Check out the static…look familiar?

Click here to view the embedded video.

There’s a cultural phenomenon that’s been sweeping the land:  poker as a spectator sport.  My gosh, is this a great country, or what?  Poker is America’s newest spectator sport.

It gives new meaning to the term “couch potato.”  We can now sit in the comfort of our living rooms and watch, with no physical exertion on our own, men and women sit around a table and play cards.

Let me be the first to admit that I find myself occasionally hooked by the high drama of watching people playing poker for big money.  Poker’s got everything – deception, intrigue, fear, and a generous dose of showing off.  

There is usually a wide range of personality types around that final table where some winner will take it all.  There’s the obnoxious, loud-mouth braggart that you love to hate.  There’s the mysterious young dude in sunglasses who doesn’t let on that he’s even breathing.  There’s the woman who played her way through the male dominated poker world to take her rightful place with the masters.  Then there’s the old guy in the cowboy hat that is beloved by all, including his competitors.  It’s pretty much everything you need for a great night’s entertainment on the big screen TV.

Recently Rev. Jim Kitchens, the minister of our church and a self-confessed poker fan, gave a sermon on the concept of “going all in.”  This is the moment of truth for a poker player.  It’s when she bets every last chip on one hand.

She’ll either win the pot and live to play another hand, possibly win everything and be the champion, or lose it all and go home empty-handed.  It’s an electric moment and it’s what poker players and fans live for – the feeling of everything being on the line with nothing held back.

Jim used “going all in” as a metaphor for depth of commitment.  It was one of those sermons that make you squirm in your seat because it forces you to take an honest look at your life and what you claim is truly important to you.  You have to see if what you say matches up with how you live.

I think it’s useful to do an inventory of whether or not I’ve gone all in with what I say I value.  In my work, am I all in when it comes to being of service to my customers?

How about my loyalty to my co-workers or colleagues?

Am I all in when it comes to following my own dreams and goals?

Have I put every chip in the pot in terms of my family?  My faith?  My community?  My friends?

Am I all in?

I’ve spent almost three decades working with companies and individuals on how to improve performance.  If I could give you just one idea on creating optimum personal performance, it would be this:

Go all in.

Whatever your skill level, expertise, advantages or disadvantages, if you or your team are truly all in, then there is no way that I would bet against you.  I’ve seen it over and over in countless examples of a person or team, seemingly unlikely to achieve their stated goal, not only achieve it, but exceed it.  The most important factor in their success was that they were completely and totally committed with all of their hearts.

Look at your own experience.  You may be just getting by in your work but you are the star of the weekend softball team.  What’s the difference?  I would wager almost anything that you’re all in on the softball but half-hearted about the work.  If that’s the case, then what’s the answer?  How can you be as good at the work as you are at the softball?

You either go all in with the work you’ve got or find some other work that you can go all in with. If your choice is to find other work, then get busy.  Take the steps that will lead you to a more fulfilling job.  If you feel like you should stay where you are, then get busy creating the “all in” mindset towards it.  For a lot of people this is a monster challenge.

I understand it.  I have experienced it.  I sometimes still experience it.

One thing that has always irritated me is this idea that if you just “follow your passion” the windows of heaven will open up and shower you with success and peace of mind and life will be a bowl of self-actualized cherries.

Right.  If only it were that simple.

My problem is that I’m not completely sure what my passion is when it comes to work.  I like writing a lot.  I enjoy giving speeches.  But what I’m truly passionate about is my family and friends.  Maybe I’m a slacker at heart.

My passion lies in hanging out with people I like.  Rather than quit work and go on a sabbatical to discover some burning career passion, which, by the way, might be just the ticket for some people, I’ve decided to go all in with my work because, well, it’s my work.

Seriously.  I decided that whatever work I do can be a source of fulfillment and even joy, depending on the extent to which I go all in with it.

It can be a chicken-or-egg question.  Should I wait until I find work that I love before I commit to go all in?  Or should I go all in so that I will begin to love the work that I’ve got?

It’s like the street sweeper who decides to be the best street sweeper in the history of the world because it just doesn’t make any sense to approach it any other way.  Why would I conceivably not want to be the best I can be at whatever I’m doing?

I like the idea that whether I’m sweeping a street, weeding my yard, playing drums in a band, teaching a class, taking photos at a wedding, working as a customer service representative, selling insurance, washing cars, running a company, being a personal fitness trainer, bagging groceries, or writing a book that I take the attitude that I will knock your socks off with how I do what I do.

Or maybe it’s my own socks that I want to knock off.

It’s why people climb mountains.  Because they’re there.  Why would I want to go all in with my work?  Because it’s there.  That is all the reason that anyone needs.  The bigger question is, why would you not go all in?

Guest Post by:

Joe Calloway – Bestselling Author of “Becoming A Category Of One”

Connect with my friend Joe on Facebook – http://facebook.com/joe-calloway

http://joecalloway.com

The truth is pretty close.  Great brands create buyer loyalty.

Most network marketers have no idea how to use these strategies themselves.

Check out this video for some of the basic of Push (what virtually all network marketers do) vs. Pull Marketing (what all network marketing leaders do).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please leave your comments and share this video with your networks.

Children are brilliantly in the present.  In many ways, they are fearless.  Fortunately, they have yet to be “trained” into being rational or thinking that they can’t do something.  What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Can you connect with that fun, courageous, unlimited, powerful and FREE child within you and let go of self-limiting beliefs?

What is really fun about this video is that I didn’t say a word to my son before we started filming other than, “Brennan, we are going to make a video.”  His presence and comments are priceless!  Help make Brennan famous – share this post with your networks, retweet and please leave your comments below.

There I was, heading south on US1 in Ft. Lauderdale right by the airport and I was zipping along noticeably faster than I normally do. I was on my way to a meeting and was running uncharacteristically late and was trying to make up some time.

I noticed I was doing a little over 70 mph but I wasn’t exactly sure what the speed limit was. I guessed 50 or 60, but I wouldn’t put money on it.

I thought, “hmmm…maybe I should slow down.” I decided not to.

The Sheriff’s car that pulled out in that very moment decided something different.

I haven’t had a speeding ticket in over a decade. It’s not that I don’t speed, because I often do, I just don’t get tickets. I don’t attract them for some reason…and I like it that way.

I did my best to talk my way out of it, but the best I could do was get the actual speed reduced, which was pretty good.

I found out what the speed limit was. It was 50. I was going 71. He ticketed me for 64.

I thanked the fine officer and wished him the best…and meant it.

You may be saying, what the heck does this have to do with network marketing? It wasn’t what happened then, it was what happened next.

Within about a week it started.

They started showing up at my door.

They were all very persuasive and value driven with solutions to my current challenges.

Ticket Clinic Solicitations!

Dozens of them.

This situation exemplifies why so many people struggle in network marketing and the mindset you absolutely must have to succeed.

You absolutely must focus all of your marketing efforts so that you are speaking to people who are home business buyers. These are people who have already demonstrated interest and commitment.

Just like me. I was committed. To the tune of $248.

Most people who start in MLM will be taught to make a list of the top few hundred people they know.

That’s fine.

How successful do you think the ticket clinics would be if they did a general mailing to a given neighborhood?

They would go broke.

Just like most network marketers.

I don’t care if you are marketing to warm market or cold market…marketing is a sorting business. You are sorting interest and commitment.

Your pipeline should always be full with people who are your target market, but just haven’t made a decision yet. This doesn’t mean just people you know. Are they an entrepreneur, have they been in MLM before, are they looking & committed, are they a business owner…they must give you something. Just because you know them doesn’t make them a good prospect.

Following sound attraction marketing principles will put you in the center of the universe of people who will sort themselves. Creating online marketing funnels is one way that automates this process for you. Over time, as you continue to build a relationship, people will gravitate to do business with you.

If your marketing efforts haven’t pulled you the results you have wanted…go out tonight and drive really fast…then watch how the pros that understand how to target a market do it.

See, lawyers are good for something after all.

Would you like to develop a friends list that actually wants to hear what you have to say?

