RESOURCES — Network Marketing Content

DISCLAIMER:
This information is not presented by a licensed professional and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of licensed professionals with any questions you may have regarding any type of mental or physical issues. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

Network Marketing Content

Over the past decade I have collected information that can be shared on social media and blogs. PLEASE NOTE: Change at least 20% of the content when using it, as the purpose is to give you ideas and a starting point to share more content. Be creative. The following are 99 pieces of content that can give you endless ideas for sharing on social media. 

Each HEADING starts a new piece of content. 

10 Ways To “Up-Level” Your Network Marketing Business This Week!

Network marketing is not just an excellent way to add an additional stream of income to your life, but it also gives you the amazing opportunity to be a part of a strong community of like-minded, passionate people! This business concept has been around for decades and is exponentially growing on a global scale year after year due to the fact that ... It works! The residual income and dual business model that most companies provide offer individuals the opportunity to make it either a full-time career or a substantial second income.

With all of that said, in order to be successful in this business, it does require hard work, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and being persistent. Thankfully, once you set up a solid network of relationships, your business becomes MUCH less time-intensive, and it’s almost like going on “autopilot”. As I’m sure you can imagine, the key is to get to this crucial point as fast as possible! 

Here are 10 simple steps to help you jump-start your business and maximize your network marketing potential in the next 7 days:

1. Use Your Products Regularly

This is number 1 for a reason! This is the most ignored part of almost every network marketing business. How do you expect your business to succeed if you will not even use your own products? Having a first-hand testimonial story from your products is HUGE. Being able to expertly answer your customer’s questions, post photos of yourself with your products, and educate people on the benefits your product may deliver are all keys to great marketing and repeat sales. If you are not already, make a commitment to start using your products this week and see where your business goes! 

2. Educate Yourself Constantly

This is very important! Business and self-help books are a great way to start. Many industry leaders or stand-out CEOs have written books about how they got their business started and how they reached the top. Following the path of successful people before you is always a smart way to start in any business. Reading books on cultivating a positive attitude and a business mindset will set you up for success when you are facing a lull in your business or feel like you don’t want to keep going. Successful people are constantly working on their self-development and expanding their horizons. I recommend reading a mindset, business, or self-help book for a minimum of 15 minutes each day, preferably in the morning, to set the day off right!

3. Spend As Much Time As Possible With Your Upline

Your upline is a vast source of knowledge and information. Mingle with top distributors in your group, or other groups, and ask how they made it. Do three-way calls with your prospective customers/ business partners and your upline so you can get comfortable talking about your products and your business model as soon as possible. Most people are more than happy to share tips and advice with you. Be coachable and listen to their advice.

4. Start Making a List And Reach Out To A Minimum of 10 People Each Day

Start by making two lists: one of the people who you know would be interested in your products and another of the people who you think would be interested in hearing about your business and possibly want to join you. Making these lists are essential, and moving through these lists every day and reaching out to a minimum of 10 people per day will put you on the fast track to success. Almost every successful network marketer has done this at some point, and many habitually continue to do this because they know it works! It keeps you consistent, it keeps you actively engaged every day, and it continues to open new doors of opportunity to move more product or reach more people who may be looking to join a business like yours.

5. Care For Your Downline

An entire book can be written on this topic. Usually, it’s the little things that show how much you really care. Maintain regular contact, especially in the beginning. Offer online group hangouts and trainings to get your team started strong and always praise your team members’ accomplishments. Offer incentives for specific achievements, such as free product, recognition, free admission to a company training, money, or other rewards that will keep your group motivated. The more you can motivate them in the beginning and get them connected to the group, the more they will want to stay engaged and be excited about continuing to build, make more money, and move up in the ranks of the company.

6. Duplicate Yourself By Making Your Team Independent Of You

This will help to multiply your time and make you and your team more effective. Always lead by example. Never stop recruiting, training, and retailing. Remember the KISS formula - “Keep It Simple, Sweety” I know, I know, I changed the last word, but you get the meaning. You do this by conducting simple, brief, yet dramatic presentations and teaching your downline to do the same. Help your team with their personalized “elevator pitch” so that they feel comfortable sharing the products and the business opportunity as soon as possible.

7. Create a Large Customer Base

This is another largely ignored, yet very important, piece of your network marketing business. Don’t focus so much on building a huge downline that you forget how much profit you can also make by selling your products to retail customers. Some people will just not want to become part of your downline, no matter how great a product/system you may have. But, they may be very interested in buying your product directly from you. Social media has allowed us unlimited access to free marketing to people we know, and to people we have never met before. The more you post about your products or lifestyle and educate people on the benefits of what your product offers, the more you will create a consistent flow of customers and a steady stream of monthly, residual income.

8. Focus On Your Customers’ Needs

You must give customers more than they expect, and always satisfy your customers’ complaints immediately. Try to listen 80% of the time, and talk only 20%. Asking questions and choosing products based on their individual needs will keep them coming back. When posting, don’t just post about your product; post about the problem that your customer has and why this product will help. Focusing on people’s pain points is what will draw them to you and the solution you have for them. As stated above, your customers can be a huge source of future referrals and/or business. You must earn and maintain their trust. Once you have their trust, you can always ask for referrals, which leads to even more business and a larger downline. 

9. Set Daily, Weekly, Monthly, & Yearly Goals - and Write Them Down!

Goal setting is essential, and creating achievable goals so as not to get overwhelmed right off the bat, is important. Breaking up a larger goal into smaller, more easily attainable goals is the key to success. You cannot just jump to the end. You have to make progress every day. Writing your goals down will help you succeed. A goal is just a “passing thought” or “wish” until you put it in writing. That is when it becomes concrete and real. It is also a great idea to keep a business journal of your daily activities, as it will help you to become more productive and time-conscious.

10. Get Out There And Do It Now!

The most important ingredient is ACTION! The quicker you start following the guidelines your upline has created for you, learning the products and their benefits, and start reaching out to people every single day, the quicker your business will take off and the more motivated you will be to keep going! If you are unsure about what to say or are still learning about your products, use your upline to help you reach out to your prospects. When your friends, family, and colleagues see your excitement and enthusiasm for your new products and business venture, they will automatically want to know more about what you’re doing. Not taking action is the #1 reason for failing at anything in life. If you commit to consistent action every single day, you will be a success at network marketing!

By following these simple steps, you should begin to see the results start to materialize fairly quickly in your business! Hopefully, this has provided you with some actionable insights to help you to grow and succeed as you dive into this exciting business opportunity. And, as with anything worth working towards, please don’t forget to enjoy the journey on your way to the top!

3 Simple Strategies For Rising To The Top

Life is full of ups and downs and sometimes has a few sideways thrown in too. When things go wrong or don’t go as planned, or when something happens to throw us off balance and doubt ourselves it can be tough to deal with. After all, we all want things to go well and to end up as ‘winners’. But life will always throw challenges at us, and we can’t control everything. Nor should we try. It’s not what happens to you but what you do with what happens to you that makes the difference. Here are three easy ways that you can always come out on top.

1. Focus on Your Strengths- We’re a bunch of contradictions – sorry to break it to you. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad; sometimes hopeful, sometimes pessimistic; sometimes childish and sometimes mature. We also have a whole load of strengths and weaknesses that affect what we do and how we do it, but tend to put more focus on our weaknesses and not our strengths.

A strength is something that you do consistently well or at a near-perfect level of performance – it’s something you’re just able to do, you’re hard-wired to do it well and you get an inherent satisfaction from doing it. It could be tackling and solving complex problems, empathising with people, having a lively imagination or being able to make the perfect omelette.

Focusing on what you do well rather than what you’re not so good at makes all kinds of sense. When you look at what you’re not good at you feel bad about yourself and your ability, but when you focus on and play to your strengths you’re guaranteed to get results, and can even eliminate any negative effect your weaknesses might have.

There was a guy I worked with who hated public speaking and recognised that it was one of his weaknesses. He worked as an advertising executive and as he climbed the ladder he found he had to do more and more presentations – he’d stutter, freeze, forget his point and not perform at his best at all. But when we focused on his strengths we found that he had amazing social skills, an ability to establish great rapport with people in no time at all and had a fantastic sense of humour. Using those strengths he was able to connect easily with each person in his audience, enjoy himself a whole lot more and to deliver presentations that had fun, humour and warmth in them. He used his strengths to overwhelm his weaknesses and went from strength to strength himself.

2. Set Things Up Ahead Of Time- Sure, there will be times when you can just head into something, do brilliantly at it and get the result you were hoping for (normally if you’re playing to your strengths), but other times you might blunder forwards, wing it and not get the result you wanted. Whatever challenges or opportunities you’re facing you’ll stand a much better chance of getting a great result if you set things up to succeed ahead of time.

So what exactly do you want to happen? What solution, outcome or result would be great? Get really clear on the outcome you want from what’s facing you and how it would feel to get the outcome you’re looking for. Then start breaking it down – what can you do to set things up so that your desired outcome happens? What needs to be put in place? What will help to make what you want to happen, happen? And to ensure the best outcome, what are you willing to do?

Whatever faces you, it’s possible to get the result you want by being crystal clear about the kind of result you want and by putting effort into setting things up so that it happens. Look at this way – you’re infinitely more likely to get your most wanted result by putting time or effort into setting things up ahead of time than if you don’t. Your choice.

3. There’s No Such Thing as Losing Anyway- What’s life all about, really? Getting a good job, getting married, feeling valued, having fun? It’s about different things to different people, but to boil it down I think it’s about doing the best we can to have, do and be the best for ourselves and those we care about. Sometimes it’s a struggle and sometimes it’s a joy, but what is constant through it all is our capacity to learn, develop and grow. Humans have an unparalleled ability to learn and adapt, which is exactly why we’re able to do the best we can and find ways to have, do and be more.

That’s why everything you do takes you one step forward and it’s only by doing one thing, then another and another that the most astounding things in our world come about. As Thomas Edison said while he was on his 207th prototype for the electric light bulb - 'I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.' He's absolutely right – everything you do that doesn’t work out is another tick in another box and another step forwards, because you know one more way not to do something and what not to do next time. You’ll never get to 100% without going from 1% to 99% first.

In all that you do, whether it turns out how you wanted it to or not, there’s the capacity for learning. That means that it’s all part of the process and everything that you do and learn is an important step forward.

There’s no such thing as losing, only learning and growing. So here’s to your continued success!"

5 Steps To Crushing Your Goals

Like most people, you probably took inventory at the beginning of the year and made plans and goals for the year.  Yet, the experts say that 30 percent of the people who make New Year's resolutions have given up by Feb. 1 and over half will concede defeat by July. Why does this happen? It happens because a resolution, by definition, is simply the expression of an opinion, will or intent. It is not a goal. Resolutions also tend to be very vague. Example: "This year I resolve that I will get a better job" or "This year I resolve to be a better person." Let me give you an analogy. In some ways, a resolution is like the canvas of a tent, while the goals are like the poles and stakes. You can't expect to raise a tent without the poles and stakes to support it. Likewise, you can't expect to fulfill a resolution without having goals to support them.

Using the tent analogy, those that are truly successful in raising a tent have probably also reviewed a list of instructions that told them in what order to complete specific tasks. In our resolutions and goals example, this would be the action plan. The action plan is the roadmap that will tell you what needs to be done and when to do it in order to achieve your goals and fulfill your resolutions. Use this five-step process and you can beat the odds and achieve the success you deserve!

1. Analyze what you wish to accomplish. Think about what is most important to you. Look at where you are today and determine where it is you want to go.

2. Identify your key objectives. Rank-order them, and limit yourself to no more than three. (Five if you must.)

3. Create an action plan. This is where you say, "Here's what I plan to do and here's how I plan to do it." This must be written using SMART goals, which are "specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely." Ex. Resolution: I will lose weight this year. SMART Goal: I will walk for 30 minutes three times a week beginning on February 1.

4. Prioritize your plan. This is where you say, "Here's the order that I plan to do them in." Use the 20/80 rule and focus on the 20% of the tasks that will produce 80% of the results.

5. Implement your plan. This is where you say, "Here's how I will put my plan into practice." Then do it! This should include a regular review and celebration process. Weekly is best but no less than monthly.

If you follow these simple steps, you will not only be able to accomplish your goals, but keep your New Year's resolutions! Good luck!

5 Keys To Consistently Achieve Success

Goal setting is the true secret to success in any area of life. But although setting a goal may seem simple, achieving it is usually another question altogether.

Why is that?

Because you will never achieve your goals unless you: (1) know exactly what you want, (2) are passionate about your goal, and (3) have a solid, realistic plan of action. This is what marks the difference between nebulous dreams and wishes - and truly achievable goals!

Many obstacles and challenges will fly right in your face when you're going after a goal. Here are 5 time-tested methods that will help get the success you deserve.

1. Know exactly what your goal is- Your first job is to discover exactly what your goal is. What will achieving that goal really look like? Be as specific as possible about exactly what your desired end result is. Your success will be a measure of your clarity - since an achievable goal plan cannot be created around a nebulous "dream."  If your goal is to create a more successful business, what will that look like? Are you thinking in terms of simply hiring someone else to give you more free time? Are you looking for a very specific monthly profit? Or can your goal be best expressed in terms of a certain lifestyle? Regardless of what you want, the best way to get it is to first clarify exactly what you want in as much detail as possible. This can be hard work. But without a clear mental picture, you'll never have the focus required to achieve your goal.

2. Be willing to pay the "entry fee"- Success takes dedicated planning and effort. In a way it's like building a house. In the beginning all you have is a rough concept. Then you develop a complete set of plans - and you immediately move closer to success. The same is true of creating a better lifestyle, or a more successful business. But there's always an *entry fee* to be paid for success. The entry fee? Creating more success in your business may mean less recreational time. Writing your own book may require less TV. Being closer to your children may require adjusting your work or social activities.

It's the "full glass" deal. If your life (your time) is already full to the top, there's no room for something new. The entry fee is carving out the time to create something new.

3. Focus on your goal every day- I'm sure you probably want to achieve your goal as fast as possible. That's why clear mental focus is so very important. Consistent daily focus is absolutely necessary to "burn in" the new neural pathways you need to create your new goal. Without daily focus, the old mental habits that have kept you from your goal will continue to take over. This happens automatically - since these old habits replay 24/7 deep in your subconscious mind. The only way to override subconscious anti-success messages is to consciously focus on what you DO want - and build new neural networks! That's why success is an every-day event. Recommit to your goal every day. Don't let your goal take a back seat to the daily tasks and distractions that will try to take over. Life WILL try to get in your way. Just get, and stay, on course every day. Focus on your goal, and on success!

4. Get passionate- One of the most powerful tools in your "success tool box" is having real passion for your goal. Why passion? Because intense passionate desire for your goal will help you burn in those new neural pathways even faster. Many, many scientific studies have shown that intense emotion (passion) is a key success tool. PLUS (and this is really a *big* plus), intense passion will also help you rapidly override any inappropriate old "failure messages" stored in your subconscious mind.

5. Take consistent action- In many ways, actually taking action can be the most difficult step. Successful goal achievement is built by taking one small action after another. The word is ACTION! If you commit to take at least one small action each day, your actions WILL add up and make a difference. So avoid sitting back waiting for that big second when everything will magically "just happen."

You CAN create whatever you want in life. The secret is to determine exactly what you want, then pursue it passionately. But remember -- in the end, only action counts! You can't just dream about it! You have to DO IT!

5 Quick and Easy Ways To Obliterate Obstacles

Life is nothing but an obstacle course! It's all about getting through that obstacle course *successfully* to your desired goal that most people seem to have a problem with. And it's only normal to encounter these obstacles in the pursuit of your goal. It's kind of a test to see if you're worthy. However, when these obstacles start to become a nuisance to the point of almost putting a stop to your goal(s); or worse, making one completely abandon his/her goal, one must take action and think things through. So, with that said, here are some helpful, tested pointers that will keep your attention focused in achieving any goal that you put your mind to.

1. Think positive- This means: Do not quit. Especially when one is midway in working for a goal, there should be no room for quitting. To quit is tantamount to going back to the starting line of goal accomplishment. That is time, energy, money, and a whole lot of things wasted and lost. It is more costly to quit than to find a solution to the problem, not to mention the frustration one feels.

2. Keep a clear, open and tense-free mind- Always be ready to receive new ideas. Focus and concentrate. Think in a wide scale manner and always be open for options(even unconventional ones) to eliminate the particular obstacle you are currently dealing with.

3. Persist and Persevere- Be sure to exhaust every possibility, even to the point of trial and error, just to be sure that there is a solution to correct the problem your dealing with.

4. Simulate- Try to picture inside your head a possible solution to help overcome and/or solve the obstacle that's setting you back.

5. Get assistance- If all fails get assistance from others you know who are more knowledgeable on the work being done. They may be able to help you or not. Their suggestions might not necessarily be the right or exact ones you were hoping to hear, but they may trigger some NEW ideas in finding the right solution to your problem. Those are the basic 5 steps to overcoming any obstacle that's holding you back.

7 Habits of Outrageously Successful “Home-Based” Entrepreneurs

You’ve read the ads or seen the infomercials. “Build a six or seven figure income while lounging in your pajamas in your work at home business.” For many people who hear this, their scam detector goes up and they become defensive.  Why? Because they have heard countless horror stories of people who have lost their shirts trying to create a business from home. However, the truth is there are thousands of home based entrepreneurs around the country who have cracked the code, created their place in the world and taken it to the bank.  So how did they do it? Why do some people struggle and never ever break even, while others create outrageously successful home based careers?

There are certain habits which I believe are consistent with all of these enterprises. Here are seven habits or traits to insure an outrageously profitable home-based venture.

1. Find a hungry target market and look for a product or service to meet their needs. I am surprised how many frustrated entrepreneurs miss this. What often happens is someone gets excited, hit by an entrepreneurial seizure and tries to start a business with a product or service and feels it will sell simply because of their emotional attachment. Keep your mind open when looking at home based business income opportunities. However, make sure someone wants to buy whatever you have to sell before you jump in. Don’t get me wrong, you want to have a passion for what you do. However, if you love 8 track tapes it might be a problem.  And depending on your age you might be thinking, “What’s an 8 track tape?” Get my point? However, if you find a group of people who are hungry for what you have it is like shooting fish in a bucket. When you find a group that has a problem they want solved they will pay you to do it. 

2. Understand nothing happens until a sale is made.  I am amazed at how many budding entrepreneurs say they hate sales. This is unfortunate because everything else in a business is an expense. If you don’t have sales coming in the door eventually the doors will close. Sales and marketing if done correctly is the engine to a company’s success. The key is to add value to the customer at every opportunity. One of the vital things to remember is the first time you obtain a client is the most expensive.  But real wealth is built when you have the opportunity to sell to a customer over and over again. Some companies even take a loss to get the customer in the pipeline because they realize the real money is on the back end and the true profit is in the lifetime value of the customer.

3. Develop a strong team. One of the traits that will accelerate the success of any business is the leverage generated by the help of others. While you are building a home based business you don’t want to do it alone. There are only 24 hours a day and you can’t do everything. You want to look for opportunities to outsource all non revenue generating activities.  Successful proprietors don’t waste a lot of time on filing and organizing.

4. Focus on the business, not just working in the business.  What separates you from being able to create a company that provides you with great income and lifestyle versus one that you are chained to the doors is a matter of focus. Successful entrepreneurs focus on the big picture. I’m saddened when people say, “No one can do what I do.” This might be true however it presents a great challenge. You are now a slave to your business. The business no longer serves you. The goal must be to take “you” out of as much of your business as possible. Look for ways to remove you, automate and systemize the process. One of the ways to do this is to use the leverage of technology. You might want to use a website that allows people to order your product or service 24/7. Or you might write a book which can be sold while you are asleep. Get the picture.

5. A highly successful home based business has a central theme or mission.  Many home based businesses never reach success because they are trying to do too many things at the same time. You might be saying, “But I want to create multiple streams of income.” The problem with multiple streams of income can be a nightmare if approached incorrectly. New entrepreneurs often make the mistake of trying to create several profit centers from non aligned businesses. For example, you will find people who try to start real estate, network marketing and internet marketing all at the same time.

The reason you will almost never have success with this strategy is you can not build momentum. Each business has a totally different business model and you can’t leverage the energy of one to another. However, the successful home based entrepreneur understands the law of momentum. For example, if you were an author one of your products would be the book.  However, you could spin that product into an empire by leveraging it into an ebook, tape set, work-book, seminar, boot camp and coaching program. Do you see the power of having one central product or theme and how you can leapfrog to success? You want to be focused and committed to a central theme. Once you have success you can add another stream of income. This trait is one of the hidden keys to success.

6. Resilient and quick to adapt to change. This is one of the distinct advantages solo-entrepreneurs have over large companies. Oftentimes large corporations invest thousands of dollars in a project and even when they know it’s not working they are slow to change. In Corporate America this may not kill a business because one mistake is just a cog in the wheel.  However, in small business your ability to change on a dime allows you to test things and when things work you do it with massive all out action. And when something is not working you simply let it go, test something else and move forward.

7. Commit to continual education. Now, I am not talking about another degree or certificate. There are plenty of people with plaques on their walls that aren’t able to create the income and lifestyle they want. However, I love the quote by one of the leading experts in self-development. Jim Rohn says, “Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune.”  Personal development and specialized knowledge often is the difference between a fledgling operation and one that has an outrageously bottom line. Why? Because successful people know that the best investment they can make is in self. Make sure that you are always staying ahead of the curve and immerse yourself in your area of expertise. You can do this by attending seminars, tele-classes, boot camps or participating in coaching programs. 

7 Key Principles of Relationship Marketing

Most business owners fail to effectively attract and retain lifetime customers. What they fail to realize is the key principles of relationship marketing, that converts potential customers into repeat clients. To succeed in your business, your main goal should be to build a responsive email list of lifetime customers from your targeted market who trust you, feel grateful to you and value your recommendation. A good relationship with loyal customers is worth a fortune. That's the most valuable thing any business can have. The key here is to build your large list of lifetime customers who trust you. Achieve this and you're set for life. For that reason you need to learn the key principles of relationship marketing to be able to apply relationship marketing concepts to your website.

What’s Relationship Marketing? Relationship marketing is the method of gradually turning website visitors into subscribers and leads them from position to position along a planned program to convert them into life time customers. Think of relationship building as the foundation to your business. It establishes you as a professional, trustworthy and a consistent source.

7 Key Principles of Relationship Marketing: Building relationships online is more difficult when compared to offline relationship building. The techniques used are almost the same. But, turning a potential customer into a lifetime customer offline is easier due to the nature of the process. In online marketing you can’t meet your clients in person like in offline marketing. But, you can deliver what you want if you think of your potential clients in each step you make when building your business. Relationship marketing is a process, not just a one-time commitment. It starts the moment you think about building a business and continue as long as you stay in.

1. Know your potential customers- Before you start building your business; you need to determine your targeted market and know your potential customers. Learn how to know your customers to develop effective tactics for delivering your message to them. You can start getting to know your customers by taking some very simple steps.

- Determine in advance where your potential customers congregate.

- What newsletter do they read?

- What forums do they visit and post to?

- What else might you do while surfing the net?

The best places where you find your prospects are forums, discussion groups and discussion boards. Visit forums of your targeted market and figure out:

- What’s your potential customers’ problem?

- What are they looking for?

- What kind of business are they involved in?

- How do they want their problem to be solved?

- What words do they use?

Only by knowing your customers' wants and needs can you successfully grow your business and be totally customer-oriented. In order to tailor your marketing and advertising strategies to appeal to the tastes and interests of your market, you must first identify your customer.

Relationship is not only based on knowing who your visitors are, but on knowing your customers’ and prospects’ specific needs.

Note: To attract more subscribers and build a strong relationship marketing the easy way use your prospects words. If you feel their pain and use their words when posting to forums, sending messages, etc… they’ll be related to you. You will be one of them; you are not a stranger then they will be likely to trust you and consider your recommendation.

2. Show your expertise- The majority of business people never completely and clearly display their knowledge to potential customers. Show to your targeted market you are the leader in your industry and they will follow you. People like to learn about your experience. They like to follow the expert's steps to avoid mistakes and reach success the easy way with less investment in time and money.

3. Start a dialog to establish trust- Set up a continuing dialog to establish trust. Trust is a vital step to building a long-time relationship. This dialog should start as soon as your visitors submit information along with their email addresses. This explains their interest in your business. In return, you give them what they promised when they subscribed and keep contacts at periodic intervals by sending quality information to your subscribers. Your goal is to create long term relationships marketing with your subscribers. To do that you must invest time to gather available sources and high quality information and put it at your prospects’ disposal to help them succeed. Remember, maintaining customer enthusiasm and creating customer loyalty is your key to success.

4. Follow up- Dialog leads to follow-up. Hook your subscribers with your follow up messages series. Set up a series of follow up messages to send quality information to every new subscriber. Professionalism is the key to successful relationships. The main purpose of follow up is to remain visible to your subscribers so, when the need arises and your prospect wants to make a purchase, your product will be the first one the subscriber thinks of. If you want to make good money your mission will not cease at selling your product. Going after one sale is worthless. Following up with your customer after the sale is made is a great tactic. This important step will help you strengthen your relationship, decrease the refund proclamations and keep your customer baying from you again and a gain.

Keep following up; don’t stop and be creative. Don’t send your customers only sales messages. From time to time send free useful products they don’t find elsewhere that can help them make money and/or save time. Send special offers with discounts for loyal customers only. Keep them up to date and to the point with latest news, etc…

5. Offer good customer service- Some people will start an online business and only focus on what services or products they can sell to make good money. They are not worried about establishing good relationships with their customers and potential clients.

Answer your prospects’ requests as soon as you receive them.

Reply to every email within 24 hours with the needed response whether it is a question, concern or simply someone looking for more information.

Treat your customers right. Even if you offer the best products or services, most customers will evaluate your business by how they were treated while doing business with you. For that reason, it's important to take care of your customers and give them the best product or service they want.

By providing great customer service to the people you do business with, you will get customers coming back to you again and again to buy your products or services.

Note: If you want to stay in your customers’ minds, serve them better. You can do this by collecting information from your customers’ feedback. Having a contacts page on your website with a comments or feedback form will keep you informed about your customers’ wants and problems. If you publish a newsletter, you can also accomplish this by asking for feedback from your subscribers. This is a great way of making your audience know you care about what they have to say and how important they are to you. When you show interest in your customers you will build credibility and loyalty.

6. Educate your subscribers- Put at your customers disposal manuals, frequently asked question (FAQ) web pages, articles, etc… to help them learn how to use your product or service perfectly. Educate your subscribers to help them build interest and loyalty for your business. Lifetime clients want you to be their trusted advisor. The more you educate your customers by offering them a variety of options, the greater your chance to earn their lifetime business. Education strengthens relationship marketing with clients.

7. Sell or recommend only quality products- Sell quality products that have value, plus offer a guarantee and stand behind it. One of the quickest ways to destroy a business relationship is selling poor quality products and not standing behind what you promise. If you want to promote other marketers’ affiliate programs from your website, take the time to investigate the companies you advocate. Promote only products from legitimate companies with solid Internet presence. Remember the companies you suggest will have an impact on your business reputation.

Relationship marketing is the cornerstone of every business. If you follow these key principles of relationship marketing, you'll be on your way to building a responsive opt-in email list which will lead to more and better sales.

7 Surefire Ways To Get More Out of Your Day

Let's face it - time is probably our greatest resource. We never seem to have enough of it and it seems to pass so quickly. Well we won't get any more of it and we can't slow it down.

What we can do is make the most of the time we have. Here are some simple steps you can take to get the most out of your day:

1. Plan your day the night before - At the end of each day write out all the things you need to do the following day to achieve your goals. Pull together all the information you'll need, phone numbers and relevant paperwork.  

2. Prioritize the list - Number each item and do the nasty jobs first. There's always the temptation to do the easy jobs first. However, think how the thought of doing the nasty jobs hangs over you as you do the easy stuff. Think how good you'll feel when the nasties are out of the way and how motivated you'll feel.

3. Stick to your list - Check off each item as you go and don't let yourself get distracted. The temptation is to handle the telephone and emails as they come in. The phone is hard to ignore but you could always pull out the plug and let it go to voice mail and switch off the email program. Make an agreement with yourself to check for messages every two hours or so.

4. Remember the Three "D's" - Do it, Delegate it or Dump it. Handle each piece of paper only once. Either do something about it now, delegate it to someone else or chuck it in the trash. And remember - "Only do it if only you can do it."

5. Don't procrastinate - Procrastination really is the "Thief of Time" It's so easy to put things off till another time or till "I've had time to think about it." DO IT NOW!

6. Plan your leisure time - Take up activities that need you to be at a certain place at a certain time. Instead of just "going to the gym," book a fitness class or an appointment with a personal trainer. Or set a gym schedule!

7. Be honest with yourself - Keep asking - "Is what I'm doing now getting me to where I want to get to?" if the answer is "no," change what you're doing.

7 Tips To Thriving While Working From Home

So, you've decided to start a home based business. Congratulations! and welcome to the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship. While there is a lot to learn, your effort will be worth it. The thrill of growing your business, the freedom and flexibility to set your own hours, and the possibilities of ever-increasing financial rewards are all wonderful reasons to start your home based business.

Now that you've decided to start your business, you might be wondering "How can I get it off to the strongest possible start?" These seven tips will help:

1. Set up a separate working space in your home. It doesn't matter if this is a small bedroom, one part of the garage, or a corner of the living room. The important thing is to have some space that you can designate as your working area. This will give you the space and room you need to craft your dream.

2. Stock your working space with materials. This sounds basic, perhaps, but one underlying element of success is that you have easy access to the tools, materials, and other resources you need. Gathering everything close by also keeps you from wasting time searching for it, so this step can be considered a time management strategy, too.

3. Speaking of time management, your third step is to define the parameters of your business. What days and hours will you work? When will you market? When will you provide services or products to clients? How will you keep all of this straight?

4. Balance action with planning. One of the most common pitfalls to successful entrepreneurship is getting too caught up in action without enough planning. Stated another way, this means that you confuse "being busy" with "working on important projects." The best approach is to plan your next couple of goals and then work backwards to create step by step action plans to reach them. Once you have the plan, then it's time to take action.

5. Network like crazy. One of the fastest ways to grow any business is to make connections with other people. Be sure to share your passion and enthusiasm with others at every opportunity. Let people know who you are and what you offer. Remember, people can't buy if they don't know you're selling.

6. Present a professional image. If you want to be treated professionally, present a professional image. Set up a separate bank account for your business. Install a separate phone and fax line. Create professional marketing materials. Be courteous and pleasant in all your customer-facing interactions. Basically, be someone people want to do business with.

7. Automate your business as much as possible. Granted, you are just one person (right now) and might have a lot of extra time to take care of all the details. This might work for now, but won't work into the future as you get busier and busier. It's best to set up automatic systems and processes right from the start to free up your time to concentrate on the most profitable activities.

7 Crucial Traffic Techniques for Network Marketers

Network marketing is a numbers game. The more people you introduce to your opportunity, the more money you’ll make. To start generating a steady stream of traffic to your site, try these 7 creative techniques:

1. Write and Distribute Articles, Reports and Ebooks- Internet users are all interested in one thing – information. Use this to promote your business by creating high quality content and allowing others to reprint it for you. One great way to do this is to distribute a brandable ebook or special report. This is one that a website or list owner can change to include a reference to their website. This doesn’t mean that it looks like they are the publisher, it’s just a way for them to include information on where the ebook was downloaded from and (if applicable) to include their affiliate link for your products and services.

2. Participate in Newsgroups, Forums, and Mailing Lists- There are hundreds of forums online and you can find one for almost any topic imaginable. Most allow you to include a signature line that will be attached to every message. This is a chance for you to advertise your site. Visiting these forums to post thoughtful questions and offer your expertise will mean your signature is viewed by others and will bring you free, targeted traffic. Of course how much traffic you get depends on how often you post and whether your signature makes people want to visit your site. A good approach is to use an ad you’ve had success with elsewhere as your signature.

3. Join Networking Sites to Build your Personal Network- Networking sites are designed to make it easy for people to meet others in their industry and to advertise their products and services. Similar to offline networking events where lots of people come together for the sole purpose of meeting people, online networking sites work the same way.

4. Use Classified Sites and Traffic Exchanges- Classified ad sites and traffic exchanges have gotten a bad reputation, but they really do work if you know how to use them. If you’re promoting a product or service that advertisers can benefit from then they’re a great place to get traffic. Although not very many consumers visit this type of advertising site, lots of website owners do so in order to make sure their ad appears on the site. While there they can’t help but notice other ads and if one catches their attention you’re likely to get a visitor.

