I’m on my 3rd week of super healthy eating, tons of walking and only had a few slip ups.

My daughter bought me some absolutely wanton chocolates for Mother’s Day and I just could not resist.

But I’m back on track now and feeling super energetic.

This week I’ve made a short video training for you on how to talk to your circle of influence or people you know about your business.

Oh no! Not that Rachel …

Please don’t make me do it!

Yes I know it can be icky.

But it doesn’t have to be.

It’s not just network marketers who struggle with this …

I’ve found it is a sticking point across the board for home business owners so whether you are an author, online marketer, coach, consultant or WHATEVER you can get the word out more easily about your business by applying these tips I give you today.

Get my super simple and quick tips on talking to your warm market or circle of influence and more importantly how to get referrals and feel like people actually understand what you are doing!

And let’s face it that just makes you feel good and will give you the energy to talk to more people!

Please leave a comment and let me know how this can help you & what you plan to do differently from now on.

I really want to hear what you think and also any tips on how to tap into the power of your network while keeping it real.

Thanks for reading and tuning in and be sure to pop your details into the box below if you’d like to receive my Marketing & Mindset tips every week.

Love and success

Rachel

p.s Remember these little changes can make a HUGE difference in your results so take a few minutes now to watch the video and comment.  Commenting makes you THINK which in turn means you will more easily remember and actually apply what you learn.

No matter what type of business you have, if you’re not talking to new people each day about it the chances are you’re not doing too well.

Whether you’re looking for new customers for your products, new clients for your services or building a team, you need new people coming through your marketing funnel every day. 

It’s easy to overcomplicate things and spend a lot of time making fancy funnels.

I’m all for creating or plugging into online marketing funnels and doing things the smart way so that you have leverage online to attract new people to you.

However if all you do is tweak your fancy funnel, things can get kind of slow.

So have a plan in place for speaking to new people every day and do it for at least 90 DAYS.

Notice I don’t say chase 10 people a day and bore them to tears with all the un-fascinating features of your products or services.

What I mean is develop relationships with people every day and see how you can help them.

This is so critical because if you position yourself as a solution provider you’ll never be short of prospects and you’ll build a valuable network.

This is exactly how you begin to set yourself up as an expert in your niche so here are 5 ways for you to start generating hot prospects today:

• Reconnect with all the people in your life that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Just a quick call to see how they’re doing. Update them briefly on what you’re doing, see what you can do for them and ask them to spread the word and to pass on your website etc. if someone they know is looking for what you offer. (Follow up with an email link if they are open to passing on your info)

•  Go through your business cards, email address book, skype,  mobile phone, social networks  and any other resources you have for people you’ve met through business events or have worked with in the past. Give them a quick call or email to touch base. Phoning works best but if you can’t bear it then an email is better than nothing.

• Create one piece of solution providing content per day by which I mean a short blog post, article, audio or video. Post it to your blog and to your social networks. (Oh pleeease don’t say you don’t know how to do this because I’ve been mailing you free ‘how-to’ info every week in my ezine forever so just go back to the blog and read some of the posts there.)

• Always be open for business. As you go about your day to day life be open to making new friends. Where appropriate exchange contact details and follow up with them to develop the relationship.

•  Google the networking meetings going on in your area. There are tons of them these days so find the ones for you and attend each one as a guest.  Join at least a couple and commit to attend each week or month so you start to build relationships with the influencers in your area.

These are just a couple of ideas of how you can attract more people to take a look at what you’re doing, join your newsletter or download your free report.

Wherever possible either add them to your newsletter database so you can stay in touch with them or send them the link to add themselves. Remember to always operate ‘permission based’ email marketing.

I, like many of the top online marketers use aweber so that I only have high quality subscribers who have clicked a link to confirm they want to hear from me.

The most important thing is to take some action each day to generate new prospects for your business so that you are pro-active and not just waiting for people to come to you.

And please remember to always come from a position of offering assistance and helping others to get what they want rather than focussing on selling them something.

When you do this the rest takes care of itself.

Have you found other ways of generating prospects for your business? If so I’d love to hear about them with any tips you have so please leave a comment and others can benefit too.

