SFI - Turning A's into EA's? What's the secret?

[Skyrocket]

Hi,

are there any experienced SFI sponsers out there that could give me a tip on converting my SFI Affilates into EA's?

I'm getting some through each day from Erich's Co-op, three have completed the Smart Start training out of about 17 and I'm yet to get any EA's from it.

I've been getting Affiliates through before but I don't seem to be getting any EA's emerging from any of them, despite emailing a friendly note. I've tried SFI's standard follow up and my own styles, but I get no-where at the moment.

Any tips for a SFI novice?

[awesome]

I have found the best way to get my affiliates to upgrade is to offer them Gift Certificates. I tried different values and it seems that it takes $20 to convince folks to advance.

The good thing is that as a BTL if you get three or more to advance you get $20 bonus so that makes to cost 0. The issue then is to get them to set up their first order as a standing order. That way the following month they will remain an EA.

When one of my affiliates completes Smart Start I send them an email congratulating them and telling them that as a reward for completing the training that I will issue them a gift certificate.

Even at that the conversion is not high, but I figure if I keep plugging away I will eventually create a good downline. And as they say, you only need to find a couple motivated folks to make it worth while.

Tim

[bosko40]

Great question Jim,
I am having the same problem. I have a ton of affiliates, but so far have only been able to get 1 of my personally sponsored affiliates to convert over. I have 3 others that are in my downline as EA's from another sponsor. Personally I find SFI difficult to understand. I can never figure out where all the new people are coming from. Many are under me directly, but some are not and I do not know if someone placed them there for me (ie upline), or if a downline person sponsored them.

One thing I did do was to create a 27 page Word doc that gives my Smart Start affiliates the Next Steps they should take. It includes all the advertising I do, the ad copies I use, and the Leaders Club and autoresponders I use. I also give them the keywords I use for my CPC campaigns. Its a lot for them to look through. Hopefully enough of them will find the info useful enough to use, and thereby upgrade to EA.
adam

[Sandra]

I also think that converting them to EA is tough. I personally think that most people that get enrolled in SFI do so because it's FREE. But as soon as they realise what it takes to succeed, and that to really benefit from it they have to become EA - which can be done by either selling a few products (which can be hard) or paying a monthly fee - they just give up.

Only a very select few who are serious enough upgrade.

Sandra

[stirls]

This is a great question.

One of the ways I find success is to research the people that are successful in my chosen feild. In this case I have read most of the interviews in the SFI President's list - this is where I found PIPS - from Stone's interview and knew about Erich and why I jumped when I saw his name and offer in the Warrior Forum.

On this question Jeff Mulligan offers a suggestion as to how he convers his A into EAs. Jeff is often at the top of the SFI sponsors board with Stone and Erich. Here is what he says

"Q) Without giving way your secrets, what two marketing strategies do you feel are most effective (i.e. offline ads and flyers, pay-per-clicks, personal Website, banner ads, autoresponders, etc.)? Why?

My own product, CBmall, generates considerable traffic. I also built SFI recruiting opportunities into the CBmall, so CBmall owners can build their powerlines automatically. In that respect, getting affiliates is very easy for me.

In my opinion, the key to success with SFI is improving the conversion ratio from free affiliates to paid customers. I have been able to convert about 10% of my affiliates into IAHBE owners by building creative offers that add extra value in addition to what they get with SFI.

In short, I try to create offers too good to resist. If you can improve your conversion ratio you don't need as many affiliates to make the same money."

to read the full interview go here www.sfimg.com/Leaders/MulliganProfile.sfi

to see the current top sponsors in SFI go here www.sfimg.com/Leaders/TopSponsor.sfi
- Nice to see Erich at the top again!!

[Skyrocket]

Hi All, thanks for the great response, I was hoping I was the only one at a loss on how to convert A's to EA's and that I would get a load of "Yeah, it's easy..." but I guess it's fairly comforting to know that I'm not the only one.

Some great ideas and excellent advice from Stirls, I'll be sure to look into the interview at the weekend. Thanks Stirls!

When I find the secret, I'll let you all know, I promise!

[Joel]

Hello Jim,

No offense taken. The only part you missed was the disclosure part. It would have save you some red ink and time.

I agree with you in one thing, Erich and only Erich will evaluate what is premature or not.

