What is Successful Network Marketing?

Successful network marketing might mean different things to different people. To some who are looking for a home based business, they will say “I don’t want to get into one of those pyramid things.” Well that is exactly what network marketing is not!

The reality is that network marketing is an income earning model that allows you to earn not only on your own efforts as you build your business, but you earn on the efforts of those who have joined your business as well. It is called leveraging your income. This is what makes it such an attractive way for so many to earn income working from home. The income earning potential is huge if you find the right company, product, pay plan and team to partner with.

Successful network marketing is when you put relationship marketing and internet marketing together. That is really what it boils down to. If you are effective, you are talking to people every day. This is not about chasing your family and friends or making a list of everyone that you have known since kindergarten. You can do that if you want to. Many network marketing businesses focus primarily on that form of marketing. It is called warm market.

But in today’s world of network marketing, you can market very effectively on the internet. No matter what your network marketing business, you can market in this way. Finding a team who has had tremendous success doing this is what you need to look for. People who have been successful have a system in place that they use and that they can teach to others. It is called duplication. Successful teams also stay abreast of what is going on in the marketplace as well staying on top of new techniques of marketing in an automated world.

The other aspect to being successful in a home based business is in the area of relationship marketing. That is the biggest part of this type of business – simply talking to people. People who are on the internet or looking in the newspapers or reading home business magazines or newsletters are all interested in the same thing. They want a better way to earn income than in the traditional work force. They want to have a quality of life with their families and not be tied to their job. Over the course of the last century, we have moved into a society that focuses the majority of our lives on getting up and going to work every day to make a living. There is no time for family, taking vacations, relaxing and being there with our children and just enjoying life.

Well, that has changed with the way that the world is beginning to do business in a dramatic way. If you are working with a great company, product, pay plan and team, then you have all of the ingredients of a successful business that you can offer to people. People who are successful in this business understand the importance of finding out what it is that your prospect is looking for and helping them see beyond their circumstances and into the future toward their goals, hopes and dreams for a better life. A great business venture can change their lives in such a dramatic way.

We are all tied together in this world. People have been given a great gift of being able to chart their own course and to have trust and faith that they can get there. To set goals for themselves and to create a dream of what they want out of life. Your job as a network marketer is to present your opportunity and show them how they can start realizing their dreams. Once they join with you in your business, then give them the roadmap that they need to be successful. Coach them and mentor them.

The wonderful thing is that by doing these things, they will rise to success and so will you! It doesn’t get much better than that, now does it?

How Important is Honesty and Integrity In Network Marketing?

Some may say that honesty and integrity doesn't have much of a place in network marketing. They will say that it is "every man for himself" and only those who "figure it out" will succeed, so sorry if you aren't one of those chosen few.

I would say that honesty and integrity is absolutely essential to having a successful home based business and to build a truly successful team of entrepreneurs. In this business, if you want true success built on the efforts of your whole team, you have to work with your team members to help them achieve their goals and to reach the success that they dream of.

If this is not part of your business formula, you really are missing out. As a person and as a business builder yourself. If you help others succeed and if you are truly concerned about their success, and not just your own, then the results for you and your team members will be a true "win-win."

Some teams have better websites than others. Some promise the secret formula to success. Others say, "hey, I am a nice person, so join with me." At the end of the day, you need to choose to work with someone who demonstrates success, leadership and a willingness to work with you every step of the way to help you achieve your own success. Read through the false promises that you may hear along the way, and find someone with a strong character who truly cares about your success!

Home Businesses - Make Sure You Join the Right Team!

There are thousands of home based internet marketing businesses to choose from, but let’s assume for purposes of this blog post that you have found just the right one for you. You have found a business with a great product that is in high demand; you have checked into the company, its history and financial status; you understand their pay plan and know how you would make your money, but now you need to decide which team to join. Most every home business has multiple teams who market the company’s service or product, but not all teams will provide the tools you need to grow your business into a successful one.

Choosing the right team is just as critical as choosing the right business opportunity. It is best to find a team to partner with unless you want to figure it all out on your own. The likelihood of succeeding in a home based business on your own is very slim and statistics will prove that. You absolutely must choose a team that offers training, support and a marketing system that will facilitate your success.

