Choosing the Best Place for a Business Presentation

Many factors add up to a successful business presentation, and one of the most overlooked is choosing the right place to do it. Would you present just anywhere? How would that help you?

It only makes sense to pick a place that gives you the advantage, a venue that enhances your credibility and leaves a good and lasting impression on your audience.

These are some tips to keep in mind when looking for that location.

Choose a venue you know

This simple strategy is an effective time-saver. For one, you can gauge more or less the amount of time you need to get there. For another, you also know where everything is—the restrooms, the power sockets, the projector screen, the air conditioner controls, and so on. You won’t have to interrupt your own business presentation to look for these things when you need them.

Just be sure to choose a place that your client knows as well! It would be pretty embarrassing if they’re late because they had a hard time finding your venue.

If you must present in an unfamiliar place, be sure to arrive extra early to check that everything’s in order. It’s also wise to have a back-up venue nearby in case of problems when your original location becomes unavailable.

Choose a place without distractions for your business presentation

You’ll want your prospect to focus on what you’re saying when you’re saying it—and nothing else. Choose a quiet, relaxing spot away from crowds and loud music. That rules out nightclubs, sports events, movie houses, and birthday parties.

Also avoid places that have potential distractions. Your prospect’s home or office may spell trouble for your business presentation because co-workers, children, or even pets can interrupt you just as you’re hitting your stride. Imagine being in the middle of your spiel when your prospect’s secretary barges in with a call for an urgent meeting—NOW. Where would that leave your presentation?

Choose a location that speaks well of your business

Pick a bright, airy place that gives you a happy, contented feeling. These places relax your client and make them more agreeable. Also, pick a location that distinguishes you as a wealthy, successful person. A country club, a classy restaurant, a fancy hotel lobby, or a posh meeting room with a great view are all excellent places—they send the signal that you’re someone to be taken seriously. Avoid gloomy, poor-lit places filled with cigarette smoke or surly folk. You don’t want the impression that you’re proposing something illegal or dangerous.

Given the above tips, one of the best places to present may actually be your network marketing company’s own headquarters. This gives you the home-court advantage—not only can you use the venue for free, you can also use whatever business presentation materials they have available. It also shows that your company is an existing and legitimate business.

Finally, you can ask for support from your co-members or even the company leaders in case your prospect has some questions you can’t answer. On your home turf, you’re in control.

If your prospect is unable to come to your headquarters or its satellite offices, at least choose a neutral meeting place, like a quiet coffee shop or restaurant. By going to their home or office, you’re giving them the advantage you should have given yourself.

Your choice of venue affects the outcome of your business presentation, so choose well!

8 Tips on Finding The Right Prospects

1. Be in your prospects’ shoes and feel their needs….

The first thing that you need to do is connect with your prospects. Try to see the opportunity that you’re presenting from their point of view. For you to understand how prospects view your offer, you need to know how they view themselves first.

Feel their needs by asking them questions about their current situation. But don’t over do it. You don’t want them to feel sorry for themselves. Remember: you’re there to help your prospects, not to add burden.

2. Be IN the presentation, not AT the presentation….

You want to gain their approval, don’t you? Then make a presentation that will have your prospects at the edge of their seats. Get their attention and make them hang on to your every word. You don’t want to bore them with an “automatic pilot” presentation. There is nothing worse than sitting through an opportunity meeting and not feeling the presenter’s presence.

This next tip is ‘very’ important and often kills the deal……..

3. If your prospects are not interested, don’t push it….

The last thing you want to do is to chase your prospects away. If you sense outright rejection from your presentation, don’t push it. You can’t make everyone join your business. When they say “NO” to you, they mean it. This isn’t the time to give them a bunch of rebuttals. All you have to do is convey the message as clear as you can and respect whatever their decision will be.

4. Mention your prospect’s name throughout the conversation….

Do you know that the sweetest word that you can pronounce to your prospect is their name? This is most applicable in one-on-one presentations. Say their name at least three times in the first three minutes and you will keep their attention much longer than you normally would. Use it throughout your conversation and make sure that it is the last word they hear.

5. Create a distraction-free environment….

Before you go on with your presentation, ask your prospects to turn off their phones. If you’re conducting a home meeting, make sure that the television and the radio are turned off, and keep the children away. Interruptions will not only distract your audience; it can also affect your momentum. When you’ve successfully rid yourself of all the distractions, continue on with your presentation.

6. It’s not about the hype, but about the hope….

Don’t hype people into joining your business. Instead, create hope in them. Make them hope for a residual flow of income, for a better lifestyle, and for a brighter future. Hyping them won’t do any good for the both of you. It will only turn your prospects off. If you want to be successful in MLM, avoid marketing hype. Focus on promoting hope. It will serve as a magnet that will pull your prospects towards you.

7. Be patient; Follow up….

Not all prospective recruits can give an immediate response to your offer. Some of them need time to think it over. Don’t rush them. Instead of saying “Can I get your answer now?” try telling them “Would you like to think about this opportunity first? Would 12 hours be enough time for you?” Just give them enough time to think about it, but not so long that they push the idea to the back of their minds. They may have completely forgotten about it once you followed up if you wait too long.

8. Nurture a relationship with your recruits….

So you’ve successfully recruited your prospects. Do you stop there? The answer is No. You want your recruits to stick around and become your partners in the business. Build a meaningful relationship with them. Provide them with all the support that they need. Make them feel that they are in good hands. Remember, they are the people who can help you reach your dreams. So make sure that you give back and help them do the same to others.

Follow through of these 8 tips will help you in not only finding the right prospects, but also in building a strong & lasting business.

The Importance of Recognition

I don’t know about you, but I really don’t remember the last time someone around MY house clapped when I came down the stairs and said “Great job scrubbing that toilet!!  I’m SO proud of you!!”  Sure, it’s my job around the house, but still, it would be nice!

Yet one of the BEST things about being in network marketing IS the recognition.  Yes, it may be your “job” to sell, to recruit, etc.  but you can be recognized for doing it well.  And the fact of the matter is, most of us don’t get recognized in our normal day to day life.  Whether it’s in our “regular job” or our home life, recognition is often overlooked.

Yet…how GOOD does it feel when someone acknowledges your efforts?!?  It feels GREAT!  When you’re recognized, you can’t help but to smile (even if you feel a little embarrassed).  You can’t help but to get a warm feeling in your heart.  You can’t help but to feel good about yourself.

The recognition doesn’t always have to be grand.

Sure, being on stage can be cool.  But so can seeing your name in a newsletter.  It can be cool to get a candy bar wrapped in a pretty ribbon at a team meeting.  It can even feel great to be called up in front of everyone and have them cheer you on as you get a great big hug.  Here’s a few ideas for team recognition that can make an impact without breaking your bank:

-         Idea of the Month – Sometimes people don’t always have the big sales or recruiting numbers…but they still contribute some GREAT ideas to the team!  Recognize them!  Not only does the recognition feel good, but you’ll find MORE great ideas coming in each month.  Send a nice certificate – with a box of energy saver bulbs!

-         Top Team Awards – Your company may have top awards for sales and recruiting, but your team likes to know where THEY fit in to THEIR team.  It feels good to be able to say they were #3 in THEIR team for the month of July.  Each month, award the Top Team Sales Rep and the Top Recruiter.  List them in a monthly newsletter that goes out to the entire team.  Team members LOVE seeing their name in print.  If you have in person meetings, give Payday (enjoy your payday!), 100Grand (you’re worth $100 Grand!), and Starbursts (You’re a Star Recruiter) wrapped with a ribbon for being tops in the team.

-         Sales Ribbons – Team members love to show off their ribbons!  You can order incentive ribbons pre-made for a good price.  Try going in with another leader to share costs.  Give ribbons for $1000, $2000, $5000 and $10,000 in sales in a month (or whatever is a good rate for you and your company).  And don’t forget to recognize them in the team newsletter!

-         Spotlight Team Member – If you have a team newsletter, pick a team member that has done particularly well and highlight them in a spotlight.  Do an interview, and include a picture of them and their family.  Make sure to tell the team what YOU think is SPECIAL about this team member, and why you picked them. If possible, get some quotes from other team members on what they recognize as special about this team member.  Send your spotlight member a small gift-card as a token for the Spotlight feature.

You have no idea how many people stay in network marketing for the recognition.  It’s a need that many people don’t even know they have…until it’s met.  Because they’ve never had it before, it becomes addicting and inspires them to want to do so much more to continue to gain more recognition. For the reason that it feels so good, they don’t want to give it up.  It would be too much of a loss.

So if you are a leader, look for ANY way that you can recognize the members of your team.  You don’t have to have a big budget.  Remember that the gestures don’t have to be grand.  They just have to be very heart felt, appropriate, and consistent.

A little recognition goes a very long way.

Talk Fusion Company Review

Talk Fusion is a communications company within the network marketing industry that is dominating the market, because of a very smart decision to take advantage of the recent explosion of video communication. Their product line consists of the latest in video email and conferencing, live broadcasting, video autoresponders, a video blog and more.

