We’ve come a long way in the last 30 days.  We’ve covered issues surrounding mindset, motivation, setting goals, the importance of keywork research, and some very specific marketing tips along the way.  Today it’s time to tie it all together:  What is the ultimate key to success in network marketing?

Welcome to Day 30 (finally!) of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special, where I’ve given you 30 Business and Marketing Tips for each day of the month of December.  If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category on the right sidebar.

There are lots of things you can do to improve your chances of succeeding in your network marketing home business.  Setting up your business on a strong foundation with well defined goals, understanding what motivates you most to continue, investing in your marketing education and ways to improve your marketing and sales skills, and learning how to support your new team members are ALL very important in making your business grow and flourish.

But there is ONE KEY to realizing success in this industry, that above all others is the cause of most business failures in this industry. 

It’s one thing that 97% of people DON’T GET!

It’s not hard, and it’s certainly not rocket science.

Ready to hear THE KEY?   Here it is…..

You need to STAY IN THE GAME long enough to realize the success you are building.

That’s it.  Sounds simple, but the reality is that most people quit because they can’t stay in the game long enough to see the fruits from their labor.

People don’t start a home based business with the idea of failing.  In fact, it’s usually just the opposite.  They have visions of easy money pouring in to their laps after just a few months.  But they soon realize that running any business is HARD WORK.

• Some don’t want to do hard work and they quit.

• Some get frustrated when they run in to roadblocks, and they quit.

• Some don’t like the idea of losing money, even at the start, and they quit.

To be successful in any new home based business opportunity……

QUITTING CAN NOT BE AN OPTION!

So how do you STAY IN THE GAME?

By having 2 things at all times:

1. Fresh qualified leads to talk to
2. Cash flow

When either of these 2 things are missing, you are running the risk of having to quit your business.

There are various ways to ensure that both of these critical components are in place, but I have found a system that combines both and is very inexpensive.

Regardless of what business you represent, this system is applicable and can be used to not only keep you in the game, but grow your business exponentially.

I have used it myself, and I continue to do so…. with great results.

The system is called MLM Lead System PRO.

It combines aspects of relational or attraction marketing (for getting you a constant flow of qualified leads) with a very strong affiliate marketing component (to keep you in a positive cash flow situation).

It is quite simply the best system I have found to keep you in the game long enough for you to realize all your potential income in your home business.

MLM Lead System PRO is totally generic…. you can represent any business opportunity, or can be just starting out and have your pick of opportunities to represent.

It is a system for new and experienced network marketers, alike.

And it has a terrific educational and training section to teach you how to use the system, and the best ways to market to acheive your personal and business goals.

I don’t recommend sites or systems on this blog unless I PERSONALLY use them and know for a fact that they are for real and potentially profitable.

I give MLM Lead System PRO my 5-star ****** rating.

As this blog is all about the truth, I will tell you upfront–

The link to MLM Lead System PRO is MY affiliate link. I will make a small amount of money if you join.

But I hope you trust me enough to understand that, by giving you this affiliate link, I am showing you  the power of the MLM Lead System in action.

Take a look… you can try it for $1 for the first month, and cancel at any time  if you are not totally sold on it.

___________________

I hope that these last 3o days have provided you with some useful tips or techniques that will help you in YOUR business.  Please feel free to contact me at any time.

My personal email is bob@drbobclarke.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  Make 2009 your best year ever…. IN EVERY WAY!

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Get Ready…. Get Set….. BLOG!

Welcome to Day 29 of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special.  If you’ve missed any of the previous tips from this month, go to the Business and Marketing Tips category on the right sidebar.

Blogging — there may be no better way to start branding yourself.

Why?  Because it’s written by you, with your own personal flavor.

How to get started blogging?  It’s unbelievably simple.  Everything is done for you except the ideas.

I usually recommend for my new team members (with no prior blogging experience) that they choose either one of two blogging platforms:

• Blogger – simple format and structure.  Great if you want to promote your business in your blog.  Not very flexible in terms of themes and plugins.

• Wordpress.com — the beginner’s form of Wordpress, this is a great blogging platform that allows a lot of flexibility in terms of plugins and themes.  But one word of warning – DO NOT blatantly promote your business or product on Wordpress.com — they will DELETE YOUR BLOG.  Take it from experience!

There are more advanced options for those with more expanded blogging needs, but that is beyond the scope of this post.  For further information, I recommend you go to Wordpress.org.

The best way to discuss how to get started blogging is to answer the most frequently asked questions I get from my new team members:

What should I talk about? What shouldn’t you talk about is the better question.  You can talk about anything, but my advice to new bloggers is always the same — MAKE IT PERSONAL.  Make it about you, your experiences, your dreams, your goals.  Make it about something new you learned today.  Make it about a book you read, or a movie you saw.  Let people get to know you.

But if I talk about me, how will they know about my business? Let’s back up for a minute.  You DO have a choice.  You can go to Blogger, set up a blog, and promote your business like your life depended on it.  Or you can promote YOURSELF by letting people get to know you.

I prefer the latter, although I have 2 blogs, one for each purpose.

If you get stuck for something to talk about, discuss the latest mindset book you are reading (you should always be reading one) and how it relates to your life, dreams, or goals.

How will they find your business?  Next question.

What do I put in my profile (or the About Me section)? THIS is where you can get people to take  a look at your business.  Tell more about yourself, the story of how you got to where you are today, and provide a link to your primary business (or wherever else you want to send them).

People naturally want to see who is writing this great blog, so don’t skimp on the profile. You would be surprised how many people click on my profile to see who I am.  I do it all the time when I read someone’s blog.  It’s human nature.  It’s also where you’ll get them to look at your business.  TIP:  ALWAYS include a picture in your profile.  People want to see the real you, not a caricature.

How will people find my blog? Great question.  In the most basic terms, the answer lies in writing good content on your blog.  But you can help the process along.  Every time you write new content on your blog, you should “ping” it.  This means notifying one (or all) of the blogging index tools that you’ve added to your blog.

I prefer either Technorati.com or Pingomatic.com.  Either one is very simple to use, and each will notify all the other index tools that they should index your blog.

One more tip:  Make sure you have a way for your readers to subscribe to your blog. The most common way to do this is to have a Subscribe feature on your blog (Technorati is a favorite here).  It comes standard on Blogger, and you can add it to your Wordpress.com blog with little problem.  Just make sure you do it.  This way, people can subscribe to your blog, get notified of new posts, and you’ve got yourself a loyal follower.

How often should I blog? There is no standard answer for this, but I usually blog at least 3-4 times per week (unless I’m doing a Blogging Special, where I blog EVERY DAY!).  The key here is consistency. Set a schedule and stick to it.  Once a week, twice a week, whatever you choose. But stick to a schedule, or you’ll find yourself going weeks between blogging posts, and your momentum is lost.

That’s the key folks — Build Momentum with your blog.  That comes with adding content on a regular basis, and keeping your readers interested in what you’re saying.

Blogging can be a very efficient and, at times addictive way for you to develop a loyal following and get free leads for your primary business opportunity.

If you like to write and you enjoy sharing, Blogging may be just what you are looking for!

To your Success!

Remember I said I had 2 blogs?  Check out my new blog on Blogger.

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If someone asked me what is THE MOST important thing I’ve learned since I first started network marketing several years ago, I would have no trouble answering….

Welcome to Day 28 of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special.  To see other posts in this series, click on the “Business and Marketing Tips” link in the Category section.

What is the most important skill I’ve learned?  No contest.

KEYWORD RESEARCH

Keywords are everything in online marketing.  Let me repeat that.

KEYWORDS ARE EVERYTHING.

Why?  Because everything you do on the Internet means nothing if nobody sees it.

And how do you get people to see your work?  By finding the proper keywords that people use in their searches.

Seems simple, right?  Not so fast.

Think about the way  you search for something on Google.  You type in whatever you’re interested in.

Let’s say by way of example that you are interested in visiting Puerto Rico and you wish to know the best hotels to stay at in San Juan.

If you simply type in Puerto Rico in Google search, it’s not likely that you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for without going through several pages of search results.

But if you type in “Best Hotels in San Juan Puerto Rico”, voila!  Right before your eyes will be exactly what you need on page 1 of the search results.

Because most of us want to find things the easy way, and we want it on page 1 of our Google search.  Right?

The same holds true with online marketing.  Your aim is to get your material on the FIRST PAGE of Google. Otherwise, it’s likely lost in the great Internet abyss.

How do you do this?  Keyword Research.

There are various ways to perform keyword research, using both free tools and those that you purchase.

I use only the free tools, and so far they seem to work for me just fine.

Rather than explain how to do keyword research,

let me use this BLOG POST as an example.

STEP ONE: What do you want to blog about? (or talk about on videos, or write articles, or do squidoo lenses, or write a press release, or perform pay-per-click advertising…. see, I told you that keyword research is the one skill that you use for everything in network marketing!).

In my example, I wanted to post a blog about keywords.  More specifically, how to do keyword research.  The first step in the process is narrowing down exactly what general keywords you have in mind.

STEP TWO: Go to a free tool called Google Suggest.  This tool allows you to see search volume as you type a phrase in the Google Search box.  You’ve probably used it before without realizing it was Google Suggests.

When I typed in “keyword research”, it gave me a volume of 14, 200,000.  That’s ALOT of searches!  This means that people are definitely interested in this subject area, which is great.

But it also means that there is likely to be a lot of competition for the keyword phrase, “keyword research.”

So we need to dig deeper.

STEP THREE: Go to another free keyword tool, Google Adwords Kayword Tool.  This is a fantastic free tool that you can use whether or not you have a Google Adwords account.

It provides the average monthly search volume for your keyword or keyword phrase, and for several related keyword phrases. It also gives you an idea of the competition for that keyword.

The Google Adwords Keyword Tool is very easy to use:

• Indicate you want to search for “Descriptive words or phrases”
• Enter the keyword or keyword phrase
• Click “Get keyword idea”

And you’re off and running.

For my example, I typed in the term “keyword” first.  That was way too competitive, so I typed in “keyword research”.  Still too competitive, so I looked for longer variations of this search phrase for something less competitive.

You may have seen the term “long-tailed keywords”.  This is what they are referring to.

Here are the results for my research

keyword …………………………….. avg. search volume 450,000……… very competitive

keyword research...…………….. avg. search volume  49,500……….. very competitive

keyword research tools .……… avg. search volume   1.900 ………… less competitive

free keyword research tools… avg. search volume       320…………. no competition

By doing appropriate keyword research and using longer keyword phrases that were searched less often but with far less competition, I was able to come up with a long-tailed keyword phrase that will rank well in the Google search engines.

So the next time someone searches on “free keyword research tools”, it’s likely that my blog post will come up on page 1 of the search.

Keyword research is POWERFUL. It’s also an essential tool to learn if you are going to market anything online.

In fact, if I were going to pay for more training in ANY skill, I would pay for additional training in keyword research.

It’s THAT IMPORTANT.

That’s it for today, guys.  Coming down the home stretch…. two more days left in this blog special series….

and I have SO much still to teach you.

Til tomorrow,

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One year ago yesterday, my then fiance (and now my wife) Rosemary was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram. Over the next year, she faced 4 surgeries and challenges beyond anything she ever thought possible.

Welcome to Day 27 of my “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special. If you’ve missed any of the previous posts this month, click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category on the right sidebar.

Today, Rosemary and I shot a video to tell her story. It is one of courage and hope for anyone diagnosed with a life threatening illness. And don’t worry — it has a happy ending.

Usually I provide you with a daily marketing or budgeting tip straight out.

But today I’m going to make you work for it.

Watch the following video. Figure out how the messages provided by Rosemary relate to how you run your home based business.

And when you figure it out, leave a comment and tell the rest of the group.

Here is the video:

May your new year be filled with health and happiness,

Bob

See our other videos on YouTube!

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It’s easy to put in the effort to build your home-based business when everything is going great. But it’s another to keep pushing onwards when the results just aren’t there.

Welcome to Day 26 of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blogging Special. If you’ve missed any of the previous posts in this series, click on the Busienss and Marketing Tips category tab on the right sidebar.

On Christmas Eve, our family attended a Catholic mass at a church in New York City, in a rather rundown area of upper Harlem. This was not our usual church, but we were visiting a friend who was the new pastor at this church, and were eager to support him and renew our friendship.

Not knowing what to expect, we finally found a parking space and approached the front door.

From the outside, this place looked like a tiny hole-in-the-wall, really rundown. Slowly we opened the door….

And what we saw astounded us. We stood at the back of a magnificently large church, with rows and rows of pews leading up to a stunning alter decorated to the max for Christmas. Beautiful poinsettias, Christmas wreaths, candle displays, and a wonderfully hand-crafted large Nativity scene.

Those of you who know me personally understand that I am not easily shocked, but this place was breathtaking.

But as wonderful as the place looked, there was a sadness because, with this grand church so large it could easily hold 700-800 people, there were only 12 people (including us) attending the mass. To make it worse, everyone was spread out, mostly towards the back, making this magnificent Church look even emptier than it already was.

As the Mass started, I was anticipating a “quickie”. With this few people in attendance, I figured the priest would move quickly through the mass ritual, give a half-hearted superficial homily, and be done with it. I figured 30 minutes at the most.

But I was wrong. This mass, small as it was, was celebrated as if it was Cardinal Egan performing midnight mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The priest gave it his all, performing each prayer and ritual with a painstaking attention to detail.

And his homily was strong, a wonderful Christmas message of hope, faith, and charity. The organist, an older woman with a beautiful voice, sung every song as if she was singing to a church full of parishioners. The people collecting the offering performed their ritual with great detail and a smile for everyone they met. It was truly a remarkable experience.

As I was leaving and remembering the event, I started thinking how dedicated these loyal followers of Christ were to the success of their church. It didn’t matter to them how many people attended the mass. What mattered was that they put out their very best effort to give the people who attended the very best experience.

It’s the same with your home business. It’s easy to work hard and long when the results are pouring in… when sales are up, leads are flowing, and your are working under a positive cash flow.

It’s another thing to maintain this level of dedication and work ethic when things aren’t going so well in your business. When you put days in to planning and executing your PPC campaigns, writing articles, providing great content in your blog, or researching possible sites for banner ads — yet see no results.

These are the times when working even harder is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

I’ve heard people say that LONGEVITY is a key to success in online marketing. And part of that success involves working through the down periods until you start to see the fruits of your labor.

It’s very easy to quit — tempting, even — and most people WILL QUIT.

But for those who don’t, for those that work through the hard times, when nothing seems to be working even though you’re doing the right things, the benefits are worth waiting form.   We’ve all been there. We’ve all felt the tug at our sleeve to give it up, to cut our losses, to go back to the “safe” life that we’ve known for many years.

If you are going to succeed in this industry, you MUST ignore these impulses to quit when times are tough. You must keep pushing on, like the priest at this mass of 12 people, as if the positive results are just around the corner.

It’s the ONE QUALITY that all successful network marketers share.

It will not surprise me if I were to return to this same Mass next year, and be greeted by a standing room only congregation of avid followers. For when you keep pushing, working through the tough times, its only a matter of time until prosperous times abound.

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Merry Christmas, everyone!  Today’s post focuses on the importance of working as part of a group to accomplish your goals and objectives.   I am going to share with you an article I just published on the concept of a Mastermind Group and how it can help you grow your business exponentially.

Welcome to Day 25 of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special, where you get one free business or marketing tip for every day in the month of December.  If you’ve missed any of the previous posts simply click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category link on the right sidebar.

Here is the article I promised you:

Students of business, regardless of their level of formal education, seem to always be searching for the latest and greatest management fad to help achieve more profits—and more success. Frequently though, there is great wisdom to be found in less-contemporary teachings as well. Take for example the concept of the Mastermind Group, first introduced by Napoleon Hill in his timeless and classic work, Think and Grow Rich, first published in 1937. Describing the Mastermind concept, Hill writes, “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony…No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.”

What is a Mastermind Group? It’s simply a group of people sharing a common goal, and sharing insight and wisdom in their pursuit of it. In the case of a home-based network marketing business, each person in the group will most likely be pursuing their own individual goals—and business—but will benefit from the shared experience and expertise of the others.

Starting a Mastermind Group to support your network marketing business is relatively straightforward. The group size can vary, but most experts agree that the optimum size should be between three and six people. The group should meet weekly, typically for an hour and a half or so. Obviously flexibility is the key, but these guidelines are fairly standard. Often the person who founded the group serves as the coordinator and arranges the logistical details of the meeting. Location and time would be up to the coordinator to manage.

But because all of the group members are considered equal, there is no appointed leader. The best approach is to rotate meeting leadership responsibilities to the various members each time the group meets. The weekly leader guides the agenda for each meeting, typically starting with each group member recounting their week’s goals, accomplishments and challenges. And this is where the synergies of the group come into play. In a situation where the whole is clearly more than the sum of its parts, the group brainstorming is where the magic occurs. Some Mastermind Group proponents suggest that the entire process of sharing and discussing should be carefully structured. Others feel that a more free-form approach is recommended. Regardless of how you choose to approach it, a Mastermind Group should unquestionably become a part of your overall home-based business success strategy.

To your prosperity!

Bob Clarke

Check out which business I chose above all others

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It’s Christmas Eve, and in the spirit of Christmas, a short blog post about the spirit in which you conduct your business.

Welcome to Day 24 of the “30 Tips in 30Days” Holiday Blog special.  If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, or to see the entire series to date, click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category on the right sidebar.

I am flat broke and close to losing my house if I cannot come up with the mortgage soon. So please help me, I am a little old lady and I don’t want to loose my house, my husband and I have worked so hard for all our lives.

These sad words came across my desk last night in an application to join my main business opportunity. As I read it, my heart skipped a beat and I felt a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Why?

Because I knew the tone of the conversation I was going to have with her.

People ask me all the time why we have an application process in my home business opportunity — this is exactly one of the reasons.  Before this poor woman gets too far in the process, or gets too caught up in the excitement of making big money online, she needed some guidance… and fast!

What kind of guidance?

She needed to be told that starting a home business was a long term commitment, not one that  yields big results in the first week or month.  It is a PROCESS by which you gradually learn the skills necessary to really excel in this industry.  It is a PROCESS where you learn by your mistakes, what works and what doesn’t work.

And it’s also a process that can be accelerated with cash.  Not many people want to acknowledge this fact, because everyone wants to promote the low cost aspect of getting into network marketing.  And it’s definitely true — you CAN make it big in network marketing with very little cash upfront.  I have seen examples of it in my own company.

But if you need results faster then you pretty much MUST have more money to put into your new business up front.  This is especially true if you have no prior experience in marketing or business.

These are the types of things this lady needed to hear before going any further — to save her critical time and money she is most definitely going to need in the short term.

Could I have convinced her to join my opportunity? Probably.

Could I have  motivated her to throw whatever money she has at her new home business and get started right away? You bet.

But there are times in life when you have to think about what’s right for all involved, just not with yourself.

I knew that if this woman was not told what she needed to hear, and she joined, one thing would be for certain.

I would NOT have been able to sleep at night.

Because in this case, a home business opportunity is probably NOT what she needs.  If she is in dire danger of losing her home and needs money fast, mine is not the opportunity she needs.

Sometimes saying NO is the best feeling in the world.  Even if it means costing you a new consultant.

I wish this woman well.  And if her situation changes, I’ll be glad to re-interview her.

But for tonight, I will be getting a good night sleep.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone…. from our home to yours.

To your prosperity and peace,

Bob

I have a new blog.   Check it out!

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As you start becoming more successful and start adding to your team, you take on a new responsibility — that being to make sure your new members get off on the right foot and are given the opportunity to thrive.

But where does it stop?

Welcome to Day 22 of my “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog special, where I give you one free business or marketing tip every day in the month of December (except Christmas).  If you’ve missed any of the previous posts in this series, click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category on the right sidebar.

What exactly IS my responsibility towards my team? This is one I really struggled with, particularly at the beginning.

I would bust my butt for my new members, making sure they had everything they needed, answering their questions as soon as I receive them, and basically holding their hand through the entire setup and orientation process.

NO MORE.

That’s not to say that I leave my new members high and dry.  Far from it.

But I have automated my systems to the point where they receive all the information they need to get started.  I orient them to the business, discuss their short term and long term goals, both in terms of income and in life.

I sit down with them for 30 minutes or so and REALLY discuss what they want and how they can get it with our opportunity.

And I am very open about it.  I don’t sugar coat it.

I never use the word EASY, SIMPLE, or FREE.

Because none of it is simple, easy, or free.  Not with my business, not with ANY business.

And because of these facts, people often quit.

A lot of  PEOPLE QUIT.

In fact, if you believe the statistics, approximately 97% of people who start a home based business will ultimately quit before they reach their goals.

And every time one of my members quit, I use to lose sleep.  I asked myself questions like,

“What did I do wrong?  How could I have helped them more?  Why would they quit?”

I asked these questions among feelings of guilt and worthlessness.  I just assumed it was MY fault.

But it wasn’t, and it took a heart-to-heart with my good friend, and co-creator of Carbon Copy PRO, Aaron Parkinson to help me see it.

Aaron was helping us pick apart our business to figure out what was holding us back from taking it to the next level.  And one thing we started talking about was how we handled our team members.

When I told him my feelings about my team members who quit, I really thought he was going to hit me.

After lambasting me for a while, he got serious and told me something that CHANGED MY BUSINESS MINDSET and allowed me to push through the barriers that were holding me back in my business.

He told me…

When people quit the business, it is NEVER the fault of the sponsor.  You have given them the OPPORTUNITY, that’s all.  Each person who joins is responsible for their own business.  They had the same resources as you had, and you’ve made it big, so why not them?  Because THEY CHOSE TO QUIT because it was too hard.

WOW!

That short speech changed my life.  Aaron went on to make some analogies that made alot of sense:

• 95% of people who start medical school don’t graduate.
• A large percentage of people who start college don’t finish.
• A huge percentage of people who speculate in the stock market end up losing their capital.

Do you think that the medical schools, colleges, or stock brokers  return people’s money because they failed?  I’ve never heard of one.  People invest in a venture, whether it be a risky investment, an education, or a home business knowing that they may not succeed.

And whether or not they succeed is TOTALLY up to them.

If they make it, it’s because of their effort.

If they fail, its because of their effort.

Think about those statements.  Whether or not someone excels or fails in anything is a direct reflection of the effort they put in.

That one realization took a lot of pressure off me as a business coach.  I can do everything I can to help people lay a proper foundation for their business, but THE REST IS UP TO THEM.

If they lose their money, it’s because they quit, NOT because I fail them.

So as you being sponsoring people in your business, it’s imperative that you understand these points.

If you don’t, it will keep you up at night and it will stop you from pushing your business to new heights.

To your prosperity!

Bob

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Article writing can be a very powerful and effective way to build your business.  But there’s things you should know.

Welcome to Day 21 of my “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog special, where I give you one free business or marketing tip every day in the month of December (except Christmas).  If you’ve missed any of the previous posts in this series, click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category on the right sidebar.

I love to write articles.  It’s one of the things I do best.  And I use this marketing method extensively in my business.

Along the way, I’ve picked up a few basic tricks that may help you.

1. Make sure you like to write (or you can hire someone to write for you).  I’ve seen many people try very hard at article writing, but with no passion for the craft.  They just didn’t like to write.  If you are like this, choose another method to market your business.
2. Write in simple, easy to understand language. Don’t assume that, if you are a scientist like myself, that others will understand scientific terms.  Same goes with accounting, or philosophy, or even meteorology.  Write so that everyone will understand what you are trying to get across.
3. Pay attention to spelling, grammer, and punctuation. If you don’t, your article will be help up by publishers and you will waste a lot of valuable time.  Always run your article through a spell checker and proof read everything BEFORE you submit it.  Better yet– have someone else proof read it for you.
4. NEVER PITCH YOUR BUSINESS (this is a BIG one!). Sounds like the same advice I gave for social marketing.  Sense a theme here?  The idea is to provide valuable content based on your knowledge or experiences.  If you’re new and have no experiences and feel like you have very little knowledge, GET SOME.  Research some ideas and learn.  Read some more.  If you’re new, you have some ground to make up, but with the Internet resources available at your fingertips, it’s never been easier.
5. Outsource when possible, particularly if you are new. I tell me new team members who are interested in article writing to outsource their articles for a short time (you can get articles written for $20-50 at sites like Elance.com).  While these are being written, start researching your own articles.

When you’re done, it’s time to distribute your articles to various article directories.

The 3 most popular directories are

• EzineArticles.com
• GoArticles.com
• Amazines.com

But there are hundreds more, and even more informational sites just waiting to grab good content.  It is next to impossible to submit to all of these sites.

I have found a better way that I recommend to my team.  It’s called

SubmitYourArticle.com (not an affiliate link).

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Below is an article I recently wrote about starting a home business in a recessionary financial climate.  It was picked up by several of the top article distribution sites, and I have included here for my blog readers.  Hope you enjoy it.

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Surviving and Succeeding in the Current Global Financial Crisis

It might seem counter-intuitive to even think about starting a new business venture in the face of today’s global financial crisis. After all, if huge global banks and insurance companies can’t survive—at least without handouts from the federal government—how could a small business possibly survive. The answer might surprise you.

The first thing to consider is that the global fiscal meltdown notwithstanding, there is still a global economy out there, with an estimated annual value of over $60 trillion (USD). This of course means that every day there are transactions happening all over the planet worth several billion dollars, each and every day. If you can devise a way to plug a business into this huge ocean of global cash, you’re well on your way to unimaginable financial security.

Yes, there are some very big—and very poorly run—corporations that are taking a beating. But that’s not you. And you don’t need a very big piece of this huge global financial pie to achieve total financial freedom for you and your family. Granted, it’s not necessarily easy to do this, but it’s also not as hard as you might think.

Despite the turbulent economic news swirling around us, there is really no better time in history to consider starting a business. This is because the internet has literally delivered the world to our living rooms. Starting a home based business that leverages the awesome power of the internet is something more and more people are undertaking as they seek to generate extra income, and to ease the constant worry about being fired from their jobs.

A well-conceived and executed home based network marketing business conducted across the internet is completely recession proof. Many entrepreneurs who initially start these businesses to augment their income and to provide a little extra financial security find such dramatic success that they quit their jobs and run their online business full time. Certainly there are no guarantees that you’ll find this level of success, but it’s clearly possible to stack the odds in your favor.

