You will hear this over and over again – the way to succeed in MLM is to help others to succeed, first. Okay, so you got into this business to help yourself and your family. You might ask: ..”Why should I help other people when I am flat out busting to improve my own situation?” You won’t really understand your longer term goals until you really understand the concept of serving others. Your downline will warm to you when they see that you really care about them and their future. After all, what we are doing is giving away a great opportunity. It’s not as if it is something that we have to sell and are selective about it. It is actually something that we have the right to give away. That right is the right to promise to someone that you can improve their life, if they are willing to listen, learn and follow. That is pretty special. So, with that in mind, why not offer it to anyone and everyone – see last weeks post on “Talking to Prospects”. Don’t prejudge anyone, just open your heart and offer it to as many people as you can. If you have to have a “Chicken List” in the early days, then have one. Just make a promise to yourself that you will tell those people about your opportunity at some time in the future. Maybe you feel that you need to achieve a certain level of success first. That is OK, because there is no wrong time to make the right move. Take your time. Make your list and commit to sharing your opportunity with a certain number of people every week, or every month. Any system will succeed if you stick to it. Most companies, can only offer their people a job, a certain income and the possibility of advancement under limited circumstances. They cannot guarantee the job, though, because economic circumstances may change and they may have to retrench. We have the ability to promise unlimited opportunity in return for a small cost and a degree of effort. Now, of course we all want to validate the business, first. We want to see that we can earn money by doing the things that our upline teach us to do, so that is fair enough and all the more reason to get off to that Quickstart. Once you see, and believe that the money is there, you can put that bit of reasoning aside and trust in yourself, so that you leave yourself the time to serve others, in order to benefit yourself. Empathy Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect. Think about what was in your mind when your sponsor asked you to look at this business opportunity. That should be your starting point. Remember that you joined, or are looking to join, because you have a Need, and that can translate into a Why. If your sponsor did not address those concerns, but instead, made it all about him or her, would you have given them the time of day? Think back on that meeting. Did he or she come across as desperate to recruit you at all costs, or did they put it to you on the basis that they would love to have you in their network, so that they could show you the way forward for yourself? One to One Before we take that any further, we need to have a look at what the renowned MLM expert, Tom “Big Al” Schreiter teaches about personality types, as this throws some very useful light on one to one relationships. Most people coming into MLM networks have never done this type of training before and I thoroughly recommend that you spend an hour or so to watch his excellent videos on the subject. You can find them on YouTube at: youtu.be/G_18kYOUW7I Basically, he divides humans into four “colour” types:
Now, I am sure that we are all a combination of two or more of these types, and I am not going into detailed explanations of them, because Big Al does a much better job than I could ever do, on his videos, but it is sufficient to understand that you should have a basic appreciation of who you are dealing with when you are speaking to people about your great MLM opportunity, because everyone will view it differently. What is constant, though, is the fact that, if you come across as a genuine person who wants to help your prospect, and can show them the way forward, their personality type will kick in and they can then build their network, their way, with you being able to help and understand their needs, and their approach. So, empathy is vital and you need to see that there are differences in personality types. Not that you have to become an expert, but allow yourself to do some basic training and prospecting will become easier for you. Giving Generosity of spirit underpins most human relationships. Yes, it is true that we do build relationships in our lives, based on authority, or fear, or love or competition, but the most enduring relationships are based on respect. We respect people who don’t put their own interests ahead of others. In MLM, we respect our upline when they show that they truly care about our success, future, livelihood, advancement and are willing to put all their resources into our training and development. If you look at the high level leaders in your network, you will see that they are out there training and giving their time to people many layers down in the network, when they are already successful and probably could be spending their time with their families, enjoying their well-earned wealth. Why is this? It is because they have long ago passed the point of worrying about themselves and are now at the point of ensuring that all the people in the network below them have the same opportunity to succeed that they enjoyed. These are people who appreciate the opportunity that was handed to them and who are determined to serve those who come after them to keep the dream alive. Trust me, you will hear them at major training events, telling their story and you will be inspired. You can’t fail to be. Another good reason to attend all the events! Conclusion Get out there into the marketplace, put as many people as you can on your list and when you speak to them, don’t make it about you, and make it about them. Share the opportunity at every opportunity. Let people know that you have a better way. Let them know that you are there for them at every step of the way. Let them know that you understand their personality type and can work with them in converting prospects into leaders in their organisation. Forget about You and You will succeed. Here's to Your Success! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Before You Go ..... Check out these two pre-launch TOTALLY FREE business opportunities: .. Who knows if they will work, but lock in your position, study their material and who knows? Might just be a great ground floor opportunity. HODO - Fantastic new disruptive technology that is set to revolutionise the $8 bilion travel and leisure industry - CLICK HERE THW GLOBAL - get paid to watch videos - can't wait for more details - jump in and have a look! - CLICK HERE
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I came across an affiliate site using Bitcoin the other day and, as with all new, disruptive technology I thought I had better look into it, at the risk of missing out on something or getting left behind, so what follows is the little bit of research that I have been able to do on it (and I stress “little” ) – I recommend that you do some of your own. It’s obviously here to stay! The site that I am talking about is an Australian site called Bitify. (www.bitify.com). You can buy and sell anything that is legal and you can be an affiliate, but you can only pay and receive in Bitcoin or as they described it "BITCOIN BTC AND LITECOIN BTC". What? You mean there is more than one? I don't even know about the first one yet! How do I Get Some of These Bitcoins? Rather than try and write my own informed, or otherwise, account, I checked out a couple of websites to see if I could find a simple explanation. So here are a couple of articles with links to their websites: ____________________________________________________________ Still Don't Get Bitcoin? Here's an Explanation Even a Five-Year-Old Will Understand Nik Custodio (@nik5ter) | Published on January 9, 2014 http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-explained-five-year-old/ We’re sitting on a park bench. It’s a great day. I have one apple with me, I give it to you. You now have one apple and I have zero. That was simple, right? Let’s look closely at what happened: My apple was physically put into your hand. You know it happened. I was there, you were there – you touched it. We didn’t need a third person there to help us make the transfer. We didn’t need to pull in Uncle Tommy (who’s a famous judge) to sit with us on the bench and confirm that the apple went from me to you. The apple’s yours! I can’t give you another apple because I don’t have any left. I can’t control it anymore. The apple left my possession completely. You have full control over that apple now. You can give it to your friend if you want, and then that friend can give it to his friend, and so on. So that’s what an in-person exchange looks like. I guess it’s really the same, whether I’m giving you a banana, a book, a quarter, or a dollar bill … But I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to apples! ...let's say I have one digital apple. Here, I’ll give you my digital apple. Ah! Now it gets interesting. How do you know that digital apple which used to be mine, is now yours, and only yours? Think about it for a second. It’s more complicated, right? How do you know that I didn’t send that apple to Uncle Tommy as an email attachment first? Or your friend Joe? Or my friend Lisa too? Maybe I made a couple of copies of that digital apple on my computer. Maybe I put it up on the internet and one million people downloaded it. As you see, this digital exchange is a bit of a problem. Sending digital apples doesn’t look like sending physical apples. Some brainy computer scientists actually have a name for this problem: it’s called the double-spending problem. But don’t worry about it. All you need to know is that it’s confused them for quite some time and they’ve never solved it. Until now. But let’s try to think of a solution on our own. Ledgers Maybe these digital apples need to be tracked in a ledger. It’s basically a book where you track all transactions – an accounting book. This ledger, since it’s digital, needs to live in its own world and have someone in charge of it. Just like World of Warcraft, say. Blizzard, the guys who created the online game, have a “digital ledger” of all the rare flaming fire swords that exist in their system. So, cool, someone like them could keep track of our digital apples. Awesome – we solved it! ProblemsThere’s a bit of a problem though: 1) What if some guy over at Blizzard created more? He could just add a couple of digital apples to his balance whenever he wants! 