The Lead Generation Blueprint

Transcription

1 The Lead Generation Blueprint How to Find Hundreds of High-Quality Leads for Your Biz (In Person and Online) Created By Sonia Stringer Copyright 2014 / Sonia Stringer and Savvy Biz Solutions Inc All rights reserved for this entire manual. It is unlawful and an infringement of copyright to reproduce any part of this work without permission of publisher

2 About Sonia Stringer - The Business Coach for Women Professional Speaker / Business Coach / Mentor Sonia Stringer coaches top leaders in the network marketing/direct selling profession to make big money and a bigger difference through your business. Sonia started her career as a professional musician (yes, she played in a rock band ) in Vancouver, Canada but it wasn t long before a love of business, psychology and making a difference led her to work with peak performance expert Anthony Robbins as a National Sales Trainer. Over the next 4 years, Ms. Stringer traveled extensively throughout the US and Canada and personally conducted 800+ seminars for Fortune 500 corporations, sharing cuttingedge influence and leadership techniques to successful executives and entrepreneurs. Her authentic, heart-centered approach to business development led to several invites to speak at direct selling/network marketing conferences (beginning a long standing relationship with home-based business professionals that has now grown into a global business serving thousands). She has coached both top level leaders and consultants at all levels in many companies, including Arbonne, Rodan & Fields, Mary Kay, Stella & Dot, Isagenix, Silpada, Monavie, Pampered Chef, Mannatech, Shaklee, NuSkin, Neways, Primerica, Herbalife, Univera, Melaleuca, Nikken, Reliv, Amway, Visalus, Evolv, Nature s Sunshine, Market America, Sunrider, Thirty-One Gifts, Usana, Beauti Control, Avon, and Pre-Paid Legal, and It Works. If you are looking for simple, smart strategies to grow your business and develop a dynamic team, be sure to check out Sonia s live seminars, coaching programs and success tools. You will learn proven strategies to sell more of your products (with elegance and integrity), sponsor sharp people, and coach and lead a dream team of committed business partners. 2

3 Other Programs, Products and Resources by Sonia Sonia has created a number of free resources, low priced products and coaching programs to help you make more money and a bigger difference for others through your biz. Be sure to 1. Join the Savvy Network Marketing Women Online Community Get connected to thousands of other women in network marketing/direct sales through the Savvy Network Marketing Women community. You ll find all kinds of free resources, articles and video training to help you grow your business on our main website at: and also on the Facebook page here: 2. Register for the Magic Words to Selling and Sponsoring Webinar Training This free webinar session will teach you how to talk about your products/biz so that people get it and get excited to buy from you and join your team. This is the exact approach others are using to grow their business 25-60% and recruit 2-6 new leaders in a month, and it can work for network marketing/direct selling professionals from all companies and all different levels of experience. See more details here: 3. Get Your Free Audio CD - 6Figure Success Secrets for Network Marketing Women Get yourself a free copy of Sonia s popular audio program and learn the exact strategies top female leaders are using to build a 6figure business and lifestyle they absolutely love. Details here: 3

4 A Simple 3-Step Plan to Find Great Leads and Grow Your Biz! There s a common saying in the business world that goes like this; the WHO is more important than the WHAT. Translated into the world of network marketing/direct sales, it means that WHO you offer your products or business opportunity to is even more important than WHAT you offer. Don t get me wrong, you have stellar products and a powerful opportunity; however, if you are approaching people who aren t a great fit for what you offer (perhaps they have no need for your products, no money, or are quick to dismiss your business as some kind of pyramid scheme ) you ll work hard and not have much to show for it. On the other hand, if you approach people who are PERFECT for your products and business (meaning they have a strong need, money to spend, and are open minded enough to take a look) you can immediately experience more success. Unfortunately, in all the years I ve coached network marketing and direct selling professionals, I ve seen many people struggle (even top leaders) to find high-quality leads for their businesses. Most don t have an effective plan to keep their pipeline full so they scramble to find new prospects every week. Others aren t clear on which prospects are a great fit for them (and which are not) so they waste time trying to sell or recruit the wrong people. The main reason most network marketing/direct selling professionals struggle with lead generation is that it s very natural to want to share your products/biz opportunity with EVERYONE. (This makes sense, as there are SO many kinds of people who can benefit from what you have). When you first get started in your company, it also makes sense to share your products and opportunity with your warm market of contacts (including family, friends, business associates, fellow church members, etc) which is generally comprised of many different kinds of people. However, if you want to LEVERAGE your time and efforts, build your business quickly (without working nearly as hard) and take your income to 6-figures and beyond, you need to shift from focusing on EVERYONE to pursuing a more specific group of prospects. Why? If you are trying to sell or recruit everyone you re building your business with a shotgun approach, moving from one type of prospect to another without any kind of strategy or plan. You ll spin your wheels and waste time because you re focused on EVERYONE (which 4

