Who Are You In Network Marketing?

When you consider how you’re known in the cyber world, it’s important to consider what name you use to present yourself to others.

I am a person who loves social media. Recently, I’ve been getting a slew of friend requests from company names versus people names. Each time I receive one of these requests, I hit “ignore.” I really don’t wish to be friends with ABC Company. I much prefer to be friends with a real person.

Very often these anonymous requests come from people involved in network marketing. I do go to their profiles and I see they represent a network marketing company.

Sales and teams are built through personal relationships in network marketing. If you don’t even use your real name, how can you expect to build relationships?

I’m a strong supporter of introducing yourself to others and then, if and when the time is right, introducing your products to the new person in your life. When I get a friend request from a company name, whoever is behind the company is trying to introduce me to the product first.

Consider your own purchasing habits. How often do you buy items from an unknown source and through someone who doesn’t even use their real name?

If you use social media? as a form of exposure, attach your name. Attach your city and state. Let people know who you are.

If you use a blog as a form of exposure, once again, use your name. I can’t even count the amount of comments I’ve gotten on my blog from company names. I go to their profile and there is nothing personal about them. I have no idea who they are. I only know their company name. I click away. I want to meet and know people. I am not interested in learning about the company or the company’s products.

Consider who you are as you market and put your name out there in cyber space. How do you want to be known? Do you want people to know you as Company ABC, or do you want people to know you are a real person willing to be known?

Audrey :)

Growing a Team of Distributors

I wanted to share an article written by Lisa Willard. I have always enjoyed reading her words:

I just finished listening to one of our team coaching calls and as always, it got me to thinking and my wheels turning. As a home business owner and coach, my passion is growing a team of distributors. When a new member joins my team, it's really important to get them started on the right track. Here's a few highlights to start your new team members the "right" way.

1. Maximize the excitement. When someone first starts a new business, the excitement is huge and as their partner and coach help them plan the next few weeks to keep that excitement going. What's the best way to do that? Help them make some cash fast! My business has a retail end that allows you to make money day one. And when someone can make some extra money immediately, that is huge.

2. Keep in touch. You want to keep in touch with all of your team members. But you will want to have a plan for contacting your new people one on one at least for the first month. Get to know them. Know their goals. Know their dreams. Have fun!

3. Set up their monthly calendar. Help your new team member plan their first 30 days. Having a plan is one thing, but you must have action steps to go along with it. Whether it's planning home parties, or an open house, or simply sending out a "I have a new business" letter to friends and family, help your new partner plan those action steps.

4. Keep their goals in front. It's so important to have goals in this business. Write them down. Have your new team member share them. Once you have goals, plan your action steps accordingly.

5. Encourage Personal Development. This is so important. Personal development is a huge part to a successful home business. I have a great reading list for all of my new team members. It's so easy to let fear stop you in your business. The fear of rejection, the fear of failure, or even the fear of success. It's important to prepare your mind and to develop yourself into the leader you want to become.

6. Enjoy the journey of your growing team. This simply goes back to having fun! Some of my best friends have become the people I have met through my home business. And most of them live many miles away. It's important to laugh, smile and have fun with what you are doing!

Believe Success!

Lisa Willard
Network Marketing Success
Burn and Earn

~ ~ ~
Audrey :)

Fall Cleaning in Network Marketing

If you’re in network marketing, then you know products will change with the seasons.
With fall just around the corner, it’s time to clean out supplies and products that you had over the summer time.

We just moved and so I had the opportunity to clean out old supplies during the packing process. I threw out quite a few older items, creating fewer boxes to pack and unload on the other end.

So what should you save and what should you throw out with the change of seasons?

1. Throw out network marketing catalogs with wrong prices. Companies do change and update catalogs. If the prices have not increased, it’s ok to keep the catalogs and hand them out, but if prices have changed, toss the catalogs. When customers see a price, they want the item at the price in the catalog they’re looking at.

2. Throw out old policy and procedure guides. Network marketing companies update their policies and procedures regularly. Make sure that the copy you have is the most recent and accurate copy. If someone has a question, you don’t want to answer based on the policy five years ago.

3. Put aside discontinued products. While the product might be new and sellable, you don’t want to demo or show a product that can not be ordered by a customer. Either put the product into your personal collection or offer the product as a giveaway.

4. If you save company literature on conferences, get rid of old literature. Unless you’re holding onto it to create a scrapbook of a trip taken, get rid of old conference literature.

5. Most companies have incentives through out the year. Get rid of any old incentive information. You want to keep current incentive information at your fingertips, but old information no longer does you any good.

When we moved, I was amazed at how much older information I had. I was able to lighten our moving load quite a bit by cleaning out all of the old network marketing literature I had. Go through your shelves and see what you can discard and what should continue to be saved.

Audrey :)

Social Media Goals for Your Network Marketing Business

Social media and network marketing almost go hand in hand today. I know very few network marketers who don’t have social media accounts.

With an account on Twitter, MySpace or Facebook, you can communicate with customers, potential customers, team members, upline members and even potential team members.

To make the most of social media for your network marketing business I’d like to suggest some goals:

1. Set a goal of commenting on at least ten items per day. You might comment on a photo, status or tweet. The point is that you’re opening the door to communication with the person you’re leaving the comment for.

2. Set a goal of requesting two new friends or following two new people each weekday. This is ten possible new friends each week. When you send the friend request, add a message. If you’ve followed someone, let them know why. Send them a message. Let the person know who you are and why you’ve requested they be your friend. Do you share a common friend? Do you live in the same town? What brought you to them? One word of caution, no one wants to read “I’ve sent you a friend request so that I can spam my ads to you.”