2) It’s not the same as when we were on the bench that day. It was just you and me then. Going through Blizzard is like pulling in Uncle Tommy (a third-party) out of court (did I mention he’s a famous judge?) for all our park bench transactions. How can I just hand over my digital apple to you in the usual way? Is there any way to closely replicate our park bench transaction digitally? Seems kinda tough … The Solution What if we gave this ledger to everybody? Instead of the ledger living on a Blizzard computer, it’ll live in everybody’s computers. All the transactions that have ever happened, from all time, in digital apples, will be recorded in it. You can’t cheat it. I can’t send you digital apples I don’t have, because then it wouldn’t sync up with everybody else in the system. It’d be a tough system to beat. Especially if it got really big. Plus, it’s not controlled by one person, so I know there’s no one that can just decide to give himself more digital apples. The rules of the system were already defined at the beginning. And the code and rules are open source – kinda like the software used in your mom’s Android phone. Or kinda like Wikipedia. It’s there for smart people to maintain, secure, improve, and check. You could participate in this network too – updating the ledger and making sure it all checks out. For the trouble, you could get like 25 digital apples as a reward. In fact, that’s the only way to create more digital apples in the system. I simplified quite a bit … But that system I explained exists. It’s called the Bitcoin protocol. And those digital apples are the bitcoins within the system. Fancy! So, did you see what happened? What does the public ledger enable? 1) It’s open source, remember? The total number of apples was defined in the public ledger at the beginning. I know the exact amount that exists. Within the system, I know they are limited (scarce). 2) When I make an exchange I now know that digital apple certifiably left my possession and is now completely yours. I used to not be able to say that about digital things. It will be updated and verified by the public ledger. 3) Because it’s a public ledger, I didn’t need Uncle Tommy (third-party) to make sure I didn’t cheat, or make extra copies for myself, or send apples twice, or thrice… Within the system, the exchange of a digital apple is now just like the exchange of a physical one. It’s now as good as seeing a physical apple leave my hand and drop into your pocket. Just like on the park bench, the exchange involved two people only. You and me , we didn’t need Uncle Tommy there to make it valid. In other words, it behaves like a physical object. But you know what’s cool? It’s still digital. We can now deal with 1,000 apples, or 1 million apples, or even .0000001 apples. I can send it with a click of a button, and I can still drop it in your digital pocket if I was in Nicaragua and you were all the way in New York. I can even make other digital things ride on top of these digital apples! It’s digital after all. Maybe I can attach some text on it – a digital note. Or maybe I can attach more important things; like say a contract, or a stock certificate, or an ID card … So this is great! How should we treat or value these “digital apples”? They’re quite useful aren’t they? Well, a lot of people are arguing over it now. There’s debate between this and that economic school, between politicians, between programmers. Don’t listen to all of them though. Some people are smart; some are misinformed. Some say the system is worth a lot; some say it’s actually worth zero. Some guy actually put a hard number on it: $1,300 per apple. Some say it’s digital gold; some say it's a currency. Others say they’re just like tulips. Some people say it’ll change the world; some say it’s just a fad. I have my own opinion about it, but that’s a story for another time. Hey kid, you now know more about Bitcoin than most. __________________________________________________________________ BITCOIN SIMPLIFIED From: http://bitcoinsimplified.org/ Bitcoin was invented as a peer-to-peer system for online payments that does not require a trusted central authority. Since its inception in 2008, Bitcoin has grown into a technology, a currency, an investment vehicle, and a community of users. In this guide we hope to explain what Bitcoin is and how it works as well as describe how you can use it to improve your life. What is Bitcoin? Since anything digital can be copied over and over again, the hard part about implementing a digital payment system is making sure that nobody spends the same money more than once. Traditionally, this is done by having a trusted central authority (like PayPal) that verifies all of the transactions. The core innovation that makes Bitcoin special is that it uses consensus in a massive peer-to-peer network to verify transactions. This results in a system where payments are non-reversible, accounts cannot be frozen, and transaction fees are much lower. Where do bitcoins come from? We go more in-depth about this on the page about mining, but here’s a very simple explanation: Some users put their computers to work verifying transactions in the peer-to-peer network mentioned above. These users are rewarded with new bitcoins proportional to the amount of computing power they donate to the network. Who controls Bitcoin? As we mentioned above, there is no central person or central authority in charge of Bitcoin. Various programmers donate their time developing the open source Bitcoin software and can make changes subject to the approval of lead developer Gavin Andresen. The individual minersthen choose whether to install the new version of the software or stick to the old one, essentially “voting” with their processing power. It is in the miners’ best interest to only accept changes that are good for the Bitcoin currency in the long run. These checks and balances make it difficult for anyone to manipulate Bitcoin. How to get started with Bitcoin. The best way to learn about Bitcoin is to get some and experiment. We have written articles about how to set up your own Bitcoin wallet, how to acquire bitcoins, and how to use bitcoins to help you get going. We have also written about a number of other Bitcoin topics if you prefer a hands-off approach to learning. If your questions remain unanswered, please contact us and ask us anything you like. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wikipedia Had a Go at It, Too - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin .. …..and here is the Wikipedia Version (only the summary – use the link above to see the full research). Bitcoin is a digital asset and a payment system invented by Satoshi Nakamoto. Nakamoto introduced the idea on 31 October 2008 to a cryptography mailing list,[12] and released it as open-source software in 2009.[13] There have been several high profile claims to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto; however, none of them have provided proof beyond doubt that back up their claims.[14] The system is peer-to-peer and transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary.[15]:4 These transactions are verified by network nodes and recorded in a public distributed ledger called the blockchain,[16] which uses bitcoin as its unit of account. Since the system works without a central repository or single administrator, the U.S.Treasury categorizes bitcoin as a decentralized virtual currency.[1] Bitcoin is often called the first cryptocurrency,[17][18][19] although prior systems existed[note 5] and it is more correctly described as the first decentralized digital currency.[15][22] Bitcoin is the largest of its kind in terms of total market value.[23] Bitcoins are created as a reward for payment processing work in which users offer their computing power to verify and record payments into a public ledger. This activity is called mining and miners are rewarded with transaction fees and newly created bitcoins.[15] Besides being obtained by mining, bitcoins can be exchanged for other currencies,[24] products, and services.[25] When sending bitcoins, users can pay an optional transaction fee to the miners.[26] In February 2015, the number of merchants accepting bitcoin for products and services passed 100,000.