Who Is The Leader Here?

Have you ever been involved in something and wondered who was in charge?  Especially when things were not going well or were in a state of chaos?  Or have you ever thought that maybe things could be happening faster if you were in charge?

Those are moments when you can see the power vacuum that exists in that particular group or organization.  The lack of leadership can be devastating to the forward motion of any team or organization.

Great leaders never wait for things to happen for them, they MAKE things happen!  They immediately seize the opportunity to step up and take charge because they are results driven.

You probably have heard the saying, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me!” before?  It is really true.   Too many people are waiting all the time for someone to make life happen for them and that’s not how it works.  If you want something to happen in your life or business, decide to make it happen and do it for yourself.

Leaders don’t make excuses, they take action!  Leaders always gain momentum faster than followers do and they typically will earn more too!  That’s a good reason right there why you should step up and be one.

Sometimes we hope that someone else will take the responsibilities of leading the charge and doing all the planning, organizing, communicating with the members of the group so that we can relax and enjoy the fruit of another person’s labor.  If everyone thought like that we would never get anything accomplished or move ahead in our endeavors!

It’s not always  easy trying to build a team and get all the parts moving in one direction all the time but it is worth doing.

Here are seven reasons why you should step up and be the leader of your team or organization:

1.  Leaders  cast the vision and set the direction for the team.

2.  Leaders  are the pacesetters for growth by their example.

3.  Leaders  will be recognized as the ‘expert’ within the organization.

4.  Leaders  will become more visible and will attract other leaders who wish to model your success.

5.  Leaders have a platform to communicate their messages from.

6.  Leaders opinions always  matter when it comes to problem solving.

7.  Leaders will be remembered with their legacy for  contributions made when serving their organization.

Leaders will always think, “If not me… who? If not now…when? If no solution… how?” Leaders are extremely valuable to any community, business, or organization and their contributions usually are always remembered.

It’s not always easy and sometimes the tasks at hand are difficult.  But leaders are like eagles where they will soar high above the challenges and will always find the way to success!

So the next time your trying to find out who the leader is, try looking in the mirror!

* If you are enjoying articles like this one you might also enjoy my video tips, training, and resources on video at my YouTube Channel!  Please visit http://www.youtube.com/mlmphonepro.  Don’t forget to rate, comment, and subscribe while your there! Thanks! Steve

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Are You Communicating Properly?

Have you ever felt like you had a lot to say about your product, service, or opportunity but it was falling on ‘deaf ears’?

Many people feel that way including me from time to time.  We live in a over populated marketing world where the ‘promotion noise’ is deafening and it can be extremely challenging for you to get your message heard.

It is very important that when you do get the attention of your prospect for that brief moment in time that you are communicating with them at a very high level so that you can have a maximum impact on them!  You only have a few moments of their attention so you better say what needs to be said and in a way that it is memorable to them.

Often time people just want to ‘throw up’ all over their prospects and just waste a good prospecting opportunity.  There needs to be more strategy in marketing your wares than just being a blow hard salesman.

That’s why we need to know the 8 keys to being an effective communicator when creating our copy for our landing pages, websites, social media profiles, articles, blogs, videos, webinars, conference calls, etc. etc.

Here are the 8 keys:

1.   Always look through your prospect’s eyes, not your own.

Don’t assume that your prospects know why your product, service, or opportunity is valuable to them.  Explain the reasons to them.  Most professional advertisers write to a fifth or six-grade reading level, because most people are not really paying attention.

2.   Follow the path of least resistance.

It takes longer to change peoples minds than to just build upon the current perceptions they already have.   Find a way to reinforce something they already believe and tie it in directly to buying your product.  The power in this is accepting people as they are and seeking the smallest possible change in their behavior that is required to  get them to buy from you.

3.  Don’t be logical – be psychological

People are both rational and emotional.  But it is emotion that drives attitude and behavior.  Behavior is the result of fear and desire.  When desire exceeds fear, people will act.  The goal in writing good sales copy is to increase desire and reduce fear.  In short, choose the most powerful words you can get away with to drive people’s  emotions.  For example, ‘bulletproof’ is more emotionally powerful than ’safe’.

4.  Organize information around a single idea or theme.

Organize your content to be based upon a single idea versus overloading your prospects with too much information.   Drive home the main point or theme with precision.  Don’t overstate the obvious with lists of information, they won’t read it.  Your headline, tagline, and opening paragraph are vitally important here.

5.  Be conversational.  Write to express and not impress.

Be conversational with your writing style.  Try not to use big ‘$100′ words that people don’t understand.  Simplicity and being authentic is key.  One way to test your copy is to read it out loud as you write it and listen to how it sounds to you.

6.   Less is more

The average reader gives you about a half second or less to determine if they will pay any attention to your communication so less is definitely more!  Use short words, sentences, and paragraphs to break up the thoughts into easy-to-read bites.  Use bullet points and phrases to summarize your thoughts and make it easy.  Remember, people don’t read anymore, they scan!

7.  Use visual language to paint pictures in people’s minds.

Use words that frame a picture in your prospects mind of your main point.  Don’t be vague and use general vocabulary but be specific and concrete in your descriptions of your offer.

8.  Don’t hype your offer, validate everything!

Documentation beats conversation every single time right?  People are not impressed with your ‘hype’ and overly positive attitude about your offer.  They are impressed and inspired to action when they can see verifiable results through third party validation.  People don’t trust much anymore, why should they trust you?  Get the proof they need.

Marketing in today’s world requires much more than being just a ‘bag full of wind’.  It requires some understanding of knowing your target audience and knowing how to communicate effectively to them using these 8 keys and others.

So, if your wondering why people are not responding to your communications via your marketing, think about changing your approach and using some of the 8 keys of being an effective communicator!

* Excerpts of this article were taken from “Perfect Phrases for Sales and Marketing Copy”  by Barry Callen

** If you are enjoying articles like these, please visit my video channel at www.youtube.com/mlmphonepro and watch, rate, and subscribe to my videos!!!  Thanks! Steve

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Are You A Leader?

It has been said that quite simply, leadership is influence.  Your ability to lead others and be an influence in their lives will have a direct correspondence to your level of success in life and business.

We have all seen and read about people who took leadership roles in various types of organizations from our military, government, schools, corporate america, and even from our own family histories.

It is wise to model successful people and learn more about what made them great.   Building up our leadership skills is one of the best things that we can do for our business.  Leaders are able to take people to higher levels of achievement by providing ongoing support, encouragement, vision, and constant motivation.

Being a great leader is first of all a choice.  You have to decide that you want to be a great leader and then everything else will follow.   You have to want to lead others because it is not an easy job.  There is a ton of commitment to be a leader and its not for the faint of heart.   You will be richly rewarded in many ways for stepping out and taking charge in your business and helping others.

Leadership in network marketing is critical to building a large organization.  Learning how be a leader is the beginning and then knowing how to LEAD Leaders is even more important.

The greater our ability to lead other leaders , the more passive your income will be in your business.

So if your not sure that you have all the ‘right stuff’ to be a leader, check out these 10 traits of successful leaders and see where you stand:

Here are 10 traits of successful leaders:

1.   Honest - Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.

2.  Competent - Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.

3.  Forward-looking - Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.

4.  Inspiring - Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.

5.  Intelligent - Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.

6.  Fair-minded - Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.

7.  Broad-minded - Seek out diversity.

8.  Courageous - Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.

9.  Straightforward - Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.

10. Imaginative - Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!

*Compiled by the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group

If you see yourself having most of these traits then you probably are a candidate for leadership.  Start taking opportunities to lead others in your business.  Even if you have to come out of your comfort zone from being a follower.

In MLM, just being pro-active and resourceful will put you into a leadership role.  Most people are re-active and are always challenge minded.   Be the person you would always want to follow and you too can become a great leader as leadership can be modeled and learned.

So stop waiting for things to happen, be a leader and MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

*** Have you seen my You Tube Channel yet?  If you are enjoying my blog articles, you might also enjoy my video business tips at www.youtube.com/mlmphonepro.  Please stop by and watch, comment, and subscribe!  Thanks! Steve

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