Jim Green Enterprises

MLM Prospecting – The Five Critical Elements to Your Success

Jim — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:48:45 +0000

On a recent webinar, MLM expert Todd Falcone exposed five critical elements necessary to successful MLM prospecting and some of his best lead generating secrets. Todd is well qualified to address this subject, having made millions in his own network marketing career. What are the keys to his success and what do you need to do to be successful?

Prep Time: The Mental Side. Imagine yourself wildly successful in your MLM network marketing business. How would that change your life? Also, what is with all the negativity in this industry. OK, just because Aunt Susie and Uncle Bob had a really bad experience, does that mean the industry doesn’t work? Many people have earned multiple millions in this industry which boasts many of the largest corporations in the US and the world.
Practice: Make it comfortable and familiar. No one in this industry is a “natural.” Despite the stories you heard at your annual convention, the really successful people in this industry have all “paid their dues.” This will be hard work requiring diligent and boring practice. Expect it and just do it!
Game Time: Dive in. How is your work ethic regarding prospecting. Do you place a high enough priority on this aspect of your business, or are you consumed with non-revenue producing activities each day.
Coaching and Mentoring. World class athletes all use coaches. Todd’s analogy was in sports and his own golf game. He was having some difficulties with his game recently, when his coach happened to be near by. A simple adjustment by the coach easily corrected the issue and restored Todd’s “game.” How many successful network marketers have a coach or accountability partner they rely on?
Self-Checks: Qualitative and Quantitative. Todd has recommended for many years that you use a tape recorder to review your own performance. This will greatly improve your quality. On the quantitative side, imagine or draw a box on a blank sheet of paper. Now write a number in the box representing the number of people you’ve talked to in the last 24 hours about your business. Now answer a simple question: Would I hire me, based on performance? What is the answer? Probably should be in double digits at least!

In summary, prospecting for your business through exposure is the #1 activity that leads to revenue. It is also important to recognize that when prospecting, you have the choice to either recruit up or recruit down in your business. Would you rather have a business oriented person on your team or someone with little or no idea of business?

Todd’s main recruiting and prospecting involves something anyone with a car and a cell phone can do. Every time he sees a house or lot for sale by a realtor, he calls the phone number on the “for sale” sign to introduce them to his business: “I’m an entrepreneur expanding in the area. I have a simple question for you. Do you at all keep your options open to expand your income outside of what your presently are doing?” Todd teaches this method to his team to use with realtors, mortgage brokers, etc. who are very open now, due to the present economic situation. Todd has team members getting 50-60 “yes” answers out of every 100 contacts using this method.

To get additional training on improving your MLM prospecting success rate and results, please visit our MLM Lead System Pro overview, which also provides the Internet’s best systematic approach to network marketing.

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Automated Lead Generation – How to Integrate Your Blog with Social Media

Jim — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:47:50 +0000

In this article we list some of the best tools now available for attraction marketing using automated lead generation, particularly with WordPress. We also provide an overall strategy for integrating a WordPress blog with social media networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. With the plethora of tools and widgets, now available, it is important to have a concise and workable strategy when building your social media network.

Automated lead generation has become much more readily available using many of these tools and the Internet. Blogging, in particular is quite powerful, especially when leveraging all the new features and add-on widgets available in WordPress, and connecting to social media and bookmarking sites. Of course, the blog must have “killer” content, and a very attractive offer, in order to both attract visitors and to capture their information for your sales funnel. Although beyond the scope of this piece, article marketing and video marketing are very important tools that work well with any blog.

Although attraction marketing is nothing new, many new tools are now available for automated lead generation on the Internet via a WordPress blog. Successful marketers have always automatically and effortlessly generated new sales leads using traditional advertising. When generating sales leads, many factors come into operation, including group and individual psychology, advertising consistency, branding, and perception of value in the marketplace. These advertising aspects come into play whether using traditional methods or the online tools and the Internet.

We have found a strategy, as recommended that incorporates many of these considerations developedby Internet Marketer, Jeff Hoffman that works very well using the WordPress RSS feed, Twitter, Twitterfeed.com, and Ping.fm:

1. Your blog should be your primary link on Twitter. In this way, your followers will be directed to your blog. WP Greet Box can be used to “welcome” your visitors coming from Twitter, Facebook, and many other links. In addition, the DISQUS widget can be used to enhance the comments features of WordPress and to automatically “tweet” comments on your blog back on Twitter, as well as other bookmark sites.

