Starting Wednesday Nights, I will start answering questions relevant to my experience as an Entrepreneur. This is an opportunity for new entrepreneurs to interact and learn from me and others in the group at the time. I will use the ooVoo platform to do this. There can only be 12 attendees at a time, so first come, first served. Depending on how things go, this may pursued me to start an online Radio show. If you'd like to login into this Live Video conference, visit ooVoo and download it to your respected computer operating system. Starting Next Wednesday 9pm Est.
Is Network Marketing a Good Investment? I'm not sure how many American Invest there money, but I know this to be a fact from my experience in talking with financial advisors who have been referred to me by people in their 60s. The chances of receiving sufficient and secured returns on investment from IRAs, 401Ks, Certificates of Deposits, Bonds, are less likely. If you are in your late 20s or mid 30s and have not saved 100k or more in Investments, you need to think more aggressively. It is my opinion that certain Network Marketing Companies can be a more beneficially investment. I'm not advising that anyone do away with the basic investment accounts. I'm saying that if you want substantial growth that's is dependant upon your work ethic and relationships versus a market shift; then certain Network Marketing companies deserve your attention. My business became a Distributor with It Works Global and all funds have been circulating totally within that business system. No other income outside the starter fee has been added from my personal accounts. That division is self sustaining and has been since the second month. Although I have not reach the goal I desire, I see growth from this decision. The percentage of growth with It Works is much higher than the annual percentage returns from any traditional investment methods. The more people become serious and see the Network Marketing Industry as something that should be in their investment portfolio; the more individuals will be able to circulate more wealth in their respected communities. This will allow people to provide more for their families, create respect amongst employers so that they truly value their employees decision to work for them, allow for more excursions, and most of all financial stability (peace of mind). Network Marketing is a smart investment, when done the right way! Interested in joining a group that's dedicated to helping you start and grow your Network Marketing Business? Visit http://preewraps.com read and contact available. Product based company vs service based company in a downsized market. I've been an Entrepreneur since 2002. I was wet behind the ears with only a clue on what to do. I've been around the marketplace well enough to pay attention to emerging trends and things to avoid while making business decisions. I'm able to see saturation periods, stagnation in the utilization of various technology, and buying trends of the average consumer. I saw signs of the recession coming way back in 2005, and by 2007 my assumptions were right. I knew when gas prices would begin to rise and fall. I knew that google stock would more than triple it's value from the asking price of $53 on its initial public offering. I knew that the film industry would continue to grow in Atlanta based on certain developments in technology and the surrounding area. From years of self study on marketing and sales, I can tell you that providing both services and products will be your best bet if you want to raise your financial status during this era. I would devote time nurturing 60% efforts towards products sells and 40% to the sell of services. The product you choose to sells should be in an industry that's growing during this era. When consulting with Engineer firms, monitoring related services were the first thing to go when budget cuts were needed. The same would apply to any other setvice related industry. In most cases, companies will investigate their current talent pool or staff to determine which members could perform those service related task from in house. If you are a small business owner, it's more important for you to manage your time wisely. Every seconds counts towards your bottom line. Finding the perfect balance between prospect, sells, and customer retention is vital for a full time small business success. Pree Dammond It Works Executive Distributor Business Development Http://Preewraps.com The secrets to success are that there are no true secrets. Success are acheived through embracing the following principles in a serious manner. You must have knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. This comes from Biblical scripture as well. Proverbs 1:2, "To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;" Below you'll find my basic principle understanding of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding: Knowledge comes easy. It's the knowing that an opportunity exist. It's having information on a topic of relevance. Wisdom comes from the actual experience you gain while in practice of using the knowledge you acquired. Understanding comes from the failures and success of your actions. You learn what works for you and what doesn't which gives you your own understanding from the realities you have faced. The objective should always be to succeed. In the process, you'll want to give up no different than anything else in life. How many graduates felt like quitting college their sophomore or junior year? I don't find it odd that if you want to be successful you'll want to have a coach or a mentor. If you have neither you can succeed but the path to success may be longer and your failures more numbered. There are no garantees with a coach but the chances are in your favor when you have one that supports your growth. On the way to success, there will always be choices but the outcome of those choices will be determined by the attitude you decide to have and the actions you decide to embrace. -Pree Dammond I subscribe to things that interest me. Unfortunately, I also get a lot of Junk mail from everyone's daily newsletters. However, there are a few people who stick out to me because of their forth right integrity and realness. Grant is one of them. Below you'll find an article from Grant Cardone, which is pretty much a quick tidbit of what it takes to generate a powerful internet presence and marketing database. written by Grant Cardone Creating an internet presence requires more effort than building a website and hiring a geek to manage your Facebook page. And don't think you can learn about it in a two day seminar. That would be like thinking you could cap the BP spill with a toothpick. Just like you cannot master leadership skills at a 3 day retreat you will not create a true sustainable presence on the internet by delegating it to tech geeks and gurus. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on fancy websites only to find out that the moment they were live they were already dated and no one could find them. Then I spent hours in meetings with supposed SEO gurus who told me it would take me years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to create the presence I wanted. The first thing to understand is the enormous and massive opportunity. Estimates suggest the internet will have just under 2billion unique visitors this year with 4.2 billion unique internet addresses, housed in some 44+ million servers that consume 5% of the world's electricity. Amazingly, the internet comprises some 40 million gigabytes of information which only weighs 56 millionths of a gram. In 2009 some 90 trillion emails were sent, from over 235 Billion different websites, of which 80% were spam. The point of all these facts is that you must think in terms of a universe that is massive, yet weighs nothing. For a company or individual to create a presence in this vast universe and then maintain that presence it will take more than a fancy website, a techno-geek, a guru, a Facebook page, a tweet or two and a few video testimonials on YouTube. First let's dispell some myths: 1) No one guru can create a presence for you. 2) You can not delegate this activity. 3) The internet is bigger than a department. 4) SEO, Social Networking, Blogging, Video do not stand alone as efforts. 5) It does not cost 100's of thousands of dollars. Your internet presence initiative will require a massive effort of resources in order to create, maintain and sustain a presence that generates real clients and real money for your company. You will have to utilize all social media not one or the other-- FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace, Flikr, LinkedIn, Buzz and whatever else is to come. You will be forced to blog and write articles for like-minded sites, tweet and use video sites to disseminate, (not advertise) information that is useful and do it in a way that is entertaining. Close out by engaging in traditional efforts like TV and radio to bring even more credibility and life to our ventures and causes. After multiple frustrated meetings with high priced gurus I committed to travel into this new universe and explore it for myself in order to grow my presence on the internet. The first thing I did was to get my websites setup so that people would have a place to come to find out about me and my company. This should be considered the passive creation of your presence. I then created multiple websites centered around me, our products, our services, our area of expertise and any other endeavors or achievements associated with those sites in order to increase my footprint. The next steps require the entrepreneurial think and actions where you will take every social media site available; Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Buzz and others and USE them to gather people that are interested in your products and services by building fans and followers. The way to do this is to give your audience information that they find valuable and useful. Social media is like creating a place for people to gather. People want to be entertained, feel good, be right, make good decisions, know things others don't, stay connected, make money, save money, hear the latest gossip, and be part of the 'in crowd'. For social media to work you have to be entrepreneurial, creative, engaging and entertaining. Understand the internet is about people not technology. Now you are going to combine the social networking with Blogging, where you write informative articles for like-minded websites that have similar interests and also launch as much informational video/visual content as you can on YouTube, Daily Motion, Vimeo and the likes. Obscurity is your problem with the internet. This combination of active efforts will create your footprint in the internet universe and the more creative, consistent and relentless you are, the greater your presence will be and the more attention you will get. by: Pree Dammond One of the greatest mistakes a new entrepreneur can make is to leave a proposal hanging or unanswered. If a professional takes the time to organize resources and submit to you a proposal or a request to provide service, it is customary in the professional world that you respond with a Yes, No, or Negotiable Terms. The worst mistake an Entrepreneur or Business owner can make has to be the lack of negotiating terms and conditions. This could cost you more than you know. Tips on Negotiating 1. Read all the details in the proposal to ensure fairness and accuracy. 2. Never assume that you can not accept the proposal because of finances. 3. If you submit a proposal with terms, make sure those terms are fair to you and the client. 4. Always negotiate. 5. Have an idea of a Budget before seeking any assistance. You could possibly find yourself in a unique position to do more than expected. 6. Be transparent with the originator of the proposal, they may be able to offer you something. 7. Never sell yourself short. Know your value and trust your experience. by Pree Dammond
In the Black community, it is common to hear other professionals recommend others not to mix business with pleasure or do business with family or friends. I have to say that I have changed my views on this cancerous thought process. Who better to handle business endeavors with than those that you can relate to and care about? Tips when doing business with friends and family 1. Stop thinking free and start thinking productivity. Respect your friends business expertise and experience. It is OK to request discounts for services you are requesting but be mindful to not offend your friend or family member by wanting professional services for free. 2. Be fair, if you are able to barter products for services, make sure you have a concise idea of the cost for those services as they relate to the cost of bartering products. 3. Never take a business decision or a rejection as a personal offense. That decision could be what is best for both parties. 4. Keep it in writing. Business is business even when it's with friends and family. Terms and Conditions help both parties to remain focus on the purpose of a business agreement. I highly recommend that you draft a contract and keep it in write. 5. Remain positive without doubt that your friendships and family relationship will only be enhance and will not suffer from integrating your personal life with a business one. Thoughts become reality so remain positive. 6. Respect each others personal time. Handle your business request during appropriate business hours. Everyone needs time to just relax. 7. Teach others and share with them your success in having personal and business relationship with friends/family. What's your budget?
