i have been working on getting my web site noticed by sumitting my site to some of the directories . i was getting some people to buy my product but now i have not have anyone buy anythign or even look at my site for a few months . i do not know what else to do , i have flyers out everywhere , i drop my busienss cards al around , i have summitted to many different directories . and all i get from my sponsor is " maybe this is not the right home business for you " It started off good but not I do not know where to turn to next .


Please give me suggestions

Hmmm... I'm sorry to hear that your sponsor is less than ideal. It's too bad, because that's exactly the kind of thing that gives network marketing a bad name.

Unfortunately, this is an all too common lament and there can be many reasons for it. Two of the most common reasons are that the product is really not that great and the company itself is likely not helping much (anymore than your sponsor). In some cases the company actually works against their affiliates. THAT is one of my biggest pet peeves... so I better not even go there!

Now if the above is true in your case, unless you are a magician, no amount of directory submissions and sizzle card drops are going to help you much. I'm sure you want more than just an odd sale here and there anyways, right?

This may not be quite what you're looking for... but I'd start searching for a company and a sponsor that will be there for you. Someone who can really train you in what to say, to who and when and how. How to keep it simple. How to virtually make it foolproof and in such a way that you can still keep your dignity... and your friends.

Doesn't that sound much more appealing than struggling with unresponsive search engines and cavalier sponsors? Truthfully, it's no easy task to find really good opportunities but your search can be shortened because 2 of the best on the market are available right here. I know very little about one of them, but the other, well, let's just say I've made it my business to become an expert in it.

Take your time and look them over. Ask questions. If you have personal questions feel free to PM me. But otherwise just go ahead and post them right here.

I wish you well, Donna. Network marketing takes guts and it's obvious you've got some or you wouldn't have started at all!

Tula

Maybe you should look at how you are marketing it on the internet. You know key words and the presentation of your website.

The Merchants in your city attract buyers by offering buy one get one free,I/2 Price sales, Free Items and there are others.

aalbury759

Hello Donna,

I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time getting leads.

Promoting offline is always good but you have to remember that it's a numbers game. I don't know if you've heard of Jim Rohn or not, he's an MLM expert and coach.

I have an audio CD that he made in which he says that it's all about numbers. If you talk to 10 people you'll maybe get 1 person sign up, if you talk to 10 more you may get another one, if you talk to 10 more then you might even get 2.

The reason is that they hear your presentation once, but you hear it 10 times, so each time you do it you get better. And of course, the more people you tell the greater your chance that someone will want to buy something.

I also recommend that you get The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, you can borrow it from the library or get it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I have this on my iPod and it's absolutely brilliant. It shows you the power of taking small but consistent steps to build your business. This may be putting out flyers, it might be handing out your business cards or making one phone call every day to arrange a meeting with a potential client/customer.

The power of small things is that over time they add up into big things, so don't be discouraged, just keep on keeping on.

Another thing, if your immediate upline sponsor isn't interested in helping you, could you miss them out and go to their upline? And if they won't help you then go up again until you find someone who will help. I don't understand why your sponsor wouldn't want to help you because their success is built on helping you to succeed. Keep going up until you get to someone who really understands that the only way they will succeed is to give and not to take.

Remember that when you're talking about your product too. Always think about what's in it for the customer and not what's in it for you. Yes, you'll get a commission if you sell the product but how does that help the purchaser?

Will it help them save money? Will it allow them to have more free time? Can they lose weight if they use the product? Will it help their children to be better educated? I don't know, you tell me how it will help me.

You also mentioned that you have a website for your opportunity. I take it that it's the link from your profile to freelife?

MLM is a tough area to get into but it is possible to do it using a website. You've made a good start by submitting to various directories, but the real key to getting good, qualified leads who have the authority to make a buying decision. What your website needs to do is to provide solutions for peoples' problems.

I don't want you to think that I'm being critical with what I'm going to say next, I'm not because I really think that you can make this work. However, I do think that there are things that would make your website more effective than it is now.

In common with many "company provided" sites, the website that you have seems to be fairly basic and also quite broadly based. Some facts and figures about weightloss products, with a link to a shopping cart, and some other information about the business opportunity. It seems to be more of a method for me to buy than to find information.

When I clicked on the products, I had to click quite a few more times to find out exactly what those products are for and how they would help me. If you were to start a new website of your own and think about how these products would really help me then I would have more information so that I could make a buying decision.

For example, I am overweight and need to lose some weight because my back is suffering due to all the extra pounds that I'm carrying around with me. Which of your products would help me do that? Are they expensive? Do they work? Have you used them yourself and did they help?

I clicked on your weight management button and I had a choice of 4 products. The site is lovely, it's clean and well laid out but it doesn't TELL me anything, just that I can buy these products from you.

When I click on the button for the Soy Miracle Ultimate Body Toner I can read a short article that describes the features of the product. If I could go to your personal website where you had written articles about these products but where you explain the BENEFITS to ME and how they will help ME and MY FAMILY I would be much more likely to purchase the products.

Why is that? Well, it would give you credibility. It's because if you have told me about the benefits, rather than just the features, and what's in it for me then I would most likely think "Hmmm, this is someone who really knows what they're talking about. They care about me, they're not just interested in selling me something but they truly want to help me and my family." To receive, first you have to give.

I have see others promoting similar products very successfully using this content method. Using keyword research tools they find the problems that people are seeking answers to and then write content pages with helpful solutions.

Because they are offering lots of free help and sensible solutions to the problems the visitors see that this is someone who cares and is not just interested in making money. When the site owner makes a recommendation, the visitor is already pre-sold because of the valuable content and information that they found on the website.

If you Google "sitesell network marketing" you can see examples of people who have used this method really effectively to build very successful online businesses. There's one lady who sells juicers and another man who sold tea tree products. Both these people have provided their site visitors with solutions to their problems rather than promoted the products for sale. They give away tons of free information and so people trust them and as a result buy the products that they're recommending.

If you click through to their sites from the case study pages you'll see that they have lots of pages that are built around keywords that real people are searching for. Sitesell has a special brainstorming tool that helps them to do it and it's very, very efficient.

I personally have a site about HDTV that does really well because the keywords are laser focused on what people are searching for. I used this tool to find out what they want, then provided content pages that give it to them. If you do a Google search for "hdtv digital" without the quotes then my site comes at the top of the page, proving the power of using keywords and providing content to give solutions to the problems that people have.

I'm sure that someone as committed to their business success as you seem to be could also do something similar.

Hope this helps you to get your business moving again.

Kind regards,
Lesley

Very nice contribution to the forum, Lesley.

The point about going further up your upline if your own sponsor is not turning out so well is particularly valuable... and it is rather confusing why a sponsor wouldn't help out. But maybe they haven't been very successful yet either and so feel quite inadequate... or maybe have even dropped out.

Another valid point you mention, is 'do something small everyday'. I have seen this work in my own case and know for a fact that these little steps eventually pay off. For one thing, you never know which of those little steps will be a giant catalyst to some great new recruit, and for another, your efforts compound over time, much like small amounts of money compound.

It's that compounded effect you're looking for in a home based business, particularly if your business is such that it will lead to residual income.

Many times failure is due more to just giving up, rather than to a lack of skill, so keep at it, Donna, and as suggested, see if you can add content that will prove informational and inspirational and that you care as much about people as you do for their wallets.

Tula

That is so true.

So many people give up just before they get successful because they think that they're not getting anywhere and it's not working.

Often it's just by continuing to take those little baby steps, consistently, something small every day, that will win out in the end. Like the analogy of the hare and the tortoise, the tortoise won because although he was slow he was steady and he kept on moving towards his goal whilst the hare was rushing around and got distracted.

Just to add to what I wrote earlier, something else that I've found very helpful is a site called fortunenow.com. This is written by another MLM expert called Big Al. He has some absolutely brilliant suggestions for choosing the right words to use when you're talking to your prospects.

I can vouch from personal experience that his tips really do work.

Lesley

Hi Donna, sorry to hear that your sponsor is not supporting you!

I guess your choices are
1. Find another sponsor or mentor - either go to your upline, like someone else mentioned, or find another sponsor with another company and join with them.
2. Try some different marketing tactics. I would definitely recommend getting your own website, either an optin page or a blog, or both. That way you can start to build your list and also build your reputation in the industry. Have a look online for some internet marketing resources that will teach you the correct tactics.

Best of luck, and I hope things get better for you soon!

There is so many way to promote your website and the products your website is offering...but the big question is are generating leads and building a database of prospects to market to for the rest of time???

Your main objective is Marketing...And that is how you generate leads and traffic to your website and be able to convert your leads in profits. Forms of marketing that you can educate yourself on is...

Article marketing, form marketing, video marketing which are all free and can drive a ton of traffic and leads to you.

To Your Success,

Dave

Learn The Biggest Mistakes Most Network Marketers Are Making Right Now And How You Can Stop This From Happening To You. Also Learn How You Can Generate Free Leads Effortlessly, Recruit On Demand, And Put Your Business On Total Autopilot Starting Now...

Send To: [snip]

Donna,
Some great suggestions for you from previous posts.

Also have you thought of writing short articles on your products?
Company replicated sites are all the same so you could maybe start a blog on health or weight loss. Blogs do get picked up by the search engines.

Numbers are so important. With MLM as many people as possible need to be exposed to your brand.