FORTUNE IS IN THE FOLLOW-UP

I got up this morning to prepare training for my Saturday Success Strategies call on the subject: "The Fortune is in the Follow-Up," and was very surprised that I hadn't blogged on this subject as of yet. I feel that this is the most important thing an independent distributor needs to learn and do - to follow-up with all aspects of the recruiting process and business building. Follow-up shows a commitment you make to yourself and to those you are sharing a sample with, your product and the opportunity with. If you don't follow-up and see your initial efforts through to the finish line, you might as well throw your samples out the window of your car as you drive down the 405 freeway (if you live in California), and hope someone will stop their car and pick them up off the freeway, swallow them, contact you about it, and beg to sign up in the business! That's just not going to happen. This example may sound extreme, but it is the visual you need to have when trying to understand the importance of follow-up in this business of network marketing. If you don't follow-up continually, moving your prospect thru the "process," you will not succeed at building a home-based business.


"Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer. If you're signed up for a season, seit through. You don't have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through."
- Jim Rohn


With a consumable product, biz building can be clearly categorized into the "S's" with SAMPLE - SELL - SPONSOR - SUPPORT. Add to that two additional 'S's" with SIMPLE and SYSTEM, and you've pretty much nailed down what we all must consistently (daily) do to see success. Building your business is a process of exposures where you are parading your product and opportunity in front of as many people as possible; as often as you need to to get the results you want. These "exposures" are done by income-generating, follow-up activities. You sample a prospect, then follow-up with a telephone call to remind them to take the product, answer their questions and move them to the next step in the process. You sell product, then follow-up the next day to make sure they are drinking their water, answer questions, and connect with them so that you can, again, move them to the next step of the process. This leads you to a 3-way call with your sponsor, inviting them to a Tuesday Team Testimonials call, and Wednesday Webinar.

Make a commitment with giving them the exact date and time you will be doing the follow-up activity with them. Write it in your planner - right in front of them. Making this commitment is a promise from you to them that you are taking your business seriously. Use your Biz Binder with the 1-31 tickler (called a Ready Index), and move them through your tickler as you continue to follow-up. Remember: "no" can mean "not now," or "I need more information." Note: Just because they turn you down with looking at the business today doesn't mean that in 30 days they aren't ready to revisit the idea. Asking questions and getting to know them personally guides you with presenting the opportunity to them. 


Example: your prospect is retiring from teaching in June and needs to replace that income, or a stay-at-home mom needs to bring in a second income stream, but doesn't want to leave her children to go to work a job. Building a relationship with your prospect gives you a clue how and when to get them involved. Ask questions and really listen. You will know what it is they need, and how you and your opportunity can help.


Change your thinking with follow-up. Think "helping" with this crucial activity. Start your day with asking, "who can I help today with my opportunity and product?" Having this positive paradigm shift from "bugging" to "helping" gives you the right frame of mind with your follow-up. Take notes, know your prospect, and be clear and consistent with how you work with them through the process of exposures. Ask, "what did you love best about our happy skinny pill V3?" If they didn't feel anything on only one sample, suggest that they give it a fair try by suggesting that they purchase a months supply. Tell them that you will include a cool little measuring tape with their purchase so that they can keep track of the inch loss as they lose weight. 

Throw out "phone fear", or "call reluctance." We all have our personal "chicken lists" of people we are sometimes hesitant to call. But, if you are serious about building your business, shake it off. Simply make your Prospect 100 list, use your sponsor for 3-ways, use the tools with the 4-step system, the weekly calls and webinars, and achieve your goals. You hold the keys with success or failure here. As my kids say, "mom, it isn't rocket science," when I ask them computer questions. With your business opportunity and hot product, it a simple process of knowing that if you want to succeed, the "fortune is in the follow-up!"

Feeling Lucky?

"I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

That is my all-time favorite quote with defining LUCK, by Thomas Jefferson. And it's exactly right. The luck comes when stumbling across a great opportunity, but like so many people, most don't realize what they had and may pass on it without ever taking a closer look. Or in many cases they just weren't willing to work as hard as needed to achieve success.


