A week ago, I bought a bucket of fried chicken for $40 and another nearby fast food chain was advertising “low priced meals” for $7 each. My, that’s $35 for the five of us and that’s just for drive through meals! If I had brought the family to a dine-in restaurant, heaven knows how much I could have dented the budget.

Come to think of it, it’s now costing a small family close to a hundred dollars daily just to meet the basic necessities. So I really feel for any couple subsisting on less than $60,000 per year. Decades back when I was starting off in the corporate world, I was earning about five hundred bucks each month. Half of that went to pay for the basic necessities like rent, food and other bills and a clean half went to savings. Whew – those were the happy days!

These days, even if you’re employed (some even with 2 jobs) and work overtime, you still can’t sit comfortably. You can be employed yet starve at the same time! Some are even forced to take jobs they despise just to make ends meet because being unemployed is a BIG deal these days. A decade ago, it really was not this way. So something about our world today just isn’t right.

I guess you and I know what it is – we’re being silently taxed for just about anything. A higher debt ceiling, above normal inflation and more money being printed just to keep things from getting off hand… all these result to taxes, taxes, and more taxes.

Check out how much you’re giving government each month in taxes, and you’d most likely arrive at a figure of about $400 each month. That’s $4,800 in a year, and the simple thought of it is just exhausting. You work extra time or take two jobs just to get by and find yourself giving up a substantial chunk of your earnings to taxes!

But there is a way for you to save by keeping upwards of $400/month that you normally give up to the government in the form of taxation. Basically, it’s a legal and ethical practice that every household should incorporate.

HOW???  Well, it’s as simple as starting your home-based business… but it comes with a clincher. This home-base business must have the intention of making money.  Whether the business is profitable or not, you are still entitled to tax deductions that’s made available to you and your business. The average person could realistically create enough monthly expenses to shorten his or her annual tax obligation upwards of $4,800.00 [that an average of $400 each and every month]

View this YouTube video by Sandy Botkin, C.P.A. Esq., one of North Americans leading tax advisers to see what I mean:

Once you get your head around this neat secret that isn’t widely advertised, I’m sure you might entertain establishing some sort of home-based business.  The next question is: WHAT??? Most of you will feel that a home-based business just isn’t the thing for you because your day is just to full now and you have no time to take on any other projects. To top it all, you’d probably tell yourself you’re no salesman and can’t sell a thing. You don’t like doing any of that selling stuff … SO WHAT IS OUT THERE THAT I CAN DO?

Well, I’ll let you into one thing I REALLY LOVE…

Like me, YOU could you give away a FREE GIFT to all your friends – one that will help them stretch their take home dollars and save them upwards of $300 every month by not doing anything different than what they are already doing daily. YES, nothing changes, except that you will be helping them save money.

This could be your home-based business, too, so check it out now by clicking: More PayCheck.

Everyone has choices to make in this world. You can choose not to act upon this OR you can choose where to spend the dollars you did not send to the government in the form of taxation. Like hundreds of people I have helped, YOU too can take advantage of this FREE GIFT.

Check it out. No strings attached – It’s my gift to you.

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Talents are a gift while skills can be learned. When you mix learned skills with your talent, you’ll be a BLAST. Unfortunately, a lot of us forget about the special gift of talent that has been given us. We’re lured by other “more important” stuff in life that we fail to nourish that which is innate.

In my lifetime, I’ve seen a lot of friends, family and associates set off into the bigger world to pursue opportunities and challenges that are “hot”. They spend years and years trying to find “success” in every nook and corner, only to return and find it within themselves – in their talents.

Everyone has talents, but the most important thing lies in discovering them. In most cases, people do not maximize their talents and a lot are not even using them at all. The reason could be that some people are not even aware that they possess a special talent to begin with. However, the main reason why most do not tap into their potential is FEAR – the fear of unacceptance, rejection or even the waste of time and effort. It could be that they are so preoccupied with other things and fear losing other opportunities if they invest time in their talents. Others fear that the possibilities that could be unlocked might be too overwhelming to handle.

Uncertainty in this aspect though must never be feared. We were given talents never to put us in harm’s way but rather to lead us to our real mission in life. Talents should be explored – just imagine what awaits you out there if you learn to use your talent!

You can use your talent for so many things – to improve your career, create a fortune or simply just for self fulfilment. Know your talents firsthand to discover what you are capable of doing. Discover the tasks that you can do effortlessly – they’re usually the tasks you love doing. Think how this can be the best of both worlds for you – creating your fortune with the things you love to do!

Find a mentor, practice and do your homework – go back to school if you have to. Use your talents rather than lose them. You might have been working your butt off making a living, but when you capitalize on your talents, you can possibly earn more than you will in your entire working life. Recognizing your talent could be you big breakthrough in your search for success.

Most of us step out to “hunt for the gold in the desert” when there are “acres of diamonds in our own backyard”.  Know what your diamonds are through the talents you possess. God already did his part by giving us these talents – let’s do our part by doing an inventory and using them wisely.

If you found this post relevant to your journey at finding your own success, please leave a comment below. The same goes if you have your own story to tell about discovering your talents.

Question me an answer bright and clear.
I will answer with a question clear and bright.

Even though your answer may be wrong my question will be right.
Question me an answer.
Answer with a question.

Well this is all quite true especially if you’re in the field of selling, marketing or recruiting.  Your success largely depends on asking the right questions at the right time.  We sell something or recruit people into our business not really to build an impressive network (well, that’s just a result of the right efforts); we bring in people or push a product to ANSWER either a want or a need.

In my long years of experience in sales, it’s more of the wants that work. Just to illustrate this, a lot of people may need to lose weight. But not all of them will want to work for it. So if you’re pushing a weight loss product or program, you will want to focus your selling efforts on those who want to lose the extra pounds.

The same goes with your prospects and potential recruits. They have lots of wants. People want to have a nice car. They want a nice home. People want a good business that brings in lucrative income. And so it goes on and on – and much of your success in recruiting and selling really lies in asking the right questions.

First, you will need to ask yourself a few questions. How do you assess if someone is an ideal prospect? When you come to think of it, in most cases you already have the right answers painted in a picture of your ideal prospect and it’s all a matter of asking the right questions. What are their characteristics? What are they hoping to achieve or what do they dream about? What are the gaps that they want filled and what are the issues and challenges they encounter along the way?

Your next step is not to approach your prospects and ask them these questions. Instead, it is highly advisable to talk to some successful recruiters themselves and learn about how they built their networks and their businesses.

Here are a few questions you can use:

1. What big challenge were you facing before you found this particular product or business?
2. What else have you tried in the past?
3. Why did those products or businesses fail you?
4. How did you feel after you tried this present product or involved yourself in this particular business?
5. What would you say to convince someone who could be a bit hesitant about your product or getting into the same type of business?

Ask about 10 to 20 people in a similar business that you’re planning to get into, and you’ll be surprised to get very similar answers.  You will notice some patterns evolving and these can be very crucial to the next steps you will be taking. Marketers call these the ‘hot buttons’ when recruiting.

It’s all about filling the gaps and connecting what you have to offer to what your prospect wants. Paint a picture of possibilities that your prospect can identify with. Create a ‘before and after’ situation. It’s about solving issues, challenges and difficulties. When you are able to do that, no doubt you can double or even triple your recruiting or selling results. It’s about being a few steps ahead and thinking outside the box.

So go beyond conventional thinking and be on your way to successful selling and recruiting. Leave your comments below as I’d appreciate your thoughts and similar experiences on this.

Are the people giving attention to what you have to say? Well here are some plain truths about building your networking business.

First and foremost, people will be or are going to follow you when you are building a business online or offline. Why? – Because people think that there’s something for them. This is basic human nature… people do things arising from a need. While some may just be plainly curious, the vast majority do it because they think they can get something from you. And if you want to succeed, fulfil that need.

Next, you need to make your presence felt by being pleasantly unique.  Are you someone who can get the crowd together by saying, “Let’s Parteeyeah!” People love to be with those who exude life and energy. You have to be a resource of positive energy and sometimes, it requires that you have “mad” skills such as having the magic hand at poker or possessing the knack at drawing people to the dance floor. It could be proficiency at marketing or making money, but you need to be captivating.

You don’t necessarily have to be the hunk or the belle of the ball – people will instinctively follow you when you have something to offer. Ask how you can help other people and not merely what you can get out of it for yourself. That’s a sure-fire formula to create a bigger following.

Know who you are and what you attract. That simply means focusing on your target market or audience. You can’t be everything to everybody, but you can be something or someone to a distinct crowd. Know your niche and develop your expertise in that niche. It isn’t really that complicated. You just have to establish your purpose and have a compelling vision of how you’re going to accomplish that purpose. And that means having clear beliefs, perceptions and opinions.

You’ve also got to be real and authentic. You don’t need to be the jack-of-all-trades. People love some vulnerability in you because that is the way they can identify with you. They have to see something of themselves in you. And you can only do that by being real.

A lot of people fail at what they do because they are overly concerned about what people think. If you’re this sort of person, get over it at once. Of course it is also detrimental not to consider at all what people think – just don’t let it hold you back. If you stop concerning yourself about what people will say or think, you can definitely be a LOT more attractive. Well, not really to everyone but to the right people.

When you are attractive, people will like and love learning from you. They will love being with you. Now isn’t life definitely amazing and more fun this way? When you attract the right people, you have the power and the influence and people will listen to you. This is true leadership.

Just one last thing – learn to let go of your ego. When you present yourself as someone with integrity and truth, people will look up to you. Nature takes care of itself so you don’t really have to think about your ego. Your character, attitude and purpose will do everything for you. And people will listen to you.

I’d appreciate your thoughts on all these, so please feel free to leave a comment or note below.

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We’ve all heard of success stories and draw inspiration from people who have risen above adversities and faced their challenges head-on. Stories about ordinary people who breathe the same air as we do… people who laugh, cry, get angry, love… people who are just like us.

So what makes them stand above the rest?

What drives them to achieve their goals?

What are the secrets to their success?

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You’ll be surprised to learn there’s really no magic formula – they simply embody the attitude of a GO-GETTER.

Here are the 10 Commandments of a Go-Getter:

1. Even when an idea seems “impossible”, I give it a YES vote.
2. A helpful thought speaks of opportunity. I will never block one just because it involves obstacles. I won’t wait till there’s a solution – I will create that solution.
3. Even if I’ve never done it before, a possibility is always welcome. Even if I can’t imagine how it can be done, there IS always a way.
4. I will PLAN, so I reduce the risk of failure.
5. Nothing and no one is perfect. So even if I see some weakness in a potentially good idea, I will support it.
6. Just because no one has ever succeeded in perfecting an idea, it doesn’t mean I should shelve it.
7. Although I may lack the time, resources, knowledge or skill to explore a possibility, I will continue to declare any constructive idea as POSSIBLE.
8. I will never throw away a good concept or project just because it has some imperfections.
9. I won’t ever defy a proposition just because I wasn’t the one who thought of it. Nor will I resist one because I won’t get any credit for it, or probably not live to see it materialize and enjoy its rewards.
10. When I think I’ve reached the end of the rope, there’s always the option to tie a knot and hang on! ♥

Now the first thing that gets into your mind is that you’re no reporter or movie star and the thought of recording your own video just gets you all shaky and nervous.

Well here’s a video that will teach you how to overcome the fear of being in front of the camera – straight from the experts in video blogging!

…

…

If you found this video helpful, please leave your thoughts on the comment section below.

Thanks a lot and come back to my blog for more helpful tips in this wonderful endeavor we all share.

Opportunities can turn into success stories when handled well; conversely, they can be the opening chapter for tragic stories if they are exploited. When opportunities present themselves, they should be carefully assessed and thought out. You will need to ask yourself some sensible, success spotting questions before taking some action; otherwise your will be plunging ahead recklessly without a clear direction and end goal.

Here are four important questions you need when presented with an opportunity:

1. Will this opportunity fill a vital need in me and those it will involve? You will need to look into the value each opportunity offers you and the people around you. Additionally, you have to weigh its practicality.  Is it workable and viable? Will it be helpful to people in need or who are hurting? How does the opportunity measure up to your aspirations and dreams?
2. Does this opportunity inspire people including me? Inspiration is an important element in every opportunity. Without it, nothing will drive you to accomplish things. Opportunities have to lift the heart and spirit – otherwise, you won’t be driven to succeed. Especially when you work with a network of people, inspiration is a must. While the opportunity will reward you initially, your success will need to inspire people especially those you work closely with.
3. Can I turn this opportunity into success in an outstanding and respectable way? Some things may appear as opportunities but sometimes, they will require you to do unacceptable actions. When assessing an opportunity, make sure the way to success is decent and upright. Excellence is key to your achievement and success.
4. Is the opportunity pace setting? This simply means that your success will come in steps. Beware of opportunities that promise you overnight success – they will not simply last. Success entails time, effort and hard work and usually happens in stages. Anything can be accomplished when done conscientiously. Involve the spirit when working out opportunities. Fill your spiritual needs and not just your physical wants. It’s the best way to inspire and motivate people, too.

Answer these four vital questions before taking some action on an opportunity. When you have the motivation and spirit within you, and when you work towards something that can benefit others as well, you will most likely succeed.  Only then will you realize that newer paths open and more opportunities present themselves to those with a kind and unselfish heart.

Let this be your prayer or guiding thought when presented with opportunities:

It is my wish and fervent desire to work out opportunities under the constant guidance of the Lord’s will.  Let His flowing abundance fill my heart and soul as I work out the plans He has laid out for me. Let God’s light shine on me so I know which path to follow. I want to walk with You Lord, every step of the way. Amen.

It is rather disheartening to witness associates abandon this lucrative profession. The job of a marketer is a totally different thing from your usual 8 to 5 routine. And from what I’ve observed on those who have thrown in the towel early in the business, I notice that they show several common “characteristics”:

*There is usually an absence of structure or a master plan and most of them lack self-discipline. If you were working a regular 8 to 5 job, there are things that will be required of you. Your supervisors will be checking on your progress and probably, you’ll have to log in and out when you arrive or leave work. If you’re into sales, you most likely will have monthly targets to accomplish. You’ll have to face potential clients and customers and deliver your sales pitch.

Some people who get into the MLM business forget that they also have a job to do even if they need not log in daily at 8 or 9 in the morning for work. Just because you don’t have a supervisor watching over your back doesn’t mean that you don’t account for anything – it’s still the same basic thing.

You still have to make it a point to know your presentation well and establish a connection with the needs of each unique prospect. Successful marketers know their scripts and sales pitches and they do not cringe at rejections. They are ready with their rebuttals and understand the value of working as a team.

You also need to live by a schedule and plan out your workday in order to succeed. Those who have made it in the MLM arena know that they are their own bosses and they need to deliver. So they follow a schedule and exercise even more discipline than they would have, had they taken regular employment. And just because you don’t punch time on a Bundy clock, it doesn’t mean anyone can call you at anytime because the pantry’s out of mushroom soup or Granny’s icebox won’t make any ice today.

