Is there a right way to ask for referrals in Network Marketing? Part 2

In the first part of “Is there a way to ask for referrals in Network Marketing?” I told you a little bit about my recent experience when I was asked for referrals. I got a call from a Survey company that offered me magazines in exchange for one or two names and phone numbers.

I am blessed with friends but I don’t have family in the area. My whole family is back in Peru. The only aunt I have close by doesn’t speak nor read English very well.

This lady insisted, very nicely, that most people refer to a mom or dad, or siblings. I said a couple of times that really, I don’t have anyone. For some reason she didn’t trust me and kept asking.

I told her that if that was the condition to get the magazines, it was okay for me not to have them. She accepted and the conversation was politely ended.

I realized how hard it is to give away your friends or relatives’ names when you are not confident about the value of a given product or service. I also realized how hard it is for someone to believe that you don’t have any family to refer to!

When I read a good article like Warren Little’s The Right Way To Ask For And Get Referrals In Network Marketing, I don’t have any problem referring it to my network. I know people will benefit from it. It can benefit him too and that would be great.

The right way to ask for referrals in Network Marketing is simple: politely and humbly.

I know: it’s not rocket science.

You can learn a good script and practice it to ask for referrals offline. You can ask your online visitors to share your content. You can use the magic words “please” and “thank you”.

But in any situation the mindset is very important. If we come from a place where we look for referrals to make money, no script will hide that. Asking for referrals has to be from our desire to help more people, not from our desire for their money.

Asking politely and humbly also means giving the chance to help. Our prospects (or visitors online) get something good and they can share it with more people, therefore helping them.

Finally, being polite and humble means respecting when someone doesn’t have anyone to refer. We can even offer solutions and work together in creating a network. After all, Network Marketing is about helping, isn’t it?

Is there a right way to ask for referrals in Network Marketing, whether online or offline? Leave a comment about it!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms!
AngelicaPS: If you liked this post, please refer it by sharing it (I think I just created a new tongue twister). Thanks!

Is there a right way to ask for referrals in Network Marketing? Part 1

Have you ever asked for referrals in Network Marketing? How did it go? What did you say?

Referrals are very important when building a Network Marketing business offline or online. In the article, The Right Way To Ask For And Get Referrals In Network Marketing (LINK), Warren Little explains in few words how to ask for referrals offline.

I personally like how easy can be to ask for referrals in Network Marketing online. If you like what you read you can share it within your Network with Twitter, Facebook or any other Social Media service. It’s almost effortless.

Whether you build your Network Marketing business online or offline, it’s important to ask for referrals after your costumer is satisfied with the product or service.

In the article by Warren Little it is clear how asking up front for a referral can result in disappointment for yourself. Been there, done that. I have to say: asking for referrals was one of the hardest things when I was using traditional methods in Network Marketing.

But even with a good script we can encounter someone who really and honestly doesn’t know anyone. I was there a couple of days ago.

A got a call from a Survey service and I agreed to take it. This nice lady on the phone was listening to me and building rapport. She offered me magazines to try as a thank you for participating in the survey.

I was getting excited for my magazines. Then she said that the only thing she needed from me was a name and phone number. You know, someone who could benefit from these magazines too.

In the second part I will tell you the rest of the story and why I think there is a right way to ask for referrals in Network Marketing.

We are Successful Network Marketing Moms!
Angelica

PS: If you liked this first part, please share it and don’t forget to subscribe or bookmark it to make sure to get the second part. Thanks!!

"My computer crashed": How can a Home Online Business survive without the Internet?

Can I make money online without an Internet conection?

Well... How would it be "online" then?

Yes, you could go to the local Library, go to your mom's house or borrow your best friend's laptop.

But let's face it: without an Internet Conection, there is no much "online" about your home business.

And what about a computer? We are so dependent on technology now that I haven't heard of many Home Based Businesses succeding nowadays without it.

Yes, we still have telephone, fax, home presentations, etc. But our personal conection with the computer comes alive when this trusted companion crashes.

At least that happened to me when my computer crashed few days ago.

I have confessed before that I'm not working as much during these months. But I still keep in touch with my audience and come back to my blog. I have documents in the work and a new training series.

Even with the desire to work I couldn't do much until the computer was fixed. I lost ALL of my documents. There wasn't a big chance to save them from the hard drive so I decided to let them go.

Why? Because I made a back up CD a little over a month ago and I wasn't going to lose much work. I've lost my Playlist from iTunes (and I miss it) along with few home videos that didn't make it to a CD or the Online Storage. I've lost many more files.

But the documents associated with my Home Online Business are safe. As I type, they are being dowloaded into my computer again.

As I mourn the loss of other files I reflect on how difficult it is to work without an Internet Conection or even a computer. How many people have a real limitation to get started in a Home Based Business because of this? I don't think many, but there must be some.

Even if you have the best computer, never over estimate it. Back up your files in a CD or online. I've seen some Online Backup services but I don't use any. If you do please leave a comment about it so we can all benefitiate!

Is it possible for a Home Online Business to survive without an Internet Conection? What do you think? Leave a comment about it.

We are successul Network Marketing Moms!
Angelica

What goes around comes around: How to make your Online Business work

During the last snow storm I was able to see a good example of how what goes around, comes around. If we give without expecting anything in return, it’s likely that we are going to get even more than we gave.

As my husband was shoveling some snow, a neighbor asked him for help. He helped him and because of that, he couldn’t shovel the snow out of the cars. He was too tired to keep going. He went back after few hours and as he was doing that, I saw other neighbors cleaning our side of the sidewalk.

