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Top Ten Prospecting Tips for Your Network Marketing Business in the Festive Season

 

We’re coming up to that time of year that so many network marketers dread. That is of course the ones who are actively building their business, not the ones looking for any excuse not to!

 

The thing is the holiday period can run all the way from Thanksgiving in the USA right up to Christmas and New Year, with Hanukah in the middle in my case, and goodness knows how many other holidays popped in there as if almost strategically placed to take you off your stride.

 

Well as a very good friend of mine would say, that is the ‘opponent’ who is always ready and waiting for you when you are just getting things together. So what can we do about this ominous opponent?

 

We have several choices as I see it:

 

•  We can decide that December will be a flat month for us in advance which of course will become a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

•  Or we can decide to make December happen and stay huddled over our laptops doing the same activity as usual to get connected with new candidates. (This is for the guys who are hiding behind their computers generating those ‘free leads’ and never meeting anyone new for their business that lives within a 100 mile radius.)

 

•  Or, and this is the one I go for, we can decide to make December happen, be open for business, whilst having a really great time in the festive season.

 

So how does one go about that? This is the time to get out there and live life, or ‘Do Life’ as we say in Agel. It is the time to do lots of fun stuff that maybe you don’t usually do. I live in a tiny village surrounded by sheep and cows so I’m the first to use technology to build my prospect list but there is a time and a place for everything.

 

This is the time to accept those invitations and to show up at the local networking meetings you’ve been meaning to attend for 6 months. You can attend Christmas networking session’s morning, noon and night and meet new people all day long if you like.

 

There are Christmas lunches happening all over the place in networking organisations such as at the Chamber of Commerce and endless breakfast and lunch clubs springing up all over the place in this age of social and business networking. Now if I have one of those within 10 minutes of my home, in Stowmarket, Suffolk, I absolutely know that whoever is reading this has a very high chance of having one near them too.

 

Then there are all the friend’s invitations to come to this and to that. Ok I find the business and social networking events much better for a focussed business building activity to meet new prospects, but still when you put yourself out there you just never know who you are going to meet and attract. Friends of friends and the whole six degrees to Kevin Bacon thing can start to kick in.

 

On top of that you are going to get a real ‘feel good factor’ when you actually say yes to your friends, instead of ‘oh I’m sorry but I’m just too busy.’ Just go for it and say yes all month to attend social events. Even the most shy network marketer can learn to be effective in these situations.

 

Professional Network Marketers don’t leap on people at these events and start hammering them on the head with all the benefits of their opportunity. They are smart and savvy and use a SYSTEM to attract people on to their prospect or candidate list. Randy Gage who is a self confessed, extremely shy person has become an expert at practicing and teaching this simple activity.

 

The best tool you can have with you as always is your smile! Ask lots of questions about the other person, which then deflects attention right away from you, and shows that you have a real interest in them. This in turn enables you to find out very quickly if this is the kind of person you would like to enrol in your organisation. Also when/if you are prospecting them later on you will know what their values are and what would motivate them to do the business. Spot the sharp looking people and exchange business cards. This is so easy at networking events because everyone comes with the expectation of doing just that.

 

So here are my 10 top tips for successful festive networking:

 

1) Refuse the alcohol and stick to juice so that you can be fully conscious of what is happening around you! You are there to have fun but also to be effective for your business. If you feel cheated by that then promise yourself a big glass of Pinot Grigio as a reward, when you get home!

 

2) Turn off your PC and commit to get out into the world (yes I know it’s raining in the UK!) and make new friends to capitalise on this festive season when people are more open to meeting new people and more likely to be out of their usual routine.

 

3) Ask lots of questions and as soon as you can jot down any key points on the person’s business card, or in a little networking notebook. Never rely just on your memory.

 

4) Have your 1 minute ‘pitch’ ready if you are at a networking event where everyone talks for 1 minute about their business. Don’t ‘wing it,’ be prepared.

 

5) Take tons of business cards in a plastic case so they can be passed round the table.

 

6) Remember to smile a lot and look friendly.

 

7) Dress like a ‘Double Diamond.’ Remember there is only ever one first impression!

 

8) Be topical. In this time of Economic meltdown, be alert for those people who are really struggling in their business and are looking for something new. When people ask you how your business is doing, don’t get caught up in the herd depression and start telling them all about your woes. Here is the time to show your good posture and attitude. Say that you are very fortunate to be in a business that is positioned to grow in times of recession, because more people are looking for additional income. Watch their eyes and see if there is a spark of interest. (Then get their card, change the subject and ask more questions about them!)

 

9) Have fun. People are attracted to those who know how to have fun and can talk about something other than their business.

 

10) If you attend networking events with colleagues or friends make sure to split up so that you both make new contacts. Do not spend the entire time talking to the same person who you knew before you got there!

 

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rachel Henke coaches people to work from home with a proven system and millionaire mentors. Find out how you can escape the rat race at her website: Escape The Rat Race Free Tour

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