How do you prepare your affiliates for their second month in the business?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
7/30/2013 12:10 am
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
This might have been said but I'll say it again...
"you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink"
What I have been doing is pointing to the importance of reaching and maintaining EA2 rank and encourage purchasing an SO to ensure you qualify for each month. So far, it doesn't seem like any of my PSA's are listening to that advice. I guess many want to continue to grow their SFI business without financially investing. I suggest to them opting to no financial investment is the long and hard way to growing your SFI business and let them know it's rather difficult to maintain your EA rank without purchasing an SO.
Sure you can suggest to your PSA's to keep their VP's to 1500 VP's every month but I found it really simple to reach BTL rank my first month and acheive BTL rank my second month. Not sure if that will be the case every month but if you can reach BTL rank your first month then great! Then again, I had PSA's my first month so if you don't have PSA's your first month there really is no point reaching a BTL rank other than the fact that having that many VP's every month would help you to reach the top 10 in your class. Currently I stand in the top 10 of my class and am an E365 finalist. You want to strive to becoming at least the top 10 in your class. I suggest to my PSA's the more badges they earn the more established their SFI business will be and the higher their rank the more ways they can earn an income through SFI and then direct them to the benefit chart which lays out what each rank can earn.
I also point out to my PSA's the 3 step plan and send them a link to watch a video explaining the 3 step plan while suggestion if they want to build a strong and profitable business, have an entrepreneurial mind set, and are serious about SFI they should consider the 3 step plan.
In this way you not only prepare your affiliates for their second month but hopefully by their second month you've given your affiliates an overall picture of what to expect with SFI that will encourage them long after their second month and actually prepare them for their first year of SFI. Some will take time to build their SFI and not want to financially invest their first month. You also want to prepare your affiliates for a long road and hard work up ahead so that they continue for at least their first year and hopefully by their second year they'll gain more understanding and will make the choice to continue. I suggest to each affiliate that building your SFI is much the same as building a small business that is part of a franchise. Most people starting up a small business will spend thousands of dollars and will re-evaluate their financial investment after two to three years before deciding whether or not the investment of their time and finances was worth it. Then at least they'll get the idea that SFI is a business not a hobby.
That said, you can prepare each and every one of your affiliates but truth is, most people really don't want to listen or even hear you or take your advise they want to learn the hard way. You want to prepare your affiliates for their second month and even for their first year but you don't want to create a bunch of affiliates dependent upon you that leads to you doing the work that your affiliates should be doing. I always tell my affiliates to send me a message if they have any questions or concerns or need assistance. Usually if they send me a message they really want to make their SFI business work and some may think they have a better way then what I have suggested, ok that's fine especially if you see they have developed their own unique plan and have found ways that works for them and are utilizing their creativity. That's awesome! But they have to be willing to learn the business and do the work of study themselves.
Meanwhile our role is to guide, to encourage, to inspire ...
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This might have been said but I'll say it again...
"you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink"
What I have been doing is pointing to the importance of reaching and maintaining EA2 rank and encourage purchasing an SO to ensure you qualify for each month. So far, it doesn't seem like any of my PSA's are listening to that advice. I guess many want to continue to grow their SFI business without financially investing. I suggest to them opting to no
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How can I best utilize my monthly Standing Order of TCredits?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
6/22/2014 4:34 am
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
I utilize my TCredits at Proprofit to invest in my down line. For 100 TCredits you can invest in 15 guareenteed personally sponsored affiliates. There is also the Penny Auction where you could potentially win great deals when it comes to building a strong down line. You can bid on PSAs, CSAs, TCredits etc...
What's the difference between being an SFI affiliate and having a traditional business, and which is better?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
9/5/2013 4:24 pm
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
I view SFI like a franchise and/or small business. I once had a conversation with a business owner who had nothing but negative criticisms of SFI so I asked him how much money he initially invested just to get his small business up and running... and this is before he even began seeing any financial gain from his business. He said he had to invest $60,000 dollars Canadian to get his business started. With SFI you don't even have to invest 1 cent to get your SFI business started.
