MLM Tip: Brand Awareness

Do you know the top 3 most recognized brand names in the world? They are, starting with #1: Coca Cola, Budweiser, and Marlboro. Does anything stand out about these products? Is there anything that makes these products stand out above their competition? Not really. These brands got to where they are through effective marketing. 

Take another look at these 3 brands. In each instance, the product has been elevated to the point of having its own persona. From the Marlboro Man, to a team of Clydesdale, to a sugary beverage that seems to bring the world together, these are some of the most successful marketing ventures of all time. 

So, what lessons can we learn from these examples? 

 

1. Keep your brand in front of people. If you look at the old Coke vs Pepsi rivalry, one thing is clear. Coke got the message out better. Look back at old photos, antiques and the like. How many old soda machines or metal wall signs do you see that read Coca Cola and then how many Pepsi ones? Everyone knows of both brands, so why bother with all the advertising? It is simple. The next time people reach for a soda, they are going to have that image in their head. Hence Coca Cola has been the biggest lesson in branding of all time.    
2.  Evoke emotion. The 3 brands listed here are masters in this realm. Take a look at some of these examples:

·         Refreshing 5 cents

·         Have a Coke and a smile

·         The image of a rugged man, envied by men, desired by women

·         Images of Clydesdales or partying with bikini models

 

All of these slogans and images are designed to elicit an emotional response. This is because marketing specialists learned long ago that they must talk to the subconscious to affect a change in a person's thought patterns. Adding emotion to a message is how you reach the subconscious. This is the same way you can reach yours, and work at undoing the bad programming you have been fed all your life, but that is another topic for another day. 

3. These brands took full advantage of the media venues available to them, and continue to do so. In the early days, there was a Coca Cola sign in every drug store, gas station or anywhere else they could find a spot. Tobacco ads were banned from broadcast media in the 70's, so Marlboro took advantage of print advertising, and then they figured out a way around that law. They started sponsoring televised sporting events, particularly racing. The Budweiser model can only be described as an all out assault on sports. From TV sponsorship, to the venues, to in store marketing, Bud has successfully associated their name with sporting events, leaving all others to play catch up.

These 3 elements, I believe, are the key factors that made these brands what they are today. In my next post, we will look at how to apply these principles to the business of Network Marketing.

Catching My Breath (Literally)

I'm sure many of you have noticed that I have not been posting regularly. Others may not have, but are thinking, "Now that you mention it...". Well, there are a few reasons for this, and I would like to share some things that have been going on lately in my life and business.

For starters, the biggest reason I have not been posting lately is because of a significant change in my daily habits. The time that I used to spend writing was while I was taking a smoke break. Yes, I smoked for over 23 years until I was finally sick of it. Early last year I made the decision to quit before I turned 40. I am happy to say I had been quit fro 6 weeks on my 40th birthday, and now it has been almost 5 months. While this has had many benefits, I have yet to find a regular time to do my blog writing. If anyone would like to share some ideas as to when they find time to write, feel free to leave a comment below.

I have also shifted gears a bit. Rather than focusing so much on my blog, I've decided to get out there and get to know people more. I have met so many great people lately. I do plan to get back to blogging more regularly again soon though, so please bear with me.

Since I have not been blogging as much, I also have not been spending nearly as much time in my Facebook group, Syndication Elation. While the automation is still cranking away generating social backlinks for the members when they post, I have been remiss in my duties as group creator and have not been over there manually sharing posts much lately. I was sharing every post that came through the group, but as the group has grown, this became a logistical impossibility. To all of you great members, I will be around, and sharing, a great deal more in the near future. Hopefully others will follow my lead and once again start getting more manual shares, tweets and such from posting there.

On the plus side, I have been really busy lately, and business is suddenly growing quite rapidly. This too has served to keep me from my writing duties, but that's a good problem to have.

So, with that, I hope to be back to sharing here, and other places, real soon. I've got a few blog posts I've been working on lately, so be looking for them in the next couple of days.

Are You Holding You Back?

I want to pose a challenge that nothing is holding you back but you, or rather your belief.

Let me start by sharing a post with you from our mastermind forum where we brainstorm the lessons from "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. The following was posted by Willena Flewelling.

Chapter 12: The Subconscious Mind

"Thoughts which go out from one's mind, also imbed themselves deeply in one's
subconscious mind, where they serve as a magnet, pattern, or blueprint by which
the subconscious mind is influenced while translating them into their physical
equivalent."

Picture a family tree. At the base of the trunk is ME. My line goes both ways...
The root system is my ancestors, and the branches are my descendants.

At the base of the trunk is THOUGHTS. My thoughts go both ways. The root
system is where they imbed themselves deep in my subconscious mind, and
the branches are the wide reaching effect they have on others as they grow.
And in this case, the fruit they bare is picked by others, thus spread far and
wide in world and the universe.

Deep within my subconscious is the belief that something is still holding me
back. My husband tells me there is nothing holding me back. After studying
the chapter this time, I believe he is right. It is that BELIEF, and nothing else,
that is holding me back. And what's worse, that deeply implanted belief is not
only affecting ME, but it has spread its numbing branches and fruit out into
the universe so that I am not getting new ebook downloads.

The subconscious mind does not sort through what comes its way. It does
not discriminate between the harmful and the good... or the real and the
perceived. And it acts on whatever is mixed with strong emotion, negative
or positive.

