In my research to find the best online opportunities, I am approached by many people hoping for me to buy into their product or service. Despite the product they might be selling, I believe most are good, honest men and women, working to the best of their ability. It saddens me to see how many great people fail in this business and walk away feeling disillusioned and used. I am here to tell you, it is not entirely your fault! The cards were, and are, stacked against you. My guess is you are shown Video’s with girls in sports cars, the spreadsheets with 6 figure payouts and told that the Company will train you? Am I right! Then, when you go to the webinars you are told very basic information and repetitive old fashion marketing hype. Don’t worry! We are all guilty of hearing what we want too hear, in the heat of a fervent “sales pitch”. I also have fallen into this trap. There is a way however, to avoid the heartache and subjectively evaluate yourself for success. I call it the “Success Recipe!”
Below I have used a holistic approach and identified the qualities shared by the top leaders in Online Businesses. If you are wondering if an Online Business is the right fit for you, please under-go the core skills test further below and discover if you could be an “entrepreneurial newbie!”

DESIRE: You should know from the beginning that if you want to make a career into network marketing part-time, or half heartedly, quit now! For most people it will take hundreds of hours to master the skills required. Do not be put off by this. When I started, I literally spent 6 months just educating myself before I earnt a dollar. I read every opportunity, studied and researched every article until I was confident with the nuts and bolts of the business. I find the most successful people in the industry have started when their backs were against the wall and they found there is no room for failure (they had to do it)! Your circumstances may be that you have recently become unemployed, or as in my case forced to be at home due to family reasons. Your desire and determination to succeed must be paramount! Also keep in mind, you must be passionate about your product or service you are selling and believe in it whole heartedly. If you invest in a business based purely on the compensation plan, your chances for survival are bleak!

NO FREE LUNCH: As previously mentioned, if you are the sort of person who knows how to Email, use “Word”, and little else, then you are in for a big learning curve. Hard work is needed for any new business and having an online business is no different. Do not be disheartened by this because with time and confidence in your skills, the hours will reduce. It is then that you can enjoy your new found freedom! Once you have had some success in what works and what doesn’t, you should set yourself a work schedule of things that are “must do’s” daily! The hardest thing to overcome in any home business is time wasting. Treat it like a regular job. Wake up at the same time, have a good breakfast and then attack your work schedule. Do not be distracted watching business presentations, shuffling paperwork, doing housework, or anything else, to avoid what needs to be done. Constant repetition of the “must do’s” on a daily basis, is what will make you a success.

:WORK TO YOUR STRENGTHS You may be thinking by now that I am sounding pretty negative. I hope not! My purpose is to give you a starting point. To clear away the misconceptions and to look at yourself subjectively. We all have innate gifts that we bring to the workplace. Knowing and using them to your advantage is what will set you apart from your competition. I will list the qualities most needed in the test below. You may be great at writing Articles, doing research or picking the right business fit. Use what your good at as a priority of 70% of the work ethic and practice on the other 30%. Look at yourself subjectively and recognise your strengths.

SERVE OTHERS: Napoleon Hill was quoted as saying; when you help others to get what they want, then you will get what you want! In other words don’t forget your downline. It is very easy to get absorbed in your own business and forget those that have got you there. Your downline will need your help to become successful and they look to you as leader. Make time to answer people’s questions and concerns. When they possess the skills they in turn can help their downline. Your team will then follow you into other opportunities. Think of your business like a house to cards. If you fail to help and inspire your team and they drop out, your house of cards is bound to fall.

IDEA PERSON: The internet is the most powerful marketing tool in the world. You pay considerable sums each month for that resource and if you are only using it to collect your emails, you are literally throwing thousands of dollars away each year. Can you really afford to do that? There are countless programs you can purchase to help market your business, but successful marketing can boil to a simple idea that someone hasn’t thought of. As you experience what is available, you will gather your own idea’s. Don’t be afraid to go outside the box and be individual.
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HERE IS YOUR TEST

Use what your good at, as 70% of the work ethic and practice on the other 30%. The skills needed are listed below. Look at yourself subjectively and recognise those strengths.
Mark each attribute between 1-10. Read each quality carefully and see if it sounds like you? One being the least unlikely quality you posses. If you rate yourself 49 or more, than you certainly owe it to yourself to consider this life choice.
Analytic The analytic person will want to weigh up every opportunity before making a decision. They are generally facts and figures people. An analytic person is like a sponge gathering information and is always hungry for knowledge. They like research and will want to study and learn everything before moving forward.

People Person People persons breathe life into any business. They are the ones that don’t avoid phoning “would be” associates. They tell everyone they meet that they have a genuine opportunity and are genuinely interested in helping others. They are usually members of groups and clubs. They care for people and are likely to take the time to train them for success.

Education We all are natural Sales People. We sell/market ourselves and our ideas to friends and family every time we open our mouths. Some of us may even be formally educated with a marketing background. If you are currently a student then you will certainly know the latest marketing technologies including computer software. If you are a little older than you might have the basic marketing skills but lack the computer no-how! These skills can be learned. If you feel the gap is too great and your in a hurry, a computer source may be for you. If not there is an absolute wealth of articles to read and get you up to date. You definitely don’t have to be an internet prodigy to be successful.

Old fashion hard work There is no shortcut to skipping hard work. As this is a home business you can work the hours to suit you but make no mistake the work has to be done. I find that most are aware of this and are prepared to put in the hours. It is the not knowing where to start that concerns new people the most. Remember, the fact you are working from home is a discipline in itself. The ground work in setting up the 50 or more accounts to get your business moving is time intensive. But once done, find yourself a few good automated systems and a lot time will be freed to prospect and direct traffic. If you don’t know what I am talking about here, then don’t despair! It becomes pretty simple quite quickly.

The written Word As an online business it is essential to be able to write copy. What I mean by this is that you are conversing with your audience initially by your written word. You have to capture people’s minds and hearts to first convince them you are someone worth listening to. Whether you are talking on Facebook, writing an Article (like this one), or chatting in a discussion forum. In the eyes of potential associates you are what you write. For people to listen to and follow you, you must convey you are a person of “Value”!
Persistent and Consistent Never say die! What will get you through is being tenacious. Many great people have left this business because they didn’t give it one last push. They may be doing almost everything right, but the things they are not doing have caused them to fail. As I mentioned earlier, you must have a routine work schedule that you do each day. If it is not getting you the results, then add something to the mix. Never stop learning or asking advice from your leaders or net forums.

Mental Strength I can guarantee you will have days of self doubt. We all get them and it is a part of life. What will win through is your determination to succeed. You must have the ability to brush yourself off and focus on what has to be done to achieve your goal. It may be setting yourself the task of phoning 20 people per day or trying a different approach. The greatest obstacle will come from an unlikely source. Your own family and friends! You could be made to feel useless or stupid for starting an online business. Traditionally we are all indoctrinated with a 9-5 mentality. Remind yourself and them of people like Bill Gates, and Thomas Edison. Where would they be if they listened to the doubters around them? Remember this is your journey, not theirs! Follow your dreams!
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I hope I have been of some help to those considering this lifestyle. If I can help you further, please don’t hesitate to contact me through my website on http://sites.google.com/site/mymoneytreebusiness/

Karen Cunneen