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 MLM
Woman Issue 126
July 2007
From
the Desk of the Editor
Happy
Summer and welcome to the 126th edition of the MLM Woman Newsletter!
If you enjoy this month's issue, please be sure to let your friends
know about it too and invite them to come and visit us.
Also, if you have comments, questions or something to share
after reading this month's articles, please visit our MLMTalk
Discussion Forum and join in the lively conversation!
And also be sure to check out our new MLM
Marketing Blog for lots of additional tips and resources which
are added throughout the month.
Yours in Success!
Linda Locke, Editor MLMWoman
 10
Phone Marketing
Mistakes to Avoid
By Charlie Cook
"I hate making marketing calls. I don't know what to say and
how to say it. I've need to find new customers and in the past 4
weeks I've brought in zero new customers."
Do you ever feel this way?
Are you tired of being turned down?
Are you frustrated by your limited success selling on the phone?
Making any of the mistakes below takes the fun out of your job
and can kill your sales.
1. Using Push Versus Pull Marketing
Most of us don't like pushy people who talk about themselves all
the time. Think about your marketing. Are you constantly pushing
information out about yourself, your products and services? This
may be pushing prospects away when what you want to do is pull them
in.
Focus your marketing on prospects' concerns and offer them something
they want. You'll help them, convert them to clients and increase
your revenue.
2. Not Generating Enough Qualified Leads
Marketing is about starting conversations with prospects so you
can learn what they need and help them understand the solution you
provide. To bring in more business, help more people understand
what you do and prompt prospects to contact you.
Does your marketing help you generate enough leads and start a
conversation with prospects?
With the right marketing message, advertising copy and online and
offline strategy you can generate a steady stream of qualified leads.
3. Responding To Inquiries with an Email or a Letter
Nine times out of ten, when you send a prospect a written response
to a query, it won't result in a sale. Pick up the phone and you
can use their questions to start a conversation. With just a couple
of additional questions you can learn what their objectives are
and then you can sell them the solution.
4. Quoting Price Too Soon
When prospects call, one of the first questions they ask is about
pricing. Tell them right away and you risk ending the conversation
and losing the sale. Dollar figures by themselves are meaningless.
When a prospect asks what you charge, don't tell them until you've
had a chance to learn what they want. Then put the price in the
context of the value and quality solutions you provide.
5. Wasting Time With People Who Aren't Buyers
No matter how good your system is for qualifying leads, you'll end
up on the phone with people who can't afford your services or won't
benefit from your products. Conversations like these can take up
way too much of your time.
Use your qualifying questions and their responses to determine
within the first 3 minutes of a conversation whether or not the
person you're talking with is a promising prospect. If not, thank
them for their inquiry and move on to your next call.
6. Doing Too Much Talking
You know your services and products inside out; you could talk for
hours, if not days, about your processes, product features or benefits.
Don't. You'll lose your prospects attention, especially if you're
marketing over the phone.
Whenever you call a prospect or they call you, use the call to
learn what they want and need. Ask question. Let them do the talking
so that you get the information you need.
7. Not Clarifying Value From the Client's Perspective
You have a crystal clear idea of the benefits of your products and
services; you want prospects to understand these benefits from their
point of view.
To help prospects understand the value you provide, get them to
define what they are looking for and what it's worth to them.
8. Not Getting To "Yes"
Your primary objective is to get the prospect to say, "yes"
when you ask them whether they want to place their order or sign
up for your services. Set up a pattern of "yes" answers
and you'll increase the chances they will say "yes" when
you ask them to buy.
Review their objectives and ask them if that is what they are looking
for. Review the solution you provide and ask them if that is what
they are looking for.
9. Neglecting To Ask For The Sale
If you want people to buy your products and services, you need to
ask for the sale. This sounds obvious, but the tendency is to wait
for the prospect to say they are ready to buy.
Why do we do this?
Until you gain confidence in your phone selling technique, you're
afraid of getting turned down when you ask for the sale. It's common
to compensate by talking endlessly about the features and benefits
of your products and services.
If you're working with qualified leads, many of the people you
are talking with want to buy your products and services. Help them
clarify the value and then help them make the purchase.
10. Forgetting To Follow Up On Sales
When you make a sale it may seem like the end of your marketing
effort. Think of your first sale not as closing a sale but opening
the door to a long-term relationship and you'll increase future
sales.
When a prospect becomes a client or customer, they've provided
tangible evidence of their trust in you and your products and services.
Follow up with a phone call to find out how the product or service
is working and there is a good chance you'll uncover a need for
more of your products and services.
You don't have to hate marketing on the phone. Learn what to say
and how to structure the conversation and you'll have more fun and
make more sales.
