27 MLM Prospects Later

by Michael S. Clouse

Sadly, it is often the most common story told in our business...

It seems "Mary" had been in four different deals (and I'm using that word—"deals"—correctly) before finding the Network Marketing Company of her dreams. The problem: Mary is trying to put together yet another warm market list—a list of at least 100 people for her to contact.

Warm market indeed! As our fictitious friend stares down at her yellow lined blank sheet of paper, she now understands what it feels like to be an official member of the NFL club—No Friends Left!

Frustrated with the knowledge that she has no one to contact, and with her sights still set on success, Mary heads straight towards a cold cruel market—that wild wintry world of advertising, cold calls and worst of all, those opportunity seekers' e-mail lists.

With no degree in marketing, no advertising experience, and without any knowledge of the right MLM prospecting tools, our friend Mary is doomed to fail. And the saddest part is, she will probably blame her downfall on our industry, her new company, or a lack of upline support.

But what if there was a better way?

Well, there is...

Years ago I discovered a great way to create a never-ending source of new MLM prospects while I was attempting to reserve a booth at a local trade show. Unfortunately, I was a little late and the show had already sold out. Interested in learning all I could, I decided to go anyway, do a little research and determine if the next event would prove a profitable possibility.

My goal was simple: Enter each booth, ask to speak with the person in charge, and start the conversation off letting them know I had tried to reserve space in the show, but it had already sold out. I asked them about the show: "Was this the first time they had exhibited here? Were the attendees just looking or were they buying?"

Then it hit me: What if, after a few questions and some general rapport building, I asked this question: "Do you think my company would do well at a show like this?"

"I don't know," would come their seemingly scripted reply, followed by an apparently pre-programmed, "What does your company do?"

Bingo! Got 'em! Hook, line and sinker—along with the chance to give my 30-second commercial 100 times in four hours. This was better than having a booth (and cheaper, too). Twenty-seven prospects later, I'd perfected the perfect MLM prospecting system. And, I might add, it has been working beautifully for years.

If you want more MLM prospects, set aside four hours, grab 10 bucks and your business cards, and check out an appropriate trade show in your area. Using this approach, you'll walk away with all the hot leads you can handle.

It Is Your Choice

By Tony Robbins - Take control of your decisions and your life with these strategies.

What is the single force that shapes the quality of our lives?

What power do we have that can change everything? As you and I both know, the answer is the power of choice.

During the past 30 years I’ve had the privilege of working with an incredibly diverse group of people, from presidents of countries to professional athletes, from managers to moms, from gang members to high-powered business executives.  I’ve had the unique opportunity to see people in the midst of real challenges, whether it’s the professional athlete who wants to regain his competitive edge, the business leader who wants to expand her influence or the political leader who struggles with a difficult decision.  I may not have all the answers (who does?), but after working with so many people and observing the patterns that make them succeed or fail, one thing I am sure of is this: It is our decisions, not our conditions, that determine the quality of our lives.

Take a look at your own life. Are you where you want to be?  Are you as healthy or financially secure or as happy in your relationships as you would like to be?  Or, even if things are going well, are you looking for that extra edge to retain the competitive advantage?  Perhaps you feel that in spite of your success, there’s more out there for you, but for some reason, you haven’t grasped it yet.  Your first instinct may be to blame the economy, or the housing market, or someone who has treated you unfairly.

Before we go any further, we need to understand that we are where we are today because of the decisions we’ve made, decisions about what to focus on, decisions about where to place our priorities, decisions about what things mean and decisions about what to do.  For example, if your business or career has been affected by the recession, do you feel that you are being punished or challenged to find a new path?  What are you going to do about it?  Are you going to give up or give more?  No matter what we have experienced in the past, our history is not our destiny, we all have the power to make new decisions today.

Here’s another way to look at it: Success is a result of good judgment; good judgment is a result of experience, in most cases. And what about experience? Yes, experience is most often a result of bad judgment.

So here’s the good news: The experience gained from bad judgment and bad decisions is unbelievably valuable, it’s priceless!  So don’t waste time beating yourself up over poor decisions you’ve made; learn from the experiences.  Really, failure is actually one of the best ways we learn.  When people succeed, they celebrate.  When they fail, they ponder.  They stop and think, What happened here?  What could I have done differently? It’s only through self-evaluation that we learn how to make better decisions.  So, when you make mistakes, learn from them; use your experience to improve your judgment and make better decisions.

The Path to Freedom—Financial or Otherwise
We’re living in extraordinarily difficult times.  Every day we read about and experience more challenges, often related to things we can’t control, whether it’s the economy, the environment or unemployment.  We can allow the stress and uncertainty caused by these events to overwhelm us or we can transform our lives by making different decisions.

