Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Can I Really Be a Network Marketer?

When I first got into business online, I didn't really know what it meant to be a network marketer or be involved in multi-level marketing (MLM). I wanted to sell a product and a service that would eventually generate a good residual income for me. It is becoming clearer to me now as I get into network marketing that it does take a certain kind of person with certain skills to excel in this business, but if you've got the desire, passion, energy, and commitment to be successful at it, then anyone can do it!

Network marketing, or multi-level marketing is about people. It's about building and team - a downline - and teaching them to be successful like you. Yes, there are different levels in the organization you build, but that's not to say that all network marketing endeavors are pyramid schemes. As long as there is something of value being offered in the program and it's not a program designed to pay only those higher up in the pyramid, then you are pretty safe.

Once you are into a network marketing program, you have to work on yourself and your own success before you can hope to achieve success with others you recruit. The problem is that many people are attracted to the big money aspect of it, and hope to make it big with little effort on their own part. Once you're in, you have to make a commitment to yourself and your program, no matter what big hitters are above you, and you have to work it like any other business. This will take time, and you have to be willing to invest that time, and believe that in time you will see the results you seek.

Believing is huge in this industry because you start with a dream. There is a reason you got involved in network marketing, and one of the big reasons might be that you want to be a millionaire. The trick is to believe and feel that you already are, even if you're far from it. This kind of positive attitude must be maintained, even though everyone will go through good times and bad in their businesses. If you love what you do, you will be able to maintain a healthy attitude and the discipline needed to propel you to greatness.

Most people think that network marketing is about making sales when really it is about relationships with your prospects, your customers, and your team. The best way to be confident about relationship building and team-building is to educate yourself and develop the skills you need to succeed. A lot of it has to do with conquering your fears about talking to new prospects by analyzing what the fear really is and developing the skills you need through practice and repetition. Part of relationship building is also to be a leader to your team and knowing how to handle objections to your offers, or excuses for not joining. Being prepared with a list of questions for your prospects will help you deal effectively with their issues.

Network marketing can be a business for those who are willing to work at it. Money won't grow on trees, so if you want to be successful at it, then take the time to learn, grow, energize yourself, love yourself and what you do, and carry yourself and your team to the top!

I hope you are having a fantastic day…as I am and always do!

Don Egnor
TFF Mastermind Group
813-842-6131
donegnor@aol.com
http://www.joinmetoday.com

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Marketing Success Secrets Of A Homeless Man

Earl Nightingale, in the world-famous motivational tape, "The Strangest Secret," defines success as the "progressive realization of a worthy ideal." Using that definition, success then, especially for any business owner or entrepreneur, may depend upon whatever ideal a person holds dear.

Beyond that, it may be measured by the reaching of goals set on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually basis. You must get a clear picture of success in your head, otherwise how will you know when you get there?

Nearly every day, I see a man who appears to be homeless on the corner of the intersection of a major freeway in Miami, FL who we can classify as "successful," mainly because his marketing success causes him to thrive at getting (progressive realization) a good number of "donations" (his worthy goal) on a daily basis. Normally, I would never equate being homeless with being successful, although I know many good people who due to circumstances beyond their control, found themselves in that situation.

However, we cannot deny that this particular homeless man's marketing methods and tactics work for him. So we have established that by looking the part, this "entrepreneur," followed the first tenet of success for any business owner.

Very few people, if any, would give to a supposedly homeless man, decked out in the latest fashions complete with cell phone and accessories. But, without further investigation, he personified the old saying, "If it looks like a duck, quack likes a duck and walks like a duck; it must be a duck."

The second principle of his success shows that in spite of adversity, he projected great tenacity; no matter the time of day -- early morning, midday or late evening, you will find him plying his trade -- begging by the roadside. In fact, on many days, even in inclement weather, you could find him, much to the jeers of some passing motorists and competitors who wanted in on his turf.

In other words and with due respect to the inscription found on some U.S. Post Offices: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this homeless man from the swift completion of his appointed location." In their day-to-day goals, many business owners wish that they would do so well.

Merriam Webster states that tenacity means being "persistent in maintaining or adhering to something valued or habitual." Tenacity for business owners simply measures the persistency in your day-to-day work habits, goals and objectives.

Tenacity equals going for it -- in spite of your surroundings and situation. The fact that the homeless man focuses entirely on money causes me a problem because it compares with some people I know who go into business with making money as the sole purpose.

A capitalistic society encourages making money, but most professionals go into business to make a difference, to contribute to society, to help their clients, or to make the world a better place. To do so calls for real tenacity.

Tenacity means we focus on action with the end in mind. We don't just go through the motions. There's something higher that keeps us going, even when we don't want to go.

One of my friends, a successful businessman in Tampa, tells the story of him getting in trouble with the taxman. My friend basically squandered $90,000 and the tax official assigned to his case, threatened to close his business down.

He didn't possess the money to pay the bill, but knew certain high-paying projects, when completed would be enough to pay off the bill in full by the deadline. My friend came in early, stayed late, and often slept on the couch in the reception area of his office. In just a couple of weeks, he wrote a check for the full amount of the taxes owed.

When asked to describe how my friend could accomplish do so much in such a short time, his wife gave a one-word sentence. Tenacity.

I hope you are having a fantastic day…as I am and always do!

Don Egnor
TFF Mastermind Group
813-842-6131
donegnor@aol.com
http://www.joinmetoday.com

Thursday, February 12, 2009

How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

As you go through life you have two career options. One option is called security, or a job. The other choice is freedom, or to become an entrepreneur and start your own business.

Most people choose the first option and sadly, even though they think they have security, the reality is that they are usually living paycheck to paycheck, and are often in debt.

What kind of security is that? Many of these people are even making six figure incomes, but barely make enough to pay all of their expenses. This is because every time they get a raise or a bonus they quickly spend it on some material thing. They have nothing to show for all of their hard work except a pile of bills and a lot of useless stuff.

The security option is really a prison that drags you in and captures your life. All you have in this life is time, which I assure you is not meant to be herded around like a sheep. It should be spent taking action to achieve your goals so you can do whatever you want in life.

The second option, freedom, allows you to:
* Have anything
* Do anything
* Be everything you ever imagined.

You can change. You just simply have to believe in yourself and remember this: The path toward freedom will not be easy, that is why it is chosen by few. It will always be foggy, scary, and ever changing.

But isn't that how life is anyway? Life is scary, the future is always unclear, and the world is always changing. You just simply can't control that so don't go hide behind a job thinking that you can.

You will be left to retire and live off of half of what you made while you worked. That does not sound very secure, or like a lot of fun.

I was going through the line at the grocery store the other day and realized that the person bagging my groceries, it was usually some teenager, was an old man. I started asking him questions while he was bagging my groceries and got him to tell me a few things about himself.

His name was Carl and he was 74 years old. He has to bag groceries because he can't afford to pay the bills on his $1,000 a month pension alone. Carl used to work for one of the major car manufacturers in the United States. He worked there for 36 years.

A $1,000 a month retirement income sounded pretty good to Carl back in 1954. He did not take into account inflation and the ridiculous cost of living the twenty-first century has brought about. People like Carl are in trouble because life is only going to get more expensive.

He was a very nice man and I felt very bad for him. He did not necessarily do anything wrong, but I do know one thing about Carl. He chose the security path long ago and used to think he had it all figured out as he worked at his job through the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's.

During those years he thought he had all the security in the world. All he had to do was just go put his time in every week, and eventually he could retire and do whatever he wanted. I hope this doesn't sound familiar. If it does you need to do really sit down and ask yourself, what do I want?

Follow these steps in order to make it come true:
* Make a clear specific goal for yourself
* Visualize yourself attaining it
* Take Action and go do it!
* (Don't visualize yourself bagging groceries at 74)

I am not saying that you should quit your job right away and start a business out of nothing, just start to spend more time imagining what you want. Believe it or not eventually you will figure out how to do it.

Spend more time thinking about what you want and how to achieve it; it could really change your life. Get off the couch, away from the television, and spend time working on your business and your goals.

If you want more money, focus on making more money, not the burdens associated with being broke. Again, be specific as to how much you want. You can set short term and long term amounts. Think big, but do not think unrealistically for your current situation.

Most people do wish for money, but they wish on a whim for more money, without taking action. This leads nowhere. They will often play the lottery, or gamble thinking it will just fall out of the sky.

There is not a get rich quick scheme out there to solve your problems, but having specific goals and taking action to achieve those goals can lead you to places you may have never imagined possible. Take control of your life and either start a business or if you are already an entrepreneur, take it to the next level.

I hope you are having a fantastic day…as I am and always do!

Don Egnor
TFF Mastermind Group
813-842-6131
donegnor@aol.com
http://www.joinmetoday.com

Friday, February 6, 2009

MLM Success - Your Check Will Grow When You Grow

I want to make a fortune and I want to make it now…does that sound like you?

That's the attitude of the majority of people that start in MLM or network marketing. People that have been broke all of their lives or at the very least, just getting by, expect to be rich in no time when they start an MLM business.

Although MLM has literally changed the lives of so many people around the world, the real reason why people become successful is so simple. Two words. Personal growth.

Most of the time you will not become successful in MLM if you don't discover and fully embrace personal growth. Don't get me wrong you may experience some success, you may even have tremendous success, but it will only be a fraction of what you could gain if you were serious about becoming more than you are today!

We have a member of our team, who has been successful, but his success reached a peak and now his income has fallen.

Years ago it was obvious that this was coming but he wouldn't listen. He had begun to believe that he was a great leader when all he really cared about was himself, a sad fact that others began to see as well.

He didn't need to grow or learn from anybody because he knew it all. Because he was blessed with an outgoing personality and charisma he was able to become successful, but it was a house of cards that would not last. If only he would have been as committed to personal growth as he was to showing off, this never would have happened.

Ego. That little word has caused so much damage in so many lives, especially in MLM.

If you are new to MLM we hope that you will hear these words, your check will grow when you grow. We would never have experienced long term MLM success if we hadn't decided to listen and learn from other more successful people. So, what's the best course of action if you really want to experience MLM success?

Read the best success books you can get your hands on. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is still one of the best books to get you to start thinking differently. You are no longer an employee, you are now an entrepreneur, and entrepreneurs think differently than employees.

Stop listening to the radio and fill your mind with the vast storehouse of knowledge from Joyce Meyer, Jim Rohn, Les Brown and others. Make a decision to learn more so you can earn more. Find at least one or two people that will mentor you and hold you accountable so that if you start to believe that you are infallible they will straighten you out.

Although we are successful beyond our wildest dreams we still make mistakes and you will too. Nobody expects you to be perfect but if you are ever going to become really successful in MLM you will have to engage in a deliberate process to become more than what you are today.

I hope you are having a fantastic day…as I am and always do!

Don Egnor
TFF Mastermind Group
813-842-6131
donegnor@aol.com
http://www.joinmetoday.com