Our national anthem

At times it just feels good to be inspired. The following will take about 2 1/2 minutes. This is a great country and if you are patriotic you will love this. Thanks to Master Coordinator Ray Madorin for sending this to us.

   

Gary Burke

500 high school choir students sing the U.S. National Anthem  in a high-rise hotel.  Each night before curfew they gather on their balconies to sing the Star-Spangled Banner from the  balconies of the 18-story atrium at Louisville's downtown Hyatt Regency as part of the Kentucky Music Educators convention. Absolutely beautiful - note how silent the audience is.  

http://www.chonday.com/Videos/anthofius3

Where is your focus?

I read the following in a book titled 7 Moments....That Define Excellent Leaders.

 

THINK EXCELLENCE

 

Excellent leadership is defined by excellent thinking.   Words and acts of excellence are proceeded by thoughts of excellence.  

 

Our minds are magnets.  What we focus on is what we get.  Our thoughts and beliefs have that much power.  Think about it.  We receive what we believe about leadership.  This works just as powerfully with negative thoughts as it does with positive thoughts.

 

For most of us in this business this is not the first time we've heard this about our thinking and our success. For me it reminds me about Faye and I getting to Master Coordinator. It took us 8 years to reach that level while many others did it in half that time. The best thing we did was learn from those who went before us and we didn't criticize ourselves because we were slower than others. We just tried our best to be steady and do the best we could. Our thinking was focused on reaching that top rank in this business.

 

Where is your focus? Do you pay attention to your thoughts? As has been said in other messages, fight doubt by controlling your thinking and of course keep up the effort. You can get to where you want to be.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

Four simple steps

I maintain that this business opportunity we have is simple, yet has the potential to change a person's life in so many ways. Probably one of the most interesting things about our business is the products we have to work with. The stories are endless when it comes to the change people have had. I think that also applies to the earning possibilities we have. I think there are four steps we have to deal with if we are going to continually move forward.

Know what you want to do.

Learn how to do it.

Understand what it will take.

Keep your dream alive.

Do you have a specific goal you want to achieve? Is it higher monthly PV? Is it living debt free? Maybe it's reaching that next rank or qualifying for that trip? How about education for kids or grand kids?   Here we go again, it's about choices.  We get to choose what we want.

 

Learning how to do what it is we must do is a matter of learning from those who have gone before you. Do you ask your upline questions? Do you ask for help or are you going to do it your way? Repetition simply means you are willing to do the same things over and over and over. It's called developing your skills.

 

Understanding what it will take comes from being willing to start doing things you probably haven't ever done before.  Understand that small failures are really lessons. If you're willing to learn lessons you will learn what it will take and you won't ever quit.  

 

Finally, your most important job is to make sure you keep your dream alive.  It's a decision. Don't accept any negative thinking which means you have to learn how to fight back mentally. I'm convinced that this is really an attitude business.  How's your attitude when your best prospect decides to watch TV? How's your attitude when it isn't working as fast as someone you've heard is really moving forward fast? Hang out with positive people. Read good books.  Attend every meeting you can. Don't let the bad attitude of someone else affect you from having a great attitude.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Is it time to raise the bar for growth for you and your business?

Here we are at the last week in March.  Will March have higher personal PV than February? Whatever it is, let's think about finishing the month off with some positive efforts that will obviously produce some positive results.   

 

Faye would ask me about our PPV and what she would say was, "Who are you working with and how are they doing?"   To be honest, I never liked it when she asked me that question because it meant I had to look at what I was doing. Progress wasn't always there but the question did produce conversation about who was I working with or what could I do to make progress.

 

We always wanted to be moving forward because we had goals and what those conversations did was kept us to be future driven in our thinking and our conversations. As I reflect back it also kept us continually raising the bar as far as making things happen. Raising the bar meant I usually had to do some more prospecting because our monthly PV would be the same month after month unless we had some new people. We weren't willing to just settle for where we were. Reaching for new ranks always meant more focus and new efforts and of course this would eventually mean we would have much higher monthly PV.

 

How are you doing and who are you working with? How many new people have come into your personal group in the past two or three months? What changes have to take place in order for you and your business to make the kind of progress you might be dreaming about? Something to think about.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Personal development is part of the secret for growth

Growing our business is one thing and our personal development is another.    It's a process. Personal growth isn't an event. Some people refuse to take action  until they have all their ducks lined up and they want to understand everything first. It certainly would be nice if it were possible to learn everything there is 

to know for building a successful business, but it just doesn't work that way.   

