Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

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29 April 2011  1 Comment

Why You Should Consider Social Media Networking

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Social media networking is changing the way business owners market and brand their business.

Networking is nothing new. The idea of networking is to meet others for the purpose of gaining referrals new clients, and to forge new friendship and business relationships. The connections in social media networking is done over the internet instead of in person

Social media networking is an interactive way to communicate with friends, current clients and potential new clients. You  directly connect with your audience on a greater platform and it gives your followers the feeling that they are part of your online community. This is important because people only do business with people they know, like and trust.

Social media networking has its advantages and disadvantages –

Advantages:

  • Social networking is free
  • Reach new customers and prospects
  • Stay in touch and update existing customers
  • Create strategic partnerships
  • Create new friendships and business relationships
  • Create a global presence on the internet

Disadvantages:

  • Too many social media choices
  • SPAM
  • Excessive emails
  • Overwhelming
  • Potential negative press

Grasping social media will not be an overnight process. There are several sites to get you started on your journey to social media networking. Listed are a few choices, statistics and a brief overview of each one.

Facebook – Find this site at www.facebook.com

  • More than 500 million active users
  • 50% of active users log on to Facebook on any given day
  • Average user has 130 friends
  • More than 70 translations available on site
  • About  70% of Facebbok users are outside the United States
  • People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users

Twitter – Find this site at www.twitter.com

Many different types of people use Twitter – speakers, celebrities, corporations, executives, students, radio personalities, realtors and many more.

You share what you are doing in 140 characters or less. Here like other social sites you can share motivation, inspiration, information, tricks and tips.

Statistics:

  • Average of 55 million tweets are sent daily
  • Twitter has 105,779,710 registered users
  • New user sign up rate per day – 300,000
  • 180 million unique visitors come to the site every month

LinkedIn – Find this site at www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn is a business oriented social networking site. This is a great place for business professionals and entrepreneurs to connect. LinkedIn is popular with Fortune 5oo executives, CEOs, CFOs and business professionals.

Statistics:

  • Largest professional network on the internet with more than 100 million members in over 200 countries and territories
  • More than half of members are currently outside of the United States
  • Nearly two billion people searches were conducted in 2010
  • Average income – $109,000
  • Age range – 41 to 49

There are many more social media sites. This is a great starting point. Set up profiles at all three site. Since each site has its own language and cultural, I suggest you dig into the particulars of each site one by one.

Social media networking can be a wonderful addition to the way you market your business. Happy Networking.

Till the next time…Live on Purpose & Make it Happen

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26 April 2011  No Comments

Are You Wasting Your Time In Your Network Marketing Business?

If you answer YES to the following statements, you probably are wasting your time.

You want to be a millionaire overnight

Is your product one that is in demand? Can you see yourself sharing the benefits of the product? Make sure you believe in the product.  Stay passionate and continue to prospect. The money will follow.

You want to quit your job the day you sign up

A realistic plan is to quit your “day job” when your network marketing income matches or doubles your current income. Obviously there are exceptions to this statement such as you have additional income support.

You believe your family and friends will happily join your business

They may sign up but most will not work the business. Many will run from you if you have approached them about multiple opportunities. Continue to love your family and friends even if they don’t join. Like minded people are who you want to attract as business partners.

You are selling the business

Selling the business is not duplicable. Most people are not natural salespeople. People don’t like being sold. Offer a solution to people’s problems and you will gain customers and distributors.

You are emotionally attached to the word NO

I am not guilty of this statement. The NOs I handle well because I knew exactly where that person stands. However I was and occasionally still am emotionally attached to the fence sitters or the people that promise to sign up next payday, after the light bill is paid. You know the stories. Then you never hear back from the people. Spending time feeling down about this is wasted energy and robs you of the potential all around you. Go for Yes or NO.

Most prospects are saying NO to the opportunity not YOU. The timing may be bad for your prospect. The NO may turn into a yes in the future.

You freeze up when someone asks if this is a PYRAMID.

Tell them upfront that it is network marketing or MLM. Ask them if they are looking for a PYRAMID to join. Most people don’t realize that their J.O.B. is one of the greatest PYRAMID structures. There is nothing wrong with a job just most people don’t realize unless they are the CEO they are on the bottom of their job’s structure or PYRAMID :-) Be confident and proud of what you do.

You are trying to turn WHINERS into WINNERS

Enough said on this one.

