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This e-book will help you learn the basics of MLM to help you thrive in the home business industry. To further increase your odds of having success with MLM, visit http://ProfitBlueprint.net to learn the "Top Earner 5-Step Profit Blueprint" to get more leads, enroll more reps and make more sales online.
Citation preview
SIMPLE KEYS TO BUILDING YOUR MLM DREAM
FROM A-Z
Disclaimer
The material herein is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge.
However, the author’s opinions may change. The reader is encouraged to do
their own independent research.
The information contained in this e-book is meant to serve as a comprehensive
collection of time-tested and proven strategies that the author has deemed
successful to meet the intended results. Summaries, strategies, tips and tricks
are only recommendations by the author, and reading this e-book does not
guarantee that one’s results will exactly mirror his own results. The author has
made all reasonable efforts to provide current and accurate information for
the readers of this product. The author will not be held liable for any
unintentional consequences, errors, or omissions that may be found.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information
in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that
the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other
professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the
services of a competent professional person should be sought.
Whether because of the general evolution of the Internet, or the unforeseen
changes in company policy and editorial submission guidelines, what is stated
as fact at the time of this writing, may become outdated or simply inapplicable
at a later date. This may apply to this product, our affiliated website platforms,
as well as, the various similar companies that we have referenced in this e-
book, and our several complimentary guides. Great effort has been exerted to
safeguard the accuracy of this writing. Opinions regarding similar website
platforms have been formulated as a result of both personal experience, as
well as the well documented experiences of others.
No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted or resold in whole
or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author. All
trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this e-book are the
property of their respective owners.
Table of Contents
Summary ........................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 8
Ambition ......................................................................................................... 9
Budget .......................................................................................................... 11
Conference Calls ........................................................................................... 13
Dress Code .................................................................................................... 15
Events ........................................................................................................... 17
Follow-Up ..................................................................................................... 19
Growth ......................................................................................................... 21
Hot-Buttons .................................................................................................. 23
Inspiration .................................................................................................... 25
Jealousy ........................................................................................................ 26
Knowledge .................................................................................................... 27
Leverage ....................................................................................................... 28
Marketing ..................................................................................................... 30
Niche ............................................................................................................ 32
Opportunity .................................................................................................. 34
Presentations ................................................................................................ 35
Quota ............................................................................................................ 38
Referrals ....................................................................................................... 39
Sponsorship .................................................................................................. 41
Time Management ....................................................................................... 43
Urgency ........................................................................................................ 44
Vision ............................................................................................................ 45
Why .............................................................................................................. 46
X-Factor ........................................................................................................ 48
Yearly Taxes .................................................................................................. 50
Zero Tolerance .............................................................................................. 51
Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 52
Summary
Multi-level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing is one of the most
lucrative businesses today. See that I call it a business and not a profession. It is
not something that you learn in a day. Just like there is no “real” training that
could make you the President of a country or a Wall Street magnate, there is
no degree that could make you a network marketer, at least not an efficient
and charming one anyway. It is an art that needs to be polished. A science that
needs to start by changing the way you find and evaluate your prospects and a
math that calculates how to approach them.
You need to know your A to Z of network marketing to make the most of it.
From the way you think, to the way you speak, dress and approach, everything
matters. You need to know where your prospects are, what their preferences
are and what they are looking for before you can even approach them.
Does that mean network marketing is too complex to even give it a shot? Hell
No! Network marketing is a flourishing industry that has led many visionaries
and go-getters to become millionaires by adapting the right strategies. As great
opportunists claim, “there is no ‘reserved’ sign on wealth”, you can do just the
same yourself.
Surely you know the basics of network marketing. It is a form of selling that is
based on relationship marketing, direct selling and multi-level selling. The fact
that you are considering a career in network marketing also indicates that you
are most likely aware that most Fortune 500 companies are incorporating
MLM strategies into their corporate strategies. Actually, network marketing is
not just the present but also the future of marketing in these digital times, and
in order to make the most of it, you don’t just need to know the basics, but
also the top secrets to make lasting impressions and hefty sales.
This e-book is an A to Z guide on everything related to network marketing.
Whether you are thinking of unshackling yourself from a regular job, looking
for a side business or simply betting on yourself to make millions before the
next Olympics season, this e-book has you covered. We will not only discuss
the basics of network marketing but also the personality traits, business
acumen and the online and personal presence required to break into network
marketing. So if you are ready to hold the reigns to your life and career, this e-
book is well-stocked to help you build a competent and result-focused MLM
team.
Introduction
The days are long gone since network marketing was considered a pastime for
housewives who would try to buy and sell housewares while gossiping during
tea times or when a salesperson would end up at your door convincing you
that the vitamins he’s selling would turn all of your gray hair black overnight.
Today, network marketing is much more sophisticated and lucrative than it
used to be in the last century or even the last decade.
Today, network marketing is a serious business that requires skills, knowledge
and of course efforts. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme that will produce $100
bills by the hour while you watch soccer on the couch. It is an industry that is
growing due to the increasing demand of personal and referral marketing.
