Sorting Through the Good, the Bad, and the MLM Ugly
Andre best

You know, if theres a surefire killer of a beginning networker, its the old deal where the new networker wastes so much time finding the right folks to sponsor.

As you are well aware, the key to building yourself that lucrative residual income is not only to get yourself those required retail customers but also to get yourself that downline group of folks. And it all starts with your sponsoring efforts. Its your biz after all.

So lets quickly cover what most, and I mean the vast majority, of new networkers do when theyre first sponsored...

It really can be summed up in a few words...

They spend too much time talking with the wrong folks and not enough time talking with the right ones. Or not talking to the right ones at all.

Simply put, most networkers find someone to approach about their new business. It doesnt matter how that person is approached.

Be it through the 3-foot rule, postcards, phone calls, the phone book, advertisements, approaching someone on the street. Whatever.

The key here is that beginning networkers find someone in their sights and they fall into the trap of not letting that person go regardless of whether they are probably a complete waste of their prospecting time and money.

Why does this happen? Good question.

Well, it happens because that is an integral part of human nature. We dont want to let up on a possibility until we absolutely know that that possibility just isnt going to give us what we want. In THIS case a good person to sponsor.

Regardless, even for some of us, even though we know this person isnt the right person to sponsor, we still wont let go. Theres something about going through an experience as sometimes hard as networking, and doing it in numbers makes it easier.

Lets look at it from a real-life perspective...

We find ourselves talking with someone on the phone. We just met this person since theyre from our cold-market. This person sounds like a good person to send a big package of info to, but we just arent quite sure. We dont know if we should thank them for their time and hang up the phone, or if we should indeed send them that big package, at our expense, and see what comes of it.

If youve been networking for a while, even as a beginner, youve probably been here. And if you havent, read closely.

So what do we do?

We decide to send out that big package that in the end cost us around eight green ones.

Were thinking... I dont know, she just sounded so good and she seemed to say some of the right stuff and oh well, what the heck...its only eight dollars.

And what happens a week later as were still trying to get a hold of that person after our fourth phone call to them and our three previous voicemails havent been answered?

The answer?...Nothing.

That person flaked on us.

And what do we do?

We scratch our head and tell ourselves that we dont know what happened.

That person was not a good prospect, but they looked sooo good, I just dont get it.

We continue to wonder and then just chalk another one up to experience. Were eight bucks lighter, a little disturbed about all that happened, and then we just ever so slightly beat ourselves up for not knowing that that person would flake on us like that. We should know better we tell ourselves..

Next time we wont let them do that to us.

And what happens next time?...

The same thing all over again.

Now lets get into the meat of this insight.

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Why is this happening?

Well, there are several reasons. And yes, unfortunately, youre one of them.

Now dont zone out on me yet. NO reprimands or brow-beating here. This is a family-friendly insight. :-)

YOURE the reason only so far as you are a beginner in this whole game and you havent yet discovered this weird fact of human nature.

What fact? How should I put it so as not to insult folks who fit under this category. Hmmmm...

Oh well, Im brutally honest at times so here goes...

People are flakes.

Not you, just those other folks. :-)

People will lie to no end to put a stop to something that they dont feel comfortable being an active participant in.

Be it a relationship.

A J.O.B .

A date with someone.

A sales pitch.

You name it.

People dont do that to be mean. They just do it to end their pain with the situation. Its not about YOU. Its about them and their uncomfortable-ness inside themselves.

Remember that.

But the aspect that IS about you is that fortunately you can learn some new behaviors with and this will foster a new growth in your business. And at the same time keep those hard-earned bucks of yours where they belong. In YOUR pocket. Or purse.

Ill explain.

You see, basically there are three types of so-called prospects that youll come across in your sponsoring efforts. And during your prospecting.

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There are those folks who are asleep. What are they asleep to? Simply put...life.

Theyre dead inside. Theyre walking zombies. The blood is coursing and the skin is warm but nobodys home. These are people who wouldnt know a good opportunity no matter how nice it sounded.

Why? Theyre not interested.

In fact, they dont even know that theyre not interested. They dont have any thoughts in their lives about doing a home business. They dont have any thoughts whatsoever about doing MLM. Theres just nothing there. Theyre asleep.

Theyre dreaming of riches yet oblivious to what can really get them there. These are the folks who scream at you to get me off that damn list.

