MelanieMilletics
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Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 18 Dec 2005 10:51
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Prospecting Sucks�by Melanie Milletics
Let me say this: prospecting sucks. For 4 years I have been an avid student of Network Marketing. I�ve listened to hundreds of tapes and filled my library with all of the right books. I got into the right mindset, put affirmations all over my home office, and I�ve worked � HARD.
I purchased opportunity seeker leads, learned how to set up an autoresponder and tweaked those campaigns for YEARS. I tried every recommended lead provider I could find and jacked up my credit card bills to buy said leads. I pumped those expensive, and not so expensive babies through my autoresponder and watched as my live leads poured in, WOW! Now we are getting somewhere, I thought�
I called every one of those hard-earned live leads. I sponsored upwards of 50 people relatively quickly. But they dropped. 99% of those people dropped. They couldn�t duplicate what I was doing. They especially couldn�t pick up the phone and make the calls, because prospecting sucks.
And did I mention the �powerline� fiasco? What a waste of time and money that was! Those folks didn�t want a business, they wanted a handout.
Somewhere around my third year I got enough guts to start calling other networkers to see if they�d be interested in looking at our opportunity. I made 50-100 dials a day for weeks on end. I�d get totally burnt out and take a few days off, then go back to it.
I faired no better than I had before. The only difference was that the networkers were nicer to talk to!
Finally, in June of this year my business changed forever. I learned exactly why I had been �spinning my wheels�, and why I was only making a fraction of what I should have been making after all of those years of hard work. Most importantly, it was as if all of the bits and pieces from everything I�d ever read came together and it was like �Ah HA!�, I get it.
I immediately stopped doing all of the silly crap I�d been up to- and went to work with the knowledge that my work would actually pay off!
So what did I change about my business? I decided I would make money, not spend it! Seems obvious, but if you realize that most home businesses fail because they are too expensive to maintain, I think you�ll have to agree with my changes. I changed the way approached my business in three fundamental ways:
First, I made the decision that I would NEVER spend more on my business than I would receive as a check for said business. That meant that I would even cancel my autoship if my check did not exceed the cost of product.
Second, I realized that I could not buy a single lead, or place a single paid ad. I had to generate my own leads, for free. I had to do the legwork to find out where the best advertising spots were, and I had to take the time to post in these spots on a daily basis.
I learned to use free ezine ads, forums, and networking sites.
Third, I learned the best way to construct an ad so that people absolutely have to click! I learned about psychological triggers and how to apply them in different ad types.
After taking the time to learn these new tactics, I developed a system and found that I could effectively work my business without making 100 dials a day or selling my first born to the leads companies. I still have leads to call, but they are exclusive, live leads that I generated for free. I am making money, not spending it. I share these tactics with my newly sponsored folks and get them started making money right away, instead of spending it.
So yes, prospecting sucks- but it can be easier, if the right marketing tactics are used. When you work smart, not hard, the end result is time and financial freedom�what was promised to you when you first signed up!
Happy Networking!
Melanie Milletics
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