Individuals are looking for products and services that they can rely on, and as a
network marketer, it is your job to bring those viable products and services to
the consumers’ door steps. But that’s just the gist of it. You need to do a lot
more than just look and sound convincing in order to build a network that will
not only listen to you, but have faith in what you have to offer. You need to
develop your own brand and build effective leadership skills. The greatest
advantage of a network marketing business is that it requires almost no capital
to start, and you don’t need an extensive set-up either. You can convert your
closet into a home-office with a desk and telephone or simply hop on the
couch with your laptop, as long as you have the right skills and know what
buttons need to be pushed when, you will be on your way to becoming a
reliable and successful network marketer in no time.
mbition
I probably should have had left this section for last. Probably
suggested you become Zealous with a Z. But I would like to get
the bad news out of the way first. This book will not make you
rich. There is nothing in this book that will automatically turn
you into a millionaire tomorrow or the day after or even a decade later. This
book does not have the power to do that; nothing and nobody does;unless, of
course, you have a very rich uncle who leaves you with a gazillion dollars. But
frankly, even that kind of cash wouldn’t get you anywhere unless and until you
have the drive to be somewhere.
Have you ever heard of anyone who had a dream, woke up, looked out the
window, and all his dreams had come true? That is not how it happens, and
that’s not how it would happen for you either. You will need to pull up your
socks and get running until your goals become achievable. I could give you a
dozen quotes by successful people who explained the need for ambition to get
to their goals; but I am not going to be making things easy for you. Achievable,
yes, easy, no.
So your first step is to know what you truly want. Why did you purchase this
book? What are you trying to achieve? Money, career, freedom, balance or
something else altogether?It is very important to know where you want to go
before you start walking; and before we stroll through this book, I would like
you to write down all the things you expect to achieve from this book and from
a career in network marketing.
Be as specific or as crazy as you want, because once you have the list handy
and your objectives listed, you will be able to understand your own needs and
A
expectations. Ambition is the fuel that will keep you going when things don’t
look too good and giving up would sound very tempting. The fact is, there will
be days when things may not turn in your favor and you would find all the
reasons to doubt yourself and give up. It is ambition that will provide the
persistence needed to get through those times. Almost every successful man
knows what failure is, he has been there, he has tasted it and he has refused to
allow it to bring him down. You need to mirror the same attitude and approach
to get the most of network marketing.
Now that your head is in the right place, let’s get down to the secrets that will
power boost your ambitions and take them to culmination.
udget
The first question you probably asked yourself was whether
you even have the money to start network marketing. You
would need an office and a new phone and a new computer
to manage all your networking clients. You may want to hold
on for a few minutes before you start budgeting. The chances are you already
have a presence on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
How many friends do you have on Facebook? According to recent, research,
the average friend count for a Facebook user is 190 friends. Let’s assume you
have somewhere between 100 and 250 Facebook friends; that’s 100-250
prospective clients right there. So technically, your business starts the moment
you decide to become a network marketer….FREE OF COST!
There are more than 30 million individuals involved in direct selling and around
90 percent of these marketers spend less than 30 hours per week on their
network marketing business and over 50 percent spend even less than 10
hours. It is amazing then that the worldwide sales from direct selling increased
from $34 billion between 1990 and 2000 to over $100 billion by 2010. Almost
100 percent of these marketers have started with almost no startup capital. All
you need to do is select the products/services that you would like to market
and get started. The secret to success does not lie on how big an investment
you make but rather on how passionate and knowledgeable you are about the
products/services you are selling and how convincing your selling strategies
are.
Once you get your head in the game, you will need to start budgeting for
prospecting tools, trainings and meetings. All these are essential to stay ahead,
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and constant investments in these strategies would definitely reap the returns
you would hope for.
onference Calls
Today businesses cater to global markets. There are hardly
any products/services available in the market today that don’t
have the potential to be sold at almost every nook and corner
of the world; and we have the internet to thank for that. As a
network marketer, the internet is one of your greatest tools to not just cut
down on networking costs, but also to increase your visibility and approach.
However, it is not the only tool, and the need and necessity of your good old
phone should never be undermined. Personal calls and video calls are still
more effective and powerful than textual or virtual way of communicating
online.
Conference calls are a valuable tool in network marketing. Primarily, you
should commit to attending all success-line and company sponsored
conference calls. Conduct three-way conference calls with members of your up
line or down line as well. Conference calls can be of three basic types:
Presentation: Conference calls are a great method for presenting your
products/services. It also gives you the opportunity to expose more people. In
order to give effective presentations, be sure to include your introduction,
company, industry, products or services, testimonies, opportunity and then an
effective close. Conference calls are a great way to expose people to your
opportunity who may be unable to access the internet or personally attend a
meeting.
Basic Training: You would want your distributors in your organization to know
the basics of your business before learning about the more complex
technicalities. You can easily cover the basics on how to get started, basic skills
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required and how to use the services and products you offer using conference
calls.
Leadership Training: Conference calls can be used to train the trainers. You
would like your distributors to be committed and to duplicate your steps in
order to get similar or even better results.
Conducting training and presentation calls will also give you the opportunity to
listen to your team and to develop leadership skills. Conference calls have
almost become a mandatory tool for effective network marketing and
communication with your team; be sure to make the most of this tool.
ress Code
As the old saying goes, “you are what you wear” and all
those sayings about first and lasting impressions. Would you
purchase a hot dog from a vendor wearing a dirty apron or a
racist bandana? The chances are you wouldn’t. No matter
what profession you look at, dress codes are the basic identification and
recognition factors; and it is no different when it comes to network marketing.
It is not a part time job or a freelancing opportunity that you can make the
most of while wearing your pajamas or going out to meet prospects in sweat
pants. People will only take you seriously when you take yourself seriously.
A survey was conducted at a trade show and individuals were asked why they
didn’t make purchases today. The top answer could surprise all the companies
who spend thousands of dollars in booth fees, display materials and
commutes. The primary reason many people hadn’t made the purchase
was…bad breath! Could you believe it? Of all the things that a company
focuses on, it fails to focus on the individuals who would eventually be closing
the deal! Strong perfumes and colognes, chewing gum or inappropriate clothes
could easily break the deal.
