Thursday, October 30, 2008

Using the Internet in Network Marketing means using leverage

There are many ways to build a Network Marketing business. Basically, you present your information to prospects. And how do you find prospects? Where? Here is where the work starts: handing out fliers, brochures or invitation cards, sending e-mails, approaching friends and family, asking for referrals, calling leads, etc. It’s true that the “real” work comes when you have associates to train but isn’t it hard enough to find people to invite? Many (if not all) of the great leaders in the industry will tell you about the number of “no’s” they got before their “yes’s”. Still, they built a strong business presenting to people.

You can only give so many presentations a week. And yes, when your associates are doing the same you are using leverage. If 10 associates give presentations then it’s like you are doing your work 10 times. What is better: one person doing 100% of the job, or 100 people doing 1%? This concept fascinated me when I started to become familiar with Network Marketing.

But what about multiplying everyone’s efforts by being in different places at the same time, all of you? That’s the power of using Internet in Network Marketing. I’m not talking only about live or recorded online presentations (which are great), e-mails or auto responders. I’m talking about people from all over the country and even the world coming to see what you have, even when you are sleeping. They build that relationship of trust with you without having to talk with you since the beginning. They know you because they see what you have written all over the red and your name starts to become familiar. You are knowledgeable and a mentor to them All of this at their own pace, when they want.

It’s leverage at its best. And that’s why is so important to have a good online presence!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms!

Angelica

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A good online presence Part 2: How do you establish your online presence?

We know it’s important to have a web presence. Making our names known will show that we have the knowledge, wisdom, common sense and willingness to help and guide others.

So, how do you build a good and strong presence online? There are many different ways! And the best part is that most of them are free. I have to warn you though: it’s doable but it takes time, consistency and persistence. You have to set a frame of time to work on some kind of online presence activity. OK, here are some ways to do it:

1. Blogging! Blogs are a personal way to reach your prospects. See my post about blogging here.
2. Writing articles related to your keyword or the subject you are promoting. When submitting an article, use the box for personal information wisely and add links. There are many e-zines where you can publish, like ezinearticles or goarticles.
3. Participate in forums and always leave a signature with a link to your website (i.e. your blog). Offer valuable comments beyond the “good job” common one.
4. Place ads in sites like Craiglist.
5. Ask questions and offer answers in Yahoo Answers or similar websites.
6. Use social sites to socialize and leave comments about websites related to your interest. It’s tempting to take long to do this, but you don’t need more than 10 minutes (I’m getting better at this too). One great site is SocialMarker, where you can find the best websites to submit to.
7. Create an online business card. I found this website called BusinessCard2 that looks very professional.

And these are only some of them! The most important thing is to take action to have a good online presence. Start with something today!

We are successful Network Marketing moms.

Angelica

Saturday, October 25, 2008

An example of web presence

One of the sites that help establish a good online presence is Technorati.com. It allows you to claim your blog so you appear as its right owner, besides submitting comments about articles or blogs (including yours).

So I need to post this link to assure that this is my blog: Technorati Profile

Takes practice and patience!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica

Add to Technorati Favorites

A good online presence Part 1: Why is important to have a good online presence?

We talked about the importance of Marketing and that we need to take advantage of the Internet to market the most important product we are promoting: ourselves. The importance of a good online presence, or web presence has to do with building a relationship of trust that we need to establish with our prospects. It is making your name easy to recognize by others. There are different ways to institute you as a leader and the expert many people will want to join in business.

A good online presence is important because when people look for what you have they need to know they can trust you. It’s the same principle we use when we approach prospects one by one, but using the Internet allows us to be in many different places at the same time. It’s leverage at its best. Instead of taking several conversations and encounters for someone to trust you enough as to hand you his or her credit card, with a strong web presence you can come across as the mentor they are looking for.

With a good online presence you’ll make your name known to others. Imagine if someone comes across your website and likes what she sees. She (or he) might want to know what else you have out there and searches your name, will it come up? What content will it show? Nowadays a web presence is about generosity so the more information or opinions you share, the better your presence will be. It’s not only “come visit my website” but visiting others and leave a comment or rating. More on that next!

So, make your name known and start establishing a good online presence. I’m working on that, too!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Marketing in Network Marketing

Why is Marketing so important in Network Marketing? Because is the way to communicate our message to the people who need and want what we have. Most of us make the mistake to give away brochures, samples or other tools that promote our Company and/or our products. We try to attract the prospects one by one instead of using the right Marketing System that attracts dozens and even hundreds of them.

In a traditional way, a Network Marketing business is built with home presentations, hotel meetings, parties, referrals, cold calling, etc. You invite someone who invites someone who knows someone, right? And at some point in the network someone will join you. How long does it take to build a Residual Income business this way?

With the technology we have to our disposition now, not using Internet for Marketing in your business is almost trying to go against the current. It’s true that you have to build a relationship of trust with your prospects. You can do that online establishing yourself as a credible knowledgeable person, a leader who is willing to share his or her knowledge, a leader who has learned something of value and wants to pass it along to others. That is in the core of Marketing in Network Marketing: knowing that the first and most important thing you want to market is not a product or an opportunity, it’s you.

We’ll talk more about the importance of a web presence and ways to build yours in future posts.

We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica

Friday, October 17, 2008

Are you frustrated with Network Marketing?

