Part I – Finding Leaders
Network Marketing is a great business that offers many people the ideal alternative to a traditional job or business.
Do you know a better way for the ordinary person to achieve independence from the tyrannies of working for someone else or from the day-to-day headaches of running a business?
It’s terrific being your own boss and in control of your own time and financial rewards.
Sometimes the biggest problem in MLM is what to put on your business card: President, CEO, Marketing Director, Independent Agent or Queen of the World.
We tend to overlook the other important roles of Envelope Licker, Gopher, Secretary, Accountant, Student, or the most important role in your company – Chief of Staffing.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of your MLM business; yet we tend not to treat it as a vital professional function. Most people base their efforts on some pretty haphazard MLM industry approaches.
How many times have you heard, “It’s a numbers game”? The theory being that if you talk to enough folks some will try your product, some percent of those will become distributors and some fraction of the distributors will evolve into leaders.
Do you know what the standard industry conversion rate is?
Neither do I.
How about your personal conversion rate?
Out of 100 people you talk to, how many buy product, become distributors and go on to be leaders? Probably not enough.
So let’s re focus our efforts. Your goal for a successful network marketing business is to find, sponsor, and retain leaders.
These are the You, Inc. Division Heads. These are the people you need to apply successful traditional business methods to recruit and keep.
You’ll want only the best people on your leadership team. To attract them you need to know what they want and be prepared to deliver it.
The top people want to be associated with other successful people in the best companies. For now, let’s assume you’ve already applied our training in branding and market positioning and that Your Company is seen in the best light.
There are two things that have to happen – you have to find candidates or they have to find you.
Ok, let’s look at just one way the top Executive Recruiters go after talented individuals:
Always be on the lookout for above average folks – people at the top of their profession, clerks who give outstanding service, an impressive speaker, columnist, anyone driving with vanity license plates. Introduce yourself and say you were impressed with their speech, car, service, etc., hand them two of your cards and state that you would like to talk to them if they ever consider a career change or business opportunity. Then be quiet and smile.
Now it’s their move.
They will either say thanks-but-no-thanks, or they will ask for more information.
If they say no thanks, just ask them to hold on to your card or pass it on to another sharp friend. If they want more information, then set an appointment. Yes, resist the urge to launch into your Technicolor brochures and laser-light presentation.
Professionals work by appointment; even if you set the appointment for 15 minutes later, on their break, or over lunch – set the appointment. We’ll come back to the interview appointment after we examine the other scenario –
Q: How do candidates find you?
A: Handy In order to attract high caliber folks you must be positioned and perceived as a leader with the best opportunity with the premier company in your field. You craft a Marketing Message and Customer-centered Benefit Statement that perfectly conveys your advantage over the competition. Now you will communicate this message at every opportunity and through every appropriate media. Here are a few online and offline places to deliver your message:
• Weekly and local business newspapers
• Networking Business Clubs
• Professional Associations
• Church Directory
• Personal Letters
• Talk Show Guest
• eMail Newsletter
• Online Chat Rooms
• Internet News groups
• Online Free Classifieds
• Billboard (“You could of stayed home today – our managers Telecommute!”)
• Trade Shows
• Craft your ads so that they help disqualify inappropriate applicants.
• Your goal is to interview, qualify and sponsor high potential candidates.
Stephan Iscoe publishes the MLM Profit Letter, an online Newsletter featuring tips, strategies, and secrets that will skyrocket your MLM Profits! Get 12 Free Issues at MLMProfit.net, A Practical Resource for Networking Marketing This article copyright 1998, Stephan Iscoe, MLMProfit Network.