I felt compelled to give something in return so I made some coffee for them. I felt good about giving but I doubt they were expecting anything. They didn’t even know that I saw them giving us their time and help.

My husband came back with some soup. Yet another neighbor had asked him to help her with her driveway. In exchange he could use her snow blower. He helped her without expecting anything else but he got that delicious soup.

As we gave, we were also given. We helped and we received help. We did it generously and the same was done to us. It was a beautiful flow and exchange of value.

In our Online Business happens pretty much the same. When we start giving without expecting to make every sale, we start receiving. When we focus on giving value because someone else is going to benefit, we are given value too.

If you want to make your Online Business work, start giving first.

What goes around comes around. What are you giving in your business? How do you experience this principle? Leave a comment about it!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms!
Angelica

Confessions of a Working from Home Mom

I've posted about Time Management for Network Marketing Moms before. I have insisted in the importance of working at least a little bit every day and focus on productive activities.

Well, I have to confess that I am not doing that. Shame on me! That is why in my last post I commented on how I like that basically anything you produce online stays there forever. I have worked every day before and now my content can generate me more leads time and again. But it is also important to keep the content fresh.

When we are Working from Home there are things that we can't control. I just gave up making a video for my blog after accepting that we need a new microphone. I have also accepted that these months I'm less productive because I am focusing on my guests (my mom and niece are visiting from Peru and staying with us until April).

As I get used to my new routine, I make an effort to stay connected and be honest with you. Success does not come without persistence. I will persist. I will work even when each day is not that productive.

I insist that Working from Home is a challenge when, like me, you are raising a family at the same time. We need to be patient. Sometimes that means accepting our limitations and keep working nevertheless. If you can't work every day, what about few hours a week? Maybe you can distribute the hours in slots of 20 minutes each time.

How do you face your daily challenges in building your business? I know you have something to confess too! Leave a comment about it!

We are successful Network Marketing Moms!
Angelica

PS: Don't forget to share this post if you liked it. Thanks!

Can you generate your own leads (for real)?

The simple answer is "yes, you can generate your own leads". The tricky part is HOW?

There are many e-books, training programs, systems, webminars, etc. that can teach you how to generate your own leads online. Sometimes the hardest part is to choose what leaders to follow. That is why everyone offers information for free. When you come upon a website about Internet Marketing, the chances of getting free valuable information are high.

Actually, any good leader has to offer value first. That is how you get to know her or him. You can sign in for her or his Newsletter or Training program and you will receive more free information. At some point they will offer you paid information (e-books, affiliates, a system, etc). If you know what they give for free, you can only imagine the value of paid info.You don't have to buy everything from everybody or be part of every system. Once you know the leaders and have learned something valuable from them, you can decide if you want to be part of their network.

And that is exactly what you, in turn, have to do to generate your own leads: Give value first with a blog or another personal website, have a way to capture your readers' contact information to keep in touch with them, and follow up. It's been said that the fortune is in the follow up.

The way to follow up is by having an Autoresponder service. I use and recommend Aweber but it's not the only one.

One thing that I'm loving, especially these months when I am focusing on my mom and niece who are visiting from Peru, is how powerful a blog can be. For example, some of my posts and articles are in the first pages of Google and other Search Engines for their keyword. I get visitors from there. I'm also part of Social Media websites so when I participate in them my links are there and I can get more visitors.

I get visitors for old posts. They are in the web technically forever and can generate leads for me once and again.

How do you generate your own leads? Leave a comment about it.

We are successful Network Marketing Moms!
Angelica

PS: Make sure to share this post, we both benefit!

Two ways to lose costumers – About Insurance Agents and Network Marketing

Last week I talked about two experiences that made think about how we work our Internet Network Marketing business. The first one was with a local Chiropractor who gave me a great example of giving before getting.

My second experience was with an Insurance Agent. I was involved in a minor car accident two weeks ago and we had to contact our Insurance. In case you are not familiar with the process (I hope not, for what that means), you have to report the accident within 24 hours and the Insurance should take of the rest.

As I worked with our Insurance Agent, I never felt like the lady who was attending my case was really interested in me. She was very serious and I even had a hard time understanding her because her diction wasn’t very good. English is my second language but I don’t always have this problem. Even after few calls, she didn’t seem to recognize my name. the whole process was cold and distant. I didn’t feel she smiled at all.

That was until I got the call from the other Insurance agent. This representative, a guy, was very polite and nice. It was obvious that he was smiling and he was willing, really, to help. What a difference! He accepted liability (their client was at fault) and walked me through the process of what was next. He took care of me and I was glad I didn’t need to go back to my agent.

This made think about a couple of sure ways to lose costumers: avoid building rapport and have a bad posture when talking on the phone.

My agent wasn’t interested in me personally as she was in doing her work. She didn’t make an effort to know if I was comfortable with her. I didn’t feel a connection. The other agent was more interested in giving me a good service. He made sure I was at ease and even asked me questions about me at the end. It only reinforced my trust in him.

It was obvious that when these Agents were on the phone, they each had a very different posture. Smiling, even on the phone, makes a difference. It goes back to the Communication skills that Tim Sales teaches. Ellie Drake also teaches about the importance of having a good posture and how that can be sensed in a phone call or even a blog post.

I might even consider switching Agents…

What communication skills do you think are more important when talking over the phone? Leave a comment about it.

We are successful Network Marketing Moms!
Angelica