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("How To Prospect Successfully!" : MLM Network marketing secrets - is another great article about mlm, network marketing and a little about home based business on mlm network marketing "How To Prospect Successfully!" One of the biggest mistakes people make when they join the business is they start to think, Who can I sell this stuff to? This is completely off base the opposite of what a successful distributor should be thinking.)

"How To Prospect Successfully!"
By Randy Gage

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they join the business is they start to think, "Who can I sell this stuff to?" This is completely off base the opposite of what a successful distributor should be thinking.

Here's the reality:

Every Monday morning at 6:00, 6:30 or 7:00 a.m., alarm clocks all around the world are going off. People are groggily hitting the snooze button, desperate for another five minutes of sleep. They get up at the last possible second, rush through their shower, then microwave breakfast, skip it or buy it in a convenience store on the way to work.

We know that 80 percent of people are going to a job they don't like, or actually hate, and 99.9 percent of them think they should be making more money. Most of them will exist through the day in a comatose state, and grab dinner at a drive-thru window on the way home.

Then, they will plop onto a sofa or recliner and spend the night rubbing the hair off the back of their heads, drinking cans of rancid, fermented hops, watching mindless sitcoms until they're ready for bed... Until Tuesday morning, when the process starts all over... Til Wednesday morning, "It's hump day..." Til Thursday morning... Til Friday morning, "Thank goodness it's Friday!"

And you know what that means it's payday. So, at five o'clock, when their boss whistles them over to fetch their meager pittance, they can feel if for only a few brief moments like the check is theirs.

Now, of course, that check is already spent, but for those few glorious moments, it feels like it's theirs. This calls for a celebration. This means tonight they can eat out! So, in America, that means off to Pizza Hut for a stuffed crust, meat-lovers, double-cheese, double-meat pan pizza, which of course they'll wash down with a Diet Pepsi, or three, because they need to "watch their weight."

From dinner, it's off to the neighborhood video store where they'll stack up 10 to 15 videos which is just enough to keep them from thinking about their life of quiet desperation all weekend. Until Monday morning, when the alarm clock goes off and they start the process all over again...

Do you understand something? You don't need these people. They desperately need and want what you have to offer. So, if you've been thinking, "Who can I get to do this?" you need to change it to, "Who would I like to offer this opportunity to?"

You may think your product is vitamins, or skin care, or discount long distance service, but it is none of those things. What you have to sell is freedom. Never lose sight of that. You're offering people the opportunity to become their own boss and control their own destiny. For most of them, it will be the first opportunity they've ever had with unlimited income potential. It's also the first time they've had a chance to become successful by empowering others. Obviously, everyone would be interested in this, right?

No. Actually, many are not. Why?

Because it means getting out of their comfort zone. Because it takes a belief in one's self that they don't possess. Some of them want success, but not if they have to do any work to get it. They're playing the odds, figuring a rich relative is going to die, or that the next time the phone rings, it will be the Publisher's Clearing House Prize Patrol, calling for their cross street.

And many more think they want success but are actually taking actions to prevent it, because they suffer from "lack consciousness" and don't even know it. So, while the universe of people who need what you have is vast, the group who will seize the opportunity you're offering them is much smaller.

This is where prospecting, the Pre-Approach process, comes in. You have to screen out the people who have a dream and are willing to do something about it (the prospects) from those who are waiting to hit the lottery (the suspects).

Of course, the first questions to arise are, where do you find these people? And who should you talk to?

The place to begin is with friends, neighbors and relatives. This is the natural place to start and it makes the most sense. You won't have to make cold calls or talk to strangers. People who know you will give you the benefit of the doubt and usually at least look at your Pre-Approach Packet.

A lot of people are reluctant to talk to the people they know, fearing that they'll become the victim of the "can't-be-a-prophet-in-your-own-home-town" syndrome. There is some truth to this. If you've been working alongside Joe for the past ten years and now come along with this opportunity to get wealthy, Joe is probably going to be a little skeptical.

That's okay. This is where edification comes in. Let me explain. The entire business can be summed up in three simple words: Duplicate, Edify, and Counsel. You've already learned what duplicate means. Now, you'll learn about edify.

