Networking: Your Network is Your Net Worth

Welcome to February, folks! The month of love, romance and mushy relationships is upon us. To get us all in the spirit, I am here to help you level-up on your relationship game. Unfortunately, I’m not going to be dispensing romantic relationship advice. However, I am going to give you some pointers for establishing and building another kind of relationship which is also very important: a business relationship. Rather than dating, we will go over Networking as it is the key to unlocking new business opportunities and is essential for career and personal development.
Dating is more than dishing cheesy pick-up-line-pizzas and collecting phone numbers just like networking is more than small talk, exchanging quick handshakes and moving to the next person. These interactions are shallow and rarely useful . I understand… Not everyone can be an eloquent charmer on the spot. Whether you’re shy or outgoing these tips are going to improve your networking abilities and help you feel more comfortable and prepared on the playing field.

What is Networking?

So what is networking anyways? Networking- better yet- relationship building, is leveraging your business connections by building a portfolio of people who care about what you care about. It starts with a simple dialogue and ends with an exciting new connection. These connections, when properly tended to, then become opportunities for business growth. “Your network is your net worth” and when you think of it like that, you realize just how valuable it is.

Goal Setting to Overcome Networking Anxiety

Wipe those sweaty palms and don’t hyperventilate just yet! It’s obvious outgoing people generally thrive at networking events, but what about the shy guy? Well hey, we are all shy at the beginning and you are probably not the only nervous person in the room. So don’t overthink it! Be yourself, be personable and approachable, and put yourself out there! Be business driven, but have fun!



Set some goals for yourself to help you get out of your shell. Some examples could be:

1. If possible, do your research and try to identify 5 people that are going to the same event and make it a point to introduce yourself to them. These can be people in your same niche, but don’t limit yourself! Networking with people outside of your industry could present surprising opportunities for collaboration or knowledge gained!
2. Introduce yourself to at least 3 new people each day of the event. People appreciate you walking up to them and starting a conversation. After all, that’s what you are all there for!
3. When you think you’re ready to leave, challenge yourself to stay 15 more minutes and chat with one more person. Continue to push yourself out of your comfort zone and see what you can accomplish!

As the saying goes, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Set these goals or similar goals for yourself, and don’t leave until you reach them. You will feel accomplished and it will get easier each time you do it!

Ask Questions! 

Now that you are talking to people, you’re probably wondering what in the world you should even say. Well a big tip here is to be curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The most useful thing you can do is to learn something new. Here are some natural “pick-up lines” you can use to get the conversation ball rolling: “What brings you to this event?” “Which speaker at this event has been most valuable for you?” “How did you get started in your industry?” Go beyond asking people simply what they do and ask them why they do it. Also, don’t be afraid to insert yourself into a conversation that has already started. Simply ask if you can join. You’ll be surprised by how welcoming people are.

Quality Connections

This brings us to quality over quantity! Starting off with small talk is okay but don’t forget that you are there to achieve something for your business. Chatting about the weather, shaking hands, collecting a business card and adding it to your “I’m never gonna call this guy” pile is a waste of not only your time and efforts but others as well. You should not measure your networking success by the number of business cards you collect and you definitely shouldn’t mistake a card for a connection. Aim to spend at least a few minutes with each person and only invest in the interactions that interest you. If this person does not interest you, that’s okay! Don’t force the connection. Politely thank that person for their time and move on. If you do see a future with that person, get that business card! TIP: Its okay to bring a pen and a pad of paper to jot down notes on who you spoke to and what you spoke about. This will be useful after the event when you follow up with your connections.

The Follow Up

That’s right, its time to follow up and try to get that “first date”! Don’t tell them you will talk “soon”. Be intentional, tell them you will talk “this week” and then do that. Not only is following up easy but it’s a good business move. The week following your event, set aside a couple hours to shoot off some emails to your connections. Remember, you were only accepting cards from people that actually interested you, so this should be easy and exciting! Your messages should remind them who you are, thank them again for their time and tell them why you’re excited to have made their acquaintance. Follow up with some thoughts or ideas you have for working with them in the future. Just like romantic relationships, the most effective business relationships are long term so you should be proactive and capitalize on the momentum you have already created.



