One of the things that I see a lot of in on-line referral marketing is a certain lack of professionalism. Whether it's questionable ethics, sloppy ad copy or just a general lack of seriousness, it all pretty much points out the need for an *attitude change* on the part of many referral marketers.
The real winners all cultivate an attitude of professionalism. They're "class acts." Follow their lead if you want to make it with your on-line home business and get an attitude -- a professional attitude.
Here are two tips to get you started on the road to the right attitude in your on-line referral marketing and to doing business like the pros.
It's amazing how many sales letters or ads from somebody who claims to have made a large sum of money online in two weeks have a free email account address at the end. It's easy to spot these because they have built-in ads for the companies that give them out. We all know what the main ones are.
While I'm willing to give these people the benefit of the doubt and allow for the fact that they may not have yet gotten around to opening an email account with their own domain for a few dollars a month (maybe they're too busy spending all that money they've been making!), I'm still not going to give them my click. And this is simply because if there's any doubt in my mind then I don't buy. I'm sure you are are the same way.
Now there's nothing wrong with free email accounts, especially for your personal life or if you need a "dumping ground" for mail to go to if you're part of an FFA network or something similar where you get tons of ads or other kinds of messages sent to you.
But for crying out loud, when it comes to doing business give your potential customers an email address to contact you at that's real and shouts out your presence! An account that you actually take seriously and maintain. It shows people that you're responsible.
To tell you the truth, I seldom even try to contact people with those kinds of addresses anymore, unless I know them personally and know for a fact that they aren't just hiding behind that facade. In the past I tried, maybe because something in a sales letter struck me as being genuine and I wanted to try to network with the writer. But what often came back was a "mailbox full" message (free accounts don't have much storage space) or even an "account cancelled" message.
So spend a few bucks and get your own email account with a respectable domain. There are tons of places to get a paid email account for cheap on the Web if you don't yet have one. You're in business here, so act like it!
2) Take your program and its products seriously
Another thing I see a lot of is people trying to sell programs and products that they aren't very familiar with. Take the time to learn about your program and the products it offers.
Firstly, get as much information into your head about the program as you can.
Most good referral programs have a "bible" written by the head honcho, which you should go ahead and buy if you haven't already (if they give it to you for free so much the better!). The good programs also have some kind of manual for their affiliate force. You need to read it through and then make sure you have it stored someplace handy so you can refer to it regularly.
If they have training courses for you to participate in, take advantage of them and join up. You'll learn a lot about the program's business philosophy. And there may also be good general business training in these courses which can help you in ways you might not even expect.
Next, familiarize yourself with the company's products.
In order to effectively sell a product you need to really be acquainted with it. This means you should own it, since that's the best way to get to know it inside out. Go the whole hog when you join a program and buy one of their products before you start trying to market it. As a result, your sales letters and ads will sound more authentic. You will naturally be able to write better copy because you are familiar with the product.
And you WILL need to learn how to write your own copy if you want to make money with your on-line home referral business.
Most programs have pre-written ads for you to use, and yes, sometimes these are effective. But even if you do use these you will still need to customize them with your own voice and add your own testimonial (just a line or two will do).
Your personal testimonial is one of the strongest things you have going for you when it comes to referring a product.
Other peoples' testimonials do indeed carry a lot of weight, but in the referral business the company whose products you refer usually has plenty of these from customers on its sales pages. If you have testimonials in your ad and then the customer clicks through and has to read a bunch more testimonials they're going to feel over-pitched. Which means they'll click out.
And if your program is an MLM then the same holds true. Learn about their products (they better have some products!) and about the company and its history, structure, etc. And use your own testimonial. This will help you in following up with your leads and downline.
You also need to make sure that you maintain your upgraded status so that you set a good example for your downline. If I found out that my team leader was a free member I'd wonder what the heck was going on (yes, some MLM's will still allow you to keep your downline if you let your upgrade status lapse. But probably not for long...)
So there you have two tips for getting started in cultivating the right attitude for your on-line home referral business. Make up your mind to get an attitude and BE professional and see what a difference it makes in your whole way of doing on-line business. I'm counting on you!
© 2005 Bruce Carlson is a veteran educator and writer living in Finland. Bruce's articles on copywriting and marketing have appeared extensively on the Web.
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