As an experienced network marketer, it's a good bet that you probably have noticed or are expecting a dramatic slow-down in your business around the holidays -- especially in December. Why? The main problem is that most people just stop doing business during the holidays, which is why their business slows down. But savvy networkers know that the holidays are the perfect time to do business, and they just need to adjust their marketing strategies to fit the season.

Here's some ideas to keep your business warm and perking throughout the busy holiday season...

Tip #1: Holiday Time is Great for Prospecting! Holiday Time usually means parties and lots of socializing -- why not use this to your advantage and do a little informal prospecting.

Here's some advice that Kristen Barron, a National Director of Training with TeamUp, gives about prospecting during the holidays:

"The kids are home from school, family is in town, or people are traveling. The trick is not to look at these things as reasons to stop doing business, but rather, as opportunities to expand business. When the kids are home from school, they're usually doing activities. These normally include other children, and therefore, other parents. Instead of talking about the kids and "things," expand your conversation a little. Talk about Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Money. FORM for short. People usually open up if you're a good listener. At some point, they'll ask about you and yours. Don't go into a heavy sales pitch. Remember, you're just having a nice conversation. If you feel like you've made a new friend and sparked their curiosity, you've done your job. And remember, new people can be found anywhere — standing in a long line at a theme park or at a social event or family gathering. If you are constantly talking and planting seeds during the holidays, your business never has to slow down."

Tip #2: Cash in on the Gift Giving Season -- Tis the season for gifts, so get creative! Here's a few ideas to try:

--Put together some gift baskets of your company's products that are ready to go and that appeal to a variety of customers

-- Everyone gets stressed out trying to find just the right presents, so offer them a stress free shopping solution that's hard to refuse -- set up personal appointments with your customers at their convenience -- visit them at the office, take them to lunch, or come to their home on the weekend or evenings. Make it easy for them to do business with you.

-- Sell gift certificates! Call your customers or drop them a holiday postcard and tell them that you have gift certificates on sale.

Tip #3 - Get a Jump on January: Do some business planning in December to get ready for business in January. January is the single best month for doing business. Get a special mailing ready to go to your prospects and customers and have it in the mail no later than December 30th.

Tip #4 - Keep On Doing What You've Been Doing: Don't abandon your business during the holidays. Try to stick as closely as you can to your regular schedule -- and if you just can't keep up the pace -- at least decide to accomplish something every week that keeps your business humming. It'll be a lot easier to gear up in the new year if you do!

Tip #5 - Say Thanks! Be sure to send a holiday greeting letting your customers and downline know that you appreciate them. It takes some time to do this but the results are well worth it!

Linda Locke is the editor of MLM Woman. You can reach her via e-mail at regent@west.net

Postage Stamp Training
How to Use Newsletters to Train, Motivate,
and Get New Business
By Barbara J. Winter

Any newsletter worth its postage should do more than announce your next meeting. Consider the possibilities. A newsletter can train, motivate, generate new business, share a great idea and keep you in touch with your team.

I’ve been writing newsletters for a dozen years and have used them for all those reasons. Beyond that, however, I enjoy the creative process of putting together a newsletter that’s different every issue.

The authors of the book How to Get Free Publicity say, “The best free sample you can give is free advice.” It seems to me that that describes newslettering at its best.

Editing a newsletter that’s anticipated by your readers isn’t such an overwhelming task if you keep a few simple guidelines in mind. Before you ever publish your first issue, give some thought to the following:

1. What do you want your newsletter to accomplish? Do you want to send it to your organization, customers, prospects? Do you want it to be a means for improving your ability to communicate in writing? Do you want it to be a substitute for long-distance phone calls? How about elevating the thinking of your readers? Make a list of the results you think a newsletter can create.

2. Decide how often you wish to publish. If you are a newcomer with a small organization, you might begin with a bimonthly. As your business grows, you can publish more frequently. And while putting together a newsletter can be time-consuming, once you get the hang of it, it will go more quickly. I like publishing at 6-week intervals because it provides a break between issues. If you have lots of monthly activities, you may want your readers to hear from you every month.

