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!

Want to Sponsor More People?

In the network marketing business, sponsoring new members is a big part of the business. Sure, you certainly make money selling the products, but when you are talking residual income, that only comes from sponsoring.

To grow your organization, you need new members. Actually what you need are a few leaders -- people who are also committed to building a business. But to find just one leader, you may have to go through 5, 10 or 20 "regular" members.

Obviously, you need to search for more ways to sponsor people, without breaking the piggy back. My opportunity offers a fantastic lead program, but it's expensive enough that I can only order it once a month. What can I do in the time between those lead packages?

I found an online "boot camp" that gave me quite a few good ideas about how to create well-targeted leads. The "boot camp" is free, and lasts 10 days. Naturally there is also an option to purchase more materials (which are quite good), but the free material is well worth the time.

(Oh, and by the way, the "boot camp" is an excellent example of how an autoresponder can work.)

If you'd like to, take a look at the free "boot camp". While it may or may not fit your needs, creating targeted leads can make your membership soar.

Products: Consumables Versus One-Time Purchase

There are some opportunities that sell consumable products; others sell one-time purchases. Which one is best for you?

Consumables are products that a person uses up every month or so. If they like the product, they have to come back to you for more. Examples include nutritional supplements, telecommunications services and skin-care products.

One-time purchases are items that a customer normally only needs one of. Examples are software programs and hard goods like appliances (yes, I have seen appliances).

The advantage of consumables is that if your products do what they say and are reasonably priced, you will build a client base that reorders regularly. As the weeks and months go by, you find your customer commissions mounting up. And if you are doing most of your selling on a replicated website, where the company processes the payment and dropships for you, that amounts to earning money while you sleep.

The disadvantage of consumables is that you might not earn very much per sale. Here's an example - an average order is $40, and you get 25% of that order as a commission. That's $10. You need quite a few people buying products to really make any money (or you need to find a way to increase the average order).

The advantage of one-time sales is that while the products typically are fairly expensive (over $500), many times you get a 50% commission. If your average order was $600, your commission is $300, and you don't need to sell all that many in a month to start making some good money.

The disadvantage of one-time sales is that you have to go looking for new customers every month. And also your customer base is more limited, as not everyone can affort to spend $600 for a one-time purchase.

So when it comes time to decide whether you want to go with consumables or one-time sales, evaluate your own skills and abilities first. Then make sure you find a company that offers a good product that is reasonably priced and has a commission plan you can live with.

Blogging and Your Business

To blog or not to blog, that seems to be the question these days. Do you, don't you; will you, wont' you? Before you decide that blogging isn't for you, let's take a look at some of the benefits.

First, think of a blog as a mini-website....your mini-website. Sure, you may have gotten a replicated website or two when you joined your opportunity, but they don't tell the world anything about you. In other words, it's not really personal. With a blog, you can let the world know about yourself and your opportunity.

Next, blogs require less "care and feeding" than does a full-blown website. Instead of writing pages and pages of material, you merely need post a few paragraphs on a fairly regular basis. Every day is best, once a week is minimum.

You can get free blogs (in fact, you're reading one) so it need not cost anything to get started. Just check around in the search engines -- there are plenty of free blogging services available. And most can get you online and blogging within 5 minutes.

Your blog can get picked up in the search engines, and once it does, you can get free traffic to your blog...and to your business.

Blogs do make sense, and you need not even write specifically about your opportunity. What you do want to be sure of is to have a link to your business always present on the blog -- like in a "links" section.

So, if you're not already doing it, think about blogging.

Advice on Getting Started

I really can't give specific advice to anyone without knowing more about them, but here are some things that may be useful when you are just starting out in the wonderful business of network marketing:

1. This is not GRQ, but it is a way to make substantial amounts of money. It is a business and you must work it to be successful.
2. Following along with #1, get all the training you can. From company training to generic outside training, you need to get educated in the business.
3. Realize there will be setbacks and frustration from time to time. Evaluate yourself and if you could have done something better, adjust the way you do business. Then go forward with determination.
4. If there is something about the business that you don't understand - ask your upline! It's what we are here for.
5. Concentrate on one business. If one is good, two or more at a time are not better - they only divide your attention. (Exceptions are affiliate programs.)

Seminars and Conventions - Useful or Not?

Depending on your network marketing opportunity, you may or may not have access to a lot seminars. Some companies have annual or bi-annual conventions. So, are they worth attending?

If you can afford it (and maybe even if you can't), I urge you to attend one of your company's conventions. For one, you get a chance to meet the company's movers and shakers. You'll get training. motivation and the chance to make new friends. I've heard the phrase "Not everyone there is a leader, but all the leaders are there" and it really is true.

What about seminars? These can be company-specific or generic. Like anything else, not all training is created equal. I've been to some that were more accurately called motivational. I've been to some that revealed specific business-building training. And there are others that are a little of both.

Now, are they right for you? Possibly, but you need to review your needs before you choose to go. Since prices for seminars range from under $100 to over $1,000 you want to make sure you know what you are getting. And that it's appropriate for your needs.

Motivational seminars can be useful in general, but many are not aimed at the home-based or network marketing business. If the seminar is local and relatively inexpensive, they can be sources of inspiration. If not...a CD or DVD might be a better investment.

A seminar that is home-based and/or network marketing oriented is something to seriously consider. If you can, talk with someone who has been. If not, do a little investigating on the web.

Everyone has their own "price points" -- amounts up to where the money needed for a seminar or convention aren't a concern. For some people it's $25; for others it's $2,500.

In my opinion, you cannot get too much training. Most of us can't afford to jet around to each one that strikes our fancy, though.

Choose carefully, but when you find something good -- go. Remember, you are investing in the future of your business!

If One is Good...

This kind of goes along with the "revolving door" syndrome in network marketing. It is the idea that if "one is good, two or more are better".

Now I'm a firm believer in multiple streams of income -- it's only smart to not have all one's eggs in a single basket. But being involved with more than one network marketing company at a time can spell trouble. Why?

For one, it's dollars; here's a way to look at it.

With most companies you will either have an autoship or a required volume per month. Let's call it $50.

Now you have to advertise your business. Buying leads, placing ads, setting up an AdWords campaign, setting up an autoresponder for the leads...let's call that $200 a month.

All together, that is $250 a month. If you plan on participating in more than one plan, one of two things happen. You either double or triple your monthly expenses OR you have to cut expenses somewhere. That somewhere is typically advertising.

When you first start a network marketing business, you should go all-out in advertising your first month or two. You are a new business, so people won't know about you unless you tell them. Whether that is calling people on the phone, advertising in newspapers or setting up an online campaign, you have to get the word out. The more you advertise, the faster your results. Plus you won't face the end of your first month saying "no one signed up and no one bought".

And I have to tell you -- good exposure isn't cheap. At least not at first.

If you have the dollars to double and triple your monthly expenses, that may be one thing. But most of us can't afford that at first. And even if you can, it's best to know one program inside and out before even thinking of adding another one to the list.

Don't hide your new networking business under a rock. And don't sacrifice advertising dollars by joining more than one program at a time.

A Newsletter? What Do I Write About?

My last post was on autoresponders, so this one is on newsletters, which are a perfect combination.

You've captured your opt-in leads using an autoresponder. You've sent the prospects your initial information on the product/service/business. You know you need to keep using the autoresponder, but that you can't just keep talking about your business. What do you write about?

How about a short newsletter? Something that would appeal to the prospect. If the reader initially came in by an ad for one of your products, you can talk about other benefits. For example, I market a vitamin B12 product. Maybe one newsletter would be on how to get more B12 in your diet. Another might be symptoms of a B12 deficiency. A third may be about recent research on B12 and the heart. There are many topics related to B12 that I could discuss.

Don't constantly mention your product or business. Sure, drop in information every so often, but work it in naturally. You do not want your prospect to feel like they are just reading an ad (where is that "unsubscribe" link...)

How often to send out the newsletter? That's really up to you. If it's short (takes less than a minute to read), you could send it out weekly. If it's more of an ezine-size, you might consider every other week or even monthly. Don't go any longer than a month, though, or people will forget about you and hit the "unsubscribe" link.

Always, always put a link to your product and/or opportunity in your signature! You never know when the "right time" will come over your prospect, and they won't want to wait!

Marketing? Consider an Autoresponder Service

While you are marketing your business and/or products, here's a useful service that you may want to consider -- an autoresponder. Why? Glad you asked!

An autoresponder is a service that:

• captures leads
• puts them into a database
• automatically sends them information on your product or business

This alone is pretty neat, but if you are only using an autoresponder to send out your initial automatic information, you are missing the beauty of the system....one that can market for you 24/7.

Consider this -- most people do not buy on the first pass. They see your product or business, but they want to check around. If all you send is the first message, you've probably lost that sale. I keep seeing a statistic quoted that people tend to buy after they've seen your offer/product about seven times. So doesn't it make sense to keep your name in front of your prospect?

With an autoresponder, you can set it up ahead of time to send out emails/newsletters every day, every few days, once a week...you get the picture. So set up a lot of follow-up messages, and they will be automatically delivered to your prospects on the schedule that you choose. Awesome, isn't it?

Now here's a hint -- don't just pound your prospect with just your business or product. Give them other, related information. For example -- you set up an autoresponder for your product line. Sure, the first email is definitely about your product. But maybe the next day it's about something you can do with it.

My favorite example is with the old Avon Skin-So-Soft oil -- do you remember the lists of things you could use this skin oil with? Mosquito repellant was one; grease remover was another. And my personal favorite -- removes "ring around the collar".

The point is, you are not just selling the product, but you are also providing useful information. Fun information. And on a regular basis. You are keeping your name in front of the prospects, so when they do decide to buy, where do you think they will go first?

Now what are some good autoresponder services? I hear that Aweber (www.aweber.com) is a good one -- I know plenty of people who use it and like it. I personally use GetResponse (www.getresponse.com), which is another fine service. There are undoubtedly more; it's all a matter of what options you would like, versus what you don't need.

Don't think about all the business you may have lost in the past by not using an autoresponder; instead, think of all the business that you will be capturing in the future!

Earning Potentials - Wow!!!!

It may sound kind of strange, but I never really stopped to consider the earning potential of my particular opportunity. I saw that the business was viable and replicable, and that it wasn't terribly expensive to start. The products looked good -- like I could be proud to represent them. (Not only that, but I would actually use them myself, even if I wasn't a distributor.)

I've been doing some generic training lately, in anticipation of my advertising campaigns. I want to be able to hit the ground running! And I want to be able to teach all my personally sponsored members to do the same. I want to make sure they know how to replicate the business, so they too earn good money!

Anyway, I decided to create a spreadsheet to go over the earning potential. Now my original goal was to make $5,000 a month, and I thought I could do that within a year. My spreadsheet was so I could really "do the numbers" (so to speak). I knew that it would take a few months in the business before the dollars really started to amount to something, but I wanted to see what they could amount to.

Whoa! Was I ever surprised! Amazed! I calculated that after a year I could possibly be earning over $25,000 per month. Now if that doesn't get someone excited, not much will!

Want to take a look at the numbers? They are all there. I've included CV (commissionable volume) income plus residual income. I did not include bonuses, so they would be extra on top of all this!

So here it is: take a look at the earning potential! (This is a .pdf file.)

Wow, those are some numbers, aren't they?

OK, here are the caveats -- it would not be fair if I didn't post them!

Keep in mind that these are not the average incomes. There are a lot of people who sign up and never really do anything. This shows what is possible -- there is no guarantee of what you will earn. Know this -- your income will depend on how much you work your business!

In order for these numbers to work you must be at least a Sr. Executive Director and your three recruits must be on autoship for $100 (as well as their recruits, etc.). You also have to reproduce your efforts every month. Also consider that you may need to sponsor 10 or more people to get your three people who will actually work the business.

Because of the way people are, expect these income figures to be lower. There will be people who join, get excited and then poof! They quit right before their earnings start to really happen.

So, when all is said and done, I think $10,000 a month (that's a 6-figure annual income folks) is certainly obtainable after a year's worth of effort. Could you think of things to do, if you had $10,000 a month...and also the time with which to put it to good use?

One more thing to think about. Expect to run at a loss the first several months. I know that isn't pleasant to hear, but you have your autoship to cover, plus your advertising expenses. Now if your advertising expenses are low but effective, you could reach the break-even point before month 4 -- maybe even as soon as the first month! Look at the .pdf file again; notice that for most people it's around month 4 before you start to break even every month (autoship and advertising combined). Then something exciting begins to happen somewhere between the 5th and 6th month.

