Skim The Cream

           

          

          

          Skim The Cream

          

          

               You'll likely start prospecting for new

          distributors by making a list of all the people you

          know, however casually.  Now, it doesn't really make

          sense to take a list of 100 people and go through it

          alphabetically.

               Instead, you should start with your most likely

          prospects.  Once you have a few distributors in your

          downline, you can go on down the rest of your prospect

          list while the distributors you've already recruited

          are out in the field working for you, selling products

          and signing up more people.

               So you need a plan for going through your prospect

          list.  Start with the prospects who relate well to

          other people.  You know who they are -- they show up at

          a party and are immediately surrounded by a group of

          others.  They're the people who spend a lot of time on

          the phone, who always are having lunch with their

          friends, who engage in weekly card games, etc.

               After these "people-oriented" prospects, your next

          targets should be the people who have been most

          successful in their careers.  Now, this may seem odd to

          you -- surely a physician or a top corporate executive

          wouldn't be interested in selling vitamins or water

          filters.

               Don't believe that.  For one thing, many

          professionals and executives are ready to get off the

          treadmill.  They're looking for an opportunity that

          will allow them to be in charge, where they'll have

          flexibility they don't have right now.

               Also, the most successful professionals and

          executives have spent years achieving their current

          stature.  In all likelihood, they'll reach retirement

          age fairly soon.  So they may be looking for a venture

          in which they can learn the ropes now, in preparation

          for a more active role after retirement.

               Moreover, successful people are most likely to

          succeed in MLM.  They have contacts, they have

          experience, they have ability, they have drive. 

          Wouldn't you like to have a team of winners in your

          downline, rather than people who have spent their lives

          jumping from one thing to another, never succeeding at

          any of them?

               After you've mined this level, go for people in

          situations conducive to their becoming MLM

          distributors.  Look for retirees, people who have been

          laid off, homemakers with young children, etc.

               When you've run through all of these people, you

          can go on to the rest of your distributor list. 

          Chances are you won't have to, because you'll never get

          that far down on your list.

               Why not?  Because you should ask people who turn

          you down for three referrals.  Following up on those

          names will keep you busy.

               At the same time, ask people who turn you down if

          they'll purchase at least a small amount of your

          product.  Many people will feel guilty about turning

          down your offer to work as a distributor, so they'll

          buy something from you.  Every sale helps, of course. 

          More than that, if you really have a good product,

          you'll have a satisfied customer who may reorder, in

          larger amounts, and who may reconsider your offer to

          become a distributor.

               When you run down the list, don't neglect those

          people who live in the next county, the next state,

          even across the country.  You can prospect them by

          phone -- call Saturday or Sunday to hold down the phone

          charges.  Then you can mail them the necessary samples

          and literature.  Today, with fax machines and

          conference calls and overnight express service, you can

          maintain a downline in Oregon even if you live in

          Georgia.