Good evening everyone!

Earlier today I was talking with a friend of mine who used to be a stock broker.  While we were talking about our respective businesses (he grew up on Shaklee products, by the way), he said something that really caught my ear.  Understanding that his business as a stock broker was based on securing new accounts (much like sponsoring in Shaklee), some days could get quite depressing because all he and his co-workers would hear was “no thank you”, “not right now”, “not at this time”, “I’m not in a position to do anything right now” – in general “NO”. Sound familiar?

Receiving a negative response from prospects all morning made it very difficult to pick up the already heavy phone handset in the afternoon.  They really didn’t want to be told “no” any more that day (no one likes being told “no”).  So, to keep their morale high, to keep talking with prospects and have the day end on a more positive note, they devised a sort of game to challenge themselves.  The challenge worked better than they could have imagined!  They brought in a few new customers and ended with a positive note to the day!  Want to know their secret?

Their challenge was to see who of their group could get the most “no’s” before the day was out.  What they found was they actually wanted to pick up the phone to make the phone calls and get the most “no’s”.  They felt that every “no” brought them closer to a “yes”!  AND, as they tried to talk to more people than their co-workers, crossing prospect after prospect off their list, they started to get positive responses!  First one, then another, then another.  They found that their day went by faster, they were more successful at the end of the day, AND they had more fun!

So (and I think you know where this is going…), what I would like you to do this week is keep a list of how many “no” responses you get in a day.  Write down the first name of the individual you speak with, or a description of the person you talked to (telemarketer, beautician, store clerk, Starbucks cashier, stock broker…).  THEN, e-mail the list to me.  Be honest now.  At the end of the contest, I’ll post the results, and the person with the most No’s will get a $10 rebate on their next 100 pv order.  Contest will go for the next seven days (ends midnight 3/18/08).

Are you up for the challenge?

P.S.  While this contest has ended, continue to talk with people and stack up your “no’s”.  Remember that every “no” brings you closer to a “YES”!