Secret
To Success :"Be
as honest and trustworthy as you possibly
can."
Erich
Winnecke
$41,000/monthly. |
Highest
Education: BA, California State
University, Fullerton
Year
Started Business: 1993
Type
Of Business: Network Marketing and
Internet Home Business
Target
Market: Home-based business opportunity
seekers, 25 to 55 years old and tired of
working for someone else
Best
Month (Gross Revenues): $41,000
Hours
Worked Per Week During Startup Phase: 45
Hours
Worked Per Week Now: 35 to 50
Favorite
Business Magazines: Small Business
Opportunities, Home Business
Connection, Entrepreneur
Favorite
Business Books Or Authors: The Power
Of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent
Peale—"This book changed my life and
the way I look at things. I recommend it to
anyone who has no direction in their
life."
Relaxes
By: Reading, watching TV, and playing
golf
Keeps
In Shape By: Walking on a treadmill
everyday for 30 minutes at 3.9 MPH
Favorite
Part Of The Job: Learning new things and
making friends
Least
Favorite Part Of The Job: Trying to work
with people who expect something to happen
overnight with very little work on their
part
Companies
Admired: Microsoft
Favorite
Quotes:
- This
instant is the only time there is.
—Unknown
- Forgiveness
is the key to happiness. —Old
Testament
- Never...Never...Never...Never
Give up! —Winston Churchill
The
Person Who Most Influenced His Life:
"My father, who taught me that nothing
is free and hard, consistant work is
required for anything worthwhile. He also
stressed that education was important to get
the type of career you wanted. Both parents
took me to church most every Sunday and
taught me to treat others the way I want to
be treated.
Heroes:
- Bruce
Smith, iInfantry sgt. and squad leader
in vietnam—"He pulled me into a
bunker after I was hit by schrapnel."
- Mr
Reed—high school history
teacher—"Only teacher in high
scholl who made class interesting and
saw potential in me."
Special
Business Achievements/Honors:
- Lifeforce—2003
"Top Rising Star of The Year"
- Lifeforce—2003
"New Volume Producer of the
Year"
- SFI—Presidents
Club, Group Leader
- Leaders
Club
Months
Before Achieving A Profit: "I owned
an insurance adjusting company and an
Italian restaurant before going to an online
business and made profits in my first month
on both. It took about five months to make a
profit with my Internet business."
Contact
Erich At: Phone—(812) 282-9959; E-Mail—erich@business-opportunity.net
GETTING
STARTED TIPS:
I'm
starting a home business next month. I have
a maximum of $3,000 in start-up capital.
Where should I invest it?
Assumming you already have a PC with an
Internet connection:
- Purchase
a domain and hosting acct and design a
Website.
- Buy
leads.
- Get
an autoresponder.
- Buy
advertising on high traffic Websites.
I've
just started a home business. My spouse has
given me six months to make it work. Any
advice?
Convince her you need her support and for
her to believe in you as you believe in
yourself and that you may fail once, twice
or more...but if you don't give up and work
hard and consistently, you will eventually
have success.
They
say it takes money to make money. Should I
try to get a small business loan for my
startup capital or just try to get by with
my own limited finances?
Yes, it takes money. Get it anywhere you can
find it...beg, borrow, ask the relatives.
TECHNOLOGY
& TOOLS:
How
quickly do you adopt new technology for your
business?
As quickly as I can learn it and see that it
will help my profit margin.
How
do you use e-mail in your business?
I spend about two hours daily answering and
sending e-mail. I also have an autoresponder.
How
do you utilize the Internet?
My business is totally online. I promote and
market home business opportunitities.
How
many of your own Website(s) do you have?
I own 5 domains/Websites
I
promote and market home-business
opportunitities. Publish a newsletter and
moderate an online forum.
Do
you use auto-responders?
Yes, I use several to follow-up with
prospects.
Describe
your computer system and how you use
computers in your business.
A computer with a 2.7GB Pentium 4 processor,
a cable modem, and a 17-inch flat screen
monitor.
What
software do you consider in the
"must-have" category?
Submit Wolf Pro, Outlook Express, WS-FTP,
Norton Anti-Virus, Adobe, Group Mail Pro,
MSN Messenger, IE Explorer 6, Google
Toolbar, POP Up Ad Exterminator, and Robo
Form.
What
other technology do you use in your
business?
scanner, printer, and cell phone.
Of
all the technology you use, rank the top
three.
PC, Cell Phone, Webcam
MARKETING & ADVERTISING:
How
do you market on the Internet?
I purchase Leads and advertse on high
traffic Websites. I follow-up with several
autoresponder accounts.
Approximately
what percentage of your sales originate from
Internet marketing?
100%.
How
do you market in the print media?
I run a 1/3 page magazine ad occasionally in
Small Business Opportunities Magazine.
Approximately
what percentage of your sales originate from
marketing in the print media?
Unknown.
What
other kinds of marketing do you utilize?
Network marketing, phone cold calls, and
e-mail.
Where
do you market? (locally, nationally,
internationally, all three?)
Internationally, with a focus on U.S.,
Canada, and England.
THE
HOME OFFICE:
How
should someone set up his/her home office to
maximize its effectiveness?
Have everything comfortable to suit your own
personal taste, and don't forget ergomomical
considerations.
What,
if any, ground rules have you established
for yourself and family in order to operate
a successful home business?
I have six children, and they all know not
to bother me when I'm working. Sometimes, my
wife forgets and brings things to me that
can wait, but all in all, they are very
considerate.
What
are some of the advantages to working at
home?
The obvious are the cost and time savings of
not having to commute. Also, the freedom to
set your own hourly work schedule.
MANAGEMENT
STYLE:
What
part(s) of your work do you farm out?
Minimal Website design.
What
part(s) do you feel should never be farmed
out?
Direct contacts with your networkers.
Do
you encourage or discourage Partnerships?
I've never had a partner but have not ruled
it out.
Do
you encourage or discourage hiring family
members?
I give my family some contract work from
time to time, and I believe it is a good
practice. It teaches them the business and
keeps the money in the family.
When
legal issues arise, what's your usual
response?
I try my best to comply with all local,
state, and federal laws. I did have a
lawsuit filed against me several years ago,
and I WON! We agreed to a bench trial and
the the judge ruled in my favor.
MONEY
& INVESTMENTS:
What
are the advantages of earning a lot of
money? What are some disadvantages?
Most of all, it creates freedom in your
life. The freedom to choose which schools
your children attend. The freedom to travel
all over the world. The freedom to drive
what type of car you want. The freedom to
choose where you want to live...etc., etc.
Disadvantages: If you don't watch your self,
arrogance sneaks in and you sometimes forget
where you came from. Humility and being
humble can be difficult at times. Some
people expect and want more from you.
Best
general tax advice?
Develop a professional and comfortable home
office and invest in SEP Retirement Plan.
Hire your children if possible.
Best
general investment advice?
Get a qualified professional to manage your
funds.
You're
in business already, and you've just
received a windfall of $20,000. What would
you do with it?
Invest it back in the business through
advertising and take a vacation.
NETWORK
MARKETING:
What
do you lead with, your company's products or
the business opportunity?
The business opportunity because the more
good people you have working under you, the
better your business grows. The product
sales will take care of itself with good
people in your organization.
Rank
the following traits in order of their
importance in building a successful network
marketing business: enthusiasm, persistence,
knowledge, and communication skills.
1. Persistance—you must keep working and
following up on an ongoing basis. That is
the major reason people fail—they aren't
persistant enough. 2. Knowledge—that
speaks for itself. 3. Communication
Skills—are very important to get your
meaasge across to a wide range of different
types of people. 4. Enthusiam—this, of
course, shows how honest and serious you are
about the opportunity and rubs off on
others.
How
long were you in business for yourself
before you saw your first four-figure
commission check?
In my Internet business, about seven to
eight months First five-figure check, about
two years.
What's
more important, the initial contact with a
prospect or the follow-up?
It's a close call, but I'd say the initial
contact because of the first-impression
factor.
You've
just recruited a promising new distributor.
How do you help him/her get off to a good
start?
I provide them with a complete detailed
outline of the techniques that have worked
for me and then make myself avavilable for
questions and follow-up.
How
do you get your best leads?
From my Website, which is advertised
everywhere I can afford.
I
need to generate a hundred leads within 60
days; what's my best strategy to achieve
this?
Purchase them from a reputable lead company.
How
many distributors must a person recruit each
month to succeed in network marketing?
One good one per month is enough.
Best
tips for surviving rejection?
Take nothing personal it is your message
they aren't buying.
Do
you recommend that new distributors prospect
close friends and family?
No, that will come naturally as they see
your success.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
In
five years I'll be...
Semi-retired and enjoying my family more.
In
10years I'll be...
Retired and traveling the world.
POWERFUL IDEAS:
What
was the motivating factor that drove you to
start your own business?
I don't like taking orders from others. I
wanted more freedom in my life.
What
role, if any, did your family play when you
were getting your business off the ground?
Very little, other than my wife believing in
me and trusting that I had the ability to
make whatever I tried work and succeed. I
might add she was very patient since I had
[what most would consider] many failures
before I tasted success. As long as you are
learning, you are never failing...even if
you are spending and losing money. You only
fail when you quit and give up.
What
motivates you now to continue building your
business?
Again, the freedom that a large income
brings to your life.
What's
the best thing about being self-employed?
The ability to do most anything you want to
do when you want to do it.
The
most underrated activity in business is…
Making new contacts.
The
most overrated activity in business is…
Making new contacts.
What
was the biggest obstacle you had to face
when you were launching your own business?
What's your biggest obstacle now?
Finding the money it takes to get the
business off the ground and keep it going.
Biggest obstacle now is keeping motivated to
do the repetitive tasks required to keep the
business growing.
What
was your worst business decision?
Buying a designer perfume distributorship I
saw advertised in a magazine. I lost over
$10,000.
What
was your best business decision?
Buying some good domains (www.business-opportunity.net,
www.home-based-business.com, and
www.work-at-home-directory.com) back in 1998
and learning how to develop a Website.
What
do you consider to be the main keys of your
success?
Persistance and consistancy and keeping my
word. When I tell someone I am going to do
something, I do it!
What's
your success philosophy?
Treat others the way you want to be treated
and stay in the present.
What
about you has changed the most since finding
success in business?
I've lost my hair...but I drive a new
Corvette, so that makes up for it.
|
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