What Do You Say
... to 'I'll Talk To My Warm Market After I Am Successful'
Jackie, the store manager you sponsored last week, has no background in Networking, but her people skills are great. She also has a huge warm market-- she has a large, close-knit family, she's involved in several community activities, she went to an in-state university, and she keeps in touch with her fellow thespians from every drama club clear back to high school! You've been expecting a call from her to set up a presentation for some of her friends.
Today Jackie left a message for you to call her about doing a postcard mailing. Figuring she plans to do written invitations instead of inviting via the phone, you call back to encourage her to use the "high-touch" method first. When you ask Jackie how she's doing with notifying her warm market, she says, "We need to work with some other leads first. Since I started my business only recently, I need to concentrate on building my organization and establishing credibility in this industry. I'll talk to my warm market after I'm successful."
What do you say?
Art Meakin is a 25-year Network Marketing veteran who has been full-time since 1989. He is President/CEO of Art Meakin & Associates, a generic Network Marketing training and support company.
I'd say: Great. That's really wise. In my opinion, you should hold off going to your warm market until you've been trained and have some confidence in making a presentation. Why go to your warm market and ruin your credibility? You need to find out if what you're in is a solid opportunity and something you can truly feel proud and confident to even mention to your warm market.
First, get training about how to build an organization. People you prospect want to know: "Can you really help me build a downline?" When you get past the products, the comp plan, the company history, etc., people want to know how to build a downline. Be prepared to lead with and offer the knowledge and expertise about how you are going to be a great sponsor. When you "show up" as someone who really cares about other people and their success-- and have a proven plan to show people you'd be a great sponsor-- then people want to join you.
Think about it for a minute. If you met a stranger on the street and found out he or she was a very successful Networker, you'd probably be inclined to listen. Even if they never mentioned their company name, just talked about the ways they could help you build a large downline organization, chances are you'd want to be sponsored them. You wouldn't care what company they were representing. Why? Because you want to be successful in building an organization and build solid residual income. That's probably why you got into Network Marketing in the first place.
All that, of course, leaves a big question: When you're first starting out in your company and you're a novice, how can you "show up" as a great sponsor? This is where your sponsor or upline comes in. You must leverage yourself off them, their expertise, their credibility, etc. That also helps you show your prospects how they can have access to your sponsor and upline's help through you. By showing your prospect how serious you are about their success through consistent communication and follow up, you'll build a new warm market of people who join you no matter what company you represent.
Suzanne Ellis is a seasoned Networker and Greatest Networker Mentor Program graduate who recently became a distributor with Renaissance. She lives in Overland Park, KS.
In my current situation, I'd tell Jackie: I, too, am a new distributor with this company, so I understand what you are saying. I said the same thing-- "I just can't do this until I know more about it"-- until my sponsors asked me if I approached my other jobs the same way when I was new. They were right! I never said to a new boss, "I will begin to work only when I know every aspect of this business."
When you have a new employee, with no retail background, do you pair them with an experienced employee who will take them step by step through the learning for that job? It is exactly the same in this business. You want to keep this process simple. You heard me fumble and get tongue-tied when I called you with my sponsor on the phone. She asked you to watch a video, and then scheduled another call for the following day so that the three of us could discuss it. At the end of that call you said to me, "You know, I can do this." You may not have thought of it quite this way, but you recognized that my sponsor and I had let the video do the work. You weren't concerned about our earnings or experience because you were more interested in the company, the compensation plan and the market. This process worked with you and it will work for you with your friends and relatives. Who do you want to help first, your brother or your aunt? Let's call them now.
Melisa Pearce, another Mentor Program graduate, lives in Longmont, CO. She is a 10-Star Presidential with Mannatech.
I'd tell Jackie: When you signed on with me, I promised to share with you what I have personally learned. May I challenge you some; is that okay with you? Great.
Let's begin by expanding your vision right from the start. Please imagine yourself two years from now with your successful Networking business. You know, the "after I am successful part" you were just referring to. When you look at that future organization, who would you most like to see as your leaders?
Your leaders will be people you speak to every day, travel with to meetings and conventions, visit at their homes and invite into yours, create new plans and ideas with, encourage and support. These will be the people that you share deeply with on many levels!
There will be a treasure chest of new friends that come along in your organization, however, I am grateful that in the beginning, I worked hard to get my old friends to partner with me on this journey. We are even closer today, staying in more frequent contact, all growing together with a common vision, sharing in accomplishments as each person's dreams are coming true. There is nothing quite like seeing one of your oldest and dearest friends achieve success and knowing that you played a small part in that with them-- and they in yours!
Who do you want dearly to come into this adventure with you? Who do you desire to have close frequent contact with ... travel with ... personally grow with ... laugh and cry with? Now let's go work on that list together. With my support to fill in any knowledge holes and answer questions, we will work as partners in inviting your friends on your new venture!
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Reprinted with permission from Upline, What Do You Say? - November 1999, 888-UPLINE-1, http://www.upline.com
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