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Three Top Tips On How You Can Build A Successful Downline
Filed Under (Business Success, Leads, MLM, Network Marketing) by Kevin Sinclair on 29-03-2008
Today, multilevel marketing, also known as MLM or network marketing, has become a very different animal from years previous because of the Internet. However, many still struggle with knowing how to be successful multilevel marketers. How can you recruit people for MLM in the best way? If you’re having a lack of success, you’re not alone. There are three tips on how you, too, can help build a successful downline.
Tip number one: Change the way you think. People fail for many reasons, but one of the chief reasons is that they simply think they’re going to. Be comfortable with thinking outside of your “comfort zone,” and be prepared for some discomfort as you adjust to a new business. Just because you’re struggling when you start doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for MLM. Many people who struggle to begin with became successful multilevel marketers.
Most people think that MLM is all about sales. It’s true that sales are part of it, but you also have to keep in mind that you have to keep recommending and promoting products to a potential downline as well, so that others come on board under you.
One of the best ways to become a successful MLM person is to mentor and coach your downline. To build your downline, you are going to have to help the people under you be successful. You have to be as interested in their success as you are in your own, because their success actually means your success will happen to a greater degree.
Tip number two: Generate your own leads. Many people who engage in MLM buy leads, but this isn’t the best way to build your business or your downline. Many leads lists are sold to many different companies, so that a particularly hot prospect to you might already have gotten a lot of other calls from other companies and either be burned out on the idea or have gone with someone else.
When you recruit for MLM, you can’t duplicate the system and use it over and over. You can’t pay $100 a lead (which, yes, some people are doing) and expect to make a return on that investment a fair amount of the time, much less even most of the time. It’s simply not worth the investment.
When you generate your own leads, not only do you know the people you’re speaking to have not been approached again and again by other companies, but you have a vested interest in talking with them about this opportunity. This makes you much more interesting to talk to because you’re not just trying to sell them on something (and if you are, stop it right now, since this will only make future prospects run away), but you really want to give them a chance to jump in on a good opportunity.
Tip number three: If you’ve seen your company’s main building, have a good look at it. How big is it? If the building itself is quite large with a lot of staff, the company has to be doing quite well to pay the bills and upkeep. However, there’s another caveat to this, which is that this type of upkeep might take away from the company’s compensation for its MLMers. Therefore, it’s good to know that the company itself is somewhat established (since it’s got a large building it houses the business headquarters in), but you also want to take care that you as an independent associate are not being shortchanged because of costs and upkeep.
Bottom line, make sure you and the people under you in your downline are putting time and effort into a company with a good strong work ethic and reputation. You need to make sure that your compensation and that of those under you is adequate and can truly lead you to success.
By following these few tips and keeping your eyes open so that you will learn as much as you can, you should be able to be successful in MLM, as so many before you have been.
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Hi Kevin,
I agree completely with tips #1 and tips #3. Poor thinking is the number one reason why people don’t success in MLM. That’s why every distributor I recruit into my organization, I invest in a personal development book and a CD. If I can help them change their thinking, their chances of success increase dramatically. Great point about how the parent company is spending money. I don’t mind if the company has a nice building if they are always adding money to the compensation plan. However, if the company is spending all their money on a corporate headquarters, yet taking money away from the comp plan, I have a problem with that.
I don’t agree with tip #2. Generating your own leads takes time (if you do it for no cost) or money and also requires developing an additional skill set. I do both (buy leads and generate my own) and I personally only recommend it in three scenarios:
#1 - You don’t have the money to buy leads.
#2 - You need leads in a specific area and you find it difficult finding enough leads to buy in your given area.
#3 - You want to generate product leads, as oppose to business opportunity leads.
Most of the challenges you bring up with leads can be reduced or eliminated simply by finding a good lead company and using a good contact management system.
The #1 recruiter in my company last year did it almost exclusively by purchasing leads. How did he do it? He brought lots of leads and let his contact management system sort them out. Instead of calling all the leads, he calls the ones that show the most interest (i.e. Someone who watches his entire movie presentation gets called before someone who didn’t even visit the web site).
Excellent post!
Roosevelt Cooper
http://www.web204mlm.com
Here’s another viewpoint on acquiring leads.
Network marketing used to require an outgoing personality. Outgoing personalities, are the kind of people who see anyone within ‘3′ feet as a potential prospect!
Unfortunately, many people can barely approach their “warm circle of family and friends” let alone a “3 foot circle of cold strangers.”
So, the natural born sales woman succeeds. But, most people are not natural sellers.
A stay-at-home Mom is also at a competitive disadvantage with less opportunity to network; and so are individuals who are shy by nature and/or those uncomfortable “selling”.
The internet puts the net into network marketing. Each website has the potential to be heard; not just around the block, but around the world and across the nation. Now shy, introverted, stay-at-home moms, or don’t like to ’sell’ types can network on the internet.
Sadly, it hasn’t completely happened. Here’s why.
MLM companies have not been able to totally control its sales representatives. As a result, over zealous reps have made wild income and product claims, resulting in government regulation. Now, due to valid legal concerns, MLM companies do not allow associates to speak with a “unique” voice (the key to any success on the Net).
Prevented from giving reps the tools to attract new leads and/or sales on the Net; in it’s place most MLM companies provide “cookie cutter” Web sites. Every associate has an identical website, except for name, telephone number, and picture.
Search engines ignore these cookie cutters websites. Their business is providing ‘unique’ relevant content. No search engine can stay in business returning 30,000 identical web sites for one MLM company. So, each rep/associate does their own thing to drive traffic to their cookie cutter.
Time for a different approach:
Let’s say, you’re a 57 year old female flight reservationist. You’ve just joined this hot new MLM travel business. You know the travel industry. And what you don’t know, you can study.
What you do now, is build a terrific website with a travel related theme. Fill it with keyword focused content pages. Adapt, but do not duplicate verbatim content provided by your company. The result will be targeted free traffic from the search engines. These are your own pre-qualified leads that come to you. You don’t chase them.
By over delivering quality information in response to a search engine query, you establish yourself as a sharing, generous expert.
What do you do now?
Do you ask your visitor to fill out a form for your free CD-ROM? Do you send them with a link over to your online travel agency to make airlines reservations? Perhaps.
A simple invitation for the reader to contact you is good, also. Your visitor may not be ready to join a Network Marketing business opportunity. They may just need information.
The internet is a beautiful tool to sort (pre-qualify) people; allowing the building of relationships, as opposed to selling.
By profession and calling, C.W. Wyatt has been a Pastor-Teacher for over twenty years. As a speaker, writer, and educator he is also been an ardent communicator through books, articles, and ebooks. Ministry is his vocation, network marketing is his avocation.
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