From Home Biz Builders

Who Cares How Many Internet Marketing Leads You Get! How Well Do They Convert?

2009-12-16T14:00:00.003-05:00

Who has a more profitable business, the person who has 5,000 leads that converts at 8% or the person who has 3,000 leads that converts at 18%?

There is such a misconception that you just need to get more leads. I hear it all the time, "I just need more leads!" Well, on a personal development side note, you don't NEED anything, you DESERVE everything. Anyway, I'll get back to the leads.

What you deserve are higher conversion rates. In the above example the person with 5,000 leads converted 400 prospects. The person with 3,000 leads converted 540 prospects.

What Does That Mean For Your Business?

Who in their right mind doesn't want to spend less to make more!?! Seriously, that is the game that we play! You need to learn right now that it won't amount to a hill of beans if you spend $101,000.000 to make $100,000. You're looking at that and thinking that's an obvious statement. However, every company that goes out of business does so because they Spend themselves out of business.

In the world of Internet Marketing, here are a few tips to spending less and making more:

1) Get VERY CLEAR: If you have an ad that says "Make Money From Home" the first thing on your landing page should say, "Make Money From Home." There are no exceptions here. I know some are reading this and thinking, "I've got 15 different ad campaigns with 100 different keywords, there's no way I can do that." My response to this is simple. Get over it and get to work. First of all, with that many campaigns and that many keywords I promise there are some that perform and others that don't. It's the 80/20 rule. Keep the 20% that produce 80% of your revenue. This is not a contest of who has a bigger campaign. It is a contest of who makes the most profit! Get rid of the clutter and get focused.

2) Test, test and test some more: This is a never ending process. This is another area where I lose people. You begin to hear comments like, "These numbers are good enough." The person who utters those words is not serious about their business. I'm talking about a process that takes about 30 minutes of your time and can increase your profits as much as 20%. I would test until I only have one campaign with three keywords if that's what worked. You've got to test your ads, your offers and your landing pages. Now I'm no math wiz, but that has got to equal a lot of different variations.

3) Master your Copy: If your copy sucks, you'll never get good conversions. All the top Marketers are also great copywriters. Go down the list...Frank Kern, Yanik Silver, Mike Dillard, Eben Pagen, etc. Each of these guys are HUGELY successful marketers and even better copywriters. Do yourself a favor and begin to approach your writing as if you're business depends on it...because it does.

Take these tips and begin to implement them into your business. Your conversions will begin to go up, your profits will begin to increase and your stress level will suddenly vanish. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Star Wars Taught Me The Most Important Internet Marketing Lesson

2009-12-15T10:58:00.005-05:00

Do you understand light years? I don't have a full grasp on it myself, but it came up in conversation last night and thought it made for a compelling analogy. So, as I butcher any science involved, I'm going to put things into perspective.

A light year is equal to just under 10 trillion km, or about 5,878,630,000,000 miles. A light year is used to measure distances to stars and other Battle Star Galactica terms I'm unfamiliar with.

I do know, however, that there are stars that are multiple light years away that are not currently there anymore. What I mean is that they are so far away we continue to see something that no longer exists. I know, this is a little Star Trekky but stick with me.

So, if there are images that are still visible but no longer exist, how big is all that is out there? The only reason I ask is to simply put into perspective how infinitesimally small and rather unimportant our tasks are. I know some of you just got your feeling hurt by that statement but it's true.

We're talking about this, that and the other in terms of living our lives and how to correctly communicate on Twitter. Give me a Break!

Most of the people I teach over analyze everything. They don't do this, or feel uncomfortable about that, etc. These are all FEAR based emotions that give you feedback in terms of being uneasy. When you begin to realize that you are on this ONE PLANET for a VERY short period of time, dealing with a very minute detail, you will begin to release some of that fear.

Let's face it, what we do, as marketers and business owners, is extremely easy. We have been conditioned to believe what we do is more important than it truly is. Will the Universe come to a screeching halt if you type the wrong keywords, say something out of line on Facebook or get Slapped by Google? No, but most of us spend days, if not months, researching and analyzing something before we do it like we're sending a man to Mars.

Make the most of your time. Be bold and go after what you know is yours. You will be rewarded for your efforts and you will learn and be a better business owner from your mistakes. We're talking about mastering the internet for marketing and advertising purposes, not mastering the Universe. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

I Don't Need No Stinkin' Home Business Internet Marketing Success Coach...Really?

