Ross Crawford, Author at Pamtree

The Mobile App Every Network Marketer Should be Using

Ross Crawford

What is a “CRM system”? CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. In short, a CRM system is a software accessed via a website or app that allows you to store all the information you have about clients and prospects in one place. This includes things such as contact Information; pipeline information; sales forecasts; tracking; and messaging history, to list just a few.

Why were CRM’s invented? Surely people get on fine using notebooks and paper for storing all this information? This may be true, but a CRM’s main purpose is to increase efficiency putting all the information you need in one place, directly in front of you. It makes it work quicker, easier and simpler.

Amongst the many reasons network marketing professionals are now adopting CRM’s, a few are so obvious it makes you wonder why more network marketers don’t use such systems! For one, you don’t need to remember anything anymore. Learn something new about one of your prospects? Simply add it to their profile. Have a new training resource you want to share with your team? Upload it and send them instant access, without the need for them to save it or store it anywhere themselves.

What a CRM does is minimise human error and increase clarity. You can see exactly what tasks need to be done, by when, for who, and even set reminders and recurring tasks so that you never miss a thing and ensure your business is always growing. It really is the future of working. Why do 4 hours of admin a day, checking multiple devices, notepads, etc, when you can have it all in one place and work your business on the move?

Still on the rocks as to whether CRM’s are worth using for network marketing pros? A study by Innoppl Technologies found that 65% of people using CRM’s achieved their sales target. If you have ever worked in sales you’ll know that’s an impressive number. Compare that with the group who didn’t use CRM’s and the number fell to 22%. Only 22% of the sales force were meeting their sales targets when not using CRM’s: introducing a CRM increased results by nearly 300%!

So, after all this, you’re probably wondering why our CRM is different. Well, don’t worry! We’re about to tell you.

Pamtree was designed and created by network marketers, for network marketers. It, therefore, provides all the features that you need to grow your business but without the need for an IT degree to be able to use it. If Facebook did CRMs, they would create Pamtree. This is what separates us from other CRMs that are generically aimed at multiple industries, most often as enterprise solutions. Yes, they are still good, but they’re designed for traditional business models, whereas Pamtree is designed specifically for network marketing professionals.

Pamtree is a cloud-based server CRM, which means you can access it via wi-fi from anywhere in the world. You can even access the app and update it when you don’t have wi-fi and the updates will sync once you regain an internet connection.

Our app includes multiple functions, tailored specifically to network marketing, such as contacts, trackable messages, to-do Lists, activity trackers, customer trackers and a shareable resources library! Want to find out how Pamtree can help your business? Leave us a message below or request a demo!

3 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Network Marketing Business

Ross Crawford

Social media has been around for many years now, becoming an essential channel for many businesses, including lots of successful network marketing teams.

Getting social media working for you correctly can see significant growth in your business. However, if you get it wrong, this powerful tool could lose you not only business but also friendships, as misuse of social media can be spammy and annoying. To avoid the pitfalls, check out these ‘3 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Network Marketing Business’…

1. GO GLOBAL WITH YOUR REACH

You can now easily use social media to reach people all across the globe from the comfort of your own home, so stop thinking small! Gone are the days of network marketing professionals having to travel to each location in order to build local teams – not that travelling the world is a bad thing, but it costs time and money. Establishing contact online first can really help make your time and money work the hardest.

There are a variety of different ways you can extend your reach globally on social media, from connecting with old friends or colleagues who have since moved abroad, to using hashtags to expand the reach of your posts and hit worldwide audiences.

2. TAKE PEOPLE ON YOUR JOURNEY

In business, perception has always been a key to success and in network marketing that’s no different. With the power of social media, we now have more control over people’s perceptions of us than ever before, so take control of your online brand and own how you and your business are perceived. Think strategically about what you are posting and what that says about you or your business.

Take your followers on your journey as you grow your business to show them what is possible with a network marketing business and you’ll soon find them reaching out to you. However, remember to keep it real. No business is built without hard work, so don’t be afraid to show the effort you’re putting into building your successful business. After all, you don’t want people joining your team if they’re not willing to put the work in, otherwise, they’ll just waste your time and energy.

There are many benefits to network marketing businesses that may appeal to your social media followers, including:

travelling whilst working
spending more time with the family as you work from home
self-development
building new friendships with other business owners
financial success.

3. DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS

With us all living extremely busy lives, it can be hard to maintain existing relationships, let alone build and develop new ones. Social media can help overcome these challenges. The valuable tool allows you to stay in touch with your friends and family as well as build and nurture new relationships, whether that’s with new prospects or team members – and you can do this with people all over the world!

