It's time to make new decisions

Let's talk a little about the month of June. Thursday starts a new month and this is a good time to think ahead and make some new decisions. I'm sure you realize that growth doesn't just happen.  Growth happens when people are ready to make things happen and they make decisions to move forward.

 

What this means is it's time to set new goals for your new month. As has been said many times new goals requires two things. It doesn't matter what title you currently have, new goals require new thinking and new behavior.

 

What would be new thinking for you? Higher PV? How much higher? Increase your earnings? New people? What would new behavior mean for you? Challenge yourself to have 3 appointments a week in June. Give opportunity presentations? Set up in-home events. 

 

The main thing to make happen in June is for you to be a great example for the people in your downline. If you don't have a downline yet, now is the time to make it happen.

 

Challenge yourself. Make June your best month of activity. 

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Don't go alone!

I was sponsored into Shaklee on May 1, 1970. I didn't know the guy who sponsored me but I did seem to trust him enough to learn more of what he talked about. I attended his meeting with two other potential people week after week. My sponsor took me to a local meeting where there were about 100 to 120 people there every Monday night.

 

The larger meeting seemed to help me see the bigger picture. I still wasn't ready to commit, but I was willing to make sure I attended everything I could where the local leaders were talking about this new idea.

 

I certainly had some doubt but it was becoming less and less a issue as my belief was taking the place of doubt and that happened because I was willing to ask questions and met some terrific people who were doing well in the business.  Their example was incredibly important for me.

 

Here is my point. The annual Shaklee Conference is every August  and this August that conference will be in Atlanta. The best thing you can do for yourself as well as for the new people is to make sure you give new people the opportunity to attend this Atlanta conference. 

 

You've got to start by setting your goals for inviting new people.  It's up to you to start selling this great idea to the people in your downline. Now! Do you want to grow your business?  Are you willing to work hard at selling this idea every week? It's up to you. 

 

Just think how exciting it's going to be to have 2 or 3 new people with you in Atlanta.   

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Who are you learning from?

Here is something to think about over the weekend.  

The following is from a booklet I've had since 1997. I don't know how many times I read this but it is many. This is a Price Pritchett booklet.  

 

Somebody knows how to do it better. Get close enough to watch.

Then just do what you did when you were first learning how to learn...when your personal growth was the fastest it's ever been. Study the other person's technique. Mimic those moves. Make more attempts, more tryouts. Ask questions.

 

That's how you learned to walk when you were a mere infant. And how you mastered a language in a matter of months...from scratch.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -   -  -  -  -

 

You might be thinking, "what does this have to do with me growing this business?"  It's about learning to learn. Who are you following? Have you studied their technique? Following success is more reliable than figuring it out yourself.

 

Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

A training on making calls

The following is a terrific training lesson on making calls.

 

Gary Burke

 

"Everyone wants to get yeses but they are not willing to go through the no's. You must change your mindset to succeed. Work through no and you will get to yes."

- Fenton & Andrea Waltz

 

This Month's NOtivational Article

What Happens When No One Answers?  

by Andrea Waltz

 

What is worse than a no? Easy. Getting less than no, meaning no response. It's one of the top frustrations we hear from people as they implement, 'go for no.'

What is the reason for this and what can you do?

Here is what is true: the person you have reached out to has no sense of urgency to get back to you. The other thing you can be pretty sure of is that if they are not interested, they probably don't like telling people, no. You think you don't like rejection? Many people hate rejecting others! And finally, people are fearful of making a bad decision.

You need to have a strategy to deal with these issues as best you can.

After several follow ups, depending on your sales cycle, let the prospect know that you see they have no current interest since they didn't get back to you and you are going to stop contacting them. For some people, just finding out that they are no longer going to be contacted will get them into action if they have been on the fence. In addition, you can always put them on a "drip list" and follow up periodically a few months down the line.

Many people tell us they let the prospect know that a "no" is perfectly okay and would actually be helpful so that they don't have to continue to contact the person. In other words, give them permission to say 'no' and often times you will get a response. We believe that if people see that a 'no' is okay with you - they will be more likely to give you referrals to other people in the future because you positioned yourself as someone who is easy to deal with.    

Remember: not getting responses is part of the game of business. And that brings us to the last issue: fear of making a bad decision. The evidence of this is the sales that are made after the 4th, 5th, sometimes 10th contact. That's why, if you know someone is qualified for what you have to offer, you can't give up so easily.

Have a follow up system where you continue to check in, have something of value to share, stay positive whether you hear back from the prospect or not. The yeses are out there - keep going! 

How do you look at life?

