3 Things You NEED To Know Before Attending Your MLM Company’s Live Event
It happens every time.
Soon after you join an MLM opportunity — ANY opportunity — you start hearing the clamor. It’s undeniable and it’s never understated.
Your sponsor will start mentioning it. The emails will start. And you’ll soon be invited on to “special calls” to discuss it….
Your MLM Company’s Live Event!
They will tell you that ANYONE who’s “Made It” attends every Live Event. How, if you’re serious about your business, you’ll get yourself there even if you have to take out a second mortgage on your house. See you first born if you have to… just get yourself to the Event.
I exaggerate, but not that much.
But is it REALLY necessary? Must you attend your MLM Company’s Live Event to succeed?
The answer, of course, is NO. But let’s explore it a little further….
3 Things You NEED To Know Before Attending
1. Most MLM Live Events are “Rah Rah” Sessions
The sad fact is that most of these Live Events are nothing more than cheerleading to the extreme. The “leaders” are brought on stage, the award winners display their trophies for all to see, and the inspiring stories are told for all to hear. The reality is that there is very little EDUCATIONAL benefit to most of these live events. That’s why I carefully researched my company’s live event before attending, and was thrilled to find out there was actually some solid marketing training involved.
2. You Will Be Strongly Urged to Buy Something
There are always special deals, gimmicks, and time-sensitive offers at these Live Events. ALWAYS. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons for holding your MLM Company’s Live Event — to make money for the company and the leaders. You will likely be given “attendee only” special deals to upgrade your membership or position yourself higher in the compensation plan. That’s just the way it is. Expect it and you won’t be shocked or feel pressured to make a decision.
3.. Your Upline will REALLY Want You To Attend, But Not For the Reasons They’ll Tell You
Sure, your sponsor wants to see you succeed, and sometimes its genuine. But many times, your sponsor wants you to attend Live Events because when you upgrade your membership, they get some sort of residual income. And that’s okay.. that’s what its all about. But let’s just be upfront about it. Meet them, share a meal, get to know one another, but understand that the main reason they pushed you to be there was for their own personal gain.
Having said all this, here is my Recommendation:
ATTEND YOUR MLM COMPANY LIVE EVENT
How can I say this, after all the things I’ve told you above. Because there is more to it than that. More than meets the eye, so to speak.
Networking
The very best reason for attending a Live Event is to meet people — NETWORK. That’s right, it’s “network” marketing, right? So it stands to reason that you should be doing some networking in your business. Most people believe this involves networking with people who may be interested in joining you , and that’s partly true. But the other side of Networking is to meet and befriend people in your business who can help you succeed.
Because make no mistake about it…. NO ONE SUCCEEDS ON THEIR OWN.
So use the coffee breaks and time between sessions to your greatest advantage. Get out and meet people. Don’t be a wall flower. The coffee breaks are the MOST important times of the meeting for most people. That’s when they make the connections that will help move them forward in the months ahead.
Positioning
Remember I mentioned above how your company will undoubtedly hit you with “special” upgrade deals at the Live Event? Although I presented it in a somewhat negative light, it doesn’t have to be — not if you are truly interested in positioning yourself higher in the company. Some of the best upgrade deals I’ve taken advantage of has been at my company’s live events. They are usually the best deals you will get, and if your MLM has an ounce of integrity, they will offer the Live Event Attendees the best deals around.
Nothing is more frustrating than taking advantage of a “special deal for attendees only”, and then seeing the same deal offered to people who didn’t attend the event. If this happens, voice your displeasure to your company leadership immediately. It shouldn’t be that way.
So for these 2 reasons — Networking and Positioning — I have yet to miss my Company’s live events.
Neither should you.
What’s been your experience?
Until next time,
Dr. Bob
New MLM Training Free Report Now Available — 5 Killer Strategies For Using Technology to Explode Your Business in 2010
Well, its finally finished.
I’ve been working long and hard completing this FREE REPORT for you guys, so here it is.
I call it…
and it is thorough, I’ll tell you that.
