Some old schoolers teach:
Always lead with the business. Then, if they don’t bite, you can try and sell them the product.
However, the math doesn’t support that order of things.
If you’re planning to do a one-two punch, the reverse order looks better.
Here’s why.
There are way more customers for a good product (or service) than sales people for it.
Take iPods, or tennis racquets. What are there more of for them: customers or sales people?
Worse, only one in 100 people say they want to do ANY kind of sales.
Whereas perhaps one in ten might be a potential customer for your product type.
Check your own experience and see if it matches. Who has been easier to get – customers or distributors? Who has stayed with it longer – distributors or customers? Think of the many reps who are ‘just customers’ now…
So if you’re using a one-two approach, choose which odds you want to work first:
10 in 100, or 1 in 100?
Plus, if you start with the 1/100, the 9 who’d be customers usually disappear as soon as they hear it’s sales. It’s often too late to revive whatever interest they might have had, because they know now that you really want them to sell.
If you lead with the product (for people who…) and THEN ask if they know anyone who might like to help introduce it around, you won’t lose a customer unnecessarily, like people do using the old school order.
After all, you haven’t scared the 9 customers off with the big sales talk first.
Now you know the odds going in…so now you get to choose how you want to play.
Michael Dlouhy, founder of Mentoring For Free, talks about your book If My Products So Great, Why Can’t I Sell It? He promotes it regularly.
He agrees that of 100 you get one rep and 10 sales on the average…
We teach that branding ourselves, mentoring those who ask for help, and teaching them to do the same… is how to make dreams come true. No agenda, no catch, no selling.
This is a relationship business based on honesty and integrity ALL the way from the owner of the company to the most recent new customer.
Lisa
Be A Mentor With A Servants Heart
Mentoring For Free
Unless someone has inquired about the business, I always lead with the products and my personal story to find more customers.
People have to know and love a product before they can throw their hearts and souls into a business, especially one where they may not make a lot of money right away.
In fact, one of my customers-turned-business-builders was originally approached by someone else at Sunrider who just pushed the business and didn’t focus on the products at all. That made this gal really uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that she didn’t want to have anything to do with Sunrider or even try the products.
Then I came along and told her about the products, answered her questions, and gave her information without being pushy. She tried the products and loved them. Then she approached me about how she could do it as a business!
Case in point.
Cheers,
Rani
Integral Health Solutions
Hi K2
I feel more comfortable leading with my products than the business side. Since I deal with a lot of pet owners and pet professionals I never knew how to work the business into a conversation to even see if it would be a good fit. It was hard for me to show how someone could make money with my business when all they wanted at the moment was to buy a product for their pets breath or health.
Now I’m more confident talking with people because the pressure is off me and them.
My sponsor doesn’t agree totally but she is impressed with the number of customers I’ve gotten in the past month.
By looking for the customer first I’m averaging 4 new customers a week.
If I tried to lead with the business first I would not have the growth I’m enjoying, I would have scared everyone off or been too scared to approach anyone.
I definately think leading with my product first is the way to go. I have proof it has worked for me and I will work with my team to go the same route.
Oh, Kim, I love the picture you have above!
Yes, I agree – I have been with Sunrider for 10 years, and I always lead with product, because I am so passionate about them.
Many of us have become “accidental” leaders, starting off with loving the product, and then carrying on to learn more and more about building a business.
I have quite a few business-builders in my downline, and they have followed my lead. I have a terrific team of people who love the products and then market them to others, and from those product-lovers, arises others who also want to build a business.
Diana
Age old (school) question:
Lead with the opportunity or lead with the product?
Age old (mine, 59 as of yesterday:-) answer:
Neither one. Lead with the Relationship. It’s the ONLY way I know of to learn who and how the person is, what his or her values, needs and wants are.
Otherwise, you’re shooting turkeys in a barrel, and if you hit or miss, there’s a real mess to be cleaned up…
Thanks.
I appreciate you.
— John
Kim, I have been around the industry now for 10 years. I built an excel business starting when I was 15 years old and my mom and I became Executive Directors together. I’ve been in sales since I sold my side walk shoveling services to the neighbors and the reason I got their business was there was me and the friends I got to shovel for me and with me who did this. I am one of the 1 in 100. The 10 in 100 are just waiting for us to knock on their door because there is a lot of snow to be shoveled if you know what I mean. People are so sick and tired of buying from Madison Avenue Executives who send them 30 second blips. I was on a call with the Sports Club LA Boston’s membership sales department. They said their marketing is referral marketing now. I am looking at working there too. All referral marketing for members who get club cash to bring other members. This network marketing thing is so much bigger than our industry. Our industry will be there norm in 10 – 20 years. I can see the light today. Horray!!! Love, Captain Noah of ARK Enterprises International.Bring em on 20 by 20!!!
I agree whole-heartedly. Do unto others what they would do unto themselves. If they came to you to get the product, give them the product.
There is an obvious exception to the Product->Business rule. If you buy/generate generic biz-opp leads you reverse the order because business is what they are looking for.
And when I say “lead with the business” I’m not taking red Ferraris and exotic vacations. This is BS and no it doesn’t stand for “business stuff”. I were shopping for a business myself, I’d want to know that business offers a viable product that has a market I can reach. That simple.
So now we came a full circle: In order to present the business you need to talk about the product.
-Alex
http://www.NetworkMarketingHeroes.com
http://alex.NetworkMarketingCentral.com
I love this question. It ranks right up there with what came first the chicken or the egg 🙂
My mentor who is one of the most brilliant women I have ever met said something very profound to me.
She said…”Isn’t it nicer to offer someone the opportunity to “Make Money” rather than “Spend Money”???
This was one of those “Ah Ha” moments where the light bulb went off and I understood the Importance of “Telling the Whole Story”.
It’s my job to let my prospect know everything about my company, my product and my opportunity.
It’s their job to make the “Right Decision” for them.
Funny thing is that everyone is talking about Law of Attraction these days.
If it’s just as EASY to attract business people as it is to attract customers, then why not attract a few more business builders???
I specifically look for Business Development people.
I like to offer the example of Howard Schulz who is one of my heroes.
You might know him as the CEO of Starbucks Coffee.
Mr. Schulz opens up as many as 500 Distributor Centers a month.
He does NOT do that looking for Coffee Drinkers.
He does that by looking for Business Entrepreneurs who understand Development. People who will build his business for him. The coffee drinkers will automatically show up.
It’s the exact same in my business.
I do Greeting Cards.
My customers are easy to find, they are anyone who thinks saying “Thank You” is important.
My business builders are the ones who Develop my business with me.
There is a HUGE difference between the two.
Will my customers someday decide that they’d like to build a business???
Maybe, but until they do, I need a Development Crew to build with me NOW.
So, the question isn’t really “What Came First” the chicken or the egg, it should be what is better to have in your business, “A Chicken or an Egg”??? 🙂
Remember, an egg can only be “One Egg” but a Chicken can Lay “Lots of Eggs”.
Deb from RI
http://www.TheNiceRichGirl.com
Thanks for the many good comments…
And as for this comment:
“If it’s just as EASY to attract business people as it is to attract customers, then why not attract a few more business builders???”
-made by nice little rich girl abve – that is the question indeed. A very big IF.
If that has been true in your experience, then of course carry on…
But I wonder if it IS just as easy when there are way more customers for any good product or service, than there are sales people for it?
And when 90%+ of those still “in network marketing” have mostly just reverted to being customers using the product, not people earning any income selling their products anymore. Anyone with adownline reports can check for themselves…
To each his or her own. Do what works for you.
But with the 95% drop out rate for the business builder types, and most companies having 95%+ of their income coming from customers (many dropped-out distributors included) instead of business builders, I’d say that’s a mighty big “IF.”
As for Starbucks – there would be no demand for stores and store operators if there were not an existing base of customers, which Starbucks has earned throughout the world because of the good experiences they have offered their customers, and the wonderful word of mouth those customers continue to give the stores.
Hi John –
When you say, “Neither one. Lead with the Relationship. It’s the ONLY way I know of to learn who and how the person is, what his or her values, needs and wants are.”
What does that mean? What would you suggest someone say to someone they don’t know to “lead with the relationship”?
Most of the people I speak in person with have careers and are interested only in my products. If I led off by talking with them about the business – they would probably not then even be customers.
When I run ads, I do them for both customers and people potentially interested in a business. That way I know which they are when they contact me and go from there.
Lynn
http://growolderbetter.com
Lead with asking QUESTIONS, which is somewhat like leading with the relationship. And, of course, it will depend on where you gathered the person’s name to whom you are speaking.
If you are working with a lead who filled in a contact form about the business, by all means, lead with the opportunity, and intergrate the products into the conversation.
If you are out and meet someone and they ask what you do, lead with the products and why you choose to market them.
I always like to get across how much I LOVE what I am doing, but never ask someone I have just met if they are interested in a business. It is not diffcult to throw in a few items that will create curiosity if they are interested.
Customers refer other customers, and many times, it can lead to much more. I prefer to let my customers take it in the direction THEY want to go.
EXPECT Success!
Jackie Ulmer
http://www.streetsmartwealth.com