Random thoughts on the business

Whew! This has been quite a week. There's so much going on that it's making my head spin. I don't seem to be able to sit down and concentrate on any one subject for very long, so here are some random thoughts that are going through my head.

EXCITEMENT is what builds this business. You can hear about something, read about it, know all the facts -- and still not be impressed. But when you get in a room full of excited people, when you participate in a busy conference call, when you watch a satellite broadcast -- that's when you get committed to the business. I'm probably one of the worst "explainers" in the business. When I get on the phone or in person with someone, I have this nearly uncontrollable desire to try and explain everything right then and there. It's also known as "hosing someone down" -- a term which I find very descriptive. I love to do it, it's fun, and most of the time I can hardly help myself. But, alas, it doesn't work. It doesn't do much to build my business. What works is excitement, what works is numbers, what works is exposing your prospect to lots of other excited people. I'm a very logical person, and I rarely want to admit that I am controlled by my emotions. But I know for a fact that I am. And so is everyone else. Now excitement alone will never work. There needs to be substance to back it up. But get excited, get enthusiastic, get motivated, and get your prospects around a lot of other people who are the same way.

VISUALIZATION -- It's been called "the strangest secret" and it truly is. Many have their own opinion, but no one completely understands how it works. At first blush, it seems to defy logic, and it seems too good to be true. The fact is -- you become what you visualize. Positive visualization is one of the most important elements of success in any endeavor. There's so much going on in the world around us. Too much for us to take in. Imagine the sound of footsteps. When you are alone at night, and there are footsteps, you hear them. Boy, do you hear them. Depending on your situation, they may frighten you (an intruder?) or make you happy (a loved one returning home). Now think about walking through a busy shopping mall. There are hundreds of footsteps all around you. But do you hear them? No, not really. If you did, you wouldn't be able to hear much else. The same brain that notices the footsteps on a lonely night, shuts them out in a crowded mall. The point is -- we hear what we listen for, we see what we look for, we experience what we expect. And that is the power behind visualization. When you visualize something you desire, and when you do so in a specific, sensory-rich way, you start to see things you never saw before. Things that were always there, but which you had previously ignored. It almost seems magical, and perhaps it is. But a strong visualization will lead you where you want to go. It really does work.

NETWORK MARKETING AS A WAY OF LIFE -- I saw a newsgroup posting this week, chiding someone for being in "too many" different network marketing companies. There are many people who preach that the only way to be successful in network marketing is to focus on one company. I used to feel very strongly that way. But my thinking is changing. The reason? I've seen that many of the truly innovative and valuable products in the marketplace are coming from network marketing companies. I'm sold on the industry, of course, as a very efficient and effective distribution system. And I ask myself, should I deny myself those great products just because I happen to be involved in another network marketing company that doesn't carry them? Of course not. When network marketing becomes as pervasive as we know it will, then we won't be able to avoid being involved in different networks. It will be the way that products are bought and sold. There will always be new companies coming along, with great new innovative products. And as people tell one another about these great new products, new networks will form, intermingled with the old ones. After all, we all currently shop in more than one store. Even if one is our favorite and we recommend it to all our friends, that doesn't stop us from shopping other places occasionally. And it doesn't stop us from recommending other places to the people we know. I see a little mini-trend in network marketing along the same lines.

TERMINAL SPRING FEVER - Spring fever takes on an entirely different light when you work in a home-based business. Instead of motivating you to goof off, it motivates you to work harder, so you can continue to enjoy the wonderful lifestyle of freedom that network marketing affords. This week has been great here in Austin. I've had the windows open enjoying the fresh spring breezes and the outdoor sounds as I work all day and late into the night. This time last year I was cooped up in a climate-controlled office, with a window that didn't open and an HVAC system that was set on "Antarctica." The other day I called on a customer in my old office complex and she was sitting at her desk wearing a winter jacket. Boy, did I feel smug, knowing I could go home and open the window and let the sun and the warm air flood into my home office. Working from home is a great lifestyle, and the excellent weather has me more motivated than ever. I've got a case of spring fever that I hope never gets cured.