Blogging isn’t necessary for everyone in network marketing, and there are certainly a variety of methods available to market online, including article marketing and social networking.

But for a powerfully easy way to begin building your presence, blogging is something that should at least be considered.

You don’t need to be a pro at copyrighting to get started, and with the best blog authoring platform, you can do it without knowing PHP or even HTML.

In fact, a large percentage of your prospects may not have these skills, particularly if they have been building their business using traditional methods.

If you plan on blogging for the long term then you’ll definitely want to host your own blog, but if you’re just not sure and want to give it a try, the same Wordpress editor and control panel that you may have available at your own hosting site is also available for free at Wordpress.com.

I highly recommend Wordpress for blogging for several reasons, including the ability to track visitor stats, vet comments and a host of other features.

So if you haven’t tried blogging yet for fear of it being difficult, or just not knowing where to start, here are a few 5 minute videos that will let you see just how simple it is. With only the basics tools you will have the ability to create a simple, customizable blog. If you have just started there may even be a tip in here you might find helpful.

These videos begin with the assumption that you have either created your free account at Wordpress.com, or have access to your Wordpress dashboard through your hosting service. When you create the title of your blog, it is not permanent and can be changed later.

Each video has an option for you to save the it locally if you want to reply it a few times until you are comfortable with that topic. Also, I apologize for having my screen resolution larger than I realized, so you may have to scroll to see the far right or bottom of the screen in some cases

Part 1 – Intro to the Dashboard and Adding a New Page

Part 2: Editing Pages

Part 3- Adding Posts

Part 4 – Themes

Part 5 – Widgets

Part 6 – Text Widget and HTML

Part 7 – Wordpress Comment Moderation

Part 8 – Statistics

There is great support in the Wordpress.com forums area, and also has some more tutorial videos which are great if you want to explore that once you get comfortable with the basics. If you really get stuck, emailing support@wordpress.com can be helpful as well.

Happy Blogging!

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

PS – Here is some sample HTML code that you can use for adding links into your Text Widget – just replace the href=” text with your own URL, and the text with your own text.

<P align=”center”><a href=”http://twitter.com/YOUR_TWITTER_ID”><IMG SRC=”http://LOCATION-OF-TWITTER-ICON” ALT=”Follow Me on Twitter”></a>

<P align=”center”><a href=”http://facebook.com/YOUR_FACEBOOK_NAME”><IMG SRC=”http://LOCATION-OF-FACEBOOK-ICON” ALT=”Connect with Me on Facebook”></A>

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

At this point we are taught to handle several objections, pursue closing, have them continue to fill out the contact information of the application regardless, etc. The fact of the matter is, in many cases, the prospect will not be enrolling at that moment and even to the best ‘closer’s’ this is just a part of the business.

What happens next?

The next day, this prospect of yours, whom was absolutely excited and on the verge of joining you in your business has a change of heart, or in many cases avoids any further contact with you.

What happened within 24 hours that completely changed the landscape of this agreement? How does volcano chill into an iceberg in such a short amount of time?

Two words: GOOGLE Search…

When one develops a strange rash on their arm, you can Google several articles and be connected with people that have shared similar incidents. When one is interested in purchasing a new car, Google is the answer to be directly connected with reviews and ratings of a particular model.

I’m a huge fan of movies, I love going to the theatre. However, (and my friends know this about me) I’ll only spend money on those films that receive decent reviews and ratings… why? Because movies are getting more expensive and after a diet soda, popcorn and a few tickets, I’m now looking at a $30 evening and a 2-3 hour commitment, so needless to say, I value my time!

You now have a prospect on the verge of investing $200-$2000, a lifelong commitment of intention and belief, their personal integrity of their name, and the most important commodity of all: time. What do you think they are going to do? Not to mention they may have never experienced the idea of independent business or having to “pay” to begin a “job” or “opportunity.”

Your damn right they’re going to Google it and what are they going to find!?

Well, they’ll most likely find the corporate site, some extended Press Releases and commercials, and what else? This will also be joined by a variety of negative headlines dealing with terms such as “scam,” “pyramid,” “fraud,” “lawsuit,” etc.

Like a lighter to the wick of a skeptic-bomb, this will typically infuse a wild goose-chase of one article or blog to the next, sometimes coming in contact with court documents, to explicit forum posts and arguments, to those whom dedicated a website / hub with the main purpose is blogging about “fraud discovery” etc.

By now the inundation of all this negativity has your prospects heart racing and at that moment may consider you a “scam artist” and or even “fooled” yourself. With A Few Simple Searches You Can Go From A Potential Business Partner To A Scam Artist In The Mind Of A Prospect

The last thing on their mind is filling out an application with their social security number and credit card information.