Realize that network marketing requires work. Be realistic about the time you have to work your business. Set goals. Be defined by your expectations and no one else’s. Keep forging ahead and remember you have the solution that millions of customers and business builders want and need.

Till the next….Live on Purpose and Make it Happen

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22 April 2011  No Comments

Why You Should Consider Multi Level Marketing

The MLM industry, or Multi Level Marketing industry has created multi-millionaires and given some people a lifestyle that most people have never experienced.

There are many people who mistakenly believe that this type of business is a pyramid or that you can’t make money.

If you attend a J.O.B. every day, you are in one of the greatest pyramid systems in the world unless you are a president. Let’s see how this works to make this crystal clear.

Boss – CEO

Employee – You

YOU never make it to the top. You never can make more money than the boss. Hmm, this seems like a pyramid to me.

Let’s be clear there are scams and schemes out there. However, there are also a large number of businesses in which you can make consistent regular income from home using MLM. I have friends who sell everything from pills, candles, greeting cards, juice, gold and silver, video services, legal services, body garments and many more products and services.  You name it and there is something out here for anyone who is interested in making additional or replacing income. The key is finding a product that moves you and one that you can easily share with prospective distributors and customers.

How does this industry work?

You are helping to sell a product or service to individuals who will make purchases on a monthly basis. In doing so, you earn a commission each month from their purchase.  A huge plus is that you can earn residual income, month after month, with each sign up you get.

Usually there are two ways to earn money. First, you sign individuals up to make a monthly purchase each month. For example, they may make a purchase of $40 a month in vitamins. You receive a portion of each monthly purchase they make. In addition to this, you help others who wish to be in this industry to sign up to work with you. You can create tiers of people working under you, all of which you earn an income from.  This is where so many people get tripped up on the “pyramid thing.”

Example – Paul joins Pam’s business.  Paul signs up under Pam. Paul then begins to sign up new customers. All of those customers he sells to on a monthly basis are commissions for Pam, too.

Let’s take a consumer product such as a cell phone. The cell phone company needs to distribute cell phones around the world. They open a store, make commercials, hire employees and those employees sell or in MLM terms distribute the phones to the customers that come into the store and makes a purchase. Therein lies the difference, in the MLM industry there is no brick and mortar building. Your brick and mortar business is home based. There are no employees only distributors. There are no commercials. The MLM distributor is moving the product and service and in essence, is creating interest for the product. The MLM is able to pay distributors handsomely because they have eliminated advertising cost.

The majority of the profits go to the cell phone company in a traditional business. If you are in the MLM industry, YOU the distributor would enjoy the commissions based off of your efforts and your team’s efforts. That right there alone, is why you should consider multi level marketing.

Think of this industry as a two-fold mission. 1.) You are helping to promote a product or service you believe in 2.) You are able to help others who are looking for an at home business gain financial freedom and time to do the things that they love to do.

Remember people only do business with people who they know, like or trust. So although the product might be great, if you don’t do a great job of representing yourself, people will buy from the person that they feel most comfortable with. At the end of the day, it’s how you make people feel.

The keys to doing well in this industry are: be coachable, flexible, plug into trainings and conference calls and attend live events. Most important – never give up on your dream of having your own business.

If MLM sounds like a good home based business for you, you will be happy to know that virtually all of the tasks can be done at home, often in your PJs.

Till the next time,

Live on purpose and make it happen

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18 April 2011  5 Comments

Network Marketing is NOT
  • A 9-5 JOB. What you GIVE is what you GET in Network Marketing. Some people get away without doing any work and still collect a paycheck in their regular 9-5 job.
  • An INVESTMENT PROGRAM! Just because you bought a business opportunity, it will forever be a business ‘opportunity’ and not a business if you sit and do nothing. The money doesn’t grow by you becoming a distributor. The more you invest doesn’t mean you will necessarily earn more.
  • A GET RICH QUICK SCHEME! Those who make it big in MLM within a short time are the EXCEPTION to the NORM. Do you have what they have? (The experience,  tenacity, contacts, paid the price) Everyone who has made it had all paid the price.
  • A 100 METER DASH. It is a marathon. Your business is built over a period of time. The quality of your downline counts. Many will promise to join your business and never do. Better yet, many will join and never do anything. Timing is everything.
  • JUST FOR SALES PEOPLE. Some are NATURAL salespeople, being good in sales will not necessarily make you succeed in MLM. Selling or bringing someone in the business is the start. Training, tools, 3 way calls are all a part of the process as well.
  • A PYRAMID. It is not about the people on the bottom making all the money for the people on the top. Remember that if the downline works harder, they will eventually earn more than their uplines.
  • W-2 INCOME. This is a business and you must treat it like a business. You and only you alone dictate the size of your income. You are also responsible for all of your taxes.
  • ABOUT DUPLICATING YOUR STYLE. EVERYONE is DIFFERENT. Different people have a different personal touch when it comes to recruiting. Their relationships with their prospects vary from groups to groups. This is not a ONE SIZE FIT ALL style.
  • LIMITED TO ONLY YOUR MLM COMPANY. Please never ever treat your business like it is the ONLY business worth getting into (if you don’t get into MY MLM or if you join others, you are not my friend). Move on if they don’t join you! Please don’t do this. You will lose a lot of true friends.
  • SPAMMING social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter about your business opportunity. People will quickly delete you from their social media accounts. Instead offer how being in business can improve their bottom line or help them to achieve an additional stream of income.
  • ABOUT THE TOOLS/PRODUCTS.  Many people in your same business are sharing this same tool/product.  People do business with people who they know, like and trust. So be that type of person.

Till the next time…Live On Purpose & Make It Happen

14 April 2011  2 Comments

Eight Steps That Separate the Minority From The Majority In Business

Are you in the game or in the bleachers when it comes to being a success in your business?

The top business people of the world follow several principals that puts them in the MINORITY, gives them the slight edge and separates them from the MAJORITY.

Here are eight tips to make sure you are part of the MINORITY.

1. Define your WHY. Have a why that is unstoppable. A why that makes you cry. A why that WOWS you.

2. Vision Board. Without a vision you will perish. Your dream will not be a reality until you remove it from your head and put it on paper. Create your vision board today.

3. Coaching & Mentoring Sessions. Partner with a great coach and then find a mentor. By doing so, you can shave several months or possibly years off of your learning curve.

4. Mastermind & Alliances. Two or more individuals coming together can accomplish more than either could alone. This can be a formal or informal group. Great reading – Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

5. Seminars & Live Events. The top minority always attend various events. They recognize that relationships and joint ventures are formed at these type of events. The minority also know that it’s the meeting after the meeting is where you forge deeper connections.

6. Books & Audio Tapes. Always a student is one of my own favorite quotes. Personal Development is imperative to your success. Books and audio tapes provide a great source for you to continue to elevate your mind and stay on course with your WHY and mission.

7. Charity. Give back to charity and other worthy causes. Many of the top minority combine forces and give on a grand scale.

8. Lastly, the top minority know it’s not the TOOLS that people are attracted to. It is YOU. People only do business with people they know like or trust.

The above steps are great steps to get started. Some will take more time than others but when combined together, you are unstoppable and you will be in the MINORITY.

See you at the Top!

Till next time, Live on Purpose and Make it Happen.

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30 March 2011  No Comments

The Difference between Network Marketing and Internet Marketing

There are many people who are under the impression that the Internet space, though vaster than imaginable, is all the same.  Tell them that there is something known as Internet marketing and there is something else known as network marketing and the two are not the same will be news to them.  We can assure them that the two have different methodologies and approaches to marketing.  The main difference is that in Internet marketing, nothing is done away from your computer, whereas in network marketing, besides using computers, many things can be done offline to promote your business.

Internet marketing is the selling of services and products using  the Internet. You can promote your products and services and also your affiliates’ domains and those of Joint Venture partners, if there are any. You want to always grow a list of email subscribers because one of the main promotional avenues is sending emails. This sending of emails has to be done with care. Too many of them could end up in the trash bin without being read. Relationships are created in the course of sales, but there is no team or group that is created to sell the products.

This viral marketing can use video clips, pointed advertisements, or eBooks to make the people linger long enough on the page and kindle their interest in the product or service. A member who makes a sale from anywhere in the world gets a commission.

There is no social interaction aspect to the marketing. Email is your main mode of contact, but you may also resort to sending newsletters that can have a professional look and finesse and impress the recipients

Therein lies the main difference. Network marketing is self-explanatory. You need to create a network of sales distributors who will be engaged in marketing  the company’s products. It is primarily a system of networks that have been perfected by MLM companies. A business opportunity is offered to whoever is interested in the website promoted by you. Anyone who is interested in earning some extra money can join in and start as a distributor or affiliate; thus a group of people is created and they all work towards one goal – the sale of  the MLM  product and they themselves make it a point of bringing in more sales people under their name.

