There’s a reason it’s called NETWORK Marketing. You are not all by yourself. It’s about a large group of people doing a few simple activities over a sustained period of time. In other words, it’s about a lot of people doing a little consistently over time. It’s about leveraging yourself.

Don’t think you have to sponsor this large group of people all by yourself either. You only need a handful and then teach them how to get a handful. And so on. Over time you, and your handful of people, that you started out with, will have build your large network.

You can talk to any one of the top leaders in any company and they will tell you that they only sponsored a few people themselves. And those few built their network marketing organizations. Remember, it’s about a lot of people doing a little over a sustained period of time.

One of my favorite books is ‘The Slight Edge’ by Jeff Olson. In it he tells the story of ‘The Water Hyacinth. It goes something like this…

Although a single plant can produce as many as 5,000 seeds, the method it prefers to grow is by doubling itself. It can cover an entire pond in 30 days. However, for the first few weeks you won’t even notice it is there. On day 15 you may see maybe a square foot. On the 20th day you may find a dense little patch maybe the size of a mattress. On day 29 half the ponds surface will be open water. But, on the 30th day the whole pond will be covered with a blanket of the water hyacinth. You won’t even see any water.

So you see, just by doubling itself, this amazing plant covered a whole pond in as little as a month. It’s pretty much the same principle in network marketing. We double ourselves, and then again and again and again until we have a very large network of people who all do a little to contribute to the whole.

It’s not hard. It just takes time.

Many people give up to soon. If they would just have stayed the course, they would have reaped the harvest of the seeds they were sowing.

Don’t give up! Stay the course! Get a few. Teach them to get a few and help them teach those to get a few. And you all do just a few simple activities every day over a sustained period of time.

I know, I sound like a broken record…but there is a point to it.

I invite you to leave your experience in the comment box below.

I was cleaning out some files to make more room on my hard drive and came across this poem by Jim Rohn. I thought it would make an excellent tribute to one of the greatest mentors of this century. So here it is…

“I wish for you a life of wealth,
health, and happiness; a life in which you give to
yourself the gift of patience, the virtue of reason,
the value of knowledge, and the influence of faith in
your own ability to dream about and to achieve worthy rewards.” _Jim Rohn

F= Failure
E= Embarrasment
A= Abandoment
R= Rejection
S= Success

FEARS, we all have them. I know I have them and you do too. And they are costing us a fortune. Why? Because they are holding us back from accomplishing what we want to accomplish. What we COULD accomplish. Ships in a harbor are safe, but that’s not what they were build for. They were build to sail.

What are our FEARS as they pertain to network marketing?

F= Failure

There’s the Fear of Failure. We are afraid we will fail in whatever we set out to accomplish. Because of this fear we often set our goals very low. We want to stay in our comfort zone. Be safe. However, this keeps us from growing.

E= Embarrasment

Although we are very excited about our new business opportunity, oftentimes we don’t want to share it with our family and friends because we are afraid what they may think or say about us.

A= Abandonment

There’s the Fear of Abandonment. We may be afraid that our sponsor will leave us and go to the next deal. Or we are afraid that the new person we just sponsored may quit on us. Or, that the team we have build over many months may jump ship and go someplace else. This may rock our belief in our company and stop us dead in our tracks.

R= Rejection

The Fear of Rejection is a big one and one I personally have struggled with for years. Until I learned that that my prospects didn’t reject ME but the opportunity I was presenting. It either wasn’t right for them or the timing wasn’t right. It wasn’t personal. As soon as I learned that, I no longer had any problem with rejections.

S= Success

The Fear of Success is another big one. Oftentimes we are afraid to succeed. Afraid to get to the next level. The “what if’s” start creeping up in our thoughts. What if…I’m not going to be a good leader? What if…I will fail my team? What if…I can’t handle the money I will be earning? (Yeah, as strange as it sounds, some people are afraid of earning 10K, 20K, 30K a month. They’ve never made that kind of money and they can’t imagine how they would handle that.)

The bottom line is, if you don’t get rid of your FEARS you won’t be able to grow. And most certainly you won’t reach your dreams. So, get rid of them!

“You must make your dreams more real than your fears.” _Robert Allen

A good friend of mine, Doris Hullet, wrote this article and gave me permission to share it with you here on my blog.
Enjoy!

