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Increasing Effectiveness

September 22nd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

My long time mentor, Jim Rohn, taught a very simple process for increasing effectiveness: He recommended creating and carrying “Focus Cards” with you.

The process is simple enough.

Start by buying a package of 3×5 cards…regular old index cards.

On Sunday night, sit down and make a list of the most important things that you need to accomplish over the coming week. Write those things down on the 3×5 card.

Next, turn the card over and list the three most important tasks for you to accomplish over the coming week. Prioritize them (1, 2, 3) as you write them down.

Fold your Focus Card in half and carry it with you during the week. (Folded, it’s small enough to fit in a pocket or purse.) Each day during the week, pull the card out and look at it. Ask yourself whether you’re on task, accomplishing those things you set out to accomplish. If you are, carry on! If not, stop what you’re doing, regroup, and get to work on your list!

As you go through the week, cross off those items on your Focus Card that you’ve accomplished.

Keep your Focus Card handy so that you can use it the following Sunday when you create your new Focus Card for the next week.

You’ll be amazed at what you can get done by narrowing your focus in this manner, and (consequently) increasing your effectiveness!

The Corruption Of Free Enterprise And Capitalism

September 8th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek and John Keynes

My 86-year-old Dad recently came for a visit and I immediately put him to work!

“Feel like writing a post for my blog?” I asked him. “Sure,” he replied, “What’s a blog?” Once I explained what a blog was, and that this blog’s theme is business, he was off to the races.

It was interesting to me to read what my Dad chose to write about and I proudly present it for your reading pleasure! I encourage you to leave a response and let my Dad know what you think of his “blogging debut!”

The Corruption of Free Enterprise And Capitalism by Paul Lester

I am not an economist. I took the course in college and hated it. It is not called “the dismal science” for nothing. But I learned enough of the fundamentals to know that many definitions have been corrupted by scoundrels to suit selfish ambitions.

Take, for example, the expression “free enterprise.” “Free enterprise” used to describe the flow of wealth and goods from party to party without interference from any outside authority. It seems a simple idea but in practice it soon becomes chaotic as the multiple influences of “everyman-for- himself” gives the largest share of wealth to the brightest and, frequently, to the most unscrupulous, who then arrange the markets so that they can manipulate them to their advantage. The concept of “free enterprise” is thus lost. One can hear the primal screams of protest from these people when government authority moves to regulate their behavior. I posit that the concept of free enterprise is an ideal, the full attainment of which is impractical and unattainable.

The expression “capitalism” is another corruption of the original concept. Capital is simply the means of production of goods. It is the hardware used to create wealth by changing raw materials into usable products. It is buildings, machines, mines, land, and cash money.

What capital was not…was labor. All the capital in the world would be useless without labor. These two concepts are natural partners and natural enemies.

“Capitalism” as an expression has come to mean private ownership of capital as opposed to public ownership. It is not a social system. And this is where the political friction begins. Now we must decide who owns the capital. If it’s owned by private institutions, it’s called “capitalism”; if it’s owned by the government (read: the public), it’s called “socialism.”

Consider the government bail out of General Motors: Until the funds were repaid, General Motors was capital that belonged to the American public. However, once the funds were repaid, General Motors became privately-held capital once again. Capitalism or Socialism?

The so-called masters of the universe want to assemble all the profit-making capital into private hands and leave the unprofitable capital to the public. Illustrative of unprofitable (public) capital investment: Airports, passenger rail, the postal service, the interstate highway system, the FAA Airway control system; each a prime example of capital provided by the public from tax sources paid for by all and used by all.

We have only one expression for public ownership of capital and that, unfortunately, is socialism. It’s time for a new paradigm. At the very least, we need a new term which describes the bastardized system we have without scaring the hell out of the social conservatives who imagine themselves to be owners of everything they can get their sticky fingers on.

Talent vs. Skill

September 6th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

It took me years to develop the skill of making the perfect omelette; I was not born with a talent for it. In fact, for years I couldn’t manage to fold my omelettes properly; neither could I manage to cook the contents all the way through without burning the bottom. (Personally, the smell of burned eggs ranks right up there on my list of “Detested Smells.”) But somehow, over 40 years of trial and error, I have managed to develop the omelette-making skill.

I was thinking about this as I made omelettes for my kids this morning. It got me wondering whether my beloved Italian grandmother – hands down the finest cook I ever knew – was born with a talent for cooking, or whether she (as I had) learned the skill of fine cooking over 80 years of trial and error? Interesting point to ponder, talent vs. skill.

My “Omelette Epiphany” easily translates to all other areas in life. Who is born with a talent for anything? Don’t we all develop the skill to do what we do well over time? Perhaps then, for lack of a better word or concept, people attribute our skill to talent. “Of course she’s successful – she’s so talented!” “He’s a natural at this!”

It’s an unfortunate word choice, talent vs. skill, because most folks don’t understand that it takes time and effort to learn a skill and that anyone with “supposed” talent is simply someone who has put in the time to learn, tweak and refine a skill. The idea that we are born to a talent rather than that we learn a skill keeps many people from enjoying life to its fullest, supposing that they lack the talent, since it hasn’t shown itself to them. How many people would be living a different dynamic if they understood that there is no talent; there is skill and skill can be learned by anyone willing to put in the effort?

As it would happen, I jumped on a training call with my business partner in ProElite, and he talked about talent vs. skill. Coincidence? I don’t believe in them!

Aaron talked about the fine compliments that he receives daily on his considerable talent and business acumen. He gracefully acknowledged the kind words and kudos, but pointed out that what he had was heart, not talent. That the successful techniques that he now employs to grow his business and that he uses to train others to duplicate his results stems not from talent, but from the diligent acquisition of skill; in a showdown between talent vs. skill, it’s skill every time, as few people are born talented!

Aaron pointed out that leadership skills (among all others) is a learned skill, not an innate talent. As he said, “We are all born followers, disciples – if you will. Leadership is a skill that we learn over years of trial and error.”

Who is born a musician, a poet, a writer, a mathematician, an athlete, a physician, a marketer? No one, that’s who! The skill that defines the musician, the poet, the writer, the mathematician, the athlete, the physician or the marketer is learned, and if it can be learned by anybody, it can be learned by you.

So, what is it that you want to do? What do you want to be better at? Figure it out and then take action to learn the skill required to improve. Remember as you set out on your journey that no one is born knowing how to do anything; everyone has to start at the beginning, and everyone “fails forward!” Don’t allow a fear of failure to hold you back; everyone fails as they learn something new! In fact, by understanding that failure has its benefits, that each failure is an unparalleled opportunity for growth, you take the power out of fear. Through trial and error, a consistent fixing and refining of actions, you’ll learn the skill necessary to achieve the results you desire.

5 Tips For Business Success

September 3rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Want to insure a healthy climate for the success and growth of your business? Follow these 5 steps to success in business and you’ll be better prepared to weather the current economic storms.

Be Innovative! Whether it’s inventing a product or a new process or procedure, encouraging and rewarding innovation in your business can be the breath of fresh air your company needs.

Be Prepared! Welcome strategic team participation and involvement. Brainstorm. Convert ideas into goals, and develop strategies for achieving those goals. Have a plan that details the timing, nature, quality, quantity, application of these ideas, goals, strategies so that everyone involved is invested in the success of the plan and is on the same page and knows how the business will be moving forward.

Create Structure And Support. Put your team together carefully, focusing on the central goal of your business. Make sure that leadership skills are present at all levels and create support structures that identify and make the best use of inherent strengths while bolstering and fortifying inherent weaknesses.

Focus On High Touch. An organization’s greatest asset is its people. Choose high touch over high tech and you’ll consistently encourage everyone to play at their highest level.

Be Consistent. Whether with your staff or with your clients, consistency is key. Consistent leadership, consistent customer service, consistent quality…consistency is the key to consumer and employee confidence, and confidence is key to longevity and success.

Feed Your Mind!

September 1st, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Where do you go to feed your mind? (You do still feed it, don’t you?)

From birth to 18 or so, we humans have a voracious appetite for learning. We learn to communicate, to speak, to move, to crawl, to walk, to run. We learn culture, science, history, mathematics. Whatever it is we set our minds to, we can learn.

But as the poet e.e. cummings wrote, “down we forgot as up we grew.” For most of us, once we land that first J.O.B., once we find there are no more tests to take, no more “required” reading, we stop learning.

Sure, we learn by doing – to a certain extent. You learn by doing that if you wash a wool sweater in hot water, it shrinks. But as for that voracious appetite? Most of us become anorexic learners after we land that first job.

What a shame! Imagine what we could accomplish in a lifetime if we continued to learn – continued to feed our minds new information – at the same pace that we do in our first 18 years?

Sometimes I hear adults complain that they’re too old to learn something new; that they’re not “spring chickens” anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth. We’re never too old to learn; that’s just a lie we feed ourselves to excuse ourselves from a dereliction of duty: self-education.

It’s never too late! Pick up a book, watch a movie, go to a lecture or concert or play. The lifetimes of influential men and women, their ideas and trials and tribulations, are waiting for you in the pages of a book. Want to learn about society, money, relationships, a hobby, business, love? Read a book! Don’t like to read? Be read to: Audiobooks are great for folks who would rather listen than read.

What? Did I hear you say that Audiobooks are too expensive? Do you have a library card? Every library I’ve been in for the past 10 years has had a great selection of audiobooks and movies. Libraries are a fabulous and underused privilege; and 9 times out of 10, they’re free! Libraries are also increasing their scope and convenience through the use of digital libraries that can be logged onto and downloaded from home. Proximity is no longer an excuse.

Bottom line is this: You can’t afford to neglect feeding your mind. Just as your body will atrophy and wither without proper nutrition and exercise, so, too, will your mind. Make every effort to feed your mind with good ideas. Be on the lookout for them, where ever they may be. Not only will you enrich your own life, but you’ll enrich the lives of those you associate with as well, helping one and all to enjoy a veritable feast.

As the great Jim Rohn once said, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

Overcoming A Fear Of Public Speaking

August 30th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

When asked to choose between public speaking or swimming in shark infested waters, a statistically significant portion of those polled would prefer swimming with the sharks to giving a speech!

Public speaking of any sort doesn’t have to be a white-knuckle affair. Sure, it’s true that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and first impressions are generally lasting impressions, but it’s also true that a few quick tips will have you “speechifying” like a pro in no time!

Think TV

It’s no accident that a television commercial is 30 seconds long (or at most, 60 seconds.) That’s because the average attention span of the television-viewing public is 30-seconds. If you have something to say and you want your audience to pay attention to it, you have to get the idea across in a 30-second sound byte.

What do you do if what you’ve got to say will take you longer than 30 seconds to convey? Break your ideas up into 30-second chunks! As you begin to prepare your material, understand what it is that you want to communicate and put the who, what, when, where, why and how of your topic into 30-second messages.

Focus on using clear language, simple imagery, and personal anecdotes to get your message across. More than likely, you’ll have more than one point that you want to make: consider each point as a 30 second message. String your 30-second messages together and you’ll have a coherent whole that will capture and captivate your audience!

Don’t Memorize!

It’s impossible to truly communicate with an audience if your time is spent trying to remember each word that you’ve written. And what happens if you forget your lines?

Your goal is to be the one in control of your material, not to be controlled by it. Memorization will produce a canned, stilted, unnatural presentation.

Instead, become familiar enough with your presentation to master the material. It will make all the difference in the world in your ability to communicate with an audience, and it will free you of the stress and worry that comes with fear of forgetting your lines!

Never Read!

There’s a huge difference between the spoken word and the written word. Many times, what “reads” wonderfully on the page is awkward and choppy when spoken. When a speaker reads a speech to his or her audience, the result is often awkward and choppy as well.

Prepare!

Rather than memorizing or reading your speech, you should start to prepare by writing out what you want to say. Craft your opening and closing statements and fill in the body of your speech with the points that you want to make regarding your topic(s).

Be sure as you’re writing out what you want to say that you include the who, what, when, where, why and how of your subject. Get it all down on paper in a rough draft form.

Distill!

Once you know what you want to say and the order in which you want to address your 30-second messages, distill your speech down into it’s essence: Using 3×5 cards, write down the key words of each point you want to make. Choose words that will remind you of what you want to say and put them onto the 3×5 card vertically, so that they’re easier and less cumbersome to handle while you’re delivering your speech.

Using your notes as a roadmap, as opposed to reading from, memorizing, or trying to follow the pages of a written speech will help you to deliver a more natural talk, and will help you to connect more intimately with your audience.

Dress Rehearsal!

Once you have your notes in hand, use them to practice your speech. Rehearse as many times as necessary for you to feel in control of your material and comfortable with your presentation. Each time you run through your speech you’ll find that it improves; each time will be a little different, a little better.

Mirror, Mirror…

Just as most folks are surprised by the sound of their own recorded voice – it never sounds to them as they hear it in their heads – most folks are surprised to “see” themselves in action.

Easy access to video cameras makes it convenient to record yourself during your dress rehearsals so that you can evaluate what you’re “saying” to your audience with your body language: Make sure that your facial expressions, gestures, movements, intonation and your personal appearance are “saying” what you mean for them to say.

Don’t be surprised if you don’t look at all on stage like you thought you did! That’s the point of recording yourself first. As you watch yourself, check to be sure that you’re not doing anything to distract your audience. Make sure that you’re establishing eye contact with your audience members, don’t look over their heads. Use gestures and movements to emphasize the points that you want to make, don’t stand there stiff as a board. And remember to smile!

Ask friends or family members to watch your recorded rehearsal and to comment on it. And as you watch and evaluate your own performance, notice where there’s room for improvement and work on those places.

Variety Is The Spice Of Life

Remember, your audience has an attention span of 30 seconds. If you want to keep their interest, make sure that you give them something different – information or new movement – every 30 seconds or so.

This is easily accomplished by smiling, moving forward or backward on the stage, gesturing with your hands, changing your posture, speaking softly or loudly, quickly or slowly, pausing, being dramatic, funny or emotional.

While these things might feel a little uncomfortable at first, with practice they’ll soon be second nature.

An Audience Of One

Actors working in front of a camera for the first time are often uncomfortable until they understand that the lens can be thought of as a “person.” Once they understand that they’re speaking to that one “person,” their fear and awkwardness goes away.

Speaking is no different. Imagine, as you’re crafting your speech and as you’re delivering your message, that you’re speaking to one individual.

Get your speech down on paper, distill it into keyword notes on a 3×5 card, rehearse your speech to achieve mastery over your material, but stay loose enough in the material to maintain natural communication with your audience. Move! And when you’ve delivered the message that you set out to convey, smile, thank your audience and sit down!

Above all, relax and have fun. If you find that you’re nervous, that’s OK! The greatest speakers and performers in the world are nervous before they get on stage. As you get into your material, your nervousness will go away, and before you know it, your room full of listeners will feel as though you’re chatting with a friend in your living room, except that your friends won’t usually applaud you for a job well done!

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

August 25th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Maybe you’ve heard this one before: “How do you eat an elephant?”

Answer: “One bite at a time!”

What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China? Well, when you’re new to anything – and particularly when you’re new to internet marketing, it’s easy to suffer from information overload. That’s the feeling of confusion and overwhelm that you can get from trying to take in too much at one time.

Between overzealous marketers, natural curiosity, and life at the speed of your ISP, rapid access to an overabundance of information is not only easy, it’s commonplace.

What’s a person to do? Break it all down into manageable, bite-sized chunks! We have a tendency to feel like we have to learn it all NOW, choose our path NOW, learn and apply every technique NOW – or the opportunity or option is going to disappear on us before we even get started.

Nothing could be further from the truth! You have plenty of time to read, learn, and choose. The information that you’re trying to digest isn’t going anywhere; it will still be there for you tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.

Relax! Take a deep breath, and realize that you’re working on your marketing education. One step at a time, you can put everything you learn to work for you you. The key is take it one step at a time – not seven steps at once – and as you pick up new insights and techniques, apply them to the method of generating income that you’ve chosen.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. You’ve got to walk before you can run. You don’t feed steak to a baby. How do you eat an elephant? (One bite at a time!) These sayings have been passed along from generation to generation to remind us to slow down, keep it simple, and take it one step at a time. Information overload is easy to fall into, unnecessary to suffer through, and simple to end. Unplug, breathe deeply, and choose your topic of study for today! Lather, rinse, repeat and you’re well on your way to success.

Keywords And SEO Strategy

August 22nd, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Keywords – the words that a prospective client enters into search engines like Google when looking for something online – should be an integral part of your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy for online success. Understanding keywords and SEO strategy is vital if your goal is to achieve a high organic ranking in the search engines, and frankly, if you’re working online, then those high organic search rankings are your bread and butter.

How do you find which keywords are being used? The use of a good keyword research tool is essential. There are a number of paid keyword research tools available, but perhaps the most relied upon (and free) tool is Google’s keyword tool (www.adwords.google.com).

Once you have a keyword research tool at your disposal, simply type the word or phrase that you’re interested in learning more about. Keyword research will tell you how many searches are performed on that word or phrase on a daily, monthly, local or global level. Research can tell you which terms are most searched upon for your particular topic or whether there are phrases (long tail keywords) that are more frequently searched.

Armed with this information, your goal is to include these terms in the copy on your site. Be forewarned, however: It is imperative that the terms that you are adding to your site – the terms you want to rank for – are relevant to the material on the site.

In the not-too-distant past, keyword stuffing (loading keywords into your copy or onto your site indiscriminately) was a common practice designed to dupe the search engines into ranking a site highly. The thinking was that the greater the keyword saturation for a particular term, the more relevant the search engine “spiders” would believe your site to be, the higher your organic ranking. Keyword stuffing was one of a number of “black hat” marketing methods touted as an SEO miracle.

The search engines, however, caught on to this tactic and they changed the algorhythms that they use to determine whether a site is content-rich and relevant. Keyword stuffing today can cause your site to be de-indexed (or not show up at all) in the search engines. Smart SEO strategists use “white hat” marketing methods: clean, straight-forward marketing methods that include no subterfuge and that recognize that content is king.

So, how can you use keywords and SEO strategy to improve your site’s organic ranking in the search engines? For starters, make sure that your site provides relevant content, regardless of the type of site that you’re building. If you’re building sites like Squidoo Lenses or Hub Pages, make sure that you have a relevant keyword in the URL that you register, as well as in the titles, subtitles and content that you write for your site. If you’re given space for tags on these sites, include your relevant keywords there, too.

If you’re writing a blog post, you want your targeted keywords to show up in the URL as well, which means you want your keyword(s) in your post title. You may have to check, however, to ensure that your blog template recognizes this SEO strategy and incorporates your post title into the URL.

For example, some blog templates default to a numbered post URL like this: http://www.yourblog.com/?p=345. If that’s the case, you’ll wnat to go in under “settings” and then “permalinks” to set your preference. You want your post URL to appear with the title of the post included, for this is where your keyword will be found: http://www.youblog.com/targeted-keyword-blog-post-title.

For best results, you’ll also want to include your keyword(s) throughout your content, but particularly in the first sentence of the first paragraph of your post. In this way, you’ll ensure that your keyword appears in the meta description (the snippet of text included in the search results); the keyword(s) will appear in bold if your prospective client has used this exact keyword(s) in their search.

There is some disagreement on what the ideal keyword density should be when evaluating keywords and SEO strategy; the general consensus falls between 2% and 10%. This is easily accomplished with focus and an attention to detail.

What no one disputes, however, is the importance content plays. So, as you’re writing your copy and peppering it with your targeted keyword(s), be sure that you’re writing relevant content that is not so full of your keyword(s) that the writing feels forced. Ultimately, you’re writing for your reader and forced or unnatural copy, regardless of relevance, will turn your reader away. That’s an SEO strategy best avoided at all cost!

Want Motivated People? Find them!

August 20th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Have you ever noticed that there are some folks who are so motivated, they speed around at Mach III with their hair on fire, embracing every opportunity, turning every stumbling block into stepping stones, and creating success wherever they go? And have you also noticed that there are other folks that you couldn’t pry off the couch with a crowbar, that you couldn’t motivate to move if their hair were on fire. What makes one person a dynamo and the other a dud?
We all know people that we feel we should counsel to slow down before they have a heart attack. And we all know people that we feel we should counsel to move a little more before they DO have a heart attack. What is the difference between these two people? Why is it that one can’t stop and one can’t get started?

I have spent most of my business and academic life at Mach III with my hair on fire. It has never felt like a conscious decision, as in “OK, let’s put it in high gear and move, Move, MOVE!”

Instead, I feel that whatever project I’m working on is so exciting, with so much to do and so little time to do it in…that sitting still and doing nothing is as uncomfortable as the sensation of “pins and needles” when a limb has fallen asleep.

For years, whether hiring and training employees or recruiting for network marketing companies, I tried to create motivated people. I figured that if people weren’t as motivated as I was, I could teach them to be; if I could just help them to see what I saw and help them to feel the same excitement and sense of urgency that I felt, they would understand what needed to be done, and they would enthusiastically roll up their sleeves and work tirelessly beside me.

If you’ve tried this approach and realized the futility of it, you’re probably chuckling at the memory or shaking your head in commiseration.

Finally, after years of what felt like banging my head against the wall, someone said to me, “If it looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck…it’s a duck.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“Well, it seems to me,” my mentor said, “that you’re trying to force square pegs into round holes. It’s not going to happen. You can’t make someone change from what they are into what you want them to be. If they’re going to change, they have to be the one to initiate the change.”

“I don’t want them to change,” I said. “They just need to see this the way that I do – when they do, they’ll be excited to jump in and get moving.”

My mentor barked a quick laugh. “You ARE trying to change them…into your own image, even. You want them to see the situation the way that you do, take responsibility for it the way that you do, produce results the way that you do…and it’s not going to happen. If you want motivated people, you’re going to have to go out and find them. You can’t MAKE them.”

That declaration stopped me in my tracks. Was it possible that I was trying to change folks into the type of employee, the type of marketer, the type of recruiter that I wanted them to be? What would happen if I looked for people who were as motivated as I was, instead? What if, by choosing to work with folks who were already motivated, I no longer had to spend my time trying to figure out how to motivate them? What could I accomplish then? What could WE accomplish?

That was a pivotal point for me…the understanding that I had to accept people where they stood; that I couldn’t motivate the unmotivated any more than I could teach a jerk to be nice! If I wanted to work with nice people, I had to hire nice people; if I wanted to work with dedicated people, I had to hire dedicated people; if I wanted to work with motivated people, I had to hire motivated people. I couldn’t teach anyone to be something they weren’t; I couldn’t initiate change in someone else, only in myself.

So, if you find yourself looking at your team or your staff and wondering how to motivate them, consider instead whether they are motivated people to begin with. Motivating the unmotivated is impossible.