Also, with SFI there are no boarders and so you virtually have a global market out there right at your fingertips unlike a traditional business where there is so much red tape that you have to get through in order to venture into the international market.
And, if you were to utilize the 3 step plan with SFI you will see financial gains that you will never see with a traditional business. With a traditional business when you stop working you stop making money AND you have to pay employees to work for you. Owning a traditional business will not enable you to cultivate both residual and leveraged income to the extent that SFI allows.
Finally, SFI allows you the flexibility and freedom that owning a traditional business will never allow. The stresses it takes to build a traditional business is not present with SFI. You spend thousands and thousands of dollars and there is no guarantee that spending thousands and thousands of dollars will prove to be lucrative. Whereas with SFI, you can invest a few hundred dollars and still be guaranteed you will see the financial gains you are looking for. SFI works if you work! You can't say that with a traditional business. Many people work and work and work but if you don't market your business right or buy a business with a bad location, and have to deal with paying out rent to house your business and land taxes etc often times when you are having to pay rent and pay for your employees you are making just enough to break even. I knew one coffee shop owner who really didn't have a life because he was always working crazy hours because his employees would either quit or end up getting fired. The fact is, your affiliates in some way take the place of your employees when it comes to leveraged income however, your affiliates are getting greater benefits then regular employees would ever receive.
For reasons of all of the above SFI is way better than owning a regular business simply because you cut out a lot of the stress you would normally encounter with a traditional business and you maximize residual and leveraged income in ways traditional business does not allow.
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I view SFI like a franchise and/or small business. I once had a conversation with a business owner who had nothing but negative criticisms of SFI so I asked him how much money he initially invested just to get his small business up and running... and this is before he even began seeing any financial gain from his business. He said he had to invest $60,000 dollars Canadian to get his business started. With SFI you don't even have to invest 1 cent to get your SFI business started.
Also,
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I've been in SFI for one year now with no success. What should I do now?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
7/28/2014 1:45 am
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
SFI will take time to build. Everything good is built slowly. You have the time to create a strong foundation. I've been with SFI for a year too and with little to show but I know the value of time, perseverance, and faith. Now's not the time to quit. You could work extremely hard for the next year with little to show but then all of a sudden your income explodes.
I keep Sponsoring as many as I can with the faith to believe I will Sponsor serious affiliates who understand what I do or arewilling to learn and begin applying the methods and principles.
If you take for example a small business. Most small business owners will keep investing over a period of 3 to 5 years to see if their investment has been worth it. And every year they reevaluate their own work ...did they do everything possible to market their business? Can they do anything different this next year? Can they make any improvements from the last year? If so, they begin to make the necessary changes.
Often times people give up just before a break through in their lives not only in their personal lives but also professionally and financially.
Keep up the good work
Never give up
Follow the path
Keep the faith
It's just a matter of time and after one year it's too soon to know where you are going with this business. SFI works if you work. Give it time.
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SFI will take time to build. Everything good is built slowly. You have the time to create a strong foundation. I've been with SFI for a year too and with little to show but I know the value of time, perseverance, and faith. Now's not the time to quit. You could work extremely hard for the next year with little to show but then all of a sudden your income explodes.
I keep Sponsoring as many as I can with the faith to believe I will Sponsor serious affiliates who understand what I do or
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What long-term goal(s) should an affiliate be setting for themselves?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
6/28/2014 6:22 pm
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
I haven't read all the answers so I will just say what long term goals I have set though maybe some others will have given a similar answer:
1. I set a vision for my life and how I'd live differently with financial freedom. I vision a life with financial freedom. What I would do with that kind of money.
2. Define difference between short term and long term goals. I would say short term goals would be no longer than 5 years.
