Today, I want to teach you everything I know about MLM Prospecting. By the time you finish reading this post, you will know things that most people in our industry do not know or understand. I’ve learned these lessons during the past 19+ years in the industry, mostly from trial and error. Hopefully, you can keep an open mind and learn from my successes and mistakes.
In essence, there are two ways to generate leads for your MLM Business: prospecting and marketing.
Prospecting is when you talk with people first to see if they might be interested in your products or opportunity, whereas marketing is when you use different techniques to get people to contact you first.
I think it’s smart to utilize both strategies. Initially, prospecting will be your best bet because you can start generating leads right away. There is a shorter learning curve and it’s easy to get started with. Anyone on your team can reach out to people they know, and come in contact with, but not everyone can do marketing. Over a period of time, YOU can transition to marketing.
There are many ways to succeed at MLM Prospecting. Each person reading this article will do it slightly differently than everyone else, because everyone is their own unique individual. The secret to success is to find something you are comfortable with, and focus on that.
In the paragraphs below, I will share some of my best MLM Prospecting tips AND some of the best places to meet prospects.
What is a Good MLM Prospect?
People ask me all the time: What should I look for in a prospect? In other words, what qualities does a good prospect have? My typical response is this:
Look for people who are already successful in life, who have some disposable income, have a large sphere of influence, are respected by their peers, and are looking to make some changes in their lives. Also, look for people with a good attitude.
I’ve found that people who need the business seldom join or build it big, but the people who WANT to change and improve their life typically do quite well.
Anyone CAN be successful in the business. It doesn’t mean everyone will be successful, but everyone CAN. At the end of the day, it’s the DESIRE the person has in their heart that matters most. You never know who will join and who will build it big. You should give everyone the chance to learn about the products and business opportunity, and then let them decide for themselves.
Study the top earners in our industry and the only thing you will find they had in common is they wanted to change their life for the better and they were willing to do the work.
The bottom line is to talk to everyone. Never prejudge people. You never know who will be your next ACE!
Influencers Are Great MLM Prospects
Influencers are people who have followers. When they talk, others listen. We all know a few people like this.
Personally, I’m looking for someone who is respected by their friends, family, and peers. I’m looking for someone who others know, like, and trust. I’m looking for someone with a large sphere of influence of people who admire and respect the person. I’m looking for someone who others will listen to when they have something to say.
Anyone COULD be an influencer, but it’s typically lawyers, doctors, pastors, entrepreneurs, leaders, top salespeople, educators, and other professionals. It’s people with credibility, such as people with a large social media following.
The beauty of recruiting influencers into your business is that they have a lot of people they can talk to who will actually listen to what they have to say. These are the people who can recruit a lot of people quickly, and find tons of customers with ease.
Always keep your eyes and ears open for influencers in your community. Quite frequently, these are people leading civic organizations. They’re people leading church groups. They’re people coaching little league. They’re people leading companies. Recruiting just a ONE influencer will transform your business.
The confidence you have going into the sales call will determine the level of profit you have coming out. ~ Mark Hunter
My Top 20 MLM Prospecting Tips
Now that we have that out-of-the-way, I’d like to take a few minutes and share 20 of my best MLM Prospecting tips. These tips are listed in no particular order.
# 1: Look for People with a Good Attitude
I used to say look for sharp people. The problem with that is you never know who is sharp or not just by the way that they dress. Instead, I think it makes more sense to approach people who are friendly and personable and have a great attitude. Focus on people’s body language and their smile. If they are nice and friendly, talk with them. If they look like a sour puss, move on to your next prospect. Why? Negative people never succeed in this industry.
# 2: Dress to Impress
I’m not telling you to go out and buy an expensive tuxedo or suit. You don’t need to do that. But, don’t go out prospecting in your pajamas or yoga pants, either. I think business casual is great, such as khaki pants and a polo shirt for me. If nothing else, make sure your clothes are clean and give you a professional image.
# 3: Check Your Breath
The last thing you want is to strike up a friendly conversation with a prospect, only to have halitosis. Check your breath before you talk to anyone. Carry gum and breath mints with you at all times. This should be common sense, but a lot of people mess this up.
# 4: Focus on the Other Person
Everyone likes to talk about themselves. You must understand this. At the end of the day, the prospect doesn’t really care much about you. They care about themselves. Make your entire conversation revolve around them, and you will be welcomed everywhere you go.
# 5: Get Good at Asking Questions
Get good at asking questions. This gets people talking about themselves and keeps you in control of the conversation at the same time. Have a list of five to ten simple questions you can ask someone to get a conversation going. Examples might include:
- Are you from around here?
- What do you do for a living?
- Nice day, isn’t it?
# 6: Learn How to Listen
You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Use them in that proportion. Get good at asking questions, but then be smart enough to shut up and listen. Your prospect will notice. Very few people know how to listen well. If you listen properly, you will find an “in” for the products or business. Ultimately, you are trying to figure out a need, before you can offer a solution.
# 7: Wear a Button
I learned this tip from a Herbalife rep. They had a button that said something like this: “Lose Weight. Ask Me How!” People would see the button, and if they were curious, they would strike up a conversation with you. Or, if you see someone looking at your button, you can strike up a conversation with them!
# 8: Clothing
Most network marketing companies sell shirts, hats, hoodies, and other apparel. Buy some of these clothing items with the company’s name and logo on it. Some people will see your shirt and be curious about what the company is. They will start-up the conversation with you!
# 9: Incorporate Prospecting into Your Day-to-Day Life
Never intentionally go out just to go prospecting. Ever. I think it’s bad karma. Instead, incorporate it into your daily activities. Most people come in contact with HUNDREDS of people each and every day, without even realizing it. Your job is simply to notice people while you are out and about living life, and strike up a conversation with some of them.
# 10: Be in a Hurry
Whenever you are talking with someone, be in a hurry. Never talk to anyone more than a few minutes. This keeps you in control of the conversation. It also keeps you from saying too much to your prospect and wearing out your welcome.
# 11: Use F.O.R.M.
This stands for family, occupation, recreation, and message. Basically, these are four “safe” topics you can talk to any prospect about. It’s a simple way to warm them up to you. Ask people about their family, occupation, what they enjoy doing in their free time, and then drop a simple message to pique their curiosity.
# 12: Put a Smile on Your Face
Always be aware of your own body language. I was once told that your best prospecting tool is your smile. I agree. Before you start a conversation with anyone, make sure you have a friendly smile on your face.
# 13: Create an Elevator Speech
Another prospecting tip is to have a simple elevator speech for your business. This is a short two to three sentence statement about what you do. It’s designed to pique people’s curiosity and give them a simple overview of what you do, to see if they might be interested in learning more.
# 14: Don’t Smoke
If you’re a smoker, don’t smoke in public if you’re trying to prospect. Some people have asthma or can’t stand the smell of cigarettes. If they see you smoking, and then you try to strike up a conversation with them, it might make them feel uncomfortable.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
Best Places to Meet Prospects
# 15: Networking Groups
There are tons of business networking groups. Look through your local newspaper to see what options you have. You can also check Facebook, or do a Google search to learn about networking groups in your local area. If you join one of these groups, don’t just start pitching everyone. Connect with them on a personal level first, and see how you can help them, before you prospect them for your business.
