MLM Talk Online

by Suzanne Falter-Barns

What makes some people perform brilliantly and attract excellent results - and others’ just get along. The key is passion. This article helps you find what you can do to ignite your own passion and success.

Ever notice how some people have all the luck? They seem to attract clients and business effortlessly, and win awards without even trying. Even the media seems to seek them out. So what makes THEM the anointed ones…. and not you?

The difference is passion.

Passion is what makes us get up in the morning, excited about what we’re going to do. It’s what pushes us through tasks we’d rather not do - and propels us through those that are ordinarily intimidating.

Passion is something bigger, too. It’s a healing essence that makes whatever we do seem guided, and so very attractive to others. Things that are passionately created are truly magnetic- we all want a piece, so we, too, can be healed.

I first became aware of this on a speaking tour I did in Florida a few years back. At the time, I spoke at a New Age bookstore/tea salon in Key West, FL called Kindred Spirit.

This wasn’t a ‘must do’ stop on the circuit of major bookstores; when the owners invited me to speak, they didn’t even have a location yet for their store. Still, there was something about Kelly and Karen, the owners, which resonated with me when I metthem at a conference.

They had a certain intensity, the air of women on a mission. It was clear they would have exactly the space they wanted, and it would be great. Not only that, I would do an event with them, and that would be great. The Powers That Be were clearly whispering in their ear.

When I got to Key West, my hunch was confirmed. Every inch of this store held things that were beautiful and unique, each artfully arranged. Karen had hand-painted fresh, original calligraphy on the walls, and they had composed their space so you could wander at will, finding treasures at every turn. There was even a tiny antechamber, beautifully decorated, where you could have a reading with a remarkable psychic. Lace-covered tea tables here and there waited for you to sit down, relax, and have superb cup of tea. The effect of being in Kindred Spirit was that my travel-jagged soul was immediately soothed. This store had the ability to heal people.

That healing comes from what some call “the essence”. It’s an immutable standard for your work that comes from within, a refusal to deliver less than exactly what your soul told you to create. And this takes considerable work.

When I met Karen and Kelly, they were coming off of weeks of 12-hour days putting the finishing touches on their store and holding their first event. They had that slightly insane, but critically important vision you get that pushes you forward, and forward, and forward, until you do create exactly what you want.

They had passion, pure and simple.

And please note that such work is not just a non-stop string of blissed out moments of creativity. There are many when you just want to go home and climb into bed. There are just as many when you lie awake worrying. Still, there is something sacred and holy that pushes you forward, whether it be the ‘essence’ or your own hands-on interpretation of God or Spirit.

Not surprisingly, all of Key West turned out for my talk at Kindred Spirit; the event was electric! All, I say, because people wanted that healing at the heart of Karen and Kelly’shard work.

So how do you summon up the essence? For Karen and Kelly, it was just a matter of finding the courage to leave their jobs and follow their heart. And that’s true for all of us. If you can listen to your inner voices, you’ll find that back there behind the voices of doubt is your own private cheering squad.

They want you to go for the gusto and begin your dreams; they want you to live your dreams - and they’ll make it more possible than you may believe. I say anyone can summon up their passion.

First they have to find the courage to begin. Then they simply have to dig in and find that gift they’re blessed with, and move on to share it with others.

May you be as moved as I’ve been by the healing work of all creators, great, small, famous and unknown, who are driven by nothing more than their desire to deliver what they feel. And may you discover the same within yourself.

©2005 Suzanne Falter-Barns LLC.

For information on how to find the time, energy, and money to live your purpose in life, check out Suzanne’s free ezine, The Joy Letter. Sign up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html and receive our valuable report, 35 Guaranteed Time Savers. And find even more tips and tools at the Blast of Joy blog http://selfhelpsalon.typepad.com/blast_o_joy/

If you use Quicken for your business finances, there’s now a great new way to store your receipts and get rid of all those bits of paper — digitize them with the SnagIt Catalog program.

Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com

Here’s some great advice on how to achieve success in business and any other profession from Larry A. Thompson, a film producer and motivational speaker. Check out the 10 Success Killers list at the bottom of the article too. It’s an eye opener!

