Five Advantages of Starting a Network Marketing Business

Too often, network marketing gets a bad rap. Why? There are many possible reasons, such as lack of proper training, shady companies (which are rarer than you think), and misleading expectations resulting in disappointing results. However, the biggest challenge is overcoming the mindset we are all given since childhood.

Go to school, get good grades, get a good job, save for retirement. Sound familiar?

Why is it that when you post on social media that you got a new job, over a hundred people congratulate you, but when you post that you've started your own business in a network marketing company, five people comment, and at least two of those comments are something to the effect of "it's a pyramid scheme!" You find out quickly from your friends who actually supports you, and it's really sad. By the way, the best way to tell if a business is a pyramid scheme or not, is ask if you can make money without recruiting. If you can't make money without recruiting others, steer clear.

I'll be upfront - none of my family are customers of my business. I've had friends signup then cancel a few months, and in one case only a week later. Running your own business is filled with disappointment, and that disappointment is what causes a lot of network marketers to throw in the towel. All too often, network marketers chasing "quick sales" paint a misleading picture of instant overnight success, and when that doesn't happen, the new recruit quits.

Most people would have quit by now, but I refuse to quit. Why do I refuse to quit? There are just too many advantages!

1. Tax benefits - I get to claim business expenses on my taxes! This is one of the things where new network marketers lose sight - they forget that non-inventory expenses can be deducted from their taxes.
2. Personal development - I've learned so much on how to better communicate with people, and give better presentations. I've had co-workers compliment me on the skills I've learned through attending the training sessions provided by the network marketing company I'm involved with.
3. Contacts - Being a business owner opens new doors and opportunities. I regularly attend business owner mixer and happy hour events, and get to meet with a lot of other business owners!
4. Extra income - As long as I continue to do income producing activity, I do get income! It might not always be as much income as I'd like, but it has helped supplement my full time job, especially since I recently took a pay cut so I could work closer to home.
5. Positive impact - I have the opportunity to make a positive impact in other people's lives, and give them a hand-up, not a hand-out, to help with their current financial situation.

By the way, I'll be launching my FREE Build Your Business Mastermind Program soon! If you'd like to join the program, fill out the signup form!

Why You Should Stop Using the Shotgun Approach in Network Marketing

Be forewarned, some of my friends in network marketing are not going to like this post. This will be like pouring salt on a wound, but I've seen so many of my friends going about their network marketing all wrong.

Network marketing is a unique but common business model in which independent associates or agents sell a product or service, primarily to their friends or family, and try to recruit others to join their business. By getting others to join their team, the network marketers can receive "override" commissions on their team sales.

Network marketing has a very bad rap with many people, due to a select few who continue to push their products, services, or opportunity onto every single person they know through post after post on social media. Usually the posts start out innocent enough, telling people how excited you are about your new opportunity. Unfortunately, this "shotgun" approach ultimately leads to disappointment, because your friends and family don't see the value or need of your product or service. They look at it as your "latest get rich quick scheme", an quickly dismiss any of your posts about what you do.

Don't get me wrong, there are many network marketing companies which are rather sketchy, and should be avoided. Many of these companies suffer from the "me too" problem - major retailers sell skin lotion, me too! Major retailers sell energy drinks, me too! Major retailers sell essential oils, me too! But don't instantly dismiss these me too companies - some offer healthier, better alternatives. But, you need to do your research!

Unfortunately, what drives a lot of people to quit their network marketing business is following the same missteps taken by their up-line to recruit others - blast out your information for all to see, and follow the same script to sell your stuff to everyone else. Don't get me wrong, for some people this works great, as long as you have an established brand which brings quality and value to someone's life.

Where I'm seeing many of my friends in network marketing struggle, and actually pushing away customers, is when they post every single day about their "amazing" product or service which has completely changed their life, but then don't really post anything which shows how they have changed.

It's easy to tell someone a product will give you amazing results. There's nothing wrong with claiming that once in a while. However, when you post every day about how much better your life is because of a product, and clearly make sure you mention that product in almost every one of your social media posts, I begin to absolutely despise your product. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and make the statement that I now HATE that "energy patch" (you know which one I'm talking about), and will not ever consider buying it from anyone. Why? Because every other post on my news feed is literally someone telling everyone else how amazing your energy patches are. Your product has not gone viral, you're not actually showing me you're living a better life, you're just putting on a smile in a paid advertisement. You want me to buy your products, try being a normal human being and actually post other stuff besides whatever it is you're selling. In fact, if you approach me personally and TALK with me, instead of blasting your product or service all the time, you might find that an opportunity will present itself to talk with me about whatever you sell during the course of our conversation.

So what's the right way? Well for one, be a human instead of a billboard. It's great to talk about your business, but talk to other people about other things too! I know the struggle, I know how tempting it can be to tell others about your business all the time, especially when you love it. But, slow down a little. Breathe. Take the time to be a human being and actually talk with people. You might be amazed by the results.

Facebook Job Feature - Measuring Impressions

For three weeks now, I've been measuring the impact of an un-boosted Facebook post using the new Job Post feature. Now keep in mind, at the time of this writing, the BuildLocal.Biz Facebook page only has 51 likes.

I setup the job posting as follows:

Position Name: Social Media Marketing
Position Description: Since this is a brand new feature, I wanted to post and see what kind of reach this actually provides for potential employers. Can you help me out and hit "Like" if you see this, or possibly even fill out a test job application?

Without boosting the post, in three weeks the post reached the following metrics:

People Reached: 40
Likes (people who actually read the description): 13
Submitted Applications: 9
Submitted Applications who didn't understand it was a test: 4
Messages from others promoting their own business instead: 1

Given that BuildLocal.Biz has 51 likes, this is an impression of 78% of the page audience.
Approximately 25% of the page audience read the test post and hit "like"

Overall, I feel that is a pretty decent return on a free posting.

It's worth noting, as with any Facebook post, job postings can also be boosted. For $20, this post could reach 2,100 - 5,400 people, for one day. By contrast, Indeed allows users to boost job posts for $5 per day, but only makes you pay when someone views the job posting.

So, for small businesses, posting your jobs openings on Facebook may be an excellent supplemental method of obtaining applications, but I would recommend not to rely on it as your only source.

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"The Local Mobile Revolution" Whitepaper Now Available!

“There’s an app for everything!”

We’ve all heard it. But when it comes to local businesses, it just doesn’t seem to be the case?
In 2015, 64% of consumers in the United States owned a smartphone. That means, on average, 64% of all customers who walk through your door could be in constant contact with your business, using an untapped marketing channel.

Your own mobile app can boost repeat sales, and build customer loyalty.

Existing, repeat customers are the lifeblood of most businesses. So isn’t it time that your business taps into the local mobile revolution, before your competitors do?

By the time you've finished reading this post, you should see a pop-up to download the whitepaper.

If not, please CLICK HERE to access the download!

-Ken

FREE Copy of ID Theft Book for FCPS Data Breach Victims (and Everyone Else)

By now many have heard about the Frederick County Public Schools data breach in Maryland.

In case you haven't, a list of 20.000 identities, most likely former FCPS students, has been made available for sale on the internet, with a 1,000 identity list available for free as a sample. Unfortunately, as of the time of this article, only the 1,000 former students whose information was released publicly will receive free identity theft monitoring from FCPS. Additionally, this monitoring will only last for one year.

As a cyber security professional, I am very concerned about FCPS only offering protection to students whose identities were offered for free as samples. The 20,000 identity list is being offered for sale for less than a dollar per identity, and as any cyber security professional can tell you, it is safe to assume that any students who were contained in the same database as the 1,000 student sample list, have most likely been victims of the breach as well.

Unfortunately, instead of continuing to work together to identify if additional students were affected by the breach, FCPS and the Maryland State Department of Education are now pointing fingers at each other.

While I cannot fix this issue, or force FCPS and MSDE to cooperate, what I can do is give away free early-access copies of my book, Death by Identity Theft.

If you use the coupon code below "FCPSDataBreach", you will be able to obtain an electronic copy of the book as it is written now, for free. And best of all, once the book is completed, you will receive an electronic copy of the entire book at no additional charge. Right now the book is 80% completed, and I expect to finish the book within a month.

I could try and personally verify if you're a former Frederick County student, but I'd rather not try to personally verify 20,000 people, so click the link below to claim your free copy, even if you aren't a victim of the breach, and you can claim your free copy between now and May 1, 2017.

http://leanpub.com/deathbyidentitytheft/c/FCPSDataBreach

While you're at it, please sign the petition requesting FCPS provide seven years of identity theft monitoring for data breach victims.

It is my hope that this little bit of holiday good-will will help those affected by the breach, as well as help spread awareness of just how serious identity theft truly is.

-Ken

Social Media Presents New Challenges for Businesses

The evolution of social media has created a sense of intimacy that previously did not exist.  As social media networks grew and expanded, that same sense of intimacy skewed the line between personal and professional relationships.  For business owners, this can a catch-22.  There is value in social media marketing, but execution and maintenance can be overwhelming and often leaves more questions than answers when seeking assistance.

Social media networks have completely changed the landscape of advertising.  Sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer free platforms with low cost advertising campaigns, however this form of marketing comes at a cost – your time.

Marketing strategies have also changed.  No longer are consumers swayed by a deal or a sale.  With information at our fingertips, the allure of savings is no longer the determining factor in a purchase.  How then, are businesses to compete for sales?  Simple answer, education.

Business owners are viewed as experts in their given field.  The more given prior to a sale, the greater likelihood of consumers purchasing your product.  Share insights, offer assistance, begin building a relationship before meeting in person.  Consumers today will pay more for the same product if a greater sense of service is perceived.

With the social media platform, business owners have three options for advertising campaigns, going solo, having an employee maintain the page, or hire a company to assist either by counseling or managing your account.

If looking for an outsourcing company for assistance, first ask yourself how much control are you comfortable with giving?  This will determine if a consulting company or management company is best suits you and your business’ needs and then ask questions.  Know what to expect and what you will be receiving for your investment.  Be prepared to answer questions as well; any reputable company will ask for specific information regarding your business and come from an educational stance as well.

Any reputable company should have social media pages to promote what they offer.  Review the pages for professionalism, any grammatical or spelling errors, and educational points or tips.  Look for quality in the company’s page before offering your account.

If you or someone you know may be interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out to me at stephanie@symbioticmarketingllc.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or LinkedIn, or call/text: 717.372.7717.

This is a guest post by Stephanie from Symbiotic Marketing, LLC. BuildLocal.Biz is not responsible for its content or links. BuildLocal.Biz provides space for FREE guest posts to promote your local small business. Click here for details.