The Enlightened Networker » Network Marketing

Are You Sabotaging Your Own Network Marketing Success?

Ilka Flood — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:25:24 +0000

Success in Network Marketing

Success in network marketing starts (and ends) with YOU. Have you ever heard that?

If that is news to you, listen up.

Can you relate to this scenario?

You are doing everything your upline sponsor tells you to do. You are using the tools he or she recommends. You attend all company meetings and listen to every single conference call. Yet, … for some reason you don’t see the network marketing success you would like to have.

What’s wrong?

One important ingredient is missing. Actually, the most important ingredient is missing.

Neither systems , tools and conference calls nor company meetings are building your success. They do help considerably and are very important, don’t get me wrong, but unless you add the most important ingredient you will never see the success in network marketing you could have.

This one missing ingredient is … YOU!

Plain and simple!

It’s YOU and what you are THINKING.

Do you have doubts about your products? The comp plan? The company? Doubts about your own ability to succeed? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Maybe you are afraid of your own courage?

If you have a case of “Stinkin’ Thinkin,” get rid of it. Stop sabotaging your own network marketing success!

I am just re-reading “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and in the book he states …

“Both Poverty and Riches are the Offspring of Thought”

Think about this for a minute. That’s very a powerful statement!

If this is true, than that would mean that you can think yourself into poverty or you can think yourself into riches. Which would you choose?

Well, I know which way I would go.

In chapter 3, Napoleon Hill talks about “The Law of Autosuggestion.”

“The subconscious mind makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by fear just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by courage or faith.

…If you fill your mind with fear, doubt and unbelief in your ability to connect with and use the forces of Infinite Intelligence, the law of autosuggestion will take this spirit of unbelief and use it as a pattern by which your subconscious mind will translate it into its physical equivalent.“

Wow! Pretty scary stuff, huh? So, be very careful what you think.

I would like to close with a poem that describes the law of autosuggestion very well…

“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

“If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will—
It’s all in the state of mind.

“If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

“Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”

Napoleon Hill, “Think & Grow Rich

Think POSITIVE!

Success in network marketing can be yours if you can adjust your thinking. When you get a case of “stinkin’ thinkin”, which we all do at times, get rid of it immediately and change your negative thoughts into positive ones. You do have a choice.

When I get down and negative thoughts creep into my mind, I get away from it all. I do something fun and uplifting. Sometimes I go for a walk. Doodle a while in PhotoShop or listen to upbeat music. Or I read a few pages in a book. (Hint: Think & Grow Rich is a great one.) Or I take a shower and wash those negative thoughts right out of my mind.

To your Network Marketing Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. Share with us what you like to do to get rid of “stinkin’ thinkin’.” And if you found value in this post, please share it. Thank you!

What’s “The Business of the 21st Century” And Why Should You Get Involved In It?

Ilka Flood — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:50:55 +0000

Business of the 21st Century

I’m sure you are familiar with best-selling author Robert Kiyosaki of “Rich Dad – Poor Dad.” If you haven’t read the book I highly recommend it. I also recommend his newest book “The Business of the 21^st Century.” (Read the First Chapter of “The Business of the 21^st Century here.)

Have your parents ever told you this …

“Go to school get good grades, get a high-paying job, live below your means and save money?”

Has it gotten you anywhere? Has it gotten you to where you want to be?

The sad truth is, that for a lot of us, this plan doesn’t work.

You’ll never get rich working for someone else. That’s a fact!

Instead you should be in business for yourself. I don’t mean being self-employed or a small business owner.

In the short video below, Robert Kiyosaki will explain what “The Business of the 21^st Century” is and why it makes perfect sense.

I love the way he said: “Always remember, it’s not money that makes you rich, it’s business skills.”

I totally believe that, because money comes and goes, but the skills you acquire (in network marketing or direct selling) will always stay with you. And that’s why network marketing is the perfect business.

“The number one asset a person can build is build a business. That’s the smartest thing you can do.” _Robert Kiyosaki.

I truly believe this, as from my own experience I know that “Plan A” doesn’t work. Our family had to find out what it meant to go from a paycheck to zero from one day to the next. There is no such thing as “Job Security” and there hasn’t been for a very long time.

So, are you leaving your future and that of your family’s in the hands of someone else? Or is it time for a change? Is it time for you to take a closer look at “The Business of the 21^st Century? It’s your choice!

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The EnlightenedNetworker

Are there times you refer business to your competition?

