MLM Talk Online

By Usa Johnson

Although network marketing is one of the simplest and quickest roads to personal and financial success, only 5 percent of those who make the journey reach their goals. What sets them apart? The same thing that will set you apart if you follow these key steps:

1. Know what you want.

What do you want in life? Wealth? Health? Happiness? Any and all can be yours - if you create a compelling enough vision of your future. This vision works like a magnet, moving you forward and keeping you going, even when you hit occasional walls. Walls are part of any business, network marketing included. It’s what you do to get up, over, around, and through them that matters. Really knowing what you want will move you beyond them each and every time.

2. Make a firm commitment.

Network marketing may be a unique business model, but like all businesses, it works only if you do. No matter what product or service you sell or what company you join, you need to be the engine that drives your success. Don’t be content to be a passenger. Remember: Action is commitment set in motion; motion builds momentum; momentum, over time, leads to success.

3. Follow the system.

Network marketing companies don’t just offer a product - they offer a system for delivering it to the public. In short, they’ve worked out all “policies and procedures” to a science, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or waste precious time and energy on the countless details that plague most business start-ups. The result? You (and everyone you bring into the organization) hit the ground running. Therefore, follow your company’s system EXACTLY. There’s no quicker way to success.

4. Love and use your product.

Enthusiasm sells products and begins with familiarity. That means knowing your company’s products (or services) inside and out. Use each over an extended period of time to gain firsthand experience of its benefits. Talk to others to learn how each bettered their lives as well. This deeper understanding enables you to talk more comfortably, authoritatively, and enthusiastically about your products and services with all you meet.

5. Work your upline.

Your sponsor is part teacher, part guide, part cheerleader, part friend. That’s a whole lot of parts! And when you put them together, you get an energetic, knowledgeable, and caring person who can get you where you want to go as directly as possible. Know, however, that your upline includes more than just your sponsor. Your sponsor’s sponsor (or even your sponsor’s sponsor’s sponsor) is someone with helpful tools and tips. Don’t be shy about giving him or her a quick phone call or dropping either an e-mail. Use them to expand your knowledge and reach.

6. Cultivate winners.

Build strong relationships with a significant number of the individuals you sponsor. Exactly how many is a significant number? It could be 10 to 20, or just two to three. The key is this: You don’t have to have a downline of thousands all giving 100 percent. All you need is a handful of folks who have “heard the calling” and respond body and soul. These are the distributors worth cultivating; they’re the true winners who will help you grow your business, so support them any way you can. As to the rest, if they’re reluctant to begin with, no amount of pushing or pulling will get them to change their minds or the way they do business.

7. Avoid cold calls.

When prospecting, always start with “familiar faces” - family, friends, acquaintances, etc. Because they know and respect you, the trust is there. Too, they often listen more intently and politely, allowing you the opportunity to fine-tune your approach. That’s invaluable experience, and it can help you quickly build the confidence you need to extend your circle.

8. Reject rejection.

Rejection may not be fun, but it’s not personal. That’s why it’s critical that you commit to not letting your fear of rejection stand in the way of your goals. One way to work through your fear is to literally list the reasons some folks wouldn’t be interested in network marketing in general and your company/product/service in particular. Next, prepare responses to each and every one of the objections. This act alone will bolster your confidence; too, your responses will help prospects move beyond their own limited beliefs.

9. Diversify.

Thanks to the Internet, teleconferencing, new and inexpensive printing processes, and the like, you can communicate with prospects not just across the street but around the world. Scary and overwhelming as this may be, it’s critical that you embrace these new ways of doing business and make them work for you. That said, never lose sight of the old stand-bys - home meetings and one-on-one contacts. Human contact is critical in network marketing, no matter what the product. There’s simply no substitution, so create a balance between old and new approaches to achieve maximum results.

10. Take care of yourself.

If you want to succeed in network marketing, you’ve got to give it your all. But that doesn’t mean you have to live and breathe the business 24 hours a day. You’ll quickly burn out, plus, you won’t enjoy the finer things in life - the very things you went into the business to experience. In short then, don’t put off to tomorrow what you can begin to enjoy today.

USA B. Johnson is the author of “Success Is Yours with Network Marketing: 10 Key Steps to Build Your Business,” which can be ordered through Amazon.com. Johnson, an independent distributor for a leading network marketing company www.usajohnson.com.

