Sweet Businesses » SFI

Beware Of The Boogie Man: Internet Gurus

Teasastips — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:02:00 +0000

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN INTERNET GURU…

I’ve seen them come and go. Internet, home based business programs that promise so much and deliver so little. What’s the next best thing, what’s the next hottest program? Get in on the ground floor, in pre-launch. I’ve heard it all before. More people have lost money in these programs than have made money.

I talked to a woman on Facebook recently, and she wanted to know how to make money online. I told her there are legitimate ways to do it, but they all take time and perseverance. You can’t just start something today and expect for it to make you a million dollars overnight. Contrary to what the ads say, it just doesn’t happen that way.

Any legitimate home based business is going to require two major components:

(1) Time: You’ve got invest time to learn how to work the program, how to market the program along with learning about the product you are marketing. You just can’t pick a business today and start making money tomorrow. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that.
(2) Persistence: Do not give up! No matter w

hat happens, keep going. You will most certainly hear more no’s than yes’–don’t let that dismay you. Keep going. Your next answer just may be the one you need to hear.

Another sore spot in home based businesses is the investment of money. Here’s an old saying: It takes money to make money. Understanding that, believe that you will incur some kind of out of pocket expense in order to start making an income.

Whether that out of pocket investment is to begin a blog (you must pay for a domain name, I mean you should for credibility sake); if you choose a stable and reputable home based business opportunity, like Ardyss, you will make an investment to join as well as a monthly investment to remain active to make you eligible to receive commissions.

The good thing about Ardyss is that if you work it like you do a 40 hour a week job, you will definitely see a return on your investment. There are lots of Ardyss success stories out there, my niece and nephew are just one of them. Ardyss is the real deal. If you can afford the initial investment and the monthly autoship, you should get in on this program.

Another good home based business is SFI (Strong Future Income). There is no initial investment to join, however, if you want to be eligible for huge affiliate spillover as well as commissions, you want to excel to at least Executive Affiliate (EA) level. Doing this puts you in the ‘bonus round’ making you eligible to make more money. I maintain a $40 a month investment buying things I would normally purchase anyway—like photography magazines, eco-friendly cleaning chemicals, etc. This keeps me in the loop to make an income as well as elevates me to Bronze Team Leader status.

It’s not as lucrative as Ardyss, but SFI is a good foundation that allows you to learn from the masters about internet marketing and home based business promoting. SFI gives you huge amounts of information that is guaranteed to make you a success. Just joining it for free gives you access to the huge library of articles, expert marketing tips and more.

My word of advice to you is, don’t get caught up in the next big scam. I’ve been involved in internet marketing for 10 years now, and believe me when I tell you, I’ve seen so many programs fold, so many people who proclaimed to be gurus have gone to jail. Just for scamming non-suspecting, trusting folk like you and me.

Once you give your money to a scammer its gone forever. Be a smart consumer, and do your homework before you fork over your cash, even if it is only $5 or $10.

Quit following behind the so-called gurus, and blaze your own trail.

SFI: Using Keywords In Your Target Market

Teasastips — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:32:00 +0000

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According to a new study from the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation, the typical small-business founder is 40 years old, on average, when launching a first company; 70% of first-time founders are married, and nearly 60% have at least one child. Additionally, 59% come from lower-middle-class or blue-collar families, and almost half hold advanced degrees.

Source: CNNMoney

Researched & Written by Karen Barnes

(Note: This Tidbit focuses on the SFI Affiliate Program, however, the tips contained here can be used by other online home-business owners…)

Q: I use keywords with my pay-per-clicks. Is there more that I can do to get a better conversion rate? Also, are there any other ways to use keywords more effectively in my retail marketing?

Keywords and phrases should be used in every aspect of your marketing, whether it be on or offline. After all, they are helping you target your market.

In the last Marketing Tidbits, I explained how and why I chose the products I did. In this Marketing Tidbits, I will explain how I go about choosing my keywords and phrases for those products.

For a quick recap of the categories and products from last Marketing Tidbits, here are the four product categories that I chose from the Veriuni Store:

Food
Wellness/Nutrition
Magazine Rack
Telecommunications

The items I chose are as follows:

Food category: Java Coffee
Wellness/Nutrition:
Veriuni Advanced Oxidant with Red Wine Extract
Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition
Veriuni Advanced Weight Loss
Magazine Rack: All of the categories
Telecommunications: Long Distance Phone Services

I will start with choosing the keywords and phrases for pay-per-click search engines. Now that I know the products and categories I have chosen, I start picking my keywords with three different keyword search tools. By using the following, you can pick quite a few keywords and phrases to use in your pay-per-click search engines.

First, I go to the following keyword search sites and start with the categories for the products that I have chosen. I either write down the keywords and phrases, print the page, copy and paste them to a word processing document, or type them directly into the pay-per-click search engine.

Good Keywords: Good Keywords is a free software download that lets you search for keywords and phrases that you can use in your pay-per-click ad campaigns and Websites.
Wordtracker: Wordtracker site has a free trial, or you can pay for your keywords and have them emailed to you. I suggest just using the free trial, as this can give you the list of words and phrases that you need for submitting to search engines that you plan to use.

Then, I move on to the individual items and do the same thing. By the time you are done with the three keyword search tools, you should have a very nice list of keywords and phrases.

I then go to the following two sites and choose the pay-per-click search engines that best fit the products I am going to advertise. While you are at each site, check out their keywords as well and any new ones you find to your list of keywords and phrases:

Now that you have your pay-per-click search engines set up, be sure to go back at least once a week to check what keywords and phrases are pulling in your clicks. Keep track of these clicks over a month’s time and delete the ones that haven’t received any clicks at all. Then over the next two to three months, watch the lowest clicked words and phrases and start deleting them.

You will also want to keep checking back with the keyword search tools to check on your keyword popularity. In some instances, I have found new words and phrases to add to my lists. The average surfer has a tendency to change some of their searching habits.

Now that I have covered keywords and pay-per-clicks it is time for you to know how I use keywords in selecting free classified advertising sites. Keep in mind that we are talking about using these tools for retail selling.

I’ll start by using the same categories I mentioned in searching for classified sites. I type the following types of search phrases into search engines:

free food classified sites
free wellness classified sites
free nutrition classified sites
free magazine classified sites
free telecommunication classified sites

I then go through several of the pages on each of the search engines, adding the sites to Adwizard. Sometimes I go ahead and place my ads once I have gone through the searches on at least three search engines; sometimes I wait until I am done with several searches. I usually can find at least 20 to 50 classified sites with each different keyword and phrase search.

I then go to the next type of keyword search using the same technique. Wondering what I mean by this? I change the keyword or make it a keyword phrase in the same category.

For example:

free coffee classified sites
free cooking classified sites

With these two phrases then, I am able to advertise the Veriuni Java Coffee product or any of the cooking magazines in these classifieds. Yes, this is time consuming, but it can be very well worth the time as you are now competing less against other Strong Future International Affiliates.

You then will need to continue this with more specific keywords and phrases for each individual product. The more different types of keywords and phrases you use, just like with the pay-per-clicks, the more sites you will have with which to advertise.

Now, if you are using your own personal Website, don’t forget to make sure that you have some of these keywords and phrases in the content of your Website for better searches on search engines as well. You will also need to have some of the keywords in your meta tags.

In all these techniques, using more specific keywords and phrases will help drive specific traffic of target groups of people looking for what you have to offer them.

SFI: Choosing Your Products

Teasastips — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Researched & Written by Karen Barnes

Note: This Tidbit focuses on the SFI Affiliate Program, however, the tips contained here can be used by other online home-business owners…

Q: Is there anyone who has become Executive Affiliate (EA) through attracting non-affiliates to purchase items from the retail side of their SFI business. If so, could you give me some advice on how to do this?

A: Yes, I have done this. In this series of Marketing Tidbits, I’ll be taking you through the step-by-step process of what I have done with my marketing in order to accomplish this. I will, in Part One of this series, explain why you need to choose your products and why I started with the products. This will then lead to the next part and so on through this series of Marketing Tidbits. If you already have a standing order for a subscription to The International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs, then you are already at least an Executive Affiliate and you should by no means cancel your standing order.

Use this series to help you focus on making retail sales to non-affiliates of Strong Future International. By using these steps, you will be able to add to your commission’s check each month on top of the T-Network Compensation Plan.

Here are the four product categories that I chose from the Veriuni Store:

Food
Wellness/Nutrition
Magazine Rack
Telecommunications

Out of those four categories, I then chose the products that I thought would be of interest to the consumer rather than myself.

Now you are probably wondering how and why I chose these products to sell to non-SFI affiliates. After working in the retail business for over 20 years, these are the things that I see others purchasing when they are shopping. Some items are their regularly purchased items and other items are impulse purchases. You will want to have a mixture of these items on your Website, that is, if you wish to build and dedicate a Website to products only. If you would prefer, you can do this with one category of the products as well.

