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Is Cold Calling Dead?

And if laws are being passed to put it to rest once and for all, how do we generate business from now on?

Opinions on the subject vary greatly depending on the background of the individual. For example, most of the old-timers are vigilant in preaching their belief that the only possible way to succeed in the world of selling is to make no less than fifty calls each and every day. On the other hand, younger salespeople tend to become frustrated with this rather quickly and begin looking for more innovative ways to generate business.

I was just reminded of how ingrained this cold calling belief is. I spoke with a friend who left a sales position with a major merchant processing bank only a few weeks after starting. The reason? He was required to make a minimum of 400 cold calls each and every week and to document his activity with business cards. He is highly experienced and knows how to generate business without knocking on 400 doors per week and decided to discuss the strategies that have worked for him in the past with his managers. Their response? This is how we've done it for forty years and we're not about to change.

That response, in my opinion, is the reason we're seeing record business bankruptcies today. The world and our economy have changed and are breaking into bold, unchartered territory. But the management of most business organizations insists on doing things the old way, even though the old way produces less and less results as time goes on.

The concept of "Permission Marketing" is slowly but surely gaining popularity as the old idea of "Interruption Marketing" becomes less efficient and more wasteful. There are several reasons why cold calling in particular has become less effective as we move further into the Information Age. It destroys your status as a business equal. It forces you to spend time with unqualified prospects while the qualified ones are buying from your competition. It annoys people and is increasingly considered to be rude and disrespectful. Moreover, it may now be illegal (and in several states it's been illegal for quite some time). But, most importantly, it destroys sales peoples attitudes.

Where is the good news in all of this? Well, the great news is that if you begin using new, innovative, "Information Age" methods for prospecting, you'll be miles ahead of your competitors who are wasting their time annoying people with cold calls. In this age of the Internet and vast communication networks, why on earth would anyone knock on doors or make cold phone calls to look for business?

Think of the power at your fingertips: there are literally dozens of ways to use the Web and e-mail to let the idea of Permission Marketing do its magic. Allow customers to raise their hands and let you know they're interested. Begin finding, implementing and reaping the benefits of this bold, new Information Age we are in. Your competitors will be the ones standing in bankruptcy court and explaining their "do-not-call" violations to the government while you are happily taking orders.

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MLM Success Training: Why Some People Become Wealthy in Network Marketing and Others Don’t.

Regardless of whether you watch the Oprah Winfrey show or not, the story of her success is fascinating. You can't say where she is today is the result of any special advantages she had growing up.

In fact, she came from a broken family and she was abused as a child. She's also African-American and a woman, so discrimination was likely a factor that counted against her somewhere along the way.

So why is she now worth a billion dollars while many Harvard-educated, white males who grew up with every advantage only make a comfortable living?

Ever wonder why success seems to come easily for some people while others struggle at everything they do? What makes the difference?

Success in Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), Network Marketing, or anything else in life is predictable and can be duplicated by following time-tested principles that all millionaires use.

In fact, if you don't receive training in these principles of wealth, you can NEVER have it in your life. At least not for long. If you do somehow become wealthy in MLM without learning these principles, you won't keep it.

Want proof? Just look at people who have won the lottery:

- William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988. Now he lives on his Social Security and food stamps which amounts to $450 a month.

- Ken Proxmire was a machinist when he won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. He moved to California and went into the car business with his brothers and he filed for bankruptcy within five years.

- Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in the Virginia lottery in 1993. Today she's deeply in debt to a company that loaned her money using the winnings as collateral.

- "Winning the lottery isn't always what it's cracked up to be," says Evelyn Adams. She won the New Jersey lottery not just once, but twice (1985, 1986), in an amount of $5.4 million. Today she lives in a trailer and all the money is gone.

- Janite Lee from Missouri won $18 million in 1993. She generously gave her money to a variety of causes including politics, education and the community. According to published reports, eight years after winning, Lee had filed for bankruptcy with only $700 left in two bank accounts and no cash on hand.

- Willie Hurt of Lansing, Mich., won $3.1 million in 1989 and two years later he was broke and charged with murder. His lawyer says he spent his fortune on a divorce and cocaine.

- Charles Riddle of Belleville, Mich., won $1 million in 1975. Later he got divorced, faced several lawsuits and was indicted for selling cocaine.

