Phone prospecting is often a “scary” thing for people who are in positions where this is part of their job or if they have their own home-based business and this is critical to their success. There are several very important things to take into consideration when you on talking to prospects on the phone.

First of all (and this is VERY important) you must be in the right mindset whether you are talking to leads you have purchased, if you are calling a client base or if you are making cold calls.

Go through the reasons in your mind why you are calling this prospect and what result you want from the call. It’s a good idea to make a list of pros and cons of the type of people you want in your organization or as a client. Take a piece of paper, put a line down the center and write the pros on one side and the cons on the other. Read this list often – it will become an automatic sorting tool for you, and you will not waste your time on people who do not fit your criteria. For example, a “pro” would be someone who has energy and drive. A “con” would be someone who has low energy or is unsure of what they want. Believe it or not, this is an excellent way to attract the people you want.

Always have a pleasant and upbeat voice when you talk to prospects. Be excited about your reason for calling. If you don’t feel particularly excited at the time, think about what made you excited when you first heard about the business you are in and what it was that made you decide to join the organization. Was it the product? Was it the income opportunity? Was it the strength of the organization? Was it the quality of the people there?

A smile on your face comes through the phone. When your prospect answers the phone, always greet them by their first name ? “Hi Bob” ? then introduce yourself and tell them where you’re from ? “This is Mary from DeMoines, Iowa,” or from your company name.

After you have introduced yourself to a prospect, don’t immediately go into your presentation. Ask them questions about themselves, what they are looking for, etc. That’s also a good sorting tool. Maybe when you learn more about them, you’ll decide they don’t fit your criteria. Believe me, you will never sell anything to anyone by blasting your opportunity without taking the time to show your prospects you are interested in them. And you should be ? they will either be someone in your organization or a client, so you need to know if they are someone you want to do business with. You’re in the driver’s seat here.

Work on your presentation posture. If you have a script you are working from, know it so well it rolls off your tongue. Then, use it only for reference, because you want to sound natural and not scripted. You don’t become a phone pro overnight ? you must work on your delivery until it “works” for you. It’s a good idea to get a recording device where you can record your presentation, listen to it and critique yourself. Or if you have someone you trust who will be honest with you, present your dialogue to them and have them critique you.

Your phone posture is critical, especially if you are talking to professionals. They want to work with someone who they feel is professional as well. In fact, this is critical regardless who you are talking to ? people respond to strength, and if you don’t develop this in your presentation, you will lose a lot of potential sales. Is this easy to develop? For some people it is, but for most everyone, you acquire this through practice, practice, practice. Don’t become discouraged; just know that when you acquire this, the world is your oyster.

As they say, the fortune is in the follow up! Always follow up with a prospect when you say you are going to. This makes you look professional. Life happens, so don’t be discouraged if they are not available at that time. Give them at least three opportunities to be available for a follow up. And, if you feel they are a particularly good candidate for your organization, give them a couple more calls. Schedule your follow-up calls in your calendar, either virtual or on paper.

When someone has missed an appointment with you, call them (or leave a voice mail) and let them know they missed the appointment, that you realize life happens, but you allotted this time for them, and you are willing to reschedule at another time. If you leave a voice message, ask them to get back with you so you can set up another appointment for them. Remember, they were interested enough to set up the first appointment. If you don’t hear from them, call them and set up the next appointment. A good way to avoid this situation is to tell them at the time you set up the appointment that you would appreciate the courtesy of a call or email if they are unable to make it.

An enjoyable work place has a huge influence on our success as well as our emotional and physical health. Perhaps the most important reason for placing such importance on this is the influence it will have on your stress level. There is compelling evidence everywhere that stress damages our bodies as well as our relationships which, in turn, diminishes our productivity and success.

Finding the ideal location for a home office is sometimes not easy since it requires enough space to move about comfortably and have the necessary equipment to operate efficiently.

Some entrepreneurs combine a guest bedroom and their home office. If you do not have a lot of overnight guests, this could work very well. Adding a desk, small filing cabinet and bookcase are often all that’s needed to turn a guest room into a functional office.

Other possibilities are a small area in a family room, dining room, etc. Depending on your climate, even a small area in your garage would work to get you started. And, if you have an extra room in your home just waiting for “someone” or “something” to claim it ? there you go! That would be the ideal situation. Here are some recommendations for your home office.

1. One thing that is absolutely necessary and can fit into any office location is a comfortable and supportive desk or office chair. This is imperative because you will spend many hours a day in your office, and if you end up being uncomfortable or get a backache, you will avoid spending time there, and your productivity will surely go down.
2. If you do a lot of your business by phone, you MUST have a good-quality cordless telephone system with at least two additional handsets located throughout your home. That will prevent missing that all-important phone call, and you won’t need to run to your office to answer your phone.
3. A good headset for your phone will save you a lot of frustration, will make you more comfortable and more conversational. There are many choices out there. When I was looking for a good headset for my business phone, I tried MANY different models ? all the way from $30 to over $200. I finally found the perfect one for about $40 and recommend it to all my team members. When you are choosing the right headset for yourself, make sure you can exchange or return it if it doesn’t meet your expectations.
4. A temporary desk often works well for awhile; however, you must always have your computer keyboard at a comfortable level that works for you. After you have decided on the location for your home office, it is then time to look for permanent furnishings. In addition to office supply stores, check out the consignment shops. There often are great bargains there!
5. When you have moved into your permanent home office, be sure to put pictures on the wall, bring in a plant or two and make room someplace for your “Vision Board.” There you will build your dream life by putting up magazine clippings, photos, etc., on a cork wallboard ? anything that represents the life you are working towards.

Just keep that stress level down by enjoying your surroundings!!

Multi-level or network marketing is nothing more than a distribution process where a company chooses to distribute and sell its product through independent sales representatives (distributors) instead of spending mega dollars on mainstream advertising, marketing and distribution costs.

The independent distributors are the advertising, marketing and distribution departments, and they benefit by being paid the money that would have gone to traditional advertising, marketing and distribution.

This method is much more effective in getting a product into the mainstream in a timely manner because it works at the grassroots level. People are much more likely to make purchases when the products are introduced and recommended by someone they know or have a relationship with.

These companies do not allow their products to be sold “over the counter” in retail stores. Of course they don’t ? they would be sabotaging their sales force (distributors)/advertising department. And, it takes much longer to get a product on the market, recognized by shoppers and marketed in retail stores (many years) than to print promotional material and build a marketing team. Not only that, the products would be competing on the retail shelf with other products, with no one to explain the special benefits as a distributor would, and the perceived value of the product would be lost.

With some companies, health and beauty aid products can be sold in medical offices or beauty salons as long as it is done on an appointment basis and the professional is a distributor of the company.

So there are many advantages for a company to choose this model over the wholesale distribution method. In fact, the wholesale distribution step is virtually eliminated because the product goes directly from the manufacturer to the purchaser via an independent distributor.

Is it a good thing? It can be very good if the company is legitimate and stable and the product actually does what the company says it does.

If all the right “ingredients” are in place, it can be a godsend for people who have lost their jobs because of economic conditions or because of changes in the viability of the industry they are in. Mothers who want to stay home with their children instead of paying for daycare find multi-level marketing a good solution. In a lot of cases, after paying for good daycare for their children, what’s left in their paycheck is pretty small.

Then there are people who are unhappy with their jobs and would love to do something else. Network marketing fits in well in such a situation because traditional career change usually involves additional training of one sort or another and could be very costly.

Finally, there are people who just want MORE MONEY! This can be a great vehicle to supplement your income, but you must be able to commit the time and energy needed.

Anyone thinking about creating an additional income stream through network marketing or multi-level marketing needs to do the necessary homework before becoming involved with any company. Ensure your success by doing your homework!

To your success,

Swanie Brandt

The word seems to be out that network marketing or Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) isn’t what it used to be. Some people are saying “yeah!” and others are saying “oh no!”

Network marketing is just that; it’s marketing. Marketing is an ever-changing commodity. It’s influenced by media, advertising, transportation costs, customer demand, supply, climate, etc.? Marketing is ever changing. Our world is ever changing. So, why should MLM be any different?

One thing that will always remain constant, however, is that it is based on developing relationships, and that is what makes it different from conventional marketing (manufacturer to wholesaler to customer).

This type of business is very appealing to anyone who enjoys interacting with people and wants to create another income stream.? And, you certainly can’t argue that it’s a pretty sensible system ? manufacturer directly to the customer.

The internet has had a major influence on MLM. Some have grabbed the explosive opportunity and run with it, and others are still wondering “what happened?” ?The internet is a tool that allows communication at levels that have never been seen before. There is an endless supply of systems, sales pitches, opinions, etc. Take them all with a grain of salt.

MLM compensation plans can sometimes be less appealing for those looking for a quick buck without much work because it usually takes time to build a downline that is really profitable and sustainable. Because of this, the attrition rate today can be cruel! We, unfortunately, are living in the age of “I want it now,” so people jump in and out at record rates ? they’re looking for the “Big Thing” and will keep on looking, and looking and looking forever. They keep believing the “get rich quick” promises.

This particular industry is the same as any other business ? it’s a business, and it has to be treated like a business and not a hobby. Unfortunately, many people who go into it don’t think about this, and many are not business savvy in any way. There’s plenty of information available on how to operate a successful business, but, hey, that’s work, too! Which then would mean it’s not instant riches.

Yes, network marketing has changed. There are opportunities that never existed before. Because of the internet, there are thousands of MLMs that are launched every year. How many of them survive or are legitimate? Not all, by any means. There’s a vicious fight going on among these marketers all the time for the dwindling supply of warm bodies looking for an MLM business. Because of that, there are some pretty ridiculous promises and sales hype being broadcast constantly across the internet.

For anyone looking with interest at creating another income stream or full-time business, this could be for you. It can be very profitable if you know what you’re doing. Make sure you check out any opportunity you are looking at VERY carefully, do your due diligence, get the business information you need and treat it like a business. And beware of anyone who says you only need to work a few hours a week. It just ain’t so!

I’ll leave you with perhaps the most exciting development of all ? the advent of SOCIAL NETWORKING as a marketing tool! As I said, it’s a relationship business ? always has been, always will be. It’s just different now. You no longer have to pitch your friends and family. Go to MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, etc. and meet all the people you want. You’ll make great friends, and everyone is looking for MORE MONEY!

It seems like almost everyone I talk to has some “can’t miss” idea for a new business. Yet, I rarely see any of them actually following through on their idea. That used to puzzle me, until I started studying successful entrepreneurs versus “talkers.”

After spending several years observing all types of people, I came to the conclusion that there are four essential traits required for a person to be a successful entrepreneur. There is great satisfaction to being a successful business owner, but it is important to understand the personal traits that contribute to success.

Guts!

Some call it chutzpah, but to be successful as a business owner you have to be able to handle the ups and downs of running a business, especially a small business. It is inevitable that there will be troubles along with successes, especially in the beginning. The true entrepreneur is one who can stomach the bad times and contain the good times, keeping everything in balance. Someone who can keep their burning dream alive even during difficult times.

Flexibility

This is very important. Most successful business owners are very quick thinkers, and are able to change their plans on a dime if need be. There are times when a situation will arise where the best laid plans completely fall apart and the business owner will have to “wing it.” This skill is especially appreciated by customers and clients when things get dicey.

Another area where flexibility is important is when new products or services enter the market making existing products or services obsolete. The business owner must be able to anticipate and accommodate the changes in the market to keep the competitive edge. It is important to understand the difference between flexibility and the next essential trait, Focus.

Focus

This seems like a contradiction to number 2, yet it is important to understand the difference between the two. The successful owner has a single focus on the goal of creating and maintaining a profitable business. Ultimately, the overall focus of the business must remain relatively unchanged, even if underlying processes or products are changed. Continuity is important both to assure your customers or clients that the business is stable as well as your employees and vendors. The overall focus of a business can change, but the change should be well planned and orchestrated over a period of time to ensure everyone feels confident that they want to continue doing business with you.

Ability to see opportunity

How many times have you looked at a new service or product and asked yourself “why didn’t I think of that?” The successful entrepreneur can see what others can’t, which allows them to take advantage of new products or services early on. This gives them a competitive edge before others start jumping on the bandwagon of his/her success.

Another aspect of seeing opportunity occurs when a person identifies an improvement of an existing product or service. That person can then provide an existing and established product or service and set themselves apart by offering an improved version.

After a little self-assessment, you will have a good idea of whether you have the four elements required for success. If you are lacking in any of the areas don’t despair, you may be able to find a business partner with the trait(s) you are lacking. Combined, you could have the four traits covered leading you to business success.

To your success,

Swanie Brandt

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