Mindset and Skill Set: How You Can't Get One Without the Other

When I evaluate my own personal development in the network marketing industry, I find a lot of positives and a lot of negatives.

I can still remember my first month in my very first MLM company several years ago. Wide-eyed, anxious, over-bearing, and maybe even a little 'sales-y' at times. Of course, I was simply doing what I was told.

Most likely, I was told the same thing you were when you joined your first network marketing opportunity. If I talked to everyone, recruited my friends and family, bugged strangers, held parties at my house, and handed out magazines and fliers, my bank account would be overflowing with cash! So naturally, I took action. But that action led to few results, a ton of rejection, and a boatload of alienation from those close to me that I tried to turn into business partners.

As the months passed, the results failed to come in. This immediately led me to doubt my decision to start my business, and even worse, led me to doubt myself.

This led to months of inactivity and, naturally, no results.

Finally, I took a look in the mirror and asked my reflection what I could do to make things work. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life just 'scraping by' living paycheck to paycheck. I also wasn't ready to admit defeat without seeking out an answer to my problems.

Fast forward to today. In the time since my meeting with the mirror to the present, I've made some drastic changes. Many, many of these personal adjustments have led me to rewrite my personal blueprint on how I approach my life and my business. Above all, I've made a conscious effort to surround myself with leaders and mastermind with them as much as possible. There's an adage I've adopted that's altered my thinking: "Your net worth is a result of your network."

By masterminding with leaders, listening to their words and adopting their principles, I discovered the ingredient that was missing all along: You can never develop the necessary skill set unless you first develop the necessary mindset.

That single thought summarizes all the struggle I've ever had, not only in my business, but in my life as well: My negative thinking was getting in the way! It really had nothing to do with my product, my company, or even my opportunity. I was simply approaching my business from the wrong perspective.

If you allow yourself to accept failure as an inevitability, there's no way your mind can reach a level that allows you to be successful. Instead of seeing things for what they can be, you will automatically see things for what they once were or what others around you believe they should be.

The mind is your most powerful asset, but it can quickly become a liability if the majority of your thoughts consist of negativity, failure, or lack of development. If your mind is not in the right place, you can never fully develop the necessary skill set you desire.

Mindset goes hand-in-hand with skill set. In order to get the latter, you have to first master the former. The necessary mindshift does not take place overnight. But the sooner you realize your mind may be the biggest roadblock in the way of achieving your goals, the faster you can begin training it to project nothing but positive thoughts that constantly help you move forward.

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Jason Cercone Announces Launch of New Networking Group in Pittsburgh

**PRESS RELEASE**

Professional Network Connections has come to Pittsburgh, PA, and is looking to establish successful networking and business education groups throughout the area. Jason Cercone has been named President of one of the newly-formed groups.


Sep 22, 2009 – PITTSBURGH - Jason Cercone, a Pittsburgh-based online entrepreneur with the Internet Marketing company CarbonCopyPRO, has announced the launch of a new networking group in the Pittsburgh area. The group will be known as the Pittsburgh Entrepreneurial Business Builders Network. Cercone has been named President of this group, which is sponsored by Professional Network Connections.

"I am very excited to be leading one of these groups here in Pittsburgh," Cercone stated. "We have a mission to create a membership base within our group that doesn't just consist of lead and referral exchange. We want our event attendees and members to get the most out of every meeting. Business education, strength of relationships, and overall support will be the cornerstones of our network."

Cercone is joined on this group's Board of Directors by Judy Herilla, owner of Karmoxie LLC, a Website Development firm based in Springdale, PA (www.karmoxie.com), as well as Jason Collins, Owner of Made in the Shade Travel, which is an online travel booking website (www.madeintheshadetravel.com). Herilla serves as Vice President of Education and Collins is the Vice President of Membership.

"I couldn't be happier with the leadership we have in place with this group," Cercone said. "Jason, Judy, and I all share similar visions about what we can accomplish with this group and are putting tremendous emphasis on locking down quality speakers and providing current, useful content at each event."

Many networking groups are built solely on the exchange of leads and referrals. The Business Builders Network takes networking to the next level by adding the element of business education to the fold, as well as the opportunity to mingle with like-minded professionals while exchanging leads and referrals.