3. Answer those who take the time to message you, answer your tweets or comment on your page. Relationships are two way streets. If someone takes the time to send you a message or to comment on your page, answer them.

4. Set a goal of sending a private message to at least one person per day. Find something to talk about. Read their statuses or tweets and send them a direct message.

5. On the networks that allow photos, upload some of yours. Let people see you and see that you are a real person. I’ve received tons of comments on my photos. I post trip photos, family photos and even just fun photos. I give people something comment about.

Use these five tips to help build your following on the social networks. Network marketing is all about your network, so start building your today.

Audrey :)

Removing the Fear In Direct Sales

Very often I hear people say, “Oh I could never be in direct sales, I’d be too afraid.”

If you’d like to overcome your fear, the first step is identifying what it is you’re afraid of. I’ve found that when someone speaks of fear in direct sales, the fear usually is rooted in a few areas:

Fear of rejection – When someone says no to a product or a business opportunity, the salesperson needs to be able to understand that the “no” has nothing to do with the person. The no means that for today the product or opportunity does not meet the needs of the person you’re speaking to. Have you ever said no to something and then a week, month or year later said yes? This is because at the time you said no, the item you said no to did not meet your needs on that particular day. Your no was not about the sales person but about not needing the product right then.

Fear of being pushy – I think many of us have met pushy salespeople. They’re the ones who will call your house ten times in a one hour period. They’re the ones who forget to say hello and instead, immediately launch into a sales pitch. Those who are like this are probably like this outside of sales also. These are just people who believe they have all of the answers and that what they have to offer is the only possible solution to a buyer’s needs. If you’re not pushy now, then don’t become pushy once you begin selling a product.

Fear that the product will not meet the consumer’s needs – Make sure you clearly understand the return policy of your company. Make sure your customers know what their options are should they not be satisfied. Try some of the products before you sell them. All of us have made a purchase and that purchase did not meet our expectations. We return the product and go about our day. Often we’ll buy again from the seller, we just were not happy with that one product. If you’re comfortable with the company, if you like the company’s return policy, then feel confident selling their products to others.

Spend some time speaking with the person you have thought about joining but were too afraid to join. If they’re a non-pushy sales person, they’ll be able to share some thoughts and ideas with you with no obligation on your part. You still may decide that a direct sales career is not the right career for you, but you may just discover something you’ll love and be a part of for years to come.

Audrey
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Eight Benefits of Direct Sales

I’ve been asked many times the benefits of a direct sales business over a privately-owned one-person business. While I’m not suggesting one is better than the other, I’d like to share what I believe are some of the benefits of having a direct sales business:

1. Lots of options. There are many direct sales companies to choose from. You can choose a company that meets your needs in terms of products and compensation plans.

2. You do not have to develop the product yourself. The company will take care of product manufacturing and product support materials.

3. The start-up costs are usually very minimal. You pay for a starter kit and possibly a few support materials. While you can often purchase a company site, you do not need to invest in site development, shopping carts and other sales related items needed for an internet presence.

4. While the income is completely commissioned, the hours are very flexible. You can work around children’s schedules, outside work schedules and other commitments you may have. If you need to work in the early morning or late at night, it can be done.

5. Many people enjoy the recognition that direct sales offers. It’s really awesome to see your name in print and to be recognized for your achievements. I’ve heard many times that the recognition makes the work very worthwhile.

6. If you are a person who enjoys helping others, direct sales might be a perfect choice. You’ll help people through product sales and you’ll also help people when you bring them into the business and mentor them in sales and leadership.

7. The opportunity for personal growth is enormous. When I look back at where I was ten years ago and where I am today, it’s astounding. There are so many awesome mentors out there very willing to help you and coach you.

8. If you love the products you’re selling, it’s awesome to receive a discount on your own purchases. I’ve met many people over the years who have joined companies strictly for the benefit of the discount for themselves and their family.

These are just eight benefits of joining a direct sales company. Is network marketing right for you?

Audrey
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Network Marketing and Taking a Walk

I was out with a friend this morning, taking a walk on one of the many trails that Santa Barbara provides us and I was struck by the many similarities my walk had to network marketing.

We took a path we’d been down before but today, with the weather nearing 80 degrees and some recent rain, the view we saw was different from the view we had just a month ago. This can happen in your business also. Perhaps you tried a marketing method several months ago and did not get the desired results. Try again. You may find a different result this time. Perhaps you’ve spoken to someone about becoming a distributor or buying your products. If they didn’t say yes, try again. It’s possible that life has changed for this person and they just might say yes this time. You might also consider trying a product that either you haven’t tried before or a product that perhaps you weren’t crazy about earlier.

As we walked, flowers that were not at all in bloom a few months ago were now in full bloom and both fragrant and beautiful. Your business will also go through cycles. There are times of year that are a bit slow and there are times of the year that sales and sponsoring will be more abundant.

We passed by many people along our route. Some were walking, some were jogging, some were on bikes, some were walking dogs, some were in groups and some were alone. We are all different. There is always more than one way to get from point A to point B. Each person we passed was enjoying the path a bit differently but each would end in the same spot. Some would get there quicker than others and some would have company along the way.

We also found that some people went out of their way to say “good morning” to us, while others turned the other way not wanting to engage in conversation. We also began a few exchanges. These exchanges were met in many ways. Some people just nodded their head and moved on. Some smiled and moved on. Others wanted to verbally engage with us and echoed our words of “good morning.” This is just another reminder that as we speak with others about our products and business, we will get a wide variety of responses.

Network marketing really is just another part of life with many similarities to those things you are already familiar with.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka