5 Tips For How To Avoid Failing In MLM

5 Tips For How To Avoid Failing In MLM
There are thousands of people that get in MLM every day,
but sadly 95% of those that join end up failing. While
this is a staggering number, it can be avoided by taking
the proper precautions and doing the right things. Here
are 5 things to help you avoid failing in MLM.

1. Doing it on your own

One of the biggest mistakes you can do is try to do
everything on your own when first getting into MLM. There
are so many things going on and several facets that make up
success, but do not be afraid to ask for help. Everyone
has help from time to time and you will need it too.

2. Selling the business

Too many people are insufficient sellers and make the
mistake of trying to sell the business. Whether it is
selling the business or selling a particular product, your
prospect will see right past this. You want to sell the
benefits and show your prospect exactly how they are going
to benefit from it.

3. Begging

You will find that it takes hundreds of people before you
get one sell. What this leads to is people turning into
beggars and begging for the sell or recruitment. You want
to approach every prospect the same and deliver a confident
sales presentation offering all of the benefits the
prospect will enjoy.

4. Denying it is MLM

One of the many ways you can avoid failing in MLM is by
properly answering the prospect when they ask whether or
not your presentation is MLM. By denying that it is MLM,
you are lying to the prospect right off the bat. You want
to either come out and honestly say it is or turn it around
and ask them what they think MLM means.

5. Expecting to get rich quick

This is difficult because there are so many myths and get
rich quick schemes spread across the internet. For
internet newbies, it is expected that you will think it is
possible to get rich quick. In reality, it takes time and
patience to have success in MLM and earn a respectable
income from it.

The list of ways to avoid failing in MLM could literally go
on forever. The only true way to find out is to jump right
in and get your feet wet. There are thousands of articles
and material on MLM, but you cannot actually know what it
is like until you have experienced it. But avoiding the
five statements listed above will give you a start for how
to avoid failing in MLM.

----------------------------------------------------
Westly Lager is a success mentor and coach helping teach
people how to build MLM businesses. With Westly's
experience and expertise you can't go wrong. See how you
can team up with Westly today by visiting
http://forevergreenpro.com and http://frequenseareview.org

Is it a Hobby or a Business?

Is it a Hobby or a Business?
During a recent coaching session with a client, we came to
what I will refer to as a "crossroads" in the conversation.
I call this point of the conversation a "crossroads"
because it is where I asked a question that could lead the
rest of the session down two different paths. One path
could be one of really finding out if what you desire is
what you really believe is possible. The other path could
be one of discovering that none of what you are doing is
what you really want at all.

I asked this question: "Are you starting a new hobby or a
new business?" There was silence for what seemed like a
whole minute. I repeated the question. I began to wonder
if I hit a nerve with this bold question. Let me share
some more information that built up to this moment.

A common theme I have seen emerge with some people is that
they say they want to make some more money, payoff debt,
and create a successful business. The key word in that
last sentence is the word "say". Saying and doing are two
different things. We can say all kinds of things. What is
the real difference between doing and saying? A lot!

I'll call this group of people who say they want these
things the Sayers'. The Sayers do have an intention in
creating a new business and making money. They may even
want a lifestyle that is higher than the one that they
enjoy presently. The one thing the Sayers don't say is how
and when they are going to do it or even start it.

What are they missing and what is the reason they are
missing it? What I mean is "What is really the difference
between a Doer' and a Sayer'?" What makes someone create
and dive into a project or business and someone else not
take action? What's missing? Is it the plan or is it
commitment to the project? Maybe it's both of those. Jim
Rohn has said "I find it fascinating that most people plan
their vacations with better care than they plan their
lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than
change."

I believe change is what is at the core of most of this.
The same old routine of getting up, eating breakfast,
going to work, coming home and just hanging out on the
weekend is a comfort zone many have settled into and can be
difficult to change. Making a powerful choice to block out
some time for your new business, even if it is only a few
hours a week, can be uncomfortable for some people. It
takes you a step away from that old comfortable life and
can even add a bit of anxiety of what may happen. You may
wonder Will it payoff when the work goes into the
business?' Life may never be the same or there may never
be a chance to go back to that old comfort level. The truth
is...you won't WANT to go back to the old comfort zone.

So I'll ask the question again. Are you starting a new
hobby or a new business? A hobby is something we pour
money into for our personal enjoyment. A new business is
something that is built to make money. The distinctions
are very clear on the surface; it's the unknown below the
surface that must be examined. If what you really have is
a hobby then just sit back and have fun. If it's a business
then commit your time and take action. Time that is spent
working on your new business will payoff and it's the first
choice that must be made on your path to success.