People have a "financial thermostat" and just like the thermostat that controls the heating or cooling in your house, your thermostat is currently set for the amount of money you have.

If you somehow receive more money from your MLM business than your financial thermostat is set for, like the lottery winners above, you'll waste it away until you are back to your set level.

If you want more money from your Network Marketing business, or you want to keep the money you are receiving, you have to raise your financial thermostat. It's that simple.

How do you raise your thermostat? By learning and practicing the principles of wealth. All self-made millionaires live by these principles.

If you're not currently having MLM success, it's likely because you aren't applying the same principles that Oprah and all other billionaires and millionaires apply to achieve their success. All that's standing in the way between you and success is the application of these general principles.

So where do you learn these success principles?

The best place is directly from people who understand the principles and have had success using them. There's no quicker way to get where you want to go than to find a mentor to guide you along your way.

The person you want is someone who is currently where you want to be, and is willing to teach you the wealth principles. Of course, not all successful people fully understand these principles even though they naturally apply them.

Another good way to learn the principles of wealth is through the greatest success book of all time, Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. The principles you need to understand are in this book. You'll need to do some work to uncover them, understand them, and put them into practice, but they are in the book.

Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is all about using the same resources that millionaires use to get the same results as them.

If you are not experiencing the kind of financial success you desire, perhaps all you need is a little MLM success training from a mentor or by learning and practicing the principles in Think and Grow Rich. Sometimes all it takes is few subtle shifts in your thought processes to create a GIANT difference in your results!

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Money Management For the Work At Home Mom - Auto Recovery

One of the most difficult aspects of working at home may very well be the money management. Even if you’re making great money, many people find it difficult to make ends meet when there’s not a weekly paycheck. Consider some of the problems that arise and why the work at home mom may feel that she’s really not making any money at all.

When you’re working for an employer who hands you a paycheck on a regular basis, you quickly learn to manage your money with that payday in mind. You know when the money is going to arrive, how much it’s going to be, and you probably already know where the majority of it is going to be spent. If you have some bills coming due, you know without a doubt that there’s gong to be a paycheck on a specific date to pay them.

When there’s not a paycheck on a certain day, you may very well be starting to wonder how you can pay those bills on time. It’s human nature to worry about money and the work at home mom is no exception. There are some common pitfalls that you can avoid if in your quest for good money management.

One of the most tempting things to do is to spend money as it arrives. Most work at home moms aren’t fortunate enough to have a regular income arriving in the mailbox every week or two. Money comes in sporadically, and when it does arrive it may not be large amounts at a time. When those small payments do appear, avoid the temptation to spend them immediately. If it’s not enough to pay bills that are coming due, put it aside until you have additional checks to meet those bills.


This is the same pitfall that waitresses face. Many people in the food service industry depend on tips as a major part of their income. They collect those tips every day and it’s tempting to treat it as “extra” money. But when the paycheck arrives, it’s seldom enough to pay bills and make ends meet until the next paycheck. So the cycle repeats.

If possible, send your checks directly to the bank. If not, pace yourself to save everything you make for at least a week (or two). Then cash or deposit everything at one time and take stock of your income as opposed to your bills and expenses.

Another tactic to use when it feels that you’re not making any money is to keep a detailed list of what does come in. When you look back over that list, you may be surprised at how well you’re doing – and it may be time to take stock of your money management practices.

There’s nothing like receiving tax statements at the end of the year to make you realize how much (or how little) you made during the previous year. Most work at home moms won’t get tax statements, or at least won’t get a single tax statement, for the previous year. Your records will be the true statement of how well (or how badly) your business is doing.

Many people find that keeping the records is the most difficult part of money management for the home based business. You’ll likely be paying taxes on your income so don’t overlook the potential for deductions. Make an appointment with a tax professional early in the year to get a grip on what expenses will be deductible. If you have an office in your home, or if you’re just using your home as a base of operations, you’ll probably find that some household expenses are deductible. If Internet access is necessary for your business, you’ll be able to deduct a part or all of that cost. In many cases, you’ll be able to deduct a set amount for “renting” your office.

A good filing system is also an important part of good money management. You don’t have to have a degree in bookkeeping to understand the need for keeping receipts and records of transactions.

If your business warrants it, you may find that it’s in your best interest to set up a business account for your banking transactions. While it may seem an unnecessary step considering the amount of money that will be going through the account, it will help you keep more accurate records. Your bank statements can sometimes serve as proof of income. If you decide to take out a business loan, the fact that you’ve taken the initiative to set up a business account will look good to potential lenders.

One of the most important things about good money management for the work at home mom is simply to be proactive in the “management.” If you’re passive about keeping records, filing receipts and tracking your income and expenses, you may never feel that you’re really making as much as you thought you could.

Good money management takes practice, patience and diligence. It’s easy to get on with the work and ignore the need to track your income and expenses. But as the old saying goes, “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” With home based business, it’s not complete until the paperwork and records are done.

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MORAL ARMOR'S Economic Warning for Americans

For years we’ve suffered under recession, prompting us to ask, When will it end? My answer is, “It’s only the beginning.”

Historically, recessions are the result of high interest rates, pushed up as the result of loose money policies. Recovery comes when citizens begin to spend more wisely, save money and pay off their debts, but not this time. Never before have credit policies been so loose for so long, and there has been no decrease in consumer debt. It’s still on the rise, but Americans are NOT fundamentally to blame; immoral monetary policy is.

Banks used to consider a safe loan applicant to have a 36% or less Debt to Income Ratio (debt divided by gross income). This percentage is a time-proven figure indicating the financial health of an individual. Now, during the worst economy in twenty years and with no signs of recovery, our banks gladly loan to applicants with a 56% Debt to Income. What has changed? Are banks suddenly more generous? I don’t think so. One good question to ask is, Why are banks willing to accept the additional risk? But the real question to ask is, Where is this money coming from?

Not one in a thousand Americans knows the true nature of our banking system, so they have no idea that what happened in 1929 is about to happen again. Nor do they know that it was done deliberately then, and is being done deliberately now.

We have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions known to Man, and I refer to the Federal Reserve. Since it’s inception in 1913, every dollar created has interest being paid on it as if it were borrowed. This debt cannot be extinguished without destroying the currency itself, and has spawned a nightmare of debt that presently amounts to over $360 Billion in interest paid per year, accounting for half the personal income tax of the nation. Due to this, America is forced to create $7 Billion daily to cover the $1 Billion it pays in interest daily due to the Federal Reserve System. This is where the public comes in.

Federal Reserve bankers have to find a way to spend $6 Billion every day while masking the inflation it causes. Throughout the nineties it was done through real estate and the stock market. Now it is almost exclusively being put into real estate. How on Earth could so many mortgage companies be offering interest only, no money down, multi-hundred thousand or million dollar loans with high applicant debt ratios?

Here is a hypothetical example of what’s going to happen: Your mortgage banker tells you that with a 56% debt ratio, you can afford a $300,000 home, no money down. You secure the loan at 4%, costing $1432 per month. A few years later, you’re thrown out of work for three months. Back payments amount to $4296 plus late fees, legal fees, etc., and another $5k on cars, credit cards and everything else. Unable to catch up, you’ll try to refinance, but interest rates have moved up to 7%. A $310,000 loan now costs $2062 per month—more than you can afford, but banks will have tightened lending policies back to 36% and you no longer qualify for the home you own anyway. Accounting for all other debt, you now qualify for a shocking $360 per month. You are trapped, and the new bankruptcy laws they pushed for will never let you walk away.

You owned this home in a perfect numbers scenario, but any complications—unemployment, salary reduction, interest rate increase, debt ratio change, bruised credit rating, depressed home values--and you’re cooked. One mishap and every financial measure works against you. Your financial angel has suddenly become your greatest enemy. Welcome to the Federal Reserve System and their freshly engineered worldwide depression.

If you were to approach the housing market fresh, you would find that you only qualify for a $55k house now, along with the market of buyers you were hoping to unload your balloon-house on. The bank forecloses, auctions it off and you’re personally responsible for the difference, which could be massive. Bankruptcy is right around the corner, and deplorably, you are the only one who will be held accountable. You will then be a debt slave as the Federal Reserve intends, and game over.

My advice is to get as financially stable as you can. Mathematically, our situation is much worse than that of the Great Depression. No matter how generous these bankers appear, pare down monthly outlays to 36% D/I or less. Set aside three to six months of mortgage payments in case you become unemployed. Make sure you can ride out the storm.

