Apr

Friends to the end…this is the end, my friend

Two diametrically opposite but common mistakes in the MLM world are pitching to your friends and not pitching to your friends.

Huh??

Sounds like I contradicted myself, doesn’t it? I’d better clarify.

“Jon” is a new MLM marketer. He is wary of alienating his friends. He fears they might not be receptive to his pitch for either getting onboard as a rep in his downline or buying the product itself. Therefore he avoids selling to his friends or recruiting them to sell under him. “I don’t wanna be a pest,” he explains. “I don’t want to lose their friendship.”

“Delores” is also a new MLM marketer. She has wholeheartedly thrown herself into her new endeavor and has been talking to all her friends, family members, neighbors, fellow church members, and fellow club members about her new product, trying to get them to buy, to join her downline, and to spread the word to their friends who might be interested in either buying or joining.

Jon, in his concern that he might turn his friends off, hasn’t even told most of them what his new venture is. Since few of them know, they don’t even have the option of approaching Jon and asking him, “Tell me more about the product,” or “Tell me more about the sales opportunities.” Not only has he failed to capitalize on one of his greatest assets — his contacts — but he hasn’t even made it possible for them to come to him.

Delores, in her zeal, has done exactly what Jon was afraid to do. She has gone overboard, “talking up” the product and the money-making opportunity endlessly, till her friends and others in her circle have begun to avoid her. Even when they tell her they’re not interested, she persists in her pursuit.

The best course of action lies somewhere in between. By all means tell all your friends, relatives, neighbors, and other contacts of your new endeavor. If they seem at all interested in either the product or the business opportunity, talk it up. If you’re not sure, ask them, “Would you like to know more about ___?” And if they seem unsure and you’re reluctant to push them, leave them with the thought and return to the subject at a later date: “Have you given any thought to what I told you about ____?”

Don’t antagonize your friends. But don’t shun a valuable resource, either.