How to Succeed in Any Business

Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com

By Cheri Y. Sigmon

Here’s a “secret formula” for determining the “marginal net worth” or “lifetime value” of a customer. This is a powerful, major concept that not 1 in 100 business owners knows. I didn’t until about two years ago when I studied the works of the master marketer, Jay Abraham. I’ll put this in my own words and keep it brief.

The “Lifetime Value” or “marginal net worth” of a single customer is an actual number specific to your business. It’s VITAL to your success for two important reasons:

1. You have to KNOW where you are before you can determine precisely WHERE you’re going. You need a baseline number so you can effectively track results.

2. Until you KNOW EXACTLY what each new customer is worth to your business, you have no way of knowing HOW MUCH money you can spend in marketing to get that customer. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Take the time to calculate this! Master this simple but incredible concept, and you’ll have one of the least well-known tools in your marketing arsenal - and you’ll soon be chin-deep in cold, hard cash.

Step 1: First, determine certain figures for your own business. If you’re new - make a projection.

Q. What is your ‘average sale?’ (Add total dollar sales for a year, and divide that by the total number of sales transactions you completed, or expect to complete).

Q. How many times a year does an ‘average’ customer buy from you? (Take your total # of sales transactions for a year, & divide it by the total # of customers).

Q. For how many years does an average customer buy from you? (Remember, 20% of the population moves every year, so this is typically less than 5 yrs, depending upon the nature of your business.)

Q. How many people does your average customer tell about you? (A major factor). The most common average is between 3-12, but guess.

Q. What percentage of these people actually become your customers? (Usually between 20 to 70%).

STEP 2: Here’s the thing - the secret formula… WHAT EACH CUSTOMER IS WORTH TO YOU IN COLD HARD CASH!

Fill in the blanks below (using the numbers you calculated in Step 1, to find out precisely what each customer is actually worth to you right now.

A. Average Sale = __________

B. Number of Sales per year per customer =__________

C. Number of Years customer buys from you =_________

D. Number of Referrals from customer = __________

E. % of Referrals who become customers =__________

F. Gross Sales per year per customer (A x B) =__________

G. Gross Sales over life of customer (F x C) =_________

H. Referrals who become customers (D x E) =__________

I. Gross Sales from referrals (G x H) =__________

J.TOTAL VALUE of Satisfied Customer (G + I ) =__________________

Isn’t this dynamic and powerful information when you run the numbers? Trust me - it’s worth your time to sit down and figure this one out! I won’t do this for you, since each business will be different.

Plus, you get more benefit when you personally master the concept and do the math yourself. Try it - you’ll be astounded at the total “dollar” value of just ONE satisfied customer. I had vaguely ‘known’ it was high, but the numbers don’t lie.

Bottom line: From now on, when you feel even remotely discouraged or when a customer starts getting on your nerves (hey, it happens), just think about the value of ONE satisfied customer - and smile.

Cheri Sigmon is a full-time Internet & Network Marketer, living in the historic small town of York, SC USA. Cheri enjoys USANA, the Gourmet Coffee Club, & World Wide Web marketing.

Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc

Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits fast.

Tip #1:
Look for some low-cost ways to enhance the perceived value of your product or service. Then test raising your price. Don’t be surprised if both your sales and your profit margin go up.

Tip #2:
Try to limit your customer’s decision making to either “Yes. I’ll buy.” or “No. I won’t buy”. Don’t risk losing them by including “which one” decisions. The more options you offer, the more likely some customers will procrastinate and never make the decision …causing you to lose a sale needlessly.

Tip #3:
You can demonstrate a low cost for your product or service by breaking down the price to its lowest time increment. For example, “Enjoy all of this for less than 90 cents a day” (for something priced at $325 a year).

Tip #4:
Add an unexpected bonus to every sales transaction just before completing the sale. It prevents customers from developing any last minute hesitation …and changing their minds about buying.

Tip #5:
Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. Postcards are inexpensive and easy to use. Most recipients who ignore other types of advertising will read a brief ad when it’s delivered to them on a postcard.

Tip #6:
Prospects who ask questions are usually close to buying. Take advantage of this. Don’t just answer their question. Include a reason for them to buy as part of your answer. Then ask for the sale …or tell them exactly what to do to place their order.

