Sponsoring. A skill every MLM professional needs but so few really have.

Most uplines out there spend countless hours developing just the right system to help their downlines with sponsoring and selling. Problem is they never really spend an equal amount of time developing their downlines and teaching them the right way to sponsor.

You see, you can have all of the scripts and "bells and whistles" out there, but if you make some of the most common mistakes most people make when sponsoring, then all of those tools are worthless to you.

What are some of the most common mistakes people make when sponsoring in their MLM?

Well, for one, you should NEVER be too quick to send someone to your website. I know... that is what they are there for right? WRONG! Most company websites are developed to enhance the company's image, not for sponsoring the right people into the business. They are usually very busy and filled with information. Information that is way too overpowering for someone who has never visited the site before.

They can be very confusing and prospects will look at them for a brief moment and then leave. (Think about your own personal experiences when visiting websites. Have you ever clicked away before you actually browsed around because it looked too confusing?)

Yet, most uplines teach us to send a prospect directly to their website and have them look at what a great company they are involved with and how much their opportunity has to offer. This may be very true; and in most cases it is; but the site is not usually developed to brand you, it is developed to brand the company and that is their main goal. So, YOUR main goal should be to get your prospect the information they need to make an informed decision and that is it! No bells, no whistles, just facts. The rest should just be window dressing.

So when should you send a prospect to your website?

Only AFTER you have talked with them and qualified them to be someone that you would work with in your MLM. We're not talking about a brief 2 to 3 minute chat and then sending them away to your website; expecting the website to do your work for you. We are talking about interviewing, asking the right questions, qualifying them and then, and only then, do you send them to your website. Your prospect needs to be very serious about joining you and your MLM and they need to understand WHAT they are looking for when they visit your site.

Your website should be a TOOL for recruiting. YOU and only you can sponsor them into your business.

Once you have qualified them as a serious prospect, then you send them to a GUIDED presentation on your website. That is the first thing you want them looking at when they visit your site. They are prospects interested in joining you and they need to have the information necessary to make this decision. Sending them to a website filled with information and fancy pictures is not what they want. They want facts and it is your job to provide them with those facts.

Make sure the presentation is a video that presents the opportunity or walks them through the opportunity. If your site does not have a video like this on it, then don't send them to the website. Rather, send them an opportunity DVD which most MLM companies should have as additions to the website presentation. The first thing they need is an understanding of the opportunity. So be sure to focus on this first and then add the rest later as they are making their decision.

Another mistake people make when sponsoring?

They don't match their prospect with the proper tool.

For instance, if you are dealing with a Doctor as your prospect, do you really believe he/she will have the time to watch a video over the computer? Probably not. So sending him/her to a website or sending them a DVD that they can pop into the computer and watch is not likely to work. THINK about who you are dealing with when sponsoring.

When is a doctor most likely to have time to listen to anything? In their car, uninterrupted, driving to and from work. They are in the hospital or in their offices most of the day and when they get home, they are more likely than not ready for bed; not ready to go watch a video over the computer because you sent them one.

So in this instance, the best thing to do is to send an AUDIO CD. Something they can pop into their CD player in the car while driving back and forth to work. They are alone, no interruptions, no noise. Just them and the CD.

This would also hold true for Realtors who spend most of their days in a car. Imagine the power of this type of presentation; they are driving to work, maybe stuck in traffic, wondering if they will ever escape this rat race; listening to a way out of their current situation. A better way, a better life. Is there really anything more powerful than this for peaking interest?

You need to tap into your prospect and tailor the information you give them to fit their lifestyle. This is crucial to success in sponsoring, yet so few uplines teach this; if they teach it at all. Understanding the Psychology involved is a major step in successful sponsoring yet many people miss this step and wonder why they can't build an organization.

A third mistake made while sponsoring?

Posture. That's right posture. Not the kind of posture that keeps your neck aligned with your spine; although this could come into play in how you present yourself. What this posture represents is HOW you present yourself to your prospect through your words and actions.

If you don't present yourself as someone who is confident and a leader, then you will lose coming out of the gate.

NEVER, NEVER ask your prospect to do you a favor. You are doing them a favor and they need to understand this. Asking them to do you a favor puts you in the same category as a "needy" salesman. You NEED them to look at your material? No, you don't need them, they need YOU and your opportunity. You need to position yourself as a leader. You are giving them access to something valuable. Understand this concept and you are on your way to success in your MLM.

Treat your business like you are making a million dollars regardless of where you are in the money chain.

How do you do this?

Say you have a prospect who you feel is worth your time and is serious about your opportunity. Approach it like this; "You seem like someone who is serious about this so here is what I am going to do for you". (Right away, you immediately take away the thought that they would be doing you a favor; instead you are the one in control doing THEM a favor).

You tell them you are going to send them something by mail (the opportunity CD or DVD); sometimes it is more powerful to send the information through the mail and makes it easier to control the situation.

Nail down a second meeting with that prospect BEFORE you hang up the phone. Say something like "I'll be sending this to you today priority mail so it should arrive in 2 business days. I want to give you some time to look over the materials thoroughly and carefully. Why don't we get back together on (give a day and time - give alternate dates and times but make it within the same window of time)?" Confirm the date and time, have your prospect mark it down in their calendar while you are still on the phone with them, confirm it again and tell them you will call them. Now you have a commitment from them and you have control of the situation, not them. Whether you choose to send them to a guided presentation or send them a cd/dvd through the mail, the important thing here is you have them make a commitment and YOU control the outcome.

Very powerful and posturing at it's finest.

What are the keys to sponsoring and avoiding common mistakes?

1. See yourself as a leader in your own mind. If you do this you will attract those types of people to you.

2. Know your prospect. Tap into their needs, their lifestyle and tailor your information to them.

3. Utilize the tools your company offers for sponsoring but don't expect them to do the work for you.

People join YOU. They do not join your opportunity.

Realize this, understand this concept and you will find yourself having success in both your sponsoring efforts and in your MLM.