Direct sales businesses are based on relationships.  There’s the relationship between the company and the sales associate.  There’s also the relationship between your business and the customers you have.  Your most important relationship, however, might be the one you form with your downline.  The following tips may be used to help motivate the people in your team, for their benefit as well as your own.

Success breeds success – The best way to motivate others is to be successful.  If you’re successful in your direct sales business, your team members will want to emulate you.  Focus on leading, not coaxing or cajoling, your downline.  Be an example of what succeeding looks like, then they’ll want to follow in your footsteps.

Catch the fever – If you want to motivate your downline, to be enthusiastic about your company and the products you sell.  If you’re enthusiastic, you’ll be able to lead your team better.  They’ll catch the enthusiasm fever and it will spread like wildfire.

Begin strong – Communication is important in any relationship.  This is especially true when recruiting new members to your direct sales team.  Develop a plan to train your new team member, either by making telephone calls or by sending daily emails.  Not only will they feel you are interested in their success, they will also know that you are interested in them as individuals.

Create a team website – Create a website that is only accessible to those on your team.  You can also use it for providing them with additional training, articles pertaining to the company or a particular product, and a place to store important files.

Can we talk? – Having a forum on the website will give your team members a place to ask questions and get answers.  It is important to feel like you can get answers to your questions, particularly if you’re a new recruit.  A forum with your team members will also be a great place to have some fun with your team.  Allowing your team members to develop real relationships will only grow your team and your business.

Regular contact – Nothing will inspire your team to work harder than keeping in contact with them.  This can be done through emails, of course, but what’s more personal than a telephone call?  You can host a conference call and speak with several members at once.

Make it fun – Encourage sales or new recruits by having monthly or quarterly contests.  These will give your team members something to look forward to.  You can give away business tools or something less business related like a new MP3 player to listen to training on.

These motivation tips, while not the only ones that will work, may be what you need to begin motivating your downline.  Find out what is holding them back, communicate, and then meet those needs.  You’ll soon find that your team is strong, motivated, and moving on to new heights.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business by admin
No Comments »

As someone who is putting hard work into developing a membership site, you know that a good part of your success lies within a successful marketing plan.  Some people are natural-born marketing gurus.  For other people, marketing can be a difficult part of business.  Here are some tips to make your marketing efforts a little easier:

A very simple and often overlooked way to get your website noticed is to include your website address on any and all information you send out, both electronically and physically.  If you have business cards, make sure to include the site on them.  You can also set up a signature line in your email program which will automatically include your site info on each email you send out.

Another great place to market your membership site is forums and message boards.  You can perform a Google search to find a forum on just about any subject you can think of.  Try to develop a list of topics your target market would be interested in and find a few active forums dedicated to those topics.

Once you find a few forums you enjoy, you can join them as a member.  In most cases, you will be allowed to create a signature line that will be displayed on your posts.  You may want to include your URL and a short blurb about your business, products, or services.  Anyone who views your posts will be able to see this information.

Social networking is quickly becoming one of the hottest things on the web.  Websites such as MySpace and Facebook enable their users to meet and interact with people all over the globe.  Many social networking sites, like the ones mentioned above, are free to join.  You can use these sites to meet other business owners as well as potential clients.

Article marketing can be a very effective marketing tool.  You simply write articles that are related to your membership site and distribute them through reprint directories.  Other website owners and bloggers visit these sites in search of content that they can publish on their sites.  When they publish your article, they will include an author bio box that you write.  You can include your website address in this box.  When people read these articles, they will see the link to your site and may choose to click on it.

Your marketing efforts will be a continual part of your business.  You can try some things and see how they work, and if they don’t work as well as you expected, you can try a new method.  Have fun with your marketing efforts and get creative!  Marketing is not only one of the most important parts of your business, it can also be one of the most interesting.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business by admin
No Comments »

Linking is touted as one truly fantastic tool to build search engine ranking.   In fact, Search engines often do not list websites without relevant links.  This means you can optimize your website perfectly and still get overlooked by the search engines.  The keyword, however is ‘relevant’ links.  It’s what the search engines require.  So how do you obtain relevant links?