Ilka Flood — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:10:54 +0000

Refer Business to Competition

Reading that headline you might think, “Gosh, has she gone nuts? Why would I want to refer business to my competition? Why would I deliberately want to lose a sale?”

But, I’m telling you, referring business to your companies competition, might actually be a good thing. And like any “act of giving” it might come back to you manifold.

In my nutritional business I sometimes ran into customers who had an issue with the price of the flagship product of our company. They thought it was too high and told me that they could get the “same” thing for half the price at COSCO.

Perceived value versus price.

Since I often felt their objection most likely had more to do with perceived value than it did with the price, and since I was familiar with the product at COSCO I explained that our product was very different from theirs. I went on an explained the superior quality of our product and pointed out the extensive science behind it.

If all that didn’t help, I politely told them to go on and try COSCO’s product and if they didn’t see the results they wanted, I would be very happy to sell them ours.

Referring my (potential) customer to the competition showed…

1) That I cared more about satisfying their needs than making a quick sale.

2) That I had confidence in myself and in my product.

3) It was a polite way of saying (without actually saying it out loud), “If you want the cheaper, inferior product go there. And if it doesn’t bring you the desired results come back”.

You might be thinking, “well, did anyone ever come back and bought your product?” The answer is a resounding “YES!” To this day, I still have former COSCO customers.

My husband does the same thing in his home mortgage business.

Sometimes he comes across clients who “shop around”. They think they can get a better rate elsewhere.

Randy is very knowledgeable. He knows what’s going on in the mortgage industry. He keeps a close watch on rates and knows when they go up or down. He is also very confident on what he can do for his clients and delivers great value on a continuous basis, (even after the loan is closed).

So if someone tells him, they can get a better deal elsewhere he knows if that’s true or not. And he will encourage his clients to go check it out and therefore refer business to his competition. After all, he only wants the best for his clients.

On numerous occasions clients came back to him after shopping around and even referred their friends and family to him after they closed on their loans.

Unfortunately it also happened that he lost some clients to what they thought was the better deal…But, they came back to him when it was time to refinance their home again.

So it pays to refer business to your competition. Don’t be worried that you would lose a sale, because more times than not you DON’T. On the contrary, you gain a loyal customer who knows that you provide value and that you care more about their needs than you care about yourself. And you also might gain some really great referrals.

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends on Facebook or Twitter. Thank You!

Quick Sale Or Lifelong Customer Which Would You Choose?

The “Rinse and Repeat” Formula for A Successful Network Marketing Business

Ilka Flood — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:22:26 +0000

"Rinse and Repeat" Formula for a Successful Network Marketing Business

So, just what is this formula for a successful network marketing business?

It’s been said, that our habits predict our future. I believe that to be true. How about you?

Have you ever noticed that the more you do something the better you get at doing it? You can take anything in life and you will see that there is actually some truth to it.

Remember when you first learned to ride a bike?

You were wobbly. You knuckles turned white because you were holding on to those handle bars for dear life. You prayed that your dad (or mom, or whoever was holding on to the bike to keep you stable and give you support) wouldn’t let go.

You practiced every day and every day you got better. And then came the day when you were practicing again, and you turned around and there was nobody holding on to you anymore. You were riding that bike all by yourself.

At first that scared you and may have caused you into ‘wobbling mode’ for just a few seconds. But then you regained your confidence and you were enjoying the ride. A proud feeling of accomplishment came over you. You did it!

Now when you get on a bike you don’t even think about what you are doing. It’s just automatic.

It can be the same in your network marketing business.

You may be totally overwhelmed, pulled into different directions. Everybody and their brother telling you what to do and how to do it. (You’re in wobbling mode.)

But when you get really down to it, it’s quite simple. Just like riding a bike. Focus on the basics.

There are certain tasks that you must accomplish every day in order to reach your goal of running a successful network marketing business. Some of them may be new to you and may require a certain amount of practice. But by practicing them every day, you will get better.

“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” ~ Zig Ziglar

So what’s the formula for a successful network marketing business?

Identify the tasks you absolutely have to do every day in order to move your business forward.
Do them in order of priority. (Life happens, so do the most important tasks first, just in case.)
Practice those tasks that need perfecting.
Rinse and repeat

Stick to that formula no matter what. Put your blinders on if you have to in order to keep from getting distracted. I know there are many distractions out there. All I have to do is open my email inbox and there are tons of them…But…

Repeating important activities that move your business forward on a daily basis is the key to a successful network marketing business.

