Eight Choices

...That Will Change Your Life Forever
by Chris Widener



The direction of our lives is determined by the choices we make every day. They accumulate and add up to our ultimate destiny. Here are eight choices you can make - choices that will create for you a life of abundance and prosperity in all areas of your life.


1. Choose to grow personally. This sounds simple but many people only wish to grow personally. They never choose to grow by taking action, such as actually exercising, saving more money etc. Make a decision today to be a person who is on the never ending journey of personal growth.

2. Choose to always treat others right. We come across all sorts of people, many of whom will treat us poorly. We can choose to treat them right, no matter how they treat us. When they lie, we will tell the truth. When they cheat, we will play by the rules. We may get the short end of the stick some times, but in the long run we will win. And most importantly, we will be able to sleep at night.

3. Choose to break a bad habit. Take the biggie first. Tackle it head on. If you don't know what it is, ask a friend. Then spend every effort you can to break that habit. Forget about the others, as you will get to them later. Stop smoking, get out of debt, loose your excess weight. Exercise the power to choose!

4. Choose to work smarter. Many people I work with feel like they are out of balance. One of the first things I do is try to find out how much time they are wasting at work, which makes them work longer, which throws the rest of their life into chaos. Getting your work done by diligently working in the time you have will free your life up extraordinarily.


5. Choose to see your work as a way to help others, and not a way to make money. If you put your heart into helping others, the money will most assuredly come. Spend time helping others grow and your finances will grow with it.


6. Choose to become balanced spiritually, emotionally and physically. Our lives are best when we have these three major areas in balance. Spend some time cultivating your spirituality, becoming emotionally healthy, and physically fit.


7. Choose to sow more than you reap. There are many takers in this world, but our lives will be better as we become givers. The world will become better as we become givers. Give away your time, give away your money, give away your love.


8. Choose to get home for dinner more often. The family is the most important group of people you will ever belong to. Make a decision today to grow in your relationship with your parents, siblings, spouse and children. This one choice you will never regret.




One of my favorite quotes: "The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice - their choice." Dwight D. Eisenhower



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"There is no better opportunity to receive more
than to be thankful for what you already have.
Thanksgiving opens the windows of opportunity for
ideas to flow your way." Jim Rohn

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This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business
Philosopher. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to
www.jimrohn.com or send a blank email to subscribe@jimrohn.com
Copyright (c) Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Power of One.

This is where it all starts.

One person with a dream that is bigger than she is,
and the determination to see it through.

One person who seeks out a mentor,
and devotes themselves to learning.

One person who finds a passion within.

One person with a "can do" attitude,
who gets to work.

One person, one team, one purpose.....

The results are astounding.

One of my mentors of a few years ago used to say,
"if it is to be, it is up to me".

I never really understood that.

I resisted it, because I felt that it wasn't up to me, entirely.
I was at the mercy of everybody on my team, wasn't I?

If they didn't do anything, I still couldn't get where I wanted to be.

This is what has changed for me.

Now I see very clearly that it truly IS up to me.
I stopped worrying about what other people would or would not do.

I started concentrating on my own personal activity.

And working with the people who needed me.

I became much more selective, seeking people who had a dream and a work ethic that matched my own.

Interviewing instead of begging.

Presenting instead of convincing.

I now truly understand, and the results are absolutely astounding.

If you want to break through the barrier that has kept you from success, understand this simple principle....

You can not control the actions of others.

You only have that power over yourself.

Understand that if you don't like the look of your team,
You must change what you are doing.

Only then will you truly break the barrier that is holding you back,
and stand apart in that top 3 %.

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Make a good choice....

...and recommit EVERY day.


Well this is the longest time I have gone without posting.

It's not that I have been in a creative vacuum, not at all !

I have been building a new website-- it will be a bit before I am ready to unveil it, but you will be the first to know.

This activity, the energy of creating something, has inspired me to dream again.

In researching my company for accurate information, I am sold all over again on Lexxus International and our Go Global vision. (That's just a little hint about the new site. ;o)

That thought brings me to the point of my writing. It has occurred to me why it is so important to read about your company, the management, the big stars, the products and the vision. In fact it is absolutely crucial to your success that you sell yourself on your business every day.

You see, this industry is full of pitfalls, and dream stealing traps. There's a tiger in the bushes, and a wolf on the street corner. Distractions, and fears, that can throw you off track when your enthusiasm wans.

There are many reasons why you started your business...right? Whether you have been with your company for a month or a decade, you should be able to count those reasons off one by one.

Part of keeping yourself focussed on your goal and your reason has to include a daily supplement of company related "energy". You need to immerse yourself in the "culture" of the industry until it becomes a part of who you are.

Here's what I do to stay on the bubble.

• Attend ALL meetings and training calls


• Phone my upline sponsor daily


• Listen to the stories of success


• Search for and read articles written by other networkers


• Read a chapter daily from a personal development book


• Participate daily in Networking conversations. (my area is woefully shy on network marketing success stories, so I meet up with some of my friends in an MLM forun


• Attend ALL company conventions and events.


• Seek out an upline mentor.


• Teach what I have learned to others

I know, without a doubt, that the company that I work with is by far the best choice for me, and for many other people, and I resell the vision to myself every day.

Now having said that, how do you know if your current lack of success is a company or support flaw, or if it is you. Let's face it, you don't always make the right choice the first time. The first thing you need to understand is that what you thought might have been true as a new distributor, may just turn out to be "smoke and mirrors". It is important to give yourself permission to change your mind if it turns out that you made a bad choice, but it is also important to know the difference.

Here are the things that should be in place to help ensure your success in the business you are in.

Training materials that are easily accessible and free.

Strong upline support. Somewhere in your upline there needs to be someone who is willing to dedicate a little time to your success.

Consumable products that are of the highest quality, in great demand, and affordably priced.

A system for introducing new people to your company and products that is easily duplicable by the greenest of new distributors.

A management team that is focussed on growth, and the distributors in the field.

A company vision that is in alignment with your own ethics and standards.

A solid compensation plan that is easy to understand and explain, and easy to work for newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.

If all these things are in place, and things are still not working out the way you had planned or hoped, then it is time to call (or find) your mentor and ask for some coaching. If any of these things are lacking, then it may be time to look around for a stronger company.

Whatever you decide, chase your dream, work diligently and with focus for what you want, and have fun along the way.

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Network Marketing 101 - Pick Your Partners

My friend Dave Stone of NetWork Marketing Today has a series of essays "in progress" called Network Marketing 101 Feel free to visit his blog when you are finished here! You will find practical, ethical advice from an industry peer!
NetWork Marketing Today

Here is Dave's latest installment.

I can remember being new to Network Marketing. I can remember being excited about my program and products. I believed that EVERYONE would want to sign up into my business. I recall the anxiety associated with the first phone call made to invite one of my friends to a presentation using the dreaded "curiosity approach". I recall my first dose of the harsh reality of network marketing after facing several "no's" or "is this a pyramid?" or "is this MLM?" or the worst one, "is this Amway?". I was thrown to the wolves and I was handed my hat.

Many new marketers that step into the arena may find themselves with these all too common experiences. At first, it is all about survival and endurance. Some don't live through their first rejection before they move on and quit. Some are a bit tougher and may face multiple rejections but eventually succumb.

I experienced many negatives and became frustrated that my business wasn't growing as quickly as I wanted. I sought out coaching from my uplines and any training I could that might make the journey a bit more enjoyable and rewarding.

I continued to plug along, had some meager success but found I was still far from my selected goals. Looking back on this time (hindsight) I now understand that I had fallen into the trap of letting my potential partners choose me. I believe this was evident in two ways.

First, I had taken the rejection personally and this began to wear away at my self-confidence. This revealed itself through the lack of conviction in the words I used and the tone of my voice. I was seeking people that would be committed but yet my manner did not display the exact kind of commitment that I was trying to attract. I received exactly what I was broadcasting.

Second, stemming from my confidence issues, I would prospect and present my program in what I can best categorize as "white noise". I have heard it said that inside a dog's brain is a constant stream of low-level static. That was me. Nervous chatter and way too much "telling and selling". If you need to convince people to join your enterprise, they may enter but not of their own commitment. These same people will need a higher degree of assurance and continued convincing through every activity or adversity. This, in most cases, will generate high degrees of negativity for YOU. You will find yourself spending otherwise precious, productive hours coaxing and consoling and coercing and convincing and counseling because your team signed up on YOUR reasons.

You should assess the strength of your business by the strength of those that are joining you. They may not match your level of commitment or dedication. They may not match your intensity and drive. They may not match many other attributes but, I believe, the one element that you should seek most of all is desire.

You may yourself have limited skills but if you possess an UNLIMITED DESIRE, you can and will accomplish anything you set your sights on. This is what you should also be looking for in your prospective business partners.
-Dave Stone, NetWork Marketing Today blog

What to do when you just don't want to.

Network marketing is work just like any business. We are constantly battling apathy, hype, and a poor reputation. It is definitely character building, and many people give up out of frustration or discouragement. The true leaders in this industry knows how important it is to work, even when you don't feel like it.

