Kids - A Great Reason to Change: Create a Home Business and/or Improve your Health

I know for me it is the future and wanting to provide a great one for my kids that has spurred me on in my quest for change.  I have been lucky.  Lucky enough to get the opportunity to have these great kids and lucky enough to find an opportunity that not only gives me the chance to work from home but to improve my health and wealth.

I was reminiscing the other day and came across a bunch of great videos that reminded me how lucky I am.  Here is a little video that shows your what I am talking about - My future and the reasons I made my change to better health and a better way of doing things.

Like me, you probably get bogged down in the day to day problems and stress and your 'problems' take over.  Somedays it seems like nothing goes right and you wonder if it is all worth it.  But again like me, if you look back and try to remember yesterday or last week or even last year, the little problems start to disappear and you SEE the great parts that make life all worth it.

If you are having a hard time visuallizing those great parts then I highly encourage you to change your path. 

If you are willing and committed to make a change it can happen.  It doesn't happen overnight but it does happen.

Take that first step -

THINK ABOUT IT!

(Want to create your own home based business? Not sure how?  I would love to help.  Just fill out your name and email in the form on the top right side of the page and I will send you some free videos showing you how to get started... Mike)

Cool Tools: The iPhone might be the perfect Internet Marketing Companion

Technology and the internet have changed the face of Network Marketing and taken it to a whole new playing field.

One of the best parts of Network Marketing is the chance to have that 20 ft walk of a commute each morning.  Stroll over to the desk and the phone and now even more important the computer.  But you know while its nice being able to work at home, its even better to be able to 'go mobile'

Just this morning I hauled the 6 kids off to swim practice.  After watching them go back and forth in the pool for a few minutes I could tell the excitement level had peaked. 

But wait, I had my iPhone with me so look out world I am connected.  For me its World 2.0.

I checked my email, tweeted at a few peeps on Twitter, looked on the internet for a template for the newsletter I was planning and listened to my music while all this was going on.  But somewhere I heard all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy so of course I played the Stones of Jurasica game I got from the App store.  It was one of the expensive games - $0.99. 

If you can't tell, I have been very impressed with my iPhone and all it can do for me and my network/internet marketing business.  And hey I almost forgot its a Phone.  It does so much, you almost forget that it is called iPhone.

I created a little video to try and show you some of what I am talking about.

WHAT IS NETWORK MARKETING AND WHY SHOULD I MAKE IT MY NEXT JOB?

Multilevel Marketing among other things has become one of the most maligned industries and has gained a horrible reputation. Disreputable companies and misguided people have damaged the concept to the point that almost everyone is afraid of it. At the mere mention of MLM people immediately think, “Scam, rip-off, pyramid scheme or worse.”

But Multi-level marketing has been around for a long time (over 50 years) and more and more companies are starting to use this business plan every year. So why would anyone or any company want to use such a “horrible” method for selling a product or making money?

Why? Well simply put, because this method works and WORKS IN A BIG WAY!

Multi-Level Marketing allows anyone to start their own business and do it for very little money and little risk. You can become the CEO of your own home business.

But what is MLM really, and why should I make it my next job?

Like many of you, I once had a negative attitude towards MLM or Network Marketing. My initial introduction to the plan was my Mom. She had just joined up with a company and she was completely in love with it. She could talk of nothing else but how wonderful the company was and how it's products were the best thing since sliced bread. No matter the subject she could spin it so we ended up talking about her company, its products or the "amazing" opportunity the company provided .

It got to the point where you tried not to mention anything that might bring up her new found MLM business and if she mentioned the products you eventually gave in and used them just to avoid the talk.

Well I am here to tell you that I now understand why she was so excited so many years ago. I finally took the time to learn what MLM truly is and how it really works. I discovered that it was not the business plan that turned people away from MLM but the way it was being taught. People were being shown poor marketing techniques and this was giving MLM a bad name.

The introduction of the internet and the ability that modern technology gives us to reach out to millions has truly opened the doors to the true power of MLM and allows anyone to use good marketing to create an honest business from home that can provide value to you, the business builder, your team (called a downline) and to anyone who is looking for your product or opportunity.

And the best part, it does all this without you having to alienate your friends and family.

By reading this article you will understand what is needed for a business to be successful. You will learn what MLM is and how it compares to traditional business plans. See how the structure of MLM is not a pyramid scheme but a legitimate plan empowering everyone, no matter their position, the same amount of leverage and potential to advance. And while sales is the name of the game you don't have to be a traditional salesman. Instead, provide value and education and empower others to achieve. In turn, you will be empowering yourself. Multi-Level Marketing lets you leverage time and multiply your efforts without multiplying your workload.