First, find an opportunity that has a proven track record of success. Second, look for a business built around an operational system that automates the basic business processes and that lets you focus on building relationships. And finally, search for an opportunity that brings together a network of like-minded, successful entrepreneurs who can help train and coach you. By taking control over your financial future today, you can completely eliminate your financial worries about tomorrow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Many people are choosing to recession proof their income by starting their own home based business. Dr. Bob Clarke coaches and mentors budding entrepreneurs in building highly successful home businesses using an automated marketing and training system. Join Dr. Clarke’s team at http://carbon-copy-professional.com?t=art1

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Yesterday we received 8 inches of fresh snow, with more on the way tonight.  What most of you don’t know about me is that I absolute HATE shoveling snow. Despise it.  It puts me in a really bad mood.   But as I was shoveling this morning, it occurred to me that there are some very strong parallels between snow shoveling and building a home based business.

Welcome to Day 20 of the “30 Tips in 30 Days” Holiday Blog Special — one business building tip for each day in the month of December.  If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, be sure to click on the Business and Marketing Tips Category on the right sidebar.

So I’m out shoveling snow, feeling older than I already am and passing the time thinking about my next blog post.  And then it hit me.  There are a number of parallels between strategies for snow shoveling and how to build a home based business.  Seems like a stretch?

Check it out.

1)  When shoveling snow, you need the right equipment. We had more snow than usual yesterday, and my usual small shovel didn’t seem worthy of the job.  So I searched my garage and found this old relic — a huge snow shovel that hadn’t been used in years.  I pulled it out and gave it a try.

The surface had become so worn, that the snow just stuck to it like glue.  Even though it looked impressively big, it was just the wrong tool for the job.  What does this have to do with a home business?

Everything.

You absolutely need to start out with the right tools when building a business, first and foremost being a business opportunity that you are proud of, that pays well, and that offers you the support and training you’ll need when just beginning.  Getting the right tools in place from the beginning will reduce your frustrations immeasurably when starting your home based business.

2)  Break large tasks into smaller pieces. Most of you know about the end of the driveway.  You know, the area where the snow plow piles all the snow from the street right in front of your driveway entrance, leaving a HUGE wall of snow blocking your way to the house.  I walked out this morning faced with such a snow wall, and started out trying to lift it all at once.  Big mistake.

I found it much easier to take it in small pieces, level by level.  Much easier on the back, and the heart!  It took me a little longer, but it got me there nonetheless.  Another positive?  I won’t be paralyzed again today.

When you are just starting out, building your home based business can seem an insurmountable task.  But if you break it down into small tasks that can be accomplished in a shorter time, it all seems that much easier.

Let’s say you decide you want to do video marketing.  It can seem a very daunting task, especially for those of us that are technically challenged.  But if you break it into pieces, small attainable goals, you can be making your first video in no time.  For example, your first goal might be to research and purchase the best video camera for your needs.  The second goal might be to practice before the camera, not actually taping but going through the entire process and understanding how it will feel.  The third step might be to complete some online training to become more proficient, like that offered at MLM Goldmine.

You get the idea.  Break your large goals up in to smaller tasks.  It may take longer to get to your ultimate goals, but you greatly reduce the risk of quitting from frustration!

3)  Make it FUN! Finally, when shoveling snow, have some FUN!  Take the snow you removed from your driveway or walkway and make a snowman!  Make it about family time.  When building your business, don’t forget to have fun!  If you’re making a video, have a blast!  Don’t focus so much on the quality of the video as the quality of the message.    If you are talking to a prospect, LIGHTEN UP! Joke around with the person on the other end of the phone.  Show them that having a home business can be alot of fun.  After all, they are probably scared to death, too!

There you have it.  Three very strong parallels between snow shoveling and building your business.

You can probably find similar parallels in all the jobs you do around the house or at your job.  Leave a comment and add to the list.

Until next time,

Bob

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