Help Keeping Your New Year's Resolution to Get Healthier

Like many of you out there I made a promise to drop some weight in 2012.  I've heard over and over that one of the best ways to do so is to keep a daily diary of food consumed and caloric intake.  I've tried to do this in the past, but found carrying around a paper and pen notebook pretty hard to do.  While trying to find the best way to get my weight loss kicked off right, I found a great tool to help me with keeping track of my food.  In the free apps section of my Droid phone was an app called Calorie Counter.  It was free, so I thought I'd give it a try. 

Using the app, I've been able to easily keep track of food consumption and exercise.  One of the best features of the app is that it will turn your phone into a bar code scanner at the touch of a button, so that any food you purchase that has a bar code can be scanned and the dietary information put into your list.  Plus, the app also gives you extensive lists of all the major food chains and the dietary information on their main food items.  So, home or away, you can record your food intake in a matters of a few seconds.

The app allows you to enter your weight at the beginning and set an end goal.  Then, just record your current weight on a regular basis and it will track your progress and remind you on your daily summary how far away you are from your goal.  There is also a corresponding website where information can also be recorded and the info on your phone will automatically be updated at the same time. It can be found at http://www.fatsecret.com/.

Since downloading the app the day after Christmas I've been able to drop 12 pounds and the toughest thing I've found is getting in my daily RDI in calories (who knew healthy food was so filling).

Before you can make money from your home business (especially if you're trying to do so promoting great health products), you owe it to yourself to get healthy as well.  So, Calorie Counter is my recommendation for helping you get in shape in the new year!

Find out Why ARIIX is the Right Choice for a Home Business!

By Richard J. Norris

It's rare when you get the opportunity to get involved with a company from the very beginning, and even rarer when it's a company with a management team as strong as the one guiding ARIIX. This team, headed by Fred Cooper, was the same team that led USANA to the top of the network marketing world over the last decade. They have infused confidence and excitement for ARIIX from day one and enticed network marketing legends, such as Tim Sales, to join them as distributors. If you've ever thought about starting a home business and seriously considered network marketing as a vehicle to make your dreams happen, then you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at ARIIX.  ARIIX has set their official launch for April, so now is the time to get started and build momentum.

 

Check out the presentation here:

http://www.globalsuccessleaders.com/events/webinars/lynn-allen-johnson-presents-ariix/

Note from Richard and Glenna: If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos here: http://teamgnr.leaderelite.net/en/success.aspx, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming New Year.  I will be adding at least one new article next week, so stay tuned.  Until then, enjoy your time with friends and family during this holiday season.

Richard

Sorry for the Lack of Posts

I haven't been able to post for a little while, do to life getting in the way in a big manner.  My wife, Glenna, has been having some health issues for several months and doctors weren't able to find anything to account for her feeling so bad.  Two weeks ago they finally got the right test and we found out she has cancer.  The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, mostly in hospitals and doctors offices.  We have a plan of attack and she started chemotherapy last Friday.  While my life is now concentrated on her health and doing everything I can to help her beat this, I will be posting more information to help you make the most from your home business efforts in the near future.

I know there is great information on this blog, information I've learned over the last several years in network marketing and helping Glenna establish her web business (http://www.gnrembroidery.com/), so please use it.  In the meantime, here's hoping everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and may the New Year be a better one for all of us.

Richard

Dr. Ray Strand Endorses ARIIX Products

Dr. Ray Strand, author of "What Your Dr. Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine", "Death by Perscription" and "Releashing Fat" is now endorsing the ARIIX line of nutritional products.  Follow the link below to hear what this renowned physician has to say about the ARIIX line of products.

http://ariixreps.com/ARIIX/drraystrand-hci/

Note from Richard and Glenna: If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos here: http://teamgnr.leaderelite.net/en/success2.aspx, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and some time for family and friends.  As 2011 begins its official move towards its end, I hope you take time to reflect on where you are and where you want to be in the future.  If you're seriously considering starting a home business and adding an extra stream of income, Glenna and I are always available to answer questions, even if you're not considering ARIIX.  We've been involved in both network marketing and internet based business for over six years.  Please let us know if we can be of assistance.

Note from Richard and Glenna: If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos here: http://teamgnr.leaderelite.net/en/success2.aspx, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.