The KEY is to work a plan and hold yourself accountable to it.

You need to plan your work, and follow through.

If you are working an MLM or network marketing business, planning your work
is critical to your success. You need to make a clear, quantifiable and executional plan for your day, your month and your year. As well, you need a long term projection, let's say 5 years.


PLAN YOUR WORK

1. Set your goals. Your goals need to be measurable. That means very specific, and when you reach them there is no doubt. i.e. "I want to make more money" is not a measurable goal. Substitute instead with "I want to earn $5000 a week"
2. Write them down. On paper, in pen. List your goals in order of priority.
3. Make a plan of execution. Figure out on paper exactly what you need to do. For example, how many distributors on your team, on autoship, how many new team members, will you need to accomplish your goal. Then ask how many people will I have to put through the system to accomplish that. How many calls will I have to make per day.
4. Now write your daily plan of action.
i.e. Monday contact 20 new people.
Tuesday contact 20 new people. Follow up with people from Monday that visited website or requested more information.................

Make a full schedule of work, recreation, family time. Mark it all on the calendar with different colors signifying different activities. i.e. Green ink= money making activities. Red ink = spouse or partner time ...

Then put down what the expected results are.

Make yourself accountable. Send your plan to your mentor, or share it with a loved one. It is easy to let yourself down, but not as easy to disappoint someone you respect.

WORK YOUR PLAN



Now, get to work.

There will be times when you don't FEEL like working.
But the fact that you have a schedule, and someone who believes in you will help to keep you on track. Once you have established a routine, the work is much easier. Before you know it, you will hardly need to look at your schedule to know what you have to do.

Working your plan sometimes means working when you don't feel like it.
Make working your plan a habit.

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Treat your business like a business!!

Treat Your Business Like A Business
By Shan Eisler

Business Builder Extraordinaire
Wife, Mother, CEO

One of the truly remarkable benefits of direct selling is that it can bind your family together. For that to happen, the first sale you must make is to your family members. They are part of your business, too, and can be a tremendous help if you let them. Key to making that sale is your commitment to making the business work for you. I found I had to be very creative to balance and fulfill all my commitments.

My kids were five and six when I started. I made a large Smiley Face sign and a Stop sign to post on my office door. When I could be interrupted, I put up the Smiley Face. When I was making calls, I put up the Stop sign. The kids understood and supported me, even though they were small.

My kids had two sets of toys. The premium, really fun stuff came out when I had the Stop sign on my door. These special toys were put away when the Smiley Face went up. A favorite was an easel and art tools. We were careful to prominently display their art in the kitchen so they got recognition for helping to build Mommy’s business.

I paid a neighborhood teenager to come in and play with my kids during times the Stop sign was up. This way, I was accessible to them but could focus on work until they needed me.

I enlisted the help of my husband early on. This wonderful man has taken on much of the work behind running our home. To help that happen, we agreed on specific tasks that he could do to allow me the time to grow my business.

Managing Your Time and Resources
Open your business every day. In direct selling, you get to decide whether you are employed or unemployed every day. You are only employed if you are open for business—doing the things required to conduct business.
I found out early on that I needed to have a fairly detailed schedule for integrating family activities with work. A clear idea of what needed to happen allowed us to make sure the family was fully cared for, even when deeply involved in business.
You need to figure out whether you are a morning person or a night person. The best hours for your business doors to be open are from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. These are the hours when you can work with people. If you are a morning person, do your paperwork in the morning, before 9 A.M., if a night person, do your paperwork after 9 P.M.
I also did the math and found that if I was earning $35 per hour it didn’t make sense for me to do my own cleaning if I could pay someone else $10 per hour to do it for me.
I plan menus by the month. On the evenings when I need to be out, or if I have a heavy afternoon’s worth of work, we enjoy crock-pot meals. This way, I have no wasted time wondering what to feed the family and meals are served on a regular schedule.
I never shop for office supplies. Most office supply stores deliver if you order online or by phone.
I have learned to think before making a commitment. My immediate response is “Let me get back to you.” I then weigh the time costs of accepting a commitment against the emotional costs of declining, and then make a final decision.
My children are now 18 and 19. Far from feeling neglected, they have both thanked me for working in my direct-selling business from home and teaching them a strong work ethic. By working from home, we have always been there for each other.

Today’s Actions for Family and Business
Are you treating your business like a business or a hobby? Gain your family’s support by:

Taking an action that expresses your appreciation for their support—special toys, outings, or other rewards.
Closely managing your calendar and keeping everyone in the family in the loop about expectations and plans.
Increasing your productive hours by taking advantage of free and inexpensive services such as delivery and babysitting.

Thanks to the author! This article is featured at MLM.COM
A great site for articles, discussion forum and resources!

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Pay attention to the details!

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where
they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel.
There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife.

However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, he sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister of many years who was called home to glory following a sudden heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages of condolence from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: 16 January 2005

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here!

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist an author, mentor and trainer to the home business industry.

Where are you going?

This is Sunday. Tomorrow is the start of a new week, and in a few days we will be into September.

School will be open soon, vacations over, and people all over the world settling back into their daily routines. What does that mean for us in the Home Biz Market?

It means that we are entering into the biggest boom of the year!

Why? People are back in "work" mode. They want extra money to cover what they spent over the summer. They have more time with the children in school. They want to earn a little money for Christmas. There are all kinds of reasons why, but the fact is, there are more people starting business right now than at any other time of the year.

So what are you going to do about it?

You can either work hard for the next three months, or you can continue to do what you have been doing. Either way, that won't change the industry statistics. People all over the world will be starting a business at the rate of some 8000+ a day.

I heard something on a conference call the other day that has fueled my fire.

The speaker said, "what you do over the next 90 days will determine your income for the next 2 years!"

So what are YOU waiting for??



Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist an author, mentor and trainer to the home business industry.

The Time to Act: by Jim Rohn

Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don't need to be hasty if it isn't required, but you don't want to lose much time either. Here's the time to act: when the idea is hot and the emotion is strong.

Let's say you would like to build your library. If that is a strong desire for you, what you've got to do is get the first book. Then get the second book. Take action as soon as possible, before the feeling passes and before the idea dims. If you don't, here's what happens...

- YOU FALL PREY TO THE LAW OF DIMINISHING INTENT -

We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But if we don't translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can't be found.

So take action. Set up a discipline when the emotions are high and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. If somebody talks about good health and you're motivated by it, you need to get a book on nutrition. Get the book before the idea passes, before the emotion gets cold. Begin the process. Fall on the floor and do some push-ups. You've got to take action; otherwise the wisdom is wasted. The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity. Discipline enables you to capture the emotion and the wisdom and translate them into action. The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the disciplines. By doing so, you've started a whole new life process.

Here is the greatest value of discipline: self-worth, also known as self-esteem. Many people who are teaching self-esteem these days don't connect it to discipline. But once we sense the least lack of discipline within ourselves, it starts to erode our psyche. One of the greatest temptations is to just ease up a little bit. Instead of doing your best, you allow yourself to do just a little less than your best. Sure enough, you've started in the slightest way to decrease your sense of self-worth.

There is a problem with even a little bit of neglect. Neglect starts as an infection. If you don't take care of it, it becomes a disease. And one neglect leads to another. Worst of all, when neglect starts, it diminishes our self-worth.

Once this has happened, how can you regain your self-respect? All you have to do is act now! Start with the smallest discipline that corresponds to your own philosophy. Make the commitment: "I will discipline myself to achieve my goals so that in the years ahead I can celebrate my successes."

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn


Reproduced with permission from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine.
www.jimrohn.com

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist an author, mentor and trainer to the home business industry.

The 4 phases of Network Marketing.

This article comes from Best MLM Resources blog Thank you to Michael Lemm.

....The Four Phases of a Network Marketing Career....

To achieve your goals in network marketing, you will need to develop a long-term viewpoint. Keep in mind that the results of the work you are doing this month will show up next month. What you do this quarter will pay off next quarter. Your efforts this year will determine your income over the next few years. You have to get the momentum going and keep it going week after week, month after month, and year after year.

Here's the bottom line: you need to cherish each day as if it's our last day. Cherish every month as if it's your last month in this business.

You cannot live on last month's production. It's up to you to take responsibility to build and maintain momentum. To make your business grow and flourish, you need to set an example and develop Leaders in your organization.

We're all in the right place at the right time, but that does not mean you will automatically get the prize. You still have to work for it and maintain a positive attitude about what you can accomplish. Tear up that list of all the reasons why you can't succeed in this business.

In this training session, I want to cover the four phases that a distributor typically goes through in this business.

This information is important for everyone, but it's especially crucial for those of you who have been in network marketing for a while. If it seems that you have hit a plateau in building your business, you can get "unstuck" as soon as you understand this process.

The first phase is the PRODUCTION PHASE, in which you retail and recruit.

Many distributors recruit a few people and then quickly move into phase 2, the MANAGING PHASE. In this phase they spend most of their time managing their new recruits rather than continuing to retail and recruit.

