Network Marketing - There are plenty of prospects out there for us all!

I recently had a comment from a friend on my facebook page asking me to not post comments about my company on her page, since she is a friend my posts will appear on her page automatically.  I am still a bit of a novice at Facebook but this was a little surprising.  She was obviously feeling a bit threatened that her contacts would come to me and she would lose them.

When I first started doing MLM I also felt this way.  I felt like I had to guard my prospects from being "stolen" from some other entity. Luckily I have grown to understand that no one can "steal" my prospects, if they go to someone else they weren't mine to begin with!  This is actually a salesman mentality.  And network marketing isn't a sales business, it is a relationship business. So my contacts that have come to have a relationship with me will choose me all else being equal because we have cultivated the friendship and collaborated together to find what works best for them.

The big guys, the real great mentors in this business all give their information and help for free. I know because I have met several of them and they truly do want to give what they can to the people they are helping because they know it will come back to them in spades.  From a philosophy standpoint, I have always believed you get what you give, basically if you give of yourself, you will prosper and there will be friends there for you when you need it, because you have been a friend to someone else.

So as you work on your business, remember that we are cultivating friends and colleagues, not "marks".  I remember being told by one of my sponsors from a company a long time ago that when I talk to someone to think of them as dollar bills because that is what they are worth to you.... wow, what a way to treat someone!  No wonder I couldn't do anything with that company!  The golden rule is the way to grow both yourself and your business, so just think how would you like to be treated if you were in the other persons shoes, and you will find like minded people to join you and you will prosper!

Network Marketing - Are We Still a Land of Opportunity?

I just happened to hear a blurb on tv that a couple of our politicians were questioning the ability of people that have less than ideal situations growing up to rise above their beginnings and make a life for themselves. Our country has been called the 'land of opportunity' ever since I can remember. It was more important what you did with what you had than where you started from. The journey was the thing and the prize was getting there and starting your next great journey!

It would be a sad place to be if you were destined to be what you started with. I was not impoverished or terribly mistreated as a child but I still struggle with a lot of things internally. I have an internal 'life should be fair' monitor and even though I know that a lot of time it doesn't look that way I believe it usually is. We make choices every day that determine our outcome later in life, most are small things but they all add up to what we have and where we are now.  I always loved seeing the stories where someone gets to do a 'do-over' and see if they can make a better outcome if they just did or said something different. We can' t do that in real life but if we just paused for a second to consider what we are about to do or say, it could make the biggest difference down the road.

I believe this IS the land of opportunity, we have the ability to make great changes in small ways.  One kind word to someone that is not being considerate could make his or her change their attitude just enough to not say the next cross word to someone that is at the end of their rope, and instead of a fight they can do the same to calm someone else, and the chain reaction would continue to be positive, not negative.  Just one kind word can really make a difference to someone ready to take a desperate act. If the right words would have reached that horribly disturbed boy that killed all those kids at Sandy Hook, would they still be here?  I don't know but isn't it worth the effort to choose being kind over being right? We know what happens when you leave someone alone that is unhappy, never is the outcome good. Isn't it worth the chance to make the effort to let then know as soon as you notice them that they have options other than striking with in thier pain  before they reach that horrible end?

I know it is idealist thinking. So I am an idealist. I think that anyone can change their life for the good, and network marketing is the one place where anyone can make it with a little effort and the right support system to aid them. I used Mentoring for Free, because of the personal developement attached but you can use whatever resource you find to help you. But you need help and support to make it. A good idea can either die without ever getting off the ground, or can be improved on and be brought to the world to make a great change, maybe all someone needs is a little encouragement to believe they can do it! Just one kind word can turn a decision to do good or bad.

As a network marketer you have a tool that can really change lives, but you do it by making relationships. Your 'prospect' most likely needs to believe he or she can do it! Most of us are greatly lacking the belief in ourselves more than anything, so that once the excitement wears down and we are met with obstacles we have the belief in ourselves to continue. Many people stop just short of the gold, if we just would have gone one to dig a few more feet, we would have found what we were looking for. If we don't every quit we will get there.

So help someone to believe in themselves and you will have a star. They will go on and you will both prosper. Remember Zig Zigler's famous quote, 'If you help other get what they want, you will get what you want'. It is true, the way to pay your bills or get that trip you want to win is to help someone else to do the same, your problems will disappear along with the people you help.The land of opportunity is here, and it lives in you and me, in our willingness to help and support each other.

network marketing - Policies and procedurs... why is it important?

As a Network Marketer building a buisness, I have several ads out in some of the social networks looking for people that are interested in educating themselves about the great industry we are working in. Periodiacally I get calls from someone trying to recruit me into thier business. They almost always tell me how successful they are and that they can train me to be successful too.  Sometimes I listen but always tell them up front that I am not a prospect. some don't believe me and still try, mostly the 'red' personalities.  

