Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Twitter... Tweets, Tweeples and Qwitter

"What are you doing now?" Is the question everyone is asking on Twitter! This video explains what Twitter is and give Twitter basics as well as other helpful resources related to Twitter.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Why is Jennifer Glackin So Happy About Network Marketing?

I feel so lucky to have found mentors who have allowed me to shine! Curious why I am so happy? Watch my video.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Learning How To "Brand" Yourself

If you are thinking of getting into Social Media Marketing via Facebook, MySpace etc. you need to know how to write your "story". Visitors need a reason to come back again. A compelling story that speaks about you will give your profile some life and credibility. I've been playing with my webcam again. Here is "Learning to Brand Yourself". Enjoy!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Do you have your own "bail-out" program?

It's been a tough week. The toughest week on Wall Street in the history of the stock exchange. So, I am asking you, "Do you have your own "bail-out" plan?". In other words, do you have a plan in place to supplement your current income if the need arises?

If you are looking for options, take a listen to my most recent video. My role as a Network Marketing coach and mentor is to help others... and that's what I like doing best. If you are a little anxious after last week, this may be the solution you are looking for.

Monday, October 6, 2008

History of Network Marketing

It's important to understand where our industry began. Here's a quick article about how Network Marketing evolved into the business we work in today.

The History of Network Marketing began in the 1940's when a vitamin supplement company called the California Vitamin Company (aka Nutrilite) realized that most of the incoming sales representatives happened to be friends or family of the current sales force. The incentive for these new sales reps to join the company was that they would be able to purchase the vitamins at wholesale prices.

The California Vitamin Company came to the conclusion that a larger sales force actively selling even small volumes of product was much more lucrative than a limited number of sales reps selling larger quantities.

Therefore, the California Vitamin Company began a sales compensation structure to encourage networking and recruitment of new sales reps to their company, as well as to promote vitamin sales. Sales reps would promote their business to family members, friends or good customers who would, in turn, join that person's group.

Each sales rep was compensated for the sales in their group or network. This "networking" model became more and more popular as other companies implemented it into their sales plan.

The History of Network Markeing continues and in the 1950's and forward, sales reps and/or distributors worked hard to find new and creative ways to build their network. They did this by meeting new people either in groups (house parties) or individually. The end goal was to recruit them to their business or add them as a customer.

Two of the more successful sales representative for The California Vitamin Company were Jay van Andel and Rich DeVos. After seeing how well, financially, van Andel and DeVos were doing, the California Vitamin Company changed their compensation program which minimized commissions. van Andel and DeVos therfore decided to take their futures into their own hands.

In 1959 Rich DeVos and Jay van Andel formed a company called The American Way, or Amway for short. They implemented the Network Marketing model which had worked so well for them at the California Vitamin Company.

Amway blossomed into a leading Multi-level Marketing business which was built on solid values and principles. The History of Network Marketing would be lacking without mention of this famous company.

Perhaps you are familiar with Amway? :)

With success, attention is attracted and there is another, less glamorous, side associated with Network Marketing - and one that still exists today.

The Amway Corporation faced the Federal Trade Commission in a test case which determined that Amway was NOT a pyramid scam, but a legitimate business.

This ruling opened up the world for more businesses to operate as Multi-level Marketing companies. Amway continued to grow and within 10 years, Amway purchased Nutrilite (The California Vitamin Company).

Amway and other reputable company owners knew they could not take advantage of their people due to the strict, ethical rules established for Network Marketing companies. They also knew it would destroy the integrity of multi-level marketing.

Unfortunatley, in the 1960's and 1970's many unethical business owners developed a method called the Pyramid Selling Scheme. This scheme was designed to pretend there was a "product" attached to a money pyramid, thereby making consumers and representative believe they were marketing something.

Interestingly enough, it was actually the reputable MLM companies that first petitioned the government to have pyramid schemes abolished. It's a shame that many people still accuse Network Marketing of being a "pyramid scam".

Network Marketing is highly regulated today and the govenment offers a good deal of consumer protection. But there are always shady characters out there creating new scams. It's still important to cross your t's and dot your i's when investigating any new company. Good choices are companies who are members of the DSA.

As the world evolves, so does Network Marketing. New, fantastic tools are available at our fingertips including Internet Marketing, Blog Marketing, E-Zines, Social Networking and so much more. This is the way of the future for business, including Network Marketing.

Source Notes: This article, The History of Network Marketing, was based off of information derived from Ken Envoy's article, Network Marketing Primer and Network Marketing History by Infinite Synergy Learning Systems Inc.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A great article about Online Business Promotion

I came across this article about Online Business Promotion in my studies. It is filled with fantastic tips for building your own MLM Business online.

Enjoy!

"The Internet's full of hyped-up promises of the 'ultimate' marketing secret that will singlehandedly skyrocket your business to instant success.

Naturally, this is all it is: hype. There's no single 'secret' that will magically transform a fledgling business into a powerful money-maker. Instead, every business owner is responsible for testing and refining various techniques until he or she has developed a solid, effective base that produces the desired results.

