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UPC Newsletters>
Steps to Conducting Powerful Presentations
October 9, 2004
By now, you know that building a network in UPC is a
fabulous way to make a wonderful income, help the people
you care about, build residual income plus ownership and
security .
But all this will mean nothing if you can’t convey it to
your prospects. No matter what your prospect is only
interested in one thing:
How will this benefit me?
You can talk about website pro, UPC's stability and
million-dollar sales all day long, but if you don’t relate
them to terms of benefits to your prospect — they are not
going to be interested. However, establish the benefits of
your business with your prospects and you will turn them
into affiliates.
You must lead with the benefits, then substantiate with
features.
It sounds so simple that you probably think you already do
that. The odds are that you don’t. If you’re like most
affiliates — you are talking entirely about features.
What do I mean by that?
It means you tell people things like:
We’re a debt-free, 2 1/2 year-old company.
Our websites are the best.
I made $$$$$ my first month.
I am a stockholder.
If you think about it, you’ll notice that all of these
phrases are about you, your products or your company. That
means they’re features. Remember, we want to talk about
benefits and benefits are always about the prospect.
Find out how much time your prospect has to devote to a
business. Is their free time in the evenings or in the
daytime and do they have family obligations to work around?
How much money would they be willing to invest in a
business and what would they like to get out of it? Listen.
Really listen to the answers and you will know what
benefits UPC has that they is looking for. By learning
these things in the pre-approach stage — you’ll be better
able to key in on the appropriate benefits when it comes
time to make your presentation.
The Five Steps to Successful, Effective Presentations.
I believe there are five critical areas that need to be
addressed in every presentation:
Prospect benefits (This is where you do the
dream-building.)
Affiliate Marketing (How it works and why it’s credible.)
Company (Why UPC is the best fit for the prospect.)
Product (Why Website Pro is the best on the planet.
The support structure (The systems, training and help you
will provide the prospect.)
Let’s look at each of them in turn.
For the first step of your presentation, begin with the
benefits. If you’ve done your job in the listening
department, you’ll know what kind of lifestyle benefits
your prospect is looking for. For instance, if your
prospect is a housewife with child-rearing
responsibilities, you may want to stress the flexible hours
and the chance for her to work from home.
If your prospect were a businessman making good money, but
killing himself with a grueling, 90-hour work week, you’d
present the quality time and residual income benefits and
ownership.
Mention all the benefits of the UPC lifestyle you can think
of, but pay particular attention to the ones that
fit the desires your prospect expressed earlier. What we’re
doing here is opening with the benefits to ensure we have
the prospect’s attention.
There are some key benefits that you should mention in
every presentation. They are the:
unlimited income potential;
great tax advantages;
travel opportunities;
ability to choose the people you work with;
FREE and minimum start-up costs;
Ownership: and, the opportunity to become successful while
you empower others.
This is probably the most critical point of any
presentation — the dream-building.
To understand why, it is worth a look at what causes people
to make buying decisions.
Most people base their buying decisions on emotion, and
justify them by logic. An example. After I got my first
Cadillac, I was amazed with its styling, performance, and
the high I got from driving it. Since it was a Escalde ESV.
I told myself is was a good investment, because they held
their value well.
Of course, that’s just what I told myself. The reality was
I wanted it purely for emotional reasons. I felt great when
people looked at me in it. I justified buying it with
logic, but the logic was not the real reason I bought it.
This is no different than people who vote for a political
candidate because he “looks nice” or buy a car from a
salesman they like. The woman who accepts a marriage
proposal may think she’s doing it because she believes that
her future husband will be a good provider and father, etc.
— but, she won’t really make that decision on those
grounds. She will do it because of the passion, love and
excitement she feels for him.
Now, apply this to UPC. Most people who join
will not do so because it looks like the sensible, logical
way to build financial security for their future. They will
join because they want to be able to travel with friends,
buy a big house, get new cars, receive recognition from
their peers and have a lot of fun doing it. For most of
these people, these won’t be new concepts, but things they
dreamed about when they were younger.
