Wednesday, December 24, 2008

What to give the person who has everything

If you’re still searching for a gift for the person who has everything, here’s a great way to honor them and help people who have almost nothing.

During this season of giving Tony Cartledge reminds us of those who are most in need. He suggests giving a living gift that will help them survive by going to Heifer International’s website, where you can check out a gift catalog and send a donation. The site even lets you print out a gift card or send an e-mail to the person you’d like to honor. (Hat tip to Baptist Planet for calling Cartledge’s blog to our attention.)

Instead of rushing around madly in crowded stores today, browse on over to Heifer International or a charity you support and spread some Christmas cheer. With times getting tough, now is a perfect time to share your blessings.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, December 20, 2008

More small stuff to not sweat

My last post focused on the book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Here’s a few more of the book’s principles.

“Smile at strangers, look them in the eye and say hello.” Carlson says there’s a parallel between our attitude toward strangers and our overall happiness.

“In other words, it’s unusual to find a person who walks around with her head down, frowning and looking away from people, who is secretly a peaceful, joyful person,” he says.

It seems these days that most people go through life trying to avoid as many people as possible. You can take great strides toward being successful in life and in business if you’ll just make the effort to connect with people. That connection starts with eye contact and a smile.

“Become a better listener.” Carlson says effective listening goes beyond the urge to finish someone else’s sentence. “It’s being content to listen to the entire thought of someone rather than waiting impatiently for your chance to respond,” he says.

One key to business is helping other people solve their problems. The way to find out if they have a problem is to listen closely to them.

“Develop your own helping rituals.” Carlson says little acts of kindness help us remember how good it feels to be kind and helpful.

The adage is true that if you help enough other people reach their dreams, you’ll certainly reach yours. Focus on helping people whether or not it’ll help your business. As my mentor, Michael Dlouhy likes to say, “Be a mentor with a servant’s heart.”

All these principles are keys to forming relationships, which are the backbone of a strong business.

Steve DeVane

Friday, December 12, 2008

Don't sweat the small stuff in your business

One of my favorite books is “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff,” by Richard Carlson. I found it one day while I was browsing in a bookstore. It was one of those times when I knew I had to have it when I saw the title.

The title came from an experience Carlson had with another author, Wayne Dyer. Seems Dyer had endorsed one of Carlson’s earlier books. Carlson had told a publisher he’s ask Dyer if he’d endorse another one. He asked but never heard back from Dyer. When the book came out, Dyer’s old endorsement was on the new book.

Carlson’s agent told the publisher to pull the books off the shelf. Carlson wrote Dyer a letter of apology. In response, Dyer wrote Carlson a note saying there are two rules for living in harmony — (1) Don’t sweat the small stuff, and (2) It’s all small stuff. Dyer told Carlson to let the quote stand.

Over the years, I pick Carlson’s book up and read some when I get frazzled or uptight about something. It includes 100 chapters, each with a life principle. Here’s a few of my favorites.

Ask yourself, “Will this matter a year from now?” Carlson suggests that when you’re facing an issue consider whether it will seem as important in a year. The exercise often gives perspective, he says.

Let others have glory. Carlson says it’s enjoyable and peaceful to resist the tendency to tell something about yourself in response to someone else’s story. When you listen and ask for more information about the other person, both of you will feel more relaxed and the your need for glory will be replaced with quiet confidence.

Resist the urge to criticize. Carlson says a person who is criticized with either retreat in shame or attack in anger. Being critical accomplishes nothing and contributes to the distrust in the world, he says.

These principles can also apply to our network marketing business.

We often spend lots of time focusing on issues that won’t matter in the long run. We spin our wheels on minor issues that aren’t helping our business grow.

If we focus on helping others succeed, our business with increase because our relationships with our partners will be stronger.

By building up and not criticizing our colleagues in our business and those in other companies, we’ll become trustworthy people others will want to join.

Next time you’re frantic about some issue you’re facing, remember the two rules for living in harmony. They’re good principles for business, too.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Success in business — the drive to thrive

I recently bought a car. My old car got totaled in a wreck several weeks back.

The car I bought is a smooth riding Oldsmobile Aurora. It’s got a number of bells and whistles my old car didn’t have. Among them is a gadget on the dashboard called an information center.

The information center tells me all kinds of things about the car, including how much oil life is left and how the battery is doing.

The thing that intrigues me most about the information center is the section that gives me an instant readout of my gas mileage. When I start out, it tells me I’m getting five or six miles to the gallon. It increases until I reach cruising speed, where it usually levels out at about 20-something. Going downhill, it can get as high as 99.

The most interesting thing about this is the impact it’s had on my driving. I’m not known for being slow. As a matter of fact, I have something of a lead foot.

But I soon noticed that my gas mileage is considerably lower when I speed up fast. So, I’ve taken to taking my time getting up to speed in an effort to save gas. This change happened almost without my noticing it.

It occurred to me how useful a similar device would be to my business. I wish I had something that informed me when I needed to slow down and pay more attention to folks or let me know when I was getting too carried away with something that’s not important.

Then I realized that I always had the ability to save gas. I knew that I was using more gas the way I was driving. All I had to do was change my driving habits.

Similarly, I know what it takes to be successful in business. I just have to take the needed actions.

Steve DeVane

Personal connections — Relational business-building

Earlier today a friend of mine was talking about her son’s decision about which college to attend. I paid close attention because my oldest daughter is about to go through the same process.

Seems my friend and her son visited three schools. There were a number of reasons behind his choice, but one of the biggest was the visit to that school.

During the visit the school representative went out of his way to make them feel welcome. The prospective students had to fill out a piece of paper with their name and hometown. During his presentation, the school official recognized each student and said something to personally connect with him.

My friend was impressed. She said that if she would have been making the decision, she would have chosen the same school.

That’s how we act in our businesses. Each time we meet someone, we should try to connect with him or her on a personal level. Moreover, we should do that not just because they might be a prospect for our business, but because we want to get to know them.

If you try to connect with them while thinking about the possibility of them joining your business, the connection will likely feel fake to them. That’s not surprising, because it will be fake.

Next time you meet someone, try to be their friend before you try to make them your business partner.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Business boost — build relationships

Earlier today I was putting our riding lawn mower in the shed. My son had mowed the front yard for probably the last time this year.

The boards that we usually use to help the mower ride up into the shed were missing, but I thought I could just drive the mower over the ridge between the ground the concrete floor of the shed.

I was wrong.

The mower got part of the way in the shed and stopped. I put it in the reverse and tried to back out. It wouldn’t move that way either.

Tried it again in forward. Nothing.

Reverse. Nothing.

I tried it both ways a couple of more times, before finally becoming convinced that it was stuck.

So, I turned the mower off, got down and manually pushed the mower the rest of the way into the shed.

It occurred to me that sometimes that’s the way it is with our businesses and our lives. We have all these high-tech ways to get leads and to contact people, but ultimately you have to make a personal connection.

People join people they know, like and trust. That takes building relationships.

Next time your business needs a boost, be sure you’re making personal connections with other people.

Steve DeVane

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Feel better - Shaving the years away

Recently, I did something I haven’t done it years – I shaved my entire face. Since then, nearly everyone who sees the “new” me, asks me why.

I can explain in one quick sentence: I was tired of looking old. You the hair on the top of my head remains mostly black. My moustache and beard, however, were gray. I once had a friend who hadn’t seen me in a while ask me if I was coloring my hair. I joked that I tried it, but the wax from the crayons was making a mess.

I wasn’t coloring my hair, but I could see how she thought that because my moustache was so gray. I resisted the temptation to explain to her that if I was going to color my hair, I’d have the good sense to color my moustache, too.