What works for one business may not work for another! Likewise, another business may have poor results with one method, while others experience great success. Here's a quick checklist of some of the more popular -- and completely free -- marketing techniques to help you build your online business (note: this is a 3-part series).

PART 1: FREE ONLINE MARKETING TECHNIQUES
1. Build and use your own opt-in list of targeted and interested prospects. Offer a free newsletter that provides fresh, interesting, and relevant content. You'll receive feedback from your readers about what's important to them, and over time they'll come to know and trust you. Your products, services, and even recommendations will then be taken much more seriously because you've developed credibility with your readers.

2. Contribute to newsgroups or discussion boards. Establish yourself as a helpful member of a community. Other members of the community who come to know and respect you will often refer you to others.

3. Niche directories or search engines. Find all the highly-targeted directories and SEs for your market, and then work to get listed. You'll be surprised at how many niche sites there are! Good places to start looking are http://yahoo.com/ and http://www.dmoz.com/.

4. Build your link popularity. For example, you can trade links with other businesses in your market so that you can 'share' each other's traffic. Most of the major search engines take link popularity into consideration when ranking your site.

5. Endorsed mailings to other lists. Find the editor of a great newsletter, and offer your product or service to him for free in return for a review or an endorsed ad to his list. Endorsements from the editor can far outperform regular 'ads', since they come from someone they know and trust (the editor).

6. Testimonials. It's fine for you to say that your product or service is wonderful... but there's far more 'punch' when someone else says it! Testimonials show prospects that you have happy customers and helps them to make the decision to buy.

7. Use autoresponders to follow-up with your prospects. It has been proven time and time again that autoresponders can dramatically increase your profits! They're also great time-savers, saving you from following up with each prospect manually.

8. Ad swaps. You can get extra exposure for 'free' (no out-of-pocket expenses) by swapping ad space with another editor that caters to your audience. Plus it's a great way to put 'remnant' ad space to good use.

9. Join a webring. Link to other sites like yours and build an online 'community.'

10. Offer coupons or gift certificates to entice visitors to make a purchase *now*.

11. Make good use of referral marketing. Ask happy customers to refer prospects to you. Many people are so busy these days that they're willing to rely on a trusted friend or contact's advice -- it saves them the time necessary to do all the research themselves.

12. Write and distribute articles in your area of expertise. This is a great credibility-builder! People who appreciate what you have to say are much more likely to check out your business. Another 'bonus' is that articles are often archived on websites for visitors to refer to time and time again.

13. Become an 'expert'. If you like to write and have the time to do so, consider partnering with a high-traffic site within your niche market and offer to write a regular column or article. You establish credibility and get exposure; your partner site and their readers get great content.

14. Use a 'Recommend-It' or 'Refer-A-Friend' script. These scripts let visitors send your URL to friends.

15. Make it easy for others to link to your site. Consider adding a 'Link to Us' section where you provide the HTML that visitors can simply cut and paste to their own web pages. Again, this helps to build your link popularity (see point #4).

16. Hold contests. For example, every month you could give away one of your products to a lucky subscriber or customer.

17. Use a signature. Also known as 'sig files', a signature is a brief blurb about your business along with your URL and/or contact information. Put a signature on every piece of email you send out, as well as on any message board posts (if appropriate).

18. Give away a quality free eBook or report. eBooks and reports can be excellent viral marketing tools. You can even offer them as a 'premium' to other businesses within your niche, so that they can give it away to their own customers or subscribers. This is an effective way to build a network that will willingly promote your business for you!"
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela operates the Online Business Basics website, which offers free marketing tips and articles for beginners to the 'net. Visit www.onlinebusinessbasics.com for more tips on how to effectively market your business on a limited budget.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Ann Sieg, The Renegade Network Marketer


If you haven't already read Ann Sieg's book, The Renegade Network Marketer you need to now. And if you have been looking for the key to the infamous "Network Marketing Secrets", Ann has got it!

I consider Ann one of my mentors and I consider her to be one of the pioneers of InterNETwork Marketing. I have never read a book that was so thorough and so filled with eye-opening material. While reading her book, I can't tell you how many times I said to myself, "This really makes SENSE."

By the end of her book, I was so excited, I immediatley started implementing her ideas into my own InterNETwork Marketing strategy.

If you are serious about marketing your MLM on the Internet, then reading Ann's book The Renegade Network Marketer is a must. Not only will it reveal the secrets to Network Marketing, it will make you even more prepared to take your MLM to the Internet.

Ann actually offers two books. She has written a free e-book titled The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing. You can download it immediately by clicking here: The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing .

Or if you are ready to download her book The Renegade Network Marketer click here: The Renegade Network Marketer . Either way, Ann Sieg will help get you started marketing your MLM on the Internet the correct way.

The information I read in her books was invaluable. By investing time into your own education, you are already leaving the Old School Network Marketing techniques in the dust. Education is crucial in this business. It makes or breaks your business and sets you aside from the rest!