ARIIX, The Right Company at the Right Time

By Richard J. Norris

It's rare when you get the opportunity to get involved with a company from the very beginning, and even rarer when it's a company with a management team as strong as the one guiding ARIIX. This team, headed by Fred Cooper, was the same team that led USANA to the top of the network marketing world over the last decade. They have infused confidence and excitement for ARIIX from day one and enticed network marketing legends, such as Tim Sales, to join them as distributors. If you've ever thought about starting a home business and seriously considered network marketing as a vehicle to make your dreams happen, then you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at ARIIX.

Check out the presentation here:

http://www.globalsuccessleaders.com/events/webinars/lynn-allen-johnson-presents-ariix/

Note from Richard and Glenna: If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos here: http://teamgnr.leaderelite.net/en/success.aspx, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.



ARIIX Conference Call

To find out more about the ARIIX opportunity to build an income from home, jump on this recorded call.

(it is about 45 minutes)  

dial 209-647-1384

Special guest on the call: Lynn Allen-Johnson & Founder, CEO – Dr. Fred Cooper

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the video, Brilliant Compensation here:
http://teamgnr.leaderelite.net/en/success2.aspx, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Network Marketing and the Baby Boomers

Baby boomers have driven the U.S. economy for the last 40 plus years. From Gerber baby food, to Keds shoes, to home sales and more, the Boomer Generation has been at the heart of the economy and were the money was to be made in each decade along the way.

"As the year 2011 began on Jan. 1, the oldest members of the Baby Boom generation celebrated their 65th birthday. In fact, on that day, today, and for every day for the next 19 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65." (Pew Research Center, 2011)

So, what impact does this have on you and your choice to begin a network marketing business? Quite possibly, taking the boomers into consideration may just be your key to success or failure.

Boomers and Your Business Selection

As in other decades, those in front of trends (and in tune with the needs and wants of the boomers) were the ones who cashed in when it came to where they invested their time and money. Given the number of baby boomers advancing in age and the fact that this group tends to be the ones with the most disposable income, taking their needs into consideration when you select your network marketing company seems like a smart move. It's exactly why I have selected the health and wellness industry for my home business. As baby boomers age and tend to live longer, their concerns have turned toward their health and living the highest quality of life that is possible. The health and wellness industry has now grown to over a trillion dollar industry each year, and the boomers are the driving force. Face it; you don't need much of that big a pie to be very happy.

So, be sure as you investigate the opportunity you are going to get involved with the boomers in mind. They will continue to be the economic drivers for years to come, so make sure you have a business that will attract their interest.

Boomers as Business Partners

Once you have your business selected and are beginning to build, don't forget to include the boomer generation as a target group for your presentation. Again, this group has the money to invest in a good business opportunity and they are concerned with how much money they will have in retirement, thus they are looking for ways to generate income streams. Many of this group, like me, don't have faith that social security will continue to be available, or at the very least will suffer drastic cuts, which means that we need other means to fund our activities and lifestyles. If you have followed the advice in the first section and selected an opportunity that offers the boomer generation health benefits, along with the ability to generate income, you have a real winner when approaching someone my age or older about joining your business.

Summary

The boomer generation has long been the fuel for the economic engine and that won't change for quite some time. Taking the needs of this group into consideration when selecting your home business opportunity can give you a big advantage in building a successful network of distributors and generating a residual income from home. Do your homework, spot the trends and select your opportunity from a position of knowing that you are riding the current economic wave being generated by this highly influential sector of the population.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

ARIIX, The Right Company at the Right Time

By Richard J. Norris

It's rare when you get the opportunity to get involved with a company from the very beginning, and even rarer when it's a company with a management team as strong as the one guiding ARIIX. This team, headed by Fred Cooper, was the same team that led USANA to the top of the network marketing world over the last decade. They have infused confidence and excitement for ARIIX from day one and enticed network marketing legends, such as Tim Sales, to join them as distributors. If you've ever thought about starting a home business and seriously considered network marketing as a vehicle to make your dreams happen, then you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at ARIIX.

Check out the presentation here: 

http://www.globalsuccessleaders.com/events/webinars/lynn-allen-johnson-presents-ariix/

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Mentoring Your Network Marketing Team

By Richard J. Norris

One of the reasons why I advocate that network marketers concentrating on building their organizations deep, rather than try to sign up every warm body they can, as quickly as possible, is that to have staying power and long term residual income, those you sponsor need to be properly trained. Training your downline and assuring that they are successful is not only good business, it's your responsibility as their sponsor.