It is important to follow the dress codes of specific areas. You are not out there
to make statements. Try to dress modestly and in sync with your prospects,
but be conservative in your approach. Dress what you are comfortable in and
top it with a layer of confidence and charm and you are good to go my friend.
At some events, a completely formal dress would look out of place and there
would be places where even your best suit may not be enough. It is better to
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do a little research into the event beforehand to make sure you don’t stand
out for the wrong reasons.
Even if you are meeting one prospect, be sure to spend the effort to look
professional. Your prospects need to know you mean business, and proper
dress code is the first step towards that. People form opinions of others even
before they start talking, and a proper dress code would do half of the work for
you before you can even explain your proposal.
vents
Well, if after reading the dress code requirements you
decided that you might as well not attend the events then
that’s one of the biggest MLM related mistakes you would be
making. Know that not attending MLM events is not even an
option! It is these events that will majorly determine the success of your
career.
Author of Rich Dad/Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki suggests that network marketing
is designed for people who desire to change their lives, fame and fortune.
Network marketing companies offer comprehensive personal development
training that are taught at these MLM events. These events are attended by
the leaders that you would like to reciprocate.
These events give you the chance to socialize and hangout with people in the
same business and a chance to build on your network. Businesses are evolving
almost daily, and so are marketing strategies. You need to be in the know-how
and at the center of things happening that can boost your business. Learning
and personal growth is a never ending struggle, and the more active you are,
the better the chances you have of getting ahead of your competition.
Ideally, you should attend an event at least once every 90 days.Studies show
that those who attend an event at least once every three months are more
likely to stick to the business and get greater benefits. The old adage “90% of
success is showing up” definitely applies to showing up to MLM events.
If you are new to MLM, these meetings and events will pretty much be the life-
blood in the beginning. These events will help you grow and build a new level
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of confidence. Theywill enable you to recognize the movers and shakers in
your industry, increase your visibility and get connected with distributors.
Many successful network marketers have credited MLM events as their turning
point to success. These events will give you the opportunity to get first-hand
valuable information from the leaders themselves. Successful marketers know
the importance of events and they make it a point to attend.
When you attend these events, you collect different stories and pathways of
success and it will give you perspective on how to shape yours. You can also
use these stories to motivate and inspire prospects and team members.
The idea, however, is to not just attend these events just because you had to
and sit it out in a corner. That would be just as good as spending the day sitting
on the dock watching ships go by. Be prepared to interact with others,
exuberate confidence and soak in all the information and knowledge that you
can.
ollow-Up
Effective follow-up strategies are imperative for a successful
MLM business. You should never give up on your prospects.
Following up on prospects can sometimes be frustrating. It is
like running around in circles with no real-time returns, but only
when you follow-up without a plan. Primarily, it is important to separate the
real prospects from the non-interested ones, and it is much more important to
follow up within the first 48 hours before they lose interest.
You need to make a list of prospects who show interest in your offerings and
then use effective follow-up tactics to make sure they stay in the loop.
Following are a few follow-up strategies that are likely to yield positive results:
Be Precise: Don’t ever leave a prospect without first confirming the next
appointment. We generally expect our prospects to join on after the very first
meeting, but that hardly happens. Don’t expect your prospects to take out
their credit cards after the very first meeting, rather you should focus on
preparing them for the next appointment. When they get ready to leave ask
them when would be the best time to get back to them. Try to be specific
about the time. If they refuse to give a follow-up time, then determine a time
on your own.
Use a Calendar:As much as you’d like to believe that you can remember all
your commitments, the chances are heavily stacked against you. Whether you
just have one prospect or a dozen, use the calendar for reminders. Google
calendar is great for setting up email reminders so that every morning you get
an email regarding your day’s commitments. Forgetting about your
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commitments can cost you greatly in terms of credibility and lost
opportunities.
Closure: There is no point on knocking on locked doors, well not initially
anyway. If you don’t get a response to your emails twice, then it is time to send
a closing email. Simply, let your prospects know that their friendship is more
important than the business and that you will give them a call in a few months
to see how things are going. Then set a reminder to send that promised email
or make the call in the few months.Don’t be pushy and make the call short.
Then call again after 2-3 months. Just because someone isn’t interested today
doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be two months or two years from now. And
when they are, you should be the only one they think about.
Try Different Strategies: You will always have some prospects that are more
likely to join than others. It is these prospects that you should be keen and
careful about getting on your side. Don’t just stick to calls or emails but rather
send handwritten postcards, invitations to events etc. to let them know that
you truly care.
rowth
Growth is the ultimate evolution of every successful
business. The day you are just satisfied with the way things
are, your growth opportunities willgreatly diminish. No one
is more essential to your success than you, and you need to
make a little more investment in YOU every day.
To be competent and effective the market needs you to get on top of the game
and stay there. Complacency can slow you down and unlike what many
believe, it won’t keep you where you are, it will gradually bring you down.
Continuous personal development and a constant hunt for opportunities are a
prerequisite for attaining and maintaining success.
Success is not just about the numbers in your bank account. It is about building
yourself and your team in a way that it caters to the market in an effective and
successful manner every time. It is about gaining and retaining the trust of
clients and prospects, and it is only through growth that it is possible.
Primarily, the secret to MLM growth is staying connected and expanding your
network. Call or write to three people every day and you shall see a consistent
growth in your business. Following are a few other tips for substantial growth:
1. Network marketing is not just all about recruiting. It is easy to recruit but
it is difficult to build a team of distributors across the nation. So make
sure you focus more on helping those that deserve your help than those
that need your help.
