You know that finding and converting leads is the key to success. But are you making critical mistakes that are sabotaging your business?
First, let me warn you. Everything you are about to read will probably contradict everything her upline has told you. If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you’ve experienced some trouble finding or converting leads. And I also assume that you have followed your upline’s advice that has been carefully developed and followed for decades. Therefore, you must make a decision: Do you want to continue using the “tried and true” Methods that get you nowhere? Or do you want to open your mind to some new ideas?
So what are the seven deadly sins of prospecting?
Sin #1: Telling your friends and family how much money they can make in your new opportunity.
We were all told to make a list of 200 names. This list is mostly made up of family, friends, and co-workers. On the surface, this seems like a good idea. These are people you know and people who (hopefully) like you. You should feel comfortable talking to them. They must be receptive to listening to you. But what’s wrong with this image? These people who know you very well also know that you are struggling to make ends meet. If this opportunity is so great, why aren’t you rich? If they can make a lot of money doing this, why are you still their co-worker? You see, if someone I know comes to me with an opportunity to make money, usually the first questions out of my mouth are: How long have you been doing this?” and “How much profit have you made?” Note: The key word here is profit. I don’t care if they can show you a $200 bonus check in your first month. How much did they spend to get that? And is that money that will have to be spent each month to get it? you’ve probably been armed with an answer to that objection.
Sin #2: Thinking everyone is interested in your opportunity for the same reasons you are.
One of the great lines that almost everyone uses in network marketing is to ditch your alarm clock and sleep late. There are motivational CDs devoted almost entirely to the various ways to destroy your alarm clock, from throwing them out the window to shooting them with a shotgun. Well, it turns out I’m an early riser by choice. In fact, I enjoy getting up before dawn when the house is quiet and everyone is still asleep. It allows me to spend some quiet time alone. I like to go out just at dawn to feed my chickens, and take a walk in the woods or the grass when the sun comes up. I think (and write) much better in the early hours of the morning before my brain gets clogged up with the day’s activity. So instead of getting excited about the opportunity, this release was really a turn off for me! When you talk to a potential customer about the benefits of your business, make sure you know what’s important to them. It may be something completely different from what matters to you.
Sin #3: Chasing prospects.
It has probably happened to you. A friend, family member, or co-worker approached you with a wonderful opportunity. You weren’t really interested, but you didn’t want to hurt her feelings. So you said you’d think about it. Then the phone calls and emails began. Almost every day this person harassed you to sign up, when what you really wanted was to be left alone. You could practically smell the desperation, and more than anything, it convinced you that you didn’t want any part of his so-called chance. You’ve heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink.” In network marketing, you can’t even lead the horse to water. You can tell the horse where the watering hole is, but it’s up to the horse to get there. If you invite someone to a meeting or make an appointment to tell them about your opportunity and they don’t show up or cancel at the last minute. Give them another chance. Sometimes life happens. But if he gets mad at you a second time, chances are he really isn’t interested. You see, if your opportunity is all that, you shouldn’t have to chase after anyone. They should be hounding you wondering what you’re doing and why you’re so successful.
Sin #4: Using someone else’s clues.
There are several problems with using someone else’s clues. First of all, buying leads is expensive. Second, you don’t know if these are valid, opt-in leads. The last thing you want to do is get in trouble for contacting people who really don’t want to be contacted and be labeled as a unwanted mail. Third, you don’t know where potential customers are coming from. What type of ad did this person respond to? What are they interested in? Fourth, you don’t know how recent these leads are. Maybe they responded to an ad two months ago and are no longer looking. Fifth, you don’t know how many other people have bought these same ads and how many calls or emails this person has already received. I could probably go on, but I think you get the gist. You need to develop your own leads. If you don’t know how to do it, stay tuned. In a future article, I’ll discuss various methods of generating leads for your business, no matter what type of business you’re in.
Sin #5: Not following up with a prospect the same day they express interest.
This goes hand in hand with not knowing how new a lead is Surely you have heard the saying that you have to strike with a hot iron. Anyone who is successful in retailing knows that you need to get the sale before the buyer walks out the door. The “be backs” rarely come back, and someone else will get the sale. If someone is looking for a business opportunity, chances are yours isn’t the only one they’re looking for. Therefore, he must follow up immediately. The best way to do this is by using an autoresponder. There are several out there. If you need help determining which one to use, please contact me and I’ll try to point you in the right direction.
Sin #6: Not maintaining regular contact with your prospects.
It is generally accepted that someone has to see your opportunity or your name 3-7 times before accepting it. We live in an age where everyone and their brother claim to be an expert and have the answer to all our problems. The sad reality is that we are getting fed up. Your prospect needs some time to develop trust in you. Your goal is not to sell your prospect your opportunity, but rather to develop a relationship with them. Once again, the best way to do this is by using an autoresponder. Autoresponders have revolutionized the network marketing industry by providing an automated method of weeding through “look loos” and serious prospects.
Sin #7: Wasting time with the wrong perspectives.
Here’s another cliche I’m sure you’ve heard before: If you want a job done, find a busy person to do it. The truth is that there are people looking for a get-rich-quick scheme and there are people looking for an opportunity to make money. Most reasonable people realize that you can’t make money sitting around doing nothing. You don’t want to spend huge amounts of time and energy trying to grow someone’s business for them. She has to be willing to do some work. After all, she’s working to grow her business, isn’t she? Should she spend time helping her downline business grow? Absolutely! You want to spend time advising, training and answering questions. But don’t fall into the trap of doing it all for them. Your efforts would be much better spent working with someone who has an interest in learning from you and then duplicating your success.