Cold Market vs. Warm Market: Which is Better?

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Let's Get Ready to Rummmmmmmble!

So…in the duel for “which is better”, who wins?

Does cold market recruiting dominate over warm market in the world of network marketing?  Or…does the
tried and true “old school” method of talking to warm market produce more results?

Would certainly love hearing from you…my readers and peers on this subject!  In fact, the more comments
I receive about your own personal experiences in recruiting and the bottom line RESULTS you've gotten
from both methods would certainly be worthy of hearing about. 

I've been doing this network marketing “thing” now for 23 years.  Long time.  And, during that time, I've
done an awful lot of recruiting in both the warm and cold markets.  Both have produced extremely significant
results in terms of bottom-line profits and overall organizational growth. 

Which one is Better?  Warm or Cold.

Quite frankly, I don't think it really matters.  Both work.  There are upsides and downsides to both methods.
To argue over it, is simply everyone's waste of time.  What matters the most is productivity in your business. 

How you do it is an individual choice.  Some prefer cold market, while others prefer warm. 

What works best?  Hmmm…

I have very successful people I know who have built their businesses almost exclusively through warm
market prospecting, and I as well have many friends who have built big businesses almost exclusively through
cold market methods.  If you're in a network marketing business or building a direct sales team, whatever
you do that is legit, legal, honest, moral, ethical, and most importantly, can be DUPLICATED by your team
is fair game. 

The Anti-Warm Market Crowd

People who are primarily focused on selling “systems” to the network marketing marketplace may in fact
be screaming from the rooftops, “Don't beg your friends and family” or “Stop Chasing your Friends” as
a means of attracting people to look at their stuff.  After all, who in the world wants to bug, chase or beg
anyone, let alone your dearest friends and family.  I know I personally wouldn't want to get on my knees
and plead for someone to join me.  That doesn't sound too appealing.  And…that is likely why so many
people may be attracted to such an interesting marketing ploy. 

I honestly don't know any legitimate network marketing players that poo-poo warm market recruiting.
The reality is that anyone who is involved in network marketing, whose sole focus is to build a team in that
company don't go all ballistic and negative and say that “old school” network marketing is dead. 

In fact, I despise how the term “old school” is used typically.  Most of the time that phrase is used, it denotes
something negative, as if to say that it no longer works, rather than the fact that it is a “tried and true” and
proven across many industries method of attracting new business. 

Old School Marketing to me means something that has proven to work.  It is fundamental.  It is foundational. 

Talking to people you know about something you like and referring them to it is easy.  You don't have to be
part of the NFL (another stupid term), the “No Friends Left” club.  You can still recruit people you know,
individuals in your warm market or center of influence and STILL keep your friends.  HOW you go about
doing so is the key to keeping or alienating your friends and family. 

Network Marketing isn't the only profession that is built on warm market relationships.  Some of the greatest
sellers in the fields of real estate, insurance and financial services have built on those warm relationships. 

Warm Market prospecting is here to stay and not likely to ever disappear.  Who would you rather spend time
with in your business, people you don't know or those you love and care about?   For me, I'd rather get rich
with my friends and hang out with those people than recruit a bunch of strangers from the start. 

In fact, MOST of your friends, if they were to later find out that you had becoming incredibly successful in
something, would be angry or upset with you for not sharing what it is that got you there. 

Can you imagine the conversation?  Your buddy sees you pulling up in your new Ferrarri 360 Modena after
not seeing you for two years and finds out that you did it in a business that he/she could have participated
along with you.  If you didn't tell me about something cool you were doing and you were my friend, I
wouldn't be too happy with you, especially if I was still drowning in something I didn't like all that much. 

The Anti-Cold Market Crew

People who are against marketing to individuals they don't yet know likely fall into one of two categories:

  1. The techniques they currently use (warm market) produce enough business to grow and sustain
    their organizational growth.
  2. They aren't comfortable with HOW to market outside of their center of influence.   

The truth is that MOST network marketers, myself included, will spend a lot more time during the life of their
network marketing career working OUTSIDE of the warm market.  If you've prudently gone through your
center of influence in growing your business, then you for sure will be looking at other options to continue
to sponsor new people. 

And…we're probably all making new friends along the way, thus creating a “new” warm market, that was
once cold.  If I meet someone at a coffee shop for example, I didn't know them until that moment of meeting
them.  So…they were cold market, but now they have come to know me, they may actually convert into
someone that would then be considered warm market, depending on how long the relationship exists prior
to me introducing them to my product or business. 

Cold Marketing in general can encompass many things, including online marketing such as :

  • Pay-Per-Click Advertising
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
  • Content Creation
  • Blogging
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Running Solo Ads
  • Ezine / Article Marketing
  • Social Media Strategies, and others 

It could in the “offline” world include:

  • Magazine and Newspaper Advertising
  • Using Drop Cards or “Sizzle” Cards
  • Involvement in Networking Organizations like MeetUp.com or BNI 
  • Buying leads from someone like Leads Unlimited
  • Prospecting Professionals like I teach here:  How to Recruit Pros

This isn't a complete list of options by any means, nor is it a direct suggestion to do any of the above.  It's
YOUR business.  Do what works for you.  But…be sure to do what you know works before trying something
something that isn't yet proven. 

My suggestion would be to FOLLOW THE LEADER.  I heard a phrase a very long time ago,

“If you want to become successful at something, find someone who has what it is that you want,
and do what they do.”

We could apply that to anything and everything we want to learn.  Wanna be a better golfer?  Play with
someone better than you and get coached by someone who is good.  Copy it.  Want to get good at real
estate investing?  Study and DO the specific techniques of someone already successful at it. 

Network Marketing:  Where you Network and Market

The thing about our business is this.  You've got to do both.  It's a people business, so brushing up on your
people skills would be a super wise idea.  How you communicate, the words you use and how you interact
with individuals can make or break potential relationships. 

Marketing is what we do.  So…a wise idea as well would be brushing up on your skills and knowledge as it
pertains to everything involved in the act of moving a good or service to an end user.  Anything that helps
you capture the attention of individuals, generate more interest, increase their desire and move them into
action is critical.   

So…who wins?  Anyone who decides to network and market and doesn't stop, while at the same time learning
from your experiences, improving on the good ones, eliminating the bad ones and bettering yourself each
and every day. 

I'm a marketer.  I'm a networker.  I'm a network marketer. 

How about you?

Todd Falcone - Network Marketing Training

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