You think that your job is finished. You've used a variety of techniques from one on one, email follow-up with auto-responders and even called some of your leads. And now you've successfully signed up Mary, John, Bob, Steve, and of course don't forget Loretta, into your downline. The stage is set. You have your first round of distributors. Now you're ready for SUCCESS!!!
Wrong!!!
You've got the start of something good. However, you must remember that you are never done with the processes of your business endeavors. Success is not the finish line but rather it is an ongoing process, the journey to get to a destination. What is the point that I am trying to make?
That point is simply this. Mary, John, Bob, Steve, and Loretta still need communication from you. That's correct, they still need follow-up. The follow-up takes a different form from that used to recruit them. To be a successful sponsor you need to do follow up after the recruiting is done.
Some of the biggest names in the network marketing industry realize that the fortune is in the follow-up. They realize that follow-up doesn't stop after they've successfully recruited a new distributor.
Training and simply asking the new recruit how things are going and giving them help and advice are a form of follow-up. What happens to Mary, John, Bob, Steve and Loretta if you don't continue to keep in contact with them after they have signed up?
The answer is simple. They become disenchanted and discouraged with the business because they feel they are going at it alone. Although there are several case histories of people making it big time in network marketing without the help of upline support this is the exception rather than the rule. Don't let your new recruits feel like they've fallen into a black hole where their hopes and their finances are sucked dry.
Establish regular contact with them. If you can't call each one of them personally, then contact them via a newsletter or thru short online memos. You don't have to do anything too complicated. Just keep in touch. You can send a newsletter through any one of the many auto-responder systems that are available on the Internet. Some of these systems are free to use. Just do a search on any of the major search engines or directories such as Ask Jeeves or Yahoo. You can also use the auto-responder to send them a series of training messages.
If you can't contact them every week at the very least drop them a note every two weeks.
If this sounds like much to do there are other alternatives. One of these is to set up a moderated discussion forum that your recruits can subscribe to. Choose a couple of your leaders to both moderate and make regular posts to it in addition to those that you make yourself. Downline members can leave questions at the forum and other members can answer them. The purpose of making it a moderated forum is so members do not leave discouraging or negative messages. You can set up such a discussion group by using the free services of http://www.yahoogroups.com. After you have set up the discussion group let your downline members know so that they can subscribe to it.
If your upline and/ or your network marketing company provides conference calls for training and/ or news purposes participate in these conference calls with your upline and invite your downline to participate. If you have become a leader in a company and wish to start your own conference calls there are several telecommunication companies that can assist you in order to set up your own conference call for very affordable rates. As you may have done with finding an auto-responder do a search online at any of the major search engines. Just do a search under conference calls, or how to set up a conference call.
Another method of keeping in contact that is coming into play is one that incorporates online chatting and live video conferencing as well as being able to speak live without the use of the telephone. What a great way to save on long distance charges. As with the other methods you can find software providers and companies that offer these services by simply doing a search on a search engine.
These are all ways of keeping your downline aware that they have an upline willing to work with them. One of the worst things to do in this business even if you may be dissatisfied with some of the corporate decisions is to let your communication with your downline go sour or nonexistent. Be there and you will have results. It takes time, but more over it takes a personal commitment seeing to it that your downline has a chance at succeeding just as much as you do.
Let your downline know that they can contact you also. Make sure they have your email address and a phone number at which they can reach you. If they do try to get in touch with you via email be prompt about answering their email. Try if you can to never let it go more than 24 hours. If you're going to be unavailable let them know that also.
Don't think that follow-up is ever over, because it it's never over as long as your'e on that continuing journey to be successful in your network marketing business. Remember that the fortune is in the follow-up!!!
Keith P. Stieneke is a professional network marketer and Internet marketing consultant with experience in psychology, professional writing and network marketing. His Internet endeavors can be witnessed at http://www.opportunityassistance.com and at the positive and motivational literary site http://www.inthespiritofthebuffalo.com. You can subscribe to his newsletter Opportunity Assistance Online by sending a blank email to
mailto:OpportunityAssistanceOnline@infogeneratorpro.com