How to Fail at Social Network Marketing

You've heard all about the social network phenomenon sweeping the world by storm. The networks have always been something of a playground for people of all ages. But now, people (especially those in the home business and network marketing industry) are jumping onto the social networks in droves.

Before you sign up for one or more networks, consider the following, if you don't want to fail!

Spam: It's a 4 Letter Word

People are on the social networks for varied reasons, and it's a cinch that it's not because they want to hear about your business. So if you want to people to avoid you, message spam them. You might even get kicked off the network if enough people complain. Just don't do it.

Who Are You?

Another way to fail is to talk about your business, business and even more about your business. Hey, slow down! The is a social network -- not a classified ad. So tell something about yourself as a person. Post a picture or two of you, your family, your pets, etc. People like to know something about who they do business with.

Press Releases -- Not Appropriate on the Profile

This goes along with "who are you". Don't put a press-release-type article for your profile. Once again, this is a social network. You don't have to tell us what you had for breakfast, but do tell us something about you. And not in the third person, either.

If you want to do some press-release-type statements, do it on the blog you receive.

Spam, Part 2: Comments

Comment spam is just as irritating as message spam. When you start talking all about yourself and your business on someone else's profile...that's downright tacky.

Sure, you can mention your business, but do it discretely. Say hi to the person, comment on something about them, thank them for the friend add -- you get the idea. Be nice, polite and, well, social! You can (on most networks) put a clickable link on the comment that goes back to you, but do it carefully.

It's a Network, and It's More

I've known several people who have had wonderful success on social networks, when it comes to marketing their business. I do pretty well myself. Now that you know some of the "rules of the road", you may be looking for networks to use. Personally, I like ZenZuu the best of all the ones I've used -- by far the most in the way of good leads. But there are others out there. Go get 'em!

Five Reasons For a Home Based Candle Business

When it comes to a home based business and/or network marketing, not many people think about starting a candle business.

Why a candle business? How in the world can you make money with it? What's so special about it?

Here are five reasons to consider a home based candle business.

Reason One -- There's Less Competition. If you've working in a network marketing business, you know there are lots and lots (i.e., hundreds, if not thousands) of health and wellness companies. Candles? There are only around 6 players in the market. Don't you like those odds better?

Reason Two -- Candles are Big Business. If you walk into just about any store, you'll see candles for sale. From grocery stores to department stores to specialty shops, they are everywhere! And why? Because they sell well!

Reason Three -- Candles are Consumable. The ideal network marketing business is based on a consumable product; something that people use and then need to come back for more. Candles are very definitely consumable -- people burn them, love them and want them again.

Reason Four -- They are Reasonably Priced. Anything under $25 tends to be a good price point -- an amount people comfortable spending. Candles tend to be under $25, so they are great impulse buys (so to speak).

Reason Five -- Candles Involve The Senses. Instead of trying to sell a vitamin where you try to explain how the vitamin effects on your body and why you should buy it...candles speak to your senses. They smell wonderful, they make you think of heart and home. You don't have to explain benefits! The candles themselves do all the work.

Here's one more reason to consider an home based candle business -- it's profitable and you can make lots of money. The start-up cost is low (under $40) and the monthly autoship is also low (likewise under $40). You can use your autoship candles, sell your candles for a profit or a little of both!

You can make money with retail sales (imagine that!), fundraising (let other people sell for you) as well as traditional network marketing recruiting.

If you'd like even more on starting a home based candle business, check out The Richly Scented Candle for free information.

Got ZenZuu? It's Free, It's Cool, It Makes Money

Something caught my eye this week and I thought it was worth sharing.

Got ZenZuu yet? If not, run (don't walk) over and check it out. It's free and has the potential to:

1. Make money for being a part of the community.
2. Get you warm leads for your business.
3. Have a whole lot of fun!

It's Social

It's a community, much like Facebook, Flickr, or Lazzeo. You have your own space for posts, blogging, sharing photos, meeting up with old friends and finding new ones.

With a twist. And it's a twist unlike the regular social sites.

It Makes You Money

Say you're an advertiser with money to spend. You want to get the most "bang for the buck", correct? So what do you do -- go where the people are. Where the people you want to target congregate.

Lots and lots of people.

If you've ever been a part of a social network like Facebook, think a second. Didn't you see a ton of advertising on it? And don't you suspect the people who run the social sites make a pretty good amount of money from all that advertising?

