Health, Wealth, & Wellness

This is your first year in the network marketing industry. You have invested your initial start-up fees, and you have also completed your training. There is a vision board that you have created, hanging on the wall of your bedroom. You have aspirations of purchasing new cars and real estate, as well as traveling on exotic trips all around the world. Then it happens...you run into an obstacle that you were NOT expecting, and everything in you tells you to quit before you have had an opportunity to even establish a foundation in the business!

This happens on a regular basis to individuals who are new to the direct sales/network marketing industry. The purpose of today's post is to highlight some of the more common obstacles that one should expect after making the commitment to serve in this very challenging, yet EXCITING arena. Topics covered in today's post will include: rejection from your warm market, out-of-pocket expenses, high turnover, and time demands.

Rejection

Obstacle-You have created a list of all of your warm market contacts. As you are making your way through your call list, you notice that most of your warm contacts have no interest in your opportunity, and some of your warm contacts have gone as far as to ridicule you for even trying the business of network marketing. You are discouraged, and you find yourself reconsidering your decision to invest in the business.

Solution-Understand that this is NORMAL. People reject that which they do not understand. Most of these same individuals who are rejecting you, will in fact invest in your business at a later date....IF you stick it out. Focus exclusively on the few who are willing to take in a presentation, or to join your opportunity. Maintain a HIGH level of enthusiasm, and create a solid follow-up system for those who have rejected you. This is NOT the end of the world. In fact, this is just the BEGINNING of what is SURE to be a WONDERFUL journey for you.


Expenses

Obstacle-When you joined the business, you were under the impression that your initial start-up fee was the ONLY expense that you would need to pay. Now that you are in the business, you have learned of a $30-$40 monthly website fee, and the potential of additional costs for samples, promotional items, etc. You are starting to wonder if you will be able to sustain your business, due to your lack of working capital, or FUNDING.

Solution-When you join the network marketing industry, you are in fact running a home based BUSINESS. In order to run an effective BUSINESS, there are certain tools that will be necessary but not REQUIRED, in order for you to maximize your effectiveness. For starters, you should understand that roughly 75% of your entire business (processing customer orders, enrolling business partners, etc), will be internet based, and so your website will be an absolute must. However, $30-$40 is not even worthy of discussion, when you consider the potential to earn $1,000-$5,000 per month via your website.

You will also notice that the SUPERSTARS in your business manage to stay stocked up on promotional items, such as: samples, magazines, flyers, business cards, etc. These items (although GREAT tools for expanding your business), are not REQUIRED at least initially, in order for you to achieve success. I would, however, encourage you to reinvest a portion of your income into stocking up on these supplies as you are building your business. These tools support the brand that you are promoting, and they will also validate your business. It is much more effective to hand a prospect a professional magazine, than it is to scribble the name of your business on a sheet of paper.


High Turnover

Obstacle-You are building your business, but as you are building, you are noticing that some of the partners who are already on your team are leaving the business, or failing to put forth any effort, with regards to performance. You are discouraged, because you have aspirations of advancing in your company, and it seems as if this will never happen, due to the turnover and the underperformers in your team.

Solution-Focus EXCLUSIVELY upon those who DO share in your vision. As was once stated by the late Jim Rohn, "Some will do 100. Some will do 80. Others will do 50 or 60. Your job is not to figure out why this is the case. Your job is to simply accept this as fact, and to move on with that which is within your control."

ALWAYS remain in "recruiting mode." Avoid making the mistake of shifting from a recruiter to a supervisor. Enroll new business partners. Train each new business partner, and make yourself readily available "as needed" to support those who DESIRE to succeed in the business. However, the BULK of your focus should CONSTANTLY be on adding new business partners, and working towards the goals that you have established for your business. Your job IS NOT to babysit or to supervise underperforming partners.


Time Demands

Obstacle-You joined the network marketing business with the intentions of running the business on a part-time basis. You are now being forced to spend ALL of your time on Facebook, responding to emails, working the phones, attending meetings, etc, and your home life is suffering. You are no longer able to spend an adequate amount of time with your spouse, and/or your children. You are on the verge of quitting the business.

