Opportunity Knocks. Will You Answer?

Fric and Frac and
The Success Maniacs

Volume 2, Issue 3
January 18, 2002

We are dedicated to teaching about Opportunity and how to access it. In the coming issues you will see us talk more and more about owning a home-based business, as we believe that is the best economic Opportunity available today. We will still talk about other kinds of Opportunity as well. Feedback is always welcome. Please send all comments to Fric@SuccessManiacs.com. Positive and Negative are welcome.

Who are three people who would like to read this EZine? Please pass this EZine along to them.

CONTENTS:

1.) Publisher's Note

2.) Power Thought – How Do You Start Momentum?

3.) Recommended Resource – Psychology of Recruiting

4.) Article – The Internet for Small Business... Tool or Distraction?

5.) Promotions - The Five Adversaries of MLM Tape

6.) Pass It Along

1.) Publisher's Note

As I write this, it looks to be an incredibly busy year for 2002. My own networking business is poised to really explode this year and produce a great income... My involvement as the National Marketing Director of the MLM Challenge is expanding... My work with Doug Firebaugh, PassionFire.com and other projects is heating up... Fric and Frac Productions is starting to generate some interest... My consulting business suddenly got HUGELY busy...

I could go on and on... All this started me thinking about the old adage, 'When it rains, it pours.' That is all about momentum, really. This week's Power Thought is on that.

2002 is going to be a watershed year personally, professionally and nationally. Personally, because there are so many positive things that are happening in my life. Professionally, because all my years of hard work, self-development and learning are really starting to pay off in a big way. And nationally, it's pretty easy to see why as our country moves to eradicate as much organized terrorism as possible.

I would bet that many, if not all, of you can say the same thing.

What does this mean? Well... It means that this is a year full of OPPORTUNITIES!

The best Opportunities come in a time of change. This is certainly that time. Whether the economy is in decline, expansion, conversion (as in from manufacturing to service to information) or even stagnation, something somewhere is CHANGING. It's our job to watch for it and be prepared to pounce on it.

I recommend to each of you to be aware of change and how you can take advantage of it. Think outside the box. Because in the box, there are walls that limit you. Outside the box there are no walls except the ones that YOU build...

See you next week!

Fric

2.) Power Thought – How Do You Start Momentum?

When it rains, it pours. We have all heard that at some point, haven't we? We have probably said it. I actually said it yesterday in reference to the amount of consulting work that suddenly seems to be popping up for me after a drought at the end of the year. I meant it in a good way, though most use it in a negative way.

I started thinking about the phrase and its relationship to momentum.

Isn't that what it means? That momentum has begun? Usually against you, too.

So, then it started me thinking about what creates momentum...

Two things I think.

1. Belief in the certainty of something

2. Consistent action

Belief is required in that you have to be sure that good (or bad) things are going to happen and keep happening. As I have written about many times here, what you believe will happen is sure to happen, because your mind will make sure that it will happen. You will subconsciously do things that support the belief. So for positive momentum to happen, you absolutely MUST believe that it will.

Consistent action is partially an outgrowth of belief. By taking action consistently, even small actions, you are affirming that you believe positive momentum is coming. Do things that will move you in a positive direction. Even small things like reading a positive book for 5 minutes a day or getting up 15 minutes earlier or just visualizing positive future events will start momentum.

Momentum is nothing more than a sustained series of events that propel you in a particular direction. It is not something that can be imposed upon you. It is not something that is beyond your control either. Think about sports and momentum. In football for instance, when a team is on a roll during a game, they do EVERYTHING right. They hit the passes, run the ball, make the first downs, score, they defend, intercept the ball, sack the opposing QB, etc. etc.

The team on the negative side of momentum often never gets back in the game, though it isn't because they can't. It's because they lose confidence or belief in their ability to do so.

Did you catch that? It is a MAJOR CLUE!!!!!

They don't BELIEVE THEY CAN WIN. They may not say it, but everyone can SEE it in their attitudes and actions. (Belief and consistent action)

So when you desire to start positive momentum, you must believe in it and take consistent action toward your goals. Take little steps at first. Do the small things that are easy to help support your belief. As you get more confident and consistent, take bigger steps, bigger actions. You will find that they will become easier as you progress.

Why is that?

Because you no longer doubt the outcome. You have conditioned yourself to believe and do not accept failure as a possibility.

This is an incredibly powerful state to be in. How often have you been there before? What was it like? What kinds of things did you do? What did you think about?

The answers to these questions are also ways to build the belief faster.

Remember those things and visualize yourself like that again every day for even 5 minutes, and you will speed up your belief and your progress.

Momentum is an awesome thing when in the right direction.

What about if it is in the wrong direction?

That means you believe in a negative outcome and are consistently doing things to make sure that happens. Many call this self-sabotage, depression, being in a funk, drift, etc.

The only way to break out of it is to do what we talked about above. You absolutely MUST NOT let a negative momentum keep you in thrall for too long. It happens to all of us at one time or another, but we cannot let it rule our lives. If we do, it can and will destroy us and our families.

Look for some future articles on the website (http://www.SuccessManiacs.com) or here in the EZine about this...

3.) Recommended Resource – Psychology of Recruiting

Doug Firebaugh is not only a good friend and partner; he is hands down one of the best network marketing trainers in the world. On Psychology of Recruiting, Doug has a conversation with Ben Johnson, a $4 BILLION producer in the MLM industry about recruiting, connecting, leadership and so much more. Ben Johnson is a master at this business and offers great insight on these topics that you don't hear too often.

Whether you are in network marketing or ANY sales, I think this tapeset MUST be on your shelf and in your car. You can go the PassionFire website and get this 6 tape set for only $59.95.

Go to http://www.passionfire.com and click on the A.N.S.E.R. Store link.

4.) Article – The Internet for Small Business... Tool or Distraction?

I love the internet.

I admit it... I am a geek.

There... It's out. No longer a secret.

(I can just hear my wife saying, 'It was a secret?')

I love technology and the tools it can provide us with. For instance, how many of us could do our businesses without things like the phone, the cassette player, the VCR and hundreds of other things?

The internet (specifically the world wide web) is now a part of our daily lives. Yet, just 6 or 7 years ago, hardly anyone was online. In that time we have become a nation of web junkies. This past Christmas saw more people than ever buy online. It also saw the first time that more people went online to shop than look at porn.

As a network marketer and a consultant, I use the internet daily. I send emails, direct people to my websites, etc.

There are even many network marketers that do their businesses almost entirely ONLINE.

Last year PassionFire Intl. did a study about marketing and the internet. They found that only about 20% of all network marketing was done online. I am sure that the number has risen since, but I am willing to be that it still is outpaced by offline, face to face, belly to belly contact.

I believe that the reason why is because people crave that personal touch in this sometimes cold and impersonal world.

That said, I believe that the net is a FANTASTIC tool.

Tool.

Got that?

T-O-O-L... TOOL.

Too many people today seem to be getting caught up in the idea that the internet will be the key to easily creating a six-figure income and that they will never have to talk to anyone. The site will do all the work for me. If I build it, they will come.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

I cannot tell you the number of websites I have seen or the emails I have read that say something like, 'Just sign up for this free (sometimes not so free) website and watch your business

EXPLODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Complete with a million exclamation points. Can't be wrong if they include all those, can it?

Many of these sites are simply tools to hook you deeper into some business that apparently wasn't strong enough to sell on its own merits. Or their only purpose seems to be to get others to sign up for the site. Some programs claim that all you have to do is get a couple of people and the 'system' will do the rest for you...

In my not so humble opinion, that is some of the biggest load of bovine excrement I have ever heard.

ANY business, MLM, direct sales, retail, wholesale, web sales, etc., requires WORK. If that is a 4 letter word to you, then you are in the wrong place.

However if offends your sensibility and you haven't stopped reading, try EFFORT.

Effort and work here are synonymous with CONSISTENT ACTION (we talked about that in the Power Thought this issue). Websites that help you generate leads, qualify leads, present information, etc. etc. are awesome TOOLS. I use them myself.

However, they are JUST tools. They are not the be-all, end-all of internet marketing, prospecting or recruiting. We have to remember that these things are there to SUPPORT our businesses. You can still work your business mostly online, but don't rely on the websites to do all the work for you. If that were true, everyone would be a millionaire that signed up for them.

You have to ask yourself when looking at these websites and all other internet based activities the following questions:

1. What is the purpose of this tool? – Does it present information on your business or the tool? Does it ask the recipient to do something? What do you expect to happen when someone sees it?
    
2. Who is it directed at? – What is the target audience? Do you target it? Does the tool owner? How does it get to the recipients?
    
3. What is the person being asked to do when they receive/view it? – Are they asked to buy something? Click on something? Sign up for something? Is it related to your business or the tool itself?
    
4. Would I be enticed by this? – Pretty simple... If you were looking for an opportunity, would this intrigue you and would you take the action the tool asks for? You have to be TOTALLY honest here and not get caught up in the hype.
    
5. What does this do DIRECTLY for my business? – Exactly how does this help YOUR business? If you cannot answer this with a direct, precise answer, then the tool is not clear enough or it doesn't promote your business at all.
    
6. Is my business even mentioned at all? – Is there a place in the tool to mention you, your personal/business website, phone numbers, etc. etc? If not, don't do it.
    
7. Who benefits the most from this? Me or the owner of the tool? – There is only one right answer here.

When you are doing your internet marketing, and I believe you should be, evaluate all your activities based on these questions. If you cannot come up with good answers that help you and your primary business, then take another look at the tool. Change it if you can or dump it in favor of another tool.

Remember that your activities on the internet are to support YOUR business. While it's certainly OK for someone to make a profit providing you with tools, make sure that it isn't disguised as a way to promote their own business by getting you to do the work.

The Internet is a great place to promote your business, but you have to be thoughtful and careful in how you do it...

Hopefully, this will help.

Thanks and have and outstanding day!

Tim 'Fric' Johnson
Fric@SuccessManiacs.com

5.) Promotions – The Five Adversaries of MLM

Fric and Frac Productions has just finished a new tape, The Five Adversaries of MLM. As a special offer to readers of this EZine, you can purchase the tape for ONLY $10 including shipping and handling!

Normally this tape would cost you $9.95 plus $3 for shipping and handling. That is a savings of almost 23%!

This tape covers 5 basic stumbling blocks you will encounter in MLM, especially as a beginner and ways to overcome them.

The only way to get this tape AT THIS PRICE is to send a check or money order in the amount of $10.00 to:

Fric and Frac Productions
7434 Virginia Avenue
Louisville, KY 40258
Attn: Five Adversaries Promo

This special lasts only until January 31st! So act now and get your copy... Or get copies for your downline. Call 877-451-9990 for large quantity orders.

6.) Pass It Along

Who are three people who would like to read this EZine? Please pass this EZine along to them. If you have received it from a friend, you can go to http://www.SuccessManiacs.com to formally subscribe. Or you can send a blank email to firebaugh-12190@autocontactor.com

Thanks and have an Outstanding Day!

Fric and Frac