Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

There are so many ways to advertise and advertising definitely can be done offline, and online being the most popular. Again, your financial standing and the willingness to spend play the major role in deciding which way you want to advertise.

Some ideas for offline and ‘outside’ the social media medium for advertisement would be:

1) Via communication: be it by letters, e-mail marketing or distribution of flyers and your business card – make sure you include your URL on your letterhead, in your signatures, on your flyers & business card, wherever you potential contacts are likely to see it. Not to forget your website address as well.

If you distribute physical catalogue or you provide it on your e-commerce site, in addition to your toll free number, put your website address on the bottom of every page of your catalogue so your customers will have easy access to your online store/e-commerce site.

2) If you have a physical shop and you have an employee, make them wear uniforms, again put your website and URL on them so every customers sees a walking advertisement of your website. If you have no physical shop, order some SFI T-Shirts & caps (not limited to just these two) and start wearing/using them. Make sure you have enough business card to give away too.

3) ECAs giving away promotional items like mugs, keychains, umbrellas, t-shirts - print & include your URL, in a way it’s a daily reminder and a good way to get people to visit your website.

4) Yellow Pages – the old way of finding what we want fast. People still search for products or specific company via Yellow Pages.

Back to online marketing, a few ways that can be considered are:

5) SEM or Search Engine Marketing - using this method will require you to pay in order to have your ‘text’ ad appear when prospects/customers do their search for certain keywords.

6) Launch a promotional campaign - you can offer anyone who register on your site or subscribe to your e-newsletters within a certain time frame, the chance to win a free gift(s) like e-book or Gift Certificate. Find a way to link it to PriceBenders ‘Your Choice Dropshipping’ program for Gift Certificate, if possible.

There are so many more ways like link exchange, traffic exchange, by joining discussion groups, forums, viral marketing, classified advertising, online auction sites etc. You just need to spend some time planning on which way you want to do it.

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There are so many ways to advertise and advertising definitely can be done offline, and online being the most popular. Again, your financial standing and the willingness to spend play the major role in deciding which way you want to advertise.

Some ideas for offline and ‘outside’ the social media medium for advertisement would be:

1) Via communication: be it by letters, e-mail marketing or distribution of flyers and your business card – make sure you include your URL
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Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Every Sponsor will try their best to assist their PSAs to get started correctly. They would apply every possible and available ways either from SFI's free tools or their own way of ensuring active PSAs, not to forget CSAs.

1) Open widely line of communication
2) Rewards for achievers
3) Show your gratitude for job well done
4) Reassignment of PSAs to downlines - to ensure their success & indirectly, yours.
http://news.sfimg.com/2015/06/11/powerful-new-psa-reassignment-feature/ will of course help
you to achieve better result.
5) The new mix and match Standing Order payment option - will help them to choose those option
suitable to each affiliate.
6) Gold Fast Track - optional with loads of benefits offered.

What am trying to say here is, communicate all the important subject matters like getting started actions, SFI Basics, Launchpad, Gold Fast Track option and 3-Simple Steps, at the beginning. Gradually, feed them with other information on marketing, sales etc (including those I mentioned above), maybe, on one to one basis. Or via your weekly team mails, stream post, etc. This way, they are not going to get overwhelmed and overflow of information at once.
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Every Sponsor will try their best to assist their PSAs to get started correctly. They would apply every possible and available ways either from SFI's free tools or their own way of ensuring active PSAs, not to forget CSAs.

1) Open widely line of communication
2) Rewards for achievers
3) Show your gratitude for job well done
4) Reassignment of PSAs to downlines - to ensure their success & indirectly, yours.
http://news.sfimg.com/2015/06/11/powerful-new-psa-reassignment-feature/
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Hi Waleed,

Always there are pros and cons. You will see different views submitted here. The most common will be stick to the rules i.e. stay EA/AE2 if you don't have active downlines/PSAs! When you don't have a team to lead, you are not Leader? Yes, for those with financial limitation, this is the only choice, stay EA2.

