The Fortune is in the Follow Up in Marketing

By Kelly Smith

One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is failure to follow up with potential prospects or customers. One reason could be that the importance of follow up is not usually taught in typical network training. They may tell their downline to follow up once and sit back and let the money come rolling in. If you’re reading this, chances are the money isn’t rolling into your bank account and you aren’t really sure why.

Follow up is key in your business. Most home business owners today operate their businesses both offline and online. Did you know the average website only contacts it’s visitors one time? Statistics show if you only make one contact you will lose 54% of sales! That’s 54% too many.

Remember what they say. “The money is in the List.” You want to nurture a list by developing a relationship with them. You can actually do this before ever contacting them. How would you like to have people actually calling you before you call them? All of this is tied to follow up.

It’s important to follow up with your list several times because:

They could have accidentally deleted your offer

Life got in the way and they completely forgot

Skepticism. It’s human nature to feel somewhat leery about giving your hard-earned money to a stranger!

They don’t have enough trust in you yet

It’s not the same as a physical store where the person can walk in and use the senses to physically, touch, smell and feel how the product works. When you are appealing to people through cyberspace you have to learn how to appeal to their senses in another way.

Marketing is the art and science of empowering, communicating and developing a relationship with another human being based upon their needs and not yours. The reason follow up works so well is because it is creating the relationship.

Follow Ups----

A Phone call – Part of a follow up can be a call to introduce yourself. This is one way to define yourself among the other people who market online and never make that call.

Follow up Emails using an Autoresponder – We combine a phone call with some type of follow up system like an autoresponder or mailing system. Autoresponders are great for follow ups because they are automated and you are not making more daily work for yourself. You can send out info about your products such as testimonials for a health product, discounts and updates regarding your service.

Another question is how many times do you need to follow up? Many experts believe 7 is the magic number, but let’s say at least more than 6. A study done by the Association of Sales Executives revealed that 81% of all sales happens on or after the fifth contact.

There are some free mailers out there but loading your arsenal with a good autoresponder can make it a bit easier. There are some fantastic autoresponders out there with various price points according to your budget. Obviously the more you pay, the more robust program you may receive, but most people are operating within a budget.

Look for an autoresponder that allows you to personalize your emails with the person’s name, has unlimited autoresponders, excellent email deliverability and easy to use.
Don’t forget, the follow up is just as important after the sale as before. This is also a major mistake business owners make. They don’t follow up with customers after the purchase which could keep them coming back for more.

Kelly and Brad Smith are the founders of BKS Marketing & Income Strategies. They are currently students and mentors of Mentors in Motion and the Master Key System. They have been in the Marketing/Networking Industry for more than 5 years and share their knowledge to help others succeed at home. For more information or to sign up for their free newsletter, "Building a Successful Business": http://www.mentoringinmotion.org Contact us toll Free: 1-866-804-3398 or email us at: paid4life@shaw.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Smith

Entrepreneurial Couples – Working with Your Spouse in a Home Based Business

By Kelly Smith

Series -- Part One: Success Principles

It’s great to have a business partner when you are working from home for motivation in a some times isolated environment. But what if your business partner is your spouse?

This can be a tricky situation. You are always together and it’s hard to “leave your personal problems at the door.” So what do you do? You both have a dream of being your own boss, but does that dream include working with each other? There is no one way to do it successfully but there are some key factors to look at when considering working with your spouse. I can only share with you what has worked for myself and husband, Brad. Does it come easy? Absolutely not. But for us, the rewards of being able to stay home with our children full time out way the spiritual warfare we had to go through.

Here are some success principles that have helped us succeed as both a couple and business partners - -

Planning Ahead-
You may want to heed this advice from someone who never heard it herself. Plan ahead. Sit down and discuss it with your significant other. It is a big decision. Try this, each one of you sit down and write out on a piece of paper what you each want from your business, what kind of things you can each bring to the business and what you expect from a business partner. Then sit down together and share these thoughts with each other honestly. Don’t bend to the other person for the sake of giving in, think about what you personally want to achieve. You can then decide together whether your goals/expectations are a match.

