Dreams to Dollars

2007-05-01T09:30:00.001-05:00

The Cutting Edge of Fun in MLM

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2007
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

In our enthusiasm to get serious about making money in MLM, sometimes we forget about the real attraction of our industry: having fun being our own boss while improving our lifestyle with extra money that we weren’t making before.

We call those wonderful extras you now enjoy (that were financially out of your reach before you started your home-based business) “life enhancements.”

They include, but are not limited to luxurious travel, sleek new automobiles, fancy restaurant dining, airline upgrades, prestigious addresses, designer furnishings, private schools for your children, mad money in your pocket, and jewelry, lots of jewelry.

I still smile as I remember my days as a schoolteacher with a rapidly exploding extra income in MLM. I was so successful that before I left the field of education, I was the last person in the school (over 150 teachers) to pick up my check.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want it. It was that I didn’t need it, and I was so involved in what I was doing everywhere --- loving both my job and my MLM sideline even more because of my enhanced lifestyle --- that I simply couldn’t spend all that money fast enough to need more.

Usually, when successful MLMers like me are still working both MLM and their original careers, they have a spectacular lifestyle enhancement. However, many times, when they quit their job to go fulltime MLM, suddenly the fun goes out of the situation. Here’s why, in my observation.

First of all, a $2000 or $3000 monthly check in MLM, when earned along with a primary income intact is really gravy, a great way to spoil the family and live it up. Without a primary income, you must apply your $2000 to $3000 monthly MLM income to all your normal living expenses and the benefits that are no longer paid for by someone else --- holidays, vacations, medical insurance, sick leave and taxes.

The primary income job also used to provide two very important fringe benefits, forced time management and contacts . . . fresh contacts for MLM. Many of those I know who enjoyed a carefree exciting MLM career part-time saw the fun go right out of it when they prematurely quit their primary jobs. For lots of those people, languishing in bed or in front of the television with multiple visits to the refrigerator became the order of the day.

I always encourage up-and-coming distributors to ask themselves some soul-searching questions before deciding to go fulltime in MLM:

1) Analyze your school career. Were you able to turn your work in on time and be a
class leader?

2) Are you a good money manager?

3) Are you now structured in your time management and business?

4) Do you have a written business plan?

5) Have you arranged for your benefits and are you withholding your taxes?

6) Is your MLM income 150% or more of your primary income?

7) Have your consistently made that income for 3 or more months?

8) Is your company more than 2 years old (98% of new companies won’t succeed)?

9) Have you got over 1000 people in your organization?

10) Is your family behind you on this decision?

11) Do you have cash reserves to carry your expenses for 6 months or more?

12) Do you love both your product and your MLM colleagues?

For those who don’t see themselves able to successfully negotiate the landmine of full-time self-employment after considering the questions listed above, I have good news for you! In our industry, you can make a full-time income with a part-time effort.

Actually, that’s how you have the most fun of all! Become a living example of how MLM can enhance the lives of ordinary people like you and me. Keep making “their” money and “our” money, thus taking the pressure off your MLM career . . . so that you truly can have it all and have fun at the same time!

2007-03-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

The Art of Persistence Revisited

email: ensilva@aol.com

web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

Over the years, I have written on the art of persistence a number of times. I have encouraged my readers to put on the tunnel-vision glasses and, as Nike said, “Just do it!” I have often quoted my husband, Taylor Hegan’s now infamous, “We build the people, the people build the business!” to encourage keepin’ on keepin’ on by focusing on supporting others trying to fulfill their dreams. When we do that, in the process, our own dreams often come to fruition. Still, one nagging fact glares at me from the industry statistics: a lot of you out there aren’t making any money.

As I ponder on why such a charismatic industry with infinite amounts of non-discriminating potential has such a dismal success rate with the “average” distributor, a number of possible problem areas occur to me. Correcting these aspects of MLM could be a major factor on your success, so let’s look at them from the perspective of their impact on your money-making ability.

First, many unsuccessful people are handing out advice and training systems that they have not implemented personally. Even among those who have implemented the “system,” there are too many who have not produced a profit, so how can know if the way you were taught the system will work for you?

A classic example of this is the “tape-mailing program.” Some of those famous tapes arrived in households across America by the dozens. I even received multiple copies in one day! Several people who have called me about MLM have spent $10,000 - $20,000, plus countless hours, putting such a mail campaign together --- with almost no results. Now . . . it is true that some of the first distributors to do that were successful. However, the problem with those types of systems is that the labor-intensive aspect and the cost vs. the conversion aspect are not cost effective.

Unless you are very well financed and patient, that is not the system for you! In fact, you must keep your hand on the pulse-beat of the industry for programs like that. Even some of the biggest hitters have been burned by not realizing that the wave of effectiveness had crested and the market was now saturated.

Remember the definition of insanity: “Continuing to do what hasn’t worked and expecting different results.” One of the next obvious problems with persistence that I see has to do with what people are persistent about. Some callers tell me they have persistently “worked” MLM to no avail for five or more years, but then I discover they have been with more than half a dozen companies during that time.

When I define MLM persistence, I am assuming that you know I mean persistence with a single select company. Now --- since a good many of you seem to love start-ups, I must advise you to get over that “fatal attraction” to the new deal. Very few start-ups will be successful ultimately. Of those that are, none bear much resemblance in three years to the way they looked on their launch day. The products, the materials, the training, the compensation plan and the management have usually changed within that period of time. It’s truly a case of “survival of the fittest.”

I personally have made over 8 million dollars with my MLM company, which was about a year old when Taylor and I joined it. Since there are reportedly only 18 companies that have been in MLM for 10 years for more, I am happy to report that my company is now over 20 years old.

You may ask me, “How has it changed?”

My response will be, “How hasn’t it?” Even the one product they had when they launched (which is and always was a fabulous product) has a different formula, a better taste, a new name and new packaging.

Over the years, the company has evolved in many ways, sometimes big ways. Fortunately, we had the vision, desire, and patience to persist no matter what changed. However, thousands of others fell by the wayside during this prolonged metamorphosis.

Here is your priceless thought for the day: If you can find a “home” with a mentor or a sponsor who is making at least a four-figure monthly income and then keep “working” with that same company for at least 10 years, you will statistically become a big money earner. Those who stay with a program for ten years or more are almost all company leaders by then and financially successful.

For further clarity, let me define “working” by sharing these 10 mandatory steps, which define whether you truly are engaged. Ask yourself:

Am I consistently retailing product every week (I do every day)?
Am I pitching a least 3 people a day, (re: my business opportunity)?
Am I following up daily with customers and potential reps to whom I have given material?
Am I attending all company conventions and events?
Am I distributing at least three brochures, flyers, special reports, etc. on a daily basis?
Am I spending a minimum average of 2 hours a day on my business?
Am I doing at least 20 minutes of personal development work a day?
Am I a real product of the product?
Am I clearly developing my goals and then my personal visioning?
Am I being sure I employ simple disciplines each day, not “errors in judgment,” as trainer, Jerry Clark says?

The more I stay in this business the more it looks like work. However, the big difference is that it’s work that I do on my terms, and I love it.

With today’s compensation plans and fast-changing technology, the days of hitting it big long-term by simple accident in our business have become almost non-existent --- especially with legitimate programs. We, in MLM, have done a big disservice to the public by spreading those tales of instant wealth.

I have a great way to make more money predictably: I think --- as trainer, Bob Harrison says, “increase.” I just step up my production level with more of the activities that are working when I want more money. To put it simply, you must learn to never, never quit. In order to never, never quit, you need a good mentoring sponsor. If you don’t have a “good” one, look around in your company, and align yourself with a good field leader, upline, downline or sideline, regardless of whether you’re making money together.

If that’s not possible, and your company has no one for you to learn from, then perhaps you should consider making one last company move so that you can have an optimal chance to succeed. Remember! Choose a lasting company, become a lasting leader, and you will enjoy a lasting residual income.

2007-01-31T10:15:00.000-06:00

Talk Versus Action: A Closer Look

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

Talk! Talk! Talk! We are in a business where talk reigns supreme, and the boldest talkers are always at center stage. Claims run rampant about everything from ad responses - to phenomenal product results - to bodacious income projections.

Sometimes this talk sways the uninitiated, and if they fail to seek any type of verification before taking action, they might find that they have based their decisions and plans on pipe dreams and smoke screens.

However, before I leave the impression that talk is always cheap (and therefore frivolous), I need to emphasize the legitimate role of responsible talk in MLM. Responsible talk in our industry accomplishes a number of things:

It speaks public commitments into existence which then create the forum for public accountability that is so helpful to those who need a support structure for continuous production;
It helps people design a time frame for success (i.e., I’m going to lose 20 more pounds before Easter);
It excites and motivates others to think bigger;
It sets a climate for accomplishment in the organization which stimulates others to make commitments;
It intensifies focus for everyone so they can evaluate their goals, large and small.

We consider this type of talk to be positive because it results in benefits like those listed above.

However, empty rhetoric, or worse yet, distorted testimonials and promises spoken, but not kept, have damaged our industry tremendously. When people keep talking about the future and how much money they are going to make, you need to come out from under the ether and look at what they’ve consistently done over the past year or years and compare those results to what they are saying.

I used to --- out of ignorance --- stand in front of the room and ask the question, “How many of you would like to make $10,000 a month?” Every hand would go up . . . and that got me excited! I didn’t learn for several years that I was asking the wrong question.

Of course, they all wanted $10,000 or more each month; they just didn’t aspire to the levels of commitment, focus, and keeping of production schedules that were needed to produce such a monetary result.

In those days, I didn’t comprehend those levels myself as my own business was not making $10,000 a month yet. I daresay that if I had known and identified the work habits and time constraints required for a $10,000 monthly result, I would’ve had far fewer “takers.”

I don’t want to discount the importance of “speaking things into existence,” because I do feel that public declaration can go a long way towards helping people get on track and stay on track.
Just don’t be misled by unsubstantiated talk. Most of the companies in our industry are bigger on telling you what you can do, particularly in reference to your earning possibilities, than in sharing what others like you have really accomplished. Before you put a lot of time, energy and money into a game plan, check it out carefully to make sure that the speaker has lived what he or she is speaking and that it was indeed successful.

Industry legend Richard Brooke says, “Success comes through you before it comes to you.” By speaking your commitments into existence, you can attract energy to you, which will support your making things happen . . . if you are truthful and focused while honestly sharing both those times when your accomplishments are measuring up and those times when they have fallen short of what you have said.

