MLM Warm Market: Making Your MLM Name List and Getting Started

Today, I’m going to share my best tips on working your MLM Warm Market and MLM Name List. This post could be a short book. I’m going to teach you everything I know, so you can hit the ground running and get a predictable result in your network marketing business.

We’re going to discuss the following topics:

Why Work the MLM Warm Market?
How to Make an MLM Name List
How to Contact Your Warm Market
My Favorite Way to Contact Your Warm Market
Scripts to Contact Your Warm Market
Do’s and Don’t with Your Warm Market

Why Work Your MLM Warm Market?

Network marketing is a warm market business. Look at any company or leader with a growing team and you will quickly discover they teach the warm market approach.

Why? Because it’s the fastest and easiest way to get started. It’s something ANYONE can do, even grandpa.

In addition, every living adult knows at least 2,000 people by name. Anyone can talk to their mom, dad, spouse, best friend, neighbor, brother, sister, or cousin about the products or business.

However, not everyone can learn Facebook, email marketing, SEO, internet marketing, video marketing, pay-per-click blogging and other online strategies. Does that make sense?

Many people joining our industry are lured into building their business online, or in the cold market, because they are scared to approach their friends and family. Or, they think online and cold market recruiting will be easier or quicker.

Maybe they have failed in other deals in the past. Maybe they have low self-esteem or little belief in themselves. Maybe they are scared of rejection. These are the common reasons people do not want to start in their warm market.

Starting in your warm market just make sense. It’s easy to do. Anyone can do it. You already have a large group of people you can approach. It’s duplicatable. It’s proven.

You can always venture into ONLINE or COLD MARKET recruiting strategies AFTER you work your warm market. But jumping into those two other strategies without approaching your warm market first is normally a costly mistake.

Why? Because there is a HUGE learning curve if you want to master online or cold market recruiting! Not so with your MLM Warm Market.

“If I would be given a chance to start all over again, I would choose Network Marketing” ~Bill Gates

It All Begins with Your MLM Name List

I just explained why the warm market approach is the smartest way to get started. Now, I’m going to walk you through the steps to be successful using that approach.

Everything begins with your MLM Name List. Your name list is nothing more than a group of people you know or know of. You don’t have to be close to these people or even know them all by name. You just need to know of them. A few examples might be the bank clerk, the guy who sold you your car, or your hairdresser.

I once heard that the average 18-year old adult knows at least 2,000 people by name. I believe that. Now, you might not be able to think of everyone right off the top of your head, but if you put some serious thought and time into it, there is no doubt in my mind you could come up with tons of names.

Why Do You Need a MLM Name List?

You need people to talk to, if you want to grow your network marketing business quickly. The more names you have on your MLM Name List, the higher the likelihood you will find people who are interested in the products and business opportunity.

If you only have 20 to 50 people on your name list, you are going to be emotionally attached to each person’s decision. You’ll worry about what they think and whether or not they sign up.

On the other hand, if you have more than 1,000 names on your name list, you won’t care who gets in and who doesn’t. You’ll have plenty of people to talk to.

Act as if you are getting paid $1,000 for each person you add to your name list. Treat it seriously, as if you have one-million dollars invested in your business. If you adopt that mindset, I know you can easily come up with at least 1,000 names, probably more.

10 Steps to Create a Big MLM Name List

In this section, I want to share 10 steps to create a big MLM Name List. Follow these steps and you will come up with a BIG list of names.

Step # 1: Get a Notebook and Pen

For simplicity purposes, I suggest you use a notebook and pen.You can create your name list in Excel or on your computer, if you want to. Just remember you don’t need a FANCY spreadsheet. I would go to the Dollar Store and get a notebook and keep all of your names in one central place.

Step # 2: Write Down EVERY friend you have on Facebook

Most people have minimum 200 to 500 or more friends on Facebook. Some people have a little bit less than that, and others have a lot more. Add ALL of these people to your name list.

Step # 3: Write Down Your Spouse’s Facebook Friends

If you are married, and your spouse is on board with you, do the same thing with their Facebook friend list. This should easily be another 200 to 500 or more names. If you are single, or your spouse is not supportive, skip this step.

Step # 4: Write Down Your Phone Contacts

Most people have anywhere from 50 to 300 phone contacts in their cell phone. Add all of these people to your MLM Name List.

Step # 5: Write Down Your Email Contacts

Repeat the same process with your email contacts. If you have more than one email account, like I do, compile the names from all of your email accounts.

Step # 6: Write Down People on Your Christmas Card List

If you send out Christmas Cards every year, like I do, add these folks to your MLM Names List. This should be another 30 to 500 names.

Step # 7: Play the Alphabet Game

Start with the letter A. Write down everyone you know whose first name starts with the letter A. Then move to B, and the rest of the alphabet. After you do that, write down everyone you know whose last name starts with the letter A, and then proceed through the remaining letters in the alphabet. Finally, think of each profession you can think of, starting with the letter A, and write down everyone from each profession you can think of.