Or they say something along the lines of...

I dont remember responding to that.

Ive heard of MLM. Isnt it one of those pyramid thingies? Doesnt everybody loose money but the one on the top?

Yeah sure, that sounds okay but I have to go because the news is on the television.

Nah, I dont care if youre giving away money. Im not interested.

Sure, send me some info and Ill get back to you.

Do I have to spend money? I dont want to spend too much.

How much will it cost? I only have a few bucks to spare this week.

Why do I need more money? I have enough. The rent is overdue, but Ill get it somehow. The kids can skip eating for a couple of days right?

THESE are the folks who are asleep in life.

Stay away from them. The minute you smell them or sense their presence or hear their snoring...move on. Quickly.

Theyll waste your money, your time and your life. Apologize to them for waking them up and continue with your prospecting efforts.

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Okay, the next type of prospect youll come across....

This type of prospect is just waking up. Theyre kind of between the space in life where theyre not quite asleep and yet theyre not quite awake to the world.

Theyre still rubbing sleep out of their eyes. Theyre yawning, and trying to orient themselves to whats happening around them. They may be somewhat confused but theyre letting their minds wake up to the world around them.

Are they alert and fully with it and raring to go? NO.

Are they willing? Perhaps, but its hard to tell.

You cant really tell who they really are when theyre awake because they arent there yet. Theyre still trying to figure out what they should be doing and where they should be going with their life that day.

Think about it. Isnt that the way you are when you first wake up? Im talking about those first few seconds on that day when you jolt yourself awake and have to ask yourself what day it is and should you be heading off to work or sleeping in again.

Weve all been there. Its a very confusing state to be in. Not quite asleep and not quite awake.

So, who are these folks who are in limbo-land? Or should I say la-la-land.

Lets hear what they say and do.

Send me the info and Ill think about it for a while. Call me in a week. You call back and they havent watched the video yet. This goes on for several weeks to no avail.

I havent gotten the time to listen to that tape yet. Ive just been so busy you know. This week was especially hellish. Call me again in a few days.

You called me last week? I dont remember you, can you tell me what this is all about again?

I DID sign up with the company, but theyre telling you I didnt? Hmmm, thats strange...

Ive been thinking about a home biz, but Im just not quite sure if this is what I want to be doing.

I did MLM before and it didnt work. Why should I try it again?

I got my desk straightened out this week and Im getting ready to get started.

Can you call me back at a better time? Perhaps in six months because Im right in the middle of this other deal that might pan out for me.

I really like the way the products sound but Im just not sure if I should be doing this just yet. I dont know...

Are you beginning to see the types of things the prospect who is just waking up sounds like and does? Theyre on the fence and dont know which side they want to step down to. They cant figure out exactly what it is they should be doing for themselves right now. Theyre still getting ready to get ready.

Are they potentially bad prospects? No.

Will they do something someday? Maybe.

But unlikely.

But let me ask you, do you have the time with your limited eight to ten hours a week to work your biz to find out if they have what it takes to be a superstar? Or even maybe become a retail customer of yours? Most of us dont.

But this is where most networkers get stuck. They stay with these folks and hang onto them for dear life. Because, hey, who knows they just might turn into that next diamond I need to qualify for the next level in the comp. plan.

Right? Hard to let go of them. There is that whole bit about hope after all.

And so then what do most networkers end up doing with these folks?

They chat.

They discuss stuff every week.

They become friends.

They learn about each others family, lives, jobs, and such.

But no one is working their biz and sponsoring folks and retailing products.

Lots of friend-shipping stuff going on here. But that isnt why you joined MLM is it? You joined to make money, didnt you?

Most people agree.

So, lets move on to the last type of prospect youll come across.

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This type of person is one who is fully awake to life and the world surrounding them. Theyre out of the slumber zone and theyre moving through life. Sleep is nothing but something that needs to be done in their lives. Theyre out there ready to greet the day and raring to go.

Get out of their way cause they have a mission in life.

Theyre truly full of life. They know where theyre going and honestly nothings going to stop them. Theyll figure out how to get what they want in life. They work hard on themselves. And they work hard at what they set their minds to. They arent afraid to try new things and take risks. They believe in themselves and take necessary risks. Fear is only a feeling to them. Its not real and it doesnt stop them on their journey through their wakeful state in life.

These people are about as far from sleep as you can get and theyve long ago wiped the sleep from their eyes.

Theyre awake and going for it.

You cant say the wrong thing to these folks. And these are the folks you NEED in your biz.

What do these people say and do?

Sure I can do that. Just tell me what to do and Ill do it.

Ive already placed an order for the products even before I first talked to you.

I wanted to see how they worked with me so I just had to get on them.

This sounds awesome to me. Im in.

What do I do next?

Can you tell me more about what this is about? Sounds very interesting.

They call YOU.

They reach out to YOU.

Theyre energetic. Alive. Full of spirit and foresight.

They sponsor folks in your business.

Theyve sponsored folks in past businesses and for whatever reason are looking to start fresh again.

Theyre coachable and willing to learn.

They just do it. All that it takes.

Theyre non-competitive but instead results-oriented.

They have an attitude of personal success in life - almost an aloofness about their actions.

They care about others, but wont let other peoples limitations and hesitancies stop them from getting what it is theyre after.

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Okay, now we know all about the three types of folks you could possibly run into during your prospecting efforts. Lets summarize the ones you should be focusing ALL of your time on.

Obviously, the people that are asleep are better left just that way. Asleep.

Dont waste your time on them. Sound callous? Maybe. But youre in biz, remember? You want that elusive residual income dont you?

Well then, dont waste your time on these business deadweights. Leave them alone to continue sleeping.

As for the ones that are waking up....

They too should be mostly left alone. Dont ignore them or write them off right away. Feel them out. See what they do. See if their actions match their words. See if theyre everything that they say they are.

See if they get into action. If they dont, put them out to pasture. Dont be mean. Dont write them off forever. Just put them on your call in six months list. If theyre still in that same slumber state then, than DO tear up that contact card. Let these people sit on that fence. You go build your business to success and lead by example.

If they ever wake up then they can call you. In the meantime youll be building your business. You wont be waiting for them but youll be available WHEN theyre ready to start and ready to follow through.

Finally, were left with the only group of folks that you SHOULD be spending your time with....

The ones who are awake to you, your opportunity, and what you have to offer with your products and your biz.

Get to know them. Find out who they are. Introduce them to your upline and your uplines upline. If THEY havent already done so!

Stick with them. Give them what they need and then get out of their way.

These are the folks youre in business for. Theyre why you have to get the sifting and sorting process down to a fine science. You can then sit back and look at what fell out of the sifting funnel you put all those prospects through. These winners.

You need to get yourself so tuned into these three types of folks that you can spot those who are sleeping and those who are waking up within a few seconds of talking to them or seeing them. After a short while they become so obvious and you then know exactly who you should be spending your precious time with.

You see, as you know this is a game about building yourself that big downline that everyone talks about. Since youre going to be a part-timer from the start like most folks you only have a limited amount of time to really work the biz. You dont have time to waste.

Sure, go ahead and get your feet wet learning the ropes. But after youre through that stage, youll discover that if theres one thing that you dont want to be wasting - its your time. And secondly your money.

Remember, the sleeping and the vast majority of the waking- up business parasites will suck you dry before you know it. Thats why you have to be a smart sorter.

Keep looking for your diamonds in the rough. Sort through all those insignificant grains of sand that arent awake to the world. Do this until you find that pearl.

And when you find that pearl, believe me, youll know it. Youll be thinking to yourself that this persons too good to be true.

Youll not only be listening to what they say but youll also be seeing their actions match those words because theyre wide awake. Itll be so exciting itll almost be scary. But youll know that you have a ringer that you need to focus all of your efforts on.

That is, until they tell you to get lost and just let them get to work. Stop cramping their style and move on to finding that next diamond.

And remember that old saying...

You cant say the right thing to the wrong person. And you cant say the wrong thing to the right person.

Get out there and find out whos right for this business and whos not. Find the folks who are awake like you are.

Remember, you didnt have to be sold on network marketing, did you? You knew a good thing when you saw it because YOU were wide awake. So, go out there and look for others like you. Theyre there. Your mission is to find them.

You deserve at least that much with your burgeoning MLM business.

I hope this insight was helpful with your business efforts.

About The Author

Andre Best is the owner of http://www.Is-MLM-For-You.com - a generic MLM resource site offering over 400 printed pages of unique information for struggling and beginning MLM/network marketers.

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