Personal Development 101

The Following 4 Part Series on Personal Development was posted on "YourGreaterSuccess" Blog by Merideth Cohr, a friend and business contact who possesses a great insight for success in internet maketing. If you want to become successful in this or any business, learn from these tips in Personal Development.

When I first started In Multi-Level Marketing some 30 years ago, there was a phrase often used that I will always remember. "Leader of One, Leader of Many...If you can't Lead One, You can't Lead Any."
The first time I heard it, I didn't fully understand it, but it didn't take long once I understood what Multilevel was all about.....George

Originally Posted, Tuesday, November 14, 2006

I have been doing some soul searching lately about a topic very near and dear to my heart - personal development and how necessary it is to our success as businessmen and businesswomen. For a long time, I was of the mind that I just needed to find the 'formula' for success in my home business...that all I needed to do was figure out the right places to advertise, and the right ad copy to use. Piece of cake. A very striking result of being a Type A Operations Planner in the military...everything has a logical solution (with corresponding checklist!).

But this is absolutely not the case when it comes to finding success in your home business. What I realized is that your attitude is reflected in every thing you say, write, draw, create, etc. If you think the phone calls you're going to make will result in nothing but rejection, they WILL. Your prospects will hear or sense the negativity and lack of confidence in how you speak, in the tone of your voice, etc, and will respond accordingly. Don't believe me? You should....I have seen this first hand with my own actions over the years. I can tell you almost to a T when I'll be successful and when I won't because it's what I project and what I expect.

Anyway, I could ramble on for many hours on this subject (and I will, but I'll save my thoughts for other posts!), but I'd like to present this article to you. It's a pretty great one written by Tom "Big Al" Schreiter. ENJOY. This marks the first in a series of personal development articles I'll be sharing with you over the next several weeks.

“I am shy. How can I change and learn how to overcome my fear of talking to people or selling to strangers?”

Do you ever notice that the successful network marketers have a positive personality type?

Does the positive attitude come from them being already successful?

Or, maybe these successful network marketers had the positive attitude first -- and that positive attitude propelled them to success?

You be the judge.

While it is easy to have a great attitude when you are already successful, usually the positive attitude comes first and demonstrates itself by attracting success.How can people overcome their fear of contacting prospects?

It’s a matter of desire. People usually get what they want most.

For instance, there is a choice between a good television show and attending an opportunity meeting. Some people will want to see the television show more than they want the success that comes from attending opportunity meetings with guests.

So, they watch television because they truly want that more than the long drive to hear a boring speaker at the meeting.

The same holds true when talking to people. What does a person want more?

Does this person want the calm, non-threatening day-to-day life void of rejection?

Or, does this person want prospecting success more than he desires to avoid rejection?

Sobering, isn’t it? Many people say they want success, but deep down they want activities that pose a lesser challenge.

What your prospects would really like to know.

When I conduct training workshops, I don't spend any time talking about my credentials. In fact, I don’t even introduce who I am. The workshop participants don't care about my credentials. And, they are right. My credentials won't make them a cent.

I wrote six books on how to sponsor distributors. Because I wrote those six books, not a single workshop participant will earn an extra dollar on his or her bonus check. Even if my credentials included a Ph.D. degree in Networking, my credentials don't mean a thing.

Why?

The training workshop attendees don't want to know about credentials, they want to know about experiences.

Book theory and my personal bank account balance won't put money in the workshop participants' pockets. Real life experiences, case studies, proven "real world" strategies and techniques are what distributors want to hear.

The same principle applies to sponsoring.

What don’t your prospects want to know?They don't want to know how big your car is.

They don't want to know how big your bonus check was last month.

They don’t care what management or leadership title you’ve achieved.

They don't care how many heavy hitter awards you have won.All these things are things you have accomplished. Your prospects may not believe they have the same skills or abilities to match your accomplishments.

So, what do your prospects want to know?

Experiences.

They want to know how you helped other distributors become successful. They would like to hear about how other people in similar circumstances have been helped by you to become successful.

If you're successful in networking, you should have lots of these real life experiences to share with prospects. Your prospecting and sponsoring presentations will be easy.

For instance, let’s say that you have your own web page. One of the links on your home page could send prospects to a special page where some of your distributors tell their stories. A few of your distributors might have a story like this:“I joined on August 1. Of course I was nervous. I didn’t know anything about having my own business. However, my sponsor (that’s you) sat down with me and we filled out a short “to do” list. My sponsor did all the talking and presenting for the first three days. I observed.