Here are some tips on making sure you choose the right team:
- In researching a particular business, use search engines and compare marketing affiliate websites. A marketing affiliate’s website will give you a first impression of them and their style
- Never simply join a business online – contact the affiliate who is hosting the website that has vaught your eye
- Talk to them and ask them questions – you want to get a perspective of their team’s philosophy snd approach to the business
- You need to determine if you think you will ‘fit in’ with the affiliate who would be your sponsor and in your immediate upline
- Make sure the team’s sincere philosophy is to help you be successful! Don't join someone who is 'just about the next sale'!
- Does the team (not the company, but the team) have a training website, Team Trainer, specific topic training calls and webinars to teach you how to use specific marketing campaigns, information/opportunity calls to present your business opportunity to prospects? A team who offers this kind of support is there to teach you how to succeed

I looked for all of these things when I joined my Global Resorts Network business. As a team leader and the Team Trainer with The Unlimited Prosperity Team, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment to contribute to our team as a whole. Being part of a forward thinking team has made all the difference in the world in my home business success.

Do You Use Target Marketing In Your Home Biz?

There are lots of different marketing strategies in the network marketing business. The direction you take is often determined by the ‘norm’ for the team that you join or the particular business and product you have chosen. Sometimes, however it is essential to ‘step out of the mold’ and try new strategies that may not be the norm for your team or for your business.

It is really important not to close the door on different ways to market your business. Keep your options open and consider new methods. Some people want to be silent, not talk to anyone and generate passive income on the internet. Good luck to you, because most of those so called ‘earn millions while you sleep’ businesses and business strategies simply are bogus and don’t generate anything.

Some businesses focus on warm market (talking to friends and family), situational marketing (approaching people when you are out and about during your day), Web 2.0 (blogs, You Tube, My Space, etc.), Magazine or newspaper advertising, pay per click, and the list goes on and on. Maybe you do all of these things, but have you considered target marketing? Target Marketing is focusing on certain types of professionals whose skill sets or characteristics line up with your business. Target marketing is critical to growing your business!

For example, in network marketing there are several key characteristics that you would typically want to find in someone who could be a leader in your business. Here are some of the characteristics you want in finding leaders:
- Outgoing
- Paid on Production
- Self-motivated
- Strong communications
- Have a high tolerance for risk
- Thrive on competition
- Have goals for themselves to do more

You want to ‘recruit’ for your business just as companies recruit for key positions in their businesses. You want to focus on people who are up the socio-economic chain and who are serious about wanting a business of their own. If people are not willing to invest in your business and thus in their own future, then they are not the right people for you. Successful people are more open to opportunity. Successful people will recognize a great business opportunity when presented to them.

Target marketing is a focused effort and you need to put together a program to help you do this within your organization. It isn’t hard, just takes a little time investment to put it together. Create a focus group within your team. Hold weekly conference calls to strategize and exchange ideas. Take those ideas and put together a marketing program such as phone scripts, ways to find the professionals you are looking to target, brochure(s), CD, power point presentation, custom web pages, etc. Whatever your strategy, you will need to contact prospects and ask them to review your information. You need to have your information in a form that is easy to get to them and enticing enough for them to be willing to take a few minutes of their time and review it.

Keep your focus group in place and give ‘homework’ assignments so that those in the group go away with the materials in hand and put them into action. Get back together routinely for a few weeks to get feedback and see what is working and what isn’t. Refine your program as you go along.

Target marketing is an excellent marketing strategy. It allows you to market to people who have the characteristics and skill sets needed to be successful in a network marketing business. It costs you nothing other than a little time investment. The rewards can be tremendous.

Follow the Leaders….

If you have been in network marketing for any amount of time, you may have heard your sponsors or others say to pay attention to others who have been successful. That is so true. You can learn so much by tapping into resources of people who have been successful. Hopefully the leaders within your own organization realize this and promote that you tap into outside resources. You should definitely learn from the leaders within your network marketing business and your own team, but learning from outside experts is of tremendous benefit to you as well.