The problem with being a full-time manager is that the people you sponsor will do what you do, not what you tell them to do. So guess what happens when you become a manager. Very quickly your top producers also move into phase 2, just as you did. Now you find yourself moving into phase 3, which is the OVERSEER PHASE.

At this point, you may feel really important. You certainly cannot be expected to retail and recruit, as you need to oversee the managers who are managing their producers. Right?

Because distributors do what you do and not what you tell them to do, you very quickly move into phase 4, where you become the OVERSEER OF THE OVERSEERS. Now you are overseeing the overseers as they manage the managers of the producers. Here's where you are likely to begin hearing critical comments about the managers, the company, uplines, and so on.

As an overseer of overseers, you may have large numbers in your group, but your check is getting smaller instead of larger.

Let me share with you the secret of becoming truly wealthy in this business.

Before I tell you how to get un-stuck and move forward, I want you to know that I've been there. I was in the overseer phase for a while, but I was blessed to discover that I needed to get back to doing the basics over and over again and make it the central focus of my DMO (Daily Method of Operation). During the first year after making this discovery, I enjoyed the fastest growth of my entire career.

Here's the secret: you and I and all of the people we sponsor need to stay in Phase 1, the PRODUCTION PHASE where you retail and recruit all day long. This is the phase where you get up early and work late, and your people are doing the same thing because they do what you do and not what you tell them to do. We need to keep doing the basics over and over again and to duplicate our efforts by "Tell, Show, Try, Do." First, you tell your new recruit how to do it. Then you show your new recruit how to do it as you lead by example. Next, you have them try it on their own, and then you make sure they have the know-how before you encourage them to go out and do it.

It's up to you how long the training process takes, but I would recommend that you keep it simple and limit it to 90 days. I see people in this business who have been training the same individuals for years. I think that's too long. That's not how you establish momentum. To keep your motivation high, you need to get momentum going quickly. Being in this business for longer than a year without momentum will drive you nuts, and you won't have a success story to share with your new recruits. When you have momentum, everything becomes easier.

To build momentum and avoid wasting time and energy, I look for three ingredients in a person before I will start working closely with them:

1: They need to have a burning desire to change and succeed.
2: They need to develop good work habits and a positive attitude.
3: They need to be prepared to invest in their training, leads, and
marketing costs, and they need to be teachable.

In return for their investment of time and resources, I will supply them with my leadership, direction, and support. I'll assist them closely for 90 days. I will not do the building for them. I will not stack downline, as it makes people lazy and is not duplicatable. I'm available for three-way calls and personal consultations.

There's one key phrase that applies to the Production Phase, and that is All-Out Massive Action. You need to be willing to sacrifice the little things in life for what is truly important.

Treat network marketing as a business, and keep it simple, easy, magical, and duplicable.

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist an author, mentor and trainer to the home business industry.

Reach out- add a personal touch.

There are so many things that hold people back from success, and they are almost without exclusion, related to fear.

The people who acknowledge the fear, and do it anyway, are the people who end up with the most success.

This week, while working with some of my team members, I have encountered a very real fear that seems to be much more prevalent than I initially thought.

The fear of connecting with people.

My training with team members includes how to develop a connection with the people you want to work with. It involves picking up the phone and speaking to that individual. A relationship of trust is developed in person, and that is a very valuable thing.

The internet has automated much of our business, and given people the opportunity to expand a business in the global arena, and that is great, but the people you attract on the internet are attracted to a capture page, or really great ad copy. There is absolutely no reason for them not to move on to the next best thing. The key to your success, and theirs, will be the personal touch.

Let me give you an example. One of my team members has a very good personal website. His site talks about his success in the industry and how he can help you find the same success. It is a very compelling site. Yesterday, he received an email from a gentleman who had happened across this website. In the email, the gentleman shared a little about his life and work, lack of time freedom, etc, and asked for help to get out of that grind. My team member asked how he should proceed, and of course, my answer was, "Pick up the phone, and call him right away."

That reply was met by silence. Then he asked, "Why couldn't I just send him a link."

EEK!! This man took the time to share some very personal things about his life, and desires. He took a step and reached out and asked for help. Now he needs to hear a voice. You can not develop a relationship exclusively over the internet. People receive hundreds, and in some cases, thousands, of emails in a week. There is nothing to distinguish your email from the others. The Internet is a really great place to make an initial contact, but my business partners need that personal connection in order to align themselves with me and my mission. They need to have a reason to continue in the face of challenges. They need to be able to ask a question, get an answer, and then ask another question. They need to be able to hear the sincerity in their voice, and find a connection. None of these things can be done effectively without picking up the phone.

Fear of picking up the phone is much more prevalent than I initially thought, and is of course, directly tied to the fear of rejection. How do you help someone overcome that fear?

First, you need to understand that MOST people are more than happy to hear from you. I personally make, on average, 20 cold calls a day, and very very rarely have someone hang up or get upset. I am not emotionally attached to the reaction I receive. Let me ask you this... Would you hang up or get upset, if someone called your home? Well of course, some of you answered yes to that, but I am willing to bet most people said, "No, of course not." Human beings are a very social species, and we have been taught manners, (well most of us, anyway :-) ), and most of us enjoy hearing a pleasant friendly voice.

If you are someone who has a hard time picking up the phone, how do you overcome that?

Here are a few strategies to help you get started.

First of all, Know what you want to say, and start the call by giving your full name. I even go as far as telling people where I live.
"Hi Mary, this is Shelley Penney calling from New Brunswick, Canada."
Ask permission, "Do you have a moment?" If they say no, "I am not going to keep you long, is there a better time that I can call?"

"Mary, you recently filled out a survey on-line about working a business from home. I was wondering what you had in mind the day you filled that out."

Now there are several points about that sentence that are important enough to mention. I do not make the mistake of asking, "Are you still interested." I do not want people to have the opportunity to say NO. The fact is, they may not be interested right this minute, but later today, they may be interested again.

I also want to take them back to the moment thay filled out the form, and remember what it was that appealed to them. This will give you valuable insight into what they are actually looking for, and what will motivate them to look at, and/or work with, your company.

After that introduction, I just relax, and be myself. I allow the conversation to take place in a friendly, non-pretentious way. Whether the person on the line is interested in what I have is of absolutely no concern to me. I am not attached to the answer, what-so-ever. I am just having a conversation. This helps me determine if this person is someone I actually want to work with, as well. The fact is, I don't want "just anybody" in my business, and neither should you. I only want people that I like, because ultimately, I am going to be working very closely with this individual to help them grow a business. I want to work with people that I can respect, and will respect me.

Do not allow yourself to become emotionally attached to the answer. If someone hangs up, or says "no" to what you are offering, that has absolutely no bearing on your business. It is not the result of one phone call that will determine your success. It is the daily activity of exposing your business to many people that will ultimately bring results, and the fact is, you are never going to see that person again, if they do not become a part of your business. Whatever they say on the phone in a few minutes, has absolutely nothing to do with you.

Have more phone numbers than you can reasonably call in a session. There is a specific psycological strategy behind this. If you only have 2 people to call, then of course, the answer they give you is going to be much more important than if you have a list of a hundred people to call. You will be less emotionally attached to the reaction, if you are not hanging all your hopes in one place.

Don't feel like you have to have all of the answers before you pick up the phone. It is really OK to say, "That is a good question. I will find out the answer to that and get back to you." In fact, people will respect that so much more than if you bluster your way through, and give an answer, that later turns out to be incorrect.

If you have made a successful call, and you feel good about it, make one more call. Your feeling of success will carry through to the second call, and you will get amazing results.

The bottom line is, while the internet is a great way to meet people, your friends will follow you to the ends of the earth, and your internet business partners will be on to the next big thing. I choose to work with friends.

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist an author, mentor and trainer to the home business industry.

Put the "network" back in Network Marketing.

Every successful business must have customers.

By it's very definition, Network Marketing is about moving a product through your network. The product in this case is two-fold. There is the physical product that your company distributes for you to sell, and there is the business itself.

Whether you want to be a retailer of product, or a recruiter for your business, you need to have an ever expanding network of people to present either your retail product, or the business to.

When I am working with, and training, people to be successful in this business, the one question I ask is this, "How many new people have you spoken with today?

The answer to this simple question will tell me just about everything I need to know about how I can help this person move forward.

Picture the following scenarios:

Mary, "I am having a hard time selling product"
How many new people did you talk to today?

Peter, "My team isn't growing the way I would like it to."
How many new people did you talk to today?

John, "I would like to be earning $2000 a week."
How many new people did you talk to today?

Ellen, "I don't know what to say to people on the phone."
How many new people did you talk to today?

George, "I want to grow an international business."
How many new people did you talk to today?

Maria, "I have 3 new business partners this week!"
How many new people did you talk to today?

Allison, "I sold $800 in product this week!"
How many new people did you talk to today?


Well, you get the picture.

Based on the answer to this question, I know which areas I need to focus on for training. If my team member is talking to many people a day, and not getting the results I would expect, then this person may need training in the area of presentation. If she is talking to only a few people a day, and getting a sale or a new business partner with every call, then I can learn from her techniques, and perhaps have her do training with the rest of the team.

I work my business full-time. I have a personal goal to speak to 20 new people every single day, 5 days a week. This is completely aside from follow up calls, and team member coaching. New people are people I have not spoken to before about the business or product.

For my business partners who want a part time business, I recommend they speak to no less than 5 new people every single day.

There are an unlimited number of ways that one can find new people to speak to. The bottom line is, whether you are buying leads generated by a reputable lead firm, or generating your own leads through personal or internet contact, you need to make sure you have a steady stream of new people to speak to.

Talking to new people every day helps you grow in so many ways. You have an opportunity to develop interpersonal skills. You can refine your phone technique, develop relationships, gain confidence, try out new scripts. All of things require practise, and through new people you gain valuable experience and insight into your own character, and others.

You learn what works for you and what doesn't, and you also learn much about others, and how different people accept or reject what you are saying. The only way you can gain this valuable experience is by talking with new people.

Success in Network Marketing requires that you have a steady stream of new people to speak to. Put the "NETWORK" back into network marketing, and watch your business grow!

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Get motivated, Quit Worrying...

And Beat Sales Calls reluctance!

Well, I am back from a wonderful weekend, rejuvenated and refreshed.

This article helped me focus! I found it at http://businessbyphone.com. A great site with some wonderful tips for people who do business over the phone.

We all have those "Why me?" days or a case of the blahs
every once in a while -- especially during periods of sustained
prospecting. The key to sales success is keeping your sales
call reluctance temporary and controlling how you snap out
of your mini-funks.

Here are some ideas on combating occasional bouts of
sales call reluctance:


Do things differently
Nothing tastes good when it's stale. Walk down the
same path of grass repeatedly, and you'll kill the grass.
If you continue, you'll create a rut.

Make a list of all the ways you do your job, and then
write down how you could improve your work. It's amazing
how changing your perspective can freshen things up and
help you dig out of your sales call reluctance.


Trade tapes of your sales calls with other reps and managers.
The best reps I've ever associated with are always improving themselves;
they're never satisfied with their level of expertise. And they tape themselves.
Listening to your own tapes is great, and it's a good idea if you are looking
to improve your phone skills. But the most beneficial move is opening
yourself up to being evaluated by others.

Oh, I know most people will dismiss this idea. And I also know most
people aren't even close to earning the money they could if they would
put forth more effort.


Refuse to be rejected.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without
your consent." Likewise, no one can reject you without your consent.
If you approach every call with the minimum objective of learning
something from the call, you'll at least accomplish that regardless
of the outcome. Keep in mind that if you didn't have a "yes" going
into the call, you won't lose anything if you get a "no."


Why not do your very best?
To paraphrase Brian Tracy: If you're going to do something anyway,
why not commit to doing it the best way you possibly can? I'm
astounded by the stories of how people will spend hours in line to
see the opening of a movie, or be the first one in line when the stores
open on the day after Thanksgiving. Just think about what you could
accomplish if you applied a fraction of that same passion and energy
to your career.


Don't create difficulty.
After all these years, I'm still perplexed by the salespeople who
create prospect resistance every time they pick up the phone.
Yet they keep doing it. Gosh, even lab animals voluntarily quit
doing things that hurt after a few repetitions. Many sales reps
are ill-prepared or suffer from sales call reluctance, muttering the
same guaranteed resistance-inducing openings and go-nowhere
questions every time.

A participant at one of my recent Telesales Rep Colleges summed
it up nicely: "It seems to me it's really not that hard to do the right
things on the phone, as opposed to the wrong things that keep
getting doors slammed in your face." Bingo. That's the revelation
all successful sales reps have at some point -- like putting on
glasses for the first time after living with bad vision.


Think larger.
How do you know what you can't do? I'm not talking about
what you think you can't do; those are the self-imposed limitations
you've been believing until now. There's very little you're not capable
of doing -- as long as you really try. So set a larger target for
yourself and say, "Why not?" You'll realize what you've been
missing, and you'll be more motivated as you pursue your goal.


Feed your mind.
Often, people are depressed and are reluctant to place sales
calls. They have the same old negative thoughts running through
their minds like a tape stuck on "replay." Breaking out is not that
hard to do; you just need to put your mind in a more positive mood.

Buy some self-improvement books, take them home and get to
work on your mind. After reading a few pages, start creating an
action plan. It's impossible for your mind to be preoccupied with
negative thoughts when you're focused on positive action.


Hang with achievers.
You've probably read or heard that humorous quote, "It's tough
to soar with eagles when you hang around with turkeys." Think
of some of the most successful people you know, those you really
admire. I would bet they don't regularly blame others or circumstances
for things that go wrong. Achievers exude a positive attitude, and
it's infectious. Go catch it!




This Tip came from "How To Sell More, In
Less Time, With No Rejection," two-volume book set.
In these 500+ pages, Is covered every type of telesales
and prospecting call, with plenty of word-for-word examples
of what to do, and avoid, including numerous case studies
like this one. This will be the best $59 investment you
can make in your future sales and commissions, and
help you avoid resistance-inducing mistakes you might
not even realize you're making!
See more information; HERE

Remember the important things in life.

I am in danger of becoming a working machine!!

I love what I do SO much, that I have some very compelling reasons to work continuously!

It's because when I am working, it doesn't feel like work. I absolutely LOVE talking to new people on the phone. I LOVE teaching others to search for their success. I LOVE learning about the success stories in the industry, and my own company, listening to motivational tapes, devising a new training program, showing my products, marketing on the internet.

It is the love of what I do that makes my feet hit the floor every morning. It is NOT the promise of riches down the road that drives me. It is simply the sheer pleasure of the work!

I embrace the challenges as much as I relish the successes.

I feel myself getting stronger, more confident, and happier every day. My career is like a magnet that draws me closer!

HOWEVER today is Saturday. The sunshine is strong and clear, the birds are singing, my family is preparing a picnic, and the river is calling.

Today will only happen once, and I am going to enjoy it to the fullest!
I will return rejuvenated, with a healthy summer glow, and feeling refreshed from the crisp country air.

The days I spend, together with my family, are important too. They are my "why", the reason that I work with focus and determination.

I've worked hard this week, and what better reward then to enjoy time with the people who matter most.

I will return energized and focussed, and ready to handle the challenges that come my way.

Remember the important things in life

Don't use your family as an excuse to not succeed, use them as a reason to excel!

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

If You Don't Have a Home-Based Business, Start One Today!

By Sandy Botkin

The last decade may have been a decade of tremendous corporate profits and economic growth, but for the vast majority of North Americans, the 90's were a dismal, uphill climb. And many economists believe that this new millennium won't be getting better any time soon.

Why?

Changing business and government attitudes are the reason. There has seemingly been more anti-business legislation in the last decade than in any other this century. Stronger employment and labor laws, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Comprehensive Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA, which includes mandating health insurance for workers for a period of time after they leave employment), safety laws, much tougher laws for discharging workers, more liabilities for lawsuits, Family Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (which is creating immense numbers of lawsuits), along with higher minimum wages and fringe benefits.

Just reading this list is exhausting.

While these acts have beneficial and protective aspects, they have also encouraged businesses to move their facilities. That "sucking sound" popularized by Ross Perot is not just down to Mexico, but elsewhere as well. The result has been a dramatic loss of heavy industry in the U.S.

The young and the middle-aged alike are realizing that their dream of "having a job with a company forever" is an illusion. Companies have been downsizing, rightsizing, and capsizing for some time now, and they continue to do so-more now than ever before. Even the federal and state governments are getting into the act with layoffs and attrition of jobs.

In addition to all this uncertainty and mutual lack of loyalty between companies and employees, even the workers who do keep their jobs have no guarantee of promotions due to the shrinking number of management positions. These circumstances aggravate the already tryingly long commutes in rush hour traffic and increasingly typical frustrated boss-spelled backwards, that double S-O-B.

Finally, if all this isn't bad enough, under recent tax laws employees are shafted more than ever with limits and thresholds for their employee deductions and higher social security tax limits. This results in more couples working than ever before and, on many occasions, working more than one job. It is now almost impossible to have only one job in the family and make ends meet! Today, many households need three incomes just to survive.

Sadly, even having more than one job does not produce any major positive effect on most people's bank accounts. Why? Because of tax laws. This was well illustrated in 1994 by Jane Bryant Quinn in her Woman's Day article on "How to Live on One Salary."

Where The Money Goes

Ms. Quinn's example assumed that a man was earning $40,000 per year. His wife (we will call her Lori) wasn't working. They had more month than money. (Sound familiar?) Lori subsequently got an administrative job for $15,000 per year. You would think this would improve the family's financial situation, but when Ms. Quinn examined the economics of getting this extra income, the results were startling!

Lori had to pay federal and state taxes on her new income. Since they filed jointly, the family's combined income was what established their tax bracket. She paid $4,500 in new taxes, most of which was non-deductible, for federal and state income tax.

