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Network Marketing Training — Arm Your New Distributors for Success

March 30th, 2010

“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them.”

- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Scene i (58-90)

Hamlet may not have been talking about network marketing, but his words do apply. Almost every network marketer has experienced the “slings and arrows” of the naysayers, those often well-meaning friends and relatives that stand in the way of our making an “outrageous fortune!” Experienced network marketers, clothed in the armor of past success, are less vulnerable to outside influences. The new distributor, however, is vulnerable, and that “sea of troubles” can act as a barrier to reaching their true potential.

What did the knights of old do to prevent an injury? That’s right – they armed themselves. Their armor was heavy and cumbersome, and they needed a squire to help them prepare for battle. Well, the same is true for your new distributors. While the armor they must use is less cumbersome than that of the knights, you must help them arm themselves for success. In other words, you must be their squire.

What do I mean by “arming for success?”

When a new distributor joins your network marketing organization, they are moving into an environment that demands strong armor. There are a lot of “slings and arrows” that can hurt their chances for success and create a sea of troubles — of doubt, disbelief, even failure.

As Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert T. Kiyosaki points out, most people in this world are afraid to experience success. They are held back by negative thinking, and consequently suffer the pain of mediocrity. Because they have not been armed for success, and are more focused on security and survival, they subject themselves to a life of servitude and poverty and being someone else’s employee.

Arm your new distributors from negative thinking and potential disaster. How? By understanding why so many people are negative about network marketing and the prospects of the success it can bring.

Let’s face it. There are a lot of people out there that do not want you to become successful. When you are successful, you point out the lack of success in their lives. When you take away any excuses they’ve been hanging onto and you force them to look at their lives as they really are, it makes them very uncomfortable. You’ve heard of the expression “Misery loves company.” Well, it’s true.

Doug Firebaugh, network marketing guru, calls it the “Unspoken Understanding,” which is simply the silent agreement that most people have with each other, namely “don’t mention my mediocre life, and I won’t mention yours.” Your success and the success of your new distributors, just points out the naysayers’ mediocrity.

Leaders help others. If you are going to be successful in network marketing, you must arm your new distributors against people who will try to convince them their business won’t work. Show your downline you want them to be successful. Encourage them. Show them how the most successful network marketers have achieved their success, and teach them to model those attitudes, habits, and actions. Remind your distributors that they are the CEO of their lives. Arm them with the power of positive thinking so they don’t let others live their lives for them with their negative attitudes.

To paraphrase Hamlet, by opposing negative thoughts, we end them.

Bruce Bailey, Ph.D.

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Networking with previous customers

February 15th, 2010

Your previous customers are going to be valuable to your future business. As you get each new customer you want to network with that customer again in the future, to keep your business in their mind, and to keep them on as a walking and talking billboard for your business.  The future of your business is going to evolve to include repeat customers, and referral customers, both of which are vital to the ongoing relationship of your business, the consumer, and the local surroundings of your business.

How can you network with your previous customers?
Even if your customers are online – or if they are offline, you can network with your customers. A simple note, or email is going to do the trick. Ask about their day; talk with them by name, and offer advice or to continue with the conversation when they have time to chat with you. Talk with your customers about what they have purchased, or what work you have done for them. Ask if there is anything that can be done to improve the process, they went through while dealing with your business.

Network with your largest clients by taking them to lunch, or ordering them something special and having it delivered to their home. As you continue to acknowledge your largest clients, they will keep you fresh in their minds. They will tell others about what you have sent to them, and how they feel about your business. Of course, this is not done with every type of business, but with the largest buyers who are spending thousands of dollars with a particular business perhaps.

The online business is going to use newsletters, ezines, emails and coupons sent to previous customers as a method of networking and keeping in contact with previous customers. Keeping the lines of communication open with a customer, and with a previous customer is going to increase awareness of your products, and what you have for sale. This in turn is going to increase sales, one repeat customer at a time.

Never forget about your previous customers. In the offline business, and in online business you can network with your previous customers by creating mailing lists and using these mailing lists. State something along the lines of – because we have done business in the past, we find that now is the time to offer you this great advantage in Networking we have, and would like to give you a special price. Yes this is still advertising, but networking at the same time because you have established a relationship with that customer already.

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Are You Shooting Yourself In The Foot?

January 12th, 2010

Have you ever been at a networking function talking to someone when during the conversation you felt very self-conscious trying to say the right thing? Were you afraid that maybe if you said the wrong thing the person might not find you likeable, and therefore not want to do business with you? If you have, I am about to tell you why you should not worry about it. Like the obnoxious song “Don’t Worry – Be Happy” from years ago, I want to share with you the reason why being careful about what we say works against us in the networking environment.

Our goal in business networking should be to establish new relationships and through the process of follow-up develop them over time. As with any relationship, being honest plays a very important role in that development.