Solution-Run your business. Do NOT allow your business to run you. Family should ALWAYS be #1, and if we manage our time in an effective fashion, then we should be able to easily meet the demands of a part-time network marketing business, while also maintaining our relationships and focus at home.

Set specific goals for each day, week, month, and year in your business. Establish specific work hours for your business. Plan your work hours around your family events, and the time that you would like to spend with personal matters. Establish lines of communication with other partners within your team, who may not be as tied down as you are with family obligations.

Empower your more experienced business partners to answer questions, handle 3-way calls, and to even attend business meetings in support of less experienced promoters on your team, when and if your schedule dictates. Be sure to establish a planned work schedule, and to stick to that work schedule. Make the necessary adjustments within your team in order to make this so.


Conclusion

I hope that this information has been of some benefit to you. If you are considering the network marketing industry, or if you are already involved in the industry, but lacking the training, guidance, or support necessary for your success; then I would encourage you to contact me at 517-240-0190 to hear more about an opportunity that can change your life.-Winslow Willis

There are literally hundreds and even thousands of direct sales companies in America. This vast market of companies provides individuals who are looking to join the direct sales/network marketing industry to promote the business that fits their personal interests. There are opportunities to market an endless supply of products, and/or services, including: perfumes & body lotions, health & weight loss products, insurance and financial products, telecommunications products, etc.

Upon making your selection to join with a particular company, you will go through some form of initial training. At some point in this training, you will hear of the term "warm market." In today's post, I would like to elaborate upon this term, and to also share additional options that you may have for expanding upon your warm market. The idea here is to create an endless list of prospects that you can market your business to.


Warm Market

So what does your warm market consist of? The best way to start your list of contacts when starting a new direct sales opportunity, is to create a list of 50-100 names. These names should include the following: friends, family members, co-workers, church members, neighbors, individuals that you have established relationships with in your local community, etc.

If you can pick up your phone, and have the individual on the other line recognize who you are, immediately upon hearing your name, and/or voice, then this individual is part of your warm market, and should be included in your first list of contacts.

Your company should have a system, which includes a script that you can utilize when making calls to your first list of contacts. The WORST thing that you could ever do for your business, would be to pick up your phone, and to blow through you list of contacts, recklessly spouting off at the mouth, and begging these individuals to join with you, simply due to your having established personal relationships.

The purpose of this initial call, is to simply inform the individuals within your warm market of your linking up with a business opportunity, and to invite them to check out a BRIEF presentation on the products, and/or services that your company has to offer. Do not take the approach of a telemarketer on this initial call, as the goal here is NOT to press for a sale.


I Have Exhausted My Warm Market. Now what?

At some point in the DISTANT future, you will run out of people to speak to in YOUR warm market. I will share a few tips with you on things that you can do at this point, later on in this post. However, I would like to focus a bit more on this idea of running out of people to talk to in YOUR warm market.

I explained earlier in the post how to go about identifying YOUR warm market. However, if you promote your business to YOUR warm market in an effective fashion, then you will eventually find yourself signing new customers and business partners into your business. Each time that you sign a new customer or a new business partner into your business, you are then introduced to an ENTIRELY NEW warm market!!

Ex. Years ago, I purchased a life insurance policy from a company called Western Southern Life Insurance. I had never heard of the company, and I had not established any previous relationships with any of the representatives within this particular organization. So how did I end up purchasing a policy from Western Southern Life Insurance?

One of the sales reps in the company sold a large life insurance policy to my older brother. At some point in the sales process, this rep asked my brother for the names and phone numbers of three people that MIGHT be interested in purchasing life insurance. I was one of the three individuals that he presented to this rep.

