Your family and friends don’t quite support your new biz? Nobody in your immediate environment offering strong encouragement?

Well if that sounds familiar, that’s because it is a reality for about 99% of us. So stop wasting you time moping about it and learn here how to conquer it instead.

We surely love our family and friends and they love us too, but with that love comes also a desire to protect us from great disappointments, loss of money, and FAILURE. Sometimes even a fear that we might do good and then that our relationships with them might in turn somehow suffer. In rare occasions, we might even have one of those in the group that actually does not want us to do any better then him/her. No matter how good and honorable or maybe even bad sometimes, those motives are, it’s interesting to note that none of those people are successful entrepreneurs themselves.

So why do we then let non-successful non-entrepreneurs shape our entrepreneurial future?

Listen to this: do you realize that Wall Street is a place where people who drive Roll Royce take the advice from guys who drive subway to work? How wrong is that???

Wrong or not, it happens every day. Here is something else that happens every day: “wanna be entrepreneurs” quit everyday because of things like this because they listen to those who are more broke and less brave than they are:

• “I tried bunch of those MLM companies and never made any money”
• “Yeah…I have tons of friends who got all messed up with the whole ‘work from home’ ideas and it was a total flop – every time
• “I tried to do that part-time from home thing one time and all my friends and family told me it wasn’t going to work, but I would not listen. I spent hundred’s of dollars on vitamins and lotions, in the end just to realize it wasn’t ever going to work”
• “My wife’s friend did that SAME thing, got all her family mad at her for bugging them, never made any money”
• Blah…blah…blah – blah…blah…blah…

Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, those people did not do it right? Maybe they did not give it their all? Maybe nobody ever showed them how to do it the right way? Maybe…just maybe…- therefore they never stood the chance.

So love your family, but look for support somewhere else – for now: forums, network marketing sites, other members in your company, team calls, etc…If you’re ever short of places to look, drop me an email and I will point you towards few that you will surely enjoy and reap benefits from.

You know, this business, is not much different than any other business. Many years ago, when I was taking my real estate license class, the first thing they told us was that 95% of us in the class will NEVER succeed in real estate. The point I’m trying to make is that if it was THAT easy, and EVERYBODY knew how to do it right from the start, we would all be successful in it today and millionaires. But it’s not like that; you have to have some basic business-success ingredients in order to make it:

• You have to decide that this is a real business, not a hobby and not something you are going to TRY to do
• You have to learn HOW to do this business properly
• You have to learn to FAIL in order to succeed
• You have to want to be successful and sometimes help others WITHOUT expecting anything in return
• You have to understand that people who are broker than you and stuck in a JOB mentality should NOT be your mentors
• You have to accept that it will take TIME and EFFORT on your part before you will see results
• You don’t have to learn to like writing goals down and your business To-Do list, but you have to DO it
• You have to find new “friends” who have LIKE vision and goals
• You have to have a lot of FAITH in yourself and that what you’re doing is not an accident

We don’t think twice about accepting idea of letting our children stay in 3rd grade for more then 1 school year…why do we than accept our friends and family’s reality as our own?

Not everybody can be Mozart, or Edison, or Alexander the Great…so remember, that not anybody will have the knowledge and tenacity to make it in this business either – DO NOT let their weaknesses shape your future. It does not mean YOU cannot be that one, it just means you will have to be the one you have not ever been before. And that is a journey well worth taking. You – only that much improved! How cool is that???

How supportive are you family and friends? Please share, I’d love to hear your story…

Do these two things and explode your productivity

Have you had a very busy day just to find at the end of the day that you did not accomplish anything concrete? Or anything you were hoping to?

The operative word is “hoping”. Working out of the house is a blessing, but it can also be a hard thing to control. It is very easy for distractions to find you in your home: the cell phone, a cat or a dog, your friends texting you, your significant other calling you…etc. No matter how dedicated you think you are, there are times when even with best hopes you don’t end up getting done things you should get done that day.

That is because the “hope” is not enough. You actually need to have a plan – and that plan is called TO DO list.

It makes a huge difference in productivity if you take few minutes at the end of the day to create a list of things to get accomplished the following day. So when the next day comes, you will not find yourself tempted to maybe do this instead, or just do this for a little bit first and then you’ll get back to so and so…It’s all laid out for you, you do #1, then #2 and so on, until the list gets done.

There are few different ways we can help ourselves stay focused and on track. One thing I found works great is shutting your email down and turning your cell phone off for 2 hour blocks at the time. Those two hours use solely for working on your tasks and every two hours or so only, check your email and voice mail for any contacts that need to be made at that time. I found it works like a charm for me and I think it will do the same for you.

Many studies have been done proving that brain is easy to concentrate for about 2 hours at the time, at which time a body goes through a low. That is the time to take a few minute break, stretch you legs, drink some water, eat a piece of fruit or some nuts and then get back to work again for another block of uninterrupted time.

If you do these two things on regular basis, you should see a great improvement in your productivity. I’m sure we can all use a boost at times.

What helps you boost your productivity? Please share, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Mindboggling!!! Couple of weeks ago, I meet an old friend for lunch. He looks like he’s doing great. He drove up in his new $120K Benz, all sharp dressed, but than again, he’s been making $150K+ for several years now and it shows. We ate some healthy food and chatted a bit about the Wall Street, economy and old friends – all in all it was a good lunch, nonetheless, it left me in dismay.

Look at this. He trusted his “financial expert” with his investments – and now there is still quite of smoke over the ashes of his 401K, he has not had a deal go through for 2 mos., so checking account is shrinking like a cheap T-shirt…Having in mind he was like most Americans, he spent more than he earned. Today, he’s balance-sheet broke. Yeap,…broke as a joke! And it makes me deeply saddened that people today are willing to pay $120,000 to buy a new Benz (which I LOVE – don’t get me wrong, I have a thing for nice cars!!!) but not willing to spend $10K…$2K or whatever…to educate themselves and create a strong financial foundation so they don’t have to depend on financial advisers, customers, company they work for, friends, relatives etc…

Did you know that:

• 80% of the Country is Upside Down
on Debt to Equity
• Of every $100 spent by consumers,
nearly $43 is by use of credit.
• Bankruptcies have doubled in 10 years.
• For the first time in history, we are
spending $1.05 for every dollar we
make. A country cannot thrive with an
imploding middle class.

Did you also know that:

Experts predict that in the next 10 years household wealth in the North America will double, exceeding $100 Trillion, creating more Millionaires than at any point in history while destroying the middle-class.

I have only one question for you! Which group would you like to be part of????

How much you make is not what will make you rich, it’s how much you get to keep and what you do with it.

- Wouldn’t you want to know what the elite, ultra wealthy do to create, protect, and grow their wealth in good and in bad economic times?
- Have investment opportunities only “chosen ones” get to profit from?
- Would you want to NOT have to trade your time for the money?

Knowledge is power. Learn every thing you can. Learn with proper tools, resources, and mentorship how to create full prosperity in areas of wealth, health, and wisdom – and have a complete power over you life. Enjoy the abundance in life – it’s FREE with knowledge and untouchable with ignorance.

Few days ago I was on the phone with one of the greatest leaders and top earners in the industry. The topic of our conversation was top 3 reasons people fail in online business and it always seems to end up with next:

1) Faith in YOU – this requires reprogramming. Believe it or not, there are many people out there who do not believe they can create income of $10K-20K-50K-100,000 a month. They look at their parents, brothers, sisters, aunts…whatever and whoever, and they think if those people could not do it, how are they going to do it? They have what we call a “financial thermostat” broken. If you cannot see it and feel it = chances are, you won’t get there. So your attitude needs to be adjusted. Your financial thermostat has to be fixed and your thinking needs to be reprogrammed. Start reading everything you can lay your hands on on the subject of “achieving success”. You might want to start with Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, which is available on the internet for free and work your way from there.

2) Marketing System – if you think about it everything you do in life, if you want it to have results you can repeat and expect, you need to have the system. If you sell, you can’t successfully sell from the seat of your pants – you need the system. The same is with marketing. You can’t successfully market from the seat of your pants, you need the system. But imagine having a system that not only takes you step by step in your marketing endeavors, but it also, sorts and sifts through your leads bringing to you only highly qualified leads already interested in your opportunity. And those who are not interested in your opportunity still get monetized by your system. Phenomenal concept!

3) Faith in the products – a lot of people do not have a belief that the products they are selling will do what they are supposed to do. They do not have a belief in the company or their management etc…either way, if you don’t believe in what you’re selling – you will not get far. Hopefully when you signed up originally for your opportunity you did a good due diligence job. So why not do it again? Pretend like you know nothing about the company and do a thorough due diligence. Guess what, if you come up with bunch of great reasons to sell this product – just like you did when you originally joined – great, you’re on the right track. You just need to stick with the system and work your plan. If you start having doubts about the overall thing, maybe it’s time to consider joining a company with more stability, more integrity. There are “few great ones” to choose from out there…=)

The bottom line is this: if you find yourself being stuck in the rut due to one of the things listed above – DO NOT despair and DO NOT quit. All this can be “fixed” and you can be on the right track to create your destiny just like you’ve been dreaming about.

We have a beautiful dog named Candy. A Labrador Retriever-Boxer mix. Ever since she was a puppy she did not have to share her food with any other dog, until I got married and we moved into our new house and overnight she got a “sister”. Well, Layla is 4 times smaller than Candy but way more aggressive. So when food gets served, she’s first to the bowl and she won’t move until she’s done. Candy at first, being a lady she is, would let Layla finish food first, and she would eat what was left which wasn’t much. That lasted few times until Candy evaluated her situation and realized: if she wanted the best part of dinner, she had to get to it first. Candy just learned her lesson.

Lessons are learned everywhere we go. We humans are not much different, and sales trial closes are a great source of lessons.

Every sale closing has 4 possible outcomes:

1. YES
2. NO
3. TIO
4. LESSON

1) YES – greatest thing, collect the money, deliver the product/service and off you go to the next one – singing, all the way to the bank.

2) NO – not the greatest thing, but not that bad either. When you get a NO, at least you know not to spend any more time on the follow up with this prospect. For whatever reason, they did not qualify and it’s time to move on to prospect that is qualified.

3) Think It Over – worst thing ever!!! In my opinion, I would rather get a NO any time of the day than a TIO. Then you just don’t know where you stand! You might find yourself thinking about the deal in your bed late at night, spending the weekend worrying about the outcome…will he, won’t he…instead of enjoying that time with your family. Don’t rob yourself or your family from care-free time. Friday afternoon is not the time to accept a “call me on Monday” thing. NO, Fridays, it’s either YES or NO, and you go home to your own peace-and-quite life.

4) Lesson, my favorite after YES. Every sales situation, especially the one after you get a NO is an opportunity to learn something about sales techniques and human behavior that will help you close the next deal easier. One of the greatest things you can do for yourself is to debrief your sales calls. If you have a sales coach, mentor, sales manager, partner…any one of those will do, but don’t miss a chance to learn from your experience. Not using those opportunities to learn from and improve upon your weaknesses is like leaving money on the table – a lot of money that is.

So you’re minding your own business, the big storm comes through…(more like a hurricane cat 2) you evacuate to safety, come back 3 days later to find your house – gone. Devastating. To look at the few 2×4s as all that is left from all you had.

Not by much different for a sales person hoping and praying for that ever next sale to pay the mortgage bill or the bank will come and take it. Scary how similar it is. So you try hard, really cranking up the number of presentations you’re doing, spending more time answering all the detailed questions prospects have, just to make sure all the t’s are crossed and all the i’s are dotted…Running from one side of the town to another, answering more then one phone at the time, emailing and chatting all while doing webinar presentations, just not to miss that one prospect inquiry that would “change everything”….Truly fighting for that sale to come in, and just when the guy tells you “It sounds great, call me tomorrow AM and we’ll get going”, and you think you got one, the guy is nowhere to be found the next morning. Many follow-up calls, emails, nothing…in the sheer desperation you offer to give him the last bit of a discount you can afford to give…no answer. Devastating. Afterwards you spend time banging you head against the wall, and asking yourself where you went wrong. You had it…What happened?

Actually, unlike those really unfortunate people who lost everything they had by Ike, you never had it!

Few things to always remember:

1) you can’t lose something you never had
2) the sales is not a sale until they give you the check/CC info, AND the check/CC charge clears
3) the more you NEED the sale, the more prospect will see you as desperate and will be turned off by it
4) if you don’t get a sale, get a lesson

So 1) and 2) are pretty obvious, but how do you go about not falling into trap of looking too desperate when your livelihood almost completely depends on that prospect and what is there to learn?

Not easy, but just like everything in this business, it all depends on how bad you want it. One of the hardest things to do in sales is not getting emotionally involved. Most of the sales people fail way too early because they cannot differentiate who they are from what they do. One thing is as sure as a day: the prospects can feel it. They are like dogs. You know how a dog can sense if the person is nervous, mad, sad, happy or sick? That’s how prospects can detect if you’re desperate and needy to get that sale. They can tell by your gestures, by the body language, but the tonality you use, the words you use…trust me, it’s all over your face! So you have to do what it takes to cover it up. No matter what your situation is, how bad you need the money from the sale, what catastrophe might occur if you don’t, you have to cover it up. No other way around it. That is the time to “fake it till you make it”. Most of the successful sales people radiate with strong self-confidence, poise, self-assurance…but they were not like that from day 1.

Many scientific studies have been done on the subject but let me just bring up one to your attention. Some years back the study was done with 3 groups of people and basketball game. One group played for two weeks, every day practicing and learning. The second group did not do a thing for 2 weeks, and the third group practiced in their minds: the jumps, the hoops, the whole shebang. Guess what the results were! The second group of course, had no results, but the third group who practiced in their minds, had just as good of results as the group which was actually out there doing it. Do you know WHY? Because it’s been scientifically proven that brain cannot tell the difference between the reality and imagination. Well, then imagine!

