Are you a Leader or an enable?

If you're being too touchy feely in your business it's not totally your fault.

Here's why . . . In network marketing we're all taught to be available 24 seven. We say things like . . . "If you need to do a three way, don't even think if I'm available, just call I'll be there for you." "If you need anything you've got my number just call me."

Nothing wrong with being totally available if that's the type of life you want to create, but it's NOT really the best way to go about things. Why? You end up becoming an enabler of weakness and not a creator of leadership.

If you're always there for any and every little thing for your team and prospects you're setting the wrong expectation from the outset. (It's like spoiling a child.)

I say this not because I'm bigger and better, but because I've got this hang up too. When you let people get access to you and your time all the time you loose the life you're trying to create and breed weakness into your team. There are some things they should be able to figure out themselves after you've trained them, and if you insist on being there for every little thing, they never get a chance to grow and be independent.

Leaders are what makes this business go around. You foster that by setting the right expectations, sticking to your guns, and providing what you say you will. You're a coach, not a counselor.

Make sure you define that roll to you first and them second, and you'll begin to attract leaders to you.

Just a couple days ago I was talking to a friend about this . . . He started a venture and he made part of the service he rendered complete and open access to him and I quickly advised him to stop. When you do this people stop valuing your time. They abuse it. They make things that shouldn't be personal, personal. And you grey the line between your role as a facilitator to success and a friend.

Let your friends be your friends and your business partners be your business partners and you'll thrive, have more time, be more respected, and create the life this business is really about.

To Learn More, Register Now At http://fastbuyerloans.com

Larry Potter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVVfulxlBk

www.ATicketToWealth.com

Make Constant Improvements

The Japanese principle known as "kaizen" (which means continuous improvement) can be applied to all aspects of life. But it is perhaps best known for the way it's been applied to business.

Some scholars think kaizen is what enabled Japan to go from defeat in World War II to being one of the world's strongest economies. What the Japanese did was commit to continuously improving their manufacturing industries to be more efficient, cost-effective, and productive.

The idea was that everything could always be done better.

I want you to believe that you can always find new and better ways to achieve your goals. If an action is working and bringing the desired results - do it more often. If an action is not working or throwing you off track - do it less often. (Or eliminate it altogether.)

The beauty of goal setting is that it is all about YOU and what you want to achieve. You choose... you act... you monitor your actions... you celebrate and continue refining your actions.

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVVfulxlBk

Get Revenge on Wall Street's Low-Life Sewer Rats

There's no shame in admitting you were conned by Wall Street... you and about 300 million of your fellow Americans.

All those proper looking men in their fancy Brooks Brothers suits and ties. So classy and dignified and respectable.

But it turns out they were little more than sleazy carnival barkers, shills with one hand shaking yours and the other reaching for your back pocket.

Finally they're being exposed for the lowlife sewer rats they really were.

If you are rethinking your investments... and who isn't... now there's a better way.

Come join 1,000's in a new society we've dubbed the "Home Seller Assist" program.

It's the "Off Wall Street" alternative for independent thinkers looking for respectable gains even in these hard times.

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Past Due Bills of the Deceased

By Jason Holland

The death of a loved one is tough enough. But hearing from debt collectors just weeks after the funeral makes it much worse.

Before you make any promises to "settle" your relative's accounts, whether a cellphone bill or credit card debt, know this: You probably don't have to pay a dime out of your own pocket.
The debt can be paid with the deceased's estate and whatever you have inherited from it. But, although laws vary from state to state, heirs are not usually required to pay off the deceased's bills with their own money.

That doesn't stop collection agencies from asking you to do just that by using carefully worded language. Some even position themselves as helping you with payment plans.
But if you ask them directly, they should admit that you do not have to pay.

(Source: The New York Times)

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

How To Competition Proof Your Business‏

"How do I make sure my business survives long term?"

First off, as far as your network marketing organization is concerned the answer is twofold . . .

First, you want to make sure in all your marketing efforts you're attracting the right type of prospects. A big mistake I see new online network marketers make is they spend too much time following up with dead beat leads when their focus should be on getting more good leads.

If you spend your time attracting great leads you'll not only have an exceedingly easy time recruiting, but more, those you recruit will be true business builders. Not all of them will grow big or fast, but a few true leaders will rise to the top. Until you have real leaders in your downline you can't stop recruiting.

The only reason I've been able to pull back from massive recruiting over the past couple months is because I have real leaders out there looking for other real leaders. When that happens a level of long term stability is created in your business.

Second, you have to have systems in place for your downline that go above and beyond you.

Think of them like family traditions that started generations ago that you and your family still do to this day. It doesn'tmatter who started those traditions or how long ago they were started they still live on.

In your downline, you have to have systems that run with or without you or you'll always be needed in the business.

Of note, you need recruiting systems, retention systems, and duplication systems in place before you can comfortably step away. Once you have this and your downline grows with or without you. Congratulations! You've hit the first level of competition proofing your business.

Next comes you . . . No matter how great your opportunity is you have to understand that you don't own your downline. That means if anything happens to the business, the compensation plan changes or it goes out of business your income is drastically affected. I've seen this happen to the best of them and it's not a pretty site. You need a contingency plan for overall competition proofing your income, and the way you do that is moving from a position of prospect -company - you to prospect - you - company. In other words what you're generally taught to do is get as many people into the business as possible and let duplication take effect,but we've just discussed the risk in that model.

If you change the paradigm of your business from you only introducing your prospect to your business to you introducing and letting your prospect get to know you first and then introducing them to your business now you have more control.

The business goes under and you've still got a direct connection to your prospect that supersedes the business itself. This can be leverage to new downlines in other companies or anything else. This is a skill and a subject your upline won't discuss with you, and to be honest it's something they know nothing about.

They won't discuss it becaus the only way they make money is if you put people under you and they profit for it. So their focus, like any good leader in a company is to keep you focused on the task most important to BOTH you and them. They don't know how to even approach this angle because they most likely only think in traditional terms and have been taught the old way of network marketing. They live in a high risk world and may or may not know it.

You're different. You know the truth, by just following this email. I've done both. I've got a large and thriving downline and I've got a direct connection to my prospects and that's the position you want to sit in if you want to win long term.

The only place to learn the dirty truth about really competition proofing your business is who lives it. Go here now, take action on what you see, and let's get you on the road to complete and total competition proofing your business for good.


Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Tobacco Road?

How much should you pay for a property?

Here are some general guidelines:

Become intimately familiar with the property value - preferably through a certified appraisal

Make a determination of what you will do with a property in advance of making an offer. (For example, if the mortgage payments on a rental property will be too high to cash flow if you pay $300,000 for a property, then you know you $300,000 is more than the property can afford.)

When making a property offer, always offer less than you are willing to pay in the beginning of the negotiation

If your exit strategy will involve flipping or resale to a third party at some time in the future, make sure that the price you pay leaves room to offer the third party a price that will make the deal attractive

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Clear Fonts Get Things Done

Do you send out e-mails to co-workers in "cool" fonts? When you write marketing copy, is it similarly attired?

If so, you could be sabotaging your efforts. University of Michigan researchers have determined that when people are given instructions written in an easily readable font - like Arial - they are more likely to complete the task... and do it well.

Participants in the study were divided into two groups. One group was given instructions in Arial on (1) how to do an exercise and (2) how to "build" a sushi roll. The other group received the same instructions in a "handwritten-style" font.

The results? You guessed it. The Arial group made better sushi rolls and were happier about exercising.

So don't use Bauhaus to ask a colleague to run some numbers for you. And make sure when you're writing, whether it's an article, advertising copy, or to-do list, that you stay well clear of Viviendi.

(Source: Lifehacker)

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Figure out what you can give others.

Contrary to what some self-improvement gurus will tell you, you won't get what you want in life simply by asking for it.

Everybody is ultimately motivated by self-interest. Achieving your specific goal, therefore, is a matter of figuring out how you can satisfy the desires of others.

If, for example, your goal for that Home Seller Assist business meeting you've been invited to is to be nominated to head up an upcoming project, plan for it by making a mental list of how your nomination will help each person attending the meeting. Think about what each person wants. Figure out how, in leading the project, you can provide that.

Most important, think about how you can direct the Home Seller Assist project so that it will achieve growth and profitability for the company. Spend some time formulating the phrases you will use to drive that point home.

By putting the company first, you will enlist the respect and support of just about everyone. You will establish yourself as a natural leader. And then, when you explain how the project will benefit people individually, you will see how quickly they line up to support you.

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Create Your Own Fame

No one is going to stand up and applaud for you. You have to take action and start making a splash. So choose a niche market - a sub-group of folks who share a common interest - and "crown" yourself as their leader.

To choose your niche market, first identify your unique ability, passion, or area of expertise. Then prepare your message and deliver it to the people who will be interested in what you have to say.

At the same time, accept the fact that you can't please everyone. The sooner you understand that not everyone is going to love you, and that some folks will even criticize you, the better you will be at creating your own fame.

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Why Buy a Home Now

If you're renting and wondering if you should buy a home, consider what bestselling author, David Bach, says, "The average homeowner is worth 35 times more than the average renter."

He advises renters to take action immediately and start saving part of their paycheck every month to help accumulate a down payment. He also encourages renters to borrow 10-20 percent less than what the bank is willing to lend; that way they're only buying as much home as they can afford.

The longer you rent, the longer it may take you to eventually get into homeownership. If the market conditions have scared you, perhaps you're not looking at the other side of the coin. Owning a home becomes part of your investment portfolio, provides tax benefits, allows you to build equity (it still exists), and, if you buy now, you may get an excellent deal.

According to a MarketWatch news article, buying a home now can provide some real negotiating power to request improvements, price reductions, help with closing costs, and more. "People can get a lot of what they need and almost all of what they want today," said Jay Papasan, one of the authors of "Your First Home".

While poor market conditions have created a troubling situation for some homeowners, the downturn has made the buying market ripe for others, especially those in the Home Seller Assist program. The affordability of homes is better than ever. The National Association of Realtors' housing affordability index concluded that homes in December of 2008 were more affordable than at any other point since 1970 (the start of the index). And with numerous foreclosures on the market and prices dropping in many areas, now is a good time to buy. But in order to make your purchase profitable, here are some things you should consider.

How long will you be in the home? Some experts advise that if you are planning to move within a year, buying may not be the best option because of the expenses associated with moving. However, if you're searching for a place to live for, at least, several years, buying now could be a good choice for you.

How much you can afford. Don't let tighter lending regulations scare you off from making a purchase. Instead, understand what you truly can afford. Don't get caught up in buying too much home. In fact, these days, the trend is moving toward smaller homes -- simpler living.

Mortgage rates drop to historical low. How much home you can afford is affected by mortgage interest rates that, right now, are highly appealing. Good credit, documenting your income, and a substantial down payment will make you a better candidate for the better mortgage rates.

Freedom to choose. Now, unlike several years ago, the market has a large inventory in many areas. The market time to sell a home has increased which creates a large inventory of homes, everything including new, existing, and foreclosures. Buyers can peruse the market and have the freedom to select the home they really want. If you're interest is in a new home, know that many developers are getting more competitive with their pricing because they also have taken a hit by the ailing economy.

Quality of life. Buying a home can create a higher quality of life, giving you pride of homeownership, and something to enjoy improving and developing over the years.

Tax credit benefit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules: the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser's income tax liability. If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser.
by Phoebe Chongchua

Larry Potter
847-872-4047
www.ATicketToWealth.com