A few years back we had a great network marketing run for near fourteen years with a company that was paying us consistently six-figure monthly checks. I overheard someone as they were taking a sort-of tour through our new home, "they just got lucky." Well...yes and no. Lucky in that we grabbed the opportunity and ran fast with it, but "no" in that we worked very, very hard doing meetings and calls all over the country consistently every week. And in the beginning of that very lucrative business experience, it felt like we were non-stop pushing a heavy cart uphill with nothing happening in the business. But we kept on pushing; talking to people about the business, meeting face-to-face on appointments, and as soon as we found one semi-hot person, we flew to wherever they lived for 3-4 days and did back-to-back meetings with them to build their teams. Whatever it took. We worked with those that wanted to work, who put people in front of us, and who stepped up and brought us people to talk to. In most cases I slept at their homes in one of their kids beds (always too short for my 6'2" body), drove day and night all over the state to meet with their contacts eyeball-to-eyeball, did meetings and trainings with literally no voice left, mailed out packages for them, did 3-way calls at all hours of the day and night, and created momentum for the business.


Was it easy to see success? No. Was it exciting when it all started to snowball and momentum started to happen? Absolutely. You see, in network marketing, you work in the beginning for HARDLY anything. Once it gets rolling, leaders are anchored in areas, you HARDLY work for huge amounts of money. But here's the key...you have to work harder than you've ever worked to make it happen. First: reach the leadership positions as fast as you can. Second: build your team members to leadership positions. Reference GOLD SHIPS post. To be a GOLD SHIP you must sponsor and build lots of SILVER SHIPS under you - not just sponsor a ton of TUG BOATS. Look at the pay plan and do what it takes to make that plan work. It's that simple. (Note that I didn't say easy.)

There's an old Persian saying, "Go and wake up your luck." Get it? Wake up, write your goals, plug in with everything that is happening with your business, i.e. calls, webinars, area meetings, support, emails, text messaging reminders, etc. Then use your sponsor to start contacting the people you want to enroll in your business. Three-way your prospects into the Tuesday Team Testimonial calls and Wednesday Webinars. Sample two a day, everyday. Sponsor at least one new person a week, and work with those that want to work. Be a leaders first, then develop leaders under you. Sponsor wide - anchor deep. And when you look at the timing factors that are lining up with your opportunity, my only question to you is...Feeling Lucky? I know I am. 

The NEXT STEP for You...

"If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want."

--Zig Ziglar

This ole' familiar quote says it all when describing the real secret to success in network marketing. It's all about helping others succeed. 

The difference between a four-figure a month income and a six-figure a month bonus checks, is in your ability to build leaders. You get to the top by helping others get to the top. What a positive way to live your life! 

And with every step that is taken, you must promote the next step immediately. At the conclusion of all income generating activity say, "the next step for you is..." Then give your prospect or associate the next step. That's why I created the 4-step system. It's a step-by-step system of exposures that are all leading to the ultimate goal of enrolling them into the business, and then engaging them into business building mode. Enrolling is only half the battle. Enroll to Engage!

Steps to include: Deliver your One Minute Message, Show the 90-second commercial, then listen to the HOTLINE together. Then say, "the next step is for you to check out the website and try a sample." Follow-up with the intent to move them to the next step! Get them on the Tuesday Team Testimonial call and Wednesday Webinar. 3-Way call them into your sponsor, then enroll them into your biz. Once enrolled say, "the next step is for you to listen to the 4 basic trainings, etc. The next step is...

Keep yourself and your team always looking to achieve the next step. These steps lead you to the top. And helping each other succeed guarantees your success. Work with those that work. Sample both the business and opportunity and build your team. Enroll to Engage ... step by step. In fact, the next step for you is ...(Hint: March Madness iPad2 ... Bonus Pool ... Executive ... Regional :-)

Turn to the Tools!

Use the available tools to assist you with building your network marketing business. It is the easiest way to duplicate your efforts. And as you know, duplication is key to making money. 


This business is not about "you" or how much you know or don't know. Prospects want to know:


What's in this for me?
Can I see myself doing this?
Why should I do this now? 


Knowing these questions are real concerns with most every prospect you approach about your business, you must do everything possible to simplify and systemize your business building activities, that means to use every available tool to present the product and plan, so that your prospect knows quickly that they can do what you do easily. From the "One Minute Message", recorded Hotline, 90-second commercial, weekly calls, webinars and website - turn to the tools!

