mypowerplan.myfreeforum.org :: Is your downline being affected by Backwash

ESLMarketing

Backwash Marketing

We all sign people up that at the time seem really eager to be part of your opportunity only to find that 2 weeks later they have dropped off the radar, attempts to contact them seem to fall on deaf ears or when they do answer they are apologetic but they have had something come up so they can't spend the time they thought they had.

It is most likely that the real reason they are reluctant to participate is they are victims of "Backwash"; Backwash occurs when a prospect has been caught up in the excitement of the moment during your presentation and signed without really realising what they are letting themselves in for.

Backwash can be likened to taking a small child on a boat ride and once you get to the deepest part of the lake or ocean throwing them overboard and driving off leaving them floundering in the water, left long enough the child will drown and be lost.

It's the same for these members that have been dragged into your opportunity while in the beginning they seem eager the fact that they have a problem replicating your results can soon sour the relationship with them and leave them feeling alone in a strange land without any sense of direction.

Many years ago I worked as an Amway representative and would hold Amway parties at a clients home, generally working with smallish groups of 30 - 40 people I would present the products and work the people present into an excited state with visual examples and clever dialogue, after fleecing them for sometimes large amounts of money I would then sign up as many people as possible into the Amway business.

These people joined not because Amway was such a good opportunity but simply based on the hype that my presentation generated, Most of these people would end up simply purchasing product for themselves and rarely did any go much further, after trying to replicate my presentations sometimes with disastrous results they would simply give up on the idea of becoming a successful salesperson, These people were also victims of Backwash Marketing.

See the Hype washed over them like a large wave pushing them in the desired direction I as the presenter wished them to go then as the presentation ended the wave would recede dragging them to the opportunity and seeing a majority of the room sign on the dotted line, at the time this was an accepted practice and considered quite ethical however in today’s world I doubt that would still be the case.

Recognition of the symptoms is all important to you as the sponsor and they are not that hard to spot it will normally start with a rapid decline of activity on the new members part followed by intense questioning of the programs methods when the member is finally contacted, they may seem irritated and may cut all communications to a bare minimum, some will simply close up and refuse to give straight answers when queried.

It is important to take action with these members as soon as the symptoms appear, you may need to gently take them by the hand and guide them around the opportunity explaining each tool in their back office and how to find them, you may also need to show them where they are going wrong this could be as simple as over-using the same email content on every campaign or using ineffective methods to achieve results, what ever the reason you or somebody above you needs to intercede and get to what is really troubling them then apply a good dose of reassurance and education concentrating on the trouble spots.

Hype is a dangerous tool and when used incorrectly can have devastating results on your membership Backwash marketing syndrome can spread through your membership like the flu in a schoolyard it first affects the newer members then begins to eat away at the longer term members raising issues amongst them that were previously missing.

So where does all this Backwash hype originate, well funny enough it generally starts with the new members themselves, excited at the prospect of making some extra money they rush into presenting the opportunity to all and sundry gaining signups in the process, it's these signups that start the rot happening as the new member is unable to qualify his claims made during the recruitment of his new downline members.

A way to prevent this is to restrict the new member from recruiting until they have gained sufficient knowledge of the opportunity to be able to provide reasonable support to people they recruit, this would involve a training system and the construction of a levels structure where the new member upon passing certain milestones in the training is given access to further facilities and tools finally gaining access to the tools used to recruit new members.

Of course this is not always possible or practical as it may involve a complete re-structuring of the opportunity itself, however it is important to be aware of the problems faced by allowing new recruits to engage in recruiting and have some form of mentoring in place to ensure that they only use factual information that can be easily qualified with a visit to the opportunity site.

Backwash Marketing is not new, the name maybe as it is one I have coined to explain what can happen when Hype is an ingredient in a campaign being conducted by an inexperienced member who caught up in the fervour of being part of a new and exciting opportunity goes into overdrive to impress and also make fast cash, remember they are as much a casualty as the members they recruit and must be educated and nursed back to where they can function as active and valuable members of the opportunity.

Dave Gilbert

DougTidwell

Thanks Dave;

If more people were to read and understand
what you have written here, it would keep a
lot of people from making some big mistakes.

Me Included!

As a lot of us have learned, the hard way,
it is not the HYPE that will create positive
results on a consistent basis, but attention
to detail and building relationships.

Also, as you indicated, some people are not
self motivated and need a constant ego boost
to keep them productive, they think like an
EMPLOYEE, not a business owner.

You have given me an idea here that I will
pursue as a method to motivate more of my
own team members.

Thanks again my friend.

Doug Tidwell
Plan4Power + ESL = Success Squared