Build Your Own List

When I first started my internet network marketing business about ten years ago, I heard about the importance to build your own list. “The Money is in the List” was a popular phrase back then and it still holds true today. It made sense to me. The larger my list the more people I would be able to market to.

So I signed up with some of the biggest list builders back then and started building my list. Or so I thought, because some of the advertising claimed “Build Your Own List of Leads.”

I didn’t realize until much later, that I was actually not building my own list of leads, but the list of the program owners. They had access to each and every one of the people that joined under me and were marketing to them and even recruiting them into their own programs.

Shucks!  That’s not what I had signed up for! Once I found out I was pretty mad.

I’ve learned from that mistake but I paid a hefty price and I’m sharing my experience so you don’t have to. Over time I had generated a ton of leads which where not really my own.

So what did I learn from all of that?

Never use a system that is not building your own list.

What does that mean? It means you need to build a list of leads that are truly unique to you. Nobody else has access to them.

You have to generate your own leads and capture them to build your own list so only you are the one who can market to them for as long as they remain on your list.

You can still use a system, but the leads that you generate have to be funneled through to your own list.

How can you tell if you “build your own list” of leads that are unique to you?

• When your leads are connected to your own personal autoresponder
• When you have full and total control over your leads
• When they are receiving your own follow up messages which you can customize

Let’s face it, it’s hard enough to build an internet network marketing business.  The last thing we need is having the leads we generate be marketed to by somebody else.

Does it take a while to build your own list?

Well yes, if you are starting from scratch. But it is very well worth it. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day either. But building your very own list of contacts that are unique to you is worth money in the bank. The late Corey Rudl once said that if his house was on fire and he only would have time to save one thing, it would be his list.

So go on, build your own list, and much success in your internet network marketing business!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

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