Jim and Mary attend their annual convention and get all fired up about building their business. They get home and go to Google and type in, “MLM Leads.” The find a company with some good prices, spend about $50-$75 on some leads, and begin calling them. Full of hope and excitement, they are quickly defeated with few people answer the phone, won’t return messages, and no one wants to listen to their stories of how scientifically validated their nutritional products are. They conclude:

These MLM Leads Suck!!

If that were true, which it’s not, then why are so many people building huge businesses, making money like they never have before, all using the same leads that Jim and Mary just bombed with? Maybe it isn’t the leads that suck… maybe it’s Jim and Mary (although that’s not very nice of me to say).

If you don’t believe me, just browse on over to Dani Johnson’s website and review the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of testimonies on her site of people from every network marketing company under the sun who are absolutely killing it with leads. Go check it out. I’m sure they’re happy the Jim and Mary didn’t do so well because it’s less competition for them.

Maybe the missing ingredient has nothing to do with the leads (although the quality of leads is a separate issue for another day), but it has everything, and I mean everything to do with the person who is buying the leads and calling the leads.

While I’m not promoting any particular person out there, go get some training from a real trainer. Your upline does not count as a trainer. You need to take your upline with you. Go find someone like Dani Johnson and get some training. I’m not saying that leads are the answer for everyone, but I am saying that training is for everyone who ever desires to make more than $50-$500 with their home business. No excuses. Get some training in 2011 before it becomes 2012.

I’m 37 years old, and I still look at every item I get in the mail. I open almost every envelope. I read every postcard. And I read every flyer. I just like mail.

To contrast this, I delete 90% of my emails without ever reading or opening one of them. They are spam, crap, junk emails. I read the first line, if that, of the remaining 10% and immediately delete 80% of those. I read and respond or take action on the rest. What that means is about 98% of the crap that comes through my inbox is pure trash, and is worthless in every way.

Furthermore, when my phone rings and the caller ID says “Unavailable” or is from an area code out of state that I don’t recognize, I will either ignore it or I answer the phone grouchy and HIGHLY skeptical. I hate almost all phone calls.

But, going to the mailbox is still something I have to fight my wife and kids over to do. We all love to go to the mailbox!

So, why not capitalize on that by getting back to roots of postcard marketing and mailing out postcards to build your business? I sure would. Sure, people will throw in the trash, but almost all of them will have at least read it, and maybe took some kind of action, like calling the 800# for more information or visiting the website you have listed. My uneducated, yet experienced mind says that no other form of marketing has a greater action-rate than postcard marketing.  None.

Also, it is probably one of the most duplicatible forms of marketing. Do you think it would be easier to recruit someone and tell them to buy some leads, put some stamps on postcards, and mail them out, or pick up the phone and dial 500 strangers every week for the next 3 months, or set up an elaborate email server and blast out millions of emails to spam the crap out of them, and hopefully not get shut down or cussed out by angry recipients?

You will have to do a bit of research – most companies have some kind of postcard, but you may need to create one on your own and have a place print them for you, or find a company that has some good options to making them for you.

Here’s the bottom line – if I was building an MLM business, or any other kind of home business, I would have a postcard made for me (it doesn’t have to be expensive), buy some post card leads, put on a stamp, and repeat that every week, all year long, and teach everyone else to do the same thing.

That’s my opinion, but hey what do I know. Many moons ago I build my entire business using postcards. I was with a company called ProStep. We used this yellow postcards with black type, and a bit of red on them. Nothing complex. Just a simple yellow postcard, and we made thousands.

If you have any suggestions or know of any postcard companies, leave a comment here on this blog post and share with the community.

The big misconception is that phone interviewed leads are like manna from heaven, and all you have to do is dial, grunt over the phone, and the person signs up.  The misconception all begins with the advertising of these leads. The second misconceptions begins with you – being gullible enough to believe these leads are the manna you have always longed for. I don’t mean to be rude, but you need to wake up and realize, phone interviewed leads have their place, but in most cases, and probably your case, you need to stick with regular leads and give up phone interviewed leads for good.

