MLM - Network Marketing Blog

Bo Short and Ty Tribble Merge Online Network Marketing With Face To Face Building In Max International

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — (MARKET WIRE) — 03/07/08 —   Bo Short and Ty Tribble have formed a groundbreaking partnership, uniting their collective expertise in the Network Marketing Industry, under the name MaxImpact International, LLC. They have affiliated their new organization with a cutting-edge Network Marketing company called Max International. The goal of their organization is to create a new paradigm for success for the millions of people that have faced the conventional challenges associated with building a network marketing organization.

According to Industry leader Ken Dunn, “The partnership of Bo Short and Ty Tribble will no doubt have people talking in the Network Marketing Industry. It’s almost like Google(TM) partnering with Costco(TM), you will get the best of online and offline training and mentorship.”

MaxImpact International, LLC has offices in the states of Washington and Virginia. They are currently building teams throughout the United States and Canada. In a recent Max International news release, Bo and Ty were recognized for their achievements in two separate categories. They were honored as Top Revenue Recruiters and Top Associate Recruiters.

Ty said, “Building a successful Network is a team effort. We are working with some of the greatest partners in the industry that truly care about the success of their teams and are passionate about assisting them as they build their independent businesses. We are honored to serve them.”

In addition, they were recently identified to be among “52 of the brightest minds inside and outside network marketing.” Included in that list were notables such as Robert Kiyosaki, Paul Zane Pilzer, and Dr. Denis Waitley.

According to Bo, “Our primary focus is to mentor individuals on our team to achieve success. We cultivate leaders, not followers. We are attracting individuals that want to build a long-term income, create value through association and establish a new paradigm of success in this industry.”

Mike Dillard, creator of “Magnetic Sponsoring” and “Building on a Budget,” commented, “Ty Tribble is one of the few networkers out there who’s really on top of the Internet marketing world… If you want to learn from one of the best, Ty’s your man…”

Rudy Ruettiger, author, speaker and the inspiration for the motion picture “RUDY,” said, “Bo Short develops great leaders. He has a talent for coaching people to attain significance in their personal and professional lives.”

For More Information Contact: MaxImpact International, LLC www.MaxImpactllc.info 1-801-461-5000

Driving Traffic To Your MLM Web Site

My friend and Gentlemen Network Marketer, Michael Lemm has written an amazing blog post about driving traffic to your MLM web site.

Check it out here.

If you are in need of an MLM Web Site, you might want to visit my other buddy, Carl Sorensen at EZ Lead Capture.  Carl is the Crown Prince of Network Marketing Lead Capture Pages.   I have used Carl's service for years.

If you are looking for other resources that will help your business on the Internet, check out my resources page at TyTribble.com. I post links to the resources that I use, including autoresponders, domain registration, blog hosting, conference call and testimonial line recording and other training goodies.

Business Tip: Google The Person Before You Spam Them

I won't mention the spammers persons name that sent me an email with the following headline:

"Are you getting the results you want from your internet activities?"

The headline was large and red...and screamed spam. 

So let's look closely here at what this person did...

1. Farmed my name and email from somewhere on the net.
2. Composed a spammy email meant to spark my interest in his "solutions"

Here is the problem:

The dude has no idea who I am (or who his target market is). For the love of Pete, Mr. Spammy is asking me, a guy who has created over 5,000 opt in leads in the last six months (all free) on the Internet if I need help with my "internet activities".

UGH! If you are going to spam me...at least "Google" my name first so that you don't look like an idiot. The guy would have better luck selling ice-cubes to Eskimos.

And another thing: Shouldn't a guy who is pitching "internet solutions", have an Internet presence? The first thing I did (after emailing the guy and asking if he was joking) was "Google",  Mr. Spammy.  I couldn't find anything listed in the Google top ten under his name.

For the record, if I am looking for "solutions" for my "internet activities", I call Mike Dillard or Tim Erway.  I might email Perry Marshall or Ken Evoy or I might seek out Eben Pagan, Tom Bell, Seth Godin or Yanik Silver for some coaching.  Mr. Spammy need not apply to help me with my "activities".

SiteBuildIt For Network Marketing Web Sites

I have been looking at SiteBuildIt, a product from SiteSell as an all in one web site building, hosting and marketing solution that seems to (just now) be catching on with the Network Marketing crowd.  I found SiteBuildIt through my Renegade Network Marketing back office affiliates and thought I would let you in on my research...

