Do you hate cold calling people to join your multi-level marketing business? If so, then you and I are very much alike. I see cold calling as a very inefficient means to an end. Furthermore, I hate receiving cold calls myself. In order "to treat others as I would like to be treated" I generally try to stay away from this annoying tactic. A frequent problem is that cold calling is a common method that uplines instruct their downlines to perform. Here is a quick definition of "cold calling" in case you are not aware. In the most basic terms, it is calling a person who has not shown prior interest in your product or service. I am going to complicate things a little by adding in two layers which may not be traditionally seen as cold calling. The first part is obtaining a genealogy list of former multi-level marketers and calling them one by one to pitch your program. The second part is calling your "warm list" of personal contacts. In either case, I see each as cold because they have not made the first move in showing interest.



I will explain this a little further.

I see calling MLM'ers on an old genealogy list as a cold call tactic because there is no way to know if they really are interested or even in MLM still today before calling the person. Odds are that these people will not be interested in your program. Second, I include calling your "warm list" in this definition since these individuals have made no objective action to indicate they are interested in what you have to offer. Most people on your "warm list" are there simply because your know them or you "think" they may be interested in your offer. In each case you are really only going off of your perception that these people might be receptive to you.

There is a better way to go about all of this. This can be illustrated through a story that shows a common practice in other industries.

Imagine there is a restaurant located in a mall. Have you ever noticed how many of them give out free samples of their food? If you think about what they are doing it makes sense. They are ruling out all objections in your mind that their product may not be the right choice. If you have ever heard that it is better to give than to receive than this is the concept in action. If you do not know how another restaurant's food tastes and you know from the sample that the other restaurant is pretty tasty, odds are you will make your purchase with the restaurant that gave out the sample. They took the time to build a small relationship with you. They showed you what they have to offer is top-notch. By giving away a small amount, they receive much more in return.

There is one other thing you must notice about this tactic. The restaurant owners do not hire twenty different people to give out samples and run around the entire food court. They give samples mostly to people that linger around their area trying to make a decision. If they gave out samples to everyone and anyone, they would quickly realize they were wasting their time.

With this basic premise in mind, how can we use it for another industry like MLM?

What can you use as your free sample?

You have two different routes you can take. One is to give away your product. The other option is to give away your knowledge.

Before I tell you which one I choose, make a mental note about which one you would choose and why?

Ok, ready?

The best method in my opinion is to give away your knowledge. There are a number of reasons for this. First, you are not really giving away your knowledge because even after you share it, you still have it. Second, by displaying the knowledge you have, you position yourself as an expert. This is critical because most people in MLM do not know what they are doing. If you have heard the saying, "the blind leading the blind" then you should get my point. I do not like to give away samples of product in this particular instance because in network marketing, your business is more about networking than retailing. You have to sell yourself first for people to join you. The product is really secondary because without the know-how even the best product will not "sell itself". People that join MLM are buying a machine with the potential to produce residual income. However, most people have no idea how to operate this money machine. That is why it is critical that you prove to your prospects that you not only know how to buy the machine, but you can actually run it also!

Now you know how to generate interest. However, you still need to know how to present this knowledge to the right people. Just like the restaurant cannot hire 20 people to give out samples, you cannot waste your time calling up cold leads and attempting to dazzle them with your knowledge. You have to take a different approach. You need to get prospects coming to you first that are already in a state-of-mind that is conducive to what you have to offer. A very simple way to do this is the place advertisements in various locations that offer helpful information to your prospects. By doing this, people who are actually interested in your services will come to you. This situation is much more advantageous to you since you do not have to waste your time with the majority of the population which will have no interest.