Stuck. Looking for Advice

Discussion in 'Network/Multi-level Marketing' started by CdBurns, Jun 11, 2014.

  1. CdBurns

    CdBurns New Member

    Hi everyone, hopefully I can get some good advice and guidance here :)

    I joined a company in January and I was extremely excited to be part of this opportunity. I work a full time job, have a son at home and am expecting another child in a month. I've spent a lot of time working at my business with very little success so far. I still see the vision and what the business is going to do for me in the future. I feel as though I don't have the time to focus on it as much as I would like and seem to just be stuck. It is also difficult when my fiance doesn't support this at all. To sum it up, she thinks it's stupid and a waste of money and I have yet to prove otherwise.

    I live in a small city of 12,000. I moved here last year and know very few people. Hoping to find some useful information here to help me get going with my business.

    Thanks
  2. Laurian

    Laurian New Member

    Hi CdBurns,

    There are two things here.

    One is that you joined a company in January which you consider to be a great opportunity. If you want advice about your company , then give more details about it. People will able to give you advice on it when they know what company you're talking about.

    Second is advice about starting an online business. There is plenty people do online. What to choose depends on what you can do and like to do. Think of something you can sell and like selling, or a service/information you can provide to people. You may need to start blogging or maintaining a website.

    You need a mentor or get training in internet marketing. Some programs provide training for free, do some rigorous research before making your final decision, scams are there, abundant.

    The best plan is start internet marketing and consider leaving your present job only when you are confident with your new way of life.

    I hope that will help.

    Laurian.
    payment proof likes this.
  3. Bunnie1978

    Bunnie1978 New Member

    Hi Cdburns.
    First, congratulations on taking the unpopular step of moving in this direction. You sound young, and it's so exciting when you're young to see the possibility of a different life. Second, if you are doing something your fiancé does not support, I have to say, you are probably on an uphill ride. Uphill isn't impossible. It just means you have to get it started on your own. She will come around probably... after you have shown her the possibility. Maybe another day, we can talk about the things that stop people from believing in a network marketing type of system.

    Since you haven't told us what company you are with, I will assume that it is a strong company with a respectable compensation plan and consumable products. (If one or more of those are not true, nothing I say is going to be of high value.)

    You say you've "spent a lot of time working" at your business... time is not really important... what activities are you doing to build your business? Not all activities are appropriate for all people. Do you have a sponsor? Are they involved in teaching you different ways to build your business? Different ways to approach people? How many people have you actually been able to give a full presentation to, and were they there just because you asked them or because they already had an interest in what you're doing? Once you tell us what company or product, you will probably be able to get better responses on different ways to build your business, but usually the most successful way is through personal relationships, which you've just told us that you don't know very many people locally - so THAT's the hurdle. You have to get out and meet people, and be willing to engage in conversations with those people about their lives and open the door to how what you're doing might be something they might like or need. I like to focus on product first personally, but others focus on the business opportunity. Some people on my team use leads generated by a celebrity author in my upline to reach out and farm for interest. There are tons of ways to actually find people that want to hear what you have to say....

    The last comment I want to address.... it's a waste of money....
    If your fiancé thinks that something is a waste of money, I'm wondering how much money you're actually spending. Is there a required purchase to be eligible for commission (I am with USANA and there is a mandatory personal use/resale purchase requirement to be eligible to receive commission) or a mandatory purchase to participate at all, even if you're not receiving commission, or are you spending money on things to try and help you build your business? If it is the latter, then STOP. You should not have to spend any money to build your business - YOU are your most important marketing tool. Your experience with the product, your admiration of the company... that's all you need to be able to talk to people. Maybe gas to go out into the world. :)

    I hope so of this helps you look at what you're doing and what you could be doing... Once we hear back from you about some of these things, you'll probably be able to get a lot of great advise.
    payment proof likes this.
  4. CdBurns

    CdBurns New Member

    Hi Bunnie,

    The company I am with is Vemma. I believe in the products and the people. There are so many companies around with great products and compensation plans, and it just ended up being that Vemma was introduced to me. I was first introduced to the MLM world by my aunt who is in Zija. It peeked my interest but at the time I felt as though I was too busy. I then heard of Vemma from a friend who is not at all affiliated, and i asked him to get me in touch with this friend who was. I joined.

    I do enjoy meeting and speaking with people. I can be shy at first but I open up quite quickly. I do not spent as much time as I'd like speaking to people and reaching out to people online. Like it's been pointed out, one of the biggest hurdles I see is that I am in a new community where I know very few people so the beginning of the network is hard. I do have a mentor who lives a province over. He is always willing to get on any calls I need him to or help me in any way.

    I need to purchase my own product to use every month in order to receive commission. That is the money I have spent. I personally enjoy the products and I believe in them. I have my parents also consuming some of the products.

    I sometimes feel like there isn't enough time in the day to do anything. I have a pregnant fiance about to pop, a 4 year old son at home, and I work full time. It's a busy life. I need to learn to use the time I do have as effectively as possible.

    Any advice is always appreciated.
    payment proof likes this.
  5. Bunnie1978

    Bunnie1978 New Member

    OK, now I know a little more about what you're doing and have a few more suggestions. You may need to look into your company policies about how you are permitted to promote your products to make sure any of these ideas are suitable and allowed. All of these suggestions are things I would recommend doing in addition to relationship marketing.

    1. Approach local small business owners about carrying the products in their stores. There may be specific rules about this. For example, USANA products can be resold through businesses as long as that business is primarily a service provider, such as spas, gyms, doctors offices, salons, ect. So, part of my marketing is actually going to these businesses and asking who is responsible for deciding what products they sell to clients. When I get in front of that person, I can tell them a little about USANA, the products, and profitability for their business.
    2. Can you resell the products you are purchasing to meet your requirement for immediate resale profit (or at least less loss) If your company is like most others, you may need to purchase more than you would usually need, or can use that product for other purposes. Can you sell it on sites like Ebay, where you will get back some of your spend AND make a new contact at the same time?
    3. Do you have a Facebook page, website, or blog? So much of networking can be done online now. Perhaps you can offer samples, hold a drawing, or give away product at an event to spread the word about what you're doing and meet new people at the same time.
    payment proof likes this.
  6. Brandon Lukas

    Brandon Lukas New Member

    Ok, I'm going to tell you this.

    Number one, don't waste time doing stuff on foot.

    I don't know why people still in this day n age with the power of the internet still feel like they have to go around on foot talking to business owners, people, friends, family, etc...

    I'm not going to boast on my success.

    But let me tell you this.

    What problems can Vemma solve for what market? Looks like people in health and wellness?

    So Find where this pocket of people hang out, facebook, forums, blogs, etc...

    And if you have to start building connections and relationships.

    Do it strategically, not a one size fits all, because honestly people don't care about your business opportunity or your amazing product, what they care about is how it can benefit them.

    Or if your recruiting people, I'd go after people that are already entrepreneurs that aren't happy with their support, leadership, or training. which to be honest any company that tells you to go out and sell products, host mixer parties, and go on foot is crappy training.

    I'm willing to help you and guide you with the time I can allow, connect with facebook and I can give you some pointers. another thing you can do is go to my website where I give a crap load of value for free to help you build your business.. My facebook link is there as well.

    Best of luck :)
    Rolan Garcia likes this.
  7. talfighel

    talfighel Silver Member

    The best advice I can give you is to find someone in your UPLINE who is very successful and ask them for coaching and what they did to succeed.

    Important factor:

    Never question what they tell you to do. Just do it and do it consistently.
    Rolan Garcia likes this.
  8. Jenergy

    Jenergy New Member

    Hi there,
    I am also in a health and wellness company and most of my business I build from the internet? How comfortable do you feel with social media? Are you currently using many platforms to build your business? I agree with the last comment. Find someone in your upline who is successful and do everything that they say to do.
    Rolan Garcia and payment proof like this.
  9. mountainmom5

    mountainmom5 Gold Member

    For starters...congrats on getting involved in something that can change your life and secondly, who told you it would happen overnight? :)

    Success comes to those who persist through the trials and failures! If you have a 5 or 10 year plan in place, then it won't matter so much if you aren't making a bazillion bucks at the end of your first year.

    I have friends that made thousands a month right out of the gate with the same company that I am with, and I didn't have that kind of fast start but it doesn't keep me from building my team and business as I am completely sold on the products and on where the business can take me in the next ten years.

    Find someone above you and ask them to help you - your leaders are more then willing to do so. Cheers and best wishes!!
  10. PeterMFL

    PeterMFL Active Member

    Great advice above.

    Just keep in mind that every success person has gone through the stage with their closest friends and family not believing in them.
    It's a great feeling when you prove them wrong! :)
  11. Robin Bull

    Robin Bull New Member

    SBA stats tell us that it takes at least a year (and sometimes two years) to break even. Don't give up hope. A HBB is just like a small business. It takes TIME. Just keep going. It was a big thing for me to go from one child to two. The third kid was a piece of cake! :)
  12. florbags

    florbags Member

    I completely understand your situation, CdBurns.

    If you don't want to resign from your full time job (which I can totally relate to), I suggest that you automate your business. How?
    - You can use autoresponders for your email marketing.
    - Use autoposters like Facebook SharerPro if your chosen platform is Facebook to update your status or your Facebook Page.
    - Automate your traffic by posting articles on different article directories or on your own blog.
    These will be very helpful if you want to accomplish lots of things even while you are at work or on vacation.

    Another advice that I would like to give you is to use the DBV Time Management which I learned from Charlie Page.
    (DBV means Day Before Vacation)

    I want you to remember the day before your last vacation. What did you do? Where you faster, more productive and more focused than you were during Mondays? Of course you were. You were so pumped-up to finish your job early because you were so excited to go home and pack your bags for your vacation on the next day.

    That's what DBV is like. You do what you are supposed to do before you take a rest.

    Here's what I want you to do...
    1. Get a sheet of paper or open a notepad/document.
    2. Write/type down the things that you SHOULD accomplish tomorrow.
    3. Prioritize your list by putting the ones that will give you the most return on the top.
    4. Do the hardest task first.
    5. Get another sheet of paper or open a new notepad/document. When the things that you COULD do crosses your mind during the day, write them down and forget them. Don't lose track on the things that you SHOULD be doing.

    Hope this helps, CdBurns. :)
  13. Good Feather

    Good Feather New Member

    I hope things are going well for you! Looks like you posted about a month ago. I would strongly suggest some good internet marketing training WITH daily action steps to consistently move your business forward. Choose 1 platform, such as Facebook, blogging, or video marketing, and learn it, inside and out!! After checking into a few strategies, I found that I really enjoyed Facebook....there are just so many people there!

    I wish you abundant success
  14. Tatyana

    Tatyana New Member

    Hey there CdBurns! Every new opportunity and venture is exciting!!! I would like to ask you a few questions and also emphasize how important it is to stay consistent with ANY work from home biz that you do! What kind of marketing do you do? Or I mean more of a marketing strategy? Do you lead with the opportunity or product? Have you heard of branding yourself and attraction marketing? :)

  15. Tatyana

    Tatyana New Member

    Robin, that is so true!!! Many people advertise MLM/network marketing as a "get rich quick" type scheme and in their own desperation, they set many people up for failure! Just like any physical business, network marketing takes time to grow and build. Initially it is hard, but there is so much to learn and grasp! :)

    Rolan Garcia likes this.

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