There are a lot of great business trainers and motivational speakers who have websites and even have training calls that are free. All you have to do is log on or call in and tap into a treasure trove of free training. These are people who are multi-million dollar earners and very successful business people. They teach skills and strategies that will help you succeed in your network marketing business. Below are some that might be of great value to you. I havefound such value in utilizing the resources available through these sources to help me in growing my Global Resorts Network business.

One absolutely fabulous resource for anyone to plug into is Dani Johnson. Dani went from being a cocktail waitress with $2.03 to her name to becoming a millionaire by the age of 23. Not too shabby, huh? She has since helped thousands of people to create their own success. Her website http://www.danijohnson.com/ has a lot of free resources. She has in the “vault” on this website, audio recordings of training calls and training sessions that she has held as well as videos of training sessions. She also hosts every Monday night at 10:00 PM EST a free training call focused on teaching how to build a successful business. Her call in information for this training is 512-225-9400 and the passcode is 953953#.

Another great source of information is Todd Falcone. Todd started in network marketing right out of college. He had two job offers – one for a rental car agency as a manager trainee and one with a company who was recruiting for their network marketing business. Needless to say, he made the right decision. Todd has built sales teams and has trained distributors/marketing affiliates in network marketing with his strategies for success. His website is http://www.toddfalcone.com/. Todd also has a free weekly training call. His call is Monday night at 8:00 PM EST. The call in information for this training is
641-594-7500 and the passcode is 248873#.

One last leader being mentioned here is another tremendous success story from an early age. His name is Dan McCormick. At the age of 19 he was focused on building a secure financial future. Over the years, he has focused on learning from others who have had success in their lives. That is his philosophy – learn from others. He has written a great book called ‘Lessons From Great Lives’ that is well worth reading. The life lessons in this book are from the lives of about 20 well known people such as Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and Winston Churchill. There is a nugget or two of wisdom in each story. Dan’s website is http://www.lessonsfromgreatlives.com/.

Now, these are just three external resources. There are many others of course. The point is this. Don’t just live in a vacuum in your network marketing business, but instead take advantage of resources available to you to help you in creating your own success. Successful people take action and they spend time growing themselves through personal development such as reading and plugging into training as mentioned here. They visualize and create their success mentally first and then in actuality second through the actions they take and the choices they make. They are persistent and they put effort into themselves and their businesses. They know there is no such thing as ‘get rich doing nothing.’ Unfortunately, so many people are looking for that. They are all going to be sadly disappointed when they come to the reality that it simply does not exist.

The people mentioned above are just everyday people like you. They aren’t extraordinary. What sets them apart is that they made a decision to succeed and to take the honest and ethical actions necessary to create that success. Learn from them. You can create your own success too!

The Truth About Team Co-ops

Does your home business have all the marketing tools that you need to market your business or do you seem to be running out of ideas? Do you find that what worked last month doesn’t work this month? Does your team offer new and innovative ways to market by offering new options to the team on an ongoing basis?

If you don’t like the answers that you get when you ask yourself these questions, then you might want to consider some fresh alternatives.

Successful internet home business teams offer a steady stream of marketing alternatives to their team members. The internet changes so much and the latest and greatest of yesterday is now today’s old news. Successful internet marketers also know that they need to provide their team members with ‘tried and true’ methods of marketing. Teaching this duplication is key. Duplication is something that can in fact be taught if you have the right tools to do it. Team members left to their own devices can easily become discouraged if they feel like they don’t know what their next steps are.

Offering Team Co-Ops is an excellent way to provide new and innovative marketing strategies to your team. You should have several Co-Ops being offered at any given time. Large teams of 150 or more team members need multiple co-Op opportunities to tap into to support their team. My Global Resorts Network team, the Unlimited Prosperity Team, is a forward thinking team and we strive to provide our group with as many tools as possible to help them in their businesses.

The great thing about Team Co-Ops is that each co-op is offered to a specified number of team members. All of the leads/prospects that come in from that particular co-op are then divided amongst those who are participating in the co-op. Those leads/prospects are then directed to those team members and they in turn make the follow up calls and form a connection with the prospect as they share information about their opportunity and answer questions. The best home business is one where you don’t have to sell, but that is a subject for another article….

Examples of effective co-ops that you might offer to your team members are: leads generation co-ops, magazine co-ops, search engine/pay per click co-ops, newspaper advertising co-ops, target marketing groups, etc. There are so many ways to find prospects for a home business if you know how to do that. Having a leader on your home biz team who is an expert in internet marketing who can invest serious time and effort in researching and building marketing strategies can keep a home business group on the leading edge within their industry.

Look at what your team is offering you or if you haven’t joined a team yet, be sure to ask them a lot of questions about how they do their business and how they have a steady stream of prospects. That’s what internet marketing is. Its talking to prospects about your company, product/service and what your team offers. Successful teams offer a lot of tools to their team. Don’t make the mistake of joining a team that is lacking in providing the support that you need to be successful!

‘Can’t Never Could’ – An Optimist’s Perspective

There is a lot to be said for optimism and the impact that it can have on owning your own home business and the impact that it can have on life in general. You know the old saying ‘glass half full’ vs. the ‘glass half empty.’ Same glass filled to the same level, just two different perspectives on how to look at it.

I have a family member who has always used a similar saying which is ‘can’t never could’. I have heard this dear family member tell her grandchildren who were struggling with something, “well let’s see here, can’t never could now could they?” In other words, if you think you can’t then you won’t, but if you think you can, you will. It’s the same thing with the old saying about the glass…it is all a matter of perspective.

Having a legitimate home based business requires investing time and energy. Those ‘get rich quick’ schemes are too good to be true. If you really want to have an honest and lucrative home business, you have to invest in it. Not just financially, but with a little sweat equity as well. It is interesting to see so many people that want something better, but they somehow think it is going to fall out of the sky. That just doesn’t happen. You have to be willing to put forth the effort and to stick with it.

Once you realize that you have to put effort into growing a successful business, then it is really important to always have the right perspective. In the beginning especially, when you are a new marketing affiliate and you are learning the business and the product or service and you are learning how to market on the internet, you have to keep the right perspective. There is going to be a learning curve. Hopefully you are on a team that provides you with a lot of marketing tools, but you still will have a learning curve.

Some of your marketing strategies will work and some might not, but you need to always keep a positive perspective. If something doesn’t work as planned, get up and dust yourself off and get going again. Focus on what can be and set goals for yourself. Written goals are so important. They give you something to work toward, something to measure against and something to allow you to stretch a bit to reach the desired outcome.

People may have genetic make ups that make them prone to certain personality types. But, attitudes are something that are developed over time and that development starts early on in life. The great thing is that no matter how old we are, we can adjust our attitudes. Having a positive attitude and believing in yourself and your efforts will give you the perspective that you need to be successful in an internet marketing business.

There are so many great people who have achieved great success in their lives, but may have come from difficult circumstances or they were faced with incredible odds against them. Think of outstanding people in history like Winston Churchill and George Washington Carver. They had the right perspective. They believed in themselves and they moved forward, working toward their goals. They didn’t believe in defeat, but rather adopted an optimistic outlook. You may say to yourself, “well they were special people and I am just an everyday person.” Everybody is special and with the right perspective and with perseverance, everyday people can succeed with the right home based business. Everyday people can turn their lives around and have more financial success than they ever dreamed of. I am glad to count myself in that category with my Global Resorts Network business.

For most in order to have true financial freedom, they need to be in the ‘profit system’ and not the ‘wage system’ working 9 to 5 for someone else. Home based network marketing businesses are in the ‘profit system’. So, if you are considering starting a home based business or if you already have one, but feel like you are floundering, just know that moving into the ‘profit system’ is the first step in the right direction. Once you get there, be willing to put some time and energy into it to make it successful for yourself, and always, always be optimistic and have the right perspective. You will find that ‘can’t never could’, but those who think they can, will.

Does Your Team Have a Mission Statement?

Have you ever thought about having a mission statement for your network marketing business team? You know, a brief statement that describes the essence of your team’s philosophy? If not, you might find that it goes a long way in helping to attract like minded people to your team. Have you heard that old saying, “birds of a feather, flock together”. There’s a great deal of truth in that.

