Too many people make Joint Ventures too complicated. They “feel overwhelmed” and “don’t know where to start”, when it’s really as simple as ABC.

When you respond to a need and make a referral, which you do every day, simply monetize the transaction and build in residual income wherever possible. And in many cases, the reciprocal value doesn’t have to be money – you can trade anything, as long as the one making the money reciprocates!

Here is an example of a JV:

We all have tons of books, CD’s, educational programs that we paid too much for at overpriced seminars, DVD’s, and audio programs at home, most of which we will never look at again, if we ever did in the first place. Yet we continue to buy new stuff.

How about twenty friends decided to have a little swap meet, get together for pizza, and swap their CD’s., etc? Everyone would get excellent value, at no cost!

Here’s another example:

Marketing is usually confused with selling. Using attraction marketing is a very powerful and effective way to get more customers. Instead of selling stuff, give stuff away! Especially when it doesn’t cost you anything!

Joint Venture with people who want to get their products and services into the market place by giving away their Gift Certificates for courses, consultations, cleanings, evaluations, samples, reports, conference calls, etc., and everyone wins.

Yet another example:

I was in England last week, and a good friend’s wife is very connected in Africa. I thought of another friend of mine in Canada who can almost certainly do business with her, so I e-mailed him to ask exactly what commissions I would receive if I connected him with my African connection. If I like the commission structure, I will send ONE e-mail to make the connection, sit back, and wait for a check. It’s that easy.

One more example:

JV’s can be TRIANGULATED: Those are the best, easiest, and most lucrative. Connect Tom and Peter, and collect an ongoing commission on any business they ever do, as with my African connection illustration above.

I had a fellow distribute someone else’s complimentary report to his database, and it earned me ten thousand dollars.

• Total time invested: 30 minutes.
• Risk: none.
• Cost: nothing.

Be Creative!

You can trade anything in JV’s – people have traded my JV Broker Bootcamp tickets for beef, pots and pans, advertising, hotel rooms, you name it. You can be as creative as you like!

One caveat here:

You should only do business and set up Joint Ventures with good people whom you know, like and trust, or have been referred to you by trusted friends, hence the DollarMakers Joint Venture Club.

Online “JV’s” with anonymous people can hurt you and your reputation more than you can imagine.

With the right training, access, and support, anyone can make money and even retire through the power of Joint Ventures. I have; twice.

Many years ago, a relative of mine made an appointment to confront an evil church pastor about a serious issue of hypocrisy and double-dealing in her church. She prepared her case very well, and there was no doubt about the fact that the “pastor” was, in fact, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I’ll never forget what she told me when she got home from that meeting.

She said she felt as though she had imagined the whole thing; he made her feel foolish, he actually laughed at the facts she presented, and she left feeling convinced that she was wrong, that he was right, that she was guilty of being disloyal and negative, and that she actually owed him an apology for wasting his precious time.

The Deceptive Art of Distraction

Politicians and psychopaths are good at diverting one’s attention from the important things and questions they would rather not answer. They know that attack is the best form of defense. Salespeople are singularly adept at sleight of hand or legerdemain:

• Answer a question with a question.
• Baffle with unimportant facts.
• Use complicated explanations and trickery to throw your pursuers off track.
• Make light of exigent issues.
• Brush off serious accusations with a condescending smirk.
• Hug them while you knife then in the back.

Magicians use distraction all the time.

Even Good People Do This to Avoid Responsibility

My point? I used to attend regular, weekly sales meeting with a group of other SMI Distributors. At every meeting, we Distributors would tell our amazing stories to the meeting leader.

We would talk about all the leads we had “in the pipeline”, all the sales we had narrowly missed, all the things we were “working on”, and all the promises we had heard from our prospective buyers. We also spent a good deal of time making excuses, blaming the weather, the competition, holidays, pricing, traffic, the products we sold, the packaging, the economy, and of course our leader.

At one meeting our leader got up before anyone could start mouthing off, and his words have stayed with me to this day. He said,

“Today, I don’t want to hear any stories, promises, excuses, or lies. Don’t you dare say a word, any of you. This is a silent meeting.

