Multi Level Marketing by adi mursalin

Basic MLM Commission Plan Components Mark Rawlins Wednesday, Jan 9, 2008

While there are many factors that contribute to the success or failure of MLM companies, the commission plan is one of the biggest. Commission plans that are not well designed and consequently fail to motivate distributors for whatever reason can become a mammoth obstacle to the growth of a network marketing company. The basic components that should make up every commission plan include: •

Company Mission. The questions you need to ask yourself as you begin designing a commission plan revolve around the theme, “What do I want my company to do?” Like any entrepreneur hoping to build a successful business, you need to be very clear on what you want your MLM company to achieve and how you want it to operate in order to achieve that goal. The commission plan you develop and implement needs to reflect your values and beliefs. Those beliefs must guide and control your company. You must develop a commission plan that encourages distributors to behave in such a way that fosters and support those beliefs. Success is more likely when your commission plan drives behaviors that support your company’s values and beliefs.

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Commissions. A commission is an amount paid to a distributor on his/her direct and downline commissionable volume. It usually comprises commissionable volume within his/her own group. Some plans call all forms of payment to distributors commissions. A commission plan is the combination of rules, commission types, and structure that defines how distributor compensation is calculated and paid. By the way, commissions alone do not define the commission plan.

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Rules. Rules define the qualifications a distributor must meet in order to be paid commissions on downline activity. They also specify the criteria for earning other awards or benefits from the company. For example, do you expect new distributors to purchase a sales kit on sign-up? Do you require them to purchase a demonstration kit? How many months can distributors be unqualified before losing their distributorship? How much must distributors sell each month to remain qualified at the current rank? What are the most common qualifications?

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Structure. Structure is comprised of the specific set of rules in commission plans that determine where people are placed in the organization. The commission plan defines what the organization will look like. Today, almost all successful commission plans include sales force classifications or divisions. Plans are built on finding ways to divide your downline and compensate the different levels. How do distributors build downlines? What will the downline look like as the company grows? How effective will the organization be in terms of motivation, payout, distribution, and so on? Some commission plans are very structure-oriented. For example, a distributor may be allowed to build his business by personally sponsoring only three distributors. Other commission plans simply require that a distributor do certain things without requiring a specific structure.

In conclusion, few network marketing companies seem to really grasp the skill of compensation. Study and apply these basic, time-proven commission plan components because the networkmarketing companies that achieve long-term success always have a sound commission plan based on them. 1493

Determining MLM Compensation

Mark Rawlins Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008

How does an MLM company pay its sales force for the behavior it desires? How much should payout be? How much can the company afford to pay out? For $1,000 of product sales, should the payout be $60? $100? $200?

Pricing The pricing methodology of an MLM company’s product line has a lot to do with its payout. In today’s network marketing companies, two prices are discussed: • •

Wholesale Price. The highest price distributors pay for product. Retail Price. The price retail customers pay for product.

Retail is typically 25% higher than the wholesale price. In order to avoid confusion, companies will choose either the retail or wholesale price as their “base” price, upon which all their literature and price lists are based. Party Plan companies generally employ a retail-based pricing method. Distributors sell to customers at retail and take the difference between retail and wholesale as profit. MLM companies typically use a wholesale-based pricing method. There are a lot of pricingrelated issues that have to be considered and decisions made, then all the characteristics of the commission plan flow from these decisions.

Payout Standard The commission payout standard in the industry today is 40-45%. That’s percentage payout of the wholesale dollar—the money that actually comes in from the distributor. This represents an eight time mark-up from wholesale to retail. In other words, the retail price of the product is eight times its cost.Variance from the standard brings predictable consequences, which should be carefully considered. If a company promotes a plan paying only around 20% commission, it may have a hard time recruiting and keeping distributors. It may also find great difficulty competing in the marketplace against other direct selling companies. If you’re going to pay more than 45% in commission, you have to know where that money is going to come from. Some companies go up to 50%, but when you start going much more than that, it’s very hard to sustain long-term profitability. The higher percentages are possible with high product margins. Theoretical payout— the percentage the plan would pay if all commissions were paid out in every case—should not be more than 8% above actual, to avoid disappointing distributors expecting more. Payout Distribution How do you distribute the standard 45% commission? If you give everybody 5%, then you can pay about 9 people. If you pay everybody 10%, you can pay 4 ½ people, and, if you pay 20%, then you can pay about 2 ¼ people. Companies have to put some deep thought and study into making fundamental decisions about how they’re going to divide this money. What do most companies do? 5% Plus Theory 5% Aspect The purpose of the 5% Plus Theory is to provide a standard for companies to allocate commission money. Application of this theory enables distributors to solidly count on the beliefs: • •

If I build a downline, I will have some control over my destiny. If I build my downline properly, I will get paid on the majority of all of my downline sales.

There are two parts of the 5% Plus Theory: 1) companies can’t pay the standard 5% commission to all distributors. Sometimes when a distributor makes a sale, he/she might have a 50-60-person upline. So, if there were 50 people in that upline and the company paid everyone 5%--5 x $50 equals 250% payout! Obviously, the company has to decide who to give the 5% to. 2) Then, companies have to decide who to give the plus percentages to--additional,MLM companies build commission plans by dividing up their downline and deciding how much to pay each division. Most commissions today are built on the theory of the 5% plus curve. This theory says each upline distributor that receives commissions will receive at least 5% in order for the commission plan to be viable. You need to pay those upline distributors critical to the growth and stability of your company at a higher percentage. The commission plans that have survived have done so implementing this theory.

Figure 1. 5% (Plus) Theory of Commission: Curve.

Figure 2. 5% (Plus) Theory of Commission. However, the problem with saying you’re going to pay only 5% is that if the downline sales for a distributor are $10,000 and you give that individual 5%, his/her earnings are only going to be $500. Is this the appropriate amount for a distributor to earn on $10,000 of sales? If somebody else is making those sales, then that may be an appropriate amount. If he/she is going out making those sales alone, that individual will soon be working at Wal-Mart because the earnings per hour is just too low. Plus Aspect The challenge is to create a segment of your downline that you can make a higher percentage on. These are the people you really want to incentivize. The plus aspect of the 5% Theory is, you pay the upline distributor, who is responsible for those sales. You don’t give everybody 5%. You give some people 5%, then you give others an additional percent. Most companies want to pay the 40-45% in commissions, and the rest in incentives like car programs and trips, plus global bonus pools.

Figure 3: “Plus” Aspect of Theory. It comes down to the argument of where do these plus dollars go? How do you determine where they go? How do you divide up the downline to determine where the plus dollars go? Different commission plans propose different approaches to these questions. Your company must choose the plan that best fits its needs and matches its overall philosophy. Note: For a discussion of today’s three major commission theories, including the 5% Theory, refer to: The Three Proven Commission Plans: Parts 1-5, by Mark Rawlins. The bottom line is that MLM corporate executives must build a plan that effectively rewards their distributors. A successful network marketing company must have a strong and flexible commission plan that pays and generates activity at every level of the company. ©2007 MLM.com Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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MLM Commission Plan Qualifications and Rank Advancements Mark Rawlins Wednesday, Jan 9, 2008

Rules define the requirements a distributor must meet in an MLM company in order to be paid commissions on downline activity. They also specify the criteria for earning awards or benefits from the company. For example, how much must a distributor sell each month to remain qualified at the current rank? And, does the company require a distributor to take certain training classes before moving up in rank? A network marketing company’s commission plan will almost certainly have to include the following two categories of rules: 1) commission qualification rules, and 2) rank advancement rules. A company has to attribute qualifications and rank advancement to the act of work. Distributors want to be able to depend on a clearly defined set of rules that tell them what they have to do to be paid each month, and what they have to do to advance in rank. Basically, a company builds its qualification rules to set the distributors on the path the company wants them to follow, and then puts in a system of commissions that reward them for following that path. There are two kinds of qualification rules: those that qualify distributors for rank advancement, and those that qualify distributors to receive commissions each month. This is where the issue of having ranks and lots of commission types creates a challenge for a company. The more ranks a company has, the more rules are required to advance from rank to rank and to qualify to earn each of the commissions associated with each rank. This means the commission plan description becomes more complex. The more complex the commission plan becomes: 1) the harder it is to explain, and the more time you need to explain it, 2) the more confused people are, and 3) the more distributor service people the company has to employ. You see the problem.

Companies can help alleviate this situation by having a consistent method of advancing from rank to rank. The advancement rules should set up a logical, consistent manner for: 1) commission payout for each rank, 2) achieving a rank in the first place, and 3) maintaining qualifications. In general, a company should make the rules as simple as is feasible to achieve the desired results. In most companies, the distributors advance in rank by building their organizations and increasing their downline sales volume. A company always needs to keep the top rank in mind as it defines the rules for the other ranks. Another thing to remember is that once distributors reach the highest rank, it’s tempting for them to quit building their organization and “retire.” When a company defines the top rank, it needs to make sure that when people do achieve that rank, their earnings are in line with the respect the company wants the rank to command. For example, if a 4-Star Diamond Rank is the top rank, and some distributors at that rank that are earning only $2,000 a month, it won’t command much respect. This is especially problematic if some 4-Star Diamonds are earning $2,000 a month and others, $100,000 a month. Once a company decides what qualifications to use, it’s important to build consistency as a distributor moves from rank to rank. A distributor shouldn’t have to build one way to become a sales leader and then change methods to get to the next rank. A company shouldn’t, for example, encourage distributors to build their downline deep, and then switch to having them build their downline wide in order to advance to the top rank. Once a company decides which qualifiers to use, the next question it must consider is if distributors must reach the qualification to achieve a rank within a month, several months, or if they have forever to achieve it. Caution: Make sure your commission plan isn’t rewarding non-producers. Examine what happens with your plan if distributors fail to produce. Do they continue receiving compensation at the level of their performance? If not, you’re rewarding nonperformance at the expense of performers. What one man receives without working, another man works for without receiving. In conclusion, if you want to understand a commission plan, you must understand its qualifications and rank advancement rules. If you do not understand these, you cannot understand the plan.

MLM Distributor Viability Mark Rawlins Thursday, Jan 10, 2008

In the MLM world, a commission plan is about figuring out how to create a framework where distributors do the least amount of work—the most important work—for the maximum amount of earnings. The plan must be designed to allow distributors to reasonably meet qualifications and rank advancement rules. The goal is to find that illusive state of nirvana out there where distributorships are viable, where distributors make enough money that they’re willing to

continue to do the work it takes to maintain their business month in and month out. Let’s call it the Viable Distributor Point.

Viable Distributor Point The Viable Distributor Point has never been documented; nobody really understands exactly what it is. Is it $35 for 10 hours of work? Probably not. Is it $150 for that same 10 hours of work? Maybe. The question we have to address is, “Where do we get viability?” There has to be enough of a market, the distributor has to be able to spend few enough hours, make enough money, etc. What’s the correct balance to achieve success? Distributor retention is much higher when distributors are earning $500 a month than when they are earning less than $100 a month. There is not an exact, magic figure, and the amount is different for each company. However, there always seems to be a point in the few hundred-dollar range where retention takes a dramatic turn upward. A statement I heard at a convention once struck me: “The different between the life a person is leading and the life he wants to lead is usually a few hundred dollars a month.” The income a person makes, as a distributor for an MLM company is often a second income, on top of a full-time job. Suppose that your day job isn’t necessarily something you want to give up, but you’re not satisfied with the level of income it produces, the challenge it presents, or the level of growth it offers. How much additional income will it take to keep you involved in a second income-producing effort? It will have to be worth the free time you’ll have to sacrifice. You might, for example, wind up going to a sales meeting or delivering products rather than watching the playoff game for whatever sport. For most people, the answer to, “How much will it take?” currently seems to be around $500 a month. Why that amount? Because our society demands that whatever a person earns on the job should go to the family—car payments, mortgage, the children’s education—but often the money earned on a side business is that person’s own money—mad money. That extra few hundred a month means that now people can achieve what they want. They may not be able to believe they could earn ten times what they’re making now, but they may be able to visualize a life of making ten to fifteen percent more. The extra money allows them to have the extras they want without having to fight the family budget for it. That ability makes a huge difference in network marketing because it motivates people to work as distributors and to stick with an MLM company. A company’s commission plan should enable distributors to reach this level as quickly as possible. If they work and struggle for many months without earning more than a few $50 or $100 commissions, they often quit. That small, additional income isn’t worth the time and effort required to earn it. To retain distributors, a company needs a commission plan that pays those distributors who are committed to this critical mass of approximately $500 as soon as possible. How does an MLM company design a plan to do this? By making sure that after they’ve proven they’re serious by moving past the product evangelist role to the salesperson role, the percentage they earn on their downline increases. For example, if the commission plan pays out five percent on downline sales, a distributor needs $10,000 in sales to earn $500. But, if the commission plan allows distributors to make twenty percent instead of only five percent on downline sales, they can start bringing in $500 a month with only $2,500 in sales. Obviously, many more people can reach this level of sales than can reach $10,000. That means more people will be motivated to continue because they’ve reached a level of additional income that’s meaningful to them.

Allowing people to make $500 a month isn’t all an MLM company needs to be concerned about. Many people become involved with network marketing companies because they have a big dream. Some people can see themselves making a whole lot of money, and that’s their intention when they sign up as a distributor. A commission plan must allow for the dream-builders as well as for the people who only want a few hundred extra dollars each month.

Balancing Degree of Difficulty with Reward Sometimes MLM companies think that if they pay 2% commission to 10 individuals, then it would be even better to give 1% to 20 individuals. However, for some reason they’re forgetting how little money that is. Companies need to consider the degree of difficulty to reward ratio when designing their commission plans. Distributors get really excited about someday receiving an 8% commission on their Sixth Level. This is serious money, but it takes a long time to get there. What’s going to keep them in the company long enough to reach that wonderful Sixth Level? It’s going to take them two years to get there and they’re not going to give a company two years of their time unless they’re making good money—enough money to make it worthwhile during the interim. Realistically, most people are not ever going to get there.

Conclusion In conclusion, a commission plan must be designed to define how much work an MLM company will have to do to retain distributors and consumers, and how much work its distributors will do. We must create distributor viability using our commission plans to make and compensate the largest crowd of people. Most importantly, a company’s distributors need to perceive its commission plan as giving them a fair opportunity to seize their own destinies and meet their own financial goals. 1496

MLM Incentives: Good Business or Busy Work? By Alan Pollard Alan Pollard Friday, Apr 25, 2008

If the commission plan is the meat and potatoes of an MLM company, the incentives and promotions are the dessert. Can a company live without these desserts, and should it? That is the $64,000 question that every network marketing company executive and sales leader has to ask themselves.

Give me enough ribbon and I will conquer all of Europe. -Napoleon-

Another way to put Napoleon’s sentiment is, “Recognition: babies cry for it and grown men die for it.” This is the basic case for MLM recognition and incentives.

Network marketing companies must decide which activities are so important, they are willing to pay commissions or else create an incentive or recognition program for them. It is important to remember, if a company is creating incentives or providing recognition for things that do not help build its business, it is just doing busy work.

How do you avoid getting caught in this trap? Start by remembering the activities that created your company’s long-term success. (If your company is new, do some research.) For example, note how you recruited and retained distributors, found customers, got customers to try new products, and got the field behind a product launch. Ask relevant questions including, “Does our product lend itself to a holiday special?” “Will customers refer other customers if given proper incentives?” These questions and more need to be answered and stored in a company’s “memory.”

Next, based on this information, consider the activities one at a time and build an incentive or recognition program around getting the distributor force to re-focus on them. We all need periodic re-focusing because, like in the winter season of the year, some activities occasionally go dormant.

So, is the answer to find a few good incentives and stick with them? Yes and No. Now we are back to my dessert analogy. Dessert can be the spice of life, unless it is always green Jell-O with whipped cream. This is the challenge. Yes, there has to be some consistency. And yes, your business is built on some pretty basic principles and activities. However, that doesn’t mean your incentives and recognition have to be basic and boring! This is one area where companies can constantly improve. When I talk to distributors, a common frustration is that company incentives become predictable. What is even worse is that the winners become predictable, at which point the activity no longer is an incentive. So, rotate your incentives. You can't tell distributors to focus their efforts on five things at once. A much better way is to have an incentive to focus energy on one important activity for a month or two, then another incentive to focus attention on a second important activity for a month or two, and so forth. After you have worked your way through all the activities, the company starts over. What about activities that are so important for a company that they merit ongoing incentives? That is what the commission plan is for; it’s a permanent incentive plan. When properly done, incentives and the commission plan are two sides of the same coin. I have seen the fun and innovative side of incentives--companies with talented and creative people who have the vision of creating incentives and recognition for activities that are building the business. They keep finding new ways, new methods, and new rewards to keep their programs fresh.

I attend many company conventions and I never cease to be amazed at what good companies and their top sales leaders can come up with. Most companies start their recognition program by printing a list of distributors who advanced in rank in their monthly magazine or newsletter. They also print Top 10 Lists. That is certainly a great start, but as companies grow and rank advancement lists get bigger, individual names get lost, and a new distributor has no chance of getting on a traditional Top 10 List. The company then must think of how it is going to recognize a hot new distributor that is building a strong business, because if it can't, there is a new startup company down the street that is not too big to provide that distributor the recognition he/she needs. Great sales leaders are the great motivators distributors get much of their motivation from. Therefore, sales leaders should do certain kinds of recognition. At many company conventions, you see top sales leaders who provide identifying ribbons to their downline in an effort to tie the group together. Leadership weekends and recognition certificates are other examples of programs effectively created by sales leaders. Most of these incentive and recognition programs are simpler than ones run by the company because of record keeping issues. One tip to remember, is timing is of the essence when it comes to incentive or recognition programs. For example, did you know that for many MLM companies, July and August are two of the slowest recruiting months of the year? Have you ever considered that since Labor Day in the U.S. is the traditional end of summer when vacations are over, everyone is ready to go back to work? For many companies, September is a good time to run a business building incentive to shake out the cobwebs, so to speak. January is also a good time for a business building incentive because everyone is getting back to work from the holidays. Remember, the five keys to making sure your incentives are good business: 1. Relevance: make them appropriate for your business. 2. Rotation: Rotate them between the different important activities for maximum effect. 3. Innovation: Create new and different incentives, even though you are promoting the same activities. 4. Recognition: Recognize your up-and-coming sales people and sales leaders, or some other company will. 5. Collaboration: Incentives and recognition are everybody's business--from the company, to the sales leaders, to the sales people. Companies need to work with their top leaders in creating recognition and incentives, and then provide the information to help them do it. It is amazing how much a well designed and well executed incentives and recognition program can help a company, and how little it costs in comparison to anything else that gives that kind of benefit. To watch a company that is running an effective incentives program is something to behold!

Multilevel Marketing Pyramids-"Lotteries" Spencer Reese Tuesday, Apr 8, 2003

The following article is taken from the MLM Legal Primer from http://www.mlmlaw.com/. This article looks specifically at how lottery laws can be and are applied to MLM companies.

Federal and state multilevel marketing and anti-pyramid statutes are components of a comprehensive consumer protection umbrella. These laws are designed to protect individuals from being defrauded through illegitimate programs which lure participants with the promise of easy money by compensating them from the investments of additional participants rather than from legitimate product sales. These programs have been called "Ponzi schemes," "airplane plans," "pyramids," "chain letters," and many other names. Although known in the United States only during the twentieth century, such programs have cost their participants hundreds of millions of dollars. Federal and state regulatory agencies have sought to proscribe such illegal activity in multiple ways, including the use of anti-pyramid, mail fraud, business opportunity, franchise, lottery, and securities laws. (Each of these areas will be discussed below.) Whether a program is a legitimate multilevel marketing plan or an illegal pyramid depends principally on: (1) the method by which the products or services are sold; and (2) the manner in which participants are compensated. Essentially, if a marketing plan compensates participants for sales by their ""enrollees," "recruits," and/or their downline enrollees and recruits, that plan is multilevel. If a program compensates participants, directly or indirectly, merely for the introduction or enrollment of other participants into the program, it is a pyramid. VI. Lotteries The majority of states have laws that proscribe the operation of a lottery. Lottery laws were not designed to regulate pyramids, but rather to prevent illegal gambling. Although lottery laws have been used to prosecute pyramids, more appropriate vehicles, namely anti-pyramid and multilevel laws, are now used. Consequently, the application of lottery laws to pyramids and multilevel companies rarely occurs in regulatory proceedings. (32) A lottery consists of a disposition of property, on contingency determined by chance, to a person who has paid valuable consideration for the chance of winning the prize. California Penal Code 319 defines a "lottery" as: [A]ny scheme for the disposal or distribution of property by chance, among persons who have paid or promised to pay any valuable consideration for the chance of obtaining such property or a portion of it, or for any share or any interest in such property, upon any agreement, understanding, or expectation that it is to be distributed or disposed of by lot or chance, whether called a lottery, raffle, or gift enterprise, or by whatever name the same may be known. Each of three elements must be present to constitute a "lottery," namely, a prize, distribution of the prize by chance, and consideration for the opportunity to win the prize. As applied to pyramids, if the element of chance, rather than skill, determines the receipt of "the prize," such plans have been held to be lotteries. The most notable case illustrative of this is U.S. Postal Service v. Unimax, Inc. (33) In Unimax, the Administrative Law Judge determined that a

participant's compensation was beyond his control, and thus, determined by chance. Rather than allowing its distributors to place their downline distributors where they desired in their organization, Unimax assigned(34) The judge determined that the compensation received by Unimax distributors was based "principally on the exertions of others over whom they have no control and no substantial connection . . . (and that) success of such marketers is determined by chance." distributors to positions in the downline organization. This resulted in a matrix of unrelated distributors who were spread throughout the country and were thus, less controllable. Under a "legitimate" multilevel marketing program, a Distributor's compensation (the prize) is "earned not won" by chance, but rather by his skill and efforts in building and maintaining a downline organization. In a lottery analysis, a Member's efforts in building his organization would constitute "consideration," however, this is of no consequence because the element of "chance" remains absent. Thus, a proper multilevel program is not a lottery. Two other similar programs, contests and sweepstakes, are perfectly legal. Each combines only two of the three "lottery elements." For example, a contest combines the elements of prize and consideration, however, the element of chance is absent. In a contest, the prize is awarded to on the basis of skill rather than luck (e.g., the person who sells the most cars, or reaches a certain goal faster than his competitors). A sweepstakes combines the elements of prize and chance, but lacks the element of consideration. A sweepstakes awards its prize solely on the basis of luck, however, a participant need not provide "consideration" (anything of value, frequently money or effort). The most common examples of sweepstakes are magazine sweepstakes. Although they welcome your purchase, none is necessary to participate.

VIII. Conclusion It is equally important that direct sellers also include reasonable mechanisms in their programs to prevent the risks of pyramiding, securities violations, lotteries, business opportunities, and other legal maladies. This requires: (1) distributor agreements; (2) policies and procedures; and (3) the enforcement of policies and procedures intended to ensure the legitimacy of the program. Indeed, in the Omnitrition decision discussed above, one of the reasons the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the defendant's arguments that its plan was not a pyramid was based on the finding that the company failed to provide sufficient evidence that it actually enforced its policies. Although the company had policies in place identical to those implemented by Amway, the court stated that the mere existence of policies, without evidence of enforcement, renders the policies nugatory. Multilevel companies are therefore well advised that "staying legal" requires much more than developing a program that meets state and federal requirements. Rather, it is an ongoing process that calls for vigilance and action to ensure that distributors stay within the rules. In summary, the emphasis of any multilevel program must be on product sales rather than the enrollment of new distributors. To exist in the 90s and beyond, companies and distributors must make a paradigm shift from business based primarily upon recruitment of downline distributors and internal consumption. Distributors should be taught that their primary function is to gather customers. Their second priority is to build a downline and to teach it about the first priority.

Problems The FTC Sees In "Pay To Play" Commission Plan Spencer Reese Monday, Mar 17, 2003

The FTC's primary cause of action alleges that business practices constitute unfair and deceptive trade practices and are therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act. The FTC is ultimately seeking to prove that the program is a pyramid because all pyramids are inherently deceptive. The fundamental element of a pyramid is that is pays commissions based primarily on recruitment of individuals into the plan rather than on the product or service sales.

"Pay-to-Play" Programs Any compensation plan that requires a monthly purchase of product or service in order for distributors to earn a commission is problematic.It is fairly common for MLMs to incorporate the pay-to-play feature as a prerequisite to eligibility to participate in their compensation plans. The legal problems associated with a pay-to-play plan arise because product or service sales cannot be distinguished from distinguished from distributor enrollment. Therefore, the questions arise whether the mandatory product or service purchases are actually: 1) a disguise for a headhunting fee; and/or 2) and inventory loading game. If the answer to either of these questions is yes, the program is a pyramid because commissions are actually paid based on recruitment rather than bona fide product sales. Regulators will always presume that the answer to both questions is yes if a plan follows the pay-to-play format, so MLM companies will be cast into the difficult position of trying to convince regulators that their presumptions are unfounded. The strongest position available to an MLM to rebut a regulators' presumption that a mandatory purchase is a head-hunting fee and an inventory loading game requires that the company prove that its distributors actually retail the products they purchase. If distributors are reselling their monthly purchase quotas, there is no inventory loading problem since the distributors do not retain the products. In addition, if the products are resold it is evident that the there is a bona fide sales program in place. However, in most MLM programs the majority of the distributor force does not resell the products. Under these circumstances it is more difficult to rebut a regulator's presumption, but there are several ways to address this issue. First, the company must have a strong inventory repurchase policy and must be able to prove that it actually abides by it. The industry norm is to provide distributors with a refund of 90% of their net inventory cost for up to one year after purchase. If a company can prove that it abides by such a policy, it is in a good position to rebut a claim that it is playing an inventory loading game. Secondly, if the mandatory minimum purchase is low and the products being sold are truly consumable, there is a viable argument that the distributor and her family can legitimately personally consume the products themselves each month. Since the distributor is the end consumer there is no inventory load. Caution must be exercised however, because the strength of this argument declines as monthly quotas increase. While a distributor and her family may easily consume $100.00 of nutritional supplements a month, it is unlikely that they will consume $1,000.00 per month, so any company that intends to rely on this argument should ensure that it has a conservative monthly purchase requirement. In addition, the strength of an inventory repurchase policy also loses its punch as a purchase quotas rise. If a distributor purchases $100.00 per month, and at the end of the 12 months decides to return all of it for a refund, she will lose 120.00 if the company has a 90% inventory repurchase rule in effect. However, if a distributor is required to purchase $1,000.00 per month, and decides to return all of it at the end of a year, she will be out of pocket $1,200.00. The same 90% inventory repurchase policy may be in effect, but there is a big difference from the $100.00 per month case and it is far more likely that regulators will stand firm by their presumption that the minimum quota is a camouflaged head-hunting fee and inventory load.

In addition to the inventory loading and pyramid issues, a company that requires its distributors to purchase a minimum monthly quota runs a great risk of being classified as a business opportunity under state laws. Under the laws of 22 states a program must register as a business opportunity if there is an initial required investment that exceeds a certain threshold. These thresholds range from $200.00 - $500.00 within the first six months of the contract or over the length of a contract if a term is specified. If a company requires the purchase of $100.00 each month, within six months its distributors will surpass the minimum investment threshold in every state and therefore be classified as a business opportunity. While business opportunities are not illegal, they must be registered with the states and abide by very burdensome disclosure obligations. Failure to do so constitutes a deceptive trade practice under the state laws and can lead to severe sanctions against the company. Ultimately, a pay-to-play program is a bad idea and I discourage anyone from promoting a payto-play plan. The risks are high, and unless the company can prove that its distributors are really reselling the products (which is very rare, except in party-plans), the defenses available to the company are tenuous. 252

This Week's Topic

Press Releases Unique Training Program that Increases Recruitment and Retention for Network Marketing Companies

Tuesday, Nov

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ConferenceTown.com. FREE Conference Call services Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008

The Beauty Of The Binary Plan Michael Brymer Friday, Aug 25, 2006

MLM program pay plans area bit like girlfriends or boyfriends. You believe that the one you have is the best! There are lots of MLM or network marketing pay plans. Over the years, I had often heard of MLM programs with a Binary Pay Plan, but I had misconceptions abouth them, which unfortunately stopped me from joining any of those programs. Talk of not profiting from the longer leg of a Binary Plan had closed my eyes and ears to the beauty of this plan.

Whatever your preconceptions of a Binary Pay Plan are, you will be sold on this MLM program after reading this article. I'm going to show you how to take extreme advantage of a Binary Pay Plan, so get ready for extreme enlightenment! Like all my articles, this one contains hands-on nitty gritty ideas of things you can do that actually work plus will change and excite you for the better.

In most MLM programs, your upline members are very helpful but usually don't go as far as to place members under you to improve your profit line. They may initially step in to help get you on your feet and off to a good start for both you and them, but that's basically where their efforts stops.

It is often said in MLM that you make money on your downline and not on your upline, so look after your downline. In most MLM pay plans this is true, but not in a Binary Pay Plan because your upline has no choice but to, at the least, place half of his new members under you if not all of them!

In a Matrix Plan you can also get members from your upline, which is often called "spill over." With a Matrix, your upline member may have five people on his first level, which means that you may only get one-fifth of any spill over, if you happen to be on his first level--less if you are on his second, and so forth.

A Binary Pay Plan has only two legs--thus the bi in Binary, meaning two. Every new member is placed one under the other. In a Binary Pay Plan, you find yourself in one of your upline's two legs. Depending on the person, the two legs are often called the right and left leg, longer and shorter leg, or stronger and weaker leg.

The longer or stronger leg is the leg you join, and it will always be longer and stronger because of all the people above you who are constantly putting new members under you. You are getting paying members put under you for free! This is unheard of or very rarely seen with most other MLM pay plans.

The shorter or weaker leg is the new leg you start. You build this leg to cash in on the free, longer/stronger leg you originally joined. Apart from any required placements, seldom do you have to place members in your stronger leg, so everyone you recruit is placed in your new leg-your shorter leg. Your job is to build just one leg, placing every new member one under the other, benefiting all members in that leg.

Which MLM Binary Program you join will dictate how many members you need to place in each of the two legs to receive group commission payments. For example, the MLM program I am in says

I must sponsor one member into my left leg and one member into my right leg to qualify for group commissions. So, my mission is to personally sponsor two members--one into my original leg and one into my new leg. Royalty or group commissions are paid on groups of members.

Group commission example: For every three members in my short leg, I get paid on six members in my long leg. So, if I have 300 members in my short leg, then I will be paid on 600 members in my long leg. In most other programs, I would only be paidon the 300 members I and my members brought in, if that!

The beauty of a Binary Program lies heavily in the following facts:

1. You only need to sponsor two people to qualify for group commissions.

2. You are paid on twice as many people as the group you build.

3. You only have to build one leg.

4. Every member you sponsor is placed under all the other members in the leg you are building.

5. All members benefit from all new members sponsored by all upline members in that leg.

6. The above points are easy to explain and powerful points to present when recruiting new and experienced MLM members.

Apart from group commissions and depending on the program you join, you can receive a great bonus on each and every person you personally sponsor!

With current Internet automation, you can have every person you sponsor automatically placed in either your longer or shorter leg, or have placement automatically alternated evenly between the two legs. As your new leg grows, it will pick up incredible speed like a small snowball rolling down a snow-covered mountain.

With a Binary Pay Plan, I can tell my prospects that when they join, I will be placing all future members I sponsor under them--members that they will profit on. Can you say this with any other MLM pay plan and do it? A Binary Pay Plan lets you help others while helping yourself! 1285

A Child's Determination by Brian Bier Brian Bier Friday, Sep 26, 2008

“I want a fruit snack,” I hear my 2-year old say. He just had one and he wants another. Being the good parents that we are trying to be, we say no. He pleads a little and we explain that he can’t have another one right now. A few minutes later, we hear this crashing sound coming from the kitchen pantry! We run in and what do we see? Michael standing there surrounded by fallen items, with a package of fruit snacks in his hands! My wife and I look at each other in amazement, being that the box of fruit snacks was on the 4th shelf up at approximately 5 feet off of the floor!

How in the world does a 2-year old child reach a box of fruit snacks on the 4 th shelf, 5 feet above the ground?

My friends, there is the problem! We all know exactly what happened. We can easily deduct from the crashing sound, and Michael standing with the prize in his hands, that he pulled himself up the shelves (seems to be a very strong child), climbed and pulled until he got what he wanted. So what is the problem? Well, most people will ask the question that I just asked: “How in the world…”

I’ll tell you how.

He was focused on the fruit snack! How many times have you seen something that you wanted and then saw the obstacles in front of you and gave up? How many times have you said, “That can’t be done.” Have you ever settled for something less than what you wanted because the challenge was just too tough?

You see, Michael wasn’t looking at the shelves. He didn’t know that the height of the box of fruit snacks was more than twice his size. Michael was not aware that obstacles were in his path. He saw what he wanted and he did what he had to do to get it!

So how does that differ from you and me? We are grown adults. We can see a prize. We can see what needs to be done to get something. We can make a plan to overcome those objectives. So what is the difference? Why do so many people fail?

Let me test you… I want you really imagine each step in your mind. Close your eyes and visualize it. See yourself doing each step. Ready?

Imagine a long board. It is about 10 feet long and 12 inches wide. Place it on the ground (a flat surface) and walk across it. Actually picture yourself doing this. Even better, if you have a board like this, then physically do it!

Ok, now that you have walked across it, how do you feel? Pretty easy right. Really, how hard could it be? Your foot is probably no wider than 6 inches, you’ve been walking all your life, not too far to walk. Not bad right?

Ok, next, I want you to imagine that same board resting on 2 chairs. So now it is approximately 2 or 3 feet off the ground. Now, walk across it again. Easy right? The board is wider than your foot, you’ve been walking all your life, and you’ve done it once already so you know you can do it. Not bad. Next, Imagine that board just a little higher. Let’s say about 6 feet off of the ground. Now, walk across it. Probably just as easy right. Not too bad, your foot is smaller than the board, you’ve been walking all your life, and you’ve done it twice now. How hard can this be?

Ok, now, I want you to imagine that same board that you have walked across three times already, at a height of 110 stories; the height at which the World Trade Center Towers stood. Look down and see the tiny ants that are people. Look at those tiny moving things…they are cars. Now, walk across that board! How do you feel now? Did you make it? Did you even try? Well, lets look at this. The board is larger than your foot, you’ve been walking all your life, you’ve crossed it three times now without a problem, so what happened?

Why didn’t you walk across the board? Are you concerned about, oh, lets say, falling!? Wait a minute; haven’t you walked across the board three times already? Were you concerned about falling those three times? Ah ha! I bet you weren’t.

So, how does all of this relate. Well, quite simply, what are you focused on? My son was focused on the fruit snack. Guess what, he got it! You were focused on falling. Guess what, you didn’t get it!

I believe that too often, we let our past dictate what we can and cannot do. We grow up all our lives being told no, what we can’t do, what we should and shouldn’t do. Do you think that maybe a 2-year old child that hasn’t had 20, 30, or 40 years of “no’s” programmed into his mind never even thinks about what he can’t do? I can tell you that since that incident, there is no telling him that he can’t have a fruit snack from up there! He knows he can get it! He’s done it already! We had to re-arrange things!

Would you agree that if your child were on the other side of that board at 110 stories high and their life was in danger that you would quickly get across it and save your child? I know I would! I wouldn’t even think about falling. I would think about saving my son! I would be focused on success!

So what can we learn from a child’s determination? That it is really pretty simple to get a fruit snack? Or that what we focus on is what we get?

Any time you feel yourself doubting something or struggling to achieve what you set out for, ask yourself: What am I focused on? Do I see the obstacles or do I see the end result? Do I have a big but? Huh? You read that right! I said, “Do I have a big but?” You know, everyone has big buts! Let me explain.

You are focused on your success, you are getting there, and there are some obstacles. You stop and ask yourself what you are really focused on. You answer, “Self, I am focused on the prize and my success, BUT…”

How many times do you use the word “but” in an answer or explanation? If you are constantly saying “but,” then you are NOT focused on success. You are focusing on an obstacle! My friends, you need to get rid of your buts!

You want to achieve success? What are you focused on?