# 16: Affinity Groups
Everyone has a hobby. Make a list of your hobbies, and then look for local groups in your community where people who have the same hobby get together. For example, if you enjoy running, join a running club. If you like RC airplanes, join a RC airplane club. These people all have something in common with you, so you have common ground when you talk with them.
# 17: Working Lunch
Take a working lunch each day at a local bistro, restaurant, or coffee shop. Set up your laptop, but don’t look too busy. Mingle with the people around you. This is an easy way to talk to three to five prospects daily.
# 18: Local Events
Most communities have flea markets, health fairs, farmer’s markets, etc. You can go prospecting at these events. If it was me, I would focus on connecting with the vendors, since they are already entrepreneurial in nature.
# 19: Job Fairs
You could visit a local job fair and hang out in the lobby and talk with other people who are there looking for employment. Or, you could be discreet and walk through the event and strike up conversations with people. Or, you could rent a booth at the event.
# 20: Facebook
Facebook is quite perhaps the best place to prospect. You can do it from home in your pajamas, and you have an endless supply of prospects. On average, each person on Facebook has at least 500 friends. If each of your friends also has 500 friends, that’s 250,000 potential prospects for your products and business. You’d never get through all those prospects before you had a big business built!
Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting. – Christopher Morley
What to Say to Your Prospects
One of the biggest questions people want to know is what they should say to their prospects. This is my best advice. Don’t say too much. Your real job is to pique their curiosity. Do not try to explain your opportunity or sell your products the first time you meet someone! Ever. Here are some examples as to what you can say.
When Face to Face
- Check this out when you can. Hand them your drop card and leave.
- Would you mind checking out my website? I’m looking for feedback. If they agree, hand them your card and leave.
- If you know anyone looking for a side hustle will you give them my business card? If they agree, hand them your business card and leave.
Social Media
- Have you heard of (your company name here)?
- Could you do me a favor and check out my new website and tell me what you think?
- I just started a new business and I’m looking for people to help me expand. If I shared my website with you, would you please forward it to anyone you think might be interested in starting a new side hustle?
- I’m trying to educate people about CBD. If I sent you my website would you please forward it to anyone you know who might be interested in learning more about CBD?
Use curiosity. Keep it short and sweet when talking with people. The worst thing you can do is talk too much.
My Top 10 Cold Market Prospecting Tips
Before I share my best cold market prospecting tips with you, I have an important point to share. It would be in your best interest to determine your target market before you prospect anyone. Instead of thinking as everyone and anyone as a potential prospect, be strategic and tactical.
Think about what demographics are most important. Who is your ideal customer? Who is most likely to be interested in doing business with you? Don’t skip this step. Once you know the answer to this question you can follow my cold market prospecting tips listed below.
# 1: Hand Out 5-10 Drop Cards Daily
Drop cards are one of the simplest ways to get your name out there. When you meet someone in your target market, or someone who might know someone who is in your target market, you can hand them one of your drop cards. Do this 5-10 times per day and you will meet new people.
Doing drop cards is a very easy skill to master. It doesn’t require talking to anyone and is very low cost. What if you got your entire team to duplicate this process? I am willing to bet that based on the results I have seen that if you get your team of 10-12 or more people doing this tactic, your business will go through the roof and then you get each and every new person to join in on the fun, remember, network marketing is not just about your efforts it is about getting your team to produce as well!
Source: Higdon Group
# 2: Wear a Button
The Herbalife reps do this with much success. Get a button made and wear it when you are out and about living life. For example, if you sell CBD, have a button made that says:
Got CBD? Ask Me for Info!
When you see someone looking at your button (and you will), just hand them a drop card and tell them to check it out when they can. This is a very low key, non threatening way to meet people.
# 3: Publish a YouTube Video or Facebook Live Video Daily
This is one of my favorite cold market prospecting tips. This gets people to come to you. They watch your video and begin to like, know and trust you. When they are ready to get more information they reach out to you. Create videos that are entertaining and educational and solve people’s problem. Make sure your videos are designed for people in your target market.
Your customers and prospects, as well as people everywhere, are actively searching for ways of making human connections. By interacting with your visitors in a personal manner through video, you are increasing the chances of them making a connection with you and engaging with your brand.
The correlation is highlighted in a 2018 survey carried out by Brightcove, which determined 53% of consumers engaged with a brand after watching one of their videos on social media. The figure rose to 66% when millennials were singled out.
Source: Drift
# 4: Fish Bowl Strategy
I’ve talked about the Fish Bowl Lead Generation Strategy several times on this website because it works. This is when you team up with a local mom and pop business to do a raffle for some free products. People drop their business card into an empty fish bowl to compete in the contest. You can then pick a winner and follow-up with everyone else. This is a simple way to get a few hundred leads in a week or less.
The obvious benefit of a business-card drawing is using the information you gathered to build your database. You can use the addresses for mailings and the phone number for calling.
Source: Entrepreneur
# 5: Friends of Friends on Facebook
This is the most untapped gold mine on Facebook. If you have 500 friends and they each have 500 friends, that is 250,000 potential prospects for your business. Think about that for a minute. You could go through one friend per day, and search all of their friends to see who might be a good customer for your business. That will keep you busy for a while, especially if you have a lot of friends and are adding new friends daily.
Leveraging the power of friends of friends is still in its infancy in the social media world, but in real life we’ve been doing this for years. Ask your friends and colleagues to introduce you to second- and third-tier connections.
Source: SocialMediaExaminer
# 6: LinkedIn
One of the best places for cold market prospecting is LinkedIn. There are millions of people on LinkedIn looking to expand their network, advance their career, or find a new job. I suggest you start by having a good, professional profile that explains what you do. From there, form new connections daily. Private message people. Participate in groups and post relevant things on your timeline.
The prospects you’ve engaged with through connections and groups will most likely seek out your profile to learn more about you (Information flows both ways on LinkedIn!). So it only makes sense to optimize your profile to drive sales.
Make sure you have current links to your company site, your Twitter account, and your Facebook page. Include some high-quality recommendations from existing happy customers – think quality, not quantity.
This can give visitors a better idea of who you are and what you’re all about. Remember, effective sales is all about building trust and relationships!
Source: Bluleadz
# 7: Local Events
Attending local networking events is one of my best cold market prospecting tips. Find groups and events where people in your target market hang out and attend those events. Get to know people. Make new friends. Let people know what you do for a living without pressuring them or sounding like an amateur salesperson.
When you participate in local events and groups, your prospects can put a face to the product or solution they are considering. You’ll be able to build trust more quickly and also potentially gain more insights into what your audience wants through in-person conversations.
At the same time, you can qualify prospects and move them to the sales lead funnel.
Source: the blueprint
# 8: Classified Ads
Classified ads are still alive and well. Consider placing some small classified ads in different publications in your local area. Test and experiment different headlines and words. See what performs the best. This will make it so people contact you first, which is exactly what you want to happen.