The Power of Optimism  

by Harvey Mackay

 

Two hikers were camped out overnight in the mountains.  A thunderous voice roused the from their sleep. The voice said, "This will be the saddest day or the happiest day of your lives." It then instructed them to pack up their belongings, make their way to the river, gather stones, and continue their journey.

 

The hikers did as they were instructed and stumbled to the river.  Shortly after sunrise, they reached a valley and decided to rest. They pulled out their packs to examine the stones they had collected. To their surprise, what they thought were river rocks were actually gems.

 

The first hiker said, "Now I know why this is the saddest day of our lives.  We should've gathered more stones." "You must be kidding!" the second hiker said. "This is the happiest day of my life. Look at the wealth we attained."

 

Therein lies the perfect example of the saying: "a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." How you look at life can drastically affect how much you enjoy your life. Optimists expect the best out of life.  Good news: It's an attitude that can be learned.

 

If you want to maintain the right attitude in the face of adversity, start by telling yourself you can change. Use positive language. Replace words and phrases like "impossible" and I can't" with words that emphasize success: "challenging" and "I must." 

 

Create the right environment.  Listen to uplifting music. Watch inspirational movies. Read motivational books. Appreciate your life. Take time to enjoy what you've already achieved with your life. Let go of mistakes.

 

Mackay's Moral:  It's just as easy to look for the good things in life as the bad.

credit: Star Tribune  

The secret is out!

There was a terrific article in yesterday's newspaper about what's happened at the high school level concerning developing Division 1 basketball players in Minnesota.  The following is a quote from one of the parents regarding improving your skills.

 

"It's just like anything else you do, like math or reading, if you put extra work in, you get better at it."

 

When I read that, the words jumped off the page because that is the answer for getting better at anything - and that includes this business. Again, "if you put extra work in, you get better at it." As has been said for decades, repetition is the mother of skill.

 

So, the answer for becoming highly skilled in Shaklee is simple: you have to put extra work in so you can get better. Better at what, you might ask? You'll get better at prospecting, asking questions, getting appointments, following up, building personal PV, you will earn more than you ever thought possible. But remember, you'll have to put in extra work in order to get better.

 

So the question is: have you been looking for new people? Have you asked lots of questions?  How many appointments did you have last week? Last month? Has your monthly group PV increased in the past 60 days? Will you earn more in May than you did in April?

 

Now if someone asks about how to build a better business, you'll have the answer for them.  They will have to put in extra work in.

Enthusiastically, 

Gary Burke

It's about having a process

The longer I'm in this business the deeper my belief is that in order to achieve success at whatever level you may choose, it's about having a mental strategy.  This business is simple but not always easy. The stronger a person is mentally the better chance they have to succeed.

 

The following is an idea taken from a book I read a few years ago. This author says the following: When a person thinks about results instead of the process, the mind gets confused.  Commit to a process.

 

If I were to start from ground level zero to build this business I would not be concerned with results as much as I want to make sure I work at the process it's going to take be more successful. I learned the process when I got started many years ago and I would follow the same process to grow this business today. The tools would be different in todays world, such as computers,  internet, etc.

 

My process would be as follows. 

1.  Get in conversations.  Ask questions.  Listen for needs/wants.

2.  Learn to get appointments.

3.  Tell the Shaklee story.  Company, products, opportunity.

4.  Set a follow-up appointment...2nd and maybe 3rd appointment.

5.  Sponsor people and discuss what they want.  Set goals.

6.  Make sure the prospect evaluates the products.

7.  Encourage!  Encourage!  Encourage!

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's about being determined

I'm on the road again and early this AM as I'm getting myself ready to drive a few hundred miles I was half listening to the TV and half thinking about tonight's meeting. What I heard on the TV was the following words: "you've got to have determination in your heart."

 

That caught my attention and my mind started racing.  I thought to myself, "That's our business."   If we don't have that determination in our hearts we will probably just kind of slip away from doing what it is we want to be doing about our business.

 

Listen folks, we have to always remind ourselves of our goals, our purpose, and our ability to fight doubt and any and all negative people. Some negative people feel it's their job to tell the world how stupid they are by tearing down what others are building up. 

 

Keep your eyes and heart on your dream. Your future. Make a habit of reminding yourself that what you're really doing is building a future and you'll never give up.

 

Make today be a great day!

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

What thoughts are you feeding yourself?

I read a article a few years ago that talked about whatever a person feeds will prosper and grow and whatever you starve will eventually die.  I made a few notes when I first read that and they are as follows.

 

What thoughts or ideas do I feed myself?

I will make progress...I just don't have the time.

Sponsor and grow...I don't know many people.

Build to the next title...I've never done that before.

I'll do fun meetings...people won't come to my meetings.

