To Prospect Online or Offline for your Home Business?

That is the question!! I am writing about this today because I feel that there are many people in Network Marketing who are extremely confused about this. They are taught traditional network marketing skills by their upline, (if they have a good sponsorship line who is equipped to teach them professional skills) but at the same time are being bombarded with super guru online multiple messages.

This spells confusion for most, and confusion generally means inactivity. For the new kids on the block it can be fatal.

Okay so we have the traditional old school Network Marketers who work the basic principles and are expert networkers in their community and are building downlines all over the globe through word of mouth viral marketing.

Depending which company or system these guys are using they will often have cutting edge 3rd party tools which can effectively deliver the business message, and all that is left for them to do is join up the dots and enrol the ones that ‘get it’ into their organisation.

Does this still work today? You bet it does. Word of mouth recommendation works better and faster than anything out there.

This group of Networking professionals may be slightly intimidated by the internet and new technology. Perhaps they’ve been around in the industry for quite a while and are reluctant to make a change. Firstly because what they do works for them, and secondly because they enjoy it!

Those are great reasons not to make a change for change’s sake. The thing is that even with this group, technology is being forced upon them at lightening speed, and even by following the basics they are gradually learning how to invite people to look at online videos rather than using just physical tools and snail mail.

Then there is the other group; these are the guys who live and die online. They are stuck to their computers with superglue and the only thing that would force their knees out from underneath the laptop, is perhaps a call for dinner time. Even then they may gobble their dinner down whilst updating their twitter status, and poking someone on Face book. I think this may in fact be the case!!

Now a lot of these guys are using attraction marketing principles successfully, whilst a vast number of them seem to be doing legal spamming. You know what I mean don’t you? The ones who post their opportunity pitch on your profile as though you are running a public notice board.

Take note guys. This is very poor and unenlightened netiquette! Be nice and make friends. Attraction marketing is about attracting not about spamming. In the same way that hard core, old school, MLMers can give the industry a bad name by being too hard core and in your face with the 3 foot rule, the new age tweeters and facebookers can do the same for their camp, and be a complete turn off for the whole thing.

Personally I care about the Network Marketing industry which is why I bring this to your attention, in the hopes that I can do my little bit to influence and teach these guys how to behave with more elegance.

The online die-hards who wouldn’t talk to a sharp looking prospect offline and in the real world if they bit them on the nose, I feel have taken it all a bit too far. What do you think?

I think super smart marketing needs to make the best of both online technology and life in the real world. As with all things there is a way to do things extremely well and professionally.

I was watching Perry Belcher’s new videos about Social Media marketing and he is so on the money. He says that being involved in Social Media is just like being at a party. Now that makes perfect sense to me because all professionals whether in Network Marketing or other business know that since time began more business and referrals are swapped over dinner at the country club, at the local Chamber of Commerce, or even over a cup of coffee than in cold marketing.

People want to do business with those they respect and trust. Enter the new breed of network marketer. These guys have totally got it and are the MLM Rockstars of our era. They are not spending 10 hours a day bad mouthing other companies, piggy backing on their keywords, and spamming others’ profiles randomly.

What they are doing is building their business, using both on and offline networking technology and resources. At the same time they are attracting a loyal following. A fan base if you like. It’s similar to Mike Dillard’s magnetic sponsoring but it provides the missing piece in the puzzle. The actual ‘how to prospect.’

Now everyone can learn (if they are technically inclined to learn!) how to implement social media into their business to attract prospects. The technology is getting smarter and smarter, which really means that even dumb or shall we say not so techno savvy people can master it.

What was once very difficult to duplicate such as learning how to have a large following which in turn will attract some people into your business, is now simpler because of this social media. You can blog, you can post videos, or you can simply have fun on Facebook posting about your passions and interests.

Whatever is your thing; you can maximise for your business and have great fun doing so. The MLM lead companies, who have already been in trouble since so many started to learn how to generate their own leads, must now be quaking in their boots. Why would you pay for a lead when you can generate a higher quality, more responsive one yourself, using FREE social media?

So it seems to me that the circle is complete. We can choose to prospect online and/or offline. (I recommend staying alert and awake when you are out and about having fun even if you are a die hard on liner!!)

Exchange business cards with smart people and then later on you can get in touch with them via social media or skype. Follow up and building relationships has never been easier!!

Our local and corporate type networking is now brought online so that word of mouth viral marketing is working on the internet just as well as at the local networking group. It is warm market when done properly, not cold market, horribly expensive leads, for prospects who want a get rich quick job at home!

When you’re networking online remember it is still the same as at the local networking group. It’s about being a friend, being professional, having fun and providing value to the market place.

If you do enough of that, with the right strategy, you will have a never ending supply of free, highly responsive and high quality prospects that will come to you as a solution provider when the time is right for them.

Dare I say it but I think Network Marketing is finally becoming pure and undiluted fun! Stay tuned for more postings about maximising social media for your home business.

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Tags: network marketing prospects, prospect online, Rachel Henke, Ready To Be An MLM Rockstar?, social media network marketing