OBSTACLES TO EFFECTIVE NETWORK MARKETING ONLINE BY CARL WILLIS

Network marketing online is one of the most efficient means of building an MLM business available today. There are obstacles that can hinder your online business building efforts if you are not careful. Today I want to give you some practical tips to avoid these roadblocks to achieving online success in your network marketing business. Most of these obstacles can be avoided by making a few changes in your daily work routine.

Having a lack of focus is one of the greatest barriers to successful online network marketing. With so many tools, methods and tactics available for your use, it is easy to get overwhelmed and unfocused. Every time you end up on someone else’s mailing list, you are innundated with strategies and tools that you “must” use immediately. With each new day, the tidal wave coming from your inbox drowns you in information overload. Take a moment to stop, breath and regain your perspective. In the world of online marketing, the power of focus cannot be stated enough. The path of success does not come through being a jack of all trades, but instead it comes through the mastery and consistent application of a limited number of online network marketing strategies. Take a few moments and evaluate your marketing efforts through two primary filters. Determine which of your online efforts has been the most productive? Which strategies and techniques bring you the greatest level of personal enjoyment? Resolving those two questions should help you isolate the strategies that need to be the primary recipients of your focus. Be sure to keep this list narrowed down to one or two strategy choices.

Poor time management is another common obstacle to success in network marketing online. Far too many network marketers spend all of their time reading email, chatting on IM or watching webinars. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for each of those things; however, they must take their proper place in the overall priorities of building your business. In the world of network marketing there are only 2 things that produce income. Those are the sales of our product and the overrides we receive on the sales of our product by those we have recruited into our business. Anything that does not lend itself to the process of selling or recruiting becomes secondary in the daily priorities of your business. Your day should be structured in such a way that it gives you the greatest opportunity for productivity. For example, in my own business I check and respond to any urgent emails first thing in the morning. I check again for pressing emails around the lunch hour, the rest of my emails get dealt with late in the afternoon. I do not sign on to Skype unless I have an appointment or late in the day to check for new messages and contact requests. My Facebook profile gets updated first thing in the morning, mid day and late afternoon. My Facebook is tied to my Twitter, LinkedIn and Plaxo accounts, so that I do not have to duplicate this effort. The majority of my time each day is focused on only 3 things: Creating content, following up with leads and MLM training

Reducing the distractions and obstacles in your day can drastically improve the effectiveness of your network marketing online efforts.

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Almost everything in life is about priorities, choosing this over that. And a whole lot of your home business success is based off of the way you prioritize your life and your business. Do you choose to work for an extra hour or do you spend time watching your favorite show? Do you spend your lunch hour gossiping with co-workers or calling prospects? These are just a couple of the choices that you’ll have to make when going about building your business from home.

One of the biggest differences between working for yourself and having a regular job is that when you have a job the priorities are already set for you. Your boss tells you what you need to get done and when it needs to be done. However, when you work from home you can tend to feel a little bit lost. There isn’t going to be someone looking over your shoulder all the time making sure you get all of your work done and while that can be much more relaxing it can also mean getting a whole lot less accomplished. It can be so easy to go out to dinner with friends when there is still work to be done.

So if you’re going to become rich and successful in a home based business you’re going to have to learn how to prioritize your life in a way that allows you to relax but still get the work done.

It might be a good idea to write out a list for the month of everything you need and want to get done. Make a rule that once you’ve accomplished several things you’re able to relax and have fun but not until then. When you stay on top of yourself and make sure your priorities are in order you’ll be amazed at how much faster your success will come.

Prioritize your life and make your business and your success as close to the top as possible! There will always be time to goof off later.

There seems to be this mindset that MLM or network marketing is a huge risk or gamble. However, there are really only 3 main reasons why anyone ever fails in MLM. Check them out so that you can be sure to avoid them and succeed in a major way working from home.

1. Too High Expectations

People come into home based businesses with all kinds of expectations. However, if your expectations are too high you’re never going to be satisfied and you’ll end up failing or quitting.

If you’re involved in a legal, ethical and legitimate business you’re not going to be making 6 figures in a matter of months. Also, you won’t make any money without investing some serious time and effort. That’s just the way the world works. If there was some magical plug and play system that allowed you to simply sign up and watch the cash roll in wouldn’t everyone be rich by now?