By Cheri Y. Sigmon

Here’s a “secret formula” for determining the “marginal net worth” or “lifetime value” of a customer. This is a powerful, major concept that not 1 in 100 business owners knows. I didn’t until about two years ago when I studied the works of the master marketer, Jay Abraham. I’ll put this in my own words and keep it brief.

The “Lifetime Value” or “marginal net worth” of a single customer is an actual number specific to your business. It’s VITAL to your success for two important reasons:

1. You have to KNOW where you are before you can determine precisely WHERE you’re going. You need a baseline number so you can effectively track results.

2. Until you KNOW EXACTLY what each new customer is worth to your business, you have no way of knowing HOW MUCH money you can spend in marketing to get that customer. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Take the time to calculate this! Master this simple but incredible concept, and you’ll have one of the least well-known tools in your marketing arsenal - and you’ll soon be chin-deep in cold, hard cash.

Step 1: First, determine certain figures for your own business. If you’re new - make a projection.

Q. What is your ‘average sale?’ (Add total dollar sales for a year, and divide that by the total number of sales transactions you completed, or expect to complete).

Q. How many times a year does an ‘average’ customer buy from you? (Take your total # of sales transactions for a year, & divide it by the total # of customers).

Q. For how many years does an average customer buy from you? (Remember, 20% of the population moves every year, so this is typically less than 5 yrs, depending upon the nature of your business.)

Q. How many people does your average customer tell about you? (A major factor). The most common average is between 3-12, but guess.

Q. What percentage of these people actually become your customers? (Usually between 20 to 70%).

STEP 2: Here’s the thing - the secret formula… WHAT EACH CUSTOMER IS WORTH TO YOU IN COLD HARD CASH!

Fill in the blanks below (using the numbers you calculated in Step 1, to find out precisely what each customer is actually worth to you right now.

A. Average Sale = __________

B. Number of Sales per year per customer =__________

C. Number of Years customer buys from you =_________

D. Number of Referrals from customer = __________

E. % of Referrals who become customers =__________

F. Gross Sales per year per customer (A x B) =__________

G. Gross Sales over life of customer (F x C) =_________

H. Referrals who become customers (D x E) =__________

I. Gross Sales from referrals (G x H) =__________

J.TOTAL VALUE of Satisfied Customer (G + I ) =__________________

Isn’t this dynamic and powerful information when you run the numbers? Trust me - it’s worth your time to sit down and figure this one out! I won’t do this for you, since each business will be different.

Plus, you get more benefit when you personally master the concept and do the math yourself. Try it - you’ll be astounded at the total “dollar” value of just ONE satisfied customer. I had vaguely ‘known’ it was high, but the numbers don’t lie.

Bottom line: From now on, when you feel even remotely discouraged or when a customer starts getting on your nerves (hey, it happens), just think about the value of ONE satisfied customer - and smile.

Cheri Sigmon is a full-time Internet & Network Marketer, living in the historic small town of York, SC USA. Cheri enjoys USANA, the Gourmet Coffee Club, & World Wide Web marketing.

Do you know one of the most powerful ways to motivate and retain your downline? No, it’s not free leads or a free website or even a powerful recruiting system. It’s something that’s easy to do, but is often overlooked in today’s fast-paced race to success. It’s recognition.

The simple act of recognizing what people are doing right and then taking the time to acknowledge their achievements and praising them for it is a very powerful motivator. So take some time to recognize your downline for the little things they are doing right today and you’ll soon be celebrating bigger achievements with them in the future.

Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of inspiration here: http://www.mlmtalk.com

Are you a little stuck on the pathway to business success? Well, here’s some great advice from Alexandria Brown on her Small Business Marketing blog about 3 ‘A-Ha’ Success Principles That Have Reshaped My Business that should grease the skids for you.

Enjoy!

Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of inspiration here: http://www.mlmtalk.com

Here’s a helpful video from Rick Raddatz’s The Wednesday Minute blog about how using stories can help you sell your products or services.

Enjoy!

Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of inspiration here: http://www.mlmtalk.com

Are you easily stopped by obstacles in your business path? Lots of people give up at the first sign of a roadblock to their goals. Here’s a helpful post by Bob Baker on his blog about how to cope with this problem in a creative way.

Meet Obstacles (and Go Around Them)

Enjoy!

Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of inspiration here:
http://www.mlmtalk.com

by Jackie Ulmer

The holiday season can mean a real slow down for home-based business owners, but only if you let it! With a holiday plan for business and some organization, you can keep your business thriving, and propel yourself into the New Year!

Here’s how -

1. Do some follow up now with past contacts. Schedule a phone or face-to-face appointment to review your program or products.

2. Do you have a product or service that might be perfect for holiday gifts? Schedule some lunch time or afternoon showings for people to preview. Make gift suggestions and offer to gift wrap. Send out email greeting cards to remind people to buy from you!

3. Offer a discount coupon to anyone who refers a friend who also purchases between now and the first of the year.

4. Begin setting appointments now for January. Let people know that you realize they are busy and suggest a date in January.

5. Put yourself in power momentum by scheduling blocks of time daily for contacts and follow up. What is realistic each day? 5 of each? 10 of each? Set the pace and stick to it!

6. Go on a mission to pass out as many flyers and business cards as humanly possible over the next month. And you do, have a 30 second “commercial” ready that may appeal to what they need right now. Extra cash for the holidays? Convenient and secure online shopping with no crowds, hassles or parking?

7. Going to a lot of holiday parties and events? Use this time to meet as many people as you can. Ask lots of questions and collect business cards and email addresses. Ask each person if they mind if you keep in touch with them. If they begin asking you questions, be prepared with short, intriguing answers. If they show an interest, schedule a time to contact them in the next few days. Try to avoid saying too much about your business at the party. Schedule, schedule, schedule and then be sure to follow up!

8. Include a business card, flyer, post card or some bit of “shameless promotion” in your holiday cards and correspondence. Don’t send cards? Now you have a good reason to start! Check on that tax deduction!

9. Begin reviewing your past year’s goals and accomplishments. Where can you improve? In what ways can you push yourself on to bigger and better next year? Have your next year’s business plan concrete before January 1!

10. Keep your focus, remember CANI (constant and never ending improvement) and enjoy the season, knowing that you are doing and being the best you can be!

Jackie Ulmer, a veteran Network Marketer, has recently published an e-book on How to Build a Successful Network Marketing Business. She has coached and trained thousands of representatives. She can be reached through her web site at http://www.streetsmartwealth.com/

by Audrey Okaneko

One of the most common suggestions given to folks considering a home business opportunity is to ask questions. This is excellent advice, however knowing what questions to ask is equally important.

One of the most popular questions I am asked is “what company are you with?”.

This is my first example of a question possibly not being a “right” question.

Let’s say I tell you I “am with” Mary Kay, or Discovery Toys or Amway. What you now know is that I sell toys, cosmetics, or cleaning products. I’m not sure this is really the information you were after. In each of these 3 companies, I can find you high money earners, and I can find you low money earners. In each of these 3 companies, I can find you ethical sales representatives and I can find you unethical sales representatives.

What I too often see is someone turn down a company affiliation based on one or even two distributors experiences.

It is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that all business owners/reps/distributors with each of these companies conduct their businesses in the same way or employ the same marketing methods. This is especially a potential problem with older, well known companies, that have been around long enough, or become large enough, to have a degree of name recognition. In such cases, either a “good” or a “bad” association may have little bearing on the viability of the actual opportunity. All 3 companies mentioned above have high company sales volume, and even pay about the same in commissions.

There is a flip side to the above. If you’ve just recently heard on the news or read in the paper that a company is under investigation for illegal activity, then yes, company affiliation can be relevant.

The next question I’m often asked is “how much do you earn?”. I think most times the real question being asked is what the income potential for the asker is, and also what it will take to achieve personal monetary goals. There is nothing wrong with saying to someone, “I wish to earn $1000 per month, how can I do that?”. This is a very clear question that can be broken down and answered by someone talking to you about a business. Income claims is not what one should look for here. Understanding the volume needed to obtain the desired income should be the focus.

What are some other “right” questions? A great question to ask is “how will I market?” I have over the years heard an assortment of answers to this question. One answer is that you’ll create a list of family and friends and contact them. I personally don’t agree with this method, however many think this system works fine. If you feel this is a good starting system, then let’s think long term. Once you run out of family and friends, then how will you market? Sometimes picking a business that you like, say McDonalds, or Walmart, or Pepsi, can help you visualize yourself being that business owner. None of these businesses built their business relying on family and friends.

