Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Stephen,

I think the single most important thing you should do once you become a new Team Leader is to communicate with your team and let them know that you are there for them. Read "How to be an Awesome Sponsor" and follow those guidelines. They will help you learn what to do and what to avoid.

Share with your team the knowledge you have acquired and try to find out how you can help individual members who are struggling. Work directly with those affiliates who show an interest and are willing to work, and continue to communicate, at least once a week, with your less active affiliates.

Continue to read about new ways to improve and expand your knowledge so that you can answer your team member's questions correctly and efficiently. In order to do this, I suggest you rate 30 answers in the ASK SC section each day and visit the Forum at least once a day to find and save the answers to questions your team members may ask in the future.

Good Team Leaders take good care of their teams.

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Hi Stephen,

I think the single most important thing you should do once you become a new Team Leader is to communicate with your team and let them know that you are there for them. Read "How to be an Awesome Sponsor" and follow those guidelines. They will help you learn what to do and what to avoid.

Share with your team the knowledge you have acquired and try to find out how you can help individual members who are struggling. Work directly with those affiliates who
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Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Dear Boza,

I would say do both!

In order to get the ball rolling and feel the thrill of having your own PSAs, I suggest you acquire some from any of the ECA stores at TripleClicks that offer them or buy into an S-Builder Co-op Unit. There is no guarantee any of the affiliates will be active, but you never know how or when someone can suddenly take an interest and start working their SFI business.

Another less expensive way to get PSAs is by winning them in TripleClicks auctions. These are supposedly more likely to become active but then again who knows. It's the luck of the draw. At least they won't cost you as much and you'll have some fun.

As for sponsoring them yourself, you can create a blog, website or squeeze page and get sign ups through them. In this case at least you have control over what you want to say to attract your potential affiliates. You may not get as many if you emphasize that this is not a get rich quick scheme, but sometimes it's better to have quality over quantity.

You can also spread the word among your friends and family and evaluate their reasons for joining as well as their willingness to work. If you find a good candidate amongst the people closest to you, it will be easier to mentor him/her and then you can concentrate on duplication while you continue to look for more diamonds in the rough.

And last but not least, you can advertise your SFI gateways in free or paid advertising venues and social networks to find PSAs. SFI has all the tools you need to do this, so if you have the knowledge and enough time to do it, this could be a good source of new affiliates.

I wish you the best of luck in your search for PSAs and hope to see your name on the 'Top Enrollers' list some day soon.


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Dear Boza,

I would say do both!

In order to get the ball rolling and feel the thrill of having your own PSAs, I suggest you acquire some from any of the ECA stores at TripleClicks that offer them or buy into an S-Builder Co-op Unit. There is no guarantee any of the affiliates will be active, but you never know how or when someone can suddenly take an interest and start working their SFI business.

Another less expensive way to get PSAs is by winning them in TripleClicks
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Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Dear Zorica,

It's a delicate matter because you don't want to frighten anyone away when they are just getting started. First they need to understand what SFI is all about and, even though they read SFI Basics over and over again, it may take a while for the information to sink in. When it does, they will finally realize how important it is to reach and maintain EA rank every month.

Moreover, most affiliates who are truly active and motivated will realize on their own that after their second month at SFI there are no more free VP to be had from their VP Ledger, and that doing all the actions on their To-Do List will produce only one third of the VP they need to maintain their EA rank.

At that point they will see that in order to maintain their rank they'll have to invest some money. Some may decide this is not for them but, with any luck, some will want to forge ahead, and that's where you come in. If you have mentored them well from the very beginning, they may feel the need to ask for guidance. When that happens, you won't have to convince them to set up a Standing Order, you can just help them decide which Standing Order is right for them.

Good luck!

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Dear Zorica,

It's a delicate matter because you don't want to frighten anyone away when they are just getting started. First they need to understand what SFI is all about and, even though they read SFI Basics over and over again, it may take a while for the information to sink in. When it does, they will finally realize how important it is to reach and maintain EA rank every month.

