My Kleeneze Website Rocks!

OK, so that's a provocative statement - after all, it's "just" a corporate microsite, customised to my Kleeneze business details.

It's so much more than that.

All active distributors get one of these websites - nicely designed with clean pages, and all the relevant information is there in front of you:

 

You get a chance to look at our introduction to the Kleeneze business opportunity video:



You can browse our catalogues.

You can visit our shop:

But it's what we distributors can do behind the scenes that makes my Kleeneze website rock. We have contact management tools for both customers and prospective team members. We can personalise our introduction text. We can decide where we want to build our Kleeneze retail business - anything from a 5 mile radius:

to a 40 mile radius!:

The tools provided for us by Kleeneze just keep getting better! When I was in a previous network marketing business, I had to pay £40 per month for this sort of website. Kleeneze provide this service at a fraction of that price - just one more reason to join our team!

Kleeneze's Break Free Option Goes Global!

I was more than a little intrigued to find that the third most popular search term used to access my blog is бизнес леди (that's business lady for the non-Cyrillic readers). That search led to my Break Free Route to Retail Success post - which in turn has a link to my Kleeneze website.

Has news of our amazing product range and business opportunity reached the Cyrillic-speaking parts of East Europe, or has it just triggered a query from the Cyrillic communities here in the UK? Who knows? But it's nice to know our fame is spreading.

Hurt by Budget Cuts? Don't Protest - Build!

On Saturday, around a quarter of a million people travelled from all over the country to protest in London about the cuts to public services needed to reduce our national debt.

Many of those, travelling from as far away as Cornwall, Edinburgh and Yorkshire, spent over a hundred pounds each on travel and food. A quick check of train and bus fares online will show just how expensive supporting a protest can be.

That money could have been spent on joining Kleeneze and taking the first steps to building a lasting business, one that would insulate them from whatever budget cuts are affecting them for years to come.

I'm not making a judgement on the necessity or speed of these cuts. Protesting does little to improve our future prospects - British governments don't have a great track record when it comes to listening to demonstrators. Given that fact, isn't it better to take advantage of a low-cost startup, such as the Kleeneze business opportunity, to finally begin to take control of your own future?

The Break Free Route to Retail Success

Kleeneze has an excellent business model with established Business Builder variants that give new distributors rapid proof that we can build a strong customer base quickly and simply. There's plenty of resources available for new distributors, starting with the business manuals and the High Performance Retail Habits and Growing Your Business DVDs that come with the Kleeneze Business Builder kits. Sponsors also support their team with simple systems based on their own experiences, offering guidance, tracking sheets, etc. as appropriate.

The new Break Free option should be approached a little differently, in my opinion.

As you can see from the picture below, the Break Free kit is an opportunity for a new distributor to ensure that the Kleeneze business suits their needs and working style. It is not meant to be a substitute for starting as a Business Builder, although enthusiastic Break Free distributors can match or even excel the turnover of someone starting with a full Kleeneze business kit within their first few weeks.


The Break Free Kit contains all the basics a new distributor needs to get themselves up and running, including 5 sets of catalogues, catalogue bags, order forms, the HPRH DVD, and the starter guides and business manuals. A new Break Free distributor will start with a moderate credit limit.

If the first order placed by a Break Free distributor is £75/€90 or above, Kleeneze HQ will send them another 5 FREE catalogues.

Break Free Fast Start Bonus - Achieve £150/€180 in the first 21 days of sign-up and you’ll qualify for a further set of 25 Catalogues. Once a Break Free distributor has completed £150/€180 in retail sales (regardless on the length of time it takes them) and paid for the goods, they’ll have their credit limit increased and be given an EzeReach account and mykleeneze.com website.

So how do you achieve retail success with only 5 catalogues?

Simple. Follow this 10 step plan:

1. Go through each of the catalogues in turn. For every item, think of somebody you know who might benefit from using the product. This will allow you to recommend with confidence, even though you may not have personal experience of a particular item. If in doubt, talk to your sponsor and ask what products they recommend. I've had great retail results with the Antiquax lavender polish, the vacuum deodorisers, the tea/coffee stain remover, adjustable oven shelves, colour changing cooker hood filters and the Oven Mate, for example.
2. Write down the names, addresses and phone numbers of everybody you can think of in these four categories - Friends and family, Recreational activities, Occupation (including previous jobs) and Groups (e.g. Neighbourhood Watch, faith-based, charities, etc.). Make sure you have a list of at least 5 in each category. FROGs help you leap to success.
3. Contact each person in turn. Say something like, "I've just started up as a Kleeneze distributor - you may have seen the adverts on TV. Would you like to take a look at the catalogues?" If they say no, that is no reflection on you; they may change their mind in the future, especially when they see how successful you are. If they say yes, arrange to collect the catalogue at an appropriate time. Two days is usually about right, so if you hand out a catalogue on the Monday, arrange to collect it on Wednesday. Make a note of where you are leaving the catalogues. Take phone numbers where possible.
4. Whether they take a catalogue or not, ask for referrals. Say something like, "Thank you. Do you know of anybody who might be interested in taking a look? I'm really keen to do well." Make a note of any referrals and who suggested them.
5. Contact the referrals. Say something like, "Mike mentioned you would be interested in looking at the latest Kleeneze catalogues. I'm one of the local distributors; when would be a good time to drop them off?" If they say no, ask for referrals.
6. Collect the catalogues in, checking for orders before you leave. Make sure the name and address of the customer are on the order form - it's very difficult to find them afterwards, otherwise. If you have the phone number, call first to remind the person to leave the catalogue out or have it ready to hand back.
7. Contact your sponsor and ask them to guide you as you place your first order, if necessary. Try to place an order for at least £75 as this helps maximise your profits. If that means you put catalogues out several times before you have enough orders, that's OK.
8. Let your customers know when their orders will be delivered. As a rough guide, if you order goods before 13:15 on Wednesday, you should receive a delivery on Friday. You need to make sure somebody is available to sign for your first delivery.
9. Deliver the goods to your customers, collect the money and then pay it in to the Kleeneze HQ account using one of the banking slips supplied. Keep your retail profit.
10. Repeat from step 1.

Remember, it's up to you to take responsibility for your own success. Your sponsor can coach, mentor and advise, but they cannot build your customer base for you.

Interested in learning more about the Kleeneze business options? Contact me via my website to ask for more details or to join my team - I'll support you every step of the way.

Christmas Costing Too Much? Join My Team and Earn Now!

Interested? Send me your details via my website, and I'll send you a free DVD and some more information.

Have a great Christmas.

Catalogue Distributors and Team Leaders Wanted

Need to earn more? Need extra money to pay bills? How about an extra £50 - £250 per week, part time?

I'm looking for enthusiastic, hard-working team members who are prepared to spend between 8 and 20 hours per week building their own business. Full support and training provided. No experience necessary.

You will be delivering and collecting catalogues in your local area, processing orders and delivering those orders to your customers. You must be over 18. Team leader positions are available to suitable candidates.

Fill in your details on my Kleeneze website and I'll work with you to turn your ambitions into reality.

Tithing for Profit

Tithing is an interesting concept. To many, especially devout Christians, it's a form of charitable activity that involves donating 10% of your income to help others. To mediaeval history buffs, it's a noun for a group of 10 men who were collectively financially and morally responsible for each others' actions.

I'd like to propose a new definition.

Many join Kleeneze, Avon, etc. because they need extra income to pay off debts, to pay bills, or to buy essentials for themselves or their family. They assume that their retail profit is equal to ready cash, that they can spend that money in perpetuity without reinvesting in their business. They then get upset when catalogues are not returned, or become unusable over time due to weather, wear and tear, etc. If they get upset enough, they are liable to decide not to carry on, which wastes not only their previous effort, but also wastes the time that their sponsor has invested in them.

That's where the concept of tithing comes in.

If you are running your own Kleeneze (or similar) business because you have an urgent and immediate need for regular cash, stop how you are treating that retail profit and change to this method:

Every week, when you've paid in what you owe to Kleeneze for the goods ordered and sold, take 10% of your retail profit, rounded up to the nearest pound, and stick it in a jar.

In other words, if your retail profit for a week's orders and sales is £61.26, your tithe would be £6.21. Round that up to £7 and put it somewhere safe. Remember, you still have £54.26 to spend on your own needs.

That £7 is your seed money towards reinvesting in your retail business. In 5 weeks, you could pay for a new set of catalogues to replace any which are lost or worn out. In 1 week, you could buy new bags for your catalogues, new carrier bags for your customers' orders or a branded hat/polo shirt.

When you're building your business, you should be tithing for profit.

Invest your retail profits in your business, invest your bonuses in your lifestyle. That way, you have two stories to tell, rather than one.

Students and Working Women Clobbered Again!

It's not a good time to be either an aspiring graduate or a woman of working age.

Two separate reports today push home the effects of pulling the UK out of its quagmire of debt.

The first points out that the salary threshold at which graduates will need to start paying 9% of their gross income might be quoted as £21,000, but it's actually closer to £18,500 at today's wages. That means, unless they deliberately choose to work for minimum wage once they get a job, they'll lose at least £157.50 every month out of their wages at the threshold level alone. Not to mention the need to cope with rising interest rates, inflation, rent etc.

Guess how many graduates will work out that earning £21,000 will make them worse off than earning £19,150? What sort of incentive is that to do well in life?

The second report flags the increasing effect of the recession on working women. Despite overall unemployment falling by 9,000 in the past quarter, 31,000 women lost their jobs. 1.02 million women are now officially out of work, and that doesn't include those married women who haven't accrued enough national interest credits in their own right to merit Job Seekers Allowance payments.

In times of recession, enterprising people reconsider starting their own businesses. Joining Kleeneze would provide many with a good income, improved quality of life and the potential of a great lifestyle, all for a small start-up cost.

I've been unemployed and it's not fun. My son gave up his university course because his fear of debt was greater than his desire to attend uni. He's been unemployed ever since and the depression he and his friends experience is painful to watch. It cripples the mind and stops them reaching out for opportunities. Don't fall into that trap, if you find yourself unemployed or with debts you don't know how to repay.

I'm building a better life for myself and I can help you do it, too.

Need Extra Income? Join My Team

Interested in knowing more? Click here for further details. Your distributor reference is 51240372.

90 Day Plan - Preparation

A 90 day plan has to be one of the simplest concepts in running your business. It's also one of the hardest to get right.

At first sight, there's no problem. You decide you want to run your own business. You start investigating options. You choose your preferred route to success. You attend some pre-business start up training, followed by some business training. And that's when the trouble starts.

As part of that business training, you get told that there are several key factors to your future success:

1. You need to be passionate. That's OK, I wouldn't be investing time and money in seed money and training if I wasn't passionate, you say.
2. You need to be organised. Not a problem, you assure yourself. It won't take long to tidy up a corner of the dining room/bedroom/attic. I've got my stapler, I've got my binders, I have a phone - how difficult can this be?
3. You need to have a plan. I've got a plan, you say, smiling to yourself. I'm going to do this business brilliantly, I'm going to make loads of money and I'm going to be a great success.

At that point, you've just joined Walter Mitty in WonderfulMe Land and killed off any chance of succeeding.

Let's face it, if achieving financial freedom was that easy, there would be no poverty in this world.

Success = commitment + focus + persistent action

You need all three parts to build a solid foundation. Focus gets you zeroed in on your target. Commitment binds you to a course of action that will enable you to achieve your goals. But without the persistent action, there will be no long-term achievement.

So, you need that plan, it needs to be simple, and you need to stick with it.

All too often, we come away from training meetings with our ears ringing with MLM mantra. The one I personally feel does the most damage is this classic:

Massive Action = Massive Results

Poorly applied (because nobody's thought to tell the poor noob how to do so), that mantra is responsible for more failed businesses than I care to think.

Let's break it down, shall we? Action = Results. We all know that. But who defines "Massive"? You? Your upline? Your family?

So the new distributor/representative/sacrificial lamb listens to the various speakers at the training meeting and decides they need to:

1. Buy into the business at the highest level possible, regardless of personal cost.
2. Buy huge amounts of lead generation material OR spend a fortune on leads.
3. Scattergun leaflets around the neighbourhood, spam their friends and family and fill up the garage with unsold products.

This leap into action usually means that on day 1, they do whatever they've been advised to do - say, deliver 500 leaflets, phone 10 relatives/friends, place 5 adverts in various papers.

By day 7, they're down to putting out 200 leaflets per night, there's no relatives left who'll answer the phone and the 5 adverts were obviously a waste of time because nobody called.

By day 14, they're not putting out leaflets any more, their friends are avoiding them at social events and they are scared they'll never shift that stock.

By day 28, it's meeting time again and they get encouraged to stick at it for another 4 weeks.

I know of people who've spent more than £15,000 trying to build their business like this. They all gave up, or the money gave out. Either way, it means the dream died.

So why on earth am I giving this whole Network Marketing concept another go? I must be mad, right?  

Wrong.

Just because there's a wrong way of following instructions, doesn't mean that those instructions don't have meaning and value. Just because some uplines seem more concerned with their own profits than helping you build a solid foundation for your business, does not mean all sponsors are corrupt, money-grabbing villains.

Each of us bears responsibility for our own actions. That includes the responsibility for performing a sanity check on what you've just planned for your business, buoyed as you are by the adrenalin rush of attending a really good business training. Your upline is not responsible for your business. You are.

Network Marketing is a People Business. As such, you are an ambassador for both your retail business and your team building. If you waste huge amounts of money on poorly targeted lead generation, don't follow up, don't build rapport with your customers by regularly calling/delivering catalogues/providing product - then that is what your team will copy, regardless of how many passionate members of their upline try to coach them differently.

To succeed in this sort of business, we all need to listen, learn, apply. We need to set SMART goals, not dreams. We need to plan and then stick to that plan. And we need to have an underlying mission statement for our business growth.

My business growth mantra is:

To build a Kleeneze team that is completely self-financing from retail sales.

In other words, after my initial investment of £171 for 200 catalogues, my distributor kit and a large Kleeneze-badged catapuller, all business growth will be funded by my retail profits.

Any lead-generation activity will be financed on that basis. I will start off with low-cost or no-cost promotions and move forward from there. I'll let you all know how it goes.