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.

I don’t know how they came up with 21 days but it seems to work. So write down what you need to do every day. Do it for 21 days and see what happens. (Of course keep going after that.) There is power in positive habits.

Just keep your focus right on your target and you will get there.

Bye for now, I’ve got to go do some rinsing and repeating.

To your successful network marketing business,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you found this article helpful please share it with your friends. Thank you!

Don’t Assume Anything About Your Prospect – Ask Questions Instead

Ilka Flood — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:10:46 +0000

Don't Assume Anything About Your Propect

Have you ever totally ‘messed up’ a meeting or conversation with a prospect? I mean, it seemed so promising. And then you got into your car to drive home (or you hung up the phone) and you thought to yourself, “man, I totally messed this one up”. What the heck happened?”

Could it have been that you have been “assuming” things about your prospect?

Someone once gave me the definition of “assume” and it’s not the one found in the dictionary or Wikipedia. It goes like this …

ASS-U-ME = When you assume something you are making an ASS out of U and ME.

Yes, it’s a bit strong language and I normally don’t talk that way but … it hits the point spot on. Don’t assume things about people. Especially those you don’t know or have just met.

When we assume something about our prospects we come to false conclusions which can lead to misunderstandings, non-understanding and mis-communication. And that messes everything up.

Also, how often do we say to people, “I know exactly what you’re thinking?”

How can we know what someone is thinking? We only know what we ourselves are thinking. We could assume (there’s that word again) what someone may be thinking based on certain circumstances or our own experiences, but then again, that would get us exactly to what I mentioned above.

So the best thing to do when meeting a prospect for the first time, either in person or on the phone is to ASK QUESTIONS. Ask lots of questions.

The more questions we ask the better we get to know our prospect and the better we can assess what his or her needs are.

That’s what we’re there for. That’s our job. To find out what our prospects problems are and then find a solution to fix them. We can’t do that by assuming but only by asking questions.

So do yourself a favor, don’t assume anything.

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. You don’t have to share this on Twitter, Facebook or Digg, but if you do, I surely appreciate it. Thank you!

7 Reasons Why Women Make Natural Network Marketers

Ilka Flood — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:06:44 +0000

What Advantages Do Women in Network Marketing Have?

Why are there so many women in network marketing?

Good question! According to the Direct Selling Association about 82% of network marketers are women.

Is that surprising? No, not really. When you really think about it then it actually makes a lot of sense. Why is that?

Are women just better networkers?

Well, they do have some advantages over their male counterparts.

Here are just 7 advantages women have over men in network marketing. I’m sure there are quite a few more…

1) Women want to stay home with their kids

This is probably the number one reason why there are so many women in network marketing. Moms want to stay home with their kids. They don’t want them to be raised by nannies or grow up in day care. They don’t want to miss out on those all important ‘firsts’ in their children’s lives. At the same time, stay-at-home moms want to contribute to the family finances.

2) Nurturing instinct

Women are natural nurturers. They want the best for their families. They make the purchasing decisions in their household and know quality whey they see it. They are also very community oriented.

3) Better Networkers

Network marketing is a people business. It’s based on building strong customer relationships. Women know the importance of relationship building in business. They are great listeners and have a natural ability to relate to other women’s situations which helps them to understand and meet their customers’ needs.

4) Better Communicators

Women share information all the time. Think about it? What group of population talks more to each other. There are school get-togethers, kids sporting events, scout meetings, birthday parties, luncheons. There’s always an opportunity to talk and build new business relationships.

5) Equal Playing Field

Network marketing offers and equal playing field for men and women. Equal pay for equal work and no glass ceiling. It’s not like that in the corporate world. Women are still at a disadvantage in the corporate world. They are neither treated the same nor is there equal pay for men and women .

6) Multi-Tasking

Women are great multi-taskers. They have the ability to focus on more than one task which is a great skill to have running a busy network marketing business.

7) Security

Women want security for their families. There has been no such thing as job security for quite some time now and women are usually the first to lose their jobs. Network marketing offers a “Plan B”, a security blanket for if the unthinkable should happen. A home business can be started part-time while still being employed.

So, there you have them, the 7 advantages women in network marketing have over men.

If you can think of any more, please share them with us below in the comment box.

To your success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. Go ahead, I dare you to share this post on Twitter, Facebook or Digg it! And if you do, I sure appreciate it. Thank you!

