Common Sense Rules To Protect You From Tarnishing Your Reputation

A couple of days ago I added a comment to a post on Jason Better’s blog that left me with egg on my face. Or so I thought. (By the way, if you haven’t visited and bookmarked his blog yet, I would suggest you do so immediately. You will find great information there as well as a community of very experienced online marketers.)

But anyway, back to my story…

I posted a comment and thought I made a mistake and gave credit to the wrong person. (You always want to make sure you give credit where credit is deserved when you leave a comment.)

As it turned out, I had been correct in the first place and had given credit to the right person. But I didn’t know that for about two hours. I was totally miserable. I was so embarrassed.

In a way, I am glad now that this happened because it gave me a topic for this post and it reminded me how public a place the internet really is. Once you hit that “submit” button, whatever you say is out there for the whole world to see. There’s no taking it back.

What happened to me was just an honest mistake, a little blunder. But nonetheless, it’s ‘out there.’ And it taught me a great lesson. I will be much more careful next time before I hit “submit.”

Just remember these ground rules…

Always be polite.

Always be honest.

Always be kind.

If you made a mistake, fess up and try to correct it immediately.

Don’t say anything you could regret later. Because, whatever it is, it WILL come back to haunt you.

Be like “Thumper” … “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say nothing at all.”

Especially as a professional, marketing and growing your business on the internet the last thing you want to do is tarnish your reputation.

Oh, and if you ever had “egg on your face” I’d love for you to share your story in the comments below … IF you dare =)

“What is a good home based business?”

This question was asked in one of the social networks I am a member of. A great question. Especially for someone new to the industry.

As you can imagine, dozens of replies came in from other members offering information on the home based business they are promoting. Of course everyone thinks their opportunity is the best. That’s only natural. But, what is a good fit or me might not be a good fit for you.

When you are looking for a good home based business … for YOU … your first question should be, …“What am I passionate about?”

What do you like to do for fun? What hobbies or interests do you have? What makes you tick? If money were no object, what would you do with the rest of your life?

That’s the answer I gave …. and I have been saying that over and over lately …

“Find your passion and then find a way to make money with it.”

If you are truly passionate about what you do, you’ll be having so much fun that it won’t seem like work. And … the money WILL follow eventually.

For example, if you are into health and fitness choose a home business to match that interest. Or, if you are the creative type, find something that matches up with that. And so on. Never join a home based business only because a friend or family member wants you to join up with them. You’ll be miseable and you won’t do anyone a favor when you quit a couple of months into it.

Interesting what a recent Yahoo survey revealed about what kind of work U.S adults would prefer to do late in life. Read Kim Klaver’s post about it here.

Let me know what you are passionate about in your comments below. Is your business connected to your passion and vise versa?

It just might be, if Senator McCain’s new proposed bill becomes law. If you are a distributor with and MLM company marketing liquid nutritionals (or any nutritional supplements for that matter) then you better read this article.

Senator John McCain is attacking the MLM nutritional industry with a stupid bill.  The “Dietary Supplement Safety Act” threatens to dramatically change this industry.

If this bill becomes law it will require you to register your nutritional supplement business. Yes, you read that right, you as a distributor of liquid dietary supplements will have to register as well, not just the company you work with.

Read more here.

Wow!  What will they think of next to make life difficult for us network marketers?

Bad apples  are what gives network marketing or mlm a bad name. These phony companies are trying to ruin it for the rest of us. However, just like there are more good people in this world than bad people, there are also more good mlm companies out there than bad. Just think of Avon, Mary Kay or Tupperware to name just a few.

The mlm or network marketing industry had been fighting for acceptance for over 50 years. And now, that it finally gets the recognition it deserves as the most brilliant business model, companies like YTB come along and try to ruin it again all just because they can’t get enough. They just don’t get it. For them it’s just all about the money.

Can you tell I’m upset?

It is just so sad.

When I was first introduced to network marketing in the early 90ies, my husband and I came across some of those shady companies. I was under the impression that network marketing was just that…shady business. At one point I told him, “If you ever join any of those ‘things’ again, I am going to leave you.” I was dead serious. I did want no part of that. I was ignorant, I had not taken the time to find out more about this industry. It was years later when I finally “got it” thanks to such great people like Tim Sales and Kim Klaver. Today I am a very passionate network marketer and I get upset at companies like YTB who tarnish our industry.

Please read the article in MLM Watchdog and then please come back and leave me your comments in the comment box below. I am interested in your thoughts.

