Monday, September 14, 2009

How To MARKET Your Network MARKETING Business

When people get involved with a Network Marketing business, they are never properly taught how to Market your Network Marketing Business. You are told to go out and make a list of 200 of you closest friends family and acquaintances. Everyone from your neighbors, friends, family, Doctor and your mailman. While some, less than 1%, have had some success this way there is a much better and far easier way to build your business.

What if instead of talking to people with no business experience or desire you were talking with people who had both experience and desire to build a business. Do you think the success rate in this industry might go up? So here's what I'm going to do for you today. I'm going to give you an overview of how all of the top earners build there businesses and how you can begin to build your business just like a top earner.

Lists. All of your success is determined on the size and quality of your list. How do you think it's possible for someone to jump right into a Network Marketing business and within a couple months be one of the top producers earning the most money? Do you think he/she did this by talking to the mailman? No, this person has been building a list of qualified people over the course of their career. So when the time comes for them to "recommend" an opportunity, thousands of people opt-in right along with them. Then the next thing they do is teach their team how to do the same. This can be done through the sales of books, audios, training programs, etc. Each and every time some form of training material is sold, the list is getting bigger and bigger and their organization is growing and growing.

That's great, now how do you do the same? Easy, you position yourself in your marketplace as a leader! Do some research about your particular niche business. Do you sell lotions, pills, make up, creams, juice, etc.? Become THE expert people want to go to for advice about any of these particular areas. Set up a website and/or blog where people can visit and get FREE content and/or advice about your particular niche. Write a Newsletter or some sort of informational paper that your prospect can receive after they've given you their contact information. This is what is known as an opt-in. When someone gives you their information you in turn give them more FREE content about your niche market.

This is the very basic nuts and bolts of building a list. So the next time your opportunity comes around, you have a very large list of qualified people in your niche market to "recommend" something to. Then, have something in place that you can offer to your team to help them create the same sort of system you have built to ensure their success. If everyone were taught how to effectively Market your Network Marketing Business, there wouldn't be a 97% failure rate in this industry.

So before you go out and get slammed with rejection by your "warm market", go back through this blog and pick up on some techniques of how to Market your Network Marketing Business so you are able to speak with qualified leads who actually want to build a business with YOU! I hope this has been informative and leads you down a path of success instead of frustration which leads to failure. Until next time, happy Marketing!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Gratitude

As I'm sure we all know, this is a day in history none of us will ever forget. With so many stories, memories and emotions tied to this day I wanted to take the time to reflect on what became of us after the fact.

I can't remember another time (at least in my history) where so many people came together. It's easy for all of us to get caught up in our own day to days. Each of us with our own agenda and not really giving much thought to anyone or anything else. While all of this togetherness had come from a place of tragedy, it also helped us realize not only what is truly important but what is truly possible when we decide to give of ourselves and each other for the good of a common goal. There doesn't have to be a tragedy that happens for each of us to realize something as easy and as powerful as this.

It's said that with every loss there comes a seed of equal or greater success. What did we get from this loss? Strength, connection, giving, honor and most of all a feeling of being united. Let this be a day for all of us to remember who we are and what we are capable of. Never in my life had I been so proud of those who protect and serve so that each of us can go on living our lives in abundance.

So let today serve as a reminder of what you're capable of and what you are truly grateful for. To all of those who spend their days protecting and serving so that we can all go out and live our lives, this one is for you...THANK YOU!!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

How Are Leads Generated Part 3

Now that you understand the basics of Article and Video Marketing, let's dive into the Blog. I'm sure you've guessed that you're going to want to use the same topic from your Article and your video to post a blog. Keep in mind, however, your blog post doesn't need to be in any certain type of format. It is simply you speaking (typing) your thoughts on a particular subject. I say use the same content simply because the more relevant content out there for a Search Engine to find the better. It also keeps your messages clear and consistent.

Your Blog serves as your overall HUB of your business. Your Articles, Videos and any other type of Marketing you've got out there should lead back to your Blog. This gives your prospect a place to come and "check you out." If a prospect sees one video or reads one article and likes what you have to say, he/she can click a link and be taken to your blog where he/she can read about EVERYTHING you have to offer and truly get a sense of who you are and how you can help them.

Avoid any sort of rants that could sway too far one direction or the other. Yes, you are attracting people like you who are interested in building the same type of business as you but you want that to be as open to as many people as possible. The minute you go off and start down a path of destruction, you have just limited your Market to others who may also be angry that day. Also remember that post is out on the World Wide Web forever. Lots of people will use what you say as a judge of your character and base this as who you are. Remember, the goal is to generate leads so stay on point about what your blog is, not what you dislike. If you want to generate leads for your flower business, don't go on a rant about how much you hate something that is a pet peeve of yours, stay focused on your flowers and your amazing abilities to produce pretty bouquets.

Blogging is easy. And, with enough Keyword research for your Articles and your Videos, you should never run out of topics to Blog about. The most important thing to remember is to give value to your prospect. Why on Earth would someone want to do business with you if they didn't see some sort of Value in what you had to offer. Don't be afraid to give away some good stuff, it can only help you.