Step One:  Research links already coming into your site.

Find out how many links are coming to your site.  Great tools like this one at http://www.marketleap.com/publinkpop/default.htm allow you to search by URL and find out how many links you or your competition has.  You can use this information to help you know how many links you need to obtain to place your website above theirs in the search engine results.

To find out who is linking to your competition you can also visit Yahoo.  Once there type link:http://www.yourcompetitorswebsiteurl.com Yahoo will list websites linking to your competition.  You can use this information to find relevant websites that can also link to you.

Step Two:  Build relevant incoming links.  Accomplish this a number of ways.

* Create Compelling content on your site, webmasters will naturally link to you because your site will be valuable to them and their visitors.
* Testimonials and review sites often provide links to your website.  Contact them with a link request.
* Write articles for other sites. Writing articles is a great method for getting inbound links and most webmasters are happy to give you a link back to your site.
* Write press releases and submit those releases places like www.prweb.com, www.24-7PRessrelease.com, www.i-newswire.com, www.addpr.com, www.free-press-release.com, www.prfree.com, www.prleap.com, and www.emediawire.com   Be sure to include your website link at the end of the press release.
* Blogs. While blogs are viral in nature and links are swapped freely, don’t host a blog unless you can contribute to it regularly and provide valuable content.
* Beware of reciprocal links.  Some reciprocal links are good, just don’t go overboard.  You’ll want to mix up your linking tactics so it looks natural to the search engines.
* Beware also of link farms. Many search engines consider link farming a form of spam and have procedures to banish sites that participate in link farming.

It’s important to mix up your linking efforts in order to have the best effect with the search engines.  At the same time it is vital the links coming into yoru site come from relevant websites.  If you own a pet business links from a furniture store just don’t make sense.  Link exchanges, link farms and reciprocal linking from non-relevant websites will hurt your results. It’s just not worth it.

Filed under: Business, SEO by admin
No Comments »

Most online marketing gurus suggest that webmasters concentrate their businesses on a specific niche.  This allows the opportunity to generate more targeted traffic and leads, resulting in greater profits.  At first glance, this doesn’t seem to apply to eBay.  But it can be a good strategy for frequent sellers.

Niches and eBay Stores

One of the most prominent benefits of niche marketing online is its search engine placement benefits.  Small niches do not have as many websites competing against them for placement, so it is easier to get high placement for keywords pertaining to them.  While this is usually of little interest to the seller who only sells at regular eBay auctions, eBay store owners can benefit tremendously from it.

eBay store owners can also benefit from the focus provided by a niche.  When customers find a certain type of item at an eBay store and are happy with the buying experience, they will be likely to look there again when they need a similar item.  If they find it, they will keep coming back as needed.

Advantages of Niches in General

Whether or not you have an eBay store, having a niche can be a very good thing.  Concentrating on a particular type of product will allow you to learn a lot about it.  That means that if a potential buyer contacts you with questions about something you are selling, you will be able to give him a thorough and authoritative answer.  He will see you as an expert and be more likely to bid, and to return to you for future needs.

Having a niche can also make it easier for you to find good deals.  When you know your products well, it is easier to find the best sources to buy them from.  And if you’re in a niche that is prone to fakes, such as antiques or designer handbags, your knowledge will make it easier to determine whether a given product is the real thing.  This is good for you because it protects your investment, and good for your customers because they can buy from you with confidence.

What If I Don’t Have a Niche?

There are some eBayers who do fairly well without a niche.  They find deals on a wide variety of products, and they sell them at bargain prices.  But they might get higher bids on their offerings if they were to specialize a bit more.

If helping buyers get great bargains is what you love to do, and it is allowing you to make the profits you want to make, then there is no harm in sticking with that.  But finding a profitable niche could put more money in your pocket.  Having a specific niche lets customers know what to expect from you, and when they are happy customers they will keep coming back and referring others.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Others by admin
No Comments »

Membership sites are quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of websites on the web.  A membership site is a website that requires people to sign up as members in order to have full access to the site’s content and tools.