5. Run a Contest- People love the prospect of winning something – that’s why a contest can be a great traffic generator. The key is to choose a prize that will attract people from your target audience. If you make the grand prize a new laptop you’ll get entries from everyone who would like to win a new laptop (which is basically every computer user in the world!). Get more targeted traffic by choosing something that your target audience is interested in but wouldn’t mean much to other people. To start promoting your contest do a search in Google for “Contest Directories” and you’ll find lots of places to list your contest for free.

6. Include a Powerful Signature on all Outgoing Email- Every time you send a piece of mail you have the potential to get a visitor to your site. Simply create a “signature” that is automatically added to every outgoing message. Use the signature to briefly explain what you do, give your USP or slogan and add a hyperlink to your site. Once it’s set up you don’t have to think about it again!

7. Try Newsletter Classified Ads- There are lots of newsletter publishers who give classified ads to new subscribers. Although these don’t typically bring a huge response, they can generate some traffic if you offer something with a high perceived value but low price tag. They’re also a great way to test new ads to see which ones get the best response. Once you’ve found a winner, use it in a PPC campaign, make it your new email signature, run it as a top sponsor newsletter ad or use it as your forum signature.

8 Tips to Help You Become a Networking Guru

Effective business networking is the bringing together of like minded individuals who, through relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.

Keep in mind that networking is about being bona fide, building trust, and seeing how your relationship can genuinely help others. Here are 8 tips to follow when networking:

1. Always figure out before you even walk into a room, what your specific goals are in attending each networking meeting.  This helps you to pick groups or associations that will help you get what you are looking for.

2. Ask open-ended questions during your networking conversations- questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how. Try to avoid questions that require a simple yes or no response. By using this line of questioning you can open up the discussion and show listeners that you are interested.

3. Become a walking resource centre. When you become known as a strong resource, others remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you at the top of their mind.

4. Make sure you have your "elevator speech" prepared and know it like the back of your hand. An elevator speech is commonly known as the response you would give in the amount of time it would take to reach the tenth floor in an elevator. Always rehearse your spiel and be genuine, so that you don't sound automated when you relay it to someone who asks what you do.

5. Always know what is going on in current affairs, if you don't feel comfortable just rolling into a spiral when you first meet someone, have a backup topic to break the ice until you do.

6. Never just throw your business card at someone the minute you meet them; you must get to know the person and their business as well as explaining your business before you even contemplate a business card exchange.  Some people will find you rude, pushy and unprofessional which will in turn reflect badly on your business.

7. Always phone or email your new contacts and let them know that you enjoyed meeting them.  If possible mention things that you discussed on a more personal note (i.e. I hope you enjoyed that movie you were going to see that night) people will come to know you as someone who listens, remembers them and they will form a trust with you.

8. The most important thing to remember is to follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor their trust and your referrals will grow exponentially.

Audiences Are Your Friend

Here are some tips on how you can have the audience listen in rapt attention.

1. Speak according to the listeners’ interests- It is always a good idea to find out what the crowd you are speaking to is interested in. For example, if you have more teenagers in the crowd, you don’t really want to talk about your subject in a way that bores them, like good education. Other aspects to consider would be the local culture, age, sports, religious inclinations, etc. Talk about what’s important to them, something they can easily relate to without a stretch of imagination.

2. Praise the audience- Audiences are human too, and most people have a desire to be acknowledged as much as you want to be acknowledged for speaking in front of them. There is only one requirement for this maxim, that your praise be one hundred percent sincere. Anything less and you’ll have resentment in your hands.

3. Connect with the audience- Find a common thread that makes the audience relate to you, and you’ll find that the speech will come through really well. Finding a common thread humanizes you and the speech. It makes them want to listen to you because it may in some way be of great benefit to them.

4. Have the audience participate- Get somebody to come onstage and participate in a demonstration. Ask questions of the audience. Get feedback. The point is to involve the audience, once more, making it more real to them. Taking them along with you in your experience.

5. Less you, more them- Play yourself down. Nobody, especially an audience, likes to be lectured to. This will cause resentment that will last a long time. Never feel that you are above them. The better way to think about your audience would be that you care about their welfare. Think of yourself as their best friend, and more often than not, this will hold you in good stead.

A New Conversation About Dreams - The Power of Intention

It’s time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life.

A working definition for intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim”. Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, all the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible possible. My intention is to transform the conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results. Some might say this is not the right time to dream. The media and masses say, “It’s time to be realistic.” Consider this. Without our dreams all we have is our present reality. Reality is not a bad thing. We have to know where we are so we can design the appropriate strategy for getting to where we want to be. The challenge is our attitude around “reality” and being “realistic” and what being realistic has cost us. Often that’s our passion and joy, our hopes and dreams.

Given the unknowns and sometimes craziness of life, there’s never been a more important time to dream and setting your intention is the first step. When should you set an intention? You could set an intention every day. Your intention could be to work less and make more, or to find a new career that you are passionate about. It could be to get healthy and physically fit, or to spend more quality time with loved ones or alone. It can be specific and about something in particular or more like a quality, such as to be more relaxed or involved with life. At seventy, Bessie set an intention to become a world famous photographer. Although many thought she was too old, she didn’t. She entered a photo contest where she won the first prize of $10,000. Her prize-winning photo toured around the world with a Kodak exhibit. She told me, “We’re never too old to make a dream come true.” People set intentions on all kinds of dreams; to get married or have children, to get a job or make a career change, to write a book, lose weight, or move to a foreign country. When you set an intention and then act on it to demonstrate your commitment, amazing things occur. Intention can also give us fortitude for dealing with tough times. I am currently rebuilding my home. I simply wanted to add on a new bathroom, but with all the surprises an old (and charming) house can offer, every turn has been a shock, sometimes even a nightmare. It looks like the entire building may need to be rebuilt. My intention is to live through this process with dignity and grace. I am tested daily. It’s often not easy, but this intention has helped me maintain composure, sanity, and on a good day, a sense of humor. Intention can be used for community or social issues, global events or (literally) in your own backyard.

First Steps:

1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.

2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.

3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.

4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step. By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do. Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams.
   

A Secret Technique that Entrepreneurs Can Use to Almost Guarantee Success!

If you were to walk up and ask successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs what they did to succeed or fail, most of them would cite some mentor or lack of trait. But if you were to ask the exact same group if they used this secret, 99% of successful entrepreneurs would say yes - and almost all of the unsuccessful entrepreneurs would ask what you were talking about...

The secret to being a successful entrepreneur is very, very simple. It is called "Quantifiable Goals". It might sound complicated, but when you have finished reading this article you will completely understand what it means - and why it is so important.

Let’s say, for example, that you walk into a room full of entrepreneurs, and ask them to state their goals. To state why they are ultimately in business for themselves. Most of them will respond with something along the lines of time or money. But watch them puzzle when you ask them WHY they want to earn money or have that extra time. This is the most essential part of Quantifiable Goals. Anyone can say he wants to make money, but why? Is there something in particular he wants to buy? Something he wants to do with that time? Once you establish WHY you want that extra time or money, you have just taken a big step towards success. You now have a goal. For example, you want that extra money to buy a house. Buying a house is your goal. Now comes the Quantifiable part.

How much are you going to spend on this house? $250,000? $1 million? You need to come up with a dollar amount or time amount, something of quantity, to properly set your goals. That way, once you earn that $250,000 or gain those 3 hours, you have essentially obtained your goal.

But waking up one morning and deciding to earn $250,000 doesn't make it happen. So how do you achieve your long-term Quantifiable Goal? By breaking it up into smaller, medium term quantifiable goals. For the example we have been using, buying a house for $250,000, your medium-term goals would most likely be monetary. You could set goals to complete two projects that would each bring you $125,000, or even 10 projects that would bring you $25,000, or break it down even further. But what good are these goals anyway? They are still difficult to achieve, and how do you know what to do to achieve these goals?

Well, you break each of your medium-term quantifiable goals into short term goals. For example, if you chose to get two projects with a price tag of $125,000 each, your first goal might be to think of what kinds of projects you can do that would bring that kind of money in for you. Your next goal would be to close the sale on such a project, and then to complete the project, and finally to collect payment. That way, each medium-term goal is broken down into manageable tasks.

At this point, you want to break everything down into a flow chart to help establish your goals. Put your life quantifiable goal at the top on its own piece of paper. Then, put each of your medium-term goals on their own paper in a horizontal line directly beneath your life goal. Then directly below each medium goal, fill a sheet with the short term goals that it will take to achieve each medium term goal.

Now that you know the secret, what are you going to do about it? I suggest following the visualization techniques given, and build yourself a "life pyramid" on a wall that is visible while you are working. Glance at it every so often, and it will keep you on track. Reward yourself when you complete your goals - from the smallest achievement to completing the entire pyramid. It will most likely be the most positive experience in your life to see that pyramid completed - and the construction process of the pyramid itself will set you on the right path.

Becoming a Super Person

I was driving down the freeway several years ago when I saw a billboard with a picture of Christopher Reeve on it.  The caption simply read, “Super man.”  People might have remembered him for his timeless portrayal of Superman.  But they will never forget his tireless crusade on behalf of disabled everywhere.  The tragic horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed also gave him wings to soar above his physical limitations.  That’s not to say that it wasn’t difficult for him.  He even contemplated suicide at one point.  So it made me think, what characteristics did he have that made him so strong?

Courage

 Most of us shy away from a challenge.  Maybe we don’t like confrontation, or maybe we just want to take the path of least resistance.  But there comes a time when we, individually, must face our deepest fears.  It could be accepting a job that moves you halfway across the country.  Or walking out on a relationship that should have ended ten years ago.  Whatever is keeping you from enjoying your life needs to be examined, evaluated, and executed.  No one’s going to do it for you.  Be brave.

Optimism

Ever hear the old glass half full/half empty analogy?  Well, it’s true.  You have a 50/50 chance of being positive or negative.  Which side do you find yourself on most of the time?  Negative thinking can be a very hard habit to break.  But the good thing is, it is easily remedied.  How?  Speak positively.  Act positively.  Replace negative self-talk with uplifting messages that you tape to your mirror and day planner.  And before you know it, you will think positively.  Action precedes attitude.  A good attitude is contagious, so surround yourself with people who are upbeat and encouraging.

Self-determination

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  10 years?  A person without a goal is like a bus without a driver.  Don’t let limitations, either real or perceived, keep you from your objective.  And don’t listen to the naySayers, even if at times you think they must be right.  If something is important to you, stick with it.  You will be amazed at what you can do.

There is a bit of a superhero in all of us.  Sometimes, it takes an unexpected event to bring that hero out.  And sometimes, we can help someone else see that hero in themselves.

Borders and Boundaries In Network Marketing

Have you ever had someone get right up in your face when they are talking to you? So close in fact that a letter "S' results in an unwanted shower? Often when we are out networking, we find ourselves in a loud environment as people try to talk louder to be heard over people trying to talk louder to be heard. This results in a roar that makes regular conversation difficult.

The temptation in this atmosphere is to get very close to another person so they can hear you and you them. This can result in being too close to another person sometimes making them very uncomfortable. This discomfort is heightened when we have been consuming alcohol and the person we are talking to has not.

Each of us has our own comfort zone boundary. This is a space around us that when another person enters we begin to feel uncomfortable. A good way to relate to this is to remember if you have ever had an argument where someone got right up in your face and possibly even pointed their finger very near to it. Remember how that made you feel? In most cases it makes a person feel more angry.

In a networking environment it is important to maintain a distance from a person that you are talking to. This distance should be almost an arm's length. Most people's comfort boundary is about the length of their arm. If you find yourself getting very close to someone in conversation, imagine if you raised your arm and that is the distance that you should be from the other person. If they move closer to you in the course of conversation, it is acceptable to them to be closer. If it is acceptable to you then continue with the conversation at that distance.

You can sometimes tell if you are standing too close to someone if they seem to be moving back while you are talking to them. If they appear to be getting further away from you, do not move to be closer to them. They will stop when they reach the distance that they are comfortable with. If they turn and walk away of course it is time to find someone else to talk to.

To be most effective in your attempts to build relationships with others, it is most important to keep these things in mind. Remember that it makes no difference what you say to a person if they are not engaged in the conversation. Good observance of boundaries can give you the edge you need to make networking work.

Building Your Success Team

Think about anyone you know who is incredibly successful. Do these people do everything themselves? Think of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books. She writes the books, but does she do all the legal work, all the marketing, distribution, printing, advertising and public relations? No of course she does not. She has a “success team” around her.

These are people who are experts in their chosen fields. They are probably amongst the best in the world. They are people she trusts implicitly to do the job, with her best interests at heart. Whilst she may trust these people, she doesn’t just leave them running her empire. She checks in on them, works with them, and keeps an eye on their running of her business.

Any successful person you can think of will have a success team around them. You too need to form your own success team in whatever venture you choose. Whether it is lawyers, accountants, advisors, mentors or experts, it is vital that you have this team around you.

Quite simply, you can’t do everything yourself. There is no way you can have the level of expertise you need to succeed in all the areas you need. J.K. Rowling spends her time focusing on what makes her money and what she loves, writing. She leaves all the accountancy, legalities, advertising and everything else to her team of advisors. This leaves her time to do what she is best at, i.e. writing books. How long would it take her to become an expert accountant and to keep up with the tax laws? How long would it take her to become an expert lawyer and keep up with the changes in legislation? By picking a team of advisors to help you and guide you, you give yourself the time to focus on your area of speciality.

So what should you look for in your success team? Someone who:

You feel a connection to and comfortable with

Is dedicated to keeping up to date with their professional education

Has an excellent track record in their field

Has excellent references that you can check up

Integrates well with the rest of your success team

Where would you find your success team?

The best way is to find them from personal recommendation. Look at other successful people in your field and who is advising them.

Create a job listing  online and hold interviews. That’s right, you interview them to see if they are good enough to work with you and of the right stuff. Before you see them, create a list of questions you want to ask them. See how you get on with them and check up on the references they give you.

A success team isn’t just lawyers and accountants, it could also be your “cheerleading” squad. This is friends, family and colleagues who support you and believe in what you are doing. It’s much better to have them around you than naysayers who will drag you down and try to stop you succeeding. Discard them and get your own set of cheerleaders.

Surrounding yourself with a success team will give you the opportunity to focus on what you do best for yourself and your business. Your success team can focus on what they do best, freeing up your time and efforts to become even more successful.

Building Strong Downline Relationships

Now that you are a leader of a team, you'll need to build a strong relationship with downline members to not only help them stay strong in their business, but to help your business grow stronger as well. A strong downline relationship will be one that's mutually helpful and everyone benefits.

But you may be wondering how to ensure that downline members feel cared for while still maintaining some type of balance with the rest of your life. Here are 5 easy tips for maintaining a great upline/downline relationship.

1. Start off with a bang- When a new recruit first signs up, it's vitally important that you communicate often with them. One thing that I have found very helpful here is to develop a series of emails to send to a new downline that talks them through those first days "on the job". It will help them feel like they are connected to the company and to you. Each day while your new recruit is waiting for her kit she should hear from you. This is very easy to do with an autoresponder system, but can also be done by just copying and pasting into an email message every morning.

2. 15 minutes a day- Set aside fifteen minutes of each workday for downline phone calls. Use those minutes to call one to five members of your group for a quick "just checking in" call. Leave a message if you get voicemail. The idea is to let them know that you're thinking of them and giving them a chance to hear your voice. This is a great time to ask how they're doing with their non-business life as well and get beyond your direct sales company to show you care about them.

3.  A downline website- Creating a simple website for my group has been the best thing, by far, that I did to keep communication open and strong with my group. We have weekly topic discussions, contests, upload important files and just have fun with the whole group. Through this many relationships between members of my group have blossomed just because the website allowed them to "break the ice".

4. Meetings and/or conference calls- This is another great way to foster unity and strong relationships within your group. Many of you probably have a downline that is out of your area, so have a quarterly conference call with everyone just to touch base. There are many free teleconference services via the internet that make it very easy to do. And if you can, have a face-to-face meeting once in a while as well. Some group leaders have meetings monthly or quarterly. Others do a once a year get together with everyone.

5. Ecards- I love ecards for celebrating birthdays, achievements etc. First of all it's FREE, which is great, but it's so convenient and just plain fun. Use one of those Internet calendar functions to keep track of birthdays. Once a month go through the upcoming month and set up the ecard deliveries for the birthdays and company anniversary dates for the next month or more. You can set these up to deliver up to a year in advance! It's a wonderful thing. There are hundreds of sites for free ecards on the Internet.

The key? Communicate in any and every way that you can. You will find that your direct sales team members will stay with your company much longer when you've fostered a strong relationship by keeping in touch! Have fun and happy team building!

Business Networking - The Seasonal Ups and Downs

Let’s begin in the fall. At this time of the year we are working feverishly trying to procure new business because we realize that around the holidays things will slow down. As December draws near, some of us become preoccupied with things like parties and shopping and our attention turns from building our business. Others find it increasingly difficult to make contact as people begin long vacations.

Then the holidays pass. We put our marketing and networking efforts into high gear, going to several meetings a week, trying to get things cranked up again. The result is increased business and increased profits. Have you ever noticed that in the early part of February that things begin to pick up almost at a maddening pace? When this occurs, unless we are prepared for growth, we start to back off on our promotions as we scramble to complete the work that has been generated by our marketing efforts. In effect, we stop networking. We lose contact with those we have been making and asking for referrals, and they begin to feel as if we are not interested in them any longer. When this happens, they may look for someone else to refer when that target prospect comes along.

By early to mid summer, we are starting to crawl out from under the workload and we again look for opportunities. Unfortunately, the vacations have started again as children are released from school for the summer. Thus it is very difficult once again to find the contacts that were out there just before our business picked up again late last winter.

By mid August, school is back in session and people are coming back out into the networking world again. Of course we are seeing some of the same people that were there before, but there are also a lot of new faces as well. Because we had slacked off from our promotion efforts, we were not there to greet the new faces as they started their new business. So the people who have a balanced networking and marketing strategy are there to greet them. These are the people who have businesses that seem to be growing. They have a marketing and networking plan that is consistent year round. When many businesses are experiencing that new business rush in the spring, these business owners are ready to absorb the new business with new employees or temporary help. They realize that to maintain growth means to be ready for any upswing in the economy that could propel their business to the next level.

So how do we accomplish this? First plan for growth. Have a system ready for when you have more business than you can handle so that there is help you can call. This is managed by building relationships with temp agencies, headhunters, and placement firms. Hire people on a contractor basis if necessary. This saves money on benefits and salaries when things are a bit slower. It also reduces the amount of paperwork when it comes to payroll processing and taxes.

Next, develop a plan for networking that is manageable. Set a goal for the amount of meetings that you would attend when business is just OK and stick to it when business gets better. Attend functions year round, even during the holiday seasons.

Plan vacations when necessary, but don’t assume that everyone is going on vacation simply because it is summer. Most people have to accommodate the schedules of others and entire companies usually do not go on vacation at the same time. Notice that larger corporations always have staff on hand to do business while an employee is on vacation. Also take note that large corporations do not stop promoting just because it is the month of July or December. They are consistent year round.

The lesson here is that, if you want to grow into a large company, take a look at what large companies do. Emulate them if they are successful and you may be able to duplicate their success. You must be constantly marketing, networking and promoting to ensure consistent business year round. If you decide to slack off now because business is good, I guarantee that when autumn comes you will be working twice as hard to get things going again. If, on the other hand, you keep on consistently marketing the way you did when times were slow, you should be able to experience the growth of both your company and your bank account during the entire year.

Can You Increase Business Without Putting More Time in?

As business owners or managers we often find it difficult, even in the best of situations to get out and seek new business. You've probably thought that if you could just find a way to squeeze that into your day without spending more time away from your family or working weekends, you'd be all set, right? Guess what? You can and all that it's going to take is a little preparation.

1. Keep a box of business cards in your car. That way, you can always keep a stack of cards in your wallet or business card holder.

The next time you go out to eat, leave a card on the table when you leave. Drop a business card in each bill you mail out. 

When you're at the bookstore, slip your card into some of the books related to your industry. Be sure to put them near the middle of the book so they don't fall out when someone is casually flipping through.

Place a card rack full of your business cards on the counter of your dry cleaner. Most of them are more than happy to help out a good customer.

Give each friend a stack of your business cards to hand out.

2. Make a goal of meeting at least one new person each day

 If you overhear someone mention your industry or a hobby of yours, make a point to introduce yourself. Start a conversation while you're waiting in line at the store. You may never see or even talk to these people again, but chances are good that you will.

3. Never eat alone

You have to eat and so does everyone else, so why not use that time to catch up with friends and associates? There are a few benefits for both of you here.

You can keep in touch with people without taking a lot of time out of your work day.

By interacting with people that you enjoy being in the company of, your stress levels will go down.

Your name stays at the front of their minds - great for referrals!

4. Network in one non-work related organization

 It can be anything - a baseball team, a church or charity, a community group - pretty much anything. The idea is to have the ability to network without the usual competition that you would face in a Chamber of Commerce or other business related organization. If you don't currently participate in something that's not related to work you should seriously consider it. It will help you create a balance between your work and your personal life while opening up a channel for new business.

Continued Relationships - Keeping Your Clients

Your previous customers are going to be valuable to your future business. As you get each new customer you want to network with that customer again in the future, to keep your business in their mind, and to keep them on as a walking and talking billboard for your business.  The future of your business is going to evolve to include repeat customers, and referral customers, both of which are vital to the ongoing relationship of your business, the consumer, and the local surroundings of your business.

How can you network with your previous customers? Even if your customers are online – or if they are offline, you can network with your customers. A simple note, or email is going to do the trick. Ask about their day; talk with them by name, and offer advice or to continue with the conversation when they have time to chat with you. Talk with your customers about what they have purchased, or what work you have done for them. Ask if there is anything that can be done to improve the process they went through while dealing with your business.

Network with your largest clients by taking them to lunch, or ordering them something special and having it delivered to their home/business. As you continue to acknowledge your largest clients, they will keep you fresh in their minds. They will tell others about what you have sent to them, and how they feel about your business. Of course, this is not done with every type of business, but with the largest buyers who are spending thousands of dollars with a particular business perhaps.

The online business is going to use newsletters, emails and coupons sent to previous customers as a method of networking and keeping in contact with previous customers. Keeping the lines of communication open with a customer, and with a previous customer is going to increase awareness of your products, and what you have for sale. This in turn is going to increase sales, one repeat customer at a time.

Never forget about your previous customers. In the offline business, and in online business you can network with your previous customers by creating mailing lists and using these mailing lists. State something along the lines of – because we have done business in the past, we find that now is the time to offer you this great advantage in Networking we have, and would like to give you a special price. Yes this is still advertising, but networking at the same time because you have established a relationship with that customer already.

Creating Your Path to Success

Creating your path to success depends on walking on a firm foundation. Knowing WHAT you want is only the beginning. Visualizing what you want and repeating affirmations makes your intentions stronger. Yet, this is not enough. So what IS the secret to realizing your goals? Let’s walk the path together. As we walk the path step by step, I encourage you to write the answers to these questions:

1.  Where are you now? What are your strengths, resources, and areas of improvement?

2.  What do you want to achieve? What is important to you? Money? Relationships? Having fun? Creating a vibrant body? …Use your imagination to explore. List everything you want without editing.

3. What do you REALLY want? What lights you up and gets you excited? What is your heart’s desire?

4.  Now explore the risks, obstacles, or challenges that could interfere with achieving these goals. Notice what is stopping you from having what you want now. This is the most powerful question to answer because it is how you sabotage yourself from success. By recognizing the challenges, obstacles or risks and addressing them in your Action Plan, you manage your productive tension to focus on your desired outcome.

 Do you dress for success?

Health: attitude, energy, mental clarity, and overall well-being are all linked to good health. Health is supported by

Exercise: Pleasurable forms can include weight lifting, dance, belly dance, Tango, golf, tennis, jogging, walking, cycling, yoga, and many other forms.

 Complacency: When we get too comfortable, we can set ourselves up to fail. If you are at the top, keep your edge and passion by giving yourself new challenges.

5.  Select your favorite goals and write an affirmation for each following this format:

State your goals in specific, measurable terms so you can recognize their achievement. Avoid the use of the words “try, not, don’t, can’t, shouldn’t…”

6.  Imagine yourself already having your goals accomplished: What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?

7.  Create an Action Plan to achieve your desired results: Be specific about every step required. The goals need to be compelling to be achievable.

8.  Reinforce your goals daily: Create a vision map with YOU in the picture and place it where you can see it daily. Record your affirmations in your voice and listen to them daily. Repeat your affirmations morning and night. Focus on what you desire.

9.  Be Accountable: Find a coach who you will allow to hold you accountable in a supportive way. Ultimately, accountability is the key to success. A coach supports you by inspiring pride and self-discipline. For best results, the coach is someone who has no attachment to the outcome. The coach walks the path with you — but not for you.

Ultimately, your success depends on your ability to monitor and manage your level of productive tension.

Defining Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)

As the name suggests, MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing), basically involves selling a company’s product directly to the customer by way of networking. Traditional retail selling is left to the brick and mortar businesses. MLM is executed through a multi-layered distributor system where payments by the company are made to the distributors according to the distribution level they are in. Distributors are responsible for the business development and the revenue generation for the company.  The key features of MLM include networking, flexible timing and convenience.

Networking is the backbone and the soul of MLM. Word of mouth and trust play major roles in the success of MLM. People known to the distributor trust him or her recommendations and try out the products. If the products do have the impact on the customers, then these customers most often recommend these same products to other people they know. And so the snowball rolls.

There's nothing quite like the flexibility of working for yourself. A MLM distributor can work for as long as he or she wishes to. Therefore, the time, money and efforts to be invested in MLM is totally on your choice. You may pursue it full-time or part-time as suits you. Along with the convenience of flexible timings, MLM distributors generally work from home. They don’t have to show up in the office daily and they can work the hours that fit around other important things in their life.

Startup capital is usually very small as a MLM distributor. Therefore, you run little financial risk. But, do measure the risk-return ratio before venturing into any MLM business opportunity. Is this a get rich quick business? NO. It takes a lot of time to grow in MLM. But, if you are determined to succeed there is nothing to stop you. Results will show.

 Command Attention With Your Introduction (In 30 Seconds Or Less!)

I went to a networking event the other day, the meeting leader said, "We’re going to skip doing the 30-second introductions today because mine’s so bad and it doesn’t work that it nauseates me." I thought to myself, WOW! I’d skip the next networking meeting until I’d worked out a new introduction.

Do you get attention with your introduction? Are you prepared to introduce yourself at your next networking event or for when someone asks, "What do you do?" Consider these tips for developing an attention getting introduction:

1.  Start With The First 10 Seconds: What if 10 seconds is all you get? Does your first sentence tell your listener enough so they understand what you do and inspire them to want to know more? Here’s the simple, but effective approach. "I work with [types of clients] who have [these types of problems, issues or challenges]." That’s it. Don’t try to sugarcoat it up or make it really catchy.

2.  Avoid the What You Are Approach: "I’m an accountant" or "I’m a marketing consultant" or "I’m a financial planner" or "I’m a growth coach". You’ve heard them time and again. You’ve probably even done it yourself. The problem is your listener(s) may not understand what the title means or even worse they may fill in an incorrect definition.

3.  Avoid the What You Do Approach: "I do small business accounting including sales tax and payroll" or "I provide business owners with mentoring and training in comprehensive strategies to improve bottom line results..." Tends to be boring and doesn’t help the listener(s) understand what they get as a result.

4.  Say How You Solved a Problem or Served a Client: Reinforce your first 10 second sentence with a second sentence that shows how you solved a problem or overcame a particular issue or challenge. "I help mid-sized accounting firms plan big conferences on a small budget. I just recently lined up free live entertainment for a firm that hosted 500 people in town last week."

5.  Tell Them Why You Are Unique: What makes you stand out from the crowd? Maybe it’s a unique model or approach for better results? Focus on a specific niche, a guarantee, or extras that others don’t provide. There are many ways to define your uniqueness that will help gain attention and make you memorable.

Make your introduction an attention getter. Start with the first 10 seconds. You can always build from there once it starts getting attention. Actually write it down and practice out loud several times until you can just say it naturally.

Don't Sell, Just Tell

How often have you not mentioned what you do in your business when you meet someone for the first time for fear of being seen as trying to sell? Well what if you knew a simple way to encourage people who are interested in your products to want to buy, whilst making sure that people who are not interested don't feel sold to. Would that be of interest to you?

When you meet someone for the first time they will usually get around to asking "What do you do?"But how do you answer? Most people answer with a job description – "I’m an accountant, a lawyer, sell furniture, design websites, run a beauty salon" etc. And often that’s the end of that conversation. Yet every time you meet someone there is a possibility that they may be a potential customer or they may know a potential customer.Unfortunately we often fail to discover that because we don’t talk about business, because we feel uncomfortable about "selling." Of course there is another response I sometimes receive - It's called an "Elevator Pitch," and I am not a fan.If you have ever attended a speed networking session you will be familiar with this approach. Essentially an elevator pitch is a sixty second sales pitch, so called because screen writers used to jump into an elevator with a producer and pitch their idea before the doors opened at the next floor.

If I ask "what do you do" and get a sixty second sales pitch, I spend the last thirty seconds looking for an escape route. I don't like being sold to! However, it is possible to invite people to talk about our business in such a way that they do not feel we are trying to sell them something. Instead of talking about your product or service – which means selling, tell them how you help people.

I have different responses depending on who I am speaking to – for example "I specialise in helping small business owners to attract more customers" or "I specialise in helping women in business to become outstanding public speakers". And I finish with "do you know anyone that would be of interest to?" Now if you are a small business owner or a woman in business would you want to know more if I said that?Of course you would. Often people respond immediately asking for more information indicating that they would like my help. If they don’t respond, then they are not a prospective customer right now, but at least they now know what I do and that means they are more likely to mention me to a friend. If they are interested then I can arrange a follow up – "Let me have your card and I’ll call you in the week to arrange a meeting" or "take my card, go and have a look at my website– there’s a free ebook (in exchange for signing up for my newsletter) that might help."

Create and practice your own pre-prepared responses as follows:

I specialise in helping ………………………………(describe your target customers, who do you most want to be doing business with, or describe a category that includes the person you are speaking to.)

to ………………….(how do you help them, what problem do you solve.)

How do you tailor your response so it is most applicable to the person you are speaking to?

Easy - get into the habit of asking people what they do first and don't let a conversation die when they give you a job description.Encourage them to talk about what they do and prompt for the problems they face in doing it - especially the problems that you can solve.

People love to talk about themselves and they love people who are prepared to listen. Then they almost always ask, "What do you do?"

Me… Oh! I specialise in helping……..

If you have just spent five or ten minutes showing interest in them and what they do and you then tell them that you specialise in solving some of the problems they face - do you think they are going to want to know more?

Don't You Dare Think Objections Are “Bad”!

Begin by examining the positive aspects of a prospect’s objections to see them as challenges.  Any salesperson who wants a job without difficult questions should go to the stadium and sell hot dogs! The point is, without the challenges of selling, you would simply be an order-taker, and sales is certainly not that!

In terms of personal satisfaction, the number of objections you meet on a daily basis in your particular marketplace tends to indicate the amount of money and prestige that is assigned to your particular position. In general, people are rewarded for the amount of difficulty that goes with what they do. Going back to the ballpark example, common knowledge tells us that those who sell hot dogs at ballgames definitely do not generate as much income as those who encounter objections regularly in their sales positions. Where would you prefer to be on the financial ladder? Would you rather be on top, facing numerous objections throughout your sales day, or on the bottom, facing no objections or adversity but making no money?

You should be optimistic when you are faced with an objection or tough question. You should see this objection as an indicator that you are moving in some sort of direction:  either successfully completing the sale or failing to make the sale. In either case you know where you are and what you need to do in order to move ahead, take corrective action, or break off the relationship. When a prospect voices his or her concern over a certain aspect of your product or service, a chance has arisen for you to redirect your sales presentation. You now have the chance to move away from things that the prospect sees as undesirable in favor of moving towards those things that the prospect wants from you, your organization, or your product or service. Unless the prospect's objections completely blow away your product's benefits, you still have the opportunity to save the sale.

Objections also give you the opportunity to hone your sales skills. The more objections that you face and successfully conquer, the better salesperson you become. As you start to notice patterns in the ways prospects present their objections as well as the consistent themes in these objections, you will be able to almost predict what kinds of objections your prospects will present. You’ll learn how to ask questions that help you flush them out or even eliminate them. Knowledge leads to improvement, so knowledge involving the ways you deal with prospects' objections can only lead to improvement in your sales record, and, in turn, improvement in your income.