No matter what media classified ads are viewed through, these small text ads are a significant source of customers for many home-based and small businesses. An inexpensive three-line ad placed in print, in an online yellow pages ad, or through search engines can deliver customers who need your product or service now. More importantly, if the ad is run regularly, it builds future business by making your name familiar and establishing your credibility.
Source: business know-how
# 9: Referrals
Referrals are a great way to grow any business. Whenever you talk with a customer or anyone you come in contact with, make it a point to get at least one referral from them. If you do that with everyone you meet, you will have a never ending supply of new prospects.
Make existing customers your brand ambassadors! The cost of retaining a customer is much lower than that of acquiring a new one, loyal customers tend to buy more and spend more. So treat them well and they will recommend you. Word-of-mouth is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools any business can employ to attract prospects, so make sure your clients have something good to say about you.
Source: Intouch
# 10: Collect Business Cards
When you visit grocery stores, churches, libraries and gas stations, take a minute and browse the bulletin board. They are normally located in the front of the store or near the restrooms. Look for business cards of people in your target market. Collect them and contact them when you get home. Tell them where you found their business card and what you have to offer them.
The broadest purpose of business cards is simply to connect with others and start a relationship. These relationships hopefully develop into new customers and vendors.
Source: Small Business Rainmaker
Cold Market Prospecting Scripts
To keep this article interesting, here are a few cold market prospecting scripts you can use. Feel free to modify or edit them to fit your business.
Someone You Meet While Out and About
It was a pleasure meeting you today, Joe. You seem like a great people person. If you’re ever looking for a new career, check this out when you can (hand them your drop card). Have a great day!
Your Waiter
Hi Mike. Lunch was great and so was the service you provided. If you’re ever looking for a good side hustle or new career, check this out when you can (hand them your drop card). Have a great day (make sure you tip them well).
Someone at the Gas Station
I’m in a contest to hand out 100 of these free cards. Would you be willing to take one? (hand them your drop card and say thanks).
None of this is rocket science, but it does work. What do you think? What are your favorite cold market prospecting tips? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Dealing with Skeptical MLM Prospects
Skeptical prospects are often your best prospects. Never forget that. In most cases, your prospects will not sign up or buy what you are offering them the first time you talk with them about it. When people sign up on the spot, it actually worries me.
What I look for in a prospect is someone who will sell themselves on the idea and put some serious thought into their buying decision. Most people who rush into the business rush out of it! Why? What goes up must come down. Excitement never lasts.
When someone is skeptical, has objections, or has questions, do NOT let it bother you. It is a good thing. It’s natural. It means they need more information and more follow-up!
Most of the people I personally sponsor take me at least 10 to 20 follow ups before they join my team and most prospects don’t buy or join until minimum three to six months from the first time I exposed them to the business.
If I only looked for people who are ready right now, I would be leaving a lot of money on the table. I would get frustrated and probably give up, because most people are not ready right now.
One of my mentors once told me that in five years from now your best people will be people who told you NO for several YEARS before they joined. Your best distributors will typically be the people who were the most skeptical at first. Food for thought.
It took me a long time to understand that the best prospects are the ones who object. ~ Frank Bettger
The Truth About Prospecting
Prospecting sucks! Most people think so anyway. Truth be told, I hate prospecting.
That’s why I have designed my business so prospects contact me first. At the end of the day we are all in the lead generation business. That is our real business: meeting new people, so we have someone to share the business opportunity and products with. There are literally a million different ways to do this.
Some people blog. Some people use the three-foot rule. Some people set up at local events. Some people work their warm market. Some folks use social media. Some people buy leads and work the phones. I know successful people in our industry who use each of these methods.
Your key to success in our industry is to find a prospecting strategy that resonates with you and then master that strategy. There is no ONE RIGHT WAY to prospect or get leads. Study 100 successful reps in our industry and you will find 100 different ways to do MLM Prospecting.
My challenge for you is to study marketing and lead generation. If I had to credit one thing to my success in this industry, it’s that I took the time to learn and master lead generation. It took me about two years to really figure it out, but it was well worth my time and money.
I follow a guy named Dan Kennedy. He is NOT a network marketer, but he is quite perhaps the best marketer in the world. He has two books that I recommend: “No BS Sales Success” and “No BS Direct Marketing.” Read those two books. Apply what you learn.
Come up with a prospecting strategy that makes sense to you and roll with it. You will be glad that you did.
Professional recruiters spend time in front of qualified prospects. Amateurs spend time in front of anyone and everyone. ~ Big Al Tom Schreiter
Is Face-to-Face MLM Prospecting Dead?
I want to share something personal today that I normally don’t tell many people. Here it is.
On an average day I get 100 to 200 emails with people trying to promote the newest shiny object or business opportunity. On an average day I get five to twenty people calling me, or one of those auto-dialers, pitching their deal. In an average month, I get one to two postcards with people pitching their business. Over the last ten years, I have only been prospected ONCE face-to-face about a MLM business opportunity. Isn’t that crazy?
It seems like just about everyone has taken their business online or to the phones, and most people have overlooked face-to-face prospecting. I personally believe there is a HUGE opportunity for anyone looking to find new customers and distributors face-to-face, if they do it properly.
Of course, this is just my opinion. We don’t have to agree. By all means, use the phone and internet to leverage yourself, but don’t overlook face-to-face prospecting.
There are prospects everywhere. Most of us come in contact with over 100 people a day. Put a smile on your face, stick your hand out, be nice, and say hello to people. You never know where your next conversation will take you. If nothing else, hand everyone your drop card!
Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission. –Zig Ziglar
The Power of Prospecting 10 People per Day
I want to take a moment or two and talk to you about the 10 a day concept. Did you know that if you called or prospected 10 people a day about your network marketing business for one year you would talk with 3,650 people?
Let’s assume that one in five people agree to listen to a presentation, one in five of those people sign up as a distributor, and one in five people who sign up as a distributor build a small business of their own. And let’s also suppose that one in five people who decide to build a business get serious about it. What would your numbers look like at the end of the year? Here is a hypothetical example using the numbers just mentioned.
- 3,650 people prospected
- 730 presentations given
- 146 people sponsored
- 29 people who build up a small part-time business
- 5 ROCK STARS who build it big!
Would it be worth your time to do this? Could prospecting just 10 people a day change your life and business? I think so. The only real question left is “will you do it?”
The Formula for Success with MLM Prospecting
Here is my little formula for success when it comes to talking to prospects.
“W” number or contacts equals “X” number of prospects equals “Y” number of new customers and distributors equals “Z” number of dollars.
Here’s an example. Talk with 100 people to find 20 good prospects to find 5 new customers/distributors to make $250 profit.
Using this example, each person you talk with is worth $2.50 to you, whether they say yes or no. Isn’t that exciting? By knowing your numbers, and working your numbers, you aren’t worried about who says yes and who says no.
Wisdom from a MLM Legend
Bill Britt was one of the most successful Amway distributors of all time (he recently passed away). When asked why he was so successful in Amway when so many other people failed he responded by saying (paraphrased) that “he credits his success to showing the plan to about 1,200 people and sponsoring about 300 of those people. Of those 300 people, only 85 did anything at all, 35 were serious and 11 made him a multi-millionaire.”
If you truly understand that wisdom, you will realize that you have to talk to thousands of people, to sponsor hundreds of people, to find a few leaders who will help you build a huge business.
Break that down and talk to five to ten prospects per day and you can get there in just a few short years.
Must Read MLM Prospecting Books
- Magnetic Sponsoring by Mike Dillard
- How I Conquered Call Reluctance, Fear of Self-Promotion, & Increased My Prospecting! by Sidney Walker
- How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results by Mark Hunter
Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. – Og Mandino
Final Thoughts
In summary, these are my best MLM Prospecting tips. Whatever you do, spend some time and learn how to prospect. This one skill can make you very wealthy in network marketing.
There are tons of courses, books, and training events on prospecting, so if it’s something you aren’t naturally good at, you can study these materials to improve your skills.
What are your thoughts? What are your best MLM Prospecting tips? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you. To your success!
Other Posts You Will Love
- Best MLM Recruiting Tips
- My System for Building My Business
- Best MLM Trainers
- Must Read MLM Books
- How to Find the Right MLM Company
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
Thanks Chuck,
I am inspired!
Well thought out guidance an all aspects.
I have been thinking a lot about starting a MLM from total scratch and a shoestring budget.
The product isn’t the issue as much as the presentation for me and you have already taught me a lot.
Many thanks.
Glad to be of help. Before you join any business, MLM or something else, the two most important questions you need to ask yourself are:
1. Who am I going to sell it to?
2. How am I going to sell it?
These are quite perhaps the two most important questions in any business, yet very few people take the time to answer these questions objectively.
Yeah you are right.!!! I do love network marketing am new in network marketing and i love this because am not just learning about money , I learn about all aspects of life. This is a life-changing opportunity not only business.
Thanks for sharing and keep it up.
Agreed! Our industry is nothing more than a personal development plan plan with a compensation plan attached to it. The personal growth you get from the industry is easily the best reward.
What are qualified MLM Prospects? I would define them as someone actively looking to getting involved in network marketing. A qualified MLM Prospect has the desire to get started with your business opportunity immediately and has the funds to do so.
Most network marketers spend their time pitching their business opportunity to everyone they meet. Rather than taking the time to qualify each prospect first, they think that everyone is a potential distributor. Personally, I find that quite amusing. Let me explain why.
If you were selling high end luxury cars, would everyone you talk with be a qualified prospect? Would you try to see your high-end Porsche® to unemployed folks who didn’t have the money to purchase the car, or make the monthly payments? Of course not. If you had any common sense at all, you would qualify your prospect first, before you walked them through the selling process. That way you don’t waste your time trying to sell something to someone who (1) doesn’t want what you are selling, or (2) can’t afford it.
Unfortunately, this seldom happens in network marketing. Most distributors just start “pitching their business opportunity” to everyone they know, hoping that someone will be interested in joining their business opportunity. Is that how you build your business?
There is a better way. Before you even start to market and grow your business, you should spend some time to identify your ideal customer. These are people who are qualified MLM prospects. In most cases, you will have “ideal customers” and “ideal distributors.” If I were you, I would focus on the ideal customers first. Let me give you an example.
Let’s suppose you sell coffee. You are teamed up with one of the leading coffee MLM companies. Your product is high end coffee that sells for $40 per pound. Would you try to sell your coffee products to someone who doesn’t drink coffee? Or, would you try to sell your products to someone who only buys the cheapest coffee available? You shouldn’t. If you are smart, you realize that your ideal customer is someone who loves coffee and doesn’t make their purchasing decision based off the cheapest price. That is your ideal customer.
Once you find good customers, your key to success is to provide great customer service. By doing so, some of your happy customers will become distributors in your organization.
On the other hand, if you are looking for distributors, your best qualified MLM Prospects are people already involved in network marketing. These are people who believe in the industry and don’t need to be convinced about the benefits of network marketing. You should also keep your eye open for sales professionals, self-employed folks, and self-motivated people looking to better their lives.
Personally, I think it’s much better to talk with 10 qualified MLM Prospects than it is to pitch your business opportunity to 100 non-qualified MLM prospects. By doing so, you will get better results with your business opportunity.
Amen to that Chuck! In many cases, this is what gives MLM a bad name. many just “puke” the opportunity on everyone they meet and it gives all network marketers a bad reputation. If people would do more qualifying, and listen to what the person isn’t saying, they would be better able to provide what the prospect needs. If a person is unemployed and having a hard time feeding their family, would they want to sign up as a distributor for weight loss products? It just comes down to using some common sense and conversing with people instead of “pitching” them.
Ask questions. Listen. Fill a need. That is the key to success.
What are the secrets to MLM Online Prospecting? In the paragraphs below, I’m going to share my top four favorite MLM Online Prospecting Secrets. These are the most important things you can do to find prospects to share your business opportunity with.
1. Visit MLM Forums: In case you don’t already know this, your target market is other network marketers. In order to meet other network marketers, you can get active in blog comments and online forums. You can answer questions, provide helpful advice and meet other networkers.
2. Start Your Own Blog: If you are serious about your business opportunity, you need your own blog. By having your own blog, you establish yourself as a leader and attract other people into your business. Additionally, your blog is your hub of operations.
3. Use a Capture Page: Another MLM Online Prospecting Secret is to have a capture page. A capture page is a one page website designed to generate leads. You could drive traffic to your website in a variety of different ways. As you generate leads, follow up with them by answering their questions and providing value.
4. Promote Something Other Than Your Business Opportunity: This is my # 1 MLM Online Prospecting Secret. If you want to make money in MLM, do yourself a favor and promote something other than your business opportunity. For example, promote a generic training course, eBook or affiliate product that puts cash in your pocket today. And offer your business opportunity on the back-end. That way, you have a way to offset your advertising costs while you generate an endless flow of leads for your business.
In conclusion, MLM Online Prospecting is easy if you know what you are doing. The best thing to do is to look at what everyone else is doing and do the complete opposite. That way you can stand above the crowd and separate yourself from the competition. By following the advice in the four steps listed above, you will achieve better results in your business.
Great tips Chuck! It is quite inexpensive to start your own blog and I often wonder why many network marketers don’t do it. For that matter, if finances are in terrible shape, a person can start off with a free blog through WordPress or Blogger to “get their feet wet.” It is a perfect way to establish yourself as an authority in the network marketing niche you are in. Just start by writing educational articles on the topics relating to the business you have chose in MLM.
Blogging is good but it is a long term project. You have to be willing to invest at least 2-3 years before you can expect ANY type of return on investment. And that is assuming you blog every day.
What are the best offline MLM Prospecting Tools? If you building your network marketing business the traditional way, by working your warm market, there are plenty of business tools to help you achieve success. Listed below, I share my favorite three offline MLM Prospecting Tools.
1. Business Cards: If you are serious about your business, you need a business card. Your business card should be done professionally, not something you make on your home printer. I say that because first impressions make a lasting difference. If you have a cheap looking business card, most prospects won’t take you seriously. Also, you have the option between having a business card with your company’s name and information on it, or a generic business card with your name and contact information. Either of these options work well, as long as it looks professional.
