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Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’

Let’s face it. There are no shortages of network marketing companies today, however how do you know what network marketing company is right for you? In this brief article, I’m going to give you some important things to consider when looking at a network marketing opportunity. These points are important and shouldn’t be skipped over if you’re ultimate goal is to become successful with a MLM business.

The first thing that you should look at is the compensation plan. Many multi-level marketing companies today feature compensation plans that, quite frankly, leave a lot to be desired. Are you going to be fairly compensated for your efforts? Will you be rewarded for assisting the members in your downline? These are important factors to take into consideration.

Another thing that you should look at is how easily the program can be duplicated by new people that you sign up. If it takes you 6 months to get up and running, do you think it’s going to be any easier for others? Focus on finding a program that is simple and allows everyone, including those who are brand new to the industry, a chance to get off to a quick start.

Lastly, will you have access to mentors who are already living the lifestyle that you ultimately want to achieve? Mentorship is one of the most important contributing factors to becoming successful, and a lack of it can spell disaster when it comes to a home based business.

Hopefully this short article has given you some food for thought when it comes to evaluating a network marketing company and it’s business opportunity. Remember that while a solid MLM program can make you filthy, stinking rich, there is always work that will need to be done to get to that point. There are no free rides in the network marketing industry, or any other for that matter.

You can find a real dream direct marketing mlm company and create tremendous wealth, but you can also wind up with the wrong company and have a horrendous experience. This article will help you choose the right direct marketing mlm company by explaining to you the types of companies out there and by teaching you how to find the right type of company needed to become very successful in this industry.

First it is important to understand that there are four types of direct marketing mlm companies on the market, lets put them into categories:

Category#1: These types of opportunities for lack of a better word and no sense beating around the bush are the scams, the schemes, the pyramid deals, etc! Basically ways to launder money between friends! Yes unfortunately there are bad people running around pretending to be real network marketers!

Once you know what to look for it is actually very easy to spot one of these scams. Here are two quick guidelines:

1. If the company tells you they are going to pay you to recruit someone this is a scam, turn around and run away very quickly! You Can Not get paid to recruit people that is illegal! The only time and I mean the only time you can get paid is when a product or service is provided!

2. If there is no product associated with the opportunity! There must be a real viable product and not just some made up hoax camouflaged to be a product. If the regulators deem that it is not a real viable product they will shut the company down quickly! So when in doubt stay clear!

Category #2: The 2nd type of direct marketing mlm opportunity or company you will find out there are the small party plan companies! We have all seen these. The little companies that recruit you to sell Candles, Tupperware and Kitchen-ware type of products around your kitchen table and your friends kitchen table. Basically a part-time retail business. Nothing wrong with these companies except it is very hard to create any serious income with them. They are more of a part time job type of deal where you could make a few hundred dollars a month if you are very good.

Category #3: The 3rd type of direct marketing mlm opportunity are the big guys! The literal giants of the network marketing, direct selling and mlm industry. These are the guys who have been around for 10, 20, 30 even 60 some years! They have an outstanding track record and do at least a billion dollars in sales each and every year in the direct marketing mlm industry. These are companies such as Amway, Shaklee, Mary Kay, Avon, Xango, Usana, Herbalife, etc! There is actually about 20 of these companies out there on the market!

Now I know what you are thinking, you are saying “thanks Rob, now I am set! All I have to do is go and join one of these companies and I am good to go!” NO NO NO!!! This is where 99% of the people who join the direct marketing mlm industry go wrong! A proven track record of success is actually NOT the way to go! I know that is hard to believe and goes against traditional business sense, however, I can virtually assure you that if you have ever been in this industry before or know of anyone who has and failed or did not have they success they desired, they have been involved with one of the three opportunities I just mentioned!

None of the three of these companies is where wealth is created!! These companies are not wealth creating opportunities anymore! In the direct marketing mlm industry these companies are now simply income generating opportunities, very much like going out and getting a part time job! No freedom there and no wealth to be earned there any longer.

You see with a little bit of research into the direct marketing mlm industry you will see that the wealth has ALWAYS been created in the first 5-10 years of each of the category 3 companies launch!

Makes sense doesn’t it? It is amazing how many people do not consider this!

So that leads to the next one….

Category #4: The 4th type of company really is the holy grail of the direct marketing mlm industry. This is where ALL the wealth is created in this industry. This is where all the incredible “rag to riches” stories in this industry come from. And they only come around about once every 5-10 years.

There are two criteria for a company to be considered a category 4 company:

1. The company must still be in its early stages and have not have hit its exponential growth curb to become one of the 3rd type of companies or one of the giants! This window is typically within the first 5-10 years of launch.

2. The company must have everything in place that the category 3 companies had in place when they launched! You see if you go back and do some homework into this industry you will notice that all the successful companies or the category 3 companies all had certain primary criteria in place at launch!

Here are the primary criteria:

The Company Has Just Launched (first 10 years)

A Sexy Product Story (New Revolutionary Idea)

A Breakthrough Innovation in Comp Plan Design.

A Strong Leadership Line With Documented Success

Strong Financial Backing

International Opportunity (Global)

A Experienced Management Team

That is gang, if you take the time to do your research, instead of falling for the marketing hype that companies spew, you will find the category 4 company in the direct marketing mlm industry. It will happen. Simply make sure that the company you are looking at has ALL of the criteria above in place and you stand a good chance of finding the direct marketing mlm company that will help you create serious wealth & freedom in this incredible industry!

Successful marketers establish who their best customers are and focus their database marketing efforts on companies which fit a similar profile, for optimal results.

A popular cause of grief among businesses which count on direct response marketing is paying top dollar for printing and mailing of bundles of color print catalogs and mail pieces, to reap just a one percent rate of reply. They may begin to wonder if there’s a better way to contact the desired market. My customers have discovered that an excellent area to start changing their direct marketing practices is by determining what makes a good customer and going after others who fit this profile. In order to do something similar, the first action should be to evaluate and rank existing customers in several criteria:

1) How much total income do they generate for your company?
2) How profitable is each of these individual businesses for your company?
3) How good is the fit between what your company offers and what this business purchases?

The customers which stand out at the tops of all three of these lists are your best customers. Next, you’ll want to find out the characteristics of these primary customers, and look for identifiable similarities between them. What size are these businesses? In what geographic location are they situated? Who are the top decision makers at these organizations, and what titles do they hold? Using this info, you can evaluate your database to discover similar organizations – and begin to add them to your direct marketing wish list.

The existing marketing resources can also be annexed by paying for additional lists of companies which fit the profile of your preferred target. It’s especially important not to overlook the businesses which made purchases in previous years, but not lately. At times only a little rekindling of contact can bring these latent customers back. You can take the opportunity to express gratitude for previous business, even noting that you’ve noticed they haven’t purchased in recent months. You can inquire if they experienced some type of problem or if there’s any action you can take to bring them back on board. By extending a ‘return customer discount,’ you can offer a discount for future sales to get them back spending with you again.

Another area to direct your marketing efforts is toward those potential customers who have asked about your company and its offerings in the past, but haven’t closed a deal with you yet. About 75% of those who inquire have to satisfy a long-term need. By maintaining contact with these people as they go through the process of buying, you can develop a positive and profitable relationship with them. Direct mail doesn’t have to be costly. I know of one computer software business which just sends out two color post cards monthly to all who inquire, just to keep in contact with these potential customers. The cards gather a reply from a great percentage of those who inquire, especially when they are finally prepared for the next purchasing step.

By focusing your marketing efforts with these strategies, you will improve the quality of your direct marketing campaigns.