Ground Floor Opportunity with GeneWize Life Sciences

I recently joined an innovative company that has been in the news. The name of the company is GeneWize Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Gene Link, a 14 year old publicly traded company. The GeneWize LifeMap Nutrition™ System is the first scientifically supported nutritional supplement program that utilizes YOUR DNA to create a custom nutritional supplement formula that contains the nutrients your body really needs. The LifeMap nutrition is formulated just for you based on an analysis of your specific DNA.

Here's What Healthcare Professionals and the Media are Saying....

"…A tremendous advancement in nutritional sciences"



" If there is such a thing as High-Def nutrition, this is it.”"…Look out folks, there's a new player in town...with real science"

“ There is a major buzz around nutritional genomics…a sea change is underway.”

“…Good News in our DNA: Defects You Can Fix With Vitamins and Minerals."

After hearing the Fox News report on scientific studies showing that customized nutritional supplements can fix DNA flaws, I jumped aboard this opportunity. GeneWize is attracting some of the leading internet marketers in the field, and you will have the opportunity to work with 6 and 7 figure earners in the growing health and wellness industry.

For more information visit my website at:

http://yourbetterhealth.genefreedom.com

The Importance of Your "Why"

One of the first things that the leaders of the company that I represent tell new Independent Business Owners to do is to write out their “Why? What are their reasons for wanting to go through the trials and tribulations of starting a home based business.

Starting a brand new business can be difficult and even frustrating. In order to stay focused through all of the difficulties of getting a new business off the ground floor, you need to understand why you chose to go into this new business in the first place. Any new business will fail if your “why” or reason for going into this business is not that strong. Having a strong purpose for your business will give you the drive and determination that you need to be successful.

As an exercise, find a quiet place and take out a pen and a notebook. Write out your main reason for wanting to start your new business. What do you want to accomplish with this new business? Who will be your customers? How will this product or service help or benefit them? How will you and your family benefit from this business?

After you write out your primary reason for starting your new business, write 3 or more additional ways that you will benefit by having started this new venture. Type or write out this reason and review it from time to time. Even post your “Why” where you can see it every day. If your “why” is strong enough, you will have the necessary resiliency to succeed.

Here are some reasons why many people start their own homebased business:

1. The ability to spend more time with children and family members. For many people this is reason number 1.


2. Earn additional income to help with family expenses.


3. Replace a full time job that is no longer satisfying.


4. The ability to have true financial freedom, to work when you want to work, to be able to travel and see the world, own your dream home, not have to worry about paying the bills or mortgage, send your children to the college of their choice, etc.


5. The challenge of being your own boss. Being able to run the business the way you think it ought to be run. Following your own time table. The ability to be creative and appreciated.


6. Not having to face the rush hour or work that 9 to 5 routine. As a New Yorker, I certainly don’t miss the railroad or the subways, and driving into Manhattan can be a nightmare.


7. While there are some great forward thinking and considerate bosses out there, in some cases people have had to put up with verbally abusive bosses and even sexual harassment. When you start your own business, this is a thing of the past.


8. The ability to bring needed goods and services to others. For example, as a Senior Regional Sales Director for AmeriPlan, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am bringing affordable dental and medical benefits to people that truly need them. I market these dental and medical benefits through my website: www.healthplansplus.net.

Get Started for $25 with the AmeriPlan Opportunity

• Have you ever dreamed of a career in the healthcare field?



• Have you ever dreamed of being in business for yourself?



• Have you ever dreamed of firing your boss some day?



• Have you dreamed of having the financial freedom to do the things that you want and spend more time with your family?



• Have you dreamed of being able to earn a lifetime of residual income from the comfort of your own home?

What if you could do all of this for just a $25 start-up fee?

I have some really great news for you! During our September Spectacular, you can start your AmeriPlan business for just a $25.00 startup fee. This is a $70.00 savings from our regular startup cost of $95.00. This promotion begins on August 29, 2008 and ends September 30th, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. This is an excellent opportunity to try a new business and see if it is right for you with minimal financial risk. Visit my website at: http://www.bestnewhomebiz.com/ to find out more about the AmeriPlan opportunity.

What You Will Be Doing?