Tip #7:
Collect testimonials from your customers and use them in all your advertising. Testimonials provide evidence that your product or service delivers the results you promise. For maximum impact, use only testimonials that describe specific results the customer enjoyed.

Tip #8:
Include “benefit rich” headlines on all your web pages. Many visitors arrive at a web page then immediately click away …unless something instantly catches their attention.

Tip #9:
Continually test and evaluate everything you use or do to promote your business. Allocate 80 percent of your advertising budget to proven promotions. Use the other 20 percent for testing new variations. Most businesses using this system continue growing - even in highly competitive markets.

Bonus Tip:
Handle customer complaints quickly and with a positive attitude. Strive to preserve your relationship with them instead of your immediate profit from the transaction. They will reward you with repeat sales and referrals …instead of punishing you by telling everybody they know about their unhappy experience and causing you to lose future customers.

Each of these marketing tips provides a simple, low-cost way for you to boost your sales and profits quickly. All you have to do is to put them into action.

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You’ll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

Here’s a post on the Duct Tape Marketing blog that discusses a great way to connect with other business owners in a positive way by sending handwritten notes.

Proof of the Power of the Hand Written Note

Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com

According to the Washington, D.C.-based Direct Selling Association, more than 13 million people were involved in direct selling in 2003, and almost 80 percent of these were women.

Read the full article here.

Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com

By Wendy Weiss

Queen of Cold Calling

Since the federal “Do Not Call” law came into effect, many of you have written, called or e-mailed asking what effect this new law will have on prospecting by telephone.

In addition to the new Federal law, more than 27 states currently have active state “Do Not Call” registries. Many states will transfer their numbers from their state lists to the National “Do Not Call” Registry, but some will not. Is this confusing? Yes!

This is my attempt to help readers make some sense out of these laws. Please remember—I’m not an attorney, none of this constitutes legal advice and you should definitely check everything out for yourself!

First of all, if you are a businessperson making calls to a place of business (i.e., business-to-business prospecting) you will not be affected at all. The state and federal laws do not apply to you. If, however, you are making calls to people in their homes (consumers) it is a whole different story.

When calling consumers, certain types of calls in the federal law are exempted, for example, if you are soliciting for a charitable organization or a political campaign or making some type of survey. Essentially, however, if you are calling consumers to sell something (and yes, unfortunately this includes setting appointments to potentially sell something) you must check the numbers you are calling against the federal registry. The federal registry was made available in September 2003 and there is a compliance manual available as well. If your state has a registry that is not included in the federal one, you’ll have to check there too. In addition, if you call someone and they ask you not to call again—don’t call them! You can call current customers or past customers, and you can also call people who have given you permission to call.

For more information on the federal and state “Do Not Call” laws visit the web site, http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall.

The “Do Not Call” laws are a result of years of bad telemarketing by companies that rely only on volume of calls to reach their sales goals. It is a result of scams and dishonesty, and it is a reminder to all of us to always target your market, offer value and work from integrity!

These laws are unfortunate, because the people who are likely to be most affected are the small businesses and/or sole proprietors who are trying to connect with potential customers and offer real value. They will have the most problems with the rigmarole and expense of compliance. I suspect that many will try to refocus their markets on business-to-business.

About the Author
Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success,” is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. Her book, Cold Calling for Women, and the recently released Cold Calling College, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

© 2005 Wendy Weiss

If you are working a home party business like Creative Memories, Discovery Toys, or PartyLite you should grab a copy of the November 8th Family Circle magazine off the newstand.

Their “Make Money at Home” article is a good one to clip and show to your would-be recruits and also features a top ten list of companies.

The CBS Early Show will also be doing a segment on home-party businesses the week of October 17th so you might want to tune in and check it out.

Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com

by Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com

I recently had the opportunity to chat with one of the most creative and successful network marketers that I know and ask her some questions about her secrets to success.

Lisa Wilber is a Senior Executive Unit Leader in Avon’s Leadership program and lives in Weare, New Hampshire. Lisa’s Avon downline sold nearly $10 million dollars in 2004 making her the #3 money earner in the country. She is the author of the book “Marketing Ideas for the Wild at Heart”.

Linda: How do you work your MLM business? What methods really work best for you? What doesn’t work for you? Please give specific details.