2. Your blog’s RSS feed should be sent to Twitterfeed.com

3. From Twitterfeed.com, use Ping.fm to announce your blog posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

The above is only one suggestion among many ways to “integrate” social media with your blog. Another very popular way is using Facebook Notes to publish your articles automatically. We do not prefer this method, since it will allow your “friends” to review all you content within Facebook without visiting your blog.

There are many additional ways to configure a WordPress blog, and additional tools and widgets that are beyond the scope of this brief discussion. Further information on WordPress and blogging is available to members of MyLeadSystemPro.com. For a trial membership, including over $2000 in offers and complete access to additional training by Jeff Hoffman and many other Internet gurus, take a look at our systematic approach to automated lead generation.

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Ten Reasons to Diversify Your Income

Jim — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:45:34 +0000

The current economic downturn has resulted in the highest unemployment rate in many years. Unquestionably, many people are currently unemployed and seeking employment. Whether times are good or bad, there are many reasons to have additional sources of income, whether as a fall-back position, plan B, or even change of career. In this article, we look at the 10 most important reasons to diversify your income, especially with passive residual income in a business making money online.

In typical David Letterman style, we’ll start from the top and work our way down. So, … drum roll please beginning with #10:

10. It is outside the norm: Although our economy rests on the unique American entrepreneurial spirit, most people are “conditioned” to seek the “safety” of the 9-5 job. In the current economic climate, most now recognize that getting out of the “job security” mindset is now critical to long term survival.
9. Get more experience quickly: The quickest way to get diversified experiences in a variety of disciplines is to expand yourself. You will quickly become more attractive to both employers and clients as you broaden and deepen your experience base.
8. Become more creative: Tap into the “spark of genius” that exists within and exploit your own natural talents.
7. Tax advantages: There are two sets of tax rules in the US and many other countries. As a business owner, whether in a full or part time endeavor, many additional expenses become tax deductible.
6. Write your own ticket: You determine your own value in the marketplace of ideas and contributions.
5. You have a higher income potential: Your income can be unlimited as you learn to employ the concepts of leverage and economy of scale.
4. Expand your relationships: If you work 9-5 at a single employer, your contact base can become limited and stale. You will make many additional relationships as your work and interests reach into multiple disciplines.
3. Generate time freedom: Learn how to develop a systemmatic approach to business. Learn how systematize you efforts and soon you can be earning money 24 hours daily, through the leverage you’ve created.
2. You operate at less risk: Yes, it’s true that “job security” has now become an oxymoron. You must diversify for true security.

AND the #1 reason to diversify your income is

1. To face your fears: “Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision,” Ayn Rand. Learn to master your fears and you will be unstoppable.

We hope these reasons will provide the motivation needed for you to step out and take charge of your life. For those interested in taking on these challenges, developing a systems method in an business making money online, we invite you to look at our own systemmatic approach and training to diversify your income and conquer your fears via an Internet approach and passive residual income.

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Mike Dillard Magnetic Sponsoring – Generating Home Based Business Leads

Jim — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:07:34 +0000

Mike Dillard’s “Magnetic Sponsoring” ebook and ideas have take the network marketing MLM community by storm. In this article we evaluate why his methods are so effective in generating home based business leads, and take a close look at what makes his ideas so different and effective.

Or are they different? Here’s the deal. Network marketing and MLM as an industry is populated with “novice” marketers who are told that they don’t really need business skills. Just make a list and go talk to everyone in your “warm market” about your great company, products, and opportunity. The products will sell themselves, right? Wrong! New associates are often found placing ads for their company and products with little result.

Actually, the concepts that Mike teaches are nothing new. It’s just a little revolutionary to tell new network marketing MLM recruits that they need to learn how to market first, and that they will also need serious leadership skills. This is common knowledge in every other form of business. Serious training and big “head adjustments” are vital to business success. It doesn’t matter how good the product is!

99% of network marketers haven’t been involved with “real marketing,” and will quit long before they find out the level of skills needed for success. And even if introduced to marketing methods, techniques and systems, this still isn’t enough. Leadership skills are also necessary to emerge “successful” in this industry.

Mike explains the concept of leadership in terms of leadership personalities. There are two basic types: leaders (alpha) and followers (beta). An alpha personality is what must be developed, or leadership, for success in this industry (or business in general). It is an amazing fact to reallize that Mike Dillard himself started as a beta networker and today is one of the industry leading experts. In fact, with proper training, anyone can do the same.