Edification works on the principle that for most people, the expert is the guy from out of town. Also known is the fact that many people place much more credibility in strangers than they do in their own daughters, husbands, fathers, etc.

After all, they know all their baggage. They know every mistake you've ever made, from the lemonade stand you had when you were six that lost money, to the time you burned your slacks with the iron. They haven't been able to achieve a happy, fulfilling life (and they figure they're a whole lot smarter than you), so how would you know about a way to live a happy, fulfilling life?

So, here's how it works. You join a Network Marketing company and you're excited about the possibilities. You start to think about who you would like to help and naturally your thoughts turn to your parents. You call them up, go over to the house and make your presentation. It's a beauty. You sit back and relax waiting for the grateful appreciation your parents are about to express thankful that you've found a way to repay them for all they've done for you over the years.

Mother leans forward, about to speak, "So Mister Big Shot, you're going to make all this money. Don't you remember when you had the paper route and couldn't wake up in time? Your father had to deliver all the newspapers..."

You're devastated. Here you're trying to do some good, to help them, and they're reacting like you were offering them a gift certificate for a complimentary office visit with Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

You've just experienced the prophet-in-your-own-hometown syndrome. No one is immune to this. To this day, I still maintain the hardest presentation I've ever given was to my sister Leise. This is the reason most people are afraid to talk to their friends, neighbors, and relatives (their warm market).

There is a solution...

Edify your sponsorship line and bring your first people to them. Here's why. Your warm market is your best market. You really don't want to be making cold calls and talking to strangers.

Wouldn't it be a lot nicer to work with your friends and people you like?

Here's how...

When you first begin the business, you shouldn't be making your own presentations. Your sponsor (or in cases of fast growth, your sponsorship line) should be making your initial presentations, while you're taking notes and learning the presentation. This is the time to get to all your can't-be-a-prophet people. Ask the qualifying questions. Because they know you and trust you, they'll answer truthfully. To those who show interest, get them a Pre-Approach Packet.

Make sure you let them know that this is a brand new opportunity for you, you've just discovered it and were introduced to the business by someone with a savvy business mind who's really good at helping people reach financial freedom. By edifying your sponsor in advance like this, you're already building up their credibility in the mind of your prospect.

Now, after they review the Pre-Approach Packet and seem interested again, build up the expertise and helpfulness of your sponsor and let your prospect know that this person will be coming to explain the business to them personally. To work with your warm market, you must take your ego out of the equation and edify your sponsor.

Then your sponsor can give you the most support. If your sponsor is already successful, bill them as "an expert in the business." If they're relatively new, moving up, but not mega-successful yet, refer to them as a "rising star." What you're doing in this scenario is leveraging the credibility you have with your warm market for maximum effect. Here's why:

If your sponsor were to cold call one of your friends, neighbors or relatives and try to tell them about an opportunity they'd probably hang up. If you try to tell your friends about the opportunity, you get the hometown prophet treatment. But here's the secret ...

Your warm market trusts you enough to review a Pre-Approach Packet and, if it looks interesting, to meet someone with you (or come to your home for a meeting). And because you said you're new to the business, don't understand it all yet, and you've edified this person as an expert, they will hear things from them that they couldn't hear from you. This is the real secret to getting started fast, and it works!

Over the course of time while you are learning the presentation from your sponsor (usually a five- to eight-week process), you'll be bringing in all your "chicken list" people. Your chicken list has the people who are the most busy, successful, ambitious people you know the ones you'd be "chicken" to make a presentation to. You get them there, but your sponsor makes the actual presentation.

And all this time, your own presentation skills are getting better, you're gaining confidence and getting new distributors into your group. By the end of your first week, you'll be able to do a one-on-one presentation by yourself. By the time your five to eight weeks are up, you'll be quite capable of holding home meetings yourself. Here's the best part:

When you have people that you're still nervous with, or who still give you the hometown prophet treatment, just edify your sponsorship line and bring those people to a second-look meeting where your sponsorship line is presenting! This is the way huge organizations are built! It's completely warm market, non-threatening and very easily duplicated. Anyone can build a group this way.

