It's a simple business

Today is a good day to reflect on how thankful Faye and I are to have shared our journey in Shaklee with so many of you.  What is it that has made Shaklee so important to our lives - and I believe to your lives as well?

What is Shaklee marketing?  It is a great opportunity with a compensation plan where you can:

- create an ongoing stream of income

- get paid in the future for work you have done in the past

- generate unlimited earnings

Why does Shaklee marketing work?  Because:

- Shaklee Products work the way we say they will

- The products are consumable

- People continue to order them month after month, year after year because they - always work - always safe - always green.  The products are "In Harmony With Nature."

Just like you recommend a great restaurant or movie to your friends and acquaintances, you will want to recommend the Shaklee Products and the Shaklee Opportunity and yes it is  just that simple....especially when it's done on a very consistent basis.  Think about it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gary & Faye

The future is now

Thanksgiving is this week which means we're very close to December which in turn means lots of family activity and being busy.  When I think back, we qualified as Shaklee sales leader in the month of December, 1970. 

December's volume is usually because there was good effort in October and November. In other words, December really isn't a "slow month" as many people claim it to be. December volume is a reflection of the previous 2 to 4 months of doing the right things.

Let's think about two things for a few minutes, the future and possibilities.  As you know, the start of a new year is very close and 2014 can be your best year ever. What do you want your business to look like in December 2014? The possibilities are staggering and it all starts with our attitude and vision right now at the end of 2013. Do you plan on doubling your monthly volume? Will you focus on helping others build their business by working with them to get to at least the Coordinator level?  Goals......Vision!   

In the next 12 months you and your business could have massive changes.  It all starts with a new vision with new thinking. What's really possible for you and your future? I believe a lot of what happens comes down to our trust. If you will trust the system and a  process, and think about possibilities and get the mindset that nothing is going to stop you from having an exceptional 2014, you will grow. 

Things can and will change and in this business it's up to the individual to make that decision. You just have to create a simple plan for your process, take your foot off the brake and press forward.  Remember, your January will be a reflection of your November and December efforts.....February will be a reflection of December and January.....that is how it works. I think you get the point.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Do you want a raise in 2014?

We’re getting close to the end of 2013. That means the New Year is right around the corner.  Do you want your business to improve in 2014?  Would $200 or $500 more every month make a difference to you? – to someone you know?

 I remember several years after Gary’s mom retired, after working a lifetime and raising four kids as a single mom in the 40s & 50s, she found out that she was going to receive an unexpected additional $500 a month from Social Security.  Ever after, Rachel and I referred to Grandma Burke as “the rich grandma.” That $500 was enough for her to feel confident she would have enough money for any unexpected emergency and totally freed her mind from any financial worries.  With her first check, she was thrilled to be able to have extra money to purchase tape recording equipment for her church so they could record Sunday sermons.

The reason Rachel and I affectionately referred to her as the rich grandma was because when she would take Rachel to things like Disney on Ice, not only would she buy her the overpriced program, but also the fancy flashlight for the finale! Sometimes, it’s just small amounts of additional income that could make a huge impact on a family’s life.  For you, it might be like Gary’s mom, the ability to treat your grandchildren to extra special events or maybe you want to give the college age kids extra spending money when they visit. Or, it will help with unexpected medical expenses or the insurance deductible you have to pay out of pocket when a storm has swept through your neighborhood.

Most of you getting this e-mail are already at least a Director.  You know what it takes to build a business.  You have already sponsored some folks.  You’ve shown them the value of Shaklee products and some of you have introduced others to the opportunity.  You have the means in Shaklee to raise your income level next year.  Get ready.

If you want a ‘raise’ in Shaklee here’s 2 ideas that will make a difference in your income.

1.       Introduce at least one or two new people to Shaklee every week (you will grow!).

2.       Schedule at least one product event every month in 2014 (you will grow!).

Believe in yourself and have fun!

Faye Burke

The tortoise and the hare

Remember when you were in grade school and you heard about the tortoise and the hare – the hare always got off to a fast start way ahead of the turtle but the turtle just plodded along, one foot (or is it paw) in front of the other.  Most of us cheered for the turtle knowing that he was going to win in the end because he didn’t stop or give up.

Shaklee is a great business for us turtles.   All we have to do is put one foot in front of the other, week after week, month after month, and year after year – if we keep working, we can eventually build the business we want – BRICK BY BRICK.

Unfortunately, that kind of growth doesn’t often get recognized or applauded.  In fact, much of the recognition you will find when you log on to myshaklee.com, dial into conference calls or attend regional meetings today is focused on quick, short-term growth, such as 30-day Directors.  It takes more than one 180 party where 4 Weight Management packages are sold to be a solid Director – that is not going to produce stability in your business.  Also featured are leaders who are “new” to Shaklee but not  “new” to network marketing and earning over $100,000 in their first year in Shaklee – most of us can’t possibly compare our situation to theirs. 

Don’t get me wrong – I understand and value recognition in our business- it can be extremely motivating and is a demonstration to all of us what is possible. BUT! I have learned over our 43 years in Shaklee that just as often, too much recognition of the same people or of just the “hares’ can be a real discouragement to people.    

Gary and I believe that every one of you in our group is a winner.  You saw the possibilities in Shaklee and made a decision to create your own business through your own efforts.  You invested maybe $5 or $50 and have been earning a bonus for perhaps a year or even 40 years.  Just think, you’ve created something where there was nothing. That’s pretty great.  Most of you have had to push yourselves to do things that made you uncomfortable in order to accomplish your goals.  You had to stretch and grow but you did it!  We hope that you’re proud of your accomplishment because we surely are.

Every month I enter data from our Bonus Statement into a database so I can track your growth.  When I see someone who has made a jump of just 300 to 500 PV more than average, I’m excited for you. Or, how about Terri Hofsommer who lives in northern Minnesota at the intersection of 2 county roads where there is a sparse population, who added two downline Directors last year and in October had her all time high OV last month.  And, Gary just got off the phone with a new Director, Barbara Niss, who is excited and having fun.  We feel blessed to have each of you in our downline and we rejoice in your successes, big and small.

So, please, when you see or hear of the great successes of the “hares” remember underneath their growth are a whole bunch of “turtles” who are building and growing to their own successes.   Let me say it again, be proud of your own accomplishments – we are!

Have Fun,

Faye Burke

Over time you can have your dream

I was out of town all of last week. I went for long walks every morning and my thinking was about the kind of life Faye and I have all because of this incredible opportunity. The message we heard when we came into this business was simple but also very exciting. What we heard was if we were willing to build our belief in the products, work hard, be consistent with our effort, help as many people as possible achieve whatever it was they wanted out of this business,  over time we would create a wonderful lifestyle.

The key words in the above paragraph are OVER TIME.   Faye sent out a message last week about building this business brick by brick.  The message is still true today for anyone who is willing to build their belief, work hard and stay the course. We bought into that dream and so can you - it doesn't matter how long you have been in this business, the dream is still available to those who want it. You just have to learn some skills, be willing to invest your time, and understand that nothing great was ever built overnight.

You have to make some choices.  What's your dream? Do whatever it takes to keep that dream alive and don't allow anyone or anything become a permanent barrier to you. As I said above, just be consistent with your belief and efforts and over time you will make it. I'll say it again, it doesn't happen overnight.  Never has and never will. 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Brick by Brick

Gary & I are big University of Minnesota Gopher sports fans.  Believe me, it’s been tough to be positive about the football program for way too many years.  BUT, three years ago after a dismal season in which the head coach was fired in the middle of the season, a new coach was hired.  When he arrived, he said they were going to have to build the program "brick by brick."  The kids were going to have to learn discipline (both in the classroom & in practice) and work hard – really hard – every practice – every game. Coach Kill said he and his staff were going to have to teach the kids what it means to work hard and how to win.

 

This is Coach Kill’s third year and the Gophers just had their first 4 game winning ‘streak’ in conference play since 1973.

 

Here are a couple of things that were written in the paper after this 4^th win:

“Coach Kill looks and talks like an old-school coach….”

 “We’ve still got a lot of room to get better, we’ve got a young team but we’re moving forward.”

“Gophers maintained belief in themselves”

“It’s kind of hard to see on the outside; on the inside, we knew we were getting better”

“I always say it’s a lot better to be positive than negative…the biggest thing is to get our kids to believe they’re good football players and believe in themselves.”

“I always said our biggest goal was to make sure we could get all the people in the state of Minnesota to feel good about the direction we’re going.”

 

When you listen to the interviews of the players after the games – they’re having fun – they believe in their program and their coaches.  When you listen to the interviews of the coaches – they love what they do – they love kids & football – they’re having fun.

 

I couldn’t help but think about our Shaklee business last Sunday when I read the sports page and saw the interviews online.  That’s what Gary and I did to build Shaklee.  We built it brick by brick – brick by brick!

 

We admit it, we’re old-school.  We believe in hard work, discipline and having a simple system. We hunted until we could find someone who would buy into the idea of building a business with Shaklee and then we stuck to them with encouragement and belief as long as they were willing to do the work. 

 

Gary drove easily 20 miles one way to deliver a quart of Basic-H in order to get someone using the products without delay and to have the opportunity to have another face-to-face conversation to keep Matt’s interest in Shaklee going.  And, then we sponsored Neil Froemming and our volume grew to 500 PV a month.  One by one we added people.  And, IT WAS FUN!

 

We didn’t expect overnight success – we knew it would be harder than that.  We believed that we wouldn’t get rich quick in Shaklee, but that we, and the people we brought into Shaklee, could get rich slow!  But the only way it works is BRICK BY BRICK!

 

Have Fun!

 

Faye Burke

Follow-up

 

Okay, yesterday I said the main job in Shaklee is to connect people to Shaklee Products and the Shaklee Opportunity.  I’d like state that in a slightly different way today - we want to keep our current Members and Distributors connected to Shaklee Products and the Shaklee Opportunity year in and year out!

If you want your business to remain stable, or better yet, to grow – follow-up is critical! 

I thought one of the more useful workshops at the Conference in August was the one on follow-up. It was led by a group of young women from Canada who were clearly working hard to build – they weren’t just talking about methods of follow-up they had read about – they were describing methods they had developed the hard way – through experience. Here are a couple that I thought could be valuable for everyone in Shaklee to incorporate into their business – whether a Director or a Master Coordinator – they certainly made an impact on me.

The first:  keep a notebook - nothing high-tech, just a 3-ring binder – with the names of your prospects and active members and distributors. Collect personal information that will help you become more connected with them – then keep track of what their interests are in Shaklee – whether it’s products, the business or both. There isn’t a magic formula for how you would set your notebook up - just make it up -log information that makes sense to you. Perhaps you’d have three sections – Prospects – Members – Distributors.  Then devote one page, or a half page to each person.  We all have different ways of organizing - follow your own style. Whatever you do, DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED!  Then devise a plan around how you will contact or keep in touch with these people.

The second was one of the best ‘new’ ideas I’ve heard in a long time.  And this idea would go hand in glove with the notebook. Have goals for the people in your Shaklee group – these goals will differ depending on whether they are members, distributors or downline business leaders. What does that mean?  For example, Members order products – have a plan to promote expanded product usage. If they only use Get Clean, introduce them to Vitalizer, Vivix & Protein.  Conversely, if they are using Shaklee Nutrition, introduce them to the idea of Shakleeizing their house. If Distributors, encourage them to have an in-home Shaklee event in order to enlarge their group and ensure they will qualify for a bonus every month. In other words, have goals for each person in your group based on where they are in Shaklee. Engage with them individually.  But remember, these are your goals  – but they are focused on how you will treat each person that has sponsored into your group to encourage them to get more actively involved with Shaklee, whether to enlarge the number of products they use or earn a larger bonus check.

Here are a few additional ideas that might help you outline a Follow-Up Strategy that will suit you:

·         Thank you cards

·         New Member/Distributor Welcome Letter

·         Follow-up calls – ask for permission for on-going follow-up

·         New Member/Distributor Orientation Meeting to:

    o   Go through Distributor Kit

    o   Make a list of names

    o   Recommend Autoship – highlight discounts

·         Planning Session:

    o   Recap Dream Plan

    o   Talk about their goals

·         One of the easiest ways I have found to both maintain stable PV within our Personal Group is a monthly mailing to every active Member & Distributor in our personal group which always includes a price list, testimonials or product information and a rebate offer.

