The Key to Staying Focused in Network Marketing

 

Do you suffer from “the grass is always greener” syndrome? Symptoms include: bad attitude about your current marketing business, distraction, and signing up for programs which claim they can guarantee your success.   Have you found yourself running from one guaranteed system to the next, only to find disappointment?

If you have been surfing the internet for any length of time and are genuinely interested in making more money, you probably have found yourself signing up for the newest and best business opportuntities, hoping this will be the time you will get lucky. Today, I want to talk about one of the reasons why 95% of network marketers fail. Obviously, there are many reasons why so many leave this business, but among these, and probably one of the most important, is a lack of focus and planning. Ask yourself this question: Do you have a business plan which you are following?  Without one, you are like a ship without a compass in the vast sea of internet opportunities. Do you know where you are going, why you are going there and how you are going to get there?

A Business Plan is an outline which details your business and how you are going to make it work.  Basically, it is the compass I described earlier.  Here are some key elements which should be in every network marketers business plan:

1.   Who are you? Sounds simple enough right?  Do you know who you are? Can you explain this to other people? Are you confident, motivated, enthusiastic and educated? If you are none of these things, or if you lack one of these elements, you will fail. Network marketing is not easy, and you will use all of these positive character traits to attract people into your business, or sell them your product. This is also called attraction marketing.  Mike Dillard has some great free training about this subject.  You can pick up his free 7 day video bootcamp  through this link – http://www.lisarebecca.magneticsponsoringonline.com.    These videos explain why you will fail at network marketing if you don’t understand attraction marketing. 

2.    Do you understand people?  If you do not know how to talk people, you will not be able to sell anything.  Everyone was born with a particular kind of temperament.  Some people are the outgoing, partying type, some shy, some blunt and some laid back.  Understanding how to identify your customer or business lead’s temperament will determine the way you talk with them.  You will not be able to sell your product or business the same way for each temperament.  There are countless books written about understanding yourself and other people’s temperament. I recommend going to your library and just picking up one of these types of books. Not only will it be fun for you to discover your own temperament, but you will soon learn how to spot everyone’s temperament, and will adjust your sales pitch accordingly.  It goes a long way in successfully selling.

3.    Why are you doing this? You better know exactly why you got into this business or you will be leaving faster than you came. You will want to post this “Why” in a place you can see everyday. You will have more bad days than good when starting out. Having your reasons posted will help you persevere when times get tough.

4.    What are you selling? Do you fully understand the product you are marketing? Do you know every aspect of that product? This is extremely important, because it will determine who your target audience will be and how you will present it to them.

5.   Determine your target audience. You will not be marketing to everyone. If you try to market to everyone, you will be marketing to no one. In your business plan, detail who your target audience is and how you plan to put your product in front of them. For example, if you sell a vitamin which helps people with ADD, arthritis and epilepsy, you will want to pick one of those things and market it. You would not pick all three, but instead just target one aspect of the vitamin. You could decide to make your target audience people with ADD or parents with children who have ADD. Perhaps you know a lot about the subject, or you could research it. You begin by writing articles about ADD. People would read those articles who have ADD or know someone with it. These people would then become your potential clients. There are many ways to do it, but I will save that for a different time.

6.   Determine your budget. The first few years of a business are difficult and you will probably not have a very large budget for advertising. Do not become overwhelmed with all of the advertising possibilities. Study each one, look at your budget, and determine which ones are right for you. It is essential that you do this before you begin. Advertising can range from hundreds of thousands per month to absolutely free. If you are a new business, you will want to utilize all of the free advertising resources you can and then pick just a few paid advertising options.

7.   Determine your hours of operation. All businesses have a start and finish to their day. If you are the work-a-holic business owner like I am, you will find yourself working non-stop. This will only burn you out. Instead, determine what hours you will be working and stick to it. Set up a work day schedule which will detail the hours you will be spending working on advertising, writing articles, answering e-mails, and following up on leads. If you are working on a tight schedule, you will need to carefully plan how you will spend your time. A word of caution on time. If you choose to spend some of your time in social business forums, carefully monitor your time. Many people believe they will be able to build huge businesses in the social forums and waste valuable time. These forums are great places to ask questions and learn. You may even get lucky and get some leads, but this is not where you want to focus all of your time.

8.   Determine the amount of money you want to make and estimate how long it will take you to do this. If you are realistic with your goals and have a well thought out plan, you will not be disappointed when success is not overnight. You will have already determined how long it will take you to reach the goals you are setting, and in knowing that, you will be less likely to give up.

