"A New Look at Retirement . . . How to Put Real Energy Into Your MLM!"

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2005
email:ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com

I couldn’t believe the shocking comment I had just heard from one of my leaders. She had been doing the kinds of leadership activities that really develop superstars, and I had invited her to be a guest trainer on my “Stay at Home Wealthbuilding Phone System ‘Let’s Get Started’ call.

“When I came out of retirement a few months ago, . . .” she began by saying. Those words fell like a gong! I stopped her in her tracks and pressed for details.

“Wait a minute!” I said, “You’ve been at all the company events, you’ve hit your volumes consistently… What do you MEAN retirement?” I quizzed.

She admitted that she had just been coasting. She had NOT been doing the kinds of productive building she was now doing, namely business opportunity presentations, home parties, trainings, etc. She had been doing --- more or less --- just the minimal amount it took to qualify for a check, but she had recently attracted two fireballs who created extra thousands of dollars in activity and income in a very short time. My leader felt compelled to begin setting the pace (which started out more like following the pace) for the frenzied new dynamos.

I started to think. It hit me immediately that most people are clueless about how to make great money today in MLM. This is the reason that experts constantly try to guide us into success. I believe I can guide you best by telling you the truth. Just DO it! In our industry, there are, as I have often written, the “have’s” and the “have-nots”. I can show ANYBODY how to make $2,000 a month in my program, NOT hypothetically, but actually.

Gone are the days of “The beaches of the world” hype. Gone are the days of the “lucky sponsorship” millions. That should strike you as good news, because we now have a predictable niche profession where a legitimate product service-based company can give you an outlined production schedule to follow, which can provide a future that is unattainable in many other fields.

When people who look at my husband, Taylor Hegan’s, and my lifestyle and then ask what we do, I sometimes joke, “As little as possible.” But, that’s not true at all--- it IS just a joke. I love what I do, but I do a lot of it. I’ve got a heavily booked travel schedule, conduct four training calls a week, write letters and columns, lead group trainings, carry on personal retail sales, handle the phones countless hours a day, and strategize regularly with my leaders. I write books, make tapes, answer e-mails, etc.

If I did all this for someone else like a J-O-B, yes, I would accept fulltime compensation --- even though some days I am only involved part-time. Other days I’m involved way overtime, so it all works out. I guess the major difference is . . . I’ve now made over 5 million dollars at this J-O-B. I set my own hours, choose my own travel destinations, design and cultivate leaders whom I personally like and want to work with, and I do it all, more or less, my way. I am making my own income in the exact same way I’m guiding you to do so.

Some of you out there have just burned out --- admit it. Too many years of too little satisfaction, too many companies, too much change, too little meaningful recognition, too little focus, too much disappointment, not ever enough of what you have really been looking for. Is that all there is for you? Are you going to keep plodding along thinking that listening to one more tape or one more message will turn it all around at last?

I certainly hope not! I’ve got a wonderful message for you today straight from my heart: You CAN do it in this industry. You CAN change thousands of people’s lives in the process. You CAN build a great actual retirement.

Go ahead! You CAN do this! Set yourself up for a fabulous J-O-B retirement by setting new production goals, new standards, and new work habits! Mentor with others who are doing what you need to be doing RIGHT NOW and learn the difference between talkers and performers. Align yourself with performers. Feel free to contact me at any time, if I can be of service to you. Good luck in redesigning your MLM business!

"FADING GIANTS---
The Tendency for Recognized Leaders to “Lose It” as Mega Builders"

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2005
email:ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com

It was a rare moment in networking history: four people with high MLM visibility sat together around one table. One was the man who revolutionized the diet industry, exploding his company to over $300 million within 4 years of its launch and building dozens of million-dollar earners in his 30-year tenure in the MLM industry.

On his left was another legend of MLM --- heir to one of the largest MLM fortunes to ever be amassed and owner of the company that was, arguably, the most charismatic and wealthy meteoric-rise-to-riches ever to hit our industry. My husband, Taylor Hegan, and I, who have made in excess of three million dollars the last few years, as well as creating over a dozen other millionaires in the last decade, rounded out the circle.

When the subject of industry leaders’ ability to repeat their successes as they move from one company to another came up, we collectively decided that very few “big” leaders are able to change companies and repeat their track records.

Perhaps the most compelling reason for this is the nature of the dream we sell: “Build an empire that you can manage from the beaches of the world.” “Create financial freedom, which gives you the time freedom to spend with your family and your hobbies.”

We, who have actively helped mold the industry for the last three decades, have noticed that those who hit the big incomes seldom continue to build and work the business aggressively from a recruitment and growth emphasis after their checks surpass $20,000 a month. In light of that sabotage phenomena, I thought it would be useful to offer up some guidelines to help you avoid becoming a statistic once you hit it big!

I suggest that you:
1. Hire a staff to help you run your business like a business;
2. Never abandon doing the leadership steps that got you there. These include: retailing, advertising, sponsoring, mentoring, training, personal development work, leadership management, daily communication, and event planning.

With the current trend in compensation payouts and telecommunication systems, as well as recruiting systems, distributors tend to develop their loyalty to their products and company. One of the biggest money earners of all time recently made this interesting statement: “If I wanted to leave my company today (after more than a decade and $35 million commissions earned), I wouldn’t be able to move people with me. They are all so product-bonded that it’s not about me, or the lure of an opportunity; it’s about the results they are creating through retailing systems and new recruiting systems.”

In your less successful days I would encourage you to sponsor your weakness --- in other words --- if you don’t like doing mail order, I would encourage you to sponsor someone who did. As you progress up the ladder of success with MLM, let me implore you to hire your weaknesses --- so that within your immediate direction, your office continues to execute all the necessary phases of the business.

Let me also suggest that at the very least you plug back in 10% of your income toward business expenses . . . and quite possibly it would be appropriate to invest considerably more than that.
Taylor and I spend many thousands per month on expenses, but as he is quick to point out that we have steadily amassed a fortune in the face of this expanded tab.

If you want to avoid becoming a fading giant, you must continuously assess your business developments and surround yourself with a mastermind group that will stimulate you to be the best you can be.

Remember: the true great leaders of MLM are not necessarily the biggest earners; they are the most well- rounded performers with industry staying power. Make sure, as you take your career to the superstar level, that you remember the importance of continuing to execute the tasks that originally got you there!

You will then be, as multi-millionaire, Charles Givens, has always said, “Ten feet tall and bulletproof.”

"What To Do When Your Check Drops"

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2005
email:ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com

I know . . . You thought you’d joined the “dream team” and found what you were looking for. However, just when you began to make some real money after days, months, or even years, of serious effort and you thought you were on your way to that famous financial freedom, your production took a nose dive.

It’s time to investigate:
1. Did the qualification change?
2. Did the entire compensation plan change?
3. Did any key leaders quit?
4. Did you experience customer service problems like back orders or defective products?
5. Has any major, identifiable problem triggered the drop?
6. Do you still “love” your deal?
7. Are you prepared to re-build?
8. Can you still enthusiastically recommend the program without reservation?
9. Have your upline sponsors experienced the same thing before?
10. If so, what did THEY do to turn it around?

My husband, Taylor Hegan, and I find basically two kinds of “slumps.” One kind builds character and teaches lessons, and the other signals that the end is near.

Sometimes, people brag that they have done nothing in their business for a long time (after a death or illness, for example), and they are STILL making big money. What they are failing to consider is the long term cause and effect of work ethics. Generally, when the work load shifts, the “slump” takes a few months or even years (in a mature business) to occur. Conversely, sometimes you invest A LOT in your business and no measurable results occur for months.

When your business “slumps” in the first year (It is not a question of: “Will it?” but rather a question of: “When will it?”), it is a learning phase, and you need to regroup at the moment you realize what is occurring, determine whether your mentors are experiencing the same thing, and seek expert advice. The “slump” may merely indicate your need to find new leads, enhance your craft mastery, and pursue personal development work. Perhaps you need to get a more noticeable benefit from your program yourself so you project as a better “product of the product.”

It is difficult to market a speed reading course if you read at a snail’s pace yourself and your product has not improved your reading. It is difficult to build a weight-loss business if you are overweight in spite of applying your products. It is difficult to build a huge organization in a lead-generated program if you can’t convert your leads because they are lousy (why would anyone else want to buy them?).

If your slump is self-induced, you can both overcome it and benefit from it. I developed valuable business talents as a result of blown opportunities and botched business proceedings. I remember flying cross country early in my career to do an all-day training for 300+ people and finding a total of 3 people (including the host) present in the auditorium. I felt that I had wasted money and time. I recovered, and as a result of turning that scenario into a useful lesson, I haven’t repeated it.

If a fatal problem with your company caused your slump, (Remember when news came out that the “Phoenix Cookie” had 12 grams of fat and was an illegal, misrepresented product?) then you need to run, not walk, the other way.

If the slump is the result of overwhelming, insurmountable forces beyond your control (a regulatory attack on your compensation plan, removal of your lead product from the line, or your star distributor’s termination), then it might be time to explore other networking options.

Buff up those skill sets! In the process, you will go from accidentally building a business to designing an income stream that you can earn from home….on YOUR terms. So take a good look at your slump…. It definitely holds the key to success for you!

"Seven Vital Signs of a Healthy Home Business"

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2005
email:ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com

We in network marketing naturally assume that everyone sees the potential magic of a home-based business. Accordingly, I believed that the workplace revolution was largely due to the impact of home-based businesses attracting professionals and job-security-seeking employees into self-employment. I attributed the increase in home-based businesses to the 2 F’s (financial freedom and freedom of time).

However, some time ago an article in the Dallas Morning News business section entitled “Building a business from the home still means business," credited the extraordinary boom in small home-based business trends to the 2 C’s: Computers - PC’s leveled the playing field between small and big business, and improved Communications technology that has made operating a fully functional business from the convenience of one’s home feasible.

I cringed when the author smirked at “those touchy-feely anecdotes about working in your pajamas, feeding the baby while holding an international call, and chopping onions while you design a spreadsheet.” It never occurred to me that anyone would have a hard time identifying with that type of lifestyle pictures, because I’ve been living them for years.

Not only did those word pictures lure me home, but the ensuing reality of my life on the phone from the couch and the Jacuzzi, along with the mobility of doing deals on my mobile phone from the duck-feeding spot by my lake, provided the magic button that no salaried position offered.

As my loyal readers would undoubtedly confirm, I am now so independent that I am probably unemployable. My husband, Taylor, is fond of saying that the only difference between a nightmare and living with me is that a nightmare mercifully ends. He is kidding, of course, but I admit that lifestyle freedom---being able to work until 2:00 am if I want to---is one of the greatest appeals for home-basing my activities. However, I digress…

Here according to the Dallas Morning News, are 7 pillars for successful home businesses - slightly abbreviated, and in no particular order:

1. Home location improves business economics by saving extra rent, utilities, payroll,
commuting costs in time and money;

2. The break-even point is the key. You can---with much lower revenue expenditures
from home, make a profit on a much lower level of business activity.

3. You must be self-disciplined economically, collect all your money, and
avoid unnecessary expenses. Treat your business like a business, NOT A HOBBY;

4. PC’s change office economics. You can now, with minimal expense in computer costs and
software, do at home what would have been prohibitively expensive a few years back:
fulfill all the tasks of a full blown team with just a few people.

(We now design all our own materials, for example, whereas before we needed design agencies. With national teleconferences, voicemail, faxes, e-mail, etc. ---you can run a very sophisticated operation by yourself.)


5. Forget the fiction about sleeping til noon, staggering to the mailbox and going into shock
at the size of your check. A good businessperson pays attention to detail, makes a plan,
works and evaluates the plan and executes great work. Money doesn’t just drop down
from the sky;

6. Police personal habits. A successful home-based entrepreneur manages family, pets, TV
(Get rid of it), refrigerator, phone. If you aren’t good at self-discipline, forget full-time
home-basing. You will almost invariably fail;

7. Sometime down the road you will undoubtedly need to decide about expanding to a
professional location. You will have outgrown your home. It will be a difficult decision,
but what a great problem to have.

We turned our previous home into a financial investment and bought a lakeside estate on a 2½ acre wooded property with a business complex on the grounds. We’re back in a home-base again. We are once more defying the wisdom of those business strategists, like the one who wrote the piece in our Dallas paper, and having more fun than the law should allow.