I can do this...I don't know how.

 

I could go on and on I'm sure but my guess is you get the point.  

Think about this - ask yourself a couple of questions:                   

What's stopping me from doing what I want to do?

Who would I like to be a mentor for me?  

A good mentor will stop you before you let mistakes become habits. 

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Fundamentals

I've sent this idea out before but it's worth repeating.

 

There are four basic steps to follow if you have decided you want what this business offers.  We have to get ourselves in position by doing the right things that will help generate growth. 

 

Everyone is responsible for putting themselves in specific situations

that will allow you to do the following.

                

1. Practice  -  this will help you become skilled.

2. Get some experience  -  It's tough to beat experience.

3. Gain knowledge of what helps a business to grow.

4. Grow yourself by building your confidence.

 

What are those steps?  

Getting in conversations - Ask questions.

Learn to ask for an appointment.

Give a simple presentation.

Follow-up

Stay positive regardless of results.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Tortoise and the hare

I had a conversation recently about growing this business faster. I'm sure you are familiar with the story about the tortoise and the hare. I would have been considered a tortoise because it took us 8 years to get to Master Coordinator and there were those who were qualifying as Master Coordinator in 3 to 4 years in that period of time.

 

NOTE: To qualify as Master during that time it took 15 first level Directors with 3000 PV per month.

 

My goal was to develop two new sales leaders a year and we did that for 8 years. We still have 15 first level sales leaders. The best thing I did was to never compare myself with those who were growing faster.  I learned from some who grew fast, but that comparison game just didn't seem to be for me. Just be yourself and work your plan

 

To me it was about being consistent with my efforts and finding the right people who wanted to build a future.  That's what I was after: a future.  There are thousands out there looking for what Shaklee has to offer - probably millions.

 

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." - Thomas A. Edison

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

The best investment is in ourselves

I want to plant a seed about the upcoming Atlanta conference in August. This is going to be a very important conference.

 

If you want to give yourself and your business/earnings a terrific boost, you will not want to miss being in Atlanta for this very important conference. We are all entrepreneurs and all that means is we don't have a boss to report to. We make the decisions.

The best thing all of us can do for ourselves is to invest in ourselves. When people make a wise investment in themselves that means the future is going to get better and better. The idea in investing simply means we will be looking for a healthy return. Don't look at getting to the Atlanta conference as a cost. It is an investment. The return you'll experience will be outstanding.

The time to make this decision to be in Atlanta is this week.  Remember, we have all of May, June and July to earn whatever it takes so please don't convince yourself it costs more than you can afford. This is going to be the best conference we've had in years. Guaranteed. Absolutely. It's going to be a blast. We know because we've had a peek of what will take place.

Go online and purchase your ticket today. It's going to be worth every minute you're there.

Very enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

What motivates people

It seems that people who move forward and are consistently growing their business and future always seem inspired or motivated. The best thing I learned about motivation is asking a question. The question is: what motivates or inspires people?

 

Talking loud doesn't do it. Neither does talking fast. I also don't believe it's having a certain technique. I believe what motivates and inspires people are ideas. Just pause and think about that for a minute. Ideas motivate people.

 

Earning a bonus car is a great idea.

Building a part-time business is a great idea.

Helping people feel better is another excellent idea.

Improving your personal health is an awesome idea.

Taking fun trips would also inspire some people.

Earn enough part-time income to become totally debt free.

Help other people become debt free.

Earn and extra $3000 a month...every month.

Getting to the point where you're earning more than you need.

Getting to the point where you have as much free time as desired.

 

So if all of the above are simple ideas, what does that mean that our job might be to grow our business?  In my view, our job is to be talking to people about ideas. Asking questions about ideas they might love to have.  

 

Finally, Shaklee is the vehicle for making all of the above ideas become a reality. Think about it.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

It's time for an amazing month

Today is May 1st so we get to make plans for a new month. The only difference between a good month and an amazing month is how you approach it.  One way to approach this month is to sit down and think about what amazing means for you.

 

Take some notes. Don't hesitate to dream a little because everything starts with a thought.  It doesn't cost anything to dream. Think back when you first got started and how exciting it was.  

 

Does amazing mean more sponsoring, higher PV, increasing your monthly bonus check, or maybe calling people you've been thinking bout calling but haven't done it yet. Think about it and write some notes and then look back at your notes and create a simple plan for achieving your new plan.

 

Having an amazing month is that simple. Think. Make notes. Make a decision. Create your simple plan. Then make up your mind to not allow anything or anybody to stop you from making May be that amazing month.

 

Congratulations for making a decision for this to be an amazing month for you and your team.

 

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke