Introduction to VersaPoints

What are VersaPoints?  

VersaPoints (VP) are points that are awarded to you for doing various actions that support the growth and success of your SFI business.  When you joined SFI, for example, you had the opportunity to earn hundreds of VP for confirming your email address, for uploading your account photo, etc.  And there are dozens of other actions that you can do monthly to earn thousands of VersaPoints (see your TO DO list for a complete list of available actions that earn you VP).

Why VersaPoints are important:

1. VersaPoints earn you shares in the Executive Pool. The more VP you collect each month, the more shares in the pool you can earn. We'll discuss the Executive Pool in more detail in coming lessons, but if you don't want to wait, you can learn more details at the SFI Compensation Plan. More VP also helps determine your rank in SFI; and the higher your rank, the more benefits become available to you–including Matching VP for even MORE shares in the Executive Pool each month! You can review the benefits of each rank at our Benefits Chart.
2. If you're still in your first year in SFI, VersaPoints are also important because collecting the most VP is the objective of the E365 contest (a contest for all SFI affiliates in which you have the opportunity to win thousands of Rewardical Tokens).  Learn more about E365 HERE.
3. VersaPoints are the key to our "Power Rank" program. Power Rank allows you to see how you stack up amongst your fellow SFI'ers—in your class, in your country, and overall, too.  The more points you collect, the higher your Power Rank can go and the more prestigious your Power Rank badge will be.  Check out the current Power Rank Leaderboard and see where YOU are positioned now HERE.
TIP: Your current VersaPoints totals (for today, this month, last month, and all-time) are available 24 hours a day on your Scoreboard tab.
TIP: You can collect unlimited VersaPoints at no cost each month.  See: 14+ ways you can earn VersaPoints for free for more information.

Introduction to Sponsoring

Do you know anyone who might like to earn some extra cash (or a full-time income) working from their computer?  We bet you do!  And even if you don’t know anyone like that, rest assured, there are millions of people around the world who ARE looking for just such a vehicle. We’ll show you how to connect with them...using simple but powerful marketing tools we provide to you at no cost...and with our inexpensive, plug-and-play co-op advertising programs like S-Builder Co-op.

And it’s easy to attract people because SFI is 100% free to join, there’s never any obligation or sales quotas, and no experience is necessary.

So, without ever having to twist anyone’s arm, you introduce people to SFI. They then start making Internet sales. And because you were responsible for them joining SFI, you could be eligible for Matching VP (and, therefore, more shares in the Executive Pool) for every sale THEY make! And not just once, but for every sale they make, month after month, year after year...for life (i.e. Residual Income)!

Imagine having a dozens or hundreds of people generating sales every month...and YOU earning a portion of every sale!  This is the power of sponsoring other affiliates in SFI.

In lessons to come, we'll show you just how easy it is to get started in sponsoring.

TIP: Did you know that studies show that the average 21-year old already knows over 800 people? Check our "Who do you know?" list for ideas for people you can introduce to SFI.

From the chapter Team Building

Communication is VITAL!

In this lesson, we discussed Leveraged Income, and how it is one of the secrets of building wealth. Well, here's a secret about that secret: Great communication is one of the major keys to developing Leveraged Income.
Why?  It's through communication that you'll build relationships with your affiliates–which leads to teaching them how to become successful in SFI.  And this is how you create the powerful "duplication" factor in your business which manifests itself in...Leveraged Income.
But 99% of SFI affiliates are recruiting new affiliates worldwide. Therefore, it's pretty rare that there are any in-person meetings, and even phone calls are relatively uncommon.  Fortunately, today's technology allows us to engage in effective and meaningful communications.  And at SFI, we've developed some of the most robust and feature-laden communication tools available anywhere.

Getting started

First of all, you need to set up a Welcome Message for your new affiliates as outlined in this lesson.
Once you've set this up, all of your new affiliates, upon logging in at the SFI Affiliate Center for the first time, will see an alert about your welcome message for them.  By clicking on  this alert, they'll then be able to read your personal message.  This is an easy, automatic way to get off to a great start in building relationships with your affiliates.
Next, you'll want to develop some form of regular outgoing communications.  We recommend reaching out to your team at least once a week.  
Here are the NINE options we provide you:

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Icebreakers

This powerful SFI tool is designed specifically to help you engage new PSAs when they join your SFI team. Just click the link to your PSA's Affiliate Snapshot included in your New PSA Notification email. Then click the handshake icon located behind your PSA's name to initiate the Icebreaker.
When you initiate an Icebreaker, your new PSA will see a screen like this at the Affiliate Center with a  concise, friendly, and non-intimidating message, along with your name, rank, and account photo:

This Icebreaker window appears on top of your PSA's Affiliate Center screen…so it’s impossible to miss. It also cannot be dismissed without your PSA responding in one of four ways:

1. If online now, your PSA can respond with a, “Yes, let’s chat now” (in which case SFIM is automatically and immediately engaged for both of you).
2. The PSA can schedule a chat with you for a later time.
3. Your new Affiliate can request that your conversation be moved from chat to email.
4. He or she can defer to a later, unspecified time in the future.

Learn more about getting the most from your Icebreakers tool.

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TeamMail

SFI's free TeamMail service allows you to almost effortlessly send messages to your team members.  You can initiate TeamMail messages from:

• Your Genealogy
• Affiliate Snapshots
• Your Stream tab
• Your My Movers tab

Just click the little envelope icon for the person you want to contact and a TeamMail screen will pop up.  It will also be pre-addressed to the affiliate, so all you have to do is compose your message and click “Send.” You can also attach images.  Your message will be instantly delivered and appear in the recipient’s Inbox (and sent to their registered email account too (when applicable).  Quick, simple, and easy!
TIP: Click HERE for sample newsletter content ideas. Learn more about using TeamMail HERE.

