I don’t know about you but I am a true information hound. I love to read magazines, reports, articles - basically anything I can get my hands on about internet business, and especially the MLM and Network Marketing industry.
There is a new technology that is really changing the way quality information is delivered. With the majority of people now able to access the internet using broadband technologies, the ability to deliver high quality audio files is a reality.
The most popular way to deliver these audio files is to use what is called a Podcast. A Podcast is basically a way to users to subscribe to a RSS feed and have new audio content automatically delivered to their iPod or other MP3 player.
If you are using iTunes on your desktop and probably combined with your iPod, it is very easy to find Podcasts to match almost any subject matter you are interested in. All you have to do is ope up iTunes and click on the Podcast link on the left side of the screen in the Music Store section.
From there you can search for Pocasts simply by typing in a search term or browsing the categories. If you are searching for niche conent like “MLM” or “Network Marketing” it is best to use the search function, as the category structure is not that specific.
Here are the top three MLM Podcasts that I am subscribed to (click links if you have iTunes installed to subscribe to this podcast):
Internet MLM Pro Podcast: This is the only podcast I have found that discusses how to use the internet to market your MLM business. (Okay, I will be honest, this is a shameless self promotion - since I actually product this podcast - but if you subscribe you find it is full of relevant content!)
MLM Radio Show: I listen to this simply because the hosts are so high energy. My only criticism is that they claim to be using the internet to build their companies, but it seems like they are mostly cold calling leads that they have purchased from a lead source that generates them on the internet.
MLM Power Hour: Again this is a great show led by Todd Falcone, a success MLM’er turned trainer. Really focuses on building your business in the traditional way, but there are some good nuggets in the content.
So how do you find these at iTunes? Just click on this link Internet MLM Pro or, just open iTunes, click on the Podcast category, and search for “Internet MLM Podcast” - and you will see it in the search results. All you have to do is click the subscribe button, and it will be added to your iTunes player. New episodes will be downloaded automatically as they are publishes.
Then you can either listen to them on your desktop or plug your iPod in to sync them for your listening enjoyment on the run!
I listen to Podcasts everyday in my car, it is a great way to squeeze personal development into a busy schedule. So fire up iTunes and start subscribing!
I was having a conversation with an associate the other night, and it got me to thinking about growing a MLM business online, and what separates those that are successful from those that are not.
If you want to grow your network marketing business online, you need to take action. I see way to many people who purchase course after course, and never take action. They have all the “secrets”, and “insiders information” - that they have spent hundreds of dollars purchasing, but they fail to take that critical first step - doing something.
If this describes you, let me give you a good kick in the pants with a three day plan to move your business forward.
Day One: If you don’t know where to start, or have a system to work with, my ebook “Internet MLM Pro Secrets” would be a great place to start - and the price is right at $7.00. It will give you a great overview of the system you need to put in place for success.
Day Two: Get web hosting and set up your lead capture page. Look at some examples of capture pages that you like, and simply make your own - or hire someone to do it for you.
Day Three: Start writing articles and distributing them to article directories. I guarantee you that by writing just 10 articles a month you will begin to build a list of subscribers. Okay, so you probably won’t write 10 articles in one day, but set a goal to write one article a day. It takes me about 20 to 30 minutes to write a good article. Carve out some time, over lunch, get up 30 minutes early, stay up 30 minutes late, just find some time every day to write one article. I find the more I write the more new ideas I come up with to write about!
So get started right now! Take action! Don’t expect everything to be perfect, in fact the only way to learn is to get started, and build from the successes and learn from the failures.
I think my friend Albert Einstein said it best “Nothing happens until something moves”!
I am sure you have seen the commercials on television for the office supply store, where they are using the “Easy Button” to solve their problems. I know I rarely watch TV, but even I have seen this commercial.
Looking for the “Easy Button” for your MLM business?
If building a huge downline and creating unlimited residual income were as easy as pressing a button and waiting for results we would all be wealthy! Unfortunately, it is not as easy as pushing a big red button when you are building your MLM business.
It takes work, thats right, the cold hard truth is that to build something truly great will take work on your part. However, there are somethings that you can do to make it seem like you simply pressed the “Easy Button” as your MLM business grows.
The easy way is to fill your pipeline with targeted leads. Follow-up with those leads automatically, and have prospects calling you with credit card in hand begging to join your business. How do you do this without the fabled “Easy Button”?
Simple - learn the skills necessary to build your business on the internet.
- Create a landing opt-in page
- Follow-up automatically using an auto responder to deliver your message via email
- Utilize a funded proposal concept to provide ongoing cash to further grow your business
Simply creating these three things for your business will set you up for success. Success so great others will be asking to use your “Easy Button”!
Did you know that most people will not make a decision until they have been presented the opportunity 7 times? It’s true, and if you are not following up with your MLM prospects, you are leaving huge money on the table.
