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Have You Missed This Essential Step in Marketing Your MLM Business?

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Who are you marketing your mlm business to? This is a critical question, because the answer will shape all the marketing efforts that organization undertakes.  However, far too often, the first answer I get is something along the lines of “everyone with a pulse.”

And while we certainly want to keep the doors of our business wide open, and avoid pre-judging anyone, that’s different from marketing.  Marketing requires us to craft messaging that will appeal to a specific group of people. I often say that the way you market skin care to a 20-something is very different from the way you market skin-care to a 60-something. Why? Their needs and concerns are different.  And your messaging has to meet them at the point of need.

So as you plan your marketing messaging in social media, ask yourself these questions:

  • Who does my product (or opportunity, depending on your goals for marketing) MOST appeal to?
  • What age range will be the most profitable for me to focus on with my marketing messages? (Depending on your product line, you may be more interested in focusing on a group with more disposable income.)
  • What are the major problems or needs of this group that I can meet with my product or opportunity? (For example, concerns about wrinkles, a healthy retirement, ability to stay home with the kids, etc.)
  • What kind of information is my target group interested in, related to my product or opportunity? (For example, are they interested in articles about decorating, skin care, healthy living, working at home with kids, etc.?)
  • What do I want to tell this group about what I have to offer? (Boil it down to one sentence that sets you apart from the competition.)

Once you’ve taken the time to do this, you’ll have a much better idea of the type of people you want to find online.  Then you can figure out where they hang out online, and you can start conversations with the right people.

This week I sat through the most boring sales presentation known to man.  I told the salesperson prior to the demo that I had a background on the topic, and I showed up for a demo of the product. However, the salesperson resolutely stuck to their PowerPoint, refusing to deviate even one iota. It resulted in a magnificent waste of time for both of us.

Now if you’re familiar with DISC personality profiling, I rank almost equally on D and I.  I am a dominant influencer.  That means I want you to get to the point quickly, and be social and friendly while you do it.  The salesperson was clearly an S or a C.  Someone who is Steady and/or Conscienscious (lots of C was certainly in there.)  This personality likes to do things in a certain order, and make sure every detail is covered.  We see the world in very different ways.  Which is fine unless you’re a salesperson.  You need to develop the ability to present information in the way a customer wants it.  That’s what will help you make the sale.

And that got me to thinking about the way we present to our customers that we connect with through social media.  Social networking gives us a tremendous opportunity to find out a great deal about our customers and prospects.  We can observe the way they communicate, see what’s important to them, and get a good idea of what they need.  This enables us to customize our presentation when it comes time to talk about what we have to offer, whether it’s the products or the opportunity.  Are you watching for the signs?

Here are some things to look for as you interact with others online:

  • Are their status updates typically short, or do they contain many details? (D if they get to the point, C if they contain many details)
  • When you converse, does the person spend a lot of time on small talk before getting to the point, and join a lot of online groups? (I)
  • Does the person complain through status updates about people he/she has met who are inattentive to details? (C)
  • Is the person incredibly friendly online, with lots and lots of connections? (I)
  • Does the person engage in a lot of online games? (Possibly an I)
  • Does the person seem very predictable, and does not engage in much drama online? (S)

Once you understand the personality tendencies of an individual, you can better craft your sales messages in a meaningful way. For example, if you’ve determined that someone is a C, be sure to provide all the details of your product/opportunity, and how it works.  If the person seems to be a D (and believe me, we’re easy to spot.  We usually encourage you to get to the point quickly.), focus quickly on the way your product or opportunity meets my stated needs.  Particularly if you are using some sort of media to make your presentation, you may not have the advantage of body language to tell you how your message is being received.  So do your homework!  It could make a lot of difference in your results.

The thing about social media is that you can pretty much reach anyone.  Wouldn’t you like to streamline your efforts, so the time you put in brings the most results? Make sure you talk to the people who are best suited to bring results for your business.

Now of course, you won’t immediately launch into your sales pitch first.  Relationships matter.  But build relationships with the right people, by taking some time to figure out who those people are.  It will bring you the best results for your business.

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