Most of the people you prospect will have forgotten or
given up on their dreams. To excite them about the
business, you must reawaken these dreams. Probably no
function is more important to the presentation than this
dream-building. For many prospects, it will be the first
time they’ve thought about their dreams in years. Once you
rekindle this spark, you’ll often find it results in a
bonfire of excited expectations. And, because your
prospects are hearing about your opportunity at the same
time they’re seriously thinking about living their dreams
again — they’ll be motivated to action.
Here’s an effective little activity I’ve woven into my
presentations in the past. Near the beginning of your
presentation, ask your prospects to think of five things
they would like to do, have or become if money was no
object.
After you’ve show the income potential — ask them if
there’s anything on their list they could have or do with
the income you just showed them. There invariably is. This
helps them make a direct, emotional connection between the
things they want and how to get them in UPC.
Properly done, this can be a powerful tool during the
dream-building segment of your presentation.
The other thing you must do in this first step is make sure
your prospect realizes that the current economic model
we’re living under is broken. It doesn’t work anymore and
any prospect who thinks it does is likely to end up poor
and dependent. Some of the things I’d point out to them
include:
The distribution system of jobbers, wholesalers, middlemen
and retailers is wasteful and doesn’t serve the consumer.
Major corporations are laying off tens of thousands of
employees.
The secret to true financial independence is working for
yourself.
Half a million jobs a year are eliminated by technology,
never to be replaced.
Most jobs are built on trading more hours to get more
income — the “trading-time-for- money trap.”
You want to make a clear contrast between the futility of
working in the broken economic system and the compelling
benefits of UPC. Here’s the most important part.
Never attack your prospect’s situation. This automatically
closes their mind and makes them defensive.
Let’s say you meet Bob at a party, and ask him what he
does for a living. He replies that he works for ABC
Company. You say, “Oh, I bet that’s tough. I hear they’ve
laid off a bunch of people; sales are down ...”
He’s going to go into defense mode, even if he hates his
job. It’s human nature. He’ll reply, “No, I haven’t been
laid off; my boss loves me. I’m a hard worker; they
appreciate me ...”
Now, on the other hand, suppose you say something like,
“Oh, ABC Company. That must be a great place to work ...”
He’ll probably reply, “Great place, my eye! They just laid
off 500 people; the benefits are being cut back ...”
You want your prospect to come to their own conclusion that
their current job is not going to take them where they
wants to go and that UPC is their best bet. This doesn’t
necessarily have to happen in their first look at UPC. In
fact, it may be better if it gradually comes to them over
the course of seeing the presentation a few times.
Actually, I like to leave out most of the broken economic
model information the first time I share our story with a
prospect. This ensures two things:
The prospect doesn’t think I’m attacking their position.
Their second presentation will be a more powerful event
than their first.
This “first look” is actually just step one in the
enrolling “process.”) For now, just know that
you don’t want to attack what a prospect is doing
currently. You want to show them there’s a better way and
let them draw their own conclusions about their current
plight of quiet desperation. If something’s negative — use
yourself as the example. Ex: “After 17 years with XYZ
Company, I was downsized.” If something is positive, use
the prospect as the example. Ex: “When you reach
Stockholder, you’ll become a Owner.”
This is also usually the point where you tell your own
story — why you got involved. What you want to do here is
lay out, in a compelling fashion, the factors that drove
you to a affiliate business with UPC. I always
talk about my life as a automechanic, working 12
to 14 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week. Regardless of what
field you’re in — you can usually relate stories of a
lifestyle controlled by your income, and an income
controlled by the time you spend working.
Most people start their careers at the bottom of the pay
scale, and then pay their dues working for raises until
they reach age 35 or 40. Around this time, they’re at about
the highest level they’re going to reach in life. When they
reach this zenith, they’re still in debt, and their spouse
is probably working too. They’re paying someone else to
raise their kids, and probably don’t like what they do. If
they own their own traditional business — more than likely,
the business owns them.
To the extent that your story mirrors this — share your
experience in the presentation. By telling your story, many
prospects will identify with your story. This helps them
make the connection with the next part of your presentation
— how UPC can be a conduit to where they really want to go.