When the rep contacted me, this was her approach on the telephone: "Hello, my name is Heather Dullock. Your brother (Orlando) just purchased a life insurance policy from me, and he asked me to contact you to see if you would also be interested in protecting your family with a life insurance policy." When Heather signed my brother to a life insurance policy, I IMMEDIATELY became a part of HER warm market! Now had she dialed me up randomly, and attempted to sell me an insurance policy, then she would have heard a click, followed by a dial tone. However, by dropping my brother's name, this created a product association, and she was able to land a sale.

You can use this SAME approach in your business, and in doing so, you will create an ENDLESS list of WARM contacts. By warm contacts in this sense, I am simply pointing out the fact that when you can contact a prospect with news of a friend or a family member already utilizing your product, and/or service, then you are in fact still dealing with a warm market. As long as you have customers who have not referred more than five people to you, then you have NOT exhausted your warm market.


Building Your Business In A Cold Market

"Winslow, I'm new to the industry. I was raised in Michigan. I moved to Florida recently, and I do not have any friends or family members here in Florida. How should I build my market?"

In this situation, I would still encourage you to start with your warm market. In your situation, this process may be a bit more challenging, as you will be forced to make the bulk of your initial contacts via the phone, and/or the internet. However, there is nothing stopping you from shipping free samples, or arranging for Skype meetings, where you can conduct live face-to-face presentations with your warm contacts who may reside in other states.

Social media also provides an ENDLESS flow of contacts for your new business. If you have not done this already, I would encourage you to add to your friend's list on Facebook, on a daily basis. Seek to add 5-10 new friends to your list each day. You are in the network marketing business now, and so you will need to build a NETWORK of NEW contacts. The direct sales industry is NOT for individuals who wish to restrict their friend's list to private groups of 100 or so family members. Your goal should be to create a list of 5,000 Facebook friends.

In addition to Facebook, there are endless opportunities to market your business utilizing the internet. You can create Youtube videos, blogs, Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts, etc, and you can also post information to hundreds of online forums. The point that I am stressing to you here is that this business (network marketing) is a game of MAXIMUM exposure. Utilize EVERY opportunity that you have to EXPOSE your business to potential customers and/or business partners.

The last tip that I will provide here on the subject, involves the use of off-line marketing in a cold market, and I will attach a couple of videos here of 5 Star Ambassador, Kevin Merriweather, of Visalus, sharing live tips on how to approach complete strangers in your local community, and to quickly present your business to these individuals.

Establish a personal goal of sharing your business in a face-to-face setting, with 3-5 people on a DAILY BASIS! This can be in your local barbershop, at the restaurants that you visit on a regular basis, at your local gym, etc. Even with this off-line approach, I would encourage you to at least begin with individuals who have at least met you at some point in your life. This will remove the defensive posture, and make for nice conversation.

I will end this by posting two videos from 5 Star Ambassador, Kevin Merriweather, training on the subject of promoting your business in a cold market. I do hope that this information has been of some benefit to you. If you have additional questions, or if you would like to join my team as a promoter of the Body By Vi 90 Day challenge, where I would be more than happy to provide you with additional support and training, then you may contact me directly at 517-240-0190.-Winslow Willis


Part ONE



Part TWO

You: "Would you like to purchase my product or service?"

Prospect: "Absolutely. Give me five of the very best that you have, with all of the fixings. Here is my credit card. I will be sending you 10 referrals on tomorrow."

In an ideal world, every interaction that takes place between individuals serving in the direct sales industry and their prospects would end this way. Unfortunately, we are not living in an ideal world, and the fact of the matter is that the majority of our new customers, and/or business partners will not join our opportunities following the initial presentation. Thus, it is of utmost importance that we quickly establish a system for following up with the individuals who have attended our hotel parties, house parties, PBR's, etc, without taking action.

The most important thing to understand here, is that when it comes to direct sales, "NO" usually means "NOT NOW." There are a vast number of methods that we can use to go about following up with the prospects that we are looking to add to our networks. For the purposes of this post, I would like to elaborate on the importance of utilizing each of the following methods: the telephone, email marketing campaigns, and word-of-mouth advertising.