Individual Training

When you sponsor a new distributor, you are making a pledge to them to be their mentor and do everything possible to make sure they understand and are practicing the habits that will enable them to follow in your footsteps. Initially, this will mean direct, one on one mentoring of your distributors. This should take the form of scheduled training on what steps they should be following to find qualified prospects and present the business opportunity (telling them to make a list of their 100 closest friends and family and wishing them luck isn't meeting your responsibility, nor will it successfully build their business and by association, yours). Very few come in to network marketing already possessing the skill sets needed to be successful from day one and you need to work with your new distributor to identify the areas where they need training and then either provide that or indentify appropriate places where they can obtain it. Role playing with your distributor, with you playing the part of a prospect, stopping to critique as you go is especially helpful. You'll also want to just "check in", preferably by phone, but at least by email periodically to see where they are and what help they can use from you. Your new distributors need to know you're concerned and available. I would suggest you sponsor and train no more than five distributors at any given time and don't take on more until you have helped them to build their business at least three levels deep and are assisting their new distributors to do the same.

Team Training

One night a week should be dedicated to a team training call. Even if you only have 2-3 people in your organization, get in the habit of conducting your own team call. This positions you as a leader and gives you and your team an opportunity to talk about obstacles you are experiencing in building your business and share strategies for overcoming them. The old adage "two heads are better than one" really is true, and being able to share experiences is a great way for your entire team to learn and grow. I would suggest that you structure these calls around a specific topic, such as "Talking to a prospect for the first time", "Lead generation", etc. But, it doesn't hurt to ever so often have a call that basically amounts to an "Ask Anything" session. There are several places where you can sign up for free for a conference call number that remains the same from week to week, so that your team knows what the call in number is, and scheduling your calls at the same time and night each week will make attending routine for your team.

Summary

If you want stability in your organization, you must dedicate yourself to being a true mentor to those you sponsor. Providing training and assisting in the success of your distributors, ensuring that they will in turn treat those they sponsor in a like manner, will mean that more of them earn money and remain in business. One of the main reasons people leave a network marketing business is frustration and a feeling that they have been left alone to figure things out for themselves. You have the power to build a solid foundation that will stand the test of time, through education of those you sponsor into network marketing and you owe them nothing less.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Network Marketing and the Businessman/woman

By Richard J. Norris

One of the great untapped audiences that many network marketers ignore, when it comes to introducing others to their business opportunity, are existing business owners or those in high positions within a company.  Instead of giving a professional business presentation to someone who would actually understand the power of the industry, when presented in a reasoned manner, most new network marketers are busy chasing Cousin Lenny the grocery store shelf stocker and Aunt Sally, who has a part-time job at Wal-Mart.  Don't get me wrong, both could become successful network marketers, but not without a serious commitment to do so and some serious dedication to training.  The businessman, on the other hand, is very well poised to be successful from the early going.

Why Businessmen/women

Those who are already successful in a business environment already possess the skills and knowledge sets required to be able to look at a business opportunity and evaluate it on its merits.  If they are approached in a professional manner and presented with information in a similar professional manner, they will look at your business and give it a fair appraisal.  Even if they don't see it as an opportunity that is right for them, it's very likely that they may have business acquaintances that they feel might be a good fit and will refer them.  Presenting to successful business people can bring quality individuals into your network marketing team and will grow your business with like quality.

Fewer Objections

One of the things you won't have to worry about from business people that you typically hear from many others that you present your opportunity to is the objections over any of the costs associated with network marketing.  Business owners and those high up in companies are familiar with business costs in the thousands and even millions.  If they see your opportunity as attractive, they will find the cost of getting started and the monthly overhead costs associated with autoship and marketing a real bargain, versus the potential for residual income.

Making the Pitch

This is a presentation that needs to be professional and personal.  While it's ok to use prepared presentations from your company, team or upline, you need to be familiar enough with whatever you show your prospect that you can answer their questions on the spot.  Most of the business people you will show your opportunity to are short on time and will make decisions quickly.  Your window of opportunity will be much smaller than with most of the people you encounter on your way to building your network marketing business.  Be prepared.  A lunch presentation (you pay) may be a great way to go.  That keeps your time together to a very specific amount and forces you to have your presentation well planned.