Even if you have no formal education, you're shy and afraid to make presentations you can still get started in this business. You simply profess your ignorance, edify your sponsor and bring your people to them. And you have as much time as you need to gain confidence and build your presentation skills. Moreover, everyone you talk to will see how they can get involved and gradually learn the business in a non-threatening way.

It's completely duplicatable by everyone. Now, the question always comes up, "Hey, I want to build faster. Why don't I take out ads in magazines and do mail-outs?" And the answer is because they work, but they don't duplicate. The farther you get from the warm market, the more unduplicatable you become. The average person simply will not have the necessary skills or investment to do display advertising or direct mail.

"But everybody does it," you say, "I just received six recruiting tapes in the mail this week!"

And I would reply that yes, a lot of people build with cold market strategies. I did it myself for years until I came to understand the real power of duplication. Cold market strategies can bring in a lot of people initially, but they do not attract people who stay and build long-term businesses. It's also another area where the opportunists lurk. Here's what happens:

An opportunist who owns a large MLM mailing list joins a program. He invests $50,000 on a mail-out campaign sending out cheap cassette tapes. Because most of the people on this list are MLM junkies, desperately searching for the next "hot" program, they join up right away, eager for the chance to work directly with this "heavy hitter" and "catch the wave" of this "hot new deal." So, our heavy hitter immediately builds his check up to $30,000 a month, which he waves around to his group.

The next month, he drops in another $25,000 and finishes mailing to his prime list. This gooses his check up to $50,000 a month, which, of course, he casually mentions to his group. He tells them that they can reach the promised land too they just have to mail out tapes to mailing lists like he did.

Of course, he neglects to mention that he's dumped in $75,000, plus his mailing list, plus his excellent copywriting skills to get his $50,000 a month. Truth is, it's a good investment for him. Because now, all of the junkies in his group are desperately trying to duplicate his success, so they're frantically mailing out tapes to every list they can find.

People like myself who are on every list sometimes get five of the same tape a day. The remaining junkies (those who didn't sign up right away), seeing all these tapes in the mail, figure they're missing the "hot" one, so they reconsider and join up. Now, our heavy hitter is up to $80,000 a month and he doesn't have to spend any money on mailings. He has legions of MLM junkies doing it for him.

This works for him. He makes a quick fortune. It even works for some of the people who got in early on his front line (not many, but a few). But, of course, it doesn't duplicate. Because how many people own mailing lists, have great copywriting skills and can start out investing $50,000 or $75,000 of their own money?

As the universe of impressionable MLM junkies dries up, the "hot" program cools off, attrition begins to outpace growth and the checks start to go down. Most of the people who joined never make a dime. They've charged up their credit cards buying tapes and done their patriotic best to contribute to the postal service budget surplus for the year.

In fact, the post office did quite nicely, thank you, the tape duplicators made a fortune (so they certainly don't mind throwing a kickback to our heavy hitter); and our heavy hitter has cleared at least $400,000 after expenses. So, of course, he can take $50,000 to kick-start the next "hot" deal...

Which, all of the junkies who lost money on this deal are desperately waiting for figuring if they could've just gotten in earlier...

These junkies will chase after four or five deals in a row (sometimes at the same time), desperately seeking a quick payoff. When none comes, they quit and declare that MLM doesn't work. Until a few years later, when a new tape comes in the mail, their greed gears up and they're off again.

They're always running ... always running behind. If they had done their due diligence and found a company and sponsorship line to support them working their warm market, they would've already retired with residual income by now.

If you have advertising skills and the money to play with, advertising works, it just doesn't duplicate and build you long-term residual income. For that reason, I'll no longer discuss it here. If you'd like to research the subject deeper, I recommend you get my Massive Action Marketing audiotape album and study guide.

When you have people who tell you they don't want to talk to their warm market (and you will), there's one of the two variables at work.

One is, they simply don't believe it will work. They say things like, "I don't want to talk to anyone I know yet. I want to take ads and talk to strangers. Then, when I'm rich and successful, I'll go back to my friends."

Of course, this is craziness. If you really thought you had an opportunity that could bring you wealth, happiness and fulfillment wouldn't you be burning up the phone wires to tell your friends and family?

