Monday, January 21, 2008

Are You an MLM Rockstar or a Grinder?

Are You an MLM Rockstar or a Grinder?

By: Julie Hanson


I've been in the network marketing industry for 4 years now. When I first came across the industry I was actually looking for job. The opportunity had been advertised as if it was a job, but it sounded very interesting so I investigated further.

We looked at the opportunity closely and were very excited about what it could offer us. We had always wanted to run our own business but didn't really know where to start. This seemed to offer us the best of both worlds. We could start it on a part time basis and still work our jobs at the same time. The idea was that we would then be able to both give up our jobs and have financial freedom.

So we set about working our business. We were very dedicated and loyal distributors. Some would say that we were obsessed with the business, but why not, after all we were working towards financial independence. We knew the prize was high therefore the work had to match up.

We both had full time jobs and eventually something had to give, we didn't want to give up on our dream so I went to work full time on our business. I was working 12 hours a day and a lot of time during the weekends too. We really gave the business 100% commitment and effort. However at the time we didn't know that we were actually MLM grinders! We loved the company that we were with and we loved the products, however we came to realise that something wasn't right. The plan wasn't working for us; it was difficult for us to admit it as we had always been told that the only people who fail are the ones who quit. But we had to make a business decision and decided to move on.

After listening to Randy Gage's audio - "Are you an MLM Grinder or Rock star" we realised that we were in a category 2 company - The Old Guard.

Now these are the companies that hit and actually sustained momentum for a significant period of time. They are now billion-dollar-plus companies and have already created legacy incomes for people who got in early and became a reason for their growth. These are fine companies offering stability and the chance for a steady income.

But most industry experts would agree with Randy that your chances of creating significant wealth with them have expired. They have reached a level of maturity that prevents someone from starting with them today and creating large bonus checks or exponential growth.

We also learnt from the CD that it wasn't our fault that we didn't succeed at our first company. We sponsored lots of people but they didn't duplicate and we certainly didn't earn what we were worth!

We decided to join a category 5 company. This is the "Holy Grail" of MLM. This is where true wealth is created in Network Marketing. This is an emerging company that possesses what it takes to hit and sustain momentum, and become the next billion-dollar success story. This is where legacy incomes and substantial wealth are created.

We can look at the successful companies that have reached and sustained momentum in the past, and look for the commonalities they all have. ALL of these are present with our new company; Agel. Here's a review of them:

Sizzle product line; Proper Capitalization; Management Depth; A Compensation Plan that Provokes the Correct Behavior; Field Leadership.

Agel has attracted a large number of some of the most successful multi-million-dollar producers in the industry. They have built the support structure that can help you build your dreams with Agel Enterprises. There are three components that make up this support, and they are what allow you to escape the grinder mentality and become a true MLM Rock Star:

* The System

There is a step-by-step system for you to follow. No matter what your education level, experience, or age, you follow a proven road map to building a successful network. These leaders know the best ways to build a network and created a system utilizing all that, so everyone has the same opportunity for success. The system prevents it from being all about you, which is the sure path to being a grinder--and instead provides a framework anyone can follow.

* The Infrastructure

An important element of the system is having the proper infrastructure in place to apply it. We have powerful recruiting materials such as magazines, DVDs, audios, websites and many other marketing materials in place. These resources allow you to get started fast, even if you have never been in the business before.

* The Training

Another critical element is the training on how you use the system and the infrastructure- and they have all that in place too. We have the benefit of weekly Leadership Training Calls, webcasts, local, regional, and international training events. We receive high-level training on how to build your team and create a residual income money machine with Agel.

We're really excited to be part of a category 5 company and we are now working our business on a part time basis but we are growing our business quickly, far quicker than with our previous company.

We now know that we are in the right company at the right time and are on our way to become MLM Rock stars!

by Julie Hanson, (c) 2007


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8956.shtml

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Advice From The Experts On Debt Consolidation

Advice From The Experts On Debt Consolidation

By: John Campbell


If you ever need the right answer to a question, you just need to ask someone who knows. Earlier this week I got some top notch advice from the experts on debt consolidation.

That advice was unexpected and came very early in the day as I got out of bed and headed for the front door to retrieve the morning mail. Along with a few obvious bills I got one of Â'thoseÂ' envelopes though the letterbox, bright yellow, red letters, you know the type, just lying on the floor waiting for me. On this envelope were instructions to Â"Open Now Â". So of course I did and you can imagine my surprise when I find it is yet another invite for me to take out a loan!

This ad writer was really going for it. In the envelope there was about half a dozen slips of paper explaining about what bonuses you could get and tempting pictures of varying piles of money. I also came across a nice Â"did you knowÂ" fact sheet with a few useful gems, such as the average debt in the UK is around £8,577 and that almost half of the UK adult population are affected my money worries. You just cannot argue with that. It is all good factual stuff, aimed at you and designed to empathies with your own personal situation.

Turning my attention to the main body of a very long sales letter it then asked you to Â"imagine waking up knowing your finances are sorted once and for allÂ".

I doubt there is any deliberate intend to mislead the reader with this statement but within it lays the problem with debt consolidation loans, your problems are not sorted once and for all, they are just extended over a longer period of time. They will get even worse if you take on the loan with the lower monthly payments but continue to spend what you have left.

Something I will always find disturbing is to discover at the bottom of that well written sales page what looks like a cheque with instructions to fill it out with the amount you want to borrow, tear it off along the dotted line and then pop it in the free post. If you are struggling with debt, this is like giving someone who is trying to quit smoking a packet of cigarettes, the match to light it and telling them to have as many as they like!

If you have debt problems you certainly do not need an imaginary cheque being waved under your nose.

However the best advice about borrowing to get out of debt is made very clear by the loan company themselves. Right at the very bottom of the letter is another factual note...Â"If you are thinking of consolidating existing borrowing you will be extending the terms of the debt and increasing the total amount you repayÂ". To the credit of the firm that sent this material they have made that part very clear and correct.

If the firm that is going to lend you all this money tells you it is not really such a good idea. Then that is top notch advice from an expert on debt consolidation-The Lender, someone who really knows!


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8965.shtml

Loans For Bad Credit – Ensure Funds For Variety Of Purposes

Loans For Bad Credit – Ensure Funds For Variety Of Purposes

By: Tom Dikkin


Even if youÂ're past payment history is bad, still a loan is well within your reach. Loans for bad credit are available in plenty in the loan market place. But to locate a suitable deal you must first of all be prepared for it. All those people whose credit report says that they failed to make timely payments in the past or they had arrears and even defaulted on payments or they had CCJs or IVAs, are labeled as having bad credit. You can use these loans for variety of purposes like home improvements, wedding, purchasing a car, debt consolidation or planning for a holiday tour.

These are highly risky borrowers for any lender. In order to cut risks, the lender makes sure that repaying ability of the borrower is sufficient. An assuring plan of how such a borrower is going to make timely payment should therefore be in place. Income and bank statements along with employment record should also be produced by the borrower to the lender. Once the borrowerÂ's financial ability and intentions are confirmed, the loan is not hard to get.

Loans for bad credit can be availed in secured or unsecured options. Secured loans are easier to get against your property as home. Lenders have little risks in making deal with such a borrower. What is more, these loans can be availed at comparatively lower interest rate on greater borrowed amount. The repayment duration also is larger up to 25 years or earlier that enables borrowers to repay in easier manner.

Unsecured loans for bad credit are a little harder to get as borrowers do not pledge any property as collateral. Interest rate therefore goes further higher. Smaller amount is approved for shorter repayment duration or up to 15 years.

Ensure taking a copy of your credit report from reputed credit rating agencies for checking that all the copies are error free. Know your credit score also.

Online lenders usually are having loans for bad credit at competitive rate of interest and so their rates are lower than banks for financial institutions. Compare the lenders extensively for a suitable deal. Pay off the loan installments without delay so that your credit rating improves and loan availing in the future becomes lot easier.


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8970.shtml

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Businesses Catching Up With Technology

Businesses Catching Up With Technology

By: Jon Caldwell


The fast pace of technology and the presence of the Internet has provided more than just plain surfing and gathering of information from anywhere in the world. The Internet offers an opportunity to undertake business and money-making endeavors for people who have a knack of the entrepreneurialism -like attitude of getting into business and studying the rate of returns from getting into such. Given the chance, peoples and technology adept people would surf the net to find various ways of being able to raise money for themselves while at the same time honing their business experience level without much leg work needed.

With this said the opportunity for aids and software development has slowly adhered to this evident demand and need. Among the sites that most people see today is a ready online business where transactions can be made. All of this is done by mere sign-ups and registrations for affiliation with such sites. Taking note of the disclaimers and policies to abide by, anyone can practically put up his or her online store in matter of minutes. The system implement always aims to answer all the possible questions that a person would ask and look for. Trading is the best way to term most people who do business online. Selling items or services online is the easiest way to adapt to such online businesses. There are a number of sites that have offered this type of a business, answering all the needs of the common consumer and entrepreneur as far as trying to dispose of items and earning profits from such transactions as well.

The issue regarding the compatibility of such software also lies in the type of programming language that is used. Java, Html and Perl type of programming languages depend on the requirements set by the hosting mother site. In most cases, the programs that offers the easiest way of interface would be the one chosen, since technically, people are not much concerned about how sophisticated and convincing the system methodology that is implemented as long as they are easy to understand and digest. This is something that is also taken into account. Not all people are technologically educated to fully understand the whole system that is implemented. All people care about is how to sell their goods and the popularity and incoming traffic that an online website such as Fine Store has.

This concept has been adapted by Fine Store, optimized to ensure that all items, affiliates and the entire site is seen all over the world. This is why that search engine optimization for the site is a key attraction so that people may be able to consider sites as Fine Store as one of their stops as far as becoming affiliated with their venture for pushing online buying and selling.

The technology adapted for such sites will sure draw the attention of competing websites who are after the same business and consumer base. There are a lot of sites that are into the same concept, like Ebay and Amazon, two of the largest auction and online selling websites known to this day. Moreover, no implemented system is guaranteed to be perfect. Continuous improvements and revisions for a better system to enhance current processes by implemented systems will be also on the minds of developers and site owners everyday.

The best bet for being able to identify areas needed for improvement will always be the affiliated people and visitors of the site. This widens the ideas for improvement for a better operating process as far as the online business is concerned. It is the only way to be one step ahead since no matter how impressive developed systems are, areas for improvement and enhancements will always be an issue.

The best feedbacks come from another point of view. In most cases, a one sided view on the part of the hosts and managing party does not cover the entire ordeal. While not all feedbacks may be of value, all comments and suggestions for the improvement of the business aspect will surely be something worth hearing from. Just like in actual businesses, software development of programs for business improvement and related purposes will always have bugs and loopholes in them. That is why the endorsement and patronization of people will be a key indicator in identifying such loopholes and once again compile a complete system to answer the demands and needs that most people look for in a system.


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8945.shtml

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Home Based Business – Wannabe’s Survival Guide: Part 2

Home Based Business – WannabeÂÂ's Survival Guide: Part 2

By: Adrian McCluskey


Online marketing and in particular, direct sales is one of todayÂ's fastest growing industries. ItÂ's an honorable business thatÂ's filling a great demand while providing a far better than average income for those who persevere and desire to succeed. Sadly, because there are large sums of money being earned in this industry it will inevitably attract a selection of scumbags and bottom feeders whoÂ'll use their dubious talents to take advantage of people.

In my previous article, Home Based Business – WannabeÂ's Survival Guide I outlined three useful guidelines a marketing newbie can use to avoid be taken to the cleaners when looking for an online business opportunity. IÂ'd now like to expand on those guidelines and provide a greater detail on what to look for when you research a company, its products and marketing system. Sooner or later you will have to trust your gut instinct to tell you if youÂ're on the right track but by following this advice, you can save time, your hard earned money and avoid many of the common mistakes.

CHECK THE FINE PRINTClick on the companyÂ's website. Check out their vision and mission statements. Do they even have one? WhatÂ's their long-term vision for growth? This may sound insignificant but any legitimate company will take this very seriously. They will go out of their way to show that they are above the majority and have definite substance and appeal by laying their out their cards for you to see.

Do a web search to check for bad publicity. Any company will have complaints (there are certainly unscrupulous folks who will invent Â"scamÂ" claims in order to lure you away from legitimate opportunities to whatever they have for sale so please beware). But bad publicity will kill a company in short order so look for patterns of complaints. If thereÂ's a history of bad publicity, itÂ's likely for a good reason.

