Targeted Lead Generation for MLM

Generating good leads is the key to building a large team for your network marketing franchise. A high dropout rate has always been a huge problem in MLM with many new members quitting within their first year in the business, and most never having recruited a single person during that time. It's no wonder that the reality for most network marketers is to end up spending more money on the company's products/services than the profit ever made in the business, if any.

The challenge then becomes obvious: keep trying to recruit new members to replace the dropouts, if you even had recruits in the first place! You can go online and find tonnes of people claiming to recruit new members everyday, and effortlessly, with their supposed ''turnkey systems''.  More often than not this hype turns out to be nothing more than email lists of ''hot leads'' that you have to purchase, and then spam.  Wrong approach.  Although the people on those email lists may very well be searching for a franchise opportunity, they've been pitched by everyone long before you decided to get in line and do the same.  Adding a strong web component to your marketing strategies is not only wise but absolutely necessary in the age we are living in, however there is a proper way of doing it.

The typical MLM prospecting approach has always been very narrow and based on making a list of all your family, friends, referrals, co-workers, neighbours, your dentist, mailman, pet etc… You then either demo your stuff at a home meeting (at their place or yours), or invite them to your MLM's local training centre where the company's top earners can try to sign them up after an elaborate presentation highlighting all the benefits of their business. There is nothing wrong with all that, but the way it is usually done comes off way too pushy and contrived.  The worst part is, your list of contacts usually doesn't want to know anything about the business.  Let's face it our family and friends are rarely the most enterprising people we know, and shoving a business opportunity down their throats just doesn't go over well. 

Very often very little focus is even put on the MLM's products/services. After all, it's about the new recruit, and growing your downline, right? The way network marketing compensation plans are devised, this is absolutely true, but you still have to move the MLM firm's products/services.  If nobody does, there will be no commissions generated to allow any residual income.  Beware of companies that promise commissions just for recruiting others.  This is illegal.  You shouldn't earn a profit by selling someone a theoretical business idea.  Rather everyone has to do their small part to move the MLM's products/services and if you recruit others to do the same, your compensation will be the commissions that the network marketing business model is structured around.

Pushing the products/services to your ''warm list'' is a great way to introduce them to your business and at least have some luck getting your small stable of customers.  If you genuinely believe in what you are promoting (and use the items yourself) they will have a good opinion of what you are doing.  Who knows, maybe some will want to start their own franchises under you, but you have to give them time and space.  Not doing so has caused many a network marketer to be viewed as a scammer and brought dishonour to the whole concept of MLM over the years and ruined it for the many honest entrepreneurs in this line of work.  Taking a softer-sell approach, with a good dose of persistence will yield better results.  Build relationships with people based on the common love of the products/services. Passion about the products/services and its positive effects on others should be your focus, and the relationships between those who support and use the items strong. Your potential recruits should first be able to show they can build relationships rather than just spit out over hyped pitches and attempt to close deals based on their prospects' emotional highs at ''rah rah'' pep rallies or intrusive home meetings.

That's not to say that things will happen overnight using the softer approach.  Network marketing is a tough business, period.  Taking a smoother, more sensible approach will just make it easier.  You won't risk alienating your family and friends as much this way and also give them much less reason to criticize you.  You can therefore work much more stress free at building your franchise, slowly and steadily.   It takes the average person a substantial amount of time, energy, and sacrifice to see lasting results, especially if they do not incorporate Internet marketing into their marketing mix.

With the old school network marketing lead generation strategy most recruits drop out because results don't come quickly enough. The overwhelming majority of people who just need some extra money, have no real drive or business savvy to build their own business, let alone commit several years of their lives to doing so. MLM isn't about selling a product/service yourself to make a little extra money; rather it's about you doing that 20% of the time but spending the other 80% finding an army of people who will do that work for you. If you build a solid organization of driven entrepreneurs, you stand to make significant overriding residual income. 

If your team consists of duds who will eventually quit, your efforts will have been in vain.  The goal is to target people who are outgoing, confident, ambitious, passionate, and possess good sales ability.  These are great candidates and will be able to market the MLM products/services just like you do and also sponsor new recruits to each of their own franchises, which are all part of your downline.  Mentor your recruits to duplicate your success and you will have an automated business.  If you select strong leaders to your team this will be fairly simple.  Supplement all traditional network marketing strategies with a multi-pronged web marketing one based on ''attraction marketing''.  Get people to be attracted to you, not your business.  Get your name out there using blogs, online classifieds, forums, chat rooms, traffic exchanges, videos, banners, press releases, articles, social networks, pay-per-click, and anything else you can think of.  Always provide valuable content and build relationships.  Avoid hype!  The fact that your prospects will trust and respect you will make them feel the same passion for your business and create a sense of urgency in them to reach out and join your team.  It is time to redefine MLM.  Make it happen!