Summary

Don't shy away from one of the best sources for building your network marketing business, by ignoring successful business people.  They are smart and will understand the opportunity you are presenting them with if you have put together an intelligent presentation and approach them in a businesslike manner.  Business people are always on the lookout for a good opportunity to add a stream of income, especially one that is residual in nature.  Learn how to tap into this market and you are well on your way to network marketing success.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Tax Advantages of a Network Marketing Business

By Richard J. Norris

One of the things that many people tend to overlook when deciding to start a home business, through network marketing, are the tax advantages associated. Like even the largest corporations, you can take advantage of the tax codes attached to businesses to save on the amount you are currently sending to the government.

Incorporating Your Business

While it may not be a necessity immediately upon starting your business, incorporating and running your business through that corporation may provide hundreds in tax savings each year, due to the tax breaks that can be claimed by corporations that are not available to individuals. It's best to get advice from a tax accountant who can help you determine when incorporating makes the most sense, but don't ignore this tool for tax savings too long.

Common Expenses that Become Tax Deductions

There are common expenses that suddenly become tax deductions when you become the owner of a network marketing business. Since most of these businesses now require a cell phone and internet access, these bills can now be deducted at tax time. Likewise, the cost of a new computer, printer or fax machine all become legitimate business expenses. If you have the ability to dedicate a portion of your house or apartment to an office (it can't be a multi-purpose room, e.g. bedroom/office), that percentage of your rent/mortgage and utilities can also be claimed as deductions.

Products Given as Samples

While you can't deduct from taxes items from your monthly autoship expense that you consume yourself, you can deduct the cost of any that you give out as samples to prospective customers. Let's say you're in a health and wellness company and you give a sample of vitamins to a prospective customer valued at $20, you are allowed to claim that amount on your taxes, so be sure to keep a journal of what product, the date you gave it away and the name of the prospect. This information is extremely important in the event of an audit. Also, during your first year in business, the cost of the start-up package you selected to get your network marketing venture off the ground is 100% tax deductable, given it's mandatory for getting started.

Other Deductions

Most network marketing companies hold yearly conferences. Your expenses to attend these events, and others that may be held regionally, are fully deductable as a business expense. Travel, hotel and food are all items that you can track and claim.

Summary

Anytime you have questions pertaining to what is and is not acceptable as a deduction against your tax bill, consult a professional. But please keep in mind that owning a home business is one of the best ways available to the everyday person to lower the amount of money that they will owe to the federal and state governments at the end of the year. Many items that you are currently paying for out of pocket but can't deduct, immediately become deductions once you've started your network marketing career.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Becoming a Distributor in Network Marketing

By Richard J. Norris

Becoming a distributor in a network marketing opportunity is a relatively simple procedure. Research companies that offer products you have an interest in, compare the compensation plans the companies are offering, find a sponsor you feel a solid relationship with, select the sign-up package that you want to enter with and you're in business. Let's take a look at each of these items a little closer, so you get the full picture on how to get started in network marketing with the best chance for success.

Products

It's difficult to build any business if you're not passionate about what you're selling, and network marketing is no different. Select a company that reflects your interests and produces a quality product that you feel good representing. The product should have the following characteristics:

1. Consumable: To build a residual monthly income you need a product that is used on a regular basis, such as vitamins, a phone plan, membership, etc. Each time a customer reorders you will receive a commission. If you're the best bowling ball salesman in the world you might make good money with each sale, but you're chances of making money off that customer again isn't really high. You want to base your home business on consumable products.
2. Distribution: Look for an opportunity that will allow your customers to order directly from the company and you get credit for the sale, without the need to handle, store or deliver the products personally. This means no "up-front" money is needed from you to buy products and then resell them, a huge advantage over many of the network marketing plans from a few years back, where you were expected to move product personally.

Compensation Plans

Compensation plans come in various forms, and there's not enough room here to discuss them all with any kind of justice. You should look for a plan that will allow you, and those you sponsor, to begin making money, or at least covering the cost of your required monthly auto-shipment, as quickly as possible. Once someone you sponsor has enough business coming in to cover these expenses, the more likely they are to stay in and find success.

Sponsor

Even after you have settled on a network marketing opportunity, there is nothing wrong with shopping around for the right sponsor within that specific company. Find a sponsor you feel a connection with and one who will commit to mentoring you through the process of building a business from home. Very few of us come into the industry with the skill set needed to be immediately successful without training and support. A dedicated sponsor is the best asset you can have to get your business off on the right foot.

Sign-up Package

Most companies will offer a variety of ways to get started in the business, usually at least three, and which one you start with will be dictated by your own personal finances at the time. Typically you will see a lower end package, around $250, a middle package at approximately $750 and then an elite package of $1,000 or more. The packages will vary on the amount of products included, business building tools, etc. All three will get your business started, and I would suggest you start with the smaller one rather than not get started at all, but there are compelling reasons for selecting one of the larger packages if at all possible, beyond the extra items that each come with. One of the commissions you will receive will be the volume included in a start-up package when you sponsor someone into the business, and they will typically ask the same question every time before signing up, "Which package did you come in with?" You're sign-ups will very likely mirror the way you came into the business, so select your entry package with that in mind.

Summary

Those are the basic steps you will need to go through to become a distributor in a network marketing opportunity. Do your homework on each of these steps and you will be positioning yourself on the best possible path for success in building a residual income from home and freeing you to enjoy the lifestyle that it can provide.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

 

Common Network Marketing Objections

By Richard J. Norris

When someone tells them they aren't interested in getting started in their network marketing business, many newbies take it as a personal rejection. While I will tell you that people join people and not businesses, the majority of those that tell you no aren't rejecting you, or your business opportunity, they are in fact rejecting themselves. For one reason or another they have convinced themselves that they just can't do it. There are a number of people in the population that will say "No!," even if you provide them with answers to every question and your presentation is flawless.

I don't have time!: This is the one you'll probably hear the most often, and likely to be the one farthest from the truth. The average person in the United States today watches in excess of five hours of television per day, 66% of American homes have three or more televisions and as a nation we watch 250 billion hours of television annually. Do you think there might be a few hours each week that could be devoted toward building a business that has the potential to provide your family with an added income stream? I'm not saying give up television all together, but just a few hours a week dedicated to network marketing can pay big dividends and anyone can find the time if they seriously want to.

I know someone who tried it and failed!: You also most likely know someone who failed high school, college, and quite possible someone who was let go from the company you work for. Using this logic, you should have just given up when each of these events happened as well. Yes, people start network marketing opportunities and aren't successful, just like in any other industry you can point to. It wasn't your high school, college or company that failed, it was the persons you knew who weren't successful who didn't apply themselves, and it's the same in network marketing. If you based doing something, or not doing something, on if someone who tried it before failed, you'd never get out of bed in the morning. Look to people who succeeded at something as your role model for doing it, not someone who failed as a reason not to try.

I'm not a salesperson!: I actually get excited when someone says this, because I'm not looking for salespeople in the traditional sense of the word. Network marketing is a problem solving, people business. Those that are successful are the ones who are willing to listen, take a genuine interest in the person they are talking to about the business or the products and then guide them to seeing how what you're offering can solve the situation they are concerned about. You need caring, not sales, to build a successful business.

I'll do it someday, just not now!: This is probably one of the saddest reasons for not starting a home business, since it most likely means they never will. Most people's lives are full of "someday". Unfortunately, it's more than likely that "someday" will never come. "Someday I'll travel overseas!", "Someday I'll lose weight!", and "Someday I'll build a business of my own!". Forget about someday and concentrate on today. If you see an opportunity as a genuine avenue to change your life, why wait? Do it today, because chances are if you don't, it will never happen!

Summary

These are but a few of the reasons someone may give for not getting started in a network marketing business. This isn't the complete list, but it's a good start. If you've looked at starting a business from home and came up with one of these reasons why you didn't, I hope you'll read this and rethink your decision. You have the opportunity to change your life and that of your family if you're serious and approach a home business in a businesslike manner and not as a hobby. If you came up with a reason not on this list I hope this causes you to revisit what it was and determine how legitimate the reason was. I'm not saying that you should just sign up with the first opportunity that presents itself either. If a business wasn't right for you and you passed and are still looking, that's perfectly acceptable. If however, you're waiting for "someday" to come, that's not.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

How Do I Sell a Network Marketing Product?

