Treasure Your Dreams

Hands down, one of my favorite things about my chosen profession is that you can incorporate your work into your already busy lifestyle.

I’ve always known this was possible, but it took a long time for me to actually “get it” — once I did though, my life and my business changed incredibly!

Admittedly, before I “got it” my day-to-day schedule was pretty boring. Like most people, I lived for the weekends and for vacations. One of the few advantages I had over the typical 9-5 person was that I was in charge of my schedule — but I was looking for more benefits than that.

I can’t pinpoint an exact moment when I began to make the shift… from living with two separate schedules (life and work) to blending my day into a fun mix of the two… I don’t believe there really was such a moment; more of a gradual change as my mind began to truly wrap around what was possible.

I have always read about lifestyling your business — it’s something I’ve heard about from many different trainers, and even taught on myself. It took several years though for me to finally begin living it!

Yesterday I spent less than 3 hours in the “office” — I was gone from 11:30 – 4:30 eating lunch, shopping and going to a movie with my Nana and my little sister. Talk about a rough Monday

While I was gone though, I met 4 prospective business partners… the man who processed my order at Kinkos; the waiter at Cheddars; and the two people behind the counter at KKs Craft Mall. If you’re a Network Marketer who is actively building a team, then you know prospecting is the lifeblood of your business. Without people to talk to, your business can’t grow, and your team cannot develop. I would have never met 4 people yesterday had I chosen to sit at home and “work” instead of to go out and “play” !

Sometimes I look at the giant calendar on my desk and wonder how on earth I ever get any work done…  appointments like shopping with my Mom, attending church functions and volunteering are scribbled all over it. Then I think back though and remember all the conversations that have come out of those activities. I think about all the presentations that have come out of those conversations, and all the new business partners (and friends) I will have the privilege of working with all because I chose to meld my work time with my play time.

I think back to the time, not too terribly long ago, when I would spend my work day making 50+ phone calls to prospects who had answered an ad online. This worked. I built a good business doing it. But it wasn’t NEAR as much fun as lifestyling! 

So my question to you is this — when you’re playing are you working, and when you’re working are you playing? If you’re not, then you haven’t truly discovered the joys of this industry! You shouldn’t stop living your life because you’re too busy working, but then neither should you stop working because you’re too busy living your life. If you will learn how to combine the two though, your life (and your business) will never be the same!

The quote I leave you with is this, by Arnold Glasgow:

“Make your life a mission — not an intermission.”

Yesterday I was asked to drop everything on my schedule for the next 3 days to attend a “workshop” with two other leaders where we would learn a new method to test in building our businesses.

You read that right… I was asked. As in, I had a choice.

That’s probably one of my favorite things about being a Network Marketer — having choices, to do or not to do things when, where and how I want to. I’m all about choices!

I had a regular J-O-B for a couple of years, and I bet you can guess what my least favorite thing about it was. The work was pretty fun, the people were enjoyable (most of the time), and pay was even pretty good. What I absolutely hated though, was knowing that I HAD to be there at the office when they told me to be. I had no choices!

If I wanted to take the weekend off, I had to plan it weeks in advance. If I wanted to sleep in an extra hour, or leave a little early, I had to plan that too. Everything was dictated by someone’s schedule… and it wasn’t mine!

There’s another cool thing though –

When I was asked to drop everything to attend this workshop, it would have taken some pretty pressing engagements for me to say “no”. Why? Because attending this workshop means that I get to spend 3 days with two of my friends, gathered around the kitchen table having lots of fun and learning some pretty cool things too.

When you love the people you work with, and when you love the work you do, you will really never work a day in your life.

We had so much FUN yesterday — drinking our Life Shotz together between breakfast and lunch, pausing the CD every few minutes because one of us had a “great idea” and laughing almost nonstop for the majority of the day.

I know today and tomorrow will be full of the same activities — and better yet, I know that next week will be a powerful week in my business because when we leaders get together, we ALWAYS come up with something great!