If you found this useful please share it with your Facebook, Twitter  & social network friends.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today & I hope you’ll take action and implement these activities because what you do now dictates how you will be positioned in 2012.

If you’d like to receive weekly training like this to your inbox be sure to complete your details in the box on the top right hand side.

If you’d like to know more about the plug and play lead generation system I use with all the latest internet marketing training for home-business owners go here for more info:

Internet Business

If you want to stand out online and in your profession, you must become an expert in your niche. The great news is that you now have an abundance of free and low cost internet tools to do so.

The downside is that it’s very easy to put out a less than compelling message that turns your potential clients, customers or business partners right off.

If you’re being vague you will get vague results.

If you are not sure what your value is, how do you expect your target market to know?

If you’re a jack or jill of all trades you won’t be able to charge very much.

This is obvious stuff and most people who study marketing in depth, know it. However there are only a very small percentage of coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs who implement it and define their Unique Selling Proposition so that they successfully connect with their target market.

Being sociable and tweeting positive quotes will bring people towards you, but when they come what have you got to offer them?

You have just a few seconds to grab their attention when they click on your profile or website. If your USP doesn’t leap off the page at them they will be gone.

You’ll be just another ‘nice’ social marketer, another good Facebook friend or Tweeting buddy.

As you’ve probably already discovered, you can’t run a profitable business like that. You need prospects and clients to be climbing into your marketing funnel every day. You can use both online and offline methods to steer them into your marketing funnel.

Whether it’s a simple business model you have such as affiliate or network marketing, you still need to be clear about who you are and what you offer, so you can attract the right people to view your presentation. If you try to get everyone online you’ll probably get no one.

For solo entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants it is ESSENTIAL that you get your USP down so you know it in your sleep. You must be 100% clear on what value you are leading with.

There will probably be lots of areas you could focus on but if you focus on them all, you won’t connect with your potential clients.

Overload causes confusion and your prospects will click away without leaving you their contact details. If you’re out and about, this is the equivalent of the ‘elevator speech.’

If someone asks you what you do and you reel off a ton of stuff it won’t be long before your new contact’s eyes glaze over and they bid you farewell.

It needs to be short, punchy and to the point or you will lose them.

Here’s an example of a very simple USP I used when I worked with a weight loss programme.

‘I help people lose weight. My husband lost 14kgs and 2 inches off his waste in 9 weeks using this programme.’

Do you think that would get someone’s attention faster than rambling on about metabolic rate, calories and healthy eating?

That’s a testimonial type USP and I can tell you that I got hundreds of clients using it! (Of course it was true, which is why it worked so well)

Here’s another example, ‘I show self employed professionals how to turn their expertise into a home based internet business so they can work less and charge more.’

Recognise that one? That’s mine. Notice how it focuses on a few of the BENEFITS of being an expert in your niche, using the internet, rather than the features.

Spend some time today writing down what the BIGGEST and most life changing thing you do for your clients, partners or customers is.

Here are some ideas to help you if you’re stuck:

• Ask your existing clients what the biggest thing is that they got, or are getting from working with you.

• Think about what you love most about your products or service. Specialising in what you love most puts energy into your marketing that you won’t have if you’re just doing what you think you ‘should.’

• Use social media to ask your followers what they think you do! (You might get some strange answers here but you’ll get some really helpful ones too)

• Survey your existing subscribers or members and ask them what they want more of from you and why they read your newsletter etc.

• Test it out right away. Put yourself in situations where people will ask you what you do and just try it out. You’ll soon see if you’re hitting the mark because people will respond and relate to you.

• Tweak and repeat until you hit it right and people get it!

So remember no ‘geek speak.’ Use words that regular people understand. That way you will get referrals even if the person you are speaking to does not require your services.

I’d love to hear your comments or questions so please leave yours at the blog and share this article on the social buttons if you enjoyed it.

Do you like this article and want to use it in your blog or ezine?

No problem! But here is what you MUST please include:

Rachel Henke, The Become an Expert in your Niche Mentor, is founder of the ‘Become An Expert In Your Niche System, the step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to position yourself as an expert in your niche using the power of the internet, in record time…guaranteed. To receive her weekly Marketing & Mindset ezine and free report with insider secrets visit http://www.RachelHenke.com

Many take this as an opportunity to do nothing. The smart get their nets and their tools in place ready to reel in the fish in 2011. 