Lisa: In respects to my MLM business, I look at it as two parts to the puzzle — finding new people who want to join the business is part one and supporting them so that they stay longer, sell more and try recruiting themselves is part two. I invest equal amounts of money for both. For recruiting, I invest in classified line ads and I use recruiting posters and give out recruiting cards everywhere I go. I also have signs on my house and car that read “To Buy or Sell” which gets me both customers and recruits.

One of the investments that is a shared expense between the two parts is my 800# — essential for this business, in my opinion — I use it in my classified ads as well as for help calls from my downline. Of course, I ask everyone, everywhere, every time. I also wear pins and buttons to get people to ask me about my business — it gives me an opportunity to tell my story, and telling your story enough times gets you recruits, too.

Things that don’t work for me? Recruiting my family and friends by going to them and out-and-out asking them. They always say NO. What does work is just sharing with them over a period of time how much I like the company, products, experience, etc. and bringing them to rallies or any free events I’ve earned. I have recruited many family and friends, but only after they watch my example for a while and came to me and asked to be a representative.

Linda: How do you keep in touch with your downline?

Lisa: The main way that I keep in touch with my downline in through my monthly newsletter. In the newsletter I have the “Top Ten in Sales Volume” and also the top recruiters with their number of first orders per campaign (selling period). I also have mini posters for recruiting, selling and fundraising that they can add their name to and copy for their use as well as success stories, company news, and the schedule of upcoming seminars and meetings. I don’t do a lot of product knowledge because our company handles that in detail with our orders — what I try to cover is where to find more customers and recruits so that you can use the product knowledge the company gives you.

I also have weekly chat meetings and I travel and teach seminars and talk to as many of the key representatives as I can over the phone on a weekly basis. I also run special incentives like my “Thousandaire Club” — where they can earn $10.00 worth of sales aids (their choice) for each $1,000.00 they sell per selling period. Building relationships with the representatives is key to this business, in my opinion. I also send my top sellers and recruiters chocolates on their birthday and gifts when they get promotions. National Trip earners from my downline always find roses waiting in their room when they arrive. I also never miss an opportunity to say “I’m proud of you”.

Linda: How important do you think that ongoing education is to your business success? What are some of your favorite educational and motivational books and tapes?

Lisa: Have you heard the saying “Good leaders are good readers”? When I first heard that, I thought “Wow, how powerful”. Education means everything to my business, especially in the industry we are in. We have so many things to keep current on. We are not only managers, sales professionals, multi-level marketers, self-employed women, entrepreneurs and trainers, but also relationship builders. All of those things are skills that need to be learned and improved upon as we grow.

I subscribe to over a dozen magazines per month including “Entrepreneur”, “Selling Power”and I always read your online newsletter, “MLM Woman” every month. Some of my favorite books include: “C and the Box” by Frank A. Prince, “See You At The Top” by Zig Ziglar and “The Miracle of Motivation” by George Shinn.

My all time favorite tape set is “Lead the Field” by Earl Nightingale — that is the tape set that I give my downline members when they make a big promotion, that’s how important that tape set is to me — it changed my life !

A couple other favorite tape sets: “The Art of Exceptional Living” by Jim Rohn and “Unlimited Power” by Tony Robbins. I also recommend anything by Les Brown — whether it be audio or video — he is excellent and tells it like it is! By the way, I do all that reading mainly in the powder room — have stacks of magazines and books. That way anytime I go in there I can take an extra 10 minutes to do some reading — or a little longer if it’s bath time. I listen to tapes every time I get in the car. Educating myself is part of my work and I also plan time during my work day to learn.

Linda: What are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome? How do you keep going on those bad days when you just want to quit?

Lisa: I think the biggest challenge that I had to overcome is poverty. When I lost my job as a secretary it was 1988 and the job market had just gone soft, so I couldn’t find a “real” job and decided to try selling Avon full time. The years from 1988 - 1993 were very lean and then I decided to try Avon’s MLM program which had just been introduced in 1992 in my area.

I needed even more money to invest to get the MLM part of my business going, so I sold more so I’d have additional profit to invest. We were so poor for so long, I don’t know how to tell you. I drove a Yugo for 7 years (put on 150,000+ miles) and I can’t tell you how many times I had to push start it and call my husband to come rescue me because I was broke down.

