Focus, Focus, Focus to Make Your MLM Business Grow

Have you ever had a squirrel run across the road in front of your car? You never know what that critter is going to do. He may get half way across, run in circles and then turn right around and run back directly in front of you. It just seems like he has no idea what to do. And you wind up holding your breath and hoping you don't squash him. I've been lucky. No squirrel has fallen victim to my wheels, but there have been many close calls.

One of the great things about working in an office is that you know exactly what is expected of you. Your job is defined. You do your tasks daily, go home and come back and do them again the next day. Comfortable routine - at least for some people. But if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, the very first thing you need to recognize is that YOU direct everything you do. And if you don't have a good balance to your life, a realistic plan for your business day and the determination to get it done, your home-based business enterprise won't go anywhere.

Don't expect instant success. If you've fallen for the hype that there are riches to be made overnight, you're in for a very rude awakening. And you probably don't belong in the entrepreneurial world. You need to apply some basic tools to get going right, and then you have to work very hard to bring your dream to fruition. It takes dedication and commitment to be a successful entrepreneur. And you'll probably have to discard a lot of bad habits.

Start your new entrepreneurial life with a blank page. Then focus on creating the person you want to be. Start your day with some exercise (a good walk would be great). Get the clutter out of your office and set your space up to be the central point of your business existence. Organize your day and allocate your time sensibly - don't try to accomplish more than you really can do. Stay focused on your goals. Select one thing you want to work with and commit to it for the long term - at least for a year. And then start to execute.

Your first job is to build your list. But don't just throw a bunch of names into the pot. You want to look for like-minded people (you can find them in any number of groups on FaceBook, just search your topic and join appropriate lists). Send requests to add group members as friends. Then work on the second part of your job - building a relationship with your list. Whatever you do, don't, don't beat them over the head with your opportunity. Communicate with them, get to know them. Take your time and build trust and respect. Strong relationships will pay dividends over time.

Finding the Best Support and Guidance for Your MLM Business

I was a really lucky kid. My mother inherited a farmhouse and ten acres of ground in the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Beautiful sunsets and lots of things to do. I remember going to pick wild strawberries - the best clusters were right in the middle of poison ivy patches. For some reason, I wasn't susceptible, so guess who got to go in for the best berries.

You need to be selective when you're looking for help for your MLM business. But finding the best and most informative mentors and the best companies to represent can be a major challenge. Believe me, they're out there. But uncovering them amidst the deluge of stuff that flows in can be tough.

One approach is pretty easy. When you join groups on FaceBook, you'll start to get their memos. Take a few at a time. Look through what they're sending you - is it useful and practical? If they offer you some useful looking ebooks, by all means order them to start building your library. And you can certainly attend any free webinars they offer. But if they are just trying to sign you up, move right on.

Remember, social networking is NOT for promoting business opportunities. You need to build relationships with your friends and show yourself to be an honest, trustworthy person who has something of value to offer. Your friends know perfectly well that you have something to promote. So do they. And who's to say which home-based business is better? That determination will be made based on the quality of the person, not on the opportunity. Remember, people do business with people, not companies.

Weeding Through the MLM Hype & Growing Your Business Smartly

I was chatting with my FaceBook friend, Pete, who told me the sad story of another of his friends, who waxed euphoric about his opportunity, believed all the hype and rushed into his business without any research or thought, did everything he thought he was supposed to, and wound up empty-handed, poorer and very disillusioned.

If you really are committed to being a top buck in the MLM industry, or even just reasonably successful, then keep a measure of serenity around you. Everybody has a product they want to sell you. And you'll be overwhelmed by the emails, FaceBook and Twitter choices -- and the 'you can make a zillion dollars within a week' headlines.

Don't fall for it. Most people - some say even 95% - don't make a reasonable living with their work-from-home, multilevel marketing business. Too many of them fall for the hype, look for the quick buck and drop out when success isn't achieved, or just flit from product to product looking for the magic wand.

There is no magic wand. It's all about you and the diligence with which you pursue your goals. Pete's friend hadn't done some really basic research about his primary company opportunity (his company was headed toward insolvency).

First, set up your criteria for what you want to do and then investigate for companies/products that fit those criteria. It will take time and thoughtful analysis to determine your primary opportunity. Check your company/products out via their websites, annual reports, Better Business Bureau, google searches. Use alexa.com to investigate rankings and other info. Once you have researched and found the 'right' company/product for you, you'll have a much better chance to succeed.

It all takes time - and some funding. Be prepared and patient. Plan what you want to do every day and work toward accomplishing it. But keep your life serene. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by looking at too many things at once.

Dipping Your MLM Toe Into Advertising

Advertising can be very tricky - and very costly - if you don't pay close attention to your budget. And getting started if you don't have much experience can be really daunting. But there are some simple ways to test the waters without spending a lot of money.

First and foremost, consider your ad's purpose. You want to attract people to something they need or want. Your ad should identify what their problem may be - and then offer a solution or guide to help them. But the most important thing is that your ad is truthful. You need to be very comfortable standing behind its statements.

Creating effective ad copy is equally tricky. If you're in a program that provides training and sample ads, by all means use them. If you're creating your own, my recommendation would be to keep your copy simple, even a bit understated. Using catchy phrasing and attention-getters is fine, but be a bit cautious. I react favorably to an ad that offers me a possible solution to my problem. And I go right by any ads that state something like 'make $$$$ in just weeks with this simple process.' Why? 'Cause I just don't believe or trust them. Remember your ads should build trust and credibility for you and your product, the same as your social network profile does in that arena.

