If You're Not First, You're Last — CHAPTER 2 - Power Base Reactivation

CHAPTER 2

Power Base Reactivation

I’m going to start you on the path of “advance and conquer” with an asset that I know you have: a power base. Unfortunately, most people deny knowing that they even have a place of power. They truly believe that they have nothing to start with. Not true. Everyone has a power base; we simply don’t all acknowledge or utilize it. Instead, we go backward by trying to build a business in a place where we don’t already have power, with people we don’t know. This is the most difficult way to form a company.

Everyone has an existing power base. The people you know—friends, family, relatives, schoolmates, past employers, existing employees, and even your enemies—are all part of it. A power base doesn’t remain the same size throughout your career; it will grow (or cease to grow) depending on the amount of attention you give it. To cultivate and increase the quality of your power base, simply start with what you have. Direct and multilevel marketing companies are effective because they depend almost solely on utilizing and optimizing people’s power bases. Combine a dedicated and relentless contact of power bases with great products, and you will create a corporation that profits during any economy. Amway, Nu Skin, Herbalife, Mary Kay, Market America, and Kangen Water are just a few examples of companies whose entire model is built on the idea that everyone has a power base; success depends on how effectively those power bases are informed about the company’s products. Those who make it to these firms’ top levels are not great salespeople; they are great at power base reactivation. That is why so many businesses focus so intently on customer satisfaction and knowing how much word of mouth generates future sales. Corporations tend to fail when they rely too heavily on advertising campaigns and claim commitment to customer satisfaction without organically stimulating the power base. When you effectively activate your power base, you will find people who are qualified to purchase your products and motivated to tell others.

You have to be cost effective in generating opportunities for purchasing your product or service during slow economic times. While a big corporation may be able to afford huge advertising budgets, individuals typically cannot.

And while advertising can hit more people faster, it is less personal. To that end, your power base is the single most lucrative way to generate immediate business. Traditional advertising has become “the dependency” of the twenty-first century whereby the company’s ability to generate business rests solely with mass advertising to people you don’t know who may or may not be qualified or even interested in your product. A majority of advertising budgets are lost to these people. This method of contact may not be an affordable option—even for large corporations—during periods of contraction, when you truly have to watch every penny you spend.

Although reactivating your power base is very cost effective, it does require some degree of effort. Don’t worry when you begin whether these people are qualified or even interested in your product; just make your list, then contact those on it. Remember that the people you know also know others in turn who may be more appropriate prospects. You want to reactivate every possible contact you have and get your power base to start to work for you. It’s akin to mining; think of the people you know as gold, and treat them as you would a gold mine. Post a claim and work it constantly. Neglect it and you will find someone else claiming your fortunes. Worse yet, your power base can sit vacated, unattended, and ignored. The fact that you are not working your gold mine effectively does not mean it is less valuable; it just means that you aren’t tapping into its immense potential.

Start getting in touch with friends, family, relatives, and past employers and take a genuine interest in them. Find out what they are doing; ask about their lives, their careers, and their families. People love to talk about themselves, and they really love it when others take interest in them. Let them know what you are doing when it comes up, but understand that this is not a sales call. You are simply reconnecting with someone with whom you have been out of touch.

Do not rely solely on e-mail or snail mail for this venture without first getting in touch via phone or personal visit. A phone call is more valuable than mail but can and should be followed by mail or e-mail the same day.

Make it clear that the intention of your call is to catch up with those in your power base, not to sell your products or services. During all economies—

good, bad, and indifferent but especially during contractions—contacts and relationships are everything. If you’ve ever heard the saying “It’s who you know, not what you know,” then you know that this is true. You are short on people, not short on money, and the people you know either have the money you want or know people who do. It is those people who want and need your service. So the more people you contact, the better chance you have of discovering and selling to those who are members of your target market.

Remember: People like to buy and do business with people they know and like. During times when money is tight, they are more likely to spend money (if they do so at all) on products and services from those they know and trust.

You may have had the experience of running into an old friend and to your shock and disappointment discovered that they just bought the very product or service that you represent from someone else. Ugh! The pain runs deep and could have easily been avoided just by increasing the amount of contact with the people you know. You can miss these types of opportunities when things are going great—but when times are tough you can’t afford to miss any business! And the reality is that you should never put yourself in this position, regardless of economic conditions, but now you don’t have a choice —you have to capitalize on every single opportunity.

This process of reactivating your power base might feel a lot like going to the gym after blowing off exercise for six months. It is all new again and you are using muscles that you have not used in some time. Just like working out, once you force yourself back into the gym, and work through the pain, you will be glad you did! So just push through your resistance and know that your persistence is going to pay off, as long as you keep showing up and working out you will rebuild the muscle and in this case your power base.