Many people in sales call it Prospecting, but I prefer to call it Being Of Service.

What do I mean by that?

When I am meeting new people, I ask questions. I’m listening to what they say and thinking about if I might have a way to be of service to that person.

My main gig is selling cosmetics with Avon, so lots of times a person I meet will say things like “I’m looking for some Avon bath oil” or “Do you have a recommendation for a skin care line?”.  Many people share a story with me about a prior purchase they made from Avon or a story about their former Avon Lady. Some people share a story with me that they sold Avon before or that their Mom or Auntie sold Avon before.

As I am listening, I continue to think “How can I best be of service to this person?” To me, there are three categories:

1.The person wants to buy Avon from me.
2.The person wants to sell Avon with me.
3.The person doesn’t want or need either of those.

Asking questions, I can usually understand which one of these three is appropriate for the person I’m meeting.

Many times, a person I meet will say something like “I hate working at the school, I wish I could earn money another way” and I start to think they might be #2.

I will then say something like “Did you know that you could be an Avon Representative and earn money selling Avon on commission?”

Sometimes the person will respond with “I would never do that, I hate sales.” I do not try to “overcome” that objection, I simply say something like “I totally understand. I was just throwing it out there as an option because I also felt that way before I started, and I found out that sales really just meant sharing products I liked, so I wanted to make sure you knew it was also an option.”

Something else to remember is that even if someone you meet falls into the #3 category, that doesn’t mean you can’t be of service to them.

Make sure you ask what they do. Ask about their business or if you might be of service by referring business to them. I also usually say something like “If you hear of anyone that might be looking to buy or sell Avon, would you mind passing one of these cards along to them?” and I hand them 3 business cards.

I generally hand my business cards out in sets of 3’s and say “Here are 3 of my business cards: one for you and two for two of your friends”. This is a great technique to get referrals.