Prospecting has always been about building a relationship first and finding out what it is about your business that could help a person. Social media makes this easier, but don’t forget that is the key focus: build a relationship, get to know someone and understand how you can help them, before you begin to offer them anything. Too many people make the mistake of being too direct, too quickly, as they feel confident hiding behind their computer screens. However, this will make you appear spammy and will annoy and put off your prospects. Stick to what has always worked in network marketing and that is building relationships. Then the sale will come.

As a final point, remember social media is a powerful tool that provides many ways to help grow your business. However, it just supports your existing processes – so don’t forget the basics. By using social media correctly, you will build a bigger, stronger and even more successful network marketing business.

3 Top Tips for Creating Duplication in your Network Marketing Business

Ross Crawford

Every network marketing professional understands that success in the industry lies in the power of duplication. After all, it’s duplication that enables you to build a large business that doesn’t then need you to do all the work yourself.

Here are our top tips for establishing duplication in your network marketing business:

1. SET AN EXAMPLE

If you’re looking to train down duplicatable processes, you must be sure to follow them yourself. Your team will be looking at you for inspiration – if you’re sponsoring new team members and retailing lots of products, they’ll want to know how; they’ll want to learn from you and follow what you do. Keep the processes simple but effective, then show your team how to follow these, using presentations, videos and templates as train aids.

2. GET YOUR TEAM STARTED EFFECTIVELY

Setting up your team members effectively will help them hit the ground running and get their desired results faster whilst improving your retention rates. This is also vital if you want to establish duplicatable processes throughout your business. Spend time with your new team members to ensure they understand and implement the duplicatable processes from the off, then work closely with them to achieve their first successes, whether that’s sponsoring their first team member or selling their first product. Show them how it’s done and how they can teach others to do it, and help them use the tools available to do so.

3. USE TOOLS THAT HELP YOU CREATE DUPLICATION

Tapping into the power of technology, you can not only save yourself time but you can put in place controls to ensure your team is creating duplication as it should be.

Take our platform, Pamtree, as an example. Pamtree allows network marketers like yourself to use one system to manage your contacts, tasks, activities, team messages and notes in one place, using a single platform that works on a website as well as mobile apps for both iPhone and Android phones – and best of all, it’s free, so cost will not be a barrier to ensure all of your team are using the same system, making it a truly duplicatable platform.

If all your team members are using a single system then processes can be duplicated and every one of your team members will benefit from having their contact list, prospecting sheets, notes and task lists with them, on the go, allowing them to work their businesses easily in the small pockets of time throughout their day.

Follow these 3 Top Tips and you’ll soon see a big difference in your business. If you have any other tips for successful duplication, we’d love to hear them. Please feel free to share them below.

Our 9 Favourite Prospecting Tips

Ross Crawford

Prospecting is a key part of any successful network marketing business and there are lots of useful tips on the internet and in books from industry experts. Here are our 9 favourites:

1. LOOK FOR PEOPLE WITH A GOOD ATTITUDE

Jeff Keller’s book, “Attitude is Everything”, is great and we couldn’t agree more! In network marketing and entrepreneurship that really is the case, so be aware of people’s attitudes. Actively seek out those with a good, positive attitude who are friendly and personable, as the exciting opportunity you have could be right for them!

2. FOCUS ON THE OTHER PERSON

This is very simple but is a common mistake: focus on the prospect and getting to know them, and stop talking about you – they don’t care! Focus on them, what they want and find a way to align that with the opportunity you have. Then you’re onto a winner.

3. ASK QUESTIONS

This ties in with getting to know the person as you can’t get to know anyone if you’re talking at them. Learn to ask good questions that will give you insight in them and their needs. Make a list of 5 questions that will give you insights into your prospects, the answers to which you’ll need to know to judge whether the opportunity you have is right for them. Learn the questions and use them with every prospect until it becomes natural.

4. LEARN TO LISTEN

Don’t forget that there’s no point asking questions if you don’t listen to the answers. You’re only asking questions to understand the person and find opportunities, so make sure you listen well to see the opportunities arising from the responses.

5. WEAR OR CARRY SOMETHING THAT SPARKS A CONVERSATION

Perhaps it’s a “Lose Weight. Ask Me How!” badge like Herbalife suggest or a C9 body cleanse box that Forever Living recommend, but whatever it is carrying or wearing something that will generates curiosity will create talking points as people strike up conversations with you.