Each meeting features a guest speaker willing to share their tools and techniques, or an open-forum discussion in which ideas and insights are shared amongst all in attendance. In addition, each meeting attendee gets the opportunity to showcase their business and discuss the type of client they are seeking.

"This is a different type of networking," Cercone said. "Anyone can simply exchange leads and referrals. We want all our members and attendees to leave each meeting not only with leads, but with new knowledge that can be applied to their business practices. Education is critical to successful business development."

All entrepreneurs, business owners, and business professionals are welcome to check out this group to see if membership will be beneficial to their business efforts. The meetings take place on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month and locations rotate throughout the Pittsburgh area in order to accomodate those in various locales.

Cercone expects great things as the Business Builders Network continues to grow.

"We are looking for a dedicated, focused group that provides business insight in a variety of different areas," Cercone explained. "This group is being built around what our members want. This is EVERYONE'S group, not just ours. We want all our members to have a part in this group's growth and development so each person can walk way from the events with more knowledge than they arrived with."

To get more information about the Pittsburgh Entrepreneurial Business Builders Network, visit their website: http://www.pghbusinessbuilders.com

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Boresha Coffee Review - What You Need to Know Before Joining the Boresha Coffee Opportunity

This Boresha Coffee Review is designed to determine whether Boresha Coffee offers a legitimate home-based, income-earning opportunity in the multi-level marketing field, or whether it's a scam that should be avoided.

What is Boresha Coffee?

Boresha Coffee is a multi-level marketing company that taps into one of the most popular industries in the world: the coffee industry. The coffee market is a $70 billion a year industry, thus proving there's money to be made. With this in mind, is Boresha Coffee going to be the next big thing in network marketing, or will it be just another MLM opportunity?

The Product

Boresha Coffee offers an arabica coffee blend to market. The company claims their blend is better than many of the leading brands you're used to consuming. This is a sizable claim considering the number of choices that are available when it comes to a cup of joe, but the product may quickly appeal to someone looking for a new brand to start their day.

One big focus of Boresha Coffee is to donate a large part of their profits to children's charities. This is certainly a major step forward in the industry and an initiative that could lead to tremendous growth for Boresha.

The Review

Boresha is establishing themselves with a good product, as all evidence shows the popularity of coffee. It's going to come down to how well they position themselves in the marketplace that will determine their success. They, like all network marketing opportunities, are faced with the battle of standing out from the crowd. If you decide to become a distributor, what will you do to set yourself apart from all the other Boresha Coffee representatives?

In order to make their mark on the industry, Boresha will need to find a way to separate themselves from their competition. In order to do this, it is imperative for this MLM company to supply sufficient marketing strategies for their distributors and help them gain a substantial share of the market.

The purpose of this review is to point out crucial factors to success in the network marketing industry. There's a certain mindset and education level that must be obtained in order to grow your business successfully. This applies not only to Boresha, but any network marketing opportunity you see.

To ensure long-term success, Boresha must recruit some industry leaders that carry strong influence in the industry. This will help with the development of brand new distributors and make strides towards seeing all Boresha distributors share in the company's success.

Top network marketers have experience implementing several online marketing strategies, including autoresponders, pay-per-click advertising, social networking, and many more. More importantly, industry professionals are proven leaders and are able to coach their teams to positive outcomes. Boresha's growth will lay in the ability of each individual's ability to master these skills and teach them to newcomers who join the opportunity.

Finally, one of the biggest elements to Boresha Coffee's staying power is consistency. Network marketing companies have a tendency of changing their compensation plans, which can frustrate members and lead them to quitting the company altogether. Effective communication between top-tier leaders and distributors, as well as the development of new leaders, couuld prove to be the winning formula Boresha needs to stand out in the industry.

If Boresha Coffee establishes consistency and recruits influential leaders into their fold, they have a chance to accomplish great things in the network marketing industry. The outlook for their future looks promising at this point, but their ability to develop new distributors and teach them how to effectively market their business will tell the true story.

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How Important is Mindset in Your Business Opportunity?