Just a few days ago I got one of these calls, and it struck me that even though this person was one of the successful ones, he admitted he didn't understand why Mentoring for Free would train people for free. He continued to tell me that if I sign up with him I would get the benefit of his training and experience. It all sounded very exciting and site he took me to looked nice, but when I asked him for the the policies and procedures he said he was surprised that I asked and admitted he hadn't read them himself!

To his credit he did direct me to a link, and I read them.  This is his contract, this document tells him what he can and can't do to build his business, and in that 30 min of time that we talked, I saw that he had violated the policies and procedures at least twice.  He did a quick overview of the binary pay plan, something I know will not pay me for all the volume my organization generates, so I don't get paid for all of my work, and left out the fact that I can never retire, because his CONTRACT says he must have so many customers and so many new people sponsored EVERY MONTH to earn a check.  This I found out just by reading something he should have known before he even talked to me.

I write this because I have heard from several people that did just what this person is doing, they built a big organization, made a nice income, only to have the company come back to them AFTER they are getting a decent size check and take it away because they violated the policies and procedures, and they did it because they DIDN'T READ THEM! 

So please, know what you are getting into.  READ your contract, you would want to know what is expected of you if you were applying for a job, know what the company rules are before you build it. Save yourself failure and frustration by being educated, know what to look for and what to avoid so you stay successful!

Listen to this training call, no one will recruit you, but it will educate you on knowing what is legal and what is not. I invite you to be my guest... call me or email me Sat. 2/2/2013 before 10:30 est 

and I will get you on the call. 

ECUCATE YOURSELF... the truth will set you free!  LITERALLY!

Best mlm business today - lotions and potions can make you money!

I hear and see a lot of people asking what is the best network marketing / mlm business out there today?  What a hard question!  There are as many answers as there are people.  The best answer is probably not about companies but about categories.

Most companies that survive make great products or they wouldn't be in business. Typically the energy companies are the hardest to survive, technology changes so fast that the products they have have a hard time being value priced and the companies have a really hard time keeping up with the Jones!  You want to have something that stays a good value.  So if the product is one that is based on present technology, you will probably find them falling away in the midst of  competition.

  So when looking at a particular opportunity, the easiest first point to look at is from the five pillars, how long have they been in business?  If it is less than 2 yrs old, it has not passed the test of time.  Most fail in the first 2 years, so if you don't want to take a chance on it folding just when you are getting going, don't pick a company less than 2 years old.

The hardest thing for me was what kind of company or product did I want to get involved with.  I hear people making fun of the so called 'lotions and potions' type companies but let me ask a question....  how many times a day does the average person take a vitamin or nutritional supplement, wash something either on their person or in their home, use something as simple as hand lotion, get bit by a mosquito or stung by a bee, decide to go on a diet, or look for something healthy to snack on.  If you are looking at a hobby by all means look for something 'fun', but if you are looking for an opportunity to make money... what kind of product could be better than one that almost everyone uses every day!  The health and beauty industry is a massive one, and being a part of this gives you customers every where you look.

I am in this to make money and (a great side effect) to help as many people I can.  The old adage of  'If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want is tried and true.  And what better way to help someone be healthier and happier physically and sometimes emotionally and mentally as well.  I am looking to grow personally and the nutritional supplements just help me to be more mentally alert and see what I need to do to get what I want.  So I am not feeling bad about being a part of a multi-billion business, I am excited and thankful that the company I choose has such high quality products that help me so many other people feel better and get healthier, as well as make some great money.  Take a look at some nutritional supplement companies, and see just what great potential there is in a product driven company that can really make a difference in so many peoples lives.

So lotions and potions can be very lucritive.  If someone laughs at you for getting involved in something like this, laugh right along with them.... all the way to the bank!

What do you need to do to be successful in an MLM?

Hundreds of people try to build a successful network marketing business, and fail.  Why do some make it and some not? Maybe we need to understand what the MLM business is BEFORE we go and sign up with some network marketing company.  You need to have a clear understanding of what you need to build a successful MLM from the beginning.

MLM, Multilevel marketing started with Mytinger’s and Casselberry’s new marketing plan for the Nutrilite company circa 1945. These guys developed a three-pronged approach... Use the products, share the products, and sponsor the folks who like the products.

A professional network marketer working an network marketing business understands that the components of a successful mlm business are:

 1.  A self-development program (with a pay plan attached)

 2.  It is a relationship not a selling business.

 3  There is a product referral program, a sponsoring program.

 4. You must participate in an auto ship program.

 5.  You use the products yourself.               

You need to be active in all five of these areas to be successful.  If you are struggling, find a mentor and be accountable for doing what is needed to get what you want from your mlm. If that isn't your sponsor then find someone else that will be.   A mentor can be your lifeline to being accountable and to making sure you stay on track.  They should not be charging, there are too many out there that will help you for free.  Mentors can be the one thing that makes the difference.

Home Business MLM - What does it take to be successful? What questions should you be asking?