I asked myself these questions while looking at the products in each category:

What would others be more apt to purchase online?
What would be the items that are purchased more often?
What items have I seen others buy while shopping in the offline stores? (Example of these stores: grocery, Wal-mart, Target, convenience store, etc.)
Would people buy these items online as well as offline?
Which of the products would be more apt to sell online than offline? (Example: Telecommunications – the long distance plans, Internet provider services, or cell phone and plans; which of the health and wellness products? Which of the magazines?)
Which group of people would be the best to target?
What are the latest trends for manufacturers? (This will take a little research as well. This will be covered in a future Marketing Tidbit).

After asking myself the above questions in each category, I then chose my products. The items I chose are as follows:

Food category: Java Coffee
Wellness/Nutrition:
Veriuni Advanced Oxidant with Red Wine Extract
Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition
Veriuni Advanced Weight Loss*
Magazine Rack: All of the categories*
Telecommunications: Long Distance Phone Services*

*NOTE: In the next few series of Marketing Tidbits, I will go into further detail about how to choose and sell these items more effectively.

Now that I have explained how I have chosen the products that I have, I am going to give you a “homework assignment.”

Items needed for this assignment:

Pen or pencil
Notebook

DEFINTIONS

Regular or staple purchases: Items that customers purchase each and every time they go to the store. These items can be anything from: soaps, both laundry and bath, dietary aids, cold aids, weight loss aids, milk bread, coffee, tea, sodas, cleaning products, etc.

Impulse purchases: Any of the items that you see at the checkout stands, items down the store’s seasonal isles, seasonal products such as charcoal, bug spray, desserts of any kind, any flavored items for their drinks—basically items that are not necessary to run a household.

Between now and the time the next portion of this series is posted on May 17th, while you are out doing your regular shopping at any of the stores that you frequent, take a quick look into the shopping carts of other shoppers, scan what is in their carts very quickly, go around to the next isle, and make a note of some of the products that they have. Do the same thing for other shoppers that you see at the checkout stand.

By having a few notes on what you have seen others purchasing, either regularly or impulsively, you will then gain some insight into their shopping habits. Once you have this compiled, you will then be able to choose your own products more accurately.

The next step is to open a word processing document and type up your list from your homework assignment. You will then need to go to your Veriuni Store Gateway page, go through the categories listed there, and start choosing the products that closely fit your comprised list.

In that same document, you will then need to type out the name of the item, copy and paste the description of each corresponding product, and then place the link for that item below the item name and description. Once you are done, save and close the document.

This will be all that you need to do for now. You are more than welcome to reopen the document if you choose to do more research on customer purchases and add to your Veriuni list until the next Marketing Tidbit is ready so that you can start on the next step.

As an example, here is what I see customers purchasing:

Candies – single bars, bags of candy, gum.
Coffee – caffeine and non caffeine.
School Supplies – pens, paper, pencils, poster board, erasers.
Magazines – Women’s Day, Better Homes and Gardens, O, car magazines.
Seasonal Items – the items that are for the holiday or current season. (Example: In spring and summer, seasonal items would include bug spray, sun screen, sun tan lotion, bar-b-que items)
Some impulse buys are: the candy bars, some magazines, calling cards, gift cards, greeting cards, pre-made kabobs, plants, mulch, etc.

The next Marketing Tidbit will cover the use of keywords in pay-per-click search engines and their use in Website content and classified ads (both paid and free).

Following Up With Prospective Affiliates You Would Sponsor

Teasastips — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:54:00 +0000

Here are our suggested guidelines for following up with those interested in joining SFI:

1. Keep it simple! Provide concise instructions. A confused mind will not act.

2. Always identify yourself as an SFI Marketing Group affiliate so they make the connection as to why you’re contacting them. If you’re going to be their personal Sponsor or Team Leader, let them know that, too.

3. Make it short, friendly, and personal. Use their name in your salutation if you can.

4. Offer to answer questions they might have about SFI and home business in general. You may also wish to include a short testimonial of how the system is working for you (if you’ve got a good, strong testimonial to offer, that is). Offer friendly guidance and support!

5. Do NOT make aggressive statements like, “If you want to make money with this you need to accumulate 1,500 VersaPoints now.” This will only cause backlash and cause people to opt out of SFI. Our system clearly works, and one big reason is because we bring people through in steps, without undue pressure. We show them the BENEFITS of participating in SFI and let them decide. There’s no need to twist anyone’s arm.

