While I’m not performing my 90 Day Internet Marketing challenge as good as I probably should, I am still seeing results. What is the problem? Simply getting busy! Busy is good, but it does cause me not to get as much done as I want to get done.
But the entire point of this journey is to prove to myself that I can be consistent and that I can grow.
On March 16, I start a new 90 day journey that will overlap with my Internet marketing journey. This journey, as I’ve documented on here before, is my journey through transforming myself diet, exercise, and consistency.
I’ve dedicated this year to buiding a better me. My family deserves it, my God deserves it, and honestly, I deserve it.
My goals are to transform myself.
- Be better in business
- Be better physically
- Be a better husband
- Be a better father
- Be a better worshiper
- Be a better person
So I continue my journey. I just add a new path to it starting tomorrow. Feel free to follow my status on my P90X Blog.
Posted in Internet Marketing Miscellaneous by .
Mar 09
12
When The Going Gets Tough…
When the going gets tough…
… the tough work harder!
I received some news today that an income source my family has will be going away in the next couple of weeks. Now, at first the news is a bit stressful (after all, we have financial goals we are trying to meet).
But then it hit me: I have nothing to worry about. I just simply need to work harder.
I truly believe that in Internet marketing, network marketing, or any type of entrepreneurial endeavour that we take one we can either let minor setbacks destroy us or we can simply take the opportunity to make things better. We can take the opportunity to get completely stressed, or we can use it as motivation to work harder.
I’m simply choosing to work harder.
Not everything is going to go according to play 100% of the time. I think we all realize that. We cannot control everything, especially things outside of what we personally can make decision on.
But what we can control is how we choose to react and to circumstances.
If something comes up that is not perfect, make a decision to work harder.
Losing an income stream? Work harder.
Niche becoming saturated? Work harder.
Have someone quit your business? Work harder.
But whatever you do, dictate how you will react to the circumstances instead of letting the circumstance dictate how you.
Posted in Business Internet Marketing by .
I am about to start a fairly strict diet and excercise routine. I wrote about it in my post about Anyone Can Commit To Anything For 90 days. And believe it or not, as out-of-shape as I am, I’m excited about starting!
Today I got it in, I opened up the kit, I started reading through the manuals, watch the first introduction video, and started trying to figure out what I can do (and more imporantly, cannot do), on the diet.
And you know what it felt like?
It felt like when I had joined my current network marketing company, got the kit, started digging through it, and looking at all of the material (although I do no offline marketing, its still cool looking through the kit!).
But like so many people who do exercise, excitement can wane in a network marketing company.
That it is when it hit me: Just like keeping motivated for exercise, you have to keep your excitement for network marketing going. Make everyday just like the first day!
But let’s be real here: What is the #1 thing that keeps people motivated in exercise?
Results!
When you get results from exercising, whether it be a few pounds off, a leaner physique, or simple compliments, you are excited and motivated to keep working.
Ditto for network marketing. When we see results, or our team sees results, we are pumped, enthused, and excited about where things are going. It makes it difficult to even think about quitting.
Keep your network marketing business just like exercise. Keep working to see results, and keep excited.
Posted in Business by .
Tatiana Del Toro - American Idol Season 8
With American Idol rounding out the top 12, we can all happily say “goodbye” to the biggest two drama queens the show probably has ever seen (and no, I’m not talking about Paula):
Tatiana and Nathaniel.
Tatiana has talent. She has a good voice. But I swear, if I had to watch the season to cheer for Kris Allen and Lil Rounds and hear more of her, I think I’d go nuts! In my opinion, she had the vocals to make it but her personality made her an easy target for elimination.
Combine that with the fact that she did the same song as many times as she did and it only makes sense why the four judges would choose her not to come back (I could tell in Simon’s post-performance remarks that he had become bored and frustrated with her, and her choosing of “Saving All My Love For You” again was the straw that broker the camels back).
So no hearing that annoying laugh, the overly emotional thank yous, etc. Yes, she wanted it, and we all got that….but so did everyone who auditioned for the show.
Nathaniel Marshall - American Idol Season 8
And who will ever forget Nathaniel, the “drama queen” in Hollywood week even moreso than the “Bikini Girl”, Tatiana, and every other female combined.
Flamboyant.
Over the top flamboyant.
The real world version of “Noman Gentle” (Nick Mitchel’s alter ego on this season of American Idol)…except I don’t believe Nathaniel was acting…he was just being Nathaniel.
Fortunately, he never had to worry about showing his same emotions during Hollywood week but probably sealed his fate from making the top twelve with a horrific song choice and even less-than-impressive singing of the song.
And with the final selections done, I believe we have an entertaining final 12 that will not thrive on emotional drama but rather pure suspense and anticipation.
Posted in Miscellaneous by .
I was inspired by a forum post I replied to today to begin thinking about this very concept:
Can someone who appears to be “unsuccessful” still posture in their home business? In particular, can they still command authority in dealing with potential customers or business partners?
The question on the forum was how to handle “call backs.” In particular, how many times you call back, how to handle it if they are not there for a set appointment, and all of the other issues around dealing with prospects in this manner.
As I am sure you know, it is easy to feel “beaten down” if you are not a six figure earner or full-time with your company. Or if you’ve been in a “slump” it can feel that you are unsuccessful.
When this happens, you can have a tendency to lose posture. And when you lose posture, you give too much control of the conversations to the people you are talking to, you lose faith in your ability to talk confidently about what you do, and you will often come across as desperate. In other words, you fail to present yourself as an authority and a valuable asset for the new potential business partner. After all, they are choosing you as much as your company.
So what does it take to regain posture in dealing with potential business partners?
First, become the “successful” marketer. To me, you do not have to be enrolling tons of people to be a successful markter. Yes, that will be an eventual byproduct of successful marketing, but it takes time to build up to.
To become a successful marketer then means to do just that: Market.
I had to take a break from my business in the fall to deal with a health issue with my wife. Doing that really through me out of the loop in several aspects. My opt-ins fell, phone conversations went down, and I lost momentum. It appeared I was running on the path of being an “unsuccessful” marketer. And I’m sure I am not alone in this happening….it happens all the time in the industry.
But I knew that I could be successful once again. It took consistent action, dedication, and serious work ethic, but doing this put me back on the side of being a successful marketer.
Do you know what happened?
- My traffic increased
- My opt-ins increased
- The phone started ringing again
- I began to feel good about the process again
And when all of this started happening, I could posture quite well in my conversations. I feel good about what I am talking about now to people contacting me. With what I’ve learned and the actions I’m taking, I can confidently say that what I offer is valuable to them. I do not come across as desperate, and I do not have to beg for call backs.
In short, the best way to regain posture is to make yourself busy with the work of the business. Doing this will “fill the funnel” and give you more people to talk to. When you have more people to talk to, you are not desperate to sign up everyone you talk to. Your conversations become more meaningful and you come across as someone who can help a person get to where they want to go, even if you are working on going there yourself.
Posted in Business Internet Marketing by .
Ok, so I’m becoming more and more biased here…
But as I am working through my personal 90 day Internet marketing challenge, I’m realizing how much fun network marketing can actually be. Some background…
My “old” background with the industry was always the make the list or buy leads. Boy, did I have some HORRIBLE experience purchasing leads. Even leads that were supposedly “exclusive” or “not incentivized” were never what they were sold as. Wrong numbers, disconnects, and, of course, the cursing and screaming as people claim they never filled out the form.
Man, those days were painful…
But with my Internet marketing and system we have established, it completely has changed the game. People are seeking me out. They are trying to learn about me, often times before they call, which is cool with me. But the system is bringing people to me…instead of me pounding the phones.
And its working.
Let me explain, if you are struggling with a business, what the system does:
It empowers you!
You know, if you have any “decent” cold call training, you are told to control the conversation. And while that is true, its hard to establish that when you are calling them out of the blue.
But when people call you, that is because they want to know what you are up to. That gives you authority. Now, I’m not talking about an egotistical sense of authority, but a confident sense of the word.
I’ve had more positive phone conversations in the last week than I did in months of “smiling and dialing.”
And I fully expect it to only get better.
Posted in Business Internet Marketing by .
Network marketing has plenty of distractions that make people quit due to lack of success. I’m not going to talk about common roadblocks such as rejection, fear, company blunders, or issues like this. Instead, I’m going to focus on a few things I have learned and observed from watching both the successful and the not-so-successful.
First Major Roadblock – Focus
You know where most people fail in a home business or network marketing?
They simply do not focus!
I participate on a lot of forums. I find forums entertaining, informative, as well as a good place to attract people. There are certain people that I’ve observed for years. I can guarantee that they will be in no less than 2-3 opportunities each year.
Now, I know better than to believe that they have built decent residual incomes in any of those businesses. Its hard to establish momentum in 2 months, 3 months, and for most people, 6 to 12 months.
These people have been referred to as jumpers, hoppers, junkies, and various other phrases based on their actions. But the bottom line is they are simply not focused and do not stay focused long enough to build success. They might have a quick hit or two, but they cannot establish themselves as long-term leaders in any company because they do not stay with any company long-term.
Some of the most successful people I know in network marketing have stuck with the same company for 2 years, 3 years, 5 years, or 10 years. These are people who had consistent six and seven figure incomes built from their focus on that one company.
So my advice? Make your next company (or current company, if you do not plan on making a move) your focus for no less than 1 year, but preferably 2-3 years.
Lack Of Growth
There are two types of “lack of growth” that kill a network marketing business.
Lack of growth in the business itself is not what I’m referring to here (although it definitely kills a business).
No, what I’m referring is the lack of growth of the individual. When we fail to make ourselves better, we fail at providing the type of leadership it takes to build a successful home business. And if we fail to strive for more out of our own lives, we might as well hang it up.
The bottom line is, this is a leadership and development business. We must learn to lead (by first following) and then we must learn to develop ourselves and then others into leaders.
I personally know people, both inside and outside of the industry, that simply do not care to better themselves. They are good with just being who they are, treading water, and never wanting to make anything of themselves. They approach improvement with apathy and simply have nothing strive for (or rather, nothing they want to strive for).
So if we learn to first have something we want to achieve, work towards it while bettering ourselves, our success in the industry grows.
If you are sitting there wondering why you do not seem to be making it anywhere in network marketing, take a look in the mirror and see if this applies to you. Are focusing? Are you developing? If not, you are probably not succeeding.
Posted in Uncategorized by .
P90X
As I am working through my 90 day Internet marketing challenge I’m noticing how easy it is to actually stick to something. And when you think about it, 90 days is really nothing. Its less than 3 months.
So in keeping with various goals I wanted to accomplish this year, losing weight was one of them.
But I have two problems, one bad and one both bad and good:
The Bad – I get bored with cardio really, really easy. I found it easy in grade school when playing football to do cardio. Its real easy to keep running when you have coaches giving you motivation to complete your sprints.
But the problem is, now that I’m older, cardio does not keep my interest. I’ve tried walking, jogging, bike, elliptical, and I get really, really bored with all of them. Even with my iPhone, I simply get bored. I’m not imaginative enough to switch things up myself and make it more interesting.
The Good and Bad – I suffer from a bit of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD, completely self-diagnosed). I’ve always been this way. When I get it in my head that there is something I want to do, I simply do it.
It has its good points and its bad points.
When I was in high school, I was OCD about music. I practiced a ton of hours each week. I parlayed it into a music scholarsihp in college.
In college, I was OCD about computers. It helped me get a good paying job.
Several years ago, I was OCD about tennis. I played tennis 2-3 hours a day, at least 5 days a week. I lost weight (but not enough) and had fun, but took a lot of time away from my wife.
I go through spells of OCD with playing poker. I find the game fascinating. I’ve made money and lost money at it, and had fun, but found I was just treading water.
Right now I’m OCD about success. I work my Internet marketing and network marketing businesses daily. And I’m starting to see results…
So it has its good points and its bad.
So I figure if I want to lose weight and get in shape, I need to OCD on it, which is hard when you get absolutely bored with something. Plus, in keeping with these personal 90 day challenges, I wanted to find something that had a cycle, a definitive start and end date (although to get to where I want to go I know it will take longer than 90 days, but I have a cycle to focus on.
So as I saw a few people post about P90X and then watched the infomercials, it seemed to be a perfect fit. I started reading around on it, asking questions of others, seeking others I personally know who have done it, and decided that it fits in with my goals:
1. It is a variety of exercises.
2. It is in a cycled format (i.e. the 90 stands for 90 days)
3. It included dietary needs (another area I always struggle with when exercising)
4. It shows modifications in case you have a hard time doing things as shown.
So with my 90 day Internet marketing challenge, I will start a 90 day personal fitness transformation. I do not expect to look like Hercules after one cycle, but I do fully expect to lose weight and feel better, which will make every other area of my life better.
