How To Deal With MLM Tire Kickers

During my career in the MLM network marketing profession, I have come across all types of people. I connect with people on a daily basis, I can usually tell pretty quickly what type of person I am talking to. There are the people that are super excited and want to get involved right away. There are others that will always say no, regardless of how good the opportunity sounds. I really don’t mind these types of people, as I know almost immediately if they could potentially benefit my network. However, there is another type of person that I do find annoying. These people are the tire kickers and they can be the worst to deal with. Here are some tips for dealing with MLM tire kickers.

How to deal with MLM Tirekickers

What is an MLM Tire Kicker?

Tire kickers are the prospects in MLM that you want to avoid. They usually are not self-confident and have insecurities that prevent them from making a decision. They often hem and haw about whether to join your network, asking a lot of questions hoping that they hear some magic words about how easy it is going to be. Even though they appear to be interested, they essentially are just spinning their tires and often never come to a decision. They usually ask the same questions, which is how it is so easy to identify them.

Here are the most common questions and responses you’ll get from tire kickers:

  • Can you tell me how much money I will make?
  • Is this opportunity a pyramid scheme?
  • How long have you been with this company?
  • Could you send me a video that explains things more?
  • I have to talk to my spouse.
  • I don’t have the money.

Although some of these are important questions, they can be a sign that you are dealing with a tire kicker, especially if they keep asking questions and never show any sign of action. These questions are usually backed up with excuses like β€œI just don’t have the money right now, maybe next paycheck,” or I’m sick and will start next week,” etc. These excuses should show you that you are dealing with a person that is indecisive and probably not willing to put in the work it will take to be a success in MLM network marketing.

business woman

How to deal with tire kickers in MLM

My first piece of advice is to avoid tire kickers if you can. When I figure out that someone is indecisive I usually just walk away. If they are really interested they will come back, which is a good way to separate the tire kickers from those that are just a little unsure.

My advice would be not to babysit your prospects and if they are not willing to respect your time, they are on their own. This makes it easy to figure out which people are self-motivated and which will need constant attention. In the end, if these prospects become your reps in your downline, they will be ultimately responsible for their own success. Β You can help and guide but you are not there to hold their hand throughout the process.

Tire kickers can be annoying, but if you can recognize and manage them you can avoid wasting your time.

I would love to hear your experiences with Tire Kickers, and what you did when you have come across them? Β  Please comment below!

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31 responses to “How To Deal With MLM Tire Kickers”

  1. Charlien Otto says:

    Great post…:-)

  2. Adam Payne says:

    Too much time can be wasted worrying about the tire kickers..move on I say.

  3. james says:

    I meet tire kickers everyday asking so many questions eg Are you going to help me sell the products?What if i cant make it?Where will i get customers from?How will i convince them to buy or to join my network?How much are you earning?They ask all these and after that they will promise to call you.
    If i receive all these questions i conclude my message
    to them and move foward because they wont be fruitful in this business and they wont enjoy the benefits because they are not working by so doin they will be stuck .

  4. Etieno Etuk says:

    Great post, Nate. I like how you say it…we’re not here to babysit anyone. If someone is going to have success in their business, it’s usually because of what they do and not because of what you do. People need to take responsibility and realize that they’re the ones that can make a difference in their business.

    You’re right, when you come across a tire kicker, it’s best to just move ahead and say NEXT. There’s someone else out there who is not going to make excuses and will do whatever it takes to achieve success in this business.

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Nate Leung says:

      I agree people do need to take responsibility for their own success. As sponsors we can only do so much and we can’t make them do anything. They have to want it themselves. Well said, Etieno!

  5. Tari Edwards says:

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this Nate! You hit the nail right on the head! A lot of times, MLMers want to recruits people so bad that they will take anybody! I learned very early on that being selective is the way to go. It’s a slower way to build but you’ll be more likely to have a real team that will stick it out with you and actually TAKE ACTION. Thanks for sharing! πŸ™‚

  6. Tari Edwards says:

    LOVE! LOVE LOVE this Nate! You hit the nail right on the head! A lot of times, MLMers want to recruit people so bad that they will take anybody! That’s how you end up witth the tire kickers.

    I learned ver yearly on that being selective and being FOCUSED is the way to go. It’s slower, but it provides a better foundation to build your business upon. You’ll actually have a team that will TAKE ACTION and stick it out in the long-term.

    Thanks for sharing! πŸ™‚

    • Nate Leung says:

      Hi Tari,

      Yes, some brand new MLM’ers will recruit, anyone and everyone. Being selective isn’t a bad thing, you just choose to work with those who are serious about the business. Thanks for stopping by!

  7. Release them! LOL Nate, I learned this lesson after I destroyed myself, and my team, by chasing tire-kickers and attaching to them.

    One day I decided to have posture. Now I let go folks immediately, telling them we are a poor match and it is best if each party goes in a different direction.

    If they want it, and they really want to join my team, they will come back with money to start, not excuses.

    Thanks Nate!

    • Nate Leung says:

      The day you decided to have posture is the day you were serious about building a serious business. Not many Networkers can have posture and be ok to say that “we’re not a fit”. We don’t chase prospects, we help people who want to better their lives. Thanks Ryan!

