Does it ever seem like you could be so much more successful if only you had a crystal ball to show you everything you needed to know?

There is so much to know when you are building an MLM business from home, especially when you are using the internet.

These days, technology and the web are changing almost every day.  Just look at how Facebook changes its platform so often.

Most people don’t have the money to invest in costly programs or high fee mentors.

The Mentoring For Free program offers fresh and updated training on how to build your Network Marketing business from home using no or low cost methods.

Your Mentors serve you for free with no agenda.

But WHY do Network Marketers need to align themselves with a MasterMind group in order to be successful?

We have been discussing this very issue on our Mental Cleanse calls, most recently with Chapter 5, Specialized Knowledge, in Think and Grow Rich. 

My fellow mentor, Ken Klemm,  submitted a brilliant lesson to explain this principle using a fabulous Apple Orchard story.

Enjoy!

“So, You want to go into the apple business?

 
GREAT! Where will you go to learn all about apples, how
to plan an orchard, the tools You will need, and where
to get them and how to use them, etc?Is there an Apple University? Well, there are many fine
schools who have an agriculture department – and lots
of books available.

Maybe You already have an apple orchard, but You’re
having some challenges.

Where will You turn for help? Visit some orange groves
in Florida? Nice vacation maybe, but it’s apples and
oranges!

What about pineapples? Kind of SOUNDS like apples…
No?

How about the U.S. Apple Association? …Better.

Maybe You should look to Your local state apple growers
association. After all, growing apples in Washington is
probably a little different than growing them in
Wisconsin or Virginia.

But why would other apple growers share their tips and
SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE with You? Why would they
cooperate with a competitor?

Because there is a big demand for apples and the things
people make with them. Helping You with Your orchard
makes the apple industry stronger.

If something goes really wrong at Your orchard, it
could adversely affect the industry in the entire
region, possibly even nationwide. Consumer health,
confidence, etc.

So, these folks are Your BEST source for help. Not only
are they actually DOING what You want to do, they also
have a vested INTEREST in Your SUCCESS.

The only place apple growers compete is at local,
county, and state fairs.

Mentoring For Free is the MLM growers association.

Don’t want a big, massive orchard? Just a few trees?
GREAT! We will help You too – ESPECIALLY You. Because,
actually, YOU ARE THE HOPE FOR THE WORLD!

Your Friend and Servant,
Ken Klemm – Florida, USA

P.S. By now You may think I have a passion for
apples… Not really, but I SAW an orchard once. I even
had a wild apple tree in my backyard.”

 

 

Get it?  If you do, you can download my free ebook, Success In 10 Steps, and start finding out what you can learn from the MLM Growers Association.

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen
mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

First of all I want to wish you and your family a HAPPY NEW YEAR celebration and a blessed year 2011 ahead with much JOY, HAPPINESS and PROSPERITY!

The end of a year always holds something good for us.

It allows us to reflect back to see what we achieved and to plan ahead on how to surpass yesteryear without the failures of the past.

For me, 2010 was an awesome year with oodles of excitement as well as increasing my knowledge and results in building my Network Marketing business.

Many people crossed my path during the last 12 months.

I have been so blessed to help alleviate people’s frustrations when it came to understanding how to build their network marketing businesses.

I found during our conversations that many people face the same challenges.

The challenges I heard included

1. How to find qualified people to talk to without emptying the bank account or maxing out credit cards;

2. How to put all of the information available out there into an organized system to be able to learn the skills needed to bring results;

3. How to logically evaluate opportunities in order to avoid scams and find the best business to build one’s dream income.

Now, what about YOU?
How did you do during the last 12 months?

Did you find the solutions you were seeking to bring you your MLM business success?

As it turns out, the path to success is traveled following a specific step by step process.

At Mentoring For Free, we follow a tested and proven system to help other entrepreneurs resolve their challenges.

The Number 1 requirement for this system to work is Your Action.

The first step is writing out your WHY for doing your business as explained in the ebook, Success In 10 Steps. You can follow this link for the free ebook download:  Success In 10 Steps eBook.

The next step is listening to the core trainings in our introductory series here.

Once you download and read the ebook, I’ll send you those core training audios.

The most crucial audio in the set is the Five Pillars, so you won’t want to miss that!

All other steps are lead by contact with your personal mentor who will tailor your training program according to your unique needs, challenges and interests.

As you ring in the New Year of 2011, what will your New Year’s Resolutions be?