 

I learned a principle years ago that comes to my mind that addresses the above idea. I don't recall who said it or wrote it but I wrote it down because it really made sense that day I found it. It is as follows: "Progressive steps mean you learn as you go forward, not before you go forward. Each step will help you to build yourself up so you are ready to take the next step in your development."

 

Simple, isn't it? We learn as we go, not before we go. When I think back I remember how nervous I was to talk to someone about Shaklee and then to think that in order to build a large business, it looked like I would probably have to do meetings. Speak in front of people. YIKES! I almost didn't graduate from college because I refused to take speech. I finally was forced to take speech and I hated it. I was nervous. I had tremendous fear. I was scared.  I was thrilled to get a "C." I remember walking out of that class saying to myself, I'll never have to ever speak in front of people again. I was wrong. Today I love speaking at meetings and telling the Shaklee story.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

Why not me?

No matter what a person attempts to accomplish or achieve, obstacles will always be part of the formula for succeeding. Obstacles are just a part of life. We all have our routines that we do on a daily basis and moving forward will always require change of some kind.   Our routines are easy and of course that is because we've been doing them for months, years and probably decades. 

Norman Vincent Peale said, "Stand up to your obstacles. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have." I believe that one thing everyone can do is develop the habit of asking themselves questions. Here are some examples. What do I have to learn to become more successful? What's holding me back from using my God-given potential? Why don't I do the things that I want to do? What's my biggest obstacle? I see and hear how others are growing their business. Why not me?   What excuses, if any, do I use on a regular basis?   

 

As I think back what has helped me is when I would get stuck is I would ask myself a question. Probably the question I found myself asking the most was, "Why don't I do what I want to do? That was always frustrating. I wanted to prospect more but many, many times I just couldn't get myself to do what I really wanted. Fear was an issue with me in the early years because I've always been kind of laid back and very quiet. I finally decided that my desire to be successful was going to be stronger than all the excuses or reasons that would stop me.

 

What's your desire for you and your Shaklee future? Once you decide your desire is going to be stronger than circumstances or obstacles, you will grow and that's when you will experience personal development and things will change.   

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Is there a secret to building this business?

In my early years as I was learning how to get started building this business I would  be driving to a meeting and the following thought would come to my mind.  It was,

 "I wonder if this business will ever work for us the way it has for the people we are hearing giving the presentations?"   

I knew it was working for others because I met people who were Coordinators at the upper levels and I figured I just had to learn to do what they were teaching and modeling what to do. What it really came down to for me was the idea that I had to trust the system or process I was learning from those successful Shaklee people. I didn't want to be jumping from program to program hoping it would work.

I wanted to learn the basic fundamentals of what to do and then figure out a strategy that I felt would get me to where I wanted to be. I met some people who seemed to be looking for the secret. I knew there wasn't a secret but I also knew there were basic fundamentals and I believe that almost everything has a process to follow. The basic fundamentals were to ask questions, learn how to create interest, get an appointment, give a simple presentation / learn how to tell the Shaklee story, ask if they would like to learn more, then follow up and help others to get the answers to whatever questions they might have.   Use of the products was obviously a huge part of the fundamentals.

Talk to your mentor(s). Learn from your upline. Find successful people. Follow success.  

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Just take a look

I had a conversation today and this person asked me how I got involved in a business like ours. He's never been approached but has heard about network marketing. So I want to share with you how it came about that I not only got involved but got very committed.

 

A friend of mine came to sell us some insurance not long after Faye and I got married. He asked some questions and I told him I had what some would consider a good job but not much of a future. He mentioned to me that he knew a friend who was looking for people but he didn't know much other than that. I asked what his name was so I looked in the phone directory for his number and called him a few days later. I made an appointment to go to his home and he showed me the Shaklee opportunity.

 

It was that simple. I didn't know this guy or what he did. I was searching for a future and basically he showed me a new idea. I went to his home just to take a look at what he might have to offer. Just to take a look. His story was simple and I felt compelled to learn more. I went to meetings and asked questions and met a lot of very nice people and discovered I found something that would literally change our lives.

 

This all happened because I just went to take a look. Once I got started and was learning about getting appointments I learned that if people would just take a look at this company, the products and opportunity, we started to grow. The reason I'm telling you this today is because asking people to just take a look is how I got many appointments. I didn't bat 100% but for me it worked.  Simplicity works.  

 

For those of you who have the GO PRO book by Eric Worre, go to page 56 and 57 and you will see a very simple but powerful question that Mr. Worre says changed his business.   

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

The value of cars

I've been giving some thought to the value of meetings. In today's world we can have a meeting with FaceTime, a conference call, a three way call, a one on one appointment, with Skype, or earn an incentive from the home office such as was held recently in Palm Springs, and of course there is always the annual conference that will be in Orlando, FL this summer. There are many ways to have a meeting and all of them can be very helpful to many people.   

 

When I think back I would have to say that meetings were the heart of how we learned and were inspired by various  people who were already successful.   The following are some of the benefits that come from putting yourself in a growth environment.

1.  Staying energized or restoring energy

2.  Getting a reminder of the awesome opportunity we have

3.  Developing relationships

4.  Learning from people who have already succeeded

5.  Celebrating the success of others

6.  Expanding your thinking about what's possible

7.  Setting new goals for the coming year

8.  Keeping your dream alive

9.  Understanding the opportunity

10.  Learning about the awesome products we have to work with

Staying involved will pay off for you over the long run. 

 

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke

 

 

What's the difference between those who do and those who don't?

Over the weekend I was reading a newsletter about having a championship mind set. Les Steckel, who is the CEO of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), says the following.

 

"Prior to every training camp, we'd have meetings to discuss our goals.  Ultimately, we realized it was all about how we trained and prepared from one week to the next.  Preparation was - and is - what separates those who do and those who don't."

 

When I think about the above statement that says preparation is the key to accomplishing personal goals as well as organizational goals I think of our business. How do we prepare ourselves for succeeding in our business? It starts with getting 100% sold on the idea that we have products that are awesome and an earning opportunity that is second to none. Next we have to learn what the fundamentals are that will help us create success and the goal is to develop the skills that are necessary for building this business.

 

Developing skills comes from practice and repetition. Making contact with people and setting appointments, giving a simple presentation of the Shaklee opportunity, following up, sponsoring people, helping people grow their business, and teach and train those who wish to build their future. The following is one of my favorite success principles, which I've shared here before: you don't have to do 2000 things, but you will have to do four or five things 2000 times.  Repetition is the secret for developing skills. Go for it! You'll never regret working hard.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

 

 

The magic question for network marketing success

Here is another terrific message from Eric Worre. This is just short of 9 minutes and it is a very powerful message about prospecting. For those of you who have his book, GO PRO, you have read what he's talking about on page 56 - 57.    This is really good information for those of you who might be looking for help in your prospecting.

Link here: https://tw126.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/19517/76e8179ad34e0adc/172233349/52c79ff8135a8edb

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Is it "how to?" or is it "what?"

I was in a conversation a week or so ago and was asked "How do I motivate people?" That is the same question I asked myself in the early stages of trying to build our business. Somewhere along the way I came across a principle that suggests it isn't me that might motivate people - it's not about "how do I" motivate people. I think the best question is what motivates people. The answer very simply is IDEAS motivate people. Some people talk loudly to motivate or maybe they talk faster thinking that is the answer. Maybe both are correct. I like to think that if we can put the right idea in front of the right person, they will get excited.

 

For example, in 1970, I was a young guy who had a job but didn't have much of a future. What happened is I went to a guy's home and he showed me an IDEA.  It wasn't a product, it wasn't that he was a motivating guy, it wasn't about the company, it was the idea that I could build something, not just sell something.   That's what compelled me to decide to check out this IDEA.

 

Shaklee is a great idea! Better health is also a great idea. Helping others is another idea. Unlimited income is an awesome idea. Living debt free is another idea. Becoming self-employed is another idea. Earning a car payment is a fun idea.  Earning incentives that award fun travel excites some people.

 

So what's the point? IDEAS MOTIVATE PEOPLE. With the company we have and the awesome products we have to work with, and the possibilities about earning more than we might need, we have tons of ideas to put in front of people. So get out there and show people all the great ideas you have to offer. 

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's been tested and proven

I've been going through some of my presentations looking for a word or idea to write about. When I came across the slide below it kind of jumped off the screen. I think this is a Jim Rohn quote but I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that many, many people want a better future.  Think about that for a minute. What  if it's true that people are looking for a better future? How about you?

