Author: WaelBadawy
Top Networking Marketing Opportunities ñ Is There Such A Thing?
Top networking marketing opportunities, also known as multi-level marketing opportunities, run rampant on todayís Internet. Youíve no doubt received some kind of solicitous e-mail or seen some kind of advertisement in the margins of a web site youíve visited that talks about amazingly easy ways to earn thousands of dollars with a simple home based business.
The truth behind many of these ìtop networking marketing opportunitiesî is that they are using the sign-up fees from new members to pay dividends to existing members rather than actually generating any revenue from legitimate products and services. So no matter how much money they promise to make for you, if you canít see any discernable product or service of value involved in the opportunity, you can assume that this is one of those ìtop networking marketing opportunitiesî that is actually an out and out scam.
The truth is that for many of these top networking marketing opportunities, only one out of every fifty or a hundred people who get involved actually make the kind of returns that the opportunity dangles as a carrot in front of you. In fact, the actual numbers might be far less than this. Itís never as simple as ìpay for the secrets and start raking it in right away.î Anyone who does make returns on these so-called top networking opportunities work hard to sign up plenty of other affiliates, many more than the ìitís so easyî testimonials make it sound like you need.
When you come across one of the ìtop networking marketing opportunitiesî on the internet, guaranteed to help you retire and live easy within a year, be wary. Do your research and find out what people who have been involved in these opportunities actually have to say about their results. Make sure you research these opportunities on objective third party sites, not testimonials on the opportunityís home page. Keep your common sense, and good luck!
Training the New Network Marketing Distributor: Laying Down a Track To Run On ñ Step 1 of 3
Most people who get into a network marketing program want things to happen quickly. Initial presentations usually touch on the way money can be made, and the numbers often look staggering. What most of those initial presentations donít explain is how difficult it is to get started and to acquire the skills needed for success in network marketing.
For many new distributors, this is their first venture into network marketing. They are unsure about how to begin and often are tentative in their initial approaches. That can be the ìkiss of deathî for a presentation. After all, who wants to go into business with someone who is not sure about what they are doing?
To be successful in network marketing, new distributors need to learn from someone who is already successful. When new distributors know how to proceed, they can build their downline with confidence. Only one person in a hundred is a ìself-starter.î The other 99 will require that you invest time into their success, and show them how to begin.
There are three steps to building your downline:
1. Laying Down A Track to Run On
2. Being a Good MLM Sponsor
3. Working Depth With Your MLM Downline
Today, letís talk about the first step, i.e.
Step 1 — Laying Down A Track to Run On
Making sure your downline has a ìtrack to run onî means they must first learn about the company:
ï facts and information about the management team;
ï product features and benefits;
ï compensation plan and how you make money;
ï enrolling prospects and order processing;
ï who your upline is; and
ï developing their presentation portfolio.
In addition to the above, having a track to run on involves knowing how to:
ï develop effective communication skills, i.e. to speak with people in a way that reduces tension, neutralizes objections, and increases participation;
ï use tools (e.g. websites, CDs & DVDs, newspapers, brochures, etc.);
ï promote home meetings, regional gatherings and conventions;
ï share information with warm and cold market, leads, referrals;
ï edify upline leaders; and
ï conduct an effective 3 way call.
When you sign up a new distributor, immediately have them make a list of ten prospects. Then, you should send each of those prospects some company information and a short note stating that you are sending the information to them at the request of a mutual friend. If you have an informational website, include the URL in your letter. After the information has gone out, have your new distributors follow up with their prospects and set up a three-way call.
When you do this, you (1) get your new distributors to immediately begin building their organization, (2) get sponsor and distributor working together, and (3) your new distributors will know what to do when they sign up someone, i.e. exactly what you have done for them! This stimulates business and creates tremendous momentum in the downline.
Sounds simple, but many sponsors violate this strategy. If itís done right, and your new distributors see how easy your success is to duplicate, you will find that them running on that same track, teaching their downline how to get started. Youíll see business builders emerging, and thatís when your business will really take off.
Five reasons why laws exist
Laws exist for five basic reasons, and all of them can be abused.
- The Harm Principle
Laws created under the Harm Principle are written to protect people from being harmed by others. Laws against violent crime and property crime fall into this category. Without basic Harm Principle laws, a society ultimately degenerates into despotism–the rule of the strong and violent over the weak and nonviolent. Harm Principle laws are essential, and every government on Earth has them.