Will you sit back on your sofa and wish for increased wealth and the ability to provide your family with more of the finer things in life? Or perhaps hoping for a winning lottery ticket?

Or will you Take the Action necessary to make your Dreams become a burning Desire that will fuel your Journey on the path to Success?

Again, I wish you the utmost JOY, HAPPINESS, and PROSPERITY for 2011 to you and your family.

I am available to serve you in your Journey. Connect with me anytime.

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen Miller
email: mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

Oh dear….I feel a need to get on my soapbox, so ya’ll better listen up!

Sometimes I just need to speak up about something I think can cause a lot of grief for my fellow network marketers.

Every time I see someone shouting out about some famous superstar endorsing their MLM company’s product, and how THAT PROVES how wonderful their business opportunity is I just want to scream!

STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  DON’T GO THERE!

Companies who seek to put their credibility on the value of a famous star’s endorsement are more about hype and distracting prospect’s attention to glitz than the real business opportunity.

My friends, the ONLY WAY to evaluate an MLM business opportunity is to measure it up against the 5 Pillars.

Does the Company Management have Experience and Integrity?

Has the Company passed the “early failure” Time Line?

Is there a Reasonably Priced Remarkable Product?

Compensation Plan & Part-Timers?

Is there a System for Success?

Whenever someone presents me with an opportunity, I always ask for the Contract and Policies and Procedures.

Fully understanding these two documents is where your Network Marketing business is going to be built.

It has absolutely NOTHING to do with Mr. or Ms. Famous Superstar.

They know nothing about how the average network marketer builds a business or networks…it sure isn’t by schmoozing!

Famous endorsers have their Business Agents make these deals for them based on how profitable the deal will be for the Super Star, NOT the network marketers who will be building the business.

Think about it…where do you think the company is getting the money to pay for the endorsement?

Do you think it is going to come out of corporate’s budget or out of the pay plan?

Hmmmm….

OK, I’m climbing down now.

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen
mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

ps…

I’d love for you to leave a comment, like or tweet.

The great inspirational leader, Zig Ziglar, once said, “Many people spend more time in planning the wedding than they do in planning the marriage.”

What does planning a wedding have to do with building your Network Marketing business?

Everybody knows how much time and money a bride-to-be invests in her wedding. It is very easy to get caught up in the hype and be seduced by the glittery gowns, shiny limos, and fine foods to be served at the reception.

Before she knows it, the bill is $10K or more, and sadly…50% of marriages end in divorce.

If only the couple had put as much planning and effort into building a strong foundation and having support systems in place for the bumpy times.

Starting a Network Marketing business is a lot like planning a wedding.

We get starry eyed and hooked on focusing on our dreams. It is easy to get sidetracked with all of the glitter and hype.

We think we are prepared and have the guidance we need to succeed, but so often, many of us find achieving our goals and reaching our dreams far out of reach.

Then we quit.

Wouldn’t it be better to know there was a way to plan for building a strong foundation and have the support systems in place for the bumpy times in our business building?

Wouldn’t it be better to know how to succeed at being the 3% who actually make it in MLM?

There’s no great secret to this…no special person you have to become.

Be Yourself.

Be Committed.

Be Persistent.

Be Focused.

Be Informed.

Learn how to ask the 5 Critical Questions to your Success and Know How to Get the Answers.

Send me an email to mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com requesting an audio training of the Five Pillars to Success.

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen
email: mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

“The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their Dreams.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

PS: Be sure to check read our FREE eBook which shows you step-by-step how to reach your dreams.
http://mlmsuccess4u.successin10steps.com

One of the marketing platforms we often use in promoting our network marketing businesses online is social networks.

Facebook and MySpace are likely the most popular…and free…social networking sites on the web.

There are other sites, and although they have a more targeted membership, they aren’t as globally large and well known.

Sometimes when making friend connections on Facebook and MySpace, we may blunder and connect with people who are not the best business contacts.

The most effective way to friend people who have the same interests in network marketing is to join groups focused on network marketing, MLM, generating leads, and online marketing.

From the groups’ membership, we make connections with others who probably share our interests in building a home based business.

Most of the time, friendship requests are approved without hardly getting to know the other person.

We make initial cordial thank you-s for the friend connection, then move on to other activities.

After making thousands of connections, it is easy to overlook people in your network who are not appropriate business associates.

As I have written before, when building your business on Facebook, or other social network sites, you need to keep your profile focused for business building.

All other activities need to be kept on your personal profile.

It’s too easy to waste time on social network sites.  To effectively build a home based business part time, you must be disciplined with your time management.

As you go through your Newsfeed, Messages, Event & Group Invitations, and “Other” Requests, it will become easy to find friend blunders.

These will be people who actually are not as interested in building their network marketing business on the same professional level as you are.

With a 5,000 friend limit on Facebook, it is wise to perform a Friend Cleanse every so often.

Follow the clues.

No Comprendo. 

We often friend people from different countries and cultures.  However, if their only language they use on Facebook is their native dialect, and you don’t speak it, what’s the point?

It is wise to suggest them as a friend to one of your teammates who does speak their language and then un-friend them.

Wanna Play?

There are people who do business networking and want to engage their contacts in games, like Mafia Wars or Farmville.

These games are fun and very addicting.  Hours are easily wasted every day on these games.

Serious business builders simply do not have the time to play these games frivolously.  The invitations to play are clutter and time consuming.

Contacts spending more time on games than they spend on effective networking activities may not be interested in building and may not be interested in what you have to offer.

Dodge Ball!

You will find some of your contacts are so busy promoting their groups and events that they show up several times a week or even daily.

You end up getting hit with their promotions so much you feel like you’re in a game of Dodge Ball.

These people are so busy doing their thing that they are probably not paying attention to what you are doing or what anyone else is doing.

You have to decide whether it is worth putting up with their activity stream to  keep them in your contacts hoping they will eventually get worn out and take advantage of what you have to offer.

Or they may never stop playing their Dodge Ball game to notice that you unfriended them.

The Big Dogs.

There are many Network Marketers we connect with who are already successful in their businesses.

They are there to build and will never join a small part-timer whose main goal is to make about $1000 a month.

So why network with these Big Dogs?

If they actually are offering valuable training and inspiration that benefits you, then keep the connection.

If you’re not gaining any knowledge from their friendship, then unfriend them to make room for someone you can have a mutually beneficial relationship with.

Just Not There.

Sometimes we connect with someone from an MLM or similar interest group and we later find out that they are not really interested in the business at all.

We may not have looked at their profile closely enough and not realized that they have nothing on their profile to indicate any business activities.

There are those who you may tag in a note or video and they leave very negative comments behind.

They are not just disagreeing with your point of view, they are bashing you and MLM.

Unfriend them immediately before they do damage to your image.

The Soapbox.

The last group of people to closely evaluate are the ones who voice their personal opinions about religion, politics, or current events to the point of being obnoxious.

Business is business.  There is no place in a professional business setting to heavily declare personal views.

People who use their profiles to promote their personal agendas are not likely going to make good business contacts.

Unfriend them from your business profile.  If you share their opinions, then invite them to be friends on your personal profile.

It’s Business.

Keep in mind that your decisions on who you keep as a contact on your Facebook business profile are entirely based on good business.

There is nothing personal about it.

If others unfriend you, they may not share your interest or find value in what you are offering.

That is OK.  You cannot please everyone.  Your goal has to be to appeal to the majority of people in your target niche.

Constantly revise your friend’s list and your activities on Facebook to polish your business presence.

This is how you will attract success focused people to you.

Believe in Your Success, I Do!
Karen
mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

Those of us marketing our home based businesses online often build up accounts at several social networking sites, traffic exchanges, article directories, and other sites commonly used to network with potential business leads.

It is quite easy to get distracted and and start wandering around in cyberspace.  Your time gets swallowed up without realizing it.  You also end up feeling fatigued and unfocused.

Social Networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are notorious for taking up hours of time.

It is critical that you make a list of your daily marketing activities.

• List the site,
• Exactly what you will do on the site,
• How much time you will spend there,
• What time of the day or evening you will do it.

You have to stick to your list and not get distracted.

Once you are finished with your online marketing  activities, close your browser windows and walk away from the computer.

You may think you can surf the internet and find valuable content for your business.

Your time would be better spent contacting your customers, following up on your leads, and touching base with your team to brainstorm.

If you like to surf the net, schedule it into your activities and save it for after you have done more important things.

Last thing…always give yourself a day off!

You need one day a week to unplug from your business activities, turn off the computer and enjoy your family!

To be effective at building your Network Marketing business online, you have to keep yourself from getting lost in a virtual world.

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen
mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

When approached with an opportunity to join a Network Marketing Business, you are often presented with a Compensation Plan.

Usually someone in your prospective sponsor’s upline who has reached a high leadership level will explain it.