Have you ever stopped to consider the importance your thoughts play in your advancement towards success?

What you think is what you'll do. And what you do defines who you are. Simply stated, your success begins with mindset. If you base your actions on the thought that you might fail, you're more likely to do just that. But if you base your actions on the thought that you will succeed, you're far more likely to get the results you desire.

Developing an entrepreneurial mindset is one of the most crucial elements to success in any home- based business opportunity. Your thoughts have to literally shift from that of "employee," meaning you're willing to work hard to make someone else wealthy and successful, to that of "entrepreneur," meaning you hold yourself accountable for your efforts and utilize those efforts to make yourself wealthy and successful.

Most people let fear dictate their actions because they don't want to fail or they don't want to get too excited about something. Most likely, the majority of things you've gotten excited about in your life have never quite lived up to the expectations you built in your mind. That mentality can bleed over to all aspects of your life, thus affecting outcomes and triggering defense mechanisms that lead you to pre-judge opportunities before you uncover all the facts about them. Approaching anything with uncertainty will cause you to put more effort into a result, which inevitably leads to a reinforcement of your initial thought.

Ever call a network marketing opportunity a scam without looking into it in great detail? Of course you have, because your defense mechanism immediately triggered.

Contrarily, an entrepreneur has the mindset that allows them to explore every situation and determine whether it can benefit them or not. They don't pre-judge or immediately disqualify an opportunity that could be beneficial to them based on past experiences. Instead of approaching the opportunity with uncertainty, they approach it with confidence and take action to begin establishing a foundation of success.

The following video is Anthony Robbins interviewing Frank Kern and John Reese, two established leaders in the network marketing industry. It's by far one of the best videos I've seen on mindset adjustment. This video will change the way you think if you approach it with an open mind.

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Are You Proud to Be In Network Marketing?

Network Marketing is an industry that's undergone a complete facelift in recent times. It's an industry that dates back many years, but a lot of the old methods of recruiting and growing your home-based business are rarely in practice anymore. The main reason for this paradigm shift is the simple fact that old-school methods offer little to no return on your time and financial investments.

We have the Internet to thank for this. The World Wide Web provides the connectivity people need to network with other individuals, seek out potential business opportunities, and undertake an education that leads to entrepreneurial success. Everyone is connected through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and the information you seek is only a mouse-click away.

With the advancement of the Internet has come the decrease in the need to pester your family and friends, the need to build a list of 100 people you know and "pitch" them your opportunity, the need to hand out fliers, magazines, DVDs, CDs, and sizzle cards, and the need to hold "parties" at your home and/or hotels. With the transparency and on-demand style the Internet offers, people have the opportunity to introduce themselves to an opportunity and find out virtually everything they need to know...before they even speak to an actual person.

As it's always been, people shouldn't need to be sold on a Network Marketing opportunity, nor should you feel as if you need to convince someone to join up. If the opportunity makes sense and you provide the proper level of help and support, your prospects can make the decision for themselves.

But one thing remains constant, regardless of whether old-school or new-age marketing techniques are being utilized. If you expect to grow a successful home-based business, you must be able to answer "yes" to the following question:

Are you proud to be a part of the Network Marketing industry?

If you're not, you might as well pack up your belongings and close shop today. Because if you don't fully believe in your company, your mission, your reason why, and, most importantly, yourself, that attitude will reflect on each and every person you come in contact with. And as the adage goes, "people don't join opportunities. They join people."

Your belief and attitude towards your business will shine through every single time you talk about it. And whether you're already part of an opportunity or you're researching one, the fact that you've realized you want to make changes in your life is nothing to hide behind. It's something to stand up and be proud about.

Your business will be the vehicle that helps you achieve the goals you have set for yourself. And speaking about your venture into this world of free enterprise will determine whether that vehicle is a Porsche or a Pinto.

The success stories you hear about in network marketing are owned by individuals who threw complete caution to the wind, made the decision to block out the views of naysayers, and took massive action that led to massive results. Sitting on the bench will get you nothing in life but a sore behind. But taking action and playing the game to win can lead to a better lifestyle and freedom to do the things you love.

Be proud of what you do. If you are not proud to be part of your opportunity, forget about achieving your goals. If you are unwilling to speak confidently about what you do and why you're doing it, how can you expect others to join you in your mission?

The key to your success doesn't lay in your company, product, or compensation plan. It lays in you and your willingness to commit yourself to entrepreneurial success. Once you develop that mindset, there's not a thing that can stop you from achieving every one of your goals.

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Evolv Health Opportunity Review - What You Should Know Before Becoming a Distributor

The following Evolv Health Review is designed to determine whether Evolv offers a legitimate home-based, income-earning opportunity in the multi-level marketing field, or whether it's a scam that should be avoided.

What is Evolv Health?

Evolv Health is a multi-level marketing company that is looking to make a splash in the Health and Wellness sector of the industry. More than 15 years of scientific research and development have been invested in Evolv’s Archaea Active formula. Considering Evolv’s dedication to bringing a revolutionary product to market, are they poised to make a tremendous impact on the network marketing industry? Or, will they fade quietly into the night?

The Product

Evolv’s flagship product, the Evolv Nutraceutical Beverage, combines the Archaea Active formula with premium spring water, which naturally enhances cell performance and increases stamina, energy, and endurance.

In addition, the Evolv Nutraceutical Beverage also boasts other health benefits and helps increase energy levels, speed fatigue recovery, enhance the absorption of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and proteins, and restores mental alertness.

What You Need To Be Successful

Evolv offers a great product to consumers and is placing a strong emphasis on its flagship product being the focal point of their growth efforts. However, in a competitive Health and Wellness marketplace within the network marketing arena, how well they position themselves will determine their success. They, like all network marketing opportunities, are faced with the battle of standing out from the crowd. If you decide to become a distributor, what will you do to set yourself apart from all the other Evolv Health representatives?

In order to make their mark on the industry, Evolv will need to find a way to make their mark quickly. In order to do this, it is imperative for this MLM company to supply sufficient marketing strategies for their distributors and help them gain a substantial share of the market. The distributors are the ones “in the trenches,” therefore ample training and solid leadership is ideal for new distributors to spread the word and establish a solid foundation for Evolv.

The purpose of this review is to point out crucial factors to success in the network marketing industry. There's a certain mindset and education level that must be obtained in order to grow your business successfully. This applies not only to Evolv, but any network marketing opportunity you see.

The following three factors will provide the foundation Evolv needs to gather momentum and maintain solidity in network marketing:

FACTOR #1: Sufficient training and education for distributors – Top network marketers have experience implementing several online marketing strategies, including autoresponders, pay-per-click advertising, social networking, and many more. More importantly, industry professionals are proven leaders and are able to coach their teams to positive outcomes. Evolv’s growth will lay in the ability of each individual's ability to master these skills and teach them to newcomers who join the opportunity.

In addition, companies that establish strong channels of communication that keep distributors and leaders at all levels “in the loop” stand to spread their message to a larger audience with a greater impact. From the beginning, new distributors should feel a strong part of their company, thus leading to higher levels of dedication and smaller attrition rates. Evolv will set themselves up for the most success by ensuring their training is accompanied by leaders who communicate effectively.

FACTOR #2: Leadership - To ensure long-term success, Evolv Health must recruit some industry leaders that carry strong influence. This will help with the development of brand new distributors and make strides towards seeing all Evolv distributors share in the company's success.

Leadership is a crucial ingredient to success in network marketing. Without it, new opportunity owners have nowhere to turn in the face of frustration and struggle. In order for new leaders to emerge, there needs to be established leadership in place from the very beginning. This will lead to higher levels of success and happy representatives across the board.

FACTOR #3: Consistency - Finally, one of the biggest elements to Evolv’s staying power is consistency. Network marketing companies have a tendency of changing their compensation plans, which can frustrate members and lead them to quitting the company altogether. Effective communication between top-tier leaders and distributors, as well as the development of new leaders, could prove to be the winning formula Evolv needs to stand out in the industry.

If Evolv establishes consistency and recruits influential leaders into their fold, they have a chance to accomplish great things in the network marketing industry. The outlook for their future looks promising at this point, but their ability to develop new distributors and teach them how to effectively market their business will tell the true story.