I’ve read on other sites that most interviewed leads are not really interviewed anyway, it’s just some kind of autodialer. That’s a problem. It’s been said that 90-95% of the MLM Leads companies out there are selling you interviewed leads that have never spoken to one person before you do. That’s a problem. And, by the way, if you call one of these companies and talk to their owner or customer service, they are all going to say they are interviewed. You’re being lied to. If they cannot give you the name of the interviewer, then go somewhere else to spend your money.

Next, you need to realize of the few companies that are actually selling a real, interviewed lead, that even though it may say “real time interviewed,” it is anything but real time. It is an older lead… maybe a few days, a week, or even a month old before the call center actually makes contact with them to do the interview. In other words, these call centers use aged leads to make it more affordable for their telemarketers to call thru, and then they are called, interviewed, and sent to you. The only reason it is called “real time” is because you receive the lead shortly after the interview has taken place.

Now, don’t go get your panties all in a wad about this. You need to understand this:

1. most of these leads are not interviewed, they are somehow verified or contacted by a machine, not a person
2. all of these leads are aged leads that were generated days, weeks, or maybe months before the interview

But, even with all that, here is the benefit of using them. Even though these are aged leads before they are interviewed, if the MLM Leads company is doing its job and really doing a good interview, then these leads are “revived,” or “renewed” by the interview process when the prospect conveys their ongoing interest in a home business and agrees to be contacted by someone new.

Now the prospect may not remember filling anything out online, because it’s an aged lead, but they should remember the interview, and you should receive the name of the one who conducted the interview.

Even with all that, this lead is really only good for those who have some level of experience with leads. Stay away from them if you are new. Most new leads customers get into a false mindset that these leads are magical in some way.  They are leads. Period. If you want an actual real time lead, then buy those instead. Just avoid the interviewed leads.

And, if you really want to be a pro about this, and not some whiner or spineless sap, then buy a batch of 100 real time interviewed leads (real interviews, not the bad ones) and a batch of 100 real time leads and call through all of them. Keep notes on your calls, results, conversations, enrollments, etc. What was better? Use those leads instead.

Our initial review is as follows:

Positive:

Great prices.  They have some of the best prices for their leads

Negative:

The leads are horrible as a whole. So, despite the good prices, the bottom line is that the money you save is not worth the cost.  Here are some comments about these leads:

“I sold their leads a long time ago when they were MLMLeadGenie.  I thought I would try them again as MLMLeadSpecialist.  What a mistake.  It has been nothing but a mistake.  I have not had this much damage control to do from the customers that have bought these leads from me.” ~ Anonymous Reseller

“The leads were shocked that I called them. Everyone is surprised I am calling them! I was calling these with a group of people and I was embarrassed. There were duplicate leads and many angry people.  I did not speak with one person who knew what I was talking about.  Horrible.”  ~ P.K., Monavie

“What a mess. I hate to bash a company, but these leads are some of the worst I have ever called. ” ~ A.N., Iowa

“I don’t think I have ever requested a refund from a leads company before, but I did with them.  Not very impressed.” ~ R.C., Mannatech

While I don’ t really want to put down a leads company, it is amazing the number of negative feedback emails we have received. I would like to post something positive, but we never received any.

The purpose of this blog post is not to bash MLMLeadSpecialists, but to make our readers aware of what other customers are saying.

Today, most lead companies have some kind of a referral bonus… hey we’ll send you some free leads if you refer someone.  That’s nice, but I’d still rather have cash over leads… or both for that matter.

There are a couple of them out there, and I do understand that it’s not about getting wealthy off of a leads affiliate program, but I do intend to make at least $300-$500 per month with the Pro Email Leads affiliate program.  Here’s their banner. Just sign up for free and start promoting their leads.  It is a 2-tier affiliate program.  If you get 5 – 10 people a month who buy leads through your link, or if they are on your first or second tier, it won’t be hard to make a nice bit of money with their 30% payout.

While it is certainly no ProStep (RIP), it is a decent way to make a few extra bucks.  This may be one of the better kept secrets out there. Check it out while it’s still not flooded with affiliates.

Today there are so many companies selling interviewed leads it makes me suspicious of what’s going on.  The way I see it, there are only 3 possibilities when you have dozens and dozens of companies selling them now:

1. They are legit
2. They are legit but WAY over sold
3. They are not legit

My feeling is, about 5-10% are from the first category, about 30-35% are from the second category, and at least 50% are crappy, fake, or some how manipulated and non legit.

The way I see it, if you are going to get a genuine telephone interviewed lead, you better be prepared to pay some big bucks… at least $10 per lead.  I know Network Leads (which calls them Profiled Leads – probably more accurate), sells them for $15 per lead.  Furthermore, I learned last year that some Melaleuca reps are paying more than $100 per lead!! I spoke with one rep who had already gone through over 350 of these leads.

Most people don’t think – and lead companies are counting on you not to think.  If you really stopped to think, no mass produciton line could ever produce a telephone interviewed lead that would cost $3.50.  They could outsource the interview room to India and they couldn’t produce a $3.50 interviewed lead.

If a lead company tells you their “real time” interviewed leads are $3.50, there are ONLY two possibilities:

1. They are interviewd
2. They are selling them 20 times.

Stop funding the rip-off lead companies.  Get smart about your lead purchases. If you want interviews, expect to pay at least $10-$15.  If you can’ t afford that, then use another type of lead until you can.

Now, I’m not saying all lead companies are rip-off companies, but do a Google Search and find the companies that are selling their interviewed leads for less than $10 per lead.  Those are the companies you need to put on your black list.

Let me qualify this.  I actually receive many more people reporting to me, but some of their comments are such a joke, they have no business buying leads to begin with.  For example, I got an email from a guy last week slandering a leads company.  He had bought email leads and was upset because they weren’t quality phone leads.  Save your breath.

I’m talking about real network marketers buying real MLM leads to build their business.  I’m not talking about people buying 10 leads for a penny and expecting gold to come pouring forth.

So, to the topic at hand – LeadPower.com

Lead Power has been around a while, and the quality of their leads has fluctuated.  I had received about 4 or 5 emails over the first half of the year that they were “okay.”  That was about it.  Nothing great, nothing bad.  Some good results, some zero results.

However, since the first of November, I have received over 20 emails about how horrible the quality of leads has been.  So called “interviewed” leads were a complete joke, way oversold, never verified, angry people (notice I didn’t say prospects), and probably worse than the email leads the guy I just mentioned was calling. 

The funny thing was, it wasn’t just a couple people.  4 0r 5 emails through the first 10 months this year.  20+ emails in the last month.  And, the people who are emailing me are a bit “passionate” about how upset they are with Lead Power.  These leads are “Putrid!!”  That is a direct quote from one of my readers.

So, buy with caution for now.  Things change.  Like I said, their lead quality has been inconsistent… it’s just this has been much worse than normal.  Another thing to beware of.  Lead Power has a reseller program and they aren’t afraid to use it.  They are reselling their leads to other lead companies to resell the same bad leads through other companies.

(**Disclaimer** – The quality of the leads is not reflected upon the employees of the company.  Do not call up LP and yell at their staff or whomever else.  It’s a waste of your breath, and nothing short of unprofessional.  They are just workers, so treat them with decency and respect.)

One of the main goals of a multi-level marketing (MLM) independent distributor (business owner) is to sell the product or service of the parent company. However, an equally important goal is to encourage the customer to also become an independent distributor within that business owner’s network and sell the services or product. Prospects who may be interested in becoming distributors are known as MLM leads.

The MLM business owner can generate his or her own leads through referrals from family members, friends, and acquaintances. These leads can also be generated through a variety of marketing tools, including surveys, event or trade show promotions, and informative websites. One quick and convenient way to acquire MLM leads lists is to simply buy the list from a third party company.

For the new MLM business owner, these methods may be too costly or time consuming. One quick search on the internet will result in a plethora of web sites promoting free MLM leads. While cost savings are beneficial, the term “free” can also indicate a situation that is too good to be true.

If the business owner decides to take advantage of some of the free leads available, he or she must take care to look into the background of the third party company that is supplying these leads. It is also important that the MLM business owner check his or her list of free MLM leads against the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry every 90 days. This will ensure that the list is updated regularly and that the leads remain fresh.

MLM Leads Info provides comprehensive information on MLM lead generation and lists, as well as email, opt-in, free, genealogy, targeted and local leads. MLM Leads Info is the sister site of Lead Generation Web.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Sturo
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Risks-and-Benefits-of-Free-MLM-Leads&id=66787

It seems to me that Doug has his hand in on some of this… I may be wrong… but it seems like anything BUT an objective list of companies.  Nevertheless, we wanted to post his article because it is neither here nor there what company you buy leads from, just get good leads and build your business.

Okay… on to the article:

MLM Leads – The Top 15 MLM Lead Companies in Network Marketing
By Doug Firebaugh

That is a sound of music to my ears. Why? I worked MLM Leads for nearly 8 years, and had great success with them. That is why that I have a pretty good understanding of what really makes a good MLM Lead, and what does not.

In the pursuit of finding these top 15 Network Marketing Lead companies, there were some requirements and considerations that went into the mix. An MLM lead is only part of the MLM Lead Success Formula. There were 5 things that we looked at when we were considering MLM Lead Companies.

What are they?

1) Quality of the MLM lead.

Quality of lead is everything. There are some great looking websites out there that look totally rocking, but we found that the quality of leads when we called them, were less than what you should expect in an MLM lead.

Beautiful site, great looking logo, lousy leads.

That is why we actually had people order leads, and we called them. We called more than one bunch of leads as well. This at least would give us a feeling of consistency or lack of it. The MLM Lead companies we chose were highly consistent in quality of lead, and people who truly were looking for a business. It took us 7 months to complete the research on MLM leads.

2) Training of working the MLM Leads.

Many of the beautiful sites offered no type of ongoing training, and that was something that really needs to be be a part of any good MLM leads programs. There were some that had online training, as well as cds and training series you could purchase. That was good, but the ongoing live training was the best idea, and we found many MLM leads Companies that did just that.

Training also includes scripts, handling objections, presentation, following up, closing, and other MLM leads topics. There are some HOT MLM leads sites out there that truly delivered on this quality of MLM leads training.

3) MLM Leads Support.

The support factor was key. Once the MLM leads were purchased, was there somehow support in case of need? Most had email support, some had live phone support, and some had live instant message support. There were sites that offered no support, and if you had a challenge with your MLM leads, then good luck.

The support should be somehow resolving issues that arise, including bad mlm leads, wrong numbers or emails, and general problems. The MLM Leads companies we found that were the best, had a support system. And some type of guarantee also should be part of the network marketing lead program.

4) Targeted MLM leads.

Many companies had different types of targeted mlm leads, including company specific, live tv leads, local leads, gender specific, product specific, area code specific, among others. Targeted mlm leads are the favorite of the Networkers I talked to, as it gives people a more focused lead, and a more targeted impact.

5) Pricing of the MLM leads.

This was a huge factor in determining many people’s decision to buy. But to be blunt, you get what you pay for. There are many cheap network marketing home business lead companies with cheap leads, but here is a warning:

Be careful. You get what you pay for.

Ask if you can try maybe 15-20 leads to see if they are worth the money. Many companies give free network marketing leads away to try.

Understand that a great MLM lead may cost you several dollars, and rightfully so.

INFERNO Secret:

An MLM lead purchase is NOT a purchase, but an investment in your business. One good MLM lead can produce tens of thousands of dollars in volume and revenues. If you understand that, then the pricing should not be as important as the quality and training of the Network marketing lead company.

And of course, REPUTATION had a lot to do with the selection as well. Some companies that came across really well, when checked on, did not have a very good reputation for MLM Leads and service.

