Home Page
MLM Woman Newsletters
MLM Talk Bulletin Board
Business Building Books and Tapes
Check out Our MLM Distributor Listings
Business Web Links
Free Catalog
Send A Free Digital Postcard
Can't think of a reason to send a postcard? I can think of 60. Click here.
Advertise on MLM Woman
Get Free Instant Info Here!
Question of the Month!
The Resource Page
MLM Success Library
Get Your Free Monthly Motivational Poster Here!
Submit Your Website to Top Search Engines
About Us
Feedback
MLM Woman Online
This free monthly newsletter is made possible by our advertisers and customers. We thank them for their support!
From the Desk of the Editor
Welcome to another issue of MLM Woman Newsletter. This month we feature some thought provoking articles on the network marketing industry, selecting a business that's right for you, a commentary on work at home dads, and how to make changes in your life and business.
Enjoy!
Linda Locke, Editor MLM Woman
The Challenge By Jackie Ulmer
I am concerned. No, I'm actually worried. No, better yet, I'm down right alarmed. And you should be, too, if you think about the situation at hand!
Let's start with the bright side, the future that lies before us in Network Marketing. The stage is set, the seats are filling, the lighting is flawless, and the characters all know their lines! Or do they?
Network Marketing, that once scandalous industry that brought shame and ridicule on many otherwise fine, upstanding citizens, has finally come of age. Just about every main stream business publication including The Wall Street Journal, Success Magazine, Fortune, Forbes, Inc, USA Today, Smart Money and more have written about our industry. And, the articles are glowing!
We've made the breakthrough. We've become legitimate. We have books on the New York Times Bestseller list. Donald Trump is telling talk show hosts that if he started over, he would make his fortune through Network Marketing and former presidents are speaking at our conventions.
Yes, the future certainly does look bright enough to send me in search of sunglasses. So, "what is the problem?" you ask. Why am I in a state of alarm? Three emerging trends threaten the core of our industry.
First, every day, a small, but very visible group of overzealous, under-educated and less than truthful representatives of our industry tarnish our name and hard fought integrity by telling others how they "went from welfare to millionaire overnight!" Or, how about this one, "I get paid for doing nothing." And, the granddaddy of them all, "Just sign up! You don't have to do anything, we'll build it for you!"
It's downright disgusting. And, if that weren't bad enough, we also have some representatives out there blasting every company that isn't their own. Some are actually using this as a platform for building their business. It's the old "my dad is stronger than your dad" syndrome. Only this isn't happening on the school playground. It's happening in coffee shops, in large hotel presentations and on the Internet.
And lastly, some of us have developed a self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude directed at those who decline our opportunity. I have read posts on message boards and heard recounts on company voice mail about would-be sponsors who piously tell the prospect who says no thank you, "well, I'll need someone to wash my car and mow my grass someday."
I actually read a message thread posted on the Internet over the course of two weeks between two feuding reps from the same company, name calling and slamming each other. It was a shameful display of the dark side of the MLM industry, and it was out there for everyone to read on the Internet.
Oh, the Internet. The things I have seen on the Internet. Everything else actually pales in comparison. The excessive littering and spamming of Newsgroups message boards and email lists has left our industry bruised and battered. Some boards and newsgroups have actually shut down because they are nothing more than a SPAM feeding frenzy for wayward Network Marketers.
Now, don't misinterpret my words. I love the Internet and I love "shopping" my opportunity on the Internet -- the right way. This means only posting to boards and groups that are designed for advertising business opportunities. I don't believe in broadcasting to the masses through unsolicited emails, either.
These practices, harmless though they may seem at the time, threaten the integrity and viability of our industry. They undermine all of the blood, sweat and tears that many veterans have shed fighting to legitimize and mainstream our industry.
So, I have a challenge for all of you either in Network Marketing, regardless of length of time, and for all of you considering joining our wonderful industry. And my challenge is this:
Look before you leap; think before you speak; evaluate every action that you take publicly that represents Network Marketing.
What do I mean by this?
Each time you represent your opportunity to someone, either in person, via the phone, on the Internet or whatever, think about the actions you are taking.
Are you being honest and up front with people about the reality of the time and energy commitment involved in building a successful business? Do you make them aware that our business is one of consistency and persistence, or are you painting a picture of a get-rich-quick scheme?
Are you acting with courtesy and integrity toward the individual and also the industry, leaving them with a positive feeling about you and the company and industry that you represent?
Are you operating with an abundance mentality, realizing that of the billions of people on the planet, you will find partners to join you? Or, are you operating from a scarcity mentality, believing that you have to coerce the person you're prospecting into "your deal?"
If the person you are dealing with has already been approached about your opportunity are you encouraging him or her to get back with that person and re-evaluate their options? Or are you giving them 50 reasons why signing up with you is the only way to be successful?
Are you involved in email "spamming", filling the email boxes of hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting, uninterested parties with uninvited information?
When a prospect says no do you act with dignity, courtesy and grace, leaving the door open in the future, or do you berate him or her for choosing not to join you?
When you use the Internet to shop your business, are you engaging people as a warm, living, breathing human being, or coming at them as a robot only interested in what each person in cyberspace can do for you and your business?
Every time you work toward building your business, think carefully about the words you say, the body language you use and the way that you leave each encounter. Would your mother be proud of you and your actions? If you can say yes, tremendous! If the answer is no, you have some reflecting to do.
If each of us would use the "seventh generation theory" when building our business (meaning that each move we make affects seven generations after us) our industry will continue to thrive, build momentum and further credibility as we move into this new millennium, filled with hope and promise.
What is the legacy you will leave behind in Network Marketing? What words will be spoken about you at local, regional and national company events?
So, again, my challenge to you is to build a successful, respected business for yourself, your company and your industry via the high road, avoiding the low road at all cost. We need your commitment to uphold the integrity of our industry, now more than ever.
I'm committed to the challenge . . . are you?
About the Author:
Jackie Ulmer, a Network Marketing veteran, has coached and trained thousands of representatives both inside and outside of her sales organization. One of her goals is to promote and uplift the industry. She can be reached through her web site at http://www.streetsmartwealth.com
"Looking to Start a Home Based Business? Don't Wait Until It's Too Late!" By Julie Frost Copyright 2000
The trends toward starting a home based business are amazing. Statistics show that in 1992 there were about 9 million home based businesses in the United States. Now that number has jumped to over 30 million.
Obviously the timing is right for YOU to start your own home business... Right? Well, maybe. I get email from people all the time, from all over the world, who want to join the rest of us who work at home. Unfortunately, many of these emails start with something like this:
"Please help me! I need to work at home/start a home based business right away because ..."
And you can fill in the blanks here. Many times it's due to the need to take care of a sickly child or an elderly parent. Sometimes the person writing is disabled. What I've found most common is that the person writing has a family, and a spouse that works outside of the home, but they can no longer survive on one income. So a home based business, or working from home, being so popular, seems like the perfect answer to their dilemma.
And it certainly can be! With a home business, start-up costs can be kept to a minimum and ongoing costs can be low, so profits can occur much more quickly. But I would urge you: if you're tossing around the idea of starting your own business, follow the old phrase: "Dig your well before you're thirsty."
Too many people wait until they are in some dire financial situation to start a home based business. Not exactly the right time to start a business...
Although, for a select few, this can be exactly what they needed to take immediate, massive action. In fact, I know of one woman who was 8 months into a high risk pregnancy, with no money to pay her doctor, and $250,000.00 in debt. Then she was introduced to an opportunity, and she just went all out with it -- making nearly $7000.00 her first month. (I had the privilege of seeing this woman speak at a women's conference. Her name is Sandy Elsberg, and she is the author of a wonderful book; "Bread Winner, Bread Baker". She is an inspirational woman!)
But, unfortunately, stories like Sandy's are more the exception than the norm. For most of us, it takes time, effort, and yes, start-up money that will help make our businesses successful and profitable.
Am I trying to discourage you from starting a home based business? On the contrary! It can be one of the most richly rewarding -- financially and personally -- experiences you ever have. It can, and should be, in my opinion, something that brings you joy and growth.
But finding the home based business that is right for you may take you longer then you'd hope. Getting to a point where it is profitable may take even longer. So if you've been thinking about starting your own home based business -- start digging your well, today! Look at what brings you happiness, what you love to do, and what you CAN do, and turn those things into a thriving business! Or find a home based opportunity that "fits" you. With thousands of them out there, I'm sure there is one that could be a good match. Either way -- get started and don't quit! It can be the best thing you ever do for yourself, and your family.
Julie Frost is the owner of www.YourHomeBiz.com -- The ezine that helps you find, start, grow, and succeed in your own home based business. You'll find 100's of home based business ideas, business opportunities, articles, classifieds, and much more. Be sure to sign up for her free weekly email newsletter, YourHomeBizWeekly. Visit http://YourHomeBiz.com today!
Advice from A-Z
Are Men Working from Home Better Fathers? By Azriela Jaffe, copyright 2000
Time magazine cites that 59 percent of people who have a home office are men, so it's about time we took a hard look at whether this new trend is better for our children, and for the men who make this transition. In the HomeBusiness magazine, February 2000 issue, I read a survey mentioned in the feature article, "Behind the Iron Apron, Do real men work from home?" 100 working men were randomly surveyed by the home furnishing's outfit IKEA, some percentage working from home, and some employed in traditional jobs outside of the home.
The survey results reported are decidedly biased toward correlating work at home dads with happier wives and children. I acknowledge that there are many advantages to having a father working from home. But the purpose of this article is not to pass along the good news about how the opportunity to work from home is transforming our culture into one with committed, caring fathers. I take issue with the way that this survey was presented, and the bias that it portrays. I'll show you what I mean:
Survey results: Children with dads who work from a home office are twice as likely to get A's on their report cards. This finding probably correlates to having a parent at home - it doesn't matter which sex - who is supervising homework. The fact that it used to always be mom, and now it can be dad instead, or in addition to mom, is terrific. There's no evidence that school performance is correlated with Dad being home in particular.
Survey results: 25% of men working at home claim to have sex everyday with their spouse compared to 18 percent working in a traditional office. Maybe men who work from home are in the mood to have sex every day, because they are better rested and more relaxed. That, I can believe - for a percentage of work at home men. But this survey's credibility suffered greatly after claiming that somehow, men working from home also put their wives into the mood for sex every day.
Grant you, if he's helping her around the house more, and they are in each other's company more often and feeling attracted to one another, and if she's not working in a job outside of the house or in the house that makes her too exhausted to think about sex everyday, and if he's happier, so he's more interested in sex, then. . . maybe it's possible.
But let's not forget about the other 75% of work at home dads who are probably struggling with sexual issues like: she's sick of him after seeing him around the house all day, or, she's angry because he's holed up in his office till late at night most days and she's feeling ignored, or, he's so wiped out from taking care of kids and running a business, sex is the last thing on his mind, or his ego is bruised by his business struggles and it's killed his libido, or their sex life is suffering because neither is used to the role reversal - her working out of the house, and him working from home and caring for kids - and it's messing with their minds a bit. I guarantee you, men working from home brings up as many sexual conflicts as it solves.
Survey results: 14% of home office dads claim to be within their target weight, compared with 25% of fathers who work away from home admitting to being overweight. Talk about creative reporting - that means that 86% of home office dads are NOT within their target weight - that's something to brag about? Sounds like they are a bit too near the refrigerator.
Survey results: 75 percent of home office dads tuck in their children every single night. So? It doesn't report on how many of the men working outside from home are also tucking their children in every single night. Maybe they aren't home for every meal, but plenty of men are committed to being there for their kids at bedtime. And what the survey doesn't report is that of those 75 percent of home office dads who tuck in their children every night, how many of them were mentally still in the office while they were doing so? And where are the other 25% of work at home dads?
Why am I being so cynical and negative, and not just applauding this new work trend? I'm giving work at home dads a bad rap, right? Here's what I really believe.
For some families, dad working from home is the best thing that ever happened for him, and for them. He's happier, she's not as overworked, the kids are thriving, his career is prospering, and it's an enormous improvement from the stress on the family of his previous outside of the home job or business.
The opposite can also be true. Some guys should not work from home. They will make their wives miserable, they won't be any more present for their kids because they will become workaholic in their home offices, and, if they aren't cut out for working from home, they won't make any money - a surefire stressor on a marriage and family . What is encouraging is the fact that mothers and fathers are beginning to have more choices, and that's the trend worth reporting.
Beware any rigid position that a single family structure is the answer to raising all children happily. Skip the sales pitch about how dads working from home are better fathers and husbands. Is that true for your family, and the husband/dad in your home? If so, make it happen if you can. And if that's not valid for you or your family, don't sweat it. Plenty of men who work away from home are loving, committed fathers and husbands. I know - I'm married to one. Let's applaud men who are dedicated to their families - however they manifest that commitment.
Azriela Jaffe is a syndicated columnist and author of the New book "Starting from No: Ten Strategies to Overcome Your Fear of Rejection and Succeed in Business" and several other self-help books. She welcomes reader response and questions to PO Box 209, Bausman, PA 17504 or az@azriela.com. For free online newsletters for entrepreneurs, visit her Anchored Dreams website at: http://www.isquare.com/crlink.htm
Are You Ready for a Change? By Dr. Kevin Polk Copyright 2000. All rights reserved.
"Change" is a word we use a lot. We use it a lot because we do a lot of it. We even have a great saying for it, "The only thing that doesn't change is that things change." We are constantly bombarded with messages that we need to change. We are told to change how much we weigh, how much we eat, what we eat, how we interact with others, how we work, etc. You need only to pick up a magazine, look at TV or listen to the radio to be bombarded with messages about what you need to change.
The problem is that change is stressful. Being told to change is stressful as well. There is a good reason we get stressed when we are told to change. Where I am from we call it "being set in your ways." It's only natural. Being set in your ways is a lot like autopilot. That means you don't have to think much about what you're doing. If you had to think about every little thing you did each day, you would be exhausted in no time. So we tend to keep things the same to save energy. This tendency is useful until we really need to change.
A scientist named Dr. James O. Prochaska and his colleagues have studied the stages people go through as they change. They have found that there are five stages of change. Knowing what stage you are in can help you get out of a rut and make the changes you need to make. In my opinion it can also help you decide to pass up the changes you don't need to make. Think about it. If you made all the changes you are told to make each day, you would do nothing but change.
Here are the stages of change:
1. Pre-contemplation: This can mean that you are not thinking about that change you need to make. It can also mean you are thinking about changing, but not for six months or more. For example, you did not know you needed to lower your cholesterol level until you found it was too high. Maybe you are thinking about getting to work on lowering it...six months from now.
2. Contemplation: Now you are thinking about making the change within six months. For example, you know you need to lower that cholesterol. You're thinking about doing something about it soon, but that's all you're doing.
3. Preparation: Now you've thought about it and know you want to change. Now you are putting the pieces together to make the change within the next 30 days. You're close to action.
4. Action: Now you go on that diet, you start exercising, you take your medicine, whatever. You are spending time each day doing the change. You have been doing so for six months or less.
5. Maintenance: You have made the change and kept it up for more than six months. In terms of cholesterol, you lowered the cholesterol and have kept it low for more than six months.
Use these stages to help observe and analyze your self as you change, or if you are like a lot of us, as you don't change. So are there changes that you need to make but you are keeping them in pre-contemplation? Are you just thinking about doing something and not preparing? Maybe you keep preparing and don't take action. Maybe you take action and don't keep it up.
Whatever you do don't lose sleep over what stages of change you are in. Treat this as another tool you can use to help yourself feel better. You will probably want to use it when you are feeling stuck solving a problem. Then you can determine at which stage you're stuck. Maybe it will make it easier to get going. Maybe you will decide to stay where your are. There's some comfort in knowing where you are.
Get Dr. Polk's FREE course in Creative Problem Solving at http://www.timedoctor.com/signup021.htm or send any message to timedoctor2@GetResponse.com?subject=REF025.
Go back to the top of the page
Back to the MLMWoman Newsletter Index
We want your feedback! Send e-mail comments to Linda at: regent@west.net
Copyright 2000, Regent Press
http://www.mlmwoman.com
