Don’t forget to update the copyright date on your websites to 2006. Better do that now because you might not be thinking too clearly on New Year’s Day!
Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com
If you’re like me and have started to set some resolutions for the new year to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, get rid of the dreaded clutter in your house, etc, etc… that pesky little voice is probably whispering in your ear right now, “That’s what you resolved last year too– what happened? And what makes you think you’ll do it this year?”
Well, here’s my answer to that: This year, I’m going to concentrate on becoming the person I need to be to achieve those goals. Instead of going on the latest fad diet or wishing that I was less stressed, I’m going to concentrate on being a healthy person who takes care of herself every day, and being a person who is prepared financially and emotionally to handle the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
The truth is that we are often waiting for someone or something outside of us to change, wishing “If only my boss would give me a raise I could buy a house or if only I had more time I could exercise more or be less stressed etc.” and using it as the excuse for why our lives don’t change from year to year.
I call this the Have, Do, Be method — If I had more money, I could do what I need to and pay off my debt, and then I’d be happy. The problem with this method is that you are waiting for something external to happen to you like winning the lottery or getting a surprise inheritance, and letting the course of your life to be set by wishes which may never come true.
Instead I suggest that this year you turn this around and start by making the changes within yourself first by using the Be, Do, Have method. Be the person you want to be and then you’ll do what you need to do to support that belief and you’ll have what you want in your life as a consequence. And you won’t have to rely on any one changing but yourself.
There are two books that I suggest you pick up to help you on the quest to become who you really want to be and to change the negative thought patterns that keep you from achieving your goals.
The first is The Speed Trap, How to Avoid the Frenzy of the Fast Lane by Joseph Bailey and the second, The Book of Mind Management by Dennis R. Deaton. Both are available from Amazon.com online.
Now, go out there this year and become the person you always thought you could be. You might be surprised about what you can achieve!
Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of inpiration at MLMTalk.com
By Michael Angier
Just as important as setting goals is tracking the goals we achieve.
Have you ever visited a teenage niece or nephew you hadn’t seen in a while? The changes in looks and height were quite noticeable, weren’t they? However, the progress wasn’t as apparent to them and their parents because it was gradual–or so it seemed.
The same things happen to us. We don’t always see the progress we’re making because we’re too close to it. We’re so busy focusing on what we want and what we haven’t yet achieved, we rarely take time to acknowledge ourselves and APPRECIATE what we have.
And when we really appreciate what we have, we find that we have more and more to appreciate.
I find that using a Win List is a good way to remind myself of my progress–and keep me more mindful of what I’m achieving.
It’s just a document in my word processor that I add to often. It’s titled ‘Wins & Events: Good News, Good Decisions, Breakthroughs, Wins and Significant Events.’
Every few days, I update it with things that have happened, breakthroughs, goals achieved, events that impact my life and the many blessings that come my way. Each line has the month (and often the exact date) of the event noted. One line is enough for me to capture the occurrence.
My ‘Win List’ creates a ‘chronofile’ of my life. And it keeps me focused on what’s working. It helps to remind me of how far I’ve come. Reviewing it is a quick pick-me-up–a real confidence booster. It’s also a handy reference as to when and what happened — especially since I’m not always very consistent with my personal journal.
It’s easy to do. It only takes a few moments. And it helps me to be more appreciative. Almost all of the people to whom I’ve recommended this have reported similar positive results.
If you try it, I know you’ll find it helpful–and even fun.
About the Author
Copyright Michael Angier. SuccessNet.org and WorldClassBusiness.com help you and your business grow. Get their free report, 10 Pillars of a World Class Business, by sending an email to wcb@SuccessNet.org No-cost subscriptions, memberships, eCourses, eBooks and more are available at http://SuccessNet.org and InfoPlease@SuccessNet.org
Does your business card reflect a positive image for your business? Does it clearly define what your business is all about at a glance? If not, you may be making some big mistakes in your marketing and need to take another look at the message you are putting out there.
Why? Because if a prospective customer views your business image as unprofessional or confusing, they will simply do business with someone else. You can’t afford to let that happen to you. Are you holding the right cards?
While presenting marketing seminars to thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs, Debbie Allen (sales and marketing expert) discovered a shocking reality. Many of the business cards presented a poor and unprofessional image of the business at first glance. Very few business cards or marketing materials had an effective message that described the business clearly. Most lacked a strong visual logo that defined the business and had no branded image or catch praise that set them apart from their competition.
With this newfound discovery, Debbie began to ask members of the audience to stay after her presentation to receive a free business card evaluation. This intrigued attendees, and many waited for up to an hour to have a chance to talk with her in person and to get feedback on how to improve their marketing message.
Another discovery! Many owners and managers are so close to their businesses that they don’t see the most obvious mistakes. The reason for this is that they don’t look at their business through their customers’ eyes. They view it from a very narrow focus,
their own eyesight. This can be disastrous for a company’s professional image.
Just as people judge individuals at first glance, so they judge a business image the same way. If prospective customers view the business image as unprofessional or confusing, they will simply walk away. Prospective customers will be lost to competitors who do a better job at marketing their company’s image, brand and uniqueness.