Blogging For Business? | Always Put Out Quality Content

Ilka Flood — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:56:44 +0000

Always Put Out Quality Content!

If you are a business blogger you may find some value in the little story I would like to share with you today.

It’s a little story or anecdote about Henry Kissinger. If you don’t know whom I’m talking about, Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger, a German-born American served as United States National Security Adviser under President Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

Well, let me start with the story and then I tell you how this relates to your network marketing business. Or any business for that matter.

The Kissinger Report

Henry Kissinger asked one of his aides to write a report. After he finished it, the aide presented the report to him for approval but Kissinger told him, “you can do better,” and handed it right back to him.

So the aide went off and rewrote the report and then again handed it to Kissinger for approval.

Once again Kissinger told him, “you can do better.”

And once again the aid worked on the report to improve it.

When he handed Kissinger the report for approval the 3rd time, Kissinger said, …”thank you, now I will read it.”

Listening to that story – by the way, my husband told it to me – I realized two things.

1) Dr. Kissinger was German-born as I am as well. We Germans are very meticulous. Everything has to be just so.

2) He knew that the first, or even the second draft his aide handed him had room for improvement.

So how does this relate to you as network marketer or as a business blogger in particular.

You always want to put out your very best work. If you blog for business, whatever content you put out directly reflects back to you. So you want to make sure you give out valuable content and you want to be consistent at it as well.

Before you push the “Publish” button, read over your content one last time and make sure, that your content is well written and free of any spelling errors. Well, at least not too many.

Like Mark Twain says: “I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.”

To your success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. You don’t have to share this story with your friends on Twitter or Facebook. But if you do, I sure will appreciate it. Thank you very much!

3 Costly Mistakes To Avoid If You Are Blogging For Business

Ilka Flood — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:52:22 +0000

Start a Business Blog

First off, if you haven’t yet, start a business blog asap.

Especially if you have a MLM or network marketing business it is essential to have a nerve center or some sort of a ‘home base’ online. The reason behind this is, that you want to brand yourself instead of promoting your opportunity.

When I first started blogging I made all three of the mistakes below (and then some) and they cost me a lot of money.

Well, I didn’t know that when I first started, but by hanging around the right people I found out what I did wrong and corrected my mistakes very quickly.

So here they are … the 3 Costly Mistakes To Avoid If You Are Blogging for Business

1) Wrong Blogging Platform

When I started blogging two years ago I set up my blog on Blogger.com. But as I found out, if you want to blog for business then Blogger isn’t where you want to be. You want your blog to convey a professional image and the best blogging platform to accomplish this is to set up a WordPress blog.

2) Not Having Your Own Domain

I said earlier that you want to brand yourself. The best way to do that is to get your own domain name. (You can get your own domain name for very little cost at GoDaddy.com) If you don’t want to use your own name, then pick something that best reflects your business. For example, I picked “Enlightened Networker” because that best reflects me and what I do.

By the way, the best hosting service (in my opinion) is HostGator. I have a “Baby” account there which lets me host unlimited websites for under $10/a month. (You can set up your WordPress blog with just a few clicks in your HostGator back office once you get your account.)

3) The Missing Opt-in Form

This is a BIG one. Remember, you are blogging for business. So you need a way to build a list and build a relationship with that list. As we all know, people only buy from those they know, like and trust. And they don’t buy the first time they see our product either. It will take some time.

Once you have decided which autoresponder service you want to use, (I am very happy with Aweber) create an opt-in form and place it at a strategic place on your blog. The best place would be above the fold (top right or top left) so your visitors can see it and don’t have to scroll down for it.

(And yes, those links above are my affiliate links. So if you click on them and decide to use the service I will get some pocket change.)

Now the only thing left to do is write some eye-catching, attention-getting and money-pulling emails.

By the way, my friend Jason Better just happened to write a post about this subject today. Go over and visit his blog and click on “3 Surprisingly Simple Ways To Write “Better” E-mails”

So, there you have them, the 3 mistakes to avoid if you are blogging for business.

To your success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. If you enjoyed this post why not share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook? It’s truly appreciated.

Oh, and please make some noise and leave your feedback in the comment box below. Thank you!

What Does A Little Boy, A Shovel and Horse Manure Have To Do With Network Marketing?

Ilka Flood — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:59:03 +0000

Good question! The answer is, actually, quite a bit.

Read on to find out….

A man came across a young boy who happy as could be was shoveling horse manure. There was a big pile of it and the boy would dig up shovel full after shovel full and toss it aside.

“What a stinky job”, the man thought to himself, “who would want to do that?” But the boy seemed to get happier with every load he tossed aside.

Finally the man couldn’t stand it any longer and he asked the boy, “what are you doing?”

The boy, with a smile from ear to ear answered, … “well, with all of this horse manure, there has got to be a pony underneath.”

So again, what does all this have to do with network marketing?

Well, as network marketers we have to put up with, well, a lot of crap.

Rejection from prospects; Ridicule from friends and family; Getting paid very little money for a whole lot of work in the beginning; A steep learning curve and what seems to be never-ending challenges.

However….

If we keep our eyes on the price, keep a positive attitude, face our challenges with a smile on our face and never give up … we will be handsomely rewarded at the end.

Remember… “Your attitude determines your altitude!”

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. If you liked this story, spread the love by sharing it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

7 Common But Deadly Mistakes of New Network Marketers

Ilka Flood — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:30:10 +0000

Or …What not to do when you first start out in network marketing.

Let’s be totally honest here. As new network marketers just starting out in the industry we all have made some mistakes. I know I certainly have made my share. That’s just part of the learning curve. As long as we learn from our mistakes and fail forward, we’ll be alright.

So, here are probably the 7 most common mistakes we make as brand new network marketers…

1) Don’t have a Part-time Attitude

It’s certainly okay to build your network marketing business part-time and alongside your regular job in the beginning. What’s not okay, is having a part-time attitude about it. Many new networkers fail because they treat their business like a hobby. This will reflect in your commission check. So, don’t dabble in your business… Commit to it! It is YOUR future that you are building.

2) Don’t Make Yourself the Issue

When you first start out in network marketing you know absolutely nothing. Nothing about the company and nothing about the products you are selling. You are brand spanking new. So how are you supposed to grow your business? You haven’t even earned a penny in commission yet. Many new networkers feel very uneasy because they don’t know what to say to their prospects.

Don’t worry. Just take yourself out of the equation. Find either your sponsor or somebody in the levels above you who is willing to help you. Use that person as an expert to do 3-way calls with your prospects.

Don’t interrupt them while they are talking, listen carefully and take good notes on what they say and how they say it. Learn from them so eventually you can do this yourself.

3) Don’t Take Rejection Personally

New network marketers are often afraid to talk to people about their new business opportunity because they are afraid of getting rejected. What they must realize is that, it is not them getting rejected, but the opportunity might not be right for the person they are talking to. Or the timing may just not be right.

When I started out in this industry, rejection was a biggie for me. I was afraid of picking up the phone and calling my leads, because I was afraid of them telling me “NO.”

Until someone put it to me this way… “Look, when you order a Bic Mac at McDonalds and the clerk asks you if you would like fries with that, he’s not going to break out in tears if you tell him, ‘NO’, or is he?”

Well, of course not. That would be silly. Fries are not for everyone …and neither is your business opportunity. You just have to find the right people. ..Hint: Those who like fries.

4) Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Someone has always walked the path before you. So don’t make things harder for yourself by trying to reinvent the wheel. If your sponsor or team has a system that has worked for them, by all means use it. Keep it simple! Don’t make this business more difficult than it really is.

5) Don’t Forget the Power of Customers

Often new networkers are so focused on recruiting new team members that they totally forget about customers. Retail sales count for part of your income in network marketing. Customers are the back bone of your business. They join because they fell in love with your products, and they stay because of it.

6) Don’t Alienate Your Sponsor

Your sponsor is your most valuable resource. Your ‘go to person’ who is there to train and guide you, to support and encourage you. Don’t alienate him or her by constantly whining or being negative or hanging on their shirt tails.

Don’t expect him or her to hold your hand the whole way through. I have had sponsors who were there for me for my first week …and then cut me lose. From then on I was on my own, but I knew if I needed something they were just a phone call away. I was expected to call THEM …not the other way around.

7) Don’t Let Anyone Steal Your Dream

There is a reason why you started your network marketing business. It may be to stay home with your kids. Or to bring your husband home. It may be to buy a bigger house. A new car. It may be that you are getting close to retirement and want to make sure you can live comfortably after you no longer work. Or you might want to go on that long overdue family vacation. Whatever your “WHY” don’t let anyone come along and steal it. Hang on to it!

And number 8…

If you like this article don’t let it go to waste by not sharing it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you!

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood