Love it!

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Top 6 Network Marketing and Sales Objections and How to Overcome Them

Here's a quick video of tips and scripts on how to handle common objections. 


 What are some objections you get from your prospects or leads? 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Investing Isn't For Me

Just for kicks, I reached out via Facebook to a young lady who was employed with Family Dollar and asked if she would be interested in starting her own business. Indeed, she was. She was very interested in the business after I gave her a short overview so I invited her to a call my business partners were conducting later that night for further information.

After the call, I followed up with her. She said that she was no longer interested. She said, "I don't see me in an investing business. At first, I was on sure of what she meant because my company is not an investment company. After further discussion, I learned that she meant that did not want to invest her money in order to start a business. Well, I'll admit, I laughed because what lucrative business can you start without investing money? Sure I had ways to overcome this objections but it wasn't worth it. She was an "E" and was rather comfortable there. For her and other "E"'s, having a business sounds nice but wasn't her life's burning desire. So there was no use in overcoming her objection by telling her about our alternative fundraising option to help with the start up costs. There was no use in reminding her dreams and goals in relation to her present minimum wage job at Family Dollar.  She wouldn't get it. She was an "E".  She was not the future "B" I was looking for. 

This experience reminds me of two things: the necessity of exclusivity and the nature or network marketing.  As a business owner, you must be selective with who you introduce your business to.  They have to have the mindset and desire of a business owner before they ever become one.  If not, you'll waste a lot of time with people who will quit and hurt your business.  Mike Dillard writes:

The sad truth, is that most people in this industry did not buy a business, they bought hope. And hope is never backed by true desire.  Hope is for the undecided... Don't get frustrated. 80% of people who join you will never sponsor more than 1 rep or customer. Most people simply don't have the desire at a level of 100 to accomplish their goals through their new business. They just bought hope in order to quiet that little voice inside them that keeps nagging them to make a change. Once they buy the business, and they don't make $1,000 in 5 days, they can then justify their fear of change with the "logic" that it just "didn't work", and that they knew it was a scam to begin with... This is especially true with opportunity seekers."

See, my Family Dollar friend was a hope-seeker which explains why she was so interested prior to the call.  But when faced with the reality of what she was required of her, she backed away.  She has looking for an opportunity but did not have a desire to truly pursue it, which again shows the importance of selectivity.  We must be truly committed to building a business rather than making a quick buck. And when were are, we will not have to worry so much about the 80% because that number will be nonexistent and we will not have to worry about overcoming objections or naysayers or hope-seekers.


Until next time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity. 

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Facebook Marketing for Mompreneurs 101: Facebook's Algorithm

Though I have ventured into YouTube marketing and making videos, Facebook is still my first love and preferred method of marketing. If you've been following my posts and following my advice, I KNOW you have a business page and FB profile set up. ;) Now it's time to talk about how to use it.  In order to do that, we have to talk about Facebook's algorithm.  Here are a few details about the algorithm:
  • It is set of instructions that governs what shows in any given visitor's newsfeed
  • It has changed several times in the past year and half resulting in a decrease in the number of friends/fans who see posts
  • It is composed of three factors: affinity, weight, time decay
    • Affinity refers to relationship and interaction.  Facebook tracks how often a visitor interacts with a person/company.  The higher the interaction, the closer the relationship
    • Weight refers to a Facebook post and the interaction.  Posts with more likes, comments and shares have a heavier weight.  Shares gives more weight than comments and comments give more weight than likes.
    • Time Decay refers to how much time has past sense a post was created.  Older posts will not show in newsfeeds because, well, it's old. 
What to can you do?

Let's talk about the algorithm components as it relates to your business
  • Affinity: For business pages, you need to focus on content.  Try different types of posts to find out which yields the most interactions and do more of those posts.  This helps those people see more of your future posts.  For a profile, have FB friends who are prime candidates for becoming business partners or customers, interact with them more via messaging, comments, likes, shares.  Facebook tracks your last 50 interactions so it is likely that they will see more of your posts in their newsfeeds.
  • Weight: As interaction increases so does your reach.  So again, you need good content that yields interaction.  This interaction, gives your posts more weight over other posts and will show in more newsfeeds.
  • Time Decay: There isn't much you can do about a post getting old. That's why it's important to post often.  Overkill is posting every hour so I would suggest posting 3-4 times a day if you can.  Again, make sure it's engaging content and not just posts selling your business. 
Next steps: If you would like more tips and tricks to navigate Facebook's algorithm and grow your business, I would suggest checking out FB Krusher and/or FB Krusher Elite.

Until my next post, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity. 

P.S. Connect with me on a Facebook here.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Saving Money and Managing Money

Video # 4 
I am determined to finish my 7 videos.  Check out this great way to save and manage money for you and your business.


Be sure to subscribe to the channel.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Paying for College

I fell short for my video challenge last week but I decided to continue anyway.  I'm not a quitter so I have to finish what I started.  Here's Day 3
 
 


Comment below if you have student loans and let us know how you're paying them off.

Friday, April 11, 2014

How to Design Your Business Cards

For those of you who read my article on budget marketing and are interested in designing business cards, here are a few tips for designing your business cards (adapted from entrepreneur.com)
  1. Use your logo as the basis. Make it the largest element on the card.  If you don't have a logo yet, check out Fiverr for logo designers for $5.  Before looking for a logo designer, be sure you have your brand established.  Everything that you do and that represents your business must illustrate your brand.  Below is my old business card for my baking business.  My logo is the focus of the card.
BJ Bake Shop Houston



  1. Keep it simple. Do not cram too much information on the card.  If necessary, use both sides of the card.  But be sure not to cram either side.  You can include the essentials on one side and the service(s) on the other.  For example, my card has too much information on the front.  I moved the social media platforms to the back of the card.  
  2. Do include the essentials -- your name, title, company name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email and website addresses.  I would also suggest including your social media platforms as well.  Don't forget to state what you do either through slogan or services.
  3. Make sure the typeface is easily readable.
  4. Stick to one or two colors.  Color plays a major part in braking.  More than two colors can send the message of unprofessionalism and/or uncertainty of target market.  Be sure to research color psychology so you can select the best colors to represent your business.  

Feel free to comment below with any other questions job suggestions.  I hope this was helpful for you.  You can also check out others tips here.  

Until next I time, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.


Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Preparing For Tax Season 2015

Day 2 of the Video Marketing Challenge
Since we are near the end of tax season, I did a quick video on business tax deductions to help you guys better prepare for next year.
Check it out
 

Sunday, April 6, 2014

4 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Have


1. Business Cards
If you read my Marketing on a Budget  article, then you know how effective these can be.  These are your mini billboards that travel with potential clients and current clients.  They advertise how you can help and the avenues by which they can contact you.  Check out Vistaprint. (Use that link and get a $10 coupon)

2. Website
In today's technological world, a website is your stamp of validity.  In a consumer's mind, your business does not exist if it doesn't have a website.  Furthermore, your business is not a legit business if it doesn't have a well-crafted website.  Remember your website is a reflection of your business and is usually the first impression a potential client gets of the company.  If you are unable to afford a web designer, I suggest creating one through Wix.  Their templates are very sophisticated compared to other free website templates.   I created a site there for my baking business www.bjbakeshop.com 

3. Customized Domain Name
If you use a free website hosting company like Wix, you need a domain name.  If not, your web address will be a sub domain of the wix site (i.e. fbismyoffice.wix.com) and that reads as low-budget or unprofessional. And though you may be on a fixed budget, you don't want a potential client t.  o know that.  My favorite place to buy domain names is Go Daddy because I can usually google a coupon code to get a name for 99 cents.

4. Social Media Presence
Customers, clients and prospects must be able to connect with you on a social level. If they cannot, then you will not be the cool kid on the block.  Of course, I recommend Facebook for various reasons (see here) but I also recommend started with the social media platform that you are most comfortable with.  Create a schedule on how often you with post and engage and what content you will post.  


Hope this was helpful.  Until tomorrow, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity. 

Saturday, April 5, 2014

My New Venture: Video Marketing

Today, one of my business partners challenged me to participate in a 7-day video marketing challenge for our business. At first, I declined because I just started this 30-day blogging challenge.  Then, she said "It only takes 5 minutes to make a video."  It was then that I realized that I was making excuses.  Whenever we get faced with an opportunity to step out of our comfort zones, we tend to make excuses of why we can't do it.  I had been exploring the idea of starting a YouTube channel since last year but have made excuses. 

NOT ANYMORE!

So starting Monday, you'll be able to see me live (well not live) but you'll be able to put a voice to my words.

For any of you who are interested in video marketing for your business, check out this article on the benefits of video marketing.

Until tomorow's post, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Best piece of advice

Hey guys and gals

I wanted to give you, what I would call, the best piece of advice for budding entrepreneurs.  Here it is...

GET STARTED

Of course you should have some sort of vision and plan but don't get so bogged down in details that you delay starting. Taking action gives your dream breath and makes it real, so the longer you wait, the more frustrated you become that the dream has not come to fruition.  Thus, the best thing you could ever do for your business is get started. Don't worry about failure because it will come whether you plan for it or not. It comes with the territory.  It's the nature and beauty of business. 

READY, SET, GO

Sit down today and work on your vision for your business and map out how you plan to get there.  Then, figure out your first step and do.  Even if that means establishing a Facebook page or securing a domain name, do it.  Move toward your dreams.

As always, I wish you peace, patience and prosperity.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Marketing on a Budget

Hey guys.

You've been reading my posts on why and how to market on Facebook (if not, here's one).  And I hope you've taken heed and taken advantage of the free marketing.  But for those of you who would like to do some offline marketing on a budget, here are two things to consider: business cards and post-it notes.

Business cards are so convenient and be placed anywhere.  I like to leave my card with my tip at restaurants and outings.   I leave them in bathrooms on the sink.  I even leave them on shelves in grocery stores next to items that my target market is likely to purchase.  I also make sure I give clients at least two cards (one to keep; the rest to give away).  Vistaprint is the perfect place to shop. You can get 250 for about $10.  Right now, if you use this link, you'll get a $10 coupon for becoming a customer.


Another tool is the post-it note aka the mobile ad. Post-it notes are so convenient because they can go literally everywhere and easier to hold on too.  Did I mention they are cheap.  You can purchase a custom stamper for Office Depot or Vistaprint and apply it to a packet of post-it notes.  You want the information on your stamper to be brief and include contact information as pictured above.  You can also purchase custom post-it notes online.  I purchased custom notes to include my company logo so that they are more eye catching plus I am all about branding my business.

The next step would be to place your notes in high traffic areas: gas stations, Redboxes, ATMS, bathrooms, laundry mats, mailboxes.  The key is strategic placement.  You don't need to saturate one place with your mobile ad; one or two will do the trick.  Those who are interested will take it.  Those who are not will leave for the person is.  Win/win.  You can check out more post-it tips here and.

I also found this great article on marketing here.

You can even take a picture of the business card or post-it and post it on Facebook.  (Yes I had to sneak in Facebook.)

Until my next post, I wish you peace, patience, and prosperity.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

I Hate My Life

So things are not going the way you want it to and you feel like they never will.  What do you do?  EVERYTHING YOU CAN!!!

This is exactly why I became an entrepreneur.  I realized that working for someone else would not give me the desires of my heart.  In fact, I would be working to give someone else the desires of their heart.  I realized that I had to determine the life I wanted and pursue it WHOLEHEARTEDLY.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would find myself in marketing and working online but here I am and it has been an incredible journey.  I am so grateful for everything that I've have learned and every person that I have met.  I look forward to what is come.


If you are an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur comment below.  I would love to connect with you.  


What You Can Expect



This month, I have added another self-imposed deadline and joined the  Ultimate Blogging Challenge.  Every day for the month April, I will posting.  My goal is to post about marketing strategies and working on Facebook.  So check out the blog daily or subscribe to the blog so you don't miss out.