subject: The MLM Paradigm: Be The Leader! [print this page] Internet marketing, sometimes sugar coated as not being a business of sales, IS a business of marketing a product or service in exchange for a monetary equivalent.
There are a couple of truths in sales. Internet marketing consists of prospecting potential customers first and then recruiting those prospects into your business.
There is a method to building your team. First you must get focused. Determine what the target of your sales lead generation efforts will be. Who do you want to attract or sell to? Sales is sometimes considered a "numbers game" when it comes to generating leads. However, there is an alternative. Target your generation efforts to the type of sales prospects you want to attract, i.e. you attract professionals into your business (professionals tend to be sharper people). Your closing percentages will be much higher and your team will be much stronger.
Next in your lead generation system you must begin by determining the method by which you are going to find or attract these sales prospects. Here are just some of methods people use to get sales leads:
Lead Generation Methods
Cold calling
Post card mailings
Direct mail letters
Direct email letters
Print Advertising
Networking & referrals
Internet marketing
Once you've determined the best method(s) for finding and attracting sales leads, the next step in your lead generation effort is to determine how you will qualify these leads. Qualify? Yes, the leads produced by your lead generation system must "qualify" for your sales efforts. Once you have qualified a sales lead, then you have a real opportunity that you can sell to as a result of your lead generation efforts.
Todd Falcone was speaker at the Las Vegas My Lead System Pro (MLSP) conference. I took a couple of golden nuggets away from him. One of the most important nuggets was a little trick to gain free leads. Let me tell the story: Say you're doing your errands one morning at the grocery store and the mail office. You go to the mail office and pick up your mail. On the community cork board you see a bunch of cards from realtors, daycare businesses, and other important businesses. So you grab them all! On your way to the grocery store you call up three people on the cards and recruit them. While you're at the grocery store you call up William, a divorce lawyer, as you're in line to the cashier. You say
'Hey William I saw your business card at the grocery store. I like working with super sharp people like yourself. Do you keep your options open in terms of making money aside from what you are currently doing?'
William says 'Sure, I am pretty open to hearing what you have to say.' Then you close him on your opportunity going into the sales close that you have prepared. It's as simple as that.
If we are talking about your warm market--and you should definitely prospect your warm market: your friends, family, acquaintances--then you may try this script:
'I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, I would like to ask you to look at this opportunity that I have. Do you think its possible to check it out and give me your opinion?'
If you do your homework properly and you are respectful and kind, you will keep your warm market as friends and family and you will avoid being part of the N.F.L. (No Friends Left) club!
