Five Pillars to Look for When Choosing an MLM Company

When evaluating a network marketing company, one must take into account 5 crucial criteria.  Without these five “pillars” your success will be temporary through no fault of your own.

Pillar #1—

Does the company management have rock-solid experience backed with unquestionable integrity?  I would make it a priority to Google the names of the company leadership and your sponsor to make sure that there are no “skeletons” in their closets.  Many of today’s leaders are business people and not network marketers.  Heck, most of them can’t even spell MLM!  This pillar is important because without experience, management has a tendency to make dumb decisions that affect YOUR income and future. 

Pillar #2—

Timing in the company.  Timing in the profession of network marketing.  Timing within national and global trends.  You have heard the saying that “timing is everything.”  Well it is true in network marketing, but not in the way you think.

You see capture pages that state that NOW is the time.  They use words like “pre-launch” or “just launched.”  Another one to watch out for is “ground floor opportunity.”  This ground floor opportunity, most likely, has an elevator that only goes down!  Take my advice; run like a Jack Rabbit when you see those words or phrases in advertising.  The MAJORITY of these businesses will fail within first 2 years.  I personally have been involved with these types of “opportunities” and they are gone today.  Yes a very few of them may make it, but wait a couple of years to see if they are still around.  If they are there will still be PLENTY of opportunity to make money with them.  Don’t waste our money on unproven business opportunities.

Pillar #3—

Remarkable products people will buy EVEN if a compensation plan is not attached to them.  If you are trying to promote anything that people will stop buying or using without a compensation plan involved you will fail in the long run.  Find a product or products that are life changing; get people to try them and your business will grow, even if they do not become affiliates.  With this model you can build royalty income from customers as well as affiliates.

Pillar #4

Seek a compensation plan that rewards the top builders as well as the part-time person.  Studies show that 96% of your team will be made of part-time people.  Many compensation plans are not designed for the little guy just starting out or working the business part time.  Most companies do not streamline their businesses and have huge overhead that ends up coming out of the affiliates pockets.  Look for a streamline company with the least amount of overhead possible. 

Pillar #5

Look for a company with a “proven” duplicable system that allows part-time people to create a significant royalty income and full-time people to create an extraordinary royalty income.  If a system cannot be duplicated, your chances of success are GREATLY reduces.  Duplication is paramount and it has to be proven so that ANYONE who plugs in can do it.

There are lots of claims, glitzy websites, promises of astronomical wealth on the Internet these days, but very few can deliver.  Use this guide to qualify each company you look at to see if it is truly a 5-pillar company.   For more information and a free audio recording about the 5-pillars just email me at Michael.puskas@gmail.com with “5-pillars” in the subject line.

Focus People, Focus!

I know a number of people who have their hands in several network marketing businesses and none of them are going anywhere.  They dabble in all of them, but can’t seem to get them to produce the income they desire. 

We read about multiple streams of income and are not clear about what that really means.  So we sign up of 3-4 or more businesses and wonder why they crash and burn.

Let me explain it this way.  Let’s say an airline pilot has a destination for New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Cincinnati all at the same time!  Is that possible?  No it is not!  The pilot has to focus on one destination at a time or the poor guy will run out of fuel and crash the plane because of the confusion that his concept has brought upon him.  This is the same with you trying to run several home based businesses at the same time.  It is paramount that you pick a good 5-pillar company and focus until your eyes cross!

I belong to such a company.  We carry several products.  Some products are diet products, others are for diabetics, and several others for general well being.  I am focusing on one business, but I have several products for literally every age group and health need.  Thus I have multiple streams of income with just one company and one focus.  What a relief that I don’t have to go nuts trying to keep track of multiple businesses, pay plans, policies and procedures, etc.  I can focus on one thing and thus increase my chances of success.

Lack of focus is one of the main reasons that so many people fail.  Therefore I urge you to pick a solid 5-pillar company and focus until you finally achieve the success that you desire.  By doing so you will greatly increase your chance of success.  Resist the temptation to be come a MLM FROG, jumping from one thing to another.  Focus!

A Call to Action

The ultimate test of faith is action.  Faith is the substance of things you HOPE for and the EVIDENCE of the things you do not see.  However faith by itself will not result in anything.  Faith requires action.

Many people claim to have the faith necessary to see their dreams become a reality, but never take consistent action to see the unseen become a reality.  When you have faith that what you desire will become your reality you will be required to take some action.

The Bible speaks of 4 men who wanted to see their lame friend healed.  They didn’t just believe.  They took action!  Actually, the action they took was crazy!  You see, the house where Jesus was staying was so crowded that there was no way for these men to get their friend to Him the conventional way.  So they lifted their friend to the rooftop and took a portion of the roof out and lowered their friend before Jesus.  The Bible then says that Jesus SAW their faith.  What did the Lord see?  ACTION!  He saw faith in action!  Based on their faith in action, Jesus healed the lame man.

The same applies to anything where faith is required.  You may have faith to become financially independent through your network marketing business, but without action, it most likely will not happen.  You need to take steps every day to see your dreams solidify.  In past articles, I refer to this action as the sleight edge.  Do something to demonstrate your faith day by day and eventually you will reach your dream.  It’s the little steps that add up to the big event.

Don’t fall for all the hype presented on the Internet today. If someone tells you that you can replace your income in 90 days, RUN!  Unless you are making $100 a month, that is. There are no automatic cash cows, at least in the beginning.  The income will be automatic, but only after applied faith, that is, action taken day by day until you get to the point that cash flows automatically with little or no effort.   That realistically will take 3-5 years, or more, depending on the action you take every day.

Do you have faith in something unseen?  If so, go to work; demonstrate your faith through works until you have the things you hope for. 

 

Stop Trying - Just Do It!

“I’ll try.”  How many times have you said it?  How many times have you heard other people say it?  What usually happens when you or others say, “I’ll try”?  Nothing!

If you treat your business with an “I’ll try” attitude I can pretty much assure you that you will fail.  It’s not those who “try” who succeed; it is those who “do.”  I don’t try to build my home-based business; I do it!  I made a decision long ago that I would become financially free and I work everyday to MAKE IT HAPPEN.  I have a burning desire and an attitude that I will succeed.  I choose to succeed!

Our industry is crowded with those who try.  They try this business and that business.  They try, try, try and as a result they fail, fail, fail!  When you decide to stop trying and start doing, your life will change.  Doer’s are the ones who succeed and make the world a better place.

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Napoleon Hill, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and others didn’t try; they took action and achieved their goals by DOING.  Trier’s will continue as long as there are no obstacles, but doer’s will fight on despite the obstacles.  Doers know the principle of success.  Success comes to those who are willing to pay the price to do WHATEVER it takes despite what gets thrown in their way.  Trier’s see setbacks as a sign to stop.  Doer’s treat setbacks as a sign to charge forward. 

I am sure you have heard the attitude is everything.  Attitude may not be everything, but it sure is the genesis for all major success.  If you have an attitude that, “I will try,” you are saying that you are not committed to your dream.  If you are not committed, you WILL fail.  A committed person will press on come hell or high water!

So, stop trying!  Develop and attitude of a doer and pursue your dream, overcome the obstacles until your dream (goal) becomes a reality.  Don’t try harder, stop trying altogether and start doing! Just do it!

Note:  The difference between a dream and a goal is simple.  A dream is in your head and heart.  A goal is a dream that has been written down, recorded on paper. To have a dream is wonderful, but to have a goal is better!

Make Life Happen - Just Don't Let it Happen!

All experiences of life are designed by God to force men and woman to take action; to compel them to stop being victims of circumstances and become creators of their own destiny.

Who are you?  You are unique and possess the power to create, take action, make choices and have and be what you desire.  Image a ship sailing into the sea without a captain or rudder to stir the ship to the desired destination.  Such a ship would be tossed by the waves of the seas and never reach it’s intended port-of-call.   Most people on this planet are just like the ship I just described.   They don’t design their day, they let their days “design” them.

Do you control your environment, or does your environment control you?  The answer to this question will determine whether you can succeed as a successful human being, or not.  Again, most let the environment form them instead of taking charge despite what the environment presents.

