It seems everywhere you go there is a glowing testimonial about the product or service you are checking out. They state that it works so well that everyone needs it.

BUT, is this a REAL testimonial or just creative advertising?

Many of these testimonials read like they are too good to be true. They could be very accurate but, because of how they are constructed, the testimonial reads like more hype than reality. Rather than simply stating how the product or service did what was advertised, the testimonial gives an almost unbelievable account of results. In many cases this causes the testimonial to backfire on its effect.

So, how did the testimonial go from effective to hype?

Like everything else in the world, there is a creeping change that occurred. Gradually people changed the context of the testimonial to be more like an ad than that of the original testimonial.  Once these revised testimonials got to the market, and people realized that the context had changed, they became less effective.

If you are writing a testimonial but constructing it like an ad, there is a high probability that it will not work. You can’t hide an ad, regardless of the context, under the guise of something else. Today’s market has seen almost every type advertising that you can present.  They understand when marketers are using a form of communication that does not fit the original meaning. As the saying goes, you can fool some of the people some of the time….

What is a true testimonial and how can you identify one?

A functional testimonial has several very significant differences from a sales ad. For instance, the testimonial will usually state the results of using the product or service rather than the benefits of trying the product or service.  A true testimonial will be written in the first person context rather than the third person. It will use I or me in describing the person using the product or service. Typically it will be three or four sentences long.

By contrast, a testimonial as an ad will be longer in length. Some are several paragraphs long. My experience of testimonials is that they are very seldom that long. Most people just won’t write that much.  Most testimonials are also worded with conversation words versus sales type words. They are worded as if you are telling a friend about your experience rather than if you are trying to convince a friend to use the product or service.

So, the bottom line is quite simple. If you are going to use testimonials, and I highly recommend that you do, have you customer write it from their experience.  Do not reword or edit it. If you change it, other than not being a true testimonial, you most likely will lose the context you were trying to capture. Then your target market will begin to distrust you and your words. That is bad.

My team and I connect with our market because we have learned how to show them the benefits of working with us. To learn how we accomplished this, go to:  http://www.MLMIntegrityMarketing.com/?t=ial and see what we teach our associates.

If you are like a significant number of network /MLM marketers, you are probably on a island by yourself.  FIGURATIVELY only. Most of the time you are working on your business while your “significant other” really doesn’t understand what and why you are doing what you do. They don’t have your passion. They don’t have your desire to get out of the rat race.

Like most marketers, you got into this great business because you wanted more than your J.O.B. was giving you.  You wanted to get away from the day to day B.S. that happens in most workplaces.  You desired to earn an income that will never materialize at your current position.  You have heard about the income of some of the top earners in the network marketing world and have thought to yourself….that is what I need to earn.

So, you stepped into the world of network/MLM marketing.

Then the reality stepped in.  You discovered that network marketing was FAR from a cake walk.  Your income the first several months was practically nonexistent. So, you kept learning and doing.  And learning and doing. And learning and doing.

After a while, your “significant other” started to ask some pretty pointed questions, such as “where is the money”, “I thought this was going to make us a bunch of money”, “how much is this costing us”, etc, etc.

You probably followed one of two courses of action to respond to these questions.  Either you didn’t answer directly or you gave the standard “this is a business and it takes time to get everything running”.  Either way, you were probably quite uncomfortable in answering. The answer was the real issue to these questions.

They weren’t asking “why aren’t you making money” they were asking “why are you trying to be different from everyone else around us”.

So, now what?

Basically, you have one decision to make … are you in or are you out?

Yes, building ANY business takes time and effort.  There are times when you will feel like chucking the whole thing….but you keep on because you “know” what exists at the end of the rainbow. You know that the business will take off when you reach the right mental state.  You know this because the business people that you are associating with have that “made it” have told you “it” is worth the effort.

BUT, what about the questions that you keep getting about “when”?

After you understand that the question is more about why you are not “conforming to the clan” than anything else, you can structure an answer to these questions.  The simple version is that you will always be the same as the people that you associate with every day.  If you associate with people that make minimum wage, you most likely will stay at that income level.

The other saying — if you want to soar with the eagles, you have to fly with the eagles – is the ONLY answer.  Nothing else matters.

So, how do you learn to fly with the eagles?  For starters, go to:  http://tr.im/emmfor and you will see some of the “eagles” that are in my group. Then you need to follow my example.

Web 2 . What? What is that? I can imagine how all the 50 year olds and above feel out there about using today’s online marketing strategies to promote their MLM business. You feel overwhelmed, as if the model T was just invented and you’re still in a horse and buggy. Well rest easy my friends as I am one of you and I’m here to put your online marketing minds at ease.

There are several marketing strategies that seniors (according to AARP) should become familiar with if you want to become a successful online marketer. We not only can survive but thrive in this new information age. We just need an open mind, a computer and some kids or maybe grand kids to help out. Our typing skills are horrible, we can’t see well, yet we can still prosper as long as we use the power of our brain. Also, using these strategies just might aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Go figure!

Let’s take a look at some basic strategies to successfully market your business online today:

1.Facebook – Get your children or grandchildren to set up a page for you with friends and family photos. Once you feel comfortable with that begin to seek out people you know but have lost track of and hopefully their children and grandchildren have done the same for them. Invite their friends to be yours and begin to build a relationship. Join groups that you are interested in and post comments or articles within those groups.

2.Twitter- Similar strategy as Facebook except the conversations are shorter and you follow people you are interested in and those interested in you will do the same. You might not like the feel of Twitter because you will see a lot of nonsense tweets. Ignore those and begin by tweeting about what you like to do that may not be business related. For example, you can tweet about how to grow tomatoes and talk about something that may have helped a loved one‘s cancer or diabetes, anything that peeks your interest. Tweet a few times daily and it will soon become addictive. Once you develop a good following you can begin to ease in marketing tweets about your business and your website (which someone should have helped you develop).

3.LinkedIn – This is where all the professionals are located. This is a very clean and polished group of folks here and may be the best hunting ground for your business. This is where the cream of the crop hangs out. Generally you have to know someone to invite to become a connection. One way to do that is to join various groups you are interested in and then post articles to that group. If someone leaves a comment about your article, thank them and ask them to become a connection to you. This will require article writing but a couple of articles a week should do the trick.

4.YouTube – I know what you’re thinking here, “But I have A Face for RADIO”. I have those same feelings myself. However, if you’re going to be a successful online marketer, video is one avenue that must be tackled. Again, enlist the help of children and grandchildren for making a video and include them in it if necessary. You may have the most potential here to reach more people than anywhere else and with the help of the younger generation they will have you jazzed up and ready to market. Depending upon your creativity, this may be the strategy that skyrockets your business.

After using a few of these strategies, the key would be to get traffic to your website and convert traffic into sales. This is a little more complicated and may require outsourcing. However, if you have the energy and drive you can also accomplish this using some specifics tools. That’s a lot to swallow and you can outsource everything as a business investment. The fun, however, might just be to do a few of the strategies yourself to get some basic understanding of how it’s done so that you too become an active part of this Web 2.0 revolution.

Market you!
Valarie Taylor
linkedin.imvaltaylor.com
713.440.6799

Bill Palte is an Online Marketing Coach & Business Builder who helps struggling marketers build their business. Build Your Income Stream Here

OK,  Lets dig in…

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LACK OF MARKETING TRAINING & SUPPORT.

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In traditional MLM companies, the marketing program hasn’t changed in years.

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