By Richard J. Norris

When you enter into a network marketing opportunity, you must sell product in order to receive a paycheck from the company. No product sold, no income from your business. This fact alone is enough to blow those "Is this a pyramid scheme" objection out of the water. Your objective as a network marketer is to move as much product on a monthly basis in order to receive the largest check you possibly can. So, how do you do that?

Sponsor More Distributors:

As a new business owner in network marketing your first objective should be to learn how to present your company's network marketing opportunity to someone, who like you, are interested in starting a home business. By sponsoring someone else into the business you will build your checks and residual income quickly. When you sponsor someone else you get paid two ways:

You receive a commission on the start-up package that the person you sponsor selects when they get started. This is why it's important for you to select the highest package when you get started, since one of the questions you're most likely get from a prospect is, "What package did you start with." Deciding to go the cheapest route when you join may actually cost you much more in the long run then if you had made the decision to spend a little more up front to come into the business at the upper level. Differences between the packages is primarily the number of products that are included, allowing the new network marketer more to try, sell or give away. So, the larger the start-up package, the more product that is moved and the higher the commission paid to the sponsor.

In order for a business owner in network marketing to keep their home business active and eligible for a commission check, they must maintain a monthly auto-shipment of products (in most companies this will normally be around $100). As the sponsor of another business owner, you receive a commission each month they maintain the auto-ship. This is why, as a sponsor, you should work with anyone you sponsor to get them started in the business correctly and do everything to can to assure they are successful. Part of your residual income from network marketing comes from maintaining those you sponsor in the business.

Product Consumers:

Your second way to move product is to find people who can use the products you have and get them to using them on a regular basis. Let's take a look at how you can find your customers.

Many times you'll find your product users coming from those who decided the business wasn't right for them at the moment, but really like the products and want to use them. Never shut the door on a prospect for the business without talking to them about trying the products.

Just like introducing someone to network marketing, you need to be a problem solver when approaching someone about your products. It makes no sense to give someone a sample of your skin care product if their real problem is a lack of energy or the need to lose ten pounds. I've always found the best way to approach people, especially those you know, is to listen to what they complain about and then, if you have a product that addresses their needs, give them a sample and a simple, "Try this!" They will appreciate your trying to help, and since it's free they will be very likely to try it. This is the way I've signed up most of my product customers, and even a few distributors, just by sharing the products with others. And remember, products you give away are tax deductable, so keep a list.

One of the real advantages of modern day network marketing is that companies have put in place a system that allows products to be shipped directly to the customer, once they've been introduced to them by a distributor. You, the distributor, do not need to pay up front, stock and deliver your products. Your customers are able to login to a website, select and pay for products and then have them shipped directly to them, while you get paid each time they order. These customers can also be placed on auto-ship, just like a distributor, meaning the products come each month unless they cancel.

Summary

Sales of products are the life blood of your business, since no sales means no income. Build your network marketing business two ways, by adding new distributors and by introducing your products to a traditional customer base. When customers buy products on a regular basis, generating commissions to you the distributor for your work with them in the past, residual income is created. Build a large enough residual income and you'll have the ability to live your life on your terms.

Note from Richard and Glenna:  If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

What Topics Would You Like To See Addressed Here?

I want to take this opportunity to invite visitors to comment regarding topics related to network marketing that they would like to see addressed here.  My intent is to make this site a place where anyone, in any network marketing company or someone just wanting to learn more about the industry before getting started, can get information on issues that may be preventing them from really creating the business they desire.  Likewise, please feel free to comment on any of the articles you see here and add your own experiences.  The more interaction here, the more useful this site becomes.  I hardly have all the answers and can learn from many of you as well.

Thanks,

Richard

Should I Introduce Friends and Family to Network Marketing?

By Richard J. Norris

Many times someone entering into a network marketing opportunity for the first time will be told to make a list of 100 of their friends and family and start telling them about the company, products and business opportunity. Because that's all the training many people get from their sponsor they often ending up doing a poor job of recruiting from this list and alienate the people they care about most. Network marketing has the potential to dramatically change the lives of those that become involved, so why wouldn't you want to give that opportunity to those closest to you? But, how you approach them is the key to whether they run when they see you coming, or throw their arms around you and thank you.

