Are You a “But” or a “Can”?

We’ve all had them in our business. The “yes but” people. The ones that swear they will do what you tell them, but.... The ones that really want to grow their business, but… The ones that meant to be on the call but… Let’s face it, there are still a lot of people out there they still think they can get something for nothing and when they get nothing, they blame you. How do you handle the “buts” in your business?

Set realistic expectations. We can all get very excited about our business and our products. While excitement and enthusiasm can be contagious, sometimes we get over excited and over sell the possibilities or under sell the amount of work involved. This is always one of the main criticisms of multilevel marketing—exaggerating the opportunity. Be sure to include the fact that nothing is accomplished without doing some work.

Let people know exactly what they are going to have to do to be successful in this business. If they are going to having to listen to two training calls a well, be sure they know when and where those calls are held. If they are going to have to call X number of people, be sure they know how to make those calls. If they have to follow-up on specific leads, be sure they know how to do that. You will still get the “buts” that say they can’t do (you fill in the blank), which, of course, really means they won’t do (you fill in the blank), but at least if you were clear up front about what was expected. You have done the best you could to make the expectations clear.

Make sure everyone on your team understands any systems that are in place to help them in their business. Maybe you have an automatic lead system. Make sure that everyone understands how the system works, how their prospects are identified, when they are supposed to follow-up with prospects, and the fact that no system, no matter how good, is automatic. At some there is going to be some work involved on their part to actually get prospects into their business. If they haven’t contacted any of their prospects, they can’t expect their business to grow, no matter what the “but” is!

Follow-up with your team on a regular basis. As the team gets bigger this can be more and more of a challenge, but be sure you don’t become a “but” yourself if you don’t establish regular contact. You may have to go from calling your team to emailing your team. It is sometimes a good idea to find out from each individual how they like to be contacted and try to accommodate as much as possible. You may not always be successful, but your team will know you do care about them and their success.

You will always have “buts” in your business. With good planning and coaching, you can turn those “buts” into “cans” and increase success for everyone.

No one ever excused his way to success.Dave Del Dotto