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When Is Your Network Marketing Prospect Not A Prospect?

By André Vatke

What network marketers covet more than anything else is an endless stream of interested prospects. With over 10 years of running a free network marketing classified service on a top 10 ranked site I’ve seen it all.

That’s why I’m not fooled by the latest eBooks and marketing courses that promise to teach readers the secret to generating thousands of prospects for free. Like your mom probably said: “you get what you pay for.”

A big part of the confusion comes from not understanding what prospects really are. In a recently released ebook the author uses the term “paid members” in one paragraph then claims a number of thousands of members in the next. You are led to believe that the use of “members” in these two statements refers to the same thing, only they don’t.

The main complaint I have received over the years is that the gobs of qualified prospects talked about in the ads and landing pages never materialize or are not actual prospects. If you really want to be smart about your options and avoid costly mistakes it’s important to know what a prospect really is.

Here are some definitions Leaders Club has used for years...

    Hot Prospect: Someone who knows who you are and has a genuine interest in your business opportunity.

    Prospect:  Someone that has requested specific information or has shown interest in your business opportunity.

    Cold Lead: Someone who has responded to a business opportunity ad similar to yours and is believed to still be in the market.

    Random Stranger: Someone who may or may not be interested in your business opportunity – there’s no way of knowing until they respond to an ad. Most are not interested.

    Vampires: Other marketers that pose as interested prospects only to pitch you their own business opportunity.

So when is a prospect not a prospect?

    Purchased Leads: Cold Leads – provided that they responded to an offer that is related to yours. Cold leads have been the backbone of direct marketing efforts for over 50 years (customer lists, subscriber lists, response lists, etc.) and have generated billions in sales. Just don’t assume they are hot prospects from the beginning. They must go through a process.

    Pay Per Click Leads: Prospects or even Hot Prospects depending on the offer. PPC allows for highly targeted campaigns. The downside is that there can be a steep learning curve and some expense involved. Competition (and click fraud) is never far behind and PPC marketers need to stay active in their campaign to stay ahead.

    Blog Leads: Most often Hot Prospects but also Vampires – these prospects have often spent some time on your site and have read your posts. Blog leads are difficult to generate because the blog must have traffic and original creative content. Both take time to build and knowledge of search ranking is a must. Overt marketing can unravel other positive steps, which means that marketing must remain subdued.

    Website Leads: Prospects, sometimes Hot Prospects – as with blogging, getting traffic to a website becomes a primary factor in being able to generate leads. From there, the content and scope of the site will determine the caliber of lead generated.

    Twitter Followers: Mostly Random Strangers & Vampires, sometimes a Prospect (when they click through and fill something out). Followers are pretty easy to come by but they are not prospects. Followers are not waiting to hear about your offer and most will miss what you post just because there is so much. Twitter cannot be approached as a personal classified system – yet that’s how 85% or more of network marketers approach it.

    Facebook Groups & Web 2.0 Communities: Random Strangers, occasionally Cold Leads, sometimes Vampires. A great place to network but be careful of vampires posing as prospects. Every network has it’s own tone and metrics. (It’s important to note that blogs and social networks have value beyond direct lead generation. LC members learn how to use these tools in a smart way.)

The real key to prospecting success is in learning how to turn cold leads into hot prospects. Once you know this process, a whole bunch of legitimate prospecting options open up!

About the author: Andre Vatke, is an independently certified marketing strategist and has created profitable marketing campaigns for numerous network marketing and traditional companies. He’s the founder of Leaders Club which has taught tens of thousands of network marketers how to create lasting professional businesses since 1994.

Copyright © 2009 Target Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Article may not be reproduced in any format without express written permission. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and receive articles, tips and motivation for your business.

 

 

 

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