[27] Instead of 2–3% typically imposed by credit card processors, merchants accepting bitcoins often pay fees in the range from 0% to less than 2%.[28]Despite the fourfold increase in the number of merchants accepting bitcoin in 2014, the cryptocurrency did not have much momentum in retail transactions.[29] The European Banking Authority[30] and other sources[15]:11 have warned that bitcoin users are not protected by refund rights or chargebacks. The use of bitcoin by criminals has attracted the attention of financial regulators,[31]legislative bodies,[32] law enforcement,[33] and media.[34] Criminal activities are primarily centered around darknet markets and theft, though officials in countries such as the United States also recognize that bitcoin can provide legitimate financial services.[35] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- …………………..anyway, there you have it – it looks like it’s here to stay – I know you get them by Mining, whatever that means, but I still have no idea how to do that , but I will find out, so I encourage you to read up about it and help me out with any useful comments. Here’s to your success! Tell us what you think. Your List Who would be a good candidate for your network? Let's make a list. ....Who might like to look at your business opportunity? .....Who would you want to share the opportunity with? • People who are dissatisfied with their job • people who love their job • people who just want to make some more money to pay bills • people who want to make an insane amount of money • people who want to give their kids more material things • people who want to give their kids an opportunity or a start • people who want to give their kids values • people who just want their kids to stand on their own two feet • people who want to retire but can't afford to • people who can retire and want to have fun with it and help others • people who are not retired but want to have fun with it and help others • people who don't know the meaning of the word "retirement" • people who haven't paid off their home yet • renters • people who have paid off their home and want to keep investing • students who could use an extra thousand dollars a month • students who would rather not have a huge HECS bill • students who want to help their mates out • other blokes who want to help their mates out • ex-students just starting out on life • people who have dreams of building an empire • people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired • people who just have dreams of a better life • people who are just wanting to dare to dream • people who would really love to work for themselves • people who just want to work from home • people who love sales • people who don't love sales • people who want to travel • people who want to stay at home and be carers for others • people who want the freedom to set their own hours • people who want the freedom to do something while looking for their dream job • people who want to write their best-selling novel • people who want to research rare species • people who just want to blog their ideas with time to think about them • people who want time to spend with their kids and not be in a job • people who like you • people who may not like you • people who work for hourly rates • people on casual wages • people on salaries • people on sales quotas • people who resent making their boss rich • people who would like their boss to get rich in their team • people who would like more time to play golf, or tennis, or go fishing • people who just want to spend time in their garden • people who would like to employ a gardener • people who would like to give more to charity • people who would like more time for volunteering for worthy causes • people who are unemployed • people who are carers for sick children or aged parents, or people with other disabilities • people who are retired, and love it • people who are retired, and hate it • people who love deals • people who love saving money • people who would love to earn residual income • people who like to lead • people who like to follow • people who can see value in MLM • People who just want to have a go. • People who own small businesses • people who own large businesses • people who hate being tax collectors • people who hate paying overheads • mature people • people who hate red tape • people who hate paying employees • people who hate renting business premises • young people • old people In short …..Anyone!! You could go on, and on and easily think up hundreds more - but the real point is there are as many categories of people who would like to, or need to see your business opportunity as there are PEOPLE!! So why pre-judge? Why even bother pre-judging - we are not psychics, so why try and second guess what's in someone's head? If you think about it, attempting to judge others may be the height of arrogance! Who gives us that right? As i once heard a leader in an MLM organisation rsay, at a National Event – there is an oversupply of people in the world!! Here's the thing!! It’s not what's in their head - it's what is in their heart - it's what is in their gut!! People will surprise you. Just put everyone on your list and tell them about it – “SORT, DON’T SELL” Offer it up and give it away with all the goodwill you have - even if you only have a "chicken list" to start with. Many, depending on how sincere you are, will be NO's and many will be YES's - that's cool - don't forget, you probably only want 25 or more of them to become your valued clients! 25 out of 30 might be hard work, but 25 out of hundreds or thousands should be easy! So don't be afraid to share it. Remember the example of the deck of cards - shuffle them and turn them over one by one - you will turn up 4 aces somewhere in that pack - just no guarantees where or when. Zak Mustapha
Author of Undefeated Marketing and founder of Foolishness File Ever heard the saying, “the average millionaire has 7 sources of income”? Well that’s what this post is about... generating those sources of income. I’ve carefully selected 7 income sources that have a low barrier of entry. So let’s begin... 1. Binary Options Worried about the risk of investing? Or maybe you don’t have enough capital to invest in any stocks?
2. Freelance Whether you have a full time job or not. Freelancing is a great way to earn money from home on your own terms. All you need is the willingness to work. The number of jobs are limitless. You can do: Writing
Step 1: Write down a list of your skills (e.g. logo design, blogging etc.) Step 2: Create your portfolio on any of these job sites. Step 3: Apply for jobs on those sites until you get some gigs. 3. Affiliate Marketing Most, if not all affiliate marketers are bloggers. If you enjoy connecting with others online and sharing your thoughts then affiliate marketing is a great way to earn an income. The best thing about blogging is the fact that you can work whenever and wherever you want... you’re the boss. To get started with affiliate marketing you need to follow these steps: Step 1: Pick a niche. Step 2: Set up a blog. Step 3: Sign up to affiliate programs. Step 4: Start blogging and connecting with other bloggers in your space. 4. Sell Your Photos Enjoy taking photos? Good news. You can sell them online without much effort. There are sites out there that let you upload your photos, put a price on them and start selling. You probably won’t make a six figure income from your photos. But, you’ll make a lot more money than just letting them rot on your memory card. Here’s a list of sites where you can sell your photos: Let your photos make you a bit of cash while you sleep. 5. Sell Your Knowledge The education industry is worth over $100 billion and growing, making it a great opportunity for you to make some income. People want what you know no matter how easy or not important it may seem to you. The most common ways people sell your knowledge is through:
That’s not an obstacle. In fact, that’s good news for you because it shows there’s a market for what you’re teaching. The internet is a massive place and there’s enough space for another million people like you. Truth is, no two educators are the same anyway, every educator has their own angle and experience of things. Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur.com makes over $7,000 a month from his kindle books even though there are millions of other books on Amazon. So, If you want to take a slice of a $100+ billion industry then selling your knowledge is a path you should take. 6. Mobile App Skinning Most of us aren’t coders. Coding an app is time consuming and expensive. But, why code from scratch when you can just improve existing apps without writing a line of code? Carter Thomas from bluecloudsolutions.com shows you how he created a $70/month app business from scratch. It’s much easier than creating an app from scratch. Even if you do want to create an app from scratch, it’s best to test the waters with this kind of app. You’ll make yourself a bit of income maybe enough to fund the other app projects you wanted to work on. 7. White Labelling Ever bought something from Amazon? Well guess what, there’s a 99% chance it was a white labelled product. Wait, what’s white labelling? For the sake of brevity, it’s sticking a branded sticker (or label) on a generic product. If you thought Amazon products were unique then I hate to say this, but you’re wrong. If you read the ingredients and look at the packaging you’ll realize the only difference is the label. Even if you do see a slight difference, it’s because they both sourced their products from a different manufacturer. Almost no one on Amazon creates their own unique products from scratch. But, you want to know why this business model is on this list? Because you can start your own ecommerce store with just a few hundred dollars! Why you? Because Amazon relies on third party sellers and you could be one easily. Final Words There you have it. 7 carefully selected sources of income you can definitely rely on. The only thing getting in your way to becoming a millionaire now is your willingness to do the work. Don’t let “busyness” get in your way. Life is short and if you want to become a millionaire, you better start now. Assign a week to work on each one and you’ll be on your way to have 7 additional sources of income within 7 weeks. Follow Zak Mustapha on Twitter: www.twitter.com/zakmustapha This is the 4th Article in our MLM series What does the title mean? Why would someone be afraid to succeed? You can understand someone being afraid to fail, can't you? Why would someone be afraid to succeed? There is an old adage that goes - if you try something new, you will either win or you will? Lose? HOW WRONG!! The answer is that you will LEARN! Unless it is some life threatening or fortune threatening venture or pursuit the outcome of not winning is usually finding out what doesn't work and working out how to do better next time (note that I didn't say succeed, next time - it might take a bit of fine tuning before that happens), but every little improvement is part of the journey toward your end goal, which is defined as SUCCESS. If you don’t believe me, read the biography of Albert Einstein, who believed that every failure in an experiment just meant that success was that little bit closer. Talking about that journey, it is often said that "the toughest terrain that we ever negotiate is the six inches between our ears!" What does that mean? It means that self-doubt, procrastination, fear of the responsibilities that come with success, or just plain inertia, do more to prevent progress than all the physical barriers that we encounter, put together. So, fear of success translates to:
Well, it is very easy to hide behind a screen of mediocrity, to just get by, to make a living and not a life. The path of least resistance is always the well-trodden, isn't it? The "no going back" situation doesn't work anymore, you can't slip back into mediocrity once you have made the effort, or can you? But here lies the problem - if you truly want to succeed, mediocrity is not an option. We have to push ourselves and stretch outside our comfort zone. If you want to be like that, then stretch a little bit at a time - each time you do, it's like stretching an elastic band, until it gets bigger and bigger, a little at a time. That is where goal setting can come in - if you set realistic and realisable goals, you can stretch a bit at a time - you can retreat into the shadows every now and then to lick your wounds, as long as you have the discipline to come back out into the light and put your head up. It's okay to fall off the horse or the bike, as long as you work out why you fell, get back on and keep going. Goals are never set in concrete, they can change on the run - think of the example of the guided missile - they don't just fire it at a fixed point, from hundreds of miles away and hope for the best, they tweak it so that it makes little tiny course corrections all along the way, adjusting for wind, rain, magnetic variations, and everything else that can be thrown at it, until it zeroes in on the target. If you have carefully planned your route to the top of Mt Everest and something gets in your way, like a blizzard or a landslide, do you say “oh, well, never mind, we did our best ?” or do you re-group and try to figure out an alternative route? That should be how we see our goals. There is only one certainty in goal setting and that is that if you aim at nothing you are sure to hit it! Maybe you need to have a bucket list of things to do that will conquer your fears - maybe you just need to latch on to a good mentor, to read and digest great motivational material, but the bottom line is that THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY - if you can't climb the wall, then either crash through it, go around it, or tunnel under it, or run down the street and hire a bull dozer!! In any business there are lots of mentors and, particularly in the online world - find ways to find the gurus, and you will find, in most cases, that if you ask for their help they will be only too happy to give it. Remember, that everybody who is doing business online, whether it be blogging, selling, teaching, whatever is highly interested in building their mailing list, so why wouldn't someone be happy to hear from you if you were prepared to subscribe to them, and most of those guys have been where you are, now and most probably got their start through asking for help, or asking to guest blog, or to write an article for a website. So, remember, success will come to you when you are ready to embrace it. Don’t be daunted by it, but go looking for it! Be creative about how to find it - ask Google dumb questions and you will be surprised at how intuitive the answers will be. and. as always, our great bonus offers - this week find out how to make some great money out of affiliiate marketing, just email us and let us know that you are interested ...and, again don't forget those free e-books that we always offer you. Here's to your success,...see you next week Web Gurus This is inspired by an email that was in my inbox today from one of the gurus that I follow - Dr Bob Clarke. There are basically three ways to learn about online business:- 1. Pay for training The best way but expensive. Some of the material out there might be less than good value for money and it is hard to know where to look, and with so much choice hard to decide where to spend your hard-earned cash. 2. Read and Research Also effective and mostly free but time consuming. Time is money. 3. Follow The Leader. This is the middle way, but probably the most effective. I follow quite a number of "gurus", but not slavishly, and there are too many to be doing nothing else but reading their stuff. But I do have a core group of 4 or 5 that I love getting emails from. They are pretty self less people who give away huge amounts of free advice and refer me to great sites where I always learn something new. There are probably many hundreds more and when I come across them, I'll let you know. The beauty of following these obviously successful people is that they will direct us to the courses and webinars and mastermind groups that are worth paying money for, when we are ready. There are the big names of the Internet, such as Seth Godin, Neil Patel, Danny Iny, Jeff Bullas (Australian blogger) and Jon Morrow from Copyblogger There are commercial organisations where you can get tons of great FREE material - to name a couple - HubSpot, Digital Marketer, Huffington Post, Forbes My favourites (and they won't necessarily be yours) are: Dr Bob and Rosemary Clarke - Bob is still practising his profession more or less full time and running a successful internet business and his advice is regular, free, on the money and useful as he usually points you to other great sources of knowledge - http://BobandRosemary.com Dianne Hochman - Diane builds a huge internet business purely on her personality and her material is always down to earth - www.dianehochman.com Pat Flynn - again, good commonsense material and even if you read between the lines of his ads for his paid material, you will pick out gems - www.smartpassiveincome.com Frank Jones - sells a lot of software but gives a lot away, too and very down to earth info - www.frankjones.net (and others) My core group will not necessarily resonate with you and you need to go searching for your own. One great way that I found was to go to Danny Iny's website - https://mirasee.com/how-we-help/ and download a free copy of his book "Engagement from Scratch"- it is a collection of articles from over 30 of the best known bloggers and content marketers on the web - it was responsible for one of my first "lightbulb" moments in internet marketing and introduced me to some of these gurus. One suggestion - set up a gmail account specially for these guys and join as many lists as you can - then unsubscribe from the ones that you don't relate to. As the mail won't be clogging up your inbox, you can read the material or delete it at your leisure - I set up gmail accounts and then use Mozilla Thunderbird as my mail browser - you can have as many mail accounts downloading on Thunderbird as you want and all you have to do is click <File - New - Existing Mail Account> and it will open a screen where you enter your name, the email address that you set up in gmail and your password - Thunderbird does the rest and you will have it on your desktop, rather than having to open a Gmail browser window everytime that you want to log in. Well - I did start by saying "short and sharp" because I was writing this on the bus, but I got a bit carried away. Hope this is all of value to you. As always, let's have your comments (I'm adding this to the blog) and feedback Here's to Your Success! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As always Go to the Free E-Books Tab and check out the offers - there will be more coming in the next week or so - my DAY JOB is getting in the way! Does Anyone Really think that we can trust our governments to look after us into retirement?
Does anyone really think that people should take back the power to decide their destiny? This short series of Articles will focus on what happens when you suddenly find that you don't have a job and your Superannuation ain't what you thought it would be, and then, in the second installment, it will focus on the many and brilliant alternatives that are out there, without the effort of having to do physical hard labour, and how you can take responsibility for your future and never, again trust the government with your well-being. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Drum (ABC Australia 27/10/15 – the author wanted to remain anonymous) When you go looking for work at my age they don't tell you directly that you are too old, they imply it with questions: "Will you manage? Do you have the technical skills?" It can be shocking and humiliating. Financially cocooned and safe in his own retirement, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced to the Australian people, "you must work until you are 70 before you can retire". What Mr Abbott forgot to tell Australia was that to get a job you might have to move. Move away from your home, move away from your security, move away from your family and grandchildren, and move away from your social network. I am 63 years of age, a secondary school teacher, and not entitled to a pension. I don't have enough money to live on as I only have a very small superannuation, because I raised five children, which interfered with my earning capacity and super payments. With bills accumulating I desperately needed to go back to work. To my shock and horror, I couldn't find a job. Many passive rejections made me realise I was too old for employment in Newcastle. I have five degrees that I have completed over the past 30 years with the most recent in 2014, at Deakin University. I have two masters degrees. They don't tell you directly that you are too old, they imply it with questions. "Do you have the patience to teach challenging students?" Of course they mean the naughty students that both young and old teachers find difficult to teach. Or, "will you be able to manage, dear?" Or, "at your age do you have the technological skills to teach?" Old age is a presumption employers make when they see your CV listing your employment history. Employers don't have to see your birth date to make their blind and inaccurate judgments. Mission Australia told me that, in the month of June, Newcastle saw 5000 people out of work and seeking employment with only 500 jobs available. I decided I would do anything - work in a shop, type up accounts, take a secretarial role, work in a bistro, do cleaning - anything to have a job. So as a last resort I tried an employment agency. One employment agency in Newcastle told me to "dumb it down". I was horrified. I looked the young woman (who was in her late 20s) in the eye and I fervently said, "I fought long and hard in the 1960s for women to have a voice, to be able to access an education and to have equality in the work force and in society". She blinked, then said, "I am sorry, but you do not even have the skills to be a secretary, and we must take note of your age". I was shocked and humiliated. I have a typing speed of 65 words per minute, I can type reports; heck, they are no different to typing up a university assignment, and surely could not be harder than typing up a masters thesis. I am organised and stylish in my appearance. The underlying problem: I have grey hair and a few well-deserved wrinkles on my face and hands. I realised nobody wanted to employ me. I felt depressed and would cry at 2am in the morning, when all the woes of life visit you instead of sleep. Tears of shame - for being old, undervalued and unwanted - would roll down my face and soak my pillow. In a fighting moment, I grabbed life in both hands and made an application for a teaching contract in Queensland. I updated my skills listing with the department, informed them of my newest masters degree in the Arts and my willingness to work anywhere in Queensland. Within a week I had a response. I accepted a job in a high school in a mining and industry town in central Queensland. On the first day one person remarked, "you're the granny out in the playground, the outlier (a mathematic term for outside the norm)," and giggled. There were other comments as well, but I don't care. I am old and I am working. I am in the classroom teaching. Petty comments can roll over me and wash away my fear of being unable to pay my bills . Last week I received my first pay. It was an awesome feeling, and, when I walk across the playground, kids yell out to me, "hi miss!" I feel worthwhile. I love it. Not bad for an oldie! (Our take on that: don't let them have power over you, and there are other ways to preserve your all-important self respect). ------------------------------------------------- Laid Off at 60: What to Do Next Losing your job in your 60s can be painful, but these 7 tips will help you move forward May 7, 2012 – www.nextavenue.org - By Kate Ashford You’re in the prime of your life, just a handful of years from retirement. So what do you do if your employer gives you a pink slip and sends you on your way? It happened to Robert (his name has been changed for privacy), now 62, about a year and a half ago. “I thought, ‘I am not ready in any way to be without a job,’” he says. “I was too young to be retired, I wasn’t ready to be retired, and I had to start looking for something else. And it became apparent pretty quickly that another job wasn’t going to come along in a hurry.” The hunt for a new job at 60 can be daunting. After all, your age and experience may mean you'd come with a fairly expensive price tag, making you a less attractive candidate to some employers than applicants in their 20s or 30s. Many employers don't leap to hire people in their 60s. What to do? Financial advisers and career pros offer these seven pointers: Gauge your financial situation. Before you dive into the want ads, “assess where you are financially,” says Sheryl Garrett, founder of Garrett Planning Network. “How long can you go without a paycheck before you’re broke? And what kind of income do you need in that next position?” You may find that you no longer need to earn what you did at your last job. Do some serious soul searching. Losing your job could be just the impetus you need to think hard about the type of work you want to do at this stage of your life. You may decide that you don’t want to work in your previous field any longer or that you don’t even want to work for someone else. “When I asked a client who was a hospital administrator, ‘What would you ideally be doing?’ he told me he wanted to have a bait and tackle store,” Garrett says. “It’s not out of the question to consider a position in a whole new field that would give you personal satisfaction.” Consider setting up shop. [Why not an online one?] At your age, with your experience and expertise, you might be in the perfect position to hang out a shingle or act as a consultant in your field. If so, start by creating a business plan. Then look for experts who can act as a sounding board. You might also find a community college class that can teach you how to start your own business. “A lot of adult education classes are specifically geared toward this,” says Eileen Freiburger, a financial planner in Manhattan Beach, Calif. When you go out on your own, it helps if you are covered by your spouse's health insurance plan, at least until Medicare kicks in at 65. But there are other ways to score benefits. For instance, you could take a part-time job that provides health insurance while you’re building a business on the side. Says Garrett: “A couple of friends of mine went to work part-time for Starbucks.” (Employees of Starbucks get health coverage if they work at least 240 hours per quarter.) If you look for another job, plan on a smaller paycheck - [well, that's depressing] After layoffs, men and women 62 and older who return to work collect paychecks that are 36 percent less than their previous salaries, on average, according to the Urban Institute. For those 50 to 61, the average pay cut is 20 percent. That’s not so surprising when you consider that an employee who has been in the workforce for decades may be at the top of his or her field. So replicating that pay isn’t easy. If you hold out for exactly the salary you just lost, you may never find it. Think carefully before turning down a great job that pays less, especially if your cash reserves are running low. But if you really need that income, when you apply for a job, “it’s worth a heart-to-heart with the hiring manager,” Freiburger says. “Ask, ‘If I take this salary, could I expect a bonus? Is there anything I could do — such as accreditation or continuing education — to get up to the next pay tier?’” You may need to take a full-time job regardless of salary just for the health benefits. “At this age and stage in life, health insurance may be as important as the paycheck,” Garrett says. When interviewing, commit to the company. One of the disadvantages of being an older worker in a job interview is that you can’t plausibly promise the employer that you’ll be on board for the next 20 years. But this doesn’t mean you need to share your plan to retire in five years or so if that's what you're planning, experts say. “During the interview, say, ‘I really want to be a part of this company,’” Freiburger says. After all, who knows? You may not be ready or able to retire as soon as you expect. Rethink your retirement age. Maybe you’ve been set on retiring at age 