- The Parental Principle
In addition to laws intended to discourage people from harming each other, some laws are written to prohibit self-harm. Parental Principle laws include compulsory attendance laws for children, laws against neglect of children and vulnerable adults, and laws banning the possession of certain drugs. Some Parental Principle laws are essential to protect children and vulnerable adults, but even in those cases they can be oppressive if they are not narrowly written and sensibly enforced.
- The Morality Principle
Some laws are based not strictly on harm or self-harm concerns, but also on promoting the personal morality of the law’s authors. These laws are usually, but not always, grounded in religious belief. Historically, most of these laws have something to do with sex–but some European laws against Holocaust denial and other forms of hate speech also appear to be motivated primarily by the Morality
- The Donation Principle
All governments have laws granting goods or services of some kind to its citizens. When these laws are used to control behavior, however, they can give some people, groups, or organizations unfair advantages over others. Laws promoting specific religious beliefs, for example, are gifts that governments extend to religious groups in hopes of gaining their support. Laws punishing certain corporate practices are sometimes used to reward corporations that are in the government’s good graces, and/or to punish corporations that are not. Some conservatives argue that many social service initiatives are Donation Principle laws intended to buy the support of low-income voters, who tend to vote Democratic.
- The Statist Principle
The most dangerous laws are those intended to protect the government from harm, or to increase its power for its own sake. Some Statist Principle laws are necessary–laws against treason and espionage, for example, are essential to the stability of government. But Statist Principle laws can also be dangerous–laws restricting criticism of the government, such as flag burning laws that prohibit the desecration of symbols that remind people of the government, can easily lead to a politically oppressive society full of imprisoned dissidents and frightened citizens who are afraid to speak out.
Three Steps to Your Ultimate Marketing Message
Have you created a core marketing message to use throughout all of your marketing efforts?
I’m not talking about some catchy slogan or play on words using the name of your business or the service you provide. It’s not some meaningless phrase like “we do it right” or “quality service you can trust.” Anybody in business can say those things and they’re really basic expectations anyway.
A core marketing message clearly and concisely communicates what you’re out to do and for who. It speaks to your ideal target market and gets them to respond and seek more information.
So many small business owners and professional service providers never take the time to create this for their own business. Most are creating a new message with every new “marketing campaign.” They’re constantly trying new ideas. And each new idea becomes a new chance to try and come up with that home run message that gets the phone ringing off the hook like never before.
What you need is an ultimate core marketing message that communicates directly and powerfully to your clients and prospective clients what it is they’ll get from your services.
Here are three steps to creating your own ultimate core marketing message:
1. Who do you want to help? Be as clear as you can on who your target market is. Take some time and define with as much clarity as possible who your ideal clients are. If it’s not obvious who your message is directed to, why would you expect anyone to get it?
2. What is the primary problem, issue, or challenge you would like to help someone in that target audience solve? This is really at the heart of your core marketing message. Most people are consumed with their own problems and looking for solutions to address them. So when you can clearly articulate a problem your client is dealing with, they’ll listen because you may be able to provide a solution.
3. What is the ultimate outcome or result that you’d like to help your target market produce in solving their problem, issue, or challenge? People what to know what it is they’ll get from knowing or working with you. When you’re prepared to demonstrate that you’re focused on delivering an outcome they’d be interested in, they will pay attention and want to know more.
That’s it. Now take your answers and boil it down to one or two clear sentences that you can deliver enthusiastically and passionately. Communicate it in everything you do from a marketing perspective, both verbally and in writing.
Forget the catchy slogans. Create and start using your ultimate marketing message right now.
Legal Rules v. Non-legal Rules
Rules are principles that guide our behaviour. They can derive their authority from the law (made by parliament or the courts), or by an organisation or cultural expectation. Legal rules apply to everybody and the State provides a mechanism to enforce them.
Non-legal rules, when made by an organisation, only apply to people within that organisation. A society may enforce cultural norms through its media and individual people’s behaviour.
For example, a golf club may require its members to wear a certain colour of pants, and prevent its members from entering the club if they are not wearing the right coloured pants. The popular, fashion-forward girls in an American high school may laugh and turn their back on a girl wearing white pants after Labor Day, discouraging her from wearing them in future (deterrence). However, there is no legal rule about the colour of your pants, so nobody can sue you or report you to the police for that.
Whilst not strictly relevant right now, it is useful to keep in mind that there are different types of legal rules. Legal rules can be characterised in the following ways:
- their jurisdiction (state, federal or international application)
- the area of law (very broadly speaking, civil law or criminal law)
- their level of detail (laws or regulations)
- who they were made by (parliament/legislation, court/common law/case law/judge made law, subordinate/delegated authorities, constitutional powers).