Here are some different links to research:

Site Build It Network Marketing Page -

The Internet should be the best thing since sliced bread for Network Marketers. But it's being done all wrong, by all the wrong people. It starts at the top. If your company is still stuck in the "analog, old-world model" and if your upline fails to grasp the lessons in this site, what chance do you have?

SiteBuildIt for eBusiness -

It is the only, all-in-one, site-brainstorming-and-building-and-
hosting-and-marketing, step-by-step system of software tools that delivers thriving, profitable business... and more.

Real People Finding Success With SiteBuildIt

SiteBuildIt Video Testimonies

SiteBuildIt Video Tour

Let me know what you think and if you have used the program in the past.

----------

Want To Learn How I Created Over 3,500 Leads
Who Paid Me Over $10,000 To Prospect Them?

Subscribe to Ty Tribble's Success Newsletter

Ty Tribble Google Adwords MLM Coaching

I did a coaching session this afternoon for a couple of young ladies involved with a newer Network Marketing company called Zrii and they sent me a really cool note that I can't help but share.

I was pretty hesitant to offer coaching a couple of months ago, but with testimonies like this, I think I am going to have to continue...

We are high as a kite after our coaching session with Ty!  He turned us on to secrets to hone our Google Adwords campaign that would have cost us $1000s in trial and error had we tried to go it alone.  There are lots of teachers who can guide you on finding effective keywords, but network marketing is another animal completely.  Ty was incredible!  He was careful to understand our desired take-away at the end of the coaching, and it was obvious from the first minute that he wanted to exceed our expectations... let me tell you, he blew them out of the water!!  Thank you, Ty, for the invaluable direction!  We, your lifelong groupies now, will go forth and prosper!

- Deborah Greenberg & Kathy Basel, Colorado

I offer Network Marketing coaching in the following areas:

• The Network Marketers Guide To Success on The Internet
• Getting Started With Google Adwords
• Network Marketing Blog Set Up and Optimization

Click Here For Ty Tribble Internet Network Marketing Coaching Information

Mike Dillards Copy writing Course: Recruit With Words Call Series

Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring fame just released information about a new call series about copy writing. 

I wrote an article about the program over at MultiLeveler, or you can check out the page directly below:

For more details and registration for Mike Dillard's Copy Writing Course, click here.

Can Amway - Quixtar Be Built Online? Free Webinar

I got a call the other day from a Quixtar (soon to be called Amway again) IBO that was interested in using the Internet to create leads for his business.

Of course most Quixtar IBO's are looking to create business opportunity leads but that is a good way to waste time and money.  It's an uphill battle because really, who hasn't heard the 2-5 year financial freedom pitch?

If someone is searching online for a business opportunity, and you mention Amway, you are pretty much done at that point.

But I am always up for a challenge so I wanted to find an angle that would help this young man build his business. Even though I told him that other companies would be easier to build and more lucrative, he was set on Quixtar, so I set out to give him some free advice.

A friend who is well connected to Amway once told me that there are roughly 6 million former Amway/Quixtar IBOs in the U.S. and based on that number, one would assume that a handful of those people liked one or more of the products.

Ah ha!  A niche has been found.

Former Amway/Quixtar IBO's that liked a product or two, but their upline was a butt or they moved or for whatever reason, they stopped buying the product.

So here is what I am going to do: I am going to do a free one hour webinar that will show Quixtar IBOs how to build their business on the web by finding a product niche.

The free webinar has a limited capacity so it will be first come first served:

Register here for the free Quixtar Internet Marketing Webinar

Magnetic Sponsoring 3.0

While I was in Ixtapa, Mexico last week, Mike Dillard released his Magnetic Sponsoring 3.0 System. I haven't had a ton of time to go through the new site and information but I will fill you in on a couple of things that caught my eye...

1. A complete system to track the leads that you create with Magnetic Sponsoring 3.0.
2. 7 New Videos have replaced the original 10 email Boot Camp.  The videos are free and you can download them here: Mike Dillard's 7 Free Magnetic Sponsoring 3.0 Videos.
3. The MagneticSponsoring.com forum is loaded with helpful and knowledgeable marketers, some of them earning Millions a year...and they are willing to answer your questions!

