The 1 Ton Phone

If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone.
-John Maxwell




The fear of the phone is so very common amongst business owners. There is no shame in knowing that you KNOW you have to make calls to get business, yet you avoid the phone like it's got the plague. We all understand, we have all done it.



I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who was saying how they only had a couple of customers that month and didn't want to spend a lot of money on an advertising campaign. She then asked me what I would do. I said I'd get on the phone, start calling people, see what's going on. She said she hated doing that and was going to run the ad campaign... Oh well.



Referrals can be the life blood of your business, but how do you get one and from who?



The people who give you referrals are the ones who know and like you. Lots of business owners put their social lives on hold in order to advance their business. It is a huge mistake. How can you get to know new people and have those you know like you, if they never get to spend time with you? The solution is to call them. Don't call to talk shop, call to see what's going on in their lives, call to see if there is anything you can help them with. Do they have a fundraiser going on? Any special events for their kids? I'm telling you from both a parent and a business owner's point of view, buying a few chocolate bars or an $8 roll of wrapping paper goes a long, long way in developing relationships!



Want to call people but have no idea what to say? Try keeping a log. Just a few notes on what's going on with them. See if they are on Facebook or Twitter, it will give you a better idea of what to talk to them about. In the log try to keep track of kids, pets, spouses, any issues they may be having. If they mention in January that Jane is working on her final project for graduation in June, that gives you a great reason to call back in June!!



If you need to set appointments for presentations? This is BY FAR the hardest reason on why you need to call people. Calling someone out of the blue, or even someone you know well and putting yourself out there opens a huge door on our self-esteem. There's lots of outcomes and I think I've heard them all. From rude, to excited, to unwilling to can't wait, you never know what's going to happen on the other end of that phone. But it MUST, MUST, MUST be done. Try working out different approaches, some people wouldn't' listen for a second if they thought you were trying to sell them something, but if they thought they were listening as a favor to you or to see if they know someone, it can be a different story. Try and figure out what approach would work for them and if nothing else, just try, try, try again.



Using the phone to build your business is like any other tool or skill you need to be effective. I don't think any of us were born with a great ability to set appointments, get referrals or build relationships. We have to practice at it. Start small, try 5 phone calls a day. Just keep working at it. Like all other skills, it will grow with time, and soon you will be great at it!





Have a Blessed Day,



Brandy Deming



CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

We Are The Dreamer Of Dreams

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

-T.E. Lawrence

We all dream. We buy a lotto ticket and think of all the things we could do with 200 million. We think of how it would be if all of our troubles just up and vanished. But very, very few of us actually dissect those dreams into manageable chunks.


When my son was around 5 I realized that I didn't want the life that I had. I'd drop him off at daycare around 6:30am and pick him up around 6:30pm. I remember spending hours thinking how nice it would be to have someone take care of us. Just to be able to take him to school and pick him up was something so far out of my reach that I'd stress over it. Then there came the turning point, it started to affect him.


He'd act out in school, then the school would call me and I'd come in. Then he'd start acting out more. I then realized that the hours spent away from me wasn't just a necessary evil, it was harmful. That's when I took action. I started looking at all sorts of ways to work at home. I saw myself being able to get to the school in the middle of the day, I saw myself getting him on the bus, I FELT that this WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! Then a job offer came through and it was working from my home and it was mostly what I was looking for. This was the first time I had used pure determination and positive thinking to make my world better. I have been working from home for 4 years now and it has been one of the best decisions of my life.


Dreaming and hoping are good. They are a fantastic way to feel out what you want in life. I have a dream board. If I want something, I break it down. How much will it cost? What do I have to do to get it? What is a reasonable timeline to set myself to achieve this dream? I get pictures of what I want and I put it on my dream board. I look at that board many times a day. It keeps me motivated on my goals. I KNOW I will get everything on that board, I see myself several times a day driving that RV, smelling the Scottish air, driving that new car. The best feeling in the world is when I go up to that board and take something off of it.


Find the difference between fantasy and dreams. You can reach your dreams. Anyone can, it's just a matter of how.




Have a Blessed Day,


Brandy Deming


CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Loving Yourself or Abusing Yourself?

Self-love is not opposed to the love of other people. You cannot really love yourself and do yourself a favor without doing people a favor, and vise versa.

-Dr. Karl A. Menninger

Our biggest critic is ourselves. We are taught to try to be perfect, to get everything 'just so', but do we really, really have to have everything together all the time? Too often we run ourselves ragged trying to live up to our perceived expectations and then when we don't meet them we beat ourselves up about it. We must start being happy with what we have done and not be so down on ourselves about what we haven't been able to do, or didn't do well.


Even our language can effect the way we feel about ourselves. If we fail to meet a goal, or stumble off our path we say that we failed. We did not fail, we just didn't quite succeed. We need to brush ourselves off, reassess the situation and move forward. Be proud that we tried. I was in Pilates class yesterday with about 10 other women and the instructor said a wonderful thing, "Don't worry if you cannot complete the moves this time, you are here, that's what counts. You are now better then everyone else out there who isn't even trying."


What a great way to think about life!


If you are trying to build a business and you didn't achieve your goal. Don't worry. At least you are trying. Think about the millions of people out there who are grinding away at a dead end job every day, making no progress at all. You are at least trying. And the more you try, the more you'll succeed. Maybe other people haven't had set-backs in their business, but at least you took the initiative and started your own business! Celebrate your courage and determination, not the parts that are less then successful.


Trying to loose weight is another doosey. If you feel you are falling behind on your health goals, don't worry, just keep at it! There are millions out there who constantly complain about needing to loose weight, but you are doing something about it! Feel fabulous that you are trying, because... the more you try, the more you'll succeed!


Let's see if we can add a little more self-love into our lives. Celebrate all the wonderful things we do. Dismiss those things that don't go right. Get back up and try again... and again! Life is a journey, not a destination.



Have a Blessed Day,


Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Network Marketing and MLMs

I am working full time on my income and part time on my fortune.

-Jim Rohn

My deepest apologies for missing Friday's blog. I was so very busy I don't think I slowed down until 3pm on Sunday. I thought to make up for it, I'd give you a bonus business round.

Above is one of my favorite quotes for Network Marketers. Multi-Level Network Marketing businesses has opened up the door to financial success to anyone who puts forth the effort to work for it. We can work part time on a residual, secure income without giving up the day job (or night job) that pays the bills. But many of these businesses are often scoffed at by many. I'm here today to reconcile a few misconceptions of MLMs.

The pay structure often takes the form of a pyramid, but it is not, not, NOT a pyramid scheme. A pyramid scheme is defined as " a non-sustainable business model that involves the exchange of money primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, often without any product or service being delivered" Pyramid schemes are illegal and are usually busted within the first few months of being started. MLMs are legitimate companies offering legitimate products.

Having cleared that up the next issue I hear a lot about is that Network Marketers have to constantly hound their friends and family to join their company. Not true. If you like a product or service you sometimes will tell your friends and family about it. Ever recommend a shampoo, restaurant or household cleaner? That is exactly what they are trying to do, only they get paid if you act on their recommendation. They have found a product that they really enjoy and believe in. They primarily want to share a product with you and secondly want to share a way for you to make money, too. All that they ask is for you to give them a little bit of your time to listen and then if you are interested to let them know. How would you like it if your best friend found a way to make an extra $500 a month by working 5 hours a week, and didn't share it with you? How about if they ended up making $1000 or $5000? You would be upset. All I ask of you is to listen, you never know what opportunity may pop up!

Now onto the fun parts. We all know how a regular job works. You get paid X amount of work for X amount of hours. Period. You work, you get paid, you don't work, you don't get paid. Jobs are a secure source of income. You could own a traditional business and offer a goods or services. You make X amount of money for X goods or X amount of service. Once an item or service is sold, you get paid and that's the end. With MLM's you usually get paid X amount for selling goods or services that are needed on a regular basis, then you get paid Y amount for items or services that are used throughout the year. Amount Y will grow and grow as you sell more of the initial item or service.

It's like if I asked you to work 10 hours a week for $1 and hour. Then for each week you work I will pay you $1 a week forever, and I'll compound it (1st month $1, 2nd month $2, etc). I'll even give you a raise, after the first year I'll give you $2 each week, $3 for your third year. and so forth. At the end of the first year you would be making $92, 2nd year would be $144, 5 years $768, 10 years $3316. You are still only working 10 hours a week, but now you are earning $3316 a month, best of all, when you stop working you will still get a check each month for $3276. That is the wonder of residual income and building income levels. You may have to work for next to nothing for the first few years, but when you apply yourself consistently over time, you can yield great, long term results.

Going back to my favorite quote, there are many, many reasons for dedicating some of your time each week to building a solid residual income, taxes, security, independence. Everyone has their own reasons. There is hardly anything that you currently use and enjoy that you can't build a business with coffee (http://www.markethealthycoffee.com/), non-toxic home products (http://www.wealthandwellnessteam.com/celticblessings ), personal fitness (http://www.teambeachbody.com/healthymoms) , scrap booking, make-up, etc. You should find something that you really believe in and enjoy, then go for it! Nothing beats having the money and freedom to pursue your dreams.

You can always contact me and we can talk about what your strengths and interests are, if I can't help you, I can point you in the right direction.

Thanks for listening and....

Have a Blessed Day,


Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Shooda, Cooda, Wooda Sisters

Acceptance doesn't mean that you have to agree with something and like how it is. Acceptance simply means that you accept how it is and make peace with it.

-Mike Robbins

I'm not exactly sure when I heard the story, but it has stuck with me for years and held true... DON'T SPEND TIME WITH THE SHOODA, COODA, WOODA SISTERS!!

The Shooda sister always should have done something. I should have left five minutes earlier, I wouldn't have gotten stuck in traffic [you may have missed traffic but you may have ended up in the accident also]. .I should have called Mary first, then she wouldn't have signed up with Ken. [when we don't want to do something, and it turned out to be the right thing, we can be too hard on ourselves] I should get up earlier to get a head start on the day [don't just say you're going to do something, do it] Shooda constantly focuses in on what she 'should have' done instead of what she can and is doing. She is poor company.

The Cooda sister always could have done something. I could have taken I-90 and saved myself the hour wait [but you didn't and waisted an hour whining about it]. I could have done a better report, then I would have that raise [but you sped through yours to get of work an hour early to see your kids play]. I could have made that call, but I didn't want to get stuck on the phone while I was making dinner [excuses!] . Cooda constantly focuses on what she 'could have' done making excuses and beating herself up about her priorities. Being in her company makes you feel guilty.

The Wooda sister always would have done something, her stars never quite align right. I would have taken I-5, but it looked too crowded. [looks can be deceiving] I would have stayed late to finish it, but I didn't think the boss would be in early. [it's only cheating if you get caught?] I would have called Suzy, if I had known that she was looking for a home based business [never know until you ask]. Wooda constantly sees a better way that she 'would have' done something if something else wasn't there, if something else wasn't going on, if there was something she would have known. Too much hanging with Wooda and you may be upset or depressed, but at least it won't ever be your fault.

We have all spent at least a little bit of time (some of us a lot of time) with one or all three of the sisters. We need to not beat ourselves up, make excuses for or deflect the reasons why we make the choices we make. If something is not working, take a closer look at what you did, and do it better next time.

Accept that what has happened, happened. Accept that you had a part (big or small) in the events that happened. Identify what created the good results (or the bad). Learn from them, repeat the good, change the bad. AND MOVE FORWARD!

Only dedicate a small part of your day to this, maybe 15-30 minutes at the end of your day. Focus on the good things that happened, not the bad. And know that tomorrow you'll add another tool to your mental toolbox for positive results!

Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com

http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings

http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Love of Life

"Isn't this fun?"

-Kody Bateman

Life is a beautiful, magical, wonderful thing. Trees, flowers, animals, sunrises, sunsets, storms, snow, rain, all take my breath away. Seeing a baby, watching a child grow, seeing a true act of compassion between people, just amazing. Have you ever seen a kid walking down the street and start, "oh, Mommy a dog, Mommy its a dog, look Mommy its a dog!" Mom goes "That's nice honey, its a dog" and never looks, no enthusiasm, no excitement... another one I hear a lot is, "What I would give for energy like that, even just a drop of it!" It isn't that children have some endless fountain of energy (though it may seem like it) or that there is something unique about that particular dog. It's excitement. The joy of being in the world. Wanting to run so fast it almost feels like flying. And, unfortunately, most of us loose this.

So today is all about recapturing a little of that fountain of youth. Look at something with new eyes, be curious, roll in the grass. Find a friend to go the park with and play tag. Roll in the grass with your dog. Have fun. That's what this is all about... enjoying life and having fun.

Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy
http://sendoutcards.com/celticblessings