A Dying Art

The practice of remembering someone for no other reason other than to say, “I am thinking of you.” It is pretty much dead in today’s world. Though unintentional as it may be, we have forgotten the power of reaching outside of ourselves and putting someone else in the forefront first.

In previous times, the written word in the form of a little note or a small gift to remind others that they are important to us, that we are thinking of them, is for all intensive purposes finished. We no longer have the time nor do we give importance to this very important gesture. On those rare occasions in today’s world, when we are inspired enough to say “thank you”, people are so taken aback by this demonstration of generosity and sincerity that they place us in an entirely new category of human beings in today’s world.

This brings up another point and that has to do with customer service. Why don’t retailers go that extra mile with their customers to thank them for their patronage? After all it is the customers that sustain the retailers. Those businesses that do manage to personally thank their customers often, gain a level of respect and confidence that keeps people coming back. It’s true that it is extremely difficult for some very large businesses to always be thanking their customers for purchasing from them, but they must be constantly reminded of the importance surrounding this practice.

I now want to speak about personal branding and the importance of separating oneself from everyone else. What better way to gain people’s trust, respect and confidence other than teaching by example.

We are all looking for ways to make money on line. There are thousands of individuals and web sites out there offering us the latest and greatest ways to make money. Whether it is building a list or joining a matrix, everyone is looking for ways to entice us to come on board. They all swear that they have the secret to make money easy, fast and in bundles. The problem with this is they all sound the same - very little originality and a lot of fluff, but most of all an undercurrent of incredible impatience’s and urgency for us to join up with them.

What none of them seem to realize is that people hate to be sold anything and the premise that what they are offering is “the system” that is going to change their lives. People want to learn and not be sold anything. They want to decide for themselves that what they are reading appeals to them, before moving forward to follow someone else’s advice.

How does one create a loyal following? The answer is personal branding. How do you personally brand yourself? SLOWLY! You start out by creating an image of yourself through your personal character, blogs and forums. And you then let people decide for themselves what you are all about. If you are true in both gesture and word, people will begin to trust you, and by trusting you they will begin to look for you and listen to what you have to say. At this point, the advice you give must always be from your heart. People can see through you very quickly, if you are not sincere. Once you have reached a level where you have a loyal following, you together with your group, can begin to discuss what as a group is really out there for you to do together. You in the mean time, and as your group’s leader, have already been looking at which direction you want to take your group. Don’t forget that you, as your group’s leader, must lead.

I started out by talking about the dying art of saying thank you. I want to finish this piece by saying that this gesture of putting people first, though old as it may be, should be remembered as something that will give us many miles of positive feedback and good will. And you as a true leader should tell people how important it really is. It will definitely make you stand out as someone who cares and really knows the importance of the little things in life. It is by far one of the best examples of branding yourself for the world to see and take notice of.

A Funded Proposal To Recruit For Your MLM Business

A funded proposal is a two stepped process:

Step 1 - Look for prospects who want to make money online - not to join your MLM business yet - and offer them some coaching to help them make money online, such as how to set up a blog with affiliate links and banners. You do not charge them a high price but just a small fee.

Think about it. . .

You would already be in profit whether or not these prospects join your MLM opportunity and at the same time you are creating a trust in you.

** This will solve your MONEY challenge

Step 2 - Some time later, when your prospects become confident with computers, the Internet and making some money through your guidance and mentoring, that’s the time you can offer them to join your MLM business opportunity so that they have a multi-tier affiliate program to promote.

** This will solve your PROSPECTS challenge

I thoroughly believe that one has to go just a bit slower with people and develop a core relationship with them. Though it is not the same model of calling friends and working your warm list, it is a more solid way to develop relationships.

This brings up another point and that is your contact list of like minded people. By finding like minded people - people that want to make money and "get it" - you are eliminating those people that really don't know anything about MLM and will become frustrated quickly with the whole process. It requires work and dedication, but once you have a list of people, you are working and making money with and also trust you, it is a forgone conclusion, they will follow you in any project that you propose to them because you have proved your worth and knowledge to them.

It is as simple as that, and it works extremely well, but it requires knowledge and skill. The one truth in all this is to become known and trusted by people. Personal branding is really the key.

Are we cracking up?

What I mean is, are we re-evaluating our lives and habits? How are we changing our shopping habits? When you buy, for example at Wal-Mart, do you feel you are really walking away with a better deal? Is your money going further at Wal-Mart?

Are you signing up for memberships at big box discount stores, thinking that by doing that, and buying in bulk, you are saving money? Is more and bigger always better? In reality, where are you going to store the rolls of paper towels and toilet paper that you have purchased from Costco or Sam’s Club? Is your home turning into a storage facility the size of a corner market? Why do we feel better surrounding ourselves with merchandise that is going to take us a year to get rid of?

Those of us that have parents or grandparents that lived through the leaner times of WW II or the Depression of the 1930s are now just beginning to understand why they did such peculiar things like saving old plastic bags or reusing aluminum paper. We used to chuckle at their funny habits, but today in our own lives, things are not so funny any more. It is now coming clear to us why they did what they did.

Let this situation be a lesson to us all. This is reality, tough yes, but it is a fact of life.

The good times will come once again, but in the mean time, adjust to the present and learn to be wise and sensible about your own lives.

Be EXTREMELY careful with Gift Cards!

I wanted to give everyone a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though the cards will be worthless January 1., 2009.

There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankrupcy Planning'. Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about:

• Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
• Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
• Lane Bryant
• Fashion Bug
• Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
• Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
• Cache will close all stores
• Talbots closing down specialty stores
• J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
• Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
• GAP closing 85 stores
• Footlocker closing 140 sto res mo re to close after January
• Wickes Furniture closing down
• Levitz closing down remaining stores
• Bombay closing remaining stores
• Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
• Whitehall closing all stores
• Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
• Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
• Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
• Macys to close 9 stores after January
• Linens and Things closing all stores
• Movie Galley Closing all stores
• Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
• Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
• JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
• Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
• Wilson Leather closing down all stores
• Sharper Image closing down all stores
• K B Toys closing 356 stores
• Loews to close down some stores
• Dillard's to close some stores
  
  

In the MLM Business, Its all In the Numbers.

Here's an article, not written by me, but still very interesting for those considering getting into the MLM business -


You may have heard of Bill Britt, one of the most successful distributors in Amway. Some years ago, 20/20 did a feature story on Amway.

They spent 19minutes interviewing whiners and complainers -- several distributors who had failed and showed the garages full of products they couldn't sell.

During the last minute of the show, Mr. Britt was interviewed in front of his palatial home. He was asked, "Mr. Britt, this business has obviously worked for you. What's your secret?"

He replied, "There is no secret. I simply showed the plan to 1200 people.

900 said, 'No.' and only 300 signed up.

Out of those 300, only 85 did anything at all.

Out of those 85 only 35 were serious, and out of those 35,11 made me a millionaire.

"Like Mark Yarnell (who made millions with NuSkin), Bill worked through the numbers. Like we always say - ANY business is a numbers game, plain and simple!

Remember that & be persistent & you WILL succeed.

Social Consciousness, civility and a bit of good old me second attitude.

I was in Costco the other day picking up a few things when I heard a ruckus just behind me in the check out line. I turned around to see what was going on and here was this irate guy screaming at a couple who had moved past him the line.

The female partner of this duo was looking rather embarrassed as her husband continued to discuss in no uncertain terms what he had apparently instigated.

What happened was that the perturbed gentleman, who had been pushing a rather large orange dolly, loaded to the hilt with groceries, had left the line, sans his orange dolly, to go and get something he had forgotten.

Upon seeing the unfolding situation, the couple behind him moved ahead of the orange dolly with their shopping cart and proceeded to check out.

On his return, the orange dolly owner saw immediately what had happened and started a long stream of adjectives to describe what this couple could do with their lives.

Now, I must inject that this whole incident was not dialogued in English, but in Spanish. I have lived in Latin America for 30 years, and I speak Spanish fluently.

Before this entire scene was finished, several other people in line had offered their opinion about this unfolding drama.

I will not repeat what they said, but the conclusion was that the audience had decided that Latin America is like it is because of this attitude amongst its inhabitance.

Though I can see a certain merit to their summation, I don’t entirely agree with it.

We need to calm down and be just a bit more understanding and generous with our fellow man. Yes the guy was wrong to leave the check out line to go after something he had forgotten, but the time he was gone was a matter of minutes.

I am sure that if he had told the couple behind him that he had forgotten something and that he would be right back, they would have understood. And yes the couple, who were also loaded down with groceries, was wrong to simply move ahead, without consideration for the other guy’s dilemma, this whole incident could have ended very differently.

Don’t you think that we can all try to be just a little kinder with our fellow man? After all what’s the big deal? It’s just the right thing to do.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

TalkHasIt Asks... WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me, although I clearly remember having to dodge enemy fire as Chelsea and I tried to cross the road.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that intewesting? In a few moments, we will be wistening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a sewious case of molting, and went on to accompwish its wife wong dweam of cwossing the woad to engage in an illicit affair with a U.S. Senator.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken! COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one? DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT: I say, DAMN that chicken! Does that make me unpatriotic?