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advertisers and our Insider's Bookshelf customers. From the Desk of the Editor The MLM Woman’s Continuing on from last month here's the last of my Success Tool recommendations to put on your MLM business building list. L is for a ListBot, a mailing list for every web site. - Want to get visitors to return to your Web site? Send them news with a ListBot mailing list. With ListBot, there's no software to download, so you can have your list up and running in 15 minutes. Visit them at: http://www.listbot.com. M is for Marketing -- For some fresh marketing tips and techniques you should check out the articles written by Kevin Nunley, a expert who specializes in providing marketing help to small businesses and organizations. Ask for his list of Special Reports and Tapes on marketing via e-mail at DrNunley@aol.com or call (801) 253-4536 or visit his Marketing Info Supersite at: http://www.DrNunley.com. N is for Network Marketing KnowHow™ -- Jennifer Moss and Cal Philips have developed a new audio tape training system to help new distributors get their business off and running. The 94-minute audio tape offers a dramatized role playing method that takes new distributors through a step-by-step training system to learn how to prospect, sponsor and retail product. A 26-page reference booklet provides additional information to support the training tape. The tape is available from Moss/Phillips Associates, P.O. Box 6624, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502, phone 505-820-0600. O is for Online tips -- Kelly Kalcheim and Gina Rea are the team behind the "Network Marketing Tip of the Day," an online service that provides MLM business tips via e-mail every business day. If you would like to sample a FREE 1-week trial subscription to Network Marketing Today, send an email to: NMTOTD@getback.hartley.on.ca P is for "Power Multi-Level Marketing" by Mark and Rene Yarnell. If you really want to know what it takes to be super successful in MLM then this powerful step-by-step guide will show you how. Available in national bookstores and through Upline books, 800-800- 6349. Q is for Quicken - If one of your business goals is to become financially free than you need a way to keep track of your money and investments. Quicken is one of the better software financial programs on the market and offers several different packages to suit your needs and can be found in any computer or software store. R is for Recordkeeping -- Get a handle on your tax records for this year with the Tax Smart Workbook. Not only will this comprehensive and easy to understand workbook help you to get your records organized, it can also help you save tax dollars as well. The 172 page workbook includes: 15 envelopes to store income and expense receipts, a file storage box in which to file all your records and an Expense Account Diary for recording all your business transactions. Designed specifically for the home-based business, Tax Smart will help you get business smart fast. For more information call: 800-685-7280 ext 6481 or visit: http://www.tax-smart.com. S is for Sales Aids -- Lisa Wilber of the "The Winner In You" offers products and services to increase the sales and recruiting efforts of MLMers, direct sellers and party plan sellers (including labels, buttons, rubber stamps, and newspaper lists). She has a great new book out too titled "Marketing Ideas for the Wild At Heart" that details many interesting and effective ways to promote your networking or direct sales business. For more information call: 1-800-258-1815 or visit her Web site at: http://www.winnerinyou.com T is for Telemarketing. Rebecca Flansburg is a 22-year veteran of telemarketing and telephone sales. Rebecca has written and self-published a 70 page manual on the fine art of telephone sales strategies and techniques. For more information on her manual, e-mail becpaul@uslink.net U is for Sales University -- "Sales Training and Coaching For People Who Don't Like Selling." Sales University is a virtual sales training and coaching organization founded by Hilton and Lisa Johnson that teaches a philosophy of "Selling by Attraction" rather than manipulation or persuasion. They offer courses by teleconference and home study that help sales professionals become more comfortable and effective at selling by learning how NOT to "sell" but how to "attract". You can subscribe to their excellent, free "Sales Coach" e-mail newsletter by visiting their web site at www.salesuniversity.com or you can call them at (954) 491-8996 for more information. V is for Venus Andrecht, the author of "MLM Magic, How an Ordinary Person Can Build an Extra-Ordinary Networking Business from Scratch" and its accompanying workbook. "MLM Magic" is not only a fun read, it also details the author's own success secrets which she used to build a $100,000 MLM business in a year. This is recommended reading for anyone who seriously wants to build their own successful MLM business and offers a distinctively female view of how to do it. Venus covers such topics as goal setting, recruiting, prospecting, and downline support. The book and workbook are available through Venus' publishing company, Ransom Hill Press, 1- 800-423-0620. Ask for a copy of their new