Does this resonate with you? Can you relate to this situation? Have you sometimes wondered why a prospect gives you objections such as, ” I just don’t think this is for me,” or “I need to do some more research.” What they’re really saying is, “leave me the heck alone, I’ve found some shady stuff on the net about your “opportunity”!

Friends, if you’ve been in this business long enough, you will inevitably deal with this situation. Or worse, you will have new downline that have never dealt personally with (NIAS) Negative Internet Article Syndrome, but due to one of their prospects dealing with it, they too are now affected and come crying to you or questioning you. I know I did.

(By the way, yes I tend to make up my own acronyms (NIAS), bare with me.)

Friends, the Internet is our best friend, and in many ways our worst enemy. I’m not here to defend every company, I really can’t. However, I know that there is no such thing as a perfect company and no industry is perfect.

We must be mindful that popular corporations such as Macintosh, Ford, TWA, McDonald’s, etc. deal with lawsuits on a daily basis… even more for publicly-traded companies whom are forced to deal with public interests in the profit success / failure game. People are trying to make money with the rise and fall of any company on the New York Stock Exchange and many of these companies deal with short sellers (those that invest and make money when a stock plunges). Network Marketing companies make great targets for these crooks.

Make no mistake, we are in an industry that has very little, if any, public relations department. In other words, it is up the individual network marketer, the independent distributor to be equipped to handle these situations.

When negative articles and lawsuits are birthed, if the allegations are serious enough, a good company should always address their distributorship with email from a high level representative and/or through select leaders and onto their downline, eventually getting to everyone.

If your company does not, call them and ask to speak with someone in a position of information, after all, your name is on the line as much as theirs.

Moving ahead, the best way to handle these types of situations is to understand them yourself. Here is a list that may help you to better understand, thus be able to communicate to your own downline regarding this subject and situation.

- There is little to no protection for MLM companies to the public. Only a select amount of MLM companies use traditional advertising, thus media outlets don’t feel obligated to protect them once something negative arises to the surface.

Example:If there is a product review for a new cell phones in a magazine and it requires the publication to review a particular product, if that company happens to advertise in the issue, most likely the editor will avoid an unfavorable product conclusion as the company is a paying advertiser. This means when your MLM company is faced with a negative article, lawsuit, etc. the media has no obligation to protect it, thus they not only will publish the negative news, they’ll share the news with other outlets.

Remember that your commissions are taking the place of the any budget that the company would utilize in traditional means of advertising such as television commercials, billboards, celebrities, magazines, etc. Hence the term “word-of-mouth” distribution, get it?

-Understand that the term Pyramid is a perception and not information.

Example: In other words, when trying to identify a brand new color, one may use other colors to help describe what one is looking at. “It looks a little bluish, green, etc.” When a compensation plan is explained, the form of leverage is very unique and unfamiliar with many, so they will perceive it as, “it looks a little like a pyramid, or scam etc.” Again when it comes to this subject the media is as guilty as a non-journalist. Truth is very few people can explain what a ‘pyramid scheme’ actually is.

-AVOID searching these allegations on your own!

Trying to dive into negative articles on your own for “research” is a waste of time and will give relevance to many of those negative articles. Thus, search engines will begin to place that information closer to the front pages of Google. Involving yourselves in forum discussion(s) is all the same and produces relevance to the subject. This is what these publishers want you to do! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Ignore it, focus on building your business and move on!

-The majority of the negative article publishers and form administrators are just another form of a “disgruntled employee.” This is their way of going “postal.”

They didn’t find their own success, they’ve become jealous of others, and have many of their own personal insecurities, this actually leads to many of them attacking health product companies.

These “authors” will use many “half-truths” and circumvent their own propaganda with their writings.

Example:XYZ company claims to produce high quality nutritional products and uses “Dr. Steve’s” journal to substantiate their claims of potency (true), however it is known that Dr. Steve is a secret employee of XYZ (false). But the beginning knowledge of this journal, makes people believe the entire statement to be true. Half-truth philosophy is incredibly persuasive to the recreational prospect.

-Remember that people make emotional decisions and justify them with logic.

In other words, it’s much easier to explain this information with an enrolled distributor whom will fight to understand than an uncommitted prospect whose skepticism will typically always win. So yes, I’m saying it … get better at closing on the spot!

Friends, having to deal with these types of objections can be tiresome and fighting the World Wide Web can be a real drag in this business. This is all the more reasons why I do utilize the Internet to market my business as these “skeptics” and “weak” prospects are not worth my time.