5 actually means you re focused on NO ONE. I m sure you ll agree that it s hard to hit a bull s eye if you re not even aiming at a target!) Also, if you re looking to recruit EVERYONE into your business, you ll attract prospects who just aren t a great fit people who will monopolize your time and energy, likely cause you a great deal of frustration, and eventually quit on you. The smarter way to build your business (or any business for that matter) is to identify who are your best, most qualified prospects and then focus the majority of your time finding and connecting with them. This is otherwise known as identifying and working with a target market. Entrepreneur magazine defines the term target market as a specific group of people at which a company aims its products and services the key word here being specific! When you focus on a target market, your results, sales, income and team growth can improve significantly. You shift from being a generalist (who is building your business in a hit and miss fashion) to having a more focused plan that will put you in front of your BEST prospects on a regular basis, instantly increasing your odds of success. You might initially feel that focusing your attention towards a more specific group of people means you ll miss out on opportunities to grow your biz. Not at all! By focusing on a more specific target market you will actually create MORE opportunity for yourself. (I know this sounds counter intuitive but stay with me! You ll soon understand why this strategy works so well, and once you reap the rewards you ll never look back!) Focusing on a more specific group of prospects DOES NOT mean you have to turn away other kinds of people who come across your path. If your neighbor shows interest in your business, recruit him! If you meet someone in an airport who s perfect for your product, don t hesitate to share it. You ll still make sales and recruit other kinds of people with whom you naturally connect. However, having a target market means you no longer build your business with a shot gun approach; instead, you know who has a strong need for your products and biz, and you have a plan to find and connect with these exact prospects on a consistent basis. When you focus on a target market, you ll experience many benefits! Here are just a few: You no longer waste time with people who aren t a great fit because your prospects are pre-qualified for you. Your target market is only comprised of people who need your products/biz and are likely to buy or join your team. 5

6 It s easier to find your ideal prospects! You can do a little research and find the places in which your prospects already gather in large numbers so you can connect with many of them at once. You have a plan and a system that puts you in front of your ideal prospects on a regular basis. You re more efficient with your time, and it s easier to make money and build your business. It s easier to get referrals. As you build out a network made up of ideal prospects, they will naturally lead you to more people like them. You get REALLY skilled at selling/recruiting this group of people. The more you get to know them and understand their problems, the better you ll be at showing how your products/biz opportunity can help. You become an expert and will know how to speak their language fluently! You build momentum in your business. All of your networking and prospecting activity compounds, leading to even more sales and business partners over time. What you do today can pay off for months (or years) to come! People get to know you and recognize how you can help them. As you spend time in the places where your prospects gather (at local events, or on-line in a Facebook group for example) people remember you. They better understand what you do and how you can help them (through your product or opportunity). It s easier for you to spot your perfect prospects anywhere! The more clarity you have regarding whom is a great fit for you and your business, the easier it is to recognize these prospects when networking live or on the internet. You ll stay inspired and in activity because this approach works! Instead of feeling frustrated or spinning your wheels, you ll experience more and more success. You start attracting business to you. You create the kind of network, reputation and connections that bring business to you, so you don t have to work nearly as hard. The 3-Step Biz-Building Plan That Can Change Everything for You! There s another important reason to clarify who are your most ideal prospects; it s the first step of a very important 3-step business-building plan that will help you create MORE success, with a lot LESS effort, struggle and frustration! Here s a simple metaphor that explains how this works. 6

7 Have you ever gone fishing with a child? Imagine yourself getting prepared for a day of fishing and fun, but as you ask your children what kind of fish they want to catch, they excitedly reply ALL of em! (You have to admire their enthusiasm, but without knowing what kind of fish you re after seriously, where would you even start? You d waste time wandering from pond to lake, fishing hole to fishing hole, trying your luck in every spot and not having much luck in the process). A more successful plan would look like this. Instead of jumping from pond to stream to lake, attempting to catch anything, what if you decided to catch trout, and then did a little research to locate the very best streams or lakes in your area where these particular kinds of fish thrive? And what if you also discovered what kind of bait works for these specific fish (so it s easy to attract them to your line)? Just by being more strategic, your odds of success have already improved greatly. When fishing, there are 3 key steps that make all the difference in your results (as well as how much fun you have!) You need to: 1. Decide which kind of fish you want to catch. 2. Discover in which lake, pond or stream this fish lives (especially in large numbers). 3. Use effective bait (whatever works for this specific kind of fish) so you can get the most bites on your line. It sounds so simple, yes? Well, building a business is a lot like fishing! Just like in the example above, many of you don t know what kind of fish or prospect you re trying to catch. You wander from fishing hole to fishing hole, attending this networking event or that local meeting. Maybe you jump on Facebook for an hour before moving on over to Twitter. You make a few calls, and then call it a day. You might be putting in the effort, but you probably don t have much to show for it! Even if you do come across a great prospect, you may not be using the right kind of bait to get her attention. She may not see the value in your products or biz opportunity, so slips away without a single bite. This is the very reason so many people get frustrated in this business and quit. Many of you don t have a strategic plan to put you in front of high-quality leads on a consistent basis. This 7

8 isn t your fault, by the way as many network marketing/direct sales professionals haven t been introduced to these simple but oh-so-important lead generation ideas, until now!) If you want an easier way to build your business, here are 3 simple keys that make a huge difference in your results and income. You need to: 1. Decide which kind of fish (or in this case prospect ) you want to catch. Which people are the BEST fit for your products and business opportunity? 2. Discover where your ideal prospects are gathering in groups (both on the internet and in your own local area) and start fishing in these ponds regularly! 3. Use the bait (or message) that will easily attract these prospects to you. Learn how to talk about your business so that it s easier for them to see how your products/biz can be beneficial to them. In other words, what magic words can you use when selling and recruiting? You ll find out more about magic words later in the program (and this simple skill makes a huge difference in how people respond to you and the results you create!) As simple as these 3-steps may be, they can absolutely ignite your biz! Imagine you re standing in a stream teeming with hundreds of fish, and on the end of your hook is the specific kind of bait that drives these fish crazy. How easy would it be to catch them? That s what can happen in your business when you use this approach. You ll be focused on the very best fish (prospects) right from the start. You ll be able to find the best ponds (networking spots) and will be fishing in them on a consistent basis. You ll know what bait to use to get your prospects to bite (meaning, you ll be able to talk about your products/biz in a way that makes it easy for others to see value and take action). You ll find it much easier to make sales and sponsor people when you implement these 3 steps consistently, and building a 6 (and even 7figure) income is definitely within reach. (In fact, these 3-steps are the very reason people earn that kind of income. Very few businesses ever reach that point (or stay growing) without this kind of leveraged plan! And here s the best news! You re about to learn how to develop this 3-step plan for YOUR business. Get ready to discover WHO your perfect fish or prospects are, and where to find hundreds (and even thousands) of them in your own local areas and on the internet. 8

9 Exercise: Time to Discover Which Prospects Are the Best Fit for YOUR Business! By now, I hope you can appreciate the value of shifting from focusing on everyone, to focusing on people who are the best fit for what you offer. Here s the one catch. How do you know which prospects are perfect for you, your products and business opportunity? There are SO many different kinds of people who could use your products or join your team, so who SHOULD you approach (and who should you not)? Actually it s a rather simple process to discover this key bit of information. And better yet, you are already surrounded by many important clues, pointing the way. Below are a series of questions. These are simple, but it s important that you complete each of these in detail. So, turn off the phone, lock the kids in the closet (kidding), grab your favorite cup of tea or coffee, close the door, and dive in. By the end, you ll have a short list of the different kinds of prospects who could be a great fit for what you offer (and then I ll help you narrow down this list even more to find your perfect prospects). What you discover can make a big difference in your sales and the number of people you recruit in the months to come! To discover which prospects are best for you and your business, it s important to look at two key factors: 1. The QUALITIES of your best prospects (known as the psychographics ). These are the personal traits or characteristics that make someone a great customer or business partner). 2. The BACKGROUND of your best prospects (known as the demographics ). It s helpful to know what kinds of people are a great fit for your specific company (as in stay at home mom s, corporate executives, wellness professionals, baby boomers etc) Let s start with the qualities. This exercise can actually be quite fun and cathartic! 9

10 Step One: Discover the Qualities of Your Perfect Prospects 1. Sometimes it s easier to know what you DON T want, than what you want. Think of the most difficult customers you ve had in your business. What qualities or personal traits do they have in common? For example: Are they demanding of your time and attention? Do they complain a lot about your products, the price, their lack of results, etc? Are they generally negative or have unrealistic expectations? Do they expect you to drop everything when they have a problem or question? Make a note of their (not so positive) qualities here: 10

