“People who know you well do not good business prospects make. Period.” —
the Pajama Mamas
“Say what?!” you ask. “I’ve always been taught that the
first thing you do when you sign up with a network marketing company is sit down
and make a list of everyone you know so that you can talk to them about your new
business venture!”
This “list” represents your “warm” market, and making it
seems to have become the be-all/end-all first step in just about every network marketing organization. Why?
Because for the average Joe without a lot of resources, who else is he going to
talk to about his new business other than people he knows, right? WRONG! When
all this started 60-or-so years ago we didn’t have the internet and cell phones,
conference calls and phone-messaging, so person-to-person was in fact the only
way people could spread the word–about most anything. All of that has changed
now and there are myriad ways to approach your market–be it warm, cold, or in
between–so this “list” idea is just way passé. And scary as hell for most
people. (Most people are not born salesmen, in case you haven’t noticed.)
Is
it obvious that we who are writing this article disagree with this “list”
approach and flat don’t think it works? We hope so. Because the reality is that
this very thing–trying and failing to recruit family and close friends–is why
most people get discouraged and quit network marketing during their first year.
Let us spell it out even better. Here’s the typical scenario:
At the prodding
and prompting of your sponsor, you finally call your friend Leona, whom you
haven’t seen in two months, and ask her to meet you for a cup o’ joe at
Starbucks. She’s thrilled. She’s been dying to catch up, plus the two of you
just need one of those much-loved, ever-bonding girlfriend sessions!
You get
to Starbucks: huge hugs and kisses, high energy, excitement all around, talk
about new hair, recent divorces, the kids, new career moves, family problems,
whatever. But the whole time, in the back of your mind, this niggling worry-wort
called network marketing is knocking on the inside of your skull telling you to
get with the program and tell Leona why you really called her–to tell her about
your new business and persuade her to join it with you. So you’re only able to
listen half-mast, and you’re nervous about what will happen next.
Sure
enough, disaster ensues. (Just like you expected–after all, you put out vibes
for it. You hate this! Leona feels all that before you even start!) As you are
struggling to act casual and finally mention that you
“are-in-this-new-business-where-you-can-make-a-lot-of-money-that-only-requires-that-two-people-sign-up-two-people-a-month-and-the-products-are-really-great
. . .” you watch as Leona shrinks away from you with poorly disguised horror in
her eyes. She looks at her watch, mumbles something about pyramids, and says she
really has to be on her way–she’s late already. And that’s the last time you
see Leona!
The bottom line is, people who know you well do not good business
prospects make. Why? Because they already have preconceived notions about you,
your values, your strengths and weaknesses, your potential for success, etc.
They simply do not look at you as the person who is going to bring great wealth
into their life and are horrified when you try to pull the wool over their eyes
by getting them into a corner and trying to talk you into doing something they
don’t want to do.
Some people can do this–it is their natural habitat. They
can talk a cornered skunk into not spraying. Good for them! Let them plumb the
depths of their warm market to their heart’s content! But if this approach feels
awkward and not right for you, DO NOT GO THERE.
Nothing will quell your
new-found enthusiasm for your business faster than the negative opinions of your
family or friends. And nothing will spark their interest in it like your independent success, achieved all on
your own, without their support or participation. THEN–you can bet on it–they
will want to get in on the action!
About the Author:
Leta Worthington and Stephanie Yeh are the Pajama Mamas, founders of No
Brainer Networking, the network marketing site for people who hate to network
(and want to earn a profit in their pajamas!). The Pajama Mamas have over 2
decades of success in networking marketing. Learn more and access free
home-based business resources at www.nobrainernetworking.com/visit.
Technorati Tags: Network Marketing, Family, Prospects, Friends, Prospecting, Warm Market, Cold Market
The Big No-no: Network Marketing to Friends and Family
“People who know you well do not good business prospects make. Period.” —
the Pajama Mamas
“Say what?!” you ask. “I’ve always been taught that the
first thing you do when you sign up with a network marketing company is sit down
and make a list of everyone you know so that you can talk to them about your new
business venture!”
This “list” represents your “warm” market, and making it
seems to have become the be-all/end-all first step in just about every network marketing organization. Why?
Because for the average Joe without a lot of resources, who else is he going to
talk to about his new business other than people he knows, right? WRONG! When
all this started 60-or-so years ago we didn’t have the internet and cell phones,
conference calls and phone-messaging, so person-to-person was in fact the only
way people could spread the word–about most anything. All of that has changed
now and there are myriad ways to approach your market–be it warm, cold, or in
between–so this “list” idea is just way passé. And scary as hell for most
people. (Most people are not born salesmen, in case you haven’t noticed.)
Is
it obvious that we who are writing this article disagree with this “list”
approach and flat don’t think it works? We hope so. Because the reality is that
this very thing–trying and failing to recruit family and close friends–is why
most people get discouraged and quit network marketing during their first year.
Let us spell it out even better. Here’s the typical scenario:
At the prodding
and prompting of your sponsor, you finally call your friend Leona, whom you
haven’t seen in two months, and ask her to meet you for a cup o’ joe at
Starbucks. She’s thrilled. She’s been dying to catch up, plus the two of you
just need one of those much-loved, ever-bonding girlfriend sessions!
You get
to Starbucks: huge hugs and kisses, high energy, excitement all around, talk
about new hair, recent divorces, the kids, new career moves, family problems,
whatever. But the whole time, in the back of your mind, this niggling worry-wort
called network marketing is knocking on the inside of your skull telling you to
get with the program and tell Leona why you really called her–to tell her about
your new business and persuade her to join it with you. So you’re only able to
listen half-mast, and you’re nervous about what will happen next.
Sure
enough, disaster ensues. (Just like you expected–after all, you put out vibes
for it. You hate this! Leona feels all that before you even start!) As you are
struggling to act casual and finally mention that you
“are-in-this-new-business-where-you-can-make-a-lot-of-money-that-only-requires-that-two-people-sign-up-two-people-a-month-and-the-products-are-really-great
. . .” you watch as Leona shrinks away from you with poorly disguised horror in
her eyes. She looks at her watch, mumbles something about pyramids, and says she
really has to be on her way–she’s late already. And that’s the last time you
see Leona!
The bottom line is, people who know you well do not good business
prospects make. Why? Because they already have preconceived notions about you,
your values, your strengths and weaknesses, your potential for success, etc.
They simply do not look at you as the person who is going to bring great wealth
into their life and are horrified when you try to pull the wool over their eyes
by getting them into a corner and trying to talk you into doing something they
don’t want to do.
Some people can do this–it is their natural habitat. They
can talk a cornered skunk into not spraying. Good for them! Let them plumb the
depths of their warm market to their heart’s content! But if this approach feels
awkward and not right for you, DO NOT GO THERE.
Nothing will quell your
new-found enthusiasm for your business faster than the negative opinions of your
family or friends. And nothing will spark their interest in it like your independent success, achieved all on
your own, without their support or participation. THEN–you can bet on it–they
will want to get in on the action!
About the Author:
Leta Worthington and Stephanie Yeh are the Pajama Mamas, founders of No
Brainer Networking, the network marketing site for people who hate to network
(and want to earn a profit in their pajamas!). The Pajama Mamas have over 2
decades of success in networking marketing. Learn more and access free
home-based business resources at www.nobrainernetworking.com/visit.
Technorati Tags: Network Marketing, Family, Prospects, Friends, Prospecting, Warm Market, Cold Market
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