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Maakoa Review - Will Maakoa Be the Next Big Name in Network Marketing?

The purpose of this Maakoa Review is to uncover what Maakoa offers its distributors and what you should expect to encounter if you decide to become a distributor.

What is Maakoa?

Maakoa is a multi-level marketing company that offers a variety of wellness products that enhance health, fitness, and personal care. While promoting a business opportunity, Maakoa is also promoting a better quality of life as well. Each distributor has access to Maakoa's main product, a weight management shake called Koopuwa that contains the always-popular "Super Fruits."

The "Super Fruits" are very popular in the wellness industry. The Koopuwa shake combines two of these fruits, the Acai berry and the Cupuacu. It is suggested that adding pomegranate and blueberry to the shake results in a premium anti-oxidant beverage that is jam-packed with health benefits and tastes great, too.

The Opportunity Review

Maakoa has the opportunity to make a splash in the network marketing industry and has a popular product to market. Their biggest obstacle will be finding a way to separate themselves from the other health and wellness companies out there. There are several health juice options for the consumer, most with a business opportunity tied to them as well. In order for Maakoa to become the industry standard, they must do something to rise above their competition.

This review was compiled to provide a look at Maakoa's product, and also what they will need to do in order to grow in the competitive MLM marketplace. In addition, if you're looking to join Maakoa as a distributor, there are some key factors that must be considered before signing the dotted line.

The following are the factors that Maakoa must focus on the closest:

Factor #1: Consistency - Many network marketing companies are plagued by changes that are not properly communicated down the chains. An example that usually causes the biggest uproar is a change in compensation. This leads to disgruntled leaders and distributors and may even end in a rise in attrition.

If Maakoa wants to establish themselves as an industry mainstay, it's important they gain consistency on all levels. The best way for them to gain traction in this area is to develop proper communication channels between top-tier leadership and all other active distributors. This will ensure that everyone remains on the same page as the company grows. Also, a consistent message can lead to a wider-spread circulation, which leads directly into the 2nd factor determining Maakoa's success...

Factor #2: Leadership - As new home-business seekers explore the option of joining Maakoa, one thing they should be looking for is established leadership. Having industry professionals in place carries a great deal of influence and can help new members of the community develop at a faster rate. The smartest and most saavy network marketers realize that product and compensation plan alone will not dictate a company's long-term success. Effective leadership is a crucial ingredient that cannot be overlooked.

Maakoa can strongly benefit from the recruitment of network marketing veterans who have made a name for themselves in the industry. Their message will spread faster and to a wider audience if leaders that others look to see them backing Maakoa's products and mission.

Maakoa faces the same obstacles as all other network marketing companies, and how they overcome the challenges and position themselves, their product, and their opportunity will show whether they can be a true player in this game.

With a foundation built on leadership and consistency, Maakoa could do great things. But there's one absolutely crucial element that Maakoa has to implement if they look to rise above their competitors...

Factor #3 - Proper Training and Development of Distributors - An MLM company is only as good as its key players. And the key players are the distributors who are promoting the product and building successful teams. What Maakoa needs to do is avoid the common MLM trap of not properly training their representatives.

The smartest companies in this industry invest time, money, and effort into the training of their distributors. By training, I don't mean outdated marketing techniques like pitching your opportunity to friends, families, and a list of cold leads. Nor do I mean holding parties at your house. What I mean is properly educating new business owners how to advertise, brand themselves, and attract interested people to their opportunity.

The best networkers are skilled in a wide variety of marketing techniques, including articles, pay-per-click advertising, social media, and others. If Maakoa wants to compete with all the other health and wellness opportunities out there, they'll teach their distributors how to stand out in these arenas.

Maakoa has started out on the right foot. Now, it's just a matter of maintaining their traction and growing their brand. The proper development of everyone in the opportunity will be the key to their long-term success.

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Today's Leadership Insight - The Key Ingredient to Success Is...

September 8th, 2009

If you've found any sort of success in your life, there was no doubt some failure along the way.

The biggest problem in life and business is that others focus more on the end result (success) than the struggles and failure it took to reach that end result.

The key ingredient to any success story you see is failure. No successful individual can say they've reached the summit of their efforts without running face-first into the wall a couple of times. Failure is the cost of doing business, and the biggest successes and greatest results come from the failures that preceeded them.

Leaders do two things in the face of failure:

1) They don't let failure define them
2) They ask what they can learn from each failure

You can never expect to grow and develop if you live your life defined by the things that didn't go your way. Life itself is a struggle, and you should never expect things to come easy. If you spend your time dwelling on what would've, could've, and should've happened, you'll constantly be taking steps backwards. Instead, treat each individual failure as a learning experience and evaluate what you learned from the situation.

Today, look at the failures you've had in the past and ask yourself what you can learn from each of them. What positives can you draw from each of those setbacks?

If something isn't going to plan, discover new ways you can get the results you desire. This forces you to expand your comfort zone, and in turn, forces you to become a more effective leader. Without even realizing it, you'll enhance your capabilities simply by applying your already-developed skill sets to another facet of production.

Don't be afraid to screw the pooch once or twice. This is expected. But don't give up when things don't go your way immediately. Stick to your guns, commit yourself to succeeding, and find a positive in every failure that results from your efforts.

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Today's Leadership Insight - You Deserve What You've Never Had...

September 3rd, 2009

Everyone deserves something they've never had. It's the epitome of reaching goals. There's literally nothing to keep you pointed in the right direction if there isn't a destination at the end of the journey.

The problem is this: Many people mistake what they deserve with being entitled to it without effort. They feel because others have accomplished great things with their lives, their leadership, their families, their network marketing opportunities, or any other accomplishment in life, they should reap the same results.

Human beings are jealous by nature, and having come from a small town, I've seen first-hand how some people react to the success of others. In the most backwards of fashions, people actually despise someone who's made the decision to better themselves and achieve success. You'd think they'd be happy for their "friend," but deep down, they resent them for what they've gained.

The biggest disconnect is that no one wants to work for their goals. They're waiting patiently for someone or something to come along and hand them what they desire on a silver platter. I've had people tell me they "don't want to learn anything new or work for it...I just want the work to be done for me." It makes me cringe thinking this mentality exists in the minds of so many individuals.

The bottom line is, yes, you deserve what you've never had. We all do. But...in order to get it, you have to do something you've never done before! You have to expand your comfort zone, enhance your leadership potential, and believe so much in the goals you have set for yourself, you'd rather die then not have what you want.

There are many people who will tell you they want more money and financial freedom...but will struggle to find an answer when you ask them WHY. The money has to be for something tangible...a certain lifestyle, more time to be with your family, the ability to break free from the chains of your 9 to 5 job, the freedom to travel the world. You deserve to make your dreams a reality...but you don't deserve to have them handed to you.

Leaders recognize the power of their goals and how they can dictate their activities on a daily basis. They want to reach those goals so badly, they can taste it.

Today, ask yourself: What is motivating you? Are your goals big and powerful enough to make you work harder than you've ever worked in your life to accomplish them?

Begin to work for something you've never had by doing something you've never done. It will take effort, struggle, and the willingness to reach outside your comfort levels. But the feeling of reaching a goal that required work, sweat, passion, and effort will taste so much sweeter.

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Overcoming Misconception: Network Marketing is NOT a Sales Business

If you operate under the assumption that you must sell, sell, and sell some more in order to find success in your network marketing opportunity, please allow me to revoke that thought from you this very instant.

The network marketing industry is not a sales business. You should never feel as if you're in a position where you need to sell an idea, product, or opportunity to anyone. Your duty as a network marketer is to provide information. If the person you provide information sees value in what you're promoting, you don't have to sell for a minute...they'll sell themselves.

FACT: People hate to be sold. They love to buy, but hate to be sold. Why? Because if they feel they're being sold, it triggers a defense mechanism. They lose control of the situation and any purchase made feels as if it wasn't their decision, it was the salesperson's. If they were to join your opportunity under this pretense, you run the risk of them regretting their decision because they felt pressured, thus adding to the risk of them quitting before realizing what their business can provide for them.

