Home-Sweet-Home
Gretchen White, another very successful Shaklee home business owner, sent me the picture above by e-mail and said I should use it in my next newsletter. Well, not really. She said I should not use it, twice in fact, and said I would be crazy if I did use it. But I like having fun and making people smile so maybe I am just a little crazy at times, but aren't we all some times?

When I first got started in this business, I worked real hard putting together my prospect list but only came up with 20 people. When I was telling a group of builders this story one day to show them that they did not have to know a lot of people to be successful in this business, I would show them this list and I would say, "I could only come up with 20 people for my prospect list and half the people on my list thought I was crazy." Then a guy in the back row once said, "Yes, and the other half knew you were crazy!"  

That's what this Shaklee business is and should be all about. Having fun, helping people to feel better with our great products and helping them smile because we just helped them received another cash check in their mailbox from the Shaklee home office! I love doing that for people and so do a lot of other Shaklee business owners.

If you have already decided to build a Shaklee business, and you are not having fun, then you must be doing something wrong. When you think about this business, it really is not about selling the products or the business opportunity, even though they are both fantastic and should be shared with everyone. It's a lot more than that! It is letting others know about the possibilities that are open to them.

This Business is About People 
I think of all the people I met and the relationships I've developed over the years I have been in this industry and feel blessed to have had this business shared with me in the first place. None of this would have ever happened if my upline Shaklee leader did not tell me about the possibilities I would have in this business. I have had more rich experiences and have met more special people than most people would experience in a lifetime! It is just part of Network Marketing that doesn't get much of the lime light.     

When I see that 86% of the people who work at a job, do not like what they do for a living, I know I can offer them something much better. They don't have to remain in a job with no sense of accomplishment, contribution, challenge or advancement. I can offer them a way out by showing them what is possible for them. If they decline, that is OK with me because there are so many of them out there that would want what I have, I simply offer it to the next person.

Network Marketing is all about possibilities or better yet, creativity. It's about designing your ideal life. First you choose all the elements of what you want your ideal life to be, then you make it happen! Network Marketing is simply the vehicle to allow you to live your ideal life. The financial freedom that can be created in this industry, brings about personal freedom. Free to live the life as you want to live it, consistent with your values, goals, dreams and, have fun while doing it!

Are there people who need what we can offer them?
Yes, and there are a lot of them. There are many reasons why this will continue to grow over the future years yet to come. Merrill Lynch conducted a survey of people between the ages of 45 and 64 and here is what they said:

• 53% want to retire before age 65.
• 74% expect the same or better standard of living.
• Women live longer than men but earned only 70% of what men earn.
• 59% say the most all of their retirement income will come from Social Security.
• Baby boomers expect to live to age 85.
• Life savings of the average 50 year old is $2,500.
• The maximum Social Security benefit is $13,000 per year.
• Fewer people are worth $100,000 at age 68 than at age 18.
• Less than 1/2 of 1% of all Americans retire financially free.

During the 1950's and '60's network marketing was founded upon the concept of sharing great products with others. Sales techniques were aimed at convincing customers of the value of a particular product after explaining all of it's features and benefits. Show and tell was what it was all about. Everything was product, product, product. New and improved products, breakthrough products etc.

This basic show and tell worked great in the product-oriented past when there were only a handful of companies in network marketing. But today, there are hundreds of product companies out there and new ones introduced every year. So to compete in today's market, you must have a great product with great benefits and positive results that enhance a consumer's quality of life, and Shaklee products do just that. But there is much more then this now then just great products, there are people!

Great people who want to have control of their lives. They want to follow their dreams and live their values. So it gets down to building relationships. That's why traditional sales people often fail miserably in this industry and those who hate to sell, like me, do well.  Sales people are so focused on product, product, and more product, that they lose sight of the people. Their focus is in the wrong place. They are either focused on the products, how much they can sell, or on the money, how much they can earn from selling the products. The problem with this is that it is not important to the people they are talking with during this process. Worse yet, most people hate to sell anything so they have a hard time finding people to join them in this business.

Network Marketing is about building relationships. Partnering with others to help them realize their dreams and they in turn help still others. It is about committing to the success of other people as they are willing to commit to their own success. The real power in this industry is in the relationships, emotional, committed, contributing, empowering relationships!

That's what makes this business so much fun! I can't sell anything nor do I want to sell anything. But I do love to make a difference in another person's life! For me or you to be successful in a Network Marketing business, we must help others reach their core desires for what they want in life. First we must ask them what they want and then listen close to what they say. If they are willing to do something about it, offer them this business and show them how it can be the way for them to reach whatever it is they want. Teach them well on the basics of this business so they know what it is they need to do right up front. Then be there for them to show them how it is done by working with them as a team.

Yes, this business is fun when you truly understand it and know what it takes to be successful. Only then can you help lead others and then the party really just begins!

Till next time, have fun!
Bob Andolina           

PS: You can read about the RWB process if you don't already have a business building process in place. In order for you to lead others, it is important for you to first know where you are going and how to get there. If you like, visit the new Web site I just uploaded that explains the RWB business building process. http://www.youfoundyourfuture.com/RWB.htm