Tag Archives: attraction marketing

What’s Wrong with “Warm Market” Strategies?

If you’re involved with a network marketing business, you’ve most likely utilized some old school methods to build your business. Purchasing opportunity leads and/or marketing to your “warm market.”

We talked about leads in an earlier post. Today I want to address the problem with “Warm Market” strategies.

In order to be successful with them, one has to have a

Circle of Influence

Boy, are those loaded words!! Although we learned in geometry that any three points determine a circle, a circle of influence really requires MANY more persons to be considered a circle. And what does “influence” mean? According to Webster’s Dictionary, it’s the “power to affect others.”

So to have a circle of influence, you would have many friends and family with whom you have the power to affect. That takes a certain personality type: not just a social butterfly, but an influential person who is “more than just an acquaintance” with many people.

Loners like me, a “sweet Southern girl” who does weird things like acting, enjoys playing computer games, or chatting to online friends, or reading a book (not romance, either, but horror, or fantasy, or science fiction! Oooo! Real girls just don’t do that!), just will not have a “Circle of Influence” here among the Old South. Which is what my warm market consisted of.

I grew up in a small town in a somewhat “sheltered” household. Because of that sheltered upbringing, I’ve always found it difficult to make friends of more than a hand full of people at a time. Oh, yes, I’m out-going, and am not afraid to be on stage in any situation. But making real friends is unusual for me. So, if you are one, count yourself lucky! ;)

That means I have no Circle of Influence.

Now, I know it’s not just in the South, but you get my point that only certain personality types will do well with the warm market strategies. So we’re left with buying leads. I don’t care what anybody says, that’s a very slow way to build. You’re calling people who don’t know you, so there’s no way you have “influence” with any of them.

The problem is obvious.

Does this describe you? Does it describe someone you’ve tried to work with? Every time you call and ask how big their “list” is they say some small number. It’s never bigger than 10 or 20. (LOL, you’re lucky if it’s as high as 20!!)

Don’t get mad at the people you’re working with who have this problem.

They’re not scared to call everyone they know. They just know that they have no influence with them, so the call will be pointless. They’ve probably never called these people before in their lives. If they do now, the person they’re calling will know there’s a purpose behind the call.

Don’t put them in that icky situation! Teach them to attract prospects naturally. Teach them how to find the people who are seeking them.

We’ll talk about how to do this soon…

What’s Wrong With Opportunity Leads?

If you’re in Network Marketing, you’ve most likely utilized two common business building methods: warm market and opportunity leads. We’ll cover the problem with warm market in another post. Right now, I want to talk about opportunity leads.

Purchased opportunity leads are a waste of time and money!

Just because you bought a list from a lead company, doesn’t mean that those people actually requested that information. Even if they’re telephone interviewed leads from a top advertising agency!

  • Sometimes someone enters bogus information (I’ve suspected the ad agency of doing this on purpose just to make more money off its customers!)
  • Sometimes the person didn’t know what they were filling out
  • Sometimes they have no idea why someone is calling them to verify their contact information
  • Sometimes they did request the info, but they’re really not serious, or not ready to actually start a business
  • Sometimes they’re just looking for a job and not a business
  • Sometimes they lie when you call… maybe they’re already tired of all the calls they’re getting
  • Some are just freebie seekers
  • Etc.

So, you see, you don’t always get what you paid for. (Ask me for access to a recording of testimony after testimony of how purchased leads resulted only in massive debt for many!)

That’s why I started using internet marketing techniques to generate my own leads.

I know that the names & numbers on my list actually visited my site and filled out a form. Otherwise I wouldn’t have that info. I also know which advertising method lead them to my site. So when I do call, I have that info and can mention it during my “hello” so they remember me. (Hi, this is Danni. You visited my GottaHaveAPlanB website and filled out a form for more information about working from home…”)

Generating your own leads is the ONLY lead generation method that you should trust. It’s the only method that you know gives you valid prospects. Well… unless they lie when they fill out the form.

Let’s talk about another problem with leads:

Fear of the Phone

I know a lot of people are just afraid of picking up the phone and dialing those numbers. (Mike Dillard admits that he use to be a telephone chicken.)

You pick up the phone and hope that nobody’s home. The last thing you want is someone blessing you out for calling them when they don’t want to be bothered… You are NOT bothering them. They requested the information and it is your responsibility to help them to the best of your ability.

Weren’t you in those shoes at one time, too? When I was working leads, I tried to remember that I use to be one. When someone called me, I sincerely wanted help. I was dead serious about finding a way to work from home, and with each call I was ready to do what ever it took to get all the information. Including going through all those interviews. That was my opportunity to prove how serious I was, but that I wasn’t gonna let them drag me into any odd business. I was picky.

You need to know that your prospects are just like you. There’s nothing to fear.

So, start generating your own leads, stop spending money with MLM lead companies that most likely are selling you bogus info, and don’t be afraid to answer someone’s request for help!