“Find something you love to do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” – Harvey MacKay

In the first network marketing company I was involved with, I did everything they recommended for building my business. I made my list of 100 friends, family and acquaintances. I did cold calling, 3 way calls, stalking people in the mall, set up both at trade shows and fairs, I even did hotel meetings.

I really failed in that company. I did sponsor people but it was a stairstep breakaway compensation plan and when my people broke away, it became really difficult for me to continue.

The reason it was difficult to continue is because I absolutely HATED what I was doing. I was really depressed and I just couldn’t bring myself to do any more cold calls, 3 way calls or anything else associated with network marketing.

I had just given up. Forget this! If I don’t at least like what I am doing a little bit, no way I will be able to be successful.

That was long before I learned about the Law Of Attraction and how the way you feel affects your success.

Anyway, I was really depressed because we were in financial dire straits. We had nearly lost our house to foreclosure that year a couple times. I had thought that network marketing could be a solution to our financial problems but that failure was devastating. At the time I had no hope and I was seriously wishing I could commit suicide but would never hurt my family that way so I was just a non functioning pile of bones.

It was about that time my mom, Bonnie Muhn, came over with a product from a company she had just started with. The products were very anti-depressant and I felt the effects within minutes.

If it weren’t for that experience, I would NOT have returned to network marketing. I liked that product so much I decided to give network marketing another try.

That was 14 years ago. I had spent 2 years learning how NOT to promote my business. This time I would do it differently. I kept thinking about how conventional businesses promote their business. They don’t make a list of 100 people, they don’t do 3 way calls, they don’t run around the mall asking people if they are happy with the amount of income they are making, most don’t do cold calling.

I started studying conventional businesses. I looked at the Yellow Pages, newspapers, magazines. I started with direct mail, leave behinds and placing small ads in penny saver type newspapers and anything else I could find to do.

Not long after that I discovered the internet. I got a web site and started my first newsletter. That was 12 years ago.

I studied online marketers who were successful I learned and applied marketing techniques that would cause people to COME TO ME and get on my list. As I learned these techniques, I shared them with my growing downline. I called it Remote Marketing. Little did I know, I was using and teaching Attraction Marketing all that time.

So you may be asking, “What does that have to do with loving what you do?”

Well let me tell you about that. Previously I was using network marketing techniques that made me feel crappy and unmotivated. When I started using marketing techniques that get people to come to me, I actually started to LOVE what I was doing. In fact, I love it so much that I find myself having trouble quitting for the day.

I know my success in the network marketing industry is entirely because I love what I do. There is no way I would have made it to full time, fully supported by my network marketing business using the old techniques. No Way, No How!

So what do you choose . . .

I hope you choose to learn Attraction Marketing so you can Love What You Do.

I’ve been noticing a growing trend lately. Every day I get 3 or 4 phone calls from people pitching their network marketing business using an autodialer. Most of these phone calls come from the same area code.

For any of you who haven’t heard of autodialers, it’s the automated sending a prerecorded message to the phone numbers on a list.

A while back I checked into some of these autodialer companies when I learned an upline and a couple of my downline were using this technique to promote their business. They claim the leads are all phone numbers of people who requested information on business opportunities.

These guys are selling people a line of crap. I know for a fact I NEVER requested info on any business opportunity or any tools for building my business. I have been in my primary company for over 13 years. I am not someone who is looking for a business, nor am I looking for a way to increase my weekly sponsoring. That is something I know and teach already, and it does NOT include the methods these guys are using.

Just based on the sheer numbers of these guys calling me DAILY, I know they are a bunch of liars. They are selling leads that are not leads at all. They probably went online and got a bunch of known network marketers and are passing them off as leads.

I don’t recommend using autodialers to promote your business. I know it may seem like a good idea if you are someone who feels shy about contacting people about your business.

Besides the fact that the leads are not true leads . . .

Here are a few more reasons this is a bad idea:

- The key to success is building good relationships with people.

- Getting a pre-recorded sales pitch is highly annoying and makes most people angry. Actually it’s despised by 90% of your prospects.

- Angry people hang up. How is that for building good business relationships?

- It is actually illegal as of September 2009.

Here’s another thing to consider . . .

I have been screening the calls from the most notorious area code so I can let my voicemail pick up and get a few on recording for coaching on good vs bad marketing ideas. I was planning to play back some of the silly ones but I have had a dickens of a time recording one of these calls. The voice mail almost ALWAYS captures the very end of the recorded message. Basically it’s press 9 for more info or whatever. Well that was a waste of someone’s money!

This type of marketing is so unnecessary. There are lots of ways to build your business, even if you are shy about approaching people. I have been building my network marketing business for over 13 years. I am the QUEEN of Getting People to CALL ME. This is the technique I teach my downline.

I have done cold calling in the early days. That was how I started because that is what I was told to do. I bought leads and I called them up. I HATED IT!

I decided, If I hate this so much, how can I expect my downline to want to do this. I knew there had to be a better way and I set out trying different ways to promote my business. Then I taught my downline the ways that worked for me. Those that applied the things they learned have successful growing businesses. Several are enjoying a lifestyle of freedom that comes from being a full time network marketer.

If you are thinking about using autodialers, be careful. Here are a few things you should check out:

FTC: New Rules For Robocalls: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/phonefraud/robocalls.shtml

Judge Freezes Assets, Stops Operations of Robocall Company: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e5b4a6fc-c98c-482b-b862-bd982be56d60

FTC: Robocallers To Pay Over $655,000 and Sell Assets For Consumer Redress: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/03/voicetouch.shtm

FTC: Court Halts Massive Robocall Operation: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/asiapacific.shtm

“Eighty percent of success is showing up” ~ Woody Allen

While showing up is important, actually functioning as a marketer and as a communicator is VITAL to success in network marketing.

Too often I hear hypey, “All you need is this SYSTEM and the business runs itself” or some version of that nonsense.

People have bought into the lie that they don’t have to do anything. The product just “SELLS ITSELF!” Or, “OUR SYSTEM DOES ALL THE WORK!”

Well, I am sorry to burst some people’s bubble but, NO REAL BUSINESS works that way.

There are a lot of things that we need to be working on to build a business that will create a life of FREEDOM. Two things that are crucial to a successful network marketing business are marketing and communication.

ONLY Pro-Active Action Builds A Lifestyle of FREEDOM!

Plain and simple, you MUST be pro-actively marketing and communicating in your business.

If you have a website, your goal is to get massive amounts of people to your website. The larger the numbers, the larger success you will have.

The degree of success you will have depends on YOU and how much marketing and communicating you do!

To my astonishment, I have had downline members, who say they want a successful business, yet they don’t respond to emails or phone calls. Checking and responding to email is one of the daily tasks that should not be neglected.

The sad thing is that I have had a couple of people respond to an email I sent them a month ago. Really??? It takes a MONTH to respond to my email? Are you taking that long to respond to prospects on your website?

Communication is one of the top priorities in your business. If a prospect is on your website and sends you an email, you must respond quickly.

Welcome new distributors and customers and communicate with them. It is a good idea to write a newsletter or a blog so you can communicate things they need to know.

Newton’s First Law of Motion states, “An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.” It’s time to get it in gear. It’s time to make things happen.

Yes, it is challenging to build momentum from a complete standstill. If you want FREEDOM of working from home, it is imperative that you start and keep moving forward.

I speak from experience, I have been working entirely from home for over 10 years. There is not much better feeling than the freedom that that comes from working at home.

Look to the horizon and take the next step – however small – and keep moving forward!

“Early to Bed, early to rise, work like heck and advertise” — Ted Turner

There is an advertising mistake that many network marketers and home business owners make. It’s no surprise, the mistake is that many network marketers make is that they don’t advertise.

What is it you want to accomplish with your business? Whether you want to earn a supplemental income to help your family’s financial situation in a sluggish economy or you want to experience FREEDOM from working the 40 hour Work Farce, isn’t the bottom line to generate money?

The really big income earners in network marketing are masters of mass prospecting. They have a goal, they know WHY they want to have a successful business and they have a PLAN!

Part of that plan includes advertising and an advertising budget. That budget should include money you set aside to do weekly and monthly advertising.

In the beginning of my network marketing career I was in the middle of a financial crisis and money was tight. My advertising budget was $25.00 a month. I saved coins in a jar for extra money for my advertising budget.

At that time I was doing a lot of postcard mailing and putting up tear sheets and handing out flyers to people I came in contact with. Whatever I could do to get people to come to my web site or give me a call.

