I was searching the WordPress plugins for a plugin to help protect against virus links and I discovered one that checks your blog for broken links. It seemed like a good idea since this blog has been around a while and has a lot of blog comments. I had already noticed a few broken links and fixed them as I found them.

I installed and activated the Broken Link Checker plugin but I got sidetracked and didn’t notice in the Dashboard how many links were broken but today I got the email notification telling me I had 48 broken links. WOW!! That’s a LOT of broken links.

I’m glad I stumbled across Broken Link Checker plugin. A bunch of broken links on your web site or blog isn’t good for your search engine rankings. If you have a lot of broken links it looks like you aren’t keeping up with things on your blog. Search engines are programmed to take things like that into consideration when ranking web sites. They are looking for quality sites. The higher number of broken links lowers the quality of your site in their eyes.

I really appreciate that this plugin sends an email when my site has broken links. It is set to check every 72 hours but you can change that.

Most of the broken links were in comments that were made on posts. Sad to say, many people don’t take their business seriously enough to stick with it and they let their domains go. This is far too common in our industry. This is also why I am glad to have found this plugin. I thought you would appreciate knowing about it if you haven’t been using it already.

Click here to download Broken Link Checker or search in your WordPress Plugins Dashboard.

You never know when you are going to have an opportunity to stir up some interest in your product or the business opportunity you represent. I have never been one who could approach strangers and start talking about my business or products. Maybe you feel uncomfortable with that too. Most of us feel that way.

There is a way to make talking with strangers feel natural and comfortable. If you approach every stranger as a friend you haven’t met yet and just smile and say “HI!”

The key is to ALWAYS BE READY! Always ready to connect with people. That begins with being friendly and having a warm approachable energy that you sending out.

When you are standing in a line at the grocery store or sitting in a waiting room or a variety of other places, there are often opportunities to stir interest in your product or business opportunity. Are you aware and watching for these opportunities?

There are 3 things that will help you attract prospects wherever you go:

1. Have a warm friendly smile on your face.

2. Be conversational with people around you. Look people in the eye and say “Hello. How are you today?” Just be friendly and talk to people. If you appear stressed out and closed off, people will not want to talk. You will also find it difficult to talk to them. You must truly be in a warm and friendly mood. If not, you will repel people rather than attract them.

3. Use a product in front of people. Does your company have a hand lotion or some other product that you could use in front of people? For those of us who market essential oils, this is a super easy tool. I carry an oils pouch and often open it and apply an oil in front of people. My favorites are the ones that are mood uplifting. People will comment on how great it smells and I tell them, “I need an emotional pick me up.” Then I wait for more questions. If I feel more chatty I often ask if they are familiar with medicinal grade essential oils.

Does your company have any products that work well to use in front of people? Another option is an article of clothing, jewelry or accessory with a company slogan or a product slogan. I remember a wonderful pin we used to have that said, “May the Immupower be with you!” That one was great for getting people to ask questions. People were constantly asking what that meant. It was an easy opening for a conversation.

For oily distributors, there are a few more ideas here:
http://crowndiamondtools.soundconcepts.com/c/apparel

Think about what your company has that you can use to generate questions and have something prepared to say when people ask questions.

When you get a spark of interest, make sure you are prepared to share a brochure other marketing piece with your web site address on it. It’s best if you can also get their phone number but at least get something in their hands.

I particularly like the info newspapers that have third party articles related to your field. Sound Concepts is one company that produces these newspapers and other tools for several companies. Check with your upline to see what is available for your products.

There is a spot on the back page to put your contact information. Don’t forget to do this. Be sure to include your web site address.

For Essential Oil related newspapers from Sound Concepts, go to http://www.essentialproductinfo.com

Well, there you have it. There are lots more but hopefully these ideas will help you get the wheels turning. Have fun!!

I always liked this article by John H. Kirk. I have had it in my files for years and shared it with many. I thought you would also enjoy it.

Do You Just Show Up At Your Job and Expect to Get Paid?
by John H. Kirk

A lot of people complain that they don’t make money in MLM. I often ask them if they do any follow up to their downline. In most cases, they respond by saying that they don’t have the time and they don’t like talking to people on the phone. These are the people that just show up at their MLM job and expect to get paid. A few of them will luck out because their upline sponsor didn’t just show up, but the vast majority will not make any money. They will immediately start placing the blame on the program they are in. They will immediately say “this program doesn’t work”. WRONG! The reason they didn’t make any money was because THEY DIDN’T WORK!

MLM is different from most conventional jobs because each person is their own boss and each person sets their own hours. They also get to choose if they work or not. Unlike most regular jobs, there is no one to tell them that they have to be at work by 8:00 A.M and can’t quit until 5:00 P.M. They also know that there is a boss or supervisor watching them to see if they’re doing their work. If they don’t do their work, they will be fired from their job. In MLM, you don’t have that pressure of “do it or get fired”. However, you don’t have that salary cap you have on your regular job. Your income in MLM is only limited by the time and work that you put into it.

As a carpenter before I became involved in MLM, I knew that I couldn’t just show up and expect to get paid. I was an independent contractor and I got paid by how much work I did . . .
not to just show up. I had to invest in the tools of my trade, place advertising to get the jobs and spend countless hours of bidding on jobs that I may or may not get. This was time and money spent before I would ever see a dime! Once I received a job, I could only get paid for the work finished. This meant that my paycheck was directly connected to the amount of work I did. Do you know what would have happened if I had just showed up at the job site and did nothing? I had mt tools; had my job to do! Now all I had to do was sit there and wait for someone to pay me to do nothing! It doesn’t work that way and MLM is no different.

The MLM company provides you with the tools (camera ready materials). It provides you with the job (to build a marketing sales force . . . your downline). You have to not just show up! You must mail your circulars. You have to advertise your business to purchase my tools of the trade and place my advertising). This is where most people who fail in MLM stop. No wonder they don’t make money! They haven’t even bid on any jobs yet. The next step is to bid your jobs. This is done by following up with your downline and getting that commitment to work the program. Yes, you will get some “no thank you’s”. I know that I certainly did when I bid for my jobs in construction. On the average I had to bid 10 in order to get one! Now it’s time to go to work! This is where you get paid for your efforts! It’s now your job to stay in touch with the people who committed to you. You must help them go through the same process of getting their tools, placing their advertising and getting their bids (commitments) and getting them to repeat the process to their downline. This process does not stop. If you stopped going to work and doing the job you were hired for on your regular job . . . you wouldn’t have a job or a paycheck very long would you? Why do some people think that MLM is different. It’s not.

I hope that I have given each of you something to think about. In 99% of the cases, when
a person blames a “program” or a “company” for his or her failure to make money in MLM . . . you can bet that they just showed up and expected to be paid.

John H. Kirk
Author

Every year in December I like to take some time to reflect on past year. January is the beginning of a new year and it is a time to set goals. I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions. People usually don’t take those seriously, however, I am a firm believer in setting goals and making action plans to achieve those goals.

I generally begin by thinking about the different things that have happened in the year to this point but also in the years prior in my network marketing career. Reflecting on both the good things that happened and things that weren’t so good. I don’t spend much time on the things that weren’t so good but just enough time to take note of anything I learned or ways I could get a better outcome.

Not only is it important to be regularly analyzing things and improving as we go, it is also important to celebrate the successes of the previous year. Celebrating is really important because it sets a success energy that attracts more good things.

Three Reasons to Reflect on and Celebrate Success:

1. We train our subconscious to be aware and open to success and abundance.
2. We give our subconscious and conscious mind PROOF of our success and progress.
3. It builds self-esteem, confidence and belief in our abilities.

Some things to include in your reflection:

Any successes large and small. Even the things you consider small. Some of these small successes are stepping stones to larger successes.

New things you learned – This is a huge one that people often forget to include. Reflect on all the training you have taken, books you have read, videos & audios and live events you have attended, anything that has been good for growth in your personal development or business skills. Really celebrate this one knowing that training and personal development is the biggest success secret of network marketing professionals who earn full time income.

Don’t forget the things you learned by trial and error. Like when you began learning to write a blog or make a video.

There are lots of things you can add to your list. I recommend writing down your reflections. If you have been following my training for any length of time, you should have this done from previous years and have saved them. If so, take out some of your past years reflections and look at the progress over the years. This is really fun.

Reflecting on the progress you have made builds confidence. When I look back on the shy girl who was terrified to be a leader, I am amazed at how far I have come. It always gets me choked up as I write and reflect on how I have changed. Network Marketing is the best business for personal growth.