Residuals start kicking in, and you get more people on levels three, four and five. Are you getting excited yet? I am!

The point of all this is that there is good money to be made in network marketing. But it will not fall into your lap! You are the only one who can get out there and make it happen. The clock starts ticking the day you decide that failure is not an option and that you will give it all you've got.

Ready, set....go!

P.S. -- If you're interested in more information check out this particular business.

Favorites Revisited

Here's a recap of some of my more popular posts:

• Low-Cost Ways To Get Your Business Started
• Network Marketing Trap to Avoid - GRQ
• More Generic Training
• Yoda and the Art of Network Marketing

Posts can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, so every once in awhile I'll make a post that lists some of the latest favorites, as well as the perennial favorites!

Advertising: Online, Offline

Advertising your business is both easy and complicated. It's easy once you hit upon some ads that work for you. Complicated because finding the ideal mix for you business can be an involved process.

First, each business is different. Some are mostly online, some mostly offline, and many a mixture of the two. That will effect your advertising up to a point.

If your opportunity is mostly online, it makes sense to advertise there. For the most part, that's where your customers and prospects will be. There are AdWords, ezine advertising, online classified, email (non-spam) just for starters.

But even if your business is mostly online, do consider offline advertising too! Here's why:

Some of your customers and prospects may be online a great deal, but they may not actively be searching for your products or opportunity. If your online advertising is directed at specific groups, you may be missing a large part of your potential audience. Widen your scope!

One way is simple -- magnetic signs for your vehicles. Easy, relatively inexpensive. While it may be subtle, there are an awful lot of people who will see it over the course of weeks and months.

There is always an ad in the newpaper or community paper -- tried and true. You don't need anything fancy, especially in the beginning. Don't forget about print magazine advertising too!

Hand out business cards. Don't push them on people, but if the subject naturally comes up, give them away. And one of my favorites -- if you still have bills you pay with a check through the mail, enclose a business card there too!

Those are just a few ideas. The point is that you are putting your ads in front of people who may be looking for your products or opportunity...but just didn't realize it until they saw you ad!

You've Sponsored Someone - Now What?

You've done it -- sponsored a new member into your organization. Congratulations! So let me ask you -- what are you going to do with that person?

Sponsoring a person isn't the end of the line -- it's the beginning. You need to train, equip and immunize your new member. Without these three, your member may be around for a month or so, then drops off the list, never to be heard from again.

Your goal is to build a team that can replicate itself. For you to be successful, you need to help your members to be successful. And that's where training, equipping and immunizing comes in.

How did you feel when you first came in the business -- did you know what to say or do? Most likely not. Neither does your new team member. Begin by letting your person know the scheduled training, whether it's a physical meeting, an internet meeting or a conference call. Encourage your member to attend all the training that is offered -- it will help them get off the ground and earning faster.

To equip a person, help them apply the training that they have learned. After all, reading all about basketball doesn't help you play the game any better. Getting out there and practicing does. And you are the perfect person to help them practice.

You need to immunize your new member against objections. Not only when talking to leads...but even when talking to friends and family! Everyone has heard a story of network marketing failures, or how you will just lose your money, etc. What these people don't realize is that this is a business, like any other. And like any other business, you stand or fail based on your performance.

Sure, lots of people have failed and lost all the money they put into their business. But let me ask you -- are these people with drive and determination? When they promise something, do they do it? Are they actively seeking new ideas or are they sitting in front of the TV every night? If someone you know warns you off the business, ask them why it failed for them? Unless the company actually went under, all you will hear is excuses such as:

• "My sponsor was no good." (So what -- take responsibility for your own training.)
• "My downline didn't do anything." (That means you did not train, equip and immunize your downline.)
• "I didn't like the compensation." (Then why did you join in the first place?)

Get my drift?

Now you have some ideas for how to help your new team member to be successful. Teach them to train, equip and immunize their own members and your businesses will replicate and grow.

Network Marketing and the Revolving Door - Why?

One unfortunate phenomenon of network marketing is the "revolving door" syndrome. This where people think that if one program is good, two are better. If you're doing two, why not add another couple? After all, one of them is sure to take off!

Not!

Success in the network marketing industry does not lie with the opportunity - it relies on the person. For example, a person with excellent skills can succeed and make lots of money in any organization -- even one with a bad compensation plan.

On the other hand, an unskilled individual can't make a go of it in an opportunity with top-notch compensation.

Well...how does one get skilled? It's both extremely simple and terribly difficult.

Step one is you have to truly desire to be a success in your business. Without that desire and determination, you don't stand a chance.

Step two is to ask your sponsor what training is available. Are there meetings, conference calls, online training? Does his or her team have a monthly meeting? Is there anything to read?

Step three is to get additional, generic training. Training that is applicable to any organization, and in fact no organization in particular is mentioned. The focus of the training is on the skills necessary -- no matter if you are selling nutritional products, telecommunication services or gas additives.

Step four is to get out and apply that training! Sure, maybe at first you feel awkward and unsure of yourself. That's common. But it's also necessary to build up your skills. For example, I can read day and night about playing the violin-- but when I actually pick one up I doubt I'll be playing in a symphony!

Skill and determination are necessary for any successful network marketing venture. Remember, it's not the plan.

It's the person.

Do You Have a Dream?

I just received a great email from one of my upline sponsors, Bob Theroux, so I asked him if I could please use the email as one of my blog entries. Here's his email, in it's entirety.


"Winners never quit and quitters never win.

I believe that that expression is attributed to the late coach of the Green Bay Packers Vince Lombardi from back in the 60's. That expression is as true today as it was then and has been through out time. Mr. Hershey, the founder of Hershey Chocolates, went bankrupt 9 times before he founded his Chocolate Empire. Alva Edison made over 3000 experiments before he found how to make a filament for a light bulb that would last!!! Ask any scientist today how they found a cure or a new process and they will tell you it came from hard work and persistence. And the last key ingredient they all have in common is that they had a DREAM, a GOAL a definite place they wanted to get to or accomplish. They persisted and struggled and gave up something to achieve their dream, to find that cure, to grow their business or to become winners in the field of sports.