2. CDs: Handing out CDs can be beneficial, but can be quite expensive. If you purchase 10-20 prospecting CDs from your MLM Company, you can hand them out to prospects. But don’t just give them to people. First, you need to get the prospect’s contact information. If they won’t give you their contact information, don’t give them a CD. And if you do give them a CD, only do so after you “qualify” them as a prospect first. And make sure you give them a deadline of when you need the CD back.
3. Fliers: Fliers can be a great way to expand your business. However, please keep in mind that I’m not talking about just giving out thousands of fliers, or leaving them on people’s car windshields. That is another form of spamming people, and it’s quite ineffective. It’s much better to actually talk with your prospect first, and find out if there is an interest in your products or service, before you give them a flier. Although you will hand out fewer fliers, you will get better results.
In conclusion, these are three of my favorite offline MLM prospecting tools. They’ve worked for me in the past and I know they can have the same results for you. While tools are beneficial, nothing beats talking to prospects face-to-face. The purpose of your prospecting tools is to help build your relationship with prospects and strike up an interest for them to get in contact with you.
As I have watched and listened to your CDs, I know this is a great way. A person can purchase blank CDs at low cost and when you give these to people, they feel as if you are handing them a $20 bill. It really doesn’t take much time or energy to “burn” a quality CD explaining something educational about your network marketing niche. The majority of laptops sold are able to burn CDs. It is not much different than making a video.
I agree. Handing out CDs to someone after you have pre-qualified them is a great move.
What are best online MLM Prospecting Tools? In my opinion, the best online MLM Prospecting Tools are capture pages, blogs, and auto-responders. I’ll cover more in detail below.
1. Capture Page: One of my favorite ways to meet prospects and generate leads online is to use a capture page. A capture page is a one-page website designed to convert your visitors into leads. Normally, there is an opt-in box for the person to provide their name, email and contact information in exchange for something free. Most professional internet marketers use capture pages to generate leads. Typically, a 5-12% response rate is considered average. Your goal is simply to send a large amount of traffic to your capture page and let the numbers work themselves out.
2. Blogs: MLM Blogs and MLM Websites are great MLM Prospecting Tools. When you have your own blog or website, you establish yourself as a leader. When people find your blog or website, some will read your articles and watch your videos. A portion of these visitors will come back to your blog from time to time and some will even subscribe to your newsletter, ezine or training emails. When this happens, they become a lead. If you provide lots of great information on your blog or website, you will generate plenty of leads for your business.
3. Auto-Responders: Auto-Responders are my favorite online MLM Prospecting Tool. What I like best about auto-responders is they allow you to keep in touch with your leads automatically. All you have to do is create some pre-written emails. Once a lead provides their contact information, the emails are automatically sent to them at a frequency you determine. This allows you to recommend different affiliate products, provide helpful training tips and build a relationship with your lead list over time.
If you are serious about building a large MLM Business online, you need to use tools. That way you can work smart and be effective. If you are just starting out, I’d recommend you sit down with your mentor and develop a game-plan, before you go out and purchase a bunch of business tools.
I think the best advice in this whole comment is the last paragraph. I found myself purchasing many unneeded items in the past just because I read that I needed them. Many of these items can be gotten for free, or at a very low cost. I use Mailchimp to send out newsletters and the program I use is free. I may upgrade to the premium version in time, but when you are just starting, using free trials is sometimes a great option. I do need to get set up with an auto-responder. I just have to find the most cost effective resource to do so.
Using free resources is a good idea when you are just getting started. I do believe that a good auto-responder is vital in any type of business though.
Many distributors are looking for effective ways to close their MLM prospects, after they give a business presentation. They’re looking for a catch or persuasive phrase they can use to convince people to join their business opportunity. Personally, I’ve never thought that you should try to sell or convince someone on your opportunity. Instead, you want people to join on their own free will. Besides, if you pressure someone to join your opportunity, they might join, but they will probably quit within a month or two. And what good is that?
I’ve found that the top earners sift and sort through people. They don’t try to pressure, sell or convince anyone. They present the opportunity to people. If the people want to join, they sign them up. If the person doesn’t want to join, they try to get them as a customer and/or get a referral from that person. And if they use a close, the best example I can give you is “What do you think?”
After you give the presentation, ask the person “what do you think?” After you ask that question, shut up. Sit there and don’t say a word. Wait for the person to respond. If they are excited and want to join, sign them up. If they don’t want anything to do with your opportunity, try to get them as a customer and/or get a referral.
And always keep the door open. Just because they tell you “NO” today doesn’t mean they won’t join your team a few years from now. So, write down their contact information and add it to your database. Ask the person if you can contact them again in 6-12 months. If possible, take the time to write them a thank you card, too. Always be a professional. Never be mad because they don’t join your team.
I’ve always believed that people have the right to their own opinion. And just because they don’t believe in your opportunity like you do, doesn’t mean you should harass them, make them feel bad, or give them a hard time. That’s one of the reasons our industry gets such as bad reputation, because so many distributors are unprofessional with their prospects.
In conclusion, if you’re trying to find out how to close your MLM prospect, just show them your presentation and then ask them “what do you think?” Make sure that you be quiet after you ask them that question and wait for them to answer. If they want to join, sign them up. If not, be professional, send them a written thank you card for their time, and go talk to your next prospect. I hope that helps.
This is a problem I had, and I believe many people have when they are in the “close” of a presentation…Shutting up. I think that we feel we need to keep trying to sell the person. This is a big turnoff to most people, and they feel they are getting scammed. When we shut up, it shows that we are confident in everything we just explained.
I also love the fact that you said to not look down on them just because they said no. No is not usually forever, and I have had some cases where it was how I treated them that had the person call me back the next day and said they changed their mind….they would like to try it out.
Once you make your closing statement be quite. The first one who speaks after that loses.
What should you say to your MLM prospects to arouse their curiosity and see if they are interested in what you have to offer? Personally, I think the first thing you should do is be friendly with people. Initiate conversations, stick out your hand and say hello. Once you do that, strike up some small talk. Ask a few questions about the weather, where they are from and so forth. Once you get the conversation going, ask the person what they do for a living.
People love to talk about themselves. It’s just human nature. Let them tell you what they do for a living. Be a good listener. Eventually, most people will ask you what you do for a living after they finish talking. This is where you need to shine. You need a simple 1-2 sentence phrase or punch line you can use. Here are a few examples:
• “I am a lifestyle coach. I show people how to own their life, and have more time and money to do what they want.”
• “I teach people how to create an extra income stream without giving up their job.”
• “I show people how to lose weight and improve their health, and get paid to do it.”
• “I teach people how to get paid for recommending products and services to their friends.”
These are just a few examples of things you can say.
Once you finish saying this, you are simply looking for a reaction. You aren’t trying to sell them anything. Don’t mention anything about your company either. If they start asking questions, tell them you have to go, but get their contact information before you leave. Tell them that you will call them in a day or two to schedule a time to sit down with them and explain how you can help them.
Remember, your job is to sift and sort through people, not try and sell everyone. This is the posture that the top earners have. They are looking for people who are looking for something better. They aren’t out trying to pressure, sell or convince people that their opportunity is the best thing since sliced bread.