2. You need to have a personal email list, and it needs to grow each and
every day. Also, be sure to send personal emails; people work with
people, not companies.
G
3. Use sales funnels. These build relationships with your leads. Once you
get an individual on your buyer list, you can easily do repeat business
and pitch them your MLM opportunity.
4. The success of network marketing lies in duplicating what you have done
before. Once you get the desired results, create a system with training
and step-by-step guides to show your team how to duplicate.
ot-Buttons
In sales, the “hot-button” generally refers to some topic,
product or service point that a prospect has a very strong
interest in. They use these hot-buttons all the time to make
their pitch. Hot-button in general terms is any issue that
triggers an immediate and intense reaction. However, these emotions are not
always good for business. Especially in MLM, using hot-buttons with your
friends and family could result in lack of trust and thus lead to you being
alienated. Needless to say, you need to be very careful and strategic about
finding a person’s hot-button and successfully using it.
The most effective of hot-buttons are the solutions to problems. So you first
need to find the problems facing your prospects and provide solutions for
them. You will need to have a systematic method to uncover the prospect’s
problems. Find out issues the prospect is struggling or suffering from and how
your product/service could offer a viable solution.
Most network marketers confuse interests and desires with hot-buttons. Every
time a prospect mentions an area of interest, the salesperson assumes it as a
useful hot-button and keeps on pushing it to make the sale. This not only
results in lack of credibility, but no real benefits. The truth is, fear of loss is
much greater than the desire to gain. Therefore, you don’t just need to sell the
idea of what the prospect would be gaining but also the security the solution
offers.
Another great strategy for finding hot-buttons is to look for them within. Once
you have a deep understanding of the product/service that you are selling and
your own personal connection with it, it is easier to convince others to do the
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same too. So rather than selling a pitch, you would be selling an emotionally
connectable story.
nspiration
Your down line needs to be inspired by you. It needs to be just as
ambitious and driven as your own self. An inspired team is much more
effective than one who aimlessly follows the path designed by you.
Network marketers need to keep their eye on the ball and they need to
be able to see and follow your vision. People who are focused and highly
motivated are generally the ones who lead the packs. Following are a few
strategies on inspiring your down line to yield the most productive results.
It is not just skills that make an individual or a team successful, it is the inspired
vision to make use of those skillsets and taking action that does. Be sure to
keep yourself updated with the industry that you plan to cater to. Read
industry books, watch videos and listen to audios to know all that can be
helpful in forming effective strategies. As a team leader, it is not just you who
needs to stay in the loop, but the entire team. Encourage and coach your team
to read books and watch videos relevant to the industry also.
There are numerous online platforms available that offer a sea of knowledge
regarding MLM strategies and latest news and information on your specific
industry. Social networking sites like LinkedIn are also a great way of finding
people from a similar industry and sharing information and thoughts. Learning
should be an ongoing process as it provides constant inspiration and
motivation to keep moving forward.
I
ealousy
I always find jealousy very interesting. It is an emotion that can
lead people to do things that they thought they were incapable of.
It is a destructive feeling; for both the ones feeling it and those it is
targeted towards. MLM is a thriving industry and everyone wants a
piece of the pie. Everyone wants to succeed and make millions and create an
enviable team. However, not everyone is able to, because not everyone is
willing to struggle and strive for it. If you decide to ramp up your efforts and
begin seeing success, then expect those envious many to try to drag you down
because of their negativity.
Their negativity has held them back from achieving success on their own, if you
allow them to get to you, they will conveniently and happily do the same for
you. So what you need to do is, either inspire them to take action like yourself,
or separate yourself from them so that the negativity doesn’t get the best of
you.
J
nowledge
Knowledge is the most powerful tool in business. It is the
knowledgeable that are separated from, well, pretty much the
rest of the world. The good news is, MLM is a multi-billion
dollar industry with thousands of people making millions
every day. They have mastered the skills and have established strategies that
are bound for success. All you need to do is learn from them. Use the methods
used by the successful to create your own success story. It is best to duplicate
the process rather than try to reinvent it in order to duplicate the success too.
Study and observe the success patterns and then apply them to your own
product, service or company plan. They say you have to learn to listen in order
to talk and teach effectively.That’s what you should aim to do from the
beginning. Listen and pay attention to everything that your mentor has to say
and teach. Make a list of network marketers who have been successful in the
same industry as yours and closely follow them. If they are speaking at an
event, make it a point to attend. Watch their videos and read their blogs. In
short, just soak in their fountain of knowledge so that you can rise drenched in
success.
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everage
MLM is a pretty competitive industry. Every day dozens of new
marketers are born that are hungry for power and success, and
they wouldn’t mind virtually snatching it away from you. In order
to become irreplaceable you need to have leverage above your
competition, and you need to do it as a team. Network marketing is a team
effort, and you are as strong as your weakest team member. So be sure to
leverage your time and responsibilities to other leaders on your team. Be
constantly in contact to discuss new ideas and strategies. Be a listener. Hear
other’s ideas out and encourage them to propose better strategies and then
use them in a way that is mutually beneficial.
John Paul Getty, the great American billionaire had famously said, “I would
rather earn 1% of 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.” True
leaders are those who can use the power of leveraging to derive income from
the efforts of others.
Let’s assume the job of a carpenter who makes 2 doors per week and charges
about $100 for a door. So technically he makes around $200 per week without
deducting the expenses. This is a form of linear income, a method most
earners apply. However, if he started a referral business where he found
people who required door construction services and then found contractors to
do the job, he could charge a referral fee. So let’s say if he made 2 doors in a
week previously, he could easily be making 50 doors by hiring 25 professionals.
If he pays $80 to the contractors and keeps $20 as referral fees, he would
easily be making a $1000 a week without having to do much work. That’s
called leveraged income and will give you the opportunity for much higher
earnings for much less effort.
L
But it does require effort nonetheless. Before you can leverage your
responsibilities to other leaders on your team, you will need to properly train
them and provide a step-by-step plan in order to get the desired results.
arketing
During an interview at the David Letterman Show, Donald
Trump claimed, “If I lost everything and had to start
again, I would find myself a great network marketing
company and get to work!” That statement from a multi-
billionaire clearly shows the potential of network marketing. As much
importance as networking holds, it is eventually the marketing aspect that
separates you from the pack.
When you are recruited to become a network marketer, you sign up for sales
and marketing, just like dozens of others. It is your skills as a marketer that will
distinguish you from the rest of the crowd. You need to think of yourself as a
brand and build yourself like one too. You need to establish yourself to your
prospects as someone of value and as a servant leader. Basically, you first need
to market yourself before you can market anything else.
Fortunately, social media has made it very easy to establish the desired image
of yourself. Be sure you have a strong online presence on all the relevant social
media sites including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and even
Pinterest, depending on the industry you cater to.
Having a presence is not enough, you need to make sure that you are visible to
your prospects and networks. Be sure to continuously provide updates about
the industry in order to establish yourself as a knowledgeable leader. Social
media is also a great platform to interact with other people. Make sure that
your network and prospects don’t forget about you by consistently staying
connected with them.Provide links to useful conferences, events and webinars
and send personal invitations if you will be attending.
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All these online strategies will help you remain visible in people’s eyes and to
market yourself as a competent and confident network marketer. A lot of
successful network marketers are also available online, especially on
professional sites like LinkedIn. Find the movers and shakers in your industry,
connect with them and invite them into your circles.
As important as online presence is, it can only be helpful when it is balanced
with physical interaction. Physically meeting people is important in order for
them to form a serious connection with you. If you are invited to any of the
events or conferences or even online video conferences to discuss specific
policies and regulations, make it a point to be there. Marketing is an essential
component to MLM and branding yourself as an effective marketer will help
power boost your career to newer heights.
iche
You cannot cater to each and every individual across the
globe. It is impossible. If your marketing strategies are
targeted towards every breathable living being under the sun,
then contrary to what you might believe, you are greatly
limiting your chances of success.
Research is very important to determine your target market. As a network
marketer, choosing your niche will be one of the most important decisions that
you make. Who is your ideal prospect? Who is most likely to be attracted to
your business? Knowing your niche will better enable you to develop effective
targeting marketing strategies. You don’t entice a 6, 16 and 60 your old
individual the same way do you? Neither do you use the same tactics to sell
weight loss products to housewives and businesswomen. People have different
interests and lifestyles, and in order to reach out to them effectively, you need
to know those lifestyles and interests before you can present your case.
Ideally, you should select a niche that you yourself are comfortable with. A
niche is a group of people with mutual needs and interests, and if your needs
and interests don’t correlate with those you are catering to, you will struggle
to sound passionate or believable when you try to sell your pitch.
Most marketers just rush out and start promoting their product/service
without first trying to understand who they are catering to and how interested
they would be in the product/service they are offering. MLM is a very
competitive business, and to sound any more convincing than others trying to
sell the same or similar product/service is to find connections with people. The
more targeted your niche is, the easier it will be for you to effectively connect
N
with them. The first step is to create an avatar of your best prospect; this
avatar should represent everything that you are looking for in your prospects
and fits the needs and niche of what you are offering.
Once you have created an avatar, start looking for people who fit that
description and then aptly cater to them. At this point, you should greatly
benefit from learning about emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is
the highly intuitive ability to be aware of people’s needs and wants and finding
ways to optimally express solutions in a way that sounds mutually beneficial.
Finding your niche would give you the advantage to better understand your
prospects’ problems, sympathize with their resistance and eventually provide
honest and usable solutions. Without having a niche, you would just be
throwing the ball in the darkness in the hope that there is a wall on the other
end and the ball would bounce back. Selecting a niche enables you to get
better control of your audience, develop better marketing strategies and
subsequently make higher numbers of sales.
pportunity
Everything around us offers opportunity. The world does not
have enough of anything. Have you ever heard anything like,
“there just cannot be any more shopping malls” or “we don’t
need barbers until 2025” or “the world does not need
another singer”? No right? The good news is, there is always room for one
more. One more singer, barber, shopping mall, millionaire and billionaire.
Opportunity is everywhere, in everything around us, but it is only those who
dare to go hunting for these opportunities that are able to find them.
Network marketing not only gives you the opportunity to find a stable income
for yourself, but also gives you the power to provide others with similar
opportunities. MLM gives you the opportunity to get the power and freedom
back in your life. You don’t have to conform to traditional work hours, or
boring repetitive work each day to earn limited income. It gives the
opportunity to take charge and alter your future and shape it according to how
you want it. It provides the freedom to hold the reigns to your life, go on
holidays and be part of all the important days of your and your family’s life.
Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to give the same opportunity to
dozens of others.
MLM is the present and future of marketing, and the only way to grasp this
opportunity is to make the most of it today before someone else does.
Whether you are planning on sending your kids off to college, going on a world
tour with your partner or building generational wealth for your family, MLM
provides you the opportunity. All you need to do is make the most of it.