These people need to be sponsored all over again so they really understand the business, and they need a tough-love sponsor who will guide them, and even push them into doing the things that are in their own best interests. In later years, when someone told me that they were not willing to talk to their warm market, I was quick to refund their money and suggest they look elsewhere.

Now, of course, the second variable that can be at play here is that your new distributor used to be an MLM junkie and they've already been to their warm market 20 times. They're simply too embarrassed to go back one more time. I can relate to this personally.

But, I found a solution to this dilemma...

Whenever I am faced with a difficult challenge and there seems to be nowhere to turn I do something that too few people do. In fact, most people think it's quite radical to even think about it. I tell the truth.

Picture this phone call:

"Rod, this is Randy. You're never going to believe this you have every right in the world to hang up on me but I've got to tell you something. I know we thought we were going to make money in that vitamin deal, and the bee pollen thing didn't work out, or the no-run panty hose deal, and I know you still have those water filters I sold you so you have every right in the world to hang up on me but I honestly found something, and I think it's different. Here's why..."

Now, what if Rod hangs up? He's not a prospect. Remember, all you need is a "yes" or "no." The only thing you can't use is a "maybe." So, if Rod does hang up, you can probably assume that he wasn't a "maybe," and we could probably put him in the "no" category. Truth be told, he's really not likely to hang up.

When you just tell the truth, and put it out there most people will give you a listen. And there will be dozens more people on your list who have never joined any of the programs you ever worked. And you're meeting new people all the time. You met at least three to five new people this week.

Now, let's talk about what you say to people you would like to sponsor. I've already said that this is a qualification stage and you begin with a qualifying question. Let's look at some...

Qualifying Questions:

 "Would you like to diversify your income and make more money?"

 "Have you ever thought about opening your own home-based business?"

 "Have you ever thought about developing a second income?"

 "Do you make what you're worth?"

Another approach is to offer some teaser information with your question.

Some examples:

 "I'm involved in a new venture that you may be interested in. You'd be you're own boss. There's unlimited income potential and it's residual income. I have some materials you can review to see if it's right for you..."

 "You consider yourself open-minded, don't you? I'm involved in a marketing business and I'm looking for a couple of key people who want to make money on the side. I'd love to run it by you."

 "Jimmy, I'm excited about some new business ideas that I've come across in the financial world. I've discovered how to make some great income with some lucrative tax benefits. I'd really like to share these ideas with you and Brenda and get your opinions on them ..."

 "I'm involved in a marketing business with some large profit potential. I thought I'd call to see if you're interested in making some money on the side. Are you in the market for more money, more time or both?"

 "I have a large volume marketing business..." Or

 "I 've recently started working with some people who have a large volume marketing business..." ."..and it's really hot right now. It just so happens we're expanding in (City) and we're in the process of talking to a couple of key people. You impress me as someone who's looking for more out of life. If you're really interested, I can find some time to show it to you."

Your goal is not to sponsor anybody at this stage, but rather to determine if they are a prospect.This is where your planning ends and your actual business-building begins. Now you'll begin to separate the suspects from the prospects. A qualifying question and the Pre-Approach Packet will help you through the sorting process.

This will determine whether you move forward to making an actual presentation. Check with your sponsorship line for the correct pre-approach procedure to follow and materials to use. If your company does not have a Pre-Approach Packet, use my Lifestyle Freedom Pack.

The people who respond positively to the pre-approach process are the ones you will be giving presentations to. Initially, as you learn the presentation, your sponsor will be helping you with two-on-ones. As soon as you learn to do the presentations effectively you'll be doing the one-on-ones yourself and two-on-ones with your new people.

NOTE: In cases of rapid organizational growth, your sponsor may not yet be qualified to make a presentation. If so, that's okay go further up the sponsorship line and you will find someone to help you. This is a critical part of your training.

As you watch and listen to your sponsorship line make your initial presentations (taking good notes, I trust), you will be learning how it's done. The sooner you learn to conduct a presentation yourself the sooner you'll be on your way to financial independence. You can then duplicate this process with your people. By following this system, you will be building secure lines with the potential for walk-away, residual income.

Using A Pre-Approach Pack

Remember, the purpose of a Pre-Approach Pack is to separate the prospects from the suspects. In real terms, it's meant to disqualify the non-prospects and lead prospects to an appointment.

