Saturday, May 16, 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Survey on Making Money at home as a parent

I have made a survey for all of you who are making money online, please feel free to check it out and answer 10 simple questions:

Click Here to take survey

Monday, May 4, 2009

Getting Started in Network Marketing the RIGHT way

So many times when you enter the world of Network Marketing, someone, somehow has tried to get the idea into your head that it will be all sitting on the beach sipping a cold drink while the money pours in, with no work needed from you.
That is far from the truth WHEN you are STARTING OUT. Give it a few years of hard work, and THEN you can sit back on the beach watching the money roll in, though you will still have to turn the spit on your business some.
MOST Network Marketing Companies show how simple the concept of Network Marketing is:
1) Sign up to market products and or services offered by the company to the people you know.

2) Gather a handful of loyal customers (smaller handful with ongoing service, larger handful for products)

3) Find Like minded people who what to do the same (your downline consultants) and help them gather a handful of loyal customers and find like minded people who want to do the same

4) Repeat #3 as many times as necessary to achieve your financial goals and have a stable downline with residual income.
AND the good news is, it really is that simple, four steps that you perfect and you can build a large team of motivated people and a solid base of loyal customers (both personally sponsored and in your downline) who regularly use or purchase your products.

Simple, yes, easy? not really... Doable? most definitely!

As I had said before,
1) you need to believe in the product or service that you offer (for example I offer electricity in the program I am in, and I believe it is an important and useful product that others should (and do) use);
2)you must believe in your company (I have total faith in the integrity of my companies founders, and believe they both value and respect the customers and consultants who support their company, and that they are honest in their business dealings.)
3) you must believe in yourself (I have faith that if I continue to work hard, learn more, improve myself and my skills, and treat others with respect, that I will build one of the best teams this company has ever seen).

The hardest part of being new to network marketing or new to the company that you have joined is getting those first few customers and those first few consultants. Stop number one will ALWAYS be to make a list of people that you know, start with family and friends, the coworkers and acquaintances from church, social groups/clubs, etc...., even write down names of people whose products or service you use--dry cleaner, doctor, insurance salesman, real estate agent, etc.... Write down every person you can think of, then sort them out later to prioritize who you will contact in what order. Remember in Network Marketing that you have two legs you are building with network marketing--a customer base, and a team of marketers--so choose you customers carefully, if you think they would be a good consultant for your team, ask them to be a consultant first. That way they can be their own first customer, and if they are not interested in joining the business, THEN ask them to be a customer for you.

For Customer gathering for a service, start by calling the people who love you the most on your list, and ask them for a favor that would really help them out. Tell them how excited you are about the service/company, and how you would appreciate sharing this with them. It is YOU they care about, not what you are marketing. Just make sure you have done your homework before hand so that you know you are asking them to sign up for a quality service from a respectful company.

For customer gathering for products, often the best way to start is to have a grand opening party at your own home and invite a number of your favorite friends, family, and coworkers. This is kind of both an announcement celebration for your new business, and a way to ask those who love and care about you to help you start off with a strong start by doing you a favor and listening to your presentation (and of course ask them purchase at least a small item). This is also a great time to ask for them to make dates to host a party or for referrals to people who they think would be interested in joining your team.
An invitation could be worded similar to this "Hi mom, I am so excited!! I just started my own __________ business, and am having a celebration/grand opening party on _(date, time)__. I would love for you to come and share this day with me. It would mean a lot to me to have you help me start my business off on the right foot with _(product)______ which I think you will love."

With the invite (both for a service and for a product), do not give a massive amount of information in the invitation (it can be overwhelming and confusing), be EXCITED and show it, be sincere, and ask for the favor--you are selling yourself more than you are selling a product or service.

The basic beginning for building your downline (very important if you want to make a real income without working 90 hours a week just marketing products or services) begins of course with your refined list. Then again, a simple invitation. Many companies have DVD's or other video presentations of the business opportunity. This makes your life easier, especially if you are just starting out. Just invite them to look at the presentation (give them a DVD or a link to a video online (DVD seems to be more powerful for most people still) and to give you their opinion on it.

A simple invite might go something like this: "Hi Joe. How have you been? I want to share with you something that I am very excited about. I value your opinion and I would love to hear what you think of it. Would you be able to watch this DVD tonight, and I would love to hear your opinion tomorrow over lunch (coffee, etc...) my treat!"

If they start asking a lot of questions, rather than feeling pressured, say "It's 99% visual, and the DVD explains it better than I can."

