How to Prospect the Opposite Sex

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

You’ve heard of the bestseller, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Apparently, millions of people believe that there are fundamental differences between the sexes, and they want to decode how “the other side” thinks. This fact set me to thinking; is there a consistent difference between men and women when it comes to network marketing? Do you have to use different means to prospect, depending on the sex of your audience? Should you create two presentations of your business opportunity, one in pink and one in blue?

These questions remind me of a conversation I had about a year ago. Settled comfortably in First Class on a flight home, I found myself next to a distinguished-looking man from the Midwest. I learned that he was the director of a large hospital with over 300 affiliated doctors. “So what do you see as the future of medicine?” I asked.

“That’s easy, “he replied. “Women!”

I was intrigued and somewhat taken aback. “What do you mean? As patients?”

“No. As doctors. I’ve got a great staff of dedicated physicians,” he explained. “They’re virtually all men. But I have never met a male doctor who went into medicine solely to save lives. Most went into medicine because years ago when they were choosing careers, it was the most lucrative, prestigious career you could find.”

“And . . . ?”

“Now, doctors work twice as hard for half the money they were making twelve years ago. Now men aren’t flocking to medicine. Men starting out today are probably getting MBA’s and going into stock trading – because that’s where the real money is now.

“But women are motivated differently, “he explained. “Women are nurturers. They think it’s noble to save lives, and they are not just money-driven. They truly want to make a difference. As the incomes of physicians continue to drop, the percentage of women entering the field of medicine will continue to rise.”

Apply this insight to network marketing, and what do you discover? You find that men are attracted by the plan and the money, women by the product and the chance to transform lives for the better.

An interesting theory. But is it true?

I have found that 95% of the women I’ve dealt with want to make sure that the product works for them personally, before they will actively work the business. I’ve found that men, on the other hand, can stick a case of product and a business kit under their arm and enroll six other men before they even crack open their first bottle and try the stuff.

More women than ever are disenchanted with the lifestyle forced on them by an outside career. Leaving their children in day care for someone else to raise is no longer a viable option. Women have particular talents in multi-tasking, which make them ideally suited for a networking career. They have usually been trained to do many things at once, such a talking on the phone while cooking, while tending to children, while opening mail. Men, on the other hand, tend to have tunnel vision – they’re hunters, and they like to focus on a single target.

I recommend the following tips when talking to prospects:

Talking to Women:

Do: talk product benefits, show off some vivid success stories, emphasize a “mission” and a role in helping others, while gaining lifestyle freedom, share all the literature, tapes, and so on, include her husband in the presentation whenever possible if she is married, and bond – make that emotional connection.

Don’t: get over your head extolling all the income options on the first go-round, omit product success tips because this has to work for her first, use just men to endorse or validate your program, rely exclusively on the prospect of making money, patronize her, or pressure or browbeat her into a decision, but make her comfortable above all else.

Talking to Men:

Do: talk big picture, talk big money, emphasize the “Team” and the benefits of positioning, connect him with management, if possible, offer the most lucrative enrollment option, and use men to work with you in the recruitment process.

Don’t: get hung up on ingredient breakdowns, bore him with endless, babbling testimonials or a long, talky presentation, have an all-woman roster on your program, think small or stay “inside the box” when you describe his business, or suggest he just use the products for a while (unless he insists on that approach) before he can start doing the business.

Above all, listen to what your prospects, both male and female, have to say about their own desires and goals and engage in helping them reach those goals.