It is said that the close happens before you first speak to your prospect.  If you set the tone right up front the close is just a natural happening at the end of your presentation.  It comes from posture.  Here are three tips to keep your posture way up when sponsoring prospects.

First tip is, don’t ask the prospect to do you a favor and watch your presentation. Your not there to get them to do you favors. That puts them in the power position. You want to keep posture. You want to show them your business, but never ask for them to do you a favor. You are the one doing them a favor by showing them a lucrative income opportunity.

The second tip is to interview your prospect. Ask them if they have ever been in a network marketing business before. Have they ever owned their own business before? See if they are business minded. Ask them questions to see if they qualify for your time.

The third tip is about calling prospects back. If you are tiring to get someone to look at your business, how many times do you call them back after they fail to return a call or blow you off when you call? The answer is two. Call back two times or leave two messages. If the response is less than positive, cross them off of your list. This is not a manipulative technique, it is business. How many times would you call back a contractor that was going to do work on your home? Would you keep calling him and beg him to work on your home? This is a real business and you will be more successful looking for the people that want it.

I wish you all the success you are willing to work for.

Joe Sommese
TheNetworkBuilders com

About the Author

For more great training on how to grow your home based business, visit www.TheNetworkBuilders.com Also get your free Ebook, “20 Things You Must Know About Network Marketing”, Click Now!

Three Fast and Simple Suggestions to Increase Your Fan Base on Facebook  

One of the most powerful marketing companies in the world, Facebook, is here to stay. No longer is it something that is considered to be a passing fad – is definitely more than that. Today it is where everyone engages-big corporations, independent contractors, Internet Marketers-they all have accounts and fan pages to help get the word out about their products and services. Making your fan page popular will not happen if you simply set up an account. It is important to increase the number of “likes” that you get in order to build your popularity. In this article we will teach you a few of the different things you can do to help that happen.

Make good use of the share button on Facebook. Every now and again, post an image or some form of content on your fan page and send it out to the people who are part of your fan base. Have them share whatever you sent out with the people in their network. New people will discover you this way and they might be encouraged to like your page. If your content is so good that people share it over and over again, imagine what the results would be. You could be enjoying the benefits of that single piece of content for weeks or even months.

You have to make sure that the address of your Facebook fan page is featured on all printed media you use in your business. Everything from fliers to letterheads should have the URL along with the rest of your details. This will show your offline clients that they can use your Facebook page to stay up to date with what you are doing.

This is a highly effective approach for clients who are reticent to sign up to an email list. This way they won’t have to worry about spam but can still keep tabs on you. Some people are very suspicious about these thing but it doesn’t mean that you will be sending them spam. This works for offline marketers and traditional brick and mortar businesses too.

Make sure that your email signature includes a link to your Facebook fan page. Your email signature might already be getting long with your contact info and your website URL. Still, one more line of URL for your Facebook page won’t take up a whole lot more room. It’s an excellent way to inform people that you use the social media platform and they can show their support by liking it. This approach will guarantee that the people you email with will learn of your page. Some people will “like” you simply because they like to “like” things! Facebook has quickly become an integral part of our culture. Some people once thought that Facebook would go the way of MySpace, yet it is here to stay as far as we can tell. If you want to amount to anything on the Internet, especially if you are an Internet Marketer, a Facebook fan page is something you have to have. Now you know what to do. Get a Facebook fan page and start having people “like” it using the many strategies we have presented. Good luck and may you be profitable!

About the Author

Cherise Rivardo is known for giving her audience a variety of content and is also famous for being a committed blogger. She has written on multiple topics including Article Marketing, online marketing, and network marketing. Checkout her article on zeek rewards and on empowernetwork training

 

We’ve Come Up with a  “Push to Talk” Sprint Solution!

If you haven’t received your notice from Sprint – Nextel announcing the end of the iDen “Push to Talk” network, you will likely be seeing it any day now.