This is the point to start sharing the advantages,
or presenting a simplified version of your compensation
plan. Please note that I said simplified — and by this, I
mean VERY simplified, not a 90-minute recital of
percentages, titles. You have only two objectives in this
step. First, you want to demonstrate how exponential growth
unfolds. Your prospect needs to understand the general
concept of how the business works — not all the specifics
of our compensation plan. And, second, you want to show
that UPC is the means by which they can get the lifestyle
benefits you talked about when you were dream-building. As
you explain how the money works in UPC, you can
tie it to the benefits the prospect will receive.
I’m partial to Quick Start presentation
(http://upctraining.com) when I show the Phase 1 with 4
Affiliated Partners I ask the prospect for names to put in
those spots. For example, “Tell me the names of four people
you know who are looking for extra money, more free time or
both?” Then, write down the names they give you.
Then, of course, you continue the process, showing
duplication in Phase 2. Each Affiliated Partner on the way
to Stockholder and show the prospect how this grows
exponentially. Then, at each phase, give the prospect a
breakdown of the type of money they can earn by having an
organization producing the same.
Designing the presentation to use is an exact science.
I like to build the presentation so it takes the prospect
to about a $50,000- or $60,000-a-year income, plus stock. I
find this to be the most effective for the following
reasons:
If you show massive incomes, like $20,000 or $40,000 a
month, a large number of prospects, will have just
lose their belief that this is something they can do.
“Average People,” who’ve been earning $350 a week or
less for the last decade — can’t imagine in their wildest
dreams pulling down a $20,000-a-month check. They’ll just
assume your program is for “other people” and begin to tune
out the rest of your presentation.
If you show a $50,000- or $60,000-a-year, part-time income,
this is enticing to average people — yet, believable
enough for them to put themselves in the picture.
Meanwhile, the more sophisticated, professional types will
also be attracted. They are smart enough to mentally
continue the duplication process and imagine the
possibilities. Even though they may be earning $250,000 a
year — they are painfully aware of how much time they must
trade for that money. They will be quick to figure out that
they could replace that income in UPC with a lot less time.
More importantly, they will be enticed by the residual
income possibilities and ownership.
Next, you must establish why the prospect should join UPC.
After all, there are dozens of marketing companies out
there. Your prospect will want to know why UPC is the best
for him. UPC has benefits of ownership, building a stack
ect..
Use UPCs websites.
Don’t stress the features of UPC — stress the benefits to
your prospects. Don’t say, “We’ve had 2 1/2 years of
steady, stable growth.” Say, “You’ll be building a
business with security. Our 2 1/2 track record …”
Don’t say, “We spend millions of dollars on our software.”
Tell them, “You will feel proud working with UPC, because
of the first class, professional materials you have to work
with.” Just as you do in the overall presentation — you
want to consider the features of working with UPC, and
translate them into benefits to the prospect. Talk about
conventions, newsletters, conference calls, regional
training, and the other aspects of UPC’s affiliate support
services, and how they can help your prospect build their
business.
The next thing you want to do in your presentation is to
introduce Website Pro. You may be accustomed to starting
with your products at the beginning of the presentation.
Many people advocate selling products first, then coming in
the back door with the business opportunity. As you know, I
am totally opposed to this. We have found that by doing
this, you are scaring away non-sales types, and may be
losing a large percentage of your best potential
affiliates. The top people in this business are not great
salespeople, but rather are great teachers and trainers.
Your presentation should show the whole picture — products,
lifestyle and opportunity. This will make it easy for the
prospect to decide where their interest is. If they are
interested in simply being a customer, they will tell you
so. But, never prejudge anyone.
Now, you may be wondering, how can anyone start the
business without first having a product experience?
Easy. If you’ve done your presentation properly — they’ll
assume the products work as you describe them. They’ll give
you the benefit of the doubt. (This is another example of
the advantage of working with their warm market.) And,
every reputable company I know has a 100 percent product
satisfaction guarantee and so does UPC. Your prospect has
nothing to lose and everything to gain.
It’s ironic, but one of the main causes of slow growth in
an organization is having too much product knowledge. Or,
more specifically, assaulting your prospect with it.