So who will benefit from this report?
- Anyone who is still using Old School MLM or Network Marketing Tactics, this report is for you….
- And anyone who is struggling with Online Marketing, this report is for you, too.
Grab it now, before I start charging for it! :-)
I’m giving you guys first crack for being loyal readers and followers… so grab it now.
To your success!
Dr. Bob Clarke
How Do YOU Measure Up?
If you’ve taken the major step of starting a blog or even your own full blown website, CONGRATULATIONS are in order.
Hopefully, you’ve carefully organized the structure of your site and are conscientious about tagging and categorizing each post or article. Maybe you’ve even studied some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost your website ranking. (If not, you may want to check out these SEO gurus).
If you’ve done any studying of SEO, you understand the importance of organizing your website or blog and having plentiful inbound links. You’ve worked really hard at it, and now you wonder…. how am I doing???
Well, I was recently turned on to a site by my friend and business partner, Craig White. The site is called HubSpot, and they offer a free website grader that will blow you away in it’s completeness.
Here is how HubSpot describes their Website Grader:
Website Grader is a free seo tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how the website can be improved from a marketing perspective.
Well, I ran a report on this site and guess what?
I received a grade of 92/100!
I got an A! Haven’t been this excited about a grade since my last year of college.
Here is a summary of my HubSpot Report:
A. Score Summary
| Section | blog.drbobclarke.com |
|---|---|
| Website Grade | 92 |
| Google Page Rank | 1 |
| Google Indexed Pages | 152 |
| Traffic Rank | 1,664,489 |
| Blog Rank | Not Ranked |
| Inbound Links | 1,189 |
| del.icio.us Bookmarks | 2 |
Your website has an Alexa rank of 1,664,489 which is in the top 5.352 % of all websites.
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But best of all, the good people over at HubSpot have given my ACTION POINTS to take in order to improve my blog’s performance even more. Things like:
- Reducing my Page Title Length (it is longer than the recommended length of 70 characters)
- Reducing the number and size of my images to allow the site to load faster
- Adding meta keywords and descriptions to my interior pages
- Submitting my site to MROZ and Yahoo web directories for maximum exposure
- and many, many more.
Here is a sample report that will give you an idea of the completeness of this website analysis.
And one last very cool thing —
They store a copy of your website report so that you can repeat this process a few months after incorporating some or all of their suggested changes…. and see how much you improved your grade!
So go ahead and use The Hubspot Website Grader for your site right now…
and see how you measure up!
If you haven’t had your blog or website for long and you get a much lower score than I received, no worries! To give you an idea, I very recently started a new Hub Blog with my wife Rosemary and it received a rank of only 70. But we are already working hard to bring that up. It takes time and a little elbow grease, but the benefits are outstanding.
Til next time,
Dr. Bob Clarke
Do You Suffer From This?
Today, a guest post from my beautiful wife, Rosemary. And she NAILS IT!
Enjoy, folks…..
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An open question for all those Network Marketers out there who are stuggling, maybe even ready to quit:
- Do you feel stuck in your business?
- Not moving fast enough?
- Are you getting poor result?
- Do you feel like giving up?
Then you have reached what I call “Your Saturation Point”
When I first started in Network Marketing a few years ago, I was overwhelmed with the amount of learning I needed to do. Since I came from a Science background, I had to start from “Pre-K”…LITERALLY.
I tried to learn everything at the same time. I found myself buying every motivational book, audio, e-books, etc. I was also listening to numerous training calls. I was exhausted, frustrated and incredibly “Cranky”, not to mention BROKE!
I am not saying this was a bad choice. It was just too much to DIGEST at the same time.
I decided to STOP, and started thinking about how could I sort out the things that were more relevant to my goals and my so call “TALENTS”.
These are some things I did that help me “GET OUT” of the BLACK HOLE:
1) Discover Your Talents
We ALL have some kind of talent. Have you discovered YOURS?
It is time to PEELTHE ONION and get into those deep layers. It might sound easy but soon you will find that it is quite difficult …at least for most people.
Remember: God DOES NOT Create GARBAGE…..We DO
2) Go BACK To SCHOOL
So you found your talent or talents.
Now what?
Find the resources that can help you become an expert with your GIFTS.
Remember these were given to YOU and you should EXPLOIT THEM to
help OTHERS which eventually will benefit YOU.
3) BE Genuine
You found your talents, educated yourself… WHAT’S NEXT?
Be honest and don’t go with the rest of the crowd.
BE different.
STAND OUT!
And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! — STAY AWAY FROM THE HYPE
4) Beware The Trap of Procrastination
Do I need to explain this one?
“Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do TODAY”
Whatever needs to get done, DO IT NOW!!!!
That’s what helped me get out of my own way and finally succeed in helping others with THEIR dreams…
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Discover Your Talents —> Get Educated —> Be Genuine —> Don’t Waste Time
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This was my formula for success. I hope it helps you, too.
Rosemary
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!
Are You a “Jack of all Trades” Marketer?
When I think of someone who is called a “jack of all trades”, I think of someone who is very handy, can fix just about anything, and someone I want the phone number of when something in my house breaks (I am NOT handy around the house!).
Yes, I think everyone would agree that being a “jack of all trades” in this sense is considered a very positive attribute.
But is this true in the world of Internet Marketing?
My vote would be NO. And here’s why…
Think of all the ways to market on the Internet
- Pay-per-click
- Video
- Articles
- Blogging
- Squidoo, Hubpages, Wetpaint
- Classifieds
- Ezine advertising
- Forums
- Facebook and MySpace
- Banner advertising
- and likely many more that I’ve forgotten to include
Is it possible to be a “Jack of All Trades” Marketer? Of course.
That would be someone who knows a little about all types of marketing, but alot about NONE.
And that, I believe, is NOT A GOOD THING.
I feel that it’s much more advantageous to be EXPERT in one or two methods of marketing, rather than to spread yourself thin by trying to learn all there is to know about ALL types of marketing. It’s just not possible. And least for me, it wasn’t.
When I first started marketing online, I tried the “Jack of All Trades” approach to marketing. I was consumed with learning every type of marketing I could get my hands on. It was truly all-consuming and wiped me out.
I ended up being mediocre in many marketing modalities.
And expert at NONE.
And then I got smart. I took a look around at the people who were having the most success on the Internet, and it was the people who had SPECIALIZED in one method of marketing, who became branded as EXPERTS in their field.
Those were the people who I wanted to be.
I come from the field of medical sciences, and it is no secret that the SPECIALISTS are the ones who make the big money. The Family Practice doctors do okay financially, and they know a little about a lot (perhaps they are the Jack of All Trades in the medical field) — but it is the SPECIALISTS that are so highly skilled in one area of medicine that they become highly sought after.
And they command the BIG MONEY.
It’s no different in Marketing. Become THE EXPERT or one of the top experts in a certain method of marketing, and you can name your price.
This One Very Common Prospecting Mistake Will Torpedo Your Home Based Business Before You Even Get Started
One of the keys to being successful in network marketing is having the ability to quickly and accurately qualify your prospects. People have different criteria in making these important decisions, but it really comes down to one important question:
“Is your opportunity one that will help solve the problems of your prospect?”
Too many people in network marketing make the critical mistake of qualifying people based on how the prospect will add to their OWN business. For example, if Mary comes to me willing to spend thousands of dollars in capital to gain entry in to my home business opportunity, this would mean a huge commission in my pocket. But before I can in good conscience add Mary to my team, I need to assess her needs and wants to be sure that they are consistent with the ability of my opportunity to satisfy them.
Under what possible circumstances would I disqualify a prospect?
Here’s another example.
Let’s say that John comes to me inquiring about my home business opportunity. John tells me he has looked over the business briefly, has the few hundred dollars to enter the opportunity at the lowest level, and is eager to get started.
Before I accept John’s money, I have a conversation with him regarding his needs and wants. It turns out that these few hundred dollars is all John has left in the world, he is unemployed, no immediate prospects of finding work, has no prior experience in network marketing, and needs $3000 in the next 20 days to make his mortgage payment or he will lose his home.
There is no way that I can recommend this opportunity to John, nor any network marketing opportunity that I know of, because I understand how unlikely it would be for John to meet these critical needs.
This is an example of putting your prospects needs in front of your own.
It is critical to get this right.
Putting your own needs and wants ahead of your prospects will almost certainly result in the ultimate failure of your home business.
I make this statement with no hesitation because I firmly believe that the intention of your business will ultimately decide its fate.
If your intention is solely to make a lot of money for yourself as quickly as possible to satisfy your OWN desires, your prospects will quickly realize this and move away from you as a leader who can help them. However, if your true intention is to help others solve THEIR problems and meet THEIR goals, and your opportunity can help them realize these goals, then you have the perfect opportunity for adding them to your team and helping them succeed in their business.
Making this important shift from your own needs to those of your prospects will set you up as a leader to be followed and a person of great integrity. You will undoubtedly make more money in the long run and thus, meet your own personal income and life goals in the process. And there is one more advantage:
You’ll be able to sleep at night.
The Quickest Path to Becoming a Network Marketing Leader
One of the most common questions I get from new members of my home business team goes something like this:
“There’s so much to learn! What skills should I concentrate on first? “
Before I answer this, let’s get one thing very clear…. and this is critical to get:
Your success in network marketing will be directly related to your VALUE TO THE MARKETPLACE.
What does this mean? It means that the amount of money you make will be a result of how many new members join your business. And how many people join your business will be directly related to the likelihood that people see you as THE LEADER who will help them obtain their particular needs and wants.
That is, a PERSON OF VALUE.
Having said this, I’ve found that there are 3 critical skills that, if learned, will make you the leader that people will jump over walls to join your team.
In no particular order, here they are (along with recommendations of what I consider to be the best resources available to gain these skills):
Skill #1: Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC). PPC is the single most important marketing skill to master in today’s world of the Internet. PPC has changed the way of traditional marketing. Instead of cold calling, making lists of friends and family, and the good ‘ol 3-foot-rule, we now have mechanism to identify people who are searching for exactly what we have to offer. And there are no geographical limitations. But this is not a skill easily mastered, and to enter this market unprepared can cost you big time! Google is the biggest player in this market.
Recommendation: I strongly recommend Mike Dillard’s PPC Domination course, particularly those who are in the MLM or Direct Sales market. Easy to understand videos and exhaustive resources make the PPC Domination course on the best investments for your online business. It is the most cost effective and complete way to learn PPC from the bottom up.
Skill #2: Copywriting. Copywriting, or the ability to write compelling ad copy that will elicit the response you are looking for (i.e. sales) is the second skill that will, when mastered, will add tremendous value to the marketplace and compel people to follow you. This again is not an easy skill to master, and requires a bit of practice to get it right, but there are several online and off line resources to help.
Recommendations: There are a couple of blogs that are tremendous resources for people looking to learn ad copy. The first blog is written by John Carlton, an expert copywriter who started off line and had made the jump to online marketing about as successfully as anyone. John Carlton’s Big Damn Blog is full of tips, examples, and free content that will set you on the path to becoming an expert copywriter. The second blog, Copyblogger.com, is another excellent resource.
If you prefer books, I can strongly recommend Hypnotic Writing, by Joe Vitale. I just finished this book, and it is about as excellent a copywriting resource as you will find. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and includes both online (emails, ads) and offline (sales letters) examples on how to best persuade your readers to take action.
Skill #3: Positioning and Posture. In order to be the leader that people are searching for, you need to have value. We have already established this. But you also need to BE THE LEADER, to know how to position yourself as the person people NEED to join.
Positioning yourself as a leader may be THE most critical skill to learn in order to make BIG money in Network Marketing. You can have all the marketing and business skills in the world, but if you cannot promote yourself in such a way that people see you as the person who can take them to the Promised Land, then you have nothing.
Recommendation: Back when I was looking to position myself as a leader, I asked my upline what he considered the best resource on the subject. He pointed me in the direction of Blackbelt Recruiting, by Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring. This CD series teaches you step by step how to begin the process of positioning and maintain and grow it as your business expands. This is a can’t miss: Blackbelt Recruiting.
So there you have it, the 3 skills that will put you in to the Top Earner category for any company you represent in Network Marketing:
- Pay-per-click Marketing
- Copywriting
- Posture and Positioning
While it will not be possible to become expert in all 3 skills in the very beginning, this is where I steer my new members when getting started. Even having a basic knowledge of these skills will go a long way to growing your network marketing home based business.
We Met Burt Reynolds Driving A Taxi in Lake Tahoe
Well, it wasn’t really Burt Reynolds, but it sure looked like him.
It was, in fact a man named AJ, pictured here with my wife Rosemary, who turned out to be one hell of an interesting character.
I tell my team members all the time how VERY IMPORTANT it is to attend LIVE EVENTS when they are held. I explain the importance of meeting the leaders of the company, rubbing elbows with people just like them who are successful and attaining the very same goals that my new members have set for themselves.
And I tell them they must get to our Marketing Event because of the cutting edge marketing that is taught and the great discounts that are provided to attendees for those that wish to get advanced training.
All of this is true.
But one thing I NEVER considered was this:
When you travel to a Live Event, you get to meet people from all over the country, many of whom have very interesting and inspirational stories. This was AJ.
We had about an hour cab ride from Tahoe to the Reno International Airport. We were still on a high from attending the CC PRO Marketing Event from the day before, and were eager for conversation. In the cab, Rosemary and I were talking about the event, the atmosphere, the new marketing strategies we had learned, and the great parties we had attended after the event.
Our cab driver seemed very interested in what we were saying, and asked us about our company and our business. It turns out that our cab driver, AJ was not just a cab driver. No, AJ had a very interesting story, and the attitudes and beliefs of an entrepreneur.
AJ told us he had been a stuntman in the movies and TV for many years before retiring before the age of 40. Of course, we asked him what he had been in, and he rattled off such movies as Smoky and the Bandit I and II and The Spy who Loved Me. His TV show credits included Bonanza, Rawhide, The Six Million Dollar Man, and many others.
He told us that he looked so much like Burt Reynolds that he served as his double in many of his movies. Even though AJ was much older than in his working days, we could definitely see the resemblance (in fact, Burt hasn’t aged that well, either!)
His most famous stunt? He told us it would have to be skiing at breakneck speed down the mountain being chased by villains in the James Bond classic, The Spy Who Loved Me. You know the one — he flies down the mountain, chased to the edge of a cliff, only to fly off the cliff, open his parachute, and descend safety below, and skis safety away. For James Bond lovers, it’s a very famous opening scene.
But it wasn’t just his stories that amazed us. We soon found out that AJ was a clever entrepreneur who, having invested his wealth early on in real estate, had been able to retire at a very young age. He continued his real estate investments after retirement, never wanting to work for someone else.
Imagine a young 22 year old getting large sums of money for performing stunts, having the foresight and strength to invest that money rather than blowing it all on material things. Most young kids at that age would be spending it faster than they could make it.
The reason for this story? Be open at all times for stories and experiences that can inspire you to new heights, and the can remind you that you, as an entrepreneur are on the right path to freedom and success in your life.
You never know where you might find it… even in a taxi cab in the middle of Nevada being driven by a Burt Reynolds look-alike.
To your success!
Jay Kubassek’s Simple Secret To Success in Network Marketing
I just came across this video from a great friend and hugely successful network marketer that I want to share with you.
Jay Kubassek is the CEO of the company I chose for my primary income source on the Internet, but his wise words apply to all network marketers in any opportunity.
Truer words have never been spoken. It’s a problem we all face daily and one that needs to be overcome if you want to be successful.
Enjoy folks.
Have a great and productive day!
Bob’s Primary Income Opportunity
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