At any rate, I really haven’t minded looking a little older than I was. But now that I’m getting a little older (closer to 50 than to 40 now), I decided it was time to look more my age.

There’s an added benefit. As someone in the wellness profession, I think I look better. I’ve lost about 25 pounds in the past year, too. I believe that a leaner, clean-shaven me looks better.

And since, I look better, I naturally feel better. Since I feel better, I think I’m a better me.

I had forgotten what a pain it was to shave every morning, but it’s a small price to pay for feeling and looking better.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Pathway to success - change for the better

I recently heard an excellent presentation about making the most of our talents. It included this old proverb: “If you want to know what you’re doing in the future, tell me what you’re doing right now.”

As I thought about it, the wisdom of the statement stuck with me. So often we go through life hoping things will get better. But if we want our lives to change for the better, we have to change for the better.

I’ve also heard it said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expecting different results.

In our lives, if we aren’t happy, we need to make a decision to be happy. Once we make that decision, we’re on our way to reaching our goal.

In our businesses, if we aren’t successful, we need to make the changes needed to be successful. Once we make those changes, we’re on our way to reaching our goal.

Steve DeVane

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Business skills — Practice leads to success

The other day, I was listening to a college football game while I was driving home. One of the announcers pointed out that the statistics were pretty even, but one team was winning because its players had made athletic plays at the right times.

It occurred to me that the same idea applies to business in general and network marketing in particular. Many people work hard at MLM, but never seem to get ahead. They're as busy as people who have success, but their results don't match up.

There may be other reasons for this, but often it's because the people who aren't successful don't have the needed skills. They do a lot of things, but they're either not doing the right things or they're not doing the right things well.

That's why it's important to learn the right skills in network marketing and keep practicing them until we become good at them. The good news is that the skills are easy to learn and we can practice them whenever we want.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Strong business model - So good, I can't wreck it

Recently, I was in a car accident. It wasn't very bad by most standards, but it still shook me up, literally and pyschologically.

I was sitting at a stop light when someone ran into the back of me, knocking my car into a pick-up truck in front of me. Since then I've had some relatively minor health challenges, but I also had to make some other challenges.

For one, my car was totalled. I had a rental for a while, but then my family had to get by with one vehicle while I searched for a new car. The search took longer than I planned, but I finally purchased a nice, used car.

Between the injuries, adjusting to having only vehicle and the time spent searching for a car, I didn't have as much time to devote to my network marketing business. In most businesses, that could be catastrophic. In MLM, it's not near as bad.

During my time away, my downline kept working and my group has grown. I'm grateful to my great team and thankful to have a business model that kept moving forward, even while I was parked for a while.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Workable business plan — Keep It Significantly Simple

Sometimes I make things way, way too complicated. I’ve often analyzed, designed and planned exactly what to do, when all I needed was a workable business plan.

I was on a conference call the other night, when I heard network marketing explained in a simple, straightforward way. When it was over, I said to myself, “That’s it. That’s all there is to it.”

Here it is: there are only two parts to the business. (1) Find people. (2) Tell them your story.

Simple, isn’t it? Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You still have to do those two things, but sometimes we tend to make it too complicated.

Here’s a few tips for each of the two parts.

You can find people in multiple ways. Here’s a few:

Participate in social networking sites. Don’t try to sell. Just participate. Be friendly. Form relationships. When someone asks you what you do, tell them your story.

Place ads. You can buy them from newspapers and paid web sites, or you can find free sites that work quite well. When the person responds, tell them your story.

Flyers. Design your own or go with one from your company or upline. Place them on community bulletin boards or similar places. When people call, tell them your story.

Internet forums. Find a forum on a subject that interests you. Participate in the discuss. Don’t sell. When people ask what you do, tell them your story.

There are multiple ways to tell your story. Here’s a few suggestions.

Keep it short. Use the five B’s of a presentation: Be Brief, Brother, Be Brief. Try to limit it to two minutes or less.

Make sure it’s your story. Your upline or company will have some suggestions, but be sure and personalize it to fit you.

Memorize it. The key is to know the story so well, that it sounds natural.

Follow this workable business plan and you’re business will grow.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Finding the right income opportunity – Five non-negotiables

You know how a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet? Many are looking all over for a way to make extra cash.

Here’s a way to make sure you find the right one for you. Look for these five keys.

• An opportunity that pays you while working part-time but has the potential to allow you to soon leave you current position.

• A system that’s already working for people who are teaching it to others.

Great products that people want.

• A profession and company that have a strong past and a bright future.

• A company with experienced, dependable leaders.

All five are important. Having less would be like taking a trip and only planning to a fraction of the way toward your destination.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The real story — Make it personal

I was on a conference call recently when several people talked about the change that they’ve had in their lives due some nutritional products.

The stories were moving. After several of them, I thought to myself, “I wonder if I should try that product.”

Later on, I was thinking about why the stories were so powerful. It occurred to me that every one of them was personal. The person was sharing from their experience and from their heart.

I know that if someone had rattled off a series of statistics about each of those products, I wouldn’t have been near as compelled to try the products.

In short, a personal story will beat impersonal stats nearly every time.

So, next time you’re talking to someone about your business, your company or your products, make it personal. Tell them how each has made a difference in your life.

Steve DeVane

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

MLM companies — appearances can be deceiving

Sometimes impressive stuff gives the wrong impression.

Some network marketing companies go out of their way to show prospects plush offices with expensive furniture and corporate jets for well-paid company executives. I suppose the company wants to come off as upscale, a place for the ultra-wealthy.

But instead distributors should realize that money spent for such extravagance is money that could be going into the compensation plan.

In the early days of network marketing, it wasn’t unusual for companies to keep as much as 60 to 70 percent of the profits with the rest going to distributors. Later, companies working hard to attract new distributors made the division nearly equal.

Now some companies have found ways to make their operations even more efficient, passing on as much as 70 percent to the reps.

The end result is that distributors get a bigger slice of the profit pie and have to recruit fewer into their downlines to find success.

In addition, part-time distributors make money faster, increasing retention.

Private jets and lush offices are nice, but it's better if they belong to distributors, not company executives.

Steve DeVane

Monday, October 6, 2008

Celebrity endorsements — You can get paid to promote products

Have you ever seen a celebrity on a television commercial and said, “I wonder how much they’re getting paid for this?”

You can bet it’s a bunch of cash. Perhaps even more than most people will make in a lifetime.

Many companies think this is a great way to advertise their product. They believe that the celebrity’s endorsement will bring enough buyers to more than make up for the money they’re paying.

Now, suppose there was a company that was willing to pay you to promote their products. Good news — there are plenty of them.

That’s what network marketing companies do. They pay their distributors to promote and recommend their products. Instead of paying huge amounts of money to celebrities, MLM companies divide their income with their reps.

More good news — the better a promoter you are, the more you get paid. When you recommend the company’s products to people who use them, the company sends you a check.

Even more good news — nearly all network marketing companies have great products. They have to have good products, because they rely on word-of-mouth advertising. If people don’t like the products, they don’t recommend and promote them.

The key is to find products that people already want and promote them. All you have to do if connect the people and the products.

So next time you see one of those celebrities on television, think about how nice it’d be to get paid for promoting products.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Personality types — Learning the tendencies

I’ve always been fascinated with personalities. It’s always been intriguing to me to think about my personality and the personalities of others.

I’ve taken a number of personality tests. I learned something from each of them. And they all came out pretty much the same, when you allow for different terminology.