A better way to seek financial commitment information from a prospective client is to ask your prospect if a type service is planned to be a part of their allocated expenses. For example, Do you have a marketing budget for your project and does it include funds going towards a social media campaigns? This does two things. It request information from the prospect so that you are able to determine if marketing services are being utilized or will be utilized in his/her project. Second, it allows you to plant the seed of encouragement regarding the use of your specific type service. Never be too generic with "What's your budget" type of statement especially if you are not aware of your prospects project scope. Tips on increasing independent business sales
No matter what type of business you own, Marketing & Sales is the determining force between your business growths or it’s going out of business sale. Here are a few tips that I share with others in regards to increasing independent business sales: 1. You only have so much time as an owner, consider hiring professional consultants and or Sales Team to drive your business sales. 2. Create weekly milestones for your Sales team . 3. Motivate them with incentives and friendly team competitions. 4. Hire an experience Marketing/Sales Coach that can mentor your sales group. 5. Develop incentives that motivate your customers to buy. 6. Educate your customers through various forms of promotions. An educated customer is typically a faithful customer. 7. I have more, but will end with this. Be active in selling if you are the owner. A Leader is someone who let's their team eat first, because he/she knows that they are nothing without team effort. The best leaders are the ones who lead by example. I'm a straight to the point type of person. I hope these basic tips help you get started. For those who need a more detailed and comprehensive marketing strategies, I recommend scheduling a consultation time so that I can determine opportunities for development. In the interim, stay aggressive and remain positive. My Multiple Streams Theory:
by Pree Dammond Our World has changed, just as our economy has changed. Times are not like they were when our Grand Parents were growing up. The times where you could graduate college get a job and retire from just that one job are over. Statistics show that most people will work several jobs before possibly reaching a career opportunity. A career opportunity is considered to be a position where you can utilized specific skills set through the life time of your employment career. In my mind, I believe individuals should think beyond the ideals of having one stream of income to depend on. It is my opinion that if you truly want financial security, you will have to have a diverse portfolio of income generating utilities. My Multiple Streams Theory, would support the law of averages, not just in Sales, but as the means to imply that with more income streams coming in; the chances of sustaining financial security is greater. A few ideas for a multiple Stream Life Style: 1. Become a successful MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing Business Owner). 2. Keep a Job that is supportive, but less demanding of your time. 3. Partnership frequently with other Business Associates who share similar visions. 4. Consider starting businesses that service practical necessities (Barbershops, Law Care, Computer repair, and more). 5. Turn your passions into other means to generate funds. 6. Invest into Bank securities (CDs, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Commodities, Stocks, and more). 7. Take advantage of Seasonal Business Opportunities (Tax Services, Holiday Product Sales, and etc.). At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for you. In this competitive market, there’s no room to just do the basics. If it takes time to build multiple streams, don't give up. It will pay off in the end. There will always be different paths to your goal and everyone's situation is different. It’s up to you to decide which direction you are going. In the great words, of my Grand Father, Herman Daniel, “There’s nothing new under the sun so make your imprints last". |
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