This email came in overnight from a reader and I felt strongly that it needed to be answered here ASAP!

Hi Roxanne,

I found you on facebook and love your Q&A series on your blog.  Here is my question.   If you do decide to answer it on your blog, please just call me “NOT making money with facebook”.

I just found out today that my job is ending in a month and I need to know how to be making money with my business before then.  I’m scared!  Before now, I’ve been trying to work my MLM business but it’s just not going anywhere.  I feel like I’ve been wasting a lot of time on facebook.  I take all of these classes and they say to go to groups where other networkers are and post 1 – 3 times a day.  I do that and get no response.  I’m posting about all of the great things about our company.  The excellent pay plan, how they can get started for under $500, how they can fire their boss and things like I see other people posting.  I don’t get anyone to “bite”.  I’ve sent some emails to people introducing myself and my business just like I was told by one trainer.  That got me a warning from facebook.  Someone reported me for spamming them.  I wasn’t spamming, I was introducing myself and my business.

It just seems that there are so many rules to what you can and can’t do on facebook.  And everyone is doing the same thing so how do I know what will make money?     I’ve spent a lot of money on training and I feel that I’ve been implementing everything I was taught to do.  Why isn’t it working and what is the best way to make money going forward?

Thank you for your help.

Well, hello, NOT…   I am glad you found me!  I’m sorry to hear about your job, but the good news is you can turn that into a very good thing.  I’ll tell you why in a bit.  Welcome to my training.  I don’t know how far you’ve read or what, if any, trainings you’ve listened to of mine so I will begin with this:

I am not one to “sugar coat” things.  I will not tell you what you want to hear, I will tell you what you need to hear.  If that’s too blatant and too much for you right now, don’t read the rest of this answer.

OK…here it is….

First of all, you found me on facebook.  That is a very good sign.  Do you know what that tells me?  It tells me that what I’m doing is working!!  Now…do you want to learn from someone who is just making money teaching or from someone who is actually doing the things they are teaching?  Too many times people teach others to do things they are not willing to do themselves.  Why?  I do not know what the motivation is for that.  Maybe if they can keep you from having success, they think you will keep coming back to spend more money with them, I don’t know.  In reality, the exact opposite is true.

Let’s move on…

Going to groups where other networkers are and posting all of the great things about your company is actually the WORST way to do business on facebook.  Let’s look at this logically.  These groups are filled with other network marketers.  They already have a company.   They are struggling just like you are.  They have heard everything you are saying before.  Heck…they’ve probably said it too.  They are not your target market.  So, you are spending time giving the wrong information to the wrong people.  There aren’t many other ways than bad that could turn out.

You talk about sending emails to other facebook members.  You say “I wasn’t spamming, I was introducing myself and my business.”  Did these people ASK to hear about you and your business?  I don’t think so.  Any time you send any kind of private message (fb PM, fb email, regular email, etc…) that is unsolicited (not asked for) it is considered SPAM.  You could be legitimately offering people $100 for reading your email and if the recipient didn’t ask for you to email them, it’s SPAM.  So, yes…you were spamming them.

It’s good that you are willing to invest in yourself and get the training you need.  I did take a look at your facebook profile and I can tell you that it is not set up properly to attract the right people.   The first thing I always recommend that you have a smiling photo of YOU as your profile photo and that you use a cover photo with a clear, concise, “About Me” statement that tells the person looking at it who you are and what you do.  This should be short and clear.  Read my post from yesterday about using facebook to market your business.  It’s all about being SOCIAL on SOCIAL spaces.  Attraction marketing.  That’s what works, not “go yell and scream until people block me” which is what is being taught by many “trainers”.

Bottom line…You will need to learn how to properly use facebook to market your business.  I suggest you find a coach who is currently working on facebook and having success doing it.  Learn from them.  Don’t waste your money on any other training.  Get the proper training now while you still have an income and you can learn how to be making money before you get into the spot where you have nothing and are so desperate that nothing works.

Good luck!!

Roxanne

I’ve had many people ask me how online marketing differs from in person marketing.  The short answer…

It doesn’t!