Although each individual has within themself the capacity to reach their goals, for most it will take extensive cultivation of their innate potential. In fact what must be overcome is the many paradigms drilled into each of us from an early age. “Don’t talk to strangers!” And for some “You’ll never amount to anything in life.” What is your “self-limiting” paradigm?

Magnetic Sponsoring is also about the right marketing message and targets. Mike teaches a “funded proposal” concept, which is radically different than the “training” in any MLM distributor kit. Rather than promote the company’s products and services on the “front end,” the “funded proposal,” or self-liquidating offer is an inexpensive but useful product sold early in the sales cycle to cover advertising expenses. This is a win-win, because your prospect benefits from the training, which is at the same time funding your advertising. Then, of course she/he’ll be trained to do the same. Everyone benefits.

Magnetic Sponsoring, itself, is the industry’s prime example of a self-liquidating offer, providing secrets to success in MLM that are not found in any other venue. Is this self-serving for Mike Dillard to promote his own revolutionary concept in this way? Maybe, but as with any truly viable “funded proposal,” everyone benefits. This is definitely the case with Magnetic Sponsoring. Adopting his philosophies and systems, you’ll soon find youself easily generating all the home based business leads you could ever need.

As of this writing, the MLM industry’s leading “funded proposal” system has recently expanded by introducing a new campaign by which any start-up business can “Conquer the Internet .”

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Building Your Network Marketing Business – Jim Rohn

Jim — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:11:08 +0000

In this article we distill some of the timeless wisdom and quotes from Jim Rohn’s classic book: “Building Your Network Marketing Business.” In this book he explains his own career challenges and eventual success and some of the magic behind the industry.

Jim grew up learning to milk cows. He was fortunate to find a good network marketing company and learned early that “profits are better than wages.” Something that seems to be “lost” in our society and rarely taught in our “education” system.

During his career he gradually learned how to sell, how to recruit, how to communicate, and how to train in his business. How did he do that? Each step of the way in learning a new skill he would try it, fail, and then do it again. 35 or 40 years later he had reached a level of success in his career most of us would gladly settle for.

Jim Rohn learned basic philosophies that changed his life. One key phrase: “If you do something often enough, a ratio will appear.” If you talk to 10 and get 1 to join you, it is likely that talking to 20 will produce 2. That way it’s not so important that any particular person join you, but you do want to be sure they get your message. There is nothing worse several years down the road, hearing someone ask after seeing your success why you didn’t tell them about your opportunity earlier.

Another great philosophy he learned was from the story of the sower from the Bible. Some seed falls by the wayside where birds get it. Some on rocky ground where it starts to grow but later withers and dies. Some falls on thorny ground and starts to grow but gets choked out and dies. Finally, some seed falls on good ground (and you finally have recruited someone who can be successful in your business). The main thing to understand about this story, is that your business will be like this and there isn’t anything you can do about it. You can’t chase away the birds or remove all the rocks and thorns. That isn’t your job and you’ll get frustrated trying to take that on. Just keep sowing until some falls on fertile ground.

According to Jim, “Everything magic is challenging.” How magic? According the the Bible: “If two or three agree on a common purpose, nothing is impossible.” How would that look in your network marketing, affiliate, franchise business or relationships?

How challenging? According to Jim getting people to work together is like “herding cats.” But there are ways to work this magic if you rely on your ingenuity. Just figure out a way to get it done and your business will earn you a fortune.

He also learned how to teach …how life works. What we need for the 21st century are not only business skills, but life skills. Life skills are leadership skills and learning how to set goals. The ultimate life skill is the ability to inspire, which is helping people believe they can be successful and helping them to get there.

Honesty is involved. When mistakes are made, be honest with people, but then help them get out of the mess they’ve made. Help people then to see their potential and believe in themselves. Although Jim didn’t believe it, his mentor told him someday he’d walk in to a room and people would say “That’s him. That’s the famous man.”

Jim learned to build an organization by responding to people who deserve it and not those who need it. Be like “life itself,” responding to deserve and not to need. Rather than “need and you shall reap,” Scripture says “sow and you shall reap.” He also leaned the lesson of a sponsor and working with groups. “You can help 1,000, but you can’t carry 3 on your back.”

Jim Rohn’s wisdom is timeless and “Building your Network Marketing Business” should be on the reading list of every network marketing professional. For further information and inspirational training please visit our MLM Lead System Pro resource page and new Conquer the Internet DVD training offer.