3. Do your legwork. Spend a day or two investigating printers and getting prices. Find out if your local print shop can get your newsletter out overnight or if they need more time. Some shops charge extra for quick service. Call the post office, too, and see if it makes sense to get a bulk permit. If you’re sending hundreds of pieces, you can save a bundle on postage. The trade-off is, of course, that delivery is slower. If it’s critical that your newsletter arrives on time, stick to first class.

4. Pick a name and design your masthead. Browse in an art store and pick up a couple of clip art books. These little gems contain hundreds of illustrations that are camera ready and not copyrighted. If you want a more personalized masthead, you could hire an artist to design one for you. If you have a passion for a hobby, or a personal symbol suggests itself, incorporate that into your masthead. For your first newsletters, keep your costs down and improvise.

5. Decide on a theme for your newsletter and organize all your information around it. This is where your job really gets fun. It’s a bit like a treasure hunt to come up with illustrations, articles, quotes, book reviews, etc., that all support your central theme. One month, for instance, you might write about some aspect of selling. Another issue could have information on goal-setting or time management. Your personal heroes could provide another theme. Once you become a newsletter writer, the ideas are everywhere.

6. Keep a file folder of possible information for your next issue and another for future issues. Clip art work, jot down quotes as you’re reading, keep lists of books or articles you want to read and perhaps to summarize or recommend to your team. Before you know it, your files will be bulging.

7. Learn to edit. A newsletter by its very nature is designed to share a lot of information in a small space. Editing is both an art and an intuitive process. Get out all the information that you’ve gathered and rank it A, B, or C according to its importance. Use the A material first and, if you have room, go on to B. Hopefully, you’ll have enough great material so you won’t need to use the C stuff.

8. Always, always keep in mind who you are writing for. If you have a seasoned organization, your newsletter won’t be the same as it will if you’re writing for rookies. Often your readers will suggest topics, so listen. A light bulb should go off when someone comments, “I just must get organized!” A how-to issue is waiting to be written.

9. Get help with your writing. You could have a regular column written by different readers. If you are going to use a long quote from a book or magazine article, be sure to get permission from the publisher. If you write asking to reprint a section from a book and explain that you wish to include it in a non-subscription newsletter, most publishers will give you the green light. They will also tell you the form to use in giving credit, usually something like, “Reprinted with permission of Best & Sons, Publishers.”

There’s no doubt in my mind that anyone in a management position can benefit from producing their own newsletter. It’s one of the least expensive tools around. Versatile, economical, and an exercise in creativity, you’ll discover dozens of ways to use a newsletter once you get started.

And when your phone starts ringing or your mailbox brings you a letter saying, “Your newsletter arrives just when I needed to hear what you had to say,” you’ll be hooked.

After a dozen years in multilevel marketing, Barbara J. Winter is now the editor of Winning Ways Newsletter and leader of seminars on motivation and promotion. She is the author of "Making A Living Without A Job."

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How to Talk to People
and Eliminate Rejection

By Jan Ruhe

This article is an excerpt from Jan Ruhe’s new book, MLM Nuts and Bolts. The chapter it comes from is called, “How to be a Master Recruiter in MLM” — and it’s these exact scripts that made Jan the Master Recruiter she is herself. Read on to find out the right questions and the right answers for building your business with confidence, professionalism and speed.

ASK QUESTIONS

Learn to use these questions and watch your results.

Are there any questions you would like to ask me so I can answer all your questions?

Are you ready to make your selection and begin enjoying the benefits of this great product?

Can you see yourself presenting these products?

Do you have 8 to 10 hours a week you can dedicate to building your MLM business?

Have you heard of MLM? Have you heard of my company?

Hi, may I give you my business card?

How does that sound?

Is there anyone else besides yourself who needs to make the final decision of getting involved with our company?

I love what I do. For 17 years I’ve represented an excellent company. If you want to travel, make new friends, make money and get more kicks out of life that you are presently getting, please tell me. How does this opportunity sound so far?

If I can show you a way to make $200, $500, $1,000 or more a month, would you like to hear about our company and product? I just need 5 to 10 minutes of your time.