This is also the cause of failure in our industry. You see the tactics that we have been teaching new associates are outdated, and are virtually guaranteeing failure in network marketing.
I remember when my sponsor told me to head over the “best lead source” available and pick up their “gold super verified” leads - at about $350 for 100 leads. I received my first batch and set about calling them. I spent 10-15 hours a week calling leads - only to be met with failure and a lighter bank account.
The problem was two fold. I had no automated way to follow-up with these leads, and because of this I had no way to profit from them if they did not join my MLM opportunity.
Cold calling leads is not the way to build a residual income stream. The “power of duplication” just never happens, because more than 95% of the people you sponsor will simply not have the stomach or the bank account to duplicate your effort.
However if you generate your own leads, and funnel them into your own email auto responder, you can very easily follow-up with them at least seven times, but more if you want to.
Further more, you can easily offer them other products as an affiliate, that allow you to profit from them even if they don’t join your primary business.
After you develop your capture page, the first tool you will need is an auto-responder service. I recommend never trying to host this yourself, for a number of reasons - just trust me, you don’t want to do it.
The only service I recommend is this one http://www.internetmlmpro.com/aw/. Be sure and take advantage of their free test drive, which is great to get things rolling before you have to start spending money!
Remember, just as your sponsor told you, growth is all about the follow up!
If you have you own lead capture page for generating MLM leads, you are probably trying to find a way to increase the conversion rate so even more visitors will opt-in to your auto responder.
One of the best ways to increase the conversion rate of your MLM capture page is to offer some type of report. The report needs to offer the visitors quality information that piques their interest enough to hand over their email address to you.
Lets look at three ways of creating your own valuable report:
1. Call on Your Upline:
This may seem obvious, but use your upline. This is exactly what I did when I first got started generating my own leads on the internet. I simply called someone in my upline and interviewed them on what they had done to be successful. I recorded the phone call, and made a MP3 file that my subscribers could listen to online, or download to their portable player. I also gave a copy to the person I interviewed to use as they wanted.
2. Interview A Successful Marketer:
This is an extremely powerful method, but you might have to step out of your comfort zone to make it happen. There are many successful internet marketers that might be willing to do a telephone call with you and allow you to record the interview. Be sure to generate a good list of questions, and provide it to them before hand. If they have a product that you can promote as an affiliate - this is also good advertising for them. It really can be a win-win for both of you. Be sure and give them a complimentary copy of the audio as well. I have done this for a couple of people, so feel free to contact me as well.
3. Compile Free Articles to Create a Report:
There are many article directories that allow you to use articles as long as the resource box at the end of the articles (including the links) remain active. Let’s say you wanted to create a report on generating leads online. You could simply head over to Ezine Articles and do a search for “generating leads online” and you will be presented with dozens of articles. Grab 10 or 12 of the best articles and compile them into your report. Convert the document to a PDF - making sure the links remain active - and you now have your “free report” to give away as an incentive. Be sure and put some links to your site in their as well!
So there you have it - three easy ways to generate your own free report for your MLM capture page. The last thing you might want to add is a nice graphic “cover” for your report. You can easily make these yourself or outsource them for a reasonable price.
Once you add this effectively tool to your landing page, I am confident you will see your opt-in rate skyrocket!
If you are building your MLM business the smart way - by using the internet - you must have a high quality, high converting capture page. The capture page is the main page that all of your marketing will be driving traffic to. The capture page is also known as a “squeeze page” in the internet marketing community.
The reason it is known as a “squeeze page” is because you want to “squeeze” the visitors information out of them before they can get what they really want - your valuable content.
Three Critical Elements Your MLM Squeeze Page Must Have
1. A Compelling Headline
The headline of you squeeze page must start the story. It must be compelling and interesting enough to draw your visitor into the page and read the rest of your story.
2. Bullet Points
You must have 5 to 10 well written bullet points. All of the points should focus on “them”, which can be easily done simply by using the words “you” and “your”. These bullet points must show the visitor exactly what you can help them with or provide them by giving their information to you.
3. A FREE Gift
Your squeeze page must offer something of value in return for the visitor giving you their contact information. You can do this very simply by creating a report of useful information. You could interview someone successful in your upline, and offer the audio or transcription. Use your imagination - the possibilities are limitless.
Okay, so you say you learn better by example? I will give you a couple of sites that I think have really good capture pages:
These should give you some ideas that you can take and run with. Once you have your squeeze page setup, keep testing different versions to see how the changes affect the conversion rate. Remember, the more traffic you send to your capture page, the more sign-ups you will get, and the more new associates you will enroll.
It is important that you spend the necessary time fine tuning this page, to maximize your effort and your return!