2004 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights
reserved.
About the Author
Charlie Cook helps service professionals and small business owners
attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up for the Free
Marketing Plan eBook, 7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your
Business at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
 Love
Yourself First
by Lisa Martin, The Working Mother’s
Coach
On the route to discovering better balance
in your life, one of the key indicators of your success
will be your ability to beome more self-content.
One way to develop a strong sense of self-contentment
is to give yourself the gift of self-appreciation. Offer
yourself the same respect and kindness you give to others
you care deeply for.
Feel good in your
own skin
I’ve noticed that women have a tendency to focus on
what is "wrong" about themselves versus what is
"right." We tend to pick out and pick on the parts
of ourselves that we like the least. These can be physical
and/or character traits. A sure-fire way to know whether
you suffer from this malaise is to take my "mirror"
test. When you see your reflection is your first thought
a complimentary or critical one? If you answered critical
(like most of us), it's time to take a new approach.
Being happy in your own skin means getting
comfortable with who you are and what you want out of life.
Instead of focusing on what you don't like about yourself,
try honoring and appreciating what makes you unique. Is
it your attitude, smile and/or sense of humor? What qualities
define you as a person? What do you absolutely love about
yourself? Resist the temptation to criticize (this is a
learned behavior and it can be unlearned).
Do the best you can
We've all had those days. You wake up with a busy day ahead
of you only to discover your youngest child has the stomach
flu. You madly rush around trying to make alternative childcare
arrangements (your daycare won't take a sick child) because
today is the day you have to make a big presentation to
the sales team. Calls to work and arrangements with your
partner finally result in a reasonable schedule. You are
feeling stressed because you want to be with your unwell
child and you cannot miss this presentation. And all this
happens before 8:00 am. You are about to leave the house
with your older child and she decides to lie down at the
bottom of the stairs and refuses to put on her shoes. You
snap back, "Can't you see that I'm having a bad morning
and you are not making it any better." Not the best
thing you've ever done, but best you could do under the
circumstances. So, you apologize to your daughter and learn
to let it go.
Your best is going to be different from situation
to situation. It will change depending on how you are feeling,
who is involved and where you might be. No matter what the
circumstances, just do your best. That is all you can do.
By doing so, you will avoid self-criticism, self-judgment
and regret.
Apologize and Forgive
To err is human. Most women I know have a long list of things
they haven't forgiven themselves for. These items range
from "stealing my brothers baseball cards" to
"raising my voice at my children." Along with
this lack of forgiveness comes its partner in crime guilt.
If you are beating yourself up over things that have happened
in the past, I know an easy way to free yourself from this
bondage. Write a list of everything you have not forgiven
yourself for and I mean everything. Then go through this
list and identify all the people you can contact and apologize
to. Now start making some calls. Some situations may be
tougher than others; and some might require more than an
apology. If property has been damaged, a replacement might
be in order. But most importantly, forgive yourself. No
more carrying that guilt load anymore.
© Copyright 2007. Lisa Martin.
All rights reserved.
About the Author
Lisa Martin is a certified coach who inspires working mothers
to achieve success that’s balanced. Author of Briefcase
Moms: 10 Proven Practices to Balance Working Mothers’
Lives, Lisa is a sought-after expert and speaker on work-life
balance issues. Known for her very personal and practical
approach, Lisa coaches working mothers to know what they want
and get what they want. A mother herself, Lisa’s powerful
presentations and programs have helped thousands of women
define success and balance on their own terms. www.briefcasemoms.com
 The
Adventures of Starting a
Direct Sales Company
By Bruce Fleischmann
We've all heard that if starting a business
were easy, everyone would do it! Right? For my wife Deanna
and I, the journey that ultimately led to the development
of our direct sales company has been everything but easy!
The two year long journey led us down all kinds of roads.
Some have been adventurous and exciting and some have been
very trying! We felt especially challenged when we came across
the detours and roadblocks along the way!
It is true though, that something good does
comes out of everything sooner or later. The countless detours
led us down unbeaten paths that we wouldn't otherwise have
taken. It was along these unfamiliar paths that we were introduced
to many different kinds of people. Some of these people helped
educate us about the places that we had never been. Some pointed
us in the right direction, others pointed us in the wrong
direction thus setting us back and making our journey longer
and even more difficult. There were times when we were traveling
on rocky roads that we thought maybe we should turn back and
then we would catch a glimpse of the paved road ahead and
know that we needed to keep on going.
Interestingly enough, it was the roadblocks that helped us
out the most! Each one forced us to regroup and rethink the
route that we had mapped out, often sending us in a totally
new direction. Upon reaching our destination of starting our
company, we now appreciate how important it was to take the
long way! After all, it was the journey that was our education!