Voila! You have successfully gotten through your networking event! You stepped outside of your comfort zone, met new people, made new connections, collected valuable information, and sealed the deal with a new business venture. You’re only going to get better from here. Wisely, thoughtfully, and carefully continue to build your social network. Tend to it, watch it grow, and reap the benefits of well-developed social skills to advance your business. Meaningful interactions with the right people are an invaluable investment in the growth of your business and your interpersonal self. Basically, love your networking, appreciate your networking, and tell her she’s pretty every day.

Show Off Your New Skills

No date? No problem! Aside from Valentine’s Day, there is another event this month for you to swoon your way into your next business relationship and it’s a conference in San Diego called Traffic & Conversions. You will find me and a bunch of other ClickBankers there so come say hi and show us your new networking skills!



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5 Ways You Can Use A Sales Funnel To Build Your Network Marketing Business

Are you not seeing the results from your network marketing business that others are raving about?

Let me explain what you might be doing wrong and also how to use a sales funnel to build your business.

If you watched something online or you have received a link from someone saying they have a great opportunity, you would have seen the videos that show off how they are making seven-figure salaries.

You are eager and want to earn a seven-figure salary too, so you start your network marketing business.

After some time, you realise that you just aren’t seeing the money rolling in like was promised.

Don’t worry; you’re not the only one.

The problem is that tactics that you have probably heard are well outdated and too basic.

It is the time you step into the present and start using digital marketing and a sales funnel to reach your target.

Network Marketing Lies

Image Source: LAWInfo

Before I move onto how you can use a sales funnel to build your network marketing business, I want to cover which of those ‘old school’ methods you shouldn’t be doing anymore.

I would be surprised if you haven’t been told at least one of the following lies before which is why you’re probably seeking help in this very blog post right now.

Such things as trying to recruit all your friends and family will only leave you wondering what to do when you’ve exhausted that list and also the embarrassment of rejection and failure.

Let’s move onto some tactics that are useless or outdated.

It’s A Numbers Game

This is like the classic throw it at the wall and see if it sticks method.

You may have been told to try and recruit just about everyone and anyone you can think of because the more people you contact, the more you will recruit.

While this seems all very well and good, it just isn’t true.

Yes, you will get some recruits out of it but not as much as if you were to use a planned sales funnel.

You will be wasting time on contacts that have a very low chance of signing up which you could be using on more qualified contacts.

It’ll Take Off After One More Recruit

I’m not quite sure why some network marketing leaders say this.

It does nothing but give you false hope.

It will also keep you from seeing the big picture as you will be too focused on getting your next recruit.

Forget whether your next recruit is what will make your network marketing business explode.

The only thing that will make your network marketing business takes off… is you.

Focus more on what strategies you can put in place with the help of my sales funnel tips.

Spend Most Of Your Time Looking For Prospects

When you watch some (not all) help videos on network marketing, they will advise you to get out and about and put yourself in front of people.

This is yet another huge time waster; you’re not an employee of your business, you are the owner, and so you need to work on your business and not in it.

Finding prospects is just one aspect of your network marketing business, so you need to work on a sales funnel that incorporates all aspects and not just one.

Do Home Meetings

This is a very outdated method of running a network marketing business.

If you have been working super hard doing home meetings, handing out flyers at the local supermarket and organising lunch meetings, you have probably wasted a lot of your time I’m afraid to say.

There are much more modern efficient and better ways to recruit than home visits.

Such things include social media, paid traffic, landing pages and email marketing that I will move onto now.

Now that I have spoken about things you shouldn’t be doing or focusing on, it’s time to move onto how you can use a sales funnel to build your network marketing business.

Finding Interest

Image Source: Visually.

The first stage of a sales funnel is to find prospects.

This doesn’t mean you need to go even out of the house and hand out flyers and or call round to people’s homes.

You can find thousands of prospects right from the comfort of your living room.

Everything is digital; from how we communicate with each other, how we find information and how we work.

This is why you need to adapt your network marketing business into digital to reap the rewards you set out to achieve.

1. Social Media

One of the best places to look online for prospects is on the different social media network.

A great place to start is to use Facebook to search for friends of friends.

