How to actually get started
OK you have done your research and you have chosen the opportunity that you feel is the best fit for you; you've purchased your starter kit and are ready to go. So just how do you go about getting started?
Every company I have ever been with says to start by writing a list of basically everyone you have ever met as a first step. Now I'm not going to say that having what most in the industry call a Who Do You Know List (WDKNL) is a bad thing, there is a reason all the companies recommend it after all. I'm just saying that's not where I would start.
You are naturally excited about your new opportunity and you want to tell everyone you have ever met all about it. I strongly urge you not to do that at this stage, at least not until you know what you are talking about. The people on your list, the people you already know are what's known as your 'warm market' these are people you probably don't want to annoy too much because they are a part of your life and I assume you want to keep it that way.
I would of course tell a few close friends about this new thing I'm doing, but I wouldn't be reaching out to cousins I haven't seen for ten years until I know how to have these conversations. There is a way to do things and then there is just being pushy and if you call your cousin up after ten years to tell her about the amazing opportunity she could have if she joined your team, I promise you it will likely be ten more years till you hear from her again!
I would start by putting a few posts on social media, but not sales type posts. This is where most people go wrong, they instantly try to get people to buy products from them or join their team. What you need to be doing is showing people how you can solve their problems. For example, I have terrible hair, have had for years and I moan about it A LOT. How surprised do you think my friends were to see a before and after picture of my hair on social media in which the after actually looked not half bad? I made no mention of the products I had used, just something along the lines of 'omg this is just after one wash, I cant believe I have found something that finally works' EVERYONE on my friends list came to me asking what the product was and where they could get some. Did they all buy it? Nope, not all of them, but you bet everyone on their friends list seen the post too because they commented on it, hence my network grew a little, even if I didn't quite realise it at the time.
Whilst you get up and running and yes filling in your WDYKL although I still wouldn't be contacting anyone I wasn't really close to at this stage, I would be learning. I would be learning all I could, not necessarily from my company either. This is the thing that people don't realise when they start out: there is so much amazing training available from people who have been really successful in Network Marketing, that is available from outwith your company. Now of course if your company has training its important to engage with that, especially product training but if you want to be the best you need to learn from the best. I have gotten more value from training by some of the greats in the industry like Eric Worre and Ray and Jessica Higdon than I have from any company training. Now that's not to say that company training isn't worth the time - of course it is, none of these people did or could teach me about my products as they aren't in my company to know about them. What these people know is how to build million pound Network Marketing Businesses, and sometimes the way they have done it will be very different to the way your company teaches. A lot of these courses are also free by the way, although obviously there is more value in the paid ones.
Once you have learned how to approach people, then you can start contacting people on your list in a way that's not too salesy. You basically need to realise that your goal should not be to sell things to people (and I know how crazy that sounds when you are new to the industry) your goal should be to solve problems. Who do you know that has a problem that your product could fix? How are you going to approach them about it? Who do you know that needs more money and could therefore benefit by joining your team? Just check out Eric, Ray and Jessica on YouTube and you will see where I am coming from.
Another top tip of mine would be home parties. Now these are something I stayed away from for years because I had no idea how to do one, was a little shy and had no friends to come along. So what I have done differently now is I don't do parties in people's, or my houses. I rent function suites or local halls which is nowhere near as expensive as you think, then I market them. I am currently planning a ladies night. My friend who sells make-up and I are basically going to get a whole lot of women along, I'm going to wash their hair and she is going to do their make-up. We will each spend a little time at the start talking about our companies and are putting together a joint 'goody bag' for the ladies to take home which will have product samples and our business cards in it. It wont cost us much and because its not in someone's house there is no need to worry about advertising it online.
The biggest thing to remember when you are starting out is that people do not buy a product, they buy your personality, your trustworthiness basically they buy your customer service and your attitude.
Every company I have ever been with says to start by writing a list of basically everyone you have ever met as a first step. Now I'm not going to say that having what most in the industry call a Who Do You Know List (WDKNL) is a bad thing, there is a reason all the companies recommend it after all. I'm just saying that's not where I would start.
You are naturally excited about your new opportunity and you want to tell everyone you have ever met all about it. I strongly urge you not to do that at this stage, at least not until you know what you are talking about. The people on your list, the people you already know are what's known as your 'warm market' these are people you probably don't want to annoy too much because they are a part of your life and I assume you want to keep it that way.
I would of course tell a few close friends about this new thing I'm doing, but I wouldn't be reaching out to cousins I haven't seen for ten years until I know how to have these conversations. There is a way to do things and then there is just being pushy and if you call your cousin up after ten years to tell her about the amazing opportunity she could have if she joined your team, I promise you it will likely be ten more years till you hear from her again!
I would start by putting a few posts on social media, but not sales type posts. This is where most people go wrong, they instantly try to get people to buy products from them or join their team. What you need to be doing is showing people how you can solve their problems. For example, I have terrible hair, have had for years and I moan about it A LOT. How surprised do you think my friends were to see a before and after picture of my hair on social media in which the after actually looked not half bad? I made no mention of the products I had used, just something along the lines of 'omg this is just after one wash, I cant believe I have found something that finally works' EVERYONE on my friends list came to me asking what the product was and where they could get some. Did they all buy it? Nope, not all of them, but you bet everyone on their friends list seen the post too because they commented on it, hence my network grew a little, even if I didn't quite realise it at the time.
Whilst you get up and running and yes filling in your WDYKL although I still wouldn't be contacting anyone I wasn't really close to at this stage, I would be learning. I would be learning all I could, not necessarily from my company either. This is the thing that people don't realise when they start out: there is so much amazing training available from people who have been really successful in Network Marketing, that is available from outwith your company. Now of course if your company has training its important to engage with that, especially product training but if you want to be the best you need to learn from the best. I have gotten more value from training by some of the greats in the industry like Eric Worre and Ray and Jessica Higdon than I have from any company training. Now that's not to say that company training isn't worth the time - of course it is, none of these people did or could teach me about my products as they aren't in my company to know about them. What these people know is how to build million pound Network Marketing Businesses, and sometimes the way they have done it will be very different to the way your company teaches. A lot of these courses are also free by the way, although obviously there is more value in the paid ones.
Once you have learned how to approach people, then you can start contacting people on your list in a way that's not too salesy. You basically need to realise that your goal should not be to sell things to people (and I know how crazy that sounds when you are new to the industry) your goal should be to solve problems. Who do you know that has a problem that your product could fix? How are you going to approach them about it? Who do you know that needs more money and could therefore benefit by joining your team? Just check out Eric, Ray and Jessica on YouTube and you will see where I am coming from.
Another top tip of mine would be home parties. Now these are something I stayed away from for years because I had no idea how to do one, was a little shy and had no friends to come along. So what I have done differently now is I don't do parties in people's, or my houses. I rent function suites or local halls which is nowhere near as expensive as you think, then I market them. I am currently planning a ladies night. My friend who sells make-up and I are basically going to get a whole lot of women along, I'm going to wash their hair and she is going to do their make-up. We will each spend a little time at the start talking about our companies and are putting together a joint 'goody bag' for the ladies to take home which will have product samples and our business cards in it. It wont cost us much and because its not in someone's house there is no need to worry about advertising it online.
The biggest thing to remember when you are starting out is that people do not buy a product, they buy your personality, your trustworthiness basically they buy your customer service and your attitude.
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