As we are all aware, there is a growing healthcare crisis in the United States. There are over 47 million Americans with no health insurance at all, and even more Americans are underinsured. Insurance companies hold the reins and will cancel you if your expenses are too high. They can even refuse to insure you if you have a pre-existing condition. Even more people have no dental insurance. It is estimated that 7 out of 10 Americans do not have a dental plan. Of the 30% of Americans who do have dental insurance, most plans are inadequate and have serious limits on coverage. People need dental and health insurance policies, yet the high price puts this protection out of the reach of many Americans.

Discount health plans can provide individuals and families with a low cost and effective alternative to expensive medical and dental insurance coverage. At AmeriPlan, we have 4 great affordable plans to choose from. Prices range from just $14.95 to $59.95 per month and provide you with important benefits for your family. These plans include:

1. Dental Plus – Save up to 80% on all dental services. Our plan includes discounts on prescriptions, vision care, and chiropractic treatment. Savings are available on cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, orthodontia, and LASIK eye surgery.



2. Basic Health – Discounts on doctor visits, lab tests, imaging studies, hospital advocacy, hearing aids, diabetic supplies, a 24 hour Nurseline, and much more.



3. Total Health – Includes everything in both the Dental Plus and Basic Health programs.



4. Total Health Plus – This is our complete package. It includes everything in the Dental Plus and Basic Health programs plus the AmeriPlan Auto Club, the AmeriPlan Identity Theft Assistance program, and AmeriPlan Legal Services.

As an AmeriPlan Independent Business Owner, you will be signing up members in our affordable medical and dental plans and helping families save money on their benefits and healthcare. To learn more about our discount health plans visit: http://www.healthplansplus.net/. You will also have the opportunity to introduce other people interested in a homebased business to the AmeriPlan Business Opportunity.

About this opportunity

As a new Independent Business Owner, you will receive the Dental Plus plan for your entire family. This plan will help you save up to 80% on dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic services. You will also receive additional benefits including an Accidental Death and Dismemberment policy, membership in various discount programs, direct deposit, and a 401K plan. You will also receive 5 professionally designed websites, a computerized back office, full training and staff support, and a broker's kit containing brochures, DVDs, and application forms to help you make those sales. In addition you will receive two $25 certificates redeemable in our sales aids store for additional sales tools and supplies. I will personally mentor you to make sure that you get your business off to a great start.

AmeriPlan has been in business for 16 years and is a member in good standing of the Consumer Health Alliance, the National Association of Dental Plans, National Association of Health Underwriters, the Direct Selling Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Well-known companies such as Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision, J C Penney, Sears, CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid are vision and prescription providers for AmeriPlan. In addition, we have extensive networks of doctors and dentists throughout the United States.

Earn True Residual Income

With AmeriPlan, you have the opportunity to earn true residual income. In other words, you can keep getting paid on work that you did months or even years ago. Because our plans are so affordable and save people significant money on medical and dental care, our members keep our plans for years. Each time one of your medical or dental plan members makes a payment to AmeriPlan, you will receive commission.

Visit our website for more information about the company

Great Time to Become an AmeriPlan Broker

What a time to get started with AmeriPlan. Not only will you be able to start your own AmeriPlan business for just a $25.00 start-up fee, but you will also be able to sign up new Independent Business Owners for your team for just a $25.00 start-up fee. In fact, the sooner you get started, the more new brokers you will be able to sign up and the more you will earn. Remember that the promotion ends September 30th, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

Get Started Today

For more information on the Ameriplan business opportunity visit my website at: www.freedomathometeam.com/workathome. Please do not hesitate to contact me toll free at (800) 635-3394. You can also self enroll at: www.iboplus.com/hlz.

10 Reasons Why People Fail at Network Marketing

It seems like a reasonable enough task. Just start a homebased business and success will come your way. Unfortunately 95% of all homebased businesses fail in their first year. In fact many people don’t make it past their first 3 months in a network marketing or MLM businesses. Yet, many people go on to become successful and make much more money than they would have in a traditional business.

Here are 10 reason why people fail in network marketing or MLM businesses:

1. Don’t have a good marketing plan – Many people fail at homebased businesses because they fail to do their planning. To be successful in your own business, you must take the time to create a sound marketing plan. For more information visit my blog post entitled: Formulating a Marketing Plan for your At Home Business.





2. Don’t treat your homebased business as a real business – As a Senior Regional Sales Director at AmeriPlan, I have come across many people who want to do the business but only treat it as a hobby. Remember that this is a real business. Treat it like one.





3. Don’t invest the necessary time and money to make the business work – There is no successful business that did not take a lot of hard work and an investment of money to make it work. I have seen too many of my business builders not spend sufficient time and not even make a minimal investment in some advertising or leads. Advertising does work, and you must drive traffic to your business whether it is a storefront, party plan, or internet based business.





4. Don’t stay in it for the long run – Every business takes time to build. There is definitely a learning curve involved. Your business skills will get better over time. Also, it takes time to build traffic. People have to learn about your business. Imagine if you shut down your store or quit your MLM business just before you found a really great salesperson or business builder.





5. Don’t focus on the product or service – Remember that your main responsibility is to sell the product or service. Building a team is great and can lead to substantial income as you grow your team. However, building a team takes time, and the money you make selling the product or service can create income for you while you wait for your team to build.





6. Don’t follow up with your clients and prospects – To quote a familiar saying: “The fortune is in the follow up.” Every good advertising executive knows that it takes a number of exposures to your ad before a client or customer will buy. For effective follow up techniques, see my blog post: The Importance of Good Follow Up Techniques with Prospective Clients and Customers.





7. Don’t know how to get people to contact you – This is sometimes called attraction marketing and there has been much written about it. Rather than you cold calling prospects, you will be much more effective if you utilize marketing methods where people seek you out because of the information, products, or services that you have. I will have more to say about this in an upcoming blog post.





8. Don’t test different marketing strategies – To use another cliché: "Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” Try a variety of different marketing strategies. Keep careful statistics on results. Stay with the marketing strategies that work and discard those that don’t work.





9. Don’t invest in continuing education – Learn all that you can about your business. If you are with a reputable direct sales or MLM company, the company has most likely invested extensively in the training of associates and independent business owners. It does not come as a surprise, that those individuals that attend training calls and classes and come to company events tend to do better than those that don’t.





10. Don’t spend enough time around positive, but do spend time around the negative people in your life – There are many people who just have a negative attitude. They will tell you that you can’t succeed at your homebased business. Sometimes these people can even be close friends and family members. Don’t let them steal your dreams! Be sure to always stay focused on your “Why” for starting the business whether it is to earn extra money, have flexible hours, or be home for your family.

For more tips on running a successful home business, visit www.workathomemom-dad.com.

The Importance of Good Follow Up Techniques with Prospective Clients and Customers

In both my career as an insurance agent and my present career as a Senior Regional Sales Director for AmeriPlan, a discount medical and dental benefits company, I have always been quite aware of the importance of following up with prospects and clients. As any good advertising professional will tell you, it takes a number of exposures to your marketing or advertising to make that sale no matter which industry you are in.

While we have all experienced those customers who are ready to buy as soon as we finish our presentation, and some clients will even buy directly from your website without even calling your 800 number or requesting more information via e-mail, chances are that these customers have already done their homework, have a need that your product, service or opportunity satisfies, and are ready to buy when they come across your advertising or website. There is always the impulse buyer too, but in my experience they are the first to return the product or only use your service for a short period of time.

For most sales, people will want to think about it. Sometimes the timing is just not right. Perhaps they have some extra bills to pay, their life is too hectic at the moment, or there is even a family crisis going on. Your prospects may be ready in the future to make the purchase, but if you don’t keep your advertising in front of prospective customers, you will lose them as future customers when they are ready to try your product, service or opportunity.

Here are some tips for following up with your prospects:

1. Keep an accurate and up to date database of all your customers and prospects. You can even subdivide your database into various categories e.g. age group, income level, type of product purchased, etc.



2. Set up a system of drip mails or repeat promotional announcements to send to your prospects and customers. Do this in a tasteful and subtle way. Send a drip mail or announcement frequently enough to keep your name in front of the potential customer but not so often that your messages are annoying.



3. I make it a point to follow up until the prospect unsubscribes from my list or tells me they are no longer interested.



4. Purchase an auto responder. I use Constant Contact for my drip mailings and newsletters. You can easily create beautiful promotional mailings, announcements, and newsletters with this program. Be sure to use only opt-in leads with Constant Contact otherwise purchase a more general type of auto responder.



5. Have promotions from time to time. It is not surprising that people will make that purchase when the price is right.



6. An informative, content rich newsletter makes a good follow up piece to send out. Your prospect will appreciate the timely information and good content.



7. Remember to send out holiday cards, not just at Christmas and New Years, but for other important holidays as well.

For more marketing tips and ideas check out my website at: http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/.

Finding a Great Home Based Business

There are many reasons to make the decision to work from home. For many parents, it is the desire to spend more time with children and family. Even if you have the best quality child care available, there is no substitution for the love and care that you can provide as a parent. It is so rewarding to watch your child take those first few steps, speak those first words, and later on to be able to attend school events. For other people it is the flexibility of being in charge of your own schedule and earnings. For people with disabilities, the opportunity to work from home can allow you to be able to earn a living without the hindrance of commuting to a work place. And with today’s high gasoline prices, working from home makes more and more sense with the money that you will save by not having to commute.

Now that you have made the decision to work from home, how do you go about selecting a suitable and profitable home business? Here are some suggestions:

1) Telecommuting – You might already be working for a company and like your job. There are many jobs that can be done just as well from home such as bookkeeping and accounting, data entry, advertising, editing, and many others. Discuss with your manager the feasibility of being able to work from home for all or part of the work week.

2) Special knowledge and expertise – If you have special knowledge, experience, or talent, put this to work for you as you start a home based business. For example teachers can start a tutoring service. People talented and skilled in music, art or theater can give lessons out of their home or even start a small school or studio. If you are skilled in market research, accounting, advertising, human resources, website design, computer programming, or other business related areas, consider becoming a free lance consultant or starting your own advertising, accounting, internet marketing, or other business service.

3) Choose a service or product you are passionate about – When choosing a totally new business, be sure to choose something that you are truly passionate about. If you are passionate about ecology, choose a product or products that benefit the environment. As a Senior Regional Sales Director for AmeriPlan, the discount dental and medical benefits company, some of my best team members are those that are very passionate about wanting to help people save money on their health care.

4) Hobbies – If you have hobbies like making jewelry, sewing, writing, and various crafts, consider turning these into businesses.

5) Work at Home Jobs – While there are many legitimate work at home jobs, do investigate them thoroughly before signing up. Generally, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of such schemes as envelope stuffing, mailing letters, and assembling products. In some cases they are just trying to get your money for the purchase of a kit, and then there is no real work behind this. From my own experience, filling out surveys is time consuming, and most turn out to be just contests. Filling out surveys is very unlikely to pay your bills.

As with any important decision, be sure to do your research when selecting a home based business. Read as much as you can about the company, and speak to people who have been successful in similar businesses. If you will be working for or representing a company, be sure to qualify this company. How long has the company been in business? What credentials does the company have? Are they members of any professional or industrial associations? In addition, learn all that you can about their products and services.

Successful Flea Markets and Outdoor Shows

Whether you are selling a product or service, exhibiting at a flea market or outdoor show can bring some extra sales revenue. If you are lucky enough to live in an area like Florida or Southern California, you can do this all year long. For those of us who don’t, take advantage of these nice weather months and see what exhibiting at a flea market or outdoor show can do for your business.

Even if you do your business from a brick and mortar storefront or sell your product through the internet or by having parties, exhibiting at a flea market can bring in some additional sales. Even if you sell a service, exhibiting at a flea market is a great way to meet prospective customers and get leads. For those of you who are just getting started in direct sales, you will find that interested prospects will actually walk up to you to request information about your product or service. If you do this on a weekly basis, it actually gives you an inexpensive storefront.

Here are some guidelines for a successful flea market or outdoor show:

1. Make your flea market stall as attractive as possible. You can use a holiday or seasonal theme to draw people over. Cover your table with a bright colored table cloth and invest in a banner displaying your company name and logo.

2. Invest in some large readable signs. Make sure that they are easy to read from a distance and weatherproof. You can use an easel to display your sign, but make sure that it is weighted down so that it doesn’t blow away. If you are offering great prices or deals, let people know about this through your signs.

3. Do have a canopy for sun and weather protection. Both you and your prospective customers will appreciate it. A canopy also adds to the look of your display.

4. Give attention to how you display your products. If you sell a product, an attractively arranged display will bring over customers. Bring some of your more popular items for sale, and have catalogs available so that customers can easily order your products. Be sure to have catalogs and literature that the prospective customer can take home.

