Relationship Marketing | Build Your Online Business

In a previous post published on January 28, 2010 my topic was, “Starting and Maintaining an Online Business Requires the Correct Mindset.” In that article I focused on the need to treat your online business as a business and the need to develop a mindset as a business owner.  The focus of this post is that how you perceive yourself affects your success in your online business.

There is a cliche that says: Your attitude determines your altitude.  This is true in all aspects of life including starting a successful online business.  Unfortunately it has been acknowledged by those who study behavior patterns that children who did not experience positive reinforcement and were surrounded by a “You will not succeed” rather than a “You can do anything you set your mind to do” attitude are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem.  These children grow into adulthood and without a second thought fall into a pattern of thinking that other people will succeed, but if they attempt to do the same thing they will fail.  This type of thinking is self-destructive because it prevents growth – personal  or business.  How was your thinking shaped or molded?

I am not a psychologist; however, for several years I worked in Human Resources for a large organization and I would see the pattern demonstrated over and over in people who came to my office.  Adults who could not see anything positive in their lives and acted as if they were trapped in a tiny box from which there was no escape.   Also one of my businesses is in Direct Sales and over the years I've had the privilege of building teams and have seen the difference in those who have success in their business as opposed to those who give up, sometimes even before challenges arise, because they do not believe they could succeed, and at times did not even think they have the ability or right to improve their circumstances.

If you can relate to any of the foregoing, I would encourage you to really look inside yourself and work at eliminating all the negative, distorted things that were said to you that cause you to have a low self-esteem or feel inadequate.  Then be open to recognize the valuable person that you truly are.  Following are some positive actions you can take:

1)  Many of us are our worse critics and there is some good to that, but if we constantly judge ourselves and feed our minds on negative self-talk, that will undermine the benefits we may gain from self-examination.  Learn to treat yourself as you treat others – with respect and compassion.
2)  Acknowledge your feelings and needs and attend to them.  There is no honor in punishing yourself needlessly.
3)  Give attention to your body: eat well, get enough sleep, get enough exercise, invest in something that makes you feel good and look good.
4)  Learn to create balance in your life.  Acknowledge the need for work, recreation, creative and spiritual time and balance the time you spend on each activity.
5)  This may be a good time to learn to use the word ‘cancel.'  Every time a negative thought comes into your mind, say ‘cancel' and endeavor to replace it with a positive thought.

To cultivate is defined as – to foster the growth of; to bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns.  All of these indicate that time is needed. It may take time and patience to cultivate the right mindset for starting a business online.  But…it can be done; you can do it.

In the past, persons in Direct Sales relied heavily on person-to-person/one-on-one contact and word of mouth referrals.  These methods are still effective; however, you now have the ability to extend your reach far beyond your local community.  Of course, depending on the type of service or products you are marketing, there may be some challenges or limitations, but these can usually be addressed on a case by case basis.

Starting your online business is a step by step process, and the basic principles are the same as for starting any other type of business online.  It starts with the correct mindset.  Believing in yourself if the first requirement.  Being all the you can be is not just for a particular segment of society, you can be all you want to be as long as you are willing to do the work – take the time to learn the steps required to build a successful business on the internet and then take action.  One of the first actions steps you may need to take is to change your thinking.

If you have been in Direct Sales for any length of time you are aware that it is possible to supplement your income or even replace your income in a very short time.  Note, ‘it is possible!'  You will usually get out of it what you put into it, and this has been the case for many, including myself.  However, it's important to recognize that while it is possible to make a lot of money on the internet, it does take time, patience and work.  At the same time you may be asking as I did a year and a half ago: “Where do I start?”

My goal for anyone, including Direct Sales Consultants,  starting a business online is that you do not waste money as I did purchasing e-book after e-book and courses online that proved to be all fluff and no substance.  Other courses told me what I needed to do but gave me no idea how to do it.  Working with great Mentors is the key and I'll be providing more information on some of those who have contributed to my progress and the success I've experienced to date.

During a recent conversation with a group of women who are in various Direct Sales companies, different opinions were given on the value of establishing an online presence.  The majority felt that they did not need to do this as –

1) Each company they represented had a company website, which their prospects and customers could be referred to.
2) Most Direct Sales companies place limitations and restrictions on their consultants/distributors as to what they can and cannot do with their company names, logos, etc. so that it would be a breach of company policy to establish personal websites to promote the products and services they offer.  Some persons also noted that most companies already allow consultants and distributors to have a company website with their own name.  Note that this is usually a duplicate of the company website that's basically a static site that's updated by the company and which each consultant/distributor cannot personalize.

Are you in Direct Sales?  Can you relate to the foregoing?  I definitely can and had similar views to those expressed above until just over one year ago when I was introduced to another concept:  Establishing an online presence is designed to promote ME, not the Direct Sales company I represent. It is essential to establish an online presence to promote YOU.  This will allow people to get to know you, who you are, what sets you apart from all the other consultants or distributors who represent XYZ company.  In this was you will also be helping people to develop the Know, Like and Trust factor, which is so critical to success in business in general, but especially in doing business on the Internet.