Today, I want to talk about the best source of MLM leads, as I see it. Spend any amount of time on the internet and you will find thousands of different people teaching or telling you thousands of different ways to get leads. Each person will claim that they have the “secret source” for getting high quality leads.
What these same people don’t tell you is that the “lead source” they are recommending is typically an affiliate program and they “typically” earn a commission for referring “that lead source” to you.
I have no desire to do that to you. Instead, my goal in this post is just to share some of my own insights from 17-years of experience in this industry. I’ll talk about my “mindset” when it comes to generating leads, my best source of leads, and I’ll also share some of my favorite lead generation strategies.
To me, the best type of lead is someone who contacts you first, to learn more about your product, service or business opportunity.
I have a rule in my network marketing business that I ONLY talk to people who call me first. I don’t cold call anyone. I don’t prospect anyone. I don’t call friends and family. I don’t use the home parties. I don’t use the three-foot rule.
Of course, all of those strategies do work! I’m not telling you NOT to use those techniques. Many people have built network marketing empires using those methods.
I don’t use any of those techniques because I don’t like selling and I don’t want to bother, annoy or pressure anyone. I don’t want people to think that the only reason I am talking to them is so I can make money off of them. I also want to build my business online, so I can leverage myself, work smart and build an international team.
My goal is to be a welcomed guest, not an uninvited pest!
The one and only Dan Kennedy taught me that lesson.
In other words, I want people to be HAPPY that I am talking with them about my products and business opportunity, because they asked me to.
In addition, I have NO desire to mix family, friends and business. I’ve done it in the past, and it never turned out well. Do I have some family members and friends on my team? Yes. But not many!
The most common ways that I get leads are:
- Solo Ads
- Classified Advertising
- Direct Mail Postcards
- Blogging
- Email Marketing
- Video Marketing
- Pay Per Click
Other network marketers do things like:
- The Three Foot Rule
- Buy Leads
- Events
- Home Parties
- Approach Their Warm Market
At the end of the day, the best source of MLM Leads is the source that works best for you.
You have to find something you are comfortable with, that makes sense to you, and matches your budget, personality, skill-set, available time, and strengths.
What works for one person might not work for someone else. And that is perfectly okay. You don’t HAVE to build your business the way your upline does. The two of you are two totally different people with different skill-sets and experience. What works for them might not work for you.
Return on Investment
When I try and determine which source of leads is the best, I only think about return on investment. In other words, which lead source gives me the highest ROI? Which lead source can I use and at least “break even” on the front end?
I know that the greatest expense for any business is acquiring new customers. If I can acquire new customers and distributors at a break even cost, or even a very small loss, I consider it a good lead source.
If I can’t do that, I ditch that lead source and use something else.
Time vs. Money
There is no such thing as free leads. Get that thought out of your head. You are either trading your personal time to get those leads or you are investing money. And time is money! I know most folks are on a limited budget at first, so they will have to focus on trading their time to get leads. If that’s the case, I would find a lead source that doesn’t take tons of my time. Find a lead source where you can leverage your time, such as setting up a space at a local event.
As you start to make some money in your business, I would re-invest 100% of that money back into your business and use paid lead generation strategies. I prefer paid strategies, because you can free up your time and work smart.
After all, you only have so much time in a day. Why not leverage yourself by using money to acquire leads?
The Process I Use to Get Leads
My process of getting leads is to give away free information. This is sometimes called a two-step selling process. This is without a doubt the best strategy you can use to get leads and build your network marketing business.
Rather than promote your business opportunity on the front end, give away a free book, eBook, newsletter, CD, boot camp or something with a high perceived value.
Use that giveaway to generate leads. Let your free information do most of the selling, sifting and sorting for you. Don’t call the people who requested the free information. Wait for them to call you! That’s what I do.
The beauty of this strategy is that people are already pre-sold when they call you. All you have to do is answer a few of their questions and help them get started. This is a lot better than doing what most people do and spend a lot of money to advertise a business opportunity that very few people are interested in.
To build up my mailing list (direct mail) I give away a free CD that I mail to people. Yes, it costs me money! And I gladly pay it. I also give away a free boot camp to generate email leads.
Once I get a lead, I build up the like, know and trust factor by providing value. I teach people what I know. As a result, people start to see ME as a solution to their problems, and some of them join my team.
My Best Source of MLM Leads
As of 2019, my best source of MLM leads is solo ads.
A solo ad is when someone with a large email list sends your email to their list on your behalf. You pay them a fee for a one time email or you pay so much per click.
You can learn more about solo ads here.
Yes, I blog, make videos, write articles, leave blog comments, mail postcards, run PPC ads, and do hundreds of other things, but I personally believe nothing beats a solo ad.
Why? It’s fast and easy to do. You can place an ad today and start getting leads today. There is a very short learning curve and anyone can do it. Plus, once you figure out what works well you can SCALE your efforts.
Obviously, it does cost money, so you will need some money to invest, but I believe solo ads are the best source of MLM leads.
Final Thoughts
In summary, the best source of MLM leads is the source that works best for you and gives you the best return on your time or money investment. Please know that what works for one person might not work for someone else. The key to success is to find a lead generation strategy or lead source you are comfortable with, stick with that one strategy, and master it.
Focus your time, energy, and money learning that one strategy UNTIL you are proficient at it. Do that for a period of a few YEARS and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your business.
What is your best source of MLM leads? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
I can see how you structure your blog in a way that allows for people to contact you first and you have clearly explained the benefit in that. I love how you make yourself readily available via e-mail and phone through the site for people who are interested to get in touch with you. What better way to generate leads than to have them come to you instead of you having to chase them? Makes for a much more pleasant experience for both parties.
Yes, I am a big fan of having leads come to me!
Leads are one of the most important needs in the network marketing world. Personally, I don’t believe in buying leads, but to each their own. I would suggest trying each lead getting method until you find the one that works best for you. In many cases, it may depend on the type of business you are in.
Good post and good luck with getting great leads.
Yes, trying out different lead sources is a smart move, until you find something that works well for you.
Yes, many new network marketers, and older ones too do not have a system in place for getting leads. I suggest they pick one of these and try it for a 2 month period and keep track of the statistics. If it isn’t working very well, try another for 2 months and keep using this method until you find what works best. In some cases, you may not need to change the system, but how you are going about it. It is all trial and error until you discover what works best.
Once you learn how to get leads this business becomes fun and easy.
A trial and error approach may in fact be the best strategy for discovering which lead generating strategy is best for you. Based off of some of the advice I have gained from this blog I have really been able to formulate my blog in a way that helps me generate more leads with less effort and I am so pleased with the results. Granted, I also had to go through a period of trying different things before I found the thing that worked best for me.
You are the ultimate source of mlm leads… congratulations
I just see your monthly report… very impresive
Luis Cabrera from Mexico
Thanks for the kind words Luis. I appreciate it. I work really hard to build up a big, successful blog.