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MLM Woman Online This free monthly newsletter is made possible by our advertisers and customers. We thank them for their support! From the Desk of the Editor Welcome to another issue of MLM Woman Newsletter. I hope you are off to a great start in the new 21st century. This month we feature articles to help you jumpstart your business on the Internet and to position yourself for success this year. Enjoy! Linda Locke, Editor MLM Woman How to Turn a Passive Web Site into an Active Profit Center By Robert Imbriale, Business Coach There are only 2 types of web sites on the Internet - active and passive. The difference? One makes money and the other doesn't. The more people I meet over the Internet, the more I realize why people aren't successful at turning a profit with their web sites. From what I have seen, most people have built passive web sites and they just sit back and wait for the orders to come in. You see, I define a "passive" web site as a site that is put on the Internet and that's about it. The owner just sits back and expects the profits to come rolling on in. I don't have to tell you that this is not to way to sell on the Internet! People who run what I define as "active" web sites have a totally different approach to selling on the web. And, they are typically bringing in respectable profits as a result. The difference is that these people are active in their marketing efforts. They update their web sites often, and they take specific actions to make sure people know that their web site exists and why it's important for their prospects to visit their site. Which type of web site do you run? If you're running a passive web site today, the good news is that it's easy to turn your web site into an active web site. The tools to help you to do it are readily available and they are not difficult to understand or use. Let's take a look at what you can do today to turn your web site form a cash-eater to a profit center! First, when was the last time you updated your web site? If you have not touched your web site in the last 6 weeks, it's time to update it! Keep in mind that the Internet is an active form of media, and if you don't update your web pages regularly, people simply won't come back to your site - in the same way that you wouldn't watch the same episode of your favorite sitcom over and over again. So get out a pen and some paper. Now ask yourself this question: what is the reason that I have a web site? In other words, what is your web site working to accomplish for you. For some people their web site is there to sell products or services. For others, their web site might be more of an outlet for distributing information to either customers or members. Why do you have or want a web site? Once you know the answer to that question, the next question I would ask you is; are you realizing your purpose with your current web site? If you answered "no" to this question, you may want to keep reading, as this article is specifically for you. With your pen and paper, not your computer, write down the main purpose for your web site at the top of a blank sheet of paper. Now, draw a circle about the size of a silver dollar in the middle of the page. This circle will represent your home page. Now, what are the different functions your web site must offer if it is to effectively serve your purpose? Do you need an online catalog section, a customer service section, a news section, or how about a section called "resources?" As you come up with each of the sections you'll need on your web site, just draw a box next to your home page circle on your paper and title each box with the focus of each section. For instance, if you need a catalog, draw a box and title it "catalog." Once you have made a box, draw a line "linking" that box back to the home page, if that is how the user will get to this page. There is no need to be neat here. Draw your boxes on all sides of the circle, just like a spider web, if you will. And leave room to draw boxes under and/or beside the boxes you are now drawing. Then simply link all the boxes to their appropriate places by drawing lines between the boxes. This is what I call the "working web" diagram. It's how I start every web project and it's how you should begin your web projects as well. It will help you see your web site from a whole new perspective. Remember, the flow of your web site is very important, and this simple exercise will help you to design the flow of your web site quickly and easily. Now, under the box you drew for your catalog section, for example, what catalog areas will you have to build? Make a new box under the main catalog box for each catalog area. You could even go further at this point and draw a box for each product in every catalog area, but it could get too cumbersome and isn't usually necessary. Now just do the same thing with each section of your web site until you have carefully thought out and planned each section carefully. Take your time. This is the most important part of building your web site. The next step is to actually build this web site. Get help with it, if you need it, but build it. And remember, it's more important to stay true to your original layout than it is to play to your skill level. In other words, if you don't know how to do certain things technically, yet you feel it would be better to have it then not, get help! Never let the technical stuff get in the way of your marketing efforts! Great! Let's say that at this point your web site is built. Now, it's really nothing more than a passive web site at this point, right? Of course it is since we haven't taken any form of action to market it in any way! Get out a fresh sheet of paper. At the top of the page write the words, "Marketing Plan." This sheet will serve as your marketing planner for your web site. In the middle of the page, once again, draw a circle just as you did before. Now in this circle, what you want to do is put in the words "web site orders." Now, if you also take orders over the telephone, you may want to draw a circle next to the other one and call it "telephone orders." Or if you also take orders through the mail, you could add a third circle. Now around the circle or circles, you want to again draw some boxes and give them titles. What are some ways you can draw traffic to your web site? How about writing and distributing a press release? If that's an option, draw a box and title it "press release." How about writing an article? If that's an option, again, make a box and title it, "article." This process will help you to see a variety of ways to create sales on your web site. Now, from each box, I draw an arrow to either