We were eating macaroni and cheese because it was cheap and I was sitting on the couch with cash in my hand waiting to pay the electric man when I saw him climbing my pole to turn off my power. Things weren’t good.

BUT I had a dream. THAT is what kept me going then, and still keeps me going now. Back then I thought “if anyone can succeed in this business, certainly I can, too. It must just be a matter of perseverance and hard work”. I never gave up. My family and friends made fun of me and my neighbors laughed at me. But I never gave up. They are not laughing now!

You need a BIG dream — a goal to work on. And you need to take time every day to work out the details of how you are going to make that goal happen and exactly what you are going to do today that will bring you closer to that goal. Visualize success — that’s what I did when I was the most depressed. I imagined just how it was going to feel when I held that first check over $1,000.00 in my hands. I visualized how proud my husband and family would be. I visualized how impressed the bank tellers would be! I visualized buying steak instead of macaroni and how it would taste. I visualized going down to the electric company and paying my bill ahead of time. That’s what pulled me through.

Linda: What would you recommend as a minimum amount of money a new person in MLM should plan on budgeting each month if they are serious about being successful in their business?

Lisa: That is a very hard question to answer — I think it would depend on which company you represent. In all honesty — in a product based company, I think you should be able to generate the extra income to re-invest by selling more product and using the additional profit. Not only will it give you the extra profit, but will show your downline that you are willing to go out there and “DO” not just tell them to do. Many times my downline will say to me “you always want me to increase my sales — just how much are YOU selling?” That is why I continue to be a large volume seller — sets a good example as well as keeps you on the front lines. If I had to guess an amount — I would say at least $250.00 per month — and that would pay for an 800#, some ads in the paper, copies of flyers for bulletin boards, business cards, and office supplies.

Linda: Why do you think that so many women are attracted to the idea of having a network marketing business?

Lisa: I believe network marketing is perfect for women in particular because it involves relationships. The stronger relationships you build with your customers and downline, the more money you make. In network marketing, there is no “glass ceiling”, either. And the prejudices are not there — you are judged by your accomplishments, not how you look or your gender or race. I am a BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) and have gotten discriminated against when it comes to management positions when I worked in corporate America. I believe I was judged on my appearance and gender more than my accomplishments. In network marketing, none of those issues matter — it’s FABULOUS!

Linda: How important do you think the Internet and other new technologies will be as marketing tools for MLM distributors?

Lisa: Any new development or technology that affects “regular” businesses will also have an impact on the MLM industry. Every MLM company I can think of has a corporate web site and many of them promote individual representatives having their own sites. I personally am using my Winner In You web site as a “meeting place” for my downline as part of my support.

I added a chat room so that I can have online chat meetings with all representatives on the Internet (previously I was having chats on AOL only every week). I will also be having my newsletter available on the web site as well as a picture of me and some background so that my downline that lives far away can get to know me better. When new technology is available to the public, I always try to look at it and see how I could adapt it to further my business because I know that if I think of ideas, so will many others.

Linda: What do you do that makes you different, that makes you successful? What are the secrets to your success? Your business philosophy?

Lisa: I believe that I am experiencing some success in this business because I don’t give up. I keep trying new things until I find what works and then I keep working day in and day out. I have clear, well defined goals that I am working towards and do something towards those goals every day. I’m still building my business, just like everyone else — and I’m not afraid to take the blame for mistakes or to try new things and make mistakes.

Consistency is also very important. Getting all motivated and working hard for a couple of weeks and then slacking off won’t cut it — you have to stay consistent with your efforts over a long period of time. There is no get rich quick method of building a better life — and there is no such thing as a free lunch. The trick is to find work and a company that you love and that way work can become your best friend, not something you are always trying to do less of and get away from. Here are a couple of quotes from my business philosophy:

“The only place SUCCESS comes before WORK is in the dictionary” and “Attitude is EVERYTHING”.

Linda: Lisa, thanks so much for your time and for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Editor’s Note: Lisa’s book “Marketing Ideas for the Wild at Heart” is available along with her other books and sales aids on her website: www.winnerinyou.com.