What if the owners of the social site shared out the money with its active members -- the people who make the site social? Wouldn't that be worth participating -- for free?

ZenZuu will pay you -- it's called revenue sharing.

It Gets You Leads

ZenZuu is targeted towards the network marketer and home business entrepreneur. That means you'll be interacting with people just like you.

Some of these people may be looking for a new business -- maybe they've become disenchanted with their own.

Some of these people may be looking for products to buy, and they'd just as soon buy from someone in the community -- if they don't join your network, they've still made you some money as a customer -- never a bad thing.

It Gets You Traffic

If you have a website or blog that you'd like to drive more traffic to, ZenZuu is great for that. I have my primary website listed in my profile, and I get traffic from every day.

I've never had that kind of traffic with any other social network.

It's Free!

I understand there is a new social community out there, very similar to ZenZuu; however, that social community is not free -- it costs $40 a month.

ZenZuu is free. You don't have to use a credit card to sign up. Simple. Fast. (And did I say free?)

Now obviously you need to participate in the community in order to have a piece of the revenue sharing, but the participation rules aren't terribly strict -- they're really just common sense. After all, advertisers spend more money for an active community. The more money they spend, the more money is available for revenue sharing.

Anyway, get on over to ZenZuu and sign up for your piece of the revenue pie. After all, wouldn't you like another stream of income?

See you at ZenZuu!

The Ten Excuses That Break The Steps To Home Business Success

By David Nettles

Some people always have negative comments of some kind when you are going after your dream. They do not mean to discourage your endeavor but somehow they always do. You must learn to replace the negative comments with your own positive ones to become unstoppable in your quest for your dream.

1. You should just get a real job. Why do you work so hard on that home business they question not understanding the desire for a better life.

2. Now is not the right time to build your home business we are in a world finical melt down. Not understanding timing never has anything to do with your success because you will be successful when you decide to.

3. You will never make any money with that program you will lose your investment. The outsider has no idea of the drive and desire to achieve a goal they content answering to Boss every day. Not knowing that something better is only one small step outside their comfort zone.

4. Don't make waves this is the way we always did it. Change for people stuck in the rat race is difficult. Because they are blinded by the routine and unwilling to change. They think it is safer not knowing better is just around the corner.

5. No one has ever been successful at this before why should you. That is because no one ever decided to be successful at it before now.

6. You do not have the ability to meet the challenge. That's funny, with only an 8th grade education I held a job with one of the biggest telecommunication companies for 21 years working and being paid as an engineer.

7. You will be discouraged why try. The discouragement will be from not trying and living an empty unsatisfying and unfulfilled life.

8. You are not the right kind of person to build a home business. You need to be one of the heavy hitter types. Not knowing all you need is the desire because it is worth more than gold.

9. Keep your meal ticket 9 to 5. It is a sure thing, the home business is so uncertain. When you know the home business will pay back a hundred times the 9 to 5 ever will.

10. You will hear no one wants to buy that there is no market. When there really is an even bigger market for your program than even you could imagine.

You will never fulfill your dreams listening to the dooms day negative people stuck into their 9 to 5 jails. It takes stepping out of your comfort zone just a little to live your dream. Remember the only dream that really counts is your own so keep the picture of it in your mind like it was a big neon sign. Then your steps to home business success will be easy.

All you really need to do is take a small step out of your comfort zone and follow me to the promised land. Visit the Promised Land:

Building a Network Marketing Company Doesn't Have to Be Hard

By David Nettles

Network marketing companies have been around for quite a while now. Since the huge success of the Amway Corporation, the network marketing systems have tried to capitalize on their success by the hundreds. A number of the new companies have proven to give multilevel marketing a bad name. There is still a ton of money to be made from multilevel marketing. The big problem today is that a lot of people join MLM programs with the wrong ideas. When they fail they help to give the programs a bad rap. The advantages of network marketing are tremendous.

You can do your diligence and you will find that MLM is still an awesome way to build income. You will find if you really look for it, that it is a lot of fun and very rewarding. Here are some ideas to help you get off to a great start making money.

The first real secret to building a very successful MLM program is finding the right people to join your MLM Business. With negative people, people that find all the ways that any program will not work is very hard of overcome. People like this will ruin your chances of creating a sustainable source of income. This is the best idea for constructing a multilevel marketing business. Find a few positive thinking people that are quality thinkers. To many people with the (stinking thinking) attitude will always drag everyone down.

Invite people by doing a little leg work on their qualification first. You are looking for the hard-workers the kind of people always looking to help. Not the complainers but the ones that do the building up even in the face of failure. These are the kinds of winners you must have on your team to make it work. Getting people that understand that doing the work that is required and have the desire to succeed are what you are looking for. With a very small team of individuals like this your success will reach the top building a network marketing company.

Improve your social ability. If you are friendlier it improves your ability to attract the kind of people needed. Once you begin to work with this kind of attitude the contacts will start hunting you down. This is far better than you trying to find them. When you begin to work with friendly attitude you will also know and begin to learn. It feels good when you know when to hold them, when to fold them and when to walk away not only that but when to encourage. It gets to be a lot of fun once you know when put out the question to invite someone you are interested in.

Once you have perfected your capabilities to this level the earning potential will have no limits and nothing will stop you from growing a huge successful business.

Finding Legitimate Home Base Businesses

By David Nettles

The excitement of the internet with the ability to be in touch with anyone on the planet day or night, doing business in a legitimate way becomes very easy to manage. The average person can conduct million dollar deals with someone else on the other side of the earth. Without waiting and be updated on the transactions in just seconds. The tools available to the average person are truly powerful indeed in the present day.

With resources like these average people are starting successful legitimate home base businesses. The companies are on the internet so none of the overhead expenses of the past like the brick and mortar, employees or big insurance bills. You can conduct big money business in your bunny slippers. Just think of the commute could be as much as 30 seconds to get to the office.

Most kinds of sales, MLM and e-commerce businesses will work in this environment and just thrive. Today even a lot of other types of technology are beginning to work very well on the World Wide Web.

Internet stores are popping up everywhere you look today!

Being able to market to everyone on earth at very low cost will boggle the mind. If you have things to sell you can find buyers quickly. Just about anything you could dream of or think about can be found on the internet. From used drum parts to used parts from to replacement pieces to your 150 year old china are just a click away.

Anyone can open an internet store because the overhead is very low. You no longer need the high priced merchant account with system like the famous PayPal it make it very easy to work the money transactions. But you must provide good service and keep your word on your guarantees. If not word gets around very fast about your reputation so if you want to be in business you must honor your word and remember to golden rule of business that the customer is always right.

Network marketing or MLM

These types of businesses enterprises have been around since the 60s. The concept is not new but with the World Wide Web you would think it is new. Making new millionaires faster than you can imagine. With the internet the power of one in the world of MLM is powerful indeed. Very large marketing organizations can be put together very quickly with members for all over the world. Incomes grow quickly unlike the past always trying to get in front of another face to present to.

Today network market legitimate home base businesses use e-mail, blogs, forums and every kind of type of internet advertising you can dream of to get the word about their product or program to millions of buyers and new MLM business builders.

There are MLM businesses that are legitimate that handle everything for a small monthly fee kind of a complete business in a box. All that is required is your membership.

Generate Internet Income - Putting Your Savings Into Perspective

Many people have put money away for savings, whether in a savings or an investment account. However, if you are like the many others out there, a savings or investment account simply does not give you the return that you are expecting. When in your retirement years, it is important to make the most of every dime to ensure that you have enough to keep the quality of life you had established prior to retirement.

The Berry Tree can be more profitable than any kind of savings method out there. There are many reasons for this. First, think about the amount of money you are putting into your savings account or investment account each month. Let us assume, for the sake of this article, that you are putting $500 each and every month into an account. Again, for the purpose of this article, let us say that you are earning a 5% interest on your savings account and a 15% average return on the investment account.

Now, it is important to understand a little about the Berry Tree. First, you pay roughly $50 each month for your membership. When you compare that $50 to the $500 you are putting into the account each month, there is a huge difference. Now, that $50 a month will cost you $600 a year. It could take you as many as two years to fill your first tree and start earning $1,336 each month, this is give or take, depending on your desire and drive. In that two years, you will have paid $1,200 total, which really would be less since your earnings might cover your monthly membership fees.

That is a $1,200 for two year investment that allows you to earn $1,336 each month. Now, you need to have a look at that investment account. With that 15% return average and your $500 a month payment to the account, you will have to pay more than $52,000 over a span of almost nine years before you will see a return of $1,336 a month.

For your savings account, which earns 5% and you still make $500 a month payment, you would have to pay more than $156,000 into the account over the spam of twenty-six years to reach that kind of monthly income potential. If you were only paying $50 in the savings account, it would take sixty-six years and $40,000 before you would see $1,336 a month.

Really when you think about it in terms of investment, time, and return, The Berry Tree, just makes sense.

Learn all you can about this new make money at home program: Generate Internet Income

Article by: David Nettles

Why a Home Business is Like Dieting

My wife and I were talking about our businesses. I have my home networking business and she runs a weight loss website. As we were talking, we realized something at almost the same moment.

A home business is a lot like dieting, and here are the reasons why.

Do...or Do Not

In the infamous words of Yoda, "Do, or do not. There is no try." That's so true.

In dieting, if you don't "do" a diet (or weight loss plan as they call it these days), you won't lose weight. If you just "try", you're likely to fail. To lose weight, you have to want it with all your heart...or at least more than you want that piece of chocolate cake.

It's the same in a home business. If you don't "do" it, nothing will happen. And the same thing about trying. For your home business to succeed, you have to want it bad. And then do the work that's necessary.

There Are No Magic Bullets

There's some wishful thinking in the dieting universe that there's a magic pill that will let you lose weight, no matter what you eat. You hear it on the TV and read it on the internet all the time. In reality, there is no magic -- if there was, we'd all be thin already. Losing weight is hard work.

When it comes to a home-based business, there's another sort of magic bullet that flies around. It's called "get rich quick". Try this program or buy that e-book and poof you're making money hand over fist without even trying. Yeah. Right. Face it, a home business is work -- just a better kind.

What's the Plan?

So, this time last year, were you planning to lose weight? If so, how many pounds did you lose. Hmm, about what I thought -- you gained weight.

If you truly want to lose weight, you have to plan it out. No only what you will eat on your average day, but what will you eat at an office party? When you meet some friends for dinner? When the chocolate starts calling out in the middle of the night? If you don't have a plan for these times, you may fall off the diet wagon. But will you get back on?

A home-based business needs a plan to grow. Sure, it would be nice to just wake up every morning with the money coming in a steady stream. But with any business, there are lean times you have to budget and plan for -- they do happen, no sense in denying it. Home businesses have wagons to fall off, too.

Every Plateau Ends

Most dieters hit a plateau at some point or another. You do everything right and the weight doesn't budge, sometimes for weeks on end. It's frustrating, and so many people give up. But the fact is, if they had held out a little longer, the scale would start down again (and maybe even with a large loss).

And the home business? There are plateaus where no matter what you do, the business isn't growing. When you know you are doing a the right things, but feel like you're beating your head against a wall. Far too many people quit too soon, when right around the corner was an explosive growth.

Don't Give Up

No matter if you are talking diets or weight loss, giving up means you don't reach your goal. Period.

So what you do you think now? Dieting and home businesses really do have a lot in common, wouldn't you say?

David Nettles and his wife live in South Florida. David works his home networking business and also publishes http://www.businessathomeincome.com Gail publishes the website http://www.losing-weight-over-40.com

Geneology Lists -- Are They Worth It?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cool Tools for Sizzle

If you have an internet business, you obviously want people to go to your website, fill out their name and address and then look at your opportunity. You send the traffic there, and wait for the signups.

So where are they?

Now network marketing is a numbers game -- the more people who look at your business, the more sign-ups and potential sign-ups you have. But you can drive all kinds of traffic to your website and few people fill out that form and "takes the tour". Why is that?

People need a reason to give out their name, email address and (gulp) phone number. Especially these days.

But what if you showed them something that would make them eager to give their information and "take the tour"? Something along the lines of "facts tell but stories sell"?

I personally belong to a company that is health-oriented. I wanted something a little more compelling than just the sign-up page. My husband found something that I liked enough to get -- heck, it made me want to take the tour, and I already belong to the company!

Here's what it looks like (link opens in a new window, so you'll still stay here on by blog).

Darling Hubby came across the cool tools to help take our businesses to the next level. I was impressed at all I got for so little money. For me, the little bit you saw in my link above was worth the price. But I got soooo much more.

Hey, if you'd like to see a list of some super-neat tools for your business, take a look. Could be it's a perfect match for you. (Oh by the way, there are different versions of what you saw -- not just health-related.)

People Respond to Emotion - Not Facts

One phrase I've heard more than once but bears repeating is this:

"Facts tell but stories sell."

With this in mind, how to you respond to questions about your company or product? Is it "The company has been around for x years and is debt-free. Our products are..."?