It not only taught us how to become a success, but also how
to help others become successful while living the lifestyle
they have always imagined.
How did we start our company? Well, it all started with TeeTool,
a device that I invented and patented after attempting to
improve my golf game. I was trying to find a tool that would
help me get off the tee box by setting a precise tee height.
Well, to my surprise no such device existed so I set out to
create one. After about a year of research, design and development,
we were ready to launch TeeTool. The name actually stands
for setting a perfect TEE every time combined with only the
TOOLS needed to play the game. You know, all that aggravating
clutter golfers carry in their pockets already, just combined
into to one little device that easily slips in and out your
pocket!
Once TeeTool was designed, patented and in production we searched
for distribution avenues, finding some success in both the
retail and promotional product sectors. We sold thousands
of TeeTools to companies large and small and it should be
mentioned that it passed the very strict analysis and was
approved for play by both the United States Golf Association
and the Royals & Ancients of Scotland.
The problem was that yes we had a neat functional product,
but since we only had one product it was hard to compete in
the market place with other vendors who could literally outfit
an entire sporting goods store or a promotional products company
who offered hundreds of promo tools.
Here is where the actual journey began into
Direct Sales. TeeTool is a 4-in-1golf accessory and sold itself
once it was demonstrated. The question was how to demonstrate
TeeTool on a large scale? Infomercials were too costly and
due to our low $10 price point, it did not meet the Home Shopping
Network or QVC's pricing hurdle of $20.
In the fall of 2005, we began researching alternative distribution
channels that would allow for one-on-one demonstrations of
TeeTool. That's when the direct sales industry jumped out
at us! Still after extensive research, we were not able to
find a company anywhere close to sharing our vision of providing
exciting products geared towards people with a social and
active lifestyle.
We knew that there were approximately 12 plus
million active distributors across the U.S., so we began to
chart a course for sharing our vision. Oh yes, the journey
continues! Remember the people that I referred to that pointed
us in the right direction?
Well they make up our impressive advisory board and includes:
Jay Christopher, Co-founder of Pampered Chef, Dr. Keith Laggos
Publisher of Network Marketing Business Journal, Dr, Bob Williams,
President of Williams & Company, and Bill Johnson, Director
of Special Markets for Wilson Sporting Goods. Now our vision
of a totally unique and fun company is coming to life.
Advice on Starting Your Own Business:
When starting a new business, making your vision
truly come alive is the key! In order to accomplish this you
must first surround yourself with positive people that share
and support your vision. Besides ambitious and hard working,
I would want people on my team who are big thinkers! There
are those who may look at a marketing opportunity and think
"that would be great in this area". These would
be people that obviously have a vision of a small business.
Then there's the people who take the same business
opportunity and look at it totally different. They see potential
global possibilities! These people are what you might call
"true visionaries" and are the ones you want batting
on your team. These team leaders will significantly contribute
to the ultimate success of your company!
A real life example of my experience with surrounding
yourself with true visionaries, would be with Jay & Doris
Christopher with Pampered Chef. Along with their great advice
and council, their continuous encouragement, direction and
support helped to keep my vision alive. During my very first
meeting with Jay, which lasted over 3 hours, he said, "he
sees many parallels in what he and Doris went through when
they started up"! One of Jay's best tips that I feel
is worth sharing is "grow your business one distributor
at a time and take care of their individual needs!"
About the Author
Bruce Fleischmann, Founder & CEO, Golden Golf & Leisure,
440.224.0259
Golden Golf & Leisure offers several exciting ways to
earn through party planning, network team building and TeeTool
sales options. We are keenly aware that only if our distributor
partners succeed, then everyone succeeds! It is for this reason
that we designed and offer one of the absolute best commission
plan in the industry! By becoming a distributor with Golden
Golf & Leisure, you become a Member of the Golden Golf
Club and join our family. We invite you to visit our website
at www.goldengolfclub.com.
 What
Happens When You Pop The Right Questions?
Copyright © 2007 by Sue Seward. All Rights Reserved.
Over the years I've heard people constantly
saying, my business just isn’t growing like I want it
to or this just isn’t working, or I don’t have anyone
to speak with about the business.
So I respond by asking, "what are you ASKING
people when you meet them?" Usually they say they are
not asking they’ve been doing more TELLING like "hey
I just joined this great company with such and such products,
it's the best company and product in the whole wide world"
and on and on and on with more TELLING.
What happens when you pop the right questions
like "so Harold, what do you do for a living?”
When they respond say “what do you like
about it?” When they respond positively or negatively
say “I bet you make a good living doing that huh?”