Why would I say that?  Just like in person, when you are using social spaces online to prospect (market your business), you are dealing with real people.  Many people mistakenly think that they should conduct themselves differently online than the do offline.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Many times in my trainings, I’ve said “If you wouldn’t say or do it offline, don’t say or do it online”.  The next time you feel the need to scream at everyone you know on social spaces about your wonderful business, STOP!!  THINK!!  Ask yourself…would I do or say this in person?

Shouting about your business online is like jumping on a table in the middle of a party and yelling about your business.  However, if you set up your profile properly, you can be the interesting person who everyone wants to ask about their business.  People will come to you and ask you to tell them more if they like what you’ve set up on your profiles.

This is why a clear, concise, “About Me” statement on your cover photo is so important.  It’s also important that you learn how to properly repost photos so you are not sending people to the sites of other reps when you post them.  There are many, many ways you can go about setting up your profile so when you do go out (on social spaces) and socialize, people will come look to find out who you are and what you do.

I received this question in my email box the other day from a reader.  He gave me permission to answer the question here on my blog, but wanted to remain anonymous.

I am going to try to make this a new blog segment so if you have questions pertaining to your business, feel free to ask them in the comments or send me an email.  The email me link is over on the right side of the blog ==>

 
Hi Roxanne,

I joined my mlm company in 2008.  I watched a presentation that said I could fire my boss and basically told me that I would be making money in no time.  I never heard of mlm or network marketing before and was sucked in by the video and my sponsors excitment.  I joined and started talking to everyone I know about the products and business.  I signed up three people in two months.  The up front money was ok, but then when the next month came around, they had excuses why they couldn’t place another order.   Money, they already had too much product, etc..  That was like a kick in the pants because I had quit my job in month two when people were joining and I was starting to make some money.  After that, I signed up a person here or there and some would stick around for a few months, others were gone month 2.  It just seemed like everyone around me was building but I couldn’t.  I went to all of the company calls and team calls.  The team calls had a thing called a 30 day cleanse where you clear your mind and life of everything negative and just focus on you.  I learned a lot during that time, but that wasn’t making me any money.  By the end of the 30 days, things were so bad that I had to go back to work or my wife was going to divorce me.  That was in 2009.   From 2009 until now, I’ve been working a job 40 hours a week.  My commute is a half hour each way and lunch is an hour so I’m really gone from home 10 hours a day.  That doesn’t leave much time for building a business.  I really want to make this work, but I don’t know how.  I don’t have the money to spend on coaching right now.  I’m still buying product every month because I can’t get the small commission check that I do get each month without doing that.  Is there anything you can do to help me?

Anonymous

Hi Anonymous,

I can definitely feel your pain in your email.  Unfortunately, your story is all too common among network marketers and other entrepreneurs.

Normally the first thing I would do is recommend a Breakthrough Session to help get your business up and running properly.  However, in this case, I would like to answer your question here on my blog first because it is a story that so many people are smack dab in the middle of.

First of all, I’m not a fan of “sign up today and fire your boss”.   When we bring people into the business based on hype, we have to find a way to keep them hyped up continuously in order for them to continue to build.   It is much better if we educate people before we bring them into the business.  Let them know that this is a real business and it takes real work.  It’s not a “get rich quick” scam.  It is a business and should be treated as such.   You wouldn’t go out, buy a Burger King franchise, rent a building, hang up a sign and expect to be making enough money to retire next month or even next year.  Every business has a learning curve…a time when you are making little to no money while you are learning the proper way to work it.  In my case, and in the case of most network marketers, the learning curve is “on the job” and most go years with no income while they are doing the whole “trial and error” thing to see what works and what doesn’t.  This is especially true if our sponsor is new as well.

I’m not saying don’t bring anyone in until you’ve spent a few years perfecting your approach.  I’m saying, you have a couple choices, as does your new business partner.  Those choices are:

1.  Invest the time to learn on your own through trial and error

or

2.  Invest a few dollars into learning from someone who has been through it

After you learn how to build your business by choosing one of the two options above, you then have to find at least an hour a day to work your business.  More time = quicker return on investment of time.

