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!
Showing posts with label mlm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mlm. Show all posts
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Gloom and Doom Economy, Celebration Time for MLM Oppportunities
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.
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.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
What Are The Best Home Business Opportunities
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!
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!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Stay The Course
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!
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!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The Secret to MLM Success
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.
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.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Network Marketing, MLM, The Berry Tree and The Big Picture
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?
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?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
What's the Greatest Obstacle to MLM Success? It's Not What You Might Think.
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!"
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!"
Friday, October 24, 2008
No Boundaries, The Berry Tree Opportunity
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?
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?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Berry Tree, A Brilliant Idea Whose Time Has Come
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.
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.
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