6. BE IN DEMAND AND DON’T GIVE AWAY TOO MUCH TOO SOON

When talking to prospects, appear in demand and in hurry. Don’t go too in-depth into what you do. This maintains the intrigue.

7. USE F.O.R.M.

F.O.R.M stands for family, occupation, recreation and message and these are four “safe” topics to talk to prospects about while warming them up and getting to know them.

8. HAVE A CLEAR ELEVATOR PITCH

Nail your elevator pitch, a 2 to 3 sentence statement that sums up your proposition. Ensure it’s simple and effective, and leaves them wanting to know more.

9. DON’T LEAD WITH YOUR BUSINESS

Never try to explain your business to people when you first meet them. First, they won’t be interested and second, they probably won’t understand it, so you’ll lose the prospecting opportunity with them. Instead, focus on getting to know them and what they want. Let your business and what you do come at the end of that.

Let us know what’s worked best for you. What are your best prospecting tips for network marketers?

Network Marketers: How to Handle Objections

Ross Crawford

When most network marketers start out with their business, the idea of having to deal with objections can be quite scary. However, they can, in fact, be a positive thing that will help you grow your business! Each time you receive an objection, view it as a request to gain knowledge of the industry that will allow you to help the prospect understand the opportunity. If you view objections like this, you’ll soon realise that the prospects with the most objections are those that convert: they will have made an informed decision once they decide to start their network marketing business.

The key with objections is to ensure that you listen and fully understand what your prospect is asking. Then respond to it in an effective way, such as the highly recommended “feel, felt, found” method.

Here are some examples of objections and how you could deal with them – but remember, work with your upline and other successful business owners in your company as they’ve been there, done it and will be able to offer invaluable advice and support.

Objection

“I don’t have time”

Response

“How much would you need to earn in order to find time to invest in a business?”

“What if you could invest more time in the short term to gain more freedom over your time in the long-term?”

Followed up by…

“If I was to show you how you could learn XX/gain more freedom] by running your own business, would you be interested in taking a look?”

Another response could be…

“I know how you FEEL. I FELT the same but then I FOUND that by working smarter with my time I could find XX number of hours to invest in my business and I’m glad I did as I now have [more money/more freedom/more time]”

Objection

“I don’t have the money”

Response

“What if I could show you a way to generate the money for your starter pack, would you be interested in hearing that?”

If they’re interested, you can work out a plan for them which shows how many products/services they need to pre-sell in order to cover the cost of their starter kit.

Another possible response would be:

“Do you see that changing in the future? I thought you’d be interested in this as it’s an opportunity to make more money – would you like to earn more money?”

Objection

“I don’t know how to sell.”

Response

“When you go to a nice restaurant or watch a good film, do you recommend them to the people you know?’

If the reply is “yes” you can follow up with:

“Network marketing is no different. You’re simply recommending products/services that you use and enjoy by sharing what you like and the benefits of them – the only difference is you’re getting paid for doing so. How does that sound?”

Objection

“Is this a scam?”

Response

“Multi-Level marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry and support by lots of respected businessmen including Richard Branson – see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brvaq5kHq58. Do you now see how this is a credible industry? If yes… would you like to know more?”

Objection

“I’ll have to think about it.”

Response

“What do you need to know to see if this is right for you?”

Or you could say,

“Are there any other questions you have that I can help with?”

Objection

“I don’t know anyone.”

Response

“I think you’ll be surprised! What if I were to offer to sit with you and write a list of the people you know, would you be up for that? I’ll also show you how you can grow that list on a daily basis, really easily.”

Objection

“I don’t want to bug my friends and family”

Response

“Don’t worry, we actively discourage bugging anybody as that’s not how you build a successful business doing what we do. If I could show you a way of sharing the business opportunity [and/or products/services] without bugging anybody, would you like to hear more?”

Hopefully, you’ve found these suggestions useful and you’ll feel more confident handling objections moving forwards. As you’ve seen, a common theme amongst responses is asking questions; find out what they want to know and then provide responses that offer them reassurance.

Are there any other objections you come up against regularly? If so, what are they and how do you handle them? Please share below.

3 GDPR Traps for Network Marketers to Avoid

Ross Crawford

1. “I DIDN’T REALISE GDPR APPLIED TO ME”

The biggest trap Network Marketers could fall into is to assume that “the GDPR is only for big companies; it doesn’t apply to my network marketing business because that’s just me”. Alternatively, it might be assumed that if your business just uses email addresses and phone numbers of friends, family and others you know personally, the GDPR does not apply because this data is used in routine “household activity” anyway.

