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5 Responsible Realities to a Network Marketing Home Based Business

In her second week as a “distributor” with one leading home based network marketing business, a Houston woman launched into a stinging tirade against her “upline” sponsor, accusing him of misleading her on the true costs of membership.  According to the sponsor, the woman stated as her goal to earn “5,000 a month,” but refused to spend more than the cost of the membership on her new business. “It’s as if she thought the business would flow without any personal or financial effort,” said the sponsor, “and once I tried to counsel her to the basics of starting a business, she got furious and blamed the company for taking her down a primrose path.”

Such stories are common and all too frequent in the growing network marketing arena. The idyllic vision of working from home with feet propped up in front of the TV after slams head-on into the reality of the costs involved in running a business. There’s plenty of blame to go around for such a misconception, but ultimately, if one wants to be successful in network marketing working from home, basic business planning goes a long way. And, no business leader should want to sign-on a new distributor who doesn’t have a basic understanding of operating budgets.

Here are 5 Responsible Realities to Launching a Network Marketing Home Based Business:

Reality Number 1

The cost of your membership in the network marketing business does not represent your total start-up operating costs. Instead, it’s a fraction of what you will need to invest and is more akin to paying a one-time franchise fee in a traditional bricks and mortar business.

Take McDonald’s. To build the Golden Arches, you will need to pay a yearly franchise fee of $45,000. But that represents only five percent of your total investment in building out the opportunity just to open the doors. On top of that, there are royalty and other fees that will increase your total investment over time.

Network marketing companies operate with similar requirements. Just to “open your doors,” you will need to purchase a membership. Often, the memberships are tiered with incentives given on the higher priced plans. This “fee” gives you the right to represent the company and often includes some initial products. In addition, the plans may extend some operating costs such as a website, although this is usually given to the distributor for “one month free” after which you will need to pay a monthly website fee.

But any reasonable analysis of actually working the business demonstrates deeper start-up costs that more closely resemble operating a traditional business. One of those costs is marketing. Prospecting for leads can certainly be done with nothing more than picking up the phone and calling friends, family and acquaintances. But that will get you but so far. Serious business builders will want to engage a lead generation company, one which provides quality prospects. The costs of these services can easily run up to $100 dollars or more a month, depending on the number of leads purchased.

The new distributor will need to pay for business cards, product samples, marketing brochures, internet access, phone service, and other start-up operating costs that are not often discussed by the sponsor, especially during those first initial and heady conversations.

Reality Number 2

Just as in a traditional business, the new network marketer needs to devise an annual operating budget. There’s just no way to gauge success simply flying by the seat of your pants. Responsible home based businesses should provide projections based on monthly revenues against monthly expenses. Beyond the start-up costs above, the new business will realize recurring monthly expenses that dwarf that initial membership fee.  Take the website alone. There’s simply no way to operate a network marketing company without one. Usually, the network marketing company will offer “one month free” when you sign up, but after that, you will be assessed a monthly fee. Let’s take $29.95 a month for a website. Over the course of the next 11 months, that’s more than $300 dollars. If you plan to advertise online through pay-per-click ads, a budget of $150 a month, or $1,800 a year would be minimal. Add to that the costs of other activities and your total marketing budget could easily approach $3,000. Failing to project such costs is not responsible for any business and will lead to a disappointing balance sheet in just a few short months.

Reality Number 3

In the first exciting days of signing on as a distributor and launching your own business, it’s easy to forget the business model of the network marketing company. They make money when you spend money. Often, commissions are determined by the amount of your “personal” and “group” volumes. Calculations become frustratingly complex but at a minimum require that you purchase a certain amount of product per month. Moreover, some companies provide incentives for you to place your products on “autoship” which amounts to a standing operating expense. Certainly, you can resell product, but product purchases can play havoc with your balance sheet and if you are not careful, lead to a cupboard stacked full of unopened vitamin bottles.  Understanding the company’s expectations are critical to a responsible operating budget.