the "web site order" circle or the "telephone order" circle. In some cases it may result in either a web site purchase or a telephone order, so I will draw arrows to each circle to indicate where that order might be placed. On a typical marketing plan diagram, I will have anywhere from 10 to as many as 35 different marketing channels from which sales will come. These can include; press releases, classified ads in e-zines, e-books giveaways, seminars, teleconferences, reciprocal web site links, banner ads, display ads, search engine submissions, newsletters, direct mail, etc. The goal here is to be as creative and playful as possible. You really want to fill up your page with at least 10 channels of marketing so that you have a number of ways that you will drive traffic to your web site. Once your marketing planner is complete, you can get more specific on each area and put in the title and release date, for example, of your first press release. You could write a list of places you'd ideally like to run classified ads, or which groups you can speak to about your product or service. The key to keep in mind here is that you don't need to know what you are going to say, who you are going to say it to, or how you will find these groups in the first place. Keep your focus on the horizon, not on the pebbles along the way. If you know what you really want, you'll always find a way to get it! If you've spent the time to really build your marketing planner, what you'll have in your hands is the key to your Internet marketing success! What you'll create as you put these things into action is an active profit center on the Internet. A profit center that will bring you sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now I ask you, isn't that why you are on the Internet in the first place? About the Author . . . Robert Imbriale is an internationally known Business Coach. He is the author of hundreds of articles on the topic of Internet marketing and the creator of the popular Unlimited Leads Program (http://www.unlimitedleads.com). For a FREE COPY of his e-book, Internet Marketing Secrets, go to http://www.unlimitedleads.com/ibs.htm. To contact Robert by e-mail, send your messages to Robert@ultimatewealth.com The Tank's on Empty By Gary Lockwood Remember the last time you were driving down the road and noticed that your gas tank was on "empty"? How did you feel? If you're like most of us, you started feeling just a little anxious. You probably began thinking about how and when you would find a gas station. You might have even wondered (for a few seconds) what it would be like if you ran out of gas. With your imagination in high gear, you would have visualized yourself trudging on foot to the nearest gas station, buying a can of gas (including the can!), then hiking back to the car. What a trip! Now switch scenarios. Recall how you felt when you just filled the tank. You are confidently driving with an ample reserve of gas. No worries about fuel; no anxiety about running out. Having plenty of fuel for your car is very similar to having reserves for yourself. When you are running on "empty" with regard to time, money, space, love, faith, satisfaction, or companionship, you will feel the same negative emotions you felt when driving with an empty gas tank. So, what's the answer? Build reserves of all these things you need in your life. Do what you have to do to create more than enough love, attention, space, time, money and so on. Let's get something straight first. Building a reserve of something you need in your life is only one part of the puzzle. The other piece is to identify what is draining your reserves. If you're pouring into the top of a leaky bucket, you won't make much progress. For example, let's get started by examining how to create reserves of time. Many of my new coaching clients complain of having too little time. Their "time tank" is running on empty, so they feel uptight, frustrated, flustered, pulled in every direction, and tired. Often, this is the first thing we work on together. Clearly, a reserve of time would reduce the stress. So, how do you do it? Start by plugging the leaks. Take aggressive action, such as: ** Reduce interruptions - Interruptions can drain 1-2 hours a day. Rather than spend time with anyone who happens to stop by, close the door, turn off the phone or work from home one day a week. ** Reduce the clutter - Is your desk or credenza piled with pending and unfinished work that will be done when you "get around to it?" The average businessperson spends 3 hours each week looking for things plus 2 hours being distracted by the stuff lying around. The most effective people work from a clean desk. An uncluttered desk helps you stay focused on your most important project. ** Dump useless tasks - Quit doing some of the routine things you do just because "that's what I've always done". Practice good priority management. Plan each day to stay focused on those tasks that will move you toward your goals. Watch for tasks that can be delegated or simply dropped. As you plug the leaks that drain off your reserves of time, start to create even more time. Here are a few ways to do this: ** Stop the "Crises Management" - Ever feel that you're leaving a trail of unfinished projects, unreturned phone calls, unread mail, partially completed reports? Crises arise from jobs we left unfinished to work on other unfinished tasks. Another term for crisis management is "fire fighting." Most of this is really caused by losing focus of true priorities. Learn to tell the difference between "urgent" and "important". ** Plan better - You accomplish the most when you know exactly what you want to accomplish. Decide what is really important in your life. What can you delegate? What can you simply drop? You can't manage time, only your priorities. How about another example of creating reserves? If you wanted to create a reserve of money, what could you do? Start by plugging the leaks. Take aggressive action to stop wasting money; do what you have to do to avoid late payment penalties, shop wisely (with a list), look for deals and pay off the credit cards. As you plug the leaks that drain off your reserves of money, start to create even more money. To do this, you might: turn a hobby into a business, save at least 25% of income, develop sources of passive income, raise your prices by adding more value, make a financial plan. OK. Back to reserves now. You can see that we were shifting from being a "spender of time & money" to being "an investor of time and money". Start today to plug the leaks and create ample reserves for yourself in all the areas where you have needs. Some suitable candiates are time, money, space, safety/security, ideas, opportunities, friends, love, attention, self-esteem, confidence, energy, and gas in the tank. Fill the tank!  © 1999 BizSuccess All rights reserved. No duplication About the Author... Gary Lockwood is Your Business Coach. Get the Unique, Do-It-Yourself Business Success Kits - FREE. To get yours, go to http://www.BizSuccess.com/freekits.htm Free business newsletter - subscribe@BizSuccess.com Email: Gary@BizSuccess.com Web: http://www.BizSuccess.com Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) * Fax: (815) 361-3041 How To Make Your Email Readable  © by Wanda Loskot It is easy to assume that just because people agreed to be on your mailing list, they will read your messages. You are not sending spam and they requested your material, after all. Aaaah - if only this could be true... Not in your dreams! There are many factors determining when the message is read and when it is not. The content, of course, and the quality of your writing style has a *lot* to do with it. But no matter how good the quality of your message is, the look is equally important. Your message must be *easy* and *inviting* to read, otherwise you might lose the competition for the time and attention of your recipient. And judging from the masses of email that I receive in my daily correspondence, the look of the majority can be improved. Please keep in mind that it is difficult to read from the computer screen. Make sure that your message is as inviting as possible. Use a lot of white space Write shorter paragraphs than you would in your offline messages - and *always* double space between paragraphs. A blank line between paragraphs is a must. Use two or three blank lines to separate between topics. Make some sentences very short and let them stand alone between blank lines. It helps to emphasize the point you are making and it allows the eye to rest a bit... Like this. Be expressive There are many replacements for gestures and intonation. Use smileys :-) for a smile or more sophisticated <g> for a grin. And even ;-) for a playful wink. Use typed "vocalizations" - they will add life to your email, as long as you do not overdo it. Here are some of my favorites:   - ouch!   - hmmm   - wow!   - huh?   - aaaaah...   - yeah! Stay away from caps The human eye is trained to read by recognizing the shapes of the letters. Take for example the word: "day" -- you can just give it a glance to recognize three distinctive heights of the letters and read the word easily - and instantly. If you want to emphasize a word in email, use asterisks - like in *this* example. Remember that your email is the equivalent of your presence, and speaks volumes. It creates impressions about you just like your personal grooming does. Make sure your email is your ally! About the Author Wanda Loskot is a professional business coach -- sign up for her FREE teleclass "Seven Strategies For Lasting Internet Success" http://InternetSuccessCoach.com Are you tired of prospecting, cold calling, handling objections? Try "Referrals Unlimited" newsletter@loska.com From Ordinary To Extra-Ordinary Through Internet Networking By Rozey Gean Entrepreneurs around the world are tapping into the endless resources that freely flow through Internet networking communities. These communities are made up of enterprising women and men who are seeking to discover new and innovative techniques of establishing business relationships, building a client base, and gaining increased exposure globally. Through e-mail lists and electronic bulletin boards sponsored by such communities, entrepreneurs can not only establish these viable contacts; they can also share Internet resources to assist fellow members within the communities in just about every aspect of business start up and operation. As a veteran in the ever-growing popularity of Internet networking, I envision four distinctive elements that are inevitably sought after from true networkers across the world. 1. A VAT OF INFORMATION The Internet offers a vat of information to entrepreneurs. However, knowing what you need to know and where to find it can propose many challenges. Through effective networking, entrepreneurs share their knowledge and resources in an effort to help each other keep up with information that may be pertinent, as well as useful, in growing their businesses. 2. PARTNERING THROUGH SUPPORT Often times the isolation of working alone limits our creativity and abilities, as well as our potential growth. Through Internet community networking, entrepreneurs are able to establish partnerships wherein they share various components of services that will allow them to take on projects they may otherwise feel forced to turn down. Reasons they turn down opportunities may be a result of time restraints or a lack of knowledge in specific areas or aspects of a project. 3. INCREASED EXPOSURE Through sharing your expertise and knowledge within your Internet networking community, you earn trust and recognition among your peers. Your participation serves as your initial means of gaining exposure and becoming better established as an expert in your field. 4. ENDLESS REFERRALS Once your fellow networkers come to know and trust you, you will begin to experience the fruits of your networking efforts. Not only will your peers be more apt to utilize your services; they will be quick to refer others to you. This generates a cycle of word-of-mouth advertising that will contribute more to your growth than high dollar advertising. Networking through Internet communities offers a sense of reassurance in that it bridges the gap by providing resources to the entrepreneur that may not otherwise be readily available or easily accessible. As your networking experiences begin to produce growth for your business, it is important that you remain an intricate part of the group and give back as frequently as you can. As an active networker, you can turn an ordinary business venture into an extraordinary success! Copyright 1999, Rozey Gean, All Rights Reserved Worldwide About the Author: Rozey Gean, founder of the Women Entrepreneurs Online Network, (WEON), is a thirteen year veteran to entrepreneurship. Her expertise includes mentoring women in business and sharing her vast knowledge through written works. These works can be read in her popular weekly WEON newsletter and other publications such as Free Electronic Networks and most recently Web Bound Magazine. Subscribe to the WEON Business News at subscribe@weon.net or visit her ever-changing web site at http://www.weon.com Go back to the top of the page Back to the MLMWoman Newsletter Index We want your feedback! Send e-mail comments to Linda at: regent@west.net Copyright 2000, Regent Press http://www.mlmwoman.com