“Well, after those three days I already had six new distributors in my organization and I’m eligible for my first bonus check. For the next two weeks we worked closely together. Now I have 21 new distributors on my team.“

I wouldn’t have even started in this business without the help and assurances of my sponsor (that’s you). Now I’m on my own and this business just gets better and better.

”If a prospect read this on your web page, what would the prospect think? I bet he’d think:

"Wow! Everybody promises support and they say that their business is easy, but this person really delivers.”

What if you're not successful in networking or just starting? What should you do then?

Sounds like a great time to start building your successful experiences. Instead of sponsoring wide, wide, wide, why not concentrate on your best distributor? Put some extra effort into helping your distributor make it to the top.

Once you have your first success story, move on to your next. You'll soon get the reputation of being "somebody who makes people successful." That's a great reputation to own. And, prospects will be attracted to you.

It makes sense. Prospects don't care what you have done for yourself. They want to know what you have done for the people you sponsored.

technorati tags: network marketing MLM home business personal development personal growth personal confidence

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Personal Development 102 - The Strangest Secret

This article in my personal development series focuses on what it takes to be successful. Many people may read this article and say to themselves, 'oh no kidding...', but it is one thing to understand how to do something and quite another to actually do it. Put these concepts into practice, hold them close to yourself and make them your own. Only then will you truly find yourself moving toward true success in your life.

The Strangest Secret By Earl Nightingale

When we say "nearly five percent of men and women achieve success" then we have to define success. The following is the best definition we've found: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.

"If a person is working toward a predetermined goal and knows where to go, then that person is successful. If a person does not know which direction they want to go in life, then that person is a failure.

"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."Therefore, who succeeds?

The only person who succeeds is the person who is progressively realizing a worthy ideal. The person who says, "I'm going to become this"… and then begins to work toward becoming it.

Have you ever wondered why so many men and women work so hard and honestly without ever achieving anything in particular? Why others do not seem to work hard at all and yet get everything? We sometimes think it is the magic touch or pure luck. We often say, "Everything they touch turns to gold." Have you ever noticed that a person who becomes successful tends to continue this pattern of success? Or on the other hand, how a person who fails seems to continually fail?

Well, the answer is simple -- those who succeed have established personal goals.

Success is not the result of making money; making money is the result of success and success is in direct proportion to our service.

Here are five steps that will help you realize success:

1. Establish a definite goal.

2. Stop running yourself down.

3. Do not think of all the reasons why you cannot be successful -- instead think of all the reasons why you can achieve success.

4. Trace your emotions back to childhood -- discover where you first got the negative idea you would not be successful -- face your fears.

5. Renew your self-image by writing a description of the person you want to become -- Act the part -- You are that person!

George Bernard Shaw said:
"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."Well, that is pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed – for a while – that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.

Conversely, the man who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion and anxiety and fear and worry, becomes what he thinks about. His life becomes one of frustration and fear and anxiety and worry.

And if he thinks about nothing…he becomes nothing.

So decide now. What is it you want? Plant your goal in your mind. It's the most important decision you'll ever make in your entire life. All you've got to do is plant that seed in your mind, care for it, and work steadily toward your goal, and it will become a reality.

How do you begin?

First: It is understanding emotionally as well as intellectually that we literally become what we think about; that we must control our thoughts if we're to control our lives. It's understanding fully that…"as ye sow, so shall ye reap."

Second: It's cutting away all fetters from the mind and permitting it to soar as it was divinely designed to do. It's the realization that your limitations are self-imposed and that the opportunities for you today are enormous beyond belief. It's rising above narrow-minded pettiness and prejudice.

Third: It's using all your courage to force yourself to think positively on your own problems, to set a definite and clearly defined goal for yourself. To let your marvelous mind think about your goal from all possible angles; to let your imagination speculate freely upon many different possible solutions. To refuse to believe that there are any circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose. To act promptly and decisively when your course is clear. And to keep constantly aware of the fact that you are, at this moment, standing in the middle of your own "acres of diamonds."

And fourth: Save at least 10 percent of every dollar you earn.