Reality Number 4

Network marketing companies require a tremendous amount of well, networking. Most encourage strong participation in “team” conference calls and online training. Understanding how your fellow distributors are approaching their business, testimonials and support from business leaders is an important element in your responsible approach to your new business. If you have gone into the business saying you will devote a few hours a week and expecting to earn substantial income, you will be sorely disappointed. Training calls alone will absorb several hours a week. Failure to take part in the sessions will undoubtedly harm your competitiveness. The bottom line is that if you are going into the business with the hope of making a few calls here and there, you won’t be successful.

Reality Number 5

The lack of a long range plan is short-sighted. Can you imagine investing in  a McDonald’s franchise and giving up only after a couple of months of being open? There are frustrations in any business, but the lack of responsible planning in network marketing will lead to huge headaches that could have been managed. No franchise owner would not operate without a business plan, but all to often, the decision to begin a network marketing career is made on the spur of the moment. Sure, throwing money out of the window can be amusing. Dollar bills are amazingly transferred into thin air by the wind.  Before signing on, a business plan that includes basic budgeting, revenue forecasts and expenses will make the difference in operating a true business and flushing dollars down a drain.

Concluding Reality

Did this article throw cold water in your face? That’s good. Stepping back and looking at the network marketing business from a more even-keeled perspective is exactly what any business leader should want in a new sponsor.  Retention rates in the business are text book.  Keeping and retaining distributors in your downline takes a lot of hand holding. But at a minimum, you should not want to do business with anyone who approaches their livelihood in such a haphazard manner.  Network marketing can reap substantial rewards, but only for those responsible enough to approach the endeavor as a true business, not some dream of sitting on a sofa in front of the TV, hoping against hope for the commissions to roll in without any investment beyond he initial membership fee.

The Basic Rules To Obey In Printing Business Cards

While it is easy to do business card printing today (some people actually do it at home), you should be aware that there are a few basic rules you should obey in printing business cards. This is not a simple art project you know. Business card printing is a very purposeful thing since you are creating a business tool that will help you in succeeding in business. That is why I am here now to teach you the basic rules to obey in business card printing. Just keep to these rules below and your color business cards should be in line with what professionals are doing now.

1.Keep it real and professional – The first major rule in business card printing and design is to keep it real and professional. Many new business people today think of lots of wild and unconventional designs for their custom business cards. While creativity can indeed be rewarding sometimes, too much creativity will usually backfire in business card printing. So if you want your business cards to work effectively, it is best to follow the rules and keep it real and professional. Do not go overboard with the designs. Simply try to innovate on professional design themes that are appropriate for business professionals

2.Spend on quality – Another basic rule for business card printing is to spend on quality. Since you are printing business cards for your business benefit, it is important to appear as best you can with the best quality color business cards. So do not be shy with your business card printing budget. Spend on quality materials in terms of paper and inks in business card printing. The better your printing materials are, the better looking you will be in the eyes of your business contacts.

3.Keep to standard configurations – It is also an important rule to always keep to standard configurations in business card printing. It might be tempting to develop a memorable custom business card with different shapes and sizes, but this will only make it harder for most people to keep your business cards. This is because most wallets and “rolladecks” have set dimensions for standard business cards. So if you want your business cards to be kept by people, it is important to always keep to the standard configurations and dimensions in business card printing.

4.Add one defining element – You should also always follow the rule of adding one defining element to your business card designs. Since most businessmen and businesswomen will probably receive hundreds of business cards throughout the years, it is important that your own personal business cards must be the one that stands out among them.

That is why you should always think of one defining element that makes your custom business cards unique. This can be something as simple as a memorable tagline, or something as defining as a vibrant color choice. As long as it matches your business image, that memorable and defining element should be your key to success in business cards.

5.Print with an expert – Finally, a good practical rule to follow in business card printing is to always print with an expert. More particularly, I recommend hiring professional online business card printing companies. They have all the skills and tools necessary to make business cards fit for professionals and you will never go wrong in hiring a business card printing expert. So always print with them if you can.

So those are the basic rules you need to follow in business card printing. If you want a truly professional custom business card, these rules should serve you well.

Quick And Easy Techniques To Do Your One-To-One Marketing Effectively

The delivery process is computerized and your prospects can receive the products instantly upon purchase. So, it doesn’t matter even if it’s 4:00AM in the morning you can still make the sale, whilst you are fast-a-sleep. So if you are offered to purchase copy right and resell rights, do not hesitate to do so. You will discover just how easily you can tap into the planet’s biggest and most influential social networking sites and bring your business to greater heights!

 It is best to avoid using the “Until Midnight” excuse… This is primarily the case in Internet Marketing circles but most savvy marketers know it’s really only a script at work and a technique used for one-to-one marketing. Unless you really meant that your product offer would be gone by midnight, you should refrain from using this tactic.

 Because in ways more than one, it’s pretty ambiguous even in pursuit of getting your prospects to act at this instant. Evidently, your product would still be there the next day, being sold at the same fee. So use any other scarcity reasons but this misleading technique for your one-to-one marketing!

 Press your prospect to act on scarcity reasons.

 You can say that you’re limiting the number of copies of your product (and keep your word on it!). And it has been proven that with one-to-one marketing, scarcity sells. People by nature like to have the privilege of owning, so this is one factor you can really bang on to increase your conversion rate and sales.

 For example use the following techniques:

Time-Based One-To-One Marketing

This is not an open-ended offer. This sale runs for only 7 days. After the 7th day is past, this offer will expire and be removed forever from your website!

Quantity Based One-To-One Marketing

Only 100 copies will be sold. No more than that. Once the 100th copy leaves the shelf, this offer will not be made available again, EVER!

Use Fast Action Bonuses One-To-One Marketing

Nowadays, just offering bonuses just isn’t enough an incentive especially if you’re in a cut-throat niche. So you can add your edge by offering time sensitive bonuses. Aside from your bonuses having to be perfect complimentary products to your primary offer, the fact that they are scarce encourages your prospect to act at this instant and swap the Fast Action Bonuses and get compensated more value for the same money purchased.

Tighten your one-to-one marketing offer with a long-term guarantee

It is a proven fact that with one-to-one marketing the longer your guarantee terms, the better. Encourage your prospect to try your product out and test-drive it instead of being neutral or indifferent. For example use the following phrase:

 “… Don’t wonder. Don’t think. Just try …”

 Also assure your prospect that you will be shouldering all the risk for him or her throughout the guarantee period with statements like (in as bold as they may be):

 ”I personally stake my reputation on my claims, but I seriously hate to see you pass such a great deal that I’m willing to shoulder all the risks for you so you can try it out worry-free!”

Let your PS serves your one-to-one marketing campaign

You can use P.S. (or post-script) to summarize your offer or reveal hidden benefits at the end of your one-to-one marketing sales letter, even though you don’t have to cover all of them; some will do. Here are some things worth summarizing in your P.S.

 ”You have my word that this is the big break through you’re looking for. And if it’s not up to your satisfaction for any reason whatsoever, just drop me an email, delete the product off your hard drive, and I’ll refund every cent of your purchase. No questions asked.”

“You have nothing to lose except a chance to try it out!

 Just remember you are shouldering the risk for your prospect through your Money Back Guarantee, so keep your promises and integrity in order to maintain your relationship with your prospects.

 It would be more expensive and costly in terms of money, time and effort (or all) if your prospect seeks other solutions or alternatives than yours.

 You can stress on the Fast Action Bonuses and how scarce they are that if your prospect doesn’t act now, he or she will miss out on them.

 If you have no other urgency factors with your one-to-one marketing, stress it out to your prospect on how valuable it is to him or her to tackle her current problems right now and not later with your offer.

 Once again, you can use the P.S. to reveal other hidden benefits not mentioned earlier in your sales letter. It could be an unannounced bonus, guarantee statement or a reward for acting immediately.

