Remembering Gordon Brodine

 

 

A year ago I had this good friend named Gordon Brodine (with Dorothy in Hawaii, summer of 1997).

A year ago Gordon was getting out of breath and needing more sleep, but he didn't let on that he was having these problems. As we got into the summer, his heart problem came to the surface and he underwent open heart surgery, but his arteries collapsed and he didn't make it through the recovery stage.

 

Friendships continue beyond a man's death and

so do the qualities he leaves behind.

Gordon's advice and ideas are still with us, and

the very strong Brodine group is still prominent in Vollara.

Gordon was an excellent icebreaker and recruiter. Using his Nebraska-Texas drawl, he could smile at a person at just the right time and in just the right way. He might have opened with, "I wonder if you are the person I'm looking for."

Once the prospect showed some interest he would lay 3 questions on them...

1.  If I could show you how to make $150,000 a year, not just once but every year for life, would you give me 15 to 30 minutes to show you the basics of what I've got to offer?

(If he got an affirmative answer or nod—which was often—he'd move to question 2.)

2.  If you like what you see and if everything checks out to your satisfaction, do you think you'll be able to follow our proven techniques—including conference calls, written materials, Success Institutes, etc.—and not try to reinvent the wheel?

(This question "positions" the prospect's thinking!)

3. If you decide to do this, do you have $2,500 to invest to go into business? (This suggests an optional Fast Start Pack and a serious proposition.)

Asking these questions would represent a big CHANGE for most recruiters. It is a way to begin a recruiting effort targeted toward Leaders rather than just distributors. It's a STRONG technique that will land bigger and better people.

Many recruiters prefer to talk about allergies and asthma and ionized water. Other recruiters talk about the profits that can be made from selling. These kind of approaches reflect the recruiter's true source of enthusiasm. They are comfortable for most people. Gordon's questions might lead to better long term results if you can teach yourself to use them.

You can actually write these questions on a cheat sheet (or on business cards) and read them to people. You can start the process with one of these openers:

[Opening] Bill, I'm going through a transition in my business and trying to learn something new. Will you allow me to read 3 questions to you so I don't get them wrong?

[Opening] I wonder if you are the person I'm looking for?

[1] If I could show you how to make $150,000 a year, not just once but every year for life, would you give me 15 to 30 minutes to show you the basics of what I've got to offer?

[2] If you like what you see and if everything checks out to your satisfaction, do you think you'll be able to follow our proven techniques—including conference calls, written materials, websites, etc.—and not try to reinvent the wheel?

[3] If you decide to do this, do you have $2,500 to invest to go into business?

[Comment] This isn't a hard and fast requirement.

Bill, if I send this DVD home with you, will you look at it tonight and let me call tomorrow for your comments?

Are you free on Saturday morning? I'd like to come over and spend 30 minutes. We'll look at some pages on your computer.

[A long distance alternative] "Okay, Bill, here's how we will proceed. I'm send you some links. How about if I call back on Tuesday night and we'll spend 20 minutes going through a couple of these ideas."

  

Any friend will say yes. Even a lot of strangers will say yes. Prospects on the phone will say yes. Can you motivate yourself to try this?

Most of us have to try something new 10 or 20 times before we start to get comfortable with it. Here's what you'll find. If you struggle through these questions 10 times, they will grow on you. They'll start to flow off your tongue like they're YOUR questions.

Some people will not take this bait and you'll have the option of pitching them with your old technique. But some people WILL take this bait...and you might find yourself with a BIG, NEW FISH on the line.

Your ability to talk AFTER the questions will improve, too. The first time you try this you'll feel like a babbling idiot after a prospect says yes. You'll have trouble deciding where to go next.

Here's what you must learn to say: "Bill, do you have 15 minutes right now? Would you be free from distractions if I go through a booklet with you?" This leads to a Come In Out Of The Rain presentation—another "change" some readers will have to explore.

The alternative: "Are you free on Saturday morning? I'd like to come over and spend 30 minutes. I'll bring a booklet and an air purifier I can do some demonstrations with."

A long distance alternative: "Okay, Bill, here's how we will proceed. I'm sending a booklet by mail. You'll have it in hand within 2 or 3 days. How about if I call back on Tuesday night of next week and we'll spend 20 minutes going through it together?"

There is room for change...

Do you have written goals? Do you have a plan for building your EcoQuest business? Are you making efficient use of your time? Do you have a Leg Chart? Are you a subscriber to the Giddens materials? Are you putting units out on demo? Do you have units on hand? Have you done an inventory of your people? Do you know which ones MIGHT be interested in building a career and which ones definitely are not interested? You'll never know for sure if you don't ask! Are you aware of the great conference calls that are offered? Do you go through the training information and work to inform others? Are you using Chinese Water Torture (CWT)? Are you doing meetings?

Some of you are very effective leaders in your own right. How about your people? Have you managed to pass on your effectiveness to others. The power of multilevel marketing lies in the use of leverage. It's not just about your personal ability. It's about the ability of all the people in your group.

Visit the articles in this website on a regular basis. Just because you've been to the well once, doesn't mean you've tasted all the water. There may be some additional power that you haven't discovered yet.

If you want to change, you have to be a student.

The biggest "change questions" you can ask of yourself are in this category: How can I serve my people better? How can I refine my message so it has more value? How can I further my own goals and help my people and the company at the same time? What additional services can I provide? What are my strengths? What weakness do I have that I am not admitting? Or not facing?

"God, help me to change. I want to change.

Change is good. I know it is."

Folks, if you want something badly enough you can probably have it. A halfhearted effort works for a few people...but the man or woman who is sincere doesn't know the meaning of halfhearted. He or she goes all out. If this describes you, good changes are definitely coming.

Vollara definitely works—as a product and as a business opportunity. In this era of LivingWater, our tried and true air products and LaundryPure, Vollara is certainly destined for greatness. I want YOU to be on the victory stand at each and every level. More importantly, I want you to know the joy of having some of YOUR PEOPLE standing there at your side. No joy in Vollara is bigger than seeing your downliners—at all levels—achieve THEIR goals.

Sincerely yours,

Bob Giddens

A note on change: Do you know how long I, Bob Giddens, resisted the notion of building a website? All my computer advisors told me to do it. I stubbornly said I was "not a computer guy." Well, I'm still not a computer guy, but I sure love this website. Change is good!