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From the Desk of the Editor
The Top 10 Reasons Why Working Reason 10: You’ll spend 90,000 hours of your life working for someone else so you’ll get a gold watch and a really cool part-time job at Wal*Mart as a greeter. Reason 9: Working about 40 hours a week, you’ll spend 2,000 hours a year working for your employer. In exchange you’ll get 80 hours of vacation time absolutely FREE! Reason 8: It’s been a rough day. You’re home relaxing, watching America’s Most Wanted on TV and, to your horror, you realize the baby sitter you leave your precious children with every day is on the FBI Top Ten Most Wanted List! Reason 7: You get up when you don’t want to. Drive someplace you don’t want to go and make a living working with people you really don’t like. Reason 6: Would you be wearing something different if they didn’t tell you how to dress? Reason 5: Your company may think it's really cool to let you go. Newsweek Magazine says firing people has gotten to be trendy in corporate America. Reason 4: Asking for time off is too much like asking your parents for permission. Reason 3: Good News. You’ve survived the downsizing. The bad news is that you have to go home and tell the family you’re being transferred to Bangladesh. Reason 2: Elephants work for peanuts — why should you? Shouldn’t you be paid what you’re really worth? Reason 1: Yes, the Number 1 reason why working for someone else is just plain dumb is that this is America and you don’t have to! Yes, American is still the land of great opportunity but it’s just not in the same place you’re used to looking. You know, people who work half as hard as you do are earning great part-time incomes, taking dream vacations and even making fistfuls of money. What’s your excuse for not building your own successful MLM business? What have you got to lose except a BOSS? Financial Stress Reduction Building an MLM business is challenging in many ways, and very often the financial stress causes people to quit their business prematurely. I was recently pleasantly surprised by the postive message that the keynote speaker at my local women's networking group shared with us about her money philosophy and thought all my readers would benefit from the advice. Chellie Campbell, a former actress and owner of a successful bookkeeping service company, now teaches people how to be more creative at making and keeping money. Here's her guidelines for increasing income and reducing financial stress: Start off by asking yourself, "What is my attitude and belief system regarding money?" Then you must define it and get ready to replace any negatives you may have about money. Then follow these three steps that will work for you if you do them consistently: 1. Start thinking more positively about money. Do daily prosperity affirmations, regardless of how silly you think you sound. Some of her recommended affirmations are: "I am rich and wonderful", "People love to give me money","I love what I do and that love brings me all the money I want", and (for skeptics) "My affirmations work for me whether I believe them or not." Chellie suggests that you do your affirmations for 21 days and see what a difference it makes in your life. 2. Send out ships. These ships may be phone calls, information packs, ads, or presentations. Send your ships out consistently to make the best use of your time. This way, while some of your ships are out making the rounds, you're getting ready to launch more, so if the earlier ones are not profitable, the next ones are already on their way to prospective clients. 3. Show me the money - in other words budget. She recommends that it is necessary to have three budgets: a low budget for lean times, a medium budget when you are neither too comfortable nor running scared and a high budget when you are meeting your goals. Finally, she says that you need to learn to be happy regardless of what budget level you are on, since your fortunes will fluctuate throughout your life and you will find yourself operating at one of the budget levels at one time or another. Chellie Campbell is the creator of the Financial Stress Reduction workshop and lives in Los Angeles. For more information about her workshop contact her at 310-476-1622. Linda Locke, Editor MLM Woman