Network marketers can make use of online and offline techniques to build their team. Phone calls on the Internet using facilities like Skype is possible now, but may not be as effective as traditional phones using landlines or cellular phones. The dial the number and speak routine cannot be employed here.  However, Skype will enhance your global business as you have a chance to meet people all over the world, no matter the time zone. Sizzle calls, meetup groups, attractive promotional postcards by snail mail are examples of offline marketing techniques.  You have many choices to figure out the best method for growing your business.

Till the next time…Live on purpose & make it happen

Wishing you pro$perity,

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23 February 2011  6 Comments

How To Add a Gravatar or Picture to Your Blog Comments

Have you ever went to leave a comment on a persons blog and wonder how you can show your gravatar or picture like the other commentators.

First let’s define a gravatar. Your Gravatar is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you comment or post on a blog.

I have my cool gravatar thanks to a wonderful video post by Katie Freiling.  Now you can too! Check out this wonderful and simple quick tutorial video where Katie shows you how to do it: http://www.katiefreiling.com/gravatar/.

Why You Need A Gravatar?

Your picture will help the blog owner and readers be able to put a face to the great and thoughtful comments that you make. Your comments also help you to get exposure especially if you are adding value to the community. Lastly, people will identify you more easily and recognize you throughout the different blog sites you visit.

So was it simple? I sure thought so. Please leave a comment and let me see your beautiful picture.

Don’t forget to test your new gravatar out by thanking Katie and leaving a  comment on her blog.

Please make sure you share this with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, and other social communities!

Like me by clicking  on my cool gravatar Face Book Fan Page.

Till the next time….Live on Purpose & Make it Happen

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14 February 2011  No Comments

Building Relationships Online

How Well Are You Building Relationships Online?

Social media gives you the ability to connect with influential people around the world and help you build powerful relationships online. The relationships you form while you are online can be some of the most profitable and helpful if you know how to cultivate the relationship. When you create dynamic online relationships you open the door to brainstorming together, assistance, joint ventures, masterminding, coaching and mentoring opportunities.

Your actions and conversations you have with people allow you to brand yourself. Are you someone who can be trusted? Are you supportive to other internet marketers? Do you offer value to the marketplace? Do you offer great customer service? What does your profile say about you? What type of post do you make to your social media walls. Are you always pitching your opportunity? All these things will get noticed and may open or close doors as you are  building relationships online.  Always give 100% to every email, Face Book, Twitter, blog  and video post. You never know what it may lead to.

Six great tips from a recent conference call on Building Relationships Online and Offline:

1. PATIENCE DON’T PUSH – Give people the space to say yes or no.  Let them move towards you. Fill your pipeline with so many people that you don’t get anxious when someone doesn’t call you back. The worst thing you can do is wait by the phone for someone to call you to tell you they are interested. Become an educator look for the people that give you permission to take the next step with them.

2. SEPARATE THE INVITATION FROM THE PRESENTATION – If someone asks you what you do, give them a 30 second HIGH LEVEL overview and if they express a little interest, tell them you will set up a time to meet or call them. Don’t present the business on the run or in the inbox. Building relationships online are never about throwing up in peoples inbox or automatically posting links everywhere.

3. YOU ARE CREATING MOMENTUM IN THE CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE – People will watch you as you build your business . . . some will come around later. It’s all about THEIR timing and not yours. You’re planting seeds. You just don’t know when that one person will join you that will be a successful business builder. The conversations you have can create an invisible momentum that can take months or years to come to fruition. Be careful never to bash another Network Marketing Company. We are building relationships online not tearing down other network marketing companies.

4. YOUR SUCCESS ISN’T ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT, YOUR COMP PLAN, OR YOUR UPLINE – If you don’t like the result you are getting, take a look at the energy you are sending out. Comp plans don’t make winners. Every company has big earners and lots of people that sign up and set their kit on the refrigerator waiting for money to fall from the sky. Your success is about your energy, who you attract and how you build relationships online and offline. There has never been a successful program where everyone makes money because 90% of the people aren’t willing to do any work. You want to be part of a system that rewards you for creating value with lots of people.

