We Are in the Winner's Circle

Last night I hosted my nationwide team call.  My team name is “The Winner’s Circle.”  I really enjoy training and working with my team.  During the call last night, it struck me that my team members appreciate the call as much as I enjoy hosting it.

I began hosting team calls just eight months ago.  I had not hosted team calls prior to that time, and to be honest, I was nervous.  What if no one dialed in?  What if there was no feedback and I had to try to carry on the entire call alone?

Well, it turned out that from the very first call, there was pretty good attendance and participation.  Whew!

At the beginning, I started out by giving a brief training presentation, and then I opened the lines.  I announced that the call would last only 15 minutes, unless team members had questions, in which case, I would extend it.

After just a couple calls, the participation increased to a point where the calls lasted 30 minutes.  Then, after a couple months, attendance grew along with the questions, suggestions and comments.  At that point, I announced that the new structure of the call would be a 15-minute training presentation, followed by Q&A and comments, and at the 30 minute mark, those who wished to continue the conversation could remain on the call, but the actual training would end.  Nearly everyone stayed on past 30 minutes.

The calls have evolved where I must now end them after an hour.  They would often be longer if I allowed them to continue, but I think there can be too much of a good thing.

About a month ago, I decided to add another weekly team call, one where team members would volunteer to do research about our products and give a presentation.  It has been a huge success!  We have had three team member presentations so far, and each has been excellent, informative and well received.  One team member new to the call last night said that whoever thought of this team-presentation call had a great idea.  Since it was my own idea, I loved hearing how they liked the new call.  This meeting is only about 15-30 minutes long, and as with our main team call, we have good attendance each week.

As is common in network marketing, although I have a rather large team, only a small number of people are actually working their business.  Surprisingly though, of those who are working, nearly all  attend both team calls every single week. 

As I have grown in my business, built a good team and learned more, I am proud of myself.  I used to be unable to give myself a “pat on the back,” but that too is growth I believe.  I am not THE best team leader or trainer, but I am pretty darned good.

Not to take full credit - which I definitely do not deserve - I am also very proud of my team members who dial in every week, participate in the conversation and volunteer to give presentations.  I am very pleased to say that I have several “stars in the making” on my team, wonderful business partners who are IN “The Winner’s Circle.”

http://julie.joinxpress.com

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is located in the central eastern portion of California. It is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. 

These are the basic facts about Yosemite, but to my family and me, Yosemite is far more than data and figures. You see, from the time I was about seven years old (1950’s), my family began taking trips to Yosemite at least once each year.

The first several years, we stayed in tents, slept in sleeping bags and prepared our meals over a campfire. When my parents could later afford it, we upgraded to “tent cabins,” which is basically a tent with a wooden floor and cots for sleeping. Years later, we upgraded to cabins with floors, doors, and some even had a bathroom.

More than any other photographs in my families’ albums, Yosemite pictures take up the bulk of the space. We have pictures of the family feeding deer (not smart and no longer permitted); the family spread out hand-to-hand across the width of one of the Giant Sequoias; our car driving through the tree tunnel (long fallen down); crossing the swinging bridge (long gone); and the Fire Falls. 

Aahh, the Fire Falls. A Ranger would be located at the top of Glacier Point, one of the highest points in Yosemite. Another Ranger was on the ground in the Valley where visitors stayed. He would yell out “Let the Fire Fall!” The sound echoed through the Valley as we watched burning hot, bright orange coals pouring down the side of the Granite Mountains. It was amazing, exciting and beautiful! Remember, we’re talking about the 1950’s. At some point, authorities realized the danger of this activity, and there were no more Fire Falls.

Then, there was “the dump.” Each night crowds of people, including my family, would walk to the main dump. Crouching on rocks or the ground, we would watch the bears arrive and enjoy their dinner meal in the garbage cans. To my knowledge, no one was ever hurt, because we just sat quietly and didn’t disturb their bears while they were dining. And besides, our Daddy, our hero, would have protected us. It was fascinating and fun while it lasted. I am certain you know that the bears can no longer go to the dump for their meals.

My family had what we called “our rock” located at the base of Vernal Falls. It was a huge flat boulder than hung out over the rushing stream. The entire family could sit on the rock where we would sit for hours, have lunch and cross the stream jumping from rock to rock. The last time I was at Yosemite, about 20 years ago, only one person could have fit on “our rock” since it had been eroded by the water over the years.

During our Yosemite visits, we never stopped. We enjoyed every second. We hiked up the base of waterfalls. We visited the meadows each sunrise and sunset to see the deer came down to graze. They were beautiful to watch. We climbed mountains, rented bikes to ride around the valley and inhaled the clean air and the scent of camp fires. At night, the Rangers had sing-along’s and told stories around a huge camp fire, songs I remember to this day.

Even after all the kids were grown and married, we still got together for our annual trip to Yosemite, by that time bringing our own children. My children love Yosemite too. It became part of them as it did for us all.

The last time I visited Yosemite, I had my children, my husband, my brother and his young son and my parents. By that time, my parents were probably in their 70’s, but they were as game as ever, and we did all the things we always had. 

Shortly after that trip, my father’s health declined, so he was no longer able to travel to the high altitude of Yosemite. And, I moved out of California. My parents and one sister have since died. My sons, nephew and brother still visit Yosemite, and for them and the rest of the family, Yosemite is not just a place we visited. Yosemite is family. Yosemite is in our blood. Yosemite National Park is love.

http://julie.joinxpress.com

Like the Girl Scout Motto, "Be Prepared"

Major millionaire and billionaire celebrities, such as Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” and Donald Trump highly recommend Network Marketing.  And yet, there is a negative reputation that still hangs over the industry.  While over the years, more and more people are joining, and succeeding in network marketing, there is still a stigma attached to the term.

Let’s review why the “scam” reputation still lingers around the edges of the industry. Anyone considering starting their own Network Marketing business needs to perform a reality check.  If you enter the business believing you’ll earn income from day one, it very likely will NOT happen.  In addition, just like every “real” business, your income is likely to vary from week to week or month to month.  Particularly at the beginning, you may go weeks without earning any money at all!

Just like a store or restaurant owner or a computer repair company, when the business owner started out, they were not in profit mode until they built a clientele.  As a Network Marketing business owner, you must be prepared for this by having some type of income to tide you over until your business “takes off.” 

Network Marketing offers a long-term financial solution.  If you expect to be earning thousands of dollars within your first few months, you likely will be disappointed, and you’ll want to steer clear of anyone who is “guaranteeing” or “promising” that you will.  While it is possible to earn very good money in Network Marketing in a short period of time, it takes the vast majority of people much more time.   

I do not want to discourage you from entering the Network Marketing industry, because it truly is the most affordable and simplest way to achieve financial freedom.  It is very important, however, that you be educated and thoroughly understand that Network Marketing offers a LONG TERM financial solution.  So begin your business by making a long term commitment to achieve great results.  Your patience and perseverance will pay off.  In the years to come, the efforts you put forth and the sacrifices you make today will pay off.

Once you have accepted the long term commitment, remember that you most likely will be spending money with none coming in early in your business.  Like traditional business owners, when you first start your own business, expect it to cost you for the first couple of months. With traditional businesses, they are often “in the red” for years before they are earning a profit.   The good news for Network Marketers is that, if you actively working your new business, it should be only a matter of weeks or months to reach profit mode.

The great advantage of a Network Marketing business model over other businesses is that your costs are probably very low.  You have no rent or franchise fee, and you need not pay any employees that those in traditional businesses must.

It is important to keep “the big picture” in mind.  Over time, you could build your business to enable you to earn unlimited income!  Most people in the Network Marketing business quit, because they expect success to “happen,” while in reality, it is those who “make it happen” who are successful.  Those who quit either were not totally committed or they simply were not willing to persevere.  The difference between Network Marketing business owners who succeed and those who do not is based on commitment, dedication, patience and persistence toward reaching their goals.

When you start your Network Marketing business, make a commitment for at least your first year, and work your business, put in the required effort to become established.  When you recruit new team members, ask them to make that same commitment and put forth that same effort.  In that way, your entire organization will be rewarded.  When prospecting, you want to find people who are willing to commit and work their business, not just join your team.

As we work toward achieving that amazing income, remember that perseverance is not one long, continuous effort.  Rather, it is many small efforts performed one after another.  Set and write down your long term goals.  Also set smaller goals along the way to give you a sense of achievement, which in turn motivates you to strive for the next goal.  Over time, you will see your income begin and continue to grow, limited only by your own efforts and dreams. 

As long as you enter the Network Marketing industry knowing what to expect and you are willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goals, you will become one of the success stories we all read about.

http://julie.joinxpress.com/overview.html

The Big Picture

When speaking to one of my team members today, we were discussing how, in network marketing, people often are unable to see “the big picture.”

As most people know, in network marketing a large percentage of those who join quit before they’ve put any real effort into their business.  I believe that is because they don’t have the right perspective, their overall view of what can be achieved is beyond them.

Those who can see "the big picture" are able to look beyond the immediate future, seeing in their mind through a wider lens that displays the true possibilities that lie before them.

There are network marketing companies that promise almost immediate success.  Although on rare occasions, someone’s business does take immediately, but it is bar far the exception, rather than the rule.

Network marketing companies that pay residual income do not pay a large amount for every sale an associate makes.  Rather, they will earn a small amount, but they’ll be paid that amount month after month, year after year, rather than being paid only once.  With residual income, once an associate builds a good income, even if they stop working their business, as long as they remain with the company, their residual income continues to come in.

I’ll use my own company as an example.  Xpress Healthcare sells discount health and dental plans and benefit plans that reduce our members’ costs in many other areas of their lives.  For instance, if I sell our top plan, I will be paid $15, which by itself may seem a rather small amount, not much at all.  However, I will be paid $15 every single month for every active account I sell.  Let’s say I sell our plans to a business with 100 employees.  From that one sale, I’ll be earning $1500 month after month.

In the grand scheme of things, $15 is looking better.  PLUS, I’ll be paid a percentage of the sales people on my team down two levels are paid.  So, in addition to the $15 I’m paid for my personal sales, I’ll be paid $2.50 each month for all of the top plans my team members sell.  Again, using that company with 100  employees example, if my team member made the sale, I’d be earning $250 per month, and I did no work for it!

Of course, anyone who “sticks it out” continues to make additional sales that begin stacking up, growing a larger and larger residual income.  Is that “big picture” beginning to look better? 

I personally believe that those who are unable to see “the big picture” should not work with a company that pays residual commission.  They should select a company that pays larger, one-time commissions.  If they are wise, they’ll invest it well.  If they are not, they may end up with nothing in the end.

With my own company, as with many others, the possibility of earning the “magical” six-figure income is very real for anyone willing to work for it and not quit.  I personally never worked a j-o-b where I came anywhere close to earning that much money, and if I quit that job, I received no additional paychecks.  So, what if you had to work two years, or three, or five?  Seeing that “big picture” up the road should keep you staying the course until you reach it. 

http://julie.joinxpress.com/overview.html

New Week, Fresh Start

Here we are at another new week.  I know it is Tuesday, but since Monday (yesterday) was the Memorial Day holiday here in the USA, most of us did not work yesterday, or at least not much.

So, what shall I do this week, and what challenges will I face? 

In just a few minutes, my husband and I will leave to go for a walk.  We walk half an hour most days to get a little exercise.  Since I sit at my desk for many hours a day, it is important for me to get in my walk.

Then, I have some “issues” to work on.  I had computer problems over the weekend, and I’ll have to get them handled today.

Genealogy is my hobby, and when my genealogy software in my computer went crazy, I called tech support who advised me to do a “clean” uninstall and then reinstall it.  I did, but now the system says I cannot reinstall it without the software manager “resetting” my install.  Of course, that office was closed over the long weekend.  So, today I’ll contact them.

Recently new tool bars and tools have been installing themselves in my computer without my knowledge. I already had Windows Essentials on my computer, supposedly to protect it from viruses, etc. (according to my technician that was enough).  Last night, I purchased and installed Avast for an additional layer of protection, since “something” seems to be accessing my computer.  I am definitely not a “techie,” so I’ll have to contact the technician I use today to help me get rid of whatever things have self-installed in my computer.

At some point during the day, I will actually get some work done on my business as well.  I have a few prospects I must contact, and I will get some posts on IBO Toolbox, Facebook, etc.  I will also place a few ads.

Since it is now 5:18 a.m. where I am, I shall now go have breakfast, take a shower, dress and take my walk.  Then, I will be fresh and ready to approach the day’s work.

5/29/2012

http://julie.joinxpress.com/overview.html

Quitting is NOT an Option!

I have often heard that of all those who join network marketing, 97% fail.  Fail?  I don’t think so.  Quit?  Very likely!  I really don’t have a precise percentage, but it may well be about 97% who quit without ever really trying. 

Far too many people get into network marketing expecting it to be easy.  With many companies, the work is uncomplicated, but it is work.  Many people should never be in network marketing to begin with, because they are not self-disciplined enough to work without a boss telling them what to do.  To work for themselves, they must be able to manage their time.  There are only 24 hours in each day, and if they do not utilize that time appropriately, they are unproductive, become frustrated that their business is not growing... and then they quit!

A small percentage of network marketers get into it knowing they will succeed, and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen.  They do not just want to succeed, they expect to succeed.  That small percentage of people actually usually works harder and longer hours than they ever did when they had a j-o-b.   I am among them, because no one will pay me unless I work and earn the money!  The residual income I am growing is my retirement.  If I ever decide I no longer want to work, my residuals must last me the rest of my life.

Once someone finds a business opportunity they love, with a product or service about which they are passionate, they are not stressed out by working long hours.  They have a feeling of satisfaction at the end of each day and look forward to “going to work” the following day.

During the several years I have been in network marketing, only a small fraction of those joining my team had the “quitting is not an option” attitude.  Most only planned to “give it a try,” and they gave up at the very first challenge.  I have gotten better about predicting which have the right attitude to succeed, but I am far from perfect.

I only speak to prospects who contact me.  I don’t call people on lead lists.  So, my prospects are “serious” candidates, but I still bring in a few new team members who deserved Academy Awards for their performance during our “interview.” Once they join, they disappear and apparently join the “witness protection program.”  And then, they join the 90+ percent who quit.    

http://ibourl.net/XpressOpportunity

I Am Blown Away!

The area where I live is known for many things.  Because of the history of the area, people often refer to it as “The Old West.”  “Cowboys and Indians” fought here.  This region is also the Hummingbird Capital of the United States, with myriad varieties of birds.  People come from around the world to see our birds.  Fort Huachuca, home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, is located here.  The San Pedro River, a river of major ecological importance and one of only two rivers that runs north from Mexico into the United States.

Another thing this area is known for is the frequent high winds.  Today’s forecast:

Strong and gusty winds will develop this morning and continue into late evening. A red flag warning and a wind advisory are in effect from 8 am to 11 PM MST. Areas of blowing dust are expected.

We have had a few very windy days this week, and it is expected to continue through tomorrow night.  I really dislike high winds.  Most people are not aware that wind can actually cause many physical and mental problems, because of the positive ions that come along with it.  You’re likely thinking about allergies, and wind can definitely cause allergy flare-ups.  However, in addition to allergies, studies show that the wind can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, respiratory problems, asthma and more.  Those pesky positive ions, for some people, cause nervousness, emotional unbalance, easily irritated, apathy, listlessness, insecurity, anxiety and depression.  I have asthma, and I become anxious when high winds blow for an extensive time – like this week.

Curious about wind, although I’ve always heard something about high and low pressure, I never really paid much attention.  So I did a little research.

I learned that wind is simply moving air (I didn’t need to be told that) and is caused by differences in air pressure within the atmosphere. When air is under high pressure, it moves toward areas of low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the air flows.

The highest wind ever measured by Doppler radar is 318 mph during an Oklahoma tornado in 1999.

Wind speeds are based on the descriptions of winds in a scale called the Beaufort Scale, which divides wind speeds into 12 different categories, from less than 1 mph to more than 73 mph.  The lowest wind speed on the scale, less than 1, is considered calm, and the highest, hurricane.

Evangelista Torricelli- physicist mathematician (and assistant to the astronomer Galileo) who lived in France during the 1700’s filled a long glass tube with mercury. He then turned it upside down into a dish, creating a vacuum keeping the mercury within the tube.  Torricelli was amazed to observe that the mercury was not at the same height in the tube every day.

Unbeknownst to him prior to this experiment, the varying levels were caused by changes in the atmospheric pressure. Torricelli had created a very important weather instrument, the barometer, which is still used today to measure air pressure.  The higher the mercury is within the barometer, the higher the air pressure.  Scientists today also use a more modern technique today to measure pressure in units called hectopascals.

My allergies and asthma do not feel any better, and I am still a bit anxious, but I did find it interesting to learn what is causing my problems.  I hope you did as well.

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