A lot of distributors I work with are taught to hunt down their friends and family and work their warm market. Then they are taught to buy leads as the next resort to building their business. I know for a fact that buying leads stinks because of their inferior quality. Buying leads is an emotionally and financially draining experience and can lower one’s self esteem. So what do I tell those distributors? “Don’t buy leads!” It’s that simple. Buying a list of leads means that you have to make COLD outbound phone calls (or cold calling) and hear rejection each and every time. That is not exactly my idea of building a network marketing or multi-level marketing (MLM) business.
Since network marketing is about building relationships with people, then how can you build a relationship with people on your lead list? Here is the catch. Have the prospects call YOU first. If prospects called you on the phone first, you would be elated that they are calling you for more information. Wouldn’t you? This is a form of inbound marketing. Even if the prospect doesn’t reach you and leaves a message, the fact that you pick up the phone and return their call is no longer considered COLD calling. That prospect is now a part of your WARM market because that prospect showed interest in what you are offering.
Building a multi-level marketing distributorship is possible if it is done the RIGHT way. Utilizing a system that allows leads to initiate contact with you takes the pressure off your shoulders of you initiating contact with the prospects using outbound methods. When you are marketing on the internet, using a lead capture page along with an autoresponder that sends out follow-up e-mails to your prospects even takes MORE weight off your shoulders of having to call them. If the prospects leave you their phone number, I still advocate calling the prospect so that you can develop rapport with them even though you are doing e-mail marketing to them.
The more skillful you get generating your own leads and then installing them into your autoresponder for follow-up, the more distributors you will sign up into your business. You will have accomplished this without ever making a single cold outbound call at all.
Many years ago, I bought into a 100 lead package for $50 and called every one of those leads on my list. Now that I know how to generate my own leads, those cold calling days are gone. I have now set my business on auto-pilot.