5. YOU TEND TO ATTRACT WHAT YOU BELIEVE - If you have doubts about network marketing, you’ll probably struggle because you’ll attract others that doubt. Again . . . it goes back to the energy you are sending out. If you believe in the dream you tend to attract others like you. If you are attracting lazy and unmotivated people, it’s important to really dig in to your personal development. Go back and read, The Business of the 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki. When you doubt, others will doubt. When you believe, others will believe.

6. TO STAY POSITIVE YOU MUST STAY PLUGGED IN – We do live in a very negative world. It’s so easy to get caught up in the drama of negativity that’s all around us. Even if its 15-30 minutes a day, read from a personal development book or listen to a CD in your car.

7. BUILD YOUR RELATIONSHIPS ONLINE WITH INTEGRITY – Your reputation is never worth risking over a check or a promotion. A check is one time, but your integrity is forever. Protect it at all costs. Usually when you start making decisions that will benefit you and hurt others, it will come back to bite you on the butt. Don’t cut corners. When you build relationships online with integrity, in the long run you will always come out on top.

If you like this post, please click on the Face Book and Twitter share button. Are we friends on Face Book?  If not click the Fan Page like button and let’s build our relationship.

Till the next time… Happy Building Relationships Online,

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11 January 2011  6 Comments

Six Ways to Brand You On Online

Your brand is YOU! You have to understand that the value you deliver is not in a product or a presentation but in your brand, which is YOU.  The saying goes, people only do business with people who they know, like and trust.

Be genuine. Bring value and people will partner with you. No pitching or shoving your business down people’s throat.

Six Ways to Brand You on Online:

1.    Set up a public profile on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace. Make sure you have a nice profile picture. This picture should not include animals or logos. People want to identify and get to know you.

2.    Create a blog.  Blog about a wide range of things that relate to your industry. Think about any information relating to your industry niche which your blog visitors will be interested in seeing on your blog. Identify the sub-niches in your industry and write about those as well. You should never run out of ideas on what to blog about.

3.    Participate in forums and comment on other people’s blogs. No pitching but offer meaningful comments and show a voice of authority about your industry.

4.     Article Marketing. People will mention quality articles pieces on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites. This will give you a buzz in viral marketing.

5.    Create an effective e-mail signature. Your signature should include your full name, what you do, how to reach you, and a link to your website at the end of every email. Check out www.mylivesignature.com for a beautiful signature to add to your e-mails or blogs.  See my signature at the end of this article.

6.    Create a catchy tagline or slogan like Nike – Just Do It. My tagline is Live on Purpose and Make it Happen.

Lastly, remember not all brands are for everybody.  Don’t take it personal. Continue to offer value and the right people will come to you.

Till the next time…..

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28 December 2010  No Comments

Internet Coach or Mentor – Which One Do You Need?

Look anywhere on the internet and you will find someone who calls themselves a coach. You will see such title as Network Marketing Coach, Professional Success Coach, Internet Marketing Mentor.

So What is the Difference Between Coaching & Mentoring

The coach teaches you how to develop the skills you need for your industry or a specific task. The coach helps to improve the student’s performance. Coaching often is for a short period. Once the task is learned, often the coaching ends.

Mentoring is developing a long relationship over a period of time. The mentor helps the mentee to see the issues that are impacting his or her success. Mentoring involves developing for the future as well.

So Do You Need One or the Other?

You need both. A coach can teach you and share tips about Internet Marketing and Social Media and virtually help you shave off 18 –24 months of your learning time.

A mentor can help you to see your impact over time. Often times, the relationship starts off as coaching but develops into a mentor/mentee experience.

So let me give you the tips to make sure you partner with a great coach.

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.

Qualities you should be looking for:

1.    The coach is knowledgeable and can find the answer if they do not have the answer handy.

2.    The coach is resourceful. The coach has tools and or resources to help you get started or point you in the right direction.

3.    The coach is available and returns your phone calls. Be reasonable and do not waste his or her time.

4.    The coach has a coach/mentor. Any great coach will tell you that he or she learned from someone else.

At the end of the day, a coach or mentor means nothing if you don’t have the sheer determination to do what it takes to get to the finish line. Both can give you a blueprint, share tips and maybe give you the occasional pep talk but it will be YOU that will have to put your butt in gear and make it happen.

My challenge to my readers and to myself is to live on purpose and make it happen. Take it brick by brick to build the business you desire. Remember as you are building your business you also need a personal development plan (PDP). I will cover that in another article.

Till the next time……

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