Generating Your Own Leads: Purchased Leads vs. Self-Generated Leads

When I started out in network marketing almost 7 years ago, I was told to make a list of all my the people I know to “share” my opportunity with. Well, none of the people in my circle of influence had an entrepreneurial bone in their body, and with working full-time as an Art teacher, pregnant, and having a two and four year old in tow - running around looking for potential prospects was not too practical. So...

I purchased leads and, once I developed the right communication skills and learned how to use leads effectively, I started having some success. You can build a successful network marketing business using purchased leads if you have a source of decent quality leads. I did it and I know many people who have done so as well. However, you need to go through a lot of leads, develop good skills and not let rejection bother you. I was fortunate that I had a huge “why” and was determined to do what it took to be successful, but once I started generating my own leads it was so much better.

The other night Joe filled out the contact form on my website asking for some help. Here is what he said:

"I have been purchasing 6 a day leads for $275/month. But, 9 out of 10 people won't answer the phone and the ones that do answer aren't interested. I can't continue to pay $275 per month without some better responses. It's not all my inexperience, I worked in Sales for 4 years. I can't get past the opening statement before they tell me they are no longer interested. Hard to believe these leads are only a few days old! They sure don't seem like targeted market leads."

That is the challenge with purchased leads. Often lead companies re-sell leads or are less than truthful about how they generate their leads. Price alone does not determine a quality lead. Sure, if they are really cheap then you can be pretty sure you are not going to get a quality lead. But as you can see from Joe's experience, even when you are paying $1-2/lead you may not be getting a quality lead. Even when you locate a reputable company with a decent quality of lead, a purchased lead will never be as good as a lead you generate yourself.

When you generate your own leads, people are searching and finding YOU. They make a connection with you before you even call. It doesn't mean they will jump right into whatever you are offering, but the relationship building has begun. Depending on how you are having people opt-in: requesting a free e book, like the 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing, signing up for your newsletter, purchasing training material; you are also looking at someone who is more serious than a purchased lead as well. You see with a purchased lead, the person may be just on the Internet, sees an ad that looks interesting and opted in. They may have just had a rough day at work and the idea of making money at home sound interesting.

However, when you are generating your own lead, for the most part, the person is searching for something specifically, reading an ezine they subscribed to that is related to what you are marketing, reading your article, etc. So this person is actively searching and finding or attracted to what you have to offer. If you are using a auto responder, like GetResponse or Aweber, they are also receiving emails directly from you as soon as they opt-in to what you are offering. Keep in mind, your emails should be educational in nature and of VALUE. At any rate they already they already know who you are. It is not at all uncommon for me to get responses like this when I call a lead I have generated myself:

“Oh hi Wendy! I was meaning to call you!”

And fairly frequently people will actually email or call me before I get chance to call them. This just doesn't happen with a purchased lead!

Of course generating your own leads does take time to learn and also time to start generating enough. That is why I recommend someone start by purchasing the Renegade Marketer Ebook, utilizing the training that comes with it, while calling leads you already have or purchasing leads.

I found a quality lead source, and arranged a discount with the company because of the volume of leads my downline, and those I am working with, use.

In addition, the people who purchase the Renegade Marketer Ebook from me, get some extra training and resources to get them, and their team, off on a solid start. I have put together a Renegade Marketer Guide, and give free access to our WorksTeam site and training calls.

If you have questions about lead generation, feel free to give me a call at 716-514-8858 or request a complimentary consultation on my Contact Form.