Heck YEAH!

A 6-meter (22ft) fall straight into the Roanoake Island waters!

To the astonishment of a suddenly-quiet wife, and the curious audience of a nearby waterfront restaurant, I jumped.

Roanoke Island Bridge, Manteo NC

Completely unplanned, coming back from an afternoon stroller ride, I took off my shirt, and despite wearing white cotton shorts, IT FELT GREAT!

I had written before about facing challenges with confidence, but this is something new.

Adrenaline Rush & Internet Marketing?

To be honest, I hadn’t experienced anything this exciting since my son was born, and his birth still was more of a mental rush than straight up adrenaline.

It’s not like sitting on the computer trying to get people to buy my stuff isn’t fun. Trust me, it’s a LOT of fun.

But routine kills people. Daily repetition is what drives Post Office employees nuts.

Routine is so bad that makes you come online every evening trying to find a way out of it.

Non-Linear Pattern (NLP)

I first heard about NLP from Frank Kern, and I’ve been reading about it ever since. NLP, in regards to customer behavior, means shocking a customer out of his/hers expected pattern of action in order to increase conversions.

A good example of this in internet marketing is the recent utilization of video sales letters, which are customary on TV (infomercials), but relatively new in our favorite media.

But what has NLP to do with me jumping off of a bridge?

Well, screwing the “routine” is a major shock to anybody’s expected  behavior, and it gives you opportunities:

• The sudden pattern break “resets” your brain, which has to scramble to catch up with the new situation. This is a major opportunity to see things from a new perspective, or to come up with new ideas.

• When there’s adrenaline involved, the hormonal discharge makes you feel like Superman; increased confidence leads to bold moves, which often result in … greater rewards.

• It’s just as good as a break - but with a complete shift in mindset.

How do you plan on Breaking the Pattern?

Whether jumping off of a bridge or offering your customers a revolutionary experience, what are your plans to break the routine?

Post your comments, and be sure to specify if indeed it RESETTED your brain…!

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Entrepreneurship Is…

Opportunity Obsessed

The Power Of Entrepreneurship

Personally, this could not be more true. Entrepreneurs have a blood thirst for opportunity, and are often seen squeezing money out of rocks.

The obsessed part draws a line between the “stable job with benefits” and the “jobs are fuel to my next startup” professionals. To be honest, I don’t have a single relative that would fit into the first category, so I blame my family for my lack of interest in the 9-to-5 world. (just kidding)

Jokes aside, stable jobs’ seekers are beyond my comprehension.

The entrepreneurs that inhabit my social circle, and the ones I admire, such as Perry Belcher, Yanik Silver, Frank Kern, and others, are opportunity-obsessed professionals that have seen many opportunities fail, but keep creating more and more due to this insane obsession.

Holistic in Approach, Leadership Balanced

There’s no doubt we’ll always have the ‘schemes’ entrepreneur trying to get ahead by scamming people, but for the major part, entrepreneurial enterprises seek to fulfill a need, offer a benefit, and conquer the minds of its customers as a necessity. The holistic approach grants that serious entrepreneurs are over-delivering, offering as much as possible in exchange for consumer loyalty.

Being a leader is communicating those values and inserting that obsession into those around you, instigating commitment, motivation, and attracting success.

Leadership = Personal Responsibility

Entrepreneurs are disciplined enought to understand they’re the ones responsible for their success and their entire operation depends on their decisions. Leaders are those that accept this responsibility despite the pressure.

Value Creation, and Value Capture

Isn’t this the basis of capitalism?

We strive to offer only the best, so we are rewarded with only the best. As I mentioned above, entrepreneurs seek to fulfill a need, creating value to those benefiting from it, and receiving credit for doing it well.

How Much Value Are You Creating?

This blog is inhabited by an incredible number of entrepreneurs, so I must ask you: are you creating value to your customers?

HOW?

Be sure to measure and track your answers – they are directly related to how much value ($) you capture

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I wanted to start off today’s post by saying THANK YOU, very much. Each one of my readers motivates me to learn more just so I can share more valuable stuff here on the LPNM.

What today’s post is also about is your initial setup running a network marketing business. As you know, I’ve made tons of mistakes – have I ever stopped? and it’s my mission to prevent you from doing the same.

Or at least not as bad as I did

I put together this video to clarify basic, yet fundamental, aspects of a network marketing business strategy that took me a while to figure out and that I still see going on with plenty of marketers out there.

The video will explain 5 concepts regarding the regular operation of your business that will take any newbie off-guard.

For example, the video explains why you should NOT say “Hi, This is Joe with Amway” when you’re on the phone with a prospect, and how to avoid trying to “convert” prospects into your business.

I know this may seem basic to some of you, and I appreciate the fact that I do have readers well-positioned in this industry, but I defend a strong position in the video, one that most marketers would take different stand on.

Which stand are you going to take?

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Get more results by facing your fears

Do you know the feeling of accomplishment you get when you – well, accomplish something MAJOR?

I have my heart pumping right now because I’ve completed a goal that took me 8 months to finish, a lot of sweat, tears, and MONEY, and now it’s finally finished.

There were plenty of times when I considered giving up, when I doubted myself, the entire book, my capabilities…

There were days I wouldn’t even want to be reminded of it – I’d avoid looking at the document icon on my desktop, and would occupy myself with a million other things.

Eventually, there were no excuses left and I’d concentrate on it for hours on end; or I’d assist somebody in my organization with a specific concern, and decide to include it in the last minute.

The saying “you are your worst enemy” applied to every step of the way, and I struggled with my own mindset more often than I like to remember; for me, it’s 1000 times easier to find defects than to praise the benefits.

Being critical of your own work is important, and recognizing your flaws allows for a honest, humble assessment. However, it was dangerously easy to let criticism be an obstacle to my workflow – I was blocking my own success.

Finally, when I had my back against the wall, with no where else to run, I had to fight myself, and I won. The obstacles are still there, the criticism still surfaces every so often, but I am a master of my own domain now.

I GOT IT DONE!

The Expand Your Income manual is on beta launch at this moment, as the grand launch will take place in May. Limited copies will be available, and a special gift follows every purchase.

And here’s what the future holds:

• A fully functional backoffice for affiliates -
  
• massive 80% commission programs -
  
• and much more!

Stay tuned, because as I fight my demons,  you’re the main beneficiary.

To powerfully clean mindsets,
Leo Saraceni

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Highly recommended reading

Yesterday I published this note on Facebook, regarding Og Mandino’s classic “The Greatest Salesman In The World”.

I didn’t mention how my wife first introduced me to this book in a moment when I needed positive reinforcement, how it opened my eyes to accepting how perfect my life is and exactly where I would work to improve it.

I’m very thankful for this book, and I plan on extending my review to each scroll. For now, read the 10 vows of success, and take a moment to absorb them.

1. Never again will I pity or belittle myself
2. Never again will I greet the dawn without a map
3. Always will I bathe my days in the golden glow of enthusiasm
4. Never again will I be disagreeable to a living soul
5. Always I will seek the seed of triumph in every adversity
6. Never again will I perform any task at less than my best
7. Always will I throw my whole self into the task at hand
8. Never again will I wait and hope for opportunity to embrace me
9. Always will I examine, each night, my deeds of the fading day
10. Always will I maintain contact, through prayer, with my creator

I really admire the amazing relation between the title and exactly what the book is about, and how there’s much more to success BEFORE you actually make money.

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How Can You Profit From The Droppings of Your Cash Cow?

You know how inspiration comes from the weirdest places?

Today, my muse came from a small cow pasture. I live in such a small town (Manteo, NC) that I get to drive by that small pasture every day, and trust me, I was never excited about it.

As I drove by, I noticed a gentleman shoveling the manure into these huge bags, and it took me an instant to realize what was his purpose – I’m no farmer, and know nothing about gardening.

Finally, it struck me: he was collecting manure to sell as fertilizer! Darn if I’m not a city boy –

Even though my gardening skills are none, my business mind started working immediately. That farmer was about to turn a profit out of (pardon my French) CRAP! Of course, his business was not devoted to selling fertilizer, he sells milk and delicious homemade cheeses in the local farmers’ market. Nonetheless, he’d found an alternative source of income from excrements!

I believe until I noticed that I had never fully understood why Seth Godin developed the Cash Cow concept, but it made complete sense: cheese, milk, meat (ugh!), leather (blehh!)*, even the cow’s poop is profitable.

To make the transition to network marketing, relate the manure alternative income to what a Funded Proposal offer is: it’s a secondary income stream derived from your main Cash Cow. It originates from your primary business, it is an important source of income, but it should not require much of your attention. Like any real source of income, a funded proposal works passively, in the background.

Let’s keep the manure analogy going: whether the farmer profits from the manure, the droppings will naturally happen; this is exactly how any funded proposal offer works. Examine the entire operation:

In network marketing, visitors arrive at your website and are presented with the opportunity to join you in your enterprise – that is your Cash Cow. Since we all know the sponsoring process takes more than just a single visit to your website, while you’re building trust and credibility with your prospects, there are certain areas where a funded proposal comes in handy, and most importantly – highly beneficial to your prospects.

The most effective way to present any offer lies within your regular Cash Cow operations:

• a test-drive of your opportunity: a how-to guide, an initial procedures document – a “taste”

• bonus training: “before you start, you can learn a lot from this course” – either yours or somebody else’s – that’s when subtle affiliate promotions work best

• a step above: advanced training, recommended readings, Joint-Ventures, cross-marketing – a “plus” to boost your prospects business.

Now, with or without manure, DON’T OFFER CRAP! The consequences of offering too much, or pushing a low-grade product, involve losing your prospect! You might even make a $20 or $30 commission, but is that really worth losing your prospect?

* I’m a vegetarian, by the way.

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Don't expect "Microwave" results on your MLM

With the economy going downhill, many soon-to-be entrepreneurs are considering starting a home based business. Taking responsibility for their financial situations, home entrepreneurs can start their operations with a small financial investment, but is money all it takes to succeed?

Allocating a decent capital for your home business is highly recommended, and many times overlooked.

Your business will have a period where you’ll be working to cover your investment, and the time it takes for you to break even can vary. Any regular brick and mortar business owner understands this “recovering” period, but several home entrepreneurs fail to notice this simple concept.

Establishing your brand – online or offline – is an ongoing strategy, and accepting this will release home business owners of becoming frustrated for not achieving millionaire status within 3 months. The root of this frustation, of course, comes from the hype that so-called “gurus” utilize to get prospects hypnotized: “in 3 months, I made $99,999.97, and you can too!”

Statements such as the one above may very well be true, but how long did it for that “guru” to learn exactly what he/she needed to do in order to make that much money in 3 months? Their learning curve may have been even longer than a newcomer’s starting today.

Advising extreme caution when researching for a home business is a wise move, however, there’s another aspect of your business adventure that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible: how long are you willing to go without a profit in order to get you business going?

The average recovery time for a Burger King franchise is 2.5 years; for a H&R block franchise, 1.3 years. In a home based business, depending on your initial investment, 2 sales can actually place you in the profit zone, but how long will it take you to get there?

Consider your familiarity with e-commerce – are you comfortable generating traffic to your website?

Do you know where to post ads, how to create websites, and most importantly – do you know how to create customers?

Educating yourself is part of your personal development, and only a serious evaluation of how much of your time will you be able to dedicate can determine what your recovery time will be.

Patience is essential. Confidence, and determination, fundamental.

Prepare your family, your friends, to this new enterprise; let them know this might take much of your free time, initially, and how wonderful the long-term benefits of a profitable home business will be.

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Patrick Combs, Co-Founder of LifePath Unlimited

I had never heard of Patrick Combs until early September of last year. I had not been introduced to personal development concepts, and all I knew about business is that I needed one.

I had made the decision to get out of my two dead-end jobs, and was planning to start an importing business. After long market research, hours and money invested in finding the right vendors and initiating negotiations, customs bureaucracy sent my business down the pipes.

At that time, I felt embarrassed for losing a good chunk of my savings and for not accomplishing the goals I had set for myself. When the embarrassment joined the frustration of being stuck in a futureless job, I encountered a lot of resistance trying to push myself forward.

During a purposeless search for motivational exercises (I tried many), I fell into a video called “Awakening”; Patrick Combs was speaking straight to me, explaining how my universal potential is unlimited, and how I can accomplish anything with the correct mindset. It was just a one-minute trailer, but that Awakening resonated with me.

I searched for Patrick Combs, and discovered he’s a famous best-selling author and motivational speaker. But what really surprised me was that he had co-founded a growing Personal Development company, based on the principles I learned on the Awakening movie.

Patrick’s company, LifePath Unlimited, had chosen to market its products through a direct-sales franchise, and it was looking for representatives at that moment. Talk about Law of Attraction – I felt like the entire company was specifically designed to fit my needs!

Before I became a LifePath Unlimited representative, I decided to watch the entire Awakening movie (50min) – but never got to finish. I bought my franchise at that moment, without actually speaking to anybody; I just knew that I could not miss that opportunity.

Fast-forward to my second month as a LifePath franchise owner: Motivation again slipping through my fingers, and still at the same-old job. I just seemed to fail to connect with others like me, entrepreneurs looking for a more fulfilling life, both personal and financial.

It was when I went back to some of Patrick’s teachings, reading and watching the material available for LPU franchise owners, that I recognized I was losing my passion, and my business was taking the hit. Patrick mentioned how a life guided by passion will fulfill my purpose, and attract the success I deserved.

Now, I’m a passionate business owner, proud of having taken that decision back in September. I’m about to meet Patrick Combs at the end of this month, and I enjoy seeing my business (and myself) grow constantly.

One thing I learned to live by: passion and purpose will make you a life way beyond “making a living”!

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Kathy posted to her class my statement that I wished I’d known earlier that giving freely, without want, is the best way to grow your business.

I learned that from Mike Dillard, reading the Magnetic Sponsoring course: “Give it without want and you will get without asking.”

The sole purpose of this blog is to share my findings, my discoveries, and my knowledge, in order to assist other entrepreneurs in their journey. Thanks to service provided by this blog, I am able to connect with successful professionals and build a powerful network.

Which brings us to the second point that Kathy elucidated on her post regarding my statement:

“Creating a powerful network is something I could’ve done earlier. I was able to find amazing professionals by forcing myself to interact. Because I’m not a native (i’m Brazilian), and I carry an accent, I had become used to doing things on my own. But once I realized how powerful it is when you’re open to offer your time for free to assist people, I noticed I was able to form relationships mutually beneficial, because I too could benefit from them”

I couldn’t stress enough how fundamental a network of like-minded professionals is for a entrepreneur; masterminding, sharing, learning, and growing are all practices that accelerate your learning curve and provide direction for actions.

Today, I’d like everybody to read Kathy’s post, and try to respond to the questions she presented.

All comments are appreciated!

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Are there shared features in all major personal development books, such as Think And Grow Rich, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, etc…?

Yes, of course there are! They are the 5 Pillars To Success and I’ll be discussing each one separately in the next few posts.

These traits are shared by all successful individuals and they are – consciously or not -  key to their success.

Consciously or not, following these 5 practices attracts success and prosperity. These 5 pillars are the foundation upon which the Law Of Attraction manifests itself.

Here they are:

1.Visualizing & Meditading

Laser-beam focus on your goals – consciously creating positive vibrations to create exactly what you expect the universe to deliver.

Daily, cut a slice of your life you have a specific vision, and picture everything as if it was already realized.

2. Daily Income Producing activities

Obvious – just needs to be consistent, persistent, and constant.

3. Being a Student Of Personal Development

Learn, grow, expand – invest in yourself

4. Masterminding

Communicating, sharing, counseling, mentoring, being mentored, receiving criticism – professional, spiritual, surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals.

5. Exercising Leadership

Participate, network, create relationships – offer training, advice, assist others, interact. Leave your mark, and be prepared.

So GET READY! My next posts will illuminate each pillar, and maybe bring some light into your life.

Tell me what YOU’d expect from them. I’m sure I can work your question into one of them.

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