In these difficult economic times more and more people are looking for ways to make money. Anxious to get started and see money come in, many people are sitting ducks for MLM, internet marketing and online business opportunities that will take their money and not produce the much needed revenue they are looking for.
Here are some brief notes to help you make a wise decision and be successful.
1. Any "opportunity" that does not give you at least the company name UPFRONT should be avoided. Many want your email or your phone number first. Don't do it. Most successful internet businesses are successful because they have been harvesting contact info for years and then sell whatever they can to whoever they can. This leads to the next point.
2. KNOW for a fact (as with any business) that you are not making a dime without people to sell to. Many MLMs advertise big numbers but fail to tell you the hundreds or thousands of names they have to help them generate revenue. You will need to know that your chances of success are directly related to your ability to get in front of perspective customers. This is not always easy. It may be one reason that only about 3-5% of those who venture into this kind of work succeed.
3. Many opportunities start with a small "investment" but then the upselling begins. So make sure you get some visibility down field on your possible cash outlays.
4. Ask to speak to 3-4 in your area already in the program. When talking to them be aware of their relationship to the person trying to bring you in or sell you the program. If asked for references everyone will always give you their friends...what you want out of the meeting is more detail about what they do and how they do it etc
5. Following up #1 and this is most important: Do your due diligence.
>Is there a parent company?
>Search the business name plus words like review, legal, scam etc. The internet is a great place to find out the scoop on just about any MLM or internet business.
>Take the time to read the terms and conditions on their website.
>General rule: the more they talk big numbers and give few nitty-gritty details the better the chance you are looking at a bad opportunity. Move on!
>Do they have a support group of other reps in your area?
>Has the business or company operated under any other names?
>Will the business give you the materials to look at and evaluate without asking for money?
>How much of your time will it require?
>How do you get paid?
>Do you have to buy inventory no matter what your sales volume?
>Set up an email account somewhere to collect info without giving up your personal data...see what you get. See if they sell your contact info somewhere else?
> Are you passionate about the product or service...if not...don't fool yourself by thinking that maybe you can be. Its an uphill battle to start a business....as the work gets harder the less energy you will have to "get passionate" at that point.
> Do you know who the target customer is? Are you comfortable talking to them?
> There are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people out selling something...can you present yourself in a unique manner to differentiate yourself?
> Do market research. If you do not know how to do that then certainly don't jump into that business. It would be like jumping off a cliff into a pond without knowing what is just under the surface of the water. Is the product priced right for the market. I recently evaluated a business selling super juices. The cost per bottle was $7-9 but a similar product could be bought at the grocery store for $3-4. The product price was inflated to cover commissions on a product available elsewhere for less. IN that case your only customer will be the uninformed.
>Google keywords of the business to see what turns up.
>Lastly...get away from the hype and promises...know your own mind-have an honest assessment of what you can do. What I mean by that is don't get caught up in the hype and promise of big wealth...get real...get with someone who knows you well and ask them what they think of you taking on a type of business or product. A good proverb: the wise man seeks the counsel of many.
I hope this helps
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Any business(or person) that is focused on making money by any means, at the expense of the consumer, is- at their core- a scammer. The better, more profitable, way to do business is provide a great customer experience. Do you want to scam'em or WOW'em? In these pages I hope to provide practical insights and advise. I hope this information helps you. Thank you for taking the time to visit.
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