We must be ethical and honest at all times. Too many distributors will say anything to prospects to get them involved. Check out some of the ads in any papers or letters, and you’ll see what I mean. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Greed often clouds our judgment about what to believe.

We must be careful that we speak honestly, respecting our prospects and giving them the best that we can offer. We need to distinguish the wide array of benefits and contributions that our MLM opportunity presents. We need to talk about what they, the prospects, want, and we need to focus our speaking, and then our actions, on team efforts.

Only then will talk really become a vehicle for helping dreams come true.

2006-12-27T08:52:00.000-06:00

The Hierarchy of Opportunity in MLM

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

If you are a top leader, scratching your head at the ineffectiveness of your new distributors ― if you’re an MLMer, who has never really made money in the industry in spite of “working” several programs ― if you’re on a plateau, unable to drive your income above that glass ceiling ― this one’s for you.

It cost me well over $30,000 in business-consulting fees and seminar costs to really comprehend this life-changing insight. (It’s amazing how much more insightful you get when you’ve paid a lot of money.) The good news is . . . you’ve got a shot at collecting this information for the price of the time it takes you to read this article.

The insight is that perhaps the biggest difference-maker between the industry icons and the unsuccessful is that icons avoid wasting time on “low-level” activities if “higher level” activities can be accomplished instead, thus they utilize the hierarchy of opportunity to help them make the best use of time.

Let me explain: distributors in our business become successful ultimately by “talking with people.” Generally, when they begin to work their businesses, they may experience little or no success. When they return to you for guidance ― if they do ― you might say, “Talk to more people.”

However, if the distributor does not have an effective story in place, if the distributor has not been trained in how to properly “language” people in the conversation, then most likely more will not be better . . . it will just be more.

What needs to happen in that case is that the new distributor needs to spend some time instead, having YOU pitch the prospect so that he or she can see some effective modeling of better techniques.

Instead of spending so much time looking for fresh prospects, your distributors need to understand the hierarchy of opportunity and utilize the probability of expanding market patterns by contacting current customers/distributors and selling them additional products.

If they already like your products, chances are they will be receptive to products they haven’t tried yet. Obviously, one of the best and highest uses of time would be to get them enrolled in your automatic shipment program so that they have no product-purchase interruption and they continuously create a volume stream.

It is obviously everyone’s highest best use of time to build attendance at events and to put a lot of strategy into how to create new attendance records at every event. We have always said that decisions are made at events, and each person in attendance at a major event could easily be worth $1000 a piece to you.

Of course, when people go to events, the “hierarchy of opportunity” plays a large factor. It is vital that distributors (and leaders, of course) place top priority on being early to all segments of the program, “circ and perk” to do nugget-sharing or gleaning, and tuck themselves in early (instead of partying all night) so that they will be fresh, attentive, and energetic for the next day’s business.

Many MLMers spend a great deal of time out in the hall at events ― definitely the wrong message to send new distributors. Either you need the meeting . . . or the meeting needs you. There is never an excuse that justifies your missing a presentation, no matter how many times you have heard it. Furthermore, the hierarchy of opportunity definitely requires you to re-evaluate how much time you spend with which people.

Some people are time vampires. They call frequently and take up hours talking about virtually nothing. Stop meeting with them every time they want to get together, but rather ask them what the purpose of a meeting would be, and if it sounds important enough, then make it a phone meeting so that you can better manage the clock.

Doing something with one person that you could do with several simultaneously is a poor use of your time. Because I finally comprehended this, I set up a 12-week group internship conference call. I am now training about 4 dozen people simultaneously who are each duplicating those training procedures with 3-6+ people each. In essence, I am actually “training” over 240 people with such massive duplication potential . . . and it takes me 1 hour a week.

The best news about that is . . . the promise of my internship program was that it would at least double the income of every participant. A significant number of participants had their incomes double the very first month!

I think you can see the value of making the best use of your time vs. working harder instead of smarter. I suggest that you take an honest look at how fruitful your activities really have been, and ask yourself how you can produce more in less time.

Prioritize the importance of every thing you do, then systematize it whenever possible. I promise you that this will increase your income dramatically, while decreasing your frustration.

You CAN make big money in MLM. We’ve made almost seven million dollars with our present company (while others have failed in it), and we have a proven track record of building significant new-distributor incomes within the first month or two by utilizing these principles.

Not everyone is going to make the over $10,000 his first month that Billy Banks made . . . or the over $16,000 her first 60 days that Karen Imhoff made . . . or the over $6000 her first month that Andrea Dudley made. Nevertheless, everyone can at least replace an income, and everyone can follow a proven plan to utilize the highest, best yield for time invested. My wish for you is that you can accomplish your dream and your vision for your future through the financial and time freedom that our industry allows. Good luck in re-structuring the way you are using your time to make the most of your MLM opportunity.

2006-11-29T09:23:00.000-06:00

The Reluctant MLM Spouse

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

You can sense it immediately. . . . You are talking with a prospect, and you are hearing more about how his or her spouse will react than how your prospect is feeling about the opportunity you are offering him or her.

You might have heard things like:
“My husband hates it when I go out at night for meetings.”
“I’m going to have a lot of resistance about the time this will take from my family.”
“My spouse is not going to let me spend any money.”
“My wife hates MLM.”
“My spouse is going to throw it up to me about all the other deals I tried that didn’t work.”
“My wife hates it when I’m on the phone a lot.”
And so on.

Let’s face it; either you or someone you know has burnt a few bridges at home pursuing an opportunity that didn’t work out. However, it is vitally important to win over that reluctant spouse if you can.

Years of experience with this topic have given me a number of helpful suggestions I can pass along to you. First, spend some time in a freeing discussion clarifying the dreams that your spouse has about where he or she would like your family to be and what he or she would like to do with the MLM time and financial freedom you could create by building a successful organization.

Often times, when your loved ones start “thinking big,” they begin to realize for the first time that your fixed salaries are unlikely to allow fulfillment of those dreams. Consider materialistic dreams like new homes, cars, boats, clothes, jewelry, vacations and toys . . . and then consider your dreams of time freedom. Perhaps you would like to avoid the commute, spend more time at sports events for your children, or volunteer more for your church.

Once you have fully explored the possibilities regarding time and money freedom, you need to put a star by a couple that could be realizable within a year (like a promised diamond wedding ring to replace the cheap band you started with, for example).

Let your spouse know that you are committed to working hard toward accomplishing the items on the family’s list with your MLM income. Reassure your spouse that you will keep good records to maximize tax breaks (more “found” money). Make a promise (then keep it) to coordinate your schedule with your spouse’s, compromising whenever possible so there is still quality family time.

Stop “convincing” your spouse through high pressure tactics and instead allow your spouse to explore your product line without forcing a success story (in my company, the spouse often loses a huge amount of weight, like 19 pounds in 10 days, and then wants to take over the business).
Don’t commit a huge amount of family money to back a business if you are the only one excited about it; start on a shoestring and work your way up instead. Realize that what will shift your spouse’s attitude is a different result than what you’ve had before. You can only create a different result if you get “tunnel vision” with a “ten foot tall and bulletproof” mentality.

Make up your mind, once and for all, that you are not going to quit unless the company goes down. Too many people only pursue an opportunity for 90 days or less. If I had been relying on big production in my first 90 days, then I would’ve quit my deal and missed out on the almost 6 million dollars we made a little later.

Your spouse does not necessarily want to “take you to raise” and have to indulge all your poorly-thought-through whims. Understand that you will enhance the quality of your marital relationship considerably when you respect and acknowledge your spouse’s negative thoughts about your endeavors. If you really get honest, you’ll probably have to admit that the first time or two you tried such a venture, your spouse didn’t have those negative feelings.

If you work on understanding how your spouse feels and listen on that level, chances are you will break down the animosity with patience and production.

Some people say when you really want something . . . give it away. But, if what you really want is to control your spouse . . . give up on that idea. Chances are, you’ll start experiencing a lot more of what you’re really looking for once you stop controlling and start communicating.

A good marriage, after all, is just a good series of on-course corrections and compromises… preceded by tremendous empathy and a desire by both spouses to bring more than 50% to the relationship.

If you are having spousal problems in MLM, then chances are you are having spousal problems in other areas too. An awareness of this will give you a chance to mend your relationship in a healthy way before other areas of the marriage become contaminated.

Remember what they say: “You could do it without ‘em, but you’d whole lot rather have them on your side.”

2006-11-07T15:02:00.000-06:00

Free Thank You Gift Certificate

As a holiday thank you to all of you, Dr. Silva is offering a free thank you gift and a free gift certificate for $10-$20 off phone orders from today until January 1st, 2007. To receive your gifts simply call Dr. Silva’s office at 817-424-5204.

2006-11-07T14:26:00.000-06:00

Trading Glory for Dollars: The Art of Leading from the Back of the Room

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

There is probably not another profession on the face of the earth more tailor-made for the “average person” to develop into a stage seeker than MLM. From the time you take your distributors to their first major event on (and perhaps even from the time you take them to their first business meeting), many of them begin to long for the moment when they can step up to the microphone. In fact, one the first declarations they make is, “Next year, I’m going to walk across that stage!”

There is something intoxicating to people about being center stage. Actually, I find it rather humorous that while I hear many people declare an aversion to speaking from the front of the room, it never seems to shorten the length of their remarks. In fact, sometimes the so-called terrified ones have to be cut off by the host of the program because they won’t shut up.

Although the lure of being on stage for money has a compelling charisma, I would list it as one of the most expendable activities for any leader wanting to make the big money. You may be wondering why I say that. It’s because your best money-making spot is the back of the room as you watch your leaders flock to the stage.

The more your leaders get to participate from the front of the room, the more momentum and enthusiasm they will have for the event. Incidentally, they almost never find fault with an event in which they are a major participant.

It is important to begin cultivating them for that leadership participation as soon as you sign them up. Begin in small groups, like at a home party or a small meeting. First, they need to observe you (or someone else) and ask questions. Then, you need to coach them for a small participation role. When they have successfully mastered a supportive part and have proven that they can manage the clock, you will want to give them their starting role chance.

I first heard this “lead from the back of the room” stuff from my husband Taylor back in 1986. I though, at the time, that perhaps it was overrated. I was confident back in my professional teaching days that a trained presenter would be hard to beat.

What I learned is that it’s not about “beating.” It’s about developing, encouraging, supporting, and envisioning. It’s about accepting standards, temporarily, that might drop a tad so that they can ultimately rise to a new level. This fits right in with Taylor’s motto: “We build the people, the people build the business.”

