Presenting the SuccessMania! EZine
No Excuses... Just Straight Ahead.

Produced by

The Success Maniacs Group
"It’s Crazy That Not Everyone
is Successful in MLM!"

Volume 2, Issue 18
December 2, 2002

Feedback is always welcome. Please send all comments to Fric@SuccessManiacs.com. Positive and Negative are welcome.

And don't forget to send a copy of this EZine to 3 people you believe would benefit from it!

CONTENTS:

1. Publisher's Note - 12/02/2002
2. Power Thought - Goals Guideline
3. Recommended Resource - How to Think and Grow Rich
4. Article - I Started My Own ***** Business!
5. Promotions - Right Start Pack for MLMers
6. Pass It Along

1.) Publisher's Note - 12/02/2002

Greetings Success Maniacs!

Wow! Christmas is almost here. This year has flown by. I hope for all of you it was successful in some way. We don't always, in fact we almost never, achieve all the goals we set each year.

If you are like most people, you may think about goals at the beginning of the year, set some New Year's resolutions and not think about them again until next year. I would like to think that most of our readers are NOT like that. I would hope that most of you have a goals list that you diligently work on throughout the year.

If not, there's a brief guideline of the system we use in our First Steps Guide (soon to be released to the public!) for new networkers in the Power Thought section.

The coming year is undoubtedly to be filled with a lot of uncertainty and some very intense situations for a lot of folks. Uncertain times are usually great for MLMers. This year may be different in my opinion though. The common sense attitude, formulated by past experience, has always said a down economy increases the number of people looking for extra income.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

However, keep in mind that the past experience that tells us that hasn't seen a down economy coupled with our country being at war. The original Gulf War was short and came near the end of the actual downturn in the economy.

My point is that you should not blindly assume things are all roses. Personally, I have no idea how war will affect people looking at extra income. It may lessen the pool of tire-kickers and it may increase it. You need to be more mindful of trends in the economy and the mood of the people you come into contact with.

This is a good idea anyway, of course. A good MLMer will always be aware of the trends and mood of those around him or her. Anyway, it's just a thought I had...

2.) Power Thought - Goals Guideline

I'll be upfront about this... You may recognize some of the techniques I am about to cover from the systems of other people. I have put together what I consider to be the best parts of many systems I have encountered into the guideline below. It is the same guideline I use myself.

We all know goals are important. They tell us HOW to get where we are going... not WHERE we are going. That is a common mistake. The WHERE is your Vision. Your Vision is what your life would be like if you could design it with no restrictions, impediments or problems. The goals are simply the checkpoints along the way to getting there.

This what I suggest (and if you are married, you should do this together):

1. What are your Values? List what you value most above all else. The list might include things like God, family, success, contribution, creativity, freedom, etc.
2. Write an Action Statement. Take each value and write out a sentence that describes or presents the Value in action. For example, I will love my family every day.
3. Write out your Roles. What roles do you play in your life? Father, wife, husband, mother, son, daughter, friend, coach, salesperson, manager, leader, computer tech, consultant, etc. etc. Do your roles conflict with your values or compliment them?
4. Write a one page description of your life when your dreams are achieved. This will be your vision or at least the basis for it. Describe a typical day in your life after/when you have achieved your dreams. The idea here is to design your future as if there are no impossibilities and nothing to hold you back. Do not be afraid to go wild here. Don't let your current situation influence what you write. If you desire a 5,000 square foot house, but are living on food stamps in a rented trailer, so what?! Another key point is to make this a typical day. Don't fill it up with one-time, special events like buying mom her own house or buying your first Ferrari. What would your average day be like? Shoot for a time frame that is about 3-5 years out. This should reflect your values and roles.
5. What is the Price? What price are you willing to pay to get to that destination? Are you willing to cut out golfing for 1 year? What about TV? Will you work out a schedule with your spouse that allows you both to maximize your time and effort? Will you work overtime? Will you spend an extra hour a day making calls? Will you devote more time to prayer? Will you take some classes, read some books, listen to some tapes? Be careful not to ignore your values here. It's OK to temporarily reduce the emphasis on one or more values and roles, as long as it's planned and is only temporary. Success at all costs, is usually just that. It costs you all.
6. What are the major checkpoints between where you are now and that vision? These will be your major goals. They are probably going to be 1 of 2 kinds. The first is time. Goals that are 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, etc. from now. The second is functional. If you intend to become Star Trek Commander in your company, what are the ranks below it that you have to go through first? These are things that you have to do before something else. Again, check these against your values and roles for compatibility.
7. For each checkpoint break them into its components. Each checkpoint will probably be made of several sub-checkpoints or can be broken down into ones that can be more easily digested. This will make the process more manageable and easier to understand. For instance, if you plan on getting your Ph.D. in something, what kind of undergraduate and Masters degree would be best? Values and roles?
8. Create an Action Plan. This is the best part. This is where you actually create a workable plan. Take each sub-component and figure out what you have to do to accomplish it. List all the steps and things you have to do or become. What kind of time does that take? What order do they have to be done in? Do any overlap? Who can help you get these things done? By now you know this... check against your values and roles.
9. Schedule it! Now that you know what must be done, you have to schedule it. You have already mentally cleared you calendar in step 5, the Price. Now fill in that time with your Action Plan items. Don't overload yourself, especially at first. Begin slowly and leave some fudge room. The tendency is to try to do too much at once. Resist this at all costs in the beginning, because that is how people get discouraged when trying to achieve their goals. They set the bar so high, or set too many bars, that it's impossible to do it. Big surprise... check against your values and roles.

That is it. You have an outline of a process that will get you from A to B. You can skip some steps, cut back on some and increase others. It's only a guideline. But it is a very powerful method to design your future.

Tim "Fric" Johnson
Fric@SuccessManiacs.com

3.) Recommended Resource - How to Think and Grow Rich

This is an interesting site and ezine by Rod Beckwith. When you subscribe to his ezine, you will also get a free downloadable copy of As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. In addition to the ezine, Rod sells an electronic copy of Think and Grow Rich which also comes with several "bonus" items. A lot of the text on the site is typical sell, sell, sell; but there are some interesting testimonials and eventually you get the full list of "bonuses". It might be something you want to see...

How to Think and Grow Rich

4.) Article - I Started My Own ***** Business...

It's time we stopped apologizing for being in MLM...

How many times, especially when new, did you feel nervous or embarrassed about telling people you started a new MLM business?

If you are like most people, it was a lot. It was uncomfortable and you were worried what people would say. That's normal, and it shouldn't bother you. Very few people already have the focus, the mental determination and the intense desire to succeed when they first get started.

Contrary to what you may think from the testimonies you hear at your weekly meetings, group emails, etc. those people are the exception, NOT the rule. And most of those exceptions probably started out like most people and built themselves up to being an exception before they started with their current company. Oh yeah, that too... very few people stay in the first company the start with.

So how do we build ourselves into that exception to the rule?

The first thing you have to do is stop apologizing for being in MLM.

When you have the opportunity to tell someone about your opportunity, what do you say? Do you have a scripted way? Or do you have a list of bullets you can use and cover? Or are you like most people and you have absolutely NO IDEA what to say and how to say it?

I bet the latter is true for most of you. This is one of the most common problems in MLM. What to say when these opportunities come up.

It hit me the other day that the "women-oriented" MLMs (like Mary Kay, Avon, Longaberger, Stampin' Up, etc.) teach their people to say, "I started my own ******* business."

How powerful is that?

Do you realize how many objections and worries and insecurities this simple statement overcomes? In one single statement you have boldly proclaimed your new business without sounding as if you are ashamed of it. When you say this with confidence and an almost nonchalant attitude about it, people will be less likely to raise certain objections like:

1. Is this legal?

Of course it's legal... Can't you tell by how matter-of-factly I told you?

2. Is this a legitimate opportunity?

Of course it is... I said I started my own business, not we're going to get rich overnight.

3. Does it cost a lot of money?

Of course not... You know I don't have a lot to spare, yet I just started a real, honest to goodness business.

And if you want to take care of the time objection as well, say you just started your own PART-TIME business. This tells them that they don't have to quit their job to do it.

There are probably other objections you could work into this sentence as well. The key is to make the words your own. Insert your company name. Keep it simple. Do NOT say anything other than this simple fact. Do NOT try to sell them. Do NOT try to extol the virtues of your company and it's marketing plan during the elevator ride to the fourth floor.

The key here is to say it and SHUT-UP!

As MLMers we far to often talk when we should listen. Say this and wait to hear what their response is. If it's about something else, let it go for now. But if they ask you what it is, what you do, what you sell, etc. then you have them ready to listen.

And don't forget to borrow a great line from my friend, Bill Pike. When they ask you what it is, you ask them, "Do you really want to know?"

This powerful question is so important because it gets them to request the information from you. You are no longer asking permission for their time. They are now asking for permission for YOUR time!

Try this out and see what happens!

Thanks and have an OUTSTANDING day!

Tim "Fric" Johnson
Fric@SuccessManiacs.com

5.) Promotions – Right Start Pack For MLMers

Fric and Frac Productions just finished the last tape of our Right Start Pack! That means it is now shipping. Get Treat Your Business Like a Business, The Five Adversaries of MLM and Deadbeat Sponsors Don't Lie as a three tape set. As a special offer to readers of this EZine, you can purchase the tape for ONLY $20 including shipping and handling!

Normally this tape would cost you $24.95 plus $5 for shipping and handling. That is a savings of 33%!

The only way to get this tape AT THIS PRICE is to send a check or money (made out to SuccessManiacs) order in the amount of $20 to:

SuccessManiacs Group
7434 Virginia Avenue
Louisville, KY 40258
Attn: Right Start Promo

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