We can not teach this crucial concept of duplication and using the tools enough times, or stress it's importance. Even when a distributor has been told about the 3-way call a hundred times, for example, getting the distributors to actually do 3-way calls is like pulling teeth! So, we as experienced MLM'rs who have consistently made those five and six figure a month incomes, will continue preaching and teaching you to turn to the tools until the cows come home.

Use the recorded Hotline to break the ice about the business, the 90-second commercial to intro the product, give them a sample then, then 3-way them into a Tuesday Testimonial call or, have a few people over to watch the Wednesday Webinar. Then 3-way each prospect with your sponsor to validate you, your opportunity, your product, and get them enrolled into the business! Turning to tools makes the entire process easier and much more fun. And if you aren't having fun, you are doing this biz all wrong. See you on Monday MLM Mentoring webinar, Tuesday Team Testimonials call, Wednesday Webinar and Saturday Success Strategies call. All are posted at our team support site www.burgessbiz.com under the Calendar tab!

Gold Ships!

GOLD SHIP

Years ago I read a small Multi-level Marketing book that described prospecting in terms of ships. Now most of us in network marketing are familiar with the prospecting terms "sifting and sorting", but I still like the way the book compared prospects to ships. Why? Because words that apply to ships work for us, like "anchor", "sailing along," "troubled waters", "sinking ship", "missed the boat", etc. all fun comparisons to what we do in this business. And although it has been years since I read that book, I still remember the points that were being made.


The most sought after prospect is the Gold ship. They are anchored deep, stand out in a crowd, are a shining example to us all, and are literally worth their weight in gold. These individuals are ambitious, goal-oriented, focused leaders. They are the big-time business builders, the top income earners, and reach their (written) goals, achieve the top positions with the company, and teach and help others to follow their course. In fact they create strong leaders and anchor their leaders deep. They understand the need to consistently sponsor new, work with those that work, and create and teach duplication. They follow a system, teach the system and see results. They "launch" with their sponsor in the beginning to set the example, then personally "launch" their people; without having to be pushed and prodded along by their sponsors. Gold ships are positive people, surround themselves with the same, strive to personally grow, and are self-motivated. Their "why" for doing the business is strong, and their example is stellar. They are passionate about this business and do whatever it takes to achieve the highest position the company offers by helping others succeed. They understand that by developing leaders underneath them, they are guaranteed success.

SILVER SHIP

Then there are the Silver ships. These individuals are also key distributors and business builders. They, however, are hesitant to take the reins of leadership and really go for the top. They set goals and reach most of them, but often settle on the first few steps of leadership. They may have some doubt, may need on-going motivation from their sponsor, but do consistently retail product and recruit. They too follow the system and if they stay on coarse, anchor their teams, they can become Gold ships. Silver ships move lots of product at the grass roots, create great volume, and sponsor a boat-load of wholesale consumers and a handful of distributors. Once these Silver ships learn to develop other Silver ships, they will move forward to that Gold ship standing, take charge and lead the way.

TUG BOAT

The majority of your organization would be considered as Tug boats. And that's not a bad thing. They work the business on occasion, may mention the product to a few friends and family, and if someone asks them about it (especially if they are wearing the button), but they only recruit a handful of people, mostly by accident. They tend to putt along at their own speed, don't always follow the established system by their leaders, try to find an easier way to do the business, sometimes a little stubborn, often attempt to re-invent the wheel, and can be tossed, turned and toppled by negativity. They stay busy, but never really leave the harbor. But they are helpful and do pull their weight with the team when instructed. And they are often lost at sea; just because they have not set definite goals, stayed tuned in with the scheduled events, and simply run out of steam before they reach the top. In fact, they usually are a bit skeptical, negative, complain about most everything, but with guidance, they can be moved ahead.

Dip Ships

And of course, as you are building your business, and life seems to be sailing along beautifully, you'll come across those that we call Dip ships. Funny, but oh so true. These are the individuals that have nothing good to say about what you are doing, are negative about network marketing and your products, don't have success with the sample you gave them - in fact, most won't even give it a try. They inundate you with negative undocumented articles that attempt to discredit what you are doing, and their entire focus is on taking you down with them. Yikes ... run! Don't spend time with these individuals. Get as far away as you can from them because their negative energy will sink your ship right along with theirs. Ignore them, don't argue with them, just move on to calmer waters.

