Warm / Cold Contacting
You have probably heard the illustration of throwing mud up against the wall and seeing what sticks. This method of network marketing recruiting, is comparable to a network marketer being told by their up line to make a list of family, friends and coworkers, then calling them up to see who might be interested. This can make Thanksgiving dinners rather awkward but many of us have tried this methodology including me. After contacting friends and family, your up line often tells you to get out and meet people, build a rapport with them and then contact them about your business opportunity. They may also recommend fliers on cars, passing out business cards, etc. You may find some individuals in this manner but this is an old school approach from the 80's and 90's and is not a targeted approach.
The reality is most of our family and friends are not willing to do what is required to change their lifestyle. You may have heard of the old hound dog lying on top of a nail on the front porch. He is howling from the pain and you wonder why he doesn't just move to another spot without a nail. His need to change does not outweigh the effort it would take him to moveso he doesn't move.
The chance of finding a big leader through warm or cold contacting in this non-targeted fashion is very low. You can also spend a significant amount of money and time traveling to see your prospect and show them the plan. The other reality here is that you will inevitably need more leads beyond your warm market if you want to be successful. There are better ways to leverage your money and time that don't require luck.
Internet Marketing Focused on a Generic Business Opportunity
In this approach to network marketing recruiting, you are not chasing friends, family or others. Prospects are opting into promotional information showing an interest in a generic business opportunity. You can purchase leads responding to such an ad or you might produce your own leads using internet marketing methods. Either way, prospects are at least showing some upfront interest in a generic business opportunity. This is significantly better than the first approach and is more targeted..but there are still issues to consider with this approach. The trick here is to make money in your MLM business before going broke generating leads.
It will cost you about $1.50 to $4.00 per lead if you purchase descent leads. About 95% of these leads:
1.Are individuals only looking for a job, not a business
2.Are the old hound dog howling on the porch..but not willing to put in any effort to change their circumstances
3.Have already been contacted by a number of others and are tired of being solicited
4.Only opted in to make money filling out forms and/or surveys
5.Don't answer
Purchasing leads can still be a great short term approach so that you have someone to contact while you are waiting for your own lead generation methods to kick in. But be careful not to go broke in the process.
Generating your own leads is a must but you can also spend a significant amount of money and/or time depending upon the internet marketing methods you select. But these are your own personal leads. You do NOT have to worry that they were contacted by several others. But because your promotional info was focused on a generic opportunity, you will still run into individuals looking for a job versus a business and the old hound dog on the porch. This can be a decent approach and is more targeted.
Internet Marketing Focused on Your MLM's Product
With this method, prospects are opting into promotional information about your MLM's product that may solve a need they have. There are a couple of things to be aware of with this approach to network marketing recruiting:
1.You may have a lot of competition if your product is not REALLY unique. In the health industry for instance, there are thousands of MLM's focused on health products that do the same thing.
2.This can be a great way to reach retail customers but with an MLM you are typically looking for business partners to leverage your time and money. And retail customers can sometimes be turned off once they find out about the business end. .due to so many false impressions about the MLM industry.
3.If you state your company name or product name, the prospect may not opt in at all. They may choose to search on line for product information where they do not have to opt in.
Internet Marketing Focused on Helping Other MLMers be Successful with Their Opportunity
Before discussing this last approach, would you agree with the following statements?
1.Even if you utilize more targeted approaches, the leads you generate will be on the defensive because you are trying to sell them on your MLM opportunity.
2.Greater than 95% of your leads will NOT be interested in your MLM opportunity. and the time and money you invested will be lost
3.A majority of the prospects you reach by the above approaches are opportunity seekers looking for something for nothing...and do not understand the concept of leverage.
In this approach to internet marketing recruiting, your target market is individuals who are currently in network marketing or have been in the past. They already understand the concept of leverage and probably have had some training regarding people skills and leadership. But if you contact someone who is already in network marketing, you will each end up trying to sell the other on your opportunity. It is a loosing battle. So how can this work?
Here is how to be unique. Other MLMers utilizing the above approaches have the same issues mentioned above. They NEED more leads but do not want to go broke in the process of getting their opportunity off the ground. If you can point them to a lead generation system that runs on autopilot and provides them with internet marketing training, they will see the advantage of this approach over chasing friends and family.
If you are TRULY trying to help others first, you will be surprised how many will become very interested in hearing about your primary opportunity. Those not interested in your primary opportunity will often still purchase lead generation and attraction marketing products that will help them in their current MLM. Through affiliate marketing methods, your lead generation costs are funded through the growth cycle of your MLM opportunity.