11 2. Now, think of the most challenging business builders you ve had in your team. What qualities or personal traits do they have in common? For example: Are they all talk but no action? Do they make a lot of excuses? Are they demanding of your time and attention? Do they constantly complain, or blame you (or others) for their lack of success? Do they expect you to hold their hand and do everything? Do you feel drained when you spend time with them? Do they quit or get distracted when things get challenging? Jot down as many of the personal qualities or traits you can think of when it comes to your worst business builders. (It s ok go ahead and vent a little! Get it all down, because this kind of clarity can help you find and recruit more qualified team members in the future). 11

12 3. Now, think of the BEST customers you ve ever had. What qualities or personal traits do they have in common? For example: Do they love your products, get great results, and never grouch about the price? Do they buy from you every month and often refer you to others? Are they always happy to hear from you, and are respectful of your time and attention? (If you feel you haven t had any dream customers yet look at the list of qualities you outlined in question #1 and write the OPPOSITE qualities below). Jot down the qualities of your happiest and most loyal customers here: 12

13 4. Now, think of the BEST business builders on your team. What qualities or personal traits do they possess? For example: Are they hard-working, independent and take full responsibility for their success? Do they listen to you and follow your suggestions? Do they show up for meetings, conference calls and always play full out? Do they have a great attitude and deal with challenges well? Do they respect your time and understand when you re busy and can t return a call or right away? What other qualities do they possess? (If you feel you haven t had any dream business builders yet, you can refer to the list of qualities you outlined in question #2 and write the OPPOSITE qualities below). Jot down the qualities of your most ideal business builders here: 13

14 Step Two: Discover the Background or Demographics of Your Perfect Prospects Awesome work so far - congrats! You re already so much closer to finding your perfect customers and business builders! Now let s take a look at the background or demographics of the people who will be the best fit for you and your company. These questions will help to clarify things a little further. 5. Look around your company (do a little research if possible). Who are the top leaders in your organization? What demographic(s) do they represent? (For example: Are they working moms, stay at home moms, college students, baby boomers, wellness professionals, ex-corporate types, teachers, Gen X or Y? What were they doing before they joined your company)? Success leaves clues! Here is some important evidence to show what kinds of people already see value and do well in your specific company: 14

15 6. What other kinds of people do you notice are joining your company? Any obvious trends that stand out? 7. Take a look at your own team. What kinds of people are you naturally attracting to you? Is there one specific group or demographic that stands out more than the others? 15

16 8. Which kinds of people do you LOVE to work with most? What group or demographic do they belong to? 9. Are there any specific groups or kinds of people to which you have easy access? (For example - did you come from a corporate background and you still know many corporate professionals? Is your spouse a doctor, and therefore you happen to know many doctors or health care professionals? Maybe your kids play sports and you are constantly surrounded by parents?) 16

17 10. What motivated YOU to first use your products or build your business? Did you have a specific problem or challenge you were trying to solve? What kinds of people would have similar problems and might be interested in your products/biz for the same reason? Step Three: Create Your Short List Go back over the previous questions, and compile all your ideals into a short list below. (This is just a rough description so far of the qualities/backgrounds of your best prospects. You ll get a chance to refine this later). My most ideal prospects have these QUALITIES: (consolidate your answers from questions #3 and #4). 17

18 My most ideal prospects have these BACKGROUNDS: (consolidate your answers from questions #5 through #10). 18

19 Step Four - Narrow the Field and Choose Your Best Fit Prospects! You should now have a short list of prospects that could be a great fit for your products and your business opportunity, but let s see if we can narrow this down even more. Let s take each of the prospects you identified above (stay at home mom, wellness professional, teacher, baby boomer, etc) through a qualification or litmus test. Ideally, you ll want to have a YES answer for every question below in order for this prospect to stay on your best fit list. 19

20 The Strong Why Test a) Does this type of prospect have a painful problem or challenge they are motivated to change? What is it (and is this something your business can help to solve?) The Money and Time Test a) Does this kind of prospect have at least the minimum amount of money /time to get this business off the ground (or are they motivated enough to find it)? The Numbers Test a) Are there enough of this kind of prospect to make it worthwile to focus on them as a target market? For example, how many of this type of prospect might you find in your local area? A few? Dozens? Hundreds? 20

21 What about across the country (or even internationally if your company is active in other countries)? If you focused only on this group, would there be enough of them to keep you busy? The Easy Access in Groups Test a) Would this kind of prospect likely belong to groups of some kind (specific clubs, Meet Up groups or associations?) Would they be active on Facebook or Linked In (and possibly belong to groups or pages on those websites?) b) Do they attend conferences or tradeshows? Are there specific magazines or blogs that would be directed to just this kind of group? 21