While objections obviously present salespeople with barriers to actually finalizing transactions, viewing these objections and tough questions in a positive light can only help you make more sales. Objections can be seen as challenging aspects of your sales job and mastering objections can lead to an improvement in your sales performance as well as your income. Objections may also be seen as a guide that points you in the right direction toward closing the sale. Finally, these questions and objections help the salesperson become skilled in dealing with objections. Remember, "Practice does make Perfect," and the case of conquering objections is no different.

Eight Ways to Sell Value - Not Price!

If you want to get paid what you're worth here are eight ways to sell value - not price:

1. Be Unique: If there is nothing that differentiates you from your competition you become common. The definition of the word common as, "ordinary or not special" and the only way buyers select one common service over another is price.

Take inventory of your skills, experience and knowledge. Are you a specialist in some area? Are you an expert in certain facets of your business? These and other differentiators can make you unique and valuable to a select group of clients.

2. Choose Your Clients Carefully: Don't ever let your clients choose you or you will be at their mercy. If a deal is going to close successfully, the true professional should be in control, not the client.

To begin controlling your business, write down the attributes of the people you want as clients and then go out and get them with targeted marketing. I hope the first item on your list of attributes is that they are people you enjoy spending time with. Being a business owner is far too difficult to work with people you don't like just to earn a living.

Turn away people who don't meet your criteria. When you reject or refer clients it tells the world that you don't just work with anyone, you are selective which raises your perceived value. It also makes you unique from other businesses who will work with anyone who can bring them a paycheck.

3. Set High Standards: If you work with anyone and everyone your value drops. If people have to qualify to work with you your value increases. Of course you know that there are prospects who will ask you to give them a bid with no intention of ever buying from you. They’re planning to use your bid to leverage a discount with their current vendor or any one of a dozen other reasons that they want your knowledge but not your services. Then there are buyers who will waste your time and then purchase through another vendor.

Don't ever meet with a potential client until you ask a logical list of questions to determine their seriousness and loyalty. You need to know their motivation and if they are interviewing other vendors. You also need to know if they’re financially qualified. If you don't have serious, financially solvent, and loyal clients, why waste your valuable time with them?

4. Compete On Value, Not Price: No disrespect intended to other business models, but it doesn't take any special skill, experience or knowledge to compete on price. All you have to do is be the cheapest, but this is a losing game.

Some people may remember the gas price wars of the 1960's and early 1970's when there seemed to be a gas station on nearly every corner. To gain market share, one would cleverly lower its price, but then all the others quickly followed suit and the only result was that everyone's profit margin was reduced.

The way to get paid what you're worth is to visibly demonstrate your value to your clients. Competing on price does not create value.

5. Create Value In The Eyes Of Clients: Frankly, most people throughout the country believe that people in sales do little to earn their commissions. This is our fault because we should be educating them about how hard we work before ever accepting them as clients.

Keeping my prices firm was a problem until I started tracking all the different duties required to earn my pay. I developed lists of activities I do for customers. This amazes clients because most have no idea how complicated their orders sometimes can be (whether it’s manufacturing, servicing, fulfillment, etc.)

Since I created these lists I've never had to cut prices. If a prospect asks for a discount I simply show them the list and say, "Here are just some of the activities I must complete to earn my money. Why don't you point out the things that you'd be willing to do instead of me. If you save me time then we can talk about saving you money because I earn every penny I get." When confronted with a list that runs nearly ten pages long their eyes glaze over and they usually respond with something like, "You're the expert, I expect you to do this work!" To which I simply say, "If you want me to do all of these activities on your behalf then you need to pay me what I'm worth. If you want to pay less, I'll see if I can find someone who will do less and maybe they can save you some money."

6. Educate Your Clients About How Much You Make: After speaking to thousands of agents all over the country for the past 15 years it's clear to me that the average prospect is clueless about how your prices are determined, factoring in overhead and other expenses we have to run our businesses.

Most business owners face the reality of having to pay 33% federal, 10% state and 13.2% self-employment costing a total of 56.2%. As a result, clients often say, "Wow, you are underpaid for handling all these activities for me!" This was exactly my intent by taking the time to explain how I earn my money and how little I actually keep. This way they never try to cut my prices because they know that, like them, I earn my money and I don't make as much as they may have previously thought.

7. Provide value that no one else offers: When prospects do business with me, they get a complete outline that explains my process from start to finish. It also includes samples, a list of service providers that could be involved in the process and much more.  No other competing business offers any of these benefits, so if a client wants to work with me they must pay what I ask.

8. Reject price shoppers: Studies show that only 15-18% of people make their decision to purchase a product or service primarily based on price. This means that the majority of clients appreciate value and are willing to pay for it - if they see it.

Don't forget that real professionals earn their money by helping clients maximize value, minimize costs, save time, and much more. If potential clients don't appreciate this then feel free to refer them to your competition.

You don't need every prospect and you certainly don't need every buyer to be successful. If all someone wants is a cheap transaction, send them to a vendor who competes on price and wish them both luck!

Effective Networking In 5 Simple Steps

'Tis the season for conferences and seminars! Many of my friends have all been conference-hopping in recent weeks and we've been discussing how fruitful these gatherings can be when you can make great and lasting contacts. But how do you come away with something more substantial than a stack of business cards? Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. Speak Up! - One of the women in my mastermind group reminded me of that today. She recently attended an event where, for the first time, she came out of her shell and started telling people what she did. She was met with great enthusiasm and people asking her for samples and wanting to refer her to others. All because she spoke up. Now that doesn't mean you go up to someone and talk non-stop! It does mean that you go into a conversation with a clear description of who you are and what you do or write.

2. Be a Productive Networker - Your networking will not be productive if you are handing out business cards indiscriminately or asking someone who isn't the right person to read your work. Or maybe you're listening only partially to someone and then writing them off if they don't seem to have what you want. Productive networking is about building long-term relationships. Why long-term? Because it's highly unlikely that you or your contact have what the other wants at that very moment. The idea is to keep in touch until you do. In the meantime, you want to offer value or be of service so that the other person feels it'll be worthwhile to stay in touch with you.

3. Engage in Two-Way Conversations - When the other person is talking, listen up! Who is the person and what do they need? They've come to the event for their own reasons. What are they? Can you assist? Get a clear understanding of what the person does and respect it! For instance, don't push a science fiction novel on an agent who only handles non-fiction. Tell the other person what you're up to, but don't babble. Think attraction: be engaging, not desperate!

4. Maintain the Connection - Ask for permission to stay in touch--don't just add the person to your email list. Decide how you'll stay in touch. Occasional emails? A monthly newsletter? In "Making a Literary Life", author Carolyn See suggests writing notes to a different contact daily. Try to attend events where your most important contacts are involved, even if it means taking a trip. It's just one more thing that helps them take you seriously.

5. When the Time Comes, Be Specific - Use your contact only when they can help you the most. "Ask early, ask often" doesn't apply here. Know exactly what you want from the person. Tell him or her, in detail, how they can help you. Make it easy for them! If you have developed the relationship well, the person will be more than happy to lend a hand. And when they've done so, be gracious--write thank you notes!

One Last Note: Be patient. Building a network takes consistent, persistent effort. If you truly believe in what you're doing, and it shows in your work, others will believe in you as well

Effective Public Speaking Tips For Newbies

People have praised and respected over the centuries those who could speak well in front of a crowd. The audience is oftentimes left in awe at how these leaders express themselves well and eventually convince them a great deal. Knowing how to speak well before a crowd is the best drawer of attention to a candidate leader.

Facing a crowd can be a serious jittery experience for some but for others, they found it fun and exciting to express themselves. But being a public speaker you ought to prepare your speech. You owe this to your audience.

Preparing yourself for a talk is not that easy. You always have to put your best foot forward. The best way to get your audience's attention is to start your speech with conviction and end it with a thought provoking ending hoping to lead to positive action. Some helpful tips are listed below to guide you in your speech:

A good speech summary is very important to wrap up your talk and get the message across effectively. Focus on the purpose of your speech: is it to persuade, inform or entertain?

The body of your speech should be driven to one focal point meaning a message.

Know the objectives of the event where you are invited to talk. Your speech should be tailored to your kind of audience.

Be sure that your talk is meaty with facts, if necessary figures, but which you can explain easily during your talk and make it in layman’s terms. Facts should be accurate, objective and should be from credible resources.

Have nice, catchy titles to draw more attention to your speech.

Acceptable Physical Appearance during Public Speaking

Gestures, movements, facial and bodily expressions are very important because they reveal so much about you as a speaker and a person on how well-versed you are on the topic.

Public speakers should exude pleasantness, enthusiasm and confidence.

Do not read from your notes, instead maintain eye contact with your audience. Remember, you should speak and not read. It is of course okay to reference them to stay on track, but

Dress for the Occasion

Your Speech

Speaking with conviction is very important in public speaking to gain credibility and respect.

If you are to give a speech, train and prepare yourself to speak slowly, enunciate words clearly, pause and show the right emotions while sharing your topic. Most of all, talk to all members of the audience as a whole.

Communicate with your audience – speak, listen, respond, adjust and adapt – if they have questions or reactions.

Add-ons to speeches include: humor, handouts and audio-visual aids.

Learn when to stop talking.

Finding Networking Opportunities Is Easy

Business networking is all about forming strong relationships built on mutual respect and trust. Those relationships are the basis for the single most important tool that we all need if we want to survive in the competitive 21st century. I'm talking about referrals. And today's savvy business professionals know that--just as night follows day--networking leads to referral business. There are several ways to do this:

Opportunities to network: to meet people for mutual support (and eventually referrals)--are everywhere. Here are just a few places to consider starting your networking efforts:

Professional Associations:Join your professional association.  It's a powerful source for richly rewarding contacts  that can result in a tremendous number of referrals from people with a different specialty than yours. If possible, join the professional association of your target market.  Form those relationships.  See and be seen among them and before you know it, you will be considered the "go-to" person in your industry.

Special interest groups: Whether you're interested in sports, the Internet, politics, crafts, poetry, theater, travel, or underwater basket weaving, there are other people who share your interests. Ask around, look at your local newspaper listings or search the Internet for groups you can join.

Newcomers Clubs: If you're new to a city and haven't had the chance to meet many people yet, you'll be delighted to learn that a lot of communities all over the world have clubs for people just like you. Type your town or city and the term "newcomers club" into your favorite search engine and you'll be able to tap into people who can help you start networking in your area.

Networking Events: Again, go to your favorite search engine.  Type in your locale and the term "networking events."

Your Local Newspaper: Review the business section of your local newspaper.  Often they list upcoming events for the week in Monday's edition.  If you can't find any networking opportunities listed there, call a business reporter and ask him or her to point you in the right direction.  The call itself can be a very powerful networking moment.

Leads Groups: These are structured networking organizations usually limited to one person per occupation.  The purpose is primarily to exchange business referrals, and the amount of business that comes from a well-run group can be staggering. I started and ran my own leads groups for over a decade and I know how powerful they can be in accelerating business growth. Again, ask around for a good group in your area or search the search engines under "business networks," "leads groups," or "referral groups" plus your town or city's name.

Workshops and Seminars: These can be wonderful networking opportunities, especially the ones that run over several days.  Take advantage of the interactive exercises and the breaks to get to know other participants.  Staying in touch after the event is over is key in deepening those relationships.

Volunteering: Do something good for others while creating lasting relationships with your volunteer colleagues.  Knock people's socks off with what you do as a volunteer and it will give people an indication of how you conduct your business.  This will make you incredibly attractive to potential referral partners in the group.

Chamber of Commerce: Check out the networking opportunities that your local Chamber of Commerce offers.  Also use them as a resource for finding other networking events in your community.

Parental Networking: Opportunities abound to meet people through your children. Whether you're leading a Scout troop, chaperoning a dance, attending a soccer game, setting up carpools, or manning a booth at a bake sale, doesn't matter. What matters is that it's pretty well impossible not to create relationships with other parents when you are surrounded by them.

Bottom Line: If you want more business, you need referrals, and if you want referrals, you need to network.

Finding The Perfect MLM Mentor

Many people are still saddled with antiquated MLM training and ideas of how the old multilevel companies were run in the 60’s and 70’s. Remember that we are already in the new millennium, people. And the training in MLM that we have today has already grown past those times.

Some of the more successful marketers have the fortune to have undergone the proper MLM training to make them more profitable than others. What is the one secret they have learned in MLM training? The secret is choosing a team with an experienced coach who will teach, guide and motivate you towards success. Of course there are other factors to consider such as the financial backing of the company, timing, the compensation plan and marketing a consumable product. But if you are not properly trained and motivated during those early months you are almost doomed to failure. Think about it, every professional business person or athlete has a coach to aid in the training. Why should it be different in MLM marketing?

In MLM marketing, you can start your business for less than $500 and literally choose the coach or leader who will be training you. Of course this will involve doing a little background check on the team leader you choose to work with. But in the end, it will be a time worth spending.

Here are a few pointers that will help you when seeking out the “correct coach” who will assist you in your MLM training.

1. Make sure that he or she has a proven track record- A gifted leader will also prove his or her worth in the results produced. Generally speaking, you will not rise higher than your leader, so know how high you want to reach and find a coach who can get you there.

2. Go with someone who has been training in MLM for many years- You want a leader who will be like the northern star; bright and steady. Those who are successful network marketers are people who stay for the long haul. Many people give up too quickly and never reap the harvest. Choose a leader who has experienced some bumps in MLM and can now be selective in choosing a company that is most likely to remain out of the MLM graveyard.

3. Find someone who knows how to market- Network marketing is just that: marketing through networking. An essential part of the equation therefore is the effective marketing of your business. Marketing can eat up a small budget very quickly. Therefore, you must learn from the MLM training from what does not work so that you can use your advertising dollars most effectively. The name of the game is maximum returns for your money. Leverage is the whole idea behind network marketing. This translates into small effort and great gain.

Find someone who can train you on how to use MLM tools such as teleconferencing, voicemail, direct mail, the Internet and broadcast media. This is a business so you have to treat it like one.

4. Find someone who continuously studies the industry- Anyone who claims to be a professional will subscribe to magazines in his area of expertise, attend seminars to keep abreast of what’s happening and keep his MLM training pulse on the industry.

Choose wisely. The right opportunity and company may be the vehicle to your success but an effective MLM training coach is like gas in your tank

Finding Targeted Leads For Your Downline

The objective of multi-level marketing (MLM) is to sell the product or service and to encourage the client to become an independent distributor, who then sells the service or product as well.  Leads are vital for any business to grow, and in order for the business owner to have the greatest success, the leads must be curious enough in the business opportunity to have expressed an interest.  The prospects that have expressed an interest in becoming distributors are known as Targeted MLM Leads.

To find targeted MLM leads, business owners must first have ample knowledge of their target market.  Are they self-starters?  Do they have the commitment necessary to be part of a network?  Business owners must also understand the product or service, the company mission statement, and its goals and objectives well enough to offer a good sales presentation.  Delivering a presentation, however compelling, to someone that has not shown interest in the product, service, or business opportunity is a waste of time and resources. 

Business owners can acquire targeted MLM leads from various sources.  The most convenient sources are the companies that compile and sell lead lists.  The business owner, however, should be careful when choosing a lead list source, as some may be fraudulent.  Some targeted MLM leads are identified through telephone interviews or direct mail response.  Business owners can also obtain targeted leads from promotional give-away programs that have high traffic.  Usually a person will fill out a simple survey to claim the promotional item, and the business owner can then use the survey to assess whether he or she will be a quality lead.

Five Stumbling Blocks To Successful Networking And How To Overcome Them

The ability to connect with people is essential to success in any business.  Professional networking events present opportunities to interact with others on a personal level and to develop profitable relationships.  These occasions are critical for anyone who wants to grow a business or promote a career.

Many people are simply not comfortable walking into a room full of strangers and striking up conversations.  Here are five common stumbling blocks that you may face and tips to help you overcome them.

1. A Reluctance to Talk to Strangers- You were taught at an early age not to speak to people you don't know. It's not safe. In certain situations today this is still good advice. In business, however, talking to strangers is a way to generate interest and support for your products and services. If you only talk to the people you already know, you will miss out on opportunities to make new connections and establish valuable contacts. To get past your discomfort in talking to strangers, set a goal for yourself before you attend any networking event. Decide how many new contacts you want to make or how many strangers you want to meet. In some cases, you may specifically target individuals whom you'd like to know. Next come up with some icebreakers or conversation starters. Have questions prepared that you can ask anyone you meet at the event. You may want to inquire about other people's business, their connection to the sponsoring organization or their opinion of the venue.

2. Lack of Formal Introduction- It's much easier to make a new contact when there is someone else to handle the introduction and pave the way. If you wait for another person to make the move you may not meet anyone.  At networking events, the goal is to meet as many people as possible. This is the time to take the bull by the horns, walk up to people you don't know, introduce yourself and start a conversation. You can do this if you have prepared your self-introduction in advance. You will not introduce yourself the same way on every occasion. Perhaps it is your first time to attend an association meeting. In that case, you might want to say that as part of your introduction. Let people know who you are, why you are there and give them a reason to ask more about you.

3. Fear of Seeming Pushy- You may think that you will turn people off if you are assertive and that if they want to talk to you, they will make the first move. If this is your line of thinking you will find yourself spending your time alone at the reception or meeting function and leaving without a single new connection.  Being open, friendly and interested does not turn people off. You will not come across as overly aggressive if you seek out the "approachable" people.  These are the ones who are standing alone or who are speaking in groups of three or more.  Two people talking to each other are not approachable because they may be having a private conversation and you would be interrupting.

4. Thinking Others May Not Like You- There is always the risk that the other person is not interested in you and doesn't want to meet or talk to you; it happens. If that is the case, don't take it personally. Nothing ventured is nothing gained. When you get a cold shoulder, smile, move on and say to yourself, "Next?"

5. Having Your Intentions Misunderstood- Approaching someone of the opposite sex to begin a conversation may seem more like flirting than networking. This is more of an issue for women than men. Women have an equal place in the work arena and need to make professional connections the same as men do.Women in business can no longer afford to hold back when there is opportunity at hand. Neither men nor women will have their motives misinterpreted if they present themselves professionally in their attire and if they keep the conversation focused on business issues or topics that are not personal or private. Whatever your stumbling blocks, face them before the next networking event and devise a personal plan for getting past them.  Once you do, you will find yourself connecting with confidence and courtesy on every occasion and the results will be reflected in your bottom line.

Four Ways To Skyrocket Your Business Through Networking

When you think about networking, do you visualize a bunch of people standing around schmoozing, trying to pitch their services to each other while exchanging business cards and “elevator speeches”? You know, some people actually enjoy that sort of thing. And when they do it right (which is a rare talent), they reap genuine rewards. Rewards such as new clients, joint venture partners, knowledgeable advisors, helpful friends… in other words, mutually beneficial relationships.

But for many of us, the idea of going to a networking event ranks right up there with bathing an angry cat. Even if we think it ought to be done, we’d rather be flea food. Don’t worry. There’s much more – and less – to networking than you think! You can reap the same wonderful rewards without having to mingle with a bunch of strangers.

Important: With any kind of networking, the key is to build powerful relationships by giving. Give your attention, advice, ideas, suggestions, support, compliments, referrals – and maybe even your business – to others. Give, give, give… then receive more than you can imagine!

There are many ways you can get freelance work by networking, even if you hate schmoozing. Below are four powerful examples.

1. Tell your family and friends about your online business- This seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at how many people fail to do this.  You don’t have to pitch your services/products to your family and friends, but you certainly should not be keeping them secret! You’ll have many opportunities during normal conversations to mention that you enjoy internet marketing and earning money with your online activities. Just plant the seed and eventually it can grow into an unexpected business. And remember, even if your family and friends have no need for the products/services you offer, it’s very likely that they know someone who does.

2. Engage in virtual networking- You do this online, from the comfort of your home office. Besides the benefits of not having to deal with people face-to-face, virtual networking allows you to create contact lists and join online communities composed of people from all over the world. Most of these people you would probably never meet in any other way. Your virtual network can grow larger and faster than any form of traditional network. Are you on someone’s email list? (Of course you are!) When they ask for opinions, give yours. When they raise an issue that’s of interest to you, send them a response about it. If they’re selling something you can benefit from (and it fits your budget), buy it – then give them positive feedback about it.

3. Show off your talent- Write, write, write! Submit articles to online article directories, write reports and/or ebooks, create your own website and e-zine – put yourself and your knowledge/skills on display, always including your contact information. When appropriate, offer to provide free special reports or articles for people with whom you’re building connections through your virtual networking activities. Consider giving free workshops related to your niche through your local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club or other groups. If you have a job, check into offering “brown bag” (lunchtime) sessions on topics such as “10 Tips for More Earning Money Online in Your Spare Time” for your coworkers.  Key: You want to become the obvious person people will think of when they need your expertise, or the products/services you provide.

4. Attend seminars- What types of seminars, workshops, conferences or meetings do your customers attend? Go to those events. They are networking goldmines and offer many opportunities to engage in natural conversations with people you want to meet. You don’t have to schmooze or pitch your services. Just be friendly, ask questions, participate in discussions, and be yourself. 

Key: You’ll not only learn about the specific issues and topics your target customers are interested in, you’ll build relationships with them at the same time!

Generate Word of Mouth in Six Steps

Do you want your customers to say positive things about your business to other people? I bet you do, because as we all know "word of mouth" is one of the most effective and low cost ways to find new customers. And the most effective way to generate "word of mouth" is to provide extraordinary customer service. Here are six steps to add that little bit extra and generate word of mouth:

1. First impressions are vital - It therefore makes good sense to consider what you look like and sound like. In a face to face situation it's important to make eye contact and smile. On the telephone, it's not what you say as an initial greeting that matters, but more important how you say it.

2. Warm and friendly - This is what most people want and it makes your life easier too.

3. Use names appropriately - A person's name is one of the warmest sounds they hear. It says that you have recognised them as an individual.

4. Respond - If a customer says something, the intention was for you to hear it. And if you hear it, it's a good idea to acknowledge it.

5. Actively listen - When you think about it, most people aren't very good listeners. We'd all rather be talking. You have to work hard at listening particularly if you want to let the other person know that you care. Many people listen but don't show that they're listening. You've got to do all the nodding head stuff and look like you're interested. And remember over the phone; occasionally make some indication that you're still there.

6. Close positively - At the end of an interaction it's a good idea to make a positive statement on a business level and a personal level. Say something like - "If you have any further problems then please phone me on this number and I'm sure you'll enjoy your holiday next week".

Make no mistake about it, providing friendly caring service creates that little bit extra and generates word of mouth for your business

Get to Know Them - The Secret To Gaining Our Customer’s Trust

It is often said that it is not who you know that matters, it is who knows you. Well I would like to extend this statement by saying that it is not only who you know and who knows you, but how well do you know them and they you?

In business, networking is the ultimate form of promotion. It can help you to obtain new clients, a new job, or even help you to move up the corporate ladder. It is the process of building relationships. Any time you attend a meeting, trade show, or a social function, you are networking whether you realize it or not. It is the relationship that you have with people, a prospect or a client that makes the difference between success and failure.

Often we fail to realize the reasons we have for doing business with an individual or a company. In the case of products that we regularly buy, what helps us to make the buying decision? There are those that will buy a specific brand of product because they trust that brand to be of a high quality or durability. There are others that will make a buying decision based on price, although this is less frequently the case. Often we simply do business because we feel good about it. In fact most purchases or decisions to do business are based on two things. Trust and comfort. Trust is a very intangible emotion or feeling. How do you measure it? How do you develop it?

Trust is measured by the feelings that are generated by a process of letting someone get to know more about you than just product, features and price. I know a gentleman who provides a seminar on selling to C-level executives. He says that to sell to the C-level executive you have to be more than a salesperson selling a product or service. To sell to the executive level, you have to be more of an advisor. You have to find needs other than the ones that you can fulfill and help them to fulfill these needs. In doing this, you become a "trusted advisor". They feel "comfortable" that you have their interests in mind more than just making a quick sale and a commission.

In our daily process of seeking prospective clients, do we often just look for a person to pitch, or do we spend a bit more time getting to know them before we try to sell?

When we take the time to know a person's desires, dreams, and needs, and make an honest effort to help them realize that these things are important to us, we are really on the fast track to doing business with them. We are building the trust, confidence, comfort level, and most importantly the relationship that is needed to not only make the sale, but to create in them a resource for endless referrals.

As we go into the community meeting people who are prospective clients, we should keep the following in mind. The customer is a person just like me. The customer has needs other than the one that I can fulfill. Until I understand what the ultimate goal or dream of the prospect is, I cannot fulfill it with my product or service.

Selling and networking are about relationships. You sell in everything that you do whether you realize it or not. The time is now for more effective selling. Change the way you think about the prospect and the prospect will change the way that they think about you.

Health, Wealth, & How To Reach The World: Network vs. Access Marketing

Network Marketing is here to stay. Corporate-type companies such as the one you may work for right now have realized that there is a cheaper and more efficient way to distribute their products and services. That way is – of course – Network Marketing.

Most people know about network marketing, but for anyone who doesn’t, here is the nickel tour:

Network Marketing involves a company selling their products to you at a wholesale price, and allowing you to then resell those products at retail price, thus pocketing the difference between the wholesale and retail price. In addition, when you share the lucrative opportunity with someone else who also wants to make some money, you get a piece of the income generated by that person. They tell someone else who also comes on board, that person tells someone else, and on and on it goes.

Here’s the best part: Depending on which company you decide to work with, you can get a piece of the action for each of those levels that come on board down to as far as EIGHT levels! In other words, you get to make money off of the work that you personally do, and also make money from what up to 8 other people do.

It gets better. As each of those 8 people bring people into the organization, you end up with a piece of the action from all of the people that THEY bring into the business as well! Eventually, you can be getting cash and other rewards from the work of literally tens of thousands of people. Pretty sweet deal, right? So what’s the catch?

Well, if you work for the right company, there really isn’t one. However, the definition of “right” is subjective at best, and if you want to make an informed decision about whether or not to get involved in this type of extreme money-making opportunity, you need to understand more about what exactly will be involved with distributing the products or services provided by your chosen company.

Now comes the major difference between almost every network marketing company out there, and 1 very special exception, which you will learn about in a minute. Let’s start with an example: You go to a restaurant downtown and have one of the best dining experiences of your life. You can’t stop raving to anyone who will listen about how wonderful it was, and you recommend the restaurant to everyone that you talk to. You are now a network marketer!

However, would any of those people have heard about that restaurant if you hadn’t told them? Maybe, or maybe not, but they certainly wouldn’t have heard about it as quickly as they did since you couldn’t stop talking about it for days. That’s network marketing – except that you don’t get paid for it.

Now, let’s look at an example of “Access Marketing”. That same restaurant has advertised and gone out of their way to create an actual community around their presence downtown. They have representatives that do nothing all day but tell people how great the restaurant is. They get on the news and gain instant credibility when they do an interview with everyone’s favorite reporter on the 6 o’clock news. They sponsor a local charity event and give out samples of their food for free.

What this restaurant has done is create a huge amount of public awareness about their establishment. Not everyone has actually eaten there, but people have definitely heard about it.

Now, that same restaurant hires a group of network marketers and tells the marketers that they can eat at the restaurant for a nice discount, and all they ask in return is that the network marketers tell other people to come there and eat.

The network marketers then go out into the community and say, “Have you ever heard of “Such and Such” restaurant? You should go there and eat!” The people in the community -due to the previous efforts of the restaurant- say that they have in fact heard of that restaurant, and they would love to go there and eat! Now, when the people referred to the restaurant by the network marketers come in to eat, the restaurant pays the network marketers for the referral!

So what is the difference between network marketing and access marketing? In network marketing, you are trying to get people to use products or services that they have probably never even heard of, or if they have, they really don’t know much about the company. In access marketing, you tell people to use products or services that they have heard about, and they have also heard good things about those products or services! Do you see the difference?

In other words, the company that practices Access Marketing does the advertising FOR you. All you have to do is tell people they should use those products or services, arrange for the people to get them, and the company pays you – usually quite handsomely – for your efforts.

So, all of that being said, refer back to the beginning of this article where you learned that the only way to secure your future is to learn the ins and outs of network marketing. It’s a true statement. Now ask yourself if you want to work with a company that is going to make YOU do the advertising, or a company that is going to do the advertising for you. It’s a pretty serious no-brainer, right?

What if that same company was the only company in the industry paying you up to 8 levels deep, as opposed to the 5 levels paid by most other companies? What if that same company also had a Global Bonus Pool that literally allowed you to get paid on the work done by people all over the GLOBE? What if that same company cared more about you as an individual than it cared about how many sales you generated? Want to find out the name of that company?

Hot Prospects Turn Cold - Here's A Checklist Of Sales Do's And Don'ts

If you talk or act like a salesperson, you immediately trigger your prospect's sales defenses, which he uses to keep you at a distance. This puts you at a serious disadvantage because it causes your prospect not to trust you. And it may erase your opportunity to ever win that prospect as a new client.

One fundamental difference between education-based marketing and selling-based marketing is the issue of control. Selling-based marketing tries to wrest control away from the prospect. Then, through key questions, the salesperson dominates and manipulates the prospect until the prospect makes the desired commitment.

Education-based marketing does the opposite. It gives up any attempt to control the prospect. Instead, you help your prospect understand his problem through education and solve his problem through services. You always make sure your prospect knows that the decision to hire you is his -- and that he is always in control. Education-based marketing treats prospects the way you and I like to be treated, with dignity and respect.

Follow this checklist of Do's and Don'ts so you won't be perceived as a salesperson.

1. Don't cold call prospects over the telephone. This is a dead giveaway that you are a salesperson. What do you think of people who solicit you over the phone? The fact that you're a lawyer doesn't make you any less of a telephone solicitor if you cold call prospects.

DO: Design your marketing program so you clearly identify genuine prospects and get them to call you. You do this by creating an educational message that educates prospects about their problems and the solutions you can provide. You deliver your marketing information to prospects through any number of methods, including advertising, media publicity, seminars, newsletters, web sites, cassette tapes -- whatever ways your prospects find comfortable and convenient. You have many effective and powerful ways to get information into your prospects' hands.

2. Don't hand a new prospect your business card unless he asks for one. The cross-over technique of shaking hands with your right hand and delivering a business card with your left hand is a sure sign that you are a salesperson. From that moment on, your prospect knows that everything you say is part of your sales pitch, designed to get him to do something he probably doesn't want to do.

DO: If, during your conversation, your prospect doesn't request your card, you can always ask if he would like one. (This leaves the decision to accept your card under your prospect's control.) But never hand your card to a prospect unsolicited. Wait until he asks, or until he has given his permission in response to your offer to provide one.

3. Don't insist on an in-person meeting before you divulge any information. The good ol' "let's get together so we can discuss your needs" tells your prospect a sales pitch is imminent. The needs approach is used so often that prospects know you learned it in sales school. When you withhold information and insist on a meeting, your prospect recalls the last time he had this experience with his life insurance agent, real estate broker, or someone else who insisted on meeting face to face. As a result, when you make this offer, you arouse your prospect's suspicion. This causes him to fortify his defenses and look for an excuse to cancel the meeting.

DO: You should be ready and willing to provide information any time you are asked, whether over the phone or in person. You greatly increase your credibility when you are open and up front with information. In fact, you should offer your educational handouts so prospects know you have materials that could help them. When prospects realize that you're not trying to hide anything -- and not trying to control the flow of information -- they perceive you to be a level above other lawyers. And your prospect responds favorably because he can tell you are trying to help him.

4. Don't avoid revealing your fees. How you respond to the fee question can really help you or hurt you. It's your choice. Prospects ask free questions for two reasons: One, to find out what you charge. And two, to see whether you'll be up front with them, or whether you'll try to duck the issue. Prospects know that vacuum cleaner salesmen (and most salespeople, for that matter) dance around the price and won't reveal it until they reach a certain point near the end of their sales pitch. Your prospect concludes the more you dance around your hourly rate, the higher it will be. Plus it proves to him that, at least in this instance, you have not been forthcoming in answering his questions.

DO: Your prospect wants you to answer his question with a number. So give him your typical hourly rate. This satisfies your prospect's immediate need to hear you put some number in the blank. Then reassure him that you will give him a fee estimate, range or quote as soon as you learn more about the services he needs. This makes a positive impression twice, once when you disclose your hourly rate, and a second time when you tell him you'll provide a better answer when you learn more.

5. Don't ask questions designed to trap your prospect. In one of his books, Zig Ziglar teaches the 3-question close. I suppose Ziglar would describe it delicately something like this: By asking just three simple questions you are able to show your prospect how much he will benefit from buying your product or service.

As someone who is tired of salespeople and phone solicitors, I hear it more in a carnival barker's voice: "Yes, my friend, you heard right. In just 30 seconds, by asking three simple questions, you can turn an innocent conversation into a steel-jawed trap that nails your prospect to the wall so he has nowhere to go and nothing to do but sign your contract."

What is the result of using this method? To start, you trap your prospect, so you immediately jump to the top of the list of people he doesn't trust. Do I have to go further? Do you like it when someone does this to you? Of course not.

DO: A persuasive marketing presentation offers all the facts and all the ways your prospect benefits from hiring you. Then it emphasizes that you will do whatever it takes to make sure your prospect has the information he needs to make an informed decision. You add urgency to the message by pointing out what your prospect risks by waiting and how bad those consequences could become. But you always make it clear to your prospect that the decision is his and his alone -- and that you're there to provide information, answer questions, and help him make the best decision, to whatever degree he wants your help.

6. Don't sell services from a trade show booth. Lawyers already have enough problems with their image. The last thing you need is to look like the guy hawking his vegetable slicer/dicer/cuber/chopper/corer/shredder/peeler. And even if you don't perceive a trade show that way -- even if you rationalize your way out of this comparison -- remember that your perception doesn't count. The only perception that matters belongs to your prospect. And when your prospect sees you standing in a trade show booth, he immediately assumes you are there because you have something to sell. That's exactly the appearance you want to avoid.

DO: Trade shows often work because they provide the opportunity for you and your prospects to interact, which is the essential marketing step most lawyers overlook. Fortunately, you can design interaction into your marketing program in better and more dignified ways: For example, you can interact with prospects over the telephone, in person, at seminars, during lunch, even on the golf course.

In most cases, when you act and sound like a salesperson, your prospects treat you like a salesperson. They avoid you. They don't trust you. They don't even want to talk with you. This is why I urge lawyers to avoid selling-based marketing.

To increase your prospect's trust, respect and confidence, stay in the education mode because education-based marketing is the key to attracting new clients with dignity.

How To Be An Irresistible Salesperson

Ever notice how some people have a certain energy about them that naturally attracts success. What is their magic secret? Who you are personally shows up in your sales approach. It's a big mistake to think that you can fool people when you are not coming to the right place. It's the subtle subconscious clues that you send your prospect that can make or break your sale.

Let's face it - People buy from people they trust. People trust people who are like them. The more you behave like your prospect the more they will trust you. This is the core of relationships.

Much research has been done on the determining factors of creating rapport with prospects. It's not what you say that counts, it's how you say it. These are the three components in communication for developing rapport. Words, Voice qualities and Physiology. These three elements equal 100%. What's your best guess on the breakdown?

Your words are only 7% of your communication. Your voice qualities are 38% and your physiology is 55%. That means that what you say is the least significant. How you say it and how you carry your body are the most important factors in your ability to create rapport with your prospect.

It's important to speak your prospective language. You already know how to be who you are - it takes an elegant persuader to care enough about the other person to enter their world. Everyone wears different glasses to perceive the world. Your job is to find out what glasses they are wearing and speak to your prospect about your services with their glasses on. When someone feels like you understand them, their trust level goes up significantly and they are more likely to buy.

There are three basic types of people: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. Identify which one your prospect is and enter their world. Keep in mind in different circumstances people are all three. People tend to favor one more than the others. You use both of your hands, but tend to favor one more than the other.

Selling Strategies for the Visual Person

Visual people tend to look upwards, speak rapidly and have high levels of energy. They love to look good and will usually dress to perfection. Visual people love visual information. They speak in visual terms and they want you to do likewise. They love to see the goods, not talk about them. The look of the goods is vitally important in assisting them to make a positive buying decision.

Keep this overview in mind as we present you with a picture on how to highlight your presentations to Visuals in a way that is both illuminating and compelling at the same time. Can you see what we are looking for?

For a visual prospect, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Use charts, graphs, photos, and slides. Reinforce your presentation by using the blackboard. Bring videos if you have them.

Use visual words to pace their information gathering process. Develop beautiful pictures through your language. Use phrases in summation and closing like, "Is that clear to you?," "Imagine how this will...." or "How does this look to you?"

Glance upward occasionally. If you want your customer to imagine something or think visually, you can guide them to access visually. Looking upward will enhance their ability to form lasting mental pictures.

Write things down for your visual client throughout the sales call. Write important points down as you summarize. Encourage them to take notes. When you close the sale with a visual client, write everything down so they can see the agreement.

nDressing professionally is important with any client. It is especially important with the visual client who will look for the "image" you have created with your clothes and your briefcase.

Visual clients "notice" everything. Pay attention to detail and the way things look. The package is as important as the product to Visuals.

And last, but most importantly, paint vivid and compelling pictures. The more vivid the picture, the more powerful the influence.

Selling Strategies for the Auditory Person

Auditory people tend to be more centered. Their eyes tend to move with their ears. Auditory people love auditory information. They speak in auditory terms and they want you to do likewise. They love to hear about your product, not necessarily see it. What others have said about your product is very valuable information.

Record this information in your mind so you tune in to your auditory prospect. Give them an earful of persuasion and listen to them to ask you for more. Can you hear what we are saying? Are we beginning to sing the same tune?

Use auditory words and phrases like, "Does that sound good to you?", "Are we in harmony on this?", "Shall I speak more directly about the facts and statistics?" or "This plate stamping machine is twice as quiet as the one you now have."

Quote testimonials and endorsements with your auditory clients. Auditory people think in "words" rather than feelings or pictures. They love to hear what other people have to say about your products or services.

Use your voice to hold the Auditory's attention. Change tone, volume, pitch and speech rate to verbally emphasize and enhance your sales points. Auditory prospects will pay as much attention, if not more, to how you speak as to what you say.

Tell the auditory customer lots of stories. Storytelling in sales is powerful with everyone, and it is especially important with auditory prospects.

If you have to send them some information they often will not enjoy reading a brochure, so send a cassette tape outlining benefits, features etc. Use all the verbal information you can to move the sale forward. Get audio tapes into the hands and ears of your auditory leads right away. If your company does TV or radio advertising, ask your auditory client if they have heard your latest ads.

Have frequent telephone conversations with your auditory prospects. Even a brief call will mean a great deal to them.

Summarize agreements verbally after closing, using such a phrase as : "We are speaking about (summarize details.)" Remember, the Auditory hears everything. Give them exciting and motivating words that will play in their internally driven tape player long after the sales call is through.

It is important to know that auditory people find it hard to look at you and listen to what you are saying, so give them subconscious approval for looking away, by not demanding eye contact. They need to concentrate on what they hear and that's why they look away from you. Also, don't speak too rapidly or you will lose them.

Selling Strategies for the Kinesthetic Person

Kinesthetic people are more low keyed, typically they like to look down to connect with their feelings. Kinesthetic people love kinesthetic information. They react to kinesthetic terms and they want you to do likewise. They love to touch the goods, so let them get their hands all over the product. They must absolutely feel good about their decision, so help them get in touch with their feelings.

Grasp the important points in this section as we drive home the hard hitting strategies that work long and hard in putting deals together with the Kinesthetic. When these strategies sink in and you feel good about using them to nail down transactions with the Kinesthetic, you will have reached another plateau.

Use Kinesthetic words and phrases like, "Are you comfortable with this?", "How do you feel about that?" or "Do you need a more concrete example?" Talk about common interests, sports, family and let them know you care about their feelings. They want to know that you care about them and you are their friend.

Meet face to face with Kinesthetic clients. Don't rely too much on phone calls or written communication. They crave the head to head, belly to belly feeling that only one on one communication can give. Match them: if they have their jacket off, their tie loosened, do the same. They typically like to dress comfortably.

Get the kinesthetic physically involved with your presentation. Have them mark up your brochure. Have them walk through your proposal. If you are demonstrating a product they can use, encourage them to test the product out to find how it feels. Encourage them to hold the product, use the computer, feel the car finish, touch the rock fireplace, walk around the yard, stroke the leather seats, get comfortable on the couch, etc. Make sure they are always physically comfortable. If they are not, they won't stay "with" your presentation.

Tell moving, emotionally based stories about your product and, most importantly, about the impact of your product or service on people just like them. Strongly communicate your emotional commitment to your product, to what you are selling. Then link commitment to your commitment to serving them.

Glance downwards occasionally. Kinesthetic people will intuitively pick it up and know that you are emotionally involved in your product. You can also guide them to access their feelings by glancing down and getting them to follow your lead. Typically, they are not comfortable with constant eye contact.

Kinesthetic people often like to be touched. They shake hands forever, often with the old "two-handed, let's hold this contact for a long, long time" approach. Since this is so appealing to them, an occasional pat on the back will fire off strong positive feelings. When you close the sale or come to some major commitment, shake hands on it. That gesture means a lot to a Kinesthetic person.

Your prospect wants to know that you care about them. It is very easy for a salesperson to sell their product or service based on their values. Your values are what sold you to sell your product. Your prospects values for buying may not be the same as your values. It is critical that you take the time to find out your prospects values, and what needs to happen in order for them to experience that value around your product.

Lastly, you want to attract sales, instead of chasing, selling, promoting, seducing or going after it. Attraction is when people come to you. Selling, promoting, seducing and chasing is when you go after them. When you set up your life for sales to come to you invite effortless success into your life.

How to Become An Ideal Leader In Your Business

When you are at work, do you get frustrated because things don't seem to be happening the way they’re supposed to be? You see people milling around but nothing gets accomplished. And in the daily hustle and bustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that – goals. Then maybe it's time for you to stand up and do something about it.

Most people are content just to stand around listening for orders. And it isn't unusual to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality. But maybe, somewhere inside of you, you feel the desire to make things happen – to be the head, not the tail. Then maybe leadership just suits you fine.

Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Yes, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, without practice, without drive, without enthusiasm, and without experience, there can be no true development in leadership.

You must also remember that good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment to constantly improve in whatever endeavor a person chooses.

First of all, let's define leadership. To be a leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal, or an objective. He contributes to the organization and cohesion of a group.

Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about harassing people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goal of the organization. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the big picture of the organization. You must be a leader not a boss.

You have to get people to follow you. How is this accomplished?

People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don't follow me, I'm lost too? The same holds true for leadership. If you yourself do not know where you're headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.

You yourself must know the vision of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the bosses are, who to talk to, the organization's goals and objectives, and how the organization works is the only way to show others you know what you are doing.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It's about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what your subordinates must be.

Studies have shown that one other basis of good leadership is the trust and confidence your subordinates have of you. If they trust you they will go through hell and high water for you and for the organization.

Trust and confidence is built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics.

The way you deal with your people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of your group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.

Once you have their trust and confidence, you may now proceed to communicate the goals and objectives you are to undertake.

Communication is a very important key to good leadership. Without this you can not be a good leader. The knowledge and technical expertise you have must be clearly imparted to other people.

Also, you can not be a good leader unless you have good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution.

It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success of your organization.

Leaders are not do-it-all heroes. You should not claim to know everything, and you should not rely upon your skills alone.

You should recognize and take advantage of the skills and talents your subordinates have. Only when you come to this realization will you be able to work as one cohesive unit.

Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight. Remember, also, that it is not about just you. It is about you and the people around you.

So, do you have the drive and the desire to serve required of leaders? Do you have the desire to work cooperatively with other people? Then start now. Take your stand and be a leader today.

How To Build a “Exponential Downline”

Regardless of the controversy that the term Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing brings to mind when mentioned in a conversation, the success of such an industry cannot be denied at the moment. The long existence of multitudes of MLM organizations is a wonderful indicator that network marketing is here to stay and flourish. As such, additional people are trying to join the bandwagon, building their own MLM. But, a lot of people are completely misguided or misinformed resulting in the collapse of several network marketing businesses. True that it is difficult to maintain multi-level marketing that could proliferate well, but undoubtedly there is one key component for a network marketing organization's success, and that is a duplicating downline.

Most people do not know how to build a duplicating downline, but hopefully with the tips to be presented, one may be able to gather a well generating force that almost immediately translates into a productive MLM business. Multi-level marketing certainly entails leadership, specifically when building a downline. Since building a downline is only another designation for the recruitment process, great people management skills are important in order for the downline to operate well, and thus duplicate.

A lot of people think that network marketing is a self-generating business, but if that was the case, then no MLM organization would have failed. Downlines certainly do not duplicate on their own, even if the product being marketed is perfect. The people in the downline are to be trained and mentored well or else the business would take no direction and would lastly fall flat. The person on top of the downline may be able to sign multitudes, but that does not guarantee duplication. Without a clear direction, the network would not expand towards success, but instead be paralyzed. The ones on top may easily put the blame on the ones at the bottom, but who recruited the people down there anyway' Managing a multi-level marketing organization entails a lot of generosity and selflessness.

Duplicability is after all not just the expansion of people in number, but the duplication of the success throughout all the people in the downline.  It is a sad fact in human life that a lot of people think only for themselves. The people on top could think only of their success and see the ones under as nothing but machines to propagate the success. But that cannot happen in multi-level marketing. In order for the top to succeed, the bottom should be able to succeed as well. When building a downline, one should have a mindset that allows the success to trickle downwards, and not just to remain on top.

The founder of the network marketing organization should be very conscious that what he or she was able to do, the people in the downline could do perfectly as well. There should be no secrets within the organization for the downline to duplicate.

The topline should be able to share and teach the downline the same philosophies and techniques so that the success of the top could be replicated by people in the downline.

Building a duplicating downline actually means duplicating one's self. This means that when building a downline, one does not just inform people how to sell, rather, one influences or even infects others with one whole self, well at least just the business component of one's self.

When building a downline, one has to transmit the psyche of the top to the bottom, the bottom should be able to act in the same way as the ones on top.The downline ultimately becomes one with their organizer or founder, they should be able to share the same dreams, anxieties and hopes so that the success that the ones on top experienced would be replicated by the ones on the bottom.

This speaks a lot about the recruitment process itself. True, it is hard to enlist exact copies of the founder, but one has to carefully enjoin individuals who have the capacity to act and think in the same wavelength as the recruiter.

In this light, the leader of a network marketing organization should reflect and see how the connection with the downline, or the prospective downline is. First one has to be sure if the people in the downline could relate with the leader and vice-versa. Duplication is unachievable without proper relation. Second, the leader should act in a way that is not so alienating to the downline, otherwise they might think too highly of the leader that they might assume they would never be able to be like him or her.

Again a duplicating downline should have a duplicable top. With this in mind, building duplicability can be ensured as well as the success of the business.

How to Deal With Difficult People

In business, like the rest of life, we will often encounter people who are just a little more difficult to get along with. Some use the term ‘personality conflict’ to describe the situation, yet this suggests that there is some sort of unbreakable barrier and that the problem is somewhat unfixable, since it is highly unlikely somebody is going to change their entire personality for the sake of better work relations! A far more rational solution is to change specific behaviours, rather than personality traits.

Situations with difficult employees tend to occur over time; after all it is not very common to hire someone and find them impossible to deal with after the first week. Usually it is small irritating personal habits that progress over time into larger annoying behaviours after being left unattended. In any relationship, both people influence the other's behaviour. In almost every conflict situation, both parties bear some responsibility for the way things end up.

Focusing on blame will produce no results and only irritate you further. The most proactive thing you can do in these situations is focus on what YOU can do to make things better. It doesn't matter who is at fault, if your primary concern is to rectify the situation. Try to consider your contribution in this unpleasant situation; perhaps you have just written them off as a lost cause, their own worst enemy? Now try to consider ways in which you can change this; maybe by getting more involved with them personally, making an effort to become friends.

A good idea is to approach the situation in a non- accusatory tone, preferably when you are both calm and in a private situation. Address the problems you are experiencing, once you have finished let them have their say and be sure to listen intently so they know you are truly concerned and interested. When possible, find things to agree on, and offer something in return.

If you are clearly frustrated it will show. It is important that you deal with things firmly, but nicely and without dramatics. To remain the bigger person you should retain quiet dignity, even if the other person becomes rude or nasty. No-one is suggesting you smile and turn the other cheek in the face of abuse, but if you counter-attack or react in kind, you will almost always make the situation worse.

Avoid gossip of any kind as you will start to involve other members of staff. As well as being disruptive to the organization, it will make it more difficult to fix the situation. Gossip only focuses on the worst part of a person and paints them in a very negative light. Along with being unfair, it affects your thinking and actually shortens your patience, especially when you get covert support from others.

Like every situation, prevention is better than cure, by using a combination of politeness and limit setting these situations can be completely avoided. However, sometimes the conflict becomes so polarized that you will have to go to outside sources to seek help. If the person in question is a fellow staff member, one possibility is to approach your team leader and explain the situation. Do your best not to convince your boss how ‘bad’ the other person is, it will just make you look like the problem.

At the end of the day there is generally a solution to every problem. If the situation persists and you and the person in question continue not to see eye to eye, then perhaps mediation or some other form of intervention may be necessary. In any case you must remember that there are two sides to every story, maybe you aren’t being as reasonable as you originally thought? Be open to others suggestions and opinions, and be aware of your rights and responsibilities in a conflict situation, as well as theirs.

How to Find The Trending Niches For Your Business

How many niche markets are perched right under your nose?  ...markets you've been overlooking?  Hey, take a look at the customers you have right now.  Are there any groups that stick out in your mind? Do your advertisements and sales cater to any of these groups?

When I say niche markets, if small businesses,  nurses, or homeowners come to mind... you're thinking too broadly.  Exactly what is a niche market?

Niche Markets Are:

1. Individuals within a group that you can identify by the same interests and needs.
2.  Individuals who are looking for your product.
3. Individuals you have the ability to compel to do business with you, rather than your competitor.
4. Individuals that you can easily reach
5. A group that is large enough to do the amount of business you need.
6. A group that is small enough to be overlooked by your competition.

The greatest value of niche markets is that they enable you to target your sales messages precisely.  And yes, the more narrowly you define your market, the easier it is going to be to address the needs within the niche.

How Do You Find Niche Markets?

Of course, the first place to start is with a list of the customers you already have!  Dig around.  Are there any similarities that seem to stand out to you?

Another method involves listing the benefits of your product or service.  Think about it... which prospects would benefit the most from this list of benefits?  A narrow group of people should begin to emerge.  That is your niche market.

How Do You Reach Niche Markets?

Get to know them!  First you've got to understand the language of each segment of your clientele.  Yeah, they may all be speaking English, but they have their own vocabulary and style that only an insider is privy to.  Get inside the circle...it's the only way to really gain insight to their special needs.

Insiders get the real scoop on things that outsiders never even know exist.  When your customers see you as "one of us" you'll be way ahead of the competition.  Your customers will have a loyalty toward you that your competitor will not be able to break through...even with lower prices...because you are the one who understands their needs!

Marketers are always looking for low-cost ways to boost sales volume and profits...it's in their blood...part of who they are.  They can't resist the urge to find, explore or invent another method to increase the value of their business...and most of them know that there are niche markets all around - just waiting to be discovered.

How To Make Your Network… Work!

Many job seekers are confused about networking, and therefore doubt its effectiveness. Networking is the art of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships. So, like anything else, networking requires a bit of practice and finesse, but if done correctly, networking can be an invaluable part of your job search campaign.

Here are a few tips that can help develop a network that works for you:

Be Patient

Networking doesn't happen overnight; it's a process.  Networking is not just something you can check off your job search list like "send resume." While people may want to help you, they might not be able to do so right away. Quite simply, you may not be the first item on their agenda. So, if someone agrees to meet with you but can't do so immediately, accept their offer graciously and patiently.  Never let an opportunity to meet with someone during the course of networking slip away. Always be open to meetings!

Be Authentic and Kind

When you do meet with someone resulting from your scheduling attempts, take a sincere interest in their life, not just the information or possible assistance they can offer you. Don't push people for their knowledge or connections and then abandon the relationship. Networking means fostering relationships. This objective cannot be achieved by one person constantly talking while the other person constantly gives information or time.  Relationships are built on trust and sharing over time.   Remember, one day you might be in a reverse career position; so be considerate and respectful to all you meet. Find ways to periodically reconnect with the contacts in your network to stay up to date on their lives,and let them know that you genuinely care about what is going on with them.  Also, connecting and reconnecting, take the time to let them know that their advice and counsel was heard and put to good use. Acknowledging their individual value to you and to your career.  Reinforcement of the time and advice offered by those in your network will foster gratefulness, awareness of their value to you and encourage them to continue helping you and others.

Be a Conduit

Remember, the objective of networking is…well…more networking. You should be constantly adding people to your list of contacts. Always find more contacts to meet and, in turn, become a great connector yourself! Open up your network to others. Hopefully they'll follow suit and do the same for you, keeping the cycle going. Think about those contacts who could help others in your network,then introduce them!

Be a Teacher

Keep in mind that not everyone you meet will understand what networking is or how they can help you. Many people think that the best way they can help you as a job seeker is to take your resume and pass it along to their human resources department. While their intentions are noble, their strategy won't help you and could actually wind up being counter-productive and consequently,losing you a great job. HR managers, like recruiters, are sometimes only motivated to take action on your resume if there is a current job opening within the organization that matches your skills. If a position is not available, they have no incentive to contact you and the connection is lost. Rather than giving your contacts a resume, ask them if they could introduce you to a member of their company so that you can learn more about their position, industry, and organization. This way, you'll learn more about the company, share information about yourself, and begin to build a relationship rather than ending up as just another resume lost at the bottom of the pile.

Be a Helper

Networking is all about reciprocity. No matter who you're dealing with, you should always try to give more than you receive. For example, if you have information about a particular company, industry, or educational program that would be valuable to someone in your network, share it.  By sharing you will help others and in turn, others will help you. Whether you're currently employed or job seeking is irrelevant - networking is a constant process. Obviously, you'll be more on the receiving end of your contacts' information when you're on the lookout for a new job. But that just means you need to work that much harder at giving information and sharing your network while happily employed.

If you're constantly looking for ways to help people in your network achieve their goals, they'll be much more likely to help you in return.

How To Turn Leads Into Sales

Some people in sales think a lead is a name from a list. That’s not correct. A name from a list is not a lead--it’s a suspect, a total stranger and it does not matter if they meet some criteria (e.g. age, occupation, net worth). A true lead meets your criteria AND has expressed interest in what you offer. Specifically, the lead has responded to an email, a print ad, a piece of direct mail, etc.  A true marketer and sales professional only contacts people that have first expressed interest.

Now that you have a lead, how do you turn it into a sale?

You don’t call the lead and say, “I’m following up…..” EVERY salesperson says this and the phrase has now become synonymous with “get ready for my sales pitch.”  Your lead automatically gets defensive (no one likes to be sold) and your chance of a sale is close to zero. Rather, call the lead and say “Bob, you returned a card expressing your interest in having more…..better…(fill in the blank), is that still of interest to you?” The only words that should come out of your mouth are the benefits your lead desires. Your first task is to engage your lead, not to talk about your product.

Next, you don’t say “we have” or “my company offers” as these phrases are synonymous with “get ready for my pitch.” Again, these will make your lead defensive. You do say, “I don’t know if I can help you…may I ask you a few questions about your (business/heath/investments, fill in the blank)?” You disarm the defensiveness of the prospect by stating you don’t know if you can help.

Next, you ask intelligent questions about what’s important to HIM. The best thing you can do here is forget about the features and benefits of your product because your lead does not care. He cares only about what’s important to him. So to really listen, you need to forget your spiel. As your prospect reveals answers to your questions, you ask deeper questions to reveal their emotional desires. Questions like:

Why is that important to you?

If you could have that, how would it impact you?

If you don’t solve that, what’s the long term cost to you?

How does that make you feel?

Are you satisfied with that?

Since people buy emotionally, you must get them to reveal what motivates them emotionally. Until you do, do not proceed to your next step (to set an appointment, ask for the credit card, close the deal) as you will fail. Too many sellers ask for the order too early and they get objections. First, get your prospect to reveal what motivates him emotionally and then you ask if he would be interested in a solution to that problem/opportunity. Only when he says yes, do you proceed to the next step.

“Bob, if there were a solution to that problem, what would that be worth to you? So if you could have the solution for only 10% of that amount, you would want to know about it? Great, then (set an appointment, ask for the credit card, close the deal).”

I know that sellers tell me they are client focused or customer focused but it’s not true. They are product focused and my-agenda focused. If your personal mission or company mission is to really help someone, then it becomes easy to turn leads into sales. Because your objective changes from “getting” people to buy your product to “finding” people who want what your product offers. You can only determine that by asking questions. And when you encounter someone that does not have an interest in your product, you move on.

The key to turning a lead into a sale is to leave your agenda to the end of the conversation and get your lead to reveal his emotional agenda first. Then you have the relatively simple process of showing your prospect how your product fits his agenda (rather than convincing the prospect why they should have interest in your agenda).

How Well Do You Know Them?

It is often said that it is not who you know that matters, it is who knows you. Well I would like to extend this statement by saying that it is not only who you know and who knows you, but how well do you know them and they you?

In business, networking is the ultimate form of promotion. It can help you to obtain new clients, a new job, or even help you to move up the corporate ladder. It is the process of building relationships. Any time that you attend a meeting, trade show, or a social function, you are networking whether you realize it or not. It is the relationship that you have with people, a prospect or a client that makes the difference between success and failure.

Often we fail to realize the reasons that we have for doing business with an individual or a company. In the case of products that we regularly buy, what helps us to make the buying decision? There are those that will buy a specific brand of product because they trust that brand to be of a high quality or durability. There are others that will make a buying decision based on price, although this is less frequently the case. Often we simply do business because we feel good about it. In fact most purchases or decisions to do business are based on two things. Trust and comfort. Trust is a very intangible emotion or feeling. How do you measure it? How do you develop it?

Trust is measured by the feelings that are generated by a process of letting someone get to know more about you than just product, features and price. I know a gentleman who provides a seminar on selling to C-level executives. He says that to sell to the C-level executive you have to be more than a salesperson selling a product or service. To sell to the executive level, you have to be more of an advisor. You have to find needs other than the ones that you can fulfill and help them to fulfill these needs. In doing this, you become a "trusted advisor". They feel "comfortable" that you have their interests in mind more than just making a quick sale and a commission.

In our daily process of seeking prospective clients, do we often just look for a person to pitch, or do we spend a bit more time getting to know them before we try to sell?

When we take the time to know a person's desires, dreams, and needs, and make an honest effort to help them realize that these things are important to us, we are really on the fast track to doing business with them. We are building the trust, confidence, comfort level, and most importantly the relationship that is needed to not only make the sale, but to create in them a resource for endless referrals.

As we go into the community meeting people who are prospective clients, we should keep the following in mind. The customer is a person just like me. The customer has needs other than the one that I can fulfill. Until I understand what the ultimate goal or dream of the prospect is, I cannot fulfill it with my product or service. Selling and networking are about relationships. You sell in everything that you do whether you realize it or not. The time is now for more effective selling. Change the way you think about the prospect and the prospect will change the way that they think about you.

Your Mindset vs. Mind Set?

If you go to the dictionary, you will find a long list of definitions for mindset, mind, and set. Interestingly they all come before success!  Mind-set (noun) beliefs that affect somebody's attitude - a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determine somebody's behavior and outlook Mind (noun) seat of thought and memory - the center of consciousness that generates thoughts, feelings, ideas, and perceptions and stores knowledge and memories Set (verb) focus on something - transitive verb to focus on a goal or task - had set his mind on it. This is not a grammar lesson, and maybe it doesn't matter how you spell your mindset. What does matter is you need to better understand what it is if you wish to be successful. There I spelled it with one word. I'll continue to spell it with one word; you can use two if you wish. The spelling is less important than the understanding of just how critical your mindset is to you, especially if you are in a highly competitive environment like sales, sports or business.

Go back and read the definition of mindset again. "A way of thinking that determines somebody's behavior and outlook."  Every day we have choices to make. Life is all about choices. We choose between right and wrong, good and evil. Being positive or negative.

Think about the impact of mindset. Say you awake and tell yourself, "Am I ever tired this morning, this is going to be one very long day." Where do you think your energy level is going to be? Let's wake up and say to yourself, "This is going to be a great day. I can't wait to get to it."  How many dragons do you think you could slay? How we think subconsciously impacts our conscious behaviors. Psychologists call the study of this phenomenon, cognitive behavioral science. It truly is fascinating. It has been proven repeatedly that our internal self-talk determines our attitude, disposition and actions. Think about the person who has said for years, "I'm great with faces but terrible with names." Repeating this over and over do you wonder if the mind has taken it as fact and only concentrated on facial recognition, totally ignoring the name, as you have convinced the mind the name isn't important.  The good news is we can change how we think. We can retrain the mind. Like so much in life, it won't happen overnight; however, it is much easier than you might think. The key is to consciously catch your negative thoughts. In our example with names, if the person caught himself or herself saying they were not good with names and began having their inner voice say, "I'm getting better at remembering names, I just have to concentrate." Then use whatever trick works for you, name association, using the person's name in conversation right away to focus on it, whatever.

How often have you heard world-class athletes comment how they visualize winning their race or event? Their "mental coach" has become as important as their "performance coach" in their training and conditioning. 

If you work in the sales arena, you probably know some top sales professionals who appear to always be "up". They are optimistic, have an organized mind and success just seems to come to them. They have learned, usually from experience, or a mentor, that a person who is an effective thinker is more successful. By effective thinker, I mean someone who controls and leverages his or her inner voice.  This person understands the power of visualizing success, of believing in themselves, and believing in their clients. Their positive self-talk enables them, it doesn't distract them.

I would encourage you, regardless of occupation, to learn more about the power of effective thinking.  Do a Google search on Dr. Clayton Lafferty, Dr. David McClelland and Dr. Henry Murray who have all been key contributors to better understating the impact of mindset.

Just Network and Watch Your Business Grow (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

When it comes to the topic of how best to grow your online business, there is plenty of conflicting information on the internet.  Why?  Because everybody wants to make a dollar!  Everybody has a program to sell, but few really offer a genuine program that helps YOU sell.  What they offer is THEIR formula, not YOUR solution.  “It worked for me”, they’ll say.  Then, when it doesn’t work for you, they expect you to shoulder the blame.  “Well, you didn’t do this right”, or “You didn’t follow the formula”.  I don’t have time for those people.  Here’s a fact: You already have the resources you need.  You do not need to buy into anybody else’s program.  For that matter, you don’t even need to buy into mine.  All you really need to do is remember one simple word, “network”.  Just network.  Here are a few ideas to help bring it into focus.

Make Friends, Not Business Partners

This may seem contradictory to what you’ve learned or what you believe, but I’ve found the best people to do business with are the people who have earned my trust, my friends.  I do not do business with those who assume I should just trust them.  I’m sorry, but they’ve not earned my trust, and my trust can not be bought.  Make friends, and do business with your friends.  This is one reason why I refuse to throw my website on auto-pilot.  I want people to know that there is actually another living, breathing person on the other end, and I want to be accessible to those people who choose to do business with me.

Wish Others Success

When you truly wish others success, you are attracting success. I truly do wish success to those I choose to do business with, because I choose to do business with those who would wish me the same success.  I do business with friends. Then, help your friends succeed.  Trade banners, trade links, and really get into the business of promoting each other.  Contribute to each other’s newsletter.  Do what is right and good for both, and don’t be afraid to take chances.  Try something new.

Search For New Opportunities

Look for additional streams of revenue.  Find opportunities that do not take you away from your business, but enhance your business.  Affiliate programs, drop ship programs, joint ventures, and even MLMs can provide that stream of revenue.  But, at the same time, be aware.  Be careful.  But be willing to follow your instinct.  Just remember to make friends, not business partners.

Marketing Effectively to More Than One Audience

What's a small business owner to do if they have more than one audience to market to? Perhaps they need to attract clients but they also need to recruit business partners or vendors. Do they need two marketing plans or can they use one plan that tries to address both aspects?

This is a great question that applies to many different types of businesses who find they need to market to more than one group of people. You only need one marketing plan. However, you will have two different target audiences within that plan and you’ll need to have a marketing strategy for EACH of these audiences.

The reason you'll need separate strategies and marketing activities to go with those strategies is because you will be talking to two very different audiences. And it will be important for you to speak and market to them based on what is important to them.

A message that works with one group may not hit home with the other. This will in large part depend on how similar or different these groups of people are. Your first task is to learn as much as you possibly can about each group. What problems do they each have that you can solve?

Make sure you can answer the following 10 questions about both groups of people:

1. Who are they?

2. Where do they live ... work ... play?

3. What problem do they have that you can solve?

4. How does your product or service fit into their life?

5. What else do they buy in your product or service category?

6. Where do they get information regarding your product/service?

7. What is most important to them?

8. What are they most afraid of?

9. What is their emotional connection to your product/service?
10. How will they rationalize purchasing your product/service?

Marketing Strategies: 3 Mistakes To Watch Out For When Asked, "So What Do You Do?"

So you’re standing in line in the supermarket, or you’re in an elevator, or you’re at a party, or you’re in a networking group. Sooner or later, someone is going to say to you, “So what do you do?”. This is what you want, free publicity so to speak. However, how you handle this question could determine whether this person becomes a prospective client, a prospective referral source or just walks away.

This article exposes the 3 mistakes you could be making and why they don’t work. Then you’ll discover the ideal answer and understand why it’s important to use it.

Here are 3 common answers:

1. You Say too Little

You say something like, my name is Jane Doe and I’m with _______________________ Real Estate Company. And then you smile hoping the other person will ask you a question. Probably they won’t. This is a mistake because you have made a short statement that doesn’t engage the other person’s attention. It doesn’t invite questioning. The other person may politely say what they do to fill in the awkward silence or they may excuse themselves in some socially graceful way.

2. You Say too Much and Ask for Business

You say something like , “My name is Jane Doe. I work for ____________________________Real Estate Company and I specialize in country homes. I love the country and I love to show country property. It feels so good to get outdoors, breathe the fresh air and help someone find a home they love in the country. So who do you know who is seeking to buy or sell a country home?”.

This is a mistake because you said too much about yourself, you did not ask a question that would engage the other person’s attention and it’s way too early to ask for the business. You should be cultivating a relationship with that person. Remember, people do business with you when they know, like and trust you. With someone you just met, you’re still in the “getting to know each other stage.” The most you should ask for is their business card and give them yours. If you have a connection with that person and would like to contact them in the future, you might consider adding them to your Sphere of Influence and sending them an Item of Value once a month.

3. You Talk Too Long About Yourself and Career

I know this may sound hard to believe but you’d be amazed at the things people say when they are nervous and trying to make small talk. So someone says, “So what do you do?” and you answer, “My name is Jane Doe and I’m with ___________________________ Real Estate Company. I have been with them for 5 years. It’s a great company. All the people there are so friendly and helpful. I am so glad I chose real estate. I love the flexible hours and the income potential. This really beats my corporate job and...”.

This is a mistake because it’s “all about you”. Not only that but the only things you’re promoting here are (1) The nice atmosphere of your office and (2) what a great career real estate is . If you keep going you might talk the other person into becoming a real estate agent but they won’t be a prospective client or referral source.

So, what should you say?

When the other person, asks , “So what do you do?” , you need to ask them a question to engage them. The question is , “Well, you know when people are buying or selling a home how nervous and stressed out they can get?” Pause and let the other person respond with a “yes”. Then you say, “Well I take care of all the details and paperwork, I hold their hand through the process and make the whole thing a relaxing, enjoyable experience for my client. My name is Jane Doe, and I’m a real estate agent with _______________________company".

Now, what do you think you’d feel or think if you heard that? Most likely you’d want to do business with that person. Why? There are 3 reasons:

1. They didn’t talk about themselves.

2. They showed that they have a thorough understanding of the issues and problems people face when buying or selling a home.

3. They provided specific solutions to the client’s problems.

When you give this kind of answer there are a lot of benefits. Can you guess what they are? The other person will be genuinely interested because you’ve engaged them. The other person will begin to trust you because you put the client’s needs before your own. Finally, you answered in a unique way and that sets you apart from the crowd. So the next time the person has a real estate question, they are going to call you because you have demonstrated that you care.

With those kinds of benefits, wouldn't you want to use this answer, memorize every word and have it roll off your tongue the next time someone says, “So what do you do?” You bet you would. Just watch your income increase.

Marketing Success – How to Get Over That First Hill and Start Making Real Money!

If you’re like a lot of newbie marketers you have heaps of great marketing ideas all the time. Problem is they just seem to fade into nothing without you ever doing a thing about them, Am I right? After a week you have forgotten all about that great new idea or you have that lingering annoying thought in your mind that you have let another great idea turn into nothing.

I mean, who knows if they’re actually great ideas to start with, but the problem is you will never know. Here are a few tips that will help you get over that hill and finally start putting your ideas into action.

Procrastination: This is the number one problem - Putting things off. You NEED a plan and some kind of time management system in place. Prioritize your tasks and keep lists of everything that needs doing. Don’t get too technical with this. You don’t need the latest software just to manage yourself. Trying using post-its or a simple exercise book. And no matter how much you don't feel like doing something, just get it out of the way and NEVER leave it until the next day!

Doing It Alone: You can do it alone but it is harder, and without support you are more likely to fail. It doesn't have to be much. On-line forums, for example, are an amazing source of ideas and encouragement. And with other people, like starting your own affiliate program you can really leverage your efforts and do FAR MORE than you could ever do on your own.

Be Ambitious: You won't know unless you try. Assume you can do *anything* - because you can! You may not be ready to do it yet, but don't set up mental blocks in advance. You can create your own profitable items, sell them well, and have others selling them for you. You can operate a range of websites, even host seminars, or teach others. YOU CAN.

Wasting Money: This one is important. Especially if you don't have money to burn! Don't get caught up jumping from opportunity to opportunity or buying everything that comes into your inbox. You'll be surprised how much you can get for free. Trust me - you don't need half the stuff you see online. Try to control your emotions and think before you buy. Write a list of pros and cons, and make sure that the product or service is essential to YOU.

Marketing Secrets That Increase Your Sales

Marketing is the most important factor to increase your sales. From my experience, I always follow specific methods to increase my sales. If you are struggling to increase your sales, follow these methods!

Train your employees as a team instead of just individuals. Everyone must do their job in order for others to do theirs.

Make people feel like it's their idea to buy, they will be less hesitant. Tell them in your ad "You're making a smart decision for buying our product".

Promote yourself as well as your products. Write articles, ebooks, reports, etc. When you endorse products, people will think your statement is credible.

Show your prospects a group of testimonials that stand up for your product. People are more likely to agree with a group than have a different opinion.

Maximize your advertising budget and don't go broke like the big web sites. All you need is a small group of loyal customers to sell back end products.

Sell to the people that join your affiliate program. They are more likely to buy your products because they are interested in selling them for commission.

Offer a deluxe product or service as an up-sell or back end product. You won't have to create a totally new product just add on to your main one.

Tell people what they're thinking and feeling as they read your ad. Most people will actually do it. Your statements should help sell your product.

Make your product offer very rare. People perceive things that are rare as being more valuable. You could use a limited time offer or free bonuses.

MLM Business Mistakes to Avoid

For the many people new to the MLM business, or for veterans who have yet to realize success in the industry, recognizing and correcting four detrimental yet commonly made mistakes can make all the difference.  Today, we will look at some of the mistakes many in the MLM business make and what you can do about them.

1. The first mistake practically everyone makes in this industry is trying to sell. We are in the teaching and mentoring business. If we are doing this right, we are building relationships, not trying to get people into our deals. People can feel the difference when you’re talking to them and trying to sell them. They don’t like it. Neither do you! You don’t like to be sold, and you don’t like the feeling you get when you’re trying to sell something. It doesn’t sit right deep down inside. So stop it! Build relationships, and success will follow. That is key!

2. Not checking the background of your company leadership to make sure that they have MLM experience, with integrity, is another mistake. Why does this matter, you ask? Well, do you want to build this once, build it big, and build it for your children’s children? Then you better make sure that the people running it know what they’re doing and respect the guys and gals in the field who are building it. The best way to do this is to read your company’s policies and procedures. Some of the things you will find there will make you scream! When you read them, you’ll realize who you are really building the business for and it’s not you! Please, please, read the policies and procedures!

3. Not knowing how many people it takes to earn the income you want is a huge blunder. Do you want to make $10,000 every month? Okay, then how many people in your organization does it take, on the back end, to make your goal? How doable is that? Are you having trouble just keeping 10, 20, or 30?

In most comp plans to make $10,000 a month, you need anywhere from 1,600 to 5,000 people, depending on how your plan is set up. How doable is that when you can’t even keep 30? I know of a comp plan out there that requires less than 400 people to make $10,000 monthly. How much easier do you think it is to keep people in that plan?  Pretty easy, I’d say. So make sure you know the numbers, then crunch them to see how doable it is for you.

4. The final mistake that many MLM distributors make is going after their friends and families. Unfortunately, a large majority of companies out there employ this “technique” as their primary source of lead generation. Ouch! Let me just tell you from personal experience that your “warm market” is the coldest out there! If you’re in a company where this is the primary source of lead generation, you are in for a hard time, my friend! This technique does not work. The best leads are the ones you generate yourself, and if your company, team, or upline doesn’t have a system in place to do that, it’s going to be very tough.

These are just a few of the mistakes many people make in a MLM business, but with some basic skills and a good system in place, these mistakes are avoidable. If you are having difficulties, take a good look at these mistakes and see if you’re not making one of them in your own MLM business.

MLM/ Network Marketing - What Is It?!

Multi Level marketing, or MLM, is a structure that is in place for promoting and selling goods or services with the help of a net of distributors.

Multi Level marketing programs function with a special emphasis on recruitment. Individuals become a distributor, via another distributor or occasionally through a publicized meeting. One of the attractive features of MLM network marketing is if an individual becomes a distributor with an MLM company, he or she will net money through the sales of products and by enrolling other distributors. They will pocket a part of the income generated by the distributors.

The distributors enlisted by an individual are called "the downline," while the distributor that initially recruited the particular individual is called "the upline". Often the distributors render assistance and training to an individual while initiating them into the network.

Multilevel or "network" marketing strategies are aimed at selling legitimate goods or services through distributors. However, a disturbing trend has emerged known as illegal pyramid schemes. In pyramids, commissions are centered on the number of distributors recruited. Most of the product sales are available to these distributors and not to consumers in general. The core goods and services range from medicines to sophisticated gadgets. Joining a pyramid is risky because the vast majority of participants lose money to pay for the rewards of a fortunate few. Most people have little to cheer about except the costly products or marketing materials they purchased.

Network Marketing The Organic Way

Network marketing is, or should be, organic by definition.  After all, it comes about as a natural product, or byproduct, of normal actions of you, the network marketer.  Like most things organic, it might benefit a little from some planting, fertilizing and removal of parasites.

A genuine "network marketer" is concentrating more on the network than the marketing side of the equation.  Many of the sales made by network marketers come more often from the trust and relationship the buyer has with the marketer rather than from the perceived qualities of the product itself.  Make no mistake here, a good product at a reasonable price can influence a lot of potential buyers, but the trust in the seller will have a lot more to do with success, all other things being equal.

This brings up a point for those interested in getting into a network marketing program, but who are afraid of having to "sell" things.  If done properly, the major "job" of the network marketer is to continually expand their circle of friends and acquaintances.  It's a rough life, isn't it?

Another point to remember is that many internet business opportunities and internet marketing techniques adapt themselves quite easily to the network marketing model.  The main difference is the network is built in cyberspace and you may never see a single customer.

HOW TO BUILD A NETWORK

There are many places and activities that are good for building your network, but there are a couple of steps you might want to take first.

1. Prepare yourself:  At first, there are going to be two strong tendencies on your part.  One is to throw up your hands and quit at the first question or contact, the other is going to be the desire to make every meeting into a sale.  Both of these will probably be influenced primarily by ignorance.  If you don't know what you are talking about, you will either avoid the topic completely, or babble idiotically.

You should definitely be as familiar as possible with your company, its history, its place in the business community, the products you sell, prices, return policies, and the business opportunity itself, in the case of a multi-level-marketing business. You don't have to have every figure or statistic immediately at hand, that's what brochures, websites, and lunch dates are for, but you should be able to present a rational overview without consternation.

2. Prepare your tools:  It doesn't hurt to have some brochures in your pocket or purse, but the biggest single physical network marketing tool you will need for building your business and your network is the simple business card.  Always have plenty of these with you and hand them out liberally.  They should be simple and unobtrusive but should give the prospect all they need to get in touch with you.  They should NOT be sales pitches, although they can contain the name of your business and/or a quick overview of your business.  For example:  Bob's Mowing - Complete Landscaping and Lawn Care.  It is also a plus to include a website and email, particularly if they contain information about your business:  bobrobertslandscaping.com, email bob@bobrobertslandscaping.com.  That website did not exist when I wrote this, by the way, so if you are Bob Roberts and are in landscaping, go for it!

WHERE TO BUILD YOUR NETWORK

Your network will be mainly built from two groups, professional contacts and social contacts.  I view professional contacts as two groups, although there might be some overlap or blurring between the two.  I refer to connected and non-connected professionals.

YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

Connected professionals are the people you work with or come in contact with as a result of your "real" business if you are just getting started in network marketing.  You have to be careful here as you can alienate someone you need for your regular business, or you might create a conflict or overstep a boundary.  Just as one example, many companies frown on soliciting and might consider even talking about your network business as grounds for censure or even firing.

Non-connected professionals are those such as property managers, real estate agents, car sales people, and others who may already have a rich network of contacts, who may have some sales experience or expertise, and who might be interested in your opportunity if not your product.  I won't call these people "fair game", but you certainly do have a little more latitude in contacting them and explaining your business, and having them join you could be quite a boost.

YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK

You may already have a broad network of social contacts, but here are a few suggestions of what you can do to broaden this network.

1. Public places and events:  You can frequent malls, fairs, coffee shops, sidewalk sales, garage sales, and other group functions...all in the interest of broadening your reach.  Stay away from selling.  Talk of generalities or the weather, or who won the game last night, but have your cards ready and know what you are going to say when the moment arrives.  A lady asked me about a wrap I had on my wrist the other day, and I jokingly replied that it was an occupational hazard.  I spent so much time making money on my computer that I must have gotten carpal tunnel syndrome.  Trust me, after that, she was more interested in the money she could make than possible damage to her arm.  By the way, I switched to an ergonomic keyboard and mouse along with a better chair and it cleared up.

2. Clubs and organizations:  While many of these are targeted groups with agendas of their own, there are a great many opportunities to network with the membership, and they are a great way to expand your own group of contacts.  You can also sometimes get some great help in other ways as well.  More than one person, including myself, has gotten a good job through social contact, or a good price on furniture.

3. Speaking engagements:  If you are knowledgeable on a subject related to your business, you can provide free workshops, classes, or talks on that subject.  Don't think it works?  I once watched a woman who sold self-defense items such as pepper spray, whistles, and books, sell over 200 items after giving a 45 minute talk on protecting yourself.

4. Business lunches or seminars:  Here's an opportunity to mingle with like minded people who might be interested in what you have to offer.  It's a great time to exchange cards and practice your "what do you do for a living?" response.  By the way, there is a website called MeetUp.com.  You can go there and sign up to join or start groups of people in your area who share your interests.  Two weeks from today, I am going to participate in a seminar on search engine optimization.  The audience will include a lot of people who will be interested in internet marketing...a topic I know a little about.  I wonder if I can give them a card?

There are many other situations such as PTA meetings, weddings, and even church functions which become great network marketing opportunities when you leave the selling at home and concentrate on making friends and acquaintances.

Network Marketing - Why Is It So Great?

If you've ever heard of Network Marketing, you've probably heard it said that it is essentially a people's business. Some have also labeled it a people's franchise because of the similarities between the business models of network marketing and franchising. Advocates of the industry name it as the ultimate people's business and say there is nothing quite like it. People that are in network marketing will immediately respond positively to this.

One of the unique characteristics of the network marketing type of business is that every individual distributor is in business for themselves but never by themselves. They will always be part of a larger organization and the compensation models are designed in such a way that every person can count on some form of support from their upline.

It is no secret that fortunes can be made in this type of business and many have done just that. Of course this is not the majority of network marketers, but every individual distributor does have the same chances. Success or failure in network marketing is not dictated by politics, race, age, background or gender, but always by results. In that respect it is probably also the fairest business model in the world.

For many people however the true value of their home based business is not directly in the financial return. The lessons a person can learn while building his or her own network marketing business are truly priceless. Many people are totally transformed through the personal growth they experience as a direct result of their challenges in their MLM businesses. It forced them to get out of their comfort zones, grow, and in many cases become a better person.

So what is so unique about network marketing in this respect? Doesn't every entrepreneur have to deal with challenges? The answer of course is: Yes, they do. And they also experience personal growth as a result of this. However there is a significant difference. Most entrepreneurs are self made and many of them learned their trade largely outside of formal education. Either they were taught by a family member, a mentor or perhaps they learned everything the hard way: by trial and error. Very rarely will you find an entrepreneur that has an extensive library of books and tapes on personal development. Most businesspeople don't attend seminars and motivational training. They think it's all a bunch of hype. While in some cases this can be true, there are many training and seminars that teach the principles of success better than any textbook found in business schools.

One of the great things about network marketing is that this type of education is built into the training systems of all good companies. There is no business on the face of the earth that places such a strong and direct emphasis on the importance of personal development as the network marketing industry. Many companies might argue that they spend a great deal of their budget on education; training employees and as such assisting them in personal development but in most cases what they are actually talking about is personnel development. Although the words are almost identical, their meanings are vastly different.

Network marketing is all about building people. It is probably the best school on the planet if you want to learn about what it takes to be successful in life and you don't need rich parents or some kind of scholarship to enroll.

Network Marketing For Positive Thinkers With Realistic Goals

The world of Network Marketing has been around for more than 50 years and started with entrepreneurial innovation that most referred to at the time as dreaming.  But, as Walt Disney Studios can attest, dreaming, a little talent and a lot of courage can make those dreamers into revolutionaries and geniuses in a world bleak with skeptic “reality” concepts.

Network Business Affiliates are professionals who truly believe in their dreams as much as they believe in their products, and thus sell honestly what they really believe in.  Positive thinkers are the secret elite that make sales marketing the big success that it is. Positive thinkers have emotional motivation that springs from personal goals that are powerful and unwavering.  In short, positive thinkers are inspired to sell because they not only like what they sell; they need to sell, in order to be complete. This emphasizes the most important aspect of network business marketing; it is grounded in realistic goals.  Everyone can see problems and criticize their own personal problems, but how many people can change the word “problem” into the word “challenge?” Having realistic goals means looking at the world in such a way that nothing can stop you.  In the world of sales, unless you have that outlook on life, defeat becomes imminent.  The point is to never give up and always keep focus.

To those who sell, success is the only important goal, but success, if it is structured properly, uses the way we think about getting there as the key to unlocking our deepest dreams into a real world of personal fulfillment. Dreamers are just like everyone else.  Walt Disney classified his creative teams into three different kinds of people:  dreamers, realists and critics. Whichever one of these three types of people was missing in a creative team, Disney would take up himself, like a role play.  This administrative technique made Disney what it is today, and just goes to show how important dreamers really are. Without the dreamer, nothing could essentially be created with any level of spectacular quality.  And that is the essential key issue to Network Marketing Online.  What do you possess, be it a product or speech, that is spectacular? People have heard and essentially seen the same old speech 1,001 times and it is not getting any better, so what is it that you can say, that people will stop and go: “What?”… “Oh wow!”.  Only dreamers can do that. Only they possess the critical skill to create something so dynamic and interactively universal, that it grabs the attention of a potential client like some polemic issue from the news.

Online network business affiliates don’t need to be sensationalist-like news reporters.  They just have to be inside their potential client’s reality long enough to get their attention in a way that no one else ever has. As the market of online gaming grows, astronomically in fact, that seems to be getting more and more challenging.  This is why there is a niche in marketing for the dreamer.

Do dreamers really create new and miraculous concepts, strategies, ideas and things that have never existed?  Not really, what they do is “re-manage” already existing ones with a “twist” of human subjectivity. Network business affiliates that go above and beyond what already exists do so with that very twist of human subjectivity that is as easy as closing one’s eyes, breathing deeply enough to focus on just “one thing” and then letting go. That is how Thomas Edison invented the light bulb and that is the strategy that makes online network business really work.  “It just came to me,” Edison said, and that is what successful marketers do in order to overachieve online, they just let it come to them, and it does. 

Emotional motivation is the key to making sure that a home business is successful.

Without emotional motivation, that is, personal reasons why a person should be selling, keep on selling with more and more reasons that build self-esteem and create self-confidence, things can start to get bleak. Emotional motivation is everything.  So what builds that kind of motivation?  Positive thinking. Those who think positively are always set for the best.  They have their minds set on success without even having to work on it. All a positive thinker needs to do is make a goal and go for it.  But how do they do it?  Things just can’t be peaches and strawberries 24 hours a day, seven days a week!  Or can they?

Most people who have a distinct positive outlook on life are those who tend to be somewhat spiritual in the way they look at the big questions in life, or maybe not, maybe they are just upbeat with life in that they have some personal reasons that make them happy-campers all the time, 24/7. But the truth is, taking life’s so-called bummers and turning them into promising and exciting challenges is not as easy for some people who just tend to wallow around in the muck. Positive thinking means orientating your language patterns and, consequently, your thought patterns into the same thing as before, but with a point of view that is certainly exciting and empowering.

As an example of positive thinking, take a look at the word “problem” then the word “challenge” which one is more empowering? The inspiration to sell comes from dynamic and motivating language that can never be kept down. Empowering ways of talking and thinking are the first and most critical steps to home business networking, because all the motivation comes from inside your own person. Personal empowerment is the fountain of inspiration from which the muses leap to our beckon call and from which the very inspiration to sell is born.

Success is the goal, thinking is the key.  Within that realm lies the reality of online business networking that works.

Network Marketing Training - Arming Your New Distributors for Success

“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing them.”

- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Scene i (58-90)

Hamlet may not have been talking about network marketing, but his words do apply. Almost every network marketer has experienced the “slings and arrows” of the naysayers, those often well-meaning friends and relatives that stand in the way of our making an “outrageous fortune!” Experienced network marketers, clothed in the armor of past success, are less vulnerable to outside influences. The new distributor, however, is vulnerable, and that “sea of troubles” can act as a barrier to reaching their true potential.

What did the knights of old do to prevent an injury? That’s right – they armed themselves. Their armor was heavy and cumbersome, and they needed a squire to help them prepare for battle. Well, the same is true for your new distributors. While the armor they must use is less cumbersome than that of the knights, you must help them arm themselves for success. In other words, you must be their squire.

What do I mean by “arming for success?” When a new distributor joins your network marketing organization, they are moving into an environment that demands strong armor. There are a lot of “slings and arrows” that can hurt their chances for success and create a sea of troubles -- of doubt, disbelief, even failure. Most people in this world are afraid to experience success. They are held back by negative thinking, and consequently suffer the pain of mediocrity. Because they have not been armed for success, and are more focused on security and survival, they subject themselves to a life of servitude and poverty and being someone else’s employee. Arm your new distributors from negative thinking and potential disaster. How? By understanding why so many people are negative about network marketing and the prospects of the success it can bring.

Let’s face it. There are a lot of people out there that do not want you to become successful. When you are successful, you point out the lack of success in their lives. When you take away any excuses they’ve been hanging onto and you force them to look at their lives as they really are, it makes them very uncomfortable. You’ve heard of the expression “Misery loves company.” Well, it’s true.

Leaders help others. If you are going to be successful in network marketing, you must arm your new distributors against people who will try to convince them their business won't work.  Show your downline you want them to be successful. Encourage them. Show them how the most successful network marketers have achieved their success, and teach them to model those attitudes, habits, and actions. Remind your distributors that they are the CEO of their lives. Arm them with the power of positive thinking so they don’t let others live their lives for them with their negative attitudes. To paraphrase Hamlet, by opposing negative thoughts, we end them.

Networking Is More Than Just Handing Out Business Cards

At a Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange several years ago a well-dressed woman walked up to me, business card in hand and, in perfect form, held it in both hands in front of me, gesturing for me to take it. I took the card from her and smiled. She looked up and in a polite voice, said "Thank you," and walked away. How sad. Here was this obviously well-intentioned woman, who most likely owned an interesting business but never learned what to do at a card exchange. Somewhere she bought into the idea that you were supposed to hand out as many business cards in as little time as possible. Clearly, this does nothing but waste business cards. Great for card businesses, not so great for yours.

The other extreme is the person who spends the entire time at a card exchange talking to the same individual, sometimes even people from their own company. Again, this is quite unproductive. The purpose of a business card exchange is to get to meet new people in a pleasant atmosphere. Businesses run on relationships. I’ve always felt that everything that we do is about personal relationships and a business just gives us a playing field on which to do it.

Following that theme, growing your business is about developing and nurturing relationships and card exchanges and similar networking events are really the starting point to begin what will hopefully become a mutually rewarding relationship. Since your time is limited, it is a good idea to spend only a short time speaking with people, especially those you already know. If you feel a resonance with someone you’re talking with, make arrangements to follow-up your connection at a later date and move on to meet someone else. I’m sure the shy looking person in the corner, who is probably there for the very first time, has something interesting to say. Why not go over and extend your hand.

The other big faux paus I see over and over again are the people who approach the networking meeting with a "me, me, me" attitude. A better approach is to learn about the other person first. You then have the option of explaining how what you do might be of interest to them. This establishes a stronger platform for communications. There are better ways to network and meet prospective business contacts. For openers, (no pun intended) people are more responsive if you first show some interest in them and what they do. There is an old cliché that says we have one mouth and two ears for a reason. If you listen more than you talk, you will automatically find people more interested in talking with you and being around you.

Get curious. Become interested in other people and what makes them tick. Really care about the other person. If you take the time to investigate, you will find that even those people who appear quite ordinary have a story to tell. If you show an interest in them and their lives, you will not only increase your chances of doing business with them but you may gain a friend as well.

How do you do that? When you do introduce yourself, do so in a way that states the benefit of doing business with you. Saying "Hi, my name is Mary and I sell insurance" is not very exciting. However, if you were to say, "My name is Mary and I help people prepare for the uncertainty that may be in their future." This causes the other person, if they are at all curious, to ask, "How do you do that?" At this point, you have opened the door for a further explanation or "commercial" for your business. You can go on to explain the benefits of your products and services.

Network While Traveling

Networking is more than just putting your business name out there for people to find you, but it is also a part of getting to know people, who are going to spread the word about what you do, what you sell, and that are going to support you in all that you do. Networking is going to involve getting to know as many people in life as you can, and putting your business in front of those people, so they will represent your name, your business, and will tell others about what you have to offer.

If your business requires that you travel often, or perhaps you travel often to find supplies, visit relatives or just because you like it. You should make it a point to get to know those who you are sitting beside, those who are surrounding you on the plane, even those who are sitting on the bench while waiting in the airport. Make it a point to meet and greet at least one new person a day.

How are you going to get started on this?

Start the conversation by saying hello, how are you today?

Ask questions. The best way to get to know someone is to ask questions. Without asking questions, it can be difficult to carry on a conversation. Asking questions is a good icebreaker, in turn, the person is going to want to talk about themselves, and where they are traveling too. You can then lead into something like, is this business trip or a personal trip? As you go on with the conversation, the person is going to ask you questions, which is where you will be able to talk about your business and what you do.

As you make it a point to get to know at least one new person a day- you are going to increase your network, which means you will increase the people that you know in life. Increasing your business network is going to be dependent on your abilities to carry on a conversation and to talk with others. Force yourself to do this. Force yourself to stick to your habit of meeting at least one new person a day. As you make this a point, you will make this a habit and in the long run, your business will thrive for it.

Networking Your Way To Success

Forums, groups, boards, and loops; they’re all synonymous for online locations facilitating online networking. Some are entirely public, where everyone and anyone can click to the URL, read the messages and if they have no interest in contributing, they can just lurk. Some require active participation and others require registration before members can participate. These online forums, groups, boards or loops are different from paid membership sites in that there is no cost to network at these websites.

Some are active, some are sleepy. Some are strictly for online business related topics; some allow more OT (Off Topics) and social interaction. There are forums for every imaginable topic: Entrepreneurs, International online business, Health related fields, Technology, Copywriters, Web Designers, Work at Home Moms, Programmers, Finance, Ebay, Job Seekers, Internet Marketing, Writers, Inventors and Virtual Assistants, just to barely scratch the surface of what’s out there on the World Wide Web.

Time management skills need to be paramount when participating in online forums. You can very easily get swallowed up and spend hours and hours online networking with others who have online businesses, yet you miss real opportunities to get some productive work done!

From an online business standpoint, there are two areas you should consider before participating in a loop. It’s always good to have a network of like-minded online business people. If you’re a web designer, hang out with other designers. You can help and support each other. If you’re just starting out, you can learn from the pros.

Don’t get stuck though, just hanging out with your own kind. You’re not going to be very successful trying to promote your design services to other designers. This is where balance comes in. Pop into the boards, check new posts of interest, ask or answer questions, then get out. Then move onto groups who need your services or products. Who is your target market and where do they hang out? Go there. Word of caution: Do not go to these forums with the sole purpose of SPAMMING the group. You’ll be tossed out on your ear quicker than you can blink if that is your sole purpose. People like to do business with people they know and trust – or at the very minimum have at least heard of.

If you’re trying to sell your curriculum to a group of homeschool parents and you just pop in, spew your sales rap all over the boards then expect any sort of return, you’re missing the point of online networking. It’s networking – not advertising. You need to build a rapport with your other “loopies”. Then if a need arises and they know one of their own fellow networkers has that special skill or product, guess who they’ll call first? You hope it’s YOU.

Personal Power - How To Get Yours

All of us would love to have personal power – the power to manifest our dreams, the power to remain calm and loving in the face of fear, the power to stay centered in ourselves in the face of attack. Our society often confuses personal power - “power within” - with “power over,” which is about controlling others. There is a vast difference between personal power and control. Personal power comes from an inner sense of security, from knowing who you are in your soul, from having defined your own intrinsic worth. It is the power that flows through you when you are connected to and feel your oneness with a spiritual source of guidance. It is the power that is the eventual result of doing deep inner emotional and spiritual work to heal the fears and false beliefs acquired in childhood. Without this inner work to heal the beliefs that create our limitations, we are stuck in our egos, our wounded selves. The very basis of the ego is the desire for control, for power over others and outcomes.

Our ego is the self we created to attempt to have control over getting love, avoiding pain, and feeling safe. We created our ego self in our attempt to protect ourselves from the losses we fear – loss of self, loss of others, loss of security, loss of face. As children, when we didn’t get the love we needed, we decided that our true Self must be unlovable. In our attempt to feel safe, we buried our true Self and created the false self – the ego, our wounded self. The ego self then went about learning how to feel safe through trying to control others and outcomes. The ego believes that having control over how people see us and feel about us, as well as over the outcome of things, will give us the safety we seek.

Even if you do manage to have some control through anger, criticism, judgment, or money, this will never give you personal power. This will never fill you with peace and joy and an inner sense of safety. Control may give you a momentary sense of safety, but it will never give you the deep sense of safety that comes from knowing your intrinsic worth, the worth of your soul. As long as your safety and worth are being defined by externals which can be temporary – your money, your looks, your performance, your power over others – you will feel anxious. We feel anxious when we attach our worth and happiness to temporal things rather than to eternal qualities, such as caring, compassion, and kindness.

For example, Walter is a man who has tremendous power over others but no personal power. Walter has made millions as the president of a large investment company. He has a lovely wife, three grown children, and two beautiful homes. Yet Walter is often anxious. He worries about losing his money. He is easily triggered into anger when things don’t go his way and people don’t behave in the way he wants. Because his heart is not open, he is a lonely man.

Walter operates totally out of his ego self, believing that having control through anger and money will bring him the happiness and safety he seeks. Yet he has achieved everything he believed would bring him happiness and safety and what he feels most of the time is anxious and lonely. Walter is empty inside. He has no sense of his true Self, no sense of the beauty within him, no sense of his lovability and intrinsic worth. His life is based on externals rather than on the spiritual values of love, compassion, honesty and kindness.

Personal power comes from embracing spiritual values rather than just earthly values. It comes from making love, kindness and compassion – toward oneself and others – more important than power over others. It comes from doing the inner work necessary to allow the soul to have dominion over the body, rather than allowing the animal instincts of fight or flight – the instincts of the body – to have dominion over our choices. When the soul has dominion over the body, you have the power to manifest your dreams, to stay centered in the face of attack, to remain loving in the face of fear. When the soul has dominion over the body, you have tremendous personal power.

Plant a Seed and Watch Your Business Grow

Do you have all the business you could possibly want or need? If you're like me, you're still growing your business. Marketing is an ongoing item on my agenda, and I'm always looking for new ways to market my services. Where do you begin the process of attracting more business? How do you get the ball rolling in the direction you want your business to be heading? Well, it's really simple. Start planting seeds! If you can start your garden growing this spring, why not start your business growing too?

You can start by telling everyone what you do, including those people in your life you see every day. Talk to your hairdresser, dentist, financial advisor, or babysitter. You just never know who they might know who may want or need your products or services. Leave business cards with those people, so they can hand them out to others who may be interested in contacting you. That old saying that includes the line "the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker" may just ring true after all.

Plant seeds everywhere you go. Typical ways to market your business are fine, but the best way is by simply using word-of-mouth. "Who do you know..." can be a very powerful statement when you are talking to others about what you do or what you sell. Let your presence be known. Be creative! I have a Team 100 list of the top professionals I know. When someone either in my professional circle or my personal circle is looking for a particular service, I'm able to refer them to someone I know and trust. All of the professionals on my list are able to refer me to those they know as well. It's a win/win situation. My name is on their list, their name is on mine, so the seed has been planted, and keeps growing.

These are just a couple of great ideas to help you get started in growing your business (if you want more business that is!). Taking some small action every day is better than doing nothing at all. Following a simple action plan consistently will most likely lead to several great opportunities down the road. Who knows? If you put in the effort, you just may find new business knocking on your door instead of the other way around.

Spring into action...and watch your business grow by leaps and bounds!

Sales Training - 'Confidence 101'

First and foremost, the very first thing you need to develop in sales and negotiations is your confidence. But be aware of the foolish sense of confidence which plagues most salesmen, and that is the confidence which is based totally on bravado.

Say you are a physically confident person. You would most likely tell yourself that you could cruise through life and be in total control of any aggressive situation, but when you’re put into a situation where you’re confronted by someone who’s a lot more intellectual than you are, (and I’ve seen this happen to people), all of a sudden your confidence is taken away. It has nothing to do with your strengths, it has to do with your weaknesses, and all of a sudden your confidence isn’t there anymore. When people have a weakness, and someone exposes that weakness, you lose total confidence.

Confidence isn’t something that you can just label based on a few things.  Developing total confidence is a fairly complex subject, and it covers all areas of your life, not just simply the one or two areas that you are already convinced that you do have confidence in. It’s all about developing the confidence you need in the areas you are weakest and the areas in which you intend to apply yourself in.

Imagine a boxer that was getting hit a lot because he kept dropping his hands. Straight away his coach would say he needs to keep his hands up and that will stop him getting hit so much. He does this, it works, and now he has more confidence. But what if he had no one to tell him.  What do you think would happen to his confidence? Either he will become tougher so that he can take more hits or quit all together, both are a losing situation to be in. So you need a mentor or coach to make sure you develop your confidence the right way.

So what are the right confidences?  There are a few, but today I will be discussing technical confidence.

First of all you need to stay in one particular industry and learn as much about that particular industry as possible, so that you can build your technical confidence. Some people think that sales is about going out and faking your way through it with good looks and tricks. What I advise is that you get into a sales career in an industry that you can see a future in, and something that you will love and enjoy talking to clients or potential customers about, and stick to it. Put in the time to develop your technical confidence.

Developing confidence in sales at the top level is going to be done over a couple of years. This is not just a fly by night sort of thing that you should be doing to fill in time. Success is something that has to be developed.  So get into an industry that you have a passion for.

Remember you are going to have to sit down one on one with a client and no matter what they ask you, you are going to have to be able to clearly and precisely answer their questions and do it fluently and without hesitation.  As the saying goes, “he who hesitates is lost”, is very true when applied to sales.  People pick up on hesitation and see it as being a weakness, and this is where you find you will lose most of your sales.  You need to make sure that you have the knowledge to answer somebody’s questions or fulfill their needs and actually give them all the right information in a very controlled and confident manner so that they can make an informed decision. 

So you’ve got to be totally fluent in your knowledge and language of the industry that you are in, and you’ve got to know your industry extremely well.

If you’re selling a particular product such as a motor vehicle, then you better know everything, not just about that vehicle, but also about the opposition's vehicles in the same price range that offer the same type of things.  You’ve got to know the strengths and weaknesses of your opposition’s products.  That’s one step towards gaining technical confidence.

Your mission for this week is to go out and start learning as much about your particular field as possible.  Learn the terminology, the slang, the technology and the results of that technology and this will dramatically improve your technical confidence and this will show in your sales performance.

But remember, there are no shortcuts, and what you have learned here today is only the first small step of many to becoming a successful salesperson.

Simplicity And Duplicity In MLM

Ask some of the more successful MLM marketers and they will tell you that the key factor in networking MLM is simplicity. Networking MLM is a very simple business. But keeping it simple does not mean that hard work is not involved. One of the common mistakes is that people try to make it complicated. Even if a complex system achieves great results for you, others will find it difficult to copy. In networking MLM, personal success is not your greatest asset. Your greatest asset is having a system that guarantees the success of everyone using it. The success of others, and your success, is dependent upon their ability to do the same things you do. Keep the least experienced of those in your network in mind when you set up a system of doing things for your organization to follow. Everything you do must be simple enough so that everyone can quickly duplicate your efforts and achieve the same phenomenal results as you.

In MLM networking, you should not do things that require special skills, resources which are available only to you or to a limited number of people. Open up your business to a much larger pool of people who can become successful. You need to build your network as quickly as possible. You can only meet with a few people each day and can personally close even fewer sales. But using an MLM networking strategy, you can help others quickly learn to do the same simple things as you. When they do, they multiply your efforts.

Go for the same phenomenal results. This is quality duplication. Each person in your MLM networking, from top to bottom, must be able to exactly duplicate what you are doing and be able to teach others to do exactly the same thing. How large a sales team you can build depends on how well it is duplicated. To ensure duplication, you need a system or processes that anybody and everybody can follow and teach. You cannot duplicate a person but you can duplicate a system. In building a successful and long-term network, the MLM networking system must rule. Remember a system is only as good as it is duplicated.

The more complex a system, the less likely quality duplication will be achieved. To make sure you duplicate well, follow the System you are provided with religiously. There is no perfect system and your time is better spent perfecting your ability to duplicate it rather than perfecting a system. Keeping it simple. To ensure you do things that your distributor can learn from and duplicate. Is what I am doing easily duplicable? Is it simple enough to be duplicated? Keep asking yourself these same questions and if you answer "yes" at least 75 % of the time, you are on the right track.

The most successful people in the MLM networking business understand that everything must be kept simple in order to grow your business. Show others how simple it is to do what you do. They need to see you do it, and then believe it is simple enough for them to quickly duplicate to achieve the same good results in your MLM networking.

Six Tips For Beginners In The MLM Industry

Choose wisely. There are six major elements you should be looking for in a network marketing company:

Stability: How old is the company?

Outstanding products or services: will people keep buying?

Pay plan—it should be smooth and reasonable and generous. This is really vital as the pay plan depicts exactly how you'll get paid--or not get paid.

The honesty of the company and the management: As much as possible, examine the experience of the CEO and reputation in the network marketing industry.

Momentum and timing: Search out the company's location, current affairs of the company, and if it is rising.

Support, training and business systems: A company with brilliant management, products and services, with a pay plan that's exclusively fair and very liberal will be in no use without good support and training.

Practice what they teach- For success, beginners need to be eager to pay attention and learn from counsellors. But whatever the counsellor did to become successful, don’t try to copy them blindly, but you have to be keen to snoop and be taught and pursue those systems.

The higher-ups- The general term is the "upline," meaning the people higher than you. They should be as committed to your success as they are to their own. Newcomers should be capable of relating to the upline and be able to call them at any time to say, "I need some help."

Take up the lead with your downline- There's a term in the network marketing industry called "orphans"— newcomers joining the MLM industry and have nothing to do as their mentors are busy to join more downlines. Mentors should be ready to bear at least 30 days training a newcomer into the industry-- helping them and holding their hand until they feel positive to be able to go off on their own.

On the net- People are using the Internet as their main web-marketing tool. You can build your site with auto responders. One of the greatest ways to succeed in this industry is follow-up. Computerization on the Internet has endorsed a much more reliable method of following up.

The only shortcoming of the Internet is people who use it to spam. Spamming should be avoided as it can give a very bad name not only to you but also to the company you're dealing with.

Taking care of business- As this is a business, and just like if you were running a trade or a shop, you should maintain all the official formalities. You have all the same write-offs tax-consultants that you have with running a [full-time] business, so it's very important to make a research prior to getting engaged, before you start getting cash from it.

It's important to build a support team around you and seek suggestions from the lawyers, who are proficient with the MLM industry or Direct-Selling Company.

Social Networking for Business

Associations and trade organizations are great places to meet individuals. Usually organizations have a common theme, and it is an understood implication that all members participate to improve themselves and their businesses. Whether it is a chamber of commerce or a trade association, members have common problems, issues and concerns. By sharing issues and resolutions, members can benefit from the experience of others. Many business owners participate in organizations, not only to network, but also to hopefully circumvent some of the pitfalls encountered by other small businesses--learning from others.

Networking Tips: Many trade organizations provide forums for networking. In some cases, these might be private online newsgroups, casual meetings, or even professional events with speakers. In order to take full advantage of these networking opportunities consider these tips.

Who You Know: It is often not who you know, but who they know. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen someone put-off someone who is clearly a beginner only to learn that the "beginner" is the brother or friend of a contact they've been trying to meet for weeks.

Honesty: Be honest. Pretending to be something that you are not, or implying you can deliver a product or service that is outside of your abilities, will foster an environment of distrust and potentially harm your reputation. Keep in mind that networking is vital? and if promises are not kept, word will spread. Establishing yourself and firm as an honest, reputable company.

Professional: Keep conversations to strictly business subjects. In a business environment, it is important to focus on safe non-emotional topics. The last thing you want to do is alienate or offend a potential client because of an outspoken view on a controversial topic. There is a time and a place for everything and discussing political views or cultural issues is not a generally accepted business topic. Bearing that in mind, it is also important to be aware and sensitive to cultural differences. The Internet has opened doors to a global market and respecting cultural differences is critical to establishing strong business relationships in the global marketplace.

Socialize: Now is not the time to be a wallflower. Whether you participate in social business events, or monitor trade forums, it is critical that you participate. Participation will help you distinguish yourself in your industry. Attempt to remember individual personal details and foster introductions among others in the industry.

Positive: Stay positive. It sounds simple, but it will really impact how others view you. If you are constantly negative and pointing out the flaws in others, it will reflect on how others view you. Presenting the best and positive business experiences will enhance your image.

Help: Provide genuine assistance to others. Whether or not they are able to reciprocate, networking is vital?. Helping others will establish you as a useful member of your business community and will endear you to others. If you are unable to help an individual, attempt to refer them to someone who can.

Research: A little research goes a long way. Be sure to research people and companies in your business community. Knowing their common goals and interests will build topics for discussions. Acknowledging the need to connect with others to grow and expand a business may seem like common sense. Cultivating business relationships and interacting with other small businesses is often mutually beneficial and should not be underestimated.

Networking is about building relationships and mutual interaction benefiting both parties. Being proactive and following up, you can have a network of contacts that you will be able to access quickly when you need them. Whether by more traditional means, such as in person or over the Internet, personal networks are essential for furthering your business. Relationship networking is give and take, be sure to help others in your quest for help.

Successfully Using “Viral Marketing”

Viral Marketing is all about giving away your own free product or service along with your ad copy (contact information, link, email, etc.). In turn, recipients of your free product are allowed to pass it along to their own clients, prospects, visitors and others as a freebie. This is a quick way to multiply your marketing at no extra expense and without extra effort on your part.

Here are some popular viral marketing techniques to follow:

1. Ebooks – Share your no cost ebook with your website visitors. Include a nice full-color ad for your most popular product line with links to your website and email. Tell recipients to share copies of the ebook with their own site visitors and other contacts.

2. Software - Share a trial version of your software with your website visitors as a freebie. Don’t forget to include that ad for your most popular product line with links to your website and email. And tell recipients to share copies of the software with their own site visitors and other contacts.

3. Web Host – Offer to host small business websites on your server at no charge. In exchange, place your own banner ad at the top of the site for viral marketing. You can set up a fold for their site and they can choose their own domain name and have it redirected to that folder.

4. Templates – Design your own website or other templates, include your own marketing information on them and give them away as free downloads or as an electronic package. Grant permission for recipients to pass them along.

5. Articles – Write articles about your industry. Include your website and contact information in the byline and grant permission for others to publish as long as they keep the byline intact. Then people can use your contact on websites, in ezines, newsletters and other places where once again, viral marketing will speed the spread of information about your business.

6. Discussion Board - Set up a Discussion Board on your website with your banner ad attached at the top. And invite others to link to it and use it for their own sites.

In summary, by using viral marketing strategies, you can reach out all over the Internet with much less effort. See which methods work best for you and repeat them as often as needed.

Taking The “Annoying” Out Of Online Network Marketing

You just got started with a new online MLM business and you want to tell everyone online about it. So, you sign up for all kinds of message boards, email groups and other business networking websites.

Before you do anything, please realize that you are dealing with REAL PEOPLE. The Internet seems like this anonymous place where you might feel people won’t really notice you if you engage in any vampirish behavior, but realize that the Internet is no different than dealing with people offline.

Treat people with respect, get to know them first and you’ll have plenty of valuable contacts for your business. No, most probably won’t join your business opportunity, but they will teach you a lot about business, will refer others to you and will be a great asset to your business – even if they never buy a thing from you.

Some Online Networking No-Nos:

Sending private messages or emails about your business opportunity or products to another member is in poor taste. If you want to contact someone privately because you feel you have something in common, go for it, but don’t recruit or sell.

When you introduce yourself on a networking group, it’s usually okay to say what you do…but don’t invite people to check out your website or say that you are looking for new customers or recruits.

Even if a message board or networking group allows you to post ads in certain places or on certain days, don’t bother if you’re new. Get to know the group first and then they’ll be more interested in your offers.

When you have a new business, it can be stressful and you feel pressure to get results. The important thing to remember is that results come from building long-term relationships and not from preying on online networking groups.

Testimonials: A Marketer’s Best Friend

Testimonials are a great way to build consumer confidence in your product. Hearing from other people who have purchased the product and are satisfied with the results goes a long way toward making sales. Testimonials can range from short blurbs (a sentence or two, or a paragraph) to letter-length endorsements. The blurbs are great for interspersing with the text of your autoresponder messages; longer testimonials are excellent for posting on your web site.

How do you get testimonials?

Once you start selling your product, you will likely receive unsolicited notes from buyers who are pleased with their purchases. But at the outset of your campaign, before you have actually began selling anything, there are several ways to get testimonials:

Friends and family: Ask friends and family to review your product and write a few sentences describing what they like about it and why they would recommend it to others. This may seem like cheating, but no one has to know you’re acquainted with your testimonial writers—and besides, if they actually like the product, there is nothing dishonest about it.

Colleagues and experts in your field: If you work or have worked in a field relating to your topic, ask your coworkers (or former coworkers) to write up a testimonial blurb for you. If you don’t work in a related field, look up people who do online (groups or forums are good places to start) and email them to ask if they would mind reviewing your product in exchange for a free copy. Most reviewers work on a free-product basis and will be happy to do so.

Other affiliate members and resellers: Think all people trying to sell the same product as you are bitter enemies? Think again! Many internet marketers working with affiliate and reseller programs are happy to help other entrepreneurs, because believe it or not, there is plenty of market to go around. Of course, they will expect the same courtesy from you. Since they are already familiar with the product, they will have no trouble coming up with a testimonial for you.

NOTE: Always make sure you have the permission of the person who wrote the testimonial to use their name and words in your marketing materials. Get it in writing or by email, even from friends and family. Make that especially from friends and family—you never know when a disagreement will result in a rescinding of an offer to help. If you get permission via email, simply end your disclaimer message (I hereby give [your name] permission to use my name and remarks for marketing purposes, signed X) with a line that states: Typing my initials here constitutes my official signature___. Then just ask them to reply to the message, add their full name and initials, and hit send. Most people will be willing to do this.

The "Networking" Part of Network Marketing

Networking is obviously an essential part of network marketing. Every successful network marketer knows this to be true. Although networking is such an intricate part of network marketing, the two terms are not synonymous. However there are many similarities. Both rely heavily on people skills. Both require people to confront their fear of talking to other people. Both carry with them the risk of rejection. Both also carry with them enormous opportunity. And to some people, both are considered dirty words.

Of course people that consider networking as something that is 'not done' don't understand what networking is really about. The same can be said of people that think network marketing is something that is beneath them. Many people think of networking as a way to get connected solely for their own advancement in life. In that respect a person might feel that it is unethical or not noble to network. This line of thinking stems from the idea that advancement will always come at the expense of someone else, that success in life is a zero-sum game. These people often look at network marketing from the same perspective. They think of profiting from other people's efforts as something that is negative and not fair to them. In reality, successful networkers will tell you that it doesn't work that way at all. Networking doesn't have to be at anybody's expense and the business of network marketing doesn't reward anyone for taking advantage of others. It actually rewards people for helping other people to succeed. In that respect it may very well be the most ethical business model in the world today.

A lot of the negativity around networking can be explained by the different types of networkers. Some can be considered 'hunters', moving in for a quick kill, after which they move out again. They often operate without regard to the other person's interest and because of this they will enjoy the fruits of success for only a limited period of time. Often it will not take long before people find out what's really driving the hunter. Once they see that he or she is only looking after his or her own interests, their willingness to interact with this person will quickly evaporate. By contrast, truly successful networkers are often 'farmers' who spend a lot of time sowing and nourishing their relationships, instead of just focusing on reaping. They invest in their network, they energize their network. They use their network, but they never ever abuse their network! And their network knows this. A true networker will always keep the interests of others in mind. That's why working with a true networker is so enjoyable. Networkers are often very likeable and as such people like to interact with them.

Networking is a skill that is essential to all businesses, not just network marketing. Although network marketing differs in many ways from the more traditional forms of doing business, the importance of networking is just as prevalent. If not more so. A network marketer that doesn't know how to network will be out of business in no time. Network marketing is first and foremost a people's business and this implies that the ability to effectively work with people is absolutely critical. This is why successful network marketers are extremely adept at networking. Many have found out over time that developing this skill can pay off in many areas outside their network marketing business as well. Business owners who have started a home based business on the side often apply their enhanced networking and people's skills in their traditional business with great success. For some network marketers this spin-off has earned them more money than the income from their network marketing business itself.

So whether you are in network marketing or in a more traditional type of business, don't underestimate the importance of becoming an effective networker. And if you really want to master this skill you may find there is a lot to learn from good network marketers. So if you happen to know anybody that fits that description, try and benefit from their knowledge on the topic. It will surely help you network your way to success!

The 3 Easiest Ways For Newbies To Start In Affiliate Marketing

With the aid of the Internet, you can almost have everything right at your fingertips. With just a few clicks you get access to thousands and even millions of pieces of information and data on virtually any field of interest. As years pass by, the Internet continues to effect radical changes in many facets of human endeavors, including commerce. Experts say that the information space, commonly known as the “world wide web,” grows by over a million pages everyday as more and more people utilize the Internet for information, education, entertainment, business and other personal reasons. It doesn’t take a business-oriented individual to realize that this phenomenon can bring about sky-high financial gains. The Internet’s fast-growing popularity in recent years is surely an opportunity for business that any entrepreneur would not want to miss.

You might be thinking only businessmen can make much money out of the Internet, don’t you? Think again. You too can earn big bucks through the Internet even if you don’t have products to sell and high-profile and established companies. How? That is through affiliate marketing. You might have come across these words over the net while surfing. Affiliate marketing is a revenue sharing between a merchant and an affiliate who gets paid for referring or promoting the merchants’ products and services. It is one of the burgeoning industries nowadays because it is proven to be cost-efficient and quantifiable means of attaining great profit both for the merchant and the affiliate and other players in the affiliate program, such as the affiliate network or affiliate solution provider.

Affiliate marketing works effectively for the merchant and the affiliate. First, he gains opportunities to advertise his products to a larger market, which increases his chances to earn. The more affiliate websites or hard-working affiliates he gets, the more sales he can expect. By getting affiliates to market his products and services, he is saving himself time, effort and money in looking for possible markets and customers. When a client clicks on the link in the affiliate website, purchases the product, recommends it to others who look for the same item or buys it again, the merchant multiplies his chances of earning. On the other hand, the affiliate marketer benefits from each customer who clicks on the link in his website and who actually purchases the product or avails of the service provided by the merchant. In most cases, the affiliate gets commision per sale, which can be a fixed percentage or fixed amount.

If you want to be an affiliate marketer and make fortunes out of the Internet, you may follow the following three most basic and easiest ways to start an effective affiliate marketing program.

First is to identify a particular thing you are interested in or passionate about so you won’t be bored and forced to develop your affiliate website later on. Focusing on a specific area you know very well will help you bring out your best without much risk and effort. You can add a personal touch to your site and give your visitors who are possible buyers an impression that you are an expert in your field. In this way, you gain their trust and eventually encourage them to buy the products you endorse.

Next is to look for good paying merchants and products or services related to your interest and create a website now. In choosing the products, you must also consider its conversion rate—the number of visitors-turned-buyers. There are various affiliate networks and affiliate solution providers that can give you info on the most profitable products and best paying merchants. The key here is, be wise enough to choose the right one.

Now that you have decided where to concentrate, have chosen the products to endorse and the merchant you are supporting and have created your own website with top level domain name and reliable hosting, you are ready to promote. This is a crucial task, since it is through this that you would be able to increase traffic to the business website, sales and of course, profit. In affiliate marketing, it is possible to earn large sums of money in a short span of time especially when you’re endorsing high-priced items. Expensive products are hard to sell; however, with the right marketing strategies and sales techniques, you can draw visitors to the merchant’s site and make them buy the products. How to promote the products, though, would need a separate discussion. Continue to educate yourself by reading books or other articles online about the best advertising techniques.

Keep in mind, there is no facile and quick path towards success. Affiliate marketing may seem very tempting due to numerous encouraging testimonies of merchants and affiliate marketers alike who have benefited from it, but it entails a great deal of hard work and persistence. Likewise, you need to be creative, flexible and willing to embrace new ideas to market your partners’ products until you find the perfect strategy that works for a specific market that you are targeting. Neither signing up for an affiliate program nor copying ads and leading others towards the merchants’ site doesn’t guarantee success yet. Many affiliate marketers fail to understand this, so when they don’t make sales, they quit, look for other programs and repeat the same mistake. In the end, they conclude that affiliate marketing is just one of those scams in the Internet. Even as you sleep, you can work your way to great financial success if you employ the right strategies in affiliate marketing. Be creative, be smart and surely, you’ll achieve your goals.

The Difference Between Approval and Appreciation

Having worked with individuals, couples, families and business partners for 35 years, helping them learn to resolve conflict, I have often been faced with the difficulties that occur when people are confused about the difference between approval with appreciation. Have you ever wondered about the difference between approval and appreciation? Most of us have never actually thought about it, yet if we do think about it, we realize that we feel very differently when we receive approval as opposed to receiving appreciation. There are good reasons for this.

Approval is something we give from a wounded, controlling part of us. Approval is conditional upon the other person performing in the way we want or expect. Approval is manipulative - that is, we give it with an outcome in mind. We hope that the other person will continue to do what we want as a result of the approval.

Appreciation, on the other hand, is something we offer from a whole loving place within - what I call the loving adult. It comes from the heart and is offered spontaneously as the heart wells up with feelings of delight, awe, joy, or love regarding another’s way of being. Appreciation has much more to do with the essence of a person rather than with performance. We are appreciating a person’s core self, who they really are and the results of who they are, rather than what they do and their performance. With appreciation, there is no attachment to the outcome, no expectation that the other should or will continue to perform. Appreciation is a true gift.

Often, when someone says they want appreciation or do not feel appreciated, what they are really seeking is approval. It is the wounded part of them who is not feeling seen and appreciated within - they are not seeing and appreciating themselves so they need it from others to feel worthy. The wounded self of the individual projects outward the inner need to be seen, understood and appreciated and pulled from others to get this need met. Whenever I hear someone say that they do not feel appreciated, I know that their essence - their inner child - is not being seen and loved by their own inner adult.

When we are giving ourselves the attention and appreciation that we need and we then receive appreciation from others, it feels wonderful but it is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. When it becomes the cake itself, then we need to look within and recognize that we have handed over to others the job of defining and validating our own worth and lovability.

When you share something about yourself with the intent of getting approval, attention or appreciation, it doesn’t feel like sharing to other people. Instead they feel pulled at to validate you. When you share something about yourself with the intent of offering something to others, it feels like a gift. This is clearly illustrated in the wonderful movie, Good Will Hunting. In this movie the therapist, played by Robin Williams, shares much personal information about himself with his client Will, an angry and resistant young man. He shared it, not because he wanted or needed anything back, but purely to help Will feel safe in opening to his own pain.

We can all challenge ourselves to be aware of our intent when we offer positive feedback to others - is it a true gift or does it have strings attached? And we can challenge ourselves to be aware of our intent when we share things about ourselves - are we giving or trying to get? Giving to get doesn't feel good to others who are at the other end of the pull, and getting what we want from others feels good only for the moment, but is ultimately tiring for us. It is tiring to always be trying to get from others what we need to be giving to ourselves.

Giving appreciation and sharing ourselves from a loving heart, with no need to get anything back, will always feel wonderful and energizing to us and to others.

The Ebb and Flow of Network Marketing

No matter how long you’ve been in this business, you will have experienced what I call the “Ebb and Flow of Network Marketing.” It’s simply the highs and lows you experience from dealing with people. We have all experienced it, even the top earners in the business.

See if this has happened to you. You’ve just made a great presentation to a prospect and, in spite of your being able to neutralize every objection they have put forward, they still don’t sign up. You feel rejected, frustrated, and disappointed. You begin to wonder why you ever got into this business and what you’re doing wrong. You go into a bit of a “funk,” and start to feel sorry for yourself.

After a bit of a lull, you decide to try another presentation to another prospect. This time, they’re ready to sign up almost before you open your mouth. You’re on Cloud 9, you can move mountains, you are master of your domain!

What has happened? You’ve just experienced the “Ebb and Flow of Network Marketing.”

Every MLM distributor goes through it. This emotional ebb and flow is often what stops many network marketers from achieving the financial freedom and security they desire. They let their emotions control how much work they put into the business, and a few “no’s” cause their efforts to diminish. Consequently, their business grinds to a halt.

Successful networkers, however, adopt a posture of emotional equilibrium, not getting too “high” with each success or too “low” with each failure. In his CD series, “Key to the Vault” (which I highly recommend to any network marketer), Bob Schmidt tells the story of John Wooden, the legendary coach of the UCLA basketball program, who won 10 national championships in a 12-year span. Wooden wanted his players to achieve a level of emotional maturity, or equilibrium, regarding their performance on the court. He wanted his players to behave in such a way that, after a game, a locker room observer would not be able to tell whether the team had won or lost. Wooden stressed to his players that if they had simply gone out and done their best, the outcome was not the issue. Therefore, being high on victory or low on defeat never entered into the equation. That’s what he meant by emotional equilibrium.

The Elevator Pitch: Acing The First Contact

Entrepreneurs with businesses in early start-up differ on what they believe to be the most important element, although many professionals will argue that creating a solid business plan should definitely be the first step. A well-crafted business plan lays out all the details and strategies, includes projections for revenue and spending, and will be reviewed in detail by bankers and venture capitalists. But in fact, the most important document that should be created even before the business plan is the “elevator pitch.”

The fact is, most people will not read a business plan unless they have been motivated to do so beforehand. The elevator pitch is that motivating factor. It's the hook that gets them into the room. It's the catchy jingle that gets people to pay attention to the ad. It's the best part of the business plan, without the boring details. The elevator pitch is the place for the excitement, not the place to include all the technology, buzzwords and explanations.

An elevator pitch should be able to be condensed into a single-page presentation, short enough to be memorized, or read easily within a few minutes—that's how it got its name, it's a pitch that's short enough to be presented during the course of an elevator ride. The elevator pitch condenses your business concept into something that can be presented in about a minute or two—essentially, the parts that matter, the very “essence” of the business.

The elevator pitch skips the hard-core financials, and gets straight to the heart of what it is about the business that really gets you excited. That's what this pitch is about—you don't need the proof of concept here yet, that comes in the full-length business plan. The elevator pitch is the commercial that gets people interested.

The elevator pitch should be inspirational and creative, hitting the high points of your business concept, and should accomplish the following:

Hit the high points of what it is you hope to do

Summarize the problem/solution aspect of your concept

Describe the business model—how is it going to make money?

Create excitement on the part of the reader/listener

Describe the profit potential without having to bring out charts and graphs

Tell why you/your company are well positioned to accomplish your goal

End with a call to action

The first couple sentences are the most critical, and should present your core concept. If you can't tell what it is you want to do in two sentences or less, then you need to simplify your concept. There will be plenty of time to get into all the details later, once you've captured your audience's interest.

The Home Based Business Phobia: An Analysis

Home based businesses have been around for a long time, even long before the internet gained the popularity it has today. But with the birth of similar opportunities and new business models operating primarily online, our society has been blanketed by a fear of such opportunities, which we are now calling the "home based business phobia."

While there are many reputable business opportunities online, there are just as many "scams" that have been grouped into the same category. These are usually services in exchange for post-payment (which never comes) or pyramid-type schemes that contain no real products, only the opportunity to earn from recruiting others. Unfortunately, as with most any situation, the negative starts to outweigh the positive. Before you know it, all home based businesses are overshadowed by the reputation of the few actual scams.

The fear of home based business stems from this fact, as well as others. While there are many potential customers who fear the scams without knowing what is and what isn't, there are also those who fear anything that is different from the norm in terms of earning a living. Lets face it, society raises us to work hard at a physical job. Even from youth, we are trained to do well in school all the way up through in the hopes of securing a decent job. It is what our parents did, and their parents, and all of our ancestors all the way back through time. So when the proposition of earning a decent living without working at a physical job makes its way into the minds of society's leaders, it is viewed in a negative light. This, I feel, is because we as humans naturally fear anything that is different, or that we don't understand. This is not how we've been raised, this isn't how anyone has ever earned an income before (not a full-time income, anyway). Therefore, it is not easily accepted.

The truth is that entrepreneurship is what drives our economy. Even the largest of corporations started out as mom&pop stores or small-town restaurants. Small business and entrepreneurship help to balance out the hold that "big business" has on our economy. Without them, large corporations would have no competition and therefore no standards to uphold.

So what exactly is the biggest fear surrounding any home based business opportunity? I have a theory, and it involves initial start-up. Most individuals are afraid of losing the money they would have to invest. They are afraid of the risk involved. But what is so bad about risk? Don't most things in life involve some type of risk? The old adage "Nothing ventured, nothing gained..." comes to mind. If we never step out of the box that society has created, we will never know what could be. We will never experience anything different or better. We will, in short, become the one thing that our species fears the most...stagnant! Our world's best inventions (products and services like electricity, stop lights and air travel) came from forward-thinking individuals who dared to look outside of the "norm" for better and more efficient ways of living. Without those who embraced this mindset, we would still be living as Neanderthals, barely using fire to heat caves and cook food (and even this was forward thinking for the time).

The risks we take should always be calculated, to an extent. We should consider heavily the pros and cons of our decisions. And the decisions we make should not be anything that would hurt us, injure our loved ones, or cause us to go completely and utterly broke. Well, home business doesn't do any of these things, does it? It does not threaten or harm us or our families, and if we are researching and investing wisely, it should not expend all of our income either. Home business in its original state was not meant to ruin financial situations, but to improve them, either by supplementing the existing income or surpassing and replacing it. So the fear is simply losing a few hundred, or possibly $1000 or more. A valid and understandable fear from those who work hard for every cent they have. However, part of the point of earning money is to put it to work for us. This is done by investing in programs (whether through stocks, money market accounts, CD's, savings accounts that accrue interest, online businesses or otherwise) that allow us to earn more than we've invested. When you put your money to work for you, you have a better chance of achieving financial security, which is what we are all working toward.

So then, should a person go out and join every money-making opportunity they can find? Of course not! Investing or starting a home business is a wise decision, but should be done with care. It is always a good idea to do ample research on the program(s) you are interested in joining. You must consider everything from the legal aspects to the products being promoted. And as an important side note, you should always investigate the person or entity that has introduced the opportunity to you. Often, this person will become your "sponsor" in the program, and the one responsible for guiding you and helping you to get going in the right direction. As disturbing at it is, there are some "sponsors" who are not fit to be so. They do little, if anything, to help their customers or affiliates. People like this unfortunately give their parent companies a less than desirable reputation. Most distributors work independently of their parent company. While there are certain regulations to follow, they are not limited in the ways they can advertise or market. For this reason, I recommend that when researching home business opportunities, you maintain an open mind and do just as much research (if not more) on the individual who will become your sponsor.

Let's talk about some of the other fears surrounding home based business. One of the most common ones is that the opportunity is illegal; not approved by state and government regulations. The easiest way to circumvent this issue is to check with local and state officials (usually the State Attorney General). If you are interested in a program, contact your state official to learn the requirements and restrictions for involvement in a home based business. And of course, one you join, take the necessary steps to report your income to the IRS, and to register your business with the federal government.

There are other less verbalized fears that pertain to our own abilities. Many individuals feel that they do not have what it takes to run a home business. They may feel they lack experience in the industry, or lack skills necessary for marketing and customer service. The majority of home business programs in existence today offer some type of training and support. While some programs are better than others (according to current and past members or affiliates), it is not hard to gain the skills and experience necessary to succeed. If you are interested in joining a home business, be sure that your research includes an investigation of the company's (and sponsor's) training regimen and support. Join only if you are satisfied that you'll receive the individual help you need for your skill level and situation. Along with this, many fear that they will need large budgets for advertising their business. This issue too can be solved by the training offered with the opportunity. There are several methods of advertising for free that are very effective (though they can be a bit time-consuming). Your chosen home business program should know a good number of these methods and be willing to train you on these methods also. Be sure to ask if they include this in their training and support. If they do not, move on to researching another opportunity.

One of the last fears I have encountered is the investment of time. Individuals fear that operating a home business will take too much of their time; time away from their jobs, school, family or hobbies. The point of working from home (however you choose to do it) is to allow you more time at home to spend on your family or hobbies. A regular job in the workforce takes more time from these interests than a home business would. While jobs and school may seem secure, they do not allow you the freedom that you so rightly deserve. Home business programs seek to solve this problem by giving you the freedom to set your own hours. Also, home businesses, while they may take a bit more time in the beginning for initial set-up and marketing, can eventually run from just 2 or 3 hours of effort per day. Imagine earning more from a sale in one day than you would earn in 2 weeks or even a month from your job, and from 5 less hours of work? Is that not what we ultimately strive for? Time is important, especially because it is not guaranteed to any of us. The best way to maximize your time here on earth is to do what you can to enjoy more of it. A home based business can bring about an opportunity for freedom that most of us never thought possible, thanks to society. Why not go for it, when there is so little to lose?

While all of the fears discussed are valid, none are so disheartening as the possibility of no future stability, no security or no retirement. More than anything, I fear having to come out of retirement to make ends meet. I fear having to compete with a younger, sharper and more technologically-inclined generation for a job at an older age. I fear not being able to retire when I want because I have not built up a deep-enough income or secure-enough future. I fear my children not being able to go to college if they want, or not having enough to provide everything they want and need. I fear working to the point where I have missed out on life's most precious moments...my children growing up, my relationship with my spouse, my grandchildren and so on. Most of all, I fear passing on nothing but debts to my loved ones. For me, these fears far outweigh the possibility of losing money or learning something new. It is for this reason that I became involved with the home business industry. I am young, and as so many say have my whole life ahead of me. I would like the personal and financial freedom to enjoy some of it. I would like to start off my marriage on a solid and secure plane. I would like to stay home with my children when they are born. I would like to see them off to school each day (or even home-school them), teach them new things, attend their performances and games, and be there to encourage their individuality. I would like to have something to pass on to each of them (a home, a substantial inheritance, a car...a future). I don't want my family to "want" for anything. My home based business is allowing me to do all of those things and more!

A few thoughts to those who are considering a home business of their own.

What is stopping you? What is it that you fear most about investing in a home based business? Do you not want all of the things described above? If all of your fears were addressed and dispelled, would you still be hesitant? If so, why?

The ugly truth is that today's economy and our workforce do not provide financial security. Your position can be terminated or passed on to another at any time, and without any notice. Most businesses, especially large corporations, focus only on the needs of the business. If you, your pay grade or your skills stand in the way of these needs, you pose a threat and will be removed without much consideration. And unfortunately, this type of treatment is legal in most states. Does this sound like security to you? Wouldn't you rather have control over how your family is allowed to live than a corporation that cares little about them? Wouldn't you want a back-up plan in case this happens to you? It is another sad truth that most individuals live and think inside their own little bubbles. They see unfortunate things happening all around them, but never stop to think that it could happen to them at any time. None of us are immune to such occurrences. None of us is invulnerable to the trials and tribulations of life. It may be someone else, but it can always just as easily be us! One more thought...if a major situation came about that required a large amount of money to solve (a fire, your only vehicle breaking down, a flood, a break-in or theft, even a baby being born), would you be able to handle it without depleting your life's savings? Would you be able to take care of it immediately? Or would it take months to save up enough?

A home business can be a great addition to any lifestyle. Most do not take exceeding amounts of time to work, most do not rob our wallets of unbelievable amounts, and they allow us to earn enough to greatly supplement our current incomes, even replace them! With so many more pro's than cons, why shouldn't you consider a home based business of your own?

The Network Marketing High Income Formula

Want to be a mega-earner in network marketing?  You’ll need these three qualities: Leadership, Innovation, and Commitment.

Network Marketing rewards its leaders handsomely.  The leaders are the ones who are willing to hold conference calls, offer their homes for meetings, or become corporate trainers.  Leaders help and teach others how to be successful (regardless if they are downline, crossline, or in another opportunity).  Leaders will always have a home in this industry, because every single company CEO, and every top producer, wants a leader in their organization.

Network Marketing rewards innovators handsomely.  I remember when Dale Maloney (a leader in this industry for over 20 years) scared up a few dollars to buy a mailing list, some stamps, envelopes, and paper to send out some sales letters to recruit others into his opportunity.  I was in the second wave of people to receive a letter written by Dale.  Until then, no one thought of using direct mail to build an organization.

I remember the first national ads in the newspaper USA Today, the first toll-free recorded information lines, mailing audio tapes (even before Dead Doctors Don’t Lie), email marketing, and flash presentation lead capture websites.  The innovators who used these marketing breakthroughs made small fortunes.

The next innovation is just waiting to be brought to the market.  History has shown that if you are innovative, you will be richly rewarded. Network Marketing rewards commitment handsomely.  If you plan on giving up after hearing no a couple of times, or if you feel you’re done recruiting after you get your first couple of people in (like the average person), then quit now.  The average person in this industry does not make money -- they lose money.  Why?  They are not committed to being successful.  They are not willing to do whatever it takes.  And being committed to doing whatever it takes is what is necessary to be successful in this industry.

There is no such thing as “Fast Money” in network marketing.  Have you heard of any of these?  “No cold calling.”  “No selling.”  “Work a couple hours a week..”  “Retire in two to three years.”   All Lies! Lifetime residual income is not built over a few months.  It takes years to build a retirement income.  Hard work.  Polished selling skills.  Consistency.  Persistence.  You must be committed to these basic values to achieve success. So pick your poison, or embrace all three.  The qualities of leadership, innovation, and commitment are paramount to your success in network marketing and life.

The Network Marketing Niche & How To Capitalize On It

Many people dream about going into business for themselves.  They wish to quit the rat race of the 9 to 5 scene and strike out on their own.  If you are a people person, then you may want to consider the advantage of going into network marketing.  Network marketing is all about people helping people both with building a business and selling your products or services.

Network marketing is a business that you can start on a shoestring, and with a lot of hard work you can achieve financial and personal freedom.  You will no longer have to answer to a boss at a regular job because now you are your own boss! Just know that there will always be scams out there especially if you are fishing on the Internet!  You have to do your homework and recognize which network marketing companies are legitimate.  Also, a big difference can be made in how you choose to market your own network marketing business.

Network marketing is also commonly known as multi-level marketing or MLM.  You have probably all heard of that at one time or another.  Let us take a look at exactly what network marketing is.  Network marketing usually offers consumable products and services to people that are used in a short period of time.  As stated before, you can get involved in networking marketing at a very low price.  It also helps you build residual income.  Network marketing involves more people than ordinary direct sales companies, and it helps to leverage other people's time.  Network marketing is not just another "get-rich-quick" scheme.  In times past if a person wanted to carve out their niche in network marketing they used to have to beat their "warm market" to death!  Today, with the use of modern technology, it is not that way at all.  The world is your entire market thanks to the Internet.  You can also use such tools as conference calling. The crux of network marketing is still sharing the opportunity as well as your products and services with as many individuals as possible.  Forget snail mail and mailing out postcards to introduce people to your network marketing business.  Now email is readily available and you can reach thousands in an instant!  There is no better time than the present to begin your career in network marketing.

The key word of network marketing is leverage.  You can make the most of your time and your money by introducing people to your business opportunity and making a small percentage off of their efforts.  A network marketing business should be easily duplicatable.  This is what will ensure your success.  The people that you have brought into your business can learn from your success and copy it.

As can be seen, a networking marketing business can be very profitable.  However, it takes dedication and hard work in the beginning.  If you put your whole effort into your home business, then you will soon reap your rewards!

The One Two Punch For Success: Authenticity And Alignment

Have you ever felt as if you are beating your head against a wall?  You repeatedly try to reach a goal but you never seem to achieve it.  Instead you are struggling rather than moving forward and achieving your goals with grace and ease. You are not alone.  The struggle to move from what we don’t want to what we do want is, unfortunately, a fundamental struggle for many individuals.  Believe it or not, it is very common for people to struggle against what they want and to actively limit their good.

In order to have what you want, you must be willing to end the struggle and move into action.  Your success is dependent on your ability to reach your goals and achieve.

The easiest way to move from “stuck” into action without struggle is to be authentic and to be in alignment with your authenticity.  Authenticity means that you are connected to your core and that your desires are a true reflection of your inner self and soul.

Alignment means that your entire being is in agreement with the goal you want to achieve.  For example, you come home from work one evening and you are very tired.  But this evening is your work-out night.  You sit on the couch and actually have to talk yourself into getting into your gym clothes and heading off to the gym.  What you did in convincing part of yourself to go to the gym when it really wanted to rest on the couch is called alignment.  You got yourself into alignment with the idea and intention of going to the gym no matter how tired a part of you felt.

To end struggle and successfully achieve goals, all parts of you must work together for manifestation.  That means all bodies, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual, must be in agreement concerning a goal.  There can be no doubts, limiting beliefs or attachments.  The following describes a process you can use to do an authenticity check concerning your goals and bring yourself into alignment with your goals.

1. Sit quietly: create a peaceful, serene and nurturing space for yourself. It must be a space where you feel comfortable and secure.  Spend several minutes in quiet and inner reflection upon your goal.  Have paper and pen handy.

2. The Authenticity Check: Ask within if this goal is the appropriate goal for you to achieve at this time.  If the answer is yes, skip to the next step.  If the answer is no, ask what a more appropriate goal would be for you right now.

By asking this question, you move from being ruled by the needs of the mind (survival issues) and begin to access the soul within.  You leave behind the petty desires of the ego and move into realizing the desires of the soul.  As a result, your goals become truer and more authentic.

Write down the response you receive.  If you need additional clarity concerning the response, ask for it.  Keep asking within until you feel complete.

3. Alignment: Once you have a defined and authentic goal, it is time to create alignment. Remain in your space of quiet and comfort; ask to speak to your mental body.  (You will repeat step Three with each of the bodies) Ask your mental body if it is willing to be in alignment with your goal.  The purpose of this question is to uncover any blocks or limitations that reside in the mental body concerning the goal. If the answer is yes, proceed to the next body: physical, spiritual and emotional.

If the answer is no, simply begin a conversation with this part of you.  Some questions to begin with are: Why are you not willing to be in alignment with this goal? What would it take for you to be in alignment with this goal?

When a part is not willing to be in alignment with an authentic goal, the cause may be fear or insecurity.  Usually the situation is remedied by helping the party understand that it is taken care of, that it is safe and that it has nothing to fear.  Simply, have a conversation with the part and inform it of the truth.

Once you receive the willingness of all the bodies, remember to thank them for supporting the manifestation of this authentic goal.  Affirm your alignment with this goal and your intention to manifest it.

By completing this process, you have created an authentic goal and brought yourself into full alignment with this goal.  You can now move forward without struggle because all blocks have been removed.  Success shall be yours.

The Product Life Cycle of Network Marketing: The Four Stages of Building a Downline

Most products, whether they are tangible goods or intangible services, go through predictable stages during their natural life. This is usually referred to, in marketing circles, as The Product Life Cycle. These stages are (1) Product Development, (2) Introduction, (3) Growth, (4) Maturity, and (5) Decline.

Your network marketing business will behave in a similar fashion, that is, it will go through various stages as you work toward achieving your financial goals. Since I’d like to take a positive view, I won’t consider the possibility of “Decline.” Instead, I offer four stages that your downline will go through as you build it for success, what I call the Product Life Cycle of Network Marketing: (1) Introduction, (2) Development, (3) Growth, and (4) Maturity.

1. Introduction- This first stage is when you are new to the business and have not yet developed the skill set needed to be successful in MLM. You may not have developed the “intestinal fortitude” needed to get beyond some initial setbacks. If you have not been involved in a network marketing program before, you’re probably making mistakes and, hopefully, realizing you have a lot to learn. You also need to beware of those well-meaning people who will tell you that you won’t succeed, particularly family, friends, and co-workers.

During Introduction, you’re trying to develop a track record of success that you can fall back on when you encounter some resistance. A lot of new networkers quit because they listen to all the naysayers instead of keeping that burning desire to move through the hard times and stay on course.  If your sponsor hasn’t worked with you to arm you for success, then it’s up to you to arm yourself. Listen to the advice of some of the giants in this industry – David Butler, Jim Rohn, Bob Schmidt, Sherman Unkefer, to name a few. They’ll teach you the skills you need so you’ll have the confidence to push forward.

2. Development- You’ve gotten past the first stage and are building a downline. Now, be a good sponsor by showing your downline how to be successful. Here your goal is to help them recruit their downline. If you’ve done it right, you should begin to see the business builders emerge. Hopefully, you’ve got a few who share your vision, and you can begin working with them consistently to build momentum.

In the Development stage, you should see people entering your downline that you do not know. This is your personally sponsored distributors bringing in THEIR personally sponsored distributors. Now is the time to make sure your people are teaching their people how to be successful, i.e. that they, too, are being good sponsors. At this point, you should get the feeling that the business is starting to take shape, that it has a chance to grow on its own.

You must guard against complacency, however. This is the most important time because you need to build an organization that can grow on its own. The vast majority of people who exit network marketing do so during the first two stages, so don’t quit on your downline. Keep working with your builders so that they don’t leave the business.

3. Growth- In this stage, your checks should start looking a lot bigger. Your builders are growing their downline, and you may have several successful legs emerging. You may have hundreds, or even thousands, of distributors in your downline, and your business builders are also earning bigger paychecks.

Congratulations, again. If you’re in this stage, you’ve shown that you have the ability to teach business builders how to recruit and develop business builders of their own, and the downline has definitely taken on a life of its own. You’re feeling pretty good about yourself, and you have every right to. Here again, however, you must guard against complacency. You can make a good living in the growth stage but you’re not home free yet. You’ve got to push forward to the next stage if you really want to create wealth.

4.  Maturity- Your organization has reached Maturity when you no longer have to shepherd its growth. In other words, no matter what you do, you can’t stop it from growing. It has taken on a life of its own, and even if you were to walk away from active involvement in the business, you can depend on a steady stream of passive residual income for the rest of your life.

Isn’t that why you got into this business in the first place?

Reaching Maturity is rare. Many downlines get close to this stage, but fail because the leader quit too soon. Remember, if you do not nurture your downline, if you do not give them a track to run on, if you do not build their confidence and arm them for success, you will not reach the Maturity stage. Rather, your organization will probably fizzle out somewhere between the Development and Growth stages, and reaching the Maturity stage will be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Make it your goal to have your downline reach all four stages. When your personally sponsored distributors believe they’ve reached the Maturity stage, then you can feel confident that you’ve reached that stage. Otherwise, your organization may never reach its full potential.

The Simple System For Finding A Killer Product And Identifying A Hot Niche

Creating your own products is not difficult. However, it does take a little time to get it done, create a sales letter for it, work on the site, test it out, etc. Since you may be short on time (and money), one method you can use is to start by looking for existing products that you could acquire resell rights to or become an affiliate of. You can search online for different businesses that offer you a commission to sell their products.

Tip: As you look through these sites, pay attention to how professional the sites look, how convincing the sales letter is, and also how soon after the sale they send out commissions. If you personally feel good about the site, see some great testimonials, and feel that you would want to do business with that company, you've probably found a good business to affiliate with.

Finding Your Niche

When trying to figure out which niche to go after, the questions you want to ask yourself are...

What do I love to do the most? What am I most passionate about in life?

What subjects do I have a strong emotional feeling towards?

What am I naturally good at or have an instinct for? (Provided it's something you enjoy doing!)

If I were to wake up in the morning and choose to do one thing, what would that be?

What would express my creative intention and bring out the best in me while doing it?

How can I benefit myself and others if I were to express my creative intention?

To some, the answers may come very easily. And for some of us, it may require a little bit of soul-searching and self-discovery to get there.

If you're having a hard time finding the answers, just get your mind going in that general direction by pondering on the above questions, especially before you go to bed at night (and until you fall asleep.) The power of focus is such that it will get your mind working in the background (while you're sleeping) to bring the answers to you.

The Truth About Network Marketing

What is the deal with Network Marketing anyway? Some people have heard about it, but they don't really know what it is. Some people know what it is, but think it's a big scam. Some people swear by Network Marketing as being the key to financial and personal success, and that our society is rapidly evolving towards Network Marketing as the preferred form of product distribution. Here is the real story!

Network marketing is something that you already do every day. Yes, YOU!

Have you ever seen a movie, and then told your friends or family members that it was great, and they should go see it? That's network marketing.

Have you ever eaten at a great restaurant, and then recommended that restaurant to other people? That's network marketing.

Have you ever gotten a great deal on a car, and then told other people to buy their car at that dealer? That's network marketing.

Congratulations - You've just passed Network Marketing 101! You are now prepared to go out into the world and make some money!

Wait a minute! What does recommending movies, restaurants, and car dealers have to do with Network Marketing?

It has everything to do with it - with one minor addition: When you get involved with a network marketing company, you get PAID to tell people how great something is!

Wow - pretty simple, right? Well, that's the truth of the matter. It really is just that simple, but people are so confused by the onslaught of money-hungry network marketers that they want to just run into a corner and hide until the coast is clear!

Unfortunately, greedy and less than ethical network marketers and network marketing companies have given a great concept a very bad name, and now it is up to the few truly ethical companies with good products to convince the general populace that network marketing is OK. All you're doing is recommending a product to people that you think can benefit from it. What's wrong with that? Nothing.

How does it work?

First, you choose an ethical company with a solid track record, a good line of products, and a future so bright that they have to wear shades! There are very few of these truly successful companies, even though there are probably thousands of network marketing companies out there.

Next, you get signed up with a company whose products YOU BELIEVE IN. Don't get signed up with a company because you have dollar signs in your eyes. If all you want to do is make money, you will have a hard time in network marketing. However, if you want to make money WHILE helping people find products or services that are going to benefit them, then your passion for your chosen company will shine through, allowing you an easier path to success.

Next, you tell other people about the product or service, and if they are interested, you get them signed up to purchase that product or service through you or using your company-sponsored website. Each time they make a purchase, you get paid in some way, shape, or form. Good companies will offer any/all of the following ways to get paid:

Direct profit resulting from retail vs. wholesale pricing

Money paid weekly or monthly based on the actual volume of products or services that you sell

Weekly or monthly bonuses based on attaining certain sales goals

Weekly, monthly, or annual bonuses based on your leadership level with the company (the more you succeed, the higher your level of leadership)

Residual income from sales made by people that you bring into the organization, people that your recruits bring into the organization, etc.

Quarterly or annual vacations, trips, retreats, conferences, etc. that are paid for in part or in full by the company

Believe it or not, that's all there is to it! You find a product and a company that you believe in, you get signed up, and you tell people about the product or services that are offered by your chosen company. There are countless training opportunities that any good company will offer to you, and you should take advantage of those opportunities. Don't reinvent the wheel - use the systems that have already proven successful for the company that you work for.

What should I do if I am approached by a Network Marketer?

The things that you should do if approached by a network marketer are the same things that anyone that YOU approach may be thinking, so keep that in mind. They include:

Ask yourself if you want/need the product. If not, then just say so. An ethical network marketer will not push you.

If you are interested, then ask for details about the product or service, but more importantly, ask for details about the company.

If you think you may be interested in the products or the opportunity presented by the company, ask where you can learn more. Again, an ethical network marketer will be happy to list numerous sources of information, and they will likely offer to give you printed information on the spot, and/or add you to their mailing list to keep you up to date.

Always remember that ethical network marketing is not about pushing low-quality products onto hapless citizens who don't know any better. It is about sharing a product or an opportunity with people who can benefit from it. Whether those people are your friends, family, and co-workers, or people that you meet out in the world, you should feel confident in the use of the products, and in the opportunity that is presented by your chosen company.

If you are ashamed to offer the product or service to someone, then they should be ashamed to use it! Stick with a reputable network marketing company and you will be doing a great service to people, and you can make a solid income at the same time. That's what we call a win/win situation, folks!

Thoughts Become Things

We are where we are, because of our thoughts in the past. Thoughts become things. We consciously or subconsciously always think about something. The problem is that we usually think more about things we don’t want, than about the things we want. It doesn’t matter if we want or don’t want something, we’ll get what we mostly think about.

Try to observe your thoughts for a day or two. Do you mostly think about the things that you worry about, you don’t want them to happen, you are afraid of, or do you mostly think about pleasant and wonderful things? Your present situation is the result of your predominant state of mind in the past. And you are creating your future now. Your future will be like your predominant state of mind now. The past is gone. You can’t change it, but if you are dwelling on the unhappy past now, you aren’t feeling happy now, and you are creating an unhappy future. Because you’re creating the future now, only the present is important. By having a predominantly happy and positive state of mind now, you’re creating your happy and positive future. It’s called the Law of Attraction. You can attract whatever you want in your life: happiness, wealth, perfect health, love and wonderful relationships. But you can also attract things and situations that you don’t want. Actually we do it subconsciously all the time. Because you are energy, you are like a magnet;   everything is energy, you, your mind and your body. But you can control your body, and you can also control your mind. Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you don’t control your mind and allow it to dwell on negative thoughts and feelings, it’s your worst enemy, because it creates your unhappy future. If you control your mind, it’s your best friend, because it becomes your best friend which will create your great future.  Of course the lives of most of the people are a mixture of happiness and unhappiness because of their flickering states of mind. Now, because of knowing and understanding of the law of attraction you can start creating your happy future and be sure that you’ll get what you want in life.

The Law of Attraction is a broad subject and there’s no space in this short report to explain everything. Fortunately there is now more and more information available on the subject of attraction. People like Plato, Newton, Carnegie, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein and many others knew the law of attraction and lived according to the law of attraction, but it was a secret for most of the people. Now a lot of people are learning about the secret, the law of attraction and the science of manifestation.

Three Steps to Your Ultimate Marketing Message

Have you created a core marketing message to use throughout all of your marketing efforts?

I'm not talking about some catchy slogan or play on words using the name of your business or the service you provide. It's not some meaningless phrase like "we do it right" or "quality service you can trust." Anybody in business can say those things and they're really basic expectations anyway.

A core marketing message clearly and concisely communicates what you're out to do and for who. It speaks to your ideal target market and gets them to respond and seek more information.

So many small business owners and professional service providers never take the time to create this for their own business. Most are creating a new message with every new "marketing campaign." They're constantly trying new ideas. And each new idea becomes a new chance to try and come up with that home run message that gets the phone ringing off the hook like never before.

What you need is an ultimate core marketing message that communicates directly and powerfully to your clients and prospective clients what it is they'll get from your services.

Here are three steps to creating your own ultimate core marketing message:

1. Who do you want to help? Be as clear as you can on who your target market is. Take some time and define with as much clarity as possible who your ideal clients are. If it's not obvious who your message is directed to, why would you expect anyone to get it?

2. What is the primary problem, issue, or challenge you would like to help someone in that target audience solve? This is really at the heart of your core marketing message. Most people are consumed with their own problems and looking for solutions to address them. So when you can clearly articulate a problem your client is dealing with, they'll listen because you may be able to provide a solution.

3. What is the ultimate outcome or result that you'd like to help your target market produce in solving their problem, issue, or challenge? People know what it is they'll get from knowing or working with you. When you're prepared to demonstrate that you're focused on delivering an outcome they'd be interested in, they will pay attention and want to know more.

That's it. Now take your answers and boil it down to one or two clear sentences that you can deliver enthusiastically and passionately. Communicate it in everything you do from a marketing perspective, both verbally and in writing.

Forget the catchy slogans. Create and start using your ultimate marketing message right now.

Three Ways To Start A Conversation And Finish With A Sale

Ditch your elevator pitch. Zap your infomercial. And whatever you do, keep your carefully worded, painstakingly developed, positioning statement to yourself. They may make you sound clever, but your elevator pitch, infomercial or positioning statement don’t exactly make for good conversations. Which is a shame, because last I checked, even a sales conversation is just that – a conversation.

So what can you say to a prospect sitting across the table, or someone you meet at a networking event or the beach bum in the next chaise longue? How can you start a conversation in a totally natural, familiar way that doesn’t sound like a sales pitch to the other person, doesn’t feel like a sales pitch to you, and yet increases your chance of getting your next referral or making your next sale?

Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a magical phrase or headline that will make the other person want to buy your product or services – it just doesn't exist.

What does exist, however, is an approach that will elicit interest from the other person so that he or she will want to engage you in a conversation. As a copywriter, I have adapted several copywriting styles and approaches for use in verbal conversations.

Here are three of my favorites:

1. The Provocative Question

Chances are, you've seen this technique on websites, flyers and direct mail. It's Copywriting for Direct Marketers 101, and it works just as powerfully in verbal conversations. In fact, it works so well that I'm surprised people don't use it more often! The best way to come up with a Provocative Question is to ask yourself the following: “What question can I ask, such that the response from the other person allows me to say, 'That's what I do…'?”

The best Provocative Question pinpoints a problem or a symptom of a problem that the other person has. However, don't get trapped into thinking that the problem has to be a big, generic problem that the category as a whole solves. It can be a small but nagging problem, or even a one that people have when they deal with your competitors.

Many people have a hard time coming up with Provocative Questions because, ironically, the most compelling ones are also the simplest and most obvious. Another thing that people have trouble with is answering a question with a question -- when someone asks us a question, we're wired to answer. What I am suggesting here is that you use that wiring to your advantage. Here's an example. When someone asks me what I do, I often answer back with a Provocative Question like this: "Well let me ask you a question. When you go to a networking event or when you have to introduce yourself in public, how confident are you with the way you describe your business?

Almost every time, the person acknowledges that he or she doesn’t feel confident with the way they describe their business. In that moment, I have engaged the other person’s interest by presenting what I do in a way that’s personally meaningful to him or her. Then, what generally ensues is a conversation about the sales and marketing challenges they have and how I can help. If, on the other hand, the person responds by saying that they‘re totally confident with the way they describe their business, that’s cool too. I have two choices; I can either move on to another provocative question, (such as, ‘That’s great, do you get the response you want or would you like more people to ask for your business card, even in social situations?’), or I can talk about how being confident about the way you describe your business shows you have exceptional clarity the true value you offer to your clients -- and how that’s the absolute most fundamental plank of your sales and marketing.

It’s all good -- it’s all about having a conversation around an issue that’s both A) important to the other person, and B) related to a core challenge that you help your best clients solve.

2.  The Level-Setting Statement

If you're a financial advisor, consultant, or in any other crowded profession where your prospects are very familiar with -- perhaps even jaded about -- the kind of work you do, this one’s for you.

The 'level-setting statement' is a universal statement that gets the other person nodding in agreement and then your point of difference hits them like a ton of bricks!

Here's why it's such a powerful technique. You can only be different in comparison to something else. That's what the level-setting statement does — it establishes what that something else is. Here’s just one example from an event planner I worked with: "There are five specific areas of expertise that are absolutely critical in major event planning. (Pause – and wait to see if the other person wants to know what they are.) While there are a lot of excellent event planners who can do a good job in one or two of them, it's extremely unlikely that any one event planner would be an expert in all of them. Because I've been in the business for 15 years -- on both the corporate as well as on the vendor side -- I've developed a detailed planning process around each and every one. That's what enables me to track and manage the myriad of details to guarantee a successful event." By stating the level-setting statement up front, you educate the other person about the industry you operate in, and establish a frame of reference that gives meaning to the differentiation you want to communicate. You can use this approach to challenge an underlying assumption that people have about the industry, to illustrate a small but significant problem that generally annoys customers when dealing with your competitors, or anything else that allows you to highlight your solution.

Take a look at your own point of difference. Can you come up with a level-setting statement that will help you stand out even more?

3.  Address The Stereotype Head-on

You know how as soon as people discover you're a _________________(insert your title here), they immediately form an impression about you that's based on a stereotype?

Unfortunately, that stereotype is often negative. For professions such as life insurance agents or used car salespeople, where the negative stereotypes run strong and deep, I recommend you address the stereotype head-on: "If I tell you I'm a used car salesman, you'd probably think 'plaid jacket guy who sells lemons to unsuspecting customers', right?" Pausing here is important, because you want to give the listener time to move the image of the stereotype from the unconscious part of their brain to the conscious part. They might even want to chime in and give you their negative experience about dealing with ‘people like you’.

Perfect – now their guard is down. Now you can continue on to explain how your business, service or approach ‘fixes’ the problem that everyone else in your industry has created.

That's your most compelling differentiator!

Stop selling! And start having real conversations! Simple as it may seem, everything truly does start with a conversation. You're not trying to tell your entire story, nor are you even trying to get the most important points out of your mouth first. All you want to accomplish is elicit interest from the other person; to have that person say, 'tell me more'.

So don’t think of these as sales techniques – think of them as conversation starters. The rest is up to you. If you are genuinely interested in helping the person you’re chatting with, chances are better than excellent you’ll finish with a referral or a sale.

Now go out and have some conversations!

Top 10 Tips For A Successful Network Marketing Presentation

As network marketers, we often have important information to impart and our role in doing so is a major one. Many, many times I have had the pleasure of having people approach me to say how hearing me speak literally changed their lives due to the powerful message and the persuasiveness of the delivery. Most people in MLM are not trained presenters or salespersons but there are a few steps everyone can take to make sure their message has the best possible chance of being well received. Here are my top tips:

1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Not every pitch will work for everyone so before you go to present the products or the business, whether it’s to just one person or to many, do a little research to ensure you’re presenting at the appropriate level. If your presentation is too lightweight, you’ll bore them; too in depth, you’ll confuse them. Either way, they will switch off and your vital words will fall on deaf ears.

2. WIIFM: “What’s In It For Me?” Yes, that old chestnut, but it’s worth repeating as it’s so often forgotten. Bearing in mind tip no. 1, what are the challenges faced by this person or this group of people? How does your business opportunity or your product solve their problems? Focus on answering these questions rather than trotting out the mechanics of your offering. Your audience must feel you’ve prepared your presentation specially for them, even if it’s essentially the same one you’re giving all the time.

3. CONTINUALLY LEARN AND PRACTICE PRESENTING: One of the most important skills any network marketer can hone is that of becoming an accomplished speaker. It impacts so many other areas of your life as it massively increases your self-confidence. The more professionally you can deliver your message, the more readily it will be received, the more lives you will touch and the more money you will make in your business. Learning to present well is an investment in yourself and can give you the greatest return on the capital you’ve invested.

4. HANDLE DISSENTERS WELL: One of the major fears I hear from network marketers is that of being faced with doubting prospects or those who dispute what they’re being told. Unfortunately, the tendency is to dig in and fight your corner but this can turn the discussion into an argument and work against you, especially if you’re giving a presentation in front of a group. When you’re faced with negativity, always start your answer with “That’s a very good question…” and continue with your viewpoint. Wherever possible, turn things around to make your audience right.

5. SHOW, DON’T TELL: Show the products you’re talking about. Let people feel, smell and see for themselves instead of just hearing what they are like. If you’re making a presentation about the business opportunity, remember that your company has probably done a lot to make things easier for you. Make sure you get the prospecting materials they offer, show the pictures of the top distributors, talk about them as if they are real people .

6. LET YOUR GUARD DOWN: People buy from those they know, like and trust. How can they do any of this if you won’t let them get to know the real you. You don’t have to be perfect, you can talk about your own challenges, beliefs, family, hopes and dreams. Doing so gives your prospects more opportunity to identify with you so you can use the similarities to build rapport.

7. STORIES INSTEAD OF FACTS: When we get excited about our products, we often delve into the features of the products, what works and why. This is all very exciting once you’ve had your first wonderful product experience, but it doesn’t make for a very exciting lead-in to your presentation. People want to know about results. They want the bottom line. There’s plenty of time to get to the details later but to start this way could send most of your prospects to sleep (apart from the professors in the audience, of course). The best way to illustrate what your products or business opportunity can do is through telling stories. Use your own story or a case study of someone you know. Use emotive words. Remember, not just the facts, the feelings too.

8. MAKE ‘EM LAUGH: When people laugh they feel more relaxed and amenable. Every situation has a humorous side and if you’re telling a tragic story your prospects will welcome the respite that comes with a moment of levity. The golden rule is to move people: make ‘em laugh, make ‘em cry, then they buy. This is something I aim to do in every presentation because it means I’ve moved my audience emotionally. I appreciate this is an advanced technique, but if you learn how to do it, you’ll increase your success rate exponentially.

9. DON’T TELL – ASK: Instead of telling your prospects everything, get them answering questions. Rather than saying “Did you know that only 1% of people retire financially free?”, ask them “What percentage of people do you think retire financially free?”. This gets your prospects involved and if you word your questions correctly, you’re coaching them to the purchase decision rather than having to push them into buying. This is a technique I teach that I’ve perfected over the years. It works great for network marketers and women and I call it “pull selling”.

10. GIVE A REASON TO ACT NOW: Again, not being salespersons, many network marketers give a great presentation and then wimp out without asking for the order. Your prospect’s motivation will never be higher than it is at that moment so make sure you use this to your advantage. Think of reasons why they should place their order today. Some possible reasons might be because you are offering a special bonus OR prices are about to increase OR there’s an order deadline coming up so they’ll get their goods sooner OR you’re placing an order too so they’ll save on the postage OR you’re offering a discount on orders placed today OR you’re seeing someone else who could become a distributor and will go beneath them. Whatever it is, tell them, and secure the sale.

Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself When Selecting Your Target Market

Target Market is defined as the group to which you aim your marketing efforts. The more clearly you define and understand your market, the better you can market directly to that group. Talk their language, answer their problems, and show that you really get them and they are more likely to do business with you. Just because you market to one group however doesn’t mean you have to turn away business from another group. Your product or service may be appropriate for many groups but your marketing will be more effective if you market directly to one at a time.

1. What are the demographics of my market?  What are the measurable statistics that I know about my market such as age, income or occupation? 

2. What are the psychographics of my market?  What are the lifestyle preferences of my market?  Are they all music lovers, golfers, or condo owners?

3. Is this a group I enjoy working with and/or find fascinating? If I have to spend a lot of time with this group will I be bored or repelled by it?

4. What kind of connection do I have to this market so I know it well?  Am I part of the market myself or have I been part of it in the past?  Do I have family and friends that are part of it?

5. What are the professional organizations, clubs, or activities that my target market frequents?  I want to be able to find my market and talk to them directly.  Do I know where to go?

6. What newspapers, magazines or websites does my market enjoy?  If I want to stay in touch with the market ongoing then I need to know what this group is reading. 

7. Do I understand the problems that my market faces?  Will my product or service solve a problem for them?

8. Do I know the language that this market uses?  Knowing the vocabulary of my market gives me more credibility.

9. Do I know what attracts this group?  How do I let this group know about my product or service?  What will get their attention?

10. Do I know who influences this group?  Who are the people respected by this group?  What are they advocating and can I align my product or service in some way with them?

The Truth About Network Marketing

To truly know what network marketing really is you must know exactly what it isn’t first. Actually there is nothing illegal or dishonest about network marketing and it is not a pyramid scheme. A pyramid is a program that has people invest large sums of money in the hope that others will too and the money will somehow get back to them and they will get rich. This is just a game played with money that has no real sales value. The products that are so-called being invested in are just the tools to hide the money game. A pyramid scheme is based on taking advantage of people and is very much illegal. For one person to actually make money in this scheme someone else has to lose it. The whole premise is built on a lie and in no way going to make one rich.

Network marketing on the other hand is very much legal and has great potential for those who work hard at it. There are real products or real value to be used to make money. The prices are not in the thousands either. Products are bought based on need and desire, not necessity. There are many people who make really good money in network marketing but it takes a lot of effort and work. One must build an entire organization from scratch based on the legitimate products offered. You will be encouraged to help others succeed so you too can win. It is a form of retailing where you either sell the products from your company to others or sponsor other people who will be using the products for their own use or selling them. In no way are you taking advantage of others in network marketing. Everyone can make money with enough effort.  You will not make it rich overnight no matter what anyone promises you. But you can live well with enough effort. You will need to follow a specific business dynamic to accomplish this.

Network marketing is a very serious business for highly determined people. The system has been proven and the design, creation, and expense that the corporate team has laid out are what you will follow like a road map to your own success. The big key in network marketing is that it is all about leverage. You work hard to get other people sponsored so you can make a percent off their work as well as your own. The most successful people who build a network do it in a very organized way. They dedicate themselves to it for a designated amount of hours per week to build it slowly over time. Then they sponsor others and train them on the company’s product and how to sponsor others. By helping your people get their own sponsors you in essence duplicate yourself. This can lead to getting hundreds and even thousands of people into your network over time. You use your time to train others to be successful and earn income from their efforts. With network marketing you do not need huge capital requirements and no area restrictions geographically. There are no required quotas you have to sell or purchase or specific educational background needed. All you need to have is drive and time. There is no high cost overhead and you can even qualify for many tax breaks for having the home-based business.

Training the New Network Marketing Distributor: Being a Good MLM “Sponsor”

Being a Good Sponsor: Being a good sponsor means showing your new distributors “The Rules:”

1. Treat it Like a Business- In order to be successful, your new distributors must truly want success, be coachable, and follow through on their commitments. In other words, they need to treat this business like a business.

2. Keep it simple- If they can follow a simple procedure (see Part 1), they will use the same system with their contacts. If they can see that what you did was simple, they will believe they can do it, too. If you had to really work on them, more or less “bullying” them into the business, your new distributors will not want to duplicate what you did and will not take any action.

3. Determine Their Reasons- If you know what your new distributor wants from this venture, that is, why they want to succeed, you can understand how to get them over the rough spots and keep them on the road to success. Remember, most people will be tempted to quit with the first setback because they were never clear on what they wanted to achieve in the first place. If their “why” is strong enough, the “how” will be easier to get across.

4. Establish Objectives- Set specific sponsoring and financial objectives for the first 30, 60, and 90 days. People always perform better when they have specific goals in mind.

5. Introduce Your Upline- Introduce new distributors to their upline, those leaders who are building a successful business and who are earning the type of income they’d like to earn. That way, if you’re not available to help them, they will have names and telephone numbers of others (you should give them at least 3) who they can contact for support. Further, by meeting others who are earning the type of income they'd like to earn, the system becomes more realistic and attainable.

6. Where are the Tools? Make sure they know how to get the tools they will need to share the business with others., such as tapes/CDs, brochures, business cards, etc. Every business needs information to disseminate with prospects. This one is no exception. Remember, people are not duplicable, but systems are.

7. Make a Prospect List- Although everyone who makes a list doesn’t necessarily become a top earner, every top earner has a list. Typically, they’ll start with their Warm Market, because that’s the people they know.

At this point, your new distributor should be ready to go. They have their “reason why” clearly in mind, specific objectives for the next 90 days, their upline's contact information for plenty of support, the tools to get started, and a list of people to contact. Let Them Move at Their Own Pace- Sponsoring a distributor is a process, not a single event. If they don't want to move as fast as you do, that’s OK. You can’t change human nature. People will only do what they are willing to do. Encourage, yes, but don’t try to force people into something they aren’t willing to do.

Viral Marketing Tips - How To Use It In Your Business

Viral marketing is a technique that is used by many people, yet it is still relatively unknown. Many people hear the words “viral marketing” or “viral traffic”, and think that it has something to do with a virus. Fortunately, viral marketing and viral traffic have nothing to do with people spreading viruses via email, etc.

Viral marketing is simply defined; It is any strategy that is implemented to encourage people to pass on a marketing message to others; which in turn creates the potential for growth and more people seeing your message. Viral marketing also increases targeted traffic. The only way viral marketing is similar to a virus is in the way it can expand and replicate at a very quick pace. This can cause viral traffic to pick up, and your marketing message to reach a lot of people in a short amount of time.

Before you begin a strategy to increase viral traffic or targeted traffic you must understand that some strategies work better than others. But if you put the proper amount of research into your viral traffic strategy you will increase your odds of coming up with a successful program. There are a couple of important tips that you should keep in mind when trying to increase viral traffic, they are as follows:

1. The most important aspect to remember when trying to increase viral or targeted traffic is to give something away for free. Everybody likes free stuff, and if you are giving something away that people like there is a better chance that your recipients will pass on your marketing message. The word free alone will increase your viral traffic. As far as how long it will take to increase traffic is not as easy to determine. Some viral marketing programs take off right away, whereas others build slowly. It all depends on your strategy, and what you are giving away.

2. To increase viral traffic you must also make sure that your message is easily transferable from one person to the next. You will never increase your viral traffic if you have to depend on somebody else to pass along your information. It should be automatically done via email, websites, or even software downloads. The bottom line is that you need to make sure your viral marketing message is concise, to the point, and easily transferable.

3. Before putting a strategy in place to increase viral traffic you will want to make sure that you can handle the traffic and requests that come along with it. This goes along with doing your research before starting. If you cannot handle the new viral traffic, all your hard work will mean nothing in the end.

4. One of the easiest ways to increase viral traffic is to use existing networks. In other words, implement your strategy to touch base with people who will be interested, and therefore pass your information onto other people in their network. This will ensure that you get a good group of targeted traffic to take notice of your project. You need to be giving away your free gifts to people that will use them, so targeted traffic is very important. By working within a network you will have a better chance of driving up targeted traffic, which will help your strategy spread.

5. Do not rely on yourself to do all of the work when it comes to attempting to increase viral traffic. Even though you will be putting the overall strategy into effect, you should still be able to use other resources to increase targeted traffic. Affiliate programs and press releases are two great ways to increase targeted traffic without having to put in too much work.

Overall, viral marketing is a great way to get exposure and increase profit. If your strategy does a good job of bringing in targeted traffic there is no reason that you should not be able to accomplish the goals that you have set forth.

What Are The 7 Psychological Triggers That Make People Buy?

1. The Why

Tell people WHY you're doing something. Don't be a mystery for your customers. People are more likely to buy from an ordinary person they know something about. Are you giving a 25% discount on your product? Give the people an honest reason why. Are you limiting the number of products you want to sell? Tell people why. If you tell your visitors about the reasons for doing something they will be more likely to trust you and to buy from you.

2. Specifics

Tell the specifics. "How I made $1,057 in a week" sounds more believable than "How I made $1,000 in a week".People are skeptical. If you include specifics people will be more likely to believe you. If you state a fact, make it specific. General numbers never sounded plausible.

3. Curiosity

We all are extremely curious. We want to know answers to our questions. Tell people not to open this email and they will open it. Because they want to know what's inside. Headlines like "Discover the hidden secret of free offers" are always producing great results. You immediately want to know "What secret?". Curiosity triggers are a great way to get your email opened. It also works great in ads and in articles. Like the title of this article: "What Are 7 Psychological Triggers That Make People Buy?"

4. Fear to Lose Something

People are more likely to buy from you if they are motivated by fear to lose something than if they are motivated by desire to gain something. That's why deadlines and limited production numbers work well. Use deadlines in your copy. Run 3 days specials or limit the number of products you want to sell. Make people act now by letting them know that it is a limited time offer.

5. Questions

Ask questions. By asking questions you get people involved, they automatically start to think to answer your question and become more responsive to your message. What headline would grab your attention? "You are wasting money on ezine advertising" or "Are you wasting money on ezine advertising?"

6. Stories

Nothing can be better than a good story. It's easy to influence people just by telling them a good story. A lot of famous writers used this method in their sales letters. You can tell a true story about your customer. Or about yourself. A real life story about something the product has done to improve someone's life will build your credibility and motivate people to buy.

7. Facing a Problem

Every product is a solution to a particular problem. Don't rush into presenting the solution you have, make sure you first make your visitors face the problem. Present the problem and agitate it so people would feel the pain of the situation. Spell out the problem, tell them how it feels. Only after you've got readers' interest present your product that provides the solution.

Apply these seven psychological techniques to maximize your sales and increase the response rate of your ads.

What is a Niche Market Anyway?

You are interested in starting a home-based business. You also want to use the Internet for your work-at-home idea. However, you are not sure if you can make money online. To make matters worse, you are confused about what home-based business opportunity to pursue. If this sounds like you, rest assured that money can be made online with a home-based business. You don’t need to study for years until you can reap rewards. There are sound business concepts that have been taught and proven to be true by some of the most highly successful marketers in the world. What is the top sound principle that will ensure your success? It is choosing the right niche market.  You might be wondering what a niche is. A niche is simply a group of people with similar interests and needs. They are very passionate about their topic of interest. Think of a small pond packed with starving fish and you have the bait specific to their needs; they will like what you have to offer the best. This, in essence, is a niche.

Why a niche market? Well, unless you are a huge corporation with bottomless pockets, niche marketing is the way to go. You see most of the large corporations blow off niche markets because they are not trying to make an additional $1000 to $15000 per month like many home-based business entrepreneurs and other small business owners. They are seeking to make millions per month, which is good for you because you don’t have to compete with those companies that have massive marketing budgets.

It really is easy to find potential customers in niche markets. Here are some examples:

Motor Home Owners

Carpet Cleaner Business Owners

Restaurant Owners

Winter Camping Enthusiasts

Siamese Cat Owners

Dentists

Landscape Company Owners

You get the picture.

Before you decide which niche market to target for your home- based business, here are four important points to consider:

1. Is the market easily defined and reachable? Do you know where they hangout? What kind of trade journals or publications do they read? Do they have clubs or are members of particular organizations?

2. Is the market small enough that you will not have tons of competitors, but still large enough for you to make a good profit?

3. Does the market have the money to spend?

4. Does the group have an insane passion for their hobby or topic of interest? Do they eat, sleep, and breathe their hobby? Are they constantly seeking more information related to their subject?

Doing research related to these questions will help you pick the perfect niche market for your home-based business.

As you think about starting a home-based business and what market to target, follow the above suggestions and you will be way ahead of many other home-based business opportunity seekers who want to start a work-at-home business.

What Is Your Genuine Purpose?

Are you living a purposeful life? One of the main factors involved in people who are feeling depressed and unhappy is the simple fact that they feel their lives lack meaning and direction. Fortunately, it is simple to give your life meaning and direction. All you need to do is find a purpose for your life.

Even if you don’t feel lost, defining your purpose can help you. Knowing who you are and what you want out of life can help you achieve more and be more. It can also help you make better decisions each day.

Finding your purpose may take some time and thought because what you are doing is very important and very meaningful. You are going to create your personal mission statement. Nothing is more important than that mission statement because ultimately it will define what you do and who you are. Try to set aside several hours to focus your energy on this task. If you don't have a large block of time then you can set aside smaller time periods and work through these five steps one at a time.

1. Look Back- Think about your past, especially the high points and successes. Make a list of all your successes and all the points of pride and accomplishment. Spend time simply thinking about your childhood, school years, and other phases of your life so you can make a list that is as complete as possible. Do you spot any trends among these accomplishments and successes?

2. Look Inside- Make a list of positive words or attributes that people use to describe you such as hard working, creative, passionate, or determined. Then make a list of words or attributes you use to describe yourself. What are your gifts and talents? Make sure to list the ones that you don't currently use as well as those you currently develop and utilize. After reviewing and comparing these lists make a list of five or six core values that are your top priorities.

3. Look At Your Dreams- Now take the time to dream a little. If time and money were no object how could you contribute to the world, your family, your career field, your friends, and your community? What are your passions? What moves you, excites you, or angers you?

4. Look Ahead- Review your notes from Steps One, Two and Three and identify your top goals and priorities. Make a list of these and then number them in order of importance.

5. Look For Your Mission- Your mission statement can have three levels. The top level should be a simple one-sentence action statement that becomes your personal mission or vision. Simply complete this sentence: My mission is to ...

Where Are You Going In Life

What do you want to achieve?

Before you actually set up, decide what you want to achieve with your business. If you are already in business, review where you are going, are you clear about this?

Why not take some time out to think about and write down your goals for your business?

Write it down.

And make sure your business goals don’t conflict with things you want to do personally. When you are thinking about your goals, think about and write down your personal goals too. And if you are a multi owner business you will obviously need to discuss your responses with your colleagues, and agree on a shared set of goals for the business.

SMART goals

Make sure that the goals you write are SMART. What does this mean? It stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Timed

Apply these five measures to each of your goals. What does it mean to you in reality? Once you have written down your goal as a SMART goal, think about what the effects would be if you didn’t achieve itl. What is the pain that you and those you love will experience if you don’t achieve your goal, i.e. ill health, poverty, unhappiness etc. (Why do this? Because recognising this pain is an enormous motivating force that will help you to work even harder to make sure you don’t fail!) Then decide what you will gain when you succeed - i.e. wealth, health, happiness, a prosperous retirement etc. What will you see, hear and feel? And what else will your success allow you to achieve/do? And finally write down the key things you will need in order to achieve your goal. For example, it could be new resources, contacts, skills, actions etc.

Repeat this process using a new sheet for every single goal you would like to achieve.

Prioritise

Next try and prioritise the goals you have written. Lay out all of your goals in front of you and decide which are the most important to you, which are less important and which (if any) are, on reflection, not important after all. For each goal that is still important, work out how you will achieve it, break it down into smaller steps to make it easier to manage. Plan in timescales to do each step, write them into your diary or planner. That way you make reaching your goals part of your daily activities. Look at where your time goes. It's worth having a look at how you spend your time at the moment, and comparing this to the way you would like your life to happen. Then you can fit your goals into this as well.

To do this, look at the personal goals you set out and list out the broad areas of your life that are important to you eg family, friends, business, health, fitness, money etc Make a note of the percentage of your waking time that you would like to spend in each of these areas in an ideal world (make sure that the column adds up to 100%) Estimate approximately the percentage of your waking time you think you are actually spending in each area at the moment, - just a rough and ready approximation here, don’t waste time trying to get pinpoint accuracy the aim is just to get a broad feel Then calculate the gap between the two Looking at the gaps does it suggest that you need to make changes in order to achieve your goals? If it does, what changes are you going to make?

Next steps

Think carefully about everything you have just done and thought about. What are the implications for what you are doing in your business and your life - and what you should be doing? Transfer the things you should be doing to an action planner. Keep this somewhere where you won’t lose sight of it, so that you are reminded on a daily basis about what you want to achieve. If you think it would help contact an advisor, mentor or coach to discuss what else you can do to achieve your goals. Sometimes it helps to go through the whole exercise with a third party, who can be more objective and help you to focus on the right things. Review your action planner. Prioritise it. And start taking action!

And remember, however good your ideas and intentions are… they will come to absolutely nothing unless they are turned into action. So focus on taking ACTION. And start taking it today.

What If You Had Never Ending “Perfect” MLM Leads?

In order to succeed in MLM, you are going to need a steady supply of fresh-targeted MLM leads that are anxious to get started in this business opportunity. MLM lead vendors know this little fact too and they can see you coming a mile away.

This can pose a problem for all but the super savvy network marketers and people with extra-ordinary telephone skills.

Here are 5 of the most popular reasons you may want to consider generating your own MLM marketing leads:

1. Quality: When you purchase MLM leads from a leads vendor, you are buying a list of names and contact details that have been generated in a very generic way to maximize the response rate of the lead generators advertising campaign. These MLM leads are not necessarily generated from the most targeted means of advertising.

These leads are not selling them on any specific type of business. When you are using this type of lead you really don't know what type of business they may be interested in. In the end, you are left to sort and this can be a time consuming procedure. Generating your own MLM leads with a website you have control over changes all this.

2. Responsive: MLM leads that you have generated on your own are usually much more responsive than leads that you would have purchased from a leads vendor.

Most probably they have not been contacted by several different network marketers and their name has not been sold over and over again by some of the lead vendors out there. Leads that you generate are as fresh as you can get and they are exclusive to you only

3. Real-Time Leads: One of the most popular reasons for a network marketer to generate their own MLM leads is that you can receive them in real-time.

This is especially powerful for people who are in the higher ticket business opportunities and they need the highest quality lead they can get. Nothing beats having company specific real-time leads in your inbox waiting to be contacted about your product or opportunity.

4. Custom Surveys: When you are the lead generator you have full control over the questions you want to ask your prospects. You can simply qualify or disqualify leads based on the questions they have answered on your lead capture page. It is a wise idea to always run a "Comments or Questions" or "Tell Me about You" space on your lead capture page. Not every single prospect will fill these fields out but when they do it will be the most valuable piece of information you receive next to their name and number. Anything a prospect is willing to share with you before the initial contact is like an icebreaker.

5. Cost. Generating your own MLM leads can actually save you a lot of money if you spend the time to set up some solid advertising campaigns. Like many lead companies on the web you would not have the high cost of employees either. Your cost to generate your own leads will be your advertising costs and any other tools you may be using such as lead capture pages and autoresponders. These are just a few reasons you may want to consider generating your own MLM leads for your specific product or opportunity. It could make a difference in how effectively you market your program.

Working at Home: 7 Follow Up Etiquette Tips

I just learned a valuable lesson. I had a person sign up to learn more about my work at home business. She came in  through a coop I was participating in and was a bit confused as to why she received communication from the person who ran the coop as well as me. She simply wanted to know who I was.  I responded to her in my normal, witty manner. The problem was that she didn't know me and she wasn't impressed with my response. In fact, she was actually insulted. She was kind enough to remind me of the old saying," You never have a second chance to make a good first impression."  As I thought about this I came to realize that when dealing with people that you don't know and that don't know you,  you really need to take care in how you respond and interact with others. So, I wrote a few "Follow Up Etiquette Tips" that seem appropriate.

1. Respond quickly. Too often we may receive an e-mail or have a message on our answering machine that we just put off responding to. That person was kind of enough to take the time to learn more about what we are offering. We owe it to them to respond to them as quickly as possible. After all, it will be a benefit to us to do so.

2. Take the time to think of a good response to the  question. Be prepared before you return the call. Read and reread a response to an email. Make sure you have answered the question or be as prepared as possible to do so.

3. Don't try to be too clever or witty with your response. Although you may try to be funny, the person you are dealing  with may take it a different way and actually be insulted.

4. Do not request delivery and read receipts. Simply ask the person in the body of the email to let you know that  they got your message.

5. Don't use abbreviations. There are many email  abbreviations used in order to save time in typing. But many of them are confusing and can be misunderstood.

6. Keep is short, simple and to the point. Remember, a person's time is valuable. They want their question answered in as little writing as possible. They don't want to read a novel.

7. Be courteous and polite. Even if you are asked a question that you have already answered or that the answer seems obvious, take the time to explain it. Do not make the other person feel "stupid" for asking the question.There are many other "etiquette" guidelines. These are just a few that I have personally learned. The bottom line is this: When someone wants to know about you and your business, you owe it to them to respond quickly, clearly, and professionally.

Your Customer is Not a Statistic

When a customer walks into your office, you want to make sure they feel welcome, you want to treat your customer as though they are a piece of gold, and not as a statistic. Have you ever been standing in a line, and when it comes to your turn to be waited on, the sales associate yells out “next?” Just thinking about that scenario makes me cringe. It is hardly a way to build a relationship with your customer. I have been working in sales for more than fifteen years, and I have literally had customers tell me that the most important thing to them is to be appreciated and not treated as a statistic. Keep this in mind the next time you wait on a customer, instead of yelling “next,” you can politely say, “may I help you Ms. Jones.”

We all have our daily, weekly, and monthly goals that we must meet. And with this pressure applied to our daily work day, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that it is the customer who is the most important thing when it comes to our company’s existence. They are the backbone. Without customers, we cease to exist.

Here are a few tips to ensure that your customer is appreciated by you and your company, and not viewed as just another number in line:

1. Address Your Customer by Name

When addressing your customer, make sure you call them by name. This will put your relationship with your customer on a personal level, and customers like to know that they are remembered. It gives them a feeling of importance with you, and your company.

2. Don’t Hurry Them Out the Door

The last thing the customer wants is to be hurried out the door. Remember.  You are running a business, where people are your greatest asset. You are not on an assembly line manufacturing cars, so don’t treat your customer as though you are. When you are finished with your customer’s transaction, ask if there is anything else you can do for them, or if they have any questions for you. You could even use this opportunity to ask if you could go over some of your company's products with them, which you feel would benefit them. The last thing you want to do is get them in and get them out.

3. Discuss Non-Business Topics

There is more beneath the surface of your customers than just the business that they do with you. People love to talk about themselves, such as their family, their job’s, their pets, their hobbies, etc. So ask your customer about one of the topics mentioned above, I guarantee they will be delighted to tell you all about it. This is also a great way to get to know your customer, and build a strong relationship with them.

A strong business relationship is a great opportunity to obtain all of your customer’s business as well as the business of all of their friends and relatives through referrals.So remember, don’t treat your customer like a statistic, treat them as you would treat one of your friends.

Your Greatest Marketing Assets

You might not think that you are a marketing and sales person, but if you own or work in a small business think again. When you're in business for yourself - whether you like it or not, feel like you're good at it or not - you are a marketing and sales person.

I tell my marketing clients and those that attend my various marketing presentations all the time that the two greatest assets you possess are your attitude and belief. When these are positive and show through your marketing and sales efforts, your results will increase dramatically.

Attitude: Be enthusiastic and passionate about your value proposition to the marketplace. You know that what you offer can make a difference and have an impact on your clients. When it comes to your own marketing, if you feel good about yourself and you have self-confidence because you are doing everything for the benefit of your clients, you'll become more attractive to prospective clients.

Belief:  You don't have to have a degree in marketing to get great marketing results. But you do have to believe in yourself and your actions. I call it a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you can't do something, you're right - you won't do it. On the other hand, if you believe that you can learn what it takes to get better marketing results you will. If you're persistent in pursuing your business and your small business marketing with a positive attitude and belief that you can, sooner or later you'll find what works for you. You'll discover the marketing strategies and tactics that allow you to begin attracting attention and bringing in new clients consistently! I know because it's happening for me.

Your Life Is A “Do-It-Yourself” Project

The responsibility of working hard, planning and living a successful and fulfilled life falls largely on you. This simply means that from this point forward, the burden of shaping your adult life is on your shoulders. The sooner you realize this, the better!

The most important question to ask yourself is, what can I do today, this week, this month, this year, to get my life going in the direction I desire?

If you truly believe that there is more to you than meets the eye, stop making excuses, and start living your best life today!

If you are either on the verge of giving up, or are sick and tired of being mediocre, you can make a decision to start winning, by casting a YES vote in your favor today!

You don’t have to continue being stuck in that rut or being hounded by feelings of underachievement! Believe in yourself, you can make something of your life. Just don’t give up!

5 most important life management questions:

What?

What do you want to do with your life? This is probably one of the most important questions that you will ever answer. The answer to this question will lay the foundation for your destiny.

Once you have clearly identified what you want to do with your life, it then becomes the focal point of everything you plan to do. Knowing what you want to do, gives you clarity and a much needed sense of purpose. It also prevents you from engaging in side tracking, time wasting ventures which have no connection to your purpose.

Why?

Understanding the importance of why you want to achieve certain things in your life, is the motivation that will drive you to accomplish the goals that you have set for yourself.

Why do you want to achieve these goals you have set for yourself? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to get married? Why do you want to start your own business? Why do you want to boost your self esteem? The answers to these questions must be compelling enough to move you into action.

Who?

In order for you to achieve certain things, you need to take on certain qualities. Who do you need to become as you strive to achieve your goal? Do you need to become more confident, committed and action oriented? Do you need to become a risk taker? Do you need to be more assertive? Identify the qualities that you need to adopt in order for you to achieve your goals.

How?

How are you going to manage your life as a project? How are you planning on achieving your objectives? Do you have a step by step plan? Certain tools need to be in place to help you tie together all the pieces of the project you plan to accomplish.

Having a plan is very important because it is the road map to your goal. It will help you know what information you require to make each phase of your life a success. For example, if you want to lose weight, how do you plan to lose it? If plan A fails what is plan B?

When?

Every goal you set must have a deadline and any plan you have, must cease from just being a plan, turn into action and produce tangible results. When are you going to be done with at least one specific goal you have set out to accomplish? When are you going to wrap up the project?

Your life is a do-it-yourself project. If you want your plans to materialize, start taking action today!

Your Secret Marketing Weapon

It seems paradoxical – the more you give away, the more people are willing to pay for your services – but it’s true. This exact approach has worked quickly and effectively for me for years. The key is that it’s got to be good and of high relevance to your target audience. This builds people’s confidence that you consistently know your stuff and that you can be counted on for long-term value. People soon realize that if you’re willing to give away such valuable expertise, think how great the solutions they pay for will be!

So how do you share your expertise with your target audience? Through writing and speaking. And it starts with being able to get your core ideas down on paper in a way that catches your audience’s attention and compels them to action.

If the idea of writing an article or giving a speech feels overwhelming, stay with me. I’m going to show you how easy it can be if you follow a basic formula that works every time.

Formula for Success

We’ve all stared at a blank page, at a loss for words or ideas…and wondered how in the world to write the article, proposal, report or presentation that’s due soon…with the deadline looming and no inspiration in sight. It’s the worst feeling and brings out the procrastinator in all of us.

Next time you’d rather clean out your desk than force yourself to sit down and write something, try this easy approach:

1. Brainstorm a short list of things that your clients struggle with. What problems drive them to you? Why are they willing to pay good money for your services? Remember, it’s not about you -- it’s about them, their pain, and their needs. This is now your list of topics for articles and talks.

2. Pick one topic and answer the following questions:

What’s the problem?

What’s the lost opportunity?

Why is this important to address?

What will happen if it’s ignored?

What’s your solution?

What tips do you have for implementing your solution?

What example can you use to illustrate your point?

3. Write your answers to these questions and don’t worry about how it flows or even if you’re using good grammar. Just get your ideas on paper (or into the computer). Notice that by now, you have at least a page written. Pat yourself on the back and keep going.

4. Go back and clean up what you’ve written, add a catchy title and some headlines to break up the text, keep your paragraphs short, add some bullets or numbers to guide the eye. Maybe add references or a diagram. Step back and review what you’ve done. By now, you’ve got an article!

5. Ask a couple of trusted colleagues, clients or friends for feedback on your draft – really do this because it helps! Plus, it’s a great confidence booster and low-risk way to share your writing with a small audience first.

6. Put your new article on your website, offer to send it as a follow up when networking, send it to current clients, use it as the basis for getting booked for talks (more on how to in a future newsletter)…whatever you do, don’t let it languish. USE it as a way of sharing your expertise.

You've Got Nothing To Lose In Network Marketing!

Home business MLM has never been easier these days. With the emergence of electronic tools and other gadgetry, coupled with the Internet, your task has been chopped down in half. Nothing can beat the business or opportunity that MLM home business can give. Besides, how do you beat working at home in your blue jeans, never going to an office, and making more money than the people you might have worked for?

Once an MLM business is established and well under way, a typical week might take 3 to 5 hours of some form of enjoyable work to keep your network running smoothly. That’s it. Your working day is finished. It does not take a rocket scientist to make a network work. There are also no magic bullets, books, software, devices, meetings, and tapes that can make it any harder or easier.

Many years ago, just the thought of MLM affiliate programs, franchises and home businesses were enough to scare people off. The reason? All the extra hours that people have to put in to make things happen. There are also those MLM home business programs that say they are the best. Only to turn out bankrupt in an instant. This and other reasons of the same kind have marked MLM as phony and the people behind, not to be trusted. If these people only had to think for a while, they would have realized that there is no such thing as the best program and best company. The concept of being the “best” is depending on the characteristics inherent that is shown and is approved by others. Reading, studying and learning about MLM home business is the most effective way. Then it would be now up to the marketer to think how he or she can input those learnings in his own MLM home business.

In order to build your MLM home business, you need to understand one simple aspect. It is a business and definitely not a hobby. Also remember that nothing is free. So it is best to understand up front that you are going to spend some time and money. That's simple. Find a product or service that you really like. Join a company that sells just that. Then build your own MLM home business using a system that can work using the internet. If this is like the other types of business, you will need the necessary business skills to run their new venture to ensure its success. However, an MLM home business marketer needs no special skills to run their multi-level system. Any skill a network marketer may need, they can learn while running their MLM home business based on their marketing plan. MLM home business is a smart business sense for anyone wishing to start a home-based trade.

There are many benefits to MLM home business. It costs next to nothing to get started, you get a proven system like that of a franchise opportunity and you can be in profit in months rather than in years. Therefore, if you desire more income while still working a 9 to 5 job, or to build your retirement income then should seriously consider MLM home business as your vehicle for you and your family’s financial well being.