65. Unfortunately, if you just joined the unemployment line, this goal may no longer be realistic. “The idea of being 60 and almost ready to retire, it’s an illusion,” Garrett says. More than a third of workers expect to work past 70 or never retire, according to a survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. This doesn’t mean putting the proverbial pedal to the metal through your mid-70s, however. You might look for a full-time job that requires fewer hours — 40 per week, say, instead of the 60 you put in before you were laid off. Or you might take a full-time job and gradually scale back hours, through a phased retirement. OR YOU MIGHT JUST DECIDE TO LISTEN TO US AND START YOUR OWN ONLINE BUSINESS! BELIEVE IT NOT, FOLKS, YOU CAN DO IT FOR VERY LITTLE, IF YOU ARE PREPARED TO SUBSTITUTE HOURS FOR DOLLARS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everydayonomics: The despair of being over 60 and jobless One of the most confronting interviews I have done this year was with Glenda Ellwood-White, a 60-year-old who has been out of work for more than five years. She lives with her 23-year-old son in a granny flat in Sydney's inner west. Her income is so low she often cannot afford meals and when she does eat, the menu is monotonous. "I often think my stomach will kill me if I have any more noodles," so I often just have a piece of toast and a cup of tea," Ellwood-White told me. She likens life on the Newstart benefit to being stuck "on a human hamster wheel". We do not hear that much about the struggles of older unemployed people such as Ellwood-White, but it turns out they are likely to remain unemployed much longer than younger people. Analysis by Marcia Keegan, an economist with consultancy SGS Economics and Planning, shows that a quarter of those aged 45 to 64 remained unemployed for more than a year compared with only 15 per cent of people aged under 44. "If you become unemployed at an older age, your chances of finding a job are a lot lower than someone who becomes unemployed at a younger age," she said. The problem is most acute for those aged over 60 - two-thirds of Newstart recipients in that age group have been out of work for more than 12 months. So why are older workers so much more likely to be unemployed long term? Prejudice is a major factor. The Australian Human Rights Commission says discrimination can be found among the job applicants as young as their mid-40s. A recent job search experience survey found almost one in five people aged 45 to 64 felt their age was the main difficulty they faced in finding work. Ellwood-White claims her long search for a job proves age-based prejudice is "rife". Another explanation is that employers fear a short period of service from older workers. "If an employer interviews someone in their late 50s or early 60s, they might think the person is going to retire in a few years or take their superannuation tax-free," Dr Keegan said. "They think they might be able to keep a younger worker for longer, but this is very unfair, because workers in their late 50s or early 60s often want to work for another 10 years or more." But older workers can sometimes be demanding. When Keegan explored what wages unemployed people wanted, she found older people, especially men, tended to have higher expectations than younger workers. This might encourage employers to go for younger workers, especially if they have been out of work for a long period. Disability is another factor. More than 30 per cent of workers aged 60 to 64 have some sort of disability that limits job options. In contrast, the rate of disability among those aged 15 to 24 is only about 8 per cent. The good news is that the proportion of older workers with a disability is falling – among 60 to 64-year-olds, the rate dropped from close to 40 per cent in 2003 to about 33 per cent in 2012. This year's federal budget introduced a new policy to reduce mature-age unemployment called Restart. Employers will receive $10,000 over two years when they employ a person aged over 50 on income support for at least six months. Even so, older workers are a significant part of a growing longer-term unemployment problem in Australia. This year, the rate of long-term unemployment has climbed to 1.2 per cent of the labour force – well above the decade-long average of 0.92 per cent. The Fairfax-Lateral Economics Wellbeing Index – which puts a dollar figure on national welfare – shows the well-being cost of long-term unemployment has surged in the past year and is now a $2 billion-a-year drag on the nation's collective well-being. Much of the pain is being felt by those aged in their 50s, 60s and 70s. ___________________________________________________________________________ 12 Things I Learned From Getting Laid Off In My 60s 09/10/2012 10:05 PM ANN BRENOFF - SENIOR WRITER/COLUMNIST, THE HUFFINGTON POST I've been a journalist my entire working life. I've been a writer, an editor, and a nationally syndicated columnist for a major print daily. I can even claim a share of a Pulitizer prize for my work covering the Northridge, California earthquake. And I was completely stunned when I fell victim to the recession and was laid off in March 2008. But as they say, what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger. I survived; actually I did more than survive, I thrived. Here's what losing my job at age 59.5 years old taught me: GRIEVING IS FOR WIDOWS I devoted my final commute home -- an hour stuck in traffic on Los Angeles' 10 Freeway -- to sobbing uncontrollably. I rolled the windows up tight and blasted Springsteen so loud the car vibrated. I banged the steering wheel so hard that my fists hurt. And then I pulled into my driveway, dried my tears, and faced my family. Grieving time was over; from that moment on, I never looked back. I accepted that what I lost was just a job, not a loved one. DON'T WASTE TIME BLAMING ANYONE, INCLUDING YOURSELF I didn't spend a minute wondering why I got the tap on the shoulder instead of the next guy. Didn't we learn on the kindergarten playground that life wasn't always fair? Finger-pointing, repeating the gory details of the injustice that befell you to anyone you can get to listen -- it's just such an energy-zapper. Save your emotional strength for rebuilding your career CONFIDENCE BREEDS CONFIDENCE If you don't believe you're fabulous, why should anyone else? Take a lesson from Facebook postings here: Life is wonderful, you are amazing, things couldn't be better. And believe it; if nothing else, you'll sleep better if you do. ANGER ISN'T ATTRACTIVE Put on a happy face and mean it. Nobody wants to hire a sad sack or someone angry at their old boss, their company, changes in their industry or the economy. Me? I quietly cancelled my subscription to the newspaper that canned me and let it go at that. Nobody wears anger well. YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL; BEHAVE LIKE ONE IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TREAT YOU LIKE ONE [WE ABSOLUTELY ECHO THIS SENTIMENT!] As a writer, I was frequently asked to write for free. I insisted on compensation -- although sometimes that compensation came in peculiar shapes. I would barter services -- I would do some marketing work and get my son tutored, my dog groomed, my closets organized. During the two years I freelanced, I chose to write an unpaid blog for The Huffington Post because of the platform and exposure it provided. Each time I posted, it led to paid writing assignments. Be strategic about your work decisions. People who work for free are volunteers and volunteers belong in the nonprofit world. GIVING TO OTHERS IS A GOOD THING I think I knew this my whole working life, but answered the need to give with my checkbook instead of my heart. Being unemployed taught me that there were ways to help others that actually felt better. I formed a support group for entrepreneurial women running their own businesses. I brought in advisors, speakers, and we all helped one another. Helping people helped me stay whole. I might not have been able to write big checks to charity, but I could certainly take a break from my own struggles to listen to someone else's. [OUR TAKE ON THIS - DON'T GET MAD, DON'T GET EVEN - GET CREATIVE!] YOU AREN'T ALONE There are dark moments to being unemployed. You worry about whether you'll have enough money to pay your bills and you constantly wonder when it will all end. Since unemployment is by definition a state of aloneness -- you don't go to an office of unemployed people every day -- it's easy to feel like you are the only one experiencing the misery. My suggestion: Go to your nearest Starbucks. Plenty of unemployed people have adopted Starbucks as their office away from home. They have free WiFi and you can answer job ads, respond to emails and write your cover letters from there just as easily as you can your garage. I found that Starbucks also had fewer spiders than my basement and the occasional unemployed screenwriter with great stories to tell. [OUR TAKE - DO WHATEVER IT TAKES AND IF YOU ARE NOT A CREATIVE PERSON, CALL US AND WE WILL MENTOR YOU - FREE!] YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REPLICATE WHAT YOU LOST The sooner you accept that reality, the better off you'll be. There are entire industries that have essentially been eliminated. [Once upon a time before motor cars, there was a whole buggy whip industry - who remembers them?] The most frustrated among the unemployed are those who continue to look for jobs that don't exist anymore. I get that they loved what they were doing and want to find a job doing it again. But it's a new marketplace