Both these assumptions are incorrect. It doesn’t matter where your business is based, how big it is, how much personal data you collect or what you use it for. The only thing that matters is whether you collect EU residents’ personal data. Likewise, whilst using data solely for personal use does fall outside of the GDPR, as soon as you start using the data for your network marketing business, such as communicating with your contacts about your products or services and the business opportunity, then the GDPR regulations will apply to you.

2. “YOU DON’T ALWAYS NEED CONSENT?!”

Many businesses owners think they need consent to process people’s data lawfully and this requirement can certainly be seen as getting in the way of building new relationships when you are prospecting to build your network.

What’s less well known is that there are 6 ways in which you can establish a legal ground for processing personal data in your business. Not all of these are relevant to a network marketing business but one is and it can be easier than establishing “consent”. This would be the case where you enter into a contract with an individual to supply goods or services they have requested. Remember, a business contract does not need to be written – it can just be a verbal undertaking between you and your customer that they will pay for products or services that you will be supplying. This gives you a legitimate reason for holding necessary personal data about your customer.

3. “AM I A CONTROLLER OR A PROCESSOR?”

The GDPR splits the legal responsibilities for handling personal data into two categories: data controllers, who determine the purpose for collecting personal data and how it will be processed, and data processors, who are responsible for processing personal data on behalf of data controllers.

Am I data controller? Yes, if you…

…collect and record personal data about your customers, prospects or other business contacts… Personal data includes even basic information such as names, telephone numbers, email addresses and so on. So, as a network marketer, you most likely will be a data controller.

Am I a data processor? Yes, if you…

…process personal data. If you use your own systems, such as spreadsheets or other database applications, then you could be a data processor as well as a data controller.

This might seem simple enough, but the relationship between controllers and processors is not usually straightforward. Businesses are often data controllers in some scenarios and processors in others. The responsibilities for data controllers and data processors are different, so it’s essential that everyone involved in data collection is aware of their role. There also might be multiple data processors for the same data, for example, if you use an app or CRM system to process your network’s personal data. What will really help with your compliance is to make sure that any platform that you use is also GDPR compliant, such as Pamtree, which offers a GDPR-compliant contract between it (as your data processor) and you as the data controller. However, remember that this will only fulfil part of your data protection responsibilities under GDPR.

Are you struggling to get your head around GDPR? If so, what would make your life simpler? Here at Pamtree, we’re all about making it as easy as possible to run your network marketing business, so let us know and we’ll be happy to help where we can.

Network Marketers! Are you ready for GDPR?

Ross Crawford

This first of two blog posts on the subject of GDPR legislation looks at what it covers and who it applies to.

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulations. It’s a piece of European Union legislation that will apply widely to businesses that control or process personal data about EU citizens and is designed to give individuals more control and rights over the use of their personal data. Each country in the EU will introduce its own legislation to mirror the EU-wide GDPR rules and the UK is no exception, so “Brexit” will not affect the need to get ready and comply with GDPR!

The responsibility of policing the GDPR in the UK, from its implementation date of 25 May 2018, will fall to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and businesses that process personal data must register with the ICO annually. There are penalties for non-compliance with GDPR and data beaches (such as the theft of personal data) must be reported within 72 hours.

As a network marketer, capturing and keeping up to date personal information on your contacts and prospects is a central part of building your business. GDPR requirements may seem daunting but they will apply to you whether you simply keep that information on a spreadsheet or are using leading-edge systems like Pamtree. It’s therefore important that you get up to speed with what your own responsibilities are and also use 3^rd party systems that you can be sure are GDPR compliant.

GDPR introduces a new distinction between “data controllers” and “data processors” and sets out the responsibilities of each of these roles. So even if you use a 3^rd party system as your data processor, you will still have certain requirements to comply with GDPR as a “data controller”. However, if you take sensible measures to adhere to the overall requirements of GDPR, it is unlikely this distinction will be problematic for small businesses.