Bottom line: in a home based business you should have goals and dreams and they should be big. They just shouldn’t be so big and so grand and nobody could ever possibly live up to them.

2. Lack Of Self Belief

This is a biggie. How can you ever expect to be successful in business if you don’t believe in yourself. So many people who literally have everything it takes to succeed end up failing simply because they don’t believe in themselves enough.

You don’t have to be full of yourself or arrogant but you should believe in yourself enough to know that you CAN do this. If you don’t really believe you can have success why would anyone else. Lack of self believe holds so many people back!

3. Mind Of An Employee

This might sound a little harsh but honestly not everyone is cut out to be a business owner. Many people can’t get the employee mindset out of their heads. When you work from home you don’t have a boss breathing down your back, you don’t have deadlines, and you don’t have set work hours. For some people that’s a huge plus but for some people it can actually hold them back.

If you don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit and you just want to be an employee a home based business just simply may not be right for you.

Those are really the only 3 reasons why anyone fails in a network marketing company. Are you on the verge of falling victim to one of them? Do what you need to do to make sure you’re an MLM SUCCESS story. Avoid these three problems and you should be well on your way.

These days almost all home based business owners are making the switch from offline to online when it comes to marketing. There really isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t be attempting to market your business online it’s cheap, it’s simple and you can reach a ton of people that you may not be able to reach otherwise. However, there are a few offline marketing strategies that still work wonders for any home based business. Here are a few of my favorites offline marketing strategies that are tried and true and will definately work for you.

Talking to your friends and family is the number one offline way to bring people into your home based business. There is absolutely nothing you can do online that is going to be the same as sitting down with your family or closest friends and introducing them to your business opportunity. Many people today tend to shy away from talking to their closest friends but I’m here to tell you that that is a huge mistake. This doesn’t mean you need to pressure anyone into anything or bug them so much that they don’t want to answer the phone. But at least give them an opportunity to know what your business is really all about.

If you don’t know what sizzle cards are you could be missing out on lots of really great prospects. A sizzle card is just a small, usually brightly colored card that’s the same size as a business card. It has a toll free number they can call for more information and a catchy sentence or phrase to get their attention. Something like “tired of living paycheck to paycheck?” or “Make more money now!” You can choose whatever phrase you like best and customize the message they’ll here when they call.

Sizzle cards are usually fairly cheap and if you bring them with you wherever you go you’ll be marketing your business even if you’re just running errands. Leave them with your tip at lunch, at the dry cleaners, at Starbucks, wherever. It’s a simple way to get more free prospects.

Finally, flyers might seem like a lot of work, and they can be, but they can also be extremely effective. To start out you’ll need to have a route of all the free bulletin boards in your area. There are probably more than you think if you really keep an eye out. Next type up a simple eye catching flyer and send them to the same phone number you send your sizzle card leads.

By sending your leads to a voicemail you control the conversation because you can choose when to call them back. Plus they’ve already heard a short message so their curiosity has been peeked.

Just pass out your flyers all over town once every week to two weeks and you’ll start to see a steady flow of leads roll in. you may not get hundreds a week but it will be people that you may have never had the chance to meet otherwise.

These are just a few of my favorite offline marketing strategies. Try them and see what will work the best for you. However, the best way to get the most results is to work both offline and online. So get started today and build an amazing home based business for you and your family this year.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_eGbfTPbGY[/youtube]            Google adwords have been a popular way of marketing online for a while. Many people recommend that their team market with this method. Adwords in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing or someone who has a lot of money to spend can be a great thing.

            However, if you don’t know what you’re doing you can waste a lot of money before you even know what hits you! Don’t let that happen to you. Just say no to Google adwords! At least in the beginning of your home based business… trust me you’ll thank me later!

            Adwords are a situation of what’s good for one person might not be what’s great for everyone. See, if you have the know how and the funds it really can be a good way to market. I would never suggest that it’s the only thing you do to market your business online however.

