The Miracle of Personal Development

By Jim Rohn
One day my mentor Mr. Shoaff said, Jim, if you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.

Since that time I've been working on my own personal development. And I must admit that this has been the most challenging assignment of all. This business of personal development lasts a lifetime.

You see, what you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, "What am I getting?" Instead, you should ask, "What am I becoming?" Getting and becoming are like Siamese twins: What you become directly influences what you get. Think of it this way: Most of what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are today.

I've also found that income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle.

If someone hands you a million dollars, you'd better hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, "If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before."

It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development.

So here's the great axiom of life:

To have more than you've got, become more than you are.

This is where you should focus most of your attention. Otherwise, you just might have to contend with the axiom of not changing, which is:

Unless you change how you are, you'll always have what you've got.

Social Marketing #12 Living A Good Life

Social Marketing #11 Your Skills Determine Your Future

Social Marketing # 10 Deserve Vs. Determine

Social Marketing #9 Communication Presentation

Social Marketing #8 Working Together - Let's Go do it

Social Marketing #7 Developing New Skills

This one should be a no brainer. If you don't develop new skills how will you ever grow. Anyone who has a heart beat should be working on developing some kind of skill.

Social Marketing #6 The Law Of Sowing & Reaping by Jim Rohn

This is one law more folks who enter the business of social marketing must focus on. Sometimes no's are so hard on the soul, but what I've found when they understand the law of sowing and reaping it puts the fun back into business.



Yes social marketing is fun if your on the right team who has fun doing it. I personally can't imagine marketing the old fashion way (belly to belly) but I love social marketing online. Here's the deal though you still must remember the basic principles because they apply to both online and offline social marketing.

Social Marketing #5 The Law Of Averages by Jim Rohn

Social Marketing #4 The Set Of The Sail by Jim Rohn

Social Marketing #3 The Magic Of Part-Time by Jim Rohn

Social Marketing #2 Profits Are Better Than Wages by Jim Rohn

Social Marketing #1 Awakening To The Opportunity by Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn was a master teacher and trainer and will be greatly missed. As a tribute to him this is the first post of 12 short videos on social marketing. Social marketing is the "new" term for the old stand by "network marketing."



Now main stream media and BIG business has grasped onto the power of social marketing. Sometimes called Social Media Marketing.

Marketing Strategies: The Email Report

Some facts about email systems. Veretekk's Veremail email systems are significantly different than any other email systems offered on the Internet. To illustrate this, we must break the system down into it's basic parts.

The database:

All email systems must have a database; otherwise you don't have anyone to send email to. But building that database is what clearly sets Veremail apart from all the rest. Let's illustrate this. With Veretekk you have many systems at work to build your list. Starting with the Traffic Portals, Veretekk owns over 40 (and always growing) unique domains that offer real services and systems for free in exchange for the subscribers name, address, phone number, some with survey results and double optin email addresses. These are real services, not just easily disseminated content.

Traffic Portals

What are real services? Real leads delivered from real lead systems that Veretekk owns. Everyday unique email leads, date, name and IP addresses. Real submission services that others charge $100 for on a per yearly basis. Real technology submitting your subscribers ads across the Internet with real results. Real state of the art Live Web based conference rooms. Also known as webinars, for free, that challenge brand name services with free access, excellent sound quality, excellent recording quality and superior support. Real state of the art PDF free Vacation coupons that really do deliver free 3 day vacation packages. The list continues with real software, real websites, real daily quotes, real stuff, not just some free report. Stuff people are looking for. Already turnkey and ready to go to work for you with little to no effort, that is turnkey, which means you start building your email list right out of the gate.

Your own capture pages

An important feature you also get submission forms that you can put right into your websites. These are often referred to as CAMPAIGNS, we call them GROUPS, many other companies limit how many campaigns you can have, we don't.. These forms are customized to redirect to any website you wish and send any set off custom autoresponders you build when the subscriber verifies from submitting your form. Your forms have many options depending on how much information you wish to collect.

Sequential email autoresponders

Once your subscriber has verified they begin receiving your campaign autoresponders and are also added to your email broadcasting control panel. This panel has all your leads organized according to what type of lead they are. Your GROUPS (campaigns) show up as Veremail Groups and categorized according to the name you labeled that group as. The email broadcasting control panel (Bully Pulpit) allows you to send email to your groups all or sub sets on a daily basis.

Database email uploads

You have the ability to upload as many email addresses into your system in sets up to 10,000 per upload. You have the choice to use 20 verification template emails for these uploads, and when that prospective owner of that email verifies, you have the choice to have the system send them a set or series of autoresponders you produced and…you can also set the system to redirect to any website you wish.

Since you also have an incoming email web mail system (yourname@veretekk.com) any email being sent to your email addresse(s) (You have the ability to make unlimited email addresses) also go to your own Veretekk POP account as well as your web based email account in the email broadcasting system (The Bully Pulpit).

Your own email account

When you sign up for an email account like Gmail, Yahoo, Live, etc. you are getting a web based email account and an email address like yourname@gmail.com, right? You all understand this I am sure.

If you have online access with someone like Comcast, you have an email address like yourname@comcast.com and it is accessed through your Outlook or Eudora email software and is reffered to as a POP account. I am making sense so far right?

If you sign up for an autoresponder system from anyone but Veretekk, you need an outside email like Gmail or your Comcast account and this makes no sense whatsoever if you give it some thought. There are solid reasons why your autoresponder system should be a complete turnkey system that includes your own email address both web based and POP account.

Total Integration

First of all it completes the circuit of your system. Everything in one place. Second it assures continuity in regards to good email practices and validity. When you sign up for Veretekk your Veremail email system is your email system, not a third party as a return address.

As Matt says, ""With any internet email responding system, there will be many individuals, companies and lists that your email will be placed on when responding to your own offers and newsletters. For most, this is an annoying part of the business and process, but you can turn this into an asset for yourself and your business. If someone is sending you an email for an offer of their own, then you can be sure that they are looking to build their list or their bottom line. If you set your email service and business up to "reverse market" to these individuals with your services, especially a service that generates leads like Veretekk, you can be sure to get a response back and you will begin to build leads from junk mail.""

Further Mo ads, "An email account with Gmail or hotmail now days sounds unsophisticated. Email that comes from a legitimate domain has more credibility particularly when it is integrated with marketing keywords that reflect the subject of the email."

Then there is the Spam complaint. If you are using an autoresponder system that utilizes a third party email like Aweber does ie: yourname@yahoo.com, then you loose! Your email account gets terminated, period. When you use a system that integrates their own mail servers to give you your own unique email address with a web based and POP email account that company bears the brunt of that complaint, defends against it and you win! Your email address is not terminated. Your service continues and you are exonerated.

Frank experienced this when his primary health related distributorship, without notice, terminated his affiliate position because of a spam complaint. However, the email message was delivered through Veretekk's mail servers and with Veretekk's validated mail search system, Veretekk was able to prove Frank was innocent and restore his health distributorship account back to normal.

No other autoresponder system can offer this. Only Veretekk does this.

Deliverability of the message.

When you are shopping for an autoresponder system, you want to make sure that system has a long term reputation on the Internet. That they utilize good email practices. That they are vigilant and communicate with the various policing systems like SpamCop and interact with all the top ISP services out there.

You want to make sure they have massive server redundancy so you can rest assured that the email is sending out quickly and effectively. To test this I use my own email server that has Spam Assassin but does not filter. You are welcome to use this address to test. The email address is [emailme@workfrom-homejob.com] the password is 12345.

Go ahead and use the email address to signup into one of your portals like http://barefoot.blastomatic.com

Then check for the email at http:mail2web.com. Enter the email address [emailme@workfrom-homejob.com] and password to receive the email. Use a timer. It will be less than a second for mail delivery. WARNING: Not all email systems are equal.

Social Marketing Fast Track

I don't know of anyone who joins a MLM business and doesn't want to get their business off the ground FAST. What I've found in many programs it's tough to make the income you desire in the first few months. Generally it's either your skills/mindset aren't at level to recruit successfully or the MLM company your involved with just doesn't have enough incentive to offer a new distributor to make any real money out of the starting gate.

There are 4 Root Causes of Failure.

1. Belief = Active
2. Faith = Passive
3. Self-Confidence
4. Self-Image

The opposite of faith is fear. To test faith watch your doing are you doing the activities a successful business entrepreneur does? Is fear holding you back from success? Overcome the fear, do the activities and see results.

The forerunner of faith is belief. To test belief listen to what you say and how you say it. Really it's not so much what you say it's how you say it. Do you have a passion for what your promoting? If you do that passion will come through in your voice. You can't say enough right things to the wrong folks, at the same time you can't say anything wrong to the right folks.

Self-Confidence and Self-Image is something we all are born with. Have you ever tried to reason with a 2 or 3 year old when it's time to take a nap or to wear matching clothes? I could go into lots more detail on this subject, but basically self-confidence & self-image is in all of us sometimes we have to look deep to find it again.

Now addressing the MLM Company. They are a dime a dozen. Some are good honest companies, but no real practical way for the average person to make money. And then there are the "new" companies the may or may not be the next latest greatest thing since sliced bread. I've gotta to say I've seen many come in like gang busters only to struggle and get shut down. I don't know about you but I wouldn't touch a "new" company with a 10" pole in today's economy. Why risk it when there are good reputable company's like Shaklee that are on the move.


As you watch this short informative video, you will start to see the opportunities in a "GOOD" MLM company. There is a reason Shaklee has been in business for over 50 years and just had it's biggest month of growth since 2004. What can I say Money Talks!

Learn more about Shaklee and why we do what we do at: http://cindy.myshaklee.com

Business Truth about Social Media & ROI

Right now, small businesses have a huge advantage over big business in actually being able to convert social media conversations into dollars and cents. Here’s why:

Small business:

• Can be less censored – They don’t have to wade through layers of social media do/don’t policy and legal sign-off on every tweet, update, post or comment. And, in social media, people respond to real and spontaneous. So, it’s much easier to build the conversation
  
• Can have a personality – All too often, the voice of the company that filters through to social media is almost entirely devoid of personality. People connect with color, business proper gray.
  
• Only needs to connect with hundreds or a few thousand, not hundreds of thousands or millions – If a small business connects with a few thousand people, that could make a huge dent in it’s business, making it worth the effort. A large business may need to connect with millions to feel the same impact and that may well not be worth the effort from an ROI standpoint
  
• Can tap into local energy, events, traditions – By having a shared experience based on the local community, it’s a lot easier for people to bond with the voice of that business
  
• Can implement instantly and tailor highly relevant offers – When it’s one person behind the mic, it’s way easier to carry on a real, spontaneous conversation and also create an ongoing series of highly local, highly-relevant and time-sensitive offers that will convert followers into customers.
  
  

So, if you’re a small business or entrepreneur and you’ve been wondering about the value of this wacky thing called social media, fact is you’ve got a huge advantage over large corporations right now. You have the ability to actually convert time spent on social media into money in the bank. And, have a lot of fun doing it.

Case Study: Mountainbike Madness

Mountabike Madness is a bike shop run by two college friends, Mario and Eva. It’s a real business with a great product and it’s growing nicely. But they’re always interested in finding new ways to get customers to the shop. Along with trying out street teams, the local pennysaver, mailings, sandwich boards and a bunch of other marketing ideas. Eva gets the idea to start to play around with twitter.

Actually, she already had a personal account. So did Mario, so they’re familiar with the nature of conversation in the communities, because they’re already regular users. So, they set up a Mountainbike Madness account and use Mario as the name associated with the account.

They use twitter’s search function and a number of other tools twice a day to find people in their neighborhood who either have some variation of the word bike in their profile or their tweets. They broaden it out to various forms of outdoor activities, too. They see what these potentially likeminded folks talking about, then follow them and join in the conversations they are having.

They also start to share all sorts of funny, quirky, edgy quotes, ideas, and stories. And, here and there, they throw out tweets about instant giveaways for the first person to tweet their favorite rider, grip or trail. They do daily or weekly specials on bikes, parts, clothing and other schwag. They share cool tips and riding strategies and aren’t afraid to show their personalities. They announce weekly Rave Rides where everyone has 4 hours to show at a particular trailhead for an epic group ride. And, once a month, they do a one-day 20% off twitter-only sale from the back of a truck and you have to be following them to know where it will be.

After 3 months, they can track twitter related sales to an average of 30% of daily sales and total sales have gone up 20% since starting on twitter. Not only is it great for their community, for customer service…they’re using social media to put money in the bank.

So there you have it. There are many ways to market online if you aren't considering adding social media to the mix your missing out on a big chunk of profits. Yes there is a right way and wrong way. Be sure to follow those who know how to do it the right way.

Social Marketing Leadership: A Fun Example

This is a fun example of leadership at a music concert. First you see just the leader, taking action (even if it is a kinda goofy action), and through his passion and example, creating followers. To get the full effect, watch the the whole thing, but at a minimum watch at least past the one minute mark. Hang in there OK? It's worth it..



Is the guy in this video showing great leadership skills? Not necessarily in a business related way, but in this situation there is no doubt he created a tribe in a short time.

What worked for him was his "all out" take action approach without giving up or caring what others might be thinking.

So do you think it would work for you in your organization? ABSOLUTELY!

Take the challenge, do something to Stand Out.

Lead by doing.

Lead with passion.

That's what makes you a remarkable Leader.

47 Google Marketing Tools for Writers

Writers, especially those who work from home or who juggle busy schedules around multiple assignments, have a lot to manage–note pads, sticky notes, brainstorming lists, correspondence with clients and editors, and even personal documents and materials that take up a lot of space and time. With its new applications and tools, Google continues to make it easier to manage all that. Below are some of our top picks for the most useful Google apps for writers.

Home Office and Organization

From organizing your calendar to syncing up your BlackBerry and more, these Google apps are great for home office organization.

1. Desktop: Search your computer easily and efficiently with Desktop, which retrieves e-mails, files and more.
2. Toolbar: Add buttons so that you can quickly visit different sites. The Firefox Toolbar also finds suggestions for your searches and allows you to share web pages.
3. Google Health: Writers who manage their own health insurance can use this app to organize their records, learn about health issues and more.
Calendar: This web-based calendar supports document sharing and collaboration.
4.Reader: Google Reader makes it easy for you to keep up with the latest information coming from your favorite blogs and feeds.
5. Google Sync for BlackBerry: This app is especially helpful for writers on the road: sync up your Google calendars and BlackBerry calendar.
6. Maps: Get directions to your next meeting or look up a vendor’s location using Maps.
7. Product Search: Shop for home office supplies and more using Product Search.
8. Ride Finder: If you’re flying to Atlanta, San Francisco or Washington, DC for an interview or meeting, use Ride Finder to find taxis and other transportation.
9. Notebook: Throw out all sticky notes cluttering your desk and use Google Notebook for taking down ideas instead.
10. Docs: This online word processor lets you share changes in real time with editors and is web-based so you can access it anytime.
11. SketchUp: Use SketchUp to brainstorm and mock up a project with a co-worker.
12. Lively: Lively is a 3D virtual world where you can chat with co-workers and visually design a project. It’s also great for inspiration and experimenting with your article or story.
13. Blogger: Refer clients to your Blogger blog to get updates on how you’re progressing with their project.
14. Pack: Google Pack includes free services like Picasa uploader, Notifier for the Mac, Desktop, Google Earth and more.

Tools for your Website or Blog

A writer’s blog is vital to expanding his or her brand, advertising services and posting an up-to-date, modern resume. Use these apps to make the most of your online space.

15. Google Code Search: If you’re looking for code licenses and public source files, use this search engine.
16. Blogger Mobile: Post to your Blogger blog from your phone with this app.
17. Feedburner: Market your content, analyze your blog’s traffic and audience, and even make money through the FeedBurner Ad Network.
Sites: Use Sites to create your own website for your own organization or to share with others.
18. OpenSocial: Create user and developer-friendly social applications for your websites with this app.
19. Google Checkout: Add this payment service to your website to make it easier for your clients to pay your invoices.
20. Trends: With Trends, you can compare search terms and figure out what people are looking for online. Then, you can customize your site to match those trends.

Time Savers

Turn to these time-saving apps while you are researching and when you’re on the go.

21. Google Chrome: This browser is more secure and much more efficient. You can connect to your favorite sites even faster and even get search suggestions.
22. SMS for your phone: With this app, you can get business listings, stock quotes and other random information sent to your phone via text message.
23. Special Searches: Use the U.S. Government search, for example, to save time on your research and find only what you really want.

Creativity

Here you’ll find Google apps that boost your creativity and help you get inspired.

24. Picasa: This photo manager and organizer can be used for inspiration, to give your written pieces more dimension or just to share photos with friends and family.
25. Photos Screensaver: Design screensavers to inspire your current projects with this tool, which will pop up whenever you go idle.

Communication

Use these Google apps when you need to stay in touch with colleagues, clients, editors, agents and even friends and family.

26. Talk: Google Talk supports IM and VoIP so you can connect with contacts all over the world very easily.
27. Google Groups: Google Groups is a very easy way to keep track of a project or to keep up with family.
28. orkut: orkut is a social media site that lets you share videos and photos and connect with co-workers or friends with instant messaging.
29. GrandCentral: GrandCentral syncs up all your communication tools. One number rings all your phones, one voicemail box keeps your messages organized, and one address book saves all your contacts.
30. Language Tools: Use this app to expand your customer and vendor base or to translate text from primary sources.
31. GOOG 411: Connect with businesses and vendors without wasting your phone minutes.
32. Gmail: Use this free e-mail account that’s searchable and has tons of space for all your files.
33. Google Mobile: Google’s mobile tools are great for writers who have to do a lot of traveling or who aren’t always at home next to their computer.
34 Friend Connect: This app lets you implement social tools with your website, encouraging visitors to comment and become more engaged.
35. Transit: Google Transit makes it easier for you to meet up with vendors, clients, editors and more. You can find public transportation stops in your area and across the country.

Branding and Business

To develop your own brand and grow your business, use these Google apps. You’ll find tools for advertising, meeting new contacts and more.

36. AdWords: Use AdWords as an online advertising tool for your blog.
37. Alerts: Set up a Google Alert for yourself so that you can keep tabs on who’s publishing you and who’s reviewing you.
38. Google Grants: If you do a little writing for a nonprofit on the side, see if you qualify for this system of in-kind advertising.
39. Knol: Build up a presence on Knol by sharing quality, authoritative posts and reviews as a way to market yourself.
40. Base: Submit content or your services on Base to "make them as easy as possible for people to find when they search."

Reference

These reference tools are free to use and can connect you with the information you need faster.

41. Blog Search: Narrow your search to find material from blogs only with this tool.
42. Book Search: There’s no longer a need to do your research in a library. Use Book Search to find quotations, inspiration and more in fiction and non-fiction books.
43. Scholar: Limit your searches to scholarly material only when you use this app.
44. Video: This app is a simple and clear platform for searching videos online.
45. Directory: This search tool organizes pages into categories, which is great for your initial search.
46. Finance: The Google Finance app serves writers in many ways: it’s a great social, political and economic indicator that can provide inspiration and work as a fact-checker. It’s also great for organizing your own investments.
47. News Archive Search: This search app displays your results in a timeline so that you can better organize your research.

Twitter Marketing Tips: 6 Steps to Make your Brand on Twitter

Building your brand on Twitter is an important part of your success on Twitter. It is imperative that you not only build a targeted following, but more importantly that you create a conversation with or at a minimum provide your followers with useful information.

In this post, I am not going to go over the basics such as filling out your Twitter profile and uploading an avatar. Instead lets focus on you and your twitter brand to succeed.

Be Proactive
Many tweeps commonly have questions or problems they need help with. This is your opportunity to step in and come to the rescue by answering their question or atleast referring them to a source that may help them. By helping them, you not only solve their issue, you help establish credibility and identity among the Twitter community.

It is an even better opportunity to help someone out by offering your product or service to resolve their problem. Not only can this produce a targeted lead, but it can result in a sale.If you are not proactive in your niche or area of business, chances are someone else will come along and be proactive. They will establish the credibility among the community, build the dedicated following, while you are trying to play catch up. You don’t want that, do you?

Share What’s Happening/Be Newsworthy
If you are typically digging up the newest social media marketing trends or other industry topics, why not share them with your followers? This sort of falls into the proactive step listed above. However, providing your followers with newsworthy information, you will establish credibility of being “in the know”.

Make sure what you are sharing is important and interesting. If you are trying to share something lame, chances are no one will care and you will probably lose some credibility among your followers. If you don’t have anything unique to share, this is a great opportunity to retweet something that was tweeted to you and will strengthen your relationship of whom you retweeted.

Create a Targeted Following
What good is it to have a bunch of followers if they are not interested in what you have to say? Not much. This is why it is imperative to build a targeted following with people interested in your business or service. Chances are it will be easier to be proactive and newsworthy with them. I've found the twitter advanced search feature very useful especially for local business. http://search.twitter.com/advanced

Engage Your Followers
Not only should you be proactive and newsworthy with your followers, you need to engage with them on a more personal level. By this I mean you should take the time to respond to DM’s and @replies when you can. While it can be somewhat time consuming, ignoring followers trying to interact with you is not a great idea. Isn’t your goal to build a brand and relationship with your followers? I suggest you build relationships with those followers who ARE interested in what you have to say.

Brand Your Twitter Page
Pimping out your Twitter page is a good idea. A tricked out page not only is eye catching, but it helps to set you apart from everyone else. It shows you are actually real (not a bot) as well as an opportunity to provide your Twitter visitors with more information about you or your business.

Monitor Your Brand
Now that you are on your way to taking over the world with your brand, it is important to monitor it. Twitter makes this easy via the Twitter Search. Simply type in your business or username, then add the RSS feed to your favorite reader.(I use tweetdeck for this) Should your name get discussed (both positively and negatively) you will be aware of the conversations taking place. You can then step in to participate, both for damage control or to thank someone for their positive remarks. I would not advise ignoring negative feedback, it could severely damage your reputation if left un-attended.

In a Nutshell
So here is the quick checklist:

Be Proactive
Be Newsworthy
Create a Targeted Following
Engage Your Followers
Brand Your Twitter Page
Monitor Your Brand

Marketing Tips: Practice Makes the Impossible Possible

Yesterday in a conversation with a disenchanted distributor, I talked about how practice makes perfect and anyone who is successful goes to great lengths and focus to be successful at what they have accomplished.

In this conversation I was referring to internet marketing and re-assuring this distributor about how content is "King" when it comes to online success. As we deliver more and more content the content we deliver becomes better quality giving us greater rewards. Just as every person in this video, the reason they are so good at what they do is PRACTICE!



What do you want to accomplish? Yes practice makes perfect.. (the point I was making in my conversation yesterday) When you have a coach or mentor guiding you along the way your chances of success sooner than later are much greater. Everyone comes into business at different levels depending on their experiences they have had in the past.

In reality not EVERYONE starts out at the same content quality level. Just as this video shows everything is POSSIBLE with practice. How do you practice? DO more of what you want to accomplish. Do you think Michael Jordan didn't have long hours of practice to get that basketball through the hoop?

As an example I started an RSS feed forum about a year ago. Essentially most of the RSS feeds were added at the same time. So why are some folks having more success. THEY are doing the WORK writing the content. One this forum I personally have double the content of anyone else coming from my RSS feeds. Why am I having more success? I've been practicing a WHOLE lot more...