Did you know recent surveys of workers and retirees show more than 25% of workers and retirees say they have less than $1,000 saved for their "golden years"?

What does this mean to you as a business leader and SFI Affiliate Sponsor? Discussing the disparity of your affiliates' retirement dreams with their possibly low current retirement savings can motivate them to take action NOW with an SFI business of their own.

You can focus on the contrast of today's retirement savings and lifelong dreams in your ads for prospective affiliates. SFI has made this easy with these handsome financial- and retirement-focused banners you can start to use immediately.

Additionally, consider broaching the topic in a segment in your next communication or newsletter with your team. Point out the extra-income benefits of an SFI business of their own and refer them to the SFI Affiliate Center for assistance and resources. Access your Genealogy and click the "Send an e-mail/team mail to this group" link for an easy way to send e-mails to your team. You could also use the PSA Mailer to send your message to just your personally sponsored affiliates.

Have you introduced yourself to your upline Team Leaders? If not, you could be missing out of one of the most powerful business-building resources at your disposal.

Go now to your SFI Upline page at the Affiliate Center and contact your upline team. Contact each upline member and start a conversation, present your goals, etc. Your upline may be able to assist you in achieving your goals, have co-ops in which you can participate, and more.

When you receive notifications of new personally sponsored affiliates, log in at the Affiliate Center IMMEDIATELY (while they are still online) and initiate a chat with them! The email notification contains a link for this.

Let them know you are their sponsor, welcome them to SFI, and ask if you can assist them with anything to get started. This is a great way to make a great first impression and it can be HUGE for you in getting your affiliates engaged and active--which is key for growing your business and your monthly commissions!

Learn more about SFI's new Instant Messaging service HERE.

Click any SFI ID number on your Genealogy to access the Affiliate Manager, featuring detailed information on that affiliate. For personally sponsored affiliates, this page includes data from the Affiliate Profile, performance statistics, upline information, a sponsor checklist, and more...all designed to help you provide strong support (your responsibility as an SFI sponsor).

For more information about getting the most out of your Genealogy Report, see Genealogy Tips & Shortcuts.

Q: How does the SFI Gift Certificate program work?

A: It's simple: use the Gift Certificate Manager to add funds to your Gift Certificate account, view pending certificates, etc. To issue a Gift Certificate to one of your affiliates, go to your Genealogy Report (Gift Certificate Format). Then click the "Buy Now" link to purchase a Gift Certificate for a specific affiliate.

The SFI system then automatically sends your affiliate a special e-mail notifying them of the discount you've offered and the deadline. There will also be a special link included to quickly and easily access and choose an EA-qualifying product or products from TripleClicks.com—your affiliates will receive the discount you've authorized right off the top! These redemptions will be deducted from a special account you will fund.

Create a contest for your affiliates based on Power Rank points. It could be a prize for the most points accumulated in an upcoming month (so everyone has the entire month). Or, you could award a prize to every affiliate who achieves a top five ranking in their class or any other criteria of your choosing.

Prizes could be SFI gift certificates, a free spot in your co-op, X number of reassigned affiliates, or any number of other things. Be creative.

Many people love to compete for prizes like this, but be sure to recognize your winners in your newsletter and/or on your team website or blog, too, as many people like being recognized as much or even more than receiving prizes!

SFI Executive Affiliate Lyle Kannenberg had this to say about this topic:

"Since the launch of the Power Rank system, I've seen huge participation from new personally sponsored affiliates (and I'm running an extra incentive contest as well). So far this month, two of my new signups are breaking records on my team!"

We recently unveiled a new Power Rank pointable action for sending your sponsor an SFI "Commitment Message." Read more about this HERE.

If you're the sponsor and you receive a Commitment Message, make sure you respond to the affiliate who sent you the message immediately. If you're not doing this, you're wasting GOLDEN opportunities for creating invaluable duplication in your group!

Conversely, if you haven't yet sent your sponsor your Commitment Message, don't put it off any longer! Your sponsor may be waiting to receive your Committment Message before they offer you co-op spots, reassignments, and/or other valuable benefits! That is, they may be looking for people to "raise their hands." Show your sponsor you're someone they should invest in by sending them your Commitment Message.