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The Sales Pipeline: Raw Products to Results

Guest post by: Robert Hathhorn

Article Overview: How to optimize sales with in multilevel marketing, and other businesses.

The Sales Pipeline: Raw Products to Results

Empty words, broken promises, and a whole lot of hot air are the biggest turn-offs in the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) industry. This negative impression has led to so many unsuccessful marketers who fail to attract people into buying their products or services. The repercussions have been huge. Network marketing guru Mike Dillard explains that a whopping 97% of those who fall under this industry are marginally profitable and eventually close shop at a loss. The Sales Pipeline can be tricky and misleading: Why is there such a great discrepancy between new opportunities knocking from people actually cashing in on them with the products out there in the market?

The core of his belief as a marketer is that consumers want benefits and outputs rather than a product for utilization. In order to generate higher revenue, a clear understanding of "niche marketing" must be taken into consideration. Needs are created by the understanding that there are end purposes to be met. Products alone are not adequate to sell themselves to an audience. This is where the interplay of a targeted traffic, a high-converting website, and a high-demand product work to culminate in a transaction.

Hathhorn also stresses how marketing is the backbone of profit. This is why a marketer's image and appeal must be one that takes pride in integrity and diligence rather than a mere moneymaking racket. On the virtual realm, building a pristine reputation is as valued online as it is in the offline world. There is a marked difference between an amateur and a professional in this business. Amateurs are inclined to merely sell, while professionals see their customers as people who have concerns that need to be addressed. The latter will eventually prevail because they don't need to coerce a purchase. Instead, they thrive on a marketing system that is built for the long-term haul rather than the short-term quick buck.

One thing marketers will figure out quickly in this business is that buyers gravitate towards those who offer the most value for their money. The biggest downfall that neophyte marketers face, aside from shortcomings in terms of technical knowledge, is their lack of resourcefulness to harness the power of the Internet in their favor. Websites such as Google Adwords and Pay Per Click are valuable tools that can propel a start-up marketer and provide him or her with enough firepower to stay competitive in the rat race, where hits and clicks can draw the fine line of success and failure.

But the number of hits is not solely indicative of a product or service's demand. It is important to design, develop, and constantly improve landing and branding pages that can encourage a higher online traffic given the right approach and timing. A landing page is a simple website where visitors can leave their name and e-mail for future notifications on the product or service. It is mutually beneficial because it also allows marketers to build their list and eventually market to these people. A branding page, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive page where visitors are given a better idea on the offerings on sale. These sites normally take the form of blogs, where the getting to know and rapport-building take place.

Other sources include search engine optimizers, print media marketing, and press releases, although one of the more successful methods is a direct sale via network marketing. The Sales Pipeline has never been more expansive.

There are so many marketers out there and yet an alarming 90% earn only single-digit USD figures in a week. There is only so much technology can do. In the end, marketers have to actually believe in the potential of the product they are selling if they are to market it to the best of their abilities, whether online or offline.

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Article Tags: Internet marketing, MLM, Sales



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niche forum categories - I think Kevin just touched on the point that I was going make... and that is developing 'categories' that stick. Sales and Marketing may be too broad for example. However I can almost guarantee you that you would see many more sign-ups if you tailored a category to 'internet marketing' for newbies. I've seen this work on other forums, however, [i:1i903wkn]it can get a little frantic[/i:1i903wkn]... Fine tuning the categories, or expanding the scope should be effective. I think a lot of IM folks are surfing right on by because they're not finding what they're looking for here... Just a few thoughts: Better Blogging Developing Info Products Internet Marketing Presentation Skills More How to's Another point is... a lot of people don't know that they can benefit from participating in forums. The signature links to their site - if they have one - can / should be motivation enough to get more involved. The more internet savvy members that have signatures seem to stick around more... Don't you think?
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
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