Have you been told that the quickest way to build your network marketing business is to buy leads? Were you referred to a particular lead broker or seller when you first signed up as a distributor? What happened next? Did you max out your credit cards talking to people who had no interest in a home based business and slammed the phone on you?
Selling leads is possibly the biggest scam of the MLM industry. The lead companies say on their websites that they sell high quality live opt-in leads who have just filled out an online form, who are interested in having their own business, who are waiting for your phone call, wanting to hear from you. That’s a complete load of bull!
Buying leads simply doesn’t work. The lead sellers have been taking advantage of new network marketers for a long time, charging double digit prices a pop for worthless contacts. In fact, a lot of uplines have become rich, not from the product purchases of distributors in their downline, but from selling leads to them by referring their favourite lead broker.
What’s more enraging is that you can generate your own leads for free using simple techniques and freely available tools on the internet. The leads that you generate yourself will be more qualified than any lead broker can provide and I’ll explain why in a sec…
MLM lead generation is not an artform, although some internet marketers have made it sound like it is, so they can sell you expensive training courses on how to do it. Don’t fall into that trap either. It’s very simple.
Here’s something to think about… Success in MLM does NOT come from lead generation! You can get very lost and end up far from reaching your goals trying to implement complex marketing strategies on the internet. I’ve been down that road. It’s not duplicatable for the people you sponsor either – unless you’re willing to wait 2 years for them the learn all the skills.
Network marketing is by nature a social business. It’s a relationships business. You have to talk (or write) to people and establish relationships. Traditionally, this was done face-to-face. But now, thanks to the internet, it can be done through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube from the comfort or your home.
Success comes from talking to the right people about your business, talking to people who have a genuine desire to start their own home based business and be financially independent. Yes, you do need leads. But first, you have to know where to find the right people and then talk to them.
It’s called targeting the market. The best people to talk to are people who already believe in network marketing. These are people who have been in network marketing, or are currently in a company, or those who are looking for a company.
So what do you say (or write) to these people? For a start, you don’t pitch them your business…
Just yesterday, I made friends with another network marketer on Facebook. The first thing he proceeded to do was send me a video of his business opportunity. He did that to many other people as well, and judging by the comments he got, none were impressed.
Don’t solicit people. Establish relationships with other network marketers, people in your industry. The more relationships you build, the luckier you’ll get. The best way to establish trust is to help other people without expecting anything in return.
Most people want their prospects to sign up as soon as possible, but that’s not the reality in the network marketing. And if try to recruit your way to success, the house will tumble down faster than you can build it. Success requires a long term plan and delayed gratification.
Unpredictable things happen all the time in the network marketing industry. Companies often go out of business, distributors have their businesses terminated without notice, people want to change companies because they realise they are in dud deals.
So the more relationships you have with the people in your industry that are built on trust, the more likely they will come to you sooner and ask you about your opportunity.
To your MLM success,
Wayne Wu
P.S. I would love your input! If you have an opinion that would contribute to this discussion, please leave me a comment below.
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