Walk up to the board, take the sharpie, and write down the amount of sales you made last week. That means PAID sales. I will check your figures. Then get out of here, and don’t contact me until the next meeting.

I am only interested in results. Next week, I will fire the Distributor with the lowest sales. Now get out!”

We doubled our sales as a result of that valuable lesson.

Shape Up or Ship Out

Losers and underachievers specialize in the deceptive art of distraction. They will:

• ask you irrelevant questions
• create rumors
• seem very busy
• make excuses for everything

If you allow this kind of behavior, you reinforce their failure to take responsibility and you encourage them to become parasites and posers.

When you focus on results and refuse to be distracted, you’ll get them to shape up or ship out. And you’ll save loads of time.

Talk is cheap, and money buys the whiskey.

I just returned from England, where the bite marks of the omnipresent recession are more evident than in Super, Natural British Columbia. Flying home, I was once again reminded of the upside of this recession; the benefits, as it were, of the half-full glass.

For example, the interest in DollarMakers services and products is growing steadily as people suddenly become aware of the value of the information and links we provide.

The flight was only two-thirds full, so I was able to select another seat and escape some precocious, seat-kicking French kids who should have been chained in the cargo hold with a selection of vicious, rabid wolves.

“Will Everything Be All Right?”

Smart people have a good perspective on how to benefit from these recessionary times, while frightened people frighten other people and the enlightened ones get rich.

When interviewed on CNBC, Monday, March 9, 2009, here is Warren Buffet’s response when Terry in San Antonio, Texas, asks, “Will everything be all right?”:

“Fear is very contagious. You can get fearful in 5 minutes, but you don’t get confident in 5 minutes.

Everything will be all right.

We do have the greatest economic machine that man has ever created. We started with 4 million people back in 1790 and look where we’ve come. And it wasn’t because we were smarter than other people. It wasn’t because our land was more fertile or we had more minerals or our climate was more favorable. We had a system that worked. It unleashed the human potential.

It didn’t work every year. We had 6 ‘panics’ in the 19th century. In the 20th century we had the Great Depression, World Wars, all kinds of things. But we have a system – largely free market, rule of law, equality of opportunity – all of those things that cause the potential of humans to get unleashed. And we’re far from done.

Your kids will live better than mine. Your grandchildren will live better than your kids. There’s no question about that.

But the machine gets gummed up from time to time. If you take the bulk of those centuries, probably 15 years were bad years. But we go forward.”

Don’t Let Fear Drive You

Fear drives logic and rational thinking out of the house, and welcomes its friends, apathy, scarcity, depression, and the blind acceptance of socialism – anything to hide from personal responsibility and reality.

While the producers are proactively embracing the situation and finding solutions, scheming collectivists sell filthy, overpriced, flea-ridden, wet  blankets to the huddled morons who convince themselves and others that the end is nigh.

Opportunity is Waiting at Your Disposal

Your concerned competition is so busy cutting costs and reducing value that any thinking entrepreneur can easily scoop away their customers. Instead of fleecing the timid, now is the time to provide real solutions and build lasting and profitable relationships with them, as DollarMakers does.

Look at Wal-Mart and IKEA – they’re thriving! The money in the world has not disappeared or dried up – it’s all still there for the taking.

• Are the five star holiday resorts empty? No.
• Are the expensive restaurants closed? No.
• Did all the money get burnt up in a raging fire?
• Are the resources, equipment, and distribution methods suddenly missing, as in a mythical Rapture? No.

It’s all waiting for you – at your disposal.

The Upside of the Recession

The upside of the Recession is that intelligent entrepreneurs are having a field day, and the scammers and posers are being revealed and removed.

It’s time to learn about Joint Ventures, and use them to have fun and get richer.

We all have agendas, however some people have hidden agendas that need to be guarded against to avoid loss of reputation, customers, business, orders, suppliers, or other resources and assets.

Those with hidden agendas will usually agree to everything, and be very friendly and accommodating on the surface, while executing their secret plans under the table. These affable, helpful people use their promises to put one off guard.