6. Do NOT get into long, drawn-out explanations of the compensation plans, SFI products, etc. You may, however, wish to let your prospects know that detailed information on these topics and others will be available to them immediately upon joining SFI.

7. Remind them that there’s no obligation or cost to join SFI. They can take their time, learn about all the benefits of SFI, and take advantage of our free training.

8. Do NOT confuse them with references to other products, services, or business opportunities.

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Frequently asked questions about how to get started with SFI

Teasastips — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Q. Can SFI be done successfully part-time?

A. Yes, in fact, most SFI affiliates do SFI part-time. You can start your SFI business on a part-time basis without giving up your current source of income until SFI is generating the income you require. And the best part is you can continue to operate indefinitely on a part-time basis. What would you do if you were financially independent and most of your time was free to do with as you pleased? This is why so many people are flocking to SFI. And that’s why we say that SFI puts the freedom back in free enterprise!

Q. How much money can I make?

A. The bottom line is you’ll get out of your business what you put into it. It works…if you do. But that’s the beauty of it, too; you are in control—it’s up to you how far you take it. And don’t forget, SFI offers the opportunity to earn residual income. This basically means that for the work you do just today, you have the potential to earn money not only for today but also for potentially years to come. To learn more about the SFI compensation plan, click HERE.

Q: Is it really possible to make a large income working at home?

A. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the average home-based business household earns $50,250 a year. And about 20% of all home-business households earn in excess of $75,000 a year. And then there are the tax benefits; In the United States, even if your home business isn’t generating a profit yet, it can put $5,000 or more in your pocket in tax write-offs. Consult your accountant to learn more about this.

Q. I don’t know anything about marketing. Does SFI offer help in this area?

A. Most people are not experienced in marketing, especially on the Internet. That’s why we’ve made it easy with specific, step-by-step marketing strategies and aids for referring customers and sponsoring new affiliates. Click HERE for more information.

SFI also provides a multitude of easy-to-use marketing aids and an extensive affiliate Training Library to teach you everything you need to know. With SFI, your business can be up and running in just hours, allowing you to earn while you learn.

You can also contact your upline and ask for help. Your sponsor and other upline members may have additional resources, such as a Team Leader co-op, that you can draw on for further growth of SFI business. Go HERE to contact your upline.

Q. Is SFI just another “get-rich-quick” scheme?

A.“Get-rich-quick” is a fairy tale. If overnight riches are your dream, your odds are probably better playing the lottery than running a business—any business. We’re sorry, but we won’t insult your intelligence with promises of overnight wealth. That said, we’ve paid out many millions of dollars to our affiliates who’ve applied themselves. Indeed, as thousands of our affiliates will attest, there’s huge money to be made in SFI, if you’re willing to do the work.

Q. What are the costs involved in starting and operating an SFI business?

A. This is one of the most powerful features of SFI. It’s completely free to become an SFI affiliate, and there’s NEVER a requirement to purchase anything. Compare that to buying a franchise. Even a lesser-known franchise can require an investment of tens of thousands of dollars—and that’s just to get started. On top of that, you’d likely have rent, labor, product costs, and much more. With SFI, you can literally “start on a shoestring.” Yet, SFI’s income potential is just as great if not greater than most franchises.

Of course, ANY business, to become successful, requires some sort of investment in marketing and pursuing customers. The good news with SFI is that we’ve developed dozens of free, almost-free, and inexpensive marketing techniques that you can get started with right away.

In other words, with SFI, you can choose to invest money OR YOU CAN INVEST TIME to build your business, making SFI one of THE most affordable and practical businesses in the world.

Q. SFI sounds too good to be true. There must be fees or a requirement to buy something, right?

A. No. There is NEVER any cost required to be an SFI affiliate. It is true that thousands of SFI affiliates DO purchase SFI products for themselves. It only makes sense, after all, to buy from “your own store”—especially those items you are already purchasing from somewhere else. Remember, however, purchasing from your own store is TOTALLY OPTIONAL and NOT a requirement to run your SFI business.

Q. How does SFI compare to similar business opportunities?

A. See for yourself; download our comparison chart.

Q. I have no experience. Can I really succeed with SFI?

A. There are no guarantees, of course, but people of every age, from every part of the world, and from every background and walk of life are making it in SFI today. SFI was designed for the “little guy”! If you have the desire, you can succeed with SFI.

