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Monday, March 19, 2012

MLM - 3 Causes of Failure in Your Business

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

10 Tips For Holiday Business Builders

The holiday season can mean a real slow down for home-based business owners, but only if you let it! With a holiday plan for business and some organization, you can keep your business thriving, and propel yourself into the New Year!


Here's how -


1. Do some follow up now with past contacts. Schedule a phone or face-to-face appointment to review your program or products. How might your products fill a need for your contacts or referrals during the holiday season? Brainstorm some ideas before the meeting.


2. Do you have a product or service that might be perfect for holiday gifts? Schedule some lunch time or afternoon showings for people to preview. Make gift suggestions and offer to gift wrap. Send out email greeting cards to remind people to buy from you! Think about gift baskets and corporate gift giving. This can develop some solid referrals and contacts for the future.


3. Offer a discount coupon to anyone who refers a friend who also purchases between now and the first of the year. Start a VIP purchasing program; or create a "punch card" for buy XX and get one free.


4. Begin setting appointments now for January. Let people know that you realize they are busy and suggest a date in January. Let them know you have time open now and would also love to offer them a date after the holidays.


5. Put yourself in power momentum by scheduling blocks of time daily for contacts and follow up. What is realistic each day? 5 of each? 10 of each? Set the pace and stick to it! Set your calendar up with blocks of business time as far out and consistently as possible.


6. Go on a mission to pass out as many flyers and business cards as humanly possible over the next month. As you do, have a 30 second "commercial" ready that may appeal to what they need right now. Extra cash for the holidays? Convenient and secure online shopping with no crowds, hassles or parking? Delivery? Get creative!


7. Going to a lot of holiday parties and events? Use this time to meet as many people as you can. Ask lots of questions and collect business cards and email addresses. Ask each person if they mind if you keep in touch with them. If they begin asking you questions, be prepared with short, intriguing answers. If they show an interest, schedule a time to contact them in the next few days. Try to avoid saying to much about your business at the party. Schedule, schedule, schedule and then be sure to follow up! And, if you have samples, bring them.


8. Include a business card, flyer, post card or some bit of "shameless promotion" in your holiday cards and correspondence. Don't send cards? Now you have a good reason to start! Check on that tax deduction! Don't be obnoxious; just share your enthusiasm.


9. Begin reviewing your past year's goals and accomplishments. Where can you improve? In what ways can you push yourself on to bigger and better next year? Have your next year's business plan concrete before January 1!


10. Keep your focus, remember CANI (constant and never ending improvement) and enjoy the season, knowing that you are doing and being the best you can be! Set big expectations and make them happen.


EXPECT Success!

Jackie Ulmer

Monday, September 21, 2009

10 Success Principles For Your Direct Sales Business

1. Use Your Products - be your own best customer. How can you succeed with a product line you don't use and embrace? Enough said.


2. Accept Your Opportunity As it Is and Take Action - I can't tell you how many times a new distributor has said to me - "I can't be successful with this business until we get XYZ products, or changes." That always amazed me since myself and others were having great success with things just the way they were. My goal has always been to have a huge, growing organization so that when positive changes happen, more people experience great benefits!


3. Copy is the Name of the Game - If you follow and copy a method of growing and building your business that has worked for others, that is all you need to do. No need to get creative in the beginning, unless you really want to slow things down.


4. Goal Setting is a MUST - How can you know where you are going, or if you have succeeded unless you have decided where you are going? It has been proven time and time again that those who succeed have clear, specific, written goals. You won't be the exception so get those goals on paper right now!


5. Attend Events - This is another one that stumps me - the new distributor who claims they are not going to attend an event until they make some money. Two thoughts on this - go make some money and get to the event; and what of the event is the thing you need so you can make some money? The top income earners attend events. Again, enough said.


6. Retail With the Goal to Recruit - Some will and some won't, but you always want to make sure every retail customer knows about the exciting opportunity behind your company. You are offering a gift!


7. Have a Positive Mindset - Expect the best, always. Find the positive in any situation. People like to be around and do business with positive, upbeat people!


8. Be in Business Every Day - Busy people get things done and consistent actions are what product big results over time. The beauty in Direct Sales is that you can create amazing results from small, but specific daily actions. Contact 2 people a day about your business and watch what happens at the end of the year!


9. Be the Leader You Look Up To - Leadership and setting a good example in our profession is critical. Do all of those activities you expect your team to do and share your results for inspiration.


10. Never Quit - Ask many top income earners what the secret is to their success is and they will tell you - "I just didn't quit." We get better at anything with practice and repetition. Be willing to go through the struggles and challenges of growing your skills in Direct Sales. It is so worth it!


EXPECT Success!

