Starting with this month's newsletter, I'll be sharing with you a collection of tools (books, software, sales aids, tapes, newsletters etc.) from A to Z that you can use to keep your business on track and in the black this year. This month's success tools feature A through E.

A is for Auto Affirmations - Finding it tough to stay motivated and inspired in your business? Well, here’s a fantastic new product that will help you keep at the top of your form. “Auto Affirmations” are plastic-coated cards that you place on your dash board to reflect motivating statements on your windshield as you drive - such as “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” Both standard and customized messages are available. Call 1-800-552-3135 for more information or visit their web site at: www.theshop.net/autoaffirmations.

B is for Big Al’s Recruiting Newsletter which offers lots of great tips on prospecting and team building. It’s available by free subscription via e-mail and snail mail. To subscribe online send an e-mail to bigalnews-request@s1.net with ‘subscribe’ in the body of the e-mail or if you’d like to receive the 32-page printed version, please e-mail your physical mailing address to bigalnews@tntmag.com or call Diann Vann at (281) 280-9800.

C is for Couples – If you work your business with a spouse or significant other, Azriela Jaffe’s best selling book “Honey, I Want to Start my Own Business, A Planning Guide for Couples” is a must for your bookshelf. In addition to “Honey”, Azriela Jaffe also edits two free online newsletters, “Entrepreneurial Couples Success Letter” and “The Best Ideas in Business.” For more information send an email to: jaffe@lancnews.infi.net or AzJaffe@aol.com or visit her Web site at: www.isquare.com/crlink.htm.

D is for DayMaster, The Relationship/Personality Planner. This unique day planner helps you build better relationships, control your schedule, establish priorities and gain a better understanding of yourself, your family and your peers. The DayMaster planner has 16 personal and family management sections that can be customized and also features Professional/Business and MLM/Network Marketing pages. Designed with a focus on balancing all aspects of life, including Spiritual, Family and Business, the DayMaster planner offers a unique approach to life management. For more information visit their web site at www.daymaster.com or call 800-644-7929.

E is for MLM Easy Money -- Version 2.0 of MLM Easy Money by Kynetics Business Software has recently been released and has lots of new features making it better than ever. This nifty tax and business management program runs on any version of Windows and makes organizing your business finances and tracking your downline and prospects a snap. MLM Easy Money has a nice, intuitive interface and is easy to use and set up. For more information call (415) 594-9058 or visit their web site at: www.kynetics.com. Next month I'll cover F through K.

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

One of the most important aspects of being involved in a successful MLM business is also one of the most challenging, especially for the newly sponsored. That is the task of finding others who will be sincerely interested in the business opportunity you now represent.

Once we exhaust the list of friends, acquaintances and relatives, we sometimes find ourselves stalled with the thought of who to approach next. It is extremely important to our eventual success that we not stop at that point. We must reach outside of our normal “comfort zone” to find others who will be interested in duplicating our business.

One answer is to find people outside our normal circle and to build a relationship with them. Be a joiner or volunteer to organizations that interest you or that you support financially. Don’t even think about selling your product or mentioning your business opportunity when you first meet. Get to know them first. Build a rapport until you feel comfortable with each other. Then, and only then, mention your product or business.

Attend free classes or seminars offered in your community such as business opportunity seminars, or anything at all remotely entrepreneurial. Tax seminars, retirement strategies, career fairs looking for sales reps of any kind are all great places to find people. Show up about a half hour early, be friendly, move close to one and ask, “What brings you here?”

Regardless of the strategy you use, the following acrostic should be helpful in any situation where you are meeting people for the first time.

Polite. When meeting new people for the first time, don’t be overly anxious to talk about your product or opportunity. No matter how wonderful you think it is, you’ll only succeed in frightening them off.

Respect other’s personal space and opinions. Don’t get too close and violate their personal space. Give them and you time to get to know one another and develop a rapport. Depending on the circumstances, you’ll have time and opportunity to introduce your business, especially if you know how to steer the conversation. “So, what do you do?” and “Do you like it?” are only two such questions that you can start a conversation with. These and other such questions will not only elicit an answer that will clue you as to whether they might be interested in your opportunity or not, it will also usually require them to ask the same question of you.

Organize. When going out with the express purpose of meeting new people, take time to organize your thoughts and company materials you’ll be carrying with you. Review your company’s manual for additional tips, check business card supply, sample supplies if applicable, and any other printed materials you’ll be carrying. Practice a 30-60 second personal introduction that quickly tells people who you are and what you do.

Silence. Remember that listening is often more appropriate and appreciated than speaking. Let the new person you’ve just met have an opportunity to talk; about their job, their children, even their dog. Listening will give you valuable insight into their personality, and clues as to whether they might be open to your business.

