Your success in a network marketing or MLM business is very much tied to how well you develop your team. The bigger and more productive your team is, the more prosperous you will be. You understand it intuitively. However, to what extent do you actively encourage and involve those you bring into your home business? You are their sponsor; it is your responsibility to train and guide them, especially in the first weeks and months.
Everyone has their suggestions on how to sponsor an affiliate in a MLM business. As someone fairly new to network marketing, I feel like I can offer a valuable perspective.
1. Sign up shortly after the person joins. It may sound obvious, but it’s easy to miss. You know that your autoresponder will send you a series of welcome emails for the first two to three weeks. However, those are generic. Your teammates prefer personalized messages. (I heard that when I started.) Put yourself in that person’s shoes and ask yourself what might be going through their mind. Ask if there are any questions at this stage. Make sure the person fully understands the initial steps. This is especially critical if the person has signed up for a system. Your message might read something like:
Hi John. I imagine that the training process for [your product or system]. It may seem a bit intimidating at first, but rest assured, it will all make sense very soon. I know the feeling: I was in your place once. Follow the steps I mentioned in our recent phone call and you’ll quickly master the material. Please note that it may take [one week/a couple weeks/three weeks] to catch the program. Take your time. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I want to make sure that you fully understand and are comfortable with this exciting program.
It is important that your new teammate feel welcome. Sometimes sponsors get so involved in running their network marketing business that they overlook their newer members. Set aside some time each week for your new teammates. It could be checking emails or receiving phone calls. Please continue to remind your teammates that you are available to train. That is very important for new affiliates. They occasionally feel lost or overwhelmed. Assure them that you are open to some time on the phone. A few moments can mean a lot to someone in that situation. As network marketers, they must learn to become independent business people. But they deserve personalized service, especially at first.
2. Send informational emails frequently. Create unique messages that talk about new and useful information you’ve posted. It could be a video, a blog column, or an article. As part of your marketing efforts, you are posting valuable content to the web all the time. Notify your teammates when you do. That information can be a valuable addition to what they are learning through their basic training.
3. Schedule a phone call in four to six weeks. By this time, the new affiliate should have completed initial training and started marketing. This is a good time to review what the person is doing and offer suggestions for improvement. Speak enthusiastically and be encouraging. The first few months in any MLM business are a difficult time. Try to keep your new teammate as excited as the first day.
Sponsoring a new affiliate is not that difficult. You realize that the key component is keeping in touch. You don’t want the person to feel ignored. Regular communication will keep your teammate excited about the new network marketing opportunity.
