Sitting on the fence wastes time and money, decreases confidence, diminishes one’s reputation with those Eagles who are action and result oriented and increases the chance that one will do nothing but find excuses. The window of opportunity is prone to slamming shut on the fingers of the vacillating weakling. The indecisive, wavering, faltering entrepreneur watches as others boldly overcome their fears and walk away with the prize every time. No matter how much we justify our fears, the bottom line is clear: you have to leave the shore in order to reach Treasure Island.

Winners know that they can’t wait until circumstances are perfect before making a commitment. They don’t wait until all the traffic lights along their route are green before leaving home. The best time is right now. They know that some decision, any decision, is better than no decision at all. Their enthusiasm and passion to reach their goals is greater than their trepidation. They focus on finding solutions and they believe in themselves and the value of their objectives. They make strong, firm and fast decisions. They don’t call fourteen meetings before deciding what to have for breakfast. And when they commit, as Mr. Murray tells us, things miraculously start to work out.

You can tell a lot about a person by the length of time it takes them to make a decision and a commitment. How about you? What decisions are your pondering? What are you waiting for? Are you paralyzed with fear? It takes guts to leave the ruts, but once you commit, it just gets easier.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
Robin J. Elliott has been officially included in the International Who’s Who of Entrepreneurs in 2002 and has been nominated as a candidate for inclusion in the 2004-2005 edition of the International Who’s Who of Professionals.

True Leadership
Ever heard of a Cult Manager? No – but you have heard of a cult leader, right? Were Patton, Montgomery and Churchill managers or leaders? I have been a leader in various area in my life, including religious, military, business, community, service clubs and sales. I encountered very few real leaders, but I would like to tell you about two of them to illustrate a point. I encountered both of them while I was a manager in the hotel industry.

Arthur Honey was an ex pro boxer and businessman extraordinaire. He owned the hotel that I managed. One morning I was eating breakfast with my family when I saw Mr. Honey (one would never call him “Arthur”) go by carrying a table. Next thing he was carrying chairs. I got up and asked him if I could help him. He relied quit calmly, “Actually, Robin, you forgot to tell the conference staff to set up for the Rotary meeting in thirty minutes so I stepped in to help. Finish your breakfast.” He could have scolded me, but instead he calmly embarrassed me. I never missed another event. Great leadership.

The other true leader was a Swiss Executive Director in a huge casino where I was a Food and Beverage Manager. When I first started on the job, he asked me to organize a big event. When I had done the work, I reported back to him. He said, “Mr. Elliott, I gave you a command and I expect it to be done. I take it for granted that it is done. You don’t need to tell me it’s done, thank you.” What an excellent way of establishing expectations and responsibility. Excellent leadership. When I had a problem with difficult servers who were on a go slow strike, he said, “Shame them into work” and proceeded to clear tables himself. Soon the embarrassed waiters were back at work.

Leaders are passionate, effective and dedicated. They don’t make excuses and they don’t accept excuses. They set a high standard and example. They do a LOT of training. They take the lead, initiate, innovate and make it happen. They don’t tolerate losers or laziness and they genuinely care about the people they lead. They take the time to get to know their people and demand loyalty and commitment. They earn the respect of their followers: I worked for nine months straight for Arthur Honey, during which time I only took one day off – the day my son was born. And I learnt so much from him.

Management Tip
Turn work into a game and a competition. I once had a problem with two employees who had to unload a beer truck every Tuesday – they were slow and lazy. I said, “I’ll bet I can unload more crates than you can in four minutes. I placed my watch on a crate and got to work. Within a short while, the weekly “Unloading the Beer Truck Competition” attracted chefs, bar tenders, manger and gardeners. No more problems and lots of fun.

Motivational Quote
“Blessed is the leader who seeks the best for those he serves.”

