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WHAT MLM TEACHES MAKES PROSPECTING HARD! DON'T YOU KNOW YOU'RE KILLING YOUR BUSINESS?"Prospecting kills MLM business." This could very well be the tombstone resting atop the grave of many a dead MLM business. But in reality, it's one of the most likely reasons why network marketers fail in their business. It's not that the potential customers actually killed the business. After all, without potential customers, none of us would even have a business, would we? It's more because most MLM'ers are inexperenced and have no clue of how to properly engage prespective customers that their businesses whither and die. THE SECRET Successful prospecting is the number one function that every businessperson has to have down cold in order to stay alive in business...NO MATTER WHAT! It doesn't matter if you have a wonderful product. It doesn't matter if your company has a great compensation plan. It doesn't matter if your store (whether online or brick-and-mortar) is an architectual masterpiece. It doesn't matter if you have a state-of-the-art production, shipping, and distribution system. None of that matters. And do you know why? Because, if you can't get prospects through your sales 'funnel' from the 'A' where they're introduced to you and your goods and services... ...to the 'Z' where they're eagerly whipping out their credit card and making purchase after purchase, then none of the other stuff matters. BUT I'M JUST LOOKING Have you ever gone into a store just to browse? Of course you have. Maybe it's a new store, and you just want to check it out to see if they have anything you need? You probably won't buy anything today, but if the staff is friendly, and the store has items you use from time to time, you'll likely come back again. But if the sales person is pushy and aggresive, or tries to sell you everything in the store even after you said you're just browsing, you'll probably never set foot in there again. This is pretty much how it goes with most of us, right? Well, it's the same way with network marketing. But MLM companies don't tell you that. They tell you to be agressive. They tell you to never take 'No' for an answer. They tell you to continue pushing, calling, and following up with those high school psycology techniques until you finally get the prospect to take action. But evidence in the form of a 97% failure rate in the network marketing industry testifies convincingly to the fact that this 'take no prisoners' sales technique just doesn't work. Understand this: MLM is just a business model. Just like sole proprietorships, partnerships, etc, etc. Just particular structure under which business is conducted. But good sales principles are good sales principles...no matter what 'kind' of business model you operate under. There isn't a special, different way of effective selling for MLM, and another for every other sales business. It's All Selling! And one thing is for sure, regardless of what kind of product you sell, you cannot be successful by beating your customers over the head to buy your products because YOU want them to! MLM just doesn't seem to get this, though. THEY WILL NOT COME, EVEN IF YOU BUILD IT Imagine for a moment that you're a businessperson, and a world class athlete. Maybe a marathoner. You compete in six or seven marathons a year. You swim, bike, and even run your own training, fitness, and physical therapy shop. One day you notice a new wheelchair business has just opened next door to you. You decide to go over to introduce yourself. You tell the wheelchair shop owner about your business, about how active and passionate you are towards all things fitness, and about your physical therapy business. Because you're looking for a new medical equipment supplier, you're thinking that perhaps you and your new neighbor can help each other out. You could offer his equipment in your store. He'd get more units sold, and you'd get a commission off every sale. A real win-win possibility for both of you. But before you can get to that, the owner of the wheelchair company (who, unfortunately, is also an unreformed MLM'er) starts telling you about all the great features of this new wheel chair he's selling. How it has every sterophonic, quadrasonic, bombadistic device ever invented on it. How it can hop curbs, and pop wheelies. How it goes from zero to fifteen in under five seconds. How it even has a small microwave/refrigerator unit on it for hot snacks and cold beverages. He says he can just tell how you really need one. After all, he says, with all that athletic 'stuff' you do, you're just a 'banana peel' away from the slip, trip, and break of a hip that will have you needing your very own wheelchair. Before you can get a word in, he says that if you buy one from him, you'd have the best on the market. He then proceeds to ask you how many you'd like to order. Seeing that he's finally pausing to breath, you gently remind him how, not more than two minutes ago, you told him about your athletic prowess and how - Thank God - you have absolutely no need for a wheelchair, but.... And before you can finish your thought, the wheelchair MLM'er has exhaled and starts in again as if he didn't even hear you. He starts talking about the fantastic five-year warranty that comes with the chair. He tells you if you buy one right now, he can arrange for a second at half price. He even tells you about how he could even hook you up in the wheelchair business. He says it would change your life because they have a great franchise compensation plan that pays you when you bring other people into the business. He says that with all the 'baby boomers' set to retire, there'll be plenty of people in need of wheelchairs, and you could make a fortune. As you frantically start looking for the door, you tell him a little more forcefully that you don't need a wheelchair, and that you just wanted to come over to say 'Hi'. Mercifully, your cell phone rings, giving you the perfect excuse to ignore him and get out of there quick. As you leave, you make a mental note to never visit that jerk again because you now know he's only going to try and pitch you on buying a wheel chair, a wheel chair business, or something else your don't need and aren't interested in. I know this scenario is a little extreme, but I guarantee you, this is how it plays out day-after-day for many network marketing (un)professionals. And the irony is that because he wouldn't shut up long enough to stop 'prospecting' you, the wheelchair guy never found out that instead of selling one or two measly wheelchairs, he was about to get offered a chance to contract and distribute hundreds of different types of medical equipment to a physical therapy business. THE BIG MISTAKE Instead finding out what the prospect needs, most network marketers are tought to go for the hard sell, which only frustrates the potential customer, which inevitably leads to lost sales and fractured relationships. You see, a businessperson who's good at marketing knows that he controls the Where, What, How, and Why of the sale. He also knows that the prospect or customer ALWAYS controls the When. ALWAYS! TALK ABOUT BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME You, as a good salesperson, have to successfully place yourself in the proper position to convey the Where, What, How, and Why, of your product to the public... AND THEN WAIT... - ...for your prospect to decide the When, as in 'when' he or she is ready to buy what it is you have to offer. If you learn to do this (and it's really simple to learn), you will never have to chase another uninterested prospect again. If you are properly positioned, prospects (or customers - they're pretty much one-in-the-same) will begin finding you. Prospects who are 'presold' and ready to spend money on what you have to offer because you've positioned yourself to be a solution to their problem. AND THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE!