The value of testimonials in your one-to-one marketing

One factor that will boost your sales with one-to-one marketing is when you choose to reveal even more praises and testimonials in effort to encourage your prospect to act now and become your customer.

 At the end, your P.S. serve your one-to-one marketing as good summaries and testimonials, which presses your prospect to act now by purchasing from your order hyperlink / Access Button / Opt-in Form.

Offer comparisons with your one-to-one marketing

Another proven technique with one-to-one marketing is if you tell your prospect that the price you’re asking for the product or service, is a bargain. You can do this by comparing to other possibly higher cost solutions by your opponents (without naming brands and specific names) or less effective substitutes.

 For example you can use the following content:

 ”Which one do you think is a smart thing to do? Invest $97.00 and find out all of what you need to know about making a killing in the stock market OR flushing thousands of dollars into shooting in the dark and get killed in the process?”

 OR

 ”For the first time ever, you can tap into the secrets of top marketers at the measly price of $47.00. Now why would you even pay $2,000 to attend a seminar to learn the same secrets I share with you in my audio course?”

Download this free eBook for more techniques for successful one-to-one marketing online. By registering a free account with the Global Network you will have instant free access to our Leader’s Library filled with more free training material in the form of eBooks and Audio Books, presentations and interviews from some of the best entrepreneurs of our age, willing to excel you to your personal success. Also if you need any assistance feel free to contact me directly.

Raise Your Business Card Printing IQ

Do not really know the right way to print business cards? Well let me help you raise your business card printing IQ with this simple guide. I will teach you all the different aspects of business card printing and the main choices that you will have to decide on to make sure that your business cards turn out right. So let us start first with the most basic of things in business card printing, the paper materials.

Learn about your business card paper – The paper can really have a big impact on your business card. Not only does it have a direct relationship with the durability of your color business cards, but it can also have a significant effect on the appearance of your design.

The most basic rule that you need to know in terms of business card paper materials is that the thicker the paper the better for your durability. So always try to spend on thick business card paper to make sure that your business cards are tough. Besides that, it is good to always go for glossy finishes to your business card so that it feels smooth and gleams in the light just like a professional’s. Follow these printing options when you can and your business cards should turn out quite well.

Learn about your business card inks – Little did you know, but your ink options in business card printing also play a big part in the look of your cards. While the standard black ink is the most commonly used for business cards, you should also be aware that there are other kinds of inks out there including full color inks, full color glossy inks and special metallic inks.

These different inks provide a different kind of effect on the print. Basic glossy inks make your business card text look more like a magazines, while metallic inks makes them more elegant and of course “metallic” in a way. You should always choose a good type of ink that really supplements your designs quite well. So ask your business card printer your options in terms of ink, you should be able to judge them by price and quality.

Learn about other important printing options – You should also pay attention to other printing options when it comes to business cards. Some business card printers offer special water resistant coatings to make the cards faster. Other printers also offer special options like one sided glossy printing, full color printing or even special “spot color” printing that only prints full color on certain spots of the business card. There are a lot of extra options to look out for in business card printing and you should always ask your business card printer all about them so that you can maximize your choices for printing business cards.

Learn about your business card printer – Finally, you should always know the basics about business card printers. Here are a few facts that you should know:

Printers can be found online. Many business card printing companies have online portals. These portals help you order business card prints online without having to go to the place of business of the business card printing company. So if you want to print business cards more conveniently, try online business card printing.

It is easy to get discounts. Business cards should be typically ordered by the bulk. This usually results in getting great discounts from the business card printer. So always ask what amount of custom business cards results in printing discounts.

So there you have it. With these business card printing facts, you should now have a higher IQ on printing business cards. Hopefully, you will be able to print business cards in a better way after reading this.

Starting a Business for under $100

Just how much does it require to start a business? Many potential entrepreneurs have found their aspirations to start a business reeling back to reality after starting to research how much it may take to form a business. Like many Americans right now, we’re more interested in finding out just how little it can take to start an online small business correctly.