An idea makes sense to people based on how it benefits them. If a family of six needs a new vehicle, chances are they're not looking for a compact car. The idea of owning a car that small simply doesn't make sense because they'll never be able to fit the entire family. A van or SUV is far more practical.

From a network marketing standpoint, the idea of starting a home-based business will make sense to people on a variety of levels. They may like the idea of leveraging their time by creating their own schedule and working full-time from home. Or, they may want to generate an additional stream of income that enables them to live a more comfortable lifestyle.

Perhaps they're tired of their job and want an alternative. Or maybe they're looking to improve their health and the product they use has helped them so much, they want to become a distributor for it as well.

The possibilities are endless. A person's "why" defines their mission and how strongly they'll focus on reaching their goals. And as you present them your opportunity, you never allow yourself the chance to determine these factors if you're constantly trying to sell from the point of first contact.

Used car salesmen have developed a rough stereotype in the United States. When the word "sales" is uttered, most people's initial thought is that of a guy in a plaid jacket with matching pants, suspenders, greasy hair and a tie that hangs just below the chest. Despite their need for a car, most people fear this is the person who will approach them on the lot. And, inevitably, this is the person who's going to rip them off.

So, knowing the strength of this stereotype, why put yourself in a position for people to view you in a similar way?

Instead of approaching each of your prospects with the mentality of "I've got to sell this person right here, right now," enter the situation with the mentality of simply being yourself. Don't oversell your opportunity, product, or compensation plan.

Get to know the person who you're speaking with. Talk about their needs, goals, and values. Get to know their likes and dislikes. Discover their experiences and views of network marketing. Don't immediately launch into a diatribe of how revolutionary your product is or how rich the compensation plan is going to make them.

People simply don't want to hear that. They want to know they'll be working with someone who cares about their success and will show them how to grow the business so they can reach the goals they have set for themselves. That's it.

There's a fine line between controlling a conversation and blatantly selling an opportunity. You want to keep the attention focused on the subject at hand and find out as much about the person's reason for researching your opportunity. Provide them with answers to their questions and listen to what they have to say. You may find something in their words that makes your opportunity a perfect fit to their needs.

From there, if they can visually see themselves being successful within your opportunity, they'll make the decision for themselves.

Remember: your role is that of information provider, not salesperson. Be there to coach, mentor, advise, teach, and lead. But never, EVER, to sell.

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Three Inexpensive Ways to Advertise and Market Your Network Marketing Opportunity

Most multi-level marketing companies are skilled at getting you to become a distributor when you're at the height of excitement. Normally the "closing pitch" takes place after a conference call, webinar, or three-way call conducted by a person who consistently draws a lot of income from their business.

From my experience in MLM, what most of these calls and webinars lacked was HOW these top earners got to their lucrative position. With ease, they were able to say how much money they make and how their lives have completely changed. But they never laid out the steps you need to know to successfully grow your business.

A lot of MLM companies will hand you the keys to the car, but they never teach you how to drive. This industry consists of many new business owners who possess ZERO experience running a business. Therefore, once the initial excitement of starting a new home-based business dies down, most people are faced with daunting challenge of figuring out how to generate income.
In order for your business to take off, you have to develop a customer base. Also, if you're looking to expose your MLM opportunity to others, you have to generate leads.

And how do you do that? Marketing and advertising.

If you're a home business owner and are starting off with little to no marketing budget, you're forced to find a way to generate customers and leads in cheap, inexpensive ways. Fortunately, the power of the Internet and the rise of Web 2.0 provides great options for business owners working on a budget.

Here are three great methods for marketing and advertising your business online...without breaking the bank:

Method #1 - Content Marketing - This method of marketing allows you to supply content based on relevant material that people are looking for. Chances are, if you're reading this article, you were looking for ways to market your network marketing opportunity in cheaper ways.

Content Marketing is very powerful because it allows you to provide readers with information. In most cases, people aren't looking for an opportunity to join. They're looking for information about the opportunity, as well as ways they can be successful, develop an exisiting business, and countless other things.

