Direct Sales Leaders Use “The Secret” & “Think And Grow Rich”
The book by Napoleon Hill,Think and Grow Rich, is my business and personal guideline for life. I love it. One of the best-selling self-help books ever written, it hit the press during the Great Depression. With millions of people out of work and a war on the horizon, Napoleon Hill’s philosophy gave people hope and inspiration that life could get better. The philosophy of the book is the same information presented in the “The Secret” which is a popular book today. Direct sales leaders in all companies are putting the philosophy of The Secret into action in their businesses and using the concepts to achieve success. I love both books.
Law Of Attraction
Using the power of positive attraction, and living a life of gratitude as an inspiration for life is the key to success in any business. I just found this video of Napoleon Hill sharing about his philosophy in Think And Grow Rich on YouTube and thought I would post it here for all to enjoy.
This is a logo that I created for print articles and have submitted it to the online logo contest at Pixal Head Online. I am not a graphic designer in any way and when showing up in print the visible logo is only the oval part, no surrounding box frame. I created it in PhotoShop and now include it with all of my print articles and use it occasionally on the internet.
Write Articles For Publications
I submit articles to many local print publications as well as online blogs and web sites in the area of healthy living and lifestyle choices. Some of the print publications which feature a regular column with my articles are geared toward young people, special needs or seniors, in regard to living healthy and enjoying life. I found that frequently in print publications, the publisher would forget to include my contact information with the article. I wanted to create a graphic that would reproduce well in both color and black and white, as well as include my contact information. I picked a wave because it represents a way of life.
Krakoosh
Krakoosh is a surfer term which as a verb means living on the edge and enjoying life! Krakoosh the verb also refers to living on the edge when you ride a wave right on the edge of the thrill and the disaster. Krakoosh is also a noun which means the sound a wave makes when you go past the thrill of riding the wave and it comes crashing down on your head. Krakooooosh! This may very well be a trademarked name as there is a surfer magazine called Krakoosh! I am not stealing their word. It is a word that I have always liked and included in my vocabulary and as inspiration, ever since I hooked up with the surfing world in Hawaii. I can surf, if you call standing up on the board for 15 seconds surfing. I am much better at the noun version of krakoosh as the waves are always crashing down on my head.
Anyway, I used my love of the surf and my favorite word krakoosh as inspiration for this logo for my healthy lifestyle articles in print. Now, I always have contact information, even if they forget to include it. It is becoming almost a brand in some publications.
Dale Carnegie says that the only way to get someone to do something that you want them to do is to make them want to do it themselves. If you are always trying to win, then you are fighting. It doesn’t matter whether you are using logic or a club then you are not communicating. Communication takes practice. Good communicators do not focus on winning. Good communicators practice the art of communication and compromise. Good communication is not winning, but winning others over.
Logic rarely works
Anyone who has tried to argue with children can tell you that logic never works. The same is true with adults. When you couple logic with emotions. then you have a better chance of effective communication. Humor, anger, virtue, pride, happiness, excitement or even irony can be very effective communication tools. When emotionally involving the participant in the conversation, there is a better chance of creating a situation that they may want to do what you want them to do. Using logic as a tool to “win” an argument is not effective. Incorporating emotional connections into the conversation will bring better results.
Anger prompts action
It has been proven that people who are angry are more prone to action. However, this type of emotional involvement might not result in the type of action you are looking for. A hole in the wall or a black eye is not the result we are after in most communication efforts. Creating the emotion of anger in someone is one sure way to get results. The problem is that the results may not be predictable nor the one you want.
Humor Is A Connector
The ability to use humor in communication efforts will almost always elicit good response even when the co-communicator is not prone to your opinion. The challenge here is to get the other party to see the humor in the situation. A recent conversation with my niece about combing her hair is a good example. She hates to comb her hair as it is long and pulls when being brushed out after sleeping. She would go forever without combing her hair if allowed to do so. On a recent 2-day sleepover; on day one no amount of convincing on my part could get her to allow me to comb her hair. She is 5 years old. We ended up going out and about with her hair looking like a rat’s nest. I am sure that people we met thought I was terrible for allowing her out like that. It was that or anger! I chose the rat’s nest. Day 2 brought a new scenario. I got up and did not comb my hair. My hair always comes out of bed looking like a total lunatic. Flat on one side, sticking straight out on the other and in 10 different directions all over. If I went out in public anyone who would see me surely would think I escaped from the insane asylum. We got ready to go to “Special Persons” day at kindergarten and I asked her if I could comb her hair, and she said no. I said That’s ok, me neither, I’m not combing my hair either. She looked at me and we both laughed and we ate breakfast. After breakfast she went upstairs and combed her hair and we both laughed at mine again and I combed mine and we went to school. Three things happened here. I allowed her to win. She didn’t have to comb her hair if she didn’t want, we laughed together, and she chose to comb her hair. The emotion of humor coupled with me not “needing” to win, allowed her to make her own choice. When I stopped trying to win, I won her over!
Emotions always sell
In sales, when someone has an emotional experience they buy. The same is true in almost all communications. When children at an assembly laugh and become emotionally involved in te Debbie Banana performance, they leave the assembly with a decision to “buy” what I am attempting to convince them of (Eat five fruits and vegetables a day and macaroni and cheese in a box is bad for them.) Learning to communicate on a level of connection takes practice. It is easier to depend on convincing people of our way through logic than it is to take the time to actually learn their motivations and then make an emotional commitment to connect. People buy with their emotions. They view products and services emotionally and they also buy into what it is you are communicating when they are emotionally involved.
Practice the 10 second rule
When you practice the 10 second rule it is easier to connect emotionally and become a better communicator. The 10 second rule is that you share for 10 seconds or less and ask a question. Hear what the person says, and share again with clarifying information regarding what they said for 10 seconds or less, then ask another question. The 10 second rule keeps you open to communicate emotionally as you learn more about the other party instead of getting into the “winning” mentality. Winners rarely get what they want. Communicators, on the other hand, allow the other party to win and then win them over to their way of thinking through emotional connections. The 10 second rule is awesome and takes continued practice and focus.
Do You Network For A Living? What Is Network Marketing?
Paul Zane Pilsner says that network marketing is the wave of the future. Network marketing is the right industry to be in now and into the future. What is networking? Working the net? What does that mean? A net is defined as an interconnected web. Working is the act of creating results. Networking is working or creating results using a net. Networking for a living is the generation of cash flow or creating a living by using your net of interconnected people. A network marketing business utilizes the net created by the structure of collaboration between other like-minded individuals so that all involved will benefit from the increased results as a result of the interconnected network.
Are you networking?
I am networking today at an all day seminar-fair focused on wellness. Many of the participants do not understand what networking means. Some of the people here think that it is called net-sitting. They are sitting behind their tables, or sitting alone just waiting for others to connect with them. The action of working the net is required to create the connection. It is networking, not net-sitting.
Collaboration Creates Results Squared
The network grows and becomes more powerful when more net workers become involved in working the net. I cannot network with the women who set themselves apart from the group and do not participate. When two people network, they create results that square the results that they could have created as an individual. Two people create 4 times the results as one. Three people create 9 times the results as one and so on. I have networked with a dozen or more people today. I have participated with these individuals and they participated with me. We collaborated and created a net of common ground that will benefit all of us into the future. Others, such as the women I lunched with, only traded business cards with me. That is not networking. It is wasting business cards. When you are networking you are creating a net of common ground of interest. You cannot network with someone who does not want to participate. Trading cards with uninterested parties is not networking. At lunch we net-ate. Have you ever gone to an event or a party to network, and found yourself net-eating? Just hanging out with business people eating. Not collaborating on creating a business net to benefit all involved?
Effective Networking Skills
Networking is a skill that takes focus to get good at. I am not an expert, and it does not necessarily come naturally to me. I know though that I can create benefits and results for both myself and fellow net workers when I put my focus on doing it effectively. The first part of being an effective networker is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and to decide that you are going to network. Just like good salesmanship, networking requires a focus outside yourself. Frequently, I get into networking situations that the other party only talks about him or herself. As a matter of fact, and I am sure everyone has this issue, I must make a concentrated effort to keep the focus on others when I am talking and be an active listener when they are talking. The way I do this is to keep my side of the conversation to 10 seconds or less and ask a question. Then share 10 seconds or less with clarifying information, based on the answer they gave and ask another question. Sometimes, when I hear myself rambling on about my personal interests or business, I just pull a question out of my head quickly, anything, even if it doesn’t relate. I say anything that will put on the brakes to my own talking. In this manner, I find that I am always able to find common ground with my fellow networker. Sometimes I have the ability to further their business and sometimes it is the other way around. Either way the collaborating efforts pay off.
The proof is in the follow-up
The other piece in effective networking is the follow-up. For me, a quick encounter in networking always requires some quick notes, as well. I have learned that it is OK to actually write things down during the networking process. If I do not jot down a note, then I may not remember the experience or the promises I made. It also shows the other party that you plan to be serious about your connection. Your follow-up should then take place within 48 hours after the networking experience. Whether it is an email, phone call or mailing, making the follow-up is key to the results of your networking experience. Building a net of support that works for you is what networking is all about.
Networking Is The Industry Of The Future
This event is not a huge event. It is not the high level networking event I expected, yet I know phenomenal opportunity will come my way as a result of my networking efforts. A commitment to the process of networking will always result in a net that works in your business for the future. You never really know where the net you create today will take you in the future. Networking is the industry of the 21st century. Next time you are in a networking situation, plan to network and make a decision to do so. Be sure that you do not net-sit, net-eat, net-complain, net-read the newspaper, net….