Q. What kind of people make good affiliates?

A. Friendly, positive, self-motivated people with a vision of the future and who are teachable and willing to learn. No experience is necessary. If you want to be part of the Internet revolution and build an exciting, profitable, global business, you’ll LOVE SFI!

Q. Is SFI a “real” business?

A. It’s very real. SFI is part of a growing global industry with annual gross revenues estimated at over $100 billlion, involving major multinational corporations and tens of millions of independent business people in every country of the world.

Q. I really would like to get serious building an SFI business, but I just don’t have the time. What should I do?

A. That’s precisely why you should do SFI. Besides creating financial freedom, SFI has been specifically designed to create personal freedom for you so you can do all the things in life you really want to do but don’t have the time for now.

Q. What kind of products does SFI have?

A. SFI’s exclusive online store, TripleClicks.com, offers thousands of products and services in the following categories:

Apparel
Arts & Crafts
Beauty & Fragrance
Books
Business
Collectibles
Computers
Education
Electronics
Financial Services
Food & Beverage
Gifts & Flowers
Health & Wellness
Home & Garden
Jewelry
Live Entertainment
Magazines
Miscellaneous
Movies, Music & Games
Personal Care
Pet Care
Phone & Tech Services
Real Estate
Romance
Sports & Outdoors
Tools & Automotive
Toys, Kids & Baby
Travel
MaxMalls

You can browse the entire TripleClicks.com product line HERE.

Q. Do I have to sell products door-to-door, make phone calls, hold parties, or attend meetings?

A. Only if you wish to. One of the greatest features of SFI is that success can be achieved using a variety of methods. You choose the methods with which YOU are comfortable, whether Internet marketing, direct mail, telemarketing, meetings, flea markets, in-home parties, or other methods. For tips on attracting customers, see this list of Customer Referral Methods.

Q. Do I have to stock and deliver products?

A. Only if you wish to. As an SFI affiliate, your customers can order everything direct from SFI through its exclusive online store, TripleClicks.com. SFI tracks your commissions and automatically sends you your commission. SFI also handles all payment processing for your customers, product shipment, customer service, returns, refunds, etc.—all at no cost to you. For tips on attracting customers, see this list of Customer Referral Methods.

Q. Is SFI a “pyramid scheme?”

A. Definitely not. In pyramid schemes, income is generated solely on the process of recruiting others into the pyramid who pay a fee to get in. Sometimes a product or service of questionable value is involved (one that is never retailed to the general public). However, generally what you’re buying is the right to recruit others into the scheme. This is illegal. Also, in pyramid schemes, those who get in first and who are at the top of the pyramid win, while most everyone else loses.

In SFI, on the other hand, there is NO COST required to participate, and affiliates are paid ONLY on product movement (both at wholesale and retail)—never on recruiting. And, unlike illegal pyramids, in SFI, no matter where you’re positioned in the network or when you join, you can advance to the very highest income levels and even earn more income than those above you in the network.

Q. I’ve tried businesses like SFI before and it didn’t work for me.

A. Let’s say you’ve just moved into a new city, and you decided to go out to eat that evening. Unfortunately, the food at the restaurant you picked turned out to be horrible. But just because of this one bad experience, you surely wouldn’t swear off eating at all the other restaurants in the city, would you? Of course not! It’s the same thing here. You just need to link up with the right company—a company like SFI.

Q: Isn’t having a traditional job safer than going into business for myself?

A. That depends on your definition of “safe.” In the United States, statistics show that out of every 100 people who start in the working world at age 20, only five will be financially independent by age 65. Undoubtedly, you want to be in that top five! Unfortunately, the odds are stacked heavily against you…unless you create an independent source of income, a business of your own that is limited only by your own desire and ability—a business like SFI.

Q: SFI is confusing to me. Is there a Web page I can access that will break it down for me?

A. Yes. We suggest you start with the simple To-Do List on your SFI homepage.

Q. What if I’ve got more questions about SFI?

A. See our 24/7 Help Desk HERE.

Q. What should I do next?

A. If you haven’t reviewed your To-Do List at your SFI homepage, take a few moments and do so now. The actions listed there will provide you with direction, links to marketing methods and aids, training articles, and much more.

To easily receive updates on new articles subscribe to Home Business Success today.

Sweet Businesses » SFI

Beware Of The Boogie Man: Internet Gurus

You might enjoy this post also

SFI: Using Keywords In Your Target Market

You might enjoy this post also

SFI: Choosing Your Products

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Following Up With Prospective Affiliates You Would Sponsor

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Frequently asked questions about how to get started with SFI

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