We are all given the same 24 hours in every day.  No one gets less.  No one gets more.  24 hours every single day of our life.  You spend 10 hours/day working & commuting.  Let’s say it takes you 1 hour to get ready for work each day.  Then you come home and let’s say you have 2 hours to decompress and eat dinner.   If you are a typical person, you get less than 8 hours a night sleep, but we’ll deduct 8 hours just to be on the safe side.  That leaves 3 out of 24 hours.  Now, let’s give you 2 of those hours to devote specifically to family time (this is in addition to meal time).  That still leaves you with 1 hour per week day to work on your business.

Now, let’s move to weekends.  You have a full 48 hours on the weekend.  Don’t jump in here and say “Well…this is MY time.”  You need to figure out if you are building a serious business or if you want a hobby that you can fit into your free time.   If you are building a business, you may need to make a few sacrifices for a while.  Just like if you had your own franchise.  You wouldn’t tell your employees “Don’t bother me with work stuff on the weekend.  That’s MY time”.  So…let’s get back to the 48 hours every weekend.  You sleep 8 hours/day and let’s say you spend 4 hours/day doing yardwork, housework, etc…  and you spend 2 hours/day with your family.  That still leaves TEN FULL HOURS PER DAY on the weekend that you can invest into your business.

If you learn what to focus your time on during that time, you can realistically expect to have your income see a huge increase within just a few short months.

WHAT?  A few months?  Why not a few weeks?

Any method of prospecting that is worth doing takes time.  Remember…we aren’t going to “hype people into the business” we are going to build relationships and educate them so they are around for the long haul.

You say you don’t have the money to spend on coaching right now, but you really can’t afford to NOT get help and move your business forward.  I challenge you to find any success story out there who made it without a coach.  Without ever getting help from someone.  Find someone who did all on their own with no one.  If you do find that person, they will be very few and very far between.  The majority of successful people in the world have had a coach.  They have had someone to work with them and help them move forward.

I’m not saying this to talk you into coaching with me.  Choosing a coach is a very important endeavor.  Just like entering a network marketing business…do not invest in coaching based on hype.  Go read what coaches are saying on their blogs.  Check out every piece of free information they have.  See if their teaching style resonates with you.  THEN, only after you find someone whose coaching style you are comfortable with, ask for a consultation to see how they can help you.  Some will do this free, but most will charge you a small fee for it that will be applied to the coaching investment should you choose to move forward with them.

I wish you the best of luck!!  Please keep me posted on your progress!!

Coach Roxanne

Here is another great question sent in by a newsletter reader.  If you have a question, send it to me at roxanne at roxannegreen.com and put NEWSLETTER QUESTION in the subject line.

Roxanne,

You teach social networking to build a business. What is the best social space to use?

Thanks,

J.V. in NJ

Hi J.V.

This is a tricky question.  Social spaces are all over the internet.  The most popular ones are facebook, twitter and pinterest.  But…don’t forget blogging and forums and OPB (other people’s blogs).  The best social space for you will be determined by YOU based on the knowledge you gain about each one.   I give an overview of each one and how to use it in my Social Network Your Way to Cash Self Study Course.

Have an Awesome Day,
Roxanne Green

Here is the next awesome question I received. Keep them coming.

Roxanne,

Discouraged in NJ

Hi Discouraged,

Great question. In this industry, the only way for it to work for the company and the big income earners is if there are a large number who do nothing but buy products each month. Many companies are not set up to be “customer friendly” so people have to join to get the “good prices”.

The majority of people who do bring others in don’t really know how they got those people to sign up. Then, they, as the upline, attempt to teach their people how to sponsor others. However, most times, they are teaching ineffective marketing methods. Occasionally, those ineffective methods work to bring in one or two people so those one or two get taught the same ineffective marketing methods and so forth. This is why most just give up and keep buying the products. Most MLM companies have great products.

However, if people are taught how to attract people the right way, that average would be much higher.

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Don’t forget to get signed up for the Pinterest marketing class at http://roxannegreen.com/pinterestmarketingclass

Have an Awesome Day,
Roxanne Green