It's also remembering that, no matter what your present job, it has enormous possibilities – if, you're willing to pay the price by keeping these four points in mind:

1. You will become what you think about.

2. Remember the word "imagination" and let your mind begin to soar.

3. Courageously concentrate on your goal every day.

4. Save 10 percent of what you earn.

Finally, take action – ideas are worthless unless we act on them.

technorati tags:
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MLM home business
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personal development
business growth

Personal Development 103 - Finding Motivation

The quest to find and maintain motivation is a journey that each of us undertakes at different times in our lives. Some of us struggle with this more than others of course, but the issue is common among us all. There are times when we have no desire to iron the laundry, scrub the pots, or clean the sink, but we do those things to avoid living in a filthy mess. There is no such obvious negativity waiting for us, however, when we choose to not turn on the computer, write that ad, or pick up the phone. The negative effects are there...your business does not grow!...but they are not so easy to see (or smelly).

The home business industry is all about motivation... But your duty here does not end with starting your quest toward financial freedom or time at home. No my friend...that is only the beginning...Enjoy this article.

Yours in Greater Success,
Merideth

Finding Motivation:
What To Do When You Don't Feel Like Doing Anything
by Chris Widener

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 re-associate 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.

technorati tags:
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personal development
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motivation

Personal Development 104 - Personal vs Professional Development

For the fourth installment of this personal development series, I wanted to share this really interesting article on the 'difference' between personal and professional development. I actually get asked this question every so often, and I'm glad to find an article that articulates my often rambling responses a bit better ----------

Personal and Professional Development - What's the Difference?
By Kevin Eikenberry

When people ask me about my business, I tell them I’m in the learning business – that we help organizations, teams and individuals reach their potential through learning. This is a fine statement and it does describe the breadth of what we do, but it often leads to the follow-up question like . . . “Do you do personal development stuff or just business skills training?”

My answer is yes.

Because I don’t believe there is a significant difference between personal development and professional development.

Why do I say that?
The Reasons Why

Since my opinion might differ from yours, or perhaps you’ve never thought about it this, it makes sense to explain myself. There are at least five major reasons why I think personal and professional development are the same thing.

Learning is Learning. We were granted an amazing potential for learning at birth. Most of us haven’t used very much of that potential. It’s like we are mowing our lawn with a jet engine. Sure the jet engine has enough horsepower to turn the blade, but it has virtually unlimited potential that isn’t being used. When we are learning we are increasing our capacity to learn more because we are flexing and exercising our “learning muscles.” In other words whenever we are learning we are increasing our capacity to learn even more.

All Experience Counts. One of the powerful ways that we learn is by connecting new learning to what we already know. As we continue to build our knowledge and experiences, it allows us to make new connections faster. In other words, the more we learn, the more successful we will be at learning new things and in most situations; more quickly with deeper understanding.

We’re a Whole Package. It isn’t like we go to work and don’t use anything we know from our personal life to be more effective professionally. And while we may not need to know how to repair rotating drum equipment at home – those skills might help you diagnose the problem with your washing machine. And even though you don’t have to back up the system database at home, you might be able to deal with your home PC better because of what you learned at work. And while you hope you’ll never need to follow the new Customer Service procedure at home, that procedure might teach you something a following a process, or being more understanding when you are the Customer.

The bottom line is that we are complete humans, and as such we take our entire work knowledge home, and bring all of our personal knowledge and experience to work. So any form of growth or development will benefit you both personally and professionally.

The Most Important Skills are Always the Most Important. Where does being a better listener help you – at home or at work? Both, of course. When you learn how to coach more effectively at work does it make you a better parent? It sure can! We could make a long list of these valuable skills, from communication to dealing with conflict, to learning how to learn, to giving better feedback to being more creative… you get the idea (and have probably thought of five other examples yourself by now). There are many skills that we might learn as “self improvement” that will help us at work, and vice versa. So why label it one or the other?

Serendipity Rules. Because our learning grows based on connections, you never know when something you learned on the Discovery Channel might give you an ‘aha’ at work, or that the insight shared by the seminar leader at work helps you solve a vexing problem at home. Again, all development, all learning, all growth helps us in all parts of our lives.

But Wait

Does all of this mean that as I become a better knitter or bowler, I’ll be more productive and successful at work? Yes, for the reasons I described above (and some others too).That doesn’t mean that your organization should send everyone to knitting class or bowling lessons, but it does mean that there is substantial merit in supporting any form of learning regardless of the content.

In the end, my goal is to help you view all skills more broadly in their application – instead of classifying some things as “personal development” and therefore they don’t matter at work.Learning is learning. Personal development is professional development. When you stop worrying about the distinctions, but rather think about the applications, you serve yourself and others much better.

