Posts Tagged ‘MLM Business’

What is Spam?

If you do a Google search on spam, you will get 217,000,000 results.  Wow.  Do you think it’s a popular subject?  Wikipedia has two definitions:  Spam-food and spam-electronic.  Most people are quite familiar with both but I think it’s important to restate the latter definition:

Spam (electronic) is the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. While the most widely recognized form of spam is e-mail spam, the term is applied to similar abuses in other media: instant messaging spam, Usenet newsgroup spam, Web search engine spam, spam in blogs, wiki spam, online classified ads spam, mobile phone messaging spam, Internet forum spam, junk fax transmissions, social networking spam, and file sharing network spam.

I did read the definition of Spam-food.  Based on the definition it is NOT artificial meat.  But spam-electronic IS an artificial way to “meat” people and it is mostly used by spammers to sell something that the person they are spamming doesn’t necessarily want or need.

Use of Spam from a Consumer Perspective

It is easy to understand why consumers get so ticked off when they are spammed.  It is a waste of the consumer’s time and money (some internet service providers charge by usage).  Personally, I get more ticked off when my time is wasted.  Time IS our most valuable asset.  I was on a website last night.  I thought it was a “reliable” website; one of integrity.  Of course, there were ads all over it.  No problem.  This is to be expected.  Advertising is how “free” websites make money, especially if it is a news related website.  So I clicked on the following ad:

$13 Palm Desert Car Ins?
6/17: Obama backs new insurance regulation. See if you qualify for new 2010 rates starting at $13/mo  Learn more

I responded to the above ad thinking I might possibly qualify for car insurance for $13 a month under some new Obama regulation.  Immediately after I entered my information, before my next blink, the calls and e-mail responses started flooding in.  The one and only person I spoke to informed me that the advertising was some kind of mass advertising to solicit people’s information and he didn’t know anything about insurance for $13 a month.  When I told him that the advertisement was “spammy”, he agreed and said “everyone’s doing it.”   I was so ticked off I sent an e-mail to the editor of the website.  Not only was it spammy, it may fall under false advertising.  I’ll have to research it and write a follow up article.

If “Everyone’s Doing It”…DON’T DO IT!!!

Think about every time you’ve heard that phrase in your life: “everyone’s doing it.”  Every time I’ve heard this phrase, or used it myself, it meant that “everyone” was doing something questionable.  The other thing I’ve learned about this phrase, from financial leaders like Robert Kiyosaki and Warren Buffet, is if everyone is doing it, DON’T DO IT!

Attraction Marketing is NOT Spam

Let me repeat…attraction marketing is NOT spam.  Attraction marketing is about relationship building.  It’s about offering value and establishing yourself as an expert and a leader in your field.  It’s about reaching people who want to be reached.  The next time you are sending a bulk message, just ask yourself “is my message solicited? Is it discriminate?” Are you reaching people who want to be reached?  Are you offering something they want, something they’ve asked for?  There is a movement in the network marketing industry to clean up the nasty reputation that’s been created by a few bad apples…okay, maybe more than a few.  I hate, yes, I said hate, the thought of attraction marketers shifting the annoying off-line stereotypical network marketer habits to the internet.

Sales professionals teach that you must have a call to action at the end of every meeting, conference call, webinar, article, etc.  My call to action is this:  Do not use spam to promote your MLM business.

Who is Mark Yarnell and why should we take his advice?  Mark Yarnell is an MLM leader who has made over $30 million in his MLM career.  He has been in the MLM industry for over 24 years.  Do I have proof that he has made millions?  Have I seen his tax returns?  No, I haven’t.  I also haven’t seen Robert Kiyosaki’s tax returns or Donald Trump’s.  But, if you continue reading and learn the top 5 things Mark Yarnell recommends doing to achieve MLM success, you will agree that it is sound advice and the key principles mirror the advice of all the top MLM leaders.

1. The Core Value Match.  Ask yourself “would I recruit my mom into my MLM company?”  Is your MLM company so good, so ethical that you would feel good bringing your mom into it?  If your core value does not match the MLM company you are in, you won’t be successful.  You will self-sabotage because you don’t feel good about what you are doing and your aren’t proud of the MLM company you represent.
2. The Market Sector. How big is the market sector your MLM company is reaching? What is the demand for your our product or service?  Is everyone already using it?  If you have to convince people to modify their behavior to use your product or service, you will have a much harder time selling it.
3. Professional Relationship Building. Spend 2 hours a day building professional relationships.  An MLM company pays you for 2 things: RECRUITING AND SELLING.  Period.  If you aren’t building professional relationships, you can’t do either of these.  There are different ways to build professional relationships such as making phone calls and marketing.  Whatever strategy you use, make sure you spend 2 hours a day doing it.
4. Your Income Plan.  Choose a 1, 2 or 3 year plan to reach your desired income.  For example, if your goal is $100k/month with your MLM company in 1 year, then you would need to speak to 30 people a day.  If you choose the 2 year plan, you need to speak to 20 people a day.  And if you choose the 3 year plan, you need to speak to 10 people a day.  You need to do it 5 days a week.  If you are thinking this is easier said than done, you’re RIGHT.  It is.  It’s one of the reasons the success rate in the MLM industry is only 3%.  Are you in the 3%?  If not, do you want to be?  The choice is yours.
5. Recognize and Avoid Bombs:
   1. Comparison Bomb.  Stop comparing and looking at other deals!!!  You’ve GOT to stay focused.  If you like your MLM company, your comp plan, your product/service, your upline, etc., don’t waste your time looking at other MLM companies.
   2. Friends and Family Bomb.  Just leave them alone!  Stop bugging them.  If they are interested, they will come to you.
   3. Dabble Bomb.  Don’t mess with the dabblers.  These are the people who want to figure out how to make money and NOT work.
   4. Dump Bomb.  Don’t dump all of your MLM company information on your prospects in the first 5 minutes.  This is also known as “vomiting on your prospects.”
   5. Short Cut Bomb.  There are no short cuts!!! You have to work hard. The good news is “hard work” and “full time” is 2 hours a day 5 days a week!!!

If there is only one thing you can grasp from Mark Yarnell’s advice, it should be that  you MUST build relationships.  If you have been following any of the MLM leaders, Mark Yarnell, David Wood, Cedrick Harris, Brian Fanale, Jim Chao, etc., they all agree UNEQUIVOCALLY that you MUST create a strategy where you are building relationships on a continuous basis.  The first step to building relationships in today’s market is to generate laser targeted MLM leads.  An MLM lead generation system is essential to generating quality, targeted MLM leads.

Have you ever wondered why some people have MLM success and others don’t?  What exactly do the leaders of MLM companies have in common that makes them so successful?  I know network marketers that work very hard but aren’t successful.  After 18 months in the MLM network marketing industry and studying what the leaders of MLM companies are doing, it is crystal clear to me why some have MLM success and others don’t.  The ones having MLM success, the leaders, all have VISION and a strong, emotionally compelling WHY.

I’ve been following the MLM training of Mike Dillard, Cedrick Harris, David Wood, Jim Rohn, Mike Dlouhy and many others who have achieved MLM success.  I’ve also followed the training of personal development leaders like Brian Tracy and Bill Bartman.  All of these highly successful leaders, and many others, agree UNEQUIVOCALLY that you need a clear VISION and a strong, emotionally compelling WHY to be successful.

If you have any experience in MLM network marketing, you’ve heard it said that your WHY is more important than your HOW.  Well, this is part of the equation.  You do need a strong, emotionally compelling WHY.  But, you also need VISION.  You need to clearly identify what success looks like to you.  And you need to write it down and look at it DAILY.

At first blush it seems simple, right?  Here’s the challenge…DO IT!    Think about what success looks like to you.  When you start squirming in your seat because you feel uncomfortable that you can’t come up with a quick answer, don’t go to the refrigerator and get something to eat.  Fight through the discomfort.  Sit there as long as it takes and figure it out.  This is the REAL work.  This is where you begin to succeed in life.  By fighting through the discomfort. Stop reading this right now and pull out a pen and paper.  Write down your vision.

Okay.  How’d you do?  If you didn’t do it, you can skip all the other MLM training, tips, tricks and tools you’ve learned and continue to look for.  If you don’t have vision, you won’t achieve MLM success.  If you did it, CONGRATULATIONS.  Now you can go on to the next step and identify your WHY.

The vision I have for my MLM business is to smash the long standing statistic.  You know the one-the “only 10% of network marketers are successful” statistic.  It may be even less than that, depending on the source of the information.  But my vision is clear and it is in writing.  My WHY is quite simple.  I am 39 and I want to be a stay at home mom.  Being able to raise a child has been a dream of mine for four years and I am on my way to achieving that dream.  Everything that has happened in my life since that defining moment has brought me closer to realizing that dream.  I challenge you to follow your dreams.

Once you have established your vision and identified your why, you will need a system that will generate quality leads and train your down line. This is an essential tool for your MLM business.  A comprehensive MLM lead generation system will get you on your way to great success with any network marketing company.