out there and in many cases, they need to find something else to do. [I read, just yesterday, that "Deep Learning" is now such that computers can learn faster than humans and they will replace whole industries in the next 5 years - apparently one of the first to go could be the call centre industry, where robots will take over and be far more efficient..go figure!] WILLIE SUTTON WAS RIGHT When asked why he robbed banks, Slick Willie said, "Because that's where the money is." If Sutton was interested in finding work in today's economy, he'd explore some re-careering options -- because he'd go where the jobs are. [It's a safe bet he would go for an online networking type of business] Your skills may be terrific but if they can't get you a paycheck, you need to work on getting some new skills. Learning how to be flexible -- which means learning how to change -- is a tough lesson for a lot of us. Community colleges have really stepped up to the challenge of re-careering people. Their fees are low and in many cases, online classes are offered. Look for programs with in-field internships because internships are today's foot in the hiring door. [NOTE FROM GATESY - GO WHERE THE TRENDS ARE - MLM, AFFILIATE, SURVEYS, DROPSHIPPING, EBAY, VOICEOVER WORK, WRITING, COPYWRITING AND THERE ARE A HUNDRED MORE GREAT IDEAS THAT ARE YET TO BE EXPLORED..] LESS IS MORE Trite, I know, but true nevertheless. One of the first things people do when they are laid off from their jobs is try to reduce their spending. We didn't hide our situation from our children. They understood that the family had suffered a financial tsunami and we could be in for a rough ride. We battened down the money hatches: We became coupon-clippers and got pretty creative when it came to taking vacations (house swapping, mooching off friends and relatives, using frequent flyer miles.) Funny part, but I don't recall a single instance where my kids whined or were upset about not getting something. They understood the difference between their needs and their wants and as long as we were a family, we were solid. [note from Gatesy - kids are totally resilient, so don't hide anything from them - if you are going to an online business, involve them as they will surprise you with what they can teach you] SAVING TRUMPS SPENDING Saving never felt as good to me as spending -- until I lost my job. The frugal habits I formed during my two years as a freelancer have stayed with me. While we do now eat out on occasion, I am mindful of the fact that living paycheck-to-paycheck without setting aside something for the rainy day is just plain stupid. I came to the savings party a little late, but won't use that as an excuse for not doing it now. [....and it is a good attitude to have when you are starting your online business, so that you can feed your business..] DON'T LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN Looking for a job is a process of continuously dashed hopes and a steady stream of rejections -- until it isn't and then you get a job. The journey to a job is a regular roller coaster, but without much in the way of a thrill. It takes a concerted effort to keep your spirits up. But you have to. Build in some positives to the program. Spend time with people who affirm your value. [NOTE FROM GATESY - DON'T WAIT TO BE DEPRESSED, IT'S NOT COMPULSORY - JOIN AN MLM, OR A MEETUP GROUP OR ANYTHING, BUT GET YOURSELF AROUND POSITIVE PEOPLE, ACTIVELY SEEK OUT IDEAS, ESPECIALLY ONES FROM "LEFT FIELD" - YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR INSPIRATION CAN COME FROM] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR TAKE ON ALL OF THIS..FROM A WORK AT HOME PERSPECTIVE First, to all the young people reading this, don't think it doesn't apply to you. It very well could, so don't wait for the drama, decide how you want your future to be, don't rely on the government to help, take the intitiative and do what is right for you, your family and your future. Older folks, I hope that this resonates, because if it does, look at a Work from Home Solution and put yourself in a situation where you never look back. Stay with us on this site, we have put out some great ideas already and will continue to do so. Remember, the internet is like this incredible ocean full of tiny fish that all represent money, swimming in the stream, and that means opportunity and all you have to do is work out how you are going to net your share of them. Find a need then find a way to satisfy that need, solve a problem, then stick your net in the water and grab those fish that swim into it.. They will swim into your "Sales Funnel" and that is what we will focus on in coming weeks. From my e-book "The Fifteen Secrets to Success in Multi- Level Marketing" (available here) or online at: What are the ingredients for a successful MLM career? There are MANY. We can’t give you an absolute blueprint. But we can give you a QUICKSTART plan that will put you on the right path as quickly as possible. A quick start equals momentum and that usually equals Success! This is more of a “super checklist” than a blueprint, but you will find that you still need to tick all these boxes to be on the right track (but not straight away). Is your opportunity the right one? First, make sure that you are getting into a great opportunity. Do some research into what makes a good MLM company, but don't spend too long on it. A 20 minute Google search should tell you the following:
What is your WHY? Only you can know that. People go to a J-O-B every day because they need to make a living. They need to put food on the table, clothes on their backs and their families’ backs, to pay the mortgage or the rent or the school fees, and a hundred and one other things. Your WHY is you reason to break out of the mould, to leave the pack and to achieve whatever it is that you are looking for. It is the thing that gives you the drive and energy to get going every day and stick with it when the going gets tough. It may be:
….I could go on and on, but only you know, in your own heart what it is that will drive you to make it happen. What motivates you to do this? If it is a NEED make sure that is a need to be a better you, rather than just a basic survival need. Do you have a need to do better? To step outside your comfort zone? To make sacrifices? I have heard it said that the difference between entrepreneurs and ordinary people is that entrepreneurs will spend time doing things that most people won’t so that they can end up living like most people can’t! (Not my quote but I wish it was!). The other one that I like is that: ..”an entrepreneur is someone who will work 100 hours a week for himself, so that he doesn’t have to work 40 hours for someone else..” How true? They would see that as a need, but for different reasons - not just a need to get by. Why do you have a “why”? Is it so that you can make a better living? Or live a better life? Or sack the boss? Or just be the boss? Is it so that you can set your family up? Whatever the reason, be sure it is as strong as possible, because it is your “rock” when things occasionally get tough .and they will, believe me! It has to be your "power pack" that you call on to energise you. Now that you have your reason to be different, you need to be sure in your heart and mind that you have chosen the opportunity that you want to power ahead with. Is the opportunity relevant to your why? Is the cost of starting something that you can live with? How soon can you recoup your initial investment? Most good MLM companies, these days will have some sort of quick start incentive designed to get you your initial investment back in the first month or two. Understand that and, if your MLM company doesn’t do it, ask why. At the end of the day, it really does come down to the money. If it’s just about spiritual fulfilment, you can get that from a book, or a Yoga class, or join a monastery or an Ashram. Be in no doubt, MLM is about improving your life by giving you MONEY, so that you can afford those dreams and make them real. Cost Are you prepared to chase the dream for the kind of money you are out laying? Some MLM’s are big ticket. Most are not. If it is big ticket make sure it is something that will make YOU wealthy and not just the promoters of the business. Whatever the cost, be prepared to spend it, and make sure you budget for it and put it aside - you are now in a business and need to treat it like one - talk to your upline about that. Duplication The most important characteristic of any network marketing scheme is that it MUST BE DUPLICATABLE. Your down line will follow what you do, so be sure you are prepared to do likewise and follow your upline, without any qualms. It is a funny thing, but your group will emulate what you do. It is an unbreakable concept. Don’t doubt it and don’t resist it. It just is.. You will never hear otherwise in any MLM organisation, so don’t fight it. Goals Be very clear on these, but also be flexible, as your goals can constantly be evolving and developing.
If yes, how many things on the list have you ticked off, or is it just a wish list? At the end of the day, or at the end of our lives, it’s important to be able to look back and ensure that your life has been lived for the right reasons and that you have stopped along the way to reward yourself for all the right things you did or still have to do, or have discarded for one good reason or another. Obstacles If your WHY is strong, are there any obstacles in your way?
The Checklist You may not know the answers to all these things straight away, but you will soon need to, if you want to succeed in MLM.
