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

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

Avoid strategies that don't work

Several years ago, someone I trusted in network marketing suggested that I buy some leads to help build my business.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Earlier, I had made the list of family and friends as I was taught to talk to about the business. When that didn't work, it sounded good to have a list of "pre-qualified" people to call.

So I bought leads.

And I made calls.

And I bought more leads.

And I made more calls.

Didn't work.

Now I know why.

My friend and mentor, Michael Dlouhy, studied hundreds of networking companies. He's been in the business more than 25 years.

In this video, he explains why buying leads doesn't work.



Steve DeVane
This free mentoring system taught me what does and doesn't work in network marketing

What makes a great network marketing company

If you want to be successful in network marketing, it's important to have a strong company behind you. Your company should have key characteristics, known as the "five pillars."

The first pillar is company management with experience and integrity. Google the company president to find out more information about the one leading your company. Read your company's policies and procedures.

The second pillar is timing in the company and the industry. You don't want to be in a brand new company. It's best if the company has been up and running for at least two years.

The third pillar is a product that lasts a lifetime. The number one mistake people make is they think they have to love the product. You don't have to love the product. The product just has to be remarkable. Find a product that people are screaming for and fall in love with it. You don't have to research every little tidbit of information. Most MLM companies have great products. It's easier to sell what people want. Ask yourself if it's a product that people would buy even if there wasn't a business opportunity attached.

The fourth pillar is a compensation plan that pays the part-time person. Most reps will only work part-time, at least initially. The key is to find a compensation plan that pays the most with the least amount of people. Find out how many distributors you need to make $10,000 a month.

The fifth pillar is to have a proven system that duplicates when you quit. Run if your upline tells you to buy leads or to make a list of your friends and family. That does not duplicate.

I found just such a system. It teaches you how to fish rather than giving you a fish. It teaches the skills necessary for success.

My friend and personal mentor, Michael Dlouhy, made a video for me explaining the five pillars.



Steve DeVane
This free e-book taught me the importance of having a "five pillars" company.

Straight from the source

I spent the last 20-plus years as a journalist. I've written hundreds of news stories. One thing I learned is that if you want to get the best information, you need to go directly to the source. Someone at a speech can tell you what they think the speaker was trying to say, but you have to go straight to the source for the direct information.

I've written often about the book, "Success in 10 Steps," that changed my network marketing career. When I read that book, I felt like the author, Michael Dlouhy, had written it just for me. It was as if he had been monitoring everything I did and knew exactly why I had been failing.

The book changed my life. It showed me that my failure was not my fault. It saved me from years of frustration.

Now Michael Dlouhy himself can tell you why he wrote "Success in 10 Steps," and why he freely devotes his time to helping people in any network marketing company succeed.



Click here to get your free copy of "Success in 10 Steps."

Steve DeVane
This link will take you to information about Mentoring for Free, the MLM system based on "Success in 10 Steps."