O
resentations
Presentations are extremely important in order to tell your
prospects about the opportunities and functionalities of your
business. But it is amazing how many people get it wrong.
Presentations may be important, but they are NOT about the
information regarding your company, products or services. All that would do is
bore your prospects.Everybody claims that they have the best products and
their company is the finest in the region (some even say their company is the
finest in the world!); but the fact is nobody cares how awesome your product
or company is. All they want to know is what value does your offering have for
them. Your prospects know the drill about advertisement and they are bored
of it, so give them what they are looking for- reason for them to listen to you
and have faith in your company and product/service. If you want to make real
money you need to start by giving your prospects similar value. You cannot
make continuous sales or recruit new distributors until your prospects know
that you have their interest in mind too. That’s what your presentations need
to be about. They need to be about them rather than you. Following are a few
strategies to make your presentations a stellar event:
1. The first step is to know your audience. You cannot connect or relate to
them unless you know who they are, what their interests are and exactly
what they are looking for.
2. Then effectively communicate with them based on your findings. Keep
your content interesting, fun, exciting and most importantly meaningful
and mutually beneficial.
3. Continue to learn and practice different presenting strategies. The most
skillful of marketers are those who keep on practicing.Learn from your
P
previous experiences. Whatkind of content got the most response?
What are your audiences interested in listening about the most? What
strategies didn’t work in the last attempts? How can you keep your
audience interested longer? Conducting successful presentations will
help you become an accomplished speaker over time which can help you
attract more distributors and help you to better express yourself.
4. Be prepared for the dissenters. One of the biggest fears of presentations
is the fear of not being taken seriously, or having people question or
contradict what you are saying. Be prepared for that. Primarily, hold
counter arguments with yourself to help you think from every angle and
perspective. When you are presenting, be respectful of other people’s
opinions and refrain from lashing out or taking it personally. Whenever
you are faced with negative comments, start with a positive response
like “thank you for raising that issue” or “that’s a very good question.”It
not only shows confidence, but also showcases respect and acceptance
of different ideas and viewpoints.
5. Show don’t tell. As mentioned earlier, nobody is going to believe that
you have the finest products ever produced, even if you do actually have
the finest products ever produced. The idea is to let them establish their
own opinions about the product. Show the product to your audience.
Let them touch it, feel it and see for themselves rather than having you
going into boring and unnecessary details.
6. Engage your audience rather than educating them. You would love to
tell your audience about the number of sales that you made, new people
you recruited and the number of products manufactured and sold each
year. Even provide infographics and facts about the industry while you
are at it. There’s just one word for that… YAWN!There are just two
words for that, not interested. When your audience goes back home,
they wouldn’t even remember half of those statistics and probably
wouldn’t care about any of them. What they will remember are
interesting stories and anecdotes, and that’s what you should be
sharing. Is there an interesting trade show story or a conference story
that would engage your audience and at the same time convey what an
interesting and entertaining platform you provide? Well, go ahead and
tell it!
7. Don’t just do the talking. It’s okay if your audience gets a little negative
or asks tricky questions. It shows that they are interested in what you
have to offer. Allow them to ask questions and even if you don’t have
the answer, a simple “I’d like to be very sure rather than provide
misinformation. Why don’t you give me your phone number and I’ll get
back to you about it” or “check out our website or social media page
where we provide all of the details”. This would not only garner trust,
but will also get you their personal details for future follow-ups.
8. Don’t leave them hanging in the middle. Okay, so they had a good time
and the presentation was a success. Technically, that doesn’t mean
much in real terms. It would be a success if you get the end results.
Every presentation needs to have an objective, and in order to achieve
those objectives, you need to inform your audience about their next
step. You need to give them a reason to act immediately. Again, don’t
try to be sales pitchy,instead use your motivation and energy to
influence your audience to follow through with you. Offering special
bonuses or order deadlines could also motivate your audience to act
right away.
uota
As a network marketer, you are running a business. Therefore,
you need to act like a business owner by setting goals, creating
plans and meeting your quota. In order to reach higher
positions within a MLM company, the marketer is required to
meet sales. Setting a quota for yourself and your downline will help motivate
all to keep on selling and recruiting to reach the highest payout.
In order to meet your quota each month, you need set targets, goals and
effective strategies. It is only via continuous efforts and marketing strategies
that you would be able to meet your monthly quota. Be sure you continue
efforts to hire new distributors and coach them effective strategies so that
your quotas are met on time.
Q
eferrals
People buy things from people they trust, and that’s what
referral marketing is all about. MLM is all about proper
marketing and building a strong network. A lot of marketers
fail to make use of referrals simply because they don’t know
how to or just don’t bother tapping into it. You don’t just get referrals from
clients and distributors, you will need to ask for them. The most effective
method of getting referrals is to stay in contact with your customers. Don’t just
pop out of the blue and ask for a referral. Most are not comfortable giving a
stranger a referral, and that’s what you would become by not staying in
contact. You can also ask your business partners or friends and family for
referrals.
Even if you get rejected by prospects the first time, or even by clients for a
referral, don’t give up. A prospect that may not be interested in your products
might be willing to refer you nonetheless. The idea is to not cross out any
connection until you have tried everything to get value from them. Honestly, if
you don’t tap into these opportunities, they will eventually run out. Successful
marketers claim it is impossible to run out of leads if you ask everyone who
says no to you for referrals. Don’t just go around asking for people’s
contacts.Instead practice being more open-ended in your approach. Following
are a few questions to spark conversations with your prospects, family
members, friends, relatives and/or customers about referrals:
Can you think of someone who would be good at what I do?
