Less IS More! Prospecting for your Network Marketing Business

Call it what you want, but prospecting is specifically thinking about sharing your business with someone else. The dictionary’s definition: pros·pect (prspkt)
n. – a. A potential customer, client, or purchaser.

You will have a greater success rate in building your direct marketing or network marketing business if you focus simply, on keeping it simple.
In everything in life, we become very familiar with things we are passionate about. We become very excited and can’t wait to tell the world so they too can become just as excited and join the excitement bubble we have for that particular product, service, or opportunity.
When working to build your business and the daily action of putting your opportunity, product, or service specifically in front of someone you feel should check it out too, it can become a dangerous line between sharing too much information.

It’s easy to confuse people as well as to talk them right out of even checking it out. Less IS More! Be excited! Make them make their own decision on taking that next step further to see if this is something they are interested in. Below are three top tips to follow when sharing your opportunity with a prospect.

1) BE EXCITED AND CONFIDENT! Speak with energy and confidence. Your facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone will be the first impression on this conversation. With whatever you are about to say, focus on these areas first.

2) BE EFFECTIVE IN KEEPING IT SIMPLE! No need to go into a long list of how to win this, make money here, this random person they don’t know is so successful, you get training here, you can do these home parties there, you can start challenges here, and you can win this award here…etc..you just confused the heck right out of them and made the decision for them. People are busy! If you are clear, concise, and simply just drop a seed so they can go develop that curiosity in your opportunity.

3) POINT THEM TO THE PRESENTATION/PRODUCT/SERVICES! Be clear in direction. Fumbling over your words speaks lack of confidence. Have a clear direction of what you want them to look further into. If it’s a video presentation of your business, know which one you like the best, and be consistent on sharing that. When it is a product, best practices is to have a sample on you to hand over.

In all of your prospecting experiences, be sure to set a clear time for them to check out what you want them to check out and a clear time as to when you will be following back up with them.
Following up is the biggest mistake direct marketers make. Consider it peace of mind! You know where this person stands and you are never left wondering if they checked it out, are they interested, as well as you get to leave the stalker label to the next guy.

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Are you ADVERTISING or MARKETING your business?

For most small-business owners, typically, the selling process is anything but easy and sometimes frightful! In fact, when it comes to promoting your product or service, many entrepreneurs struggle with any number of issues, including lack of confidence in themselves or their product, fear of failure/rejection and fear of closing the deal. On average, most new business owners fall quick and deep into the habit of advertising because our brains and our outside influences are so conditioned in doing so. Oddly enough, it’s a turn off! Put the shoe on the other foot and you will clearly see how turned off or how quick you are to hit the delete key on that incoming promo email, doesn’t matter who it came from, right? We just don’t want to be sold. There is a difference between advertising and marketing. The good news is experts say these fears and processes can be overcome with the proper attitude, training and practice.
First things first lets showcase some of the typical areas that may be holding you back in your business.

1) Nervous about making a Negative First Impression? You have complete control over this! It’s been said that first impressions are 50% of the getting to know you/like you process. Depending on where you are working to build your business, do as the Roman’s do, to a degree. People are attracted to other’s who look like them, dress like them, and act like them. If your audience is young vibrant early twenties women, you may want to wear the hot color now out and well put together outfits with accessories. You do not need to “act as a twenty year old” especially if you are no where near that age range. If your audience is a group of business professionals, look the part!

2) Scared of Rejection? Rejection actually can work in your favor. You’ve heard the saying, “Go for No.” this will actually force you to practice! Practicing where you can continuing to present your services, craft, or products for your audience will only make you better. Understanding the reasons behind a rejection can help you refine your product and presentation. Sometimes, the only way to beat that fear is to confront it. The more you do it the better you become at it, and less fear will be the result. Additionally, what you have may not be suited for everyone. Work with the people it is best suited for.

3) Are you Coming Across as Too Pushy? Focus more on having a conversation with someone than simply selling. Not every conversation has to move into you selling them what you have. But if the conversation does lead this way, learn the prospect’s needs and ask yourself if what you’re offering is of real value to that person. When you care about your prospective customer and develop a sense of trust, you’re more likely to make the sale. Business is about relationships, not who you can sell something to.

What’s the difference between advertising and marketing then? Easy, think about advertising. Shouldn’t be too hard, you are getting slammed with it everyday!
Advertising is the direct promotion of products and services to you. Sometimes in can be screamed in a mass promotion over and over again and on the most common level new business owners take, they personally send off “form” letters and canned conversations without finding out what the other person may need.
This of course allows people to move you into the white noise category and easily into the deleted email folder.

The best way to build your business is by marketing. You are a business, so own it! You provide service, products, and an opportunity for people. Just because you offer something that requires an exchange of money or commitment, doesn’t mean you are a slimy bad guy. You just need to find the right people that are looking for what you need. Again, you are a business. This is the way of the world, business is all around us. Services are being bought. Products are being purchased. How do you fall into being a success then? The biggest difference will be your interest in who you are speaking with. It’s not what’s in it for you, but what’s in it for them. Discover their needs and how you may be able to help support that need for a solution. Specifically creating a bigger social network allows you to speak more and more to people without intention. Once you have learned this skill, it really opens the door for attraction marketing; that’s a whole other story!

DON'T FREAK OUT! Consistency for Small Business Growth

Why is consistency important in small business growth? Especially a small home business? It's not only the important but the cornerstone! It also translates into all areas of your life!

Being in the health and wellness industry, I am guilty of the exact same feelings of discouragement and wanting to throw the towel in when I don't see immediate results!  All that focused planning of my food, intake, and exercise, why can't I be at a lean ripped up machine in just a matter of a couple days?  Honestly, I always notice that my body doesn't change much, weigh different, or really "see" the efforts of my labor until the 14th day!  Weird, I wake up on the 14th day, and boom, I can see it!

Or how about the time where I started washing dishes in my hometown restaurant when I REALLY wanted to be a "bus girl." Even though I didn't get tips being a bus girl, it just allowed me to have that feeling of success and not being the one trapped in a hot kitchen scraping uneaten food off of plates and throwing them in the wash. My time did finally come to graduate into the main dining where I could finally dress in a black skirt and white shirt, and the white shirt would actually stay white!  But I had to put a ton of effort, prove my skills, prove my work ethic, prove my determination for growth, prove I am the girl to move!

Why is your home business any different than any other venture of growth in your life?

There is no difference! Why would you decide to make a big change in your life, one that will improve the quality of your life, invest time, money, and stress in the efforts of getting started then do nothing or drop off because the growth of your business isn't happening when you want it to?  Only you can answer that question for yourself, yet so many people do just this.

No business should be treated like a hobby and especially your own business you must take it seriously and be consistent on a daily basis.  Don’t think that things will happen overnight it takes time and committing yourself.

I hear many times from people working on developing their business say, “I tried that it didn’t work” or "I don't have upline support." Most often time it's easier to put the blame on someone else or even put the blame on the business model itself.

But what it really boils down to is consistency. Doing the right activity over and over.  Now we have to be realistic!  You can't expect to see life changing results in a matter of a couple months.  There is no possible way but you must be persistent and consistent. Because just like riding a bike, it's tough to get the bike rolling as you start to pedal, but once you are rolling it's rolling with less effort! But as soon as you hit the breaks and stop, to get rolling again is tough! Sometimes you may even be caught in the middle of a steep hill!

I run with the motto, "Things always work out in the end". I'd be honest in saying I don't stress out about meeting deadlines, meeting challenges, and even meeting the personal quota and goals I set each month. Even when the month starts to near it's end, my stress level starts to rise and I start working even more on activity to produce the results I'd like.  But what I find happens, is that because I was consistent, never putting the breaks on for the months leading up to the end of this month, the breadcrumbs and efforts I was laying down the whole time turns around and pays off.

Here are some suggestions to ensuring your activity is productive and not just a matter of busy work that you keep fooling yourself with.

1) Set a 90 day activity journal.  Record your activity for 3 months, as well as the productivity.  If you are failing to see the fruition of the efforts you laid down in the beginning of the 90 days come around at the end of the 90 days, time to re-evaluate your activity.

2) Re-Evaluate your Daily/Weekly/Monthly Schedule - It's easy to be busy. But being busy with activity that fills your time producing no results will only frustrate you.  Use a calendar to schedule out your appointments of work and activity on each day and follow it! Be sure to move on to the next scheduled task that is on your schedule.

3) Don't be Scared to Ask for an Honest Opinion! - After being diligent in your efforts of work and activity, find your mentor, sponsor, or direct manager and ask for some constructive feedback.  As hard as that pill is to take, someone that you have in this position above you should be able to deliver just the news you need to hear while giving you that drive and determination to make those changes for a better result.

As more is learned about your efforts, schedule, and areas needed for improvement, more of the inefficiency is removed, exposing that still more can be learned — and so on — creating an ever increasing spiral of productivity and results. But that can’t happen without consistency.

Top 3 Tips to Start Your Day in your Home Business

Learn my top 3 tips on what you should do to start your mornings started off right and most effective in your home business.

1) Get Organized!
2) Make an action item or to-do list
3) Schedule when you will check email

Many times people who own their own business get caught up and distracted by the comforts of home or the chores of home. Your daily commute and prep time has been cut down to a seconds, or minutes, depending on how far your bedroom is to your home office space. ;)
Start each day with these suggestions, and you will be marked and planned to move through your action items with progress in growing your own home business.

Be sure to comment below and let me know your getting started tips for each day as well as what other topics you would like to see featured.