Today’s technology driven world moves incredibly fast and the vast majority of people are on autopilot experiencing information overload.  We see friend and follower requests, we add them.  We scan RSS feeds, status updates and tweets.  It’s daunting to keep up but it’s all the more reason to make an effort to do so.

Here are a few simple practices that will leave you forever imprinted in an amazing light in the hearts and minds of your connections.

1. Take time to write a short note to new friends

Almost no one does this and less do it with consistency.  It shows care and interest and it shows (whether it’s true or not) that you have some interest in actually getting to know them.  Of course, it’s significantly better if you actually do.  Do you want to hit a grand slam?  Actually go and read their profile first and make a comment that is personal to them.  Whatever you do, be authentic in your communications, the social web can sniff out posers faster than Chris Brown can say “Anger Management.”

2. Provide Value First

I honestly can’t believe how many insta-pitches I still get.  Apparently someone must respond or people would just stop doing it, but I can’t imagine anyone actually does.  I have written about this before.  People, really, put some value INTO the world instead of just trying to take it out.  What do your connections find valuable?  Provide it for them.  Imagine walking into a restaurant for dinner and as soon as the hostess seats you, the waiter comes up and says, “That will $85 please.”  Ah, what?  Can I have my dinner first?

Yeah, it makes no sense, but people still do it.  Then they quit their businesses saying that social media and social networking don’t work.  It’s no different on the web than it is in the restaurant.  Value drives consumer interest and action.  Give people the food they really want first.  If you constantly over deliver, people will beat down your door to connect with you.

3. Make Comments

Yes, people want to know you care.  Are we starting to see a pattern?  Take a few moments and extend a part of your life into theirs.  The world of social media is a bit of a paradox.  It can be a very impersonal personal experience.  We are connected to people all over the planet, but if we aren’t conscious about forwarding our relationships, the connection can be lost.  Comment on their FB status & blog post, retweet their tweets or tweet their blog post.  If you find value in what they are saying, it’s likely your friends will too.  (HINT, HINT PEOPLE!)

4. Create Groups To Organize Interest

If you use your social networks for both business and personal use as most people do, use groups to gather who is interested in what you are saying.  If you are in Network Marketing create a value based group for your company or industry instead of constantly exposing your entire friend list to your offers.  I have friends that I get 6 and 7 invites to things a week.  Honestly, it’s a bit much.  After a while, it’s like the gynecologist after a long day at the office coming home to his wife and she is wearing sexy lingerie, “Honey, if I see one more…”

4.7 Be Consistent

If you are going to establish an online presence, then do it.  Really do it.  I understand time is an issue for everyone, but make a commitment and stick to it.  Don’t add 500 friends in a week, post a few articles and disappear for 3 months.  Stay in the game.  Post your articles in places that they will create value for the readers.  Post them often.  I recently attended a webinar where the guy was talking about his LinkedIn strategy for lead generation.  It was great.  He generated over 1,600 leads in 6 months for his affiliate programs mostly through article submission and some of the strategies above.  But guess how many times he published an article?  1944 to be exact.  That’s right, 1944.  Now THAT’s consistency and his business exploded because of it.

Get out of here now…go make some friends or go actually be a friend to some of the ones you already have.  But before you do, remember to leave your comments and if you found value in this post, retweet me please.

Network marketing is the most exciting industry in the world, but beware of these pitfalls as nothing can rob you of the success you so richly deserve like the following list. Take a good look. If they don’t apply to you, then great, make sure your team doesn’t fall into the traps. If any of these do apply, I’d recommend changing quickly.

1. You treat your new business like a hobby.
Nothing can derail your new business like a laissez-faire approach. If you knew this could be a business that you could retire from inside of 10 years, would you take it more seriously? Would you focus more? Would you make more calls, study more and learn more? Of course you would. Hope is not a strategy. Get committed, treat your business as a business or go take up tennis. It will save you a lot of time and money.

2. You fail to study anything about real marketing.
Your upline may not have a clue or they may be a top producer. Either way, whether they are teaching you or not, you need to learn some basics about the psychology of marketing and some basic principles to both on and offline successful marketing. All top producers follow some very similar strategies. You should find out what they are and model them. Again, if you aren’t willing to invest some time in learning your industry, how much money can you really expect to make?

3. You blow out your warm market with too much information.
It’s like you are a fireman running up to a fire with the hose open completely, just blasting everyone in your way. You knock them down with the force of the water. It’s hilarious…unless you are you or you are your friends. Just follow whatever system your company or upline has set up and let the system inform them. If your upline doesn’t have a system, well then, that is a whole other challenge.

4. You are inconsistent in your actions.
You make 5 contacts one day but then don’t follow up. You make 1 the next, then 3, then 1 again. You turn on the TV (just for a minute) instead of staying totally focused. In order to produce results you must stay in action and do the productive things that generate income. You must either be cultivating a lead/prospect, presenting them, following up or training your team. Nothing else makes you money.

5. You try to do it all on your own.
This one always blows me away. You are in a business where top producers will literally help you build your business and many people choose not to reach out for support. Step up and take initiative on your own, but be in demand for coaching and 3ways. The 3way is still the single greatest tool we have in our toolbox. Use it wisely.

6. You don’t invest in yourself.
Your income is in direct proportion to your ability to attract people into your business because of who you are and the leader you are or are becoming. Take time daily to build your skills, both internal and external. Personal development is the backbone to this industry. It is a must. It can’t be skipped.

6.7 You quit before the payoff.
This is where most people get stuck. We are so conditioned to instant gratification that we often forget that anything worth having is worth working for. If you want instant riches, go play the lottery. Good luck with that. If you want to create a long-term residual income in network marketing, know it’s going to take time, effort and energy. You may be currently doing all 6 of the “no-no’s” above…it may take you a bit to figure things out. The only real way to lose is to quit. Hold your vision and never let anything or anyone rob you of your dream.

If you can steer clear of these common traps for new MLM’rs, you will be far ahead of the game. Dig in. Set big and audacious goals for yourself. Do the work necessary and earn the type of income you desire and deserve.

Take Action Now and learn how to build your business like the Top Earners across the entire industry!

Fill Out This Form Right Now
To Get Access To Your Free Training!

There you are, just minding your own business and you get a friend request.  Simple & harmless…someone just wants to be your friend.

Or so you think.

Being the wonderful, open, nice person that you are, you welcome this new friend into your inner circle of personal and business contacts on Facebook.

Then it happens.

They post an advertisement on your wall without ever even attempting to initiate contact with you or build any type of relationship.

It’s like you are sitting alone at a bar having a leisurely drink and they walk up to you and say, “Hi, my name is John.  Want to screw?”

Actually, it’s more like you are having an invitation only party at your home and a stranger comes to your door…they seem friendly so you invite them in.  They walk straight to the middle of the room and stop and say, “hey everyone, I have no interest in getting to know any of you, but I really want to get laid…anyone interested?”

It’s disgusting.

This will occasionally work, mind you, as some people respond to assholes being direct (that’s an entirely different blog post), but it will likely land you with more slaps and drinks in your face than bed partners.

Don’t get me wrong…that approach will likely get you laid.  But wealth in business, especially network marketing, is about lifetime loyal relationships, not one night stands.

Seriously, is someone out there teaching this or are people just really that stupid?  I am not sure which is the more comforting thought.

Okay, before we commit you to SMA (Social Media Annonymous) to get serious help for your problem, try a few of these ideas to support you in moving from being the rapist guy to relationship guy (or gal).

• Take sincere interest in people and build the relationship FIRST.  When you befriend someone, send people a personal note, read their profile, look at their personal websites.  Learn about them before your ‘pitch.’

• Provide value upfront – what can you do for them before asking for anything for yourself.

• Take your time.  Invest yourself.  I have developed some of my best friends in the world through network marketing…start with this intention and you’ll win more than you’ll lose.

• Follow up gracefully and professionally.   Be the kind of person you would want to work with.

So, for you wall posting date rapers out there…STOP.  You are annoying us all and you are getting NO action.

Button up the shirt, get rid of the gold medallion, throw away the ruffies & trade in the creepy van with no side windows.

Step up to the plate as an authentic human being.

Once you do, we’ll gladly invite you into our homes…and we might even introduce you to our horny friends!