Unfortunately, many new to network marketing are so excited about the business and the products that they just signed up with that they approach friends and family in a completely over the top manner, which I compare to grabbing someone by the collar and shaking them while jumping up and down. It's great that you are passionate about what you're involved with, but the person you're talking about isn't going to be in the same position and may see you as "overselling", because in their eyes nothing can be that good. Remember, you've started a business, so your approach should be professional and businesslike as well. Spewing out facts about your company, product names and information when you first see someone rarely works. They have to have a reason to look at your network marketing opportunity and you being excited just isn't going to be enough.

Even if you know there's someone in your family or circle of friends you would like to introduce the business to, my suggestion would be not to do it the next time you see or talk to them. Instead, listen instead of talk. Listen for cues that in fact your business is right for them. Perhaps they are having issues at work with a boss, they are concerned they won't have enough money for retirement or their kids college, or they just want more time to do the things they want, but don't have time for. Find that reason and now you have a reason to introduce them to your particular opportunity. But, where most people fail is that they want to unload on them the second they hear that "why" come through load and clear. Fight the urge.

Once you've had an initial conversation with a friend or family member and have qualified them, meaning you've identified an issue that you can help them with by introducing them to network marketing, let some time pass (at least a couple of days). Now, contact them and have a conversation similar to this:

YOU: "Hi Bob. Hey, when we saw each other last week, I remember you talking about how concerned you are about having enough money to retire when the time comes. Is that still an issue."

BOB: "Yes it is. I'm just not sure if we'll have enough."

YOU: "Well, I've been involved with a business opportunity for awhile now, and I'm not sure if it would be right for you, but it may just provide you with a way to address those retirement concerns. Would you be interested in learning more?"

BOB: "Can't hurt to take a look."

It takes restraint to talk to a friend or family member and not tell them about your business the first time you see them, but if you take the time to have a real interest in them (this should be a priority with anyone you approach regarding the business) and qualify them by identifying a major issue in their life that can be addressed by owning a network marketing business, then you have the leverage you need to present the business in a professional and businesslike manner and with a genuine concern for helping them better their life in a specific area. They will see your call as an honest effort to help them, given that some time has passed since they confided in you and you won't come off as being only interested in "selling them on your business."

Summary

Should you introduce your friends and family to network marketing? Absolutely! But, don't think you have to swing for the fences with them the first time you encounter someone on your sponsors beloved "List of 100." Spend some time with each person you want to sponsor to find out how, specifically, they can benefit from being a part of your network marketing company and use that information to genuinely help them solve the issue that they are concerned with. This method will take some time, but even if they don't sign up, they'll see you as genuinely trying to help them and not as someone to avoid in the future. And, once someone in my warm market says no, I let it go, unless they bring it up again. If their issue you identified doesn't make progress through another route, don't be surprised if you hear from them. But that will only happen if you have approached them in a manner of genuine concern and assistance.

Note from Richard and Glenna: 
If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

How to Fit Network Marketing Into Your Busy Schedule

By Richard J. Norris

"I don't have enough time to do network marketing!" That's one of the objections you may have heard if you've been involved with building a business from home for very long. Or, if you've tried to mentor a person in your downline that just doesn't seem to be getting anything done. We all have the same 24 hours in every day, so it's not that one person has an advantage over another when it comes to the amount of time we have to build a business. How we use that time is an entirely different subject.

If you're truly serious about building a business from home and having a residual income that has the potential to allow you to walk away from your full-time job, you'll make the time to do the things that you must to move your business toward that goal. Let's break down the major areas that should be addressed, on a daily basis, to successfully build a network marketing business, in their order of importance:

