Have you decided?

Eric Worre & I have discussed this subject and I’ve discussed it with most of my leaders, seeing as it comes up frequently as we travel to different markets.
Eric’s two minute video explains this well.

http://is.gd/15pBG

Some people have the idea that if you can make $10,000 a month in one network marketing company, that if I work two network marketing companies at the same time long enough, eventually you could make $20,000 a month; $10,000 in each. Sounds good, but in 19 years in our profession, I’ve yet to see anyone do that “consistently”. Now I’ll admit I don’t know everyone, and someone may have done it for a month or two, but think about it. You lose creditability and trust when you do that. People on your team won’t know who you’re recruiting for that day and are you going to invite their team members to look at another deal, etc.

This does not mean you have to be full-time in network marketing. Having a job and working a network marketing company is completely different, so don’t confuse the two.

Make sure your team REALLY understands this; otherwise they’ll waste a lot of time and energy.

I’ve picked my horse- have you?

Agel is my horse!

-Gary Hasson

Author & Speaker Bob Burg joining us...

Bob will be joining us this Monday, March 16th, on our weekly Agel Leadership webcast at 9 PM Eastern. www.OnlineABB.com

Culture Building Strategies of the Multi-Million-Dollar Producers.

Key study points for your implementation from Randy Gage’s call last week: "Culture Building Strategies of the Multi-Million-Dollar Producers.”

A) What is Culture?
In Network Marketing it is the attitudes, business practices, and methods of operation we foster that duplicate throughout our organization.

B) Grinders vs. Rock Stars
Grinder = someone that must make all the presentations, conduct the training and pretty much do everything in the group. If they stop grinding, growth grinds to a stop.

Rock Stars = Anyone earning at least 25K a month and living their dream life.

C) The 10 Critical Areas for Culture Building

1) Product Passion
If you're doing this right, even people that lose faith in their ability to do the business will keep their faith - and daily use - in the products. Great examples of this are Shaklee, USANA and Mannatech.

2) Professionalism
This involves dress, honoring copyrights, the way you run your events, etc. Think about the brand you're creating in the minds of your team and prospects. Also respect of the profession as a whole and other companies.

3) Character
Integrity (the two promises you make all new recruits), accountability, and always doing the right thing. Alcohol and smoking issues for wellness companies.

4) Duplication
Is this a buzzword, or does your team really live by this principle? Is the system sacred, and what is the process for any changes so they are done through the whole group at the same time?

5) Rank Advancement
This starts with the first rank in your pay plan. Is the track for getting there built into your "fast start" or "getting started" training? Do you then have building blocks to the other important ranks?

Mary Kay and AL Williams did this great. Traditional Network
Marketing companies can learn a lot from the reward and recognition practices of the direct selling companies.

6) Work Ethic
I recommend structuring around a 10-15 hours-a-week base. Have a daily, weekly and monthly method of operation. Examples:
Daily: X number of contacts a day
Weekly: Leadership training session, home meetings
Monthly: Opportunity meetings, close out call, training events

7) Event Culture
Remember there are two needs being met for major events. The primary one is the opportunity to get newer people "over the line." This belief building function may be the most important thing we do in the business. The second function of the events is for experienced leaders that are already over the line - to use them to get their people through the process. This is a never-ending cycle.

Don't buy people's stories. Insist they invest in attending major events.

8) Leadership
Definition of Leadership:
Leading people to willingly do things they wouldn't normally want to do on their own.

Examples in our business: someone buying their first suit, speaking in front of a group for the first time, etc.

Foster culture of initiative: errors of commission not omission. Make people partners in team activities, not followers.

9) Communication
Culture needs communication to properly filter through the organization. Use it to make sure everyone in the group is "touched."

10) Fun
Take the model of "a cool place to work" and apply it in your network. Celebrate successes and include social elements in your system and events.

The Power of Persistence.

"Nothing can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." —Calvin Coolidge

Persistence is the iron quality of character. Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel. It is
the absolutely indispensable quality that goes hand in hand with all great success in life.

And here is one of the great secrets of persistence and success: Program your subconscious mind for persistence well in advance of the setbacks and disappointments that you are going to have on your upward quest toward success. Resolve in advance that you will never give up, no matter what happens.

When you are overwhelmed with a problem or difficulty, you do not have enough time to develop the necessary persistence to deal with the setback or disappointment. But if you plan in advance for the inevitable ups and downs of life, when they come, you will be psychologically ready. You will be prepared.
The courage to persist in the face of adversity and disappointment is the one quality that, more than anything, will guarantee your success. Your greatest personal asset can be your willingness to persevere longer than anyone else. In fact, your persistence is a true measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed.

Remember, all of life is a test. For you to have great success, you must pass the "persistence test." And this test is often a pop quiz. It can come at any time, usually totally unexpectedly and out of left field. You take the persistence test whenever you are confronted with an unexpected difficulty, disappointment, setback, failure, or crisis in life. This is where you show yourself, and everyone around you, what you are truly made of...

Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, wrote, "Circumstances do not make the man. They merely reveal him to himself."

The one inevitability in your life is recurring crisis. If you are living a busy life, you will have a crisis every two or three months. In between these unavoidable crises will be a continuous succession of problems and difficulties. And the more goals that you attempt to reach, the bigger your dreams, and the more determined you are to become successful, the more problems and crises you will experience.
The only factor you can control is how you respond to difficulties and setbacks. And the good news is that every time you respond in a positive and constructive manner, you become stronger and better and even more capable of dealing with the next problem or crisis that comes along. Eventually, you will reach a point in life where you become absolutely unstoppable.

You will become like a force of nature. You will be irresistible. You will become the kind of person who never quits, no matter what the difficulty. No matter what obstacle is put in your path, you will find a way to go over it, under it, around it, or through it. You will be like the Energizer Bunny in the television commercials. You will keep going and going and going...

So what is the most difficult situation you are facing in your life today? Whatever it is, imagine that it has been sent to you at this time to teach you a valuable lesson you need to learn to be even more successful in the future. What could that lesson be? From this moment onward, always seek the valuable lesson in every setback or difficulty. You will always find it, and it will help you in your quest to live the life you truly desire.

By Brian Tracy

Are You Leading? Or Just Managing?

Leadership is often used as a buzzword in today's culture and is applied to areas ranging from the corporate business world to sports teams to nonprofit organizations. Although leadership may currently be in the spotlight, it has always been a critical factor in the success of an organization. I don't believe leadership makes a difference; I believe leadership makes the difference. John Maxwell calls it the law of the lid: the effectiveness and ability of a leader determines how high people can rise and how good an organization can become. The better the leader, the greater the potential for the success of the team or organization.

What makes a leader?

We've all known or even worked for managers who seem to figure the title automatically made them leaders, and that is a mistaken that idea. In an rational organization a title confirms leadership ability, but it doesn't bestow it. It takes more than just the title of manager to lead people in the right direction; in fact, sometimes the most effective leaders have no title at all.Joe Klein in his book Politics Lost defines a good political leader by asking three questions (paraphrased):
1. Is he or she strong?
2. Is he or she trustworthy?
3. Is he or she interested in people like me?
I believe the same three questions define leaders of every type. The first question of strength is about competence, and the ability to get the job done. Nobody wants to follow an incompetent leader.
The second question deals with character. If you can't trust a person in little things, how can you trust them in important things? This is an integrity question and it is critical. Leadership is about creating commitment and getting people to follow because they want to, not because they have to follow. And commitment is always based on trust.
You can be a person of good character and competent skills, but the third question is, in my opinion, what really makes one a leader. It is a question of connection. People rarely change outside of relationship. It is relationship that truly moves others. If you aren't really interested in me and my hopes and dreams, why would I follow you?

Understanding Characteristics of a Leader.

Leaders focus on solving problems and creating opportunities.Every organization has its challenges. Leaders are able to respond appropriately to a challenge and teach employees problem solving and conflict-resolution by their own example.
Rather than the typical managerial method of making the problem go away, keeping others focused on the ultimate goals and mission of the organization are key for the leader. A leader embraces challenges and uses the issues as learning experiences to help them create better solutions.
Future-focused leaders naturally create a positive environment for employees, which means there will be greater employee retention. Set goals with employees-both organizational goals and individual employee goals-in an effort to connect them with the mission. By doing this, leader-managers can better understand exactly how employees' personal goals can merge with the organization's goals. But it isn't enough to put out fires. Effective leadership is about helping people and companies achieve new goals and go to places they've not been before. Problem solving is necessary but certainly not the most exciting part of leadership.
Much has been said and written about the importance of vision in leadership. Vision is having a desirable goal of the future. As important as that may be, the more important skill is what I call visioning: getting people to help achieve that view. It isn't enough to see what the future could be; a leader makes a compelling case and motivates others to join him or her in creating it.

Choosing to Impact Lives as a Leader.

True leadership is several steps beyond being a manager in that it reaches a deeper personal level. While a manager might simply go through the motions and check off duties and tasks, a leader is searching for deeper meaning through her company and individual management role. For a leader, the job is more than directing employees; it becomes a mission to influence people within an organization to surpass their own potential.In other words, managers work with people where they are and often maintain the status quo, while leaders focus on taking people to the next level, improving the performance of the individual and in turn the company. It becomes exciting to go from being a manager to a leader, from doing what is necessary to striving for what is possible.

Making the Change from Manager to Leader.

It may be easier than you think to leave the management hat behind and become a true leader. Perhaps as a manager the stress of having too much power and control over employees has become a burden. A move toward leadership means a shift in power-going from power over employees to creating power with employees. Releasing yourself from all of that control and power can be a rejuvenating and encouraging experience.
Other areas to focus on as a leader include:
Maximizing your personal potential
Learning to properly utilize resources
Developing clear personal and organizational visions
Valuing healthy communication
Empowering yourself and others, and
Serving employees in order to retain and motivate them
It is possible to become the type of leader-manager who is a driving force for change and growth within an organization. I believe that making such changes will bring a new joy and ambition to your career. Developing into a leader and going beyond a management role will require you to boost your creativity and career passion, while significantly improving the overall health of the organization. Best always,Mark SanbornPresidentSanborn & Associates, Inc.

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001GEP790-dfT_sHA7wGQWu4ykubb_GOiD-6FziAM7ErQHeki-dzYoiTKhw-TOdetKKyMSx-p1zPXjRg-JKlZCjbJaYOuuFniuglrgXi7bm_nyY37XUO9ay8Q==

Direct Selling News.

Article title: Young Company Focus: Agel

http://www.directsellingnews.com/article_app.php?articleid=213

September Book of the Month.

177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, by Steve Siebold.

Do You Have What it Takes to Ascend to the Throne of the World-Class?

Dear Peak Performer,Can a person of average intelligence and modest means ascend to the throne of the world class?

After 20 years of research I can tell you that it's not only possible... it's PRACTICAL! My new book, 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, identifies and explains the thought processes, habits, and philosophies of the world's greatest performers... and give you action steps so you can implement these secrets immediately and get what you want.People Who Adopt

These 177 Mental Toughness Secrets Will Be Propelled ToThe Top... Both Personally and Professionally.

After 20 years of interviewing, coaching and competing against world-class performers I have broken down their secrets into mini-modules that are easy to read and simple to understand.