Jackie Ulmer

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Delayed Gratification of Residual Income

You've surely seen those "Twitter Litter" tweets about making a ga-zillion (with a G) dollars in no time and by the way, it's so easy, right? Who believes that, anyway? Certainly not anyone making that type of income through their own business or anyone who has the fortitude to make it happen!

But, on it goes.

Today, I want to share some thoughts about the power of residual income and why you MUST be willing to invest more than 2 months and a couple hundred dollars into creating the dream lifestyle that you want.


After all, if it were THAT easy, everyone would be doing it, right?


What is Residual Income?


This is the ability to get paid over and over for the work that you do one time. It's also called "royalty pay."

There are very few businesses or industries today that pay residual income.

Musicians, authors and insurance sales people are a few professions that do earn a residual income.

If you were to write or record a popular song, each time that song played on the radio, or a CD was sold, you would receive a commission, or royalty payment.

Residual income in Network Marketing is income you continue to earn based on efforts you put forth initially. This income is based on the sale of products and services. And, these products must continue to generate repeat sales.

Residual income is desirable in Network Marketing, because this is what allows you to put forth a lot of effort in the beginning, and reap the rewards of that for months and years to come!

And, by building an organization of people working toward a common goal, you can ensure a strong residual pay-out that will last for years. This is why it is important that you understand this pay advantage, and invest your effort, energy and time in other people.

Earning residual income requires a few things - first that you take action to get momentum going in your organization.

Second, you continue building on that momentum, and teach others to do the same.


Third, you are willing to invest the time, money and energy that it takes to develop the business group and the business skills needed to create something lasting.


Finally, to continue on the note above, you learn and develop leadership skills that will provide the foundation that supports your entire organization.


This part is critical. You can get lucky for a little while, but to really build something that last requires developing skills.


People follow people, and leadership skills are developed. Leaders are created, not necessarily born.

In the beginning, you have the "privilege" of working lots of hours for a little pay. In the end, you have the "joy" of working little hours for lots of pay.


People ask me all of the time how much I made my first month in the business. The answer is – “I don’t know. I don’t know because I still get paid each and every month on the efforts I put into that very first month.” That’s the power of residual income!


Get started and then build on your efforts each and every month.


Be a leader of others and watch the residual income roll in.


But most of all, understand that it takes TIME for any organization to build and develop to the point of creating what you want. It takes time for you to contact, sponsor and train a first level. It takes time for your first level to duplicate this.


It takes time for your second level to duplicate this, and so on.


Enjoy the journey and I promise the destination will be priceless!


EXPECT Success!

Jackie Ulmer

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Social Media and Blogging In 20 Minutes a Day

One of the hardest things to make time for, especially when you are working full time or have small ones at home (or both) is finding time for blog posts and creating content for social media sites.

And, this can be a stumbling block for some who wonder - What can I write about? What do I say?

I have felt your pain, many years ago when I started online marketing and realized that I needed to be able to add value and content online to get my name out there and develop relationships with like minded people. After all that is what the internet is all about.

Here is how I create content and make my time count and "get it done."

If we are connected on facebook or twitter, you may notice that I have a "Note" or blog post added every day. But, here's a secret. I don't create this content everyday. I do content in blocks of time for one or two weeks in advance, and then use the "Posting options" feature that most blogs have to allow your content to "post" at designated times.

I may create 10-14 short business blurbs in one, two hour sitting, add them to my blog and set them up to post everyday or two. I have my blogs hooked in through Friendfeed.com, Twitter and Facebook applications so that my postings automatically show up.

I learned how to do this just by playing around, so if you have a blog, look at the posting options and see if you don't have a function allowing you to set the date and time.

Go to Settings and then Application Settings at the top right of your facebook page. Or, do like I did and get the book "Facebook for Dummies!"

If you can set your Single Daily Actions and weekly actions up to make the most of chunks of time, you'll get extremely efficient and effective and will find that managing a business both online and offline is not that tricky.

Where to find content? Last week I pulled out two 1999 Upline Magazines and took ideas from that. No, I didn't just copy what I read but I took one person's 10 tips for something and found 5 ideas from that and put those into my own words. I found someone else's article on relationship building and re-wrote it.

If you don't have Jan Ruhe's M.L.M. Nuts and Bolts, GET IT! There is limitless content that you can take from that and put into your own words. Same with Zig Ziglar's Network Marketing for Dummies.

Priceless nuggets that you can pull from and create great content.

Finally, search out other blogs and post comments (of value) and begin generating name recognition from those who also visit that blog. What do I mean by value? Don't just say "Good job." That doesn't provide value to those who read comments (and there are many!) Writing something more about what you actually GOT from the content is best.