There are so many network marketing teams out there who are only interested in making the next sale. They don’t put a lot of time and energy into supporting their team or providing them with all of the tools that they need. Team support is not just talking about marketing strategies and marketing systems. Team support also includes what some call the “soft side” or “people side”. If you think about it, people that do home based businesses are just every day people who are looking for a better way to provide for themselves and their families.

Treat people the way that you want to be treated and you will find that you attract like minded people to your team, and isn’t that what you want? It’s the basic golden rule. A rule that we should all live by each and every day.

Having a mission statement that you provide to your team members and keep out there in front of them can have such a positive impact on their attitude and on how they view the team. The Unlimited Prosperity Team has a team mission statement and it focuses on some of these key elements: treating prospects, customers and fellow team members with respect; being truthful and honest in all aspects of the business; helping create successful entrepreneurs; taking responsibility for your own actions and results; keeping and always conveying a positive attitude; and to persevere against all odds.

That can be pretty powerful if you are trying to build a network marketing business that centers on honesty, integrity, helping others, being positive and always persevering. Network marketing can be tough, so having a positive outlook on life in general and on your business can reap you great rewards. You know yourself, not all marketing strategies work and there is going to be rejection by prospects. But for every “no” there is a “yes” and for every marketing effort that doesn’t work, there is one that will.

The great thing about a network marketing business is that you get to decide who you want to join your team. If you are talking to a prospect, keep your team’s mission statement in mind. If the prospect comes across as a negative ‘nay sayer’, then maybe they aren’t a good fit for your team. Yes, you want the sale, but you have to work with the people who join your team. So be selective and let your team’s mission statement be your guide.

Having a mission statement that drives home what you and your team members believe can help you build a team of like minded, successful people. Looking for leaders with positive attitudes can be a key ingredient to a successful team. Don’t just sign up anybody for the sale. Look for people you want on your team and encourage your downline to do the same as they grow their businesses. That is just what I have done as I have grown my Global Resorts Network business.

Qualities of a Successful Person - Do You Have Them?

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have your own business and be really successful at it? Do you think you have what it takes to be successful? Well, let's see....

I once heard a speaker say that there are 5 key characteristics in a successful person. Use this checklist to see if you have what it takes.

1) Integrity - people who are truly successful in all aspects of their lives - business, personal, family, and spiritually are people who have integrity. In my home business, I believe that having honesty and integrity continues to help me grow my business and build a great team of leaders.

2) Optimistic - successful people are optimistic. They tend to look at the 'glass half full' rather than the 'glass half empty.' They don't focus on their defeats, but rather on what they can learn from them to help themselves make improvements and keep moving forward.

3) Excellence - successful people achieve excellence in all aspects of their lives. They strive to work toward something of value and work hard to achieve it. Anybody who tells you that you can get rich doing nothing, is lying to you. Anything worth having, and that includes tremendous financial freedom, requires effort.

4) Goal Setting - this is a key to the most successful people. They set goals for themselves - mental and written goals. I once heard about a study done at an Ivy League school. Of the graduating class, 3% were goal setters who wrote down their goals and re-evaluated them periodically. They looked at these same folks about 10 years after graduation, and found that those 3% were exponentially more successful than the other 97%. They had continued in those 10 years to use the same method of writing goals and re-evaluating them periodically.

5) Self Managers - successful people are self-managers. They work hard on their personal growth and development. They know that to be leaders, they must learn how to lead. To be successful in business they need to learn what it takes to be successful. They read self-improvement books and listen to self-improvement CD's and other similar things to gain insight. Bottom line, they make an effort to improve themselves.

If you are like me, you might want to take a moment to reflect and see if you have these characteristics. I work with people every day who have these same qualities. I am thrilled to be part of a team of people in my home business through Global Resorts Network who have leaders who strive to teach others to be successful.

Can a Home Business Really Change Your Life?