Balance-
One thing I have learned is it’s all about balance. I do have an extra advantage over my mom friends now that my husband realizes just how hard it is to be a stay-at-home parent. Working at home while being a mom with two toddlers was a great deal of stress to take on myself, so when Brad was ready to jump in, I welcomed it, sort of. It was hard after the birth of our first child, Devin, we ran into the same issues as we always did when we tried working with each other. We didn’t communicate, didn’t set priorities, expectations, wants and needs. It was a power struggle. But we wanted our marriage and our business together to work so we kept on and we learn how to balance our priorities every day.

Equality-
Teamwork is so important when working with your spouse/business partner and that means operating on an equal level. Throw away stereotypes of the man bringing home the bacon and the woman making dinner and changing diapers. You are equal partners and share household and business tasks equally. Sit down and talk about what tasks you are going to take. Have a schedule up on a dry erase board. One word of advice, share the tasks neither of you like doing and take turns on a daily or weekly basis, that way neither of you is resenting the other. Work together, when making calls, especially in the beginning, make them together, sharing the list of leads. Ensure you each invest yourselves 100%.

Establish Personal Time and Business Time-
Choose what times to work, split shifts and when to take personal time together as a couple and as a family.
When you have children, running a home based business can be difficult, especially when the little ones are not in school yet. You are all together 24/7 and toddlers and babies are so unpredictable. So many factors can come into play, like illnesses and tantrums. Set aside time of who will be taking care of the children while the other one works. You can split up the days into morning and afternoon or every other day. It’s a good idea to take the children outside or to play activities outside of the home, so your other half isn’t tempted to help you when things seem frazzled.

Encouragement-
Support is one of the great benefits of working with your spouse. Encourage each other like you would any other business partner. Sit down and brainstorm together. Try and focus on each other’s strengths instead of weaknesses. When it comes to your spouse there can be no such thing as constructive criticism. So do yourselves a favor and try to keep it to yourselves when you don’t like the way the other one does something. When we first started working with each other, Brad and I got into extensive conversations about how we spoke to people on the phone. We had to learn that we each had a different approach and accepted it.

Appreciation-
Appreciate what a gift it can be to be at home with your children and each other. You have a freedom most only dream of. It can be the ultimate experience to explore hidden talents and the great learning experience of working together. You are equally building a business and a home together. Most of all, have fun!

Kelly and Brad Smith are the founders of BKS Marketing & Income Strategies. They are currently students and mentors of Mentors in Motion and the Master Key System. They have been in the Marketing/Networking Industry for more than 5 years and share their knowledge to help others succeed at home. For more information or to sign up for their free newsletter, "Building a Successful Business": http://www.mentoringinmotion.org Contact us toll Free: 1-866-804-3398 or email us at: paid4life@shaw.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Smith

Entrepreneurial Couples – Working with Your Spouse in a Home Based Business Part Two

By Kelly Smith

Series -- Part Two: Trust & Communication Builds Strength

I have asked so many couples who are good at working together at home how they did it, but no one could give me a specific answer. Speaking from experience, I would guess it’s because one size does not fit all. You must design your own model of working together. We have found the rewards are so powerful when you discover how to do it. But there are some elements couples do have in common in making a partnership work and it’s having trust and good communication.

Trust-
Trust is a big factor with any partner so you have to trust your partner enough to make major decisions when one of you can’t be there to make them together.
Dealing with Conflicts and Issues

When anger comes into play, for instance, at least one of us usually has the headspace to take a step back and say, “What are we really angry at here?” What many fail to realize is they take their anger from a situation out on the first person that comes along. Yes, there will be days when you unknowingly have a bullseye painted on your back and you better look out! Seriously. Take heart when someone pulls out the claws and find out the real reason for the frustration. Explore different ways to deal with your issues. There are usually programs through mentoring, coaching or business groups geared towards teaching people how to work with each other through different techniques or spiritual practices. Remember, everyone deals with issues in the workplace differently. Take a break and go for a walk or do something relaxing like Tai Chi.