In December of 2002, Taylor and I decided to host a historic Leadership Summit meeting. We had 55 of our top leaders come in for a 72-hour marathon. It was one of our finest hours. After a Mexican fiesta dinner and a tour of our estate, we held a Vision Workshop. The breakthroughs that began to occur there are still unfolding.

On Saturday, seven of our top leaders presented to the group. The afternoon culminated in a question and answer panel followed by an inspirational call to action. I’m sure the string of seven limousines we hired to carry us to a holiday party at the CEO’s estate added extra sparkle to the event ― but we are still at a loss for words to describe the power of the entire experience.

“Leading from the back of the room” is what generated that winning format. It is also how you can get the most out of an event while observing the responses of the audience. I would encourage you to set your ego aside and build up those around you. You may not see your name on the program, but you’re more likely to see it on a bigger check.

I’ve always said if I can make at least $30,000 a month, I can get by. If you aren’t happy with where your leadership has taken you, try stepping out of it and passing the baton. Trading glory for dollars seems like a pretty fair trade to me.

Here are some tips for leadership development:
1. Set and live by high standards;
2. Be consistent;
3. Know your people;
4. Bring out the best in people;
5. Earn the respect of your team;
6. Delegate;
7. Build confidence by showing confidence;
8. Project positive expectancy;
9. Create team achievement;
10. Communicate enthusiastically;
11. Have a vision.

Remember Mary Kay’s National Sales Director, Luella Gunter’s famous words, “Ultimate success is the ability to inspire followers to become leaders.”

2006-10-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

Lessons from the Crib – How to Hold Your New Recruits

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

Enrolling someone in your business is of little consequence to your success in MLM. Getting continuous production from that recruit is the key to success. So, what are the elements which result in converting a “recruit” into a “leader?”

Well, after spending 2½ weeks with my toddler grandchildren several years ago, an insight bolted into my consciousness: if you make it fun and interesting --- concentrating on what THEY want, then you pretty much get compliance. I realized, as I thought about what it took to get cooperative action from our little darling 1 and 2-year-old grandchildren that the same logic certainly applied to MLM.

Some elements of our business are very challenging to people, and we have a hard time getting our new recruits into action. One of those elements is prospecting. But, what if you had a reward program to “pay” your recruits weekly if they got the job done? I can tell you from experience that once I established a monopoly type paper “pay” system in my weekly Boot Camp call, participants would do practically anything to make sure they got “paid.”

When I started “paying” everyone to prospect 3-5 people a week and “paying” people to sponsor, they accomplished these activities a lot more successfully. In addition, when I started “paying” my distributors for exercising, instead of just nagging them to get more fit, I got incredibly better results.

One of my participants broke her toe, but she only missed one week’s money, soon finding a way to take up stationary bicycle riding to comply with the activities, so she could once again win all her weekly money, plus the weekly bonus for completing all 12 assignments successfully.

A major key here is that it is about what THEY want. Much of the training in our industry is a cookie cutter process designed to create exact duplication with everyone. Therein lies a problem.

Many people cannot SEE themselves doing certain things, like saying exactly what is in the script, or wearing a button. If, however, you could design a way to personalize your trainings, making them more interactive and perhaps even involving role-playing, then chances are you would retain a lot more people.

I have found that I can accomplish this in a group process over the phone. I structure my Boot Camp calls to allow for a significant amount of interaction every week. People are both acknowledged and rewarded. It’s not about me, it’s about them.

My first real conscious implementation of this “fun” and “interesting” behavior modification actually occurred many years ago, when I was a teacher in that small town high school in Escalon, California. I taught English and Home Economics.

In my Home Ec classes, due to the nature of the activities, I had to assign monitor duties (I thought) each week. Some students were required to unplug and turn off the irons, some folded dishtowels, some cleaned off tables and put away pattern books, etc.

I assigned such jobs alphabetically and wrote the “workers” names on a monitor list that I taped to my desktop. The kids complained incessantly that surely it wasn’t their turn again, etc. and ---quite frankly --- after 3 years of struggle, I decided that life was short, and I was tired of all the whining.

I came up with a revolutionary new “system.” I would accept only volunteers. No one would ever “have to” do a chore again. When I first announced the new program in each of my six classes, a snicker broke out when I said I was only accepting volunteers.

After waiting an appropriate length of silence for the snickering to subside, I then continued on to say that my “frequent” volunteers would be rewarded at the end of the semester with a 4X6 colored glossy photo of my celebrity pet parakeet “Little Michael,” which she would personally autograph, and a choice feather collection would be taped on the back of each collector’s item photo.

A stampede ensued in each class as students darted up to write their names in every week’s slots. My biggest “new” problem was that I didn’t have enough jobs for all the eager beavers. I thought to myself, “Let me see if I understand this. For 3 years, I have been struggling to get any cooperation in monitor duties. Now, I offer a 50 cent photo of a parakeet, and I get an enthusiastic effort all semester long --- and I even have substitute monitors lined up in case of absences!”

I continued to use the parakeet photo system for the remaining 11 years that I taught at Escalon High School, and my only problem with it ever was that I couldn’t create as many monitor jobs as I had volunteers, so I had to give credit to my long list of substitutes just to maintain fairness.

Fun and interesting . . . that’s the key. I hope you will take some time to consider applications of these insights for your MLM organization. Remember what Einstein aptly observed:

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

2006-10-10T08:39:00.000-05:00

Recruiting the Under-30 Set into Your MLM Business

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

One thing is clear to those of us who study the industry closely: many companies who appeal only to “older crowds” (yes, those my age) are largely flat right now . . . and some are seriously waning. Let’s face it; while many of you out there profess that your products are for everyone, clearly, some products have mass appeal for the teen and twenty-year-old crowds . . . and some products are clearly for geriatrics. If you are going after the under-30 crowd, you should know a few things.

There is an art to systematically recruiting young people. They like “fast food” health products like beverages (that taste good), protein bars, shakes, and services they use. They also like products that they see other teens and twenty-something’s using. They have to see themselves doing the business. Also, the compensation has to be realizable.

Young recruits like to know that they could win recognition or prizes that they actually would want. A contest that offers dirt bike prizes and beach vacations would go over bigger with the under-30 set than one offering Waterford crystal vases (however lovely they might be).

In order to attract and hold large numbers of young people, your company needs to update to some technology approaches. The under-30 set loves computers, cell phones, palm pilots, automated systems, and creative approaches.

Our company, for example, has a completely automated 24/7 office-to-office system that has phenomenal capabilities – everything from order tracking to finding out exactly how you can get out of debt, from point tracking for our latest company trip to entire downline volumes.

It is very frustrating having to call in during traditional office hours and then probably wait on hold to get this information. Furthermore, if there is one thing that I have found out is a turn off to the younger set, it is feeling like we (the geriatrics) don’t understand how they feel or what is important to them.

Let’s take major events, for example. Many companies have a stodgy band following a set program at these events (or no music at all). A lively disc jockey who knows how to mix it up can be a real magnet for young people and even a surprising boost of energy and fun for the rest of us.

Our company, in response to a major increase in young people, has used a popular disk jockey for some of our conferences, and it has been fun for all. Also, contests have actually made a lot of younger people work hard to be able to attend the events too, because they really didn’t want to miss the awards presentation. Re-design your recognition so that young people have a good shot at winning something. They certainly love recognition.

Making money-delayed gratification is generally a good thing, but you will find that twenty-year-olds like to eat regularly. You must adapt compensation so that those wanting to go “fulltime” or “big time” quickly could support themselves doing so.

Here are some guidelines to help you attract and hold the younger set in your program:
1. Be flexible;
2. Add products or services with youth appeal to your line;
3. Develop testimonials from young people to use as bait;
4. Revamp your contests with the under-30 crowd in mind;
5. Re-evaluate your prizes and trip destinations;
6. Use technology;
7. Have a very functional website with 24/7 organizational information available;
8. Have inexpensive replicating websites and a shopping cart for your distributors;
9. Re-evaluate your celebration evening at conventions to make it seem like a fun party;
10. Make sure the pay plan appeals to younger crowds;
11. Offer some recognition that young people can win during the beginning phase of a build;
12. Just love them! You have to enjoy your young distributors and make them feel welcome. A healthy goal would be to function like one big family, with every age group offering insights and wisdom.

If you re-examine your home-based opportunity with an eye toward its curb appeal for the young crowds, you just may discover a way to really expand your market position. As I conclude this, I realize something: I sure wish someone had worked to recruit me into network marketing a decade or two sooner!

2006-09-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Precision Pitching: How Important is it for your Recruiting Success in MLM?

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

I always smile when I think of Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is not confused about its image or its service. When you and I think of Southwest, we probably think of the same things: low fares, one-day affordable service, and peanuts (both price-wise and meal-wise).

When you book on Southwest, you won’t be fighting over a limited number of first class up-grades or trying to negotiate an aisle seat as close to the front of the plane as possible. You know that you, and all the rest of the passengers (including Hillary Clinton if she has booked a seat), will be racing to both the ticket counter and the boarding line-ups for the free-for-all boarding contest.

I’ll never forget the flight attendant’s rendition of passenger flight orientation (in a smiling, booming voice): “Ladies and gentlemen, there may be FIFTY WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER, but there is only ONE WAY to exit this aircraft!”

Predictable Service, Predictable Prices, that’s Southwest Airlines. What does Southwest have in common with your network marketing company?

That is a very good question, one which you should take a moment to analyze so that you can design a precision pitch which accomplishes what you’re intending. Before you make that next business presentation, take active steps to review it, making sure that you are clear about these points:
Company’s visual image (consider logo, design colors, materials, etc.)
Company’s product appeal (what niche does it fill, and who is your primary target market?)
Are you a service company or a tangible goods company?
Are you leading with product service or the business opportunity?
Are you part-time or full-time, and where do you see yourself two years from now?
Is your primary objective, when you do a presentation, to fill a need or create want?

Now, make your presentation (with your tape recorder going) to a family member --- and when you have finished, ask that person to answer the aforementioned questions about your business (you can listen to your tape later to learn from the discrepancies).

If your family member does not come up with the same answers that you expected from #1 to #6, then you most definitely need to redesign your presentation. Until the people you are communicating with are hearing your message the way you intend, you are probably confusing people as to your true message.

Several years ago, my husband, Taylor Hegan, and I enrolled simultaneously in a weeklong communication course in a remote Georgia mountain camp. Six powerful people from around the world gathered with us to sharpen communication skills. About five days into the training --- after much work and many insights --- we gathered for what turned into breakout sessions to measure the keen skill of listening carefully.