With the demise of the “Push to Talk” network, we understand your fear of losing convenience and potentially gaining more overhead.  You are now in a position where you must make critical decisions on the future of your business communications.

Fear not, you chirp fans – We have come up with a Sprint Solution!

With “Where Is My Package?”™ and Sprint’s new DuraMax “cost-effective” Internet only phones, your drivers are able to Update their Status as well as get Proof of Delivery, and for no more than the monthly cost of the old pagers.

Sprint has been fleshing out their device portfolio with CDMA Direct Connect handsets to appeal to users who still need their fix of instantaneous communication.

You can view the DuraMax (Internet only phones) on Sprints website)to see which one is the best fit for your business.

You are also welcome to give us a call for more information:

818.990.8999

 

The Five Minute Management Course

 

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

Before she says a word, Bob says, ‘I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.’

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, ‘Who was that?’

‘It was Bob the next door neighbor,’ she replies.
‘Great,’ the husband says, ‘did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?’

Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

 

Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift.

She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

The priest nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, ‘Father, remember Psalm 129?’

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, ‘Father, remember Psalm 129?’

The priest apologized ‘Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.’

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, ‘Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.’

Moral of the story:

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

 

Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, ‘I’ll give each of you just one wish.’
‘Me first! Me first!’ says the admin clerk. ‘I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.’
Puff! She’s gone.

‘Me next! Me next!’ says the sales rep. ‘I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.’

Puff! He’s gone.

‘OK, you’re up,’ the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, ‘I want those two back in the office after lunch.’

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

 

Lesson 4:

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.

A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, ‘Can I also sit like you and do nothing?’
The eagle answered: ‘Sure, why not.’

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

 

Lesson 5:

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

‘I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree’ sighed the turkey, ‘but I haven’t got the energy.’
‘Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?’ replied the bull. They’re packed with nutrients.’

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bull shit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there..

Lesson 6:

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who shitson you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

(3) And when you’re in deep shit,it’s best to keep your mouth shut!

 

 

THUS ENDS THE FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

About the Author

GET Entertained by going through various funny stories, jokes and humor pics.Also increase your knowledge on financial world and techy stuff by visiting my blog http://vickyadvani.blog.co.in

Top 12 Reasons Clients Choose “Where Is My Package?”™

 

12: Productivity

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of how much income an entity creates in any given time. The internet and the DIY craze have made us more productive, however you don’t see it reflected in the GDP when you fix your own plumbing or change your own oil.  One analogy: Banks have used technology to get their customers to do the work of the teller, the ATM.  Labor was minimized and even charged customers a fee.  Overhead costs dropped, profits increased and customers have access around the clock. We adopted some of these philosophies in the creation of WIMP.

 

11: Labor Costs

With labor being the largest expense for most businesses, we felt this was the first category to address. Most software developers are using propriety software with a very small pool of programmers available to hire from. New employees take longer to train, which could take months before being available to contribute any valuable work. We solved this problem by building our Tracking Software, incorporating a variety of the most current, popular technology. Hence, with a large pool of programmers now available, we can pass the savings on to you.

 

10:  Application

WIMP is a user-friendly, web-based application, using the latest Web 2.0 technologies for the purpose of tracking your important assets. WIMP was designed to be Role-based, where each User is assigned a Role (i.e., Customer, Driver, Order Taker, Dispatcher, Accountant, or make one of your own). Next you assign which modules (Operations, Dispatch, Pricing, etc.) you want to be accessed by users in this Role. Each User can only see the menu options and online manual pages that apply to the modules assigned to their Role. Also, you can further restrict each program in the modules by User permissions. Just set option to ‘No’ to restrict Access to page, sending of Email, Fax, or to a Printer, options to Add, Delete, or Edit and restrict Money values from being seen.

 

9:  Server Security

We utilize the security and reliability work-horse Unix/Linux operating system. You will be confident knowing you won’t lose everything because a virus got through your Anti-Virus solution.

Our competitors use exorbitant operating systems where additional license fees are needed for each new user. These steep costs get added into the price of the product that’s delivered to you. Unlike most of our competitors, our cost per user to upgrade is just $10 a month or even less with volume purchases.

 

8: Scalability

Our cloud-based solution is best suited for new and smaller companies, however you can scale up to an in-house server and simply port your data over when you do. WIMP is available either as a cloud-based service or in-house solution.

 

7:  Browser-based

We selected the browser interface to embrace Mac, Linux, and Microsoft users. With no software to install (besides your browser), you won’t have the stress of supporting the software on your or your client’s computers.

 

6:  Ease of Use

Training costs are drastically cut when you can get your driver, order taker, customer or even your accountant trained in only hours. Imagine the savings in ‘Professional Services’ if your CPA would have the necessary access to your system. Additionally, with the QuickBooks interface, you can expect even bigger savings.

 

5:  Accessibility

Since the WIMP software is web-based, you can access information from your smart phone, latest tablet, notebook or laptop computer.

 

4:  No middle-ware

Omit the headache, expense and hassle of managing all that middle-ware. Drivers, Accountants, Customers, and others all update directly to your system. Time management is therefore more efficient, freeing up more of your time.

 

3: Accuracy

We use the latest 2010 Census Tiger geo files to build a database to save time and improve location accuracies.  Precise street address validation and map integration increases accuracy, thus cutting wasted expenses on incorrect or incomplete addresses.

 

2: Chain of Custody

Not all competitors have a through line in their business solution. The cost of ‘lost claims’ is too high to ignore, so we believe a chain-of-custody approach is necessary with every package. We build your own work-flow into the system, so you and your customers know where a package is at any given time. Whether it is a legal summons, pallet, shipping container, human assets or even a transplant organ, rest assured you won’t have to hear those dreaded words ever again: “Where Is My Package?” ™

1: Simply, Better TRACKING…

 

 

 

WIMP technology makes it possible.

Becoming a Leader With Leadership Quotes

I like the definition of leadership by Reverend Michael D. Noonan at Wikipedia. It says that leadership is “ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.” In my opinion, this is the essence of the concept of leadership. Think about it. Leaders create a way. They do not lag behind the crowd. They do not control the crowd. They do not command and annoy people. True leaders explore and create a way, so that their subordinates have the opportunity and the willingness within them to make something extraordinary happen.

Creating a way implies walking in front of others and not following them. You create a path on which others walk. You go first. Then others follow. As Sun Tzu wrote: “A leader leads by example not by force.” Exceptional and true leadership goes even further and makes people follow you because they want to (not because they must). It is about creating and casting the vision which will send people into raptures. It also means providing people with all the possible resources to help them achieve the extraordinary.

I personally believe that good leaders are usually made and not born. In other words, all of the above is achievable. It can be learned and put into practice even if you do not pre-own leadership skills. Although such proposition is open for debate (even an academic one), I strongly believe that if you have the desire and the willpower, you can become an effective leader by acquiring specific set of skills. We can learn how to create a way for people.

The key method to acquire needed skills is certainly education. Formal and informal. However, in my short but intensive experience in leading people, I have found that leadership quotes were very useful mode of learning leadership skills. They often provided a quick insight into experiences and lessons that others learned through practicing leadership. Leadership quotes served me as instructive recommendations and advices I could use straightaway in practice.

Here are two examples:

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” Andrew Carnegie
“Most bosses know instinctively that their power depends more on employee’s compliance than on threats or sanctions.” Fernanda Bartolme

The first quote above emphasizes the need to delegate and entrust tasks to other people. It also implies our faith and confidence in their abilities. In other words, we need to trust our subordinates that they are able to accomplish the task successfully, and when they do so, we need to recognize that and give them credit for it.

This is one of the ways I learn leadership, as quotes proved to be an effective way to gain some of leadership skills. They have the ability to help one become a better leader. Give it a try.

About the Author

Davoraldo invites you to visit QuotesHut.com, his personal free online collection of quotes and sayings. If you have been encouraged by the article above to start reading quotes and sayings regularly, quotes about leadership seem like a good start. Enjoy the quotes!

 

7 Creative Uses For QR Codes

What are QR Codes?

Although not yet fully adopted by the mainstream world yet, QR (or quick response) codes have seen a dramatic rise in usage and very well may be the new way that companies decide to give customers information on products. For those uninitiated, QR codes are those big squares you may have seen in the bottom corners of movie posters, under your drink on a coaster at your favorite restaurant or possibly next to various products at your local supermarket. With any smartphone armed with a QR code scanner (which are a free download on any app store). In the future, an advertisement may not be just a message and a picture, but an interactive environment with unlimited possibilities. What you can do with these handy bar codes may surprise you.

What can I do with QR codes?

Now that I’ve (hopefully) piqued your interest into QR codes, what kind of information can a QR code hold? In the end, it all depends on how powerful your end-users reader is. Below is a list of things any QR reader can do and some notions on how your business may be able to utilize QR codes: You can open URLs in a browser.

Probably the most common way to use a QR code, using a code as a link to your company’s website or blog is one way to use it, but think harder; what about a specially tailored site or campaign customized to the demographic of people that is likely to scan your code. Be creative with your site (and maybe poach a few other ideas from this blog) to make something truly unique that will give your target market a memorable experience.

Use QR codes to display hidden/secret text: The simplest of tasks you could ask of a Quick Response code may seem like the type of command you may want to skip over, but it could have a few uses if you think creatively. Perhaps hiding a qr code with a special password on it that when given provides a special deal at your establishment.

Help people in setting up system alerts: Do you have a weekly special or special event coming up? Why not create a QR code that will automatically set up a reminder in your clients calender on their phone?

Collecting contact information (including vCards). Having a networking event or party? A Quick Response code would be a simple way to have guests register or sign in to an event. Do you want to grab everybodies contact info to send thank-you cards or a newsletter?

Reconsider the whole “business-card-in-a-fish-bowl” raffle contest with a digital QR code version that can easily be imported right into your company’s mailing list.
Create a QR code for sending email or text messages (SMS)

Give customers a great way to let their friends know where they are, possibly with daily specials or a password for special deals or promotions.
Create a fun E-card that guests and clients can share with their friends.

Use QR codes as a means of making geolocation easier. Is your customer lost? Help them out by pinning your address into their phone’s GPS with a code. From there, give them directions to your other locations, affiliates, or just the quickest route home.

Use a Quick Response code as a simple way for customers to check-in to your establishment or to show proof that they went to a secondary location.
Easily Connect to WiFi using a QR code. Use an easy-to-find QR code to grant WiFi access to mobile users in a quick, interactive way that can makes remembering clunky passwords a thing of the past.

Where can I get a QR code?

By googling “QR codes” you can find a litany of sites that can generate you a QR code free of charge. If you plan on using your code for a larger, more focused campaign, you can pay to have a QR code generated that will record statistics and demographic information. However, if you are too lazy to Google the aforementioned keywords, here are two sites of merit:

http://www.qrstuff.com/

http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Info for programming codes to do the previous functions should be able to be found on the above sites, if not a great resource I used for this article can also help you with some of the programming as well:

http://sixrevisions.com/web-development/qr-codes-uri-schemes/

What are some creative ways you can (or have) thought of to use QR codes in the ways mentioned above? We would love to see some examples.

 

About the Author

Daniel Clauser is the Social Media Strategist for Media Contour (http://www.mediacontour.com/). Daniel is eager to connect with all and answer any questions and may be reached @mediacontour on Twitter and Facebook or via email at daniel@mediacontour.com.