22 The Perfect Fit Test a) Would this kind of prospect be a good fit for both your products AND your business opportunity? (So you can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak?) Are these prospects also people you d enjoy working with? As you complete the questions above, you should be narrowing down your list of possible prospects to those that are a truly the best fit for you, your products and your business opportunity. Ideally, the people you ve identified as your target market will Have a strong WHY meaning they have a painful problem they are motivated to solve (and your products/biz can help solve this for them). Have enough money/time to get started (or will find it if necessary). Be common enough that they are fairly easy to find, in your area and on-line Gather in groups so you can gain access to many of them at once (meaning they attend meetings, tradeshows, belong to associations or might gather on-line in forums, on Facebook pages, Linked In or Meet up groups, etc) Be a fit for both your product and your business opportunity (although they may be attracted more by one, and then move to the other) Be people you like working with, and have the personal traits/qualities to be successful in your biz (motivated, committed, coachable, willing to take action, etc) If any of the prospects on your short list meet these criteria (or as close to this as possible) that kind of person would be a great target market for you. 22

23 Step Five Write a Detailed Description of Your Best Prospects By now you should have narrowed your short list down to just a handful of prospects (and in some cases even one) that are great for you and your business. Based on all your previous questions, write a description of WHO your ideal prospect(s) are below. Refer to your answers on the previous pages if necessary: My Best Fit Prospects Are From This Background/Demographic: and have these specific qualities or personal traits: 23

24 Why Writing This Detailed Description is Important! If you ve completed the previous questions and exercises, a HUGE congratulations to you! (And if you haven t I STRONGLY encourage you do so asap). Getting clear on which prospects are ideal for you (down to their personal traits and qualities) is THE most important thing you can do to grow your business and team. Here s why: 1. Once you know exactly WHO you re ideal prospects are it s SO much easier to find them! You can create a plan that will consistently connect you with these exact prospects on a regular basis. You ve heard that saying shooting fish in a barrel? Business building becomes (almost) that easy! In the next lessons, you ll discover ALL the places you can find these ideal prospects (both in your own local area and on the internet), but you must be very clear on WHO you re looking for in order for this to be effective. 2. You ll easily recognize your ideal prospect(s) when they come across your path. There s a part of your subconscious mind called the reticular activating system. In simple terms, it s the part of your brain that controls your ability to notice or focus on something. When you attach meaning to something as being important (as when you want to find a specific kind of prospect for your business) you activate this part of the brain. The result you re able to notice what you re looking for more easily. For example, have you ever been in the process of buying a new car (perhaps you ve been on the internet, doing some research and maybe even visited the local dealership to take one out for a test drive)? Suddenly - you start seeing this type of car everywhere you go! That s not happening because the car manufacturer suddenly flooded your local area with hundreds of new cars. Instead, you re seeing that car everywhere you go because you ve decided that (on some level) it s important to you. That s your reticular activating system at work, and it works well to help you find great leads for your business too. You ll find the more clear you are on who your ideal prospects are, the easier it is for you to pick them out of a crowd. You ll start noticing your best prospects everywhere (at the networking events you attend, when logged onto Facebook, at your local coffee shop or 24

25 standing in line at the mall). It s easier to find them because your brain is on high alert and you ll more likely notice these people in places you didn t before. 3. You ll attract more of these kinds of prospects to you! Have you ever worked with the idea of intention? Personal growth experts (and those who study the mind) claim that when you have a strong, clear intention regarding what you want to create (as in a clear picture of your ideal prospect) you start to attract this to you. I m not sure I can fully explain how this works, but I ve definitely had experiences of the power of intention at work in my own life. I believe intention is like a form of active prayer; when we are all crystal clear on what we desire and need, then God, the Universe, Fate, Mother Nature (or whatever fits your belief system) can conspire to bring it to us. I believe you ll find that if you create a vivid picture of your ideal prospects you ll not only see them more easily in your life, but they may start showing up in very unexpected ways. Whether this is coincidence or something bigger at work, it s certainly exciting when it happens. So, if you don t yet have a clear picture of WHO your most ideal prospects are, be sure to take time to complete the questions in this lesson and write out a detailed description of your target market. I also encourage you to keep this description handy! Review it often and you ll find it will be a lot easier for you to find the people who are the best fit for you, and your business. 25

26 Additional Notes on Lesson One: 26

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