Do You Poken?

At a recent TEAM referral network event in Santa Anita, I was fortunate to meet Sabrina Gibson, a Social Media guru. She was giving away Pokens, the hottest new thing to make your connections easier. I had never seen them before, but got it right away. This will make collecting relevant information so much easier! Just wanted to pass on the information so you can get started with this device as well.

Wouldn't it be cool to be able to meet people, and get their contact information right away, without needing a pen or paper? Poken solves the problem of remembering email addresses and screen names of every one so you can contact them again. It allows you to quickly swap information. Just touch Pokens and connect. Poken holds your contact information: name, address, email, mobile phone, and your social networking account names: FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others. Already know your friends profiles? Even better: when you Poken and they Poken, you will automatically have updates when they open a new social networking account. As soon as your friend has registered his Poken, and you have registered yours, the information automatically appears in the Poken hub. And what is really cool? You can follow your Twitter account right in the Poken hub as well, and even update it from there.

Hope you get on the bandwagon soon, so when we next meet, we can Poken as well.

Happy Networking

Dr. Kaaren

SHOULD I JOIN A LEADS GROUP

In the course of my networking journey, I go to a ton of meetings. One of the first regular networking groups that I joined was a local “leads” group. It was a free-standing group, without affiliation to either a chamber of commerce or a national leads group. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the group, and even though I was acknowledged as giving more referrals than any other member, it did not lead to an expansion of my business. So after well over a year, I decided to move on.

Although this is not meant to be a total list, some of the more common groups you may have heard of are Business Networking International (BNI), LeTip International, and a new group in my area, TEAM Networking groups. In your area, there may also be groups that are strictly local, such as my first networking group, and it is worthwhile sorting them out.

Before joining such a group, there are things to consider.

What constitutes a Leads Group?

1. Meetings are held regularly, as often as weekly.
2. Only one representative of a category is allowed, e.g. only one realtor, or financial planner, or mortgage broker, or electrician, or computer specialist, or, whatever.
3. Most such groups would prefer that you only belong to their group, because how can you give referrals to multiple realtors, or mortgage brokers, or etc.?

Advantages of a Leads Group:

1. Meeting every week allows you to get to know the other members.
2. When members get to know you, they will feel comfortable using your service.
3. When they get to know you, they will give you referrals.
4. Depending on the leads group, members may have been screened before they are invited to join the group.
5. You may be mentored in the group so that your networking skills improve.
6. The group may offer training programs, especially if your group is part of a larger organization.

Disadvantages of a Leads Group:

1. The initial fee may be as pricey as joining a chamber of commerce or a national organization.
2. There may be a renewal fee.
3. There are monthly dues, whether you are able to attend a meeting or not.
4. You may be penalized if you miss a number of meetings.
5. They may expect you to find a replacement for you if you need to be absent.
6. There may be penalties if you do not supply other members with referrals.
7. The members may not be people you choose to do business with, or feel comfortable giving referrals to.

Be sure you visit the group as many times as they allow, before you are obliged to make a decision. Find out what you get for the initiation fee, and will it help you. If there is mentoring within the group, take advantage of it. If there are training workshops, be sure to attend. Make your membership work for you. And finally, if you have the chance to take a more active role in the group, offer to be the greeter at the meetings. This way you get to meet everyone who comes to the group as a visitor. Those folks may also be good candidates for your business or service.

Happy Networking

Kaaren

BEING PREPARED FOR NETWORKING

What Do You Take With You Every Day?

When I leave the house, I have a sign on the door leading to the garage with a list of all the things I must take with me:

1. Business cards: how many do I need for the event? Which cards (if I have more than one style that I use) am I taking? Do I have my business card holder in my purse? Do I have a table top holder filled with cards?

2. Flyers: do I have information sheets that I can hand to someone if they have a question about an event I have mentioned, or a benefit of my product, or how to contact me?

3. Samples: do I have samples or examples of my product that I can give to someone who asks? Or do I have examples of the product I am marketing, so people can actually see what they can expect to get?

4. Calendar: I always carry my calendar, so that I can make appointments to follow up with people I meet. If you have your appointment calendar in your phone or PDA, make sure you update it, or sync it with the calendar on your computer daily so it is always up to date.

