3 New Ways to Grow Your Network Marketing Business, Using the Internet
They say attending events is the key to having success in network marketing, and this particular event for network marketing leaders I attended last November completely changed my business.
Spending a week in Miami for many, including myself, can be a week in Heaven, best way to reset myself after all the 9-5 grind!
The beach, the partying, the food, the… well… you get the idea…
However, for this event, ‘discipline’ was the name of the game for me!
Ok, I did have my share of sipping tequila, even though I was not a big drinker, I still enjoyed the chill.
And I did skip out on business meetings (no judging here...) to walk the Miami beach, feel the warm and silky sand, swim in strong waves, oh man..it's a great time.
Aside from that, I was there to learn and to network and I wasn't in bed until midnight and was up in the morning by 7:30am every day!
With all the excitement surrounding the network marketing superstars who were speaking on stage, I picked up this social media strategy that is a game changer to the industry.
You see, a few last years back, I was still struggling in prospecting and recruiting, chasing friends and family about my products and business.
But at a particular session during the event, I was excited once again, because I discovered these 3 new proven strategies that will help with your recruiting. I am gonna to share with you in a moment.
There’s so much I could share with you and in time, I will be sharing much of what I learned to those who subscribe to my bootcamp newsletter.
But for now, I’d like to focus in on what was probably the most important thing that was shared and discussed that entire week in Miami.
Strategy #1: Social Media Prospecting
This strategy is an approach which will seem pretty familiar, because it’s prospecting as we’ve always done it, just with an online twist.
This is the first strategy I ever utilized to bring new people into my network marketing business, affiliate marketing business and to sell products and services I was representing.
Now prospecting on social media is NOT “Internet marketing,” however it still beats camping out at your local mall prospecting every cashier you come face to face with.
Here’s how to effectively utilize this strategy:
1) SEARCH – Use Facebook Search to find ‘friends of friends’ who live locally (at least to start with).
There are a few reasons for doing it this way…
First of all, Facebook allows you to directly message ‘friends of friends’ so that your message goes into their main inbox, instead of the “Other” inbox, which most people don’t even know exists.
Secondly, you start with local, because it will allow you to eventually meet face to face with them to form a more powerful personal connection. Given that you have no prior relationship, it’s important to meet.
2) QUALIFY – Next, you take a minute to look at their profile and identify key interests that might resonate with you personally, your business or your products.
You are also looking for more subtle things, like are they smiling in their pictures? Are they outgoing? Do they seem to be a positive person?
Bear in mind, you are prospecting, but you are also qualifying them.
For example, an interest in Robert Kiyosaki might mean there’s an interest in entrepreneurship or diversified income streams. An interest in CrossFit indicates an interest in health and wellness and that might resonate with your company’s products.
3) MESSAGE – Then you craft your first message to them, which believe it or not, follows a somewhat standard prospecting approach.
You can come up with a template (which I initially did), but each message will be tailored to them specifically. This message will mention friends you have in common.
You mention that you’re a recruiter for a “health & wellness company” or whatever the niche is, you’re “expanding in the area” and you ask if they are “open to earning extra money?”
Your initial message should not have any intention of closing a sale. This is just to see if they’re even open to building a home business.
Also you DO NOT want to be posting copy/paste messages with links to sign up for your opportunity. Not only is that not effective, it’s considered SPAM by Facebook and can get your account shut down and get your company in trouble too.
In this initial message, you aren’t giving them any info or links. You are simply trying to get them to express an interest.
4) BOOK – If they respond back with interest, book a face to face meeting, if local or at the very least get them on the phone. You just let them know that details are better explained in person and, “if we were to work together, it’s a good opportunity to see if we would like each other! ;-)”.
At this point, if they meet with you, hopefully your company or upline have defined a solid process for you to follow from here.
Usually the response rate is 30%.
If they don’t answer back, there are some different approaches here. You can either play it safe and leave the 70% that didn’t answer back, alone.
But money is in the follow up!
You should follow up with a 2nd message 4-5 days later, if they didn’t answer back.
It’s a short message simply to see if they a) received the 1st message and b) to see if they are interested. Sometimes they don’t get the first message or see the message when they are in the middle of something and forget to answer back.
When I started sending a follow up message I received a huge increase in responses. Most were positive and some people even apologized for not getting back to me sooner, lol!
