First Steps to MLM Success

Let's face it, most network marketers don't make it. Why? Because they are like search lights out there prospecting in their boats in stormy seas, trying to save people from financial ruin one person at a time. We teach you how to do it differently. We teach you how to become a Lighthouse Marketer, attracting people into your business.

OK, here it is. Absolutely free information, real information, First Steps to get started successfully in your MLM business.

PART I – Find the best company for you.

First, the most important thing is to find a company that is right for you. You have to ask yourself several questions. Does the product stand-alone? If there were no financial opportunity would you still use the product? Do people want it? Will they use? Is it a unique product or just a passing fad? Is it consumable? In other words is it a one-time buy or are your customers going to use it up and buy it over and over again? Can you honestly tell people this product has improved your life?

Second, is the company solid? How long have they been around? Are the financially stable? Are they here to stay, and what background and experience to the leaders have? In this business, reputation and honesty can be, should be, everything.

Third, is it affordable to the average person? Let's face it, there are many great companies out there, but when you have to write a check for $500 to $2000 just to get started, that seriously limits recruiting. People will often put up $35 to $50 for a product and opportunity, but when you start asking for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, that is a
different story entirely. Don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that some of these companies are not great. I'm just saying that it seriously limits your participating audience. Believe me, I have been there.

Fourth, does the company provide the tools for you to succeed? Is great training provided for free on a regular basis? Are there things like frequent live training calls, replicated websites, affordable account managing tools that provide such services as auto-e-mail responding and lead tracking? Can you build a down line using the Internet and train your new recruits
over the phone and on your company website, or does everything have to be done in person? Believe me, person to person is a great way to do business. It is just not practical any longer in this business. Weekly hotel meetings, home parties, or just going from friends house to friends house with a DVD are things of the past. Not only will you probably not be very successful at your business, but your friends and family will start to avoid you. Take my word for it. Been there.

There are many aspects to success in the MLM business, but first and foremost, find a great company with:
1.Products that are consumable
2.Solid Foundation
3.Affordability to all
4.The Tools to do the job

PART II - Invest in yourself.

Once you find the right company, you need to work on yourself. Get your mind right. The best way to start educating yourself is by reading. Read one chapter a day from a list of recommended self-help or motivational books. One chapter a day isn't hard to do and it is retained easier than trying to cram in as much as possible. At the end of a year, you will have absorbed a vast amount of knowledge that can be invaluable to your life and to your business.

Be a listener. Make it a point to listen to a successful person for at least 20 minutes a day. It can be a CD, DVD, or a live or recorded training call, any source of information to help further educate you in your marketing venture. Twenty minutes a day is very easy to do. Everyone spends at least that much time driving or riding in a car every day. Put that CD
player to good use.

Every ninety days or so get out and see a live speaker. There are always inspiring speakers appearing somewhere for relatively little money. If you live in a small town where this never happens, make a weekend of it! Take a group or simply a companion and go to the big city, eat some good food, attend the event, and soak it all in. Nothing is quite as inspiring and
motivating as a live event full of successful people sharing their story.

These three things are so very easy to do. They are even easier not to do. Everyday you are either moving forward or falling back. You decide. You have to commit. I have seen so many people get into this business thinking it is going to be easy money. Haven't we all been to those hotel or dining room meetings where the guy making a million dollars tells everyone how easy it is and how by just sharing this idea with a few friends and family, he became financially independent, and debt free and how he and everyone else there is going to help you do the same thing!

It is easy to see why so many people get into this business, spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars, thinking it is a get-rich-quick plan. Why, you would think it is damn near like hitting the lottery! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Nothing worth having is given to you. That includes your business and your down line. It all falls on you. It is your business. You have to build it. You are responsible for its success or failure. Don't misunderstand me. It is not difficult. It just takes a determination and effort and a stick-to-it attitude that many people simply do not have or do not realize they need and they soon quit and fall by the wayside when success is not immediate. Think of it like this. Many people spend the majority of their life building a successful business. The bigger and more successful their business becomes, the harder they have to work and more of their time is required. If you will diligently work and market a good MLM product, within a relatively short period of time, you can build a business with a down line that will provide you with a comfortable income for the rest of your life while you put in just a few hours a week. Depending on your perseverance and willingness to work, you can become financially independent with time freedom in a one to five year period. Just seek out the seekers and leave the non-believers to go along their merry way.

There are many good people out there who are willing to help you. You just have to find them. There are also many out there who say they will help you, but in the end, just want to sell you something. Be careful. These companies are like everything else. They range from down right lousy to great. Be wise. Ask questions. If the answers to all your questions are vague or are always answered with another question, run the other way. It's OK if the other person doesn't know all the answers as long as they can tell you where to find them. A knowledgeable, helpful up line is invaluable. I know that if I help my team succeed, the rest will take care of itself. Happy marketing!

Copyright (c) 2007 Ed Long