Archive for Prospecting and Inviting
Recruiting on Social Networks
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When I was initially recruited into Network Marketing, my expectations weren’t all that high. I had been exposed to MLM many times before, and although I couldn’t put my finger on the reason, I had negative views on the industry. Once I had my first “goal setting/training” session, I realized why I felt negatively. It was in part because step one was make a list of everyone you know and put them on a 3-way call with my upline.
This was DEFINITELY something I was not interested in doing. I ended up taking it slow and introducing the industry to a few select friends and was able to see some moderate success, but in the end, like the rest of us, I ran out of people to talk to.
After spending several months prospecting in public, I turned to the Internet. First I looked at MySpace. After a month of “spying” and figuring out what to do, I unleashed myself into the forums. Within 2 months I had recruited over 20 people all from online prospecting.
Here are some tips that you can use in your Online efforts.
- Do not promote your “opportunity” directly! Definitely DO NOT set up a profile for your business or your product. Set up a profile for YOU and tell the world your story. Make sure you set up a signature for the forums with a link to your blog.
- If you are a seasoned professional, get into the forums and start sharing your experiences and answering questions. This is how I recruited so many people.
- If you are a newbie… You can still recruit, but don’t pretend you are someone you are not. Ask questions and generate conversation. You will find people who are interested in YOU and what you are doing.
- Do NOT present your business by email and DEFINITELY do not just send someone to your replicated business site or lead capture page. GET A PHONE NUMBER!!! Then start building a relationship.
- Try not to argue, but post questions and comments that will generate discussion. Post comments about the ethics in MLM or about what compensation plan is better, etc. Try to get people talking about YOUR forum topic. Your name will be at the top and everyone will see it.
There are many other strategies that you can use to see online success, but I think this will get you off on the right foot.
Best of luck!
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.”
Are you following the “Rules” while recruiting?
Posted by: | CommentsI learned a lesson early on in my Network Marketing career, and I suspect that it translates very well to any recruiting business.
When I first got started, I took great caution with how I promoted my business. I remember telling my sponsor that, above all, I DID NOT want to loose any friends through this business. For the most part, I’ve been very successful with that.
After speaking with a few of my close friends and bringing a couple of them on board. I started to think about anyone else I might know who would be good at this. Do you see the problem yet?
I ended up thinking of someone (who I will leave unnamed) that I thought would be a star! I recruited her and got her started. This is when the headaches began. I wasn’t particularly fond of this person, and there were people in my group who disliked her more than I did. This made things painfully difficult because, conscious or not, I was not really setting this person up for success.
I was recently reading some of Michael Clouse’s work and he states it as “The Sponsoring Rule of Five“. As I began reading I immediately related to it. Here are his rules.
- Only sponsor those people with whom you would like to become friends.
- Invest your time with those you personally sponsor.
- Set up a game plan – and follow through.
- Talk with those you sponsor every week.
- Become close personal friends inside and outside the business.
I truly believe these rules work. I know that because this is a business of relationships. We have the power and the ability to choose who we do business with. The primary objective, in order to create residual income, is to obtain leverage by elevating leaders. This will take a lot of work and a lot of time. If you don’t enjoy spending time with those you sponsor, you will not be successful in teaching them the necessary skills to become a great leader… and at the same time, you will fail as a leader as well.
It can be difficult when you are running out of people in your warm market to talk to. You might be tempted to look for the “goldmine” in a person that you may not be particularly fond of… but trust me. It is a waste of time. I learned the importance of choosing who I spend my time with, so I now spend more time with people who supported me, and less with those who don’t. You don’t need to burn bridges, but I think it’s important to surround yourself with people you respect and enjoy. In the long run, you will have a more enjoyable business and a FAR more stable one as well.
How to Invite to a Sales Presentation
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I recently attended a local presentation for my Network Marketing business. I’d been to dozens of these events before, and I knew the speakers very well. I had no doubt that it would be a great presentation. They were informative and entertaining and, on more than one occasion, the entire room erupted in laughter. Of course at the end of the event, the speaker said, “Don’t you wish you had invited more people to this presentation?”
I was one of the few people in the room who had actually invited a guest to this presentation… Actually, let me clarify. I was one of the only people in the room who’s guest actually showed up for the presentation. After the presentation was done, my guest spent the entire ride home thanking me for inviting him. He told me that throughout the presentation his mind was just racing. Thinking about all the possibilities for him. I knew that he’d react that way… After all…. That’s why I invited him.
While speaking with some of those in the room who were unable to successfully bring a guest to the presentation, it dawned on me what was going wrong.
People weren’t selling the event! They were trying to sell the product/business opportunity.
The proper way to sell anything is to get all the information in front of your prospect or don’t give any information at all. That way your prospect can make an informed decision. It doesn’t matter what you are selling, this rule rings true. If a prospect only has part of the story they will not be properly equipped to make a decision and everyone loses.
The reason that Network Marketing works so well (when it is done right) is because the duplication systems require that a prospect get the information from a sales tool instead of from the distributor. This takes the pressure off of the distributor and allows the prospect to make an informed decision.
The problem is that distributors don’t do it right. They get on the phone and start blabbing about all the features of the program and talk themselves right out of the sale.
Consider this:
The objective of your call is to invite them to a presentation. If the presentation is the objective, then what are you doing talking about your product or business? You need to be talking about the presentation!
When I invited my guest to our recent event, I didn’t talk to him about our product. I didn’t talk about how much money he could make. I simply told him that I thought he could learn something from the event. I told him that we had a great trainer from out of town and that there would be a training session as well. I sold the EVENT!
So then… How do you sell an event?
Always keep this in mind whenever you are selling anything. People DO NOT CARE about features. All they care about is benefits.
Before you pick up the phone to call anyone and invite them to your presentation you must find out how it will benefit them. Here are possible benefits.
- What will they learn?
- Will it be entertaining?
- Can they meet someone there that will be useful to them?
- Are they interested in knowing what you are working on?
When I invited my guest, I knew that he was interested in starting a business. I knew that he was interested in meeting entrepreneurial people. However, most importantly, I knew that he’d be entertained! So that’s what I told him. The invitation lasted no longer that 1 minute.
One last closing note. If you don’t know how this presentation would benefit your prospect, then either you need to spend more time getting to know your prospect, or you need to find a better presentation. After all, if you can’t think of a reason why anyone would want to see your presentation then how can you sell its benefits.
Marketing vs Selling: Is there a difference?
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Think about a few of the purchases that you’ve been most excited about. Let me ask you a question. Did you have to be sold on those purchases? Of course not. I remember when I bought my electric guitar. I knew exactly what I wanted. I had done the research, and I knew what I was looking for.
The truth is that people love to buy, but they hate to be sold. When a person gets “sold” they know it and it makes them feel horrible. Do you think that this new distributor is going to be effective under these conditions…. Of course not. The last thing they want is to make others feel that way as well.
It is clear to me that there is great confusion around the term “Marketing”. It’s not only people who are new to the Network Marketing industry that are confused, but even many experienced professionals.
I know you’ve heard it before… “Join now, no selling involved!”
Of course that’s not true… How can you generate any income if you aren’t selling anything?
Let me attempt to clarify what is meant by this… and how the majority of the people who are using this line, don’t even follow their own advice.
There is a major difference between Marketing and Selling. Marketing is the process of getting yourself out there. It’s about letting customers know that you have something to offer. I’ve seen it described as “relationship building”. I really like that description, because that is truly the best way to build a Network Marketing business. If you have a solid marketing plan then you should have people coming to you. Remember that you are only looking for people who are looking for your help. Now your objective is to show them how they can use your marketing plan to solve their problem… and they don’t even have to hound their friends and family to do it.