Choosing the Best Business Broadband Internet Connection Service Provider

Jim — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:31:11 +0000

Internet, and as data and voice services continue to blend. One obvious area of change in the industry is the growing number of mergers and acquisitions. Another is the dazzling array of new products and services being introduced on a continuous basis. What is the best way to stay up to date with all the changes? In this article, we investigate and analyze some of these changes and provide ideas that will help in choosing the best business high speed internet connections.

In recent years, many telecommunications entities have been affected by mergers and acquisitions. A few domestic examples include:

The acquisition of US West by Qwest Communications in 1999
AT&T Inc. taking over BellSouth in 2006
The acquisition of Ameritech by SBC (Southwestern Bell Corporation ) Communications in 1999
The merger of MCI Communications Corporation with Worldcom in 1998
The merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic to form Verizon in 2000
The acquisition of AT&T by SBC in 2005
The acquisition of MCI by Verizon in 2005

In addition, many new products and standards have been introduced and continuously enhanced in recent years including:

Voice over IP services (VoIP) – Beginning in 2004, VoIP services have been available over broadband DSL and T1 Internet access, without the need of normal switched telephone services. Three main methods of providing VoIP services are using an analog telepone adapter with an existing analog phone, using dedicated VoIP phones, and using softphone (or software) on a personal computer.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) – SIP is a signaling standard approved in 2000 and now implemented in software and hardware, as one method of “standard” VoIP service. Many companies provide SIP hardware and services, including both carriers and manufacturers of telephone systems such as Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Polycom, and Snom
Skype – Skype is a proprietary system that delivers VoIP services. Skype provides one of the most popular VoIP services using its own non-standards based approach.
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) – MPLS is a method for defining a protocol-based private network without the need for hardware devices at each location. The main advantage is a reduction in the number of points in the network that need to be configured and managed, which reduces overhead.

The above are just a few examples of the many changes taking place in the telecommunications industry. Choosing the best business broadband internet service providers may require some expert advice in order to make the best possible choices for VoIP, SIP, MPLS and many more new technologies. A telecommunications brokerage that keeps up with the latest industry trends can advise on the best services available from many industry souces to meet specific needs.

We can help with selecting broadband internet service in choosing the best local business telecommunications systems.

Formula for Success – How to Crush it in your MLM or Direct Sales Business

Jim — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:58:54 +0000

In this article we review a webinar presented recently by Todd Falcone which included a new announcement by the founders of MLM Lead System Pro. Todd has been successful in this industry, having spent 11 years with a lead generation company, and is very much qualified to address this topic. His success formula is as follows:

Mindset + Skill-set + Action = Results.

Mindset and belief is the first part of the equation. First, do you believe in what you’re doing? If you doubt what you’re doing, who will believe in you? It is vital that you “believe” that network marketing works. Here are three key questions you must be able to answer affirmatively:

1. Do “real” people make the kind of money in the industry that you want to make?

2. Do people make the kind of money I would like to have in my life in my company?

3. Do customers derive a benefit from the products and services you bring to the marketplace?

The second part of the equation is skill-set. What kind of skills are needed in the MLM or direct sales industry? Knowing how to interact with people as a true “leader” is paramount. You must align yourself with a training system that develops your leadership skills is vital.

The third part of the question is actions. The most important activity you MUST be involved with is “exposure.” Marketing and prospecting are the two key activities you must be accomplishing. What tools and systems are you using to expose your opportunity and eventually your products and services? Knowing that prospecting is the #1 activity that leads to revenue, you can choose to be either good at it, or bad at it. Knowing that you must prospect to earn money, you can choose to either recruit up, or recruit down. As mentioned on the call, Todd spent 11 years in a network marketing leads generation company. Here is a video of Todd making “live dials” on his weekly conference call, something that he stated he has not done as much of lately, since too many of the people encountered are not really “qualified” to be starting a home business.

Talking to “your broke friends,” or under-qualified Internet “suspects” takes you down the socio-economic chain where you encounter the most skepticism and resistance. Most people are afraid of “recruiting up,” although once you try this once, you’ll discover this to be the path of least resistance. These “professional” people have money and recognize a good opportunity when they encounter it.

Would you rather recruit a realtor or someone who flips burgers? A realtor sells for a living, calls on people,works independently for commissions and is a risk taker. A minimum wage earner does menial tasks, punches in and out, makes minimum wages and takes no risks. The choice should be obvious.