We are coming to a point in American society to where it’s either them or us, and mass awareness is the key to our survival. Most believe the Federal Reserve is a part of the government, but it’s just a name. The Fed is a private corporation set up for private gain, with a dark history of stock market crashes, financial panics, political manipulation and ultimately, mass poverty and hunger riots. Our struggle is not new: currency control has switched from public to private hands EIGHT times since our country’s inception, and needs to be reclaimed by the people, one last time.

Don’t think you can play helpless and expect our political leaders to protect you from financial calamity; they never have. You must become Morally Armed on your own. Don’t be coaxed into believing the system is optimized for the good of all. The Federal Reserve System is not an equitable institution, and it was never intended to be. They believe if they have us strung out on debt, we are no threat to them. Let us prove otherwise.

Currency reform is the most important issue facing Americans today. How it plays out will determine whether you and your children eat or not, whether you have a place to live or even a future to look forward to. The major media will ridicule anyone speaking against the Fed, so to validate history’s greatest moral dilemma for yourself, just “Jackson bank veto.”

America must abolish the Federal Reserve System to regain control over the economy and our government. For a concise history of world monetary policy and how it shapes world events, see Moral Armor. Then share this knowledge with your friends. Email this article to everyone in your address book and stay tuned for further developments. We’ll change the system together and bring a brighter dawn to Mankind.

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Multiple Clients Create Your Independent Business

Would you rather have one good client paying you five
thousand dollars per month or ten smaller clients paying
you five hundred dollars each per month? Here are two good
reasons for choosing multiple clients over just one client.


1. Avoid Dependence on One Client


Don't put all your eggs in one basket. If you have only one
major client and lose them, you have zero income overnight.

Knowing that they are your sole (or main) source of income,
some clients will make some unfair, unreasonable demands of
you. They can get away with it because they know you are
in a very poor bargaining position.

You could also end up losing a good client for reasons
beyond your (or even their) control. Bankruptcy, sale or
bequest of the business to someone else, or a new manager
who has made other arrangements are just a few ways you
can lose such a client.

You are much better off to have several clients. If you
lose a client that represents ten percent of your income,
you still have ninety percent of your income left.


2. Clarify Your Self-Employed Status


Self-employment status has certain tax advantages over
being employed. Although there are other factors to
consider in making this determination, the more clients
you have, the less likely that you will be classified by
the tax authorities as being an employee.

For example, if you do all your work for one client at his
office, a good case could be made that you are his employee.
If you work for two different clients at their offices (or
even your own), a case could be made that you have two
different part-time jobs.

On the other hand, if you have a hundred different clients
you work for, it is unlikely that anyone would argue that
you have one hundred part-time jobs.

So, to avoid dependence on any one client and to clarify
your self-employed tax status, choose several clients over
just one or two clients. For increased success and to be
a truly independent business, obtain multiple clients.

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The Five Niyamas of Yoga

The second limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga system contains the five internal practices of Niyama (observance). These practices extend the ethical codes of conduct provided in his first limb, the yamas, to the practicing yogi’s internal environment of body, mind and spirit. The practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga. Shaucha (purification) is a central aim of many yogic techniques, and is the first principle of Patanjali's five Niyamas. The yogis discovered that impurities in both our external environment and our internal body adversely affect our state of mind, and prevent the attainment of real wisdom and spiritual liberation. The practices of asana, pranayama and meditation cleanse and purify the body and mind, as well as strengthening their capacity to maintain a pure state of being. We must also consciously work at surrounding ourselves with a pure environment (including food, drink, friends, entertainment, home furnishings and transportation) to not add any external impurities back into our bodies or minds.

Samtosha (contentment) is not craving for what we do not have as well as not coveting the possessions of others. The yogis tell us that when we are perfectly content with all that life gives us, then we attain true joy and happiness. It is easy for the mind to become fooled into thinking that we can attain lasting happiness through the possession of objects and goods, but both our personal experience and the teachings of the sages prove that the happiness gained through materialism is only temporary. Practicing contentment frees us from the unnecessary suffering of always wanting things to be different, and instead fills us with gratitude and joy for all of life’s blessings.

Tapas (asceticism) is a yogic practice of intense self-discipline and attainment of will power. Basically, Tapas is doing something you do not want to do that will have a positive effect on your life. When our will conflicts with the desire of our mind an internal “fire” is created which illuminates and burns up our mental and physical impurities. This inner fire can also be used as a source of spiritual energy; the yogis say the sole practice of Tapas can lead to the release of kundalini and attainment of enlightenment. Tapas transforms and purifies us as well as enables the conscious awareness and control over our unconscious impulses and poor behavior. Tapas builds the will power and personal strength to help us become more dedicated to our practice of yoga .

