Welcome to the 152nd edition of the MLM Woman Newsletter with some more fresh articles to help your business survive and thrive in 2009.

If you like this month's issue, please be sure to let your friends know about it too and invite them to come and visit us. Also, if you have comments, questions or something to share after reading this month's articles, please visit our MLMTalk Discussion Forum and join in the lively conversation!

And if you'd like to submit an article for the next MLMWoman Newsletter, take a look at our Writer's Guidelines.

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Yours in Success!
Linda Locke, Editor MLMWoman

Smart Women Have
“Personal” Power

By Joy Chudacoff

Do you have “personal” power? I’m not referring to the power that comes from material wealth or the ability to control people and situations. I’m referring to the kind of power that comes from within - the power that is authentic only to you. Women with “personal” power are secure in their own self-confidence and self-esteem. They are at peace with who they are at their core and they encourage others to be more of who they are. Women with “personal” power encourage others to show up in the world exactly as they are.

You’ve probably met this woman before. You feel better about yourself, your life, and the world - even if you only spend a few minutes with her.

Women who have “personal” power are living lives that are on purpose and with passion. Why is it important for you to have “personal” power”? Because you are your most powerful self when you are navigating a life that is on course with clear direction. If you are reading this and thinking, “I’d really like to have my own brand of authentic “personal” power.” Guess what? You can.

“Personal” power is closer than you think. It’s within your reach. “Personal” power comes from within. You can’t buy it or borrow it from someone else. It’s a power that’s personal only to you. It’s your Authentic self - your Authentic voice. She’s with you all of the time. The women in the world with “personal” power have taken a few simple steps to access their power and bring it to the world. How do I know this? Because I’ve taken the time to do my internal work to help me access my “personal” power. I didn’t always feel as courageous and bold as I do today, however, through this process I was able to access it and bring it into my life and other people’s lives.

Are you ready to access you own brand of authentic “personal” power? Here are some easy solutions to help get you there:

1. Make a decision to choose what you don’t want – sometimes it’s easier to first decide what you don’t want in your life. When women honestly answer, “I don’t really know what I want yet.” I say “Bravo!” When a woman can be honest that she has no idea what she wants, she’s almost half way there! We’re so afraid to “not know” something that we stay stuck or trapped where we are. Start by making a list of what you don’t want in your life and begin to eliminate those things first. For example, when I made a decision that I wanted more “nutritious” people in my life - people who were a positive light, those people began to show up.

2. Explore working with a coach or a mentor – find someone who is skilled at helping you explore what might be next. Once you begin eliminating what you don’t want in your life, you’ll have the new open space to allow for more of what you do want. This has been an invaluable part of my journey. I refer to my coach as my “thinking partner.” Someone who can ask me the hard questions and help me reframe my thinking so that I can feel my own “personal” power.

3. Plan your Renewed life course – once you know what you want, make a commitment to have more of those experiences in your life every day. In my Women’s Success Circles, women create their ideal day filled with more of the things that allow them to have their own brand of “personal” power.

4. Believe in yourself – Develop a belief that what you want is what you deserve and should have.

5. Express Gratitude – when you wake up in the morning and go to bed each night, make a positive gratitude statement about 3 things you are grateful for. If you begin your day being grateful and end your day being grateful, you will begin to feel more powerful.

If you are a woman with “personal” power, you are creating a “spark” every day in your life and other’s lives as well. When your life is on course, it’s much easier to navigate in times of troubled waters. There will always be challenge and change in the world, however a woman with “personal” power may fall but she will not fail. She can access her “personal” power at any time to support her no matter what the situation. “Personal” power will help her get back up again and keep navigating her purposeful, passionate journey.

What you are waiting for? You’ve got the power…

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

© 2009 Joy Chudacoff

About the Author
Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark

Growing a Team of Distributors
By Lisa Willard

I just finished listening to one of our team coaching calls and as always, it got me to thinking and my wheels turning. As a home business owner and coach, my passion is growing a team of distributors. When a new member joins my team, it's really important to get them started on the right track. Here's a few highlights to start your new team members the "right" way.

1. Maximize the excitement. When someone first starts a new business, the excitement is huge and as their partner and coach help them plan the next few weeks to keep that excitement going. What's the best way to do that? Help them make some cash fast! My business has a retail end that allows you to make money day one. And when someone can make some extra money immediately, that is huge.

2. Keep in touch. You want to keep in touch with all of your team members. But you will want to have a plan for contacting your new people one on one at least for the first month. Get to know them. Know their goals. Know their dreams. Have fun!

3. Set up their monthly calendar. Help your new team member plan their first 30 days. Having a plan is one thing, but you must have action steps to go along with it. Whether it's planning home parties, or an open house, or simply sending out a "I have a new business" letter to friends and family, help your new partner plan those action steps.

4. Keep their goals in front. It's so important to have goals in this business. Write them down. Have your new team member share them. Once you have goals, plan your action steps accordingly.

5. Encourage Personal Development. This is so important. Personal development is a huge part to a successful home business. I have a great reading list for all of my new team members. It's so easy to let fear stop you in your business. The fear of rejection, the fear of failure, or even the fear of success. It's important to prepare your mind and to develop yourself into the leader you want to become.

6. Enjoy the journey of your growing team. This simply goes back to having fun! Some of my best friends have become the people I have met through my home business. And most of them live many miles away. It's important to laugh, smile and have fun with what you are doing!

Believe Success!

Lisa Willard

About the Author
Lisa Willard is a wife, mom and Network Marketing coach. She is proof you can begin your home business part time around a Corporate job, small children and a very busy life. The keys are focus, consistency, and a burning desire.

Her passion is utilizing the Internet and empowering others to strive for their goals and dreams. Get to know Lisa better and sign up for her free report at http://www.network-marketing-success-tools.com

5 Postcard Marketing Mistakes
You Can Easily Avoid
Copyright 2009 Bob Leduc
http://BobLeduc.com

Postcards have proven themselves to be highly effective for marketing in the 21st century. But marketers often sabotage their own success with postcards by making some common mistakes in using them.

Here are 5 postcard marketing mistakes many marketers make ...and some easy ways to avoid them.

1: Not Defining a Specific Goal for Your Postcards

You can't get the best results from marketing postcards if you don't have a clear understanding of what you want them to do for you.

Do you want to attract new customers to your website? Do you want to generate phone inquiries you can use as sales leads? Maybe you want to get more foot traffic into your store ...or something else.

Always define a specific goal for your postcards before you do anything else. You'll save a lot of time, avoid unnecessary mistakes - and maximize your results.

2: Using a Cheap Mailing List Instead of the Best List

Postcards produce the biggest profit when you send them to prospects likely to be interested in what you are offering. They produce even better results if those prospects also have a proven history of acting on things they are interested in.

Don't settle for a mailing list just because it's easily available or cheap. The most effective mailing lists generally involve a little bit of research to uncover - and they're usually not the cheapest. But the extra time and cost involved will reward you with a much bigger response.

3: Attempting to Close Sales Instead of Generate Leads

Many marketers try to close sales with postcards. But it's a lot easier to generate website traffic or sales leads than it is to close sales.

Design your postcards to generate website traffic and sales leads instead of trying to close sales.

For example, send the readers to your website or wherever you normally deliver your sales presentation ...a presentation you've already refined to produce the most sales.

4: Trying to Say Too Much on the Postcard

Postcards get delivered open and ready to read. That's one of their major advantages. It guarantees that nearly every recipient will see your message. But many marketers forfeit this advantage by cluttering their postcards with too much information.

You'll get the best results when readers can glance at your postcards for just a few seconds and completely understand what it says. For example, some of the most profitable postcards include no more than:

* A short one line headline to get the reader's attention
* A bulleted list (like this one) of 3 or 4 major benefits
* A brief motivating offer
* A website address or phone number to respond to the offer

5: Not Including a Motivating Offer

Just because you targeted the right prospects with your postcards, don't assume they will automatically take action to seek you out - at least not immediately. Many will intend to do so later but then get caught up in other things and forget all about you.

You can overcome this natural procrastination by including on the postcard exactly what you want the reader to do ...and why they should do it now instead of later.

For example, don't just list your phone number or website on the postcard. Specifically tell the reader to call you or visit your website - and offer them a special incentive for doing it right now.

Marketing with postcards is a simple process. But you can still make mistakes in using them that will sabotage your results. By knowing the 5 mistakes revealed in this article ...you can easily avoid making those same mistakes yourself.

About the Author
Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

The Natural Process of
Network Marketing
excerpt from Sarah Wood's E-Training from
www.GreenThumbMLM.com

There is a natural process to everything in life. For instance; the flowers know when to bloom, caterpillars know when to spin their cocoon, the bumblebees do their duty day in and day out. If you plant a little, bitty, tiny poppy seed - and give it the right environment - it knows what to do! Amazing when you really think about it!

Does your network marketing business have a natural process too? I believe 100% that it does. Sales, in particular, does have a natural system because you are building professional relationships that require a series of "natural happenings". Let me give you an example that relates to this "natural human relationship process":

You are asked out on a date by a man who has caught your eye at the coffee shop. It goes something like this... After exchanging a few glances, he gives you a small smile and a nod. As he gets up from his table and crosses the room, he deliberately squeezes through the cramped tables to walk past you. Just before he passes, you look up and say hi. He stops, you two chat, you giggle and smile. He asks if you would like to meet there for coffee the next morning. You say, "Sure, that sounds nice."

OK, let's stop there for just a second. So far, the human relationship process has been clear cut. He planted a small seed through subtle body language and small talk that he is interested in you. And you are interested enough to meet him the next day. Actually you are a bit excited and call a few of your friends on the way home. You could say the excitement is the right environment for that little seed.

Now, let me show how the process can be disrupted and literally incinerate that little seed within seconds. The next morning you meet for coffee, exchange pleasantries and sit down at a quiet table in the back of the room. You simply ask, "What did you do last night?" He smiles and says, "Well I booked the wedding chapel, called the minister, mailed out all the invitations, baked a cake with white icing and decided on our first dance song...oh yeah, I also decided that if our first born is a girl, Mary would be a good name and of course we will name our son after me."

After your laughter dies down, you realize that he is serious. You are now looking for the quickest escape route and planning to file a restraining order on your way home instead of calling any friends. The coffee shop guy skipped MANY steps of the PROCESS. Because he skipped these important steps your seed will never be more than a hard shell that must stay at least 50 yards away from you at all times.

The natural process of building relationships is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you can learn in the network marketing business. Just because your product is good, your company reputable & your compensation plan solid, it won't mean a thing if you can't follow the natural process of building clients and a sales team. You will fail 100% of the time. Just like planting a seed and skipping the watering step of the process - it will fail to grow 100% of the time.

Learn to love to and nurture your business relationships. Have patience, persistence & passion for your sales process. If you do, your business will grow and bloom!

About the Author
Sarah Wood, a MLM industry leader, is the founder/creator of GreenThumbMLM.com. Visit the site for practical advice, tips, resources, newsletters, tele-seminars & expert interviews that will give your business a boost off-line and on-line!

Copyright 2009, Regent Press