            When people who are making a ton of money in MLM start telling their team what to do to get successful they often forget what it was like to be a home based business newbie. It’s pretty unrealistic to expect someone who is just getting started to spend hundreds of dollars a month on ads or on expensive lists of leads.

            There are so very many free ways to market your business online that spending money on expensive ads almost seems silly, especially in the beginning. Websites like Myspace, Craigslist, Backpage, Twitter, Forums, Youtube, Wordpress blogs, and a whole host of other popular sites will give you lots of prospects if you know how to use them to your advantage.

            Finally, you need to know that there are many successful ways to market your home based business online. Google adwords is a good choice just make sure you don’t waste a lot of money and end up getting discouraged. It’s true that in the hands of the home based business newbie Google adwords really can be the home based business killer!

If you’re thinking about joining a home based business there are a few questions you’re probably asking yourself. Can I really do this? What will my spouse think? Which business is right for me? And of course… how much money will I have to spend to have success in a home based business?

All of these questions are important and should be thought about but I’d like to focus on the last one. Over time I’ve come across a lot of different people who want to work from home and almost all of them believe that working from home either has to be A) Free or B) extremely expensive. That’s why I’m here to tell you that it’s neither.

Let’s start with the first one because it really is a huge misconception that I want to bust right here and right now. There isn’t a business out there anywhere that you can start and not spend a dime. That my friends is called a JOB and there are plenty of them out there. A business always…. And I stress ALWAYS costs money to start.

You couldn’t open a clothing store or a restaurant without money up front right? Well a home based business is no different. I’ve read many an article saying that if a business asks you for money up front it’s a scam and that’s just so far from the truth it’s unreal. If you don’t invest some money you’re not in a business… period end of story.

They say it takes money to make money and that’s true so after your initial start up costs you may have to spend a little bit of money here and there just on basic marketing needs. Not a fortune but a little here and there.

That brings me to the second misconception. That starting a home based business costs a fortune. If you’re going to start your own business a home based business is the way to go. You won’t find another legitimate business you can start that will be any more cost effective. We’re talking less than $1000 here people. To start a real… honest…. Can make you filthy rich business! It just doesn’t get any better than that!

So in the question of how much money will it cost to make money from home here is my answer… less than $1000 to start (in many cases less than $500) and probably $50 – $100 a month to maintain. Now that’s a life changing opportunity that almost anyone can afford!

I’ve been asked many times, just who exactly is the perfect prospect for a home based business. Is it a stay at home mum who wants to make money on the side? Is it a college student? Is it a man who’s been in network marketing before? Who exactly is a prime candidate for a home based business? How do you spot them?

Honestly it would probably make prospecting a whole lot easier if there was such a thing as the perfect prospect. Obviously if I knew that men between the ages of 35-45 with two kids were the best prospects, I’d go after them and forget about everyone else.

Sadly however, I must tell you that there really isn’t a science or a formula for finding the perfect prospect for a home based business.

It just comes down to talking to as many people as you can and the winners and the losers will separate themselves out for you. Young people can be just as successful as middle aged people. Women can be every bit as successful as men and newbies can sometimes outshine the guy who has been in 8 different businesses. It’s all really just a game of chance.

So if you’re looking for the perfect prospect, STOP  They aren’t out there and if they were you probably wouldn’t know them if you saw them.

The face of MLM in 2010 is a lot like walking down the street in New York City. You’re going to see a little bit of everything.

If you’re one of the people who have been toying around with the idea of working from home, for some time, I have a  question for you, are you in, or are you out?

I don’t mean to be blunt, but really let’s just get down to it. When it comes to building a business from home, you can’t sort of kind of do it. So my question to you is are you going to do it or aren’t you?

If you ARE going to do it, and do it right, there has never been a better time. People are still losing their jobs left and right, and more of them are looking for a way to make money from home so the opportunity has never been greater.

The Internet is also an incredible tool in home based businesses today. You can market so many different ways and reach so many different types of  people through online marketing that would make your head spin.

The time to act on a home based business has never been better and success has never been more possible than it is right now. So I ask you again are you in…. or are you out?

If you’re out that’s fine. However, I believe it’s sad when peopole dream about doing something for years and years and never actually take that leap to make it happen.

So take a stand with your financial future. Go for your home based business. You’re either in or you’re out. Which one are you?

            Do you want to make money from home? I’m guessing you do otherwise you probably wouldn’t be reading this right? Well you’ve come to the right article. There are many, many things you can do to help market your home based business online here are the top 11 that no home based business owner should be without.

            1. Blogging

            Blog is short for web log it’s sort of like an online diary. Blogs can give you instant credibility and allow readers to get a lot of information about your product or opportunity by reading your blog posts. The more popular and established your blog gets the better. You can get free blogs all over but the most popular by far are Wordpress and Blogger blogs.

            2. Article Marketing

            Does article marketing really work? Well you’re reading this one aren’t you. Free online article directories allow you to post your articles easily and this type of marketing makes you an instant expert. You can write your own articles like many do or buy cheap private label rights articles at places like HomeBasedBusinessPLRarticles.com

            3. Video Marketing

            Video marketing is one of the most popular ways to market online and for good reason, it’s extremely effective. There are countless free video uploading sites online the most popular being Youtube but there are many, many, many others that are defiantly worth your time and energy.

            4. Forum Marketing

            Want to talk to other people who are interested in making money from home? If so forum marketing is for you. Along with talking to potential prospects you can also get a wealth of information and learn from other successful online marketers. The best part of forum marketing is it’s free and there are a ton of them out there so you won’t be limited.

            5. Twitter

            Twitter allows you to keep up with your fans and  followers by posting different status updates whenever you want and just like everything else on this list… it’s free!

            6. Social Bookmarking

            Social bookmarking allows you to “bookmark” your favorite pages for others to see and take notice of. By bookmarking your websites, articles, blog, videos and more you’ll get a lot more attention for your business and can get indexed in search engines much faster.

            7. Facebook

            Facebook is one of the most popular websites online so it only makes sense that you as a business owner should be a part of it. There are many groups on Facebook devoted to making money online join some and start chatting!

            8. Myspace

            The king of social networking sites, every home based business owner should have a Myspace. There are few sites that allow you the freedom to market and meet new people like Myspace.

            9. Squidoo

            By creating a squidoo lens you can instantly get the word out about your website to the Squidoo community and the rest of the web. Want to make the most of your lens? Make your website as small a niche as possible it will get noticed more and indexed in google faster!

            10. Yahoo Answers

            You can’t abuse it but Yahoo answers can be a great place to find people who are frustrated with their job and ready to start working from home. There is a limit to how many times you can post per day and if you come off as a spammer you’ll get blocked but when used in moderation it’s awesome!

            11. Free Ad Sites

            Craigslist is the most popular but Backpage is great too. Free classified sites are awesome places to advertise your business or product. You have to post in the right areas though otherwise your ads will get deleted especially on Craigslist. That means posting in the small business section and not under “jobs”

Now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you the truth. I’m sure the title attracted you to click on the link to find out more. I’m here to tell you that it was just a ploy I used, to attract your attention. You see, I want to show you how misleading this type of approach is. There are people who employ dubious tactics to get you to sign up with them. They promise that they have a home based business that will skyrocket your wallet in a few short weeks. They are misleading you. We live in a world that is in a hurry. We want everything yesterday, from instant coffee to instant enlightenment. Talk about living in the fast lane! However, building a home based business takes time. It takes work and it takes commitment. There are people who are good at recruiting prospects into their MLM business. They do so under false pretences. And they give the industry a bad name. They quote figures, they make promises, they bribe and lie. Steer clear of them. They are in it for a quick buck. Don’t be surprised if they move on somewhere else once they have recruited you.

A home based business is like any other business. You get rewarded for what you put in. If you commit yourself to work the business everyday, whether you feel like it or not, you will succeed. Stay away from anyone who claims that you will earn a certain figure by a certain date. It’s impossible for anyone to know. Your success depends on several variables. Your work ethic, experience and skills It is very difficult to know how well you are going to do until your sponsor sees how you work. Then he/she may get an idea on your likely success or failure.

It would be far better to just enjoy the journey your home based business provides you. It is a learning experience and you are bound to end up richer in character as well as in pocket, if you apply yourself.