Finding the right sponsor is critical to your success in
network marketing. In essence, you're interviewing your prospective upline
just as you would interview a prospective employee for a job. So, it's
important that you can communicate with them.
It's not even necessary for your sponsor to be making money in your opportunity. What is necessary though, is for you to find out why they aren't: Have they just started...or have they been in the business for three years and just done nothing?
To help you choose the right sponsor for you, here's five things to find out before joining with them:
1) Are They Reachable?
If you're planning on making lots of money in network marketing, you're going to have to learn from those who have already achieved the success you want. So, if your sponsor isn't easily reachable, how in the world can you learn what it takes to make money? It also might tell you something about that person: that they don't want to be contacted! A mail-order type program where you can't even find the phone number of your sponsor, for example, may be a sign that you better think twice before putting a lot of time and money into it.
I, for one, inform my downline of the best times to call me. I work full-time on my network marketing programs and have an office that is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST. So, my downline can expect to get in contact with me during the day. However, because most people work their network marketing businesses in the evenings and on weekends, I give them my 24-hour voice mail number so they can call me any time they have a question. I usually get back to them within 24 hours. In this way, I keep in touch with those who are working my program(s) any time of the day.
Regardless of when your sponsor is available, make sure they tell you the best times to get a hold of them. It's important to be able to get timely feedback from your sponsor when you have a question. All too often I've seen people drop out of a program just because they didn't know why something happened or worked the way it did. When they can't get hold of their sponsor to find out why, they feel like nobody cares, and if they aren't making a profit yet themselves, they have a tendency to talk themselves out of the program.
Make sure you have a sponsor you can get a hold of. Ask them when they are most likely to be available for questions and three-way calls from you. More importantly, make sure that as a sponsor, YOU are also readily available to answer your downline's questions. People drop out for the most unreasonable excuses. Don't let your not being available be one of them.
2) Are They Making Money?
Although it's not necessary for your potential sponsor to be making money in order for you to, it sure does help. However, don't pre-judge your sponsor's lack of making money as a negative. Ask why they're not making any money. Maybe they just got started. Maybe they've been buying product for a year and have just decided to start sponsoring people. The point is, if your sponsor isn't making money, find out why. Then, determine whether you can get the proper information from this person on how to make money. If you can't, can you go around him to get the proper information on how to make money from someone in their upline? If you can't, find another sponsor.
3) Do They Have Previous Network Marketing Experience?
The beauty of network marketing is that it doesn't discriminate against anyone. If you work well with people (or are at least willing to learn) and you have a "no-quit" attitude, you can make money in any network marketing business regardless of your age, education, or race.
That said, be sure to ask a little bit about your prospective sponsor anyway. Have they been in network marketing before, or is this their first venture? Are they in multiple programs or just one? If they do have previous network marketing experience, find out what kind. Are they still in the first program they joined or have they been in 15 different programs in the last three years? If they have, find out why.
Also, always find out if they are making or have made money in their business. Nobody walks away from a secured residual income. When someone tells me they were in a particular program and they were making thousands of dollars a month, I find out why the money dried up. Was it because of the company or because of them? Be willing to ask these types of hard questions if you expect to find the right kind of sponsor. I for instance, put together a little bio page at www.DavidAndSusana.com to introduce myself to people looking for a sponsor who will truly help them.
4) What Product Are They Using And Why?
I'm a real stickler on using the products or services that your network marketing company supplies. If you're not using them, you don't believe in them. If you don't believe in them, how are you going to get others to believe in them enough for you to make a sale and get a commission? Nobody makes any money in a home business unless a product or service is purchased or sold.
A while back, I got a call from a guy who wanted me to join his "HOT" new program. There was a sign-up fee of $25, which included a few cassettes and a training manual. When I asked him which products were the best, he said, "I've heard that Product X works real well." I said, "What do you mean, you HEARD it works? Aren't you using the products yourself?" He stuttered around a few seconds and blurted out, "I will as soon as I sign somebody up!"
If this sounds like you, I want to let you in on a little secret: YOU WON'T MAKE BIG MONEY IN NETWORK MARKETING WITH THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE! Needless to say, I told him to call me back when he was making $1,000 a month and when he bought some product. I haven't heard from him yet, and I doubt if he is still in the program.