Communication-
Communication is of course key to any relationship, particularly a marriage, so if you’re going to be working with each other as well, learn how to communicate. I can’t emphasize it enough. Prepare for a bumpy ride, at least in the beginning. Brad and I were both set on working for ourselves and with each other, but it took a while, years in fact. It can be tough spending day in and day out with the same person, no matter who it is and throwing children into the equation made it all that tougher. It also made us more determined to do it than ever. We discovered how to be clear about what we wanted and not to hold back when something was bothering either of us. When you communicate openly you remove a wall that can stand between you and your success. When you have other lives you are also working towards, it can make a huge difference in your thought process.

Get Outside Perspectives-
Network with others to get outside perspectives. Start a mastermind group. It will allow you to brainstorm and share ideas. It will also teach you how to look outside of the box for solutions.

Expectations-
It’s important to let each other know your expectations in the business. You can call it a goal or an expectation. Tell each other what you ultimately want to accomplish and figure out how you want to get there. The journey is just as important. When you know ahead of time what the expectations are, you can work with each other on each other’s terms. Relax, sit back and enjoy the ride.


Kelly and Brad Smith are the founders of BKS Marketing & Income Strategies. They are currently students and mentors of Mentors in Motion and the Master Key System. They have been in the Marketing/Networking Industry for more than 5 years and share their knowledge to help others succeed at home. For more information or to sign up for their free newsletter, "Building a Successful Business": http://www.mentoringinmotion.org

Contact us toll Free: 1-866-804-3398 or email us at: paid4life@shaw.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Smith

Marketing Training - Things to Look for in a Training Program

By Kelly Smith

One thing I have learned in network marketing is when you have training in one specific company you may be doomed when applying it to the next.

Why is generic training in the marketing industry so important? Compensation plans are different, products and services can be different even the way the company does presentations can be different.

Let me give you an example of what can happen to people’s mindset when they have gone through company-oriented training. When we were involved in a company that dealt in long distance plans, it went under – many people even the ones making good money, quit. Just quit.
Here’s why – they didn’t have training they could apply to any company or business that taught them about mindset, being a leader or how to develop a solid team. When you have generic training, you literally have the ability even if you lost all your money (bankruptcy for example) to start all over again, no fear. Do you think Donald Trump or Robert Kiyosoki would have a problem, if someone took all of their money to start from scratch? They have the knowledge.

Just remember, yes knowledge is power, but only if you act on it and take massive action.

Here are some key things to look for in a generic training program:

Talking to People/Leads on The Phone - Learn how to talk to leads on the phone and within minutes get them to evaluate your business. A trainer/mentor should be able to show you how to close people to evaluate your program within 45 seconds. The introductory conversation should only be about 2 - 3 minutes in length.

Leads - Learning how to generate leads can ultimately save you money and bring you people who are truly interested in your business. They will also have previewed it before you even spoke to them. Let’s face it, it takes work to generate your own leads and setting it up. If you truly want to generate your own leads it isn’t a magic pill. Bringing people to your website is a process, so start calling leads while setting up your lead generations system.

Mindset - You hear it all the time in those company trainings, stay positive, have energy when you talk to people and have the right mindset. Here’s the Truth. Without the right MINDSET, nothing will work. Did you know you can literally reprogram your subconscious and unconscious areas of the mind to train your beliefs for success and failure? With the right information, it can be done. It’s not just about positive or motivational thinking. Do they teach you how to tap into the right mindset? This should be the heart of the training but it usually isn’t.

Conference Calls/Presentations - Doing your own presentations over the phone or online can be so powerful and save you time. Why would you want to spend 20 to 30 minutes of your time talking to every prospect when you can talk to many prospects for 20 to 30 minutes once or twice? Did you know ultimately the person who makes the big money is the one doing the conference calls and presentations? This is an extremely powerful skill to learn.

Teach Others To Be a Leader - Also not in the typical company training manual, they just teach you duplication, but not really how to teach others. Why don’t they teach you how to become a leader? Because they need followers, especially ones who can’t be self-sufficient.
Be a LeaderWhen you are a leader, you are constantly in control of your own destiny, personally and financially. You will have true partnerships instead of depending on your upline. Learn how to cut the apron strings and be on your own. Quit the blame game because it is your business and your responsibility. Leaders are accountable. Become a role model.

