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Monday, January 21, 2008
Differentiate Generic Marketing Lead from Qualified MLM Network LeadCopyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comIf you can believe the hype propagated on the Internet, large quantities of leads are the lifeblood of the network marketing business. It does not matter if you are involved in multi level marketing (MLM) or any other kind of marketing network endeavor, the failure to generate leads is most commonly equated with the failure of the business venture while success in generating these leads is considered the surefire way of succeeding in the business of your choice. Even though there is a kernel of truth to this school of thought, it leaves out a most important object lesson and caveat: to differentiate generic marketing leads from qualified MLM network leads. An unqualified lead is anyone and everyone you might meet on the street. Complete strangers whom you hand a business card in passing are unqualified leads. Your family and circle of friends are perhaps the best examples of unqualified leads! They could be leads simply because out of love and respect for you they will permit you to give them your sales presentation, but they are unqualified in that they have not actually expressed an interest in the product you are selling or the company you are representing. Do not misunderstand: there is a chance that any lead, no matter how generic and unqualified, may be turned into a qualified lead, yet this is a time consuming process that relies on the skill, product knowledge and determination of the network marketer. On the flipside of this coin is the qualified lead. Usually it is a person who has sought out you or your website to get more information about the product you are selling, the service you are providing and also the business you are representing. Similarly, a qualified lead is someone who is familiar with the network marketing industry and wants to become involved but might still be searching for just the right niche to buy into. Such leads are worth their weight in gold! Does this mean that each and every qualified lead will turn into a customer or down line candidate? By no means! As a matter of fact, the individual may decide that your product or business and she or he simply do not represent a good fit. Fledgling marketers may also turn off qualified leads because of incompetence. Yet by and large marketing to a qualified lead is a lot easier than trying to turn a generic lead into a qualified one. Thus it is a questionable practice for the beginning marketer to purchase leads sights unseen. Nine times out of ten this transaction will cost a fair amount of money and net the marketer generic leads, such as may have been generated with a “make money while you sleep ad” or similar promotions. Conversely, purchasing qualified leads is a lot more expensive yet also an investment well worth making! These leads are usually collected during network marketing seminars when individuals are being introduced to the concept and express interest in learning more about the industry or the wellness aspect thereof. Yet keep in mind that even if you differentiate generic marketing lead from qualified MLM network lead and not spend even one penny on an unqualified lead, you may still not close the deal! There is no guarantee in network marketing, only a leg up. About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Building Million Dollar Network Marketing Organization Secret Is Superior Newsletter Design Copyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comYou can build a network marketing empire on the backs of well written, well designed, and impossibly interesting newsletters. Sure, this may sound like the prelude to yet another e-book touting the magic bullet for making sales and turning leads into willing buyers and distributors, but in this case building a million dollar network marketing organization secret is superior newsletter design! Start off your newsletter with a friendly word of greeting. It emphasizes the relationship that exists between the recipient and the sender, but at the same time it personalizes your business by showcasing you, the representative, as a real live, warm, and caring human being. Building million dollar network marketing organization secrets far too often center on down line, up line, sales figures and product presentation but far too rarely emphasize the human side of the business. Recipients of your newsletter do not want to feel like they have just been marketed to but instead they want to have the impression that they were just thought of and thus became the recipient of a well written newsletter. Your newsletter should always be sent in plain text rather than relying on html. Avoid graphics and other items that will make downloading it slow. Structure the body of the newsletter in such a way that it looks ordered, does not appear cluttered, and showcases distinct sections, some of which may be pertaining to the company you are representing while others will deal with general articles and content. It is usually suggested that the company material should make up the upper half of the newsletter’s body while the general content ought to be placed on the bottom half. This is a flawed concept in that it will cause those who are simply subscribing for the content but not for the industry portion will glance over the info you are trying to get out. Instead, go ahead and intersperse content and industry material. Perhaps the first article may pertain to a new product you are marketing while the second may be a recipe, cooking tip, wellness advice, or so forth; the third article can once again pertain to your business, such as explaining the growth you have recently experienced, while the fourth section may be a give away, puzzle, joke, useful fact, and so on. This makes the entire body of the newsletter readable and useful while it prevents your information from being disregarded by those who just ignore the compartmentalization. Your newsletter should end with a friendly closing that in some way references the original greeting. When you are building a million dollar network marketing organization using the newsletter as your secret weapon, you want to squeeze any bit of usefulness from it. A personal signature, your title and contact information, an invitation to email you with questions or content suggestions, but also a call to action, such as buying the product or taking the free marketing course are good closes for the newsletter. You may even want to go so far as to give a teaser for the next newsletter, which will ensure that you will not receive too many unsubscribe requests! About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Building an Affiliate Marketing Network via the ClassifiedsCopyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comMost everyone who discusses the merits of an affiliate marketing network likely focuses on the pay-per-click versus pay-for-performance aspects of this advertising tool, and rightfully so! Online these two programs alone have shown themselves to be the work horses of a successful and diversified affiliate marketing network while at the same time not demanding an undue strain on a company’s promotions budget. Thus, start up companies in general and home based small business entrepreneurs in particular gravitate to this form of self-promotion like bugs to a strong light source in the dark of night. Yet just like the bugs, many of the smaller businesses get burned not because the product was unsuccessful or the presentation less than professional but instead because the interest simply could not be generated by the participants in the affiliate marketing network who chose to sign up. In general, those signing up to post links and banners or search boxes onto their sites are looking for the heavy hitters which will lend credibility to the webmaster and her or his site, while smaller merchants are usually avoided because they simply do not offer that air of mainstream acceptance to a site. In the same vein, many of the webmaster who do sign up for the smaller business affiliate marketing network will most likely be startups themselves, thus in a way countermanding the business’ efforts of reaching a large number of potential customers. Even though the money spent on this kind of advertising is low, it hardly merits the results that are being yielded. Interestingly, a new trend is developing which is finding great acceptance with smaller businesses and which is proofing for be a money maker to such an extent that it threatens to leave the tried and true pay-per-click or pay-for-performance affiliate marketing network in the dust for home based entrepreneurs: classified ads. Building an affiliate marketing network via the classifieds may sound odd but the more careful attention you pay to this trend, the more sense it makes. With a few words you have the chance to advertise your network and generate a far-reaching interest in the business. While not each and every online or print publication will permit you to post your ads, in general you will find that you can start getting out the word about your network by posting in a few free, online publications. Research the high traffic sites and post your ads in accordance with their submission guidelines – a much overlooked fact that may get your ad buried if not carefully observed! Use strong marketing words that require a response by the reader, such as “clicking” or “visiting” and rely on heavy hitters like “proven” or “guaranteed” – only if you can back up the claims, of course. Add a measurable and real benefit to the action, and the odds are good that you will have a visitor for your site. Turning the visitor into a qualified lead, of course, is up to the quality of your site and actual network. About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Monday, January 7, 2008
A Successful Network Marketing Business Relies On Customer Relationship ManagementCopyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comThe connection that exists between closed sales and a profitable quarter is equal to the connection that may be found between customer relationship management and a successful network marketing business. As a matter of fact, a successful network marketing business relies on customer relationship management as its one stock in trade that will promise to yield results no matter what the market does! Customer relationship marketing is somewhat complicated by the fact that although it is a widely applicable concept that applies across the board to all forms of commerce, it also varies greatly from one merchant to the next. In spite of these differences, there are also some similarities which are a good starting point for your business, especially if you are uncertain if you are truly making the most of your network marketing business with respect to building, maintaining, and deepening relationships with your customers. * Perhaps the most important aspect that will help you to get a good idea as to how to treat your customers and manage the relationships they have with you will have to date back to the point of first contact. When, where, and why did the customer – or potential customer – contact you in the first place? * What made your product or network marketing business attractive enough to the individual to send you an email or call you? Find out what the words and phrases were that you used and the idea you were trying to get through, and in so doing you will discovery which need of your customer you addressed on that day. * Once you have identified the need that the customer believed your product or network marketing business could fulfill, it is essential that you become familiar with your customer’s time schedule. For example, if staying home with the kids during the summer vacation is of importance to the consumer, and you know that you have three months left until the first day of summer vacation, you will have just formulated your actual window of opportunity for closing the deal and introducing another candidate to your down line! Work with the time frame provided and help your customer understand how she or he can put this time frame to work in order to achieve their stated goal! * Do not be bashful but ask! While this may sound like the proverbial car salesman question of “what’s it going to take for you to buy this car today,” this kind of question is not without merit, and while it is advisable to stay away as far as possible from sales related clichés, there are times when they do come in handy. Find out which objections, if any, the customer has, what constraints them, what concerns them, and what is that little push that you could provide in order to make the customer close the deal. A successful network marketing business relies on customer relationship management more heavily than is often given it credit for and while the hunt for lead will almost certainly continue to take over the lions’ share of the average network marketer’s attention, while it is the relationship savvy marketer who will become successful. About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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A Basic Guide To The Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) NetworkCopyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comMulti-level marketing (MLM) is also referred to as network marketing. The MLM is essentially a type of business model that combines direct marketing with franchising. The term business model describes a vast range of informal and formal models that are used by companies to represent various aspects of business, such as operational processes, organizational structures, and financial forecasts. The MLM business functions by enrolling unsalaried salespeople to sell products and meanwhile earn additional sales commissions based on the sales of people enrolled into their downline, an organization of people that includes direct recruits, recruits' recruits and so on. This arrangement is similar to franchises where royalties are paid from the sales of individual franchise operations to the franchisor as well as to an area or region manager. There can be multiple levels of people receiving royalties from one person's sales. New MLM members may be required to pay for their own training and marketing materials, or to buy a significant amount of inventory to start their career. The compensation plans vary from one MLM business to the other, but there are basic plans in place. The Unilevel or Stairstep Breakaway plans are the oldest and most popular in the MLM business. These plans features two types of distributors either managers or non-managers. The pay method of these plans includes Baseshop overrides where there are overrides of managers from their subordinate non-managers. This method is the same as any other type of sales organization. Generational overrides are overrides of managers from the baseshop of managers who were previously their subordinate. Most plans compensate at least three generations of such managers. Executive bonuses are commissions for managers who exceed a posted sales quota. For example, 2% of the total company sales revenue may go to a bonus pool that is shared monthly to managers who exceed $10,000 in that month. Commissions are based on the aspect of cycles, where a distributor is paid a fixed amount whenever both legs achieve a certain number of sales units each. Commissions are paid incrementally when the sales volume in each leg matches. In recent years, the MLM business has developed an image problem due to its resemblance to the illegal pyramid or other similar schemes. MLM businesses operate in the United States in all 50 states and in more than 100 other countries around the world. Many pyramid schemes try to present themselves as legitimate MLM businesses. In the legitimate MLM companies, commissions are earned only on sales of the company's products and/or services. No money may be earned from recruiting alone through sign-up fees, though money earned from the sales of members recruited is one attraction of MLM arrangements. A commonly adopted test of legality is that MLMs follow the so-called 70% rule which prevents members "inventory loading" in order to qualify for additional bonuses. The 70% rule requires participants to sell 70% of previously purchased inventory before procuring new orders. There are however variations in interpretations of this rule. Some attorneys insist that 70% of purchased inventory should be sold to people who are not participants in the business, while many MLM companies allow for self-consumption to be a significant part of the sales of a participant. The Federal Trade Commission offers advice for potential MLM members to help them identify those activities that could be scams. About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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4 Things To Watch Out For From A Home Internet Based Business OpportunityCopyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comThere are so many opportunities on the internet offering to set people up in their own home based internet business that it can be difficult to separate the real, legitimate opportunities from the ones that only want your money. Knowing what to look for hidden within the offers can mean