  8. I am absolutely LOVING your MLM training posts you’ve been putting up!

  9. Hi Nate,

    Walk away – absolutely. I’ve come across people who have actually joined my team but when I start helping and coaching them they remain completely inactive – it amazes me.

    I completely fail to understand someone who desperately needs a source of income, who’s already enrolled, but who comes up with excuse after excuse to not actually do anything – i.e. get started.

    So yes – I walk away (even though they’re already in the team). There are plenty of places where I can spend my time more profitably.

    Cheers,

    Martin.

    • Nate Leung says:

      Hi Martin,

      I can relate to those experiences. It’s very unfortunate. The saying goes, that we see something in them that they don’t.

      This is when belief plays a role to their road to success.

      Yes, spend your time with those who deserve your time.

      Awesome input Martin!

  10. pam schmidt says:

    Right, Nate! If people are indecisive they won’t be effective even IF they join you.

  11. Hey Nate,

    I learn that you can only be the example and on top of that tell them what you expect out of your team members. If they don’t want to make the effort to match up then it’s best to let them go.

    Also if they’re trying to get you to convince them why they should join your team, turn it around so they’re the ones convincing you. this indirectly lets them know that you really don’t need them.

    • Nate Leung says:

      Exactly. Overtime when we take that approach and letting them know we don’t need them is called posture. Great input my friend!

  12. Hi Nate,

    Great Post sharing your experience with Tire Kickers! Aren’t they a pain in the butt??

    When I started Network Marketing a year ago, I was lied to that it is easy and everyone will want to join such an opportunity and because the opportunity was really good and I was clueless about how to build a Network Marketing business, I believed them and hop I jumped in. I made the list they told me to make, of family and friends, and I got busy but I was hit hard by the reality of this business and guess what all those who were in my list were tire kickers. Now, I knew that, the hard way and I am so glad no one joined my business.

    Thanks Nate for sharing this and the questions asked by the tire kickers are so helpful to identify them. Have yourself a great week ahead.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat

    • Nate Leung says:

      Absolutely Neamat! :-p

      It’s natural for anyone who is brand new or maybe been in Network Marketing for awhile and struggle to attract tirekickers. We think that anyone who is within 3 feet of us is a prospect or anyone you put a mirror under their nose and it fogs they are a prospect.

      I used to prospect people everywhere I went. Those places included Starbucks, gas stations, malls, grocery markets, you name it! I kept telling myself that it was a numbers game and yes it’s very true it is a numbers game but why not minimize the numbers game by attracting better quality prospects? Spend time with those who deserve your time and is open and serious about a legitimate business opportunity.

      Thank you Neamat!

  13. Thanks Nate for this fantastic post!!! Tire kickers are such a pain! lol Loved the message!!!

  14. Luke Blower says:

    Tire kickers can be really damaging to your business if you let them consume your precious time. Great post.

  15. Babis Gakis says:

    Great post Nate – thank you for sharing that. I have come across a few of these people in my business but I have also found some superb people. You are right that they are time wasters and it is best to walk away than to try to do any convincing – when things get bad enough they will seek you out. This has happened a few times and it is great to be able to help these people when they are ready and serious. (I found this post via Luke Blower).

    • Nate Leung says:

      Hi Babis,

      Just like anything in the world, if there’s bad, there’s good and vice versa. Tirekickers are not worth the time and sometimes we feel that we want the power but in reality, by giving them more of our time we’re giving them power, by walking away you control your power and posture and you also save your energy so that you can focus on other important tasks that need to be done.

      Thanks for stopping by Babis, I hope to see you here again soon. πŸ™‚

  16. Great post Nate. I have many years experience in NM without a great income to show for it, mainly because of the high attrition rate. Even though I follow up and offer them lots of marketing ideas, most people can’t take the negative response they get from people they know. I do believe posture is the most important aspect in order to attract good prospects and avoid the tire-kickers. The question all prospects want answered is “What do I have to do to make my marketing business successful?” If it is not as easy as making a list of 100 people you know and inviting them to a presentation or talking to strangers at the Mall, etc., then does it mean hours of learning how to generate leads and drive traffic to a website or squeeze page by using blogging, twitter, facebook, etc. just like you and many others are doing? Most people who are already working full-time or part-time just don’t have the time to do that. So what are the minimum requirements that you could say to someone…just do this first and it should bring in 4 or 5 keen people to get you started, then we teach them to do the same. Thanks.

    • Nate Leung says:

      Hey Micheal,

      It’s always exciting to see a new visitor. Welcome! πŸ™‚

      Like you said it does not matter if you have the best marketing ideas and strategies. If they can’t get past the mind blocks on how they feel towards the Network marketing profession, none of that matters. It must start within before they can accept for what it is. Not everyone is cut out for this industry and I always tell people, that is perfectly fine.

      In regards to anyone that is work a full-time or part-time job, anyone can do this business but they have to be committed. What I always say is that if you want to build a big business or a small business. If so, do you want to build this business fast or slow? How bad do you want to walk away from your job? These types of questions are questions that most people have not thought of because they are conditioned to act like a robot to society without realizing it. Sad, but true.

      Again, I want to thank you for coming on today and sharing your feedback. I would love to have you back very soon!

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