subject: A Guide To Closing Your Mlm Leads Over The Phone [print this page] Building a long list of MLM leads is half the battle to a successful MLM business. The other half is actually bringing them into your downline. Before you pick up the phone and start calling those leads, here are some things you need to consider:
1. Know the type of person you are looking for to join your organization. This is important so that you don't take on people who are not going to duplicate your business building efforts, and also so that the person on the other end of the line knows you are looking for a particular person. You don't want to sign up just anyone without knowing more about them just for the sake of filling out applications. You also don't want to come across as being desperate for downline members. You want quality, motivated people joining you in your network marketing business.
2. Make sure at the beginning of the call you let your lead know you will be brief, and more importantly stick to it. First, it will put your lead at ease, and second, you want to position yourself as someone who is very busy and has plenty of other people to call (don't worry, if in the beginning this is not true, act "as if" - one day it will be!).
3. Assure your lead that they may end the call at any time. Once again, it will put your prospect at ease, take them off the defensive, and allow them to be more open to the information you provide them. Say something to the effect of, "Feel free to end this call at any time during our conversation if you feel this is not right for you."
4. Keep the attention on your MLM lead, not on your opportunity. Make sure your presentation is more like an interview of the lead, and less like a pitch fest of your company. Don't talk about the company, how great the opportunity is, etc. With this approach, you lose control of the conversation. You are trying to convince them of a great opportunity instead of deciding whether or not this prospect is the appropriate person for the opportunity, which is what the purpose of the call truly is.
Keeping those points in mind, let's give you a framework of how to conduct your calls:
1. Keeping in mind point #4 above, start off by asking questions to get to know the person. With each question you ask, such as where they are from, what they do for a living, do they have a family, relate to them somehow (without putting the focus on you; keep it on them), so you can create a bond with them. Make sure you write their answers down, as you will use this information later in your close.
2. In questioning them as discussed in point 1, listen for a need they have, e.g. small children at home, they don't enjoy their job, they aren't making enough money.
3. Provide a solution to their needs. Say something to the effect of, "What if I could show you a way to make money from home so that you could stay home with your children? Would you be interested?"
Once you have gotten to that point in the conversation, it is time for the close. Remember a few key points when you do this:
1. Always remember that you HAVE what they WANT.
2. Always control the close by asking key questions:
How much money are you looking to make?
Why do you want to be in a home based business?
How much time do you have to spend on your business?
How much time have you spent in the network marketing industry?
3. Always use the "take away" method. Begin with something akin to the following: "I'm very busy and I'm only looking to work with people who are serious about building their business. If you are willing to follow my system, I will work with you."
PLEASE keep in mind all the questions you ask will help you find out if this is the right person for your business. Through your questioning you will know if the person is goal-oriented, driven, and willing to do what it takes to succeed. Those are the kind of people you want in your network marketing business. DON'T be desperate and sign up every person who opted into your site for more information. Be willing to say "No" to the people who have no clear idea of what they want in business and in life.
I strongly advise you develop a series of questions and statements that you develop into a script, practice it, and use it every time as your method of recruiting your MLM leads. Good network marketing companies will provide training in this area and even give you effective scripts. You want it to be completely duplicable, and you want your new downline members to know that it is so they are aware that, if they follow the steps you have, they will be successful too. Isn't that really the goal of network marketing, when you think about it? Making money by promoting valuable products and/or services and recruiting others to do the exact same thing?
That's the beauty of network marketing. We are all in this together, when one succeeds, we all succeed!