But I’d never seen anything that helped me learn to quickly identify personalities in other people until a little more than a year ago. Michael Dlouhy, who has since become a good friend and mentor, used colors to describer the four basic personality types.

Using colors makes it easy to remember the personalities, but what makes Michael’s system extraordinary is how he teaches people to identify them. He shows you how, by listening to someone, you can determine with a high degree of certainty the person’s personality type.

Michael’s training has helped me in many ways, most importantly how to better understand why people do the things they do. It’s helped me understand members of my family and improved my communication with other people.

The training has changed my life for the good in ways I can’t even describe.

That’s why I was excited to learn that Michael will be touring the United States and Canada teaching his colors training. His schedule for the rest of this year is below.

I'm offering all readers of my blog a free ticket to any of the events. If you’d like to attend one, e-mail me at stevedevane@gmail.com or call me at 910.978.8452.

Jacksonville, FL
10-24-08

Greenville, SC
10-25-08

Charlotte, NC
10-26-08

Roanoke, VA
10-27-08

Baltimore, MD
10-28-08

Harrisburg, PA
10-29-08

Philadelphia
10-30-08

Ridgewood, NJ
11-1-08

New York City Area
11-2-08

Marlborough, MA
11-3-08

Manchester NH
11-5-08

Moncton, Canada
11-7-08

Montreal, Canada
11-8-08

Toronto, Canada
11-9-08

Cleveland OH
11-12-08

Detroit, MI
11-13-08

Chicago, IL
11-14-08

Milwaukee, WI
11-15-08

Indianapolis, IN
11-16-08

Elizabethtown, KY
11-17-08

Nashville, TN
11-18-08

Memphis, TN
11-19-08

Little Rock, AR
11-20-08

Kansas City, MO
11-21-08

Mineapolis, MN
11-22-08

Fargo, ND
11-23-08

Winnipeg Canada
11-24-08

Sioux Falls, S.D.
11-25-08

Omaha, NB
12-1-08

Tulsa, OK
12-2-08

Boulder, CO
12-3-08

Denver, CO
12-4-08

Dallas, TX
12-5-08

Austin, TX
12-6-08

San Antonio, TX
12-7-08

Houston, TX
12-8-08

Tallahassee, FL
12-10–08

Tampa, FL
12-11-08

St. Petersburg, FL
12-12-08

Ft Myers, FL
12-13-08

Fort Lauderdale, FL
12-14-08

Steve DeVane

Friday, October 3, 2008

Make the right decision — It’s not too late

Isn’t it great when you think you’ve missed an opportunity to do something, and then you realize you haven’t.

And it’s even greater when you understand the bigger meaning behind the realization.

The other night, I went to an awesome concert by Kyle Matthews, a Christian singer and songwriter. I like his singing and piano playing, and I really enjoy his concerts.

You know you’re watching a talented person when it’s just the musician and his instrument.

No blinking lights. No fog machine. No backup singers. Just pure music.

After the concert, I went a table where Kyle’s CDs were on sale. He has a new CD coming out, and for $13 you could get a single and have the full CD mailed to you when its released. That’s what I decided to do.

Four other CDs were on sale, including one which I already have. After I wrote the check for the new CD, someone mentioned that you could get it and the other four for $40.

“Bummer,” I said to myself. “If I would have known that, I would have went for that deal.”

A short while later, I was telling my wife about the CDs as we were fixing to leave for home. “I would have gotten the $40 deal if I would have known about it,” I said.

Then it hit me — I could still do it. So I went back to the table and asked if I could give them $27 and get the other CDs. “Sure,” they said.

And that’s what I did.

Later, it occurred to me that many times, that we often make the same mistake in life and in business. We think it’s too late, when it’s really not.

Sometimes we get the idea that when we make a decision that we’re stuck with it forever and ever. Not necessarily.

So next time, you’re thinking about how you want your life to improve, perhaps you should reconsider your options. Chances are you have the capacity to make things better. Just make the decision and do it.

Steve DeVane

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sometimes “No” is the best answer

Even minor victories make a difference.

Today, I walked into the gym just as my daughter’s volleyball game was about to get started. There weren’t many people there so I was making my way up the bleachers when I noticed the referee pointing at me.

Now, I’ve had my share of run-ins with referees. Let’s just say I can get a little vocal when I don’t agree with the calls. But I didn’t recognize this ref and even if I did, I couldn’t see him throwing me out of a game before it started for previous bad behavior.

Turns out they needed someone to be a line judge, one of two people who stand near a corner of the court so they can tell if the balls land inbounds or not. The referee saw me come in and wanted the coach to ask me to do it.

Here’s my problem. I drove about 35 miles to watch my daughter play volleyball. I couldn’t pay attention to her if I was judging the lines.

So I said, “No.”

Now that might not seem like a big deal, and in the grand scheme of life it’s not earth shattering. But I often have a problem turning down requests for my help. It’s like I have a devil on my shoulder telling me I need to do anything and everything that’s asked of me.

I’m learning, however, that I can’t do it all. In fact, all I can do is all I can do. And I’m much better when I can focus on one thing at a time.

I’m also learning that lesson in business. When I take on too much, I usually spin my wheels and don’t get much accomplished. When I can do one thing, and do it well, I make more headway.

So, the next time you’re asked to do something, consider whether it’s the best thing to do or not before you answer. Sometimes you win when you take a pass.

By the way, we won the volleyball game, 3-0.

Steve DeVane

Monday, September 29, 2008

Financial bailout rescue plan – Find your own way out

Even the most optimistic investor is antsy today after the U.S. House of Representatives voted down a $700 billion financial bailout rescue plan for the nation’s financial sector. Some are even worried about the possibility of another Great Depression.

The stock market had its biggest single drop in history, even bigger than the decline after 9-11. Since nearly everyone has money invested with some connection to market, the reason for concern is evident.

Most folks can only watch as their 401-K or other retirement accounts drop like a rock. Those who have to rely on a job to replace the lost money have a tough task ahead of them.

The reason for the difficulty is because jobs generally result in linear income – trading time for money. If you go to your job, you get paid. If you don’t show up, no paycheck.

Even high-paying jobs are based on this model.

A more favorable method of payment is royalty income. You get this by doing something once and getting paid over and over and over.

Most people think that such income is reserved for movie stars, musicians ad authors. It’s not. Network marketers make it every month.

Network marketing is responsible for more than $100 billion in world-wide sales. Instead of paying high-dollar celebrity endorsers, MLM companies pay distributors.

To earn their pay, networkers simply promote and recommend the companies’ products or services, which are usually high quality.

What if you went to your mailbox next month and found a royalty check? Would that make a difference in your life?

It can happen. It happens to network marketing professionals every month. They have developed their own financial bailout rescue plan.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Day-to-day business plan - Simple ways to get where you’re going

Some business strategies take weeks or months to implement. But more important to your success is your day-to-day business plan.

In a previous post, I talked about the problems with approaching your family and friends with your network marketing opportunity. I suggested, instead, to talk with people you meet in the course of your life.

The challenge is getting people to know, like and trust you. People tend to join people they know, like and trust.

The question: How do you get people to know, like and trust you?

The answer: Get to know, like and trust them.

You do that by asking them questions about themselves. There are many possibilities, but here’s two that are simple to remember.

1. What do you do for a living?

This will immediately get the person to talk about his or her work life. If you listen and ask follow-up questions, the person will almost always tell you something they don’t like about their job.

Nearly everyone is frustrated to some extent by work. Sooner or later, they’ll share those frustrations with you.

The great thing about this question is that once they tell you what they do, they’ll almost always ask you what you do. That’s a great opportunity to lay the groundwork for telling them about your opportunity.