Taking some time out is recommended. There’s nothing worse than working when you’re supposed to be chilling and chilling when you’re supposed to be working. I used to fall into that trap a lot.

Now I take lots of time when I need it to get organised because I know that if I’m not organised, my mind is cluttered and I don’t achieve what I want.

This doesn’t mean things are happening in the background. If you set up your business right and use online tools you can generate leads even when you’re doing nothing.

That’s what I Iove about the internet.  Call me lazy if you will but I’ve paid the price by doing lots of activity throughout the year.

All you need to do to keep things going once you’re established online is to throw out some tweets or updates to your social networks and even though it may be slower than usual you can still keep people engaged with you through the holidays.

If you’re an offline social dynamo (in the making!) this is an amazing time for you. It’s the time when you are invited to reconnect with people you might not have seen for a while.

You can invite people to your home or out for a social event to catch up with them.

The holiday season really is a networker’s dream.

The idea isn’t that you push your business down people’s throats in the middle of New Year’s dinner. But you can sprinkle some bait in the waters.

The key to this is being positive. Ah that again?

Yes there is no other way. If you’re not positive you’ll just be sprinkling bait that goes untouched.

People want to do business with others who are positive whether they realise it or not. If someone asks you how it’s going and you regale them with all your challenges they are unlikely to see you as a solution provider.

If on the other hand you tell them that you have found something exciting and feel confident that 2011 is going to be your best year ever they will be intrigued.

Hold something back though. Just because they seem interested doesn’t mean they are a prospect.

Turn it around and start asking them about what they’ve been up to this year.

What are their plans for next year?

Listen to them and don’t drown them with your stuff, no matter how wonderful it may be.

It really isn’t about us even though we all think it is.

This is where you catch your best fish. You throw some little yummy morsels into the water and cast your net. Watch to see if your fish bite.

Don’t try and catch them if they don’t!  You want positive fish that recognise they need to make a change with XXX They will escape through a hole in the net no matter how determined you are in your fishing, if they have no real need.

You are looking for the fish that are looking. It’s so much easier when you prospect this way. You can apply it to any kind of business because in every kind of business you need prospects.

You may be looking for clients, customers or business partners. If you follow these steps I guarantee people will respond 100 x more positively than when you puke your info all over them at the dining table.

As you ease them into your net don’t frighten them.  Just ask them how they would like to receive the info about XXX

All that’s left then is for you to follow up with them and arrange to send them the info ON TIME. If you are slow your fish will surely gasp for air and die before you can convert them into XXX.

You reel them in slowly and follow up with them quickly and confidently (away from the dining table)

Make sure you have your bait (leading questions) and your business tools (Website, DVDs, Product Samples etc) ready to get off to a flying start with 2011.

If it takes you all of January to digest your mince pies, you will miss out big time because people have resolutions such as ‘I will lose weight,’ or ‘I will earn more money,’ on January 1^st not January 31^st .

Cast your nets both online and offline in a big way for maximum fishing return.

Turn prospecting into a fishing game and you will have a lot of fun in 2011.

Happy New Year

Rachel

P.s  If you’re still wondering what type of business model is the right one for you for 2011 download your free report here where I’ve done all the work for you: Home Business Blueprint

You’ve either been networking online and creating conversations with people or you haven’t.

Which is it? You need leads every day and I don’t think it really matters how you do it. It matters THAT you do it! 

It might matter to you because how you do things has an impact on how much you enjoy your business which in turn determines how much you do of it.

You must find a way to prospect like a pro so that you can do it naturally every day.

Let’s talk about a really whizzy way of creating conversations and turning them into qualified prospects in just 10 minutes.

You’re out and about and you meet someone you like the look of. Maybe they have a sparkle in their eye, or they give you great service at the restaurant.

Now if you’re just waiting for people to come to you you’ll let that opportunity slip by. BUT if you’re committed to prospect like a pro you’ll find a way to CREATE A CONVERSATION.

