Heres a question I recently received from a subscriber who was looking for more leads for his direct sales business. He wrote:

*Question*: My wife and I have been an associate for a particular company for several months now and we are indeed very happy with the products and support training.

Our problem is getting other people to view our link or getting them to open it at all, I suppose. We need to expand our effort to new associate recruiting and would like your input as to how we might do this. Thank you for reply to this letter.

*Answer*: Thanks for the question. I know that the problem you face is what many direct sales reps face as well. Right now, you are using the website that the company provided to you. Its the same site that the other reps are using and it really doesnt say much about the two of you as unique people.

Your site also makes people enter a code before even viewing it. I understand that this is so you can get credit for any referrals, but youre creating an extra step for your users. People have to remember the code, type it in or even copy and paste it, which unfortunately, is something a lot of people wont bother to do. People use the Internet because its easy and they want to surf around quickly, without having to jump through hoops. You want your information right in front of your prospect when they get to the site.

Obviously, this is the way the company has set up the website and they probably arent going to change thatbut honestlyI dont think that matters. The two of you need your own unique online presence and need to generate your own leads.

Heres why:

Who knows what will happen with your relationship with your company. They are a highly reputable company thats been around for well over 100 years, but you have no idea what the future holds. If the company decided to no longer offer the direct sales opportunity or one day, the two of you decide you just dont want to work with the companywhat happens? Your business is gone! Thats no good.

I recommend that you keep your online presence separate from the company you are working with, so it really is your OWN business and you can maximize your income. You can generate leads that might be interested in your opportunity and you can make them other offers through affiliate programs or you might even want to create your own information products down the line.

Think of what unique perspective you give to your business. Are you great cooks who can show people how to make delicious meals with those products? From the recruiting side, you can also figure out a unique perspective, but make it a product focused one. Your best recruits will be people who have the same interests as younot just people who want to make money online.

You can start by creating a list to promote your products and another to find recruits. Id create two separate websites for this because some of your best customers will never be interested in the opportunity, so dont confuse your visitors. For the product list, you can share recipes, information about using the right herbs and spices, etc. For the recruiting one, you can give information about starting a home business, show how fun it is to sell these types of products, etc.all from your own perspective.

All these subscribers you gather now belong to you. If you decide to move in a new direction with your business, you still have these subscribers and you can continue to deliver quality information to themand earn an income too.

Just remember, this is your business and you want to have complete control AND maximize your income.