How to Get Prospects to Think Outside the Box

Everywhere you look during the holidays, people are thinking about what they will put in the gift box they will give to their loved ones, friends, neighbors, employees and customers.

But what Alondrae, a fellow consultant, is having trouble with is getting prospects to think outside the box. That’s the focus of today’s post – how to get  prospects thinking outside the box.

Alondrae writes:

“I have a problem with people believing in the system. People are so closed minded and refuse to see things outside of the box. People have been programmed way too long and too effectively, especially those like me in the middle class. Middle class are so busy trying to stay there that is all they see. The possibility of growing their income by the leaps and bounds by this system is completely foreign to them.”

Let me make sure the question is clear for everyone reading and then I’ll give you some tips for getting your prospects to think outside the box.

“Why are people so busy ‘trying to stay there’ in their comfortable little box, especially in the middle class? How do you explain the potential income from the Ambit opportunity to people who don’t understand the system?”

Without talking to Alondrae personally, I think that’s what’s being asked. How do you explain the income and freedom of the Ambit opportunity?

Do You Really Know What Your Prospects Want?

The simple answer is that you have to find what that prospect doesn’t like about being in their comfortable little box and build on that. What do they want? What do they need? And what do they not want?

The secret to getting any prospect out of his or her comfort box is to help him or her understand what they want or need and what they don’t want. Some people don’t want to make calls. Some people don’t want to leave home to make money.

Determining this information is crucial to whether you even get to the “system” of how it all works. It also helps you get the prospect out of their “box” and thinking about what they want and need.

Are You Helping Your Prospects Handle Their “Bugs?”

I spent some time with this in Ambit Pro Inviter, but if you’re not familiar with my bug theory, here’s the short of it. People will tell you they want to make more money, spend more time with their kids, etc. That’s great info, but then they’ll switch gears and give you a bug – something that’s in the way of their getting what they want. No time, no money, etc. They are getting distracted by the tiny details and not seeing the big picture. Kind of like a bug on the windshield.

I think that’s your core issue here with prospects. They aren’t getting past their bugs. That’s your job – to help them get past them. You’ll have success with some and not with others. And that’s not your fault. I wouldn’t hold on to those at all. There are too many people out there that need your help.

Does Your Prospect Fully Understand the “System?”

Dealing with objections and questions can be exhausting, but I want you to think about a common conversation between a parent and child for a moment.

A child wants to know why he or she can’t ride their bike down the street alone. The parent has a choice to make in this encounter – either give the child information on why he or she can’t do it or say “Because I said so.”

The first response could be anything from the safety of the neighborhood to the child’s maturity level. Giving the child information on a level they can understand explains the parent’s thinking (especially when it’s based on third-party facts) and builds trust. The second answer is a throw-away and gives the child a sense that their feelings don’t matter. Plus, they learn nothing.

A parent has the ultimate responsibility of helping make their child’s life better, but they have the choice to do it or not in simple conversations.

My point for bringing this up is that often your prospect is much like a child. They don’t always have the information they need to understand a “system” (e.g. the reasoning for not riding a bike alone.) And kids that get the canned answer “Because I said so” may not seek any further information because “that’s the way it is.”

Sound familiar?

Helping your prospect get outside their “box thinking” requires that you undo a lot of the “programming” Alondrae mentioned in the question above.

And dealing with questions and objections helps your prospect get the information he or she needs to understand the long-term payoff of working in the Ambit opportunity. But they need your help to get there.

Action Item:  I recommend you check out two resources – Ambit Pro Inviter and Brilliant Compensation. Ambit Pro Inviter gives you the tools for asking the right questions and the formula for helping your prospects get past their “box thinking.” Brilliant Compensation gives you a third-party source that explains the “system” and potential of MLM.