Lori had social security withheld from her paycheck at the rate of 7.65 percent, which amounted to an additional nondeductible amount of $1,148 being extracted from her salary. She also had to commute to work 10 miles a day round trip, which is probably conservative for most people. This resulted (in 1995) in nondeductible commuting costs of $696.

Lori also had some child care expenses, which give a partial tax credit. Ms. Quinn figured that the amount spent over and beyond the tax credit was $4,250 per year.

Lori also ate out each day with colleagues, spending an average of $5 per day, five days a week. This results in a nondeductible expense of $1,250 per year. (I would love to know where she ate for only $5!)

Now that Lori has a job, she has to have professional clothing, this means a hefty dry cleaning bill. Ms. Quinn assumed that Lori's increased expenses here amounted to an extra $1,000 per year, nondeductible, of course.

Finally, with both spouses working, Lori wasn't in the mood to cook dinner every night. They bought more convenience foods and ate out more frequently. This resulted in increased food costs of a nondeductible $1,000 per year in minimum.

Add it all up and Lori's take home pay was a paltry $1,156 a year, for which she had to put up with a daily commute, an unpleasant boss, and corporate hassles.

No wonder more and more people are starting home-based businesses. In fact, there are currently an estimated 30 million people working from their homes. This number is expected to more than triple, to 97 million, by the year 2000, and to keep on growing. This has become and will continue to be one of the greatest mass movements in the U.S.

Why a Home-Based Business Makes So Much "Cents"

There are many reasons why so many people are favoring home-based over traditional business.

There is no commute (unless you have a really big home), no boss, little if any chance of lawsuits, much lower overhead, no employees, (or few), and far fewer government restrictions. In fact, many of the laws previously cited don't apply to small firms with few or no employees. It is for these reasons, according to Entrepreneur magazine, that 95 percent of home-based businesses succeed in their first year and achieve an average income of $50,250 per year with many earning much more.

There are really two sets of tax laws in this country. One is for employees, and it allows deductions for individual retirement accounts, 401(k)s (if you have one set up by your company), interest and property taxes on your home (which some in Congress want to do away with ), and charity. Then there are the laws for home-based business people who conduct their business either full-time or part-time. They can deduct, with proper documentation ,their house, their spouse, and even children (by hiring them), their business vacations, their cars, and their food with colleagues. They can also set up a pension plan that makes any government plan seem paltry by comparison.

For Lori-and for you - the meaning of all this is simple:

Lori earned $15,000 in salary as an employee, but took home only $1,156. She could have netted the entire $15,000 had she earned it in a home-based business!

This is an increase of almost 13 times her take-home pay as an employee.

Notice that Lori is not spending dramatically more money than she is currently spending. She would eat out anyway, go on trips and drive her car the same as before. By having a home-based business, however, many of their expenses become deductible. This concept is known as "redirecting expenses." With a legitimate home-based business, she can now deduct some of the expenses that she is incurring anyway.

Renegade Strategy: If you don't have a home-based business, start one!

In addition to all the benefits mentioned above, Congress will subsidize you while you are growing your home-based business. If your home-based business produces a tax loss in the first year or so, you can use that tax loss against any other income you have. It can be used against wages earned as an employee, dividends, pensions, or interest income-or you can use the loss against your spouse's earnings if you file a joint return.

If the tax loss exceeds all your income for this year, no problem. You can carry back the loss two years and get a refund from the IRS for up to the last two years of income taxes paid, or you can carry over the loss twenty years. You read it right: You can offset up to 20 years of income!

Here's an example:

Mike earns $50,000 in a job with the government. If he starts a home-based business that generates a tax loss of 10,000, he only pays tax on $40,000.

Renegade Tip: You can never lose a properly documented business deduction as long as you run your legitimate business like a business with a bona fide business purpose and have an honest expectation of profit. Make also sure that all your expenses are ordinary and necessary and reasonable as noted in our Tax Advantage and Tax Strategy Program.

Renegade Strategy: Get LUCK-Labor Under Correct Knowledge.

Can You Succeed In a Home-Based Business? Research has constantly shown that it is rarely the business that determines success or failure. It is usually the business owner. Why does one person succeed and another fail at the same business?

Two words-Knowledge and Action.

Some people want the benefits of having their own business, but they don't take action. The result is business failure.

Then there are the people who are always working. They take action but still fail. The reason is that they are not taking the correct actions, the knowledgeable actions, that will bring the desired results. Again, business failure.

It's like drilling for oil. If you set up a drilling rig in your back yard, it is going to fail at producing oil unless your back yard is in Texas or Alaska. The same rig in a good field will produce a gusher, because it was placed where oil was known to exist.

The point is that most people who get excited about starting their own home-based business do so without all the necessary knowledge. Consequently, many people quit before they acquire, through experience, the knowledge they need, without realizing that they are getting substantial tax breaks. This leads to another strategy....

Renegade Strategy: Learn to duplicate the success of others.

Duplicating the strategy of others is much quicker and more effective than going to the school of hard knocks.

It is also known as modeling, which is well-illustrated by the way The McDonalds Corporation blazed a trail to success that many have since followed.

In the early 1950's McDonald's and other start-up companies discovered that they could grow many times faster than the conventional firms through franchising. Instead of the company investing millions of dollars to build new stores, they let independent franchises do it for them.

It seemed like a great idea, but at first no one figured out how to make it succeed on a consistent basis; therefore, the media attacked relentlessly and continually. News articles featured destitute families who had lost their life savings through franchising schemes. Virtually every state attorney general in the U.S. condemned the new marketing method. Some congressmen even tried to outlaw franchising entirely.

Over the years, however, Ray Kroc and his management team at McDonald's developed a turnkey franchise business team at McDonald's franchise. The newfound success-from the system-turned public perception of franchising around. Today, virtually every franchise business models-to some extent-the franchise business system created by McDonald's, making franchising one of the most respected ways of doing business in the world.

Modeling is simply learning what other successful people have done to achieve success in a specific area, and then doing the same thing. Someone said that "education is the shortcut to experience." With modeling, you literally leverage your own learning with the collective years of learning through experience of many others. Modeling the success of others saves both time and money and reduces frustration and stress.

The light at the end of the tunnel, for you and millions of others today, is the financial opportunity that starting your own business offers. If you have one going already, then make sure you are enjoying the many financial advantages to which your smart choice entitles you. The tax advantage alone can make a home-based business the single best financial move you could ever make.

Sandy Botkin is a CPA, attorney and former trainer of IRS attorneys nationwide. He lectures all over the nation on tax planning for self-employed and corporate taxpayers and can be seen in the big events with Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins and many others. He has been written up in Newsweek and in many other magazines. He is also a syndicated writer and noted author of this famed tape series “Tax Strategies for Business Professionals” and “Tax and Financial Strategies for Residential Real Estate.” To find out more about Sandy and his products, check out his terrific small business web site at: www.taxreductioninstitute.com or by calling his office at 301-972-3600 in Maryland.

Credibility !

Your marketing efforts depend on it.

Network or internet marketing success depends on credibility.
Your company's credibility of course is important, and that includes quality products, coupled with a good return policy, solid management principles, and a history of following through with solid pay plans for distributors.

Of course, those things are beyond your control. If you have chosen your company wisely, all you really have to worry about is your own personal credibility.

First of all keep in mind that today's consumer is becoming more aware of less than honest sales techniques. Surely you have heard the expression,
"Once bitten, twice shy".

If you want to succeed in your on- or off-line market, you need to prove that you are worthy. You can win your customers over with integrity and honesty. Just good old fashioned values that are every bit as important today as they ever were.

Let's examine ways to develop offline/online credibility.

• Outline your company or product benefits without the hype. Provide factual information that you can back up with testamonials, and documented proof.


• If someone asks a question that you don't know the answer to, don't make it up! Say, "That's a good question. Let me find out and get back to you." Then find it out. People understand that you might not have all of the facts at your fingertips, and as long as you know where you can get the answer, and get back to them within a reasonable amount of time, that's ok.


• Don't use questionable marketing techniques. One example that comes to mind is the "reverse marketing" technique that is currently being taught. In reverse marketing, someone sends you an ad and you reply with an ad of your own. Now I do not have a problem with this at all if the original ad was unsolicited. However, many people are being taught to go through classified ad sites etc, and send ads to people who have advertised there. The typical plea goes something like this...
  "I saw your ad online, and I have a question about your business. Could you call me at 555-7890." If you do call, the person then goes on to tell you about what they are selling. Can you see how this migth irritate someone???
  No matter how great the temptation might be, don't do it! Not only is it unethical, but it doesn't take long for word of mouth to ruin your reputation as a marketer.


• Provide good customer service. This is the key to return visitors. Call your customers, and ask them how they like your product. Listen to what they say. If they are thrilled, ask for a written testamonial. If they are less than thrilled, offer a solution to their problem. Do these calls with in 2 weeks from purchase.

There are many individuals and companies on the internet today who use questionable tactics to develop their database.

Don't fall into temptation!

If you want to build something that lasts, and has genuine meaning, "do unto others...." well you know the rest!

