Archives for December 2010

Time Leverage in Network Marketing

This is the ability to get paid month after month on the work that you do one time.

A good analogy that you are already familiar with is the franchising industry. In franchising, the franchisee, or one who purchases the rights to do business using a well-known business name such as McDonald’s, pays a royalty fee every month to the franchiser, or parent company. It’s always a percentage of the profits earned.

The parent company, or McDonald’s, has incredible time leverage. The more McDonald’s stores they have around the world, the more money they make.

But, the parent company certainly doesn’t do all of the work. If they have 5,000 stores, each open 18 hours a day, 90,000 hours are worked daily on their behalf.

The concept works in much the same way with our business system, except you don’t have to pay a royalty fee each month! Imagine building a “franchise” system of hundreds and thousands of Team Partners Sending Out Cards and Gifts to friends and potential prospects.

What might that mean to you over time?

Here is an example – let’s say you start your own Greeting Card and Gift business and begin by investing five hours per week into your business. You introduce your card business system to Mike and begin working with him. He also puts five hours a week into his card and gift business. You now have 10 hours per week working on your behalf, although you are only putting in five hours yourself.

If you and Mike each bring in a new partner, who each commit to five hours, you will soon be benefiting from 20 hours per week. Remember, your actual time involvement is only five hours each week.

By the end of the first month, you have forty hours each week working on your behalf. At the end of the second month, over 640 hours will be invested into your business each week, but not all by you. You are only putting in five.

Do you see the beauty of time leverage?

In network marketing, we are paid for opening “outlets” and teaching those “outlets” to be successful. Who can you send out a card to now and introduce this amazing system?

And, remember, franchising was thought to be a scam in the ’70s, when it first began.

Here is Part 1 if you missed it! – What Is Network Marketing.

If you think this would be helpful to others, “Tweet It” or “Like It” at the top of the page or “Share It” right below!

I would love to hear your feedback and comments. Let’s exchange ideas below. Just leave your thoughts/questions.

Are You Making New Year’s Resolutions?

By Jackie Ulmer Leave a Comment

New Year’s Resolutions

It’s a funny time of year. Soon, the gyms and weight loss clinics across the glove will be filled with people who all did one thing – they made a resolution for the New Year to slim down; take some weight off; get healthy.

Sadly, less than 10% will succeed with this new goal and plan.

Most have not written down this goal and that makes a big difference between setting the goal and achieving the goal.

How are you coming in your goal to be financially free? Do you have your goals written down? Have you started your business yet? I don’t just mean have you signed up. That isn’t really starting. I mean are you in action; sending a card a day and a gift a week?

Are you following up? Are you asking people to send out a card through their system so they can experience the power in the system?

Maybe you haven’t even signed up yet. What are you waiting for?

The economy to get better? You control your own economy.

The stars to align just right? You align your own stars.

Your belief to improve? Is that it? Do you struggle with belief over whether you can succeed in your own home based business?

Let me ask you a question – if I can do it (and I have and I am!) why could you not? I promise you, if you will just get committed, you can have exactly what you want!

And, I would love to help you in that journey!

How would you like to have an Online Greeting Card Business? Would you like to be part of the next “Netflix?” The Netflix of the Greeting Card Business?

Help us revolutionize the world! Help us create and spread a message of abundance!

Change the story in your mind and watch the story of your life change. It takes a simple action!

Bugs on Your Business Windshield

By Jackie Ulmer Leave a Comment

Business Challenges – How Will You Handle Them?

On a recent road trip, I experienced firsthand some “bugs on the windshield.” We were out of the city, driving up a mountain and drove through a LARGE swarm of some kind of big, awful bug and our windshield was SOAKED in guts and water (sorry, a little graphic!)

It made me think about some of the challenges people face sometimes in their network marketing business and that phrase we hear in Network Marketing – “Bugs on the Windshield.”

Sometimes, you get pounded with a swarm. Here are some examples –

Someone who you really counted on as a leader quits.

Someone who you really counted on signs up with someone else.

The company events are too far.

You waited on hold too long for customer service.

There are too many conference calls.

There is too much training.

There isn’t enough training.

There are too many emails.

An email or phone call doesn’t get returned quickly enough.

The answer can’t be found.

Whatever it is, all of us have those times that we feel the bugs have invaded. It’s going to happen in life; friendships; with children; and with our life partners. Sometimes, it invades an entire town or community. It certainly happens in business.

You’ve heard it before – Tough times don’t last but tough people do.

You are here because you are “a tough person!!!”

NOTE TO SELF – STOP WHINING; STOP THE PITY PARTY; STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF; GET OFF YOUR DUFF AND GET BACK IN THE GAME.

We all have stuff that goes on in real life and things that get us down. And, the key words are – WE ALL DO! Everyone who ever built a successful business; every athlete who ever won the gold medal; everyone everywhere has challenges.

It’s how we deal with those challenges that make the difference between those who succeed and those who will quit.

The reality is, we can’t change any of the past, or those things that have happened.

Things change; people change; teams change. My son cried his 7 year old heart out at the end of his first hockey season. He knew he would not get the same team again the next season. He was right. He had a different team; and another one the next season, and so on. And they were all wonderful in their own way, and yet different.

Our team’s will change; leadership changes; products change, and yet there is always reason to embrace that change and make room for the new that awaits us. It’s all about looking at the door opening and not at the one closing.

You are a champion. And, you have a championship season ahead of you. If you just stay in the game, you won’t choke at the free throw line. You’ll sink the ball; be lifted on the team’s shoulders and ride off into the sunset.

When business “slow downs” happen, the first thing to look at is yourself. Did you change anything? Make an adjustment? Take time out to do this, that or the other thing? What are you doing differently? Are you taking the same action steps daily?

There are two things that speak loud and clear – results and excuses.

Which do you produce more of on a daily basis?

When your business isn’t moving forward the way you want it to, who do you blame?

When chaos consumes your life, who do you blame?

At the end of the day, when you are in a funk, who do you blame?

In my early days in my business, I lived with a lot of excuses and blame –

Things will be better when the company does THIS.

Things will be better when my downline does THAT.

More people will be interested when THIS happens.

What a train wreck that kind of thinking was!

I have watched people spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours building systems and the “perfect” mousetrap, and yet no more mice were caught. I’ve looked for that holy grail as well.

Success in this business is NOT about systems; NOT about the next new product; NOT about the perfect script; NOT about what others can and should do for you.

Yes, systems can help; and new products are nice; and new scripts may feel more comfortable. But they are not what determine your ultimate success.

Success in this business, day in and day out, lies with YOU. Every day, success is a choice. Every step you take and every step you delay determines your success.

What steps will you take and what steps will you delay today? The answers will determine your success and the speed of it.

Today, I feel empowered by what lies ahead; challenged by the new things that are coming; new trainings being taught and new ways of reaching out to people. We don’t need more training; more calls; or more “stuff.” We just need more nuts and bolts action. Everything anyone needs to be successful is already available. The leaders will reach out and grab it. You just need to point them in the right direction and certainly, support them.

If someone on your team doesn’t take action, and you know you have done your job in pointing and supporting, please don’t feel that somehow you haven’t done enough or could be doing more. Success and the desire for it comes from within each person.

Some get started and succeed without ever having any real sponsorship at all and yet they sought out what they needed. The leaders will always do that. Be there to celebrate and embrace the moment with them.

Join us! We look forward to the journey with you!

How’s Your Likeability Factor

By Jackie Ulmer Leave a Comment

Is It That Difficult to Be Liked?

Are you over focused on productivity and being efficient? As a business culture, have we lost our way with how important simple appreciation and gratitude is?

Did you know that success in the workplace is directly related to popularity? Now relax, if you are conjuring up visions of high school and that social scene. As adults, we often measure popularity on a whole new scale.

So think what will set you apart and make you likable; and memorable to those who you work with; your clients and your potential business partners.

Imagine if you sent out cards from time to time to your top clients; business prospects and sales team? How far would that go to make them feel appreciated and make you more memorable and likable to them?

Tim Sanders, the Chief Solutions Office at Yahoo.com said – “Our nation is so focused on efficiency and productivity that we forget that “likeability” is truly our lifeline. People who are likable, or who have what I call a high “L-Factor” tend to land jobs more easily, find friends more quickly and have happier relationships. I now believe that having a high “L-Factor” isn’t just a way to improve your life, it’s a way to save it!”

A 2000 Yale University study concluded that today’s successful business leaders, for the most part, attained their competitive edge through their “likeability” factor, and that being a high one!

So, what can you do today to increase your “L-Factor”?

We offer a business that thrives in this department. Won’t you join us?