----------Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The KevinEikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advicego to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317)387-1424 or 888. LEARNER.

technorati tags:
network marketing
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Kevin Eikenberry
business consulting

“Am I Doing The Right Things”

A couple of weeks ago, after enjoying a family meal at my wife’s favorite oriental establishment, we shared the insights of our Fortune Cookies’ scripts. My wife’s was most intriguing as I contemplated its message and suddenly realized its true value.
The message read, “Before asking yourself, Am I doing things right, you should be asking yourself, am I doing the right things.” This struck me like a bolt of lightning.

How much time is spent researching, preparing, and often second guessing yourself in an effort to make sure you are doing things right, when more often than not, it is overkill, and you should be focusing on what is productive and doing those things that are going to move your business forward. With so much coming at you, so many demands made upon your time, phone calls to return, so many emails to filter through everyday, it is easily to be tempted to click on something that looks interesting and get sidetracked. Staying focused is becoming increasingly more difficult. Staying focused on what things you can do to achieve your goals is of utmost importance. One of my business associate and mentor’s favorite phrases is, “What can I do right now, today, that will move my business forward.”

We all have, or should have, a daily “To Do List”, of planned activities or tasks, not just for our business, but for all areas of our life that are directed toward achieving our life’s goals. We should be continually checking these tasks, re-evaluating their effectiveness in achieving our goals, and re-adjusting the list to make sure we stay on track and on target.

Just like a missile guidance system that keeps the primary target in its memory bank, it is continually making adjustments, going up, down, and around, avoiding obstacles while maintaining its course toward the target. It is just as vital to keep your “Target” in your memory, and the vision of your goal crystal clear even though you may not be thinking about it all the time.

Getting distracted and losing sight of your ”Target”, can be fatal to your business. There are so many different types of distractions that can, and often will cause temporary loss of focus and cause your target to become temporarily fuzzy or even out of sight.

Keeping your vision, your goals on what it will take to obtain your vision, and your “to do” list of what you have to do to achieve your goals, must be one of the first things you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night, to make sure you keep on track and on target to overcome distractions, interruptions, and loss of focus.

In case you are wondering what my Fortune Cookie’s script said, I found to be just as valuable, but not so profound. “Begin, the rest is easy” So instead of contemplating the “how to’s” or the “what if’s” or all the other things you do to insure you do it correctly, just do it, right or wrong. Get the ball rolling, once you start the process, energy and momentum will take over and you can make corrections or adjustments later. Getting started can sometimes be the hardest thing to do…but once that first step is taken, things become much easier and sometimes things seem to happen even without your help. Just keep doing the right things.

Goal Setting for MLM and Network Marketing
By Jill Koenig

Goal setting is a must for anyone wanting to improve their situation no matter what their career choice. If you want to get ahead in life, you must set goals, otherwise you are at the mercy of anything and everthing that comes your way with no real comtrol over your where your life is going, and... you probably will not like where you end up. The following article was posted on Rick Jorgenson's Blog, a business associate, friend, and mentor. The article does an excellent job of illustrating the importance of Setting Personal as well as Business and Financial Goals. ...George

I have coached thousands of clients over the past 10 years, many of whom were just starting out in a part-time home based business. It is estimated that at least 50% of Americans are involved in a home business.
In the beginning, the vast majority of clients I coached were people who still worked a full time job but were either dissatisfied, had a desire to be near their children, set their own schedule or wanted to create another source of income with no ceiling and no boss. Every single person desired more freedom.
The fact is that any and all of these reasons are great. Your own internal reasons are always the best motivators in life.

One of the easiest businesses to start at home with minimal investment is in network marketing. Sometimes referred to as MLM, they used to get a bad wrap, but they can be the perfect starting point for someone who is a newbie entrepreneur. I don't know of any other business that a person can start with less than $100 and be provided with a built in support system and unlimited income potential. Your support system is your upline, the company and it's support staff, training materials, marketing materials, and a proven product line.
Tip! You give a two-hour network marketing presentation to a very interested couple and as soon as you finish, they want to show you *their* network marketing presentation.

One crucial key is choosing a company that is right for you. My first and only experience with Network Marketing was with a wellness/nutrition/weight loss company. I watched a friend who went from $0 to making $10,000 per month within just a few months and that was all I needed to take a closer look.
I thought, if she could do it, then I could do it.