Here’s the conversation formula I use to create a conversation:

Compliment or remark on something positive about the person or

Remark on something that is happening to you both such as, ‘How long have you been waiting here? Or ‘I hope it stops raining soon, or isn’t the coffee worth queuing up for here …’ You get the picture.

No talk about illness and scurvy! No moaning and belly aching. Just nice chit chat that lifts the energy around you and creates a rapport between you. Remember to SMILE and look them in the eyes when you talk.

People are usually very happy to chat. If they’re not then they disqualify themselves as a prospect for you anyway.

Establish some common ground by following what the person says and tying in anything that is the same for you or someone you know. This creates instant RAPPORT.

If there is a time crunch (they are working and you have to go!) you need to be very quick. Remember you have nothing to lose because you probably won’t see them again.

If you have time ask them about what they do. ‘I really enjoyed the meal and the service was excellent. Thank you. How long have you worked here?’

Ask as many quick questions as you can to gather as much info about THEM as you can and within a couple of minutes you can usually see if they have any desire to improve their situation. (Don’t waste the time talking about YOU!)

If they say oh I like working here and I’m saving up to go travelling round the world for 10 years then they are probably not a qualified prospect for you right now! The timing is off. (This is how you pre-qualify your prospects and don’t waste time)

If they say they’ve been working there for 20 years and are happy as they are … maybe they’re not a prospect for you. You can ask some more questions to be sure. A person with no ambition is not a prospect for you. (Sorry but that’s the way it is)

If they say they’ve been working there for a while now but would really love to move back to …. So they can live nearer their family. Jackpot! Here you have identified a NEED and they may be a prospect for you.

Gather their info quickly like a spy in the night! I like to use my phone. If you give out hundreds of business cards and wonder why no one gets in touch there is a clue in there.

YOU need to take control of the process if you want to prospect like a pro.

You say something like this, Well Donna, it was great to meet you. I know you’re busy and I have to run too but I was really impressed with the service you gave me. You know you mentioned that … XXX whatever their hot button might be …

I partner with a company that enables me to … (work from anywhere) or (work around my kids from home) or earn an additional income so I can send my kids to Drama School or ….

I don’t know if you have the skill set they’re looking for but I could send you some information about it and perhaps it will be a match for you too. If not no worries but it might be a way for you to XXX

Gauge their response. If they are nodding and, showing interest you say, ‘Ok let me take your contacts details quickly and I’ll be in touch.’

If they don’t look interested (they usually do if you’ve followed the formula) you can qualify them again by saying, ‘Does that sound good to you, or would you like to receive some information?’

Whip out your James Bond phone ever so smoothly and add them as a contact so they can see what you’re doing. Ask for their phone number, email and repeat back their name.

Finish it up with finding out when is the best time to call them. Tell them you will call them then ie; Tuesday evening around 8pm, or a weekday evening this week. It’s not a firm appointment but ensures they expect your call, and you waste less time playing phone tag.

Bid them good bye. Big smile and leave them feeling that their day was better for having met you; whether they join your business or not.

Follow up quickly.

There are a million different ways to do this and all of them work as long as you find your flow and create positive conversations with people.  You can qualify people as prospects, like a pro, easily once you practice and develop your confidence.

The only way to develop your confidence and skills is to practice A LOT. Go prospect like a pro and create as many conversations as you can this week. Then consciously qualify them and practice turning them into real prospects for your business.

It’s proactive, exciting and it works. Remember not to be attached to the outcome.  Your job is to qualify them as a prospect and send them the information tool but that’s a whole other blog …

If you enjoyed this post please like it on the Facebook button, share it on the buttons and/or leave a comment or question.

They’ve bought into the ‘don’t need to talk to anyone you know,’ and people will be flocking to you online etc.

I’m not saying you can’t get people coming to you online. People come to me for all sorts of services that I offer and that’s great. I’ve enrolled some amazing people through my online stuff and I think social media is incredible. The world is at your fingertips. 

What I am saying is that if you WAIT for people to come to you, unless you are an absolute legend you probably will take a very slow path to success.

If you’re in a home business that is all online sales and not about building a network then this isn’t an issue for you. That being said it is ALWAYS a great idea to be networking when you’re out and about. Who knows who you might meet?