Learn to recognize the qualities that you want in a team mate or an employee and recruit or hire with that filter in place. Understand that you cannot change someone into what you want them to be. But you can increase your chances for success by actively seeking alliances with folks who already possess the qualities you desire.

Network Marketing For The Shy

August 18th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken to people about network marketing and they respond with, “Oh, I’m too shy to do that.” I’m not in the business of convincing people, so I don’t dissuade them of their notion, but I’m here to tell you that some of the most successful people I know in network marketing started out very shy, myself included.

In fact, many people who enjoy success as network marketers never set out to be network marketers and never imagined themselves as “sales people.” They simply tried a product, had a great experience and shared that experience enthusiastically with friends and family members. Their business grew naturally from there.

But what if you’ve made the decision, despite being shy, to get involved with network marketing. How do you grow a business when you consider yourself an introvert and you’re not comfortable approaching strangers to discuss your opportunity or products?

First Find Something To Love

If you’re in network marketing just to be in network marketing, you’re probably making a mistake.

Don’t represent a company, product or service simply because a friend or relative asked you to; you must believe in the company, product or service that you’re representing. A “product of the product” experience is much easier to share, whether you’re sharing with someone close to you or a relative stranger. Your enthusiasm and belief will convey, regardless of whether or not you’re comfortable or good at “presenting.”

It doesn’t take excellent salesmanship to be successful in network marketing. Sales, in all its forms, is a transference of feeling. If you feel strongly about your company, product or service, the folks that you’re talking to will “feel” it as well, and that’s what it’s all about.

Birds Of A Feather

While it might seem like everyone in the world (besides you) is an extrovert, the fact is that most folks are introverts and are more fearful of speaking (or presenting) in public than of facing down a pride of lions single-handedly.

What does that mean for you? It means that 99% of all the folks looking for your opportunity, your products, your results, are looking for that information in ways that afford them a little privacy.

More than likely, they’re searching for information online, creating the perfect opportunity for you. By working leads, you’re able to present information and options to people who are actively seeking solutions. You’re providing answers for folks who have already raised their hands to ask the question. And you’re able to provide these answers by using an array of network marketing tools made available to you through the company you represent.

Responding to a lead via telephone is the most obvious means of providing answers and solutions. If you’re not sure how to go about making that first dial, there’s plenty of training available online, and probably lots of training on phone prospecting through your own company’s “back office.” There’s also training on telephone prospecting available here: http://www.myteamtrainingsite.com/set.html

Hone Your Email Marketing Skills

If the thought of picking up the phone to speak with a prospective client causes you to break out in a cold sweat, consider honing your email marketing skills. There are lots of ways to market your business using online tools provided by your company that don’t require you to pick up the phone and make that initial dial.

Chances are good that your company (or your lead provider) sends out a series of emails to your prospective client on your behalf, introducing them to you, the company, and the products. But, if not – or in addition to them – you can craft your own emails to send to prospective clients.

Remember as you’re writing these emails, to share what drew you to your company, the products or services that you represent. Include links to the various online assets at your disposal, like websites, links to videos and/or audio provided by your company, and if you have a “before and after” photo, be sure to include that, as well.

There’s lots of information available online about effective copy writing, how to craft an effective sales letter, etc. Invest some time in learning these skills; they’ll help you to achieve the success you desire in network marketing.

Exploding The Myth

It is a myth that you have to be extroverted to be successful in network marketing. What you have to be is dedicated and persistent. Find a successful mentor to model, one that you can relate to, and learn to master his or her marketing techniques.

Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone: Even baby steps will carry you to your goals. Remember that no one was born knowing how to be a good network marketer, and everyone had to learn what methods of marketing played to their own personal strengths.

Remember, too, that every time you step outside of your comfort zone, whatever you’re learning to do gets easier and easier until, before you know it, what was outside of your comfort zone is now comfortably within the borders and the next adventure outside your comfort zone is waiting to take you to even greater heights!

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