Archive for March, 2009

Bestselling author, Seth Godin, compares marketing to an ice cream sundae. Godin describes the comparison – “All these tactics (blogs, e-mail, YouTube videos, MySpace pages, Google AdWords) are like the toppings at an ice cream parlor. If you start with ice cream, adding cherries and hot fudge and whipped cream will make it taste great. But if you start with a bowl of meatballs . . . yuck!”

Godin refers boring brands to “meatballs”. The boring brands may still be beneficial but they do not attract by word-of-mouth, let’s take Budweiser for an example. Seth shares with his readers, “When Anheuser-Busch spends $40 million on an online network called BudTV, that’s a meatball sundae. It leads to no new Bud drinkers, just a bad case of indigestion.

In Meatball Sundae, Godin frequently refers to as “14 Trends”. These are trends that are changing the way ideas are perceived and spread in the New Marketing.

Here are just a few of the “14 Trends”:

• Amplification of the voice of the consumer and independent authorities
• Extremely short attention spans due to clutter
• Google and the dicing of everything
• Infinite channels of communication
• The shifts in scarcity and abundance
• The triumph of good ideas
• The wealthy are like us
• New gatekeepers, no gatekeepers

If you have a product or organization that just isn’t catching on, then you need to read Seth Godin’s book; Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?

Chances are you’re not a natural born leader if you are reading this. Natural born leaders already know they are leader material, and they have what it takes without needing articles on leadership. It’s already part of who they are.
So, how do you know if you have what it takes to be a fantastic leader if it’s not part of who you are? Leadership is a skill that can be taught and learned. I know this for a fact. I have had to learn what being a leader really means because I am not a natural born leader. There are some areas where I have had to grow so they now come naturally to me. Trust me, if I can do it, so can you.
Let me share with you some things I have done personally to strengthen my leadership skills. These are things that require time, effort and possibly even some money. I believe helping others is the best investment there is. This is what you should be doing in a leadership position, helping others. If your reasons for looking into a leadership position are anything different than this, such as credit, glory or recognition you are doing it for all the wrong reasons. This could also mean that you won’t have this leadership position for long if you are only thinking of yourself.
Let’s start with the first thing you should do. Take the time to examine yourself by asking questions such as:
* What are my strong points? Do I naturally socialize or am I reserved and shy? Being naturally social you shouldn’t have any trouble talking to people at all. If you are naturally shy however, this point is going to take some work. My recommendation in this case is to consider taking classes or reading up on building you self confidence.

* Can I prioritize my time effectively and stay organized? If organization doesn’t come naturally to you this is one area you can practice. How should you accomplish this? Get some DVD’s or watch different shows on the subject of organization. Organization is something you can learn, just like you can learn time management. You could consider classes, or ask for advice and pointers from your up line.

* Can I be an available leader? Will I be able to take time from my own schedule to be there for my clients as well as my recruits? Do I get annoyed if they need me to help with an urgent question or an emergency outside of designated hours? It could happen that your recruit needs an immediate answer to a question whose answer could be what she needs to secure a sale or booking. Is this going to be a problem? As a leader you need to be both patient and understanding. It is entirely possible to learn these qualities as well, although it takes practicing patience to actually learn it.
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Do I have a good attitude? Am I bordering on snobbish, or have the attitude that I’m superior to others? Can I remember that I, too made mistakes and others are also allowed to make them? Do I learn from my mistakes quickly or drag them out and dwell on them? If you have a defeatist attitude on a regular basis, allowing your own mistakes, as well as those of others to bring you down it will be very difficult for you to be a successful leader. Someone somewhere is going to point out your mistakes, so it’s best to get over them quickly, learning from it as you move on. You can’t let one mistake prevent you from getting to your own goals.

Great leadership takes a good attitude, strength, patience and perseverance. When you can find all of those traits are now combined within your personal being, you have leadership potential. The tips provided here coupled with some reading on the subject of leadership as well as possibly attending leadership workshops will permit you to be a good leader.

