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From the Desk of the Editor
5 Ways to Make Your MLM Website Stand Out on the Net
1. Tell your own story.
The web can be an impersonal place. People can't see you or hear you and all they know about you is what you include on your website about yourself. The only personal information most people include on their MLM site is their name, phone number and e-mail address. That's not much to base a relationship on, is it?
So one obvious way to differentiate your site from all the others is to include more personal information about yourself -- in other words -- tell your story. After all, people like to do business with people that they like and trust and can relate to.
So go ahead and include a picture of yourself on your site. Tell them why you chose your company, what you like about the products and the results you've had with the products and your MLM background. If you have an extensive MLM background or professional credentials be sure to include that information too, along with anything else that is special about the services you offer or the system you use.
Special Tip: If your MLM company only allows you to refer prospects to the company site, you can still put up an Introductory Profile page of your own and link it to the company site. Just include the information above about yourself and keep it generic.
2. Use a theme or target a niche market.
Using a theme or targeting a niche market as a foundation for your site is another way to make it really stand out from the crowd. What’s a good theme or niche? Here’s some ideas to get you started. Some niche markets are: stay at home moms, downsized middle managers, women, men, generation Xers, baby boomers, seniors. Some themes are: boating/sailing, auto-racing, mountain-climbing, sports.
Special Tip: Pick a niche that you are a part of - this will make it easier for you to figure out what that group’s needs and wants are and also make it easier for them to identify with you.
3. Publish a regular newsletter with valuable information.
Offering a free newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with people that visit your site. Make sure your newsletter has a good focus and theme and excellent content. Make it clear to your visitors that you are offering more than just a regular sales pitch. Make it easy to subscribe and be sure that you stick to a regular publishing schedule. If you need articles for your newsletter, here's where you can find some to use: http://www.mlmtalk.com/resource.html
Special Tip: If you need a list service for your newsletter check out egroups.com or onelist.com.
4. Use a domain name.
There is no doubt that using your own .com domain name for your site will increase its effectiveness. Using a domain name makes your site look more professional and is easier for people to remember. Unfortunately, a lot of people on the net have a perception that people who use these free websites to host their site are not as professional or as credible as those with a domain name of their own. After all who would you have more confidence in: someone with a site named yoursite.com/~sites/10666 or one called toyourheath.com. Unfair as it might seem, this is not a image that you want to project. People will wonder why you can't afford your own domain site. Also free sites often require you to have banner ads for other companies on your site or have annoying popup ad windows open on top of your page.
Special Tip: Be sure to pick a name that is easy to say and understand over the phone.
5. Do some market research.
Simply go to your favorite search engines and search for as many MLM websites as you can find. Then go to each website and look it over and write down what you like about the site. Then use this list to create and/or modify your own website. You can't copy sites of course, but you can get good ideas that you can improve or change and make your own.
Bonus Tip: See Marty Foley's article below for more Website Tips.
Linda Locke, Editor MLM Woman
Do You Make Your Prospects and Customers Jump Through Hoops?
(C) Marty Foley, 1999
Picture this scenario: Your prospect has looked over an offer for one of your products or services and is now ready to buy from you. How you handle the next step can make or break you. Problems in this area may be costing you dearly in lost sales - right this very minute.
I invite you to do a bit of honest self-examination when considering the tips below. Acting to improve on what you discover could very well help boost your sales immediately.
1) How Easy Is It for Your Customers to Access the Information Needed to Buy From You?
a) For example, does the design of your web site make it hard to navigate, or is at least the majority of information needed to complete a transaction within easy access to your customers, with a minimal number of mouse clicks?
b) While you may wisely reduce the amount of repetitive customer service issues by answering questions through FAQs, (an acronym for Frequently Asked Questions) etc., some prospects may yet have additional questions not covered in the information you've made available to them.
Do your prospects have a way to contact you to have such questions answered, and do you have an efficient system in place for addressing such issues, promptly and efficiently? Is the form of contact convenient to your prospects?
2) What Forms of Payment Do You Offer Your Customers?
a) Do you require your customers to send payment to you by check, cash or money order only via regular postal mail? If you're selling online and not accepting credit cards, you're likely losing many sales.
b) What types of credit cards do you accept? Many types of businesses can increase sales by accepting payment by Visa and MasterCard, which are accepted in many countries around the globe. Accepting payment by Discover and American Express can increase profits by offering even more customer convenience, particularly in the U.S. (However, Visa and MasterCard encompass the vast majority of all credit card transactions.)
