Prospecting: Warm Market or Cold Market?

Warm market or cold market is not the issue.  Concern yourself with finding your "target market"

Real marketing is not about convincing people that they need your product or service.  What successful marketers do is find a "niche" or a group of people who have an interest in or are looking for the kinds of benefits that their products deliver.

Niche marketing will lead to network marketing success

Most network marketers operate under the belief that everybody wants and needs their products.  Unfortunately, this is not true.  I believe this assumption comes from the training most network marketers get from their companies and upline. 

If you've been to a few company meetings or conferences you know what I mean. 

Those conferences get the rank and file super motivated.  I remember times when I'd leave a conference with "fire in my eyes".  I was determined to tell everyone within 3 feet of me about my great products.  I was going to be unstoppable!

You should realize that it is in the company and your upline's best interest that you go out and speak to everyone and "spread the word" about the life changing products and services you market.  

When you practice this kind of "non-targeted" marketing, however, you are severely limiting your chances of success.  The company will prosper and so will your company's "heavy hitters" due to the shear numbers of people who are exposed.  But it will in all likelihood not work for you.  Why?  Because when you only have a few active people in your downline, and not hundreds or thousands yet, you cannot generate the exposure needed to make non-targeted marketing work.  So don't go out and haphazardly market to everyone with eyes and ears.

The better approach is for you to target a tight niche of consumers who want and/or need you products and services. 

The drawback to targeted niche marketing is that it takes some understanding of the art and science of marketing to identify your niche.  However, when you find your niche and tap into that niche's needs, wants and desires and properly position yourself as the one who can satisfy them, you will guarantee your success.

Let me give you an example of what I mean by target marketing. 

Let's say that you market a functional health beverage. This beverage provides tremendous health benefits.  You could target everyone you know or everyone you come in contact with.  This is non-targeted marketing.  It is what most network marketers do.  If you do this type of marketing you can expect typical network marketer results (98% failure).

You could also target your market by identifying people who you feel need this beverage... people with health concerns.  This is niche marketing.  But is it the right niche?  It might not be.  You see, not everyone with health concerns wants to do something about it.  For example, there are millions of obese people who are eating at McDonalds every day.  Sure, they need to lose weight and focus more on their health.  However, it's just not something they're really concerned about right now.

But, what if you were to target people who were already looking for the very benefits your product delivers?  How do you do that?  Well, there are techniques you could use to identify those people who are looking for better health.  Maybe you could find people who've previously purchased products similar to the one you're marketing.   Do you think you might do better by simply satisfying their needs, wants and desires?  You bet.  These people are more likely to buy your product.

This is the essence of targeted niche marketing.

When you get to this place in your marketing your business becomes more predictable.  Not easy...because remember, it's always going to be hard work.  But, with targeted niche marketing you will guarantee success if you apply the effort. 

Marketing to your friends and family is disastrous

I've been guilty of doing this...several times actually.  I've even worn out my welcome with a few friends who I was close with.  They don't call anymore because they're tired of being "pitched".

The truth is that this technique violates one of the most important principles of marketing. 

To be effective, a marketing campaign should focus on the needs of your prospects.  A smart marketer simply positions himself and his products between the prospect and the attainment of the prospect's needs.

When you market to your friends and family you are determining your target market based on your relationship to that market.  It's all about who you know and who you meet.

(You shouldn't try to sell ice to an Eskimo just because he's your cousin.)

Let me give another example to drive the point home a little more.

Let's say that you decided to sell your home.  Your target market is other people who are looking to buy a home like yours.  You would most likely place an ad in the "Homes for Sale" section of the newspaper because you know that's where your market will be looking.  There are other things you could do but they would all involve trying to attract your target market to your product (your home). 

You would not make a list of all your friends and family and all the people you've ever known and then begin to call them one by one and ask them if they would want to buy your home.  At least I hope you wouldn't do that.

Do you realize that network marketers are taught this very technique and in fact do this every single day?  It's no wonder network marketers experience so much failure.

You need to "Position" yourself and your products

Positioning in marketing can be defined as placing yourself and your product in the pathway of what your target market is looking for.

The very best marketers, whether in network marketing or any other kind of marketing, realize that positioning is the most powerful marketing concept there is.  Those in network marketing who understand this succeed and those who don't fail. 

Let me discuss positioning a little more closely.

To position yourself it is important that you become a product of your product.  This means that you must be authentic.  You should know all you can about your product.  Become an expert about the product and your experience with it.  Experts are respected and sought out for their knowledge.  

I don't mean that if you're marketing a vitamin supplement that you need to become a nutritionist.  What I mean is that you should be competent enough to be able to help your customer with his needs, and be the kind of person your target market would naturally go to to solve their problems.

Remember...be authentic and honest.  Don't mislead people.  It will only come back and hurt you. 

As an example of positioning image that you market a product that can help people lose weight and feel great... and it's actually helped you to lose 10 lbs. in the first month you started taking it.  This is a great result.  Now you can position yourself as having achieved something meaningful.  You can now use that in your marketing efforts. 

You're now an expert in losing 10 lbs. in a month because you have done it!  Believe me that kind of result will attract an audience and will position you in the minds of that audience.

Another example would be if you market a product that helps people save money on their monthly household expenses... and it's actually helped you reduce your own monthly household expenses, then you can position yourself as someone who can show others how to do that.

Remember targeted niche marketing?

Well, in the first example, it would be very helpful if you found people who were looking to lose weight quickly.  You step in with your expertise and show them how to achieve their goals.

In the second example, you would do well if you located people who are attempting to reduce their monthly expenses.  Again, you step in, and with your expertise, you show them how to reduce their expenses.

When you position yourself and your product within a niche market growing your business becomes guaranteed if you work hard.

Are you beginning to see how this might apply to what you're marketing?

Great!  Can you also see how by positioning yourself you are also positioning your product at the same time?

The next step in learning to propect like a pro is to understand that marketing is a numbers game