Telephone

Consistency is the key in matters concerning business follow-up. Establish a time period that you would like to implement for following up with individuals who have attended one of your business presentations, and try to stick with this same time period each time that you schedule your follow-up calls. A good rule of thumb, would be to follow up with every prospect within 48 hours of your business meeting.

I stress this 48 hour window, because your prospect (s) will still be excited about the information presented at your business meeting, and the information that was presented will still be fresh at this point. This initial follow-up call, should be very informal and relaxed, and you may even want to create a script that you can use with each follow-up call.

This is not a pressure phone call. The purpose of this call is to simply thank your prospect for showing up to your meeting, and to keep your opportunity fresh in the minds of your prospects until they have reached a purchasing decision. Once this initial phone call has been made, it would be most effective if future follow-up calls could be limited to once every other week. It would benefit your business a great deal, if you could prepare follow-up scripts, so that you know exactly what needs to be said, prior to your prospect picking up the phone.

Email Marketing Campaign

One of the most valuable tools that one can use in the business of direct sales, would be the email marketing campaign. Create a visitor's sign-in sheet for each of your business meetings, and leave spots on this sign-in sheet for phone numbers, as well as email addresses. You will then be in position to transfer this valuable information to a mailing list, which can be used to initiate an email marketing campaign.

There are direct sales companies that will already have these software programs in place for all new business partners. However, if your company does not offer the ability to create email marketing campaigns, you can easily look these opportunities up on the internet. The idea here is to create an email campaign that sends newsletters out to each of your prospects every few days or so, depending upon the settings that you choose for each individual campaign.

Each prospect will have the ability to unsubscribe from your email marketing list, but for those who choose to remain, your email marketing campaign will be a very effective way of keeping your opportunity fresh in the minds of prospects, and also for providing additional information about your opportunity that may have been missed at your business meeting. If you have not done this yet, be sure to take action immediately to begin to utilize email marketing.

Word-of-Mouth

We each have this innate desire to belong to something. No one wants to miss out on the ACTION. Thus, one of the most powerful methods of follow-up that you can use in your direct sales business, is to create powerful testimonies, involving the products, and/or services that you offer, and to then use these testimonies to reach out to the friends of friends that have been exposed to your opportunity.

Example: Lisa and Jenny attend your business meeting together, to hear about your weight loss product. Lisa takes action, and joins on the spot. Jenny is a bit of a skeptic, and so she walks away without making a purchasing decision. Two weeks later, you receive a message on Facebook from Lisa. Lisa is jumping out of her SEAT with excitement, because she has already dropped 8lbs on your product! This would be an EXCELLENT time to have Lisa contact Jenny to share her PERSONAL experience with your product.

What are the chances of Jenny receiving this phone call from Lisa, and remaining doubtful about the effectiveness of your products? The answer is SLIM & NONE, unless Jenny is simply DUMB & DUMBER! Pardon the movie reference there, but I'm sure that you're clearly understanding my point. Word-of-mouth advertising is POWERFUL, and it would be WISE of you to use this to your benefit!

Follow up with the customers who have joined your opportunity. Look for feedback, and customer reviews on the products, and/or services that you offer. EVERY SINGLE TIME that you receive a positive story that involves positive results with the products or services that you offer, IMMEDIATELY request to have these individuals share these stories with others who have attended your presentations without joining.


Conclusion

This is obviously just the tip of the iceberg. I could literally write an endless document on methods to be used for following up, follow-up scripts, etc. However, for the sake of longevity, I would like to encourage you to perform your own research to discover effective follow-up techniques. You would be amazed to know of the number of times I have been "rejected" by prospects, only to have them end up purchasing my products weeks and months after attending my business meetings.

There are a variety of reasons as to why a prospect would postpone joining your opportunity until a future date. These reasons may include: a lack of funds, skepticism regarding the effectiveness of your products, lack of information, etc. Your job as a direct sales representative is not to analyze the reasons behind these delayed purchases. Your focus simply needs to be on CONSISTENTLY following up with each prospect until a FINAL decision has been made with regards to your product.