Want a Livelihood — and a Life — You Can Love? How To Turn Your Dream into Reality in Five Minutes a Day and Other Tips for Time-Stressed Dreamers By Dr. Valerie Young You've already made up your mind that there has to be more to life than careers, cubicles, and commuting. but the prospect of making a major life change when you're already feeling caught between a "clock and a hard place," feels overwhelming. On the off-chance you don't win the lottery, your great aunt doesn't leave you a fortune, or the Publishers Clearing House prize van doesn't surprise you as you're getting out of the shower, there's only one thing that's going to help you realize your dream of more rewarding work — YOU. Here are five steps even the busiest person seeking a major work and life change can take to get the process rolling: 1. Turn griping time into planning time. How much time do you spend complaining about your high-stress job? Instead of dwelling on what's wrong with the current picture, use your limited time to mentally map out a new one. Visualization is most effective with your eyes closed. But, if you're really crunched for time, existing day-dream moments — while showering, commuting, waiting at the photocopier, and so on — will suffice. Devoting five minutes a day to imagining your ideal work/life and making a plan to get there will move you far closer to your goal than fifty minutes spent complaining about unrealistic deadlines or a difficult coworker. And, you'll also tap into a great source of energy you can draw on when you are ready to act. 2. Keep your goal front and center. First, set a target date for when you want your "new life" to begin. Then write it on the calendar. Besides being a great source of motivation, knowing how much time you have until "D-Day" lets you create a realistic plan for hitting it. Next, find creative ways to keep your dream literally, in your face. A computer analyst who wants to someday open a catering business reinforced her goal by programming her computer's screen saver to read "cater to your dreams and they will come true." She also chose as her e-mail password "Nov99," her projected departure date. As you come across images or quotes that reflect your dream, place them around your work space, in your daily planner, on the refrigerator — any place you're sure to regularly "see" your destination. 3. Buy with an eye to the future. If your dream is to escape the professional scene altogether, you probably won't need all those business suits overrunning your closet. Resolve now to make do with the work wardrobe you already have. When you do take the leap, you can donate your business attire to organizations which assist people just entering the job market. Spend the money you've saved instead on things you'll need for your new career or venture — classes, buying or upgrading a home office computer, equipment, inventory, and so on. 4. Avoid the nay-seers. Other people's skepticism, like the flu, tends to be contagious. And, unless you've built up your immune system, these dream killers can knock you for a loop. A few years ago I shared with a coworker my own dream of a lifestyle where I could spend the spring and fall in the beautiful hills of Western Massachusetts, summers by the ocean on Cape Cod, and winters on a tropical island. "Yeah, right," she quipped, "how old will you be when that happens?" I, 40 at the time, estimated with some confidence that I'd be 43 or 44. My coworker laughed nervously, not quite sure whether to believe me or feel sorry for me. I knew she'd settled on pity when she patted me on theback and said, "dream on." I never spoke to her of my dream again. A year and half later, I left my full-time job. The very next day I left for a month long stay on the Cape where I relaxed and worked on my new and — portable venture — a newsletter. I haven't entirely reached my four season goal, but then again, I'm only 42!. 5. Do what you can — but DO SOMETHING. As one Chinese proverb reminds us, moving a mountain begins by lifting one stone. To keep from being overwhelmed — yet still make headway — break your larger goal down into more manageable steps. Then, no matter how hectic your day, pledge to take at least action. Even if all you can handle on a given day is to jot down one new idea, read a single page, or make one phone call — you've still made progress, but that's not all. You're also generating the enthusiasm and momentum to take another step and another. And, before you know it, what was once the stuff of dreams, you will have made your reality. © 1998 Dr. Valerie Young, The Changing Course Newsletter Former Fortune 500 company manager Valerie Young left the fast track for the control and flexibility of self-employment. She is the publisher and editor of Changing Course www.changingcourse.com, a bimonthly newsletter for people who want to live life on purpose, work at what they love, and follow their own road. Changing Course offers readers common sense strategies for dealing with self-doubt, procrastination, "money angst" and other barriers standing between you and your dream, creative alternatives to the 9-to-5 world helpful resources, and inspirational expressions of hope, determination -- and heart.
How to Use Audio Brochures to By Robert Imbriale, Professional Business Coach How would you like to have a sales presentation that is much more powerful than any sales letter, display ad, or even any radio ad, at just a few cents cost per prospect? Silly question, right? Who wouldn't! Imagine being able to have your prospect hear your entire sales presentation and maybe even hear from some of your most satisfied customers too. And imagine that all this would fit neatly inside of a plain old envelope. Do you think you'd have a powerful marketing tool in your hands? You bet you would! And, not only is it powerful, the best part is that is very affordable too! In some cases, maybe even more affordable than most 4 color brochures - but many times more powerful! Recently, I met with a lady who owns and operates a company that specializes in audio tape duplication. We spent a great deal of time on the phone speaking about how people were using audio tapes to rapidly build their businesses. I was intrigued. In fact, that conversation set me off on a quest to uncover the whole story of using audio tapes to build a business. What I found amazed even myself! Here's what I uncovered: I know that you have received many audio tapes in the mail. I know this because I too have received hundreds of these tapes over the past few years. We all remember the tape titled, "Dead Doctors Don't Lie," right? I must have seen no less than 100 of these in my mailbox in just a few short months! The reason for getting so many of these tapes was because this form of promotion worked! The audio production was well-done and the media, a plain old audio tape, presented the message simply and powerfully each and every time. People do listen to audio tapes. They will pop them in their tape deck as they drive, or they will listen to them in the shower, on the beach, or even while they workout! The point is that they listen - often more than once! And when you have their attention, that's half the sales process right there! How hard is it to produce an audio tape? If you can speak on the phone, you too can produce an audio tape program! All an audio tape program has to do is deliver your sales presentation to your prospect as if you were right there doing it yourself! Here are some things that will make your audio program a smash hit. First, I like to begin my programs with testimonials from satisfied customers. These are easy to get. All you have to do is call your customers, get their permission to record them and let them know that you will be using what they say in your new audio tape. They will be more than happy to be part of your production - it makes them feel special. Ask them to explain how they feel about your service, your products, and about your company. You'll be amazed at all the wonderful things people will say when they know that they are being recorded! Next, get into a recording studio and deliver the absolute best sales presentation you have ever given! Get excited. Fill your body with energy and when that red light comes on, let it all out. Your excitement will come across on the tape, so make sure you are in the best possible state you can be in before you do the recording. If you do it right, editing your production should not be too expensive and instead of having breaks in your program, why not fill in those breaks with even more testimonials? What better way to prove to your listeners that what you have to offer is of true value to them. Towards the end of your program, present a special offer that is only being made to those who have listened to your audio tape. In other words, give your prospect the feeling that they are getting something other people are not getting because they took the time to listen to your tape. Use a powerful call to action. Get your prospect excited and let them know that they must act now to take advantage of your special offer. The last thing you want is to get them all excited about you and your company and not have them act immediately! If they wait, even one day, the desire is gone. I like to say something like; "you must act within the next ten days to take advantage of this special offer." Close out your audio program thanking them for listening and repeat your special offer and give them the reason that they need to act now. Then, add in a few final testimonials and you're done! For that professional effect, you may choose to have some music put on the tape at the beginning, at the end, and perhaps during the testimonials. The music you use must be music that is royalty-free. Never use copyrighted music on your promotional tapes or you will end up in court for copyright infringement! Find a duplication house and get copies made of your production. You should be able to do this entire process for about $500. Next, run some ads offering your audio tape for free. The reason that you run ads instead of just mailing your tapes is that you want to qualify your prospects before you send them a tape. When they respond to your ads, you at least know that they have some interest in what you are offering. Here's what you might try: FREE TAPE! Learn the secrets to losing weight fast without harmful drugs, quacky diets, or grueling exercise! Call 1-800-999-9999 for your free tape now! An ad like this will help you qualify your prospects to those that at least have a desire to lose weight. It's much more cost-effective to do it this way than it is to just mail to a cold list of names you might buy from a list company. It's also a great idea to follow up a week after you mailed the tape to see if they had any questions. Take note of the questions you get. If there are some questions that keep coming up, you can be sure to answer them in the next edition of your tape! This is a very powerful form of marketing that is cost-effective and gets you sales, so why not consider taking advantage of this powerful way to market? Robert Imbriale is a nationally recognized Business Coach, Speaker, Copywriter, and Author of "Internet Marketing Secrets." His marketing techniques have been successfully used by thousands of companies through his books, tapes, and seminars, as well as through private coachings. If you would like a Free Business Check-Up, seminar schedule, or would like to order a copy his book, contact Mr. Imbriale's office toll-free at 1-888-226-8109 or via e-mail at probizcoach@juno.com
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