Is an MLM Home Based Business for You?

MLM Money Historically, having an MLM home based business has been a very popular way for individuals to earn money from home.  Multi level marketing has seen many entrepreneurs earning 6 figure incomes.  It has enables countless people to obtain the life that they dreamed about and allowed them the time and financial freedom to be masters of their own lives.

However MLM has traditionally had a very bad reputation.

Many people have said that MLM business opportunities leave a bad taste in their mouths.   There are many stories about a friend of a friend who ended up broke, penniless, disillusioned and feeling ‘conned’.  I have no doubt that a good few of these stories have some truth to them and some people have been left hugely disappointed by a brush with MLM.

Some of the negative press stems from:

  • - Aggressive of obnoxious recruiting methods
  • - Felt strongarmed into buying a whole load of expensive product and been unable to sell it
  • - Hounded or bullied
  • - Felt abandonned by the upline as soon as they signed on the dotted line

MLM can be viewed as a scam when in the hands of tacky business recruiters or sales people, just like any business.  However, it can also be a great business that will allow you to build a sociable, stable, long lasting, financially successful business that is recession proof.  You can be your own boss, working the hours you want around your lifestyle.  MLM is a legitimate home based business but some due diligence is required first.

  • - Do you enjoy working with people?
  • - Are you open minded and enthusiastic to be mentored?
  • - Are you keep to be shown how to be an expert in your field?
  • - Are you willing to put a 1-5 year plan together and work hard on that plan to ensure you meet your goals?
  • -Do you want to be your own boss and choose how much money you earn?

If your answer is YES to even 3 of the above, then MLM could be just what you’re looking for.   There is however, some work to do first.

Choose wisely when it comes to your MLM.

The company should be established for over 5 years (10 is better) and show sustained growth.  You should enjoy the products, see a market for them and they should be a repeat product (if not you may work twice as hard for less gain).  You should chose an upline you feel you can learn from and who is actively making money.

You can run an MLM home based business that is as successful as you need it to be if you put your share of the work in, make your plans and constantly challenge yourself – results are practically guaranteed!

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How to Lose Prospects and Alienate Uplines

I firmly believe after an 11 year involvement with the network marketing and MLM industry that there is one undeniable truth – people just don’t want to make any money in network marketing!

Are you going at it gung-ho year after year while not recruiting anyone?  Are you  spending loads of money travelling to meetings in all weathers, going to seminars and training programs?   Are you doing all this with enthusiasm and watching your cheque shrink and shrivel a little further each month like a salted slug?

If you’re one of these people then this post is absolutely for you – because I am going to go over absolutely every way that people fail in network marketing.  This is an essential ‘DON’T MISS’ for all of you who are dedicating yourselves to winning at losing.

1. Spend money on every training and motivation product going!

There are loads out there!  They are all so tempting, each one promising to deliver the secrets to success.  Don’t worry though,  I know that many of them are smokescreens and cover up a lack of content with fancy words and ’salesy’ phrasing which is why you’re attracted to them.  If you’re really dedicated and willing to go that one step further then you could do what a lot of people do and buy the ones  you know will work and then don’t read them.  I have come across hundreds of people with huge libraries of excellent information and teaching worth literally thousands to their businesses and they haven’t bothered to read it.  This shows a huge level of failure dedication.

2. Ignore your industry leaders!

Many of them are actually making money!  They are following a proven system which is allowing them to bring new, highly targeted prospects and customers through their door, all clamouring to buy from them or join their downline.  And who needs that??  If they call you, ignore their calls!  If they ask you to present an action plan, make an excuse!  Most importantly of all, argue with them if they show you their proven success system!  After all, you are doing it your way and you’re doing just fine!  Don’t attend their trainings and certainly think that you know best.

3. Keep jumping from one opportunity to the next

Most successful failures make sure that they swop network marketing companies every 3-6 months on a whim.  Many of them understand, just like you, that if you don’t start seeing the thousands rolling in after a few months by sitting back and doing nothing then the company is a swizz and a con.  Move on straight away!  If it’s an established company with a proven track record of successful distributors then jump ship immediately for the next best ‘ground floor opportunity’ that promised y0u untold riches just by sitting on your couch.  Always remember that successful people take time to build foundations that will lead to lasting business relationships and a solid long term business that grows and grows – this is not for you.

Hang on………what’s that?  You’d LIKE to be successful?

Oh!  Now I understand!  Well in that case you are clearly one of the FEW PEOPLE IN NETWORK MARKETING THAT WOULD LIKE TO EARN AN INCOME AND BUILD A LASTING SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS.

Welcome to the club.

If that is the case then you need to find a successful, motivational upline and repeat what they are doing.  You should ask your upline what products, E-books and trainings they recommend and do only those until you are established.  You should make sure the company is long established, offers a good compensation plan and sells a great, repeat product you can see the value of.   You also need to begin planning your day and take action, day in and day out to build your business.  If you do all of those things, you will be successful and you will never ever want to quit.

If you do all of those things you will make money, it is almost guaranteed.  You will create the business that you have always striven to have.

Click Here if you want to learn more about choosing an opportunity that’s right for you.

Hot Topic – MLM Secrets?

Ok so let’s get the main point out of the way right now.  There is no such thing as one huge MLM secret that is just waiting to be discovered.

Many people have now cottoned on to the various little ’secrets’ in MLM that will tranform you from a struggling network marketer calling your friends and family to actually being able to make a decent and sustainable living from your business.  There is countless information out there in the form of personal coaching, E-books, tutorials and forums dedicated to this very topic.  The big secret was exposed as the internet and the power of online marketing techniques to leverage your business.

So, what does it take to be successful?

1.  YOU NEED TO START BUILDING YOUR LIST

Im going to go a bit further into list building in another post but please don’t underestimate the power of this one idea.  If people out there have been so interested in what you have to say that they have opted in to receive further information from you then that is the first major hurdle to traditional network marketing removed.  The prospect wants to hear from you! It’s an amazing feeling as those clients (except in the rare event that they opt out) will be your clients for life.  They are now in your marketing funnel and have chosen to develop a relationship with you.

2.  YOU NEED TO START LEARNING HOW TO MARKET AND SELL

I don’t mean that you have to go out and do a whole load of sales tactic courses in order to be successful (although it wouldn’t hurt!).  What I mean is that you need to understand why people act the way they do, why they buy things and their consumer patterns.  You don’t need to be a fully developed salesman/woman but you do need to understand the art of persuasion and have a system in place that allows the customer to be guided by you.  It’s a much more natural process and doesn’t feel like ’sales’ at all.

3.  ONGOING CONSUMPTION OF A PRODUCT OF VALUE

The best types of customers are those that have bought from you and are regular and loyal users of the product you provide.  I myself became involved in the business side of my opportunity because I felt that there was a great market for the product and it filled a client need.  Dedicated, repeat user clients are an excellent source of business, both for your ‘monetization’ (i.e. making sales of a product upfront in order to break even with your business from the start) and also to go on your LIST for any future developments.

4.  DUPLICATION

If a client has brought from you and likes YOU then that client is ready to move towards learning more about your business opportunity or how you can help them earn money from home.  This is a natural progression of the relationships you develop through your sales funnel.  They have got the ‘WHY’ but you have the ‘HOW’.   It has to be easy for you to explain what you do, and you have to be DEDICATED to assisting with every step.

so, mlm secrets are not in fact secrets at all – just consistent and targeted action to reach all your goals – let’s get started!

Starting a Home Based Business

The key to starting a home based business is first understanding what type of person you are.  We’d all love to live the dream, fire our bosses and begin running successful, fulfilling businesses from home while earning enough to move full time to the Caribbean.  Don’t get me wrong, this is ENTIRELY POSSIBLE!

You do have to understand a few things first however – and they are things that all successful entrepreneurs know to their bones.

1.  You have to have a passion for your business.

If you get involved in selling or marketing a product you have to see a need for it and see it as something people will buy time and time again.  Many network marketing companies have removed this problem from you by understanding that people will always buy health products, educational materials, motivational courses and supplements.  Repeat purchases are best or something where you have a chance at building a relationship with someone.

2. You need to have pretty good mental stamina.

Running a business and being proactive and learning are all difficult things to do.  If you’re mentally strong, chances are you’ll be able to make decisions for yourself better, be able to keep motivated and motivate others.  All successful leaders have this quality.  You don’t have to be a ‘bulldog’ – many leaders have excellent ‘quiet stamina’ and are just as successful.

3. Determination and a positive attitude.

There are times when things seem to be going wrong or you’re not sure how to proceed.  Keep a smile on your face – it’ll right itself if you’re positive and are determined to take action to make things right.  There is no failure – there are only results!

4. Don’t be afraid of learning or teaching.

Learning means that you are supposed to have no idea how to do it in the first place – you’re supposed to be in the dark! Many people think this makes them look stupid – it absoolutely doesn’t – there is nothing more to be admired than someone who wants to learn new things.  Also, don’t be afraid to teach – if you know how to do it you can teach others !  You don’t have to be an ‘expert’ with 30 years experience and 4 degrees behind you.

5. You need to love people.

If you want to run a successful business you will need to be engaging and engage with many different types of people.  You don’t have to be gregarious but you do have to be able to communicate and LIKE finding out about what makes others tick.

If you can accept all these you will have no trouble starting a home based business that sticks.

Starting an Online Business

Starting an online business can be TERRIFYING

I know, I’ve been there and I remember it like it was yesterday – the fluctuations between excitement and absolute certainty to painful indecision and frustration – sound familiar?  Starting an online business can be a strange and sometimes lonely process if it’s a new process and you haven’t found the right support.

There are some Golden Rules however that you need to take into account when looking at starting an online business.  These are the rules that I have learned along the way and the information below should save you weeks, if not months, of heartache and frustration – happy reading!

Golden Rule No 1 – There are going to be many frustrations that you will be faced with.

I have put this as the first rule of starting an online business because many people are new to the concept of how far the internet has developed over the last 2-5 years even with the advent of social media, blogs, attraction marketing, email marketing, PPC, Search Engine Optimisation etc.  It really is enough to make your head spin and each subject could take you months to study to even begin to comprehend – the amount of information out there is staggering.  One of the most common pitfalls is for people to think they can just pop up a blog with average content, write a few articles and sign up for sites like Twitter or Facebook and all of a sudden they will be inundated with leads.  It’s not quite that simple!  Don’t get me wrong, it is absolutely possible to attract a never ending flow of leads and build up a great customer and prospect base, but you do need to understand that along the way there will be frustrations.  The point I am making here is that you should always keep your eyes facing forward – it will work if you just keep at it and educate yourself as much as possible.

Golden Rule No 2 – Organisation is the key to your business.

At the risk of sounding like your old Headmistress, organisation will allow you to reap much bigger rewards than if you just attack your online business with no real plan.  Many people are attracted to owning an online business because it is easier, cheaper and can reap larger rewards than other types of businesses.  The problem with that is that many people don’t approach it how they would other types of businesses.  You need to write down and plan both your WHY and your HOW.  You also need to plan the steps you will take to get there.

An example of this would be to look at where you want to be in 6 months time.  If you want to have a solid second income of £3,000 per month (totally possible I assure you) then you need to plan back to exactly how many customers you need to have, how much work will go into that and factor that into the time you have available.  The great thing about planning is that it is fluid and can change over time as your business takes shape.  I love planning my income goals and planning my actions throughout the days/weeks/months as it gives structure, focus and motivates at the same time.

Golden Rule No 3 – Branding yourself correctly is the key to running a successful online business.

You need to decide what skill sets you already have, keep educating yourself and make sure that everything you do have YOUR unique voice and YOUR unique message.  Everyone has an idea of how they’d like to see themselves – do you want to be a specialist in a particular area, blogs for example?  Or are you mnore drawn to social media or copywriting?  Do you want to be a mentor or infopreneur?  Don’t worry if you haven’t developed a specific ’skill’ or feel like an expert yet – do you think other leaders like Ann Sieg or Mike Dillard were experts in their field? (I’ve included links to their free report pages – some really useful info there!).  Both of them have talked about the continued need for education and learning, even when you reach ‘expert’ status.

Golden Rule No. 4 – Find the right Mentor

In the rapidly developing world of online and internet marketing it’s so important to feel that you are being guided through the process by someone that knows the ropes, preferably you can still connect with on a personal level instead of an army of assistants or emails coming at you from all angles.  This will save you the most time out of everything.  Many internet entrepreneurs  sell their services as coaches.  My take on that is that it’s abslutely brilliant in order to bring in upfront cash flow that you can then plow straight into your business.  What do I do?  I’d rather give away all my knowledge for free because I know how it felt when I first started and it could get difficult being enticed with the promise of the newest and latest secret knowledge only to discover that it would cost  X dollars.  I’m not judging, paid coaching is great and there are some good ones out there, I just prefer to connect with people and not have YOU (my reader) pressured into paying anything if you don’t want to for knowledge I have learned the hard way – I don’t want anyone else to have it as hard as I did!

So, there are my Golden Rules for success – GOOD LUCK with starting an online business you can be proud of!

And don’t forget to comment if you’ve got things to say about my posts – I always love hearing from you!

Network Marketing Business Opportunity – Find Yours Now

Do you constantly worry about whether you’re in the right network marketing business opportunity for you?

If you did, then I was right there with you.  Thankfully I’ve solved that problem now, but more on that later.

There are so many ‘next best thing’ opportunities that there is a lot of hype.  Some people looking for a legitimate network marketing business opportunity don’t always do as much due diligence on the type of company they should be affiliating themselves with – the ones that will allow you to build a long term, solid, successful, financially rewarding home based business.

1.  The company should be product focused

A product preferably with a frequent, repeat and varied use.  I like companies that are ethically driven and create products inspire people and make them feel passionate – as that is important to me.

So ask yourself – what is important to you?  Is it health and wellness?  Are you inspired by education?  Are you motivated by money? Whatever motivates you it should be a product that you have tried and loved, otherwise you won’t be authentic to your audience.

2.  A clear, generous Compensation plan

We’re all in business to make money, right?  In my experience, the best type of compensation plans are those that pay on many different levels and compensate you generously for building and training a team as well as bonuses for different levels as it creates desire to move forward, team spirit and builds strong downlines.  If it’s complicated or difficult to see how you’ll get paid – avoid it!

3.  Passion and Professionalism

‘Ground floor opportunities’ are usually just that – untried, untested and unable to prove they’ll stand the test of time.  If it’s a good company with a good product, it doesn’t matter how established it is.  In fact, I wouldn’t touch a company that hasn’t been in business for 5 years or more.  Research the company – is it passionate about it’s products and plan? Does it have a strong financial base?  Does it have a message that you could be proud of?

4.  Find your upline yourself

Finding the right network marketing business opportunity can sometimes be like a date – you want to make sure it’s right for you but you can be a bit nervous about it.  If you find someone who you like, trust and who you feel like you can work with as a downline in a business you like – then you’re onto a winner.   Network Marketing is a very personal business and it helps if you can develop a good working relationship with your upline and they can help you grow your online wings until you can fly yourself!

Side note:  Many people in my current downline have found me that way – many people also contact me through this blog asking what I recommend and if they can work with me – that’s great and it’s sort of the whole point so if you’re keen to have a chat about Your goals and what’s important to You to see if I could be a good fit for you then just contact me.  This is totally non obligation and there is plenty of valuable information you can browse on this blog so have a good look around, but I do like a bit of a chat so don’t be shy!

Those are my top 4 tips for choosing your network marketing business opportunity and taking the time to choose the right one.    It will pay off in the long run!

How to write an Article

It wasn’t until I understood how to write an article, and make it fun, informative and engaging that I started to have real success making money online.

The average person spends 60 seconds on your website so if you’re not pressing their buttons from the off, then they’ll be the ones that are off!  Thinking of yourself as a ‘writer’ can be intimidating, especially if you’ve not written anything yourself since 1986 in your diary.  However there are some simple guidelines you can follow so your articles will always sound fresh, original and will spring abundantly from the well of your mind

- You must research or know your subject matter.  You need to have enough knowledge to sound informative, if you’re not sure about something then find out, or leave it out.  Keyword research is crucial to understand how much your subject is searched for and good sub-niches – a good tool for this is Google’s Free Keyword Tracker

- Think about your tone of voice.  It’s so common to write something in jest that can be misinturpreted by a reader.  Chances are that you will never know either, they will just disappear from your site so think about if you’re tone should be chatty, informative, joking, serious, urgent etc and set your language accordingly.  It’s also best not to switch tones halfway through although you can of course introduce a note of levity into a serious piece.

- Plan your structure.  Articles should generally be between 440 – 800 words however if you’ve got great content and it’s 1000 words, don’t worry too much.  Chances are longer articles can always be broken down into 2 subtopics though.

- Your top paragraph should be the basis of the whole article.  Make sure you have your keyword in there (preferably highlighted or Headed).  This is where you convey all of your essential information.

- Review your article several times.  Condense any ‘wordy’ paragraphs and cut our unnecessary words.  Be ruthless, the aim is to be as concise and clear as possible.  You want your message to be instantly accessible.  I find a quick second opinion from the nearest passerby seems to work!

- Always write with the reader in mind.  Think about who the article is for, what they want and what possible interest level they might have.  What do they want and then think about what you want them to do.

- Pay attention to your grammer, spelling and sentance structure.

- Encourage the reader to keep reading.  Bullet points or numbers are excellent ways to do this.  If you are keeping some big ‘insider information’ to the end, then make sure you say so at the beginning!

If you stick to these basic principles for how to write an article you should be able to constantly produce content that is exciting, relevant and connects with your audience.

Make Your Own Website a Prospect Magnate

Have you ever wondered how some people attract endless traffic to their websites or blogs?

I know I have, and it’s frustrating when you feel like you have all the pieces of the puzzle in place and nothing is happening traffic-wise.  To make your own website a success you have to remember who the information is meant for, and how it gets to them.

In industrial advertising many companies look to grab the attention of the consumer with attractive graphics, targeted messaging and images.  The internet is all about information.  If I go to your website now – what will I see

  1. - Will you tell me who you are and what you do?
  2. - Will you have filled your site with content rich articles or graphics?
  3. - Will your articles be over 250 words long?
  4. - Will you be adding new content every day or every other week?

Information is king on the internet and the only way your information is getting to the consumer is if they are looking for it.  On the positive, this means that if you’re found it’s by someone highly targeted on the flip side it means that you have to have wooed and won the heart of Google.

Google is the Grandpa of the Search Engines and it is constantly checking the web for new content.  Google does not care about attractive websites and stunning graphics.  Google is not interested in wide spaces and content poor sites or sites that haven’t been updated in ages.

The only way to have a decent page ranking is to make sure your site is content rich, you add new information every few days (Google comes back again and again to check!) and they advise that all site content should be unique and relevant.

Search Engines also read patterns of behaviour so if visitors come to your site, click on a few things, hang around and stay there – you’re rating will improve.  Some of the best rated sites with the highest rankings are pretty ugly!

I’d also advise that you don’t just put up a one page site as Google won’t list it (it’s currently a rule they have).

If you are asking yourself “How can I increase my website traffic?”  then I suggest the following – use your site to give out as much information in your unique voice as possible, prove your skills, let people know who you are and what your experience is.  Giving away some good, free content is also a way to improve your click through ratio.    It is hard work to make your own website informative and content rich but it is also essential to increase your traffic and your prospects.

The Internet – Friend or Foe?

e-internetTraditionally,  MLM’ers like us have relied on a ‘warm market’ list of personal conections, family and friends.  This method has worked for some and I do know several people who have been in the business a long time who built up substantial businesses doing it this way.

So what is going wrong now?

Let’s look at this for a minute.  Firstly it’s totally fine to approach people you know in order to recommend something and you can start that off with a very simple,

“I’ve been working on something that has really impressed me, do you have some time to meet with me so I can show you how you could make some money”.

This is a very traditional route, it can work and chances are if they know you and like you, you’ll have a a shot at at least chatting to them about your opportunity.  The problem with this method is twofold:

a) You only have a finite list of people you know

b) It can be uncomfortable when people think you are ‘pitching’ them

Let’s break that down even further.  The world today functions very differently to 10-20 years ago when mlm was in it’s heyday.  The internet has changed everything about the way we do business, the way we communicate and how we socialise.

The Internet can powerfully leverage your ability to find, manage, and share information. Never before in human history has such a valuable resource been available to so many people at such little cost.

- Bill Stewart

Almost every business uses the internet to attract new customers and prospects and it is very rare these days to find a company or entrepreneur without a presence on the web.  And yet most network marketers are ignoring it!

How many times have you heard the only way is to approach everyone you know, and how this business only works on personal recommendation?  In todays world if people want something, the internet is where they look for it!

In Network Marketing, YOU are who people buy from, YOU are who people trust and YOU are who people will want to network with if they can find you! Not the company you work for, or the products you sell.  So it stands to reason that you should utilise the internet and have a presence on it in order to create a ‘warm leads’ list of people that doesn’t run dry!

And here’s the kicker – personal contact is still vital!  You feel much more comfortable buying from people you know and trust that some faceless entity that is trying to ’sell’ you something.  And the internet provides this with Skype, Social Media, Forums, Chatroom and newsletters.

Imagine having an audience of thousands of people reading what you’ve got to say – that’s pretty powerful!  And it’s only now that people are cottoning on to just how powerful.

So, the Internet – Friend or Foe?  What do you think??

What Is Attraction Marketing? Essential for Beginners

Attraction Marketing is, quite simply, the last missing piece of the puzzle.

For years Networkers (including myself) have been asking themselves

“I’ve got this great business, I’ve been to all the training, I love the product, I have tons of enthusiasm, I can see I’ll be able to make a huge income!  So why is my business floundering?”

Simply put, you’ve run out of people to talk to.

Ann Sieg, whose ideas I admire, puts it very succinctly in  her E-book ‘The Renegade Network Marketer‘.  The problem is that most Network Marketers still think that the way to build a credible, successful business is to approach everyone they know (or in some cases, people they don’t know i.e. 3 foot rule!) and pitch their product or opportunity.   This works a treat if people know you, trust you and like you then chances are that they will listen to you and then join or decline from there.

But what happens when your list is finished and you’ve run out of people to talk to?

That’s when our business can start to seem extremely difficult and an uphill struggle.  Many people who contact me now all say the same thing “I got disillusioned doing things the old way – can you help me make some changes”.

If you’re like me then you love Network Marketing and MLM.  I still think it is, bar none, the best way to make money from home.  However if you don’t find and build a steady flow of prospects who are interested in You and Your Business, then the well will run dry and chances are you’ll give up or get depressed and move onto the next thing.

It does not have to be this way!

There are several very very simple (and free) ways to begin your attraction marketing.  The first thing you should do is mentally define yourself.  You are your own best product. People will more likely want to work with you if they like and trust you and if they feel you are being yourself and natural.  This can be as simple as writing a list of things you are passionate about and what you believe in.

Attraction Marketing Made Easy

The internet can seem like a scary place.  But mostly if you think of it as one big social coffee shop you can’t go wrong.  People meet online, they chat, they create relationships and they trade information and recommendations in one big virtual melting pot.

Here it comes…

The KEY to building a great business that attracts endless prospects to you is to dive into this online world and start communicating with people.

I had one gentleman ask me recently what the biggest positive change had been to my busines ever and I had to answer that it was my decision to get online and buy wholeheartedly into the principles I speak about in this blog.  There is a list of places that you can begin:

- Twitter

- Facebook

- YouTube

- Meetup.com

- Ezine Articles

- Articles Base

Amy hundreds more. They take two seconds to sign up to and while you may feel a bit awkward or intimidated at first, it’s very quick to get yourself into the flow.  You could write about any topic related to your business, or yourself, and comment or connect with likeminded others and you will begin to see people reaching out to you.  As soon as you have mastered this, it’s time to move onto the next step!