The quote I leave you with today is this, by Peter Drucker:

“The best way to predict the future is to create it!”

“Oh, it’s one of those pyramid things.” — by far the most common response I receive when I share my business with someone. I usually respond with a smile and the words, “Yes… kind of,” because what people usually mean is it is one of “those deals” where the person who gets in at the top makes all the money, and those who get in later do not.

And that is not the case at all!

Have you ever thought of this though? Isn’t everything a pyramid?

Take Corporate America for example… let’s say, McDonald’s.

The CEO is at the very top of the McDonalds Corporation. Obviously, as the person at the very top, he probably earns the most income.

Let’s jump down to the franchise owners — the owners of each individual McDonald’s store. Not quite as high up as the CEO, but not at the bottom either. Their income is somewhere in the middle.

Let’s look at the managers — below the franchise owners, so they will obviously make less than them, but they still earn more than…

The minimum wagers — the 16 and 17 year old kids who go to work for McDonald’s at minimum wage. Their at the bottom, so obviously they are making the least.

“Oh, but they have the opportunity to move up!” you say. That is true. Everyone has the opportunity to move up. But what are the odds that a minimum wager will eventually become the CEO? Sure, there’s a chance. But what percentage of them actually do that?

My guess is much less than 1%.

So let’s jump over and look at Network Marketing. I have a book, “Chicken Soup for the Network Marketer’s Soul.” that describes in its foreward one of the most incredible descriptions of our industry I have ever read. I would like to share an excerpt of that with you here, written by Bill Hyman:

“Since 1979, MLM has pretty much been my life. When I was first introduced to this industry, I knew nothing about it except vague rumors. Today I see it as the most powerful vehicle available to everyday people for transforming their lives. What other career path give you an active network of friends, time freedom, an income level you can control, residual earning, and deep, lasting personal growth?

Not the corporate world, last I checked.

When you realize you receive all of these benefits only by helping others achieve the same, you get a glimpse at what the industry is all about.

Call it MLM, Multi-Level Marketing, Network Marketing or Direct Sales; this industry is a force to be reckoned with. More than thirteen million people in the U.S. and more than fifty three million worldwide are involved in Network Marketing. In one out of ten U.S. households, someone is working in a Direct Sales or MLM company. U.S. sales are over $30 billion annually as of this writing and almost $90 billion worldwide.

Network Marketing affords you the opportunity to establish a business with an investment typically under $500, start out part-time, shift to full-time at your own speed, and build up a truly substantial income (provided you’re willing to put the work in), all while receiving hands-on training.

Network Marketing is like having a franchise, only better. It offerse many of the benefits of a franchise without the franchise headaches — no hefty franchise fee, no employees, and little or no inventory. The business is willable and saleable. Plus, if you build it big enough, you can actually retire and continue earning income.”

 

Wow. So THAT’S what I do!

Network Marketing is an arena where you are the only person in control of your future. Whether you succeed or fail is entirely up to you; whether you work until you’re earning $1000 a month or $30,000 a month is up to you; whether you work it 10 hours a week or 50 hours a week is up to you!

You have all the options of a business owner, with all the support of a franchisee — and instead of competing against others for job titles and pay raises, you support and are supported by others as you all strive for your goals together.

So in a nutshell, that’s what my business is all about. I’m in the business of helping others achieve THEIR dreams. It’s as simple as that!

The quote I leave you with today is one of my favorites, by Zig Ziglar:

“You can have anything you want, if you help enough people get what they want.”

I realize I don’t usually blog about my business, but there was something on my mind today that I want to share!

At our company convention a couple of weeks ago, Michael Clouse was our keynote speaker and he shared a little about the negative programing we are raised with. Our parents, who try to protect us by teaching us
“Don’t talk to__________”, try to teach us good manners by saying “Don’t speak until ___________”, and “Children should be seen and not ______________” (you fill in the blanks), in reality taught us to grow up with a deep rooted fear of talking to people we don’t know!

Aside from that, not only are we afraid to approach others, but when someone whom we don’t know approaches us — we immediately become suspicious and brand them as “weird”.

Two events have happened to me in the past week that got me thinking more about this topic –

#1 — At the grocery store last week, there was a little boy (about 2 years old) shopping with his Mom. We crossed paths a few times as we went up and down the aisles, and each time we did this little boy would smile, wave and say “HI!!!” then as I walked away he would say (just as enthusiastically) “BYE!!”

And what did his mother do? Absolutely NOTHING! She averted her eyes, turned away, and acted like, if anything, she was actually embarassed by the behavior of her child. How sad, that society has taught us to be embarassed about approaching others.

Chances are, I probably will never see this little boy again — but I would be willing to bet a fair amount that if our paths did cross again, 3, 4, or 5 years from now, that little boy would no longer wave and say “Hi” to me as I walked by. Instead, he will probably stand there quietly and watch me pass without saying a word.

Situation #2: There is a man who lives down the street from my house who has a slight mental disability. He is often seen walking down the street on his way to or from the corner store. Each time I drive past this man in my car, he smiles as big as he can, and waves.

Now, I live in Texas — *smile*, and a casual wave from passersby is actually quite common; but the enthusiasm this man puts behind his wave and his smile would have you think he had been your best friend for years! Even for Texas, that’s a bit over the top. It made me start wondering though, how different our world would be if everyone you met on the street waved and smiled at each other so enthusiastically.

As a Network Marketer, you have to overcome this deep rooted fear to talk to people you don’t know. You have to get up the nerve to say “HI!” to people in the grocery store, and give enthusiastic smiles to those you meet. You have to retrain yourself to “walk and talk” and share your incredible business opportunity with everyone!

It will be hard to do at first — a little uncomfortable, a little scary. Just like for that boy in the grocery store it is a little uncomfortable to sit quietly in the grocery cart without talking. Overtime though, that boy will learn to be quiet… just as you will learn to talk again.

The quote I leave you with today is this, by Michael S Clouse:

“If you want this thing to work, you must work this thing you want.”

 

 

Have you ever read “Beach Money” by MLM Millionaire, Jordan

Adler? This book, and this man were really my inspiration for

seeking out and joining a local BNI Chapter here in my area.

Jordan Adler says that 25% of his monthly residual check of over

$80,000 (yes, I said MONTHLY) comes from people he and/or his

team members while being an active member in their local BNI

Chapters. I don’t know about you, but that was enough to get me

interested!

I searched the website and found a local group that was 1

member short of having enough people to charter and become an

official BNI Chapter. Diane Hart (the regional director for BNI)

asked me to attend their weekly meeting and check it out – she said

this would be the last week they would accept visitors before

chartering and if I didn’t come then I would have to wait about 2 ½ months (until after

the Grand Opening) to attend a meeting.

I was VERY nervous about my first meeting… to the point that I drove into the parking

lot, business cards and notepad in hand, and parked at the back so I could use Michael

Clouse’s “Mirror” method safely without being seen. After about 5 minutes of psyching

myself up I walked into the hotel conference room to find a room full of what at the time

looked like a bunch of grumpy old business men in suits. Yikes!

I was almost back out the door (this didn’t look like something I would be interested in)

when one of the 3 ladies in the room approached me and said “Jordan?”

It was Diane, and she was just “sooo glad!” I was able to make it to the meeting… she

quickly ushered me over to the sign-in table where one of “the suits” wrote my name down

and asked if I would be paying by cash or check for lunch. Unfortunately, I only had a

debit card on me (my checkbook was in the car) so I informed him I would “be right back”

and off I went out of the building.

Once back in my car I went so far as to start the engine, throw it in reverse and actually

re-park two rows over before I convinced myself that “I am the best” and “Everyone loves

me”. I turned off the car, grabbed my checkbook and headed back in to face the suits.

That was one of the hardest and most beneficial business decisions I have ever made.

I wrote out my check and handed it to the suit at the sign-in table (who I later

discovered is a fellow MLMer) and stood around awkwardly shaking hands with one of the

nicest groups of people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

After finding a seat in as inconspicuous of an area as I could find, sitting through the

hour and a half meeting and standing up in front of the group to give my “Sales Manager

Minute” (more about that later) I was hooked. Diane gave me an application to fill out and

send back and I was on my way!

Unfortunately, my nerves returned as quickly as the adrenaline from the high energy

room left. I spent the remainder of the afternoon convincing (or attempting to convince)

my mom that this “wasn’t for me” but she wasn’t having it. So, reluctantly I returned the

following week with my application and $430 check in hand.

It took about 5 minutes of “mirroring” before I was able to walk in, but I was once again

greeted by a group of friendly people who all seemed to remember my name (though I

could remember few of theirs). I went through the same awkward greetings, sat in the

same seat and recited the same Manger Minute as the week before.

This feeling carried on for quite a few weeks – to the point where I would stress so

much the day before the meeting and I woke up with a severe migraine two Tuesdays in a

row and actually got dressed and ready for the grand opening event before throwing up

and deciding not to go. Luckily, that feeling is gone now – and I can honestly say that I

genuinely look forward to my Tuesday lunch dates with some of Lubbock’s finest business

people!

You may be wondering why I shared all of this with you, and some of you are probably

thinking that BNI sounds like the scariest thing on earth and a person would have to be

insane to even attempt it.

Not insane, just determined.

Every time I got scared, I picture that check. 25% percent of $80,000 – or $20,000 a

month from joining BNI and encouraging his team to do the same. That was enough for

me to get over my fears, step out of my comfort zone and attend those meetings.

In the past 2 ½ months that I have been a part of BNI I have sold 6 gift baskets totaling

$350 in sales (and I was out of town for almost a month during this time). In addition to

that I have received 2 strong fundraising leads and have a meeting with a realtor in the

group this next week to talk about using my gift baskets as closing gifts for her clients – if

all goes well I will be selling a $40-$50 gift basket to her every time she sells a house.

With the holidays coming up several people in our group have approached me about

using my products for Christmas gifts for their clients, employees, family and friends.

Even more than that I now have the opportunity to share my product and what I do

with over 30 local businessmen and women each week – MANY of whom have turned out

to be MLMers themselves.

I highly recommend this for anyone who is wanting to seriously grow their business.

Sure, the start-up fee is a bit steep – make it happen. I will have mine completely paid

back in sales within just a few weeks.

Each week you get 60 seconds to give your Sales Manager Minute stating who you are,

what you do and who your “perfect client” for that week would be. You also have the

opportunity several times a year to give a 10-minute showcase presentation on your

business and product.

Another thing we do is meet up with fellow chapter members in what are called “Oneto-

Ones” for an hour at a time to share a little about ourselves and our businesses with

each other. The entire focus of BNI is to help other people grow THEIR businesses and

have them help you grow yours.

This past week I took my bead stackers to my one-to-one and walked out of there with

an order for a $50.00 gift basket – it’s THAT easy!

It took a lot of work for me to step out of my comfort zone and get involved in this

organization, but now that I am I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity and the

wonderful people I have had the privilege to meet and get to know.

Now, when I walk into that conference room for lunch each Tuesday, I am no longer

greeted with the sight of intimidating suit-wearers. Instead, I am greeted by

- Alan, a veteran MLMer and aspiring public speaker

- Mike, a CPA who recently left the corporate world and started his own firm

- Jonathon, a 23 year old making his future in MLM, just as I am doing

- Greg, a full-time youth minister striving to make his MLM business work for him

- Velma, the lady I’ll go to when I buy my first house

- Tracey, the lady I’ll call to get the mortgage loan for that house

- In addition to the man who now changes the oil in my car, the person I buy my

business cards from, my chiropractor, computer repairman and many more wonderful

people.

BNI has changed my outlook on networking, retail sales and the power of referrals – I

 

 

expect it to do nothing but get better and better over time!