Saturday, July 29, 2006

Marketing Your SFI Business:

Marketing Your SFI Business:

Business Building & Follow-Up Tips:

Business Building & Follow-Up Tips:

Many people want to know how SFI works to make money for its affiliates.

Subject: How Can I Make Money With SFI?

Hi All


Many people want to know how SFI works to make money for its affiliates. And surely that's something you've been wondering about too.

Actually it's quite simple.

And very easy.

Sales of its products and services is how SFI profits, and if you and your team of personally referred affiliates generate some of those sales, you'll profit.

See this webpage for many of the products SFI sells. https://www.sfimg.com/AffiliateStore/showIndex.sfi

You need take only three actions to maximize your possibilities of income with SFI.

1) Advertise your assigned gateway websites which do all the selling for you.

People will join SFI and/or buy its products and services. And when they join they'll become part of your ever-growing team of sales men and women, and they'll continue to buy from SFI, generating renewal residual income for you.

One or more of them may prove to be very good at sales! That's good for you. It will mean more earnings in your check or direct deposit to your bank... if you've positioned yourself to take maximum advantage of it!

That brings us to the second action.

2) Get yourself Multi-Income Qualfied, or MIQ, as soon as you can. Meaning fast!

This means making one or more personal sales to non-SFI people, or a personal purchase of your choice, of at least 10 SVP (Sales Volume Points) per month.

And it means you're now in control of your income by having made a solid commitment to SFI.

And the third action?

3) Do both 1 and 2 to maximize the effect on your SFI business.

The retail sales for you to become MIQ will come via responses to your ads, when folks buy from SFI.

But consider this.

You can also become MIQ by finding one or more SFI products you like, purchasing them, and then renewing your purchase every month on what SFI calls a standing order.

Buying your MIQ yourself is really the easiest and simplest way to earn extra money with SFI.

Why? Here's why...

Some people don't like to sell, some may not be good at it, even if SFI's websites do the actual selling. Marketing can be difficult even though it can also be highly rewarding.

If you're not so good at marketing, or you don't want to try it, then this may not be the best way for you to go.

So here's what may be the better way for you... BUY your MIQ status.

Sales will get you a commission check because you get a Seller's Commission. But with MIQ status you'll likely earn more because you're eligible for four income streams. And with sales by your team, the amount of your check will likely grow bigger over time.

This payment to you effectively lowers the cost to you of becoming MIQ by the amount of your check every month.

Soon, very probably, as your team grows you'll be in profit. And don't forget, you'll get all the benefits of what you buy too.

And that's on top of the shares of the PTL Bonus Pool SFI banks each month for its MIQ affiliates, the ones who stay MIQ. Shares SFI cashes in for you and pays to you when you reach the PTL level.

It's your choice what you use to buy your MIQ status, but let me make some recommendations.

Remember, as you consider these products, you must offset the cost of your MIQ by the amount of your guaranteed SFI earnings, which after a few months should be greater than your expense... so that you're in profit as soon as possible.

Having a profit, with more coming in every month... that has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?!!

Here's what I suggest you do. Establish a standing order of an SFI product.

A standing order means you select the product you'd like to receive from SFI each month. SFI will then automatically charge your credit card and fulfull your product so you don't have to continually remember to make a purchase to stay MIQ.

Which products to select? Most affiliates believe these are the best.

A) A standing order of IAHBE - the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs, a website that can aid your SFI business greatly.

IAHBE provides extensive training, tools, and resources for home-based entrepreneurs. In addition, IAHBE members receive the IAHBE “MoneyPak” every month.

The MoneyPak includes free leads to help you build your business, a book of the month specially selected for home business owners, and the Windows and Macintosh software package of the month. It also comes with over $240 of powerful home-business building resources each month.

An IAHBE membership is only $29.95 per month.

But your net cost may really be much less than $29.95, because the amount of your monthly check will pay you back some of your expense.

And with the banked shares that you cash in at PTL time, it's likely you can even recover all your investment, maybe even more!

And over all, the extra benefits you'll get from IAHBE resources and expert advice that help you build and run your home business are more than worth the money!

With a 30 day guarantee and over $800 in bonus products when you become a member, you absolutely cannot go wrong with IAHBE.

B) A standing order of VERIUNI Cleaning products or VERIUNI Nutritionals or Veriuni Activated Oxygen products.