catalog when you call -- it offers all of Venus's books and lots of other good stuff too. W is for Barbara Winter's "Winning Ways", a bimonthly newsletter that is an excellent source of creative ideas and approaches for small business owners. Each issue is always a delight to read. Winning Ways, P.O. Box 39412, Minneapolis, MN 55439. Barbara is also the author of the popular bestseller, "How to Make Money Without A Job", a fantastic book for aspiring entrepreneurs that is available at your local bookstore. Although its focus is not on MLM, it offers lots of advice for the entrepreneurial newcomer and the challenges they face. X is for Link EXchange -- If you have a web page on the Internet for your MLM business, the Link Exchange can help you increase your hits. This is a free service that places your advertising banner on other web sites. Another great side benefit is receiving their free members only moderated e-mail digest which offers some of the best web page design and online marketing tips on the Net. Visit their web site for full details at: http://www.linkexchange.com. Y is for You and Your Personal Well-Being - Busy business people are notorious for neglecting their health. Make sure you take your daily vitamin supplements, exercise regularly to keep fit and reduce stress and make time for medical and dental checkups. I highly recommend Dr. Andrew Weil's monthly newsletter, "Self-Healing", which offers the best advice on natural health for the body and the mind. For subscription information call (800) 523-3296. Z is for Zig Zigler - Probably one of the most famous motivational speakers ever, Zig Ziglar has also authored scores of great books on selling, goal setting and motivation. One of my favorites is "See You At the Top." His books are available in all bookstores large and small. Well, there you have it - an alphabet soup of tools and information to make this year your best ever. I truly believe that you can tell how successful a person is by the books and tapes they have in their library. What's in yours? Linda Locke is the editor of MLM Woman. You can reach her via e-mail at regent@west.net
Lisa Wilber: Wild At Heart Network Marketer An Interview by Linda Locke I recently had the opportunity to chat with one of the most creative and successful network marketers that I know and ask her some questions about her secrets to success. Lisa Wilber is a Senior Executive Unit Leader in Avon's Leadership program and lives in Weare, New Hampshire. With over 1,300 representatives in her downline, her group sold over $4 1/2 million dollars worth of products during 1997. She has earned 10 Avon National Honors trips including this year's trip to Puerto Rico. She is the author of the book "Marketing Ideas for the Wild at Heart". Linda: How do you work your MLM business? What methods really work best for you? What doesn't work for you? Please give specific details. Lisa: In respects to my MLM business, I look at it as two parts to the puzzle -- finding new people who want to join the business is part one and supporting them so that they stay longer, sell more and try recruiting themselves is part two. I invest equal amounts of money for both. For recruiting, I invest in classified line ads and I use recruiting posters and give out recruiting cards everywhere I go. I also have signs on my house and car that read "To Buy or Sell" which gets me both customers and recruits. One of the investments that is a shared expense between the two parts is my 800# --- essential for this business, in my opinion -- I use it in my classified ads as well as for help calls from my downline. Of course, I ask everyone, everywhere, every time. I also wear pins and buttons to get people to ask me about my business -- it gives me an opportunity to tell my story, and telling your story enough times gets you recruits, too. Things that don't work for me? Recruiting my family and friends by going to them and out-and-out asking them. They always say NO. What does work is just sharing with them over a period of time how much I like the company, products, experience, etc. and bringing them to rallies or any free events I've earned. I have recruited many family and friends, but only after they watch my example for a while and came to me and asked to be a representative. Linda: How do you keep in touch with your downline? Lisa: The main way that I keep in touch with my downline in through my monthly newsletter. In the newsletter I have the "Top Ten in Sales Volume" and also the top recruiters with their number of first orders per campaign (selling period). I also have mini posters for recruiting, selling and fundraising that they can add their name to and copy for their use as well as success stories, company news, and the schedule of upcoming seminars and meetings. I don't do a lot of product knowledge because our company handles that in detail with our orders -- what I try to cover is where to find more customers and recruits so that you can use the product knowledge the company gives you. I also have weekly chat meetings on America Online and I travel and teach seminars and talk to as many of the key representatives as I can over the phone on a weekly basis. I also run special incentives like my "Thousandaire Club" -- where they can