If you are sure about whatever it is you are pitching then they will be more confident about it. If you are unsure then they will be more unsure. When I say take charge and tell people what to do that doesn’t mean to be overbearing. If you say it with the right tone and invite he/she to be closed it almost never comes off wrong. (This is very basic on the subject of the close. I could and will probably spend an entire article on the psychology of the close).
Have follow up meeting/call setup before leaving
Don’t ask questions right away on the follow up. For example I wouldn’t call someone up and say, “so are you in?” First build back belief and remind them why he/she was interested. Then after you do so you should ask questions.
Amateurs convince experts sift and sort
Recruit without hype. That doesn’t mean you can’t sell a dream. You should always be selling dreams and hope. Just balance it with the reality and averages. Then empower others they can be better than the average person. They can be great but that depends on them. Challenge them and ask them in a world of so many people just trying to get by what is going to make you different?
Sidenote – There should be one main voice in a meeting. Too many voices jumping in all of the time makes the message complicated and less powerful. Yes there is power in validation but make sure validation comes at the appropriate time.