Moreover, most affiliates who are truly active and motivated will realize on their own that after
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Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Dear Abdul,

There is no secret formula I'm afraid. If you want to qualify for BTL every month but still don't have any affiliates on your team who have reached EA2 or higher, you will need about 90 dollars a month, according to my calculations.

If you can spare that amount, the following example will not only help you maintain BTL rank, it will also help you to grow your team of PSAs until at least one reaches and maintains EA2 rank. Then you won't have to spend as much.

SALES VP (you need a maximum of 2,000 VP)
1,500 Sales VP from a Standing Order of 125 TCredits
100 Sales VP from 30 TC Gift cards
280 Sales VP from 1 S-Builder Co-op Unit
102 Sales VP from 1 single TCredit (bought with 126 MRP)

ACTION VP (you need at least 1,000 VP)
500 Action VP approximately from doing every action on your To-Do List
125 Action VP from Bidding 125 TCredits in auctions*
100 Action VP from your Standing Order
300 Action VP from distributing 30 Gift cards

That's it! You'll have over 3,000 VP and you will be able to maintain your Team Leader Rank.

*Try to bid in DP auctions to generate double MRP. Also, if you don't have your W3 kit, I suggest you get it for the 5 free TCredits and 50 MRPs each month and 5 more TCredits each month for every W3 member you refer. You can use these TCredits to bid in auctions and the MRP to buy single TCredits.

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Dear Abdul,

There is no secret formula I'm afraid. If you want to qualify for BTL every month but still don't have any affiliates on your team who have reached EA2 or higher, you will need about 90 dollars a month, according to my calculations.

If you can spare that amount, the following example will not only help you maintain BTL rank, it will also help you to grow your team of PSAs until at least one reaches and maintains EA2 rank. Then you won't have to spend as much.

SALES
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Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Olakunle,

In order to become successful at SFI, the most important personal characteristics you need are persistence, dedication, patience, enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard. You also need to be focused, unrelenting and resilient, especially when the results you seek take longer than expected to materialize.

If you are not a natural born leader, you need to learn how to become one, especially if your plan is to recruit and then guide a team of affiliates. You also need to have or hone your organizational and communications skills in order to create an active and receptive downline that follows your lead and is willing to learn from your example.

Finally, you need to be optimistic and always have a positive attitude, especially when facing adverse situations. If you spread that positive energy to everyone around you, you will attract a following that will in turn motivate you and reward you with the support you need to succeed in this business.
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Hi Olakunle,

In order to become successful at SFI, the most important personal characteristics you need are persistence, dedication, patience, enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard. You also need to be focused, unrelenting and resilient, especially when the results you seek take longer than expected to materialize.

If you are not a natural born leader, you need to learn how to become one, especially if your plan is to recruit and then guide a team of affiliates. You also
...more

Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Naba,

To get the maximum benefits of being an SFI affiliate you have to be willing to invest some time to learn about the business. The more you know, the easier it will be to discover what specific type of business interests you the most, and what type of activity suits you best.

Once you have gained that knowledge, you will know how to best take advantage of everything SFI has to offer.

You will know how to earn the maximum amount of VP you need to maintain your rank each month; you will know which products at TripleClicks are the most popular; you will know how to attract potential customers; you will know what type of advertising attracts the kind of affiliates you want on your team; and you will know exactly what information to pass on to your team.

To get the maximum benefits of being an SFI affiliate, you'll need to make a maximum effort to become someone who lives and breathes this business.

I hope this advice is useful.

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Hi Naba,

To get the maximum benefits of being an SFI affiliate you have to be willing to invest some time to learn about the business. The more you know, the easier it will be to discover what specific type of business interests you the most, and what type of activity suits you best.

Once you have gained that knowledge, you will know how to best take advantage of everything SFI has to offer.

You will know how to earn the maximum amount of VP you need to maintain
...more

Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Diana,

It's a given that in most cases affiliates have to invest money to make money, but this doesn't mean they should bankrupt themselves in the process. Moreover, if they are investing money and don't have a solid business plan to support this investment, no amount of money will make their business work.

