This is the 3rd installment in my series: 5 Things Every Online Marketer Needs for Their Network Marketing Business. In my last installment I discussed the importance of building your own list as you build your network marketing business online. Today I want to discuss the third critical element that every online marketer needs for their MLM business –
– A streamlined sales funnel
A few months ago, I gave a brief overview of the sales funnel concept, but today I want to really break this idea down for you. The funnel process begins at the opt-in stage that we discussed in the last post. You might think of this as the mouth of the funnel. Once a prospect has entered the funnel, you want to begin having regular contact with that prospect. It is important that your funnel not be a constant barrage of product offers, but instead you need to provide value in your content. If you constantly barrage your prospects with product and “join my mlm” messages, they will simply unsubscribe from your email list and you will have lost any further opportunity to develop an ongoing relationship.
A streamlined sales funnel has a defined destination, which is generally the products and opportunity offered by your primary network marketing business. The role of the sales funnel is four-fold:
- Brand yourself as an expert in the niche market of your primary network marketing opportunity
- Present resources that are of value to prospects within your niche market
- Create income producing sources outside of your primary network marketing opportunity
- Presentation of the primary network marketing opportunity
Let’s examine these three things in a little greater detail. I will use XYZ Health as our example MLM business opportunity. XYZ offers a complete range of nutritional supplements.
The first role of the sales funnel is personal branding. In this funnel the branding that needs to take place is to set the marketer apart as an expert in the area of personal wellness, health and nutrition. As a part of the regular communication with prospects, the marketer would want to provide information on healthy eating, proper usage of supplements, advantages of using organic supplements vs. synthetic supplements, etc…
The second role of the sales funnel is the presentation of resources that will be of value to the prospects within the specified niche market. As part of the sales funnel process, the marketer will on a regular basis promote resources that may are of value to the niche market. In our example funnel the marketer would want to promote things like an ebook or report on nutrition, a juicing machine, a guide to vitamins and supplements, etc…
This brings us to the third role of the sales funnel, creation of income producing sources outside of the primary network marketing opportunity. This third role is an outflow of the second role. The marketer will choose to promote resources offered by programs/products through which they have established an affiliate relationship. When a prospect within the sales funnel purchases one of these resources, affiliate commissions are generated, creating income that is unrelated to the primary MLM business opportunity.
The final role of the sales funnel is the presentation of the primary network marketing opportunity. The presentation of the primary opportunity is best done in a passive manner. This may simply be the addition of a website address and a tag line to the signature of each email sent by the autoresponder. Another powerful tactic is reference to a product of the primary MLM company in the personal branding content. On occasion the marketer may want to highlight or showcase a product or special being offered by their MLM business. As the marketer observes the response of prospects within the funnel to the various resources offered, the marketer can begin to communicate with the more responsive prospects about the business opportunity of the primary network marketing company.
In the next installment of this series I will be covering the next critical element for those marketing their network marketing opportunity online.
