12 Secrets That The “Heavy Hitters”
Don't Want You To Know
Now we come to the positive side of the equation. Ninety percent of
conquering a problem is to identify the problem. Even addicts have to first agree that
they have a problem before they can be helped. So if we can quickly review the major
reasons why people fail we can just avoid those pitfalls. Let us take a look at these
pointers:
- Be
prepared to handle rejection. Who said that any kind of selling was easy? But
it all comes down to attitude. If you can understand that a rejection of the
opportunity that you are so excited about is not a rejection of you as a person, then
you are on your way. “No” must be interpreted as “next”. This is easier said than done
but it’s the price of success. The Internet and other new technologies now allow some
rejection proof approaches, such as using lead capture pages and autoresponder
messages. These methods serve to “pre-qualify” your prospects. There still must come a
time when you will have to be in personal contact with your down line members
however.
Part of preparing your mind for these
‘negative’ people is to fill your mind with positive messages. There are many Network
Marketing and “positive thinking” speakers that will help you keep your spirits up. You
will be surprised to discover the boost that motivational tapes and books can give to
your attitude in general. This is one of the benefits of being in this industry—it
teaches you to have a brighter outlook on life.
- Be
realistic in your expectations. To expect too much too soon will only set you
up for a possible let down. Accept that this is a legitimate business that requires
investment of time and effort and you must be prepared to sow the seeds for the harvest
you expect to reap. Who builds a house without first considering the cost?
When you are quoted the salaries of the big
recruiters, be sure to ask how much time and money they spent to get to that level. This
information will give you a clearer picture.
- Once
you find a reputable company be prepared to stay for the long haul.
This goes without saying but if you expect
to succeed you must stay the course. The most successful people in life have gone through
very trying times but they stuck with it and left a legacy behind. It is often said that
tough times don’t last but tough people do. The same is true for those seeking to build a
solid recurring income. You should commit yourself to at least 3 years before making a
decision either way.
Jumping from one opportunity to the next
only shows a lack of decision and stability in you planning. Teenagers are expected to
fall in and out of love every few months, but married couples have committed for life. Be
prepared for a marriage not a fling!
- Do
not make the business more complicated than it needs to be. Stick with what
works.
There is always the temptation to improve
on the methods that experienced networkers have shown to work. Go with what works, not
with what should work. If you find a system that has been working just plug into
it and squeeze the last drop of success you can get from this. This means that you must
show yourself teachable to your up line and be willing to teach your down line members
the same system. Success normally comes from doing what works over and over again until
it becomes second nature.
Another note of caution is that you should
not expect from your recruits what you are not doing yourself. There a many networkers
who will give advice that they are not willing to follow. In other word they get their
team members to “do the dirty work” for them. This practice takes away from the real
meaning of duplication—I’m doing the same thing that I’m teaching you to do.
- Train
and then let loose!
The real power of Network Marketing is
the power of leverage. Rather than using 100% of your own effort, you are using 1%
of the effort of a hundred. If your down line members become too dependent upon you then
they will be using 125% of your effort. This can easily lead to rapid
burnout.
So the key here is to train your frontline
members, then train them to train their frontline members. As you gain leadership
experience in the business then you can occasionally pick up the slack for a colleague.
The important thing here is that your team members understand that effort is required on
their part or they cannot expect your support.
Here are some additional insider tips on really hitting the ground
running. These ‘secrets’ are learned from the study of those who have made millions in
this industry.
- Talk
to many at the same time instead of one at a time.
We just mentioned that the real power of
Network Marketing is leveraging your efforts. Did you ever notice that the real
successful people in this industry never talk to one person at a time? Just think about
it. Your recruiting message or script will be the same for each prospect. You are
introducing them to a business opportunity. If you were to use the telephone to do your
presentations, how many prospects can you talk to in one day? So here is what the serious
marketers do:
(a)
Set up a toll free number with a recorded message and invite callers to leave
their number and other contact information.
(b)
Advertise conference calls where many people can join and listen to your
presentation at the same time.
(c)
Run a message board on your website where people can ask questions and discuss
the business.
(d)
Host an online conference chat room.
(e)
Buy leads and load them into an auto responder with your prospecting message.
Be careful of here to avoid SPAM complaints. Also confirm that the auto responder company
that you use allows you to use purchased leads.
-
Target other network marketers.
This may seem to go against the issue of
not jumping from opportunity to opportunity, but it is much easier to work with someone
who has already worked in the industry than a totally new person. There are list brokers
who specialize in mailing list of distributors from companies that have closed down. For
these individuals you don’t have to teach them to fish, they already know, and that can
be a plus.
In addition to this, you can expect that if
they join forces with you they can bring their entire down line from the old company. Of
course, one challenge is that these seasoned marketers will also be more difficult to
recruit since they will take a more critical stance of your opportunity.
-
Target business-minded people and entrepreneurs.
Here again you are targeting people who are
already motivated and understand what it takes to run a successful business. These
individuals would also already be networking in their businesses and therefore would be
in a position of influence. Such people include chiropractors, real estate agents, sales
people and internet marketers. These professionals come in contact with a large number of
people and could be the boost that the organization needs. The more ‘business minded’
your prospects are the more likely you will recruit them.
- Make
a written plan with all your goals and steps to get there.
Psychologists tell us that when we write
something down we are more likely to commit to it. That’s why you are required in a
contract to place your signature on the dotted line—helps you keep your end of the
bargain.
Every business owner should have a goal to
which they are aspiring. If you aim for nothing you are likely to strike it. If your plan
is to get to a recurring income of $10,000 per month then you should set smaller goals on
your way there. Say, $3,000 per month after the first year, then $7,000 per month after
the second year and finally $10,000 per month by the third year.
A very important part of writing out this
plan is to calculate what is required to get to your goal. So if you must call 20 people
to get 1 ‘yes’, and that prospect is worth $50 per month to you, you will know how many
calls you have to make per month to get to $3,000 per month in one year. Looks simple,
but most people don’t do this kind of calculation and so they run their businesses with
blind expectations.
Knowing where you are going is one of the
easiest ways to get there!
-
Continually work to improve your people skills, especially your listening
skills.
At its core, Network Marketing is really
people management. If you don’t like dealing with people then this is not for you. You
are always going to be in direct or indirect contact with people and so you should brush
up on your people skills.
One of those skills that you’ll need to
primarily focus on is your listening skills. One of the most common downfalls of Network
Marketingers is that they talk too much and don’t listen enough. This applies to the
majority of salespersons. You have to always take time to listen to the customer because
if you do - they will tell you what they are looking for! Here are some quick tips to
improve your listening skills (particularly on the telephone):
(a)
Well ... just stop talking and listen. That’s the toughest part.
(b)
Learn to view things from the prospect’s position. Is your prospect a single
mom struggling to make ends meet? Empathize and provide the solution.
(c)
Restate what the person tells you to be sure that you understand what they are
saying. This also makes the other person feel “heard.”
(d)
Try not to interrupt them while they are talking—another hard one.
(e)
Ask a lot of questions for clarification but not to be confrontational.
(f) Avoid jumping to
unnecessary conclusions and learn to “listen between the lines.”
(g)
Smile! You’ll be surprised to see what this does to your tone of voice.
- Stay
informed in what’s happening in the industry by subscribing to at least one
professional Network Marketing journal.
There are many magazines to choose from and many books
written on the subject of Network Marketing. As an “expert” in the field you should be
able to speak of it in a professional way and be aware of the latest trends and
technologies available to you. Think of how impressed your prospects will be when you can
quote them the latest statistics. This helps you to build immediate credibility with your
prospects. If you expect to make $20,000 per month, think about what other professionals
with similar salaries had to endure before they reached that level, a doctor for
example—years of medical schools, educational loans and internships! Don’t be skimpy on
your education.
- Write
your own book or produce Network Marketing tapes and CD’s.
This may appear to be a tall order but it
is not as difficult as it first appears. First you can publish an E-book even if you have
this book written by a professional ghostwriter. You can place a bid at a website such as
Elance.com and have writers bid on your job. This
book will have your name on the cover and no one has to know that you never wrote one
word!
Audiotapes and CD’s can be produced at home
using a stereo recorder or in a local sound studio. You can also use your computer with
the appropriate software and hardware to do this. There are many companies that will
reproduce these recordings for you at minimum cost. Having your name on these products
can be a real income booster. People want to know that they are following a leader and
that is the way you are presenting yourself.
The above article is an excerpt from our upcoming eBook
"MLM-Power ... Join the Recruiting Explosion!