The distinction between a network and a multi-level marketing company is that your company exists on two linked but distinct frames. On the one hand, you’re selling your products in the same way that any other retail shop or sales operation would. In network or multi-level marketing, however, you are also selling your opportunity. That is, you are also recruiting folks to become sales associates. This benefits the firm by increasing the number of people promoting their products, and it benefits you since you will receive a commission on the sales of your downline (the people you recruit to join). The main line is that a larger team/downline means a larger commission check, hence it is critical for business success.
Of course, this component of the business is what gives it a bad rep among some sections of the public. They consider MLM and network marketing representatives to be overbearing and even corny. You may avoid this perception, though, by handling your recruiting efforts with caution. Simply said, don’t be obnoxious about it. And, while you’re no doubt excited (and even a bit obsessed) with your new lifestyle and producing an income for yourself, you don’t want to come across as wholly focused on it. Remember our approach to product promotion? We say don’t constantly focus on sales; instead, create trust. The same advice is applicable here.
Last but not least, avoid over-promotion to friends and relatives. There is no commercial opportunity worth alienating yourself from your friends and family. You can instead recruit them by ACTION and RESULTS. People will notice if you are growing more successful, generating more money, and living a lifestyle that involves more personal autonomy and financial freedom. That alone will draw folks to your opportunity.
Customers are another wonderful source of prospects for the opportunity. But, once again, you don’t want to be forceful about it; instead, let them know that the opportunity is available if they want it. Many of your clients will be as enthusiastic about your products and niche as you are, and they will be delighted to learn that they, too, can make a life by advertising it. The idea is to approach it correctly so that you do not push them away.
Below are some of the best tips to help you prospect in network marketing:
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1. Spend time getting to know your pitch
In every aspect of life, practice makes perfect. Don’t go into the field unprepared and hope to convert. Begin by outlining your pitch, then fill it in and really examine it. Your pitch should be memorized so that it does not appear rehearsed or rigid and plastic. Remember that your pitch really determines your livelihood, therefore you must know it inside and out and be able to present it effectively. Sincerity is an important trait to have in this field because people are on the watch for “snake oil salesmen” and are easily fooled.
You must have multiple pitches. People will come to you with their own difficulties, and the key to completing a deal is to solve their problems. While you won’t know the specifics of each prospect’s concerns, you will notice that they consistently fall into a few categories.
For example, if the prospect is someone you’re attempting to attract as a distributor, many people will struggle to pay their payments. The specifics of this difficulty are unimportant; what matters is that you may assist them in resolving it by providing them with an opportunity to earn extra money, possibly more money than they are now earning at their current work. Others want to live a free life, escape the 9-to-5 grind, or get away from a bad boss.
Begin by establishing a list of problems that people can solve by earning a second income from a flexible at-home business. Then, for each issue, create a pitch.
Sincerity will be critical when giving your pitch. People aren’t interested in doing business with shady salesmen. Indeed, many individuals associate the term “salesman” with a four-letter word, owing to their encounters with high-pressure salespeople who try to milk people for every last penny.
Something to keep in mind regarding the network marketing sector is that your major objective should be to help others and to be a leader. Money is a secondary reward that is given in proportion to the service you make to humanity – therefore don’t focus on the money.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be excited about making a good living; we all would be. The key is that you should prioritize the benefits you provide to others. When you do this, the financial reward comes almost immediately. If you’re sincere and trustworthy, you’ll always close with a prospect before your competition.
Putting yourself in the shoes of the prospect and seeing the world through their eyes can help you with these activities. As a distributor, keep in mind that you were once in their shoes. That should make it easy to construct a recruiting pitch that isn’t overbearing.
2. Invite them to approach you
The ability to attract team members for your network marketing organization is what helps fuel spectacular growth. You won’t grow nearly as much as you could if you solely focus on selling items; instead, you should establish a team that works with you to sell more products and extend the team even further, leading to even greater growth. This is network marketing’s true power.