Keeping Junk Mail, Telemarketers at Bay: Five Tips

By Scott J. Wilson, Los Angeles Times

Few people like junk mail, telemarketing calls or unsolicited offers that come by email. But can you stop them? Not entirely, but you can cut them back, often severely, by following these five steps:

• If you haven’t already, put your phone number on the Federal Trade Commission’s do-not-call registry. Telemarketers have to stop calling 31 days after you register at http://www.donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222. This will not, however, stop calls from political organizations, charities or businesses with which you have a relationship.

• Do you get letters from credit card and insurance companies saying you are “pre-approved” for their offers? Get off those mailing lists by going to http://www.optoutprescreen.com, a site run by credit reporting agencies, or by calling the service at 888-567-8688. You can opt out for five years or, if you fill out an additional form, permanently.

• Curb the number of catalogs, magazine offers, donation requests and the like coming into your home by registering with the Direct Marketing Assn.’s Choice program at http://www.dmachoice.org. Registering online is free, but if you use the mail-in form, the cost is $1.

• Get off of some email lists at http://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/optoutemps.php. The ban will apply only to businesses that honor the Email Preference Service, sponsored by the Direct Marketing Assn.

• Tell financial institutions not to share your data. When you open an account with a bank, credit card company, brokerage firm or insurance company, you will likely be asked if the institution can share your data for marketing purposes. Just say no. If you are not offered a choice, ask to see the firm’s privacy notice. It should include information on how to opt out.

Is Your Business Efficient?  5 Quick Tips for Success

Is your courier company bringing in good business, but the profits are being eaten up because it’s not an efficient, smooth running machine?  Are you biting off more than you can chew, losing out on increased business because you’re disorganized?

Efficiency will help set your business apart from the competition, thereby securing new customers while satisfying and maintaining your repeat ones.  It is therefore essential, in order to gain a competitive edge, to take as much control as possible over all aspects of your courier business.

This is not the old-school thinking of doing some “cutbacks” and hope that it helps.  So here’s five ways you can improve the efficiency of your business, without unnecessary loss.

Tip # 1: Reviewing the Situation

Once you have grown your business to where delegating most of the day-to-day operations is in place, you should have the time available to fulfill one of the most valuable roles of a chief executive: constantly reviewing business efficiency.

This means questioning areas of the business for potential improvements. A few examples: could you save money by moving elsewhere, and what would be the impact to your overall business? What IT and communications systems do you have in place, and how could these be consolidated into a single supplier for a better deal?  Can your staff be utilized more effectively?

Tip # 2: No Train, No Gain

Good training can contribute to making your employees more highly-skilled and therefore more efficient.   See if you can implement internal training, given by employees to other employees.  It can cost you very little – allowing you to focus what budget you have for more advanced training for the overall skill-set of your company.

Tip # 3: Improve Motivation

A well-motivated employee is one that is more likely to work efficiently and effectively. Empower employees and allow them to take more responsibility for their work.  And if you can afford it, the right kind of bonus is a great reward.

Tip # 4: Rethink Travel

Travel is often a big part of business expenditure, especially for a sales-focused company. But with technologies like phone and Web conferencing you can cut out unnecessary travel with minimal expenditure, saving your travel budget for when a face-to-face meeting is vital.

And there’s an additional benefit to using conferencing instead of travel: you will be cutting your carbon emissions, meaning that you get the business benefits of “going green” while saving yourself money.

Tip # 5: Utilize Technology

As with many things these days, one answer to your business needs can be found in the utilization of appropriate technology; you need the right courier software for your specific needs.  Research software providers who have complete SaaS systems, so when your business grows, they can keep up and still manage it.   Take the time to shop around for the one that’s the best fit for your company.

Important Things to Look for Include:

Reliability, Ease of Use, Accuracy, 21^st Century Technology, Browser-Based, Affordability, Flexibility, Scalability, A1 Tech Support and Great Customer Service.

*                *                      *

About the Author:  Julie Wagner is the Marketing Director for “Where Is My Package?”, a Los Angeles based courier software company, and is a regular contributor to The WIMP Dispatch.