Remember when you were someone’s prospect? If you have ever been ‘targeted’ as a good prospect by a friend or even a complete stranger you may have had a really warm and cozy feeling about the way they approached you from the very first moment.

What? Did I hear you think yeah right….NOT!

Most of us have had some pretty obnoxious experiences in that department. The worst ones appear out of the blue as a link with a business opportunity attached saying something like “Hay girlfriend ????I was thinking of you???? and think you’d be really great on my team????????❤️ !!!!’

You know this was sent to hundreds of people. My immediate knee-jerk reaction is a “skeevy” feeling you’ve all experienced.

Then, immediately I want to do the offender a favor and let them know that there’s a better way to go about acknowledging someone as a prospect. I usually make a note and move on. It may be useful to think about what is interesting about an opportunity and then operate from that perspective. How would you like to be prospected?

My personal journey went from feeling the need for change and realizing the timing was perfect for me. If it had been a year earlier the opportunity may have fallen on deaf ears and a year later, it may have been too late because I was already busy doing something else. Let’s just say I was open and searching for something new and something that could really help me with my condition and perhaps be a solution for my cash flow, as well. Essentially it was my idea and I did not feel pressured to make a decision to order the product.

I will admit I was nervous and wanted to change my mind a few times, but in the end, I needed a change and I trusted that my sponsor had my best interests at heart. Before I even tried the products I saw an opportunity for residual income. A home-based business with a really amazing and unique line and again I made the decision to go ahead and become a Brand Partner and joined a friend in the business. It was my idea and my wish to make a change in my life and I was tired of working odd jobs trying to make ends meet.

• My journey as a prospect goes like this:
• Recognizing a need in my own personal life.
• Wanting and needing a change.
• Being open to something new.
• Feeling a complete shift in my mental state by consuming my new products.
• Falling in love with the products.
• Visiting headquarters and falling deeper in love with the company and the people involved.
• Feeling the need to make a more meaningful impact.
• Wanting to make a difference in others' lives.
• Working closely with a brilliant coach and trusted mentor.
• I have been asked to look at many opportunities throughout the years but none of those felt like a real fit.

I remember resisting and making excuses for why I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t exactly an ideal prospect; sorry potential sponsors!

However when the opportunity was right for me, there was no resistance.

My sponsor guided me through the process of making that final decision to place the order, and from there on it was up to me to take it to the next level -  learn the business so I could build a team and prospect without being "skeevy!" The old saying you can’t push a rope is a good one when it comes to prospects: We have all tried to help when we feel like a prospect really needs what we are offering. However, until that person is asking you for more information or “leans in,” you are wasting your time and possibly driving a wedge between you and your friends.

Your business opportunity is an offering and your prospects really need to feel special. Like you are "cherry-picking" them for who they are.

If a prospect feels as if you are looking for anyone who can fog a mirror just to meet your volume for the month, then it's sure to be an uphill battle for you to build a strong foundation. We are all on a journey and we have all experienced being someone’s prospect. Once you have felt acknowledged and you have been invited to look into something because the enroller appreciates you for who you are, then you will not make the mistake again of just throwing your link "up against the wall and seeing who sticks." We are all learning together and to be open to new ideas and perspectives. That is how we improve every day, every week, every month, and every year. Then we teach what we know works, and prospects occur naturally.

Let me tell a short story to demonstrate this idea of how prospects can occur.

I was in India for two weeks with my wonderful daughter, Fiona, and on the third evening we were in the hotel lobby, talking. A man sitting nearby leaned in and said: “Do I detect an accent?” Then I in turn, replied that I thought I heard an accent, too, and was he Irish? We joked around a little and then I told him about my business because he was interested in natural health and solutions and so was his wife, who showed up a few minutes later. Then he proceeded to request that I tell her about my business. As I was telling her that our company is expanding globally and will be in Ireland by the summer. She became intrigued and wanted to know more about the products etc. I continued to tell her about my team and my mentor and partner. I mentioned his name and what do you know she and her husband jumped out of their chairs in utter delight and said that they knew my partner very well and loved his training.  In fact, they had just finished one of his eight week intensives! This is a perfect example of the six degrees of separation, in action. I have learned several distinctions that make for a good prospect.

Curiosity, interest in others, and an open mind, are three of the qualities I look for in my potential business partners.

Even while on vacation, determined to give prospecting a break for a few weeks, I found myself prospecting in the most natural and spontaneous way. And it is fun! As a result of this spontaneous meeting I believe I met my core team members in Ireland without trying and without actively prospecting.

This is an example of “the prospect’s journey” and a magical ingredient of network marketing, which is my favorite part of it. Trust in yourself.