I recommend that you have ten Pre-Approach Packs and keep them in constant circulation. They make you no money sitting at home. Keep them circulating and they can make you wealthy. Get one back from Jim give it to Shawn; get it back from Shawn and give it to Sherry, etc.

Here's how using a Pre-Approach Pack works. When you meet or are speaking to a potential prospect, ask them one of the qualifying questions we discussed. People who don't respond positively are not business-builder prospects. See if they have an interest in your product line, and, if so, give them that information.

People who respond favorably should be moved into the system, starting with a Pre-Approach Pack. This pack is your first chance to create a business-like impression with your prospect. We say always that we're "looking for people who are looking." We want to find people with dreams, or people we can help to rediscover their dreams.

Then, we need to know if they are willing to work to achieve those dreams. Finally, we must know that they are open-minded and willing to consider an unconventional business like Network Marketing. The Pre-Approach Pack lets us know if we have such a person.

When a prospect responds to your initial question in a positive way it's usually with some reservation or questions. It's not unusual to get replies to your qualifying questions like:

 "Maybe. It depends on what it is."

 "Yes, depending on what it is." or

 "It sounds interesting, but I would have to know more about it."

These are exactly the kinds of replies you are looking for. It's not realistic to expect people to blurt out, "Sounds great, sign me up!" You wouldn't want such people if they did say that. Someone who shows some interest, but has some guarded skepticism is exactly what you want. Those are the people to give your pack to.

The important part of this process is to create a sense of urgency. Let your prospect know that other prospects are waiting for this material and that they may preview it for 48 hours only. Get their commitment that they will review it within that time.

If they balk at 48 hours (saying, for example, that they can't get to it for four days), tell them that you have other people to review it in the meantime and you'll bring it back in four days. Don't just say it mean it. Keep your packs in constant circulation.

You can also do the pre-approach questions on the phone. Sometimes, for new distributors, this is less threatening and it's easier for them to control the situation. They can confirm the prospect's interest on the phone, and then just run by with the materials. They can pull up while they're on their way somewhere leave the car running, the car door, open and honestly say, "I've gotta run, I'm on my way to , so I just wanted to drop off the materials I promised you."

Here are some of the questions you can expect on the phone along with some possible reply scenarios:

"What is it?"

"I can't do business on the phone, but I can tell you it's a chance to diversify your income and make some extra money. I need to get some information into your hands."

"What do you do exactly?"

"Well it's impossible to explain over the phone, but there are several scenarios I can put you in. There's a small business option if you're looking to pick up a couple of hundred dollars extra each month or a big business option if you're looking for complete financial independence. Tell me what you think you'd be interested in and I'll get some information into your hands so you can check it out."

"Is it selling?"

"Why? Do you like to sell?"

"Yes."

"Great! You'll like what I've got. There are opportunities in sales and management." Or, "No."

"Great, you'll like what I've got, because there's opportunities both in sales and management."

Some other key phrases on the phone that you may find helpful:

"I can't promise you anything, but you need to take a look."

"You can't spend any money or sign anything. Just take a look and evaluate it for now."

"Obviously, I can't explain it on the phone. Why don't you let me get some information into your hands?"

"An intelligent person looks before they decide anything. I'm sure you want to get all the necessary facts before you make a decision."

"If we end up working together, I'll be investing a lot of time and money with you."

Just like when you prospect in person when you actually give the materials to your prospect, you must create a sense of urgency.

When you return after 48 hours to collect your packet, ask your prospect simply:

"Well, what do you think?"

Their answer should fall into one of three categories:

1. "That looks very interesting, but it doesn't seem right for me..."

2. "I'm not interested in that pyramid stuff. My brother-in-law has a garage full of water filters, blah, blah, blah!!"

3. "Wow! Sounds intriguing. But what's the company? It doesn't say what the products are..."

People who respond like the first example are simply not looking for an opportunity. They did not catch the vision and are best handled by offering them information about your products. If, however, you'd really like to work with them, and you think they didn't really give your pre-approach materials a fair look, you might say something like:

"Hey, it really hurts my feelings that you won't even look at this. Besides that, you're a friend of mine and I was hoping we could work together."

