Dodo Loves Marketing

The plan that you use must be:

• clear and specific in its content
• easily understood by all who use or see it
• capable of accepting changes at both a detailed and broad level, and
• capable of being used to monitor what’s actually happening.

The simplest forms of the project plan that will do this for you are:

The Gantt chart, and The Critical Path network. ..more

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People often think of ‘networking‘ as something that is only done at high-powered levels. Not so. Letting mothers at the school gates know about your services, swapping information with friends at the rugby club is all networking. ‘I found that other mums were my best customers,’ says Sarita, a beauty therapist. ‘When my sons were invited to tea with their friends, they’d often mention that I ran a beauty business and I got plenty of of clients that way !’

You cannot afford to be too indirect about offering your services. On the other hand, old contacts may be put off if you continually pester them for work. It is better to engineer a meeting about another matter and then explain what you can do for them, rather than endlessly cold calling. Persistence may pay off — but it can also put people off. This is why ‘forums’ for networking are so important. ..more

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The climate of some organizations is more conducive to informal cooperation than that of others. But, whatever the tone of relationships where you work, your job will go more smoothly if you build a trusting rapport with your colleagues and other employees. Here are some ways you can benefit from widening your personal network:

• Exchange of information. What’s the top brass thinking? How is a multide partmental project really going? What personnel changes are in the wind, and what implications does that have for your group? Who has been talking to whom? Answers to questions like these are often gotten faster through casual conversation than through official channels. ..more
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The advantages and disadvantages of network marketing over conventional selling

Direct selling, network marketing, person-to-person, door-to-door, party-plan selling and other variants have certain advantages and disadvantages over conventional selling:

Advantages

• The customer is seen in the comfort of her home. No effort is required to get to a shop.
• The goods are often delivered directly by the distributor.
• Old and frail people who cannot get about are easily served.
• There is a considerable degree of personal attention.
• Direct selling is often made to friends, so it is a warm and enriching experience, not a sales experience. ..more
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Many network marketing companies steer clear of the word ‘selling‘. The reason? Some 95 per cent of the population actually dislike selling. For this reason you will often read in the classified section of the newspaper an advertisement which reads:

Representatives of these companies invite prospects to ’share opportunities’. They couch their presentation in a way which suggests the business opportunity they are offering is simply that of sharing wealth. Let’s get one thing straight: network marketing involves selling.

The fact is, whichever way you look at it, a network marketing company only succeeds if its products or services are sold regularly month after month; in other words, through repeat purchases. ..more

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How many people really succeed?

There are no precise answers to this question and certainly not everyone becomes successful. Some drop-out must be expected from any downline. It would be a miracle if everyone who joined stayed. This would defy human nature!

Anyone starting in network marketing should realise that a large percentage of their downline will do little or nothing. Many will become inactive distributors (product users only). Many active distributors do not make much of an attempt at making a profit or making their business grow, and some drop out altogether.

However, by understanding what causes new distributors to drop out, you can minimise it in your network and ensure that your network becomes a success. Remember that not everyone in your network needs to become a superstar to make you successful. Even if most members of your network merely buy products for themselves and a few friends, you can have a hugely successful business. ..more

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No matter what their background, education, financial standing and career opportunities, a characteristic all successful network marketers have in common is a positive ‘go-getter’ attitude; the kind of attitude that says: ‘Let’s give it a try.’

Entrepreneurs are people who make things happen. They are the people who refuse to sit back and wait for the good times to roll in. They make their own good times now, through their own actions.

What other characteristics do they share? They are tryers. They regard any experience as a learning experience of value. They recognize that small setbacks are part of the learning process, just as one falls when learning to ride a bicycle for the first time, but that success must come from trying. ..more

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How do you keep track of who is in your downline? All networkers, when they join a network, are given a personalised number. This number identifies them as belonging to a particular network. You may ask: ‘But how can I keep track of all the people in my downline?’ The answer is that you don’t need to. In network marketing each individual works three levels deep. You are directly responsible for the distributors you recruit (level one), the people they recruit (level two) and the people they, in turn, recruit (level three). That’s not too much to manage. ..more

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You must be clear on the differences between illegal pyramid scams and network marketing. Here are the factors that make for a genuine network marketing company:

• The company must be a bona fide retail organisation which markets legitimate products or services to the consumer.
• The company should offer quality products or services for which there is a genuine demand.
• The price of the goods sold must be fair and competitive.
• There must be no up-front investment requirements other than a low-cost starter sales kit.
• There should be no minimum purchase requirements to join the network other than those essential to do some trade. ..more
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Step 2: Follow up the initial contact

Within a couple of days, once the prospect has had an opportunity to see the video, telephone her. Don’t leave it too long. You want to catch her while she is still keen to find out more about network marketing. If she is interested, set up an appointment immediately to discuss the opportunity further. You’ll need about an hour.

Exactly where you hold this meeting is a matter of choice. It could be at the prospect’s home or at your home office, or you could invite the prospect to a presentation meeting where she will meet a group of enthusiastic networkers. Circumstance will dictate which is the best option. ..more

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Step 1: The introductory meeting

Make the appointment and arrive on time; not early and not late. Try to meet both husband and wife if you meet with a married couple. Throughout the meeting talk in a relaxed and conversational way. If the meeting is in the prospect’s home, make some opening pleasantries. You might comment about an attractive painting on the wall or the lovely roses in the garden, anything to break the ice.

But this is a business meeting, so don’t labour the social side. Start your presentation properly by saying that:

• you have joined a company and you are excited about it, and that the business offers a significant moneymaking opportunity
• your organisation is a growing one and there is room for everyone to make money
• you are going to present an idea for her consideration but that there will be no pressure on her to make a decision. If she decides not to participate, you will not bug her. ..more
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How to start a conversation about networking

If you listen carefully to what people say, you can steer just about any conversation around to network marketing. These opportunities will come up continuously. Suppose you are at a social function. You meet someone new. During the conversation you might say in a relaxed and conversational way: ‘Education? Well, you know, John, I was looking at an article in Time the other day on the rising cost of education. Horrific! Luckily I heard of a great way to make money and results look promising.’ (The factual approach.)

‘Susan, you said to me a moment ago that you’d love to travel overseas every year. If I could tell you of a way to make this kind of money, would you be interested?’ (The question approach.)

‘Phil Turner? Of course, I know him. As a matter of fact he was very interested in a money-making idea I came across. It’s called network marketing.’ (The personal-reference approach.) ..more

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Some networkers dread objections. That’s the wrong attitude! You should welcome objections (strange as it may seem) because, as long as the prospect is raising objections, she is interested in the product and networking. What she is really saying is: ‘If you can show me my objection is unfounded, I’ll join.’ And that’s a much better situation than the customer who simply walks away and is not interested.

Also, a question is not necessarily an objection. It can be a sincere desire to know more; a sign of interest.

Often the prospect has doubts and uncertainties about network marketing or the value of the products you are selling. She may genuinely need time to think it over because the whole concept is new. An objection means that you have not really sold the prospect the idea of network marketing. You have not dispelled the fear that she is making the wrong decision and that the benefits you promise will not materialise. ..more

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