Friday, July 22, 2011

Change Can Be A Wonderful Gift

Change is Good - You Go First

As a leader you must empower change to others joining you. In network marketing we build teams to promote a company/product. A lot of the people joining us may be set in their own manner of doing this.

The reason for this might be that they have been in (direct) network marketing for many years and think that they have all of this down pat. Let me tell you my story.

I actually started in direct marketing back the 1980s with a company that is still around today and is still one of the biggest and most well known in this industry. I had no idea what I was doing and the sad thing was I received no help in learning how to market must less anything else.

From there I tried other direct marketing companies with the same result. No one to showed me the ropes and no one to answer my questions. Was it necessary to have these options at my finger tips? I found or discovered the answer to this question much later in my searching. The answer, Actually No.

So some years later as the internet grew and more information was available I was like a sponge. I read, absorbed, copied, did everything I could to learn the ins and outs of network marketing. Found some great people teaching what should be done and what shouldn't be done. But something was always missing that I just couldn't wrap my head around.

I have recently discovered that what was missing was leadership. Leadership in the team leader and developing leaders on the teams. This is really what this industry is all about: Developing Leaders. 

So what must we do as the so-called team leader to entice those joining up to change their ways?
Watch this movie and see if it answers any questions for you:



As leaders we have to embrace change. A change that accepts that it is our responsibility to develop leaders not sells people. We have to learn to inspire and motivate our teams to embrace change. We have to inspire them to get out of their comfort zones. It is our responsibility to assure them that this is the right path to be on for their own good and success.


Developing leaders within your team will ensure that each one accepts the responsibility for themselves. This is good. Not bad. This is what you should strive for. 


Bob Nelson puts it this way, "You get the best efforts from others by not lighting a fire beneath, but by building a fire within them."

Eric Harvey and Steve Venture in their book "Forget For Success" puts it this way: "Our brains are like closets. Over time they are filled with things we no longer use - things that don't fit. Every once in a while they need to be cleaned out."

For so many years our industry has remained on the same old, same old path of mediocrity. Putting people in and moving on to putting more people in. The more people, the better. This didn't work and now you should be able to figure out why.

The ones that have made it big and been the most successful in network marketing are the ones that realized that things had to change. The change was developing leaders.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Pulling Together = Team



There are some great truths in this movie. In life as in business we live as a team. No one can totally be alone. We have a family which forms a team. We have friends which forms a team. If we have a job we have co-workers which form a team. In our business we form relationships with others which forms a team.

A team is a group of individuals that come together for a common purpose.  This cultivates trust, respect, unity and power within the team. A team gives strength to the whole group.

When teams form it allows each and everyone to accomplish more, where as along some may not be able to achieve much of anything. It is the power of the whole that leads to more satisfaction.

Virginia Burden says that "Corporation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless every body gets there." In a team we all work together ensuring the success of member of the team. Now I know as well as you do that in business there will always be those that can't work within a team environment. The same is true in life so why would it be any different in a business. It wouldn't be! It can't be!

Each of us are individuals with our own strengths and weaknesses. Do you think that these strengths and weaknesses can actually keep someone from functioning within a team setting? Maybe if more businesses (people) worked within a team setting there would not be so many people that don't make it.

Think about a football team, a baseball team or even a family team. When all pull together accomplishments are always met. There is more stability. More cooperation. More sharing of knowledge and experience. Better communication between the members of the team.

"A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others." ~~ Norman Shidle. Interesting thought! This means we must accept each member of the team as they are and if needed help them to grow and become more sure of them self. This is life!

As in the movie, the strongest geese always lead the rest, helping them along the way in whatever particular need they may have at the time. This ensures the success of the whole. It makes the flight from where we are to where we want to be so much easier and endurable.

Zig Ziglar said that "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." This is team work at its highest level.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

What Are Your Opening Words?

Why don't your prospects believe what you are saying?
Maybe because you are assuming that they will trust and believe anything you tell them.

Do these sound familiar to you?
1. You can trust me...
2. You can believe me when I say ...
3. I am from North Carolina so sure you can take what I say to the bank...
4. I live near you so you know I wouldn't lie to you...
5. We have the best ever compensation plan that has been devised...
6. Sure, you can make lots of money right away even this week...
7. My company has the best most researched product for ............. on the market...
8. This is the greatest opportunity in the history of mankind...
9. This is a ground floor opportunity....

Do these sound like something you are saying to your prospects? If so, stop it! These types of statements throw up big red flags waving in the air like hot air balloons.

Want to know what these types of statements say to me? You might not but I am going to tell you anyhow. SELLING!!!!!! You are trying to sell. And, people don't like to be sold to.