The Secret Art of Building an MLM Business Online:

Problems You May Face when Entering the Online Business Arena.  How Fast Can You Get Going?  Are three months enough time? The 90-Day Challenge.  Ask yourself these questions:

l.    Are you Computer Savvy? If you are not, you are going to have to learn a whole new Language and how it applies to your new online business.

Several online, new-language technical terms include: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), auto-responders, blog, campaign, Hyperlink, Natural Search Results (Organic Listings), Tags, and Web 2.0. These terms you can Google on Key word search.

If you are “computer illiterate” it is going to take due diligence to see how fast you can learn your new language so you can be “all that you can be” as an Online Marketer.

2.    Are you a Leader? As the CEO of your own business, you no longer are the employee, but rather the employer. It takes a major mental shift to be driven, energized, motivated, and held accountable to self.

What does this mean?

Driven:  It means you become a doer, rather than the one that watches what happens. You take action to the point of almost obsession. You focus on sales conversions so that you don’t waste time selling.

Energized:  Leaders don’t let up. They know their “Why”, and that energizes them to keep going.

Motivated:  When leaders wake up in the morning, there is a call to action already in their minds.  Leaders do not drag into work and give a half-hearted work ethic; they know what the rewards of their efforts will produce… financial freedom, time with their families, travel opportunities, giving back to their charities and living the life of their dreams.  They are motivated because of the sheer challenge to prove something to self.

Accountability:  No one is there to say, “We need the monthly report in a couple of days, because the auditor will be here next week.” The new auditor is You.

Time Management:  Experiment with day planners, time schedulers or some sort of hourly tracker until you find your perfect fit. This might even include a kitchen timer or setting your cell phone alarm clock.  Time management techniques help keep you focused on income-producing activities.

3.    Are you an Employer or Employee?

Employee vs. Employer:  Employee = Everything is done for you.  Basically.

Employer = Tracking your expenses as a bookkeeper, business tax legalities, becoming incorporated/self-employed, insurance for yourself and your business space are a few things to keep up with. I have found these brochures to be a good resource:  www.irs.gov/efile Publication 334, 552, 583, 587 for “Starting a Business and Keeping Records.”

4.   Have you learned the Systems-in-place?

If you decide to join an Online System to assist you in the growth of your primary company, it will be a tremendous asset in your learning curve. There may be a fee for their back-office training platform, and efficient systems.  It is worth it, because it will free your time for marketing and sales. The only thing you have to do is learn the system.

5    Are you prepared for the long-term commitment?

If you think you will “try” your business for 3 months, 6 months or “give it a year,” you might want to re-think your strategy. It all takes time. There are no short-cuts, or quick-get-rich businesses. This is not a hobby.  Warning:  if you have a “give it a try” mentality, the IRS considers that a hobby, not a business.

If someone is immediately successful in a MLM or Direct Sales business in an organization, you may have to consider that they already had some of the following elements in their resume: computer literacy, leadership skills, and/or sales experience.

Overnight success, really wasn’t “overnight.” Successful people experienced the school of hard-knocks, and hard work. It wasn’t free; there is a price and a learning curve.

Long-term commitment includes “failing-forward.” Just make sure that of the hundreds of mistakes you make, that you don’t add the mistake of ‘quitting’ on your list. Think long-term, no matter what.

6.    Are you willing to succeed?

That sounds like a silly question, but you have to realize that if you don’t change you mindset you may possibly sabotage your own success. Some people don’t think they deserve to succeed.

You have sought to be a good, hard-working, loyal employee for others for so long, that you are probably used to disappointment.  The dynamic changes involved with transitioning into building an mlm business online can be very uncomfortable for the beginner.  It is now time to be “comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

You are in the process of becoming the CEO and Entrepreneur of your own company.   Don’t you think you deserve a higher income for all the work you have done to get this far?

You have unique value, bringing yourself and your creativity to the market place.  The majority of your growth will not stem from the above mentioned market leaning curve, but the development of yourself as a person.

To have success, you really will need to have self-acceptance and self-permission.

7.    Are you willing to give up your old friends?

You may not have to give up your old friends; they may give you up. But then again, they may not see why you are pursuing a business, or understand your personal needs.

