Stop Losing Sales- Build your own website !

I have been saying (and practicing) this for over a year now.... ok, well I am little slower than SOME ! ! You need to have your own personal website if you are in the direct sales arena. Read this very well written article taken from Direct Sales News.


If you are in Direct Sales, you may not realize how many sales you are missing by not having a website of your own. Rep websites aren't usually indexed in the search engines, and most can't be personalized completely.

Let me give you an example of why it's so important to have your own website. I searched for "Watkins Vanilla" on Yahoo, Google, and MSN.

- On Yahoo, Watkin's company page was #7 in the listings. Ranked before them were reps with their own website.

- On Google, the company page was #5. Again, reps with their own websites ranked above them.

- MSN was the only place the company website was #1. However, following the company site were several personal websites.

Here's another term I searched: "Tupperware catalog" (which according to Word Tracker is searched over 300 times a day). On Google and MSN, Tupperware's company site wasn't even on the first page of results! On Yahoo it was the first, but of course personal websites followed.

So what does this mean to you? It's simple - there are millions of people searching for YOUR business or items from your business ever day. By having a personal website, you aren't lost in a sea of other rep websites in the search engines. Even the simplest of terms can work their way to the top of search engine results, in many cases giving you more free traffic than you can handle!

Of course, once you get those visitors there it's up to you to turn them into customers. The best way to do this is getting them on your list. More about newsletters next week.

So if you don't have a website already, start making plans now to build your personal website today!

-------------------------------------------------------
About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. For more Direct Sales Success Tips, visit: http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/newsletter.html
-------------------------------------------------------

The Lead-ing edge...

There has been much discussion recently on the MLM and Home-Based business forums about "leads". Of course it is a topic that comes up over and over.

"Leads" are the lifeblood of our business. A "lead" is a loose term to describe someone who may be interested in your product or service.

Of course you can generate your own leads both in the physical world via classified ads, radio ads, flyers, face to face networking, or you can generate leads in the virtual world via google ad-words, search engine optimization or internet marketing via splash pages or "lead capture" pages.

Many people simply do not have the resources or expertise to generate leads in this fashion,.. and that is where the "lead broker" comes in.

There are many "lead companies" out there, but only a very few that actually generate their own leads. They do so by simple forms that compel a potential buyer to provide information such as email address, phone number, physical address, and perhaps some more specific questions.

These "leads" are then distributed to the people who have purchased them. They are, in many cases, sold over and over and over. They are sold to other clients, sold to other lead companies who in turn sell them to other clients, and perhaps to other lead companies, and so on. It is not unusual for someone to be receiving contacts even 2 years after they originally filled out the online form.

As you can see, in many cases the "freshness" of the lead is important. Leads that are delivered in "real-time" are the freshest possible lead... their information is delivered to your email address literally the minute they submit their information. These are my second choice for the "best" lead.

My first choice is the telephone verified lead. The lead generation company has the leads filtered through a call center. The staff in the call center phone each person and verify that they did indeed fill out the information on the form, and that they are looking for a particular product and service. Only then do they send on the information to the client. This, as far as I am concerned, is the highest quality, most responsive individual you can get.

Expect to pay between $4.00 and $8.00 or more for this type of lead.

Once you have the lead information, it is up to you to make the most of the next steps.
What ever you do, DO NOT pick up the phone unless you are armed with some basic phone skills. Remember that once you have a voice on the other end of the phone, this "lead" stops being a lead and becomes a warm blooded human being with eeds, wants desires and dreams.

Your job is to relax, develop a connection, and provide information only if the two of you feel it is a good fit.

I use this very simple opener when calling leads:
"Hi Mary, this is Shelley Penney getting back to you. You recently filled out a form online requesting information about a ome business. I was calling to see what you had in mind when you filled out that form. Is this a good time?"

This is a great opener...... it shows respect for their time, and also opens up the conversation. It takes them away from any crisis that may be happening in their home right now, and brings them back to what they were interested in when they filled out the form in the first place.

Listen carefully, ask a few more questions to get to know them, and then say, "Mary, I don't know if what I am doing would be a good fit for you, but this is what I would like. I am going to give you a link to a website. You can check it out on your own and I will call you tomorrow and get your questions answered. How does that sound?"

Simple and effective...... Happy building !

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist, trainer and consultant to the home based business trade.

Long Distance Sponsoring.

~Build Internationally Without Leaving Home.~
originally published at http://go-global.ws/blog.html

Many "old-time" networkers will still tell you that you must grow your business face to face. If you want to develop a large group you have to "be where the action is".

I really feel that the technological boom has given us all the tools we need to build a global business without ever leaving home. Don't misunderstand..... I am not saying that the old way is no longer relevant. In fact, exactly the opposite is true as far as networking skills are concerned. You need to develop acute communication skills to grow an international network marketing business from home. If you have the right tools, though, the face to face meeting is seldom necessary to develop trust.

More people every day are hitting the internet looking for the right home business opportunity. They are actively seeking an alternative to the 9-5 grind, and the "middle income poor" job that is not going to see them through their retirement years. These people are reaching out to you, and you need to be ready to help them feel comfortable enough to make a decision.