There are usually graphs, diagrams, and examples illustrated.

The presentation most likely focuses on what you could potentially earn if you build big.

This often leaves the prospect…you…starry eyed and quivering with the anticipation of making enough money to pay off your debts and house, retire early, and buy your own private paradise island complete with a yacht.

One of the tables that might be overlooked in the presentation is the disclosure of Distributor Statistics.

These statistics may tell you the percentage of distributor retention, average earnings, and rate of advancement. 

Additional Distributor Statistics

51% of our distributors earn between $126.00 and $646.00 annually.

2% of distributors advance from a development level to a leadership level.

47% of distributors advance beyond the basic rank.

The above numbers tell us important realities.

1.  Just over half of the distributors make on average $126 to $646 annually. 

That means per year! 
That works out to an average of $10.50 to $54 per month.
Most would agree those figures are a far cry from the 5 figure per month incomes we are shown during presentations!  

2.  Only 2% of all distributors advance to leadership positions.

That is likely the level one has to achieve in order to make those 5 figure incomes.

3.  Almost half of all distributors advance beyond the basic level.

This could mean any level of advancement.
It at least indicates that almost half of the people putting in an effort to build a business actually do make some progress.

It is important to pay attention to these figures for one reason.

It helps to get your feet planted firmly on the ground!

The people presenting the comp plan and other aspects of the business opportunity are not intentionally misleading you.

But the fact remains that part of your success in a Network Marketing business is in sponsoring new distributors.

To maximize distributor satisfaction and create a feeling that each person is successful and building their business, you need to sponsor people relatively quickly.

Therefore, business presentations are designed to dangle a shinny object in front of a prospect who is hungry for extra money.

Key elements are presented in writing right in front of your face, but not directly explained in the presentation.

Often these items are not seen or read until after signing on the dotted line…if at all.

Make a point of reading everything before you sign!  At least you will be entering your new opportunity with your eyes wide open.

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen
mentor.karen.j.miller@gmail.com

Many people may be wondering why an ordinarily intelligent woman would choose to get involved in network marketing.

Isn’t network marketing a scam?
Isn’t network marketing a pyramid scheme?
Don’t you have to bother all of your friends and family?
Don’t only the top 3% ever make those big incomes?

Well, the answers to these questions are yes and no.
It all depends on the company you’re involved with, how your sponsors treat you, and the quality & scope of the training they provide.

Let me assure you, I am an intelligent woman and I do know what I’m doing.
Let me share with you some of what I learned about Network Marketing {aka Multi Level Marketing, MLM, Affiliate Marketing, Direct Sales}.

First thing that I learned is that you have to do your research.
You need to…
…understand the Network Marketing business model;
…understand how Network Marketing fits into today’s financial climate;
…understand if Network Marketing is for you.

Next, you have to know what you’re doing when choosing the company you want to be affiliated with.

This is where many of us fail miserably.
We get captivated by the glitz and hype, usually delivered by well meaning people.
People who are just like us…everyday, average working folks who are looking to make extra income from home…and some who are realizing the American Dream of making a full time income from their home-based business.

We are told that “anyone can do this”, “all we have to do is make a list of 100 friends & family”, “pick up the phone”, “just listen and talk to people”.

Yeah right. It didn’t work too well for me, either.

Do you get mad at your sponsor and blame them for your failure?
After all, they are simply training us the same way they were trained.

Do we get mad at ourselves and blame ourselves for being miserable, unteachable failures?
After all, when we are not successful at this, we are told we are not trying hard enough, or some other excuse.

The truth is…It’s not your fault!

Trying to work your way through all of the companies and pitches and training programs can make your head spin,not to mention max out your credit cards!

Fortunately, I found help right when I needed it.

A good friend of mine introduced me to Mentoring For Free.

Mentoring For Free was founded by Michael Dlouhy to give back to the industry….Michael’s mission is to fight the scammers and help fellow Network Marketers learn the skills necessary to be successful.

Let’s face it, Network Marketing is a business.
We need to change our mindset and start treating it as a business.
We need to start treating ourselves as business professionals.

Whether you are a doctor or a ditch digger, you need real training for your profession.
It is no different for Network Marketers.

I have received the training and learned skills that have helped me build my business.
I am now also giving back to the industry by being a mentor and coach to fellow network marketers.

I am happy to offer you the same help I received.
Join me in a training program that is completely free.
Join me in a training program that will change your life.

You can start here by downloading my free eBook, Success In 10 Steps.