The problem with new marketers is opening their eyes to opportunity. According to Todd, “the eyes cannot see the things they are not prepared to see.” What if you were to contact realtors every time you see a listing in front of a house. Pick up the phone. “Hi Jan, I just saw your listing. I’m an entrepreneur expanding my business in the area. Do you at all keep your options open beyond what you now do in your real estate business?” If “yes,” set an appointment and get your prospecting tool in their hands. Other professionals you should be contacting include mortgage brokers, insurance agents, small business owners, sales professionals, and managers.

Todd Falcone - Insider Secrets to Recruiting Professionals

This formula is currently available in Todd’s Home Study Course: “Insider Secrets to Recruiting Professionals.” For suggestions on products and a marketing system please check out MLM Lead System Pro, which has some incredible new sales tools and a new system for anyone who wants to “Conquer the Internet.”

Work From Home Business Opportunities – 3 Ways to Generate Internet Leads

Jim — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:01:19 +0000

In this article we discuss the best ways to generate leads for a home business venture. In a previous article we made the case for the best home based business being in the field of network marketing. However regardless of whether using the MLM network marketing model or not, the Internet has become very fertile ground for the development of sales leads.

What are the leading ways to generate leads for you home based venture? Recently, we heard an excellent categorization on a webinar presented by Ken Cobb of Next Level Enterprises. In the following paragraphs we elaborate on these three main ways:

Paid methods – The main paid ways to generate Internet leads for you business include pay per click (PPC), banner advertising, and ezine articles or ads. PPC includes, of course, Google adwords among others and is a main revenue source for the search engines. Banner ads have declined in recent years, but involve paid advertising on very popular, high traffic websites (usually based on impressions). Ezine ads are an excellent way to get out your products and/or service message to many subscribers who are already interested in your particular niche.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – SEO is growing in popularity, since it is essentially free advertising. SEO services are time and labor intensive, whether performed in-house or contracted, however. Within SEO, the primary methods used are blogging, article marketing and press releases.
Closed Social Networks – These include popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As many Internet marketers have discovered, Facebook is no longer just about reconnecting with old friends. Similarly, Twitter is not just micro-blogging, but a powerful markting tool. Similarly, LinkedIn has become a fertile marketing ground for generating Internet leads.

Generating leads for a work from home business on the Internet is really no different than generating leads in traditional off-line methods, except that online technology now available adds incredible leverage to the equation. Internet marketers should be careful about misuse of these powerful tools and adhere to generally accepted Internet etiquette rules.

For instance, the days are over of simply blasting out your business ad to thousands or even millions of unsuspecting recipients whose email addresses have been “harvested” online. This, of course, is the quickest way to get your domain or email account suspended and spam filtering has become quite effective as well.

Spam filtering is in effect for all three methods of Internet lead generation as well, whether paid, SEO, or closed social network. For instance, an inexperience marketer may join a social network and begin immediately sending out his links related to his or her products and services. This is the fastest way to lose friends and get dropped from online groups on the planet. Marketing training and education becomes paramount as more and more amateurs enter the world of Internet marketing for their work from home business opportunities.

Extensive marketing training is available from our MLM Lead System Pro affiliate program, including a complete turn-key marketing system designed specifically for automated MLM lead generation.

What are the Best MLM Companies for the New Year?

Jim — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:36:46 +0000

In this article, rather than discuss specific companies we outline what are the criteria needed to select the best multi level marketing (MLM) companies for yourself. In order to make your own assessment, we suggest considering current rankings as well as new players just entering the “game.” We believe that selecting the top MLM company is an individual decision based on an individual’s own particular interests, needs and desires.

One of the key decisions to consider for any individual is his or her life purpose. This may be related to particular talents and gifts on an individual basis in addition to individual life experience. These are both major factors in choice of career path, or in this case, a network marketing career.

First a self examination is in order to determine motivating factors in choosing a network marketing career, even if part time. MLM and network marketing can be very demanding and emotionally taxing for many individuals. A strong reservoir base of talent and motivation will be necessary in order to succeed. MLM and network marketing are yet an unconventional business model, although rapidly gaining in more widespread acceptance.

What are key selection criteria? Author and industry trainer Tim Sales suggests the following criteria in selecting a top multi level marketing company for an individual:

Huge Expanding Market and Industry Timing – Currently, the “baby boom” generation, consisting of people born between 1946 and 1964 is driving several new trends. This group accounts for 1/4 of the world’s population that has produced many trends throughout their lifetimes including the 1980’s real estate boom and present “bust” and many current trends. The most notable include health awareness, anti-aging, and financial planning and retirement. This group started entering their 60’s in 2006 and will continue through 2024. They are looking for products to fill these needs.
Unique, Consumable Product – One of the biggest advantages of a network marketing career is the generation of a residual income. However, the generation of repeated sales from existing customers depends on continued product use. The top network marketing company products should not be obtainable from other sources and should require continued usage month after month.
Leverage – The top multi level marketing companies have adequate leverage in their compensation as well as top notch products that will generate customer sales volume, as well as distributor personal usage. It does no good to grow a team of distributors for a product that isn’t marketable, or if the compensation is inadequate. What is the proportion of customer sales vs. distributor self consumption? How many distributor are needed on your team to earn an adequate paycheck?

Which companies should you consider? The most popular MLM companies according to world-wide Google search statistics are as follows (as of this writing):

1. Amway
2. Herbalife
3. Mary Kay
4. Pampered Chef
5. Monavie
6. Arbonne
7. Partylite
8. USANA
9. Melaleuca
10. Forever Living
11. Stampin Up
12. Creative Memories
13. Xango
14. Quixtar
15. Longberger
16. Isagenix
17. Amsoil
18. Tastefully Simple
19. Nuskin
20. Nikken
21. YTB Travel
22. Shaklee
23. Young Living
24. Prepaid Legal
25. Mia Bella Candles

We suggest you also consider start up companies, but advise some caution, since the failure rate of new MLM network marketing companies is high (though not higher than any other industry). This should give you an excellent starting point, considering your own interests, motivation, and life goals. Take your time in the evaluation, since a wrong selection could cost several years of time needed to generate the residual income you want and deserve.

For further information on selecting the top MLM Company and how to us a systematic approach to MLM, visit our MLM Lead System Pro training site. And we invite you to watch the following video from Tim Sales for his explanation of some of the advantages of an MLM Network Marketing Career.

Phone Systems for Small Business – 8 Factors for Evaluating a VOIP Telephone System

Jim — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:03:21 +0000

Shoretel’s CEO, John Combs, presented a keynote address recently, providing some helpful advice to IT managers and others evaluating a voice over IP (VOIP) phone system. He used the MAC iPhone as an analogy, to show how new technology can quickly dominate an industry. In the case of a VOIP business phone system, IP technology can greatly increase user adaption rates of, which can also improve productivity in an organization.

An IP phone system enables the collaborative and reach aspects of unified messaging technology. The VOIP telephone system usually provides features such as audio conferencing, unified messaging (voicemail in email), web collaboration, mobile integration (cell phones), presence (to locate employees quickly), instant messaging, video conferencing and business process integration (accounting, customer relationship management, sales, etc.).

What sets apart one vendor’s small business phone systems from another’s? Mr. Combs suggests a very structured evaluation process when selecting office telephone systems using VOIP for business. He suggests forming an evaluation team of key players and 8 evaluation criteria for selecting new small business phone systems:

Usability. There must be an onsite demonstration with the actual hardware to be deployed. It is often advisable to have two or more vendors demonstrate side-by-side, or install a prototype at two separate locations and then swap systems and locations to see which one users preferred.
Reliability. What is the expected failure rate, based on actual deployed systems using bellcore/Telecordia standards?
Availability. Make sure you understand the impact of downtime on the business based on the planned configuration.
Scalability. What are the costs should you need to double the planned configuration?
Architecture. What design philosophy was used in the system. Was it ground-up vs. piecemeal from various merged business entities?
Total Cost of Ownership. In many cases upfront costs (hardware, network and implementation) amount to only 20% of the total system cost in the long term. Operating costs (training, move/add/change, system management, network and utilities) can amount to 80% over the system lifetime.
Vendor Financial Strength. Evaluate the vendor’s balance sheet to get comfortable with the fact that they’ll continue to be able to support your office telephone system.
Vendor References. Everyone on the team should contact their peers for information regarding the ip phone system vendors considered. Would they repurchase? Who else do they know using the system? How do actual costs compare to vendor estimates? Is it easy for IT staff to support? Are there any “raving fans?”

When evaluating new small business phone systems, the usual choice is a VOIP business phone system. A careful evaluation of each vendor’s offerings and especially the presence of “raving fans” of any VOIP business phone system are important in getting all the benefits of VOIP for business.