Need More Help? It’s Here:
Get your direct sales guide to make the most of your direct sales business. Whether you’re just thinking of getting started or need some help getting more results, this is the guide for you.

The Internet Era has created a whole class of frauds and schemes that separate people from their money. It’s also given new life to older cons and scams. From Phishing to Spoofing to Spyware to Swoop and Squat, scamming is alive and well on the Internet.

Scams & Swindles is a book that organizes various rip-offs by type and severity. It also explains how each type of scam works and how an ordinary person can recognize it before getting taken in.

The cool thing about this book is that is does more than just tell stories; it gives readers questions, checklists, worksheets and other tools to make sure they’re not being scammed; or how to take the right actions if they have been.

It is an excellent and pragmatic book that will walk you step-by-step through various internet scams with a realistic look and important details pertaining to such frauds as:

* eBay auctions

* The Nigerian emails emanating from some fake high government official requesting the use of your bank account to transfer funds

* Scams that involve investment business and banking

* Fake charities

* Sweetheart and Russian bride swindles and

* Drugs and pharmaceuticals rip-offs

The message is unmistakable and makes you think twice before clicking something within the body of an email or giving out information to anyone. It is truly a message that should not go unheeded.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of an Internet scam, then Scams & Swindles is book you need to pick up today.

When you build your direct sales business, you will see it takes determination, stamina and perseverance, especially if you want to remain strong-standing with a thriving company that is constantly growing for you. The question is how do you build a business once the newness and rush start to dwindle?

Here are 3 things you should do immediately to lay the foundation and create a successful direct sales business.

1. Attend a team meeting right away. By making the mistake of procrastinating on this one, you are possibly missing out on some very valuable information. Don’t put off attending team meetings until after your first show. Also, thinking you will start later will not be of any help to you. Get going to the next available team meeting.

There is so much to learn at team meetings. Not only will you receive positive influences from those who are goal oriented as well, you will have the opportunity to hear how they make their direct sales goals and dreams come true. You will also probably have access to additional information to assist you with your business and personal motivation.

Another good tip: Block meeting nights in your schedule from day one. A common mistake made my new recruits is not taking control of their schedule. If you highlight that block of time in your planner, you will be less likely to schedule during those hours. Team meetings are an important part of your success, so make sure you schedule them in weekly or monthly so you are able to attend.

2. Goal setting. At team meetings usually the company announces any incentives you will learn what incentives are being offered to recruits and for sales. Use this information to set your goals.

Not a prize-oriented person? You can still set your goals according to the monetary amount you wish to achieve. Calculate the amount you need to sell to reach that income bracket. Once this is done, book your shows accordingly.

There comes a time in direct sales when you need to look for people outside of your comfort zone of friends and family. When you build your business by starting with step one above, this should come easily for you. You are often meeting new people, so keep an eye out for those who get excited about a product they love, as well as possibly looking for extra income or a change in career. If they are able to set and meet their own goals, have the drive needed and are goal oriented, they may just be waiting for this opportunity.

3. Keep the momentum going. A few rejections shouldn’t get in the way of your business growing, or leave you with even a thought of giving up. Your business will grow stronger with determinations and perseverance, so keep pushing through the tough times until the good times are found again, providing you with a great feeling of accomplishment.

With your goals set high enough to work, yet low enough to reach, with determination and drive you can attain each one of them. There are bound to be set backs and stumbles along the way, but knowing this from the beginning will leave you the room to readjust your goals while you stick with it. By not giving up when things aren’t going as you planned, you will come out of the storm stronger and more determined because of it.

A fun, exciting and rewarding experience can be found in building a direct sales business. You will meet an abundance of people along this journey; some will become teammates and others your customers. Keep in mind that without them, your business will not reach its full potential so choose wisely and work hard at helping these people fulfill whatever role they may play in your business.

Persevere, stand strong and carry on during the slow periods, instead of letting them get you down. Keep your goals in mind at all times, and consider using visual motivators such as posters with a picture of the car you want, or that dream trip you are working towards. You can even post the dollar amount in view, while you make a plan and work towards it. Before you know it, you will have a successful and prosperous direct sales business at your fingertips.