One of the decisions we can make is to live with a mindset of abundance.  What I mean by this is if we live as though wealth has more to do with what’s in our minds than what’s in our wallets, if we understand that how we feel is more important than what we have, we can discover an immense sense of freedom and happiness.

Think about it: Do you know anyone who has a lot of money but doesn’t feel free, doesn’t feel loved, doesn’t feel like he has a choice?  Sure you do.  You may even feel that way yourself.  That feeling happens when you’re not in control of your emotions because you’re looking for someone or something external to fill internal needs.

I don’t care what you’ve achieved or how much money you’ve earned, if you live with an attitude of scarcity and limitation, if you wait for someone or something else to fulfill you, you’re not going to be happy.  You must make the decision to live with a mentality of abundance, and you will experience true freedom.

It’s Your Time
Everything that happens in your life - what you’re thrilled with and what you’re challenged by - began with a decision. Your life is the outcome of the decisions you’ve made and the actions you’ve taken as a result of those decisions.  Different decisions produce different results.

If you want to control the direction of your life, you must consistently make good decisions.  It’s not what you do once in a while that has an impact on the direction of your life - it’s what you do consistently.  Make decisions today about how you are going to live in the years to come.  For your decisions to really make a difference in your life it’s imperative to decide what results you’re committed to - and know specifically how these results will transform your life.  It’s equally critical to decide what kind of person you’re committed to becoming.  Get clear about what you want to be, do and have, and what your life will be like after you accomplish this.  With that clarity, you’ll find it becomes easier to make the kinds of decisions that will move you in the direction you desire.

What are your standards? What will you demand from life?  Decide today if you’ll accept life as it is or if you’ll live your life on your own terms, at the edge and at the highest level.

The Time is Now

By Les Brown

In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact. Unfortunately, far too many people are allowing those opportunities to slip away without ever noticing them. Why? Because they either burn out, reach a plateau or find themselves stuck in a rut. Before they know it, minutes have turned into hours, hours into days, days into months, and months into years of lost chances. I call it "The Curse of the Comfort Zone." It sounds like the title of a horror movie, but it's a real-life epidemic that's keeping many people from rising to greatness. Fortunately, there are solutions that will help you crown every day with that "first day" freshness, enthusiasm and determination.

Just for a moment, think back on some of the finest "first days" you've had in life; your first day on any job, at a new school, in a budding relationship. You could feel that adrenaline rush as you surveyed new opportunities and savored every magical moment. Your passion was to be the best and brightest and you made every effort to remember key details. You looked for opportunities to shine and be innovative. Unfortunately, as time passed, you may have lost some of your jump-start enthusiasm. Boredom replaced energy; clutter replaced fresh ideas and humdrum routines replaced creativity. You went from having pep in your step to not wanting to get out of bed.

How do you rekindle and keep that "first day" focus and enthusiasm? Consider these solutions:

Remember, Every Day Is a Gift to You: The best gifts are those we not only cherish but put to use. Each day is a gift filled with opportunities to rise above fear, self-doubt and mediocrity to fulfill our purpose. Make each day count by setting specific goals to succeed, then putting forth every effort to exceed your own expectations.

Use the Power You Already Have: We were all born with a certain degree of power. The key to success is discovering this innate power and using it daily to deal with whatever challenges come our way. Don't wait for others to open doors for you. People in the most-dire circumstances have found innovative ways to open doors to freedom, education and business success by creating their own force fields. Make a conscious effort to find your power source, use it to fuel your passion, and release the greatness within you.

Stay Alert: When you ignore new opportunities, you open the door to boredom, resulting in complacency and lack of growth. Open your eyes and see yourself as a go-getter with the power to turn "no" into a "yes." Be determined to blaze trails that will take you where no one has gone before.

Determination Finds Many Ways to Succeed: Many people become discouraged when they encounter difficulty in reaching their goals. However, most highly successful people didn't reach their goals without obstacles. Their golden achievements came only after having doors closed in their faces, dreams derailed by mistakes and setbacks, and naysayers constantly telling them they weren't good enough. However, the difference between those who have won and those who have thrown up their hands in defeat is often in the level of persistence. In tough times, the winners have drawn on that incredible resolve every human being possesses and stood firm against the odds. If you encounter a roadblock, think of a dozen ways to get around it and take action. Remember, there's more than one road to success.

Improve Yourself Constantly: As the global marketplace changes, we must stay abreast of what's going on, and constantly improve our knowledge and skills to meet demands. Each day, make a commitment to be better, more knowledgeable, and more in touch than you were yesterday. Periodically enroll in classes or access self-help toolkits that will help you to improve yourself.

Actions for Today and Tomorrow: Going forward, here are three steps to take in the next 48 hours that will help you treat each day like your first day in business:  At the end of each day, keep a journal of your accomplishments for that day and the things you need to improve. Pat yourself on the back for your good points and make immediate plans to improve any weaknesses you note. This will help you to stay focused on your goals and what you need to do to reach them.

As you begin each workday, see yourself as a true champion. Visualize yourself speaking positively and confidently, walking or sitting with good posture, remembering names and details, and receiving praise and rewards for your efforts.

Keep a highly visible plaque, picture or inspiring quote in your workplace that reminds you of your purpose and why your work is important. It should be a visual so powerful that it will inspire you each time you see it. This reminder will help you to maintain that fresh "first day" focus as you press toward your goals.

7 Tips to Boost Your Sales

By Brian Tracy

Tip number 1: Get serious! Make a decision to go all the way to the top of your field. Make a decision today to join the top 10%. There is no one and nothing that can hold you back from being the best except yourself. Remember, it takes just as long to be great as to be mediocre. The time is going to pass anyway. Your job is to commit to excellence, to get better and better each day, and to never, never stop until you reach the summit.

Tip number 2: Identify your limiting skill to sales success. Identify your weakest single skill and make a plan to become absolutely excellent in that area. Ask yourself, and your boss, “What one skill, if I developed and did it consistently in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my sales?” Whatever your answer to this question, write it down, set a deadline, make a plan, and then work on it every day. This decision alone can change your life.

Tip number 3: Get around the right people. Get around positive, successful people. Associate with men and women who are going somewhere with their lives. And get away from negative, critical, complaining people. They drag you down, tire you out, distract and discourage you, and lead you inevitably to underachievement and failure. Remember, you cannot fly with the eagles if you continue to scratch with the turkeys.

Tip number 4: Take excellent care of your physical health. You need high levels of energy to sell effectively, and to bounce back from continual rejection and discouragement. Be sure to eat the right foods, get the right amount of exercise and get plenty of rest and recreation. Make a decision that you are going to live to be 80 years old, or more, and begin today to do whatever you have to do to achieve that goal.

Tip number 5: Visualize yourself as one of the top people in your field. Imagine yourself performing at your best all day long. Feed your subconscious mind with vivid, exciting, emotionalized pictures of yourself as positive, confident, competent and completely in control of every part of your life. These clear mental pictures preprogram you and motivate you to sell at your best in any situation.

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

By Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals for their business. We've also noticed that while the goals being set are good, the results aren't. Around 90% of those in Direct Sales do SET goals, but never reach them.

So the question comes to mind.....are you making the right plans to reach your goals? It's GREAT to set a certain amount you want to make, so you have a little motivation, but without the proper planning reaching that goal is going to be more difficult.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What have you done in the past that created sales?
How can you improve on ideas for creating sales?
What ideas for sales have you seen but not tried?

Take a minute to write down every way you can think of to make your sales (such as through parties, catalog shows, drawings, etc), then make some more specific goals for doing each task. Such as "contact 10 people and book at least 3 shows".

If at First you Don't Succeed- Fix the Blame Quick!

By Dale Calvert

I heard all my life as a kid……If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Don’t let a first-time failure stop further attempts.

For example, I know it’s hard at first to shift gears without stalling but if at first you don’t succeed . . .
This seemingly ancient adage was first recorded in 1840.

Zig Ziglar said
“The only difference between a Big Shot and a Little
Shot is a Little Shot is a Big Shot that Kept Shooting”

I have always felt that if other average people, with average intelligence can do it, then so can I.

There is not a week that goes by when I don’t wonder to myself, how somebody missed the memo?

I am a very un-opinionated person. ( I have no idea if un-opionated is a word, but hopefully you understand what I am trying to say). There is nothing that grinds my nerves more than hearing somebody babble about any topic that they have absolutely no background, experience or idea what they are talking about.

That is why I rarely visit MLM training forums or listen to talk radio.

It has been said “It is better to be thought of as ignorant, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt”
However, if I KNOW something is True and has withstood the test of time, who am I to doubt it? I am not smart enough to doubt it so I choose to embrace it, internalize it, and never doubt it. What about you?

My entire marketing career, I have tried to stand on what I call, “The Wisdom of the Ages” and fight for what I know is true.

I don’t always like THE WAY IT IS, but I have learned to not fight it, and to work with the natural laws of success. Does that make sense?

It is a constant battle to control my self-talk and thoughts, but according to ever self-help book ever written, that is what we all must do if we expect to develop a Success mindset.