3) How Easy Do You Make It for Customers to Submit Payment?
a) Suppose that you DO accept credit cards. Even though online credit card purchasing isn't really more risky than other forms, many are understandably concerned about submitting their credit card data online. Are you setup to allow your customers to place online credit card orders through a secure server?
Accepting credit cards can certainly boost online profits; giving customers a SECURE method for placing online credit card orders can boost profits even further.
b) Some browsers (such as WebTV) don't support secure online transactions, but online credit card ordering may still be the preferred payment method. Do you give such customers the option to submit online orders through an optional non-secure form that would work with their browsers, should they be comfortable with that payment submission method?
c) Of course, many don't want to order online, regardless of the reason. Do you have an order form (preferably just one page long) that customers can print out and fax or mail to you, along with payment by check, cash, money order, or credit card?
Also, is it easy for customers to copy and paste the text from that form into an email message, along with credit card data, for those comfortable doing so?
d) Are your order forms simple to use and understand, or confusing and inconvenient to your prospects? Have you tried to eliminate all guesswork for your customers, given them complete order details, and guided them gently and simply through the process of making an informed buying decision?
Any extra hoop you require prospects to jump through is an obstacle in the way of a smooth-flowing order process, and another reason to procrastinate or change their minds about buying from you.
e) Have you considered the option of letting customers place credit card orders by telephone, perhaps even through a 24 hour toll-free answering service, if circumstances warrant it?
f) If your budget permits and the situation calls for it, do you have a dedicated fax line, or perhaps a second dedicated phone, so you can conduct business through them while you are online?
Now don't feel bad if you find areas for improvement in the points above. Look at them as an opportunity to increase your profits. I've recently found a few areas that I can improve on myself, which is one thing that prompted me to write this article. There is ALWAYS room for improvement in every business in existence.
You see, the basic principle behind the above suggestions (all of which may not apply to your specific situation) is to make it as easy as possible for customers to buy from you. The easier you make it, the more likely they will.
Resource Box
Article by Marty Foley of Victory Ventures. His ProfitInfo Newsletter reveals proven, often overlooked strategies to build your Internet profits now: Subscribe@ProfitInfo.com. Discover a variety of resources for online success at his web site, including his latest book, Internet Marketing Goldmine: http://ProfitInfo.com/resources/1068/index.htm
How to "Have Your Cake and Eat It Too"
By Robert Kothe author of Millionaires' Secrets Revealed
The clichés you have heard time and time again actually contain the most timeless advice ever written. For advice to become a cliché, it must stand the test of time. Clichés bridge generations. Knowing this you should be using clichés for decision making and problem solving.
Today, many people are complaining that they do not have any time to do what the want. Working people feel that they are stuck in a dead end job. Worst of all, peoples' stress levels are at the highest point ever. You can use clichés to solve some of these situations.
I am not going to tell you how to solve all of your problems, but I can share with you some creative solutions to help you move forward. Using clichés, I will help you sculpt the life that you have always dreamed about.
A little background about myself; I am a person who strongly feels that if you do not get advice where there is a similar cliché already available, the advice is probably not worth anything. (Re-read that last line it is a killer.)
If somebody tells you that you should do the right thing right now or else it will come back to haunt you, it translates to the cliché, "A stitch in time saves nine".
When a friend advises you that you should probably stop arguing with someone, you made your point, the cliché, "Quit while you are ahead" is interchangeable. Clichés are based on redundancy and years of experience. You can be assured that they are factual and true. Advice that can not be related to a cliché, is simply un-tested. Perhaps some day it may become a cliché but in the mean time I'm not applying it until it is a cliché.
HOW I FOUND OUT CLICHES ARE SO POWERFUL
When I was writing my first book, "Millionaires' Secrets Revealed", I conducted countless hours of research. I interviewed self-made millionaires. I read self-help books. I studied success classics like, "Think and Grow Rich", by Napoleon Hill. (Incidentally, the book's title is practically a cliché these days. Entire motivational speaking careers have been built on this single phrase.) As I researched my book, I kept seeing the same advice phrased in different ways.
In the beginning of my research it seemed like a coincidence. As the same information continued to surface I knew that I found some common factors that made successful people. Essentially, many of these authors took a cliché and turned it into a chapter.
This article will show you how to take a chapter and return it to a cliché. A cliché is probably the most sincere form of the truth.