Need More Help? It’s Here:

Get your direct sales guide to make the most of your direct sales business. Whether you’re just thinking of getting started or need some help getting more results, this is the guide for you.

You receive your inventory of products to sell. Now what? How do you make them stand out from the others? How do you add relevant and necessary information to the products like your contact information and how to reorder? How do you make sure that customers come to you again when they’re ready to buy again? Labels are the answer however a standard yard sale label isn’t going to do the trick – you want customized, personalized, and professional labels.

Here’s how to make labels for your products.

Custom labels enable you to place your name, address, email address, telephone number and even your website on each and every product. They provide branding and are memorable. You can also make them unique and removable, like a magnet, so your customer always has your contact information around.

Online printing services. Some services include MyOwnLabels, VistaPrint and Zazzle however your direct sales company may have recommendations or a contract with an outside service. Check them out and compare services with your needs and budget. Typically these types of services allow you to work with their templates, which you can customize to fit your needs. This works well if graphic design isn’t your thing or if your needs are quick and simple.

These services often also allow you to upload your own design if you have a pre-designed label and simply need printing.

If you enjoy graphic design or you are a die hard do it yourselfer then you may prefer to purchase label making software. This software is found at your local office supply store or online and can be loaded onto your computer fairly quickly and easily. If you’re going to be printing your own labels you’ll also need the appropriate printer, ink, and the right sized labels. Check with your label making software to see what brand, shape and size labels they recommend.

Software ranges from nine dollars to around 60 dollars and it pays to compare features, tech support, ease of use and price to make sure you’re getting exactly what you need.
Like the online services each software typically offers a variety of templates for you to work with and customize. Some also integrate logo design and the ability to upload photos and your own designs and artwork.

Finally, there are a few direct sales companies which provide the labels for you, you may however need to hire a printer to customize them with your personal information.

Placing labels on your products is a great way to make sure you’re the go to person when your customer needs to re-order. Make sure to place all relevant information on your label so they can contact you in a manner which best fits their needs.

1. You can easily monetize your special report by using your affiliate links. There will almost always be an opportunity to make a reference to a particular product, service, or website in a report. For instance, if you have a report on teleseminars you can use your affiliate link to recommend a service that can be used to set up a phone line and record the seminar.

2. Using special reports as a bonus incentive is a great way to get people to subscribe to your mailing list. Once they’re on your list, you’ll not only be able to provide them with valuable information, but you can promote your products and services to them as well. Don’t forget to surprise your current subscribers every so often with a new, and free, special report that they can download. They’ll love you for it.

3. Beef up the value of your current products and services by giving away special reports as a bonus gift to those who buy from you.

4. If you have a membership site you can quickly add a lot of beneficial content by providing them as a resource to your members.

5. Surveys are a great way to find out what your customers want, but sometimes it can be difficult to get people to take the time to answer your questions. Giving a report away as reward to someone who does your survey is a great motivator.

6. Personalize one for your niche market and sell it as a special introductory product and get more of your target market into your marketing funnel.

7. Expand the special report into a full size information product.

8. If you need fresh content for your website, newsletter or blog, you can break up a special report into smaller sections to create your own articles.

9. Create an ecourse using the content in the special report. Just load the content into an autoresponder system and the autoresponder will mail each day’s lesson out to your list. Then at the end you can recommend your other products and services.

10. Sell the reports as they are on your website, or with a sales letter. Implementing private label rights special reports into you business is a quick way to get content on your website or blog, to create your own information products and beef up your current ones, not to mention how enticing they are as freebies.

Sweetie-Recommended

The minimal investment you make now in the PLR special reports can repay you several times over in the long-term. If you need of fresh content right away, or you just want to generate some extra cash with special reports, Melissa Ingold has created a site to bring you quality PLR special reports every month. Each month you’ll have access to a brand new, 2000+ word special report on a business related topic. click here to put the power of PLR to work for you!

There can be great advantages to a career in direct sales if you want your own business and the freedom to create your own financial future. If you are your own boss you can set your own timetable, decide how much you want to earn and maybe get yourself some luxury extras like jewelry or a smart car. Before spending money on a direct sales business, do some research, because some companies are better than others and some turn out to be little more than scam operations.

Here are some things you should think about before signing yourself over to a direct sales company.

Test the Product

You’ll be investing your money in what you sign up to sell, so choose wisely. If you like and trust the product, you shouldn’t have a problem. If you don’t like a company’s products or services, that doesn’t bode well for your sales prospects. Remember that your recruiter makes money from your sales, so don’t let yourself be coerced. Helping family and friends also won’t work if you don’t believe in the product.

Is All Well Up Line?

A direct sale uses a chain of up and down line sellers and recruiters to generate profits. Is the product and company working for your recruiter? What about his or her up line? If not, there might be a reason that will also apply to you and your profits. Don’t hesitate to ask for information on profitability in the sales chain.

Do Your Business Homework

It’s a good idea to check whether the company you’re thinking of joining has a track record and isn’t going to be here today and gone tomorrow. Just because a company is new doesn’t mean it’s doomed to failure but you still need to assess how it will hold up under pressure if the going gets tough. You can protect yourself by researching the company, finding out about its credentials, its owners, sales representatives and general reputation.

Make Sure the Product Exists

Some direct sales companies say that they have a product to sell but what they actually market is the idea that people can make money with a business of their own, sometimes with some services thrown in – but these aren’t necessarily something you want to try to sell. Some of these companies are only getting profits from those down line, lower in the sales chain, and are really just looking for gullible people to fleece.

Some direct sales opportunities may be better suited to your needs than others. Shop around to find the direct sales opening that is right for you. Make sure it’s for real and that you’re not just being sucked into a fraudulent scheme that isn’t going to bring you financial reward. Don’t sign up until you’ve done some thorough research into how direct sales should work. These four bits of advice are the main things you need to bear in mind before becoming a direct sales company rep.

Need More Help? It’s Here:

Get your direct sales guide to make the most of your direct sales business. Whether you’re just thinking of getting started or need some help getting more results, this is the guide for you.

Affiliates use a variety of methods to promote products online. Some run email campaigns or promote through weekly or monthly newsletters. Others maintain websites that provide informative or fun content or product reviews. Still others discuss and recommend products through their blogs.

One thing that works no matter how promoted online is the special report. Special reports can be written on any subject imaginable, then given away online to promote products. Many smart affiliate managers write these reports, and then allow their affiliates to brand them and give them to their site visitors or members of their mailing lists in an attempt to get sales. It works.

What Should I Write a Report About?

Write a special report about anything that is closely related to the product. It could present a problem that can be solved by your product. If you are selling a fairly common product, it could detail new ways of using it or how to get the most out of it.

It is important to provide information that potential customers can use and will enjoy reading. Write a report that is just an advertisement for the product in disguise, readers will see through it. Give them something that they can use, they will be more inclined to listen to your message and possibly buy the product.

What If I’m Not a Good Writer?

No one has to have a master’s degree in English to write a special report. All you need is a conversational writing style and a good command of spelling and grammar. If spelling and grammar are not your strong points, you can always use a spell checker and a proofreader.

If you really don’t want to write your own report, hire someone to do it. There are plenty of freelance writers out there who would be happy to put together a report. They might even be willing to come up with a topic if you can’t get past that part of it. If you are not in a financial position to pay a writer, you may want to look into getting private label rights reports that allow you to give the reports to your affiliates to promote your products.

EDITOR’S NOTE: One such place is the Special Report Club.

What Is Branding?

Branding is simply adding the individual affiliate’s links to the report so that they will get credit for sales resulting from their distribution of the report. This can be accomplished using the program used to create the report. There are also free software programs that can add in affiliate links for some third-party affiliate managers. Use them to brand reports for affiliates, or offer them to the affiliates so that they may do it themselves.

Branded special reports are a great asset to affiliates. By distributing the report and allowing others to do so as well can increase their sales. That is beneficial to everyone involved.