My friend agreed to mentor me and away we went! A nutrition/weight loss MLM was a perfect fit for me because I was a fitness fanatic. I was always outdoors, went running daily and lived an active lifestyle. I was inspired because I would actually get paid to help others get healthy. It is incredibly emotionally fulfilling and financially rewarding AND you get to make a major positive contribution to people's lives.

Goal setting was easy for me when I first started. In fact, my goals were downright primitive. I needed to earn $_____ to pay the bills, so I needed ___ many customers in order to achieve that. I did have larger dreams of wealth, but my immediate needs were to provide for myself.

As I grew in my business, I needed to look at the bigger picture of creating a residual income by building an organization and mentoring my downline to achieve the results they were seeking.
Fortunately in my company, the marketing plan was easy to learn and follow and provided it's own goals to strive for. When a person reaches a particular milestone, there is another step, another goal inviting you to achieve it, with a hefty financial bonus waiting for you when you succeed. Your residual income only rises when you are helping others simultaneously reach their goals and achieve success.
Your next major goal is always to reach the next level in the marketing plan. You will inevitably reach the next level when you are helping others reach their next level! As you grow your business, you are constantly learning, growing as a legitimate entity in and of yourself, and growing your business skills and strengthening entrepreneurial muscles.

The key to goal setting in MLM is to focus on the marketing plan and whatever the next step is for you in it. Then you can break down your monthly goals into weekly goals and break the weekly goals into daily goals in order to achieve it. Figure out how many customers and new prospects you need to serve in order to achieve your goals and then go do it.

One of the biggest skills any MLM'er can learn is how to keep accurate gauges and stats of their business on a daily business. It is the only way to know whether or not you are on track to reach your goals.
Tip! Don't rush into network marketing. Look around and find a good company that suits you and your needs.
As you progress in your MLM home business, the three most important factors that determine your success are:
Discipline Goal Setting Time Management
Since you no longer have a boss directing your day's activities, it's easy to get off track. You must have a 90 day plan and a daily method of operation that are tied to your goals. Your mentor should help you until you master this and if you are fully investing yourself into your business, your mentor will be standing by to invest in YOU!

The finest network marketing companies will train you and actually groom you, so that over time you will become a super successful entrepreneur in your own right. My mentor helped me to grow faster than I ever knew I could.

I was a kid from the south side of Chicago who knew nothing about business when I started. But with a good mentor who held me accountable, a reputable company with amazing, in demand products, and with my own desire and commitment, I rose to the top 2% of the company of over one million distributors in dozens of countries. It's easy to get comfortable and stop growing when you reach that level. I had a huge house, two cars, got to travel and often this is where complacency sets in. It is easy to get comfortable here. Goals at this point are just as crucial as when you first started out. Having a mentor and a coach can help you set goals that are right for you, regardless of the level you currently reside.

I never would have achieved a six figure income that quickly without all of those ingredients. I had my own goals of income and production that I wanted to achieve and then I had the goals and the extra incentives and rewards the company created in it's marketing plan and promotions. Consistently setting goals within the company's marketing plan always kept me on track.

One major secret to my success was that I sought out educational and motivational products and newsletters, like the one you're reading now. When you run your own business, you are part of a team but you are always 100% responsible for your own success. Rising to the top requires investing in yourself. This includes reading on a daily basis and listening to motivational audio programs on success, personal growth, leadership, goal setting and time management.

There used to be a stigma attached to MLM. These days, one of the smartest moves you can make is to start a MLM home business. There is minimal investment, outstanding proven products, training and materials, you set your own schedule, there is real potential to quickly earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, and you get all the benefits of owning a business without all of the overhead of creating it all yourself.

So work with your mentor, keep your eye on the marketing plan and set goals that will enrich your life and the lives of others.

In case you're wondering, I'm still in madly love with my MLM and their products have been an integral part of my life since that very first day!

Cheers to your health and wealth,

Live Your Dreams!
Jill Koenig

Jill Koenig, the "Goal Guru" is America's Top Goal Strategist. A self-made millionaire, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and Business Success. She publishes the world's largest Goal Newsletter and offers free resources at: http://www.goalguru.com/

Hopes & Dreams...or Blood, Sweat, & Tears?