*They don’t follow a system. All successful businesses and corporations have systems to follow. Systems provide guidelines and enable duplicable results. When you analyze it deeper, the MLM business is actually a duplicable system, so anyone who gets into it should follow a system. MLM distributors must follow a structured outline which is usually presented via a tested system. These systems usually include:

• Lead generation (online and offline)

• Lead Follow up

• Prospect Qualification

• Preparing and Delivering Presentations

• Tracking Numbers and Performance

• Practice and Role Play

*They don’t practice accountability. Because there’s no “physical” boss that will hold you accountable, most distributors and marketers lose focus and get easily distracted and confused about the work that needs to be done. Initiative plays an important role in the MLM business. You need to make yourself accountable to your boss – YOURSELF. So you need to keep focus on your goals and hold yourself accountable for everything that it will take to attain these goals.

To foster accountability in your MLM business, you can start off by setting targets. It can be as simple as targeting to make 10 prospecting calls a day. Your targets need to be measurable. Accomplishing small targets will lead to accomplishing bigger targets. Take it step by step, but make sure your steps are leading forward.

*They don’t step back to assess situations or anticipate unique prospect conditions. Every prospect you will come across is unique, but they all share something in common – they have needs that have to be satisfied. Successful marketers and distributors know that each prospect is facing a different challenge and that they are fighting unique battles. But successful distributors know how to channel their prospects so the latter are able to see the value of what you have to offer for their unique situations. To be successful at MLM, you have to learn to walk your prospect along the path to abundance and prosperity when they decide to jump into the bandwagon with you.

Good listening and assessment skills are vital here. You need to develop the knack of creating new possibilities for your prospects. This is best illustrated by the thoughts of Wayne Gretsky, one of the greatest hockey players of all time. While everyone else in the team darted toward where the puck was, Gretsky stepped back and sped to where the puck will be next. Good assessment and anticipation are key to succeeding in the MLM business.

*They are usually not honest with themselves. When you start off on an MLM business, you will usually have to work with a mentor or coach who’s been ahead of you. Usually, this person will have much success in the business to speak about and he will be occasionally checking on how you are doing. If you’ve committed to making 20 prospecting calls each week but only did 7, who would you be fooling if you tell your mentor you did all those 20 calls?

If you want to succeed in MLM, you have to be truthful most especially to yourself. Don’t tell yourself things you want to hear because you will never move on. Remember, we all write our own destiny with the things we choose to do.

The MLM market is quite competitive, so you will need to work harder than your competition. You have to be true to yourself and follow structures and systems. You need a great amount of discipline and accountability plus a good sense of foresight and anticipation. If you’ve been part of the workforce prior to entering the MLM arena, it actually couldn’t be a more difficult thing. You’ll just have to impress and deliver to a more demanding “boss” who’s expecting a lot more. But the efforts could be more rewarding, because that “boss” is YOU.

I’d appreciate your thoughts on this, so feel free to leave a comment below.

Do Not Take It Personally!

There have already been documented evidence and statistics to prove that MLM is a successful industry in itself. If someone tells you that the MLM industry is all hype or scam, think about these names: Nestle, Verizon, Bank of America, IBM, Nokia, Citigroup, Nissan, BMW, plus a few more… Nope, they’re not MLM businesses at all if that’s what you think; they’re simply some of the businesses that all have lower revenues than the network marketing industry.

MLM has grown into an industry worth $114 billion annually. That’s not at all hype, right? So don’t take things personally simply basing on this figure. MLM is a legit, promising and thriving industry!

Most of those who have succeeded in MLM have been ridiculed at one time or another. They have been called gold diggers, sly deceivers, scam or con artists, and what have you – yes, they have all been bullied.

Keep in mind though that when people do these sorts of things, it is merely a result of some unhappiness they have about themselves. Probably they’re not as motivated and resilient as you are, as everyone copes with their issues very differently. Everyone is fighting his own battle and some just don’t fight it well. So they turn to others out of misery and when they see that you’re doing something different and challenging, they are reminded about how they failed to face their own challenge and pursue their dreams.

When all those negative energies confront you, you have the choice of whether to join them and wallow in the mud or step back to see the bigger picture. Most people will tell you you’re in for a rip off if you try and pursue your luck in the MLM world – well they’re just unhappy about the state of their lives so shake the dust off and think about how things will be when yours will actually work out.

I’ve been is sales all my life – direct, indirect, face-to-face and online selling as well as multi-level marketing. I’ve had my dose of those bashings, and surprisingly they can come from people closest to you! One thing that has pulled me through all these is the fact that those who bash you deem themselves worthy of judging you when actually, they’re not. They haven’t even been there yet, so they really don’t deserve to bring you down to size.

Instead, I’ve found motivation and inspiration by surrounding myself in positive energy by being with the right people and working with the right team. Look for those who encourage you and support you in your endeavours. Receive and transmit positive energy and negative energy will simply fade away.

And to those who have bashed and ridiculed you – well, they’re probably working through their own challenges and fighting their battles. Don’t let them bring you down though – you need not put up with these types of personalities in the workplace. Simply wish them well and move along the path you’ve set for yourself. Don’t waste your time reasoning out or proving a point – that will come in some other way in the future and with no effort at all.

Do not fear the winds of adversity.

Remember: A kite rises against the wind rather than with it.

– Unknown Author

If this post has motivated you or if you have your own experience of bashing to share, I’d love to hear from you. Please send me a comment below.

Remember this: Rejection can never be eliminated, but it can be reduced if you offer someone something that is free. Click below to avail of something you can really use! One that can really STRETCH their MONEY all FREE

MorePayCheck

“As much as possible, NEVER go into business with friends or family – especially when you’re just starting out.”

While it would be grossly unfair to state that dealing with a family member or a friend would lead you to be taken advantage of, there’s a deeper reason into this practical advice. You might think that the vast majority of people closest to you will want to see you succeed and give you support along the way, but the stark truth is – your warm market has ICE in their veins.

In sales, your warm market consists of family, friends and associates whom you’ve established some sort of connection to, as opposed to your cold market that comprises mostly of strangers who can become potential clients and customers. It is basic instinct to approach people closest to you whenever you get into business. The problem is that one or more of the people closest to you will NOT want to see you succeed. This is an established fact and you are not exempt from this just because you think you have quite a loving family and very caring friends. We can sit down to argue over this through lunch and dinner, but that won’t change a thing. There will always be people in your life who will feel threatened when you make a bold move toward success, and surprisingly, they’re the people closest to you in most cases. They’ll suck the life out of you with their criticisms and comments and that will always keep you wondering WHY?

The answer is quite simple though – Misery TRULY loves company. Probably these people are in a mess, and while failure and misery are an occasional part of life, there are those who encounter issues whenever they decide to step out and improve their life situations. So they stay within their comfort zones and keep in the company of people in similar predicaments. The moment YOU decide to get out of that circle for that BIG PUSH towards success, they feel threatened.

When faced with these situations, the best thing you can do is to always have that amazing “WHY” hovering over your head. Rather than focusing on WHY your loved ones feel this way towards the decisions you make, ask yourself WHY moving ahead is important, WHY it is critical that you do business, or WHY it is critical that you succeed. Having this type of “Nailed WHY” will get you through the holocausts of criticisms and negative energy stemming from the people closest to you.

When you decide to take the bumpy road to success, there will always be the risk of fractured and broken relationships along the way. Don’t find yourself ending up with the NFL Club (“No Friends Left Club) – instead, get really good training from a predecessor or mentor in a particular business niche. Becoming good at your business will entail making mistakes along the way, so it is good advice to make mistakes with people you don’t know. Once your business starts picking up and the pay checks come in, get back to friends and family. In fact, you won’t even have to call them – they’ll be running to you once they hear the good news. That’s one of the simplest and plainest truths in life.

Keep this in mind – you can always find partners, clients and customers elsewhere, but you can never replace family members and bosom friends. So rather than heating up your warm market because it’s an apparently easier job (so it seems at the start), BUILD YOUR SUCCESS WITH YOUR COLD MARKET. When you have successfully done so, your warm market will be raring to find out how you exactly DID IT.

I guarantee you – you’ll have a happier Family Gatherings this year when you do so.