The Key is to Limit Access

The way to avoid losing too much to these thieves is to limit their access, control, and exposure as much as possible while testing their loyalty and agendas. This is not cynicism, but rather skepticism.

Hypocrisy Runs Rampant

After 22 years in business, I never cease to be surprised at how well people can hide who they really are. Many are passive aggressive, and when they finally openly turn against you, they are usually very nasty. Those who claim to be “spiritual” and religious have been the worst I have encountered over 22 years – they hide behind a veil of hypocrisy to subdue any suspicions you might have – “wolves in sheep’s’ clothing”, as it were.

11 Tips to Prevent Your Loss from Others’ Agendas

1. Expect the best, but plan for the worst.
2. Have exit plans, contracts, a “Plan B”, and damage control in place before getting involved with new people, if at all possible, especially those who you get that “gut feel” about.
3. Look for patterns and consider reading “The Art of War” sections on spies.
4. At all times, seek leverage and control, but don’t expose your suspicions.
5. Always endeavor to be one step ahead of them, and don’t hesitate to use private detectives if necessary.
6. Protect your relationships and database.
7. Put yourself into communication loops.
8. Consider the worst case scenarios.
9. Don’t bank on the promises of any one person.
10. Also, find out who the real decision maker is, and who the “front man” is.

… And, Of Course, Use Joint Ventures

This is why I use Joint Ventures to make money – I limit my risk, spread my income, and always have many options available. I do as much due diligence as possible on my JV partners and those I am involved with, and while I still get attacked and people still try to steal from me, my risk is limited. Conventional businesses have a lot more to lose from spies and saboteurs than I do as a Joint Venture Broker.

A Healthy, Objective Attitude Will Serve You Well

A healthy dose of suspicion is always a good thing, and warning signs are often there if you remain objective. Once you get emotionally involved, greed and desperation will blind you to what is really going on. Remain, as the Buddha teaches, “Unattached”, hedge your bets, and don’t expect things to last forever.

A mature view of business and life, and access to good mentors will help you to remain strong and rational. Try to see things through the eyes of others, seek to understand their motives, and ask lots of questions.

Don’t tell me what you will do – show me what you’ve done.

Talk is cheap, but money buys the whiskey.  I’m tired of tired old promises from people who can’t even trust themselves.

So I want to suggest to you that you start doing what I have started doing: When people promise stuff, and you know they are good at making promises, but seldom deliver or always deliver late (in many cases a subconscious need for control, due to a poor self image), simply say,

“Don’t promise what you will do – just tell me when you’ve done it.”

Promises are a Red Flag

Just as you have learned not to trust the posers, parasites, and pundits who spew licentious lies from their podiums and pulpits, so you should begin to doubt the pageantry, prevarications, promises and pledges paraded out by schlemiels that have no intention of fulfilling them, let alone the ability to do so.

Follow This Rule of Thumb

It’s time to move from hopeful, blind, childish naivety to mature, reasonable skepticism until someone proves themselves, and we should take note of their track records. I know people that regularly promise things that I have no expectation of ever seeing, because they have proven to me over time that they don’t deliver, or that they are always late. I feel like taking them to a tattoo studio and having a large “L” for Loser tattooed onto their foreheads, to save other people time and disappointment.

I have one particular fool who promised to put a system in place in August, and he still hasn’t delivered. I will never trust this specimen in any business deal or refer him any business. Mostly, I remove these types from my life – I scrape them off my shoes.

Take Heart.  There are Some Winners.

The good news is that there are a few winners out there (3% of the population) who actually do deliver on time, and they are few and far between. Work with them, trust them, and carefully foster those relationships.

Believe and pay for RESULTS, not promises.

A healthy dose of skepticism is in order until people prove themselves. Until then, don’t allow yourself to be set up. Focus on the producers.

January 9th, we have an appointment on a beach in Cuba.  In twenty-two years of business, Rika and I spend some time at the end of each year to set our specific, written, measurable goals down in writing.

Will You Fall Off the Wagon?