Before deciding if Network Marketing is the right plan for you and your situation, you need to understand you different options. First, you have several different ways in which you can earn money.

•1. You can work for someone else and be an employee. This usually limits your income potential and you really lack any sort of stability or security

•2. You can step up from the employee stage and become a professional. At this level you have become an expert and you exchange expertise for dollars. While this increases your earning potential you still a basically an employee.

•3. Finally, you can own your own business. This plan gives you unlimited earning potential but it comes with its own risks. You are only one person and you will eventually run out of time or talent. By employing others, you can overcome these limitations by leveraging the efforts of others.

Of the 3 choices, owning a business is the best choice if you are looking to create real wealth and personal freedom.

Starting a business of your own requires a plan. When researching a business plan it is important to understand what is needed in order for a business to be successful.

•1. A huge expanding market. For example, music is always popular, but you can’t expect to sell a lot of transistor radios in this day of iPods. Make sure there is demand for what you have to offer.

•2. Unique consumable products – If you can find your product at every corner store or if it lasts for a lifetime, it will be hard to create any profit

•3. Timing (trends)

• Look for businesses that are expanding. The baby boomer generation is a huge bubble in our population and providing products that appeal to them gives you a huge market. Some of these expanding markets include

• Health and anti aging products.

• Retirement issues (every minute around 5 more people in the U.S. are turning 60.)

• Making life easier (technology) – Baby boomers have always been quick to embrace technological advances.

•4. Employ others so you get more done – No matter how skilled you are, there are only so many hours in a day. Multiplying yourself can multiply your productivity.

Both traditional and MLM businesses look at these 4 principals when getting started, but how they use them is different. With a traditional business you have a hierarchy, a chain of command. Starting at the top with the president or CEO and working its way down to the general staff or employees. With this structure the pay and power increase as you get closer to the top. The whole structure would fall apart if someone at a lower level made more money or had more power than those above them. Why would you ever take orders from someone who made less money than you. The only person in this structure that can really leverage any power is the person at the top.

The structure of Network Marketing looks similar but the way it works is much different. When you join an MLM company you aren’t just an employee but you can become the CEO or President of your own team. Anyone can earn more money than the person above them, next to them or below them. It all depends on the production of you and your team. You are not relying on those above you to determine your value, you are in charge of that. It is the fairest system around. You get paid according to the value you provide. Let me repeat that. You get the credit, power and earnings based on your efforts not on your position on the ladder.

You can be the leader and CEO of your own organization within the larger organization.

Now I know after looking at both plans, you might be asking yourself isn’t this just a pyramid scheme. After all that’s one of the myths that seems to follow MLM around and just look at the structure – proof that it’s a pyramid. The problem is not the shape. Look at the traditional business. It is also a pyramid shape. Look at our government, it follows the same shape. So it’s not the shape that is bad it is how it is used. The way to tell if something is a pyramid scheme or a legitimate MLM business is to look at how the money is made. If you make money through the sales of products by you or someone on your team then all is good. If there is no product but only a membership cost and an “opportunity” to sell it could be a scheme.

Look back at the plans again, it is worth repeating, the main difference between the two is that with a corporate structure the people at the top make most of the money and they make the decisions. They are the only ones with leverage. The MLM structure gives everyone the same leverage the CEO of a company has. That way no matter what level you are on you can earn money that is equal to the production you create.

Production and wealth are tied to selling product. Becoming a salesman is part of the job and for many of us that is a scary proposition. I know I am not a true salesman and probably never will be but with the power of the internet and attraction marketing you can “sell” without becoming a true salesman. But if you think about it, you spend your life selling things to others, your sell your friends and spouse on you, you sell your kids the rules and you are selling whenever you are trying to convince your opinion is the right one. But these kinds of selling never really seem like selling. They are more like educating those around you on what you want, what you like and what you know.

Education is the key to empowering others and through that empowerment you are rewarded. Each time you share what you know and help someone you are providing them a skill they didn’t have before. The Network Marketing structure rewards you every time you help someone else along. You help them become better at their business of selling themselves, their opportunity and their products. It boosts their power and their income and in turn in boosts yours too. When they pay that knowledge forward to their downline the process repeats and everyone benefits. Even if the person above you, your upline, isn’t productive you can still create a powerful organization and wealth equal to the production you create.

