In this blog post we will discuss a very easy training to help Max International Associates share the story and duplicate their success. The motto for Max International is Look, Feel, Live to the Max. This same motto can be used for training new Associates.

LOOK:  The first thing we want to carry out is to have people take a look at what we have to offer. This can be a conference call, website, DVD or whatever tool you use to start the process. Many people in Network Marketing use the Baseball Diamond as a training model. In our example, the look phase is like getting to first base.

FEEL: The feel phase is when the prospect has an opportunity to feel the benefits of our products. I always start with our flagship product MaxGXL. A 2 week sample pack does the trick in this phase. I only give a prospect a sample pack after they have viewed some information under the look phase of our process. I make sure that they understand the power of product and the importance of taking it on a regular basis. After giving a prospect a sample pack I always follow up in 2 or 3 days to make sure they started the product and our taking it the right way. One pack twice a day. I also tell them to be aware of how they feel. Are they sleeping better, is their energy level higher or our they able to focus more. Getting a prospect to feel the power of the product is like getting them to second base.

LIVE: Living life  to the MAX means the prospect has taken a look at our company, has felt the benefits of the product and is now ready to join the Max Family. Living to the Max is getting the prospect to 3rd base. You are probably asking, “What about home plate? “. My philosophy on prospecting is that I never get a prospect to home plate unless they have been able to duplicate this process a minimum of 3 times. To many times I see associates stop the process at 3rd base and there business never duplicates. Have a system that can be duplicated by your new prospects is vital to your long term residual income.

We have all heard the old adage KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. This applies to our training. There is no reason to complicate this matter. Success in Network Marketing is about keeping it simple and allowing the process to work with or without you. In my opinion the only reason people do not join your Network Marketing company is due to a lack of understanding of the Network Marketing industry. Let’s get back to the basics. I like to call it Network Marketing Boot Camp. The last key to success is you have to put the FUN back in FUNdamentals. People are dealing with enough stress in their life. This business can give an outlet and a source of fun and enjoyment for your prospect.

Let’s get out and tell the world about this incredible opportunity. True opportunity only presents itself once or twice in a lifetime. Opportunity is knocking right now. Are you ready to answer the door?

No one has to be convinced these days that we are in an economic winter; we are reminded every day.

The key is to turn challenges into opportunity and growth!

History teaches us that adversity, chaos and uncertainty are often the catalysts for opportunity. It is important to embrace these times as great opportunities. Now is the time to communicate a positive message about the benefits of starting a home business. In this video post we will discuss the components of a home business and why everyone should be looking to start their own home business.

“If we succumb to the illusion and the comfort of a paycheck, we then neglect to build up self-reliant skills and merely postpone the day of reckoning when we are forced to fend for ourselves.”

AIM FOR BUSINESS BUILDERS, GET CUSTOMERS WHEN YOU MISS!!

For many reasons this produces many more Business Builders and customers than “aiming for customers and getting Business Builders when you miss!” While this does not mean that you have to talk about the business to every potential customer, such as your 94-year-old grandmother, it does mean that you generally should NOT pre-judge who will or will not be interested in the business, and as a rule you should always as least mention the business on the first contact.

As stated above, everything you do to a prospect is what they think they’ll be doing to others. If you approach someone only about the product, the only conclusion they can reach is that “you are trying to sell me something.” Since most people do not want to “sell things,” they are immediately thinking “I do not want to do to others what you are doing to me.” Further, because of what is known as the “primacy effect” everything you do past this point is skewed by that first perception, which makes it much more difficult to ever sponsor them!

Here is a great explanation of the primacy effect from David J. Lieberman’s book “Get Anyone to Do Anything:”
“Regarding first impressions, there is something called the primacy effect: the process whereby our first impression of another person causes us to interpret his or her next behavior in a way consistent with the first impression. In English, this means our first impression of someone is so “crucial” because everything we see and hear afterwards gets filtered through our first opinion. In effect, you create an image of the person and you see his later behaviors through this image.

The importance of primacy is so important that even the order of information that we receive about somebody alters our impression of him. Take a look at these two lists of words:
A. Cold person, industrious, critical, practical, and determined
B. Warm person, industrious, critical, practical, and determined

In this study by Howard Kelley (1950), students who read the description of an upcoming guest lecturer on List A had a harsher perception of him than those who read from List B. As you can see, the words are identical except for the first one. Once we read the first word all the other qualities are filtered through our initial perception of this person: that he is either warm or cold.”

This same principle is brought closer to home in a network marketing context by this excerpt from Hubert Humphrey’s (top earner from A.L. Williams) industry classic “The Magic of Compound Recruiting:” “Approach every prospect about your marketing opportunity from the BEGINNING. There is a whole school of thought that says sell-sell-sell and only after you’ve clinched the sale do you talk to your customer about joining your business. There’s no doubt that this works for a lot of people. But I think you risk losing a potentially good person by using this method. I have some friends now who live in Macon and they will never get in this business because I sold them insurance back in the early days when all I did was sell. Their total perception of me to this day is “Hubert the Insurance Salesman.” It doesn’t matter to them how much money I make now, what kind of car I drive, and the fact that I own an airplane from the money I earned.
The OPPORTUNITY doesn’t interest them because the very first impression they had of my job was selling insurance. And if it involves “life insurance sales” you can bet people don’t want to be a part of it. Remember, by human nature, most people can’t see themselves in “sales.”

If I had gone in there and talked to them abut a business of my own, and how much I was earning in extra income, and then showed them what I did to make that extra income, they would have looked at it in a whole different light. The way to sell the marketing opportunity simultaneously with the product is to always tell your own story. Tell the prospect how you got involved. This will show them how you were turned on by the product. Don’t be so anxious to sell them product that
all you do is pick up their check. People blow it when all they talk about is the facts and figures of the product and nothing else. They sound just like salesman. It completely destroys the magic of the marketing opportunity.”

The application of the primacy effect to your Max business should be obvious at this point. Don’t be perceived as just a “supplement salesperson.” By doing so you dig yourself a hole that it is hard to come out of. Always remember that you should (1) not pre-judge who will or will not be interested in the business – - you are not omnipotent, and (2) as a rule “lead with the business” when approaching people or at the very least bring it up before finishing your first conversation with them about Max.

Principle Two: Become a Product of the your Product

Use your Products Personally
This seems like common sense but it can not be overlooked. If your products are as good as you say they are than you should be using them personally. This is only a problem when a company is driven by a compensation plan and products are secondary. Be very careful with this type of company. I always encourage people to try the products first before getting involved. See if you can get passionate about the product and develop your own personal testimonial. This is your first key step.

Understand Your Products Line
As you progress with you business it will be important to understand the facts about your product line. You should know such things as Who developed your product line?, How long has your company been in business?,Are there any comparable products in the marketplace?,and Why you personally bought the product. We have all heard the statement that facts tell and stories sell. This is very true. However, having a good understanding about the facts of your product line is very important.

Most companies offer great 3rd party tools such as CD’s,DVD’s, Brochures, etc to explain the facts about your product line. When possible, I highly encourage the use of 3rd party tools to tell the story. I always remember the statement that you need to be the messenger and not the message.

Developing your Story
When it comes to people wanting to try your products or get involved with your business it is going to come down to your personal story and the passion that you have when you deliver it. Honesty is a must when developing your story. Don’t try to become someone else. Let people know how the product has affected your life. I always try to under sell and let the product over deliver. Most Network Marketing companies offer great products and a great opportunity.

Early on as you develop your personal story you may need to use stories from others in the company. You can obtains these by being plugged in to your business and your company. There is no a more powerful tool than your personal story deliver with passion and conviction. Stories definitely will help you grow your empire.

Become Your Own Best Customer
Be sure to replace all products that you are presently using with the products your company offers. This is just good business. Remember that Network Marketing allows people to buy products at wholesale for their personal consumption. All we do is refer people to do the same. It is that simple.

Know your Goal
Your goal for your business is simple. Get all your team members to follow these simple steps. Purchase the products, use the products, study the products and share the stories. It really is that simple.

Principle One: Get Connected-Stay Connected
More and more people are flocking to the Network Marketing Industry in these tough times. My goal over the next several posts is to help people understand the Five Principles for success. We have all heard of the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle. It has never been more true. The most important step you will take in building your Network Marketing business is just getting started. However, understanding the simple building blocks for success is definitely a strong second.

Getting Plugged In!
We all have dreams of building a large Network Marketing organization and getting paid for a lifetime. To do this you must have a constant flow of information from your sponsor, your support team and your company. This is the fuel that keeps the machine running. Positive energy and thoughts are vital to your success. The world is full of negativity and it up to us to keep our energy source filled with positive energy. We have all heard the statement that we are the sum of the 5 people we hang out with the most. Are you hanging with the right the five people?

The System
The word system is a constant buzz word. Everyone is trying to sell you the best so-called system. More than likely your company and support team is already using a proven system for success. Look to the successful distributors in your company for a guide on the system that they use. I strongly discourage looking outside of your company. Stay focused on what is truly important and stay away from activities that distract you from your goal. Understanding how to move people from one piece of information to the next is the most important part of the system. Remember this important fact, there is no online system that will ever replace the personal touch. Online systems are only as good as the personal touch that closes the deal. Think about it, if all it took was a fancy website and an autoresponder, why would companies need us. The answer is companies need us to offer that personal connection. Success can not be achieved without it.

Support Team
Your support team plays a vital role in your early success. You need to let them you that you are serious about your success and are willing to be teachable and coachable. You should have a list of your support team that includes all their vital contact information. The person that sponsored you into the business may or may not be your main contact. Be sure to ask who the leaders are when you started.

Websites/Online Presence
In today’s business world pretty much every company offers a website. Don’t waste your time trying to create a better website. If you are trying to brand yourself you can register a domain name that will redirect to your company’s website. i.e. http://134243.max.com is my company address. I registered http://YourLifeonMax.com which redirects to the same place. If you are interested in developing a strong online presence I do recommend starting a blog. You can post updates and links to your company right from your blog. This site is an example of that. The cost is free to minimal and can help put you out there as an expert. Have fun with it.

Emails and Newsletters
Be sure to get connected to all of your companies email lists and newsletter lists. Many organizations use this a primary means of sharing information. Don’t assume that all of your team members are on it. Be sure to pass this vital information on. A break in the communication chain can cost your business. Communication is key.

Conference Calls
Carry a list of conference calls that are conducted on a weekly basis. Set a goal of having one person on every call with you. You don’t need to be the expert. Let the calls do the hard work. Pretty much all companies offer overview calls and training calls to help all the distributors. Make sure all your team members are connected to this source of information and training.

Local Business Overviews
Network marketing is a person to person business. Trying to build your team without ever meeting with them will not work long-term. You must support your local business overview and become a vital part of it. You must make this a priority just like going to work. In order to get paid at work you have to show up. The same is true of your Network Marketing business. You have to show up to get paid.

Regional and National Events
Success is about developing a community of like-minded people. Attending regional and national events as a team can help develop this team approach to success. Events like this are attended by all the top leaders and are a chance to mingle with and learn from the successful distributors. The energy that will be present and the true impact that it will have on your business can not be recreated on the local level. These events will shape your business and develop a connection that will get you through the tough times.

Getting connected and staying connected is a must. There are no shortcuts to success. You must be willing to put in the effort to achieve the results. Network Marketing is hard work but the end results can be life changing.

Remember this very important fact. If we succumb to the illusion and the comfort of a paycheck, we then neglect to build up self-reliant skills and merely postpone the day of reckoning when we are forced to fend for ourselves. It is never too late to start. Let today be the first day of the rest of your life!!

Let us know how important staying connected has been for your business. We look forward to your posts.

This is the $$Million$$ dollar question

How many times have you received this question? It is a good question but there are several factors involved in the outcome.

A persons’ financial outcome depends such things as:

• How hard they work
• How effectively they work
• How many hours they work
• Who they know
• If they have a center of influence
• Do they have an outgoing personality
• Their experience and background
• many more…..

Now in my specific company the average associate earns $200. You might be asking, why would I make that statement. It is simple. We have to be truthful with people. We have to let them know that some people get involved and make nothing and some people get involved and make a full-time career out of it. Let’s take a moment and look at the different groups of people involved in the Network Marketing industry and what it means to their income.

Group 1
This group will join a Network Marketing company to simply save money on their personal purchases. The ability to buy at wholesale versus retail makes sense. Continuing to pay retail will not make your rich. For this simple reason alone, everyone should be involved in Network Marketing. Why aren’t they? They don’t know about it and it has never been explained in a simplified way. People are always leading with the compensation plan and scaring people from this simple fact.

Group 2
Most people whether they admit it or not are looking for a little more out of life. The problem is by the time you factor in the hours you sleep, commute, work and complete your daily tasks, most people only have an hour or so to do what they would like to do. Than the problem is most people do not have the money to do what they want. This is the classic group 2 person.

Group 2 people will get started on a part-time basis with their Network Marketing business. So on a realistic basis, how much can you make part-time? You may be looking for $500, $1500 or even $5000 a month. Your success depends on how much time you are willing to invest and your skill level at the time. When you talk time, a lot of people will make the statement that they don’t have time to do something like this. That is simply not true. We all have the same 24 hours in our day. The key is how we allocate our time.

Take a moment and jot down your time schedule. You will be amazed by simply making a few little changes, you will have more than enough time to start your part-time business. Time is one-half of your success formula for your new business. The more time you put into your business, the more money you will make. You are probably wondering what is the second half of the equation.

The other half of your formula is your skill level. Before you decide not to get started because you don’t think you have the skill, relax. The skills for success can be learned.
Remember this very important fact. If we succumb to the illusion and the comfort of a paycheck, we then neglect to build up self-reliant skills and merely postpone the day of reckoning when we are forced to fend for ourselves.

When you join a Network Marketing business you will have several mentors who will help you develop the skill set necessary to succeed. You need to have a burning desire and be teachable. Many times you have to purge your mind of all the bad habits you may have or have been taught at your job. Check your ego at the door and listen to successful people in your company who are leading by example.

A quick little fact that I learned a long time ago is, that the most important check a person receives is the first one. It doesn’t matter if it is for $10 or $500. It is the first check and let’s the person know this is a real business. Focus on getting your new person a check as soon as possible.

Group 3
You can turn your Network Marketing business into a full-time career. This will take time and a serious commitment on your part. Some people are striving for this and some people will stay at a part-time basis because they love their career and what they do. However, many people jump at the chance to leverage their Network Marketing incomes even higher by going full-time. At this point you have choices. True success is about being able to spend time with your family, giving more to your church, enjoying a few hobbies and basically having time for what ever you wish. Many people define success as: Being able to do what you want, when you want without worrying about paying for it.

So how much can you make in Network Marketing?

It’s entirely up to you!

Let us know what success means to you. Post a comment about your experience or what your business has done for you and your family. I look forward to reading your posts.

WordPress Plugins
Important plugins to help explode your blog.

Well you have finally decided to start your own blog. No what? That is the question I get all the time. Should I host my blog or should I save money and just do the free version? Which plugins should I use to help my blog? How will a blog help my business?Today’s post will focus on the plugins that I use and recommend. Let’s briefly answer a few of the other questions first. You should host your blog and not try to save money with the free version. This is a prime example of saving a nickel and losing a dime. A blog also will help your business by allowing your visitors to interact with you and your followers.

Now let’s take a look at some plugins to help your blog.

1. All in one SEO pack:I highly recommend this plugin to help optimize your WordPress blog. This simple plugin will save hours of headaches and help make sure that your blog is being found. This is a must have.

2. Ultimate Google Analytics:Plugin to add Google Analytics JavaScript to each page on your weblog without making any changes to your template. The plugin can also add tracking to outbound links, downloads from your own site and mail to: links.

3. WP Super Cache: Help your blog run faster.

4. TweetMe: A great way to link to your Twitter account. Displays a mini tweetme button on the top of your post encouraging users to tweet your article if they like it. Nothing wrong with letting your post go viral on WordPress right?

5. DoFollow:By default WordPress adds an evil no follow attribute to commentators links, this blocks search engines from indexing the commentators link and that means no link love. WordPress is reducing your chances of getting more comments to my blog. Well if you want to say bye-bye to the no follow link, the Dofollow comments plug-in replaces the no follow attribute with a do follow attribute. This way, your commentators will be more happy commenting on your blog.

6. After the Deadline:After the Deadline plug-in which checks all my grammatical errors. This one is better than the default WordPress spellcheck. If you are like me this plugin is priceless.

7. Commentluv:Commentluv is a plug-in that if you don’t have, get it now! Commentluv is a plug-in that allows commentators to show their most recent blog post.

8. Better Tag Cloud:This plugin makes the options for wp_tag_cloud() available to a tag cloud widget and a shortcode. This means that you can easily choose things like font sizes, HTML markup and ordering. See the wp_tag_cloud page for what the settings can do.

9. Google XML sites:The quicker it is for robots to index your site, the faster your site will get indexed and the better rankings you can get. Google XML sitemaps automatically generates a site map for your blog and you can easily send your site map link to your Google webmasters account for quick and easy indexing.

10. Login Lockdown:To prevent someone from hacking into your account or any of your other users, Login lockdown is a great plug-in to have. Your allowed to set it so after a user has X failed number of log-in attempts their IP is blocked from logging into to your blog for however long you set it to.

11. Google PageRank Tool:This plugin adds a Google PageRank (PR) column to your Manage Pages and Manage Posts administration panels. This will give you the individual PageRank of each page / post on your site. Also includes site-wide PageRank in the top right hand corner of your WordPress Dashboard.

12. SocialGrid:SocialGrid is a simple widget that makes it easy to add and organize links to your various profiles on the internet. It began as a simple addition to my Tasty Theme, and has evolved into a next generation WordPress plugin available for anyone to blend into their site.

13. Contact Form 7:Just another contact form plugin. Simple but flexible.
Contact Form 7 can manage multiple contact forms, plus you can customize the form and the mail contents flexibly with simple markup. The form supports Ajax-powered submitting, CAPTCHA, Akismet spam filtering and so on.

Installation of the above listed plugins is very simple. Once you are logged in to your WP dashboard simply go to Add New under the Plugins area and type in the name of the plugin. It will walk you right through the process. So simple even a caveman can do it.

Get your blog up and running today and join the world of online success. Have an awesome day.

Let us know of any plugins that are working for you and your blog.

The Dash Story
What will your DASH say about your life?

First of all if you have never read the Dash Poem by Linda Ellis Click here to read it. The other day one of our Team Members passed away and it reminded me of how fragile life really is. None of us know when we will be called or how many days we have left on this earth. God gives us a birth date and date of death, the only thing that we have control over is the DASH in the middle.

The Impact of your Dash

Ask yourself this simple question: If you passed away today what would people say about you? What impact are you having on your family, your friends and people that may only meet you once? Are you living your life with meaning and passion? Are you having a positive impact on the people you come in contact with?

Many people go through their whole life without ever thinking about the impact they are having on others. We should treat everyone the way that we would like to be treated. This should not be driven by the mood that we are in or the situation that we are involved with. Now I understand that we are not perfect and there will be times when we may slip and say something we regret or do something that we regret. The DASH is a summary of our entire life not a snap shot of one specific moment.

How does this impact your Business

You are probably asking how this impacts your business and where am I going with this. Well it is really quite simple. We need to treat people in our business with honesty and with a sincere interest in their success. So many people that I speck with continue to chase the almighty dollar with no thought of how their actions are impacting their DASH. I am very proud to say that I have some great friends who are no longer in business with me. We developed a friendship that goes beyond business. They understood that I was more interested in their being part of my life than my business. What approach are you taking with your business?

The best part of the DASH is that we can add to the story beginning today. We can change our outlook and our mindset. We can become a beckon a light for that person who needs help. We can have an impact on the youth of our world. We can teach them about honesty, work ethic and how to be a positive force. Let’s all set a goal to make 2010 that year when we all begin to make a difference. When you wake up in the morning let your family know that you love them. Reach out to someone you haven’t spoke with in awhile and let them know that you haven’t forgot about them. We all need to pay it forward as they say. Try to make a difference each and every day and see how your life is impacted. Instead of asking start giving. Instead of being negative be positive. It is never too late to start.

God Bless everyone for being part of my life.
I hope I am making a difference in some way for you and your family.