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