People. There are all kinds of people in the world, and as you get out there to meet them, you’ll see them all. Some will turn into wonderful friends, others great contacts. Yet others will regale you with stories of Aunt Minnie’s quadruple bypass surgery in detail, monopolizing all your time, leaving you with no opportunity to meet others. Your time investment will pay off with a handful of prospects you find.

Evaluate. At the end of your time evaluate the contacts you’ve made. Make notes of those you want to follow up on with a telephone call or mailing of business information if applicable. If you committed to a follow-up call or mailing, then be sure to do it as soon as possible. Any delay may cause you to lose that person’s interest in your product or opportunity.

Commitment. Most people who get involved in any type of business want to see early and easy signs of success. They don’t make the time or financial commitment it takes to see any new venture through. A successful business takes time - time to grow and develop. There will be setbacks. There will be lulls when nothing is happening. Commit to staying the course, come what may.

Trust in yourself, in your product whatever it may be, and in the law of averages. You will suffer many rejections and setbacks on your road to success. Persistence pays off. The sheer number of people out there will work for you and so will a “can’t quit” attitude. When things get rough, and they will, most people quit. Will you quit too? Or will you stick to it and make it to the top?

Eileen Snover is an independent fashion consultant with Multiples At Home. MAH offers “real clothes for real women.” Easy care, easy wear with sizes ranging from petites to plus. If you would like to receive more information regarding the clothing, or are interested in a fantastic business opportunity, you can drop her a note at esnover@fast.net or mail her at 119 Independence Ct., Bethlehem, PA 18020.

Have you ever noticed that most news articles draw you in with a tale about one person, while simultaneously illustrating a broader issue? When you hear a speaker at a conference, isn’t it when they tell a story to demonstrate their point that your ears pick up? And don’t we spend an awful lot of time watching TV and movies, and (hopefully) reading books? Well, these are all based on stories, other people’s stories.

We Listen to Stories

We like stories because we want to be moved, transported, maybe even changed, and stories have the power to do this. Good stories fire the listener’s imagination. They embolden, enliven, and motivate, not only their creators but all who hear them. They take us out of our lives and show us other possibilities; when we hear about someone who accomplished a great feat, we think, “If she can do it, so can I.” And so we try.

You don’t need any special literary skills to use storytelling as a marketing tool; it is completely natural. Just answer the question, “What do you do?” with real-life anecdotes and examples of how you’ve solved your clients’ problems. Bring your story to life by infusing it with your own personality and a few facts and figures. A little drama doesn’t hurt either.

Mining Your Own Story

It should be easy to figure out what your own story is, but it’s not. Finding your “simple truth” is one of the most difficult jobs and it takes a long time of telling and retelling your story as your business evolves. Here are a few ideas to get you going.

Tell a friend. The listener is as important as the teller and often we need another person to hear our story before we can know it ourselves. Let your friends or business colleagues hear your story and ask them to point out the highlights, the places they thought were interesting, so you can learn to focus on and embellish those points.

Experiment with different versions of your story. Listen to the way you tell it and how people respond. (You may even learn something new about yourself and your services in the process.) Instead of saying the same canned version over and over, have a few variations ready and, whenever possible, tailor your story to your listener. For example, if I’m talking to an artist, I use anecdotes about artists I’ve worked with and the problems we solved. Likewise with a travel agent or floral designer. Use whatever’s closest to your prospect so they can see themselves in the story.

Write your story right now. Go ahead. It won’t take long...

Reprinted from The Art of Self Promotion, #22, Fall 1997. A 1-year subscription to this quarterly newsletter is available for $30 by calling (800) 737-0783 or writing P.O. Box 23, Hoboken, NJ 07030-0023. A sample issue is $3.

My granddaughter is 5 and in kindergarten. During the course of the year, the kindergartners are studying each letter of the alphabet. This last week, she came home with the letter "O" and, as is customary for each letter, "O" had a longer name and it was "Miss Optimist!" I asked her if she knew what an "optimist" was and she said, "Of course! It means someone who looks on the bright side of everything!"

Naturally, I was impressed with her knowledge and touched by her enthusiasm. As the week progressed, my thoughts returned to this sweet little girl with the bright eyes and infectious smile and her interpretation of Miss Optimist. I could not help but relate Miss Optimist to my experience with network marketing. I am, like many of you, one who had tried network marketing and had become discouraged despite following the guidelines which we thought would lead us to success within our chosen company.

Sometime back, I joined a company which gave every indication that it was offering a high-tech product along with a service that would be of great benefit to nearly everyone. However, before it could really get launched, the company declared bankruptcy! I knew network marketing was "THE" business opportunity for the Here-and-Now, but my experience told me that it might be fine for some, but I was not going to waste any more time with this because of my own personal experience and I became "Ms. Pessimistic."

Am I ever glad I did not stay in that mode for very long. Quite by accident, I stumbled across another product and company which has more than proven to me that even the most pessimistic individual can become optimistic about network marketing again.

Also, like many of you, I wanted to have an improved quality of life and I felt the best place to start was with me. What better place to start than with our physical appearance and, for me, that meant a desire to lose some of those unwanted pounds. I am a veteran of classes and diets which are designed to help keep our weight under control and I'm sure each one has their success stories, but they just did not work for me. When I made the decision to try yet another approach, I did not even know or consider it being a part of network marketing. What a fantastic surprise when I lost 30 pounds in 7 weeks and an even greater surprise when I learned the products were marketed through, that's right, network marketing! Now I am a walking billboard and not only do I feel great, but I have found a business that has customers calling me.

If you have had a negative experience, maybe it was simply the wrong product for you and not the principle of network marketing as you may be thinking. I would encourage you to remain "Ms. Optimistic" for your success may be just around the corner and you would not want to miss it!

Gini McCall is an Independent Distributor with Fit America, Inc. For further information, Gini can be reached at McAtty@aol.com.

Editor's Note: Tax time is rolling around again and now is the time to get your records in order and to make sure you are taking all the deductions you are entitled to. Here are some tax tips to keep in mind both before and after you enroll in an MLM company. Be sure to get a copy of IRS Publication 911 to review the kinds of deductions and records you need to keep for your MLM business.

1. You must have an intention to work this as a business, not a hobby! You do not have to show a profit at first but if you always have a loss, for years and years and you are audited, you may have to explain why you always have a loss. Remember, only approximately 2 % of all filed personal returns are audited.

2. Some common audit " flags " are low income and very high expenses, high employee business expenses as reported on form 2106, home business deduction, car expenses taken as a deduction. These are just a few of the items that might lead to an audit.

3. You should decide how you want to enroll, as an individual, partnership or corporation. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. However, unless you already have a business entity established and a federal tax ID assigned, I would recommend getting started as an individual or sole proprietorship. In most instances, a husband and wife enrollment are considered a sole proprietorship or individual, not a partnership.

4. One of the first things you should do is to record your startup expenses - like your starter kit, initial product purchase, and those all important business supplies!

Just as your sponsor tells you, buy the kit, start using the products, make your list, contact your prospects (hopefully with your upline on the line), attend all company functions and local meetings, keep adequate business supplies. We already stated you can write off your first product purchase and distributor kit and business supplies. But what else can be deducted?

The next thing I would do is establish a separate bank account and or a credit card that is used exclusively for your business. If you use the credit card exclusively for business, you can deduct the interest from your credit card. But not if your card is also used for personal purchases. You can also deduct service charges for that checking account. It really makes tracking your business a lot easier!

Next, get 3-way calling, call waiting and an answer system. You should also determine if your company has a good voicemail communication system and also enroll in the voice mail. You may even want to order a second line that you can use almost exclusively as a business line. You can deduct the basic service charge on the second line, the business cost or portion of special services on any line. Obviously you can deduct the long distance charge for any call you made in relationship to building your business. You cannot deduct the basic local line charges on your first phone line, even if you use it for business. Best to get a second line. You can deduct any call whose primary purpose is business, not a personal call where you just mention the company.

Your business supplies are obviously deductible as well as the shipping charges you are charged on the supplies as well as the products.

As an important aside you can deduct the price of an annual subscription to any business journals related to your business as well as training tapes and books.

The next most important thing you can do to advance your business is to establish a work space. It is very important that you have a space where you can leave your "Stuff " out, and that is away from the rest of the house. You can deduct the cost of office equipment you purchase to set up your office. However, don't spend money you don't have just to have a nice new desk or computer. Spend your money wisely, to build your business, not having a fancy chair! To be able to deduct the office space you have in your house you should be very careful how it is set up! Remember it is one of the audit flags.

Here are the tests you must meet to determine if you want to deduct the use of your home office space:

1. It must be the principal place of business for your business.

2. A place where you normally meet or deal with customers or clients in the course of your network marketing business (eg: where you make your calls from and meet your prospects/downline).

3. An unattached structure must be used in connection with your network marketing business.

All of the above circumstances should be under regular and exclusive use of your home space. For example, you cannot claim your living room as a business space just because you sometimes have meetings there and talk to prospects there. However, if it is your office and you only use it as your office, not a living room, then you can deduct this space.

This space deduction, along with business equipment and product storage could be a very important deduction for your business! Set your office up correctly and gain all the benefits and space deductions you're entitled to!

Sandy Moreland is a Senior Director in FreeLife and her business is centered on health and wellness. You can contact her by phone at 800-850-0537, by voicemail at 888-573-8503, via e-mail at kmorelnd@concentric.net, or visit her website at http://www.comodyssey.com/url-03/free_1.htm