Warm regards,

Joel

[Deb]

I've read that relationship is the key. I know it's hard to form a relationship with someone who won't answer your e-mails, but if someone feels they know you, you will be able to give them that final needed nudge at the right time.

[mschmidt10]

Hi Jim,

I'm in a similar boat as you, so you have company.

I have had a couple EA upgrades, but those happened on their own, not because of anything I did.

Mark

[Skyrocket]

Hi Debbie and Mark,

thanks for your replies. From my old sales training and experience it's definately true that people buy from those they know, like and trust. The issue is I'm used to doing sales face to face, this is all an entirely different ball game! Learning how to get someone to like you, feel that they know you and trust you via email is a skill I've yet to aquire.

What this means now though is that as I cannot expect to be signing up SFI EA's every five minutes at the moment, so I'll use this time to experiment with my communication methods and see what happens. There is some great advice above too, so I'll be trying it all out and I'll let you all know how I get on.

[stirls]

Jim - as luck would have it SFI is doing a poll on this very question. Here are the results from other SFI members answering the question
"What's your primary method of encouraging your affiliates to upgrade to EA status?"

vote.sparklit.com/poll.spark?pollID=964260

[Skyrocket]

Stirls, I love the way you keep your finger on the pulse!

Excellent information, thanks buddy, I'll check it out when the poll companies server is back up and running. Maybe too many hits from this forum has crashed it!

[stirls]

Maybe the survey link only works after you fill out the survey yourself. You can do that here

www.sfimg.com/Reference/SurveySpot.sfi

Once you fill it out it takes you to the survey results

[Skyrocket]

Ah, now I get a different error, which does tell me to vote on the poll before I can view the results.

The previous error was definately a server error, honest

Thanks again.

[Deb]

I just got promoted to BTL (WooHoo!) and the training for team leaders urges you to buy gift certificates for your downline - at least the ones who have completed smart start.

Then again I've heard somewhere that this isn't so productive, because they don't have the commitment to invest in themselves.

Has anyone tried this, and what were the results?

Debbie

[karen]

Hi Debbie,

I have never purchased a certificate for my downline. (should I admit that in public or not LOL) and it hasn't seemed to matter.

I found that my EA ratio is about 1 EA for every 15 - 20 sponsored. I think that because so many people are joining from a 'work at home' website they are already looking for a home opportunity. People who would join on a wim because they saw a link somewhere probably won't upgrade as easily.

Personally, I find that the SFI system is confusing and overwhelming for someone new. I receive lots of email questions because my new people are completely lost. I suspect that the personal attention I give each new person also helps in the EA upgrade rate.

Oh, and I give little bonuses as well. I add new EA's into one of my Co-ops for free and I give them a small web hosting account on my server.

Karen

[Sandra]

Congrats on making it to BTL Debbie! ;D

When I became BTL, I changed my welcome email to the one they suggest in the BTL training. I offered all my new affiliates a $20 gift certificate. All they had to do was email me back and request it. Well, no one requested it So I just stopped offering it.

The serious affiliates will become EA not matter what you try to do.... so I try to develop a nice, trusting relationship with them, and hope for the best!

Sandra

[Skyrocket]

Hey Debbie,

BTL eh, nice work. Now go grab yourself a BLT to celebrate

Sandra, I'm getting to the point of doubting that I can influence anyone into becoming an EA from an A, however that's the kind of doubt that every salesman gets when sales aren't coming in. I don't think SFI is any different to anything else one might try to sell, it just takes patience, persistence, trial and error to figure it out.

There is some very useful info pointed out by Stirls earlier which I need to get my teeth into. I'm going to concentrate on my ISP first though, one step at a time

[stirls]

Jim - here is another suggestion to help move people to EAs

In my earlier post I copied Jeff Mulligan's interview where he says he adds value. Now we all know the value of becoming EA but sometimes new affiliates in SFI may need a bit more to entice them. What if you ofered some bonuses to them if they become EA within the first week.

some suggestions of what you can offer -
1 - free copy of Dotcomology
2 - free subscription to Leaders Club Marketing Power newsletter
3 - free CD of Unstoppable Income from the Leaders Club (this one will cost you a bit to send in the mail but the cost is less than what SFI pays you for a new EA so it is cost effective)
4 - a list of free classified ad websites that have worked for you to promote SFI
5 - a link to one of thier gateway pages on your highly advertised website
6 - you could even pay for the first month of Empowerism (this one will cost you a bit $4.95 after the money Emp pays you for a new sign up)

be creative - there are lots of things you can give away that may entice people to become EA and at the same time help you grow your business.