The first guideline of success is to avoid being pushy, which you can achieve by inviting prospects to approach you instead of going out and hard selling them. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways and through a variety of locations, both in person and online.
Begin by concentrating on your interpersonal relationships. If you are enthusiastic about your product and your new network marketing business, the first thing you should do is transfer that passion to your personal manner. You want to be the outgoing, nice person who is always smiling. Happiness and optimism spread like wildfire. People are drawn to others who are upbeat and cheerful. Of course, you don’t want to go overboard – be passionate without going insane. You want people to feel at ease around you.
Second, successful network marketers are always creating new acquaintances. The more friends you make, the easier it is to recruit new team members. Simply being friendly, as well as hopeful and passionate, will invite others to approach you about chances.
Get out there and attend events connected to your expertise so you may regularly meet new people who share your interests. Being an expert in the area helps; if you are the one person who appears to know all of the vital things, people will gravitate toward you and begin to regard you as an authority figure.
Being a storyteller is an important part of acquiring new friends and attracting them. People enjoy storytellers, and if you can weave stories that involve your specialty and your brand, people will become interested in it.
Inviting people to approach you does not have to be done in person; you can do it online as well. You can create short videos about your opportunity and post them on YouTube and your Facebook page. This should be done as part of promoting the specialty itself, so that people see it as a “aside” rather than your primary focus.
It’s the same as promoting the product; you want 80% of the conversation to be on the niche and only 20% about the product. This is especially crucial in this case; you don’t want people to support their assumptions, such as thinking network marketers are obsessed cultists. You’ll be successful if you invite others to approach you quietly.
3. Let them ask the questions
One of the most important things to do when selling is to show people how a product or service solves some problem that they have. When you are recruiting, you’re not doing anything different; you’re still selling. So what problems does recruiting someone to a multi-level marketing business solve? There can be many reasons that a person might become an interesting prospect:
- Their job doesn’t pay enough, and they are having trouble making ends meet.
- They have a huge debt and need a second stream of income to help pay it off.
- They can’t stand working in an office and want to start a home business.
- Tired of the 9-to-5, they simply want personal liberty in their work life.
- Financial freedom is a long-term goal, and they’re looking for an opportunity to make money that goes well beyond the income you get from a regular job.
- Many reasons only they can tell you…
An effective approach to recruiting someone is to show them how joining your team is going to solve their problems. So you have to find out what their problems are. When you find out what is currently causing pain in their life and what their long-term goals are, then you can show them how joining the network marketing business will solve their pain problems and help them reach their goals.
You can’t just jump in and do this. You need to begin by establishing trust with the prospect. Building a rapport with them is what is going to lead them toward a place where they’re able to reveal this information to you. You don’t want to be high-pressure or come across as an aggressive salesman. Establish a relationship with people and then let them ask questions about your business.
When they start opening up to you about the pain points in their life, you can use that as an opening to talk about your business. You can explain how the network marketing business solves their particular problem. If they are looking to make extra money, talk about how your position helped you earn an extra $3,294 when you first started the business. If they want flexibility, talk about how you work when you want and where you want. When bringing up pain points, let the prospect lead you where they want to go, but then you offer the solution.
Remember to tailor your pitch to each individual that you engage with – there is rarely going to be a one-size-fits-all solution to everyone’s problems.
Finally, you will want to create a unique selling proposition. What makes your network marketing company better? Why should the prospect join your team, as opposed to joining some other network marketing company? Make sure that you know what your unique selling proposition is and how to communicate that to your prospects effectively.
4. Lead the conversation without any pressure
Putting pressure on a prospect can only make them flee. Never make your conversations with people salesy in nature. Make them natural and seamless.