If your home business is in Network Marketing then listen up because this could change everything for you.

It is comfortable and convenient to buy the online hype about just sitting at home and waiting for great people to come to you but for great people to come to you, you usually need to be a great producer!

How do you get to be great in this business?

By doing the core stuff and learning the fundamentals. So if you’ve let it slide a bit and thought you can just ignore what’s going on in the world outside maybe it’s the right time for you to start talking to more people again.

As much as I love networking online, especially because of my rural location I have to tell you that lately I have been meeting some amazing people on my travels and out and about.

This doesn’t have to be tedious and it doesn’t have to be a chore.

What do you like to do? Go do more of it. Unless your passion is very solitary, the chances are there will be more people for you to network with.

Now at this point take a deep breath. This is not about jumping on people and blabbing on about your AMAZING best in the world company and products.

It’s about creating a conversation and finding out if there is a need. You can do this very quickly and professionally.

You can prospect like a pro if you decide to discipline yourself to practice.

Next time you’re having coffee at your favourite coffee shop or you are in the book shop open your eyes and have a look about you. Be alert for sharp people. They are all around you.

So should you do online networking or offline? It’s all the same really and is about finding out more about people to see if they have a need for you what are offering. I recommend doing both. Online networking is becoming one of the fundamentals as I write.

Be ready to CONNECT with people. If you’re doing the personal development you need to be doing to be successful as an entrepreneur , and especially in Network Marketing then you should be in a good zone.  If you’re not start reading something like Think and Grow Rich every morning, or listen to Jim Rohn. It’s hard to maintain stinking thinking when you expose yourself to these stimulating  ideas every day.

It costs you so much more not to read it than the 30 minutes each day to read or listen to it.  You will attract different people to you when you are positive. It is just the way it is so if it sounds a bit twilight zone for you then continue plugging into the news every day and monitor what you attract. The compare it with a day where you skip the news and feed your mind.

I promise you this stuff works. So are you ready to prospect like a pro?

Next blog will be about how to create conversations that turn into qualified prospects within 10 minutes.  Interested? You should be!

If you found this useful please LIKE this on the Facebook button and leave a comment.

My blog is in the Top 50 MLM Blogs competition so if you enjoy this blog I’d really appreciate you taking a few minutes to rate it here.  Top Blogs

Thank you and go prospect like a pro cause someone else will!

Anyway I’m just about coming back down to earth and thought it would be useful to write a little about how to turn excitement and emotion into ACTION.

Whether you’re new to home business or a seasoned professional it’s likely that you still suffer from ‘post event syndrome,’ as I like to call it.
I’ve been attending ‘major events’ for 7 years now so know a thing or two about what that can feel like.

Here’s what you need to know:

You’ll probably never feel quite as excited as you do when you’re in the actual event.

If you don’t feel that excited when in the event – you may still feel very excited when you come out of it. It might be a slow burner.

Everyone is different and you need to find your PATTERN of reaction to events so you can work them to get the best results for you.

When I attended my first major event I was very lucky (if you want to call it that) to see Jim Rohn live. Wow. My husband and I were gobsmacked. He was like, ‘wow now I can see why you’re so excited.’
But I was so excited that I could hardly function coherently for several days.

Take care not to SCARE people with your excitement!

Here’s what happens when I attend an event these days. I know that I can feel overwhelmed when I come out of a big event (my pattern of reaction) so I make sure that BEFORE I go to the event which involves a flight and trip etc. I am organised.

So when I come back home things are in order. I left the house clean and all my work and calls were up to date before I left. You see how that can make things easier? (I didn’t used to do that!)

Easy to say but easy not to do. That way when I come home I can spend a day catching up on my sleep and hanging out with my family. The kids want attention and they ALWAYS want to hear the stories. How cool is that?

How many people can say they have a career where their kids wait to hear their inspiring ‘work’ stories?

So years back when I came out of an event I was like a lunatic. In my first company we were trained to jump on everybody with a pulse and start telling them about XXX

When I look back; that kind of excitement and approach; whilst high energy, was not really very productive at all.