I recommend not sending a third follow up message. At this point, you assume a “NO” and move on.
Speaking of moving on… here’s another cool strategy…
Strategy #2: Bait with the CHEESE
This process is pretty simple and depending on your personality, may or may not be great for you.
This pretty much involves posting your results on social media (i.e. showing checks, cars you’ve earned, vacations you’ve won, your before and after weight loss pics) and waiting for people to express an interest via the comments or private message.
Additionally, to boost results, you can add a CALL TO ACTION to message you, if they want more info.
From a ‘leading with the opportunity’ angle, this would involve posting pictures and announcements about your ‘rags to riches’ story, income results, and the impact it’s made on your lifestyle. (Obviously, you can only do this if you’ve gotten results.)
I used this approach initially on my personal Facebook page and I’ve seen people whom I know personally deploy this strategy with great success, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t utilize this strategy for too long.
When you utilize this strategy this way…
It can appear hypey and can piss off your real life friends & family, but I know it can work well too, because let’s face it, most people have a desire for more income.
Alternatively…
I’ve utilized this method with a ‘leading with the product’ angle. It tends to be much more powerful and usually more friend & company safe, especially if the results you are posting has to do with a personal or customer case study.
This angle will help you generate more customers and a few of those customers may express an interest in the business, after they fall in love with the product.
I’ve seen a lot of friends and leaders rock this method with weight loss challenges & showing before and after pictures. If you can provide a clear and visible result that was produced from product use, it’s incredibly powerful.
For example, when I was in the shopping business, I posted pictures of my online purchases and then would reveal how little I paid for what normally someone would pay double for. Then when I received comments below the images or private messages…
I utilized Strategy #1 to build a relationship and begin the process of closing the sale. =)
Or if you’re in the health and wellness niche, you can post pictures of yourself running a marathon, decreasing your wrinkles on your face, or whatever, which would not have been possible without certain supplements or face creams.
Essentially, show everyone connected to you on social media a desirable change in your life, achieved in part or as a direct result of your product.
Once they express an interest, you follow whatever process you’ve been taught for closing people.
Initially, when I utilized both Strategy #1 and #2, I would book face to face meetings or 3-way calls to start closing people over the phone. A great book to get you started with this process is Eric Worre’s book Go Pro. It really opened my eyes up to the process of how to invite, follow up and close a sale without hard selling.
But if “closing” people is not your thing, then here’s my favorite Internet strategy, which I’ve now used successfully in my business to get rapid results for the past year…
Strategy #3: Attraction Marketing
I think we will all look back at the year 2015 as the tipping point for when Internet marketing (i.e. passive online selling & recruiting) was finally legitimized as the force it deserves to be recognized as, in network marketing.
Person after person at the event in Miami stood up and shared how their business had exploded after incorporating internet marketing alongside their traditional strategies.
Noticed that they didn't go online out of weakness, not because they want to escape from calling or meeting someone face to face. They went online to 10x their business.
I strongly...believe that when network marketing meets internet marketing, your business will literally quadruple if you do it the right way.
Sitting next to me was a lady called Brandy, she's the top earner in her company, and revealed to me that recently a network marketing leader reached out to her wanting to join her team!
Why? Because Brandy has built up an influence online using internet marketing strategies or what we call "Attraction Marketing". People see her as the authority, and when timing is right, they reach out to her for partnership.
Now that I have been applying this exact same strategy, I have created a truly passive way of making sure that when I wake up each morning…
I will have an inbox full of notifications, letting me know that there were 10, 20, 50, or even hundreds of new prospects, interested in learning more about my business or my products.
And what’s even cooler is that I also start having an inbox full of notifications of 5 – 10 new CUSTOMERS waiting to receive their product and excited about the possibility it holds for them.
These sound really hypey... I know... I was skeptical when I first learnt about this, but as I promise on this site, there's no hype, only strategies that will work for you.
See, just about every other type of business in the world is now using proven, passive and scalable online marketing & advertising methods.
So why NOT use these methods in your network marketing or home business to give you more time in the day to do whatever it is that you love?
Just like anything else in business, this will take work and study.
Benjamin Pang
Network Marketing & Social Media Coach
P.S. What do you think is the #1 challenge most home business owners have with building their businesses online? Comment below, or start a chat with me. I would love to know your thoughts! 