Network Marketing 101: Sort. Don't Sell.

Network Marketing 101: Sort. Don't Sell.

I'm going to let you in on a little principle that can make a massive positive effect on your network marketing business (or in most businesses, really). It's not some "super secret" new technique that I've just discovered or some really new promotional tool. It's an attitude and a state of mind that, once achieved, will help you sponsor new distributors and help failing distributors succeed.

What is this "state of mind" of which I speak? Put simply, you need to see yourself and your network marketing business as "sorters" not "sellers." The biggest problem that many people have with network marketing is they see it as a "sales business" where you have to learn fancy closes and high-pressure techniques. Those are things that most people just aren't comfortable with and most people won't do them. Period.

Here's where a big part of the problem lies. Most people think of selling as "high-pressure techniques used to separate nice people from their hard-earned money." Visions of slick-talking used car salesman types come immediately to mind. (No offense to honest and ethical used-car salespeople). Who would want to do that? Not me, and not most people in general.

Instead, see your network marketing opportunity for what it really is - a way to help people take control of their future and put themselves in the driver's seat. You see, you just don't know where other people are in their life. That prospect you talk to could be at a point where an extra $300 per month could mean the difference between getting a good night's sleep or worrying about how the mortgage is going to get paid. For that prospect, you're not making a sales pitch, you're throwing a lifeline.

Yes, you should learn your opportunity presentation as well as you can and you should present it to the best of your ability. Yes, you should follow-up with your prospects and encourage them to sign up. However, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, it is still your prospect's decision. Sure, you could throw a couple of high-powered closes on them and get a signature on the dotted line, but what have you really accomplished? All you have is a disgruntled downline distributor who will probably quit at the first opportunity. What good does that do you? That's right. It does you NO good.

Network Marketing is an all volunteer business. We don't have the draft here. Your time is better spent sorting out the people who want to get in and get started. Don't waste a bunch of time on fence sitters or the disinterested.

Thanks to the Internet, the process of sorting people has become a lot easier. If you or your company has an automated site where prospects can learn about your business, you can actually use your site to let prospects sort themselves. Those who have some degree of interest can read your site and request more information. Those who are not interested at all can make that informed decision without wasting your valuable time, or theirs. In addition, just think of all the money you'll save when you only send literature and pay for phone calls to truly interested prospects. You're only dealing with people who want to learn what you have to offer. Isn't that much better than try to make a sales pitch on anything with a pulse?

If you don't have access to such a sorting system, I strongly urge you to get together with your upline and put one in place. The rewards far outweigh any costs involved. Of course, you don't need the Internet to sort people, it just increases the ease and speed with which you do it.

You can certainly sort in person. Just give your presentation and as your prospect what they think. If they ask questions, you can assume that there is a level of interest. If they jump on you and demand an application and a pen, you are pretty safe in guessing that there is a BIG level of interest. If they start talking about football, or how they need to get home to the babysitter (when they have no kids), you can pretty well guess that this business isn't for them.

If people join your business, that's great! Give it all you've got to be the best sponsor they could ever hope for. By the same token, if your prospect decides that your business is not for them, that's great too. At least they have made an informed decision and they've freed you up so you can search out the next person who will say "yes."

When someone declines your business opportunity, that's ok. Don't take it personally. They're not making a comment about you and your worth as a human being. They're just saying that the business is not for them, or that now is not the right time. Respect that decision. It's like when the waitress at the diner asks you if you would like another cup of coffee and you decline. You aren't rejecting her, just her offer. Moreover, you aren't saying that you'll never drink coffee again, just that you don't care for any right now. It really pays to put these things into perspective.

You see, when you look upon your business opportunity offer as a potential "life saver" and not a "sales pitch" and see yourself as a "sorter" and not a "seller," your stress level goes down, your productivity goes up and you're likely to have a lot more fun in your network marketing career. Additionally, more people will join your business because they'll know that they can succeed without having to be a heavy-handed salesman. It's a win/win situation for all.

When it comes to prospecting in Network Marketing, remember "SW-SW-SW-N" - "Some will. Some Won't. So What! Next!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Hicks is a twenty-two year veteran of Network Marketing. He is well known for his low-key, no hype business and teaching style. Tim invites you to visit his websites at www.TRH3.com and www.TimHicks.com. You may email him at tim@timhicks.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------