Archive for Network Marketing
MLM Lead Generation
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MLM lead generation is the lifeblood of a Network Marketing business. If you cannot find people to talk to then how can you recruit for your business? In the past, you could find MLMers out on the streets with T-Shirts, pins, panphlets, etc. trying their best to generate leads for their business. MLM lead generation was more likely referred to as “prospecting”. In today’s high-tech world things can be a little easier.
Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are making MLM lead generation much more accessible to those who actually want to “work from home”. However, it can be tricky. There is so much spam out there, that people online have become very desensitized to the messages out there and MLM lead generation campaigns run into a lot of competition and negativity.
Not to worry! There are so many companies that have gone through the groundwork to find out what MLM lead generation is all about and how to accomplish your recruiting goals with streamlined systems.
There are many tools out there and MLM lead generation training programs range from free to thousands of dollars. Of course, the more money you pay the less of the actual work you need to do. However, just because you pay more money, it doesn’t mean that the MLM lead campaign will be more successful. Oftentimes the opposite is true. I think that it is very important to learn the basics of MLM lead generation in order to ascertain whether you are being ripped off or not.
Out of the MLM lead generation training programs that I’ve seen out there, the most bang for your buck is with a company called Prospex. This community is free to join and there is so much free training available from live/recorded conference calls, a training article library and complete step-by-step videos to get traffic to your site and to start collecting qualified leads for your business.
Are you really “Open Minded”? I guess NOT
Posted by: | CommentsI was having a conversation the other day with a friend who is in the industry. He was trying to get me on a conference call with his upline. I ended up listening to his upline’s recorded training call. This is a friend of mine and I suspect that he is probably struggling but I’m sure he’s making a little bit of money.
I listened to the first half of the call, and there was no training whatsoever, it was all about “how to choose a company”. I pinged him and asked him if this was just about picking a company. He said “yes, it’s the most important step”. I respectfully dissagreed.
These programs are not new… It’s an apparent “training” call supposedly designed for people in the industry, but really it is just a “bait and switch” designed to lure a prospect with the promise of “help with their business” and then bash their companies to convince them to join yours. This was a fantastic idea a few years back when it was new, but now it is old and overdone. I suggested he look at the Prospex program, since it is actual real training that could actually help him grow his business. Not surprisingly, he declined and told me that he’s already in the “best deal”. Too bad. However, I understand why he declined. It’s because he’s already in a “bait and switch” training program, he just thinks I’m doing the same thing.
I’ll never quite get used to the hypocrasy in this industry. Here we have a guy who want’s to “help me” build my business by putting me on a call that is NOT designed to teach me useful training like; 3-Way Calls, Effective Prospecting, or Branding Strategies (which are all prospex training articles). Instead it just tells me how bad all other companies are and why I should join his company. Then when I try to use this same approach with a REAL training company, he rejects it.
Maybe people should look in the mirror. If someone rejects your own sales lines, what does that say about the validity of what you are doing? Let me tell you a little bit about a better way.
Firstly, offer real training. Do not offer anything designed to make a person switch companies. That will only put them on the defensive. Instead, if you offer something that can actually help them, then they feel as though you actually care about their success. If they believe that you care, then they will care about what YOU are doing. Guess what! This is relationship building! Once you have a FRIEND then you have a hot prospect. The rest of the equation is simple.
Think about it!
Could Home Business be the way to navigate a difficult economy?
Posted by: | CommentsMany of us are feeling the pressure of this economy. Unemployment is up and there are still layoffs. We are either looking for work, or we are worried that we may not have a job by the end of the month.
During these times the Direct Sales industry has always flourished. Home businesses give people a chance to build something on the side, or to operate a business out of their home to generate a full time income. However, how do you choose the right business for you?
This is always a challenge. While MLMs are flourishing it gets harder and harder to distinguish fact from fiction, scam from legitimate business. Consider the following two points;
Is the product something that you would buy even if you weren’t earning income?
This is probably the most important aspect. Just to clarify, YOU don’t necessarily need to buy it, but there MUST be a market for the product. If you wouldn’t buy the product then how can you expect someone else to?
Is your sponsor someone that you trust and respect?
Let me make this crystal clear. YOU are responsible for choosing your sponsor! Many people will have you believe that you must join the first person who introduces you to a company. This is NOT true. Your sponsor is the person who benefits most from your enrollment and your success, and therefore, has the most vested interest to help you. This is the person who will get you where you need to go. Choose someone who is already there so that you can follow in their footsteps.
There are people that want you to believe that things like “timing”, “momentum”, “compensation plan”, etc matter. They do not. What matters is you. You are responsible for your success or failure. If you can’t sell the product then who cares what your “compensation plan” is? You will not make a dime.
Find a product (or a line of products) that you can promote and find someone that will help you promote it. It is not easy, but it is simple. Work hard and prosper.
I wish you the best of luck!
What is your brand?
Posted by: | CommentsI just got another article published at Prospex about branding.
After attending a seminar for small business, one of the topics struck a chord with me. It’s all about branding. Your brand is much more than just your logo or your colors. It is the uniform experience that you offer your customers no matter how they reach you. Very cool stuff.
Here’s the article; What is your brand?
Network Marketing: The good, the bad and the ugly!
Posted by: | CommentsNetwork Marketing has been around for a long time and has destroyed the finances and friendships of some and created new lives for others. Are you wondering why there is so much negativity? Are you interested in building a business successfully, ethically and without succumbing to the pitfalls that so many others have? Find out the truth!
You can read my PUBLISHED article at Prospex! You can imagine that I’m flattered and thrilled that I’ve been published again.
Are you selling or are you helping them buy?
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I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say that they don’t like sales. However, we are always selling, whether it be material things, services or even ourselves. I think that the confusion is because people tend to believe that sales is when they are “suckered” into buying something they don’t need or want. These unethical salespeople are the ones that mess it up for the rest of us.
Make no mistake… people LOVE to buy, they just want it to be their choice, not yours. Therefore, in order to be an effective and ethical salesperson, you need to take yourself out of the mindset of “selling” and put yourself into the mindset of “helping them buy.”
Here are a few tips;
1. When you answer a questions or make a point, stop talking!
Too many people talk themselves out of the sale. Your prospect has some questions and/or concerns that you need to address. If the point is important, then they will ask it… Don’t try answering questions that they didn’t ask. You will only confuse them.
2. If they say no, it means no.
Of course, there are objections to overcome… However, there is a clear difference between an objection (ie: question/concern) and a no. When they say no… It’s over. Move on. You will only create bad blood and ruin your chances of getting a referral if you continue “selling.”
3. Wait until all questions have been answered before you ask for the sale.
There are two things to keep in mind here… The first is of course to ASK FOR THE SALE. Too many people are afraid of rejection and don’t bother to ask for the sale. The other problem is that some people rush into it and try to close the sale before the prospect knows what they are buying. Be patient, and continue asking the question “Are there any more questions?” until the prospect says no. Then say “Great, then let me help you with your order.”
Attraction Marketing
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One of the largest challenges in any business is attracting new customers who want to buy your product. I’ve been involved in the Network Marketing industry for several years and this industry operates mostly through “word-of-mouth” advertising. Now I agree, word-of-mouth advertising is a very effective way to gather new business, but what happens when you’ve already told your circle of influence about your product? Or worse, what if you have a very small circle of influence?
I believe there is a better way. After all, the name is Network Marketing or Multi-Level Marketing not selling. There is no reason why we need to be going out there and pounding down doors and annoying friends and relatives looking for customers. There’s a very powerful tool called the Internet!
In my opinion, the Internet is the most powerful sales tool we have at our disposal. Unlike the Television, users aren’t told what they want to see, they ask for what they want to see. This means that when you are marketing your products online, you must take a slightly different stance. Instead of trying to tell people what they need and trying to create a new market… All we need to do is capture the interest of an existing market.
So if Network Marketing is supposed to be about gathering customers and teaching others to do the same, and it is, then I’ve already figured out how to do half of the work. So then you ask… What about duplication? Let me ask you this. If I could show you how to gather customers and collect a commission check for your effort, is that something that you might want to do yourself? Furthermore, what if I could show you how to do this without having to contact your friends and family? What if I could even teach you how to generate your own traffic so that you don’t even have to rely on me to provide leads?
Forget Network Marketing, it’s Attraction Marketing! Let your customers come to you!
Network Marketing in the News!
Posted by: | CommentsI just watched a great video from NBC out of the USA that talks about the merits of MLM or Network Marketing!
Great news for those of us who are involved in the industry. The reasons “Why MLM” are increasing!
Here’s the link to the video.
Enjoy,
Enough with the Fluff! Let’s just make some money!
Posted by: | CommentsSince I’ve been back in Network Marketing, I’ve been having some very frustrating conversations. I have realized that I’m much less tolerant of the old school hype style Networkers. I was talking to an old MLM buddy of mine today who contacted me out of the blue about his new business. I actually like the guy and I’ve had many great conversations with him in the past. I feel that he’s a sharp business mind, and a great salesperson.
We spent some time sharing a little bit about what we are doing. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve decided not to recruit anyone I know until after my “trial” period is over, so we spent more time talking about his business. At first I was quite intrigued by what he was doing, and I begun thinking of how I would be able to make it work. After a bit of thought, I couldn’t see how it would be profitable… especially more profitable then what I’m already doing. That is where things took a terrible turn.
I’ve been around this industry for long enough to know what a “three way” presentation is… and that’s what he was pushing for. If the business is so brilliant then why is it not obvious to me? Why do we need to bring in a big-time hot-shot salesman. Shouldn’t it be something that is easy to grasp… especially if I’m expected to promote it? I mean when it comes down to it, either he can show me how to make money or he can’t. All this big guy was going to do is sell a bunch of hyped up “big picture” crap. I don’t care about the big picture. I don’t care how much money he is earning, and I don’t care what other people are earning. All I care about is how much money I will make… Period.
In my opinion, three way calls are sometimes useful… However, I don’t think that a three way call should be used to sell the deal unless the prospect asks for it. What does that say about the deal if the only person in the company who can do the presentation justice is the top distributor? Come on! If my sponsor can’t show me how to make money then I’m not interested.
Does that make sense or am I missing “the big picture”? 
Please do NOT join my MLM business
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I’ve been involved in the Network Marketing industry for close to 6 years now. I’ve worked with a few different companies, and I’ve tried several different strategies. I’ve done the home parties, referrals, trade shows, hot leads, cold leads, random leads… When I initially got started I had a goal to not lose any friends in the process, and I’ve done very well on that front. I’ve lost money on deals, I’ve broken even on deals, and I’ve made money on deals. However, to this point, I haven’t been able to hit anything out of the park yet.
I can’t say I ever lost faith in the industry, but I definitely changed my focus for a while. My biggest issue was ethics. It seems that everyone is following a “system” and this system is what will ensure success. Only problem is that few Network Marketers actually have a real system. It’s only the people who are true salespeople and can sell a vision of what’s possible. Too bad very few people ever hit that success.
The system is as follows. Recruit enough people who also recruit people.. uh.. who also recruit people… etc. They say that proof that the system works is that you joined. Only, I think that’s a little flawed. Proof that the system works would be that you joined and made money. Only that’s impossible to show on day one.
Having said that, I’m a student, and I learn from my mistakes. Network Marketing is supposed to be about satisfied customers referring the product to others. However, it seems that as soon as a “customer” decides to refer someone, they get bombarded by hard headed uplines who try to force them to “do more.” Of course, this has the opposite effect. Why can’t we just allow people to work at whatever level they feel comfortable.
I understand that there are people who are looking for a business and that’s ok. However, if you want to run this as a business then it should be about gathering customers!
I’ve recently decided to try something different. One of my MLM friends has put together an internet marketing program that is generating hundreds of leads for a product. So far I’ve been calling for 2 weeks. I have not called one person that I currently know. I’m only calling leads. Everyone I’ve called so far knows why I’m calling and has some level of interest. I’ve been working 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. NO MORE, NO LESS! and I’ve enrolled 4 new people (surprisingly all 4 came in as distributors). I commited to this activity level for one month. If I continue to see success, and I make more than my initial investment back (I came in at the highest level which cost me about $600 USD), then I will allow people that I know to join me. If not… then I quit.
Stay tuned!