To me, a Leader will do anything to make things happen. As an EA/EA2, you will see only small commission payment, everyone will blame SFI for that. The good point here is, you spent less, the bad you get less commission too. Instead, if you can afford, upgrage yourself to BTL, even without a TEAM. Why?
1) As a Bronze Team Leader, you'll receive matching VP on all EA2s in your downline within 6
levels (including your CSAs).
2) 12 TCredits and increase share in TripleClicks Executive Pool.
3) A minimum of TWO (2) CSAs are allotted to you each month you attain the rank of EA
(minimum 1500 VP). Additionally, you will awarded with 2nd Home CSAs. We tend to forget
that CSAs are equally important in growing our business. As a BTL, you will received 1 share
= roughly 34 CSAs monthly. Chances are: these CSAs could be already a Team Leader or
active EA2 and you now have a TEAM!

If this happen, as a Team Leader, you must lead by example. Lead them, support them. Knowledge is your key now. Be an awesome Sponsor/Co-Sponsor. Don't just hoping for this 2nd Home CSAs to work, you must continue your work, double or triple your efforts to build your active Team of PSAs. S-Builder is good. Have a SO for this item.

Plan your every move! Otherwise, its a pricy BTL!

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Hi Waleed,

Always there are pros and cons. You will see different views submitted here. The most common will be stick to the rules i.e. stay EA/AE2 if you don't have active downlines/PSAs! When you don't have a team to lead, you are not Leader? Yes, for those with financial limitation, this is the only choice, stay EA2.

To me, a Leader will do anything to make things happen. As an EA/EA2, you will see only small commission payment, everyone will blame SFI for that.
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Well, first of all, customers are happy to see this words. Free Shipping.
In order for you to attract more buyers, consolidate your shipping cost to your products.
This would be a better choice.

You might be able to check them online, as most companies has gone 'global' nowadays.
Contact them via e-mail and proceed with your enquiry on shipping cost, by providing the measurement and weight of your products and destination country. You can enquire for case to case or compile a list consisting of a shipping cost worldwide. May take some tedious work as shipping cost varies from country to country.
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Well, first of all, customers are happy to see this words. Free Shipping.
In order for you to attract more buyers, consolidate your shipping cost to your products.
This would be a better choice.

You might be able to check them online, as most companies has gone 'global' nowadays.
Contact them via e-mail and proceed with your enquiry on shipping cost, by providing the measurement and weight of your products and destination country. You can enquire for case to case or compile
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

The newly introduced Signing Bonuses is very good as far as keeping new sign-ups to work their SFI business. But, as a Sponsor, it is our duties to make an effort to explain to our new sign-ups or those inactive ones how this Signing Bonuses (SB) works. Explain to them in a simple way to make them understand the following:

1) To qualify for the USD20 bonus
A PSA just need to sign up.

2) To increase the SB to USD40
A PSAs must become a Silver Fast Track Member by completing 5 Getting Started Actions
indicated by the 5 Green Jets and purchase 1 unit of New Member Pack at a cost of USD20.

3) To further increase their SB to USD100, PSAs must complete no. 1 & 2 above and set a
Standing Order for 1500 VPs within their first 10 days to become a Gold Fast Tracker.

However, the SB will only be paid by percentage i.e. at 3% to be added to their monthly commission as per example given by SFI, if commission for the month is USD400, then 3% of USD400 is USD12, will be added to their total commission totaling USD412, until SB is fully settled for a maximum of 18 months. Any balance after 18 months will be forfeited.
SB balance, if any, is displayed in the top, right corner of the Affiliate Center header.

Checking for full details: Please check this link.
http://news.sfimg.com/2015/11/19/announcing-20-40-and-100-signing-bonuses/

Not so much of promoting, but it is imperative to explain and make them understand this SB program as we will expect lots of new sign-ups with very high expectation of receiving full amount upon joining SFI. To avoid any misconceptions, it is our duty as their Sponsor to really make them understand and motivate them to start earning by working their business the correct way.


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The newly introduced Signing Bonuses is very good as far as keeping new sign-ups to work their SFI business. But, as a Sponsor, it is our duties to make an effort to explain to our new sign-ups or those inactive ones how this Signing Bonuses (SB) works. Explain to them in a simple way to make them understand the following:

1) To qualify for the USD20 bonus
A PSA just need to sign up.

2) To increase the SB to USD40
A PSAs must become a Silver Fast
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Personally, my take for the Signing Bonuses (SB) is, it will not make much impact where new sign-up is concerned. This is not a one-time payment but in a form of percentage (3%) paid together with monthly commission. But, the new Team Leader’s qualification does make a big impact on our business with SFI.