5. Phone: Yes, I have actually gone off to an appointment without my cell phone. So, be sure to check that off your list before you leave the house.

6. Directions: do you have the address of the appointment you are going to? Have you a map, or directions, or a GPS unit that can help make sure you get to where you are going? Be sure to double check with the person you are meeting to see if there are any snags with getting there. One of the meetings I went to last fall was at someone's home, and both the online directions and GPS unit did not acomodate a closed-off street that made it really tricky to find. Unfortunately my hostess did not alert me to this possibility, and I didn't think to ask.

7. Food/Snacks: if you will be out all day, or past a mealtime, do you need to take some snacks with you? This ends up being an issue for me sometimes, so I usually pack a lunch if I am going to be gone from the house for an extended period.

8. Computer and Computer Accessories: Have you ever left the house with your laptop in its case, and when you got to your appointment realized you didn't have the cords you needed? That can put a real damper on a presentation.

9. Outfitting Your Car: One way to make sure you have what you need is to always carry a portable file or roll-around file in your car that has your materials and/or products. And be sure to put any portable display in the car before you leave for your appointment (see pictures).

When you are this organized your days and appointments will go smoother, but be sure at least once a week to go through your file and restock what you have given away.

Happy Networking.

Kaaren

Which Social Media Platform Are You Using?

In putting together a presentation, I just found this information through one of my Twitter connections:



So which sites are you using to market your business? And how are you doing that?

Just ran across a great summary of a vast array of marketing tips by Joshua Horton. He suggests the following: Article marketing, video marketing, and blogging. And he suggests a pretty hefty schedule at that: write two articles each day, shoot two videos each day, update your blog daily, and add 30 to 100 friends each day minimum.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a lot of work. So I say, pick the most popular site, and work on that one for a while. And remember, this is about business, and bringing value to the table. So when you post, keep it professional, keep it relatively brief, and make sure it isn't just an add for your business.

Happy Networking.

Kaaren

PROSPECTING FOR SUCCESS

Systems for Success

Going through some old materials while cleaning out my library, I found Prospecting Systems for Success, a book published in 1981. Gordon Hawkins was an insurance agent who understood the necessity of continuing to talk to new prospects, no matter how successful you have become. My mentors who are truly successful tend to focus their training on just that principle. Keep talking to people.

In his little book, Hawkins proposed that success is more likely if you have a system to follow. As he says, "Prospecting has to be as automatic as breathing." Wow, there's a concept. Instead of looking at talking to people, or following up the way we anticipate going to the dentist to get a tooth pulled, how different would it be if we likened it to taking a deep breath? Breathing revitalizes our bodies, and clears our minds. Prospecting can serve the same purpose for our business.

Although many successful distributors will tell you they just apply the three foot rule to find prospects: if someone gets within three feet of you, they are fair game. Or how about the mirror test: if you can see they are breathing, go for it. That may work, but if you are going to spend the energy to tell someone about your business and products, wouldn't it make sense to see if they qualify? I have modified what Hawkins proposes as the absolute basics to know who is qualified:

1. Is the person willing and able to HEAR what you have to say?
2. Does the person have the MONEY to become your business partner, or buy your products?
3. Does the person NEED what you can provide with your business or products?
4. Is this someone you want to work with?

A few days ago, I followed up with someone I had met at a networking event. We met to share information in a congenial environment, but I knew in a matter of minutes this was not a good fit for my business. The prospect is a financial planner who immediately launched into how qualified they were, and in what investment instruments they liked to position clients. Fifteen minutes later, they came up for air. Although they qualified financially for my business and products, and they could certainly use our products, it turns out they they did not qualify as a good prospect. They were not willing to HEAR what I had to say. So I spoke politely about what I do, and thanked them for their time, and moved on. My follow up will simply be a thank-you note for meeting with me, but no need to go further.

The trick is to listen to our prospects: when someone says they can't afford it, believe them. Just because you know it would be good for them to join you in the business, doesn't mean they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary for it to happen. If you get a gut feeling this person can't hear you, or the objections they are raising speak to a lack of understanding about the value of your products, or this is someone you just don't want to work with, MOVE ON. If we don't waste time on folks who don't qualify, we can find the ones who will that much faster.

In my next post, we will talk about what Hawkins says is your Natural Market.

Kaaren

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.

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.