There are also lots of free ways to advertise but these require a large budget of your time. Social media is a way we can do that today. I the early days of my business, I didn’t know about social media. I don’t even think it was around yet. That was 15 years ago.

You can find money even in a tight budget. Sit down with your family and discuss ways you can reduce spending in areas of your life.

Here are a few ideas:

Use coupons for grocery shopping.
Reduce the size of the cable bill with a smaller package.
Spend less on entertainment and eating out.
Sell things in a consignment shop.
Sell things on Ebay.
Have a yard sale.

There are lots of possibilities. I used to watch the ground and pick up coins. I still have an ongoing joke with my husband and my son. I always tell them to watch for coins and pick them up.

On a side note:
In the book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” T. Harv Eker says to pick up coins and celebrate your abundance and that you just attracted money. So, you have more than one reason to watch for coins.

Whatever the type of advertising you choose to do, if you are serious about the success of your business, you will invest both time and money into advertising. I recommend a variety of both free and paid advertising. As your income grows, your advertising budget grows.

Blogging is an inexpensive easy way to get your information out to people. If you have a replicated web site with your network marketing company, blogging is even more important. You can link to your replicated site in your blog.

There are several free blog tools available. One is www.blogger.com With Blogger, you easily set up and be blogging in no time.

Blog about things you are experiencing with your company and products, things you learn that could help your team build their business and company news, news articles that apply to your business or product.

Blogs that offer information that people can use and benefit from will be most successful. Offer help that people will be able to use.

Be consistent and regular about posting things to your blog. One benefit of blogging is building rapport and credibility. As people get to know you, they will want to get involved in whatever company you are with.

Subscribe to things your upline publish so you can get ideas of things to post in your own blogs. Get permission to repost things they have published. When you quote someone, be sure to give them credit or link to them.

Read the article, 101 reasons for your small business to have a blog, by Brian Brown:

http://tinyurl.com/35tnez

Or, as some people call it “Elevator Speech.”

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” – Oprah Winfrey

There are often opportunities throughout every day where you can generate interest in your business or products. The biggest reason people miss these opportunities is because they aren’t prepared.

The key is to BE PREPARED with a very brief statement to say when the opportunity presents itself.

What do you say when you meet someone and they ask, “What do you do?” This is where, in just a few words, you market yourself and your business in a way that is meant to prompt him or her to ask questions, and keep the conversation going. This is not meant to be a sales pitch. At this point, you are just determining interest.

Once interest is shown, keep it brief and share some literature with them. It should have your web site and phone number on it. Get a phone number so you can follow up.

Even if you are earning most of your income from a regular job, you will still want to answer the question about what you do with a mention of the business you are building on the side.
Write down what you want to say and go over it, removing unnecessary words or words that don’t feel comfortable.  Once you get your 30 Second Commercial written to the point where it fits you, practice it.

Practice, Practice, Practice. I used to walk around my house talking out loud. Try practicing in front of a mirror. Get it to the point where it flows easily.

A few possible ideas for comments:

I help others create additional income by promoting a natural health product that gives you more energy. Do you know anyone who would benefit from more energy?

I teach people how to work online from home. Who do you know who might want to learn to work online from home?

I am associated with a _________ that teaches people the proper methods to succeed in home business. we also teach people how to make money part time while maintaining their full time job.

“I am a distributor for ______________.
We also offer a complete business system for women who would like to learn how to earn a good part-time income working out of their home.”

“Do you know how many people today feel tired and have lots of aches and pains? – - wait for their reply then respond:
Well, I show people how they can have energy and feel better so they can do the things they love.”

“Do you know how many people worry about not having have enough time and money? – - wait for their reply then respond:

“Well, what I do is show them a simple way to earn an extra paycheck each month and have more free time to do the things they love.”

If you wear promotional items like a pin, hat or shirt that might stir a question.

A couple examples:

I used to have pins that said, “May the Immupower be with you!” It was one of my favorites. People would constantly ask me what that meant. It was a great opener.

Another one I saw years ago for a diet product said, “Fat Free, Ask Me!”

Use the promotional items that your company offers. Most companies promotional things you can wear. If they don’t, you can have something made up. Check out Vista Print and see what they offer.

Be prepared and always be watching for opportunities to share something to promote your business. Be in marketing mode wherever you go.

If you haven’t done it, go ahead and create your 30 second commercial. ; )