Soooooo:

What are the Top 15 MLM lead Companies? (They are in no particular order, as all are really good as far as our research would tell us.)

INFERNO Secret:

Do your OWN DUE DILIGENCE before you purchase, but these we found are pretty strong as all scored well in the above areas of requirement.

1) Cutting Edge Media

cuttingedgemedia.com

2) Leads2yoursuccess.com

leads2yoursuccess.com

3) Networkleads.com

networkleads.com

4) ProStep MLM leads

prostepinc.com

5) LeadsLab MLM leads

leadslab.com

6) Leaders Club MLM leads

leadersclub.com

7)Traffic Oasis (Need a referral source for this one)

trafficoasis.com

Fast MLM Leads

fastmlmleads.com

9) Pro MLM Leads

promlmleads.com

10) NPros (Company specific mlm leads)

npros.com

11) Jungle Leads

jungleleads.com

12) Optimized Leads

optimizedleads.com

13) Laser Leads

laserleads.com

14) Leads Lists

leadslists.com

15) MLM leads.com

mlmleads.com

There ARE other good MLM lead companies out there, depending on what you are looking for. But these we found as far as research, were the better ones, and some were beyond exceptional.

MLM leads are a great source of NEW BLOOD for your business. You can find Gold mine after Gold mine, in a good Network marketing lead and great MLM Leads.

Blessings…Doug (c) 2005/ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PassionFire Intl

http://www.passionfire.com

http://www.passionfire.com/pf_heat_7.html

Doug Firebaugh is one of the top MLM Network Marketing Trainers in the world. Over a million people a month
read his training ezine. He spent the last 7 years traveling the world speaking and training on Success.
He lives in Birmingham Michigan, and you can receive a
FREE subscription to his training ezine – The MLM
Success HEAT- at: http://www.passionfire.com/pf_heat_4.html and http://www.passionfire.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doug_Firebaugh
http://EzineArticles.com/?MLM-Leads—The-Top-15-MLM-Lead-Companies-in-Network-Marketing&id=58596

It is easy to get excited about starting your first MLM home business. After all, the prospect of setting your own hours, working from your own office, and writing your own paycheck can be very attractive. Unfortunately, when most marketers run into difficulty finding good MLM leads, their enthusiasm begins to wane.

As a result, almost 95% of MLM marketers give up before they ever make a dime.

So how do you get good, qualified MLM leads? The answer, clearly, does not lie in pestering your friends, family members, and coworkers. Unless they have expressed a sincere interest in joining and learning an MLM opportunity, you are just wasting your time – and theirs. Even worse, it is easy to erode relationships by pitching to those whom you already know.

Instead, the answer lies in magnetic sponsoring. Savvy marketing companies like YourNetBiz (new brand for MyInternetBusiness) teach recruits an attraction marketing formula that helps them find prospects who are genuinely interested in the YourNetBiz/MyInternetBusiness opportunity.

To obtain good MLM lead, focus your marketing efforts on solving your prospects’ problems and identifying their goals, not on the opportunity you are offering. Your marketing materials should resonate with people who are ideal prospects for your MLM home business.

Think about the problems that your MLM opportunity can solve, and the goals that it can help prospects achieve. Perhaps it can allow recruits to leverage their efforts to double or triple their incomes. Maybe it can allow them to spend more time with their spouses and children. It might even give them the power to further a social goal, such as saving people money, reducing pollution, or helping people manage their time more efficiently.

By thinking of your MLM opportunity in terms of identifying problems and providing solutions, you will be able to create an attraction marketing blueprint that will make the process of finding qualified MLM leads quicker, easier, and much less stressful.

Are you putting countless hours into your network marketing business, only to find that people are leaving faster than you can put recruits in your downline? I can help! Just visit YourNetBiz today to get on the fast track to network marketing success!

Ana Hoffman, Online Marketing Coach & Entrepreneur

http://MeetAnaHoffman.com

MeetAnaHoffman@gmail.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ana_Hoffman
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-Way-to-Get-MLM-Leads-For-Any-Home-Business-Or-Opportunity&id=2503215