It’s important that you give a simple explanation of what you do. Do not launch into a detailed presentation of your business. Odds are you’ll turn them off.

2. What do you like to do in your free time?

This will often reveal the person’s innermost dreams. If you listen closely and ask follow-up questions, the person will tell you what they’d really like to be doing with their life.

The answer will let you ask them how great it would be if they got to do that whenever they wanted. This will lay the groundwork for the time when you share your opportunity with them.

These questions will help you begin to build a relationship with people. You have to do that if you want people to know, like and trust you.

And you have to build that relationship with no agenda. They’ll never know, like or trust you if you pressure them with your opportunity.

Once you have that relationship, an opportunity will present itself to share your products or services and company. That’s the way your business will grow.

Steve DeVane
I learned how to build a strong business from this mentoring program.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Simple business plan — getting paid for something you already do

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a simple business plan that paid you for something you do anyway?

Good news. There is.

Most people do network marketing every day. They just don’t get paid for it. Network marketing is nothing more than recommending and promoting products that you like.

Nearly everyone already does that with their favorite restaurants, a good movie, a great place to shop and other things. When you hear a good joke and pass it on, you’re effectively recommending and promoting that joke.

So, with network marketing, you simply find a company that has a product or products that everyone wants and you recommend and promote them. But here’s the key — you have to do it with no agenda.

That’s difficult, and it’s also where most network marketers go wrong. Most MLM companies train their reps to immediately make a list of their friends and family.

It’s the worst thing to do.

The new distributor and their upline proceed to call the people on the list with the sponsor usually doing most of the talking.

The prospect feels pressured in two ways. First, he wants to help out his friend. Second, the upline will often use some kind of closing technique to get the person to buy. Even if he buys something, it likely leaves bad feelings.

Before long the new distributor is an official member of the NFL — No Friends Left.

At first glance, the strategy appears to make sense. People tend to join people they know, like and trust so why not approach those who already know, like and trust you.

The problem is more than 90 percent of people don’t like to be sold. When they feel like a friend is putting the sales squeeze on them, it turns them off even more.

The solution: don’t go to your friends and family first. As a matter of fact, don’t go to them at all. Don’t tell them about your business unless they ask.

And once you’re successful, they will ask.

So, who do you go to? You go to people you meet. Live your life. Be knowable, likeable and trustworthy.

Along the way, you’ll meet the right people. The moment will present itself for you to promote and recommend your business and its products. If you follow that simple business plan with no agenda — not like a salesman — you’ll start getting paid for something you do everyday.

Steve DeVane

Thursday, September 25, 2008

A practical way to reach your dreams

I recently took my daughter and one of her friends to a reception and presentation hosted by Western Carolina University. My daughter and her friend are both high school juniors considering where to go to college.

The event was well attended. The presentation was well done, and the school representatives were well informed and presented the university well.

On the way home, I asked my daughter her favorite part of the evening. She told me it was when one of the professors told her that if she’d score a little higher on the SAT that every school in North Carolina would want her.

Then she turned the tables on me and asked me my favorite part. After jokingly telling her it was the pretzels (they were quite good), I said it was a conversation she had with the representative of WCU’s School of Business after she told him she was thinking about double majoring in business and communications.

The professor — I think he might have been the associate dean — seemed pleased with my daughter’s plans. He told her that she was wise to follow her passion, which he assumed was communications, while also getting the practical basics of business.

In effect, he told her that you should always do what you want, but remember that you have to pay the bills, too.

Thinking about it later, it occurred to me how wonderfully network marketing fits into that scenario.

Many people realize early in life that they have to make money to provide for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, they jettison their dreams along the way.

Network marketing offers a way for people to reconnect with those dreams. Once we understand that opportunity, we’re practically on our way to reaching them.

Steve DeVane

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Persistence — vital to success

Persistence is vital to success. In network marketing, once we’ve found a system that works, we only have to keep doing the right things until success is ours.

It’s a great moment when we realize that our goals are achievable. That they’re not in some far-off never, never land. If we persist, one day we’ll realize that we’re growing, and we’ll sense that success is within reach.

In his classic book, “Think and Grow Rich,” Napoleon Hill says, “Sometimes it appears that there is a hidden Guide whose duty is to test men through all sorts of discouraging experiences. Those who pick themselves up after defeat and keep on trying, arrive; and the world cries, ‘Bravo! I knew you could do it!’ The hidden Guide lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the PERSISTENCE TEST. Those who can't take it, simply do not make the grade.”

When I read this, my spirit was lifted. I know this guide. He’s the one who whispers, “You can do it,” when other voices are coming up with a million reasons to quit. The guide sends a clear message to keep going amid the bombardment of images coming my way.

We might not be where we want to be, but if we persist we will get there.
Soon we will smile when we hear the world cry, “Bravo! I knew you could do it!”

Steve DeVane

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Change your life - It's your decision

Have you ever given any serious thought to how you ended up in the job you have?

I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. I was talking with a friend about it the other day and he was telling me about the path that led him to his current position. I didn’t tell him this for fear of offending him, but his description unnerved me quite a bit.

It seemed he ended up where he was because of a series of unrelated events that had little to do with his strengths, talents, gifts or desires. What made it worse was his apparent reluctance to consider any alternatives at any point along the way or even now.

I was just about to question him about it, when I realize that until recently my life was much the same. I thought that I was where I was and there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Fortunately, I’ve come to realize that I am where I am because of my past choices, and I can change direction by making different choices.

It’s not easy, but it can be done. Think about it. If you want something different, change direction. Decide and do it.

Steve DeVane

Monday, September 15, 2008

What if ... you took a positive view?

One of the coolest things I’ve learned recently is the art of turning a negative into a positive.

Sometimes this can be accomplished just by looking for the good in whatever situation you face. Often, however, you can turn a whole issue completely around just by changing the way you approach it.

One of the best examples of this I’ve seen I discovered through a blog by Joe Vitale. It’s called “What If Up.”

What If Up encourages you to turn “what if …” questions into an examination of positive possibilities. Often we ask such questions in a negative tone. Some dreaded circumstance usually follows the “what if.”

Instead, the What If Up movement promotes considering all the great things that might happen. It involves three steps: identify a challenge; notice how you’re mentally approaching it; then What If Up it.

What If Up even has its own online community called the What If Up Club with more than 160 members.

Next time you face a challenge, “what if up” it and turn it into a positive.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Speak up for your profession and products

The other day, my daughter called me on the phone to complain about the cost of ice cream. She and her friend had been to a nearby ice cream shop. Each had ordered a scoop of ice cream.

When they got ready to pay, the cashier told my daughter it would be $8.03. I told her that maybe it was just an expensive place to buy ice cream. She said it wasn’t that expensive because a sign said that each scoop of ice cream was $2.

I asked her why she didn’t mention that to the cashier.

She said she didn’t want to.

I told her she had to learn to speak up in those circumstances.

She protested a little, but I think she understood.

Later, it occurred to me that network marketers often face similar tests in their business. Occasionally, you’ll be talking with someone and they’ll say something about being in a financial crunch. Or someone will tell you about a challenge they face that one of your company’s products would help.

Many network marketers make one of two mistakes in those circumstances: they come on too strong or they clam up and don’t say anything.

Putting a sales squeeze on people never a good idea. Good networkers learn to present their opportunity or products in a non-threatening manner.

In order for people to know about the wonderful profession of network marketing and its many amazing companies if you have to learn to speak up.

Steve DeVane

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Learning leadership by following first

Have you ever wondered what makes a good leader?

Sometimes you see someone who has a certain way of speaking, of acting, of living that leads you to describe the person as a “born leader.” Turns out that description is probably not accurate.

Most great leaders were once great followers. If you want to be a good leader become a good follower.

That’s why it’s so valuable to have a mentor. That importance applies to all areas of life, but it takes on greater meaning in network marketing.

In MLM, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of so-called “systems” competing for your attention. Each claims to be the best way to market your opportunity.

When you’re considering marketing options, pay close attention to the person behind the system. Is that person someone you can learn from? Can you picture them showing you how to succeed?

Then look closely at the people that person has already mentored. Has he or she successfully taught the system to others? Moreover, did he or she teach them how to pass it on?

Once you’ve found that mentor, follow them down the path to success. In no time you’ll be the leader you are meant to be.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Focus like an Olympian

As I was watching the Olympics recently, I was thinking about how all the athletes had sacrificed much to make it to the Games.

That type of singular focus is admirable. I couldn’t help but think how each of them had discovered the sport they loved and worked at it until they became great at it.

It also reminded me of how important it is to have focus in our network marketing business. It’s easy to go from one idea to the next and the next while we seek success.

Many new networkers are just learning one technique when another one comes along that makes them leave the first one. Instead it’s better to find an approach that works and master it. Once you’ve got it under control, then you can try another.

In short, a narrower focus is almost always better than a broader effort.

That’s why many who are trying to develop “multiple streams of income” struggle. It sounds like a good idea, but in practice it usually doesn’t work.

Steve DeVane

Friday, August 29, 2008

Strong system sets up success

Volleyball season just started for my two daughters. My oldest daughter plays on the varsity team, while my younger daughter plays junior varsity.

I enjoy going to their games. The last couple of home games, I’ve been asked to run the scoreboard. It’s been a new perspective in a couple of ways.

For one, I can’t just watch what my daughters are doing. I have to keep an eye on the whole court so I can make sure to keep the score right.

But I also sit higher and closer to the court than I did when I was in the bleachers. The scorer’s table has a much better view.

My oldest daughter is the primary setter for her team. This means she’s the one usually responsible for putting the ball in a position for a teammate to spike it.

It occurred to me the other day that her role was similar to that of a sponsor in network marketing. When we sponsor someone into the business we want to “set” them up for success.

The easiest way to do this is to have a successful system that is easily teachable. Then, it’s just a matter of training the person to use the system.

If the system works, and the distributor takes the necessary action, success will naturally follow.

In the volleyball games, sometimes the ball will be so far away from my daughter that she can’t get to it. She immediately yells, “Help! Help!” One of her teammates nearly always manages to keep the ball in play.

Similarly, in network marketing, we need to realize that we sometimes need help. If we’re on a solid team, all we have to do is ask.

A good system run by a good team makes a great business.

Steve DeVane

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Network marketing that works

Many network marketers struggle early in their careers.

One reason they flounder is because they lack focus. Sometimes they don’t know what to do. Sometimes they don’t do what they know.

Network marketing is a business, but most networkers don’t treat it that way. One good way to start is to treat it like a job. Here’s some tips on how to do that.

Go to work like you’re getting a paycheck. Many networkers don’t take action. Even worse, when they act, they often take incorrect actions. It’s best to learn the right actions, and do them consistently.

Punch the clock. Decide when you can work, and work during that time.

Find a good sponsor and treat them like a boss. You need to learn the proper way to do the business. Find someone’s who is successful and learn from them. Tell them to tell you what to do. Then do it.

Don’t quit. You wouldn’t leave your job after a short amount of time, so don’t give up on networking so quickly. It takes time to be successful. Be patient. You’ll be rewarded.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Business building secrets - More than just one

Every once in a while you run across someone who says they have the secret to success.

The person may very well have something that will help you succeed, but in truth there is no one secret. There’s not a single thing that by itself will automatically grant you instant success. Instead there are many reasons for success. Here’s a few.

Do what you love. One of the most best things you can do for yourself and for your business is figure out why you’re doing what you're doing. And while you're thinking about it, understand that just making money isn't enough to motivate most people.

Give. Nearly everyone who's successful gives and gives and gives. You might be saying to yourself, "It's easy for them to give because of they have, so much." Instead, the opposite is true - they have much because they give much.

Find a system that works. Find something that’s proven to be successful and follow it.

Join a team. No one can build a business by themselves. You've got to have help.

Do it. Even the best plans are worthless without action. If you want the reward, do the work.

Steve DeVane

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Best home-based business — Examine your options

Have you ever made a mistake that you know you wouldn’t have made if you’d studied the issue more. Taking that extra effort to investigate your options can make a difference when you’re looking at network marketing companies.

When you’re looking for a way to make extra income from home, it pays to do some research.

Many people in network marketing are often behind from the very beginning because they didn’t take a good, long look at the opportunity they joined.

Here’s a pretty good rule of thumb. When someone is talking to you about their opportunity, ask for specifics.

For example if someone tells you that they can promise that you’ll be able to sign up 25 people in your first month, ask for the names and phone numbers of the 25 people he signed up in the last month. That’s fair, but it will probably end the conversation.

Perhaps, the person is just starting out. OK. Then ask for information about the 25 people that his upline sponsored last month.

It’s not outside the realm of possibility to sign-up 25 people in a month. Unfortunately, even if you pull it off, you’ll never be able to build strong relationships with all of them.

And if you can’t build relationships, you’re going to have a tough time succeeding in network marketing. The easiest way to succeed is to find a network marketing company with a proven system that helps you build relationships with your distributors.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Surfing through some networking lessons

While doing some research for a writing project I’m working on, I came across this video about how to surf. It taught some lessons that are applicable to business and to life.

The pros on the video pointed out that while surfing you have to know your environment. Look out for yourself but keep and eye on everyone else, too.

In network marketing, we have to work our business, but also help out those we sponsor. Learn the skills to be successful and pass them on.

When you surf, you have to first paddle out through breaking waves. The surfing pros suggest paddling through the spot where the least amount of waves are breaking so the waves don’t keep pushing you back in.

In business, we often feel like there’s some hidden force keeping us from success. Often, we need to take a good look around, find out what’s holding us back and find a way to deal with it.

The surfers on the video gave some hints about catching a wave. It takes timing to judge the wave and start paddling so that you’re paddling at full speed and are going almost the speed of the wave by the time it gets to you.

While networking, we often miss opportunities because we’re not paying attention. When we see an opportunity approaching, start working. Get going. If we over-think it and try to wait for the opportunity to get to use, it’ll pass us by because we’re not ready for it.

Once the wave arrives, the surfer has to stand up. The pros said not to give it much thought. You find the point where the wave is pushing you and you have momentum, then you pop up. No fumbling around or you’ll get tossed off.

Network marketers often fumble around and overanalyze situations when the arise. Sadly, many waste precious time even when there’s nothing they can do about the situation. When you’ve got momentum, stand up and ride the wave.

The pros called riding the wave the fun part of surfing. Most of the work is done, so you find your balance and get on what they called “the face” of the wave where the energy is.

In business, when you’ve done the hard work, you enjoy the benefits. You find the thing that gives you energy and you do it.

But riding the waves can be scary. Everyone wipes out, the surfers said. If you don’t wipe out, you’re not having a good time, they said. When it happens, head back out and do it again.

Networkers often get discouraged at the first sign of failure. Think of these times as learning opportunities. When it happens, figure out why and try again.

The surfing pros said great surfers are the ones having the most fun. That’s a pretty good way to live.

Steve DeVane

Friday, August 8, 2008

A picture’s worth ... at least one post

I’ve written a couple of posts about my recent trip to Belize.

I’ve talked about running through the rainforest and swimming with the stingrays. I thought you might like to see some of the images from the trip so I uploaded them to flickr.

You can see them by clicking here.

Enjoy.

Steve DeVane

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Make a decision and stick with it

Last year, I got to coach my daughter’s recreation league basketball team.

I was really looking forward to it. I knew since I hadn’t coached that age level before that my team probably wouldn’t be as talented as many of the other teams, but I thought we’d be competitive.

I was wrong. We lost every game. There were only two games that we had any chance of winning. Most games we got our doors blown off.

By the end of the year, I was totally frustrated. To be honest, I felt like a failure. Looking back, I’ve tried to find lessons that I could learn from the season.

I think I made two big mistakes.

First, I overestimated what the girls could learn. I had in mind several plays and several defenses that I thought they could play.

We practiced our plays, and we practiced our defenses, but when we played our first game we looked lost. It seemed as if we’d never been on a basketball court before.

After a similar performance the next game, I decided we had to scale back on what we were doing. That was my second mistake.

When I tried to get back to more basic basketball, the girls got even more confused. It took me several more games before I realized that the shift had made things worse. By then, it was too late to do much about it. I tried several desperate moves, but nothing worked.

So what’s the lesson? Once you’ve decided on a strategy stick with it until you have to change.

Napoleon Hill analyzed hundreds of successful men for his book, “Think and Grow Rich.” He discovered “that every one of them had the habit of REACHING DECISIONS PROMPTLY, and of changing these decisions SLOWLY, if, and when they were changed.”

Sometimes adjustments are needed when things go wrong, but don’t be too hasty to change directions at the smallest bump in the road.

Steve DeVane

Monday, August 4, 2008

Learning the right lessons

When I was in college, I used to get really anxious before a test. Sometimes just as the professor was handing out the exams, this terrible thought would pop into my head — “What if I studied the wrong material?”

Fortunately, that never happened. And despite my anxiety, I usually did pretty well on tests.

Unfortunately, many people in network marketing make the mistake I feared — they study the wrong thing. They get into network marketing with the plan of learning everything they possibly can about their company's products or service. They dedicate themselves to becoming an expert. Problem is, it’s is a total waste of time.

If you were going to sell a product, that would make sense. But this profession is about building relationships rather than selling a product or service.

You are not a salesperson. If you have to convince people to buy your product, then you are dead before you begin. And even if you can pull it off, you won't be able to train anyone else to sell.

Selling just is not duplicatable.

Instead, you need to become an expert on people. In network marketing, people are your REAL product.

Your goal is to help people achieve their dreams in life. That means you must understand them, and you must build trust with them. Build the relationship. That is job number one.

Spend your time getting good at relationship-building skills. Train yourself to be a great listener.

When you understand exactly what the people you talk to want, focus on helping them get it. Then, in order to reach their dreams, they'll buy your products, but only if you have built that relationship with them.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Innovative networking

I was in a doctor’s office the other day when I spotted a copy of the Fall 2007 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine that focused on “America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences.”

I was initially a bit bummed that I was more than 10 years past what the magazine called young (35 and younger), but immediately became fascinated with the stories inside. I even asked the receptionist if I could have the magazine and she said OK.

I haven’t read all of the stories yet, but I have noticed some traits of those great thinkers that apply to network marketing.

• Innovators tend to be people who recognize a problem and devote high amounts of energy to solving it.

In network marketing, we’re often too quick to offer our business as the solution before we find out if the person we’re talking to even has a problem. We should be willing to help people, even if it means telling them they’re better off pursuing something other than our opportunity.

• Innovators are committed people.

MLM tends to attract people who are looking for a “get rich quick” scheme. Those of us who are professional network marketers should make sure we don’t market our businesses in that manner and steer clear of anyone who’s looking for that.

• Innovators find their place and excel there.

Successful network marketers find a system that works and work that system.

Steve DeVane

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Lessons in leadership

When I worked at a newspaper about 15 years ago, I interviewed a group of ROTC cadets who were going through Advance Camp at Fort Bragg. The cadets’ performance during camp could help determine whether their Army careers started well or not.

The cadets were in between their junior and senior years of college. After graduation, they would get their commissions.

One of the cadets had been in the Army before as an enlisted man. He’d come out of college an officer.

During the interview, I asked him the biggest difference between basic training and ROTC Advance Camp. He said in basic training, you want to blend in and not get noticed. In camp, you want to stand out and show your skills.

Isn’t that the difference between and leader and a follower?

Remember as network marketers we’re leaders of our group. The people we sponsor count on us to show them how to be successful.

So don’t be afraid to be noticed. Learn skills and use them.

Steve DeVane

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Swimming with the stingrays

Recently, I went on a mission trip to Belize with 33 other folks from my church. We worked hard and had a great week.

After we finished our work, we had the option to go snorkeling on the last day we were there. When they told us about it, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to go. I tried to snorkel one other time when I was a kid. It wasn’t pleasant.

And to be honest, I was tired. I would have loved to just stay in the hotel room, play on the computer and sleep.

All that to say I wasn’t planning to go. But the leader of the group kept talking about how much fun it was going to be. And it occurred to me that it’s not every day you get the chance to snorkel near the world’s second largest barrier reef.

So, I went. It took me a while to get the hang of only breathing through my mouth, but it was a blast. We saw beautiful sea life and coral scenes that defy description.

On one of our stops, the captain announced that we were in stingray alley. When he stopped the boat, stingrays were swimming all around. When we got out of the boat, they were swimming right up against us. After a while one of the others got my attention and pointed toward a four-foot barracuda about 10 feet away.

Later I thought about how I almost missed all the fun. I reflected on how life is a lot like that trip. We can stay inside ourselves and not take any chances. Or we can live life and do things we want to do — memorable things.

I also thought about why I decided to go snorkeling. The main reason was the excitement in my friend’s voice when he described it. He had experienced it. He knew it was going to be unforgettable.

Think of the experiences you have that other people need. When you talk about something that’s made a difference in your life, don’t be afraid to let it show.

Steve DeVane

Monday, July 28, 2008

Speaking up and standing out

My daughter played in a softball tournament for the state championship this weekend. Her team played well, finishing second.

I was proud of my daughter and her team. And, as I’m beginning to discover about almost everything, I learned a valuable lesson along the way.

Her coach asked me to keep the scorebook for the team during the tournament. I was glad to do it. It made me feel like I was contributing to the effort.

As in most tournaments there were rules that teams had to follow. One of them dealt with how many innings a pitcher could pitch. One pitcher could only pitch six innings over any two-game stretch.

In other words, if a pitcher pitched four innings the first game, she could only pitch two in the next game. In the game after that, she could pitch up to four more.

My daughter’s team eventually played seven games in the tournament. They won five, with their only two losses to the team that won the championship.

It was a double-elimination tournament, meaning that you could lose one and keep playing. Lose twice, you go home.

My daughter’s team had three pitchers, but two of them did most of the pitching. One pitcher started every game, pitching three innings in every one. Another pitcher would usually come on in the fourth inning and pitch the rest of the game. Each game was six innings so it worked out well.

But during the first game we lost, our second pitcher pitched less than two innings. The next game, we won with our first two pitchers going three innings each.

The following game, we got a big lead early, so the coach took our top pitcher out after the first inning, thinking he might be able to use her for more innings in the next game if needed. Our second pitcher threw the second, third and fourth innings. When our team was warming up for the fifth inning, I noticed that she was back on the mound.

So I walked over to the coach and told him I didn’t think the pitcher could pitch that inning. The coach immediately walked over to the official scorekeeper, then yelled out to the pitcher to switch positions with our shortstop, who was our third pitcher.

Turns out that if our second pitcher had pitched one pitch in the fifth inning, we would have had to forfeit the game. The coach thanked me numerous times. I was glad to help, and I found a lesson in the situation.

There once was a time when, even if I noticed something like the pitcher issue, I would have said to myself, “The coach knows what he’s doing. He wouldn’t want me getting in his business.” My self-confidence was so low, I would have automatically assumed that I was wrong.

If I would have done that this time, my daughter’s team would have needlessly lost a game they were comfortably winning.

So the lesson I learned is to speak up. Many times in network marketing, I hesitate to talk about my business because people have a negative feeling about the business.

Those of us in network marketing need to set an example and speak up when someone speaks ill of our profession.

Unfortunately, some people have given MLMs a bad name. It’s time we started getting out the good word about how much our profession can help people. This word will spread when our actions back up what we say.

Steve DeVane

Friday, July 25, 2008

Seeing the forest with the trees

Lately, I’ve been trying to take a long look at life. Seeking to step back and get a wide-angle shot of what I’m doing and where I’m going.

This thinking brought to mind a saying one of my college professors had. He taught a course on how nations related to each other. Every once in a while he’d point out that a country’s leaders had focused too much on details and failed to see the big picture.

“They couldn’t see the forest for the trees,” he’d say.

Sometimes I feel like that. I’ve got all these things going on in life that need attention. And often each of them has multiple facets, each requiring time and effort.

I like all the various areas of my life. I need or want each of them. But I need and want to know how they all connect.

When looking for answers it’s always best to first ask questions. Here’s five that I’m pondering:

What is the most important thing I want to accomplish with the rest of my life and why? Or as I friend so eloquently put it, “When you look back on your life, what do you want to see?”

What are the reasons for all the various things I do? In other words, why do I do the things that I do?

What are my priorities? Among these various things, which do I need to do more than others? Which do I want to do more than others?

Who benefits and how? When I perform these tasks, what is the result?

What do I get out of each? How do the various things fit into my life’s purpose, my mission, my reason for being?

I’m still working through all this, but I feel certain that as I consider these, the pieces of my sometimes puzzled life will start fitting together.

Steve DeVane

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A little gift that meant a lot

About a week ago I was looking for a book on a shelf when I saw something jammed between two of the larger books.

I pulled it out, and recognized it as booklet given to me by a good friend years ago. It has excerpts from “The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn.” I opened it up and saw the note my friend wrote to me.

I immediately remembered thinking that it was a great gift when I had received it. Jim Rohn is one of the most influential personal development speakers in the world. The booklet meant a lot to me then and still means a lot to me.

I enjoyed perusing again the 134 quotes in the booklet. It has subject headings at the top of each page, making it easier to find an inspirational thought about the area in which you need help.

I get something every time I read one of the quotes in the booklet. Here are some of my favorites.

“If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs I education to turn him around.”

That quote in the knowledge/education area makes me realize that the best thing to do when I know I’ve made a mistake is stop and make a course correction. Knowing you’ve made a mistake doesn’t do any good if you don’t correct it.

“Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you’ve got.”

That quote in the personal development section helps me see the importance of working on getter better as a person. I’m beginning to see that the better I get, the more my situation improves.

“My mentor said, ‘Let’s go do it’ not ‘You go do it.’ How powerful when someone says, ‘Let’s!’”

That quote in leadership/management shows me the importance of helping other people. Another one in the same section reaffirms that thinking:

“Learn to help people with more than just their jobs; help them with their lives.”

All these quotes take on even greater meaning in network marketing, but the last two are especially important. We should strive to serve as mentors to those we sponsor. When we say, “Let’s go do it,” we’re showing them how to build a strong, successful business.

But even beyond that, we should become friends with those in our business. Friends help friends, not only with their businesses, but with their lives.

Steve DeVane

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The bridge between thought and accomplishment

The teachings of Jim Rohn have popped into my life recently on two separate occasions.

One way is a little book I found squeezed between two bigger volumes on my bookshelf. It’s called “The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn.” A friend gave it to me years ago. I’ll share some of the quotes in a future blog.

The other instance is this video sent to me by another friend. It’s based on Rohn’s new book, “Lessons on Life.”

The video makes several points on ways to live to a successful life. Here’s a few of them.

Learn to be happy. The video defines happiness as “activity with purpose.”

When I was younger, I thought happiness was over-rated. To me honest, people who were happy ticked me off, which of course made me even less happy.

I’m not sure where or how I learned it, but somewhere along the way, I got it in my head that I was somehow a better person if I was unhappy. I was almost snobbish about my unhappiness. I looked down on happy people like riff-raff who had not yet learned the high and holy ways of being unhappy.

As I’ve gotten older, I see how utterly ridiculous that is. Why not be happy? Being happy certainly beats being unhappy. And the great thing is, happiness is a choice. If you want to be happy, all you have to do is decide to be happy. Now some things will make you sad at times, but for the most part, happiness is only a decision away.

Discipline yourself. Discipline, according to the video is the bridge between thought and accomplishment. We all suffer from either the pain of discipline, which weighs ounces, or the pain of regret, which weighs tons, the video says.

We often think of discipline in a negative sense, as in punishment. But discipline, as in self-control, is a positive. We become better people when we learn to apply ourselves.

Embrace change. The video points out that we can change all things for the better when we change ourselves for the better.

Today, it seems change is happening everywhere. Someone said the only constant in the world these days is change.

So change is happening. We can’t stop it. Why not embrace it and make the most of it by changing ourselves for the better.

Live well. If we don’t design our own lives someone else will, according to the video.

Too often we get stuck in the day-to-day existence of life. We do the so much that busyness becomes our only business.

It seems difficult, but we are in control of our lives. We just have to realize it and do something about it.

Take some time and think about where your life is going. It’s a great time to start improving your life for the better.

Want to know what the best five years of your life are?

The next five years. Make the most of them.

Steve DeVane

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Go-giving in action

Shortly after I wrote a post about a presentation by one of the author's of The Go-Giver, I spotted a video blog that provides a good example.

Jim Kukral posted a blog called "The Power of Free! A Case Study." It talks about his experience in four weeks after he launched a web site that gives away information on how to make web videos without having to spend a lot of money on equipment.

Kukral said four things happened in the month after he started the site.

(1) He was contacted by what he called a "big-time book publisher" inviting him to write a book about the business of online video.

(2) He was invited to speak at what he called a "mastermind event" about online video.

(3) He was interviewed by what he called a "major market publication" that goes out to more than 400,000 readers.

(4) He got two "consulting gigs" from companies that got the kit and decided they could use his help.

Kukral asked his viewers what they're giving away from free.

"When you give, you get and it comes back in spades," he said. "I'm living proof."

He then adds that whatever you give away, it has to be truly free. It can't be preloaded with sales pitches.

"What can you give away that's very valuable information that's free?" he asked. "Go ahead and do it and you'll see good things happen."

That's great advice.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book contains valuable information for anyone looking for success in network marketing.


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Thursday, July 10, 2008

A go-getter with a go-giver's heart

I recently heard a presentation by Bob Burg, who wrote “The Go-Giver” with John David Mann.

Burg said pointed out that the opposite of a go-giver is not a go-getter, but a go-taker. Being a go-getter is good as long as you have the heart of a go-giver, he said.

The key, Burg said, is to shift one’s focus from getting to giving. You do this by constantly adding value to people’s lives. This is not only nice but a profitable way to live life.

Burg went over five laws of success.

— The law of value says that your truth worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. Give more in use value than you take in cash value and everyone will feel great.

— The law of compensation says that your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. People will exchange money for that which they feel has equal or greater value. By adding value, you’ll build an extraordinary business through referrals.

— The law of influence says your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interest first. All things being equal, people do business with people they know like and trust. There’s no better way to elicit those feelings than to add value to their lives. Think of how you can make their life better before you earn opportunity to do business with them.

Burg said he was not saying to give without expecting to receive, but instead to give without emotional attachment to receive. It’s OK to expect to receive. Great things happen because great relationships are established, he said.

Burg said win-win relationships are not 50-50, but are instead “100-100” with both people caring more about the other person.

— The law of authenticity says the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself. Skills are all for naught if you’re not yourself, Burg said. Be authentic and communicate it. Multiplies skills sets. People sense authenticity. Why fake it when being truly authentic is profitable, he said.

— The law of receptivity says that the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving. Burg said giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. There can be no giving without receiving. If add value to other’s lives, you’ve earned the right to receive, he said.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me understand the power of giving.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The value of time

The other day, I was off work and had a little time to catch up on some things that I had been putting off.

One of those things was a small leak behind our toilet. My wife had noticed it a month or so ago, and I had promised to take a look at it.

The leak wasn’t bad, just a drip every once in a while, but it needed to be fixed.

So I crawled down where I could get a good look at it, and discovered the source of the leak at the point where the water line goes into the tank. Perhaps it just needs to be tightened, I thought. So I headed off to get some wrenches out of my toolbox.

I tightened the bolt. The leak got worse.

The more I tightened, the worse it leaked.

I finally turned off the water to keep the bathroom from being flooded. I disconnected the water line, took off the water line and the connection and got ready to go to the hardware store.

Then I remembered that our faucet wasn’t turning off all the way. Might as well fix it, too, I thought. So I took off what I thought was the cause of that problem and headed off to the store.

About an hour later, I returned with the stuff I thought would fix the problem. Only cost about $10.

I attached the new water line to the toilet, then put the new gasket on the faucet.

Turned the water on. The toilet still leaked. I tightened it as much as I dared. Still it leaked.

Worse news at the faucet. It was running even though it was supposed to be off. I turned it on and the knob came off in my hand and water spewed out all over the place.

I ran to the road, turned off the water and told my wife we’d have to call a plumber.

Fortunately, the plumber said he could be at the house in about an hour. When he arrived, I explained the problem.

Took him about 30 seconds to fix the toilet. He just tightened it more.

The faucet was a little trickier. He had some trouble getting it disassembled, but in the end all it needed was a little spring and a gasket – just not the gasket I had gotten at the store.

That made me feel a little better. Had I persisted, I would have spent the better part of the day on it and likely would not have figured out that all it needed was the spring and gasket. I would probably would have bought a whole new faucet assembly.

All in all, the plumber was well worth the $75 he charged us. He knew what he was doing. I didn’t.

What lesson did I learn? Time has value.

I spent about three hours and $10 and made both situations worse. For $75, the plumber fixed the problems in less than an hour, and the only time I needed to spend was about two minutes to explain the issues.

So, even if I’d have fixed the problems, which I didn’t, my time was worth somewhere around $22 an hour. In this instance, $22 an hour of inexperience was worth far less than $75 an hour of expertise.

Steve DeVane
This mentoring program helped me learn to make better use of my time.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Strength under control

Has anyone ever described you as gentle?

Did you take it as a compliment?

I admit, I’ve always had a negative feeling about the word. Who would want to be gentle?

Then this morning, my pastor talked about the passage in the Bible where Jesus describes himself as gentle and humble. Humble, I was OK with. Gentle, not so much.

Then my pastor defined gentleness as “strength under control.” The example he gave was wild horses that are tamed. They still have the same strength, the same horsepower if you will, but it’s been brought under control.

As I thought more about it later, I remembered one of the highest compliments I received in 20-plus years as a journalist. A state legislator who I had interviewed numerous times told me I was a “gentleman reporter.”

I told him I appreciated it, but I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant until a few years later when a colleague wrote a column about me when I was leaving the paper. He pointed out that some reporters thought you should do whatever it takes to get the story, and added that I would disagree with that but get the story anyway.

As I thought about that, it brought to mind my pastor’s description of humbleness as “the sane estimate of ourselves and our abilities.”

I’ve often underestimated myself and my abilities simply because I didn’t want to appear stuck up or overconfident. That’s not exactly insane, but it wasn’t good thinking either.

I’m not sure where I got it, but somewhere along the way I got the erroneous idea that thinking less of myself would somehow allow other people to think better of themselves.

Life doesn’t work that way. In fact, the opposite is true. It is by being true to ourselves that others are better able to get in touch with their true selves.

Steve DeVane
This free e-book helped me better understand myself.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

The trail of fears

Recently I went on a trip to Belize with some folks from my church. We spent four days working and about a day and a half sightseeing.

One of the sights we wanted to see was the Blue Hole. It had been raining hard that day, and initially it appeared that the park where the Blue Hole was located was closed. But a park employee came out and opened the gate to let us in.

Before long we were hiking along a muddy, slippery trail in search of the pool of water. Since it had been raining and I hoped to take a dip in the Blue Hole, I had changed my tennis shoes for sandals. Big mistake.

Our group got spread out along the trail as some of the younger, more adventurous ones went on ahead. After a while the group I was in heard someone shouting behind us.

It was the park ranger. Turns out we were on the wrong trail. I understood him to say the trail we were on didn't even go to the Blue Hole. I agreed to try to catch us to the ones ahead of us, while the others turned around.

After a couple of near slips, I knew I wasn't making up much ground. I decided I had to run. So run I did.

Weird things go through your mind when your running along a slick rain forest trail.

Things like, "If I fall down that steep embankment, will they ever find my body?"

And, "What in the world am I doing here?"

And, "I certainly wouldn't have put on these sandals if I knew I was going to have to run?"

Eventually, I caught up with several of the others. I went back with a group of them while another fellow went ahead and caught up with the others. On the way back the raindrops came to an end and mosquito swarms came out of nowhere.

Later, I found out that I had misunderstood the ranger. The trail did go to the Blue Hole, it was just a mile and a half away — a good 45 minute hike on a dry day. A few of those in the group made it to the pool and even took a swim.

I never even laid eyes on the Blue Hole, but the others told me it wasn't very blue because of all the rain.

Initially, I was disappointed, tired and frustrated. Looking back, it wasn't so bad. We all made it back, although a few had some minor injuries, and it makes a great story.

So what did I learn, other than never change into sandals when you're going to be hiking through a rainy rain forest?

First, I learned it's best to know where the trail leads before you start. Sometimes in life, we're faced with multiple options. It's good to be decisive and take action, but it's usually better to get the information you need to make a good decision.

Next, I learned it's best to listen closely to people who know the lay of the land. Had I realized that the trail eventually led to the Blue Hole, I would have likely either turned back then or kept going until I reached the destination. Either way, I wouldn't have had to make a mad dash on slick grass.

At times, when we face a decision it often pays to find someone who's been in a similar position. Find out how they fared and learn from their experience.

Finally, I learned that it pays to have a leader. If any of us had ever been on that trail, we would have known how far it was to the Blue Hole. We would have known to drive down to another trail, much closer to where we wanted to go.

In life and in business, a good mentor makes the difference. Find someone who's already successful and do what they did. They know the trail already.

Steve DeVane
This mentoring program made a difference in my life and business.