HereÂ's an instant red flag for you. If your prospective companyÂ's headquarters are located offshore in the Caribbean or Panama, this is likely done for a specific reason and that reason may not include benefits to your business.

BE A PRODUCT OF THE PRODUCTI mentioned this in the previous article, but it bears restating; check out the products to make sure theyÂ're legitimate stand alone products. If itÂ's not a product you would purchase without the marketing system behind it – DONÂ'T BUY IN!! Again, think long term sales and profits. Would you feel good buying this product if it was just the product? If the answerÂ's no, itÂ's a money game not a legitimate business and your chances of success just plummeted.

You know youÂ're probably on the right track when you find a company that makes its revenue strictly from the sale of its products. If your prospective company spends more time and resources pushing incidental items like lead sales than it does its products; if they have large monthly charges for things like duplicated websites; or if they are big on pushing you into Â"alliancesÂ" with partners where they get a cut of the action, chances are the products are not their main focus and neither is your success. You have every right to ask blunt questions about whoÂ's getting your money. If youÂ're not satisfied with the answer, tell them to take a hike. There are too many good companies online to waste your time and effort dealing with shadows, hype and promises. At the very least demand to talk to a few of their consultants whoÂ've been with them for several months to get the inside track. Check out the training and support offered to get an idea of the culture of the company. Keep in mind that a company that sells you their product up front and offers little in the way of continuing training and support after the fact has already made a profit from you and might be more inclined to move on to the next pigeon rather than focus on you.

MONEY IN YOUR POCKETMy advice is to avoid any company that makes you pass up the first few sales before you receive commissions. This goes back to the fact that once they and your sponsoring consultant have your cash, theyÂ're less likely to be there for you. Remember, this is your new career and you have to think long term. Just like the companies, if youÂ're serious about long term growth you want to look after your customers because theyÂ're your source of residual profits for years to come.

The financial and lifestyle benefits of a successful online home based business are outstanding The bottom line is if you can find a company with great products, a solid financial foundation and a vision for the future combined with a legitimate compensation plan that allows you to earn what you feel your effort is worth, you should pursue it with everything you have. It will be the last position you will ever have.

In the WANNABEÂ'S SURVIVAL GUIDE PART 3 I will outline a reasonable cost for starting an online home based business and the vital mental requirements of being successful in this business. As former New York Yankee great Yogi Berra once said. 90% of this game is half mental. ItÂ's not harshly difficult to make a lot of money as an online marketing entrepreneur, but there are certain similarities the ultra successful entrepreneurs share and you need to know. I wish you all the best of success.


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8960.shtml

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Make The Time To Balance Your Checking Account

Make The Time To Balance Your Checking Account

By: Peter Kenny


Having a checking account is a great way to keep track of your money and pay bills. Most Americans have a checking account, but many of these same people do not know how to balance their account. This can lead to bounced checks and other problems.

Here are some simple steps that can help you with your checking account:

Know where you are at. The only way to know where you are at with your checking account is to keep good records. You need to be able to compare your statement with something else in order to reconcile your end of month balance. The best way to do this is to use the check register that comes with your checkbook.

Do not put it off. When your bank statement arrives in the mail, open it and reconcile it with your register. It is always better to examine your bank statement as soon as possible for a couple of reasons.

First of all, if there are any mistakes on the statement, reporting them to your bank as soon as possible will help ensure that they get corrected quickly.

Second, the faster you can match up the information on the statement with the information in your register the less likely you are to make mistakes.

Make sure that you check all checks from your bank statement against your check register. Check off all checks that have come in and make a note of those that have not come in and the amount of each.

If you have an account that requires a minimum daily balance, make sure that you check the daily balance summary. Most people do not have to worry about this, but consumers with interest bearing accounts or those who must maintain a minimum average balance will want to make sure they kept enough in the account to stay in compliance with their account requirements.

Another good way to improve your checking account management skills is to use your online banking capabilities, if you have online banking. This is truly an easy way to find out what your current balance is from day to day. It is also a great way to keep track of what checks have been paid and which checks are still outstanding. Online banking only takes a few minutes to set up and it can truly save you a lot of headaches, especially if you are one of those who does not have a lot of cash on hand during the month.

Whether you are using written statements, online banking, or a combination of both, it is very important to take a moment and examine the actual check number as they become posted. For many people, keeping track of the check numbers is the best way to know if there is an outstanding check that stills needs to be paid. Because check numbers run in sequence, this is an easy to do task, especially with online banking. If you notice a skip in the sequence, you know that you have checks out.


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8977.shtml

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

What Is “The Secret” To Finding Real Wealth?

What Is ÂÂ"The SecretÂÂ" To Finding Real Wealth?

By: John J. Lynch


Did you know that less than one percent of the people currently living on this planet account for almost twenty-five percent of ALL the wealth? These powerful people certainly donÂ't want you to know this...they want you to stay as mindless drones whose sole objective is to keep THEM wealthy. What is the secret this small fraction of the population knows that the rest do not?

If you haven't seen the movie "The Secret", I implore you to watch it! The Secret is the most powerful law in the universe! If you have already seen it, watch it again. To watch "The Secret" online, copy and paste this url into your browser; http://www.thesecret.tv/home.html

Or you can watch "The Secret" On Demand via cable and satellite for audiences in the United States and Canada.

This small minority of people who are currently pulling the strings on world politics and world economics have mastered The Secret. These are the same people who want The Secret banned like it was once banned hundreds of years ago. Now The Secret has been un-earthed for all to discover its tremendous power once again!

There also have been great leaders who have mastered The Secret and made positive contributions to all of humanity. Leaders like Albert Einstein, Abe Lincoln, and Mother Teresa to name a few.

We are now living in an exciting new age of technology where humanity can do incredible things. The brick and mortar corporations who once ruled our economy unequivocally over the little guy are slowly losing their death grip due to the astonishing power of the internet!

So what is this secret you ask? In a sentence; "The Secret Is The Law Of Attraction". Simply stated, you get what you wish for...or your thoughts dictate what you get in life. Your health is dictated by your thoughts as well as your wealth.

Think of your thoughts as little tiny magnets...the intensity of these tiny magnets or thoughts are in direct proportion to the emotions you attach to it. The stronger the magnet, the stronger the attraction. This explains why a lot of people don't get what they wish for. They have not attached a strong enough emotion to their dream. Or they feel they donÂ't deserve their dream so they donÂ't bother pursuing it.

Let me give you an example of how the law of attraction works in a negative way. Think of the days when you got started off the wrong foot, then said to yourself "this is gonna be a long and terrible day". What happened? A long and terrible day...you got what you wished for! The degree of how terrible your day turned out was proportional to the intensity of the negative emotion you attached to the thought, right?

So how do these little "magnets" or thoughts attract what we want or don't want in our lives you ask? Well, and this is based on quantum physics that scientists have just learned in the last 10 or 15 years. There is an invisible universal mind if you will that contains all the dreams and thoughts of everyone who has ever lived or will live...past...present...future. This is quite the paradox you may think, how can this be?

The "time" element in this universal mind has been negated or altered. Quantum physics has recently shown us that a single electron can occupy two different spaces in an electro-magnetic field at the same exact point in time, once thought impossible. This goes against the laws of physics unless time has been negated or altered some how, the only possible explanation. So you may be able to connect with the dreams of someone who hasn't been born yet. Are you getting excited yet?

The Universal Mind is a sort of collective consciousness. The place where dreams are born. These dreams are invisible and waiting to take physical form.

How do you convert your dreams from the universal mind to the physical realm? By constantly thinking about your dreams with strong emotions and just as importantly - taking action! I am NOT talking about wishful thinking here...you must take action on your dreams!

It helps to have pictures of your dreams and look at them every day. Write your dreams down. Formulate a plan that is specific and with deadlines that will bring your dreams to fruition...and stay the course! Â"DonÂ't die with your dreams still inside youÂ" as Dr. Wayne Dyer likes to say.

That is why I firmly believe you should pursue ventures you have a passion for...then you will find it easier to attach strong positive emotions to your thoughts and dreams.

This is the most powerful law in the universe, use it wisely my liege...

Good Luck and Stay the Course!

John Lynch


Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_8998.shtml

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