Author Archive
The Weekly Game Plan – Maintenance:Protecting You Perfomance Potential
Posted by: | CommentsBuilding your business is extremely hard work. Some of the hardest work you will ever to. It is critical you protect your capacity to produce. Maintaining balance in the four main areas of your life (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) provides you the power you need to face the challenges. You and I need daily fortification and strengthening in each area.
PREFSS Provide Protection
I have set for myself a minimum daily requirement I call my PREFSS. PREFSS are the preferred activities of each day required for health, personal growth and overall well-being. These activites provide the strength you and I need to perform the difficult and demanding duties of each day.You will want to find your own personal preferred activities to set as minimum daily requirements for you.
My Personal PREFSS Are:
Pray/Ponder – Morning and evening formally and throughout the day, informally, in our heart as I feel the need.
Rest Rise/Retire – Rest is vital for rejuvenation. Too much sleep leaves me droggy. Too little, I’m on edge or without strength.
Exercise -Brain over body through physical exercise for strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. The exercise of control my actions (like eating the wrong stuff) adds strength of character.
Follow – Follow my gut, my intuition and my mentor in my daily actions. I strive to choose my course of action based on how I feel. Usually the cumulative results are amazing AND I “feel” good about my choices!
Study – I study the scriptures and sacred rite for strength, learning and edification. I also study “good books” for further development. I try to spread my study between depth and breadth. Depth in our area of specialty. Breadth in the classics of good literature to make us whole, balanced and well rounded.
Service – Service with sacrifice is the way good works get done. This action helps me get out of my selfish ways and consider the place of others.
These PREFSS are my preferred path for me each day. Yours will likely be different. Make sure your daily preferred actions touch each of the primary areas of YOU.
Track Daily Performance
I use a paper planner to track daily my performance in each of these areas. While each day all these items may not get accomplished, I can quickly see if a few days are missed. When this happens, I get focused and make sure the missed item is completed today. The paper planner gives me a readily visible way to hold myself accountable. Works for me.
You and I will protect our capacity to produce as we make our PREFSS the daily minimum standard for our activities. Remember to assure your PREFSS cover each are of YOU (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual).
My PREFSS server me well in maintaining my health and personal development while I work hard to build the business of my dreams. I hope you find the activities you need to maintain your capacity to perform and produce at effective levels. Remember establish your preferred activities and make them the your daily minimum standard. Track your actions make this the habit for your character development. It makes the difference!
The Weekly Game Plan – Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsWith our Mission in Mind, We are ready to plan the “movement” desired
for progress this week as we Ponder, Plan, Project and Perform.
It Looks like this:
1. Ponder: I initiate the movement phase of my planning by pondering where I’d like to see myself at the end of the week. I cycle through each of my roles and picture what the end of the week is like. Each project is also considered. What is the next step to move it forward.
2. Plan: With the desired results in mind I examine each Role in my life and establish or review the Goals I have for that role. With each Role/Goal combination I record the ‘Next Action’ needed to make progress?” That item is added to the to do list and prioritize highly. Next I ask “Is there something needed in this role? If there is I add it to the list but with a low priority. Each role can only have one or two High Priority items.
3. Project: Next, I look at all the high priority items and manage them as a project manager. I look at their needs for resource and the best time and context for delivering on them within the performance periods of the day.
After looking at the priority items through the eyes of a project manager I try to foresee barriers and walls by projecting into the future the risks associated with each item. Here I formulate plan “b” type actions or end around the walls or how to blast through the walls (barriers). Additional action items, like communicating to additional stake holders or including additional players come into the to do list in this process.
I share my prioritize list of action items for the week with my accountability partner/weekly Game Plan Mentor.
4. Perform: The rest of the week I work off the prioritized list for each role while adjusting what I’m working on based on context. Context being the physical location, the time available, the energy level and timing for others involved. At any given moment I tend to work on the prioritized list but only as it is effective in the context of the day.
At the end of the week and sometimes sooner I get with my accountability partner and assess how I am doing on the prioritized list of critical items. In some areas if the goals for that area are obtained easily and there is extra time for that role/goal the next items on the list are ready to be worked on.
