Is Blogging Dead…. Again?
It seems about one a year, us blogging afficionados start to hear the beating drums off in a distance, announcing the beginnning of the end for bloggers everywhere. It’s become a yearly ritual.
This time, some people have been making the case that, with the growing popularity of social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, there is no need to continue blogging in the traditional sense.
Is blogging still useful?
I strongly disagree, and it has everything to do with creating a lasting online presence with content that adds value to the marketplace. I mean REAL, solid content that people can take and use to help them grow.
You don’t get that in Facebook and Twitter.
To continue this debate, I’m going to send you to one of my favorite copywriting blogs, Copyblogger.com.
As usual, Brian Clark has hit the nail on the head.
Head on over to Copyblogger.com. ENJOY, and have a great weekend everyone.
To your success!
What Should You Look For in a Network Marketing Sponsor?
I often see people interested in starting a home based business spend an inordinate amount of time “sponsor shopping”. Surfing the Internet searching for the “perfect” sponsor can be both time consuming and very confusing.
It’s confusing because people don’t really know what or who they’re looking for.
Which brings me to the key point of this blog post —
What kind of sponsor should you be looking for?
Should you be looking for….
- the person who makes the most money in this company?
- the person with ties to the company leadership?
- the person newer to the industry who will be able to spend a lot of time holding your hand?
- the person who is most like you in temperament?
While all of these choices might, on the surface seem logical, these are not the characteristics or ingredients you should look for in a sponsor.
So what SHOULD you look for?
It’s very simple, but it took me a while to figure it out.
And before I did, I was exactly the WRONG kind of sponsor, not really helping my team or their businesses.
You want a sponsor with one key character trait —>
You want someone is going to TELL YOU THE TRUTH.
Tell it like it is. No sugar coating.
You want someone to tell you what you NEED to hear, not what you want to hear.
This is what Rosemary and I tell everyone who joins our team:
We’ll do what we can to help you make the kind of money you want, but it’s going to be one of the most challenging things you’ve done in your life. It will take work, money, time, and occasionally getting out of your comfort zone.
We will never do the work for you. We won’t give you all the answers. But we WILL show you where to look for the solutions to what’s holding you back.
In other words, we will help you become LEADERS, not someone just blindly following a system. There’s little doubt that you can make money following the Carbon Copy PRO system.
But you can make BIG MONEY by being a leader.
That’s where we come in.
So what kind of sponsor should you be looking for?
- Not the biggest money earner
- Not the easiest to get along with
- Not the one who will hold your hand
You want a person who will help you when you need it by showing you HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM ON YOUR OWN.
You want a person who will STRATEGIZE with you, not do it for you.
You want a sponsor who will help you to develop your LEADERSHIP SKILLS.
You want a sponsor who will EMPOWER YOU TO LEAD, not enable you to follow.
You see the difference?
Don’t Can the Spam — Learn From It
Spam
Most of us hate getting it. Most of us disregard it as a minor (and sometimes major) annoyance. But I am here to change your thinking about these little educational jewels.
Most of you who’ve read this blog before know that I consider COPYWRITING to be one of the “critical” skills for a network marketer, or any marketer for that matter. Knowing how to get your target’s attention, keep it, and lead them ever closer to your desired action is both an ART and a SCIENCE.
There are several ways to get better at writing ad copy. You can pay big money to learn from one of the many copywriting experts on the Internet. You can buy ebook after ebook. You can take any number of online training courses.
And you can study your spam.
It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
I have posted before about the usefulness of List Builders as a way to get low cost leads and make some money in the process. My two favorite List Builders that I use are Viral URL and List Joe.
With both of these services, as part of my membership I agree and am obliged to receive emails from other members. And I get lots!
TIP: If you decide to use List Building services such as these, open up a new Gmail account when you sign up, so that all of the Member emails go only to this email address. In this way, your primary email address won’t be inundated with these list builder member emails.
So what do most people do? They CAN the SPAM.
Most of these emails end up in my spam filter, and can easily be deleted with a click of a button. And that’s what most people do…. Gone and forgotten.
But not me.
Maybe I’m crazy, but I study the darn things.
- I look for HEADLINES that GRAB ME.
- I look for ad copy that attracts me.
- What kind of ads or headlines annoy you? Chances are they annoy others, too.