I have only been in this business for a few short months and I have noticed a significant amount of people who join and then quit. Why is that I wonder? And then I realized that the why is not relevant, nor the who or what or when but the how. How did they lose their dream so fast. Have we become so programmed by society to think that we will achieve success instantly? This is not a lottery, as a matter of fact you are more likely to be struck by lightening than to win the lottery! This also is not a free gift that will generate riches overnight. You will not wake up in the morning and be set for life. YOU have to do something, YOU have to do something that will send people to your web site so that they can see what is being offered and join also. Art and Rob Phelps have spent a lot of their time and effort to develop a system that will work for anyone in any situation in life with any amount of finances available. There are ways to work this system spending NO money for advertising as well as the expensive way of buying several sets of tour takers. IT ALL WORKS and I know this because I join all the conference calls and I hear the testimonies of so many people and how they built their business with little or no money! They all can not be lying, there are too many of them, ergo they are telling the truth!

A few days ago I received a phone call from one of my upline. This call is what got me to thinking about all this. He had a distributor that had upgraded to the Executive Director position and there was a set of Guaranteed Tour Takers purchased for this Exec. Dir.. A few days before he was to start receiving them, he QUIT. Gone, so long, bye bye. My upline called me to ask if I had anyone that could use a free set of tour takers as they could not be cancelled and he wanted them to go where they were needed. I gave him the ID# of one of my brand new people that had upgraded to the JR. Exec. position. My decision was based on the fact that I had talked to this new Jr. Exec. and learned that they lived in a very expensive area of the country, are a married couple with several small children and they joined so that she could eventually quit her job to be a stay at home mom. They also had little disposable income but were willing to sacrifice and start with free advertising to build their business. They had a plan, they had the determination and they were willing to work for their DREAM.

So what is your dream. Are you willing to work for it, or do you just want it to fall in your lap. If you are the lap person, it will not happen. If you are willing to work for it, if you are willing to give it a year, if you are willing to listen to the advice of those that are successful and follow in their footsteps, if you are willing to join in on the conference calls and listen and learn from what others have and are doing, then you will succeed. The choice is yours, winner or quitter."

Thanks again, Bob, for that inspiring (and oh so true) email.

If you have a few minutes and want to explore Bob's opportunity, check it out at www.automaticbuilder.com/31297

When to Just Say No

Undeniably, sponsoring other members is a big part of virtually all network marketing opportunities. Many times there is subtle pressure to find a lead and turn them into a new member.

And of course, sometimes the pressure isn't so subtle (but we won't get into that now).

Sure, you want to sponsor new people yourself, but does that mean you should sponsor everyone who is willing and breathing?

I vote no. Here's why.

There are some people who are just too negative or too irresponsible for this business. You know the type -- if they don't get a check their first month, it's all a scam. If they do get get a check it's for less than they thought it would be. If they don't make $5,000 by the 3rd month it's not worth it.

You'll be spending plenty of time listening to moans and groans about the business if you sponsor someone like this. And it will bring you down too. And you know what's even worse? It will discourage your whole team! You don't need this kind of stress in your life or invading your team -- gently but firmly turn this person down!

What about the irresponsible type? Who says sure, I'll call some leads tonight, but a week later still hasn't gotten around to it. Who forgets to order product and is always having to buy some off you. Who never shows up for the training calls or meetings. Usually this person means well, but there are too many other things competing for his or her attention. At least for now, he or she is not a good match until they decide to get serious about the business.

Right now I'm thinking of a lady I know who in some ways would be great. She's outgoing, gregarious and a born salesperson. She is also very "needy" -- constantly wanting reassurance that she is doing things right. Always asking questions but never quite paying attention to the answers. I'd be doing a lot of hand-holding for her...and also to the people she sponsors! So for me, she's not the right fit at the moment. I'll keep her in the back of my mind, though, for some future time.

So, should you sponsor everyone who wants into your business? It's up to you, but remember that you will be working with this person; is he or she someone that you wouldn't mind spending time with....or someone with whom you dread your meetings?

Sponsor people with your future and theirs in mind.

Can I Do This -- Part 2

Congratulations -- you've finally gotten past the thought that a network marketing business is some sort of mystery wrapped in an enigma. You are feeling more confident each day. Sure there are unexpected challenges sometimes, but you take it all in stride.

Then there comes a time where you see yourself as you were, when you first started.

It's when you talk to a prospect who really wants to know "can I do this?" Sure, they know you can have a successful business, but can they?

Part of their concern is fear of the unknown -- like that mysterious enigma I mentioned at the beginning. Will they have to give presentations to a roomful of people? Will they have to call complete strangers on the phone? How can they sell the product -- is there a right way? Wrong way? Best way?

Find out what their own personal fears are. Maybe they are great one-on-one with people, but the thought of making a presentation scares them to death! Or maybe they can talk someone's ear off if they know the other person is interested, but phoning leads makes them cringe.

They may not even know exactly what they are asking when they say "can I do this?" Your prospect is looking for more information on how the business really works. He or she really is interested, but needs a little reassurance that the opportunity isn't smoke and mirrors.

Remember how you felt in the beginning, and help your prospect turn

"can I do this?" into

"I can do this!"

Can I Do This?

If you're like a lot of people who started with a network business, you were extremely excited! You went to sleep that night, mind whirling about all the cool plans you ahd for your business...

...and the next morning you woke up and said "what have I done?"

I'm sure that sinking feeling has happened to most of us. But really, it only seems so low because you were so high and excited. And soon you'll be back to busily planning for your business.

The thought "Can I really do this?" has also probably crossed your mind. Not to worry, it's also a common feeling. But it does warrant finding a chunk of quiet time to sit down and really review what it is you need to do. Is there something you aren't sure about? Do you need help learning how to work with leads? What about the infamous "elevator speech"?

Your sponsor and/or other upline members can help you. Remember, they were once where you are now. And they want you to succeed, so take advantage of their knowledge.

How Soon Can I Earn $10k a Month?

It's a popular question, and one on the minds of about every person who wants to get into an opportunity. But also notice that I said "get into an opportunity" rather than "start a home business".

There is a difference; let me explain.

Network marketing sure does have its fair share of hype. Headlines scream "Earn $5,000/month within 4 months!" or "You too can earn $10,000/month just working 1 hour a week". Just reading the ads can make your head spin, not to mention looking at comp plans.

The difference between "getting into an opportunity" and "starting a home-based business" is one is slanted towards a get-rich-quick mindset and the other has an eye towards the long haul. When tough times come (and they will) the GRQ seeker tends to jump ship. The businessperson will get themselves up, dust themselves off and keep working at building their business.

How fast you earn your $5k, $10k or more per month doesn't have anything to do with the plan. It has to do with you. How much work are you willing to put into your business? One or two hours a week you say? Better keep your day job because it will be quite some time, if ever, before you make it to $10k/month.

Yes, what most of us consider huge sums of money per month are completely possible with network marketing -- that's one of the amazing things about the business! You don't need to go to college or spend years training to learn how to do it, either. And most network marketing plans have low (under $500) start-up costs (heck, some are less than $100).

What you do need, after you've picked your plan, is to commit to it. Learn all you can as fast as you can, then put that knowledge to work ASAP. Remember, all the knowledge in the world won't help you if you aren't willing to put it into practice.

Work your business. The people who earn their large paychecks faster are the ones who spend time with it. These are the people who generate the leads, write the ads, call the people and send the personal emails or notes.

Can't find 5 hours a week to devote to your business, hmmm? So, how much TV or DVDs do you watch a week? Bet it's more than 5 hours' worth. The point being that if you are serious about your business you will find the time somehow.

Take the first steps and you too may be on the road to $10k or more a month. It's your business; work it wisely.

Should You Tell Family and Friends?

You've started your network marketing business and you are facing a dilemma -- should you or should you not tell your family and friends about your opportunity?

It really depends on your family and friends. If you have some that are also entreprenurial, then you might want to approach them. If nothing else, you can use the practice with someone that will likely be supportive.

If you have family and friends who are against network marketing and consider it all a scam, don't bother talking with them yet. It will just depress you and make you reluctant to approach anyone else.

I know, some organizations say to tell everyone about your business, no matter who they are. If you are the kind of person who relishes such a challenge then have at it! But most of us aren't quite that brave, or at least not at first.

There will be a time to tell your family and friends about your network marketing business. You'll know that time is right because they will come to you, wanting to know how you are making so much money!

So many people who have never been involved with network marketing think it's all a scam. And to be honest, there have been plenty of scams out there. But have you noticed that the good side never gets mentioned on the news or in the papers?

Until your family and friends see that network marketing is indeed a very legitimate business, and that someone they personally know is successful, they probably won't come around. But ultimately you are the best judge of how they are likely to receive the news.

Now, or later? It's up to you to decide.

What's Your Marketing Plan?

So, you have a network maketing business. That's great news, but I have to ask you something:

What's your marketing plan?

I know, I've fallen into the same trap in the past -- "build it and they will come". Hey, I've got these great products and a fantastic plan -- why would't people beat down the doors to shop/join? Weeellll, it just doesn't work that way!

Now don't say, "I don't know how to create a marketing plan". Nope, that doesn't cut it. A marketing plan can be as simple as writing down monthly goals and budgets. How much is your monthly marketing budget? $10, $50, $100 or more? Write it down.

If you've been running some advertising and/or buying leads, you have an idea what works for you. Dollar for dollar, where do you get the best ROI (return on investment)? Where is your worst? Move money from your losing plan into the winner!

If this is your first month advertising your new network marketing business, first check with some of your upline and see what they can suggest. They've already done marketing for the opportunity and can give you some guidance. Remember, your upline has a vested interest in your success!

Naturally your goal is to spend less in marketing than what you get for your check. But be aware that in the first several months, you will very likely spend more on advertising and buying leads than you will see in sales. Just make sure you know exactly how much you can spend and then track your results. After all, when you develop a winning marketing plan, you want to be able to repeat it!

Autoship - Good or Evil?

In the network marketing business, autoship is a common occurance. Some people say any plan that requires autoship is bad and illegal. Others say why not as long as the minimum is a small amount and the person knows that going in?

Or is it a little of both?

Long ago, my husband and I were involved in a pet food MLM. Now we had lots of cats, so for me this was a good thing (the cat food was excellent -- my kitties were healthy and their coats were glossy). I certainly used up all the autoship, and in fact ordered extra every month. There was a catch though.

We couldn't choose our autoship -- we had to get both cat and dog food. This was a wee bit of a problem seeing as I had no dogs!

But I had a lot of customers with cats that I could sell to, and did. Sure, I didn't mind having a bag or two of dog food around for the occasional sale, but my true sales market was cat owners. So the dog food kept piling up...and I eventually ended up donating a lot to my local animal shelter.

This is an example of an autoship that is bad in my opinion. You are not allowed to choose your product or products, but rather have to take what they give you. Or else. And if you don't do an autoship in any given month you lose your position. Or even get kicked out of the company!

I know of many companies who make autoship a requirement if you want to earn money from your downline. And here is where I am going to make a statement where some people boo and hiss me, and tell me I am nothing but a scammer.

I don't think autoship is necessarily a bad thing if:

• You can choose your products and change them as often as desired.
• You can turn off autoship temporarily and not lose your position/title.
• The monthly minimum is small.
• You would use the product(s) anyway -- they are good, reasonably priced and do what they claim.
• You use some of the autoship to have a few extras on hand for in-person sales, since you do most of your sales orders via the company's replicated website (or your own website).

Personally, I do think you need to use your company's product. You need to be able to tell this to everyone you meet, whether for sales or recuiting. If you don't use at least some your company's products, I'd be leery of buying them myself, as a customer. Why should I? You don't trust them.

That being said, there are companies that take autoship too far. Who require large monthly minimums -- far more than you could use in a month. Who have you totally lose your position if you miss one autoship. Or worse.

One time I was booted out of a company because I mis-judged the date by which I needed to place my order. One day's difference and I was gone! If I wanted to re-enter I had to pay a large fee (over $200) to do so. (No, I did not re-join.) Now maybe that was my fault for getting my dates mixed up, but I'll bet it happens to almost all of us -- and emergencies do happen.

Now I'll throw in another caveat: if your products are not consumable, you should not have to do an autoship. So if it's not a product you would use up and need to re-purchase every month...that is not a valid plan for using an autoship.

So is autoship good or bad? You need to take a close look at your company's autoship requirements. Are they minimal and reasonable - something you would do anyway? Are they a hardship? Is it the only way you can make money? (Hint: if recuiting people who do autoship is the only way to make money, run quickly in the other direction!)

Assuming the company is falling within legal boundaries, it's up to you if you go with a plan that does autoship. For some, it's a convenience. For others, a hardship. Figure out what is best for you.

Do You Get Product Training?

Does your organization offer regular product training? Where you can learn about the various products, their benefits and so on? What you can and cannot claim about the product? (Especially important if your business is in health and nutrition.)

If your company doesn't offer structured training on a regular basis, how are you learning about the products you offer? Can you recite each of your products and their benefits? Have you tried at least some of the products your companies offers? If not, why not?

The ultimate foundation of our business is to sell our products or services. Yes, we do indeed make money from our downline (why bother otherwise?). But each of us needs to sell our product as well. And to sell effectively, we need to know about them.

What's Your Line, Take 2

In my original "What's Your Line" post I said I would be willing to post opportunities so that we could all benefit from information about different plans. I still stand by that, but perhaps I did not make myself clear as to the kind of post I will accept.

I will not post comments that give no useful information. For example, I won't accept posts that are basically hype. I won't post comments that are little more than a classified ad and a website address.

You must tell us about your company and why you think it's a great opportunity. You must mention the name of your networking plan, as well as at least your first name. (Full name is best, but I understand if you are concerned about internet safety these days.) And you must do this in your own words. I don't care if you are a terrific writer or not; as long as you are sincere and that comes though, you are fine. You may also give a link to your opportunity so others can check it out for themselves (yes you can use your personal link).

(If you've posted a comment in the last day or so and I have not accepted it, please re-submit it with the guidelines I've listed above.)

Remember, this is not only to help you, but help others who may be shopping for a business. Without accurate information, it doesn't do anyone any good and this blog becomes little more than just a set of classified ads. I'd rather lose readers than let that happen

Once again, I extend the invitation to tell us about your networking business. Do it sincerely and without hype, and I will be happy to list it.

Yoda and the Art of Network Marketing

Yoda is famous not only for being a Master Jedi, but also for a simple phrase that is very true for network marketing:

"Do or do not; there is no try."

In reality, there is no trying your network marketing business on for size. You either do it or why bother at all? Now I know a lot of opportunities let you try them for free for a month, before committing. I can possibly see that -- find out more about the business, listen to the conference calls or go to the meetings (as applicable). See how much information, support and training you really get.

But once you have decided to go with the program, you must work it. You must work towards making it a success. As I've mentioned before, the first 30 days are critical for gaining momentum. Without the momentum of selling the products and/or signing recruits, you simply will not see returns for a long time, if ever.

Once you decide to really work your business, give it your all for at least 6 months. Unless you are extrordinarily lucky (or you know a lot of people who are interested in your business or products), it will take some time to get your business off the ground. It's a fact.

I do want to mention something though. Know your plan backwards and forwards before you sign on the dotted line (so to speak). Know the commission structure and what you need to do to get to the next several levels. Know the products or services. Calculate on paper what you need to do to reach those levels. Then do it!

I know the opportunities often mention something to the effect of:

"Sign three people who sign three people..."

Fine and dandy, but those can't be any three people -- they have to be people who will work the business -- go out and sell products/services and recuit their three. You may have to go through 10 or 20 to get one person who is on fire...and you have to do it three times! Then you have to help those people in the business -- help to make them successful.

Network marketing is not just about selling -- it's also about each of us helping the others to be a success. Share your knowledge and time. Be willing to work hard to reach your goals.

Do, or do not.

Low-Cost Ways to Get Your Business Started

First of all, you must invest heavily in your business. Whether it's time or money or both, if you take no action, you have no business. That's just the way it is.

Okay, let's assume you have a replicated website offering your business, and the website is pretty decent. After you've told everyone you know about it, how do you keep getting traffic to that website? Especially if you don't have the dollars to invest up front. What are your options?

First, look for an MLM forum. All the ones I've seen so far are free to join. You usually can't advertise your business directly, but you can put your business in your signature. Then, every time you make a post, your business is advertised. I do want to say that you should only post if you have something useful to contribute to the thread. Don't post for posting sake -- that's not a way to build a good reputation.

Then how about starting a blog? You're reading a free one right now. It costs nothing to join. Write about anything you want -- home-based business, your opportunity, breeding goldfish....(you get the idea). Just include your opportunity in the links section if it's the goldfish breeding type site. Otherwise, scatter your opportunity links in your posts as appropriate.

Check out groups. Yahoo and Google have groups that are free to join.

What about other forums -- do you have a hobby that you enjoy? Find a forum dedicated to that hobby, and if they allow you to put links in your signature, that's a whole new area of potential prospects.

There are free ezine ads, but in this case, I really do suggest you try and find a paid solo ad. I've seen services that get your ad placed in more than one ezine at a time for a nominal (under $25) amount. Or you can do some research and find an ezine that you can advertise in for something around $10 or $15 per insert.

If your opportunity provides you with autoresponders, learn how to use them! They are great for putting your name in front of prospects more than once.

Get some business cards and give them out. One way is to put your card in every one of those "put your business card in the bowl for a chance to win a free lunch/dinner/other". Hey, if nothing else you might win something from time to time! Tack up a card any place you can. If you are friendly with the owner of a business, ask if you can put a few cards up in a card holder near the cash register.

Don't forget your signature in your own personal emails! True, maybe you don't send out more than a handful of personal emails a day, but hey -- take advantage of everything you can.

I hope these tips have given you some ideas about how you can advertise your business inexpensively. Now go and do some advertising!

Network Marketing Trap to Avoid - GRQ

There is a lot of hype with network marketing -- it's part of the territory. But how can you wade through the hype without falling into the GRQ (get rich quick) trap?

First and most important -- network marketing is not about getting rich quick! I want to emphasize this, because without undertanding it, you'll get discouraged and leave the business before it blossoms.

Now, you can build wealth faster in network marketing than you can in most direct sales positions, but it's still going to take months of work before you start seeing the real money adding up.

Depending on your plan, you could realistically expect to see somewhere around $500/month after 5 or 6 months. But this assumes you are actively working your business during that time! It's only after about a year of work that the residual dollars start adding up quite nicely. I know, $500/month is not the throusands and thousands that are commonly held up as an example. But it's just a stepping-stone. Once the business reaches "critical mass", your network takes on a life of its own and the income rises faster and faster.

Now keep in mind that all businesses vary, as do the people working the business. However, the more advertising you can do up front (within the first 30 days of starting), the faster you can start seeing results. Yes, it takes money to make money. But what you spend up front you reap in residuals.

And aren't the residuals part of the reason for building a network marketing business? Once again, all plans are different, but if after a year you were earning over $1,000/month in residuals alone...that is very nice. Especially since it is added on top of whatever your group sales volume is! And by this time the bonuses have started kicking in....you get the idea.

What if you are on a shoestring budget and can't afford an advertising blitz? Can you still be a success? Sure you can - it will just take somewhat longer to get your network humming. And there are some low-cost and no-cost ways to advertise your business (that topic deserves it's own post).

Whatever you do, realize that your network marketing business will take some time and effort to get off the ground. You won't get rich quick. But if you work the business diligently there is a good chance that you will get rich! (Can you say that about a 9-to-5 job?)

Need Leads?

Leads are the heart and soul of the network marketing business. After all, once you've spoken with all your family and friends (if you decide to do that), you need to find new people to present your business to. If you don't, your business eventually dies.

How can you do that? You will have to either buy or create your own leads. Or a combination of the two.

Leads can be for your product or service, or they can be for your business opportunity. In this particular post, I am covering buying your own leads.

There are different kinds of leads:

• Opt-in email: These people have recently answered an ad for more information about a home based business. They have also verified their interest by clicking on another link (sent to their email address) to confirm their interest.
  
• Opt-in email surveyed: Same as above, except they have also answered a survey about what they want out of a home-based business.
  
• Phone verfied: They have responded to an ad for a home-based business and have received a follow-up call to verify their interest.
  
• Phone verified surveyed: Same as above and they have also completed a home-based business survey. You should see their response to the questions.
  
• Real-time: These leads have answered a survey and almost immediately after they have hit "Enter" they are referred to your offer or autoresponder (varies).
• Semi-Exclusive: You will be asked what business you are promoting and the leads you receive will not have been sold to anyone else in that opportunity. Normally very fresh leads.
  
• Exclusive: These leads are very fresh and are not sold to anyone else, period.
  

Obviously, exclusive leads are the most expensive. Opt-in email lists are the least expensive.

Both can be good...and both can be bad. It depends on the quality of the leads. If the leads are old, the people can forget that they opted-in or completed a survey. Therefore, the fresher the leads the better. 24 to 72 hours is best...unless you can get real-time!

You do not want any leads that are not at least opt-in! That is called spam! And spam is bad!

There are bulk leads available, generally older than 7 to 14 days old. Naturally these leads are even less expensive (you get more emails for less money). The downside is these leads tend to be much less responsive.

There are also lead co-ops that let you get very fresh exclusive leads for a discounted price to co-op members.

What are so other non-co-op lead services? I've heard some good things about the following:

JungleLeads
Real Time Leads
Opt-in MLM Leads

That's a start. Go to one or more of the search engines and type in "mlm leads" and you'll see some other organizations.

If you are serious about your business, you need a constant supply of leads. Whether your leads are purchased or you make your own by other methods (advertising, personal contacts, etc.) the leads are your lifeblood. You have to decide what is best for you, not to mention what your budget can handle at first. Do your research and make your choices.

More Generic Training

I mentioned generic training, if your company doesn't offer much in the way of structured training. Here's something I found that is great for introducing someone who isn't quite sure what network marketing is:

Discover Your Business

Like I said, it's generic. It is video-based (kind of like a PowerPoint presentation set to music) but not terribly bandwidth-intensive.

Like I mentioned, it's great for introducing someone new to the business. And not a bad review for anyone already in the network marketing business!

Do you know of some good generic training? Post a comment and include the URL of the training. If you happen to have an affiliate link to that training, that's fine too. It's all about us helping each other.

As I've mentioned before, your comment won't show up immediately since I have it moderated. And if I've already posted the same generic link from someone else, I won't post a duplicate.

But for now it's pretty wide-open since I haven't posted a whole lot!

Network or Pyramid -- Where's the Line?

I've often heard the comment that "all network marketing plans are just pyramids" (or something to that effect). What's a pyramid (illegal) versus a real opportunity (legal)?

It's a really fine line in many cases. I don't know a whole lot of companies that don't walk that line in a balancing act -- and naturally there are some that cross it!

Here's an example: You are looking at a company who naturally encourages you to recruit, but who also has some nice products. You have an autoship minimum every month, and a replicated website to sell your products (not to mention offer the opportunity). You can choose what products to use as autoship. You can also buy a few extras of any given product to sell personally at a profit, but you are not allowed to stockpile. Commissions are paid on product and recruits, and usually the commission on the product sales is a nice amount. With relatively few recruits (usually between 4 and 6) you can break even.

Does that sound familiar? It's what I have seen with about 90% of the plans I've looked at lately.

So what's the pyramid? It's an opportunity that relies solely on autoship and recruiting new members. You may be given a replicated website for selling products, but you aren't given any training or suggestions as to how to market that website. Many times there is a fairly hefty autoship, so you need those recruits to be able to afford it. (Although that is not always the case.) The commissions on the product are so-so -- recruits pay much more. Generally you need at least 12 recruits to break even, sometimes much more.

At the extreme end is the opportunity that doesn't really have a product (or maybe only one) and recruiting is the only way to make money. Commissions on product(s) are absent or are very tiny. You have got to recruit better than 20 people (many times monthly) to break even.

(Note: I know that some network plans, especially in the telecommunications industry, do have very small commissions, but they make it up in volume -- it's the nature of their business. It doesn't automatically mean they are pyramids.)

Yes, it's a fine line. Take a close look at the opportunity you are considering before you decide to sign up. If recruiting is the only way to make money, obviously run away as fast as you can! With others, carefully consider the products -- are they consumables (people will need to buy them again next month) or one-time purchases?

Well, this post is long enough for now, so we'll look at consumables versus one-time purchases in a separate post. Both can be lucrative (and legal), given the right plan.

Wellness International Network

Thank you, Jason, for your excellent writeup of your business!

Jason is an independent distributor for Wellness International Network. I really like the following piece of information from Jason:

"It's at once the simplest business in the world and the hardest thing you'll ever do, but if you are willing to make a change, you can succeed."

How true!

Click and take a look at Jason's comment here.

What's Your Line?

I have a challenge for you. Are you up to it?

Send me a comment about your business opportunity. Let me know your name, the name of your company and why you recommend it. Don't give me the standard company line -- convince me why I should join your organization, in your own words.

Also include your recruiting or product website address. Sorry, I won't publish any phone numbers or email addresses.

Why am I doing this? Because recently I was on a quest for more organization about several companies, but I didn't want to waste hours looking at all the corporate websites. I was looking for a web page somewhere that gave a quick overview of some of the major (and not so major) players. In other words, I was "shopping".

Here's your chance.

Now everyone might not get their opportunity posted -- if you can't convince me, you probably won't convince others. But if you can write up something good, you'll get your recruiting or product link in this blog for all to see!

I've got my comments moderated, so you won't see what you left immediately. But I will be looking through the comments and will post the ones that will help us all learn more about the fascinating world of network marketing!

Training -- Do You Have It?

I mentioned training in the previous post. Some companies are better than others at training, that's just a fact. If there really isn't a structured training program in your opportunity, then you will need to find the best generic MLM training out there.

From personally reading, I can suggest Recruit Your Way to Millions by Fred Stege. If you want to quickly get your network marketing organization off the ground, I recommend this book.

While the whole book was interesting (it's 133 pages), I found particularly fascinating the bit on the elevator speech. You know, you get on an elevator and strike up a conversation and they ask the million-dollar question, "So what do you do?" I've always had a tough time coming up with something to say that didn't sound too lame or too "salesy". But in the book, Fred gives a script outline that is perfect! Yes, I am in the process of memorizing it until I can do it in my sleep. And the whole script takes about 30 seconds to say.

Yes, I will admit -- this is my affiliate link to the book. But I also have to say that after you read it, you may just want to become an affiliate yourself!

Seriously, the book is excellent, and you are doing yourself a favor by getting it and reading it.

I've just come across another one that's more directed to people who want to do most of their marketing online. I'll be reading the ebook this weekend and write up a review when I am done. So far it's promising.

Take Time to Make Time

If you're like me, you want to get all the training you can, so you can make your business as successful as possible. You probably aren't in the business just to get a couple hundred dollars extra a month. Most likely you are thinking about eventually being able to leave your full-time job. You know, a few thousand dollars a month.

Don't let anyone kid you, though -- it does not happen overnight. Sure, there are some people who through some combination of luck and perseverance make to to a 4-figure monthly income their first month, but that's less common than you think. And certainly less common than most company websites would have you believe!

At the other end of the spectrum, many people don't get a check their first month and just give it all up!

This is your business and it does take time and effort. The amount of time is mostly based on the effort you are willing to commit. Now I'm not saying that you should put in 40 hours a week on this, but that you should commit to at least 5 hours a week, every week.

The more time you can devote up front, the faster you will see the momentum grow, and the faster your organization builds and provides you an income.

Who's That on the Phone?

I am not the world's best phone conversationalist, I am the first to admit it. In fact, you are far more likely to find me surfing the net, mumbling "gotta remember to bookmark that site..." than find me on the phone.

So why in the world would I want to go into network marketing? Isn't it the world of cold calls and phone rejections?

Well, maybe sometimes. But it doesn't have to be.

In my searches I have found many, many different kinds of business opportunities. From cosmetics to dish soap to nutritional supplements to telecommunications -- if there is a need, there's probably a business to fill it!

Are all network opportunities created equal? No. Can they all be marketed the same way? Yes and no. Let me explain.

Back in the olden days when I first dipped my toes into what was "MLM" at the time, you sold products and recruited people in person and by phone. You met with them, explained the products, offered solutions and then asked if they would be interested in getting their goods at a discount.

Classic examples of these are Avon and Mary Kay. Although recruiting was important, you usually had a pretty hefty monthly sales quota to reach, so you got out and sold!

The famous "opportunity meetings" was where you dragged your friends, family and any breathing individual to, hoping they would join up and earn you a nice little bonus.

The phone and address lists that you dialed and filled out endlessly. And the paperwork - ack!

Fast-forward to today.

Many network plans have either gone almost totally internet or at least have an internet presence. The phone and address lists have been augmented with "opt-in" email lists and survey lists.

Autoresponders and replicated websites abound! Many times you can order products online, or even recruit online.

The opportunity meetings are now conference calls, and most can be accessed via the internet. You don't have to incur humongous long-distance phone bills!

But in all this, one thing as remained the same. Network marketing isn't just about making money (although it is a big part of it). No, network marketing is also about connecting with people and teaching them how to replicate your success. Help them to reach their goals and that helps you reach yours.

That is ultimately really what it's all about.

So What's Next?

Some of the terminology has changed over the years, but what ties network marketing, multi-level marketing ("MLM") and cooperative marketing together?

Well, they are all basically the same thing. Just different ways of saying it.


But what is it? Really?

For continuity's sake, I'll use the term "network marketing" -- but it really means all three types.

So what is network marketing? Simply put, it is a way of distributing goods and/or services via a network of individuals. Instead of a salary, we are paid on a type of commission. Each month the network's sales are totalled and paid, rewarding those who have brought in the most business.

Okay, that is really, really simplistic. But it does prove a point.

This isn't rocket science.

(Yeah, some of the programs seem terribly complicated, but that is a whole other story.)

Network marketing can be incredibly lucrative. It can also leave you with empty pockets. Arm yourself with knowledge, so you can leap on a fantastic opportunity or leave a bad one behind. There is plenty of money to be made in network marketing. And if you join the right business, part of that money can belong to you.

But learn before you leap.

In the Beginning...

It started when my husband casually remarked, "I've joined a network marketing company". He probably thought that since I hadn't yet had my morning coffee that I'd miss his statement.

I think the first words out of my mouth were, "oh no!".

Once I had recovered from my initial shock, we both sat down over coffee and I had him explain what company he had joined. We were going on a trip later that day, so I told him to print out every piece of information he had on the plan and organization.

You see, we had both tried and mostly failed with various network marketing programs in the past, separately and together. We usually made enough to cover our monthly or quarterly personal volumes, but not much more.

So why in the world would my darling husband to this to himself (and me)?

When I reviewed the opportunity, I did see that it had promise. And the company seemed to be stable.

My first reaction (after the "oh no" and the cup of coffee) is to gather as much information as I can, so I can know exactly what to expect. If I have questions, I want to know where to go and have them answered. And so on and so on.

I realized that in all my journeys on the web gathering this information, it might be useful to others as well. Especially if you are new to network marketing...or new using the internet with your existing business.

So here I am. I'll be doing research and passing information along to you. Network marketing can be absolutely wonderful...and absolutely terrible if you don't know what to look for and/or expect.

So bookmark me and come back often. If you have a question, post a comment and I'll see what I can do to answer.

Here's to making your networking business pay!


Gail