Missed the Boat

Then there are always those individuals that just don't get it. They literally have "missed the boat" altogether. They aren't negative, but they have no interest in even taking a look at what you are doing. When you start seeing success, they may not realize they missed the boat. These individuals attribute your success to "luck," or say, "I could have done that," not realizing how hard you have worked to achieve your goals. Instead of jumping in with both feet, they stand on the shoreline and wave as you travel the world, purchase your new home, drive your new car, and enjoy the lifestyle that only comes with building a strong network marketing business. So, it's up to you. 

Where do you see yourself? Are you the Gold ship in the making, a Silver ship happy to have achieved the first level of leadership? Or are you a Tug boat hoping someone will rescue you and drag you to shore. If you are, then get out of that Tug boat and do whatever you need to do to "chart your coarse" in the right direction. As they say, "you are the master of your fate and captain of your soul," with a "whale" of an opportunity. So, GO GOLD!

Offer Up the Opportunity

Think of it like this. A waitress goes from person to person in the restaurant where she is employed, offering coffee, right? And not everyone takes her up on her offer of coffee. This same waitress doesn't take it personally, get depressed and want to quit serving coffee. She just continues offering it up - moving on to the next person. It's business. 


Some will, some won't, so what...NEXT!  


"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get." - Ray Kroc

I've shared this waitress example many times in network marketing training's I've done. And I compare it to what we all do with building our teams. We must always offer the business to everyone we talk to about our opportunity. And when they say that they aren't interested, we should never take it personally. We must just move on to the next person, and keep on offering. It's really that simple. I think it comes down to you being bullet proof from the inside out. You need to bolster your confidence in what you are doing and what you have to offer. Your personal passion puts a twinkle in your eye and conviction in your approach. And then realize that if your team isn't growing, you aren't offering the business to enough people.

The product is easy to share. What's not to love? But if offering the business opportunity is tough for you, and you find yourself getting tongue-tied, then TURN TO THE TOOLS. That's why I had my hubby of 38 years, Ken, record the opportunity message (#1) with our Hotline. Distributors, for the most part, are either trying to save the world with their product, or focusing just on that retail sale. What they should be doing is offering both the business opportunity and the product at the same time. The product sells itself - especially when taking the time to show the little clever 90-second commercial. So offer the business - or let Ken Burgess offer the business. That way all you need to say is, "now you can see why I'm so excited about this. You need to do this with me. We are going to have so much fun!"  

If I sound like a broken record, that's OK. I'll keep talking about using the tools - turning to the tools - tools are jewels (semantics) until you get it. Just talk to more people and offer up the opportunity. Remember: Monday MLM Mentoring, Tuesday Team Testimonials, Wednesday Webinar, Saturday Success Strategies. These events, along with the www.burgessbiz.com support site, the recorded Hotline, and the 3-way call with your sponsor or upline leader, gives you a consistent schedule (all tools) you can count on to help you offer up the opportunity. Go for it!

Easy Way or Right Way

There are definitely a miriad of new incredible technologies available to us to assist with building our network marketing businesses, right from the comforts of home. We have easy-to-use tools to help with reconnecting with friends, following up with our prospecting efforts, generating new leads, and communicating with our downline teams.

Between computerized text messaging services, email, conference calling, webinar services, and the social networks, especially Facebook and Twitter, staying connected with your prospects, customers and distributors is easy. And easy is good. However, this is a person-to-person business that needs your personal touch with each step of the process. Starting the process with a prospect may come from a Facebook contact, but needs an immediate phone call and personal conversation.

Building a relationship with your prospects, customers and new team members is the core of what makes this business work. It may not always be the easy way, but it is the right way to do this business. We are involved in a relationship business where people sometimes join just because they want to feel a part of something special. And we have the blessing and privilege with network marketing to empower people, to assist team members and customers with succeeding, and truly making a difference. This is what sets us apart from traditional business where climbing the corporate ladder often means walking on others to see success.

Take time to work this business right. Pick up the phone, meet face-to-face, pick your prospects up for meetings, help them set their goals, and do those all-important 3-way calls. Don't rely on today's technologies to build your business. It may seem like the easy way to do things, but doing the right way guarantees you long term success with your business building.