When we meet someone for the first time, we want to make a good impression. Often we put on our “party face” so that we do. This can often cause us problems that we do not expect. One problem is that when we try to appear to be something that we really do not feel inside of us, we often have a fear that we are going to be “discovered”. This fear causes us to feel uncomfortable about the situation and though we may be smiling, we are really cringing inside.

Most people worry that if they just be who they are, that no one can accept them. I argue that if we do not just be ourselves, sooner or later who we really are will slip out and then we will have to deal with the consequences of being discovered. This then leads to a feeling of distrust between people.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a person of the opposite sex where you did not tell them something important early on and later had to reveal it or even worse it was revealed by accident? It leads for difficult times after that and a lot of shuffling and apologizing.

In my opinion, it is better to risk being who I am up front. To let people know exactly how I feel. People, for the most part, have a forgiving nature. They actually want to forgive. If you make a mistake and say something that can be potentially embarrassing, you can always apologize for it and be forgiven. But if you say something that is not necessarily true and are discovered later, your credibility may be permanently damaged.

If you go into a networking environment prepared to be relaxed and genuine, you will find that it is a lot more fun to be there. If you have a plan of action to really get to know people, you will be much more productive in a shorter amount of time. People will feel comfortable talking to you and you to them. In an environment of truth, more people will want to do business with you and to be around you.

Authentic enthusiasm is contagious. You will always appear to be more attractive when you are excited about what you are doing. When you are not worried about making mistakes, you will appear to be happier. Being happy about the situation will help you to smile more, and the smiling face is a natural human attractor.

So next time you attend a networking function, just be yourself. Your results will improve and you will feel better when you leave to go home. Over time, the difference will be measurable in more ways than just your income. You will find that you have more friends than you had ever imagined possible. When it comes time for the referral, your friend will remember you because friends really do refer friends.

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Strategies For Successful Business Networking

December 8th, 2009

There are a variety of organizations that run networking groups across the country. The largest group is probably BNI, which offers members the chance to attend weekly meetings and develop new professional relationships to help them grow their business. some chambers of commerce are now organizing “leads groups” for their members as well. These groups are intended to offer members a way to connect with each other and potentially refer each other business.

In most “leads groups” each group allows no more then one representative from any industry, so if the group has a mortgage broker other mortgage brokers have to join another group or wait for the seat to open up. The idea is that by restricting membership, you eliminate competition within the group.

The agenda at most structured networking meetings is pretty straightforward. Each member is given an opportunity to introduce themselves, then there is a short presentation by one or two members (each member gets the chance eventually). The meeting ends with members discussing potential referrals for each other. This means that most of the members get about one minute to present who they are and teach the other members of the group how to refer to them.

Most people do a great job of presenting themselves. However, most people do not think to ask for referrals. At most networking events, you are not expected to ask for a referral or explain what a good referral for you is. However, at a leads group it is not only acceptable, it is expected!

I am involved in a number of networking groups and have used the simple outline below to create my elevator pitch (quick introduction). When I deliver my elevator pitch to a leads group, my goal is to educate everyone in the room about my company and what I do, as well as to teach them the best way to refer others to me. In addition, I want to make sure I actually ask for a specific referral. I will go through each piece of the outline in detail, but here are the basics.

* Introduction
o Name
o Position + company name
o Location of the company
o Overview of services
* Tell a story
* Call to action

The introduction piece of your presentation should stay the same every time you give it. You might say something like, “My name is Joe Smith. I am mortgage broker at ABC mortgages in Anytown, USA. We offer a full line of residential and commercial mortgage products.” You can add some additional detail, but you should really focus on keeping this short and on point.

At each meeting, you will have the chance to differentiate yourself from the competition by telling a short story during your presentation. The story can be related to a specific challenge you helped a client overcome, a unique feature of your product or service, or you can simply talk about a new development at your company. Consider writing out your stories in advance so you know what you are going to say at each meeting. In addition, you can schedule the content so that the other members of your group learn more and more about you at each meeting. You need to focus on educating your group a little more each week.

The “call to action” is very important and the piece that most people overlook. You need to tell the other members of your group exactly what type of referral you are looking for. For example, our mortgage broker, Joe Smith, might say, “Today a good referral for me would be a Realtor at XYZ real estate company.” Joe may also say, “Today a good referral for me would be anyone who purchased their home more then 10 years ago.”

I alway recommend that your “call to action” is as specific as possible. If Joe stands up and says that a good referral would be anyone who needs a mortgage, the rest of the group will have a harder time thinking of people to refer. If Joe asks for an introduction to a specific person at a specific company, someone in the group may know that person or know someone at that company who can facilitate Joe’s introduction. The more specific the request, the more likely it is to trigger someone else in the group’s memory.

A last minute hint:

Keep focused on the networks of the people in the group, not on the people themselves. In other words, when you are participating in a networking or leads group, you should not focus on gaining the business of the people at the table. Instead, you should focus on gaining their trust so that they will refer you people in their network.

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Success Or Statistic?

September 10th, 2009

Which one will you be in network marketing?

The truth is the odds are against you; chances are you’ll be a statistic.