If what I share with you in the next 5 to 10 minutes makes sense to you, could I assume we could move forward and get you happily involved in our company?

May I show you our compensation plan and a few of our products and share with you the benefits of being associated with my company and me?

What happens if you say “Yes,” and what if you say “No.” If you say “No”, everything stays the same as it is right now, but if you say “YES” to this opportunity, you can begin immediately to enjoy the benefits of being with our company and enjoying these products.

Who else besides yourself will be involved in making the final decision?

Here Are My Actual Recruiting Scripts You Can Use In Your Recruiting Presentation that Will Get Your Prospect to Say “Yes” to Your Opportunity.

I’m anxious for others to meet you, you will add so much to the value of our team.

I am so anxious for you to begin to enjoy the benefits of these products.

I love what I do. I’m home every day when my children come home from school. I easily work around my family’s schedule.

I want to answer all of your questions, so that you have nothing to think over.

I will help you. There are two trainings a month in our area, where you can attend over and over. This is a fun job to have!

Congratulations, you’ve chosen to join a group of successful people who set goals and achieve them. We’ll see to it that you do great.

Let’s talk about the benefits of you being a member of my team.

Let’s see if this makes sense to you, and if it does can I assume you’ll be ready to make a commitment to join me today?

Our company has simple product and training manuals for you to refer to when you have questions.

More Powerful Ideas on How to Use Scripts
that Will Get You Results

One of the reasons my group is number one in the nation is that I ask you to pinpoint three people who will help you get started right away.

One of the great benefits of our company is that we don’t encourage you to stockpile inventory.

Our company’s track record is quite impressive. We’re growing fast (and cite the latest numbers if you know them). Now’s the time to join.

Our product is easy to demonstrate. If you believe in the product, you can sell it and recruit others to sell it.

Thank you for meeting with me today. I’m hoping you’re thinking about joining my company. I’m looking for people to represent our company part-time. If you are interested, please let me know now before I take up any more of your time.

It appears to me, after some of the information you’ve shared with me about yourself, that this might be a great part-time business for you.

The income opportunity in MLM is unbeatable. Are you aware that you can rise in our compensation plan as fast as you want? Building a business does take time. You will receive big checks when you have a downline of people each selling only a little bit.

The next step is to get out your checkbook or credit card and authorize the paperwork. Welcome to our company!

We have monthly or weekly meetings in our area where you can come and get product knowledge, recognition and continued training on our compensation plan.

Welcome to my group and our company.

What are your expectations of me?

You will be an independent contractor and not an employee.

I will not be your boss. I’ll be your coach.

Here Is the Worst Mistake You Can Make in MLM

STOP RECRUITING

There are several reasons for making this mistake:

You think you have made it.

You think that you really should just sit back and manage your organization.

You think you can keep it going by just motivating your existing people.

If you stop, here’s what happens:

Your group sees that you do not recruit, that it is not important.

Your group sees you concentrating on training.

Next, your group duplicates you, so they quit recruiting and just train their existing people. If you want an active, growing, dynamic organization, set an active, growing, dynamic example.

How to Get 1 to 5 Recruits TODAY!

Get on the phone. Call everyone you know. Say, “I am so excited about my MLM business. I am looking for from 1 to 5 people to join me today. Who do you know whose names you can give me to call — smart people who might be looking for a better way of life.”

“Here is who I am looking for: (S.T.E.A.M.) Sales people. People who sell anything. Teachers. Teachers are great Network Marketers. Enthusiastic people. Who is the most enthusiastic person you know? People with a good Attitude. Who has the most positive attitude of anyone you know? And Money. Who do you know who could use some extra money?

Jan Ruhe is the author of three books about Network Marketing, “Pour Yourself a Cup of Ambition”, “Fire Up!” and her newest book, “MLM Nuts and Bolts”. Jan is a star distributor with Discovery Toys and lives with her husband, Bill and three children in Aspen, Colorado. For more information about her books and tapes, visit Jan’s FireUp web site at: http://www.fireup.com or call 1-970-927-3010.

Reprinted with permission from Upline; June 1997, 800-800-6349.