The Online Home Business Answer

Require vs. Recruit, Part II

2010-03-05T00:37:00.005-05:00

In my last post I talked about require vs. recruit and how important it is to recognize whether or not the person you are talking to has the drive, ambition, work ethic, interpersonal skills, etc., necessary to be an asset to your business. But how does the average network marketer go about dong this? Most of us are not professional business people and have little or no interviewing experience. Well, you may not be a professional, but you DO recognize when someone is truly interested in what you have to say. If they are hungry for the information and they're serious about wanting to change their life, you'll know it.

LISTEN to them, pay as much attention to how they talk to you as to what they say. Do they sound excited or do they speak in such a way as to make you prefer watching paint dry? Do they ask good questions or are they just full of excuses and negativity. I despise being around negative people. They just draw you into their own miserable way of looking at the world and then they suck the life out of you! Avoid negative people at all cost!

Next, are you able to "connect" with them, establish a rapport? This is very important if you're going to be working with them as a team. Are they successful at what they do for a living? That speaks volumes to me! I want those people. Now, some people due to circumstances beyond their control may be out of work, company layoffs, downsizing, etc. It doesn't mean they're not successful. They've just had a run of bad luck. You can tell if you are talking to someone like that vs. someone who is just lazy, has no drive or work ethic. But again, you HAVE to LISTEN.

After you've gone through the interview process and weeded out the people that just don't "feel" right and you think you just might have a good candidate for your business, you need to find out just how committed they are, how serious they are about changing their life. And you need to know if they will be teachable. There are a couple of very easy steps you can require of them, to determine this.

Step one, ask them to visit your team website and attach a time frame to it, preferably the same day. Then, set a follow up time with them either later that day or at the very latest, within 24 hours. When you call to follow up, they should have done this. If they have not, barring some kind of emergency, and I do mean emergency, not just because they were too busy (remember, no excuses) you should begin to question whether or not you want them on your team. It's not that difficult a task to accomplish, to take 15 minutes out of their life and visit your website. If they are truly interested, they will.

Step two, ask them to get on your team's next opportunity call and then set another follow up for immediately after the call. Our team has a call every weeknight and three times on Saturday. There's NO excuse for someone not being able to do this. If they do, you are well on the way to knowing how determined they are. If not, again barring any emergency, thank them for their time and let them go. Trust me, if they cannot do these two simple steps, they are not very motivated or committed to changing their life and you don't want them on your team. This may sound a bit harsh but the success of your business and your fellow team mates depends on it! So once again I say, don't just recruit, REQUIRE!

Do You Recruit Or Require?

2010-03-04T05:00:00.025-05:00

Ever wonder why so many people in your downline just don't seem to work the business like they should? They don't recruit, don't advertise, don't sell, don't show up for conference calls and training sessions. But they EXPECT to be successful and when they aren't, they blame you or the company or the product, anything but the one person who is actually responsible for their lack of success, THEMSELVES! It's a common problem in network marketing and one of the reasons we get such a bad rap. But perhaps to some degree that criticism is deserved. Perhaps some of the blame should fall on us, for recruiting those people in the first place. That's a rather bold statement, but let me explain.

In a traditional business, where someone applies, produces a resume and character references, then goes through an interview process, many of those people would be weeded out before they are ever offered a job in the first place. So why should it be any different in network marketing? Too many network marketers go for numbers, not quality. Yes, it's a numbers game, but do you really want that person in your business that you had to call eight or ten times just to get them to agree to look at your website and then you had to call them as many times to close and get them in? If you have to beg, chase or practically bribe your prospect to get in, what do you think you're going to have to do to get them to actually DO anything, once they are?

On the other hand, if you approached the recruiting process as more of an interview, attempting to determine if your prospect is right for you and your business, rather than you and your business being right for them, I dare say you would be more selective as to whom you invite to join you. Ascertaining your prospect's strengths and weaknesses, their drive and ambition, their work ethic, is no less important to the success of your network marketing business than it is for a traditional business. In fact, I propose that it is even MORE critical because in network marketing, distributors have to be independently motivated. They don't have a supervisor looking over their shoulder and monitoring their progress.

In traditional business, applicants know what is expected of them up front and the employer knows from the interview process, that they are getting the right person for the position. Why? Because they don't simply recruit, THEY REQUIRE! They require that the person they hire will have the abilities and qualities necessary to be an asset to their business. You need to have the same mindset in network marketing. Don't just recruit, REQUIRE! Sure, the occasional bad apple will slip through, but as you get better at reading people, those occurrences will be fewer and further between.

Determine ahead of time that you prefer quality, not quantity and guess what will happen. Your downline will learn from you and develop the same mindset. As you bring in only those kind of people and they bring in only those kind of people, the foundation of your business will be strong and secure. It will grow and prosper, slowly at first, but eventually it will hit critical mass and explode! It's delayed gratification, sure. But once you get the ball rolling you won't be able to stop it! Nothing will stop it! So don't just recruit, REQUIRE!

How High Is Your Mountain?

2010-03-02T06:51:00.003-05:00

Today, I would like to start out with a quote from a new found friend, Jeff Holmers. Jeff is the person responsible for me rediscovering my faith in people and in working as one team toward one common goal. That's another story for another day. Suffice it to say that I would not be a part of the Presidential Group in TVI if it weren't for Jeff. So back to my story. I saw this quote while scrolling through the past few days of team conversation in Skype.

To most, it may sound a bit corny, and well I guess it is. But so many of the sayings that influence our lives, "God Bless America," "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," "It's better to give than to receive," "The customer is always right," sound corny but ring true! My personal favorite is, "Everything I need to know in life, I learned in Kindergarten." If you think about it, that's a very profound statement. Simple yes, but profound. But then most true wisdom is simple, yet profound. Just spend some time in the book of Proverbs and you'll see what I mean. So, back to my story. Sorry if I get a bit verbose, it's a bad habit of mine. I get it honest, I'm the son of an English Teacher.

Here's the quote.

"MOUNTAINS ARE CLIMBED ONE STEP AT A TIME. Everyone who got where they are had to begin where they were. Your opportunity for success is right in front of you. To attain success or to reach your goal, don't worry about having all the answers in advance. You just need to have a clear idea of your goal and move toward it. So what are you waiting for? Go for it!"

The wisdom in this quote is indeed profound. There are at least two very sound principles at work, here. I'm sure some of you will see more, but these two jumped off the page at me.

First, everyone, no matter who they are, no matter how smart, how gifted, how wealthy, how successful, had to start at the beginning. There is NO other starting point. They had to learn, study, practice, and most importantly, fail. Did I say fail? Yes, I did. Thomas Edison said it this way when a lab assistant exclaimed in total exasperation after their attempt at creating the light bulb failed for the umpteenth time. Yes, I did say "umpteenth." That's a real number, you know. Anyway, Edison responded with "no, we haven't failed at all, we have just found one more way that won't work!" What he meant of course was that they were that much closer to finding the one that would.

The second point that struck a chord with me is this. You don't have to have it all worked out beforehand. You don't have to have all the answers. But you DO have to have vision. There's an interesting quote in The Bible, not sure of the exact chapter and verse, but it goes like this. "without a vision, the people perish." Without a vision, a goal, a strong, all consuming "Why," you will not succeed. You will just go around stumbling in the dark, become lost, discouraged, and eventually you will give up. It's inevitable. This is true in business, in relationships, in your walk with God, in life.

So if you have not taken the time to do it yet, stop everything, get alone with yourself and do some intense, soul-searching. Find your vision. Find your "WHY." Write it down, tape it to your refrigerator door or your bedroom mirror (that's where mine is taped up) and every morning when you get up and every night when you lie down, read and say it aloud. Second, stop procrastinating, and as Jeff so succinctly put it, stop waiting and Go For It! It doesn't matter how high the mountain, or how lofty the goal. With these two principles in action, you WILL achieve it. Will you stumble along the way? Sure, but that doesn't matter. Keep going and you WILL realize your dream. It's inevitable.

MLM Success and The Power of Two

2009-06-26T19:52:00.002-04:00

MLM Success is contingent upon many factors, not the least of which is the ability to build a large and successful downline. Most MLM practitioners are unable to recruit enough people to sustain their business long enough for it to succeed. The industry average is something like 2.7, meaning that the average person can recruit 2.7 people. Sure, there are gifted men and women who seem to be able to recruit at will but they are the exception, not the rule. So, if a large and thriving downline is critical to Network Marketing success and the average network marketer can only bring in 2.7 people, how can anyone succeed in this industry? The answer lies in a very simple concept, "The Power of Two."

Simply put, recruit two people and help each of those recruit two people. Then teach the first two to help their people recruit two and so forth. This strategy sets the average MLM distributor up for success instead of failure. There are some very good reasons for this. First, you have simplified the whole recruiting process. All they have to do is recruit two. Second, it creates the momentum necessary to achieve sustained growth. And as the team grows, your support system grows along with it because now everyone is helping everyone below them to get their two. Building with The Power of Two enables your team to work together to grow a solid downline that will make the business profitable for everyone.

The numbers are truly staggering! They may seem small at first but watch what happens as The Power of Two takes over and the business begins to grow. If you start with one person recruiting two people in their first month and each person thereafter recruits just two in their first month and if everyone on the team follows through with the plan, in four months there will be 63 people on the team. In Six months it will grow to 127, in eight months it will be 511 and in one year, with everyone only expected to recruit two and help their two recruit two, your organization would grow to 8,191 distributors. Now, in any MLM compensation plan I know of, that translates to success and a boat load of cash! And it was accomplished in just one year.

Of course it's a given that no system is perfect and there will always be folks who drop out or who refuse to do their part, that's MLM. It doesn't matter. You simply bypass those weak spots by recruiting another distributor and help them get their two. Problem solved. MLM Success is not always easy but it is incredibly simple. Achieve success by helping others succeed. Help others succeed by building with The Power of Two.

Developing A Business Mentality is Key to MLM Success

2009-05-25T20:17:00.001-04:00

So you found the MLM business you want to get into, great products you can believe in, a lucrative compensation plan, impressive training and marketing tools. You have a real connection with the person who will be sponsoring and mentoring you. The company is just beginning to hit the explosive growth surge that will make it's distributors a fortune over the next several years. All the ingredients for success seem to be in place. It truly is a "right place, right time" opportunity. But none of this matters if you don't have the right mindset, if you don't enter into it with a business mentality. Without that key ingredient, you are destined for failure.

Too many people get into MLM thinking it will be all sunshine and roses. They're told that the product and business opportunity will "sell themselves." All they have to do is show it to people and they will be beating down the door, to get in. The truth is, good products will sell themselves but not everyone is going to buy. And when it comes to sponsoring new members, things can become even tougher. If you don't have a business mentality, prepared to deal with hearing the word "no" more often than you will hear the word "yes," you will quickly become discouraged and quit. Rejection is part of the game so you need to be prepared for it.

Another problem is what I call the "Hobby Mentality." Hobbies cost money, businesses make money. But all to often, people get into an MLM and don't take it seriously. If it takes off right away and makes money, great. If not, it's on to something else. MLM success takes work. It requires training, planning and preparation, goal setting and taking deliberate action. It requires time spent talking to people, getting your product and opportunity out there so others can see them. Success not going to just happen, it's the by-product of hard work and determination. You have to DO something if you want something to happen, even with today's online automated tools and systems. They won't work FOR you unless you work WITH them. And success takes time to achieve. It won't happen overnight.

In summary, if you desire MLM success, long term residual income, financial freedom and security, find a good MLM with a profitable compensation plan and products you can believe in. Then if you don't have one already, you must develop a business mentality. Educate yourself, set measurable goals, expect and be prepared to handle the ups and downs associated with any business endeavor and grow a thick skin so you can handle the word "No." Be prepared for the long haul. Business is a marathon, not a sprint. Do this and you will achieve MLM success.

Your Home Business Success Is Up To You

2009-04-04T13:18:00.006-04:00

I've spent time over the past few weeks reading and paying attention to all the media hype over the current recession, both here in the US and worldwide. The news is depressing. This is the worst recession since the stock market crash of 1929. Making matters worse is the fact that in 1929 our currency was still backed by a gold standard. Today, it's all pretend money. With hedge funds, stock options, annuities, retirement accounts, bank notes, one country in debt to another who in turn is in debt to another and another, and so on, there is no such thing as real money anymore. In the words of that famous hamburger joint commercial in the 1980's, "Where's the money?" Answer, there is none. It's all pretend. This is profoundly terrible news, for sure. So what you might ask, does this have to do with your home business success? Everything.

Listen to all this depressing news for long and it's easy to feel like just giving up! Many network marketers are doing just that. Their dream of home business success and financial freedom has turned into a nightmare. Hope turns into despair under the onslaught of one "woe is me" news report after another. The nightly news has become the nightly "Death Knell." But I am here to tell you it doesn't have to be this way! Success is a choice. It has no more to do with what the news media has to say about the world financial climate than it does with what the weather channel says about the weather. The only person that can determine your home business success or failure is, you got it, you. Let's look a bit of history and see how this is so.

I wonder how many people told Wilbur and Orville Wright that their contraption would never get off the ground. Or how many people believed Thomas Edison was crazy, thinking it possible to light up a room without lighting a fire? Then there was Alexander Graham Bell. Hold a conversation with someone miles away using electricity and a bunch of wires? Yeah, Right! Were any of these men deterred by what other people had to say about what they could and could not do? No, they continued to press on, to pursue their dream, no matter what. And they succeeded. The truth is, no one but you determines your fate. Your home business success is within reach, so reach out and grab it! Don't listen to all the gloom and doom. Don't listen to the "Nay Sayers," there are plenty of them out there.

Instead, listen to your heart. Believe in yourself. Press on. Never give up on the dream. So what, if it takes you two years, three years, five, more, to realize true financial freedom, is it not worth it? Only you can answer that question. For me the answer is a resounding YES! How about you?

To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABC's

2009-03-08T03:54:00.013-04:00

The following is written on a plaque hung in one of the bathrooms in our house. I cannot tell you how many times I have stood there and read these words. A couple of days ago I was, well, standing there and reading the plaque yet another time. But this time the words burned through me, all the way to my heart and this time they spoke to me, really spoke to me. These words are powerful. They truly are a recipe for achieving one's dreams. They are a recipe for success in life, in any endeavor one choses to undertake. I submit them now to you, my readers and ask you to consider their consequences. Take them to heart as I finally did, if you want to achieve your dreams.

Remember your ABC's.

Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits.
Believe in yourself.
Consider things from every angle.
Don't give up and don't give in.
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.
Family & friends are hidden treasures, seek them, enjoy their riches.
Give more than you planned to.
Hang on to your dreams.
Ignore those who try to discourage you.
Just do it.
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.
Love yourself first and most.
Make it happen.
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are.
Practice makes perfect.
Quitters never win and winners never quit.
Read, study and learn about everything important in your life.
Stop procrastinating.
Take control of your own destiny.
Understand yourself in order to better understand others.
Visualize it.
Want it more than anything.
Xcellerate your efforts.
You are unique of all God's creations, nothing can replace you.
Zero in on your target and go for it.

Are You A Twenty Percenter?

2009-02-23T02:29:00.007-05:00

I posted the comments below as a response to someone Else's comment on Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Forum" earlier tonight. His comment had something to do with people not getting it, not understanding the power of free market enterprise and the simple truth that true wealth will never be attained by working for someone else. It inspired me to write what I did below and I figured I ought to share it with my readers, here. Perhaps it will speak to you as it did to me.

There are those people in the world who are task oriented, job oriented. Go to school, learn a trade, get a job, buy a house, cars, stuff and then work hard to pay for it all. This is what we are taught from a very young age and not just by our parents. No, society teaches us this as well. Now, there is nothing wrong with learning an honorable and honest trade and going to work. Truthfully, that is how most people are "wired," anyway. Those of us who aspire to a different way of life, a life of self determination, self employment and the creation of true wealth, are in the minority! Most people do not believe it possible but we do. It's not their fault, by the way. As I said, that's how they are "wired."

The reality is that the 80/20 rule actually does exist as some sort of spiritual and universal law. Eighty percent of the work in this world is done by twenty percent of the people. The other eighty percent only do twenty percent of the work, achieve 20 percent of the success and they earn an even a smaller percentage of the money. Those eighty percenters are blind to the possibilities of true wealth creation. They are the ones who sit and wonder why the rich are rich and complain about how unfair it is.

It's those twenty percenters that are wired in such a way as to be able to think and grow rich. They are the ones who will aspire to more and will do what it takes to realize their dream. They are the ones who will embrace the power of free market enterprise. They are the ones who become the movers and shakers in life. They are the risk takers, the entrepreneurs. They are the ones who would rather own their own home business than work for someone else. They are the ones who get it! So, my question to you is this. Do you get it? I certainly do!

Becoming An MLM Mentor

2009-02-12T01:53:00.004-05:00

It's a given that there is a high rate of failure in the home business industry, MLM in particular. This has given rise to much discussion as to the viability of MLM, these days. It doesn't work. It's a scam. It's not a real business model. It's days are over. These are just a few of the recriminations you'll hear. While there are a number of valid reasons for the high rate of failure in MLM, it remains not only a viable industry but a legitimate and profitable business model. It's days are not over, it's not a scam and it does work.

The problem is not in the business model itself, but in it's practitioners. For the most part they are improperly recruited, poorly equipped and poorly trained, thus destined to fail. One of the most glaring deficiencies this author has observed is the lack of good mentoring. Mentoring is key to success in any profession, Law, Medicine, and yes, Business. All of these professions require extensive internships before a someone is allowed to practice independently. It just makes sense. It should be no different in MLM.

Sponsoring a person into one's MLM business without training and mentoring them is a recipe for disaster! Dani Johnson says that people who come into the industry and to not get properly trained will become frustrated and quit within three months. She should know, she's the best trainer in the MLM industry, bar none. Dani has trained many of the most successful and profitable people in MLM, today.

The solution to this problem is really quite simple. First, become a mentor yourself, then train your new prople to become mentors. In essence, train the trainers. What will result is a strong and powerful organization with a downline capable of growing and duplicating with incredible consistency and efficiency. This process will produce strong, independent and confident distributors, instead of MLM cripples. Now you have a recipe for success, not disaster.

So, how does one become an MLM mentor? The answer is obvious. Spend time in the presence of one. If the person who sponsored you is not capable of doing the job, look up the chain of command and find someone who can, then spend time with them, even if you have to go all the way to the top! These people are successful for a reason. Learn what they know and do what they do, until it becomes second nature and you will become successful. Then, when you sponsor new people into your business they won't have to look any further than to you, to find guidance.

In the event that one of your newer inexperienced distributors sponsors someone, it is imperative that you or another mentor take the new recruit under your wing. If you have done your job and developed a team of mentors and trainers, you will have no problem finding someone to work with them. As an added bonus, this provides a valuable training opportunity for your less experienced distributors. They'll learn how to mentor by observing the process in action. In short, with MLM, mentoring is the key to duplication and duplication is the key to success.

The Enemy Of Success

2009-02-08T13:05:00.015-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how things just "seem" to come along in my life just when I need it the most. You cannot convince me there is no such thing as Divine Intervention. There is no way this can be coincidental, at least not time after time after time after.....well, you get the point. Most recently, in the last few days in fact, as my business partners and close friends are aware, I have been sidelined with some back trouble. Not new, I have known for a few years now, that I have degenerative disc disease. I can thank my lineage for that. Anyway so as not to digress, it's been rather tough going through it.

The business is at a very critical juncture, a number of new and very green downline, the coming together of several very powerful advertising campaigns, culminating in a nationally televised infomercial which kicks off in just a few days. This is NOT the time to be knocked out of commission. But since when does timing ever care whose favor it works in? As I have said before, I don't believe in luck and I don't. At least I don't a it make habit of counting on it. If it comes and things go my way, fine. But I don't hold my breath. Besides, Lady Luck is schizophrenic, she's up one day, down the next! Or is that Manic Depressive. Perhaps both. Either way, I'm not in the habit of counting on crazy people.

Well, in the last three days, while down with my back and feeling down on my luck (there's that word again) I watched three movies that, and there is no other way to put this, have changed my whole frame of mind. They are, in order, "October Sky," "The Great Debaters" and "Gifted Hands, The Ben Carson Story." I highly recommend all three of them. In each story, someone had to find the inner courage and strength (and in two of the three God gets most of the credit for putting it there) to overcome personal demons and seemingly insurmountable odds in order to reach their true potential and realize incredible achievement and success.

In "October Sky," Dr. Homer Hickam who lived in the poverty stricken coal mine region of West Virginia grew up to become one of the greatest NASA scientists of all time. In "The Great Debaters," a debate team from tiny Wiley College in circa 1935 Texas fought racism, poverty, personal struggles on the way to defeating national power Harvard University and becoming what many consider to be the best debate team that has ever been. In "Gifted Hands," Ben Carson rose from poverty, racial prejudice, a single parent childhood to become one of the finest Pediatric Neurosurgeons that has ever graced the halls of a hospital. In each story the road to success was paved with struggle, with blood, sweat and tears and what I like to call "sweat equity." None of these individuals were perfect. In fact all of them were quite flawed. But all were equally determined to not let anything deter them from realizing their dream.

As you can imagine, these three stories had a profound effect on me. Did my back suddenly and miraculously get better? Did I jump right up, rush out and immediately sponsor that superstar who in no time is going to take me and my business to the next level and bring in thousands of dollars? No, to both. My back still hurts and I am still several levels lower than I want to be, but that doesn't matter. It's just part of the deal. Besides, if we never have to struggle to get where we want to be, we never really are able to appreciate it when we arrive! Case in point, the three movies I have pointed out. In all three stories there were plenty of opportunities to give up. None, no, not one of them EVER gave up! Sure they all experienced setbacks, weak moments, and they all faced the temptation to throw in the towel and just quit.

No one would have blamed any of them if they had given up. But that's usually the way. To quit, that's the easy road, the least obstructed. It's even socially acceptable. No one questions you when you do. Most people when faced with adversity, take that road, at least the unsuccessful and even the marginally successful, do. After all the odds were stacked, no piled higher than the ceiling against them. It's OK. But to these individuals, to any individual who has ever achieved greatness NO, IT IS NOT! Success and struggle are bound together by both natural and spiritual law. They are inseparable. Therefore there is nothing inherently good about success nor inherently bad about struggle. One lies on the road to the other. It cannot be avoided.

I hope this piece serves to inspire someone else, perhaps someone who may be struggling with their home business, even thinking about giving up. For those people, please allow me to conclude with these two final thoughts. The greatest enemy of success is not failure. In fact failure is essential to achieving success. No, the enemy of success is compromise, a willingness to settle for less than the best. One can no more avoid failure on the road to success than one can go swimming without getting wet. And the greatest enemy of greatness is not bad, it's mediocrity. I encourage you, never settle for mediocrity when greatness is beckoning to you. Fight on!

Thanks And Perspective

2009-02-07T13:45:00.015-05:00

It comes to mind that we humans aren't in touch enough with our frailties and our inherent weaknesses. We make our plans and attempt to determine our lives' course on our own, as though we are the ones in charge of our destiny. How utterly proud and at the same time, stupid, this is. We are before Almighty God, like an ant shouting to a Steam Roller, "Halt I command you!" I suppose pride should be listed in that first sentence regarding things we need to understand about ourselves. If you have spent any time reading scripture, you know where is the end of a life lived in pride.

My credo "Nothing of lasting value in life happens by accident. Chart your own course," at first inspection would seem to be a proud thing to say. The reason that it is not so is because I understand from the outset, that all the plans of Man are in vain unless they are first inspired by The Lord. As much as is possible I try to live in this manner. I fail. We all do. But sometimes I succeed. Yes, I am one of those strange people you hear about who believe we can talk to and hear back from, God. Our lives depend upon it. I do not spend enough time in His presence, but I do try to walk in a manner worthy of Him. A dear friend, a former pastor, Forest Jones, used to say to me, "Honor God and God will Honor you." I have seen the benefit of this in my life, in times when I was lower than low. So, I know it to be true.

This business I am working at present and will be working for years to come, Nutronix and The Berry Tree, I believe was given me to do by The Lord. No, there was no thundering voice from heaven, nothing like that. What has given me this confidence is that I can see His hand in it. When everything appears dark and hopeless, he brings light and renewed hope. When I need a boost of encouragement the most, somehow it comes my way. Recently, my lower back has been reeking havoc with me. I have been almost completely incapacitated. Before this happened, as I have said in earlier posts, people came along, into my team, that are capable of and in fact have taken the wheel and kept this ship sailing on course. That's what teamwork is all about!

Thora, Dave, and any others I cannot bring to mind at this writing, you have my sincerest thanks. And I cannot express strongly enough, nor with enough grattitude, how fortunate I am to have the leadership I have in this business, guys like James Hamilton, Mike Baxter, Chris Aitken. You guys are true warriors and brilliant leaders. I say that I am fortunate because I do not believe in luck. Fortune comes from above and has direction and purpose. Lady Luck is random and fickle, cheating her recipients far more often than she blesses them.

I determined long ago that for any success that came from this business I would give honor and praise first to God from whom I know all success comes in the first place. I determined that I would honor Him in all I do, all my business dealings, all my marketing and recruiting practices, in every part of this business. It is time I put another post here, to do just that. Also, I want to say publicly a huge Thank You to all my team, "Team Alliance," and to all my leadership, James and "Team Synergy" as well as Bob Bremner, the brains behind all the products at Nutronix. Bob, for those of you who do not know, is a brilliant man. He can talk for hours, trust me I know personally, about the ins and outs and whys of how our products work.

But more importantly to me than that, Bob is a man of Faith. He will quickly say that in the end, it is God's design in us as humans and the making of products that cooperate with that design, that makes these products so effective. So to all the above, I say first, Thanks to Him, then thanks to you. Our success is guaranteed as long as we endeavor to do business with honor, as a team, working together and as long as we keep our eyes on The One who makes all of this possible. To our Massive Success!

Mitch

Gloom and Doom Economy, Celebration Time for MLM Oppportunities

2009-02-05T18:31:00.005-05:00

It's in the news every night, the world news and local. The economy is tanking. Retail took a major hit this past Christmas and now it's being kicked while it's down. Layoffs, cut-backs, downsizing, business closures, it's everywhere! Add to that, a continuing rise in unemployment, foreclosures and a plummeting stock market and there is every reason to shout Gloom and Doom. It's terrible, the worst we have seen in recent memory. On the news last night, I saw where one of the big banks' stock was trading at $60 a year ago and today is at $3. I don't remember which one. Some industries, such as healthcare are holding on, but who knows for how long? Today the US Post Office announced job cut-backs. Prognosticators are telling us this is going to get worse before it gets better. Will it get better? Sure it will, but it will take some time to do so. We Americans are a resilient people. We don't give up that easily. But in the meantime, millions of people are looking for some way to make ends meet.

If you're in the Home Business arena, this should be a time to cheer! MLM or Network Marketing Opportunities are going to see an amazing boom over the next few years. Why? Because people need income and millions of them are flocking to the Home Business Industry. There are several reasons. It's less expensive to work from home a few hours a day, on the phone and the computer, than it is to pay the gas prices to drive several days a week to a second job that barely pays enough to make that trip worth it. Add to that the cost for clothing or uniforms, meals, taxes on what little money you do make, wear and tear on your car and by the time you're done, there's not much left. Sure, there are exceptions, mostly in the professional arena, doctors, lawyers, nurses, etc. Their salaries are high enough to make the extra time worth it. But it still takes people away from home and family, more than they are already, a major concern for most people. The Family is the last bastion of sanctity left in this world, and now it's being sacrificed to make sure the bills are paid, kids clothed and fed and there is a roof overhead. It's serious. These are difficult times.

But for those of us who are in a legitimate, profitable and relatively inexpensive to join home business, like The Berry Tree and Nutronix, our recruiting and business building just became a lot easier. People are looking for what we have to offer, and they're serious. It's like having a drink of cold water to offer someone who has just crawled out of the desert. Do you think they'll want it? Of course they will. If you believe in your products and your opportunity and if you understand who your market is, serious people who are looking for a legitimate business, willing to do whatever they have to do to make their lives better and if you are able to present your business the right way, out of a desire to help them achieve that goal, they will be receptive to and interested in what you have to say. Your downline will grow, your business will prosper and you will have turned gloom and doom into a time for celebration! You will be very successful and will make a lot of money doing so.

What Are The Best Home Business Opportunities

2009-02-01T08:38:00.013-05:00

After re-reading one of my blog posts below on this subject, I decided a little more elaboration on the point was in order and would better serve the serious researcher. In order to know what the best home based business opportunities are, one must first understand a few things about business in general. What consumer groups are profitable to market to? What products do those consumer groups purchase, and why? What is the best way to position oneself as a seller to those groups, and how does one go about doing so? According to some of the more knowledgable industry experts such as Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, Tim Sales, and others, the single best way to go into business and tap into these markets is with MLM or Multi Level Marketing, also known as Network Marketing. MLM's are the best home based business opportunities for several reasons.

One can get started as an affiliate with a good MLM company, Nutronix International and The Berry Tree being two excellent examples, for a fairly reasonable start up cost, usually anywhere from $100 to $500 and have access to numerous products, websites to market them, websites to manage the business, training and mentoring from established men and women in the business. Add in an advertising allowance and one can be in business, up and running for under $1000. In most cases the company will drop ship an order placed on an affiliate's website so the affiliate doesn't have to store, handle and ship products. The company will keep record of sales, taxes, inventory, etc.

The distributor can make money both by selling products and recruiting more distributors to sell, called a downline, and making a small percentage on business done by the downline as well. Those percentages are paid through several levels and can become very lucrative over time. The real power here is not in selling products but rather in recruiting a large and active downline to sell products and earning a small percentage on their sales. It's better to make a small percentage on the efforts of hundreds of people than to make a large percentage on ones efforts only. The best home business opportunities are with companies like those above who offer good products at a reasonable price and have a lucrative compensation plan with realistically achievable qualification requirements.

As important as the type of company one chooses is the consumer group or groups they market to. It's an established fact that The best home business opportunities are ones who market to the Baby Boom Generation, in the US those men and women born between 1947 and 1964. In Canada those born between the years of 1947 and 1966, and in Australia between 1946 and 1961 are considered Baby Boomers. Companies like the ones named above have understood for a number of years now that businesses who cater to these Boomers are going to be highly successful and very profitable.

Here are a few facts one needs to understand about this group of people. They constitute the single largest consumer group in the world, today. They currently range in age from 40 to 63 years. 80% of them are employed. Their buying power is well over 2 Trillion dollars and growing. Another characteristic of this group is that as they continue to age, the products they want and need will change. The best home business opportunities are ones that market products these Boomers want now with an eye out for products they will be interested in as they age. The best companies understand that to remain profitable for many years to come, they must recognize and constantly be on the leading edge of buying trends as they emerge and they must be able to anticipate future trends and adapt accordingly.

In summary, look for a Network Marketing company with affordable products and a good compensation plan with achievable qualification goals that understands who they should be marketing to, and how to reach them. Most of these will be marketing to the Baby Boom Generation. Look for a business one can get started in for a reasonable cost, including any initial start up fees and advertising costs. There seems to be a bias against business opportunities having any start up cost at all, but this is completely unrealistic. You are not looking for a job, you are looking to start a business. To think one can do so for nothing is absurd. There are a number of good home business opportunities one can get up and running with for $500 to $1000 out of pocket. That's a pretty reasonable expectation. The best home business opportunities will be the ones that meet most or all of these criteria. So, Happy Hunting!

"Back" In The Game!

2009-01-26T16:56:00.002-05:00

You know you're getting older when..... We've all heard the jokes starting with that famous intro. Well, this past week or so it wasn't a joke, at least for me it wasn't. I woke up one morning and my lower back was screaming at me. I couldn't get out of the bed! Pain was shooting down my right leg, and my back was locked up. I managed a few stretches, struggled to get to an upright position, and called my Chiropractor. It took me over an hour to get up, dressed and in the car, my wife driving me of course.

I had no idea what I had done to bring this spasm on. I have a history of low back trouble, degenerative disc disease, and as I indicated, I am under the care of a Chiropractor. The next five or six days were awful, filled with Chiropractic adjustments, pain pills, muscle relaxers, Ice, stretches, agonizing walks from the bed to the bathroom where I could not even stand erect without being in excruciating pain. I'm much better now, not totally pain free, but much better.

Why am I writing about this? well, it knocked me out of the game for almost a week. I couldn't call leads, couldn't follow up with customers and prospects, couldn't work with my team. Here's where the point comes in. I have a gal in Atlanta, Thora, super gal, great right hand (wo)man. I gave her my leads, handed over my three newest people and she took the ball and ran with it. She followed up with them, did some training with them, called leads with them, etc. You see, you have to have someone or someones like Thora on your team, someone who can step up in relief so the game can go on. This is only possible if you have learned how to duplicate yourself in your downline.

It could have been a disaster, no one to lead, no one to support the new guys, no one to manage the reigns. But it wasn't. No, it was instead, a testament to the power of duplication. You cannot delegate if you don't duplicate. I am fortunate. I have folks who are working hard to learn the system, learn the business, folks who in times like this can keep the ship sailing on course, and on time. Now that my back is better, and I'm "Back" in the game, I can rest a lot easier knowing that it's not all on my shoulders. And that's a great feeling to have, I assure you.

A Work At Home Business Opportunity, Better Than The Lottery!

2009-01-13T17:11:00.006-05:00

I was talking with one of my business partners this afternoon, about people who would like to start a home based business but will say they are unable to come up with any start up cash. They'll agree that it's a legitimate work at home business opportunity, but still they balk at the cost. Of course it's absurd to think one can start a business and have no capital with which to do so. The online forums are full of posts indicating that any business that has start up costs must be a scam. They couldn't be any more wrong, but that's not really the subject of this article.

These same people, who say they can't come up with any start up capital have no qualms about going down to their local 7-11 each and every Payday and purchasing lottery tickets! They'll plop down anywhere from $10 to $20 or more every week without any reservation, knowing that the odds of even recovering their investment are slim to none. To make matters worse, once in a while they may actually win a hundred bucks or so, which just adds fuel to the fire. Yet, they're unwilling to spend $50 - $100 to start a home based business that will enable them to work at home with the opportunity to make thousands of dollars a month, passive residual income and be secure financially for the rest of their lives.

One definition of the word Insanity is "To continue doing the same things over and over, expecting different results." That definition certainly applies to these people. They want to strike it rich and they're willing to bet on extremely long odds, over and over again, to do so. Insanity! It's incomprehensible to me to think that anyone would refuse a legitimate opportunity to work at home and build a respectable and profitable business but they'll turn right around and throw money away on nothing more than a pipe dream!

No, there's no guarantee that a home based business will succeed. There are no guarantees in life, period, with the exception of death and taxes! But I will promise you, the chances of success with a work at home business opportunity are a heck of a lot better than they are with a lottery ticket. I'll take those odds all day long! Wouldn't you?

Who Inspires You?

2009-01-07T09:36:00.005-05:00

I posted my article, "The Secret To MLM Success" in one or two of the online forums in which I participate. I never know what kind of response I will receive when I post an article out there. Well, the feedback I have been getting from this one has been incredible. The most common adjective that comes to mind is, Inspiring. This prompted me to write and post a little more about a man who is somewhat of a hero to me, "Pistol Pete Maravich." He almost singlehandedly revolutionized the game of basketball. But it was his dedication, his faith, his desire to let nothing stand in his way and prevent him from being the best he could possibly be that is truly inspiring. That phrase "This is Inspiring," keeps coming up over. Here is my response. Enjoy.

Yes it is, ______. I will not ever forget seeing him play. He was one in a million, a skinny white kid who looked like he would break in half if someone ran into him. But once he stepped onto a basketball court, he was poetry in motion. His shooting ability was matched only by his ball handling and passing skill. He would make some of the most incredible passes that teammates would miss because no one would ever expect that a pass that good was even possible.

But what I said about Pete in my post above is only part of the story. The rest of the story (Oh man, now I sound like Paul Harvey, LOL!) is even more inspiring. His dad, Press Maravich, was was a successful college basketball coach and former college and professional player. When Pete was growing up, he found a passion for the game that fueled the most amazing, even legendary work ethic. He was determined to be the best that had ever been.

His unwavering dedication, the superior knowledge of the game of basketball he gained from his father along with hours upon hours upon hours, usually late into the evening, spent working on ball handling, passing and shooting drills, also learned from his father all combined to produce the most incredible and unstoppable force the game had ever seen.

It is this dedication and tireless and relentless practice and work ethic that comes to mind now, as I reflect upon my post, above. The fans only saw the end result, and as awesome as that was, it pales in comparison to the work ethic and dedication that got him there. His confidence, his skill, his ability to take over a game and carry his team upon his shoulders were only the tip of the iceberg. So, when a bad game would come, and they always do, he would just keep right on doing the things he knew would get him through it and the law of averages, which it always does, would turn in his favor. Success and the turn of the tide, was always only one "jump shot" away.

It's important that we have people in our lives that inspire us to keep on keeping on, when it looks hopeless, when everyone else says "just give up, it's impossible," when nothing seems to be going right. I have had many such people over the years, to inspire me, the greatest of all being my Father, truly the best man I have ever known! Another is "Pistol Pete Maravich," the greatest player I have ever seen play the game of basketball. My quesiton to you, the reader, is "Who Inspires You?"

The Best MLM Business Opportunity

2009-01-06T07:47:00.010-05:00

What's the best MLM business opportunity? Well, there are lots of excellent MLM business opportunities depending upon what you're looking for. What's the best one? To be completely honest, there isn't one. Let me explain. I'm with The Berry Tree and Nutronix. For me, this is The Best MLM opportunity. It has changed our life. I love the products and would use them even if they were not attached to a business. I like the people I am in business with, upline and down and I have met and like the company ownership and many of the company leaders. I believe in the business and products. So for me, The Berry Tree and Nutronix is the best MLM business opportunity out there. However, there are lots of folks for which this MLM would not be the best. People are as different as night and day, each with his or her own unique personality traits, likes and dislikes, and so forth. For some, MLM is not a good business opportunity at all. They'd be better off opening an online store or a traditional brick and mortar business. Some people are not a fit for being business for themselves, period. There's certainly nothing wrong with that. What I am saying here is, when it comes to a business opportunity, there's no such thing as "one size fits all."

If someone is looking to start an MLM home business, online or off, they should at first, search with no filter at all. Just explore all the opportunities that are available, to start with. Some of them will "strike a chord" with you, and some will not. Toss aside those that don't and start narrowing the search. Examine their products, marketing plan, compensation plan, up front cost, monthly autoship requirements, etc. and even more of them will prove undesirable. A word of caution here, don't let cost alone be the deciding factor. Any business will incur costs. You're looking for a business, not a job. Look past the cost, to the potential return on investment. Also keep in mind, you're looking for the best MLM business, not the cheapest. Once you've settled on the MLM business opportunity you like the looks of and there may be two or three of them, do some more detailed research. Open every closet, look behind every door and leave no stone unturned. One of them will shine above the others. The one that looks best to you will not necessarily be the one that looks best to someone else. Remember, "one size does not fit all."

Once you've decided on the best MLM business opportunity for you, don't hesitate to jump in with both feet. Don't be tentative, here. A number of MLM businesses offer a free trial period. That's fine. Take advantage of the offer. This will allow you some time to get better acquainted with the company and the folks you'll be working with. But after that, if you still like what you see, GO FOR IT, and go all the way. Find out the highest level you at which you can get on board in order to maximize your profitability down the road, and start there. Don't let the old "I don't have any money" excuse cause you to miss what could be the very best decision you have ever made. If you want it bad enough, you will find a way. Remember your goal, financial and personal freedom, or whatever your particular "why" may be. Focus on that, find a way to get in, and in the words of the Nike commercials, "Just Do It!" In the end, the best MLM business opportunity is the one you can sink your teeth into, believe in whole-heartedly and be passionate about. It will feel more like a breath of fresh air, than a job. It has been said that those who love what they do for a living never have to "go to work." For them, it's like being on vacation, every day. That's how to find the best MLM business and for me, without question, it's The Berry Tree and Nutronix.

Stay The Course

2009-01-03T12:53:00.006-05:00

People are lazy. In this credit based, I want it now, microwave oven world we live in, the concept of delayed gratification is a forgotten ideal. Analysts and philosophers alike debate the reasons behind the recent economical recession. I propose that at least in part, the problem can be attributed to the all pervasive "I want it now" mentality. If we want something we charge it to a credit card or a line of credit from the bank. People used to work hard and save their money and when they had enough to make the purchase, they bought whatever it was they wanted. They payed in real money, too. Not anymore.

Now we can whip out a piece of plastic or sign our name on a piece of paper and the desired purchase is ours. We may not even have the funds to repay the bank or credit card company, but that doesn't matter. We want it, we don't want to wait to get it, so we charge it. Now, extrapolate this concept so as to include the entire world and it becomes clear what is playing a major role in the downturn of the global economy. The culprit, at the very core of it all is greed and it's sidekick, impatience. The global economy is based on debt. Not a very sound foundation, would you agree?

So how does this apply to running a home based business? As I said before, people are lazy and they're impatient. They want success but they aren't willing to work for it, let alone be patient enough to wait for it. In the MLM world, people jump around from one home based business opportunity to another almost as often as they change shirts. If they don't make it rich in a month or two, they begin to grumble and complain and within a very short time either quit or jump ship. Very few will invest their time, money and energy and then stay the course, giving the plan time to work. If you've ever had a vegetable or flower garden, you understand that it's rediculous to assume that you will sew one day and reap the next. Just ask a farmer and see what kind of answer you get.

No, you have to till the ground, mix in some fertilizer and plant your seeds. Then you have to water the garden regularly and get rid of the weeds that will crop up every few days, or so. It takes weeks sometimes, especially in a vegetable garden before you begin to see the first sign of growth. If this were an MLM and after a week or so, there was no visible evidence of anything growing, most people would give up. Or they would just dig it all up and start over. How utterly absurd! Yet, that's the pervasive mentality among Network Marketers. That is in part, why 95 percent of the people who start out in an MLM, fail. They either don't know how or they don't want to stay the course. They want it now.

If you're in an MLM like The Berry Tree, my particular business, and you're prepared to do the things necessary to succeed and if you're willing be patient and wait for the results, those results will come and they will be incredible! The true gem in MLM is the achievement of a long term passive residual income that will enable you to live financially free and comfortable, for the rest of your life. The best part is, you will eventually reach the point where you don't even have to do anything to perpetuate it. It will just keep on coming.

No, you won't get there overnight. You may have to work hard and invest into your business for a year or two or three. So what? Can you achieve that in your current job? Not likely! What if it were to take five years to get there, would it be worth the wait? If you can answer that question with a resounding yes, then you have what it takes to stay the course. You have what it takes to succeed and succeed you will, and you will become very wealthy. The others? They'll just keep on grumbling, complaining, dropping out or jumping ship. So work hard, give it your all and by all means, stay the course!

On The Making Of New Years Resolutions

2009-01-02T16:33:00.005-05:00

The practice of making new years resolutions seems to get somewhat of a bad rap. Few people seem to take it seriously and every year one hears any number of jokes about it's sincerity and how long those resolutions will last. I have never really done this, made a New Years resolution. The idea always seemed a bit pretensive to me, not to mention somewhat proud.

Just take a look at the root of the word, resolution. It's resolve. Now that's a strong word. It speaks volumes, doesn't it? It resounds with deep undertones such as commitment and determination. It speaks of serious intent to make good on something. If one is going to resolve something, one had better give some deep thought as to the seriousness of the resolution and whether or not one has the strength to follow through.

Let's look at some of the definitions of the word resolve:

1. to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine to do something.

2. to settle, determine, or state formally in a vote or resolution.

3. to clear away or dispel doubts, fears, etc.

I like that second one, to settle. That sounds decisive, stong, certian. It has a sense of surety about it.

This New Years, after wrestling with these things and giving much thought to what I would be willing to resolve to do, I made some resolutions. I resolved to persue a closer walk with The Lord and to work at being a better man, a better husband, a better father. And I resolved to treat others with more respect and dignity and to practice putting others first and self, last. Of course without the first of those resolutions, all the others are impossible to keep.

But maybe that's the point. Mere human strength is often not enough. We need to lean on the devine. One of my favorite scriptures says it best. "Those who wait upon The Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31.

In the persuit of success in business as well as in life in general, one can achieve nothing unless one has resolve. And true resolve, the kind that can stay the course, comes from The Lord. I wish all who read this post a very happy, prosperous and faith filled, New Year.

The Customer Is Always Right

2009-01-01T15:34:00.005-05:00

I was born in 1953, grew up in the 60's and graduated high school in 1972. So many things have changed, since then. Life was different, slower paced, simpler. People felt a much stronger sense of community. Neighbors would hang out on one anther's front porch on into the evening and catch up on what was going on in each others' lives. Neighborhoods were like one big family. Kids would run and play outside from dawn till dark and no one ever worried about a child being abducted. Life was a lot less expensive. Gasoline was cheap, we could get high test for 37 cents. We could go to the movies for under a dollar, two if we bought a soda and some pop corn. Heck, you could buy a really nice sports car for under Five Grand and the average mortgage was under Fifty Thousand. Yeah, life was more simple.

There was a popular saying in business in those days, it went something like this, "The customer is always right." Sadly, that philosophy is rarely if ever, adhered to, today. Of course, the customer was not always right but that wasn't the point. Business establishments, especially those that were locally owned, treated their customers like family. There was a strong sense of honesty and fairness in business dealings. Proprietors would rather make a little less on a sale, than cheat a customer. In return, people felt a sense of loyalty and would shop at the same stores, buy a car from the same dealership, get gas at the same station, eat at the same restaurants and so on. Why? Because the customer was always made to feel that they were important, that they were family. And in a very real sense, they were.

Another benefit to the establishment was word of mouth advertising by very satisfied customers. This is the best kind of advertising because it's very effective and it doesn't cost anything. Well, it does, but not monetarily. It's cost is measured in things like integrity, character, honesty, a good work ethic, taking the time to insure the customer gets the right product at a fair price. This is the kind of advertising that will grow a large and successful business for you. In Network Marketing we talk a lot about offering products and a business opportunity that meet a real need and make someones' life better. To me that's what that old "The Customer is Always Right " philosophy meant.

The truth is, this business, any business, is not about you. It's about your customer, your prospect. Our business exists because we have products and an opportunity that can help people and make their lives better. People don't care what's important to us. They don't care about how their purchase or decision to join us will help us, financially. They care about what THEY need, want or desire. If they believe you care about them and truly want to help them, they will buy from you and they will sign up for your opportunity. Remember, People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's not about you. It never has been. It's about your customer and "The Customer is Always Right."

The Secret to MLM Success

2008-12-28T03:31:00.012-05:00

What's the secret to MLM success? Now, there's another good one for the "If I had a dollar for every time" category. Do a search on the subject and you'll see any number of ads, blog posts, articles and you-tube videos offering their amazing secret short cut to wealth. They all start off with "MLM Lies" or "The truth about MLM Success your upline won't tell you" or any number of variations on that theme and then try to sell you their "Secret Formula" or DVD set or a membership in their "Millionaire Club" or whatever gimmick they're pedaling. The truth is, there is no secret formula. There's no magic bullet. There is no gimmick or short cut that will make you successful. I'll tell you the secret to MLM success. Get ready, this is deep. The secret is you. It all begins and ends, with you. Success, no matter what endeavor you undertake in life requires work, a lot of work. It's not easy. It takes time. It takes practice. It requires patience, resolve, dedication and commitment. No mentor, no DVD set, no seminar, no business system can supply those things. The only one who can, is you.

Now, I'm not saying someone should not take advantage of legitimate seminars, instructional DVD's and mentoring by others who have achieved success. Of course they should. I spend a good bit of time myself, reading or listening to people who can inspire or teach me. I participate in several online MLM or Network Marketing forums, lots of wisdom in there. I study successful people and what made them successful. I have people on my team and in my upline who teach me something just about every day. But in the end, the one person will will decide your MLM success or failure, is you. You have to put the teaching, the mentoring, the systems to work. You have to DO something. You must make a commitment and dedicate yourself to success, no matter how long it takes. You have great products and an awesome business opportunity to offer that can make people's lives better. So get off your sofa, turn off your TV, get on the phone and, now here's the big secret, talk to people.

MLM success is a numbers game. If you're not sponsoring anyone, if you're not selling enough product, you're not talking to enough people. It really is THAT simple. No, it's not easy. Sometimes it can be downright frustrating. You'll have days when you couldn't sell a bar of soap to someone who just got out of a mud bath. But talk to enough people and you WILL find those who want what you have to offer. "Pistol Pete" Maravich was one of the greatest scorers I ever saw play college basketball. He would score 50 to 60 points in a game, and that was in the days before the three point shot. But he would also take 40 to 50 shots a game, sometimes more. Did he get frustrated if he threw up 10 or 12 or more without a basket? No! Did he quit because he was having a bad game? No! He just kept firing away. His success depended on it. He believed in himself. He knew that if he took enough shots, the law of averages would turn in his favor and the points would come. Of course he had great skill and an incredibly accurate shot. But even the great "Pistol Pete" couldn't make every shot he took. So he kept on shooting.

The same principle applies to MLM success. If you keep talking to people, enough people, even when you don't feel like it, even when no one seems to be interested at the time, the law of averages will eventually turn in your favor and you will be successful. It's true, you do need to acquire the skills and the knowledge to know what to say and how to answer questions and objections. You need be able to present your products and opportunity with confidence. That comes with time, patience and lots of practice. So, practice. And you do need to talk to the right people, people who are as driven and as hungry as you are. But you never know where you will find them, so you can't prejudge. Appearances can be deceiving. For all you know, the person you're talking to right now could be the very one who will go crazy, sponsor a ton of people and explode your downline. You just don't know. So, you have to talk to people, enough people, period. If there is a secret to MLM success, that's it. Talk to people. Your business and your success depend on it.

Negative People, They Have No Place In Network Marketing

2008-12-22T18:57:00.013-05:00

If you're around people for any length of time, and that's a given, if youre involved in a Network Marketing Business, you're going to run into those people who always see the worst in everything. They'll find something wrong, in any circumstance in which they may find themselves. These "Glass Half Empty" people mystify me. I simply don't understand them. The world is ALWAYS out to get them. Nothing EVER goes right for them. They're not happy unless they have something to complain about. What an unhappy way to live! It's sad, really. Now, I'm not the type of person to ostracize others just because I don't like them or the way they behave. I'm a bit on the codependent side so in the past I would've tried to fix them. I suppose that tendency comes from all my years working in the Healthcare industry. Truth is though, they're usually not fixable, not by me, at least.

In Network Marketing, these people will be a detriment to your team and death to your business. They will destroy your morale and the morale of your team in a very short time with the poison that comes out of their mouth. It's their objective to bring other people down so they can have company to share in their misery. If this is allowed to go on, negativity will spread like a cancer throughout your entire downline. Really, it's best to avoid these negative people altogether and you certainly should never try to recruit one of them. You don't want them on your team. They won't be teachable. In fact, they will find fault in whatever you do try to teach them. And they won't hesitate to voice their disagreement in your team conference calls, no matter who may be present. You don't need them spewing their venom all over your new distributors or on prospects you may have invited to listen in on the call.

I have a name for these negative people. It's fairly descriptive of the kind of damage they can do to your business, and in a very short amount of time, as I said above. I call them "Dream Killers." They will suck the life out of you. Experienced Network Marketers understand the value of surrounding themselves with positive people who will encourage and edify them and their team. They know to avoid the negative crowd. If your Network Marketing Business is going to to be successful, you must surround yourself with positive, successful people and avoid the "Dream Killers." It's as simple as that.

Now I do, however, enjoy encountering one of them when doing a training call with a new recruit. I want my trainee to see how I handle the situation. I want them to see that I don't let that Negative Nellie get the best of me and that I DO NOT let THEM control the conversation. This accomplished, I then end the call with a comment like "you're right, Network Marketing isn't for you," or "no, you're not a fit for my business and my team." I thank them for their time and hang up. It only takes one call like that to get the point across to my trainee that under no circumstances do they want someone like that on their team! It's a great training lesson. I suggest making good use of it when it presents itself. Better they experience it first with you, in a controlled environment, than on their own.

My point is this, negativity breeds negativity. It's counter productive and will destroy anyone who spends much time under it's influence, no matter how experienced they are. It certainly has no place in Network Marketing and if you want your business and team to flourish, it's best to avoid negative people, altogether. Weed them out from the beginning if you can and don't have them as a part of your team. You'll be much better off, for it. Surround yourself with "Dream Builders," instead, people who will build you up and want to be built up, themselves. Fill your downline with positive, goal oriented, "Glass Half Full" people and you will grow a successful and profitable Network Marketing Business.

Network Marketing, MLM, The Berry Tree and The Big Picture

2008-12-18T21:53:00.026-05:00

Network Marketing is a very simple business, but it's not an easy business. It's simple in that, if someone is teachable and will follow a very few simple steps on a consistent basis, they will succeed. It's not easy, however. The road to success is fraught with obstacles to be overcome. Some are external, financial difficulties, lack of training and support, people unwilling to look at your business or products. Most often however, obstacles will be internal. One of the most difficult to overcome is fear in all of it's many guises, fear of failure, of rejection, of talking to people. Another, closely akin to and providing the foundation for many of those fears is self-doubt. There will be many others. One of the worst, in my opinion and one I consistently come up against while introducing people to my Network Marketing Business, The Berry Tree, is failure to see The Big Picture. Most people simply cannot or will not see it.

I use The Berry Tree as my example because as a distributor, I am familiar with all the particulars, products, cost, marketing plan, etc. I also believe it to be the best and most powerful opportunity out there, bar none! However, there are other MLM's that could be taken as examples, Monavie, Vemma, Xango, even Amway. In fact, I am quite impressed with the new marketing thrust by Amway, their new commercial is pure genius. If you believe that company to be dead and gone, you are sadly mistaken. There are some very sharp minds behind their new marketing strategy. They are poised for a resurgence onto the MLM landscape and they are once again a company to be reckoned with, just wait and see. So what is the big picture and more importantly, how is it that most people cannot see it? Let's examine those questions.

Simply put, The Big Picture is this. True wealth, freedom, financial independence and security are attainable goals but it will cost you something to get there. If someone is willing to pay the price, they will reap the reward. Most people are not willing to pay the price. Most people fail. Those who are willing, succeed. They understand that it's worth the price, no matter how high it may be, to achieve the goal. They understand that nothing of lasting value in life happens by accident. They chart their own course, then set sail and never look back. That, in a nutshell, is The Big Picture. It's what sets individuals like Donald Trump, Bill Gates or Warren Buffet apart from the crowd. Those individuals understand a very simple yet incredibly powerful truth. The crowd is blind. So, why listen to them?

Perhaps that is why they are individuals and not part of the crowd. Network Marketing or MLM, represented for sake of this discussion by my company, The Berry Tree, stands alone as the most effective, the most efficient and most powerful vehicle with which the average individual (there's that word, again) can achieve true wealth and the freedom that comes with it. So what prevents most people from seeing The Big Picture? In my opinion it's because most people are short sighted. They stick with the crowd, thinking it to provide security and protection, when in fact, it blinds them and renders them incapable of reaching beyond their boundaries for the limitless possibilities of owning their own business. They can't or won't look past the initial cost to get started, to the reward they will recieve for paying that price. After all, if there is a cost to get in, it must be a scam, right? Wrong!

It must also be mentioned, that I am referring to more than financial cost. The successful understand they must invest a good bit of their time and energy, mental as well as physical. They know they will have to give up some things, TV, leisure time, time spent just hanging out with friends and doing nothing. It will require work. It will require intense thought, the outside the box kind of thought. And yes, it will require financial investment. But these people understand that investing in a business is investing in themselves. They don't see it as purchasing something, they see it as investing in their future.

Take The Berry Tree, for example. So what, if there is a $55 monthly autoship to maintain. So what, if there is a $40 to $100 autoship to be a BNA Member. So what, if a Senior BNA requires an initial cost $550. So what, if there are advertising costs such as a $100 monthly share in our upcoming infomercial. So what, if it requires time for training, time studying the business, the compensation and marketing plans, product information, and time on the phone sharing those products and the business opportunity with people. So what! It's worth it. Whatever the cost, it's worth it. Never forget that! And, in the words of the late, Jim Valvano, the man who in 1983, coached his most unlilely to succeed team of overachieving college basketball players from NC State University, to a surprising and highly improbable NCAA Championship over the much more powerful and heavily favored Houston Cougars, "Never Quit. Never give up, never never give up!"

Donald Trump and individuals of like mindset understand these things. But most people, the crowd, cannot or will not. They will not see The Big Picture. Those who do will know great success, great wealth and great freedom. Remember this truth. It's not the company. It's not the compensation or marketing plan. It's the person and their ability to see The Big Picture. Network Marketing success lies in seeing and capitalizing on The Big Picture. How about you? Do you see The Big Picture?

What's the Greatest Obstacle to MLM Success? It's Not What You Might Think.

2008-11-23T19:42:00.004-05:00

Something like 95 percent of the people who start out in MLM, fail. That's an alarming statistic and it begs the simple question," why?" Any number of reasons have been postulated by some of the best analytical business minds. What you believe, largely depends upon which circle you run with. If you are in the pro MLM crowd, you will hear things like; lack of support, poor compensation plan, lack of knowledge about the business or products. The list goes on. If you are in the anti MLM crowd you are likely to hear things like; MLM's don't work, they're nothing but pyramid schemes, only the guys at the top make any money. This list goes on, as well. But I'm here to tell you that none of these is the answer to the question posed. None of them is THE reason that most people fail. So, what is the answer?

The number one reason most people fail to achieve MLM success, or success in any endeavor in life, for that matter is embodied in one very simple, yet very powerful word. Excuses! That's right, excuses! I don't have any money. I'm no good at sales. I don't have the time. I know someone who tried one of those businesses and they didn't make any money. I need to wait until ____ fill in the blank. This list, like the ones above, goes on and on. In fact, ALL of these so-called "reasons" are nothing more than excuses, every last one. These excuses either prevent someone from taking advantage of a legitimate business opportunity that could change their life forever, or they are pointed to, in retrospect, as the reason the business failed. We humans are good at making excuses. It's a habit that has been ingrained in us from our youth. Like an infectious disease, this habit has been passed down from generation to generation, in all cultures and in all walks of life. No one is immune.

It's much easier to make excuses as to why one can't do something than it is to have the courage to to attempt it. It's much easier to excuse away failure than it is to take responsibility for it. The truth is, if someone REALLY wants something, if the desire or the need for it is strong enough, they will do whatever it takes, to get it. No excuse, no obstacle will stand in their way! Let me prove it to you. Suppose I handed you a small hand shovel and told you that buried in that one acre, ice and snow covered field over there, is a chest. Inside that chest is a treasure worth one million dollars, find it, and it's yours. What would you do? Would you say, "it's too cold out here" or "this shovel is too small" or "the field is too big" or "I don't know how to dig" or any other lame excuse? No! You would start digging and you would not quit until you found that chest! What if Instead of giving you the shovel, I offered to sell it to you for one hundred dollars? Would you argue with me or would you find the hundred bucks and buy the shovel? You'd buy the shovel!

The secret to MLM success is simple. Want it badly enough and do whatever you have to do to achieve it. Your company has the tools, the support, the training, the marketing plan, the product or service and the compensation plan to enable your success. What they don't have and what only you can supply is the desire and commitment to succeed. Look in the mirror, you're looking at the one variable you have control over, you! Stop making excuses, get in the game, commit, refuse to fail, refuse to quit. Your dream is worth it, your desire is worth it, you are worth it. So, in the words of that crazy comedian, "Git 'R Done!"

No Boundaries, The Berry Tree Opportunity

2008-10-24T00:01:00.005-04:00

Tonight, I did something really interesting. I called a new distributor in my Bery Tree business. So what, you might ask, is so interesting about that? Well nothing, other than the fact that this gentleman lives in Australia, in a time zone 14 hours ahead of mine and the fact that it was a three way call with another person in California, a time zone three hours behind mine. Ok you say, that's fairly interesting. Oh, but I left out one small detail. My guy in Australia is not Australian. He's Serbian and speaks English as a second language, a very second language. His English is a bit rusty and he understands a good bit better than he speaks. Ok, a little more interesting. Add to that the different accents. Yes, friends, we Americans do have accents, just ask someone from Serbia. So, as you might have guessed by now, my third party in California was a translator, a Serbian National teaching at the College level in the US. I'm sure by now that you will agree, rather interesting. It was the ultimate three-way training call!

That's the beauty of this business of ours. We literally have no boundaries! Someone from Serbia, living in Australia who barely speaks English, found one of my articles in one of the online article directories and clicked on a link in the article to find out about my home based business. On his own, he signed up for The Berry Tree free trial and before the day was over, upgraded to a full member. All this, before I even had the chance to call him. This happened a few weeks ago and I have been having rather broken conversations with him while looking for a translator to enable me to properly educate and train this new distributor. In the meantime, I found a Berry Tree distributor, a young lady named Nicola, in Sydney, where this gentleman lives. Nicola IS Australian. She was willing to make contact with him and try to help him for me, while I was on the hunt for a translator. Nicola isn't even in my upline or my downline, she is in Shane Woods' downline! Talk about camaraderie and international cooperation! What a great business. It truly is for anyone, if they can just see the opportunity in front of them. Zivko did, and he barely speaks my language. Through the power of MLM and the universal reach of the Internet, we can do business anywhere in the world! So, why am I blogging about this? What's the point? I'll tell you.

If I can do this, find a translator, set up a three-way call spanning 17 time zones, to work with a person who found The Berry Tree business by reading articles on the Internet, how difficult can it be to pick up a phone and call someone just a few hundred miles away, or to reach out to someone in your own neighborhood? It's not difficult, at all. All one has to have is the desire, the will and the determination to overcome whatever barriers are placed in one's way and the willingness to get it done. We have a truly wonderful opportunity, here. We have a business that changes peoples' lives. Our products offer truly amazing health benefits and our business opportunity offers a truly incredible financial reward to anyone willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. Over the next weeks and months we have the chance to gear up our efforts in preparation for our national Infomercial advertising campaign. We need to be training our downline distributors, getting them up to speed, getting them ready to handle the flood of new members that will come rushing in. Yes folks, we need to get ready. The Berry Tree is going to take the MLM and home business world by storm and we are in a true legacy position, on the front edge of a wave that is literally going to circle the globe. People are going to become very wealthy with this business and I intend to be one of them. Let's put away the excuses, break out the elbow grease and get to work. What do you say?

Putting Things Into Perspective

2008-10-09T22:42:00.004-04:00

This post has absolutely NOTHING to do with home business. I was just sitting and musing, thinking about how out of control politics has gotten in this country. It's an election year and all of a sudden politicians are bending over backwards to tell us just how much they care about us, their constituents. It can be absolutely nauseating at times. Emotions get whipped up into a frenzy, lines are drawn, die is cast, sides are chosen and families are split in two. In another couple of months things will die down, life will return to normal, families will mend fences and we will wait another four years for the dance to begin again. Two years if you count the non presidential year congressional and senatorial elections. Anyway, here are the thoughts I was musing over.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of all the political rhetoric, all the finger pointing, right to left, left to right, over and over and over again. The news is full of it, political ads are full of it, even the debates are full of it. Today the phone rang and when I answered, this pre-recorded message began to play bashing a particular candidate for the NC Senate. Let me tell you, I'M SICK OF IT! I believe there are others of you who are sick of it as well. How can we know what a candidate stands for or against when all they do is bash the other guy?

When one candidate tells you that their opponent voted for or against this bill or that bill, they don't tell you that the bill in question was loaded with riders that their opponent, and probably even they themselves could not support but that would pass along with the bill if it passed, so naturally they had to vote against it. When one candidate quotes another on a given issue, they almost always do so out of context, painting their opponent's comments in an unfavorable light. It's tactics like this that just make me want to never hear another one of them speak again!

So, how can we put things into proper perspective? Here are a few of my ideas. I realize that none of these ideas will ever be put into practice. Heavens no! Why, they are just too practical. They make too much sense. That would really throw a monkey wrench into our political process, now, wouldn't it?

I would like to see a debate where the rules prohibited one candidate from bashing the other. When a question is asked, all the candidate can do is say what he or she believes, what he or she would do to solve the problem, meet the concern, whatever the issue, without pointing out what their opponent has done, has not done, would not do, etc. They would actually have to answer the question.

I would like to see campaign advertisement reform that would limit or even prohibit name calling, finger pointing, opponent bashing, all of it. Only ads that present a candidates beliefs, plans, ideas would be allowed in this new reform. What we need to know is what they will do to solve the problems that face us as a nation, not what their opponent has failed to do.

I would like to see, on network television, comparisons of the candidates' actual voting records. No fluff, no hype, just how they voted on the important issues. Along with that, I would like to hear the candidates actually state what they believe to be the important issues and what they would do about them if elected.

If we could know what a candidate stands for without hearing what the other guy doesn't stand for, then we as responsible citizens would have a real basis upon which to decide who we want representing us in government. The emphasis is on REPRESENTING US, not special interests or party politics. That would definitely put things into perspective and we might actually achieve government "of the people, by the people and for the people."

What is BTStartFree?

2008-09-30T00:29:00.002-04:00

BTStartFree is the brain child of two brothers, Art and Rob Phelps of Massapequa, New York and their marketing partners, the father and son team of Bob and Blair Bremner of Mechanicsville, Virginia. The Berry Tree, the up and coming Health and Wellness MLM conceived of by this team came into being in March of 2007, went into a six month pre-launch period in which all the kinks were being worked out of the system and then into a full launch in September of the same year. Since that quiet beginning they have done something like Three Million Dollars in sales while putting together what is becoming recognized as perhaps the most powerful home based business opportunity of our time. It certainly has worked out well for this husband and wife team. So, what is this BTStartFree, and how does it work?

In a nutshell, BTStarFree is a program that allows someone to test drive The Berry Tree business free for one month, paying only shipping cost of $4.95 for the company to send them some product samples to try. What a brilliant idea! There are any number of home business opportunities for people to chose from these days, some better and some worse, some legitimate and some that are nothing but scams. The Berry Tree knows this, so to help people decide whether or not this business is right for them, the BTStartFree program was conceived. For about the same cost as a cup of coffee at Starbucks, a person can get started in their own home business, access all the training materials, see how everything works, try the product and then make an educated decision as to whether they want to continue. If they decide they want to do so, they simply upgrade to a full member, a $49.95 per month commitment, and they are already well on their way. If, on the other hand, they decide it's not for them, they can simply cancel and never pay another dime.

This is a great way for the average person with limited financial resources to get started in a business and begin building toward a life of freedom and financial independence. With a solid national and international advertising campaign, BTStartFree can be seen in any number of home business related magazines, numerous incentives and fast start bonuses and an upcoming TV Informercial on The Berry Tree, momentum is building rapidly. More and more people are coming on board every day. The Berry Tree has leveled the playing field and is poised for massive growth which will make it one of the top income producing MLM's in the very near future. If you want to learn more, how you can take advantage of this MLM revolution, click BTStartFree and take advantage of the free trial offer. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

How to Start a Successful Home Business

2008-09-27T08:00:00.003-04:00

With the economy seemingly coming apart at the seams, families everywhere are struggling to make ends meet. They are finding themselves more often than not, in need of extra income just to get by. Many of them are choosing to start a home business, rather than to look for a second job. This makes sense just considering the cost of gas, alone but as with any new venture in life, there is risk involved. How does the average person with no business background know how to start a home business and a successful home business at that? An in depth treatise on the subject would be difficult to tackle in one article and would probably bore the reader to tears in the process. However, there are a few basic principles that will help the aspiring entrepreneur get started in the right direction. Volumes have been written on how to succeed in business. That is not the purpose of this piece. The focus here is on getting started. Think of this article as "How to Start a Successful Home Business 101."

First, you need to determine your business niche. What interests you, what are you passionate about? Is it Golf, health and wellness, teaching a musical instrument, what interests you? You will be far more likely to succeed if your business is in a niche that you have an interest in and can have fun with. Second, there are lots of business models to chose from, such as MLM, direct sales, an online store, owning a booth at the local flea market, and so on. Some business models will be dictated by the niche you chose or how much money you want to make. Other than that, you're really only limited by your own creativity. So, in order to know how to start a home business you first have to know your niche and decide on what for you will be a successful home business model. The main point here is you need to like what you're doing and you need to have fun. It's important that you enjoy what you are doing, otherwise all you will accomplish is to take on another job and what's the fun in that?

Once you have decided on your niche and your business model, you need to do some research. There will be steps to take depending upon what you will be doing. If you want to own an eBay store, you will need to learn how to go about setting up and running the store, what products you will be selling, items from around the house or from yard sales or will you be working with a drop shipper, etc. If you want to teach guitar or piano, you will need a studio. This can be a room in your house or you can go to your students' homes to teach. My point is, there will be steps to plan out and in order to start a successful home business you need to go through that planning process, carefully and thoroughly. Many people like MLM's because they are typically a turn-key business with systems and tools already in place. All you have to do is plug in and you're on your way. But be careful, here. Chose an MLM wisely, products, compensation plan, marketability, and so forth. Another consideration is who you are signing up with. This person is going to be your mentor, you will need to be able to work with them. I personally like MLM, it's a proven and very successful home business model and can generate enormous amounts of money if it's with marketable products and a good company.

Lastly, your goal is to start a home business, not a hobby. You need to be passionate about it and treat it like a business or you will not be successful. You will only succeed to the degree that you apply yourself to the tools, the systems, the training and to the degree that you have passion and a business mindset. It can be tempting to not take this seriously but to do so is a recipe for failure. When the going gets tough, a hobby is much easier to quit than a business because a business carries with it a sense of ownership. Yes, have fun, by all means, have fun, but at the same time give your business the mental and physical energy it deserves. So, have a business mindset and remember why it was that you started it in the first place. I call this remembering your "why." If your why is powerful enough, and you stay focused on it at all times, you will succeed, no matter what obstacles come your way. This is how to start a successful home business, one that will provide you and your family with the income you need to accomplish the goals you set out to achieve.

The Berry Tree, A Brilliant Idea Whose Time Has Come

2008-09-24T23:56:00.008-04:00

Until a little more than a year ago when The Berry Tree came into being, MLM had always been done one way. Sure, there were many variations on a theme, but when you brought it down to the basic nuts and bolts, the formula was the same. A company existed to move products or services from manufacturer to end consumer via a network of distributors who could earn commisions selling the product or service and could also earn a percentage of the commisions generated by distributors signed up under them, their downline. This is a great concept that has stood the test of time. Sure, MLM has it's detractors, anything of value always will, but the industry continues to thrive, none the less. The MLM business model is taught in university business schools, everywhere. It is here to stay. But it can be done better, and with The Berry Tree, it is.

The Berry Tree added a new dimension to MLM, the concept of profit sharing bonus pools. Basically put, stay with the business long enough and a distributor qualifies to begin earning a small percentage on the entire Berry Tree company. That means people who joined before them and everyone who comes in after. They do this by issuing Berry Member Credits, one half credit earned for every month a distributor remains an active member in the company. Once a distributor accumulates 10 credits, they qualify for The Bronze Bonus Pool, the first of many such pools. The Berry Tree pays out an equal percentage on every active member in the company to every distributor that has qualified for this pool. This payout occurs again at the next bonus pool and the next, and so on. The longer one stays in the business, the more pools they can qualify for.

This is a brilliant concept and a huge improvement on the basic MLM model and it places The Berry Tree squarely in the drivers' seat when it comes to selling a business opportunity to the average Joe. Combine this with their powerful 2 leg compensation matrix that forces massive spillover to downline distributors, helping them build their business and pays 12 levels deep, even deeper with leadership incentives, their fast start bonus that pays up to 5 levels for three months on newly sponsored downline and their numerous other incentive bonuses and you have a true winner. And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to join. The Berry Tree membership is $50.00 a month, that's all. Members don't have to keep spending more and more of their own money to qualify for higher commission levels, as is the case in many MLM's. Those higher commision levels are gained by group volume and time spent in the business. Again, Brilliant!

Simply put, The Berry Tree does it better. There is enough fast start money and incentive bonus money to enable anyone to join this business, have their costs covered and even be making some money their first month. The two reasons people fail and quit MLM are first, no support from the company and/or their upline and second, they don't make any money. The Berry Tree has solved those two problems by putting a system in place that builds success and enables the average person to make money, a little money in the beginning and lot of money over time. No, The Berry Tree is not one of those get rich quick schemes. They don't work. The Berry Tree does. This business is designed for the long haul, to produce a lifetime of passive residual income. Yes, The Berry Tree is truly a brilliant idea whose time has come.

Save A Child

2008-09-17T10:12:00.007-04:00

In Africa, 3,000 children a day die from Malaria. This is a terrible crisis! If there were a way you, the average person could do something to help make a difference, would you chose to do so? Well, there is such a way. Nutronix International in partnership with the Save A Child campaign is doing something wonderful. Their Colloidal Silver Solution has been proven to be effective against the parasite that causes this deadly disease. It has been tested in clinics in Ghana, West Africa and it works. Children are being cured and lives are being saved!

Nutronix International has decided to take a proactive stance in the fight for the lives and the health of these children, to work to bring an end to the death toll caused by this maleficent killer. For every 4 ounce bottle of Colloidal Silver Solution purchased to be sent to Africa to treat the children, Nutronix will match it with an additional bottle, so that two bottles are sent with each order. Those of you who know me, know that I am a Pediatric Respiratory Therapist. My professonal life has been dedicated to helping peole, especially children. To be part of an organization that embraces that same mission is a source of great pride to me. Malaria is not only a crisis in Africa, but in much of the world. Nutronix will be expanding this Save A Child campaign to other nations as well, in the near future.

Everyone reading this article is invited to become part of this life saving work. Simply click to go to my Nutronix page. Once there, click on the products tab, then click on the Save A Child link and place your order. It will cost you $15.00 if you want a T-Shirt and $10.00 if you don't. I will not make one cent in profit from this order. My only motive is to support the fight for the lives of innocent children who have done nothing to deserve such a terrible fate. Will you join me? I hope you will. The children deserve a fighting chance. Together, we can give it to them.

Colloidal Silver Solution The Natural Antibiotic and Antimicrobial Wonder

2008-09-11T08:19:00.019-04:00

We live in an age when disease causing pathogens are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotic therapy. Many of these diseases are becoming serious killers, such as MRSA or Methicillin Resistant Stapylococcus Aureus, VRE or Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus, and Mycobacterium or Tuberculosis. Resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of antibiotics. This resistance comes about in nature via the process of natural selection but it can also occur when "evolutionary" stress is applied to a given microorganism population as with the overuse or misuse of antibiotic therapy.

The result is an increase in the number of organisms becoming resistant, some of them to more than one antibiotic. These are the so called "Superbugs." Additionally, the stronger and more powerful antibiotics used to kill these "superbugs" can have unwanted side effects in the human population. In some cases those side effects can be as harmful as the disease being treated. There is a solution to the problem that is all but ignored by modern medicine, especially in the United States. This solution is beginning to gain world wide popularity, however, especially in the holistic health and alternative medicine communities and in countries with less bureaucracy to stop the advance of natural, non drug related therapies. That solution is the use of Colloidal Silver Solution, a true natural antibiotic.

Colloidal Silver Solution is a liquid suspension of microscopic particles of silver, colliodal meaning particles which remain in suspension without forming a dissolved or ionic solution. Colloidal silver is a known powerful antimicrobial agent. Concentrations of 5 parts per million have been found to kill numerous infectious bacteria. It's mechanism of action seems to be via the oligodynamic effect by inhibiting the expression of enzymes and other proteins essential to ATP or Adenosine-5' -triphosphate production. It is toxic to a number of resistant organisms such as MRSA and Tuberculosis, and has in some recent studies, even been shown to have effect against viruses such as Influenza A, the virus that causes Bird Flu in humans.

In the United States, companies which manufacture or sell Colloidal Silver Solution are prohibited by the FDA from claiming any therapeutic value of the product. It cannot be labeled as a natural antibiotic, though that is in truth what it is. The agency does allow it to be labeled and sold as a food supplement as long as no medicinal claims are made. Ongoing scientific studies are being done by many independent laboratories to validate the efficacy of this potential antimicrobial wonder and Colloidal Silver has been tested against a number of resistant and non resistant pathogens with good results. It has been approved by the EPA for use as a disinfectant in hospitals and medical clinics in the US. Silver is also used in the treatment of burns and bed sores.

Internationally however, the story is much different. Many nations have recognized and are making use of this powerful agent, this natural antibiotic, to treat any number of disease causing pathogens. Colloidal Silver solution is being used with much success in African hospitals to treat malaria, cholera, AIDS, flu, hepatitis, respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, sinus infections, food poisoning, vaginitis, staph and strep infections, thrush, burns, wounds and skin infections. This author has used it effectively, against sinus infections, periodontal infections, tooth infections, cuts and wounds.

It seems there is no end to the beneficial effects of this amazing metal. I'm reminded of the great George Washington Carver and his research on the peanut. Colloidal Silver Solution could very well be the antimicrobial wonder the world is in desperate need of as more and more of these antibiotic resistant super bugs are cropping up every day. We can only hope that American medicine will catch up with the rest of the world and begin using Colloidal Silver against these enemies of our health. If you would like to hear more about this amazing "miracle metal," this potent natural antibiotic, Take the time to view the Colloidal Silver Solution Video presentation by Keith Moeller, Vice President of American Biotech Labs and the world's foremost authority on the uses and benefits of Colloidal Silver. If you would like to share with me thoughts of your own, pro or con, feel free to contact me at phayesinc@ctc.net. I would love to discuss it with you in person.

Purchase a bottle of Colloidal Silver for yourself and experience the many benefits of this amazing Natural Antimicrobial Wonder. Are you looking for a change, a new direction in your life, professionally? Or do you just need to bring in a little extra money to help with the family budget? Whatever you are looking for, I invite you to examine this Amazing Business Opportunity in the Health and Wellness Industry and then contact me via the email address above or Click this next link to Join My Team!

MLM Lead Generation, The Key To Survival

2008-09-05T20:36:00.003-04:00

MLM lead generation used to be a fairly simple process. It was basically done two ways. Either you invited all your friends, family, associates, your warm market, to a meeting, showed them some products or a marketing plan or both and then invited them to join your business opportunity or you visited those same folks in their home, product in hand, asked them to try the product, presented a business opportunity and then invited them to that same meeting in method number one. Simple, right? Sure it was until you were into your second or third MLM and when those same friends, family and associates saw you coming they would run for the hills! None the less this was how it had been done since MLM began with Amway in the 1940's. Then came the Internet and online marketing and MLM lead generation was changed forever. No more terrorizing your warm market, you now had the whole internet as a recruiting ground. Problem solved, right? Well, yes and no.

The Internet is a very big and impersonal place and the process of MLM lead generation just took on some new and significant challenges, mainly, how to find people and get them to our websites to see our products or present them with a business opportunity or both. The internet is full of scams and people tend to be skeptical of MLM opportunities. So how do we get people who don't know us to trust us enough to try our products and look at our business opportunity and then get them to trust us enough to join us? If MLM lead generation is the life blood of an internet business and key to it's survival, these problems have to be solved. Of course we can always go back to that same warm market and invite them to look at our website, but we really don't want to run them off, do we?

Well, if we are not going to harass our friends, family and associates, we're left with finding ways to get total strangers to visit our site. That means buying traffic and there are basically only a couple of ways to do that. You can advertise your business, print or online, or you can buy website traffic. All the paid methods really boil down to those two options. The best ad campaigns, leads and traffic, the ones that give you quality people who are serious about finding a business opportunity, are very expensive, costing in the hundreds to the thousands of dollars. They work well, but the average MLM distributor can't afford them, at least not for long. The budget leads really aren't worth what you pay for them. And the free ads and free leads, well, you get what you pay for. They tend to produce more "tire kickers" than "car buyers." Either way, In the end you're still left with the problem of getting people who don't know you to trust you. What's the answer to this dilemma?

In my opinion, personal branding and attraction marketing have revolutionized MLM lead generation. This is the process of becoming known as a person worth listening to and worth following, a leader and mentor. You attract prospects to you rather than chasing after them. This is accomplished by adding value to the online community by joining and contributing in online MLM or home business forums, blogs and social networking sites. These communities are populated by millions of people, many of them either in or looking to be in a good business opportunity. Over time they begin to know and trust you and you will attract like minded people to your business. Article writing is another way to establish personal branding. If you write quality articles on subjects related to your business or your products and they get published in article directories, you become recognized as someone who is knowledgeable and someone who can help others become successful. This will attract people to you and your business. The great thing about attraction marketing, it doesn't cost a dime! It takes time to produce but once it starts to do so, you will never have to buy another lead again.

MLM lead generation is the life blood, the key to survival for your home based business. I suggest a two phased approach. In the beginning you will need to buy leads and traffic but this should be a short term fix. It will get you started building your business but then you need to begin the process of branding yourself and becoming an established leader and mentor to the online home business community. Once accomplished you will be off to the races and MLM lead generation will never again be a problem. You will have more leads than you can handle and they will be quality leads. If you have questions or would like to discuss personal branding, attraction marketing, or any other subject, feel free to contact me. I would be more than glad to help in any way I can.

Ask Yourself This Simple Question. What Defines You?

2008-08-27T18:50:00.007-04:00

Most people allow themselves to be defined by things other than who they are. They allow themselves to be defined by what other people think, by circumstances, by many things beyond their control. Or they allow themselves to be defined by their achievements, how much money they make or how successful they are. Perhaps they define themselves by how much education they have or how much power and influence they have. This one is especially prevalent in political circles. Some define themselves or are defined by others according to their station in life. Do they work for that big law firm or major corporation and live in a six thousand square foot home on the lake or the golf course, or do they work at Walmart and live in a trailer park?

None of these things, in truth, define us. In fact, not only do they not make us who we are, most of them are the result of who we are. No, we cannot control what people think. Nor can we always control outside circumstances that are forced upon us. But, we can control how we respond to those things. At this point I would like to stop and ask a simple question. I suggest you reflect upon this question. Don't just dismiss the idea and don't answer immediately, off the cuff, either. Take some time. Reflect upon it. Get alone in a quiet place, away from the hustle and bustle of life and ask yourself this question. What defines you? Or, in the words of a philosophy professor I had back in my college days and we won't go into how long ago that was either, can you tell me who you are without telling me what you are?

I warn you, this is no easy task and it will mess with your head a little. However, I believe the exercise to be of tremendous value. Everything in our lives from business to relationships to our faith and most certainly our sense of self worth, depends upon how we feel about who we believe we truly are. In fact, feelings will probably come closer to the truth than a more pragmatic analytical approach. Most of us have difficulty being honest with ourselves. Perhaps we are afraid of what we will discover if we probe too deeply. We don't always like getting in touch with our feelings. Do it anyway, it's important. How can we be comfortable in the many different relationships we have in life, personal and business, if we are not comfortable with and have not accepted who we are? So do yourself a favor and ask yourself. What defines you?

How To Select The Best Home Based Business

2008-08-22T08:39:00.004-04:00

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have fielded this question. "What is the best home based business?" I participate in a number of online forums, most of which are in the home business and MLM niche and that question comes up quite frequently. It is also a common question in various question and answer forums, like Yahoo Answers and others. It seems more and more people today are looking for a good opportunity and they want to know what the best ones are.

Being as I am involved in my own home business, of course I believe mine to be the best one out there. I recognize, however, that the business that is just right for me is not going to be just right for everyone. Home business opportunities are as different as the people who are in them as well as the personalities of people who are searching for the right one. With this in mind, I thought I would put down a few guidelines to help business opportunity seekers select the best home based business for them. Of course I am assuming that before you go through the steps I will outline below, you will have already done your due diligence and researched the company, the ownership, the products, etc. and will have determined that this is a legitimate business. The intent of this article is to help people decide which legitimate work from home opportunity is the best fit for them.

First and foremost, can you "connect" with the person who is offering you the opportunity? More than likely they are the one you will be working most closely with and they will be the one mentoring you. If your personalities are a match and you can be comfortable with them and like them, that's a pretty good indicator. You don't want to be in business with someone you don't like or can't get along with and be comfortable with. Business is about people. You're not only joining a company, you're joining a person, or persons. If the chemistry is wrong, your business venture will be a struggle and probably you will not be successful.

Do you like the product or service enough and believe in it enough to be passionate about it? You're going to be selling it, so you had better be able to be passionate about it. Would you use that product or service if it were not attached to a business opportunity? These are important questions. You cannot successfully sell a product or service and the business opportunity associated with it if you don't like or believe in that product or service. People will sense it in your voice and they will be hesitant to do business with you. More importantly they will not believe in You! Remember, business is about people and people won't buy from you unless they buy into you. They won't join your business unless they feel comfortable about joining you, even if it's the best home based business the world has ever seen.

Does the business sell products or services that people want or need? Are those products reasonably priced and Are they consumable so that your customers will have to come back for more? Or, will you be selling non-consumable big ticket items that have a large profit margin? You can make money with either, but in my opinion the former is better. I personally would rather sell high volume low priced consumables that generate repeat business.

Does the business have a good compensation plan that will produce an ever increasing residual income? Can you understand the compensation plan? If you can't understand it, you will have a difficult time communicating it to people you will be showing the opportunity to. The big money, the real power in multilevel marketing businesses is in establishing a solid team of people in your downline who can duplicate the process and keep the business growing and expanding underneath you. So, in addition to a good compensation plan, is there a marketing plan and system in place that is simple and easy for the average person to duplicate?

Lastly, is there a good leadership and support structure? This really goes back to the point about connecting with people. Without good leadership and upline support it will be very difficult for your business to be successful. As I stated earlier, the people factor is probably the single most important criteria to consider when looking for the best home based business opportunity, even more important than the product and compensation plan. You can find the absolute best products and the sweetest profit margin and compensation plan, but without good leadership and support, you will probably not succeed.

How to Recognize Work at Home Scams, a Serious Dilemma

2008-08-21T08:00:00.006-04:00

It is becoming more and more common for the average person, even professional people, these days, to have to find extra income to supplement their household budget. At least in the US, the economy is in a recession, just look at the mortgage and real estate industries or pay attention to the rising cost of groceries, clothing, the necessities of life. But with gas prices skyrocketing it is also becoming less feasible to work a part time job. It just costs too much do drive back and forth. Because of this, many people are choosing the route of owning a home based business. With all the work at home scams out there, and believe me, there are plenty, how does one know which ones are and which ones are not legitimate work from home opportunities?

In another article I defined the word "scam" as an attempt to make money by fraudulent means. In other words it means to trick people into opening their wallet or their checking account to pay for a product or service that is never delivered or to invest in a business that in fact does not exist. Scam artists are very good at what they do and can fool even the most intelligent, observant, business savvy people. It happens every day. So, before you jump into a home business, MLM or not, do your homework! Find out all you can about the business, and not just by reading their promotional materials and visiting their websites, either. Anyone can make an attractive and professional looking website, it's not difficult at all.

Here are a few things you can do. Check the business against the Better Business Bureau. Not all businesses are listed there, but it's a good start. Do some research in your public library or online, or both, for work at home scams. Find out if there are any reports of fraud or any major complaints about the company you are interested in. Find out who the owner of the company is and research them as well. Always get a phone number and call the company directly. Never do business online with a company that does not have a legitimate customer service phone number. If all they have is online chat, or email support, stay away! They may be for real, or they may not, but in my experience, I have found many of them not to be.

Go to some of the reputable online home business forums and ask the same questions of the forum members. Tell them you are looking for legitimate work from home opportunities and you need advice. Two very good forums to go to where I know you will get truthful answers are The-Work-At-Home-Forum.com, and mlmforums.com. Frequently in those two online communities you can find other people who are in or have been in the business you are investigating. Ask them about their experiences.

A word of caution, however, is in order. While conducting your research be sure to check more than one source. Check several. There are lots of folks throwing the word scam around when they don't know what they are talking about. Some of them are disgruntled people who have been burned by MLM. Some of them are self appointed scam police who do not have their facts straight. Some of them are trying to steer people away from the competition to lure them into their own business. This can make the research a bit more difficult, but if you check enough sources, and ask enough questions of the right people, as in the forums I suggested, you can find enough information to make a good educated decision as to whether or not to get involved in the business in question.

Work at home scams have become a huge blight on society and on the entire home based business industry. There are plenty of good, profitable, legitimate work from home opportunities out there. If you are careful, and if you do your due diligence, you can find one that is a fit for you. Take your time, investigate, and you will find what you are looking for.

Life is Short, so Live It!

2008-08-16T17:01:00.003-04:00

I recently went through a period of being just completely emotionally and physically drained. There were several family issues, nothing really big, but lots of little ones all hitting at once, compounding their effect. In addition to that, my mother has been having heart problems, and some other medical difficulties as well, and that was weighing on me. In fact we went out to Texas just last week to see her and my Dad. She had an operative procedure done this afternoon that should get the heart problems back in line. Things went well, and that provided some stress relief.

In the midst of all this, I was experiencing somewhat of a dry spell in building my home business. I was having difficulty recruiting new members, and in an MLM business that can be quite discouraging. Looking back, I can see that more than likely the trouble recruiting was largely attributable to the fact that all of the above was coming through in my voice and potential recruits were being affected by it and driven away. I'm not by nature a negative person, but the past few weeks or more I know I have been. It had to be having an effect on my prospecting efforts. What, you might ask, does all of this have to do with MLM or Home Business? Everything. It really put things in perspective for me. Perhaps it can do so, for you.

You see, life is short, very short. It's much too short to lose sight of the important things, like family, friendships, even our goals and dreams. It's much too short to spend complaining, whining, worrying, things I had been doing quite a bit of, recently. We spend far too much time in MLM, talking about the negative. We lament over things that hinder our success, people who just don't get it, who can't see or won't see the power of the opportunity we are putting in front of them. We discuss all the negative press our industry gets from people on the outside who, quite frankly, don't know what they are talking about. And we complain about how it affects our recruiting efforts. We gripe about success not coming quickly enough to suit us, when all along the greatest gift of all has been given to us, for free! That gift is life. And that life is very short.

We have so much to be thankful for. I know I do. No, I'm not making as much money as I would like, one never does. My business is not growing as fast as I would like it to, and even if it were, I would just want it to grow even faster. It's amazing what things we allow to upset our apple cart, things that when put into proper perspective when we or a loved one becomes ill, or worse, really don't matter. I'm not saying our dreams and our goals are not important or worthy of our commitment, our determination and effort. I'm not saying that the obstacles in our way are not real. I'm just saying that we need balance. That balance for me comes in the form of my wife, family and friends, my church, my faith, and yes, my life. If we lose balance we lose perspective. If we lose perspective we are lost, adrift in a sea of confusion and uncertainty, like a ship with no rudder. If we lose balance it will affect every thing in our life. Nothing will be truly right, for us, unless that balance is restored.

I apologize if this is a bit too metaphysical, but I do believe it is important. Maybe it will help someone else who is going through a crisis of balance and perspective. If you have lost sight of what is really important in life, my suggestion is to take the time to get alone with yourself, take time out to be thankful for the incredible gift of life you have been given. Find that center, find that balance and let it put everything else back into perspective. It will, if you will let it, I promise you. It did, for me. And now, with that balance restored, I can get back to the business of growing a successful organization that will continue to change my life and the lives of those who will come along. I can focus on my dreams and goals with much more clarity of vision and I can work toward them with much more commitment and determination. Yes my friends, life is short. So live it.

Are You a Good Listener?

2008-08-05T20:28:00.006-04:00

There are a couple of inside secrets that all successful sales people know that the unsuccessful do not and I intend to share these secrets with you, here and now. Secret number one, sales is not about your product, your business opportunity, your compensation plan, none of that. Sales is about you. The sooner you figure that one out, the better. People don't buy your product, they buy into you. They don't join your MLM or home business opportunity, they join you. You are not selling any of the above. You are selling yourself.

The second secret, just as important as the first, is this. Successful sales people are good listeners. They are able to discern their customers need, want, desire, or the source of their pain and they recognize when the customer is giving them cues to close the sale. Successful sales people listen more and talk less. So what are the skills that make one a good listener? Let's look at a few.

Before you pick up the phone to call a prospect, find a place of inner calm and quiet. Do some breathing exercises. Say a prayer. Sing a line or two of your favorite song. Do whatever it is that helps you to get centered, inwardly calm and allows you to tune out any distractions, even your own misgivings or fears. If you are not in a place of peace, your customer will pick up on it immediately, even over the phone.

Next, you should have no agenda other than to find out what your prospect needs wants or desires or and to discern if your product or home business opportunity is right for them, and they for it. Don't enter into the conversation trying to sell, enter in trying to listen. Remember how you have felt when you pick up the phone and that annoying telemarketer is on the other end cramming a bunch of information down your throat, bludgeoning you with all manner of questions and not letting you get in one word edgewise? Don't put your customer through that same torture.

Start off with some small talk, allow them to open up to you and begin to identify with you. If you pay attention, you will know when this has happened. Then start off with a question or two that can only be answered, yes, like "it would be great to have more money at the end of the month wouldn't It?" Get them agreeing with you, then move on to more open ended questions that encourage them to give you their need, want or desire. At this stage, listen, pay attention. Accept their answer, don't judge, don't rebut, and by all means don't interrupt. You've got them talking, now let them talk. Acceptance does not mean agreement or validation. By accepting their answer you make them feel you are genuinely concerned about them. Of course you had better be. If not, they will pick up on that one as well.

Now, here is the real meat of the subject. Once you get them talking, if you will really listen rather than try to formulate a response or an answer, you will know when they are giving you cues to close. Unsuccessful sales people begin to offer answers, rebuttals and talk themselves right out of the sale! Don't sell past the close. When they give you the opening, offer them the solution to their need want or desire, be brief, and then shut up! In that moment, silence is golden. If you have done a good job, they will feel as if they have solved their own problem, found the answer to their desire. You have successfully sold yourself, and they have bought into you.

In summary, sales, MLM or otherwise, is about selling yourself and getting customers to buy into you. It's about making them feel they have solved their own problem, answered their own need. Successful sales people know how to listen more and talk less. They know how to accept their customers answers without necessarily validating them, especially with objections. They have no agenda but to find out what their customer needs, wants or desires and to see if what they have to offer will meet that need. Successful sales people listen for cues to close and then do so, they don't sell past the close. Successful sales people know how to listen. Are you a good listener?

Home Based Business Success is Never an Accident, part 3

2008-07-26T23:24:00.008-04:00

In our last two installments we discussed how we must become students of success in all it's aspects, and how we must make success our plan. Now we will see how in order to succeed, we need to take action, not some half-hearted action, ALL OUT MASSIVE ACTION! It must be action fuled with an all consuming desire to succeed. Nothing short of this will do. MLM and Home Based Business Success must be worked for with determination and resolve.

We've prepared properly, we've formulated our plan, now we need to implement. You may have seen the IBM TV commercials with "Innovation Man," the caped crusader with the big "I" on his chest all fired up for innovation, with no concern for implementation. My favorite one ends with the slogan, Stop Talking, Start Doing!

So, how do we implement? I suppose we must first define our term, "All Out Massive Action!" There are any number of good articles and books on how to do the tasks and what those tasks are, that bring success. In this article I want to focus on the principles of massive action. Get those down and the tasks will come much easier.

While researching this topic I came across this quote by well known MLM success mentor and author, Sean Mize, "Massive action is doing one thing with a fervor that is one hundred times that of anyone else doing the same thing." I think that pretty well sums it up. What Sean is talking about is passion. Get to the head of the class, break in line, climb over the top, whatever you have to do, but get there! When you think you're working hard enough, work harder! When you think you've done enough, do more! That's passion. Never say die, "Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!"

So what's step one? In her article on this subject, "How to Motivate to Massive Action," Tina Su, another incredible home business success mentor, says, "The decision is the first step towards change. Regardless of the decision, every change requires some form of action." Those are powerful words. Make a decision and stick to it. Simple. Not easy, but simple.

Next you must set your goals and set them high! Or as Tina puts it, "Start with the end in mind." Don't sell your self short, either, dream big! Once you have set your long term goal, establish some short term goals that progress toward your primary goal, I call them bench marks. It's a much less daunting task to move from one small goal to the next, plus you can celebrate along the way each time you hit a mark. It's more fun, that way for sure.

Author and success coach Bob Proctor says, "start doing a thing to have the energy to do the thing." Take that first small step and the subsequent steps will come easier. Build momentum, keep moving forward, resolve to hit that next goal. When you get to that one, resolve to make the next one. If you know your physics, you know it's much easier to keep an object in motion, moving, than it is to start it moving. That principle applies, here. Keep Moving!

One last piece of advice, surround yourself with successful people. Successful people are motivated people, people with high goals and aspirations. Find out what they do, and do that. Lastly, don't hang around negative people, rather, avoid them like the plague! I call those people "dream killers." They will suck the life out of you and hold you back. Don't listen to them, don't even hang around with them. MLM success is not easy. It's simple, but it's not easy. Successful people will keep you motivated and focused.

In summary, we've studied, we've planned, now it's time for action. It starts with a decision to get going, to take All Out Massive Action. Set your goals, long and short term, set them high, dream big, then work for them with passion, fervor and a never say die attitude. Take that first step, whether it's getting on the phone, digging into your company's training materials, meeting with your sponsor, whatever the step is, take it and don't look back. Make momentum work for you, not against you. Surround yourself with successful people and avoid those "dream killers." Do these few things, stick to your plan, and MLM home business success is yours. I guarantee it.

The Berry Tree Scam

2008-07-20T17:40:00.008-04:00

As I spend time in Internet forums, various blogs, researching and publsihing articles in various ezines and on other social networking sites, I find this recurring theme being played out like a broken record. The Berry Tree is a scam. This complaint is due, for the most part, to a few supposed problems; they charge a membership fee to join, the bonus pools are too small, it takes a too long to make any significant money and too many people fail with the business. In this article I will address these complaints, as well as the accusation that MLM's in general and The Berry Tree in particular, are scams.

I'm intrigued by how freely the word scam is thrown around these days, focused and aimed like a sniper's rifle at anything that smacks of MLM, The Berry Tree included. In most cases these accusations are by people who are simply misinformed. Or, they are by people who feel they've been burned by MLM and they're on a mission to bring the entire industry to it's knees! Not exactly what I would call credible witnesses. I wouldn't build a court case based on their testimony.

To determine the truth of such accusations, I suppose some definitions are in order. I turned to our good friend, Mr. Webster, and what I found was both interesting and informative. The definition of the word scam is "a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation," or, "an attempt to make money by fraudulent means." Fraud. Scam. Deception. Those are strong words and should derinately not be spoken lightly! If someone is going to hurl those words like a cannon ball at the MLM industry, and more specifically, at The Berry Tree, they had better be sure of their facts.

Let's take a closer lookat the above accusations in light of these definitions. MLM's like The Berry Tree, charge a membership fee in exchange for which the distributor receives products, marketing and training tools, mentorship, etc. They in turn, get the rights to profit from the business. That sounds pretty fair to me. It's not unlike buying into a McDonald's, or Starbucks Franchise. To own a franchise, one will have to pay franchise fees. So what's the difference?

If a membership or start-up fee makes The Berry Tree or any MLM a scam, then by definition, charging franchise fees to open a McDonald's or Starbucks is also a scam. Now, the start up cost for most MLM's is under $100, whereas the franchise fees above are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Which of these do you suppose would enable the average person to become a successful business owner and realize great wealth and financial freedom?

If promising someone they will make money with an MLM, only for them to end up in failure, is a scam, then the same is true with traditional business owners who start out with that same dream, only to fail, and go out of business. It happens every day. Most often that failure is attributable to failure on the part of the business owner to do the things necessary to succeed. And, in those cases where it was the fault of the company, insufficient training, poorly designed compensation plan or whatever, it's still not fraud, and therefore not a scam.

Remember, scam means "by a fraudulent or deceptive act." Just because the business owner doesn't make the money they or the company thought they would make, either by their own fault, the company's fault, or some combination of the two, this is not a scam. It's not fraud. It's a bad business business model, maybe, bad luck, maybe, but it's not fraud.

I'm not implying that there are not real scams out there, there certainly are. There are those phony envelope stuffing schemes, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and perhaps the most successful one of all, that inheritance that suddenly has become yours from some rich philanthropist in Nigeria who has passed away and somehow their attorney or a family member has found you and wants to give you a large sum of money, yada yada yada. Now, pay attention class, those are scams. Remember, "by fraudulent means?"

So why is The Berry Tree being accused of being a scam? Several reasons. They charge a membership fee to join, we've already addressed that point. It takes time to make money and the bonus pools are small. The Berry Tree is not intended to be a get rich quick scheme. It is a compensation plan based upon growing and developing a deep and stable downline. The idea is not just to build numbers, but to build quality, distributors capable of reproducing themselves and duplicating the process downward. It takes time to accomplish this.

Sure, this will pay less in the beginning, but over time, this process will produce significant long term passive residual income. The small bonus pools do not indicate a problem either, but quite the opposite. The company is entering a phase where more people are qualifying for those bonuses, which of course will deplete them somewhat. However, those same people are sponsoring new members and growing the business, which will in turn increase the bonus pools, over time. This perceived problem is in reality evidence of growth and stability.

In summary, a scam is a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation, an attempt to make money by fraudulent means. It implies intent. Poorly run companies, bad business models, people not making money due to their failure or their company's, are not scams. They are problems for sure, but they're not scams. Membership and franchise fees are not scams. Businesses fail, people fail, this is a fact of life. This does not make the company a scam. MLM is a solid business model and The Berry Tree is one of the best this author has ever seen. It certainly has been successful for us. The only way to fail with The Berry Tree or any good MLM is to quit.

Look for The Berry Tree on CNBC, coming this fall on Eye on America with Diane Sawyer.

Home Based Business Success is Never and Accident, part 2

2008-07-16T18:09:00.005-04:00

In our previous discussion we examined how Home Business Success must be studied, much the same as in any other business or vocation. In this article we will discuss how success must be planned. No successful venture is ever entered into without a plan. Sports teams enter into a game with a game plan. Corporations enter into business with a business plan. Medical professionals develop a care plan for their patients. So why should it be any different when entering into a Home Business? As the saying goes, "failure to plan is planning to fail." How true. So how does one plan success?

First and foremost, you have to know your marketing plan, how your company goes about selling it's products and business opportunity. In order to work a plan you have to understand it. Your company and your upline will have a plan that is tried and proven. Learn it and follow it. As I said in my previous article on this subject, "don't try to reinvent the wheel." Your upline are successful for a reason. Find out how they did it, do what they did and you will succeed, as well. In other words, duplication. It works.

Next, you need to establish a budget. You need to know how much you can spend on advertising, office supplies, training materials, etc. Set a budget and stick to it. Keep a record of expenses and income. If you don't know how much you can afford to spend compared to how much you are spending, you will have no idea how much money you are really making. Also, because this is a business, most if not all of your expenses will be deductible. Find out what expenses are deductible and keep track of them for tax purposes. Save your receipts.

Another thing you must budget is your time. Decide how many hours per day, per week, you can devote to your business, and stick to it! Within this framework, you will have to allocate time for studying and training, calling prospects and following up with them. You will need time for record keeping and scheduling appointments. As your business grows you will need to spend time training your new people to duplicate your success. All of this is time consuming and you need to plan for it. And, very important, plan and schedule some down time and family time. You and your family will need it.

Next, you need to know how to talk to your prospects. If you know ahead of time what to say and how to say it, you will be much more comfortable talking to people. With the help of your Mentor and some pre-written scripts, practice first time prospecting calls and follow up calls until they become second nature. Practice handling objections, you will get them. Listen in on live calls with your mentor, then have him or her listen in as you do the talking and then have them give you feedback afterward.

A point worth mentioning here is the need to be prepared for rejection. Not everyone you talk to will be receptive. Count on it. Some of them will be downright rude. Also, be prepared for people in your business to drop out, some for valid reasons and some for poor ones. Some of them will even blame you for their failure. Be prepared to feel discouraged at times. It will happen. If you are prepared ahead of time for these setbacks, you won't be blind sided by them, and you will be able to deal with them.

Having said all of this, no plan is perfect and no plan can foresee all the obstacles you will encounter. You will have to be flexible and will need to make adjustments to your plan along the way. Don't be discouraged when this happens. If you have a framework to work within and have set some goals to strive for and if you keep your eye on the prize, your financial freedom, you can adjust your plan and keep right on going.

In summary, no business, your own Home Business or any other venture entered into haphazardly will ever succeed. Fail to plan and you are planning to fail. So, make a plan and follow it. Budget your money and your time. Know your company and your products. Practice your prospecting techniques until you have them down pat. Listen to and follow your mentor. Expect setbacks and obstacles and when they come adapt and adjust. Stay focused on your goal. Do these few things and you will be successful, I guarantee it.

MLM Home Based Business Success is Never an Accident

2008-07-11T17:17:00.009-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I see it happen, how so many people enter into an MLM Home Business unprepared and without a plan, expecting to be successful. And when they fail, which unless they are very lucky, they eventually will, they blame their failure on the industry, on their company or on their upline. Home Based Business success does not happen by accident. Success must be studied, planned and worked for with determination and resolve. I'm reminded of the old adage, "nothing of lasting value in life happens by accident." Success in business, in any career, in life even, is no exception. In this three part series we will examine the three components of Home Business success mentioned previously. This list is by no means exclusive, there are other components as well. We are just going to focus on these three.

Success must be studied. If you want to be successful in any venture whether it be business or any other vocation, you must study every aspect of the endeavor. If you want to become a physician, you must first study medicine, and then apprentice under skilled and experienced physicians before you can be licensed to practice on your own. If you want to become an attorney, the same is true. It is true for any chosen profession. Can you imagine men like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein or Marshall Field becoming successful inventors, scientists, businessmen, without being thoroughly educated on every aspect of their field of expertise? Absurd! Why would it be any different in a Home Business, MLM or otherwise? It's not.

In business, you need to know your product, your marketing and compensation plans. You need to know how much it will cost you to do business and the profitability of your business and products. Those costs include but are not exclusive to; advertising and lead generation, advertising materials, business and office supplies, telephone charges, and very important, your time. Time is the one resource you have that is non-replenishable. Once spent, you can never get it back. So, time spent learning the business, learning the products, advertising, calling leads, following up on prospects and customers, training associates or downline, must all be taken into account. Your time may be your most costly resource, because as I stated earlier, it's non renewable.

Additionally, you need to know who your target market is and how best to reach them. Products fall into some kind of niche, you need to know what that niche is for your business. You need to be able to fine tune your advertising and sales efforts to be most effective for reaching the demographic for which your particular business and products are most suited. You cannot do this unless you thoroughly understand your product, sales and marketing strategy, and your niche market.

Another important aspect of studying for success is mentor-ship. Why re-invent the wheel? Once you decide upon a business, one of the most important things you can do is to seek out a mentor, someone who has been there, done that, and knows the quickest and most efficient path to success and the pitfalls to avoid. You need to attach yourself to this person and soak up every last drop of knowledge and wisdom he or she has to share with you. Obviously you should seek out someone who is very successful and learn how to do what they do the way that they do it. Don't cut corners. Don't resist the training. They are successful for a reason. Find out what that reason is and duplicate it. It has been said the shortest path to any destination is a straight line. Well, this person can show you how to walk that straight line, in the least amount of time, with the least amount of pain and frustration. Follow them.

Lastly, and very importantly, prepare yourself for setbacks. Discuss this with your mentor, know ahead of time what those set backs can and will be, where you can expect them crop up, and be prepared. This won't prevent setbacks from coming, but it will prepare you mentally to "tough it out" and work through them. They won't catch you by surprise and you will know how to deal with them. Trust me, you will face obstacles and difficult times. You will go through periods where you couldn't sell soap to someone covered in mud! It just happens. It's not you, it's not the company, it's not the marketing plan, it's just life, Murphy's law. And Murphy was an optimist. Knowing there's a boogie man about to jump out of some doorway or dark alley makes it a lot less frightening when it happens and prepares you to respond in an efficient and effective manor.

To summarize, success must be studied. Prepare, apprentice, anticipate obstacles and setbacks, and you will succeed. You won't be able not to. In your Home Based Business as in any career or chosen endeavor, the ones who succeed are the ones who have prepared. The ones who have prepared are the ones who have studied. The ones who have studied are the ones who are serious, dedicated, focused and determined and who have decided ahead of time, failure is not an option and success is not an accident.

Get In Touch With Reality

2008-06-24T00:19:00.004-04:00

This outstanding article was written my good friend, Michael Lemm aka FreedomFire, administrator of the Home Based Business Forum, an excellent resource for all Home Business professionals. I highly recommend this forum to those of you striving run a successful business venture. His articles and posts always inspire me, and this one is no exception. I believe we can all benefit from what it teaches.

Enjoy!

One of the traits of current television programming is the various series of "reality" shows. While I am not sure how much any of these really depict the "reality" of anyone except a select few, the trend does raise the question:

Are you in touch with your own reality?

Your reality might be that you are where you want to be in life, and you want more of the same. Or at the other end of the spectrum, your reality might be a severe financial hardship that you do not know how you are going to recover from. Or your reality might be somewhere in between these two extremes.

Whatever your reality is, be aware that it is only human nature to want good things and be comfortable. If you don't have that, then that is what you want. If you already have that, then you want more of that. But the REALITY of the situation is, some say, "what it is is what it is, and you cannot do anything about it."

The problem with that picture of reality is that it is the most blatant LIE on the face of the planet. If you do not like where you are in life, then the power to change that is within your grasp. There are rarely any exceptions to this rule, yet people would have you believe otherwise, perhaps only because they themselves have already long ago given up on the dreams and goals they had in their younger years.

The following is a story which I would like to share with you to further drive home this point:

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which are you? Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. You can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and learn from them to make your future better.

Your Home Business is what you make it and is a direct reflection of the amount of time and energy you put into it. If you treat it as a hobby, your commission checks will be "hobby sized", but if you are serious about it, then have your seriousness be reflected in your actions.

May we all be coffee!

What Is an Opportunity

2008-06-19T19:53:00.023-04:00

I came accross this article on my good friend Josh Bradley's Blog. Josh is CEO of Big Cash Creator, a company who's business is providing Home Business marketers state of the art tools for marketing their business opportunities. I believe this article addresses a valid concern and represents somewhat of a paradigm shift in how we should be marketing our MLM opportunities. Our economy, in deed the whole world's economy is changing drastically. These changes are having a significant effect on how prople approach the whole "work from home" idea. I believe if we can adapt our approach, how we try to "sell" our products and opportunities, these changes can work in our favor. Alan Kuykendall, the author of this particular article seems to agree with this way of thinking. I hope you will benefit as much as I did from reading this article. I cleaned it up a bit gramatically and changed some of the wording to make the article flow a little better, but the author's ideas remain intact. Enjoy!

Once apon a time MLM or Network Marketing companies and direct sales organizations would tell you that their opportunity was something that the average individual could take part in and could become a multimillionaire virtually overnight. The greatest pitch and almost standard tag lines used, were by people who have made and who continue to make millions from this industry. Through the years of network marketing using the internet as it's primary marketing medium, this approach has remained fairly successful!

Why wouldn’t it be? Becoming instantly rich by signing up with a company that everybody else was part of, seemingly making tons of cash, always looks good! As I am writing this article I can remember back to the time when I got the fever for MLM. It was based on the same principle. I was broke and tired of scratching for every dollar just to make ends meet. My rent was late, my family and I ate at home every day and our meals were something of a bore because of the tight budget we were on. It cost me so much money just to keep the 7am.-7pm job at the time as well. Gas, uniforms, insurance, union fees, tools, etc. had to be taken from my check every week and it was amazing what that amount was.

It was that same old “pitch” of getting rich overnight that gave me my original fever and it has not left me to this very day! But in all actuality, did I get rich overnight? No, and just like 75% of all people who come into network marketing, I failed at my first attempt. I did make a few bucks, but not nearly enough to pay for all the products I was buying, let alone enough to allow me to stop working. As I aged through the years, I kept at it with this industry and eventually figured out everything and started to make enough money to finally quit my day job. And from that day forward, I have always worked for myself from my home except for a short 3 year period when I went to work as the Director of Operations of our city’s biggest nutritional MLM networking company. That was 5 yrs ago and now, as everyone knows, I am cofounder of Big Cash Creator, LLC.

My point is, that I did not become rich over night. It took me several attempts, several thousand dollars and almost 2 yrs before I could honestly say that I was one of those persons that could boast about making gazillions. It took hard work, practice and a ton of learning to finally achieve the success that a lot of companies pitch today, that anyone can do it and in a very short time. Now, don’t get me wrong. There ARE individuals out there that have made a ton of money overnight without having any experience whatsoever. And that is the dream of MLM, make no mistake about it! But in this article I would like to suggest to you a change in our marketing strategy, that the opportunity is NOT about making a million bucks over night but is instead about something a little more reasonable, something people can more easily identify with.

At Big Cash Creator, LLC, we pay attention to the economy as well as to what is going on in the world politically and to the general attitude of society. The truth of the matter is that these factors play a very important role in the success of Network Marketing. Success relies solely in the hands of what we call, “The Masses." Most companies out there will tell you that without the masses there could never be a successful multimillion dollar company. If a company is not bringing in tens of thousands of regular people, like you and I, they will ultimately fail. If you ask any leader in any company with the 10K sized down lines, they will tell you that the majority of people in their organizations are simple people with a dream.

Now if we look at any major news network, newspaper or nationally circulated news magazine, a good part of their stories and topics are based on today’s economy and where it is going. Even with the current political change that is about to take place in the United States, the economy is starting to play a major role in that change. And if we dig deeper we will also see that there are quite a few people out there that feel that our economy is only going to worsen before it gets better. These days in America, most people do not see the possibility of being a millionaire in their future. Even though we are telling people that “Anyone Can Become a Millionaire,” more and more people are hesitant about taking anything out of their budget to try it out.

Recently, on CNN news, there was a story by their financial news anchor about how to budget the family income so that it would be possible to keep up with the rising cost of food. Just with the high cost of fuel, they are already predicting that there will be a whopping 37% fewer people traveling this upcoming Memorial Day weekend. With that in mind and with everyone really trying to stretch every dollar they earn, it is only reasonable to assume that more and more people very well may not buy into the whole “Earn a Million Dollars in Your First Month” hype. Only a few years back, statistics show, people would take a chance with a few dollars out of their paycheck or income tax check and take a stab at a Home Business Opportunity and give it their best shot.

Today however, especially if what the financial experts are predicting comes true, we are going to find that people are not going to be willing to take that chance. The truth of the matter is that our society can see through that hype and basically figure out that if anybody could do it, why is our economical outlook so bleak? As I said, I would like to suggest a change in our marketing approach from that of promoting the great opportunity hype to one of selling an opportunity to make a few extra bucks, instead. It is because of our current economical status that I have already started to employ this in my day to day prospecting efforts. I no longer tell my prospects that by joining my opportunity they will become rich like me. Instead, what they really respect and take to heart is, that I tell them this is an opportunity to make some extra cash for the possibility of troubled times ahead.

When I ask someone if they are going to travel this Memorial Day weekend and they tell me that they just can’t afford it, then that is my time to shine. I love to tell my prospects that I won’t lie.. It is not everyone that can be another Donald Trump. But what I can tell them and show them is how they can add an extra 100-200 dollars to their family budget by getting into my opportunity and utilizing the tools that I have. And that folks is GOLD, right now. One of the biggest reasons prospects fail to upgrade in your business is that they simply feel they cannot afford to and are unwilling to take that chance, with the small budget they have now. But the truth of the matter is, with most opportunities today, the average person really can add that extra income to supplement their budget. Who would not want to do that?

When someone tells me they cannot afford to take a camping trip or take the family out to dinner, I will go to great lengths, laying it out on the table for them, how my opportunity can allow them to do just that! And by joining my opportunity they will be able keep everything they are doing for their budget. No chances taken so to say. The thing is, it really is true that people do become extremely wealthy in MLM and by starting out with their only goal being to add more money to the budget to compensate for the small things like gas, food, and entertainment they are presented with the ability to become one of those millionaires, over time, with effort and motivation.

With this concept of creating a smaller opportunity for today’s financially difficult times, we will soon see that these new type of prospects that continue to work for their current employers are actually able to bring in more prospects because of what they are doing. While standing around the company water fountain or copy machine, your new team mate is telling his or her colleagues that he just came back from a weekend long camping trip with the entire family. They will be approached by co-workers who want to know exactly how they could afford such a luxury, working at the same place. And guess what they will offer in response? The same sort of opportunity that you presented.

Yes, anyone can become a zillionaire in this business. But only if they are able to bring in the masses. The masses are not going to take a chance with the current opportunity hype, but they will do almost anything including working 1 or 2 part time jobs just to make ends meet. Remember that gas alone to drive to yet another part time job costs the same as most opportunities cost on a monthly basis. But your opportunity not only provides the freedom of not having to buy gas, it allows people to enjoy the little time they currently have with their present full time job. Which would you prefer? I know that my prospects prefer the comfort of their own home and the ability to spend time with their families and especially going into the woods for a couple of days because it can be afforded!
- Article Written By Alan Kuykendall, C.O.O. and Cofounder, Big Cash Creator, LLC

"The Inside Secret to Why Network Marketing will ALWAYS work!"

2008-06-10T23:04:00.011-04:00

My good friend Michael Lemm, AKA FreedomFire on the popular Home Based Business Forum, and author of Best MLM Resources Blog posted this article on his Blog, back in April. I found it to be both insightful and very educational.

How often do we hear that tired and worn out objection, "MLM is dead, it doesnt work anymore," or some derivative thereof. Here is a very concise and effective way to counter that objection and silence your critic. I hope you all benefit as much from reading this as I did. Enjoy!

Jose Valentin of SpinSuccess.com shared this recently....quite thought provoking. Read, take it to heart, and believe that you ARE in the right place.

========

Some people believe that network marketing really doesn't work. To put it lightly, they're WRONG. I am going to take the next few minutes to explain to you why network marketing will always work so that the next time someone takes the time to tell you that network marketing doesn't work you explain to them how misinformed they truly are.

Here is why Network Marketing will ALWAYS work:

Even in a strong economy people will ALWAYS need supplemental income:

The truth is most people live pay check to pay check. They aren't able to buy the nice things that they want for themselves and their families. There is and will always be a constant DEMAND for more money. Network marketing is a simple, part time and low risk way for full time workers to fill this need. To put it simply, as long as people need money network marketing will ALWAYS be there to fill that need.

People will ALWAYS want freedom from jobs they don't enjoy:

Despite what you may think, there are people out there that truly don't enjoy their job. They go to work because they have to and not because they want to. Network marketing offers a promise of true financial freedom. The ability to leave the 9 to 5 working world. This freedom will ALWAYS be to tempting to pass up.

People will ALWAYS want more free time to do with as they please:

Did you know in a past poll conducted by Money magazine that 64% of American men and 68% of American women polled said that if they had a choice between more money and more time off they would choose the time? People covet their free time.

Network marketing offers the promise of working from home and making your own hours. Again, the opportunity to create free time will ALWAYS draw people to network marketing.

Conclusion:

As long as people crave time, money and freedom network marketing will ALWAYS exist.

The next time that someone tries to tell you that network marketing doesn't work you know that they couldn't be more wrong.

All you have to is ask your accuser 1 of 3 questions:

Do you want more money?
Do you want freedom from your job?
Do you want more time?

I guarantee they will answer yes to one of these questions. When they do they will have proved exactly why network marketing will always work!

Great Article! I hope you all benefit from it as much as I have.

Mitch

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Guaranteed MLM Success with The Berry Tree
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This Business is About People

2008-06-05T15:44:00.012-04:00

I read a great comment in The Work AT Home Forum just the other day. The discussion was about building a successful downline. There were lots of very good comments on the subject. But then I came across this one by Rob and Rayvin Nyte. Simply put, I was blown away! You will be too.

To Quote:

“I don’t like the word Downline. It’s too impersonal. These are people with families, hopes and dreams, with goals for the future, with people who love them. How much do you know about the people dowline from you? Do they have any pets, hobbies, aspirations? We don’t know of any better way to build a successful downline than to build the people who are in it (emphasis mine). Our mentor is right. He never tires of repeating to us, “Build people and you will build your business.” Those words have become a mantra for us. May they help you transform your people as they have helped us.”

You see, we are not in the MLM Business or the Health and Wellness Business. We are not in the Vacation and Travel Business. We are in The People Business! Forget that when dealing with potential customers and business partners and we begin to sound impersonal, pushy, like a salesman. Forget it when we are working with our downline and we lose the ability to lead. Relationships build a successful business, not your product or compensation plan. To quote that silly insurance commercial, “Human Beings, acting Humanly, Brilliant!” But it’s the truth. Treat people with compassion, dignity and respect, become genuinely interested in their needs and concerns, their hopes and aspirations, and they will reward you by purchasing your products. They will reward you by not just joining your opportunity, but by excelling and building your business. Why, because you have made it Their Business as well. You have created a true Joint Venture.

Success in your Home Business isn’t measured by how big a downline you can recruit, or how much product you can sell. It’s not even measured by how much money you make. Those are all important benchmarks, to be sure. But true success, the kind that will build a strong, viable long lasting and profitable business, lies in how well you build people. It lies in how well you are able to help other people succeed, achieve their dreams, live a better life, and so on. If you don’t own a copy of Tim Sales’ Professional Inviter series, I suggest you purchase a copy. I won't benefit one way or the other by your purchasing a copy, but then agan, I will. If we all endeavor to be more professional, more ethical, More Human, we will give this industry a much better image, and likely as not, we will all reap the benefits of that.

In his own insightful way, Tim teaches you how to get in touch, how to connect with your potential customers and business partners. He teaches you how to identify with them and their needs wants and concerns, and sometimes, their pain. You've heard the old addage, "People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!" You can’t get around that one. It's just human nature. You have to know how to Invite people in such a way that they feel invited, not sold. They need to know you care and that you truly want to help them. You lead and build your organization, the same way. "Build People and they will build your business." Simple, but Powerful.

Mitch

It's a Beautiful Day!

2008-06-01T09:22:00.021-04:00

Good Morning everyone! Got up around 7:30 this morning, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, It's a Beautiful day! As I was sitting out in my front yard cup of coffee in hand, listening to the birds sing, watching the sun come up and enjoying our garden, especially our roses (I love Roses!) I had to say a little thank you to God for such a beautiful creation. Your'e probably thinking, "what exactly does this have to do with Online Marketing? " Well, I'll tell you, Peace of Mind. Now that I know I won't have to worry where the money is going to come from just to survive from paycheck to paycheck, now that I can look forward to retirement and a secure financial future, yes, there is peace of mind. Now, I can take the time to slow down, smell the Roses (did i tell you i love Roses) and enjoy Life! What a great feeling.

Thanks first to God, from whom we receive ALL good things! I realize that comment may offend some people, but I cannot help but be thankful and i can't divorce my Faith from my Life, to me they are one and the same. Thanks also to the wonderful Home Business Journey my wife and I began almost 9 months ago. Thanks to all my great team, both upline and down. Over the next few days, months, weeks, etc. I will be introducing articles, inspirational and educational, by myself, my mentors and other leaders in our industry. The purpose is to help all of us walk this walk, live this life, and succeed together! Got to go for now, Have a Wonderfully Blessed Day!

Mitch

Oh, and did I tell you I really love Roses?

There is NO Plan B!

2008-05-30T21:25:00.001-04:00

For my first post, I would like to share a short article i posted in one or two of the forums I frequent on a regular basis. I recommend you do the same, especially if you are truly serious about getting involved in a Home Business Opportunity. Forums and Blogs are some of the best resources available to those of us who have embarked upon the journey that is a Home Business. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The prize goes to the one who perseveres when all the odds seem to be stacked against them, thus the reason for my title, "There is NO Plan B." So, read on, and I hope this will inspire you, encourage you, give you a sense of purpose. To your success and mine!

I was having a discussion a while back with a good friend, a very successful member of my organization. His name is Martin. We were talking about motivation, about selling out, doing whatever is necessary to succeed in this industry. I asked him what had made him so successful and his reply almost bowled me over in it's simplicity, yet it was such a powerful motivator that it became a defining moment in my MLM career, in my life, even. "Mitch" he said "there is No Plan B." For a moment, all I could do was just sit quietly and reflect on what I had just heard. What power, what insight was contained in those simple words. He's right, you know, there really is No Plan B. For those of us who are endeavoring to walk this path, an MLM Business Opportunity is our one shot at creating a secure financial future. For whatever reason, lack of planning, calamity, sickness, poor financial decisions, we have no other means with which to build enough wealth to retire securely and comfortably.

At that moment, the epiphany that exploded in my mind defined me and set me upon a course not unlike Cortez, when he came to the New World. He commanded his troops to "burn the ships." Why? It left them with No Plan B. They were sold out! They were committed! They had to be, there was no going back. For me, there is no going back. There are not enough years nor is there enough strength left in this 54 year old body to do it the old fashioned way, invest, save, etc. My personal situation is not unlike many of you, I imagine. Life has dealt me enough curves, some of which I dealt myself, I might add, that I have too little savings, no investments, not enough in retirement, pension plans, to survive on, let alone live the "good life." And I don't want to wind up a Wal Mart greeter, or bag boy in some supermarket at 65 years of age. Not even!

No, this is it for me. It is my one and only plan, my one and only course of action, my one and only means with which to secure my financial independence and freedom. One cannot succeed in any venture, especially Online Marketing unless one has a powerful and all consuming "why." This is a major component of my "why." If this doesn't work for me, nothing will. So it's "damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!" It's sell out, give my all, whatever it takes, I will do, because there is no other option. Sure, I want to get out of debt. Sure, I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck. Sure, I want to have a legacy to leave my kids when I am gone. But those motivators, powerful as they can be, pale in comparison to the realization that, the ships have been burned, the old world is an ocean away, my future is in my hands, no one Else's. It's succeed or else. I'm not being melodramatic here, it's the absolute truth.

Fortunately for me, and for many of you in the same boat, oh, I forgot they were burned, just kidding. As I was saying, fortunately for all of us, MLM is a great industry! We truly are in control of our own destiny, or own financial security, our own financial future. I'm thankful that there is No Plan B. If there were, I would have been tempted to give up, quit, because contrary to what many people believe, this industry is not easy. It's simple, unbelievably and amazingly simple, but it's not easy. It requires resolve, a thick skin, determination, commitment. It requires a strong enough "why!" So, in the words of Cortez, I say BURN THE SHIPS! Leave yourself no way back. It will change your whole approach to this business. It will change your heart, give you the strength to go on in the face of all the doubters, Nay Sayers, critics, self professed pundits who will try to tell you to just "get a job, take the easy way, MLM doesn't work," or whatever they are saying that has you spooked.

Just remember, burn this into your consciousness.

THERE IS NO PLAN B!

Respectfully submitted,

Mitch

The Berry Tree Is The Better Way!