Your Travel Blog

One of my biggest passions- besides helping others in their networking business, is writing. My work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine.

While Rich is hard at work developing our Attraction Team Marketing Platform ( www.attractionmarketingteam.com, I've been working on my latest project, and I would love for my readers to come and check it out.

It's called "Confessions of a Southern Domestic Diva". www.domesticdivaconfessions.com.

The launch coming tomorrow for this exciting opportunity has nothing to do with trying to get you to quit your current travel business...I'm not, that's for
sure.

It has everything to do with you positioning yourself to earn a residual income from the tools that every person trying to build a business on the internet needs to use to build a successful business.

Go listen to this message, to see why you should
not ignore this one:

==> Click Here Now

Don't miss this one:

. . . It doesn't cost you a dime to take a position right now.
This just hit us out of nowhere a couple of days ago. We were in no way looking to add anything to our plate, but when Rich and I saw this e-mail and checked out the website, we took a free postion immediately.

The e-mail came from one of the TOP internet marketers and system creators around. Here is the email I got from my mentor Daegan about this:

==> Click Here Now

Read it, join, and out and pass it along with your information.

==========
Daegan's Email:
==========

A few short days ago I happened across a
website that I thought was going to be a
complete load of bull. "Here comes another
one" I thought to myself, but . . .

For some reason I started paying attention to
the audio by David D'Archangelo and my
immediate reaction was "Nuh Uhh. This can't
be for real . . . Can it?"

See here:

==> Click Here Now

I got up and started pacing around with
nervous excitement, but fully skeptical about
what I was hearing and seeing.

Not too long after . . .

I got an email from Glenn.

Glenn is one of those home business
entrepreneurs you don't hear about because
he's one those real heavy hitters growing his
business the old way, offline.

Here's how I'll sum up Glenn, my friend, team
mate, and mentor in the grander wisdom of
network marketing, for you . . .

Last week I got an email from Glenn and he
said he was going down to Florida to buy a
house for his sister to surprise her for
Christmas.

Hmm . . .

Glenn is one of those guys that companies fly
in to try to bring into the initial launch team
because they know if he gets involved big
things happen.

He and his team doubled the stock price of
the last company they were invovled in single
handedly.

He's been the top recruiter in the last four
businesses he's gotten involved in.

Enough said, anyways . . .

I check my email and there is Glenn sending
out an email for this upstart to his inner
circle.

I immediately emailed him about it, and we
got on the phone to talk.

What I didn't know is this guy David
D'Archangelo was Glenn's mentor.

D'Archangelo was the guy the turned Glenn
into a heavy hitter way back when.

First thing Glenn says to me was . . .

"Anything David touches gets really
really big really fast"

I immediately asked Glenn, "Is this really
what I think it is?"

Here's what I thought it was:

What I saw when I really took a look at this
page was something I always wondered why it
didn't exist:

==> Click Here Now

A business based on services that ALL online
marketers need and use with a network
marketing compensation plan attached to it.

See if you're online, you NEED an
autoresponder.

If you are online you NEED ad tracking.

If you're online you NEED teleconferencing
and webinar services.

You NEED video and auto hosting services.

How do I know?

I have and use each of these services
and tell people to get them every single day.

But . . .

I pay and use each of them individually.

Autoresponder $19 per month, ad tracking $29
per month, teleconferencing $49 per month,
webinar service $99 per month, web video and
audio hosting $39 per month each.

This business not only rolled all these
services into one, but at a ridiculous price
reduction to what I currently pay.

In other words, as a stand alone product this
is something that is quiet literally a no
brainer from cost savings, as a stand alone
product, for anyone running a viable online
business.

Second, the company behind these services is
Implix. If you have a GetResponse
autoresponder or you use HyperTracker for ad
tracking this is the SAME company.

It's been around and a leader in the industry
for about a decade now. In other words, the
infrastructure is already there.

Third, as I said before the cost saving are a
no brainer and create instant demand in the
market.

Fourth, and this is the KILLER part to me:

Because these are all services we all need
and use online every single day anyways (how
did I send you this email = autoresponder)
the RETENTION for this business will be
extremely high.

I don't know about you, but once I got my
autoresponder a few years ago I haven't
stopped paying for or using it.

Now think if you had an income based, not on
moon juice or intellectual property, but
instead on something people happily pay for
online and use every single day that has an
average retention rate on the span of years
instead of months. (That's the killer part
that you won't realize immediately, but will
when the checks keep on coming)

I don't say this often, but this little
idea is something that should have happened a
long time ago. Now that it is here we'd all
be crazy not to get involved before launch.

==> Click Here Now

Provide a product that people need and MUST
use in their other business ventures every
single day at a drastic price reduction and
you create a passive income stream that will
have tremendous staying power and instant
market demand.

As you can understand . . .

I was highly skeptical, so I asked Glenn to
ask David if all this was what it was said to
be?

Glenn called David and asked the exact
questions I asked him to personally and David
confirmed it all.

I pinched myself and immediately opted in
here:

==> Click Here Now

See . . .

I see through the eyes of experience when I
say this is long overdue.

"But Daegan, I'm already involved in another
business?"

My general rule would be - keep doing what
you're doing, but here's the reason why this
is NOT the case on this.

I am blatantly telling everyone who reads
this email to get involved in this, and you'd
be dumb if you don't.

==> Click Here Now

Why?

Because no matter what business you're in,
inevitably you will recommend your team to
use an autoresponder and ad tracking (list
and conversion right?) - these are tools
EVERYONE online must have.

So . . .

This opportunity FITS directly in alignment
with your business as is, and if you're using
separate autoresponder and ad tracking and
online audio and video and webinar conference
rooms and teleseminar lines for your business
you are paying far more the cost of this
service.

All this put together, with now being before
the launch period means there is a very
STRONG likelihood that this business will go
viral quickly with or without you.

Weigh these words closely.

Believe me, I'm full time in a business right
now. I'm NOT stopping what I'm doing there,
but I am adding this because quiet frankly
I'd be stupid not to.

Go here. Opt in. Get the message out:

==> Click Here Now

. . . And this could both save and make you a
lot of money in 2009.

To your success,
Natasha Nassar
www.natashanassar.com

My husband has been hard at work over the past few months! He has been creating some incredible videos which can help you build your internet business. We have invested thousands of dollars in various training programs...and my husband is sharing the awesome information with you! The videos are totally free- no strings attached! All I ask is that you share your success stories with us- e-mail me at natasha@yoursuccessxpress.com

Check out the videos at www.richhazlett.com. I will be releasing some videos as well- so stay tuned!

Ever since I discovered the concept of "attraction marketing," I've become a student again, constantly studying e-book after e-book to gain valuable information to pass on to others. I ran across a few things in
Ann Seig's 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing, that I just couldn't wait to share with you. And those are some of the biggest myths of network marketing.

I'll be sharing some of these myths with you over the next few months, in the hopes that you will pass them on to your downline, so that together, we can stop the attrition and start creating millionaires!
Myth #1: Everyone Is Your Prospect

This belief is what fuled the "3-foot rule" that I just couldn't bear to follow. This myth causes folks to talk to every waitress, gas station attendant, Kinko's clerk, stranger in the mall, you name it. It's why I went out in 30 degree weather and placed flyers on cars in strip mall parking lots and apartment complexes...the belief that everyone is a prospect.

Why is this a myth? Think about it...

• Not everyone is looking to start their own business.
  


• Some people love their job, and wouldn't give it up for all of the money in the world.


• Some people loathe network marketing and would rather die than be associated with it.


• Some people don't have the money to properly run a business.


• Some people are to scared to take a risk.
  


• Others are introverts, and the idea of talking with tons of people makes them sick.


• Many people just don't have the time.
  

Other people just don't have what it takes to be an entrepeneur...and that's okay. As a society we need doctors, we need chefs, we need farmers, we need teachers, we need lawyers (well, that may be pushing it...) The point is, civilization works because of our diversity.

Now, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't talk to your warm market about your business, and it doesn't mean that you shouldn't talk with leads. It also doesn't mean that people haven't succeeded using the 3-Foot Rule, but, for me, those traditional methods never really worked. So, I turned to internet marketing

Whether you are marketing face-to-face or on the internet, remember this: you don't need to convince ANYONE to get into your business. It's a waste of your time and energy. In fact, I am now building my business using this motto:

No one is worth my time until they've shown an interest in what I am offering.

It doesn't matter how qualified you think a person is, or how great you think they would be at selling travel or the travel business. Surprisingly, it isn't even enough if a person wants to start their own business. Until they take action to get more information on how to do it, they're nothing more than a bystander. They aren't a player in the game, so they aren't worth your valuable time and energy.

As a business owner, it isn't your job to convert people into business owners. As a business owners we need to get the maxiumum return for our time and effort. That means talking with people who are, for the most part, already on your same wave length. They believe in network marketing, and understand that the business is just that, a business, and not a job, which requires effort.

Maybe, you're thinking "But shouldn't at least prospect them and find out if they are on the same page as I am?"

I wouldn't. Why?

Because in my opinion, it doesn't make a favorable first impression for your prospect. Why?

Because by approaching them in Starbucks, you've shown them exactly how you do business- soliciting total strangers, and most people don't want to be a part of that. If someone had approached me about my opportunity while I was in line for my tall nonfat vanilla latte, I probably never would have joined the business.

Why? Because as an attorney, I have a reputation in the community that I must preserve, and resorting to accosting people in Starbucks, the mall, the gas station, the grocery store, I believe, would jeopardize my reputation. Would you want to go to an attorney who cornered you at the grocery store and asked if you had any legal problems that you needed to have solved?

By following the "everyone is a prospect" mentality, you may be making things harder on yourself than need be. Why spend your valuable time trying to force a business down someone's throat? Why do that when there are millions of people out there who want to start their own business, and who are willing to come to you for advice on how to build the business. They are the ones who deserve your time and attention. They are the true prospects.

And THAT is why the primary focus of an attraction marketing campaign is providing valuable information to others. If you are just quoting pre-printed material issued by your company, you aren't offering value. Your prospects can read that for themselves. How can you get a person to join your team or company over another one? Well, the answer is two-fold:

First, by being visible on the Internet, because that is where people go for information. This is why you use the marketing tools I share with you in my Attraction Marketing Newsletter and the tools you can gather from my Resources page. If you are on page 56 of a Google search for your business, people can't find you. If they can't find you, they can't ask you for your help.

Second, by offering your prospects valuable information that others aren't. I've had prospects tell me that they would prefer to be on my team because I didn't just try to make the quick close.

Through my articles and forum posts, my prospects learn more about my business than through the glossy sales material everyone else is giving them. They want to be with the person that sets themselves apart from the rest of the pack.

So, how do you get valuable information to give others? The following are two great resources (there are lots more out there) to provide great information while gathering a list of prospects for your business:

Renegade Network Marketer

Magnetic Sponsoring

Another is by educating yourself on things that other people want to know about like: personal development, sales, and internet marketing. How can you get your hands on this information? Well, there are 2 awesome resources above. Plus, you need to make sure that you read every e-book you can, and truly become a student of success.

To Your Success!

Natasha

Apparently, when you share your success story with Mike Dillard, and he sends it out to 100,000 of his closest friends, your inbox gets filled with tons of questions about how to be successful using Magnetic Sponsoring.

One e-mail I got this morning, however, deserved to be shared with everyone. Mike had a bit of rant today with his e-mail about the blame game%u2026now I'm going to have mine.

Now before I get to his e-mail, you must understand that one of the reasons I like Mike Dillard is because he tells it like it is. The reason I like his approach is because that is my style as well- you can say that I'm the Dr. Phil of Network Marketing- I'm going to give it to you straight.

This gentleman's concerns are shared by many, so please understand that what is to follow is advice that usually no one else has the courage (or cares enough) to tell you.

Here's what he had to say:

"How can I join your team if I am already subscribed to ***? My sponsor is not helping anything and I'm looking to join another successful team.

In two weeks I'm starting my own TV Show 4 times a week (1/2 hour each time), including Saturday mornings. Next week I'm starting my own radio show. Everything as a financial coach helping people to get established economically. something like Dave Ramsey's is doing, but in Spanish. I think I can be an asset to your team.

I already bought the books of Dillard but I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO READ IT!!! So, I'm more looking for somebody to tell me what to do.

I feel like when you buy a good video camera and you can't use it because you didn't read the manual. you have the manual.. but you don't have the time to read it!

If you can tell me what I can do step by step, I will be prepared to take *** to the next level"

Here's the thing... when a guest comes onto your talk show or calls into your radio show- and says, "Hey, I need help. I've got $10,000 in debt, I make $2500 a month. What do I do?"

You ask "Well, how much do you spend per month?"

And he says "my expenses are around $4500 per month".

You're going to tell him that he needs to live within his means, and that he needs to cut his spending, right?

What would you say, if he said: " That's great, but you see, I can't cut my expenses?"

You, of course, would say,"Why, not?"

He'll likely say: "I don't want to, it's too hard!"

"I don't have time to read it" is the equivalent of "I don't want to- it's too hard". In fact, the psychology behind "I bought the books of Mike Dillard" statement is the same as the guy who took the initiative to call into your radio show.

He's thinking, "Well, I did my part, I called in... so my debt should start being reduced."

You, like so many others out there (and I'm not faulting you, just trying to open your eyes to the reality) think that just because you BUY something, means that you are going to get the results or are somehow entitled to get the results.

It doesn't work that way. You want results- you go out and GET results.

You can tell your caller that he needs to move into a place where rent is less, you can tell him to pay off his higher-interest credit cards first...you can give him tons of advice- but if he refuses to implement it- he won't his desired result of reducing his debt.

The thing is, what is taught in Magnetic Sponsoring is so different than the usual routine your sponsor in *** taught you. In MS there isn't a step-by-step approach. It is an introduction to the world of attraction marketing. It is a different philosophy of building a networking business.

Building on a Budget, does give you specific guidance, as does Traffic Formula and Black Belt Recruiting. But you MUST read/listen to them and THEN, implement what you learn. If you aren't willing to read and implement- then you're just out of luck.

Some may have sympathy for the guy who doesn't want to take time to read the video camera training manual, I don't. I don't feel sorry for that guy, and I don't feel sorry for those people who think that just because they spend tons of money on Mike's products, that they are entitled to get results with no or minimal effort to implement what he teaches. Mike's products WORK. If you read my testimonial- you know how I feel about the value you receive. But, then again, I got busy and started implementing what he taught, and didn't just sit back waiting for leads to magically fill my inbox.

To be frank, my time is valuable. In my company, I am more than willing to help my team succeed. But if they don't find one of my first pieces of advice (to get, read, and implement Magnetic Sponsoring) to be worthy of their time or effort, then they aren't worthy of my time or effort.

Why?

I build an organization of entrepreneurs, not employees. I do provide a step-by-step system for my team BUT, just like I have to keep up with the latest changes in the laws for my law practice, my team is expected to go out there and learn MORE so that they can consistently improve and fine-tune THEIR business.

You aren't baking a cake, you are building a business. If you made time to read Magnetic Sponsoring, you would realize that your business is YOU, INC.- Not ***.

So, my (or any other sponsor) spoon-feeding you step-by-step guidance won't work. Everyone's business is different, and my job as a sponsor is to help give my team the support they need, and to direct them to the best information out there to help them achieve their individual goals.

Now, another interesting issue you raise is: "I don't have time to read it." I'm going to go ahead and call you on this one..... YEA RIGHT!

Let's get real%u2026That is nothing but a big, fat 'ol excuse. However, if you truly don't have time to read it, then now probably isn't the right time to be building a business.

If you TRULY want to build a successful business (instead of dabbling in a hobby), you are just going to have to make time. Just like if your caller REALLY wants to get out of debt, he is going to HAVE to sacrifice and make changes to reduce his expenses. There is no difference.

I can tell you that in May, I was busy planning my wedding (which was huge- close to 500 guests), practicing law full-time, I was the Chairman of the Board of a charitable/social organization, and President of my neighborhood association, and I was doing other volunteer work. All of that WHILE I was building my networking business, helping others build their business and somehow I had time to read Mike Dillard's books as well as other information from other great mentors. So, I know about being busy. Here's the thing, though, I TRULY wanted to succeed, so I MADE time.

As an example, I have started to listen to Black Belt Recruiting on my way to and from the office, and while running errands on the weekends. I make time each night to read posts on the forums and to read and respond to my e-mails.

You can make time too, if success in networking is what you truly desire.

One of the most frequent questions I get is "how do I market my network marketing business".

One way, of course, is to take your prospects to hotel meetings, put them on prospecting calls, or host home parties.

If that isn't for you, here are a few other methods we use:

Automated Marketing System: There are several of these out there, we use eTravel Fortune. The website captures your leads' information, and follows up with them over a couple of months with e-mails highlighting various aspects of the business. This is THE way I introduce people to my business. The system is automated%u2026I don't have to explain the compensation system by drawing circles and squares on a napkin. I don't have to rehash all of the perks associated with being an associate. I don't have to worry if I have a scratchy throat, or working in a business presentation when I've got a hectic day planned. Best of all, I can present my business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Blogs: A Blog is like an online journal- right now, you are reading a Blog! You can get your own Blog for free at www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com. Write about whatever tickles your fancy! Been on a good trip? Read about a great travel special? Got some thoughts on the latest headlines about your networking business? This is the place to share them!

Forums: Forums are a great place to meet other network marketers. I have learned so much from my fellow business owners on Ryze (www.ryze.com). One word of warning- be SINCERE! Contribute meaningfully to post discussions. DO NOT SPAM the message board with your opportunity. People despise SPAM, and you'll end up angering people who may have otherwise been interested in your business. Instead, create a "Signature File"- basically it's a mini-ad under your name. For example, my "Sig File" is: Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time And Money on Leads and Cold Calling. See How. Click Here.

Advertising Co-Op: An Advertising Co-Op is when several business owners contribute money to an advertising campaign, and share the leads generated from that advertising. For example, I have had a full-page ad in a home-based business magazine that has a circulation of 50,000. Obviously the leads generated are highly targeted, so the advertisement costs $4,000. That's pretty pricey for any one business owner, so instead, we offer our team the ability to purchase one of 10 shares at $400 each. Each share gets 1/10th of the highly targeted leads generated. So for example, if 1000 leads are generated, you would get 100 leads.

Building Your Business On A Budget: Several months ago, I watched a video that I wish I had seen when I got started in my business. It would have saved me a lot of time, money, blood, sweat and tears! The video is part of a series released by Mike Dillard called "Building On A Budget." In other trainings he also revealed:

- How to drive hoards of traffic to any website for pennies.

- How you can build any business that you are with for $500 or less, and in most cases do it for absolutely nothing.

- Some little known zero-cost methods that are more effective at driving traffic than paid advertising.

- And much more!

To learn more about how to market your travel business, head over to my new site- www.natashanassar.com

"It Was Hilarious! My Upline Couldn't Figure Out How I Was Sponsoring So Many Distributors!"

Check out this email I woke up to this morning from a lawyer... I couldn't help but laugh and nod my head because I've been there, done that... ;)

- Mike

From The Desk of Attorney, Natasha Nassar: (That's Me!)

"Well, I got married in May, and since then I have written close to 300 thank you notes...for china plates, silverware, casserole dishes, you name it.

And the one thank you note I should have written MONTHS ago- is to the guy who helped me generate tons of free leads and put literally thousands of dollars in my pocket in the past six months... (that's you, Mike).

With that being said, here's my story...

I got into my first networking venture in October 2006. I loved the concept of the whole business model, so I joined a company.

But for some reason handing out fliers in the freezing cold, putting little yellow "sizzle cards" in books in bookstores, and on pumps at the gas station just didn't sit well with me.

That's probably because I'm an attorney, and to me the 3-foot rule, hotel meetings and sizzle cards seems a bit cheesy and unprofessional.

If I wouldn't get clients that way in my legal profession, I don't want to do it to get business partners into my networking company...That's just my humble opinion.

So, there I was, faced with an incredible business concept, but a pitiful marketing plan (the 3-foot rule, hotel meetings and sizzle cards). I was about to give up hope, then I found Magnetic Sponsoring.

What you teach in Magnetic Sponsoring just makes SENSE.

It is the real, legitimate way to get business. I no longer feel like a desperate loser hocking my product.

I don't have to deal with people who think they can get something for nothing (Black Belt Recruiting really helped me deal with these types in particular). I was able to generate my OWN prospects, many of whom joined my business, (which cost around $500 and $50 a month), without even speaking with me.

My sponsor, who admittedly knows nothing about the Internet, was FLOORED!

He would call to congratulate me on my latest distributor, and would ask their background, and I would say "Who? Hmmm... I don't know where they came from, guess I should give them a call". At first he thought is was beginner's luck, (or just some sick joke I was playing), but then it became a regular occurance.

It is awesome!

Mike, there is no denying the power of what you teach in Magnetic Sponsoring. It is based on sound marketing principles. And the way you teach it, makes it easy for everyone to understand.

To be honest, I could write for HOURS about all of the awesome things I learned in each of your products, but suffice it to say- for those serious about making it in this industry- you will get far more out of Mike's courses than you invest.

I have made WAY more using your Magnetic Sponsoring system than I paid for all of your products COMBINED. (Truth be told, I feel a little guilty, actually).

Needless to say, the first thing I tell my downline, when the want to know what they need to do to build their business, is to direct them to Magnetic Sponsoring.

Anyone who is truly serious about building their networking business is a complete fool if they can't see the wisdom in shelling out the few bucks for your Magnetic Sponsoring book at an absolute minimum (and quite frankly all of your incredible courses).

Thanks again for everything Mike, you are truly a gift to all of your students!

Sincerely, Natasha"

Get the book that changed my life HERE

Since my testimonial was sent out by Mike Dillard just a couple of hours ago, about my success with Attraction Marketing, I have been flooded with phone calls and e-mails. I will get back in touch with each of you.

Please just e-mail me at natasha@yoursuccessxpress.com and give me your name, phone #, the best time to reach you (include what time zone you are in). I will get back with you.

Thanks!

Natasha

Let me ask you a question%u2026if you are completely 100% honest with yourself, are you truly ready to succeed? The answer to this question can be the difference between success and failure. If you are truly ready to succeed, your success is guaranteed. If you are not ready to succeed, your chances diminish greatly.

How do you know? Well, if you are truly ready to succeed, your goals are set in your mind. You've closed your eyes and felt the feeling of success. You don't bat an eye at someone's criticism of your goals. You don't give a moment's pause to your goals when one business-building technique doesn't work. You find yourself using every spare second to build your business. You know in the depths of your soul that you WILL succeed, and failure is not an option.

If you aren't ready to succeed, you have goals in mind, but you aren't sure that they are truly attainable. If you are honest with yourself, you have some nagging thoughts about whether your business will truly work. Someone's criticism of your company makes you second-guess your decision to start your business. A family member or friend's "not interested" response has you looking into whether the business is a scam and if people are truly making money. You are dedicated to working your business%u2026so long as there isn't a good show on TV, a pretty day outside, a friend coming over to visit, or a new magazine to read. You've got excuses ready in the event that you don't succeed. "The business doesn't really work" "It takes too long" "My sponsor didn't call me back" "It's too expensive" "So-and-so said it was a scheme." Guess what? If you've got these excuses lined up...you'll probably get the opportunity to use them. A perfect example from my own life experience illustrates my point.

I started smoking my sophomore year in college. I was going to quit when I turned 21, when I graduated from college, when I graduated from law school, and then after I passed the bar exam. All of my "deadlines" came and went. I was still a smoker. One day, I took a step in the right direction. I got some material on how to quit smoking and even purchased some nicotine patches. But when I gave up smoking, I felt like I was depriving myself of something positive. I would forlornly sniff the air as my friend puffed on a cigarette. I would hold an unlit cigarette, wishing I could smoke. I told myself that I wouldn't smoke, unless work got too stressful...or if I got into a fight with my boyfriend...or if I gained too much weight. I had tons of excuses stockpiled, so it only took the slightest stressful event one month later to have me reaching for my pack of cigarettes.

Two other attempts to quit ended the same way- one of my "excuse" reasons would surface, and I was back to square one. Then, one random Wednesday in April, I decided "enough is enough!" I decided that smoking was no longer an option, and that there were no more excuses. I decided that I had to find a different solution for life's stresses. Once I decided these things, and felt them in the bottom of my soul, my results started to change. Other people smoking around me no longer was a problem- I was no longer a "smoker." When I got stressed out, I exercised or took deep breaths. Sure enough, one and a half years later, I am still smoke-free.

I took this life lesson into my business practices. I decided before I ever joined my first networking company that I would succeed. I decided that I had had enough with counting my days in increments of one tenth of an hour. I decided that I would put my love of people, writing, and business into action, so that every day of my life would be spent doing what I love most. I decided that I would no longer be "living for the weekend" because every day would be a weekend and each day I would sleep until I was done. I decided that success was my future, and failure was not an option.

This unwavering "success attitude" was with me through my family and friends doubting the legitimacy of my business. It was there when my close friend called my business an "illegal pyramid scheme" (which was pretty insulting considering I am an attorney). It was with me when I ran around in thirty-degree weather posting flyers on every car in strip mall parking lots and never got a single person to join my business. My never-fail attitude was there when I got rejection after rejection from calling "business opportunity" leads. It was even there when I got nasty e-mails stating that my FREE system to networking business owners was a scam, and that I was a generally horrible person. (I'm not lying, I really got these!)

It was also there when I got person after person contacting ME ready to join my business. It was there when I made my first thousand and network marketing, and it will be there when I'm working full-time from home. So, now the question is%u2026are you truly ready to succeed?

We wanted to let you in on a launch that is taking place THIS Tuesday at 12 noon Central Standard Time. Our attraction-marketing mentor, Mike Dillard, is launching his newest incredible training guide- Black Belt Recruiting. We were fortunate enough to secure an advanced copy, so we can attest to the fact that once again, Mike over-delivered. We would have paid five-times more for this product. The reason is simple.

Through Attraction Marketing, we have generated literally THOUSANDS of free leads. But, we quickly realized that there is more to the equation than lead generation. You must be able to convert those leads into sales. That's what Black Belt Recruiting is all about. This product helped me get over my fear of talking to leads (I'll admit, I was a complete wuss), taught me how to deal effectively with prospects (it wasn't what my upline told me) and the REAL way to handle objections (I was shocked to learn what you're REALLY supposed to say).

With that said, click HERE to get the FREE one-hour video and to take advantage of the launch-day offer. If nothing else, don't make the mistake of missing out on the video- you'll learn a lot!

I know that many of my faithful readers are currently representatives in a travel business. From time to time, I like to share some of the resources I've used to grow my business.

Many of you know that my travel business is my first experience in Network Marketing. It has been a great one at that! But, one of my biggest fears getting started was "what do I say to prospects?" . You can generate all of the leads you want, but if you don't know how to convert prospects into sales, you aren't going to see your business grow.

As if he read my mind, my mentor, Mike Dillard- author of Magnetic Sponsoring has come out with an incredible solution to this problem. It is called: Black Belt Recruititing. I was fortunate to receive an early-release copy of this program, and let me tell you, it is powerful and worth every single dime I spent (and a whole lot more, to be perfectly honest).

Even better, as usual, Mike Dillard over delivers- he gives you a FREE video interview series with recruiting expert Mark Wieser on how to talk to prospects and how Mark personally sponsors more than 250 a year and how you can too.

Don't be the last one to get this incredible course

CLICK HERE to take your business to the next level!

Never heard of Mike Dillard? Then watch his free 7-Day Boot Camp Series video by clicking HERE

Hot off the press is the 2008 Power List by Travel Weekly (the self-proclaimed "National Newspaper of the Travel Industry").

Is your travel company listed??
Click HERE for the article.

We are back! I'll be posting more wedding pictures soon!

Since I've been gone for the past couple of months, I got a disturbingly large amount of phone calls and e-mails from another travel company's reps trying to recruit me into their business. Starting about a year ago, I had one rep try on more than one occasion to get me to leave by comparing my travel business to to their travel company (let's call it "TC"), mainly the start-up fee.

I think the deluge of TC folks bombarding me with their pitches began in large part to my company's 2007 Income Disclosure statement.

The constant flood of sales pitches over the past few months gives me no choice but to "clarify" a few things for those who may fall prey to the my travel company is better that your travel company trap.

First, I want to begin by making a blanket statement for all of the other Travel Company reps out there- don't waste your time calling or e-mailing me. I am not interested in joining your company- my company is the only travel company for me.

Now, onto the real stuff of the travel company debate debate...

The Income Disclosure Statement
Here's what one TC Rep said:

According to the 2007 Income Disclosure Statement at your travel company, only 4% will ever get to their power team. In addition, less than 1/3 of 1% will ever make it into coach's corner. There is over 246,000 reps of which 95% an average of $90.32 in yearly income

Okay, now the first OBVIOUS question to pose to the suave TC salesperson is this: "Could you please send me a copy of TC's 2007 Income Disclosure Statement". If the answer is anything but, "sure here you go" then you need to take everything they say after that point with a grain of salt.

The truth of the matter is that those statistics are fairly representative of network marketing companies in general...95% make little to no money at all. I seriously doubt that TC's statistics are any better.

Let me give you a real world example- I have at least 23 Reps whom I contacted after they joined as a Rep who said that they were "just looking". 23- in just MY organization, who are nothing but "tire kickers". Multiply that by the Tens of Thousands of active Reps (i.e, non-tire kickers) and you start to see why it is that such a large percentage never make any money...THEY DON'T WORK THE BUSINESS AT ALL!

Now, if you think that people who just sign up to "look around" because it's free should be compensated by my travel company, then you need to head on over to Cuba and hang with the Communist crowd! In this capitalist society, you get paid for the value you bring to the marketplace- you don't work, you don't get paid. Ask your friendly TC rep if they are just handing out checks to those who don't work the business at all, I'll bet my life they will say no.

Therefore, common sense dictates that taking the amount of commissions paid by my travel company in 2007 and dividing it by the number of Reps is completely ridiculous. In reality, you have just about the same percentage of success in most any legitimate company. Your success depends in large part on YOU.

Marketing Techniques
One of the things that really struck me about one particular company, is that it has become very apparent how they are marketing the business... encouraging their reps to contact current reps in my company and try to get them to come to their company. Hmmm... Questionable tactic at best. I have never once contacted someone who did not contact me first for more information, and I never once enouraged someone to leave their company to come to mine...but that's just me.

The Price To Join
Another favorite of TC Reps is to show how much "cheaper" TC is to join. Now, if we are comparing prices on something- anything, doesn't it make sense to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples?

For example, if you are looking to buy a car- do you just look at the price? Geez, I hope not! You look at features...what car gives you the most bang for your buck? what car has the features you want?

Now, let's look at my company. For $449.00 you get an on-line travel booking engine, the ability to book travel directly with vendors, tons of niche travel booking sites and a marketing site, complete with a back office for both travel and marketing. (assuming you sign up as a to market the business and sell travel). Then your monthly web-hosting fee for your travel booking engine is $49.95 per month (which is refunded if you sell 6 travel stores). As an travel agent you receive 60% of the commission earned by the company on the sale of travel.

Now, from what I understand about TC:

When you join at their "low, low rate" (which varies from $49 to $99 depending on what day of the week it is and a $49.95 monthly fee) you don't get any credentials, don't have the ability to work with travel vendors directly, and you only get a 20% commission on travel booked through you. Okay, so with the base package you pay the same monthly fee, but your products are limited (because you can't book directly through vendors) AND you get 40% LESS of the commission on all travel booked through you! If you plan to book a lot of travel on your site, the joke's on you, because while you saved $300 on the initial fee, how much commission will you lose over the next few years because you only get a 20% commission?!?

Now, if you want a sharp looking website- you'll add another $9.95 for that. Do you want to market the TC opportunity? Well, it's gonna cost you-another $19.95 a month. So, now you are paying almost $80 per month for a fraction of what my travel company offers (remember you also get numerous niche travel sites) which all come with your $449 start-up fee).

It doesn't take an accountant to figure out that after just a year, TC is actually MORE expensive than my company for less features.

I could go through an even more thorough analysis of the differences between my travel company and other travel companies(my company made Travel Weekly's 2008 Power List (and improved its ranking from last year), my company is a member of the Direct Selling Association, etc, etc.) but I will leave the due diligence up to you!

Best of Luck!

To learn more about my travel company, e-mail me at natasha at yoursuccessxpress dot com. (sorry, have to protect against the unruly spammers!)

Our faithful readers,

We are so sorry for our brief absence, but after an incredible wedding and honeymoon in the Dominican Republic (on which we saved lots of money thanks to our travel business) Rich and I are back and ready to give you all the information you need on starting your own travel business. I'll be searching to see what the latest allegations of whether or not your travel business is a scam, and weigh in on them....so stay tuned!

Natasha & Rich

Based on some e-mails I've gotten recently, it appears that sometimes people get confused about what an online travel business' product (or shall I say products) are.

My travel company offers 2 separate and unique opportunities. That of a referring travel agent and that of a independent marketing representative. To become a Rep, there is no charge. To become an referrign travel agent with my company, there is a $449.00 start up fee, in addition to the $49.95 monthly web-hosting fee.

As a referring travel agent, you sell TRAVEL. You get paid 60% of the commission the company receives to sell the numerous products the company offers. As an referring travel agent you get your own private-label booking engine.

As a marketing representative, you sell Travel Websites. Here's where people get confused. The Travel Website is in fact a product, and a great one at that!

Many people have asked me what can you do with a travel website, and if it is, in fact a real product. If you are in the U.S. the possibilities are endless: (Canadians have more restrictions) Here are some things I've seen on my team:

-You can specialize in a particular niche (cruises, reunions, groups, a certain country or Island).

- If you are in the wedding industry, you can help provide travel for the bride and groom, in addition to encouraging them to sign up for the honeymoon registry.

- If non-profits are more your style, the Passport to Giving program allows you to assist Non-Profits get their own private-label travel website, to assist them in their fundraising efforts.

- If you are a frequent traveler, you can make commissions on your own travel- saving you lots of money over the course of a year.

- If you like to travel, my company has special promotions for its referring travel agents. You can get you a great vacation at a low price if your travel dates are flexible.

- If you have always wanted to be a Travel Agent, you can take advantage of all of the training my company and its vendors offer, and become the go-to travel contact for all of your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc.

Of the myriad of home based business opportunities out there, the main reasons were:

1. No inventory.

2. I didn't have to host "parties".

3. I didn't have to guilt my friends and family to purchase over-priced products. (The prices on my travel site are typically the same or lower than other competing big-name travel sites).

4. I didn't have to learn to pronounce complex scientific terms or the names of Tahitian fruits.

5. I could talk about travel, but the though of talking about magic diet pills or jungle juices or the latest facial cream made me want to head for the hills!

Plus, I have learned how to grow my business using the power of the Internet, instead of chasing down my family and friends!

If you are interested in learning more about my travel company or joining the travel business with our team, e-mail me
________________________________________________
Natasha personally mentors her team how to marketing their business without cold-calling leads or approaching family or friends. She has been featured in Simply Home magazine.

Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time And Money on Leads and Cold Calling. See How.Click Here

Just updated on February 26th by Alexa.

The Top 50 Network Marketing Companies are ranked by Internet popularity - number of visitors to the company websites averaged over 3 months.

The numbers are compiled by Alexa.com, the most widely used tracking service for website rankings since 1996. Alexa ranks millions of websites. Rank 1 is the highest; Rank 10 million the lowest. Alexa updates weekly. This week, Yahoo.com is No. 1.

In the list of the Top 50 network marketing companies below, the Alexa rank appears to the right of each company. If a company has gone up or down in rank from the previous week, the change appears as a + or -. No change, no mark.

NOTE: This list includes companies that are top ranked, AND are 5 years old or more.

Is Your Company Listed?

1.Avon 7,321
2. Quixtar 18,151
3. YTB Travel 18,509
4. Usana 20,212
5. Mary Kay 20,324
6. Melaleuca 24,193
7. Herbalife 33,544
8. Success University 39,348
9. Nu Skin Enterprises 45,069
10. Isagenix 48,728
11. Pre-paid Legal 51,865
12. Forever Living 52,369
13. 4Life Research, LLC 53,514
14. Market America 54,756
15. Shaklee 56,614
16. helloWorld 57,012
17. VM Direct 57,309
18. Tupperware 62,858
19. FreeLife International 63,187
20. Arbonne International 72,788
21. A C N 78,381
22. Vitamark International 85,185
23. Tahitian Noni 85,307
24. Primerica 86,041
25. Xango 90,961
26. Take Shape for Life/Medifast 91,462
27. Amway 91,994
28. AmeriPlan 94,339
29. Pampered Chef 103,218
30. Scent-Sations (Mia Bella Candles) 105,466
31. Trivita 108,620
32. ITV Ventures 110,727
33. Sunrider 119,950
34. Watkins 125,528
35. Nikken 140,206
36. United First Financial 143,769
37. Nature's Sunshine 146,581
38. Young Living 147,479
39. Healthy Pet Net 155,825
40. Tastefully Simple 160,378
41. Pharmanex 175,472
42. Creative Memories 177,604
43. Passion Parties 180,517
44. Longaberger 184,610
45. Mannatech 200,361
46. Big Planet 213,337
47. Immunotec 216,463
48. Ecoquest International 219,400
49. Neways 223,805
50. Liberty League 238,981

Alexa rankings of our Network Marketing group are most impressive.

Alexa says that "Generally, Traffic Rankings of 100,000+ should be regarded as not reliable because the amount of data we receive is not statistically significant.

Conversely, the more traffic a site receives (the closer it gets to the number 1 position), the more reliable its Traffic Ranking becomes." (emphasis added) Source: Alexa.com

Read more: here

Something pretty exciting happened yesterday that I wanted to share with you. Yesterday, I picked up my new Lexus SUV. Why am I sharing this with you?

Well, my business is what allowed me to make this purchase! That's right. My business is paying for this awesome car, and I am not even one of my company's top-money earners (yet). In fact, I can tell you without hesitation that I never thought back in October 2006, when I began my first experience with network marketing, that just 14 short months later I would be writing about the new luxury car I purchased thanks to my home-based business.

I didn't think it would happen this fast for several reasons. One being that this was my first encounter with network marketing or home-based businesses, so I didn't have a Rolodex of contacts. Then there was the fact that I was (and still am) working full-time as an attorney, so I was building my business only part time. Another reason was that when I contacted my warm market, I got one rejection after another.after.. another...after another (likely due to the fact that I hate "selling"). Of course the countless hours spent creating flyers, and passing them out on every car in a strip-mall parking lot (in frigid temperatures) and dead-end leads that came from those efforts also led me to the conclusion that my dreams of luxury were at least several years away. I remember reading and hearing all of the testimonials about the top money earners, but I never really thought that I would be enjoing my additional income so soon!

How did I do it? Did I get lucky on a few leads who turned in to super-recruiters? No. I learned how to build my business in a smart way. I learned about how to use the power of the Internet to build my organization. But far more importantly, I didn't quit. So many people fail in this business because they quit too soon- usually right before the first taste of success crosses their lips.

My advice to my fellow online travel reps, is to stick with this business. Don't quit. The only way to ensure your failure, is to quit. Re-dedicate yourself to your travel business. Take a vendor's training course. Go to a training session. Read some personal development materials like "Think and Grow Rich" or other similar books. Head over to this incredible forum and read about how others are growing their home-based businesses. If you want to learn about how to use the Internet like I have- sign up for this free video training course, and when you watch it...take notes! Talk with your upline, see if they have any suggestions on what you can be doing to move your business forward, and do it!

My advice to those trying to determine if the online travel business opportunity is legitimate...cast your doubts aside and jump on in! Just make sure your sponsor builds the business the way you want to (either face-to-face or on the Internet). Most importantly, don't let what others think affect your decision to throw yourself into the business and once you do, to give it 110%. If I listened to my family and friends, I would have missed out on some awesome vacations over the past year, and of course, my nice new ride! I must confess, the more they see my success and want it, the harder I work to succeed even more. Let those nay-sayers serve as a driving force propelling you to reach your goals.

Tomorrow morning I'm picking up my new car, that my home-business is paying for! A Lexus SUV!

I attribute my success to one thing: Attraction Marketing.

As a reference point- this time last year, I didn't even know the first thing about Attraction Marketing! In fact, I had just been rejected by all of my warm market, and I was outside freezing my tail off putting flyers on cars in every strip mall parking lot I could find...and I didn't have a single member on my team!

Fast forward 12 months: I now have people contacting me regularly ready to join my business- credit card in hand! I have a wonderful team spanning from one coast to the other, I've enjoyed some great vacations, met some wonderful people, learned a WHOLE lot, and to top it off...I'm purchasing an awesome car paid for by my business!

My secret? Find Out Here

"Why is it so darn HARD to make money in an MLM?"

If I had a nickel for every time I heard this, I'd be on a vacation in Tahiti right now....

It actually isn't HARD. Climbing Mount Everest is HARD. Stacking greased b-b's is HARD. Swimming the English Channel is HARD. Making money in a network marketing company isn't hard. It actually is pretty easy.

Here's how you do it:

1. PICK A COMPANY AND STICK WITH IT! There are far more legitimate companies out there than fly-by-night scams. So, picking a company isn't difficult. Want to be introduced to tons in a matter of seconds? Go on Yahoo! Answers and ask people what MLM they would recommend. Your inbox will be flooded shortly.

Look for a company that sells a product that interests you. Are you a health nut? Look for vitamin or fruit juice companies- there are plenty! Have you been obsessed with makeup since you were a little girl? Guess what? There are tons of companies that sell makeup that would be thrilled to have you as a distributor. Love to travel? You guessed it- lots of companies to choose from!

Once you've found a company with a product you like, SIT STILL FOR GOODNESS SAKES!

One of the main reasons people don't make money is that they are always looking for something better. Just quit looking around, quit typing in "XYZ Scam" into Google trying to find some reason why you should quit. Quit being enticed by ads that say if you switch to ABC company, "we'll build the business for you". Stop trying to see if the grass is greener on the other side...it isn't.

2. EDUCATE YOURSELF. Unless you are a master- business person, you've got to LEARN about how to build a successful business. Talk to your sponsor or upline. Do what they do. Unless of course, you don't want to build the business the way they do. If that's the case, educational materials abound%u2026want a cheap, great one? Check this out. You need to get a mentor or two or three and STUDY THOSE PEOPLE. If you want to be successful, study those who are successful, then do what they do!

3. BE CONSISTENT. If you can't dedicate at least a couple of hours a day- it is going to take quite some time to build your business. I don't care what anyone tells you, an hour once a week won't cut it. I work my business part-time, but even still, I spend at least 3-4 hours PER DAY on my business. Working the business one day a week, or every other week won't bring in the dough. If you are choosing Oprah or American Idol over your business- then making money in a network marketing company is HARD. If you opt to read a trashy romance novel over an educational book...If you buy some expensive gadget over spending money to grow your business....I hope you aren't surprised at the difficulty that you are having making money in your business.

4. GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT FOR MILESTONES. Don't scoff at your first commission check of $10.00. Don't be annoyed at the time it takes to get your first distributor, celebrate your achievements. I celebrated each commission check, until they started coming in regularly! Once I made the "Comma Club"- a four-figure commission check, I celebrated again. When my distributors got their first distributor, I celebrated. And best of all, a couple of days ago, I REALLY celebrated as I climbed into my new Lexus purchased with the money I made in my business! Celebrate each milestone, and then watch how fast those milestones pile up!

5. DON'T QUIT. The one thing that really sends me over the edge, is when I hear, "well, I'll just try it for 6 months and see if it works". Let me save you the 6 months and the money- IT WON'T WORK. With a mentality of failure, and that is what that comment indicates, the outcome is already determined. You've given yourself a way out. Presumably people do this to protect themselves from failure. Ironically, failure is exactly what they get when they quit! Before you join a company, just make sure that you tell yourself "failure is not an option. Quitting is not an option." Go ahead and plan to spend the next 3 years growing the business, and you'll be on the fast track to success!

No matter what you think...you CAN succeed in Network Marketing. Yes, it will take hard work and total dedication, but I'll tell you what- if a first-time network marketer can buy a Lexus from money working a business part-time- you can too!

A new year will bring a new stream of readers both in the online travel business and looking at the travel business opportunity. My name is Natasha, and I am the author of this Lens. Throughout the year, you can look forward to all things about the online travel business- including the latest news, information on travel, personal development, marketing ideas and of course, articles on the age old question- is an online travel business a scam? (No)

You probably are wondering who I am. Let's start with who I am NOT. I am not a top money earner(yet...). I am not a full-time network marketer. I have not been in the network marketing industry for the past 20 years. I don't market my business by talking to everyone in a three-foot radius of me, and I no longer approach family and friends to join my business.

Here's who I am. I am an attorney who practices law full-time. I am a referring travel agent and marketing representative with one of the online travel businesses. Over the past year I have been an avid student of Internet Marketing. As a result of my studies, I market my business primarily on the Internet, and over the past year I've had numerous people from across the country join my team without ever communicating with me until after they join.

How is this possible? I am sure that countless readers of this blog who already have a business want to know--I know this because my inbox is filled with e-mails from other travel business owners...

Even more exciting, is that starting from zero just 8 short months ago, having absolutely no network marketing or internet marketing experience, I am already enjoying a nice four-figure supplement to my monthly income. (Which came in handy on my recent vacation in California). You read that right, just 8 short months!

If a few thousand per month could change your situation, e-mail me and I'll be happy to discuss this opportunity with you.

For those of you looking at the my travel business opportunity and wondering why I haven't already earned millions in my first-year , let me say this--I am like the majority of you. I've talked to many business owners in numerous companies over the past year, and I've found that most people with no experience or massive Rolodex of contacts don't start making the BIG money until a few years of diligently working their business. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule- super stars,I call them, that take it to the top in a few months or a year--but that's not typical. For the super-stars, I wish you the best- and feel free to join my team!

You may be shocked that I am telling you all of this. But as you read my articles, you will quickly realize that brutal honesty is what I am all about. I'm proud to say that I don't hype my travel business opportunity. Why? It is a solid company with solid leadership, and an incredible business model-there's simply no need!

The other reason is that I'm not interested in working with every potential business owner. I am building a network of business owners who have realistic expectations about the time and effort needed to succeed in this business; who are ready and willing to do what it takes to get to the top of this incredible company; and who are ready to learn what I have to teach about growing a successful business without approaching family members, friends, or cold-calling leads.

If you who would be happy to just bring in some extra money each month in the beginning while working towards earning your financial freedom- then I invite you to contact me, and see if my travel company is the right business for you. If you have little to no experience in network marketing- and you would like to have a personal mentor teach you how to build a successful business, then e-mail me and I will be happy to discuss the opportunity with you.

To learn more about the travel business opportunity now, e-mail us.

I will also share with you my journey to the top, and how I build my business using Attraction Marketing techniques so that I don't have to chase around family members or friends or cold call leads.

Stay tuned and bookmark this blog now so you don't miss out on all of the great information about the travel business opportunity!

Since I have been writing on this blog, my inbox has been flooded with people already in a business, who are excited about the prospect of marketing their business without having to chase family members and friends, or cold-calling leads. Many of you have asked me to help you build an attraction marketing campaign, but unfortunately, I'm not allowed to work with people who are not on my team. (Not my rule, I promise).

The best alternative I could think of, was to lead you to the place that taught me all about attraction marketing and how to generate more leads and more cash for my business as quickly as possible.

This book taught me how to use the powerful psychology behind "attraction marketing" strategies so I could start to attract their prospects and customers to me. In just six short months, my downline grew by leaps and bounds, and not once did I approach a single one of these prospects. They contacted ME for more information, which was so much more powerful than getting rejection after rejection from expensive leads, and trying to survive through all 100 No's so I could get my one "YES".

This resource has worked so well that it revolutionized the way many people now approach this industry. Over the past two years, this system has changed the lives of over 100,000 entrepreneurs around the world, and on November 14th, the program is going to get even better. Best of all, the upgraded system will be FREE for people who have already purchased their copy of the Magnetic Sponsoring course. There are no monthly fees to pay, and if you already have an existing system account, you'll be upgraded automatically on the day of the launch at no cost.

If you don't have an account, you can get one today just by picking up a copy of the Magnetic Sponsoring course for less than $40. It's a physical course that will be shipped to your home, and you'll have instant access the new system when it launches on the 14th. Bottom line, one year ago today, I was going through my list of 100 warm market prospects, and getting one "No" after another. Yesterday, I got a phone call from a prospect who just called to let me know she was joining my business. This is a regular occurance for me now, thanks to this course. So you tell me...is it worth a measly $40 to learn how to get prospects to contact you? If you think so, then go here now

This week marks one of the most important milestones in my life. This week was the one-year anniversary of my entry into both the network marketing industry and my travel company. Typically, "milestones" include graduation from high school, college, in my case, law school, my upcoming marriage and, one day, the birth of my children. You're probably wondering why I hold my entry into the travel business and network marketing in such high regard.

The reason is that it represents a massive decision, a change in my life's direction, where I realized that I did not need to be a slave to my job, that I really could work from home, and that financial freedom wasn't just a fairytale. It wasn't enough that I realized these things, I believed it so deeply that in the depths of my soul I knew my future will be filled with fulfilling relationships with people from across the country, time to spend with family and friends, and financial freedom for myself and my family. Top that off with the fact that not only did I decide that these things were my goals, but I went so far as to take action steps to achieve those goals. I was no longer sitting on the sideline, I was in the game.

But, I'm going to be honest, this year was far from a cakewalk. I started off fast, I read every page in my tool box, I listened to hours of conference calls, I made a list of 50+ people I knew and contacted them. The husband of the one couple (out of ten) who actually showed up at my travel party, haughtily informed my sponsor, business partner and I that the business was a pyramid scheme. His wife was one of my closest friends, I was the maid of honor in her wedding, but still, they didn't think enough of my intelligence or my legal education to think that I perhaps looked into the legality of the business before joining.

Then there were the countless numbers of friends and family who just wished me luck, and said that I should come back and talk to them when I'm making a lot of money. I was pretty disappointed, so I decided to focus on promoting my travel business. I had a great time, got some customers, and enjoyed making some travel commissions. The holidays came and went, and before I knew it, it was time to make a New Year's Resolution. Mine was to get back on track with my travel business.

Determined to make my business work, I decided to target people outside my warm market. I did this my making thousands of little yellow "sizzle cards" with my website address on them, and placing them anywhere and everywhere I could. Grocery store shelves, inside books at the bookstore, at checkout counters, on gas pumps, with my server's tip, on windshields...you name it. As if that wasn't enough, I posted flyers on bulletin boards in more apartment complexes than I care to remember, and I spent my weekends putting them on every car in strip mall parking lots despite the freezing temperatures. I repeated this for two very chilly months during the dead of winter. Then I placed classified ads in newspapers across the country, and I put countless "free ads" on the Internet. From all of these efforts, I did get several leads, but most if not all gawked at the idea of actually spending money to start a business or told me that they were "just looking" but weren't interested. After all of that work, I had only one person join my business.

This is the point in time when it would have been really easy for me to give up. I could have just settled for a lifetime of counting my life in increments of an hour. I knew I could make a decent living that way. Of course, there would be late nights and weekends at the office away from my family, and of course, no hope for financial freedom. But, as I told you earlier, before I joined my travel company, I had already decided that success would be the outcome, so the latest batch of "no's" ended up being just a speed bump, not a road block.

A few weeks later, I was introduced to the concept of Attraction Marketing and Internet Marketing. The idea that prospects would actually contact me looking for information was so earth-shattering, that I couldn't believe it at first. But I read testimonial after testimonial that blew me away, so I decided that I needed to give it a shot. What did I have to lose?

I knew that the only way I would fail in this business would be to quit, so instead I buried myself in eBooks, in forum discussions, and in anything and everything I could find on Internet Marketing and Attraction Marketing. I would come home from work in the evening and work on my business until the wee hours of the morning, reading and implementing the techniques I learned. Then, in early April, my Attraction Marketing campaign went live. I continued to work late evenings to build my campaign. Sure enough, as promised, a couple of months in, I had people contacting me, looking for information about my business. The more effort I put in, the more people I had contacting me. Then, one month later it happened...

I was at my office when I looked down at my cell phone to see a missed call from my Sponsor. Knowing that my Sponsor thought I had quit the business months ago from my lack of appearances at the hotel meetings, I figured the only reason he would call was if someone had joined my business. Sure enough, I looked at my e-mail and saw that someone I had never spoken with had joined my business. Thrilled, I called my sponsor and proudly told him that I had never spoken with the gentleman, and that it must have been a result of my attraction marketing campaign.

It was then that he broke the news to me, things like that didn't typically happen. The more likely situation was that the person mistakenly signed up on my site, and that in a couple of days, the transaction would be reversed. I knew he was wrong, so I told him that I would call him back once I had spoken with my newest team member.

Turns out the gentleman was thrilled to hear from me. He proceeded to tell me that he had been surfing the Internet looking for information on starting a travel business when he found several of my websites. He said that he liked what I had to say, and he wanted to be on my team. When I told my sponsor, he was amazed. I bet he thought that it was beginner's luck, but his opinion quickly changed when two weeks later, I had another person join the same way, and another and another. None of the people joining my team were in my home state, and this just amazed my Sponsor. In fact, in just the past 2 ½ weeks, I had seven people join my business. This is quite the contrast to my first six months in the business when I had only one person join my team.

So, just six months after moving my efforts to the Internet, and one year after entering the network marketing arena and joining my company, I am proud to say that not only have a reached the second leadership level, but I also have received a $1,000 Leadership Bonus.

Even more incredible for a novice network marketer such as myself, is the fact that I have a strong team of business builders from across the country. From what I had seen before learning about Attraction Marketing, only experienced networkers seemed to be able to get the business builders in their group.

Equally as exciting, and a testimony to the power of Attraction Marketing is that I have numerous Canadians, who are thousands of miles away from my hometown, but are ready to join with my team the moment it goes live in Canada. What an incredible set of accomplishments in just my first 12 months in network marketing . I can only imagine what I will be writing on my 2nd Anniversary...but I have a feeling it will be something along the lines of the fact that I am no longer count my days in increments of an hour.

If there is one thing that I hope that you will take away from my experience, it is this: Getting your own travel business is an incredible opportunity, but it is far from a "get rich quick" scheme. You have to make a decision to be in this business for the long-haul, and not be willing to give up at the first sign of adversity. The only way you will truly fail in this business is if you quit.

If I had given up after my sizzle cards fizzled, I would have certainly missed out on the best days that were in store for me in my travel business. This is a serious business, one which unlike your 9 to 5, can set you financially free. But success doesn't happen overnight, and don't let anyone tell you that it will. You'll only get out of this business, what you put into it. As for me, I am looking forward to seeing what my 2nd year has in store for me and my incredible team.

I look forward to seeing you at the top!

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If you have questions about owning your own travel business, e-mail me at natasha@yoursuccessxpress.com

To learn more email us.

Always dedicated to helping you get the facts on your travel business, I wanted to address all of those out there that claim: The average referring travel agent makes $40 per year (or $70 or some other variation of a minuscule number). They'll tell you that this is based on the company's own financial records and things of the like which appear to give credibility to this statement.

What these people are doing is simply dividing the company's yearly amount of gross commissions received by the number of active referring travel agents to come up with this figure. Common sense should tell you that this figure is a bit deceptive.

Not all have the same:
- Education on the travel products
- Number of contacts to market their travel website to
- Money to spend to advertise their business
- Time to dedicate to their business
- Dedication to growing the business

This isn't comparing apples to apples. For example, I have a couple of people who purchased travel stores just so their friends and family could book on their site. Others really wanted to dive into and learn everything about the travel products so that they could start booking travel for their company, church group, civic group, etc. And then there are people such as myself who joined in October, but due to an unforeseen health issue was unable to start working the business until January. Some are totally new to the travel industry, and others are travel pros.

Do you REALLY think that each of these referring travel agents are equal and deserve to earn the same amount? No way! The people that focus on the travel business, educating themselves on the products, and marketing their travel business are going to make more money than those who spend an hour or less per week on the business.

Each of my company's referring travel agents come from different backgrounds, which will determine how quickly they will earn money and how much. Dividing any company's gross commission revenue by the number of distributors won't tell you anything whatsoever that you should consider before you join the business.

If you take the time to educate yourself and market your business, you should make more than that $40 or $70 the naysayers love to quote.

A similar deceptive travel business scam argument using figures is the one where people say that the company only shows $X in travel revenue...so obviously the million dollar figure was fraudulent. You look at the financials, and hey- they are right...or are they?

Most multi-level travel business companies doesn't put the "retail sales" on their books! My travel company sells travel for vendors. Vendors get the "retail sale" money. My company, in return, gets the commission. Thus, the company's travel revenue reflects the travel commission earned. Very simple answer to a very sneaky argument made by the naysayers.

An oft-forgotten financial perk you get by owning your own business is the money you DON'T spend...for example on Taxes.

Non-Business owners, do the following:
Make Money
Pay Taxes
Buy Stuff

This means, things are purchased with "after-tax" dollars. So, when you think about how much you paid in taxes, the stuff actually costs more than the price tag you see at the store!

A Business Owner does it this way:
Make Money
Buy Stuff
Pay Taxes

This way, purchases are made with pre-tax dollars. The difference, between the two? The business owner gets tax deductions for buying stuff he was likely already going to buy. For example:

Cell phone charges

Internet connection charges

Telephone add-on services(3-way calling, voicemail, etc.)

Office supplies(paper, pens, pencils, envelopes, stamps, print cartidges, etc.)

Computers and Printers(to the extent they are used for business activities)

Car expenses(48.5 cents per mile when using your car for business-related activities)

Meals (when entertaining clients)

Entertainment(sporting events, golf, etc. when entertaining clients)

PLUS- most of the expenses you incur in starting and marketing your business, such as:

Advertising Expenses
(business cards, flyers, classified ad charges, websites, marketing materials)

Business Start Up Costs
(Training Materials, business start-up fees, certification classes)

Plus, in certain cases you can deduct part of your home mortgage, utilities, etc.

Although I didn't make tons of money in my first few months with the travel business, I did get a nice refund check this spring thanks to my business deductions- which was extra money in my pocket! That's just one reason why I love my travel business!

Note: This is not intended to be used as tax advice. You will need to speak with a tax advisor about your particular circumstances

If you have questions about the travel business, e-mail me at: natasha@yoursuccessxpress.com

I am an attorney. My profession is the quintessential example of one where people trade their time for money. Nothing I do at work will ever make me money in the future.

I am also a freelance writer. I write for a national magazine, but I don't get to do it as much as I would like because of my j-o-b.

