Advice needed from a successful director with CSG

Discussion in 'Coastal Vacations' started by daretodream, Feb 11, 2007.

  1. daretodream

    daretodream New Member

    I am member of the Coastal Synergy Group. I signed up early Nov with one of the leaders as my director. Unfortunately it seems difficult to get any help from her ~because~ she is so successful and also does outside coaching. Don't get me wrong, she is not avoiding me, I just feel rushed when I speak with her and that does not help my mindset so I avoid speaking with her at all.

    I have still not made even my first training sale and am becoming increasingly frustrated. I am going further and further in debt because of my monthly costs to run the business and the most frustrating part is that I know it is possible to do extremely well with this business. I have been buying relatively low quality leads simply because they are so expensive that the lowest quality lead is costing me over $3/ea and it eats up all my spare money from my JOB. I have recently started using free leads so that I at least have some slight possibility of making a sale.

    I could really use some advice about what I may be doing wrong. I am following the system to a T and my director gives me heck for not doing the 3 way calls, the only thing I am not doing. The problem is...how can I possibly book a 3 way call when I can't even get people to be home for our scheduled follow ups?

    I do have experience with telephone customer service (not sales) so I am able to get info out of people and develop a rapport in a very short time and people I speak to seem very receptive to me so I really don't understand what the problem could be. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

    Hannah
  2. roger

    roger New Member

    Hi Hannah,
    Although I am not with the CSG, I know them to be a good group to work with and I know how daunting it can be at times. To reassure you, we've all been there.

    My first piece of advice, and I know it may seem easier said than done, but quite frankly you must do this immediately:

    Change the way you're speaking and thinking right now.
    As my friend Jeffrey Combs has said, "stop living in your head,"
    he's a pretty direct fella. [​IMG]

    Also, you must stop saying how awful it is and how unreachable your director is etc. etc...that doesn't help you at all and you have to start fixing the issue from within first (start with taking a deep breath first).

    Once you've done that, lets begin to attack the problem:
    You can advertise for free in the "small biz ads" in Craigslist.com, start posting in a few cities, don't go over 7 cities to begin with because they'll boot you out. Next, there is backpage.com, also free to advertise in. You will see a "biz opp" section. the next thing you can do is go to www.ezinearticles.com and write a story, about anything you know about and publish it. This is also free. It gets your name out there and brings credibility to you. You can also post in forums like this which creates more exposure for you, this is free too....I'm curious when you speak with your director what does she suggest you do?

    The next thing is to spend a little money on either advertising or buying some leads. This is a business so you must be prepared to spend a little bit, this will give you more immediate results. The Craigslist ads should also produce quick response.

    I'm not sure how much time you spend on the business which will also factor in your success but it should be for at least a couple of hours a day, everyday.

    I hope this helps, and don't give up!
    [​IMG]
    Roger
  3. tomcha

    tomcha New Member

    Hannah,

    On top of what Roger has said, I would like to add on just one point regarding your mindset.

    If you have shown that you want this badly enough by purchasing the program and have made efforts to get in touch with your director, know that you have the RIGHT to have access to your director.

    Do not become timid now. Don't let what 'could be' or 'might be' get in your way. Success is not given. It is earned.

    Yes, it's very hard to get started. It's true for everyone. Some people take longer than others to generate the first sale or even the second sale.

    But you need to look at this long term. If you generate the first few sales quickly out of luck, without knowing how and why those happened, then you aren't really any better off.

    With the slowing down of the sales, you'll get discouraged just the same and give up in the end.

    What matters is that whether you are making sales or not, to learn what works and doesn't work and why. Remember that every 'thing' that doesn't work for you is another 'way' that you learn not to run the business.

    Thomas Edison put it the best when he was asked how he kept himself going to invent the light bulb after thousands of failed attempts. His answer was that he saw every 'failure' as a narrowing down of list of things to try, helping him to better his chances next time.

    I think it's very true that our perception shapes the world. That's what marketing is. It's a play on people's perception.

    And in the case of your director, you need to perceive the situation as you being entitled to her time, and you are. As a member of her team and her having committed to you and your success, she 'owes' you her time and attention.

    Go claim what is yours. Don't shy away from it. It's also possible that her seemingly rushing you is just how she is on a regular basis with everyone and everything. Don't add meaning to something, especially potentially negative ones, if they don't help you perceive the world to your advantage.

    I hope you won't give up and take your time. There is no need to rush. Learn the business. It takes time. After all, it is a business.

    What business can you think of that has little or no learning curve? Those are what we call scams. Every worthwhile business has a learning curve. But with the help of the right director, that learning curve can be reduced tremendously, but you still need to have some patience and the determination to propel yourself through.

