How To Get Mentally Prepared For Prospecting.

This question came to me from one of the this blog's readers and I thought it was a great one. Specifically - how to you get yourself mentally geared up to pick up the phone and start calling prospects.

I've only received this question from one person. So it's likely that most people haven't even considered the idea of establishing a ritual to mentally prepare themselves before making their calls.

Here's my answer:

For some people this is easier than for others. For me it was always a difficult thing to pick up the phone and call prospects. Over time I became very good at it, but I was never comfortable calling prospects. Therefore I had to come up with some techniques to help me overcome my "phone phobia."

These 3 things are helpful for me:

1. I want to be high energy, but not high-strung when I make the calls. Therefore I gauge my energy level and if I need to increase my energy a little before making the call, I'll take my company's energy product about 1/2 hour before getting on the phone.

2. I play music that gets me motivated. Your music selection will be a matter of personal taste, but play music that has a good upbeat tempo as well as a positive and uplifting message to put you in the right emotional state.

3. I make my first call to either an upline or downline member - someone already in the business. The first call is always the hardest. Just picking up the phone the first time each day can be the biggest obstacle. The best way to overcome that is to make the first call the easiest!

Call someone you're close to and is non-threatening, just to get on the phone. Then make your second call to a prospect. It's much easier to call prospects after you've already been on the phone and you're "in the groove."

So there's 3 tips that I've personally used and continue to use:

• Pick up your physical energy with a nutrition product.
• Pick up your emotional energy with motivating music.
• Pick up the phone by dialing a friend first.

Now just do it. It works!

Here's Why Your Downline Members Aren't Working.

The first 15 years of my network marketing career were very frustrating.

Yes, that's all, just the first 15 years. After that it got much easier!

So why the frustration? The same reason you're probably frustrated:

I sponsored people who said they were going to work the business, but they never did. The vast majority of them never really followed through. They failed to do the work required to succeed.

• Why weren't my people duplicating?
• How could I get them up off their lazy butts?
• Was I a bad leader?
• Did I attract the wrong people?
• Was this normal?

This is one of the most common complaints about MLM. And, for those in the know, it's one of the most common objections that former networkers have to trying the business again.

And so people who have been in our business in the past, often look for greener pastures in another type of business saying that "MLM doesn't work."

I'm a slow learner, so it took me a while before a startling realization dawned on me:

Running a business (traditional or home-based) requires a level of discipline that most fail to achieve in the rest of their lives. So why should it be any different with MLM?

The masses are famous for starting and failing at their efforts to lose weight, quit smoking, and exercise regularly.

People do NOT fail to follow through on their MLM business because there's something about MLM that's hard for people to do.

People fail to follow through on their network marketing business because they fail to follow through on most areas of their lives!

It's not a problem with MLM, it's a problem with people!

So that leaves you with 2 options:

1. You can start a business that doesn't depend on other people.
2. You can focus your efforts on the minority of the population that actually DOES have the discipline to follow-through on their promises to themselves.
   

Self-disciplined go-getters are out there, and they are obvious. They are the ones who are being successful in other areas of life whether it be academics, sports, the arts, business or a job. They have already demonstrated that they are disciplined people who are willing to put forth the effort and make sacrifices to get what they want.

It's not about the character of the business; it's about the character of your prospect.

It's been said: "If you want something done, give it to a busy person."

You could also say, "If you want a successful networker in your downline, sponsor a successful person."

Focus your efforts and target successful people, and you'll be very happy with the results!

Selfish MLM

Network Marketing is a great avenue, not only for making money, but also for getting free personal growth training.

In fact, that may be its biggest benefit.

One of the key tenets of personal growth, and of achieving any big goal in life, is that you must have a "Mission bigger than yourself."

Success tends to allude you when you focus on:

• Making enough to cover next month's rent.
• Getting that Mercedes.
• Quitting your "#%?!" job and telling off your "##!?%#" boss.

Thankfully, there's something built into our human psyche that resists selfishness and rewards altruism.

Everyone, deep down, wants to be part of something bigger than themselves.

There's a sense in us that we are in reality part of a big family, that none of us is an island, and that we all have an obligation to each other and to the global community.

The more you tap into that truth, the more your conscious and subconscious mind will support your efforts toward success in MLM and every other endeavor.

Also, the more you tap into that, the more OTHER people will respond to you positively (read: "less rejection") because you'll be accessing the same deep-rooted feelings in them.

Goal setting is standard procedure in every network marketing company's "Fast Start Pack" as it should be.

But those goals should also be revisited and revised every so often - quarterly in my opinion.

I encourage you to move toward the top of your goals - above the new job, new car, new house - how you're going to use your extra money to help someone other than yourself.

As you find new FORTUNE coming your way, how will you share that with those who are less FORTUN-ate than you?

Make it a core principle of your business and start right away. If you get a check for $5, give your designated percentage of that to your charity of choice.

But remember, it's not just about money.

The biggest advantage of MLM is that it gives you time freedom. So as you get more time freedom, give away a percentage of that too.

The irony is, that not only will you:

• help someone who needs your help.
• feel better about yourself and life in general.

... but you're likely to find that the success you were chasing, will start to follow you!

If you have a favorite cause, or charity, then by all means contribute there.

If you're looking for a new one, I invite you to consider "SAVE THE CHILDREN."

I like them because they do things about which I'm very passionate.

You also have many options as to how your donations are used. You can designate that your contributions be used to help people in the United States or abroad.

You can sponsor individual children, get their name and photograph (International only for privacy reasons) and write letters to them online. I love this aspect of it as I can communicate back and forth the the children I've sponsored (free translation services provided!). It makes it so much more personal than simply sending a check to an institution.

They're also financially responsible. 90% of their funds go to program services. Only 4% are spent on Management and General, and only 6% are spent on fund raising.

Their level of financial responsibility is very high as acknowledged by:

• Charity Navigator
• Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance
• InterAction

You can click on the links above to see each of these organization's review of Save the Children.

Whatever non-profit you're considering, or already participating in, I encourage you to check them out at Charity Navigator to make sure they're spending your contributions wisely!

Most important of all - Choose a cause that aligns with your beliefs, passions and your heart. And then don't put it off another minute.

Do something NOW!