Note 1.  The first and third apps are mileage apps, not MLM.
So don’t count those in the top ten. (Apple is still learning.)

Note 2. Three of my apps are in the Top Six.  They
are circled and you can see them here.  THANKS!!!

For App Lovers

To see this live, go to the App icon on your iDevice,
or to iTunes on your computer (download here). Then
click Apps at the center top. Enter mlm in the search box
tp right, and it shows you what’s there in order of total sales.
(Some have been there 3 years, others, like mine,
just a few months.)

What’s good about apps?

1. They’re dirt cheap.  My One Liners, for example, is 99 cents.
On my website, it’s $27. Same thing. (And sells every day, thank u.)

2. Nearly all iPhone users say they NEVER leave home without it.
They SLEEP with their iPhones.  They take it to the bathroom.
They’d rather lose their wallet than their iPhone. If u own one,
u know this.

That means a person can listen to an script audio just before
walking into presentation, practice stuff and learn
stuff anytime 24-7.

If you have good training stuff, consider putting out an app.

It was new for me, too.

Just in from a Giant Heap listener:

“Kim’s Giant Heap app is awesome! It’s 2 MP3s downloaded to your phone, broken up into short segments or chapters and it’s GREAT! Kim is a real gem… funny, sincere and highly motivating… I spent part of last Saturday night listening and I’m not even ashamed to say so (since it *was* Sat. night!  My excuse is I have a 9-month old!)  You’ll get SO much more than your 2 dollars worth.” – Kathie B.

PS. If you want a free iPhone, you can get one online or at  local
Apple store.  Ask for the 3GS (the one I’ve had for two years) and
they give it to you free. You pay the monthly online service fee only.

PPS Android lovers: 100 customers 100 Days app is here.

Lulu stands on stage and says to the audience (of prospects),
“I made $10,000 last month with this business!”

Even if it’s true, she cannot say it there – unless she can prove
her income is typical for others in the company.
Do you think most others in her company earn that?

That’s why the FTC regs have stopped allowing that kind of
testimonial. Because it implies that Lulu’s income is typical,
and it’s not.

Here’s a way that Claude Hopkins made public promises,
and sold millions in products.  You can do this too (for products
or income claims.) But note the twist at the end of his promo.
This was an ad for a cough syrup:

Blah Blah Cough Remedy
“If it brings the results we promise, it is
worth many times its cost. If it fails, it is free.”

Mr. Hopkins writes, “Others made claims
and promises (and gave testimonials) but we
offered certainty. And we secured most of the
trade.”

If you want to dangle results – either product or business -
in front of prospects to persuade them to come in,
you can do the same thing.

Let’s try a sample recruiter income pitch:

“If I can show you a way to make $5,000/mo
part time, would you be interested?”

OR

“If I can make $5,000/mo you can too!”

These are implied promises.  If you’re willing to guarantee
those results like Mr. Hopkins did, you could maybe get away
with it (FTC-wise). And you might get a lot of big package orders.

Let’s say you suggest the big package to Millie,
say $1500. You also sell her a leads program for $500.
Here’s a version of that Claude Hopkins guarantee:

“Millie, If you make the income I have stated,
($5000/mo part time) the cost of the big package
($1500) and leads ($500) is worth many times its cost.

(Who would not agree?) AND:

“If you do not make the $5,000/mo, everything is free.
I will refund the $1500 and the $500 for leads.
And you keep the product and the leads.”

If you, the person making the income promise, are
ready to make that kind of guarantee and stick to it
like Claude Hopkins’ druggists (who sold the cough
remedy) did, I suspect you would not have trouble
with the FTC. You’d also get a lot of orders.

Thing is, would you do it? Would you offer that
certainty like Hopkins did – or everything they
bought is free?

Question: If you were to make that guarantee, what would
you add to your list of requirements for the new recruit?
I mean besides buying the package and leads, what else
would you ask them to do?

PS Claude Hopkins writes about his ad + guarantee,
“No cough remedy on the market
could compete with that.  Others made claims
and promises (and gave testimonials) but we
offered certainty. And we secured most of the
trade.” My Life in Advertising, Claude Hopkins.

My friend Archie (now a top banana) calls
60 people per day to offer the business opportunity.
(Yes, he really does.)

Last Monday he made his 60 calls
(referrals, cold calls, etc). He connected with 35.
Left 25 messages.  Alas, there were no takers Monday.
Nobody signed up for product or the business opp.

Did he make money last Monday?

If you think yes, read on.  If you say no, school’s over.

The only time you make money talking to people is if one of
those people buys something.  Either from you (your inventory) or
from the company.  That’s the story. Because. You earn a percent
of whatever orders (recruit and customer) you bring in. So no
orders, no percent => no money.

Instead of, “We make money talking to people” how about
this:

“We make money whenever someone we talk to
places an order.  Because we get a percent of it.
That’s how it works. So I talk to as many people
as I can. In case they know someone.”

I’ve heard this countless times, haven’t you?  From Tony Robbins to
the upline trying to motivate you to approach more people.  But this
mantra never worked for me when it’s used to motivate
dead downline. Two reasons.

1. To this day, most folks are talked into the MLM business
by promises of quick money.  When the new recruit discovers
1) that there is no quick money, 2) that success requires intensive
training and time, 3) that success depends on direct sales, sharing
and recruiting, some decide that’s not who they are and it’s not
what they want.  They said yes to an MLM marriage
without really knowing what they said yes to.

Has anyone else made such a mistake?  Jumping in too soon?

So now we will call them failures in life? Is this how we help others?
Knowing when to fold your hand is a key to survival and a chance
to play another hand.

2. The second problem with this mantra? Successful people know
how to say no.

We all know focus is what leads to success.  And focus means saying
no to everything that is not your main “thing.” Focus means doing
fewer things, not more.  Successful people focus.  Like Steve Jobs.
No one would call him a failure.  Yet it’s what he DID NOT DO that made
him such a world-wide success. He commented,

“Focus is about saying, No. And the result of that focus is
going to be some really great products where the total is
much greater than the sum of the parts.”
One of Jobs’ greatest talents was as an editor, selecting
what not to [create or] include in a product. It was that ability which
helped him save Apple from going off in 18 different
directions and do a few things better than any other company.

Many of the people Steve Jobs said no to were upset.  Like Adobe.
Their Flash is not in iPhones or iPads.  Lost opportunity and income for them
because Jobs said no. They have not said nice things about him
since then.  It’s OK, that’s human.

But.  Do you think the Adobe CEO would have tried to persuade
Jobs to change his mind (please buy our flash software), by telling him,
“Mr. Jobs, successful people do what failures won’t”?

Failures try to do too many things. They can’t say no. They have no focus.
That is why they fail.  Be bold. Say No when it’s not right for you.

Before your link gets clicked or your proposal gets read,
a busy person is going to triage it to find out if it’s even worth
glancing at. Since everyone is now connected, the new
permeability has created a deluge of noise, and just about
everyone worth contacting is taking defensive measures.
LIKE:

Do I know this person?
Did someone I trust send them over?
Are there typos and is the design sloppy?
Are they pestering me?
Who else is pointing to/referencing/working with this person?
Is it too good to be true?

All of these questions get asked before the idea is
even analyzed…See here

The last one – Is it too good to be true? – is especially painful. Overselling is
not only silly because it ain’t so, but because now, they’ve heard the the quick
money promises so often that overselling anything will do only one thing:
Ensure that they click DELETE. Without reading further.

Bottom line, if you’re not a flake, don’t talk or write like one.

Guy: I think they’re just lazy!

Gal: No! They can do it.  They just don’t WANT to.

They weren’t talking about MLMers,
but they might as well have been. Upline are often calling downline
lazy because “they don’t do anything.”

But consider this.

What if Lulu, once she realizes how hard it
is to ‘get her three,‘ decides that she just doesn’t
WANT to do sales? Or sharing?  Period.

Does not wanting to do something make you lazy?

I bought a big Facebook ad program a few months ago.
After I realized how much work it was to make Facebook
pay off for me, I dropped it.  Does that make me lazy?  Or, a quitter?

Many folks are oversold on how easy and quick MLM success is.
When they discover 1) it is not quick or easy and
2) they don’t enjoy either selling or sharing, some don’t want to do it.

What’s wrong with that? It’s a free country, yes? How many things
have you tried that you’ve quit, after realizing what was really
involved?

If there is any blame here, it’s the overselling of MLM riches.
That and denying we are in sales.  (No, we don’t sell; We share. Right.)

It’s human to blame others for our own mistakes. But, would
a more upfront approach reduce the number of “do nothings”?

In any case, shall we stop calling them names?

Here’s something cool Apple does on their
sales page, that gives the prospect more confidence
about spending that $800 or so. On the iPad sales
page, they put this in easy-to-see type:

Talk to a Specialist.

Get answers before you buy. Talk with
a knowledgeable Specialist now
Call – 800 555 1212

This is not a rah rah person who tells you how great the iPad is and who
pushes you to buy, like in so many MLM meetings.  To the contrary, the specialists
answer your questions. They are trained to let you know if the product is right for you,
given what you want to do with it.

Wouldn’t it be cool if an MLM prospect with no previous mlm or
business experience were encouraged to speak to someone impartial
before they buy in? Someone who knows what an inexperienced person needs
to do to make a success of it?  It would certainly reduce the giant drop out rate.

If there were no such person available, the newbie might be invited to attend a few
training meetings so they see, before they commit, what sorts of things
they’ll need to be doing to make a go of the business.

The tension around doing something like this is, of course the money.
After all, what if the newbie discovers, in the training or in that chat with
an impartial specialist, that she doesn’t want to do sales (or sharing)?
There goes the money you (or someone else) were counting on.

Could it be that potential loss is what prevents implementing a change like this?

Yet, wouldn’t it be better for the newbie with no mlm or business experience to be
offered a taste first? Or a chance to talk with an impartial specialist who
knows mlm – before handing over her credit card in all the frenzy of the rally?

PS This is one conflict that gives meaning to the saying,
“(Lusting after) money is the root of all evil.”

Walt Mossberg of the Wall St. Journal,
“You (Apple) surpassed Microsoft in
market valuation this week.”
(Apple is now worth more money than Microsoft)

Steve Jobs CEO of Apple
“Yes. It is surreal.  But it doesn’t matter very much.
…it’s not why any of our customers buy our products.”
It’s good for us to keep that in mind.  We must remember
what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

Next time you think of impressing your prospective customer with
how big your company is, or how important the company brass is,
remember what Mr. Jobs said.  “That’s not why any of our
customers buy our products.”

When you bought your last car, was it the financial statement of the car
dealer that made your decision to buy that car? Or did you buy it
it because there was something about it YOU liked? Ask for people
who share your likes as it relates to the product or service you are using
and selling.

Beats selling how big your company is.  Which is not why customers
buy anything. 

1. Reconnect with “why.” Go back to your original vision
   and imagine having achieved your goal. Great warriors imagine
   victory and top athletes imagine winning before stepping onto the field, so why not you?

 

• Know when to quit. We are taught from a young age to
  “never give up,” or in the words of Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never, never give up.”
  But great strategists know that great strategies are about making decisions. Look
  at everything on your plate and decide which things are honestly
  not worth the effort. This is not about deciding to quit your project but to pinpoint
  which parts of your project will give you the biggest bang for your effort.

 

 

• Measure your runway. Do the math to figure out how much
  time you honestly have to get through the dip. Look at your cash, how much longer
  your partner will put up with your late nights, how much energy you really have.
  Calculate how many days, weeks, or months you want to give yourself.

 

 

• Get tactical. Categorize your priorities into four buckets:
  wastes of time, tactics, winning moves, and crazy ideas. The winning moves tend to be
  the opportunities that will pay off in the long term. Since right now you are focused on
  pushing through today, it’s time to focus on the tactics. You are looking to advance
  in inches, not miles, so just do the work. Stop asking why (that’s step one) or whether
  (step two). Pick up the phone, write that
  proposal, or in my case, write this blog. More here

 

Last, I’d add:  Love what you are doing.  Is there something
your business that makes you totally excited to get up
each day and do it?

MLM success is a long haul (3-5 years just to learn how to do it well),
Without a big passion for some part of it, you’ll quit.  Because, as
Steve Jobs said, all sane people quit something when the hardships and hassles are
not worth it. Loving it helps ensure you will persevere.

Most people quit, and many that are left need to
be pushed and shoved. To put an end to that,
let’s define a “great team member” so you can
recruit one.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, was personally
involved in all the key recruiting decisions for Apple.
He recruited the team members who helped
make Apple #1 in the world. Here’s one thing he
said he required:

“We need people who will do their part, without
our having to stand over them to make them do it.
So that when the teams meet again, everyone has done the
parts they are responsible for.  That’s how we move
ahead.”

Great team member: Someone who does what they say
they will do, without you having to stand over them or
motivate them to do whatever they said they would do.

So, perhaps one of your interview questions could be:

I’m looking for someone who does what they say they’re
going to do.  I need someone I can count on to do the
part they agree to, without my having to hound or
stand over the person.  Does that sound
like you?

Of course you will be discussing what kinds of things the
person needs to do.  But the question is, are they someone
who DOES what they say they will do, once they agree?

That one attribute, a person who is true to their word, is perhaps
more important than any other characteristic. People who do what they say
are careful not to over-commit. Talkers who don’t do what they
say over-commit constantly and are useless to your team.

Talk’s cheap.  If you’ve had it with team members
who are just talkers, ask for someone like Mr. Jobs did -
someone who will do what they say without you or anyone
else having to stand over them to make them do it.