After they watch the DVD, if they have questions, it is always good to have your sponsor or another senior consultant ready (call them ahead of time to let them know you might need to call them) to call in case they have questions during your lunch meeting. That way you can answer simple questions, but if they ask questions that you are unsure of you have someone who can help out. It also demonstrates to the prospective client that there is help available if they need it when they join the business.

People often feel better about jumping into something if they know there is support available. So I would suggest making a call even if you know the answer to all of their questions or concerns. That way you can demonstrate (without having to say anything) how they can do it even if they know nothing about the business, and that help is readily available.

And always remember, as an Independent Consultant, you are a business owner, you run your own business. As with any business, if you do not work it daily, you will not make any money. Even if it is just 15 minutes a day, it keeps that ball rolling. Financial Freedom can be achieved by anyone doing network marketing, but it does take work. Network Marketing is not a get rich quick scheme--it is a make money (and potentially get rich) while working for yourself and hopefully have a lot of fun amid the work plan. Just remember, the biggest thing you need to Market is YOURSELF. So let your Energy FLY.



Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Sign up for $300 grocery raffle by 5/2/09

For those people who would like to attend the Energy Deregulation Forum at the Blue Frog Coffee House in Cortland at 1:00pm on May 2, 2009, but are unable to, this post is for you.

Aside from missing out on a fun presentation and a cup of incredible FREE cofffee, you would also miss out on the raffle of the $300 grocery voucher. So that this does not happen, I am offering the chance for you to sign up here to be entered into the raffle for the voucher. To do so please leave a message in the comments section or send me an email (energyhy@yahoo.com) with all of the following information:

Name (first and last)
Location
Email Address
Phone number where you can be reached
If you are intereseted in:
Saving Money
Earning Money
or Both

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Power to SUCCEED

So why do some people fail and others succeed in network marketing?

We all know a successful Tupperware or Mary Kay lady, who works a couple of nights a week, and has a large enough income to support their families. We all know someone who has been selling Avon for years, or is making a living doing Candle parties or selling nutritional supplements. Some of us know people who are bringing in HUGE incomes and living the life they (and others) only dreamed about just a few short years after getting into Ambit, Excel, or Quixtar.

So what did they do or have that those who failed did not?

The number one thing that those people who succeed did differently than the people who failed is that they did NOT give up, EVER, even when it seemed fruitless and like they were going nowhere. They had a WHY that kept them going, a reason big enough to see them through the often difficult start up period (or the lull after a great start up period). They knew they could do it, they KNEW it was POSSIBLE. And they knew WHY they wanted to work hard to get things off the ground.

Combined with that are a solid belief in themselves, in the company they represent, and in the products or services they are marketing. If you believe in the validity, value, and worth of the product you are selling; if you believe in the integrity and foundation of the company you are representing, and if you believe in yourself--you can be extremely successful in the world of Network Marketing, and truly can bring your dreams to fulfilment.

If you are new to Network Marketing or a veteran who has not found your niche, you should consider carefully what products or services YOU believe in and would be very happy to market to others. If you LOVE candles, and have dabbled in aromatherapy or candle work for self improvement, then looking into the options available for candle network marketing would be the first step. If you are concerned about the price of energy and how much you, your friends and neighbors are paying and want to help change the energy issues in the country, looking into retail energy companies who do network marketing like Ambit Energy would be a good place for you. If you like having a wide array of products looking into Amway, Quixtar or other multi product companies would be the best start for you. Whether it is skin care, cosmetics, food storage containers, candles, scrap booking, lingerie, pajamas, energy, communication, coffee, etc... whatever your interests, there are many companies out there using network marketing, and always seeking motivated consultants. Choose something that YOU can get EXCITED about, as it is hard to market something you do not care about.

The second thing you want to look at is the company itself. What complaints have been made? Are the complaints valid (sometimes competitors will badmouth others via the web, other times the complaints are due to the person not understanding how things work, so do careful research)? Do you understand their pay structure? Are they clear about how you advance? What is their ethics and integrity statement? Do you agree with it? Are they a company that seems to have a well thought out foundation and plan to sustain them through numerous years, or do they seem to be out to make a quick buck? Are they a company you can trust?
If YOU do not feel confident in your company, it is very hard to effectively market their products and services to others, or to bring other people into your team so that you can build a downline. You MUST believe in your company.

The third thing you need to do is believe in YOURSELF! This is hard for some people as they may have lived with depression or feelings of failure. They may have been conditioned to think that they are not capable of achieving big goals. Like me, they may believe that even though they see the wisdom and power of network marketing, that they are not strong enough to be successful at it. To that I say, if you are reading this YOU ARE READY. You may have some blockages that slow your progress, as you learn to believe in yourself, but there are ways to overcome those emotional blocks and lifelong messages that sabotage your desire to be FREE and live the LIFE you have always DREAMED of.

The first thing that I would recommend is to check out some of the great self improvement gurus out there like Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup Series), Wayne Dyer (Manifest your Destiny), etc... David Rilkan of www.selfgrowth.com has compiled a book of the greatest self improvement techniques from some of the greatest authors, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and spiritualist of all time. (there is a link on the side of this blog that explains his book). I would start even at www.selfgrowth.com as there is a great deal of information there about everything from successful marketing techniques to addressing and overcoming emotional challenges.

A second thing I would recommend to help you believe in yourself is to watch the documentary movie "The Secret" (which can be rented through Netflix or even watched online at www.thesecret.tv). Then look into techniques such as EFT, Vision boards, goal setting (very important), and other doable and fun self help methods to help increase your confidence in your own abilities. You are capable, but life, other people, and culture may have locked you from seeing your own incredible abilities.

If you believe in yourself, believe in your company, and believe in your product or service you CAN be very SUCCESSFUL with network marketing. So once you are ready, how do you get started? That is the topic I will cover in my next post...check back soon!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Network Marketing IS for ANYONE

We have all heard the hype, we have all dreamed the dream, but why do so many people fail to harness the power and freedom that so many others achieve in the field of Network marketing?

Whether you have tried (or just thought about) owning and running your own home business marketing products and/or services, you know that there is more to it than just signing up and waiting for the money to come rolling in. Be it Tupperware, MaryKay, Lia Sophia, Candles, scrapbooking, nutritional supplements, Amway, Quixtar, long distance telephone, energy services, or any number of other legitimate and VIABLE network marketing opportunities out there, your roll is as an INDEPENDENT business owner. You actually have to work at it to run a business, though how much or how little depends on many factors.

The first step in starting any business, including network marketing is determining your "WHY".
Why do you want to run your own business?
Do you dream of being your own boss?
Is it the work from HOME (or another particular location)?
Is it the dream of profiting more clearly from your hard work?
Do you have dreams bigger than your 9-5 job, or your weekend job?
Do you want to spend more time with your children?
Are you hoping to have a legacy to pass down?
Are you just excited about the idea of doing your own thing?
Are you looking to have FUN while making money?
Are you tired of someone else telling when you can take a vacation and for how long?

If any or all of these reasons resonate with you, you can understand why people seek to do network marketing as their sole source of income.

So why network marketing instead of a traditional business?

Network marketing provides an opportunity to own and operate your own business without most of the start up costs and risks associated with a traditional business. Often you can begin in network marketing for the cost of a initial starter kit--which ranges from as little as $50 to as much as $2000 depending on the company. The contents of the starter kit depend entirely on the product(s) or service that you will be selling/marketing. For Tupperware, you will get a sampling of flyers, a small set of the most popular products to show, and basic business tools (order forms, new consultant sign up sheets, promotional flyers, etc...). With MaryKay you will get a "briefcase" filled with cosmetic and skin care samples, flyers, order forms, consultant sign up sheets, the most recent promotional catalog, and other basic business tools. For Quixtar you get the most recent catalogs, pricing sheets, etc... and of course the basic business tools. For Ambit Energy you get your briefcase with promotional materials, guides, videos to help present the service, and certainly basic business tools. Most companies offer you a website where you can direct customers and a back office online where you can learn and keep track of your business. There is normally a monthly fee of around $25 for this web service, but it is well worth it, as creating and continually updating your own website can be very costly--both in time and money.

Network marketing also allows you to build not only a customer base, but also to train new consultants and build a sales force from which you glean leadership bonuses. This form of marketing has also been called relationship marketing and has proven to be very good for the company as a whole. Rather than spending millions of dollars on TV and Radio ads (how many people have TiVo and skip the commercials or Sirius satellite radio to be commercial free?) that bring in only a fraction of people they are targeting, companies are turning to network marketing to build their sales force. This word of mouth style marketing requires a company to produce a quality products and/or service. People who are consultants who work hard, get paid very well, and can work towards promotions at their own pace. The only one deciding whether you get a raise or a promotion is YOU.

So why is it that thousands of people succeed in network marketing businesses each year, and thousands fail?

I will address this topic in my next posting, so stay tuned and check back often!