You need some tools before you start working.

You will need a phone with a good long distance rate. My phone plan has a flat rate for unlimited North American calling, and for over-seas calling I use www.goldline.net - they have the best long distance rates I have found. Of course many people are switching to V.O.I.P. technology, but personally I am waiting just a wee bit longer for the bugs to be ironed out.

You should also have a compelling website that presents your business and products in a professional way, and it is helpful to have a recorded business overview you can 3 way your contact into to hear a 3rd party presentation. Also, have a strong relationship with a reliable business partner who you respect, and that you can call on to do a 3-way "answer questions" session.

Steps to take ~ a simple formula....

• The First call~ Be prepared to take some time during the first call to develop rapport. It is important that you are relaxed and in a conversational mood. Make the call from your office, or some other quiet place, away from the baby crying and the dog barking. The first time I speak to someone I might only be on the phone a few minutes, but I am prepared to be there for half an hour if necessary. The goal of the first call is to find a common ground, get to know one another, and lead your contact to the next step in the evaluation process.
  
  First, I introduce myself, and make sure this person has a few minutes to speak with me. Then I tell him/her the purpose of the call, which is to share a bit about my company, and help them decide whether they want to look more closely.
  
  Then I simply ask a few questions. "So tell me about you..." "Do you work?" "Children?" "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Get to know you questions that I actively participate in. In other words, I do not just start peppering them with questions. I am looking for a common ground. Something that I can relate to, and that they can relate to me. The true key to successful phone relationshipping is to simply pretend that you are face to face. It is nothing more than that, but it does take a particular skill.
  
  Practice projecting your personality over the phone line. Smile when you are talking and genuinely interact as if that person were sitting right in front of you. Nod, shake your head, gesture with your hands, and actively participate. Make sure you take notes so you remember what is important to this person you are speaking with. Never forget you are speaking with a real person with real wants, needs and dreams.
  
  Don't be in a hurry to talk business... lead your prospect to it. When you are both feeling comfortable with each other say, "you know, I really like you, and I think we might get along well together. I don't know if what I am doing would be right for you, but I would love it if I could let you listen to a 3 minute recorded call. Do you have 3 more minutes?" Then 3 way them to the call. When it is done, ask, "did you hear that alright?" Chances are she is going to say, "Yes, I did. tell me more about that." This is your opening to send them to your website. I simply say, "I could give you more information, but I have a website that says it far better than I could. When do you think you would have a chance to look at it?" "Great, how about if I call you back tomorrow and get any questions answered."
• Send a follow up email~ "Thank you so much for taking the time to meet me. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow at 7P.M. and answering any questions you may have.
• The second call~ This is when you introduce your business partner. You should already have made an appointment with your business partner for a 3 way call. Call the potential business partner at the scheduled time. Refer to your notes, and ask something related to what was said, ie. "How is your son doing. Is he feeling better?". Then lead into the call... "I took the liberty of booking my business partner to answer some of your questions. I told him about you and he is really looking forward to speakimg with you." 3 way to your business partner, and make sure you do proper introductions. The proper and professional way to do this is to first introduce the prospect. Refer to your notes, and say what she does, what she is looking for, and why you like her. Then introduce your business partner, say what he did before, what kind of success he has found, and why you feel he is a great person to answer the questions. Then just sit back and listen, and take notes. At the end of that call, your business partner should ask... "Is there anything else you need to know to get started".

Now we all know that things rarely go as easily as that. My policy is to expect the common "long distant" objections and questions and be prepared for them. So what kinds of things can you expect? Here are the most common ones that I have faced, and my solutions.

• I need to try the product~ Excellent, If I can have your mailing address I will get some samples out to you right away. (I have 50 or so sample packs in envelopes ready to mail. I just address and send the next day.)
• How will I get trained~ I will mail you a binder of information, we have training calls once a week, an interactive website with training, and links to all kinds of audio, video and text material to teach you everything you need to know. I am also available by phone when you have any questions.
• How will I present to my friends~ If you gather them in a room and use your flip chart, you can get me on speaker phone, and I can do the presentation until you are comfortable doing it yourself.
• What do I do if I can't answer a question~ Call me. If you know ahead you will be speaking with someone, book me ahead of time, and I will make myself available. We also have a network of team members that you can call on if I am not available.
• I need to know everything before I can share it~ Not at all... all you have to do is use the tools available to you. Did you see how I shared the information with you? I used the recorded call, the website, and my business partner. I really didn't give you any of the information myself. You have the same tools available to you as well.
• I don't like using my credit card online~ That's not a problem. Our company accepts money orders.

My business has grown to 7 different countries in the past year, and I have strong teams in several states and provinces in North America, and I have never left home except to attend our international convention. Nothing thrills me more that to meet one of my team members for the first time at a convention, and continue, in person, the relationship we have developed long distance.

Put this simple formula to work for your team and build it around the world !

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist, trainer and consultant to the home based business trade.