I made a blog post comment last week on someone's blog and got a personal email thank you from the blog owner, picked up 10 names for my own newsletter and 14 Twitter followers. Never know where those things will lead!

Squeeze in time for your internet marketing efforts as you continue to build in other ways. I spend only about 20 minutes a day actually ON social media sites, unless I am done with other things and it's into the evening and too late to be calling leads, etc. Sometimes while the kids are doing homework, I can hang with my laptop and "Tweet" on twitter or jump around on facebook. I always work to make that time count.

And, remember to be SOCIAL as much as business on SOCIAL media sites. Instead of blasting your opportunity, mention what's great about your business that fits into your lifestyle. People will become attracted and click on your profile to learn more. You don't even need to post a link if you are providing value!

EXPECT Success!

Jackie Ulmer

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

How to Build Your Business Online

Imagine how you work your business offline. There are many different avenues that you can take.


In Network Marketing, we call it “putting lines in the water.” You are fishing, anticipating making the big catch! With the Internet, you'll use Internet Fishing Lines.


So, offline, you might run an ad in the newspaper, join a Networking Group, talk to people in a club that you belong to, and even strike up a conversation with strangers while you are out and about.


The Internet is no different.


Online, you might run an ad in a newsletter or e-zine, find a message board where people of like interests gather, participate in email discussion groups, or visit some social networking sites and strike up conversation and get involved.


Look familiar?


There are three tools that I feel are absolutely crucial to your success online


1. A personal web site that sells you! This could be a BLOG.
2. Autoresponders, for business information, follow up and a newsletter. A way to build a list!
3. Leads for your business. People who come to you.


The methods you will use to generate leads are called "Marketing Funnels." This is how you advertise and promote your website and ultimately, your business. Some of these marketing funnels include –



Developing Your List and Getting Subscribers
Dynamic email signature line
Search Engines
Social Networking Sites and Web 2.0 – Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, YouTube, etc.
BLOGGING
Message Boards and Forums
Articles
Discussion Lists
Online Profiles
Target Markets
Reciprocal Links
E-books
Ezine/Newsletter Ad swaps and advertising
Visiting other Home Based Business Sites
Branding yourself online


You will spend some time initially getting things set up, but once it's done, your efforts are invested in activities that produce results! That equates to a fat paycheck!


The payoff is well worth it and once you are actually building your business this way, you’ll wonder how you ever did it any other way.

EXPECT Success!

Jackie Ulmer

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Benefits of Prospecting Through the Internet

Here are a few of the benefits of finding people through the Internet


1. More Qualified Prospects – it’s a self help world and people use the Internet to find solutions. Once they land on your website, they are a much more highly qualified prospect for your business because of the way that they located you.


2. People come to YOU – that’s right, they find you through a variety of different ways covered in this book, and they essentially ask you to tell them more about your business. What more can you ask for?


3. Target Marketing – the Internet allows you to find those people who are a likely target market for your business and your products because of the way it is set up. If you make a list of everyone you know, a large percentage of those on your list are not looking and not interested.


4. No more overcoming Objections – the three biggest objections in Network Marketing are – is it Network Marketing (pyramid), no time and no money. By using a personal website and the tools I explain here, I never even hear those objections anymore, no less overcome them!


5. Time Leverage – I regularly sponsor new people into my business while I am at the beach, on vacation, sleeping, etc. This happens because I have the tools set up online to find, sort and sponsor team members without having to actually be there. In other words, I don’t go out looking for leads, they come to me. I do marketing activities (discussed later) and those activities produce results.


6. Sort in, sort out – people sort themselves onto my site and into my business system online and they sort themselves out, if they are not qualified or interested, by simply clicking out. This is great because I invest my time in serious prospects and don’t waste my time with those not interested.


7. No geographical or time limitations – my team is made up of people all over the country (and all over the globe is you have a global business) and I am not restricted by time zones, other commitments, etc., in presenting my business to them. They land on my website and preview everything without me!


8. Simple, repetitive follow up, which is the key – an automated follow up system allows me to capture a prospect’s attention, when the time is right for him or her. This is done through an automated email campaign.


9. Low Overhead – my required marketing costs online run around $70 monthly. Not bad for a full blown, full color “talking” brochure that will sell for me anytime, any place, regardless of where I am. I stress required because you may choose to expand some of what you do as you progress. One or two solid websites and a great autoresponder are the required tools.

Another important thing to remember about the Internet is that it is one big community made up of all types of smaller communities. It’s called the world, wide web for a reason.


Picture a giant spider web, with overlapping strands. That’s what you have on the Internet. Each section or strand is a different area of interest.


Your goal is to put yourself out there in such a way that your prospect, or target market, will be able to find you, and your business, when they are out surfing!


It’s really as simple as that.

EXPECT Success!

Jackie Ulmer