One of the major problem that entrepreneurs have is the fact that they have feelings…
Do you know what I mean?
You attach meaning to an event that it may not have!
And when it comes to follow up, that can cause you issues.
Let’s say, you spoke to a likely prospect and you were ever so excited to have that prospect in your life, you were absolutely certain that the business would work for them and you knew, you ABSOLUTELY knew that once they heard your pitch they would fall over themselves to join your network marketing business.
You knew it and yes, there was a part of you that knew that you had reached the limit of new prospects in your pipeline so this person just HAD TO convert into a distributor! They just have to and with that air of desperation, you launch into your business opportunity presentation, you tell them all about the compensation plan and you wait for that certain ‘YES, LET ME IN!’
But NOOOOO, they have to think about it.
They are not ready yet, they say and you are horrified as you consider linng some other poor soul up.
And you give it a huge meaning!
A meaning like “I am so bad at this”, “I am never going to make this work!”, “They must hate something about me”, “They will never join my business EVER”.
You forget that it might just not be the right time for them to join your business today. When they say, they have to think about it… It may mean simply that.
However, when you give it a meaning it does not have, you first of all have to get yourself going again which takes time and you also get too nervous to ever approach them again and so you never follow up and then the next time you see them, they are someone else’s downline!
Understand this, most of the people who come to you are browsing – they are not ready to commit yet but does that mean you should let them leave you forever, I think not!
This is where your follow up begins. This is where staying consistent and continually showing up will serve you. You do not know the exact moment that your prospect will be ready but you can make a choice to be there when they are. How do you do this?
1. Find out what they want
In the initial conversation with the prospect, ask more questions than just telling them over and over how amazing your opportunity is with them. For one, that will build rapport as you listen to what they have to say. Everyone wants to feel listened to and you can be that person for them. Whatever the outcome of the conversation, come out of that conversation knowing more about what they want.
The more conversations you have with people, the more you will start to see trends amongst the people you speak to. These trends can start to inform your marketing. You can put together videos of the more common objections, desires, wants that your prospects have expressed and you can specifically make them aware of this new training thing you have put together. This can build a foundation of trust as you keep creating content on your website that answers the questions of the people who you have spoken to.
2. Get them onto a mailing list
Another great way to stay in contact with people is to create a free giveaway and get them onto your mailing list so that you can stay top of mind with them by sending regular newsletters and updates about your products, team members, and business opportunity. Always make the invitation to come join you.
3. Social media
Social media is a great place to stay in touch with people. Ensure that every prospect you speak to who is on Facebook is connected with. Get them to connect with you so that you do not raise the suspicion of Facebook by permanently asking people to friend you. Of coourse, you can use LinkedIn or Twitter as well. Just make sure there is a social media link as this is one way to keep telling people what you are up to, how your business is developing and so much more.
Just in case no one told you, building a network marketing business is not for fly-by-night entrepreneurs. It takes time and focused efforts. Stop expecting everything to work overnight and yet, it is incredible what can happen in 90 days if you really stay on path.