Do your homework as you go along
Are you ready to "plant your flag"? Are you ready to launch? Will it be “full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes?” Or "gee, I don’t know, better go cautiously"? The answer to all of them should be ABSOLUTELY YES! ...but everyone understands that some of these require a change in your approach, and in MLM you always have the luxury of time, so don't panic - just trust your upline. Guess What! Here is the good news – you can succeed in MLM even if you haven’t answered all of those questions. The only thing that you need to do is show willingness to follow the system, and do whatever your upline leaders suggest. They have been there and I promise you, they are not making it up. Notice that I said upline “leaders”. That is because your own sponsor may be as new and uninitiated as you, but I can guarantee there is someone in the immediate upline who understands it and is willing to work for you and with you, as long as you make the commitment to listen and learn and do what they teach. Why Does Everyone Talk About A Fast Start? Well, you can make a success of MLM from a slow start; maybe even a huge success, but those guys are often the exception to the rule, the sort of people who would succeed, no matter what - you may even be one of them! While there are no stereotypes, and anyone can do it, you will have the best chance if you run hard from the get go, tick all the boxes, above and create momentum. Growth in your downline will come from momentum created by enthusiasm, which, in turn, is created by fostering team spirit, so that the new people quickly see that they just need to “rinse and repeat” and follow the leader. Think of it like a jet airliner taking off - revs up to full power, releases the brakes, full power, full out down the runway, hits the point of no return and lifts off into the air - once it has done all the hard yards of getting to cruising altitude on full thrust, they level off, back off the power and cruise - it's a great analogy, and you should use it, when talking to others. Go for it! Say Geronimo! Jump in and comment, and let's have your thoughts Next Week: The Fear of Failure -v- The Fear of Success -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BONUS - FREE OFFER - as always, our free offer to enable you to put some cash in your Paypal account, while you kick your business off - don't forget, in MLM maybe 20% of your prospects will join you in your business, but you can still sell things to the 80% who say NO... This is a great way to operate a business if you like selling physical (and not just digital) products, but don't want the hassle of setting up your own infrastructure. It is a way to leverage off a lot of good, enthusiastic people and plug into a system that not only has first class products, but a fantastic back-end to do the heavy lifting, and a distributor group who all want your success so that they can guarantee theirs. A pretty good deal, BUT.... Come prepared to work. If you are a newbie, or someone who is evaluating an MLM business, this series of articles, from my e-book "Fifteen Secrets to Success in Multi-Level Marketing" will help you see the immense value in a MLM business, and help you to see how much this could change your life. This is the opportunity for you to take charge of your life and your destiny – maybe for the first time – and the chance to be your own boss, be in charge of your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routine, make as much money as you want to, and treat your family to the life that you and they deserve. Before we get too far into it, we need to make the usual boring disclaimer that no MLM company will tell you that you can make any particular level of income, at all. You can make anything from millions to zero and anywhere in between. It depends on lots of things, that we will go into in more detail in these articles. But, the good news is that if you want to make the big bucks, it is entirely possible and it is only a decision or two between now and then. If you have never run a business before, don’t worry. We will lay out some exciting prospects for you. If you have run your own business, you will quickly see that this is an opportunity to gain the freedom to be your own boss, without huge overheads, staff, taxes and all the other things that go with running conventional businesses. You will see that this will give you the opportunity to put your family first, to sit on the “beaches of the world” and to truly have control of your own life and your own destiny. Does this sound too good to be true? Maybe, but bear with us and it will all make perfect sense. We assume that you have seen an MLM opportunity and are seriously considering it, or that you have jumped in, and may now be wondering what you have got yourself into, or you have jumped in and are excited in the first weeks and months of your new business. Hang in there with us and we will embark on a great journey! No Bricks and Mortar Armed with all the business building tools that your MLM Company makes available, you can be sitting on a beach, or in a café, or an airplane, or your home office, with just your tablet, laptop and maybe just a smartphone app! And be able to run your worldwide business. Does that get your attention? You will be linked to your MLM company, via your online back office and hopefully, your back office will track you and your group, provide up to date news, information about products, services, events, provide an impressive array of videos, apps and online tools and communication tools to help you manage every aspect of your business, and even have mobile phone apps! Pretty good value, I'd say - and tax deductible, to boot. If your business doesn’t have all of those features, maybe you need to look around for another one, and preferably one that sells products and services that you use and pay for each and every month of your life. If you can’t think of one, you need to ask me! Isn't Network Marketing an Unconventional or Inefficient way to run a business? I’m glad you asked! And in order to answer that, I would say that the traditional business structure is more likely to be the most inefficient business model known to man. You have people on fixed wages and salaries, who might be the laziest, time serving employees ever, and they could be hiding in the back room, shuffling paper and keeping their heads down, waiting for 5 o'clock, waiting for Friday, waiting for a promotion, waiting for Christmas, waiting to retire!! Any old excuse. You have teams and committees who "spend the hours taking the minutes". You have meaningless projects and research studies, you have employees who take too many sick days, you have employees who steal from their boss, employees who over claim on their allowances, or their work in progress, or their hourly rates, abuse their use of the company car, spend too much time on smoking breaks or in the coffee shop, spend way too much of their day on Facebook or Twitter, or fake their sales figures. You have costly consultants who spend a fair bit of their time while contracted to you, chasing their next contract. You outsource your legal and accounting needs, you have expensive auditors. All of that's a fair bit of overhead to carry! In a good MLM company it's a pretty simple equation. All we have to do is find customers and distributors and refer all the queries to the company which usually has a fantastic staff waiting to help. No money changes hands between distributors, clients order their products online, and you get the credit, distributors sign on and pay online and you get them straight into your network, and the whole thing is managed at company headquarters and all of that information and those reports are available to you, instantly, online. One giant series of finders fees! No Downsizing in MLM! Why is it that every few years, the government of the day downsizes the public service, or companies retrench their staff? Because, over time, large organisations and bureaucracies get a little bit bloated and need to be culled back. What does that do for job satisfaction, or job security? Smaller companies fall victim to downward market trends and difficult cost environments and downsize, often to their detriment and it can become a slippery slope. Anyone in our country who has been keeping up with the latest news, would see just how many industries are closing down, or retrenching staff. If I were a worker in this country, in manufacturing, I would be very nervous right now. No Slacking Off on the Boss’s Time! How do you feel when you ring a company or a government department to talk to someone only to be told, they are at a conference, or on lunch, at a Golf Day, or on a rostered day off? Or how do you feel when you ring a company and spend the first ten minutes pressing buttons on your keypad before you can talk to a human being? In your own business you are available and open for business every waking hour and, especially on weekends. In your own business, someone has a need for your product or service, somewhere in the world, while you are sleeping. You could be getting paid while you sleep completely legally. You are sleeping on the boss' time, because you ARE the boss! Your customers can be placing orders while you are having an overseas holiday, and the residuals can be arriving in your bank account without fail, no matter where you are and what you are doing. Nobody Gets Fired! In MLM, if someone in your downline organisation doesn't want to work or achieve, they will earn accordingly (no results, no commissions and no hard feelings), and their upline leaders don't need to waste their time trying to motivate them - you just move on to help the ones that want your help - pretty fair deal, I think! You let the underachievers hang around as long as they want to, since they are not an overhead - they will either drop out, voluntarily or become active in their own good time… and they are usually nice people to have around, anyway. That's always a bonus. So, to answer this question, network marketing, properly done, is probably the most efficient business model around - It is a model that is around 100 years old, and which really took off in the '90's once the internet and social media marketing started to take hold, when the world suddenly got smaller, and lots of young entrepreneurs, got busy and creative!. It is the way of the future, is a very viable alternative to traditional business structures and it is here to stay! The Freedom to Choose (or How to Fire your Boss) More and more people want the freedom to choose where they work from, and when they work, and how they work. More and more people want to be their own boss and not a servant of a nanny state. More and more people are sick of renting themselves out to their boss and spending nearly half their lives commuting and punching the clock. In these uncertain times, when you need so much more put away to retire on, when housing prices are through the roof, when young people can't buy their first homes, your grown up kids don’t want to leave home and older people can't afford to retire, when social welfare is more and more costly, it just makes plain good sense to help ourselves, even if the business is only ever a part time Plan B. So - please feel free to add any comments below and give us your experiences with MLM so far. ...Next Week ....What are the ingredients for a successful MLM career? But before we go, and as always, we would like to offer you a great opportunity to put a little money in your Paypal account, by giving away these 2 great FREE e-books How? ....click below |
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