Depending on your target industry and which sources you’ve polled, you’re idea of launching a business may be to write a grant to a reputable venture capital firm after some considerable research and preparation, garner a sizeable sum of working capital, hire a development team, hold an IPO, implement a national marketing campaign to promote your brand, and begin enjoying the fiscal fruits of your labor.  However, starting a business can be done successfully for much less, in fact, you may be surprised to find out just how affordable it can be.

Before beginning a budget outline however, several important maxims should be noted. First, people are generally interested in being self-employed because they have an idea they feel could make money, because they don’t like working for other people and want to be the boss, because they feel they have gained enough knowledge to be successful or have the ability to beat the competition, or because they have a passion for something and simply cannot contain the desire to follow their heart.

Of all the basic, generalized wisdom looming in cyberspace on the subject of business start-ups, I would admonish proprietors to carefully weight two pieces of advice: first, if possible, start a business doing something you’re passionate about.  In other words, don’t start a business just to escape your self-professed intolerable working conditions or even to get more money – both reasons, though powerful intial catalysts, will ultimately begin to wilt in the long, enduring heat of running a business after it’s inception.  Inspect your motives…your business concept doesn’t have to be the focus of your belief system or foundation of who you are, but it should be something you generally enjoy and have some passion for, and something that utilizes your greatest aspect of your personality, talents, and skillset.

Second, don’t start a business on a whim.  Even if the transition to self-employment feels whimsical, igniting an almost-childlike feeling of adventure too often missing in responsible adult life, don’t act upon that impulse without some tough introspection regarding your long-term life goals, family considerations, and level of interest.  Though initially stirring, self-employment is at its core, just that: providing yourself a job. If the day to day work and production of your business won’t honestly provide you moderate happiness and fulfillment, stop dreaming, leave your coworkers some coffee, put down this article and go back to work.  The longer hours, additional workload, frustrating new learning curve, and inevitable mistakes historically tied to self-employement may leave you yearning for your old job, but stuck in a deep hole of monetary and relational debt, as creditors and lonely family members hunt for you.

With those stark warnings in place for your consideration, let’s proceed with an inspection of what it takes to start a business, and how inexpensively it can be properly accomplished.  I say “properly” here because we do not want to consider ineffective, illegal, or unlikely business start-up methods that have will create difficulties down the dusty road of commerce, or create businesses without any staying power that are likely to topple under the slightest market adversity.

Forming a business involves, but is not limited to, the following essential basics: selecting your products and services, determing the cost of production – i.e. the equipment, materials, labor, expenses, and human capital required to deliver your product – conducting market research, setting up your business structure, getting the required licenses, insurance, and bonding, obtaining federal and state company tax id’s, and marketing your new business.  Each of these categories lightly identifies business basics that each represent enormous pillars of commerce that must be recognized and carefully climbed to reach success and which could all easily topple and crush your new, optimism-strong, structurally-delicate company.

Though product catalog and market consideration may preceed this step, actually forming your business will first require that you choose your business form, such as a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, or corporation. The structure of your business bears serious tax and legal implications and should be carefully researched. The cost can vary depending on your state and industry, and whether you do the submission and research yourself or pay a professional to do it for you.  Forming a corporation in our state requires an $80 fee and a form submitted to the Secretary of State; paying an accounting firm or business professional to submit your application can exceed $600.00.  Most importantly though, in the quest for an affordable start-up option, electing to be a sole-proprietorship may cost as little as a $10 registration fee in your state.  Choosing to operate as a sole-proprietor may offer less legal protection than a corporation and will require paying a 15% self-employment tax, but it is also the easiest to manage from the blocks when you’re facing a tight budget.

Once your structure is registered in your state, you’ll need to obtain a federal Employer Identfication Number or EIN, which can be your social security number by default for sole-proprietors. You’ll also need to register with your state tax withholding department after receiving your federal EIN number, but both these can be done applied for freely.

Depending upon your type of business, state laws, and company employees – if any – you may may not need to require any insurance or bonding initially. For sole proprietors without any employees you do have to carry workers compensation insurance. Licensing, bonding, and insurance requirements will vary by state and industry, but for online retail companies, none of the above these may be required.

Then there’s obtaining everthing needed to actually deliver your product or service. For a local retail company, it may be necessary to rent a commercially zoned retail building and purchase the products and furnishings to fill it. For service companies like a plumbing or mechanical company, you may need to purchase tools, trucks (or some form of transportation) and materials before ever getting a job.  However, still roving for the most inexpensive means of building your business dream, starting an online company can have much lower associated costs. To be an e-tailer you need a domain or url (your web address), a hosting solution, a website, a shopping cart software, and a merchant account to accept payments.

There are numerous ecommerce companies offering easy-to-use, ready-in-no-time ecommerce stores that make it failry easy for inexperienced entrepreneurs to succeed.  One I like offering high-quality, professional websites, hosting, domain, store management software, shopping cart, and support is AWDCommerce (http://www.awdcommerce.com), a Montana based ecommerce software development firm and web design firm.  For $39.99 per month, which includes your site hosting, they provide you with a quality website and all the tools you need – from ecommerce management to marketing and analytics – to operate your business.

With inexpensive, faciliting companies like AWDCommerce, choosing to start with an online company may be a wise choice with a much lower initial investment.  While I don’t advocate starting a company half-heartedly working nights in your attic office, developing an online business can be done while holding another job, and for some, may be the only real possibility of ever feeling the winds of occupational freedom.

When it comes to marketing, online businesses may gain another advantage over locally based businesses, not only because they can sell to a greater demographic – a legitimate consideration in an ailing economy – but because online search engine optimization, cost-per-click, email, and viral marketing campaings can be conducted initially for very little – probably considerably less than local print advertising would cost anyway. Resources are virtually unlimited online and for an entrepreneur willing to submit themselves to some additional education, they may be able to gain valuable visitors for free.  Certainly local businesses can seek grass-roots style means of getting the word out as well – creating flyers, making pamphlets, etc. – so online businesses don’t necessarily own my vote here.

All votes cast though, starting an online business may be the most affordable option for those obligated to extreme penny pinching, and with all-inclusive ecommerce available to help with a host of professional services, establishing a believable brand and quickly creating a professional catalog may be significantly easier than trying to compete with local businesses.

Plus, along with the excessive splendor of working in your pajamas, operating a web store may carry several additional advantages over any other form of business. All businesses will have to be formed in your state and will require a tax id number and all businesses will require bookkeeping, customer service, etc. However, getting a website up for an online store can be significantly cheaper than renting an office – and with less long term obligations.

Sure, there are companies willing to charge you your arm and leg for a website design, but you’re eventually going to need those, and others, like AWDCommerce, can provide a stunning professional storefront for a very small investment. You’re home can be your office, if you have a decent workspace safe from interruption, and you can create a professional site online that acts as your visible company headquarters. It’s just easier to generate brand confidence online than it is renting an small, ageing office space in the old part of town that still exceeds your budget as you try to quickly create local business awareness in time to get your first sale before paying your next rent installment.

If you don your plaid pj’s and spend some time digging in Google, you’ll likely uncover a similar story when it comes to marketing, developing a product catalog, and so on.  Though it will still be hard and success will still probably depend upon your effort and business acumen, e-tailing has also become fabulously formulaic. That is to say, so many people have done it, and so many companies offer it, that the system is down pat.  You can sign up with one drop-shipping distributing giant who will provide you with all the product information, and you just sell. Much easier than putting together a competitive brick and mortar. Besides, having less cost involved means you’ve got more time to pursue your dream before the debts pile too high and your spouse gives you an ultimatum.

In any event, when it comes to starting a business on a budget, ecommerce has the edge – becoming an web retailer can be achieved for less than $100.  For those cubicle-weary few, pensively eyeing the boss’s window office, such manageable start up costs may seem like a better way of blowing a paycheck than the usual weekend fare.