Home Based Business Success is Never an Accident, part 3

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

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

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

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.