Set an example others would be [b]proud[/b] to follow.

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

When I was about 7 years old, I had a favorite dress. Oh I loved that dress. It was a rich tan colored velvet with cream colored knit sleeves. It came to just below my knees, had billowed out when I twirled around. I used to put it on and wear it around the house, feeling like a princess. When my mom put it away that winter's end, I was pretty upset, but she reassured me that when summer was over, she would bring it back out again.

That fall I remember standing by excitedly while she rooted around in the basement, looking for the "winter clothing" box. I quickly scooped up my dress before she had the box fully open and scurried up to my room to put it on.

Imagine the depth of my despair when I tried it on, only to discover it didn't fit anymore!

I had grown!

Mom tried to console me. She offered to take me to the store to get a new dress, but there was no dress like that one to be found. I mourned that dress for weeks!

I look back on that time and find it pretty funny now, but then it was the absolute end of my world. I didn't want to grow. I wanted the comfort and security of familiar things.

What I realize now is that living things MUST grow. If there is no growth, then there is no life.

This is significant. So many people grow physically, but never allow themselves to grow in other ways. I have returned to places I had moved on from years ago, only to find many of the same people doing the exact same things they were doing back then. They have taken their lives and wrapped them in the comfort and familiarity of things they know, in much the same way as I tried to wrap myself in the comfort and familiarity of that dress. They are still talking about the same things, eating the same foods, following the same routines. Oh, their children have grown, they have a little gray around the temples and maybe a little more or a little less around the middle, but everything else is exactly the same.

Have they really LIVED??

I have become a student of personal growth, and I have found over the years that I am much more open-minded, much more resilient, and much more excited than my stagnant counterparts.

Oh, I am sometimes afraid to try new things, just like everybody else, but I sure don't let THAT stop me!

"Learn to be comfortable with being a little uncomfortable"

This motto has served me well over the years. I have found that that which was once uncomfortable has become a part of my every day. Discomfort, shyness, mild fear.... these are emotions that we all experience. The thing that is so amazing is that it has always seemed when I am feeling the greatest discomfort from something, I reap the largest rewards.

8 years ago I walked away from a full-time 16 year career. I left behind my seniority, my training, and my pension to start a business from home. I think, aside from my choice of husband, it ranks as the single-most life changing moment ever.

Was I scared? You betcha!

I lost many nights sleep worrying about the decision. The day I walked in to the hospital and placed my resignation on my mangers desk, I thought I was going to faint. When my manager came to me later in the morning, and ask me if I wanted to change my mind, I wanted to say YES!

The first few months were tough. Nurses are in great demand, and I received job offer after job offer. My business wasn't up and running full steam, and I could feel myself waivering.

One night, I went in and sat next to my husband. I said, "Jim, I need your advice. I have received another job offer. I can work part-time or full-time. They want me so bad they will even let me choose my hours. I can work just mornings if I want to. Should I take it?"

My husband answered, "If you go back to nursing, your focus will be divided. When you are at your job, you will be thinking about your business, and when you are at your business you will be thinking about your job. You won't be happy, and neither will get the effort they deserve. You made a decision, and going back will not be the same."

I out-grew another dress!

I poured my heart into my business, and before I knew it I was achieving mare than I ever dreamed possible. After a year I was able to take my children and husband to Florida, to visit Disney world, something we had never been able to do when I worked a traditional job.

In the process, I learned a lesson that propels me to this day. Nothing good in life comes without risk and sacrifice. It is ALWAYS easier to "toe the line", and stick with the comfort, but in the end, you could miss out on so much.

A little bit of fear is sometimes a sign of greatness just around the bend!

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Staying positive in a negative world.

Have you ever been in a great mood, called a friend to share, and got off the phone feeling like you wanted to kill yourself??

You know.... that friend who's cat is always sick. The same one who gets to the front of the bank line just as the teller goes for lunch, her satellite dish loses the signal seconds before her daughter's televised choir concert. The same one who complains that she can never get a good meal, never has enough money, never has anything good to say about anyone.

If you have, then you know how someone else can affect your own frame of mind if you let them
Here is a sobering fact for you....You become like the 10 people you spend the most time with

In our daily lives we are constantly bombarded with negativity. The war in Iraq, the murder (s!) in New York, the child abduction in Toronto, not to mention all of the daily "you shouldn't...., you couldn't..., and you won't s" that people throw at us all day long.

It is important to realize that you have a choice in all things.

You choose your friends, you choose to watch the news, you even choose how you react to certain things.

It is a proven fact that people who are happy live longer, and stay healthier than their negative counterparts.
What you think about, you bring about

Here are some things you can do that will keep you smiling in the face of such overwhelming odds.

read a motivational story every morning, sing out loud (and off key), smile when you answer the phone, act silly, go for a walk, hang out with happy people, turn OFF the news (someone will let you know what you need to know), help a customer find the right product for them, pick someone who is happy and "act" like them for an hour every day, call someone who makes you smile, go to the park and watch children play, say goodmorning to a stranger, pay for the order behind you in the Tim Horton's drive through, listen to a motivational speaker on CD, attend your company's training calls or meetings, enjoy the smell of food cooking, read a child a story...make your voice change with the different characters, wave at a trucker on the highway,

It is amazing to me how your life can change by just changing your attitude a little. Joyfullness is contagious, and you will find that the effort becomes habit after a while. Pretty soon, you are feeling better, the sun is shining more, you are making more money, you are enjoying life.

Looking for the good means that you are sure to find it.

Some people might tell me that I am not being realistic... after all NOTHING is great all the time. But I just smile. I would rather be in cheerful oblivion than stark reality anyday!

You can start purposefully CHOOSING your life today. I am positive that nothing but good will come from it!

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

Cultivate relationships!

I am a firm believer of building, not burning, bridges.
If you agree with this philosophy, you will love the following article by
Jeff Keller.
To receive a monthly motivation newsletter from Jeff,
go here. http://www.attitudeiseverything.com/


Networking That Gets Results

Much of the motivational literature and many seminars focus on individual effort as the key to success. Take responsibility, they say. Develop a positive attitude. Set goals. Move into action. All of this, of course, is great advice. But only to a point.

While your success certainly starts with you, it grows to higher levels as a result of your relationships with people. Simply put, you won't succeed on a grand scale all by yourself.

That's why networking is so important. For the purposes of this article, let's define this term as the development of relationships with people for the mutual enhancement of our personal and professional lives. Networking is a way to get leverage on your own efforts and accelerate the pace at which you attain results. After all, the more solid relationships you build, the greater your opportunities for success.

To build an effective network:

1. Project a winning attitude. This is a given. If you are positive and enthusiastic, people will want to be around you and to help you. If you are gloomy and negative, others will avoid you.

2. Participate actively in groups and organizations. Effective networking and relationship‑building takes more than paying dues, putting your name in a directory and showing up for meetings. You must demonstrate that you will take the time and make the effort to contribute to the group. Therefore, volunteer for committees or serve as an officer. This shows people your ability to work as a team player and helps to reveal and develop your skills.

3. SERVE OTHERS in your network. This is the absolute key to building and benefiting from your network! You should always be thinking, How can I serve? instead of What can I get? If you come across as desperate or as a "taker" rather than a "giver," you won't find people willing to help you. Going the extra mile for others is the best way to get the flow of good things coming back to you.

4. Be a good listener. In your conversations, focus on drawing other people out. Let them talk about their careers and interests. In return, you will be perceived as caring, concerned and intelligent.

5. Call people from time to time without a hidden agenda. Ever hear from an old friend who supposedly phones just to say hello, but then gets to the "real" reason for the call? How does that make you feel? To avoid being perceived in this way, take five minutes each day and call one person in your network simply to ask how he or she is doing and to offer your support and encouragement.

6. Take advantage of everyday opportunities to meet people. You can make excellent contacts just about anywhere ... at the gym or on line at the market. You never know from what seed your next valuable relationship will sprout.

7. Treat every person as important -- not just the "influential" ones. Don't be a snob. The people you meet (whether or not they're the boss) may have a friend or relative who can benefit from your product or service. So, when speaking to someone at a meeting or party, give that person your undivided attention. Don't gaze around for "more important people" to talk to.

8. At meetings and seminars, make it a point to meet different people. Don't sit with the same group at every gathering. While it's great to talk with friends for part of the meeting, you'll reap greater benefits if you make the extra effort to meet new faces.

9. Ask for what you want. By helping others, you've now earned the right to request assistance yourself. Don't be shy. As long as you've done your best to serve those in your network, they will be more than willing to return the favor.

10. When you receive a referral or helpful materials, ALWAYS send a thank you note or call to express your appreciation. Follow this suggestion only if you want to receive more referrals and more useful information. If you don't acknowledge that person sufficiently, he or she will be much less likely to assist you in the future.


Remember that networks are built over time and that significant results usually don't show up immediately. So be patient! Build a solid foundation of relationships and continue to expand and strengthen them. You'll have to "put in" a lot before you begin reaping the big rewards.

Now, go ahead! Select a few of these networking techniques and implement them right away. Get to work serving and improving your network. Then you will truly have an army of troops working to help you succeed!



-- Jeff Keller © Attitude is Everything, Inc.

The Ten Commandments of MLM Recruiting

- by Doug Firebaugh


1) Thou Shalt Recruit through Your prospects eyes.

So many times when we are trying to recruit, online or offline, we do not take the time to see what our prospect is seeing. Your prospect is looking through THEIR eyes, not yours, and has no clue to how you see things...the only thing that matters to them is how THEY see things...and the recruiters who take the time to learn what their prospect is looking for, what is important to them, and what isn't, will have huge success. Your prospect has a dream for their life, and you must look through that "dream lens" of theirs, and see what they are looking to happen with their life, and show them how you can help them get it.

2) Thou Shalt Focus on Relationships, not just Distributorships.

Power Recruiters in this business understand that the Gold in this business is a long term relationship, not a short term distributorship. That is why most people cannot recruit...they are focused on a paycheck, not people...(CLUE!!!!!)Power Recruiters also know that people are more ATTRACTED to someone who cares about THEM FIRST- then the business. You must be a friend first, before you will ever get to second base...and what makes more sense?

Recruiting for a Long term retirement producing business, or a short term paycheck? If you focus on your prospect and learn about THEM as a person, not just as part of the process, you will find your results will skyrocket. Relationships are magnetic...Magnetize your Distributorship with Relationship Recruitng!

3)Thou Shalt Garner Leads Everyday.

Leads are the lifeblood to any distributorship. And most folks play the " Baking game" in recruiting. Instead of going out and getting new leads daily, they go out and hold onto their existing leads, and wait for them , like a cake in an oven, to bake and turn into HOT leads and ones that will come into their business. Are you a chef? or a leader? You MUST have a methodical plan and system to create and find leads daily, and to quit the "baking game"..which in reality is the "faking game"..you are faking at doing this business by holding onto leads that you hope will turn into prospects, even after a negative response, but never do. The Magic is in the Multiples....and the Lotto is in the List. Continue daily to get at least ONE MLM lead a day to create enough numbers to talk to that will create enough of a paycheck to talk about.

4) Thou Shalt Draw Them In.

When you recruit, you must draw your people into your "world"..We have a saying at PassionFire..."Meet them in their world, and then lead them to yours..."..What that means in order to attract and draw your prospect into your presentation or conversation, you must start in theirs ...Find out what is important to them, and the what they want out of life...then wrap your presentation around that. Ask lots of questions, and paint a picture with your words with them obtaining their dream....look them in the eyes, smile, touch their arm, nod your head, talk their language...don't get too technical...and meet them first where they are in life...and then take them to where you can lead them....that's Power Network Marketing Recruiting.

5)Thou Shalt Educate, not Regurgitate.

You must understand that Recruiting is an education process , not just informing and regurgitating facts. People want to learn...that is their nature when they are looking at doing something...but many folks "Dump" all they know on them, and suffocate them with Information, not education. Recruiting through an Education Focus is a process, step by step, not a Firehose program. And educating the prospect also is giving them the information they want to learn about, not just what you want to talk about.(CLUE!!!)Education is a whole less intimidating way to recruit too...all you say is..."I don't know if this is for you or not ...worse thing that could happen is you could learn something.."

6) Thou Shalt Communicate Hope, Possibilities, and Belief.

When you recruit, you should have a presence about you that screams Hope! Possibilities! Belief! And that is what you create in your words...."How would it feel to have total freedom?"...Imagine you obtaining that house you want for your family.."..." Wouldn't it be incredible if...".."Can you feel the joy with..'... All people are looking for more Hope in their life, the hope that life will turn out better than it is. All people are looking for more possibilities to increase and improve their life. And all people are looking for more belief that they are on the right track, and belief they can have a more richer and fulfilled life. You must create an environment of Hope, Possibilities, and Belief when recruiting. That "oxygen" will prove to be Explosive..

7) Thou Shalt Know the Fortune is in the Follow Up.

It does no good to make a presentation and do all the initial recruiting steps...if you don't Follow Up. Get this: Follow Up is where you get paid! The earlier steps are just leading up to it. If you want to create a fortune, create a system to follow up, and stick to it, and make it duplicatable as well. If you discovered a Gold Mine, you would want to finish digging and finding the gold vein. It's the same in the follow up. There is no paycheck with out a call back! (CLUE!!!!) The fortune is in the Follow Up...No Follow Up, no Check going Up!

8) Thou Shalt Not Close...But Navigate.

We teach "Navigators" to get the decision for the application...why? The last word in close..is Lose....and if a person doesn't close someone, they see that as a losing situation....how about navigating them to a decision that is right for them, and without pressure, help them make a decision that is right for their life...Can you be persuasive? Absolutely! but be mindful that if this business is truly NOT for them, they may know someone who it is for......What are Navigators? They are simply phrases that help guide the prospect to the finish line. They are Powerful, and deadly....

9) Thou Shalt Shake the Dust Off Your Feet.

The Greatest Teacher that ever lived told His Disciples "If a town doesn't find your message in accord...shake the dust off your feet...as a testament against that town...". Incredible advice! Understand these 3 things: ...Not everybody is for this business. ...There is no one blinder who can see, but won't. ...They aren't rejecting you, but themselves from success. If you carry with you all the negatives that you can get in this business, they become "Anchors' on your business. Release them and shake it off, and move forward. Look for people who are looking for you...

10) Thou Shalt Know the R.I.A.F.O.L. Rule.

What is that? It stands for Recruiting Is A Form Of Leadership. Period. Why is that True? ...You are asking someone to follow your lead into a business. ..You are asking someone to follow your lead into a business. ...You are asking someone to follow your lead about a product... ...You are asking someone to follow you into an unknown future.

And when you recruit, people are looking to FOLLOW you, not just sign up with you..(CLUE!!!!). They will be looking for Strength and Solidity in you and your direction and Leaderhip. The most Powerful recruiters in the world have a Leadership Presence and focus about them If you are not strong enough to follow, you will not be magnetic enough to join in Network Marketing.

Leadership is the secret to magnetic recruiting..You are asking someone to follow your lead...but first, you have to be worthy of following.

These are the Ten Commandments MLM Recruiting...use them and let them Empower your Business... Doug Firebaugh PassionFire Intl http://www.passionfire.com

People don't care how much you know....

...until they know how much you care.

Ah.... those words set me free !

You see, I work a home based network marketing business. I have become used to people over the years questioning my motives.
"You only want me to join so you can make money"
"You're only saying THAT so you can....."
"You just want to SELL me something...."
Oh and my favorite....."What are you getting out of this......"

Ok, so here'e the thing, and this comes straight from that place inside of me that only I can see.

I CARE.

I care about my customers. I want them to like their products, and get the results they expect. I honor my company's return policy, and I feel bad when my customer feels they need to return something. I follow up after a sale, to see how they are enjoying what they purchased.

I care about my company. I support their policies without complaint. I work hard to offer suggestions in areas that may be lacking. I freely provide my expertise to everybody whether they are on my team or not. I work with the people who have influence to bring their awareness to things I think could work better. I do not complain publicly EVER about my company or anybody else's.

I care about my industry. I deeply care that there are some unethical practices by people who just want their share. I care about the reputation of MLM as a whole. I care that there are people in other businesses that are floundering without support or a clear path. I care very much when an MLM company goes "under" because I know it affects a lot of people and their families.

Most of all, I care about my team. I lead by example, treat everybody with respect, teach what I know, and don't burden them with my problems. I don't gossip, ridicule or disregard their concerns.

You see, in this life, what you send out truly does come back 100 fold. People want to be treated fairly, they want to follow a leader who has their best interests at heart, they want to trust. Success carries a price, and it is important to realize that in network marketing, the price is responsibility to those who have placed their trust in you.

Do I need to make money?? Oh, absolutely! I have children, a mortgage and expenses just like everybody else. But I refuse to make money on the backs of the people who trust me. As a result, I have found success that many only dream of.

I was lucky enough, early in my career, to find someone who cared as much as I do, who taught me the skills and knowledge it would take to succeed, with patience and consistency. Now I have the priviledge of passing that knowledge on to a new generation of networkers.

Shelley Penney is a network marketing and internet marketing specialist with 7 years in the field. She is currently mentoring a small group of people to achieve financial freedom from home.

We're All "Self Made",

We're All "Self Made",
But Only Millionaires Seem To Admit That!
By Joe Schroeder

1: Failure is a privilege exclusive to people with grit in their crawl and who spit thunder. In other words, failure is singular to people who exercise their potential and work successfully until everything comes crashing down.

2: In plain English, failure is only for those who "build it up" and then watch it crumble.

3: Naturally, we could do a series of newsletters on how "failure" is really success. Because as the good book teaches us, there is always an equal seed of equivalent good (potential and opportunity) in all that we on the worldly plane perceive as failure. And there are those (including myself) who would prefer to erase the word failure from their vocabulary. And replace it with the working philosophy of "falling forward fast".

4: Nonetheless, because we have been conditioned from childhood about the meaning of failure and all that it represents, I believe this failure is a noteworthy subject. Especially when "failure" has become synonymous with MLM for the most part.

5: Case in point: Most Networkers would say that they have "failed" at network marketing.

6: Including me. And I've said that I have and did (fail) on numerous occasions and have retold many of my "struggling" stories on at least a half a dozen (6) of my MLM audio training tapes!

Most Networkers Never Even Get Within a Mile of Failing at MLM.

The Truth Is, Most Networkers Never Even Really Get Started!

7: But like I said, failure is an honor. And usually a reaction to extreme effort and concentrated discipline. And yet, the majority who dabble in MLM ultimately walk away from MLM or they hop from program to program saying how "that deal didn't work" and "how that one didn't work either", when all along, they never got started in the first place!

8: Which erases any notion or even ability of failure. Completely. It's like, how could a bridge collapse if it was never built in the first place?

9: At the same time though, it's become convenient for loads of Networkers to point a finger at MLM, like it was some dirty little sneak or something, because MLM "failed" them or "hurt" them in some way. When in fact they never even actually got started!

10: And listen, you know as well as I know that buying $500 in MLM marketing "tools" isn't any closer to true MLM or networking as is co-op advertising. Which I do both of. But neither of those marketing exercises is networking.

11:and yet, "Johnny" will join an MLM, mail out 1,000 audio tapes (the poor sap!), not even get two enrollee's, quit - and then say "I failed at MLM". Or how MLM is a scam.

12: The truth is, hanging a shingle out saying you're a doctor doesn't make you a doctor. You have to "practice" (work) to be a real doctor. And until you have enrolled at least 10 and built a downline of 50 you have never truly "networked" or for that matter, even ever failed!

Nature Has An Amazingly Simple System.
Here's How It Works: Use It or Lose It!

13: The world and universe is perfect. And we can witness its perfection through its perfect balance. For without its perfect balance there would be chaos. The planets would collide with each other, the sun would fry you until "crispy brown", and we'd all be drowned by the tides of the ocean.

14: Nonetheless, we live in a perfectly systematic universe. And if you doubt that, just peek out the door and think about that tree outside, that's over 40 feet tall that has stood erect for over 50 years.

15: Have you ever thought about that? Thought about how perfect and balanced trees are! Notice how even if they look slightly out of kilter, they are still perfectly symmetrical. That's because the apron of branches are used like the horizontal pole the tight rope walker uses to shimmy across his tight rope. For balance.

16: And when we look at tree's what we don't see are the roots. Which are in length and size to the direct proportion of the tree itself. For balance. And what we are looking at when we look at nature is perfect engineering.

17: Thus, when we look at man, we are also looking at perfection. And we are also looking at a living organism (man) that is looking for complete and total expression.

18: Just as a creek seeks a stream and stream looks to connect with a river and the river searches for the ocean. Always seeking total expression. Then, in perfect balance, the waters of the ocean raise to the sky. Only for one reason: So it can rain and redistribute the water and start all over again. Right back to the creek! Like I said. Engineering perfection.

19: As it is with man.

20: Oops, but wait. Wouldn't a "perfect thing" also have a system to eliminate the weak parts and faulty "switches and plugs" so to purge itself of impurities and rebuild itself?

21: Of course it does! So to keep out chaos and resume it's perfect balance.

22: That's why when man doesn't use his arm, it shrinks to a skinny stick-like limb.

23: That's why when a creature seldom moves, it becomes fat and lethargic. Ever see how fat cows are?

24: That's why when man seldom exercises his "balance" (of performance) he gets depressed, sullen and out of whack. Much like a "pool" of water. Ever smell a pond? Did you ever notice how smelly they are? Well, that's because it's out of "flow". And not cycling, circulating or in sync without anything around it.

The balance of failure is perfectly engineered, because it gives each of us a measuring device from which to monitor our balance with perfection and to determine our own weaknesses. So much so, that in every failure (seen as a defeat by "winners" and never a failure) there is an opportunity for correction, as Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln found out. With that being said, we can only define failure as one thing. A blessing in disguise!

Nature's Uncanny Ability To Push The Defeated To The Top

25: If you have been paying attention, studying history and mapping out the life stories of successful inventors, leaders of industry and star athletes, you will have noticed how nature has an uncanny ability to put people of ability, vision and persistence at the top of all organizations. But that honor never ever comes without the **price of money.

26: Which is the painful agony of defeat and failure. Early on.

27: Just as nature looks for the "strong to survive" (so they can lead and procreate), notice how nature doesn't allow a tiger or lion to feed until they have had eight to ten failed attempts at catching their six o'clock dinner. Which can take days on end.

28: Now look at man. Now look at who leads every and all organizations.

29: How could we classify them?

30: It's easy. Winners are always losers, failures and rejects. At first. "Out of the gate".

If You're a Bona Fide Networker,
Chances Are You're a Total Loser!

31: Just name someone. How about Sylvester Stallone, John F. Kennedy, Bill Gates, Colonel Sanders, Ray Kroc or how about Helen Keller, Janet Reno or Oprah Winfrey!

32: All losers right?

33: Ah, but the distinction and "greatness" they now have been identified with can be related to how well they organized their failure. Most people never really try anything, or if they do try, it's usually never (A) hard enough or (B) long enough. And even if they are trying, they aren't really "doing the thing" and instead simply getting ready to "do the thing". Any adult can put a bicycle together. But not everyone is ready to hop on and go for a ride!

Programmed For Success Through Organized Defeat

34: Success is really organized defeat. What successful losers have in common is their ability to program themselves for success. Even with chaos, defeat and failure all around them and applauding their every move. Just another defeat. But alas, the ultimate winner is the loser who uses his own personal initiative, imagination and definiteness of purpose to overcome the road blocks and pave themselves a highway to high achievement. But usually never without the agony of earlier defeat.

35: Remember, the engineer of the universe asks that leaders come forward to lead. So in it's search for those people, they must be tested first through defeat and second by persistence. That's why we hear, "never give up". People in the "know" know about organized defeat!

Learn To Use Defeat As A Weapon:
Either For Self Destruction or Survival

36: Failure is for the elite. And defeat is for people of action and people with discipline. And if you doubt that, just watch a beggar on the street or notice "couch potatos". You have to do the thing in order to measure any defeat. In other words, how can you say you "failed" at MLM if you have never enrolled five to ten people, grew a group of twenty or fifty and then LOST it all. I'm saying you can't. You can quit or be a quitter, but failure is reserved for the worthy.

37: What's more, failure as we have learned here, is not only a good thing, but a blessing! Because the winners then take the statistics and faulty actions and reverse or rearrange them for their own self elevation. Stop, just think about your self. What did you used to totally screw up and fail at, that you eventually measured, rearranged and succeeded at?

38: Now, in relation to network marketing this is what I'd ask you to do:

Do not see or entertain the notion of defeat until you have exhausted all possible avenues of activity. Failure to do so as outlined will breed procrastination and disbelief within yourself. And then resulting in self-destruction through lowered self-esteem. Known as depression.
Do not allow others to "get away" with telling you they failed. Winners won't usually waste your time with their own "trail of tears", because they are too busy celebrating all of their own successes. Which were born out of their defeats!
But alas, the weak will use their illogical and nonsensical notion of failure and their own defeat as an excuse for them to remain stagnate. So all you do is remind them, "Hey, did you ever have a working downline of 25 to 50 in your group"? And if they say no (and most will) simply ask them "then how can you measure whether you succeeded or won if you never truly did anything"? (Make sure they read this outline you are now reading)
Remind people and remind yourself that "failure is not an option" when organized defeat is within your re-programmed mind. And that failure is simply an acronym for quitting. And no one likes to be a "quitter". Read and highlight this report numerous times. Until you get it.
Network Marketing is not about ad co-cops, mailing postcards or anything to do with mail order prospecting. Instead, MLM is about people, relationships, leadership training and the subsequent duplication of that process. Nonetheless, some people foolishly will equate their (lack of) success as communicators and as "Networkers" and as "leaders" based on whether or not the ad "pulled" or whether or not they "pulled" a 2 or 3% response rate to their mailing list. Which is not only absurd, but a reversal of values. It's so silly isn't it?
What I'm saying is that you can not call yourself a failure until you quit. And you can't possibly (dare) say that MLM has failed you until you have exercised every possible avenue and worked MLM until the day you die. You just can't. And anything short of that is quitting.
What's so exciting then, is that with this outline here, we then can give ourselves the liberty of time (perseverance) and the honor of measured defeat. Which always, albeit not at first, leads to success. And that's good news worthy of discussion and worthy of sharing with the world. Which is my passion and which I am honored to share with you!
**Man does not work for money. Instead, man works for the freedom he can exercise through the accumulation of income. Which money can certainly buy. If you track backwards what money can do, starting from the end, which is the joy, it would look like this:
(5) Joy of service to family, friends and society
(4) sense of freedom
(3) better choices (
2) more time for recreation and novelty
(1) the accumulation of money.