After you have finished reflecting on the previous year, you can make a plan of action for the next year. What will you do to increase your business? How will you improve on your marketing skills and what will you do to implement. Think about where you want to be at the end of 2012. Write that down. Then make a list of all the things you plan to do to get there.

Writing all of this down is very important. It helps you have a direction for the year. Keep a copy of both the reflecting of the previous year and the plan for next year. It is really empowering to look back at the things you have accomplished in the past and how far you have come, especially when you have the notes for several years. You can see your growth over the years which is such a confidence booster.

Here we are again starting another December. This is the 14th December in my primary network marketing company. Very early in my network marketing career I saw the need to keep momentum going through the months that most people let their business activity slow down or even come to a complete halt. One of the biggest times some go inactive is through the holiday season.

Slowing down your business activity during the holiday season is a HUGE mistake.

1. Smart, professional network marketers know that December is actually the month you should be picking up the pace and getting ready for the best time of the year for business.



This is the time many are thinking about increasing their income and are making goals for the new year. This actually starts on the 26th of December but January is a HUGE month for attracting new distributors. People go online and start searching for business opportunities. This is another reason you are insane if you aren’t learning how to improve your online marketing skills.



2. While so many network marketers are snoozing in their business, it is much easier for you to get noticed, especially if you have been learning attraction marketing skills.



3. Most people are more involved with social events and getting together with friends and family. This can present all kinds of opportunities to share your products or the business. Have you prepared a very brief “30 second commercial“?

If you slow down or stop business activities for large blocks of time, you backslide. If you are serious about building a successful network marketing business, you will be consistently working through ALL months. This is the way we make progress. Some months we make small steps forward and some we make large leaps.

To be a successful, full time network marketer it is crucial that you build belief. You want the freedom that lifestyle can bring. That amount of success will never come if you don’t believe. You need belief not only in yourself and your ability to get there but you also must believe in the network marketing industry.

Here are a few ways to build belief:

1. Using the Products – You must believe in the products or services you are offering otherwise, you’ll never be able to have belief in the industry or your ability to build a business.

Let me tell you, a great product experience can work wonders in building belief in your ability to sell it. My product experience is the reason I am in the network marketing industry today. Use the products. You’ll have great stories to tell and STORIES SELL!

2. Attend Events – You should be attending as many events as you possibly can. Whenever you can get together with other distributors you can learn from each other. Not only learning but energizing each other.

3. Listen to audios and videos – There are loads of audios and videos put out by your company, your upline and other network marketing trainers. Serious network marketers are listening to these trainings as much as possible. The more you listen, the more you will be able to speak up about things that will help other people.

4. Attend Conference Calls – Listening to and even participating in conference calls is another awesome way to build belief in yourself and the network marketing industry. Conference calls are a great way to learn more and polish up your skills.

There are a lot of conference calls you can access, especially if you are using any of the training on the internet. It is impossible to be on all of them. Usually these conference calls are recorded so you can listen anytime.

5. Read Books – I know, you already know reading books is important but I am always amazed how few books people actually read. That is one reason why I put my reading list online a while back. It’s not even the full list. I just went through books I have in my office and ones I could remember.

6. Subscribe to Newsletters & Blogs – There are loads of blogs and newsletters that you can benefit from. It is particularly important to subscribe to all upline newsletters you can find.

Also subscribe to newsletters and blogs on marketing, personal development and things related to your company. I also recommend subscribing to industry journals like Network Marketing Times Magazine.

7. Talk to someone who has done it – Find someone in your upline who has achieved what you are wanting to achieve. Talk to them. Learn what they did to be successful. Not only what they did but notice their mindset.

8. Affirmations – I have been a firm believer in affirmations for a long time. The words you use have power. You raise or lower your energy and belief by the words you use. You can even program yourself and your habits. You can change things you don’t like.

Affirmations can be effective in helping reprogram success habits. Add EFT to your affirmations and watch the changes you can make. I never do affirmations without adding some EFT. It’s powerful. Give it a try.

9. Visualization – See yourself and feel what it feels like to achieve success in network marketing. Spend a little time each day visualizing and getting comfortable with various aspects of your business.

These are just a few things you can do to build belief. I’m sure there are others I haven’t mentioned.