You know Network Marketing is an opportunity for the average person to build a Residual Income and really help others. And you probably did everything you were told: went to training meetings, used your product and learned about it, drove people to the presentations, invited friends for lunch, etc. And still, the result was little to none success. Now, that is frustrating. And yes, I’ve been there and done that. I’m a frustrated Network Marketer too.

It’s called "Network Marketing" for a reason: you market in your network. You network first, market second, right? Wrong! Marketing has to be at the center of your business. Effective Marketing attracts people to you, instead of you approaching them.

So, where do you find enough people? In the Internet! Prospects come to you because they are looking for what you have and see the value in your information. They are pre-sold.

That is what Ann Sieg proposes in her book The Seven Great Lies of Network Marketing. It’s provocative and sassy. But it also tells it how it is. It’s intended for people who are looking for a more effective way to build a downline. When I read it I not only felt related but understood. I wasn’t so wrong after all! I didn’t need a bigger why after all! The secret is in the Marketing. Attraction Marketing, that is. And this book is a cornerstone in the new era of Network Marketing: Internet Network Marketing

So, if you are a frustrated Network Marketer, you have hope. There is a better way. Grab a copy of the FREE e-book “The Seven Great Lies of Network Marketing” now. Stop your frustration and start the satisfaction of Networking!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Why people fail in Network Marketing? 5 simple reasons

It's known that 97% of people fail in Network Marketing. It's actually one of the main reasons some people use to damage the image of the industry. But we don't deny it. We fight it and try to make it to the 3%. We try to understand the reasons so we don't make the same mistakes everyone else is making. So, why do people fail in Network Marketing and what can we do?

There are many sources that explain the failure in MLM. Ranging from 1 to 10 or more, leaders give reasons that I summarize in five because of their similar nature:

1. Lack of education and training : we could say that everything can be resumed in this one because we should learn the basic principles of the next reasons in this area. It includes the things that we don't understand at the beginning of our careers, like the need to change mentalities (from employee to business owner) and all that comes with that: treating our business like a business, the importance of daily motivation, the need of a marketing plan, the different strategies we can use, etc.

2. Lack of money: Yes, we all want to make money. I bet that's why you signed up, right? (I know I did). Part of that business mentality means that we need a budget, especially for marketing since is the most important activity.

3. Lack of productivity: Some leaders mention activity, but there are many Network Marketers out there filling their days with activity that doesn't make them money. Productivity is what we need to succeed and defeat failure.

4. Lack of realistic expectations: If someone told you this was easy, I'm sorry. It's simple, but it doesn't mean is easy. It takes work and dedication. And even though it IS possible to have immediate success, not many people have the skills to do that. For most of us, simple humans and busy moms, it's going to take effort and patience. And that has to do with understanding exponential growth (as part of the training, reason#1)

5. Lack of marketing: Now this is the big one. Again, we go back to training because we should focus more in learning how to market and more importantly, WHAT to market, since the beginning of our careers. And not only learn but do, so we can really "earn as we learn". Marketing is at the core of our business. Without it, we have nothing. With good marketing tools and system (yes, we still need one) we'll never run out of prospects. Even better, qualified prospects, the ones that actually want to work with us.

Do you want to know more?



The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing


We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica

Monday, October 6, 2008

Why are blogs important in Network Marketing?

Blogs are important actually for any business. They build a community of people with similar interests. When you leave a post in your blog, you are open to receive comments and create an exchange of information between people (a.k.a. prospects).

The word "blog" is the short form of "web log". What started as an online diary to keep in touch with family and friends has become and important marketing tool. Blogs are important in Network Marketing because they help you distribute your information and create a presence in the web. They are easy to use and many services are free, which means you can save money.

Some tips to maximize the benefits of a blog in Network Marketing:

1) Update the content on a regular basis. That's going to make the difference when you rank up the search engines. Pay attention to how many blogs are in the first pages of Google. Many of them are business oriented blogs. Keep in mind that you'll need several posts before you start seeing real traffic.

2) Make it interesting for others. This means that you have to pick the theme you want to share information about (tips, advice, statistics, etc.) as if you where doing the research. Would you look information about it? What are people looking for?

3) Keep it keyword rich. This is the group of words or the phrases that designate the theme you picked. Repeat it in different parts and with different variations in your post. Bold it, underlined it, linked, etc. Make it noticeable and your Network Marketing blog will be an important marketing tool in your business. Can you guess what are the weywords of this post?

4) You have to read some information first and do some research to know what people are looking for (their problem), what things are out there (the solutions) and how you can compete with them (can you do better?).

Finally, keep it simple an be patient! don't get overwhelmed. Take one step at a time and remind yourself of how much your are learning and how that is going to affect positively your business.

We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Yes, Moms can work at home

Why did you start a Network Marketing business? Besides your personal reasons, I bet you did because you believed that you, as a mom, could be successful working at home. You have the qualities and the drive to succeed so, what's stopping you?

There are many options out there for moms who want to work at homee. There are jobs like typing or medical billing and many of them offer a flexible schedule so you can fit it easily in your busy day. But you chose to have your own business. That makes you an entrepreneur and a boss. You are in control of your income and can make as much or as little as you want. You also control your hours and your activities.

Maybe you are overwhelmed with the amount of things you have to learn, or don't even know where to start. Maybe you had some success and are getting worried about drying out your circle of influence. Or you are ready to try new ways to build your business. In any of these situations, you should consider use the Internet.

Working from home can be challenging. Moms already have many things in our hands, but if you follow easy steps and guidelines (that I'll provide as this blog grows) you CAN and will be successful!!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms.

Angelica