For those of you who have no idea what in the world I am talking about, let me give you a little bit of history.  Mike Dillard was involved in Network Marketing for several years and really struggled.  Then he discovered the world of Internet Marketing and was one of the first Networkers to put together a system known as a "funded proposal".

The idea is simple.  Give something away of value, (like 7 free training videos) but ask for some contact information in return.  Once you gain the contact information you can then offer a low cost (usually information based) product that will help you fund your proposal.

You take the money you make from the sales of the information product and fund your advertising.  It's a bit like having your leads pay you to be your prospects.

I used this type of system to create nearly 3,000 leads and over $9,000 over the last few months.

Your proposal is generally going to involve the Network Marketing company you are involved with, keeping in mind that not everyone who requests the information or buys the information product will be a potential business partner for you. 

There are a handful of categories that people fall into:

• Happy With A Good Company
• Happy With A Bad Company
• Unhappy With A Good Company
• Unhappy With A Bad Company
• No Company

I'll let you consider which ones would be good prospects for you to discuss your business with.

The 7 Magnetic Sponsoring 3.0 Videos will give you a great overview of Network Marketing on the Internet.  Again, you can get access to the free videos here: Mike Dillard's 7 Free Videos.

MLM Lead Capture Pages

Before I get into some nuts and bolts about lead capture pages, lets define what a lead capture page is.  A lead capture page is a web page designed specifically to capture a persons name and email address (or additional information).

Click here to view a sample lead capture page.

Most companies supply their distributors some sort of replicated web sites.

Click here to view a sample of a replicated web site (not mine).

If you want to use the Internet in building your business, I highly recommend creating a lead capture page. You can waste a lot of money by sending Google traffic to your replicated site.

Some companies do not allow their name to be used on your lead capture page, but don't worry.  You want to focus on the benefits and strong points of the company, not the company name.

So let's pick what I consider to be the most difficult to build company in the world and create a short capture page about Amway/Quixtar.

Why Roll The Dice With A Start Up Company That May Not Be In Business Next Week When You Can Partner With A Multi-Billion Dollar Company's New Launch?

Ready to get your piece of a $5 Billion Industry?

Fill Out The Simple Form Below and I Will Send You My Free Report About This Opportunity...

(End Sample)

I would probably go into a little more detail with some additional benefits and bullet points but the lead capture page isn't meant to convince anyone of anything.  It is simply meant to squeeze the name, phone number and email address out of the person reading.

If you are interested in creating a lead capture page and system to help you build your business online, check out my Internet Success Template Coaching.  I can walk you through the whole process and get you started on the path to creating your own leads without chasing down your neighbors, friends and relatives.

Bo Short's It's Called Success Tele-seminar

I got a call a few days ago from Bo Short about a new tele-seminar that he is producing aimed at Network Marketers.  Bo is busy lining up some excellent speakers for the 8 hour tele-seminar and I am honored to say that he asked me to come on and speak about my Internet Success.

Because of my association with Bo, I have had hundreds of people email me and come up to me at events and tell me that Bo Short is their favorite speaker of all time. Bo Short is a sought after speaker who commands up to $15,000 for a one hour keynote address.

Well, now we have a chance to get 8 hours of training and coaching from Bo and his hand picked Network Marketing all stars from the comfort of home via this tele-seminar.

Here is a quote from Bo:

Very few trainers in this Industry give people everything they need to become a Network Marketing Leader. Some are great with content centered on technique and others offer leadership mentoring and inspiration, but few bring it all.

Here are some of the topics that Bo and his team of six-figure Network Marketing earners (plus an additional surprise special) will cover:

• Dialing leads for success with posture and attitude
• How to create a template for success on and off the net.
• A step-by-step breakdown of the building process
• Warm market prospects-who to call, when to call, what to say
• How to create your own leads for free utilizing the Internet
• How to find the right lead company
• How to create effective leads via Pay Per Click
• How to turn a stranger into a teammate
• Learn how to talk to people and be rejection-proof
• Master the skills of building a balanced-business
• How to eliminate the statement, "I am not a sales person"
• Learn the nuances of "Organic Search"
• Learn Web 2.0, Video, Blogging and funded proposals
• Master the art  and skills of overcoming objections
• And lots more.

