Geneology Lists -- Are They Worth It?

There are marketers out there who think contacting geneology lists is the way to go to get new recruits. The leads are cheap and you get lots and lots of them. Some people swear by them...but are they right for you?

First, what is a geneology list? Basically it's a set of leads of people who have previously been in network marketing in the past. They have gotten out of the business for various reasons. One of the really common ones is that their opportunity went under. Other times they tried for a few months and just couldn't make a go of the opportunity and dropped out.

Now, if you were in network marketing and your opportunity went belly-up, would you be inclined to try again? Some people would -- they would examine the reasons why the company failed and know what questions they would ask in the future to help make sure they picked a stable company next time.

Most people aren't like that, though. Maybe they lost a lot of money when the business failed - they had poured a lot of money into the opportunity and felt like they got cheated.

Now I have to say that I've been in 2 different companies that failed within a year of my joining. And I lost a ton of money when that happened. Well, maybe it wasn't quite that much, but even a couple thousand can hurt.

OK, it's maybe 5 years after the last company failed and I get a call from someone who is in network marketing and wanting to tell me about their opportunity. No thank you, I say. Then I get another call. and another. Guess I made it to the geneology lists!

Me, I couldn't face calling a hundred people a day, hoping to find one or more who might be interesting in the opportunity. And with today's Do Not Call lists, I think that's even more iffy. So for me, a geneology list doesn't make sense.

Still, there are lots of people who swear by the geneology lists. These tend to be people who like to call people and handle rejection very well...especially since they will get a lot of it! If you are a "born salesman" and don't have a lot of money for leads or other forms of advertising, this may be the way to go. Just make sure you get a list that has been "scrubbed" -- compared against the telephone Do Not Call list and removes the people from that list.

There is certainly money to be made. After all, you are not picking up the white pages and calling people who may or may not know what network marketing is. With a geneology list, you know they have at least tried it and have some understanding. And you just might catch someone who is ready to try again.