Here’s how I turn my emotion into action these days. It’s all very calm and professional. Thank God for Randy Gage and Eric Worre teaching us how to be Networking Pros rather than hysterical maniacs!

I prospected 3 very sharp women on the way home. Why women? I don’t know really. It just worked out that way. I prospected men on the way out!

So I didn’t jump all over these people. I didn’t actually say that much to them at all. Instead I asked them A LOT of questions to find out more about them.

I LISTENED and made mental notes so that even in my overwhelmed and tired state I would be able to remember some key points about why they might be motivated to take an alternative path to the ‘herd.’

In all 3 cases these women qualified themselves as prospects (bright people, unsatisfied with something about their current career, and open to new ideas) and so I asked for their contact details and promised to be in touch & send them some info.

Note: I did not blast them with product and company details!

Within 2 days of returning home (had to sleep off my food poisoning) I’ve reconnected with all 3 and have a follow up time to reach them after reviewing the video I sent them yesterday.

2 of them have scheduled follow ups today and 1 next week cause she’s away this weekend.

Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? Well it can be. That’s the difference between letting your excitement control you and having no skills, to using your excitement to control your activity and implementing real prospecting skills.

One of the women I spoke to was driving me in a taxi to the airport. She has a Masters in Engineering, was laid off her job and now drives a taxi 12 hours a day. You can imagine that she is not that excited about her life right now.

She lives in Vegas, grew up in Texas and has parents from Spain and Italy. You see how one person can lead your business all over the world?

As Eric Worre likes to say, it’s a stone cold fact that we have a better way so here’s a little snippet of how you can share it. I hope that helps.

If you need help on WHAT to say to people so that they become a prospect you can find it here. This has helped me tremendously and after a little bit of practice is really easy to do; if you will do it.

If you enjoyed this post please like it on the new Facebook button and/or check in with a comment and let us know what you think.

Dependent on what type of home business you are building and what personality type you are it could be any of the following marketing activities that you use:

• Make the list of your network. (People who know, like and trust you and can connect you with others)
• Make a couple of new connections every day. (Use the PHONE, Messaging, Facebook, email or whatever makes the most sense with the person – but make it PERSONAL so they feel special)
• Reconnect and follow up on old connections (Be a friend and professional business person – Add value, don’t pitch people. Ask questions and see first if you have a potential prospect. If they show interest invite them to review)

• Attending networking events (with your business cards)

• Social Networking online at your favourite sites (Making new friends)

• Being sociable and attending local meetings, seminars & classes (Think fitness, hobbies, further education classes, free and/paid business workshops, parents stuff, charity events, book readings, nature walks, religious groups etc.)

• Internet Marketing (Blogging, Forums, Articles)

• No to Low Cost Advertising (Door to door flyers, Notice boards, Surveys, Parties, Demos)

• Paid Advertising (Newspapers, Online Classifieds, Facebook Adverts, Newsletter Adverts, Pay per Click) This is if you have a marketing budget. Don’t waste time ‘learning’ these things unless you have 2-3 simple methods in place working for you as you learn them)

There’s no end of things you can do to generate interest in your business. Choose 2-3 activities and master them. Don’t try to do everything at once.

Do what suits your personality type & budget. Better to be active doing what you CAN do than worrying about not feeling able to do other stuff.
Make sure what you choose makes sense for your business model type.

What do I mean by this?

Here’s an example: If your business model is network marketing and you are just getting started then don’t waste your time trying to understand complicated internet strategies.

Choose some of the easier activities to master so that you can be in ACTION now and learn the key skills of networking.

Remember to always be ‘Open for Business,’ cause you never know whom you might meet on your daily errands and travels.

Next post we’ll look at HOW to turn these connections into real prospects.

If you’ve found this blog post hopeful please hit the facebook share button below and check in with your comment.

If you’re not new to this then you’ll still benefit because we all need to ‘re-launch’ our business and create up to date action plans to stay motivated.

Things can get very stale when we don’t inject some new goals and activities into our schedule.

So here goes with 10 simple ways to market your MLM business using both the internet and offline activities:

1) Make a list of everybody you know. This is simple and you can do it. It is SILLY to ignore the people you know already. They know people too! This is networking.