the difference between finding a legitimate business to operate and ending up helping someone else make money while losing your own. With most fraudulent offers for in internet business there are four red flags that need to be thoroughly investigated before signing up to work for the website. Understand that not all of the companies that make these claims are out to take your money, but these are four things that many less than honest companies have in common: 1. Large upfront investment 2. The chance to make big money with little work 3. Do not clearly state what you will be selling 4. Lack of available contact information While it is not uncommon for business to want a fee to become a representative for their business, you have to consider the amount demanded from you before you can start selling their product or service. You should also have a clear picture of what you will get in return for your investment. It is common for the term training to be listed, but many times the training consists of links to other sites where you are expected to learn about the company’s business model. The training may also focus on how to recruit others into the business, offering to pay a “bounty” for bringing in new people. A company that focuses on bringing in more people instead of selling the product may be on the border of being illegal. Anyone who has ever been involved in a business knows it takes work. One of the most common pitches is the promise of a big payday without having to work more than an hour or two a day…or even a week. There is no such thing as a free lunch and those who try to convince you otherwise and not being totally honest. That disclaimer about income may not a representative of the potential earnings, should beg the question about why even bother to list it. If you have been reading an online based business opportunity for several minutes and have no idea about the product or service you are being asked to sell, it could be an indication of a scam. Many keep it a secret until you have spent your money and find out there is no way you can sell this to others with a clear conscious. Know what the product is, and how much it will cost, before considering the offer any further. Look for contact information. If the only means of contacting the company is through an email address, it could be they don’t plan to be around long enough to answer any questions or complaints. Money back guarantees are also only about as good as the contact information. Email addresses and post office boxes are not good contacts. About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Article Writing for the Good of Your BusinessCopyright © Seppo Lamsa http://www.SefiSuccess.comBreaking into a newspaper can be a difficult prospect. Every day, reporters and editors are pitched from a broad range of sources for ideas that range widely from the extremely newsworthy to the ridiculous. With all of this competition for what it a very limited amount of space, the chances of getting your story before the subscribers eyes can be slim. To circumvent this problem, you can concentrate on a certain type of story. A story that speaks to a certain audience but isn’t necessarily timely. This type of story is called a feature and it can be the greatest thing that ever happened to your business. A feature is designed to be a fully developed, in depth look at a certain topic that doesn’t need to correspond to the big news of the day. Under ideal circumstances, the story could be published today, tomorrow, or a year from now with the same effect. Unlike a press release, which gives the outlines of a happening that invites a reporter to dig under the surface to find the story, a feature is to be used just as it was sent in. Of course, after acceptance a newspaper has the right to edit it to fit the space available or leave out the content seen as superfluous. The topics for a feature range as broadly as those for any other type of story. Health and home improvement are particularly good topics for a feature because they are subjects people are interested in on an ongoing basis. If your business lends itself to one of these topics, or to the topics of travel or technology, it would lend itself just as well to a feature story. These stories also have the advantage of being used in supplementary portions of a newspaper, such as the lifestyle section or one of the special Sunday sections. If you can get your feature in to one of these, it would be twice the bargain, as it has been shown that people have more time to pursue the paper on a leisurely Sunday than any other day of the week, meaning more eyes on your story and more time to digest the content. In order to make your feature something a newspaper will want to publish, here are a few secrets of the trade to help you better sell your content. For one, you’ll want to have an attention grabbing headline. Lacking this, the editor will create one of their own design, but will they have as much personal interest in getting people to read the story as you have? Likely not. The headline may in fact be the most important aspect of your story. Ask yourself some questions about the article, and find a headline that answers these questions in a way that summarizes the meat of the article. If you can make it clever and witty, so much the better. But don’t try to get too cute. No one likes that. Finally, the content itself should be written in a style similar to the other articles in the paper. Review an issue or two and create your article with those templates in mind. About the Author:----------------------------------------------------------------- To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.SefiSuccess.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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