Do you know of someone who has been in this kind of business before?
Do you know of someone who is ambitious and looking for
opportunities?
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Who is the most sociable person you know?
Do you know of someone who is looking for some extra cash or part
time work?
Do you know of someone who is enthusiastic about owning their own
business?
Do you know of someone looking for flexible work hours?
There are plenty of methods of approaching people for referrals. Some of
them will blow you off, others might refer someone, and the rest will typically
reconsider if they believe they can become a profitable network marketer
themselves. The idea is to keep your pitch ready and always make the most of
opportunities life throws your way.
ponsorship
Many network marketers are so focused on recruiting new
distributors that they forget the most effective process,
sponsorship. People join people, not network marketing
companies. Therefore, your focus should be on becoming an
effective sponsor rather than just a recruiter.
A lot of people also confuse sponsoring with recruiting, and that’s where the
difference between making some money and making large sums of money
comes into play. Prospecting just refers to initially contacting people, such as
starting a conversation in the dentist’s waiting area or at a checkout line. You
might ask them about their family, job and hobbies. If things go well, you
should invite them to check out your products, services or opportunity. You
could also prospect and recruit online.
MLM sponsorship is when you have a system in place and you present that
system to individuals looking for opportunities. MLM sponsoring is when
people contact you via social media platforms, phone or email. Sponsorship is
an integral part of network marketing and it doesn’t“just happen”. You don’t
just sit around and wait for people to contact you but rather use a strategy
which makes you widely visible and easily reachable so that people look at you
as a prospective leader. Once you do recruit someone new, make sure you
show them the ropes and how to implement your proven systems. Following
are a few tips and tricks for effective MLM sponsoring to get you ahead of the
game:
Primarily, you need an online marketing system. This should offer value
to people to influence them to join you.
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Have the answers ready. The biggest setbacks occur when prospects ask
marketers questions and they don’t have the answers. Not being
prepared could be the ultimate deal breaker. You should have all the
answers ready, as well as a set of questions to know more about your
leads. Dig deeper with your questions to see if the lead is a suitable
prospect and look for hot-buttons to turn things in your favor.
Being an effective sponsor requires constant effort. Just having an online
marketing system wouldn’t do, you would need to update it regularly.
Create difference content like blogs or videos and post consistently;
work on personal development, connect with people and study new
strategies on a daily basis.
ime Management
Time management is the key to any success. You can always get
more money, but your time will remain limited no matter what
you do. Just like everyone else, you only 24 hours in a day and 7
days in a week. But what will differentiate you from the rest of
them is how you use those 24 hours and 7 days. A lot of people do network
marketing part time while others take it up as a full time career. It doesn’t
matter which one you opt for, as long as you dedicate the time allotted to it.
MLM requires constant input in order to work. If you just focus your efforts on
recruiting new people, without training your current recruits, then the chances
are you would just have a large number of people using ineffective tactics that
will generate no significant profits. Similarly, if you just spend your time
training current recruits then you would be limiting your own opportunities.
Time management is essential in order to allocate substantial time to your
marketing, recruiting, training and networking strategies. It is very important
for you to attend events and to conduct presentations and contact new people
and keep an active presence on social media and of course maintain your
online marketing system. And you need to do all these things almost on a daily
or weekly basis. Create a schedule and stick to it. Every new person you
contact and every blog you post is an investment, and that’s how you need to
see it. Regardless of how strong your team has become and amount of money
that is pouring in, the moment you stop investing in your time, you will see a
decline in the results.
T
rgency
As the old saying goes, “you need to strike while it is hot”.
Nobody is holding their breath waiting for your call, at least
not in the business world anyway. There are business
opportunities everywhere, and everyone is looking for a
piece of the pie; so if you don’t call your prospects, know that someone else
will.
Urgency is of utmost importance when dealing with prospects and customers.
People tend to forget or get distracted by their daily routines and will easily
lose interest in your business opportunity, product or service. So it is important
to follow up as soon as possible.
Send a note, text or email instantly reminding them about their commitment
and let them know when you will be contacting them, which should ideally be
within 48 hours after any exposure. There are many means of communication,
but over the phone and face-to-face are usually the best methods.
U
ision
Where do you plan to be five years or ten years from now?
What do you plan to do with the money you earn from
network marketing? Where do you plan to live and what
places do you plan to go to for holidays? Everybody wants to
get rich, and everyone wants to get rich quick. But that’s not a vision. Money is
of no value until you add value to it by exchanging it for the fulfillment of your
needs, desires, dreams and vision. So be sure you have a vision before you
jump on the MLM train. Know where you want to go and what you want to do.
And more importantly, be prepared to work for it.
MLM is a get-rich program, but it is not a get-rich instantly program. It does
require persistence, hard work and a vision for the long run. It is the vision that
will enable you to plan and execute every step of your success. So focus on
your vision and make sure you write it down. Determine your end result and
then design your path to success by creating daily, weekly, monthly and annual
goals.
V
hy
Because it is the gateway to your dreams!It is alright to
lose focus, to doubt your efforts and your objectives.
Why do you really need to conduct all those
presentations, write all those blogs and contact all those
people? Because it gives you the freedom to be able to sit down and think
rather than live a template life that does not even allow you enough time to
ponder about things that matter.
Willpower in my opinion is highly overrated. Sure you have the willpower to
work 20 hours a day, but do you? Not without a powerful reason you don’t.It is
questions like “why do I need to do this?” that give you the direction and the
strength to carry on and succeed. It is questioning your objectives everyday
that will keep you motivated. Following are a few tips and tricks that will keep
you motivated and your “whys” in check through your success journey:
Write down your goals and post them where you can see them every
day. Perhaps on the refrigerator or on your desk or on the wall beside
your bed.