As luck would have it, Taylor and I happened to be seated together. This was a little unusual, because in the many personal development courses we had taken, we had been trained to split up for maximum benefit.

Nonetheless, we found ourselves in an interactive exercise called “Gleaning the Gold.” The object was to share several sentences of detailed information with your partner, who would then paraphrase it back without changing the essence of the meaning.

Taylor spoke first while I listened dutifully. In a short few moments, I “gleaned” the essence, spoke it back to him, and he essentially confirmed that it was fine. Then, it was my turn. (By now, every woman reading this column is probably grinning from ear to ear, predicting what was about to happen.)

As soon as I finished my monologue, Taylor condensed it down to a few sentences that bore no resemblance whatsoever to what I had said. I was, in fact, appalled at his rendition. When I told him that he had missed the boat listening, he did the unthinkable. He said, “Well, why don’t you just open up to the possibility that that’s what you meant?”

After the second aborted attempt (he was getting no closer), I handed him a legal pad and told him to write my dialogue down. I swear I am not making this up, although I am sure that it sounds almost impossible to believe . . . but with it written down verbatim, he still was arguing about what I meant!

Fortunately, the session leader called us back to group session before we could bicker any longer. The results of the exercise were interesting. Out of the 68 people present, two sets of people had failed the exercise, and both sets happened to be married . . . to each other.

The point of it all is that when the people being addressed, i.e., the people you are pitching to, “think” they know the subject being covered, or have a definite opinion already existing about it, they may not hear you clearly.

Because many elements of our programs may appear confusing at first, it is important that everyone be able to ‘glean’ the same gold from your presentation. You will find that your responses will be more positive when you streamline your presentation and don’t provide too much information initially.

Taylor and I focus on a system for recruiting and sponsoring, a system for product usage, and a system for implementation of our product line into medical offices. We introduce these as readiness develops, and we stress the user-friendly duplicable parts so that people can see themselves doing the business.

That really is the purpose of your presentation --- to present a clear, reproducible, and appealing opportunity so that your listeners feel as if they can do the business. This cuts down on the amount of confusion that people get from your presentation. I am reminded of an old Hawaiian motto: “If you can’t convince ‘em, confuse ‘em.” It will keep them occupied for a while, but it will not forward your business.

To be successful, be sure your message is precise, appealing, and has a clean call to action. If the purpose is to sell ‘em, you should leave with an order. If the purpose is to enroll ‘em, you should leave with an application. They should leave with plans and purpose, not questions or confusion.

2006-08-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

For Women Only: A Woman’s Guide to Success on Command

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

For all the women out there who dream of a better life, more money, household help, relief from the pressures of trying to be a good parent, while holding down a job or two, equal opportunity with or without formal degrees or credentials, for those who dream of having incredible personal self confidence instead of low self esteem --- this one’s for you.

In 1982, I too was struggling with two jobs and a household to run; I was also a schoolteacher. My idea of extravagance was going on one “nice” hotel vacation a year, and I always hoped that we would pick a good hotel, etc., so it would be really worth all the sacrifices that it was costing. I almost never got a massage or pedicure. After justifying the expenditure, I bought a half day of household help per week during the school year. I did my own laundry, grocery shopping, landscaping, and pool service. I had, by most average American standards, a “nice” home and a livable lifestyle, but it was NOT the lifestyle of the rich and famous. That was until Network Marketing created so much wealth for us that our only recourse was to spend it.

The year was 1995. That was the year we bought our estate, filled our lake with dozens of ducks, geese, and swans. We saw so much money accumulating that we made plans for, and then built, another palatial lakeside home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, got our irreplaceable full-time cook --- picture yourself sitting by the crackling fireplace in the winter while your maid fetches your morning paper, slides a steaming cup of freshly ground coffee in your hand, and takes your breakfast order.

It’s all come true for me because I had a dream. First, I created a mentor relationship with some industry experts. I subsequently developed a plan. I have learned a secret about networking that virtually insures my success on command. It’s a secret that can change your life, too.

I want to share with you what I know. If you will study these “guidelines” and follow them to the letter, you too can write your own ticket to success in MLM. I call these my 10 steps to becoming 10 feet tall and bulletproof in MLM today:

(1) Choose a company that has been in business at least two years and one that “has its act together,” as opposed to one that just has “great products.” In truth, almost all companies that survive have great products, but great products don’t sell themselves. Great promotions are what sell, PERIOD;

(2) Choose a sponsor like a marriage partner. This is your most important link to the MLM brass ring. Sponsor yourself under the “wrong” person and your upline could erode your business and fail to give much needed constructive coaching, which enables you to make vital on-course corrections. No great athlete functions without a coach and few great MLMers do either;

(3) Become a multi-task specialist. Most women are already one, so you likely already possess the supreme qualifications here. A multi-task specialist is someone who handles several tasks simultaneously and does a great job on all. As a working woman, a mother, a cook, a chauffeur, a phone operator, and an emergency room technician, you have probably already earned your stripes here. Most women have . . . and most men have not. This talent alone makes you a definite MLM superstar candidate;

(4) Spend a minimum of 20 minutes per day in “guided” personal development work. By that I mean, personal development books, tapes, exercises or seminars that are recommended by your mentor to help you overcome any self-sabotaging tendencies you may have and to keep you positively oriented;

(5) Develop new habits. You need to set-up a 21 day system which will lock in your financial production. If you send a self addressed, 1st class stamped envelope to: Hegan Center @ 501 San Juan Drive, Suite P, Southlake, TX 76092, we will be happy to send you a free “Habit” message that has already guided many superstars before you to greatness, along with some tips on MLM organization. Ask for the “All in a Day’s Work” Wealthbuilders’ Guidebook;

(6) Create your “name list” of at least 200 people you have met from all walks of life or fewer if you don’t want to earn as much. Ask your mentor for some help if you get stuck here;

(7) Recognize the major differences between how men approach MLM vs. how women approach it. You will almost never be successful giving them the same business opportunity presentation. For specifics on gender MLM tips, send a self-addressed envelope to: Hegan Center, @ 501 San Juan Drive, Suite P, Southlake, TX 76092 and ask for the FREE report on “Sexist MLM”. You will be amazed . . . and your “ah-ha” light will go on when you read this;

(8) Be coachable when you see your plan for financial freedom developing, and be coachable when things don’t work. I believe that I can lead anyone to seeing that “brass ring” and “rainbow’s end” in the industry, anyone that is, who will listen to, and follow, a simple 1-2-3 step process with my direction;

(9) Realize that your family, friends, co-workers and environment will surely try to sabotage you the minute you begin to be successful in creating your home-based empire. I have a special coaching program to prevent you from self-destructing when a spouse, parent, or other person thinks you are crazy . . . or worse yet, runs you down for believing in yourself. My system for combating sabotage is pretty simple.

(10) Since you can start nearly any home-based business for just a few hundred dollars in supplies, training and products, there is no reason for you to do more industry study before getting started. The worst thing that can happen, if you join in a company today and it ultimately doesn’t make it, is that you would learn a lot and earn nothing or very little. When you think about it, that’s better odds than enrolling in college where you will learn who knows what to prepare you for something that may not exist by the time you have completed your degree and will cost you thousands, if not tens of thousands, whether it can lead to a career or not. If you don’t believe me here, ask your doctor (who’s probably working twice as hard for half the money he earned 5 years ago, the victim of managed health care). His career in medicine is certainly not what it used to be before all the HMO’s took over the health industry.

I personally have spent tens of thousands on college and have degrees in English, Home Economics, and Sociology, with a Masters in Counseling and education. It pains me to report that my highest income in my chosen profession was less than $40,000.00 a year after 18 years of practice and all the merit advancements.

I now make more than twice that amount each month. I did not know such earning potential really existed for me, and I certainly didn’t know that all that advanced education --- would be a hindrance to my MLM success, because I would try too hard to “figure everything out” my first few years and never make any money (although I collected a lot of information and tips from other distributors). I call that “the blind leading the blind.”

Be smarter than I was. Recognize that you, as a woman, (an estimated 70% of networkers are women), will be starting on level playing field with every other beginner, every other expert and talented person . . . and, armed with these insights, you will have the greatest inside knowledge of how to make it work. Therefore, you will be a guaranteed superstar if you don’t give up too soon or deviate from these guidelines.

There is nothing --- NOTHING --- you cannot achieve if you team up with people who have a proven track record and commit to being undaunted by failure.

This little school teacher from Escalon, California has learned that about the only way you could “mess up” with this plan is to make it harder than it is supposed to be by complicating it with the addition of more steps. You deserve to create that life you love. You deserve to be pampered and to spend quality time with your family. You deserve to set your own schedule. You have never seen a better time to enter network marketing than right now --- TODAY. You can have it all just like I do! Let network marketing open up these possibilities for you, and I promise you will never be the same again!

2006-08-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Let's Get Started Making Money!

Two of the biggest challenges that MLM distributors face are understanding HOW to build an MLM business fast and effectively . . . and then actually being able to do it! Lots of books and tapes are available on this very subject. If you’ve looked at many of these materials, you might be more confused than ever, so I thought it would be useful to re-visit some of these concepts with you --- I say, “revisit,” because I am assuming that you have already been presented with a model of how to build an MLM organization.

Some time ago, I interviewed a master recruiter in MLM named Kelly Schnorenberg. Kelly is a no-nonsense kind of a guy, who is industry-renowned for bringing home the bacon. “I keep it real simple,” he said. “I do three way calling with my new recruit, quickly working through the names list that he puts together his first day in the business.”

“The purpose of the first 3-way call is to take the prospect’s initial temperature. After a brief conversation, I ask the prospect, “If I could show you a way to make a full-time income on a part-time basis during your first 30 days in the business, an income that would not interfere with your current source of income, on a scale of 1-10, what would your level of interest be?”

Kelly, being an excellent sifter of people, simply thanks them for their time if they are a “3” or less. If the prospect indicates openness to an opportunity, then Kelly follows with a fax and a firm time to check back for a clarification. Then the prospect is 3-wayed into a bridge call with dozens if not hundreds of other prospects to hear the “Live Guest Presentation Call.”

As soon as the presentation call ends, Kelly calls the prospect back, and it’s decision time. As you follow this, you realize the immediacy of this system --- fast and effective. It’s definitely a winning formula for people who want to create a full-time big-time income.