1. Making Initial Contacts: Regardless the source, be they purchased leads, your warm market list, or other source, you need to be making contacts with people you have never spoken to before on a daily basis to keep your pipeline of prospects filled. Set yourself a goal to speak to a certain number of new people each day, perhaps five, and then do what it takes to make that happen. I suggest, if you are not familiar with Tim Sales' "Inviting Formula", covered in his Professional Inviter training tool for making initial contact with a prospect, that you use some of your training time to do so and then utilize it when talking to someone for the first time, regardless of if it's in person or over the phone.
2. Following Up: If you have utilized the "Inviting Formula" correctly, you will be scheduling follow-up conversations with the prospects you have had conversations with, and those need to be kept on the day and time you agreed on. This is perhaps the area that someone new to network marketing has the biggest issue with. Normally, it's because they are afraid they will say the wrong thing, but if you are truly interested in helping your prospect solve the problem that caused them to seek out a home business, you can stop worrying, you won't. Keep their needs clearly in mind (this is why you need to take notes during initial conversations and review them prior to the follow-up) and you'll be just fine
3. Contacting and Mentoring Team Members: Once you have sponsored someone into your business you have an obligation to train and support them. This may or may not be an area that takes time on a daily basis, as your team member will require more help in the beginning and then will transition to a point where they can stand on their own. But, it's always good to check in with even your most successful team members occasionally just to let them know you're still in their corner.
4. Training: Very few come into network marketing with the tools they need to be successful without any guidance. Regardless if it is a call to your sponsor for mentoring, a conference call providing training from your company, or reading or listening to recorded information that will allow you to be more effective, you need to set aside at least one hour each day that is devoted to improving your skills needed to build your business. Yes, you need to familiarize yourself with products and the compensation plan, but it's improving your people skills that will push your business to the limit. Save this for the last thing, once your other items have been addressed.

Summary

How much time will these items take each night? As much time as it takes to do them correctly. It will be longer in the beginning as you are learning how to handle each of these items, but you'll soon be able to budget your time accordingly. Just make sure that you are spending your time adequately to include each of these activities on a daily basis and make anything else that comes up take a lower priority. Never stop doing these four to address something else related to your business, make it wait until each of these are completed for the day, then take care of the "house keeping" items as needed. This is a real challenge for those building their business on a part-time basis, while holding down a fulltime job, but managing your time and including these four priorities into your business time on a daily basis is critical to your success.

Note from Richard and Glenna: 

If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.

Great Ways to Network

By Richard J. Norris

One of the truly great things about network marketing is that prospects for your business are virtually everywhere. However, there are some places where you are more likely to find quality prospects that may already be looking for an opportunity similar to the one you will be presenting them with.

Places to Network:

Let's take a look at some of the specific places where you should concentrate your networking efforts to maximize your results.

1. Many cities have specific events that are designed for exactly what you want to accomplish. Typically these are monthly events, sponsored by a local business organization, and are advertised to be "networking" events. These are usually mingle and exchange business card events, and require you to be adept at having a short "elevator pitch" prepared, because you won't get the opportunity for any type of presentation. Remember, network marketing is a people and relationship business and these events are great places to meet new people and begin to develop relationships that can lead to bringing them into your business in the future. These are not places you should be looking for immediate results from, but certainly should be part of your overall prospecting activities. Check your local chamber of commerce to see if such events are available in your area.
2. The business section of your local bookstore is a great place to meet qualified people that are right for your opportunity. The fact that they are browsing this section of the store means that they are interested in business opportunities and may be approachable. Perhaps you ask for a recommendation from them to break the ice. Like the "networking meetings" discussed above, this isn't the place for a presentation, but if things go right and the discussion you have is business in general, you'll have an opportunity to say something like, "I'm involved with a business and looking for people who are trainable and open to adding an additional $2,000 or more per month. If you know someone like that, would you mind passing my information along to them?" This is very non-threatening to both you and the person you're chatting with, and don't be surprised if they don't start asking specific questions. Don't get into anything at that point, instead ask them to visit the website you have on your card, which should be a place where they can get the majority of their questions about your opportunity answered.

These are two of my favorite recommendations as to places where you can go to find qualified prospects for your network marketing opportunity. Neither is a place where you can expect immediate results, but they are very effective in initiating relationships that can develop into a long term business association. Remember, in order to successfully build a network of distributors within your business, you have to talk to people. Why not go to places where you would expect to find exactly the right kind of people to introduce your business to, once a relationship of trust has been established.

Note from Richard and Glenna: 

If you would like to learn more about network marketing and the power it can provide you financially, please view the videos on the right, Brilliant Compensation and What the Wealthy Buy on Payday, and feel free to include your contact information when prompted to do so afterwards and we will be happy to contact you personally regarding the opportunity to get started with ARIIX. If you were sent here by one of our team members, please get back in touch with them and they will make sure you have all your questions regarding getting started with ARIIX answered.