Which Types Of Prospecting Techniques Do You Use?

Prospecting is an integral aspect of growing your list of leads. These leads can be used for both offline and online marketing purposes.

Basically when we talk of prospecting, be it for an online business like network marketing or affiliate marketing or for traditional offline business, there are two main techniques, the online as well as offline methods.

It is only in recent years that more people have started to use the online method of lead generation through the use of internet marketing. So which technique works best and which is more effective?

Let us take into account the network marketing industry. Traditionally, ninety-nine percent of network marketing business owners have learnt how to prospect from their uplines and pass on the same information to their downlines.

Generally they teach you to build your master name list by literally requiring you to write down every name in your phone book. This list would include your family, friends, relatives and acquaintances. Some companies will go a step further to provide you with a list of memory joggers… “who do you know”. This is a very extensive list and covers almost everyone and anyone with whom you may have had contact. Emphasis is placed on creating a long list as the belief is ‘the longer the list, the greater the success’. The list is supposed to be your best asset.

For those who are not able to generate a long list, they are taught how to approach total strangers which can be scary for some individuals. When the master list is ready, you will be taught how to invite these people to attend opportunity meetings which are normally held in hotels or homes. These network marketing business opportunity meetings normally last between one to two hours and the prospect is then sold on the dream of succeeding in a home business like network marketing and thus finding the elusive financial freedom.

Some people who attend such meetings are not even aware that they are at a network marketing opportunity meeting. They are not informed until the very end because of the fear that they will close off their mind towards the opportunity if they know that they are actually attending a meeting related to the network marketing industry.

Not many people succeed in the network marketing industry if they follow exactly the above. The problem with the traditional way of prospecting is that:-
 The prospects are from a vast market and are not targeted
 Some prospects feel tricked upon realizing in the end that they are actually in a network marketing business opportunity meeting especially if they have not been informed earlier

With advanced technology, there is now an easier, rejection free method of prospecting. No cold callings required as well. A great & simple tool that everyone can benefit from.

Using the internet, prospecting for leads using the internet marketing method will gain you a prospect in your target market. You are able to gain targeted traffic through the use of various tools on the internet, namely:-
 Article marketing
 Search engine optimization
 Pay per click
 Email marketing
 Banner ad
 Podcasting
 You tube

A great advantage you will find when using internet marketing as a form of prospecting is that these leads or prospects are willing and eager to find out more about what you are offering. As you engage in online marketing you will come to realize that you need not be a ‘pest’ and approach people who are not interested in what you have to offer. This therefore allows you to avoid having to face loads of rejection.

Not only that, you do not need to resort to unscrupulous tactics to be the first to snare the prospect (which can happen in traditional prospecting when you and your sidelines may share the same group of friends) and you can be very upfront with your network marketing business opportunity with each and every single prospect.

How To Find People Who Like MLM

As most of us are aware, the MLM industry is a very competitive industry. As a number of people have been in the network marketing industry before and were not able to make money for whatever reason, the MLM industry is associated with quite a bit of negativity. As such, MLM newbies usually find it tough to get their business off the ground especially if they follow the traditional way of prospecting.

Does this mean that new network marketers are not able to find new prospects and are thus doomed to fail from the very beginning?

No, this definitely does not hold true. Many network marketing companies are international and have no boundaries. The world is your oyster. With such companies, you can be in one continent and have a downline in another continent and you would still be paid.

This is the beauty of network marketing. It is an international business and its reach is global. With that being said, are there still people who like MLM and where can you find them?

Essentially these would be people who are open to MLM opportunities. They would be your target market and comprise individuals who:
Ø Have been in other network marketing organizations before and the companies they were with could have closed the doors due to a variety of reasons
Ø Are currently in another network marketing organization and are just on the lookout for a better company or better compensation plan or better uplines who can show the way and lead them to success
Ø Have heard that network marketing pays well and are keen to join a great company so that they too can make the money
Ø Did not succeed in network marketing before for whatever reason and do not mind if another opportunity lands on their doorstep

With the traditional method of prospecting, the odds of you meeting someone who falls in your target market is like finding a needle in a haystack. However with the current internet age, it is possible to target these people using online marketing techniques.

In fact, once you brand yourself on the internet as an expert and authority in your field, you will find that people will be eager to listen to what you have to say. It is as if the bees (your target market) are being attracted to the honey (you, the expert). When you provide value and share your knowledge and whatever you have unreservedly, your target market will be your loyal followers and may soon end up as your customers.

By offering and providing value, you may, for instance, do a review of various network marketing companies and/or benefits. However, it is of great importance to remember that you should NEVER try to bring people into your company by putting down another company. This strategy does not work. It will backfire one day and when it does, you will lose everything that you have so tirelessly worked for.

Continuously build the relationship with your target market. The better the rapport between you and your target market, the more likely that they will begin to consider whatever opportunity you present them with, be it now or in the future.