As I have looked at and worked with this system myself, I am delighted by several benefits included its main features. The system actually accomplishes four things: it creates credibility; it is fantastic training for the new person; it will grow a business rapidly (at least 2 out of 10 will do the business on average); and it shows the new person that he doesn’t have to be a salesperson. The new recruit does not need talent (yet) or a complete understanding of anything --- neither the product knowledge nor the five points of the comp plan. The new recruit also need not have supreme confidence in himself or his abilities.

Here’s really all he or she DOES need:

A phone with 3 way calling features;
A sponsor or upline person willing and able to “buddy up” on those 3 way calls;
Access to a fax machine;
A bridge live-call system with effective “Live Guest Presentations” held frequently enough to service the pace;
Access to training which can take the recruits to the next level;
An effective website from which forms can be printed and details about the program can be reviewed;
A list of warm bodies with some potential to be attracted to the program.

I need to add that, for some part-time MLMers who want to proceed slowly with an emphasis on product-consumption, (we generally refer to this system as “Retail to Sponsor”) participation in the 3-way-calling system would probably require more commitment than they would be willing to make. In this case, what I like to remind people is “Different strokes for different folks.” Some people aren’t really committed enough to their businesses to work their schedules around multiple phone calls per day. Since we are all free agents, it’s OKAY to get rich quickly or slowly (or for that matter, not to get rich at all . . .).

I’d like to offer up a few additional considerations that would be very helpful if you’d like to simplify your approach and plug in to this no-fail system:

1. Choose your sponsor carefully, for obvious reasons;
2. Budget some phone money;
3. Get organized and get an organizer;
4. Re-evaluate your current schedule, and free up some time if necessary;
5. Eat right, sleep right, and be healthy (you’ll have better phone energy);
6. Put a mirror in front of your phone station, and look cheerful;
7. Be positive, and don’t take any rejection personally;
8. Put your dreams list together, and think BIG.

I am so proud to be part of this industry, because I truly believe it is the only business that offers the brass ring equally to everyone who has the desire and intent to be successful. Good luck in getting started --- whether you’re starting from scratch --- or starting on your next million!

2006-08-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

Catch the Newest Wave in MLM Marketing: The “No Lie” Approach

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

To be sure, there are trends in our industry that are unmistakable. Compensation plans come and go. Promotional fads come and go. Product fads come and go. In fact, as volatile as our industry is --- practically every aspect of our business is in constant evolution and transition.

That’s what I LOVE about this business . . . the excitement and unpredictability of it, the very thing, I suppose, that scares a lot of people.

As a constant student of network marketing, I have watched with interest as people have criticized it all and analyzed the weaknesses of companies out there. Some of the major complaints I have heard are:
“The compensation plan is too hard . . . it’s for big hitters.”
“The compensation plan is too soft . . . nobody can make any money.”
“The tools didn’t work.”
“My sponsor wouldn’t help me.”
“I paid my money and then I never heard from anyone again.”
“I just can’t make it work like they said it would.”
“The claims about money are too ridiculous. I don’t believe it.”

Here are some of the headlines I encountered in a single issue of Network Marketing Monthly Journal:
“I earned over $250,000 in my 1st month!”
“$500 every day! I earned $10,750 my 1st month!”
“All you do is await your check.”
“First Ever!!! Everybody gets paid.”
“$100,000 in 7 weeks!”
“We do 95% of the work.”
“You keep 100% of the check!”
“No meetings! No rejections! No phone calls! No selling!”

What I found fascinating as I compared the list of objections to some of the promises was the discrepancy between the “promises” or the boasting and the real life results of many ad responders.

The trend in the industry now is toward creative business approaches and real honesty by the leaders in our industry about the work it takes to make a six-figure income in MLM. I was very moved when the owner of my company told us point blank at a training school that it was time for us to become totally honest about what it really takes to be “successful.” He said that it is much more important that we keep people IN our business than that we SIGN them up, because most people in our industry are gone for all intents and purposes from any given company in less than 90 days.

To compensate for the obviously tentative commitment that many people make, my husband Taylor Hegan, and I developed a pilot internship program designed to coach, experience and train our distributors. You might find it useful for your company, so the highlights are listed below.

High Performance Pilot Internship Program - the required commitments for entry:

Be a “AllStar” or “SuperStar” (an entry level starting point for a business builder to choose; simply plug in your position titles);

Make $100 autoship commitment in the Lifestyle Program (our company’s check qualifier for all 3 pay plans) ;

Commit to 20 minutes or more of fitness program of choice per day;

Commit to 20 minutes or more personal development work (books, tapes, seminars, etc.) per day --- ( I recommend the Forum by Landmark Education);

Have daily business activities (mutually agreed upon) and daily accountability;

Agree to be fully coachable;

Develop and refine your own personal mission;

Agree to take on at least 3 interns and duplicate this entire process, accessing coaching from your mentor if you get slack;

Learn all the aspects --- in a mutually agreed upon period of time --- that are an integral part of the First Fitness business, including but not limited to how to:
_A. Develop your product story;
_B. Develop your opportunity story;
_C. Learn meeting room and booth set-up;
_D. Master 3 way calling;
_E. Start with 12 names or more on your names list and keep building;
_F. Learn to assemble the mail package;
_G. Collect and place a growing (aim for 1 more per day) group of customers;
_H. Master the art of follow-up;
_I. Learn to take camera to all events;
_J. Make a record accordion file;
_K. Learn to handle all the parts of the business opportunity meeting: Company and management; Testimonial; Key product overview; Compensation plan; and Call to action.
_L. Learn how to invite and handle guests;
_M. Get proficient at product training;
_N. Learn how to do booths;
_O. Understand the value of journaling;
_P. Get comfortable with ad follow-up and response.

Dream big and learn to share your dreams;

Be willing to put yourself into the internship course at agreed upon times and places.

I hope you see how easy it would be for you to succeed, given this hands-on mentoring. If you are truly interested in making a full time income in MLM, it is your duty to implement some variation of this so that your downline can have a real track to run on. It will make all the difference for you. Remember Taylor’s famous motto: “We build the people, the people build the business.”

2006-07-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

Make More Money by Revamping your Old MLM Company

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

If your company has lost its enthusiasm and zip, or if it never had any to begin with, all is not lost. I know some people don’t agree with an old dog trying to look good in the window, but --- believe me --- it’s possible! When you are evaluating a company, it’s useful to make an old Ben Franklin list: positive points on the left and negative things on the right.

I know that all the great points in the world can’t offset the lack of a great commission check this month – nor can great products, massive inventory, fabulous sales aids, super management, nor corporate leadership.

However, if your company’s strengths and weaknesses list contains no fatal flaws, you CAN breathe new life and excitement into that tired old dog. Taylor Hegan (my husband), another distributor, and I did just that . . . and the results were nothing short of spectacular! We non-surgically re-contoured an existing company producing a few hundred thousand in monthly volume to one reporting 15 million dollars plus a month!

We became trendy;
We appealed to industry players;
We revamped company materials to become competitive in the marketplace;
We created BIG checks for lots of people;
We gave the company a dramatic new personality;
We increased company volume beyond anyone’s wildest expectations in just a few years;
We ran a parallel “new” compensation plan along with the tried and true (or was that tired and blue?”) compensation plan until a comfort level was established for management to welcome a merger of the two, with some grace period for “old” distributors to meet updated requirements.

When a new plan is fairly accepted and has a successful track record, you can either switch to it exclusively or maintain both old and new plans, allowing distributors to qualify on either or both, thus generating two monthly checks for themselves if they choose. Maintaining both pacifies fixed imagers who hate change and allows deeper payouts to the trendsetters, since the old timers usually don’t participate in both plans.

Always remember the golden rule of change: “NEVER TAKE AWAY!” Move money around perhaps, but if your company needs more money, the only sensible legitimate way I know to increase profitability is to do a financial analysis of expenditures, with an eye toward cost-cutting measures and ways that company management can help you increase sales.

One of the biggest problems in an established company is lack of excitement when distributors compare your plan to newer, more creative plans. You can choose to keep defending your current plan’s attributes and do nothing. Sometimes doing nothing is a good idea. Sometimes it’s not. Remember --- if you continue to think as you’ve always thought, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always gotten. Is that enough? If not, what are your choices?

Choice #1. Ask your distributors. This is a disastrous move, in my opinion --- they seldom have enough knowledge of all the ramifications of company financial choices. Their opinions are often based on their own particular vantage points (i.e., whether they are relatively new distributors, with fewer than 2 years in the company, or well-established, with 3 or more years as distributors and downlines more than 5 generations deep, if the plan is a breakaway), and they tend to focus on the persistent concern, “What’s in it for me?”

Choice #2. Let your company management decide. This one is risky. Seldom is management objective about what is competitive and what will work. There is a perceived notion in distributor-land that management wants to rob from the rich and give to the poor. But, have you often heard of a company pulling aside its top distributors, for example, and saying, “Hey, we’ve got to get you from $50,000 to $100,000 a month as soon as possible!”? There is also the alleged idea that management has “pets,” these being either the “overachievers” who make the rest “look bad” through their ever-constant hard work or the “squeaky wheels” who waste time making daily calls to complain and cry on company shoulders instead of really working the program.

Choice #3. Hire consultants to advise you . . . But who? Consultants should be carefully scrutinized for recent, successful track records. Ask for a list of companies that they have worked with before, and check references for some semblance of excellent and creative advice. Also, be aware that our industry changes so rapidly that today’s “prize winners” can be tomorrow’s “DOGGIES IN THE WINDOW.” Don’t discover what my mom did when she finally updated her home decor to the style she had been admiring in magazines for several years; she learned that everyone else was sick of blue and rose . . . and was getting rid of it!

Choice #4. If you really want good advice, you might consider working with a company outsider who has a good pulse beat on the present marketplace and is currently involved with several facets of MLM. They can help you tailor your compensation plan changes effectively, based on your particular product/service line.

Remember my slogan: “You REALLY CAN have it all!” Consider keeping your traditional compensation plan and then setting up a spin-off, bonus, compensation plan to create INSTANT SIZZLE and additional monies. You can add a new product and/or training that distributors can only purchase under the new plan. Working both the old and new plan will net them two checks. I really love this idea. You can transition gradually to a totally new plan without the disharmony of change destroying your company. You really can teach an old dog new tricks.

2006-07-06T11:33:00.000-05:00

Health and Wealth Editor's News Tip:

More People Are Creating Wealth And Living Their Dreams Than Ever!

Take A Few Minutes To Find Out How You Can Join Them.

The evolution of the Eileen Silva / Taylor Hegan team reads like a Danielle Steel novel. Find out how these megabucks stars met, climbed the ladder of success together, and now share the secrets of megabucks stardom with you.

Check out their newly updated site at www.seriousmegabucks.com for the latest books, articles, and financial opportunities.

2006-07-05T11:53:00.000-05:00

Introducing . . . The Next Medical Miracle From The Amazon Rainforest

Every so often, a truly miraculous medical breakthrough happens. Even more incredible, is the discovery of so many medical benefits from the Amazon Rainforest.

After 23 years of clinical research, 50-plus known clinical benefits of a newly released medicine have been verified by researchers. The amazing part of this is that there are NO SIDE AFFECTS. There are no side affects because the extraction process leaves the molecules intact. (The allopathic, or pharmaceutical process, creates a synthetic version of the plant molecule and causes real side affects.)

Did you know that 2,700-plus pharmaceutical companies are already using elements extracted from plants in the rain forest?

I invite you to visit http://www.medicalmiraclesnow.com/ to find out more information, not only about this amazing new medicine, but also how you can benefit financially from this discovery.

2006-06-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Design Your Own Income . . . Practice the Art of Making Big Money

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

All of my networking career I have heard these stories and more. I know you’ve heard them too:

“Earn $10,000 your first month!”
“Earn a six figure income!”
“Earn a full time income working part time.”

For years, I agonized when people asked me how fast they could hit $10,000 a month. I usually answered that question with a series of questions:

“Have you ever done any networking before?”
“How large an organization have you built?”
“How much time do you have to invest?”
“What’s your budget for advertising, promotions, etc.?”
“How coachable are you?”
“Are you willing to enroll in and follow through with our mentoring program?”
“And what kind of success story do you personally have with our product?”

Then, like an IBM computer, I mentally entered this data into my evaluative processes and came up with a qualified answer. The qualified answer was usually something like, “Well, we certainly CAN get you up to $10,000 or above, but there is no actual way to predict how fast, because a lot depends on . . .”

Then I’d go into an ‘evasive’ qualified answer that didn’t really offer any assurances. A couple of years ago, I had a really hot prospect with a fabulous MLM track record on the line, and she said, “If you can guarantee me that I can make up to $10,000 a month by my third month, I’ll join your company and really build this.”

At that time, I had no predictable way to utter such a promise and be sure I could deliver on it, so I passed, but it continued to haunt me that I could not accurately design an income for someone that talented. After all, we can design our bodies, houses, careers, etc. --- we ought to be able to design an income in MLM, just as we do in traditional business! If you went to work for J. C. Penney’s, you’d get a tangible dollar income and have a certain number of hours that you’d be working, and you’d pretty much be able to calculate your earnings.

Since that time, I have become an income specialist. I can now tell you, with my company’s compensation plan, exactly what you need to do to produce $10,000 a month. The key is . . . for your company to have the kind of pay plan(s) that includes some pay spots that are easily figured and have some sort of front-end money. It’s really helpful, too, if your pay plan has a weekly payout so that your recruit can easily keep up with production levels.

I arbitrarily picked “$10,000” a month for my income “lesson plan,” so that I could give you the formula in less than 30 seconds, and you’d actually wind up making $12,060 with it in your first month, but I’ll bet you wouldn’t complain even if you mess up a little and didn’t quite make it.

We have an obligation in network marketing to help people “bring home the bacon.” To do that, it’s critical that we help our people realize their income dreams fast enough to prevent attrition from canceling out new recruiting (a definite sign that new people aren’t making enough). We need to focus more in coaching the new distributors effectively in how to be successful in measurable terms. Here are some guidelines for you in working with your new recruits:

1) Let them set income goals and then design a work plan that will produce in 12
months or less (preferably 90 days or less for initial goal);
2) Define the game plan for your recruits’ new recruits;
3) Mentor with all necessary skill sets included in your coaching plan;
4) Plug your people into all support system trainings and tools that will assist them further;
5) Always remember that “signing them up” is just the beginning and carries a great deal of responsibility with it. Be ready to be a leader and do what is necessary, or don’t personally sponsor them;
6) Be sure to have an evaluation process in place for you and your distributors to be able to analyze regularly how things are going and to make on course corrections where they are needed.

Being a networking leader is quite a bit like being a parent! You make an emotional commitment to provide guidance and mentoring no matter how long it takes, and for as long as the company and both parties are still alive, we are in relationship, whether we like it or not.

I don’t know about you, but I feel a tremendous sense of personal connection to those who choose me as their sponsor. I’m going to assume that you do, too. So let’s all “raise the bar” in our industry and become as genuinely interested in our new recruit’s income as we are in our own, because you know what they say:

“When you help others get what they want, you get what you want.”

2006-06-06T09:18:00.001-05:00

If Not Money, Then What?

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

I’m going to subtitle this blog: “The Rest of the Story,” because as I sit here I realize that I really love many of the non-check benefits of MLM. These benefits sometimes cost money --- lots of money --- but not for me.

You see, our company picks up the tab on two, all-expense-paid, incentive vacations a year. These are five star events that are truly trips that money couldn’t buy, because the president of our company previews the locations, the restaurants, and the excursions. Everyone loves them, and that is guaranteed!

I remember laboriously flying to Maui for my third all-expensive Maui experience. I had learned to book my massages, facials and body wraps before I went. I’d also learned that Hawaiian fabric starts out looking gaudy and atrocious, but you gradually become sort of anesthetized to it and begin to erroneously think you like it --- until you hit the mainland, where it continues --- year after year --- to look ridiculous. When you unpack your bags (or watch your maid unpack your bags), you continue wondering if maybe all that pineapple clouded your judgment.

Well, mementos and local clothing aside, the trips are fabulous. What’s not to love --- France, England, cruises, Monte Carlo, Ireland, and Maui? I would gladly put forth significant effort just to be on the trip, even if I never made a dime!

On some trips, we are presented incentive, spending-money bonuses too. There is something about having your company pay for your luxurious lifestyle that is intoxicating. But, trips are not all! We’ve earned not one, not two, but dozens of award trophies and prizes. We’ve won everything from Waterford crystal to televisions.

Another of my favorite non-money benefits is the opportunity to work with great people. Some of them have become friends that we talk with every day and look forward to seeing on the beaches of the world. These friends are scattered all over the world, but most particularly, all over the United States, so we are able to experience all of the cultural nuances of this great country with friends. When I go to Seattle, I have seafood. When I’m in Buffalo, I have “wings”. In Dallas, Mexican food is the thing, and on Maui, it’s a luau.

In addition to enjoying culinary treats, we also experience whatever special things each area has to offer, whether mountain lakes, antique malls, spa treatments, football games, or churches. Network marketing has given us a cultural appreciation and exposure that I never dreamed possible. Before I joined MLM, I had only flown a couple of times. Now I’ve logged well over a million miles in the air!

But, perhaps one of the greatest intangibles is the joy of seeing some spectacular magazine, television and newspaper coverage. Sometimes I really have to pinch myself because it is so exciting to be a part of this industry.

I remember the day that I flipped open a magazine that came in the mail, and THERE IT WAS --- a “life-size” picture of my grandson and me, side-barring an incredible interview that I had forgotten about doing. I knew I had lent the magazine a number of great pictures, but I was totally surprised to see what they had done with those pictures.

Another of those non-financial benefits is being able to have people who, not only know WHO we are, but also HOW we are doing and what program we are working. Once in awhile someone calls and says, “You don’t know who I am, but I know you, and I’d like to join your organization.”

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the benefit of the personal growth I’ve experienced. I’m happier than I have ever been, and I’m now living life on my terms. I hope this article has gotten you thinking. I realize as I write this, that some of my fondest memories in this business had nothing to do with money. They had to do with people, places, or experiences. Next time you are evaluating the success you’re having in your MLM, don’t forget the intangibles . . . for they might provide all the difference.

2006-05-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

How to Spot a Winner In This Industry

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

If you’re like me, you’d like to avoid wasting training time with non-producers who spend the bulk of their time hoping for a miracle that never comes. One of the biggest challenges I see in our industry today is when people try to tell the difference between the “winners” and the “also rans.”

My grandmother would have called those “also rans” by a different name: “foolers.” “Mamaw,” as we called her, never did get involved with network marketing, but she might as well have, for she was a keen judge of human nature.

“Them foolers (the slot machines that don’t pay out much) will get to paying you off right
along,” she reported after she had analyzed hitting the jackpot in the Reno casinos. “You’ll think you’ve really got a hot one,” she warned. “But if it keeps spilling a little here and a little there, gradually sucking up your money (and time), just walk away from that fooler. You’ll never get anywhere once they start doing that.”

Now, some of you might argue that Mamaw’s gambling guidelines for picking slot machines bears little resemblance to a distributor evaluation system . . . but I’m not so sure. There are many parallels.

To begin the analogy, my husband, Taylor, --- in the early days, when I was just a distributor for him, --- used to refer to me as his little money machine. Not content to get a few dollars here and a few dollars there, Taylor made sure we were producing true jackpot totals. Nothing less than $5,000 a month was satisfactory in his mind.

My job as Taylor’s protégé was to become highly effective in our industry. I combined all of Taylor’s training with my family’s teachings in an attempt to be the best I could be. Mamaw’s influence on me had been profound. After Mamaw died, at the ripe old age of 89, I wanted to decide if her “fooler” theory had any merit --- or more to the point at hand --- if it had any application to spotting winners in MLM.

I have come to a conclusion: if I keep putting money into what I think is a project (as opposed to a fooler) and, as more time passes, I never find myself ahead of the game, but am steadily losing ground financially, then, according to Mamaw’s theory, we’ve got a hold of a fooler. If spitting back small payouts doesn’t define an MLM fooler, --- pray tell --- then what does? After a poll with some big money earners in the industry, here are the guidelines for MLM winners that I’ve come up with:

1. They are NOT high maintenance, ask for little or nothing, and seem to execute directions in an excellent manner;
2. They are undaunted by failure
3. They never tell you that they are a winner;
4. They could be any age, sex, age, race, educational background and financial standing;
5. They don’t whine much, if at all;
6. They tend to be passionate;
7. They tend to love people;
8. They tend to have some major obstacle that they’ve overcome;
9. They tend to ask for almost nothing, while delivering far more than you dreamed;
10. They tend to be charismatic;
11. They are hard workers;
12. They are flexible and great at evaluating results;
13. They may not conform to any of the above and still be a gigantic winner.

Which leaves me with just one question which probably only Mamaw could answer: Does that make them foolers after all?