These are just some of the things you will want to have in your business plan. They will help you stay focused on your goals. You will want to look at your business plan each day and determine if you are implementing it. If something is not working, such as an advertising campaign, you will want to revise your plan and adjust.

To illustrate how a network marketer could easily become distracted, I would like you to do a little experiment with me.  Do a google search by typing in the words “the best network marketing company.” What do you see? There are countless ads and articles written about the best opportunities around.  Every network marketer thinks their opportunity is the best. Usually these opportunites are hyped up and claim to make you rich overnight. I am sure you have seen them before, and maybe have some in your e-mail inbox right now. If the ad is well written, you will be compelled to sign up for this new offer. Usually the offer is free, so you think that it can’t hurt to check it out. PLEASE ignore these offers. In your daily business, delete anything that does not have to do with your business plan. Don’t even read it! Stay focused and on task and you will move forward. Look at other offers, sign up, get distracted, and you will fall behind your target goals and eventually give up.

Do you have suggestions for staying focused in network marketing? Have you found yourself completely off track and want to spread a word of warning? Please leave me a comment and I will post it.

Illinois Entrepreneurs Profit in 2009

Entrepreneurs Profit in Illinois

 

With joblessness on the rise and recession looming over the heads of every American, many people will be tempted start their own businesses.  This is a great idea, and one that has helped thousands of people become financially free.

 

Today, I am going to spotlight a small business opportunity located right in Illinois.  I am certain that many readers here are familiar with network marketing, which at times can get a bad rap.  However, when done right, this business can make people up to six figures per month.  You just need to know how to do it and find the right mentor.  I will write more about this in a future blog.

 

In Illinois, a new opportunity emerged in May of 2008.  Ambit Energy, a natural gas supplier, decided to allow independent consultants to market their company.  Unlike most companies which do their own advertising causing the price of the product to cost more, this company has chosen to bring more savings to the customer by spending little on advertising, and giving ordinary folks the chance to earn thousands.  In Texas, where Ambit began just a few years ago, ordinary people have already become millionaires.

 

So, how does it work?  The average Illinois resident can buy into the business for $429.00, which is a low start up cost when you figure other businesses start up costs are much higher.  They gather a handful of friends who enroll in Ambit’s lower priced natural gas service and also gather a handful of friends who want to make money by consulting for Ambit.  To make this more understandable, let’s call the Ambit Consultant John.  John convinces 5 friends to sign up and 3 consultants to join his business.  John will make money from signing up his friends and bonuses for signing up other consultants.  The real money comes in with the residual monthly income.  You see, John not only makes money from signing people up for gas service, he makes a certain amount of money from their gas bill month after month.  It doesn’t stop with the people he signs up either.  He will make money from any customers his consultants sign up down to six levels deep.  What does that mean for dollar amount?  If Johns signs up three consultants and helps them sign up three consultants down six levels, and each of them bring in 10 customers, his monthly residual income alone will be at the least $10,000 per month and at the most $49,000.  Why the difference in price?  It depends on the customer’s home size and how many therms of natural gas they use each month.  If John and his consultants (downline) sign on customers who use more energy, the monthly bill is higher and the commission is higher.

 

Questions people may have about Ambit Energy

 

Ø      Why would anyone want to switch their gas service?  Good question, but this company makes it very attractive.  Ambit Energy has signed a contract with the Illinois Commerce Commission which guarantees the customer at least a 1% savings over nicor.  If they don’t hold up that end of the bargain, they will not be able to supply gas in Illinois. 

Ø      Does it cost money to switch?  NO, absolutely not.  It costs nothing to switch and nothing to go back to nicor if you are not completely satisfied.

Ø      Are there contracts to sign?  No, you sign no contract.  Unlike other natural gas suppliers in Illinois who force you into a contract, Ambit does not.

Ø      Who will read my meter?  Who will fix my gas leaks?  Nicor will still bill you, read you meter and fix any pipe problems.  What the reader may not understand is that nicor owns all of the pipes and infrastructure.  You will still be with nicor, but you have given yourself the right to choose a cheaper natural gas supplier, who will deliver this gas to the pipes of nicor, and nicor will deliver to you.