The point here is simple. I own a network engineering consultancy business. When I need a computer network designed or built, I don't ask another engineer to build it for me--I buy the service from myself! Why? Because it's cheaper and it promotes MY business--not Joe's Network Engineering Company! I'm tired of building everyone else's dreams, paying for their nice big homes and cars. I want me and my family to enjoy these types of things.
Besides, buying from your own business is the first step of your home-business journey. When you buy from your own business, you're developing the winning attitude necessary to be successful in network marketing. Don't wait for someone to sign up before you buy products. Buy them first; then you'll have something to talk to your prospect about!
5) Are They Likable? Helpful? Knowledgeable?
The last thing you're looking for in your new home-business venture is another "boss." If your sponsor treats you like an employee, you won't last long! Instead, join with someone that shares the same kind of "business-owner mentality" that you do! And with only a small percentage of the people you talk to who actually join, why in the world would you NOT want to be someone that they would like to be around?
As much work as it is to sign up someone into this industry, it's amazing to me that some people have none of the above attributes, such as being likable, helpful or knowledgeable! After all, a majority of a person's success in this industry is due to demeanor. After speaking with your prospective sponsor, hang up the phone and ask yourself these questions: "Was that a pleasant experience?" "Do I feel like he answered my questions honestly and accurately?" "Was he knowledgeable about his program, product, and service, or was he the 'pushy' salesman type, only interested in making a quick buck off me?"
Unless someone is just having a bad day or you caught them at an inconvenient time, the way they treat you on the FIRST contact is the way they'll treat you to the end. The same goes for the sponsor you contact. If someone is obnoxious on your first encounter with them, what makes you think that's going to change later?
I find most of my prospects call me just to relieve their fear of making a bad decision. They know in their mind that I can't GUARANTEE them success. But what they want to know is that there is someone on the other end of the phone who cares, will help them get started, and will help them IF they get in trouble!
Being friendly and helpful helps you succeed by DEFAULT! Most prospects have decided to join your network marketing program when they call you. Don't mess this up by coming off as a "know-it-all." It is possible to talk or scare a good prospect out of getting in your program. I know because I've done it in the past. Luckily, I learned from my mistakes. I find that by "listening" properly to my prospects' questions, I'm able to give them the proper advice in order for them to make an intelligent decision.
A lot of times, you'll find people even call and ask questions just to "test" you. For example, from time to time, someone will call or e-mail me and ask me how fast can they make $1,000 a month in one of my programs. I tell them I don't know because I don't know what their experience level is or how much start-up capital they have to market their new business. Then, I tell them EXACTLY what I did to develop the income I'm earning. People want to make extra income, but they don't want you to blow smoke at them when it comes to the nuts and bolts of making it in network marketing!
There's an old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." However, I like it said this way: "If it sounds too good to be true, and there are no FACTS to substantiate it, then it's not true!" In other words, check out the facts before you allow a little "hype" to turn you away.
One thing is for certain: you are NEVER going to find the "perfect" sponsor! Although I try to be the very best sponsor I can be, I still make mistakes. I even have people who don't like me and drop out! And if you sponsor enough people along the way, you'll experience the same thing too. The key is to be the best you can be.
It's like Eleanor Roosevelt said: "Do what you feel in your heart to be right because you're going to be criticized anyway."
You can make money in network marketing without the help of your sponsor if you want it bad enough. However, I have found that the better the relationship you have with your sponsor, the faster you're going to learn what it takes to make money. Plus, it makes your business venture fun! That's right FUN! Some of my best friends are my network marketing sponsors and partners, and I'm sure you'll find this to be true for you also!
The bottom line is that you NEED to find someone in your upline--a friend or sponsor who will work with you week in and week out until you've become successful. You'll find that working with someone in your upline who has a "vested interest" in your success is imperative in order for you to be making a profit in your home business. If your upline has a vested interest in your success, you're more likely to get solid advice from them--more so, perhaps, than even from the company itself! So go out and find a profitable upline that will be willing to work with you until you're profitable--regardless of their faults!
Remember, Success Is A CHOICE!
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