Another answer you might receive when asking about marketing will be one of automation. I’ve heard folks speak of elaborate autoresponder systems, and high tech automated websites. As you consider this option, put yourself in the shoes of the person being marketed to. How likely are you to do business with a machine? If you personally are not likely to do business with an automated system, then this might not be the right marketing system for you to use in your own business.

Along these lines, another great question to ask is what you personally will have to do consistently on a day to day or month to month basis to meet your business goals? Maybe your question is on a short term and long term business plan?

When I seek advice on any topic, whether business, parenting, or even gardening, I prefer to speak to those who have been around a while. I was most definitely new in business at one time, so I would defer a lot to my mentors. I think asking the business background and number of years in business of those you’ll be working with can give you some idea of who you’ll be working with. Working with someone new can be fun for both of you, however the question then becomes do the two of you have a mentor you can both rely on that has business knowledge?

Another question I feel is important, is “how is money made”?. Money in a business is earned through the legitimate sales of real products and services. If money is made through books, training’s, tapes or even recruiting others, this is cause for a red flag to go up. If you ask, “How is money made”, the answer should be “from the sales of products and/or services”.

Also, keep in mind that it’s not just the amount of money you earn, it’s how much you get to keep, and this is where expenses come in. Depending on the marketing approaches you use in your business plan, those expenses can be anywhere from virtually nothing to several hundred dollars per week/month. Keep in mind that the amount of expenses does not equate to success, but it can have a tremendous impact on your profitability as well as how effectively you can duplicate those methods within your network. With this in mind, asking “are there any monthly fees I’ll be required to pay” can shed quite a bit of useful information to aid you in making your decision.

By asking the right questions, it becomes easier to make a good business decision; one that can lead you into the future.

Audrey has worked from home since 1983. She is a Community Leader at both iVillage and AOL, and moderates an online community at Yahoo Groups. Through her involvement in these communities she tries to help others who are interested in learning the rewards and pitfalls of running a home business and who may benefit from the knowledge she has gained over many years of practical experience. She can be reached at ihavsnoopy@aol.com

© Terri Seymour

Online parties can be a successful and fun way to build your home business. These parties are similar to home parties except that you do not have to pay a small fortune for refreshments and snacks!

You can have your party in a free or low cost chat room or you can have your party via email. Be sure and create a relaxed and fun atmosphere for your guests. We would recommend a chat room.

You can either recruit someone to host the party for you or you can be the host. There is also something called “Mystery Host Party”. This is where you draw or randomly select a guest to be the “Mystery Host” and receive the host benefits.

You will need to schedule your party. We have found that during the week is best unless it is winter. Then weekends can be a good time also. Give yourself plenty of time to plan and send out invitations.

Plan your specials. You definitely want to have some items on special. Maybe some that tie in with your theme, if you have one. Give a 25% discount on certain items, but make sure you leave enough profit as well. You could also offer a small free gift with all orders over $25, for example.

When it is time to send out the invites, email groups and message boards can be a great place to start. Send out the invitations (follow guidelines on this). Also invite friends, neighbors, co-workers. Let everyone know they can bring a guest or two or however many you like.

Have each guest introduce themselves and tell (type) a little about themselves. This will help bring the guests together.

You also want to make sure you have some fun and interesting games to play. And of course, for each game you will need prizes. Below are some popular party games:

Scavenger Hunt - make a list of several items and instruct your guests to find them on your site.

Word Scramble - Pick about 10 words from your site and see who can get them all right in the least amount of time. Let your guests know the words come from your site/business.

Trivia Questions - Write up a list of questions about your site/business.

There are many more fun, exciting games to play at your party! Make up your own if you like as well.

You, of course, will also want to spend some time presenting your products. If you offer home decor items, share some tips and ideas on home decorating with your products. If you offer aromatherapy items, explain the benefits of your products. Make your presentation fun, informative and relaxed. Let the quests ask questions and always be clear and candid with your answers.

The idea here is to relax, have fun, show your items and make new contacts/customers. If your guests have a good time and enjoy themselves, they will sure to come back to your next party!

Terri Seymour and her husband Terry offer a no-cost, non-MLM home business opportunity. They strive to help you build a successful home business. They also provide a website building service. Take advantage of the gifts, resources & more provided for your home and business at http://www.seymourproducts.com FREE ecourse at: business-building-ecourse@getresponse.com

Here’s something fun. I created a SouthPark cartoon version of myself using this free game.

You can create yours here:

Enjoy!

Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com