One of the exciting things going on in our profession is the growing trends of twenty-somethings we are attracting into it. Let’s give them a way to be successful once they do join! One of the exciting things going on in our profession is the growing trends of twenty-somethings we are attracting into it. This situation presents some great opportunities, yet also presents some unique challenges, both to sponsors and distributors. As a sponsor, it is often refreshing to talk to prospects in their twenties, because they come to the interaction with a fresh perspective. They have a lot of passion, excitement and energy. They usually aren’t as jaded or skeptical as their older counterparts may be. Once they join, they often approach the business with real earnestness, drive, and urgency. One of the frequent challenges to approaching young prospects is the cost of entry to the business. Realistically, someone needs $500 to around $1,000 to get started effectively. Of course this investment is ridiculously low, compared to other business opportunities. Yet the fact remains that most people today, of any age, have to stretch to raise that amo NULL We have the lowest personal savings rate ever and the highest consumer debt in history. People are upside down on their car loans, refinancing their homes, and ramping up credit card debt like crazy. Young prospects are usually in the worst shape of all, in terms of their ability to put together the start-up investment. And when they do get it together to join, a lot of their contacts are in their same age group, and thus face the same challenge.
So it is important that you understand your comp plan well, and know the best ways for people to earn money quickly.
It is also important that you have a strong “Get Started” training program, and a game plan for how distributors make some initial income fast. You may also have to be creative, and help them find ways to raise the money. I hate debt and almost never advocate it. But I am not opposed to encouraging people (at any age) to borrow the money to start their MLM business, or put it on a credit card. Realistically, they are usually using their credit lines to go out to dinner, buy concert tickets and trade in their dinette set. These things do nothing to increase their prosperity, and actually move them away from it. So I do think it is wise that they invest in something that can actually get them on the path to creating wealth. Now of course many prospects (again of ALL ages) will say that they simply don’t have the money and can’t raise it. So I suggest the following scenario: Let’s suppose I was tired of one of my cars and wanted to sell it. Now imagine I brought my Viper or Bentley to a meeting and offered to sell it to the first person who would give me $1,000. Well we know that if there were 200 people there, 199 or 200 of them would find a way to raise $1,000. And they wouldn’t have to kill anyone or steal it. They would find a way to create enough value in the universe to raise $1,000. Even if it meant making a deal to wash their brother-in-law’s car for the next year, or something similar.
I simply challenge them to use the same sense of urgency and resourcefulness to open their new business.
Now once someone who is 18 or 22 years old gets started in the business, the biggest challenge they will face is the credibility issue. The fact is, if someone that age prospects someone who is 40 or 45, the prospect may discredit what they say. Often they think something along the lines of, “This kid just got out of college. I’ve been out in the business world for 20 years. What could they possible teach me about making money?”
This is best handled using a technique all distributors of all ages should be practicing: Third Party Edification.
The principle behind this is that you never present information to your prospect from you. You always point them to a 3rd party tool that can provide that information instead. A 3rd party tool would include things such as:
- CDs
- DVDs
- 3-way calls with sponsor
- Brochures and magazines
- Live events
- Conference calls
- Webcasts
- Stories
- Websites
We have an expression we often use with new team members in my group: “If your lips are moving, you need to be pointing to a third party tool.” As I mentioned, this is very important for young team members. But it is good advice for everyone in the business. Let me give you the reasons why: Take me for example. I have personally sponsored over 80 people into my company since I’m been in. NOT ONE SINGLE ONE of them was sponsored by inviting them to a meeting where I was the presenter. Why? Well I’ve been a professional speaker for 15 years, doing keynotes and workshops around the world. Some might say I’m pretty good at it. If I bring a prospect to a meeting where I present, that leaves open the possibility that he or she will think, Wow Randy is a good presenter. This is a great business for him, but I could never do that. So I never invite a prospect to my presentations. I send them to an online presentation, give them an info pack, or I invite them to a presentation when my sponsor is presenting. This way if the business looks intriguing to them, they will think, So if I do this, I just need to send people to a website like Randy did, or I just hand out these info packs to people I want to work with, or I just invite people to presentations where someone else explains how it all works.
You can see in each of these scenarios, the prospect will see how they can do the business. And that is the magic of getting people involved.
Doing the business in a way that they feel comfortable duplicating. Here is the formula for creating wealth in Network Marketing:
Practice a few simple actions, which can be duplicated by a large group of people, over a consistent period of time.
And of course using 3rd party tools fits into this formula perfectly. And naturally it lets new, young and inexperienced distributors sponsor and duplicate the same way as someone who is older and more experienced. It takes YOU out of the equation, and instead promotes the system. This is where true residual income comes from. Follow this advice, and you will be able to attract many of these “Generation Y” people into the profession, and more importantly – give them a way to be successful once they do join! -RG Randy Gage is an industry icon, having produced some of the most successful prospecting tools and training resources in the business. He is the first Triple Diamond Director in his company and the # 1 income earner worldwide. His new book, Why You’re DUMB, SICK & BROKE… And How to Get SMART, HEALTHY & RICH! is in stores now.
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Randy Gage is a network marketing icon, having helped launch the business in many developing countries, and training the top income earners in dozens of companies.
He is the author of 14 books translated into more than 25 languages, including Direct Selling Success, Making the First Circle Work, and DEFCON 1 Direct Selling.
Jaime Lokier is one of the most renowned Spanish-speaking leadership experts. He is the author of the best sellers Leadership Networks and Leaders Die, Movements Don’t.
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