Admit it, most people (who don’t sell multilevel marketing-MLM products themselves) shudder in dread when they meet an MLM peddler. Even though I have had clients who WERE multilevel marketers, I have to admit to being one of the shudderers.
Until I met Janet from Arbonne. Then everything changed. During her 2 minute networking self-introduction, Janet started talking about her bout with breast cancer a few years ago. She talked about how she linked it to a cream she was herself marketing as a pharma rep and the chemicals that were in it. Then she talked about how she found another cream under the Arbonne brand and how she credited it with saving her life.
A room full of mostly men and I, the world’s most jaded marketer were riveted to Janet and her story. Janet then went on to talk about what made her an expert in all matters chemical and skin and that’s when she SOLD me. My darling 4 year old’s hands looked like dishwasher hands because of the cold. Every cream I tried was burning him so I thought, who better to have the solution to my pain that a skin care ‘expert’ with a product line of pure and natural creams at her arsenal?
This is what I learned from Janet and I hope you will use it in your own marketing.
You Are Selling Your ‘Why’
When Janet talked about why she sold Arbonne and how she came to know the brand, it was completely compelling and believable. Why do you do what you do? Talk about it all day and everyday. Everywhere.
Stories Capture Better Than Facts
Janet’s deeply personal and agonizing story was immediately more captivating than any facts or figures she could’ve thrown at me. It was very compelling and left a big impression. What stories should you be telling?
Focus On One Area
The biggest downfall of most MLM reps is that they are literally trying to sell the entire line of products, from weight loss to anti aging to athletic performance to baby skin. Janet was focused on skin. That’s all she talked about and that’s the product that she showed us. Are you focused or are you a generalist like EVERYONE else?
Position Yourself As An Expert
Janet’s story made me believe that her background and experience in the pharma world made her something of an expert in that topic. So I ran upto her and asked for her advice. What are you an expert in that people run upto you to consult with?
When I’ve resisted buying a product for years from hundreds of people I have known who sold it and a person I don’t know from Adam is able to sell it to me in 1 minute, I know that she’s got something special going on. Get your groove on, follow this game plan and get out there. I’m going to do the same!
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