POSITIONING, POSITIONING, POSITIONING You know that real estate is all about location, location, location. Well, a good sales and marketing strategy is all about positioning. Let's imagine for just a moment that you're about to open a steak joint. You'll serve steak (obviously), burgers, pork chops, and other choice cuts of meat. You have two locations you're considering. One location is across the street from a steel mill that employs over a thousand men. The steel mill just got a twenty-five year government contract, so there going to be plenty of hungry men around for a while. But you're not crazy about this location because it's in an industrial part of the city, with lots of dust, and smoke, and broken streets. You consider yourself a renassiance man, and this is a real 'blue collar', rough and tumble area. Now the other location is a prime storefront at the beach. There's an ocean view, palm trees, a soft breeze flowing through your door, and nothing but beautiful, wealthy, health conscious people out jogging, walking their dogs and babies, surfing, and playing vollyball all day long. You love this location, and dream of coming to work and smelling that ocean breeze for the rest of your life. And now it's decision time. The moment of truth is at hand. Which location do you choose? If you said the steel mill, you'd be absolutely right. Even though you personally love it, if you chose the beachfront location, you'd have a terribly hard time getting customers (prospects) because not too many people around here want steak and burgers. They're a health-conscious crowd given to granola, smoothies, salads, vegetarian fare, and stuff like that. But if you chose the steel mill, you'd be on the way to easy street. You'd be positioned directly in front of a thousand hungry, working-class men who love nothing more than a good steak or burger for lunch and care little for their wasteline. You'd make so much money you'd be able to hire someone to run your shop while you 'retire' to one of the expensive condo's atop the beachfront store you loved so much. So what's the point of this little scenario? Proper positioning, that's what. In sales, proper positioning (or placement) of your product in front of prospects that already have a need and desire for what you sell is the surest (and easiest) way to a lifetime of riches. And this is why most MLM'ers fail measurably. They are never tought proper sales strategies (of which positioning is one). They're just told to go out and talk to everyone they see even though most people don't have a need or want for what they sell. What most MLM companies teach their associates amounts to nothing more than a sure path to failure. But failure doesn't have to be your destiny. Not if you're willing to learn the proven sales techniques and recruiting principles that are used by EVERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSPERSON. It doesn't matter what product you sell, or what business you're in. Successful recruiting, prospecting, sales and marketing principles are the same regardless of the business. And remember, no matter the company or product... It's All Sales. And this is exactly what the MLM companies don't want you to know because they want to keep you totally dependent on them. But when you learn proper prospecting, marketing, and sales techniques, you'll become a dangerous businessperson who's immune to the ebb and flow of your particular company. As a matter of fact, once you learn how to properly build your sales and marketing business, your MLM company will cease to be the only game in town. It will become just another of many different 'products' that you and YOUR company sells. In the MLM Network Marketing Success System, you can learn proper prospecting techniques that allow you to establish a 'relationship' with your prospects, bringing them along at THEIR pace, and allowing them to make their purchase decisions WHEN they are ready. IT'S ONLY FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THEY'RE MEANT TO SUCCEED! Now if you're a hobbiest who's only 'dabbling' in this MLM thing, continue to prospect with your home parties, hotel meetings, and 3-way calls. No problem. It's okay. Really, it is. But if you're totally serious about wanting a successful future in sales and marketing, one that goes far beyond that one MLM company you may be working for now, one where you've become so successful at prospecting that prospects beat a path to you, then you owe it to yourself to acquire the knowledge and tools you need in order to achieve your goals. Success is everywhere, but most people miss it because it comes disguised as work. And there initially will be a bit of work you'll have to put into building your business correctly. But, boy oh boy, once you get your sales and marketing business running - THE RIGHT WAY - watch out! You CAN live a debt-free life. You CAN do all the things for your family and yourself that you desire. But you have to take positive actions that bring you closer to those goals in a step-by-step, leave nothing to chance manner. And the first step is taking advantage of the knowledge and tools contained in The MLM Network Marketing Success System. The MLM Network Marketing Success System is not just another duplicated 'system' like the one's the network marketing companies or Internet gurus offer you. The MLM Network Marketing Success System will ease your workload by pulling together in one place every morsal of information you'll need so that from this day forward you will be able to create the successful business you deserve. Can you afford to be in the same financial place this time next year? If you said 'No', then you have to start doing something different. You have to start acquiring knowledge of the tools that will allow you to succeed in this business. Even if you don't check out The Success System, don't miss the message of the vital importance of educating yourself (somewhere)about the steps you need to take in order to create a thriving business. It's all about the knowledge, and once you have it, you'll be UNSTOPPABLE. Let the MLM Network Marketing Success System show you the way. Wishing you great business success.
Derek Smith
MLM Prospecting HOME
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