So how do you go about sponsoring in the first place? Many leaders tell their newbie to make a list of 100 of their family and friends, their 'warm' market, and then present the business to them. This can and does work for many, however, if you have been around the industry for a while, you might not like to approach your warm list again. Also some people are just not comfortable doing that anyway.



One of the reasons why many newbies to the industry 'flake out' and give up the business is because they are not educated about the reality of prospecting. Newbies to the industry need to be told some hometruths. The problem is that many MLMers are so keen to get people into their business that they try to minimise the drawbacks and challenges. Newbies need to know that most people you present your MLM opportunity to, won't be interested in joining. That's a fact.

However, 5 to 10% will be interested, and out of those that decide to join you, only a small percentage will have the drive and the ambition to make a real business of it. Yet, most of the top earners in the industry will admit that most their big incomes come from just one or two VERY serious people in their team, who really went for it and built a big business.

So we need to talk to a lot of people but we only need to find a few really keen business builders to earn good money. But how do we find them in the first place? We all know people (we ourselves might have been one of them in the past) who will talk about their opportunity at the drop of a hat. Whether you have asked them about the business or not, they don't care, they just ram it down your throat. They will tell anyone within three feet of them, about this amazing business they have got into. These are the people who give network marketing a bad name.

I know that before I ever got involved in MLM, I had a friend who was so zealous about his opportunity that in the end, I avoided meeting up with him because he constantly pressurised me into joining his business.

It is far better to fish than to hunt prospects! Have many fishing rods out, if the prospect 'bites' then he will come to you, he will ask you about your opportunity, you won't have to chase him/her. Far better to talk to people who have seen one of your 'fishing rods' and come to you asking for more info.

No need to chase, the onus is on the prospect to contact you. I am now going to suggest ways or fishing rods you can use to interest prospects in your business. These methods have been used by people in my downline and they work. Concentrate on one or two and be consistent. They work if you stick with them and refine where necessary. I won't talk about internet marketing here, this will be the subject of another article. There are many other ways of fishing or reaching out for prospects or customers, some of them merit an article of their own.

Firstly let's look at the sizzle call. Never underestimate the value of a sizzle call. You can get free business cards from www.vistaprint.com Just have a catchy line or two on the card, something like: Fire your boss, or Earn a full time income, part time from home... Then make sure the phone number you print is a 24 hour voice message that is a 3minute sizzle call about your company or product. There should also be a space for prospects to leave their details for more information.

Another method would be to write a letter to all your friends informing them that you have started a new business and are looking for friendly, ambitious people who might like to get involved.

An expensive way to get people calling you is to use national advertising. This works for people who have some experience because they will need to be able to talk confidently with prospects. For those who are newbies, they can always ask their upline to make the call for them and learn by listening to how he/she handles the call.

If you only have little money to spend on marketing, then find a good printer and have some flyers advertising your business done. Aim to put 20 to 30 on community boards around your area.

Also, for those with little money but who are fearless about talking to strangers......, you might consider arming yourself with a clipboard and stopping people who look friendly and energetic and just asking them a few questions regarding their work and whether they would be looking to start a business on the side. If they are, then you can point them to a site, sizzle card or conference call.

There are many other 'fishing rods' you can use and we can cover them in another article. But at the heart of all prospecting techniques must be a sense of fun. This, more than anything else, will draw people to you and your opportunity. Also it will keep you going when you hear the inevitable ‘No's Not Interested!' Bonne chance!