From Figures to Marketing: The journey of a newbie Network Marketer

I took on the challenge of network marketing which was a scary thought for me in the first place. People who know me from my childhood days would find it equally shocking. I know my weaknesses and network marketing is certainly not one of my strengths, I am the kind of person who won’t want to bother you too much if you are not interested and not to talk about starting a conversation with someone I do not know from Adam! Now that would be an interesting story to watch unfold. I decided to share this new experience on my blog from the eye of a newbie and would make the read as enjoyable as possible.

Overall it’s been quite an interesting journey with the common ups and downs, moments of giving up, realising the importance of networking, “lies and deceits”, patience, insights into the low moments of others and the “I don’t carism” moments. As most people do, the first point of reach is your immediate network; your friends and family members and once those are exhausted you wear your creative hat and think of methods of reaching outside of your immediate network. I did the same and from my experience categorised the different types of prospects under 4 groups: Selective Silencers, Story Tellers, The Realists and the Sankofa No Shows, my personal favorite group. 🙂

Selective Silencers (SS)

Me: Hi, trust you are well.

SS: Doing well, yourself?

Me: Doing well too. Permit me to bother you.

SS: Sure

(I send link, video and brief write-up of the programme)

SS:…………………………………(Two blue ticks no response)

Me (a week later): Hey, hope you are fine.

SS: Doing very well……

Me: Were you able to skim through and do you need any further clarifications?

I would be lucky to get a response or we go to mute mode forever…lol

This group prefers to go silent than express their disinterest or just too busy to let you know what they think. Previously I used to pester them because my push is that once they have not expressly said “No” then there is hope! Who knows? I was wrong sometimes……….

Story Tellers

These group of people are very good with feedback. They give false hope too. I encountered stories like “this is meant for me, I will definitely sign up!” A week after, “something came up unfortunately and I am unable to sign up at the moment. Will keep in touch when I sort myself out”

Another encounter I had: “I am very much interested but the money is the problem”…..I was in the spirit of giving so I asked, “How much can you raise?” At this point the story-teller metamorphosed into a full silencer. Lol

There are lots of interesting stories my upline, downlines and myself have come across. If I were to share would need separate posts.

The Realists

They ask all the thought-provoking questions and put you on your toes. At the end of the day they are frank to tell you whether they want to be a part of your gig or not. Truly speaking I respect this group a lot because they avoid wasting your time and theirs. I had one prospect who initially registered his interest and I kept following up at least 3 weeks after. I called one time and guess his response: “Oh are you still calling?”. I actually felt like a fool, it was an awkward 1 second but I thanked him for his frankness and cancelled him off my prospect list. The end! No bothering from my end and no avoiding tactics from his end too.

Sankofa No Shows

This group of people I love and find very interesting. You discuss with them and you get no response so you cancel them out knowing the interest level is low. Then, bam! Out of nowhere they show up back in your life that they are interested.

At this point the person already has the facts so no long talking. You kickstart the process only to end up at the first point. They give hope and go silent on you again.

Whats your story?

Are you a network marketer? Is there any group of people I missed in this post? Be sure to comment and let’s share in the fun. Would be lovely to also get viewpoints from the prospects too.

Tips for the newbie network marketers

Would also share a few tips with newbies like myself:

1. Keep a list of prospects (you can easily miss out on a prospect without a list).
2. Be understanding and don’t focus too much on getting people to sign without understanding their needs and concerns
3. Be polite and not rude when turned down
4. Keep an open mind
5. Subscribe to network marketing tips on websites and on YouTube
6. Have a passion for it and not focus too much on the money because you will certainly give up before reaping any returns. I love to explore the world with World Ventures on their luxury vacation packages, the income from being a rep is just a plus.

For the prospects………

And for prospects, know that you have the right to be frank and say No! Don’t feel bad about it. I have brought you a proposal so it’s your choice to make, no need to get emotional. You might find it surprising but we actually appreciate it when you are real with us.

The moments…..

And lastly thanks to my prospects who got real and invited me into their personal lives. I am humbled and through that I realised I should be thankful for my life.

Thanks for the read and to find out about my new gig that plunged an accountant and figures person into the unchartered course of network marketing be sure to watch this video. You can email omtsdigest@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up with World Ventures to make a living living a fulfilled life.