- I look for any little trick that others are using that may get someone to take a look at my email rather than simply delete it.
Here’s an example.
Which of these Headlines do you notice more:
Check out this unique opportunity.
===> Check out this unique opportunity.
Check out this unique opportunity.
Well, the third headline is somewhat more interesting than the first, given the italics.
But the middle headline, with the arrow. THAT one drew my attention immediately, especially when you are looking at a list of headlines a page long, all with the same font, font size and color. That little trick, the ===> has gotten me more conversions that any other change I have made in my ad copy thus far.
So don’t can the spam. Next time you get spam, take a glance at it. See what headlines attract you and why, and you’ve just learned a lesson in copywriting.
Best of all, it costs nothing to do. 
To your success!
Twitter — If Everyone is Following, Then Who is Leading?
I finally have to admit it.
I just don’t get Twitter.
There, I said it. And you know what?
I feel better.
It’s not that I don’t understand what Twitter is.
I just don’t get the point.
I consider myself a fairly bright guy. I graduated from college with a 3.8 cumulative average. I received a Ph.D. in Physiology at age 23. I’ve done a postdoctoral appointment at Harvard Medical School and I’ve worked at some of the best hospitals on the East Coast.
But the real purpose of Twitter? Nope, don’t get it.
Maybe its because I’ve watched all my Network Marketing friends spend hours upon hours following anyone and everyone they can find that may even remotely be interested in what they have to sell, hoping they will follow them back and then unfollowing them if they don’t. I hear these major proclamations of having reached 500, 1000, and even 1,000,000 followers.
I guess that’s good, but how can anyone listen to anything if they are following so many people?
I know I can’t, and I only follow 200 people. Even that is a challenge to me.
I know, I know… I can use Tweet Deck to segment my followers. I can use Tweet Later to automate my tweets. But why?
What’s the purpose?
I don’t go on Twitter with the purpose of buying something or joining another home business opportunity. I’m perfectly happy with the one I have. I don’t go on Twitter to hear the next best inspirational or motivational quote that is copied off the Internet. I am pretty motivated already.
Should I really be honest?
I go on Twitter for only a couple of reasons.
-
First, to see what guys like Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, and Mike Dillard (yes, Mike I am a follower) do on a daily basis. I’m curious.
-
Second, I follow established people in my industry who I respect, not because I think they’ll be handing out any unique tidbits of knowledge (although they might), but more because I want to see what they consider important to post on Twitter.
So if the idea is to follow as many people on Twitter as possible, so they will follow you back, then it seems to me that everyone is following and no one is actually leading.
But I’ve discovered that I’m wrong. I think I’ve figured out who the leaders are on Twitter.
The leaders are the ones who follow the LEAST number of people. Check this out –
- The “real” Donald Trump — 2549 followers…. Following 2.
- Robert Kiyosaki — 10, 148 followers…. Following 9
- My favorite example…. Al Gore — 1,015,073 followers …. Following 8!
- And we all remember how Mike Dillard “purged” his follower list (a move I strongly agreed with).
The ultimate leader on Twitter? It must be Jay Kubassek.
Jay had to actually APPROVE me before I could follow him. Now he must be THE LEADER! (I say this tongue in cheek. Jay is, in fact, one of the strongest leaders I have had the pleasure of knowing).
In all seriousness folks, what’s the damn point!
Someone straighten me out here. Help me understand the real meaning and purpose of Twitter.
Googling Under the Influence
If it wasn’t so sad, I would laugh.
Actually, I do laugh a little, as I imagine my team member’s eyes bugging out of his/her head when they see how much money they blew on Google in one day.
Why? Because they weren’t prepared.
Taking the plunge into the world of Pay Per Click Marketing is not one of those things that should be done haphazardly. Many serious marketers, including myself have spent months and even years studying Google Adwords trying to develop the best strategies for getting the best qualified prospects at the lowest possible cost.
And even now, while Google is my primary lead generation and it generally treats me well, there are days when it bites me in the butt. Just like everyone else who markets on Google.
So back to my team member….
This guy called me the other day to tell me he had read a little about Google and was ready to start marketing. I chuckled a little, and tried to explain the kind of preparation needed in order to avoid losing a ton of money at the beginning, but he didn’t take me seriously.
Guess what?
His eyes were bugging out of his head the next day. I don’t even want to tell you how much money he lost without much to show for it.
And it all could have been avoided.
Taking this guys approach is like jumping into a car for the very first time and proclaiming yourself ready to drive. How silly is that? Everyone knows that you have to take classes, practice for several hours with a trained and skilled driver by your side, take a test, and then you are ready to drive on your own.
It’s the same with Google. Education is a MUST! Training is ESSENTIAL!
Without it, you might as well set up a direct deposit of your paycheck directly to Google. They will love it.
You will not.
Before I close, I will leave you with two resources that I’ve used again and again in my Google adventures.
Perry Marshall’s Definitive Guide for Google Adwords
Mike Dillard’s PPC Domination.
Perry’s guide is written and extremely comprehensive. So is Mike’s course, but it is in video format for the most part.
Both are excellent. I would suggest you get both resources, study them extensively, and then consider taking the Google plunge.
After all, you don’t want to get cited for Googling Under the Influence.
To your success!
Succeeding at Network Marketing — Are You Trying To Reinvent The Wheel?
A couple of days ago, I was watching the Subway Series on TV…. the Yankees against the Mets. As always, it was a hard fought series.
What I saw in the first game of the series really intrigued me. The Yankees had a young, 23-year old pitcher going against the Mets. His name is Joba Chamberlain. Joba is very talented but extremely inexperienced, especially in big series such as the Yankees-Mets rivalry.
Catching for the Yankees was veteran Jorge Posada. Jorge has been through it all… the pressures of big games, hostile crowds, and even a few World Series. He knows how to call a game, and is generally trusted among the pitchers.
So what do I see on Friday night?
I see this young, inexperienced pitcher calling off his catcher time after time (NOTE: for non-baseball fans, the catcher generally indicates a sign to the pitcher, telling him which pitch to throw. The pitcher can accept this call, or he can “shake it off” by shaking his head NO, and the catcher will try another pitch).
Here is Posada, one of the most experienced big time catchers in the league, and he is being shaken off by the 23 year old “know it all” pitcher. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
So what happened?
Not surprisingly, Chamberlain imploded, walking in a couple of runs, hitting batters with the bases loaded, and totally losing his cool. It was obvious that Posada was steamed, and with good reason. Chamberlain was gone by the 4th inning.
Chamberlain decided to REINVENT THE WHEEL. He decided that, even with his inexperience, he knew better than the experienced catcher on the right pitches to throw. Posada, having been in numerous big games in critical situations, knew which pitches Chamberlain should throw. He knew what would work. He had a proven system that has worked time and again in the past.
But Chamberlain thought he knew better. And he failed miserably.
Why am I telling you this story?
Because I see the same mistake being made by Network Marketing newbies every day. They come into the business, all gung-ho and excited to light the Network Marketing world on fire.
But rather than going with a system that has proven to be successful, well established strategies that have worked for some of the top leaders in network marketing, they decide to “go it alone”.
They decide their way will be better.
And they fail. And they quit believing it’s all a scam and can’t be done. Thinking only the leaders make the money.
In reality, all they had to do was plug into systems that already work.
As new home business owners, there are so many new things to learn and implement. It can be a bit overwhelming.
Don’t exacerbate this by trying to reinvent the wheel.
To your success!
The Real Secret To Success In Network Marketing
So you’re either just starting a home based network marketing business, or you’ve been at it for the while and success is eluding you…. you are looking for the REAL SECRET to success in Network Marketing
I’ve been in this business quite a while now, and I’ve come to realize 2 things:
- The vast majority of people in network marketing fail to make decent money.
- There is really only ONE reason why #1 is true.
I will reveal this in a moment, but first let me get a little personal….
My son Henry recently graduated from college and is eagerly looking for his first job. He recently got a tentative offer from the US Governemnt, and is now being asked to provide more information to be confirmed as an employee.
- We are talking an unbelievable number of forms, reams of paper, in triplicate.
- We are talking about having to go to a website and complete an extensive information packet, as a supplement to the paperwork.
- We are talking about having to go for a video interview.
- We are talking about submitting transcripts (even though he already did this) and fingerprints (in triplicate, of course).
- And finally, submitting a urine specimen for a drug test.
