The people who influenced me most in my career were those who gave me the hardest critiques. Stricken with a bruised-ego for days, or on occasion for months, inevitably their feedback helped me make the right life choices to improve, change direction, or stay the course with intensity. In fact, the boss who was the hardest on me is the one I thank the most. Good was not good enough if I was capable of better, and she was quick to point out when that was. No sugar coating from her. And the funny thing? When I was honest with myself, I knew she was right.

Being honest with yourself is one of the challenges to winning at working. We all have talents and abilities, but they’re not always in the areas we pursue at work. Too many people I’ve run across in my career have American Idol Syndrome (AIS). Like Idol contestants auditioning with little or no singing ability, these people believe they are good at what they do. They can’t understand why they don’t get the promotion, the outstanding review, or the highest increases. They view themselves as varsity team material, but they play with junior varsity skills.

When I was a freshman at Stanford, I got a D in biology. Stanford graded on a bell-curve, so an 84% that might traditionally put me in a B category, was near the class bottom. Accustomed to A’s, first quarter grades woke me up. At first, I rationalized a D at Stanford was an A or a B at most any other school. But, reality prevailed. I wasn’t at another school. If I was going to compete at the school I was at, it was time to use more than high school skills to bring results.

Are you applying yourself? Are you as good as you could be to get the raise, the promotion, or the more interesting work? If these are things you want, don’t suffer from AIS. Give yourself some Simon-esk feedback. Ego aside. A Simon-esk answer to the questions, “how good are you?” and “are you in the right field?” offers you a chance at becoming happier and more successful at working. The answers give you choices: you can stay the course; find a playing field at your skill level; improve your skills to compete where you are; or change directions.

(c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved

ABOUT YOUR WORK is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

These articles that enclose at the end a short presentation of you or your business can be about various solution to actual problems, about everyday life or any other topic that will interest and inform a reader about the subject. There are many sites to which you can submit these articles to, or if you have a database of your customers’ emails, just drop them an email containing the article and a link to your personal site or professional site. Over time, it is hoped that your article will be syndicated on websites throughout the internet.

The articles can generally be copied from one article submission site to the other as long as the content belongs to you and you are not stealing someone else’s work. There is a huge demand for content on the internet, it’s what keeps the search engines hungry, and with so many website owners and ezine publishers regularly looking for fresh content, chances are that your article will not only be used on article directories but also on several other sites.

The more interesting and informative an article is, the more people will read and remember it. Even if you don’t have experience with writing, there are some benefits that may persuade you to give it a try:

- It may improve the way you convey your thoughts on a subject.
- It will bring your website visibility.
- If it’s written well it will may help someone.
- You can prove your knowledge in your professional areas.

Publishing articles means they have to contain mostly useful information and just a little bit of advertising. If they don’t follow this rule, you might end up with an un-publishable article. The promotion area of the article is usually meant for the end of that article, known as the “resource box”. As an article directory owner myself, I know that there are many authors who insist on placing links to their website throughout the article, but I would suggest that having an informative article with the links to “futher information” in the resource box is a much clearer and better structured approach.

Articles are meant to inform the reader of a particular subject, and not merely persuade the reader to visit your site with every paragraph written. In fact, should you have a good enough article, the reader will more than likely choose to visit the site in your resource box in any case. I recently received an article that contained 11 links in a 200-word article! This DID NOT include the resource box where a further 4 links were provided. Needless to say the article was rejected, so make sure your articles are interesting and informative with promotion left to the appropriate section.

There are other things you could do with articles if you are willing to spend some money. There are different publicity sites, ranked high in search engines that for a fee will publish your article on their site for a limited period of time. The fee is not high usually, but can provide publicity should you choose this route. But if this choice is the one that appeals to you the most, you must make sure the article is really good, so good that it can compete with all the other articles on that site. The user can see them all at the same time and you must think of ways to make him choose to read yours. If you have tried and you are not confident you can do it on your own, you can always hire a professional.

Advertising and Promoting Using Articles is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

There are almost as many bulk vending distributors as there are products that you can sell. These distributors have different models of bulk candy machines. Some of them are single machines, but you can get combo machines where you sell three different products in one machine. The reason they are called bulk vending machines is that they can hold a lot of candy or other products, which means you don’t have to restock them as often.

Usually bulk candy machines dispense a handful of small candy. Although the candy doesn’t last very long, it is a thrill for small children to put in a quarter and receive the candy. They will often want to spend more than one quarter in the bulk vending machines because they are amazed at how it works. You will most likely see these machines where parents take small children, even though adults like the candy from the vending machines too.

Bulk vending distributors will be able to supply you with large quantities of candy for your vending machine business. The candy usually comes in 30 pound bags, so you have enough candy to refill the vending machines several times. The cost of the bulk candy is about $50 a box, which means that you will have a high rate of profit when you sell them all. The bulk vending machines of this nature are not expensive either and you can save money on your investment if you look for used bulk candy machines.

Bulk vending machines are perfect for people who want to start their own small business as a second source of income. You won’t have to service them very often, so using bulk candy machines won’t take up a lot of your time. There are very few parts that can break on these vending machines because the main components are the turning knob and the coin receptacle. When you add in the fact that they do not require electricity, business owners can easily make money on your investment when they allow you to place bulk vending machines at their place of business.

Bulk Vending Machines – The Most Popular Ones With Vendors And Customers is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

Whenever I talk about Getting Past the Palace Guard, the secretaries, receptionists, assistants, voice mail, anyone and/or anything that blocks access, I’ve taken to pointing to Donald Trump. The question I ask: “If Donald Trump were to call your prospect and that prospect’s secretary were to say to him, ‘What is this in reference to?’ what do you think Donald Trump would say?”

This question always occasions much conversation. The general consensus of opinion, however, is that Donald Trump would probably say, “This is Donald Trump. Is she there?”

Another example: If Barbra Streisand calls Steven Spielberg at DreamWorks and Steven’s secretary says to her, “What is this in reference to?” here is what Barbara will not say: “I’m a singer and an actress and a producer and maybe you’ve seen some of my movies?” She would probably say, “This is Barbra Streisand. Is he there?”

I know that many of you will now say to me, “But Wendy, I’m not famous.” It doesn’t matter. I’m willing to bet that Donald Trump and Barbra Streisand would have said exactly the same thing 30 years ago before they were famous. I’m willing to bet that 30 years ago they had almost the same self-confidence, assurance and sense of entitlement that they have now. It was that self-confidence, assurance and sense of entitlement that helped them get to where they are now.

Let’s switch gears for a moment and talk about your prospects. What type of people are they? They are bosses. What does it mean to be a boss? How does a boss behave? First of all, bosses are decision-makers. That’s what we call them and that’s what they do. They are used to making decisions. They also have at least some authority to be able to implement their decisions. They give direction and expect the direction to be followed. More than likely, at least in their business persona, they have self-confidence and assurance. These are all traits that bosses or leaders share and these traits influence how a boss or a leader behaves.

There have been many, many books and articles written about the art of creating rapport with prospects. Usually what it boils down to is being as like the prospect as you can be without mimicking or imitating them. When you are able to do this well, your prospect will see you as being like them. That prospect is then more likely to feel comfortable with you and want to spend time with you and do business with you.

Let’s take that a step further and talk about secretaries and assistants. If you behave like a boss, i.e., with authority, self-confidence and assurance, the secretary will see you as being a boss. Other bosses are peers with her boss. The secretary will give more value, importance and urgency to your call when she believes you to be a peer of her boss.

Here is my recommendation for speaking with the Palace Guard: Go into Boss Mode. Speak with authority, self-confidence and assurance. Give direction to that secretary, “Please tell (your prospect) that (your name) from (your company) is on the line.” And give direction as if you were speaking with your own secretary. (It’s alright if you do not have a secretary or assistant today. One day you very well might. Look at this as practice.) Be polite and firm. Give your directions in a manner that says you expect your direction to be followed. (How do you think Donald Trump would say it?)

I know that I will get some e-mails here, from people who will tell me this approach is rude. It’s not rude to speak with confidence and self-assurance. And, if you use this approach, you will find that your ability to reach prospects will rise significantly.

If you find that you need more help Getting Past the Palace Guard, please visit http://www.wendyweiss.com and buy the product with the same name,
Getting Past the Palace Guard.

© 2006 Wendy Weiss

Boss Mode or Getting Past the Palace Guard is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

This can be tough…Even with the best recruiting techniques.

For me one of the better ways to find business builders is to Retail to Recruit.

Personally I think your MLM business should be made up of 75% retail customers and 25% business builders.

Why?

Having more retail customers ordering from you week after week, month after month, year after year creates that residual income we all want. Plus you now have an army of customers that are spreading the word about your products. People will talk more freely about products that are doing well for them, then they will about a business opportunity.

In one case people feel they are sharing, in the other they feel like they are selling (guess which one?).

When people talk about products they’re sharing an experience, when they’re talking about a business opportunity they feel like they’re selling.

In my company we make great money with retail sales and business builders. Personally It’s easier to find retail customers than business builders, plus your income is generated faster. (of course that depends on your pay plan, for example I get paid every week with ours).

Let me ask you a question.

Do you think it’s easier to introduce the idea to someone who is in love with your product/service they can have their own business or to someone who has never tried your product or service?

Kinda of a dumb question, because I know you know the answer.

Once someone has been using you product for about 30 days or so. And before I go on I trust you have been in contact with your customer to see how he/she likes using your product. More importantly have they used your product at all.

You would be surprised at how many people will buy a product and not use it.

If you do come across someone who has not used your product don’t say “WHY NOT”.

Tell a story.

For example, lets say you sell product XYZ and you called a customer and they have not use it yet.

Me.. “Hi Bob, this is Duffy how do you like XYZ?”

Bob.. “Oh I have not tried it yet it’s still in the box, no time to busy”

Me.. “I can relate to that Bob. When I first started taking XYZ I started noticing a difference after only 3 days, I could fall asleep faster and I woke up more refreshed and with more energy and I am getting the same feedback from my other customers as well. I’ll give you a call in few days and see how you’re doing. Talk to you then, have a great night.”

I did not challenge him, I accepted his excuse and I went on to tell him a story of how XYZ has helped me. Do you think he is going to leave your product in the box for one more day…I doubt it.

But even if he does, just keep telling stories of the things XYZ is doing for you and others

However, if your customer has not tried your product after 2 or 3 phone calls (5 or 7 days). Personally I would offer them a refund. With that the customer will either say no and try your product, or they will accept your offer. If so, great, either way it’s a win-win.

If this person lived in my city I would go over and pick up the product. It’s not doing him or you any good just sitting there. It might as well be given to someone who will use the product.

Ok, it’s been 30 days or so since your customer has been using your product and they love it, what now?

The next time you talk to a customer you can say something like this:

According to my records, it’s time for you to reorder. How would you like to save up to $10 off your next purchase? For every name you give me of someone I can send a brochure to, I’ll give you $1 off up to $10. Is that fair?

Or

If they are internet customers you would be offering them a $10 rebate after they place their next order. Simply tell them after you get the contact names and confirmation of their next order you will send them a check in the amount owing. The above is for local customers that you are personally delivering your product to.

This is a great way to get warm leads.

Then you take a flyer or brochure about your product. Put a yellow sticky note on it and say Hi “Sally” Mary Jones has been taking this product and feels great and thought you might be interested. Your name, your address your phone number.

Then, after you mail the info to the referrals, you call them in a few days. And say:

Hi Sally. This is (your Name), You don’t know me but Mary Jones asked that I send you a brochure. Did you get that brochure? Listen, our product is helping a lot of people around the country–it’s helped Mary.

The product is less than a dollar and a half a day and it’s got 100% money back guarantee. Would you like to try it or do you know anyone who’d like to try it?

(I used what it costs to use my product each day for the above example, replace that with the break down of your products cost per day).

Now it’s been about 2 months after your original customers first purchase. Depending on your products user rate you may have talked to them as little as 2 times, but that’s ok.

Now say something like this:

Hello _______ How are you doing?

Have you experienced any additional positive results with your product?

Listen, I can’t offer you a discount this time. “4″ of the people of the “10″ names you gave me are on the product and they’re loving the product. They’re going to reorder the product. Would you like to supply them and make the profit or would you rather I supply them?

If they say they would like to earn the profit, they have just given you permission to show them your presentation.

You’re now retailing to recruit.

Until next time.

To Your MLM Success
Duffy Rogan

Retailing To Recruit is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

As an online seller, it’s critical you prepare for the natural retail cycles throughout the year. With some simple strategies, you can make the most of the opportunities presented by the changing seasons:

1.Keep the Flow Going
The way to maintain sales volume is to be ready for the next selling season. Phase in your new seasonal items for early shoppers while your other product line sales are winding down. You can keep the momentum going in your store and your income if you plan accordingly.

2.Make Advance Preparations
Don’t wait until the holiday is upon you to get your products lined up and ready to go. You should begin pushing your promotions two to three months ahead of time, according to Lisa Suttora of http://WhatDoISell.com. Says Suttora, “The advantage to having your products ready several months before a holiday season is you capture the early bird buyers…You’d be amazed how many people shop months in advance of a holiday.”

Another benefit of early marketing is it provides lead time for the search engines to pick up the pages for your holiday specials. Include the season or holiday name in your titles, because people are searching for those terms.

3.Use What You’ve Got
You don’t necessarily have to change your entire product line every season. Evaluate your current product line and see what can be promoted as a seasonal item. Use your imagination—create unique gift baskets and kits. Shoppers are pressed for time and are looking for solutions, so put together product bundles to solve their holiday needs.

4.Adjust Your Website
Your web store should reflect the season—feature items that work well for the approaching holiday. Put a seasonal spin on your ads and listings. “Your sales don’t have to drop,” advises Suttora. “Evaluate what you’re selling and how you want to position it—freshen up the look of your site. You’ve got a whole new group of buyers coming in [with each new season], so you want to be ready for them.”

4 Strategies For Seasonal Selling – Planning For Retail Cycles is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

Many companies offer adventure team building activities to serve a wide range of functions. A wide range of activities is usually offered so you can choose the one that will strengthen the values that are core to your business. Some events can last for a few hours, while others might last a few days and can accommodate up to 500 people at a time.

And you won’t believe how many activities from which you can choose. Some include: archery, rock climbing, kayaking, raft building, zip wires, mountain biking, sailing, night walks, fishing, horse riding, mountain expeditions, kite building and flying, barbecues, camping, and backwoods skills.

Adventure team building is perfect if your company requires events that will really offer a change of pace to your team, get them out of the office and learning new skills through a variety of different means. Adventure activities can invigorate a group of people and help them bond better than any other experience.

Perhaps better than any other corporate event, adventure team building improves communication problems, strengthens leadership skills, and helps with problem-solving, decision-making and teamwork.

Adventure events are held in a wide variety of locations and venues, so you can choose what works best for your company. Resorts, conference centres and parks are just some of the places where adventure team building can take place. And many organizations can custom-build a corporate adventure for you that is designed to develop the specific skills required by your employees.

Adventure team building is also an excellent way to celebrate a success story and reward your team for a job well done. This will help to continue the success, boost future team performance and increase morale. Whether you choose a helicopter ride or a camping experience in the woods, when everyone in the office feels motivated, energized and excited about work, more success is definitely on the horizon.

Adventure Team Building – the Fun Way to Success is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

2. You could offer your visitors a free ebook if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

3. You could offer your visitors a free subscription to your private web site if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

4. You could offer your visitors a free advertisement in your free e-zine if they subscribe.

5. You could offer your visitors a free tangible gift if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

6. You could offer a free automatic entry into your contest or sweepstakes if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

7. You could tell your visitors that you offer original content in your free e-zine.

8. You could tell your visitors to read a sample issue of your free e-zine on your web site.

9. You could offer your visitor’s free software if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

10. You could offer your visitors a free sign up to your affiliate program if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

11. You could offer your visitors a free web service, like free e-mail, if they subscribe to your free e-zine.

12. You could publish some of your current e-zine subscriber’s testimonials on your web site.

13. You could publish any positive reviews you have received about your free e-zine on your web site.

14. You could tell your visitors what’s going to be published in your next e-zine issue.

15. You could tell your visitors that they have the right to republish your e-zines content on their own web site if they subscribe to your free e-zine

16. You could publish a list of well-known famous or respected people that have subscribed to your free e-zine.

17. You could tell your visitors what a subscription to your free e-zine is worth in dollars.

18. You could tell your visitors all the major benefits of subscribing to your e-zine.

19. You could tell your visitors how many people have already subscribed to your e-zine.

20. You could tell your visitors that a subscription to your free e-zine is only available for a limited time.

For more tips & tricks to convert visitors into subscribers visit our Work From Home Opportunity website today!

20 Ways To Convert Visitors Into Subscribers is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

Two of the fear factors mentioned above are partially behind why people choose to ignore the Ebay Business Opportunity. Not knowing how to run a business and worry about start up costs can be put to the back of your mind right now if you crave financial freedom. This is definitely a win win situation if you want it to be.

There are no large amounts of money to hand over to start up and as for knowledge – well you learn as you go along. This is exactly how other Ebay entrepreneurs began and are still reaping in the rewards
The Ebay Business Opportunity is not just for the hungry who have decided enough is enough and wants out of the rat race – it is also a second income for many people on a budget.

Remember the Ebay Business Opportunity is a risk free venture so what are you waiting for – all that is required from you is sheer determination and a little time. Any knowledge on how to run your Ebay business can be found through the Ebay support system or from fellow Ebayers. Beginners gather information by visiting the forums. You will find many Ebay entrepreneurs willing to share what they know with you but remember if you are competition for them then you may not get the help you need. The internet is larger than life so what you need to know can be found elsewhere online.

If you are new to the Ebay Business Opportunity and money is your biggest worry then fret not – have a trial run selling second hand goods that you may have stored in the loft, attic or garage. What you see as trash will bring in cash. So before you go discarding any old items for the refuse man think on how it may be of use to someone else.

The cost to list items on Ebay can vary thus depending on the size of the item you are selling – for example if it be a car then expect to pay more than that of a salt and pepper set. Your dummy run at selling for the first time can include book sales even an e-book on a hobby of yours – the list is endless as to what you can sell. The Ebay Business Opportunity will have restrictions and guidelines on certain articles or items they allow to be sold on the auctions – as in i.e. offensive materials etc.

What other business besides the Ebay Business Opportunity gives you the chance to change the way you live without taking away your second income if you are already holding down a couple of jobs to make ends meet.

Ebay Business Opportunity – Man or Mouse – Get out of the RAT RACE is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com

Sometimes we need to be told outright what’s going on, how to do something, how to make it, without huge amounts of hype, gloss and flash and he does just that.

He calls himself The Rich Jerk. He’s got a viewpoint that’s straight down the line, calls it as it is and doesn’t care if you don’t act. He’s successful and he knows it. He knows how to make money online and he’s making his method available. Now you’ve got a chance to take advantage of it.

If you’re serious about making money online you really have to look at all of this. The information is condensed to the essentials. Clear, detailed and precise information about multiple successful strategies that’s he’s used and is still using today.

His information about how to make money online includes (but is by no means limited to):

• 10 ways to create an affiliate site that sells, and sells, and sells
• How to knock off Google Adwords competition, and pay less as well
• How to get 20% click through from Adsense ads
• How he attained a #1 listing on Google and held it for 3 years
• How he develops huge link popularity through automation
• The ins and outs of “white hat” and “black hat” strategies
• Getting super-affiliate sites to promote you over the others

He can provide gutsy, honest testimonials …

“You might be the epitome of arrogance, but you certainly know your stuff. Anyone who is unwilling to pay ANY price for this material ought to be put out of their miserable internet existence …” Stephanie Woolford-Bales – Vancouver, WA

“First off, your product is hands down the best I’ve ever bought. And I’ve bought a lot. I hope my competition doesn’t get their hands on it. You really delivered.” Erik M. – The Netherlands

To quote The Rich Jerk directly:

“Try my strategies for 60 days. If you aren’t successful, I’ll tell you that you are in the wrong profession, I’ll question your IQ, but I’ll also give you a 100% refund. I only require that you let me know which strategies didn’t work for you, and how you used them. See my FAQ page for complete details. If I see that you’re REALLY pathetic, I masy even help you personally”. The Rich Jerk

So now it’s up to you. Go there now and get yourself going to … The Rich Jerk

You can also find out more at www.g-adrenalin.com

He calls himself the Rich Jerk – He is rich and he tells you how to be as well. is a post from: egodrivendevelopment.com