I really hope you remember this simple advice. The advice mentioned above is what you should say to your MLM Prospects. It you follow this advice, and talk to at least 5-10 people each day, you will never run out of prospects. You will have an endless flow of prospects to share your products and business opportunity with. I hope that helps.
As you said, you watch for people’s reactions. Most people will ask for you to tell them more. Some people will roll their eyes and try hard to escape the conversation. With the people that do that, it is usually best just to let them go. They are expecting you to chase them and when you don’t they will wonder why you are not like the other 50 network marketers before you. They will then probably try to find out why you are different. They will usually do that by asking other people they know that know you. This is why you want to “shine” with everyone.
I ask questions and see if the prospect expresses and interest. If they change the subject, I drop it and move on. I don’t try to convince anyone of anything.
What are the best three qualities to look for in a good MLM Prospect? If I had to whittle it down to three things, I would say (1) desire, (2) open mind, and (3) time. I will elaborate on these three factors in the paragraphs below. Let’s get started.
1. Desire: Many distributors confuse need with want. They believe that if they show their business opportunity to people who need it, those people will join. Nothing can be further from the truth. In this business, you will quickly find that most people who need things are not willing to go out and do what they need to do, in order to get those things. In other words, they are lazy and want something for nothing. On the other hand, your best MLM Prospects are people with a strong, burning desire for a better life. These are people who are willing to work hard to have a better life. In many cases, these are people who are already successful in what they do for a living.
2. Open Mind: Most people are very close minded. You would be absolutely amazed at how many people are not willing to explore new money making ideas. Even if they are broke and unhappy, and know what they are currently doing doesn’t work, they won’t look at anything else. I’ve always found this humorous. However, when you meet successful people (especially rich people) you will quickly discover that they are always open minded about new money making ideas. They are willing to listen to what you have to say. Even if they don’t join your opportunity, they will sit down with you and listen. This is the type of prospect you are looking for.
3. Time: An ideal MLM Prospect is someone who is willing to set aside 5-10 hours per week to grow their business. They’re willing to give up Monday Night Football, bowling league, or watching television to take charge of their financial future. Someone who isn’t willing to do this is not your ideal prospect. When you are talking with prospects, ask them if they would be willing to set aside 5-10 hours per week to grow their business. If they tell you “No” I would recommend you simply get them as a customer and/or move on to your next prospect. Always remember that busy people get things done.
In summary, these are the three most important qualities of a good MLM Prospect. Notice I didn’t say “has the money.” I’ve found that if someone meets the three criteria above, even if they are broke, will find a way to join your business. Lack of money will never stop someone with an open mind and a strong burning desire to become successful. Whenever you meet with a prospect you want to ask a variety of questions so you can get the answers to these three things. That way you will know if your prospect is a qualified prospect, or if they are someone who will simply waste your time. I hope that helps.
I am in total agreement with you here Chuck, the only thing that I would change is the order. In my opinion, having an open mind is first on the list. If a person has a closed mind, it really doesn’t matter how much desire or time they have, if their mind is closed, only a negative atmosphere will surround it.
I think desire can be like a roller coaster for some people. One day they may have a lot of desire, and the next day it may be dismal.
I also do agree that they don’t need money, but I think some of the worst prospects are ones who are so down on their luck, they do not know where their next meal will come from. Just my opinion.
Having a closed mind is a recipe for failure in life.
How do you introduce your MLM Business to potential prospects? This is a great question that you should think about. Most distributors try to “pitch” everyone they meet. This normally leads to frustration and poor results. Rather than pitching people right away, I think it’s a much wiser idea to “qualify” your prospect before you ever mention your business opportunity or products. Here’s what I mean.
If you are talking to a stranger, the first thing you need to do is ask them what they do for a living. You want them to start talking about themselves. After a few minutes, they will reciprocate the question and ask you what you do. At this point, you need a simple “elevator speech” such as any of the following:
1. “I teach people how to own their own life and be their own boss.”
2. “I teach people how to lose weight, improve their health, and get paid to do it.”
3. “I help people start their own part-time business without quitting their day job.”
4. “I teach people how to create multiple streams of income so they can improve their lifestyle.”
The purpose of your “elevator speech” is to generate a response from your prospect. If they start asking you questions to learn more about what you do, they are a good prospect. If they are a good prospect, get their business card or contact information so you can set an appointment with them. Don’t make the mistake of pitching your business opportunity right away. Instead, focus on setting an appointment to show them your complete business presentation.
On the other hand, if your prospect isn’t interested by what you said, they are not a good prospect. It’s really that simple. At this point, you could end the conversation and go look for someone else to talk to.
Remember, the purpose of talking with people is to find interested people, not try to sell them on what you have to offer. Your job is to sift and sort through your prospects, so you can find interested prospects to set an appointment with.
I truly believe this is million dollar advice. And it’s exactly what the most successful distributors do. I spent the first few years in this industry trying to sell and convince everyone why my opportunity was so good. It would have been much more effective to find qualified prospects, set an appointment with them, and then share my business opportunity, rather than trying to pitch them right away. I hope that helps.
What does the term MLM Alert refer too? I define it as the process of having your “guards up” when you are approached by someone about a business opportunity. Every day, thousands of people are approached and prospected for new money making ideas. In most cases, the person contacting them is a friend or family member who recently joined a business opportunity. That person is new and excited and is trying to recruit people into their business.
The conversation usually goes something like this. “How are you doing, Jim? I’m calling because I just got involved with a ground floor opportunity. I think it’s the best things since sliced bread and I’m going to get rich. By the way, are you looking to create an extra income stream?” At this point, the person normally starts explaining why their opportunity is the best thing in the world. And if you’ve tried this prospecting method yourself, you know it doesn’t work very well.
Most people have received at least 2-3 calls like this during their adult life. And sometimes the call is from the same person, after they switch from one company to a new company. In my opinion, there is good cause to have a MLM Alert. After all, most people don’t want to be sold a business opportunity (or anything else). In fact, most people don’t want their own business, of any kind.
And if people do want to start a business, they don’t want to be sold a business opportunity. Instead, we want to buy. There is a big difference between these two ideas. If you are one of the people who are randomly pitching friends and family, without them expressing an interest first, please stop immediately. This is a very unprofessional way to build a network marketing business. Instead, there are much better options, such as paid advertising, using attraction marketing, or learning how to properly prospect.
On average, I get 10-20 emails per day from people who visited this website and feel inspired to pitch me on what they have to offer. It does get annoying, so I know how you feel if you have been pitched before. The best approach to take in any business is to position yourself properly, so people contact you first. This is less frustrating and is a whole lot more effective than pitching strangers and family members.
In summary, most people have a MLM Alert because they’ve been pitched on money making ideas before. Usually, it’s by the same couple people who have been involved with countless business opportunities. The best way to promote any business opportunity is to position yourself properly, so people contact you first. This is 100 times more effective than bugging friends and family. You can use marketing and paid advertising strategies to find people who are interested in your products and services. All you have to do is follow-up with them.