Or is it "Hey, thanks for asking -- the company is great! I made money starting my very first week. It's internet, you know, so I've made sales 24/7 -- even in my sleep! How neat is that?"

(Naturally you want to say something true about your experiences, or if you are new, about your upline's experiences.)

There's plenty of time to recite the facts about your company, once a person really wants to know and starts asking those kinds of questions. But for now, you need to be excited about your opportunity and let it show!

Let's Talk of Pyramids Again

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I've been lurking some of the MLM boards, reading various posts. One thing I have noticed is that people have a hard time figuring out what is a pyramid and what isn't.

Now I've seen some true pyramids lately, and they are kind of scary. The most common kind is the internet version of the chain letter; here's how it works:

You stumble across a website that in essence says, "send $25 to me and my immediate two uplines and I'll give you a website like this. Then you will get in the search engines and people will send you, me and my upline $25 each. Before long you will get hundreds of dollars per day from people below you sending money."

That, my friends, is a pyramid. No goods or services (unless you count a replicated website) are being exchanged. There is no supervision to make sure the money gets to the right people, and you don't have to do anything -- just let the money roll in.

Legitimate networking opportunities have a good or service, usually a consumable, and usually more than one good or service is available. Yes, you make money by other folks joining under you, but you can also make money selling the product itself.

Now I've also seen some business opportunities of late that have offered a service, but the only way to get the service is to join. Is this a pyramid? Maybe, maybe not. If the services are worth more than the price to join, I'd say it was a good deal. For example, I see companies (non-networking but with an affiliate program) offering web conferencing for between $19.99 and $44.99 a month, with a monthly subscription. If you were an affiliate, you'd earn the $10-25 each month the person who joined because of you renews. Not to mention if one of them signed up as an affiliate too, you'd make money on their sale of subscriptions.

That's not considered a pyramid. Granted, an affiliate program can only have 2 levels deep or it becomes network marketing. But would you deny that it's a legitimate service?

So think of it this way -- if the product or service was being sold as an affiliate instead of networking, would it be a good value -- or at the very least in line with the current market?

Now I will probably get some people upset with this post, but that's OK. In the end, it comes down to your judgement and your research as to if the networking opportunity is sound...or if it's something you should run away from fast!

FFA -- Yes or No?

You might have seen something about the FFA sites in your journeys around the internet. You're tempted, but are they worth it?

First of all, an FFA is a "Free For All" site. They tend to be huge bulletin boards where people can post their opportunity/product/service. There are thousands of these sites with hundreds of thousands of posts. And it costs nothing to post your information.

However, if everyone is posting, who is looking? Anyone?

For the most part, FFA sites don't generate much in the way of traffic to your website. Why? Well, when you posted, did you stop to look at any of the ads already there? (If you said "yes", bless you...but you are in the minority.) People are too busy posting and then going on to the next site and posting again...

Not to say that FFA sites can't work -- certainly there are some readers here and there. Just don't waste your time looking for the FFAs and posting to each one individually -- there are better uses for your time.

If you have access to a program or site that can do a mass posting to the FFAs, that might be useful, providing you can use it for free or for a very tiny cost. Write the ad once, click on the send button and you're good to go -- your ad just went to hundreds of sites.

Do I use the FFAs? Well, I have access to a program that includes a mass FFA posting as a freebie add-on. So sure, I may as well use it. But have I seen any response from my postings? Let's just say it's really slow. But it's free, so what the heck. And I don't know when just the right person will see the ad, 'cause it only takes one person to explode a business sometimes.

A word of warning -- get a free email account before you start posting and use it as your address when posting. You will get a TON of emails from the FFAs.

Searching for an Opportunity

I mentioned this briefly in my previous post and though it warranted more information.

On the internet, not all search engines are created equal, and you would do well to use several different ones. Here's why.

The three major search engines - Yahoo, MSN and Google - all rank sites with different qualifications. What Google considers important, Yahoo disregards. MSN tends to favor newer sites, Google seems to prefer older, more established sites (with Yahoo somewhere in the middle).

The point is, if you are searching for a new opportunity, or are investigating an existing opportunity, use more than one search engine. You'll uncover more information that way.

A Scam Here? Or There? Or Not?