By giving value you are giving people power. In return you get the ability to leverage time. Imagine you could work every day for 24 hours without sleep for all 365 days of the year. That would give you 8760 hours of production hours. But let’s be honest, no one can work 24 hours a day every day. On a good day you might get in 12, but on average let’s just say you only get the typical 8 hour work day. You also would probably take at least one day off a week and a week or two off per year. When added up that only gives us 2400 hours per year. But what if you found 10 other people who wanted what you want and became part of your team. If each of them just worked one day per week they would total 4000 production hours. More than you could do working 6 days a week. This is the true power of a team and the MLM structure. Leveraging time allows you to create so much more than you could by yourself.

A Network Marketing team or downline also allows you to leverage everyone’s talents. Like I said before, sales are part of the job but maybe they aren’t your best skill but sales might be one of your team’s life calling. Maybe you are a better communicator or writer or you know how to use the power of the internet. Just like any sports team, it is the talents of all involved and the willingness to share and be part of a team that makes everyone successful.

Leveraging time and skill all through the simple process of education gives us all the power to be the CEO of our own company. We are not regulated to the position of employee where there is a lack of power and ability for advancement. No matter where you are in life or what your financial or social status you have the ability to learn and grow and then pass if forward.

Don’t be scared by what you thought you knew about MLM or what you might have experience in the past. I was once an MLM outsider who didn’t understand its true power. I saw what some of the old marketing strategies turned people into and how it set many people up for failure. I have joined the ranks of the new MLM plan. Now known more as Network Marketing, Social Marketing and Internet Attraction Marketing this new way of doing things lets you share and provide value to people who are truly interested in what you have to say. Gone are the days of cold calling and prospecting everyone who comes within arm’s length of you. Here’s to the days of people contacting you wanting the knowledge you have developed. It is no longer sales, it is education.

Take it from a long time educator; this is the future and the true power of Multi-Level Marketing.

Think about it!

You CAN Make Money and Keep your Friends with Network Marketing

According to a Harris Poll, 72% of Americans are looking to start a home business. A 2006 Yahoo survey agrees and found that two-thirds of those responding wanted to venture out on their own and create a home based business.

You are not alone in your desire to leave your dreary day job and be your own boss.

The solution for many people is starting their own network marketing business. There are very few barriers to hurdle to start up a network marketing business. Low startup costs, very little if any inventory to buy, no franchise fee and no store front to maintain.

Most people are lured in by the dream of easy money and the promotion of a few people who have had extraordinary success solidifies their decision to jump in to a network marketing career.

The problem is once they join, most people are not told how they can make this job into a successful money making business. They are left behind as their upline moves on searching for the next signup. Hence, around 95% of all people who start a network marketing business fail. This has made network marketing one of the most maligned industries in the U.S.

Here are five tips that will help you make a meaningful career out of network marketing – without losing or abusing friends, family or neighbors.

•1. Don’t mislead your friends; warn them up front that you’re selling what you’re about to recommend.

For most new MLMers, the first thing they are taught is to just recommend the product and opportunity as if they were recommending a restaurant or a movie. This is good advice as long as the person you are talking to knows you are also selling what you are recommending. No one wants to be ambushed at the end of a recommendation with “By the way I sell this, how much would you like?”

If you let people know up front and do it with sincerity and without apology, most friends will listen to what you have to say. Waiting until the end of a recommendation to drop the sales bomb is a guaranteed trustbuster.

This leads into our second tip....

•2. Don’t ask your friends to buy or sell your product. Instead, ask for a referral.

It is very hard for a friend to say No, especially a good friend. They will either buy your product because they are a friend or give you a polite “Maybe...”. But the next time you call, they check the caller ID and let it go to voicemail. The next time you were supposed to go out they suddenly get ‘busy’.

Instead to putting your friends in such a tough spot, surprise them and ask for a referral instead. “I thought maybe you might know someone who would be interested in this”, would be a great way to let your friend off the hook. They won’t feel obligated to buy so the strain is now gone.

In fact since you haven’t abused the friendship or their trust, your friend will usually take some effort and think if they really know someone who could use this opportunity. Friends like to help each other out. Give them the chance to help by asking for the referral. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

•3. Instead of trying to sell everyone you know, why not find those who might already be looking for what you sell? No need to persuade anyone.

Rejection is hard to take. But if you ask people who are standing in line for chocolate if they would like some chocolate you will get a lot of acceptance and not much rejection. The same goes for whatever you are selling. If you find people who are looking for it, than selling it becomes so much easier.

Live what you do and show enthusiasm for your product and company. Put out there what you do and what you have to offer. People who want that same opportunity or who are looking for your product will find you. It’s like introducing yourself at a party to someone who has the same name. You instantly have something to talk about. You don’t have to force anything or fake it.

Not sure what you should be putting out there – think back to your why. Why do you keep doing this business? Why do you use these products? These are your HOT buttons. They are who you are. Let them show and wear them proudly.

•4. Learn to talk about your product the way you would if you were not selling it.

People can tell when they are being sold something and at the first hint of salesman speak they are gone. Even if they can’t walk away, they tune you out.

Don’t slip into your marketing sales jargon whenever someone mentions a topic that fits your opportunity. “Our product ABC is the most amazing patent pending product ever produced – it will make you look younger and live longer guaranteed. Blah, Blah, Blah...

Instead, tell your story and how the product has really helped you. “I was always so tired. I could never seem to get anything done or stay awake. But look at me NOW! I feel like I have renewed energy and life. I finally found something that works. I can really tell when I forget to take my ABC.”

Which story would you rather listen to?

People want to hear good stories not memorized medical facts.

•5. Recommend the smallest package, like a good advisor would.

Once you find someone interested in trying the product or maybe starting up their own business you should listen to what their goals are and direct them accordingly. Don’t try to squeeze every last drop out of them. Tell them the truth, whatever it might be. Surprise them; “You don’t have to start with the biggest plan or the largest bottle. Maybe the smaller package would work to get you started and once we see if that works then you can always buy more later.”

What do you think they expected you to recommend, the biggest or the smallest package? Your recommendation tells your friend that you are still a friend and you are looking out for them. You are a trusted advisor and not a salesman preying on them.

These views are not new, but they are not always followed. A good Network Marketer and a good Friend will want to tell their friends up front what they’re doing the same way a newly graduated lawyer might announce what she’s doing. They don’t ask for a sale: they ask their friends if they know anyone who might need what they have to offer.

Tell your story, make no promises, don’t hound anyone, and never tell lies or half-truths.

Announce who you are – what you do and let genuine word-of-mouth among friends do the net-WORK for you.

The 5 biggest misunderstandings/misconceptions about MLM & How to Overcome Them

•1. Anyone can do this –

This is a great saying and a wonderful idea. This is the great ideal that democracy is built upon. We all have a voice and we can stand up and be heard. WE CAN BE WHATEVER WE WANT TO BE!

While this in theory is true in practice it takes a lot of different factors coming together at the right time for it to actually work.

Don’t get me wrong, with the right attitude, commitment, willingness to learn and determination (aka stubbornness) anyone CAN do this business.

The problem is not everyone has these qualities at the time you might be standing in front of them showing them your offer or when they receive your wonderful presentation online or through an email.

M/L/M is one of, if not the only business plan that allows the masses to jump in and start a business with little knowledge and little investment money. This is both a godsend and a curse.

By allowing people to start a job they are not committed to and not ready to put a lot of work and effort to achieve success we are setting them up for failure. And if you look at the stats, this is exactly what happens. 95% of all those that start in Network Marketing go nowhere and eventually quit.

They quit feeling lied to and swindled. They were never told the hard truth that this is a business and if you jump in without the proper skills and mindset then you probably will fail.

This is not to say that the necessary skills are not something that can be learned and applied. The key it to find a mentor, an upline, that is willing to teach you the RIGHT way.

Success in this business is not guaranteed anymore than in any other business. If you look at those that have been successful, they have learned and earned a skill set that allows them to achieve. Some people have developed these skills in their previous job or in school while there are others who learn from their experiences, some failures and some successes.

So to say everyone can do this is both true and false. Everyone that wants to do this and is willing to learn what they need, to apply their learned skills and to be committed to the action plan will succeed. It might take more than the 30 or 90 days that get promised by so many. If you are honest and upfront with prospects and they are HONEST WITH THEMSELVES then the answer to “Will I be successful?” can be seen early on in the process.

•2. Everyone is a prospect / All you have to do is sign up your friends and family

No matter how good your product or how good your business plan not everyone will want it.

I am reminded of an ad campaign I remember hearing where they guaranteed to save someone money and he was saying “No, I come from a long line of people who like to spend extra money. I don’t want your offer”.

This seems so strange, but it is true. No matter how great the offer there will always be somebody who likes something different. Does everyone love Coke, or do some people prefer Pepsi. If Coke was on sale for ½ the price there is still a large number of people that will buy the Pepsi.

No one wants to be told what they have to do or buy, even friends and family. But the stance of many MLMers is that if I just explain it one more time or if I just let them know it is ME selling it and I like it than they should and WILL buy it.

This will not only alienate you and make you a very lonely person but it will not earn you any long term money. People buy products because they want them. Not because they need them. Not because someone sold them on the product but because they came to the conclusion that they needed the product.

So why would you hunt people down like they are deer in the headlights and bombard them with the “this product is so good you can’t live without it” routine just to be rejected 99% of the time. Even if the product is something they need, most people turn up the defenses when they are being sold and don’t even hear what you have to say, no matter how important it is.

The better way to do this is to let people know what you have. Let them know you have this business and this product and ask them for a referral. IF they come back to you and ask about the product then they are coming to you and now you are the EXPERT and not the pushy salesman.

Wanting to sell the business and sponsor new distributors? It works the same way. Don’t force feed your opportunity to anyone who happens to get within 3 feet of you. Advertise yourself and put it out there that you are the expert. You don’t have to know everything, you just have to know a little more than the average person and you have become the expert.

The internet has lots of different possibilities for getting your message out to large numbers of people. From Facebook and Google ads to Blogs and Writing articles there is something for everyone and every skill level to use.

The best part is, now the prospect is coming to you. You don’t have to SELL anything. You just have to be that expert and be willing to help those that come to you. Be willing to train them and you are now building a strong team of motivated people.

What could be better?

•3. Your business builds itself / The money makes itself

If you have been in MLM for awhile or have been approached by people trying to sign you up you have probably heard something along these lines. “Our product is so good it sells itself” or “You don’t need any business skills, this business builds itself.”

If these statements were true, why do they need you?

Well, you probably guessed it, products and businesses don’t sell themselves. Try buying a truckload of your favorite MLM’s product and stack it in your driveway. Just see how fast it “sells itself”.

Business takes work. It takes marketing and to sell something you need to do sales and be a salesman. There are ways of doing this without being pushy and alienating your friends , family and everyone you meet. (see Misconceptions #1 & 2 above)

Finding the right method to build your business and make money is what you need to be doing, not sitting back and waiting for the money to find you.

Education and learning the skills that are necessary is part of your job. Duplication is great, but we are all different and what works for me may not work for you. I might love writing articles and so that method works for me. What will work for you depends on the skills you bring to the table or the skills you are willing to learn because they fit in with your interests.

Find a mentor and upline that is willing to help you develop your skills. One who will tell you upfront that this is net-WORK marketing and not net-SIT and HOPE marketing.

•4. It’s just a pyramid scheme

This is an easy one.

The true test to see if something is a pyramid scheme is to see how the money is really made. A pyramid will only be selling an opportunity. There is no product sold and the way you make money is to sell the opportunity. Pyramid schemes are illegal.

The big difference between MLM and a pyramid scheme is in the business' operations. The purpose of a pyramid scheme is to get your money. Your job is to recruit other people. The entire purpose of MLM is to sell product. With MLM the more product you sell the more money you will make and by recruiting others into your downline or team you will be able to sell more product.

Are you offered money for recruiting new people or do you make your money through product sold? What is the focus of the company and their sales products/brochures?

If the answers to these questions lead you to the conclusion that selling product is not a part of the plan then run away, this could be a pyramid.

If the answers show you that the product is the way to make money then you are dealing with MLM and an honest, proven business plan.

•5. You don’t need to sell, just share

Again this is one of those MLM half truths. When selling or salesmen are brought up, most people will have a negative reaction. So if I was going to try and get you to be a part of my marketing team why would I want to lead with something that is going to scare you away?

Sharing sounds so much easier and friendlier than selling, however; if you are in Network Marketing you have to make sales. To make money you have to sell product. It is just that simple. To make really good money you and a bunch of people who you have helped start a business have to sell lots of product.

Now the half truth part of share not sell is that you do share you product and its values to people. But you should be upfront with them that this is a product you sell and not just a recommendation you are sharing about a restaurant or movie. You get no monetary bonus for sharing your opinion about a movie even if your friend ends up going.

You do however have a vested interest in this person buying the great product you are recommending (sharing). It comes across differently and if the person you are talking with doesn’t know upfront that you sell this product they will feel ambushed when they find out you do. You will fall into the same boat with all those dreaded used car salesmen.

Be upfront with what you do. Ask for referrals. Don’t force the conversation to your product but let it flow naturally and if a topic develops where your expertise fits in – perfect, share away. Gain trust and recommend the smallest package. Sell but don’t be a salesman. Leave them wanting more and have them come asking you. That way you become the expert and not the salesman.