Don't get discouraged SFI works and you can get people to upgrad to EAs

[Skyrocket]

Thanks again Stirls for another great suggestion on this. I'm currently working on writing a few articles too, so I was thinking that I could offer some of the more useful ones, relevant to the SFI or similar business opportunity as a bonus for moving to an EA. I'm wasn't sure that they would be enticing enough or good enough as an offer though, so these other ideas are great.

Seeing as we have a lot of free tools that we can give away, it's could be a good way to move our SFI business forward. It'll take some trial and error to find out what makes the best carrot, so I might have some fun with this. If anyone else has found success with this and know what the best carrot already is, then please do share

I'm going to be sitting down at the weekend to work through all the ideas that I have at the moment on SFI, article writing, free advertising, paid advertising, start up tools for this business and anything else that's buzzing around my brain! I need to get organised and start scheduling my time on all this stuff, it's so easy to get buried with it all, doing loads of things but actually not doing anything! I think you all know what I mean by this

[stirls]

Jim and everyone looking for ways to get more As to become EAs

I just posted some learnings of mine about powerlines in this thread - erichw33.proboards53.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=erichw33&thread=1140613690

Powerlines have greatly increased my EA conversions. Now by applying this new tip on powerlines I am hoping to see even better results!

[technerd]

I have gone through many of the suggestions I have read regarding getting people to become EA in SFI. I have changed my Welcome Letter as Erich shared with us, and started the Co-Op a few weeks ago. Getting people to sign up to SFI is not a problem. In fact I have many people signed up and in my genealogy. The problem is that people are still reluctant to becoming EA. In the letters that Erich shared with us, we tell our people that SFI takes care of closing the sale, but I am wondering how effective these efforts are.

The biggest issue I see is that the SFI website and their opportunities are difficult to follow for someone brand new. And even for people who have see it several times over. The navigation is a little clumsy and one can get lost in it quickly. Many people want to see the "business opportunity" but we only promote the "promoting" of SFI. I believe the MLM piece can be a turn off for some people.

Anyone else see this as a problem? I am promoting SFI as the best opportunity for a Home Business, but so far the returns are pretty dismal. Any other thoughts on this? Any new suggestions are appreciated.

[Sandi Moses]

technerd said:

I have gone through many of the suggestions I have read regarding getting people to become EA in SFI. I have changed my Welcome Letter as Erich shared with us, and started the Co-Op a few weeks ago. Getting people to sign up to SFI is not a problem. In fact I have many people signed up and in my genealogy. The problem is that people are still reluctant to becoming EA. In the letters that Erich shared with us, we tell our people that SFI takes care of closing the sale, but I am wondering how effective these efforts are.

The biggest issue I see is that the SFI website and their opportunities are difficult to follow for someone brand new. And even for people who have see it several times over. The navigation is a little clumsy and one can get lost in it quickly. Many people want to see the "business opportunity" but we only promote the "promoting" of SFI. I believe the MLM piece can be a turn off for some people.

Anyone else see this as a problem? I am promoting SFI as the best opportunity for a Home Business, but so far the returns are pretty dismal. Any other thoughts on this? Any new suggestions are appreciated.

I agree. If you read the posts on the SFI d-board, it seems to be a universal problem. I may try mailing my so-far-unresponsive list and see if I can get them to tell me just what they are actually looking for. Is it internet marketing, MLM possibilities, selling physical products, residual income with little or no initial out-of-pocket expense, sitting back and doing nothing while the riches pour in, ( )or what? If they give me an answer then maybe I can direct them to the part of SFI best suited for them.

Sandi

[Erich]

b123home said:

technerd said:

I have gone through many of the suggestions I have read regarding getting people to become EA in SFI. I have changed my Welcome Letter as Erich shared with us, and started the Co-Op a few weeks ago. Getting people to sign up to SFI is not a problem. In fact I have many people signed up and in my genealogy. The problem is that people are still reluctant to becoming EA. In the letters that Erich shared with us, we tell our people that SFI takes care of closing the sale, but I am wondering how effective these efforts are.

The biggest issue I see is that the SFI website and their opportunities are difficult to follow for someone brand new. And even for people who have see it several times over. The navigation is a little clumsy and one can get lost in it quickly. Many people want to see the "business opportunity" but we only promote the "promoting" of SFI. I believe the MLM piece can be a turn off for some people.

Anyone else see this as a problem? I am promoting SFI as the best opportunity for a Home Business, but so far the returns are pretty dismal. Any other thoughts on this? Any new suggestions are appreciated.

I agree. If you read the posts on the SFI d-board, it seems to be a universal problem. I may try mailing my so-far-unresponsive list and see if I can get them to tell me just what they are actually looking for. Is it internet marketing, MLM possibilities, selling physical products, residual income with little or no initial out-of-pocket expense, sitting back and doing nothing while the riches pour in, ( )or what? If they give me an answer then maybe I can direct them to the part of SFI best suited for them.

Sandi

It is a numbers game... if you get an ongoing and steady stream of free affiliates [minmum of 200-300 monthly] you will see an upgrade rate of at least 5-8%. I've seen months as high as 11%. Success breeds more success. Once you can show them a decent check and they see your name on the leader board... the will be more likely to follow you and your advice.

Erich

[stirls]

It is a numbers game... if you get an ongoing and steady stream of free affiliates [minmum of 200-300 monthly] you will see an upgrade rate of at least 5-8%. I've seen months as high as 11%. Success breeds more success. Once you can show them a decent check and they see your name on the leader board... the will be more likely to follow you and your advice.

Erich

This is so true. Once I started getting around 200 people a month and started using the Powerline Co-op my name started to climb the leaderboard. Once that happened the EAs came much faster. I am now seeing a 5% conversion of affilates to EAs. I look forward to 11% months!!

Keep recruiting people to SFi and you will start to see results.

[ledzepdad]

I signed up with SFI because it was free, and it was not mandatory to buy products for myself to become a member. I have not done anything with SFI mainly because it is so confusing to me, I don't know where to begin. I did the smart start training and that is were it ended.. I started reading posts on the rich dad forums and saw several people from SFI there. I went back to SFI and started reading again, and I am still confused. What is the next step, or should I say the first step.

[gainingprofit]

I would say the next step for you would be to upgrade to EA by subcriping to IHABE and then read the methods of advertising that they apply and also do some research on your own.

Contact your sponsor and ask him for the next step and what do they do to sponsor affiliates. Also make sure that you log in to SFI and look around the site so you get to know it a little better everyday!

Joe

ledzepdad said:

I signed up with SFI because it was free, and it was not mandatory to buy products for myself to become a member. I have not done anything with SFI mainly because it is so confusing to me, I don't know where to begin. I did the smart start training and that is were it ended.. I started reading posts on the rich dad forums and saw several people from SFI there. I went back to SFI and started reading again, and I am still confused. What is the next step, or should I say the first step.

[stirls]

ledzepdad - I just sent you a private message with some SFI starting out steps - I hope it helps.

[rossfreiberg]

Hi Everyone

I have been talking to one of my affiliates about upgrading to EA by purchasing IAHBE and suggesting that I will pay for him on the understanding that he will do the same for someone else he thinks it is worth making such an offer to.

I have only suggetsed this to one affiliate but am considering doing so to others as an incentive to go EA and also with the hope it will have a snowballing effect down the line.

The $30 bonus for the new EA will cover my cost of helping this affiliate to upgrade to EA and so on down the line as each person helps another.

The net effect of this should find people who understand the initial investment of paying for somebody else's IAHBE to help them become EA will be worth it??

Too simplistic?

I'd like to give it a try.

Have looked around the SFI website but cannot find how I can pay for somebody else. Would anybody know how to do this and does this sound like a reasonable suggestion.

I welcome honest feedback.

Thanks,
Ross.

[Deb]

You can offer them a gift certificate simply by clicking on the link next to their name on the affiliates page. That will take you to a page where you can purchase a certificate for them. If they don't use it, you will have the money to offer to someone else.

I've been told, though that if everything is a free ride for them they won't take the business seriously. I've been offering a partial certificate of $20, but not very many people take me up on it.