Special thanks to Coach Keith Harris who will be my personal coach through this system. You can find out more about what all he has done through his blog: Crush Play. I’m ordering the system through him for faster and cheaper shipping. If you are interested, order through him as well and tell him I sent you.
As I begin, I will be charting progress on a seperate blog under this domain. For now I’ll spare everyone my “before” pictures, but as I get further along and see results I will post pictures as well as measurements and notes about how everything feels.
Posted in Miscellaneous by .
Tonight the producers of American Idol could not rig the competition in post production. So tonight, America got to see Kris Allen.
First off, I was concerned with everyone on American Idol picking horrible, horrible songs. It made me worry that Kris might have picked the wrong song.
And at first, it might have appeared that way when he sang Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror.” My initial reaction, never had heard him sing before, is that the song started to low keyed for him and he sounded a bit nervous.
But he quickly got over that. The chorus and mini-bridge in the song were performed very well. I felt better about his chances after he got through.
Of course, one judge (Kara) had to believe it was the wrong song. But all the other judges disagreed and thought he showed them something tonight (Simon seemed to think he could show a bit more confidence…).
So now, we get to wait until tomorrow night to see how he did with America. I know I did my part and voted for Kris quite a few times.
Other thoughts on tonight:
- I thought only one girl really did well, one did okay, and the rest were really, really marginal.
- Only Kris and Adam Lambert performed well top to bottom for the men.
- I don’t see how this is the “most talent packed season of American Idol yet” as Ryan Seacrest has said multiple times in his voice overs. Talent this year is okay but lacking compared so far compared the last two years. Of course, this format does not lend to seeing everyone have a chance to get over first-performance jitters.
Posted in Miscellaneous by .
I know this has been written about many, many times before, but people simply still do not get it.
Network marketing really only has two important words.
Some believe it is “residual income.” Some believe the words are “I can.” These are all great words, but in reality, to be successful there are only two words that really matter.
The words simply are: Work, and Marketing.
Work
This is the #1 thing that kills so many people. If you are successful in network marketing, you know that success did not come by dumb luck or magic. You worked hard to get there. Yet so many people simply do not want to do the work that it takes to reach success.
Some get discouraged by the word “no.”
Some get burned out.
And some simply are lazy. Just being candid here, but there are many, many people that are not willing to make the sacrifice to get there.
My mentor used to joke with people that asked him if this took a lot of “work.” His standard response was, “No, once a month we’ll back the money truck up to your door and drop off a load.” The absurdity of the illustration helped people understand the absurdity of success without work.
But for the “work” to, well, work, you really need and adjective: Consistent work. You cannot work two days one week, one day the next, a week or two out the year, or some off-the-wall schedule and expect success to happen. It just does not work this way. And I never understood that more until I challenged myself to 90 days of consistent action with Internet marketing, working the business, and making things happen.
As I push myself to do more, I’m seeing more signs of small success occuring. Pushing becomes less of a chore and more of an exciting thing to do!
But these signs did not come in the first day, the first week, or the first month. I’m now in month two and just now seeing it…but consistent work has put me there.
Marketing
This is where the rubber meets the road.
Everyone has their own way of marketing. Some swear by the warm market and “belly to belly” techniques. Guess what…that’s still marketing.
Others believe in purchasing leads and cold calling. Still marketing.
Many are turning to Internet marketing. And, as the name implies, it is marketing.
But where many fail in their work is simply not know how they best handle marketing. You see, marketing is the key to consistent work, no matter what form of marketing they choose. If you quit marketing, you’ve quit working. Work is not checking email and “getting ready” to do something. Marketing is the work you HAVE to do.
So what type of Marketing is best for you? Well, that is up to you to decide. There is a guy in my company that loves the belly to belly approach. He takes appointments, presents the opportunity in person, and has built a great organization doing just this.
My mentor has done the same with Internet marketing, although the guy is a genius even in the “belly to belly” marketing world.
It is all in the preference of what you are comfortable with.
And after you determine what you are comfortable with, grow as a marketer. Find ways to make your marketing better. Keep improving. As Art Williams said in his “Do It” speech, make sure your “butt is always burning” to do more and do it better.
And whatever you do, keep marketing, keep working. Only these two words will bring success.
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