A few key areas are worth focusing on:

Work out what types of personal data you are recording and using (for example name, address, email, bank details, photos). If you record sensitive or special category data (for example health details, religious views, information about children) you’ll need to be especially diligent and special provisions can apply.
There needs to be a clear, legitimate basis for holding the data. Consent is one basis and you are relying on consent to process personal data the consent has to be clear, specific and explicit and you should document this. Alternatively, a business contract (which can be a verbal contract, for example, when you agree with your customer that they will buy products or services) is also a legitimate reason for holding necessary personal data.
Think about basic security around the data you hold. Have in place some basic documentation covering GDPR-compliant security measures and policies. This could include a statement of how often you will change passwords; how you check compliance of 3^rd party data processors; how you restrict physical access to the data; and on your computer, that you will use and keep up to date firewall and anti-virus software.
Individuals will have the right to access any of their personal data, correct inaccuracies. possibly object to you processing it, or asking for all of their personal data to be deleted. Requests have a one month deadline of one month, so you need to be able to respond.
Check your supply chain to ensure that all suppliers are also GDPR compliant. This will help you avoid being impacted by any breaches and consequent penalties they may face.
Under GDPR, you’ll have to tell individuals your purpose for using their personal data. The ICO’s detailed, guidance on privacy notices can be found here.

These are just some aspects of GDPR. There is a lot of reference material available on the internet on this, but much of it can be technical and a bit overwhelming. However, if you want to look up something with a bit more detail than we can fit in here, a good article for small businesses has been written by Simply Business and can be accessed here.

Keep your eyes pealed for our follow up article: ‘3 GDPR Traps to Avoid’ which will be following shortly.

Closing Made Simple

Ross Crawford

A lot of effort goes into prospecting, so it’s vital that your efforts pay off and you get the best results. So you’ve introduced yourself, shared your story and presented the business opportunity, but then what? You’ve followed the “proven process” to a tee, but your prospect is still not sure whether it’s the right opportunity for them. What do you next?

One approach is to dig a little deeper to find out what’s holding them back and understand what will influence their decision. You can do this simply by asking open questions such as “what was the best bit”, “what appealed to you the most” or “out of everything you’ve seen, what did you like the most”, then follow up with “why?”. The answers to these questions will steer the conversation towards a positive response and you will find out what appeals to them the most so you can focus on that. Another good question to help you understand your prospects’ thoughts (so you can create your closing strategy), and one recommended by Network Marketing Pro, Eric Worre, is the question “On a scale of 1 to 10, what did you think?”. This gives you a good insight into where your prospect is in their head and whether they’re dangling over the edge about to sign up or whether they need more questions answered to help them understand whether it’s for them. Once you know where their thoughts are, you can ask what they’d need to see to get it closer to a 10. Hopefully, it’s something you’re able to help with and they will get all the information they need to make their decision.

As you probably know, a couple of the biggest drivers for starting a business in the network marketing industry are money and time, so finding out how much they would like to earn and how much time they have available are only going to help you close. Remember to do this by asking questions and listening to what they say. Don’t focus on what they could earn or how much time you believe they would need to commit to their business. Understand their expectations and help them with a plan to achieve those. Make sure you’re realistic in the expectation you set – if they’re hoping for unrealistic results, be honest with them. There is no point them registering their business then giving up after a couple of months as they didn’t earn what they were promised. We all know it takes a lot of time, effort and commitment to make it work, so get that across. Then you won’t waste your own precious time working with people who can’t devote the time and effort required to be successful.

The most successful network marketers close because they listen to their prospects and put a plan in place for them to help them achieve their goals, be it £500 a month or £10,000 a month. Each prospect has their own ambitions and dreams so make sure you’re not trying to sell your own dream to someone who’s looking to fulfil a different one.

Ask questions and listen, then respond with a realistic plan that helps your prospect achieve their goals and you will find that you will close a much higher proportion of prospects.

Let us know how you get on. If you have any other tips for closing that have worked for you, please share these below!

5 Top Tips for Success in Network Marketing

Ross Crawford

Self-development is a key to success for all entrepreneurs, especially those in network marketing. Here are five “Top Tips” for success in network marketing:

1. GET CLEAR GOALS

Every business sets goals to measure its performance and determine whether it is successful or not and you should too. Whether you’re hosting a party, attending an event or prospecting, set yourself clear goals and then work to achieve them. A great tip is first to set yourself smaller, achievable goals then increase your expectation and target each time – that way you’re motivated by the buzz of successfully achieving your goals and this motivation will put you in the right mindset to achieve even more next time.

2. BE AWARE OF WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO THE BUSINESS ABOUT, AND HOW OFTEN

It is very easy to annoy friends and family by talking about nothing but your business and pestering them to “take a look”. It can damage relationships, cost friendships and give the industry a bad name. That’s not to say you should keep it a secret, after all, this is network marketing so you need to be out there talking to people about your business and products/services. The tip here is to be aware of who you are speaking to, what their initial reaction is and then manage how often you continue to speak about your business based on their interest. If they’re not interested, that’s fine, drop the conversation. Work your business; build it and let them see your success. After all, actions speak louder than words!