I've been "lurking" on some of the MLM boards/forums of late and I continually find myself amazed at posters. I've seen many people convinced that this program or that program is a scam and they want to tell the world about it. In many cases it turned out that the person didn't fully understand the pay plan and was ticked off when he/she didn't get a check. I also saw evidence of others who didn't work the business (or worked it for a week or a month) and didn't receive a check and cried wolf.

Granted, there are some legitimate problems here and there -- I am the first to admit it. But I'm far more likely to believe someone who states the problem factually and carefully. When people get all emotional or type out their problems ALL IN CAPS ALL THE WAY THROUGH, it's hard for me to take them seriously.

I totally had to laugh at one post because of personal experience. You know the opportunity websites that scroll a list of the people who have signed in to take a look? One poster was convinced that the scrolling list was a scam because it had times that were between midnight and 6 AM. I cracked up laughing because my husband had done that the night before -- took a "tour" at about 1 AM of a program that looked intriguing.

I also don't think the poster stopped to consider that people from all over the world, in all kinds of different time zones surf the 'net. What's 3 AM to me could be 3 PM to someone else.

If you're looking for a new opportunity, you are wise to check around the internet for articles about the company, before you plunk down your money. But when you find a posting or a site that complains about the company you're intested in, stop for a moment. Carefully consider whether the person who is writing is venting, ticked off, or has a legitimate concern.

Don't pass up a good opportunity because someone got ticked off. But if you find evidence that maybe there is a problem, you definitely need to do more investigations on different search engines -- they don't all bring up the same information.

Are You Taking Advantage of Training?

Your networking business undoubtedly came with some sort of training guidelines. Maybe it's weekly meetings or conference calls. Maybe it's a newsletter or website. It could be a forum or even tapes/CDs.

Take advantage of whatever training your opportunity has to offer. I know in some instances conference calls and meetings may be at inconvenient times, especially with most businesses being global. But if it's at all possible, listen in on at least some of them.

Does your opportunity have its own forum? This is an excellent place to trade information and get ideas. Best of all, it can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Does your company record at least some of the conference calls that you can listen to on their website? If so, take advantage of them.

Most companies have either a newsletter or members-only website where there is loads of information. Yes, it may be a bit on the overwhelming side at first, but there are lots of nuggets of information that are tried and true.

Remember, while some experimentation is good, don't overlook what has worked in the past -- there is no point in reinventing the wheel! Get whatever training your company has to offer, especially if it's free!

The Great Dilemma: Products or Recruiting?

At any given moment, we concentrate on one or the other -- recruiting new distributors or selling products. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. And while you can certainly do both at one time, to be successful you must concentrate on one.

That isn't to say that this week you can't work mainly on one and next week on the other; just that you shouldn't divide your attention too much at any one time.

Selling Products - Strengths and Weaknesses

When you are primarily selling products, the biggest advantage is instant cash. You buy your product for $20 and turn around and sell it for $27. Maybe $7 isn't a whole lot, but what if you sold 50 in one day? I'll take $350 profit anytime!

The weakness is that you have to buy lots of products in order to sell them, which can be costly up front. Not to mention finding a place to put them all! And what if your product doesn't sell well - will you be able to use it yourself? If not, what is the company's buy-back policy?

Selling can be a strength if you have a replicated website that you can use, and your company drop-ships for you. That way you don't have to buy product ahead of time. Plus you don't have to worry about taking credit cards or other payments yourself. But (and you knew there was a "but") if you use a replicated website, you may not get access to those commission dollars right away.

If your have a consumable product that does what it claims and is fairly priced, you may find most of your customers this month are also customers next month, which is another benefit.

Recruiting - the Good and the Bad

Recruiting for many companies pays a commission up front and royalties behind. For example, you may be in an organization that pays you $100 for each Manager you sign. Then you earn a percentage of your distributor's sales, as well as a percentage on their sign-ups and sales, etc.

The advantage -- if you have a good team, those dollars can grow quite large. And in many cases once they reach a certain "critical mass", you can ease back some and the system will continue to work for you. Take that nice long vacation! In general, building a good team will ultimately make you more per month with less work than selling products.

The disadvantage -- you may sign up some new distributors, but what if they do nothing? You've got your initial commission, but you're not earning anything on an ongoing basis. And you are very likely to have that happen -- many people sign up for the business with great intentions but then bail at the first bump in the road. The real strength in network marketing is in the distributor structure.

Remember...

You can sell and recruit at the same time, no doubt about it. Just devote the majority of your time and energy to one or the other...or you will wind up with neither sales nor distributors!