Talk Fusion is headquartered in Brandon, FL and was founded in 2007 by Bob Reina, who has more than 2 decades of experience in the direct sales and network marketing industry. The company has been growing at a steady pace since its inception and they have now expanded to more than 85 countries and have become the 8th largest online video content provider in the world market. Meaning, they have outperformed Yahoo, Viacom, AOL, MegaVideo and CBS.

It is being predicted that by 2013, 85% of all online content will be video. Over the next 5 years 90% of the email market will be dominated by video emails. Talk Fusion’s superior state-of-the-art technology is perfectly positioned to help you capitalize on this trend.

Talk Fusion Products

Video email and video conferencing are some of the most popular product options. Video email can be created quickly and easily with no previous experience required. You can use your web camera or video camera to shoot a video; or you can upload a pre-recorded video, the choice is yours. Talk Fusion provides you with templates that you can either customize or use as is to send high impact video emails to your contacts.

The video conferencing feature allows you to not only talk to each other, but see each other too. In addition you can share slides, videos, or even speak to multiple participants at the same time with screen sharing. The live broadcasting feature allows you to turn a regular meeting or conference into an event. You can record the broadcast and provide it to your guests 24/7 via their computers. The lead capture system allows you to add new subscribers to your email list, whom can turn into new customers for your business.

Talk Fusion Compensation Plan

So onto the good stuff…you’re wondering “what is the compensation plan?”  Well, the Talk Fusion compensation plan uses a binary structure. Meaning you have two sales organizations (two people on your frontline), one on your right and one on your left. The binary pay plan is very common in the network marketing industry, and many of the fastest growing and largest companies have binary compensation plans. There are 6 different ways to be paid within Talk Fusion, including fast start bonuses, team commissions, bronze maker bonuses, mega matching bonuses, advancement bonuses and a leadership pool.

Talk Fusion is a great choice for someone who wants to take advantage of the exploding video market.

But to market these products, the use of the internet is going to be crucial to your success. Having a marketing system will teach you how to leverage your time, your skills and your knowledge and generate you tons of targeted leads for your business.

Ramcage Review

An integral part of internet marketing is content syndication. An industry standard is to post your content in 20-30 Facebook groups per day. Also, you’ve got to have a YouTube channel, a Twitter account, and a host of other social media accounts! You either syndicate manually, which can take FOREVER, or use content submitters like Ping.fm or Onlywire.com.

Ramcage has come along to ease all those pains & boasts as being your own personal web portal! You can manage all your accounts with the push of a button. All you need is one login and one password. No more need for an excel spreadsheet of logins and passwords because there are too many to remember!

Facebook Anyone?

Everybody knows that EVERYBODY is on Facebook! As stated above, it is an industry standard to post your content in 20-30 Facebook groups per day. How long does that take you? How tedious is that? Not only that, you have to be careful not to go too fast, or Facebook will think you’re a spammer. Let’s assume it takes you 1 minute per group – that’s 20-30 minutes gone. With Ramcage, you get to post to ALL the groups you want at the push of a button! Suddenly that 30 minutes worth of work is reduced to a snap! You also have access to your Facebook fan page. You never have to physically visit Facebook to perform these tasks. You can do it all from your Ramcage Dashboard!

Other platforms:

Ramcage gives you access to other platforms as well: LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogger and Twitter. They have the promise to bring other platforms. How cool is it to be able to manage these platforms from ONE place? Sure, you can use other submitters to submit text, but to be able to submit videos from Ramcage is something new and exciting!

Content management:

Ramcage offers you the ability to manage when your content is submitted. With other submitters, you add your content and are left to their mercy as to when your content will show up. With Ramcage you can submit your content real-time OR you can pre-schedule it. Regardless, you control when your content is distributed for you to receive the maximum feedback from your target audience.

If you’re looking for an income stream, Ramcage is a revenue-generating social media system.

It is currently in Pre-Launch, and offers all the previous discussed services for $9 per month. It will allow you to post on all your Facebook Groups, your Twitter account, your LinkedIn account, your Blogger account, AND your YouTube account in a matter of seconds! Once you’re a part of the Ramcage community, you can market to others. You get paid a commission based on your referrals.

Ramcage allows you to track marketing campaign results! You can tell what’s working and what’s not. You can make changes to your marketing based on the results Ramcage provides. It takes out the guesswork!

Ramcage is shaping up to be the next step in syndication tools.