Just wanted to share with you what Mike Jackson's Meeting Challenge has done for us! It has created momentum and has given inspiration for our Dealers to start doing one-on-ones and more meetings. It also has created a big wave around the country and in Jacksonville we're going to ride it. Don't let the big wave sweep over you. Come ride it with us!

God Bless you all.

In just two weeks, Key Managers Jerry and Trudi Begler participated in a three-day trade show and held two open meetings about the EcoQuest Opportunity.

"We have been extremely fortunate to witness a higher than normal recent re-activation of Dealers now wishing to re-establish their home-based EcoQuest businesses," says Jerry. "We are being told that overall economic circumstances are driving them to closely re-evaluate what we have to offer."

In those meetings, five people expressed a desire to "properly" work their businesses, says Jerry. "I have made a commitment to each one of them to closely monitor their daily and weekly progress and have assured them of constant training communications. With all the tools and varied products EcoQuest now has available for us, success is more attainable than ever before."

Jerry and Trudy are from Broomfield, Colorado, and have stood the test of time. They started their EcoQuest business 17 years ago. They know that more government programs are not the answer to our present economic dilemma. "We must take full and complete control of our own destiny," says Jerry. EcoQuest International is their means of doing that.

The Beglers advise everyone in their team to "re-evaluate your activity status with EcoQuest and formulate a solid long-term business plan to achieve the level of success you desire for you and your family. The choice is ours alone. Just do it!"

SRO in Tupelo, Mississippi!

J.K. and Becky Baker and their team leaders are generating a lot of excitement in Tupelo. Expected attendance at their March 12 meeting was around 30 people. Instead, 79 people attended their meeting, and 33 of those were guests!

"It was standing room only," says J.K. "We put out every chair they had in the whole place. They were standing around the walls."

The Bakers are Master Managers who focus on nutritionals. When it came time to pass out samples of Heartland Select Juice, "we used every glass, every bottle, everything we could get hold of," says J.K. "We were pouring like crazy in the back trying to get a taste to everybody!"

The meeting was held in a local church training center. Area leaders in their group were instrumental in putting the meeting together, says J.K. Dr. Beaty, a local optometrist, presented the products with a PowerPoint presentation. The leaders shared their successes with EcoQuest, and J.K. made the business presentation.

"We have a core team of leaders in this area," says J.K. "We have been diligently working since the first of the year promoting nutritional products with a strong emphasis on the business. We decided we were going to support each other and bring guests to this meeting."

J.K. has a simple goal after each meeting. "Our number one objective is when those people leave the meeting, we don't want them to sleep that night. I want them so excited about what they saw that they can't get it out of their minds. Then we know we've had an effective meeting."

A key thing to understand, says J.K. is that sharing Heartland is a lot like being a farmer. "We have to touch a lot of lives. Like a farmer, we have to plant a lot of seeds. We don't know which ones will grow. But if we plant in the spring, tend to it, work for it, and move forward in the summer, we will have a harvest in the fall."

Passion and enthusiasm feed those seeds. "We know what a great product we have," he says. "We know that if this business is worked correctly, people can come out of the recession financially independent. We believe that. Our passion and enthusiasm is backed up by belief in the product."

The Bakers know that face-to-face meetings work, and recommend the tactic to everyone. "If just contacting by email and letters worked, pharmaceutical companies wouldn't be spending millions of dollars to hire thousands of pharmaceutical reps to talk to doctors eyeball to eyeball. It's just common sense. People want to talk to people. If you have passion, excitement, and enthusiasm, how can you really transfer that through a letter or email? It works best when it's person to person."

Big things are brewing in South Carolina. "The new business presentation is an absolute breeze to work with," says Master Manager Evelyn Nelson. "I was able to easily personalize it for audience participation. We also showed the Living Proof and PowerwoRx demos."

Approximately 30 people made it out to Evelyn's meeting in Greenville, S.C. "I began the meeting with a welcome and then went through the EcoQuest umbrella of organizations at the very beginning. I actually had people come up and ask me about every division of the company afterwards."

Evelyn set a table display with all the products and added a flourish - a bottle of Heartland Select Juice chilling in a silver ice bucket. She gave samples to all in attendance. "Some Autoship orders will be coming though," she says. She also printed out a full-color downloadable catalog and placed every page in a Plexiglas frame, which she then put beside each product. "The attractive display helped seal the deal for some people."

In attendance was Pam and Mike Reekie, Fast Start Distributors also from Greenville. "I asked Pam how they started, and she told me they ordered a Master Success Pack," says Evelyn. "I asked her how much product they still had on hand. She said every bit of it was sold."

The Reekies, who joined EcoQuest in December, have already sold just under 10 Fresh Air units. "We really believe in this technology," says Mike.

"One of the nice things about these meetings is that you get to rub shoulders with people doing the same thing," says Mike. "It helps to be around people who are successful. It reminds you why you are in the business."

Mike's secret to success is having no less than seven units out at all times. "I think of them as soldiers out working for me," he says. "If they come back, I diligently put them back out."

The Reekies attribute much of their success to their referral system. "If customers give us referrals, we give them a certificate for a free Focus," says Mike. "If they do a demo and buy the product, I pay the shipping and handling for their Focus. If we sell a unit to someone on their referral list, I give them a choice of up to six products for free."

Rather than offer a price incentive, Mike adds points to his orders by giving away products worth up to $50. This method gets more products out there and helps his business in a practical way. "We have several items that are under $50 - I can give them Essentials for Life, a bottle of Heartland, a showerhead, a Refresh, or even an additional Focus."

Wondering how to light a fire under your inactive Business Owners? Have a meeting! Key Managers Dortha and Larry Winer had 16 people at their last meeting, and eight of those were inactive Dealers!

"They had paid dues and not done much work in the last two years," says Dortha. "They were pretty excited after the new presentation. Several of them didn't even realize how many new products EcoQuest now has!"

Face-to-face meetings are a great way to reconnect with your Dealers and meet new people. The Winers had two guests at their meeting, one of whom is signing on as a Business Owner.

How did she do it? "I pulled out my contact list and contacted everyone within a 70- to 80-mile radius of here. I sent each person a flyer two weeks ago when I scheduled the meeting and followed up by phone or with email. I also took 30 meeting flyers with me to a trade show."

The Winers put up a full display of EcoQuest products. Master Manager Leia Ryan presented the Opportunity.

"We introduced ourselves and talked about the quality of our products and the many results we have had with each product," says Leia. "We then showed the PowerPoint presentation and answered questions. We finished the meeting with filling out Dealer applications and Success Pack options and orders."

The Winers have a lot to talk about when it comes to product results. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, couple's home was flooded last year, forcing them to stay with their daughter for seven weeks. "The flood brought 67 inches of water into our lower level," says Dortha. "We had 47 inches in our garage. We cleaned with bleach, put our air purifier in, and we haven't had any mold at all. An inspector came to the house and asked us why our home didn't smell like all the rest he's been in."

Things are almost back to normal. They are still renovating back home. "We aren't back on our first floor yet, but the laundry room is done."

Larry and Dortha have been in the business since 1998. "These folks have been consistent business builders and are advocates of the products and the company," says Leia. "They are very hard working folks who are always willing to share their successes and knowledge. We are very honored to have Larry and Dortha representing EcoQuest."

Dortha is excited about the meeting challenge. "I'm ready for new people," she says. "I think these meetings are where growth really takes place. Everybody shares and the camaraderie is great. It is very inspirational."

Team Managers Michael and Cindy Marino took Mike Jackson's meeting challenge, and they are glad they did! The Erie, Pa., couple had 17 people in attendance at their recent meeting, eight of which were guests.

"We offered the Energy certificate as an incentive, and it worked!" says Cindy. It works like this: invitations include a Free Energy for a Year certificate that can be activated when the person attends the meeting. They can then take it home and register online. It's that easy.

At their meeting, one new Dealer was signed. "The couple had been to a potluck that Kim Law and the Dodson's had, and this time they were sold! They are talking about a Success Pack next month," says Cindy.

Another Dealer is set to sign up this week. Plus, a husband and wife team that have been "on the fence" for over a year may be next. "We believe that the wonderful PowerPoint presentation sparked some serious interest. They stayed after the meeting and asked a lot of questions. You could see the wheels turning!"

Good things continued to happen after the meeting. "I got an e-mail from Kim Law this morning telling me about a Dealer she invited who had been inactive for 2 years," says Cindy. "After the presentation she said, 'For the first time I get it--I understand it!' She is fired up. The day after the meeting she met with two people and presented the technology, and believes she will get sales from both of them."

Cindy and Michael used name badges, sign-in sheets, and more provided by EcoQuest. "We used to spend hours making stuff like this for smaller meetings, and [EcoQuest] took the work out if it for us."

Cindy is grateful for the meeting challenge as well. "This meeting was a huge stretch for my shy husband. He stepped out of his comfort zone by deciding that he would do the presentation, and he was wonderful! He spent the day practicing the PowerPoint by listening to Angelo Martino, Jane Gillen, and Jon Bender."

Face-to-face meetings aren't a new strategy for Ken and Mary Dockery, Master Managers from Spring Branch, Texas. In fact, they built their business on them. Maybe that's why the Dockerys couldn't resist being some of the first Business Owners to participate in Mike Jackson's meeting challenge. Earlier this month, Mike challenged Business Owners to schedule 100 public meetings in February.

Their first public meeting since the challenge, held in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, was intended to help new Business Owner Dan Gaskin get his business off the ground. And did he ever! Dan and his new recruits, Dwayne and Amanda Roberts, enticed 25 people to their meeting with a new and interesting technique. They handed out Free Energy for a Year coupons with their invitations.

"In order to activate their coupons, they had to go to the meeting and listen to the presentation," says Ken. "I thought it was innovative and creative - and it worked!"

Dan and the Roberts also raised interest in their meeting by focusing on a community problem - skunks. "Everybody in their neighborhood was 'skunk conscious' because skunks had been getting under houses and spraying," says Ken. "That's actually how Dwayne and Amanda got into the business. They go to church with Dan, and they were talking about skunks getting under the house. Dan's wife told them that Dan had something that could help. Dan put the unit in, and it totally eliminated the odor. So they got excited."

Flyers announced the meeting with a double-header agenda - an answer to the skunk issue and a chance for free energy for a year.

"Eight units were sold," Ken says. "Two Business Owners signed on - one is an electrician who is very excited about the PowerwoRx, and the other is the Animal Control guy who tells people how to get rid of their skunks!"

Not only that, but Dwayne and Amanda will be picking up a Master Pack. This meeting truly met people where they live, says Ken. "Identify a problem and offer a solution. Then people will listen to you. As we've always believed, if you want to build this business you have to go far enough into the lives of others to bring them back out with you."

Ken and Mary now are planning more meetings. "We've done one meeting. We've got two more scheduled. We'll have at least one a month, and probably two a month. We built our business on meetings, but we got away from it a couple of years ago. We use every available strategy. Frankly that's what has allowed us to stay alive and sustain our business."