2006-05-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

How to Prospect the Opposite Sex

Dr. Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

You’ve heard of the bestseller, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Apparently, millions of people believe that there are fundamental differences between the sexes, and they want to decode how “the other side” thinks. This fact set me to thinking; is there a consistent difference between men and women when it comes to network marketing? Do you have to use different means to prospect, depending on the sex of your audience? Should you create two presentations of your business opportunity, one in pink and one in blue?

These questions remind me of a conversation I had about a year ago. Settled comfortably in First Class on a flight home, I found myself next to a distinguished-looking man from the Midwest. I learned that he was the director of a large hospital with over 300 affiliated doctors. “So what do you see as the future of medicine?” I asked.

“That’s easy, “he replied. “Women!”

I was intrigued and somewhat taken aback. “What do you mean? As patients?”

“No. As doctors. I’ve got a great staff of dedicated physicians,” he explained. “They’re virtually all men. But I have never met a male doctor who went into medicine solely to save lives. Most went into medicine because years ago when they were choosing careers, it was the most lucrative, prestigious career you could find.”

“And . . . ?”

“Now, doctors work twice as hard for half the money they were making twelve years ago. Now men aren’t flocking to medicine. Men starting out today are probably getting MBA’s and going into stock trading – because that’s where the real money is now.

“But women are motivated differently, “he explained. “Women are nurturers. They think it’s noble to save lives, and they are not just money-driven. They truly want to make a difference. As the incomes of physicians continue to drop, the percentage of women entering the field of medicine will continue to rise.”

Apply this insight to network marketing, and what do you discover? You find that men are attracted by the plan and the money, women by the product and the chance to transform lives for the better.

An interesting theory. But is it true?

I have found that 95% of the women I’ve dealt with want to make sure that the product works for them personally, before they will actively work the business. I’ve found that men, on the other hand, can stick a case of product and a business kit under their arm and enroll six other men before they even crack open their first bottle and try the stuff.

More women than ever are disenchanted with the lifestyle forced on them by an outside career. Leaving their children in day care for someone else to raise is no longer a viable option. Women have particular talents in multi-tasking, which make them ideally suited for a networking career. They have usually been trained to do many things at once, such a talking on the phone while cooking, while tending to children, while opening mail. Men, on the other hand, tend to have tunnel vision – they’re hunters, and they like to focus on a single target.

I recommend the following tips when talking to prospects:

Talking to Women:

Do: talk product benefits, show off some vivid success stories, emphasize a “mission” and a role in helping others, while gaining lifestyle freedom, share all the literature, tapes, and so on, include her husband in the presentation whenever possible if she is married, and bond – make that emotional connection.

Don’t: get over your head extolling all the income options on the first go-round, omit product success tips because this has to work for her first, use just men to endorse or validate your program, rely exclusively on the prospect of making money, patronize her, or pressure or browbeat her into a decision, but make her comfortable above all else.

Talking to Men:

Do: talk big picture, talk big money, emphasize the “Team” and the benefits of positioning, connect him with management, if possible, offer the most lucrative enrollment option, and use men to work with you in the recruitment process.

Don’t: get hung up on ingredient breakdowns, bore him with endless, babbling testimonials or a long, talky presentation, have an all-woman roster on your program, think small or stay “inside the box” when you describe his business, or suggest he just use the products for a while (unless he insists on that approach) before he can start doing the business.

Above all, listen to what your prospects, both male and female, have to say about their own desires and goals and engage in helping them reach those goals.

2006-05-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

How We Have Come Full Circle in MLM

Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

People sometimes ask me how the business of MLM has changed over the almost twenty-four years that I have been involved with it . . . and I generally counter with, “How much time have you got?” I say this because . . . quite frankly . . . the whole business bears very little resemblance to the way it used to look.

In the olden days, events were golden and weekly opportunity meetings were mandatory. Since we never knew how our volume was going until after the month was well beyond any redemption, our strategy was to build like crazy, and check with our leaders by phone to monitor how they felt things were going. We looked for “signs of life,” as we called it . . . a “pulse beat” (meaning someone who was actively building), and we would plan support activities, meetings and trainings to build upon that.

In 1987, when my husband, Taylor Hegan, and I launched the original “Calorad” company, the “House of Sherwood,” and essentially moved three-quarters of a million dollars by the last three days of July, we mastered the fine art of conference calling without any conference calling companies. Here’s how it worked: we would call “Person A,” who would connect to “Person B,” who would connect to “Person C” and so on, until we strung six or seven people together. The sound quality got so compromised that the last few people really couldn’t hear much, especially if the call had not been operated-connected, which was an exorbitantly expensive status-oriented technique reserved for “Heavy Hitters.”

Interestingly, those watered-down phone chains seemed to be a real plus. Because the program was so “hot” that potentials needed to speak directly with the launchers, the inefficiency of the system was more than offset by their sense of extreme urgency. Besides, if you became a top break-away, (thus potentially moving to “Heavy Hitter” status), then your 10-case purchases, coupled with your recruiting potential, usually entitled you to be the first connection in your own phone call chain, at which point, you could hear everything. People competed heavily for the chance to host a phone call chain. We were booked nearly non-stop from morning until the wee hours.

We all ordered cases of everything. People had to buy from us with cash or checks, as we couldn’t take charge cards, but we really didn’t do much retail in those days. I had cases of product in my garage, but my checks more than made up for it. I was making over $100,000 a year in my “spare time,” which had to be very carefully planned. We placed a very high premium on the trainings and meetings. I remember that in 1987 and 1988, I flew out nearly every single weekend, even on Thanksgiving afternoon. I flew over 100,000 miles in less than a year with Delta alone.

In the 80’s, if you made over $10,000 a month, you virtually became the Julia Roberts of MLM. People were as in love with the status as they were with the lifestyle. I remember a time, in 1988, when I gave serious consideration to the need for a bodyguard. It was an exciting, celebrity kind of existence. Somehow, I found it glamorous that I couldn’t remember where I was when I woke up on Sunday morning. In December, when I got an unsolicited custom-made fur coat gift from a secret admirer along with three flower arrangements, all in the same day . . . I was finally speechless.

Let’s fast forward to the present. Now, we often have budding superstars in our organization who we haven’t met, or even heard about, until we “see” them on “Office to Office,” our business management system on the website. We do company-wide Leadership University calls, where proven leaders train on products, how to make money quickly, and how to handle all aspects of the business . . . while the entire field tunes in simultaneously from the comfort of their own homes . . . with great acoustics.

We all create our self-replicating websites, which replace most of the need for person-to-person meetings or mail-outs. With the “branding” assistance most companies provide and the way we train our new recruits to “almost instantly” replace an income, times have changed indeed.

People don’t tend to follow a “personality” in the business now, because the power has been shifted from the individual to the marketing systems. People can pick up one of my “cards,” call a pitch on a tollfree line, and leave a message that they want to hear about my opportunity ― all without my direct involvement.

It becomes very important now to provide personal leadership, getting a new recruit fully integrated with the systems, and helping him or her develop a 2-5 year business plan for income freedom. Of course, in today’s marketplace, there are many more MLM companies than before and the failure rate (as much as 95%) is still as high as ever ― so embarking on a MLM career without expert mentoring is not for the faint of heart.

It’s probably harder today to make big money constantly without a great sponsor. There are many “trainers” and “experts” who, for very high fees, offer to coach you out of mediocrity, which brings me to this question: “How do you make big money in today’s market?” Today’s approach de-emphasizes your talent and focuses on systems, many of which supposedly can work, with or without your active participation. Another question to consider: “How do you manage to keep your organization happy, plugged in, responding, growing?” I’m going to maintain that you actually do it much as you might have done it 20 years ago, only with a twist.

First, you appreciate your organization tremendously, and send written cards and notes of congratulations as they progress. Resist the impulse to just dash off an email. Make it an old-fashioned “thank you.”

Next, you resist the impulse to flood their in-boxes with multiple unsolicited group email messages (don’t you just hate it when you see six listings with a FWD on it and a huge address listing?)

You plan some real live get-together retreats with your leaders, and you do whatever you can to help them feel special (limos are a nice touch – we rented seven for our last large leadership retreat).

Educate, educate and educate, ― hold nothing back ― give everybody in your company everything you’ve got in the way of ideas, because in actuality, very few people will do exactly what you do with it anyway.

Invent methods for non-technological people to use technology without having to understand it (ie, how to, and why to, use a self-replicating website when you don’t have a computer at home).

Treat this business as a real business. The days of a little giggling mom saying she has made over $5000 a month and doesn’t have a clue about the compensation plan are OVER. We have evolved to a very sophisticated operation in MLM today, and you need to respond to that.

Most of all, be prepared to invest time and money in yourself for a period of time, so that you can learn the ropes and do this thing. You will be so glad you did. You can, as one of our moneymakers did, change your income from an accidental few thousand a month to a consistent $10,000 a month in a solid, long-lasting business by using support systems like our Boot Camps.

If you have been circling the tent on MLM for a while, it is time to get going. With all of its imperfections and risks, MLM is the last chance at the brass ring that the average person has. As I look around at all the phenomenal evidence of monetary success that I see, I’m very glad that I persevered. I have to pinch myself even now when I think of the lifestyle that over $8 million in income this decade has brought, and I would not have missed it for the world.

2006-04-18T11:56:00.000-05:00

Have You Been Trained Yet? The Shocking Truth about Industry Support.

Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

So you want to get rich . . . be free to design your dreams. You’ve licked stamps, bought lists of names, addressed envelopes, handed out cassette tapes, made “cold” calls, “hot” calls, indescribable calls, and attended umpteen meetings and programs designed to teach you the business. Now, let me ask you something . . . how do you define effective training?

You see, I realized recently (you know how these lightening bolt insights are . . . they just shoot into your consciousness) that even some of the industry’s most touted trainers do not understand what training is.

Training is an activity, which involves more than the giving of information; it is the giving of information combined with the implementation of exercises designed to encourage the “trainees” to put the programs into action.

In effective training, the trainees not only can see themselves being able to do the activities, but they are they are encouraged to do them soon . . . and often even break into small groups to practice the techniques on each other.

Now, here’s where you really have to draw in accountability: if the “trainees” never do anything but take notes and listen without a definite follow-up plan to practice what the trainer taught, then, to be perfectly frank, it will probably be a warm fuzzy experience that does little or nothing long-term.

Some of you know that I used to teach school – English and Home Ec (What a combo!). I discovered right away that there was a big difference between “learning about” a skill like cake decorating (or MLM recruiting) and successfully implementing the learning.

