How Not To Build A Marketing List

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I first became acquainted with network marketing via “the men in black suits”. I’m not talking about some weird religious cult, although many of my friends and family were convinced they were just that.

I’m referring to one of the biggest Multi Level Marketing companies that has existed – Amway. They are sometimes known by a different name today.

Few people in the industry from that time were not impacted in some way by this company. This is one of my earliest memories of  not only making zero money but learning some of my hardest and most valuable lessons.

I had not long immigrated to New Zealand when I joined “the business”. As a vulnerable immigrant I was looking to feel as if I belonged somewhere and this seemed like a great place to fit in, where everybody shared the same vision of financial independence and which on the surface seemed to be very possible. So many others were doing it, why couldn’t I?

One of  the first tasks  for a new recruit was that of compiling a list of all the persons we knew. This was my first lesson in lead generation. As I recall, it had to be 100 deep, starting with all friends and family and stretching way beyond.

My list was extensive and featured everyone from my great great Aunty Maude hanging on for dear life at 98 in a home for the infirm to the waitress who had brought me a cup of coffee earlier that day.

This I was to learn was my “warm list”. Little did I know at this point, how quickly warm could turn to very icy!

My sponsor in true ‘duplicatable spirit’ called the first person on my  list in order to model  how to speak to another about why this business opportunity was something that could not be passed up under any circumstances.

The first person on my list was my best friend of 20 years. Naturally I was besides myself with excitement having found the answer to all my problems and delirious with pleasure that we were seconds away from saving my mate from his uncertain and horrible life too. How could anybody not be jumping at this opportunity?

You will not be surprised to hear that we didn’t speak to each other for about 3 years after that call. In fact the only duplication that took place was the severe reduction of friends and family from my Christmas card list.

Also I went from having a promising warm market to no market within a matter of days!

So came the real first lesson – friends and family generally do not want to be approached about your latest new potions distribution and money generating business.

They definitely do not want to hear about this via your sponsor, someone they do not know at all, especially when two nights earlier you seemed quite capable of articulating your thoughts about going for a beer after squash without needing a dedicated spokesperson.

What amazes me more is that years later there are still companies out there who promote this archaic way of creating a marketing list.

Our friends and family may think we are mad, may not understand why we want to go down this road but because they like and love us, will support us, as long as they don’t have to be forced down the same road as us and why should they be?

Show them why you believe in your network marketing Internet business and that you are serious about being in business and they might ask you about your business but in my opinion approaching family and friends in this was was the the very worst way of building a marketing list.

Do you have any similar experiences to relay on this topic? Share them in comments section.

Be Happy!

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