Quite often when I am talking with other network marketers, they often ask me where I go to get great leads.  It seems that all of the top network marketers are able to pull people of out thin air and get them to join their business.  Is there some sort of secret to getting great leads?

I think it’s safe to say that the majority of network marketers hate to do anything that even remotely looks like cold calling.  It doesn’t matter if you call it prospecting either or if you have been telling yourself over and over “I love to prospect, I love to make cold calls,” it won’t make you want to pick up that phone.  I have spoken with many struggling network marketers and they often say things like “I don’t want to seem pushy” “I just wait for people to ask me about my product or service”  or “I don’t want to call people on the phone” 

Here’s the thing.  If you are in network marketing, you joined a MLM company, or you are in direct sales, you have to accept that prospecting, making cold calls, is part of the job.  In order to do this much hated task, you have to have leads.  So, where is the best place to get leads?

Generating Leads

What is the best way to generate leads to market your product or service?  Well if you listen to your MLM Company or your upline leaders, the first thing they will suggest you do is for you to sit down and write down the names of every single person you know.  The thought is that the average person knows about 200 people.  And like magic, you have just generated your first 200 free leads.

Most MLM companies like to tell you that you don’t have to have any experience to be able to make money from home.  So, they use this method to get you started on your prospecting journey.  The thought is that if you are talking to people that you already know, it will be easier for you to tell about your product or service.

It is a great technique for the beginning MLM’er because it gets you going quickly without any additional expense and if you talk to enough people on your list, you will probably get one or two of them to join your network marketing business.

More Free Leads

The second method that I used to get from my network marketing company was to use the three foot rule.  In this lead generating method, I was told to tell everyone within earshot about my business opportunity.  Just start up a conversation with someone by asking them what they do for a living and when they ask you what you do, that is your cue to talk about your home based business and try to get them to join in.  And like magic, I had all the free leads that I could possibly want.  All I had to do was get out more. 

Referral Leads

Another method that I was taught by my network marketing company was to ask for referrals.   In this lead generating method, I was told to use my friends, relatives, and anyone else that I knew or came in contact with if they knew anyone that might be interested in my network marketing opportunity.  You know what I am talking about don’t you?  Asking something like’ “Do you know anyone who is looking to make money from home?”   And like magic, I had another way to generate free leads.

Everyone Loves Free Leads Don’t They

Everyone loves the word “Free” so, what’s wrong with free leads?   I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  If you are generating leads even free leads: by writing a list of everyone you know, talking with everyone that you come within three feet of, or asking for referrals from those same people, you might as well be getting those leads straight from the phone book.  Here is the thing that I want you to get out of this.  If your prospect didn’t do something to indicate that they may have an interest in your product or service, then leave them alone.  You will only be wasting your time trying to convert them into sales.

The Results

It’s no wonder that there is a 98% failure rate in the network marketing industry.  After you spend your first three months contacting all of your free leads, you may have signed up a few people.  That is if you are lucky.  So, with all of the effort that you have exerted, you have made some money with your home based business.  You did make some money right?  My question is, are you any closer to producing a leveraged income with your network marketing business?  And, what do you do now that you have exhausted all of your free leads, do you spend countless hours trying to convince people that don’t want to be sold anything?

Purchasing Leads

Well, if you listen to your MLM Company and your upline leaders, you buy some leads.  After all, you made some sales with the free leads.  You can afford to spend all of the money you made on opportunity seeking leads.  You saved that money didn’t you?

I’m sure that your network marketing company leaders have some great sources for you to purchase leads from.  Leads of people that are looking for a home based business.  This starts to sound really great.  Why did they wait so long to tell me about these opportunity seeking leads?  Why didn’t they just tell me that there was ways to talk to people that are actually looking for a home based business?

Opportunity Seeking Leads

In this lead generating method, you are asked to spend anywhere from $2-$5 for a qualified opportunity seeking lead.  The lead companies selling these leads make them sound like getting people to join my network marketing company will be like picking sweet ripe fruit from the low hanging branches.

So, why is it that after I spend a ton of money on these supposedly great leads, I’m not any closer to generating a residual income than when I started?  To top it off, I am now in the hole financially.

What Went Wrong?

Why didn’t these leads work, what went wrong?  I can’t say for sure because I don’t know how these leads were actually generated.  Was the person actually looking for a home based business or were they looking for something else and had to fill out a survey in order to get that something?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that opportunity seeking leads are probably the worst leads that you could spend your money on.

To start with, some people looking for a money making opportunity are really looking for a job.  There are also some people looking for an opportunity that will jump from one opportunity to another without even giving the first one a real try.  As a result your retention rate will be very, very low.  Let’s face it there will always be a better looking opportunity out there.

Here is what I want you to get out of this section.  Stay away from opportunity seeking leads.  Stay far away; they are a complete waste of money.  I mean it.  I have purchased the double opt-in kind, the real time kind, the this kind, the that kind and I can safely say that they all stink.

What Is The Real Secret To Getting Great Leads

Actually, I don’t have enough time to get into the specifics in this article.  But if you truly want to know how to get great leads, then give me a call.   If you aren’t ready to pick up the phone just yet, then stay tuned to this blog, there will be more on this subject.  I promise that I will share the secret.