All of this, and then they will decide IF he can be hired.
UGH… its no wonder there are job openings in the Federal Government.
I firmly believe that most people get tired of jumping through all the hoops and never submit the required information. (Oh, and by the way, it all has to be done within 10 days or your application is automatically deleted).
The same things is true with Network Marketing.
It’s not hard, but most people fail…. but why?
Network Marketing is not brain surgery. It’s not that complicated.
But most people fail anyway.
Why?
Because its EASIER TO QUIT.
That’s right… that’s the big reason why most people fail at Network Marketing.
Because it’s easier to quit than to put in the time, learn how to market, learn how to effectively talk to people, and learn how to support your new team. In fact, most people quit before they even HAVE a team.
Because it’s easier to quit than to do the required work to succeed.
Just as in Henry’s position, it would be easier for him to throw up his hands and give into the temptation to quit filling out the required information for his job, and wait for the next easier position to come along.
Waiting for the next best thing, the better job, the better Network Marketing opportunity.
See where I’m going with this?
Bottom Line: If you want to be a Nework Marketing Success Story, then you have to be willing to PUT IN THE TIME. Nothing happens in a day. Success takes time… and work, with anything in life.
I have seen many people on my team quit just before they would start seeing results from their efforts. It’s always the same thing.
They all all gung-ho to get started. They work feverishly to set up their account and start to market.
They throw up some ads on the Internet and get few, if any leads.
They try again, with similar results.
They go back to our Training Modules and study some more… learn new tricks, try new things.
They go back and try again, and get better results, but still nothing earth shattering.
And then they give up. Because it was EASIER to give up than to keep trying.
That’s it folks. That is the KEY to SUCCESS in Network Marketing….
Staying in the game long enough to increase your knowledge, implement what you’ve learned, and waiting for the successful outcome.
This can take weeks or even many months depending on your starting point, your previous experience, your marketing knowledge, and how much capital you are willing (or able) to invest into your business.
Most people don’t wait long enough to see their success happen.
And that’s a shame…
Til next time,
Are All Affiliate Marketers In BED With Each Other?
Affiliate Marketing is a great way to make money online. For those of you who don’t know what it is, Affiliate Marketing involves advertising and marketing someone else’s product. In turn, the creator of that product agrees to give you a certain percentage of the sale for each buyer you send their way.
You are usually given an Affiliate Link to use when advertising online, so that if someone purchases through your link, you get credit for the sale.
Affiliate commissions can run anywhere from 10-50% of the sale, so you can see how the money can add up rather quickly.
Let me state right now…
I do NOT have a problem with Affiliate Marketing or the people who use it.
But after watching closely the last several months, the question I have to ask is…
Are All Affiliate Marketers in Bed With Each Other?
In other words, it almost seems like all affiliate marketers do is market each others back and forth.
Someone comes out with a new product… the newest, best way for network marketers to “explode their business”
Pretty soon, I start getting emails from all my affiliate marketer friends (I am on a LOT of lists). And the countdown begins…
- Only 48 hrs left to take advantage of this great offer!
- 24 hrs left — don’t get left out of this once in a lifetime offer!
- You are going to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime if you don’t act in the next 12 hrs!
And then the “extras” start getting thrown in.
Buy from this link and I’ll throw in my free Ebook on ……
Buy from the link below and I’ll give you a free, 1 hr business consultation….
And even this one…..
I’ll buy the product FOR YOU if you buy through my link… (this much have been one hell of a contest).
Then the deadline ends, there is some quiet time, and then the next Internet “Guru” announces the launch of his/her next product, and the cycle starts all over again.
Enough already! All of these products can’t possibly be the “one product that is going to take my business to the next level.”
It isn’t humanly possible.
But, as I said, I am not against Affiliate Marketing.
In fact, I also make money from Affiliate Marketing. It is a great way to supplement my primary business income.
But I do it with INTEGRITY, and that is what I am imploring others to do.
What do I mean?
I follow this very simple rule before I even think of suggesting or recommending any product to my valuable list of followers….I will only recommend a product if:
- I personally have used the product and can vouch for it’s usefulness in helping my followers… and it has to be worth the money.
- I know of someone who I respect that has used the product and tells me personally how it helped him/her.
- In cases of new product launches, I will only recommend the product if I have personally used the creator’s products in the past and have such an utmost respect for the integrity and knowledge of that person that I feel comfortable making a recommendation to my followers. This was true of the new product recently launched by Mike Dillard, MLM Traffic Formula 2.0.
In fact, in this latter group, there are only a handful of people who fit this category for me.
They include Mike Dillard, Perry Marshall, Eben Pagan and a few others.
That’s not to say that other Internet Marketers aren’t just as good or shouldn’t be included on this list. I just haven’t had the personal experience to add them to MY LIST.
As most of my readers know, I only really recommend a handful of products on this blog (see Resources Tab). But you can rest easily knowing that these products get my PERSONAL recommendation because I have first hand knowledge of their excellence.
After all, my reputation is on the line.
I know that if I recommend a really bad product that doesn’t deliver what it promises (just to make a small commission), I will lose the trust of my loyal readers. And I can’t let that happen!
Enough already with the Affiliate Marketing Merry Go Round.
It’s making my head spin. Too many can’t miss products, too many empty promises, too many of the same old products gift-wrapped into the new and biggest thing.
Let’s have some integrity. Let’s get honest with people. Stop making a few bucks at other people’s expense.
The economy is bad enough.. we don’t need to add to other’s financial issues!
Your Friend on the Inside,
Where Do You Rank as a Network Marketing Leader?
Over the past years, I’ve had the opportunity to observe leadership, particularly as it pertains to the Network Marketing industry. And the more I observed these people, those who are a cut above the rest, those 3 Percenters that I so often talk about on this blog, several characteristics or “methods of doing business” have stood out.
What do guys like Mike Dillard, Jay Kubassek, Aaron Parkinson, and Mark Weiser all have in common? Besides being pretty damn wealthy, I mean!
Today I would like to share some of the leadership traits that I find particularly important.
As you’re reading through this list, compare yourself and where you are in your life and your business.
How do you measure up?
I would venture to say that the more traits you share with the top leaders in the industry, the closer you are to becoming the LEADER that others will follow.
After all, it’s not about who is selling the best products or which company has the most lucarative compensation plan… it’s ALL ABOUT LEADERSHIP.
People join leaders in Network Marketing, not companies.
Without further adieu,
These are the Top 10 Leadership Traits Commonly Found in Those That Dominate Network Marketing:
- Leaders hold themselves ACCOUNTABLE. They set daily, weekly, and monthly goals and hold themselves accountable to these goals. They do not require others to keep them on task. Leaders are SELF-MOTIVATED
- Leaders are SELF-DISCIPLINED. Almost all leaders I have ever met have a “daily method of operation” and are disciplined about completing each task.
- Leaders are VISIONARY. Leaders have a clear vision of why their business enterprise is important to them. Possibly even more importantly, leaders see possibilities that others may not. They are extremely open to exploring new ideas.
- Leaders are RISK TAKERS. They are not afraid to risk a lot to potentially gain even more. They are courageous in their dreams.
- Leaders do NOT RECOGNIZE FAILURE. Rather, they see each “failure” as important information for their next attempt, which they’re sure will be successful.
- Leaders OVERCOME OBSTACLES. They do not let setbacks stop them, but move around them and find alternative ways to achieve their goals.
- Leaders are CONFIDENT and SELF-ASSURED. They do not seek nor do they need the approval of others. Leaders are confident of their skills and their ability to help others attain a high level of success.
- Leaders DO NOT WORK HARD, they WORK SMART. Leaders understand the 80/20 rule — that 80% of their results will come from 20% of their efforts (income producing activities), and they adjust their work emphasis accordingly. Leaders are not afraid to OUTSOURCE or DELEGATE less important activities.
- Leaders continually STRIVE TO LEARN new things. They are always striving to improve their lives in any way possible through knowledge. Leaders never stop learning.
- Leaders are HUMBLE. True leaders never forget what is was like when they were not initially successful. Leaders are GRACIOUS for their success and THANKFUL for the opportunity to truly help others.
How do you stack up? Give yourself 1 point for each other the above traits that you feel you display.
Most people probably rank about a 2-3 on this scale if they’re very honest with themselves. I think if you rank 5 or above, you are well on your way to becoming the leader others will follow.
Rank an 8-9?
Give me a call so we can work together.
To your success!
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