2009-12-14T10:52:00.004-05:00

What if you knew everything you needed to do to increase you Home Business revenues? Better yet, what if you knew WHY you were doing what you're doing to increase your Home Business revenue?

Having a Home Business Internet Marketing success coach will shorten your learning curve and have you on the fast track for success.

For the first year of running my home business I tried everything my Upline mentor told me. You know, connect with your friends and family. Talk to your mailman. Invite your neighbors over for a Business overview. All the standard issue stuff to build a HUGE business! This is how it turned out for me...

My friends...most of them are more interested in what happened on the last episode of whatever their favorite TV show is or who won whatever game of their favorite sports team than they are in building a big business

My family...seriously, most of us handle family most in small doses. Let alone intertwined in the day to day operations of a business.

My Mailman & Neighbors...I live in Florida where most of my neighbors are retired and the thought of starting over and doing anything different just seems like a lot of work!

So, how on Earth are you going to build a big business when these are your "Business" connections!?!

Drum roll please...Get a Home Business Internet Marketing Success Coach! I made more money in the first 30 days than I had the entire first year of my business. Do you think it's because all of the previous connections suddenly had a life changing revelation and their entire mindset changed? No, I began to Market my business to people who are actually interested in building a business. Now that is a novel concept (insert sarcasm here).

How much more enjoyable will your Home Business be when you begin to share your opportunity with other excited Business Builders? Do you think you will find a new sense of enthusiasm when everyone you speak with is as excited and motivated as you are?

I'm here to tell you this is the difference between success and failure. You know the old saying, "Birds of a Feather.." As you begin to implement these things in your business you will understand why there is such a high attrition rate among most Home Business opportunities. Most of the "usual suspects" will simply start in business with you because they feel obligated, or you happened to catch them at the right time. You need to connect with people who are eager and ready to roll their sleeves up and work to build a business that will provide for them the rest of their lives.

Nothing will get you from zero to hero as quickly as a Home Business Internet Marketing Success Coach!

You will begin to see your Home Business in a whole new light. It will actually be a business that produces revenue! How does that sound? You will have systems in place that do all of the sifting, sorting, selling and telling for you. Your job is to continue to Market your business and TEACH your organization how to replicate your success. Your job is not to convince people to join you and waste your time with people who simply won't do the work.

So, it's up to you. Do you want to spin your wheels and get frustrated with the lack of results? Or, do you want to team up with a Home Business Internet Marketing Success coach who will go over your goals and have a plan for you to be successful in less than 90 days?

The choice is yours!

Your business will be greater than it's ever been. You'll have a new sense of clarity when approaching your day to day business activities. And best of all, you'll begin to realize all of the dreams that got you started in the first place. Do yourself a favor and team up with a Home Business Internet Marketing Success Coach. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Make The Most of Your Internet Marketing PPC Campaign

2009-12-11T08:39:00.003-05:00

What do you want to do, lose $5,000 next month or make $5,000 next month? In the next few minutes I’m going to give you a crash course to make the most of your internet marketing PPC campaign.

Let’s get one thing straight right from the beginning. If you don’t understand, or haven’t run a small PPC campaign, it would be wise to get an education and learn the ropes before moving forward.

There is no other advertising medium that is as powerful as a fine tuned PPC campaign! That’s a fact. In the past a successful marketer would have to spend weeks or months testing ads, copy, offers and conversions before they would find a winning competition. Sometimes just the amount of time would put some people out of business due to the low returns and ongoing expenses.

PPC has changed all of that! You can run a campaign and test it in a matter of days.

Rule #1…Get Focused! You have to know your plan prior to going into war. If you change course half way through you will never get to your end results and the casualties will be catastrophic. This is probably the biggest issue with new marketers. They find a keyword or keyword phrase and stick with it for a few days until they abandon it completely. This is no way to get the results you are after.

You must work diligently and consistently with your chosen Keyword or Keyword phrases. Now, for the sake of this article, I’m going to assume you have done extensive Keyword research and you are competing in an area you know you can win. All good marketers will have extensive Keyword lists, however, they also have just a few that they have found that….

EUREKA moment!!

This is when the game completely changes and your internet marketing PPC campaign is more like an ATM that continues to spit money at you! However, if you’re going into this blind, have done no research and are just going to “throw mud against the wall” to see what sticks, you are going to be the one I mentioned earlier who loses $5,000 next month.

Internet Marketing PPC campaigns are a science. Nobody ever gets lucky; they have simply put the correct pieces of the equation together. This is just like any other game; you must understand the rules before you can become a master. However, when you become a master, you control your own destiny and the number of zeros in your bank account.

Get prepared for PPC domination. Get focused, get clear and make the most of your internet marketing PPC campaign. There’s no better feeling than KNOWING you’re marketing efforts will pay off. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until Next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Increase Your Internet Marketing Lead Conversion

2009-12-10T12:25:00.004-05:00

Increasing your internet marketing lead conversions can put thousands of dollars in your pocket while at the same time cutting your marketing budget.

Well how can this be, I hear you ask. That sounds too good to be true…to be able to cut costs and increase revenue and profit?!? That’s right, when your marketing campaigns have become a science to you, you will be able to literally print money with the words you write or better yet, the words you don’t write!

It’s time for you to start thinking of your Internet Marketing efforts like a science experiment. There are variables, results and the ever important control. So the first place you must start is with your control. This means you are going to HAVE to start!

But everything is quite ready!

Get over it and get something out there. How are you ever going to make changes and improve your internet marketing lead conversions if you don’t have any results to compare?

Start with ONE marketing campaign and test, test, test. Find a keyword or keyword phrase that you want to go after and focus on that for a month. Begin this campaign with one landing page and two separate ads. After you’ve got some relevant data, you will know which ad performs better and you can keep the good ad. Kill the bad ad and write another ad to compare to the ad that is working. That’s right, just because one ad outperformed the other does not mean it is the end all be all ad.

You are going to have to test EVERYTHING!

Now that you’ve got a performing ad in place with a Landing Page that converts, it’s time to start testing different Landing Pages with different ads. Are you beginning to see how finite you can get with this! ALL top producers are freaks about testing ads, copy, landing pages and keywords. Continually testing and adjusting is the only way to truly increase your internet marketing lead conversions.

Get out there, get committed and take control of your internet marketing efforts. You can absolutely dominate your online market if you simply take the time to test all aspects of your marketing. You will begin to approach this with confidence and a felling of ease because you KNOW what works. In less than 30 days you will begin to see an increase in your internet marketing lead conversion. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

The Truth About Generating Leads

2009-12-08T09:46:00.003-05:00

The heavy hitters in the Direct Sales industry routinely get over 100 leads a day. Is this done through Twitter, Facebook, Squidoo, Youtube, Articles and Blogs? No. All of those methods will absolutely get you free traffic and free leads. If you want the most out of your internet marketing efforts, Google Adwords must be in your arsenal.

Please keep in mind, there is quite the learning curve for Google Adwords and internet marketing.

This is the reason so many people advocate you use the previous approaches to driving traffic and getting leads. You must first understand who you are looking for and where your traffic is coming from. What better way to do that than to use Twitter, Facebook, Sqidoo, Youtube, Articles and Blogs?

It's better to test all of your copy, landing pages and offers through free traffic sources such as the avenues listed above. It would be a real bummer if you spent thousands of dollars to send traffic to a landing page that doesn't convert. So do your homework and start with the free stuff.

When you are ready, there are some resources that you should keep next to you at all times. Perry Marshall's Definitive Guide to Adwords 2010 is a must for anyone who plans to start using Google PPC. If it's not the 2010 Guide, you're reading yesterday's news, and we all know that's about as valuable as toilet paper.

Google's algorithms are not to be messed with. If you don't play by their rules, you will get shut down, it's as simple as that. At the end of the day, if Google's end user, the searcher, is not having a pleasurable experience neither will you. Just think if you are giving value to who you are trying to attract. Are you being relevant or are you simply throwing out some "Secret Money Machine?"

There is no other marketing medium on the planet that can directly effect the success of your internet marketing like Google Adwords. You can get as specific as humanly possible and if you continue to play by Google's rules, it will even get less expensive for you as you become more profitable...crazy concept right?!?

Again, do your homework and make sure your entire sales system is ready for the traffic. It would be like inviting the Green Bay Packers over for dinner and only having one pizza, it won't last long! When you're ready and you've done your homework, turn it on and watch your leads multiply in front of your eyes. Internet Marketing and Google Adwords are a match made in heaven (after going through premarital counseling). I hope this helps you on your Journey, Until Next time, Happy Marketing!

Home Business Internet Marketing: Having a Great Success Coach

2009-12-04T09:50:00.003-05:00

Having a Great success Coach in your home business internet marketing venture can mean the difference between you making it and not. I'm surely not saying that nobody will be able to do it on their own. I am, however, saying that the time and the money involved can absolutely put people right out of business before they see enough results to be able to continue.