Svadhyaya (self-study) is the ability to see our true divine nature through the contemplation of our life’s lessons and through the meditation on the truths revealed by seers and sages. Life presents an endless opportunity to learn about ourselves; our flaws and weaknesses give us the opportunity to grow and our mistakes allow us to learn. Examining our actions becomes a mirror to see our conscious and unconscious motives, thoughts, and desires more clearly. The yogic practice of Svadhyaya also involves the study of sacred and spiritual texts as a guide to our interior world where our true self resides. Self-study requires both seeing who we are in the moment and seeing beyond our current state to realize our connection with the divine.

Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion) is the dedication, devotion, and surrender of the fruits of one’s practice to a higher power. This Niyama fuses two common aspects of yoga within it: the devotion to something greater than the self and the selfless action of karma yoga. Patanjali tells us that to reach the goal of yoga we must dissolve our egocentric nature and let go of our constant identification with ourselves. To do this, our yoga practice and all of the benefits we may receive from our practice must be seen as an offering to something greater than ourselves. Through this simple act of dedication we become reminded of our connection to our higher power, and our yoga practice becomes sacred and filled with grace, inner peace, and abounding love.

The foundation limbs of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga, yama and niyama, create a solid foundation and strong container for the yogini to move into the deeper stages of yoga with focus, inner-strength, and success. Practicing the Yamas and Niyamas is a journey and process. Take one step, one Yama or Niyama at a time and proceed with compassion and without worry of perfection. As Swami Sri Kripalvanandaji said, " When you pick one petal from the garland of yamas and niyamas, the entire garland will follow

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Yoga for Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, and/or feeling tired upon waking. Acute insomnia (lasting from one night to a few weeks) is the most common and is usually caused by stress, hormonal changes, and/or emotional problems. Fortunately, the stress reducing, calming and natural balancing effects of yoga make it a perfect remedy for mild and acute insomnia, and along with good sleep habits insomnia can often be prevented or quickly cured. A gentle practice of calming yoga poses will be generally effective to reduce stress and balance the body’s systems to promote good sleep. Since forward bending poses are traditionally known for their inherent calming effects, try to practice several of the following: seated and standing forward bends, downward facing dog, child, seated angle, seated head to knee, and yoga mudra.

If there is an emotional component to your insomnia that includes depression and anxiety, then incorporate the following poses to strengthen the energy of the body and open the heart center: fish, bridge, cobra, puppy dog, camel, goddess, warrior 1 and 2, and twisting squat. Also, practicing the Buddhist Metta meditation to cultivate loving-kindness to remove negative thought patterns will be helpful.

Hormonal imbalances are often a cause of insomnia. If so, forward bends and inversions will be particularly effective. Poses that massage the reproductive organs and activate the endocrine system will also be helpful, such as: bow, boat, bridge, crocodile, and seated twists.

If stress is contributing to your insomnia, then a more active or flowing approach to yoga would be warranted. Including some of the following hip openers and side bends in your yoga practice would also be beneficial: prayer squat, seated and standing angle, supine bound angle, half moon, half circle, and side seated angle. Establishing a daily meditation practice will also be important to calm the mind and effectively manage stress.

Always end your yoga practice with a 7-10 minute shavasana (relaxation) pose. You can also add a progressive muscle relaxation or a guided relaxation during shavasana to further calm and relax the body and mind.

Inversions, such as shoulderstand, plow, and headstand will be helpful to practice when you are having difficulty falling asleep. Also, practicing dirga pranayama, especially with an extended exhalation, will also be deeply calming to the body and mind, and can be practiced while lying in bed.

Chronic insomnia (lasting least three nights a week for a month or longer) will be harder to treat with yoga due to the possible underlying factors of other health conditions and/or side effects of medications. If chronic insomnia is present, consulting with a doctor or health professional will be essential to address any underlying medical issues.

A complete list of yoga postures, meditations and pranayamas that prevent and quickly cure mild insomnia is now available in our premium yoga therapy section. A yoga pose sequence for the calming the Heart and Mind is available in our premium yoga sequence section.