Asking a question is an excellent approach to incorporate your pitch into a conversation. The query should be aimed at eliciting a problem that the prospect is experiencing. This opening will help you to naturally insert your pitch into a conversation. A inquiry opens the door and allows the prospect to inform you about their concerns. Then you can gently intervene and demonstrate that you have considered the issue and can assist them in resolving it.
Never use high-pressure approaches in sales or recruitment; this is the worst strategy you can use. I’m reminded of a time when I went to buy a car and just walked around the lot. I was only in the starting stages of looking for a car at the time, but an aggressive salesman practically chased after me as I tried to go. I can guarantee you that I did not return to the dealership’s parking lot.
When presenting a group event, asking questions is a wonderful way to transition into your sales pitch. Consider any group of people who are dealing with a common issue. While there may be many distinct specific difficulties in the audience, one thing is certain: at least one – and most likely several – will share a common problem. And guess what? You can plan ahead of time for this and make it the focus of your presentation by just asking the audience a question.
For example, if you are offering a diet product, your event will undoubtedly attract people who are overweight and sedentary. Many of them will be identified as type 2 diabetics or as having “pre-diabetes” by their doctor. You may ask the crowd who is suffering from high blood glucose. With a diet product, you’re bound to find one or more people who have this difficulty. When numerous people react to the question and indicate they experience the problem, it immediately creates a sense of community among those in attendance. This creates a foundation for social proof. Once one individual with this problem accepts your answer, it will be easy for others to follow.
5. Subtly create a sense of urgency
A sense of urgency is one of the oldest sales tricks in the book. When someone has an interest in an opportunity but is sitting on the fence, they will suddenly become more interested if they find out that the opportunity is expiring in 48 hours or 7 days.
This technique is used by all kinds of businesses; for example, a grocery store will get more people inside the store by offering time-limited coupons. Once inside the store, people will end up buying lots of other things too, which far outweighs the discount they got on the coupon. Car lots will sell at a discount “this weekend only.” A sense of urgency gets people to take action – because the last thing they want is a lost opportunity.
You never want to put pressure, but you’ll need to let people know that the opportunity is only available for a short time, or that it’s far better to act now rather than later. For example, you can say “we will be finalizing our team next month,” or some other time-limited excuse. Again, don’t be high pressure about it, and never make it act now or else – but let them know that if they don’t join soon, they will be losing the opportunity.
6. Have a resource available for them to read over
Always be prepared. You never know when prospects are warm to jumping on board, so you need to have materials at your fingertips to hand out when someone expresses interest. Otherwise, you’ll lose the opportunity.
7. Always request to follow up
Many people aren’t going to sign up the very first time you talk to them. You’ll need to warm them up a little more to get them on board. We just discussed one way to get that done – be prepared with resources for them to read on their own. Then you’re going to want to follow up.
Never leave a conversation without getting an email address or phone number (or better yet – both). An email address will allow you to share more resources, such as your YouTube videos (another reason you should be making them). You can share information about the products you sell and call to discuss things with the prospect. Many people will simply need some reassurance before they make the commitment, and being able to do it with a phone call or video will help them get over the hump.
When considering follow up, remember that you should never be a pest or an annoyance. High-pressure tactics simply turn people off rather than getting them to join their team. A good thing to do is to create a short email follow-up list of prewritten emails that describe the business and how it can work to create income, wealth, and freedom for people. When you meet new prospects, you can add them to the email list and let it do the selling. Start with a “Thank You” email.
You can call about halfway through and say “hey, just wondering if you happened to read my email about…” Use the emails to continue building more trust as you simultaneously warm them up to saying yes to the offer. Follow up calls can be used to answer questions that the prospect may have, and for you to overcome their objections. Also, provide more than one avenue to get in touch with questions. Some people may not want to discuss this over the phone or in person; they may find it high pressure. So you can relieve the pressure by letting them ask questions via email.
Remember follow up doesn’t end if they join the team. You’ll need to mentor them and provide proper training so that you don’t face the issue of someone coming on board – and then not doing anything.