Your earnings on sales you make will also offset some of the cost of these products, and as a side benefit you get the very best nutrition and cleaning and health products on the market today!

VERIUNI products are also available to you.

Think about which of them is best for you.

Then do what's best... for you!

Teach your team of personal referred affiliates to do this too, and you'll all be well on your way to making a growing income with SFI!

How to teach them? Simple. Save this letter, and send it out to each new affiliate... regularly.

Here's wishing you the freedom of your dreams,

Scott McVey
8051555
scottymchoty@optonline.net

P.S. Go to http://www.sfimg.com/ and see the money that SFI is paying out to its Multi-Income Qualfied, Powerline Team Leader, and Group Leader affiliates.

Come to my blog for more help http://fireyourbosstoday.blogspot.com/


You can join the folks who are happily being paid each month by SFI and collect your share next month... if that's what you want to do.

Or you can wait. And not get paid. It's your choice.

You can qualify for EA automatically ... What Is A Standing Order?

You can qualify for EA automatically by opting for a Standing Order totaling at least 10 SVP—no need to worry about requalifying every month, missing out on valuable commissions, or losing your position in the T-Net network. This is also a convenient way to have your favorite SFI products/services shipped to you each month without the hassle of having to continually place an order.

JUST GO TO https://www.sfimg.com/AffiliateStore/StandingOrder.sfi

What Is A Standing Order?

A Standing Order means that you have authorized SFI to charge your checking account or credit card each month for one or more SFI products and/or services. This is a convenient way to have your favorite SFI products/services shipped to you each month without the hassle of having to continually place an order.

If your chosen product has 10 SVP or more attached, your Standing Order will also automatically make you an EA every month—no need to worry about requalifying every month, missing out on valuable commissions, or losing your position in the T-Net network! NOTE: A Standing Order continues indefinitely until you decide to cancel it .


Are You Ignoring 80% Of Your Market?

Are You Ignoring 80% Of Your Market?

Why You Should Be Reaching Out To Prospects & Customers Around The Globe!

Did you know that by December 2005, the worldwide number of Internet users had grown to more than ONE BILLION people, with TWO BILLION expected online by 20111?! NOTE: To put the sheer enormity of those numbers in perspective, consider that about a billion minutes ago, the Roman Empire was at the height of its power! (Wikipedia)

With those figures in mind, consider that although the U.S. leads the pack for the number of online users (about 200 million), it still constitues only 20% of Web surfers worldwide— little more than a drop in the online bucket!

The true current and future online growth is and will be in the world's most populous countries, such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, and Indonesia. In fact, China and India took second and fourth place worldwide in 2005 for the number of Internet users. Not coincidentally, these same two countries now rank within the top 10 countries for the total number of new SFI Affiliates coming in the door!

Make no mistake about it: These and other rising economic powerhouses represent a HUGE POTENTIAL for every home-business owner. MASSIVE developments in technology, improvements in standards of living, and increasing disposable income are opening the floodgates to a vast array of virtually untapped business possibilities.

That said, it's important to realize that this trend represents MUCH MORE than an interesting sideline marketing strategy for your business. Ignore this burgeoning source of increasing profits, networks, team members, prospects, and resources, and you do so at your own peril. If the U.S. is still your sole online market and source for customers, prospects, and team members, you're GREATLY limiting your reach...AND your profits. After all, what business owner would willingly turn away 80% of the possible customers coming into his store? Answer: The kind of owner who won't be in business much longer!

Fortunately, the worldwide growth and reach of the Internet has leveled the international playing field for the small-business owner. Home-based entrepreneurs no longer have to leave overseas markets to the "bigger" companies and enterprises with deep pockets. For example, SFI offers lots of features especially designed for the international arena. As a leader with affiliates around the world, you'll want to become familiar with these resources. And keep your eye out for more tools and features specially designed for SFI International Affiliates.

Additionally, you can find a plethora of budget-friendly resources online to help you reach across the globe to prospects, customers, and team members in other countries. Pay-per-click pricing for the popular Google Adwords service and other PPC search engines has risen dramatically for U.S.-targeted advertising. However, many offer country-specific search engines and PPC ad opportunities—often for a fraction of the cost!

