I remember several years ago when selling insurance we were told to keep track of the number of calls we made each week. Then we also kept up with how many sales we made. The idea was if it took 100 calls to make 1 sale and you wanted to make 5 sales a week then you knew you should make 500 calls.
I've noticed with myself and with others who I have observed that 75% of the people you talk to are not going to be interested. This can get a little discouraging. Maybe 1-2% of the people you talk to will sign up immediately. The other 23% tend to be like most of us who like to think about it before we commit ourselves to something.
Unfortunately, where I've found most people get really discouraged is not with the 75% who are not interested but with the 23% who talk like they are interested but then decide to think about it maybe for several months before they buy. What is really unfortunate about this is that because many get discouraged while waiting for a decision, they quit and never see the success.
You have probably heard that the first year or two can be difficult but if you can hang on for two years you generally have it made. The reason for this is that the trick to being successful is having enough of the people who are in the process of making a dicision that some of them are making the decision on a daily basis. Thus the very thing that tends to discourage is also the very thing that will ensure your success in the long run.
Just don't quit before you see the seads you plant bring forth fruit.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Great Things Are Done One Step At A Time
I remember a song that I learned when I was a child listening to a christian artist called Patch the Pirate. It had the lyrics
Little by little, inch by inch
By the yard it's hard
By the inch what a cinche
Never stare at the stairs, just step up the step
Little by little, inch by inch
You know you can take alot from those words in running a business. I've watched many people who fail although they set their goals. You really do need to write down your goals and at what date you want to have met that goal. But you also need to write down your baby steps to getting that goal.
OK so you want to be making $100,000 a year in two years. Where do you need to be one month from now? Or how about a week from now? I know in my business if I can do $100 of business a week then in two years that would put my residual income over the $100,000 mark. Also $100 a week is a lot easier goal to comprehend than just a $100,000 a year level within 2 years.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Little by little, inch by inch
By the yard it's hard
By the inch what a cinche
Never stare at the stairs, just step up the step
Little by little, inch by inch
You know you can take alot from those words in running a business. I've watched many people who fail although they set their goals. You really do need to write down your goals and at what date you want to have met that goal. But you also need to write down your baby steps to getting that goal.
OK so you want to be making $100,000 a year in two years. Where do you need to be one month from now? Or how about a week from now? I know in my business if I can do $100 of business a week then in two years that would put my residual income over the $100,000 mark. Also $100 a week is a lot easier goal to comprehend than just a $100,000 a year level within 2 years.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Three Skills To Help In Communication
One thing that I have had to work on in doing business is conversing with the people that are interested in my business or the products that I sell. So I immediately started looking for some good advice that would help me become better at talking to others. Here is the advice that was given to me by one individual.
Pause before speaking. If you pause a couple seconds before jumping in when you are talking to somebody this will do three different things for you. First, it keeps you from interrupting someone who has just stopped for a second to get a breath before continuing. Second, it lets the person you are talking to know that you are giving serious consideration to what they just said. Third, it lets the information that they just told you sink in, and thus makes you a better listener.
Second, ask questions. Ask them "what do you mean" or maybe "how did you come to this conclusion?" There are other questions you might ask but ask questions that will get them to go into even more detail of what they are talking about. You never want to just assume that you know what they are saying, because many times we can color a conversation and understand something that is totally different than what the other person is talking about. Also, again, this let's them know that you are interested in what they have to say.
Third, repeat back to them what they already told you, in your own words of course. After you've nodded and smiled then tell them "Let me make sure I've got this right. What you're saying is..."
These are some tips that have helped me in the past and to be honest I'm still working on myself. I don't know, maybe you have your online business to a point where you don't have to talk to anybody, but if you don't, remember, one quick way to loose a lead is to give them the impression that you really don't care what they have to say. And even if you are quiet when they talk, one way of doing that is not taking the time to understand what they are trying to tell you.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Pause before speaking. If you pause a couple seconds before jumping in when you are talking to somebody this will do three different things for you. First, it keeps you from interrupting someone who has just stopped for a second to get a breath before continuing. Second, it lets the person you are talking to know that you are giving serious consideration to what they just said. Third, it lets the information that they just told you sink in, and thus makes you a better listener.
Second, ask questions. Ask them "what do you mean" or maybe "how did you come to this conclusion?" There are other questions you might ask but ask questions that will get them to go into even more detail of what they are talking about. You never want to just assume that you know what they are saying, because many times we can color a conversation and understand something that is totally different than what the other person is talking about. Also, again, this let's them know that you are interested in what they have to say.
Third, repeat back to them what they already told you, in your own words of course. After you've nodded and smiled then tell them "Let me make sure I've got this right. What you're saying is..."
These are some tips that have helped me in the past and to be honest I'm still working on myself. I don't know, maybe you have your online business to a point where you don't have to talk to anybody, but if you don't, remember, one quick way to loose a lead is to give them the impression that you really don't care what they have to say. And even if you are quiet when they talk, one way of doing that is not taking the time to understand what they are trying to tell you.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Monday, January 11, 2010
Online Marketing Myth 2: Internet Marketing Is For Everyone...
Hello Friends,
Told you I was going to write a series of these about different online marketing myths. Well here is the second one. Internet marketing is for everyone. Anybody can get rich doing this. This is one that on one scale, yes, I might agree. On the other though, I really disagree.
