Success Story
Success Starts in Motion - An Upline Interview with Nancy Hopper of Body Wise International
To many women, Nancy Hopper had the ultimate dream job. She shopped for a living! As a successful buyer and corporate manager for a string of high-end women's clothing shops, Nancy was always whisking off to Los Angeles or New York to buy clothes. Even though she enjoyed her career, after 15 years it had started to wear on her-- no pun intended. "I was beat," Nancy laughs. "I was constantly on the go. Something always needed my attention. I was always either headed to one of the stores or to the airport. It even got to the point where holidays were horrible because they were such busy shopping times of the year. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, when everybody else was having a wonderful relaxing time, I was working overtime! I knew I couldn't do this forever, so I started opening my eyes and ears to other opportunities that might be out there."
As fate would have it, that was one of the best moves Nancy ever made....
I'll never forget it. I was in a nail salon one day, and I overheard a doctor's wife telling the manicurist about some nutrition program she was involved in. She was going on about all the weight she had lost and how terrific she felt, and I started chatting with her about the product.
It interested me. I'd been a yo-yo dieter for years and I'd taken diet pills. I figured, a nutrition program with a money-back guarantee-- how could I lose? So I tried the product and was really pleased with the results. That's when I started thinking seriously about the business side of the products.
The first thing I did was fly out to California to check out the company. I wanted to see these people face-to-face. I was so impressed by their integrity and the vision for the company that I came home and jumped into the business right away.
I decided to follow their guidelines and commit to a three-to-five year business plan. After three years, if I wasn't earning good money, I was going to quit and write a book about what a scam Network Marketing was.
But I did what they told me to do, and in less than three years I was making a six-figure income.
I can remember that after about 90 days in Networking, I was ready to quit. I started off so excited, but that quickly became frustration. I was even considering starting another business. But fortunately there were mentors in the company who rekindled my dream-- they helped me realize that I could do it.
The problem we have in Network Marketing is that we all start at zero-- no matter what else you've done in life, or how successful you've been at other things. You have to be willing to start there with everybody else and work your way up through the challenges.
The good news is that all the challenges you encounter have been faced before by people who overcame them and went on to be successful. Those mentors are there to show you how to get through it all-- whether it's the rejection or fear or just wanting to quit.
One of my big challenges was to learn to be confident when I talked to people about health and wellness. I thought to myself: Who's going to listen to me about health and nutrition when I've been in retail all my life? I didn't think anyone would listen to me. Credibility was a big issue in the beginning.
I followed a very simple formula that go me through any challenge: determination plus persistence plus personal development. When times were hard, I always came back to my determination. I'd stop and ask myself: What am I doing this for? You have to know your "why." For me, it was that I had two children to support and who I wanted to be with.
Persistence was next: I never quit. I thought about it, that's normal. But I never did it. I always kept working at it.
The most important thing for me was personal development. I knew I needed to grow as much as I could if I wanted to be an effective leader. So I read about success; I subscribed to Upline; I listened to the advice of people I admired; and then I associated with successful people. I forced myself to stretch beyond my comfort zone, and I began to grow.
I learned about the industry, about my company, about the products until I developed a bullet-proof belief system. My self-confidence and credibility became so strong that nothing mattered anymore. I knew in my heart that I would be a success.
Success for me started one day at a time. I begin with always being in motion-- I get myself out there with people, meeting people, talking to people, sharing with them.
I have a Daily Method of Operation that includes always making at least three to five contacts a day, and letting them know about the opportunity of my company. Whether I'm at the grocery store, the movies, or at the cleaners, wherever, I'm prepared with business cards and information. I stay ready to get a name and phone number and set up an appointment.
I always make sure to check in with my team leaders, too, just to see what I can do to help them. Remember, have fun with it. It's so much easier if you remember to laugh and have fun along the journey.
I believe that if you have a strong belief in your products and your company, you have the foundation you need to be successful in Networking. As long as you have rock-solid integrity and credibility, you can build a business as big as you want to.
Your belief system has to be strong; that's a must. If you're not secure in that, then you need to focus on that personal development and get confident about what you're doing. You need to know in your heart that Networking is the answer. There's nothing better!
Because of my Network Marketing business, I'm free today. I finally have the time to live my life on my own schedule, not someone else's. I don't have to answer to an alarm clock or a boss-- that has been worth everything.
I am free to associate with people I truly want to be around-- positive, creative people that I really care about.
As a woman, I appreciate the fact that there's no glass ceiling in Network Marketing. It's nothing like the corporate world, believe me, I've been there. That really is the bottom line: Network Marketing offers women today an opportunity we haven't ever had. We can be the boss of our own big company, and still have all the time in the world to be home with our families. You can't beat this. This is the way, baby!
NANCY HOPPER is a full-time distributor with Body Wise International, Network Marketers of healthcare products. She is a Five Star Executive Manager with Body Wise, and has been with the company for four and a half years. Nancy's biggest fans are her husband Mel, and children Laura and Aaron. Nancy lives in Houston, TX.
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Reprinted with permission from Upline, Hopper-Success Story-March 1999, 888-UPLINE-1, http://www.upline.com
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