We, of teaching roots, often joke that those who “can” . . . “do” and those who “can’t” . . . “teach.” What I have noticed is that wise trainers lead from the back of the room. They may train continuously all day --- for instance --- but they establish solid follow-up systems to make sure that their trainees are getting out of the stands and onto the field.

When I taught school in California, we had what we affectionately referred to as our “lifeline” – our trusty Stull Bill objectives, to help us stay on track as instructors. Our entire school year was broken down into those “lesson plans.” Each plan had an objective, a means of implementation, a means of evaluation, and an analysis of what further action to take, based on the results.

Guess what! --- That’s a great way to train everybody to do anything! You’ve got to know what you’re going to do, what you think you’ve done, then, discover what you really did (if anything) and what you are going to do about it.

In light of this, it would be a great idea to take a serious analytical look at your personal and company “training” materials and programs. Many of them will be too filled with “information” and totally devoid of experiences.

You can revamp those programs to create many times the impact you’ve been getting by breaking things up into logical training concepts and then assigning exercises for everyone to practice. Weekly “trainings” could actually become workshops where you break everyone into small groups for interaction. Remember, in training, interaction is a key element. Usually it occurs often, but it definitely is a “must” in the assigned action which the training requires of the attendees.

To be useful, training must be:

1. conducted at the right skill level
2. clearly understood by those in attendance
3. legal (you need to be aware of training “barefoot doctoring” practices designed to entice the novice into diagnosing and prescribing)
4. broken down into a Stull Bill objective format so that it forwards your business
5. duplicable by the attendees

I believe that savvy MLMers today are creatively conducting trainings --- at the computer, and even over the phone. And, as my husband, Taylor Hegan, says frequently when he makes a mistake, “You don’t have to be smart to do this business . . .” True enough, but to make a lot of money you do have to be fruitful and multiply. One of the best ways to do this is to become a trainer of trainers.

2006-04-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

Getting Started

Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

I am amazed at the number of ad promotion respondents who say, when asked what program(s) they have worked, “Well, none. I’ve been studying the industry for a couple of years.”

To that, we reply, “Great! Now it’s time to get out of the stands and onto the field. After all, with the price of the start-up kit at less than $50 (less than the price of a fine restaurant tab for two) and the potential income limitless, what is there really to wait for?”

In response to our encouragement, many people express an enthusiasm to get started, but it is tempered with a fear of choosing the wrong company. If you are one of these “studiers” or if you are attempting to recruit others who are undecided about how to select the “right” program, feel free to use this article as your blueprint.

Here are starting questions to help you to sift through the possibilities:
1) Do you prefer goods or services?
2) Can you get excited and stay excited about the company’s goods and services
without any money being earned?
3) Is the product or service unique in some way?
4) Is the product or service’s price competitive? Can it be retailed?
5) Are the people who are working diligently making money?
6) Is the company management solid, with a history of experience in MLM?
7) Are the company materials good?
8) Do you see the company services in place to support a growing distributorship?

Here are some things to look for:
A) Fax-on-reward;
B) Toll-free voice mail messages;
C) Toll-free ordering with extended hours;
D) Drop ship retail services;
E) Corporate training/ conferences/ lucrative types/ prizes;
F) Small minimums in ordering;
G) Minimal or no paperwork requirements;
H) Computer services upon request (for a fee of course);
I) Accurate, prompt checks that clear the bank;

Once you have decided that everything you really need is in place, it’s time to get in gear. I believe you should immediately:

1) Have a separate phone line with 3 way calling and a professional greeting when you are away ( no children answering please);
2) Get business cards;
3) Set up a business checking account;
4) Establish work hours and a work plan;
5) Purchase or print necessary materials;
6) Purchase enough inventory to get on your own program (your first three days of the business is critical to create a one month “Knock ‘em down” story yourself;
7) Purchase enough inventory for your customers and your distributors;
8) Study your mentors in the company and invest in yourself to constantly read how trade materials like you’re now reading created by cutting edge producers.

Remember - your industry is unique. Your previous success with other endeavors is no guarantee of success, and your previous track record of modest success elsewhere is no encumbrance; it is actually an asset. It helps your story appear even more dramatic. I recall when I made my first big check on MLM company. It sounds astonishing to announce moving from no check to $9,000 in one month.

As you are committing to your sponsor to prepare yourself in these ways, be sure and ask your sponsor what he or she is going to do for you! My husband, Taylor Hegan, and I have a $1,000 sponsorship support program available to qualified recruits who commit to build with us. Find out what you are eligible for. You are an asset, and as one, should be valued throughout your service in the company, not just at moment of enrollment.

Last, but not least, read and reread articles like these and generic news items that support home-based businesses, your personal endeavors, and/or your products.

To the degree that you recognize the impact of continued mentoring within this industry, you can anticipate joining with those of us who have studied and then worked our way to millions, while designing our own lives.

2006-03-27T08:42:00.000-06:00

Do You Suffer from Protection Fever?

Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

Do you try to “protect” your contacts from exposure to other companies’ distributors, products, and opportunities? I know many industry leaders and MLM company owners who have terminal cases of this “Protection Fever.” They hover over their distributors like a mother bird trying to shelter them from any new thinking or outside influence, so that they won’t fly off to another branch or business pathway.

But, let’s think about training birds for a moment . . . You train birds not to fly off, while helping them gain confidence and overcome fears, much like you work with your new distributors. I learned this by training countless, seemingly unmanageable, birds. When beginning a training regimen with a new bird, instead of hiding the boxes of bird seed, covering up the water faucet, and eliminating the bird’s awareness of his environment, I have always had the greatest success by doing just the opposite. My birds have always traveled on foot because they chose to. They knew about all their options, and believe me – the lifestyle I promoted became their lifestyle of choice.

I don’t mean to compare your company’s opportunity to birdseed or your distributors to parakeets . . . but the parallels are obvious. You’ve gotta learn to love our business. My birds have always loved their lifestyle. From the moment they woke up each morning until they closed their excited little beady eyes, they set their standards, designed their lifestyles. They had every toy worth having and every crumb their little hearts desired. Once they learned how to be a bird in my home, they adapted instantly to the good life and never looked back.

Distributors are a lot like trained parakeets. The more you train them to “perform” on cue and “chirp” for the big payout, the more they perform and chirp for you. Period! And the better they seem to like it.

So --- let me ask you --- does it really make sense to try to censor their reading material and their MLM contacts? What does that posture really say about you and the confidence you have in your opportunity and your leadership? I write to entertain you while training, promoting new thinking, offering training tips or personal development directions and ways to evaluate your business and/or your company. I would hate to think that you, who I hope are the leaders of your company, hoard all the great material for your own use exclusively.

Why not, instead, encourage them to explore new ideas and people, with the expectation that your leadership can hold them and help them apply the lessons they can learn from these new and exciting experiences?

I encourage you to stop trying to think for your downline. It really tends to be a momentum killer anyway. When you let go of that control — which is more about you than about them —you’ll undoubtedly have a more dynamic and cohesively bonded organization. And as an added bonus, you’ll also be a great bird trainer.

2006-03-21T10:53:00.000-06:00

The Death of an Income

Eileen Silva © 2006
email: ensilva@aol.com
web: http://www.easilymakingmoney.com/

I heard from an old friend in the business that he had received a termination notice from one of the companies he had built (from which he received a monthly check of over $10,000).

How legitimate is it to terminate a distributor who is no longer exclusively promoting a company? Before I give you my opinion, I’d like you to look at where your money comes from or where it could come from . . . to illustrate a point.

If you had been clever enough to “take a ride on the Reading” with stocks of Microsoft, America On-Line, Amazon.com, then you could be in the chips right now. You might have invested a little money at those stocks’ opening prices and let your modest investment ride to enormous wealth by now. Should that modest investment of a few hundred or a few thousand dollars entitle you to millions if all goes well?

I don’t know anyone who says, “Well, if you don’t go on to get others to invest money, if you don’t participate some way in the growth of the company, then the company should be able to cancel your stock issue and absorb the stock back. You just wouldn’t deserve the money.”

Why, then, do some corporate owners of multimillion dollar companies cancel distributorships of the very people to whom they owe their existence, success, and their subsequent bounty?

Here are the top eight justifications that our industry uses to explain the termination of a distributor:
1) He/she isn’t working the deal.
2) He/she sponsored “lucky.”
3) Others don’t like him/her.
4) He/she aren’t good role models.
5) He/she is in to some other company(s).
6) He/she cross-sponsored.
7) He/she put their people into other deals.
8) He/she violated company rules.

Don’t misunderstand my position. I have steadfastly worked one company for 17 years. While I normally don’t condone popping up in multiple companies as a way to be successful in this industry, we are in America --- land of the free --- and if people have invested time, energy, or other resources in a company, so long as their participation in the compensation plan generates a check, THEY DESERVE TO GET IT.

That’s what residual income is all about --- we work now, so later we don’t have to. In fact, we say in training, “In the beginning ten units of effort yields one unit of results. Later, when we reach momentum, one unit of effort yields ten units of result.”

While sponsorship struggles are a real issue that we frequently find ourselves dealing with, this is one case where, if you look closely, you’ll usually see some greed and envy/positioning factors hidden not too far below the surface.

The only legitimate reasons for terminating a distributor are in the realm of cross sponsoring, if it is deliberate, and/or breaking company rules, if the alleged infraction is serious and those rules are the rules that the distributor read when he joined the company. Unbelievably, I have heard of a few late night board meetings where corporate revised company policy expressly to condemn a person who was already the victim of a witchhunt.

In many cases, corporate enlists other distributors to help oust the distributor in question, and often corporate first identifies the distributor as a problem, and THEN has people search for a legitimate excuse for termination. I have even seen cases where companies systematically seek to eliminate top distributors, biting the very hand that has fed them.

I want to go on record loudly and clearly about this: I believe in both virtuous conduct and in freedom. I believe in honoring anyone’s right to engage in various marketing activities and be treated fairly.

It’s time we raise the bar on networking ethics, promote the legitimacy of residual income, defend the independent distributor in his/her hour of need, and stop vigilante tactics. You can help your fellow distributors by refusing to take sides, if you’re not actively involved in the situation.

If you have sponsored and built a company that has resulted in residual income, so long as you meet the criteria for a check --- and the company is in business to cut one --- you deserve to be paid, not axed. Remember, we, the distributors, truly write the paychecks for the corporate owners --- for without us there would be no companies.

I believe all things happen for a reason. Maybe your company president is reading this at the same time you are and thinking twice about killing your income!