Are You Poor or Just Broke By Rick Chitwood Part I Rick Chitwood Monday, Aug 18, 2008

I think we’ve all said to ourselves at one time or another, “Success just happens to the other guy and not me” for whatever reason. But it happened for me, and it can also happen for you!

So let me share my story of how I’ve supported my family for the past 22 years solely on my MLM income and illustrate one successful approach to this great industry that may help you attain your dreams of success.

My professional career started in 1963 when I entered the computer industry during the “Tab Card” days. For the next few decades I held every position available in that industry from Data Entry to being President of two companies.

In 1986 I became the CEO of a successful computer software company looking for investment capital to expand my business, and to make a long story short, I met a potential investor who turned out to be a con-man; consequently loosing everything I had. I lost my home, my life savings, and my business and had to pull two daughters out of college and knowing that I could not send my son, who was a senior in high school, to college the following year.

By the time the legal battles subsided and the lawyers produced their bills, that con-man left me over $500,000 in debt. That was the worst time in my life, but the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

I learned then, that there was a huge difference between being poor and being broke. Poor people will always be poor because it’s an attitude, but broke is a temporary circumstance. Poor people whine and feel sorry for themselves and do nothing to change their lot in life, but broke people look for solutions to their problems.

Walt Disney and Donald Trump were broke many times, but they always found other avenues to turn their desperate situation around to make it a win.

Broke is when you have nothing and I was $500,000 below broke! I desperately needed to find a solution to my financial destitution, and one day that solution came to me in an unexpected way. I really believe God never closes one door without opening another and he opened a door to me. At that time in my life someone who had been a good friend I had not seen for over 30 years came back into my life. After talking about old times, I shared my story with him and he invited me to a meeting that night and most likely said that he could offer a solution to my problems. Fortunately he didn’t say any more than that or I may not have accepted his invitation to find out more.

I had nothing to lose at that point, so my wife Dianne and I went to the meeting. At the meeting the host drew circles on a flip chart and outlined a way to leverage your time and make lots of money by helping other to do the same. He explained that you did not need to be a salesperson; you only need to care about helping others.

About 15 minutes into that meeting I leaned over to Dianne and said, “I can do this”. Although that was my first exposure to MLM I was immediately and totally sold on the concept of working hard to build an organization of people whom I helped to duplicate my success and result in passive and residual income. Wow! I had never seen anything like this, and it was something I could do!

As a teenager I ran around with Bobby Helms who had recorded three Gold Records. He went into a recording studio in the 1950’s and recorded a few songs and lived off the residual income for the rest of his life. (Ever heard the song “Jingle Bell Rock?”.) Now here was a way I could get paid over and over for doing something one time just like Bobby. I got excited about the possibilities.

My mind was made up and I asked for an application after the meeting, but ran into a minor problem. The sign up fee was $1,540. I didn’t have the $10, let alone $1,540. We were still $500,000 in debt and neither of us had a source of income.

I knew that a poor person would have said, “I can’t afford it.” but a broke person would find a way to make it happen. As Robert Kiyosaki wrote in one of his books, “Don’t say I can’t afford it.” but ask, “How CAN I afford it?”

I had just discovered the solution to my financial problems and the only thing standing between me and financial independence was $1,540. That was a lot of money in 1986, but it was not enough to detour me from doing what needed to be done for my family. So I did what I believed to be the logical solution to a “minor” problem. I wrote a check for $1,540 and asked them to hold the check until Friday. I knew I was going to cover the check and make this work; I just didn’t have any idea how to do it yet.

As I have often done in my life, I asked myself what was the worst case scenario and could I live with that? I was $500,000 in debt and the worst case scenario was that I would be $501,540 in debt. How stupid would I have been to let such a small thing be the difference between being poor and financial independence?

Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds wrote, “There are three things to understand about opportunities. • • •

They don’t come along often. You must be able to recognize it is an opportunity. You must take action.

And I had all three bases covered.

That night was the turning point in my life.

I spent the next two days trying to raise the $1,540 by finding things to sell, collecting aluminum cans, asking everyone I knew for help. That wasn’t easy, but I knew I’d never do what I needed to do to be a success as long as I stayed in my comfort zone. I finally found someone who would loan me the $1,540; my second cousin’s husband.

After I covered the check that I had written three days earlier at the meeting, I set out to be a success!

Building Your Direct Sales Team in the Internet Age by Kevin Kroll

Ken & Dannette Kroll Friday, Dec 12, 2008

Are you involved in party planning or network marketing? If so, you already understand the most important aspect of building your direct sales business is growing your downline team--Duh! Without a doubt, that is true--at least partially. The whole truth is that you must create a downline team that is effective at consistently, over time, growing their sales and building their downline teams too. So, the real question you should be trying to answer is, “How can I develop a downline team that is constantly motivated and effective at building their downline teams?”

The answer is--creating a dynamic environment where your team learns, collaborates, and shares--an environment that brings together all the resources of your team into one collaborative "think-tank" that evolves and grows organically over time from the shared wisdom of every single one of your “teammates.”

Right! So how do you go about creating a dynamic team environment that gets the results you need? Well--that's not so obvious, especially when most teams quickly spread to virtually anywhere in the U.S. or even across the globe. Fortunately, it can be done and as you will discover, "virtually," it is possible.

The Base Concepts

The Factors, Metrics, Tools

Building a dynamic team learning environment for your direct sales business is a journey well worth taking. But, before getting started, there are a few basic concepts you should be aware of:

1. Several factors must be carefully considered as you design your plan:

•

The differing learning and motivational styles that make up every team.

•

The limitations on your time.

•

How to overcome geographic and time zones constraints.

2.

Two important team metrics drive the financial return for your business. Make sure you have a way to track them and then the flexibility to adjust your team development efforts as your numbers dictate.

3.

There are many "low-to-no" cost tools you can use for your team building program. Finding the ones that are right for you and your team is an important consideration.

The Factors

As you have probably discovered by now with your team, not everyone learns and is motivated in the same way. Some individuals are more computer savvy than others; some are avid readers, others not so much. Some learn and apply things quickly; others are more conservative and will grow into their new world slowly as it fits into their comfort zone. In this business, some people are more motivated by quick results and financial measures. Others are more motivated by recognition and peer interaction. Most need quick and consistent results and, whether they will admit it or not, have an appreciation for personal recognition. So, the challenge confronting you is to provide a team development setting that successfully caters to all these various learning styles and the diverse motivational complexes of such an assorted group of wonderful individuals, all trying to achieve common goals of building their direct sales businesses the best they can.

Another critical consideration is to recognize you can't do it all yourself. You have limitations on the time you can commit to your team building efforts, as you still need to focus on your own personal sales and recruiting efforts.

Finally, consider this. While most direct sales teams start out as a fairly centralized local group, they will soon expand geographically to all areas of the country and in some cases, across the globe. Having a team development model that accounts for this scenario is imperative.

In a nutshell, to make your team building program workable for you, you must construct a process that:

•

Addresses the varying learning and motivational styles that exist or will exist on your team.

•

Doesn't hinder your personal efforts to focus on your sales and recruiting

efforts.

•

Is deployable from virtually anywhere to virtually anywhere (i.e., no geographic or time zone boundaries).

The Metrics

As with any team building effort, you want to pay special attention to the results you are getting so you know what is working and what is not. Keep this in mind-with any direct sales business, typically there are two key Team Metrics that determine your businesses financial return:

1. Team Sales Growth. Are your team sales growing year over year? At what rate of increase?

1. Team Sponsorship Growth. Are your team's recruiting rates increasing year over year? At what rate of increase?

In analyzing your results, you want to be assessing each of these key metrics independently over time. If you have the numbers available, it can be very useful to go back one year to compare your results prior to adding any new team building programs. You will know you are on the right track if these metrics are accelerating at increasing rates over your historical growth rates, prior to implementing your team building programs.

A Point to Ponder An important element of any team development program is to account for flexibility. Properly done you should be able to adjust your team development emphasis to address the area or areas that need the most attention. For example, if you are seeing very consistent team sales growth, but your sponsorship rates are lagging, you can adjust the emphasis of your team training toward recruiting strategies and tactics (or vice versa depending on your team metrics).

By tracking and monitoring your team metrics, you have the data you need to guide your training and development efforts in the direction that best optimizes the return for your business. It takes a little time at the end of each month to calculate your team metrics, but it is well worth the effort.

The Tools

We are so blessed in this day and age to have available a plethora of useful tools that can help us in our team building efforts. And the really great thing is, most of them are free! The key is in selecting the tools that work best for each situation. The challenge is to review all of the various tools out there and narrow them down to those that meet your specific team building objectives.

An important consideration is to align tool selection with specific team building needs. For example, you need to keep in mind one of the key factors we have been discussing--people learn and are motivated in differing ways. Tools that address different learning and motivational styles are an important consideration, amongst others. No one tool addresses every aspect you should consider. Most are intuitive and the results speak for themselves. Read that as--the effort is worth the reward! This Week's Topic

Press Releases Unique Training Program that Increases Recruitment and Retention for Network Marketing Companies

Tuesday, Nov

11, 2008

XanGo Announces New Distributor Relations Department

Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008

Anticipation Building for the Official Launch of Glimpse- Intuitive Skin Care by XanGo Sellersportal.net v.s. eBay || A "MLM" Business

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Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

ConferenceTown.com. FREE Conference Call services Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008

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Harnessing the Law of Attraction in MLM by Joyce Hyam Joyce Hyam Monday, Dec 8, 2008

Everyone is talking about the Law of Attraction. Even Oprah talks about it! In network marketing as well as other entrepreneurial businesses, people are always recommending books that refer to the Law of Attraction, like Think and Grow Rich, The Science of Getting Rich, and The Secret, just to name a few. The Law of Attraction is truly a natural law, just like gravity. You can’t see it

under a microscope, but it is something that we all experience and can effectively harness in our network marketing businesses. A team member said that after she learned about how to use the Law of Attraction deliberately, she had two prospects join her team that week, and they called her!

So, how does this law work? What do you need to know to use it to grow your business? I am sure you have heard the expression, “Like attracts like.” In simple terms, you enjoy the company of and become friends with people you have something in common with and feel good around. There is a positive energy exchange, which creates an attraction. The Law of Attraction is all about creating positive energy.

When you are around other people, they pick up on your vibes—positive or negative. People want to do business with individuals who have positive vibes. When you feel happy and joyful and radiate positive energy, it is contagious and uplifts prospects or customers. It is like tapping them with a magic wand that makes them feel special and elated. Now, the prospects want whatever you have to offer because they want to feel the positive energy you feel and radiate. They want to exude that same positive energy you do when you walk into a room or greet others. Remember, people buy or join your network marketing company based on emotion and then justify with logic.

What kind of energy do you have? It’s important to learn to read your own feelings or vibes and recognize how you come across to others. Ask yourself: “What are my feelings and what am I putting out there?” Is your energy negative or positive? Are you fearful of rejection? Fear is negative energy. Are you angry or upset with someone? Are you focusing on the disappointing team members or prospects instead of on the people who are helping you and saying yes to you? Do you give others reasons to want to join your team? Do you smile when you greet someone and make them feel welcome? Do you help individuals with their wants or needs? Do you listen to others with a caring attitude? When you focus on the positive and what you want to be, you will generate a positive transfer of energy in your encounters with prospects and customers. You will not only feel better, but your business is sure to grow because others will be attracted to you.

It’s just like when children feel happy about an upcoming party or event, they are so excited, they tell their friends and parents and are bubbling over with genuine, positive energy. Try to capture that childlike exuberance you felt as a child when you viewed the world with your authentic self—without fear, reservations, criticism, blame, and other negative energy. An essential ingredient to the equation is you absolutely must be not only passionate but genuine! Your positive energy must not be hype or fake--people pick up on passion and sincerity.

Just recently, I heard a story from a realtor friend who was interviewed by a couple who wanted to sell their home. The couple had interviewed three other realtors. My friend was questioned

about her commission and spoke from her heart. She said she felt confident that she could sell the couples’ home as she believed in herself, would work diligently and do her best to give them the best service. Now, any other realtor could have used those same words and even charged a smaller commission. When my friend got the call that she was getting the listing, she asked the couple why they chose her even though her commission was higher than that of her competitors. Their answer was they liked her energy. The couple felt the transfer of positive energy--in this case, my friend’s confidence, caring attitude, and kindness. We want to be around others like that!

I recently heard a lady say she was approached three times about the same network marketing opportunity and made her choice because she liked the way that individual made her feel. That’s the power of the Law of Attraction!

It’s interesting to note that those people with negative energy usually give up in network marketing. Why? Because they are thinking and feeling negatively and that is what they get in return—negative results. So, it is essential that you focus your energy on those who are positive, and you, yourself, must be positive in order to attract those people.

Those who want to succeed in a customer driven business such as MLM, must learn to pay attention to the energy they are exuding into the universe and it must be positive if they are to succeed. You must approach positive people because they are the ones who know what they want and are willing to put energy, attention, and focus on it. They are the team builders. They are the uplifting people. They are the people you want to be around. It is essential to think about this before you start talking to others about what you have to offer them.

It is very important to learn the Art of Deliberate Attraction. It is a powerful force in your life and it is working all the time. If handled correctly, it results in attracting people, customers, situations, and relationships into your life.

How Do People Become Successful? Friday, Sep 5, 2008

Here's an interesting fact you may not know about. In America, there is a millionaire made every 5-10 minutes! And here's the most surprising thing. Most of these millionaires (around 80%) either didn't finish college, came from poor families or didn't even speak English as their first language! So when you actually look at who millionaires are, you realize that virtually all of them started out as ordinary people just like you and me. So if they did not come from rich families or win the lottery, how did they do it? Well, millionaires became millionaires by learning the skills needed to make them rich. This shows us success is just a skill that anyone can learn, regardless of how well you did at school. If you

are willing study success and discipline yourself to apply the knowledge you have learned, then you could also become a millionaire. Learning The Skills Of Success So why should you learn about success anyway? Well, think about when you first started driving. What did you have to do? You booked an instructor, and learned how to drive a car from someone who was already good at driving. In other words, you learned a new skill from a person who already had that skill. But now suppose you decided you didn't need an instructor and decided to take to the road by yourself, learning things as you went along. Can you imagine what would happen? Well, if you didn't first get pulled over by the police, there would be a fairly good chance you would either a) crash or b) have an accident! Can you see where I am going with this? Success, just like driving is a skill. Those who learn about success get to where they want to go, those who don't learn the skills of success crash on their way. It really is that simple. Obstacles To Success In ancient times people used to think that the Earth wasn't round. So most people made sure that they didn't sail very far because they were afraid that if they did, they would fall off the Earth! Today we know this as the flat Earth theory. However it was soon discovered the Earth was not flat, but in fact it was round! When people heard about this they were no longer scared about failing off the Earth, and so began to sail to new and far away lands. This story is a great example of how what we believe to be true can either limit our life, or expand it. It also shows us that if you want to go somewhere you first have to believe that you can do it. In other words, our belief systems greatly influence the world around us and ultimately the success we will achieve. So the two important points to take away from this article are: 1) Success is just a skill. If you learn that skill you can become successful regardless of who you are. 2) Your beliefs play a big role in determining the type of success you will achieve. So achieving success is quite simple. Learn from people who already have the skills of success and believe that you can achieve success. However this does not mean things will be easy!

How to Accelerate Your Success - By Jack Canfield Jack Canfield Monday, Apr 28, 2008

How to Accelerate Your Success -Mastermind Group Principle #46

We all know that two heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem or creating a result. So imagine having a permanent group of five or six people who meet every week for the purpose of problem solving, brainstorming, networking, and encouraging and motivating each other!

This process is called masterminding and is one of the most effective success tools you can adopt! It is a powerful way to support your dreams and bring unlimited resources to your business and personal life.

Participating in a mastermind group has been critical to me. I can't imagine achieving all I have without one, and it certainly made my goals happen much faster.

A Process for Accelerating Your Growth

The basic philosophy of a mastermind group is that more can be achieved in less time when people work together. Sometimes called a "dream team", your mastermind group is made up of two or more individuals who voluntarily come together on a regular basis - weekly, biweekly, or monthly - to share ideas, thoughts, information, feedback and resources.

Your group can be composed of people from your own industry or profession or people from all walks of life. You can focus on business, increasing each other's income, building a business, raising better kids, or solving a social problem.

Within your mastermind group, you benefit from the other members who empower you and draw out your full talents, resources and abilities. They trigger, stimulate, and motivate you to become all you are capable of being.

Creating Your Dream Team

The key is to choose people who are already where you'd like to be in your life - or who are at least a level above you. In forming your mastermind group, start by carefully enrolling another friendly, on-purpose, like-minded individual. Start by meeting together and then adding other selected, unanimously agreed-upon individuals who will work in total harmony for the good of each other and for the good of the group.

1. Your Dream Team should consist of 4-8 people. Most people find that 6 is the ideal number.

2. Meet weekly, if possible, for an hour to an hour and a half. This meeting must be held sacred as a life-enhancing priority. The meetings should be upbeat, enriching, encouraging and beneficial to each individual and the group's purposes. I always start our meetings with a prayer or an invocation. You could also start with an inspiring story.

3. Each member must agree to play all out -- to openly share ideas, support, contacts, information, feedback, and anything else that will help advance the individual and group goals.

4. Start by having each member share something positive and good that happened since the last meeting.

5. Next, have each member share an opportunity or problem they have experienced since the last meeting and ask for whatever support they would like on it. Appoint a time-keeper to make sure that everyone gets the same amount of time. This is important if you want your group to last. Everyone must get value at each meeting.

6. End by sharing appreciations and acknowledgements.

You'll find one of the real values of a mastermind group is the accountability factor other members checking up on you to make sure you meet your stated commitments. It's one way to ensure you'll accomplish a lot more!

This Week's Topic

Press Releases Unique Training Program that Increases Recruitment and Retention for Network Marketing Companies 11, 2008

Tuesday, Nov

XanGo Announces New Distributor Relations Department

Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008

Anticipation Building for the Official Launch of Glimpse- Intuitive Skin Care by XanGo Sellersportal.net v.s. eBay || A "MLM" Business

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Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

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It is a Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn (excerpted from The Challenge to Succeed) Jim Rohn Wednesday, Dec 3, 2008

It is a challenge to succeed. If it were not, I'm sure more people would be successful, but for every person who is enjoying the fruit from the tree of success, many more are examining the roots. They are trying to figure it all out. They are mystified and perplexed by what seems to be some strange, complex and elusive secret that must be found if ever success is to be enjoyed.

While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily engaged in designing and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. While the much larger group sits in awe at how life can be so unfair, complicated and unjust.

"I am a nice person," the man says to himself. "How come this other guy is happy and prosperous, and I'm always struggling?" He asks himself, "I am a good husband, a good father and a good worker. How come nothing seems to work out for me? Life just isn't fair. I'm even smarter and willing to work harder than some of these other people who just seem to have everything going their way," he says as he slumps into the sofa to watch another evening of television.

But you see you've got to be more than a good person and a good worker. You've got to become a good planner, and a good dreamer. You've got to see the future finished in advance. You've got to put in the long hours and put up with the setbacks and the disappointments. You've got to learn to enjoy the process of disciplines and of putting yourself through the paces of doing the

uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. You've got to be prepared and willing to attack the challenges if you want the success because challenges are part of success. Now that may sound like a full menu of activities, but let me assure you that the process of going from average to fortune isn't really all that difficult.

Thinking about it is the difficult part. Anticipating all the effort and the changes and the disciplines is far worse in the mind than in reality. I can promise you that the challenges you'll meet on the road to success are far less difficult to deal with than the struggles and the disappointments that come from being average. Confronting and overcoming challenges is an exhilarating experience. It does something to feed the soul and the mind. It makes you more than you were before. It strengthens the mental muscles and enables you to become better prepared for the next challenge.

I've often said that to have more, we must first become more, and to become more, we must begin the process of working harder on ourselves than we do on anything else. But in addition to gathering new knowledge, new skills and new experiences; it is also important to discover new emotions. It is how we feel about what we know that makes the biggest difference in how our lives turn out. How we feel about the chances we have and the choices we have determines the intensity of our effort. Whether we try or don't try. Join or don't join. Believe or don't believe.

I'd like for you to discover some strong feelings about your life and about what you want to do with that life. You probably have much of the knowledge and a lot of the experience and perhaps most of the skills that it takes to become successful. What you may be lacking in are the strong feelings about what you want and what you want to do. You may be one of those who have become so involved in the process of earning a living that you've forgotten about the choices and the chances you have for designing your own life.

Let these strong feelings help you take a second look at your life and where you're headed. After all, you've only got one life, at least on this planet. So why not make it an adventure in achievement? Why not discover what all you can do and what all you can have? Why not discover how many others you can help and in the process how that can help you?

Why not now take the Challenge to Succeed!

Leader As A Problem Solver Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006

Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, once wrote: "No sooner is one problem solved than another surfaces, never is there just one cockroach in the kitchen." Mr. Buffet is right. Life is a series of problems waiting to happen. Leaders appoint people in the management of people and ideas, encounter problems daily, even

hourly. The successful ones learn to deal with them and develop techniques to manage and solve them. Unfortunately, even well-intentioned leaders can be overwhelmed by circumstance and their own stubbornness. President Lyndon Johnson's experience in Vietnam is one such example; no matter how hard he tried, Johnson could not bend the will of the enemy, nor remove U.S. troops in a manner he deemed honorable. Likewise, the management of Chrysler Corporation in the late 1970s watched as the companycontinued to produce uncompetitive products and accumulated crushing debts. Solving those problems took radical solutions. Upon taking office, President Richard Nixon began removing ground troops in a planned reduction. At the same time, he kept pressure on North Vietnam with heavy bombing raids as well as incursions into Laos and Cambodia to prevent supplies from reaching troops in South Vietnam. Lee Iacocca became President of Chrysler (later Chairman) and shortly sought government loans to save the Company. A short time later, Chrysler introduced the minivan, acquired American Motors, and positioned Jeep as America's first sport utility vehicle. Neither Nixon nor Iacocca's solutions were over night successes; it took Nixon until his second term to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and it took Iacocca time to pay off the loans and nudge his company into the red. Both Nixon and Iacocca suffered reverses in later ventures, but both did achieve some gains. Nixon extricated American troops from Vietnam, and Iacocca helped resurrect Chrysler. Few leaders can wait for the next in line to solve their problems. If they did, they (like Johnson and Chrysler management) would be out of a job. Leaders must devise solutions immediately or risk losing the loyalty of their followers. Good leaders, I believe, operate with a mindset that says, "problems are really solutions in waiting. Most important, good leaders come to realize that their most able resource in any problem situation is the people around them. Just as problems do not occur in the vacuum, neither do solutions appear from thin air. It is a mistake for leaders to assume that they must solve every problem by themselves. Problem solving, like leader ship in general, requires involvement of others. Leaders should make hard decisions and set direction for the organization, but they also need to seek input from those involved, particularly those who must implement the solution. Good leaders seek advice from all stakeholders (customers, employees, suppliers) and then make a decision. There are concrete steps that leaders can take to address problems. Assess the situation Stand back and take a deep breath. Even in the heat of battle, combat officers learn to divorce themselves momentarily from the danger of the moment so that they can assess the situation before make a decision. By stepping back, if only for a day, an hour, even five minutes, gives the leader the benefit of perspective and time. Assessment in this situation is a form of reflection; it helps the leader to "get out of himself" and just think. Envision the outcomes

A leader must ask two questions when faced with a problem: What happens if we do nothing? What happens is we do everything possible? Some problems cannot be solved no matter what you do; that problem calls for containment, or operational mode. Other problems need to be extinguished like fires quickly, safely, and with maximum resources. Considering the outcomes narrows the options and provides a choice. A common phrase inmanagement is "think out of the box." The term refers to devising unconventional approaches to common problems. For example, Volkswagen's next generation Beetle is such a product. It combines the heritage of the hole in anall-new sleek package. There are some ways to train your mind to think unconventionally. • • • • • •

Brainstorm. Get everyone together and throw out ideas. Be nonjudgmental. Adopt the perspective of the customer: What would a customer want done to solve the problem? Dialogue. Get a trusted partner. Review the problem. Consider solutions. Create a visual metaphor. Create a pictogram of the problem. Present to others and discuss it. (2) Think laterally. Look outside the problem to gain perspective. It involves awareness, alternatives, and provocation (i.e., stimulating creative thoughts) (3) Force Field Analysis. Draw two columns. Label one "forces for change." Label the other, "force against change." List forces for both columns. Discuss how to overcome the restraints so that positive change may occur.(4)

Delegate authority Give ownership of the problem to those who must implement the solution. Provide the team with guidance, but leave the details to the employees. Let them fill in the blanks. Good leaders learn to let go. They trust their people to do their jobs. At the same time, the leader needs to "be in the loop" informed of progress and available for consultation. Adopt a solution Sometimes individuals and teams find the adoption step to be the easiest. Selecting the right solution is often the logical outcome of the creative process; people know the possibilities and the outcomes, and can decide amongst themselves what is best for the organization. The ease of selection, however, does not mean the solution will be easy to implement, only that it was readily apparent as the right choice. Implement the solution Once the solution is formulated, the leader must find the resources to implement it. In manufacturing, the solution may involve application of a new process and acquisition of a new piece of machinery. New training may be required. The leader should gather all resources necessary and make certain people have the authority and support to do what they need to do. Reflect on what to do next time Evaluate the steps you took to solve the current problem. Ask yourself: could you have done it more efficiently, more quickly, more creatively? Prepare for the next

eventuality. Like disaster contingency plans, formulate next steps to help the organization prepare for the next problem. And then, once again, take a step back and just think about the entire problem and solution process. Many people find that ruminating over problems over time can produce new ideas. All of these problem-solving measures are effective, but most leaders will state that the best solution is to anticipate the problem and head it off before it occurs. Leaders who "manage by walking around" are ones who have good instincts for rooting out situations before they fester into problems. These leaders are also adept at looking problems in one area of the company and sensing that they could spread to another area. A systems thinking approach, aspracticed in organizational learning, teaches us how to analyze the root cause of one problem and then think how that root cause, or its consequences, may affect another aspect of an organization. Product development teams apply systems thinking when designing various components for a product: be it an appliance, a computer, or a car. By looking at how all of the components work together, and then determining if problems with one may affect another,the engineers determine the functionality and efficiency of the total design. Likewise, astute human resource professionals look at their organizations with a similar mindset. If one group is experiencing trouble with a benefits plan,they immediately look to other departments to assess their experience with the plan. In this way, they prevent a problem from spreading by heading it off. An even more effective means of ensuring work harmony is to assess the work styles of individuals working within teams. One instrument for assessing how people interact is"I-Opt?." By simultaneously measuring both individual styles and the relations between group members, "I Opt?" identifies individuals as possessing one of four strategic styles. "I-Opt?" groups individuals according to how they process information, react to problems, and work with others. As with most evaluation instruments, no individual is all one style or another. Most people are a combination of all styles, but with a strong accenton one or two other styles. For example, some individuals like to use spontaneous approaches to problems and situations; they are focused on tangible, near-term outcomes. Other individuals may be idea generators, who tend to work without detail and seek satisfaction in creative solutions. Knowing the working style of an individual can help a team leader choose individuals best suited for specific project as well as assign individuals of complementary styles to work together. "I Opt?" is not a problem solver per se, but it is an instrument that leaders can use to maximize human performance. And, by knowing individual work styles, leaders can allocate the right blend of people to solve problems when they do occur.

Anticipation and preparedness may be the best antidote in a leader's problem-solving medicine kit bag. But, short of heading off a problem before it occurs, the leader whomaintains the mindset that problems are prolific, but so too are solutions, is one who will be prepared to respond quickly and effectively when problems do occur. Problem solving by its nature lends itself to a step-by-step analysis process. But the solutions required to solve them are not always based in procedure. While the steps themselves are straight forward, implementing them, particularly infast-breaking, tension-riven situations can be extremely difficult. Furthermore, moments of crisis do

not always allow for creativity. What we needis a leader who can stand back and assess the situation coolly and calmly, withthe dispassion of a surgeon, but the creativity of an artist, is a leader. That leader, of course, likely does not exist, outside the pages of fiction. But the leader who can exert command over a problem, call in the right people to solve it, and support them in their efforts, is the individual most organizations need most desperately the leader as problem-solver.

Network Marketing and the Newbie by Craig Mattice Craig Mattice Friday, Oct 17, 2008

Here you are, a brand new person to MLM, and you’re asking yourself, “What am I supposed to do now?” The answer is very simple, “Take action!” Okay, that’s it! That should be the end of the article. So, what did you learn? Oh! You want more? Okay. Believe it or not, network marketing is a very simple business and one of the greatest business models ever developed to allow the average individual to make an above average income. “This business is simple?” you question. Yes--very simple! The only thing is, like any business, it is not easy. It will take work on your part. That’s why we call it netWORK marketing. Get it? The first thing you should do is become very familiar with your company—the culture, products/services, and comp plan. The comp plan is not the most important thing you should fully understand at this point, although you should have discovered when researching your new company, how you are going to be paid and where your income will come from. It may take up to five days to get this information under your belt and feel comfortable with it. I want to stress here that you do not talk to anyone about your new network marketing business until you are comfortable with this info and have gone through the “Getting Started” Training with your company and sponsor. This can make all the difference in the world in how you launch your new business. Trust your sponsor and the company training. Through your due diligence, you should be able to learn if the training and system is working for your sponsor and other successful people in the company. If so, then it will work for you. Engage in regular training calls with your sponsor. Get involved in the weekly corporate and team training conference calls. Read through the company brochures. Get very comfortable with your company back office system on your website. All of the elements of the back office will serve you well when you learn how best to use them. If your company back office does not include a contact manager/database, then you need to talk to your sponsor to determine which one is best for you. What do you know about marketing your new business? Nothing? I thought so.This is an area where you will need to duplicate the online and offline marketing techniques of those already successfully working them in your company. In the case your sponsor can’t seem to help you with this, then track upline until you find someone who is willing to work with you and share his/her information and experiences. There’s no sense reinventing the wheel in marketing as that can be very time consuming. You have made the choice of which company and sponsor you wish to work with in your new network marketing business. Now is the time to stop looking at other opportunities both on and offline. You need to be focused on your new business and not distracted with the latest and greatest new MLM start-up company. Have faith in yourself and your decision, and stick with it.

Now is the time to:  Immerse Get

involved in the culture.

Focus Fall

yourself in your new business and the company.

on action.

Forward.

Always keep thinking to yourself or even write these 12 words on a note card and place it over your desk, “I must do the most productive thing possible at every given moment.” You will fail at different elements of your business but learn from your failures and move forward. No successful person in history made it without first experiencing many failures.

So, in summary, your success or failure rests totally in your hands. You have to take the initiative and experience; learn by trial and error; fall forward; and take positive, productive action on a daily basis in your business. As I said in the beginning, network marketing is simple but not easy. As you have already learned in life, nothing worthwhile comes easy.

I hope this article has given you a better idea of where you’re going and how to get there. I believe there is no real secret to this business, as any successful MLM professional will tell you. The key to success simply lies within you. Now, take the opportunity you have been given and personally chosen and make the best of it to become successful. I have faith in you and you can do this! This Week's Topic

Press Releases Unique Training Program that Increases Recruitment and Retention for Network Marketing Companies 11, 2008

XanGo Announces New Distributor Relations Department

Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008

Anticipation Building for the Official Launch of Glimpse- Intuitive Skin Care by XanGo

Friday, Oct 17, 2008

Tuesday, Nov

Sellersportal.net v.s. eBay || A "MLM" Business

Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

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Paying It Forward By Rick Chitwood Part II Rick Chitwood Monday, Aug 18, 2008

cont from part I

I didn’t set out to try to make a little money; I set out to build a successful business.

And although I knew nothing of the MLM industry, there was something I knew and developed that I’ve shared with many for the past 22 years.

I knew that if I wanted to be successful, the only logical thing to do was to learn from successful people.

Unlike most people who start in the industry, I didn’t look for MLM advice from my plumber or someone who had never been successful. I did not seek out people who had multiple failures in the industry who had an endless supply of stories about why MLM does not work. Instead I looked for those people in the company who were doing it right and making it work. I contacted them and asked them how they built their business and told them that I wanted to duplicate everything they did. I had no intention of trying to reinvent the wheel so I put my ego aside and became very teachable. I would never have become a leader if I was not willing to first choose good leaders and in turn be a good follower.

I have used that approach in everything I’ve ever done. “If you have not achieved the success I desire, I am not interested in your opinions.” There are a lot of books, and systems and coaches out there who have never themselves achieved success using the systems they are more than willing to teach to you. If you really want to achieve success, find a true leader who achieved his/her success using proven, duplicatable methods. Be coach able, have a strong reason why, and make a commitment to do whatever it takes.

The majority of my mentors in this industry were leaders that were not from my upline, however they were willing to share their knowledge and experience with me while never receiving any financial benefit for helping me. And the only way I could pay them back was first, to use the knowledge they had given me to become a leader myself, who could in turn mentor others, and share my knowledge and story speaking at the events.

So at the national convention, in front of the entire audience, I vowed to pay back everyone who had helped me by “Paying it Forward” and help others without concern as to how it would benefit me.

Now for the rest of the story. I had been in MLM for one week and had covered the check, read the books, listened to the cassette tapes and spoken with some of the most successful people in the industry. Then I did something else too few people do. I not only read the books and obtained the training; I actually put what I had learned to work instead of making excused why it won’t work and I can’t do it.

At the end of the second week, I received a commission check for $4,800. I paid my cousin his $1,540 and went to work for the next week where I earned more than $5,000. And within nine months, I was recognized as one of the top income earners in the company .

For various good reasons I have made several moves in the industry. I have been a top income earner in multiple MLM companies as well as a consultant in the industry traveling for three years in my 41’ diesel pusher Motor Coach from coast to coast to my favorite vacation spots doing “Dream Catcher” MLM seminars along the way.

And with my computer background, I have designed and developed compensation plans and have been a paid consultant to evaluate comp plans for MLM companies.

When I look back on it all, the best thing that ever happened to me in my life was meeting that con-man about 24 years ago.

I have been totally broke and lost my business, home, and life savings and I’ve been with several MLM companies that went out of business. But I have never failed. Each of those experiences has been a valuable education to help me make better decisions in the next venture.

I retired from MLM in 2004, but that didn’t last long. I am now working very part time, less than 5 hours per week, making more money than I have ever made in my 22 years full time in the industry. And that’s because, what I have learned over the years has helped me to make the right choices and to work smarter rather than harder.

I spend a lot of time sharing my experience with others and trying to help others benefit from my experience in hopes of helping them to be successful in their own companies. It is very rewarding to me when I find people who appreciate what I have to share, and very frustrating when people waste their valuable time arguing with me about how wrong I am.

Nothing I teach are opinions or theories, only what I have learned from very successful people with proven approaches that work. They are definitely not the only way to build the business, and others with different methods should not be threatened, but they are proven to work for a lot of people.

I hope my story has motivated someone out there to look at this industry a little differently. If you are looking for negatives in this industry, you will find them, just as you will find negative in any industry. However, if you are looking for positives in this industry, it will be much easier than finding negatives.

In closing, here are a few key points for you to consider1 – When I discovered this industry, I learned that it was a way to build a huge passive and residual income by leveraging your time by helping others. You don’t build residual income by recruiting large numbers of people. You build residual income by having successful people in your downline. My focus has always been on duplication, and helping my downline to be successful. You need three generations of success in your downline before your residual income is secure. You need to teach your teachers to teach their teachers to teach. If you do all of the recruiting instead of teaching others, when you quit, and your income dries up. Then you blame the industry rather than your approach. If you have three generations of success in your downline, it more likely to continue to grow when you quit rather than to dry up.

2 – Treat it like Network Marketing not Sales. This has been one of my largest frustrations in the industry. People join an MLM company and think it is sales. If you are a great salesperson you will probably be able to recruit a lot of people. Problem is that 95% of the people you recruit will not posses your sales skills. It is not duplicable. Not everyone can duplicate your sales skills. In every company where I was a top income earner it was not because of my recruiting skills. It was because I had been able to help more people in my downline build six figure incomes than anyone else. Several years ago at an annual convention, awards were given for various achievements. The top recruiter that year had personally recruited more than 750 people. I was nowhere near the top recruiter. In fact, I had recruited less than half that number in a total of 8 years with the company. However, I was the top income earner and made more than five times the annual income of the top recruiter.

3 - Tools are duplicable, people are not. If you are a great presenter, and public speaker and a great salesperson, that is almost impossible to duplicate. Whenever someone tells me they are the world’s best salesperson, I tell them not to worry; they can still be successful in MLM if they are teachable and willing to learn. Every time you make one of your incredible presentations and have all the answers to all of the questions, you will find a lot of people who can see themselves as a customer of your great product, but they can never see themselves duplicating your presentation or sales skills. You actually scare more people away than you attract. However you may end up with a lot of recruits and temporary customers. If you use tools to make your presentations and train your people to use tools to present and train, they can duplicate that. They will see that they can use the same tools to build your business that you used to attract them. Example of tools are: CD’s, brochures, 3-way calls, conference calls, recorded messages, webinars, meetings, etc.

There are many ways to build a successful business which are different than my story or the ideas I’ve shared with you. I am not saying they are wrong, but, here are just a few options that have proven effective in my success

Personality Styles of the Presidential Candidates By Eric Marchant (2 of Series) Eric Marchant Thursday, Aug 7, 2008

What do Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney have in common? How about John McCain and John Edwards, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee?

Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill have actually taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator “MBTI.” Hillary identified herself as an INTJ. Bill demonstrated preferences for ENFP. What does this mean as far as the personality styles that we have been talking about? Well Hillary would be an “NT” strategist, Bill an “NF” diplomat. Remember then that NT Strategists identify the ways and means necessary to achieve a well defined plan and that the NF Diplomats excel at tact with people, motivating them to achieve their dreams. The additional letters E or I stand for “Extravert” and “Introvert.” Hillary prefers being an Introvert; she has a depth of concentration and prefers to think before she talks. Bill likes being an Extrovert; he has a breadth of interests and thinks as he talks. The letters J and P indicate lifestyle. The Hillary J prefers schedules and predictability; she is usually telling others “to get organized!” Bill’s P prefers to be open-ended and spontaneous; he tells others (perhaps Hillary) “to loosen up!”

So then, how do Mitt Romney and Hillary line up? They are both “NT” strategists, but Mitt is an ENTJ not an INTJ like Hillary (above). This means that he prefers Extraversion to Hillary’s Introversion which actually makes a lot of difference even when the other letters are identical. Mitt’s ENTJ is called the Field Marshall, a common style for the world’s most successful CEOs. They like to lead by mobilizing the troops and “they cannot, not lead.” Hillary’s INTJ is called NERD in high school but Mastermind at maturity. They have a defined ability to envision the future and they are always entailing, or creating contingency plans. Perhaps that was to her advantage when things didn’t go as planned during the campaign. Nobody has better ideas than the INTJ; just ask them. By the way, as NT Strategists both Hillary and Mitt seek knowledge and are driven by achievement; common characteristics shared by all Strategists, even the Johns, McCain and Edwards.

Speaking of John McCain and John Edwards, they are both NT Strategists. In fact, they are both ENTP Strategists. The hallmark of ENTPs is initiative; they are perceptive, adaptable and clever. Masters of one-upmanship, ENTPs always have a better way to do things. Instinctively inventive, they bring a strong spirit of entrepreneurship to endeavors, embracing change and innovation, and seeing ways of doing things that are not always obvious. Masters of change, some might even call them “Mavericks.”

The NF Diplomats participating in the presidential race are Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee. Not surprising then that NFs excel at public speaking; they have a natural charm and charisma as they identify at a personal level with those in the audience. They really do care. They really are sincere and people sense it. As NTs are tuned into the possibilities of ideas, NFs are attuned to the possibilities of people. Their instinct, to see the very best in every person they meet; they motivate and inspire; they lift moral and team spirit. Theirs is the world of the ideal, the flat organization where everyone collaborates. Barack, however, prefers the INFP while Mike the ENFP. This would make Mike not only the same style as Bill Clinton, but also the same personality type! Barack would differ from both in his comfort with Introversion; he would think-do-think, while they would do-think-do!

That leaves us to match the two nominees, John McCain and Barack Obama. How are they alike and how do they differ? As far as personality style is concerned, John is a Strategist NT and Barack is a diplomat NF. Both would then be considered academically astute, although John’s maverick spirit kept him at the low end of his graduating class at the Naval Academy. John, of course, would show strengths in aligning the ways and means necessary to achieve a well defined goal and with the potential of ideas. Barack would be very adept at reading people and instinctively seeing their potential. Thinking people like John are logical and objective, driven by clarity. Feeling people like Barack are more subjective and empathetic, driven by harmony.

When it comes to Extraversion and Introversion they are different as well. John has a breadth of interests and Barack a depth of focus. Extraverts like John feel comfortable showing their dominant preferences, which in his case is intuition, to the outside world; a preference full of possibilities, change, and new ideas. Introverts like Barack, on the other hand, prefer to show the world their number two preference, which in his case is feeling, keeping their dominant function, intuition, to themselves or a select few others; they show the world a sensitive, empathetic, and harmonic side. However, it must be remembered that Barack’s preferred inner world of intuition is adept at the same strengths of possibilities, change, and new ideas as their extraverted intuitive cousins.

So, with all of this being said, how does an understanding of personality type and style help us determine who would make the best president? Some might say that it is of no help whatsoever. They would say that each candidate’s individual stand on such issues as energy, security, national defense, and immigration are much more important than how they might arrive at that stance. And I might agree except for the situation we find ourselves in during this campaign. Both nominees have a preference for adaptability, in their “P” lifestyles. And in this age of virtual information and poll taking each is flopping as necessary. However, when the dust settles and the votes have been tallied, the successful candidate, who we will refer to as Mr. President, will settle into his preferred way of seeing things, his favorite perspective. At that point in time who do you want to see in the White House, a man trusting reason and aspiring to be a wizard, as does Mr. McCain, or a man trusting intuition and aspiring to be a sage, as does Mr. Obama? You make the callPersuasion Strategies: Authority by Nancy Tobler Nancy Tobler Friday, Sep 5, 2008

“I am not a doctor, but I play one on TV” Robert Young (Dr.Welby, M.D)

Maybe you remember the television commercial from the 1970s. Back then physicians and lawyers were not allowed to advertise on TV. In order to capitalize on the authority strategy, an aspirin company used Robert Young, who played Dr. Welby, M.D., to back their product. The allusion of authority continues to be used to persuade. For example, Robert Jarvik was the creator of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart. A recent advertisement for Lipator makes it appear as if Jarvik is a medical doctor. (The allusion of authority created a controversy and Pilzer pull the ad because he is not licensed to practice medicine.)

Authority persuasion is when someone with valued expertise tells us that a product is good. Having an independent scientist validate product health benefits or testing a product’s safety or superiority can also provide authority. One can see these techniques used in direct selling companies. USANA is founded on the expertise of Dr. Myron Wentz. Check out Pharmanex, Herbalife, Immunotech, Tahitian Noni, GoYin or Xango webpages and you will see a list of studies to support the use of their products. 4Life is also based on ‘scientific discovery’. Even companies like Creative Memories have scientists that test their products.

Having authority backing is often used to create distinction in the market. Many times direct sales companies bring new products to the market place. However, once established through direct selling, the “Marts” of the world quickly copy and sell the product at a cheaper price. Using authorities to demonstrate why someone would want to pay more for what appears to be the same product is one way to counter the mass production of a product. Another way you will see companies use authority is through celebrity endorsement. Celebrities as authorities work if the celebrity uses the product in their professional career. This creates a connection between their profession and the product. Again, many direct selling companies use celebrity endorsements to boost sales. Herbalife supports the Los Angeles Galaxy Soccer Team and Xango supports the Salt Lake City Real Soccer team.

In direct selling, the distributor often is the authority on the product and on the opportunity. Direct selling companies often introduce new products into the market place. Aloe vera, magnet therapy, non toxic soap and detergents, cheap long distance calling and herbal supplements have all come into the market through direct selling companies. New products have little chance of competing on the shelf with easy to understand or established products.

The question remains, how do you become an authority in your business? The first way is one of the oldest methods used in direct selling, “the three-way call”. By using a three-way call, the new distributor has a chance to share in the authority of their upline. The distributor needs to understand their product and opportunity.

Companies can help establish authority through their use of research and endorsements. You can avoid the “I am not a doctor, but I play one on TV” approach by developing your own expertise on both the opportunity and the product. By combining your interpersonal skills and using experts and becoming an expert one can be more persuasive.

Seven Things You Must Give to Others if You Want to Achieve Success! by Chris Widener !

Chris Widener Thursday, Jul 31, 2008

A major part of the process of achieving success and living the kind of life that you dream of is to give. Many people think that to get what you want you have to take it. There is a universal truth though that the true path to get what you want is to give. When you give, you get. What you sow, you shall reap. If this is true, then what is it we must give? I'll show you the way...

Give Others Your Honesty. The world we live in has a simple rule that most follow: Lie when you have to. Unfortunately, this may make some people wealthy but it makes us humans poor. To achieve success is to become wealthy not only in money, but in character. To be successful, truly successful, is to be able to attain your goals and keep your character at the same time!

"Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product." Ed McMahon

Mister McMahon is right, though others will tell you otherwise. Some people will say, "You have to bend the truth to get ahead." Not true. Some of the most successful people who have ever lived where honest people. How about you? Are you honest in all things? The problem with little lies is they become big ones. Lies spin out of control. You get caught in one lie and you lie to get out of it etc. In all things and at all times, give others your honesty.

Give Others Your Respect. Most of the time we give people respect based on what they have done or what they have accomplished. We gauge whether or not they are "worthy" of it based on what we know of what they have achieved or who they know or are related to.

But I believe we should have a higher standard: We respect people not for what they have done or for who they are related to or for what they can do for us. Instead, we respect people for simply being. What would happen in our world, in our company, and yes, even in our families if we started with respect for everyone else rather than making them earn it? I think we would see that most people would live up to the respect that we give them!

Give Others Your Vulnerability. We are taught to "be strong." And yes, we should be strong. But we have also embraced something that I think keeps us from having the kind of life that we long for. It is an idea that keeps us from experiencing the kind of relationships that would bring deep meaning to us. It is the idea of vulnerability.

"But Chris, make yourself vulnerable and people will step all over you!" It is true that this will happen. But I have also seen that most people will be drawn to you. They will help you. They will open up to you. You see, we are all broken people inside. We all have secrets. Yet everyone plays the poser. When one let's down their veil, others soon follow - and we all win.

Give Others Your Care. Too many people are running around this old earth not caring about others. The days of "Look Out for Number One" and "Winning Through Intimidation" are over! Let's bring about a new day when we can care about others AND succeed!

Take the time to show people you care. Listen to them. Empathize with them. Love them. Now, I don't mean that you have to go around hugging everyone - that probably wouldn't fly in corporate America anyway - but we can take some time to step back from business and be human! And I have found that when we do so, our business succeeds as well!

Give Others Your Passion. There is nothing this world needs more than passionate people. And people need passionate people. Living in this day and age can be tiring. The hustle and bustle of it all can wear you down and tire you out. Give your passion to others and fire them up.

Don't just be humdrum - be excited. Give people all the energy you can muster up. And you will find that energy reciprocal. They will get energized and passionate. This in turn will fire you up more when you are already charged and get you going altogether when you don't feel like moving at all!

Give Others Your Experience. We all have areas that we excel in and they are usually areas that we have experience in. One of the things we can do to make our lives more meaningful and be of utmost help to others is to show them the way through the experiences we have.

Sometimes it will be what they should do: Shortcuts to take, people to meet etc. Sometimes it will be what they should not do: Shortcuts not to take and people toasty away from! Whatever it is, we can be of service to others by giving them our experience and ultimately it will make us all better!

Give Others Your Help. All in all, what we want to do is to help others. Zig Ziglar says that if we will "help others get what they want, we will in turn get what we want." If we want to be successful, we should consider ourselves servants of other people. What can we do to help them and make them better? This is the true path to greatness and success, not only in business but in life!

If you want to live the life you have always dreamed of ask yourself if you: Give Give Give Give Give Give Give

Others Others Others Others Others Others Others

Your Your Your Your Your Your Your

Honesty Respect. Vulnerability. Care. Passion. Experience. Help.

Six Key Elements To Leadership Friday, Apr 23, 2004

You are on your way to build a large organization in your primary network Marketing Company? It is important to establish yourself as a leader. The thing is that most people never got trained to manage people. Leadership is not about knowing everything, it's more about knowing how to distribute the energy of a group. As your team keeps growing and growing, you'll notice that they have questions and rely on you 100 %. YOU are the leader... Are you? Here are 6 words, 6 elements you need to master if you want to be recognized as a true leader. 1- Trust As a Group Leader, you've got to establish confidence. Every member of your team must trust you. It is your responsibility to build that confidence towards you and towards every members of your team. 2- Coherence You've got to walk your talk. What you say is what you do. Coherence between your teaching and your own actions will have a significant effect on your team : it will have a direct influence upon the trust of your team members towards you. The less your team trust you, the less your message will be heard. 3- Competence No leader can survive incompetence. Knowing how to resource yourself and knowing how to surround yourself are 2 qualities that every leaders possess. What the leader don't know, he learns it or he makes someone who knows about it to execute the task. 4- Collaboration

The more successful people there will be in your team, the more success YOU will have but... BE CAREFUL.... As your member gets bigger and bigger, make sure they treat their downline with respect. Never let your people by themselves. Always bring them to their best. Be sure you make that statement duplicatable otherwise your downline will stop growing at some point making you lose maybe thousands of dollars. Make sure the heavy-hitters of your team know about this. 5- Competition Drive your team towards excellence. Be sure your team understand the different levels in your company. Diamond level, group leader level, director level, presidential level.... whatever your company name it. You've got to drive the member of your team towards their next level. Let your team know the success of everyone. As soon as someone reach his own next level. Announce it to your team. This will favour the developpement of your group. 6- Contribution This is the guard angel of the team spirit. If all the members of your team contribute to bring the best out of themself you will lead a group that has very good potential to hit hard....as a team. Every members must contribute in some ways. If they don't work their business, they will not make money and you won't make money. Help them build their business. 849

Taming the Motivation Monster by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler

Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008

One of the greatest mysteries we face is how to get, and stay, motivated. But some new research into how our brains work has provided exciting clues about how to tame the “motivation monster.” Recent research has proven there’s a direct route from your eyes to a unique part of your brain called the amygdala (ah-mig-da-la). So what? This happens without going through the conscious portion of your cerebral cortex (your thinking brain.) Here’s how it works, and why it is so important: Suppose you are in your garden, you pick up a rock to move it, and a rattlesnake crawls out. That image is propelled directly into your amygdala to initiate an immediate life-saving response. You leap out of reach of the snake before you are even aware of what you saw, or why you reacted. Interestingly, this powerful direct pathway can also be “trained” to carry images of anything of critical importance to you – such as your master goals. The secret is this: The more emotion tied to those images, the more likely they are to be rushed directly to your amygdala. And once they're there ... the more likely they'll cause an automatic positive response in support of your goals. This is why packing your goals with hot desire and emotion builds and sustains motivation. The more intense your emotion, the more likely you’ll notice anything in your field of vision that relates to reaching your goals – even if you are focused on something else at that time! Building “Motivation Power” We humans are motivated by basically two things – gaining pleasure, and avoiding pain. Anthony Robbins claims that that pain is a greater motivator that pleasure, and I tend to agree with him. Here's a little exercise that could help you fire up your emotions, and get your “amygdala shunt” working for you:

Imagine walking into a room and meeting the “you” of ten years from today. What will you look like? How will you be dressed? Where will you be living? What will your lifestyle be like? What car will you be driving? Will you be running a business? If so, how successful will you be? What will your net worth be? You really only have three choices about how your image of the “you of the future” will look. Your choices look something like this: Choice One: Somewhere between how you are today, and a totally broken mess. Here’s where the “avoiding pain” motivator could kick in. Choice Two: An exact duplicate of how you are now except ten years older. Absolutely nothing will have changed in a decade. Again – not a very satisfying picture for most of us, and perhaps a strong “avoid pain” motivator for many. Choice Three: A happier, healthier version of the “you of today.” This will kick in the “gain pleasure” motivator. Selecting Your Best Motivator Obviously, no one would choose to visualize choice number one. But in doing so, you may in fact create a hot and intense “amygdala shunt.” So every time you see some image that reminds you of NOT moving ahead, your amygdala shunt will spur you to take automatic action. “Make that phone call NOW,” it will insist – and you will have the telephone in your hand before you even think to procrastinate. If you choose option number 2, you are effectively saying that nothing will change over the next ten years. You will be older – but your lifestyle will basically remain the same as it is today. That is – the “you of 10 years in the future” will be identical to “today’s you.” You will still face today’s problems and frustrations, but will have ten more years of them piled up. This is an active decision to remain in your comfort zone – which is actually only an illusion of safety. It’s an illusion because in today’s rapidly changing world, what you call your comfort zone is being eroded beneath your feet as you read this. That leaves option number three. This is the arena of dreams and wishes. If all we had to do was have a dream, and if would then automatically come true, none of us would ever have to set goals ...and try to build the motivation to achieve them. But the fact is – dreams only come true if we wake up and go to work. And unless you are a most unusual person, you usually find that the problems and challenges of everyday life take priority over working to manifest your dreams. So – obviously holding a happy picture of some future life may NOT build the intense fire and desire required to create that desired lifestyle! If your motivation is NOT adequate to overcome procrastination, you might want to take a good hard, look at what you DON’T want in your life. If you can fire up some intense emotion about

NOT continuing to have that in your life, you may well find your amygdala shunt pumping some new action-energy into your life!

Tap into your Higher Intelligence by Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler Monday, Sep 15, 2008

When we think of intelligence, IQ immediately comes to mind. But IQ may in fact be the most limited aspect of our human intelligence. Early in the 20th century, the concept of IQ came roaring to the forefront of psychology and education. IQ tests quickly became a popular means of measuring human intelligence. IQ scores were used to sort people into “levels” of estimated intelligence. The theory was: The higher a person’s IQ, the brighter they were. The Discovery of EQ Then in the 1990’s science writer Daniel Goldman wrote a book summarizing years of neuroscience research. The research included in his book – “Emotional Intelligence” – packed a tremendous impact. His book raised emotional intelligence (EQ) to an equal standing with IQ. IQ vs EQ IQ is a measure of our familiar “straight-line, analytical intelligence.” Emotional intelligence (EQ), on the other hand, is driven by feelings and intuition. EQ is “associative thinking,” as it allows us to discover associations between our actions, and the results. And as author Goldman pointed out, our emotional intelligence (EQ) also controls our ability to fully use our IQ intelligence. This occurs because if the areas of the brain in which we “feel” are damaged – we are less able to think effectively. There is a huge gap between IQ’s straight-line logic and EQ’s associative thinking – and our amazing human capability to think “outside the box.” Neither IQ nor EQ are adequate to explain the full richness of our human intelligence. The Discovery of HQ The modern discovery of an even more complex human intelligence first unfolded in the 1990’s, when two neurologists – Wolf Singer and Rodolfo Llinas –began to investigate our brain’s mysterious electro-magnetic fields. Their work led to the discovery of a previously unidentified form of human intelligence – a very surprising higher intelligence (HQ) that causes our entire cortex (our “thinking center”) to vibrate like a bowl of jello in a single coherent frequency. During the past few years, exciting research using such high-tech equipment as fMRI and PET scans has proven that these higher intelligence (HQ) whole-brain vibrations are the aspect of our brain we use to aspire to higher levels of achievement and consciousness. Our higher intelligence (HQ) is the aspect of our intelligence that allows us to create meaning in our lives -- to reach beyond our rational and emotional thinking. How the Brain Organizes Our Intelligence Our three intelligences (IQ, EQ and HQ) work both

alone … and cooperatively. But each has its own distinct purpose: IQ lets us logically analyze a situation. EQ lets us judge the emotional meaning of the situation, and select an appropriate response. HQ lets us transform the situation by creating an entirely new “reality.” Each of our three intelligences has quite different physical characteristics. This is How you Use HQ We all have and use HQ. It allows is to not only “make sense” of new situations and conditions, but also to evaluate our lives. And it is the core of all invention and creativity. Our higher intelligence (HQ) is also our ultimate creative problem-solving intelligence. When you solve a seemingly “insolvable” problem, you are using your HQ to rise beyond your analytical reason and ability to associate. HQ is also dominant during “ah ha” insights, and spontaneous “spiritual” or “higher meaning” experiences. How to Develop Your HQ As with muscular development, some folks have build their HQ through frequent use. Basically such people have made regular use of HQ by searching for connections between situations or events. These people tend to ask “why,” and to identify and challenge their own assumptions. They look for meaning, and strive to increase their self-awareness. And they seek to create goals leading to a meaningful life-path. You can refine and develop your own HQ by focusing on the following types of questions: What is the meaning of my life? Is there anything I would like to change? What makes my life truly worth living? What lifestyle do I want 5 years from today? The secret is to literally exhaust your rational (IQ) and associative (EQ) intelligences in your search for

an answer. Then take a break -- a nap or walk. Your relaxed (and probably exhausted) surrender will bring a wholly unexpected answer to your question. The great creative genius Albert Einstein claimed to have his greatest HQ insights in the shower.

The DNA of Top Achievers by Chris Widener Chris Widener Monday, Aug 25, 2008

Of course by now we are all becoming aware of DNA. It is the source code that determines who we are. When we look at DNA we can see what a person will look like, what diseases they may come down with, etc. This has been a tremendous breakthrough for scientists and will continue to be so for some time, I believe.

This got me to thinking about what makes up those who are top achievers. Is there a "DNA" to them? Obviously, all top achievers wouldn't have the same literal DNA but what about a figurative DNA? Is there a common "gene" that they all have? Are there common "genes" perhaps? I think so! If we could get right down to it, I think these are the genes we would find in the DNA of top achievers:

1) A predisposition to setting high, lofty goals. Top achievers are people who won't and can't settle for the status quo. They see average as a place they want to keep in the rear-view mirror. Instead, they continually look for ways to stretch themselves, to get better, to do better, to be better! They set their sights on goals that others have never even thought of. They want to shoot so high that even if they miss, they go higher than everyone else. This is what makes them top achievers. 2) An ability to focus intently upon reaching their desired destination. Many people can set high goals, but just as many people get sidetracked by one thing or another on their way to those goals. High, lofty goals usually take a while to get there so there will always be plenty of time to be tempted to stray away from the road that is taking you to those goals. Often, those things that sidetrack people are good things, but not the best things. Top achievers do not get sidetracked. They stay focused. They know where they are going. They have an ability to say "no" to the good things in order to get to the best things.

3) The willingness to personally sacrifice in order to get to their goal. When the going gets tough, many people quit. When the going gets tough personally, most people quit. When the going gets tough for top achievers, they remind themselves of the high, lofty goals they have set for themselves. They remind themselves of what an accomplishment it will be for them and that the

reward is worth pushing through the momentary trials. They are willing to sacrifice personally in the short-term in order to get the reward and the prize long-term. Keeping their eyes on the big picture enables them to persevere through any personal pain they may experience.

4) A predisposition to tenacity. Tenacity is the ability to "keep on going." Tough times? Keep on going! Financial troubles? Keep on going! People are suspect? Keep on going! You look like a dreamer? Keep on going! Tired? Keep on going! Want to quit and take it easy? Keep on going! Just remember this: Keep on going! The prize is ahead! Many people quit just before they were to get the reward, so keep on going!

5) The ability to see available resources and to use them accordingly. Those who are top achievers know that they cannot be lone-rangers on the way to the top. No one makes it by himself or herself. Top achievers recognize their weaknesses – the weaknesses that if they don't cover will keep them from becoming a top achiever! They see their resources and they work to get them into a helping position so they can continue the route to becoming a top achiever. And they don't use them, they utilize them. There is a big difference! People, finances, etc., are all brought in to help by the top achiever.

6) A desire to help others achieve more for themselves as well. The top achiever knows that they can make a difference for others by becoming a top achiever. They know that the wealth they make can feed the hungry. They know that the position of influence they achieve can open a door for someone who may not normally get a chance. True top achievers look at how they can bring many with them, not how they can leave many in the dust. People are helped by the top achiever, not trampled upon!

I think if we could get to the DNA of top achievers, the things we talked about above would be at the core and fiber of their beings. What about you? Did you recognize yourself at all? I hope so! The good news about the DNA we are talking about today as opposed to real DNA is that you can go out and work on top achiever DNA whereas you are stuck with real DNA. So if you lack a little in the above-mentioned areas, take heart–you can get better and work on them so that you can become a top achiever!

Change your DNA to become a top achiever! Chris Widener

The Five Failure Factors in MLM by Rod Nichols Rod Nichols Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008

Five Failure Factors in MLM

1. Takes too long to make money. Although there are a few that pay daily, most network marketing companies pay residuals either monthly or weekly. The average new network marketer takes 60 days or longer to sponsor the first person. During those first 60 days, that individual has paid the costs to join, bought products or activated a service, purchased marketing materials, and possibly paid to be part of an advertising co-operative or purchased leads. He/she has also made his/her list of 100 or 200 warm market prospects and is tentatively blundering through those, experiencing a great deal of rejection. All this and the new network marketer haven’t made a penny in the business.

Now, I recognize that some programs offer the opportunity to retail products or services and make some money. Some people will do this. However, most people hate sales and will not be comfortable trying to sell products or services to their family and friends, so this is also not a viable avenue for making quick money. The key is to have something that can be sold automatically through the Internet – the best is an information product (i.e., e-book, training program, etc.). This product must have huge value and be appealing to people involved in network marketing. By offering this product, you accomplish several things. First, it’s a low ticket item compared to joining most network marketing companies, which will increase the number of people who buy. Second, it attracts exactly the people you want for your network marketing business. So, give some thought to writing an ebook or training program or using one that has already been written. Make sure it appeals to those interested in network marketing and has solid value.

2. Run out of warm market prospects. Social scientists say that we know 2,000 people and all we have to do is remember them and we’ve got a great base of prospects for our business. The problem with this is that there are very few of those people who are actually open to your business. Yes, they could all benefit from your product or service and from the financial and time freedom that can result from network marketing, but they still won’t join your company or mine or anyone else’s. So, new associates are going to join your company and begin working through their warm market, getting “No” after “No” until they begin to doubt that this business is going to work for them. At that point, these individuals are encouraged to purchase leads, which they have to call using a phone script. Most people would rather jump out of an airplane without a chute than make cold calls to people they don’t know! So, this typically doesn’t work and within 60 days or so, they quit returning your calls and e-mails and disappear into the network marketing twilight zone.

Selling an information product via the Internet, will also eliminate this failure factor, as your Internet-based system will attract quality leads 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and send them right to your e-mail box. All you have to do is call and find out if they are: 1) looking for a network marketing opportunity; 2) already with a company, but not happy; or 3) with a company and happy. The first two categories include leads, which you should introduce to your company and your lead generation system that enables you to get paid to prospect. These people are already sold on network marketing, so all you have to do is present yourself, your business, and marketing system in such a way that they can see themselves doing it.

3. Afraid to approach people. Network marketing is an entrepreneurial type business that primarily attracts people who are not entrepreneurs. The problem with this is that most of the people who join your business or any other network marketing business are going to be afraid to approach people. They don’t know what to say, are afraid that someone will ask a question they can’t answer, are concerned about what other people are going to think (particularly friends and family), and are afraid someone is going to get upset with them. Fear probably destroys more dreams than anything else in life and it is very active in network marketing. Fear can very quickly drive your very excited new associate out of the business in just a matter of days or weeks.

An Internet-based marketing system is perfect because you only talk with qualified people. This reduces the amount of rejection and increases the number of people joining your network. Plus, if you are using a system that works, you’ll never run out of quality leads.

4. Don’t know how to build on the Internet. As you have probably recognized, Internet marketing is the wave of the future. Everyone is talking about “social networking,” “You Tube presentations,” and funded business proposals. There are so many great opportunities for marketing on the Internet and lot’s of training programs that will “teach you how to make millions on the Internet.” The problem is that most of the people who join your business will not have a clue about how to build on the Internet. So, the key is to find a simple, easy to understand program for marketing on the Internet that won’t distract them from their network marketing business.

This is a tough one because the Internet gets more complicated every day. So, you can either bite the bullet and pay thousands of dollars to learn how to develop an Internet marketing system, hire someone and pay them thousands of dollars to design one, or use an already proven system (see note below). No matter how you do it, make sure you’ve got an Internet marketing system working for you every day.

5. Aren’t trained properly. Some network marketing companies and upline teams do a great job of training, however this is more of a rarity than the norm. Unfortunately, most people who join network marketing companies are never trained properly and so they fail. It’s not their fault. The key to training is to have someone who has been there, done that, and made a lot of money do the training. However, usually that type of person in your upline is either too busy with his/her own huge downline or they are off enjoying the free time that results from a big residual income. Either way, people aren’t being trained. So, what is needed is a system, developed by a successful network marketer that will help you train your downline and give them something that will enable them to train their downline.

Check with your upline leaders to see what training is available and then devote time and resources to gaining the best training possible. The more you know, the better you will do (as long as you put that knowledge into action). Keep in mind that this is a business of duplication so find training that teaches methods that fit your personality and budget.

Now, that you know the five failure factors in MLM and what to do about them, the question is, “What are you going to do about it?” Your answer and following actions will dictate your level of success in network marketing. If you’re going to be the leader of a large network, you’ll need to either find or develop a system that will eliminate or at least minimize the five failure factors. That system will need to help new associates make money quickly – their first week or two in business. It will need to be a lead generation system so they never run out of prospects. It will need to be something where they don’t have to make a lot of direct contacts with cold prospects so as to reduce the feeling of rejection. It will need to be a simple, easy to use Internet system that works for them 24/7. It will need to include simple to follow training that can get them started quickly. Finally, it can’t compete for their time with the network marketing business you and they are working.

Be assured that if you develop just such a system, it will help many of your downline go on to create full-time incomes in network marketing and reduce the failure rate in your network. If developed and implemented properly, a system like this will also dramatically increase your network marketing income. So, get to work and develop a system that will eliminate the five failure factors.

NOTE: Years ago, I spent a great deal of time and money developing such systems and they helped me build a large and lucrative international network. If you don’t want to spend the time or money, there is an excellent option. It’s called The 2 Percent Plan and is a synthesis of systems I developed in the past with the hottest new concepts available today. This program, if used properly, eliminates all five of the failure factors. If you’re interested in learning more, visit my author bio link.

The Importance of Events in your Team Culture By Bob Gallo Bob Gallo Wednesday, Jul 9, 2008

Mastermind is an event put together by Randy Gage. Though it wasn't company sponsored, it was geared toward our program. But the cool thing is that Randy is hosting a "generic" (no companies mentioned) version of Mastermind in the near future which will provide virtually all the same information. To check it out click here. The event is very high level for leaders in the industry (I will be attending this event as well). It was so remarkable and transforming that I wanted to share with you some insights. ——————————————————————————–

What were my impressions of this event? Mastermind was held at the famous Doral Hotel and Country Club which was the perfect backdrop to this incredible event. You clearly needed to check your “poverty consciousness” along with your bags at the door. This venue was for leaders only! And you could not help but feel that you were on your way to Diamond while you sat at Champions Cafe overlooking the “Blue Monster” golf course. Mingling with Diamonds and more Double Diamonds than I have the space (or time) to be able to list. For me anyway, the event started even before the first seminar and I found myself energized, focused, and ready for the main event. The Directors and up meeting was also a fantastic learning experience for me and the one I took the most notes on! Here we learned “The 11 immutable laws of Network Marketing Success”. Tons of the “nitty gritty” were discussed here in a truly “no holds barred” atmosphere. It’s meetings like this that give all team members a real reason to get to Director or above before the next event! The main event took place in the grand ballroom of the Doral and I would guess that the attendance was well over 2000. There was just too much information to cover here. And frankly I couldn’t do it justice by trying to explain it all. These events are transforming both to your mind as well as your business. The camaraderie of team members and team leaders, the vibe you get when you see some of the top Diamonds circling up with their team to plan and strategize taking their business to new heights, inside information you cannot hear anywhere else, testimonials that would knock your socks off, and so much, much, much, much more. The cool part is that the event didn’t end with the last seminar. Those who Qualified were whisked away to the port of Miami for the company Cruise! It doesn’t get any better than that!…. —————————————————————————Whats the point of all this? The point I am trying to convey here is the importance of events to your team culture. This is something I learned from Randy Gage and may be one of the most important things he ever taught me. You will see that attending events is one of the things that your new team member will shy away from. The idea of booking a trip half-way across the country in order to attend a company or team convention may be intimidating at first. Not to mention the financial commitment. But in the long run, NOTHING will get your new team members into massive action to build their business faster than “being there”. In my company we have seen some of the fastest growth in the industry. People making it to Diamond pin ranks (with accompanying 30k per month bonus checks) in less than two years. How can this happen so fast? Well, if you ask them, they will tell you that they built their businesses off of events. There is something magical when you are “pressing flesh” with people just like you who have made it from the 9-5 grind, to drinking out of a coconut. For the first time, the light goes on for many and they realize that they can do it too. Perhaps they realize that they are the ones who should be on stage talking to the eager crowd who is hanging

on their every word. Rank has its perks and they can be very intoxicating in a positive and prosperous way. Events can take a year off the learning curve of both new and seasoned distributors. They provide social validation. Team members, sometimes for the first time can see those who are successful and learn the “tricks of the trade” so to speak. Because even with first class training, you can always learn something new from those who are in the trenches. Some will argue that funds spent on events would be better allocated to marketing. But the truth is…you can have all the leads in the world and not accomplish anything until you have both the belief as well as the skill sets of the successful network marketer. That is where events truly shine. Events act as glue in an organization. A chance to bond with your upline and more importantly, your downline. Creating and fostering beneficial relationships and friendships that will endure your entire career. This alone makes attending events one of the most enjoyable acts of your MLM business. Dani Johnson recommends booking the new distributor for the next event the moment they join. Randy Gage and Eric Worre hold similar views. If these trainers believe this, then it’s a safe bet we should too. In fact, on a recent training call Randy Gage said that he would never ask a person to spend one dollar unless he thought it was in the best interest of their business. He means it. He says events “get people over the line”, and I can tell you from experience that this couldn’t be truer. Also from my experience I can tell you that all of my top leaders attend events. When they stop attending, their business suffers. I think this happens because they become disconnected with what the company as a whole is doing. They don’t see the successes and the momentum. They become an isolated unit and that can be very bad because as the saying goes… “no man is an island”. Personally, I love the events and this past event I wished could go on for another week. Despite the differences in pin rank, there is a certain sense of oneness since we are all striving for the same “critical mass” in our businesses. And even though I have been to events in the past, I am sure I left this last one with a renewed energy and purpose. My skills are sharper and my motivation is stronger. Do I think it was worth the investment in myself?…. Do I think it would be worth it for you? The truth as I see it is, that you gain much more than you loose by NOT attending. To become a leader… you must do what the leaders do… and you will notice, if you watch closely, that the top leaders attend events. So make events part of your team culture and the results will amaze you!

The Qualities of Skillful Leadership By Jim Rhon Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manger, as a parent. I call leadership the great challenge of life.

What's important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics: 1. Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It's not even a good substitute.

2. Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn't weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.

3. Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you've got to walk in front of your group. You've got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.

4. You've got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can't get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a Godlike word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we're part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.

5. Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It's when you don't know that you don't know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that's just too much to take.

6. Develop humor without folly. That's important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it's okay to be witty, but not silly. It's okay to be fun, but not foolish. Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I'd like to think it's unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It's fascinating. And I've found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community, and at home.

To Your Success, Jim RohnThe Twelve

Power Secrets for Network Marketing Success (Part 1)

by Rod Nichols Rod Nichols Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008

My first book, Successful Network Marketing for the 21st Century, was an industry best seller for several years, but I always felt some key knowledge was missing. So, over the last three years, I’ve been working on a new book in an effort to share that knowledge and am happy to announce the release ofThe Twelve Power Secrets for Network Marketing Success. It is packed with millions of dollars worth of ideas for building a large and lucrative network marketing business.

Following are the high points of my power secrets one through four. (Also see Part 2 and 3 of this series for the complete list.) Put this information to work and do as I have--build a lifetime stream of residual income, so that you can have both financial and time freedom!

Power Secret One: Select the Right Company

During my nearly 29 years of network marketing, I’ve selected the wrong company a number of times. What I mean by “bad” is that they weren’t a good fit for me. Even if a company is growing rapidly, has an amazing product, a solid compensation plan, and great marketing materials, it doesn’t mean that it’s right for everyone. The questions you have to ask yourself are: “Does the company have the same values as I do? Are they marketing in a way that is suitable to my personality? Do they offer a product or service that I can get passionate about? Is the compensation plan suited to my abilities, time commitment, and talents?” Once you answer these and other questions, you will have a better feel for whether or not a company is right for you, and although selecting the right company doesn’t guarantee success, it does drastically increase the odds. The key is to do make a good selection through due diligence.

Power Secret Two: Pick the Right Sponsor

One of the biggest mistakes I see made in network marketing is picking the wrong sponsor. Typically one of two things happens. First, a person gets sponsored by a friend, family member, or associate who doesn’t know anything more about building a successful network marketing business than they do. The second option usually occurs after a bad experience with the first option, and so the individual begins researching to find a big hitter to sponsor them. The problem with being sponsored by a big hitter is that he/she doesn’t always have time to work closely with new people. After all, he/she probably has thousands of people in his/her network, all needing some level of attention. The key here is to be sponsored by someone who is serious about

building a big business and is willing to dedicate the time to help you succeed. It’s also important that your sponsor have similar values and be someone you would enjoy working with very closely. Again, picking the right sponsor doesn’t guarantee success, but it sure helps.

Power Secret Three: Develop Purpose, Goals, and Objectives

Over the years I’ve trained and coached tens of thousands of network marketers and have found that most don’t really know why they are in business. It’s critical to long-term success to have a solid “why” or purpose for being in business. It might be to have more time freedom to enjoy your family or to secure your financial future so you can give your time to ministry or charity work. It might be to become the largest contributor to a charity or ministry. Whatever your purpose, it needs to be vibrant enough to keep you going during the tough times. Once you have a solid purpose. Then you must determine what needs to happen in order to achieve that purpose – these are called goals and are the stepping stones or road signs along the way toward your purpose. Goals need to be written and reviewed daily. Often, goals are too big for you to determine what to do on a daily basis, so you should break them down into manageable activities called objectives. Start each day by reviewing your purpose, goals, and objectives, then start working on the highest priority objectives, and you will quickly reach your goals and achieve your purpose.

PPower

Secret Four: Right Attitudes and Beliefs

Many people fail in network marketing because they don’t have the right attitude. They treat their business like a hobby, working at it whenever time allows, rather than treating it like a business and scheduling regular time for business activities. I’ve also encountered many people in network marketing businesses, who show signs that they believe that what they are doing isn’t quite on the up and up, which makes it difficult for them to talk with people. It’s critical to success in network marketing to build belief in three areas: You must believe in: 1) the network marketing industry, 2) your company and the products/services, 3) yourself as a network marketing business owner. If your belief is not strong in all three areas, success will elude you. If you are struggling with challenges in this area, see my book The Ideal Business (www.RodNichols.com).

The Twelve Power Secrets for Network Marketing Success (Part 2) by Rod Nichols This is the first part

Rod Nichols Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008

My first book, Successful Network Marketing for the 21st Century, was an industry best seller for several years, but I always felt some key knowledge was missing. So, over the last three years, I’ve been working on a new book in an effort to share that knowledge and am happy to announce the release of The Twelve Power Secrets for Network Marketing Success. It is packed with millions of dollars worth of ideas for building a large and lucrative network marketing business.

Following are the high points of power secrets four through eight. (Also see Part 1 and 3 of this series for the complete list.) Put this information to work and do as I have--build a lifetime stream of residual income, so that you can have both financial and time freedom!

Power Secret Five: Treat MLM Like a Business, Not a Hobby

What does this mean? Most people who enter the network marketing industry have never run a business, so they don’t know what it means to treat MLM like a business. The keys are to first have the right attitude, and second, the right actions.

Network marketing is one of the very few businesses that can be built while you’re still employed doing something else. The great part is that you keep your current income, while building another stream, which eventually will replace the first source. However, in order to do that, you must do the things that successful business people do. You must be consistent and persistent with your business and work on the most productive activities every day. Finally, you need to make a long-term commitment to your business.

I have to laugh when someone says they’ll give it a try for six months or so. I’ve owned businesses--both network marketing and traditional--for many years, and I’ve yet to find one that produced a full-time income within six months, while building it on a part-time basis. Yes, some people earn big time income in network marketing within their first six months, but it’s because they put in a more than full-time effort or already had a massive circle of influence. For the average person, like me and probably you, it’s going to take some time and effort to build your business, but if you do it right for the next few years, you’ll never have to worry about money again.

Power Secret Six: Have a M.A.P.

If you were going to drive your car from Seattle, Washington to Orlando, Florida, would you just jump on the nearest highway and start driving, in hopes that some day soon you’d reach Orlando? No, that would be ludicrous, and yet that’s how most people build a network marketing

business. It’s a journey and you need a M.A.P., which stands for Marketing Action Plan. This plan will guide you from where you are right now to where you want to go in life. It should include your purpose, goals, objectives, marketing strategies and a daily plan to implement those strategies. That way, you are always on track as you move towards your goals and purpose.

Power Secret Seven: Become a Master Prospector

If you were wandering through a field and stumbled across a goldmine, you would immediately buy the lot, purchase digging equipment, and begin to mine the gold. Well, you have stumbled across a goldmine and it’s in your network marketing business. The key is to prospect for the gold nuggets among your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, congregation members, people out on the Internet, and people you meet out in public. There is a direct relationship between the quantity/quality of prospecting and the amount of money you make, so become a master prospector and watch your income sky rocket.

Power Secret Eight: Treat Different People Differently

If you are treating everyone exactly the same, then you’re missing the boat with 75% of them. There are four basic personalities and although we operate at times in all four, every person functions primarily in one of the four. By understanding the characteristics of each personality, you can better communicate and present to prospects, plus train and support those in your network. Understanding and recognizing the different personalities will increase your sponsoring and retention ratios.

This is the second part in a series of three articles. See Part 1 for power secrets one through four and Part 3 for power secrets nine through twelve.

The Twelve Power Secrets for Network Marketing Success (Part 3) By Rod Nichols Rod Nichols Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008

My first book, Successful Network Marketing for the 21st Century, was an industry best seller for several years, but I always felt some key knowledge was missing. So, over the last three years, I’ve been working on a new book in an effort to share that knowledge and am happy to announce the release of The Twelve Power Secrets for Network Marketing Success. It is packed with millions of dollars worth of ideas for building a large and lucrative network marketing business.

Following are the high points of power secrets nine through twelve. (See Part 1 and Part 2 of this series for the complete list.) Put this information to work and do as I have--build a lifetime stream of residual income, so that you can have both financial and time freedom!

Power Secret Nine: Become a Master Presenter

There is an old saying, “Facts tell and stories sell.” If you want to become a successful network marketer, you must become an excellent story teller. At first, you will tell the stories of successful people in your upline, and later you’ll share your own success story. People love to hear stories and will better retain the information you’re presenting. Effective story telling is one part of becoming a master presenter, and by becoming one, you will move yourself into the ranks of the top performers in your company.

Power Secret Ten: Become a Savvy Internet Marketer

The basis of network marketing is building networks of people who buy and sell products/services. What better place to build a network of people than on a natural worldwide network called the Internet? According to Internet World Stats, which you can view at www.Internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, as of 2006, there were a little over one billion people on the Internet worldwide and that’s up from 101 million in 1998. As you can see, the Internet is growing rapidly and is the place to build a network marketing business.

However, it’s easy to get lost or overwhelmed on and by the Internet, so the key is to learn how to be a savvy Internet network marketer. First, you want to have an effective lead capturing web site with autoresponders that follow-up on your prospects. Second, you’ll need an effective database or contact management system that helps you remember to follow-up personally with qualified prospects. Third, you want to have an excellent online presentation system including web site-based presentations in flash or video and live webinars. Fourth, you’ll need to have a pass-coded training web site that takes your new associates through some basic training. From there, you’ll want to learn about funded business proposals (check out my new funded business proposal system The 2 Percent Plan Plus), pay-per-click advertising, and social marketing. Becoming a savvy Internet marketer will add a number of effective business building weapons to your arsenal and help you build a large and lucrative business.

Power Secret Eleven: Develop Leaders When I joined the industry in 1979, I was taught that if a person could fog a mirror, I should attempt to sponsor them. Well, it’s one thing to sponsor a bunch of people and it’s something completely different to develop leaders. Leaders will duplicate, causing expansion of your network without any effort on your part. Leaders will attract other leaders and potential leaders,

so learn how to identify and sponsor leaders, plus how to train and develop them. Once you’ve developed several organizations that have at least one leader, you will have a solid base for building a long-term walk-away residual income.

Power Secret Twelve: The Ultimate Power Secret

This is actually the most important of the power secrets. You can effectively use the other eleven and without the ultimate power secret you will still only enjoy marginal results. This is the difference between a double A battery and 220volts of electricity. In fact, the ultimate secret is the real power behind every success. Think about your computer. You could have the latest, greatest, and most powerful computer made by man, but if you don’t plug it into the wall and power it up, the computer is useless. Once you plug into the ultimate power source, amazing things will begin to happen–leaders will be attracted to you and your business, your marketing campaigns will produce better results, and you will suddenly know exactly what to say to a prospect. This is the culmination of all the power secrets for network marketing success.

Everything you need for massive network marketing success is contained in these twelve power secrets. However, failure or success is truly in your hands and is dependent on what you do with this knowledge.

Obviously, I couldn’t include all of the information in my new book on each power secret or this would have been a very, very long article! So, if you’re serious about building a large and lucrative network marketing business and want more in depth information, check out The Twelve Powers for Network Marketing Success RodNichols.com Store.

However, even with all this information, your success is still up to you. Knowledge is power, but only when put into action! So, the big question is whether you are ready for success or not? If you are, then put this knowledge into action and in a few months to a few years, you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor–financial and time freedom

Want To Make Millions? Train Your Downline On The Basics Mark Rawlins Friday, May 21, 2004

Your distributor is standing at a party. An acquaintance says, Man! You look great! What will your distributor say? If you have trained them, this person may become a customer or maybe a distributor. If you have NOT trained them, who knows. This is the essence of network marketing.

After 24 years in this industry, one of the things that frustrates me the most is the get rich quick mentality that some people in this industry sell. Hey, don't get me wrong. I am a true believer in the opportunity our industry supplies. BUT, it only works when some basic principles are applied. he companies that succeed long term are those that have lots, and lots of consumers. By and large, the way consumers are found is the old fashioned way, one at a time. Consider this fact, Acme Inc pays out 50% commissions, has an average order size of $100. For each distributor that makes $50,000 a month, there must be 1,000 people who purchase product and make 0 commission. This is assuming all of the commission for these 1,000 people go to the leader, it doesn't, other distributors have to be paid. The leader will probably only get 10-20% of the commission. So a company will need 5,000-10,000 consumers to support each $50,000 leader. So how do you get all of these consumers, you train your distributors on the basic skills of building a downline. What are those skills and how do you train on them? Basic sales skills have not changed much since man first tied a rock on a stick, called it a hammer and sold it cave to cave.In direct sales this process has three basic components: 1. The 5-second hook: You have to catch someone's attention enough to get them to stop and listen. Remember the classic Herbalife? "Lose weight now, ask me how?" buttons.They begged a question. A good company will have several hooks -- different people are comfortable with different styles. 2. The 30-second pitch: Now you need to get them interested enough to listen to a presentation, but you are not somewhere that a full-blown presentation would be appropriate.So you pitch them, it has to catch their interest, but not make them feel like you have waylaid them. This is hard to learn.It is hard to make a coherent, reasonable, exciting, pitch in 30 seconds- 2 minutes. 3. Presentation and close: This is where a clear concise roadmap is laid out explaining the rational for the company.Now a distributor needs to be flexible. My 82 year old mother had read about a skin cream that sounded like just what she needed for her problem. She called her local distributor who ran right over, but would not sell it to her until she had listened to the entire 30 minute presentation, my mother was annoyed, when you are that old you don't have a lot of time to waste. So how do distributors learn these basic skills of hook, pitch, presentation and close, they must get trained. These are not incredibly difficult skills, but people don?t naturally have them either. They must be trained and practiced, companies need to have well thought out hooks and pitches that distributors can use. Because in the end this is a person to person business and when your distributor is standing next to a potential distributor or customer you need to have trained them on something to say. In the end, it is all about having a volunteer sales force that is trained to promote your product. It doesn?t come naturally.Training is the key. 824

Web Conferencing: Anytime, Anywhere, Efficient Communication - By Curtis Carlson Curtis Carlson

Monday, Apr 14, 2008

Imagine spicing up weekly conference calls with the power of the visual medium of the Internet. Your audience is limitless—even global. You control the content. You manage the tempo. Your PowerPoint presentation is displayed on all the participants’ computer screens, and as you speak on the call, your voice is projected through their computer speakers. All your participants need is a connection to the Internet on their personal computer and a single phone line. All you need to make this actually happen is a Web conferencing service!

In the MLM industry, your ability to communicate is a large determinant of your success. So, it’s important to keep up with the trends in cutting edge communications technology.

For instance, did you know research shows on-line Web conferences have clearly gained acceptance as a replacement for traditional in-person events? In a study conducted by Nilssen & Davis, Wainhouse Research, 61.2% of respondents stated that they use Web conferences to replace events and programs that were conducted in other ways in the past.

Web conferencing features broadcasting a live meeting or presentation over the Internet, which attendees view on their computers. These individuals are connected to each other via the Internet and can share an application, i.e., a spread sheet, from their desk tops with everyone else in the meeting. With this technology, you can make presentations in real time to hundreds of people, regardless of their location. You can increase your audience size while reducing overall presentation costs, and hold events on demand. Web conferences may include conference calls, training sessions, prospecting meetings, product announcements, or anything you want to post on a Web page.

The technology is easy to use. No programming or technical experience is necessary. Only a Web browser is required and no downloads are needed to join and view a presentation.

Web conferences were initially seen as a replacement for conference calls. However, many people are surprised when they find out that, instead, Web conferencing actually magnifies traditional conference calling. It features a live call for thousands of listeners.

As an alternative to traditional meetings, Web conferencing features include:

• •

• • • • •

Wider geographic reach. People from virtually anywhere there is an Internet connection can participate. Meetings can include everyone—a global audience of unlimited size. Lower operational costs across the board. For example, there’s no meeting facility rental, travel, hotel stay, or time away for organizers, presenters, or audience. Conference calls can be broadcast for a fraction of the cost. Training costs are reduced. Typically, one resultant sale more than covers your Web conference cost. Quicker information dissemination. Low-pressure sales environment. Live training extended to any number and location. Keep your organization up to speed no matter how fast your company is moving. Sales lead generation. Archived Meetings. Individuals may listen at their convenience.

Nilssen & Davis’ study showed the following results in response to the question, “How do you use Web seminars in your business?”

• • • • •

Generate Leads – Prospect Web seminars, building awareness, etc. Sales Training – Internal or channel. External Training – Customer or student education. Internal Training – Internal staff (not sales-related). External Events - Product announcements, customer and partner communications, earnings announcements, etc.

In recent years, technology has advanced Web conferencing into the talk show realm. This allows the meeting host to have an interactive experience with the audience. With my company’s Web conferencing tool, all those who join the WebMeeting are placed in a queue and the host may choose other speakers. This format allows more interaction and does not require a conference bridge. This type of Web conference can be audio only or may include multimedia options such as PowerPoint slide presentations, Webcam, live audio communication via the

computer/headphones, and screen sharing. With the increase of broadband Internet technologies, this kind of Web conference has become more and more popular.

Over the past eight years of facilitating and observing online meetings, most of which have been audio-only for training or recruiting, I’ve learned some important lessons. Here are some suggestions to make Web conferences more effective for both live and archive listeners:

•

Target calls to a specific audience. When you do this, Web conferences are well attended and listened to longer. For example, a call that is designed for new people in the business, which gives the simple and essential steps for a newcomer, works well. Or, a call that introduces a new product can also reach a target segment. Another effective call is the well scripted recruiting call. Distributors like to know that when they bring someone to a call, they can count on quality and predict the outcome. A call that tries to do everything for everyone rarely holds the group.

•

The length of the call depends on the subject matter. Usually, calls that are shorter in length are more effective. People are also more likely to go back and review a call if it is 20 minutes rather than 40 minutes. Typically, 15 - 20 minutes seems to be the average length of time people listen to a call.

•

Visual aids can add interest and improve retention. Audio-only calls seem to have a big drop off at about ten minutes. By adding visuals, you can increase the amount of time your audience will stay on the call. The visuals don’t need to be fancy; they just need to be pertinent to the subject. A few graphics with words or pictures of the product add up. Use bullet points to show what you are covering. When you do a slide presentation in front of a group, you might use 40 slides and change slides on every point. In a Web conference, 20 slides with the same key points provide focus and interest without slowing down the presentation while waiting for the slide to load. Too many visuals can be distracting.

The most important lesson I’ve learned over these last eight years is that having a cool Web page rarely works to recruit people. People recruit people. Although it cannot replace the building of relationships, Web conferencing provides a 24-hour-a-day way to quickly connect people to people anywhere that results in increased business productivity, time efficiency, and most importantly, revenue!

__________ Reference:

Davis, A. & Nilssen, A. (2005). Wainhouse Research. Unearthing the True Value of Web Seminars and On-line Events: Applications & Results from the Customer’s Perspective. Retrieved April 11, 2008 from http://www.wainhouse.com/files

What is My MLM Leadership Style? By Eric Marchant (1 of Series) Eric Marchant Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008

Individual personalities play a major role in how we communicate, fall in love, function as teams; develop as leaders and many other aspects of personal and interpersonal dynamics. And so it should be no surprise that personalities are front and center in the people business of direct selling. Whether a double diamond distributor or the company CEO a person’s personality style will contribute to how he or she arrived at that position and what they will do to stay there. In this world of people meeting people there are basically four “leadership styles;” the “Strategist” – the person who identifies the ways and means necessary and sufficient to accomplish a well defined goal; the “Diplomat” – the person that instinctively knows how to trigger individual motivation and organization morale; the “Logician” – the person that places the right person and material in the right place at the right time; and, the “Tactician” – the person with a “cat-like” ability to land on their feet; taking advantage of the immediate moment for his or her own advantage. The world of MLM is a curious mix of all styles. However, the majority of distributors are either tactical or diplomatic. The tactical builders have enormous energy; they work hard and move fast preferring not to get caught up in the details of “too much” organization. The “pied piper” diplomats convince because they care; they care about people; they care about improving people and society. Although there aren’t as many strategists in the industry, those that don’t get caught up in “paralysis through analysis” can build tremendous organizations; the largest and best. Logicians can build success too, although their traditional thought and natural skepticism can hold them back. When logicians do get involved, look for them behind all events and activities that are well organized and include a plan for follow-up. At the corporate level, you would think that a company would represent a different mix of personalities; some diplomats and tacticians for action and the warm and fuzzy, but a heavy representation of logistical organization set against a backdrop of strategic direction – wrong! In the direct selling industry the majority of companies are owned and managed by the same people that started them, placing an unusual corporate emphasis on the tactical. This makes the initial growth phase fun and exciting, but can leave broad gaps in the timely delivery of quality products, especially if “SOPs” (standard operating procedures) aren’t incorporated at some point. So where do you fall? Are you a visionary strategist, a tactful diplomat, an energetic tactician, or an organized logician? The following is a simple personality self assessment that I have used for years. It helps me introduce the concept of leadership styles in a fun and personable way.

Instructions: Please select from the provided groupings of word pairs and phrases the choice which most accurately describes you. Record your answers on the answer sheet that follows. When you have answered all of the questions, total the columns and circle the competing letter, S or N, with the highest count. If S has the highest, then combine the S with the highest count from J or P. If N has the highest, then combine the N with either the T or F. When you are finished you should have a selection of two letter combinations; NT, NF, SP, or SJ.

1. You have a tendency to be: 1. Practical & Matter-of-fact 2. Imaginative 2. You help others improve by: 1. Critiquing them 2. Complimenting them 3. You like being: 1. Planful 2. Spontaneous 4. You like to talk about things you: 1. Can see and touch 2. Ideas and concepts 5. You prefer to: 1. Know about products 2. Care about people 6. You usually: 1. Work even when playing 2. Make work fun 7. You usually see things: 1. As they are 2. As they could be 8. You usually work towards: 1. Clarity 2. Harmony 9. You prefer: 1. To regulate, structure 2. “Live” and “Let live” 10. You like to work with 1. What is 2. The possibilities 11. You dislike 1. Not knowing why 2. Angry words, hurt feelings 12. Leaders should: 1. Work the plan 2. Adapt to the circumstances 13. In an outline you prefer to: 1. Be detailed 2. Be schematic 14. You usually make decisions: 1. With your head

2. With your heart

15. Leaders should be: 1. Decisive 2. Open

16. My descriptions are usually more: 1. Specific 2. General

17. You usually put: 1. Truth before tact 2. Tact before truth

18. You are: 1. More organized 2. More flexible

19. You get ideas for stories from: 1. Things you know about 2. Your imagination

20. Others probably see you as: 1. Tough-minded 2. Warm-hearted

21. You are told more often to: 1. “Loosen up” 2. “Get organized”

1 4 7 10 13 16 19

2 5 8 11 14 17 20 S

3 6 9 12 15 18 21 T

Now that you have completed the assessment and identified the two-letter style, locate and review your MLM Leadership Style on the table below. NT – Strategist

NF – Diplomat

Intuitive Thinking

Intuitive Feeling

Driven by: The potential of ideas

Driven by: The potential of people

Preferred Organization: Matrix

Preferred Organization: Flat

Live in an interval

Live in the future

Called a Wizard or Visionary

Called a Sage or Catalyst

SP – Tactician

SJ – Logician

Open ending Sensing

Decisive Sensing

Driven by: Impact in the moment

Driven by: Security

Preferred Organization: One on one

Preferred Organization: Hierarchy

Live in the moment

Live in the past

Called a Player or Trouble-shooter

Called a Manager or Organizer

Does the information for your selected style feel comfortable? If so, you are ready to move on to a more detailed leadership description to follow in coming articles. If the descriptions do not feel right, review the assessment with someone who knows you well (I would recommend an SJ friend or associate – they notice details and are decisive). Ask them to clear up any ambiguity, and then revisit the descriptions again. Now that you are familiar with this shorthand method of style discovery, you can use it to “style watch” at both field and company events. Are those around you more detailed or do they prefer the big picture? Who is really organized and who moves fast and needs others to follow up and pick up the pieces? Just remember this as you observe others with a new perspective – everyone is different, not better or worse, but different. Ask yourself, “How do I fit into this organization?” And, “How can I utilize others for the benefit of all?” As we leave this introduction to differing styles, I thought it would be fun to share a partial list of famous people and the leadership styles that they prefer.

NT – Strategists

NF – Diplomats

SJ – Logicians

SP – Tacticians

Dwight Eisenhower

Mohandas Gandi

Harry Truman

Michael Jordan

Ayn Rand

Eleanor Roosevelt

Elizabeth II

Michael Douglas

Isaac Newton

Carl Jung

Warren Buffet

Katherine Hepburn

Ulysses S. Grant

Jane Goodall

President James K. Polk

Bruce Lee

Fredriche Nietsche

Sidney Poitier

John D. Rockefeller

Alan Shepard

Niels Bohr

Emily Bronte

Woodrow Wilson

Woody Allen

Peter the Great

Sir Alec Guinness

Colin Powell

Chuck Yeager

Stephen Hawking

Mary Baker Eddy

Mike Wallace

Clint Eastwood

John Maynard Keynes

Queen Noor

Judge Judy

Erwin Rommel

Lise Mietner

Jane Fonda

Vince Lombardi

Charles Lindbergh

Issac Asimov

Emily Dickenson

Justice Sandra Day Oconnor

Charles XII of Sweden

William F. Buckley

Albert Schweitzer

Jack Webb

Shaquille O’Neal

Albert Einstein

Princess Diana

Dr. Laura Schlesinger

John Stockton

Marie Curie

Richard Gere

Dan Rather

Donald Trump

Thomas Jefferson

Isabel Myers

General Benard Montgomery Maddona

Adam Smith

Mia Farrow

Brigham Young

John F. Kennedy

Charles Darwin

Albert Schweitzer

Julius Morgan

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Ludwig Boltzmann

Aldous Huxley

Bill O’Reilly

Theodore Roosevelt

James Madison

Audrey Hepburn

George HW Bush

Winston Churchill

Gregory Peck

Karen Armstrong

Mother Teresa

Grace Slick

George Soros

George Orwell

Jimmie Stewart

Eva Peron

David Keirsey

Ann Morrow Lindbergh

Czar Nicholas II

George Patton

Steve Allen

Emily Bronte

Pierpont Morgan

Ernest Hemingway

Abraham Lincoln

Bill Moyers

Jack Morgan

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Steve Wozniak

Phil Donahue

Sam Walton

Hugh Hefner

Walt Disney

Charles Dickens

Martha Stewart

John Paul Getty

Camille Paglia

Paul Robeson

Barbara Walters

Jack Nicholson

Thomas Edison

Joan Baez

Ray Kroc

Karl Malone

Nicola Tesla

Joseph Campbell

J.C. Penney

Steven Spielberg

Richard Feynman

Elizabeth Caddy Stanton

Louis B. Mayer

Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Buckminster Fuller

Carl Rogers

William Howard Taft

Barbara Streisand

Benjamin Franklin

Sargent Shriver

Ed Sullivan

Bob Dylan

Ray Kurzweil

Upton Sinclair

George Washington

Cher Bono

Mark Twain

Charlotte Bronte

Leonid Brezhnev

Wolfgang Mozart

Bill Gates

Leo Tolstoy

Neil Simon

Margaret Thatcher

Oliver Stone

Mel Brooks

Napoleon Bonaparte

Erica Jong

Paul Gauguin

General George C. Marshall

Leon Trotsky

Johnny Carson

Thomas Paine

Mel Brooks

Alexander Hamilton

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Molly Brown “the Unsinkable”

Tim Duncan

Edward Teller Douglas MacArthur

Joseph Smith

Golda Meir

Mikhael Gorbachev

Fredrick Douglass

Vladimir Lenin

William Tecumsah Sherman

Oprah Winfrey

George Bernard Shaw Carl Sagan

Bill Clinton Marilyn Monroe Elvis Ronald Reagan

Billy Graham

Pablo Picasso Magic Johnson

Ralph Nader John Wooden

Judy Garland Leonard Bernstein

Martin Luther King Pope John Paul II

John Goodman Elizabeth Taylor

Margaret Mead Nikita Khrushchev Spencer W. Kimball Anna Nicole Smith Charles Barkley

In my next article, we will explore the styles of the presidential candidates. In the meantime, where would you place Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama? How about John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee?

Eric’s qualifications for this article are as follows: 1. Studied and used personality styles and type for more than 25 years.

2. Qualified user of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. (The Gold Standard of Personality Assessments – used by 85% of the Fortune 100; translated in 23 languages and administered to more than 3 million individuals each year in the USA alone) 3. Appeared on the Jack Anderson show on PBN (Public Broadcasting Network) in 1991 as the personality expert selected to do a profile of Boris Yeltsin (NT - Strategist). 4. Featured in Utah Magazine in May 1994 Issue as Utah’s resident personality expert. 5. Personality (Talent) consultant and speaker at Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Department of Energy, and at several MLM companies. To contact Eric please click his Author link.

What to Look for in a Network Marketing Training Program by Troy Rocavert Troy Rocavert Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008

When considering joining a network marketing company, you should carefully evaluate that company’s network marketing training program. A training system should be designed to help you succeed with your company over the long-term, not just earn a few good checks in the first few months. A training system should help you develop knowledge and skills, and also to become competent and confident.

This is what creates success.

An effective and comprehensive network marketing training system should be able to be: 1) learned by anyone with drive and commitment; 2) initially applied through practice and then action (business growth), and finally, 3) duplicated within your growing organization.

A good training system creates success because it ensures :

• • •

Simplicity - Simple to follow, simple to learn, and simple to do. Clarity - Everyone knows what they are doing. Duplication - Everyone is doing the same thing.

An effective and comprehensive training system will also assist you to learn step-by-step how to start building your customer base, how to sponsor associates, and how to support your customers and associates.

A comprehensive training system may typically include: 1. Developing your business plan/marketing plan based on action steps. 2. How to answer questions and handle objections. 3. Goal setting, motivation and accountability. 4. Product and company story training. 5. Building a team and leadership training. 6. Pay/compensation plan training--presenting it to others. 7. Business presentation and product/service presentation skills. 8. Marketing basics and using your company's marketing tools and resources. 9. Running your business as a business (include basic tips on running a network marketing home-based business, insurances and taxation issues, etc.). 10. Role playing and training scripts.

As a new associate without experience, it is very hard to understand what you need to do to build a network marketing business, especially if you do not have any previous experience in this particular type of marketing business. What you need most of all is clarity. This system gives you a clear road map showing you exactly what you need to do, how to do it, and in what order.

First, you will need to develop skills. You should look for a network marketing training system that provides a skills development program. Second, you will need to apply those skills to increase your competence and confidence this can be done through the practice of role-plays with experienced leaders and other team members. Third, you need to look to get results and this is achieved through applying the skills, knowledge, and practice learned in your training program.

"Training is such a vital part of preparation for a game; you really do train to play." -Graeme Le Saux (Champion Footballer)

This stage of taking action to build your business should correspond with the business and marketing plan that you have developed with your sponsor/upline business coach. Along the

way, you should make sure to work closely with your sponsor/coach to ensure you are making progress toward your evolving goals, which are the underlying reason for being in business.

The objective of any system is to facilitate your development to become a leader within your organization. By then, you are achieving consistent results and helping your team to duplicate the system effectively. This is one of the key aspects that I consider when looking at network marketing training systems. Is the training simple, clear, and is it able to be duplicated by anyone with drive and commitment?

Naturally, your success with any training program will depend on how willing you are to follow and apply the system. A training system should embody a culture that is based on people helping people, providing first class care and service to customers, and high quality coaching and support to all team members. This way, everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy great results and the success they want.

A simple checklist to look for in a good training system:

•

Must be able to duplicated and involve mentoring or training by a successful upline leader.

•

Should include an initial and ongoing training program from the network marketing company. An organization or team-based approach to training is a bonus. Before you go out into the field, a training program should have helped you to develop skills in handling objections, developing a customer base, basic knowledge of your company's products/services. (Remember, soldiers are trained on a firing range for hours on end before they are sent to the frontline). Training should be easily able to be duplicated within your growing organization.

•

As with franchising, the more comprehensive and practical the training program is, the more successful the business operator. Your network marketing training is the foundation on which your success in building a large organization (and long-term residual income) is built. So, invest time and effort wisely in evaluating what materials will be used to build this foundation.

Who is Training the Trainer? By Nancy Tobler Nancy Tobler

Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008

A quick Internet search provides a plethora of sales training topics such as “online sales parties,” “how to get repeat orders,” and “steps to the sale.” When it comes to the availability of direct sales training materials, there is limitless supply. That is a good thing, right? Well, it depends. In reality, the problem is that much of the training is not effective.

I spend much of my life teaching and training. So, last semester, I decided to review the research on training effectiveness. My initial review proved dismal. Research suggests that the impact of training may be short lived, non-existent, or even counter-productive!

Think about it. When was the last time you attended a training meeting for your direct selling business, personal fulfillment, or to gain spiritual enlightenment? Can you envision the meeting clearly in your head? You can probably remember where the meeting was held and the general topic. You may even be able to remember some of the people you met. If you were really paying attention, you probably remember some of the sessions you attended. The bottom line, though, is did you do anything as a result of what you learned? Did the training actually change your behavior? If it didn’t, it just plain wasn’t effective. And, if it wasn’t effective, it was a waste of time and money.

Training is obviously essential in all arenas. It has been a consistent field of study for almost 100 years. The consensus is that the following elements are crucial to successful training:

• Assess

the group to be trained.

What do they do well? Are they great at getting appointments, but can’t seem to make a sell; or do they spend most of their time just trying to get in the door?

Of course, the easiest way to assess trainees is to ask them what they need help with. This can provide some amazing insights. They may say that their confidence is the problem. They may be some of those people who can observe their own behavior. However, many people cannot see how they are actually behaving. It may be that they can talk to strangers, but they do not have the confidence to talk to those they know.

A second way to assess is to observe the trainees. Go with them to a meeting or participate in a three way call, but let them lead for part of the call. That way, you can see what they do well and where they might improve.

• Design

training to fit the audience.

Customize the training based on your assessment of the group to be trained. The training needs to fit the business needs, emotional needs, and intellectual needs of the trainees.

• Teach

what you know.

As the trainer, ascertain what you know that will fulfill the needs of the trainees. If you can’t close a sale, it makes it tough to train others how to do it! Even when you know how to do something, you may not just be a natural at teaching it. You have to carefully think through the process and break it down into easy to understand steps in order to effectively teach it.

• Research

your topic.

What does your company say works? Has corporate found that those who don’t make a sale in the first month never make a sell? If that is true, then it is crucial that you tell your trainees the facts and what to do about them. Sometimes there is even academic research that will support or inform you regarding what works best in your area. dsef.org has some great case studies on direct selling companies. For example, it may be that selling durable plastics takes a different approach than selling a monthly juice drink. MLM.com is also a great place to find what experts in the field are saying.

• Design

training that is active rather than passive.

It takes very motivated learners to change their behavior based on just hearing something. Most of us change only after trying a new behavior. There are several ways to get your trainees involved: ask questions, brainstorm, share experiences, and role play. Role-playing is one of the most effective training techniques. Give your trainees a typical situation and then have them act out how they would handle it based on their new knowledge received in the training session.

• Help

trainees set new goals.

Help trainees set a goal(s) based on the training information. Training is only successful if it produces a change in behavior. . • Provide

feedback to trainees on progress made achieving their

goals.

Periodically, give trainees feedback on their progress. This requires you to know your trainees. It also means that you must continually assess them to determine how they are coming along on their goals.

Training is not easy. Most people who say it is are the ones who are talking at people not with them. These presenters may even be entertaining, but the point is, they are not making a difference in others’ lives. The core concept to remember is that to be effective, training must be designed so that it will produce change in the behavior of the trainees. Change is the true measure of a successful training program.

A Hobby or a Business--Don't Play "Audit Roulette" (Part 1) by Brenda Clemons Brenda Clemons Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008

Home-based MLM businesses are growing at an accelerated rate due to layoffs, downsizing, mergers, and the need for second family incomes. What many entrepreneurs are missing out on and need to know is that there are allowable tax deductions that may reduce their gross income, thus significantly lowering what they owe Uncle Sam at the end of the year. This is great news! However, it comes with a word of warning. While you might enjoy some big benefits at tax time through deductions, the IRS has some very specific rules as to what it deems to be a hobby vs. a legitimate business expense. It’s essential that you study up to make sure you aren’t playing “audit roulette”!

With the rise in home-based MLM businesses, the IRS is taking a closer look to see if an operation is actually a business or a hobby. If you have a business, you can take losses associated with it as a deduction on your tax return. However, you are not allowed to deduct losses involved with hobbies. The best way to prove you have a business is to have net income, but that isn't always possible. So, if you find you have losses, make sure to document in detail your business intent as well as your time and effort expended through business meals, milage, office and promotional supply receipts etc. You don't want the IRS to disallow your losses because they say your business is a hobby and not a real business.

Once you’ve established that your operation indeed qualifies as a business, then there are definitions of legitimate business deductions. Although every business is different, a broad definition presented in Stephen Fishman’s book, Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn, is: “Every tax deduction has to be reasonable and necessary, and directly related to business.” But, then there are the details, and one detail not to be overlooked is the question, “What is a legitimate deduction and what is not?”

Another equally important detail, as some entrepreneurs have learned only after the tax man has “come a knockin’ on their door,” is to keep accurate records of your qualifying expenses, then consult with and file your taxes using a knowledgeable and qualified tax consultant.

It really is better to be safe (informed and prepared) than sorry, as is illustrated in the case of Brenda Konchar, a Mary Kay representative, who filed her taxes, claiming items as business deductions. To her misfortune, the IRS disagreed because she claimed deductions that exceeded her income. She took her case to the tax court and lost with the court concluding that her deductions exceeded her income, and disallowed the losses. They stated that her pursuit was just a hobby, not a business and that even if she had had what they considered a business, her expenses were not legitimate business expenses.

Some statistics show that small or home based business owners are three times more likely to be audited than traditional business owners. “But that isn’t necessarily true,” says Jan Zobel, author of Minding Her Own Business: The Self-Employed Woman's Guide to Taxes and Recordkeeping. “I don't agree that chances of getting audited are greater with a home-based business.” The key is to use the term, “home office” the same way the IRS does.

In reality, your chances of being audited are about 1%. You’re not at a greater risk of being audited if you prepare your return in ink vs. a computer generated return. It also doesn’t raise red flags if you were the first to file your return or if you filed it a month after the deadline. Most returns are audited because of their Discriminate Function (DIF) score, a technique that compares your return’s income and deductions, against national averages.

To learn exactly what the IRS is looking for and to fall within a safe DIF score, you can visit the IRS website and see what deductions apply specifically to your type of home-based business and what documentation you are required to keep. The IRS website provides helpful, comprehensive information for small businesses. It lists a toll-free number in case you need more help with necessary forms and tools. Visit Official IRS Website.

Another great resource is the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website at Small Business Advocacy. Created by Congress in 1976, the SBA is an independent voice for small business within the federal government.There are also a myriad of great books and resources out there with even more information if you do a little "googling".

You will find it well worth the effort to do a little of your own research, then find a qualified tax consultant who can tell you specifically what receipts and other records to keep so you can avoid the headaches and pitfalls when tax time comes around. Again, the most important thing you can possibly do is to keep detailed records throughout the year!

Running a home-based business offers some great tax advantages that other businesses cannot claim. Unfortunately, many business owners are not aware of the benefits available to them. So, do a little leg work to make sure you fall within the IRS home-based business guidelines and then take every legal deduction available to you! This Week's Topic

Press Releases Unique Training Program that Increases Recruitment and Retention for Network Marketing Companies

Tuesday, Nov

11, 2008

XanGo Announces New Distributor Relations Department

Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008

Anticipation Building for the Official Launch of Glimpse- Intuitive Skin Care by XanGo Sellersportal.net v.s. eBay || A "MLM" Business

Friday, Oct 17, 2008

Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

ConferenceTown.com. FREE Conference Call services Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008

more releases...

Dot Com or Dot Scam Jeffery A. Babener Monday, Mar 24, 2003

DOT COM FEVER Everyone has jumped on the dot com train and there is no reason that the MLM industry should be any different. First of all, e-commerce and the Internet are dramatically changing the way network marketing companies do business - communications, documentation, sales catalogs, etc. Second, the Internet has ushered in a new regime of products and services, including Internet

access, web site hosting and replicating web sites attached to e-commerce virtual shopping malls. It is the replicating template web site attached to an e-commerce virtual mall that has created the most excitement and the most skepticism in the network marketing industry. In particular, it is the business model in which distributors are encouraged to purchase multiple replicating web sites, and then are encouraged to cause others to buy multiple replicating web sites, all of which are used primarily for recruiting rather than e-commerce, that is causing the greatest concern. Regulatory agencies in both the United States and abroad have taken aim at companies which sell multiple web sites, accusing them of being front-loading, headhunting recruiting schemes. In fact, the point is well taken. Such business models are often not about e-commerce, but use the "facade" of e-commerce to run a cash pyramid scheme in which the "real money" is made by recruiting individuals to "front-load" other individuals with multiple web sites that are not so much for the marketing of products or services, but are used for recruiting others to do the same or are just plan "unused." THAT SUCKING SOUND Periodically, the network marketing industry is faced with a phenomenon in which distributors leave legitimate product or service companies in droves to partake in a feeding frenzy in a "facade" MLM opportunity. The industry has seen this in overpriced phone cards, diet cookies, garage loads of water filters, high priced training fee telecom programs, gold bullion contract programs, travel and discount buying service packages, and a host of others. Such programs are short lived, but the industry suffers as individuals jump on the latest MLM junkie "pyramid train." The multiple front-load recruiting web site phenomenon is no exception. In fact, it is a phenomenon that knows no borders. Perhaps the best analogy is the granddaddy of pyramid schemes, Dare to be Great, in which individuals paid thousands of dollars to attend motivational seminars in which they were taught how to recruit others to come to similar motivational seminars. LEGITIMATE PRODUCTS ARE OKAY The Internet scams should not be confused with legitimate products and services relating to the Internet. For instance, marketing Internet access at competitive prices with AOL or MSN is perfectly legitimate. The marketing of web site hosting services to small businesses or individuals who buy those web site hosting services because they intend to use them and do use them for purposes other than "buying into the deal" or recruiting others to do the same, is legitimate. Most major MLM companies have offered their distributors replicating web sites that tie into the home page of the MLM company to sell its products or services. This is a very useful tool, which is provided to MLM distributors to expand their business. It is entirely legitimate. It is questionable whether such web sites should be commissionable, in that they are being used as a sales tool, rather than sold as an independent web site hosting product. That issue must be left for another day, however, and companies have adopted different policies on this point. DOT SCAM WARNING SIGNS It is the "scam" type template programs that individuals should steer clear. These are programs in which web template fees are paid to participate "in the deal" and not to move products or services. Individuals who are earning thousands of dollars a month in such programs are earning money not from e-commerce, but from front-loading their downline with multiple template sales.

Here are some of the warning signs that individuals should pay attention to before participating in a web hosting template multilevel program:  1. If individuals are encouraged to buy multiple web template sites, it is likely a sign of front-

loading.  2. If the primary use of the web sites that are sold is to recruit others to purchase similar sites, red flags arise.  3. If, in discussing the program with others, it appear that little or no e-commerce is accomplished in a web template program associated with a virtual shopping mall, the MLM program is merely a "front" for moving money.  4. If there is really very little or no money to be made in e-commerce, this should cause concern.  5. If it turns out that many of the web template sites that have been sold by the company have not been initiated, this is a problem.  6. If the company sells multiple web sites and commissions are paid on web site sales before web sites are initiated, the program bears similarity to the illegal program of Gold Unlimited in which commissions were paid on gold contracts before gold was shipped.  7. If the company holds itself out to be a web site hosting company, but it cannot demonstrate sale or usage of web sites outside of the network of recruiters, this is indicative that the only reason people are buying the web template sites is to "buy into the deal."  8. If the company has located itself offshore, it is probably anticipating challenges to jurisdiction of U.S. authorities or shielding of assets outside the United States - a major red flag. A MODEST PREDICTION Many industry observers ask the question, "What will happen to all of these _on fire_ web template companies?" Given the historical experience of this type of business model, the following prediction may not be far off: Out of ten of these sorts of schemes:  1. One of the schemes will probably survive and ultimately transform into a legitimate

business, but this will occur long after many individuals have been "burned" and lost their "investment."  2. One will probably be targeted in a major way by a regulatory agency, such as the FTC, and prosecuted and put out of business.  3. Eight out of ten of such businesses will probably go out of business of their own accord when the market has become saturated with the scheme they have been perpetrating. Some individuals who "got into the deal" early will have made a lot of money, and many will have nothing to show for it. A WORD OF CAUTION The fact is that no MLM company has stood the test of time that did not offer a quality service or product to its distributors and the general public. Over time, companies which have used fads or fashionable products or services as a "facade" to move huge sums of cash, have littered the highways of the network marketing industry. If individuals would like to think of the MLM industry as a lottery or a game of chance or a "deal," then the front-loading MLM replicating web site template programs are the latest of the "money games" for them. When the "money games" have passed, however, the rest of the legitimate network marketing industry will likely say "good riddance" and hope to attract distributors back to programs with "real" products and services with a real long term future.

Multilevel Marketing Pyramids-"Lotteries"

Spencer Reese

Tuesday, Apr 8, 2003

The following article is taken from the MLM Legal Primer from http://www.mlmlaw.com/. This article looks specifically at how lottery laws can be and are applied to MLM companies. Federal and state multilevel marketing and anti-pyramid statutes are components of a comprehensive consumer protection umbrella. These laws are designed to protect individuals from being defrauded through illegitimate programs which lure participants with the promise of easy money by compensating them from the investments of additional participants rather than from legitimate product sales. These programs have been called "Ponzi schemes," "airplane plans," "pyramids," "chain letters," and many other names. Although known in the United States only during the twentieth century, such programs have cost their participants hundreds of millions of dollars. Federal and state regulatory agencies have sought to proscribe such illegal activity in multiple ways, including the use of anti-pyramid, mail fraud, business opportunity, franchise, lottery, and securities laws. (Each of these areas will be discussed below.) Whether a program is a legitimate multilevel marketing plan or an illegal pyramid depends principally on: (1) the method by which the products or services are sold; and (2) the manner in which participants are compensated. Essentially, if a marketing plan compensates participants for sales by their ""enrollees," "recruits," and/or their downline enrollees and recruits, that plan is multilevel. If a program compensates participants, directly or indirectly, merely for the introduction or enrollment of other participants into the program, it is a pyramid. VI. Lotteries The majority of states have laws that proscribe the operation of a lottery. Lottery laws were not designed to regulate pyramids, but rather to prevent illegal gambling. Although lottery laws have been used to prosecute pyramids, more appropriate vehicles, namely anti-pyramid and multilevel laws, are now used. Consequently, the application of lottery laws to pyramids and multilevel companies rarely occurs in regulatory proceedings. (32) A lottery consists of a disposition of property, on contingency determined by chance, to a person who has paid valuable consideration for the chance of winning the prize. California Penal Code 319 defines a "lottery" as: [A]ny scheme for the disposal or distribution of property by chance, among persons who have paid or promised to pay any valuable consideration for the chance of obtaining such property or a portion of it, or for any share or any interest in such property, upon any agreement, understanding, or expectation that it is to be distributed or disposed of by lot or chance,

whether called a lottery, raffle, or gift enterprise, or by whatever name the same may be known. Each of three elements must be present to constitute a "lottery," namely, a prize, distribution of the prize by chance, and consideration for the opportunity to win the prize. As applied to pyramids, if the element of chance, rather than skill, determines the receipt of "the prize," such plans have been held to be lotteries. The most notable case illustrative of this is U.S. Postal Service v. Unimax, Inc. (33) In Unimax, the Administrative Law Judge determined that a participant's compensation was beyond his control, and thus, determined by chance. Rather than allowing its distributors to place their downline distributors where they desired in their organization, Unimax assigned(34) The judge determined that the compensation received by Unimax distributors was based "principally on the exertions of others over whom they have no control and no substantial connection . . . (and that) success of such marketers is determined by chance." distributors to positions in the downline organization. This resulted in a matrix of unrelated distributors who were spread throughout the country and were thus, less controllable. Under a "legitimate" multilevel marketing program, a Distributor's compensation (the prize) is "earned not won" by chance, but rather by his skill and efforts in building and maintaining a downline organization. In a lottery analysis, a Member's efforts in building his organization would constitute "consideration," however, this is of no consequence because the element of "chance" remains absent. Thus, a proper multilevel program is not a lottery. Two other similar programs, contests and sweepstakes, are perfectly legal. Each combines only two of the three "lottery elements." For example, a contest combines the elements of prize and consideration, however, the element of chance is absent. In a contest, the prize is awarded to on the basis of skill rather than luck (e.g., the person who sells the most cars, or reaches a certain goal faster than his competitors). A sweepstakes combines the elements of prize and chance, but lacks the element of consideration. A sweepstakes awards its prize solely on the basis of luck, however, a participant need not provide "consideration" (anything of value, frequently money or effort). The most common examples of sweepstakes are magazine sweepstakes. Although they welcome your purchase, none is necessary to participate.

In summary, the emphasis of any multilevel program must be on product sales rather than the enrollment of new distributors. To exist in the 90s and beyond, companies and distributors must make a paradigm shift from business based primarily upon recruitment of downline distributors and internal consumption. Distributors should be taught that their primary function is to gather customers. Their second priority is to build a downline and to teach it about the first priority.

Welcome Exemption from FTC Business Opportunity Rule! Eric Marchant Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Good News! The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a revised notice of its proposed Business Opportunity Rule, which could have devastated the network marketing industry. The notice exempts will be exempt from the proposed Rule! direct selling companies from the Rule, which proposes onerous requirements on recruiting new prospects and disclosing trade secret distributor information. Yes, the 124-page revision specifically states that legitimate direct selling companies

The original proposed Business Opportunity Rule, published on April 5, 2006, presented a serious challenge to direct selling distributors and companies, alike. Initially intended to extend controls beyond franchises to certain business opportunity ventures, the direct selling industry inadvertently got caught up in the scope of the restrictive 2006 proposal.

MLM selling distributors would have been required to: • Provide

recruits with lengthy disclosure statements prior to them signing

up.

• Impose

a seven-day waiting period from the time the opportunity is presented and the time a prospect joins the business.

• Disclose

of the product.

the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least 10 sellers

Direct selling companies would have been required to: • Create

and distribute the additional collateral materials necessary to meet the above requirements; then,

• Retain

of three years.

and archive the receipts and paperwork generated for a minimum

Indeed, the Rule as originally written would have had a tremendous impact on industry recruiting, growth, and the viable future of MLM companies.

So, who do we thank for such a reprieve? According to Brittany Glenn, writer for Direct Selling News, “The Direct Selling Association played a key role in eliciting the revised ruling.” Ms. Glenn went on to say, “The effort was spearheaded by the DSA’s Business Opportunity Task Force chaired by Michael Lunceford, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for Mary Kay Inc., and the DSA Government Relations Committee, chaired by Josephine Mills, Executive Director of Global Government Affairs for Avon, along with DSA President Neil Offen and Executive Vice President Joseph Mariano.”

Of course, the efforts of individual companies such as Unicity, Neways, 4Life, Avon, Herbalife, and Mary Kay cannot go unmentioned. These companies and many more effectively presented the industry’s point of view to the FTC. The FTC specifically cited comments received from 4Life, AdvoCare, Arbonne, Avon, Cookie Lee Jewelry, EcoQuest, Financial Freedom Society, FreeLife, Herbalife, Lia Sophia, Liberty League International, Mannatech, Mary Kay, Melaleuca, Nature’s Sunshine, Neways, Pampered Chef, PartyLite, Pre-Paid Legal, Primerica Financial Services, Quixtar, Scent Station, Shaklee, Sunrider, Synergy Worldwide, Tastefully Simple, Xango, Vartec/Excel, Vemma and Young Living Essential Oils.

And then, there were the thousands of letters received from individual distributors and 84 members of Congress--all expressing their concern about the stifling effect of such a rule on their districts and home-based businesses, respectively. Reportedly, the FTC received more than 17,000 communications on the issue, only 187 supportive of the initial proposed Rule.

Obviously, industry participants large and small did not take the initial proposition lying down. Everyone contributed to a united front that, in the end, was very persuasive. But, we are not completely out of the woods yet. The FTC has requested comments to the proposed revised Rule by May 27, 2008, and rebuttal comments by June 16, 2008. “The FTC might hold hearings or in lieu thereof, workshops, to discuss the issues raised in its Revised Notice of Rulemaking and the comments it receives from the public,” reads an FTC press release dated March 18. So, it won’t be until the fall of 2008, at the earliest, that we will see the final rule. In the meantime, we can all take a united sigh of relief and know that we are better than ever for the effort made!

Stay tuned to MLM.com for relevant updates on the Business Opportunity Rule and other significant regulations, statutes, and laws that impact our industry.

Achieving Self Mastery To Reach Your Dreams Randy Gage Monday, Sep 27, 2004

How do you achieve self-mastery? Mastery comes from confidence. Confidence comes from experience. Experience comes from practice. Practice comes from commitment. And commitment comes from vision. Please read that last paragraph again. Then do the arithmetic backward and you have a roadmap to success. And notice that it all starts with vision. Every thing that manifests in your life is a result of the vision you have for yourself. Everything. One of the common mistakes people make is to say things, like, "But I don't really have a vision." Au contraire . . . EVERYONE has a vision. Now it might be a positive vision, it could be a negative one, or it may be a neutral one. Now you may wonder, how you transform a neutral or negative vision into a positive one . . . Glad you asked. First, and you knew I was going to say this, programming is important. If you're watching three hours of sitcoms on TV every night, it's highly unlikely that you're ever going to believe in a positive vision for yourself. Likewise if you're reading the daily newspapers, hanging around with victims and attending a church that beats you up every week. So of course you need to be exposed to positive programming, in the form of uplifting stories, positive reinforcement, spiritual nourishment, mental and physical challenges and the like. Next, you must make your goals real to you. If you don't own the audiotape album "Crafting Your Vision," get it today! It a collection of twelve different experts, all sharing their thoughts on vision and goal setting. This album is simply a "must own" for anyone who is serious about manifesting great things in their life. I mention it now because of a very relevant technique you'll learn from Richard Brooke in his tape. Richard recommends that you write a movie script of the vision you want to manifest in your life. So going back to our earlier example, you would write a script about you becoming the number one producer in your company. It might be the day of the company convention where you are given the award. The key in writing this is to involve as many senses as possible. So you might talk about the roar of the crowd as you are introduced. You might write about the delicious taste of the lunch you ate on the way to the convention hotel. You would describe the huge hall where the convention is being held, and the details on the stage. You would describe the heaviness of the trophy you are handed, and the warmth of the handshake from the company president as she awards you the honor. Once you write this script, you carry it around in your planner, purse or briefcase. Then when you have a few minutes on the Metro, in line or on your lunch hour, you read a little of it. Because so many senses are involved, it resonates with you deeper. And the deeper it does, the more of an imprint it makes on your consciousness. Once you have a vision really anchored with you, you just naturally want to achieve it. So you commit to doing the things that make it happen. Along the way to Mastery, I've discovered two insights that seem to hold true in the pursuit of

Mastery in all fields and at all levels. Once you accept and integrate them into your plan, you are well on the road to Mastery. Here they are . . . Number one, practice is the time to think, and plan, and analyze. Not in the Championship game. You practice because you build "muscle memory." Think about soccer players. They didn't need to think, aim, or direct their kicks on goal consciously. They see ball, kick ball. It is an instinctive reaction, built up over hundreds or even thousands of hours of practice. They don't have fear or self-doubt; they simply do what they do best. When you're in the big game, you don't want to be having to think, question or analyze. You want to be able to relax, have fun, and let your training (practice) take over. In the case of Self-Mastery, the situation is no different. How you respond when the business deal doesn't go your way, your marriage faces a challenge, or you're faced with an ethical dilemma is determined well ahead of time-by the programming you've chosen, the wisdom you acquired, and the self-discipline you've developed along the way. That's why some people seem so confident. They've done the work on themselves so they don't fear life. They embrace it, celebrate it, and revel in it. Yes, they have setbacks, challenges, and even defeats. But they have enough confidence in themselves to know that defeat is a temporary setback, and failure is never final. Unless you want it to be. Now here is the second insight I've learned along the way. You can't look good and get better at the same time. The first time you throw a baseball, ballroom dance, pronounce a new language, build a bookcase, or serve a tennis ball, you look silly! Disjointed, unsure, or even ridiculous. Good. You are starting truly at a place of learning. The only way to be good, is to practice a lot of times while you are bad. If your vision is strong, and your commitment is real, you don't worry about looking silly in practice. You have enough belief in yourself to put up with the cuts and scrapes - or the snickers and snide comments-or the sweat and toil-to move another step closer to where you want to be. Even when you hit the plateaus . . . Which we all must face. It is just a reality of Mastery that you don't move forward continuously. In fact, sometimes it's necessary to advance a little, plateau, fall backward, go forward and plateau again-before you breakthrough to the next level. It's a just a part of the process. And once you've experienced this enough, you develop confidence. Belief. And conviction. And once you've got this, you are well on the road to true Mastery. And in any area, the process is the same. You don't end up a Master. You achieve a level of Mastery, at which you really start the higher learning. Mastery is not a place, but a process. In fact, if you are not facing setbacks and having some minor failures, you really can't be moving forward. So here are some ideas for consideration. First, evaluate yourself. What kind of vision do you have for yourself? Be honest. Is it positive, neutral, or negative?

Do you have different types of vision for different areas of your life? Look for incongruence here. For example, you may have a vision of greatness for your bowling team, but think you will always be a low level bureaucrat all your life. Or you may see yourself as a successful CEO, but in a lifeless marriage. Or you may see yourself as active and healthy, but struggling financially. Evaluate if the areas of Mastery you are moving forward include the way you make a living. Will Mastery of the things you're doing, lead to prosperity in your life? In ALL areas? Give these things some thought. And change your strategy, based upon the answers. Then you'll be on track and on target, to achieve Mastery in the areas that matter most to you!

For more than 15 years, Randy Gage has been helping people transform self-limiting beliefs into self-fulfilling breakthroughs to achieve their dreams. Randy's story of rising from a jail cell as a teen, to a self-made millionaire, has inspired millions around the world. This compelling journey of triumph over fear, self-doubt, and addiction, uniquely qualifies him as an undisputed expert in the arena of peak performance and extraordinary human achievement. His story and the way he shares it, demonstrate the true power of the mind over outside circumstances. 905

Conceptualize Your Success - Whatever You Want Wants You! by Mark Victor Hansen Mark Victor Hansen Thursday, Nov 20, 2008

What you can conceptualize in your mind will materialize in your life. WOW! Think about that for a minute. Whatever you focus your powerful mind and energy on, will manifest itself into physical form. This has been going on your whole LIFE and you may not have even noticed it. Have you ever been on your way to a meeting and said, "There is no way I'm going to get this deal?" Then, sure enough, you didn't get the deal. You probably thought, "See, I knew I wasn't going to get that deal." You're right, you didn't stand a chance, because you had already created a self-fulfilling prophecy and declared that there was no way you were going to succeed. You have no one to blame but yourself. Failure was pre-conceived by you, through you, and out into the Universe. It simply gave you what you asked for! Your mind is that powerful. You don't even have to speak what you are thinking in order to see it come to fruition. Think of your mind as having the Universe on speed dial. It is THAT powerful. Because your mind is such an amazing instrument, you must use it with care. Remember, great thinking creates great results. Mediocre thinking creates mediocre results. Which do you want? Artists absolutely amaze me! They start with a blank canvas – not a splatter of color on it – and they create phenomenal masterpieces with just their minds, brushes and paint. How do they do it? How do they know what to paint?

Before they ever picked up a brush they had already conceived in their minds exactly what they were going to paint. It is already there. Their job is to make sure that the artistic concept is transferred from the mind to the physical form. That's what I want you to learn to do – to conceptualize your dreams, whatever they may be, and change them from mental into physical. Because – just like an artistic masterpiece waiting for the artist to create it – your dreams are waiting for you to make them into your reality. We all have a calling. We all have a purpose in life. Not all of us are meant to be artists who paint on canvases, but we all have a gift. Sometimes it is presented to us early in our lives, and other times we realize our special gifts later, when we least expect. Take Mother Teresa, for example. She heard her calling in 1947 when she was already acting in service to God as a principal of a Catholic high school. At that point, she discovered her purpose in life and decided to live in the Calcutta slums with "the poorest of the poor." She knew what she wanted to do, what she had to do, and she did it. How do YOU do this? Well, just like Mother Teresa, before you can achieve it, you have to conceive it. The word "conceive" means "to cause to begin life; to form or develop in the mind; to understand; to put in words, to express." And that is the order that your dreams will be realized in. First, you conceive an idea, your dream or goal. The first moment that you decide that this thing – this goal, this dream – is what you want, it begins to live. You feed your dream by thinking about it, turning it over and over in your mind. As you develop the idea you begin to understand it, to know what it is that you want – the thing that wants you. Once you express it by writing it down, putting it into words, it's like pouring fuel onto a fire. You have made a request from the Universe. After that your dream takes on a life of it's own. "It's not that people want too much, it's that they want too little." Mark Victor Hansen

Create That Winning Feeling Bob Proctor Friday, Jan 4, 2008

I believe we would all agree that having a winning feeling is prerequisite to achieving outstanding results. A person can't possibly expect to win if they're constantly focusing on failure! The real secret here is to capture that winning feeling of success as often as you can to create the environment necessary to succeed. If you've been a little down in the dumps, feeling insecure or perhaps not feeling as confident in your ability as you'd like, I have a great tip for you. My suggestion to anyone looking for a success track to run on, or to a person who is looking to get back on one, is to start capitalizing on short-term victories. That means specifically focus on tasks you can achieve daily. The principle is to start with an adversity over which you can succeed, and gradually take on more and more difficult tasks. Nothing succeeds like success.

Another technique used by many people in developing or maintaining a winning feeling is what we call the reflection method. Think back during a time where you were really successful at something... we all have times to which we can relate. It could have been a sale, a particular speech, a school play, or standing up to the town bully. Each one of us can reflect back on a moment in time to recapture that winning feeling. Professional sports coaches often replay winning games of the past for their team prior to a big game to stimulate and create a winning feeling! Years ago, a good friend of mine had left his job and a company that he had worked with for many years. He was one of the top VPs with his company and had done extremely well. He had left because he wanted to start his own business. I told him he could use one of our offices until such time as he was ready to open up his own office. In any event, I happened to be in the office one afternoon and Grant, who normally was very upbeat and positive, was really having a difficult time. After a few moments of small talk, it became apparent what the problem was. Grant had hit the terror barrier and the possibility of starting his own company was overwhelming him... he just didn't think he could do it. Here's a man who had risen to the top of his field, made a high six-figure income for years... and yet was still having doubts as to his ability to start his own company. I asked Grant to go home, get a notebook and start to write down all of his accomplishments, as far back as he could remember. The look on his face was priceless--I'm sure he thought I'd lost my mind. I told him that the accomplishment could be small or large... it didn't really matter. The point was to focus on something positive. I still remember him asking, "Well, what if I only fill half a page." I just smiled and asked him to do his best and start writing. Monday morning came and Grant was back in the office with a notebook full of accomplishments. I smiled and said, "You must have been fairly confident; you picked up a good sized notebook!" We both had a good laugh. Grant went on to build a multi-million dollar financial planning company and later franchised the operation to extend across Canada and the US! This is a great exercise for anyone needing a bit of a boost. What would give you a winning feeling of pride and satisfaction? Remember... a winning feeling is a confident feeling and one that forgets misses, and reinforces successful attempts. 1492

Creating Opportunity by Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It's to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves...regardless of the economy.

A person with an enterprising attitude says, "Find out what you can before action is taken." Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation of what's to come.

Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And enterprising people aren't lazy. They don't wait for opportunities to come to them, they go after the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what's out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach, to be different.

What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise is the second requirement: the courage to be creative. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, courage to choose activity over inactivity.

And lastly, being enterprising doesn't just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self worth to want to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future. And by doing so you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth – your enterprising nature.

To Your Success, Jim Rohn

Dare to Dream Again - By Chris Widener Chris Widener Wednesday, Apr 9, 2008

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -- Teddy Roosevelt

Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait--we

were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases, we weren't built for achieving our dream.

I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and too slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know.

Eventually, we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down. Get a job. Be dependable. Take care of business. Live the mundane. Be content.

Do you know what I say to that? Hooey! It is time to dream again! Why? Here are just a few reasons:

* Avoid regret. The facts are in, and someday, we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I, for one, don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So, I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.

* Help others. The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it with all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake these people up and remind them of how they could really help other people if only they would dream!

* Enjoy personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!

* Make the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the naysayers and said to himself or herself, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And, in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and J.F.K.s either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day.

* Leave a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They, in turn, will do the same!

So where do we start? Here are some ideas:

* Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.

* Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.

*Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!

*Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things: * A timeline. How long will it take to the end?

* Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do it.

* Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?

* An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.

* A celebration. Yep, when you are done, you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!

I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!

Einstein's Formula for Success by Ron White Ron White Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008

Albert Einstein had a formula for success. Can you believe that? One of the greatest minds of all time developed a math formula for success! I suggest you read this carefully -- this may be the most important math equation that you will ever see.

Einstein said, 'If A equals success, then the formula is: A=X+Y+Z.

X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut."

Einstein no doubt had an excellent sense of humor. Let's look at the 3 variables in this equation. They are:

1. Work 2. Play 3. Keeping your mouth shut!

1. Work: Albert Einstein had a tremendous work ethic and because of that gave more to society and modern science than any person in recent times

2. Play: Einstein, however, did not work 24 hours a day and made time for fun and relaxation. His idea of fun may have been different than yours, but that doesn't mean it still wasn't play.

3. Keeping your mouth shut: Finally, my favorite part of his success formal is to keep your mouth shut. I genuinely believe that the person who talks the least says the most. A friend of mine complains that the woman he is dating talks too much. I don't know how to break the news to him; however, the problem is not that she talks too much. It simply is the fact that he is irritated that he isn't able to talk. Now, let me just say this is not a generic man and woman statement. I am speaking about a specific person that I know. His desire is to constantly talk and because he likes to talk so much, he will talk in circles. If you let him talk long enough he will repeat the same thing three times and then contradict himself. His desire is not to hear but to be heard.

Albert Einstein, on the other hand had nothing to prove. He felt no need to be the "Chatty Cathy" he could have been with his knowledge. It wasn't important to him to talk to everyone he met and talk over their heads to demonstrate his IQ. Instead, he learned the value of quietness and solitude.

Shift your mind set from being a talker to a listener. It has been said that you can make more friends in 5 minutes by becoming interested in others than you can make in 5 years of trying to get others interested in you! How do you become interested in others? You ask questions and then keep your mouth shut!

Dale Carnegie wrote a best selling book entitled 'How to Win Friends and Influence People.' One of the key premises of this book was that everyone's favorite subject is actually themselves and that the sweetest sound to their ears is the sound of their own name. Einstein knew this and realized he could influence others by choosing his spots to speak and validating others by extending them the courtesy of listening. -- Ron White

Facing the Enemies Within by Jim Rohn Jim Rohn Thursday, Sep 18, 2008

We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won't need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you've got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along." Here's one problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the top of the mountain. The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy. The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there's room for healthy skepticism. You can't believe everything. But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it. The fourth enemy within is worry. We've all got to worry some. Just don't let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you've got to worry. But you can't let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here's what you've got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you've got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you've got to push back. The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it's an illness. If you let it go, it'll conquer you. Timid people don't get promoted. They don't advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You've got to avoid over-caution. Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become. To Your Success

Getting Money Right-What You Deserve by Jeffery Combs Jeffery Combs Wednesday, Nov 5, 2008

Isn't it about time that you got right with money? When I say "right" what I am talking about is getting money right emotionally. Money is a very controversial subject in our society. Mention money to almost anyone and it will bring out a certain level of discomfort because almost everyone lacks money. Statistics say that 97% of our population works for 3% of society. Only around 4% to 5 % achieve a six figure income and one-twentieth of 1% of society achieve a seven figure income. "Why is it," I ask, "that so many people struggle when we are living in a world with so many opportunities to create wealth?" In this information I will be presenting what I believe to be the reasons that hold so many people from receiving the money they deserve.

I have personally coached hundreds of great people in the last six years whose struggles with money issues have caused them to sabotage themselves over and over. One of the first

questions to ask when it comes to money is, "Who was my role model when it comes to money, prosperity, finance, and abundance?" For most of us it was our parents and for them it was their parents. Let's also state that this information is not about blaming anyone. You are now a grownup and your perception of money is now up to you.

The next question to ask is, "What did I learn in my education about money?" Typical high school curriculum includes courses about economics and government but nothing about how to attract money or how to have a healthy relationship with money. Traditional education teaches how to acquire job skills, and prepares students to get paid what a particular job is worth, not what the individual is worth. Making more money requires education about free enterprise and how to get paid what the free market bears; getting paid on your terms and your time frame, and learning about service and value. The more valuable you become through the service you provide, the more you make. This is not about working hard because if that were the case, then all of the world laborers would be millionaires.

Over the centuries money has gotten a bad rap by being associated with corruption, greed, pain, and the misuse of power. A perception grew that somehow the rich deprived the poor and that wealthy people were bad people, were not loveable, were disconnected from love, and were greedy. The sad fact is that most people just don't believe they deserve to have money freedom or peace of mind. I believe that you can be rich, spiritual, and prosperous, and that with your abundance you can create love and compassion using your wealth to assist others strengthen their skills so that they too have the opportunity to be prosperous in life's ways.

Most of us have been taught that "Money is the root of all evil," but the actual quotation from the Bible is, "The love of money is the root of all evil." Money itself is neutral – not good or bad. It is paper and metal that symbolizes an exchange of goods and services. Money is an energy that you either attract or repel. It is the negative emotions around money such as greed, obsession, and power that can bring negative experiences, and that keep most people from it.

In the last several centuries there has been radical change in opportunity, philosophy, and ways to create wealth. Many courageous forerunners paved the way for new thoughts and ideas about prosperity, abundance, self sufficiency, and enlightenment. Just in the last hundred years brilliant writers and speakers have emerged like Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Earnest Holmes, Katherine Ponder, Florence Scovel Schinn, Earl Nightingale, Louise Hay, Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins, to name a few of my favorites that have assisted me with my enlightenment. A whole consciousness of self-help and personal development has become available to the masses. Bookstores and coffee bars are now as popular as some of the old traditional night spots, and we now have access to coaches and mentors to be emotionally, financially, and spiritually fit.

People now realize that they are responsible for their own empowerment. They see that assuming responsibility can bring them prosperity and allow them to become more and to do more. For this to happen, people have to have belief in themselves and grasp the idea that they

can control their lives. In our me-too, microwave, lottery-mentality society very few people ever put the proper thoughts and proper actions together at the same time to provoke the results they deserve. Plain and simple, most people don't believe they deserve prosperity and abundance. They want, wish, like to, if only, pray for a miracle, and most of all want for change to happen. Sorry, it doesn't operate that way. Too many people tiptoe quietly to their graves looking back only to say – "I wish I would have!"

Still, don't lose heart for it can officially become "Now O'clock" at any minute. There are 86,400 seconds in every single day; 1,440 minutes, 24 hours, one day, one week, one month, one year, one lifetime. We can change at any moment. Is it hard or is it easy? You are one thought away from success or one thought away from failure. It is a choice we have the opportunity to make every single day.

I believe God wants us to be rich, prosperous, and free. God did not create fear, it is manmade. Fear overrides most people's dreams and objectives. Most people aren't even able to identify what they are afraid of. All they know is they are struggling just to keep up with the other sheep in the pasture. You have to get past the thoughts that money is bad and will somehow taint you. Abundance is natural and spiritual. Money will not deprive you but could actually enlighten you. Many of the great teachers have given credence to the idea that abundance is spiritual and that it is the power of your thoughts that creates abundance for you.

If you are wealthy more often than not you will be dispersing your money commercially and charitably, supporting many people around you and adding to the velocity of overall wealth. There are literally trillions of dollars passing about electronically on any given day, and those signals are literally passing by you at all times. If you stop and think about it, there are millions of dollars flowing through your body at the moment. Imagine making a slight flick of the wrist in order to stop some of that money in transit so it sticks with you. A flick of the mind is a flick of the wrist. Money can be good – greed is not good. There are no reasons why you can't be very rich, very rich in fact, and still be a very valuable generous spiritual person with a huge heart and compassion for everyone.

Help! The Sky Is Falling! by Sue Seward Sue Seward Thursday, Oct 2, 2008

Everyone seems to be stuck like a deer in the headlights because of all the bad economic news lately. And, it's going to get worse. The worst thing people can do is nothing and that's why many will remain stuck in their situation. People are allowing their American Dream to be stolen right out from under them because of fear! Meanwhile, the rich are getting richer and the poor Chicken Littles are getting poorer! If the sky is indeed falling, the question we should be asking ourselves is, “How can we better position ourselves to take advantage of the fall out?”

Now is the time to take action and start taking back the American Dream! Doesn't that sound like a better plan than just hiding your head in the sand?

Starting an MLM business is the solution to dealing with today’s economic woes and the best time to start investing in your future is right now. What's important is not only to realize what is happening but to select a perfect vehicle that will help you take advantage of some really great opportunities that are going to be available. Find a venture that is affordable, simple, profitable and a sure bet for taking back the American Dream and helping people to be in a better position financially when the next famine strikes!

In the face of today’s economic reality, we must ask ourselves, “What will happen if we can’t work—our income ends?”Well, when I became seriously ill this past year, I could not work my MLM business sometimes for weeks at a time, yet my income still came in. In fact, I earned a six figure income that paid our expenses. If all I had done was retail products, I would have gone broke. The bottom line is income comes in even when I cannot or do not wish to work. In other words, I can take two months off without asking anyone’s permission and still have an income coming in. The secret behind this is the leverage that has developed along with my network marketing enterprise.

Leverage is defined as the power to get things done--influence over other people, especially something that gives an advantage. Leverage is an important concept that is the real beauty behind MLM because it’s where real freedom in your life comes from once you understand why it’s so important, how to get it, and how to make it work for everyone.

I have learned from Robert Kiyosaki and a favorite business mentor, Donald Trump, about leveraging other people's time and money. So, I recommend reading their books to understand more about what leverage can mean to you as a business person. Here's a special audio download for you of Donald Trump on “Thinking Big” and Robert Kiyosaki on “The Art of Winning.”

In my own business, I do a lot of delegating and I build depth. One of the things I've learned fromDonald Trump is to surround yourself with great people and I've been able to do this by networking, making connections online, and building long term relationships. I'm constantly networking not only with people who will work directly in my business enterprise but also with people upline and crossline in my business, as well as others within the same profession who are not even directly related to my company. Why? Because someday they could be. You never know, do ya?

Building any type of business enterprise takes hard work and it will take time depending on each person's personal situation, budget, etc. And, yes, it can be done by anyone who has the desire

and determination, and who does not quit. It will take some sacrifice, which many people will just not commit to up front in order to get more in the back end. That's called delayed gratification and it's tough when so many people are cash addicted and want money right now.

This is why it's so crucial to find an in demand product to distribute that has a 100%

wholesale-to -retail mark up to solve this issue for the majority of people who must have cash flow. This way people can put cash in their pocket day one while they are building up their long term residual income--because most individuals are not entrepreneurial. This is a character trait that has to be developed in most people. Although some are just naturally entrepreneurial, the majority are just not willing to wait for years to develop an income stream. That is really why so many people quit network marketing. They settle for going back to the boss for the paycheck at the end of the week or month.

Entrepreneurs are risk takers and they are laser focused on their goals. They understand what it means to sacrifice to accomplish their goals and dreams.When I started in 1996, my goal was to

build a successful career income in network marketing.I had absolutely no desire to work for someone else because I've always been quite entrepreneurial even though I’ve had a lot of work to do on myself personally!

Most people are used to being employees and having someone dictate to them what to do, when to do it, and how long to do it.It's hard sometimes to break out of that mold and become independent. It takes hard work to build yourself into an entrepreneur. The first thing you must do is decide that is what you want and then set their goals, put your plan in place, and take action.

Latch on to a mentor who has done it and be extremely coachable. The more you learn to let go of control, the more leverage you'll develop in your business.

Set your MLM plan of action into motion. Consistently work your plan everyday to expose your business to others. Help as many people as you can to get there, too. Support your organization and your upline as well as the company management, and do not let anyone steal your dreams! Make those dreams big and then grow into the person to achieve them. You will be compensated well and build a security for yourself and your family for many years to come! You were created for success!

So, what will it be? Do you want to be ready for the fire sale or will you be consumed by the fire? It’s your choice! Prepare yourself now by taking the above outlined action steps towards a brighter and more secure financial future aboard the perfect vehicle—your own MLM enterprise.

How To Get Re-Motived Mike Angier Monday, Mar 24, 2003

We all have times when our motivation is lacking. The tragic events of September 11th have caused us to experience many emotions. In addition to the feelings of fear, anger and confusion, we also may be less confident and have less direction and focus than before.

We must not forget and we must mourn the loss, but it's our patriotic duty as citizens of the free world to get on with our lives--to not let the terrorists succeed by sidetracking our economy and negatively influencing our way of life.

So how DO we get motivated again?

Perhaps it would be helpful to take a close look at motivation itself--what it is, what it's not and how we can increase our personal motivation.

I do motivational speaking, but I've always had some resistance to being called a motivational speaker. I don't even think it's possible to motivate someone other than ourselves. Certainly we can present information, help others to look at things in different ways, remind them of what's important to them, tell inspiring stories and help to increase their belief.

All of these things help. But the truth is we can only motivate ourselves. We might get pumped up by an inspiring speaker, a thought-provoking book or a motivational tape. But in order to have sustained motivation--the kind that will enable us to move past the inevitable roadblocks or challenges--we must dig deeper.

We must have motivation FROM THE INSIDE OUT. It can't be pasted on the surface. It must live powerfully and deeply within us.

We're either motivated to move toward something we want or away from something we don't want. One might think they're motivated by something higher or better than these two options, but if you examine your objectives carefully, you'll find that they will fit into one or the other.

The REASON we want to achieve something is far more important than the HOW to accomplish it. I often see people getting bogged down in the mechanics of reaching a goal (the HOW) instead of getting clear and committed to the why.

If my child is on the other side of a door in a burning building, I don't need to read a motivational book in order to psyche myself up to get through the door. The DESIRE to save my child provides the motivation to do WHATEVER I must do in order to achieve my purpose.

Assuming we're clear on what we want--and this can easily be an erroneous assumption--it is our desire and commitment more than any other one thing that determines our success.

Not long ago, a friend of mine shared with me that he always gets his business and personal income taxes done by the end of January. Not one to do so myself, I asked him how he did that. He said that the satisfaction of having this done and out of the way was stronger than any sense of dread he had about doing the myriad tasks needed to get the job done.

His focus was on what he wanted where mine had usually been on the distastefulness of the job. By focusing on the prize-- what we want and WHY we want it, we increase our determination and motivation to achieve our intended outcome.

The root of the word motivation is motive and means "An emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action." I interpret this as the REASON for doing something. Motivation also denotes motion, action, doing something based upon a strong reason.

When I find myself less than enthusiastic about working toward an objective, I find it helpful to refocus on what I want and especially WHY I want it. In doing so, I regenerate the drive and dedication to make it happen and I place myself in a position to enjoy the journey.

The motivation that comes from inside not only lasts longer it produces a greater resolve and creates a passion that is not only powerful but infectious as well.

I encourage you to revisit your values, your mission and dreams. Remind yourself of why you have chosen to achieve your goals--why you are doing what you're doing. Only we can motivate ourselves to action. Only we can accomplish our dreams. Let's do it.

Making It Happen-Dream Big Sue Seward Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008

Part 1: The Farmer vs. the Sluggard The career I’ve built for the last ten years in network marketing is paying me to accomplish some big dreams! The key is to have a dream that is so big that it’s almost impossible to achieve, and then you become the person to achieve the dream. It’s not really the dream that matters, but the person you become in the process of achieving the dream. The more that you achieve, the bigger your dreams will become, and in turn, the more you will grow into a better person to achieve those bigger dreams. One of my favorite speakers is a man by the name of Mark Gorman. I have most of his CDs. Mark does business presentations for network marketing companies and I had a chance to hear and meet him in person at a company event in Vegas. (http://www.markgorman.com/) One of Mark’s presentations is titled, “Stop Thinking Like Dirt.” It’s based on Proverbs 20:4 in the Bible, which reads: “A Sluggard does not plow in season; so when harvest time comes, he looks…but finds nothing.” The dirt sits and waits for someone to give it something. Do you ever have people you’ve sponsored who sit around waiting for someone to constantly give them something, or do something for them? And, even when you do everything you can to help them, it’s never enough, is it? They’re not making things happen; they’re waiting for something to happen. They’re not headed anywhere or trying to do anything. They’re just trying not to go somewhere. They’re

waiting on their upline. They’re waiting on the people they sponsor. They’re waiting for the company to do something. They’re waiting for their spouse to give them permission. They are waiting to make money before they will tell their friends about their business. They are waiting around like dirt! Some people are waiting on God to do something before they’ll do anything. Guess what? God is waiting for us to do something first! So, when harvest time comes, these people who are waiting go out looking and cannot figure out why everyone else is harvesting and they aren’t! After all, everyone deserves a harvest, right? Actually, they don’t! Everyone deserves the same opportunity, and we all have the same opportunity in network marketing, don’t we? It’s a level playing field, but everyone doesn’t deserve the same rewards! Only those who make things happen deserve the rewards! Unlike the sluggard, a farmer makes things happen by taking the first step! He/she knows he/she has to plant when it’s time to plant before he/she can expect to see a harvest! A farmer is a business person and knows he/she has to invest in his/her business, and knows to do that, seeds must be planted in the ground. So, what does a farmer do? A farmer goes to the bank, borrows money, goes to the feed store, buys seed, plants it, and then reaps the harvest. Then, do you think he reaps the harvest and sits back and enjoys the good life? Nope, the farmer then takes that harvest and pays the bank back and buys more seed to plant to reap an even bigger harvest! We do the same thing in network marketing, which when treated like a business, will pay us like a business. First we’ve got to invest in our business by buying seed! We’ve got to get lots and lots of seeds planted, and those seeds require an investment. Then, we teach others—our team —to duplicate the same thing so that not only do they reap a harvest but we also reap from their harvest, too! Let me share a story I heard a few years ago about Mark from a small town near Austin, Texas who was headed for bankruptcy. He was just about to lose his car and home. Mark wasn’t gonna sit around like dirt, so he looked for a way out and discovered MLM. Fortunately, he had a wise sponsor who shared with him the promise: This business can set you free financially in one to three years. He also told him the real price for success: To succeed, you will have to face and conquer four major enemies. Mark was ready to make things happen like a farmer. He invited 200 friends over to his house to watch a video. Of those, 80 said, “No, not interested.” Mark had encountered Enemy #1 – Rejection. He thought, “No problem. My sponsor warned me about that. I’ve got 120 people still coming over.” Guess what—50 didn’t show up! Mark had just met Enemy #2 – Deception. Again, thinking like a farmer, Mark thought, “No problem, my sponsor warned me about that. I’ve got 70 people who watched the tape.” Guess what—57 said, “Not interested.” He had just encountered Enemy #3 – Apathy. From Mark’s seed planting, 13 people signed up.

Guess what—12 of them dropped out of the business shortly after. Enemy #4 – Attrition had left Mark with just one serious associate. That one distributor went on to create a huge harvest for Mark, earning him over $50,000 per month. Today, Mark earns hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in passive, residual income, all because he chose not to sit around like dirt waiting for something to happen. He went out and made things happen like a farmer, and now he’s reaping a huge harvest because he planted when it was time to plant! My own story is similar. For years I’ve been planting seeds, making tons and tons of connections online. I started my business online in 1996. I worked very hard building a presence and branding myself for the first four years, calling thousands of people and hearing thousands of nos. Why have I been so successful over the years? One of the main reasons is simply because I never quit! Another reason is many people have joined my team because of a lot of seeds being planted over the years. Remember, where you are today is because of decisions you made or seeds you planted five years ago. Where you’ll be in the next five years will be determined by decisions you make or seeds you plant today! This article includes two parts. Part 2 is titled “Small Daily Actions Lead to Massive Action.” 1531

Millionaire In Less Than A Minute Peter Sinclair Friday, May 9, 2003

They're a little bit like a donkey I read about. They develop the ability to take a disastrous situation and turn it around into a wonderful freeing opportunity and it only takes them less than a minute to start thinking that way. One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, that the well needed to be covered anyway and that it just wasn't worth retrieving the donkey. So he invited all his neighbours to come over and help him.

They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Nothing can stop you from becoming a millionaire in less than a minute and from becoming successful in a second. Step up and win! But how can you step up into the millionaire membership in less than a minute?Maybe change a few habits to start with. The average self-made millionaire reads one book a month. The average American looks at television six hours a day while the average self-made millionaire looks at less than two hours of television. Here is what we can learn from some millionaires... The Griffith's family founded a famous sanctuary for animals close to where I now live here on the Gold Coast. It is now called the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. At first the Griffith's had a little bush hut on the road frontage where they used to grow and sell flowers, particularly gladioli. When the local lorikeets discovered their flowers as a food source, they put in some beehives for honey to distract them. Eventually they were feeding so many lorikeets that they realised they were better business than the flowers and their son, Alex, expanded the sanctuary to where it is now. It was recently reported than when Alex died he was worth in excess of fifty million dollars. Walt Disney dropped out of school, joined the army, came home to draw cartoons, started into business with a partner and failed and sold everything to purchase a one-way ticket to California. To his forty dollars, an imitation leather suitcase, one ill-matching suit and some drawing materials he added a dream. He started a new company, suffered setbacks, endured two nervous breakdowns, sold his car, mortgaged his house, borrowed more until he opened Disneyland, which became the biggest attraction in America and made him a multi- millionaire.

A MILLION DOLLARS MUST BE DEPOSITED FIRST IN YOUR HEAD BEFORE IT WILL EVER ARRIVE IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT

Muhammad Ali once said, ' You see I learned a long time ago that being good was simply not enough, you've got to have imagination and you've got to have a dream. Dexter Yager, the former truck driver who built a multimillion- dollar business, wrote, 'If the dream is big enough, the facts don't count. So what's stopping you? Nothing. Be like the donkey and shake off whatever is holding you back and step up. You deserve to be rich. There is nothing standing between you and a million dollars if you believe that by changing your thinking you can become a millionaire in less than a minute.

DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO HAND YOU A CHEQUE WRITE YOUR OWN DREAM PAY PACKET TODAY

Get a dream, set a goal and go, go ,go.

Work like tomorrow will never come and today will never leave. Find a mentor, get a vehicle for your dream's fulfilment. Millionaire mentality is yours in less than a minute if you decide to begin today. Start declaring this today: "I am millionaire quality. I deserve to be a millionaire. I have a great mind. I have ability. I have ideas. I will find a way and the means to make millions. I will develop millionaire habits. I will find a mentor who is a millionaire and I will learn from them. Right now I am a millionaire in my thoughts and from this day forward I will be a millionaire in my speech and in my actions. I can, I do and I will. No dirt is going to stop me because I will just simply shake it off and step up." Motivational Memo for the Week: Millionaire mentality leads to millionaire reality. You can do it!

PERSISTENCE By Les Brown

Les Brown Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008

I believe there are three kinds of people. There are winners, who know what they want and understand their potential and the possibilities. They take life on. Next are losers, who don't have a clue as to who they are. They allow circumstances to shape their lives and their self-image.

I believe there is a third group as well. This consists of potential winners whose lives are just slightly out of alignment. I call them wayward winners. It may be that they just need to learn how to be real winners. Perhaps they've hit a bump or two that has knocked them off course and they are temporarily befuddled. A failed relationship, a lost job, financial problems, unformed goals, a lack of parental support, illness...many things can send us off course temporarily. Wayward winners are not lost souls; they just need some tweaking and coaching and nudging to get them back on course. A map might be nice. Many of these wayward winners are easily identifiable because they are always searching. Right now, there are many wayward winners out there braving rain, sleet and snow because they too still believe that they have untapped talents. They attend motivational seminars and listen to inspirational tapes and they plunge onward, believing that sooner or later they will find their way again. Other wayward winners have temporarily given up. They are damaged and disoriented, their confidence badly eroded. They tend to drift through life numbly. The friends and relatives and loved ones of wayward winners see that they are out of sync and wonder why they can't be satisfied, why they don't settle down. They wonder how people who have such obvious abilities and great potential can be so disoriented and unsure. It is difficult for others to understand the rawness of a broken heart or the aching emptiness of an unguided spirit. You and I know. We have been there. Wayward winners know that there are possibilities out there, but too often they feel locked out from them. Some are afraid to risk any more because of what they have risked and lost already. I know now that as difficult as it may be for you wayward winners to do, it is necessary to continue to test yourselves. Even though you have been hurt before, it is the only way to grow. We all have the capacity to change, to lead meaningful and productive lives by awakening our consciousness. You know there are going to be tough times as you go about changing your life, so brace yourself and you will be able to handle them. When you get into your seat on an airplane, what is the first thing they tell you to do? Fasten your seat belt. Brace yourself for the turbulence. When you decide to move your life to the next level of accomplishment, you must fasten your mental and spiritual seat belts because it is going to be a while before you reach that comfortable level again. You will reach it, but you must endure the turbulence of change in order to grow. Try this technique to help you through the difficult times of change and growth. Find four reasons why you cannot succumb to your fears and your troubles. Find those deep sources of motivation that can lift you out of the turbulence and above the clouds. You must change your life because, for example: You have not yet tapped the talents given you. You want to leave something more for your children. You want to live life rather than letting life live you.

You want to do what makes YOU happy. It is in these rocky early moments of bringing change to your life that you discover who you are. In the prosperous times, you build what is in your pocket. In the tough times, you strengthen what is in your heart. And that is when you gain insight into yourself, insight that leads to self-mastery and an expansion of your consciousness as a life-force in both your personal and professional lives.

Taming the Motivation Monster by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008

Choice One: Somewhere between how you are today, and a totally broken mess. Here’s where the “avoiding pain” motivator could kick in. Choice Two: An exact duplicate of how you are now except ten years older. Absolutely nothing will have changed in a decade. Again – not a very satisfying picture for most of us, and perhaps a strong “avoid pain” motivator for many. Choice Three: A happier, healthier version of the “you of today.” This will kick in the “gain pleasure” motivator. Selecting Your Best Motivator Obviously, no one would choose to visualize choice number one. But in doing so, you may in fact create a hot and intense “amygdala shunt.” So every time you see some image that reminds you of NOT moving ahead, your amygdala shunt will spur you to take automatic action. “Make that phone call NOW,” it will insist – and you will have the telephone in your hand before you even think to procrastinate. If you choose option number 2, you are effectively saying that nothing will change over the next ten years. You will be older – but your lifestyle will basically remain the same as it is today. That is – the “you of 10 years in the future” will be identical to “today’s you.” You will still face today’s problems and frustrations, but will have ten more years of them piled up. This is an active decision to remain in your comfort zone – which is actually only an illusion of safety. It’s an illusion because in today’s rapidly changing world, what you call your comfort zone is being eroded beneath your feet as you read this. That leaves option number three. This is the arena of dreams and wishes. If all we had to do was have a dream, and if would then automatically come true, none of us would ever have to set goals ...and try to build the motivation to achieve them. But the fact is – dreams only come true if we wake up and go to work. And unless you are a most unusual person, you usually find that the problems and challenges of everyday life take priority over working to manifest your dreams. So – obviously holding a happy picture of some future life may NOT build the intense fire and desire required to create that desired lifestyle! If your motivation is NOT adequate to overcome procrastination, you might want to take a good hard, look at what you DON’T want in your life. If you can fire up some intense emotion about NOT continuing to have that in your life, you may well find your amygdala shunt pumping some new action-energy into your life!

The Mysterious Power of Belief by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008

What is the mysterious and amazing power of a single belief? Read on! Recently one of the entrepreneurs I work with wondered why he could “never seem to get ahead financially.” “I've done everything all the self-help books tell me to do,” Edward explained. “I've set goals, I've visualized, I've gone to one seminar after another -- but I still can't seem to get any more money in my life.” “Tell me,” I asked," what do you BELIEVE to be true about having more money." Here's Edward's list of beliefs about money: •

I just can't seem to make any more money.

•

I’ve hit my peak financially.

•

It’s just hard to make money.

•

The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.

•

I really can get along OK without more money.

•

The tax man will just take it anyway.

•

I don’t want to sell my soul just to have more money.

Many people will agree with the items on Edward's list. So what's the problem? The problem is this: Edward's internal beliefs about money do NOT support his desire for more money in his life. In fact, his beliefs actually negate his desire. How Beliefs Run Our Lives We each have a set of beliefs and assumptions for every area of our life: From money to success … to relationships and body image. And most of these beliefs go way back into our childhood. So what? Because of the very nature of belief, we truly DO believe these assumptions to be true. In fact, we usually automatically assume a belief is true without even thinking about it. That's why they have such a mysterious hold over us! Edward BELIEVES he would have to “sell his soul” to get more money in his life ... and that the “tax man would just take it anyway.” And he further believes he has “hit his peak financially” ... and “really CAN get along without more money.” Does that sound like a set of beliefs supporting his desire for more money in his life? Nope! The Power of a Belief Have you taken a look at your subconscious beliefs about what YOU say you want to create in YOUR life?

Most of us are willing to scrutinize almost all aspects of ourselves, but can get very defensive if someone questions one of our beliefs. Since we assume our beliefs are beyond question, they often they truly go unquestioned ... even by ourself. A True Story But there's hope. Years ago I discovered an amazing thing about how a single thought can overturn the most engrained belief. It dates back years ago to when I first began to use biofeedback in my clinic. I especially recall the wife of a prominent local surgeon who came in hoping biofeedback would provide relief from her crippling back pain. Mrs. Robbins (not her real name) had been in a nasty car crash years earlier and had wrenched her back. Her back pain had never healed, and she shuffled into the clinic leaning heavily on a cane although she was only in her early 40s.. In the first session I discovered her belief she would never heal as she explained in tears that her best friend had died in the crash. I attached biofeedback sensors to her back, and we both observed the computer monitor as she painfully attempted to move her legs. Then I hooked up the sensors to her arm and had her tense, then relax, her arm muscles. She clearly saw the difference between relaxed and tense on the screen. Then I suggested that her back pain “might” be due to muscle bracing that had become a chronic habit -- and proposed an experiment in which she would just “think” about allowing her back to relax. We placed sensors on her back again and I turned the screen away from her as she began to think about allowing her back to relax. Sure enough, the pain spikes reduced dramatically. When I rotated the screen so she could see it, her jaw dropped. The power of a single thought had immediately reduced the muscle spasms in her back. I asked her how her back felt. She was even more amazed. The skin had begun to warm a little as her circulation was partially restored. After only three biofeedback sessions she was able to release the muscle spasms in her back with a single thought. And a few weeks later, the cane was gone. She had cured herself from a crippling belief ("I don't think I'll ever heal") with a single powerful alternative belief ("I can relax the muscle spasms in my back.") Old beliefs CAN be replaced with success-affirming positive thoughts. Replacing Limiting Beliefs Replacing limiting beliefs requires dealing with the ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) attached to those beliefs. If you do have limiting beliefs, your ANTs will constantly reinforce those beliefs. The only way to stomp ANTs is to create new positive beliefs to replace the old negatives! It does NOT matter if you believe these new positive beliefs at first. Go ahead and read that sentence again!

Your mind is a creature of habit. The more often you consciously focus on your new positive beliefs, the faster they will be taken into your subconscious mind to replace your old limiting beliefs. So do a mental house-cleaning and get rid of those ANTs. The S.N.A.P. Method The author, Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler, is the developer of the S.N.A.P. (Substitute neural Association Programming) method of rapid personal empowerment. A doctor of psychology and pioneer brain/mind researcher, Dr Jill tells us that the ONLY way to replace a habit is to attack it on a cellular level. "Everything else is just applying a bandaid," Dr Jill says. "The thing to do is grab any negative thought at the moment it enters our consciousness, identify the stimulus that triggered it, and overwrite the neural pathway holding that thought."QuantumSelf

Finding Motivation: What To Do When You Don't Feel Like Doing Anything By Chris Widener Chris Widener Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008

“The measure of your success usually comes down to who wins the battle that rages between the two of you. The ‘you’ who wants to stop, give up, or take it easy, and the ‘you’ who chooses to beat back that which would stand in the way of your success - complacency.” Chris Widener In all of my interactions with people, I've never found anyone, regardless of their level of success, who doesn't sometimes find themselves simply not wanting to do the things that they need and want to do. It is a part of human nature that there will be times that, in spite of all that we need to do, and even desire to, we will find ourselves not wanting to do anything. And what separates those who will become successful from those who will maintain the status-quo, is the ability at those very crucial moments of time when we are making decisions about what we will do, to choose to find the inner motivation that will enable us to conquer our complacency and move on in action. I find that I confront this issue in my life on a regular basis, so the following success strategies are not merely pie in the sky techniques, but proven ways to get yourself to go even when you don't feel like doing anything. Honestly evaluate whether or not you need a break. This is the first thing that I usually do what I find that I don't want to get to a specific action. The fact is that oftentimes we will have been working very hard and the lethargy we are feeling is really our body and emotions telling us that we simply need a break. And this is where it takes real intellectual honesty because when we don't need a break our mind is still telling us we need a break! But sometimes we do need a break. I'll give you a good example. I don't particularly like to exercise, but I do almost every day. Sometimes, I find myself before going to the club thinking about how I just didn't feel like going. Most of the time I am just being lazy. However, sometimes I realize that my body needs a break. So from time to time I will take a one or two daybreak from working out. The benefits of this are two-fold: One, my body gets a break to

regenerate itself. Two, after a day or two, I begin to miss my workout, and eagerly anticipate a turning to the gym. Other examples: Perhaps you are a salesman who has been phoning clients for a week straight, day and night. You wake up one morning and just don’t feel like doing it any more. Well, take a break for the morning. Go to a coffee shop and read the paper. Go to the driving range and hit some golf balls. Take a break and then get back to it! Start small. I'm at a point in my workout schedule now where a typical workout day for me consists of 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, and about 30 minutes of weight lifting. So when I find myself not wanting to get up and go to the gym, I will sometimes make a commitment to go and just do a smaller workout. Instead of deciding not to go, I'll commit to doing 15 to 20 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 to 30 minutes of weight lifting. This is also good for two reasons. One, I actually get some exercise that day. And two, it keeps me from getting into a cycle of giving up when I don't feel like moving toward action. Other examples: Maybe you are a writer who simply doesn’t want to write today. Instead of the long day writing you had planned, decide that you will at least outline a couple of new articles. You will at least get these done, and you may have found that you put yourself into the writing mood after all. Change your routine. I have found that what keeps me in the best shape and burns the most calories for me, is to do 30 to 45 minutes on the treadmill every day. Now let me be very blunt. I find running on the treadmill to be extremely boring. Usually I can get myself to do it, but sometimes I need to vary my routine. So instead of 30 to 45 minutes on a treadmill, I will break down my aerobic exercise routine into a number of different areas. I will do ten to 15 minutes on treadmills, 10 to 15 minutes on the reclining cycle, 5 to 10 minutes on the rowing machine, 5 to 10 minutes on the stair stepper, and then back on to the treadmill for five to 10 minutes. I still get my exercise, but I'm bored a lot less. Other examples: Maybe you are in construction and you have been working on the plumbing for a week, and it is getting monotonous. Don’t do the plumbing today! Go frame-in the office. Reward yourself. One way that I motivate myself to do something when I don't feel like doing it, is to tell myself that if I get through the work that I need to, I will give myself a little reward. For instance, I may tell myself if I to get up and go to the club I can take five to 10 minutes off my treadmill exercise, which will shorten my workout routine, and I'll allow myself to sit in the hot tub for a few extra minutes. Hey, it works! Other examples: Maybe you are a mortgage broker who feels like sleeping in. Tell yourself that after the next three mortgages you close you will take your kids to the fair, or your spouse to the movies. Maybe you’ll give yourself a night on the town with old friends. Reconnect the action with pleasure rather than pain. Psychologists have long told us that we humans tend to connect every action with either pleasure or pain. Tony Robbins has popularized this even further in the last few years with something he calls Neural Associations. That is, we connect every action with either a pleasure, or pain. When we are finding ourselves lacking motivation, what we are probably finding about ourselves is that we are associating the action that we are thinking about with pain, rather than pleasure. For instance, when I'm considering that not going to the health club on any given day, I am usually associating going and working out with having no time, the pain of exercising and weight lifting,

or the boringness of running on a treadmill for an extended period of time. What I can do to reassociate is to remind myself that by going in and doing my exercise I will feel better about myself, I will lose weight, and I will live longer. This brings me pleasure. When we begin to run those kinds of tapes through our minds, we find our internal motivating force unleashed and changing our attitude about the action that we are considering. Other examples: Maybe you are a counselor who really doesn’t want to spend the day listening to people. Your association may be that it will be boring, or that you will be inside while it is sunny outside. Instead, re-associate yourself to the truth of the matter: Someone will be better off because of your care and concern. Think of your clients and the progression they have been making recently and how you have been a part of that.

Why You Must Read Biographies by Ron White Ron White Monday, Sep 29, 2008

"Don't worry boy, it will be alright. I've took this road you are walkin' down. I've been in your shoes. It is just somethin' that you have got to go through. I had this same talk with my dad."

Those were the words I heard from my dad at the age of twelve, when my heart had flushed my eyes with tears because the life of my dog was flickering out. Through the years I have taken walks down the same road with my dad and I've heard different versions of the same speech when business was tough, friendships ended or I wasn't feeling my best.

Sometimes it is nice to know that what you are going through isn't an experience unique to you. There is comfort in knowing that others have been there and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Often, when you are in the midst of the tunnel – the only thing that catches your focus is despair, discouragement and depression. Yet, it can turn your day around when someone ventures into the tunnel – walks with you and grabs your hand to say, 'I've been here...hang in there. I turned out alright and you will as well.'

Unfortunately, we don't all have someone who will tread into the tunnel and walk beside with encouragement. This is why it is so important to read biographies! A biography is a unique way to have a successful person walk beside you as you examine the story of their life. You will often be surprised that the most successful people of all time experience the same struggles as you.

Einstein was divorced, Lincoln battled depression, Ronald Reagan had his heart broken by his first wife and Sam Walton went broke twice. Where did I learn these facts? From the biographies I read! Did it make me feel better because they had hard times? Yes and no. I never delight in someone else's pain. On the other hand, it is without question that Einstein, Lincoln, Reagan and

Walton were monumental successes. It is refreshing and inspiring to read that they were also human and have walked down the same road that you and I have.

What an encouragement it was when my business was struggling a few years ago to read Sam Walton's biography and my eyes halted on the page where I read that at the exact age I was – at that time – that he was in an almost identical financial spot! I put the book down and a smile spread across my face. If you don't know who Sam Walton is, he started a small company called Wal-Mart a few years ago and it turned out okay.

Reading Sam Walton's biography was a neat way for me to get inspired and reminded that some pretty successful people have met discouragement head on and succeeded. In a sense while reading that book a message from the spirit of Sam Walton said, 'Ron – I have been there. It is hard, but don't give up. The reward is worth it. Now press on.' I did and I will be forever glad that I did.

Now, go to the bookstore and pick up a biography. By the way, if you are in a rough spot or experiencing some heartache... "Don't worry boy, it will be alright. I've took this road you are walkin' down. I've been in your shoes. It is just somethin' that you have got to go through. I had this same talk with my dad

Don't "Do A Little Bit Of Everything" With Your Website Mary A. Sicard Thursday, Aug 4, 2005

Years ago, Peter Drucker wrote: "Concentration is the key to economic results. Economic results require that managers concentrate their efforts on the smallest number of activities that will produce the largest amount of revenue...No other principle is violated as constantly today as the basic principle of concentration...Our motto seems to be: let's do a little bit of everything." If you've violated the basic principle of concentration with your bricks-and-mortar store, here's a simple process to avoid doing the same with your Web store or Web site. Ask yourself: "Whyam I building this site?" If your answer is, "Because everyone else is on the Internet," you're better off investing those dollars elsewhere.If your answer says something about marketing, sales, internal communication or customer service, you're on the right track. Now, narrow your focus. Ask: "What holds the best hope for my company's future?" This might be a single product,service or idea. Or it could be recruiting high-caliber employees, decreasing internal costs, enhancing customer service, addressing internal communication issues or generating new business. Your answer to this question will help you come up with a Raison d'être Sentence, a single sentence that states the reasonyour site exists. (Yes, your site can have other purposes, but limit them to two and do not allow them to take priority over your site's raison d'être.)

It's not enough to say, "The main purpose of my site is marketing." What does "marketing" mean exactly? Will the site serve to: <!-[if ! vml]--

Increase visibility and market exposure?

> <!-[endif]-> <!-Generate [if ! vml]-> <!-[endif]-> <!-Offer [if ! vml]--

leads?

pre-sale and post-sale customer service and product information?

> <!-[endif]-> <!-Strengthen [if ! vml]-> <! -[endif]-> <!-Re-inforce [if ! vml]-> <!-[endif]-> <!-Secure [if ! vml]-> <! -[endif]-> <!-Reduce [if ! vml]--

investor relations?

corporate identity?

new dealers, representatives or distributors?

fulfillment and print costs for marketing or technical materials?

> <!-[endif]->

If the site is for sales, what kind ofsales: <!-[if ! vml]--

Business to business?

> <!-[endif]-> <!-Business

to consumer?

[if ! vml]-> <!-[endif]-> <!-Business [if ! vml]-> <! -[endif]-> <!-First-time [if ! vml]-> <! -[endif]-> <!-Repeat [if ! vml]--

to representatives or distributors only?

sales?

> <!-[endif]->

If the site's main purpose is for internalcommunications, what kind of communication: <!-[if ! vml]--

Low-cost connection between headquarters and sales offices or subsidiaries?

> <! -[endif]-> <!-Reduced [if ! vml]--

cost of long-distance phone calls, faxes, overnight deliveries?

> <!-[endif]-> <!-Employee-to-employee [if ! vml]--

communication?

> <!-[endif]->

If the site's main purpose is for customerservice, does that mean you want the site to: <!-[if ! vml]--

Delivery information?

> <!-[endif]-> <!-Offer [if !

instant updates?

vml]-> <!-[endif]-> <!-Lower [if ! vml]--

800 number usage and associated labor cost?

> <!-[endif]-> <!-Reduce [if ! vml]-> <!-[endif]-> <!-Enable [if ! vml]--

mistakes made on request for proposals?

customers to provide feedback?

> <! -[endif]->

Now, fill in the blank: The main purpose of my site is to _______. This single sentence is one of the most important you'll write for your Web efforts. It becomes the criterion by whichyou judge everything you put on the site and where and how you'll market the site. For example, if you think the best hope for your business is new business and decide that the main purpose of your site is to generate sales leads, everypage on your site should have a link to your "Contact Us" or"Request More Information" page. If you insist on devoting space on your siteto "The President's Message," make that message something that willgenerate an inquiry. If you can't figure out how to do that, the page doesn't belong on your site. If you have a favored photograph and want to post it onyour site, ask yourself, "How will this photograph help generate salesleads?" If it won't help generate sales leads, get rid of it. Your site's Raison d'etre Sentence also forces you to think about what you can do on the site to fulfill that purpose.You'll find yourself thinking about what kind of contests or incentives you can offer to increase the likelihood that prospects won't leave your site without submitting qualification information. Although you'll be tempted to "do a little bit of everything" with your Web site, don't. Be merciless.Concentrate make less dilute, bring or direct toward a common center or objective, focus your Web efforts (and dollars) into one area that promises the best hope for your company's future. 1428

Affiliate Marketing Strategies That Produce Results Wednesday, Aug 23, 2006

Affiliate Marketers are constantly looking for products that will produce BIG profits. Many affiliates begin marketing online thinking that you can just put a few banners on a website and Bingo... Cash will magically flow into their bank account. Unfortunately, this is not quite how it works. Making affiliate marketing a success is an attainable reality but it takes a combination of good marketing practices, hard work and dedication. Here are three simple strategies which should produce the results that will enable youto gradually increase your sales, and become highly successful as an online affiliate. 1. Promote each of your products or opportunities using unique web pages. Build a well laid out, highly focused website. Give each product a clearly well documented page. Include a review of each product or opportunity and of course, testimonials from people who have already tried the product or signed up for the opportunity. This will give your customers confidence in the products or opportunities you are offering on your site and make them want to find out more. Write articles featuring the positive aspects of each or your products or opportunities and include the pages on your website. Use headlines that will attract your visitors and entice them to continue reading and of course, buy your products. 2. Get visitors who are precisely targeted to your products or opportunities. If a person who visits your site has no interest in what you are selling they will probably leave and never come back. However, when you write articles targeted to your products and opportunities for inclusion in ezines or other online and offline publication, your visitors should be precisely targeted to what your are offering on your website. You can use this method to generate a continuous flow of readers. Write at least one 300-600 word article every week. By continuously writing and submitting articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted website visitors daily. If just 1% of your visitors bought a product, you will have sold 7 products each week just from that source alone. 3. Offer free reports, ebooks or software to your readers. People love free things! Position your free offers at the top of your web page where they attract the most attention. Then create a minimum of seven autoresponder messages to be emailed to the visitors who give you their personal information. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect. When people visit your web page, your prospect either leaves your page or goes on to buy your product. When you give them valuable information over a period of time, you continually remind them of your product. Try to direct visitors to your site and article content without making it sound like a sales pitch, while giving them specific reasons why they should sign upfor your opportunities and buy your products. Once you have gained their trust with your autoresponder messages, web pages and article content they will make a purchase. Try to focus on the important points like how your opportunities and products can enrich their lives. Make the subject lines of your emails compelling and avoid using words that will trigger the spam filters like You want your email to arrive in your prospect's mailbox, not be classified as junk and deleted. Convince the people who have signed up for your free gifts that they will be missing something huge if they do not avail themselves of your products and opportunities. Try using these three simple strategies with all your affiliate programs. It will of course require some time, planning and action on your part to put them into practice, but that is not difficult to accomplish. Once these strategies are set in motion your source of income should gradually increase and you will on your way to achieving your goal of becoming a well paid affiliate.

Attraction Marketing" By Rod Nichols Rod Nichols Thursday, Jul 17, 2008

Everyone seems to be talking about attraction marketing as if it were something new. Top network marketers have used this secret for years. I remember back in the late 80’s hearing that if you were on fire with enthusiasm, people would come from miles around to watch you burn. Now that’s attraction marketing.

The key thing to understand is that attraction marketing isn’t some internet marketing program, it’s a method of operation. Whether you are building a business the old fashion way – face-toface or using all the latest technology on the internet, you can utilize attraction marketing. I’ve been using it for the last 20 years in network marketing and it’s the reason that today I have total time and financial freedom. In this article I’m going to teach you the secrets to attraction marketing.

Secret #1: Make Yourself Attractive

People all around you are looking for answers. They are working too many hours, making too little money, and are under tremendous stress. If you are with a legitimate network marketing company, you have the answer. The key is to uncover those struggle areas and then provide them with a solution. Asking questions is the best way to discover what people are struggling with. First, this shows that you are interested in them, which is attractive. Second, when you ride in on your white horse with the solution, you become extremely attractive. The more often you help others eliminate their struggles, the more you will hear from others with the same struggles.

So, stop presenting your business to people and start uncovering areas of struggle through questions. Once you’ve found the areas that are causing pain, you can present your business as a pain relief and you’ll be amazed at the results.

Secret #2: Become an Authority

People trust and will listen to authorities. You turn on CNN and listen to political analysts talk about the presidential candidates. You read the newspaper as expert writers tell their stories. You go to seminars, listen to CD’s, watch DVD’s, and read books to discover the secrets to success in life. What you’ve probably never thought about is that there was a time when those people were just like you. How did they become an authority?

In order to be an authority, you first need knowledge. The internet has made it easy to gain knowledge. If you want to be an authority in the network marketing industry, then you must gain knowledge of the industry – history, top companies, compensation plans, difference between legal network marketing (or mlm) and pyramid schemes, successful marketing methods, etc. Invest some time each week to studying the industry.

The second step is to make that knowledge known. Again, the internet makes this easy, as you can quickly publish a web site, blog, and newsletter. You can write articles and submit them to network marketing web sites. You can publish an e-book or self-publish a print book. If you’re not a writer, then hire one to write for you (e-mail me at Rod@RodNichols.com). You can do free teleconferences, webinars, and videos posted on You Tube and other video sites. As people see you all around the internet, you become an authority and thats attractive.

I’ve developed a great attraction marketing system called The 2 percent Plan, which includes an e-book and 7 free reports that will help you become an authority. It also includes internet-based training that will help you get your face on Facebook, a place on MySpace, create a lens on Squidoo, make and upload your videos to You Tube, get your Press Releases seen, and Blog so that it’s everyone’s business.

Secret #3: Make Friends

Attracting people is one thing, but developing loyalty is something completely different. I’ve met many network marketers that I would call “sponsor monsters”. They can personally sponsor hundreds of people every year. Unfortunately, most of these people never develop a long-term residual income, because they don’t develop loyalty.

I learned this back in the 90’s when I asked a top income earner how to become a millionaire in network marketing. He said, “Go out to make a million friends and the money will follow.” Friends, for the most part, are much more loyal than strangers you sponsor. So, the key here is how to turn them from strangers to friends.

If you have any friends, you already know how to do this. First, you have to be a friend to them, which means devoting time to getting to know them. Second, is to serve them. In the case of network marketing, it’s helping them gain the knowledge they need and then walking it out with

them. It’s encouraging them along the way. It’s supporting them in every way. If you are loyal to them, they will be loyal to you.

There are three of the secrets to becoming more attractive. You can join all the attraction marketing systems you want, but if you aren’t attractive, they won’t work. So, devote some time each day, week, and month to becoming attractive and pretty soon people will come from miles around to see what you’re up to.

Building Your Brand On A Budget - by Alan Pollard Alan Pollard Monday, Jun 2, 2008

Most network marketing companies realize that the strength of their brand can significantly impact the success of their company. To that end, some companies have mortgaged everything and bet their future on a single thirty-second Super Bowl ad at a hefty $2.3+ million a pop. Or maybe you're on a strict, modest budget and can just squeak by with a $125,000, one-time print ad in the Wall Street Journal. Whatever your budget--big or small--there are a number of inexpensive things you can do to build your brand, especially since it is not typically built with a single event, but is instead an ongoing process. I've listed four proven methods below:

1. Email Signature Your email signature provides the capability to promote your brand to a captive audience for free. Instead of just signing the email, "Regards, Joe," consider adding a signature block that includes your name, your company name, your contact information, and your tagline or slogan. No, you won't need to type the information each time, as most email packages allow you to create a signature and have it automatically inserted with each email. It is estimated that the average business person is sending and receiving 50+ email messages per day. Multiply that number by the number of employees in your company and now you have hundreds or thousands of branding messages going out every day to customers, prospects, vendors, and others. This is something that should be a company requirement.

2. Telephone Hold Time Nobody likes to be on hold, but when that unfortunate event occurs, how about taking advantage of it? Briefly, and I emphasize, briefly, tell them one thing about your company--a new promotion, a new award you've just won, etc.--or simply thank them for their patience and emphasize your company name and tagline. These "On Hold" messages can be created inexpensively and can be good promoters of your brand.

3. Local Sponsorships Local sponsorships are basically affiliations with local charities, sports teams, and events. They can be both inexpensive and beneficial. Do you get to give out a lot of information? No. Do you get to generate leads from such events? Usually not. But, what you do get is the ability to make your name and company personality visible to prospects so that when the opportunity to engage and talk about your business in detail comes, it won't be the first time they've heard of you. Local sponsorships are pretty easy to find. Simply look for banners and printed material with sponsors' names included, and call to find out how you can participate.

4. Business Website Business websites have become a part of our culture. Yet, the ability to brand your company on your website is often overlooked. Instead, companies want to jump straight to product and opportunity explanations. However, building your website to reflect your brand personality--who you are as a company--can be an easy yet powerful factor. Remember, your brand isn't your name, logo, tagline, or company colors. Your brand is the personality of your company, what you represent, and the emotion you can drive as part of the buying process. Successful brands? Think Nike, Volvo, McDonalds, and others. Build an image and personality that supports who you are as a company. And then, use multiple opportunities to build and reinforce that brand at every turn.

Building Your Next Event: Pre-Event Planning Monday, Mar 24, 2003

Never underestimate the power of your corporate events. Most direct sales and network marketing companies share the philosophy of "building to events." This means that everything you unveil or announce at your event will take your company and your distributors through to the next event. Because events play such a major role in your overall business plan, it is important to invest time and energy into your pre-event planning. Your in-house event planner isn't just busy during event season, but throughout the year the event planner has many details to work out before some of the more obvious decisions can be made. In my event experience, I have noticed that those who spend more time in pre-event planning are most consistently the companies that better adapt to necessary changing on-site, stick to their event budget, and increase the creativity put into an event every year. The results of planning are a great overall experience for your attendees and an increase in attendance at the next event. When planned in advance, your event theme can be used in marketing materials all throughout the year to help drive distributors to your event. And the theme doesn't stop at the designing of an event logo. Spend time brainstorming your theme. Does it communicate the message you want your distributors to take away from the conference? Will it provide a good topic for your speakers to build a speech around? It is short? Does it tie in with the location or events happening in your company at the time of your conference (i.e. anniversaries, the culture of a location)? The event theme can also help you in deciding your stage design. It will also help in deciding your graphics, and it may even help you decide on a guest speaker. A few years ago, I

produced an event for a client who was holding an event in Houston - a location for NASA. The guest speaker was Gene Kranz, the Director of Mission Operations at Johnson Space Center. The guest speaker tied in perfectly with the location and theme of the event. Event themes can be as powerful as a tag line when used to tie all your event presentations together, as well as used to set up and promote your event. Yes, your location is important. Most companies know what to look for in a good location, as in city and a good hotel with nice rooms and enough space to hold your group. However, an important and overlooked detail is the specifications of your ballroom or hall. When you make your site selection, be sure to involve your Show Producer. There will be specific details about the ballroom that, when negotiated at the time you make your contract with the venue, will save you a lot of money. Some big elements to consider in a site selection are ceiling height, noise volume and load in/load out times. Ceiling height is important. It affects how your audio/visual can be hung and how the overall set design will look in a room. Do not trust the printed specifications for a room. These specs do not take into account chandeliers or other hanging objects. On your site inspection, look for ceiling heights that are high enough to accommodate your audio/visual. An 18 - 20' ceiling is a good minimum to start with for an audience of 500 or less. The larger the audience, the taller the ceiling. Does the space have hang points and do you need them for your set design? Are there windows that will need to be covered by drapery? If so, will the hotel cover that expense? Not all hotels build meeting space with audio/visual in mind, so be sure you understand up front the limitations of a room you are considering. Your Show Producer can assist you on your site inspection with selecting a good venue. ______________________________

Conferences and events are where dreams made into reality are seen and experienced. ______________________________

Another location item to consider is noise volume. If you are not the only group in the location, you may run into the problem of other groups at the location complaining about noise. In general, network marketers like to have fun and will generate a lot of excitement and noise. To protect your group from having complaints and constant interruptions from the hotel to "quiet down," communicate up front to the location that you are a very loud group and that you will be loud during the event. Let them allow other groups they may put in the room next to you make the decision if they want to be next to a loud group. In my experience, when the hotel plans for your group to be loud, they do not put a group next to your event. This helps you maintain control of your contracted space and have the latitude to be as noisy as you want. Load-in and load-out times can kill your production budget with crew overtime if you do not plan for proper load-in and load-out times up front. Let the hotel know your meeting schedule and then let them know the time you want to set up. Work with your Show Producer to establish a good load-in time. Then, after the contract is signed, you can request from the hotel that you begin load-in the night before. Most venues will have the room available at 6:00 p.m. the day prior to your event. So if your contract load-in is a Wednesday morning, you can ask the hotel if you can at least drop off your equipment the night before. This should be no expense to you. The benefit is it will help your crew get everything off the truck and ready for an early morning set up.

Nearly all hotels will have hidden fees. There are reasons they are hidden, but if you know what they are, you can contract them and save thousands of dollars. One hidden fee is risers. Be sure to have stated in your contract that hotel risers are included in the contract amount and specify the stage size. Most hotels do provide risers free of charge, even if you bring in your own AV company. However, some venues will hit you with an additional fee if this isn't discussed up front. Another negotiation item is power and rigging fees. Ask up front what the fees are and what personnel are required. Again, this will help you plan your budget as well as understand what the hotel requires you to use from their pool of services. The best agendas are those that are planned in advanced. An agenda entails more than just a list of speakers. It should also account for the time to get speakers on and off stage, exact topics of speakers, who will be using multi-media, where breaks are and when the day will begin and end. As you look at your agenda, you may discover that you don't have enough time for your attendees to have lunch outside the venue and be back in time for the general session. Or you may have too much training in one session from important, but less enthusiastic, speakers. When you plan your agenda, you must keep your audience at the forefront of your mind. You don't want them to get bored or tired. They are there to learn, but don't over-do your agenda. Sometimes, less is more. Your event will only feel crammed and rushed if you pack every minute with intense information. Everything on your agenda, including your breaks and entertainment, should serve a purpose. If you don't outline your agenda in advance, you eliminate a chance to analyze your agenda and improve upon it. I was recently working with a new company on developing their meeting agenda. They presented their draft agenda to me for feedback. My first question after reviewing the proposed agenda was, "What is the purpose in having an activity or event each night of your two and a half day conference?" The response, "Well, we are a new company and we think it is important for distributors to spend time in a social situation to get to know their upline and downline." By booking all the attendees' time for them in sit down presentations with little entertainment, this company didn't realize they had just created exactly what they didn't want to happen. The solution was easy: plan nothing for the second evening and promote the idea that they spend time around town with their upline and downline that night. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, always be honest about your attendance and budget with everyone you contract with. This will let your event team know exactly what dollars they have to work with and the number of people to plan around. Your team will be better at alerting you of any potential increases if they know that they only have one number to work with. Conferences and events are where dreams made into reality are seen and experienced. There is no event quite like a network marketing event. The training, recognition, product announcements and energy felt can leave a lasting impact that will carry a distributor through the next year. Take time now to pull together the right event team for your next event and begin planning.

Is Your MLM Website About as Effective as a Billboard in the Desert? Dale Calvert Friday, May 23, 2008

It seems that every week I have the same conversation over and over with customers and coaching clients. It starts something like “Dale, I am not getting any results with my website, what can I do?”

There are two major factors for lack of good website results:

1. Your site does not have a Most Wanted Response, or 2. You simply aren’t getting enough numbers, (traffic).

We will look at both of these challenges in this article: What is your Most Wanted Response? What is the purpose of your site?

Unfortunately, many distributor websites are not designed to sell a particular product; they are nothing more than online catalogs with multiple product choices. This type of site is fine for distributors placing their personal product orders but extremely ineffective if you plan on marketing products online. One of the rules of any website should be, “Sell one thing and sell it well.” The more choices of products you offer, the more likely you will not sell anything. A confused mind does not take action.

I believe that every distributor for every company should have at least two websites they are promoting:

1. Top Selling Product Website 2. Prospecting Website

Top Selling Product Website

Your first website should be for your top selling product and your top selling product only! This site should basically cover:

• • • •

This is the product. This is what it can do for you. This is what other people have said about it. Order now and get this bonus or leave.

I realize this is a somewhat simple explanation, but when you cut through the fluff, you need a website that is designed to sell! Sell one product and one product only.

Prospecting Website

Your second website should be a prospecting website. This site should basically cover:

• • • •

This is who we are, or who I am. This is why you should listen to me. This is what other people have done, and maybe you can have similar results. Leave me your contact information and get this free something--CD, report, etc. or leave.

Again, I realize this is a very simple explanation, but it is the basic outline for a website that will get results.

There is nothing that aggravates me more than to see distributors send a prospect to a company website that does not have a Most Wanted Response:

•

“ Click here to learn about product #1, 2, 3, or 88;” or

• •

“If you want to learn about our business opportunity, click here;” or “To read our policies and procedures click here.”

You get the idea.

The first step to achieving the kind of results you want with your website is to make certain you are sending traffic to a product site designed to sell, or a business opportunity site designed to have prospects leave their contact information. Anything other than these two types of sites with clearly defined Most Wanted Response is a waste of your time and money!

After, and only after you have the right kind of sites online, you are ready to drive as much traffic to those sites as possible. At this point, it really is a numbers game. A few years ago, we had a site that created 9 sells for $34.95 per every 100 visitors. Our profit was $15.00 per sale or $135.00 for every 100 visitors on the front end, not counting repeat business.

If you know you are going to make $135.00 every time you send 100 visitors to the site, can you afford to pay 50 cents per click with Pay Per Click Search Engines? Absolutely! If you offer a product with repeat business, you would feel very comfortable paying $1.35 per click and just breaking even on the front end. Do you follow me?

Unfortunately, the only method most people use to drive any type of traffic to their site is Google Adwords, or other Pay Per Click Search Engines. You really owe it to yourself to learn as many ways as you possibly can to drive traffic to your website. This is a subject that is worth studying. Here are some quick and simple ideas:

• CraigsList.com

This is the largest online classified site in the world and one of the Top 10 most visited sites everyday on the Internet. You can target your ads to any geographical area you want, and under the Free Section, you can offer magazines, CDs, etc. Simply have prospects go to your website and complete a form for their free whatever as we talked about earlier.

• MySpace.com

Do you have a MySpace site? Why not? It’s free and very easy to set up. If you have any problems, just get a teenage relative to help you! The benefits of a MySpace site will become very self evident if you have any type of marketing savvy at all. You can check out my personal My Space site in my bio.

• Ebay.com

Sell items like books, training courses, etc. on Ebay that entrepreneur-minded people would purchase, and include information on your opportunity when you mail them their item. Think about this. Yes, I am saying you can actually make money while prospecting for your business.

All three of the sites above are consistently in the Top 10 for most traffic on a daily basis. So, a major hint to driving traffic to any website is to go where the people already are! I know it sounds simple, but many people simply overlook this more than obvious concept.

For network marketers, obviously, the first site to get involved with is MLM.com. It has the most active forum in the industry and allows you to add your website when you set up your account.

I have dozens more ideas and will be sharing many of them in my upcoming articles and seminars. I will also be releasing a brand new course in a few weeks called “21 Ways to Create MLM Leads on the Internet.” This will be the first time I have ever shared many of these unique website traffic methods outside of my inner circle coaching clients. If you are interested, you can sign up for our notification list now at http://www.createonlinemlmleads.com/.

I promise to share with you thought provoking website traffic ideas that will make a positive impact on your business. Until then, make sure you understand the concept of Most Wanted Response; get yourself exposure on Craigslist, MySpace, and Ebay; and check out MLM.com daily.

MLM and the Vulcan Mind Meld by Rod Nichols Rod Nichols Wednesday, Oct 1, 2008

Growing up, one of my favorite shows was the original Star Trek and my favorite character was Spock. He was logical and unemotional--like me (at the time). I loved it when he would place his hands on a person’s head to perform the Vulcan mind meld, which combined that individual’s thoughts, experiences, knowledge, and memories with his own. It was also a melding of two different cultures.

As I was contemplating the hot MLM issue--Old School versus New School--I immediately thought of the mind meld and realized that in order for us to be successful in network marketing, we can’t be either Old or New School, but instead, a melding of both.

Back in 1979, when I joined the network marketing industry, we didn’t have computers, the Internet, web sites, auto responders, web conferences, e-mail, instant messaging, VOIP telephone, voice mail, cell phones, PDAs, DVDs, CDs, or teleconferences. All we had was a pad, pen, and our personality. We met face-to-face, belly-to-belly, and drew circles. We showed the plan, showed the plan, and showed the plan. It was a different culture than what we see today and yet it worked and continues to work.

In 1995, I started with a new company and decided to build on the Internet. We developed a team image web site where we offered a free book for those who were interested and would provide us with their contact information. We created the tag-team system of e-mailing where a new prospect would receive three to five emails from our group, showing them a real team approach. We conducted weekly opportunity teleconferences for our network to use and did training conferences for our downline at least once a month. This was truly a “New School” business and it worked. We built a large international network that is still in place today and even though I’ve been semi-retired since 2001, it still generates a full-time residual income.

I learned a valuable lesson in that “New School” business – technology is great for sifting and sorting, but people still want to know that there is a live body behind all the technology. At first we were striving to build a completely self-contained system that would take a prospect from start to finish without human involvement. Although we built the system, it didn’t work.

We found the answer in John Naisbitt’s best seller, Megatrends. Although the book was published in 1988, it has great prophetic insight into the 21st Century. Naisbitt spoke of the need for high touch with the high tech--ah, the melding of two cultures--the Old School mixed with the New School! As we began to apply this principle to our high tech system, it worked. We used the technology to sift through the lookers and find those who were serious. We engaged them in e-mail conversation and as trust was built, they would agree to a phone conversation. Once we reached that point, our average close ratio was over 75%--true high tech and high touch--New School and Old School working together.

I love all the technology we have available to us in network marketing today. It makes building a business so much easier. However, I never want to forget that we are dealing with people, and people need high touch. They want to hear our voice or see our face. They still like personal interaction. The MLM Old School and New School must meld together into something better--something more productive--something that really works! This Week's Topic

Press Releases Unique Training Program that Increases Recruitment and Retention for Network Marketing Companies 11, 2008

XanGo Announces New Distributor Relations Department

Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008

Anticipation Building for the Official Launch of Glimpse- Intuitive Skin Care by XanGo Sellersportal.net v.s. eBay || A "MLM" Business

Friday, Oct 17, 2008

Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

ConferenceTown.com. FREE Conference Call services Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008

more releases... MLM Startup | MLM Tools | MLM Downline Strategy | MLM Leads

Dail

It's All In The Cards - Marketing With Greeting Cards

George Marsh Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008

Have you experienced any of the following scenarios?

Tuesday, Nov

•

You have been on the phone with a very interested prospect sharing an overview of your products and compensation plan. The prospect is not ready to commit to signing up. You thank them for the opportunity and ask when it would best to followup. What could you do at this point to keep them interested in your business?

•

There is a member of your organization who just achieved a new management level. You want to congratulate them on the accomplishment. What can you do to show them they are really appreciated? You attend a local networking event and you have returned to your home office with a pocketful of business cards. You ask yourself how can I follow-up with them and make a lasting impression?

•

You want your name and company to be remembered. You don’t want your business card thrown in a drawer with several hundred other business cards or placed in a huge rolodex. How can you make your business card stand out from the rest?

There is a proven marketing method that will help in all the above scenarios. This marketing method is the utilization of personalized greeting cards. There has been a lot of research done by the greeting card industry (ie., Greeting Card Association (GCA)) on how greeting cards affect the recipient. Some of findings include: •

Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else.

•

A greeting card in the mailbox not only brightens our day, but can instantly connect us emotionally to friends and family. That special, bright-colored or hand-written envelope stands out among our piles of bills and magazines and serves as a reminder that someone has taken the time from their day to reach out to us and show us they care. Whether because of an annual holiday or an unexpected gesture, greeting cards keep people connected, benefiting both the sender and receiver. Greeting cards are not only for personal use. The above facts can also be applied to business scenarios with the same proven results.

•

• • • • • • •

Some more interesting business-related facts: 79% of all leads generated at a trade show aren’t followed up. Only 3% of our mail is personal;how do you feel when you walk out to the mail box and see a personal card addressed to you? Your clients/prospects are no different. Average company loses 50% of its customers every 5 years;Cost of replacing them can be 6-7 times more expensive. 5% increase in customer loyalty will yield 20%-80% to our bottom line profit…Much wiser to spend money on customer retention than acquisition. For every month that we don’t contact or communicate with our client, we lose 10% of our influence. 82% of all homeowners can’t tell you the name of their Realtor if they bought their home more than two years ago. Just saying thank you to our clients;particularly new clients even with only a phone call to do nothing more than saying thank you;(do not try to sell on this call) it will increase your business by 17%. The above facts prove that a customer appreciation/customer follow-up system is extremely important to your business. The lack of a good system can and will be the

slow death of your business. We conclude using personalized greeting cards will improve your customer relationships. You could drive down to your local card store, pick out a few cards, drive to the post office, purchase the stamps, write a personal note, and sign the cards. Then you could address the envelopes, adhere the stamps and drop the cards in the outgoing mail. Sending personalized greeting cards, even though proven to work, can be also costly and time consuming. Or is there a better way? Send Out Cards, a Salt Lake City, UT based company, has created a unique Internetbased greeting card system. Its greeting cards are all on-line (over 6,000 predesigned). You simply log-in to the service via an internet browser, then select a greeting card, enter your contact information, and write a personal message. You have the option to create your own custom card using a personal photograph or graphic. Using your own handwriting and signature as a selectable font is another unique feature. The personalized font and signature is an optional purchase. Click the send button and the company then prints a real card (NOT an eCard), places the card in an envelope (card and envelope are printed on recycled paper), adds a real stamp and then mails the card on your behalf. All of this is done at one third the price of the above old fashioned way. Send Out Cards provides a WIN WIN solution for your business in a timely and cost effective manner and all from the comfort of your home or office any time of day or night.

The Huge Role of MLM Product By Mark Rawlins

Mark Rawlins Wednesday, Apr 2, 2008

Before investing your all in an MLM company, you need to evaluate its product. The role product plays in MLM is huge! Every company that has experienced long-term success has been built on great product and product loyalty. Any success a company has that is not built on product value and the loyalty of its distributors to its products is fleeting at best. In the end, a company only survives if it has great products.

The fact is, certain kinds of products are suitable for network marketing and others are not. Traditionally, network marketing seems to work best for products that require: 1) some but not extensive education and training, plus 2) a lot of motivation and/or support.

Teaching consumers how to use products and services typically builds a cadre of committed consumers. Distributors require some education in order to, for example, hold a successful home decorating party, but such training generally requires only a few hours a month. Often, MLM companies assume the task of education and training consumers so distributors can concentrate on motivation and support.

Products for which motivation and support are vital are beauty, diet, and health products. These types of products require this because there are so many choices available, consumers often have difficulty making selections. To interest prospects in a product, distributors should make arrangements to introduce them to someone they can relate to who’s been successfully changed by the product. So many worthless products in the MLM arena have come and gone, potential consumers are wary of trying yet another unless it has the endorsement of someone they trust.

A product is suitable for MLM if it’s a new product or falls into a new category that people are not yet familiar with. A network marketing company may build its success on a product/product line because it doesn’t have general market acceptance. Innovative products have often used the MLM venue to enter the market. MLM products often represent a great leap forward in some way that calls for one form or another of consumer training. Often, prospective customers don’t even know why they need them! Distributors make people aware of the value of these products and educate them in correct usage. Often, a recommendation from a friend will help them make the decision to purchase it.

Obviously, there’s no reason to build an MLM company to distribute a run-of-the-mill toothbrush. Anyone can walk into a store and purchase one, not to mention the free one the dentist gives you when you get your teeth cleaned! Your mother or dentist has already taught you how to use a toothbrush. You don’t need a distributor to bring one over and demonstrate it. A product about which the consumer already has all the info he/she needs is not suitable for network marketing. A product that the consumer can pick up on any casual trip to the grocery store or to the mall is not suitable. You need to sell a product with differentiation—something that makes it stand out from other products.

Most MLM companies market products their people believe in and feel proud of. When someone says to me, “The product a company sells doesn’t matter,” I wonder if that individual is pitching a scam because, of course, the product does matter! Legitimate company founders want to contribute to the welfare of the society they live in by selling products that have real value.

Intellectual Distribution of Product

The book, The Next Trillion, by Paul Zane Pilzer provides an overview of the economic realities responsible for the explosion in product sales via direct sales during the past thirty years. The book introduces the concept of intellectual distribution, which is one of two elements of the sales process: 1) physical distribution and 2) intellectual distribution.

The process of physical distribution is simply getting the product into the hands of the consumer. On the other hand, intellectual distribution requires teaching potential consumers what the product does and how it can help them. In other words, intellectual distribution is education.

This concept is core to understanding why MLM has touted such explosive growth in the last thirty years. Throughout history almost universally, sellers educated consumers about products sold. Such is no longer the case. Beginning in the 1960s, Sam Walton discovered that physical distribution was a good deal easier and much cheaper than intellectual distribution. He, therefore, chose to ignore intellectual distribution and concentrated on lowering the cost of physical distribution. As a result, he stopped selling products that required intellectual distribution, creating Wal-Mart, one of the largest corporations in the world. This approach gave rise to the “discount superstore,” a concept that decreased the cost of everyday items, but also decreased the outlets for innovative, new products that required intellectual distribution.

What about products that require intellectual distribution? Some products are simply not intuitive, are too new for people to be comfortable using on their own, or require consumer assistance. Given the ever-growing number of new products that require motivation, education, training, and support, it became essential to carve out new channels of distribution or expand old ones. Network marketing, of course, is one of these channels.

Because intellectual distribution represents the best opportunity for network marketing companies and their sales forces to succeed, I have created what I call the METS Formula (Motivate, Educate, Train, Support):

Motivation. For some products, such as diet or health products, distributors may need to spend time motivating consumers to start using them and to stay with them.

Education. Why is your product better than competing products? Why should consumers spend their money on it rather than on the many others out there? Or, why do your consumers need this product at all? Education about product is essential to a company’s success.

Training. Some products require training for the consumer to use them effectively.

Support. Some products require ongoing support from the distributor for the consumer to know how to use it.

In my experience, the products or services that are best suited to network marketing require one or more aspects of the METS formula.

It is important to understand how much time must be spent on motivation, education, training, and support (METS) to sell a product to the average consumer because it affects your earnings. The more time and energy it takes to make a sale, the more money the salesperson can expect to make. This means that less money will be available for sales leader commissions.

Are you wondering what products and services don’t work for network marketing? Typically, with some notable exceptions, insurance, financial planning, and computer sales have not worked well. Why? Because the parts of the METS formula you need most in order to sell these products are education and training. Markets and products are changing rapidly; a salesperson has to spend so much time obtaining the knowledge necessary to provide education and training that it becomes impractical to have part-time distributors do it. Often, these kinds of products require licenses for those who sell them, and part-time distributors don’t typically have time to invest in this kind of intense training.

Over the years it has become increasingly clear to me that it’s important for distributors to learn the basic concepts of the MLM business because these individuals invest their heart and soul in building a downline, often working night and day for years. I believe that if distributors understand these concepts--like the role of the MLM product--they can make better choices about the companies in which to invest their lives. s | Forum |

Using The Web In Your Business - By Mark Rawlins

Mark Rawlins Monday, Mar 17, 2003

In past years, I have watched as the Internet has gone through different levels of acceptance in the MLM industry. The first level was skepticism and ridicule. The Internet was dismissed as a passing fad. The second level was blind acceptance and a rush to get onboard before the train left the station. Everybody wanted to have a personal Web page even if they didn't know how they could use it in their business. The third level, which we are at now, is to understand the importance of the Internet and make sure we are getting value for the money we invest. I was talking to a friend of mine, a top distributor in a large network marketing company, who was frustrated because the Web was not helping his business. He said, "I know I need to use the Web in my MLM business, but I am just spending a lot of money and I don't see that it is doing any good." I ask him what sort of things he was using the Web for and what specific areas of his business he had hoped to improve. His answer was revealing: "I don't know what we are doing. I have a Web guy that does all of that for me." When I asked how much time he spent with his Web guy, he said he had to run his business; he didn't have time to spend with the Web guy.

My thought is, as Bob Dylan sang, "the times they are a changin'." We have to make time to keep up with the times.

I tell this story not because it is unique, but because it is all too common. Distributors buy Web pages not knowing what to do with them. These individuals think that they will automatically get customers from "cyberspace," but don't have any other ideas how to make it a part of their business. Companies are selling Web-enabled products to MLM distributors, but are not providing training or even a strategy on how these products become part of a distributor's business.

Distributors are asking critical questions regarding how this Web tool will help accomplish the core activities of network marketing--selling, recruiting, motivating, educating, training, and supporting the people in their organizations. They want to know how it fits with the other tools of their business. Distributors are starting to find out what corporations found out--your Web strategy has to be a part of your business strategy.

So, how do you go about doing that--making sure that the Web tools you buy are valuable to your business? In my experience there are four prerequisites that make all of the difference:

1. Investing time and energy: Someone in your organization or the company

2. 3.

creates sales presentations, prospecting tools, and product promotion materials. It takes time and energy. These materials need to be on your Web sites and continually updated. Training on how to use the Wweb tools: Make the Web tools as easy to use as the techniques your distributors are already using. Remember, tools that you put on the Web have a learning curve. The message is important, not the method: It doesn't matter how great your Web site looks or if the latest whiz bang technology is used to create it. If you do not use your Web tools to assist people in understanding the message of your company, the tools will not be effective. Remember, Web designers know the Wweb, but you know your customers. A site needs to be understandable and user friendly to your customers. Focus on what the Web is good at: Look at communicating with and training your downline, working with your warm market, and working with your customers. All of these things are achievable, but other goals like recruiting your entire downline on the Web are most likely going to create disappointment.

Obviously there are other issues to consider in using the Internet in your MLM business, but I have found that the basic key to success is getting people to understand the concept that their Wweb strategy needs to be part of their business strategy. It does my heart good to see more and more of my prospective customers no longer make their decision primarily based on the question, "What does your product do?" Instead, the critical question posed by more and more of them is, "How does your product help my business?" Articles | News | Press Releases | Company Directory | Contact Us

Be the Messenger By Bryan Thayer Brian Thayer Wednesday, Jun 4, 2008

If you really want to stand out in networking, there’s a way to do it. All it requires is a simple shift in the way you think: be the messenger, not the message. There are simple actions you can take and tools you can use to accomplish this, and you’ll notice a difference in the way you work. One common mistake networkers make is to think of themselves as the actual message. If you’ve ever done this, you feel more nervous to talk to new people than you should, you feel extra excited at a yes, and you feel unduly rejected at a no. Let’s compare you and your business to other kinds of messengers we have in our society: Pizza Hut, FedEx, FTD flowers. All of these deliveries come by messenger. When FedEx comes to your door and delivers a package, the driver doesn’t care if you open it right away, if you’re excited or indifferent. He simply delivers it and is on to the next stop. He knows that if you reject the package, it’s not because you’re rejecting him. When you get your message out to as many people as you can, you find the ones who are excited. There are people out there who want what you have. Many don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, and it’s up to you to guide them to the right opportunity and the right product. Using business tools will help you do that. It takes the pressure off of you. You can easily cut to the chase and communicate the right information every time. You’re putting a tangible piece of the company into someone’s hands. You’re making things simple, not only so that people can understand your message, but so that they can later duplicate what you’re doing. Make use of these tools to inspire people, unify your team, and simplify your strategy. You will create a predictable path for your business and take the guesswork out of building an income. Your business is essentially a numbers game. Tell as many people as you can about it. Decide how many people you’re going to talk to every day, how many DVDs or brochures you’re going to hand out, how many business cards you’re going to give out and collect, and how many messages you will send. You are the messenger. Get your message out, and use tools to help you make that happen. For more information related to this article, click on Bryan's author Bio link!

Building Your Direct Sales Team in the Internet Age by Kevin Kroll Ken & Dannette Kroll Friday, Dec 12, 2008

downline team that is effective at consistently, over time, growing their sales and building their downline teams too. So, the real question you should be trying to answer is, “How can I develop a downline team that is constantly motivated and effective at building their downline teams?”

The Base Concepts

The Factors, Metrics, Tools

1. Several factors must be carefully considered as you design your plan:

•

The differing learning and motivational styles that make up every team.

•

The limitations on your time.

•

How to overcome geographic and time zones constraints.

2.

3.

There are many "low-to-no" cost tools you can use for your team building program. Finding the ones that are right for you and your team is an important consideration.

The Factors

In a nutshell, to make your team building program workable for you, you must construct a process that:

•

Addresses the varying learning and motivational styles that exist or will exist on your team.

•

Doesn't hinder your personal efforts to focus on your sales and recruiting

efforts.

•

Is deployable from virtually anywhere to virtually anywhere (i.e., no geographic or time zone boundaries).

The Metrics

1. Team Sales Growth. Are your team sales growing year over year? At what rate of increase?

1. Team Sponsorship Growth. Are your team's recruiting rates increasing year over year? At what rate of increase?

The Tools

is to review all of the various tools out there and narrow them down to those that meet your specific team building objectives.