Robin J. Elliott. Visit www.DollarMakers.com for free Joint Vneture Information and Free Joint Venture TeleClasses

– John D. Rockefeller
Are you experiencing a difficult time and perhaps considering giving up? The key to real, lasting success is Perseverance. It is the hallmark of Eagles. Champions win because perseverance is part of who they are, and it is reflected in every aspect of their lives. It separates the men from the boys. It is based on a strong foundation of self discipline. Eagles will never tell you, “I’ll TRY”. They don’t make excuses. They make it happen. Samuel Johnson said, “If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.”

Look at the lives of successful people and you will find a steel will; a steel fist in a velvet glove. They know the secret to success is to persist and persevere. These people don’t doubt their own ability and they expect to win. The book I suggest below, about Evander Holyfield, is one of the most inspiring books around. Do yourself a favor- at least read the Amazon.com reviews. Norman Vincent Peale said, “If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up.” When you decide that nothing and nobody is going get between you and your goals, you have already won! It has to happen in your head and your heart and deep down in your gut before you will take the necessary action and get the results you want.

There are two people in your life: those who will encourage you, challenge you and inspire you, and those who will discourage, depress, sabotage and undermine you. Get rid of the latter. Remove them from your life. They are poison. They usually hide behind “I care about you”, smiles and “tact”, but believe me, they are hell bent on your failure. The former, on the other hand, will stand by you, support you and remind you when you slack off. Seek them out. They are headed in the same direction that you are. Team up with them – Joint Venture with them. They don’t even consider the possibility of failure, and neither should you.

Napoleon Hill said, “Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.” Demand that of yourself. Insist on winning. Do not give in to greed, sloth, attachment or fear. Be resolute and firm. Do not take “No” for an answer, and you will join the Eagles who always end up winning. They may be bloodied and scarred from battle, but they are the victors. Don’t quit – you deserve to win!

P.S. That’s it! I’ve finally done it. I’ve created a brand new Joint Venture Mini-Course to take the risk, headache, and cost out of building the solid wealth you deserve and desire. And because of the awesome strategies you’re about to learn, I’ve been under tremendous pressure to charge $100 to $200 for this course. But I’m going to be defiant and GIVE IT AWAY! (For a limited time…) Why? Because I know I’ll make a lot more money doing joint ventures withpeople who are educated than I ever will selling products. And it comes with a complimentary subscription to my new world premiere eMagazine, Joint Adventures!

So go ahead and grab it while you can: Click here now.

Book Recommendation:
“The Holyfield Way: What I Learned about Courage, Perseverance, and the Bizarre World of Boxing” by James J., II Thomas, Evander Holyfield

When I was 11 years old, my favorite game at school was similar to piggybacking. I don’t remember what we called the game. Small guys like me would ride on the backs of big, strong guys and we would try to pull our opponents over. The best part of Joint Ventures, as well as the easiest and most lucrative, is “Piggybacking”. They key to winning was strong arms and a strong “Horse”. I had strong arms and I always chose a strong horse, so I usually won. In business, the book, “Horse Sense” by Al Ries and Jack Trout applies the same concept. This book was personally recommended to me by a multimillionaire client of mine, many years ago. I read the book three times.

I recently talked with a man who has 1,200 people in his database. I suggested he offer them Membership in my DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum at a great discount. By sending out two e mails and one voice broadcast and adding value, for which I would pay, and by mentioning the opportunity in his ezine, we estimated that he would have at least 120 join (10%). That would earn him significant money, at no cost or risk to him. That’s piggybacking – and it’s that simple. The same can be done with shared advertising, mailings, e mails, ezines, direct mail, seminars and business opportunities. Riding on the back of existing distribution, reputation, reach, access and exposure is very effective.

Don’t buy a 747 to fly to LA – simply rent a seat. Don’t own the overhead or create a competency; borrow it. Consider the power of partnering: everyone wins by sharing underutilized resources and Hidden Assets. And here’s the Good News – you don’t need to own the resource, be it a database, distribution route or relationship – you simply make the connection – it’s called “Triangulation”. No risk or cost, no downside, lots of fun and lots of money. You don’t need a business to set this up. Link me up with someone else and take a piece of the action. Link Bob up with Sally and get paid on all ensuing business over the next two years, why not?

The key to successful piggybacking is a strong horse and a strong rider – both parties should be ethical, generous, smart, professional and proactive. That’s the hard part. I know people whose databases I wouldn’t touch with a 20 foot pole. Be selective; be VERY selective. Talk with Members of the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum and if you want to make a lot of money easily, remember that all it takes is a bit of thought. It’s not hard work and there’s no risk if you’re dealing with the right people. Bundle a product or service with one that is already selling well or add a product or service to an existing database or distribution route – that’s piggybacking, and it can create increasing, multiple streams of passive income for you.

One of the most important aspects of the Joint Venture Mindset is that we don’t need to, and in fact shouldn’t, “Sell” a JV proposal. Last night I attended a “Networking” meeting where the Membership Services Manager walked up and asked me outright why I didn’t join their Chamber of Commerce. She showed no interest in me, my business, my problems or my interests. She was simply out to hard sell everybody she could. When I indicated that I needed to see how joining that Chamber would benefit my particular business, she proceeded to reel off the “benefits” of joining. She is not someone to approach for a Joint Venture. She is egotistical, arrogant and stupid.

If this “Manager” was intelligent, she would have listened carefully to me and asked herself a few simple questions: “How many people could Robin introduce to this Chamber? How many people does he influence, who are those people, and what is his ‘Hot Button’? What does he really, really want? How can this Chamber bring him massive, unprecedented value? How can I best present this option to him, in a win/win scenario?” If she had listened carefully, she would have learnt that I have many DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum Members and that many of them might consider joining her Chamber, and that many of her 1,400 Members could join the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum and attend our Bootcamps, which could make her a substantial amount of money (a lot more than she earns at the Chamber). She would have found out that I can put her in front of a lot of prospective Chamber members via my talks, ezines and seminars.

When someone doesn’t understand the value you offer them, walk away. If you have to sell it, the value is not perceived. Either you have to describe it better, listen better or realize there is no match. But you shouldn’t try to persuade someone to JV with you. They should eagerly accept your no cost, no risk offer – that will mean they’re committed and serious. If both JV parties are excited, enthusiastic and passionate about the JV, it will probably work very well. You have to kiss a few frogs to find a prince, you know. But you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. Some people will never understand the JV mindset – get used to it, don’t take it personally, and remember what smart salespeople say: “Some will, some won’t, so what? NEXT!”

How much should you make from a Joint Venture? 10%? 20%? 50%? Should it be of the net or gross profit or off the top? How do you decide? This is an important consideration, especially for people who are used to paying peanuts and those who are used to accepting a few crumbs. Entrepreneurs who understand business and profit are more likely to pay and demand reasonable commissions.

For example, when people attend a DollarMakers Joint Venture Broker Bootcamp, I pay the referring Members up to 50% in commissions! My cost of putting an extra chair into a Bootcamp and a few extra cups of coffee and donuts, plus a workbook, is negligible. I can afford to be generous. My DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum Members earn thousands in commissions every month. But if I was selling computer hardware, with a profit of around 6%, I could afford to pay such a generous commission. Large profit margins demand high commissions; real business people understand that. And there are other ways to reciprocate, other than financially – but that’s a subject for another newsletter or the Bootcamp.

A realtor approached me with the typical offer: “Send me a buyer or a seller and I will pay you $75 for a completed sale.” So you get $7,000 and you expect me to accept $75? Are you kidding me? I’ll take 50% of the realtor’s commission or no deal. Am I being greedy? No – I pay 50% and so can they. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Desperate realtors will not agree to this, but the smart realtor who has built in multiple JV back end sales into every transaction will jump at the opportunity. 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing. It’s business they would never have had. When you show them how much business that one deal can generate over the years and the Marginal Net Worth of a customer, they might see the light. If they don’t, send them on a JV Bootcamp!

Most entrepreneurs don’t understand their acquisition cost, attrition rate, profit margins, back end value or Joint Ventures. That’s why they feel they have to grab every up front cent they can. When they understand the big picture and they want to create increasing, multiple streams of passive income, they will become generous in their referral fees and commissions. I personally don’t accept anything less than 20%, but it all depends on the big picture, margins, reciprocal consideration and value. Remember the big picture and demand to be paid a fair amount or walk away. There are many opportunities out there but very few people who understand Joint Ventures, so you can call the shots.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com

One of the most common questions I am asked at the seminars, talks and Bootcamps I present, is, “But, Robin, how do I find people to Joint Venture with?” Good question, of course. In a world where a good website and business brochure can make a bank robber living in his dog’s kennel smoking weed look like the CEO of a Fortune 500 business, we have rightfully become skeptical, even cynical. We are wary of the scam artists and wanna-be’s out there. We don’t want to refer our trusted clients and friends to losers.

That’s why we started the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum. Good people were invited to join and they invited their best people, and so on. And now that people from all over the world are applying to join, we insist they agree to adhere to our Code of Ethics and we watch them carefully. Any deviation and we unceremoniously kick them out. Unlike many “Networking Groups” that would accept Hitler if he paid enough, our fees are so low and our benefits so high that we can afford to be, and are, very selective. So that is one way to find good Joint Venture Partners: simply join the Forum!

Another way to find good Joint Venture partners is to start with your N.E.E.R. relationships – your Naturally Existing Economic Relationships – people whom you know and trust and have done business with in the past. People who are referred to you by trusted friends and associates are more likely to turn out well. And if you follow our guidelines, you will initiate those JV’s with no money, no time and no risk. So you can walk away when things don’t work out or the JV partner deviates from the agreement, as some, I assure you, will.

Always remember that there are people out there who will agree to anything to grab a customer and make a quick buck. Desperate people do desperate thing. So you should choose successful people – not the trailer park type who lives on welfare and can’t afford gas, whom you want to help; you’re not a social worker. I have tried that and it cost me money. Find winners and visionaries. And make sure to manage the relationship and the JV – it takes attention and monitoring to make it work well. And the more they know about JV’s, the more likely the JV is to succeed. For example, DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum Member who has attended the Joint Venture Broker Bootcamp is more likely to succeed than one who hasn’t.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com

When you sell your time, you sell your life. You might as well be a slave or a mercenary – or an employee. You cannot get rich selling time unless you’re very highly qualified or a rock star or film star. That’s why most consultants and coaches experience peaks and valleys - “chicken or feathers” – their income is seasonal and they work harder and harder for less and less.

When I meet with my Joint Venture Forum Members, I always tell them that they should have each Joint Venture they consider fit within the following parameters: “No time, no risk, no cost, win/win.” That doesn’t mean a Joint Venture won’t take time to set it up, or a little expense up front – it simply means that ideally, the JV should run like a money machine, without your presence or time. The idea is to utilize and leverage underutilized resources and create links as a broker would. You get paid a percentage of resulting business. You link supply with demand and piggy back distribution and advertising.

The average consultant or employee (a consultant is simply an employee with many bosses) doesn’t realize that his hourly rate is not what he actually earns. When you look at your real profit, you should also consider what your freedom is worth to you. Are you free to do what you like, when you like? Are you free to go skiing or hiking when the weather permits, or when a boss permits? Are you really like a child in a classroom who has to ask permission to go to the little boys’ room? How much is time with your family worth to you? What will you sell it for? Do you really want to have a boss decide whether or not you’re allowed to take your wife on holiday or go fishing with your friends? How old are you, anyway? Maybe it’s time for your personal Independence Day.

Other peoples’ time, money, resources, equipment, expertise and access is freely available to smart JV experts. We don’t have money problems; we have thinking problems. Let us understand that we don’t have to sell our time. Fire that boss, once and for all. Fire your consulting and training clients like I did. They don’t deserve you. You family and loved ones deserve you. One phone call can earn a good JV broker more than the average employee earns in a month or more. Attend our Joint Venture Broker Bootcamp and find out how you can have all the time and money you want.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com

Imagine my doctor sending out an e mail to all his patients, offering them a discount on hip replacements for November. Or the Network Marketing lady who walked into my seminar in a hotel in Abbotsford and announced that, after looking at the palm of my hand, I was deadly ill and needed her supplements. She added that this would also make me financially secure, implying that I was not financially secure. She had never met me and was not even a part of my seminar audience!

This is not all that uncommon – attend most “Business Networking Events” and you will find a bunch of self-employed salespeople thrusting their business cards at each other and proudly broadcasting their “Elevator pitches” to all and sundry, whether they want to hear it or not. They might as well go from door to door selling brushes to people who don’t need them or want them.

Joint Venture experts have an entirely different approach; they are like my doctor. He sits quietly and asks questions and listens to me. He examines me. He does not tell me about how smart he is or how many babies he delivered last week. He does not regale me with the benefits of dealing with his practice. He LISTENS. He finds out where it hurts and reads my file. And then, like the good South African doctor he is, he prescribes the solution to my specific problem. He doesn’t have to sell me or convince me or persuade me. And I gratefully take his advice.

Joint Venture experts build bridges, create solutions and solve problems. And they get well paid for it. They don’t work for nothing. They are Capitalists and they understand business. They know that we get paid in direct proportion to the value we create. They don’t sell time, either – they simply link us up with the solution we seek and need. If the MLM lady above had taken the time to ask me many questions and show a genuine interest in me, she might have found that I was in search of a solution for some physical qualm, in which case I might have asked her to sell me the solution in the form of her product. But her desperation, arrogance and ignorance denied her any chance of ever doing business with me. Fortunately, not all Network Marketing people are like her!

Let us understand the power behind Joint Ventures by taking the time to become sincerely interested in the other person and forget about what we want. Zig Ziglar said, “You can get anything you want out of life, IF you’re prepared to help enough other people to get what they want.”

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com

Frank Schroeder was one of the most successful insurance salesmen I ever met. He owned two Porches and two sets of electric drums and lived like a king. We did some business together and I asked him what the secret to his success was. And at this point I must digress. I have sold insurance very successfully in Canada and in South Africa. I no longer sell insurance; I specialize in Joint Ventures. But I have found very few insurance salespeople who share Frank’s philosophy or his success. Many of them have very strange labels and titles that they have concocted for themselves in order to disguise the fact that they sell insurance, yet they should be proud of their important work. And they are so focused on selling that they are proof of the self-fulfilling prophecy syndrome. But let us not waste time discussing what we should not do.

Frank was living proof of the power of what I call “The Joint Venture Mindset”. As far as I can recall, I will try to put his approach in his own words: “Robin, I always tell people right up front that I sell insurance. That builds trust and credibility right away. And I NEVER try to sell anything on the first visit, or even the second visit. In fact, I often don’t ever try to sell insurance – they ASK to buy! Why? Well, I focus on finding out all about my prospect. I ask many questions, make copious notes and make it my business to try and help them in any way I can, either by giving them referrals, advice or contacts, but this has nothing to do with insurance.

The more I work on building value and helping them, the more interest I show, the more they open up and share. I find out all about their hopes, dreams fears, failures, successes, beliefs and hobbies. I share things about myself. I build relationship. I help. I care. And you know what, Robin? THEY bring up the insurance subject and they buy. I never have to sell. I never have to close. I give them information and solve their problems. I don’t use jargon and I don’t play games. You know me – what you see is what you get. If I don’t feel comfortable with the prospect, I leave and I won’t sell them insurance. If they don’t need insurance, I won’t sell them any. And I have more referrals than I can handle. I forget about what I want and myself and I prove myself a friend.”

That’s why we started the Joint Venture Forum – our members share this mindset and work on relationships and problem solving. They don’t focus on selling and they know that they can do business outside of their chosen field. And they are very selective whom they choose to work with. Together, we can do amazing things!

Frank Schroeder was one of the most successful insurance salesmen I ever met. He owned two Porches and two sets of electric drums and lived like a king. We did some business together and I asked him what the secret to his success was. And at this point I must digress. I have sold insurance very successfully in Canada and in South Africa. I no longer sell insurance; I specialize in Joint Ventures. But I have found very few insurance salespeople who share Frank’s philosophy or his success. Many of them have very strange labels and titles that they have concocted for themselves in order to disguise the fact that they sell insurance, yet they should be proud of their important work. And they are so focused on selling that they are proof of the self-fulfilling prophecy syndrome. But let us not waste time discussing what we should not do.

Frank was living proof of the power of what I call “The Joint Venture Mindset”. As far as I can recall, I will try to put his approach in his own words: “Robin, I always tell people right up front that I sell insurance. That builds trust and credibility right away. And I NEVER try to sell anything on the first visit, or even the second visit. In fact, I often don’t ever try to sell insurance – they ASK to buy! Why? Well, I focus on finding out all about my prospect. I ask many questions, make copious notes and make it my business to try and help them in any way I can, either by giving them referrals, advice or contacts, but this has nothing to do with insurance.

The more I work on building value and helping them, the more interest I show, the more they open up and share. I find out all about their hopes, dreams fears, failures, successes, beliefs and hobbies. I share things about myself. I build relationship. I help. I care. And you know what, Robin? THEY bring up the insurance subject and they buy. I never have to sell. I never have to close. I give them information and solve their problems. I don’t use jargon and I don’t play games. You know me – what you see is what you get. If I don’t feel comfortable with the prospect, I leave and I won’t sell them insurance. If they don’t need insurance, I won’t sell them any. And I have more referrals than I can handle. I forget about what I want and myself and I prove myself a friend.”

That’s why we started the Joint Venture Forum – our members share this mindset and work on relationships and problem solving. They don’t focus on selling and they know that they can do business outside of their chosen field. And they are very selective whom they choose to work with. Together, we can do amazing things!

Anthony Robbins said, “Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”
There are only two types of questions: Those that get negative or negligible results, and those that get great results. What questions are you asking yourself and your associates, employees and customers that can result in a better bottom line? What questions will reduce customer attrition, improve loyalty and profits and motivate the people you work with?

The answers to the questions we ask should result in answers that inspire, motivate and initiate innovation and positive action. They should encourage, cheer, challenge, energize and drive. And the more specific the answers, the better. Specific is terrific. By designing the right questions to ask those involved in our business, we direct the business to greater success and focus everyone on the goals and objectives for which we have taken responsibility. When you ask the right question, you create an answer that begets a success strategy.

“Which three things can we do to increase the amount of people coming into the store by 5% without any cost or risk to us?”
“How can I pay for results instead of promises when it comes to advertising?”
“Who do we need to work with in a Joint Venture to double the amount of prospects we are currently exposed to?”
“How can we create three new streams of increasing, passive income?”
“How can we benefit from someone else’s advertising and marketing activities?”
“What can we do to double the value we offer our clients, without increasing our cost of sales?”
“How can we get customers to increase the amount of times they visit our business by 30%?”
“How can we reactivate 40% of our inactive customers?”
“How can we create back end sales without increasing our overhead or the time it takes to sell the back end?”
(For answers, click here)

Sales Tip
Learn to ask questions that result in a buy. “O.K., Bill, I’m going to charge you card now for the basic Widget. Now shall I add the Blue Squink for $100 as well as the Rutten for another $800, or shall I just add the Blue Squink?” The answer should be, “Sure, add both”, or, at worst, he says, “Oh, just the Blue Squink for now.” Either way, you have upsold him.

Management Tip
Management questions can help or hurt. Ask, “What could I have done to help you achieve even more sales?” “You’re really at the rock face, Candy. What do you suggest we do to improve customer service even more?” “Bobby, I want to pay you a higher commission. What can we do to ensure a higher transaction amount per sale?”

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com