    Having committed to this business, made efforts in generating sales and getting help from your director, you'll succeed.

    Don't wonder if you'll succeed. Know it.

    Thomas
  4. hsimpsonjr

    hsimpsonjr Silver Member

    Hannah,
    Roger hit the nail on the head. If leads aren't working for you then, by all means, stop using the leads and refocus your marketing to another avenue. I have been doing very little paid advertising in the last 2 months( a total of about $50) and mainly focused on posting in forums. I have generated 5 sales worth $9,000 just from posting and answering questions on forums. That's totally free advertising and I'm just answering questions. I'm not "advertising" so to speak. You can go and make yourself look like an expert and you will be surprised how things change when you do. Go and find forums that focus on travel or homebased business and post like crazy. It's free and it's working great for me. The best point Roger made was to NOT GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! That is the only way to lose in this business. If you stick it out and make some changes you will be successful!. If you feel your director isn't offering good advice then come here and we will all be glad to help you as much as we can. Good luck and DON'T GIVE UP!
  5. hsimpsonjr

    hsimpsonjr Silver Member

    Hannah,
    you are seeing a great example of team work right here in this thread of this forum. Roger and Thomas are both members of Coastal that I signed up. Roger was a member before he knew me but he saw the value of the call center through our website and joined the call center through my website and we speak several times a week on the phone. Same with Thomas. He was my first member sign up and he was also my final qualifying sale because he upgraded to level 2 so, technically, he isn't my member anymore but we still work together to find the best way to make money from this business. I have learned just as much or more from these guys than they have learned from me. I count them a great friends and value their input and suggestions. One other thing to point out about Roger and Thomas is they are both Canadian. Why do I point that out? Because I live in NC. That's a good little ways from Canada but they saw my ads and joined and we are working together as team members. This is what makes the differece. Remember, we are all one big Coastal family and we want you to be successful also. Even if you aren't on our team.
  6. jlDunn

    jlDunn New Member

    Hi Hannah,
    I am with CSG, and have been doing it for about a month now....what leads are you using? Did you try the new ones?
    If you ever feel the need to talk and see how others are doing you are welcome to email me. There are a couple of us "newbies" who send each other emails once in a while to see how things are going.

    I can't give you any advice on what you are doing wrong because I haven't got my training sales either.

    If you are worried about the cost of the leads, you could talk to your director and see if anyone is interested in splitting a package with you.

    If you would like, you can email me and join our little newbies group.

    Lindsay Dunn
    [email protected]
  7. PNL Travel

    PNL Travel New Member

    Hi Hannah,

    I am not in the CGS, but I am in the WealthBuilders. I do not use a call center; I call all of my own leads. I have success with leads - but it took a while! It didn't happen overnight. I had absolutely no background in business or customer service (I taught algebra and geometry). I tell you this to say that this was a huge change, but one that I am VERY happy I made!

    The best advice I could give you is to plug into Dani Johnson. She is the one person who made a big difference for me. If you are listening to her live and recorded calls that's great! To truly make a difference you need to attend a First Steps to Success seminar (the next one is in LA on March 17 & 18).

    In my experience I have found that wherever you are getting stuck, the problem lies just before that step. So, if you are not having people answer your follow up calls then there may be a problem with your initial call. It could also be that you have LDS (lead deficiency syndrome). You should have more people to call than you have time.

    It sounds like your funds are getting low and you are getting discouraged because of it. If you are in need of ideas for building you business that are low cost or free, check out the BOD call schedule. Steph has a great call on Thursday (I think) afternoon all about that. She does those calls in 6 week sessions; a new session starts next week. I love those calls, they are very helpful!

    There are many options out there with Coastal. Like everyone else said, mindset has a lot to do with this. You will succeed as long as you don't give up and quit!

    If you have any questions we would be happy to answer them for you. I wish you the best!

    Lora
  8. dawnmo

    dawnmo New Member

    Hi Hannah, if you have the time I would recommend posting consistantly on forums and free classified sites, like Craigslist. It's very difficult to watch your money being spent with no return, which can significantly increase your stress level.

    I would spend the next few weeks doing a lot of free posting just to see if it works for you - that way all you are spending is your time. Hopefully, your stress level will drop a bit and you will be able to think more clearly and plan your next step.

    Keep us posted and let us know if we can help in any way.

    Good luck!

    Dawn
  9. daretodream

    daretodream New Member

    Wow, what alot of great advice! Thank you all. I have been posting free ads....classifieds, traffic exchanges, safe lists all to no avail but they work on autopilot after the initial work anyway so I still could see something from them. Never tried Craigslist but have heard good things so I will post there.