earn $10.00 worth of sales aids (their choice) for each $1,000.00 they sell per selling period. Building relationships with the representatives is key to this business, in my opinion. I also send my top sellers and recruiters chocolates on their birthday and gifts when they get promotions. National Trip earners from my downline always find roses waiting in their room when they arrive. I also never miss an opportunity to say "I'm proud of you". Linda: How important do you think that ongoing education is to your business success? What are some of your favorite educational and motivational books and tapes? Lisa: Have you heard the saying "Good leaders are good readers"? When I first heard that, I thought "Wow, how powerful". Education means everything to my business, especially in the industry we are in. We have so many things to keep current on. We are not only managers, sales professionals, multi-level marketers, self-employed women, entrepreneurs and trainers, but also relationship builders. All of those things are skills that needto be learned and improved upon as we grow. I subscribe to over a dozen magazines per month including "Upline", "Entrepreneur", "Selling Power", "The Network Trainer" and I always read your online newsletter, "MLM Woman" every month. Some of my favorite books include: "C and the Box" by Frank A. Prince, "See You At The Top" by Zig Ziglar and "The Miracle of Motivation" by George Shinn. My all time favorite tape set is "Lead the Field" by Earl Nightingale -- that is the tape set that I give my downline members when they make a big promotion, that's how important that tape set is to me -- it changed my life ! A couple other favorite tape sets: "The Art of Exceptional Living" by Jim Rohn and "Unlimited Power" by Tony Robbins. I also recommend anything by Les Brown -- whether it be audio or video -- he is excellent and tells it like it is! By the way, I do all that reading mainly in the powder room --- have stacks of magazines and books. That way anytime I go in there I can take an extra 10 minutes to do some reading -- or a little longer if it's bath time. I listen to tapes every time I get in the car. Educating myself is part of my work and I also plan time during my work day to learn. Linda: What are some of the challenges you've had to overcome? How do you keep going on those bad days when you just want to quit? Lisa: I think the biggest challenge that I had to overcome is poverty. When I lost my job as a secretary it was 1988 and the job market had just gone soft, so I couldn't find a "real" job and decided to try selling Avon full time. The years from 1988 - 1993 were very lean and then I decided to try Avon's MLM program which had just been introduced in 1992 in my area. I needed even more money to invest to get the MLM part of my business going, so I sold more so I'd have additional profit to invest. We were so poor for so long, I don't know how to tell you. I drove a Yugo for 7 years (put on 150,000+ miles) and I can't tell you how many times I had to push start it and call my husband to come rescue me because I was broke down. We were eating macaroni and cheese because it was cheap and I was sitting on the couch with cash in my hand waiting to pay the electric man when I saw him climbing my pole to turn off my power. Things weren't good. BUT I had a dream. THAT is what kept me going then, and still keeps me going now. Back then, I thought "if anyone can succeed in this business, certainly I can, too. It must just be a matter of perseverance and hard work". I never gave up. My family and friends made fun of me and my neighbors laughed at me. But I never gave up. They are not laughing now! You need a BIG dream -- a goal to work on. And you need to take time every day to work out the details of how you are going to make that goal happen and exactly what you are going to do today that will bring you closer to that goal. Visualize success -- that's what I did when I was the most depressed. I imagined just how it was going to feel when I held that first check over $1,000.00 in my hands. I visualized how proud my husband and family would be. I visualized how impressed the bank tellers would be! I visualized buying steak instead of macaroni and how it would taste. I visualized going down to the electric company and paying my bill ahead of time. That's what pulled me through. Linda: What would you recommend as a minimum amount of money a new person in MLM should plan on budgeting each month if they are serious about being successful in their business? Lisa: That is a very hard question to answer -- I think it would depend on which company you represent. In all honesty -- in a product based company, I think you should be able to generate the extra income to re-invest by selling more product and using the additional profit. Not only will it give you the extra profit, but will show your downline that you are willing to go out there and "DO" not just tell them to do. Many times my downline will say to me "you always want me to increase my sales -- just how much are YOU selling?" That is why I continue to be a large volume seller -- sets a good example as well as keeps you on the front lines. If I had to guess an amount -- I would say at least $250.00 per month -- and that would