I’m realizing I’ve only skimmed the surface on this issue of negative Internet article searches and how it affects your business. This issue is ongoing and it is absolutely important for you to understand, in order to negate its effect on you and your business.

I will have to return with a Part II on this very subject.

I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did by Mr. Kim

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

Can you see that Social Media is a powerful median?

Facebook isn’t just a social site. Facebook represents a huge shift in the way we communicate today.

You need to believe that Facebook is just not a fad, it is the number 2 most visited website in the world.

Do you know that money is created wherever people gather to socialize. And there are major socializing happening on Facebook.

Now to have a better understanding of what I mean that money is being created where people go to socialize. Let’s think about this: Think print, think telegraph, think telephone, think radio, think television, think internet. Each new advancement in media brought people together to socialize and money was made.

Businesses that are using this new media are making more money, quicker and faster with each new social media that develops. The question is this- Are you strategically using Facebook for marketing to generate free leads and achieve exponential growth for your network marketing success?

Why Will Facebook Marketing Work For Your Network Marketing Business?

1. You don’t have to be an expert or marketing guru to market your network marketing business online.
2. You can get results in 30 minutes or less
3. Even if you are computer challenged you can market on Facebook.
4. It’s Free!

The Do’s And Don’ts Of Facebook Marketing

Don’ts of Facebook

1. Do Not Spam People. People will be turned off if you harass them. Facebook is a Social Networking Site. Socialize, connect and get to know people.
2. Do not excessively blast and post your “business opportunity” on your wall or anywhere else. It makes you look desperate and you’re only giving people the opportunity to know your company– not you.
3. Do not pitch your business on first contact. As soon as you see an attractive person you’re interested in, you don’t ask will you marry me? You make small talk, connect, fact find and so on.
4. Do not excessively post on people’s walls or group walls. Facebook will see this as spam and abuse and will block you from posting for several hours. If you continue to do this often, your account may be terminated.

Do’s of Facebook

1. Effective profile setup. Set up your profile with the right information about yourself and your unique selling proposition.
2. Use a professional profile picture. Since you’re a professional marketer, make sure your picture represents network marketing success.
3. Attract like minded people. One of the best ways to attract new friends is to find a group of like minded people.
4. Communicate effectively when requesting friends and accepting friends. As soon as you get a new friend connect, find out if they have anything you can help them with. Always add value first.
5. Create your own group. Creating your own group gives you a platform to have unlimited friends, send mass email, do more promotions, and offer more value.

Facebook Marketing positions you to be a network marketing pro by connecting, building relationships, and generating free network marketing leads.

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

It’s tempting to get discouraged during slow times in network marketing—and get overexcited in the good times.

First, realize that you will have good times and bad times.

Then have a plan so that you don’t panic, you know how to deal with them.

Sales Cycles

Everything runs in a cycle: your life, the economy, and your business.

You can try to even it all out, there are techniques. Sometimes it will work and sometimes it won’t, because it’s not really within your direct control.

The best way to deal with it is in your mind.

Get Your Mind off Your Business

This works in 2 ways. It makes you feel better. And for some reason, it pumps up your sales, too.

Think about it. When do you get the most calls, clicks, or orders?

Right when you’re doing something else. When your mind is completely off your business. I don’t know why it’s true, but it is.

So if things are slow, don’t get upset about it. Don’t let it rattle you.

Just think, “It’s valley time.” And get busy . . . doing something else.

Hit the golf course. Or the road for on a short trip. Just get up and leave your computer.

At the same time, don’t get overexcited when things start pumping, either. When you notice things speeding up, just say “It’s peak time.”

Don’t feel cheated that you don’t have as much time. Dig in and work those extra hours.

And don’t forget to put some cash aside for the valley times.

Being financially stressed while going through a slow period just makes you more desperate. Which makes the situation worse, because a feeling of desperation will prolong the valley times.

Why? You attract whatever your state of mind is. So if you’re feeling low, you most certainly will experience it in your business, too.

Don’t Get Stuck

You can also prolong a valley by having the wrong attitude. You can get stuck in it, wallow in it—and watch your sales take wing and fly away from you.

So watch your words and your thoughts carefully.

Use Your Time Wisely

Sometimes valleys can be a blessing. It’s time to analyze and strategize. You can research what others are doing. You can find ways to pump up your business.

Be proactive, too. Contact those in your network you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Don’t go with a specific purpose. Tell them you just wanted to find out how they are doing and share something innocuous about what is going on in your life.

Such as: “Just had a new baby girl. Tired, but loving every minute of it!” If they are a parent, they’ll relate to the elation—and the sleep deprivation!

It may not lead to anything, but staying in touch never hurts.

Know That This, Too, Shall Pass

Sometimes people go from a valley to a peak time and start wishing for the valley again.

Why is it that we always think whatever condition we find ourselves in will always remain the same?

Forgive me for the trite expression: The only constant is change.

So wherever you are now, it won’t last.

Now, when those peak times come and you don’t have a minute to spare, have the right attitude. Go ahead and give it all you’ve got.

As sure as the sun rises every day, you will be in a valley again.

So make good use of the peaks. And, like your parents told you, store some away for a rainy day.

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

Being in the Network Marketing industry we have daily opportunities to exercise this principle, doing it without an agenda, just merely help because a need has been identified and you can do something about it.

Give Back What You Got….Once you acquire the knowledge & skills you need to put your plan into action and your success begins to transform your business, it’s beneficial for you to Pay It Forward and serve others who have less knowledge and experience than you have.

Here’s a powerful video clip for you to watch, of the movie “Pay It Forward” The boy who silenced the world for 8 minutes,

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

NO! No way! I can’t call my leads.

What would I say?

My mind might go blank!

I would probably get tongue-tied.

What if they asked a question I didn’t have the answer for?

What if they knew more than me?

I will never be able to do that!

These are thoughts that would run through my mind in the past. So many unfounded fears filled my mind. I’m sure most of you never suffered from this malady, so this is for the few shy ones out there.

In the beginning its imperative that we use our up line mentors to help us with calling our leads. Three way calling is an excellent way to get the training and learn the necessary phone skills so that we can step up to the plate and start batting on our own.

I was so comfortable allowing my mentors to call for me. They were so good at it, they knew just what to say and they said they loved to do it. There was no stress on my part, my palms didn’t get sweaty, my stomach didn’t churn…..So, why not let them, I thought, as I sat back leisurely and enjoyed my beverage of choice.

UNTIL….

I came to the stunning realization…..I could not allow this to go on. I could not stay in this infant stage any longer. How am I ever going to become any kind of leader if I can’t get past this hurdle? What was I going to do? Well, how about Grow up or Stretch myself? But I was petrified! I knew I needed to take the bull by the horns, but getting on that animal seemed a painful process.

UNTIL……

I began to brainwash myself. You can call it self talk or auto-suggestion or anything you prefer. I had learned enough about self-development and having the proper mindset on my journey to know how powerful these techniques are, and I had no other choice.

So I began to tell myself something similar to this:

“I love calling my leads! I am confident, willing, ready and excited to talk to them. I look forward to getting to know them and they will sense my genuine concern for their success. I feel comfortable and I know just the right things to say.”

At first, making the phone calls was a bit awkward. But hey, pat myself on the back…..I was actually doing it.

Then I got to feeling more comfortable. I was getting really good at leaving messages. I even got some compliments from my mentors.

And after a time……I did find I really was actually enjoying it.

A few basic things to help along the way:

1. Start with a script in the beginning. It helps to have something in front of you as a guideline to keep you on course.

2. Smile big and give yourself a little pep talk before you dial.

3. Put duct tape over your mouth to make sure you do more listening than talking.

4. Be genuinely interested in the person you are calling. Ask questions to draw them out to find out about them. Are they currently trying to build an income from home? What do they do for a living? Ask about their family. Basically, just get to know them, develop a relationship. Some people like to refer to “FORM” as a guideline in asking questions, which stands for:

F=family

O=occupation

R=recreation

M=money

5. Find out their pain…their biggest struggles. Let them know you can help them and point them in the right direction.

6. Then Follow Up. The fortune is in the follow up.

And you know, I quickly realized, the tape playing in my brain was really unfounded fears. I was dwelling on the wrong things for sure. All I needed was to erase the tape and put in a new program.

Better go now…..I have calls to make.

To Your Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

Where are all the good network marketing prospects at?

Many networkers seem convinced they don’t live anywhere near them!

I say that because they’ll spend hundreds of dollars a month on leads or genealogies all the while insisting that there are no decent prospects in their area.

Fact is, there are. (No matter how small of a town or city you live in).

Virtually everywhere there are people who would like to change their lifestyle, but who have no clue how to do that. There are also people in need of your product or service.

So, what’s the best way to “tap in” to this goldmine of MLM prospects known as the “local market”?

We’ll answer this by approaching it from two directions:

1) People you naturally come in contact with and

2) Services that can put you in contact with even more people who may be candidates for your opportunity (or product/service).

To get started, let’s define terms.

“Local Market Prospects” refer to people who live or work in the same general area as you. In other words, people you come in contact with (or COULD come in contact with) on a daily basis.

They are not necessarily people you know (although they can be).

Approach Number One: Think about places you go and the people you cross paths with and practice alert living. Be on the lookout for sharp prospects wherever you go.

Example: You visit a local restaurant. You have a sharp, friendly food server who catches your attention. Right away, you observe this person has great people skills, a strong work ethic and is “on the ball”.

Here’s how you can EASILY prospect this person. Let’s call him “John”, and here’s what you can say:

John, listen want to thank you for your great service this afternoon, it’s some of the best service I’ve had in a restaurant this year (Now at this, “John” should be all smiles as you’ve just paid him a well deserved compliment). You then proceed: Listen John, I own a business here in the area and always keep an eye out for sharp people and you definitely caught my attention today. Let me ask you a question: do you keep your work options open? (Now, if John really is a sharp, heads-up person what’s he gonna say? Obviously “yes”, to which you respond): Good for you, John. I think you’ll be glad you do! Tell you what, you’re working right now and I’m busy myself, I’m heading off to meet someone, but let’s do this.

Let me get your contact information and I’ll drop you a line tomorrow (or when he get’s off later the same day) and give you some more information on our opportunity and who we’re looking for and see if we’ve got a match”. Then you simply write down his information and you’ve just generated a strong local lead. Now, what makes it so strong is this: you’ve had a chance to MEET your prospect personally, observe their work ethic, their personality, and their people skills. How much stronger is THAT than simply calling a prospect “cold” on the phone? This is powerful.

And it’s not just limited to restaurants (although people in this industry often make excellent networkers). No, you can do this in virtually anywhere.

Approach Number Two: Now, what can you do to come into contact with qualified local prospects in a “leveraged way”?

Join a lead referral network!

These are groups that meet locally and refer prospects to one another.

You simple attend a small meeting in your area and share a little about yourself and your business and you can immediately tap into the leveraged power of business networking.

The #1 organization for this that I’m aware of is: BNI or “Business Networkers International”. They are worldwide and you can get more information by visiting bni.com

An alternative organization (which is limited to the USA only at this time) is called: LeTip. For more info, visit http://letip.com/

Be sure to look in your local area and you may find additional organizations like these to expand your reach even further.

That’s it’s for today…

To your success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.

A very nice lady called me the other day to ask me a question about her business.

When I returned her call and got into conversation, I found out that her question was about a Company that I am no longer marketing for.

When explaining that her question was out of my reach, she wanted to know why I was no longer a part of the company she was calling about.

Instead of explaining in detail why Sophia & I left our old Company, I offered her the Report that not only explained why we left that old business model, but also the document that clearly changed our lives. She didn’t respond to my offer.

In any case, the next words out of her mouth (after learning that we moved to a New Company, Product Line & Business Model) was…
“What is the Investment?”

My response was:

“That’s a good question Mary, but what I have found is that people who ask what it costs before they even know what “it” is, are more concerned about spending money than earning it. The truth is, there is far more of an investment of your time, energy and creativity than there is of money.”

[Then I went silent]

She said, “well how much would I have to put in to make any back?”

My response was:

“Well that depends on how much you want in return. I don’t know how much you will put in or how committed you willl be, so truly, that is impossible for me to answer. Again, you must put in more of your time, talent and discipline, than money, to be successful.”

Mary replied to me, “You know, I’ve been in Home Business for many years, probably longer than you’ve been alive (she might even be right!), and in all my years, I’ve never heard such a great response to this question. Young man, I’d like to look at the business you and your wife are building. I think I have a lot to learn from you.”

Now clearly Mary was a very bright lady and knew some good value when she heard it, so I left her with the following thought:

I said, “Mary, you know, I don’t even know if our business is a fit for you or not, and if not, that’s ok, but if you will send me a request for my information, I will reply back with a link to our Business if you truly want to take a look.

Sure enough, Mary sent her email to my private email address and I responded back with the link I promised.

I noticed within just minutes Mary began her search on our website as she became a lead in our System.

So, the moral of the story?

By providing value and then perhaps very gently suggesting that if a person is interested in your business, to let you know, you might create enough curiousity resulting in a new prospect or lead.

Certainly, you want to be more interested in them, than interesting to them.

Learn more about them than they learn about you.

With this formula, you can’t go wrong.

Mary certainly appreciated it and her actions were a direct result of our conversation.

After all, the Investment is never just about capital, but about how much of yourself you are willing to put into your business – which is far more valuable than money.

To your success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com.