The image above illustrates the similarities and differences between legal and non-legal rules.
Tips for Mom Entrepreneurs: How to Stay Connected to Your Network
As a working mom, you may already feel overwhelmed, juggling dual responsibilities of work and family. When it comes to networking ñ yet another task ñ you may feel that ìthe time Iíve spent at networking has never really paid off.î
Creating a personal and professional network is essential for your work + life success. Thatís why working moms need to approach networking with a different paradigm, explained below as a three-part process.
Relationship Building
Networking isnít just about collecting business cards from people you think may help you. Itís about planting seeds and nurturing long-term relationships that mature over time.
As a mom, you may understand this process well because it calls upon the same nurturing skills you already use with your family.
Empowering Actions
How many times have you attended networking events and seen others jabber on about themselves and frantically hand out dozens, if not hundreds, of their cards? This frenetic approach only makes them look weak. As a working mom, draw on that ìMommyî authority to engage in empowering, networking actions.
They include:
* Give ñ Adopt a giving attitude. When you meet someone ask, ìHow can I help you?î Always think, ìWho could I connect them with to help them meet their goals?î Itís a natural principle: The more you help others, the more others will help you.
* Ask ñ Be bold. Always think, ìyou never know what will happenî and ìitís worth a try.î If you meet a new contact and find you have an instant connection, donít be afraid to ask for help.
* Follow up – Getting introduced to the ìrightî people is important, but itís what you do after the introduction that really counts. If youíve felt a connection with a new contact, phone, email or send a thank-you note within one or two days. Then, keep in touch periodically, even if just to say, ìHi, itís been awhileÖî
Efficient Use of Time
You may be thinking, ìIíd like to stay connected with people, but I just donít have the time.î Here are three ways to efficiently find time to network:
* Lunch Hours ñ Iíve historically used my lunch hour, a coveted ME time, to run errands, walk a mile or two or get my hair or nails done. Yet, many associations and groups schedule networking meetings during this time. So, I began to add networking lunches. Itís a great way to preserve early-morning and evening family hours by substituting networking lunches for breakfast meetings or evening mixers!
* ìCoffee/lunch over the phoneî ñ My business partner, Jo Della Penna, introduced me to the idea of networking by scheduling ìcoffee over the phoneî. What a great idea! This is a more efficient way to meet. Plus, neither party has to invest in driving time. When you want to spend time with a colleague, try a relaxing ìlunch over the phoneî by scheduling a lunch appointment, packing a lunch that day and calling at the appointed time.
* Schedule in advance – Earmark your calendar to remind yourself to re-connect with a contact periodically. If you meet a new contact today, schedule the follow up call for two days later and plan a ìcheck-inî email within 60 days.
Remember, the key to networking is building a relationship over time. By using the steps above you should succeed at establishing good relationships that empower you and your business, and yet, donít use hours and hours of your time.
Three places to find new clients without a lot of work
1. Don’t ignore your own “Acres of diamonds” – ask your existing clients to refer some of their family, friends and associates to you. If they’re happy with your service they will be more than happy to do it and your job will be much easier since they are coming recommended by someone they trust.
2. Former employers and associates in other fields can be a great resource for finding new business. Give them a call, or better yet – <a href=”https://www.wildfiremarketinggroup.com/blog/index.php?title=can_you_increase_business_without_puttin&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1“>have lunch</a> and catch up with them but don’t be shy to ask for referrals!
3. Ask your current prospects who they know that may need your products or services. It may sound odd at first but give it a try and your opinion may quickly change. Especially if you’ve gone out of your way to help them.
Remember that most good people generally enjoy helping others when you make it easy for them. When you ask the people inside your circle of influence to help you by referring new clients, you’re helping yourself, you’re helping them by enabling them to help you, and you’re helping the potential clients by providing a quality product or service that they need.
The Hidden Power of Networking
We all make use of traditional forms of getting new business in ñ advertising, direct mail, brochures etc but networking is one form of marketing which, has been under-utilised. Until now that is. Small business owners are finally beginning to under stand the power of networking and what it can do for their sales figures.
But what is networking?
In its most basic form, itís word-of-mouth advertising but originated by you, not your customers. It involves taking every opportunity to raise awareness of your product or service amongst the people you meet. At a more sophisticated level, networking can be achieved by taking advantage of the formal networking groups or events that have been arranged purely with the idea of putting potential partners together.
But how can you, as a small business owner, become a more effective networker and take full advantage of the opportunities presented? We are going to give you some key tips and ideas on how to be a better networker.
<b>What are the key advantages of networking?</b>
Networking has some very good advantages over the traditional type of marketing:
ï Itís free! Talking to someone costs nothing except your time
ï Itís targeted marketing in that itís likely the person you are talking to has a direct interest in your product or service. Consider newspaper advertising, which will mostly be read by people who have no interest in what you have to offer
ï Itís face-to-face marketing unlike direct mail, adverts and telephone calls. You have the immediate opportunity to establish rapport and get an understanding of the personís problems
ï You have the chance to mix with business owners in other industries, which may open the door to new opportunities you had not previously considered
ï Itís not only a way of creating business but also a great way to solve problems and seek advice. Why sweat over a solution when someone has probably already experienced and solved the same problem? Ask and find out who can help you
<b>Where to find a network</b>
Finding a place to network, where like minded business owners are present, is not that difficult. Whilst you should be networking all the time ñ taking the opportunity to promote yourself where ever you can ñ itís more effective if you can meet people who are there to do the same thing; you can get onto the same wavelength that much quicker.
Here are some possible networking opportunities to think about:
ï Your local Chamber of Commerce, BNI group or business club – as well as hosting their normal meetings (which are great networking opportunities anyway) they may hold regular networking sessions which are dedicated to putting business people together
ï Government advice agencies ñ most countries have government bodies which have the remit of helping local small businesses, some of them may already hold network meetings where they bring together a batch of ënew recruitsí. Check out you countryís small business advice agency web sites to see what support they can offer
ï Trade Associations ñ your industry may have an association which holds regular meetings. Although you are interacting with businesses in the same line you will still be able to find solutions to problems and pick up new ideas. Who knows, if you establish good rapport with another business, they may be happy to refer surplus work to you or tap into a unique specialisation you may have?
ï Seminars ñ keep a look out for seminars being run for small business owners. As well as being informative, they are a great networking opportunity, especially over coffee and lunch when you have the chance to start a conversation going along the lines of, ìHow do you think youíre going to apply that point we learnt this morning in your line of business?î
In just this one question you will have found out what business they are in and one of the problems they are currently facing. If youíre lucky, you may be able to offer help as well ñ one extra sale!
ï Anywhere and everywhere ñ remember to network all the time! Never miss an opportunity to tell people what you do. You may only get a successful hit in one out of a hundred contacts, but one sale may be enough to make it all worthwhile!
<b>Where and when are meetings likely to be held?</b>
Formal networking events can be held over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast sessions are popular because it allows business owners to start the day on a positive note, leaving the remainder of the day free for ëbusiness as usualí. But how good are you at holding a sensible conversation at 7 oíclock in the morning? If you donít look or sound your best in the early morning, then you had better find an alternative!
The best networking events are where you are free to ëwork the roomí and not be tied to a table with food being served.
<b>What to prepare</b>
As with any marketing promotion, networking should be thoroughly prepared for. Badly presented sales pitches lead to lost sales; the same goes for networking. So what should you do before attending a networking session?
Step 1: Know your products and services inside out. If you are only just starting out, make sure you are fully briefed on all the innís and outís of your product.
Step 2: Write and rehearse an opening statement to the question ìWhat do you do?î This may sound an easy question but try thinking an answer on the spot and at the same time making it some good! Not so easy. Write a clear and concise statement, which encapsulates everything about your business. Remember, this is your chance to impress! Having decided on your opening line, rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. It has to be word perfect and confident sounding.
Step 3: Make sure you have enough business cards. You donít want to scribble your number on the back of a napkin! Not very professional.
Step 4: Double check the venue and time. You donít want to turn up late and miss any opportunities or appear to be lacking in time management skills.
Step 5: Dress to impress. Make sure you are neat and tidy ñ everything a successful small business owner should be.
Step 6: Leave your house/office in plenty of time to make sure you donít arrive totally stressed out
<b>Youíre off!</b>
You have arrived at the venue and if this is your first time, what are you likely to do? Find the nearest corner and pray that someone doesnít approach you! Networking, especially the first time, can be nerve-wracking. It does take a degree of confidence but over time this gets better.
CAVLC Encoder Design for Real-Time Mobile Video Applications
Abstract
This brief presents a new context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC) architecture. The prototype is designed for the H.264/AVC baseline profile entropy coder. The proposed design offers area savings by reducing the size of the statistic buffer. The arithmetic table elimination technique further reduces the area. The split VLC tables simplify the process of bit-stream generation and also help in reducing some area. The proposed architecture is implemented on Xilinx Virtex II field-programmable gate array (2v3000fg676-4). Simulation result shows that the architecture is capable of processing common/quarter-common intermediate format frame sequences in real-time at a core speed of 50 MHz with 6.85-K logic gates.