When they respond either positively OR negatively
pop THE question “Do you keep your income options open
Harold?”
Then when they say yes which MOST entrepreneurial
type people do, say something like “I have something
that may or may not be of interest to you, take a look at
this website and if it is something you feel might be a good
fit we can get together and discuss some options for you.”
THEN this is WHEN you give them some information
such as your business card with your website on it and that's
it, SAY NO MORE or "I have to run, catch you later".
But keep it zipped! No more going on and on about your business!
You are not desperate to get them in! You're looking to partner
with people who are interested, not drag or talk people into
anything just because you're so excited and think it's the
best thing since sliced bread.
Most entrepreneurial, business type people will
usually at least take a look because they are always looking
for other income sources so make sure you are targeting these
people, ie: realtors, insurance sales, sales people, business
owners. You won't sound desperate when you are asking questions
and waiting for permission to give them information because
you have to run since you are also a very busy business person.
You're job at this point is to be the messenger!
That's it!
It's also best if the website you're using has
some sort of tracking system with it such as a landing page
that prompts people to enter their contact information and
offers some sort of incentive to give you their information
like a free drawing or a free ebook that provides them with
even more information for instance. Because people like information
to help them make their own decision on what's best for them.
This way you KNOW when people have visited your
website. Even better is having an autoresponder that goes
with your system. This way people are being dripped on with
information while you are accomplishing other things either
business or personal.
Even when you are sleeping, your automated system
is working and when they request that you call them because
they are interested make sure you call right away.
If this is someone you've met in person be sure
to get their business card or write down their name and phone
number because this is just part of being a good people connector.
About the Author
Sue is a wife, mom, career
Network Marketer and Internet Marketing Coach who has been
earning an income from home online since 1996. She teaches
others how to make connections for profit. She is also a public
speaker and published author of numerous print and electronic
articles as well as coauthor of the book 'Build It Big: 101
Insider Secrets From Top Direct Selling Experts'. To find
out more about how Sue builds her business online visit http://www.eCommerceHomeBiz.com
3 C's of Successful
Network Marketing
By Phillip Collinsworth
It has been said that up to 95% of all network marketers
will quit the business before realizing a profit. If that statistic
is true, it’s a shame, because it doesn’t have to be that
way.
While it is true that network marketing has its fair share of failures
in the home-based business model, the income opportunity in this
incredible business is staggering. Rather than focus on failure,
why not think about the success stories that are prevalent in any
legitimate network marketing plan?
Regardless of what some people may say, people can and do create
wealth in this business—and so can you, if you’ll follow
the 3 C’s of network marketing success.
When you accept the fact that success and financial freedom are
possible in this business, you open your mind to the thoughts of
possibility, and silence the internal dialogue of doubt and defeatism.
If you knew beyond any doubt that your network marketing opportunity
would make you wealthy within the next 12 months, how much time,
energy and resources would you devote to making it happen? Personally,
I would be working late and getting up early to beat the bushes.
Years ago my wife and I would walk about two miles to go grocery
shopping in order to save our gas money. Walking home with your
arms full of groceries is hard work. However, within minutes of
getting home the pain of the long walk was forgotten. Building your
business is the same. Sure, the journey may be long, you may lose
a few weekends of recreation, and you may even have to attend an
occasional meeting after work. So what? By this time next year the
pain will be forgotten and your hard work will be rewarded, in the
form of fat residual checks.
The premise of the question above may appear to be based on a hypothetical
situation—that is, your success is virtually guaranteed. But,
if others have done it, and the proof of their success is right
before your eyes, ask yourself, “Why not me?”
The mind is a wondrous thing, but left unchecked, it can play games
with you. For example, in the midst of success, why would you dwell
on thoughts of failure? I can tell you why. You dwell on failure
because you are human. Skepticism and self-doubt are hardwired in
the human brain. Given this, I know of only one way to truly silence
the self-criticism: watch your upline for inspiration and guidance,
and practice the 3 C’s of success in network marketing.
So, what are the 3 C’s of success in network marketing? In
short, the 3 C’s of success in network marketing are copy your
leaders. Copy. Copy. Study your upline’s methodology, and copy
their every move.
If you diligently pursue and practice the 3 C’s of success
in network marketing, people in your downline will soon be looking
up to you for inspiration and leadership. As a leader your command
should be, “follow me.”
About The Author
Phillip Collinsworth publishes a website where visitors learn
how to earn $3,000+ per month working at home. No selling or mass
sponsoring required. Visit: http://www.wealthsearch.org
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We want your feedback!
Send e-mail comments to
Linda at: regent@west.net
Copyright 2007,
Regent Press
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