So if that is what it takes, play a psychological game with yourself. Condition yourself for feeling the way “top dogs” do. Keep telling yourself: “I am a millionaire. I don’t need the money, I don’t need this sale. I have millionaire mindset and I don’t need your order, I can make it happen without you.”

It’s amazing what powerful affect that can have on your brain. I know it might sound a bit silly at first, but do you think anybody thought highly of Einstein or Wright brothers at first?

Come back and visit my next article on “Getting lessons” in sales.

Know when to use product knowledge

In order to be a successful sales person, it is imperative that you know as much as possible about your product or service. However, it is not imperative at all that you give ALL that knowledge to the prospect, especially at the wrong time. Here is what I mean by that. Traditionally trained sales people seem to get a confidence boost when they can talk for a long time and show off their knowledge about their product or service, but many times, all that talk is exactly what talks the prospect out of buying. Talk only about the points that are of interest to your prospect. Cover only those which will help your prospect see how your product or service will help him/her get rid of their pain. And do not use the industry buzz words. A prospect will not understand you, will not be able to follow you, and many times he/she will not let you know that either. Easy way to lose a sale.

Know your competition

A point a lot of sales people out there miss. Top performers spend time attending competition’s seminars, reading their brochures, watching their DVD, listening to their CDs…in other words, learning about their strengths and weaknesses…are you? Keep in mind; your prospects are doing exactly that when trying to decide on which company to go with. If your prospect knows more than you do, it will be a tough one.

Have a prospecting system

If you have been in sales for more than 6 months and you are still making cold calls, you are doing it ALL wrong. There are people who will be proud of you for still having guts to stay in the game and keep smiling and dialing. I’m here to tell you – you’re working too hard. Remember the rule 80/20? It means that 20% of your clients are giving you your 80% of the business. Therefore; the same goes for prospecting: 80% of your time should be devoted to giving great customer service and supporting your existing clientele, and 20% of the time should be spent on prospecting. The only way you can make that 20% profitable enough is to have your existing clientele so in aw with you they will sell for you. That’s how we get referrals. Much, much easier and smarter.

Have a selling system

Yes, having your own selling system will catapult you to a whole new level. It does not really matter which system you use, just make sure you learn it, practice it and master it. So when under pressure, you can deliver EVERY TIME. No selling from the seat of your pants will ever get you where you want to be.

Feel free to comment. I would love to hear your feedback.

Stay on the right side of the trouble line:
Many of us in the industry along with other salespeople out there on commission only, tend to find themselves busy – a lot. But what are they busy with? Remember, shuffling business cards from one side of the desk to another, driving around the town to meet prospects, etc – is not work. Activities like reviewing the script, or learning about your product or service is necessary but not what successful people do between 9-5. Your most productive time of the day should be reserved for prospecting and closing ONLY. The rest are non-paytime activities and should be conducted from 5-9PM – or outside of your work hours. (we online people get a bit more freedom to choose our own hours ) It is easy to fall pray to the wrong activities at the wrong time – never take your eyes off the MONEY MAKING activities.

Burn your bridges:
No, I am not telling you that you need to fire your boss tomorrow AM and the heck with the world of bills and responsibilities. But what I am telling you is that if you keep the attitude of: “I’m going to try this online gig and see what happens. If it’s not working out, I’ll just go back to working for someone else”. No, no, no, no, no…You don’t get to the second base with one foot on the first! It won’t be easy, but once you get involved in your business opportunity don’t look back and force yourself to succeed. Follow through on your commitment to your family and to yourself.

Be mentally and physically tough:
No business is an easy business and no success comes too easy. The self-employed status comes with price and the world can be cruel. You have to learn to accept NO, you have to learn to realize they are not rejecting you, they are just not a fit for what you offer. You also have to know that “Yes” is great, “No” isn’t bad – at least you know where you stand, but things like “I need to think it over” – should not have room in your sales world. They are going to give you false sense of “maybe there is a chance”, and you might find yourself spending a lot of time chasing someone who might not be interested, willing or able to purchase your product. If you’re going to get a NO, get it as fast as you can and move on. Rememeber: Some will, some won’t, so what? Next! Don’t take it personally, close the Yes’s, close the file on No’s and move on to the next one as fast as you can.

Have a support group:
As I mentioned earlier, it is tough to be in sales. Online or offline. You have to hear a lot of No’s. Not everybody is mentally tough the first day of their biz adventure. It helps tremendously to have a support group. Not necessarily people who love you, but a group of people that go through what you go through every day. Those that can truly identify with the coals you have to walk on. All of us in these community of fine entrepreneurs are experiencing the same thing: victories and failures. Take an advantage of being active in your support group. Find the help for yourself and help someone who is in the place you were just few days, or weeks ago.