I certainly do hope that this information has been of some benefit to you. Again, I would encourage you to continue to study the "art" of following up with prospects. There are literally thousands of articles on the internet regarding this topic, and you can also pick up books from your local library. The GREATS in ANY sales based business EXCEL in the area of follow-up. Blessings.

AAGGHHH!!! It's...it's.......it's a PHONE!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!! Okay, so I am obviously being a tad bit facetious here, but over the course of the past year or so that I have been involved in the business of network marketing; I have observed the rather STARTLING fact that MOST people are afraid of the TELEPHONE.

We use telephones on a daily basis. We use phones to communicate with friends, family members, co-workers, various business entities, etc. So why is it so difficult for individuals who are new to the direct sales industry to pick up a phone, and to invite close friends and relatives to check out a business opportunity?

One of the first steps in overcoming the fear of the phone, is to confront the fear of rejection. For most individuals that are new to the industry, just prior to making that first phone call, the mind is BOMBARDED with all sorts of negative thoughts.

"You are not good enough."

"You're broke. Who would ever want to hear about making money from YOU?"

"You're going to make an absolute fool of yourself."

"Your friends are going to laugh and you, and mock you."

"Your voice sounds horrible on the telephone."

As a direct result of this attack of negative SELF-TALK on the MIND, the telephone suddenly takes on an entirely new meaning, and appearance. The phone goes from being a fun outlet, or an effective resource for providing good times with friends and family members, to this one-thousand pound weight, with poisonous fangs!!

I have witnessed individuals become paralyzed at this point, to the extent that quitting the business was an IMMEDIATE option......prior to their ever making a phone call!!!! These individuals associated so much pain to the other end of the telephone, that they did not wish to make a single attempt at what APPEARED to be a TERRIFYING process!

Perception vs. Reality

I was reading a story recently about a conversation that had taken place between Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Howard was traded to the Lakers this past off-season, after a very tumultuous time with the Orlando Magic. Orlando is a small NBA market. The members of the media in Orlando are polite, friendly, and diligent in their efforts to avoid offending the local athletes. The fans in Orlando were desperate to keep Howard in their small-market, and so they also established the habit of providing unconditional love and support on and off the court.

Los Angeles is one of the largest media markets in all of pro sports The members of the L.A. media are cut-throat, merciless, and willing to confront performance issues head on. The fans in L.A. are just as brutal. Adding to this difficult situation for Howard, was the fact that he had alienated himself from NBA fans from all across the country, by forcing the termination of his former head coach, and then demanding a trade.

Bryant noticed that his new teammate was playing with an absolute lack of aggression, and so he decided to approach Howard to discuss this issue. At some point in this conversation, Howard expressed to Bryant that he was afraid to fail. He was afraid to miss free throws, which resulted in his ranking at the bottom of the league in free-throw percentage, and he was afraid to attack on offense, because he did not want to shoot free-throws.

Howard pointed out that he was being hammered by the fans, as well as the national media. As a result of the WEIGHT of lofty expectations, Dwight Howard was falling apart at the seams, and he appeared to be a shell of the player that he had been in Orlando. Keep in mind that while in Orlando, surrounded by love and acceptance, Howard had established himself as the most dominant big-man in the LEAGUE!

Bryant responded by telling Howard that his routine involved shooting 1,000 shots per day. Bryant pointed out that shooting 1,000 shots per day helped him in two ways:

1. This allowed him to drastically improve his skills as a shooter.

2. This routine planted the understanding in his mind that it was OKAY to MISS shots!!!

We often marvel at Bryant and his ability to miss multiple shots to start a game, only to find a groove in later quarters, that results in 35-40 points in games. Bryant shared with Howard, that missed shots have no impact on his game. Bryant goes into games with the understanding that he WILL miss shots. He also believes DEEP IN HIS HEART, that EVENTUALLY the missed shots will be replaced by TONS of MAKES, and he BELIEVES this, because he PRACTICES day-in, and day-out!!

This conversation between the two players took place at or around the NBA All-Star break. Howard returned from the All-Star break, looking, playing, and attacking as an ENTIRELY different player! He has since adopted a new shooting regimen, and he now takes to the floor each game, looking to have fun, and understanding that missed shots are NOT the end of the world. Dwight has conquered his FEARS, by changing his PERCEPTIONS, and focusing on the development of his SKILLS!

Change Your Perceptions Of Making Calls

You are going to experience rejection on the telephones! PERIOD! I do WISH that I could sit here and tell you that your calls to broke friends and family members who have been PROGRAMMED to accept living check-to-check, barely getting by, etc, would be met with smiles, credit cards, and CASH!! You WILL experience rejection, but I want you to understand that rejection is nothing more than missed shots.

Practice making calls on a DAILY basis! Start with an INORDINATE number of calls. EXPECT missed shots. Understand that there is NO SUCH THING as perfection. Heck, Michael Jordan once stated the following: "I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I have been trusted to take the game winning shot, and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed."

Smile each time that you experience rejection. Laugh when family members tell you that you're NUTS for joining the industry! Track your progress in written numbers. Create a success/failure ratio for your calls. Strive to improve your closing ratio with each given month. GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE! I WISH that I could sit here and tell you the number of times that I have experienced rejection in my business. Unfortunately, I can't, because I'm too busy enjoying my free BMW, and the five checks paid out to me each month!!

Instead of viewing the phone as that KILLER with poisonous FANGS, I want you to view the phone as an endless fountain full of money! I want you to view the phone as the vehicle that will transport you to the life of your dreams! When it is all said and done, like Michael Jordan; you will be able to say the following: I have failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.

Q. Winslow, why did you decide to get involved with the business of network marketing, and why did you decide to become a promoter of the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge.

These are questions that have been presented to me on a number of occasions, and so for the purpose of today's post, I would like to provide curious onlookers with a detailed response to these questions. I will start by explaining the reasons for my joining the industry, prior to moving on to a more specific explanation for my settling down with Visalus as a promoter of the #1 weight loss challenge in North America!

As is the case with most working Americans, I was also taught to go to college, to land a corporate job, and to then work through 40 years of misery, living check-to-check, and barely getting by, while looking forward to a happy paradise in retirement.

So like most Americans, I was all in on the vision that had been sold to me. I attended college, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree. I then acquired a career position with the largest utility corporation in Michigan. From there, I went on to earn a Master's degree. At that point, I acquired positions with several colleges within the state as an Adjunct Business Professor.

My wife is a stay-at-home mother, and so one year or so ago, I found myself in a position where my paychecks were covering our bills, and perhaps even providing enough funds for family outings on Friday nights. However, I was miserable, stressed out, and living check-to-check, just like most other working Americans in this country.

I noticed that several of my Facebook friends were earning very lucrative incomes from the business of network marketing. At this point, I was naturally curious. As a result, I started reading books on the subject, pulling up network marketing articles on Google, and watching inteviews of individuals like Donald Trump, Les Brown, Jim Rohn, and other millionaires who were involved in the direct sales industry

After conducting this extensive bit of research, I made the decision to make a one time investment of $499.00 to join Visalus as a promoter of the 90 day challenge. I had no previous experience in the network marketing industry, and at least initially; my wife and I were both a bit reluctant to take the dive. However, we did end up making the move to join the business, and I am certain that this move will prove to be one of the better financial moves that I have made in my adult life.

In my first year with Visalus, I was able to add a five-figure income to my household. I was also fortunate enough to earn a BMW, paid for by Visalus for my wife. She was EXTREMELY excited about that. My business has continued to grow, as time has allowed me to work the business. Last month, we were blessed to earn just short of $3,000 with Visalus, and we're looking to produce an even better result in the current month.

In addition to the income, the new vehicle, etc, I believe that the leadership, communication, team-building, and problem solving skills that I have developed while serving in the network marketing industry, played a vital role in my landing a major promotion in my full-time position, nearly six months ago, which resulted in an ENORMOUS pay raise. This industry (network marketing), has literally forced me to grow as a person, as well as a leader, and leadership skills are extremely marketable in corporate America.

So I would like to extend an offer to each of you today. If you are out there, and watching my page, observing my posts, and wondering if this business can work for you; I want you to take action today. Let go of the fear that has been holding you back. Release every negative perception that you may have in your mind regarding the industry of network marketing, and give me a call today at 517-240-0190 to get started.

WHY VISALUS?

Billions of dollars are exchanging hands each year in the direct sales industry. Millions of Americans from all walks of life have joined the homebased business industry. Direct sales/network marketing provides individuals who are seeking extra money with the opportunity to create unlimited streams of income from home by sharing business opportunities with potential customers, an/or business partners.

The beauty of the direct sales industry (in addition to the free trips, free vehicles, cash bonuses, etc), is that each individual that joins the industry has the ability to establish SPECIFIC income and career goals that will fit in with his/her personal preferences. The purpose of today's post is to encourage those who are new to the industry to BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND.

WHAT do you want?

Would you like to earn an additional $500.00 per month from home? Would you like to earn an additional $1,000 per month from home? Would you like to match your full-time income from home? Would you like to replace your full-time job with income from home? These are questions that should be asked prior to joining the direct sales/network marketing industry. In the absence of a SPECIFIC plan, with clear set goals, you will likely end up beating your feet in the water, and going no place fast.


WHEN would you like to have this desired income?

It has often been said that, "Goals are dreams with DEADLINES!" Have you ever heard of the word "urgency?" One of the first things that you will notice when studying successful people, is that they ALWAYS move with a sense of urgency! It is DIFFICULT to book interviews with stars like Tyler Perry, Diddy, Oprah, etc. Why is this? This is due to the fact that these individuals are constantly SPRINTING from one goal to the next, and thus, they have very little time for small talk!

LOCK IN on your business goals. Establish specific deadlines for advancing company ranks, reaching certain income levels, etc. If you fail to establish deadlines and timeframes for your performance, then you willl inevitably end up taking YEARS to accomplish tasks that should have been completed in WEEKS!

WHERE will you promote your business?

Who is your TARGET MARKET? "Well, my upline told me to contact my friends and family members. So they are my target market." Okay. So what if every person in your family mocks you, discourages you from pursuing your business, and refuses to attend a single presentation? What if your friends tell you that you're wasting your time, and they have neither the time, nor the money necessary to support your business? This was exactly the case for me when I joined the industry. So I'll ask you again, "What if?"

Think outside the box. Starting with your warm market is a brilliant idea. However, I would encourage you to approach those closest to you with realistic expectations. I would also encourage you to create a plan "B," or a SECONDARY market of individuals that are in position to possibly support your business, at least in the infant stages. Internet marketing presents the opportunity to share your business with the millions of individuals who use the internet on a daily basis. Social media is yet another possible outlet.


HOW will you get it?

Once you have established clear and concise goals for your homebased business, you will then be in position to move on to the next step, which will be identifying the steps that will be necessary in order for you to accomplish your desired end. How many phone calls will you need to make each day? How many meetings will you need to schedule for each week? How many hours will you need to invest daily, weekly, and monthly, in order to achieve these results?

 If you treat your business like a hobby, then your business will pay you like a hobby. If you treat your business like a business, then your business will pay you like a business. Part of treating your business like a business will be establishing performance goals and objectives at the start of each day, week, month, and/or year.

WHY do you desire this income?

I would like to reiterate that this post is about beginning with the end in mind. Up unto this point, we have covered WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW. We have saved the most IMPORTANT piece for last: WHY. What will this additional income mean to you? What will this additional income do for your family? Why did you make the decision to join this particular opportunity? What are the circumstances in your life, that you are hoping to change with this added income. WHY are you doing what you're DOING?!!!

WHY is your WHY so important? You will run into every imaginable obstacle, and/or setback while making this journey. Those who you are expecting to support your business, will abandon you. Those who you are expecting to be TOP performers will flame out, QUICKLY. You will SOON realize that network marketing is NOT a "get rick quick scheme" You will want to quit. DON'T.

Prior to making your first phone call, or sharing your first presentation; establish your WHY. Identify the REASON for your joining the business. Take photos of the things that you will be able to do for your family and for yourSELF, once you have achieved this income goal! Review these photos on a DAILY basis. Allow these images to serve as the engine that DRIVES your performance!

There are NO LIMITS to what you can accomplish in this AWESOME industry. However, to avoid becoming just another sad statistic, be sure to establish WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW, & WHY, prior to setting out on your journey. BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND!

I had a woman tell me recently that she wanted to promote the challenge, but she added that she couldn't promote, due to her being "shy." Shyness is a learned behavior. Just as you have "learned" to bashful, timid, easily startled, and uncomfortable in the company of others; you can also "UNLEARN" this behavior!

Definition of "UNLEARN"-To put something out of mind; to forget something; to discard something previously learnt, like an old habit.

The first step in the process of overcoming your shyness is to CONFRONT your fear of REJECTION! The fear of rejection is the root cause of shyness. Rejection is a normal part of life. It is difficult to experience love without first experiencing rejection. It is next to impossible to experience success without first experiencing rejection. The ONLY way to avoid rejection is to SAY nothing, to DO  nothing, and to BE nothing.

I had an experience years ago, that provided me with an entirely different outlook on this "condition" known as "shyness." I was a substitute teacher for a 7th grade class at Parkside Middle School. The teacher was on long-term sick leave, and so I received the assignment of teaching the class for two weeks.

The students had an assignment that included conducting presentations before their classmates. There were about 32 students in the classroom. When the day for presentations arrived, each of the students took turns standing in front of the room, and sharing presentations on a variety of subjects. The assignment required that each student speak before the room for a minimum of five minutes.

There was one particular student in my classroom that had a REALLY difficult time with this particular assignment. I will refer to this student as "Lisa" for the purposes of this post. When Lisa approached the front of the room, it was quickly apparent that this was her first time speaking before a group.

Lisa approached the podium with her notes tightly clasped in her shaking hands. She stared nervously at the floor, as her classmates waited for her to begin her speech. Lisa then turned to me, and said, "I can't do it." I never responded. I simply smiled, and waited for her to speak.

Lisa's lips started to tremble, and moments later, tears began to roll down her face. A large part of me wanted to save Lisa in this moment, but an even greater part of me understood that if I forced her to confront this dreadful fear of being rejected by her classmates, that she would develop a new level of courage that would stick with her for LIFE.

After what seemed like a good 10-minute standoff, Lisa reluctantly started her speech. Her classmates were HIGHLY intrigued by her topic of choice. Each time that Lisa glanced up, she noticed the positive feedback being provided in the facial expressions of the students around her. Throughout the course of her speech, her body language slowly started to transform. Lisa wiped the tears away from her eyes. Her slumping shoulders stood up in an erect position. By the end of her presentation, Lisa was looking her classmates right in the eyes, and speaking with BOLDNESS!!!

When the class ended for the day, Lisa pulled me aside, and thanked me for forcing her to present to the class. She told me that this was her first time ever speaking before a group, and that she had feared going in, that her classmates would make fun of her, or that she would do a poor job. Lisa ended up presenting the best performance of all of the kids in her class!!!!

The moral of this story is this: GO FOR IT!! The ONLY thing stopping you is YOU!! Will you experience rejection? Absolutely. Will you eventually run into people who will mock you, and attempt to discourage you from pursuing your dreams? Absolutely! But focus on the NUMBERS, and understand that each time that you make the decision to act IN SPITE of your fears; this makes you stronger, more confident, and more VALUABLE to the world around you! The world NEEDS people that are willing to GO FOR IT!!!