Membership sites are built around a common issue or theme.  They can take the form of service sites such weightwatchers.com, dating sites such as match.com, and content sites such as The Wall Street Journal’s members’ area at wsj.com.

Membership sites are popular because they offer something of value to their members that can’t necessarily be found elsewhere.  With membership sites that focus on social aspects, the members are able to experience a sense of community and belonging that they may not be able to find on other sites online.

For members of content based sites, having a ready supply of information at their fingertips is the reason they choose to pay membership access fees.  Despite online video games and celebrity gossip blogs, receiving information is still one of the biggest reasons people are attracted to the internet.

Today, people are building membership sites as a way to bring them a lasting passive and residual income.  The members of these sites pay a monthly fee to keep accessing the information.  If you build a membership site around a subject people are interested in, and you provide quality content, you will find that many people will find it far easier to pay you a monthly fee to access this information, rather than spending numerous hours searching the web for the information.

Of course, you do not have to limit this “content” or “information” to strictly text.  You can get creative and offer your subscribers sewing patterns, scrapbook layouts, and other forms of information.

The service based membership site is another route to take.  For example, a virtual assistant could create a membership site, and each month the subscribers would be guaranteed ten hours of work time.  The virtual assistant would need to limit membership to the amount of clients he or she can realistically serve.

A product seller could also offer a membership site.  Let’s say that you make and sell candles.  You could offer a “candle of the month” club, and each month your subscribers could receive a few different-sized candles in a new fragrance.

While the paid membership site is a great business model, it is important to note that the membership site model can vary widely.  Not all membership sites are paid sites.  There are many sites that offer free membership, such as myspace.com.  MySpace has millions of members, and the owners generate income through selling advertising space.

There are many ways to start and grow a membership site.  Over time, they have the potential to bring you a very healthy, passive, and residual income.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business, Web Design by admin
No Comments »

Perhaps you’re familiar with the phrase “too many chefs in the kitchen”.  It’s a phrase to describe the kind of chaos that often ensues when too many people are trying to perform the same tasks.  Arguments erupt, confusion takes over and the entire project becomes at risk.  Not to mention completely unpleasant.

This is what can happen in a joint venture partnership, and why it is so important to not only find the right person to work with, but also to lay out the responsibilities beforehand.

The first step, it would seem, is to find a partner to work with.  If you’re a writer and that’s your strength, there may not be any benefit to partnering with another writer with the same strengths.  No one is bringing anything new to the table.  However, if that same writer is also excellent with marketing products, then you may have a partnership where one partner writes the product and the other partner markets it.

The objective is to find complimentary skills rather than competing skills.  Let’s imagine that you as a writer are able to work well with another writer to create a product.  The “too many chefs in the kitchen” analogy famously doesn’t apply to you and you partner.  A real top notch product is produced.  What do you do with it?  You’re both great at writing and neither of you have marketing, list building, or fulfillment skills, knowledge, or experience.  You’re stuck in the mud.

So you see, it is important to not only have complimentary skill sets within partnerships for the sake of working together, you also need to be able to make some money off of the venture.

The following are examples of potential complimentary partnerships:

o  Partner with a large opt in list or list building skills with a partner that has proven experience in product creation.

o  Partner that has proven sales and marketing skills with a partner that has a proven product.

o  Partner that has a high blog or ezine subscription rate with a partner that has a proven product/website/service and can guest blog in exchange for part of the profit.

o  Partner that has excellent web design skills with partner that has excellent writing and copywriting skills.  You could put together a profitable affiliate website or information site.

o  Partner that has a number of relevant products and an opt in list with a partner that has a number of relevant products and an opt in list.

The last possibility is a situation where the people do have the same basic skills.  They both have products, both have lists, and presumably both are good at marketing to their list.  The benefit here is a combined product bundle where no new skills are needed, just a new product.

