Linda Locke of MLMWoman.com wrote a wonderful article. This is one of her first pieces, yet it's still very relevant today.
These days it seems like there is more and more competition in the MLM field - new companies spring up out of nowhere overnight and everyone else is touting their hot new “product du jour.” So what’s an MLMer got to do to stand out in this over heated, over-hyped market? Well, fortunately, it’s not that hard. Most people don’t really think too much about how to market their MLM business in an effective and creative way. Most people are lazy and just do the minimum and wait for the money to roll in.
What you MUST do to stand out from the MLM masses is to make the benefits of doing business with you so powerful that your potential customers and recruits will see you clearly as the best choice for their sponsor.
This is especially important if you want to successfully recruit people long distance -- you don’t have the advantage of being able to speak to them face to face -- you need to have a strong offer that really will convince them that you are the person they should do business with.
I’m always amazed when I receive information packs in the mail from distributors who obviously think that it’s not important to tell me who they are and why they are sending me this information. They don’t include a letter or note introducing themselves; they just throw a bunch of company sales literature in an envelope, stick their name and phone number on the back and expect that to do the trick. What a waste! With no personal letter or note and no information as to why I should consider them as a potential sponsor, how can I make an informed decision about whether this great opportunity is for me? And if they don’t follow up with a phone call, letter, or e-mail (which happens 95% of the time); most likely I’ll toss their expensive package of sales literature and keep looking for something better.
One of the most difficult things for people building an MLM businessis learning how to market their business effectively. Getting the company literature and becoming familiar with the products is just the beginning -- you need to really spend some time crafting a dynamite marketing system that gets results.
So, here’s some tips you can use to make your marketing efforts more productive and set yourself apart from the crowd:
Target one or two niche markets to focus on. Develop a marketing campaign designed to get their attention. What’s a good niche? Here’s some ideas to get you started - stay at home moms, downsized middle managers, women, men, generation Xers, baby boomers, seniors. Tip: Pick a niche that you are a part of - this will make it easier for you to figure out what that group’s needs and wants are.
Always send out a personalized letter with your information packages. Tell them your story - this will help make you more “real” to your faraway prospects and customers and help them get to know you. People like to do business with people they know and like -- do everything you can to make an emotional contact with them.
Develop a “Success Pak” for your downline - offer them a customized sales letter, free leads, free postcards etc. Give them a plan to get them started on the right path.
Develop a short customer/downline newsletter and send it out at least monthly; include success stories, info on new products, business tips and resources etc. It can be sent via e-mail, fax or mail. I have never known any successful MLMers that didn’t provide some sort of “newsletter” to their downline. It can be 2 pages, 4 pages or more; letter or postcard size; elaborate or simple. The idea is to just keep in contact on a regular basis.
Develop a web page that offers “real” information to help your potential customers build their business. There’s a lot of MLMer’s with web pages on the Internet that are just basic billboards. You can stand out by offering a little something more.
Write some helpful “tip reports” to share with people online and off. I know of one superstar MLMer who gives away free reports to anyone who’s interested. She provides valuable information that acts as a powerful “recruiter” for her business.
THINK SERVICE! Put yourself in your prospect's shoes and think of all the ways you can help them succeed in their business and then DO THEM! If you help your people to succeed and reach their goals, then you will be successful too.
~ ~ ~
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Make It Happen
This was sent to me by my Tupperware director. I just loved it and wanted to share it.
March 2008
Get'r DoneCommit to working this system every day for the next year and you will enjoy financial success in your business by
Mr. Rod Nichols
We've heard it from the NASCAR circuit, in movies, on television, and even out of the mouth of President Bush. Well now it's time to get'r done in network marketing. This month's theme is Getting Started, Finishing First. The key here is that in order to finish first, you have to get started and in this article I'm going to address how to get started right. Whether you're brand new to the network marketing industry or have been around awhile, but aren't making money, it's time to get'r done!
A very high percentage of people fail in network marketing and after interviewing hundreds of those people, I am convinced that the primary reason is that they never get started. Oh, they attend some meetings, read materials, look at web sites, watch DVD's and listen to CD's.They are on all the conference calls and webcasts. They've got their office organized and systems in place. The shelves are full of marketing materials and their associate web sit e is operational. Sound familiar? The problem with this is that none of these activities will directly build a network and that's what this is all about.
