How Much Money have You Made in Network Marketing?

How much money have you made is question everyone in Network Marketing has heard at some point. It’s an honest, valid question that deserves an honest answer.

However, you can answer honestly in two ways; one that has a tendency to work and the other that has quite the opposite affect, as you will see.

 “How much money have you made” is sometimes a trick question, the answer to which gives prospects a natural excuse not to join. And that we want to avoid while remaining honest.

By the way, it’s not the prospect’s fault. Because it is what we’ve said before the question that made the prospect ask it.

How much money have you made? Network Marketers have three answers:

Some professionals can answer with truthful claims of making thousands upon thousands of dollars. And that is a mistake but let’s get back to that.

The amateur usually says:

“None (or “not much”). The business takes a few months to build up and then I will be making solid money.”

And the prospect replies; “Give me a call when you start making money!”

Now, if every prospect did this, then the novice would never make money, right? Since people make money, it is clear that not every prospect asks this but there is also a better answer.

“I don’t know because I haven’t collected it all yet.”

Now, that line should not be left as is – we need to expand on it a bit. But you can see the difference, right?

I will get back to how to expand on that in a bit. First let me say that there are three professional answers to this question and they all make prospects think.

Prospects are not used to hearing a combination of such honesty in thought provoking ways and that gives us the chance — as they ponder if there might indeed be something to Network Marketing for them — to close.

Will it change the skeptic prospect’s mind? Not always but one fact is certain. If you don’t answer the question professionally, you’ll lose that prospect right there, instantly.

“How much money have you made?” . . . or; “How much money are you making?” . . . is how we hear it and, as stated there are 2 answers and only 1 is professional.

There’s the “none” answer, which is also expressed as, “None yet.” To that you will get a prospect thinking this is possibly a waste of time.

The Pro training for someone who is new in Network Marketing? We teach them this; “Unlike the way we are paid for working a job, I don’t know. You see, I haven’t collected it all yet.”

Now, there are to more things to share before wrapping up this blog post. One is how to expand on “I don’t know, I have finished collecting it yet” and the second is what does the Big Time Earner say?

So, let’s begin with big earners. When Dale wrote this — yes, this is Smiling Steve editing Dale’s original post — he mentioned “thousands and thousands of dollars” which I left in. But that is the wrong answer.

Remember, we are dealing with a skeptical person. If they do not believe that someone who is new will make money for years off the work they are doing now, will they believe the guy who is making $50,000 a month? Not a chance.

The correct answer for a big earners is; “I don’t know, I haven’t finished collecting it yet!”

Yes, they have to say the same thing – it is true and it does not push the psychological “bullshit” button on our prospect’s brain!

So here is how the Pro expands on “I don’t know, I haven’t finished collecting it yet” . . .

It goes like this:

“I don’t know, I haven’t finished collecting it yet. You see, I am still getting paid on the first customers I set up to buy from the company 27 months ago plus many more. And, most of those customers will buy for many years, so there is no way to know how much money I will make for the work I already did!”

Now, real Pros will pause there and go on to say; “That is the difference between trading time for money and residual income. You keep on getting paid again and again for years and decades for work you did long ago!”

I have even go on to say; “It is the ultimate form of delayed gratification. It is like this; you can have one sample chocolate bar today for free or you can forgo the free chocolate bar today and choose one free chocolate bar every month for the rest of your life. Which would you prefer?”