Shaklee is about the promise of a future

It's been tested and proven

It's effective and transferable

Residual Income

Be your own boss

Awesome products to work with

The opportunity was and still is about a promise of the future. We've got the company, the products, the opportunity to earn whatever we choose. We have everything we need. The only thing that's left is to find  people that want that promise of a better future. Do you know anyone who might be ready for that better future?     

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's about actions not intentions

We've got 26 more days in the month of March, so let's make a decision that this is going to be a great month. I'm sure most of us have good intentions every day or at least every week. But if you're like me there are many weeks where I don't get done what I intended to get done. Of course there is always next week or next month...not good thinking but at times a fact. 

 

We judge ourselves by our intentions, others judge us by our actions. I don't think it's my job to judge what other people intend to do, or what kind of actions they take. But I know from my experience that for me I just have to get that first call made, or that one appointment, or make a follow up call, or go to that meeting, or call up my mentor and talk about making progress. Just getting started has always been the key for me. Once some action has taken place it's so much easier to keep it up.

 

So my suggestion today is why not sit down and write out, don't just think about it, write out what actions you're going to take today, and the rest of this week? Just actions for this week. How people have a good month is always based on having some good days and good weeks. Today is the time to start.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

 

 

 

 

 

 

First step for network marketing success

If you have wondered what the main thing is that a person has to do to become highly successful in

Network Marketing, the answer is in this 9 minute video. I have listened to this twice and I agree 100% with what Eric Worre is teaching. Listen. Learn. Apply!

 

Gary Burke

I get asked this question all the time People ask "Eric, what is the first step for becoming a Network Marketing Professional".  Today's video provides the answer. CLICK HERE to check it out and be sure to pass it on. Your friend & partner, Eric Worre - Network Marketing Pro

Principles can be very powerful

There are many principles that have the power to help people succeed at whatever it is they might choose to work. When you come across an idea that makes sense to you I suggest you start your own library - write it down and start your collection. These ideas might come from reading or attending a meeting, or hearing something on the radio. When you come across something you feel could be helpful, stop and write it down.   Then read through these ideas every once in a while and apply them to your life.

 

Today I'm going to give you a couple of ideas that I found that make sense to me and I have tried to apply to my life. I can't recall who said what or who wrote what.  These aren't my ideas but to me they have helped me to stay on course.

 

#1 - Don't wish for it to be easier, wish for you to get better.

 

#2 - Keep saying what you want to see until you're seeing what you want.

 

I suggest you read these two simple but powerful ideas a few times and think about what they might mean for you. If you like one or maybe both, write them down. Go out and purchase a small notebook to save your good ideas.   

 

I'll give you one example. I found idea #2 some time in my first two or three years.   I decided to become a Shaklee Master Coordinator. I thought about that every day for eight years. Yes, every day. I mean that literally. We had many ups and downs. Not every day was our best day.  Every week or every month wasn't was our best. But that principle about keep saying what you want stuck with me.  

 

What is it you really want for yourself and your family? Don't allow anything to take you off course.  

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A great interview about how to succeed

It's important to start every day as positive as possible and the following message will take about 2 1/2 minutes of your day. Do yourself a favor and sit back, click on the link and enjoy. If this 

interview doesn't make you smile go back to bed for a few minutes and give it another shot.

 

Thanks to Rick Seymour for sending this to me.

 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzNRYuAoz28

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke  

It's about getting better

Here is more from the booklet Skill with People by Les Giblin.  What I want to select today about skill with people is How to Skillfully Listen to People.  Read, learn and apply.

The more listening you do, the smarter you will become, the better you will be liked, and the better conversationalist you will be. A good listener always winds up far ahead of a good talker in people's affections. This is because a good listener always allows people to hear their favorite speakers: themselves.

There are few things in life which will help you more than becoming a good listener.  However, being a good listener is not an accident. There are five rules that make a good listener.

1. Look at the person who is talking.  Listen with your eyes as well as with your ears.

2. Lean toward the speaker and listen intently. Appear as if you do not want to miss a single word.

3.  Ask questions. This lets the person who is talking know you are listening. Asking questions is a high form of flattery.

4. Stick to the speaker's subject and don't interrupt. Don't change the subject on a person until they are finished.  

5.  Use the speaker's words - "you" and "your." If you use "I, me, my, mine" you are switching the focus  from the speaker to yourslef. That is talking not listening.

These five rules are nothing more than courtesy. Never will courtesy pay off for you so much as it will in listening.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke