          
          
          
          Skim The Cream
          
          
               You'll likely start prospecting for new
          distributors by making a list of all the people you
          know, however casually.  Now, it doesn't really make
          sense to take a list of 100 people and go through it
          alphabetically.
               Instead, you should start with your most likely
          prospects.  Once you have a few distributors in your
          downline, you can go on down the rest of your prospect
          list while the distributors you've already recruited
          are out in the field working for you, selling products
          and signing up more people.
               So you need a plan for going through your prospect
          list.  Start with the prospects who relate well to
          other people.  You know who they are -- they show up at
          a party and are immediately surrounded by a group of
          others.  They're the people who spend a lot of time on
          the phone, who always are having lunch with their
          friends, who engage in weekly card games, etc.
               After these "people-oriented" prospects, your next
          targets should be the people who have been most
          successful in their careers.  Now, this may seem odd to
          you -- surely a physician or a top corporate executive
          wouldn't be interested in selling vitamins or water
          filters.
               Don't believe that.  For one thing, many
          professionals and executives are ready to get off the
          treadmill.  They're looking for an opportunity that
          will allow them to be in charge, where they'll have
          flexibility they don't have right now.
               Also, the most successful professionals and
          executives have spent years achieving their current
          stature.  In all likelihood, they'll reach retirement
          age fairly soon.  So they may be looking for a venture
          in which they can learn the ropes now, in preparation
          for a more active role after retirement.
               Moreover, successful people are most likely to
          succeed in MLM.  They have contacts, they have
          experience, they have ability, they have drive. 
          Wouldn't you like to have a team of winners in your
          downline, rather than people who have spent their lives
          jumping from one thing to another, never succeeding at
          any of them?
               After you've mined this level, go for people in
          situations conducive to their becoming MLM
          distributors.  Look for retirees, people who have been
          laid off, homemakers with young children, etc.
               When you've run through all of these people, you
          can go on to the rest of your distributor list. 
          Chances are you won't have to, because you'll never get
          that far down on your list.
               Why not?  Because you should ask people who turn
          you down for three referrals.  Following up on those
          names will keep you busy.
               At the same time, ask people who turn you down if
          they'll purchase at least a small amount of your
          product.  Many people will feel guilty about turning
          down your offer to work as a distributor, so they'll
          buy something from you.  Every sale helps, of course. 
          More than that, if you really have a good product,
          you'll have a satisfied customer who may reorder, in
          larger amounts, and who may reconsider your offer to
          become a distributor.
               When you run down the list, don't neglect those
          people who live in the next county, the next state,
          even across the country.  You can prospect them by
          phone -- call Saturday or Sunday to hold down the phone
          charges.  Then you can mail them the necessary samples
          and literature.  Today, with fax machines and
          conference calls and overnight express service, you can
          maintain a downline in Oregon even if you live in
          Georgia.
          
          
