Whether you are selling real estate or insurance or advertising vehicles for sale, as with everything successful, selling needs to be planned. Communication is essential, be it either face to face or using the highest level of networking.

Successful salespeople work at creating further sales by sending out thank you notes, birthday cards, invitations to events on the anniversary of the purchase to their clients from the past and this simple act continues to bring in more and more business each year as it encourages regular clients to remain loyal.

Start your plan by categorizing your current and potential customers into types and methods of contact. It is a good idea if you make contact or keep in touch with a specified number of customers each day, say, ten current customers or new contacts who you are not yet doing business with. There are some you will send an interesting email to and some you will speak to face to face. Talk to new people you have noticed, for example, fellow commuters, or shop assistants but remember to make the amount of targets simple and achievable to begin with. It is important to follow up current clients as you have already won their confidence when they purchased from you before so they are likely to do business with you again if they have been happy with your service.

Although there is no absolute secret to success, if you look and act the part you are half way there. Dress appropriately for your position and talk like the confident person you are. Let the customer know you believe in yourself but without showing arrogance. Customers will spread the word to their friends, family and associates and this in turn will result in new business being brought your way. Be seen out and about and make sure your name is being spread around. Make sure your reputation is that of good service and the fact that you will always offer friendly advice. People like honest dealings, a pleasant approach and, of course, manners - please and thank you go a long way.

Selling is not complicated or very difficult if you keep your plan simple and straightforward. Your plan can be made up in whichever way you chose and can be added to or altered as you like. When eventually you have got it right you will be able to use this system throughout your sales career, planning, focusing, following up and hopefully becoming very successful along the way.

Research shows that historically only two to three percent of people succeed in network marketing. If you aren’t in this group of people, then here is an overview of a business plan that increases your chance of success, no matter what company you are associated with. The four steps in this proven plan are: leads, sales, consumption, and duplication.

Lead Generation

The first step in this business plan is to generate targeted leads. This does not mean paying for or buying leads from lead companies. This is about having your own website (not a replicated website) and owning your traffic. In other words, setting yourself up to be the master of your own destiny.

You will need to use the internet to your own advantage to build qualified traffic. This is best done through establishing yourself as a brand. This means that you will need to differentiate yourself so that you stand out as being a unique voice. Sometimes this can be called attraction marketing. However, what it really is, simply, is using internet marketing tools and techniques to build your business.

As part of the process to establish yourself as a brand, you will need to establish yourself as an expert in an area of your business. This may sound difficult but is actually again a simply process. Once you have decided on the topic area, you will need to develop content for your website. This will enable you to build traffic using internet marketing techniques. In turn this will build your reputation as an expert in the field which will attract people to you. Some of these people will contact you about your business.

A key benefit of the attraction marketing technique is that you do not need to chase leads or prospects. Instead, you set up a system where those who are interested actually contact you. That way, you are only dealing with those who do have an interest in what you have to offer. These people are far easier to work with and you will be more effective in building your business.

Sales Conversion

There are basically two types of sales conversion in this business plan – the products you are promoting and the business opportunity. The first focus should be on the product, as in all likelihood, that is the reason the person has found your site. Then, when some of them show an interest in the business opportunity, you can move to introduce them to the business model and how they can profit.

To convert your interested prospects into sales of either type does rely on selling skills, no matter what anyone may tell you. Therefore, spend some time learning the basic selling skills. It is also worth learning basic web copywriting skills too. However, as you are dealing with prospects that have approached you, in many cases they will have already sold themselves which will make your task easier.

Ongoing Consumption

The success of any network marketing business is based on consumption. Otherwise it is only a “house of cards” that will blow over. Aim to have your regular loyal users of your product or service signed up for auto-shipments. This provides a very effective way of conducting business that enables you to spend more time working on your business, rather than in your business.

Also, there is no reason why you cannot diversify your income streams – you don’t have to show loyalty to only one company. Many people will visit your website but only a few will become customers or be involved in the business. There are a number of ways you can work to make money from the traffic you receive so that you can profit. Some tools include placing Adsense to your site, selling advertising space, promoting related affiliate programs, etc.

Duplication

The only focus you have should have is to build a sustainable business. As part of this, you need to coach and mentor your business builders in the same business plan concepts that you have found successful – including encouraging them to be their own unique voice too. Through doing this, you will build a surprisingly strong and loyal downline that is a key strength in your future business success.

So there it is – the business plan that improves your odds of success in your network marketing business. If you put these into action diligently, and adopt a “get rich slowly” approach, then you will experience success in this business to a significantly greater degree than you have previously. Here’s to your success!

Do you want 2008 to be your best year yet in network marketing? Here are four key resolutions for you to consider that will really make a significant difference to your business success.

Make Extra Time in Your Week for Your Own Skill Development

As you want better results than you have previously achieved, you will need to improve how you work your business. There is an old saying that says if you keep on doing the same thing, in the same way, you will get the same results. One of the best ways to do things differently is through the application of the knowledge you learn in your ongoing skill development - especially in areas that are critical to your business success.

Key skills to focus on for improving your business include better understanding how business works, advanced internet marketing techniques, basic and advanced selling techniques, copywriting for the net and leadership. Interpersonal skills are also something that we can never cease learning about. Remember, it is often those who are very good at communicating that experience significant success in life and business.

Become Part of a Mentor or Coaching Program

Don’t rely on your upline to be your mentor or coach. While they should have a vested interest in your success, the chances are they have already imparted all the knowledge they have to you. Instead, find a mentor or coach who is interested in challenging you to build a better business and stimulate you on to greater success. Also, ensure that your coach will challenge you to look for ways to improve all aspects of your life as well as devote time to further skill development.

Sometimes the greatest successes are found through being a renegade and breaking with the “old ways” of doing business activities. A new way of looking at how you conduct you business may lead to some different approaches to what every other network marketer is using that increases your success. That’s why a coach or mentor who is not actively involved in your upline can be of great assistance.

Develop Your Own Targeted Lead Sources

If you are buying leads for your business, you will need to reconsider whether this is going to be best for your long term business success. Give serious thought to and focus on how you can develop lead sources that you own so that you can be assured your leads are not shared with others. This will enable you to develop a very valuable business asset that will provide you with long term success.

A key consideration could be to build you as a brand. This will involve you having to differentiate yourself from others and will include you building expertise in a subject area associated with your business. This will enable you to become an attractor rather than a prospector. What I mean by this is that you need to develop a system where your leads come to you asking to join your business, rather than you chasing them.

Continuously Increase the Effectiveness of Your System

All business success is based on an effective marketing system. This is the case even in network marketing. The old system of drawing up a list of names, contacting family and friends, and then expanding out to others is obsolete. This is not an effective system for most people. Today, the principles of internet marketing, when combined with network marketing, can lead to tremendous success if done properly.

To increase your success, focus on continuously improving your internet marketing system wherever you can. This can involve automating aspects of it where you can. It also involves measuring your activities and establishing benchmarks so that you know when you have made improvements. It is not wise to set and forget systems. Things can change and problems can occur. Continue to monitor all automated systems to ensure they are doing the activity they are supposed to.

Well, there you have it! In my opinion, these are the four most significant factors that will impact on your success in 2008. Through having a consistent and diligent focus on these, you will experience the best year you have ever had in your network marketing business. Here’s to your success!

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for being a reader of my blog posts, and to wish you all the very best for this holiday period.

Best wishes,
Kevin Sinclair.