So do me a favor. Read the last 5 Blog posts on this Blog and generate some leads. I know you may be thinking there is more to this and you're not ready. That is not the truth. You can absolutely go out there armed with what is in the last 5 Blog posts and generate leads. I hope this helps and I hope I can continue to help you in the future.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

How are Leads Generated Part 2

So yesterday we covered some good topics of Article Marketing in How Are Leads Generated Part 1. Today we're going to cover what makes for good Video Marketing. Video Marketing has quickly become a very effective way to get your message out. Videos give people an opportunity to put a face to the name and allows you to let your personality to come out. So, without further adieu we are on to Video Marketing.

The most simple process for producing Video Marketing is to simply use the same topic you wrote an article about. How much easier could it get? You've already done the Keyword research and found a nice little sweet spot, now just put those same topics you wrote about into video format. I know a lot of people worry about the quality of their videos and want to make sure they are saying the right things. While you do want to be professional, don't get too caught up in all of the hub bub of perfect video production. My first 40+ videos were done simply using the web cam on my computer.

If you think you need something a little better, The Flip is accepted by most in the industry as a great little tool that will definitely get the job done. So now that you're ready to shoot your video, it's as simple as sitting down in front of the camera and start rolling. Some people may want to read over their article and rehearse a few times. You'll find that after you've done a few videos this process will probably stop and you'll just start talking.

There are a few main points you'll want to remember while doing your video. The topic may be the same as your article but it's not the same outline. Below is the simple outline I use when doing my videos:

1. Introduction

2. ID the Problem: This IS your topic. This is a Hot Spot with your prospect. This is the reason he/she is watching your video.

3. Background/Relation: Tell them about yourself and how you know what they are going through because you yourself have been there and/or experienced. This should be real and believable. This should be natural because it's probably what has lead you to your chosen industry.

4. ID a Solution: This would be a lead in to your product. Again this should be something you have experienced and has lead you to making this video. "I was in your shoes, then I came across something that has helped me tremendously!" Do not mention your actual product. You could be vague about the actual product but not the specific brand or company name. The reason for this is two fold: 1) You are branding YOURSELF as a leader not your company. 2) Most companies don't want their distributors making claims about the product. Believe it or not some people may embellish a benefit.

5. Call to Action: This is when you would want to have them Opt-in to learn more information about you, your product/service or opportunity. After they have done this step, that person is now a LEAD!!

Congratulations!!! You have successfully done two pieces of Marketing that have cost you no money and are full of content. Not to mention that you could probably get both of these done in less than two hours. Just think how much content rich Marketing you can get out with this little process. Make sure you check back tomorrow for How are Leads Generated Part 3 when we cover Blogging.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

How Are Leads Generated Part 1

As promised this Blog Post is entirely set up so you can have a better understanding about how to generate leads of your own FOR FREE!!! I'm going to highlight three areas of interest: Articles, Videos and Blogs. These three areas should give you a foundation to have you up and rolling with your lead generation. However, since these three topics alone also have so much information involved I'm going to turn this into a 3 Part Mini-Series, one post for each topic (Articles, Videos and Blogs.) Please understand this information WILL allow you to immediately begin to get your information out to the world!

Let's go over some ground rules here. When writing articles, your objective is to position yourself in the market place as an authority in your particular Niche. This is not an opportunity for you to sell anything. Nobody likes to be sold but everyone likes to buy. Let your prospect CHOOSE you by giving them enough content so they are attracted to you as someone who can help them. So, what do you do first?

#1 Keyword Research: My personal favorite tool for Keyword Research is Google's keyword tool https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal This is a free service and honestly one of the best. You've got to understand that when you're putting content on the web it MUST be relevant content and not a blatant sales pitch. Using this tool, you are using Google's own recommendations of appropriate associated keywords. Never guess with keywords and just choose something you like, this is a surefire way to never get ranked naturally on any search engine. Your goal is to have your content on the FIRST PAGE of your chosen search engine. Considering this day and age, that search engine ought to be Google.

So let's use an example. If you're in the Skin Care industry and you're really wanting to promote a new hand cream don't write an article about that particular product. What you want to do is write Articles based on the benefits of that product. So give this some thought. Maybe you write an article about psoriasis, flaky skin, cracking skin, etc. (I am not an expert on this so bear with me.) After you've decided on a topic now you should think of a "long tailed keyword." This simply means instead of using psoriasis you write about "daily recommendations for psoriasis treatment." This will position you in a much smaller niche market where you will be one of the only individuals positioning yourself as an authority. What would you rather do, fish where everyone is fishing or fish where there is no competition?

Once you've decided on your keyword phrase it's time to write the actual article. Articles should be between 300-500 words and your keyword phrase should be used 3-4 times. This gives the search engines something relevant to search for. Don't concern yourself too much with proper grammar and punctuation. You should write like an adult and not some kid, remember you're trying to position yourself as an expert.

