Build Trust/Credibility & Visitors Will Approach You!

It's been interesting watching the Network Marketing industry try to figure out the Net. You'd think that if any industry could figure out the networking power of the Net fast, it would be this one. Note: Network Marketing is not "pyramids," which are strictly illegal. Network Marketing is a viable business model that generates significant income for millions of people worldwide. However, it tends to attract more than its share of get-rich-quick artists. So pick your company carefully and seriously. Yes, most Network Marketing companies and their associates did recognize the potential offered by the Net (many predicted it would serve as the ultimate recruitment tool). But they have, in large part, been unsuccessful in generating results of any kind -- either as sales, or as leads. What Is Going Wrong? Note: No blame being designated to anyone below, of course. Network Marketing has long been an offline venture, and the move to the online world has been a completely new experience. MLM companies are not providing their associates with the ability to speak with a "unique" voice (the key to any success on the Net). Actually, they suppress that voice due to legal concerns -- valid concerns, I might add. Network Marketing corporations are not providing their reps with the correct tools and strategies to attract and win new leads and/or sales on the Net. For example... They may provide "cookie cutter" Web sites -- each one identical to a million others. Big deal, there's nothing special about each one and the Search Engines ignore them all, compressing identical content out of existence. They may provide online stores in their name. Great idea, but if it ends there, is it much better than just filling in a form and faxing it? Some even provide a small number of trained Webmasters who will build a site and Maintain it for thousands of dollars per year. What's the natural instinct of the high-rollers who can afford it? Duplicate the site and give it to their downline. Result? Instant death as the engines kick you out for spamming them with identical content. And, of course, there are hundreds of scammy lead-selling companies that sell the same lists of a million leads "for your downline." Hello? Think about that one. These don't even deserve a second thought, yet they prey on the weak with remarkable success -- but only the lead-selling companies make money. And then there are government issues for Network Marketers to worry about... what you can say and what you can't say. So... You're On Your Own In the end, Network Marketers/Reps/Distributors are on their own when it comes to driving traffic to their Web sites, and if they do, little comes from it. Most of these sites are little more than a blatant sales pitch -- a page that sells the opportunity and the products, and a page that asks for a name, an address, and a phone number. Unfortunately, there's nothing online that annoys surfers more than a blatant sales pitch, especially if it turns out to be an "MLM opportunity." There is a widespread bias against this distribution model, so the approach needs to be a patient, quality build-a-pipeline, one... .... not a get-rick-quick one. Site Build It! provides the ultimate solution for all these problems. The answer is so, so obvious it almost hurts. But we have yet to see Network Marketers use the Net properly. Before talking about the perfect online solution, let's talk about who succeeds in Network Marketing offline... Offline.... They are extroverted, ebullient people who can approach others easily and naturally introduce them to the opportunities offered by their respective businesses. These folks build large personal networks -- they execute what is called the "30 foot rule" effortlessly. What is the "30 foot rule?" Anyone within 30 feet is a potential prospect! They approach people in bank lines, talk to their seatmates in airplanes, play golf as singles... they network like mad. And more power to them, because they've made it work and work and built their own successful businesses. Unfortunately, most people can barely approach their own small network of friends and family... what's called the "warm circle of contacts." They can barely gather enough courage to approach their "warm circle" let alone that "30 foot circle of strangers." And that's a critical reason why most fail... The key, of course, to building significant revenues in Network Marketing is to build your "downline" and to make personal sales. Sales + Downline = Significant residual income So the ambitious extrovert succeeds. But the vast majority fail, for a variety of reasons... fear, lack of opportunity, shyness, etc. For example... A stay-at-home spouse is immediately at a disadvantage -- no opportunity to network. And so is any individual who is a) shy by nature, or b) finds "hard-selling" crass or offensive (despite real passion for a company's products). Online... You Can Turn The Tables The Internet, though, provides the opportunity to change all that, to turn the tables completely around. The stay-at-home spouse can now have a world-wide circle of contacts! And the shy, soft spoken one? She can speak with a booming voice! Imagine the scenario where you did not have to tap on someone's shoulder at an airport? Imagine, instead, that strangers from around the world tapped on your shoulder, thanking you for great info and calling you or e-mailing you with questions. 