Do you remember when you first joined your Direct Marketing business? There were two things that you were asked to do right off the bat – develop your “why” and your “list.” In fact, the list is probably the one thing that your sponsored harped on you the most. I know that when my sponsor did a 3 way with me and a new distributor she recued that question until she got the answer she wanted. In fact, she would ask it several different ways.
- Have you started your list yet?
- Who’s on your list?
- Have you added your friends and family to the list?
- Who’s on your chicken list?
- Have you looked at your Facebook friends? Are there any there we can connect to?
- And so on
Two of those that I sponsored shut her down emphatically. In fact, one even hung up on her. To be honest, this is what she was taught to do and it did not help in deepen relationships, which is a whole other topic.
Let’s just say that you did develop a list and it was humongous. You thought you had enough people to take you to the top of the compensation plan. You are calling, emailing, private messaging, and talking face-to-face with the people on the list. You are now up in rank a couple of levels and you are finished with the list. What now? You don’t know anyone else and no one off the list is referring you to their friends and family. You are bemoaning your situation and thinking there is no one else in the universe who you can sponsor. Bunk – is what I say to this! (Actually, the word is probably stronger than that but let’s keep this “G” rated.)
Just to let you know – there are thousands of ways to find the right tribe for you and your direct marketing business. There is always a “next” person. In fact, David Moses of Zija said during a training that the key to building a successful direct marketing business is building your foundation. The foundation is made up of wholesale product buyers. Not everyone you know is going to build a business and everyone can buy and use the programs to their benefit. Is that a novel approach? I want to tag onto that to say that whether they are product buyers or business builders, it is still vital and critical to build deep relationships with your “team.” It is just as important to retain your buyers as it is your working representative. Leadership is still the key to success!
Let me give you a creative strategy to get you over your funk about not having anyone on your list or not knowing where to go to find your tribe. A wise woman named Julie Foucht gave me this idea at an event. Go to the Mall! Preferably go when there are people there.
Now walk through the mall and find 100 people who say “No” to you and your opportunity. The quicker they say “no,” the quicker you can move on to the “Next” person. When you get to 100, you can go home. What might happen if you do this?
- You might meet 100 people who all say “No!” (Maybe even H**l No).
- You might meet someone who says “no” and I know someone who I can refer you to.
- You might meet someone who says “Interesting and not right now. Could you follow up with me say in a week, a month, a year?”
- You might meet someone who says “Yes, I would like to hear more about this company.”
How would you feel after this experience? First, it might get you out of a funk that you can’t do this business. It might help you with your fear of approaching strangers and talking about the products and/or the business. It might help you to understand that there are vast numbers of people who have never heard of your company much less have been a part of it or have said “no” to it. You might even have several new clients who can refer you to their “lists.”
When you have blinders on your eyes and you only see one way of getting it done, you will stumble, possibly give up and quit, and you will never realize the vision you have created for your future. Do you want that big, bold, vibrant vision that you can see, hear, taste, smell and feel or do you want to stay mired in the mud of disappointment? I know I want to chart my course with the stars keeping the feet well grounded.
Take the blinders off – see what is possible to achieve.
Something else I have learned as a business woman is to ask for what you want. If you loved what you just read, this content is not for free. As a form of payment, I am asking you to comment or share this on Facebook or tweet about it on Twitter.
Linda Patten, MBA, BSN, RN has over 30 years of experience leading women to success in building and achieving their dreams. She turns networking marketing women from product sellers to leaders of highly functioning teams. To learn more about her innovative programs, click on Contact Us.
