Talking to different marketers the past few weeks I see a big difference in marketing efforts as to what many are able to do or not do.

First and foremost let me clarify that any marketing effort needs to be proceeded by a business plan. Simple things like-  What is the budget?  What schedule will you I able to maintain? What will be my expected ROI?(Return on Investment).  Decisions need to be made like…what will be my primary and secondary method of marketing. IE: Are you gong to have home parties as your primary followed by online marketing?

Here are a couple thoughts – Many people getting into a business are already working. They are looking to diversify or replace the primary income. Problem #1  =  Time. We already work 40 + hours a week plus we have all the normal family and life obstacles to deal with. What’s that leave? Maybe a couple hours two or three nights a week to “build a business”?  Why do you think so many opportunities advertise that you can make money in 10-15 hours a week! Because that’s all we have left to give…Right? Right! So again a well thought out business plan is crucial to your future success. We’ll discuss more on this later.

Problem # 2 – If your looking to make more money it’s  most likely due to the fact your not making enough to begin with. Correct?  So,  if your not making enough it’s kinda tough coming up with capital to invest into a new business opportunity! It can be a vicious circle and a primary reason why so many quit before they even get started.

However thousands of people continue joining or starting up a new business opportunity everyday with old favorites like Shaklee, Wealth Masters, Herbalife, Forever Living  just to name a few.  PLUS, all the newer companies! People want to be in business for them selves and I applaud that. Now, the trick is to help them find that “Business Plan” that truly works for them. With all the technology and web sites that can “Sell It” for you we have become way to dependent. Because of that the online revolution has become nothing more than a  opportunity to spam your friends and contacts in many cases. We also  have lost the need to truly learn the marketing and sales process. Because we have become such a “I want it now” society understanding the process and allowing that to build into a solid opportunity has become a rarity at best.

So where does that leave us? It leaves many looking at what seems to be a great opportunity from the outside in trying to break the code on how to become wealthy. Imagine the Holiday scene on a cold winter night looking through the big front picture window wondering …How did that family inside get to be the ones enjoying the warm fire, good food and relaxed lifestyle? Well more than likely they had a plan and followed that pan day in and day out to reach there level of success. I would also want to believe that plan has become a successful habit that continues working for them day after day almost on auto pilot.

So? What is your plan?  Have you factored in how much time you really have to spend working on a Plan B? Have you considered all the financials variables to lay out a true budget or will you continue flying by the seat of your pants handling issues as they arise? Have you looked at the various legal issues surrounding your business of choice? The FTC continues to tighten up on all the “Fly by nights” you see on a daily basis. Then and only then do you start better understanding the mindset of an entrepreneur and the task at hand to build your “business” big!

Learn to Earn!

Jeff Beeman

There is an island off the tip of Hawaii that is inhabited by a tribe of people that worship the god “Earl”

Earl lives on the reef that surrounds the island from invaders and unwanted guests. Earl is worshiped by these people and he answers their every question. Whenever they need to know something they go to the ocean reef and ask “Earl” for his help and guidance. They alwasy refer to him as “Reef Earl”. 

He never let’s them down and always supplies them with everything they need. although we do not live on the island we need to become great friends with “Earl” and we need t ask for his help when we need it! We need  always remember and never forget to always, every time …”ASK FOR REEF EARL!

What is a Sales Referral?

A sales referral is when you, as a sales professional, ask a client, a prospect (or even an acquaintance or friend) for the name and contact information of someone who might have an interest, need or want for your product or service. An introduction to the individual makes the sales referral even more powerful.

But first how do you get sales referrals and introductions. The answer is simple – ASK! You already know that you have the right to ask. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you ask, you have a 50-50 chance of getting one, and if you don’t, there is nothing lost as you cannot loose something you never had.

Simple make it a habit to ask everyone and you will no longer be making cold calls, but working strictly on a sales referral basis. Ask more to sell more! Don’t miss out on this tremendous lead source!

The other option is word of mouth, where you provide an outstanding service and other talks about you. However, if you do not ask for testimonial letters, or for a sales referral, the chances of getting one out of the blue are slim.

You are given a sales referral because you have earned the other person’s trust and they think that you can actually help someone else. Do you believe in yourself, in helping others and do you trust yourself? If you don’t, nobody else will either.

A sales referral allows you to introduce yourself through that person’s name, creating commonality and an immediate level of trust.

There are several reasons why you should ask for a sales referral. When you call a sales referral and encounter their voice mail, be sure to mention the name of the person who provided their name. The sales referral tends to respond faster and at a much higher rate compared to voice mails you leave when making cold calls.

A sales referral has affinity with you and that begins to create an element of trust. And quite frankly, most feel a sense of duty or obligation to those who referred their name. They feel compelled to call back just in case they are asked. Either way, it works for you.

Sales referrals tend to listen and engage you more closely when you finally reach them. Typically, they don’t see you as “just another sales rep.” A tentative bond is created in your mutual acquaintance. The sales referral is curious and wonders why his or her name was passed on. In simple terms, this gives you a significant edge.

Sales referrals tend to buy at a higher rate compared to cold calls and other lead sources. There are three reasons for this: First, people usually refer others who are in similar situations. They tend to have similar problems, concerns, needs, wants and opportunities. This usually means there is a strong application for your product or services. In short, they are more qualified.

Second, as mentioned above, sales referrals tend to listen more closely to your message. They do not ‘dismiss’ you as quickly or as lightly as they do other sales reps.

And third, the sales referral’s trust is typically higher with you because he or she can “check you out.” You have an instant credibility source. Every buyer is looking for someone they can trust and depend upon. Having evidence of success with a known acquaintance makes buying easier for referral and easier for you.

Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

What if you checked email only 3 times a day?

Since November 2010, we’ve been doing this as a team at JustSell to see if it helps us.

The rules…

Check and handle email upon arrival then check and handle email at lunch. Check and handle email after 4 pm. At home, check it all you’d like (but hopefully that won’t be more than once a day).

Here’s what we’ve learned so far…

• We recognized our addiction to checking email (and cheated ourselves occasionally).
• We identified how it became a default task (automatically checking it when returning from a discussion, meeting, trip to the bathroom, etc.).
• We saw how we sometimes used it to hide out from our more important work (“If I’m addressing email, I’m doing something. It may not be the most important thing in the long term but at least I’m of use at this moment.” – Do you see the problem with this thinking?).
• We learned that our email could wait* and that as the day came to an end, we were more productive and happier. (Although the first few days were very uncomfortable and had us oddly distracted by our lack of distraction.)

It’s cwazy**…

Why is it that we would allow ourselves to be distracted from what we rationally know to be our more important work that gets us closer to our goal of making good things happen?

(how to check email 3 times a day)

* Our customer service people check email hourly in order to be sure we’re addressing customer needs quickly. We don’t believe we’ve lost any sales and we’ve had no negative feedback on our response times.

** And if we still have your attention… This spelling of the word indicates a deeper level of crazy – so cwazy that we’d spell it cwazy. You think that’s crazy?

Brought to you from the team of Justsell.com

We’re all aware of how difficult it is to find business builders. This can be tough…Even with the best recruiting techniques. For me one of the better ways to find business builders is to Recruit from your Customers. Read more »