By now, I’m guessing you have exhausted your list of friends and family so moving onto local friends of friends is a good move.

You can send direct messages to friends of friends but not strangers.

If you have exhausted the list of friends of friends and moved onto strangers that you find in groups or pages, you can pay-per-message.Otherwise, your messages will be sent to their “other” inbox that no-one ever sees.

Otherwise, your messages will be sent to their “other” inbox that no-one ever sees.

Keep in mind, this is still ‘manual prospecting’ at some level which we want to try and move away from.

2. Paid Traffic

Another great way to find focused prospects is with paid traffic.

Using AdWords and Facebook Ads, you can set demographics to target people who best suit your target audience.

This is so much better than just trying to recruit everyone and hope for the best.

Using focused targeting; you will only be promoting your offer to those who are likely to be interested.

You can also set remarketing pixels on your landing page, so if someone doesn’t join but keeps visiting, your ad will continue to pop up around the web to remind them of your offer.

To utilize paid to advertise to its fullest potential, you want to make sure you create a strong offer and target the right audience.

If you can bring those two parts of the advertising direction together then you have a solid strategy to put yourself in front of people who want to buy what you’re selling.

Whether you’re selling an opportunity or you’re selling a product.

Generating Prospects

Now that you have discovered where prospects are hanging out on the world wide web, the next stage is to get them to become interested in what you have to offer.

Again, this doesn’t mean that you have to pick up the phone or call out to their house to explain how it works and show them a demo.You can do all this with a video or a slideshow… or both.

You can do all this with a video or a slideshow… or both.

Remember, a sales funnel means people come to you.

You’re not doing the cold-calling.

It’s a lot easier to sell when someone has signed up to listen to something you’ve got to say because you’re offer was in front of them at the right place at the right time.

After someone has seen your offer on social media or a paid advertisement, the next stage of the sales funnel is the landing page.

3. Landing Page

You have found thousands of prospects but haven’t yet captured their email address in order to add them to your contact list to recruit.In order to now capture their email address, you will need to build a compelling and conversion optimised landing page.

In order to now capture their email address, you will need to build a compelling and conversion optimized landing page.

Your landing page should have a contact form, capturing headline, key points of the benefits of your offer and a compelling call-to-action (CTA).

It is important that your landing page is completely relevant to the paid ad or social media message you used to get that person to land on your page.

Remember, congruency is key.

So a page that is disconnected from the advertisement you’re running will yield lots of bounces and not many registrants or leads.

4. CTA’s

Having a CTA on your landing page is a lot more important than you may realise.

It is what directs the user to take the next step in the buying journey.

This doesn’t mean that a simple “submit” on your form is going to do the trick, though.

Make it stand out with the button in a contrasting color and make it personable with wording such as “Watch The Webinar Now”.

This makes it 100% clear what the user will get after they fill out the form.

Converting Prospects

Image Source: E27

Now that you have got a nice list of contacts to work on now, it is time to finish the recruitment process with reassurance and to nurture.

This is the last stage in the sales funnel and is the most important because it is the money maker.

At this point, the prospect should have a pretty good idea of what you are offering and how it will benefit them after reading your Facebook message and watching the webinar.

For those who haven’t yet joined, it is time to offer further information and answer questions.

5. Email

Email marketing is the best way you can do this.

Why?

Well firstly once someone opts into your email list, that’s “owned data”.

You can reach them whenever you want (providing they don’t decide to unsubscribe).

You already have their email address, and so you can use a service like Actionetics to send FAQ’s, success stories and even a starter pack.

All of these will help answer their questions and reassure them that they too can benefit from network marketing.

An important rule with email marketing though is to segment your contact list.

This is so messages are targeted to each specific persona, how they came to become a prospect and their current behaviour.

Not only will you have higher quality prospects but you’ll be building a stronger relationship with those who are interested in what you have to offer.

Move With The Times…

All of these 5 processes have one thing in common, and that is using digital marketing.

It is time to revamp how you find prospects and how you recruit prospects and become more efficient.

There are people out there, it’s just a matter of getting you and your funnel in front of them (using ads) and then converting them.

What are your main struggles with your network marketing business?

Let me know by leaving your comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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