In yesterday’s blog article, I was briefly explaining what the Law of Averages is and if it still works in MLM. I also mentioned that there was one thing that many people in network marketing overlook that could accelerate their business growth tremendously. Moreover, I was talking about Jim Rohn, as well.
There’re still many of his famous quotes that apply to MLM nowadays.
For sure, one of these quotes is:
“The Fortune Is In the Follow Up.” – Jim Rohn
And that’s the topic for today.
The Importance of Following Up
It’s said that it needs 7 exposures on average to seal the deal. That’s a lot if you ask me. And you’re better be good at it…
The follow-up is one of the most important aspects to get people buy from you over and over again. After the initial sale (if you followed up correctly), people tend to buy more likely from you again. They now trust you and like your service.
So, the whole sale process gets easier in the future. And that’s why it’s crucial to get this part right.
By following up with prospects you build a deeper relationship. You show them that you care for them and their needs, and that you offer suitable solutions. However, it requires you to follow up with your team members and customers, too. We’ll come back to this later on in this article.
For now, I want to share with you some statistics, so you see why the follow up is really that much important for you and your business. If you do this part right you’re one step closer to your goals and dreams. If you do this part wrong or neglect it completely, you’ll have a tough time building a successful MLM business.
Take a look at these stats*:
2% of sales are made on the first contact
3% of sales are made on the second contact
10% of sales are made on the 4th contact
80% of sales are made between the 5th and 12th contact
(*according to Jackie Ulmer, Network Marketing Coach)
How to Follow Up the Right Way
There’re different groups of people you’re supposed to follow up with.
Keep in mind that there’s a difference if you follow up with people who have never bought from you or if you follow up with existing customers and business partners of yours.
Note: Follow Up means you’ve ALREADY presented your offer.
[Quick recap: First Prospecting, then Inviting, Presenting, Follow Up, Close]
Follow Up with Prospects / People Who Have Never Bought from You
Make sure that you show your prospects something different each time you follow up with them. This can be a different kind of marketing piece like a video, an article, or a newspaper that illustrates what you offer.
There’re many ways to deliver your follow up message. You can use traditional methods like home/hotel presentations, a meeting with an upline leader, a guest event/seminar, a three-way call… OR creating, for example, an email autoresponder series that follows up with your clients automatically.
Likewise, DON’T show the same stuff over and over again. The only thing you’re going to achieve is to bore and annoy people, which’ll push them away from you, for sure!
Next, listen to them mindfully and shut up! :)
The more they talk and think about it on their own (without you trying to convince them), the more they sell themselves on your offer.
One last thing before we move on to the additional tips and tricks sections:
Be GENEROUS and really CARE about the other person. This might be not the best idea if you’re interested in short-term profit, but if long-term business stability is your aim, this is the way to go.
Repeated sales are a cornerstone of your MLM business. Without customers and business partners, your business is nothing. So, acknowledge them and give your best to serve them in the best way possible.
Follow Up: Tips and Tricks
Ask them, never ever assume. This is very dangerous!
Why? Because assumptions are B.S. stories in your head; they aren’t always real.
You need to have 100% clarity if a person wants to receive more information and at what stage this person currently is. Do they have problems at home, at their workplace? Did they join an MLM company before and were disappointed? etc.
These things can have a huge impact on their decision. And asking yourself those questions can make a huge impact on your MLM success, too.
Another tip: Before you leave an appointment, always schedule the next appointment with them! This is also known as ABC (Always Be Closing).
Always Be Closing means that there’s always a next step, every step leads to another step. This is essential to know because many people need guidance what to do next, and you’re there to help them and show them what they have to do.
Keep following up, no matter what. This is my next advice for you. I know it can be pretty hard and exhausting to call people for the 5th, 6th or even 12th time to arrange an appointment and talk about the same stuff again.
The hard work is, eventually, worth it. No gain no pain. This sounds harsh, but it’s totally true.
If you build your business online and you’ve a blog, post valuable content on a regular basis. This’ll get your prospect to decide to finally work with you because he perceives you as a leader that is helping others and knows what he’s doing!
Further, people look at you as an authority when you add value and/or give free advice. This makes it way easier to break down barriers. You’ll also receive much less rejection because they seek you out – instead of the other way around.
In a nutshell: Create great content that adds massive value to your prospects. This can happen online (easier) as well as offline (may be more difficult).
On top of that, do your best to always over-deliver on whatever you do, build your confidence and self-esteem, share your knowledge, and advice people by offering suitable solutions. This includes to DO what you have to do!! If it’s to write an article for 4 hours: DO it! You only have to do it ONCE!
Last but not least, here’s a simple formula that was taught by one of my mentors. This formula will help you educate your prospect, which’ll draw him/her closer to you in return. The formula is easy, it’s: Learn, Do, Teach.
Basically, you LEARN something new (e.g. How to build a successful MLM business), you DO it yourself (e.g. Setting up a blog, email autoresponder, create content …), and you TEACH it to others (e.g. by creating content or referring to a marketing system that educates your prospects for you).
Follow Up with Existing Customers and Business Partners
You also need to follow up with existing customers and business partners.
One way you can do this is to simply contact them. While you do so, you help them and build lasting relationships with them. This is very powerful (and necessary for MLM success)!
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – Theodore Roosevelt
What I like to do is to ask them how they’re going, how they get along with their products… I also make sure to check whether they’re using it the right way or not.
Regarding your business partner(s), ask them similar questions. E.g. if/how you can help them, how they stick with their goals, targets …
As soon as you’ve found out what they need, deliver. In case you don’t know the answer either refer them to your company’s customer service, ask an upline leader or your sponsor for advice, etc.
Keep on adding value and offering help and guidance.
Summary and Additional Thoughts
If there’s only one thing you remember from this article it’s this: The fortune is in the follow up because you need up to 7 follow-ups on average to make a sale.
Stay persistent, persevere, and focus on always adding more value to your prospect (education). Don’t push and don’t give up!
One thing that decreases the amount of follow-ups necessary to close, minimizes rejections, and makes your whole business more effective is using Attraction Marketing strategies. The reason why I mention attraction marketing here is because it gives you targeted leads 24/7 who want what you offer. (In order to learn more, click here.)
Attraction marketing + follow up = powerful mix and enhanced business growth
If you use attraction marketing, you won’t need to follow up so much (targeted leads → pre-sold clients) and you’ve highly motivational business partners because you only recruit quality people in your business.
Another thing that’s very important if you take your business online is building your email list. This is your own customer base. However, talking about this now would go beyond the scope of this article. This is a topic for an upcoming article.
Take Care and All the Best,
Mario Montreal
Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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