Would you fly an airplane with no training?

Silly question, isn’t it? Of course you wouldn’t!

Choosing a sponsor or a mentor is crucial when starting your first online business. But what amazes me is that most people forget that they require training & support when starting an online business….did you?

You can spend thousands of hours and thousands of dollars trying to make money online, but doesn’t it make sense to learn from someone who is already making money?

Remember, each time you started a new job, you required training? There are no short cuts in an online business either. (Well unless you have a BIG advertising budget.) You will need to take the time and learn the skills and implement what you learn.

You can make a six figure income in as little as six months online…. so why don’t people want to learn how? Instead, most just run around in circles, purchasing the next best thing and not “doing”. That’s all you need to do to succeed online, is utilize a simple technique and keep using it daily. You can’t stop because success does not happen overnight. Even the “Internet Gurus” who make six figures on a launch of a new product did not see success overnight. It took them years and thousands of dollars to figure out how.

Your mentor is someone who you should trust that can coach you, guide you and be relied on.  Find someone “a friend” you feel  comfortable asking questions too. The proper mentor can help pave the way to your success. Having one that is compatible to you is the key.  Maybe you will end up showing them a thing or two also.

Ask Questions

I have created some questions below that you should feel comfortable asking your potential business partner before you decide to join their team.

1. How much experience do you have with online marketing?
2. Have you made any mistakes? (The honest ones will let you know)
3. Do you offer a training site with resources to help me & my downline succeed?
4. Do you offer personal one-on-one training to help me get started?
5. Do you send out frequent updates to your team members?
6. Do you use the product?
7. How do you market your business?

The answers to these questions will help you decide which sponsor you should join.

Yours in Partnership and Friendship!

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

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Just like any company online or offline, you will want to establish your brand for your business before you purchase your business cards or build your website. Your brand is the image that you will create to attract your target audience.

The last sentence is so important that I need to share one of my biggest mistakes when I started marketing my business online. I don’t want you to make this same mistake. I am going to repeat the sentence… “Your brand is the image that you will create to attract your target
audience.”

Here’s my biggest mistake…

“When I first started out I wanted to help everyone who did not know how to start an online business. Was that really why I got into business?  Absolutely Not! I wanted to make money. Don’t get me wrong, I did want to help my business partners in any way that I could but I did not want to attract only those who didn’t know what they were doing.  Do you get my point?  If you want to attract business leaders then you need to brand yourself as a business leader. If you want to attract the retail market then you need to brand your product in an original way.”

If you plan on targeting business partners to join you in your program, I highly recommend establishing yourself as your brand through a wordpress blog. A blog will establish yourself as a leader in your industry.

So when you are thinking about how you are going to brand your business, you should ask yourself the following two important questions:

1. Who is my target market?

2. Who will I attract with my brand?

Remember the only goal is to attract your target market through your established brand. 

Here are 5 Easy Ways to Establish Your Brand Online

1. Domain Name - A domain name looks like this, www.yourdomain.com and will act as your website’s physical address. The domain name is your website’s identity and will let customer’s know how to reach you.

2. Email Address - Once you have purchased your domain name, one of the first steps that you should complete is setting up an email address with your domain name. This step is often missed and so important and only takes 5 minutes to set up.

3. Email Signature – It is extremely difficult to build a relationship with your prospect because you are physically not in front of them. An email signature will help build your credibility. Your email signature will reassure your prospect that you are a real person. People like to purchase from people they can see…so make sure to include your picture!

4. Blog – A blog is the core to Social Media marketing strategies. A blog is the main piece that ties all of your online advertising methods together. A well-branded blog will keep your target audience coming back for more.

5. Social Media Profiles (Google, Facebook, Linked in) - Where does your website or profile appear when you do a Google search on your name? “If you are not on the first page of Google, then you need to set up your Google Profile.” Google profiles are easy to set up and once indexed by Google, your profile will appear on the first page whenever someone searches your name.

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you! 

Yours in Branding Success!

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Establish your monthly advertising budget.

The good news… starting a business online has never been so profitable!

Show me the MONEY!

Once you establish a monthly advertising budget you can get a better idea month to month how much your advertising is really bringing in for profit.

The most widely used method of establishing an advertising budget is to base it on a percentage of sales.  Advertising  is a legitimate business and should be related to the quantity of goods sold.  This method is quick and easy.  You can keep your advertising in a constant relation to your sales volume, which in turn your advertising will be increasing as your sales increase.

With Global Resorts Network, we have the priveledge of marketing either the business opportunity or the retail product or both. Not only will you have unlimited target markets to choose from but you will also have too many choices when it comes to advertising your GRN business where it can actually make your head spin.

Don’t worry, I have created a spreadsheet to help give you an idea as to how much you should budget based on the different advertising strategies available.

When you download the spreadsheet below… I want you to choose only 3 methods and one of them should be your friends and family. You will increase your marketing as you grow but you need to take everything one step at a time. This chart will help guide you in your business plan.

Click here to download your calculator.

If you have found this Advertising Calculator helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Yours in Successful Budgeting!

P.S. Remember to only choose two advertising methods plus friends and family to start with.

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Have You Created Your Google Profile?

Where does your website or profile appear when you do a Google search on your name?

“If you are not on the first page of Google, then you need to set up your Google Profile.”

Google profiles are easy to set up and once indexed by Google, your profile will appear on the first page whenever someone searches your name.

Here is what my Google Profile looks like…  http://www.google.com/profiles/christine.mcivor

6 Main Components

There are six main components of a Google Profile page. You are able to edit and modify your profile so that you can determine what your users will see when they search your name on Google.

Receive Messages – This is an awesome features that allows prospects to email you without divulging your email address.

Upload Photos – Engage your prospects with personal pictures of you and your family.
Photo’s enable your prospects to trust you without having to meet you in person first. You may easily add your photos through Picasa and Flickr.

Add Your Bio- This is your chance to tell the world who you are. Share your story, your experiences, and your goals.

Contact Info – Keep your friends, family, business associates, and prospects up to date with your current contact information.

Add Your Links – This is such an amazing feature, especially when you can add multiple links to your websites, blogs, splash pages, and other profiles at sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Show Your Location – Keep your friends, family, business associates, and prospects up to date with your current contact information. Your current location and where you have lived will be displayed on the map.

You must have a Gmail account in order to create a Google Profile.  Your Google Profile URL will be dependent on your Gmail user id. I highly recommend to get your full name as your Gmail user id.

ie. My Gmail user id is ”christine.mcivor” therefore my Google Profile URL is http://www.google.com/profiles/christine.mcivor

  Set Up Gmail account with your name.

 Set up your Google Profiles page here.

I have created a video tutorial below which will take you through the six main components and how to set up your Google profile page.

Video Tutorial

 Congratulations! You are one of the first to create your Google Profile. 

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you! 

Yours in Branding Success!

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Creating Your e Mail Signature

Your email signature is extremely important when marketing your business online.

It is more difficult to build relationships with your customers because you are physically not in front of them. Your email signature will instantly build your credibility. Your email signature will reassure your prospect that you are a real person.

A Gmail signature can be set up at www.gmail.com within a few short seconds. To set up your signature in Gmail please follow the instructions below. 


 
                                                     
Creating Your Signature in Gmail:

1. Log into your Gmail account at www.Gmail.com
2. Click on “Settings” on the top right corner
3. Enter your text signature in the “Signature Text Box”
4. Click on “Save Changes” to update your signature.

* Images can not be included in your Gmail Signature.

 Congratulations! You have just created your first Gmail signature. 

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Yours in Branding Success!

 P.S. Click here to create your signature in Outlook with your picture.

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Creating Your e Mail Signature

An email signature is invaluable when advertising your business online.

It is extremely difficult to build a relationship with your prospect because you are physically not in front of them. An email signature will help build your credibility. Your email signature will reassure your prospect that you are a real person. People like to purchase from people they can see…so make sure to include your picture!

A signature file can be set up in your email program within a few short seconds. To set up your signature in Outlook please follow the instructions below.

Setting up a Signature file in Microsoft Outlook:

1. Click on the ”Tools” tab on the top of your screen in Outlook
2. Scroll down and click on “Options”
3. Click on the “Mail Format” tab and then “Signature Picker” at the bottom of the window [refer to diagram 01].

IMPORTANT: Notice the box that is checked beside “Don’t use when replying or forwarding”. Although you do not have to check this box, I highly recommend that you do especially if you are chatting back and forth via email.

 
                                                        Diagram 01

Ok, you should now be in the Signature Picker Window.

1. Click on “New” to create your signature.
2. Enter a name for your signature  (ie. Travel Business Signature)
3. Click on “Start with a blank signature”
4. Click on “Next”

A new window will open called Edit Signature. You may create a basic text signature only in this window [refer to diagram 02]. You may change the font size and color by highlighting your text clicking on the font button. 