The people who respond in the second manner are closed-minded people who don't want to be confused by the facts. If you're using my Lifestyle Freedom Pack, it's obvious they didn't even read the Special Report. You can argue with this type of person, but I don't recommend it.

I suggest you get your materials back and get away from them as quickly as possible. If, however, you really want to work with them, and you think they just had a knee-jerk response without really checking things out, you could reply along these lines:

"Hey, I'm hurt that you even think I would be associated with such a thing. I wouldn't be involved with anything that wasn't on the up-and-up. Besides, you're a friend of mine. I'm not looking to rip you off I was hoping we'd have the opportunity to work together."

The "Wow!" replies are the keepers. These are the people you want to move to Step Two, which is actually giving them a presentation. If it's possible, do it right then. If not, schedule a specific time and place for this to happen. It's okay to say something like, "Where would you be more comfortable, at your home or would you like to come to ours?"

Then, once you have the appointment, lock it in. Don't be afraid to say something like, "Let me know if you're not going to be there. I'll invite someone else."

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have both spouses present for your presentation.

If I'm prospecting a man, I might say something like, "Like a lot of companies, when we sit down to talk to someone about a business, we want their wife there to make sure we're all on the same page." If the man balks and suggests that he'll relay the information to her, I'll explain that this won't work, "Because Jimmy, you won't be able to explain it to her. I'll just be doing a quick run-through the first time to see if you're qualified. I'd like you and Brenda there, so you can see it together."

If you're married, you might mention that your spouse is going to be there too. By having both spouses present, you'll dramatically increase your likelihood of success. If you've been using the Pre-Approach Pack long distance, do a presentation on the phone and send out your company materials packet.

By using a pre-approach in this way, you'll get the best results from the limited amount of time you have to work your business. You'll be making presentations only to qualified prospects, and you'll dramatically reduce the rejection that you and your people will face.

NOTE: As I said earlier, not all lines use Pre-Approach Packs. They ask the qualifying questions, then go straight to an appointment. Check with your sponsor.

Now, we need to talk about the amount of time you spend doing this. Please understand, if you're not out qualifying people, circulating Pre-Approach Packs and/or making appointments you're really not doing the business.

You need to be open and aware of the messages people are sending you 24 hours a day not just during the seven to ten hours a week you're doing your business. Here's what I mean You hear a co-worker complaining that they don't have enough money to afford a new car, but the old one needs to be replaced.

You hear someone at church expressing dissatisfaction with their life because they have a terrible boss. As you go about your day-to-day activities, listen for these kinds of statements.

These people are prospects. Make a mental note of this and move them up on your prospecting timetable. And finally, keep this in mind. This is a business of appointments. If youÕre not making them and keeping them you're not doing the business. Picture a dentist, lawyer, hairstylist or doctor without appointments.

They'd be out of business. You are no different. If you don't have three to five appointments lined up for this week ... you don't have a business. Network Marketing can work for you, but you must really work the business. And working the business means making appointments!

And while we're on the subject of pre-approaching people, we should talk about when in your relationship with them this approach should happen.

I'm not a big fan of pre-approaching the waitress you just met, or the taxi driver you just had. The odds are long you'll sponsor them, and even longer that you'll get your materials back. It makes more sense to me for you to just put them on your name list and let the relationship develop. As you get to know them better, it will be much more natural and you will have a greater chance of success when you talk with them.

Now, don't get me wrong. If you meet a flight attendant or hotel desk clerk that just impresses the daylights out of you you know they're perfect for the business and you might never see them again go ahead and approach them. But, for the most part, you will have much greater success prospecting the people that you already have a relationship with.

Recommended Resources Randy Gage is the author of How to Earn at Least $100,000 a Year in Network Marketing, the number-one selling audio album in Network Marketing. He also created the million selling audio tape Escape the Rat Race. How to Build a Multi-Level Money Machine is his first full-length, hardcover book about how to succeed in multi-level marketing. To order these or other quality network marketing and personal development resources from Gage Direct Marketing, call 1-800-432-GAGE or (305) 531-7085. You can also find other quality resources from Gage Direct on their web site, www.gagedirect.com.