Okay, let's get started getting you started:
1. Purpose - in order to be successful in network marketing you must have a solid "why" for your business. Are you building a business to have more time freedom to enjoy family? Do you want to get out of a dead end job? Are you trying to secure your financial future? Would you like to do mission work or help out in your community? These are all purposes for building a network marketing business, so what is yours?
2. Goals - once you have a solid purpose that will keep you going through thick and thin, you must set specific goals that will enable to you accomplish your purpose. Here you will probably need the help of your sponsor or a successful up line leader. In order to accomplish your purpose, you will need to be at a certain income level. Work with your up line on what is necessary to reach that income level and set the necessary goals to accomplish that.
3. Objectives - now that you have a list of specific goals, begin to break them down into bite size objectives or activities that you can work on each day. Work on one goal at a time until you have all of them broken down into singular activities.
4. Schedule - at the beginning of each week, use your calendar, planner, or PDA to schedule activities for the week. First, block out fixed activities such as sleep, meals, job, and anything relating to your family. Then fill the open blocks of time with business objectives. If other activities are presented, you will need to evaluate whether the new activity is more important than the one already scheduled.
5. Review - begin and end each day by reviewing your purpose, goals, objectives, and schedule. Adjust as necessary.
6. Do it - now it's time for action. Work through your daily objectives and complete everything every day. Make sure that you are working on the highest priority activities - prospecting, presenting, follow-up, sponsoring, training, and supporting, as they will help you build a large and successful business.
7. Do it over and over and over - once you have a plan in place, the key is to do those high priority objectives over and over. Keep prospecting, presenting, and following up until you sponsor someone. Then train and support them properly, so that they can duplicate what you've been doing. Meanwhile continue prospecting, presenting, and following-up, until you sponsor your second person. Now train and support that new person. Do this over and over and over. At first things will build excruciatingly slow, but soon you'll pick up some momentum. The next thing you know people will be joining your network from all over the world - people you don't know. The checks will s tart rising and one day one of the corporate people will ask you to speak at the annual convention. But, it all starts at the beginning with getting started.
So, don't wait until Monday (unless today is Monday), get started right now. Begin with #1 and work through #6 today. Then commit to working this system every day for the next year and I know that you will enjoy financial success in your business.What are you waiting for? Get'r done!
Audrey :) http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
March 2008
Get'r DoneCommit to working this system every day for the next year and you will enjoy financial success in your business by
Mr. Rod Nichols
We've heard it from the NASCAR circuit, in movies, on television, and even out of the mouth of President Bush. Well now it's time to get'r done in network marketing. This month's theme is Getting Started, Finishing First. The key here is that in order to finish first, you have to get started and in this article I'm going to address how to get started right. Whether you're brand new to the network marketing industry or have been around awhile, but aren't making money, it's time to get'r done!
A very high percentage of people fail in network marketing and after interviewing hundreds of those people, I am convinced that the primary reason is that they never get started. Oh, they attend some meetings, read materials, look at web sites, watch DVD's and listen to CD's.They are on all the conference calls and webcasts. They've got their office organized and systems in place. The shelves are full of marketing materials and their associate web sit e is operational. Sound familiar? The problem with this is that none of these activities will directly build a network and that's what this is all about.
Okay, let's get started getting you started:
1. Purpose - in order to be successful in network marketing you must have a solid "why" for your business. Are you building a business to have more time freedom to enjoy family? Do you want to get out of a dead end job? Are you trying to secure your financial future? Would you like to do mission work or help out in your community? These are all purposes for building a network marketing business, so what is yours?
2. Goals - once you have a solid purpose that will keep you going through thick and thin, you must set specific goals that will enable to you accomplish your purpose. Here you will probably need the help of your sponsor or a successful up line leader. In order to accomplish your purpose, you will need to be at a certain income level. Work with your up line on what is necessary to reach that income level and set the necessary goals to accomplish that.
3. Objectives - now that you have a list of specific goals, begin to break them down into bite size objectives or activities that you can work on each day. Work on one goal at a time until you have all of them broken down into singular activities.
4. Schedule - at the beginning of each week, use your calendar, planner, or PDA to schedule activities for the week. First, block out fixed activities such as sleep, meals, job, and anything relating to your family. Then fill the open blocks of time with business objectives. If other activities are presented, you will need to evaluate whether the new activity is more important than the one already scheduled.