On the other hand, if they quit, all the time and money they have invested will have been for nothing. That is not an option! The saying "Winners never quit and quitters never win" may well be true, but it doesn't help you or your affiliates in a moment of crisis.

Since you are their Team Leader, a more proactive attitude on your part may hold the solution for everyone concerned, especially if some of these affiliates are willing to work with you, listen to your advice and follow your instructions.

For starters, I would ask them to think carefully about the following question and give as honest an answer as they can: have you done everything in your power to make your business flourish?

In order to get an even clearer picture of what is happening, I suggest you get together with each affiliate and review the following checklist to see exactly what they have been doing to grow their business:

• Do you take your SFI business seriously, or do you treat it like a hobby?
• Have you applied the SFI Marketing Methods and Aids?
• Have you created a website or blog to promote SFI and TripleClicks?
• Do you refer customers to your TripleClicks store on a regular basis?
• Do you sponsor new PSAs on a regular basis?
• Do you send newsletters to your PSAs and CSAs each week?
• Have you reviewed the SFI 3-Step Plan with your affiliates?
• Have you always been there to support your PSAs and CSAs?
• Have you exhausted all the ways you can create other streams of income?

If they answer YES to all of these questions, then I would suggest you tell them to redouble their efforts, because they are on the right track. If they are doing everything right, all they need is a bit more patience and in time they will reap what they have sown.

If they answer NO to one or more questions on the checklist, then tell them you are willing to work with them to reinforce those aspects of their business that are weaker and ask them not to despair. Success will come if they are committed to making their business work.

Ultimately, if someone really wants to quit, there is nothing you can do or say to persuade them to stay, so continue to work with those who want to succeed, and let the rest go on their merry way. You can't win them all!

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Hi Diana,

It's a given that in most cases affiliates have to invest money to make money, but this doesn't mean they should bankrupt themselves in the process. Moreover, if they are investing money and don't have a solid business plan to support this investment, no amount of money will make their business work.

On the other hand, if they quit, all the time and money they have invested will have been for nothing. That is not an option! The saying "Winners never quit and
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Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Natasa,

This is an interesting question because it really depends on what sort of affiliates we are talking about. There are affiliates who know nothing about online marketing and there are others who have accumulated a lot of experience over the years.

In the case of affiliates who are totally unfamiliar with online marketing, there are several things they should NOT do in their first month at SFI:

SKIP THE SFI BASICS, START VIDEO AND LAUNCHPAD LESSONS
New affiliates need to familiarize themselves with the what, where, when, how and why of SFI. This means they need to know what to do first, where to find each source of information, when to start applying what they learn, how to proceed once they've mastered each step, and why it's important to learn everything they can, in order to get the most out of SFI.

SKIP ALL OR PART OF THE DAILY, WEEKLY AND MONTHLY ACTIONS ON THEIR TO-DO-LIST
These actions are an essential part of the learning process for new affiliates. As they repeat these actions every day, a picture will start to emerge about the inner workings of SFI. By the end of their first month, this daily repetition should provide enough information for new affiliates to understand what they can do at SFI and how they can set realistic goals.

ACCUMULATE VP WITHOUT READING THE MATERIAL THOROUGHLY
Affiliates who have very little experience in this field should not be in a hurry to accumulate VP because it's impossible to assimilate this much information in such a short time. Rushing to accumulate VP will only provoke an information overload which could frustrate them to the point of quitting.

BECOME EA WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THIS IMPLIES
Reaching EA rank without having mastered the basics will leave them puzzled as to what comes next. They won't know how to handle the CSAs they'll receive upon becoming EA and when they are awarded their first TCredits, they may not even realize how valuable they are or what to do with them.

BECOME A TL BEFORE RECRUITING AFFILIATES
Reaching TL status in their first month without having recruited a team will only bring disappointment if they can't maintain that rank the following month. They may feel that they are taking a step backwards instead of forward if they fail to do so, unless they are ambitious enough to find other ways to become Team Leader.

