Prospecting Through Ice: A Networker's Experience
by Christopher M. Schumacher
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Achieving success in Network Marketing...or Internet Marketing for that matter, doesn't come without it's lessons learned. It takes alot of finesse and a little bit of luck to gain prospects without having any initial contact. It's even harder if your name isn't plastered all over the internet.
Normally, I shy away from cold market's. It's a very difficult field to tackle, and the results are usually less then desirable. But that isn't to say I haven't had good experiences from it, and maybe even made a dollar or two to go along with it.
So here's a few things to keep in mind when trying to market in a colder climate...also known as marketing to someone that may not have interest in what you are offering.
1) The first thing you want to do is to not come across as someone selling, promoting or otherwise endorsing a certain product or program. Your first contact with someone shouldn't be about buying, it should be about building. Build a relationship of trust with your prospect. Think of long term, rather than short term.
They don't know you from a pick-pocket on the street, so why would they want anything to do with you?
Break down that wall, and warm them up to you as a person, not you as a marketer.
2) Making "A" sale isn't what you want. You want a customer that will come back to you time and again for whatever they need or want. Keep this in mind...the less you want to sell, the more apt they are to ask you about it.
Which brings me to:
3) Let them make the first move and ask all the questions. Alot of marketers hate this idea, as it just sounds like extra work. Not really so. You are simply listening to what your prospect is trying to say. Find out what they want and provide it to them.
But what if you're program or product isn't what they want?
That's ok, just help them find what they are looking for first. Many will simply be looking to get educated on the idea of earning online. Let them feel around, and provide them with whatever help you can.
4) Slip in your own success story whenever they ask for it. This is where you'll start to grab their attention...who wouldn't want to quit their normal job, or make something extra from home? That's really why we are all here right?
You've got their trust, and now you have their attention. It's simply a matter of melting the remaining ice and nudging them forward.
That doesn't mean for you to go into a full blown sales pitch...they aren't looking for that. The prospect wants to feel like they made the decision because they wanted to, not because someone told them they should (even though that's really what has happened).
5) The closer: Now that they have all but made up their mind, it's up to you to provide details of the benefits. Again, try not to pitch anything at them, but simply provide them with whatever information they need to finish the sale. Some will want to hear everything, some will be looking for that one "right" benefit...all will be looking for something, or else they wouldn't have spent this much time with you.
There are a few ways to break through the cold market. Whatever you choose, make sure it allows you to stay in contact with your prospect. Whether through a weekly mailing, phone calls, updates...whatever you choose. Normally, the easiest way to find your way through the cold market is to "grab" the warm ones out of the crowd. A good way to do this is with a lead page. Make sure your lead page describes your intent, but at the same time gets them curious enough to WANT you to contact them again.
There you have it, a personal experience with cold markets, and how best to turn them into warm and hot markets....making them your target market.
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