Leads are a necessary evil for the home-based business owner.
You have to have them, but the truth of the matter is they all stink.
There is no such thing as a "good lead," no matter how much someone hypes it up into something of value.
At the end of the day after the smoke clears, no lead is ever guaranteed to pan out.
The latest fad in Network Marketing calls for distributors to purchase leads at inflated prices for the benefit of the people who put together an online support system.
They play a numbers game and encourage their members to "keep buying more" and eventually they will get rich.
If the leads were that great, they wouldn't need to go bankrupt buying them.
The shocking truth is that you can find lead brokers on the internet who offer the same "quality" leads for just pennies on the dollar.
Why pay $10-$25 for a lead that you can get for ten cents? The only reason I can think of is because most people just don't know how to do it.
You can guarantee the person who signed you up isn't going to tell you either.
There are basically three types of leads you can purchase.
Some are better than others, but they all pretty much stink.
Leads are designed to give you experience and practice reading your script.
At best, all you can hope to get is about a 10-15% success rate.
With odds like that, you don't want to throw money out the window trusting a system without guarantees.
The first type of leads is called "demographic.
" They are generated from non-consumer information, like age and income, etc.
, and have nothing to do with your product or service.
Since there is no connection, they basically represent the bottom of the scum pond of leads.
They are great for practice and cost about 5 cents each.
When you trust other people to provide you with leads, you could risk spending $50 on something from this category.
You just never know.
That's why it's best to contact a lead representative yourself and cut out the middle man.
The inflation is due to the fact that whoever is offering you leads wants a cut for themselves and for their lead broker.
Sometimes these are called "Opportunity Seeker Leads.
" Who isn't looking for an opportunity? You might as well get our your phone book and start dialing.
You would probably have more success.
The second type of leads are called "response" leads.
These are slightly better than demographic leads because they are generated through inquiry action initiated by the consumer.
People who subscribe to or request information about a product get put on a list.
They had to have done something, like clicked on an internet ad, etc.
This is the most common type of leads that are sold in Lead Generation Systems for inflated prices.
Do yourself a favor and stop buying these leads.
If you already have, keep the ones you have and use them for practice.
Even though people requested information, you never know what they are looking for.
Usually it's a free hand-out.
Last but not least, the final type of leads are called "Buyer" leads.
Consumers actually pay to get on these types of lists.
These are the most expensive and run around 25 cents per lead.
People who buy something also get put on these lists.
These are consumers who have bought something identical to what you sell.
How easy do you think it is to talk to people who have already tried products similar to what you have to offer? A lot easier than someone looking for free samples or discounts.
If you are selling weight loss, for instance, you could buy a list of people who have recently purchased Slim-Fast in the grocery store.
Have you ever bought something online and right after your purchase you see a link that says "If you liked this product, you might also like...
" Buyer leads work in the same way.
People who already have an emotional connection to getting the kind of results you are offering to potential customers.
Now that you are armed with a little bit of knowledge on what kinds of leads to look for, and the fact that you can get them yourself, you don't need to spend a lot of money anymore.
In fact, you can cut your costs even more by going in on leads with others.
Combine and pool when you are experimenting.
Most of the techniques taught in MLM trainings are designed to improve the overall company, not the individual distributor.
Your goal is to find the right audience while finding the right message for them.
Only after you find your market and master your skill of memorizing your script, your leads will generate a better response.