5. Review - begin and end each day by reviewing your purpose, goals, objectives, and schedule. Adjust as necessary.
6. Do it - now it's time for action. Work through your daily objectives and complete everything every day. Make sure that you are working on the highest priority activities - prospecting, presenting, follow-up, sponsoring, training, and supporting, as they will help you build a large and successful business.
7. Do it over and over and over - once you have a plan in place, the key is to do those high priority objectives over and over. Keep prospecting, presenting, and following up until you sponsor someone. Then train and support them properly, so that they can duplicate what you've been doing. Meanwhile continue prospecting, presenting, and following-up, until you sponsor your second person. Now train and support that new person. Do this over and over and over. At first things will build excruciatingly slow, but soon you'll pick up some momentum. The next thing you know people will be joining your network from all over the world - people you don't know. The checks will s tart rising and one day one of the corporate people will ask you to speak at the annual convention. But, it all starts at the beginning with getting started.
So, don't wait until Monday (unless today is Monday), get started right now. Begin with #1 and work through #6 today. Then commit to working this system every day for the next year and I know that you will enjoy financial success in your business.What are you waiting for? Get'r done!
Audrey :) http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
$100
If you had an extra $100 for your business, how would you use it?
Would you buy more catalogs?
Would you buy demo products?
Would you buy advertising space?
I found a website giving away $100 in a contest http://www.tw3o.com/april-mini-contest/ The contest ends on April 20th. There are several ways you can enter, including subscribing to the RSS feed.
Whichever method you choose, enter her contest and then post here how'd you spend that extra $100.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Would you buy more catalogs?
Would you buy demo products?
Would you buy advertising space?
I found a website giving away $100 in a contest http://www.tw3o.com/april-mini-contest/ The contest ends on April 20th. There are several ways you can enter, including subscribing to the RSS feed.
Whichever method you choose, enter her contest and then post here how'd you spend that extra $100.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Looking for "Hidden" Opportunities
When considering marketing our businesses, we often need to think outside of the box from time to time.
My daughter came across a contest this morning that really piqued my interest. There are three prizes involved. One is free advertising. If you are in business, free advertising is a wonderful way to spread the word about your business. Their second prize is an interview. Again, as a business owner who can't benefit from an interview? Their third prize is one of their products, a trailer bike. Even if you personally don't need/want the trailer bike, you can use this prize as yet one more way to increase exposure to your own business by accepting the bike and then donating it or giving it away. This is such a win win opportunity.
The link to enter the contest is http://www.5minutesformom.com/3176/caboose-trailer-bike/.
Kudos to the owner of this company for offering such a wonderful opportunity to others.
I thought I'd share one more blog contest with you http://www.sparkplugging.com/momsational/win-a-toaster-oven-plus-45-in-tyson-anytizers/#respond I entered to win the free toaster oven they are giving away.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
My daughter came across a contest this morning that really piqued my interest. There are three prizes involved. One is free advertising. If you are in business, free advertising is a wonderful way to spread the word about your business. Their second prize is an interview. Again, as a business owner who can't benefit from an interview? Their third prize is one of their products, a trailer bike. Even if you personally don't need/want the trailer bike, you can use this prize as yet one more way to increase exposure to your own business by accepting the bike and then donating it or giving it away. This is such a win win opportunity.
The link to enter the contest is http://www.5minutesformom.com/3176/caboose-trailer-bike/.
Kudos to the owner of this company for offering such a wonderful opportunity to others.
I thought I'd share one more blog contest with you http://www.sparkplugging.com/momsational/win-a-toaster-oven-plus-45-in-tyson-anytizers/#respond I entered to win the free toaster oven they are giving away.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Coyote
I read the most delightful article today. http://www.mlmknowhow.com/articles/marketing/coyotes.htm What an awesome job Lisa does at painting a picture that anyone in sales can relate to and understand.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Marketing Online
Over and over again I see both women and men asking how they can advertise for little or no cost. Advertising does not always mean “an ad”. I advertise constantly but almost never use an ad.
Here are several forms of free advertising:
1. A signature line in outgoing emails. I send and receive emails every single day. While some emails are from my kids or from mom and dad, many emails are from those who might benefit from visiting my website. I never email out an advertisement, but I always put my first and last name and my URL. I do know some folks use a one line advertisement in their signature. I choose not to, but one line is great.
