network marketing

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How to Get Your First Sale in Network Marketing

August 28, 2009 in Marketing | No comments

Woman with cash

Since I've been working my own network marketing business since June 2009, I can tell you that making my first sale was an exciting event. I remember the feeling I had making money on the internet in general so it is very similar with network marketing. Many people who join a network marketing company often become frustrated when they don't make sales right away. This frustration can immediately lead to giving up all together. This is why the rate of people who stick to their business is very low because they don't see immediate results.

Don't Put a Time Limit On Yourself

Setting goals are great and can be motivating, however, if you set a time limit of when you will make your first sale and then don't reach it, it will only lead to frustration. Setting a timeframe adds pressure and stress to what should be a fun activity. Network marketing should be fun or else you will quickly lose the desire to run your business. Don't add the extra pressure on yourself with time limits.

Learn More About Marketing (Particularly Online)

One of the benefits of network marketing is that almost anyone can get started. Typically, this means that a lot of people start their own business without any marketing experience whatsoever. That is fine but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn some marketing skills. There are tons of books out there and web sites that will teach you how to market. Start studying and putting what you learn into action. It is the only way to gain experience and get closer to making your first sale.

Online marketing can bring you not only sales but new leads. Yes, you can use social networking like Facebook, Twitter, and such but don't rely on those. If you overdo it on those web sites, you will gain the reputation of a spammer. The chances of you actually making a sale because you twitter about your product is very, very low. Remember that people are always on the lookout for things that benefit them. When you market, remember the "What's in it for me?" mentality.

Blogs work wonders in terms of traffic and sales. This is why I recommend starting a blog for your own business. Document how you use the products or services in your business. People are skeptical and if you show that you are getting results, the more likely they may want to try it for themselves.

Let People Sample for Themselves

My first sales came from letting people sample products and letting them know how I use them myself. You don't have to try and sell people. Just share your own experience. If they are interested, they will go by your recommendation. Remember that we recommend things all the time, we just don't get paid for our efforts. I recommend books, restaurants, movies, web sites, products etc., without hesitation if I had a positive experience.

Recommending your products or services should come across as naturally as recommending a good restaurant.

If you keep at it, eventually you will make a sale. Once you make your first sale, there is no reason you can't make another and another.

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Why You Shouldn't Use 3-Way Calls

August 6, 2009 in Marketing | No comments

hammered_phoneThis is a follow up article to my last post titled: The Importance of the 3-Way Conference Call

I outlined why 3-way calling could benefit your network marketing business but now I'm going to go over possible reasons why it could be a disaster in the long term.

The premise of the 3-way call is to get your prospect on the phone with you and your upline sponsor. In network marketing, the biggest benefit to this is that as a new member of the business, you have the pressure taken off of you to pitch the opportunity to the prospect. Your sponsor does all of the talking while you listen in and learn from the conversation.

Below are some reasons why this may not work for your business:

You're left to depend on your sponsor

The problem with this comes in when your sponsor is unreliable. Imagine having to ask your new lead to wait until you hash out details of when you can set-up a conference call. If you can't find your sponsor, your lead will probably lose interest by the time you can get them on the phone.

You are not the expert anymore

Remember when you started your business? That made you the boss, the CEO, owner, or whatever title you wish to give yourself. Doesn't that mean you should know the ins-and-outs of your business and be able to speak about it yourself? When you get your prospect on the phone with your sponsor who does all of the talking, it can make you look as though you are not as competent to lead and train anyone on your team.

It's not easy to duplicate

When you have new members on your team, you want to have an easy system for them to duplicate. Not everyone can do 3-way calls well. If your prospect feels that this is what they will need to do and they feel uncomfortable about it, it may deter them from moving forward. Of course it is always their option but what if you are the one who feels uncomfortable about leading a call? This isn't something you want to train your team to do if you cannot follow through yourself.

These are just a few things to consider when deciding to implement 3-way calls into your business model. Remember, there is nothing wrong about introducing your prospect to your upline. However, you do not need to depend on your sponsor to do all of the talking for you. You are capable of building your team using other methods that don't require depending on someone else.

Photo credit: sxc.hu

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100 New Leads or 10 Willing Prospects?

July 25, 2009 in Marketing | No comments

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Creative Commons License photo credit: aigarius

I listened to a great Beachbody® webinar yesterday which talked about how to build your team. One of the main points that stuck out to me was something that went a little like this:

It's better to have 10 willing leads than 100 new leads

Network marketing involves making new contacts as often as possible whether you do it online or in-person. The problem many new marketers face is constantly following up with people who are not interested in the opportunity. What I've learned is that it is important to make many new contacts, however, there are some things to keep in mind:

  • Don't give out too much information
  • Use third party tools to promote the business (web site, dvd presentations, etc.)
  • Get new prospects on a 3-way call with your sponsor

It really is a numbers game. The more contacts your make, eventually, you will have those who are genuinely interested in what you are offering. Once you have the truly interested prospects, it is best to follow up with them rather than chasing the new contacts who showed no sincere interest.

New network marketers are often told that it's all about chasing down people regardless of their interest. It's all about closing them and making that sale. Personally, I feel that type of networking isn't necessary for my Beachbody® business. I would rather share the opportunity and let the third party tools speak for themselves. I would rather have fun building a team of people who are truly seeking a home based business and truly want to improve their health as well as help others do the same.

I would feel like a scammy sales person if I tried to push the opportunity on anyone who would give me the time of day. If a person shows no interest, I think it's best to leave it at that. Tell them about it and if anything clicks with them later on, I'm sure they will get in contact. Time is better spent focusing on the few who are wanting to get started. That is just my take on new leads after listening to this webinar.

Maybe my thought process and strategies will change later on down the road as I gain more experience. What are your opinions about new leads?

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