When planning your next joint venture and seeking the right partner, consider first what you have to bring to the project and then seek a partner who will compliment your strengths.  It will save you both time and money, and ultimately save you frustration.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business, Life by admin
No Comments »

What are the reasons to begin an online business?  Many people begin online businesses for various reasons, ranging from needing more money to expanding a hobby so they can quit their day job.  Whatever the reason, there are concerns about starting an online business expressed by budding entrepreneurs.  Here are ten of those concerns that rank among the top.

1.  How do I get started?  You may have an idea but that is not going to get you on the Internet.  An online presence is required to begin a business that uses the Internet as its base.  People have to be able to see you.

2.  What does it cost to begin an online business?  The costs depend on the service or product you are looking to sell to the public.  If you possess the basic materials needed to get the business up and running, you could spend as little as a few hundred dollars to get started.

3.  What equipment do I need?  First of all, you need to be sure that your computer is as up to date as possible to handle new applications.  You will want to be able to manage your business at a speed that gets things done in the least amount of time.

4.  How much time does it take to get set up?  That depends on your expertise in website design.  You can go it alone or hire a company that does website set-up.  By using easy to follow templates, you can set up your website in no time.

5.  What name should I use?  Your name identifies you from everyone else.  Doing a domain search will let you know whether the name you are thinking about is already taken or not.

6.  Do I need a web host?  Every website needs a web host to manage it.  When choosing a host, be sure that they can accommodate the bandwidth you will need for you site.  If you plan to upload pictures, open a virtual store, play videos, and more, you will need a web host which can expand your space as you need it.  Don’t just choose the cheapest host.  Look for one which will meet your needs now and as your business grows.

7.  How long will it take to make money?  That is up to you.  In order for people to know that your services are available, write a detailed marketing plan so that once your website is up, you can begin implementing your plan.

8.  Is website rank important?  It is very important.  Most people including myself don’t look past the first page of results for a web search. You want your website to come up somewhere on that first page so you will get noticed.

9.  How do I get the word out about my business?  Visit business forums, join associations pertaining to your business, and do a bit of social networking.  There are many ways to get the word out if you are willing to work them.

10.  How do I get paid?  For services, most businesses use PayPal.  It is a way to set up a secure account that can be used to pay for services and receive money from clients and customers.  Most people that do business online are familiar with PayPal.  You can also set up your site to accept credit card payments.

If you’ve had these questions, you are not alone.  Use the advice to get things going in your business.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business by admin
No Comments »

The big question concerning starting a business, besides what you will sell, is how you will market what you are selling.  Marketing is the way that business owners turn their products and services into the “need to know” name in the business.  Learning marketing takes a serious effort and the sheer volume of information available can be overwhelming.

All of the aspects of marketing these days that are available can have your head spinning in no time.  What do you do first?  What is the best kind of marketing for your business?  How do I go about niche marketing?

It seems that the more you read, the more questions you have.  When are the answers supposed to come?  Marketing can be intimidating when you are just starting out and it is all a bunch of foreign concepts.

What is the first thing you think of letting people know about your business?  Take an ad out in the local newspaper. Well, you can take out ads on the Internet too.  Advertise on another person’s website.  By using an affiliate program, they will advertise on your site as well.

An affiliate program is a type of marketing.  There is strategy to finding the right websites to advertise on and who to engage in an affiliate program with.  This can be learned on the Internet or from a book.

Then there is the whole thing with keywords.  Keywords work to increase your ranking in searches conducted by search engines.  Learning how to do that will increase your visibility.  If your head isn’t spinning enough, you can pay for programs that tell you how to do this to increase your rank.  They also talk about registering with search engines.

Do you write?  If you have a way with words, you can parlay that into another marketing area.  Good web content on your website will keep people coming back to read what you have to say.  But that content can be read and turned into a podcast or filmed and turned into a video to be marketed.

To do all of this, you need to read some more.  It seems like everyone knows the strategies but you.  In fact, they had to read and ask questions and learn just like you do.  There is no shortcut to learning marketing.  Everything that you learn builds on everything else.

One way to not go so crazy is to learn one area and learn it well.  From a brief description of each marketing strategy you can judge if it is right for you to start.  After you’ve gained confidence with one strategy, begin on another and another.  Taking marketing one step at a time is a great way to accomplish what you want to do with your business without losing your head.

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business, Email Marketing by admin
No Comments »

Many business owners will tell you that they experience a lot of fluctuation throughout the year.  Some months will have higher profits than other months, there will be an increase in demand for a particular type of product or service one month, and then the next month a different type of product will be in demand.

This business phenomenon holds true for a business’ source of customers as well.  Some months, a business may receive a surge in word of mouth advertising, whereas other months it may receive orders from people who came across an ad that the business had placed.

Many marketing experts agree that it is important for a business to diversify its marketing methods.  This will ensure that leads are coming in from many different sources and that if one source is having a particularly slow month, the other sources should still be delivering plenty of leads.

On the other hand, marketing experts caution against having a marketing message sprung out over too many places.  It can be hard to keep track of ads and know which ads are hitting the right target market.

Testing ads and keeping track of the results can help a person decide which areas are the best places for them to advertise.  Knowing this information can also help stretch an advertising budget.

There are many choices for where to spend advertising dollars.  If a person wants to advertise online they could choose to invest in pay-per-click ads, ad space that they buy directly from another website, as well as free options – including social networking and article marketing.

There are many ways to find leads offline, including flyers, lead boxes, ads placed in local newspapers and magazines, as well as referrals from current customers.  Depending on the type of business, a person may also opt to buy leads from lead companies.

The marketing mix that works for one person may be to have one or two ads running, both online and offline, while another person may find that participating for a few hours each week in social networking and hanging up flyers around their local area is what works best for them.

It may be somewhat tedious, but testing ads and tracking the results is the best way to find the right mix for your business.  Using an ad tracker service as well as linking ads to different URLs can help determine which ads are outperforming other ads.

Some virtual assistants specialize in this type of work and can be a huge asset if you are short on time or simply need a bit of extra help in this area.  If hiring a virtual assistant is not in your budget, you may be able to barter or trade your own product or service in lieu of payment.

Over time, it will become clear which methods work best for your advertising needs.

Filed under: Business, Email Marketing by admin
No Comments »

You have affiliates for your business; why not put them to business for your joint venture project, too?

Affiliates are already enthusiastic and skilled at selling your products.  They’re familiar with your target market and they already have systems in place to drive business and sales.  When you incorporate your affiliates into the promotion of your JV project, you’re expanding the reach of your project and increasing the potential profits.

Additionally, if your partner has affiliates for their business, then you’re potentially increasing your reach and opportunities exponentially.

So what materials do you give your affiliates to motivate them to sell your JV project?

o  A link back to your site and some form of advertising, such as a banner or side bar.

o  Detailed information about your product, including its selling points, what makes it different from other products, and its value.  If possible, provide them with testimonials from your customers.

o  Ad copy, free reprint articles, email promos, free brandable reports, which affiliates can brand with their own link, and even a free e-book.

o  Make sure to let your affiliates know the strengths and selling points of your partner, too.  That way they can use the information in their own marketing tools and methods.

o  A special website where they can send customers to help differentiate your JV product from your other products.

o  Consider giving them an extra incentive to really promote your JV project.  Potential incentives could be a contest.  Give the affiliate with the most sales a cash incentive and you’ll really boost sales.

The more tools you give your affiliates the better.  Make sure to keep in touch with your affiliates for the duration of the promotion and give them tips on how they can improve their sales conversions.

Some business owners go as far as to provide their affiliates with a separate joint venture website template and full sales copy for their product on a warm-up page.  This may be worth the extra effort if you believe it will boost sales.

The more excitement you build around a joint venture partnership, the more potential profits there are.  Your affiliate team can be one of the best tools you have to create this high level of excitement and anticipation for your joint venture project, and they can be the key to real profits.  Don’t forget them!

Filed under: Affiliate Program, Business by admin
No Comments »