Today, I want to share a concept called the email, call, mail, follow-up method in MLM. I learned about this concept from Robert Blackman, one of my mentors. I wish I could claim this as my own idea, but I can’t.
The email, call, follow-up method is nothing more than a PROCESS for following up with your leads. Before I cover the process in greater detail, I want to explain what most distributors do. Most distributors simply contact a person one time and talk to them about their business or products. If the person isn’t interested, the distributor moves on the next person and never contacts that person again.
Personally, I think this is foolish. You have to understand that most people need to hear/see/read a message at least 10-20 times before they respond. In sales, most sales are made after the fourth follow-up, yet most people never make a 2nd, 3rd of 4th follow-up. The bottom line is that if you aren’t following up with your leads CONSISTENTLY, you are leaving a lot of money on the table.
I hope to change that. My goal today is to educate you on a simple process you can use to find more customers and distributors. Here’s what I recommend you do.
The first thing you do when you get a lead is to email them ONCE. Send them an introductory email introducing yourself. Talk briefly about the products and company, tell them a little bit about yourself and see if they are interested in more information. Please keep in mind that most people (more than 90%) will not respond to your email.
The next thing you want to do is give the person a call one time. If they’re like most people, they will screen their calls. If you can get them on the phone, introduce yourself and see if they are interested in more information. If they don’t answer their phone, leave a message on their voice-mail and tell them that you sent them an email and that you are going to send them a postcard in the mail. Keep your message short and sweet, without giving them too much information.
Your next step is to mail a postcard or send a piece of direct mail. Your postcard or direct mail will have similar information that your email and phone call had. It is a teaser copy designed to get the person to give you a call or visit your website to request more information.
The beauty with this simple approach is that you give the prospect MULTIPLE exposures to your product and business opportunity. Sure, most people still won’t respond or join your team, but a HIGHER PERCENTAGE will because you followed up using multiple media and methods.
Another tip I can give you is to keep in touch with all of your leads at least once a month. What I learned a long time ago was that it is better to mail 100 people 10 times than to mail 1,000 people one time. The best way to do this is to mail your leads a monthly newsletter that talks about your business, the industry, working from home, or something similar. This positions you as an expert and shows your prospect that you are a true professional.
Here’s the bottom line. Your prospects are inundated with different messages and advertisements. Your job is to be different from your competitors by using a variety of methods to communicate with your leads AND to stay in touch with them every single month. What will happen is that as people see your marketing messages more frequently, a higher percentage of them will respond favorably and join your team and become a customer.
Communicating with your leads one time is a big mistake as I see it. You need a game plan and follow-up plan. Using the email, call, mail, follow-up method is a good follow-up strategy as I see it.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think about the email, call, mail, follow-up method. 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.
These are such ultimate suggestions highlighting the importance of follow-up. One thing I would like to add is that most of the people in MLM business are making this mistake that they do not give all the prospects a similar consideration for follow-up. I believe in treating each prospect for my business as if he/she could become one of my best customers. Follow-up with all the prospects at same level and present yourself as a consultant rather than a salesman.
When it comes to following up, I have to follow up with most people at least ten times before they join or buy. It normally takes them a few weeks to a few months from the time we first meet, until they join my team. If I didn’t follow up with them repeatedly, in multiple formats, I’m not sure what type of results I would get.
I recommend to all who read this to utilize the suggestions Charles is putting here. In following Chuck for awhile now, I have watched this approach. As I am on multiple mailing lists, it is Chuck’s that I have the utmost respect for. He doesn’t come off pushy, but he is consistent. This is the kind of person I will, along with many others, do business with. Don’t just drop a prospect on 1 no.
I like your step by step instructions, but I think that the order you do these things in may not be as important as just doing them. I do agree that you need to follow up with your potential (and existing) customers and recruits regularly, often, and in a few different ways. Do not let them slip your mind, because if you do, you will surely slip theirs.