Following Up with Network Marketing Prospects
Posted in Watkins Business by Eldon on October 24th, 2006 Your home based business prospect, Erica, just saw your ad for your network marketing business. She clicks your link and visits your web site. She thinks, “This might be what I’ve been looking for!” So, Erica calls or sends you an email, and asks for a product catalog and more information on your business by postal mail. You get the message, and decide that you will get around to sending Erica something (but in the back of your mind, you really hope she will just decide to sign up online and spare you the trouble).
At this point, Erica is really excited about your home business opportunity. She is a stay-at-home mom who needs to build a nice home-based income, and she has the desire and time to get it done. She has been moderately successful with network marketing in the past, but never quite found an opportunity that was a perfect fit for her. This is why she is so excited about your ad and what she saw on your web site.
Erica waits. After three days, she wonders why she hasn’t received anything. After a week, she emails you again. Finally, after two weeks, you get around to sending Erica some information in the mail. By now, her enthusiasm has waned considerably. The anticipation is gone. She opens your package, scans the contents, and puts it aside with a thought of taking a look later when she has more time. She even considers contacting another associate with your company, because she sees your lack of quick followup as a sign of how you will be as a sponsor. She might even regard your slow response as an indication of the quality of the opportunity itself (no, this isn’t fair, but some prospects think that way).
Have you ever made the mistake of not following up promptly with your prospects? I am pretty sure that you have made this mistake. Early in my career with Watkins, I was often slow about getting information out. I no doubt lost new Watkins associates because of it. Thankfully, I quickly learned from those mistakes and now try to be very fast in providing details about Watkins when someone asks. I have found that many people still prefer to have something solid in their hand before making a decision about Watkins. They want to see a real product catalog, and our Summit Group booklet about how the business opportunity works. For others, the information we provide about the Watkins business online is sufficient for them to make a decision to get started.
It is your prospect’s choice – but please remember, follow up immediately when a prospect contacts you for more information. Time is precious in this situation, and you need to respond accordingly.
Note: This is the seventh in a series of articles discussing reasons that network marketers fail and what can be done about it. An index to all of these articles can be found here:
Reasons Network Marketers Fail
About the Author:
Eldon Beard is a Watkins Manager with Associates All Across the USA and Canada
