Turning Network Marketing Leads Into Sales

How can you turn your network marketing or direct sales leads into cash sales? How do you manage your leads? How do you keep leads from getting cold? These are all questions I get on a regular basis. Before we start answering I though it might be good to define what a lead is.

Webster’s dictionary says that a lead is:

• Act as a guide
• To go as a a guide
• To play as the 1st card
• A direction of guidance
• The condition of being first
• A clue
• The opening words of a story

I found that to be interesting. Do you notice that all of the various definitions refer to the fact that a lead is only the beginning? One thing that I have always noticed is that many sales reps look at a lead as either a potential host or show or a potential consultant. Which one they see the potential being varies with the person standing in front of them at any given moment. I often find myself saying that when you look at a lead as the end result, you are limiting yourself. A lead is only the beginning of a relationship. This philosophy allows you to see more than what you may specifically be looking for at that given moment in your business. You may think that a lead would be a good business builder, when in fact they may be someone who can refer you to a business builder. Or maybe you are focused on increasing your calendar. A lead that you are attempting to date a show with could in fact be a bride to be who is looking for someone to set up a gift registry with, or maybe this person is just a product user. My point here is look at leads as the beginning, a clue, or the opening words of a story. Practice the 10-second rule which is to share for 10 seconds or less, then ask a question. This will enable you to figure out which one of your services each lead will fit. Check out the post on the 10-second rule by clicking here. When you look for shows that is all you will find. When you look for leads you will find far more.

Some sources of leads are:

• At your show
• Out and about (bulletin boards, kids’ friends and parents, people you meet, etc.)
• Public speaking events
• Fairs and expos
• Customer care calls
• Prize drawing slips
• Product user
• Past hosts, customers

The best system I have found to manage leads is not to manage them. That sounds silly, I know. I recommend that you do your best to date shows, close deals, and follow up on every lead within 24-48 hours of your initial contact. In this way you will keep the clutter down in your office, you will minimize your future work and you will be contacting/talking with leads who remember you and remember why they were actually interested in one of your services. Leads become cold when they no longer remember why on earth they said that they were interested in whatever it is you are offering.

When you meet leads at the show, I would recommend dating your appointments for new consultant interviews at the show. Date shows at the show. When you keep yourself focused on the fact that you are a successful business owner and are not in NEED of their business, than it will be easy to date shows at the show. In the Power Up For Professional Results CD set there are 3 CDs on word choices, and posturing yourself as a professional. This post is not long enough to go into all of the topics. Create A Cash Flow Show also has several segments on dating your appointments or shows at the show. Just like the dentist who schedules your next cleaning before you leave the office, you too can manage your calendar professionally at the show and then not allow leads to get cold. If, after a nice conversation, the potential customer, host, or sales rep says no they would rather not pick a date, but instead says “Would you call me in 3 weeks?” (or 6 months or whatever they say). A good answer might be: “You know, that is OK, it sounds like this really isn’t for you…. If you change your mind, why don’t you give me a call…” You are professional and not getting strung along from someone who just cannot say no.

There will be occasions to make calls from home whether you met the people at a show, fair, expo, public speaking engagement or at the mall. Make those calls within 24 hours of the meeting, while they are still connected to you. Practice the rule of 10 seconds (share for 10 seconds and ask a question) and take the lead through to completion. Then when you have leads that you have to track for the future, make sure that your system brings the leads to the top of the pile effortlessly when it is the appointed time.

Some examples of contact systems that work are:

• Rolling contact list
• Outlook Express
• Hand held data systems
• Your company’s software program
• And my favorite: a file box for index cards with a tab for each month and a tab numbered after each month 1-4. Talk to someone today, make a note, and drop the card behind the week number for the appropriate month for the call back.

Another system of eliminating cold leads is to ask the client if they want to be considered a lead. Say now, “Would you like for me to keep you on my call back list?” “Would you like me to put you on my newsletter list?” Which brings us to a very valuable tool for creating sales out of network marketing leads…. The monthly newsletter.

The monthly newsletter is without a doubt the most valuable of all continuous contact systems. If you have not done so yet, start your database for the newsletter ASAP. Just start with a couple contacts and start your monthly newsletter. Get a name and start sending out a newsletter that brings value to your customers. When you take the email of every guest at your shows, every product user, every contact, and just continuously add them into your address group, it will be a short time until you have hundreds if not thousands of LEADS in your data base. Send out your newsletter consistently with customer service related information and some marketing as well. You will generate sales from every newsletter you send out and you will also provide a service to your customers. Some will call you with issues with products, and others will think of you next time they have a need. When you put a system in place to keep the newsletter in front of your clients monthly it will turn your leads into sales, shows, and new consultants.

When your database starts to grow, you will not be able to manage it in your computer. At that point you will want an online data system. If you need more information on managing your address book, give me a call 717.751.2793 or go to Resources. Web Marketing Magic is a system of managing your data base using auto-responders.

One more important way to turn those leads into sales is through customer care calls. Customer care calls can be to every past customer you ever had. When you do customer care calls you will have an unlimited supply of leads. A customer care call is to provide customer care. Many sales reps don’t like customer care calls because they think they are pushy. Well, they are when you are focused on what you want. When you focus on the customer, practice the 10-second rule and use a good script that focuses on them and not your needs, then you will find the opportunities naturally that lead to warranty issues, product questions, shows, the business, sales or referrals. Those areas cannot be your only focus, because when you are focused on your needs you come across as needy and pushy. Customer care calls are for the customer. Here is a script that I find very effective with customer care calls. Script For Customer Service When you develop a system of 2-5 customer care calls per day (for the rest of your life) I can guarantee that you will never be hurting for business.

It’s a Philosophy

Make it your philosophy that everyone you come in contact with everyday is a lead. It is your job to figure out which of your many services they deserve or who they know who deserves your services. Create consistent systems that follow up on your leads in at timely manner and it will pay off in sales.