The hot button today seems to be talking about leveraged income. I thought it would be good to review what I feel is the difference between simple leveraged income and residual leveraged income as it applies to those of us in the network marketing and MLM fields.
Leveraged Income
I think real estate is probably the best example of leveraged income. You purchase a single family home to be used a rental. You find a tenant and they begin paying rent to you that you use to cover the mortgage and expenses of the property.
The tenant giving you leverage on the financial side. You borrowed money, so you are leveraging someone elses money, and the tenant is repaying this money.
The problem is that you still have to be heavily involved for you real estate empire to continue to expand. You have to find properties, manage the ones you own, etc.
RESIDUAL Leveraged Income
When you add the residual element to your income stream, you business continues to grow even if you are not working.
The MLM business model is probably the best example of this model, although there are others. With Network Marketing you are able to build a team. This team element is where the residual and leveraged parts of your income stream come into play.
Your team is all working to build their own businesses, which in turn builds yours. So in affect you could have 500 man hours a day being spent to build your business, when you have only work 30 minutes yourself.
This idea of residual leveraged income is the primary reason I joined a quality MLM business. With the right team under you, all working together, a residual leveraged income stream becomes a true life changing reality!
The biggest challenge we face in the MLM industry is retention of our new associates. I remember the first two people I ever sponsored, I was so excited! I could just picture this massive team exploding under me. I remembered my sponsor saying “You get two, then they get two…”. So I spent time training them, and helping them get going.
The reality hit when neither of them sponsored a single person. They tried….they invited people to meetings, they talked to people about the products, but it was just not happening. They started asking me how long it takes to get going. I was not sure what to say since it took me 4 months just to sponsor them. The monthly autoships, training materials, and startup costs were racking up. I could feel the tension as each month passed and they did not earn money.
A few months later they both simply stopped returning my calls - and stopped their autoships. My dreams started to evaporate with them. If you have been in network marketing for any length of time, I am sure you can relate to this story.
Well, now lets look at a dramatically different way to build a MLM business, that will virtually guarantee your new associates will stay in the business long enough to get your team growing - the funded proposal system.
This is how I build my business now, and how I train my new associates to build theirs. It all starts with setting up a high quality lead capture page. Drive traffic to the capture page and start building a list of subscribers. Immediately start offering these leads a high quality information product that either you created or you sell as an affiliate. As these leads purchase this product, you make cash!
Just imagine what $300 to $500 per month can mean to a new associate on your team. It gives them immediate cash to cover their monthly autoship obligation. It gives them money to put back into more advertising, allowing them to generate even more leads next month, and more sales of the funded proposal product. Then some of these leads will begin to join your team, and you will easily be able to train these new leads to replicate this system.
The bottom line is that the faster a new associate can earn a check, even if it is outside of your primary business, the longer they will stay in business. The longer they stay in, the bigger your check will be!
So which way would you rather build your business? I would choose the funded proposal system, in fact it is the system that my team uses everyday to build our business!
Yes! I just completed the first episode of the Internet MLM Podcast. I will be sharing tips and tricks on how to use the internet to build your MLM or Network Marketing business.
Episode 1 - Internet MLM Podcast Show Notes:
In this episode I give a brief introduction of just who I am and what my background is in internet marketing.
I also talk about my report “Seven Critical Elements Your MLM Business Needs for Success”.
I hope you enjoy this podcast! I will be publishing approximately 3 episodes a month.
If you are just getting started building your network marketing business on the internet, you are probably strapped for cash. Let’s face it, between your monthly autoship expenses, and the prospecting tools your upline told you were the best thing since sliced bread - you have probably been spending more than you are making in your business.
So lets take a look at three powerful strategies that you can start using today to generate hot prospects for your business on a limited budget.
1. Get started with a funded proposal system. A funded proposal system is one where you stand to generate income off of every lead that enters your system, even if they don’t join your primary network marketing business. Here is a link to one resource, it converts at about 5% for me - and covers my entire autoship expense everymonth. Check it out…
2. Start writing articles today. By writing just one simple article that is at least 250 words each day you will start to build your business. All you have to do is submit it to EzineArticles.com and it will be distributed far and wide. Be sure and have a resource box that sells to drive traffic back your landing page, and start generating leads.
3. Blog everday. Period. This will not bring traffic immediately, but over time can become a huge source of traffic and leads for your business. From my experience it will really start to kick in once you have around 100 posts or so in your blog. I try to keep my blog posts generic and teach people something of value. Or you can set up a blog just about your company. Post company news, and events which will help you get ranked high for your opportunity.
Just using these three simple techniques, will cost you just dollars a month, but allow you generate a substantial income both from your main MLM company, and outside it using the funded proposal system.
The first week I started employing these simple strategies I generated 151 leads, and 4 people called or emailed me wanting to get started in my business. Is that proof enough for ya?