People don't come to the Internet to be sold on an opportunity. They come to gather information. And by providing the information they're looking for, you position yourself as the person they want to work with.

Your content can be in the form of Articles, Press Releases, Squidoo Lenses, Blogs, and Videos.

Method #2 - Social Media - We now live in a world of interconnectivity and transparency. We have the rise of social media to thank for that. We are now a point-and-click away from connecting with people across the globe.

Social Media is a fantastic, and FREE, way to promote your opportunity. The trick is...you don't want to blatantly push links to your websites in front of people and spend your day "selling." These networks are great places to meet new people and expand your knowledge.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, and several others are great for establishing relationships. The key to tying this to your business is to talk to people, share insight, mastermind with them, and implement ideas. The strategies they provide can enhance your business practices and, since you've developed rapport, they'll be far more likely to check out your opportunity than they would be if you had just spammed them a link to your site without taking the time to know them first.

Method #3 - Videos - I mentioned videos in Methods 1 and 2, but it's one of the strongest methods of inexpensive marketing available. There are over 100 million video views on YouTube EVERY DAY! Without question, with that much traffic, this is a website where you want your business exposed.

Videos are a great way for you to speak to your viewers and provide them with a way to get to know you before you ever talk to them one-on-one. Network Marketing is a people business, meaning people interact with other people. By shooting a quick video on a relevant topic, you give your viewer an inside look at your personality that may not necessarily come across in words and pictures.

One important tip to remember with videos is that you're not in Hollywood. Your video doesn't have to be 100% perfect. It simply has to convey a message and demonstrate your personality.

These three methods, if implemented correctly, can provide a solid foundation to begin your marketing efforts. Once you begin to see results, you can continue utilizing these tools, as well as add new methods to your arsenal. Making the decision to become a master marketer means mastering every aspect of each marketing method that's made available to you.

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Today's Leadership Insight - Be Great or Be Mediocre

September 1st, 2009

You are given two choices on how to live your life. You can choose to be great, or you can choose to be mediocre. You can never be both.

Implementing mediocrity into your life will bleed into everything you do. Your leadership, your marketing efforts, your attitude towards others, and all other aspects of your practices will suffer tremendous setbacks if you don't push mediocrity behind you.

In your network marketing opportunity, the people you see lighting up the leader board on a consistent basis have made the choice to be great. It's impossible to earn top recognition from mediocre effort. These people have made the decision they want to lead a great life and they'll stop at nothing to make sure it happens. They have made themselves more attractive and positioned themselves to help others reach similar goals simply because they've developed a 'never say die' attitude that radiates to everyone they connect with.

Making the transition from mediocre to great doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to develop a routine that allows you to think and act a certain way. It's an ongoing process of personal development and education. You'll never learn everything there is to learn about every subject...but opening your mind allows more knowledge to enter. And knowledge leads to greatness.

Here are four "great" tips to help you start the transformation:

1. Develop a "Great" Mindset - You'll never achieve greatness unless you believe in greatness. Your thoughts will dominate your actions. So instead of thinking like a mediocre person who is willing to accept defeat, begin thinking like a great leader who will stop at nothing to make sure goals are met.

2. Stand toe-to-toe with Adversity - Never, ever be afraid of a challenge. Can you imagine how boring life would be if everything came easy? Challenges, struggles, and adversities sculpt and mold leaders. A leader meets a challenge head-on and welcomes a struggle. Overcoming a struggle builds confidence and knowledge, and gives you a success skill that can be used repeatedly as you move forward.

3. Shatter Limitations - A great leader knows no boundaries. And if a barricade is presented, a leader runs right through it. You can't achieve success without the fear of failure, and it's impossible to conquer failure if you're content living within the confines of limitations. This stunts development and will lead to a daily grind of mediocrity that will wear you down in small increments.

4. Take Massive Action - The first three are a direct result of this crucial step. Without action, everything is simple thought. It can be easy to envision a lifestyle, a large bank account, or a life of recognition. But what steps will you take to make those visions reality? You must plan your attack, then attack your plan! Don't be afraid to fail. Chalk your failures up to experience, then move forward in a smarter, more experienced manner.

Today's mission: Be Great.

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