Monday, April 27, 2009

Leadership

When you go to your upline sponsor's meetings, or listen to company calls, do you ever wonder if you are made for Leadership. I am always looking for information that will take me to the next level, and realized that Leaders are made not born. Becoming a Leader involves a process of inner growth, and practising five skills will take you closer:
  1. Define Your Vision: Use a vision board to help you do this (http://christinekane.com/blog/how-to-make-a-vision-board/). Having a Vision of what is possible sets you apart from those who don't. In MLM we hear a lot about duplication. We are told, don't reinvent the wheel. When you tell your story about how you are doing what your upline says is working, you are being a Leader. When you live with a clear idea of what can be, your team will believe it can happen for them as well.
  2. Share Your Vision: The CEO and founder of my primary company shares how he came to start the company, and his vision of acting on inner promptings to bring a positive message to those we cherish. My Vision is to pay-it-forward by expressing gratitude every day to everyone I can, and help others do the same. What is your Vision? Are you building a team to help others achieve their dreams? Don't you work harder when the welfare of those you care about is at stake?
  3. Know Your Leadership Style: You want to share with your team the methods that are working for you. If they come to you with frustration or burn out, are you ready to remind them of their Vision? Do you let your team know how much you appreciate their efforts? Do you continue to let them know you are there for them, even when their numbers don't yet reflect their hard work?
  4. Earn and Maintain Your Team's Trust: Don't promise what you can't deliver. A real Leader returns phone calls, shows up to help his team at meetings or events that he has promised to attend. Teach your team to do what you do, so they can help the team they develop in turn. Always let them know how much you appreciate them. They won't forget it.
  5. Turn Your Team Into Leaders: Help any new distributors to take on challenges you know they are ready for. When you acknowledge them, it inspires them to keep going. MLM style business requires a lot of consistent effort at the beginning in order to build a team that generates long term income. We are not paid for what we do, but for what we start.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Feel the Fear

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
by Susan Jeffers, PhD, 1987
Just finished reviewing this book again, and the concepts she describes never go out of date. Jeffers initial premise is that lack of TRUST in MYSELF stops me from getting what I want. Knowing that is empowering, because then I can choose to KNOW that whatever happens, I can handle it! This allows me to take risks to move my life forward in powerful and unexpected ways.
Much of the trick of moving from PAIN to POWER is taking ACTION. When I challenge myself to move beyond my comfort zone and call the person who intimidates me, or I ask for something I've been afraid to ask for, I am on my way. Jeffers urges us to take a risk every day, something that will expand our comfort zone, even to the extent that we visualize ourselves doing it as we plan for it. Each risk we take builds self-worth and expands our comfort zone.
As we move across the continuum into a more powerful place, as we refuse to let life victimize us, we must also take RESPONSIBILITY for our reactions to what happens to us. Blame must leave our consciousness, blame of others and ourselves. We must be aware that we always have CHOICES in every situation, and none of them are right or wrong. From every choice we can learn despite the outcome.
The author urges us to live always from a position of ABUNDANCE. One way to do that is to focus on giving to others as much as we can. For example, we need to keep a journal of all we have to be grateful for. Acknowledge the people in our lives by calling them to tell them we are thinking of them. Over and over again, she urges us to write to the people in our lives to let them know how much they have contributed to us (http://www.mlmquicknotes.com/). We will find our resentments and frustrations diminish, and our GRATITUDE increase as we give others the praise and acknowledgement all of us crave.
The bottom line is that we can say YES to the universe, and give from a place of love, rather than of expectation. More will come back to us than we can ever imagine.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Say It With Words

Thank you to my friend Naomi Finkel of Say It With Words, (818) 991-1587, http://www.siww.net/, for her latest newsletter. Since it fit so nicely with some of the things I am addressing, I thought to share it here:

Your Most Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy

A few days ago, a neighbor asked me for the name of a plumber I have been using for years. A week ago, I asked a friend for the name of gardener. Last month, I was the guest speaker at The Oaks at Ojai, a health and fitness spa. During meals and at break times, I asked the guests at the spa how they knew about this place. Six out of ten people said they heard about it from friends or relatives who had been here.

If you provide outstanding service, people will talk about you and refer you to others who will also benefit from the services and/or products you offer. I know... 70% of my business comes from referrals!

So, how do you cultivate a Referral Program as a productive marketing strategy? Here are some tips...

  1. Whenever a new person calls or contacts your office, ask how they heard about you. Send a thank you note or an e-mail to the person who made the referral even if the new contact does not become a client.
  2. After about a week, call the person who asked you for the referral and ask if they ever followed through. If they did and you have not received an acknowledgement of your referral, find out why. This is called "common courtesy." Tell them in the future if they receive a referral from you, you want to know if your referral called.
  3. If the referral becomes a client/customer, then I send an appropriate gift to the person who made the referral. Some companies offer a referral fee. Whatever, make certain you show your appreciation for the new business. This is a wonderful way to build a loyalty program.
  4. If it is appropriate, you in turn could make referrals to your clients, vendors, associates and organizations.
  5. You may want to promote a referral program. On your website or your promotional materials, describe your referral program and what you offer as a Thank You. I would not give a discount on your services since many of the people who refer to you may not need your services. Do you really think I would appreciate a 25% discount on my next nursery school enrollment for my (adult) kids?
  6. A wonderful idea... in your newsletter or on your website, thank the people who have made referrals to your company. We love to see our names in print, especially when it is a positive gesture....

Thank you to Naomi for her great ideas, and for her book, How to Get Big Business Exposure on a Small Business Budget, available at http://www.amazon.com/.

Cost Effective Marketing for Your MLM Business

Those of us with an MLM business must be mindful of how we use our time and resources. In order to assess what is cost effective, let's look at different ways we can market our business.

  • Letters and Cards
  • Personal Meetings
  • Personal Websites
  • Company Websites
  • Company Business Meetings
  • Company Sizzle Lines
  • Webinars
  • Using the Phone
  • Email
  • Social Networking
  • Testimonials from Customers
  • Home Presentations

I once heard a professional marketer say that we should surround our customer with information the way Custer was attacked at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, from all directions. In other words, we need to use all acceptable forms of marketing to keep in touch with our potential customers or future distributors. It may take at least 7 to 12 "touches" for someone to decide they are interested in our product or business, so to be effective, we must have multiple ways to keep ourselves in front of our customers.

In 1980 it cost $6 to send a business letter transcribed, typed and mailed by a secretary. Now you can use an online personalized card system http://www.mlmquicknotes.com/. It will keep track of your contacts, track what you have written to them, and print a high quality card, and stuff the envelope, stamp and mail it for less than a dollar, including postage. What a great and cost effective way to confirm appointments, thank contacts for meetings, thank customers and distributors for their business, and quickly and effectively remember customers, prospects, friends and families at holidays and birthdays.

We will go through the list in subsequent blogs to help you make more effective use of your time and money to market your MLM business.