For example, most successful people insisted that you must care for your body. You must exercise and eat well. This translated to, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." It can also be said that, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." These days the cliché is forming, "eat well and exercise."
BAD ADVICE IS NEVER TURNED INTO A CLICHE
Have you ever heard this one? "Sticking your finger in an outlet saves the amp meter". Or; "Lying to friends, makes amends." What about this one, "An ounce of procrastination is worth a pile of time." These will never make the mainstream because they are all bad advice. This further proves my point that when advice become a cliché it is absolutely true.
NOW LET'S FIX SOME OF YOUR PROBLEMS WITH THE RIGHT CLICHÉ
First we must address the dead-end job and your high stress levels. We will need my favorite cliché. "I would rather be the watch maker than the time keeper" (that cliché made it into my book.) What does this mean? Let's suppose that you work in a retail store. If you did not show up for work, the schedule would probably be ruined. You would fall into the category of "Time Keeper". Is your job, "mission critical"? Do you have to trade with people to get days off? Are you the only person who performs certain tasks? Do you need to plan in advance to get time for yourself? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a "Time Keeper".
The solution, take small steps today that will take you closer to becoming a "Watch Maker." The "Watch Maker's" job is finished when the watch is made. From that point on it is up to the person who purchased the watch to check what time it is.
You don't have any time for yourself. Why don't you, "take a moment to smell the roses." Let's break down this cliché. 'Take', is an action. 'Take', empowers you to do something. It is up to you to give yourself the time. If you rely on others, they will only ask you to do something for them. 'A moment', is a small period of time. Sometimes it is just a little nap, or a small break that will recharge your energy.
In closing, I would like to leave you with a little investing advice, "Buy low and sell high." Before you give any investing advice yourself, you should, "Put your money where your mouth is."
Keep applying those clichés and you will improve your life. Always remember, unless it is a cliché, it is not worth listening to. A cliché is the most notable quotable!
About the Author:
Robert Kothe is the author of "Millionaires Secrets Revealed." This book is a guide written for people who are determined to become self-made and successful. It is a balanced perspective on how to have a good family life and financial freedom. Millionaires Secrets Revealed is available at http://www.factxback.com/milbook.htm Robert can be reached at (516) 427-3292 Ext. 900. Or write to Factx-Back PO Box 152 Huntington Station NY 11746. Copyright 1999 FActXback.
Advice from A-Z
Behind Anger is Usually Fear By Azriela Jaffe, copyright 1998
When a spouse turns unsupportive, that's often the breaking point for a lot of business owners already cracking under too much pressure. Some entrepreneurs just get mad (I'll show him or her"!) but a lot of entrepreneurs give up when their spouse becomes so angry about financial difficulties, or the time the business is taking away from the marriage and family, that tempers flare and too many harsh words are exchanged.
Perhaps nothing pains married folks more than being yelled at or ridiculed by their spouses. They feel misunderstood, underappreciated, disdained, and very lonely. It is especially difficult to bear if their self-esteem is fragile, and they are sleep-deprived and anxious about their business.
When they most need their spouse to be a friend and cheerleader, he or she can feel like the enemy.
I hear from dozens of self-employed professionals like Terri, a freelance writer who discovered one of the secrets to handling angry outbursts that start to break down an entrepreneurial couple's marriage. Terri's husband, Mark is not actively involved in the day-to-day running of her business, but he became her unsolicited board of directors when he was frustrated by her slow progress in the fledgling days of her business. Terri shares:
"My husband used to work in a horrible job around toxic fumes all day. My business was his ticket out so each day he would ask "How much did you make?" It was horrible. I had just started freelancing and I was struggling for jobs. Mark's questions cut me to the very core, especially when he would get angry and say: "Well, maybe you're not cut out for this."
"Finally, I got mad. Really mad. I was tired of hearing how Mark made thousands of dollars more than I did. After a lot of screaming and yelling, we came to terms with what was really going on. Mark admitted that he was scared; he saw himself in a terrible job until he died of cancer from all the chemicals he worked around. I was scared too - I had no support, and I had no idea how to make my business more successful.
"Since then, we started having weekly business meetings. These meetings keep Mark informed of my progress and help him feel better. It's also been good for me to get his perspective."
Terri discovered one of the secrets for pulling your marriage out of crisis when cash flow is volatile and your spouse is starting to become downright nasty - couple or business meetings.
Terri and Mark were able to acknowledge the fear lurking behind their anger when they calmed down and had a candid conversation. Only then did compassion for the other's pain replace judgment. When Terri understood her husband's positive motivation for wanting her business to succeed, she was able to embrace his involvement in her business in a more structured way. Mark became more of an actual business partner. Previous to that, Terri was relating to him more like a parent or supervisor to whom she reported, and Mark was treating her like an incompetent employee.
Mark needed a structured method to give his input, and a way to feel as if he had some control over Terri's business success - since he had a sizable emotional investment in whether or not she profited. Mark learned how to motivate Terri as an advisor and friend. They joined the same team instead of fighting each other, both motivated by a shared vision. Terri wanted Mark to be able to quit his job as much as Mark wanted to.
Behind most of the angry outbursts expressed by entrepreneurial couples is fear. Rarely will it be declared as such. Eventually the crisis heats up and one or both individuals breaks down and reveals the vulnerability that is causing their well-meaning, but very ineffective, attempts to reduce their own fears by coercing their spouse to act differently. Anger often arises from a feeling of being out of control, which both the entrepreneur and entrepreneurial spouse will feel several times a week. As Terri and Mark discovered, scheduled business meetings can help bring some calm and objectivity into the process, and reduce the tendency for the couple to lash out about business throughout the week.
If you are self-employed and coping with an angry spouse who is squashing your self-esteem and unnerving you with their accusations, step back and see the frightened child masquerading as a hostile adult. Tell your spouse that you would love their support and assistance, and you can't hear what they have to say when they speak to you in an unloving way. Ask your spouse what they are scared about. That question will catch them off guard - they are expecting you to defend yourself against their accusations. Break the cycle.
If you are the spouse of a self-employed professional who is struggling to make the business work, and you are concerned about sluggish cash flow, remember that the best way to accelerate your spouse's progress is to help them build their self-confidence. You will rarely succeed in doing so by yelling at them. Your spouse is as scared as you are, but he or she can't show you. In defense to your accusations about their incompetence, they have to pretend to you that they have it all together. They don't. They need your help, but they will only ask for it when it is safe to do so.
The entrepreneurial journey is fraught with tensions, especially when the business is fragile, and so is the entrepreneur's self-confidence. Be gentle with each other and remember: rarely is any entrepreneurial success worth the destruction of your marriage.
About The Author . . .
Azriela Jaffe is a syndicated columnist and author of the New book "Starting from No: Ten Strategies to Overcome Your Fear of Rejection and Succeed in Business" and several other self-help books. She welcomes reader response and questions to PO Box 209, Bausman, PA 17504 or az@azriela.com. For free online newsletters for entrepreneurs, visit her Anchored Dreams website at: http://www.isquare.com/crlink.htm
What Really Is "Customer-focused Selling?"
By Kevin Davis, President, Kevin Davis Selling Systems LLC
As salespeople, many of us have been conditioned to see things through our own eyes and our sales behaviors are based on these perceptions. Seeing a buy/sell relationship only through our own eyes, however, should be a thing of the past.
Faced with increasing pressure to reduce costs and increase productivity, today's buyers are more sophisticated than they once were. They are more knowledgeable, less loyal and more cautious. Given these changes, buyers will no longer simply allow you to "sell."
Instead, successful salespeople will be those who provide information and recommendations, who anticipate problems and offer solutions, who look at the sales process as long-term and provide guidance along the way. In short, the successful salesperson is the one who gets into the customer's head and applies a customer-focused selling strategy.
Buy-Knowing vs. Buy-Learning
In customer-focused selling, a salesperson sees things from the buyer's perspective and matches the sales process with the steps customers go through when making a buying decision. Instrumental in adopting this approach is understanding the two ways people buy: buy-knowing and buy-learning. Buy-knowing: when buyers believe they already know what they need to know and can make a relatively quick purchase decision, this is buy-knowing.
A repeat order is an example of this. Buy-learning: this method is more complex because it involves acquiring knowledge and weighing alternatives to arrive at the optimum choice. It is certainly the buying process of the '90s. Advances in technology, continued change and a multitude of choices means there is more risk and uncertainty for buyers. Therefore, there's a greater need to learn about the available options.
Buy-learning, as I define it, unfolds in a series of eight predictable steps: change, discontent, research, comparison, fear, commitment, expectations and satisfaction. The effective salesperson understands how to shepherd buyers through each step of the buying process to encourage them to make the purchase.
To make the customer-focused selling process easier to use, I developed a memory aid for these eight roles of selling. In the buying process, each step a buyer takes is firmly based on the preceding step. The more effective you are providing the correct information at each juncture, the better your chances of winning the sale.