Old friends may see you go into debt, and argue, “What is wrong with a traditional job?” Well, considering the current economic times, there may not be a lot of traditional jobs left.

The employment climate has changed; shifted. Companies are downsizing, merging, laying-off, going overseas; we are not a producing country any more.  We have become a service country.

You are contributing to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) rather than drawing on unemployment by becoming an entrepreneur online. If you lose some friends over it, were they really your friends? Are your friends helping you pay your bills?  No? You are choosing to do something with your life. It may require changes.

8.    Are you WILLING to reap the following rewards?

You will have new technical computer skills. (I can do this!)

You will become a leader. (Confidence to coach and mentor others)

You will be an employer. (You will have new tax-advantages)

You will learn your systems. (When you finally understand it you will experience relief.  It is a bit on the techie side)

You are committed for the long-term. (You will thereby have long-term results called Cash-flow and residual income)

You will succeed. (You will receive a new income. The sales ratio of income is  not measured in dollars per hour. It will be directly measured in proportion to the value of your personal development,  and what you bring to others.)

You will make new friends. (They will be from all over the United States, and globally! If your primary company has an event, it is delightful to actually meet these new, like-minded, business-online friends!)

You will have a new life. (You will no longer be building someone else’s dream; you will be building your own!) You have proven something to yourself. Congratulations for your self-acceptance to a new life; congratulations for the self-permission to LIVE Your dreams!

Hence, the Secret Art of Building an MLM Business Online.  The secret is not in the business…the secret is in BUILDING YOU!

Doris Hullett was a Community College Educator, and made a career change into the Network Marketing Field.  Seeking to help other entrepreneurs create personal success in their businesses, she provides Internet Success Coaching and Continuing Education in marketing any online and offline Home-Based Business for people who SERIOUSLY  want to work from their home, own their own business, improve their lives, and have the financial freedom needed to do what they really want to do.

I have listened to a lot of leaders in my 10+ years in network marketing. Only a handful have really inspired me. Jordan Adler, my upline in SendOutCards is one of them. I listen to him every Monday when he makes his team call and then I listen again to his recordings. Jordan has the ability to paint pictures in my mind. Very vivid pictures. He makes me think. He gets my imagination flowing. He truly inspires me.

Here’s what he shared on one of his first calls of the year and I would like to share it with you.

2010 can be your best year ever. Begin to imagine what life is like living each day without regard to what things cost. Imagine what life is like knowing that when you spend your money it comes back again next month whether you go to work or not. Your bank account is overflowing. Each month, you give excessively to your favorite charities. You see money as a life giving tool that can help people. You feed your source of inspiration by donating your time to worthwhile causes because you have the time and you don’t have to work quite so hard to make your money.

You are in your perfect home with your family.
You are taking the dream trips you have always imagined.

You practice saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘we can’t afford it’. That nagging underlying fear doesn’t exist any longer. You are free. You feel empowered and alive. You have money set aside to secure your future. You have money to invest and to play with. You have more than enough money to live your life exactly the way you want it.

Money isn’t everything but it certainly makes life easier.

Let those pictures run through your mind. Imagine it to be reality. Imagine it in the present. You’re sitting at the beach feeling the warm sun on your skin and the sand between your toes. You hear the sound of the waves and the wind in the palm trees. It’s real. At this moment it is very real.

Have you ever imagined something and then it became reality? Your imagination is a very powerful tool. Keep using it to make your dreams realitiy. Imagine the life Jordan painted for you…because you deserve it!

“If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.” ~Walt Disney

Who inspires you? What does your dream life look like? Leave me your comments in the box below.

I received an email the other day, from Jordan Adler, my upline in SendOutCards, that I totally could relate to. Here’s an exert of what Jordan had to say, followed by my own thoughts and a message from former US President Bill Clinton endorsing the network marketing and direct selling industry:

“As I was watching the Cav’s and the Magic play tonight in Orlando, I couldn’t help but notice the big logo painted right on the court that said ‘Amway Arena’. Wow! Have we come a long way in our profession. Just a few years ago, Network Marketing was a dirty word. Today, the first really well known MLM company logo is right in your face on national TV during the playoffs! Network Marketing has finally gone mainstream. In my first 10 years in our profession, I noticed that 7 out of 10 people were angry and mean to you if you mentioned you were in network marketing. You just as well may have approached them with a deadly disease. Today, thanks to social media, affiliate programs, Robert Kiyosaki, Paul Zane Pilzer and the thousands of people that make their livings through network marketing today, we are finally an accepted profession.

In fact, many traditional businesses today are having financial troubles and those companies that offer a home based businesses are thriving. We are in the right place at the right time.”

When I first started out in this industry I had the same experiences. I didn’t dare mention the words Network Marketing or MLM because I feared the reaction of the people I was trying to introduce to my business at the time. Funny thing, I was once one of them. Very negative and totally opposed to the idea. My husband was actually the one who started in this industry in the early 90ies. At one point I told him flat out, “If you join one more of “those things” I am going to leave you.

How things have changed. It took us many years and many trials and errors but we finally found a company where we made some money. That’s when the bug bit me and when I finally “got it.” There is no other business model out there that gives the average person a chance to get financially independent. Network marketing is getting more and more positive attention in the media these days and highly influential people are endorsing our business model and giving us the ‘thumbs up.” We no longer have to mention what we’re doing under our breath but can look someone straight in the eye and say, “I am in Network Marketing…and I am darn proud of it.”

Please watch this 3 minute video below and then leave me your thoughts in the comment box.

US President Clinton Endorsing the Network Marketing and
Direct Selling Profession

Have you ever given thought to what your ‘ideal customer’ would look like? As a home business owner we have a specific ‘target market.’ So what is YOUR target?

For example, if you were a rep for a company who sells ‘green cleaning products’ you would be looking for someone…

… Who is concious of the environment.

… Who may have small children

… Who doesn’t like toxic chemicals in their home

… Who is looking to buy earth-friendly products at a discount

Or, if you were someone who’s selling self-improvement products, like books, CD’s or online classes. Then you would be looking for someone…

… Who likes to read

… Who likes to improve their own intellect

… Who would like to expand their own personal library

Get the picture? What would YOUR ideal customer look like?

Let’s keep this going and add your comments below.

Build Your Business with Rapport

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Building rapport is the first step in building a relationship with your customers, clients or future business partners. It’s a skill anyone can learn and like anything else, it takes practice. The more we practice, the better we get at it. Eventually it comes naturally. My husband is great at this. He has a unique gift to make the person he talks to laugh within the first 30 seconds. Humor is a great ice-breaker.

Here are 3 important points that will help you become a great rapport builder:

1) Ask questions. You can find out a lot about a person by asking questions. Listen to the answers they give you and you will find out what their needs are. People love to talk about themselves.

2) Listen. I mean really listen to what they are telling you. Keep eye contact and give them your full attention. Looking around while listening is not only rude, but it will give them the impression that you are distracted or don’t really care. Make them your total focus and show genuine interest. Let them have the feeling that there is nothing else more important at that moment than they are. Do participate in the conversation but listen more than you talk.

3) Compliment. There is nothing that will give you faster or stronger rapport than a genuine compliment. Emphasis is on ‘genuine.’ Really mean what you say. People will see straight through a fake or insincere compliment and that would only hurt your trying to build that relationship. So be totally sincere. It makes us feel good when we get a sincere compliment and we open up. If you don’t know the person very well or you have just met, compliment them on their smile, their outfit or anything else that strikes you at first glance.

Building rapport can be a lot of fun and it’s different with every person you meet. The more you practice, the better you get.

How do YOU build rapport? I’d love to hear your comments on this.

Do you make choices in life, or do you react to it? Below is a beautiful story of making choices. I hope it will inspire you…

We Have Two Choices

Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone asks him how he is doing, he always replies, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”

Jerry is a natural motivator. If an employee is having a bad day, Jerry is right there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Because of this attitude he has several waiters who have followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.

This really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “What’s the deal with you? Nobody can be that positive all of the time! How do you do it?”

Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that easy,” I protested.

“Yes it is,” Jerry said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react. You choose how people affect your day. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line is that you choose how you live your life.”

I thought about what Jerry said for a long time.

Soon thereafter, I left the area to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about Jerry when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?” I declined, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the

robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

Jerry continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big, blonde nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’ ”

Jerry is alive today, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that day that we always have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Now you have a choice: you can forget this story, or you can choose to let it make a difference in your attitude and your life.

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