Yes, there is no reason that anybody would not be able to make an internet business work. Except for the very obvious fact that most people are simply not willing to put forward the time and energy it requires to make it work. It's not just online business, it is any situation where a person is self employed. I have found over and over again, that you can take an individual who is a hard worker when they are working for someone else and put them in a situation where they are their own boss, and 90% of the time, they don't put forth even half the effort they gave somebody else. It's not a matter of laziness, it's a lack of motivation.
At the same time, yes, anybody who is willing to work hard for themselves, and put forth the time and energy to learn what to do, can become extremely successful utilizing the internet for business. So it's not that most people can't be successful at it, it is that they won't be successful at it.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Told you I was going to write a series of these about different online marketing myths. Well here is the second one. Internet marketing is for everyone. Anybody can get rich doing this. This is one that on one scale, yes, I might agree. On the other though, I really disagree.
Yes, there is no reason that anybody would not be able to make an internet business work. Except for the very obvious fact that most people are simply not willing to put forward the time and energy it requires to make it work. It's not just online business, it is any situation where a person is self employed. I have found over and over again, that you can take an individual who is a hard worker when they are working for someone else and put them in a situation where they are their own boss, and 90% of the time, they don't put forth even half the effort they gave somebody else. It's not a matter of laziness, it's a lack of motivation.
At the same time, yes, anybody who is willing to work hard for themselves, and put forth the time and energy to learn what to do, can become extremely successful utilizing the internet for business. So it's not that most people can't be successful at it, it is that they won't be successful at it.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Show Me Your Friends, A Lesson From The Bible For Life And Success
I used to be the youth director in my home church. Now I teach the smaller children. But when I taught the youth, one thing that I tried to teach them and instill in them was the fact that, show me your friends, and I'll show you what you are, or what you soon shall be.
This is a fact of life that can work for you or against you. In the Bible you find an example of Amnon, David's son, lusted after his half sister, but he couldn't bring himself to harm her. But Amnon had a friend, the Bible says, and this friend influenced Amnon to rape her, and this ended up causing his death. In the book "Think and Grow Rich" Hill mentions the fact that when men are first introduced to crime it repulses them, then after awhile they grow to accept it, then after some more time, they practice it.
Thankfully, this can also work for you. In Proverbs the Bible tells us that as "Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Have you ever noticed how easy it is to do right when you are around others who are also doing right. I believe that this can be carried even further.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should only talk to, or be around people who are successful. But, I do believe that if you spend the majority of your time around people who have a positive attitude, you will have a positive attitude. If the folks you hang out with have a negative attitude, guess what, it's been my experience that negativity is also catching. If the individuals you spend all your time with are those who do nothing, you are very unlikely to accomplish anything yourself, but if you spend enough time around successful individuals, you will yourself become successful.
Show me your friends, and I'll show you what you are, or what you soon shall be.
Alex
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
This is a fact of life that can work for you or against you. In the Bible you find an example of Amnon, David's son, lusted after his half sister, but he couldn't bring himself to harm her. But Amnon had a friend, the Bible says, and this friend influenced Amnon to rape her, and this ended up causing his death. In the book "Think and Grow Rich" Hill mentions the fact that when men are first introduced to crime it repulses them, then after awhile they grow to accept it, then after some more time, they practice it.
Thankfully, this can also work for you. In Proverbs the Bible tells us that as "Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Have you ever noticed how easy it is to do right when you are around others who are also doing right. I believe that this can be carried even further.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should only talk to, or be around people who are successful. But, I do believe that if you spend the majority of your time around people who have a positive attitude, you will have a positive attitude. If the folks you hang out with have a negative attitude, guess what, it's been my experience that negativity is also catching. If the individuals you spend all your time with are those who do nothing, you are very unlikely to accomplish anything yourself, but if you spend enough time around successful individuals, you will yourself become successful.
Show me your friends, and I'll show you what you are, or what you soon shall be.
Alex
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Friday, January 8, 2010
Online Marketting Myth: Internet Marketing Is Easy
I plan to in the next week or two to write several articles about myths that I have found people to believe about Online Marketing. The first of these is that Internet Marketing Is Easy.
Oh yeah, This has got to be the biggest myth out there when it comes to having an online business. I've got to tell you though if somebody tells you this, they are either talking about something that they know nothing about, or they are purely lying to you. If you talk to anybody that has been successful at an online business, they will tell you that it took a lot of time, effort, and money. You don't get anything from nothing.
If a person approaches you and tells you that they have a home business that you can get into, and you won't really even have to do much to be successful at it, RUN!!! I don't know the person but they are a liar, or just so new at it that they haven't yet come in contact with reality. I personally believe that this myth is responsible for most of the failures in this type of business. People come in, expect to make loads of money with minimal effort, then when their expectations are not fulfilled they quit. Oh yeah, and since the person who signed them up mislead them, or maybe it was just that their predetermined ideas that mislead them, but they tell everybody how it was all a scam.
The fact of the matter is, yeah, there are alot of scams out there. There are also alot of very real opportunities out there. Donald Trump said that if he had to start over he would use network marketting to build his fortune. These opportunities for the most part are not scams, they just get a bad rep from people with unreal expectations.
So what is the truth about home business, online marketing, network marketing or whatever else you might want to call them. Well first of all building one is not easy. Your level of success is directly proportional to the amount of work you put into it. If you put minimal work you will get minimal results. If you put much work it may still take time, but you will find much success.
For the other truths, stay tuned. I'll be writing about those in the future.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Oh yeah, This has got to be the biggest myth out there when it comes to having an online business. I've got to tell you though if somebody tells you this, they are either talking about something that they know nothing about, or they are purely lying to you. If you talk to anybody that has been successful at an online business, they will tell you that it took a lot of time, effort, and money. You don't get anything from nothing.
If a person approaches you and tells you that they have a home business that you can get into, and you won't really even have to do much to be successful at it, RUN!!! I don't know the person but they are a liar, or just so new at it that they haven't yet come in contact with reality. I personally believe that this myth is responsible for most of the failures in this type of business. People come in, expect to make loads of money with minimal effort, then when their expectations are not fulfilled they quit. Oh yeah, and since the person who signed them up mislead them, or maybe it was just that their predetermined ideas that mislead them, but they tell everybody how it was all a scam.
The fact of the matter is, yeah, there are alot of scams out there. There are also alot of very real opportunities out there. Donald Trump said that if he had to start over he would use network marketting to build his fortune. These opportunities for the most part are not scams, they just get a bad rep from people with unreal expectations.
So what is the truth about home business, online marketing, network marketing or whatever else you might want to call them. Well first of all building one is not easy. Your level of success is directly proportional to the amount of work you put into it. If you put minimal work you will get minimal results. If you put much work it may still take time, but you will find much success.
For the other truths, stay tuned. I'll be writing about those in the future.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Great Advice For Success In Business And Life
Hey Everybody,
I just happened across this video today. The advice contained in it is so simple and yet powerful. If you are looking for success whether it be in business or in everyday life, you must watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2uFH0NCMY4&NR=1
If you want to see the speech in it entirety, it can be found here.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/Videos.html
I hope you find this as helpful as I did.
Alex Hartline
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
I just happened across this video today. The advice contained in it is so simple and yet powerful. If you are looking for success whether it be in business or in everyday life, you must watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2uFH0NCMY4&NR=1
If you want to see the speech in it entirety, it can be found here.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/Videos.html
I hope you find this as helpful as I did.
Alex Hartline
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Two Interesting Statistics That Reveal The True Secret To Success
I like looking at the statistics of things that I am involved in. I've recently found one that I had wondered about for awhile but was unable to find. The other is one that you can find posted everywhere on the internet where people are trying to get you to sign up for reports, that will supposedly teach you how to be one of the coveted 3%.
When you look at both of these statistics together though, I believe you don't really need a report to see what the secret to being successful in any MLM business is. In case you don't already know MLM (Multi Level Marketing) is what many people just refer to as a Home Business.
So what are these two statistics. Well the first one is widely known. 97% of individuals who get started in MLM opportunities fail. Like I said this is a widespread statistic that is known by many. Many have used this fact as a great copy writting tool. One thing that inspires many to act is fear. So you find somebody who has started a business, and is looking for advice on how to build their business, tell them have only a 3% chance of making it, then sell them the "secret" for being part of that 3%. Neat huh?
When you look at the other statistic though I believe the actual difference between the 97% and the other 3% becomes very clear. I really aught to do this like they do on the other sites. THIS INFORMATION IS WORTH THOUSANDS, BUT FOR TODAY I AM PRACTICALLY GIVING IT AWAY FOR ONLY $300. LOL. Just kidding. I'll go ahead and tell you for free.
It is true that when you lump all the MLM opportunities together you rate of failure is 97% but according to statistics, 95% of individuals who stick with the business for 10 years are millionaires. Did you read that correctly. I'll repeat. If you stick with the MLM business, what ever it is, within 10 years there is a 95% chance that you will be a millionaire at the end of that period. That is about as close to a guarantee as real life genearally gives.
You know I really should have sold this, but I'm really just too lazy to figure out how to stretch it out to make an e-course out of it. But seriously, do you want to know the secret to success? If you haven't figured it out yet, it's simple. Don't quit.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
When you look at both of these statistics together though, I believe you don't really need a report to see what the secret to being successful in any MLM business is. In case you don't already know MLM (Multi Level Marketing) is what many people just refer to as a Home Business.
So what are these two statistics. Well the first one is widely known. 97% of individuals who get started in MLM opportunities fail. Like I said this is a widespread statistic that is known by many. Many have used this fact as a great copy writting tool. One thing that inspires many to act is fear. So you find somebody who has started a business, and is looking for advice on how to build their business, tell them have only a 3% chance of making it, then sell them the "secret" for being part of that 3%. Neat huh?
When you look at the other statistic though I believe the actual difference between the 97% and the other 3% becomes very clear. I really aught to do this like they do on the other sites. THIS INFORMATION IS WORTH THOUSANDS, BUT FOR TODAY I AM PRACTICALLY GIVING IT AWAY FOR ONLY $300. LOL. Just kidding. I'll go ahead and tell you for free.
It is true that when you lump all the MLM opportunities together you rate of failure is 97% but according to statistics, 95% of individuals who stick with the business for 10 years are millionaires. Did you read that correctly. I'll repeat. If you stick with the MLM business, what ever it is, within 10 years there is a 95% chance that you will be a millionaire at the end of that period. That is about as close to a guarantee as real life genearally gives.
You know I really should have sold this, but I'm really just too lazy to figure out how to stretch it out to make an e-course out of it. But seriously, do you want to know the secret to success? If you haven't figured it out yet, it's simple. Don't quit.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Two Things Missing That Are Vital For Success
As I look back at times that I've failed in business, or times that I've watched as others have failed, I can see two things that were missing in my own life at the time. I know that the failure rate in MLMs is up around 97%. I've also heard all the excuses, as have you all about how they were not trained well enough by their upline, or maybe a lack of skill got the blame. I could write this whole post on the reasons people give why they failed. These days most people don't want any of the blame so the biggest reason that everybody fails supposedly is because what ever they were trying was a scam.
Let's face it, A lack of training can be compensated for through a variety of ways. These days there is no real excuse for a lack of knowledge if you are willing to learn. You can recieve training through books, the internet, or possibly even by finding someone in your business to mentor you.
As far as a lack of skill goes, it's been my experience that with most things in life, when it comes right down to it, you have to be bad before you can be good. True you have the individual that is a natural, but that is the exception rather than the rule.
No I believe that really just about all the failures you see in this business come about due to the lack of two simple things. Determination and the ability to spot opportunity when it strikes.
Determination, I would say is the single most important key to seeing success. Many people get into business then when they don't find success in the first couple of months, or maybe they even hang on for a year, but they quit. If you really want success you have to approach your business with the attitude that it may take a year, it may take 15 years, but if it takes you the rest of your life, you are determined to go out successful.
If you don't approach it with that attitude you're not going to be successful. You may find some level of success, but eventually hard times will come and you will quit. I've had some very successful businesses in the past. I can't say that I've had one yet though that didn't have hard times. As a matter of fact I can't think of any that there weren't times that I felt like a complete failure. Determination is needed to get you through those times.
Secondly, you need to practice developing your ability to spot opportunity when it surfaces. Many times when opportunity presents itself, it kind of sneaks in the back door, possibly disguised as misfortune or even disaster.
We tend to look for opportunities when things are exciting but we really need to remind ourselves to also keep an eye open for it when things are bad. When things just really are not going your way, and maybe everything just seems to be falling apart, sit back and try to figure out a way to benefit from the misfortune. I've been amazed at how many times things seemed to go wrong, but then those very situations opened up avenues that would have been closed to me otherwise.
In closing, maybe you are going through hard times right now. Maybe you are even considering quiting. Before you make any big decisions, I'd like you to sit back, relax for a moment, and think back to other times in your life when it seemed like everything was going wrong. I'll bet you can remember times when you really didn't see how you could make it through the month. Maybe things that you thought were secure just seemed to fall apart in your hands. But now that you are on the other side of it, looking back, was it really as hopeless as it seemed at the time?
Just remember, things are rarely ever as bad as they seem to be. Make up your mind to stick with it. Look for opportunities even in the bad times, and you will be successful.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Let's face it, A lack of training can be compensated for through a variety of ways. These days there is no real excuse for a lack of knowledge if you are willing to learn. You can recieve training through books, the internet, or possibly even by finding someone in your business to mentor you.
As far as a lack of skill goes, it's been my experience that with most things in life, when it comes right down to it, you have to be bad before you can be good. True you have the individual that is a natural, but that is the exception rather than the rule.
No I believe that really just about all the failures you see in this business come about due to the lack of two simple things. Determination and the ability to spot opportunity when it strikes.
Determination, I would say is the single most important key to seeing success. Many people get into business then when they don't find success in the first couple of months, or maybe they even hang on for a year, but they quit. If you really want success you have to approach your business with the attitude that it may take a year, it may take 15 years, but if it takes you the rest of your life, you are determined to go out successful.
If you don't approach it with that attitude you're not going to be successful. You may find some level of success, but eventually hard times will come and you will quit. I've had some very successful businesses in the past. I can't say that I've had one yet though that didn't have hard times. As a matter of fact I can't think of any that there weren't times that I felt like a complete failure. Determination is needed to get you through those times.
Secondly, you need to practice developing your ability to spot opportunity when it surfaces. Many times when opportunity presents itself, it kind of sneaks in the back door, possibly disguised as misfortune or even disaster.
We tend to look for opportunities when things are exciting but we really need to remind ourselves to also keep an eye open for it when things are bad. When things just really are not going your way, and maybe everything just seems to be falling apart, sit back and try to figure out a way to benefit from the misfortune. I've been amazed at how many times things seemed to go wrong, but then those very situations opened up avenues that would have been closed to me otherwise.
In closing, maybe you are going through hard times right now. Maybe you are even considering quiting. Before you make any big decisions, I'd like you to sit back, relax for a moment, and think back to other times in your life when it seemed like everything was going wrong. I'll bet you can remember times when you really didn't see how you could make it through the month. Maybe things that you thought were secure just seemed to fall apart in your hands. But now that you are on the other side of it, looking back, was it really as hopeless as it seemed at the time?
Just remember, things are rarely ever as bad as they seem to be. Make up your mind to stick with it. Look for opportunities even in the bad times, and you will be successful.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Lesson Of R.U. Darby (true story)
An uncle of R.U. Darby was caught by the “gold fever” in the gold-rush days, and went west to dig for gold and get rich. He staked his claim and started digging with a pick and shovel. It was hard work but he was determined to find gold and after weeks of digging he was rewarded with the discovery of gold.
He needed machinery to go deeper so he quietly covered the mine and went back to his family in Maryland to raise the money for machinery. After telling his family and some neighbors about the strike, the money was raised, and he and R.U. Darby headed back to Colorado to work the mine.
The first car of ore was mined and shipped to the smelter. The results proved that they had one of the richest mines in Colorado. A few more cars of the ore would pay off all the debts and then would come huge profits.
Needless to say the hopes of R.U. Darby and his uncle were very high but then the vein ran out. They drilled on for a while but never found anymore gold. Finally they decided to quit.
They sold the equipment to a junk man for a few hundred dollars. The junk man checked out the mine and brought in an expert who told him that the vein should continue on. He told the junk man that he wouldn’t doubt that the vien continued only a few feet past where they had stopped drilling.
Sure enough after the man who had bought the equipment started drilling again, he found gold just three feet past where R.U. Darby had stopped. He ended up bringing out millions in gold because he knew better than to give up before seeking expert advice.
R.U. Darby paid back every penny of the borrowed money to his family and neighbors and latter did find much wealth himself, selling insurance. He said that the owed his success to the lesson he learned through that one mistake. He would always remind himself “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
He needed machinery to go deeper so he quietly covered the mine and went back to his family in Maryland to raise the money for machinery. After telling his family and some neighbors about the strike, the money was raised, and he and R.U. Darby headed back to Colorado to work the mine.
The first car of ore was mined and shipped to the smelter. The results proved that they had one of the richest mines in Colorado. A few more cars of the ore would pay off all the debts and then would come huge profits.
Needless to say the hopes of R.U. Darby and his uncle were very high but then the vein ran out. They drilled on for a while but never found anymore gold. Finally they decided to quit.
They sold the equipment to a junk man for a few hundred dollars. The junk man checked out the mine and brought in an expert who told him that the vein should continue on. He told the junk man that he wouldn’t doubt that the vien continued only a few feet past where they had stopped drilling.
Sure enough after the man who had bought the equipment started drilling again, he found gold just three feet past where R.U. Darby had stopped. He ended up bringing out millions in gold because he knew better than to give up before seeking expert advice.
R.U. Darby paid back every penny of the borrowed money to his family and neighbors and latter did find much wealth himself, selling insurance. He said that the owed his success to the lesson he learned through that one mistake. He would always remind himself “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Thursday, December 17, 2009
My Mistake
I started my business this last year. When I got started I was very excited. I have a friend who had been doing this for about 9 years now and has become a millionaire several times over. I'd seen him take the last two years off to deal with some family problems and still bring in around $30,000 a month consistently.
So I jumped in and almost immediately bought a $200 course on marketing my business online then I spent another $200 to get the advanced membership to this forum and invested money here and there.After a few months I realized that I've spent time and money doing everything I can think of to get my business ready for the hundreds of people that might be looking for what I'm providing, while neglecting to just get out there and start talking to some people and making even that first sale.
Now I can say I have found that for my own business, there just doesn't seem to be any substitute for just simply talking to people. I haven't given up on getting a presence on the internet. But I think many times we focus so much on doing all the big things and getting ready for where we want to be in a couple years that we forget to do the little things that all the other big things are built on.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
So I jumped in and almost immediately bought a $200 course on marketing my business online then I spent another $200 to get the advanced membership to this forum and invested money here and there.After a few months I realized that I've spent time and money doing everything I can think of to get my business ready for the hundreds of people that might be looking for what I'm providing, while neglecting to just get out there and start talking to some people and making even that first sale.
Now I can say I have found that for my own business, there just doesn't seem to be any substitute for just simply talking to people. I haven't given up on getting a presence on the internet. But I think many times we focus so much on doing all the big things and getting ready for where we want to be in a couple years that we forget to do the little things that all the other big things are built on.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Route To Success
You know I've always found it interesting when I talk to people about the reasons they choose to do one thing or another in their business or for that matter just in life itself. It's interesting how many times we choose to do certain things simply because it is easier or maybe cost less. By doing this we many times make descisions that either just don't work or even if they do eventually get us to our goal it takes us much longer than it should have.
Personally I've found the best way to think of business or even life is to treat it like a trip that you might would take in your car. When you are going somewhere you sit down first of all and look at where you are wanting to go and how you plan to get there. As you drive along and come to a stop you don't look at the condition of the road straigh ahead and to either side and decide which way to go according to how smoothe one is compared to the others you take the road that is going to take you to your destination. Above all when traveling if I do manage to get lost somewhere along the way, you won't come along and find me just sitting there on the side of the road deciding whether or not to quit. I might ask directions or consult a map, but one way or the other I keep going until I reach my destination.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Personally I've found the best way to think of business or even life is to treat it like a trip that you might would take in your car. When you are going somewhere you sit down first of all and look at where you are wanting to go and how you plan to get there. As you drive along and come to a stop you don't look at the condition of the road straigh ahead and to either side and decide which way to go according to how smoothe one is compared to the others you take the road that is going to take you to your destination. Above all when traveling if I do manage to get lost somewhere along the way, you won't come along and find me just sitting there on the side of the road deciding whether or not to quit. I might ask directions or consult a map, but one way or the other I keep going until I reach my destination.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Advice From The Bible For A Happy Life
You know I have always believed that the only person that can ruin your day is yourself. I mean others can do things or say things to you that are agravating but when it comes right down to it, only you choose what you are going to focus on that day.
I know a preacher that once told me that you can't help it if birds fly over your head but you don't have to let them roost in your hair.
Today while reading my Bible I read this verse.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
I've never been one who believes that positive thinking changes what happens but I do believe that what you focus on can make a big difference in your ability to handle the bad along with the good.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
I know a preacher that once told me that you can't help it if birds fly over your head but you don't have to let them roost in your hair.
Today while reading my Bible I read this verse.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
I've never been one who believes that positive thinking changes what happens but I do believe that what you focus on can make a big difference in your ability to handle the bad along with the good.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Lessons Learned From Dad
Growing up in my parents house, I was taught many things. Some things I learned just from experiences others from the lives that my mom and dad lived before me. There were still others that my parents would tell me straight out that I needed to learn this or that and remember it. Some of these things I was told over and over until I had grown enough to move out, get married, and start a family of my own. The number of these lessons would never fit into a book and I really don’t have the time to even try to write one if they would. So, I would like to mention just three of these things today.
These are three things that I can give my dad credit for teaching me. I’ll be honest with you, many times when I was being told these things, it was not what I wanted to hear, especially at that particular moment. But now that I am grown, I see so many people who are unhappy and unsuccessful due in part because I personally believe they were never taught these things, and within myself I am once again thankful that my dad did drill these lessons into me.
The first of these lessons was that, “the world does not owe you anything.” You know, it seems like every year, I see and hear more and more people with a sense of entitlement. I’ve come across people that were having a hard time and given them money, others maybe I bought food for them and they just accept it like it’s their due, and walk off. I used to train new drivers for a particular trucking company. I owned my own truck and due to the fact that I was diabetic I had a fridge in my truck since I had to eat a certain way. I let my students put stuff in it, but did have to put a limit on it. I had one student who actually tried to get me in trouble over this. Now he knew that I owned this fridge, so it was not company property. But rather than be thankful that I shared, he was upset because he felt that he was automatically entitled to at least half of it. Every time I turn on the TV, I see people, whether politicians or news announcers, talking about our rights to this or that. They seem to forget that happiness is not what we have the right to, it is rather the pursuit of happiness that we are guaranteed the right of.
You might ask how does this make it where people are unhappy or unsuccessful? I would say from my own experience that there is certain amount of happiness that comes from simply being thankful. When you are given something that you feel is owed you, then you never experience the happiness of being thankful for the actions of others. Also have you ever noticed that many times the people who are the least thankful, and seem to have the most of a sense of entitlement, tend to be the ones who have the least. Now the question I would ask is, do they feel entitled because they are poor, or are many of them poor because they feel entitled and so are unwilling to do for themselves?
The second lesson I’ve learned from my dad is that life is not fair. I remember as a child, and later even as a teenager going to my dad and complaining “that’s not fair,” and his response would always be, “who said life’s fair?” Man, I hated that. That is really not the response I was looking for, but it was a valuable lesson that has helped me in my adult life. Life isn’t fair, and unless you realize that fact, you will spend much of your life discouraged, angry and will likely become a very bitter person. I don’t know how many people that I’ve come across these last few years that would quit this or that, and when you talk to them about why they quit, they tell you about how their “feelings were hurt,” and how it was so unfair. I always feel like saying, “yep, sounds like life.” I mean really, when you really look at the situation, maybe it was unfair, but by quitting, and limiting themselves of benefits that they could have had if they had only kept going, they are just in turn treating themselves unfairly. Most people just need to realize, ok, life’s not fair. Now let’s just get on with our lives.
The third and last lesson I would like to mention today is about not quitting. I don’t know how many times one of my brothers or my sister, or myself would want to quit at something and my dad would tell us, “Hartlines don’t quit. Get back in there.” I can’t say that I have always lived up to this lesson but I can say that some of my best times came about due to the fact that I didn’t quit when life got hard. Also some of my biggest regrets are due to times that I did quit during hard times and later wished I had not. Am I saying that everything you ever start, you should never cut your losses? No, but the fact that things have gotten hard or maybe just aren’t going your way at that time is not a good reason to quit. I would also say that if you do drop something, don’t do it at a time of pressure. You should never make an important decision when things are going bad or even when things are going great. If you are feeling discouraged put off that decision for a month and see if it is still looking as bleak at that point. We as Americans really quit way too much. I would say that before you quit, you need to look objectively at whatever it is that you started. Try to figure out why it’s not working for you, and is there something that you could change that would make it work. If you do this you’re going to be happier because of less regret, and because many of your defeats will have been successes instead.
So in conclusion, remember, the world does not owe you anything. Life’s not fair, and but when it knocks you down, get over it, and don’t quit. If you apply these lessons to your life you will not only be a stronger individual but you will be happier and much more likely to make a success of your life.
These are three things that I can give my dad credit for teaching me. I’ll be honest with you, many times when I was being told these things, it was not what I wanted to hear, especially at that particular moment. But now that I am grown, I see so many people who are unhappy and unsuccessful due in part because I personally believe they were never taught these things, and within myself I am once again thankful that my dad did drill these lessons into me.
The first of these lessons was that, “the world does not owe you anything.” You know, it seems like every year, I see and hear more and more people with a sense of entitlement. I’ve come across people that were having a hard time and given them money, others maybe I bought food for them and they just accept it like it’s their due, and walk off. I used to train new drivers for a particular trucking company. I owned my own truck and due to the fact that I was diabetic I had a fridge in my truck since I had to eat a certain way. I let my students put stuff in it, but did have to put a limit on it. I had one student who actually tried to get me in trouble over this. Now he knew that I owned this fridge, so it was not company property. But rather than be thankful that I shared, he was upset because he felt that he was automatically entitled to at least half of it. Every time I turn on the TV, I see people, whether politicians or news announcers, talking about our rights to this or that. They seem to forget that happiness is not what we have the right to, it is rather the pursuit of happiness that we are guaranteed the right of.
You might ask how does this make it where people are unhappy or unsuccessful? I would say from my own experience that there is certain amount of happiness that comes from simply being thankful. When you are given something that you feel is owed you, then you never experience the happiness of being thankful for the actions of others. Also have you ever noticed that many times the people who are the least thankful, and seem to have the most of a sense of entitlement, tend to be the ones who have the least. Now the question I would ask is, do they feel entitled because they are poor, or are many of them poor because they feel entitled and so are unwilling to do for themselves?
The second lesson I’ve learned from my dad is that life is not fair. I remember as a child, and later even as a teenager going to my dad and complaining “that’s not fair,” and his response would always be, “who said life’s fair?” Man, I hated that. That is really not the response I was looking for, but it was a valuable lesson that has helped me in my adult life. Life isn’t fair, and unless you realize that fact, you will spend much of your life discouraged, angry and will likely become a very bitter person. I don’t know how many people that I’ve come across these last few years that would quit this or that, and when you talk to them about why they quit, they tell you about how their “feelings were hurt,” and how it was so unfair. I always feel like saying, “yep, sounds like life.” I mean really, when you really look at the situation, maybe it was unfair, but by quitting, and limiting themselves of benefits that they could have had if they had only kept going, they are just in turn treating themselves unfairly. Most people just need to realize, ok, life’s not fair. Now let’s just get on with our lives.
The third and last lesson I would like to mention today is about not quitting. I don’t know how many times one of my brothers or my sister, or myself would want to quit at something and my dad would tell us, “Hartlines don’t quit. Get back in there.” I can’t say that I have always lived up to this lesson but I can say that some of my best times came about due to the fact that I didn’t quit when life got hard. Also some of my biggest regrets are due to times that I did quit during hard times and later wished I had not. Am I saying that everything you ever start, you should never cut your losses? No, but the fact that things have gotten hard or maybe just aren’t going your way at that time is not a good reason to quit. I would also say that if you do drop something, don’t do it at a time of pressure. You should never make an important decision when things are going bad or even when things are going great. If you are feeling discouraged put off that decision for a month and see if it is still looking as bleak at that point. We as Americans really quit way too much. I would say that before you quit, you need to look objectively at whatever it is that you started. Try to figure out why it’s not working for you, and is there something that you could change that would make it work. If you do this you’re going to be happier because of less regret, and because many of your defeats will have been successes instead.
So in conclusion, remember, the world does not owe you anything. Life’s not fair, and but when it knocks you down, get over it, and don’t quit. If you apply these lessons to your life you will not only be a stronger individual but you will be happier and much more likely to make a success of your life.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Why Do Some Fail While Others Succeed
Why do some people fail in this industry, while others succeed to levels that most people only dream about. You have many people who live their dream lives with the income that they make from this industry, many have even attained millionaire status just simply working the system while others never sponsor more than 1 representative or customer.
On the surface the reason may seem very obvious. They quit, or they didn’t plug in, or maybe they didn’t participate. These are not the reasons though, but rather the symptoms of the reason.
The reason for this though, really is very simple. The difference between the two cases is simply a difference in the core desires of the individual. On one hand you have an individual that their core desire or their passion is to be successful and boss free. They don’t care what it takes, how long it takes they are going to be successful. It’s really not a question of if, it’s just a question of when.
Others simply don’t have the desire at a level to push them to accomplish their goals through their new business. When you come right down to it, in their mind they didn’t really purchase a business they purchased hope, mainly to quiet that part of them that keeps nagging them to make changes in their life.
Once they buy the business, and they don't make $1,000 in the first week, they can then justify their fear of change with the "logic" that it just "didn't work", and that they knew it was a scam to begin with... This is especially true with opportunity seekers.
Let me ask you a question. If you are in a business are you investing your money and your time to make yourself better equipped to succeed in that business. Are you just willing to give it a shot for a month or so, or are you willing to stick it out even through hard times, rather than suffer defeat. Basically do you approach your business with the attitude that you are going to succeed no matter how long it takes or what monetary sacrifices you might have to make.
If this is your attitude then I know of a business that it really won’t take all that long before you can see great success, if it’s not you attitude though I would advise that you just keep working for somebody else, not because you can not make it, but rather because you will not make it.
I’ve talked to people that say, “Some people just don’t have what it takes.” On one hand I would disagree with them. Anybody can be successful in their own business. It just takes work and a willingness to stick with it long enough to see the fruit of your work. If you plant a field full of vegetables and then give up and move because you can’t see where it has accomplished anything, you have not only lost the investment, and the time spent in work, but also the fruits of your labor that you would have benefited from if you had only stuck around.
Many people, as a matter of fact I would say most people that get into their own businesses, invest money to start a business. Maybe it really takes off immediately, but sometimes it doesn’t. They work at it, they talk to others about it, but nobody seems to be buying anything. Maybe for a whole month, they don’t make a sale. And they get discouraged and quit. What they don’t look at is that all those people they talked to that month, they’ve been planting seeds. Not only would they have benefited from the people that would have been customers if they had only kept on, but the ones that were not interested would have one day had a need that they could have filled, and if they had only still been working at it, guess who they would have come to.
Like I said though on one hand I disagree with the notion that “some people just don’t have what it takes,” but on the other hand I’ve got to agree with them. What they lack though is not the skills, those can be learned. It’s not the money, that can be earned. Really what some people lack that they need to succeed, is simply the drive and passion to succeed that is needed to push them to success and keep them going in the bad times leading up to that success.
I would like to say one last thing before I sign off. Maybe you are reading this today and you are just ready to quit whatever business you have gotten into. Now I don't know what you might be doing, but before you just write it off as a scam, look first at your product. Is it a good product that there is a real demand for? Look at others in the same business. Are they making money. If the product is a good one, and others are making a good living selling it, then it isn't a scam. I'm not saying that the problem isn't that you haven't worked hard at making it. But I would like you to consider something before you just quit, and cut your losses.
There are some people who can start a business and make $1,000 the first week, without even seeming to have to try. There are others who have to work hard to get a business off the ground. Most businesses take a lot of work getting established, but if you stick with it until it is established you've got it made after that. And if you think about anything that you've done in your life, remember that with most, you have to be bad at it before you get good at it.
I've worked in offices with groups of others who were also self employed, and I've been part of other groups that maybe didn't meet in an office every day, but were all also business owners. It has been my experience that the ones that fail, generally do so for one of two reasons.
Most of them just simply did not have the self motivation to work if somebody else wasn't looking over their shoulder. They would do their business full time, but they wouldn't get up and come to work until about noon, then they needed to leave around 2:00 for this or that. And of course when they didn't make it, "it was because that business was a scam." The business wasn't a scam, they were just lazy.
I hate to say it, but I have seen others who worked hard, and still failed at their business. Some of them would even do all right for a couple months then after 2 bad months they would get discouraged and quit. I've done it myself once or twice. I would honestly say though that if they had kept it up, I really believe that they would have ended up hugely successful. They had the work ethic, all they really needed was time to see the fruit of their labor, and also, just to get the experience needed to get good at it.
In closing, I would just like to say that both these situations again come back to what is your core desire. How important is it to you that you succeed at this. If success is a priority, then don't quit.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
On the surface the reason may seem very obvious. They quit, or they didn’t plug in, or maybe they didn’t participate. These are not the reasons though, but rather the symptoms of the reason.
The reason for this though, really is very simple. The difference between the two cases is simply a difference in the core desires of the individual. On one hand you have an individual that their core desire or their passion is to be successful and boss free. They don’t care what it takes, how long it takes they are going to be successful. It’s really not a question of if, it’s just a question of when.
Others simply don’t have the desire at a level to push them to accomplish their goals through their new business. When you come right down to it, in their mind they didn’t really purchase a business they purchased hope, mainly to quiet that part of them that keeps nagging them to make changes in their life.
Once they buy the business, and they don't make $1,000 in the first week, they can then justify their fear of change with the "logic" that it just "didn't work", and that they knew it was a scam to begin with... This is especially true with opportunity seekers.
Let me ask you a question. If you are in a business are you investing your money and your time to make yourself better equipped to succeed in that business. Are you just willing to give it a shot for a month or so, or are you willing to stick it out even through hard times, rather than suffer defeat. Basically do you approach your business with the attitude that you are going to succeed no matter how long it takes or what monetary sacrifices you might have to make.
If this is your attitude then I know of a business that it really won’t take all that long before you can see great success, if it’s not you attitude though I would advise that you just keep working for somebody else, not because you can not make it, but rather because you will not make it.
I’ve talked to people that say, “Some people just don’t have what it takes.” On one hand I would disagree with them. Anybody can be successful in their own business. It just takes work and a willingness to stick with it long enough to see the fruit of your work. If you plant a field full of vegetables and then give up and move because you can’t see where it has accomplished anything, you have not only lost the investment, and the time spent in work, but also the fruits of your labor that you would have benefited from if you had only stuck around.
Many people, as a matter of fact I would say most people that get into their own businesses, invest money to start a business. Maybe it really takes off immediately, but sometimes it doesn’t. They work at it, they talk to others about it, but nobody seems to be buying anything. Maybe for a whole month, they don’t make a sale. And they get discouraged and quit. What they don’t look at is that all those people they talked to that month, they’ve been planting seeds. Not only would they have benefited from the people that would have been customers if they had only kept on, but the ones that were not interested would have one day had a need that they could have filled, and if they had only still been working at it, guess who they would have come to.
Like I said though on one hand I disagree with the notion that “some people just don’t have what it takes,” but on the other hand I’ve got to agree with them. What they lack though is not the skills, those can be learned. It’s not the money, that can be earned. Really what some people lack that they need to succeed, is simply the drive and passion to succeed that is needed to push them to success and keep them going in the bad times leading up to that success.
I would like to say one last thing before I sign off. Maybe you are reading this today and you are just ready to quit whatever business you have gotten into. Now I don't know what you might be doing, but before you just write it off as a scam, look first at your product. Is it a good product that there is a real demand for? Look at others in the same business. Are they making money. If the product is a good one, and others are making a good living selling it, then it isn't a scam. I'm not saying that the problem isn't that you haven't worked hard at making it. But I would like you to consider something before you just quit, and cut your losses.
There are some people who can start a business and make $1,000 the first week, without even seeming to have to try. There are others who have to work hard to get a business off the ground. Most businesses take a lot of work getting established, but if you stick with it until it is established you've got it made after that. And if you think about anything that you've done in your life, remember that with most, you have to be bad at it before you get good at it.
I've worked in offices with groups of others who were also self employed, and I've been part of other groups that maybe didn't meet in an office every day, but were all also business owners. It has been my experience that the ones that fail, generally do so for one of two reasons.
Most of them just simply did not have the self motivation to work if somebody else wasn't looking over their shoulder. They would do their business full time, but they wouldn't get up and come to work until about noon, then they needed to leave around 2:00 for this or that. And of course when they didn't make it, "it was because that business was a scam." The business wasn't a scam, they were just lazy.
I hate to say it, but I have seen others who worked hard, and still failed at their business. Some of them would even do all right for a couple months then after 2 bad months they would get discouraged and quit. I've done it myself once or twice. I would honestly say though that if they had kept it up, I really believe that they would have ended up hugely successful. They had the work ethic, all they really needed was time to see the fruit of their labor, and also, just to get the experience needed to get good at it.
In closing, I would just like to say that both these situations again come back to what is your core desire. How important is it to you that you succeed at this. If success is a priority, then don't quit.
http://www.hartlinefinancial.com/
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