To begin with, the least effective way to get good network marketing leads is to buy them, with few exceptions. Buying leads has a poor ROI (return on investment). For the most part they are all but useless, however if money is not an issue for you, then you might be able to get a sale or two from the bunch.
The truth is whoever is selling you the leads may honestly say they are ‘fresh’, because they themselves just purchased them. The fact is that they have no way to know exactly how old the list may be that the leads came from. They may have been regurgitated literally hundreds of times over the years.
This explains why the vast majority of ‘leads’ will be unresponsive. If you do get a chance to reach them at all, they will very likely not recognize your name, your opportunity, or understand why you are contacting them. Some may be quite irritated if they have been contacted too many times.
So how did they get on the list in the first place even if it was years ago? One theory is that they may have been ‘interested’ only in a very abstract way. Perhaps at some time in the past they inquired about a related matter and their contact information was captured. Since then they have moved on and forgotten they ever heard of the opportunity. In any case more than likely, they are not interested in what you have to offer.
Having to first convince someone they requested information they don’t remember asking for is not the best environment to begin a relationship. It would be much more productive to spend your time contacting people who have “opted-in” very recently and have first-hand knowledge of you or your company.
The best of all possible scenarios is that they are interested in what you have to offer and are contacting you to get more information with the definite purpose of taking action. Now the dynamic is very different. Instead of you trying to convince them, you will simply be providing them with the information they requested. Big difference.
The definition of “networking” is ‘to be known without having an agenda’. This says that it would be very wise to participate in various activities where you can be known and get to know others. You can share your knowledge without trying to sell anybody anything and then watch them come to you for more. This is the best way to get really good network marketing leads.
Social networking and online business forums are two very popular venues where you could get to know others. Both of these avenues gives you an opportunity to build a relationship of trust and respect and eventually to discreetly introduce the possibility of a business transaction. It is highly likely that someone will be more approachable and open-minded to someone they trust as opposed to a stranger who is pushing something.
Less personal but still attracting interested people with a pulse, are lead capture ‘portals’. For example web forms that offer a free newsletter or report in exchange for providing your email address. You build the relationship through your communications and over time the leads may take action and you will generate a sale.
