Team Motivation

There are many ways to keep your team motivated.   Here are a few.

·        It is important to keep your team members informed.
Be sure they are aware of everything that happens in the company that will effect them, directly or indirectly.  Hold regular meetings and/or conference calls.  We all feel more important if we feel like “insiders,” when we know about changes, improvements and news going on in the company.  If they feel as though they are not “in the loop,” their performance may suffer.

·        Acknowledge Accomplishments and Give Regular Feedback
Positive feedback is what keeps everyone moving forward.  It’s essential to improve your team’s work.  It’s not all about praises, but about objective and concrete information that helps them improve the performance of the team.  Don’t criticize if someone makes a mistake.  Instead, discuss ways they can improve their activities next time, asking for their input.

·        Praise Generously
Be sure to acknowledge and recognize a job well done, or even a great effort that perhaps didn’t provide the results they’d hoped for.   Don’t pass up an opportunity to make each person feel better about themselves and their work.

·         Leadership means learning to see the best in the others to empower their potential, which subsequently will help to fulfill the team’s goals.   When we treat everyone with respect and show our approval, we’re creating a climate where the team’s assets will actually appreciate in value.

·        Share the Vision
Create an exciting future by shaping a vision that it will compel your team to move toward it, to reach out and grab the prize.  Visions are powerful, and when they are shared and understood by your team, it helps to overcome any obstacles that may stand in the way.   

Steve Jobs - the "King" of Entrepreneurs

I saw this posted on linkedin.com.  It is such a well-written article, better than I could have written, I decided to share it here.  I give credit to the author at the bottom of this post.

STEVE JOBS 1955-2011

Steve Jobs was the Thomas Edison of our time. Just as the light bulb changed the way we looked at things so did the innovations that Steve imagined and produced. He was of the world's greatest marketers. We will miss him.

In his own words he expresses his philosophy of death elegantly:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

The world has lost one of the great visionaries in history. Yet he continues on as in inspiration to all of us that seek innovation, perfection and success. Our condolences to his family and the folks at Apple Corporation, and all who admired him.

Robert Fleming
CEO
eMarketing Association

www.emarketingassociation.com 

Like the Farmer, Seed, Cultivate, Harvest

In many ways network marketing is like farming.  You must plant the seeds before you can harvest.  Then, it takes a while for the seeds to grow.  If properly cultivated and cared for, with just the right amount of rain and sunshine, there will be a harvest.

Ask any farmer, and they’ll tell you that it can be a difficult life, but it can also be a great one.  One can never plan for crop failure due to drought or too much rain.  Even the economy can effect farming.  In bad years, the farmer may have to work a second job to keep food on the table. 

The farmer requires the same work ethic that network marketers require.  Many new to network marketing learn quickly that it isn't easy.  Like farming, you have to plant seeds before you can harvest.  The seeds take time to grow. 

Even a certain amount of faith is required.  If you don't expect the seed to grow to harvest, it likely will not.  You spread the seed, expecting it to harvest.  You really don’t know if or when it will happen, but you must continue the process.

Like other network marketers, I had to go through the seeding and weeding process.  Many people believe they can go straight from seed to harvest.  That doesn’t work in network marketing any more than it does in farming.  You and everyone you sponsor in your organization must go through a growth process.

Your prospects and/or new team members must have enough faith in you (seed) to even begin the process.   Once they begin to learn, you and they must take action (cultivation).  Finally, your new team member - if you've weeded well - will begin to follow your instructions and start to duplicate what you have done (harvest).

Another way to look at the “seeding” is relationship-building, through your blog, forum posts, etc.  You plant a seed that sometimes, but not always, grows.  As the relationship grows, the seeds too may begin to grow, and eventually, you have developed a “good prospect.”  

With blogs and forums, you cannot go out with the intention of growing prospects, or the process will likely fail.  With the wrong purpose – growing prospects – you are simply advertising.  Whereas if your intent is to truly grow relationships, a happy “side effect” is that sometimes, prospects will develop.

