The largest investment you will make to master prospecting is the time you spend on personal development. Only through consistent practice can you complete the learning process. Three strategies in particular will condition you for taking full advantage of the principles of prospecting magic: use affirmations, sharpen your people skills, and practice what you learn.

Strategy 1 — Use Affirmations

Affirmations, a form of self-talk, are the single most powerful tool you have to condition yourself for prospecting. Self-talk is what you say when you talk to and about yourself. It includes the things you say aloud as well as the things you say internally. Self-talk dictates a person's behavior by molding his innermost beliefs. Affirmations are things you say that induce positive self-talk.

Self-talk works because the subconscious mind will focus on the most dominant message; when we hear the same message repeatedly, it becomes the dominant message. The subconscious mind, which does not distinguish between fact and fiction, is the gateway to our beliefs. Our beliefs determine our actions, and, in turn, our actions determine our results.

When we first get involved in network marketing, most of us have at least some beliefs – or hang-ups – that inhibit our prospecting efforts. For example, a hang-up might be a belief that when someone tells you no, it diminishes your own ability to succeed. That belief is false, but it can severely limit you. By applying affirmations, you can override unproductive beliefs with productive ones.

Strategy 2 — Sharpen Your People Skills

Your ability to relate to different people has a direct bearing on the success of your prospecting efforts. When it comes to approaching strangers, quick connections are invaluable. By developing your people skills, you will be able to relate quickly to a wide range of prospects.

Personal development is crucial to all aspects of team building, especially prospecting. Reps with underdeveloped people skills often drive prospects away in the first encounter. Some of the best tools to learn about improving your people skills are through books and audio programs. Simply put, learn to become a better you.

Strategy 3 — Practice, Practice, Practice

It's true: practice makes perfect. When is comes to prospecting, perfection is optional – practice is not. Proven time and time again, the more you do something, the better you get at it. Importantly, practice will help you overcome the fear. For many, network marketing can be intimidating. The most intimidating aspect of network marketing for most people is the prospecting process.

Some important things to keep in mind: fear comes from a lack of knowledge, knowledge comes from experience, and experience comes from practice. The more you do, the more you learn. As you gain experience in prospecting, you will come to the earth-shattering revelation that all prospects basically share the same responses. The fact is that the list of prospect objections is actually quite short. With experience, you will learn how to deal with the most common responses so that you can prospect effectively.

I call the process of practicing through the fear stretching the comfort bubble. Think of your comfort zone as a bubble. Everything within the bubble is comfortable, because things inside the bubble are familiar. The bubble is a safe place of refuge. Unfortunately, the prospect exists outside the bubble. A conversation with a prospect is likely to be uncomfortable. The idea is to stretch your comfort bubble to the point that it is large enough to include the prospect.

How do you stretch your comfort bubble? Believe it or not, your comfort bubble is surprisingly easy to stretch. Just follow these three easy steps: prospect, prospect, and then prospect some more. When you use every opportunity to practice prospecting, you are applying a constant pressure on the walls of your bubble. After practice and more stretching, you will become comfortable creating the prospecting moment and enjoy great success.