We were created in God’s image after His likeness.  We, unlike plants or animals, have the power to create the life that we desire.  God gave us a Free Will.  Our Will is to be used!  Do you use your Will, or are you like a powerful aircraft without a pilot?  Are you setting on the runway of life, or are you in charge, having a destiny to reach with the determination to reach it?

How much time do you invest in YOU?  Do you use your mind to design your life or does the circumstances of life form you?  So many just let life happen TO them instead of making life happen FOR them. 

The majority of the people I meet online are desirous to conduct a home based business, but do not understand that it takes work and determination.  The most important work that you can do to succeed is to work on YOU first.  Most of us have limiting beliefs that need to be dealt with.  Others have lack of understanding of success and what it takes to be successful. 

Would you let someone operate on you who was not properly educated, tested, and experienced?  Would you let an electrician wire your house who has never been properly educated with the laws of electricity?  I know that I would not.  How can you expect to succeed without knowing the laws of success? 

Here’s what I see:  People get all excited about their home based businesses, and start throwing “mud at the wall” hoping that some of it will stick.  It’s a game of chance to them because that’s the way they live their lives and this is based on false or limiting beliefs.  Then after trying for a month or two they quit!  Why do they quit?  Because they don’t understand what it takes to succeed!  Where would we be if Thomas Edison got discouraged and quit after 100 attempts of trying to develop the light bulb?  We would be in the dark!  The FACT is that Thomas Edison tried over 10,000 times to get his invention to work!  He understood the laws of success and applied them.  He controlled his circumstances and did not let his environment control him.   He did not listen to the critics; he followed dreams.

Some will challenge me and say that only God is in control, what can we do?  Well my friend, the fact is, God is FOR you.  If you have some curve balls thrown your way, they are only meant to direct you down a better path.  I am not telling you to ignore your environment; I am instructing you to analyze it and use what life doles out to achieve your goals.  It’s like an airline pilot; he takes off and maneuvers around storms and turbulence when possible.   When he cannot, he doesn’t quit flying!  He endures the turbulence until he gets through it, making for a successful flight and landing at his DESIRED destination.

What do you do when the storms of life come your way?  Do you quit and give up on your dreams and goals.  If you don’t have the stomach for what it takes to succeed, I feel sorry for you.  Why?  Because you were given everything you need, by God, to be a successful human being.  Don’t waste it by being whimpish.  Get up, take charge, trust God, and MAKE your life happen; don’t just LET it happen!  USE the gifts and talents God has given you.  Even the “bad breaks” can serve as tools for your success.  Open your eyes and ears or opportunity.  Prepare yourself for success.  If a door closes, don’t stand in front of it crying because it closed.  Look behind you, a bigger and better door is probably opened!

A farmer prepares his fields for harvest.  However, would harvest come without preparation?  The farmer needs to cultivate the land, sow the seed, and trust God for the rain.  That is a successful farmer!

Don’t be so quick to discount God in all of this.  The fact is, without God, nothing will happen!  The farmer could work his tail off but without God’s kindness and favor to send the rain, his labor would be in vain.  Therefore it is paramount that you believe in, trust, and thank God for his role in your life.  Gratitude is a key ingredient for success.  Don’t try to succeed without it.

Now, take charge of your life.  Go to work on dealing with false beliefs, work on improving yourself, help others along the way, and trust in the living God.  You will succeed with these ingredients.  There is NO doubt.

 

The Power to Grow

Man has the inherent power to grow in any direction that he CHOOSES and as far as I can tell, there is NO LIMIT to the possibilities of his growth.  Think about that statement!  Only man has the power to grow as he chooses!  A dog can be trained to respond to stimuli as many other animals can, but only man can grow and this growth takes place primarily in his mind.

Though man (I include women in that statement), can grow to become more, they often just grow old due to lack of education regarding the proper use of the mind or just plain laziness.  This to me is very sad.   What a waste to stop growing in the high school and college years and then waste the rest of ones life just being blown around by life’s circumstances.

How can you grow?  You grow by dreaming.  Become a child again and dream your biggest dream.  Dream daily and dream often.  You also grow by reading and educating yourself.  You grow by seeking for more instead of settling for “what is.”  I am a grower.  I have grown so much since being involved in network marketing.  I read, read, read!  I get involved on team calls and get educated and I work on self-improvement all the time.  I make the best investment that can be made: The investment in myself!  By investing in myself, I gain the ability to invest in others.

You, yes you, have to power to GROW.  You can choose the direction that you want to take your life.  You can be who and what you want to be.  You CAN!  Don’t settle for what life throws your way.  Decide what you want and who you want to become.  Then do what is necessary to achieve the goals you have set.

I am here for you, so contact me anytime.  I will go what I can to help you.

Harnessing the Power of Thought

I read a statement from the late Wallace D. Wattles that was so profound that I had to share it with you.  He said in his book, THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH,  “To do things in a way you want to do them, you will have to acquire the ability to think the way you want to think; this is the first step toward getting rich.  To think what you want to think is to think TRUTH, regardless of appearances.  Every man has the natural and inherent power to think what he wants to think, but it requires far more effort to do so than it does to think the thoughts which are suggested by appearances.  To think according to appearances is easy; to think truth regardless of appearances is laborious, and requires the expenditure of more power than any other work man is called upon to perform.”

If you want to get rich and achieve success the first thing you need to do is acquire the ability to think the way you WANT to think.  Most of us have minds that are like sails in the wind being blown wherever the wind wishes to take them.  We don’t think the way we WANT to think, we think according to the appearances presented to us day after day.    It’s official, according to the news; we are in a recession.  That thought will sent many into a tailspin.  They will begin to worry, doubt, and fear based on the appearance of a recession.

I heard a quote from someone a while back, I don’t remember who said it, but during a major recession he made a decision “not to participate in it.”  He CHOSE not to let the appearance of a recession deter him from achieving his dreams.  He decided not to accept the illusion of the recession and managed to do quite well. To him, the so-called recession did not exist.

Why is it some people look at a pile of horse dung and see a mess and someone else will wonder where the horse is?  Why will some see “apparent” failure as the end of a dream when another will see “failure” as just one way that didn’t work and then proceed to find a way that does (Thomas Edison is one of many with such control of thought)?

The world outside will present us with many appearances to impress our mind with.  However YOU have the power to chose WHAT you WANT to think!  You have the power WITHIN to set your mind on the things “above” and not on the illusion of the defeat that appears in your daily life.

The truth is you can have or be anything you desire.  If you want to be a millionaire, you can.  However, you will have to think like one NOW.  You will have to act like one NOW and as you discipline your wayward mind to focus on your desires and, in time, you will achieve those desires.  Notice that I said, “In time.”  Don’t give up at the first, second third or tenth appearance of failure.  Never give up!  It takes time to undo what years of wrong thinking have done to you.

You mind is like a wild horse that needs to be broken and forced to focus on the truth and not on appearances.  You can let appearances form your thoughts or you can let your dreams form them.  It is up to YOU.  No one can do it for you.

There are great ways to harness the power of you mind.  Affirmations are helpful.  Positive books like the BIBLE, THINK AND GROW RICH, THE GO-GIVER, THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH, BEACH MONEY, THE SLIEGHT EDGE, THE WINNERS MANUAL, and many others can aid in proper focus.  Also, CD programs and other forms of self-help trainings can be of tremendous value.  I have found that story- boards and especially Mind Movies are of great benefit.  You can learn more about Mind Movies in the resource portion of my blog (www.mlmsuccesscoaching.com)

Mr. Wattles said that harnessing the power of thought is “laborious and requires the expenditure of more power than any other work man is called upon to perform.”  Are you up to the challenge?  If you are, then start today and practice EVERYDAY.  It took you many years to get where you are today.  It will take time to see the change that you desire, but I can assure you; if you stick to you guns, practice and work at it, you will see stratospheric changes in your life.

Don’t let circumstances control the way you think.  Take responsibility for your thoughts.  Believe me, it is worth it!