                                                       Diagram 02
Create an Advanced Signature with your photo and or banner 

1. Click on the “Advanced Edit” button [refer to diagram 02].This will launch a warning window stating “This will launch and editor that is not part of Microsfot Outlook. Do you want to continue?
2. Click Yes, you want to continue.
3. Insert your picture. Your picture needs to be uploaded to the internet in order to grab the image URL.
4. Click OK

Congratulations! You have just created your first email signature. 

If you are an internet marketer, use your signature to reply to spam to generate sales. Simply create a template thanking the person for their email and simply add your signature. Don’t waste the spam emails.

Listed below is an example of a professional email signature.

Example:

_______________________________________________________________________

Christine McIvor
Global Resorts Network
Independent Distributor(2.5 yrs)
Cellular: 204-880-8254
Toll Free: 866-727-2522
www.ilovemytraveljob.com

“I save my customers up to 90% off their vacations!” 

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Yours in Branding Success!

 P.S. Click here to create an email signature in Gmail.

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Should you as an online marketer order business cards?

My answer to that is, YES, Absolutely! I personally recommend Vista Print. They are fast, professional, and cost-effective.

Business Cards are a necessary business expense. While I highly recommend that you purchasing the traditional corporate business card which includes your name, number, and website but I would also like you to think outside the box as well.

Don’t just purchase the traditional style business card!

Think about it….the corporate style business card is great to give someone that you meet. But what about when you leave a tip at a restaurant, or a community billboard? There are so many places to place your business card but not the corporate style…I am talking the marketing style. Take a look at the two examples below.

Which one do you think gets better results on a community billboard?

Here are just a few places that you can start placing your business cards right now.

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1-800

It is a known fact that toll free numbers will increase your response rate! Toll free phone numbers are now extremely cost effective even for the small business owner. 

Here are 3 companies that I personally recommend based on your budget and use.

Telecenter – Unlimited inbound toll free calls for $29 a month. Sign up on the link Please enter my email address info@grncentral.com as the person who referred http://www.telecentersignup.com/grn

* I love this company because of the unlimited inbound toll free calling feature.

Ring Central – Offers 3 different toll free plans based on your usage and budget. I find Ring Central the most user friendly to set up multiple lines for your business.  www.ringcentral.com

Kall8 - Kall8 is the only fully integrated toll free service that offers traditional 800 service with a complete set of online tools to manage and track your toll free numbers in real time. With Kall8, you can instantly activate and forward your 800 numbers, view calls, and analyze the results of your ad campaigns online. Click here to choose from a variety of toll free numbers to find the perfect one for you! (This link is an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase from this link, I will get paid a commission. Thank you.)

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Yours in Business!

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Once you have purchased your domain name, one of the first steps that you should complete is setting up an email address with your domain name. This step is often missed and so important and only takes 5 minutes to set up.

If you are running a business online it is more professional to have an email address at info@yourdomain.com rather than yourname@hotmail.com

You may create multiple email addresses for one domain name. Some companies use the following addresses:

info@yourdomain.com
sales@yourdomain.com
support@yourdomain.com
name@yourdomain.com

You may forward your domain name to your regular email address to ensure that no emails have been missed.

Click on the video below to view a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up an email address with your domain name.

No matter which hosting provider you use, you will be able to set up an email account with your domain name. Click here to view GoDaddy’s step-by-step instructions.

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

To New Successes!

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What is a domain name and why do I need to register one?

A domain name looks like this, www.yourdomain.com and will act as your website’s physical address. The domain name is your website’s identity and will let customer’s know how to reach you.

The domain name should be relevant to whatever company or product you are promoting. You will have the option to choose between multiple extensions. The most popular are listed below.

.com    – Commercial (most recognized)
.net    – Network
.org    – Organization
.biz    – Business
.tv     – TV
.mobi    – Mobile phone

* I personally recommend to stick with the .com extension if possible.

Here are some tips to help you choose a great domain name for your website.

1. If you find a domain name that you like – register it! Don’t wait before it’s gone.

2. Choose a domain that reflects exactly what your website is all about.

3. Try to use a keyword phrase for your domain name.

4. Choose a name, which is easy to remember.

5. The shorter the name the better! The domain is much easier to type, much easier to remember, and much easier to spell.

How much does a domain name cost?

Registering a domain name is very affordable which is why most businesses purchase more than one. The domain names are very affordable at $9.99 a year.
 

I recommend GoDaddy (This is an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase through my affiliate link, I will get paid a commission. Thank you) when purchasing a domain because of their Masking features and incredible customer service. If you would rather purchase your domain directly through GoDaddy please go to www.GoDaddy.com.

Here is a video which goes through the process of purchasing a domain name.

 
If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

To Your Imagination!

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