Ø      Will nicor get mad at me?  NO, nicor still makes money from you.  Look at your nicor bill right now.  You will see a delivery charge on there.  (Incidentally, if you read my blog on joblessness, you will see a quote that nicor is raising the delivery charge.)  Nicor makes money on everyone, because they charge you to deliver the gas, and they charge for the therm use.  There are two separate elements to your bill.  You are now able to lower one of those elements, and that is the therm price.

Ø      1% is not so great…why should I bother?  Well, to that I would say, when gas prices were high, didn’t you go searching out the gas station that could save you money?  People, recession is here…save some money!

Ø      What else do I get for doing this?  Ambit will give you a 3 day/2night hotel stay, just for switching your service.  

Ø      You will also earn travel rewards month after month which can be applied toward travel packages.  They automatically give you 1000 rewards points when you sign-up

Ø      What else?  When you enroll, you get your own website, which you can sign up your friends.  Sign up 5 friends and win a choice of one of six travel packages

Ø      FREE GAS – yes that is possible too.  Sign up 15 friends under your website and Ambit will average their gas bill and subtract it from yours.

 

Does this sound too good to be true?  This is the real deal and it will explode this year in Illinois.  If you want to get in on something amazing, now is the time.  It is easy to sell, and the income potential is amazing.

 

If you have questions about Ambit, call me at 815 325-8979.  You can also view the website for a video presentation at www.lisarebecca.energy526.com.

You can e-mail me at lisa@groundbreakingenergy.com

 

Do you have a small business you would like me to spotlight?  Call or e-mail me and I would love to talk with you and write you in my blog.

Spam – An Ugly business practice

 

Spam is “the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages. While the most widely recognized form of spam is e-mail spam, the term is applied to similar abuses in other media: instant messaging spam, Usenet newsgroup spam, Web search engine spam, spam in blogs, wiki spam, Online classified ads spam, mobile phone messaging spam, Internet forum spam, junk fax transmissions, and file sharing network spam.”

Today, I will discuss just a few types of spam.  Why am I writing about spam today?  If you have ever been on a business forum, had an e-mail address, or written a blog, you may have encountered the e-mail or post trying to sell you into a business opportunity.  Spam is a very serious offense and can get a person and their webpage banned from the internet.  Spamming laws also have high penalty fines.   For each e-mail which violates the CAN-SPAM Act, an $11,000 penalty can be issued.  It does not matter whether you were aware of the law or not.  This penalty is hefty, and with more and more people turning to the Internet as a way to earn extra income, it is vital that people read and understand the law.

Therefore, however boring this post may be, I will review the different types of spam and how you can be compliant with the law. (yawn…I know…this is important though)

The CAN-SPAM Act – regulations on e-mail spam

According the the Federal Trade Commission, “The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who send commercial email, spells out penalties for spammers and companies whose products are advertised in spam if they violate the law, and gives consumers the right to ask emailers spamming them.”

So you may be wondering how you can be compliant and avoid penalty fines.  This law clearly states that when sending out an e-mail, you must remember:

• Do not use false or misleading subjects- i.e.  “John Doe of Lemont  just won 1.2 million dollars”
• “It bans false or misleading header information. Your email’s “From,” “To,” and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email.”
• You must provide an opt-out in the e-mail – The person you are sending the e-mail to should be able to contact you by e-mail and request to be taken off your mailing list. 
• “It requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender’s valid physical postal address. Your message must contain clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation and that the recipient can opt out of receiving more commercial email from you. It also must include your valid physical postal address.”

These requirements are taken directly from the Federal Trade Commission website.  If you are just getting started in your own business, please read up on the CAN-Spam Act.  You will save yourself thousands of dollars.

Be very careful of the e-mailing services which are advertised on the Internet.  If you enlist their service or buy a list from them, you will want to ensure that the list service follows the CAN-SPAM laws.  If you decide to send the e-mails yourself, do not to forget to include the information listed above.  Most people will simply delete your e-mail, and the ROI is not worth the fine you will receive if you are found to be a spammer.

Spamming business forums and other social networking sites

What about spamming on business forums and other social Internet sites?  Make sure you read each forums rules for spamming very carefully.  Each site is very different.  I belong to several business forums.  Some allow people to blatantly post their business opportunity in your inbox, while others have a no tolerance policy which will get you banned.  Personally, I don’t even go into some of the business sites I originally signed up for, because everyone is spamming and it gets very annoying.  If you are looking for a business site which is free of spam and has a no tolerance policy, I would suggest you look at betternetworker.com.  I have found that this site is completely free of spam, and when someone tries to post in the forum and it appears to be a business commercial, their profile, url,  and signature are not allowed to appear and they are publicly reprimanded.  Sounds unfair?  Not really, when you consider that the reason for these sites is to network with other marketers and give your valuable insights.  Not that I am promoting betternetworker exclusively, because I am sure that there are other very good sites out there, which I would love you to suggest.  However, please do not suggest them if they are not free.

