What Are Your Keys to Success?

Keys to Success

As most people readily realize, everything you do in life is directly determined in success by how you approach it.  This means if you are willing to approach a situation with an open mind and a bit of self-confidence in yourself, you are going to be much more likely to succeed than someone who approaches with a grudge, attitude or just lack of self-confidence.  At the same time if you are trying to learn a new skill you are not going to set out with self-confidence so you need to learn some things to help you readily adjust to the things that you encounter.

These same principals apply to tennis as well.  What may seem overly complicated with a bit of patience and self-confidence can become readily manageable.  However, if you do not approach the game with some self-confidence you are likely to fail.  This is true of anything that you do, even if it is something other than tennis.  The final result of your performance is altered based upon your own personal approach and there are several things that you can do to improve your overall approach and ensure that you are having the best experience possible.

Approach the sport with an open mind and embrace it.  If you just half attempt the sport then you will increase the chances of getting hurt, decrease your chances of success and wish you had never picked up a tennis racquet.  If you approach with a positive mindset, you are going to put yourself in a much better position to be successful, regardless of how long you have been playing.  A player who approaches the court in a good mood and with a positive mindset is going to be much more likely to have a good game than someone who is in a bad mood.

Accept that mistakes will happen.  Even those players who are professionals make mistakes, which is part of life in general.  Accept this fact and take your mistakes as a chance to learn a lesson.  If you discover that you are making a mistake in your timing for swinging the racquet, take that as a chance to improve your timing.  If you take everything that you do wrong as an opportunity to improve, rather than as a failure you will be able to really improve your overall outlook.  To make you feel better, remember that even the best players are going to have days when they play horribly, make mistakes and just do not want to be on the court.

For those who have been playing a lot it is also important to avoid burn out.  This can strike any sport, hobby, job, career or activity.  If you do nothing but play tennis every waking moment that you are awake, you are going to be running straight into a burn out in no time at all.  Rather than do this to yourself ensure that you take a break at times to go shopping, hang out with friends and even just sit around on the couch acting lazy and watching television.  This will allow you to come back to the tennis court with a fresh mind and ready to play again.  The time that you spend away from the court in these circumstances can be just as valuable as the time you spend on the court.

You should also realize that each player has their own particular style.  What works best for your coach may not be what works best for you.  While you should take your coaches advice, you need to ensure that you are doing what is comfortable for you.  For example, your racquet, shoes and clothing need to be fitted for you and your needs, rather than what your coach can comfortably use.  If you take the time to do things your own style, you will be able to really develop your skills.  Never just try to completely copy another player, even if it is your coach.

Work-at-Home-Moms Selling Teddy Bears

Work-at-Home-Moms Selling Teddy Bears:

Work-at-home-moms from all over the world are realizing that business is booming with teddy bears. Everyone loves teddy bears and they can be given away for just about any occasion. You've got teddies for birthdays, careers, holidays, graduating, sports, designer bears and many others.  So, if you want to start earning a little bit of money you can join one of several different companies, unless you want to venture out and start your own business.

They can become an affiliate to a teddy bear company and sell their teddy bears. Build a Bear has parties that'll allow the consumer to build their own teddy bears. As an affiliate they'll shop up to the party with the supplies needed, from the bodies, stuffing to the outfits that they'll wear. Kids have a blast with this and they can probably make a few extra dollars for those parents that brought over an extra child or want to have one for themselves. They might even be able to convince them to sign up under them as an affiliate. Selling teddy bears at these types of parties are never hard. 

In order to sell teddy bears they'll have to get the word out and the best way to do this is by having a party. Everyone loves parties, especially women and when there is free stuff. Make sure to have one or two prizes to give away and a sign up sheet for who'll have the next party. Keep in mind if you offer a gift for the person that has the next sign party, you'll probably have several want to do it.
If you are a work-at-home mom starting your own business, make sure you have lots of business cards to pass out. You may even be able to get a store to place one of your teddy bears at their checkout if you hold a contest. Make sure your bear is there and try purchasing something from the store, i.e., nail salon would love a Free Set of Nails as a prize and word gets out.
 
Selling teddy bears can be a lot of fun and you get out of the house meeting others. You can use teddy bears for just about everything, decorating a kid's room to having them as gifts at a baby shower. Work-at-home moms won't be having a hard time making money with their teddy bears.

Dispelling An SFI Myth

Dispelling An SFI Myth A special message from SFI President & Founder, Gery Carson

One of the biggest misconceptions about SFI is that there is a monthly fee or purchase requirement. This is, of course, completely FALSE. There is NEVER any cost to be an affiliate. And you can earn VersaPoints and corresponding benefits, perks, and payouts through a variety of actions. Yes, thousands of SFI affiliates DO purchase SFI products for themselves. It only makes sense, after all, to buy from TripleClicks.com, "your own store"—especially those items that you are already purchasing from someone else (more on this in a moment). However, this is TOTALLY OPTIONAL. The best way to accumulate VersaPoints and attain Executive Affiliate rank is to generate 1,500 SVP instantly via a purchase at the TripleClicks store...OR...without any personal purchases by taking the actions outlined in the Getting Started, BASICS, or LAUNCHPAD sections. In fact, SFI has a wide variety of products available with varying VersaPoint totals attached for you to offer your customers and prospective affiliates. As few as one customer sale a month can get you to Executive Affiliate rank each month! How do you make these sales? The easiest way is to check out the numerous strategies outlined at theMember Referral Methods page. By the way, each time one of your TC customers or one of your PSAs places an order at TripleClicks.com, you earn 45% of the CV. PLUS...as an Executive Affiliate, you'll earn shares from the TripleClicks Executive Pool, become eligible for Co-Sponsor Commissions and ECA Royalties, pick up free TripleClicks TCredits, get co-sponsored affiliates added to your team each month, and more! For a list of ALL benefits you'll get from accumulating VersaPoints. BUYING FROM TRIPLECLICKS.COM, YOUR OWN STORE As an SFI affiliate, you are essentially a partner of SFI's. You truly need to think of the SFI product line as YOUR product line. Hence, it only makes sense that when you buy products and services, you always shop your own store first. If you owned a bakery, I'm certain you wouldn't be buying cinnamon rolls from Winchell's Donuts down the street. If you owned a Ford dealership, I'm betting you wouldn't even think about buying a Chevy across town. It's the exact same thing with SFI. Especially when it comes to products you're ALREADY buying. "Your store" almost certainly carries several products or services that you ALREADY purchase from a local store or other service provider. Why not transfer those purchases...to YOUR store? Remember, we're not talking about spending extra money, just changing where you're buying it from. In doing so, you're taking action that supports the growth of your SFI business and the businesses of your entire team. Additionally, your upline leaders (your Sponsor and Team Leaders) earn commissions each time you buy from your SFI store. And while that may not excite you right now, it surely will when later you have your own team of hundreds or thousands of affiliates and you're earning commissions on every purchase they make! So where do you go when you're ready to shop your store? Just head over to TripleClicks.com—YOUR store.

Office Management Tips for Home Based Workers

Office Management Tips for Home Based Workers:

Are you a home based worker?  If you are, you may enjoy the fact that you are able to work from the comfort of your own home. Although working from home is nice, there are some home based workers who find themselves in trouble with their supervisors, find themselves having difficultly meeting deadlines, and so forth.
 
When many individuals, especially home based workers, think of office management, traditional workplace settings are often the first thing that comes to mind. Yes, this is most often the case, but it is important to note that even home based workers can benefit from office management.  Even if you are your only employee, it is advised that you develop an office management plan for yourself, as there are a number of benefits to doing so.

The first step in creating an office management plan for yourself is examining your workplace. Do you have a home office?  Although you may not have a separate room to use for your office, you are still advised to have your own space. This space should at least include an office desk.  If at all possible, you may want to try and create your own office. This can be done by examining all walk-in closets in your home or by setting up an office curtain, which can act as office doors and walls.  Having your own space is the first step in ensuring that your at-home operations are professionally operated.

Speaking of creating a real office feel, it is important to know that there are a number of benefits to doing so.  Many home based workers are known to produce better results and be more productive when working in a professional setting. This does not mean that you cannot work from a convenient location inside or outside of your home; it just means that you should consider creating an office space for you in your home, even if you use it only on occasion.  This extra step is one that may prove beneficial and profitable to you.

Another step that you can take, to develop an office management plan for yourself, is by using office management software.  Office management software comes in a number of different formats, but it is designed to ease the running of a business.  Many enable you to keep all important information, such as billing records, customer records, and so forth, in one location.  If you are a contract worker for another company or if you created a business comprised of other home based workers, you may want to purchase office management software that is web based, as all can benefit from its use, namely the ability to easily communicate and share important information.

One simple step that you can take to bring more order to your home based office is by acting as if you have someone to answer to.  You will want to do this even if you are your own boss.  This may help to improve your productivity and your performance.  It is no secret that many work harder and produce better results when they have someone to answer to. 

The above mentioned points are all points that you will want to take into consideration, if you are a home based worker or if you are looking to become one. Many say that home based workers have it easy, but that isn't always the case.

Internet Marketing Is 24/7, Not A One-Time Stunt

Internet Marketing Is 24/7, Not A One-Time Stunt

An oft-stated principle of Internet Marketing and Social Media Marketing is that it is not a one time stunt—it is a 24/7 endeavor. As we have discussed earlier in this course, you can profit indefinitely from the things that you build. But, that does not mean you can just create a Website and some social media profiles and then leave them to work by themselves. Nothing you build, no matter how clever, will work without your continued attention.

You may have very limited time. You may have a full-time job—perhaps even two jobs. You may have family responsibilities. As grand as it would be if we could, we simply cannot create extra hours in the day. Thus, it is understandable that you cannot devote 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to your Internet Marketing, no matter how promising the future might be if you could. What you can do, though, is care about your Internet Marketing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can be mindful of it. You can ensure that you do carve out as much time as possible to devote to it.

Your goal is social media is to create conversations. Online conversations are understood to have pauses, no one is expected to be online all the time. But, conversations must have some steady flow or they will dry up. However limited your time may be, make enough time to keep the flow of your conversations as steady as possible. Do your best to respond to everything, even if it takes some time for you to get to it.

The most frequently made mistake in Internet Marketing, from my observations, is that someone will put a great deal of effort into creating a Website and setting up social media pages and then just ignore it, expecting it to work on its own. What you are creating when you create a Website and social media pages is a vehicle, a vehicle that must then be driven before it can go anywhere. You can build the greatest car in the world, but you go nowhere in it unless you crank it up and attentively drive it somewhere. You can take breaks and pauses in your trip, but you have to get back in again soon and keep driving in order to reach your destination.

If You Think You're Done Creating Content, Start OptimizingContent

The platitude, "if you think you're done creating content, start optimizing content', which follows from our discussion above, is expressed various ways. It is just another way of reminding Internet Marketers that the job is never done. There are times when we all feel that we have just said all there is to say for now. We feel we have worked hard and have covered everything that needs to be covered in our Website and our social media pages. When you have that feeling, start optimizing your content on the same regular schedule that you used to create your content.

You can optimize your content in a number of ways. First, you can review the language you used in your content and ask yourself if it could be more clearly expressed. Could you say the same thing is less words? Could you say it in a more understandable way? Are there 'power words' you can use to replace some of the bland words you have used in your content? Is there some better way to say essentially the same thing, but with much more impact? You can always find something to improve in your content. Often, those little improvements can make a big difference.

Always Respond

"Always Respond" is a very concise way of expressing the principle that we have been discussing as it applies to social media. You do not have to respond right away— although it is better if you do—but do always respond to every legitimate communication you receive through your Website or social media pages, regardless of how long it takes you to do so.

In polite conversation among friends, it may not be the best thing to always have the last word. In marketing, though, if you do it thoughtfully, it is good to always send the last communication. This way, you are always acknowledging that you have been contacted. Even if the last correspondence you received concluded all business at hand, it is still good to acknowledge that communication and let your contact know that you are available the next time they need to communicate with you.

Don't Try To Be Clever, Be Clever

We discussed being clever in your social media posts just a few lessons back. It is mentioned again here because it appeared regularly in the recent articles I reviewed. It is worth repeating that being clever only works when there is a surprise and an intelligent point is made. If you try and fail, it falls flat. If possible, have a business associate, friend, or family member review your posts that are intended to be clever and see if they have the expected reaction. If not, perhaps you should rethink the post. It takes a little extra effort to be clever and creative, rather than bland in your communications, but that extra effort pays off.

Not Everything Will Work And That's Fine

On the other hand, if you do try and fail, it is not the end of the world. Do not let the fear of failure paralyze you. Some of your posts will work. Some will not. Some of your Web campaigns will work. Some will not. Study the ones that do work and study the ones that do not work. Try to ascertain what is common among the ones that do work and what is common among the ones that do not work. If you observe your results carefully, you should be able to improve the percentage of your efforts that do pay off.

Conclusion

To have success in Internet Marketing, you must really stick with it. While you may not be able to make it a 24/7 activity, you can make it a 24/7 concern. Always being mindful of your Internet Marketing efforts will help you to find more time to make them work. Any time you have the feeling that you're done for now, focus on trying to optimize what you have done. You can always find ways to improve things and little improvements often make a big difference in outcomes. In social media, always keep the conversations going and always respond to communications, even if it takes you a while to get to everything. Every communication to which you fail to respond may be a lost opportunity. Be clever, at least at times, in your communications and responses. Because failed attempts to be clever can be harmful, have someone review your efforts before you post them. Sometimes your efforts will fail despite the thoughtfulness and cleverness you apply to them. That's OK. Observing what works and what doesn't work, will help you apply your efforts more efficiently in the future.

Material from my SFI Business Tool Kit at: Http://sfi4.com/12688726/First