I noticed that my J-O-B had started to impact my life in more ways than one. Growing up, I loved to travel. But after I started working, I never seemed to have enough time to go on vacation. Plus, vacations seem to keep getting more and more expensive.

Then, about a year ago, a friend told me about my company. Fearing it was some sort of "pyramid scheme" and never having been in an MLM, I immediately viewed the opportunity with skepticism- as would any good attorney.

For months I did my due diligence: I studied the company's financials on Yahoo. I read every word on the contracts, and of course, I typed in "travel business" and "Scam" into the search engines. I read through EVERY post on the Scam.Com board. I watched the free DVD, twice. After several months of digging for dirt on the company, I decided it was legit. Did I sign up then? Of course not.

I needed to see results. So over the next 3 months, I sat on the sideline watching my friend build his business. I endure numerous bragging sessions on what great discounts he got on hotel rooms, or the "incredible" suite in Las Vegas that he got upgraded to for free. Not to mention, I had to listen to one voicemail after another about how much money he was making. But that all stopped after one phone call, 6 months after I first heard about the business.

What got me off of the sideline and into the game, was the call where he revealed to me his income from the previous month. The same as mine. 2 Bachelor Degrees, 3 years in law school, a law degree and two law licenses- and my friend, in 6 months, was making the same amount of money I was.

Not only that- he got to travel, and when he did, he never paid full price. Plus, he got to spend time with his family. Three things I wanted more than anything, but things I would never get from my J-O-B.

E-mail us for more information.

Many people have asked me, when faced with the myriad of home based business opportunities, why it is that I chose my company. My decision was based on two things: the facts and a brutal assessment of my personal weaknesses.

First, the facts.
1. The travel industry pulls in approximately $1.3 trillion annually in the United States alone. That figure leaps to $7 trillion when measured worldwide.

2. Four significant trends:

Trend One: There are almost 1 billion baby boomers worldwide. One person every eight seconds reaches retirement age. This trend will continue for the next 20 years. So what? What will these newly retired baby boomers do when they retire? Travel, of course!

Trend Two: The travel industry is growing 23% faster than the global economy. That means that travel is expected to double to $14 trillion worldwide in the next 10 years.

Trend Three: The growth of E-Commerce. Consumers last year spent billions of dollars on the Internet. Travel is the fastest growing segment of that trend.

Trend Four: Statistics show that small and home-based businesses are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy. With large companies outsourcing and downsizing, people are turning to home based businesses to provide them with job security.

Now, to my personal weaknesses.

I can admit that I am far from perfect. I recognize that while some can sell ice cubes to an Eskimo, I'd rather hide out in an igloo. Having my own online travel booking engine eliminated the need for me to host parties, send out catalogues, or purchase potions, lotions and pills. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it just wasn't for me.

The thought of being demoted because I did not make a sales quota made me shudder. And I got sick to my stomach at the thought of asking my friends and family to buy products which could be bought elsewhere for less, out of guilt (or pity).

My friends and family already travel, so I am not asking them to do anything out of the ordinary. My website typically offers the same price or lower, so by booking with me they are getting the same deal or better. Plus, unlike other travel sites, I earn 60% of the commission when anybody books on my site.

Not to mention-the business was affordable, the training second-to-none, and I can grow my business on the Internet.

While I am flattered to see my articles popping up on other websites, please be aware that all material on this page is copyrighted by Blues City Marketing. All rights are hereby reserved.

Articles may not be published, printed, distributed or copied in whole or in part without express written consent by the authors.

Get Started On The Road To Financial Freedom and enjoy the benefit of mentors who are dedicated to your success by joining our team today.

If you have questions on the travel business or deciding if it is right for you, e-mail me at: natasha@yoursuccessxpress.com

I just read something today that really made me mad. Apparently, a highly respected veteran in the network marketing industry, sent out an e-mail that was bashing what he called "Network Marketing" gurus for teaching people the skills of self-branding and independent lead generation.

This guy said that 99% of network marketers don't want to know about how to brand themselves in their business or learn the skill of lead generation and, he said, that people didn't have the mental capacity to do it. I was appalled. How cynical. How insulting to the 99% of network marketers in the industry.

The ironic part of it, as my mentor Daegan Smith, pointed out, was that this was coming from a guy sending out an email to a list of subscribers he had created through personal lead generation and self branding.

This veteran's view was eerily similar to a guy I studied in college- Karl Marx. You may have heard of him, the Father of Communism. Karl Marx believed that people are too stupid to make their own decisions on how to spend their money. Thus, it was the job of the almighty government to tell them how to spend their money. This guy's idea that 99% of network marketers don't have the ability to learn how to brand themselves is not much different that Mr. Marx's.

It doesn't surprise me all that much though, when you think about it. This guy made his money the old-fashioned way. Talking to everyone within a 3-foot radius. He knows how tough it is to build a business that way. That's exactly why only approximately 3% really make money in network marketing...that is...until now.

With the Internet came the ability to talk with a person across the country with the click of a mouse. With the Internet came our ability to grow a business much faster than the Veterans did. And the people who figured out how to use the Internet to achieve this feat became instant MLM leaders, and this doesn't make the "old school" guys very happy. They are miffed that someone could build an organization equal in size to theirs in less than half the time- without cold calls, hotel meetings, and coffee appointments. So they will naysay it until the very end. They don't want the competition for the leadership roles! Shame on them!

Considering that these folks preach from their stages in hotel meeting rooms, on conference calls, and at conventions about how their company offers the "average" person the ability to make millions. Yet, when others try to teach their distributors how to make millions, but in a different way (and a faster and much more efficient way I might add) they criticize their efforts.

If it is true that 99% of network marketers aren't interested in self-branding (branding themselves as a leader) and generating their own leads instead of paying $5 per lead, then we're all in trouble because the high attrition rate in network marketing will stay the same. I don't believe that is the case at all.

Actually I believe that our industry is filled with highly motivated and innovative individuals that don't want to be given a job to do without personal thought or insight. The "old-school" way of network marketing tells people to: put people on a sizzle call. Take them to a hotel meeting. Meet them at a coffee shop. Answer their objections with these canned responses. "Edify" your upline. Close them using one of 5 methods.

It's a job. It's not a business. If it was a business, you would be able to infuse creativity and your own thoughts into the system. If it was a business, you would be a true leader and offer truly valuable information to your downline, not the tired old recipe handed down from generation to generation.

Yes. You can get people into the business using the traditional recipe. But you have to go through the time-consuming, emotionally draining recipe thousands of times to even build a small organization. If they say 1 out of 10 will join your business%u2026Then after talking with 100 you've only got 10 people. That sounds like a pretty darn inefficient way to run a business.

With Internet marketing you can become a leader just by educating yourself and helping to educate other people on how to build a business. With internet marketing, you build a group of people who trust you, and want to do business with you.

With Internet marketing you aren't limited to talking with people in your hometown or in cities within driving distance.

With Internet marketing people come to you to learn information. Now what's so wrong with that? Why should we be resigned to being the hunter instead of the hunted? You shouldn't.

I believe that Internet marketing offers the ability for people to learn how to become leaders, for them to become leaders, and for them to get rewarded for their efforts in helping others.

Network marketing offers people like you and me, who don't have hundreds of thousands or millions to invest in a brick and mortar business, the opportunity to become a millionaire within just a few years.

I believe that you have that future waiting for you.

I don't think you are one of the 99% that he was talking about as simply needing to be told what to do because that's all that your mind can handle. How do I know?

Because I started from nothing, and if I can attract people into my business without using the tired old recipe, so can you. If I can have multiple people join my business in just a few weeks without every having spoken to them about my business, with just a minimal amount of internet marketing experience, so can you. I believe you can even if you don't.
Why?

Because just a couple of months ago I was told that if I just worked diligently for a few months, I would start seeing people joining my business and coming to me asking about my business without my ever buying leads, cold-calling, or posting flyers around town. At times I didn't think it would really work, but I held on to the hope, and it started happening. Faster than I ever imagined. So I keep that statement in mind and I get strength from it on the slow days, and so now I am passing it on to you

There will come a day when you'll have a thriving organization that grows without effort, and a lack of money is no longer an issue. I believe that the day will come, just a few years down the road, when you look at yourself in the mirror and say . . . "How did I get so lucky? Do I really deserve all this?"

The answer is . . . Yes you do!

And if you want to do it online I'm waiting for you so that I can teach you the REAL way to become an independent business owner and network marketing leader, not the traditional old recipe of pestering everyone in your path, but instead one where you rise up as a leader, help others attain their dreams, while at the same time attaining your own.