2. When you join an online community, use the profile and introduction board to tell folks who you are. Do not use this space for an advertisement. Use this space to let folks get to know you. I always let folks know I live in Santa Barbara. I can not tell you how many times I’ve gotten emails from others who have told me they have visited Santa Barbara and just loved it. By simply letting others know where I live, I have formed relationships and made sales. I also use this space to list my hobbies. How can someone make a connection with you if they don’t anything about you? I happen to have two dogs. I almost always let folks know I have dogs. This too has started conversations with strangers. We tend to buy from those we know and if we find something in common with someone, we feel like we know them.
3. Start a blog. A blog allows you talk about any topic you want to talk about. I know many people who have both a personal blog and a business blog. I have very often searched the web for something specific and been taken to someone’s blog entry.
4. Post comments on other peoples blogs. Not all blogs allow you to put your URL. I choose to post comments on blogs that allow me to put my URL. One of my favorite blogs to comment on is whatcanimakewithit.com This blog lists one food ingredient and asks you what can you make with that particular ingredient.
5. Article writing. This is one of my favorite forms of marketing. Every person who reads this particular article will see a link to my website. Some will click, some won’t. Of those who click, some will make a purchase, some won’t. If a publisher sees my article and likes it, he/she will use in their ezine, or on their site. This gives my link even more exposure. I wrote an article almost 10 years ago about passwording children. I still occasionally get emails from moms who tell me that my article has helped them. I wrote this article over 10 years ago. That’s an awful lot of free advertising for my sixty minutes of time to write the article. The more you write the less time an article will take. This article you are reading will take about 30 minutes to write. If you invest 30-60 minutes per day and write one article per day, you’ll have 365 articles online in a year’s time.
6. Offer a contest. Whenever I offer a no purchase required contest, I see hundreds of additional hits to my website. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that not all traffic received in this manner is targeted traffic; however for the price of one product as my prize, I do indeed find some new customers. I usually give away a Tupperware product as my prize. The cost to me is about $25. If I can get just 5 new customers from this contest I’m a very happy camper.
7. Write an ebook and give it away. If you write an ebook not only can you give it away to those who visit your site, but if the book is of value, meaning it contains great information you will get others who also want to give away your ebook.
8. Participate on message boards. I visit and participate in about 8 communities daily. I then have another dozen or so communities that I visit on a weekly basis. Most communities offer an assortment of message boards. One of my favorite boards is a current events board. I was so active on that board, I soon became a moderator. If a participant in this community wants what I sell, who do you think they will buy from?
9. Interview someone in your field. If you interview someone in your field, you’ll have the opportunity to advertise using their name and they in return will be sending folks to your site to read the interview. Very recently, I read two interviews that Chris Knight from ezinearticles.com wrote about. These interviews allowed Chris to promote the sites of the folks that interviewed him and it also allowed the two interviewers to promote Chris’s site. I personally visited two sites I would not have visited if Chris had not promoted them.
10. Create a newsletter. I subscribe to a few really wonderful newsletters. The folks who publish these newsletters have their own sites, and are selling something. Every week, or every month, by offering quality content, these newsletter owners generate traffic to their website. The folks who subscribe are interested in what is being sold, or they would not have opted in to receive this newsletter. Provide them with great content and they’ll stay subscribed. How wonderful to have several hundred or several thousand people asking to read your newsletter and every one of them has an interest in what you sell.
Try some of these forms of free advertising and watch both your web hits and your sales go up.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Here are several forms of free advertising:
1. A signature line in outgoing emails. I send and receive emails every single day. While some emails are from my kids or from mom and dad, many emails are from those who might benefit from visiting my website. I never email out an advertisement, but I always put my first and last name and my URL. I do know some folks use a one line advertisement in their signature. I choose not to, but one line is great.
2. When you join an online community, use the profile and introduction board to tell folks who you are. Do not use this space for an advertisement. Use this space to let folks get to know you. I always let folks know I live in Santa Barbara. I can not tell you how many times I’ve gotten emails from others who have told me they have visited Santa Barbara and just loved it. By simply letting others know where I live, I have formed relationships and made sales. I also use this space to list my hobbies. How can someone make a connection with you if they don’t anything about you? I happen to have two dogs. I almost always let folks know I have dogs. This too has started conversations with strangers. We tend to buy from those we know and if we find something in common with someone, we feel like we know them.
3. Start a blog. A blog allows you talk about any topic you want to talk about. I know many people who have both a personal blog and a business blog. I have very often searched the web for something specific and been taken to someone’s blog entry.
4. Post comments on other peoples blogs. Not all blogs allow you to put your URL. I choose to post comments on blogs that allow me to put my URL. One of my favorite blogs to comment on is whatcanimakewithit.com This blog lists one food ingredient and asks you what can you make with that particular ingredient.
5. Article writing. This is one of my favorite forms of marketing. Every person who reads this particular article will see a link to my website. Some will click, some won’t. Of those who click, some will make a purchase, some won’t. If a publisher sees my article and likes it, he/she will use in their ezine, or on their site. This gives my link even more exposure. I wrote an article almost 10 years ago about passwording children. I still occasionally get emails from moms who tell me that my article has helped them. I wrote this article over 10 years ago. That’s an awful lot of free advertising for my sixty minutes of time to write the article. The more you write the less time an article will take. This article you are reading will take about 30 minutes to write. If you invest 30-60 minutes per day and write one article per day, you’ll have 365 articles online in a year’s time.
6. Offer a contest. Whenever I offer a no purchase required contest, I see hundreds of additional hits to my website. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that not all traffic received in this manner is targeted traffic; however for the price of one product as my prize, I do indeed find some new customers. I usually give away a Tupperware product as my prize. The cost to me is about $25. If I can get just 5 new customers from this contest I’m a very happy camper.
7. Write an ebook and give it away. If you write an ebook not only can you give it away to those who visit your site, but if the book is of value, meaning it contains great information you will get others who also want to give away your ebook.
8. Participate on message boards. I visit and participate in about 8 communities daily. I then have another dozen or so communities that I visit on a weekly basis. Most communities offer an assortment of message boards. One of my favorite boards is a current events board. I was so active on that board, I soon became a moderator. If a participant in this community wants what I sell, who do you think they will buy from?
9. Interview someone in your field. If you interview someone in your field, you’ll have the opportunity to advertise using their name and they in return will be sending folks to your site to read the interview. Very recently, I read two interviews that Chris Knight from ezinearticles.com wrote about. These interviews allowed Chris to promote the sites of the folks that interviewed him and it also allowed the two interviewers to promote Chris’s site. I personally visited two sites I would not have visited if Chris had not promoted them.
10. Create a newsletter. I subscribe to a few really wonderful newsletters. The folks who publish these newsletters have their own sites, and are selling something. Every week, or every month, by offering quality content, these newsletter owners generate traffic to their website. The folks who subscribe are interested in what is being sold, or they would not have opted in to receive this newsletter. Provide them with great content and they’ll stay subscribed. How wonderful to have several hundred or several thousand people asking to read your newsletter and every one of them has an interest in what you sell.
Try some of these forms of free advertising and watch both your web hits and your sales go up.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Fundraising
If you are in direct sales, are you using fundraisers to find new customers and create sales? Every group out there needs money and many groups are on the lookout for something different.
If your company does not offer a fundraising program, create your own. Offer a specific percentage to the organization for all sales brought in. If you can, offer a free product to the person with the highest sales.
Fundraisers put a lot of people to work for you. Even if the organization only has 10 members collecting orders, you've got 10 people out there with your catalogs, getting sales for you and potential new customers.
Again, depending on what your company allows, make sure to include your business card in every order. Maybe even include a special thank you coupon, 10% off their next order with you. You know they are a potential customer. You know they like your product, so once they've ordered keep them as a customer.
Create a packet to mail to potential fundraiser groups. Include an introduction letter, a sample letter they could use for their customers, a catalog and your business card. Let them know when you'll be calling them to follow up.
Fundraisers are an excellent way to grow your direct sales business.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
If your company does not offer a fundraising program, create your own. Offer a specific percentage to the organization for all sales brought in. If you can, offer a free product to the person with the highest sales.
Fundraisers put a lot of people to work for you. Even if the organization only has 10 members collecting orders, you've got 10 people out there with your catalogs, getting sales for you and potential new customers.
Again, depending on what your company allows, make sure to include your business card in every order. Maybe even include a special thank you coupon, 10% off their next order with you. You know they are a potential customer. You know they like your product, so once they've ordered keep them as a customer.
Create a packet to mail to potential fundraiser groups. Include an introduction letter, a sample letter they could use for their customers, a catalog and your business card. Let them know when you'll be calling them to follow up.
Fundraisers are an excellent way to grow your direct sales business.
Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka
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