----------------------------------------------------
© 2007 Pro Power Services, Inc
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
D.J. and Sherri Frost are Healing Arts Business Growth
Specialists helping holistic practitioners grow their
businesses. To get their FREE eCourse: 7 Critical Skills to
Attract More Money, More Clients and a Soul-Satisfying
Lifestyle, visit their site at http://www.ProPowerNow.com
NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint” this
article online as long as it remains complete and
unaltered; please send a copy of your reprint to
info@ProPowerNow.com

Background Check Buyer Beware

Background Check Buyer Beware
In today’s world background checks on other people
have become a necessary part of our business and sometimes,
personal life. What parent now days would not first check
a person’s background before they hire a nanny for
their children, for example? And what small business
wouldn’t check the background of a person hired to
manage the bank accounts of that business? Large
businesses issue Requests For Proposals to choose a
background check company that best suits their needs in
terms of the services offered, information management,
price and reliability. They then usually establish a long
term relationship with that selected company. But what
about the rest of us? Are we even allowed to “check
up” on another person and how do we go about it?

SURPRISING TRUTH # 1: Anybody can do a background check on
anybody, any time they want to. Now I know that I’ve
lost some of you who now think that I am off my rocker
because you know that there are all sorts of forms that you
have to sign with all kinds of legal warnings with criminal
penalties and such, but I’ll say it again.
“ANYBODY CAN DO A BACKGROUND CHECK ON ANYONE, ANY
TIME THEY FEEL LIKE IT.” Because I want you to read
this whole article, I am not going to explain those
statements until further into the article.

SURPRISING TRUTH # 2: There is no instant national
database of all criminal records that you can access. Now
I know that you are sure that I am crazy. “Why just
last night on Law & Order they got the bad guy’s
record . . .” There, you are talking about NCIC,
the National Crime Information Center or otherwise known as
the FBI files. While the FBI maintains the best and most
accurate records, unfortunately, you can’t get them,
unless of course you are a federally insured bank, a
defense department contractor, a nuclear power plant, a
branch of the government itself or some other such entity.
A surprising amount of otherwise intelligent people think
that there are giant government databases with information
on everyone including their criminal history, job history,
credit files an even what books they check out of the
library and what videos they rent. If that were true, why
does it take the government itself four months and $2400 to
conduct its own background checks? Don’t believe me?
Look here:
http://www.opm.gov/extra/investigate/FIN-2002/fin02-01Attach
1.asp

SURPRISING TRUTH # 3: There is a big, big difference
between everywhere and anywhere. The companies that sell
database information advertise that they search everywhere,
or at least that’s what they want you to believe.
Using the word Nationwide is designed to make you think
that they check everywhere. The question then becomes,
“If you don’t check everywhere, what do you
check?” The answer is that we check anywhere a
person has lived or worked. Does it really help to check a
database of Orange County, California if the person has
always lived and worked in Orange County, Florida or vice
versa?

So if there’s no such thing as an instant nationwide
database what are these companies selling? First let me
tell you what these databases are good for and then
I’ll tell you why they are dangerous. In some states
of the USA their REAL criminal records are available in
some kind of publicly accessible form. It may be on the
internet and it may require a subscription or
acknowledgement of permissible purpose for its use, but it
is available. Texas is a good example of this. For a
small fee you can go online and access the REAL criminal
records of the state of Texas. Florida, Minnesota and
Virginia are other examples of where you can get via these
database services what I call “REAL” records.
The problem is that these database companies don’t
tell the consumer (you) that is most cases and in most
areas of the country you are getting either nothing or
marginal information at best.

Here's why. The companies that collect and sell these
database records, and the hundreds of companies that
re-sell this information do not emphasize the weakness of
their systems. This is why they emphasize the words
“instant” and “nationwide” in their
promotions. Everyone wants cheap and instant as opposed to
slow and expensive, don’t they? Can you imagine a
website that advertises “Slow And Expensive Limited
Area Background Checks.” But, in fact, some areas of
the country, like the Carolinas and most of California
require exactly that, records that must be searched in
person at each local county courthouse.

These companies get records where they can get them for
free; usually from a state's Department of Corrections,
which means you are only getting info on a person if he/she
has been convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison.
When most people think of a criminal history background
check they think of all arrests and convictions; both
misdemeanors and felonies and the court disposition, guilty
or not guilty and the sentence. As you can see, if you are
getting only felony convictions, you are getting only a
small piece of the pie. For example; a person could be
arrested a couple of times for having drug paraphernalia or
a small amount of drugs in his or her possession. If the
records you are getting only include felony convictions,
you would have no record of that person’s drug abuse.

The other problem that these Instant Nationwide background
checks have is that in many areas of the country they get
nothing at all because the states or the county superior
courts or district courts don’t furnish them with
free records. Here is another example: Suppose you are a
parent in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Boston,
Atlanta or New Orleans (just to name a few) and you want to
do a criminal background check. You go online and type in
“background check” in Yahoo or Google and right
away you see the ads for the “Instant
Nationwide” background checks. You choose one of the
websites that offers instant records, you pay your $19.95
or $49.95 and you put in the information on the person you
want checked. Instantly the website tells you that there
is no record found based on the info that you have
provided. You feel great! You go ahead and tell the nanny
that she can start tomorrow because she has passed the
background check. Here comes the big kick in the gut. . .
What the website didn’t tell you is that their
database records don’t search any of those areas at
all. You just paid $19.95 or $49.95 and got NOTHING, ZERO,
ZIP, NADA. Disclosure: Actually the proceeding sentence is
not 100% true. In Nevada and Louisiana the databases do
search currently incarcerated prisoners in their respective
prison systems. So if your potential nanny is in prison
right now then it would tell you that he/she is in prison,
but I guess you would already know that.

Now to explain the # 1 Surprising Truth: I’ll say it
again: Anyone can check anyone, anytime. If you are so
inclined, you can check the criminal or civil record (or
lack thereof) of your daughter’s boyfriend (I do that
on a regular basis) your crazy neighbor next door, your
business partner, your doctor, your ex-husband, your mayor
or even any of the presidential candidates. In fact, you
don’t even have to be a citizen of the USA to get
these records. You can walk into the Superior Court
(District Court in some states) clerk’s office, in
the jurisdiction where that person lives/lived, go up to
the counter, fill out a slip of paper, hand it to the clerk
and wait for the results. Remember that you will only get
the records from that county, i.e., if a person lived in
multiple counties you would have to check each of them.
The subject of your search could be an axe murder from the
next county over, but your county court clerk would not
have a record of it.

OK, now you’ve got the information, what do you do
with it? This is the area where the law is concerned; what
you do with the information! If you use this information
to discriminate against a person, deny them employment,
housing or entrance to a school, etc. then you are
violating the law and opening yourself to big time
liabilities and possible lawsuits. This is what all of the
consent forms with warnings are all about. It’s not
the getting of the information that the laws are concerned
with but the use of it.

In summary, read the fine print and ask questions or go to
the courthouse and do it yourself.

----------------------------------------------------
Kit Fremin is the owner and founder of Background Check
International. Since 1994 BCI has served clients a varied
as: the LA Times, Department of Defense, Mars, Inc., the
UN, the NTSB and Calvary Chapels nationwide. His website
is: http://www.bcint.com and he can be e-mailed at
kit@bcint.com.

Working At Home - Four Attributes You Need To Succeed At Working At Home

Working At Home - Four Attributes You Need To Succeed At Working At Home
Many people who toy with the idea of starting their own
business and working at home, don't realise that you need
to put in a great deal of effort if you are to be
successful. People thinking about working at home
day-dream about being able to leave the alarm switched off
and lie in bed as long as they want. They picture
themselves quitting their job and telling the boss "goodbye
forever". They imagine themselves lazing about on the
patio on sunny days and snuggled up on the sofa while less
fortunate people are out in the cold doing the daily
commuting routine. They imagine themselves as stating
their occupation as "CEO" and they picture the healthy bank
balance that goes with that particular territory.

Working at home can include all that and more but the whole
picture is not all rosy. Strangely, the thing all too many
people leave out of their work at home day-dreams is the
"work" part. It is, after all, working at home and not
"messing around at home" we are talking about; you don't
earn yourself a healthy bank balance by spending your time
messing about. To be your own boss you need to possess
certain attributes. The following are four attributes you
need to have a successful home business.

Commitment. You must be 100% committed to your home
business. There is no boss looking over your shoulder
ready to tell you what to do and when to do it. If you
want to make money, you must be prepared take full
responsibility for everything involved in your business.
You are bound to encounter obstacles and disappointments,
that is the way life is; you have to deal with those things
and continue working to build up your business.

Organisation. You must be capable of organising your work
and able to recognise the need for a proper schedule. If
the work does not get done, there is nobody to fall back
on, the buck stops with you. A flexible schedule was one
of the things that attracted you to working at home but,
before a schedule can be flexed, it has to be planned in
detail.

Goal Setting. Working at home in your own business is not
like being employed. It's not a matter of going to the
office each day and doing whatever tasks the boss assigns
to you. You need to know where you want your business to
go and what steps you need to take to achieve your goals.

Focus. This is the hardest thing for most people when they
first start working at home. The numerous distractions
begging for your attention when you work at home make it
easy to lose focus and waste time. These distractions
exist in all sorts of forms: for instance, a ringing phone,
a friend dropping by or just the allure of the chance to
get out for a stroll on a sunny day. You cannot afford to
let yourself be distracted and you need to be able to
regain your focus quickly if anything intervenes when you
are working.

Working at home successfully requires the individual to put
in time and effort. People who make a success of working
at home have certain character traits that you will need if
you are to succeed as your own boss. If you fail to
realise what is involved, you will not make money working
at home.