Spamming your website

Now here is a topic which some people do not even realize can happen.  Have you ever seen the internet advertisements which guarantee they can submit your url to thousands of sites for a fee?  Google looks at that as spamming the internet.  You will see your url rise in SEO rankings, but then, google will catch on and your site could be banned.  Do not get spanked by google.  Be very careful when trying to achieve high SEO ranking.  This is done with keywords and tags.  Sure there are many companies which claim they can do it for you, but buyer beware. 

Linking Farms – A what kind of farm? 

No, animals are not sold or raised here.  A linking farm is another type of practice which google considers spamming.  Basically, your website will rank higher on the search engines based on keywords as well as linking.  For example, if you are selling hot water heaters and someone is a plumber, they may add your site link to their website and refer your product to their customers.  Whenever you have several links to your website, google views your website as popular and having good content.  Your website will rank higher in the natural search engine.  The natural search engine, also known as the organic search, is free, and found on the left to middle portions of the page when you search a topic.  The paid advertisements, or PPC is the advertisements generally found on the right-hand side of the page.  But this is a whole other topic, which I will write in length upon at a different time.  My whole point, is that you can actually buy links to your website from linking farms.  How does goggle know that you are “cheating the system” this way?  Normally a real link is a one way link.  For example, Sue has a webpage about arthritis.  Jean sells vitamins which helps sufferers of arthritis.  Jean recommends the link to Sue’s page for her readers who want more information on arthritis.  The link is a one way link.  Another example of linking is from a blog to a website.  I have told you information about spamming and now am giving you the link to the Federal Trade Commission website which discusses the law at greater length – http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm  I have just helped the Federal Trade Commission’s website, because I recommended it’s valuable content.  In linking farms the link is either a two way link or a link to a completely unrelated topic.  For example, Jean’s website would link to Sues and Sue’s would link to Jean’s.  Another way that google would know if you were buying links is if the content from webpage to webpage link is completely unrelated. 

I will say this again and again…do not tempt google, you will be banned.  Google prides itself with providing valuable and relevant information to the customers who search on it.  When results come up which are not wanted by the customer, google will lose credibility with it’s viewers.  Therefore, they are extremely strict about spamming.

So, if you are new to business or looking into advertising your current business with the Internet, understand the laws.  A little reading and education will go a long way.

Bleak economy – 7000+ Illinois jobs to be eliminated

The headline in Craines Chicago business reads, “Illinois companies to cut 7000+ jobs.”  If you read the Craines Chicago business review and begin looking through the finance section and the other sections within this insightful paper, all you read is bad news.  Some of the headlines that caught my attention were:  “Suntimes closing a dozen papers,” “Maker of Equal files chapter 11, “Walgreeens to eliminate 1000 management jobs.”  This is just a small sampling of the grim economic news on the horizon.  What can be done?  Many CEO’s will soon be out of jobs, as this economy seems to be spiraling out of control.

It is said that small businesses will explode in 2009, due to executive positions being eliminated.  People are already turning to the internet to find some guidance for a new line of work.  However, one must beware of the “too good to be true” offer.  Look at any home based business advertisement on the internet.  “Make $10,000/month working 30 minutes a day.”  People are so desperate to find a stable job, they are willing to believe anything.  What the unsuspecting person does not realize, is that the ad they are reading is a generic ad, generated by a lead company to capture their personal information.  Once that person gives their name, phone number and e-mail address, their information is sold to small business owners who want to put people in their business.  It is not uncommon for this information to be sold to twelve different small businesses.  Get ready for the onslaught of phone calls from every MLM that ever existed, because if you give out your information, be prepared to get calls.

Not all calls you will get from small businesses looking for individuals are bad.  However, what the reader needs to realize is that this is not a typical job.  He/She will be asked to buy into a business, usually a network marketing or MLM business.  These businesses really can make people thousands per month, but require far more time than 30 minutes per day.