I get so tired of all of the hype, don't you? You know the headlines: ‘Join My Biz and Make a Gillion Dollars by Next Week’ or maybe ‘We can Change Your Life Forever’. People who join a home business are looking to change their lives. They want something better for themselves and their families – financial security, much desired free time, travel, being there for their kids, being their own boss. So I ask you, is your business one that can really do any of that? Or maybe you are somebody who has just started looking for a home biz and you have some of these on your own wish list?

There is hope! There are in fact home businesses out there that can ‘put their money where their mouth is’. You just have to find the right one. Take the time to research the home business that you are considering and don’t just jump on any and every opportunity that you see on the internet.

A word of advice. Don’t just sign up on the internet. Do your homework! Make yourself a checklist and speak to a marketing affiliate for the business you are thinking of joining and ask lots of questions. If you already have a home business and it just isn’t working, maybe you should consider finding one that really works. If you have narrowed down the business opportunity to a couple, then you need to research the teams. Joining the right team is just as important as joining the right opportunity. With the right opportunity and the right team, you really can start realizing your dreams!

Here are some of the things that you might include in your check list:

1) Is the product or service being offered of great value and in high demand?

2) Is it a product or service that you would feel comfortable talking about? Doesn’t matter if you use warm market or internet marketing, almost all home businesses will require you to talk to prospects at some point in the process.

3) How hard or easy do you think it is to sell? The secret of course is for the product or service to be one that is so sought after that it can basically sell itself. If the product or service can basically sell itself, then your job is simply to share information. That is what network marketing is all about. You don’t have to be a sales person.

4) Is the company you are considering a reputable one?

5) Have they been around for 15 or more years?

6) Is the business in a big dollar industry?

7) Are they backed by the Better Business Bureau?

8) What is the compensation plan and what is the commission on each transaction, i.e., can you make $5,000 a week? Remember, you work just as hard for a $20 per transaction commission as you do for a $1000 commission!

9) What does the team that you are considering have to offer?

10) What kind of training do they have to get you up and running and support to sustain you as you grow your business, e.g., live team training calls, opportunity calls, Team Trainer, team training website, etc.?

11) Exactly how do they market their business: warm market or internet marketing and what tools do they provide?

12) Can the team truly teach duplication and do they have a ‘recipe book’ or ‘road map’ for you to follow, e.g., team training manual and checklist, sample ads, library of advertising campaigns, links to tested vendors for you to place your advertising, training calls to teach marketing strategies, team only marketing co-ops, target marketing, etc.

Your checklist might have more questions than just these, but these questions are a good place to start. Make an informed decision and you will most likely make the best decision. There are people out there who only care about making the next sale and it is their goal to sucker you into a ‘no win’ business opportunity.

Do your homework and find that opportunity that truly does change lives in a big way! I did mine when was researching Global Resorts Network and the wonderful business that I have today.

Having a Team Trainer Adds Value to Home Biz Teams

Do you have your own home business and wish that you had more training available to yourself and your team members? A great way to do that is to have a Team Trainer. Having a Team Trainer compliments the work done by sponsors on the team to get new folks up and running quickly in your business.

When teams start growing and becoming quite large, it can sometimes be unmanageable to get new marketing affiliates properly trained when they come on board. One very effective way to make sure that they are trained to use the marketing tools that you use on your team is to have a Team Trainer. If your goal is to grow a large team or if you are already part of a large team, consider implementing this concept.

Imagine this scenario. You have a large team, say 150+ members. Of course within that overall team are “sub-teams” if you will, each with a sponsor who is trying to build their business. Wouldn’t it be a great idea to put a Team Trainer in place who acts not only as sponsor to their own “sub-team” but who can be a resource for anyone who joins the overall team? This of course has to be someone who is familiar with the home business itself, but also with ways to market the business and with all of the resources that the team has to offer those who join them. A Team Trainer has to be able to answer questions and provide information.

Having a Network Marketing Team Trainer for your team can add a big boost in improving the learning curve and creating successful marketing duplication. Large teams often find it hard to get their new affiliates trained. Utilizing a Team Trainer and hosting training calls for team members can get new affiliates up and running quickly. The Team Trainer acts as an additional resource to the team sponsors.

I am the Team Trainer for my Global Resorts Network team - The Unlimited Prosperity Team. I teach success using our Automated Traffic System.