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Genealogy Group Mailings

If you hold the minimum rank of Executive Affiliate, you can send emails to your entire group (or any segment thereof) at once with just a couple clicks...and completely free of cost.  You don't have to maintain any mailing lists or worry about bad email addresses.  Just select the group from your Genealogy you want your message to go to, enter your message, and click "send."  It's that easy.
TIP: Click HERE for sample newsletter content ideas.

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PSA Mailer / CSA Mailer

The PSA Mailer allows you to quickly and easily send newsletters, training, tips, and other messages to your PSAs.  And there's no need to worry about messages going to bad email addresses (or opted-out affiliates) as these are automatically filtered out for you.  The PSA Mailer is free to use and there's also no rank or VP requirements.
TIP: Click HERE for sample newsletter content ideas.

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Starter Incentives

Wouldn’t it be great if you could automatically encourage your new PSAs to send you a live chat right when they sign up?  With Starter Incentives, you can!
SFI Starter Incentives is a suite of team-builder tools that lets you target select people in your team with special incentives that encourage them to take an action, such as engaging in a live chat after sign up, communicate with you via e-mail, try out an Astro Auction, and more. To set them up, just go to your Starter Incentives Manager, select people you want to target with special incentives and set your preferences.  Save your choices for these incentives to go immediately into effect.
To learn more about Starter Incentives, see this support page...or view all current available Starter Incentives here.

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Stream

One of the funnest and easiest ways to stay in touch with your entire team is through the Stream tab on your SFI homepage. Stream is similar to the ultra-popular Twitter except you don't have to gather followers.  Instead, all the affiliates in your group within 12 downline generations and all of your CSAs will automatically see all of your Stream posts on their SFI homepage (on the Stream tab).  
Here are some other Stream features you'll like:

• It's always 100% free to use
• Unlike Twitter which is limited to just 280 characters, Stream allows up to 500 characters!
• You can attach images to your posts
• When you receive a post you like, with a single click you can "re-stream" it (post it so all your team sees it too)
• Get immediate feedback on your posts from your followers (like, love, etc.)
• Recipients of your posts can instantly reply to you via inline responses, TeamMail, or initiate a chat session with you, or enter your Private Forum.

Use Stream for news, for sharing general tips & advice, inspirational/motivational messages, recognizing achievements of Team Members, and more.

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SFIM (SFI Instant Messaging)

You can chat live with other Affiliates using our exclusive, free instant messaging service. Just look  for the Chat Status "bubble" icon located or in the far right column for each name in your Genealogy Report (and other places at the Affiliate Center, too, such as at the forum). If the bubble icon is green, the Affiliate is online now. Just click the bubble to bring up a popup window and initiate a chat.
Note: When someone initiates a chat with you, the bubble icon button in Affiliate Center header will turn color and bounce to let you know.  Just click it to respond.  You can also initiate chats with members of your team by clicking the chat bubble here:

TIP: There's a super quick and easy way to see everyone in your team who's online now.  Go to your Genealogy and select the "Online now" QuickFilter and you can immediately start initiating chats with your currently online team members.
TIP: You can also access live chat with members of your UPLINE (your sponsor, co-sponsor, and upline Team Leaders) by clicking the bubble icons located behind their names on your Upline Team page. 

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E-Cards

SFI E-Cards are fun, little digital “greeting cards” designed for sending to your team members.  SFI E-Cards provide an unlimited number of ways to welcome, inform, congratulate, thank, and recognize your team members.  
You can choose from among a wide variety of cards—some colorful, some funny, some a bit silly, and some beautiful. There are E-Cards that automatically personalize themselves with your recipients’ SFI account photo, as well as cards for "special situations," such as an affiliate who has stopped logging in at the Affiliate Center. You can use any of our E-Cards you like, completely free (limit 200 per day).  Get more information about using E-Cards HERE.
TIP: You can also send E-Cards directly from your Genealogy, via the Communications tab. In the "Send E-Card" column, select the type of E-Card you want to send from the dropdown menu for the affiliate of your choice, and click the "Send" button.

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Private Forum

As a Team Leader, you can invite your team members to your own private forum to discuss advertising sources, strategies, game plans, contests, marketing ideas, your team co-ops, and more.  No longer do you have to rely on other unwieldy and/or unfriendly methods to brainstorm and interact with your group.  Just create a thread at the SFI Forum, let your team know the URL (Stream works great for this), and put the power of a full-featured SFI private forum to work for you!

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SPECIAL NOTES:

1. You may be new to business.  And/or you may feel you don't know how to lead, train, or teach anyone.  That's okay, you can learn and grow into the leader role over time.  After all, all the training your affiliates really need is at the SFI Affiliate Center and in our resources like LaunchPad that you're reading now.  But what you must never do is allow your affiliates to think their sponsor (you) is uncaring by not reaching out to them.  If you do that, if you do not communicate with your affiliates, success will be a much, much harder to attain.  If you want to become successful, you must communicate, and you must build relationships with your team members!  
2. Not a writer?  Need ideas for content for your newsletters?  Check out these regularly updated sample newsletters that you can use excerpts from or get ideas from.
2. As you begin communicating with your team members, you may get asked questions you don't know the answer to. Don't fret about this.  Just be honest.  Tell them you don't know the answer. but you will try to help them find it; then do it.
3. For more on how to create effective communications, check out this article by SFI founder, Gery Carson.

New SVP Requirements

Several months ago, we made a change that allowed affiliates to earn EA status every month with ANY kind of VersaPoints (no sales required). Unfortunately, this change has not worked out as we had hoped. Indeed, it has greatly taken the focus away from the vital activity of generating sales and revenue by our largest segment of active affiliates in SFI.

Because of this, overall revenues and, with them, commissions, have been on a downward trend. So, effective March 1st, we are implementing new SVP (Sales VersaPoints) requirements. For the good of all our SFI business owners, we MUST put the focus back on generating sales and revenue!

To this end and because our goal is always to help our affiliates in their efforts, we will be:

- Reducing the total VersaPoints requirements for Team Leaders. More on this in a moment.

- Not requiring EA status to retain your CSAs in March. That is, you will not lose your CSAs in March if you are unable to attain the rank of EA; you will have a whole additional month to gear up.

So, the new requirements for attaining the rank of EA, starting on March 1st, are:

- 1500 total VersaPoints (of which a minimum of 1000 must come from sales or personal purchases).

This change can and should deliver ample positives for SFI affiliates looking to increase their earnings, such as...

1. More commissions across the board! Simply put: without sales, there are no commissions. By putting a "sales quota" in place, there almost certainly will be new commissions being generated companywide. And if you have developed a good-sized team, you can likely count on an increase of commissions heading your way in the weeks to come...and even more increases as we gain momentum over the course of the year!

2. Executive Pool share values will likely go up! The fact is, millions of shares of the Executive Pool are currently being created "out of thin air" (with no revenue to back them up), draining share values. With this change, it is virtually a certainty that share values will increase, probably significantly. This alone could have a huge positive impact on affiliate earnings across the board.

3. A resulting "cascade effect" should create positive momentum in your group! In network marketing, the "cascade effect" works like this: As those below you in your downline generate revenue, the commissions from these sales flow up the line, making you more profits and money to put into your business. Of course, as this happens, much of this money often then comes "cascading" back down the Genealogy in the form of rewards, incentives, reassignments, and more. Everyone, from top to bottom, benefits.

4. The focus will be back where it should be!...on advertising, marketing, and generating sales so that everyone can have a profitable, income-producing business in SFI. Many people join SFI to make money through sales but often and quickly get completely off that track. This change will help “right the ship” and put everyone back on course...and get NEW people started with the RIGHT mindset from day one!

For the same reasons we're adjusting the EA requirements, we're also making some adjustments for Team Leaders (also effective March 1st):

- The rank of BTL (Bronze Team Leader) will now require 2500 total VersaPoints (with a minimum of 2000 from sales or personal purchases). Note that we've reduced the total VP requirement from 3000 to 2500. The Team qualifications remain as 3 PSAs.

- The rank of STL (Silver Team Leader) will now require 3000 total VersaPoints (with a minimum of 2500 from sales or personal purchases). Note that we've reduced the total VP requirement from 4000 to 3000. The Team qualifications remain as 3 PSAs, 1 of whom must be at least BTL.

- The rank of GTL (Gold Team Leader) will now require 3500 total VersaPoints (with a minimum of 3000 from sales or personal purchases). Note that we've reduced the total VP requirement from 5000 to 3500. The Team qualifications remain as 3 PSAs, 2 of whom must be at least STL.

- The rank of PTL (Platinum Team Leader) will now require 4000 total VersaPoints (with a minimum of 3500 from sales or personal purchases). Note that we've reduced the total VP requirement from 6000 to 4000. The Team qualifications remain as 3 PSAs, 3 of whom must be at least a GTL.

- The rank of DTL (Diamond Team Leader) will now simply require 4000 VP from sales or personal purchases. The Team qualifications remain as 3 PSAs, 3 of whom must be at least a PTL.

Special Note: Please bear with us for a few days as we get all system documentation edited and updated to reflect these new changes.

Q&A

Q: When it says that X amount of SVP (Sales VersaPoints) is required, does that mean it HAS to come from actual retail sales?
No, personal purchases are fine...or any combination of personal purchases and retail sales can be used to meet the SVP requirements.

Q: I'm terrible at sales. What can I do?
No one is an expert on anything their first day, month, or even year. Everyone can learn how to become proficient in sales with persistence and education. Tip: LaunchPad has multiple lessons on this topic with lots of specific, actionable guidance. The SFI Forum is also a terrific free resource with regular contributions, tips, and ideas from experienced sellers; join in! And don't forget our popular product ECommergy--which is all about how to make sales online! Consider subscribing; not only will it teach you how to become great at sales, but it can also cover all your SVP requirements simultaneously! It's PERFECT for SFI affiliates!

Q: If I patronize Localvantia vendors (stores in my area) or buy things I need from Rewardical.com vendors, would that allow me to meet the SVP requirements?
Yes! Especially with Localvantia, you can meet your SVP requirement by buying groceries, fueling up your car, etc. And when you do that, you're not spending anything more than you already do! NOTE! We will be making some special modifications on where/how you redeem Rewardicals for SVP at Rewardical.com soon. Stay tuned for more information.

Q: So, if I want to meet my SVP requirements with personal purchases, I will have to find more money in my budget some how to make extra purchases?
No, see the previous answer about how you can meet your SVP requirement by just buying what you're already buying locally. No extra purchases needed!

Q: Where can I find Localvantia merchants to patronize?
Use the directory at Localvantia. Not seeing many (or any) merchants in your area? Learn how to start registering your local businesses HERE (which can also create another nice income stream for you!).

Q: SFI advertises that there are no purchase requirements, but now there are, right?
No. As always there are no personal purchase requirements. You are never required to buy anything--though you can if you want to. 100% of all SVP requirements can be covered by making retail sales.

Q: I don't know if I can meet the new EA requirements, at least not right away. What can I do?
The answer is to simply work as an Affiliate (the basic rank of Affiliate) until you're ready to step up to the Executive rank. As an Affiliate, you'll still earn handsome, up-to-50% Direct Commissions on purchases made by your referrals. You'll also have access to all the basic resources and marketing tools at the SFI Affiliate Center. And you can continue to participate in our auctions, play Eager Zebra games, and enter the Daily Grand, Daily Crown, T-Time, Biz Quiz contests, etc. In other words, there's still a terrific opportunity for you in SFI...but you'll definitely want to strive to "GO EXECUTIVE," and grab all the additional perks that come with it, when you can.

Q: If I carry the basic rank of Affiliate, can I still earn money?
Of course! That's the whole point of joining SFI--to make money. As an Affiliate you can earn UNLIMITED 50% Direct Commissions on every sale you generate! Once you've got a few sales coming in, you'll be ready to jump up to the Executive level. You can also earn unlimited 25% Direct Commissions on all purchases made by your PSAs.

Q: Why "fix it" if it's not broke?
As explained earlier in this announcement, this change, this new requirement of SVP, is absolutely necessary to everyone's continued success.

Q: I'm a Team Leader. If you waive CSA forfeitures for March, does that mean I won't receive any Second Home CSAs in April?
That would be correct. However, you can likely count on a larger than normal amount the following month. Also, in lieu of Second Home CSAs for March, we will be awarding all Team Leaders a share of brand new CSAs!

REFER : https://www.sfimg.com/Support/Solution?id=191295

How can I be an awesome sponsor and create big income duplication?

Advancing in rank and generating sales at our Zing Network properties are a great way to earn money with SFI. To create a MAJOR monthly income stream, however, you've got to lead and grow a team of active SFI affiliates and tap into the ultimate jewel in SFI's compensation plan–the Executive Pool.

With SFI's powerful Executive Pool, you can earn a lucrative income stream with unlimited pool shares through 12 generations! Sounds good? Just follow the guidelines provided in this article and start maximizing your income!

Tip: Print this article out and go through each item one by one. How many of the 28 DO's are you employing in your SFI business to create monthly growth? How many of the 8 DON'Ts are you guilty of that may be sabotaging your success? We've provided you with the guidelines, now it's up to YOU.

DO's

1. DO, first and foremost, always lead by example. Do all the things that you want your downline members to do, and they will follow your lead. Learn more.

2. DO offer and provide robust support to you downline always. Never forget that YOU succeed only if THEY succeed. Learn more.

3. DO "work with the workers" and never forget this critical principle. Learn more.

4. DO fully complete your Leadership Page, and then keep it fresh by checking it at least weekly for needed updates and/or for adding new content.

5.  DO use SFI Starter Incentives for a proven way to incentivize new team members. Starter Incentives is a suite of team-builder tools that let you target select people in your team with special incentives that encourage them to take action.  Just go to your Starter Incentives Manager, select people you want to target with special incentives and set your preferences.  Read more about how to use Starter Incentives here.

6. DO send out a weekly newsletter to your entire downline and CSAs. You can use the group mailer in your Genealogy, the PSA Mailer, and/or CSA Mailer. Tip: Not sure what to say? Check out these SFI Leader Do's and Don'ts.  Another tip: Don't expect lots of responses. Instead, stay focused on publishing valuable information each week. Remember, most people are highly skeptical that they can make money on the Internet. Over time, your consistency will demonstrate that SFI is real, that you're real, and then they'll want to jump in. Think of your weekly newsletters as follow-ups. In the advertising world, it's well-known that most people have to be exposed to something at least 10 times before they even notice it...and often many times more before they will take action such as making a purchase. Use this knowledge to your advantage with a regular, weekly newsletter!

7. DO include your Leadership Page URL in all correspondence with your team (the URL is www.sfimg.com/leadership/YOURSFIID, and encourage your team members to visit your Leadership Page regularly. For example, always include it in your weekly newsletter something like, Visit my Leadership Page for the latest tips, contests, and more for our team at: www.sfimg.com/leadership/YOURSFIID.

8. DO set up contests using your Leadership Page "Rewards/Incentives" section. This will be a GREAT way to to motivate your team by providing specific, actionable goals. You can set the specifications for each of your contests (who is eligible to enter, what the qualifications to win are, the starting and ending dates, restrictions, and of course the prize—which can be TCredits, PSA reassignments, or gift certificates). When your downline members go to your LP, all contests they are eligible for will be automatically presented to them to enter! Also, be sure to test different types of contests for different segments of your team, such as EAs only or affiliates only or PSAs only. Then PROMOTE your contests regularly in your newsletters, Stream postings, etc.

9. DO post a message on your SFI home page's Stream tab at least every three days. Major announcements or deep thoughts are unnecessary. Instead, post a brief word of encouragement, a short tip or insight, a favorite quote, a quick comment regarding a recent SFI news item, a thank you, recognition of team members who have reached a milestone, or just a description of what you're doing to build your SFI business today.

10. DO answer all e-mails you receive from your team members within 24 hours--sooner if possible.

11. DO think big and act boldly. Learn more.

12. DO regularly check My Movers and/or your Genealogy for team members who are online at the SFI Affiliate Center. Start up conversations with them. Tip: You can use the "online now" filter at the Genealogy to pull up all who are currently online.

13. DO, when you receive an e-mail notification of a new PSA, click the included link and see if they are online now. If so, don't waste a second; start up an "SFIM" online chat with them. Start with a Hi, I'm your SFI sponsor, {YOUR NAME}. Welcome to SFI! Can I help you to get started? This is one of the absolute best ways to connect with a new PSA and start them on the road to success in SFI (which, of course, adds to your success).

14. DO use your SFI badges to lead by example. Remember, when your team members visit your Leadership Page (or view your Affiliate Snapshot), your badges are displayed to them. Your team members will do as you do. Hence, make sure everything you want them to do you've got the badge for on YOUR page...such as: an Auto Delivery, a high Power Rank, a high VP leaderboard rank, E365 finalist, S-Builder, etc. If your page isn't sporting these badges, don't expect your downline members to work for them either. Lead by example!

15. DO work with and cheer on all your PSAs who are currently in the E365 contest. Just go to the E365 Leaderboard and select "My PSAs." Tip: Clicking their name will display their Affiliate Snapshot. Their Snapshot contains specific details on their current status in the E365 contest--as well as a link to their VP Ledger so you can see what points are available to them. Use this information to personalize your support messages to them.

16. DO also work with and cheer on all your CSAs who are currently in the E365 contest. Just go to the E365 Leaderboard and select "My CSAs." See previous "DO" for additional tips you can use with your CSAs in the E365 contest.

17. DO write a good "My Best Tip" and make sure it's spell checked and the grammar is correct. Your downline will be seeing your tip on your Affiliate Snapshot and Leadership Page. This is a one of the best places to show your team what kind of leader you are. Add/edit your tip HERE.

18. DO spend a few minutes every day at the SFI Forum. Be visible to the SFI community as a whole and to your downline, especially by posting regularly. Share tips and answer questions that are posted. Show your downline that you're a leader at the Forum too.

19. DO recognize the good works and milestones of your team members. Everyone likes to have their accomplishments recognized! You can use a combination of venues, including the Recognition section of your Leadership Page, the Recognition section at the SFI Forum, your weekly newsletters, and TeamTalk posts on Stream. Recognize new affiliates, new EAs, and new Team Leaders. Recognize milestones, such as: first PSA sign-up; first PRM sign-up; first TripleClicks sale; and achieving the rank of EA. Recognize the advancements of your PSAs in the Entrepreneur365 Challenge, etc. Learn more.

20. DO reassign PSAs. Here's the strategy we recommend: Using the information at your My Movers tab and/or your Genealogy, identify your five best, most active PSAs. TIP: Your Visual Genealogy makes it super easy to identify up to five of your most active PSAs. Reassign equally all of your other PSAs under these five...and let them know what you've done. Note: Don't fret about doing these reassignments. You can earn Matching VP (down to 12 generations) on every person you reassign so you can still directly benefit from all of their actions. Assuming you've chosen your five potential leaders well, you now have five very excited PSAs who are now even more motivated to work and build their SFI businesses. PLUS, by narrowing everything down to five people, you can put the immense power of FOCUS to work for you. Be at their beck and call, and work with each of your five PSAs closely, ideally on a daily basis. This is where you'll create the momentum that manifests in ever-larger monthly commissions.

Note: If you don't yet have five go-getters, start with two or three. You can always add people later. Must you stop with five? No, but you can earn a massive income with just 5 to 10 superstar PSAs, so don't spread yourself too thin going any wider on your front line. More on this topic here. TIP: Also consider removing potential communication barriers by reassigning PSAs from non-English speaking countries to active Affiliates in your downline from those same countries or who speak the same language. Learn more.

21. DO run an advertising co-op for your team if you can. Use SFI's Co-op Manager; it does all the heavy lifting and makes setting up and maintaining a team co-op simple and easy.

22. DO add your own creativity to your marketing. "In the years before we launched SFI, I ALWAYS created my own marketing tools to promote the companies I was associated with, and it was a major reason for my success," says SFI Founder, Gery Carson. Yes, you must stay within the boundaries of SFI's advertising policies, but there is plenty of room to add your own touches, your own story, your own style, to create marketing that works for YOU.

Here's a good tip for connecting with SFI skeptics: Use the included filter on your SFI Testimonial Gateway (http://www.sfi4.com/YOURSFIID/saying) to display just the testimonials from the country you're marketing in. Each testimonial also features the name, photo, and country of the author, so your potential affiliates can immediately see that these are real people from their own country with good things to say about SFI. Just go to your Gateway List, scroll down and access your Testimonial Gateway. Then, select the country you want to use from the dropdown menu on the Gateway, and cut and paste the resulting URL into your ad or marketing copy.

23. DO view and browse all Forum posts of your PSAs and CSAs. Your PSAs and CSAs are the lifeblood of your team, and they'll appreciate seeing their sponsor or co-sponsor on the Forum and responding to their posts. Just click the Profile tab at the SFI Forum for a listing of your PSA and CSA posts.

24. DO read every day. Always remember that leaders are readers! Learn more.

25. DO review "The Plan" for reaching the rank of DTL and maximizing your success and income with SFI.

26. DO encourage your PSAs to become EAs so they can begin to grow their own teams and create duplication. Visit the Training Center for helpful tools and articles to increase the EAs in your team.

27. DO engage your new PSAs when they join your SFI team using the Icebreakers tool. Learn more.

28. DO apply and use the SFI Rules Of Success at all times!

DONT's

1. DON'T set up an autoresponder or canned text for replying to team members who've contacted you. Doing so is a MAJOR turn-off and is absolutely counter to how you achieve success in SFI. Duplication and big commissions are built on the creation and maintaining of good, strong relationships with your team members. You cannot build a relationship by ignoring someone or substituting the personal touch with automation.

2. DON'T twist people's arms about "upgrading" or becoming an EA. Do this and you may actually get the OPPOSITE result! Learn what you SHOULD be emphasizing HERE.

3. DON'T do actions that you don't want your downline to emulate. Remember, as spelled out in the first "DO" above, your downline follows your lead—good OR bad! If your downline gets the impression that YOU do nothing, they'll likely do the same...NOTHING.

4. DON'T set up a support Website for your team unless you are prepared to keep it up to date (SFI is constantly evolving and adding programs/features).

5. DON'T be sloppy and unprofessional in your communications with your team members. Leaders get the details right.

6. DON'T major in minors. Learn more.

7. DON'T do things for your affiliates that they should do themselves—or you will create "dependents."

8. DON'T waste your time on skeptics and non-motivated people. You and SFI can only provide the track for them to run on. You cannot drag people across the finish line. They have to want it for themselves. Always focus on the workers. Learn more.

Free TripleClicks Bonuses

Did you get your free triple bonuses?

Commissions and perks were recently processed for January, and if you were an EA (Executive Affiliate) or above last month, you now have the following triple bonuses added to your account:

* 10-20 free TCredits
* 50 to 100 free Rewardicals
* 10-20 free CSAs

View all the benefits you get as an SFI Executive Affiliate or Team Leader: https://www.sfimg.com/Reference/ComparisonChart

Popular Leadership Challenge contest is back!

Beginning Monday, July 1st, our popular Leadership Challenge contest is back!

The Leadership Challenge is a contest for all SFI affiliates interested in developing a strong, active group. It’s for affiliates who understand that duplication = compensation. And because we love rewarding those who embrace these principles, the Leadership Challenge (LC) contest offers great prizes including prestigious new SFI badges, cash, Rewardicals, and exclusive new Zing Network gear!

Following are July's qualifications and prizes:

• LEVEL 1: Develop 2 personally sponsored EAs to earn the Level 1 LC badge and 2000 Rewardicals.
• LEVEL 2: Develop 3 personally sponsored EAs to earn the Level 2 LC badge, 3000 Rewardicals, and $10 cash.
• LEVEL 3: Develop 5 personally sponsored EAs to earn the Level 3 LC badge, 4000 Rewardicals, and $20 cash.
• LEVEL 4: Develop 2 new, personally sponsored Team Leaders* to earn the Level 4 LC badge, 5000 Rewardicals, and $35 cash.
• LEVEL 5: Develop 3 or more new, personally sponsored Team Leaders* to earn the Level 5 LC badge, 10000 Rewardicals, $50 cash, and a brand new Zing Network t-shirt featuring all Zing properties!

*Qualifying Team Leaders must be achieving this rank for the first time.

Special Notes:
1. We're also going to be debuting a new LC report soon that will provide your current status and other guidance so that you can maximize your results and prizes.
2. You'll receive the badge and prizes for the single highest level you have achieved when commissions are processed for the previous month. Example: August 10th for July sales.

What are Versa Points?

Introduction to VersaPoints

What are VersaPoints?  

VersaPoints (VP) are points that are awarded to you for doing various actions that support the growth and success of your SFI business.  When you joined SFI, for example, you had the opportunity to earn hundreds of VP for confirming your email address, for uploading your account photo, etc.  And there are dozens of other actions that you can do monthly to earn thousands of VersaPoints (see your TO DO list for a complete list of available actions that earn you VP).

Why VersaPoints are important:

1. VersaPoints earn you shares in the Executive Pool. The more VP you collect each month, the more shares in the pool you can earn. We'll discuss the Executive Pool in more detail in coming lessons, but if you don't want to wait, you can learn more details at the SFI Compensation Plan. More VP also helps determine your rank in SFI; and the higher your rank, the more benefits become available to you–including Matching VP for even MORE shares in the Executive Pool each month! You can review the benefits of each rank at our Benefits Chart.
2. If you're still in your first year in SFI, VersaPoints are also important because collecting the most VP is the objective of the E365 contest (a contest for all SFI affiliates in which you have the opportunity to win thousands of Rewardical Tokens).  Learn more about E365 HERE.
3. VersaPoints are the key to our "Power Rank" program. Power Rank allows you to see how you stack up amongst your fellow SFI'ers—in your class, in your country, and overall, too.  The more points you collect, the higher your Power Rank can go and the more prestigious your Power Rank badge will be.  Check out the current Power Rank Leaderboard and see where YOU are positioned now HERE.
TIP: Your current VersaPoints totals (for today, this month, last month, and all-time) are available 24 hours a day on your Scoreboard tab.
TIP: You can collect unlimited VersaPoints at no cost each month.  See: 14+ ways you can earn VersaPoints for free for more information.

From the chapter SFI Basics

Executive Benefits

In this LaunchPad lesson, we're going to go over the first two ranks in SFI and what they mean to your SFI benefits and compensation.  
Everyone who joins SFI starts out as a basic affiliate. As a basic affiliate,  you can earn:   

1. Direct Commissions
2. Pay-Per-Action Bounties    

Of course, you're free to remain a basic affiliate if you wish. However, by scoring just 1,500 VersaPoints (VP), you can advance to the "executive  level" of SFI!  As an Executive Affiliate (EA), you gain access to some of SFI's most powerful business-building tools and perks. You ALSO tap into more earning opportunities, including:     

3. Executive Pool (profit sharing program)
4. TCredits Bonus

Learn more about becoming an EA HERE.

From the chapter SFI Basics

Entrepreneur365 contest

Entrepreneur365 (E365) is a fun and exciting SFI contest that gives you great goals to shoot for during your first year in SFI.
The objective: Score the most VersaPoints (VP) in your class during this 365-day period.
While you're competing in E365, you'll also have the opportunity to win thousands of Rewardical Tokens!

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How it works

In the E365 contest, you compete for the most accumulated VersaPoints with every other SFI affiliate who joined SFI the same day you did. The idea is to outlast them all and, on your 365th day in SFI, be named the champion of your class—an Entrepreneur365 Champion!
As an E365 Champion, you'll receive:

• Special corporate recognition
• Income-boosting Co-Sponsored Affiliates (CSA) every month
• A spot on the E365 "Hall of Fame" Website and bragging rights for your class
• A handsome plaque for your office wall to commemorate your achievement

For each of your days as an E365 contestant ("Challenger"), you'll ALSO have the opportunity to win Rewardicals in our E365 Daily Drawing. Drawings are daily random drawings for all qualified contestants from your class (and all other classes still within their first 365 days in SFI).
E365 also features a MONTHLY contest with even more recognition and Rewardicals. That is, during each month of the year-long contest, you can earn special recognition as the monthly VersaPoints champion for your class by having the most VP for the month.  A total of 1000 Rewardicals are also awarded for being the monthly VP champ.

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How to enter

There are no purchase requirements to participate in the E365 contest. Just complete the following six actions within your first 365 days in SFI to automatically enter the contest:

1. Verify your email address (earn 150 VP)
2. Whitelist the email addresses of SFI and upline members  (earn 100 VP)
3. Complete your Affiliate Profile Basics  (earn 75 VP)
4. Upload your account photo  (earn 35 VP)
5. Send your commitment letter to your sponsor  (earn 50 VP)
6. Attain the rank of EA (Executive Affiliate)

TIP: Step 6 requires advancing to the rank of EA with 1500 VP.  Note that if you're in your first month and do not collect 1500 VP by the end of the month, you can transfer all of your VP to the subsequent month.

From the chapter SFI Basics

Central to your success

You will not create a successful business by thinking about it. You will create a successful business ONLY by DOING...by TAKING ACTION every day. As the great Alexander Graham Bell said, "The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action."
At SFI, the Affiliate Center is one of the main places where you'll be taking action and working on your business.  Indeed, it's "central to your success."
At the Affiliate Center, you have access to our valuable, personalized, step-by-step assistance; the latest news; timely tips; and training to build your new business, plus important alerts, notifications, and messages from SFI corporate and upline leaders.  Drink them all in...at least once a day!
TIP: One of the best ways to making sure you're not missing anything is by reviewing  the 15 "Action Tabs" on your SFI homepage each day.  Doing so will also allow you to earn up to 12 valuable VersaPoints daily.
The Affiliate Center is also where you'll find your individual account information, business reports, Glossary, Compensation Plan, FAQs, and literally hundreds of marketing aids, tools, and resources to power your business...and much more!
Because of all this, we STRONGLY recommend you bookmark www.sfimg.com now.  BETTER YET, here's how to set the SFI Affiliate Center as your Web browser's homepage to really make it easy to visit daily.
And here's a little "homework assignment" for you:
When you have some time, go through each of the items on the main menu bar (the black bar that runs across the top of almost every page at the Affiliate Center).  Click  the "Income,"  the "Training" and "Reference" links, and all the others, too.  EACH of these links will take you to an index of many, many valuable and useful tools, aids, and resources.  Familiarize yourself with these items so you know where they're available when you need them.

From the chapter SFI Basics

Daily Action Tabs

If you're serious about succeeding–and we know you are!–you must have a commanding grasp of the latest information relating to your business. You must also be well-informed about the overall and day-to-day performance of your business, and be able to accurately answer questions from your team members and customers.
Your Affiliate Center homepage is designed to cover these needs and MUCH MORE.  On your homepage, you'll find 15 tabs–customized just for you.  As explained in this lesson, you'll want to review, digest, and, most importantly, apply the information on each tab each day.  Indeed, it is the most important thing you can do to assure your success in SFI.
Here's a brief summary of what you'll find within the 15 tabs, in the order they appear on your Affiliate Center homepage. It's a lot of information, we know, but it will behoove you to familiarize yourself with what is contained in each tab.
TIP! Turn all 15 tabs from red to green and earn a BONUS Daily Grand entry!

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Alerts

Think of your Alerts tab as your very own "front page" of your daily business newspaper, listing the headlines, brief snippets, and notices that you'll want to know about and to give attention to.  Personalized for you, your Alerts tab appears as the default tab on your homepage after you log into the Affiliate Center.
To turn this tab green, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button at the bottom of the page.

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Badges

The Badges tab acts as your "mantel," displaying all the badges that you've earned to date.  Badges tout your accomplishments, both as an SFI Affiliate and as a Member, give you goals to shoot for, help you keep track your progress, and more. Learn more about the importance of badges in this lesson.
This tab is also your central base for Badge Quest, an exclusive game for SFI affiliates with five levels of fun and achievement.  And with each advancement, you'll also earn valuable prizes and recognition!  Get complete details on the Badge Quest game HERE.
To turn this tab green, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button at the bottom of the page.

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To-Do List

Here, you'll find an easy-to-follow list of actions designed to help you build a successful SFI business. In addition to daily, weekly, and monthly actions for growing your business, there are also sections listing specific actions to promote Team Leadership and increase sales. You'll also see one-time actions listed, which disappear from this list as you complete them. Each action you complete earns you VersaPoints (shown in the left column on the list). The more points you earn, the higher your SFI commissions can go!
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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Tips

Stop here daily for your SFI Tip of the Day, a "Practical Post" featured Forum thread/post, cool motivational Quote of the Day, and an informative Did You Know section outlining important aspects about SFI that you'll want to keep in the forefront of your mind as you grow your business. You'll also see a Featured Marketing Aid you can use for your SFI business.
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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Stream

We simply cannot stress enough the role effective communication plays in your business success! In fact, it's SO important, we've devoted this special home page tab for posts to and from your team. This is a GREAT way to start discussions and share news items, tips, alerts, motivational quotes, recognition, and more.  Stream also features posts from SFI corporate.  Learn more about Stream in this lesson.
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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TC (TripleClicks)

As it's name suggests, the TC tab is all about what's going on at TripleClicks.com. As discussed in this lesson, TripleClicks is YOUR store. Therefore, you'll want to keep a close eye on what's going on at TripleClicks by checking out the information on this tab every day, including: 

• Super Deals
• Featured TCD Product of the Week
• How to earn with TripleClicks

To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review all sections of this page and clicking the blue button at the bottom of the page. This action also turns the tab green.

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RW (Rewardicals)

The RW tab displays the total number of Rewardical Tokens (RTs) we've awarded to date, along with a list of stores in your area and online stores, including Rewardical ECAs, at which you can earn Rewardicals.
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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EZ (Eager Zebra)

The EZ tab provides up-to-date stats and information on Eager Zebra games (a division of TripleClicks). Easy access to playing games is also provided; just click any of the green "PLAY!" buttons to go directly to the game of choice at TripleClicks.  Note: When you click one of the play buttons, you'll land on the game's entry screen with full information on the game, a link for tips for winning, and more.
TIP: Learn about the big earnings opportunities promoting Eager Zebra games in this lesson.
To collect 1 BONUS VersaPoint from this tab, click any of the green "PLAY" buttons to play a game. This action also turns the tab green.

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Auctions

The Auctions tab provides up-to-date stats and information on live Astro Auctions. Astro Auctions integrates fun, cool, and innovative features into the popular silent auction model. The Auctions tab lists current Astro Auctions; just click one of the GO! buttons for the item of your choice to go directly to that auction and place a bid. NOTE: Bid in 60 more auctions to qualify as an Astro Auction VIP and earn a VIP badge!
To collect 1 BONUS VersaPoint, bid on any auction. This action also turns the tab green.In addition, you can earn a minimum of 10 Rewardicals with every bid to redeem on unlimited VersaPoints, TCredits, PSAs, and more!

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Scoreboard

As the name implies, the Scoreboard tab provides your up-to-the-minute "scores" on VersaPoints, earnings, your Power Rank, and more.  There are six sections:

• The top section presents your current VersaPoint statistics, including VP you've earned to date, VP you've earned last month, VP you've earned so far this month and so far today, along with whether you've qualified for today's Daily Grand and your rank on the current VP Leaderboard.
• In the next section, you see your current SFI rank and the number of VP, PSAs, and personally referred Team Leaders you need to advance to the next rank in SFI.
• Your TripleClicks Booster Club status.
• The My Earnings section breaks down your earnings so far for the current month, including figures for Direct Commissions, Co-Sponsor Commissions, TCredit Bonuses, and more.
• The Power Rank section lets you see how you're doing compared with other SFI Affiliates. You'll see your Overall Power Rank status, as well as your Class Rank (how you rank among Affiliates who joined SFI the same day you did) and your Country Rank(how you rank among affiliates in your country).
• In the last section, you can view your Sponsor Rating for the month, if applicable (learn more about Sponsor Ratings here).

To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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Movers

The Movers tab makes it easy to discover and monitor your team's "movers and shakers." Each "mover" listing includes the affiliate's name and key information (such as their VP totals, last login date, and more) and contact information (if applicable).
TIP: Use the filters at the top to narrow your list or quickly find those who are online now.
You can also easily contact any affiliate listed on your Movers tab–via TeamMail, via SFIM (SFI's online chat program), by e-card, or through regular email by clicking the appropriate icons beside each listing (learn more about TeamMail, SFIM, and other communication tools in this lesson). You can also create private notes and set follow-up reminders for each mover.
The affiliates listed on your Movers tab will be your most active and, hence, are extremely valuable to the success of your business. Review your Movers list every day and make sure you're following up with and actively supporting each of these persons–as this is how you develop Leveraged Income, the most powerful factor in creating wealth with SFI!
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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Growth

Whereas the Scoreboard tab mainly covers your personal progress, the Growth tab provides information on companywide growth for SFI and TripleClicks.  One of the great benefits of being an SFI affiliate is that you get to share in and profit from our growth, so you'll naturally want to be checking this tab each day for the latest stats.  And/or, you may want to use some of the figures in your marketing efforts.
The Growth tab also recognizes our newest E365 Champion, and affiliates who've recently advanced to a new rank. Click an affiliate's name to view his/her Affiliate Snapshot or click the blue Congratulate button to show them your support.
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green.

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Goals

As explained in SFI Rules Of Success, having goals are vital if you want to achieve real success.  With the Goals tab we automatically make this key element part of your daily activities.  From the Goals tab, you'll set and monitor monthly goals, as well as the long-term goals you listed on your Affiliate Profile.
To update your monthly goals, just enter the goal number in the appropriate field and click the "Set This Month's Goals" button. To change your long-term goals, click the "Edit my goals" link at the bottom of the page to access your Affiliate Profile and save your changes there. Your updated goals will be immediately reflected on your Goals Tab. Note: Your sponsor will see what you write each day.
TIP: Enter your monthly goals on this tab before the 10th of each month to pick up 5 Bonus VP!
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, review the page, then scroll down, and click the blue button. This action also turns the tab green. 

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Forum

The Forum tab highlights posts from the SFI Forum that you need to see and/or that might be important to you. The Forum tab automatically displays for you:

• Posts by members of your team
• Posts by persons that you follow (which may include SFI president Gery Carson, your Sponsor, Co-Sponsor, etc.)
• Posts by affiliates from your country and/or region
• Your recent posts with likes

To read a post and enter the SFI Forum, just click the title of the post.
TIP: Especially when you see a post by one of your team members, you should visit the post and see if you can help.  It's also a great way to see what your team members are up to, what questions and concerns they are having, etc.
If you've collected at least 1500 VersaPoints, the Forum tab also includes a "Great Question!" submission form.  If you have a  "big picture" question about SFI, just click the "I Have A Great Question" button and submit your question. If chosen by the Forum Moderators, your question will be featured at the Forum and answered by some of SFI's smartest and highest-earning members! 
To collect a VersaPoint from this tab, click on a Forum thread of interest and spend a minimum 15 seconds at the thread, but we hope you'll spend MUCH longer!  This action also turns the tab green.

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Win-It!

What's success without a little fun?! The Win-It! tab features SFI's DAILY GRAND contest, an exclusive daily drawing that awards 410 lucky affiliates win a share of 18,000 Rewardicals that can be exchanged for a variety of cool products and other irresistible goodies. Entering the contest is easy: simply click the "Enter Today's Daily Grand" button.
TIP: Learn how to maximize your chances of winning the Daily Grand by gaining extra entries each day in this lesson.
But that's not all! Scroll down to the bottom of the Win-It! tab for information about the monthly Badge Quest contest–where you can compete for for Rewardicals and recognition–and more ways to win cash and prizes in the daily SFI Biz Quiz and T-Time hourly drawings.