Take a few moments now and check out these Websites. They'll make a great starting point for planning your international business focus:

  • Google International

    • Adwords: Regional and Local Targeting —Target your PPC ads to appear only in specific country, region, or city searches. This allows your ads to appear only for people searching for results in regional areas you choose.

    • Looking for good online advertising sources in a specific country? Try this Google search page. Simply enter the country in which you want to limit your search results, enter your keyword (i.e., online ads, classifieds, etc.), and click the Google Search button.

    • To find a Google search engine for a specific country, click HERE, then scroll down to the bottom of the page.

  • Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture): International— A nice overview for using Yahoo!'s PPC offering to reach the world.

  • International Search Engine Directory—A list of search engines per country. A great place to start for finding country-specific ad sources.

  • Search Engine Watch: Pay-Per-Click Search Engines—Get information on major PPC search engines, second-tier PPC players, and more.

As an SFI Affiliate doing business and targeting prospects outside the U.S., you've got SFI's powerful, global business opportunity helping bring you the financial freedom you've been looking for...IF you take advantage of it.

Start developing your international focus today. Don't make the mistake of ignoring 80% of your potential market—you can bet your competition won't!

==================================

1. Computer Industry Almanac - Worldwide Internet Users Top 1 Billion in 2005. USA Reach Nearly 200M Internet Users.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Telling Ain't Selling

Telling Ain't Selling

By Abhay Padgaonkar

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." -- Sir Isaac Newton
A fundamental question in selling is not why people sell, but why people buy.

It is well known that people buy for their own reasons--not for the seller's. In fact, their motivation to buy may have very little to do with the reasons why the seller thinks they should buy. When it comes down to it, people buy something to meet their needs or resolve the problems they are facing. According to Neil Rackham, author of SPIN Selling, people decide to buy when "the pain of the problem and desire for a solution have been built to the point where they are greater than the cost of the solution."

A good sales professional can help customers come to that realization. But it doesn't happen as easily as you might think. Despite the fact that most people learn the basics of conducting needs analysis, customizing solutions, and linking benefits to pain in their Sales 101 class, when they are out in the real world, they forget to bring these classroom lessons to life and somehow their competence, composure, and confidence evaporates. Faced with self-induced, pressure-filled selling situations, they confuse telling with selling.

Equal and Opposite ReactionAs dairy farmers are apt to say, "Cows don't give milk. You have to take it from them." The same is true with selling. Nobody just gives you a sale. You have to take it. But how you "take it" is very counterintuitive. A natural tendency of most sellers is to rush in. And as the Newtonian principle outlines, the equal and opposite reaction on part of the buyers is to shut them out.

Like milking a cow, selling can be a delicate operation. While a customer probably won't threaten you with a hoof, you're still faced with the fact that the harder you push, the more push-back you get. Why? As President Truman once said: "The best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." Nobody likes to be told what to do--not even children. Imagine going to a doctor who gives you the same prescription he gave the previous patient because it worked. By not listening, by not being inquisitive, by not clarifying assumptions, sellers come across as not caring--or caring more about themselves--and perpetuate the stereotypes of an arrogant, pushy salesman we all love to hate.

Breathing Your Own ExhaustSo, if you can't tell prospective buyers how good your products and services are for them, how the heck are you supposed to sell? Start by understanding how not to de-sell.

Most salespeople hate dead air. They become anxious. So they make every effort to fill the void by talking incessantly about what they know the most--their own products and services. They get excited about the value they offer and start spewing the features, advantages, and benefits.
Unfortunately, the more they talk the more they are de-selling. And the more their customers' eyes glaze over and heels dig in. Customers don't want to be talked at and pushed. They want to be understood. The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes had it right when he said "We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less." As fundamental as this advice is, not talking can be very difficult for an enthusiastic sales professional.

The greatest conundrum in selling is this: You can't sell without a relationship. And you can't have a relationship unless you have sold and demonstrated value. You may be thinking that selling-by-listening only works in one-on-one selling, and not in more complex, B2B selling. You would be wrong. No matter how complex the sale, you're still dealing with real people who are making decisions--not faceless corporations. They have the same emotions as anyone else: ambition to do better, fear of failure, confusion with uncertainty, need to be recognized, etc.
Listen and LearnIf telling isn't selling, then what is? What actions can one take to break the vicious cycle and not to generate an undesirable, equal and opposite reaction? Counterintuitive as it sounds, the more successful salespeople are those that ask the most questions. Not just any questions, but smart questions posed in a systematic way. Neil Rackham, in his SPIN Selling Fieldbook, eloquently lays out a systematic approach to asking four types of questions as follows:

Situation: Finding out basic facts about the existing situation and establishing an overall context. This is ideally done through prior research so as not to bore the buyer to tears because they get very little value out of it.