I grew up constantly hearing the over-rated phrase, "Knowledge is Power". It wasn't until I took high school physics that I realized that the statement wasn't exactly true. It was missing a very important element. Knowledge can be described as Potential Energy. Energy that is stored, sitting, waiting to be put to use. But, until it is put into motion, it remains idle. It is only when Knowledge is acted upon or put into action, like putting Potential Energy into motion, does Knowledge become Power or Kinetic Energy or Energy in Motion. Merideth's article below, illustrates the point very well.
......George

I saw this post in the Home Based Business forum this afternoon and it got me thinking (surprise surprise!): 2 months back, I ate in a local chinese restaurent and found this message from the fortune cookie. "It is the hope and dreams we have that make us great" Right after seeing this message, I started to relate this to the movie [sic The Secret]. What do you guys think?

Personally, I think this is a great quote, but one that is missing a pretty vital component...the one thing I would add to it is that, while hopes and dreams can greatly inspire us, it is the action and the commitment to achieve those dreams that truly make us great. You can sit around each and every day dreaming of a million dollar paycheck and want it with all your heart, but you will never actually get it unless you take action.

That is a huge component of personal development and wealth generation that people often miss or choose to skip over. One of the things I look for when I'm interviewing prospects is if they are people of action who are not content to wait for life to hand them the apple. They're going to do whatever it takes to climb up the tree, pick that apple, and savor each and every bite of it. Then they are going to do it again. I have actually turned people away who go on and on about how much they want that apple but expect me to climb up there for them and lower a rope ladder. True success doesn't work that way - it has to be earned. And trust me when I say that success is so much sweeter when you know you are the one who earned it.

Yours in Greater Success,
Merideth

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network marketing
MLM home business
direct sales
personal development
Beyond Freedom

Two Of The Most Effective Online Marketing Tools

Summary: Writing articles and participating in online forums are the two most effective online marketing tools that a person promoting a business can do, as they are free, giving the most bang for the buck, and are one of the fastest ways to become recognized as an expert and establish credibility in marketing oneself, which is a precursor to marketing anything else.

Article Writing As A Marketing Tool

Whether you are targeting a niche market or a wider more general audience, one of the most effective tools to reach those interested in what you have to offer is writing and submitting articles concerning your particular craft. Article marketing is a great way for the average person to do some great things with their marketing efforts. One of the reasons it is so effective is that it allows the marketer to truly project the writer’s own business ideas, values, and expectations into the article itself giving the reader a real sense of the writers character thus establishing an immediate bond or sense of trust and instills confidence in the reader for the writer, product and or service. At the same time, it can also reveal character flaws in writers of poorly written articles. The fakes will eventually make themselves known. Anyone who knows something and can write, or even pay someone to write for them can use articles to their advantage. Here are a few tips in writing an article that will attract the most readers.

It will help your sales if you keep your articles short and to the point, as the cliché goes, long enough to cover the subject but short enough to keep it interesting. 500 to 750 words is long enough to give your readers information they can use and implement instantly and still be short enough not to bore them.

1. When people read articles they want information that they can put to use immediately. I've found that if you're targeting the Internet Marketing niche, you'll find your articles will get a better response and you will make more sales if you give people a plan they can use to make money from your article. If your writing the article for a niche market you want to sell to, tell them the benefits of your items and how the readers can use or apply them to make their lives easier, get things done faster, or whatever it is your items do.
2. One of the most important parts to your article is your article title; it can make or break your article. Describe in your article title what the article is about or what information it will disclose. Example, if your writing about how to prepare good quality and quick after work meals, you might compose a title such as “5 Easy And Delicious After Work Meals You Can Fix This Week” Not perfect but you get the idea.

Article writing works as a very effective online marketing tool because it goes hand in hand with learning to market yourself as your primary product rather than focusing entirely on a particular business or program.

To help you along with your own efforts with articles here's a fewe resources I highly recommend:

*ArticleBuilder.Net A very useful article building tool to help in the formulation and mental stimulation for ideas and the actual creation of the article. It has a very large database of articles to draw from.

*ArticleMarketer.com A very useful service that will submit your article to 30,000 publishers

* EzineArticles.com Hands down the best directory to submit your articles to for maximum exposure. Pretty strict "quality" policy too so once you're in; you gain some instant credibility. But you have to live up to it with each subsequent submission too...plus I'm listed as an Expert Author. Sweet!

The Value Of Forums As A Marketing Tool

Another extremely effective online marketing tool is the use of online business or general information forums. Simply put, recognition as an expert in your field leads to acceptance and respect which in turn leads to Sales! One of the fastest ways to become recognized as an expert is to offer helpful and valuable posts on a regular basis in forums where your target market or audience gather.

