Expand your contact list from 20 to 200 names

This is a critical step. Your list is your treasure map!

Social Network Theory tells us that each person knows 1,500 people on average. Continue to expand your contact list over time. Some contacts will become distributors, others will become customers and some will lead you to and refer you to other distributors and customers.

Do not pre-judge your list. Do not decide for someone else. Let THEM make their own educated business decision. Use the MEMORY JOGGER included on this website to build and expand your list. Keep your list handy – even after it reaches 200, so that you can add to your list as you go about your daily business.

4b. List your top 20…

These should be the most successful, highly motivated, entrepreneurs. Your upline will help you with most if not all of these. Make sure you list the following for each person on this list:

• Name
• Phone number
• Occupation
• City & State
• Brief Bio & Background

Determine the time to get your upline on the phone with you to call your top 10-20.

My friend John C. writes:

Your contact list is the most vital tool you can use to build your business. The list is the fuel for your business.

Do you want to start this journey with an empty tank or a full tank?

Out of every random list of 100 people, there may be two or three superstars (the kind who will run hard and build a multi-million dollar business with your help) just waiting for you to discover and develop them. And there could be 20 or 30 more people who will do the business on a lesser level, and many more who are potential clients.

When you have plenty of people to talk to, you aren’t desperate to sponsor each and every one. People sense when you need them. And that neediness can turn them off and make them react negatively towards your offer.

When you have a lot of people to talk to about your business, you have more confidence and more posture. You gain control over your business and your future. Knowing that your success doesn’t rest with just one, two, or a dozen people gives you an incredible edge.

When you have an abundance of people to share your business with, you’ll have incredible posture with people, knowing you don’t need them; THEY NEED YOU!

“But I don’t know anyone.”

Did you know that by age 25, you probably know more than 2,000 people on a first name basis? It’s unlikely you ever bothered to count them, but this is your circle of influence.

If you knew that every name you wrote down would be worth $1,000 a year to you for the rest of your life, how many names could you come up with?

Now do you feel like you know more people?

As you are building your list, remember not to prejudge anyone. It’s natural to feel like you have to know beforehand if everyone you write on your list will be interested in what you have to offer.  Often, in the beginning, you may feel that people will think less of you if you approach them. Yet, in reality, you are offering an incredible gift when you offer your opportunity to others. You are offering them something that is in their best interest.

GET EXCITED! You’re about to change your life and the lives of people you care about.

CATEGORIES: HOW OUR BRAINS STORE INFORMATION

The first step is to understand the process of creating “leads” or contacts. The key to creating contacts is referrals. Sometimes called “referral marketing” in other industries, capturing new business prospects and clients through referrals is at the heart of networking.

We all share information we are excited about with our friends and family every day. The process starts with you contacting your initial base of friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances.

You already have a huge base to start from: as many as 2,000 names.

Right now, you may think you can’t possibly know that many people. However, as you follow the “Category Reminder Method,” you will be amazed to see how many names you actually come up with.

Take a spiral notebook or composition book and instead of writing names, begin by writing down categories or communities of people you know, leaving at least an entire page for each category.

Category Reminder Method

Here are some starter categories we suggest to use as resources for finding people:

• Family (genealogy, reunions)
• High School (class reunions, directories)
• College (alumni directory, frat/sorority, sports, clubs)
• Past Work (How many jobs have you had?)
• Current Work
• Wedding List
• Cell Phone Directory
• Neighborhood (Home Owners Association)
• Clubs/Organization (PTA, Rotary)
• Sports
• Church
• Professional Associations
• Location (Who do you know in NY, LA, Dallas, etc.)
• Vocation (Who do you know is a doctor, lawyer, dentist, etc.)

As you fill out this list, it is possible to average at least 50 names a category. For example, your alumni directory likely includes 10,000 names, your Home Owners Association probably has hundreds of names, and your extended family will easily branch into more hundreds of names. Don’t forget to include the extended family of each person on your family list, and their extended family, and so on.

Once your own list includes, for example, 500 names, realize that each of those people have numerous contacts of their own. This is how you develop a network.

By following this Category Reminder Method, you can easily create a list with as many as 2,000 names.

Creating this list is a critical component to growing your business. As you master the Category Reminder Method, you can also continue to add names to your list throughout the life of your business. Keep your list near you at all times: you’ll remember names out of nowhere, and wonder how you ever forgot them!

When you have accumulated a huge list, start prioritizing the names. Narrow the list to your top 200 names, then to the top 25 of those.

You want to identify your top prospects and contact them first.

Don’t be tempted to eliminate or pre-qualify anyone from your list before you contact them. You never know who will be interested in the business.

ACTION STEP: WITHIN 48 HOURS OF READING THIS, CREATE A LIST OF 200 PROSPECTS.

Finally, begin contacting your list. Be prepared with a system for tracking who you called and the responses you receive. Work with your upline to develop scripts and even three-way call on the first few calls as you learn the best way to share the business with others.