1) Signing Bonuses
I said it is not significant because of the payment structure. Let’s say a newbie signed up and immediately received that $20 SB. He stays Affiliate for 1 year. Not a Silver or Gold Fast Tracker. What is his 3% + monthly commission would be? As this newbie’s Sponsor, what would we tell him when he sees his commissions, is only pennies? Unless, the focus is shifted from concentrating on scoring the VersaPoints, to sales of TripcleClicks products, sponsoring of new affiliates, recruiting of ECAs, then the pay check for this newbie will look very much different and bigger. So our strategy has to be shifted towards achieving these goals while making him understand the process of getting paid, up to $100 if he qualifies as Silver by completing 5 getting started actions & $20 sales/purchases, or Gold Fast Tracker with all earlier requirements plus 1500 VPs via Standing Order within his 10 days frame.

2) New Team Leaders (TL) requirements
This new requirements will make everyone of us, especially Team Leaders to pen down their new strategies to ensure they have a well balance and active team members. Team building will be the main focus. Leaders with deep and strong team will have lesser headache, maybe a minor restructuring using the re-assignment tools might assist them to retain the TL position.

Leaders without a strong team might feel the pinch and suffer a demotion. On a bright side, a BTL and STL is achievable but aspiring TL must make sure he/she is giving her full support to his/her downlines not limited to 1st liner only, but through to 12 levels. Effective communication, team work will play a major part in building a strong team and producing a great Team Leaders.

To some, there might be no strategy changes. To some, might need to strengthen the team. To some might need to offer gift certificates once members reached certain TL level (no longer at entry point), to some might need to re-assign members to most active members in order to retain TL position. The good news is whatever new strategy to be applied by affiliates, it is all about the downlines and the team, which was overlooked or purposely left alone to survive, will now have all the attention. Good luck everyone!

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Personally, my take for the Signing Bonuses (SB) is, it will not make much impact where new sign-up is concerned. This is not a one-time payment but in a form of percentage (3%) paid together with monthly commission. But, the new Team Leader’s qualification does make a big impact on our business with SFI.

1) Signing Bonuses
I said it is not significant because of the payment structure. Let’s say a newbie signed up and immediately received that $20 SB. He stays Affiliate
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Really a common problem to all.
We will not be able to stop them from quitting. They might be trying out to see if they could make a quick bucks, within a few months. Generous Sponsor might have given them PSAs, TCredits as a rewards to motivate. What happen after that? They could not sustain without their Sponsor's assistance and decided to leave.

In most cases, financially unstable would be the reason for them to opt out. Affiliates from poor nations could not sustain the high USD exchange rate, resulting us seeing affiliates opted out way before attaining their EA in their 1st or 2nd months. They could be an active members for months but quit once they're not seeing cash coming in as expected.

Communicate to the active PSAs/CSAs, provide them the required guidance, don't pamper them too much with your rewards, if they want to do this business, they will do it, even without your rewards. These are your true business partners. Help them when needed. Teach them ways to overcome their financial problem, if possible.
Be a true friend and Leader/s.

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Really a common problem to all.
We will not be able to stop them from quitting. They might be trying out to see if they could make a quick bucks, within a few months. Generous Sponsor might have given them PSAs, TCredits as a rewards to motivate. What happen after that? They could not sustain without their Sponsor's assistance and decided to leave.

In most cases, financially unstable would be the reason for them to opt out. Affiliates from poor nations could not sustain the
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

How do you turn affiliates' EMPLOYEE mentality...to a BUSINESS OWNER mentality?

Do your team members, or even you, still have an employee mentality when it comes to running your business? The employee mentality is a hard habit to break.

So how do you get around that and help your team members start acting like business owners and not employees?

The answer is, nurture the business owner mentality within your team. Coupled with good leadership skills, lead by examples, you should be able to differentiate the Leaders and an employee/workers. What are the difference between employee and business owner mentality?

Traits of people with an employee mentality:
•I work for a paycheck.
•There’s no need to give more than I have to, because the company will take advantage of me.
•The business is lucky to have me.
•Somebody is mandated to take care of me.
•I am entitled simply because I work here.
•I only do what I am told to do.

Even some business owners have an employee mentality. When an employer does not sacrifice personal preference for the good of the business, that employer has an employee mentality.

Here are some traits of the business owner mentality:
•I have a big picture view of the greater good I do with my work and realize that wages is the outcome of the good I do. Simply put, my work brings me great personal satisfaction.
•When I go the extra mile, I am doing it because it helps the business and the people we serve.
•I am blessed to be a part of this company.
•It is my responsibility to see that my job is done to my greatest capability with every patient every day. Nobody can do this for me.
•Entitlement is not a word in my vocabulary. I understand that I receive wages for my efforts, and while fringe benefits are nice, they can disappear if the business is not profitable.
•I understand that there are times when my own personal agenda may be interrupted for the good of the people we serve.

You would love to have a team of staff members with a business owner mentality. Such members are self-motivated, do not feel a sense of entitlement, and have the drive to give more than is expected for the good of the business. They understand that if the business does well, they will ultimately benefit too.

I don’t think one has to be a business owner to develop a business owner mentality. It comes down to understanding the business, understanding that business cycles often change our routines, and most importantly, you need a team members who care about his/her business.

So – do you have an employee mentality or a business owner mentality? It may take some people a long time to actually understand and accept the difference, but once they do, they’ll realize that being a business owner, and owning that mentality, will be a big benefit in how they work their business.

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How do you turn affiliates' EMPLOYEE mentality...to a BUSINESS OWNER mentality?

Do your team members, or even you, still have an employee mentality when it comes to running your business? The employee mentality is a hard habit to break.

So how do you get around that and help your team members start acting like business owners and not employees?

The answer is, nurture the business owner mentality within your team. Coupled with good leadership skills, lead by examples,
...more

Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Two of the common issues in network marketing are ‘retention’ and ‘motivation’
In other words, once you’ve built a good downline, how you keep them motivated to stay and do their work? Success in SFI is based on interdependent relationships. Your profits directly tied to your downline’s performance. Likewise, your downline depends on you to teach the how to duplicate your success.

This is the key.
• Depending on their experience level, survey and find out what they’re up against. In responses, you need to give them an easy-to-follow marketing system as laid out by SFI. Next, you must teach/show them how to execute our system effectively. This is critical, in order to help them duplicate your results.
• Some people just aren’t very competitive, but you can combat this tendency by appealing to their ego. Capitalize on the desire for reward and recognition. But not too much.
• If you can, offer a little ‘public praise’ by featuring downline member’s success stories in your blog or website or newsletter.
• You might want to reward them materially. TCredits, purchase items at TripClicks or gift certificate, for example, and give it free to the ‘most improved/outstanding downline member.

Staying EA has its own reason too. The most common problem is lesser spending power, means unable to buy items at TripleClicks. 2000 Sales VP and 1000 Action VP are hard to achieve by some. To attain BTL.

Ultimately, keeping your downline motivated means treating them as respected members of your team. Let them know that you care about their success as much as your own, and show it by helping them in any way you can.

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Two of the common issues in network marketing are ‘retention’ and ‘motivation’
In other words, once you’ve built a good downline, how you keep them motivated to stay and do their work? Success in SFI is based on interdependent relationships. Your profits directly tied to your downline’s performance. Likewise, your downline depends on you to teach the how to duplicate your success.

This is the key.
• Depending on their experience level, survey and find out what
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Affiliate since: 10/01/2013, Power Rank: 75

Pro and cons for both.
1) To expand your business you need international buyers for your ECA store.
2) By limiting to your region, you are limiting your target audience and sales potentials, and
3) Domestic success of your products doesn't ultimately mean global success.

If you are considering international market, You might want to consider this;
1) Packaging optimisation in regards to your shipment - this is to minimize the shipping cost and safety of your products.
2) Packaging, quality & price - give due consideration too, to customer needs and demands. Example, if you are selling juices, 1L bottle will be better choice for international market as compare to 2L bottle. It will save you your shipping costs. Minimize 'spoiled' items due to mishandling during loading/unloading.

Summarizing it, I would think you should do both, your region and internationally. Take advantage of the Internet. There are numerous free online trade boards, import-export directories, etc. Spend some time and post online offers on these sites. Not only it will increase your chances of being found by potential buyers but also will add value to your web site's Search Engine ranking.
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Pro and cons for both.
1) To expand your business you need international buyers for your ECA store.
2) By limiting to your region, you are limiting your target audience and sales potentials, and
3) Domestic success of your products doesn't ultimately mean global success.

If you are considering international market, You might want to consider this;
1) Packaging optimisation in regards to your shipment - this is to minimize the shipping cost and safety of your products.
2)
...more