    I have been working about 20 hours a week the last month ( taking weekends off ) but previous to that I was working a minimum 40 hours a week on top of my full time job, ouch, it started to get to me which is why I backed off a bit and started taking some more time for me and my family.

    Lyndsay, I have tried CEM Live Leads, my director has given me some Movie Leads, some HBC leads, some of the new DMP leads, and I have tried the new leads on demand, those ones have been the most responsive out of all the leads but I am still having a rough time.

    Obviously the only variable here is me, everyone else in the group has the same leads, systems, etc. but I am just having the most difficult time figuring out just what it is in me that is blocking me which is why I have decided to work a bit harder on myself than on my business for the next little bit.

    Again, thank you all for your kind words and advice [​IMG]
  10. JNS Travel

    JNS Travel New Member

    I recently found out that my absent upline director is part of CSG. There name are James & kami Owen, their upline director is Luxmih Eve-Lyn Forbes.

    My question is if anyone in CSG knows them or who in CSG can I contact to locate them?

    Thank You,
    Joe
  11. beckie1229

    beckie1229 New Member

    I see that mlmleads.com has Coastal Specific, prescreened leads who already know that it is $1295 and are still interested. I like Enrique and there is training on the site. I think I will be trying those leads just to see.
  12. hsimpsonjr

    hsimpsonjr Silver Member

    How much are the leads, Beckie?
  13. jlDunn

    jlDunn New Member

    JNS Travel - you could try searching them or talk to a board member....

    I have a couple of the board members emails if you would like, let me know.
  14. jlDunn

    jlDunn New Member

    I was just looking and you can get 25 leads for $121 - 4.84 per lead
    or 50 leads for 219 - 4.38 per lead

    They are from all over USA, and are 24-48 hours old when you get them.

    You get all their contact info, and answers to a couple of questions
    Best time to contact
    When you can get started
    Monies to invest
    and reason for HBB

    I didn't see, however if they were exclusive, or semi-exclusive.....meaning how many people the lead get shared with.
  15. beckie1229

    beckie1229 New Member

    Harold,

    mlmleads.com

    Coastal Leads, prescreened

    25 for $121

    50 for $219

    The only company specific leads they do are AmeriPlan, Coastal, Xango, PPL and one other...forgot...
  16. renae

    renae New Member

    If you email [email protected] that email goes to the BOD members if you have specific questions or problems that you can't get help with your upline about. They can't provide you with training specifically other than the calls, but I have found them helpful when I needed direction. Hope that helps.

    PS. Hey Lora! Good to see you! I will be in LA in March! You are absolutely right, plugging into Dani Johnson has caused duplication on my team that continues to blow me away! Not to mention what it has done for me personally. I am coaching 1:1 with her now and WOW, I feel like I just entered the big leagues and I just have a plastic bat. LOL
  17. susaneng

    susaneng New Member

    Thank you Renae for the Board of Director's email. This is good to keep on file.
  18. PNL Travel

    PNL Travel New Member

    Quoting: renaePS. Hey Lora! Good to see you! I will be in LA in March!

    Hi Renae! I can't wait to see you all again! I'm bringing my husband with me this time!

    [​IMG]

    Lora
  19. jnapier

    jnapier New Member

    Hi Hannah,

    As a top leader with the Coastal Synergy Group I must first ask -

    Have you been attending the training calls?
    Have you read all the training provided by your director?
    Are you doing what your director has asked?

    I've seen alot of people make the business alot more challenging than it has to be.

    Jeff Combs has some recorded trainings in your CSG Back Office - Goto those trainings and listen to them.

    Are you attending the live dial trainings? Q and A calls?

    I've used ALOT of different marketing and I can tell you that LEADS are the best way to go. Using leads allows you to take the marketing hat off and allow other companies to do the work for you.

    We've got some great sources available to us. When using leads that are not Coastal specific it does require a totally different approach in what you say.

    Call me for a Complimentary boost.

    Jay NaPier
  20. daretodream

    daretodream New Member

    Jay,

    The only thing I have not been doing is using the forums....I still work full time so it is darn near impossible. I am juggling my schedule around to be able to attend the forums now. I have listened to almost every recorded training there is.

    The only problem with our leads is that the really good ones don't come in small enough packages for me to afford. I have spent several hundred on leads with no results. My director does give leads to the associates to help get them started but those are few and far between.

    I am actually at the point where I am going to have to give up my MAC system if I don't make my training sales and one personal sale within the next week and a half, I hate to do it but I don't have alot of choice with my CC's maxed out and no money to pay them down.

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