Then as a special bonus, Bo has promised to do a 1 hour conference call on "Leading With Impact" for those that register for his "It's Called Success" tele-seminar.

Bo is limiting the tele-seminar to the first 100 people who register so that he can have a successful question and answer period on each call.

If you would like more information or to register now, visit: www.ItsCalledSuccess.com

Building Your MLM Business With Google Adwords and Perry Marshall

I have been using Google Adwords as a way to bring fresh talent into my business since 2003. But the learning curve that I went through was VERY EXPENSIVE.  I could take you into my Google back office right now and show you past campaigns that cost me thousands of dollars but produced nothing.

Today I am very good with Google Adwords, in fact, I charge $200 per hour for Google Adwords consulting.

My Google consulting is super busy and I am booked out several weeks in advance, but you don't have to wait for me (or pay me $200 per hour) to learn the insider secrets into Google Adwords. 

Perry Marshall is an absolute genius when it comes to Google Adwords and he has a 5 day email course that will help you overcome the learning curve. I wish this free course was available in 2003, I could have saved a lot of money and time.

You can sign up for Perry Marshall's 5 Days To Success with Google Adwords by clicking here.

Welcome to the MLM Blog

My name is Ty Tribble and I would like to welcome you to the MLM Blog. I launched this site in 2003 as a journal of my thoughts and opinions on Network Marketing.

While I write about many companies, I am only active in one, if you would like more information about myself or my business, visit my personal web site at TyTribble.com

If you have story ideas, comments or questions, you can contact me at ty (at) tribble (dot) org.

Are You A Renegade Network Marketer?

If you're sick of harassing your friends and co-workers about your "business opportunity" and going broke buying leads that only turn out to be duds...you may be interested in learning the closely-guarded secret that every guru knows about marketing: You can attract people to you and actually have them PAY YOU to prospect them. Rather than spending money to get people into your business, you can put cash in your pocket upfront instead... regardless of whether you sponsor them or not!

Click here to learn more => http://win.therenegadenetworkmarketer.com/

A Little More Meat About Todd Falcone's Web Marketing 101

Here are some of the topics that will be covered on Todd Falcone's Web Marketing 101 Course:

- Understanding Pay-per-Click Advertising
- Getting a grip on Search Engine Optimization
- Tapping into Google Ad Words and AdSense
- Understanding Branding Pages, Squeeze Pages and Sales Pages
- Creating a presence in MySpace and YouTube
- Getting business from online forums
- How online articles can make you money
- How Blogging and Podcasting can increase your lead generation
- Why and How to Create a Productive Ezine
- Instant Messaging for more better time management
- How to write online ad copy that sells

Click here to read more and sign up for the course.

Network Marketing and the Internet

Todd Falcone will be doing a webinar series on understanding the Internet from a Network Marketers viewpoint.  I promise, the content for the webinar will be incredible...

Web Marketing 101
with your host, Todd Falcone

“A Live Training Designed for Those of You Who Don’t Consider Yourselves Internet Masters!”

I thought long and hard about how much to charge for this course. If you were to go and do what I did, it would literally take you weeks and weeks of all day and all night research and study just do understand this stuff. I could easily charge $1500 for this information, if not more. However, I want you to know this stuff, so you can take what I teach you and then take your learning to a higher level. I thought $497 sounded fair. Then $297, because I wanted people to AFFORD this information.

Finally, I settled on a mere $97.

Right now, you can get yourself in on this 4 hour webinar training and your investment is only $97 for what undoubtedly has cost me thousands of dollars in education and thousands of dollars in man hours studying this stuff.

Here are the details for “Web Marketing 101″

Course Dates and Times:
Thursday May 17th from 5pm-7pm
Thursday May 24th from 5pm-7pm

CRITICAL NOTES before you register: You MUST be in front of your computer screen for this training, preferably on a high speed connection. Your operating system must also be Windows XP or newer. This web meeting system will not function on computers with Window 98 or older. You will be dialing into a conference line so that you can HEAR me and watching your computer screen so you can SEE things that I am teaching you.

I expect this course to sell out almost instantly. Hundreds of you responded to me indicating you wanted this information desperately. Here is your chance.

To register for “Web Marketing 101″, simply click here now.