At the end of the day, follow-up is just paying attention to people – thanking them – encouraging them – keeping them informed – caring about them.

Have fun,

Faye Burke

We have one job!

Gary and I were sponsored into Shaklee over 43 years ago and since then there have been many changes to the business. Probably the most significant change came when Shaklee introduced Member Direct Ordering (MDO).  Suddenly, much or maybe most, of the work we did on a daily basis disappeared.

No inventory:

- No weekly orders to replenish

- No restocking of shelves

- No packing and reshipping of products UPS to members and distributors around the country 

- No people stopping by to pick up products

- No phone calls with orders

Reduced Administrative Work:

- No tracking of Purchase Volume (PV) for Members & Distributors

- No Bonus Checks to pay

- No 1099s to prepare and file

In addition, Shaklee gave us the lucrative Dream Plan, rebranded our entire Household Product line to Get Clean, and introduced our most innovative products ever – Vivix, Vitalizer, Nutriferon & Shaklee 180 Weight Management.

 

These have all been positive developments. But the question becomes, if the company does all of this, WHAT DO WE DO?  We really have one job in Shaklee now: we need to connect people to Shaklee – connect them to the products and/or to the business opportunity.  How do we do that? We must build and maintain relationships with the people we introduce to Shaklee. 

 

Remember, we have what people want! Shaklee Products are ‘always safe, always green & always work’ while the Shaklee Dream Plan can offer people the opportunity to earn an extra $500 a month or a full-time career.

 

Here are some comments from Gail Bryant to think about…

When I read your message today about so much of the paperwork/shipping being done by Shaklee, a thought struck me. When I did those things, I was aware of several things in a much more personal way:

1.       By hand writing purchase orders, I knew my PV and other people’s PV daily

2.       By mailing distributor applications to Shaklee, I had a sense of my business growing (loved a huge stack of applications)

3.       By shipping product, I knew exactly how much and what people were getting; frequently putting a hand written note in with their product

4.       By writing bonus checks, I knew whose volume was going up and whose was going down

 

Please, please, please understand, I do NOT want to start doing any of those things again, but I do think that I should:

·         pay more attention

·         write more notes

·         notice whose volume is changing.

All the changes of Shaklee doing the busywork for me are great, but it also makes it easier to not notice the important details: people and their PV.

Think about it!

Faye Burke

 

 

Revive – Regroup - Regenerate

You may have heard me say that when we were building the foundation of our Shaklee Business, we would stop and ask ourselves the question, “Can we get where we want to go in Shaklee doing what we’re currently doing?”  When we felt the need to ask that question, our answer was always “No.” We needed to find new people to work with or we needed renewed commitment and energy put into the business or we needed a new strategy.

 

Over the last many months we’ve been asking ourselves a similar question. In this new climate of high-tech, of strong company influence & constant communication which may set a direction that doesn’t work for everyone, and of a group who has a long history with Shaklee – “How best can we create an environment to encourage and motivate our group to accomplish their goals in Shaklee?” We have some thoughts. But before we talk about that, how about you?

 

Are you where you want to be in your Shaklee Business? Did you have some goals you haven’t yet accomplished? Where are you now in your business and where would you want to go?  For some of you these are easy questions to answer, for others, not so much.

 

There have been many, perhaps too many, changes in Shaklee over the last 10 years.  Some of them have been terrific – great new products such as Vivix, Vitalizer, Nutriferon, Shaklee 180 – new branding of our entire Household line to Get Clean – a lucrative Compensation Plan – reinstatement of incentive trips. 

 

However, along with these have come many new rules and regulations, a proliferation of on-line webinars, conference calls, e-mails, etc. etc. What to choose to do – do I listen to them all? What if I miss something?  For the more obedient of you might feel guilty if you don’t do it all. 

 

You have heard Gary many times say that complexity confuses –we know that confusion stops progress.  If you’re feeling confused or overwhelmed the answer is to turn off all "the voices" and return your focus to a few fundamentals that will turn your business in a positive direction. 

 

Make a few simple changes, refocus, get in motion and you are just 60 days away from new growth.

 

Do you want to ‘revive’ your dreams?      Become re-inspired so you can inspire others?

Do you want to ‘regroup’?                              Reset your goals and adopt a simple process?

Do you want to ‘regenerate’?                        Bring new people into your business?

 

 

Faye Burke

 

 

Excellent Jim Rohn video

Thanks to Rhonda Woodman for sending this great 9 minute video of Jim Rohn that was probably taken some time in the 1980s.   I know you will learn from it as well as enjoy it.  Some time this weekend take 9 minutes and sit and give yourself a treat and watch this.

http://planbsuccessteam.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/your-legacy-starts-now/

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

What makes a difference?

Sometimes I seem to get stuck. I sit and think about what I might say that could make a difference to someone. I've learned that when I am stuck and my mind seems blank it seems to help if I think about what book I've read lately or maybe something I heard recently.  I've been sitting here for a few minutes now and have read the above and "a ha!" What makes a difference?

As I've said before, this is a simple business and the main job I have is to get myself in gear and DO SOMETHING.  What makes a major difference for me - and it will for you as well - is personal discipline. The definition of discipline includes:  Activity, exercise, a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training; to be well-behaved. 

Given that this is a skilled-based business, our personal discipline may be the major factor if we are to create an environment of growth. The idea is: am I able to get myself doing the right things for building my business? It's simple. Our job is to learn how to get ourselves in action. It's about taking the next step and when someone takes the next step, and then does it again over and over again, you will make progress. I don't think anyone wants to stay at 2000 PV for months on end, so it's a matter of training yourself to be more disciplined. When you do that you and your business will grow. 

That is the thing that makes this business unique. Our job is to train ourselves and we do that by attending as many meetings as possible and at the same time applying what we learn. Learning by itself is a good thing, but learning and then applying is the secret. My future is based on what I am willing to get myself to do because no activity means no growth.

My last thought is I want to give you my personal definition of discipline; it is doing what's important.

What important for you to get done today?

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's about taking responsibility

Everyone who is involved with Shaklee is an independent contractor. That simply means that we are self-employed.  We do not work for our upline or the company; we are the CEO of our business as well as CEO of our future.  Personally I have enjoyed being CEO of our future for many years. I never would have said I was an entrepreneur in the beginning. I wasn't looking for a business, I was looking for a job and I feel incredibly blessed that I learned how to be an entrepreneur.   

Of course since we all are CEOs, the person in charge of what we want as well as in charge of what has to be accomplished, it is vital that we have good work ethic. We have to be willing to  do the right things - which means we must be self-motivated. Each individual is responsible for his or her own motivation and inspiration. The other thing I learned very early in the game is this is in many ways an attitude business. You and I are responsible for our attitudes. 

This brings up a question: what do I have to do to have a good attitude, be motivated and be inspired? What do you read? Who do you listen to? Are the people you spend time with encouraging? Do you know what/who inspires you? Are you attending meetings? When I look back at the years when I got started I always felt better leaving a meeting than when I arrived.  That is one reason I personally believe so strongly in meetings. Nothing beats eye to eye relationships.

To bring this all together, let me suggest this: it is my responsibility as a sales leader to create an environment that will be as positive and encouraging as possible. Think about what you are doing to encourage yourself as well as the people on your team. Make a list of things you can do to be the absolute best encourager possible. Think about it.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Are you headed in the right direction?

Faye and I were talking with a family member who recently took a new job as a vice president of a company. He was hired to develop a new sales segment for all of the stores in their market; management has given him ambitious goals to accomplish within the next three years. He is putting together an entirely new team. 

He said, "right now we have ambitious people but they aren't disciplined."  In other words, they want to be successful but don't have the discipline to do the work that needs to be done.  They're not seeing the big picture and what needs to be done on a daily basis to get there.

This conversation got me thinking about our business. Are we headed in the right direction? Or are we just doing the same things every day that doesn't produce progress? Kind of hard questions aren't they. But if all of us took a step back, paused for a minute, then asked ourselves the question, "Am I going in the right direction?" or  "Do I have the big picture view for my future?" our answers of course would determine our direction. 

In order to have a big picture view we need to make sure we're doing the things that have potential to move our business. The basics: prospecting, following up, sponsoring, recruiting, giving presentations, and of course meetings. Think about it.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke