Here's something I thought I'd pass along to everyone this month from the January 22, 1998 Big Al Recruiting Newsletter....

"Every day the ant works all day. Every hour the ant is busy. And in the end what happens?

-- Someone steps on him."

Many network marketers work their business in every free hour they have. Weeknights, weekends, holidays, family reunions, wedding receptions and any and every event is an opportunity to pass out business cards, catalogs, brochures, audio tapes and . . .

What's happening?

These network marketers are working all day, just like the ant. They are so busy with activities, they fail to see the big picture or real goal. We just hope these networkers don't get stepped on like the ant.

Here is a point-of-view that networkers should consider:

1. If you spend all your free time building your business, what is your prospect going to see? Your prospect will avoid joining your business because he doesn't want to spend every waking hour networking.

2. If you advertise how network marketing gives you time and money freedom, yet you work your business every waking hour, doesn't something feel wrong with this picture?

3. And what about all this activity? Networking should be simple. If all we have to do is sponsor a few people and build them into leaders, then what's all this other activity about?

4. Would a balanced, happy life attract more prospects?

We are living advertisements for network marketing. We should be careful what our advertising says.

What does your advertising say? ______________________________________________________

If you would like to subscribe to the free Big Al Recruiting Newsletter, simply e-mail your request to bigalnews@tntmag.com and they'll add you to their subscription list.

Linda Locke is the editor of MLM Woman. You can reach her via e-mail at regent@west.net

I got a call the other day from a fellow networker I've known for about a year, now. Let's call him Ralph. Ralph was enthusiastic, excited. He had just gotten into a new program and already had a few people sponsored. He talked to them over the phone, had them pull up some stuff from his fax-on-demand, and voila, virtually instant downline.

Now Ralph's a talker. He loves the phone and spends his days on it. Pretty thick-skinned, he's also not put off by much... maybe not quite rhino-hide, but close to it. Say you're not interested, and he just keeps talking. Remind him of his last deal -- the one that cost you $1250 just before it fell apart -- and he'll be able to rattle off every advantage of this new one, telling you he lost money on the last one, too, then go right on to assure you that with just a couple of personally sponsored folks you can take advantage of the matrix that's being built in this program right now, not too far below its founders.

After a lot of listening and some comments that weren't getting through, I finally said "Ralph, I can't do this." He didn't know what I meant so I explained that I couldn't do what he was doing, even if I wanted to (which I didn't). "I can't pick up the phone and talk to people. Not my warm market, not cold calls to strangers, not anyone who doesn't call me first, call me because they're interested and want more information. If you can't give me a system I can use, something I can hand out or something I can mail, you might make a few bucks off me, but I won't sponsor anyone. And I certainly won't be happy. That's just the way it is."

What he had wasn't duplicatable, not for me. Yet in Network Marketing, duplication is the key to success, not the sign-ups. Sign-ups are worthless in building an organization, they're here today... gone tomorrow, unless those you sign-up can and will do what's necessary to duplicate you and duplicate themselves.

Some things can be duplicated, some things can't. Some companies and uplines just never give you much to duplicate. But if you want to be successful, someone, whether company or upline, has to give you a system you can use to go out, start building, make money, and be happy. Barring that, you'll have to be the one to come up with the methods and tools your downline can copy. Yes, somebody does have to create them, and if you have the time and are so inclined, it could be you.

A program with success potential is one that you can do, and those you sponsor can feel that way about too. Like the man said, "Dead Downlines Don't Lie". But the truth is, if you can't duplicate it, most downlines never even get started.

So how's life in your program? Has your upline given you something you can duplicate? And is it something your downline can duplicate too? With a system you can use, a system that those you sponsor can feel good about using too, you will get sign-ups, but more importantly, the 20% who actually go out and use it will help you find success. ______________________________________________________

Looking for something to duplicate? If you'd like information about a system that's easy to copy and comes with plenty of "camera-ready" too, drop me a note and ask about the "S.M.A.R.T. System". Write skyhoop@aol.com or send a SASE to Larry Stepanowicz, PO Box 307, Newport NY 13416. See you in the sun!

Patient entrepreneur is an oxymoron. The fire that drives us to quit our jobs, risk our finances, and invest every waking hour in a venture is also the force that makes it impossible to accept the truth about starting a business: It always takes longer than you think it will. Plan on three times the money and twice the amount of time you think you'll need.

I am often asked: "What qualities does someone have to possess to be a successful entrepreneur? The obvious answers: persistence, commitment, resilience, and courage. This list should include another often neglected consideration - patience. Without patience, an entrepreneur will burn out and give up too soon, or at the very least, be miserable in the process of trying to reach their goals.

I am seven months pregnant while writing this column. I'm at that stage when it feels like I have been, and will be pregnant forever. Although part of me wishes I could "get this pregnancy over with," I know that if my baby were born now, he would have less of a chance of living a healthy life. And so, I wait patiently for his full term development, knowing there is good reason for his extended incubation. As a mother of two other babies, I vividly remember my labor experiences as extraordinary tests of patience. Contractions seem to go on for hours and hours, and you can't push the labor process any faster than your body, and the baby are willing to go. As a self employed professional, wife and mother, patience is one of my most fragile, and yet most cherished assets. Patience, or lack of it, is directly responsible for the quality of my emotional experience, ablity to create a calm, peaceful state of mind, or an agitated one. Here are six strategies you can use to increase your patience quotient. They form the acronym "PLEASE", since if there was a special tune associated with impatience, wouldn't it begin with: "PLEASE. . . " To improve your patience level, you must understand where your impatience originates:

P - Passion is what drives an entrepreneur, and also what keeps us from accepting the molasses like quality of our journey. To be nonchalant about our entrepreneurial goals would threaten our ability to reach them, so we attack our work with fervor and a voracious appetite for success. It's fine to be fueled by such intensity - if you can learn to tone it down when circumstances demand that you do so. An unbridled, impatient, entrepreneur is no more likely to win than a wild untrained horse at the racetrack.

L - Lack of faith in God, the universe, employees, co-workers, customers, vendors, or family members will lead an entrepreneur to try to push the process and make things happen on their predefined schedule. When you don't trust anyone or anything but yourself, impatience will be your steady companion. Complete this sentence: "I trust that, besides me, ___________is guiding this process or is instrumental to its success, and I can trust him, her or it to do their part." Also try the serenity prayer; "God grant me the willingness to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

E - Egocentricity and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. Business owners need strong, confident egos. When you are feeling impatient, your ego is insisting: "Why can't my_______ do this the right way!" If only my ______ would stop______ I wouldn't be so angry." We expect the world to revolve around our schedule, needs, and demands, and then get self righteous and impatient when others don't comply. Remind yourself that your business success relies on dozens of other people, all of whom have their own lives, schedules, and needs. Unless you're a hermit, you'll never have it your way all the time.

A - Anxiety and fear are the great enemies of patience. Most impatience stems from terror that if we don't make things happen the way we think they need to, we will fail with horrendous consequences. Keep overstated self-talk and negative visualizations in check, and notice if your impatience is fueled by an exaggerated doomsday message. Pay attention to the direct relationship between fear and lack of faith. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov counsels: "Learn to wait. If despite all your determined efforts you cannot seem to reach your goals, be patient. Between acceptance and anxiety, choose acceptance."

S - Short-sightedness comes from our insistence that the plan we have created is the best and only way to achieve our goals. Tied up with egocentricity, we fail to consider that God or the universe may have an even better plan in mind for us than we have for ourselves. Surrender at times to what life is handing you, rather than what you planned on. Ask yourself; "Have I ever gotten something I didn't plan on, but was even better than I asked for?"

E - Entrepreneurial vision is by its nature grandiose and impatient. When you are reaching for the stars, it's hard to watch grass grow. And yet, even the most spectacular dreams are achieved one painstakingly slow accomplishment after another. Support your long term vision with daily goals and celebrate the progress you make along the way.

Let me leave you with an analogy that applies to developing patience. One Thanksgiving, my family gathered at my brother's house for the anticipated turkey dinner. Unbeknownst to him, my brother's oven needed repair, and his broil and bake functions were reversed. After broiling a turkey for three hours, (while we thought it was baking), we ended up with a bird that was burned on the outside and raw on the inside.

If we turn the heat to broil on our business, our relationships, or ourselves, when what we really need is a slow roast, the outcome will be unpleasant, if not ruined entirely. Patience is not only a virtue for your emotional well being - it may be the deciding factor in your success as well. As you proceed into the new year, brimming with new year's resolutions and good intentions, remember - good things are usually worth waiting for. ______________________________________________________

Azriela Jaffe is the author of “Honey, I Want To Start My Own Business, A Planning Guide For Couples” and “Let’s Go Into Business Together, Eight Secrets for Positive Business Partnering” (Avon Books ‘98). She is the founder of “Anchored Dreams,” a coaching firm supporting individuals and couples in business, a professional speaker and editor of the “Entrepreneurial Couples Success Letter”. Call (717) 872-1890, write P.O. Box 209, Bausman, PA 17504, or email AzJaffe@aol.com or visit the Anchored Dreams web site at www.isquare.com/crlink.htm. For free online newsletter, email jaffe@lancnews.infi.net.