JudithShermanConsultingBusiness.Network Marketing.Life.Family

“Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.”

- Dale Carnegie

The following success principles are what I learned at Dale Carnegie Training. I have applied these principles myself and learned to make them a part of my everyday life.

Good relationships are key to business success. Here are some tips on strengthening your relationships:

- Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain
- Give honest, sincere appreciation
- Become genuinely interested in other people
- Smile when you speak on the phone or when you talk to people
- Be a good listener
- Encourage others to talk about themselves
- Make the other person understand that you consider them important

I want to speak to you for a moment about the last tip, “Making the other person feel important”.

One of our first assignments at Dale Carnegie Training was to apply the first nine Dale Carnegie Golden Rules to our work or home environments. My assignment was to take one of the principles you see above and apply it to my life and then report on the result in a few weeks. Let me tell you the miracle that happened when I applied the concept ”Making the other person feel important” in my relationship with my husband.

My husband had been a real bear at home for the past several months. I didn’t realize the reason for his attitude until I did my homework assignment: letting my husband know that he is important to me. I didn’t recognize that I had been so involved in my work, building websites and writing blogs, that I was not paying much attention to my husband.

It  seemed my husband  did not care about what I was doing because he was always watching his TV programs, and so I had not noticed that he wanted me around more. I was either working all the time in the office or on my laptop. It should have been a clue that I was overly involved in my work when my husband made the comment that he wanted to throw my laptop out the window.  I guess I was clueless until I took the training course.

When I made a sincere effort to pay attention to my husband and to make him feel like he was an important part of my life, he suddenly became sweet and attentive toward me.  He started waiting up for me to come home from my class and then take the time to listen and to talk to me about things. He didn’t do that before, in fact, he hadn’t done that in a very long time.  He also started acting more caring towards me, which made me feel a lot more caring towards him. . . amazing how that works.

Our relationship improved dramatically, all because I started to do the things I used to do but had forgotten about because I was too busy. It really wasn’t that hard to do, and what I did had a huge reward attached to it.

I suggest that you try just one of the principles listed above like I did, and then tell me what you learned are after doing it.  Also, tell me how applying that principle on a regular basis has changed your life. I am sure others would like to hear your story as well.

Okay, it’s true that news about the economy is scary right now. So what, shelter yourself from the fallout the best you can and then do your business with the economy in mind. You know the problem, so be flexible. Business only survives in hard times when it takes reality into consideration and adjusts its goals accordingly. This could mean lowering prices, offering incentives, grouping products that compliment each other and discount the package, offer coupons for loyalty shopping, and give coupons or incentives when someone refers a friend.

People will still buy what they need and want, maybe not to the extent that they used to, but they will still spend. If your product line does not include what people need, then perhaps you should reconsider what you offer or at least expand to offer some of those items in addition to what you have presently.

Network marketers will have to make adjustments as well. Offer incentives that create a need to purchase now instead of waiting to buy later. If quality products cost too much and there is something you can sell that is cheaper and maintains quality, then people will buy that product instead of yours. You would be wise to consider the customer’s needs and how buying your product benefits him or her; otherwise, offer something they will use in order to stay marketable.

A smart business owner knows he or she should sell things people need every day and will have to purchase it from you often. People buy what they need and naturally will spend the least amount of money to obtain it.

• If your product is a quality product, then use quality as a selling point.
• If people don’t care about quality and they want cheap, then use cost per use as a selling point or offer them a cheap product as well.
• If people don’t care about cost or quality and they care about who they do business with, then “YOU” need to be the selling point.

An experienced business person recognizes all three of these points and uses them to promote the business! In this way, when people have the choice, they will choose your company over others. Your job is to make your advertisements and your presentation must showcase these three points. Offer lucrative incentives for consumers so they choose your business, as satisfied consumers, because you offer them value in your products and/or services.

Pleae take this poll so that other readers have a good idea of what works for you and what does not.

Thank you.

I know there are so many social sites you are invited to, and I appreciate that problem, but I hope you will look at mine and see if you can help me get it up and running. If not, that’s okay. I will try something else. I appreciate just you checking it out for me. Thank you. Please sign my Guest Book so I know you stopped by. Thanks. Judy

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Posted on: 03/12/2009 1:25 AM With  BetterNetworker. com    

Judith Sherman

I just completed a twelve week course with Dale Carnegie. Not only is it worth three college credits, but it adds value to my business goals as well. I highly recommend you take this course when you have the opportunity.

Not one person in our group realized the impact this course would have on them and their profession. We each had different reasons for taking the course, and yet the experience turned out to be much more rewarding than we had expected.

Because I’ve been in Network Marketing for over thirty years, and because I’ve attended all the seminars and read all the books (including “How to Win Friends and Influence People”), I expected to learn very little from the course. All I wanted was to add the Dale Carnegie Training Course to my portfolio for credibility reasons. Instead, what I got was smoothed out rough edges of my character and the skills I already had developed into better communication and more confidence in my ability and expertise.

The Dale Carnegie Training is designed to be personal in application. As a result, personal examination caused a huge change in my thinking and attitude. I now have more confidence in teaching what I know, more understanding of how people think, and how to be more direct in my presentations. With this increased confidence, I am starting up my own Training Center to help people in the following areas:

• Develop leadership skills and become a more effective leader
• Become a more persuasive communicator
• Reduce stress at home and work
• Improve problem solving skills at work and home
• Develop techniques to find a job by presenting ones self in a better light
• I am also putting together workshops to help families communicate better with each other.

I will not anything scheduled at this time, but plan to begin the training in late July or early August. I will keep you informed on when I plan to do a session, the subject of the session, and where. If you would like to schedule a home session for family and friends, contact me by email and we will talk about your needs.

In the meantime, I advise you to start reading the books listed below that are most useful in the Dale Carnegie program. You can get them online or in any bookstore. You can also click on these links and see amazon.com’s full page of Dale Carnegie books.

• How to Win Friends and Influence People – 293 pages
• The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking – 1990 – 224 pages
• How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - 326 pages

Let me share with you a response I made to an email I received yesterday. It was from a man who wanted to help me promote my business on the Internet. I want to be very transparent about this because it is important information you need to know.

Let’s begin with what I learned about myself last night (March 19, 2009) when I attended the Dale Carnegie Training course.  I saw a side of myself that I was not aware of, that I come off as arrogant and abrasive to people. This is not who I want to be or how I want to represent myself.

I share this information with you about my discovery because I see this same characteristic  in others who are in this field, who may not yet recognize it in themselves. As Dr. Phil says, “We can’t change what we don’t acknowledge.” So please read my email response to this kind person. Then I will tell you why I wrote this posting and why I titled it the way I did.

I appreciate your offer but I am part of Marketing Merge and Renegade University. I have applied the principles taught there and doing pretty well. Now I am chosing to take the next step in my career and become a mentor for network marketers.

I am excited about this and what I will be able to do for others with this training. I am writing updates on my blog about what I am learning from my Carnegie experience. I know what I’ve learned will help others like me. Perhaps you will check out my blogs. I will be adding one more article tonight about what I learned this evening.

I have done MLM for over thirty years. I’ve had the best teachers, read all the books suggested on the reading list, listened to every training and positive motivation tape, gone to every seminar and every business meeting, and sat with the most successful people in the field … and I not exaggerating bout any of this. I’ve succeeded and failed, picked myself up and started over again and again, which is really the nature of network marketing.      

I know when a business is not within FTC regulations and will be shut down when they get noticed. I know when hype is used to cover up a sinking ship or holes in the plan. I know when someone is only interested in their success after stepping over people to get there. I know a “come-on” or an approach the minute I hear it, I learned them all and used them.

I have gathered so much knowledge and experience over the years and so I have been mentoring others; I found out that I am good at it too. So now that is what I’m doing, along with my Network Marketing business.

However, I realize there are thousands of mentors on the Internet so what makes me different enough to get clientele? I enrolled in the Dale Carnegie Training. It cost just under $2,000 for the 12 week course. When I complete the course, I will become an instructor for them. Having the Carnegie Course under my belt will make me a better person, a better leader, a better trainer, and a better mentor. This one thing can put me a step above most of those who profess to be mentors on the Internet.

Now you must be asking why I titled this post “It’s All About Me!” What I learned at Carnegie is that everything I did up to that point was all about me. For the first time I realized that people saw through me and knew that my objective was centered around me. I did not see how what I contributed might be helpful to others. But I saw that clearly tonight, and that was only the second class.

The truth is, Dale Carnegie wrote the book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, to teach people that you get what you want when you help people get what they want. Being sincerely interesting in the other person, listening to them and what they want, and being humble enough to accept that this is not about me. Being humble and sincere was not the way someone would describe me, and I realized that tonight.

People see through the fakes, those only interested in themselves. I recognized that person was who I had become, even though I thought of myself as being a server. That may have been true in the past, but that is not the case now. I am so grateful for what I learned tonight. I now understand a lot more about myself and how I can be a better mentor and serve people.

I welcome your comments on this topic and if you have recognized this flaw in your own character because of this article.

Thanks,

Judith Sherman

The question,  ”Can I Sell In These Economic Times?”,  is on the minds of most businesses and Network Marketers. The answer is “YES”! You just need to be more creative and flexible than your competitors or more than you may have been in the past.

Yes, you have to be realistic about the times we live in now.  However, people will always find a way to buy and sale things during hard times. It’s just a matter of applying principles that will improve your marketability.

I listed some suggestions below, shown in bullets, that you can do to improve your sales in difficult economic times.

• As you are a consumer of products and services yourself, what do you look for from a merchant with whom you do business?
  • You want good service when you go to make a purchase.
  • You want good products that you can afford.
  • You want a pleasant attitude from the service/sales person who helps you.
  • You want to make a purchase with as little hassle as possible.
  • You want discounts and special offers as incentives for doing business with that merchant.
  • You want to know the benefits of buying from one merchant over buying from another.
  • You want to be treated special, which builds loyalty.
  • You want to make the choice to buy and not be pushed into it with a hard sale.
  • You want to know that the merchant is solid and will be in business tomorrow, should you need to return something or require his/her service later. For example, when I sold Avon, I had to earn the trust of my potential buyers. I needed to convince them that I was committed to being there for a long time. They had gone through many Avon distributors in the past, who took their orders but never   delivered because they had quit the business. Once they saw me come by every campaign with a book and I made a phone call to them three days later for the order, and once they saw that I always delivered what they ordered, the orders began to come in regularly.
  • You want a guarantee that, if something goes wrong with your purchase, the merchant will stand behind the sale.
• You change your perspective and the way you look at the situation.
  • You have to believe in yourself and try to make a difference in people’s lives.
  • You cannot focus on the amount of sales you make – either you do or you don’t make your quota. Pushing a person to buy will not get you what you want in the end.
  • You can’t be thinking about your bottom line every time you talk to people or they will pick up on it and not buy from you.
  • You need to talk to people on a personal level, meaning you listen to them and then try to give them what they want and not what you want.
• You associate with positive people, even if they are not making sales at the moment.
  • This does not mean that you try to compete with them or become frustrated when they make more sales than you.
  • Associate with people who think like you. They will help keep your mind in an “I can do” attitude instead of “I can’t do it”.
  • Stimulate your brain with good works: television programs that nourish your mind, books that leave you with good feelings, and good, postive music that lifts your soul and excites your spirit or that calms you down so you can rest.
• Learn how to handle stress so you do not become overbearing and demanding with people.
• Get enough rest AND sleep so your body is able to function properly and think clearly.
• Keep your life orderly at home and work so disorganization does not put undue stress on you and the business.
• Keep your body healthy so you function on optimum energy and think clearly and rationally.
  • Establish a regular exercise routine to work off stress and boast your levels of serotonin and dopamine, which gives you a feeling of well-being. Serotonin and dopamine supplements are used to treat depression but the body produces them naturally when you exercise. That’s why you feel good after a work out, even though your body may be a little sore.
  • Take good vitamin supplements that promote good health.
  • Educate yourself on eating a balanced diet, on developing a proper exercise routine, and on the correct supplements to take.
  • Take your perscribed medications regularly. Becoming a work-aholic often causes forgetfulness in taking medication and other important things. . . that’s not very smart!
• Let go, let God. This is probably one of the hardest things to do when so much rides on our ability to make sales.
  • We don’t have to carry our burdens alone.
  • Hard economic times is when we need to turn to God the most, but people don’t want to because they have forgotten Him in times of plenty. But He wants you to trust Him, to depend on Him, to let Him guide your life. Let Him help you carry your burdens.
  • People seem to be embarrassed when they finally accept that they need to let go and let God help them. It’s okay, so what if you are embarrassed. Who should care about it any way, you, the one who needs the help or the business partners?
  • Believe it or not, letting go and letting God is a success principle that you cannot ignore if you want to succeed in life and business.
  • Many, many times I have received answers to my problems because I was tuned in to the spirit of God. His guidance has helped me figure out computer problems, web problems, personal problems, people problems, and problems with how to sell. You can have the same type of assistance, just ask for it.

I conclusion, don’t worry about what you cannot change, influence, or affect. All you can do is your best and then turn the rest over to God. It takes the pressure off from you and the stress that comes with it. I am telling you what I have learned. You can take it or leave it, but there is wisdom in this advice that I got from a friend. When you’ve done all you can and you’ve done your best, what is left? You can worry and stress out, you can put pressure on everyone around you, or you can give it up and let God step in. Just remember that I know this is the answer. I know because I’ve taken years to figure it out so I know that  it works. It’s your choice.

First, let me say that Quixtar/Amway is the example used in this video but it is not the one making the claims. The upline “big shot” is the one making the ridiculous claims.

Hype is commonly used to entice people to join a Network Marketing business, it’s just the nature of the beast, and the presentation of the plan is where hype will usually surface.

Often people make outrageous claims that a product will do something, and yet they have no back up to support their claims. Also, these same people are often known to make claims of huge income to be made in the business with little effort on the part of the distributor. When you hear claims such as these, you can be sure that it is likely hype and a lie. It may be possible to make that sort of money but successful people, who really make that sort of money, don’t have to flaunt it to be believable.

I will be honest with you and say that I am involved with Amway/Quixtar, and that I have been since 1977. I’ve been around the most successful in the Amway/Quixtar business, and so I know for a fact that people really do make that sort of money. I also know that the average distributor does not come close to making that amount of money.  I made $1200 a month for a month or two and then my income dropped to zip!

Because I have been in the Network Marketing business for so long, and because I have seen success and failure myself, I can spot hype in an instant. I know what is and isn’t true because I’ve lived it myself.  That is how I know that true wealth does not have to be talked about unless you are trying to impress someone; in that case, it’s hype whether it’s true for that person or not!  It is obviously hype because not everyone will make that sort of income, even though the presentation and presentor suggests the opposite.

Let me tell you what I know about wealth. “If you lay up treasures on earth that can be washed away in a storm, then you may feel empty when it’s gone or not attained. However, with proper training and the focus is put on creating a life with meaning and purpose, your life will be rich with memories and experiences with others. Yes, money makes those things happen easier but money should never be the focus in order to feel successful or satisfied.

With proper training, like I’ve had along the way, you build character along the way as you increase your income. When you reach a level of success that you work for, your life will feel meaningful and satisfying.

So why do Network Marketing businesses use hype?  To answer this questions, let us first talk about what hype “is” and what it “is not”.

• Hype is not healthy nor an asset in Network Marketing or any business venture.
• Hype is not real, it is a facade, a lie or not quite the truth.
• Hype is used to cover up a sinking ship or holes in the plan.
• Hype is triggered by emotions or by playing on emotions. Impulse buyers make unwise decisions when emotions are high and full of passion. Anyone who is worth a dime in Network Marketing knows this technique and tries to use it for their advantage. Then they get buyers remorse from those they sponsor, people who die on the vine before they ever get started.
• Hype is manifested in people who try to manipulate others. They use a quick-silver tongue to influence people into accepting another way of thinking, or to get them to do what the manipulator wants.

In conclusion, keep your feelers out to sense hype. In time you will become skilled at seeing through the hype and base decisions on the truth instead of a facade. If you need advise on this subject, feel free to send me an email.

What Is A Business Coach?

Small to medium size business owners often use a coach to improve their business in a variety of situations. Network Marketing businesses need a Business Coach as well.

A coach provides guidance, support and positive motivation, and keeps the business owner on target and focused. An upline functions differently than a coach and has a different type of investment in the business; often inspiration and motivation comes from use enthusiasm but sometimes from use of hype.

In our complex society, it is easy to become side-tracked on things without real importance in our business pursuits. A good coach identifies that situation and steers the client back on course. This is a valuable asset for a business owner.

Owning a small business or a Network Marketing home-based business is sometimes difficult. It is often a challenge to stay positive and on target when the business isn’t producing as well as expected. However, a good coach can be a powerful tool in this situation when he or she understands the client’s vision, dreams, aspirations, and commitment level and uses that to motivate the owner and key partners.

To sum it up, a good Business Coach is an invaluable asset for the business in improving sales, marketing strategy, management, team building, and more.

I am Judith Sherman, a Small Business and Network Marketing Coach. With years of experience in the field of MLM and Network Marketing and owning various business ventures (see “About Judith” Tab), I possess a good understanding of success principles and what causes people to succeed or fail. However, and more importantly, I know how to apply these principles. I know what works and what does not because I’ve probably done most of the things that have taught me real-life truths.

It’s true, I have had some business failures – it’s just part of being in business and Network Marketing – so I am familiar with what lies we tell ourselves and the excuses we use to camouflage our fears or keep us from moving out of our comfort zones. Nothing works unless we overcome our fears and do what other people are ubwilling to do to succeed.

My services are FREE for the first five sessions (fees are normally $75/hour). After that, we will evalute your future needs and come up with a fee we can both work with. I want to see you succeed in life and business, and if that means we will have to adjust the fee or the time we spend with each other, then we will do that.

Let me warn you, however, that I do not work like most coaches. My focus is on being successful in life and family as well as business. Also, I do not agree with DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SUCCEED. I believe that we must keep all of the facets of our lives in balance and in alignment with God and the universe in order to succeed in our endeavors. You won’t hear that type of statement come from most consultants or advisers.

Send me an email and tell me what you need and a contact phone number so we can talk. I am anxious to work with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8dvAZ2y44s

My message and the point of this video is that you need to sell yourself, not somebody else that you think has credibility because of their notoriety. It is you they will buy products from and you they will work with as a distributor, so it is you they must accept.

People may want to take advantage of an opportunity but they may not want it from you if you have not sold yourself as a professional and if you do not appear to be a good mentor for them. In other words, your first impression with them needs to be professional, confident, and genuinely interested in them. Once you have their attention, you can sell them on the product or the service you offer.

It doesn’t matter how good the offer is or how good you present it if you come off as arrogant, or you are sloppy and unprofessional, or you are just in it for the bucks. What would you do if someone like this approaches you? You would shy away from them would you not?  In addition, you need to look clean, smell clean, and have clean teeth and breath.

Even if you do most or all of your marketing online, you must come across as professional and intelligent. You cannot get away with using slang and poor grammer or be arrogant by talking down to people.  Speak in simple and understandable phrases and in terms they understand. Listen to them and be genuine in your comments. Do not try to manipulate the conversation or them either because people catch on to that tactic pretty quickly and shut down immediately.

Let videos from people like Scott Rogers, Mike Dillard, and Mike Klingler (or your upline) speak for you as often as you can.  However, as you become proficient in the elements of your business and you can afford it, you should do a video of your own. Also keep in mind that videos speak louder than words.

People who pay attention to the needs and concerns of others are remembered in a better light than those who have taken advantage of them. Be the kind of person you would like to have sponsor you or you would like to do business with in some capacity in the future. If  you have an internet business and people contact you that way, you need to make a good first impression on them with your website or capture page and how professional everything looks – including your videos.  

Now would a good time to admit that my videos are not the best looking either because I am still learning (you have to start somewhere, right?).  The good thing though is that, when you get better at it, you can delete or redo the poorly done videos;  that’s what I am in the process of doing now.

Note: don’t let a non-perfect video or website keep you from doing a webpage, a capture page, or a video.  When we learn to do better then we do better, says Oprah Whinfrey. So start somewhere and do the best you can. You can’t learn to walk if you never take the first step or fall down a few times and get some cuts and bruises. So start out and take those steps. Worry about getting better when you become better at what you do.

I welcome your comments and feedback on this article. I am interested in your thoughts on this subject.