Building Your Network

We live in a society, and as a member of that society, it is likely that every change in your life is strongly influenced by other people in some way. The courses you take in school that shape your career are often at the instigation of a friend or counselor. The books you read, the tapes you listen to, and the seminars you attend are almost invariably the result of a suggestion from someone you respect. The occupation you select, the job you take, and the key steps in your career are largely determined by the people you meet and talk to at those critical decision points in your life. In fact, at every crossroad in your life there is usually someone standing there pointing you in one direction or another.

According to the law of probabilities, the greater number of people you know who can help you at any given time, the more likely it is that you will know the right person at the right time and in the place to give you the help you need to move ahead more rapidly in your life. The more people you know, the more doors of opportunity will be open to you and the more sound advice you will get in making the important decisions that shape your life.

Dr. David McLelland of Harvard did a 25-year research study into the factors that contribute most to success. He found that, holding constant for age, education, occupation and opportunities, the single most important factor in career success is your "reference group." Your reference group is made up of the people with whom you habitually associate and identify. These are the people you live with, work with and interact with outside of your work. You identify with these people and consider yourself to be one of them. They consider you one of them as well.

When you develop a positive reference group, you begin to become a member of the in-crowd at your level of business. The starting point in this process is to develop a deliberate and systematic approach to networking throughout your career.

People like to do business with people they know. They like to socialize and interact with people with whom they are familiar. And they like to recommend people they trust. Fully 85% of the best jobs in America are filled as the result of a third party recommendation. The best networkers are never unemployed for very long.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they begin networking is scattering their time and energy indiscriminately and spending their time with people who can be of no help at all. Even if they attend organization meetings, they often end up associating with people who are neither particularly ambitious or well-connected.

When you network, you must be perfectly selfish. You want to become all you can over the course of your career. You want to rise as far as you can. Any success you could ever desire will require the active involvement and help of lots of other people. Your job is to focus your energies and attention on meeting the people who can help you and the only way you can do this is by staying away from the people who cannot help you at all.

When you network, your aim is to meet people who are going places in their lives. You want to meet people who are ahead of you in their careers and in their organizations. You want to meet people you can look up to with pride. You want to meet people who can be friends, guides and mentors. You want to think ahead and meet people who can help you move into your ideal future more readily. For this reason, you must sort people into categories: helpful vs. non-helpful, ambitious vs. non-ambitious, going somewhere vs. going nowhere. Remember, your choice of a reference group in your networking will determine the success of the process.

You begin your networking process at your place of work. Look around and identify the top people in your organization. Make these people your role models and pattern yourself after them. One of the best ways to start networking is to go to someone you admire and ask for his or her advice. Don't be a pest. Don't tie up several hours of their time. Initially you should ask for only a few minutes and you should have two or three specific questions. When you talk to a successful person, ask questions like, "What do you think is the most important quality or attribute that has contributed to your success?" and, "What one piece of advice would you give to someone like me who wants to be as successful as you some day?" You could also ask, "Can you recommend a particular book, tape, or training program that would help me move along

more rapidly in my career?"

There is a law of incremental commitment in networking. It says that people become committed to helping you, or associating with you, little by little over time. In some cases the chemistry won't be right and the person with whom you would like to network will really not be interested in networking with you. Don't take this personally. People get into, or out of, networking for a thousand reasons. However, if there is good chemistry, if you like the person and the person likes you, be patient and bide your time. Don't rush or hurry, just let the networking relationship unfold without over-eagerness on your part. If you try to go too fast, you will scare people away.

Instead of asking your superiors for more money, ask for more responsibility. Tell your boss that you are determined to be extremely valuable to the organization and that you are willing to work extra hours in order to make a more important contribution.

There is nothing so impressive to a boss as an employee who continually volunteers for more responsibility. Many people have the unfortunate goal of doing as little as possible for as much money as possible. But not the winners. The winners realize that if all you do is what you're being paid for today, you can never be paid any more in the future. The person who continually volunteers for extra assignments and does more than is expected gains the respect, esteem and support of his or her boss.

Whenever you do something nice or helpful for others, they feel a sense of obligation. They feel like they owe you one. They have a deep subconscious need to pay you back until they no longer feel obligated to you. The more things you do for people without expectation of return, the more they feel obligated to help you when the time comes.

We have moved from the age of the go-getter to the age of the go-giver. A go-giver is a person who practices the law of sowing and reaping. He or she is always looking for opportunities to sow, knowing that reaping is not the result of chance. You will find that successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?"

The surprising thing is that the more of yourself you give away with no direct expectation of return, the more good things come back to you in the most unexpected ways. In fact, it seems that the help we get in life almost invariably comes from people whom we have not helped directly. Rather, it comes from others who have been influenced by people whom we have helped directly. Therefore, since you can't control where your help or assistance is coming from, you must establish a blanket policy of giving with complete confidence that it will come back to you in the most wonderful ways.

Whatever your job or occupation, there are trade and industry associations, business associations and service clubs that you can join. Excellent networkers are among the best known and most respected people in the community. To reach that status, they followed a simple formula. They carefully identified the clubs and associations whose members they can help and support and who can help and support them in return. And then they joined and participated.

When you look at the various organizations you should join, you should select no more than two or three. Target the ones with the people that can be the most helpful to you. When you join, your strategy should be to look at the various committees of the organization. Volunteer for the committee that engages in the activities that are most important to the organization, such as governmental affairs or fundraising. Then get fully involved in your chosen responsibilities.

You will find that the members of the key committees are usually key players in the business community as well. By joining the committee, you create an opportunity to interact with them in a completely voluntary and non-threatening way. You give them a chance to see what you can really do, outside the work environment. And you contribute to the committee as a peer, not as an employee or subordinate.

Remember, in any committee 20% of the people do 80% of the work. In any association, fully 80% of the members never volunteer for anything. All they do is attend the meetings and then go home. But this is not for you. You are determined to make your mark and you do this by jumping wholeheartedly into voluntary activities that move the association ahead. And the key people will be watching and evaluating you. The more favorable attention you attract, the more people will be willing to help you when you need them.

Networking fulfills one of your deepest subconscious needs -- getting to know people and being known by them. It fulfills your need for social interaction and for the establishing of friendly relationships. It broadens your perspective and opens doors of opportunities for you. It increases the number of people who know and respect you. It makes you feel more in control of your career. And it can be one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences of your life.

Choose to make it an oustanding day,

Bryan Tracy

Make A Commitment To Attract Talent

"Make a commitment to attract talent because talent attracts talent."
-Wim Elfrick, Chief globalization officer, Cisco Systems

Like I always say, "If you can't be a Tiger, find 6 people that are."

Dumbest Thing In The World: Quitting Too Soon

There's certainly nothing new about it: quitting.

People have forever quit on everything. People quit jobs, quit going to the gym, quit going to church, quit on their marriages, and in some cases even quit on themselves.

At YTB, the ONLY way to lose is to quit.

So, it's not going as fast as you would like. You talked to your brother in law and he said "No". Big deal. You would be amazed at how many people who do get rich in network marketing - were tempted to quit right before it all came together for them. But there is no disputing the fact that in this microwave society of instant results we live in, that most people get tired of waiting, trying, dreaming and just give up. Why is this?

The following is at least a partial list of reasons why people quit:

1. They really were never very clear about what they wanted to begin with. It's not enough to say, "I want more money", or, "I want to be a success". You must have an exact, specific, detailed image of what you are doing this for. "Your why better make you cry."

2. They thought it would easier. Let's be honest. We want it, and we want it handed to us, and we want it now. The winning lottery numbers, yeah, that would be easy.

3. They thought it would happen sooner and more quickly. They don't want to wait, pay the price and really grow the business. "What, I've been doing YTB for six months and I'm not financially independent yet!"

4. They didn't think it would involve work. Sounds funny, even to say it, but is true. Many people don't get the concept that YTB is a business like anything else and involves work to get it where you want it. Work this like a business, and it will reward you like a business.

5. They let someone kill their dreams. Dream stealers, they're everywhere.They think it's their place in life to tell you all the reasons that this won't work.Everyone from you neighbor to your in-laws has an opinion about everything.Everyone thinks they are the final authority. I have a clue for you: If the guy or gal giving their opinion doesn't earn the kind of income and have the kind of lifestyle that you would like to have, what are you even listening to them for?

6. Biggest reason of all: Somewhere along the way, they lost faith in themselves and the opportunity.

Look over the above list carefully. Are there any area's in your experience where you are wavering? Thinking about giving up? It is important to continually feed your mind with the right kind of knowledge and encouragement through books, DVD's and CD's. If you've been reading my newsletter for a while, you know what a fanatic about self-improvement I am.

I had someone say a little sarcastically one time, "You really ARE into this self improvement thing - aren't you?"To which I answered, "Well, yes...I guess I am. Since I suppose the alternative would be what? Not be interested in self-improvement?"Listen. Keep going for it. Just do the work, and enjoy the process. Find ways to celebrate even those who say "no". Don't expect that there will always be a crowd cheering you on. The truth is, most people don't want to see you succeed big time anyway.They are afraid you'll get too far ahead of them. They're afraid your success will show their lack of effort for what it is.Don't Give Up !!!

Your Partner in Success,

Juliet St John

cell: 239-340-9156

Network Marketing and Branding Yourself

Network Marketing is all about you. It is about branding yourself. It is not about your product, service, or opportunity. Keep reading and you will learn why.

The Network Marketing arena is actually a small world. You will find a lot of the same people joining a lot of the same programs or companies. If you have been in this industry long enough you are probably used to seeing the same people again and again, as you and them are exploring the new life that enters our industry at a rapid pace. It is normal for most people and even expected to be in many more than one business. In fact, it is not uncommon to be, or have been, part of a dozen or even more over time.

How can this benefit you as a network marketer? It is not only you who sees other marketers time and again, they also see you time and again. But in order for you to make an impact on them and draw them to you, you need to make a positive impression that will be a memory attached to your name. To be the person that this person decides to join the next business under you need to attract them to you, and they need to like you. This means you need to create personal branding for yourself. You need to create an opportunity for them to actually WANT to be a part of your business and join YTB.

No e-mail list is exclusive. The fact is, each and every person is on many other marketers contact lists and so they receive e-mails from all kinds of people. If you have an e-mail list (which you should, or else you should start building one) you need to remember that it is not exclusive to you. These people are receiving messages from other people. When the next business launches or the next product is launched, they could potentially receive an invitation from many other marketers, not just you! What are you offering them that will make them want to work with you instead of all the other people they could work with? Now you can see the value of personal branding.

Once you have built a personal brand so people trust and like you, they will be much more inclined to go with you instead of all those other people… and that is when you start making the real money.As I said in the introduction, people are not interested only in the product, service, or opportunity. The pay plan alone will not make them join you. YOU will make them join you. That means that the impression you give them will help them decide if they want to work with you or not.

So how do you create personal branding? I will cover this in another post.

George W and Bill

George W. Bush and Bill Clinton somehow ended up at the same barbershop. As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken.

The barbers were both afraid to start a conversation, for fear it would turn to politics. As the barbers finished their shaves, the one who had Clinton in his chair reached for the after shave.

Clinton was quick to stop him saying, "No thanks, my wife Hillary will smell that and think I've been in a whorehouse." The second barber turned to Bush and said, "How about you?" Bush replied, "Go ahead, my wife doesn't know what the inside of a whorehouse smells like."

Why People Don't Sign Up

There are three reasons:

1) They don't WANT what you have to offer.
2) They don't have the MONEY to join you.
3) They don't BELIEVE you.

So here's how to deal with those people.

1) DON'T WANTS
Ignore them. If they don't want to save money or make money in the largest industry in the world, don't bother trying to convince them. It's a waste of time.

2) DON'T HAVES
Most marketers focus too much on service. Value does not equal service. If your value equals service, then you're a servant. You've got to provide value far in excess of your service. Use social proof. If everyone says you are high value, then you are. So, get people to say YTB is high value (testimonials, blog posts, social media, etc). We have all the tools we need for this and more tools are added every month. The best tool out there is Red Carpet Days. Illionois and Missouri RTAs, are you taking advantage of being so close? You can manufacture your own social proof by spreading news.

3) DON'T BELIEVES
Some people want what you have, but still don't buy. That's because they don't believe you. So how do you get them to believe you? Three ways.

* Build TRUST. There are very few things that build trust faster than if you confide in them...and then they confide in you. Think of the events that made you close to your friends.

* AUTHORITY. You can claim authority easily. Better if authority is appointed by others. (ref. Social Proof)

* LIKING -- Get people to like you. People will do business with people they like. Build "liking" by creating affinity. People do business with people that are like (similar to) them.

Also, REPRESENT the desired outcome that your prospects are looking for. If you go on cruises or spend time on the great beaches of the world, it represents "the good life" to a lot of people. You will become more popular. Be a FUN person! People do business with people they have fun being around.

Andy Lakey's YouTube Video

Charlie's Big Event Grows His Team

Ron Head, Charlie Garrison, Gordon Reichert and Tony Garrison pose at the Vandalia Country Club on April 3. Ron's presentation resulted in many new additions to Charlie's YTB team and was a huge success. See my previous post.

Charlie Garrison and Ron Head

Charlie and Ron are best buddies and on April 3 they both entertained a big crowd at the Vandalia Country Club. Charlie by cooking up a fantastic meal that Tanya and Dawn are still raving about two weeks later, and Ron by his wit and wisdom about building his YTB business to an income level of more than $4 million in 2007.

Ron and his wife Judy live in Benton, IL and they have created a business that most people can only dream of. And what is the biggest reason for their success? They saw an opportunity and took action.

Can we do the same?

Yes, we can! However, it doesn't happen by itself. We have to take action.

With all due respect to everyone in our group of YTB entrepreneurs, I would like to point out that several of the people that I personally know quite well have the ability to go just as far within the next 5 years as it took Ron and Judy 6 - 7 years to accomplish.

So how can these individuals, and probably several others that I do not know quite as well, even hope of doing better than YTB Superstars, Ron and Judy Head?

It's simple. They had to start from scratch - practically without any tools at all. With all the tools available to us today, Ron and Judy would have been out of this Universe by now. These tools are available to you now. Use them to reach financial freedom for your family for generations to come and have fun while doing it.

Oh, does anyone care to know who I think has the ability to become YTB Superstars within 5 years?

Charlie Garrison, Julie Kline, Doug Knebel, Dave Habbe, Gordon Reichert, Reed Floren, Jesse Allen, Ginny Shadowens and John Steury. But also every other RTA - IF you want it!

What will happen if I am right about these people and if the rest of you want to prove that you belong to this group?

Answer: My family will be taken care of for generations to come.

So what am I trying to tell you?

If you want it badly enough, you can have it. If you are not a "tiger" yourself - find six tigers and you have it made.

The Future of Booking with YTB

This is what Ron Head talked about at Charlie Garrison's meeting in Vandalia last night.

YTB is working on purchasing a $17 Billion Travel company, Hickory Travel Systems, and has been making a lot of progress. It's a more than 30-year old ompany, that every brick and mortar travel agency uses to book some of their travel, especially corporate travel. This company has special contracts with 27 airlines and more than 20,000 hotels.

Hickory Travel Systems, founded in 1976, is an international consortium of more than 350 partners, and part of a global network representing over $17 billion in volume. They offer a comprehensive suite of industry leading services and technology. It is based in Saddle Brook, NJ.

If this deal happens we would be able change an airline ticket without a charge and many other benefits not available to us now.

YTB's new booking engine would then be by far the best booking engine in the industry, as it will search all the travel sites for the best deal. Our new booking engine will have a customer profile that will only have to be entered once and other features that will blow you away.

YTB is moving into the future. Make sure you are too!