The Eight Roles of Selling
1. The Student. For the change step in buy-learning, you take the role of a student and study how changes are affecting your prospects and find opportunities where you can add value.
To make larger and more profitable sales, you must find bigger and more significant needs. The prospects' potential value to you will determine how much time you devote to learning about them.
2. The Doctor. Your role as a doctor is to ask questions that diagnose your customers' discontent and uncover their needs. Discontent occurs with prospects recognize that where they are now is not where they would like to be. A problem or an opportunity can cause discontent, and it is critical look at both. As a doctor, you diagnose what ails your prospects, and identify the complications that are likely to affect the prospects if they do nothing to resolve their discontent.
3. The Architect. Here, your role is to design unique solutions that simplify your customers' research steps while setting the ground rules in your favor. Help them by translating their tangible concepts of what they need into more definite buying criteria.
To move from a general concept to a specific plan, you can use the same four steps an architect uses: 1. Understand the client's intangible concept of need. 2. Determine the must-have requirements necessary to achieve the concept. 3. Refine the concept by identifying "nice-to-haves." 4. Determine the relative importance of each nice-to-have to the client.
4. The Coach. As your prospect compares your offering to that of the competition, your goal is to defeat your opponents without cutting price. A coach gains competitive advantage through analysis and insight, then executes a winning game plan.
The steps that will help lead you to victory include: 1. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses in comparison to those of your competitors. 2. Develop a game plan to positively position yourself against the competition. 3. Demonstrate your superiority on the playing field with a great sales proposal and presentation.
5. The Therapist. The therapist draws out fears and helps resolve them. The closer people get to making a major commitment, the more they focus on the future consequences. Be on the lookout for indications that the prospect is getting nervous. To detect fear, you must be sensitive and observant. Take time to review how things are going. Is anything out of the ordinary happening?
Once you have detected fear, you must determine its source. This is not always easy and may require a bit of risk on your part. Raise the issue if you think it is causing fear and help your prospects by weighing options and discussing alternatives.
6. The Negotiator. The goal here is to reach a mutual commitment to open a relationship, not to hammer close the sale. Negotiation is a discussion designed to reach an agreement between parties who share some interests but are at odds on others.
Here are some key points to consider as you negotiate the commitment: 1. Prepare to negotiate by determining what you want from the agreement and by generating a list of high value concessions other than price. 2. Reach agreement by clearly identifying your customers' interests, determining areas of agreement, and creating win-win solutions to resolve differences. 3. Ask for commitment in a non-manipulative way.
7. The Teacher. Immediately after the customer buys, the salesperson helps the buyer get a clear understanding of his or her expectations and to know when and if value has been achieved.
Salespeople can help on both fronts by adopting the role of a teacher. First, in customer-focused selling, the objectives agreed upon must be realistic and measurable. Once these goals are set, it is up to you to manage your customers' expectations and teach them how to attain their objectives. The key here is to make sure your customer knows how use your product or service properly. Test for value to make sure your offer provides what you said it would.
8. The Farmer. The role of the farmer is to cultivate satisfaction and to grow the account. Today, companies striving to be the best have made customer satisfaction and retention their cornerstone business strategy. To survive and thrive, you must get closer to your customer, not just during the sales process, but after it as well. Your customers form a perception of satisfaction based on four factors: value achieved; product quality; service quality; and price.
The challenge to salespeople is that while customers may be satisfied with all or some of these points today, their opinions may change tomorrow. Cultivating a good relationship with customers will pay benefits again and again down the road.
As customers become increasingly sophisticated, successful salespeople will be those who modify their sale strategy accordingly. Customer-focused selling means you must get into your customers' heads, finding out what they are thinking and why, and get your sales process in sync with customers' buying process. That is customer-focused selling. Give it a try, and you'll certainly win more sales and give your competition fits!
About the Author...
Kevin Davis is president of Kevin Davis Selling Systems LLC, and provides sales and sales management training programs to corporations. Clients include BellSouth, IKON, Siebel Systems, as well as many smaller, aggressive growth companies. He is the author of the highly-acclaimed book and audiobook, "Getting Into Your Customer's Head". FREE Report - "15 Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make" http://www.customershead.com/resources/article.cfm. Kevin can be reached at (888) 545-SELL or e-mail Kevin@CustomersHead.com. Visit his web site at http://www.customershead.com
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