Step # 8: Use a Memory Jogger

After you done the previous seven steps, go online and find a memory jogger. This will give you tons of ideas to help you think of additional names to add to your list.

Step # 9: Prioritize the List

Once your list is complete, you need to prioritize your list. Put a star next to the people who have business experience. Put a star next to people with sales or marketing experience. Put a star next to anyone with network marketing experience (that you know of).

Put a star next to anyone who is ultra-successful in their chosen profession. Put a star next to anyone who is optimistic and has a good attitude.The people with the most stars next to their name will normally be your best prospects.

Step # 10: Develop a Strategy to Contact These People

Connect with your sponsor or upline mentor and find out what you should say to the contacts on your list. Have them teach you a few scripts and teach you what to say. See if they will help you contact the first few people on your list. There is a right way and wrong way to contact people, so make sure you do it the right way. I’ll cover this in greater detail later in this post.

“Manage the top line: your strategy, your people, and your products, and the bottom line will follow.” ~Steve Jobs

Key Tip for Creating Your MLM Name List

Don’t pre-judge people. It’s not your job to determine who’s qualified for the business and who isn’t. At the end of the day, you never know who will join or who will build it big.

How to Contact Your MLM Warm Market

Now that you’ve made your MLM Names List, your next step is to contact them. Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Just follow the advice listed below and you will be well on your way.

# 1) Find Out What Your Upline Does

Rather than reinvent the wheel, the first thing you should do is get in touch with your SUCCESSFUL upline mentor and find out what they do. There’s a good chance your company already has a system in place. If they do, please disregard the advice I mention below and do what they teach. If your company doesn’t have a system in place, follow the steps below.

# 2) Invite People to a Launch Party

One of the best things to do is have a launch party. This is where you contact people in your warm market and invite them to your home for a launch party. Your upline mentor or sponsor comes over and gives a presentation for you. This is a simple and effective way to launch your business.

# 3) Invite Each Prospect to a Conference Call

Another simple way to contact your warm market is to invite them to an opportunity call or conference call. Normally, the company hosts these each week. If not, find out who in your team does opportunity calls, when they take place, and then invite people to the call.

# 4) Invite Your Prospects to a Local Meeting

Local meetings are still very powerful. If your company does local meetings, such as hotel meetings, to share the opportunity, invite your prospects to the meeting. Offer to drive them there.

# 5) Set up 1-on-1’s with Your Warm Market

One of the most effective, but most time consuming ways to share the business is via 1-on-1’s.This is when you and mentor work together and meet with your prospects one at a time.

# 6) Send Out a Letter in the Mail

I’ll cover more on this in a minute.This is one of my favorite strategies, especially for someone who is shy or really busy.

My Favorite Way to Contact Your MLM Warm Market

You will quickly discover that 80 to 90 percent of the people who join your team will NOT feel comfortable reaching out to the people they know. Either they are shy, have low self-esteem, or maybe they have participated in other MLMs before and failed. This is where the personalized letter comes in.

I personally believe this is a great way to avoid rejection and only work with people who call you. The best part is that this is a hands off, stress free approach. Your prospect isn’t pressured. If he is interested, he simply calls you with questions. If he’s not interested, he doesn’t contact you. It’s really that simple.

What your prospect would do is come up with a few hundred names and then mail out 5-10 letters per day UNTIL he worked through his entire name list. Best of all, mailing letters to 200 people would only cost someone about $100, so it’s really cost effective.

By the time he got through his name list, he should have a few customers and distributors. He could in return teach his new team members how to do what he just did.

You see, anyone can lick a stamp and put a letter in the mail! It’s not hard to do and it’s not like picking up a 300 pound telephone and explaining to Aunt Mary that you found the best thing since sliced bread.

Some of you might be wondering, what should the letter say? Most people would tell you to write a letter about your business opportunity. I do NOT recommend that. Instead, I would write a letter about the PRODUCTS. My letter would say something like this.

Hi Aunt Mary. I hope you are happy and well. It’s me, Chuck. I’m writing to you because I’ve been taking an amazing weight loss shake for the past 60-days. During that time, I have lost 22 pounds (check out the photo).
I have more energy and feel great. As a result, I have decided to start selling these shakes as a part-time business.
I thought I would write to all of my friends and family to let them know about this. I know you’re not looking to lose any weight, but if you know someone who is, could you please have them give me a call or email me so I can help them? I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this letter. If you have questions, or just want to catch up, feel free to give me a call or email. Have a great week.
Ted

Do you see how simple that is? There’s no hype. No mention of them starting a business. Nothing to make someone’s spider sense’s tingle.

This is quite perhaps the easiest way to launch your business. It’s much more effective than calling everyone up, or posting messages all over Facebook (people ignore those anyway).

Before I close out this section, I know that some of you are saying, “heck, I could just do this with an email.” My response to that is DON’T do this by email. Emails are nowhere near as effective as a piece of mail. After all, how many emails do you get a day? Do you read them all? I doubt it.

Everyone checks their mail every day. And people actually read their mail. Getting someone to read your message is more than half the battle.

Scripts to Contact Your MLM Warm Market

Here are some simple scripts you could use to contact your warm market. It’s best if you do these through phone.

Script # 1: Product Approach

Hey Joe, it’s me, Chuck. I’m contacting you to let you know that I just started my own home-based business. I’m reaching out to everyone I know to ask them if they would support me by ordering one product from me. If I sent you a link to my website, would you be willing to look through my online store and purchase one item? I would really appreciate it.

“Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her solve a problem or achieve a goal, not of selling a product or service.” ~Brian Tracy

Script # 2: Money Approach

Hey Joe, it’s me, Chuck. I remember you telling me several times in the past that you were looking to earn some additional income on the side.Is that still correct? That’s great, because I found something I know you will love. If I sent you a short four-minute video that explains what it is and how it works, when you would have the chance to watch the video?

Script # 3: Home Invite

Hey Joe, it’s me, Chuck. What are you doing on Thursday night at 7 pm? I’m asking because I have a friend coming over to give a talk about making money from home through your own home based business. Would you like to attend? I only have 3 spots available, so I’m looking for people who can commit to attending.

Warm Market Do’s and Don’ts

What I want to do in the paragraphs below is share some simple things you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to approaching your warm market. Keep in mind that if you approach people the right way you will never jeopardize or ruin any relationships. It’s only when you do it the wrong way that you will strain your relationships.

These are things I have learned from trial and error (mostly) over the past sixteen years. I hope it helps.

Things You Should Do

# 1: Notify Everyone of What You Are Doing – Your job is to notify everyone that you know to tell them that you have started a new business. That’s it. If they ask for more information or have questions about what you are doing, by all means set up a time to share a complete presentation with them. If they immediately change the subject and start talking about the weather, you know they are not interested, so you let them be. Once again, it’s simply your job to notify people and let them decide for themselves if they want to learn more about what you are doing. You are looking for people who are looking.

# 2: Treat Everyone with Respect – You should always treat everyone with respect, regardless of their reaction or decision. Remember, your friends and family are your friends and family. They were your friends and family BEFORE you joined the business and ultimately you still want good relationships with them in the future.

# 3: Be Honest, Sincere and Genuine – This one really should be common sense, but a lot of new reps really mess this up. Treat everyone as well as you would treat your parents, loved one or child. Have a genuine interest in others and don’t just think about how much money you could make if they joined your team. Avoid hype and pressure at all costs. Be yourself. Don’t let the business change your core values.

“An honest man is respected by all parties.” ~William Hazlitt

# 4: Don’t Pre-Judge – At the end of the day, you never know who will and who won’t be interested. I wish everyone wore a sticker on their head to identify if they would be interested or not, so this process would be easier, but they don’t. Notify everyone, even your rich Uncle Larry, and let them decide for themselves whether they are interested or not. After all, usually the people you think will be interested won’t be and the people you think would never do it, will be interested. You don’t like when people pre-judge you, so don’t do it to others. Let each person decide for themselves.

Things You Shouldn’t Do

# 1: Deceive People – Never be deceptive when you are talking with someone. Be straightforward and upfront. Let them know why you are contacting them. Never, and I mean never, invite someone over for a BBQ and then start showing them the plan. This is a quick way to piss people off! This is one of the reasons our industry gets a bad name. If you want to show your Uncle Lou a business presentation, invite him to see one! Never use trickery or deceptive recruiting techniques.

# 2: Pressure People – Do you like to be pressured? I sure don’t. Never guilt trip or pressure anyone into joining your business or buying from you. No excuses. Be calm, cool and collected. Don’t act like a desperate used car salesman trying to meet his monthly quota on the last day of the month. Just keep it real with people. After all, these are your friends and family we are talking about.

# 3: Try to Sell or Convince – Contrary to what your sponsor told you, you are NOT in the selling business. It is NOT your job to sell, persuade or convince anyone. You are in the SORTING business. You are looking for people who are looking. You plant seeds. That’s it. You invite people to take a look, give them the information they need to make a decision, and collect a decision. Their decision to buy (or not) is totally up to them.

# 4: Blackball or “Disown” People for Not Joining – In my first company I was taught to separate myself from anyone (even friends and family) not interested in working with me because they are “negative” and “unsupportive.” You should never blackball or disown your friends or family. Blood is thicker than water. Always be nice, loving and supportive of your friends and family, even if they have no desire to join your team or be a customer.

Final Thoughts

There you have it folks. These are some of my best MLM Warm Market tips. I hope you follow the advice outlined in this post. I know it will help you.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.