Ah, Sweet Chocolate

I am most definitely a “chocaholic.”  I love chocolate, preferably dark chocolate.  Fortunately, if I abide by the “Everything in moderation” tactic, I can enjoy chocolate, because it has antioxidants, which protect the body from the effects of free radicals.  Free radicals can contribute to heart disease.  It makes sense, because chocolate comes from a plant, and many dark colored fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants.

Studies have proven that only dark chocolate provides health benefits.  Milk and white chocolate do not qualify.  Dark chocolate contains eight times as many antioxidants as strawberries!  It is good for your heart and can help keep your cardiovascular system running well.  Studies have shown that eating a small piece of chocolate daily may even lower blood pressure.  It can also reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) by as much as 10%.  Some studies suggest chocolate may reduce the risk of stroke as well.

Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, providing a feeling of pleasure.  It contains serotonin as well, which can act as an anti-depressant, and theobromine and caffeine, both of which are stimulants, giving us a “pick-me-up.”

Let’s face it, even with all these health benefits, chocolate is high in calories.  Remember I mentioned “moderation?”  If you maintain self-control, you will enjoy the benefits of oleic acid, the same fat contained in olive oil.  But there again, even “good fat” contains high calories.  Saturated fat, the unhealthiest, is also in chocolate, which can increase the risk of heart disease and raise cholesterol.

Most studies that have been done on chocolate are based on about 3½ ounces of dark chocolate daily.  A dark chocolate bar has about 400 calories. If you eat ½ a bar every day, you’re consuming 200 calories that should be replacing 200 calories from the remainder of your daily consumption.  If you add those 200 calories to your diet without cutting anywhere else, no matter how many health benefits there are, you will still gain weight.

When selecting your dark chocolate, look for pure chocolate.  If your chocolate has nuts, nougat, caramel or other fillings, both calories and fat are added, erasing many of the benefits chocolate can provide.  Some research has also shown that drinking a glass of milk with your chocolate may even prevent the antioxidants from being absorbed or used by your body, again negating the benefits.

For quite some time, before learning about the benefits of chocolate, I have been eating one or two bite-size dark chocolates nearly every day.  I get my chocolate “fix” and the health benefits, and I don’t gain weight.  Ah, sweet chocolate.

**************

Julie Klein, Chocaholic and
Leader of Xpress Healthcare's Winner's Circle Team

http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

WWII Snippets

My father was a great story teller. He didn’t begin telling stories about his war experiences until later in his life. Some of his stories really stuck in my memory. I believe he “embellished” some to make them more interesting or entertaining to his “audience.” So as I relate these stories, please excuse me if they don’t seem entirely accurate. 

While still stationed in the States at Ford Ord, my newly-married parents tried to see one another as often as possible. My dad even went AWOL to see my mother, never getting caught. One time, my mother visited him at the Fort. They sneaked into the boiler room where they made love. Although my mother verified this particular story, it is difficult to picture her, a rather conservative woman, taking such a chance. However, I am not at all surprised that my dad would have done this. They were fortunate not to have been caught.

My dad served in the 30th Infantry Division, 3rd Division, H Company. His company was under General Patton. He served in Sicily (Messina) and North Africa in Tunisia, Casablanca, and Algiers as a company runner, assistant to the captain.

At one time, the troops completely ran out of ammunition. My dad went with the captain to see General Patton to request more ammunition. In typical Patton style, he responded by saying, "The sons of bitches have bayonets, don't they?"

Once, after a long battle, the troops went to a rest area. When an air raid sounded, everyone jumped into nearby fox holes. Immediately after landing in a fox hole, another soldier jumped over my dad, losing his helmet as he jumped. The helmet hit my dad, and for a moment, he thought he'd been shot.

I wrote this down word for word when my dad told it to me… "We used our helmets for everything - to eat out of, to shave, and as a toilet." Lovely thought. The soldiers used sanitary napkins as padding to ease the burden of carrying heavy rifles.

While serving in North Africa, my father discovered a nearby Jewish community. Being Jewish himself, during “down time,” he visited the community and met people who invited him to visit their homes and celebrate holidays. The people he befriended there remained lifelong friends, exchanging letters, birthday cards, etc. throughout their lives.

While my dad was walking a donkey in Morocco, the donkey stepped on a hidden land mine, which exploded, throwing my father through the air. He sustained some permanent injuries from the incident.

In April 1943, in French Morocco, on Hill 609, the Allied Forces were pinned down battling the Germans, fighting for weeks. My dad was in a fox hole when a shell landed and exploded next to his head. He was in and out of consciousness for days and temporarily deaf in one ear. He was transferred to a hospital in Rabat, North Africa, and then to a hospital in the States where he remained for months, being treated for battle fatigue (today commonly called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) and amnesia. 

He was honorably discharged a short time later, returning to live in Hollywood, California. His condition lasted for months, and he was occasionally found wandering down Hollywood Boulevard, unable to find his way home.

I learned from the National Personnel Records that most of my dad’s army records were burned in a fire in the early 1970’s. Wondering why, after two serious injuries, he was never awarded the Purple Heart, I ask a friend, a retired Army Major. He told me that during WWII, superior officers were often either incompetent & lazy or simply didn't have the time to complete the required paperwork. If we had proof of the injuries, we could apply for them now, but of course, I have no way to prove the stories told to me. 

Reading history books about WWII makes it seem like ancient history. Hearing the stories from someone who lived it brings them to life.

To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, visit hhttp://julie.joinxpress.com

Daily IBO Activities

IBOToolbox is among my most important marketing tools.  When I sponsor a new team member in my Xpress Healthcare business, one of the first things I do is tell them about IBO and train them to use it.

I could write pages about all that is available on the IBOToolbox platform.  Although video training is available at the site, I like to teach new team members the basics myself and how to utilize them to their advantage.

In order to understand the significance of IBOToolbox marketing, it is important to know that IBO, along with its partner sites IBOSocial.com and IBOJunction.com, receive an average of 300,000 visits per day.  When we post on IBO, our blogs, comments and ads appear on all these sites, expanding our marketing reach.

Of all those who see our posts on the various IBO sites, only 4% are actually IBOToolbox members.  Hundreds of thousands of people seeking a business opportunity can also see our comments.  Besides IBO’s distribution of our posts, all IBO members also help one another promote their businesses by sharing our posts on our myriad social networking sites.

Once my team members realize the marketing possibilities IBO offers, I show them how to use some of the amazing tools provided to us to expand our marketing exposure.  After giving them basic training, I provide them with the following list of the various activities in which I recommend they participate each time they visit IBO.  

• ·       Check your incoming messages and associate requests.
• ·       Determine whether you have any ads running.  If not, check your credits to see if you have enough to post another banner ad.  Post one if you have the credits.  If not, increase your activities to earn credits.
• ·       Write mini ads that include a website link on the wall, and share them on your own social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• ·       Write a blog/press release on a Word or WordPad document, and then post it in the Press Release area of IBO.  Then, share your press release on your various social networking sites.
• ·       Comment on other IBO members’ wall posts, and share them on your networking sites.
• ·       Read and comment on press releases posted by other IBO members.
• ·       Welcome new IBO members who appear on the wall during your visit.
•          Congratulate the Featured Member of the Day by posting a comment on the wall if they are not your Associate, and then send them an Associate Request.  If the FMOD is your Associate, you can either post on the wall or send them a private message of congratulations.

Very active IBO members know that there are more activities than those shown here. For those new to the site, however, this is a good start to get them into the habit of participating on IBOToolbox.  Over time, they will learn how to utilize the many additional features available.

The benefits of IBOToolbox participation cannot be overstated.  Any home business owner who is using IBO is missing an opportunity to expose their business to thousands of people every single day.  If you are not yet a member, join today!  http://www.ibotoolbox.com/invited.aspx?jid=11454

Trust Starts with Truth and Ends with Truth

The title of this post is a quote from Santosh Kalwar, in Quote Me Everyday.  It is such a valid statement. 

Trust is a huge factor in network marketing.  “Hype” is too often used to promote business opportunities.  When I was seeking a home business, I didn’t even consider one that was making unrealistic promises.  I don’t trust people who are dishonest, and I consider hype dishonest.  There are a variety of definitions of hype, but I found this one that fits how I perceive it…

 

To intensify (advertising, promotion, or publicity) by ingenuous or questionable claims, methods, etc.; to trick; gull.

In order to grow a network marketing team or sell our service or product, I believe in the slogan, “Honesty is the best policy.”  I have found that by telling the truth, the whole truth, I am able to build a rapport with my prospects, and with that, I earn their trust.  

When presenting our opportunity or products, if we appear nervous, it puts people on alert, making them wary about what we are telling them.  If we know our business and products well, however, we will be confident about what we are telling them, and our confidence will help us to gain their trust.

Everyone likes to be heard.  Even the best sales “pitch” will be ineffective if we are not listening to what our prospects have to say.  When we give them the opportunity to express themselves and ask questions, we are demonstrating our interest in them and showing them respect.  People are much more likely to trust what we have to say if we are listening to what they are saying or asking about your product and what they are seeking in a business opportunity.

Telling anyone who cares to listen how John Smith earned $1000 his first week with your business, does not tell as much about your or your company as does your own story.  Our testimonials are far more effective marketing tools than explaining every feature and benefit of our business.  I personally use the Xpress Healthcare discount savings plans that I sell, so I’ll share that I save nearly two hundred dollars quarterly by using my Xpress plans to purchase my prescriptions; and on my last routine dental visit, the cost was reduced by $50 when I used my plan.

Exaggerating our company’s earning potential or the benefits of our products may even cause us to lose a sale.  When I was shopping for a business, I ended several “pitches” because of unrealistic claims.  Honesty earns us the trust and respect of our prospects.  Gaining their trust is far more likely to will help us make a sale than all the hype in the world.

Earning and maintaining someone’s trust is far easier than trying to regain it once you have lost it.

To contact Julie Klein or learn more about Xpress Healthcare, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.

I Don't Want YOU on My Team

We often discuss the qualities of a good team member. How often do you think about the characteristics of the people you would NEVER want to work with?

It can be difficult to do, but there are times when you may want to discourage someone from joining your team.  If you are new in your business, you may just want a body; you don’t care about their personality or skills.  So you may ignore this message.

Once you have grown a team and are continuing to grow it even larger, you may find that you run across people who simply are not a good match for your team.  Or, perhaps you flat-out dislike them.

Who will I discourage from joining my Xpress Healthcare team?  There are a variety of types of people and “job” requirements that may disqualify them.

When someone tells me they have been with numerous network marketing companies, it is likely they will quit very quickly after joining.  I call them MLM hoppers. I’ll spend time training them, and then without ever putting forth any effort, they will quit.

Some prospects are attempting to work several businesses at one time.  In my opinion, those who do so are generally unable to truly focus on growing a business with any one of those companies.  I know, there are exceptions, but as a rule, I have found this to be true.

Then, there are the know-it-alls and braggarts who say they were with “such-and-such” company for five years, and they had the biggest team in the company.  Really?  Then why did they leave?  These people usually tell me that, because they have worked MLM’s before, they require no training. After a few days or weeks, they quit.

The remaining categories are different and more difficult for me to advise that my company is not a good “fit” for them.  I prefer that my team members can work their business at least ten hours a week.  They may have good potential.  However, because network marketing businesses take a long time to build, if someone is only working a few hours a week, it will take so long that they will become discouraged, and then they will quit.

The last two “disqualifications” are practical ones.  I have had people contact me with such heavy accents that I couldn’t understand them, and I had to ask them to repeat themselves frequently.  (My company only operates in the United States.)  Some may think it is unfair, even prejudicial, however, if I cannot understand them, neither will their prospects.  Why would I encourage them to join my team if they are set up for failure?

I have also had prospects call me who are shy, soft-spoken.  I cannot hear them. Again, I may need to frequently ask them to repeat themselves.  With some, I have asked if they are comfortable speaking louder.  If they do raise their voices, fine.  If not, the same reasoning applies as did for those in the previous paragraph.

I have only discouraged a few from signing with my team. The last one was a terrible braggart who insisted that I was hiding something because I would not reveal my income or team size.  He was totally obnoxious and would have been a poor representative for the company.  I told him straight out that I didn’t think he would be a good fit for Xpress Healthcare. 

He was an extreme example, but it isn’t always that easy to “qualify” a prospect.  Most of us have signed team members who fit one of the categories I mentioned, but we didn’t pick up on it right away.  We have then suffered the consequences, but we have learned and grown from the experience.

If we can identify a prospect that fits one of these categories, we can save them and ourselves time by not inviting them to join.  By qualifying prospects, we can build stronger – not simply larger - teams.

To contact Julie Klein and learn about Xpress Healthcare, visit http://julie.joinxpress.com/opportunity-launch.html

School Daze, School Daze

I find it interesting how a smell, a sight, a song or a word can trigger a memory.  We have all heard a song, and suddenly we remember hearing that song long before in a particular situation or place.   We might smell cologne on a stranger, and we remember that our father used to wear that cologne.

I had such an experience a few days ago.  One of my business partners in Xpress Healthcare and I were chatting on the phone when she mentioned that her son’s name was Drew.  I haven’t known many Drew’s, so a fifty+ year-old memory immediately came to mind.

I must have been in third or fourth grade at the time.  Drew Daniels lived directly across the street from my elementary school outside lunch area.  It was a much safer time in Los Angeles then, and kids were permitted to go home for lunch if they lived within a certain distance from the school.  Drew went home for lunch and discovered he didn’t have his house key.  He decided to enter the house through the chimney.  Of course, he got stuck partway down and began shouting for help. We all watched as the Fire Department came to the rescue. 

Funny how vividly I remember that day, which led me to thinking about my grammar school days and a few other situations that, looking through life’s rear-view mirror, are funny.  One such incident took place because I was a Tom-boy. I took pride in the fact that I could win all kinds of races against the boys.  One day, we were playing a game of “Red Rover.”  Two lines of children would hold hands tightly facing one another several feet apart from one another.  When it was the opposing teams turn to sing out “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Julie come over,” I was supposed to run as fast as I could and break through the other team’s line.  Well, I made it through, but there was a garbage can right behind their line.  I tripped on someone’s foot and went flying through the air, landing head first in the garbage can.  I can still remember how embarrassed I was.

Because of my “athleticism,” I played handball well (at least for a 9-year-old girl).  When I hit the ball, apparently my body bent into odd positions, because I remember everyone calling me “flexy.”  Even being a Tom-boy, I had my feminine side.  Along with a few other girls, we created The Lemon Sisters.  There was a very popular group of singers at that time called The Lennon Sisters.  While my friends and I serenaded anyone who would listen, we each held a lemon in our hands.  About five years ago, I “met” a woman online that I had gone to school with.  I didn’t remember her, but she remembered me.  As soon as she saw my name, she wrote to me, “You Were One of the Lemmon Sisters!”  Until that moment, I didn’t even remember the Lemmon Sisters, but it was such fun to know that someone was actually entertained by our little group.  (I have no idea who the other “sisters” were.)

That’s the end of my short journey down memory lane.  It is always fun to remember, and even more fun to create new and different memories.

To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Benjamin Franklin

“We are accountable only to ourselves for what happens to us in our lives.” Mildred Newman

Accountability:  the quality or state of being accountable; especially, an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions.

As network marketers, the foundation of our success and productivity is self-accountability.  When we hold ourselves accountable for both our successes and our failures, it demonstrates that we are aware that whatever the results of our actions – or inaction - we only have ourselves to credit or blame.

As self-employed entrepreneurs, it can be more challenging to hold ourselves accountable than when we had a job and a “boss.”  Can we meet the challenge?

In network marketing, far too many blame their company or their products when they are not making sales.  If they examine their own behavior, work habits, values and motivations, those people will likely see that they themselves are to blame.  Of course, if they do not have the desire to hold themselves accountable, it is unlikely they will conduct that self-examination.  After all, it is so much easier to blame others.

Because we are independent representatives, self-employed, we must be mindful of all of our decisions and actions.  Whether we work totally alone or as part of a team, in the end, only we are responsible for our actions.  We cannot control or anticipate how others behave, but we are in full control of how we react to those we encounter through our day-to-day and situations that may occur. 

If your business is struggling, take a close look at your own behavior, work habits and activities.  Do not make excuses; do not place blame; take action to correct whatever you discover YOU are doing ineffectively or are not doing at all.  Review the training that you have been provided.  Are you trying to reinvent the wheel, or are you doing what the leaders in your company are doing?  Are you expecting too much too soon?  Are you devoting enough time to your business to make it grow and develop?

I ask these questions to my team members who complain that they are working their Xpress Healthcare business, but they are getting no leads. Those who are honest with themselves realize the error of their ways.  Those who are not willing to hold themselves accountable often quit, moving on the the next company where they will begin the process once again.

Self-accountability is empowering!  WE are in charge of our own lives, our own actions, our own accomplishments and our own decisions.  As home business owners, WE are the bosses!

To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

Top Ten Inventions that Changed the World

Top Ten Inventions that Changed the World   inventions, printing press, computer, internet  VISIT WEBSITE (learn more)

From my search, I gleaned an important fact: no invention is created in a vacuum. Each was created based on previous inventions created by others some time earlier, recently or centuries before. According to the TV show and my online reading, these are the Top Ten Inventions that Changed the World. 10: The Plow doesn't seem exciting compared to the electronic inventions created in recent times. A simple cutting tool that carved grooves into soil, churning up nutrients to prepare it for planting. However, the plow is quite likely the invention that made all the subsequent ones possible. Some say the plow is largely responsible for the creation of human civilization. 9. The Wheel is such an ancient invention we have no way of knowing who first created it. They have been around since at least 3100 BC. Think how many things in today’s technology depend upon the wheel. 8: The Printing Press is widely credited to Johann Gutenberg. He actually improved on technologies that already existed, making them more useful and efficient enough. The Chinese had paper and block printing in the centuries earlier, but their popularity was limited. The printing press enabled the disbursement of knowledge, thus educating humans so they could invent other important things. 7: Refrigeration has been around for centuries. No one knows who invented it. The concept of cooling things down was known and gradually improved upon over a couple centuries. The ability to keep food cold for prolonged periods dramatically changed the food production industry and the way people eat. 6: Mass Communications, the telegraph, telephone, radio and television made more information available to us, changing how we interact with each other. The development of communication technology, beginning with Samuel Morse’s electric telegraph, grew and developed over a long period of time, gradually increasing and improving upon its usability and flexibility. The telegraph, telephone, radio and TV all required an extensive infrastructure of wires to enable them to function. 5: Steam Engine – Prior to the invention of the Steam Engine, most products were made by hand. People used water wheels and draft animals for the power needed to do so. The steam engine moved the Industrial Revolution forward. Most power plants today generate electricity using steam turbines. 4: The Automobile mobilized people. Ideas for personal vehicles were around for years, but Karl Benz's 1885 Motorwagen used an internal combustion engine and is widely considered the first automobile. Henry Ford's improvements in the production process and his marketing skills brought the price of owning a car to most Americans, with Europe close behind. The automobile's effect on commerce, society and culture is incalculable. 3: Light Bulb – None of these inventions came from a “light bulb” moment of a single inventor. Each was built by improving on earlier inventions and designs. Whoever made an invention commercially viable was usually credited for it. We think of Edison as the inventor of the electric light bulb, but others were working on the same idea at that time. Joseph Swan did similar work in Britain, and eventually he and Edison merged their ideas into a single company. Today we have powered devices for which we can all thank the light bulb. 2: A Computer takes information in, manipulates it somehow, and outputs new information. No single person is credited for the creation of the modern computer. There were mechanical computing devices for hundreds of years, but electronic computers arrived in the 20th century. Many things we take for granted wouldn't function without computers, from cars to power plants to phones. 1: The Internet, a worldwide network of computers, allows us to access almost any information anywhere in the world at any time. The profound effect of the Internet on business, communication, economy, entertainment and even politics is unquestionable. And, we've probably only begun to see the effects it will have on the world. If it wasn’t for the computer and the Internet, I would not be sitting here typing this blog right now. Internet marketing enabled me to own my Xpress Healthcare business, allowing me to make a living without leaving home. Because of the extraordinary inventions that came before them, we can cool our homes, visit distant places and nearly every other activity we perform throughout our lives. To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

There is Work, and There is "Work"

When we promote our business opportunities, it is wise to advise prospective representatives that they will have to work their business for it to be successful.  Money does not fall in our laps just because we signed up. 

However, there is work and there is “work.”  With the many ways to promote and market our businesses today, working our business can be enjoyable, even fun.

It is for this reason that I spend time training my new Xpress Healthcare team members to use forums, blogs and social networks to “get the word out” about their business.  Those team members who are earning money are spreading the word through these mediums, not instead of, but in addition to marketing methods used in the past.  Ads, flyers, business cards, brochures and face-to-face are all still valid, but the market is somewhat limited.

IBOToolbox is my favorite forum.  It is unique among the thousands of other forums available to us today.  IBO members are all people who own a home business, are seeking a business opportunity – or both.  We all have something in common.  And, we all help one another to promote our businesses.  Where else will you find that?  Nowhere that I have found. 

In addition to that, I have found that IBOToolbox to be a better site at which to develop online relationships than any other forums.  The common connection we all have – home business owners - brings out the best in us all.  No one says anything negative about anyone or another member’s business, and we all encourage one another.  I simply enjoy spending time on IBOToolbox.  And it is a fabulous place to promote your business to a much wider audience than you can possibly do on your own.   

So, I encourage my Xpress Healthcare team members to participate regularly on IBOToolbox and a few other forums I use regularly that bring traffic to my website.  The more we participate on the various forums, the more enjoyable they become.  We meet new people, learn and are sometimes entertained by other members’ blog posts, all while branding ourselves and our businesses. 

Although I believe IBOToolbox is the best, I also participate in social networks, post blogs and participate in a few other forums.  I encourage anyone with a home business to do the same.  I am confident that you will agree that it is the best way to promote yourself and your business.

To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

How We Learn

As a team leader, I train many people how to perform the various tasks required to operate and promote an Xpress Healthcare business.  I have learned that I cannot teach every person in the same way, although I am teaching them to do exactly the same things.

Fortunately, I have quite a few really sharp team members.  When demonstrating how to navigate our back office or how to get the most benefit from using IBOToolbox, some simply follow instructions, and training is completed in a short time.

There are only a few who simply cannot follow instructions.  It is interesting, because they do not appear to be unintelligent.  When I tell them go to the “Dashboard,” for instance, they go there.  Then I tell them to click on the “Share” link by “Bob Jones’” name, they tell me they don’t see Bob Jones.  After having them describe the page at which they are looking, it turns out that they had left the Dashboard and are on a different page.   (I am using IBOToolbox here just as an example, but this actually happens with various websites.  I am aware that IBO actually has its own training videos.)

When I have a scheduled training session, I send an advance email telling new team members to be logged onto the site about which I’ll be training them.  Most do exactly as I ask, but others have not logged in, and in fact, some haven’t yet created an account on that page as I had asked them to do.

The majority of my team members are somewhere in between the “really sharp” people and those who cannot follow instructions.

I know that not all network marketers believe it is necessary to train their team members as thoroughly as I do. Having failed in two companies prior to being personally mentored with my Xpress Healthcare business, I believe that more people will develop into leaders if I also mentor my own team members.

Recently my team has begun growing much more quickly than in the past, and I am spending too much time training.  So, I am searching for a tool I can use to record a training session, showing the screen on my computer with my “voice over” instructions.  Team members can watch it and pause it as needed, and I will be freeing up time for myself. 

I know they exist, because I did download a program that does exactly as I described, but it doesn’t work every time, so I have abandoned that software.  Those who know me are aware that I am a “low tech” person.  If it isn’t REALLY simple to use, I will not use it.

If anyone knows downloadable software that will serve my purpose, please let me know.  Meanwhile, I will continue my online search.

To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.

Teaching, Not Just Using IBOToolbox

Like so many thousands of us, I have found IBOToolbox to be a very effecting marketing platform.  It offers a suite of free services and tools unavailable anywhere else at the same cost – FREE!

When I first joined IBO, the first thing I did was watch the video about getting started.  I had a few problems with that.  For someone with no knowledge of how the site worked, the video moved too quickly for me to follow; the demonstration to “click here” and “click there” was also done so quickly, I didn’t know what he was clicking on; and finally, on my computer (now replace with a much better one) only showed the scree on the video very small, so I was unable to read any of the titles.

After watching the video, I started exploring the site so I could become familiar with the terms used and how they were used… “like,” “share,” “comment,” and “bump.”  A friend also helped me learn a few of the basics.  Then, I went back and watched that same instruction video and I could follow it much better and understood what they were talking about.  It was only AFTER learning a little about the site and how to use it that the video was of any help to me.

IBOToolbox has become a huge tool in the marketing of my business.  So much so that it is part of my basic training to new team members.  I realize that many people are more savvy than I on the Internet and sites such as IBO, however, I don’t want my team members to have to struggle to learn the purpose of the site and how to take advantage of the platform of tools the way I did. Far more people than I realized have a similar learning skill level to my own and are grateful for the training.

So, now when a new team member joins my Xpress Healthcare team, I immediately schedule a training session that includes teaching them how to use and benefit from IBOToolbox.  Some pick up on it very quickly, and I’ll see them participating a great deal soon after training.  Others are more challenged by it.  A few have been unable to understand the concept of the site, asking “Why would I want to promote someone else’s business?” That is generally the first thing I explain to them, but a few do not believe it is worth their time.  Too bad, because they are losing out on about the best totally free marketing platform on the Internet.

I have been teaching my team members about IBOToolbox for some time, and I am not at all surprised to see that those who are doing well with their business are also active on IBO.  Those who are struggling with their business rarely return to IBO after I trained them, if at all.

I have been using IBO for quite some time to promote my Xpress Healthcare business.  Since joining and participating on the site, traffic to my websites has increased dramatically. 

I truly believe that IBOToolbox is an essential tool for any entrepreneur to help them “get the word out” about their business.  

To join IBOToolbox, go here:  http://www.ibotoolbox.com/invited.aspx?jid=11454

To learn more about the author, Julie Klein, and her Xpress Healthcare business, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.

Tell the Universe What You Want

I am not a very spiritual person, although I am working on it.

My husband and I have had our house on the market, because we want to move to California to be near our family.  Our second six-month contract just ended with a realtor with exactly ONE person looking at the house in all that time.  Until a couple weeks ago, I was pretty down it.

I was talking with a friend – who also happens to be very spiritual and a therapist.  We were discussing the slow housing market, and I mentioned that when we do move to California, it will be more difficult for us financially.  California is more expensive in most things - food, real estate, gasoline – than in the area of Arizona in which I currently live.

For my friend, it was an “aha” moment.  She said, “Don’t you see?  That is why your house has not yet sold.  You are not yet prepared to live in California.  Once your business grows more, you will be able to afford it easier, and then your house will sell.”

Initially I just chuckled, but it did get me to thinking.  We’re making a decent living now, our bills are always paid on time, we always have food on the table, but we sometimes run a little short for “entertainment.”  Right now, it would be much more difficult to pay the higher cost of living in California.  I accepted that fact as true, and relaxed about our house not selling.  I decided at that moment that when the time is right, the house will sell.

It was only two days later that my business picked up - dramatically.  In fact, in the past two weeks, I have added more team members to my Xpress Healthcare business than I have in ages.  If I recruit only two more team members this month – with today being only the 10^th of the month – I will break my all-time record, possibly even a company record!  My team members have been signing new team members in higher numbers as well, which of course, increases my income.

I have put no more effort into my work than usual.  In fact, training all the new people has kept me from promoting my business hardly at all.  And yet, people are contacting me and joining my team.  I do not call prospects.  They call me.  I give no presentations, because my websites do it for me.

I can think of some logical reasons that new team members are joining at a record pace.  Prospects like some recent changes we’ve made in the company.  Kids are back in school.  Vacations are finished for the summer.  They all make sense and certainly may be contributing to my increased Xpress Healthcare business.  

However, it may well be more than a coincidence of timing.  It may be the knowledge that I want to move to California, but I cannot afford it right now; therefore, my mindset is different, influencing how I am working without even knowing I am doing so.  Yes, I choose the reason to be the latter, and I am excited to see how many new team members my colleagues and I can continue to bring onboard.  Maybe there is something to this “Tell the Universe What You Want” theory.

To learn more about Julie Klein and Xpress Healthcare, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

Let's All Grow Up!

In my area, like nearly every other city in the United States, political signs appear to be everywhere right now! It doesn’t seem to matter whether they are signs of Democrats or Republicans, here in Southeast Arizona, the signs are being vandalized and stolen.

Are we children? You don’t like the fact that John Smith is running against Bob Jones, so you’ll steal John’s sign? Really? Most cities these days we have to deal with graffiti. While I definitely dislike graffiti and disrespect those who put it there, for the most part, “taggers” are teenagers.

However, a neighborhood surveillance camera caught someone vandalizing a political sign a couple nights ago. He appeared to be a man in his 50’s. I was glad that the newspapers and radio did not announce to which party he belonged or whose sign he was vandalizing, because it doesn’t really matter. It is happening to signs from both parties. 

I attended a political event recently attended by both parties, and the speakers were from both parties. When someone asked why Susie School Board Member didn’t have any signs on the corner of X and Y, she responded that she has put several at that corner, but they kept disappearing.

In my city, there are the criminal codes associated with the damage to political signs, and they are being applied to anyone violating those codes. 

“16-1019. Political signs. It is a class 2 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly remove, alter, deface or cover any political sign of any candidate for public office or knowingly remove, alter or deface any political mailers, handouts, fliers or other printed materials of a candidate that are delivered by hand to a residence for the period commencing forty-five days before a primary election and ending seven days after the general election.”

How childish to believe that destroying or stealing a political sign will help the opponent. I have never determined for whom I would vote because I was influenced by a sign. Intelligent adults will read about the candidates, online or in a newspaper, and/or watch them on television to learn more about them.

I will vote for the person with whom I agree on most issues affecting our country or my local area. I don’t want to vote for someone who tries to get my vote by bashing their opponents. (I know it is hard to avoid these days.) I will also vote for the person who puts our country, city or state first, not their political party.

In some ways, politics is not that different from competitors’ advertisements in business. Nearly every business has competition. I choose to sell my products and business opportunity by informing prospects how my company will benefit them, what we have to offer them. I do not speak ill of my opponent in the hopes that prospects will dislike the other company and come to me instead. 

I recently observed a representative of a company doing just that. In writing they were saying negative things about my company. Their negativity is actually backfiring on them. Prospects frequently call me after looking at the other company and tell me how they don’t like the negativity surrounding them.

So, after careful research and consideration, I will vote for the candidates who most reflect my views in a variety of areas. I will not vote for those who lie or spin the truth to make their opponent look less competent.

I will also continue to promote my Xpress Healthcare business in a manner that tells the public about the company’s integrity, our excellent products and our exceptional training program. 

C’mon folks, let’s all grow up!

http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur

There are certain characteristics that all successful entrepreneurs share in common.  There are far more activities and behaviors that contribute to their success, but I am presenting a few of the most important.

Those with successful home businesses like what they are doing.  They like – and may even be passionate about – their product or service.  If they are not enjoying their work,  success is unlikely.

People who are doing well with their business work it AS a business. They don't treat it like a hobby.  Just because they don’t have a brick-and-mortar business, they are still serious about their goals, activities and training.

Success is largely based on money management - income and expenses. It is crucial to track exactly where money is going and from where it is coming.  Always record this information carefully and in an organized fashion for easy access and for tax purposes at the end of the year.

Successful business owners know that no matter what they do, everything comes down to their customers or clients.  Every aspect of their daily business activities are focused on them.

If no one knows who you are, what you are selling or about your company, a business cannot grow.

Effective business owners know that constantly promoting themselves, their product or service and their company is required if they expect to reach their goals.  It can be time consuming, but promoting their business is extremely important and can often be done at little or no cost.

Everywhere they go, online or offline, business leaders are aware that they have an audience.  Prospects may be anywhere, at the local supermarket or gas station, on any of thousands of online forums and blog sites.  They will not leave home wearing an “I’m with stupid” T-shirt.  They will be clean and neat anytime they leave home.  They need not dress in professional attire when going shopping, but also will not appear to be a slob or boor. 

Most professional business owners do not get involved in online public discussions about politics or religion. They don’t use filthy language or pictures on their posts. Those who do so will likely lose potential customers without being aware that they are doing so. They always maintain a professional image when posting online or commenting on others’ posts. Your reputation is easy to maintain, but once lost, it is nearly impossible to recover.

Successful entrepreneurs know their target market. Although there are some products that may be useful to anyone, the majority have a niche market. Know who they are.

Those who succeed in network marketing grow teams. All reputable companies have a service or product to sell to keep the company afloat and in profit mode. Their team members can help them sell those products and build their teams even further. 

Successful online marketers are aware of the importance of knowing their competition. They compare the costs of their products to their own.  They compare comp plans and costs to operate their own business to that of their competition. It comes in handy when speaking to a prospect trying to decide between two companies.

There is far more that those who are successful in the industry have in common. I have limited space to provide them, but this is a good start.

I personally strive to achieve each of these characteristics, and I also teach them to my Xpress Healthcare team members.  It is comforting to see that many of them naturally have these characteristics or they are developing them as they work toward their goals.