August 2009

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How to Keep Making Progress in Your Business and Life

August 17, 2009 in Business Success Tips | 3 comments

Hanging lake
Creative Commons License photo credit: zachd1_618

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily tasks of working for yourself. Every now and again, I think it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself where you can make improvements. I’m big on reading self-improvement books and reading other blogs in which the authors give out their best advice. Below are some questions that you may ask yourself in order to keep making progress.

Is it Time to Raise Your Rates?

This is a big question for those who do freelance work. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have wondered whether or not you are under charging your clients. Chances are, you could make much more by raising your rates. You don’t necessarily need to raise them with current clients. You can try setting your price higher for new clients and see how it works out. You have to have the confidence to know that you are worth what you charge.

I read a story recently from another blog (sorry, I cannot remember the source) which went something like this:

Someone hired a carpenter to repair a squeaky floorboard. The carpenter nailed a nail into the floorboard in the right spot to stop the squeak and charged the customer $100. The customer asked “why so expensive?” and the carpenter replied, “$1 for the nail and $99 for knowing where to put it.”

Sorry if I hacked up the story for anyone who is familiar with it, but basically the point is, don’t underestimate your worth.

Is it Time to Outsource?

Do you want to get more done or expand your business to take on more work? It may be time to consider outsourcing to take the stress off of you and to get more done. Consider the daily tasks you do every day that could easily be done by someone else after you have given them direction. Wouldn’t it be worth it to you to outsource those tasks in order to get more of the important stuff done? There are tons of places to outsource to and I am considering it myself as I develop a long-term plan.

Set New Goals

Are you setting any new goals for yourself and your business? It’s easy to fall into a rut but it’s important to keep growing as well. Maybe you want to make more money or work less while increasing your income. Or maybe you want to try a new career all together. Set some new goals and take action every day to get closer to accomplishing them.

Improving Yourself

Are you growing as a person? I believe there is always room for self-improvement. Maybe you are weak in some areas. You may be a very creative person but so unorganized it feels like nothing ever gets done. There are tons of self-improvement books that you can read. I just finished reading Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth and the sections about relationships and money were very good.

Learn Something New

It’s important to never stop learning. I am constantly seeking out new information in terms of business, marketing, web programming and more. It’s a good idea to learn new things and apply them to yourself and your business. You just never know what could develop from trying something new.

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Pros and Cons of 3-Way Calling in Network Marketing

August 4, 2009 in Marketing

I have only been active in network marketing since June of 2009. I have read different articles and viewpoints on some of the ways to attract leads as well as communicating with them. The 3-way conference call is a common method that many network marketers use in their business. The way I understand it to work is as follows:

  1. You have a new prospect who wants more information.
  2. Rather than explain everything yourself, you invite them on a 3-way call with you and your sponsor.
  3. On the call, you introduce your lead to your sponsor and let your sponsor do all of the talking.
  4. Call ends and you follow up with your prospect to sign them up or provide more information.

The Pros

This technique has its advantages. First, it takes the pressure off of you if you are new to the business and still need training. Your sponsor does all of the talking while you listen in and soak up more knowledge. You learn how to answer people’s questions so when it’s your turn to lead a call, you will be better prepared.

Second, your prospect will likely feel more comfortable about their decision since they are speaking to their future team members. They have all of their important questions answered and hopefully, feel no pressure about joining.

Third, you get to learn more about your lead and their “why” behind their interest in the business. You also open the lines of communication so that they are more comfortable about approaching you about any of their concerns.

Fourth, a new prospect is more likely to join your organization after talking with you and your sponsor. The trust factor is in place and the curiosity factor is satisfied.

The Cons

Unless you have a good sponsor, you may be left searching for him/her when it comes time to set up a call. The longer you leave a prospect waiting, the higher the chances they will not be interested in what you have to say.

It is not the easiest method to duplicate. Not everyone is comfortable with speaking on the phone. When it is your turn to do the talking for those on your team, you may not feel comfortable doing it. The same goes for your team members. They may not want to do 3-way calls, yet they may feel it has to be done if you train them this way.

Another reason is that you are left to depend on your sponsor to do the talking every time you acquire a new lead. Even though your business is in network marketing, it is still your business. Shouldn’t you be the one presenting your business to your leads?

My Personal Experience

Luckily, I have a great sponsor and he is very receptive to 3-way calls. He presents the business very well and I have learned a lot from our phone calls. I don’t see 3-way calls as a bad idea. You have to try them yourself and see if it is something that works well in your own business.

What do you think? Have you used 3-way calls in your network marketing business?

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