Michael Oliver on Sharing vs. Selling in Network Marketing

Natural Selling Blog:

There was a post and discussion recently over at Kim Klaver's blog (a blog well worth a look). The discussion was about the practice that some Network Marketing companies have of telling their distributors to tell new potential business partners that the business doesn't involve "selling". Rather, it's about "sharing" how great and valuable the products are.

Here's what I had to say...

While I can appreciate the idea behind this (trying to get
over the negative perception that many people have about
"selling"), at best it's disingenuous.

Remember that when someone joins your team, it's hopefully
the start of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Is
it really the best way to start a relationship by being less
than open?

I agree with the comments above that there's nothing
to be ashamed of about "selling". It's an honourable calling
and indeed the traditional meaning of selling was "to
serve". That's how I like to think about it. "To sell is to
serve".

There is a genuine issue about the negative perceptions of
"selling". But the way to deal with this is through
challenging negative perceptions and demonstrating that
selling isn't what people might think it is.

Elaborating a little on this last point, you might find that when you're having a dialogue with someone the issue of "selling" comes up. The other person may say something like that they hate selling and couldn't imagine themselves involved in selling in any way. If they do say that, then explore what lies behind the statement. Find out why they think the way they do. You'll often find that their perceptions are incorrect.

One other thing that's useful is to simply ask them if they've been comfortable with the dialogue that you've been having. When they say "Yes" point out that this is what "selling" is really all about. Most of the time they'll have an "Ah-Ha" and totally change any negative perception about selling they may have had.

(Role Play #1 "What To Do When They Ask 'Do I Have To Sell'" on my CD program "Introducing Your Business And Products" covers this situation in some detail).

So, Network Marketing and Selling are honourable professions. Done correctly, they bring great value to the lives of the people you come in contact with. Remember...

"To Sell Is To Serve".

Natural Selling vs. The Traditional MLM Sales Pitch

Reprinted with permission from Michael Oliver, Natural Selling® Sales Training     http://www.naturalselling.com):

One of the many differences between Natural Selling and "selling" the conventional or the “Old Sales” way, is that Natural Selling approaches potential partners and customers with a different attitude and thinking.

This is especially true when qualifying someone.

Qualifying is simply confirming if someone is ready to take some sort of action. The action could simply be confirming that they are open to exploring changing their present circumstances. Or it could be confirming that they are ready to get started with you.

 

The benefit of qualifying is that you don't waste your time and someone else's if they are not ready to make a change.

 

I cover this subject in Chapter 12 of my book "How To Sell Network Marketing Without Fear, Anxiety or Losing Your Friends!" when I talk about Qualifying Questions and the Discovering Stage.

Now, here's the big point of difference when you adopt the "Natural Selling" approach to building your business.

Helping Them Qualify Themselves And You!

  

Seth Godin's Z List OOPS!

I am a big fan of Seth Godin, but his Z List, listing a few blogs that people should know about (but don't know about yet), is a disaster.

Seth orginally listed a handful of good blogs and then folks had the chance to nominate and vote on other blogs.

Someone nominated my blog and that was thoughtful and just dandy, but there is a problem.

People are voting down blogs that they have never even visited in hopes that their blog rises in the rankings. The reason I know this is because I haven't had one person visit my blog from the Squidoo Z List page, yet my blog is now at a -11 points, meaning at least 12 people voted negatively about my blog, yet not one of them visited.

My new goal for the Z List is to be last. Please help!

John Batelle is currently lower than I am and that is simply not right.

Vote me down!

4 out of 10 Talk Products Online

According to a recent study, 4 out of 10 people talk about product experiences on the Internet via some sort of platform like blogs, message boards or opinion/rating sites.

I assure you, big companies are looking at these numbers and wondering how they can get some of these product evangelists (you) talking about their products.

The answer: Network Marketing.

A new study by Yahoo finds that shoppers aren't content to simply make purchases online but are also using the internet as a platform to tell others of their experiences. The study found that 40 percent of the respondents were "brand advocates," defined by the report as "adventurous opinion leaders who are socially well-connected, express their opinions and viewpoints and continually discover new content online," MediaPost reports.

Yahoo: Four in Ten Evangelize Brands Online · MarketingVOX

Have you ever been Dugg?