Questions:
Where do I want to live in 10 years? Invest in a condo? house? Future investments? education? any future business opportunities? if so what? What about community involvement and/or financial support towards issues of interest? For example nonprofit organizations... Of course that depends on what kind of future you desire to have. What about traveling the world and enjoying different cultures? Maybe have a winter home to get away from the cold, rain, snow if you live in a colder environment. I want to spend a few months out of the year travelling through Europe visiting family and visiting friends in Australia, go for winter and summer vacations, go to Israel... etc. I want to invest outside of SFI to create an income independently from SFI while growing my income through SFI. The sky is the limit. What is my dream life? How would I live differently if I didn't have to work a regular job? Where would I shop for cloths etc what car would I own, what would my dream house look like? etc.
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I haven't read all the answers so I will just say what long term goals I have set though maybe some others will have given a similar answer:
1. I set a vision for my life and how I'd live differently with financial freedom. I vision a life with financial freedom. What I would do with that kind of money.
2. Define difference between short term and long term goals. I would say short term goals would be no longer than 5 years.
Questions:
Where do I want to
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Where can I get good content for my SFI blog without infringing on copyrighted material?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
6/30/2014 8:14 am
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
Not sure if somebody has mentioned what I'm about to.
When I was in College somebody told me the sure way to get A's on a paper. They said quote the author and then add your own thoughts to the quote.
You can do the same thing with a blog. Find topics from other bloggers or material from your own research on whatever you want to blog about. Quote them, give them credit, link to their blog or article found. Begin to think about the topic, bring in your own criticisms or agree with the author and state your reasons...add to what's already been said. Basically research your topic through online search engines or articles and books read... Do book reviews etc all you have to remember is give credit to the author and in that you won't over step any copy write laws.
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Not sure if somebody has mentioned what I'm about to.
When I was in College somebody told me the sure way to get A's on a paper. They said quote the author and then add your own thoughts to the quote.
You can do the same thing with a blog. Find topics from other bloggers or material from your own research on whatever you want to blog about. Quote them, give them credit, link to their blog or article found. Begin to think about the topic, bring in your own criticisms or agree
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What's the best way to advertise the TCards to motivate prospective PRM's to play Eager Zebra games?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
6/29/2014 4:08 am
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
Next month I'll be investing in the gift certificates. I wouldn't limit how you market the gift certificates but knowing the personality of the potential PRM would go along way. If you know the person is a gamer then market TC with the games and market the whole of TC and the products that is sold because if they're a gamer you might increase the sales of other products but lead in with the games when you know the person is a gamer. When you know they like to shop online you could lead in with the diverse and affordable products and on a side note mention the games. It really depends on the person. If you only lead in with the games you could lose potential PRMs.
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Next month I'll be investing in the gift certificates. I wouldn't limit how you market the gift certificates but knowing the personality of the potential PRM would go along way. If you know the person is a gamer then market TC with the games and market the whole of TC and the products that is sold because if they're a gamer you might increase the sales of other products but lead in with the games when you know the person is a gamer. When you know they like to shop online you could lead in with the
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How many hours a week do I need to devote to SFI to become successful?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
7/19/2013 3:35 pm
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
I do the following:
15 minutes a day maintaining to-do list
45 minutes a day researching and reading
- And then whatever extra time needed to assist PSA's / CSA's, send various personalized messages to individuals listed among My Movers.
At the very least if you want to be successful an hour a day is really all you need. However, if there's a day during the week you can spend a little more time developing your SFI business that might be well worth your time spent.
also noted: If you have the ability to work with your warm market you could probably multi-task. The other day I had a friend who was helping me move. We stopped for dinner and during the dinner I shared with him what I was doing with SFI. I killed two birds with one stone and made good use of my time.
Hope that helps :)
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I do the following:
15 minutes a day maintaining to-do list
45 minutes a day researching and reading
- And then whatever extra time needed to assist PSA's / CSA's, send various personalized messages to individuals listed among My Movers.
At the very least if you want to be successful an hour a day is really all you need. However, if there's a day during the week you can spend a little more time developing your SFI business that might be well worth your time
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How can you advise and help new PSAs when you are new to SFI and just getting started yourself?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
7/9/2013 12:13 pm
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
Hopefully I'm not being redundant here... I haven't seen the responses to this question yet...
One of our greatest tools when first starting out is really to express your own understanding of SFI and what you have learned in your short period of time. One thing to remember is that the best answer is an honest answer. I basically informed my PSA's that I am here and able to work towards assisting them wherever possible working together towards finding a solution. That way, even if you don't personally know the answer at least they know that you are walking with them towards finding the answer which is better than just saying you don't know. And then, also, you should by now have a healthy perspective on what to expect your first year or two and so it goes along way towards assisting your PSA's towards their own goals and assisting them towards establishing goals and expectations that are realistic and achievable.
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Hopefully I'm not being redundant here... I haven't seen the responses to this question yet...
One of our greatest tools when first starting out is really to express your own understanding of SFI and what you have learned in your short period of time. One thing to remember is that the best answer is an honest answer. I basically informed my PSA's that I am here and able to work towards assisting them wherever possible working together towards finding a solution. That way, even if you
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What do you tell prospects who say they aren't interested in SFI because they don't know very many people?
Sarah-Jane Melnychuk, Aff (British columbia, CA)
10/21/2013 4:48 pm
Affiliate since: 06/14/2013, Power Rank: 99999999
People who say they don't know anybody are just making up an excuse and perhaps that is because they themselves aren't interested in SFI and don't want to own their own perceived understandings/feelings about SFI.
I've had previous experience with multi level marketing. These business opportunities never worked for me because my only option was to sign up people I personally know. I couldn't invest in online advertisements to reach beyond my "warm market". Now, if folks in my "warm market" were to see my success in this business I guarantee you that I would quickly sign up individuals in my "warm market" but as it stands now, I don't know anybody who would quickly sign up since my "warm market" is rather cold and includes a lot of people who don't understand the concept of residual and leveraged income. As you build your business you don't want to waste your time on such individuals when you have the ability to look beyond your "warm market".
The reason why I signed up with SFI is because it doesn't matter if I don't know anybody because you always have the choice to invest a little financially into targeted online advertisements. Now, when you bring up the importance of both free and paid advertisements you will quickly find out who's just making up excuses or if you find some level of interest because if they're really interested and they learn that investing a little financially in paid targeted online advertisements would enable them to grow their business regardless of how small their social circle is they will either make up another excuse or jump on board.
So... breaking it down just a little ...
1. They might be making up excuses.... if that's the case they're not going to be productive SFI Affiliates and you're best to move on to the next.
2. Maybe they legitimately feel that not knowing people will hinder their ability to become successful. Tell them they can always invest a little financially into paid targeted online advertisements which will grow their business regardless of how small their social circle really is. Now, these people could be just think of every reason why not to sign up and just make every excuse they possibly can. You will quickly learn if they're just making up an excuse or if they're legitimately interested. If they're legitimately interested then they will make a way to invest a little financially. If they make up another excuse then they just don't have the right personality to succeed in this business. So you move on to the next person.
Because honestly, the majority of people do have the ability to invest a little financially but they don't want to make the sacrifice necessary to financially invest. There are folks who legitimately cannot invest financially but at least if you tell them that not knowing people will not hinder their ability to build a successful SFI business you have their attention. If you know somebody who's financially incapable to invest in SFI but they're legitimately interested in SFI then you could always invest in the start up of their SFI business keeping in mind that investing in the business of Affiliates in your down line is indirectly investing in your own business and that becomes a win/win solution for both of you. If you can help them see this win/win solution they will most likely sign up! Or they will make up another excuse... at which point it's just best to move on to the next person.
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People who say they don't know anybody are just making up an excuse and perhaps that is because they themselves aren't interested in SFI and don't want to own their own perceived understandings/feelings about SFI.
I've had previous experience with multi level marketing. These business opportunities never worked for me because my only option was to sign up people I personally know. I couldn't invest in online advertisements to reach beyond my "warm market". Now, if folks in
...
more