A forum is an online community for discussion among Internet users, used by some of the best Internet marketers in the world. It is also a training ground for the up and coming. It is a place to share ideas, find answers, solve problems, make friends, and develop partnerships. It is also a support system or resource for most any business, on or offline.

It is no secret, but takes some longer to learn than others, that to be successful you must market yourself first. Forums are the perfect place to promote yourself and your business. By adding value to discussions, you are promoting yourself as an expert in your field, gaining recognition. There is a legend in most forums that the more posts you have, the more money you make online. By becoming an active contributor to forums, you gain recognition, and people pay more attention to your posts.

Search “forum” plus the topic of your choice using Google or AltaVista to find a whole list of forums available. You may also contact some of the professional organizations in your trade to see if they have a forum.

Posting to many forums can be a little tedious if you have to log in and browse through your previous postings or find new topics you can respond to. I recommend an automated posting package or software to enable multiple thread tracking. This will speed up the task of message posting and an unlimited number of forums while managing multiple conversation threads. You can automatically track all replies and organize them as you continue to respond and post to multiple forums. I am sure there are many to choose from but I use and recommend Forum Fortune as the submitter of choice.

technorati tags:
home business
internet marketing
network marketing online marketing
downline building

How to Enroll Someone in the Next 24 Hours I love to share the wisdom of my friend Tony Rush...especially recently as we have started working together once again. Great things are in store, and I will keep you aprised of everything that's changing for me in the next several weeks and months. But one of the things I love about Tony's writing is that he just has a knack for cuting through the junk and getting right to the point. Case in Point is this simple tidbit every netwoker should copy and post on their refrigerator... Merideth Cohr

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How To Enroll Someone In The Next 24 Hours

In my experience, most network marketing training is lacking in specificity and practical results.

In other words, there's no shortage of MLM training that's designed to tell you all the ways you can promote your business. Or all the ways you can meet strangers. Or all the ways you can approach friends and family.

And if you want tips and tricks on how to advertise your business online and in the community for little money...there's lots of that stuff available, too.

But, it seems that no one wants to put their head on the chopping block and say, "Here's what you need to do in order to enroll someone in the next 24 hours." Everyone seems focused on the mamby-pamby training that teaches you to create better business cards...do better breakfast meetings...

...or (snicker) how to design a business flyer that fits on the Tootsie Rolls that you're handing out at Halloween. (I swear to God I'm not making this up.)

So, here it is: if someone asked me EXACTLY what they needed to enroll someone in the next 24 hours, here's what I'd tell them they need:

-- A list of qualified prospects who are looking for a home business. You can generate these leads yourself or you can simply buy a list of fresh, qualified leads from any reputable lead broker.

-- A benefit-driven presentation (preferably one that don't have to do yourself which allows you to leverage someone else's time for YOUR profit.) The gold-standard for efficient presentations is either a live or recorded conference call presentation. It doesn't require people to drive across town and it offers huge leverage. With a single phone call, you can do a presentation for hundreds. No more one-on-one presentations or home parties for four couples.

-- A follow-up Q&A session that will clarify any remaining questions and assist them in determining if the business is right for them.

And, of course any one of those items can be detailed to the nth degree. (I hear some of you saying, "But, what if I don't have money for leads?" Or "Yes, but HOW do I answer their questions after the presentation...?"That's fodder for another conversation.

But, at the end of the day, this business all boils down to:

-- how many people did you speak with?
-- how many people agreed to look at your business?
-- how many actually looked?
-- how many did you follow up with after the presentation?
-- how many did you enroll?

Obviously no one can guarantee your results. You might be stupid. Or lazy. Or inflexible. Or a procrastinator.

But, on the other hand, if you're coachable and trainable and willing to master a few transitional phrases (learning WHAT to say, HOW to say it and WHEN to say it)...

....well, there's no reason in the world that you can't enroll someone in your home business anytime you want to. It's just not as hard as most network marketing gurus will have you believe.

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I hope that makes an impact with you...it's a basic, fundamental truth of this industry...one that so very few actually take onboard. Do yourself a favor and adopt this as a truth.

Yours in Greater Success,
Merideth Cohrs

technorati tags:
home business
MLM
network marketing direct sales
WAHM
lead conversion
downline building Tony Rush