Problem: Asking about the problems, difficulties, and challenges the buyer is experiencing with the present situation. People buy only when they have needs and needs almost always start with a dissatisfaction with the status quo. Follow-up questions identify, clarify, and expand the buyer's implicit needs.

Implication: Understanding the consequences and impacts of the situation, thereby transforming implicit needs expressed as problems into explicit needs. They build the significance and seriousness of the problem so that it is large enough to justify action.
Need-Payoff: Checking and assessing the value and usefulness of a solution in a positive and constructive way. They develop the buyer's desire for a solution and move the discussion toward action and commitment.

If you thought that asking questions in this manner is simple, think again. It is enormously difficult to have the confidence and patience to step through these without getting ahead of yourself. It requires tremendous planning, preparation, and practice. And most importantly patience.

Patience, My DearWhat makes sellers anxious is the pressure they put on themselves to persuade the buyer. When a sale is seen as a conquest, persuasion naturally becomes the modus operandi and telling appears to be the fastest, easiest, and safest way to the victory lap. However, if the sellers adopt a frame of mind to truly understand the buyer's point of view, they are likely to become less anxious. If they seek first to understand, then to be understood, they will be more comfortable in asking questions. Armed with the answers to these questions, they will have gained better insights into the buyer's world and will have earned the right to help them with a solution.

French philosopher Voltaire was right when he said many centuries ago: "Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."


A management consultant, author, and speaker, Abhay Padgaonkar is the founder and president of Innovative Solutions Consulting, LLC, which provides advice on turning strategy into action to major clients such as American Express.

Advertising, Sales and Marketing Are You Believable? Most Salespeople Aren't

Advertising, Sales and Marketing
Are You Believable? Most Salespeople Aren't

by Art Sobczak

Ask just about anyone, and the "believability score" for salespeople as a group-unfortunately-would rank right down there with most types of advertising, the contractor who says he'll get back to you with a bid, and most politicians.

We're a nation of skeptics. Which is contradictory to the way we try to raise kids. We teach them to not lie, yet they learn that many messages they're exposed to can't really be trusted. I constantly hear phrases and claims from salespeople that cause the Bart Simpson-like response, "Yeah, right," or are just plain meaningless to the listener. Not only do these eat away valuable time on a call, they also chip at a salesperson's credibility.

What to DoPurge puffed-up phrases from your sales vocabulary, and replace them with specific action-oriented, results-type statements.

For example, instead of "We're committed to excellence," explain the excellence:
"We check every order three times to minimize errors."

Instead of, "We're service oriented," describe how:

"When you call with a question or problem, you dial the direct line of your own customer service rep who knows your account. You won't be bounced around between departments or have to deal with voice mail systems.

Here's one of my favorites. "We're the most respected name in the _____ business." What a pompous, self-serving, vain, and probably delusional, claim that is! Reminds me of the old Stuart Smalley routine from Saturday Night Live: "And doggone it, people like me!" When I hear the "most respected" claim, I laugh inside and think, "By whom, yourself?" If you want to establish your credibility among your peers or in the marketplace, be able to back it up. For example, "We were voted the number one provider of widget cleaning services, according to Widget Weekly Magazine."

And how many minutes have gone by since hearing "cost-effective"? Can anyone, anywhere give me a situation where a listener heard that term and said, "Oh, you're cost-effective? Wow! That's what we're looking for, since the vendor we're using now is cost-useless. Sign me up!"
Again, give examples. I guess "cost-effective" means that buyers get a return for their money. So describe the return in a way they can understand it, instantly: "With this new process, you'll immediately eliminate the extra hours it's now taking you to perform the sorting task by hand. Based on what you told me, that will come to over $200 per month. You'll get your initial cost back in just six months."

The theory I'm hammering home here is nothing more than substantiating your statements. Tell them what you'll do, then give facts to support the claim. And the more customized you tailor the statement to the prospect or customer, the more successful you'll be.
Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit:
http://www.BusinessByPhone.com

Tap Into Your Warm Market With SFI E-Cards

Tap Into Your Warm Market With SFI E-Cards

Does the thought of promoting SFI products to your friends and family fill you with apprehension? You're not alone. Many affiliates are hesitant to bring the subject up to those in their immediate circle.

There are many reasons. Some people are simply uncomfortable presenting their products to a friend or family member. Others may not know what to say...or fear being rejected by people close to them.

E-Cards to the rescue!

With E-Cards, you've now got an easy, convenient, and non-intrusive tool to introduce SFI to your friends and family with "just the right touch." Best of all, E-Cards are totally free for you to use!

How E-Cards Work

Basically, E-Cards are full-color digital postcards you can e-mail directly to friends and family. There are dozens of designs to choose from, with new designs added regularly. (NOTE: Your suggestions for additional designs are welcome!) You can choose cards promoting a variety of SFI products and services, including Veriuni Liquid Nutrition, the IAHBE, Natural Cleaning products, and more.

After choosing a design, simply add your own message. You also have the option of automatically inserting a link to your Gateway Website (the Gateway most appropriate for the card you've chosen) in your E-Card. Then, just click the Send button, and your postcard is delivered!
Your Warm Market Made Easy

Rejection has always been one of the toughest aspects of contacting friends and family (your "warm market"). In traditional network marketing, many people soon call it quits after having a couple friends or family members reject their proposals. E-Cards, of course, can't prevent somebody from responding negatively. However, by removing the face-to-face element, any "sting of naysayers" you may feel will be GREATLY reduced.

In addition, SFI has purposely kept E-Card content "light and breezy" to keep the communication casual. SFI's product E-Cards use very friendly language and/or a bit of humor to make contacting friends and family a comfortable experience for you.

Do you have a favorite SFI product that's working for you? Send a card featuring that product with a personal testimonial, and let your circle of friends and family members know they can get this great product through you.

Using E-Cards to contact your "warm market" also leaves all the "heavy lifting" to SFI. There's no need to know every little detail about the SFI opportunity or products. Just choose an E-Card, add a short, friendly little message, and send it. The full-color E-Card takes it from there!
Reducing The Pressure

Few affiliates contact their friends and family every time SFI comes out with a great new product or service, although they probably should. But who wants to get a reputation for always "bugging" friends and family?

Again, E-Cards to the rescue!

Each time SFI launches a new or upgraded product or service, we'll add a new E-Card that you can use to quickly send out a new round of friendly little announcement cards. No twisting of arms or getting in anyone's face with "high pressure" tactics. You're simply letting people know about the latest development pertaining to your business via a brief and friendly postcard.
And always remember, a huge component of prospecting is TIMING. Maybe an SFI wellness product, for example, didn't appeal to your friend six months ago. However, today the situation is different, and your friend has become more health conscious. A simple E-Card reminding him or her of the variety of SFI wellness products available may result in a sale...and a new satisfied customer!

Still Not Convinced?

If you're still questioning the merits of contacting your friends and family about SFI, consider this: If you found a great new product that actually made your home safer, made you feel healtheir, and/or saved you money in the long run, who would you tell about it? We're betting that it would be your closest friends and family members. Same thing with SFI. SFI's line of top-notch products are some of the best available anywhere—try them yourself, and you'll see. Why keep them a secret from those you care most about?PLUS...if you're sponsoring SFI affiliates, you'll also be happy to know that E-Cards provide an incredible value to your brand new team members. Your new personally sponsored affiliates are often very motivated to learn how to get started...but many are operating on a very small budget and cannot afford to invest in promotion or advertising for their products.

Once again, E-Cards delivers the solution!

Your new affiliates can get started IMMEDIATELY promoting their business for free. They need only grab the e-mail addresses of their "warm market" and start sending out E-Cards.
It's simple. It's easy. It's free. And ANYONE can do it!

You can start sending out E-Cards now at:

http://www.sfimg.com/MarketingAids/E-Cards.sfi

Note: We have found that warm markets respond best to product-focused marketing; therefore, SFI recommends you only send product/service E-Cards to your warm market. However, if you would like to present the SFI business opportunity to family and friends, SFI has a variety of cards available focusing on SFI's exciting program.

Important: E-Cards may be sent ONLY to friends and family members. To prevent abuse, there is a limit of 10 E-Cards per day that can be sent.

Not a member of SFI then join