The prioritized plan for the week in each Role/Goal area drive continual progress in each area. It feels good to be doing so many worthy activities daily. The feeling of increased control builds confidence in my ability to do the things that matter most.
The Weekly Game Plan – Overview/Step1
Posted by: | CommentsMy weekly planning process looks at my life through four different filters.
1. Mission / Vision for My Roles & Goals
2. Movement / Proactive Progress
3. Maintenance / Sharpening the saw
4. Mistakes / Repenting & Repairing weaknesses
Following the leadership of Stephen Covey in “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” I strive to get in touch with the mission and the vision I have for my life. The four things I do initially are Vision, Validate, Verify and View.
1. Vision: I read my mission statement and connect with the I have for my life.
2. Validate: I then reflect on what I’ve read and make sure this is what I want for my life. Usually, it is just a node of the head. Sometimes it is a tweak in an area or two.
3. Verify: Next, I state to myself the rewards and advantages of the validated vision. I ask myself Is this really what I want from life. Is it what my Heavenly Father wants for me? How do I feel about it? If I feel good I go forward if not I go back and validate it again until it does feel right.
4. View: Finally, I close my eyes and strive to see the end of my life. Sometimes, I even try to see my funeral or me giving my “Last Lecture” (like Randy Pausch’s). I try to see what people remember about me. Particularly people closest too me.
For some this exercise helps them identify “Why” they do what they do. In this regard Tracy Monteforte on her PowerLine Blog put her process out like this:
Determine your “WHY” Today!
Get A Notebook and make it a nice one that you’ll enjoy working in. This will become your road map to success and will be with you through the duration of your journey.
Find a nice quiet place without any distractions. Prepare to spend at least 30 minutes on this exercise. Don’t worry about how your answers sound. Just free flow write. This is fun and can be very revealing!
- If I didn’t have to work for a living what would I love to do?
- If I were given $10 million dollars (tax free!) what would I do with it? (Of course you’d pay the bills, but after that) No limits here, write it ALL down!
- If I just found out I had six (healthy) months to live, what would I do with the rest of my life (your “Bucket List”)?
Identifying Your “WHY” Helps You Define Your True Purpose In Life!
Now try to determine the essence of these desires. Ask yourself, “if I did this, or had that, what would it bring to me?” These thoughts should reveal to you the lifestyle you want and the type of person you aspire to be.
When you know your purpose, you can put passion behind it. When you move forward with passion, there’s no stopping you and others will be attracted to follow you! Therein lies the key to success in your home-based business!
Once you have your reason, your “Why” or your “Mission/Vision” for life you can build the path to accomplish your dreams. Go do it!
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” —Robert Byrne
Quick Compensation Plan Comparisons
Posted by: | CommentsComparing compensation plans of different network marketing companies is very difficult. Each program has it’s own unique characteristics. When you ask a distributor or the company often the answers you get are tentative, soft and illusive. No more. I just hear a simple way to compare compensation plans over the long haul and a formula to help see if people will stay with the company on the short term.
For the long haul you can compare compensation plans with this formula advocated by Michael Dlouhy. Ask the 10K question:
How many active distributors do I need in my downline to produce a walk away residual income of $10,000 a month?
Make sure your answer hits every element of the question. ACTIVE DISTRUBUTORS and WALK AWAY RESIDUAL are key. Make sure the answer does not include bonuses or other one time addition all earned income. Walk away means you can stop working on the company and the income will continue to flow without penalty or punishment.
The get a feel for the likelyhood a distributor will remain active you ask the 1/2 K question:
If I bring $500 worth of business into the company what will I make?
You will look to assure the amount you make will cover your costs and produce enough income to keep you motivated and involved. Not enough money coming in is a reason why people will drop out of the company.
So there you have the quick once over of how to evaluation compensation plans. The lower the number of distributors needed to provide $10,000 in a good indication of an excellent earning opportunity. The higher the number you get for the $500 (1/2 K) the stronger the plan is for you and for the short term success of your distributors.
Enjoy your new found tool for accurate comparisons of company compensation plans. I hope it opens you to the realities of building your network marketing company.
Contacting and Inviting: Prospecting the 7Cs
Posted by: | CommentsProspecting is the key to Network Marketing business success. Prospecting is contacting and inviting. I carry out these 2 process with the fine tuned 7 C’s.
