Be nice to your MLM Prospects, whether they join your team or not. That’s a valuable lesson I learned from the Zen Master himself: Holton Buggs.
When you stop and think about it, a lot of network marketers really mess this up. Many network marketers are so desperate to sponsor people and get customers that they use high pressure sales techniques. They beg, plead and hard sell their prospects, and when their prospect doesn’t join their team or become a customer, the distributor gets angry or upset with them.
I’ve never really understood why people act this way. Think about it this way for a moment:
If you were a waitress and you were offering someone coffee with their breakfast, and they said NO, would you be devastated? Would you get angry with them and disrespect them? I hope not.
So, why do it with your MLM Prospect? Why get upset or angry with someone just because they don’t want to get involved in the industry or become a customer? Why not spend your time looking for people who are interested in what you have, rather than focusing on people who aren’t interested?
I’ve learned a lot in this industry during the past eleven years about being nice to your MLM Prospects, and I want to share a few of those valuable lessons with you.
# 1 You are an ambassador to the network marketing industry. People watch your every move. Everything you do and say is not only a reflection of you, but it’s also a reflection of your MLM Company and our industry. Do things wrong and act unprofessionally, and you can really give our industry a bad name. Please don’t do that. Be a network marketing professional.
# 2 Just because someone says no today doesn’t mean it will be a no forever. This lesson took me a long time to learn. If you treat people well, many people who tell you no today will be part of your team in five years from now. You need to have a long-term approach to your business and realize that timing is everything. Some people aren’t a good prospect today, but they will be in the future when their life situation changes. As long as you treat people well and stay in touch with them, many of them will partner up with you later on down the road.
# 3 Never forget the Golden Rule. Do you like to be sold to? I doubt it. Do you like when people use high pressure sales tactics on you and pressure you? Do you like belligerent salesmen who make you feel bad or stupid for not buying something? If someone came to your house and pressured you or insulted you, would you welcome them back? If you’re like most folks, you answered a big NO to all of these questions. And if that’s the case, why would you treat anyone else differently? Treat every prospect like a friend.
# 4 Don’t let their decisions control your emotions. This is quite perhaps the most important lesson on this page. Do not let your prospect’s decision control your emotions. If you are an emotional roller coaster and your emotions are determined by whether someone says yes or someone says no, you are going to be in for a rough ride. Just remember that your job is to sift and sort through people, not sell and convince people. Detach your emotions from their decision and you will be much happier, and more successful, in this great industry.
Final Thoughts
What’s the bottom line? Always be nice to your MLM Prospects, whether they team up with you or not. Remember that you are an AMBASSADOR to the network marketing industry, not just your company. What you do and say will affect what other people think about industry! You have the perfect opportunity to give our industry a good name, or you can do what a lot of amateurs do and really mess it up for everyone else. I hope you will choose to be a network marketing professional and be nice to your prospects, regardless of their decision to work with you, or not.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
Yes Chuck, a network marketer should always be nice to prospects and to everyone else too. You mentioned the Golden Rule, but I want to expound on this a bit more. Many who act this way are not considering word of mouth. If Sam treats Joe bad because Joe won’t join Sam’s MLM, Joe tells Sandy, Dan, Debby, Bob and Dennis how Sam treated him. When Sam tries to tell these people about the opportunity, they recall everything Joe told them and they say no. Sam gets angry with each of them, and they proceed to tell people. Soon, Sam has no one who is willing to talk with him.
Good news travels fast and bad news travels faster! LOL.
Truth be told, MLM leads can be very diverse. There are people who are just curious that you posted something they liked. Others are genuinely interested in what you are selling but are not able to make a financial commitment anytime soon. Finally, there are those who really subscribed to your mail list by mistake. All these factors notwithstanding should make any marketer more vigilante on the kind of emails they send, and the way they treat their prospects.I have been a \’victim\’ of being pushed around and prodding by some marketers. At first I was irate, and switched off any interest in MLM. Actually I did not mean I would never join the program, I just wanted space. Being emotional is not a good thing in business. For instance, my rejection of joining MLM networks before cost me my most valued friendships. People trying to recruit me were overly emotional and took every reject as a personal attack. I have since learned what to do and not to do to a prospect by experience (from the prospects perspective). I am very careful with the kind of people I try to network, restraint is key. I think this is the best advice for people used to aggressive convectional marketing. MLM is based more on relationships, unlike the hard market which is almost entirely based on utility. Great post Chuck. Always a pleasure to drop by!
I think you are spot on with advising not to let your emotions take control, Chuck. But it is so hard not to feel frustrated when you lose a sale, or someone doesn’t follow through. I think it takes a lot of practice not to take it personally and to separate yourself from the situation. I know I am still working on it.
I just feel that if your emotions are controlled by the outcome of the sale, the person won’t do very well in sales and they will be an emotional roller coaster. I think it’s better to let your actions control your emotions than let your emotions control your actions.