Why “Friends And Family” Shouldn’t Be Part Of Your Business “Formula”…

When most first get involved with their home based business, the first thing they’re told to do is to make a list of their warm market. You’ve heard it over and over again…”sit down and write a list of your family, friends and anyone you’ve had contact with over the past year…then call them and invite them to a “showing”".

And, truth be told, this technique does work….however, it’s not a long term business building strategy – it’s really like building a business on quicksand.

Here’s why. You’ll go through that process and likely enroll a few people. After a few months though you’ve got a problem on your hands…those that were gung ho crazy about making tons of money have now dropped out of your business (cause they weren’t making anything) and you can’t recruit fast enough to offset those dropping out.

End result = your check gets smaller and smaller with each passing month.

Network marketing is one of very few industries that provides no formal training to new associates. We hear the typical stuff…approach your friends and family, pass out fliers, product samples, etc – there’s “no meat and potatoes” to build your business based upon direct response marketing principals.

Think about it…if you wanted to be a pharmacist, an accountant, a fashion designer…or hey, even if you wanted to flip burgers, you’d partake in a formal training program that would show you the “ins and outs” of how to do what you’re trying to do, right?

Not so much in network marketing. The only thing “qualifying” someone to be in business is your checkbook…bring a few hundred bucks and we’ll get you into business. OK, now what? No formal training, just approach everyone who comes within 3 feet of you, sound excited…and you’ll build a business. Uh huh.

Building a business requires an understanding of what marketing is REALLY all about. It’s an understanding of how to create an endless supply of leads…then how to properly communicate with them using the written word and the spoken word to bring ‘em into your business.

It took me several years to ultimately figure out that network marketing (or building any business for that matter) boils down to 2 basic things…constantly learning and constantly applying that knowledge into my business. Almost sounds too simple, but it’s the absolute truth.

Savvy marketers understand that they can’t build a sound business with their friends and family…they understand they have to “work the numbers”, but not in the traditional sense. Most people believe they can build a business by “presenting” their opportunity to 20 or 30 prospects a week will do the trick – doesn’t work like that.

For most, that would be a GREAT week too. There’s a much more effective and efficient way of building a business…you can “present” your products/opportunity to THOUSANDS, or TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERY WEEK…when you understand marketing. It comes down to this formula:

1. Create a list of prospects that are reaching out…wanting more information on what you’ve got cookin’.

2. Share valuable content/information with them (remember, marketing is about building relationships based upon their needs, then solving their problems).

3. Host periodic teleconferences or webinars – to share good content and recruit.

4. Recruit via email and/or video via the list you’ve created.

You must be positioned as a leading authority in your niche – prospects buy from experts and those they trust. Simple as that.

Once you master this formula, the sky really is the limit. Not only for yourself, but you’ll then share your knowledge to your team so they can do the same.

I went through the school of hard knocks…after first getting involved with network marketing in the early 90′s I spent about $70,000.00 trying to figure things out on my own. HUGE MISTAKE, but it also taught me volumes.

It’s that knowledge that provides me the ability to generate millions of dollars every year and more importantly, share that information and exactly how to do it with people like you.

If you’re serious about creating a sound business and recruiting more associates next month than you did during the prior 12 combined…it’s paramount that you understand direct response marketing. Here’s a few of my mentors that you should be learning from as well: Dan Kennedy, Michael Masterson, Claude Hopkins, the late Gary Halbert, Eben Pagan…to name a few. Get on their mailing lists..watch their every move. Learn.

Committed to your success,

Terry