2) Contact everyone on the list and let them know you started a new business. (Follow your team training before you do this) For the ones you feel nervous about just notify them you started a new business and ask if it would be ok to add them to your mailing list so you can be in touch with them occasionally.

Even your old Aunt Mary can pass on information for you. Remember to have good posture and no begging people to join please!

Some people will be curious and ask for info. Don’t blab and ‘sell’ them. Use the tools you have at your disposal to do the presenting for the business and schedule a follow up within 24-48 hours.

These people know people too and your list of contacts is your resources list. Dani Johnson teaches this brilliantly.

3) Create a mailing list for the people who are reviewing the business and/or product. Follow up auto responders are great for this or just add them to an email or physical mailing list if that’s what you know how to do. Start where you are and with what you know. Most of this is just common sense. (This does not replace following up on the phone)

4) Create a mailing list for the others who have no immediate interest but are happy to be on your list. Just add them to a simple email list so you can send them updates and offers every now and then. You can ask them to pass them on to their contacts too. This is the auto-responder (email system) I use. It is simple to create a list and has full instructions on how to use it. Go here for your free trial. Email Auto responder

You need to be starting your own organised list of contacts YESTERDAY no matter what business you’re in.

5) Research local networking events. (Google it!) There are usually many low cost networking events. For the price of a visit to the cinema you can connect with quality business people in your local area. Remember this is not about PITCHING them. It’s about connecting with them and exchanging referrals. Some may join you anyway because the timing is right. For those you have synergy with, join each other’s lists and help each other out.

6) Get some business cards. Vistaprint has some great deals for low cost business cards. I recommend everyone have a website which captures details of prospects in exchange for giving them access to something valuable such as a video, a report or a newsletter. If you don’t have that yet don’t use it as an excuse not to take action. Buy your own domain name (sarahjones.com) through Go Daddy and point it to your Facebook profile if you have nothing else for now.

Work with what you do have. You will use these business cards to exchange with people at the networking events.

7) Attend free or low cost seminars on things that are of interest to you. For example attending a property seminar or wealth creation workshop will not only teach you valuable things but will also align you with like-minded people who you can exchange business cards with and add to your mailing list (with their permission) Entrepreneurial type seminars work best but anything educational and of interest to you can connect you with good people to add to your list.

Focus on living an interesting life and getting into conversations with new people. Ask lots of questions and if appropriate add these new people to your mailing list and/or look them up with social media (Facebook etc.) so you can learn more about them and see if they are a prospect.

9) Always lead with value. Think about the person and what you can do for them. Don’t spew your MLM opportunity all over them. Find out if they are someone you’d like to work with and if so move them through the process of reviewing your business. Big gulp. Sometimes you need to overcome your fear of rejection and ask them if they know anyone (3rd party is cool) who might be interested in taking a look …

10) Keep prospecting every day. I recommend you use online social media to meet new people and offline LIFE and networking too. If you sit at home waiting for leads your business can be very slow. Be proactive and do both, especially when you are launching.

There are tons more things you can do but this is a great start for moving yourself off the starting blocks. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by all the sophisticated marketing stuff you see online. Focus on what you have to offer and on staying in touch with people through your new mailing list.

This way when people’s situation changes they can reconnect with you easily. There is no ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when you have everyone you know on your mailing list.

For more simple training like this sign up for my MLM Rockstar ezine at this blog so you can receive all the latest updates and cool stuff from me. (Practicing what I preach

For more training on how to build a simple mailing list so you can stay in touch with people visit last week’s post: MLM List Building

For my review on Dani Johnson’s fearless prospecting training go here and grab your freebies: Dani Johnson Free Downloads

Check this out:

These are just SOME of the business cards I collected a couple of years back when I did a ton of local networking. Yesterday I dug them out and thought DUH Rachel. You’re building a huge list online but what about all these guys?

Now this doesn’t mean I didn’t do the trusty MLM pitch on them way back when cause the chances are I did BUT why are these peeps not in my email list receiving the odd update from me about what I have to offer them in terms of products and services (inc. Network Marketing)

What if their situation has changed? As I’m unable to be present (and don’t really want to be!) at every local networking event how on earth would they stay in touch with me?