The goal of an organization should be to create a strong, immediate message that clearly defines its business. The message must connect an emotional bond with the customers, both
verbally and visually. This same image and message must be coherent on all marketing materials ranging from a company’s business card, advertising, packaging and signage to its
website.
Once organizations recognize the need to improve their business image on their marketing materials, it can be easy to make the changes needed to update and improve. The solution is often a small investment in a graphic artist and a marketing consultant.
Where do you start? A great place to start is to take a close look at your business card as if you were a prospective customer. First compare it with the list of top 10 mistakes below then take the business card ranking quiz online at www.DebbieAllen.com
The 10 Most Common Business Card Mistakes
1. Scrambles messages with inconsistent design elements.
2. Does not clearly define your business services and/or products.
3. Does not make you memorable (in a good way).
4. Indicates unflattering things about your business.
5. Does not generate additional business.
6. Creates a cluttered impression.
7. Omits essential information, or is filled with non-essential information.
8. Looks out of date, or information no longer applies.
9. Is hard to read or confusing to the eye.
10. Lacks a point of interest, image or theme.
About the Author
Debbie Allen is an international business speaker and author of five books on sales and marketing. She has presented before thousands of people in nine countries around the world. Debbie is the founder of ‘International Business Image Improvement Month
(May)’ which was created to help people improve their marketing materials and present a more professional business image to attract more customers. Take her free online business card quiz to see if you’re holding the right cards at http://www.DebbieAllen.com
I want to wish all of you a very happy and safe holiday season! And a prosperous and healthy new year!
Linda Locke
http://www.mlmtalk.com
The 2005 Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and Self-Employed (Pub 1518, Catalog Number 12350Z) is now available. This 12-month wall calendar is filled with useful information on general business taxes, IRS and SSA customer assistance, electronic filing and paying options, retirement plans, business publications and forms, and common tax filing dates.
Each page highlights different tax issues and tips that may be relevant to small business owners with room on each month to add notes, state tax dates, or business appointments.
You can order up to 5 copies free from the IRS website at the link below:
Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of help and inspiration here: http://mlmtalk.com
by Suzanne Falter-Barns
www.howmuchjoy.com
There was once a time (and there still is, to a certain degree) when I would say ‘Yes’ to every opportunity, request, suggestion, good idea, and even mediocre idea that came my way. And let me tell you, it was exhausting.
It was like I had this automatic, knee-jerk reaction to accommodate any suggestion that came my way - as if it were my karmic duty. I call this auto-response being a ‘yes-dog’. Perhaps you know the feeling.
When you’re a yes-dog, your entire being is all about making other people happy; you knock yourself out doing it. No task is too small - you figure you’ve always got room in your psyche, your schedule or your soul to squeeze in one more thing that someone wants to fit in. God forbid you should say no … for then that someone would be unhappy. Which would be unthinkable.
Like a lot of creative people, I’m naturally empathetic - so I could literally feel other people’s pain… an experience I simply wanted to avoid as much as possible. For many years, I thought it was up to me to please the rest of the world. I literally thought it was my job to be a ‘yes-dog’.
These days, I’m taking a much more circumspect view. I’ve come to the realization that I simply can’t live my soul purpose AND make the rest of the world happy all the time.
And I realize that being a yes-dog doesn’t always make the rest of the world happy - even in my little corner. The more well known I get, and the wider my reach, the more I can see it. There is always someone, somewhere, who has a problem with what I’m doing. And therein lay the breakthrough.
I’m no longer uncomfortable with other people’s pain. I mean, it’s not like I relish it; but I don’t run to avoid it. I’ve come to realize we all have a path, and a learning process we’re going through. This means my entire job is nothing more than to be authentic, listen to my gut, and act accordingly. Not only will I not make everyone happy … I can’t!
If someone is upset by this, it’s no longer a big problem. Rather, it’s simply the way their path is rubbing up against my path; it’s part of life, growth, and karma. So I have nothing to fear.
My friend Joan Sotkin has a saying, ‘I don’t always have to be the one who’s uncomfortable here’. Amen! Since I’ve given up being a yes-dog, and let go of the need to be ‘the one who’s always uncomfortable’, great things have begun to stream my way. My reach, my income, my productivity and my impact in the world have gone up in quantum leaps.
Best of all, I’ve relaxed as I go about my business. ‘No’ is not scary - it’s empowering. And ironically enough, the world has not turned on me in anger and resentment … it’s actually stepped right up to my door and truly embraced what I’m doing.
Are you a yes-dog? Take my handy quiz below to assess where you are. And may I suggest a step away from that easy little word, to one that can be equally empowering: “No”.
The Are You a ‘Yes-Dog’? Questionnaire
1. Do you find it hard to say no to your children, even when they’re making unreasonable demands.
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
2. Do you long to be able to tell your boss exactly what you think … but you just can’t?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
3. Do you find it impossible to deny yourself ‘forbidden’ pleasures - i.e. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream when you’re dieting - even if you’ve made a decision not to indulge?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
4. Do your friends tell you that you’re a pushover, and advise you to stand firm?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
5. Do you get a queasy feeling in your gut when someone asks you to do something that’s just not a good fit for you … and then inevitably cave in despite your feelings?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
6. Are you uncomfortable asking for more money or more responsibility around your work?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
7. Are you always the person who volunteers even when you don’t want to?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
8. Are there things you long to do in life, but you simply can’t find the time or the courage to get to them?
a) Always
b) Occasionally
c) Rarely
d) Never
Rate your answers:
For every a) give yourself 10 points. For every b) give yourself 7 points. For every c) give yourself 4 points. For every d) give yourself 1 point.
If your score is 60-80, you’re probably saying ‘Yes’ WAY more often than you want to. Consider getting some coaching on how to say no from a good friend, life coach or partner.
If your score is 40-60, your ability to say ‘No’ willingly is spotty … try pausing and counting silently to five before you answer.
If your score is 20-40, you’ve got most situations pretty well in hand. Try saying ‘No’ just a little more often and see what happens.
If your score is 0-20, you’re doing great! Your ability to monitor when to say ‘Yes’ and when to say ‘No’ is truly inspiring.
©2005 Suzanne Falter-Barns LLC.
For information on how to find the time, energy, money to live your purpose in life, check out Suzanne’s free ezine, The Joy Letter. Sign up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html and receive our valuable report, 35 Guaranteed Time Savers. And get a daily blast of joyful tips from the Blast o’ Joy blog at http://selfhelpsalon.typepad.com/blast_o_joy/
I’ve been working hard over the past week to move the MLMTalk blog over to the WordPress blogging software. I had been using Blogger, but after 4 months of no problems, I suddenly couldn’t post to the blog for some mysterious reason and Blogger tech support was AWOL.
So, I decided to bite the bullet and move to WordPress. I’m glad I did! You’ll find a new Search box that you can use to easily find posts on a certain topic. I’ve also added categories of topics so you can find all the posts on a certain topic fast.
If you are thinking about starting a blog for your business, you should consider WordPress as your blogging software. It’s free, but does require some technical knowledge to set up and use. But the best thing is that the software resides on your own web hosting site so you have complete control.
Blogger is free too, but as I found out, you get what you pay for!
Happy Holidays!
Linda Locke
Get your daily dose of inspiration here: http://mlmtalk.com
Have you checked out the new electronic magazine, TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com, yet? Not to worry. You can take a sneak peak at their first issue (October 2005) for free. It’s there for everyone to experience at no cost.
This resource is from John Milton Fogg and the same people who published “Upline Magazine.” The October issue features 29 articles from 25 different experts and authors with more than 200 pages of articles and 10 ½ hours of audio programming. And they let you search and save everything. You can also share any articles via email if you like. Here’s the link:
http://TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com
After you take your test drive, if you are interested in subscribing, TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com is offering a special ‘Two for One’ bonus to “MLMWoman” subscribers.
When you subscribe for one year, you get the second year at no
charge! This is the special coupon code: MLMWoman/2years
This is all you need to do to take advantage of this offer:
1. Go to http://TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com
2. Click on the SUBSCRIBING link on the upper right.
3. Read the page and click on the SUBSCRIBE link.
4. Follow the instructions and make sure to enter the
word MLMWoman/2years in the code box on the Payment Page.
5. Important!!! Be sure to click ADD COUPON before proceeding or
they will not know you get the extra year… and that’s all
there is to it!
And, by the way, an interview I did with John Fogg about MLMWoman is featured in their December Women’s issue of TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com along with articles by Lisa Wilber, Wendy Weiss, Kim Klaver, Nicki Keohohou, Jackie Ulmer, Sue Seward and Bonnie Ross-Parker.
Enjoy!
Linda Locke
http://www.mlmwoman.com
by Cathy Stucker, IdeaLady.com
Do you think you don’t have enough time to market? Here’s a solution that can help you get started on marketing, or any other task you’ve been putting off.
Promise yourself you will spend 15 uninterrupted minutes working on one aspect of marketing. Edit the copy for your brochure. Update your email signature file. Make some phone calls. Revise a web page. Send a letter. Post a message to an email list. Or identify a media outlet and send your most recent press release to them.
You’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish in just 15 minutes. Think you can’t get anything done in that short time? How long does it take to clean your house? How long does it take if your mother-in-law will be there in 15 minutes? I rest my case!
Set a timer (so you don’t watch the clock) and focus on your task for 15 minutes. Don’t answer the phone or get distracted by anything else. When the timer goes off, you can stop. Of course, if you are on a roll, you might want to keep going for a little longer, but don’t keep at it for so long that you lose focus.
There is nothing magic about 15 minutes. Make it 20 or 30 minutes, if you wish. Just commit to spending that time intently working on the task at hand.
By the way, this technique can work for anything else you’ve been putting off. Tackle filing for 15 minutes a day and watch the stacks of paper shrink.
Schedule your 15 minutes every day and see how that 15 minutes affects your results!
About the Author
As the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker can help you attract customers and make yourself famous. Get a free tip every Tuesday when you subscribe to Bright Ideas at http://www.IdeaLady.com/.
Copyright 2003, Cathy Stucker
Powered by WordPress
Copyright 2008. Regent Press. All rights reserved.