Affiliates are actually talking their way out of the
business. It’s just not necessary to update your prospect
on every use, application and result obtained on your
product since the first one.
Does a car salesman demonstrate the side view mirrors,
describe every part of the engine, and give you a history
of the auto industry since Henry Ford? Or does he simply
let you test drive the car?
I see “information overload” particularly rampant in
every segment of the industry. Instead of giving
presentations, affiliates are giving three-hour website
lectures. Prospects — overwhelmed by this vast quantity of
knowledge in one sitting — correctly determine that they
could probably never learn all this information. Based upon
this initial impression, they never seriously consider
themselves able to do the business. The best you can hope
for is a product customer. In this case, your desire to be
thorough and professional is making you poor and lonely!
I believe the biggest challenge facing UPC today is that
most don’t really understand the distinction
between sales training and duplication.
I’ve been hired over the years to help companies that sales
are not increasing, even though their distributors have
been trained by some of the world’s foremost sales
trainers. Of course, all these sales trainers have taught
positive mental attitude, mirroring, modeling, closing
techniques, and the three-foot rule. And, of course, being
non-sales types, most distributors don’t perform most of
these actions, or they are not congruent when they do
perform them. So, in either event, these procedures don’t
work for them.
This is not to say that most sales trainers are bad or that
what they teach is not good. I imagine that these things
work in sales. But, of course, many of those things don’t
duplicate in building a network. This is usually the point
where I’m brought in. My message is simply this:
Good marketing is just a case of identifying qualified
prospects — then giving them the information they need to
make the correct decision for themselves.
True marketing — with integrity — has nothing to do with
closing, convincing or “selling.” You must control the
process. You must give the right information and you must
give it in manageable doses that the prospect can digest.
But, ultimately, the prospect must determine whether your
product, service or opportunity is right for them. A
presentation should be viewed in its proper context. It is
simply one step (a very important one) in this
information-giving process.
Having said all that, let’s go back to the website segment
in your presentation...
When you talk about websites, give a general overview.
Don’t go into a detailed, benefit-by-benefit description.
We’ve seen affiliates go into 45-minute descriptions of
every individual benefit and how to use them,— then wonder
why their prospect ended up in a coma. Give an overview of
your website benefits, and then just pick one or two of
your favorite benefits to talk about.
Here again, stress the benefits to your prospect. Don’t
just say, “These websites are unique and exclusive.” Say,
“These websites are unique and exclusive, so your customers
can only get them from you. You’ll make residual income for
years to come.”
The final part of your presentation is where you show your
support structure. This is where you show your prospect all
the ways you will help them succeed. Let them know they are
joining a winning team. Show them all the training
programs, meetings, enrolling tools and company materials
available to train them. Tell them about the other
stockholders in UPC, and explain how they will be helping
them build their business.
This is the time to sell you. No matter how great UPC and
products look, unless your prospects see you as a benefit,
they aren’t going to be interested. Stress your personal
commitment to their success, and show them exactly
how they could get started right now.
Every successful presentation will include all of these
five main elements. I don’t think the order is critical, as
long as the five components are always included — with the
exception of the dream-building and benefits. If you don’t
begin with the benefits, it’s unlikely you’ll have your
prospect’s attention through the rest of the presentation.
Believe it or not, most people will not get involved with
your program because UPC has the best website builder on
the planet. People will get involved because they want a
better lifestyle and they believe they can attain it with
you in UPC.
Obviously, UPC is credible and Website Pro is the best. I
don’t mean to denigrate those things, but people don’t buy
Ferraris because they have rack and pinion steering and
radial tires. They buy them because they want to go fast
and look cool. Looking cool is the benefit; the
rack and pinion steering is the feature.
Do not take this to mean that our products are not
important — they are critical to your long-term
success. In order to have real success, you and your people
must be product-centered. But, this is done through use and
education and this takes place after the enrolling
process.
By presenting the opportunity with this approach, you will
show the entire picture and give your prospect the
information their needs to make the success decision. You
can also bring in people who wouldn’t otherwise give your
program a second look. Show your prospect the benefits they
will get, and you will have the constant benefit of new
affiliates in your network. 
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