There are two main ways to get appointments and contacts for your MLM business, however one way is more profitable than the other. Get this key strategy as well as other training pointers in the words that follow.
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I really hope you will thoroughly study the process of learning how to invite, because this is where you get good at network marketing.
I've said it for 10 years: you can be terrible at everything else and still earn good money in network marketing, if you're good at inviting. If you can invite well, you can always put prospects in front of good presenters and good trainers.
The word "invite" in the context that I'm using it is: the act of asking someone to do something; go to a movie, meet for breakfast, watch a video, etc.
In this business, you're inviting people to look at either the business or the product or both.
1. Business: This is where you show and educate your prospects about the MLM industry; have them really understand and believe in its ability to provide adequate income and time freedom. Then you show your product or service. This style is sometimes called "top down" or "business first."
2. Product: Show your prospects only the product (skin care, nutrition, telephone services, internet services, etc.). After your prospect falls in love with the product, they'll know the business is viable. This style is called "bottom up" or "product first."
The lack of understanding of these two methods causes much frustration in MLM.
Why are people confused? Perhaps the best way for me to explain why the confusion takes place is with an example of a stockbroker. What does the stockbroker sell? You may reply, stocks. Well, not really. What the stockbroker actually sells is the fact that you can make money with a stock.
So the money you'll make is the product. You may have heard this referred to as "marketing intangibles." This is very much like network marketing, because often the presenter prefers to "market the intangible," i.e., that you can make money. This isn't necessarily a bad method, unless you're talking to someone who doesn't understand this conversation.
Suppose we're talking to a person who comes from a retail sales background. Let's say she owns a wax candle shop. If she hears a presenter talking about all the money she can make in the business, she'll constantly be struggling to understand where the money is coming from. Many times these people are walking around after the typical presentation saying, "I don't get it." The reason she doesn't get it is because she's used to holding in her hands the tangible product that makes her the money.
This also works in reverse. If you approach a stockbroker and rub hand lotion on his hands and say, "You can make a lot of money doing this," he won't get it either. He'll see it as a little "pretty party thing." Certainly not something that could create a lot of money.
What's my point? How you invite, whether it's the MLM business plan first or product first, will have much to do with "knowing" your prospect. This is the reason that networking with people you know is so effective. This is also why you should master both MLM business and product invitations.
In your business, take the approach that you're starting your own company. You need a Board of Directors. In MLM we call them leaders.
The most important thing for you to understand at this point is you don't necessarily have to know these people. You probably won't. You may personally find these leaders, or someone in your organization could lead you to them.
What character traits do you want in your network marketing leaders? What character traits do your leaders want in you? Why is this important for inviting?
Your greatest asset will become your eagle eye at picking leaders that will contribute to the success of your organization. I've not found a better way to teach how to spot a great MLM leader than just plain experience. However, you can look for certain traits.
Here is a list of character traits you do want in your Board of Directors:
- high self-esteem
- goal-driven
- entrepreneurial
- business-minded
- owner mentality
- ready to act now
- decisive
- mentally tough
Conversely, here's a list of traits you don't want in your Board of Directors:
- passive
- wishy-washy
- employee mentality
- not ready to act
- low self-esteem
- easily influenced by others
- worries about what others think
How well you do at inviting will greatly depend on the growth of your communication skills. Most people have difficulty with communication. I did! However, the more I studied it, the more I realized that communication is what makes or breaks us in life.
It's your ability to woo your significant other; it's your ability to get a job, get a raise, get a promotion, get along with others in the office. The signs on the road are the city communicating with us, giving us driving instructions. Whether written or verbal, communication is life. Don't most conflicts stem from mis-communications? Ever hear, "You don't understand me?" It's definitely a skill worthy of much research and study.
Ever heard your MLM prospects say, "I don't like sales?" Often when your network marketing prospects don't think they're good at communication, they'll use the phrase, "I don't like sales" or "I'm not a sales person."
Sales has nothing to do with it. In fact when you picture a sales person, what you're picturing is a poor communicator. When you'd been sold, you knew it; you felt it. When you were in the presence of a really good communicator, you may have bought something, but you were never sold anything.
A good communicator will never sell what his prospect won't buy. There's no way they could get there. A good communicator, whether a nurse or a networker, listens and helps people get what they want.
That's all. A nurse has to learn the appropriate questions to ask so he/she can find exactly what the needs of the patient are. The nurse must also learn the appropriate responses to the standard questions and concerns the patient has.
A networker also must learn the needed questions and the appropriate responses to common objections so they can help their MLM business prospects get what they want.
Now let's look at this from the perspective of how to qualify an MLM business prospect. Both of the invitations below are the truth. Which one do you think will work?
INVITATION 1:
An invite call, asking a girl on a date:
Boy: I saw you on campus the other day and I'm interested in finding out more about who you are. I grew up in Boston; my parents are from New England. My dad's in the banking business; I'm studying finance as well. What are your interests? Are you available should I want to marry you? How many kids do you want? I want 3 kids. What's your religion? Shall we sit down and discuss the possibilities?
INVITATION 2:
Boy: I've seen you on campus and you seem to be a fun person. I'd like to take you to lunch and get to know you better. How does that sound to you?
Both have the same purpose in mind for meeting.
The argument in the industry is which one is better? People who are pro-Invitation 1 will tell you that they're pre-qualifying their MLM business prospects. This way they're not wasting their time on people who don't qualify. The outcome was that this guy had to make 72 calls to get a girl to say "Sure, why not."
The outcome was 72 calls = 1 date.
People who are pro-Invitation 2 will say that you sit down for lunch and you put your agenda aside and you just talk and be friendly. You listen to them. Find out what their needs and desires are. Help them get it.
The outcome was, she isn't interested in going out with you but she thinks you're a great guy and has 3 room mates and 2 sisters who she wants to set you up with.
The outcome was 1 meeting = 5 dates.
I'm suggesting to you that Invitation 1 is "sales" and that Invitation 2 is "networking."
I've heard distributors invite people to look at an MLM business opportunity much like Invitation 1. I'm not kidding. To show you, pick up a tape recorder and record yourself. Even though you know you're recording what you say, your conversations will still resemble Invitation 1. Example: "My company does this, I'm making x amount of money, my company has this, and I have this, etc..."
Learning how to properly invite prospects to look at your MLM business and truly network with people is not always easy, but can be profitable for you. I commend your willingness to study it. Be a student of this inviting subject forever, but don't wait more than a week before doing it, even if it's just tiny steps.
With respect,
Tim Sales