So start doing your homework and get your content out there. Remember, the more content the better. I've said this a bunch, but you are positioning yourself as the expert to go to for this particular niche. Write an article EVERYDAY for a couple months and you'll begin to see some noticeable gains in your leads. Don't get paralysis of analysis. Find your Niche, get your Keywords, write your articles and get it out!! The following are some great sites to publish your articles and they are all free. Go get 'em!

* www.EzineArticles.com
* www.Amazines.com
* www.GoArticles.com

Friday, September 4, 2009

Network Marketing Leads FAQs Part2

Okay, so here we go with the second set of Network Marketing Leads FAQs. I'm sure to some of you this Q&A session is a little obvious, but for some of you it may be a whole new way of looking at your prospects and building your business. Learning these topics was the turning point for me and I hope it helps you as well.

#1 How Many Leads can I Really Get? Well, how much work do you want to do. It is not unlikely for you to be able to generate 15-20 leads/day. Now to some of you this looks like a big number and to others this number seems a little small. Let me clarify this..these are FREE leads. I'm not talking about leads that are generated through PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising. I'm talking about people who have seen some sort of marketing that you have done and have decided to take the next step. These are Qualified leads. So get out there and start working and there is no limit.

#2 Should I be Using the Internet to Get Leads? Holy Cow YES!! This is my chosen media outlet for the vast majority of my Marketing. You should decide on three areas that you feel comfortable with (Videos, Blogs, Articles, Press Releases, Social Media, Squidoo, etc) and run with them. Understand this is just like anything else in Life, it's gonna take consistent action on your part to start seeing the results you want. So get online and make your presence known!

#3 I Got a Lead..Now What!?! This is a tricky one. Some people are advocats of calling EVERY lead they get, while others have systems set up to progressively weed out the tire kickers. Just like with the "opportunity seekers" from yesterday, tire kickers will wear you out with all of their uncertainty. If a person is unsure of what you're selling, that's one thing, but if they're unsure of whether or not they want to actually make a real change you may be in for a LONG battle of their own mental uncertainty. Do yourself a favor and have some sort of litmus test for your leads. Maybe a questionnaire or an application so you know their level of seriousness.

#4 What is Considered a Qualified Lead? This is where the questionnaire or application really becomes useful. Based on the responses you get you'll be able to tell if this person is for real or if they are just looking for something or someone to hang on to. I actually consider a lead to be qualified if they have already spent money. Nothing large, maybe $5-$10 on an e-book or newsletter. This shows me they are serious about not only the information, but they are willing to go to the next step.

#5 How are Leads Generated? This should be it's own separate Blog Post. In fact, I'm going to answer this question on it's own tomorrow. Simply because this is such a large subject. Fear not, however, tomorrow I will go through the ABC's of of an outline to get you up and rolling within a few days!

I hope this two part series of Network Marketing Leads FAQs has shed some light for you. Do me a favor and leave a comment and let me know either what your favorite method of lead generation is or what sorts of questions you've got about Network Marketing Leads. I hope to hear from you soon.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Network Marketing Leads FAQs Part 1

It seems that Lead Generation for your Network Marketing business has become a very big topic. So, I've decided to write out the most Frequently Asked Questions I get about Network Marketing Leads. I have broken this into two parts (you'll get the other one tomorrow.)

#1 Should I be buying Leads? Short answer is NO. Most leads you buy are not worth the paper they're printed on. What you are looking for are Highly Targeted leads who are already interested in you or your product/service. This makes building a LASTING organization much easier. Purchased leads will wear you down with the hemming and hawing and all the rejection.

#2 How Much Should I Pay per Lead? Well if you just listened to the answer in #1 you know the answer to this question is $0. You should be generating your own leads. Every business owner in every business needs to understand that before he/she can sell the world the world's newest widget, they need to be able to have a Market to sell to. Put on, and leave on, the Marketing hat!

#3 Can I Generate Free Leads? Can you ever! It's easier today than ever before to attract highly targeted and qualified lead traffic to your Landing Page, Squeeze Page, 800#, whatever it is that is driving sales for your business. Do some digging and begin to learn how to generate FREE Leads. Free Leads are normally the best leads because they have come from some sort of content rich form of Marketing and they are already interested by the time you speak with them.

#4 Are "Opportunity Seekers" the Best Leads? Actually quite the opposite. Three months after they have joined you, they'll be out "Seeking" another opportunity. You want people who are seeking YOU or your Product, service or opportunity. Opportunity seekers jump from one system to the next always wondering why it didn't work for them.

#5 Is My "Warm Market" the Best Place for Leads? Only if you want to alienate yourself from everyone who knows you and trusts you. Let's face facts here; people don't want to get involved with Network Marketing because they hate this factor. You are always told to go talk to your friends and your family. I guess the logic is that they will feel guilt ridden into joining your business and the company will continue to grow. A better idea is to learn how to effectively generate your own Network Marketing Leads.

If you didn't notice, the reoccurring theme here is to learn how to generate your own leads. If this is something that is unfamiliar to you, take the time to learn. This is the biggest factor between the Top Earners and the other 97%. Make sure to check us out again tomorrow for the next 5 Network Marketing Leads FAQs.