I believe a much better phone call may go something like this: “Hi Jim, How are you?” Jim says, “Not bad, how are you.” This is when I say, “Man I am feeling like a young man. I just started using these new vitamins that make me feel like I can handle jobs like I did when I was 20. You ought to give these a try Jim. I even have a couple samples I could let you try. How about we go grab a cup of coffee and I will bring them with.”
Instead of going with the business opportunity, I lead with the product. I am offering a slight freebie and I will explain more over coffee. It just flowed better and Jim doesn’t get defensive because he is getting something for nothing, and a cup of coffee.
Leading with the product is huge. Everyone likes to buy. Most people hate to say. That’s why leading with the product is your best option.
Yes, and everyone loves something for free. So positioning yourself with a free sample, free book or even a free cup of coffee will bring defenses down, and actually, in a devious sort of way, the person will feel an obligation toward you.
It is one of the best ways I have found.
If you want to build a large network marketing business, you need to learn how to qualify prospects and effectively share your business opportunity with others. These are quite perhaps the two greatest skills required for building a large MLM Downline. For the purpose of this short article, I want to give you a few helpful tips to help you do that well. Let’s get started.
Your first step is to QUALIFY your prospect, before you ever even mention the details of your business opportunity. I’ve found that most amateur distributors simply “puke” their business opportunity on others. They meet someone and immediately start pitching their business opportunity. This is a bad idea because (1) the person never expressed interest in what you have to offer, (2) you waste a lot of time talking to people who aren’t qualified for your offer, and (3) it gives our industry a bad reputation and makes you look unprofessional.
Instead, you need to learn how to be a professional network marketer. This means you need to ask your prospect a series of questions about your products and/or business opportunity, before you go into detail about it. Several questions include:
• Are you keeping your options open?
• Are you happy with your current job and income levels?
• Have you ever worked from home before?
• Have you ever owned a business before?
• Are you looking for a work from home job or a work from home business?
• Would you be willing to invest 5-10 hours per week to build a home based business?
Once you ask a few of these questions, you will know if the person you are talking to is a qualified prospect. If they are not qualified, move on to the next person. Remember, your objective is to sift and sort through people, not sell or convince people.
Next, you need to schedule a business presentation. Never, ever try to explain your business opportunity right away. The purpose of qualifying a prospect is to set an appointment for a complete business presentation.
A good presentation is 15-30 minutes long. Do not be long winded or cover every detail of the compensation plan. This will simply overwhelm your prospect. You want to be short and to the point.
During the presentation, you are “looking for a void” and filling it. You want to find out your prospect’s hot button and tailor your presentation to that. For instance, if your prospect tells you they want to make an extra $500 per month, show them how to do that. If you only talk about the big money, you will lose a lot of prospects.
At the end of your presentation, ask your prospect “What do you think?” At this point, be quiet and listen. Once again, your job is to find people who want what you have to offer. If you spend all your time trying to convince people, you might sponsor a few more folks, but they will waste your time and quit within 1-2 months.
I recommend giving your business presentation in person or over the phone. It’s much more personal, and you will have fewer distractions. If you are new to the business, you can conduct a three-way call with your upline distributor to help you out.
By following the advice in this short article, you will get much better results in your MLM Business. You will find qualified prospects and you will give more presentations and sponsor more distributors. I wish you all the best.
If you are trying to figure out where to meet people to sign up in MLM, you are in the right place. I would like to share a few pointers with you on where can you meet good prospects for your MLM Business. I would like to preface that you don’t need to intentionally “look” for people for your business. Instead, I highly encourage you learn how to incorporate it into your daily life. In other words, learn how to keep your eyes and ears open when you are out and about in day-to-day life.
That being said, here are some good places to meet people to sign up in your MLM.
1. Book Stores: Book stores are a great place to meet people. Your key to success is to strike up conversations with people and try to identify a need. If nothing else, get the other person’s business card and stay in touch with them. You can offer your business later on down the road.
2. Chamber of Commerce: The Chamber of Commerce is another powerful resource to meet like minded people. Most of the people involved in this organization are other entrepreneurs and business savvy people, just the kind of person you are looking for.
3. Library: The library offers plenty of opportunities to meet new people. Ask people you meet in the library if they can recommend a good business book. Be friendly and initiate conversations with others.
4. Day Care: You can meet lots of “wanna be” stay home moms and dads at the daycare. If your kids are in daycare, start building relationships with other parents who drop off their kids at the same day care.
5. Work: You can prospect people at your current job, but I wouldn’t suggest it. You don’t want to get fired. But if you have a close friend or two at work, you could talk to them about it. Just don’t do it at work.
6. Post Office: When you are at the post office, keep your eye open for sharp employees. Also, strike up conversations with people in line next to you. You never know who you will meet.
Other great places include restaurants, the gas station, movies, the grocery store, motels, conferences, and anywhere else you go. Always keep your eyes open for sharp people. Remember, most of us come in contact with 100+ people per day. Start out by talking to two people per day.
I suggest that you focus on building friendships first, before you mention your business opportunity. If you start talking to someone, and immediately go into your sales pitch, you will lose most of your prospects.
In addition, I highly recommend you keep your eye out for other entrepreneurs. I’m not telling you that other entrepreneurs are your only good prospects. However, I’ve found that other entrepreneurs are typically great prospects. You should also look for people that are busy, people with several jobs or businesses, and people who work on commissions. These are ideal prospects who aren’t scared to work hard.
Try to avoid people that “need” your business opportunity because they are broke and instead focus on people who would “want” a passive income stream or business opportunity.
Who are your best prospects for your network marketing business? I’ve found that many people fail in this industry (and many other industries) because they try to be all things to all people.
In other words, they think everyone is a potential prospect. Personally, I think that’s a bad business decision.
You see, not everyone is a qualified prospect. Some people are just suspects. As an entrepreneur, your first job is to figure out what group of people IS in your target market and then spend your time and money advertising to that group of people exclusively.
If you are trying to sponsor new distributors, your target market would be people actively looking to start their own network marketing business, other network marketers, or people looking for an additional income stream.
If you sell weight loss products, your target market would be people who are overweight who want to lose weight, and have the money to purchase weight loss products.
So many businesses fail because the owners waste their time and money trying to advertise to everyone.
Before you go out and buy leads or just start pitching your business to everyone you meet, make sure you spend some time and identify your target market first.
Once you know your target market, spend 100% of your time and money resources advertising to your target market. This one simple change can have a huge impact in your business. Best of all, you can work less, work smarter, and make more money in the process.
When most people first get involved with network marketing, they are taught to make a MLM Names List. They are taught to write down everyone they know. This includes family, friends, high school friends, college buddies, family members, co-workers, neighbors, peers, and everyone they have ever met before (and remember).
In most cases, they are taught to brainstorm at least 200 names, and preferably 500 names. Once they finish doing this exercise, they are taught to start contacting people to share their products and business opportunity with them. This is quite perhaps the most common way that most people get started in network marketing.
It’s proven that this method does work. Although it doesn’t mean you will get great results with your names list, it does give you a list of people to contact. And that is essential when you are in network marketing. Without leads, your business is doomed for failure.