----------------------------------------------------
Elaine Currie is the owner of the Free Work At Home
Directory at http://www.huntingvenus.com and author of the
book Ezine Article Writing - 10 Steps To Success. You can
download the book free of charge in pdf format at:
http://www.huntingvenus.com/free_ezine_articles_writing_eboo
k.shtml

You Don't Need to Learn MORE to Get Clients

You Don't Need to Learn MORE to Get Clients
"What you have to give is enough--if you give it with all
your heart." --Chieko N. Okazaki

For years, I've noticed how many of my clients stopped
themselves from marketing because they needed to learn
MORE. They'd already gone through the required training,
and many were certified, but it was like something strange
was in the punch bowl and they were all drinking it: the
"I'm Not Enough Yet" fruit punch.

Here are some of the things I heard from some clients and
workshop participants. Notice the 'enough' theme:

I need to learn more to be credible enough.

I need to be an expert for clients to want to work with me
and since I'm not an expert, then I don't believe I can do
it.

I'm not good enough, I don't know enough.

I don't have enough experience.

I haven't studied enough.

I'm not as good as my competitors, so I need to be more.

Some health practitioners were a perfect example of this.
They didn't seem to be ready enough to get out there to
attract clients, until they learned more about other
holistic modalities: Reiki, herbs, yoga, acupressure,
aromatherapy, Chinese Medicine, CranioSacral Therapy, Jin
Shin Do, etc. Otherwise, they didn't feel ready to go out
there and market themselves in a BIG way.

I wondered where this was coming from. Was it a sense of
not 'being enough' as a person? Was it a fear of really
exposing themselves, meaning, if you're not "ready" to
market yourself fully because you don't know enough, then
you won't really ever have to expose yourself and be
vulnerable. Was it something about having to be a "good
girl" and if you weren't perfect, you weren't "good."
Perhaps it was the sense that they weren't whole and they
needed more to "complete" them.

Whatever it was, I knew this was a bottomless pit. They
would never end up feeling whole, just continuing to LEARN
instead of DOING. What I was sure about, is that if you
wait to know it ALL before you get out there and market,
you'll never actually get out there in a BIG way. There
will always be hesitancy and we all know that "He who
hesitates is lost." This is a bit like Perfection Paralysis
that I sometimes talk about. Except now, it's a false sense
of needing to BE perfect.

You don't need to be the expert to do more marketing and to
have clients. "Expert" is a relative term. I call myself a
Client Attraction expert, but I'm not the only one who
talks about marketing your practice so you can fill your
practice. And I'm not the one who's been doing it the
longest. But I do have a way of doing it that no one else
has, not just because of my System, but because of how I
deliver the information and WHO I am. My knowledge, my own
experiences, my methods, and my energy, all combine to make
me different in the marketplace. And it's the same for you.

You see, you can be an expert simply because you know more
than the average person. Stop anybody on the street and ask
them something technical about what you do (and take for
granted), and the likelihood is, they won't have any clue
what you're talking about. But YOU could do it in your
sleep. If you are a holistic healer, knowing a couple of
modalities or just simply how to make brown rice without
burning the pot is enough to have people want to work with
you. Heck, most people haven't eaten brown rice other than
in a Chinese food take-out container, let alone know what
it's good for! So, in that sense, you ARE an expert and you
DO know enough.

Dan Kennedy has a great saying: "Good enough is good
enough." Yes, you can learn MORE and I recommend you do.
For example, I read more books, manuals, and home study
systems on marketing, manifesting and self-improvement in a
year than most people read in a lifetime. But I'm not
waiting 'til I know it all, because I never will and
neither should you. But you better believe I'm still out
there attracting clients, and so should you. Forget
'Perfection Paralysis'! Just get out there more than you
are now and it'll all work itself out.

Your Assignment: Don't let the fact that you don't know it
ALL stop you from becoming a mini-expert. You know more
than the majority of people and these same people NEED you
to market yourself so they can find you. They need the
solution you provide. Have confidence in what you do and
then go for it.

Then, as you're working with those clients, continually
learn more, build a team of people and resources around you
so that you always have someplace to turn for an answer if
you don't have it at your fingertips. Clients can wait 24
hours for an answer. They don't care, they just want the
answer! Remember, if you know that "Good enough is good
enough" and you give it all you've got, you will always be
enough and your clients will get just what they need. Now,
go out there and do what it takes to fill your practice, OK?

That said, if there's ONE thing you do need to know more
about, it's marketing your practice. You can be the best
'whatever', but if you don't know how to systematically
attract new clients and close the sale, let's face it,
you'll never have a full practice. If that's the case, it's
time to invest in a step-by-step system that will feel easy
and authentic to you.

----------------------------------------------------
The Client Attraction Home Study System avoids all the
unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important
things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you
consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new
clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of
things. So, you do step one of the system, and when your
done with that, you move on to step two and so on. You can
get it at http://TheClientAttractionSystem.com

Online Business Tip: Don't WorkToo Hard

Online Business Tip: Don't WorkToo Hard
When I first started my online business, I was so excited
and eager that I when I wasn't working on it, I couldn't
wait to get back to it. You know how it is when you start
having the possibility of actually, if you'll excuse the
massive clich, 'being your own boss'. Unfortunately after
time, the initial boost of excitement slowly wears down.
That's when the "work" doesn't feel quite as easy or as
fun. Finally I actually got to the point where I had to
force myself to work and of course that lead to a lower
quality product.

It's great to have all that excitement and energy when you
start, but it's essential to stay motivated and maintain
your energy. If you go to fast, you're going to get tired,
bored, fatigued and not only will you not feel like you can
carry on at your current pace, but you'll likely find that
your work won't be as good as it should or could be.

Have you ever had that impatient, anxious feeling while
you're working? Like you need to be successful right now,
right this moment. It's annoying and frustrating that
you're not, so you work incredibly hard at a blistering
pace to make sure it happens quickly.

Instant gratification is something we all like in this day
and age, and many of us think that working hard will get
instant gratification, but if you're working to the point
where you don't want to work any more you will get bored
and start to wonder what you're doing and start wondering
if it is even worth it. There is no such thing as instant
long term success in any business. Did you know that you
might actually fulfill your goals faster if you didn't work
as hard?

Next time you don't feel like working on your business, try
this - turn your computer off and just don't work. You
probably think this is crazy advice, and of course if you
never want to work you will never get anything done. But
let me give you an example of what I mean.

A few days ago I was working on a project for my business
and I was stumped. I had been working for about 2 hours
already and I was about ready to quit for the day (I know 2
hours, poor me). But I decided I would figure out how to
do this last thing and then quit for the night. I won't go
into what I was doing, because it's really not the point
and would just bore you.

Although I had done this part of the project before, I
could not seem to do it again correctly. I was so
determined to finish this before quitting that I spent
another 2 hours working on it. By this time it was about
midnight and I was about as frustrated as I could get.
Finally I gave up to my frustration. I didn't work at all
the next day...why because I work on my home business when
I want to and after the previous night I was not in the
mood to work on it.

The next day, I decided I would try the project again. I
felt refreshed and I actually wanted to work. This time I
quickly found the obvious solutions to the problem that
stumped me two days ago. The refreshed me was much smarter
and more efficient then the tired me. I quickly fixed the
problem, redid some of the "less than respectable" work I
made the tired me do and finished the project in about 30
min.

You see, when you work on something refreshed not only do
you do a better job and do it faster, you also have much
more fun while you're working. I enjoy working on my home
business, but if I work to hard I don't enjoy it and then
not only does my quality suffer, but I have to force myself
to work and so I don't do it as often.

I know it sounds weird. The media and all these successful
business people always talk about how hard their work is,
and how it's not that easy being self employed and running
your own business. Here's some news for you, they're
apparently in the wrong home based business.

I know for those that have normal jobs this is hard to
swallow. Only working when you want to in a normal job is
just asking to be fired, get your salary cut and annoy a
lot of people. But if you love what you do, then try
working less to see if you also achieve more and at a
higher quality.

----------------------------------------------------
Casey Dunham is a successful online business owner and
marketer. Casey prides himself on helping others find the
best way to achieve the financial and time freedom that
owning an online business offers.
Would you like to use the power of the internet to earn a
full time or part time residual income from home? Visit
http://www.GreatOnlineBusinesses.com

Let Enthusiasm Lead You Down the Most Fruitful Paths Towards Flawless Performance

Let Enthusiasm Lead You Down the Most Fruitful Paths Towards Flawless Performance
When every slip is costly, everyone wants to enjoy perfect
performance. Unfortunately, many people have little idea of
how to gain that performance even when the goal's
importance is clear.

Some like to use punishment: That means making it painful
to make a mistake. But that approach will gain compliance
rather than inspired effort. That's fine is you are
training your pet, but not if you want to soar beyond the
rest of the world in pleasing customers and those who use
your offerings.

Others like to use motivation: Encourage every good move.
That's good for improvement, but it doesn't gain error-free
performance.

What is needed? Start with natural excitement and build
good communications around that excitement.

Let me put this advice in context: It's an important lesson
for those who want to make lots of 2,000 percent solutions
(ways of accomplishing 20 times more with the same time,
effort, and resources).

The steps for creating a 2,000 percent solution are listed
here:

1. Understand the importance of measuring performance.

2. Decide what to measure.

3. Identify the future best practice and measure it.

4. Implement beyond the future best practice.

5. Identify the ideal best practice.

6. Pursue the ideal best practice.

7. Select the right people and provide the right motivation.

8. Repeat the first seven steps.

This article looks at practicing to become more effective
in accomplishing step six, pursuit of the ideal best
practice (coming as close to perfection as is humanly
possible).

Excitement Wins

Excitement makes change easier to accomplish. Consider as
an example how enthusiastic (and often inebriated) football
fans learn to do effective card stunts displaying
impressive images with less than five minutes of training
and practice. The fans are excited to be at the game and
want to increase the bragging rights of their experience to
those who are watching on television. Those who like the
card stunt idea nudge their neighbors to participate and
help correct for errors among those who are too impaired to
perform well without guidance.

Pick a direction that excites everyone … or select a
message that ties your direction into something that
excites people. For example, describe for employees how the
changes support their personal values, can increase pay,
and can open up the doors for promotion.

There's Always Someone Who Doesn't Get the Word

Communication success powers breakthrough change. In most
organizations few people get the word about a planned
change and understand what needs to be done. For a top-down
initiative, roughly two-thirds of those at the top of an
organization can describe what’s supposed to be going
on with a change program. Among middle managers, the number
drops dramatically. And on the lowest organizational rungs,
a mere handful of entry-level workers will know about the
change program. Such a lack of understanding can be a
roadblock when a new direction calls for everyone's
participation.

To avoid being stuck in communications stalls, focus on the
need to repeat the message and to vary the method of
communications, while applying lots of emotional
reinforcement and inspiring people with relevance. The
average person won't appreciate far-ranging new ideas until
they are explained at least 25 times and in as many ways.
Shorten up the time that it takes to receive those
messages, and you’ll do even better. Ideally, get the
point across initially in 25 different ways during a single
day.

Keep Your Eyes Open

While modest change projects work best by driving forward
according to plan, major changes are often improved by
midcourse corrections to their plans. While you are
implementing your projects to go near the ideal best
practice, periodically reconsider whether your approach
remains appropriate. Knowledge advances so rapidly that you
may have new choices. Also, experience with the project may
lead to better ideas for subsequent steps.

Stallbusters

Use the following questions to help select the right
opportunities and move ahead of the rest of the world in
the most favorable way:

• Which ideal best practice opportunities will help
your organization's stakeholders the most? Consider users,
customers, customers' customers, customers' customers'
customers, suppliers' suppliers, suppliers' suppliers'
suppliers, employees, employees' families, partners,
distributors, shareholders, lenders, suppliers, suppliers'
suppliers, suppliers' suppliers' suppliers, the communities
you operate in, and the rest of humanity.

• Which of these ideal-best-practice opportunities
most excite employees?

• Which ideal-best-practice opportunities will
provide the greatest benefits if successful?

• Which ideal-best-practice opportunities will cause
the least harm if unsuccessful?

• How does making the changes required by each
ideal-best-practice opportunity match your historical
record for successful changes, and what can you do to
improve your likelihood of success?

• Which scarce resources needed for developing the
most attractive future best practices will be required to
pursue each ideal-best-practice opportunity, and what other
benefits will be lost as a result?

• Can the ideal-best-practice opportunities deliver
substantial results every six months, or even more
frequently? What will those interim results be?

• Can you afford to take four or more different
approaches to designing projects for pursuing the most
promising ideal-best-practice opportunities?

• What should the objectives be for the most
promising ideal-best-practice opportunities?

• What are at least four attractive ways to implement
any ideal-best-practice opportunities that you choose?

Copyright 2007 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared
Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent
Solution Workbook. You can find free tips for accomplishing
20 times more by registering at:
=========> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

How to Survive the Job Interview If You Are Tanking

How to Survive the Job Interview If You Are Tanking
How To Know You Are Tanking

1. Watch the interviewer's eyes.

An interviewer that is simply going through the motions
will not make eye contact. Check for a glazed or glassy
stare and heavy eyelids.

2. Listen carefully.

A bored or disinterested interviewer may quietly hum a
tune, whistle softly, or shuffle papers repeatedly.

3. Observe actions.

Constant watch- or clock-checking, the eating of a
sandwich, and lots of phone calls are all signs that a job
offer is not forthcoming.

If You Are Late

1. Call ahead. If you are stuck in traffic or otherwise
running late, call. Ask if you should reschedule or if you
should come in anyway.

2. Clean up. If you are sweaty and disheveled, ask to use a
bathroom before meeting your interviewer. If you are
nervous, put anti-perspirant on your palms and face (make
sure it's clear) to reduce moisture.

3. Apologize, but do not overdo it. Say you are sorry for
your tardiness, but do not give a sob story: Never discuss
personal information in a job interview.

If You Are Asked a Difficult or Leading Question

1. Always respond with a positive. If the interviewer says,
"I see you don't have experience making coffee," counter
with, "That's true, but I've always wanted to learn and I'm
a quick study!"

2. Tell a personal story, but only one that relates skills
applicable to the job. If the interviewer asks about
project management experience and you don't have any, talk
about planning your wedding: organizing vendors, designing
a database, and creating seating charts based on the
interests of guests.

3. Put the question off until later. If you are unable to
come up with an answer, say "Can we get back to that later,
I need to give it some thought?" Use this strategy only as
a last resort.

If Your Interviewer Hits on You

1. Accept compliments gracefully. If an interviewer
compliments your suit, blouse, or a piece of jewelry, they
may simply be impressed with your appearance. Say thank you
and move on. More than one compliment is inappropriate and
should be deflected (below).

2. Deflect personal questions. In most states it is illegal
for a job interviewer to ask personal questions, including
age, marital status, children, and sexual preference. If
you get such questions, gently suggest that you keep topics
to professional matters.

3. Say you are not interested. If your interviewer asks you
out on a date, simply say "no thanks." However, if the
interview is at lunch time and things seem to be going
well, it is appropriate to accept a lunch invitation (keep
the conversation on business matters).

4. Accept a date only if you don't want the job. Starting a
new job while being personally involved with someone in the
company is not a good idea. If you make a connection with
your interviewer and there is true chemistry, accept the
invitation but make it clear that you do not want the job.

Be Aware

Always remember the three "C's": Cool, Calm, and Confident.
An interview is as much about you wanting the job as it is
about the job wanting you.

Avoid scheduling interviews after lunch, when most people
get sleepy and irritable.

----------------------------------------------------
Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and mentor.
Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can.
Try her practice interview and pick up a copy of her FREE
9-part "Interview Success Tips" report by visiting Carole
on the web at http://www.interviewcoach.com

Philadelphia Real Estate - A Condominium Conversion Idea

Philadelphia Real Estate - A Condominium Conversion Idea
Some people go through life with numerical equations
consistently running in their brain. For others, it may be
music, philosophy, the inner working of say either
robotics, the ear, what have you. For me, it is and has
been for most of my life, potential Philadelphia real
estate condominium conversion projects. For instance, which
buildings in town might yield the highest dollar per square
foot in resale value, should that particular building be
converted to condominiums in Center City Philadelphia.

And here is my conclusion: The southernmost twenty five
percent (25%) of the Curtis Center, which sits on the
northwest corner of 6th and Walnut Streets here in Center
City.

Take a look at the shear window space. Consider that if
this portion of the Curtis Center was converted into high
end luxury condominiums, the sales pitch:

*All units with over sized windows

*All Living rooms would have a southern exposure

*Almost all bedrooms would have a southern exposure

*All units would overlook beautiful Washington Square Park

*All units could have indoor garage parking

*All penthouse units could have stunning southern exposure
views of the square

*Roughly 10% of the units also face Independence Hall Park

*One of the most stunning historical buildings in Center
City Philadelphia

*Fabulous Location!!

In addition, I would consider making the units fairly
large. I would sell no unit for less than $1,000,000, and
range up to say $7,000,000. Every unit would have at least
2 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. They could possibly have
random width pine wood flooring throughout and definitely
stainless steel high-end appliances by Viking, Bosch, Wolf,
Sub-Zero, and Miele. The kitchens and bathrooms would also
have subway tile and granite counters. The ability to
provide the individual Penthouse units with luxurious
private garden space could be invaluable with Pottery Barn
Living Room Furniture now made for outdoors.

The bedrooms would have large shelved walk in closets and a
walkout to the deck for a breath of fresh morning air would
also be a nice touch. A closet organization system,
similar to California Closets would be an example of an
upgrade that I would offer as a standard ingredient in each
unit. Philadelphia Condos are notoriously cheap on their
closet space (as a whole), and underestimating the value of
a large, well-organized set of closets is something
builders of Center City Philadelphia Lofts and Condos have
been doing for years.

Also I would make the building as "green" as possible. I am
sure that this magnificent building would provide fabulous
ceiling height in each unit for cathedral ceilings with
ceiling fans. I would add high-efficiency heating and
cooling systems as well as panels that would double as
sunshades and solar power generators. There would be a lot
of incoming natural light from the large windows that would
also accent the intricate moldings throughout each loft. I
would cut the curb on the north side of Walnut Street, at
the entrance to this building to allow for about a half
dozen car "loading zone" parking with valet service. I
would also include a full time, on-site concierge for the
owners...and of course this would be a pet-friendly
Philadelphia Condominium.

I have started to play the Pennsylvania lotto lately.
Should I win say $250,000,000 or more, you can be sure that
the southernmost 25% of the Curtis Center will be the
latest and greatest Philadelphia condominium conversion
project to hit the market!

----------------------------------------------------
Mark Wade has been selling Philadelphia Condos and Lofts
for 19 years and is a Realtor with Prudential Fox and Roach
Realtors in Society Hill.
http://www.CenterCity.com
If you love Philadelphia condominium conversion projects
the way Mark does and are interested in purchasing a
Philadelphia Loft or Condominium of your own please feel
free to give him a call at 215-521-1523 or send him an
email at Mark@CenterCity.com.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...How to Talk with Prospective Clients.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...How to Talk with Prospective Clients.
We recently went to a sales presentation that was very
educational in some very unusual ways. It wasn't' the
information from the presentation that was educational. How
the person made her sales presentation was the educational
part. Her personality and style of asking questions didn't
do much for attracting clients. It in fact was down right
repulsive at times. Something someone more conscientious
doesn't want anything to do with. Let's look at the good,
the bad and the ugly in some sales presentations.

The Good...Realize that is it really isn't about you. It's
entirely about the person sitting in front of you that you
would like to sell your service or product to. Put your
ego and agenda aside. Yes, you really want to make some
money and close the sale. What is important is you are
providing the solutions to their problems and challenges.

You must become the answer to the riddle that they have in
their lives. Something so compelling that you're the expert
in solving. By trying to force something down someone's
throat that you think they need will only make them want to
get away from you, no matter how spectacular you think your
service is. I know many people say "the product sells
itself" and that can be true. It is also true that "a pushy
sales presenter can mess up an easy sale too".

The Bad... If you don't have a strong belief in what you
are offering, how can anyone else? It's important to
really believe in your product or service. Let them use
their imagination about what it will feel like to use your
service. Paint a picture for them of what life will be
like with you helping them. Describe how different their
life will be and what a difference you service will make to
their lives six months from now. Many times just by
helping take your prospective client through this little
exercise you have made their purchase decision so much
easier. And don't be alarmed if they suddenly get very
quiet at this point. They may be using their imagination
and be in a slight trance as they are seeing in their mind
what the future may be with the help of your service or
product. Let them have this time to think.

The Ugly...Playing the "Yes" game can get ugly pretty fast.
That's the game when a sales person keeps trying to get
you to say yes or commit to small things so they can get
you into a pattern of behavior. The hope is by getting you
to do this that when it comes time for the big closing you
will easily say yes to whatever they offer. The game works
to a certain extent until the prospective client finds out
what you're up to and then the end of the game comes
quickly with the sales person as the big loser.

One of the best ways to make a sales presentation with
integrity is to ask really good questions. This is how you
can find out what their challenges are that you have the
answer to. It is also important to remember that this is
not an interrogation. To continually quiz and push someone
for answers to your questions can push people away. By
keeping the conversation light and upbeat, they will get to
know you and see your value.

Remember the 80-20 rule. Let your client do 80 percent of
the talking while you do 20 percent. By letting them talk
about themselves, you can then discover what their
challenges are. They will tell you what they need and
want. The questions and conversations that you have with
people are very important. When you let people talk about
themselves, they will appreciate and trust you even more.

----------------------------------------------------
© 2007 Pro Power Services, Inc
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
D.J. and Sherri Frost are Healing Arts Business Growth
Specialists helping holistic practitioners grow their
businesses. To get their FREE eCourse: 7 Critical Skills to
Attract More Money, More Clients and a Soul-Satisfying
Lifestyle, visit their site at http://www.ProPowerNow.com
NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint” this
article online as long as it remains complete and
unaltered; please send a copy of your reprint to
info@ProPowerNow.com

The Role of Leadership in Selling

The Role of Leadership in Selling
Leadership. Webster's dictionary defines it as the act of
leading. Warren Bennis defines it as "a function of
knowing yourself, having a vision that is well
communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking
effective action to realize your own leadership potential."
John C Maxwell, in his 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,
sums up his definition of leadership as "leadership is
influence - nothing more, nothing less." I say that
leadership is a compelling intellectual or spiritual force
that moves people to action. However you define it,
leadership is either effective or ineffective.

John McKenna writes of leadership on his blog, The
Leadership Epidemic. His actual premise is that "most
leadership sucks, including yours." I disagree. While there
is certainly evidence to support that some aspects of
individual leadership are ineffective and perhaps lacking,
there is also a great deal to get excited about. Leadership
requires real leaders. Are you up to the task?

Take for example tennis legend Andre Agassi. His passion in
life is educating kids, both in areas of academic
excellence and personal development. He is an incredible
inspiration and has been featured in former President Bill
Clinton's book, Giving. He has a proven formula for
transforming the public education system into a working,
successful and functioning institution. Agassi has
provided stunning leadership in this area, making a real
difference in the lives of countless children and their
families. He carefully used his resources and celebrity
status to springboard his efforts. He has developed a
winning system that can be transposed elsewhere.

This same kind leadership example is necessary in the
selling arena as well. We must take charge and lead the
selling conversation. We must demonstrate for our customer
that we seek what is best for her as we work with others to
provide a solution for her needs. How do we accomplish that?

1. Take responsibility for the process.

2. Genuinely desire to be of service.

3. Ask probing questions and listen carefully.

4. Take action and make progress.

5. Demonstrate commitment.

6. Follow through and follow up.

7. Communicate effectively through each selling stage.

8. Represent your customer's best interests to others.

Customers are looking for your leadership. They want and
need solutions. They want to feel confident that once they
expose their needs to you, the solution process commences
under your watch-care and leadership. They will never
consider your competitors when you demonstrate this kind of
commitment and leadership.

----------------------------------------------------
Daniel Sitter, author of both Learning For Profit, and
Superior Selling Skills Mastery, has garnered extensive
experience in sales, training, marketing and personal
development spanning a successful 25 year career.
Experience his blog at http://www.idea-sellers.com