So, perhaps you have decided that MLM what is you would like to do.  Good for you!  I don’t blame you for wanting financial security.  I am in a wonderful MLM myself.  I wish you the best.  This industry is growing by leaps and bounds due to the potential to make unlimited money and joblessness being at an all time high.  However, not to burst your bubble, but 95% of network marketers leave this industry within 3 months.  I believe it is because they are not educated and are fed a bucket full of lies.  It takes time, money and motivation, not to mention education.  So if you are willing to put that forth, you can succeed!  However, choose your MLM carefully.  You do not want to build an organization, only to have it taken from you.  Here are a few things to consider:

 

THE PRODUCT: 

Some people do not think about this in detail.  They believe the product super vitamin X is so amazing that anyone would buy it.  Ask yourself, can I sell this product?  Is it sold in the stores for less money?  Is it a good product?  These questions are important, because if you cannot sell your product because it is found for less money at Walmart, do not invest your money in the start up fees.  You will be wasting your money and beating your head against the wall trying to find some reason why people should buy it.

 

THE COMPANY: 

Investigate the company.  Find out who the leaders are and do a google search saying “company X scam”  or “president of company name scam” and see what comes up.  If there is anything against the company, read it and reconsider.  Please note:  some MLM companies will try to blacklist other companies.  It is important to read through each item that comes up.  Often times another MLM consultant will be trying to turn bad press into their benefit.

 

TERMS AND AGREEMENT AND POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: 

Most people will never read these.  They sign up for the “best company since sliced bread” without even seeing the contract they are agreeing to.  Yes, that is right, you are under a contract.  What does this mean?  READ it!  If you build your organization and are making $40K/month, your company may want to eliminate you.  How will they do it?  They will scrutinize your advertising.  Have you been on social networking sites?  Have you kept all of your receipts for the past 5 years?  Does your contract say that you can be terminated for no cause?  Your MLM will not look at you now, because you are not making money.  When you do make lots of money each month, that is when they will look.  Watch your business get taken away if your contract is not in your interest, but in the interest of the company.  I cannot say this enough!  Look at the contact.  You need to ensure that all your hard work will not be taken from you in the blink of an eye.  Think this hasn’t happened before?  Think again.  There are many very successful MLM marketers who have built their business only to have it taken away because of a small phrase in their contract.

 

CHOOSING YOUR MENTOR: 

That is right, you can choose your mentor.  What makes a good mentor?  Look closely at who is offering you this great opportunity.  How are they growing their business?  Can you afford to repeat their efforts?  Are they willing to train you, spend time with you and help you succeed?  If not, walk away.  You are new to this business and need training.  If you are left to figure it out on your own, it will become very expensive and you will soon quit.

 

Right now, the MLM business is a hot one.  People are doing these businesses on the side, while working their current job.  In May of 2008, a new MLM company came to Illinois.  It was unlike the others because instead of marketing vitamins or products not everyone uses, this company signs on consultants to market natural gas, a product just about everyone uses.  Since deregulation of natural gas in Illinois, the consumer has the choice to choose nicor or another gas supplier. Nicor does not lose out, because they have control of the pipes and still make money from the delivery charge.  In fact, just a sidenote here, your delivery charge will be going up soon according to nicor.  (Crain’s) — “Nicor Inc., which supplies natural gas to 2.2 million suburban customers, plans later this month to file for a $140-million rate hike that would increase total gas rates by 5% and boost the average monthly residential bill by $4.60.  The rate hike affects only the costs of delivering gas and not the cost of the commodity itself, which rises and falls with the power markets and is passed through to customers without markup. The delivery charge accounts for 20% of the typical gas bill.”

Just thought I would throw that in for anyone who cares.  Okay, so back to deregulation.  The consumer who has nicor in Illinois can choose to save money on the cost of the natural gas, not the delivery charge which will always be in the hands of nicor.  The consumer can have a different supplier give the natural gas to nicor, and nicor delivers it.  In May 2008, one of these suppliers decided that instead of paying big money to advertise, they would offer consultants the opportunity to grow their own businesses marketing natural gas.  Imagine getting paid on everyone’s gas bill!  However, not everyone in Illinois has nicor gas.  This cheaper gas can only be marketed to nicor customers.

In a bleak economy there is some good news!  I think network marketing will be the big surge in 2009, and if you live in Illinois, you can get in on marketing natural gas.

Do you need more information on deregulation or MLM opportunities in Illinois? You can go to lisarebecca.energy526.com.  There is a great video which expains deregulation, how it affects the consumer and it’s potential for the individual looking to start a home business.