This is a classic example of how most networkers are shown to build their candidate list and prospect everyone on it and follow up until they jump off the fence either way.

What then? Some of you may be groaning now as you see where I’m going with this.

Imagine if I (after 7 years of prospecting) had kept every contact through the trillions of leads I bought back in the day and all the networking I’ve done. And what If I’d kept all the emails of my team members who’ve slipped away?

Wow can you imagine how many people I’d be able to stay in touch with just by sending them the odd email with some cool stuff I’m learning along the way?

I’m willing to bet there are 6 figure networkers amongst you who don’t have a list that you can easily communicate with, of all your contacts from the years you’ve been building the business.

You may say ‘well I can find them in my outlook or they’re in my phone.’ What about when you change your phone or your computer dies and you shift to a new one and lose all those email addresses and numbers?

I know it happens cause it has happened to me. SO. What can YOU do today even if you have no BLOG and no capture page and are a complete tecnno twit?

What is your strategy for offering them value to keep them connected with you, rather than phoning them up every 6 months to see if they’re ‘ready’ to give you their credit card number? They may never be ready for your MLM business but they might be ready to buy an MLM product or a cool marketing product from you. (No and before you think of excuses you don’t need to make one yourself!)

Start reconnecting with ALL of the people you know inc. the dreaded friends and family and just ask them if you can pop them on your email list to stay in touch with them now and then so they can forward on the info to anyone they know who might find it helpful.

This is for you if you’ve got piles of old contacts that didn’t join your MLM – do you think they might buy an MLM product from you down the road if you were to stay in touch with them … AND

It’s ALSO for you newbies (I know you’re there) who think you have nothing to offer cause you’re not a ‘GURU.’ You don’t need to be a guru to build your own list.

From now on everyone you meet, instead of breaking out in a cold sweat about how you’re gonna ‘get em in’ your MLM, focus on how you can be in touch with them again.

Collect their card and or get their name to connect on Facebook. If they are business people ask them if you can add them to your mailing list so you can be in touch with them now.

You see how it works?

If you have an auto-responder (with 12 peeps in it!) get cracking. You can add them easily to a list of say ‘local business people’ or ‘family and friends’ and just drop them an informal email to let them know you will be sending them stuff that may help them or someone they know. (They can opt out if they don’t want to be on it but just ask them if it’s ok)

If you are truly doing this, by the end of the year you could have thousands of people on your list ranging from the local right through to peeps you meet on holiday or MLM trips.

Warning. If you don’t do this you are gambling. Will they join my MLM now or not? Yes = cool
No = complete waste of time and no relationship building and no long term safety net

Ok getting the idea? Even if you have no auto-responder (come on guys its $9 a month to build your security) you can still do this even with a card box or manual emails. Not my cup of tea but really there are no excuses for not being in touch with people over a long period of time.

Here’s my old card box from my first company when I was an MLM virgin and retail ninja. These guys are not in my email list! Gonna put that right though now.

Do what you know how to do today. Don’t make excuses. If you only have an empty card filebox like this then use it. That is the start of your ‘list,’ The golden nugget here is that you must make a way to stay in touch with these people even when they are not just current customers or prospects.

I made thousands and thousands of pounds with this box and you can do the same with your list even if you have no one on it yet. We all know people and you can start to add them not sell them!

Social networking has made it thousands of times easier to reconnect so start rebuilding your connections today. I’m gonna add all those people on these cards to a list and drop them a little email. If there’s no email I’ll be looking for them on Facebook or phoning them just to reconnect and ask if its ok to add them to my mailing list to stay in touch.

If you need an autoresponder I highly recommend this one. It’s super easy to use and you can manually add people as long as you’re telling them you’re doing it. Yes this is an affiliate link and you can get a free trial here if you want. Set Up Cheap Auto-Responder

Ok enough list ranting but really it had to be said!

I set up a new Business Page on Facebook so please come ‘like’ me and let’s connect over there too. I’ll be giving out lots of tips and training for building your business.I seem to be having trouble with people finding this page so if you try to ‘like’ me and can’t see it could you pretty please leave me a comment to let me know? (Thanks)
Rachel Henke on Facebook