I’ve followed this approach in the past, and achieved moderate success using a MLM Names List. But, I’m not a huge fan of this approach. Simply put, it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people simply do not want to approach their friends and family about a business opportunity, for whatever reasons. And that’s okay. But those people are going to have to find creative ways to get leads fast, or they will be out of business in no time.
The primary reason people are taught to make a MLM Names List is that ANYONE can do it. It is simple and easy to teach. Anyone can spend an hour or two and jot down a bunch of names. It doesn’t require any type of special skills.
Most people might sponsor one to five people from their original names list. The only exception is someone who is very influential and has a large sphere of influence. This might include a doctor, lawyer, entrepreneur, sales professional or accountant. These folks normally know lots of successful entrepreneurs and self-motivated people: people who make great network marketing prospects.
The major problem I have with making a MLM Names List is that most of the people on your list are not in your target market. That means you will be wasting your time trying to pitch and convince people on your offer, even though they want nothing to do with it. In essence, it’s really a poor way to build any type of business. It normally leads to lots of rejection and frustration.
Professional network marketers take a different approach. Rather than try to pitch people, they focus their time and money advertising to people in their target market. That includes people looking for an additional income stream, other frustrated network marketers, sales oriented people and entrepreneurs. They know that these types of folks are qualified prospects, and there is a good chance these folks would WANT to join their business opportunity. They wouldn’t need to be convinced or sold.
That is a very valuable lesson for you to take in. After you make a MLM Names List and work through your warm market, do yourself a favor and identify and focus on advertising to your target market exclusively. This small piece of advice can save you lots of time, money and frustration while you are building your downline. It’s what most top earners do.
Whether you build your MLM Business online or offline, you will inevitably need to use the phone to build a relationship with your prospect and to close sales. If you want to work smart, and get better results, one of the wisest pieces of advice I can share with you is to focus on recruiting current and former network marketers. These are people with experience in the industry who already believe in the industry. In essence, they are your “ideal prospect.”
In order to things right, I recommend you follow the steps mentioned below.
Step # 1: Ask them how their business is going.
Simply ask the person “how are things going with your current opportunity?” Once you ask the question, be quiet and listen to what they have to say. They will give you clues as to whether or not they are happy.
Step # 2: Ask them if they are happy with their current company and sponsor.
Find out what their sponsor is doing to help them. Ask about their recruiting, lead generation and training systems. Once you ask the question, be quiet and listen.
If you ask these two questions and listen carefully, you will identify the NEEDS and WANTS of your prospect. At this point, you can offer them a solution to their challenges.
Step # 3: Offer a solution.
If they tell you they like their company but aren’t very good at generating leads, you can simply recommend an affiliate product to them that will help get more leads. You can earn a commission from the sale of this product, so you have a way to make money when people tell you NO.
And if they are unhappy with their current company, ask them if they are looking for a new opportunity. If they say yes, share what you have to offer. It really is that simple.
And whatever you do, have posture. Don’t beg, convince, pressure or hassle your prospect. Be an expert. Be a professional. Make sure you write down their contact information. Ask the person if you can keep in touch with them every 90 to 120 days. Add their information to your contact manager so you can follow up with them later on down the road.
If you can call 20 to 50 prospects each day, and follow this MLM Phone Prospecting Plan, you will be well on your way to success. You will find people to sponsor, you will make new friends, and you will earn affiliate sales from the leads and training programs you can recommend to people who don’t join your opportunity. It really is a win-win situation.
One of the smartest things you can do in your network marketing business is to build an “A-List.” If you really want to make a career out of this industry you have to understand a few things. First of all, companies come and go. Few companies stand the test of time. What’s hot today might be out of business next month.
Next, this business is about relationships. We all know that people join people, not companies. Therefore, you need to make your top priority meeting lots of people and then building a relationship with them. It takes time, and a good game-plan to do that.
If I was just getting started in this industry today, I would focus on building a database of people that know, like and trust me. I would buy a contact manager and then get busy meeting people. I would try to meet 5-10 people per day (online and offline). I would take this information and upload it into my contact manager.
Next, I would stay in touch with each person every 30 to 90 days by sending an email, a hand written note, or making a phone call. If you were proactive and met 5 people a day, you would have a name list with more than 1800 people at the end of one year. And at the end of a decade, you would have 18,000 or more names.
Assuming you did what I mentioned and built an “A-List” and kept in touch with everyone from time to time, you would always have someone to share your products and business opportunity with. And if you decided to pursue a new opportunity, you would have lots of people to share it with.
This is what the top earners do. They have large networks of people that know, like and trust them. These people are their “A-List.” This A-List is the single greatest asset for the successful distributors. When you have a list, anything is possible.
From this day forward, I hope you start compiling your A-List. I hope you get a contact manager and come up with an organized plan to grow your list. As you meet people, don’t puke your business on them right away. Spend a little time to build a relationship with them before you mention your products or business opportunity. That way you can cultivate a relationship first.
Using auto dialers for your MLM Business is a SHADY practice. If you’re like most people, you probably receive 3-10 calls per week from auto-dialers. You probably find the calls annoying and intrusive. I know I do.
While auto-dialers are by no means illegal, the way that most network marketing distributors use them is illegal. Most people who use auto dialers scrape a bunch of phone numbers off the internet and upload them into the auto dialer to start making calls. Or, they buy a large list of leads from a lead company. They don’t check the “do not call registry” first. And worst of all, they don’t have permission to contact the leads. They just “blast out” their auto dialer message and hope for the best.
While a small percentage of people will respond in a positive way, you will piss off a lot of people. You will get lots of negative calls. And if you aren’t careful, you could get penalized with a big fine from the FCC. You can even get sued for harassment.
I’m not against using auto dialers in a MLM Business, but I do believe there is a certain way you should go about it. You need to make sure you have a pre-existing relationship with the people you are calling. This means that you “know the people” and “they gave you permission to call them” at some point in time. Also, you need a way for people to remove themselves from your list if they want to.
I’d also recommend that you take some time to educate yourself about local and national telemarketing laws. Many states, and communities, have different laws about telemarketing. It would be in your best interest to know what the laws are so you don’t get in trouble. If you follow this advice there’s a good chance you will stay out of trouble.
If you’re using auto dialers right now to grow your MLM Business, I hope you will rethink through the process. Even if you are achieving some success with auto dialers, it isn’t worth getting a big fine or getting sued. Be smart about it!
I have had many people reach out to me using the “icebreaker” method. I have t-shirts and buttons that I wear that people will inquire about. Following up their initial interest with a brief explanation/conversation and a strong business card has garnered me some business in the past. It is a great strategy. And if you are constantly putting yourself in situations where you have to be social you boost the chances of garnering interest.
Yes, wearing clothing and apparel is a great way to strike up new conversations. It’s hard to beat a good polo shirt and/or button.
Great info Chuck!I wanted to add that another thing that I always notice are logos on the windshields of people’s vehicles. These are inexpensive and drives curiosity. I am sure that people that use them get their share of phone calls.Great post again!
Car magnets and stickers on the rear window are a great way to get added exposures. I’m thinking about doing this myself.