Most of the people you are talking to don't know you from Joe Blow. If you start off with one of these then I can assure you your prospect will think of you as blowing in the wind.

This is true whether you are face to face with your prospect or doing online marketing. The same will hold true in any situation.

Here is an idea for you from Tom 'Big Al" Schreiter:
Write down the first ten words that you are going to say to your prospect. Do these words create trust or do they create mistrust?

In today's world people are more skeptical than ever so your first words will either get you a good prospect or forever loose you a good one. It is your choice. Change what you are saying and win or keep on with the same old, same old and slip by the wayside.

Wishing you all much success,
Elaine

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Do You Have All Three Legs?

No, I have not lost my mind. At least not right now. Later maybe.

I came across this video and I was taken back a few years to when I first started out in direct marketing so I decided to share it with you.

Too many, almost all, try to enter the network marketing industry without even knowing how to start much less how to really make a lasting income. They play around thinking they are doing the right things to succeed but never really making it.
Then they get frustrated and give up.

I did the same thing over 30 years ago when I first started out with Amway. And, I continued to do the same wrong things with every company I tried until lately.

In this video Dale Calvert points out the three things that we all must have to make it in network marketing. Without these three legs you will be lost, not accomplish much and become bitter about this industry.

I will tell you that the three legs stand for:
1. Right Skill Sets
2. Right Mind Set
3. Right company at the right time in history



Dale Calvert got so frustrated with where network marketing was headed that he quit and started his own company doing consulting and training. That was about 11 years ago. He came out of network marketing retirement last October when he saw the mission and passion of MPB Today  He came into MPB Today just like you and I. He started at the bottom without contacting the owner. He is now our national trainer.

If you don't have the right three legs to stand then stop what you are doing. Go back and start with number one.  I guarantee you that if you will do this you will be able to accomplish anything you so desire.

We all learned to walk by doing. It took us a while to accomplish this before we were sure of not falling. We all learned how to run and that took working at it. Developing the right skills and mind sets takes time so don't expect to accomplish this in an instant. And, please, don't think that you already have number 1 and 2. It is an ongoing process that we have to master each day.

If you want to be coached and trained by one of the best then join us. We would be happy to have you working with us.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Get Your Head Out Of the Sand!

I realize that the title of this post may be insulting to some but I used it to get your attention. I hope it does.

This blog is all about Life & Business so I don't apologize at all for doing this post about the most important life sustainable commodity: FOOD. And for making a plug for the company that I am associated with MPB Today. Now don't think that this post is all about MPB. It is not. This post is about the current and predictable future of our food cost in this country. (Not to mention around the world.)

I am prompted to do this post after a trip to the grocery store yesterday. After not going to my local grocery store for about a month I was appalled at the increase in prices. Here is an example: a 2 liter bottle of soda is now $1.79 per bottle. It was $1.25 just a month ago. On special I could buy it for $0.99 a bottle.

The most depressing thing I noticed while at the store was that no one was friendly. I witnessed not one smile on anyone's face. Being my usual self I would say hi and pass on a smile. No one acknowledged my speaking to them. No, I didn't have on some freaky outfit nor was I somehow different than at any other time. All I saw was stress and turned down lips on the faces of the people I came into contact with. After leaving the store I was more upset about what I saw than the price I had to pay.

I quickly cut my shopping list but still ended up paying close to $150 for a small amount of groceries.

You do the math. Next time you are in your grocery store pay close attention to your cost compared to a few days ago. CAN YOU AFFORD THIS? Yes, I am yelling and for good reason. We are being pushed out of living. We have to eat to survive!

2011 US Food Prices to Increase Over 700%


Prepare For What Is Coming


Maybe you have plenty of money and can well afford this. God bless you and I hope your circumstances don't change. 

Maybe you are on some program that pays for your food - how long do you think this is going to last? This is why I say, "Get Your Head Out of the Sand." Tax payers are footing your food bill and they are losing their jobs.

Food prices along with gas prices are on the rise. Food prices are showing the most increase than in the past 36 years. Federal data suggest that US food prices will continue to increase and tend to accelerate higher this year.  That's right, I did my research before writing this. In case you want to check anything I have written here do a search for yourself. But then again maybe you shouldn't. It will spoil your holiday weekend.

This is one of the reasons that I joined MPB Today. Living on Social Security I can't afford the high cost of living in today's bed of economic turmoil. Since MPB Today offers me a way to drastically cut and mostly eliminate my gas and grocery bills if I didn't take advantage of it I would be just like most people today - my head would be buried in the sand.

We have to look out for our self by doing whatever it takes to stay alive. We can do without a lot of things but we can't live without food. That is a fact.

Elaine