Published in:
Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, IEEE Transactions on (Volume:54 , Issue: 10 )
- Page(s):
- 873 – 877
- ISSN :
- 1549-7747
- INSPEC Accession Number:
- 9633945
- DOI:
- 10.1109/TCSII.2007.902215
- Date of Publication :
- Oct. 2007
- Date of Current Version :
- 15 October 2007
- Issue Date :
- Oct. 2007
- Sponsored by :
- IEEE Circuits and Systems Society
- Publisher:
- IEEE
C. A. Rahman and W. Badawy, “CAVLC Encoder Design for Real-time Mobile Video Applications”, The IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems II, Oct. 2007 Vol 54, Issue: 10, pp. 873-877.
Link to the list of other Peer Journal Publications
The rarely told truth about network marketing
Today I am going to talk about something that seems to be one of those things that people either love or hate. What I am talking about is network marketing, also called mlm or multi-level marketing. Right from the beginning I will say that there is no need to have extreme views about this, it is simply a business model that you can use if you wish.
However, it is crucial that you understand HOW the business model of network marketing works.
I think there are basically two reasons that some people seem to be almost electrocuted, simply by hearing someone mention the word network marketing. Either they have tried it themselves, and because they didn’t have a clue on how to do it they failed miserably. Or they belong to the group of people who can’t get the idea that mlm = pyramid scheme out of their heads.
This second misconception is easy to debunk. Pyramid schemes are illegal almost everywhere, do you really think large multinational companies could operate year after year on an entirely illegal basis?
Secondly, this view on network marketing shows that the speaker is ignorant. He or she hasn’t done an ounce of homework on the various businesses that are available to each of us today, and they are ignorant of the industry itself.
This means they aren’t serious. It means they “would like” to make more money, but have no intention of making it happen. They continually “look” for home businesses, which is enough to satisfy their minds that they “did everything they could”, but everything they find out there is flawed and are “scams”. They are looking to buy “hope”, not a business.
There is a Chinese saying that goes something like this:”If you spend too much time thinking about your next step, you will be standing on one leg for the rest of your life”. Yes, there ARE scams out there, but mlm is not a dirty word and it is not a synonym for scam. Get over it!
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BREAKING NEWS! Corporate America a Pyramid Scam?
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As for the comparison to a pyramid in general – think of any company that comes to mind. The company will probably have a CEO, president, vice presidents, middle management, a sales force, and hourly employees.
It goes without saying that the guy at the top, the CEO, is going to make the most money, and the compensations continue to decrease down the ladder which starts at his cushy leather chair. The only way to get paid more and move up the ladder is to boot someone else out of their spot – and this is what people call okay and normal!
Not to mention the fact that the corporate slave masters seem to have no problem with working people to the limits…and then kicking them out the door before any of the benefits kick in. (As always there are some exceptions, of course). How is this any less pyramid than network marketing? All people in the company work hard, but ONLY those at the very top has “permission” to make a lot of money.
Now, in network marketing the basic idea is that it will be of great benefit to everyone involved to help people who are new reach the top. In fact the whole business idea hinges on this idea – the only way to become really successful in the long term is to help others. Of course there will always be a mathematical limit to how large a network can become, but with todays global marketplace, and a suitable compensation plan, there is usually plenty of room for everybody.
A network marketing company can diversify and find new markets, just like all companies have to.
But what about the miserable statistics of network marketing, the over 90% drop-out rate etc.?
This is mainly caused by the simple fact that not that many people know how to do network marketing correctly. And I must admit that some network marketing companies are responsible for this themselves, by providing useless ideas like making a “100 list” etc.
You see, this is a somewhat unique industry. Most people don’t realize that network marketing is a business of marketing and promotion pursued by people who have NO IDEA how to market and promote.
Read the above paragraph once more and let it sink in…
If you are going to be involved in network marketing you need to develop both the right mind set and acquire the right knowledge (no, they usually don’t teach this in college).
You must learn that when you do this business right:
* You don’t have to “sell”
* You don’t have to ask people to join your business.. They ask you!
* You don’t have to post “work at home” flyers!
* People will PAY YOU to prospect them
You should learn that this is not at all about the Vitamins or whatever product your company is selling. In fact, this is one of the single biggest mistakes people make in network marketing.