Make a list of all the “whys”. It is very easy to get distracted and get
blown off course. These questions will provide the success insurance you
require.
Have a plan on how you would deal with negativity and flagging
motivation. It is almost inevitable that at some point, exhaustion or
temporary setbacks will get to you. Already having a plan on how to deal
with such thoughts and emotions will better prepare you for them and
will keep you going. As Winston Churchill told a group of students after
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London was bombed 57 times consecutively during World War II,
“Never, never, never, nevergive up.”
-Factor
You are not the first individual offering a specific opportunity,
product or service. Yours is not the only company, neither is
your company plan much different than any others. What is
individualistic in your scenario is YOU. Now, you can either
decide to become a part of the flock, or dare to stand out. You probably think
the company that you chose to represent is the best and offers products or
services like no other. Keep dreaming my friend. Actually, that company most
likely has hundreds or even thousands of distributors, and you are just another
one of them, unless of course you decide to change all that.
Network marketing is all about you, your prowess and ability to connect with
people and find your own ground. Most distributors place ads, set up accounts
on Facebook and Twitter, start a blog and create a website; but it is only those
who leave their unique stamp on these platforms that rise above the rest. And
that’s exactly what you need to do. You need to stand out and become the X-
Factor. So how do you separate yourself from the rest? Following are a few
tips:
A prospect would be looking for a partner that exhibits leadership and
knowledge. So make sure you prove yourself as someone who knows
the ropes, is confident in his abilities and knows how to help others
succeed too.
Use the L.I.S.T approach. Learn, Implement, Share and Teach. Consume
information via events, trainings, webinars, products and teleseminars
and then funnel all that information to your team.
As they say, it is very easy to make things complicated but rather difficult
to simplify them; and your objective is to make them simple enough to
X
be engaging and understandable. Too many complexities only confuse
people. Don’t confuse yourself or your prospects and clients by using all
the possible marketing and training tactics available. Select a strategy
and stick to it for the time being. Clarity and simplicity will get your word
out more effectively and will hit the right notes too.
Get inside their head. MLM is all about effectively connecting with
people, and the more you know about your prospects, the stronger the
connection and the partnership would be.
Nothing stands out like ambition. Ignorance on fire is much better than
knowledge on ice. Give your goals and objectives your all and you will
attract and inspire all around you to do the same.
Consistency is critical for your business’s success. Whatever it is you are
doing, as long as it is working, just keep on doing it and you shall
succeed. The most successful of businesses are those that stick to their
secret recipe and don’t try to add extra spices to it. As long as it is
working, just duplicate it and keep at it and you shall see a consistent
stream of prospects and income too.
early Taxes
Taxes are an important obligation, and timely filing would
ensure a smooth sail through profits and success. Network
marketers are independent contractors that receive a 1099 tax
form each year. Most new reps forget to plan for their yearly
taxes which results in a lot of panic and last minute confusion. Taxes are not
taken from your paychecks and so it is important, that just like budgeting for
expenses to run your business, you plan for your yearly taxes too. The good
news is, just like other regular businesses, network marketers are also subject
to tax deductions. Following are a few items you may be able to deduct from
your annual tax bill as a small business owner:
A percentage of your mortgage interest
Mobile phone bill
Specific drinks and food bills (for instance lunch and/or dinner meetings
for your business)
Gas used for business trips
Percentage of car payment
Percentage of rent if you are renting
Business travel expenses
There are numerous tax deductions available for small business owners like
yourself, so be sure to make the most of it.
Y
ero Tolerance
It is almost inevitable that you will be distracted along the way.
There will be times when you get lazy and procrastinate, when
you would rather just focus on enjoying the money you have
already earned and not focus on the future. Times when you
will be frustrated because things aren’t going your way or a possible lead blows
you off, when prospects won’t accept receive your calls, or your team
members fail to achieve their target goals. A lot of things can go wrong, and it
might take some time before you get the hang of things and gain control of
your life and business. But you know what’s important to remember during all
this?It is typical. Just know that it’s alright and life will move on and things will
get better.
You, yourself need to believe that you are capable and deserving of success.
You need to have zero tolerance for failure and excuses and for negativity due
to any setbacks. History books are filled with people who had odds stacked
against them. People like Nelson Mandela and Helen Keller who overcame all
forms of opposition and disabilities to achieve what they had set out to
achieve. As Henry Ford had rightly put it, “Whether you think you can, or can’t,
you are right.”It is only you who can determine whether you have failed or
succeeded. So choose success for yourself every day. And if anybody tells you
otherwise, you can let them handle their own negativity while you pave your
way to ultimate success.
Z
Conclusion
Network marketing is a lucrative business. However, the truth is not everyone
makes it. Not every network marketer earns millions, thousands or even
hundreds of dollars in a month. And just like you can’t blame the gumball
machine for not giving you a gumball unless you put a quarter in, you can’t
blame an industry for failing to succeed.
Many have succeeded at network marketing and many more have failed, and
which category you fall in is totally up to you. This e-book covers all the simple
keys there are to know about MLM and how to make the most of it. Most
importantly, it is knowledge and consistency that will get you ahead of the
pack; and now that you have learned some insider secrets, it is time to
incorporate them into your strategies and let network marketing become the
excuse for all your crazy and luxurious endeavors through life. May you achieve
all the success this promising industry has to offer. Good luck!