I write for a blog about eBay and online selling called PowerSellerKing for Know More Media. Yesterday, I wrote about en eBay employee that trashed Google Checkout (GBuy) and then later deleted the post from his blog. Through the miracle of cache,  the lost post was found and I put it up on the PowerSellerKing blog.

The short of it is that the post ended up on Digg last night and when I came back to my house from lunch today, it had landed on the front page of Digg.

You can see the post here and the digg page here.

15,000 unique visitors later (over a 3 hour period) and I am in awe of the power of Digg and all things viral.

Word of Mouth Marketing Conference

I have secured (thanks to Michael Rubin of Womma) a discount for MLM Blog Readers that would like to attend this upcoming conference on Word of Mouth Marketing.

Word of Mouth Basic Training 2 is coming to the Hilton in San Francisco, June 20th-21st.

Topics will include: WOM, Buzz, Viral and Blog Marketing.

Presented by WOMMA, Word of Mouth Marketing Association

What you will learn:

• Learn from real case studies and how-to lessons.
• Meet the world's leading word of mouth experts.
• Master the core skills to succeed with word of mouth.
• Discover how to implement word of mouth at your company.
• Network like crazy at the biggest word of mouth conference ever.
• Understand critical issues around ethics and honesty.
• Measure and track the ROI of word of mouth.
• Enjoy an official WOMMA event, the association that brings together the amazing people who are building this fantastic industry.

Register. To receive your discount use code: "wommalovesty"

Word of Mouth Marketing

I think this will pretty much end the debate about why a company would choose Network Marketing to market a product...

Networkers should pay close attention to the bottom of the clip discussing sales:

"...have them be less scripted, and freer to improvise and create real dialogues with their prospects instead of delivering sales pitches..."

Emergence Marketing:

While WOM is not a "new" media channel, but one that has been in existence for as long as social networks have existed, if you look at BzzAgents' rate card, it looks like they have been able to turn WOM into a manageable and predictable media channel - and that maybe something new. For $65K they will deploy a 1,000 agents, which will generate 47,375 conversations over the period of 12 weeks. If you've got a little over $2M to spare, they will deploy 75,000 agents who will generate 3,553,125 conversations in a 12 week period.

If this is all working, and all indications are that it is, then there may be another hidden "lesson learned" here - one that companies should apply to their traditional sales force - have them be less scripted, and freer to improvise and create real dialogues with their prospects instead of delivering sales pitches. But that is not "new" either - David Weinberger and his co-authors of the Cluetrain Manifesto have been saying that for over a decade..

Can you fire a customer?

Good stuff from Seth:

If you treat a customer like he's wrong, he's going to leave, and probably tell a bunch of other people. Before you take that route, be direct, straightforward, polite and firm, and decline to sell to them.

So yes, the customer is always right. And if they're not, then one way or the other, they're not your customer any more.

Market with your blog

How to market polo shirts on a blog:

1. Wear your product.

2. Go out at night.

3. Have your friend take pictures of you (wearing your product) with hot girls and interesting people.

4. Post the pictures on your blog with a link to your eBay store were you sell the polo shirts.

Whether BzzAgent or Network Marketer

It all comes down to recommending a product or service to others.

SquidBlog:

So, what makes a good recommendation?

1. First-person experience.
2. Enthusiasm.
3. Specificity.
4. Sincerity.
5. Clarity.

The difference between good (action-inducing) and bad (zzzzzz) recommendation is the difference between one person saying:

“I'’ve read a lot of history books, but this is the best I’ve ever found on the Roman Empire, and if you read it you will have a firm grasp on Roman history and architecture and I guarantee you’ll be booking the next flight to Italy.”

and the other saying,

“I guess I liked this novel, but you probably won’t.”

Which book would you buy?

The Value of Samples - Part I

What the (Network Marketing) world needs now...is a little simplification. This article is an introduction to series of posts on the value of samples. The idea for the series was conceived after reading a post about free samples at On The Road With Dave.

Hopefully by now you know that money can be made in Network Marketing by selling products and sponsoring people. I know you were told by your upline that there are 9 steps to success, but they lied. There are only two steps and they center around the product.

If the product is engaging and if it really helps you and if you really like it, there is a good chance you would be willing to share it with other people.

Share the product with others and one of three things will happen.

1. The person likes the product and wants more of it. Those are potential customers.
2. The person likes the product and asks questions like, "where did you get it?" or "is there more stuff like this?". Those are potential customers and some might be potential business partners.
3. None of the above. This person wants nothing to do with your product or your business.

It's no pressure MLM or Solution Marketing as I like to call it, whereas you don't approach anyone about your business until you are reasonably sure that your business offers a solution for the other person.

It's as simple as offering a sample to someone and allowing them to try it.

The Seattle Times via The Daily Oasis:

"Sampling can offer feedback, which is important to the manufacturer, and the bump in sales is important to the retailer. Typically, we expect a lift in sales of 300-400 percent from a focused, six-hour in-store demo on a weekend."

New Seth Godin eBook - Flipping the Funnel

Download your free Flipping the Funnel eBook, courtesy, Seth Godin.

This new ebook (3 versions, 18 pages each, PDF format) explains how I believe some of the new Web 2.0 tools (flickr, de.licio.us, squidoo and others) combine with ideaviruses and the Purple Cow.

I haven't read this one yet, but I will read it tonight. It will be interesting to see what I can learn and apply to the MLM Blog Network, my Web 2.0-ish project that offers free blogs to Network Marketers.

Product - Product - Product

If your product is remarkable, it is also marketable. If you are searching for a Network Marketing company to work with, start with the product.

From Seth's Blog:

"A few minutes later, the prospect handed over four million dollars.

Yikes!

Sometimes it seems like the very best stuff sells itself. That explains why some car dealerships have waiting lists and sell stuff for a premium, while others look like ghost towns.

Sometimes, salesmanship is overrated. What matters more is real marketing, marketing that involves making the right product, not hyping it."

The Network Marketing Lightbulb Goes On

The 5 Aha's of Natural Selling in MLM:

1. The First Aha: Seek with Purpose
APPROACH FROM A PLACE OF PURPOSE AND FOCUS ON WHERE I CAN BE OF HELP. I will not race through my names list, seeking my leaders in frenzy. Taking more time with each person will help me to be a better listener, learner, and leader.

2. The Second Aha: CHILL. . .
When a person chooses to engage with me, in a dialogue about them, I WILL NOT JUMP IN WITH MY SOLUTION AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY.

I will dig deeper, asking more questions, to find what lies beneath the surface of their concerns.

3. The Third Aha: Integrity in the asking
I must ask people the questions that I know they would want to ask if they knew what to ask.

WOW. This philosophy is quintessential to maintaining integrity in our business practice. Truly, we are seeking to assist people in discovering their own truth, their own reasons for making a CHANGE.

4. The Fourth Aha: What I am REALLY selling….
I am selling MY UNDERSTANDING OF MY POTENTIAL PARTNER OR CUSTOMER. Allow that person to feel that they are truly being heard. Listen with ENLIGHTENED INDIFFERENCE.

Got it. It is so clear!

5. The Fifth Aha: Don't treat any responses as a defeat.
This is something I have already been practicing, without fully recognizing its importance. Each time I get off the phone with someone I reflect on the conversation and fill in any holes that I may have failed to fill. I take a moment to determine if my response was effective, and if not, how I might deal with a similar situation in the future. It is my job to discover if this person has any problems that I may be able to solve.
   
- C. Mintz - BC, Canada

Reprinted with permission from Michael Oliver, Natural Selling® Sales Training http://www.naturalselling.com

Solution Marketing - Information Mining

When you purchase concert tickets at Ticketmaster, you have the option of answering a few questions about your music, arts, and sports taste and Ticketmaster will send out email updating you on events that are of interest. I gave them permission to let me know when stuff I like is coming to town. Chances are if they do a good job with this, I will buy tickets to events that interest me.

This mornings email was titled: "Don't miss Megadeth"

Hmmmm. Megadeth? Admittedly I am a fan of hard rock from the Grunge era, such as Alice in Chains, Nirvana, The Screaming Trees, and Soundgarden, but I can't recall ever being a fan of Megadeath or Metallica, who I guess are categorized more as Heavy Metal.

In addition to the Megadeth suggestion, Ticketmaster took the time to put together a listing of other events that might interest me...

Leo Kottke? Never heard of him.
Ernestine Anderson with Houston Person? Nope.
Bill Engvall? Uh Uh.
Holly Near & Cris Williamson? Nyet.
Keiko Matsui? Sorry.
Craig Chaquico? Ummmmm No.

Who are these people, Ticketmaster?

Amazon is really good at mining information and giving solid suggestions based on what you purchase. As a customer, I want to hear about things that interest me. In fact let me know that something is coming (that is of interest to me) before releasing the information to the general public and I will feel special. I will buy and I will tell others to buy. I may even tell others to sign up for your updates and newsletters so that they can get the great deals that I get. Get it?

What is a Customer For Life Worth?

My wife and daughter are in Paris this week so this morning I decided to drive our Suburban to drop off my son at school, (I usually drive our other car). When I started to drive I noticed that wheels seemed to be pulling to the right, so after dropping off my son, I went to Discount Tire Co., where I bought the tires a little over a year ago.

Turns out there was a razor blade and a nail in one of the tires and the right front tire was shot because it had been driven on the side wall. My first thought was, "here comes a $400 bill". Would you believe they replaced both tires for free? I only paid for the additional warrantly of $22 per tire.

So this company gave me almost $400 worth of tires today, and driving away I thought about what that gesture is going to be worth to the company. There is no doubt that I will forever buy my tires at Discount Tire Co., which will no doubt be worth thousands of dollars to the company, and there is little doubt that I will tell a lot of people about my experience, potentially worth even more money.

Seth Godin, author of Permission Marketing calls this "sneezing". Whereas your experience with a product or service is so remarkable, you must tell people.

AAHHHHHCCCHHHOOOO! Discount Tire Co. 4 Life, Baby.

Solution Marketing - Starbucks

Here is an exerpt from my forthcoming MLM ebook titled 'Solution Marketing':

What does Starbucks sell?

Most people would immediately say that Starbucks sells coffee, but I believe it is more than that. 7-11 sells coffee, but you don’t get the same feeling sipping coffee from a styrofoam 7-11 cup as you do from a Starbucks cup. There is a feeling you get when you enter a Starbucks. The stores are warm and inviting and the help is energetic and courteous. Starbucks business is not really based on coffee. It is based on the feeling that you get at Starbucks. Yes the product is good, but that is a must in any business today. Starbucks is a solution provider. When a person drives up to a Starbucks, goes in, purchases a coffee, and leaves Starbucks to go back into the world, they feel better for having done so.

Businesses today flourish by solving problems for people. "Solution provider" has a high tech connotation but it applies to every single business. I would challenge you to adjust your thinking and become a solution provider.

Being a solution provider takes the sales and recruiting pressure off of your shoulders. If you aren’t worried about prospecting or sales and just go about your daily life with a sincere interest in helping as many people as you can, you will run into folks that have problems. Not only that, but you will run into folks that have problems that your business has a solution for.

How easy is it to present a solution to someone when they tell you they have a problem and they are looking for a solution to solve it?

Solution Marketing

Here is an excerpt from Networking Times interview with E-Myth author Michael Gerber:

In reality it is quite difficult to get people to do something they're unaccustomed to doing, so it becomes a numbers game, with a very small percentage accomplishing great results, and everyone else sort of disappearing. This is rationalized by saying, "Well, they just didn't step up. If they did what the ten percent do, they would have what the ten percent have."

How often are Network Marketers told to get out of their comfort zones in order to make their business work? Upline MLM Guru's teach their new recruits to do a list of 8-10 things that will supposedly send the new recruit on the pathway to success. Network Marketers are often given a so called "proven success system" and told all they have to do is duplicate it. However there is one huge problem with this scenario...NO ONE IS DUPLICATING!

Let's look at the very basics of Network Marketing:

A. Selling products
B. Sponsoring people

Network Marketing is in essence, selling products and sponsoring people. Is that oversimplifying? I don't think so. Do those two things and do them often, and you will make money in Network Marketing.

The simplest and most comfortable way I have found to sell products and sponsor people is through what I call "Solution Marketing". That is to look at your business and your products as a potential solution for people. You go about your daily life and when you find someone that has a problem that your business has a legitimate solution, you offer it.

Would people outside of the community of Network Marketing have a different opinion of Network Marketing if Network Marketers only presented their products or business to people that had a specific problem that the networker had a specific solution to?