USE UP ALL THE AVAILABLE ONE-TIME VP IN THEIR FIRST MONTH AT SFI
If they have used up all the available one-time Action VP on their To-Do list, they may lose their enthusiasm for SFI once the new month comes around and they realize they'll have to accumulate a minimum of 1,500 VP all over again in order to maintain their rank. This may discourage some affiliates to a point where they stop working altogether.

WHAT ABOUT AFFILIATES WITH MORE EXPERIENCE?
If new affiliates are very knowledgeable about online marketing and are more than willing to invest time and money into their business, then the only things they should NOT do in their first month at SFI is skip any of the actions on their To-Do list, nor accumulate VP without reading the contents of each link or section.

This is important because, even though they may be familiar with online marketing in general, they won't be aware of the intricacies of SFI's specific system and methods, nor the many benefits it offers, until they dedicate some time to learning about them through the aforementioned activities.

Finally and maybe the most important thing that affiliates should NEVER do in their first month here, notwithstanding their level of expertise, is: they should NOT quit before learning about the wonderful opportunities SFI has to offer!

I hope this is useful.

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Hi Natasa,

This is an interesting question because it really depends on what sort of affiliates we are talking about. There are affiliates who know nothing about online marketing and there are others who have accumulated a lot of experience over the years.

In the case of affiliates who are totally unfamiliar with online marketing, there are several things they should NOT do in their first month at SFI:

SKIP THE SFI BASICS, START VIDEO AND LAUNCHPAD LESSONS
New
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Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Chidinma,

If you are a prolific writer, and you have plenty of fresh and interesting ideas to share with your readers, you should definitely have two separate blogs. You'll be able to direct each blog to a specific audience and recruit the exact people you need from each site.

However, if you are pressed for time or struggle to find at least one interesting topic to write about each week, I would suggest you confine yourself to doing a single blog about both SFI and TripleClicks.

Focus your efforts on making this blog as interesting and as entertaining as possible in order to attract as many potential customers and new affiliates as you can.

I hope this helps

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Hi Chidinma,

If you are a prolific writer, and you have plenty of fresh and interesting ideas to share with your readers, you should definitely have two separate blogs. You'll be able to direct each blog to a specific audience and recruit the exact people you need from each site.

However, if you are pressed for time or struggle to find at least one interesting topic to write about each week, I would suggest you confine yourself to doing a single blog about both SFI and TripleClicks.
...more

Affiliate since: 08/04/2013, Power Rank: 14

Hi Mohammed,

Building a second income with a company like SFI benefits you because you can be sure that many years from now you will still have a burgeoning business. Unlike many online companies that appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, SFI is here to stay. It is a strong company with a sterling reputation and has plans to continue operating for many years to come.

It has already been around for 16 years and its owners and staff are committed to its long-term success. You can tell it is an outstanding company by the way it cares for its affiliates: it is constantly looking for better ways for us to improve our businesses and earn more money.

For you, this means you are planting a seed on fertile ground. A seed that will grow, flourish and ultimately bear fruit as the years pass. For this to happen, you must make sure you are always there to keep your business alive until it is fully grown, by learning the SFI marketing system and applying what you learn, and then teaching your team of affiliates to duplicate your efforts.

It may not necessarily be a bountiful second income at first, but as time passes and your business continues to grow, you will eventually begin to earn residual income and leveraged income. A few years from now, hopefully your hardest decision will be deciding whether or not to quit your regular job, because by then your SFI business should be up and running almost by itself, and your second income will have become your main income.

Many of SFI's founding affiliates are doing quite well, and some are still actively working their businesses, because it has become a way of life for them as well as a source of wealth. I hope that is your case in the years to come.
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Hi Mohammed,

Building a second income with a company like SFI benefits you because you can be sure that many years from now you will still have a burgeoning business. Unlike many online companies that appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, SFI is here to stay. It is a strong company with a sterling reputation and has plans to continue operating for many years to come.

It has already been around for 16 years and its owners and staff are committed to its long-term success.
...more