The 7 C’s key actions are:
- Contact
- Converse
- Connect
- Communicate
- Commit
- Call to Action
- Commence
Contact – Begin the dialog by asking a question or making a statement. Dial the number, smile, break the silence. Catch the person’s eye and wish them a good day. Wave. Do what is necessary. Make contact.
Converse – Talk in terms of the prospects interests. Explore detail of topics they mention with probing questions. As the conversation moves forward the prospect is sharing and so are you. By asking good probing questions you are discovering if they are prepared and ready to learn more about you and/or your business endeavors.
Connect – Through out the conversation you are seeking to find connections between you and them AND connections between what your business offers and the problems they need solved. Once you find common connections you are ready to really communicate.
Communicate – Once common connections are discovered you can communicate at the next level. There is empathy and understanding beyond just the words. Through this connection and the communication following the relationship of trust is established. There is a level of agreement on the problem to be solved.
Commit – With the problem discovered there needs to be a commitment and desire to do something about the problem. Without commitment there is no need to make a call to action. They are not ready until they can commit they want to make a change to apply a solution to their problem.
Call to Action – With the commitment made to DO something to solve their problem they are ready for the call to action. The call to action is an INVITATION to explore the solution more fully. This invitation may be to get on a call or watch a DVD or to meet up to discuss the solution to their problem more fully.
Commence - When the prospect actual carries out the action required to demonstrate their desire to solve their problem using your solution THEN they are ready to commence on to the next step. It is in their response to the call for action which qualifies them for your time and attention. It is here they are included the next steps.
Using good conversation techniques and probing questions you will soon be good at taking the conversation through connections to communications. In the deeper communications you will help the prospect to reveal the real problems the are seeking to solve. They qualify themselves for the solution you have or not.
Their commitment to change the situation opens the door for the invitation of a call to action. The prospect then communicates their intentions through their response to the call to action.
You will commence in further developing the relationship AND help them with their problem as they full fill the call for action. The problem and the needed solution can be applied to the prospects situation and they will thank you for helping them.
We are in the problem solving business. We are master communicators. We help our prospects achieve their goal only as well as we help them reveal their real problem and assure it matches solutions we provide.
Hope to see you sailing the 7Cs of prospecting!
Core Four by Four
Posted by: | CommentsThere is an eternal principle that must be followed for success in any endeavor. The farmer lives by the laws of the harvest. He plants before he harvests. Businesses is also driven by a set of laws. When followed the desired results follows. I’ve heard of an networker and some religious practitioners putting it this way:
- “There is a law, irrevocable decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated- and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law upon which it is predicated.”
If you knew the law you could guarantee your success by following the law upon which success is predicated.
Several Network Leaders teach principles and practices they discovered as key to their success. I’d suggest these are the core commitments and key practices which are likely to lead to your success if followed.
Jeff Olsen advocates finding and developing business partners who are “CORE”. These are the people who willing to make and keep the 10 core commitments he used to build a huge organization.
Here are his 10 Core Commitments:
- Be here a year from now.
- Personal development – Read 10 pages a day, Listen to good stuff 15 minutes a day, Associate with possitive people, attend a seminar at least 1 time a quarter.
- Work with a “Workout” partner.
- Do 2 exposures a day. Get a third party resource into the hands of prospects.
- Attend you weekly meeting and “Master the Mundane”.
- Send out a long distant package each week.
- Attend fast start training.
- Attend Regional and / or Super Saturday Events.
- Sponsor to Sponsor: Sponsor heavily before big events so the new sponsors can bring their people to the event.
- Make a Weekly Game Plan weekly with your workout partner.
Bryan Robert, a successful network marketer, admonishes his people to follow 10 steps to success. His ten steps are:
- Identify your whys. (Why you are in business? What is it you want because of your business?)
- Make you list of 100 people you know.
- Make goals.
- Make and keep commitments.
- Make weekly goals.
- Read good, positive books.
- Get plugged in to the event system.
- Become a good inviter.
- Learn your business.
- Be a leader.
In these and other suggestions for success you begin to see some essential principles and practices which lead to success. Here is how I have joined and reorganized them for my mind to remember them in a way that is duplicatable.
Principles and Practices assembled into what I call my 4×4 Core (or is it my Core 4×4) Please add your comments to help me decide.
- Be Here at least a Year
- Know WHY you are in business
- You are HERE because of people on your LIST
- Persistence Pays
- Success requires Consistent Effort over time
- Personal Development
- Work with at least One Positive Workout Partner and Edify Your Associates
- Make contact with 5 people a day.
- Read 10 pages a day from positive “good” literature.
- Listen 15 minutes a day from business building audio/video resources.
- Plug-in to available events and resources.
- Weekly Game Plan Interview (Commit to reach weekly goals in line with long term goals).
- Attend at least one Weekly Meeting and Call (Master the Mundane).
- Engage in at least one weekly training activity.
- Build for and attend all super Saturdays, regional and corporate events.
- Work Consistently.
- Execute your game plan daily.
- 2 new exposures to your product/opportunity daily.
- Deliver on least one long distant package weekly.
- Sponsor to Sponsor: Sponsor people in so they can sponsor to the big events.
I like the idea of having the CORE 4×4 get me through the rough road on my way from A to B (Where I Am and Where I want to Be!)
I also like the clustering of it as commitments into a simple repeatable positive affirmation:
- I am HERE,
- Developing Personally,
- Plugged in,
- Working Consistently.
I haven’t build an organization, but I think a simple metaphor for commitment, performance and duplication will work as I build my team. I’ll let you know how it goes.
The Regional Event
Posted by: | CommentsWow. Where did all these people come from? Over one hundred people in the meeting hall. I was shocked. The drone noise of conversation was only turned down by the local leader calling everybody to quiet over the sound system.
Greetings and introductions revealed the company Owner, Master Distributor and top producers were each to share in the presentation. The meeting was both an opportunity and training meeting.
The Opportunity
Again Company, Product, Compensation, Timing, Position and Leadership were covered quickly. Then the owner was invited to share his story.
The Owner
Amazing how some people just think different that the masses. He went to Brazil got a mix of key elements and identifies a charitable organization to give back to. The product grew out of lab work. What a story of planning and preparation. Setting up not only a sure product but all the logistics of running a manufacturing who maintains GMP certification (GOOD Manufacturing Practices). Office space people, shipping, Credit Card processing merchant accounts, customer service and all. A lot to possible go wrong for the first time network marketing. A big cost for startups. Good thing this company owner has done it before. Office space, room for growth and all paid for before entering pre-aunch January 09. Impressive.
Top Producers
Next some top producers reminding all involved network marketing is a sorting business. The demonstrated this by pouring out 10 M&M from a bag. They picked up the first one and asked it it was green. “NO”. Then they tried to change it into a green one. No luck. This was repeated until the 2 green ones were identified and included in the business. Those are the numbers as they are working now. 2 of 10 approached got into the business. Pretty good averages.
Staying Plugged-in to the trainings, conference calls, and other events was one session. Another on using your upline two leves to build your downline two generations. Then you need to step up as the leader to build down into third generation and beyond.
Doing the simple things needed to go from point A to B were covered. A is where you “A”re and B is where you want to “B”e. The “C”ourse of action is the C. The course includes long them goals, commitments and weekly goals. It takes the little steps each day to eat the elephant a bite at a time. Stay with it and you will have success.
Master Distributor
The Master Distributor, Bryan Robert , presented his experience with network marketing companies. He has a love hate relationship with the industry. He love the way the industry helps people succeed. He dislikes the negative perception many have and the negative way some in the industry over promise and under deliver. He reminded us all that too often hype that is so prevalent in the industry. He then called it as it really is. Not everybody will be at the top rank. Many will not make it. Those that do will be paying a price to get there. For most the rewards of a part time effort can be enough to change their life. People do not typically need to have thousands of dollars per month. They usually need a few hundred to make a big difference in their lives. This business and industry can do that for people willing to work hard.
Bryan gave a lot of other good advice on how to take advantage of the opportunity in a realistic way. He spoke as a straight shooter. He really does not hype things up. Instead he tries to under promise and over deliver. He encouraged all there to do the same.
Bryan’s final advice was “Don’t squander the opportunity.”
The room exploded into clapping and cheers. Boy people can make a lot of noise when they want to.
Overall the event was filled with good training and suggestions worthy for any “New Networker”. This, the companies first “regional” event, was meaningful to the participants.
Participation in the events help to motivate the entire group and move the you as a networker to the next level. You see success in others and it builds belief in your potential and that of your team.
I’ll go again when the event come to our region.
The Opportunity Meeting
Posted by: | CommentsThe Opportunity Meetings conducted in this company cover six areas:
Company
Product
Compensation
Timing
Positioning
Leadership
Here is some of what they said in the meeting. Some were spoken by the leaders while other statements were spoken by individuals involved in the company. (This explains a little about why the text changes voice. Sorry about that.)
About the COMPANY:
Is the company in debt? Are investors involved? Beware. They are thee first ones to pull out if things get difficult.
In 2004 the OWNER came out of retirement to assure there will be a payback for the little guy. He wants to pay the little people, those trying to build the busines.
The OWNER is the single backer of the company. When you change something you can no longer guarantee there is no change. The owner does not report to investors. Huge guarantee there will always be a check. He has 320 million in sales and given back 150 million to the distributors.
Company is so firm and solid.
So glad came to this new company. I Love it and I’m excited. I can’t seem to get a job thanks to the interview rat race. More than just the money, I’m growing so much as a person.
I had joined a networking company that did not meet the criteria for being strong. Now that company is having trouble. I’m glad I found this new opportunity.
About the PRODUCT :
The drink. It may not be the very best product. It is very good health for you. It is better for you than what most people are drinking. It is made of a lot of excellent ingredients. Helps with various no crash, no jitters. Helping people with lots of challenges they face. Especially those with fatigue and no energy.
People who buy the product are product users. They like it and they want it. You can buy it wholesale and sell it retail. Many of these people are then asking about the businesess. You will make money if you work.
You are not approaching people to sell them. You are just sharing. You share the product and they ask for more. They ask for more information about the company. They often start prospecting who else would like the product before you even ask them.
About the COMPENSATION:
Get paid 3 ways. 1. Bonus on each person who signs in. You get money immediately. 2. You get paid a percentage of the business volume. 3. You get a check match for 7 generations. You work. You get paid. It is a hybrid binary compensation plan.
Get a check the first week. Edify upline. Help each other. Looking for leaders in this company. No hype. Just simple facts and direction.
About TIMING:
Industry timing is fabulous. Network Marketing is becoming more accepted an effective business model.
This product launch timing is the best. Just a few month since the launch into the market place on the firm foundation and infrastructure of 17 year old merchant accounts, private funding and proven leadership. No debt. No Investors.
The number of distributors is still very few. Just getting going nationally and internationally. A fabulous opportunity.
About the POSITION:
My position in the company makes a difference. The company I was with were with was telling us lies.
Early enrollment means we are poised to enjoy great growth. There are plenty of opportunities with being so near the top.
About the LEADERSHIP:
Multi Millionaire who built multiple network marketing downlines to over 100,000 people in multiple companies. He knows how to teach others and lead the team.
Training calls are on the training site. I listen to a call every day or so. I remember what I hear.
There is a lot of negative attitudes out there against network marketing because of the hype and pressure. This company is different.
It is a personal devalopment paycheck. How if your why is big enough the how will take care of itself. Write your goals.
There was no bashing of other companies, only respectful statements of thoughts.
The leadership here does not believe in hype. They tell you it will take 3-5 years of HARD WORK. This is not get rich quick.
09:09:09-09-09-09
Posted by: | CommentsLife is our connection. We each just shared a moment. 09:09:09-09-09-09 Amazing. All the human race and each individual, in their own moment, shares each one.
Such abundance in such a scarce moment. A single event multiplied out to the multitudes. Reflected upon long enough, even a moment stretches on through the ages for an individual. If a mass collective event, the time in reflection, holds that moment for an eternity.
What of this moment? Yes, that one that just passed. You were reading. Was it meaningful? What can we do in any moment to make it meaningful to ourselves? to others?
Live in the moment. Fully. Connect. To all humanity at this shared moment proclaim, “Rejoice in the eternity of this shared moment!”
