Cold calling leads is one of the most common suggestions made to new enrollees in a network marketing program. A slightly more modern variation on this is to buy a list of email leads and plug them into the pre-written autoresponder series provided by the MLM company.

To compound the picture, most of these new network marketers have next to no knowledge of either sales, or internet marketing. If they did, they'd know that to get a home run with those leads, to get them to sign up to their program, is no small task. A person could spend hundreds on leads, month after month, believing they are doing the right thing to work the business, and they end up with nothing. Worse than nothing, actually. Not only are they paying the minimum monthly autoship or membership fee for their program, but they are paying $65 plus a month for leads.

Now, there are some lead brokers that are better than others, but even they say that to really successfully convert those leads into members, you need to get on the phone and call them. This no doubt works fine for those people comfortable with cold calling people. But those people are in a minority. Does this mean that network marketing is only for those few?

Even if you have these leads plugged into an autoresponder series, you still have to call them. They are receiving offers from many companies, and did not actually come to YOU in the first place. They responded to some generic ad in a magazine or on the internet. They are looking for an opportunity to make money, yes. But these are not qualified leads. And when you are the one going to them, without them having made a specific inquiry, they are in passive mode already. Worse, you are in the position of aggressor. There is a subconscious defensiveness, a 'what now' mentality that develops, especially after they receive umpteenth offers in their email box. These are resistant leads.

Whilst buying leads seems like the 'easy' option to those new to internet marketing, it actually isn't when you consider the difficulty in achieving success with them. So, what's the solution?

The internet fortunately provides many opportunities to get your own leads. That is, people who have responded to your online ad, or found your website through the search engines. And I don't mean the generic, company website url you were given as part of the network marketing program you joined. To be successful, you need your own web presence, with your unique personality shining through. This builds credibility with your prospects, and starts to build that all important relationship.

This may sound like a complicated, or difficult process. It actually isn't. There are many website builders around today that will help you build a professional looking website, and you don't have to know your HTML from your javascript. There are even a few that will help you build search engine optimized websites, and there are plenty of ebooks and programs on how to develop a presence on the search engines. It may take a little more time, and more of a learning curve than going out and buying a bunch of leads, but the reward is not only success with your internet marketing venture, but the opportunity to earn additional streams of income, independent of whatever opportunity you are currently promoting. Adsense and other advertising based, revenue sharing programs are an excellent source of income.

Having people find you, developing a list of opt-in prospects into your own autoresponder series - or newsletter - will allow a level of success with your network marketing program that seems unattainable within the cold leads game.