Marketing an MLM business is no different to any other business, you need to target people who want what you have to offer, so decide on the kind of people you want to focus on and go after them.

3. TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN

This is one of the most important tips – it’s very simple, yet super effective! Good marketing is all about researching the market (listening to what your customers have to say) and then providing a solution (offering your products/services) to problems and challenges they are having.

If you listen carefully, you will soon realise that people reveal the problems they face, and quite often you have the solution in your products/services or business opportunity. People will be more receptive if you’re providing a solution to their problem rather than pushing your own agenda by banging on about your products or business for your own financial benefit.

4. DON’T FORGET YOUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES

There is always a lot of focus on sponsoring new people into the business, and yes, this should be a big focus. However, it shouldn’t come at the cost of losing sight of the products/services that are the foundation of your business. Building a strong, loyal customer base will not only generate regular income but it also will ensure you have ambassadors for your business as your customers will be talking about your products and your business for you. Also, more often than not, you will pick up some sponsors from contacts who start out as customers but who become advocates for the products/services and find themselves naturally recommending them. Earning money for developing these contacts becomes a no-brainer.

5. THE FORTUNE IS IN THE FOLLOW-UP

You may have heard this before, but it’s so true: there is no point in introducing people to your products or business opportunity if you forget to follow up with them as you move on to the next person. To ensure you get this right and don’t mess it up, put a process in place to track your prospecting activity and ensure you know how and when to follow up.

When it comes to sales and marketing, timing is everything, so if you can follow up with your prospects and customers at the right time, you will improve conversion rates and your overall success. This is one of the reasons Pamtree developed its unique prospect tracking feature, as the platform is all about making network marketers more successful by reducing your administration and enabling you to sell more!

As a professional network marketer, please feel free to share your Top Tips below so others can learn from your personal experiences. We’d love to hear your comments.

The 3 Biggest Challenges in Network Marketing Right Now

Ross Crawford

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

All industries must overcome challenges to grow and network marketing is no different. Here are three of the biggest challenges professional network marketers face right now…

CONVERTING PROSPECTS

This is one of the biggest challenges that network marketers face. Every business owner has a contact list when they start their business, though often this is the stage when the list of untouched contacts is longest. However, many fail to convert. Why is this? Well, in part it’s due to the new business owner’s lack of experience at the outset of their business. There is a rush to tell all their contacts about the exciting new business opportunity, without a real understanding of how to present the opportunity and, more importantly, how NOT to present it. As a result, lots of warm prospects are lost in the process. This is where training and compliant, best practice guidance comes in. How many business owners practice and perfect role-playing with their uplines before they start sharing the opportunity?!

FOLLOW UP

When business owners nail the first prospecting stage and they’re getting positive responses from their contacts, they can often lose focus and can get caught up in the excitement of the “Yes, I’d like to find out more” response. However, this is where business owners often drop the ball by being overly keen in their response, bombarding their prospects with too much information or chasing prospects for responses to the follow up messages they’ve sent. Enthusiasm can come across as desperation and that’s not attractive, which is why waiting until prospects have engaged with the messages is a much better approach. Contacting prospects before they’ve had a chance to look at what’s been sent will not only make them want to avoid you for fear of having to admit this, but also make them wonder why you’re pushing such a “hard sell” of this amazing opportunity. Remember, anything great requires minimal selling. Having said this, don’t forget to track who you have spoken with and ensure that, once they’re engaged with your message, you do follow up in a timely manner.

KEEP PROCESSES DUPLICATABLE

Success in network marketing is in part down to the power of duplication. However, it’s increasingly difficult to train others in effective processes as business owners are generally time poor, working their business around family and/or career. Entrepreneurs are looking for smarter ways to work, which is great, and the search is on for processes that can be easily replicated and intuitive systems that support them. Simple, effective solutions are built upon well-tried processes that anyone can follow: these are the only ones that will work when it comes to building a large network marketing business. There are many new technology platforms available today that can help make running a network marketing business easier, however, many of these also require an IT degree to be able to master them and these are not the systems best suited to MLM professionals. Social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, though limited in addressing certain needs, are effective because they’re simple and intuitive. Business owners can, therefore, work out for themselves how to use these systems just by playing around with them, making the processes that can be set up using these platforms duplicatable and relatively easy to communicate to new team members.

It would be great to hear your experiences with the above challenges and any others you are facing today. What are the biggest challenges right now that you need solutions for?