Network Marketing cannot be all about the money.  It must be about people. Build relationships, help develop people into leaders; then the people will build their own businesses, resulting in the growth of your own.

A successful network marketer is constantly growing and becoming the person they were meant to be.  Along the way, they are helping others grow into leaders.

Contest, Competition - Great Motivators!

Competition and contests are a great way to motivate your team members. You can offer a prize to the team member with the most sales and/or recruits in a given period of time.  OR, you can have a competition between your team and another team leader’s team.  Whatever the goal is, remind your team members daily about it, & you can even ask them for updates and/or send out team updates.  Personally, I do not believe in giving out the names or exact number of those who are writing business, because it can discourage other team members.  However, you can announce that the team, as a whole, has signed X number of people, and there are X number of people really rising to the challenge. 

Competition is a great motivator for many people.  So, you can use it to your advantage and see your team numbers may well increase!

Be sure to provide a prize to the winner. I usually do not tell in advance what the prize will be.  I have given company-inscribed pens, mugs, T-shirts, and even gift cards.  The gift isn’t nearly as important as the contest itself, but again, it will serve in motivating your team.  It is amazing how hard people will work for an “unknown” prize!

Keeping your team members “hyped up” and excited about your company, your products and even being part of your team can go a long way in helping to motivate your team to work harder, and subsequently earn more.  Try to offer contests frequently.  They can be for very short periods of time, say one week, or for an entire month.  And if you change the contests, your team will be excitedly awaiting the next one.

You are capable of more than you know...

“You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to be alone at times, and to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.”                  Edward O. Wilson Until quite recently, I did not believe this of myself.   How fortunate I have been to have found a mentor who has assigned me tasks I thought I could not accomplish; asked more of me than I thought I was capable of doing; praised me and raised me up to believe in myself. From the lessons I have learned from my mentor, I am now striving to "pay it forward."  I too want to help others to believe in themselves.   As a Leader in network marketing, I now realize that it is my duty, an obligation, to help others grow their own sense of confidence, thus allowing them to reach heights they never thought they could.

How to Use Forums with Your Business

Many of us use forums, but I know there are some internet & network marketers who do not.  I doubt there is anyone on this call who hasn’t heard of Facebook,                       even if you’ve never used it.  Facebook is a forum.

·                                 Exactly what is a forum?  An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms, which many of you are also familiar with, in that messages are not shown in real-time, to see new messages the forum page must be reloaded...

·                                 An Internet forum is a web application for holding discussions and posting user-generated content. Internet forums are also commonly referred to as Web forums, message boards, discussion boards, electronic discussion groups or forums and bulletin boards.

Forums can help you grow your teams, without even placing a single ad on them! I highly recommend that you check some out and use them to help your business grow.  If you know of others (than those I’ll mention later in this call), please share with us.

There are myriad forums throughout the Internet.  Some are for single moms, some for work-at-home moms, some for people interested in politics, business, finances, genealogy or economy.  I’ll provide you with a few sites later in this call, but feel free to search the internet for forums geared toward a subject you enjoy.

The first thing you’ll do when you go to a forum is to register.  Many allow you to register with a “user” name rather than your actual name.  You can do that if you wish, but remember that “branding” yourself to promote your business is important, so forums may help you in that manner.

 When you first join a forum, take some time to read some of the posts before you begin posting yourself. That way you can get the “tone” of each forum, learn the environment, what element of society posts there and what type of discussions take place there.  Once you get to know what the forum is about, it is important to participate on these forums.  Don’t just register & read posts.  And DO NOT use your posts as advertisements for your business!

         When you join each forum, it is very important to read their rules.  They are different at each site.  You may be suspended or banned from a site if you violate their rules.  Don’t let that scare you.  These are rules, not laws.  The only penalty a forum site can impose is suspension or banning you.  Just read over their rules, and you can ask your sponsor or a forum member if you don’t understand something.

        Once you get used to forums, you’ll likely really enjoy getting to know other members, learning from them and contributing to them.  You’ll grow relationships with other posters.

Try to spend some time each day on your favorite forums.  I suggest you set a scheduled amount of time each week to participate in forums, and stick to it.

·        Also, you’ll want to join groups within the sites.  Search the groups available, and join those you think you may enjoy.  You can always “unsubscribe” from a group later if you wish.

Once you’ve established relationships in a group, a contact may ask you what you do.  At that point, feel free to say something like, “I sell xxxx with xxxx.”  That’s it.  Don’t go into a big presentation.  If they want to know more, they’ll ask.

Also, one of the best ways to get one of your contacts to ask what you do is to ask what they do first!  You must show interest.  As long as they are affiliated with a reputable company, you need not feel as though you’re being phony about it.  There is no business that’s a good fit for everyone, and just because their business isn’t something you’d like to do, it doesn’t mean that they don’t love what they do as much as you love what you're doing.  So, when they say they work for XYZ company, if you aren’t familiar with them, ask them about it.  If you do know their company – say it’s Avon – you can mention that you know what a really good company they are.  And something like, “It’s great that you found something you enjoy doing so much.”

·        Some of these sites offer a signature block, which means that every time you post on the site, you’re also posting a mini-ad.  I suggest your signature block contain your name, your company name, and one of your websites.

·        On WAHM, you must post 30 times before you qualify for a signature block.  You’ll want to post wherever you see a forum that seems interesting to you, but do NOT post just to get your 30 in.  You must be contributing to the “conversation.” 

            Some forums offer free or paid advertising.  If it’s free, be sure to take advantage of it, but keep in mind, oftentimes those ads will appear among the posts.  So you don’t want to place too many ads and appear to be using the site just for that purpose. 

Two VERY IMPORTANT items I’d like to advise you about when posting on forums.

1.      Anyone can join & read these forums.  Keep that in mind when you post.  For instance, on general forums, I avoid posting anything related to politics.  Since we all have different opinions about political affairs, I believe it could be harmful to my business relationships if I get involved in political discussions.

VERY Important!  NEVER bash or insult anyone or any company on a forum.  It is always against the rules, but more than that, it is rude & unprofessional.


There are probably hundreds of forums, some are just for women or men, some specific industry-related or hobby-related.  Using your browser, search for forums to use that you like.  Give several a try.  If you like one, great.  If not, you can delete your profile or simply not participate.


Forums are an excellent tool, but only when used properly.  So go out there, and enjoy posting!

Five "P's" to a Successful Home Business

Building a home business is not much different than owning and building any other business.  The keys to your success are very similar.  The following are what I call "The Five P's to Grow a Successful Home Business."

 

Persistence

Be Persistent in everything you do with your business.  Don’t place three online ads, and wait for responses.  Place three ads every day.  Don’t call a prospect once, leave a message and give up.  Follow up with them.

Patience

A good, solid business takes time to build.  Is it worth it to you to work a few years to earn a six-figure income?  Most of us start out slowly.  Once you do start writing business, as long as you are Patient, more and more business will come your way.  The only way you will not achieve success is if you:

·        Do not focus or work on your business

·        Try to “reinvent the wheel.”  Do as you are trained by the leaders.

·        Quit

Perserverance

Sometimes live gets in the way for us all.  Things happen.  Problems arise in our personal and professional lives.  As long as you keep working your business, Persevere no matter what obstacles come up, you will build a successful business.

Positive

Attitude can make a difference between success and failure.  If you joined your company to “give it a try,” you’ve left the “back door” open to escape when the first obstacle arises.  If, however, you KNOW you will grow a successful business, if you are Positive that you can do it, you will, in your time.

Passion

Although Passion for your business will grow with time, even when you first begin, if you feel strongly about the company, about your products and/or service and about the business you intend to build, you already have the seeds of Passion.

After you’ve been in your business a short time, you’ve worked it and stayed focused on your goals, you will feel passionate about what you’re doing.  That Passion will help to push you toward the finish line.  It will help you strive for whatever your goals may be, and you will become your “best you!”