Hmmmmm bet the super star space commander upline guru that signed you up or wants to sign you up told you that did he/she?

Here are a few stats that may alarm you:

Did you know that 70,000 people sign up into a network marketing company EVERYDAY?

But did you know that 95% of the people that sign up into a network marketing company will quit within the first year?

WHY?

Well there are a lot or reasons, poor support, poor company, poor product, poor compensation plan, poor upline. But to me one of the biggest reasons is…

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LIED TO!!

Most people have been lied to from the get go.

Many of the people who are recruiting people into companies (hate that term recruiting) are lying to people and telling people what they want to hear so they will join their company.

Now on one had you can’t blame many of these people, there’re just doing what they were taught by the person that signed them up, and that’s usually some person with the recruit, recruit, recruit mentality…those are the people I blame.

Hey the great news is you DON’T have to be a statistic. You just need to be taught the correct way of building your business, but first you need to know some of the lies you’ll probably be told or already have been told.

My first and favorite lie:

Make a list of your friends and family because that’s who were calling first.

Hey upline line guy, are you crazy? That’s the last thing, no that’s what you NEVER do. Because of this one lie there are thousands of people that have been shunned by their families.

Your friends and family members turn off the lights and pretend there’re not home when the see you coming. Ring any bells?

By all means share your product or service with your family and friends but not the business opportunity. Many of your friends and family members are NOT looking for a business opportunity, the truth is most of your friends and family are going to spend more time discouraging you then helping you. But don’t get mad at them they think there’re protecting you, ignore them and build your business.

Let them come to you, once you become successful in your business, your friends and family will notice and then they’ll ask you what you’re doing.

Here’s a tip. This is your business and you DON’T want everyone in your business that includes your family and friends. Only share your business opportunity to people who have raised their hand to you and say. “I’m interested” or “Show me what you’re doing”.

Lie number two;

Recruit, Recruit, Recruit. You need to make a 100 phone calls a day and remember for every NO you get you’re one step close to a YES.

I would love to track down the putz that said this. Let me ask you a question.

How many times do you like hearing the word NO?

How much do you like being on the phone every day hearing the word NO?

I think it’s safe to say, “You don’t like it very much”

The word NO has taken so many good people out of this business. Here is an example my mentor shared with me and it really hit home for me.

Duffy you’ve set up candles, soft music some good wine a great dinner a bit of hugging and kissing then your spouse says “NO”. All right just 99 more times and you’ll get lucky.

That put things into perspective for me real fast.

Did you know that 90% of the population is sales resistant, no wonder you’re hearing the word NO so much.

And some knucklehead say’s NO is a good thing. Moving on.

Lie number 3,

If you have no warm market you need to spend money and buy leads.

WRONG!! You DO NOT have to buy leads. Personally you’re just wasting your money. There’re people spending hundreds of dollars every month for leads. STOP IT!!!

Remember a bought lead is a bought lead. I don’t care if you paid $5 or 5 cents a lead is a lead. When you call these leads chances are they don’t remember what forum they filled out or the person gets upset because you called them.

Once you truly understand that people are not numbers, they have goals and dreams just like you. And they’re real people. And just like you they don’t want to be lied too and just like you they want a true opportunity to fulfill those dreams and goals. If you get just this you’ll go very, very far in this business.

Network marketing is a Relationship Business NOT a Sales Business. As soon as you understand that you’ll have people saying to you “PLEASE sponsor me into your business”

Until then you’re DEAD in the water.

I have NEVER bought a lead with my network marketing company and I don’t spend 10 hours a day making phone calls, I have people contacting me everyday asking me about my business.

If you had people calling you how do you think your lead calls would turn out compared to you calling people? Please tell me I don’t have to answer that for you.

For those of you buying leads stop wasting your money, prospects are everywhere.

I have tons of ways of getting leads for free, but here’s one tip that will reveal prospects to you everyday.

First LISTEN to people, that’s the most important thing you need to do. You’ve heard this “One mouth two ears” Listen twice as much as you speak.

Ok how do you determine if someone is a prospect?

Let’s say you have a company that provides a nutritional product that helps with weight loss. And now lets say you’re talking to someone and they are complaining about how they can’t lose weight.

All you have to say to this person is this: “Have you ever thought about doing something about it”?

If they say “YES” you have a prospect, depending on the time and place this person has just given you permission to provide them with a presentation of your product. You could give them your business card, send them to a web site or provide them some brochures about your product. Or ask them for there contact info so you could send them some info later.

If the person says “NO”…you say, “OK”.

THEY ARE NOT A PROSPECT, REPEAT NOT A PROSPECT… forget about them, move on and keep listening.

This is just one-way there’re lots of other ways to find prospects. The point is you never have to buy leads to find prospects.

It’s a shame that so many lies are being told just to get people into a business, just because the rest of the world is doing it doesn’t mean you have to. Tell people the truth, listen to them and truly hear what they are saying. Build relationships; help a person, that’s how you build a business.

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