Every time we do that, we review the year gone by, and we always remark how many people fell off the wagon before reaching their goals. It’s sad, because we know how much they have lost by quitting too early. There is just one thing that will guarantee your success in 2009.

Success is Easier than Ever

In a world of compromise, mediocrity, and a significant lack of integrity and fortitude, success is easier than ever, since there is less than ever competition for those with this one attribute. Anthony Robbins said:

“I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret.”

Part time, hesitant, weak, fearful commitment makes failure inevitable.

What’s Your Success IQ

Fear and faith cannot co-exist. I’m not talking about mystical, ephemeral, witchdoctor faith – I’m talking about an unmovable, unshakable, adamant, and unwavering belief and faith in your own non-negotiable commitment to success.

• Your Success IQ (I Quit) has to be clearly defined and established, based on your purpose and vision.
• Your WHY has to be an impregnable fort, a strong castle that allows no doubt or fear to sneak in in the guise of saboteurs, posing as “friends”, or even family. Make your mind a castle.
• There is no scarcity in this world, only a scarcity of RESOLVE.

Winners Commit and Deliver

Winners commit and deliver.  Losers promise and make excuses.

It’s really that simple. And for those of you who are considering making a real commitment, here’s what Janis Joplin has, especially for you:

“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”

The only person you can disappoint is yourself. You have to look in the mirror every morning – what do you see?

• A winner, who refuses to quit,
• Or a loser, who lives on excuses and blames his past, his family, and other people for his bad choices?

It’s time to step up and change. That’s called personal responsibility. The more you discipline yourself to do the hard things, the right things, and the uncomfortable things, the higher your self-esteem, and we succeed in direct proportion to our level of self-esteem.

True Freedom

Freedom means, according to Ayn Rand:

“To want nothing, to expect nothing, to depend on nothing.”

This is my personal interpretation:

“To need or depend on nobody but myself, to expect nothing from others and rely on nothing from others, but to expect and insist upon only the best from myself.”

Your Key to Success

The key to your success in 2009 in total commitment.

• No distractions,
• No sidelines,
• No back door,
• No excuses,
• Whatever it takes.

Quitters never win, and winners never quit. Rika and I  will write out our 2009 goals sitting on the beach in Cuba, but we might as well write them in our blood – That is OUR level of commitment. If you’re totally committed, consider joining us, as we ride the DollarMakers wave to success in 2009.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke these words to a nation at the depth of the Great Depression:

“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Three percent of all people are truly successful. And it’s not because of their education, background, “Old Boys Club”, “Lucky Breaks”, or other excuses that losers so easily offer up. You can join them with the proven recipe in this article.

If you think this 3% figure is over the top, this is a well-known, proven statistic. Look here:

• In 2006, 1.93% of all households had annual incomes exceeding $250,000. (Wikipedia)

• 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
  42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
  80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
  70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
  57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
  (Source: Jerold Jenkins, www.JenkinsGroupInc.com)

• And here’s the scary part: only 3% on North Americans are regular readers!

• The United Nations Global Audit of Web Accessibility (conducted by accessibility agency Nomensa on behalf of the United Nations) shows that 97 percent of websites fail to meet the most basic accessibility requirements.

• Robert Jaques wrote in www.vnunet.com, 07 Jan 2008: “Spam levels reached 97.02 per cent in December 2007 and viruses accounted for 0.11 per cent of email traffic, new monitoring data reveals. The figures suggest that less than three per cent of all email sent during the month was legitimate.”

How Top Achievers Set Goals: ‘Be’ vs. ‘Do’ Goals

Douglas Vermeeren writes, “For most top achievers, 80 percent of their goals are ‘Be’ goals and only 20 percent are ‘Do’ goals.

They’re more concerned with character attributes than arriving at a final destination point.

They know that character attributes often enable them to attain successful levels. So it’s not that top achievers don’t set goals; rather, they set goals differently. Rather than use the word ‘goal,’ top achievers use words like ‘destination’ or ‘performance’ or ‘habits.’ They don’t cross items off a list and forget about them, they build upon their accomplishments to reach even greater levels of success.”

Here’s how it works in practice:

The Three Percenters are WINNERS BY CHOICE. You have to BE before you can do, and DO before you can HAVE.

• The goal, “I will do what I say I will do, when I say I will do it, with no excuses”, is a DO goal. 
• “I am unstoppable, determined, confident, reliable, and I never quit” is a BE goal.

Being that kind of person pretty much guarantees that you will succeed in achieving your DO and HAVE goals.

Getting into the Three Percent Club

Someone who never quits and is self disciplined, honest, and determined, will do whatever he or she has to do UNTIL he or she succeeds. Winning characteristics are a daily, continual choice and habit. A winner will work 24/7/365 and never make excuses. And those kind of people always end up at the top. The cream rises. The 97 Percenters are simply eagles that think they’re chickens.

Getting into the Three Percent Club is a simple choice that demands success and excellence at any cost, and anyone can do it, regardless of your past, your age, your education, or your present circumstances. When you see a DollarMakers Member wearing a tiny, handmade, solid gold dollar sign pin, you’re talking with a Three Percenter. Come and join us!

From experience, we know that many people promise big, but can’t always deliver what they promise, for various reasons. (“Big hat, no cattle.”)

Some of the reasons for this could be that:

• They don’t believe they will get a very large response.
• They simply don’t have the capacity to fulfill large orders or deliver the service.
• Their circumstances, cash flow, staffing, or supplier situation might change and put them in a position where they can’t deliver.
• Or you might find that their service stinks or they’re always late…

Whatever the reason, it is wise to test a JV in a small way before running it out in a big way.

Avoid Desperate People!!!

One of the ways to avoid disappointment is to avoid people who are desperate for business or have cash flow problems. You might find they’re so desperate for money that they make existing clients wait and stew while they grab all the business they can get to pay the rent and ultimately disappoint everyone by being late, making excuses, and contaminating your reputation with the customers you sent to them. They’re usually smooth talkers and very good at making elaborate promises.

Before Doing Extensive Business:

1. Check their capacity out, talk with past clients, and talk with present clients.
2. Look for red flags.
3. Give them small jobs to do over a period of time, and see how fast they react and how many excuses they make.

Excuses are a HUGE Red Flag

When you’re waiting for a commission check from a JV partner and it’s always “in the mail”, remember that FedEx and bank drafts will clear up all “misunderstandings” very fast.

“Cancel the check and send me a bank draft with overnight courier and I’ll believe you.”

Watch Pacino in the old movie, “Midnight Run”. Money is the ultimate proof, and a very emotional issue for most people.

Test in a small way before selling the farm. If he can’t pay for seven chickens and a donkey, don’t expect him to buy the entire farm. Excuses are usually the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Working Out the Kinks

Testing a Joint Venture in small ways also helps you iron out any potential misunderstandings and glitches before they become big issues. Most Joint Venture problems are the result of misunderstandings, honest mistakes, and miscommunication. That’s why it is important to:

• Get everything in writing.
• Play the Devil’s Advocate and “What if?” games.
• Remain realistic.

Past Performance: A Good Indicator of What You’re In For

Past performance is usually a good predictor of future choices. Often, people promise big to impress you, or they’re embarrassed to admit that they have problems or are facing threats.

You Reputation is on the Line

Your JV partner’s problems and limitations can become your problems and limitations if your reputation is at stake. Avoid:

• start-ups
• dicey investments
• new inventions

Work on the Relationship First

Work on the relationship and the trust before you do a Joint Venture with someone. At the end of every Bootcamp I present, I have characters approaching me to hard sell me their services or schemes, and I am amazed that they don’t understand that you have to “earn the right” and build the trust before assuming anyone would want to work with you on a JV.

Strike a Balance between Optimism and Objectiveness

• Trial runs,
• small tests,
• little investigations,
• and watching what someone DOES as opposed to what he SAYS before opening the floodgates…

will protect your JV’s and relationships, your reputation, and your blood pressure. We’re all optimistic, idealistic, trusting, and excited about business, and we like to believe the best about others, but we need to remain realistic and objective and be patient if we want to be successful in our Joint Ventures.