5. Set up an attractive display of your brochures. If you provide a service, have plenty of information available for customers to read. Display your brochures in nice holders and arrange them attractively on your table or counter. Also, have your business card available.

6. Have a system for capturing leads. Have lead sheets or cards available for your prospects and customers to fill in. Offer a free gift or DVD when they fill out the card. You can also have a drawing for a prize to help gather leads. If you do hold a drawing, be sure to award the prize to someone visiting that day. Your good reputation is very important.

7. Bring a portable DVD player. Playing a DVD about your product, service, or opportunity will attract prospects and customers to your table or booth.

8. Follow up on all your leads. As they say, “the fortune is in the follow up.” Make it a point to follow up on all leads and you will be successful.

For more marketing tips check out http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/. Good luck on your flea market or outdoor show.

Formulating a Marketing Plan for your At Home Business

As a Senior Regional Sales Director at AmeriPlan, a discount dental and medical benefits company, one of my main responsibilities is to see that my new Independent Business Owners get off to a good start. Whether you have a brick and mortar store, an online store or business, have purchased a franchise, own a business creating crafts and handmade items, or your business is an MLM or network marketing company, it is important to create a marketing plan. This marketing plan should be fluid and dynamic, and you should update it with some regularity.

Here are some steps that you can follow to create a successful marketing plan.

1) Learn all you can about your new business. Read all you can about the business and talk to people who have been successful in the industry. If you are with a network marketing company, attend meetings and work closely with your enroller. Review all company literature. Franchise businesses usually have very specific training for their franchisees.

2) Do some brainstorming and free association. Put down as many ideas that you can think up for marketing your new business. Do not censor any ideas. Think of all the ways that you can advertise or promote your business and do this over the course of several days. Even write down some wish list marketing ideas. In other words, if I had an extra $500 or $1000 or even more to spend on marketing, how would I use it for advertising and promotion?

3) Research all of the marketing ideas that you wrote down in step 2. Locate various advertising sources and find out how much each will cost. For example with magazine advertising, you will want to determine not only the price for various types of ads, but what is the circulation? What are the demographics for that magazine (income level, age of reader, interests and hobbies of the reader, etc.)? In other words, whom does this magazine target? Are your competitors in that magazine? Also speak to people who might have done this type of advertising before.

4) Choose your best ideas and come up with a marketing plan. Review your list of marketing ideas and select the 4 or 5 best ideas. (It is always good to have more than one type of marketing or advertising going on at one time. I am a strong believer in not putting “all of my eggs in one basket.” By participating in a number of different marketing activities, your odds of being successful will definitely increase. The ideas that you select become your marketing plan. Write this plan up and keep it in a safe place.

5) Develop your marketing ideas. For each of the ideas that you have selected, write down a course of action to implement each activity. For example, if you are planning to purchase some leads. Your course of action might include the following:

- Research various lead companies
- Compare prices
- Seek testimonials from people who have used this lead service.
- Purchase the leads
- What methods will you use to contact these leads?
- Set up a schedule for mailing and calling the leads.

6) Keep notes and statistics on results. This is one of the most important things for you to do. Always keep careful notes on all of the ads and promotional activities that you do. It is best to set up tracking codes, so that you can track which ads are getting the most response. Don’t make too large an advertising purchase until you have sampled this marketing technique and know that it will get you the results that you want.

7) Visit your marketing plans from time to time. Make changes as necessary. As I mentioned above, the marketing plan should be fluid and dynamic and adjust to changes in your business. Check each marketing technique for effectiveness. Add some new activities from time to time, and discard any activities that are ineffective.

Be sure to visit www.workathomemom-dad.com for some more tips and ideas for work at home moms, dads, and grandparents.

Welcome to Work at Home Mom & Dad

I am a Senior Regional Sales Director with AmeriPlan, a 16 year old discount medical and dental benefits company. I am also a piano teacher with my own homebased music studio. I have enjoyed having the freedom to earn a living while working at home, and hope to share some of my experiences with my readers.

This blog is a companion to my website http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/. This website is designed for work at home moms, dads, and grandparents and has information on marketing, work at home opportunities, and homeschooling while working at home. Inexpensive button and banner ads can be purchased on this website as well.

I hope to post articles that will help you in choosing a homebased business, marketing your new business, website management and blogging, time management, family health, fast and easy nutritious recipes, and even homeschooling advice for those homebased business owners that also homeschool their children.