Where to start? I'd suggest free classifieds. Do a google search on Free Classifieds. There are several sites I've used (and many more) that you could look at:
1) www.usfreeads.com
2) www.classifiedsforfree.com
3) www.global-free-classified-ads.com
4) www.salesspider.com

Most will require you to open an account; it's strightforward and free. One thing you want to be sure about is that you can post links in your ads. In some cases, you may have to upgrade (usually for minimal amounts) to a non-free status. Make sure you put your ads in the right categories and subcategories (usually business opportunities, home-based business, work-from-home or whatever industry your product falls into). You can play around a bit with the subcategories to test which seem to be the most effective.

Most free ads do not renew automatically. So you'll have to set up a schedule to do your renewals. And do not forget to track your ads so you can see what's working and what isn't. Play around a bit as you start out. But don't spend large amounts of money on paid advertising til you have a sense of what IS working for you. You can expand into that arena later.

One more thing, I never use my primary email account for ad responses. So if you don't have a second email account, I'd set one up.

Be Sure Your MLM Business and Marketing Approach is Right for You

Like a horserace handicapper, people have varied skillsets and approaches. What works for one, doesn't always work for another - and may not even work all the time. But the most important part of the equation in any business, including MLM, is YOU. You're unique - and that's a pretty potent marketing tool. There are thousands upon thousands of MLM business opportunities and lots of varied marketing techniques, but if they aren't appropriate for you, then they won't work.

So, once you've determined what business really suits you and that it's something you really believe you can do, then decide what marketing approach fits your personality. There isn't really a single right way. Personally, I'm not comfortable with the old 'warm' marketing approach. Bugging friends and family, making cold calls and beating people over the head with my 'wonderful' opportunity just doesn't work for me. To me, it's an obsolete approach. But that doesn't mean it can't work for you. Some people have been really successful using that tactic.

My own preference rests on the principles of Attraction Marketing - getting people to invite you into their lives. If you build strong relationships and trust in your social network, offer constructive advice and help, people will regard you as a person of value. Interested parties will start to seek you out. You'll be a welcomed guest, not a despised 'sales person' trying to dig into their bank accounts. The social barriers people erect to protect themselves against the deluge of information and the onslaught of sales people will crumble, and you will be uniquely positioned to succeed.

NetWORK Marketing - Are You Just 'Hoping' in MLM?

If you are just 'hoping' for success (like Remy stalking the out-of-reach chipmunk), you're doomed to failure. This isn't a game that produces instant riches. If you have the 'dollar and a dream' mentality, buy a lottery ticket. You've got the same outlandish odds of winning 'big' instantly.

As my FaceBook friend, Tony Smith, said: It takes WORK to achieve success in MLM and network marketing. You have to be focused and committed. And it will take some money and research to get going right.

One of the biggest problems MLM beginners have, outside of lack of money and generating leads, is trying to cut through the information overload and determining if their company, product or mentor is legitimate and worthwhile. They tend to rush in, buy up front, and then are disappointed when money doesn't start rolling in right away. So they switch to something else, and repeat the process on another product - and another.

So start with some basic research. Do a google search on the industry, company, product or person in which you are interested. Check to see if there is a FaceBook profile and look through it. Look at a few related FaceBook groups. And utilize www.alexa.com (the web information company) to check out basic stats. Go to alexa's site, click on 'site info' and get the traffic statistics for what you are investigating. Remember though that new companies/products/people will not have sufficient history to have traffic rankings.

Do keep your search list short. If the first three don't produce some interesting results, you can look at others. But you can waste a lot of time and confuse yourself mightily if you try to do too much at once. Whatever you do, don't rush to buy. Make sure that you can commit the needed effort, time and money to make your home-based business grow. Above all, keep in mind that it takes time to build a successful business.

Managing the Information Deluge in Your MLM Business

As you expand your relationships on FaceBook and other social media, the deluge of information from friends and groups you've joined can be overwhelming. You will quickly be buried - and confused - if you don't take steps to control it.

Focus on what you want to see. Filter out individual and group messages that are bombarding you with 'you've got to see this' and 'I made $000; join me.' Look for infromation, messages, webinar announcements, and suggestions from your mentor, from a group that offers good content and value, and from a few individuals whose comments you really respect. Create folders in your email and move messages that don't require immediate attention into those folders until you're ready to review them. Politely ignore the rest.

Allocating time to learn is crucial. Don't spend hours every day perusing your email, FaceBook Wall and Twitter, and neglect other important action tasks. Set up a daily or weekly calendar, use your notepad, or whatever works for you. Include time to complete your training. Assign yourself tasks each day, but make sure you accomplish your daily goals. You need to create a sense of achievement.

Building Your Social Network for Your MLM Business

To me, friendship is based on mutual value, respect and trust. It's not something you can buy - you have to earn it. In social networking, building friendships rests on the same principles. Your profile needs to be professional, honest and transparent. Most important, it needs to reflect that you have value.

Your business goal is to build your reputation as a leader, to attract other business builders and marketers to you and to generate quality leads for your business. But always remember that you are building a foundation. Participate actively in the social community but never, ever do any pitching.

So how do you get started? Once you have a professional profile, then you want to start adding friends. But don't scatter shoot. Think about who you want to attract. Look for people who have similar interests. Conduct a search for groups to join - not just in MLM, though you certainly want to establish your presence in that industry. Check out groups in other industries that interest you. Click on each group's member list and start adding friends.

But here's the key. You are not just building a list, you should be trying to build a relationship with that list. So consider sending a personal message with your friend request and certainly send a personal thank you (with a bit of info about yourself) when that person confirms you as a friend.

A word of caution: FaceBook doesn’t like spammers and pitching. So don’t add more than 20-25 friends at a time. Do some in the morning, some in the afternoon and/or evening. FaceBook will issue a warning if you are adding too many at a time (it assumes you don’t really know them). If you get that warning, get off FaceBook for 24 hours and slow down your pace when you return.