It is the job of the conscious mind to choose what it allows to cross the
threshold into the subconscious mind. The choice is up to ME. Through my
conscious mind, I can VOLUNTARILY plant whatever I WANT in my
subconscious mind.

My subconscious mind has been collecting data for 58 years, and far too much
of it is negative. But I CAN CHANGE that! The past is what it is, and is cast in
cement. I cannot change it. But I CAN change the programming in my
subconscious mind so that my life and daily actions can and will change for the
better today and in the future. How awesome is that?!!

It isn't enough to stop being a victim. I cannot yank the negative programming
out of my subconscious mind. I need to be proactive, but in a different way...

All I have to do is plant NEW desires, mix them with FAITH and BELIEF and the
8 POSITIVE EMOTIONS, and feed them through a strong, positive self talk.

Imagination under control may be used for creation of plans or purposes that
lead to success in any area I choose!

Do these things. Be patient... be persistent... And one day you will wake up
and realize the negative programming has NO power over you, and you are
well on your way to seeing your dearest desires manifested in their physical
equivalent.

And THAT, my friends, is totally awesome!!

Willena Flewelling
Alberta Canada

Wow wow wow....

I heard Willena read her lesson on the mastermind call we do on Wednesdays and it really spoke to me. The word picture of the tree is great, but that was not the part that really caught my attention. Read the following line again.

It is that BELIEF, and nothing else, that is holding me back.

 News Flash: NOTHING is holding you back. Seriously.... nothing.

We hear people talk about things that hold them back all the time. They say things like "I just have bad luck" or "'The Man' is keeping me down". These are simply excuses. There is no "Bad Luck". There's no "Man" that has it in for you. The "Evil Rich" didn't take anything from you (and have likely provided you with a job or two along the way). No, the BELIEF in such things is what holds people back. It's much easier to blame some mystical force of "Luck" or some faceless "Man" than to take the initiative and do something to change things.

The bottom line is, if that belief can be overcome, the problems will go away. Don't listen to negative people. Don't fall for the myth that there is such a thing as Bad luck. Nobody wants to keep you down. Nobody seeks to be your oppressor. But, if you believe in such things, that belief is enough to manifest these very results.

Now, get your thinking right. Get rid of the negative thoughts that are holding you back. Come join our mastermind group and hear brilliant insights, like the one I shared here, first hand. Email me to get started.

Silly Season

Well, the holiday season is upon us again. It's the time of year when people smile more, laugh more, and are generally more pleasant. Unfortunately, this change in behavior is artificial, and temporary. 

It's easy to be happy when the whole world is singing songs of joy. Truly happy people do not rely on such external stimulation. They derive their happiness from within, and project it onto the world around them.

All major religions or philosophical teachings will tell you the same thing. True peace comes from within, normally via a connection to a higher power. 

People love to complain, and why not it's easier. Counting your blessings takes effort. We are a week removed from Thanksgiving here in the US. When asked what you were thankful for, what was your answer? Have you thought about what you are thankful for again since? Probably not.

Alright, I am sounding like a cynic, so let me get to the point. We live in a world where there will always be a steady supply of energy coming towards us, both positive and negative. And we know, what we put out is what we will get back. 

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time being positive 24/7. The good thing is, we don't have to. As Randy Gage said a couple weeks ago, it's the 51% rule. When you reach the point that 51% of your thoughts are positive, it will change your life. 

While the holidays may bring about a temporary change, I for one, welcome it. Spreading Joy and Cheer at Christmas reminds us of what it was like when we were children, before the world turned us into cynics.

So, my challenge to you is this. This Christmas Season, be mindful of the things that bring a smile to your face. Write them down and keep them handy. Through the year, look at your list when you start to feel down and remember the feeling you had. Anything we can do to get over that 51% hump is worth the effort. 

Before you know it, every day will feel like Christmas.

Analyzing MLM Companies; Comp Plans

MLM Comp Plans are a major consideration, but not be all end all of Analyzing MLM Companies. 

People usually fall into one of two categories. The ones who never read the comp plan, and those that spent days picking apart every detail.

I already have a page detailing several of the most common types of MLM Comp plans, so rather than repeat that here, let's look at the big picture. 

What do you want to look at when analyzing an MLM Comp Plan? 

The first thing to look at is the break even point. Forget all the silly bonuses. Few people ever qualify for them anyway. For this exercise, assume your only goal is to use the product for free by making just enough to break even. This has to be residual income. You would not want to be recruiting every month just to get free product.

So look at your comp plan. How many people do you need in your organization to break even? It's simple math. If you make 5% per person, you need 20 people. If you make 10% you need 10 and if you make 25%, you would only need 4 people. While 25% does happen (ask me how I know), the industry average is around 6 to 7%. So, in with most MLM Comp Plans you will need to have at leats 15 to 20 people in your organization just to break even. With odds lime that, it's no wonder so many people quit. 

From this point, you can easily run the numbers to see what you would need to earn $100, $1000 or even $10000 a month with that Comp Plan. 

The biggest thing to consider in a comp plan is, it has GOT to pay the part timer. Your first goal with a new distributor should be to get them a check. If they need 20 people to get a large enough check to break even, how easy is your job? Is it any wonder the attrition rate is so high in network marketing? The great thing is, it does not have to be that way. With a little bit of education, you can increase your odds of success significantly.