pay for an 800#, some ads in the paper, copies of flyers for bulletin boards, business cards, and office supplies. Linda: Why do you think that so many women are attracted to the idea of having a network marketing business? Lisa: I believe network marketing is perfect for women in particular because it involves relationships. The stronger relationships you build with your customers and downline, the more money you make. In network marketing, there is no "glass ceiling", either. And the prejudices are not there --- you are judged by your accomplishments, not how you look or your gender or race. I am a BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) and have gotten discriminated against when it comes to management positions when I worked in corporate America. I believe I was judged on my appearance and gender more than my accomplishments. In network marketing, none of those issues matter -- it's FABULOUS! Linda: How important do you think the Internet and other new technologies will be as marketing tools for MLM distributors? Lisa: Any new development or technology that affects "regular" businesses will also have an impact on the MLM industry. Every MLM company I can think of has a corporate web site and many of them promote individual representatives having their own sites. I personally am using my Winner In You web site as a "meeting place" for my downline as part of my support. I have recently added a chat room so that I can have online chat meetings with all representatives on the Internet (previously I was having chats on AOL only every week). I will also be having my newsletter available on the web site as well as a picture of me and some background so that my downline that lives far away can get to know me better. When new technology is available to the public, I always try to look at it and see how I could adapt it to further my business because I know that if I think of ideas, so will many others. Linda: What do you do that makes you different, that makes you successful? What are the secrets to your success? Your business philosophy? Lisa: I believe that I am experiencing some success in this business because I don't give up. I keep trying new things until I find what works and then I keep working day in and day out. I have clear, well defined goals that I am working towards and do something towards those goals every day. I'm still building my business, just like everyone else -- and I'm not afraid to take the blame for mistakes or to try new things and make mistakes. Consistency is also very important. Getting all motivated and working hard for a couple of weeks and then slacking off won't cut it -- you have to stay consistent with your efforts over a long period of time. There is no get rich quick method of building a better life -- and there is no such thing as a free lunch. The trick is to find work and a company that you love and that way work can become your best friend, not something you are always trying to do less of and get away from. Here are a couple of quotes from my business philosophy: "The only place SUCCESS comes before WORK is in the dictionary" and "Attitude is EVERYTHING". Linda: Lisa, thanks so much for your time and for sharing your knowledge and experience. Editor's Note: Lisa's book "Marketing Ideas for the Wild at Heart" is available along with other sales aids she has designed on her website: www.winnerinyou.com. You can contact Lisa by writing to 733 S. Stark Hwy., Weare, NH 03281 or calling 1-800-258-1815. Her e-mail address is LWilber@aol.com.
Find a Way... Your Way By Jan Ruhe Think clearly and become fully focused. For things to change, you must change. For your downline to grow, you must grow. You can only change yourself, you cannot change other people; but when a leader changes, develops and grows, so does her team. Ask yourself this question, "If I continue to do what I have always done, am I going to continue to make what I have always made?. . . And is that enough?" You can become more effective every year. . . every month. . . even every day. You can consistently learn and learn and earn while you learn and get better and better. Just retain your enthusiasm. Just love learning and earning. When you start becoming more of a symbolic leader, instead of being directly involved with leading day-to-day, you'd better start looking for career alternatives - because your lack of input will begin to affect your team negatively. This erosion may be gradual and may not be demonstrated immediately, but it will happen, believe me. You sacrifice so much in time and energy as a leader, that as the years wear on, you will wonder, as I have wondered, "How can I sustain my efforts?" You have to. Find a way. Find your way. Jan Ruhe is a Diamond Distributor with Discovery Toys, and is the author of Pour Yourself a Cup of Ambition. She has trained over 10,000 people in her career and has personally sponsored over 500 representatives into her company. This article is excerpted from her book, Fire Up! For more information visit her website at: www.fireup.com. For a special MLM Woman discount on Jan's latest training course, MLM Nuts $ Bolts, CLICK HERE. Reprinted permission from Upline®, February 1996, 1-800-800-6349.
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