Creating A Buying Atmosphere Eric Marchant Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008

“May I help you?” “No thanks, I’m just looking.” This is a dialogue familiar to us all. Each of us has reacted similarly to salespersons at one retail establishment or another. So, why do we respond this way? Why are we evasive and defensive? Is it that we have learned from a previous experience gone bad? Or, is it simply a natural reaction embedded in our psyche to avoid perceived pressure? Who really knows? The fact is that it happens all the time in a selling atmosphere. Even though the salesperson is merely offering to help, we suspect or perhaps even fear that being in sales, he or she will begin to push, cajole, or at least offer unsolicited advice-all of which make us feel vulnerable and uneasy.

I learned this first as a young and ambitious door-to-door salesman in the mid-1970s. As a 21 year old law student, I had signed up for a summer job that I wouldn’t soon forget. My first week selling bibles and medical books in the farm land of northern New York was a disaster. I worked 14 hours a day, talked to hundreds of people, made more than 80 product presentations to housewives, parents, grandparents, teachers and pastors, and sold just three books! What was I doing wrong? I was motivated and had memorized the scripted sales talk of a former successful salesman. I really liked the books myself. And, I was enthusiastic in my presentation. Why wasn’t I selling more books?

Reflecting on seeming failure, I began to review the training material from the company sales school that I had attended the week before arriving in upper state New York. There, tucked away in the middle of the manual, was a training outline that I had forgotten about--a brief section entitled, “How to Create a Buying Atmosphere.”

How to Create a Buying Atmosphere

Objective: Help Mrs. Jones feel comfortable enough to say “yes” or “no” at the end of the sales presentation. This includes being relaxed, listening to and hearing the unique features of the product, and responding to the questions targeting the potential benefits that she and her family might experience with the product in her home.

Step 1 – Establish a common connection between you and the customer. Create a rapport with Mrs. Jones. Look around at the environment, i.e., books on the shelf, pictures on the wall, gender and age of children and grandchildren. Does she have any hobbies, favorite movies or TV shows? Remember, no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Step 2 – Use names and third party testimonials. Names can help you with rapport. Mention names of people you have already met that the customer might know. These can be family members, neighbors, church members, co-workers, etc. Remember, the more relevant the relationship to the purchase the better, i.e., when selling bibles, use Catholic names with Catholics, Methodist names with Methodists, etc. Also, as you explain the features, advantages, and benefits of your product or service, do it through the stories and testimonials of others instead of in your own words. These third party testimonials can prove extremely effective in capturing a customer’s attention and in establishing credibility. People really do care about their neighbor’s opinions. This also brings in a certain “keeping up with Jones” mentality.

Step 3 - “Some people buy and some don’t.” No matter how many relevant names you have, always mention that some people don’t buy. Pressure exists in a selling atmosphere because there is an expectation to buy. This implied pressure can be so strong that instead of paying attention to what you do and to what you say, the customer is focused on making up an excuse for leaving, or in any case, not buying. Something has to be said or done that releases this pressure. Simply stating that some people buy and some don’t informs the customer that not everybody has to buy, and that’s okay. After all, it will only take a few minutes to take a look.

Step 4 – Ask questions! Someone once said, “The art of selling is the art of asking questions!” Indeed. Asking questions can help you establish rapport; uncover favorite neighbors and friends; discover what features and benefits excite the customer, and who else he/she knows that might be interested in your products or services. With every advantage that questions offer, the primary role that they play in creating a buying atmosphere is that they seem to put the customer in charge. And, customers in charge don’t feel the pressure of the sale; they feel the freedom of being able to buy.

Step 5 – After 20 minutes, get up and leave! With the particular product that you are selling, it should only take 20 minutes to demonstrate all of the features and point out the benefits. When you are through and the customer says, “yes,” you finish, thank him/her for his/her time, and leave. If he/she says “no,” you finish, thank him/her for his/her time, and leave. Successful people are busy people, and time is an important asset for the customer as well!

After reviewing these sales school training notes, in the weeks that followed, I began to follow the suggested steps to create this buying atmosphere. Did it work for me? By the end of my very first summer, I was making 30 presentations a day, selling 50% of my customers at the door and 70–80% of those sitting down to take a closer look.

As the years past by, I experienced sales through the eyes of a lawyer, team building consultant to Fortune 500 companies, business owner, CEO, and corporate executive. Time and trials taught me to value and refine the ability to create a buying atmosphere in multiple settings. I soon realized that this art of persuasion was as essential in a court room as it is in the boardroom-that it is just as effective a tool for corporate executives in the MLM industry as it is for the leading field distributors!

Yes, over time it seems the more things change, the more things stay the same. People still hate to be sold, but they love to shop and buy!

Harsh Economy? Improve Your Customer Service! by Timbre Wolf Timbre Wolf Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008

An interesting statistic is that two and a half times as many people will tell their friends and family of a bad experience, with a company, as those who have had a positive experience - with that same company! Stated another way: if you mess up customer service then you can easily tear your business down at a rate that is more than twice as fast as the rate that you can rebuild it. Customer service is, in essence, keeping your word . . . and it is the single most important aspect of your job in an MLM. Keep your word and make sure that you don't "set the bar too high" for yourself. Don't gamble on a product delivery date and don't make promises that you, or your product, cannot keep. Customers will be far more disappointed if their product doesn't arrive, when they expect it to, than they will if you initially promise them a later delivery date. They don't know how long the product should take to receive so it won't matter to them what delivery date you quote - unless you don't meet that date! They will also be disappointed if they don't get the results that you promise them. Err to the safe side and give yourself an extra day or two for deliveries and don't promise anything that the product cannot actually deliver. If you remain vigilant about customer service then your business will thrive. Long-term, satisfied customers will be far more lenient when back orders occur or if specific products are discontinued. Your goal is to stay in business and that can be a real challenge in these harsh economic times. Customer satisfaction is the best insurance that you have against loss of business. It is also important to realize that seemingly unreasonable customer expectations can have two sources. Some people are simply so conflicted that they cannot be made into a "happy customer." These cases are very rare but, obviously, they are not unheard of. I spent a couple of years as a top salesman in telemarketing with two Fortune 500 companies. Every once-in-a-while I would get a customer to whom I simply could not relate. From the moment I said "Hello" I could do nothing right for that angry customer - I'm not kidding . . . apparently THE WAY I said "Hello" was offensive to this caller's ear. My supervisor was immediately summoned and she had no trouble at all in dealing with the offended customer! Meanwhile I was scratching my head and wondering, "What hit me?" Now, mind you, this only happened a couple of times in thousands of calls but there was simply no way for me to make that particular customer happy. If you find yourself in this position then simply try to do everything that you can to conclude the deal to the satisfaction of the customer. It may mean honoring a money back guarantee or replacing a product. And you may have to consider terminating your business with that individual. Talk with your up-line and ask them if this particular customer might be better served by someone else in your MLM. You can only build a successful business with happy, satisfied customers - people who WANT to do business with you. The other source of a dissatisfied customer is that you (or a team member) may not have presented your product or service in the right light. As much as I hate to tell you this . . . this scenario is far more likely than the truly unpleasant and obstinate customer mentioned in the previous two paragraphs. Take responsibility for the words and actions of yourself and your team mates. If you notice a pattern in customer responses, for example - if you hear more than one customer say, "But you said . . . fill in the blank," and the "fill in the blank" is the same thing every time, then something is wrong - and it's probably NOT the customer. I don't mean to get all spiritual on you here but there is a quote from the Tao Te Ching that I really like. It follows in a question and answer format:

Q. What is a good man? A. The teacher of a bad man. Q. What is a bad man? A. A good man's charge. What I believe the Tao is really saying is that if we perceive someone else as troublesome then it might be our own fault or, at least partially, our responsibility. In other words: we may not have been a "good teacher" Dr. William Glasser, and others, have shown that by changing our actions (or words), which are the only actions/words that we actually have any control over, other people may be motivated to change their own actions (often to something more of our liking). It's a little something that is otherwise known as "leadership." Another book of spiritual reflection is the Book of Proverbs which states: "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." Here again is this idea that our actions, or our responses to a situation, can influence the response of the other person. So when you encounter a dissatisfied customer take any and all reasonable action to rectify the situation. Perhaps a misunderstanding can be remedied by a free product, a replacement product, or a discount on a future purchase. Sometimes all that the customer really wants . . . is to know that you heard their complaint. Determine, in as much as it is possible, what would turn this client into a satisfied customer. Chances are good that they will tell you. If you, or your down-line, discover that you have been giving out bad or confusing information then it's time to sound the alarm. Make sure that you remove the offending language (or promises) from your vocabulary or your script. Make sure that your down-line removes it too. Ultimately this will affect your paycheck, perhaps devastatingly so, so you will need to take action to remedy the situation as rapidly as possible. Teach your clients well for they are your "charge." Remember: Two and a half times as many people will tell others of a bad experience with your company as those who have had a positive experience with you. Work towards 100% customer satisfaction and you will greatly improve your odds at "surviving" the coming economic collaps.

MLM: How 25 years of Sales & Marketing Prepared Me Craig Mattice Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I’m sure many people think they must be “sales people” to work in the MLM industry. I mean, how many times do you hear a prospect say they “can’t sell?” We hear that all of the time, don’t we?

After all, we all know network marketing is really sales. You have sales of products to increase volume, sales of people joining the organization, and sales to friends and family. It’s a tough

business to be involved with if you aren’t a born salesperson. Let me be the first to break this to you but there are no born sales people in this world, only people with better people skills than others. Sales is something anyone can learn and improve on.

In my 25-year career in all types of sales and marketing, I’ve read all of the most popular sales books available. I’ve learned how to get the customer mentally involved in ownership, expose the problems in a business where I would provide the solution, deal with objections, and deal with people I didn’t even like. I’ve even spent hours in sales training and conferences learning all of the new and latest manipulative sales tactics.

I have been able to live a nice lifestyle; put my kids through college; plus go on cruises as well as vacations to Walt Disney World on a regular basis. Sounds successful, doesn’t it?

Here is the meat of this article. The 25 years I spent in active sales and marketing did not prepare me for network marketing. You would think I would have it made with all of that experience behind me, but, oh no! It actually became an impairment to working the business.

You see, network marketing does revolve around sales but not in the traditional sense. In my opinion, I had to learn a whole new way to present information, work with prospects, and pay more attention to helping them then helping myself. Before, it was all about getting the sale and making the money--Slam, bam, thank you ma’am! Move on to the next sale to conquer.

I can see why nurses, teachers, and moms make the best network marketers because of their caring and nurturing abilities. My attitude used to be strictly business--no warm and fuzzy stuff-as I was a professional salesman and didn’t have time for it. OMG! Was I so wrong!

I’ve had to learn all over again that this is a people business and that is the key to success-giving to people to better their financial and health situations the best I can. Yes! That requires me taking time to get to know the unique individual that I’m dealing with, and working totally in

the moment with no other distractions. Everyone’s situation is different and requires unique attention to him or her. Believe it or not, it is all about the relationship you build.

So back to the original point of this article: How has 25 years of sales and marketing helped me in the MLM industry? It didn’t! Well, not very much anyway.

Trust your gut. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Keep the focus on the prospect’s needs and wants. Take yourself out of the equation in that your wants are secondary. Just provide the information for them to make an informed decision, and collect a decision--no twisting, manipulating, convincing, pressure, just good information. Be patient and go with the flow of the prospect. That will win you more than anything!

Persuasive Strategies: Social Proof by Nancy Tobler Nancy Tobler Monday, Sep 29, 2008

Today we are going to add social proof to our persuasive tools of reciprocity, liking, authority and consistency. Social proof is one of the earliest persuasion research areas. Social proof is the persuasion that occurs because other people seem to like a product or service. The more the merrier. Type in “Social Proof and Persuasion” into a Google search and you will find many bloggers who have written on Cialdini’s six proven persuasive strategies. The author’s expertise ranged from radiology physicians, to web designers, to advertisers, to academics, to religious organizations, to public relations officers. This should provide some social proof that the persuasive ideas covered in my last articles are useful and used by all walks of life. Social proof works because people tend to act in ways that are similar to others. Despite saying we “march to the beat of our own drummer”, it is much more likely that we “stay in step”, or “keep up with the Joneses”. Social proof works best in situations where someone is unsure how to act and when the persuaders are seen as similar to us. One of the fascinating examples comes from Colleen Szot’s infomercial for Nordic Trac. She changed the call to action from “Operators are standing by”, to “If operators are busy, please call again.” This one shift created social proof that many people may be calling. Szots advertisement surpassed the highest response rate on the home-shopping channel. Here are just a few ways to use social proof.

•

Testimonials

•

Listing

are one of the best ways to use social

proof.

your top sellers is another way to

demonstrate social proof.

•

Use of “customers who bought this product also bought….” is another way to create social proof.

•

Longevity indicates that other people must like you. State that your company has been in business for X number of years.

Did I persuade you? Obviously if you got past the first paragraph, I must have some power to influence your behavior. It could be that you like me (liking), or see me as an authority, or you owe me (reciprocity), or because you read the first one and now you are committed and it could be that if so many different industries are looking at these persuasive ideas, maybe we should also look at them in direct selling.

Cialdini, R.B. (2003). The science of persuasion: Social psychology has determined the basic principles that govern getting to ‘yes’. Scientific American Mind, 14(1). 70-77.

Persuasive Strategies: The Norm of Reciprocity By Nancy Tobler (#2 in Series) Nancy Tobler Thursday, Aug 7, 2008

There is only one universal social norm, the norm of reciprocity. The norm of reciprocity states that we treat or respond to others in a similar manner as to how we are treated. The Golden Rule and an “Eye for an Eye” are examples of the norm of reciprocity stated in cultural rules.

We are more likely to be persuaded when given a gift because we feel that we “owe” the gift giver. Think about holiday gift giving. Do you set limits to the amount people can spend on gifts? Often the reason is that if someone gives you a gift worth several thousand dollars and you give them a ten dollar gift from WalMart, the social obligation is out of balance. Typically we try to balance these out by giving more gifts (time, or money) to restore the obligation balance.

So, what does reciprocity have to do with sales? When you walk through the grocery store and try the products for free, you are more likely to buy the product. Not only do you get a chance to try the product and see if you like it, you are more likely to feel a sense of obligation.

In fundraising, the research has shown that both monetary (from $1 to $5) and nonmonetary gifts (calendars, return labels, etc.) increase the rate of those contributing to the “cause” (Church, 1993). This data demonstrates the power of reciprocity.

Party plan companies have used gifts for years. In addition to engendering the potential customer, the gift of products allows the customer to try the product. Being able to taste, cook, and make are all ways to increase sales (Rawlins & Johnson, 2005).

Sample product size also works in person to person selling as well. In fact Avon started as a book selling company and to increase sales included a small sample of perfume. The perfume became so popular that Avon was born.

It used to be that people believed that in buying, money was the key factors to consider. However, research in persuasion has found that consumers use complex motivation factors when purchasing products (Cialdini, 2003). The norm of reciprocity is one that all direct selling companies can learn. Using sample product is one way to create a bond between seller and the buyer.

Cialdini, R.B. (2003). The science of persuasion: Social psychology has determined the basic principles that govern getting to ‘yes’. Scientific American Mind, 14(1). 70-77.

Church, A. H. 1993. Estimating the effects of incentives on mail response rates: A meta-analysis. Public Opinion Quarterly 57:62-79. Rawlins, C., & Johnson, P.R. (2005). Let’s party: The remarkable growth in direct sales. Proceedings of the Academy of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict 10 (2).

Product vs Program by Timbre Wolf Timbre Wolf Monday, Aug 25, 2008

In an average MLM recruitment meeting you are very likely to hear, "Anyone can do this job!" I would say, "That is NOT SO! . . . but given the right tools, training and leadership many people can sell soap." (Or anything else that your MLM offers in terms of product line). Statistics show that big ticket sales are most often made on the fifth through the twelfth contact with the purchasing individual. Attempting to get someone signed up to sell your product is a

"big ticket" item. Ill advised is the consultant who tries to sell the program on the first meeting. Attempting to get someone to buy a bar of soap (product) on the first visit is not nearly so foolish. You might ask, "Why should I settle for selling a bar of soap when I might get someone interested in the program?" The odds are much better that you will get the soap sale. And, if the soap is good enough, there will be time to introduce the program later. Many people go into a scarcity mentality at this point. "But if I don't mention the program, and they like the soap, then someone will come along and sign them up when I'm the one who should get them on my team!" There is more than enough to go around. If that unfortunate scenario were to happen then there will be others who WILL sign up for the program with you. It wouldn't be that difficult for your product client to say, "No, I think I'll go talk to the person who sold me the product." If they do not have that kind of loyalty to you then you may not want them on your team anyway. I met a lady who sold me on my first MLM and, since she was practically family with my in-laws, she showed me her monthly check. It was for $1,200. Initially she just sold me the service - not the program. She was making an extra $1,200 a month, and almost all of that, from people using the MLM service she was offering. I think that she only had one person in her actual down-line at that time - but she had many customers using the service. It took very little of her time, and that twelve-hundred-dollar-a-month check happened within months from the time she signed up with the MLM. Remember, commissions on product or services from MLM's are pretty good - especially since they have no real overhead in real estate, advertising, or a salaried sales force. I was in college at the time and that $1,200 sure seemed like a lot of monthly income to me. But when I started going to meetings I got the greed bug. Rather than trying to sell the service myself, I wanted a down-line who would sell the service for me. I had tried to establish a downline but it was very difficult. One of my more discouraging encounters was with a very good salesman (and friend) who told me that he couldn't sign up to sell the program because his currently low income allowed him to get state funded medical help for his daughter. You can't really argue with that. And, even though I was selling a service and not a product, the soap company had already turned a lot of people off. So several good friends signed up for the service but they wanted nothing to do with the program. My meager checks did not keep me enthused for long. The meetings only served to "heap coals on my head." I was so focused on trying to sell the program that I rarely even attempted to sell "just the service." The speakers at the meetings were basically training me to "bait and switch." Get the potential client interested in the service and then sell them the program. More often than not I lost both the sale of the service AND the potential program client. There is a certain transparent dishonesty with the approach of selling the product and then switching the buyer to the program and I don't believe that people's reaction to that is generally positive or that it has changed since the soap company days. The opportunity which I missed, by trying to sell the program, was a nice monthly check. I also feel that I damaged my credibility with friends and family. In the long run you want to become known as "that guy (or that gal) who handles all of my XYZ product needs." This will actually give you great standing within the community - people like to

see that kind of stability. As you establish yourself, as your MLM's representative, people will begin to recommend you to their friends and family and, before you know it, you will be getting a nice check (even if you haven't yet established a down-line). You can always mention that the program exists. And I do mean for you to tread lightly here. Mention it once during a product introduction meeting and drop it like a hot cake. If they want to know more then they will probably ask you. You can even mention it when you drop product off at their home but dRecruit And Sell: Maximizing Your Party Plan Income - by

Keith Laggos Keith Laggos Tuesday, Sep 7, 2004

(Chapter from Laggos' book How to Recruit & Sell in an Over-commercialized Society)

In the traditional party plan there are basic components and practices. Lets start the discussion with the company. The company, as in any direct sales/network marketing company, supplies several business functions for the distributor. These include: 1. The products, which include product research and development, usually packaging, inventory and shipping, as well as product literature. Most modern companies also have Internet support and online ordering. 2. Accounting and compensation systems, which include product wholesale and retail pricing, compensation structure and payment for yourself and your downline, order payment and processing, as well as special accounting polices for party plans such as hostess points and rewards. 3. Marketing and training material such as: brochures, videos, CDs and tapes, newsletters, books, Internet support systems, seminars and conventions. 4. Legal review, distributor rules and policies. The above is just a general list of function and is not meant to be comprehensive. There are other items that a company supporting the traditional party marketing method must supply in addition to the usual items and functions listed above. These include: 1. Hostess gifts, often including a hostess gift catalog. 2. A party presentation guideline, often including a script and scheduling booklets. 3. Party favors including incentives for large orders or just to add fun of for certain behaviors, achievements or games and contests at the party. 4. Samples and prizes. The college textbook, Direct Sales An Overview, has a complete explanation how party plan marketing works. Here, only a short narrative will be given.

Hostesses The distributor starts by asking a friend of acquaintance to host a party. It is the duty of the hostess to invite her friends, family and neighbors as attendees. The hostess also usually supplies her home for the party and refreshments. However, it is very important that the distributor does not strictly rely on the hostess to get people to attend.

Distributors should help send out invitations two to four weeks prior to the party with an RSVP (a request to respond to the invitation one way or the other). A week prior to the party a postcard reminder should be sent. The day before the party, the hostess should call and remind each invited person. If transportation or baby sitting is required, the hostess may even try to help accommodate by finding a car pool or setting up a group baby sitter in her home. The distributor should help with these functions. However, because of the new do-not-call (DNC) laws, it is best if the hostess initializes the call and then, if necessary, turns it over to the distributor. The company should have a hostess reward program where the hostess receives points or a dollar amount to be used toward products. This can depend on the number of attendees, future hostesses and parties booked, distributors recruited and the sales volume of orders at the party. These points or dollar amounts can be used to purchase products or receive gifts from a special hostess catalog usually supplied by the company. Sometimes, instead of points or a dollar amount earned, companies offer the hostess various levels of discounts based on companyestablished criteria. A distributor often can earn $100 to $500 and book two to four more new parties in a single evening. There have been numerous parties when the distributor has earned $2,000 or more in a single evening party. Knowing this, it should be easy to understand why the average distributor using the party plan method can earn more income faster than a company that emphasizes individuals and override commissions. The job of the distributor is to make the hostess job easy, fun and rewarding. Most party presentations include fun activities such as games, contests, modeling, in which, the attendees participate. This way the hostess will do another party and all of the attendees are encouraged to host a party too. It is the distributors or representatives job to conduct the presentation and manage the meeting. The hostess usually makes the introduction of the distributor to the guests as they arrive. The keys to success lie in the number of parties that can be booked and increasing the average attendance. One cost-effective way a distributor can do this is to hold a special contest at a party. Offer everyone who is willing to host a party a chance to win an especially nice prize based on the most people who attend, plus double points for each new party booked at their party. Everyone will work hard to win this special prize, making all of your subsequent parties successful and you only have to provide one extra prize for the winner.

Upsell As in any selling environment, upselling is very important. Upselling is when the sales person or distributor encourages the prospect to purchase either a higher-quality, or more-expensive item or more products. This, of course, increases the sales volume and commission earned. In a party environment, upselling is easy. In some cases, you can offer each attendee a special prize or gift or extra free samples for purchasing minimum sales volumes. Some companies have a discount program built into the product pricing, so that the more you purchase, the greater a discount you receive. A good distributor can create a buying frenzy. Each time an attendee purchases something or a prize level is achieved, an announcement can be made. This can even cause a competitive drive to see whom orders the most. When someone orders one product, the distributor can demonstrate another product that works well with it or looks good with it. Often, you can use a puppy dog approach. Let an attendee try something on and/or wear it for the evening and ask if they would like to continue to wear it by purchasing the item. Often, they will not want you to take it back. They may even be willing to purchase many times more than the value of an item to get the item that they really want for free. You may be in a position to demonstrate to the

hostess that if he or she can help encourage a few more sales, she will receive a much nicer gift choice. You may be surprised to find how much harder someone will work towards a free gift, than the equivalent monetary reward.

Repeat Sales One area that few distributors take full advantage of is repeat sales. The first sale to a client is always the hardest sale. Repeat sales are almost always easier and faster than the first sale because the client has tried your product and knows the product story. The following are some tips for all distributors to increase repeat sales and their income. 1. Call or e-mail your customers to ensure that they are using your products and know how to use them. If they are not using your products, there is no reason to order more. If they are not using your products, they will not be enjoying the benefits and will probably be reluctant to provide referrals. 2. Send product literature and product testimonials to reinforce their buying decision and to encourage their continued product use. 3. Send samples or information on other products and/or new products. 4. Make re-ordering easy. Provide a Web site or fax number, so that customers can place their own orders conveniently. Encourage them to get on an autoship program or allow you to continue to order for them until you hear otherwise. 5. Set a specific time each month to check on their next order and to answer any questions. 6. Create a monthly product newsletter with order forms for everyone that is a retail customer. If the company provides catalogs or product brochures, include them or your Web site information too. 7. Send an e-mail or even a postcard to remind your clients to place their order. Include your e-mail address and your phone number with the best hours to reach you and keep those hours.

Referrals Obtaining referrals is the most powerful marketing advantage that any sales person has. However, in todays do-not-call and spam law environments, it is best to ask for personal introductions. If this cannot be done in person, then obtain the phone number of the person referring and their referrals phone number. The distributor should initiate a three-way phone call. Dont put the burden on the person who is giving the referral. He or she is already doing you a favor by giving you the referral. Besides, if you wait for him or her to initiate the phone call, you could be waiting a long time, a very long time! Once he or she makes the introduction, thank him or her and give him or her the opportunity to hang up or stay on the phone. You, as the distributor make the presentation but do not hesitate to ask for a personal testimonial from the person making the referral, especially if you know that he or she is a satisfied customer. You can also reach a referral using e-mail. However, 99 percent of emails from unknown senders get deleted without being opened. Many spam e-mailers are using subjects such as, as referred by a mutual friend (or a common name like Mike or Linda). Therefore, having just an e-mail address will not do you much good. Ask the person providing the referral to send an introductory e-mail and copy you. This way, you receive the prospects e-mail address. The prospect will be made a ware of the fact that you will be e-mailing him or her and will know your e-mail address. This should help him or her to recognize your e-mail address and open it, instead of deleting it. Referrals can be obtained at many stages. Never be shy to ask for a referral. If a prospect does make a purchase, then ask if he or she knows of other people that would like your products or services. If referrals are given, ask them if they would help you with the introduction. If possible

meet both the customer and his or her referral in person, otherwise do the three-way call as described above. If the prospect decides not to purchase your product, then ask if he or she would mind if you kept them up with new studies and products. Either way, you should ask them for referrals too. Whether you are a party or another situation, ask someone if they would like to host a party. If a person says no, then ask for referrals for someone who they know that may want to host a party. In fact, if you are giving out points to the hostess for newly booked parties from their party, also offer points, but less points, for referrals for hostesses not at the party. Sometimes the referrals are even better because they do not socialize in the same circles. Every time someone re-orders, ask him or her for referrals. If the referrals purchase something, give them a free gift. It would be wise to give him or her, as a gift, a product that you think they may like if they tried it. Sometimes asking for a referral can provide an opportunity to discover if there is a personal interest in joining your downline. This is especially true when dealing with close friends or family and you want to be very low key about pressuring them with the income opportunity. Simply mention how well your business is going and that you need to find people who want to start their own business and are willing to work with you as a team. Ask your friend or relative if they know anyone that would want to team up with you. Then shut up. Most distributors dont wait and let the prospect (friend or relative) have enough time to think and way, Why not me? Sometimes even asking someone for a retail sale referral will prod them into inquiring about the product in order to understand the product well enough to know who to refer. This can easily result in them realizing that they may want to try the product too. Thus, asking for referrals can be beneficial on two levels. You can find additional new prospects. And, secondly, by asking for a referral, you can tactfully let a friend or relative, whose personal relationship you do not want to jeopardize, help lead themselves to a sale or distributor decision. 957

o not dwell on it. Otherwise you will come off like a cult member on steroids.

Ten Things You Can Do Right Now To Explode Your Network Marketing Business! David Ledoux Monday, Mar 24, 2003

Sluggish? Need a boost?Want to throw gasoline on your MLM fire? Massive Action Equals Massive Results! Here's a 10-step Massive Action Campaign that will shock your business like taking a dip in a lake in December! 1. Take 10 pieces of blank paper and tape them on the wall of your office. You are going to make 10 prospecting calls a day for 10 days in a row. You will write down each call each day on 1 sheet of paper. What are you going to do with each prospect? Are you going to give them a

video, audio, website, fax, or a 1 on 1 presentation? Make a plan and stick to it. Who do you call? Anyone who isn't in your downline yet... You MUST have a Master List!

2. Get 10 downline members on your team to do the exact same thing. Have them commit to calling 10 prospects a day each for 10 straight days. Be available to do 3-way calls with their hottest prospects. You and your team will make 1100 prospect calls in a week and a half!

3. Call or email at least 10 members of your upline and tell them what your team is doing. You are looking for upline leadership to be available for 3-way calls and/or conference calls for your team's most excited prospects.

4. Promote the NEXT EVENT to every prospect that you and your team call. Is it a big training conference call with your upline, a special hotel event, or an in-home training at your place? If there is no next event, YOU MUST CREATE ONE! Tell 1100 people about it in the next 10 days with your team's help. Invite all 1100 people to be there!

5. You and your entire team mail 'Thank You!' notes to every single prospect you talk to during the blitz. Brainstorm how to write these. Make them curiosity pieces. For example,' Dear Joe, great speaking with you last week. Did I mention my amazing new website? Check it out at www....com! - David'. It's like planting 1100 seeds. Which ones will grow into trees that bear fruit? Only time will tell.

6. After the blitz is over, do a group conference call with your 10 warriors. Go through each person's list to see who has prospects still in the 'pipeline' as a MAYBE. Plan aggressive followups with the MAYBE's in the form of 3-ways calls, upline 3-ways, and get them more information to become either a YES or a LATER.

7. Make a list of every new distributor who joined your team during the blitz. Send them a personal 'Welcome-To-The-Team' letter and introduce yourself and promote the next special event to them.

8. Call each person in your downline who sponsored someone during the blitz. Congratulate them for a job well done, and make sure their new distributor gets started properly with a solid Getting Started Training.

9. Write up a short 100-word article about what your team did and talk about the most positive aspects of the results. Send a copy to your 10 upline leaders, and a copy to your parent MLM

company. See if their Publications Department will do a write-up of your team for the next company magazine!

10. Do it the entire blitz again with a new group of 10 people in about 60 days. Get your downline leaders to do a blitz the exact same way at the exact same time. You will have thousands of prospects contacted and massive growth in your business! You can do this! Block out all distractions for just 2 weeks and take Massive Action. This blitz may attract the leader that earns you a residual income for the rest of your life. Short term pain for long term gain.... Until next time, David Ledoux Massive Marketer

Traditional Sales/MLM--What's the Diff? Mark Rawlins Thursday, Mar 20, 2008

An apparent contradiction has dogged the MLM industry for years:

•

A network marketing company has almost nothing in common with a traditional sales organization.

•

A network marketing company has almost everything in common with a traditional sales organization.

In reality both of these statements are true! Once you understand this seeming contradiction, you’ll be well on your way to understanding the difference between traditional sales and network marketing.

The issues faced in a traditional sales organization are also faced in MLM companies, but just in a different manner. Just like a traditional sales company, MLM companies have to motivate people. Network marketing companies also have to manage people and pay them to sell product. MLM organizations just go about these tasks in very different ways than in a traditional sales environment.

The process of taking a product to market through a traditional sales force relies on: 1) salespeople who explain and sell the product while addressing their consumers’ needs; 2) sales managers who work with and train salespeople; and 3) motivators who generate and maintain enthusiasm. In this sense, network marketing and a traditional sales force are similar.

How each goes about accomplishing the product-to-market process, however, marks their difference. In traditional sales businesses, such as automobile dealerships and insurance companies, the salespeople are employees who are hired, fired, promoted, or demoted. The marketing department does its job, and the sales force does its job. The salespeople may be on commission, but, again, they’re hired, promoted, and fired just as they would be on any other job.

According to the Direct Selling Association, “In direct selling, products or services are marketed to consumers by independent salespeople person-to-person. Depending on the company, the salespeople may be called distributors, representatives, consultants or various other titles. Products are sold primarily through in-home product demonstrations, parties, and one-on-one selling.” These companies don’t sell by means of traditional storefronts or direct mailings or telemarketing or mass media advertising. Rather, they sell by means of independent representatives, often called distributors. Network marketing companies are a type of direct sales company. These companies, in addition to paying their distributors to sell products, also encourage the distributors to recruit downline distributors by paying commissions on the sales of their downline distributors. In other words, in MLM, a product is distributed by a volunteer army of distributors who choose: 1) which markets to enter or leave, 2) whether or not to spend their time selling product or building their organizations, whether or not to work part-time or full-time.

Unlike personnel in traditional business, independent distributors with an MLM company are not hired employees. Distributors are in charge of their own career choices—whether to make a few hundred dollars extra each month, a few thousand, or tens of thousands by building a large organization. They can also choose to work part-time, and as long as company requirements are met, they can remain with the company.

A traditional retail organization is exclusively sales-oriented. Iif you sell for such a company, you make your money exclusively from sales and sales commissions. Only the sale matters. On the other hand, an MLM company bases a distributor’s earnings on both personal sales and sales generated by the distributor’s organization—the people they recruit.

Unlike the single income stream of traditional sales companies, network marketers have a dual income stream--income from personal volume sales commissions and commissions on group volume sales from their downline. So, you can see that an MLM company’s commission plan is likely to be more complex than that of a retail establishment or, for that matter, a traditional direct sales company.

Now you finally know the truth of the matter regarding the mysterious MLM oxymoron, so expand your mind and embrace truth! In reality, a network marketing company has almost nothing in common with a traditional sales organization. However, a network marketing company has almost everything in common with a traditional sales organization. 1530

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When Is the Best Time to Make a Sale? Thursday, Dec 20, 2007

Do you know when the best time is to help your prospects make their first purchase? Timing is everything in marketing. Get it wrong and you can't get your prospects' attention. Get it right and you'll see your revenue grow each month of the year. My daughter was twelve when we got a dog. She couldn't get enough of that cute, cuddly puppy and made good on her promises to take care of it--at first, anyway. The first week she fed, walked, and brushed our new dog. The second week, she fed and walked her. After three months, she was keeping up with the feeding and that was it. When a puppy first comes into the house, its owner is enthusiastic and will do anything and everything for it. If you've ever owned a dog, you know what I'm talking about. It's called the "new puppy syndrome." Prospects experience the new puppy syndrome with your small business marketing. The first time they sign up for your free offer, stop by for a test drive, or visit your store, they're enthusiastic and this is the time they're the most likely to make a purchase. Your prospects' interest wanes with each day that passes. They go from highly interested to mildly interested, or not interested at all. With your small business marketing, you've got two opportunities to help your prospects buy. The first is during the 7 - 10 days after they become a qualified lead. This is the time you want to follow up with additional information and make an offer they can't refuse. One of my clients periodically gives talks to coaches, health professionals, and other trainers to promote his specialized athletic training business. His unique training system generates a lot of

interest, and he collects contact information from many in his audiences. When is the best time for him to make the next contact with these prospects? Immediately! These people are primed to become clients and customers. Imagine how impressed his new contacts would be to find an email, free guide, or offer waiting for them when they return to their offices. To help people remember you and act on your offers, give them helpful information along with a "new prospect offer" they can't refuse. Do this once a day or once every other day for the first 7 - 10 days after you've gotten their contact information. Your prospects will remember you and you'll convert more leads to clients. I know you're thinking, "Three to seven contacts per week? That's way too many! I'll lose all my prospects with this approach." The opposite is true. Wait a week or more to follow-up with your prospects, and they'll have forgotten you exist. When they get your note, they'll have lost their initial enthusiasm and curiosity and won't even read it. There is no exact right number of times to contact new prospects the first week they become qualified leads. You'll have to test this yourself and gauge the results. Obviously you don't want to be annoying. You do want to start a conversation with your prospects about their needs and how your products or services meet those needs. You know your business; tie your follow-up with prospects to the business, seasonal cycles, or the events critical to your industry or your customers. For example, immediate follow-up is critical when purchasing decisions are event-driven. My client, the athletic trainer, can't wait to contact a new prospect because the athletes he works with are training for specific competitive events. If he doesn't sell his services soon enough, the event will have passed and he'll have lost the sale. Depending on what you market, the purchase of your products may not be event driven. For example, if you're a financial advisor, no single event will prompt your prospects to pick a new one. Given that time isn't usually a constraint for your prospects, what can you do? What do you do about the prospect that continues to be interested after 10 days or so but just won't commit to a purchase? Some prospects won't buy for months or even years. Keep the conversation going; continue to provide them with helpful ideas a couple of times a month. Continue to educate them about your business and your services. You'll increase their perception of need and convert them into clients. Want to convert more of your prospects to clients? Follow-up frequently during the first 7-10 days and then regularly each week or every other week until you make the sale. Take advantage of the "new puppy syndrome" and you can double your sales by helping your prospects get what they want when they want it.