Conclusion: There are so many get rich “Automated Programs” but it’s hard to know what really works. I stick to real people who have made money and can mentor me or answer my questions if needed. There are some very successful marketers so look for ones who will be accessible and be leery of programs that will supposedly bring in droves of customers, business partners and clients and you don’t have any real contact with the marketers who started the program in the first place. Also, many of these programs will teach people to spam others to get into their business. That should be a red flag.

Kelly and Brad Smith are the founders of BKS Marketing & Income Strategies. We are currently students and mentors of Mentors in Motion and the Master Key System. They have been in the Marketing/Networking Industry for more than 5 years and share their knowledge to help others succeed at home.

For more information or to sign up for their free newsletter, "Building a Successful Business"

Contact us toll Free: 1-866-804-3398 or email us at: paid4life@shaw.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Smith

Lead Generation - Building Your List

By Kelly Smith

Your first question in building a successful business should be how do I find people who want to be part of my team or consume my products or service? You need to build a list or generate your own leads.

Typical Network Marketing - -
The stereotypical network marketing training programs usually suggests starting with a warm market by making a list of your family and friends. They also teach the 3-foot-rule method of talking to everyone who has the misfortune of walking in your path or standing in the same line at the bank. Who wants to do that?

Another problem is you will eventually exhaust your warm market. Now if you want to share your products go for it, but if your friends and family haven't asked for an opportunity pitch why are you giving them one? It can frustrate you into giving up and quitting before you start.
Generating Pre-qualified Leads - -
Focus on a target audience who are looking for the type of products you are selling or a moneymaking opportunity you are offering. There are email lists or direct marketing list rentals out there to purchase your targeted audience. Fortunately, the Internet has made it easier and less expensive to find target markets through lead systems and tools to develop the relationship.

Other ways to build a list:
- PPC
- Content
- Purchased Leads
- Website
- Safelists
- FFA Lists
- Lead Generation Systems

PPC - -
We are talking about pay-per-click advertising. Google Adwords and Yahoo/Overture ppc are among the best and the fastest to get you moving in no time.

Content - -
This is a subject that could take up a whole course. Content is good, better than good. It can get your website moving as well as generate leads. One example is a press release. These work well and really get your name and website out there.

Leads - -
If you can make a deal with a leads distributor, go for it. Did you know that many lead companies would actually give you free leads to try them out?
Just a warning about leads. Before you email any leads make sure you have a reputable resource, and you can actually call these people on the phone. There are many lead sources that tell you they have great lead prices, but they could actually get you shut down because they were illegally harvested. Be careful on this one.

Making Use of Your Website - -
Unfortunately, people still believe if they build a website, the people will flock to it and money will start pouring in. This is a myth that is still being perpetuated to people who are new on the Internet, who are unknowingly just being led to the slaughter and losing time and money.
There are many ways to make use of your website and bring people to you. Learn how to optimize it with the search engines. Determine keywords people will use to look for your Website, be specific. Weave those keywords into your website copy, images, meta tags, site description and page title. You can use Wordtracker for testing out keyword relevance. They have a free trial to check it out.

Also make use of:
- Blogs
- Online journals
- RSS Feeds

These things can keep people coming back and develop a relationship with you and your company. It's called stickiness.

Robert Allen said in his book, Multiple Streams of Internet Income, "Most beginning marketers spend 90 percent of their time creating the perfect product and 10 percent of their time finding a perfect audience. The secret is to reverse the ratio: Spend 90 percent of your time finding the right audience. I call this 'finding hungry fish'".

Offering knowledge, eBooks and other free goodies will also help to build a list and generate your own leads. Be creative and think outside of the box. People will come to you in no time.

Kelly and Brad Smith are the founders of BKS Marketing & Income Strategies. They are currently students and mentors of Mentors in Motion and the Master Key System. They have been in the Marketing/Networking Industry for more than 5 years and share their knowledge to help others succeed at home. For more information or to sign up for their free newsletter, "Building a Successful Business": http://www.mentoringinmotion.org Contact us toll Free: 1-866-804-3398 or email us at: paid4life@shaw.ca

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Smith