Sometimes a self-employed person has to make decisions about his business.  Sometimes his just thinking about a solution to a problem. Sometimes he just has to quiet his mind so new ideas can come. Just because you’re not pounding away at the typewriter every minute doesn’t mean you’re not working.

It’s okay NOT to answer the phone every time it rings.  That’s what voicemail is for, and the same goes for email.  At my nine-to-five job I would leave the email program open all day and answer each one as it arrived.  It took me a while to realize it’s okay to only check email several times a day instead of constantly being interrupted. It’s actually more productive than having to stop your thought process every time “you have mail.” At my other job, I was able to let a phone call roll over into voice mail, but it took me a while to be able to shut down the email too.

You’re going to have days where you feel you didn’t accomplish much.  Then again, you’ll have days where you’ll feel you can conquer the world and you’ll be amazed at how much you got done. Some days you may not finish many tasks, but you’ll make a decision on a problem that needed to be addressed.  Or, you will have learned a valuable lesson about yourself.

And, I had to learn to stop breaking down all my tasks into dollars and cents.  I tended to worry about how much I was or was not earning every day.  The truth is, some days you’re going to make more than other days. If I spent my day on marketing issues, even though I didn’t earn any money from it that day, I would benefit from it some time in the future.

Rather than worry about what benefits I do or don’t have, I realized the benefit I have in my business is that I answer only to me. Everything I do will benefit me sooner or later. Instead of my income being dependent on somebody else’s budget, I can go as far as I dream. And because I’m now doing what I truly love and not what someone else tells me to, I’m much happier and more content.

If you start THINKING like an entrepreneur, then you’ll actually be one.

2. Start Your Own E-zine

An e-zine is an electronic newsletter sent by email to a database of subscribers. An e-zine builds trust and establishes you as an expert. At your website, you can set up a subscription form for your e-zine. Those who sign up are obviously interested in your offer, so you can send e-mailings to them weekly and use the e-zine to get them back to your website. This is a great way to turn visitors to your site into network marketing partners.

3. Answer Questions in Forums and Discussion Groups

With forums, you cannot merely advertise your business, but you can answer questions and include a link to your email or website. Find work-from-home forums online that are related to your network marketing business or that might cater to your target audience. Observe and read the questions and answers for a while before posting to get a feel for the people and atmosphere. Then, answer those questions pertaining to your type of business in a truly helpful manner. The person asking the question might visit your website as well as any others who might read the post. It’s a great way to meet new people and market your business.

4. Create Network Marketing Excitement

Another thing you can do online is to create network marketing excitement for your team members. At your own website, you can hold contests for your team members, random giveaways, provide hosted space for your team members to create their own profiles or mini-websites, do feature bios on your team members, and more. These will motivate your network marketing team to work harder and increase their cash stream (and yours) while having fun.

5. Content Writing about the Internet and Network Marketing

One of the most powerful ways to promote your website is to add valuable content articles to your website on a regular basis. Articles should be targeted about network marketing and working from home. They should provide your target readers with helpful information. At the conclusion of each article, you can include a signature/bio that will lead the reader to your sales pages.

Add articles to your website on a regular basis and submit articles to free article directories for maximum results. Articles will help attract search engine traffic to your website without any cost to you.

There are also many other methods of Internet promotion for network marketing such as e-zine advertising, banner advertising, contextual or paid search engine ads, free traffic exchanges, and affiliate programs. Since you are already a part of Sunrise Travel Club, you’ll be amazed at the results when you combine all of the promotion methods above!

1. Write and Distribute Articles, Reports and Ebooks.
Internet users are all interested in one thing – information. Use this to promote your STC business by creating high quality content and allowing others to reprint it for you. One great way to do this is to distribute a brandable ebook or special report. This is one that a website or list owner can change to include a reference to their website. This doesn’t mean that it looks like they are the publisher, it’s just a way for them to include information on where the ebook was downloaded from and to include their affiliate Sunrise Travel Club link for your products and services.

2. Participate in Newsgroups, Forums, and Mailing Lists.
There are hundreds of forums online and you can find one for almost any topic imaginable. Most allow you to include a signature line that will be attached to every message. This is a chance for you to advertise your site and promote your STS affiliate link. Visiting these forums to post thoughtful questions and offer your expertise will mean your signature is viewed by others and will bring you free, targeted traffic. Of course how much traffic you get depends on how often you post and whether your signature makes people want to visit your site. A good approach is to use an ad you’ve had success with elsewhere as your signature.

3. Join Networking Sites to Build your Personal Network.
Networking sites are designed to make it easy for people to meet others in their industry and to advertise their products and service. Similar to offline networking events where lots of people come together for the sole purpose of meeting people, online networking sites work the same way.

4. Use Classified Sites and Traffic Exchanges.
Classified ad sites and traffic exchanges have gotten a bad reputation, but they really do work if you know how to use them. The Sunrise Travel Club products and services cab benefit many people so you can use such advertising sites to get traffic. Although not very many consumers visit this type of advertising sites, lots of website owners do in order to make sure their ad appears on the site. While there they can’t help but notice other ads and if one catches their attention you’re likely to get a visitor.

5. Run a Contest.
People love the prospect of winning something – that’s why a contest can be a great traffic generator. The key is to choose a prize that will attract people from your target audience. If you make the grand prize a new laptop you’ll get entries from everyone who would like to win a new laptop (which is basically every computer user in the world!). Get more targeted traffic by choosing something that your target audience is interested in but wouldn’t mean much to other people. To start promoting your contest do a search in Google for “Contest Directories” and you’ll find lots of places to list your contest for free.

6. Include a Powerful Signature on all Outgoing Email.
Every time you send a piece of mail you have the potential to get a visitor to your site. Simply create a “signature” that is automatically added to every outgoing message. Use the signature to briefly explain what you do, give your  slogan and add a hyperlink to your site. Once it’s set up you don’t have to think about it again!

7. Try Newsletter Classified Ads.
There are lots of newsletter publishers who give classified ads to new subscribers. Although these don’t typically bring a huge response, they can generate some traffic if you offer something with a high perceived value but low price tag. They’re also a great way to test new ads to see which ones get the best response. Once you’ve found a winner use it in a PPC campaign, make it your new email signature, run it as a top sponsor newsletter ad or use it as your forum signature.

What is Squidoo?

Squidoo is an online portal for websites.  A Squidoo website can be about anything you want.  You get to choose which information to include and how that information should be arranged.  You can add links to other sites, fill the site (lens) with your own commentary on a subject or use your lens to promote another site not located on the Squidoo servers.

But I have my own STC Website!

Of course you already have a website devoted to your Sunrise Travel Club business.  Any good MLM business owner has a website set up that explains the product and offers ways for people to opt in for more information, order the product or be part of your downline.  Of course, just because the website exists doesn’t mean it will be successful. That’s where a site like Squidoo can be incredibly helpful.

Squidoo and Sunrise Travel Club

When you create a Squidoo lens, you should create it on the subject of your business.  Since we are dealing with travel, you can fill your Squidoo lens with information about vacation and travel reports and links to information about the services you offer.  You can also prominently display links to your STC site or your blog and promote your site as a leading authority.  You can set up a separate entry on your lens that promotes the business itself and invites people to learn more about building their own energy travel-based MLM.

What’s more, Squidoo groups pages together according to subject material.  On your lens will be links to other sites that feature energy drinks, nutrition etc.  And, on their lenses, viewers will find links to you!

There is no such thing as bad publicity and the more links you have to your site, the better off you will be in all areas of your business. In this way you’ll be able to generate lots of free MLM leads!

Step 1. Record a video.

For best results, record your video outside, unless you have quality lighting and equipment. Use a tripod if possible and make sure you have a good distance between you and the camera.

Get yourself pumped up to do the video. Run around if you have to and get your blood flowing. Boring videos are… well… boring. Also, be sure to have a call to action such as telling them to check out your website.

Step 2. Upload it to YouTube.

There are a few key points to this feat. You need an attention grabbing title. Google ‘great headlines’ for some ideas. Make sure you are putting your link to your website, capture page, or blog as the first thing in your video’s description.

Then you want to give a quality description, either short or long, whichever works for you. Use the same keyword in your title, description, and for the tags. Remember to tag your own name in case people search for you!

Step 3. Promote your video.

Every time you make a video, you must promote it on Facebook, Twitter, and to your email list. We also recommend promoting it to any friends you have on YouTube. The more people that see the video, the more people that will potentially view your website.

Step 4. Repeat.

Make this a habit and you will be sure to generate leads for your business. Establish yourself on YouTube and you could have amazing results!

People who have studied successful people over the last 300 or more years have found certain traits that accounted to their achievements. These success techniques not only helped them forward but also kept them there even in times of depression, recession or other personal disasters. They are also known as the The Four M’s of Success in business and life. Mentoring, Masterminding, Marketing & Motivation.

We all have heard it repeated over and over again, “Get Yourself a Mentor.” Get help, advice and guidance by someone who has already been there and made it. A mentor can save you years to a lifetime of mistakes. They can excel you forward, in ways you never could on your own. You’ll have a much greater ability to achieve your goals because you will have a blueprint to guide your way. Surprisingly, many people if not most will go to a friend or relative for advice. People who have never succeeded and have no ambition to go anywhere, and then these same people are surprised when they too don’t succeed or even get very far. Then they look for excuses and reasons outside them selves for the failures. Such as recession, location, or even competition muscling in.

Accomplished people also belonged to a Mastermind group. They are people like you, entrepreneurs working towards a better life. The collective power of the group brings increased knowledge that can help you resolve challenges that you may have. They also keep you motivated and accountable. The power or synergy of the mastermind group has shown over and over its ability to help people overcome any problems. Each week, each person in the group would state what they have accomplished, what they are doing next and ask for assistance with any matters. The group as a whole then works together to come up with solutions. Discover just how powerful this is in moving you forward and achieving your desires. It also gives you the very important ability to give back to the group by helping them. A small sample of people in or were in masterminds are: Henry Ford, Firestone, Napoleon Hill, Andrew Carnegie, Anthony Robins, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Joe Vitale, Joel Christopher and so many more.

The third M is Marketing. No matter what your business is, if you don’t market yourself or business, you won’t get very far. You can’t expect to hide under a blanket in the corner and hope that someone finds you. Marketing is more than just advertising. It’s understanding your target market and knowing how to promote to them and the benefits that your product or service will provide them. Without this knowledge, you will either not attract anyone to you or you can waste a lot of money with zero results. It pays to find people who understand this and can help guide you. They can help you define your niche’, explain copywriting and the magic of words. They can show you the difference between features and benefits and why they are so important. And they can teach you how to test everything for positive and increased results.

Finally, the fourth is motivation. Motivation is the juice that keeps you going, that allows ideas to progress and persevere when times are tuff. No matter how great your product or service is, if you don’t stay motivated, you probably won’t last through the hard times. There are many ways to help you stay motivated. One is to be around others that are also moving forward. A second is to write down and post right in front of you, Why You Are Doing This. Get specific and detailed as possible. Then post it in front of your computer or where ever you work the most. Look at it often to remind your self why and what your motivation soar.

Grasp on the marvelous Ms and jumpstart
your own goals dreams and desires.

Business owners in any kind of business, not only Sunrise Travel Club, are expected to be creative and inventive, otherwise how could they leade their team? If you have a sneaky feeling that creativity is not one of your strong points what can you do to stimulate your brain and get it kicked-started?

Be Unlimited

Too many people are ‘limited thinkers’. They have their world placed squarely in a box and nothing can exist outside of that. If the newspaper reports something then it must be right. If the guy next door says that something is impossible then he must be right. As a business owner, you cannot afford to be a ‘limited thinker’. You have to be an ‘unlimited thinker’. Get into the habit of seeing no boundaries; decide that there are no taboos. Have the belief that with a bit of focus you can find a creative solution to all of your problems. This is the foundation for a creative thought process.

Be Future-Focused

Creative ideas invariably come when you ‘look’ into the future. The feeling of propelling yourself forward and seeing the problem solved is a great motivator. Do you think you could achieve the same result if you were backward focused? I don’t think so! Train yourself to be future-focused, always looking ahead, not a traditional thinker who tries to find answers in today’s world.

Be a Writer

Once you open your mind to the joys of creativity the ideas will quickly start flowing, as if someone has opened the flood gates! Just like flood water, unless you catch it the ideas are lost for ever. Capture all your ideas by carrying a small pocket notebook with you. As soon as an idea pops into your mind, write it down. It doesn’t matter how outlandish it is, you can look at it in the cold light of day later on.

The fact you are responding to the ideas by noting them will further encourage you to be even more creative – good deeds encourage more good deeds!

Be Clutter-Free

If you are naturally an untidy person, then get out of the habit! A cluttered office will lead to a cluttered mind. You cannot expect your brain to work efficiently when all it’s doing is constantly reminding you how untidy your office is. To be creative remove all the clutter from your life and free your mind.

Be Action-Oriented

All of these points are great, but if you don’t take any action with your ideas, then you may as well not have bothered. An idea is nothing but a thought unless you take a specific action to help bring it to life. Periodically review your notebook and see if there are any hidden gems, or ideas which can be quickly actioned. A lot of your ideas may not suit at all but in there somewhere is probably an idea, which if acted upon, could change you or your business. Commit fully to move forward on as many of your ideas as you can.

Don’t be afraid to break down the boundary walls. As the British philosopher John Stuart Mill said, “That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in the next.”

Just one closing question – can you be creative enough to be dismissed as a dreamer?
No? Then get practicing!

So, what does this have to do with leadership?

Last evening during a leaders’ summit we asked the audience to tell us the characteristics of an ideal leader. Their answers were (in the order collected):

A good listener, enthusiasm, passion, shows appreciation, a visionary, role model, trusting, integrity, organized, knowledgeable, credibility, persuasive, charisma, team building, clarity of purpose, problem solver, attitude of service, leads by example, patience, willing to act without complete knowledge, understands followers, consistent, empowers other people, and adapts to change.

We wi’ll add that this is essentially the same list that we receive from other audiences when we ask this question. From this comes some useful insights.

1) Notice what the list contains. All of these characteristics relate to the human side of leadership. That’s interesting because we often hear people minimize this side of leadership with terms like “soft” or “touchy feely.” Actually, applying these characteristics requires more strength than not.

2) Notice what the list excludes. Absent from this list (and all lists from other programs) are characteristics such as stern, mean, serious, short tempered, vindictive, tough, angry, harsh, punitive, controlling, violent, or ruthless. And that’s interesting because many popular representations of leadership emphasize at least one of these “hard” characteristics. In fact, these characteristics are the refuge of those who lack the strength (or the skills) to apply the human side of leadership.

3) How about you? How would you rate yourself as a leader compared to the list of positive characteristics? If you were to survey the people who report to you, how would they describe your leadership? Would they list characteristics from the “soft” list or from the “hard” list? Could you become more effective by improving upon any of the “soft” characteristics? And how about the other leaders in your organization? Do they truly maximize human potential?

People want leaders who treat them with genuine compassion, courtesy, and respect. They want leaders who help them become more successful. They want leaders who inspire them with a vision for a better world and show them how to go there.

All sales begin with some form of advertising.  To build sales, this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers, and make them react to the advertising in some way.  The credit for the success, or the blame for the failure of almost all ads, reverts back to the ad itself.

Generally, the “ad writer” wants the prospect to do one of the following:

a)  Visit the webpage or the office of the company (Sunrise Travel Club has already offices in Ghana and Indonesia and soon in South Africa) to see and judge the product for himself, or immediately pay through his credit card and send for the service or product being advertised.

b)  Contact the “ad writer” for an appointment to hear the full sales presentation, or write/email for further information which amounts to the same thing.

The bottom line in any ad is quite simple:  To make the reader buy the service or product.  Any ad that causes the reader to only pause in this thinking, to just admire the product, or to simply believe what’s written about the product – is not doing its job completely.

The “ad writer” must know exactly what he wants his reader to do, and any that does not elicit the desired action is an absolute waste of time and money.

In order to elicit the desired action from the prospect, all ads are written according to a simple “master formula” which is:

1)         Attract the “attention” of your prospect.

2)         “Interest” your prospect in the product

3)         Cause your prospect to “desire” the product

4)         Demand “action” from the prospect

Never forget the basic rule of advertising copywriting:  If the ad is not read, it won’t stimulate any sale; if it is not seen, it cannot be read; and if it does not command or grab the attention of the reader, it will not be seen!

Most successful advertising copywriters know these fundamentals backwards and forwards.  Whether you know them already or you’re just now being exposed to them, your knowledge and practice of these fundamentals will determine the extent of your success as an advertising copywriter.