5, 10, 20 leads per day like that. Perfectly do-able. And best of all... they are calling you. When folks call you, the dynamics are completely reversed. You're the expert. You're the person who shares information. And they are the ones who initiated contact. That's better than the best "diamond" can do... and the extroverted personality probably does not have the patience to build what you can do, with Site Build It and the Web. But it has to be done right. Here's how... SBI!'s approach is perfect for a Network Marketer. For example, let's say that you're a 55 year old male with a prostate problem, and you've just joined Melaleuca (a solidly run company). You've read a lot about prostatism. Build a terrific site with a theme related to this. Fill it with Keyword-Focused Content Pages (KFCPs) that SBI!'s Brainstormer will not only suggest, but will also identify as most profitable. You'll attract targeted free traffic from the SEs -- your own pre-qualified leads who come to you, not the other way around. The content credentializes you as a sharing, generous expert, by OVERdelivering quality information in response to a SE query, about a problem that concerns your visitor. What do you do now? Get them to fill out a form for your free CD-ROM? Send them with a link over to your online store to buy your anti-prostate products. Get them to sign up for your Melaleuca business opportunity? No, no, and no. All fatal. Just as you were developing a warm and trusting connection, you ruined it all. For example, "regular" people don't have CD-ROMs to offer. And despite the "warm and fuzzy" feelings, your visitor is not ready to join a Network Marketing biz-opp. It all ends up "smelling" like a pitch. Here Are Some More "Do Nots"... Do not duplicate pages already provided by your company. The kiss of death. Adapt some of the content, if you like. But don't use it verbatim. Do not even mention the company you represent or the products that you will try to sell... do this later, once the person contacts you. Two reasons to delay... 1) It's too soon -- blatantly selling "MLM" products or recruiting your downline in an aggressive fashion does not work on Net, and it won't work with SBI! either, even with all that traffic. It's just too soon to go for the sale. 2) You'll stay out of trouble with both your company and the government. Your company must live by all sorts of government regulations and can't allow you to make all sorts of claims. And the government won't allow you to do the same. So don't. What do you do instead? What do you do once you have someone on your site, reading your content, building some trust and interest in you? Be patient. Build a pipeline... 1) Encourage folks to call or e-mail you if they have any questions. You'd be glad to answer them. 2) Naturally, build trust through the publication of a high quality newsletter. And again, in your newsletter, invite them to call or e-mail if they have questions. The daughter of SiteSell.com's president, Nori, gets 4-5 e-mails per day to her site... and they do not encourage contact! Visitors have all kinds of questions (most popular ones involve "good cheap villas, hotels, and/or restaurants"). This is already happening even though Nori has not had the time to build a ton of content at her site, anguilla-beaches.com And that's just Nori. So many SBI! sites generate amazing traffic. And you, as a Network Marketer, have a far simpler job. Don't sell. Just PREsell and make your "Most Wanted Response" very simple... "Contact Me." Imagine what you could do if you built just one page per day? In 2-3 months, you'd have at least 5 real, warm leads contacting you. These are not those cheesy "leads" sold by a lead-selling company. These are real human beings who appreciate your content, who like you, and who want to know more. From there, you'd go to 10, 20, leads... every day... .... real people, very interested in what you are saying. What more could any Network Marketer want? Remember, Network Marketing has a bad image that you must overcome. So a Web site is just too early, too cold, to overcome that bias. You must convert the cold, digital contact of a Web site to a warmer one... e-mail or even better, phone. Convert an online contact into a warmer one. Slowly and gently, use your company's training to introduce your visitors to the products (and/or the opportunity, depending on your goals), as they come to trust and know you. Note: I know I'm wasting my time here, with the get-rick-quick folk, of whom I hope there is no one reading this. This approach will work, but like anything in business, it takes some work -- but once the pipeline starts to pour, it will be a steady producer for you. And your "diamond" upline will start to wonder what's happening to you. You don't have to tell her, of course! But do share with your downline. Teaching them to use SBI! as well as you do, on themes of their choice, can only increase your income dramatically. Talk about "Win-Win-Win-Win"... "Win" for you "Win" for your downline "Win" for your company .... and of course, we're glad to participate! :-) Let's switch from prostate to heart (two of my favorite organs, I guess!)... Suppose your company sells a complete line of powerful and innovative anti-oxidant blends which have been proven to aid in the fight against heart disease. Instead of talking directly about the product itself, search out keyword niche in the "heart disease" theme, and do your best to present your visitor with a complete discussion of the "heart disease" issue, OVERdelivering on quality information. Within your content pages, you will discuss both conventional and alternative remedies, and ultimately, even what you are taking that has made a big difference in your life (I trust you don't push stuff that does not work!). Now, here's how to ruin it... End your article with a direct link to your "cookie-cutter" recruitment or sales site. That will leave 99% of visitors with a bad taste in their mouths... "Oh, that's what this is about... a pitch! Nope... instead, "make haste slowly." Write great articles and publish a fantastic e-zine. Build trust and credibility. That must be your #1 priority. Take your time to get the build going. And don't worry, you will get the opportunity to introduce your visitors and subscribers to the opportunities your company offers... .... When the time is right. .... When they call you. But... Rush things, "pitch" your visitors before you establish your credibility, and you can bid farewell to 99.9% to them. So Do It Right... And your visitors will come knocking on your door. Isn't that a lot better (and easier and less nerve-racking) than having to go knocking on their doors? And, naturally, once you've developed and perfected the above formula, share it with the downline that you've built. Do not allow them to copy what you've done. You'll only ruin your site's performance at the engines. But do use one of Network Marketing's most important principles... Replicate your knowledge. Teach your downline to use SBI! as well as you do. But encourage them to pick a niche, a theme, that turns them on and that relates to a part of your company's product line. Like I said, if you accomplish this, you'll have a true... Win-Win-Win-Win on your hands. :-) From Theresa Coffey, TNT Editor