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.

This landed in my inbox this morning and reminded me how blessed I am to have a home based business so every day is a Saturday for me. I wanted to share this beautiful story with you today.

3,900 Saturdays

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about “a thousand marbles.” I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

“Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It’s too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital,” he continued; “Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities.” And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles.”

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I’m getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail,” he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There’s nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.

It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “C’mon honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast.”

“What brought this on?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh, nothing special, it’s just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”

This is a story from the book “Charging the Human Battery.” You can get it at SimpleTruth.com

When Opportunity Knocks Are You Ready To Answer The Door.

They say, “opportunities are never lost, they just go to someone else.” I am a firm believer of this statement as it has happened to me on occasions. There were times when my ‘gut feeling’ told me that I was looking at a great business opportunity, but for some reason or another I did not act on it. Later I found out that by not acting on my prompting I missed out on a great thing and because of it, I lost out on a lot of money.

I am not a person who jumps from opportunity to opportunity. (I was with my last company almost 6 years.) But I usually know a good thing when I see one. And this is a “GOOD THING!”

Since I am fairly new and don’t want to mess things up, I will let my good friend and New York Times #1 best-selling  author, Richard Paul Evans explain it to you. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or whatever you like, get comfortable in your chair and watch this 20 minute presentation below.

Just click on the picture or visit www.WinningInTheMargins.com
and enter Passkey: dream

Learn how to win in the Margins

Leave me some feedback. Let me know what you liked best about what you saw. Oh, and by the way, don’t forget to grab your free audio books, a $90 value.

Enjoy!

Having a tough time getting your prospects to make a commitment and join? Here are some “Out-of-the-Box” ideas that might help…

• Send them a shoe or a sandal and say…
  “I’ve been in your shoes. I know you have reservations but I’m here to teach you and walk beside you to build your business.”
• Send them a swim ring and say…
  “Feeling deflated about your finances? I have a life-saving idea that will inflate your monthly income.”
• S’mores…..
  “Do you need s’more of …..(fill in the blank)?
• Diaper Idea….
  Take a diaper put some Milk Duds in it and attach this saying….
  “Is your financial outlook crappy? Then take a load off and learn how XYZ business can wipe away your financial worries.”
• Pick up different seeds.….(at your local nursery)
  “Seeds are the beginning of a bountiful business. Plant the seeds and watch your XYZ business grow. Do you feel SQUAHSED in your current job? Does your boss SNAP like a dragon? Then let us talk for a minute because I BEAN where you are and I know you MUSTARD things around. I know it’s a bit KORNY but PEAS listen up and don’t TURNIP your nose to what I can share with you. After all you might find yourself lucky and GREEN.”My husband (or wife) is a real gem but I didn’t MARYGOLD. With my own business I’m able to CARAT  about those who matter most. I flower my family with time and attention. Not only am I growing a happy family but a profitable business.
• Valentine’s Day…
  Buy some conversation hearts. (Plastic package stable to a saying and just give out.)
  “I’d like to have a heart to heart conversation with you about what XYZ business can do.” (Attach your business card too).
• Around Halloween…
  You could carry a “Trick or Treat” bag with you and give a treat to everbody you meet and on this TRICK or TREAT would be:

  TRICK: The reason I can keep (or am reaching) my goals, is because of time, relationships, economics, advancement and teaching. And basically I choose the time I work and I have more quality time with my family and friends. The relationships I build extend my circle of friends and customers. I’m in control of my own economic situation. I  choose how fast I advance my business and I teach others to build businesses and I’m taught new information through the books that I read and the knowledge I gain.

  ————————————————-

  If you’re really into candy … make a Halloween Mix

  2 cups of candy corn
  1 cup of nuts
  some M&Ms
  some salted peanuts
  & some Apple Jacks cereal

  and each of these stand for something. Mix them all up and put them in a fun celophane bag (or something fun). Tie your business card on it.

  “Are you mixed up thinking about how you pay for Christmas gifts this year? Consider a mix that’s the answer. If you like to have fun and you are a little nutty consider joining XYZ. You decide how many zeros you want on your paycheck. If you’re curious about mixing it up and making a little more money, let’s get together so I can tell you about our treats.

• Christmas Ideas…..
  Purchase some candy canes and put this saying on them…
  “Are you a bit wobbely about your financial future? Lean on me to support you in your new business.” (And attach your business card)