Lead Generation: Are You Generating Leads? Do You Fear the 100lb Phone?

Do you have leads that you are not calling? Are you tweaking your material just one more time? Are you justifying to yourself that you are building your business?

                             Picking up the phone is where the rubber meets the road.

 The 100 lb. phone

There is a general consensus that cold-calling is not fun. This has led to the fear of picking up the dreaded 100lb phone. It doen't need to be that way. When you have attracted someone to you via your content on the internet you are speaking with a whole new breed of prospect. They are happy to hear from you and often times thank you for calling. We must not let our past experiences get in our way.

Many of us have been taught the old school methods of network marketing. To generate leads we have been taught to talk to anyone and everyone and get their contact information so we can present our opportunity. This has led us to not wanting to make that follow up call. We know in our gut that this person was just at the soccer game to watch their child or they really were at the store just to pick up bananas and not to join you in your business opportunity. 

For many of us, due to old files running in our head, the phone turns into a 100lb anvil. We look at it, we circle it, we psych ourselves up, we do everything but pick it up...we may even pick up the receiver but what we fail to do is make the dial.

Does this sound familiar? I can remember sitting in front of the phone literally hyper-ventilating prior to making a call. I would organize my desk, I would load the dishwasher, I would do anything that was remotely productive rather than pick up the phone.

It Doesn't Need To Be That Way!

Let me reassure you. If you are calling someone that has come to you via your content they are a different breed of lead! They thank you for calling in most cases. There are still a few crank leads out there, sex tube and pornotube come to mind. For the most part these people are happy to hear from you. 

Talking to someone on the phone is a shortcut to building trust. They can hear in your voice that you are sincere and that you are there to help them build their business.

It's NOT About YOU!

If you relax them right away and let them know that this is simply a courtesy call. You are there to help them grow their primary business and that you just want to ask them a few questions about their business so that you are better able to assist them you completely disarm people. You separate yourself from the crowd and position yourself as a solutions provider. I recommend Michael Oliver's book: How to Sell Network Marketing without fear, anxiety or losing your friends.

I have talked to several people now that are not picking up the phone even though they have leads. 

Why is that? One reason is they don't know what to do with them. Why not just pick up the phone and introduce yourself? Let them know you are there to help guide them. Whether its Ann Sieg's Renegade System or Mike Klinger's Renegade University or ___________; they may be overwhelmed.

Be a Solutions Provider

People are flocking online looking for answers. They want to know the most direct route to creating an online presence. They are bombarded with information. Simply pick up the phone, introduce yourself, let them know that you were overwelmed too. Let them know that there is a learning curve involved with taking their business online but with 30 million people coming online in the next few years it is well worth the effort. 

Ask if you have caught them at a good time and would it be ok to ask them a few questions about their business so you are better able to assist them. Then set a follow up consultation or follow up in 2-3 weeks to see how they are doing and if they have any questions. Email is a way to initiate contact but it is not the be all end all. Only 25% of email gets read. Email is not effective anymore. 

These leads will get cold. The sooner you call these people the better. The closer your chat with them is to when they surfed and clicked the better. They will forget what they even signed up for. I'm speaking from experience here.

Utilize a System

Do yourself a favor and get them off your list. Use a tracking system. If you don't have access to one from your upline feel free to email me. You get points for just making the dial; this is something you have control over. You do not have control over your contacts response. Turn your calling into positive feedback. Release some endorphins. Feel good about the process. 

In conclusion here are a couple of tips: 

• Use a script to follow not read. Practice.

• Have a list of questions.

• Call someone you know 1st or call your upline. At least you have made a dial!

• Set an appt to call. Set it with a specifc person as opposed to a 2 hour block that says phone calls. (good place to start but doesn't always work for me) I have learned that if I actually make the appointment with a real name I just do it.

• Use tracking sheets. This is a visual reminder that you took action.

• Book your calling time before or after a scheduled webinar. Before lets you know you will soon be finished. Coming off a webinar you will be energized and ready to take on the world

I sincerely hope this information has been of benefit to you. To get the help you need to grow your business, click for step-by-step Internet Network Marketing Training.