Network marketing recruiting has taken many forms over the years.  I break the methodology down into four approaches:

1. Warm/cold Contacting
2. Internet marketing focused on a business opportunity
3. Internet marketing focused on MLM’s product
4. Internet marketing focused on helping other MLMers succeed with their opportunity

Warm / Cold Contacting

We have all heard of throwing mud up against the wall and seeing what sticks.  With network marketing recruiting, this is equivalent to an MLM business owner being told by their up line to make a list of friends and family, contact them and see who is interested.  This can really make your Thanksgiving dinners interesting.  Many of us have been down this path including me.  After you burn through that list, your up line then steers you toward contacting people you meet while you are out and about.   Leaving business cards or flyers on cars is also a typical approach.  You may find some business partners in this fashion but the fact of the matter is, this is an old school approach and there are huge flaws in this plan.

Whether we like it or not, most of our friends and family are not willing to do what it will take to change their lifestyle.  You may have heard the analogy of an old hound dog lying on top of a nail on the front porch.  He lies there on the nail howling from the pain but his need to change the situation does not outweigh the energy it would take to move…..so he doesn’t move.   The chance of finding a huge leader through warm or cold contacting is extremely low.  This method is far from a targeted approach and you can spend a significant amount of time and money traveling to show your business plan.  Inevitably, you will need a lead source beyond your warm market if you want to be successful.  There are better ways to leverage your time and money that don’t require luck.

Internet Marketing Focused on a Generic Business Opportunity

With this approach to network marketing recruiting, you are no longer chasing individuals.  They are opting into to promotional material showing an interest in a business opportunity.  You might purchase leads that responded to such an ad or you might generate your own leads using internet marketing methods.   In either case, individuals are at least showing interest up front in some kind of a business opportunity.  This is substantially better than the throwing mud against the wall approach and is more targeted……but there are still some issues to ponder.  The trick is to make it in your MLM business before going broke in the process.

If you are purchasing leads, it can cost you $1.50 to $4.00 each for a descent lead.   But about 95%-97% of these leads:

1. Are the old hound dog on the porch looking for something for nothing
2. Are looking for a job, not a business
3. Have already been contacted by several others and are tired of being called
4. Were only on the list to make money filling out forms and surveys
5. Don’t answer

This can still be a good short term method to kick things off before your own internet marketing methods take off but be careful not to go broke in the process.

Generating your own leads is a must but dependent upon the internet marketing techniques you utilize, you can also spend a significant amount of money and/or time.  But the leads you generate are yours and you do not have to worry about them being called several times by others.   Because your focus is on a generic opportunity though, you will still run into the old hound dogs and individuals only looking for a job versus a business.  All in all, this is an okay approach but could be more targeted.

Internet Marketing Focused on Your MLM’s Product

With this approach, individuals are opting into information about your MLM’s product that may solve a need they have.  Here are a couple of things to consider though with this approach to network marketing recruiting:

1. You may have significant competition especially if you are talking about the health industry.  There are thousands of MLM’s focused on the health industry.
2. This may be an effective approach to gain retail customers but only a small percentage will be interested in a business opportunity…..unless you truly have a miracle product.  Some will even be turned off of the retail end once they find out about the business end. ….due to so many false impression about the MLM industry.
3. If you state your product name or company name, they may not opt in at all and just choose to search for product information on line where they do not have to opt in.

Internet Marketing Focused on Helping Other MLMers be Successful with Their Opportunity

Before I go into this last approach, would you agree on the following statements?

1. Even with a more targeted approach, the leads you contact will be on the defensive because you are trying to sell them on your primary business opportunity.
2. Greater than 95% of these leads will NOT be interested in your MLM opportunity…. and the money and time you spent to reach them is lost
3. Most of the prospects you reach by the above methods are opportunity seekers looking for something for nothing.…..not past or current MLMers

With this approach to internet marketing recruiting, the target market is individuals who have been part of an MLM business or still are.  They understand the concept of leverage and probably already have some training regarding leadership and people skills.   But if you contact someone in another MLM about your MLM, you each end up trying to sell the other on your opportunity.  It is a loosing battle.

But here is how to be unique.  They likely have the same issues mentioned in the above approaches.  They NEED more leads and want to do so without breaking the bank before they get their business off the ground.  If you can hook them up with a lead generation system that runs on autopilot and provides them with internet marketing training, they will see the advantage of this approach over chasing friends and family.

When you help others first, many will become very interested in hearing about your primary opportunity.  Those who are not interested in your primary opportunity are often still interested in the lead generation and attraction marketing products that will help them in their current MLM.  So your lead generation costs are funded through the growth cycle of your business.   To see the details on how this approach works, go to www.MLMLeadGenerationSystem.net.