  You want to make extra money, and you hear the buzz about home business MLM and wonder if it is for you?  What do you have to do to make money?  So much information out there, how do you know what to believe and what to look for in a company?

I bet you have asked yourself all these questions and more. There are so many choices it can be hard to choose what to do.  Think about it, if you are going to open a hardware store. would you not want to investigate how to run the store?  Would you find out what you have to invest and what your chances for success are before you buy the store?

It is the same with starting a home business MLM.  There are hundreds even thousands of companies out there to choose from and you need to get some education before you invest in one.  Yes, it is an investment just like any other business.  If someone is telling you can make money without investing in the business, they are a scam.  By the same token, you shouldn't have to put up thousands of dollars up front just to join.  There are plenty of opportunities out there where you can start at minimal cost if you need to.  Most legitimate companies offer several ways to join and make money. Here are some tips to keep you from losing instead of making money.

    •  Get some education.  There are plenty of places that will make you pay for the information but it is readily available for free.  A group called Mentoring for Free will help you to learn the ropes. They have helped many people to be successful in a home business MLM.  Read and think about what you read, take a look at the source of the article or website. Does this person want you to buy his cd that will tell you just what to do... and has he or she built a MLM business, or do they make their money selling the cd's and workshops?  A very good question!

   •  Make sure they have a legitimate product.  If the only money made comes from sponsoring someone, it is not legal.  You may be able to make money for a while, but sooner or later the government will shut it down and you run the risk of  going to jail.  YES JAIL!   Gifting programs are never legal no matter what they say.  If you give money to someone, that is fine, but if you expect and/or get money back as a result, it is illegal.  RUN, DON"T WALK AWAY!

   •  The product needs to be value priced, that is it should be something you would buy even if there were no business attached to it. If you are paying a hundreds of dollars for a product you can get for a few dollars anywhere else, how can you make money from the product? If the company can't make money from selling the product, your only customers will be the people you sponsor.  Check on ebay and or Craigs list, see what it costs there. If you can get it for pennies on the dollar compared to the MLM companies price, you will have a problem.  Would you be a customer if you weren't supposed to make money from this company?  Money needs to come from products, not from someone signing up.  Retail sales will give you a good foundation and this will make residual income, one of the really great perks that only home based MLM businesses can offer.  Customers and business partners alike will purchase over and over, this will build a stable business for you.

   •  Don't fall into the easy money trap.  Lots of offers out them appeal to the person that want instant gratification.  Join this company, we will build your down line for you!  No product to sell, no recruiting, make money the easy way!   So where does the money come from if no one is selling a product, no one is paying to sign up, and no one is recruiting a down line?  What good does it do you to have a hundred people that have signed up for your 'free' mall if no one buys anything. (and few do since it is easier to go straight to the stores website and buy there)  And when they do you make so little that to have any income at all, you have to have hundred of people buying at the same time to get a check.

   •  Most of the MLM's that fail do so in the first 3 years.  According to MLM Watchdog,  Less than a year old the survival rate is less than 10%.  One year to two the survival rate is 30%.  Year two to three the rate is 50%.  Over three years the survival rate jumps up to over 70%.  If  a company is new, a 'ground floor' opportunity, it hasn't proved itself in the market yet.  You run the very real risk of building an income that will be pulled out from under you and not be the company you can literally retire from and keep your checks coming.  You want the company to have time to work the bugs out before you invest your time and money into it.

   •  Who are the founders, the people running the show.  Do they have a track record in the industry... have they started other companies and every couple of years fold up and start new?  Have they EVER built an MLM business down line and worked a network marketing business before, or did they just want to jump on the bandwagon and make themselves a quick buck.  Even someone who it sincere, without the experience in MLM.  Find ceo's with integrity and experience.

   •  Expect to invest some time working the business.  You should be able to make money working part time, an hour or two a day.  Granted the more hours you put in the faster your business will grow but most people that do this are starting part time while working their full time job.  Anyone that tells you you can just sponsor 1 or 2 people then sit back and wait for the profits are just in it for the sign up, they are recruiting and once you sign up, you will never get help from them again and you will do just that, wait for the money that never comes.  A true opportunity will require a sustained effort at first. The idea is to work in the beginning building a solid foundation so that once you build it big enough, you can walk away and still make money.  In this day of pensions going broke, a solid built MLM business can be your retirement and your legacy, something you can pass off to your kids and they to their kids.

These are just a few of the considerations that you need to think about.  Getting that education will show you just what you need to watch out for.  Find a mentor and a mastermind group of like minded people to talk with and learn from.  They have been there already and you can learn from their mistakes.  Don't buy leads or invest without doing the homework.  Operating a home based MLM business is the greatest adventure and the best chance for most of us to be financially free.  The personal growth and the camaraderie you get from joining with the right group of like minded people all working towards the same goal is the biggest rush you can ever have.   I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.  You can be successful with the right tools and the right support. I believe in you!