Take for instance if I said to you, "You need to have multiple landing pages up to be congruent with your PPC campaigns. You also need to make sure to begin to implement content sites for your landing pages because Google is really cracking down on the offers being made in our industry. Make sure you have enough inbound and outbound links so that the search engines love you. And don't forget to continue to do all of the "grass roots" marketing like articles, videos, blogs, social media, etc. When you get all of that done, we'll have a great place to BEGIN starting to test your campaigns and copy writing."

I'm overwhelmed just typing that and I've good a pretty good grasp of this stuff. Having a great success coach to go along with you home business internet marketing venture will be worth their weight in gold. The best way I can put it is this...having a pro help you will save you MONTHS and TENS of THOUSANDS of DOLLARS. So in the same 6 months that you could be learning this business, you could have a home business internet marketing success coach work with you and have you replacing your current income in less than 90 days!

That is not a joke. I'm actually being relatively conservative about the possibilities. Everyone who has ever been good at anything has had a success coach. We could rattle off a list of athletes who work with the best coaches in the business. We could say the same about entrepreneurs, attorneys, doctors, sales people, etc. In the Home Business Internet Marketing industry, Having a great success coach is the difference between the 97% who don't make it and the top 3% who live an abundant lifestyle.

So ask yourself where you are right now in your business. I'm sure you have an idea of what you'd like to get done, but do you really understand WHY you need certain things? If you're just running out and hiring people to implement this or start doing that but you don't know why, how are you ever going to now what works? You need to get very clear about what your end goal is and work backwards from there. This is sales and business 101...how much money do I want to make? How many sales do I need to make to earn that money? How many calls do I need to make that many sales? How many leads do I need to have that many calls? Etc, etc, etc, until you have an entire and thorough home based internet marketing plan drawn out. This is something a great success coach can help you with in a matter of days!!

Quit trying to half ass it. You're never going to be able to get around or avoid certain aspects. And on the flip side of that, you're never going to be able to go from just starting to the most advanced strategies without being knocked down. You have to learn it, and you have to learn all of it. Even if you are going to outsource (which I recommend) you still have to be in control of your overall marketing campaigns and the image of your company. Not only that, but nobody cares about your business as much as you do. Do it right! I hope this helps you on your Journey. Make sure to check back often for more info. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Do You Have What it Takes To Be An Internet Marketing Mentor

2009-12-01T15:02:00.002-05:00

Everybody knows that with every success there is a mentor somewhere in the background. Do you have one? Better yet, are you acting like an internet marketing mentor? This goes back to an old saying that goes something like this...Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want.

So, knowing that we need to become the person before you can manifest all of the abundance that go along with it, where do you start? That's actually relatively simple because you don't have to do anything that isn't currently being done on a daily basis. Does your mentor hold trainings for you? Does your mentor offer you advice and give you ongoing learning resources? These are some of the simple aspects to begin implementing with your team.

First and foremost you have to understand that if someone has come to you to join you in in business and/or learn from you, that person believes in you and wants to learn from you. So give them some of the materials you started with. Is there a certain book that got you started? Did you watch a video that resonated deeply with you? Think of what got you to where you are and introduce those same resources to your team.

You'll soon find out that being an internet marketing mentor is more about belief in others than it is about practical approaches to Landing Pages and conversions. People want to know they are being supported and they are on the right track. There are a few basic human needs that all people want to feel comfortable with. After you have done a good job conveying to them that you actually care, you will be surprised at the amount of growth comes from your organization.

Step into the role of an internet marketing leader as soon as possible! Don't fall into the thought process of "not being there yet." Remember the quote about the suit! You can't wait for the results to be right before you do something. You have to do something and watch the results blossom! The right time is now the winning team is yours and the best internet marketing mentor is you!

Right now, I want you to schedule time in your day to stay in touch with your team. I don't care if you don't have a single person in your organization...do it! Make this a priority and prepare for your team trainings to be huge and it will be so. If you want it to rain, you have to dig your ditches!! Get out there with a Tractor and dig some HUGE ditches!

Understand you can become the one everyone talks about. You can be the next person on stage that came out of nowhere. You and I will both know you didn't come out of nowhere, you where digging your ditches to become the best internet marketing mentor on the planet. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Be sure to check back often for more info. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Profit With an Internet Marketing Sales Funnel

2009-12-01T10:11:00.004-05:00

We all know what a funnel looks like right? Do you know what an internet marketing sales funnel looks like? If not, it's okay, I'm going to give you an idea of what it looks like and more importantly, how it will effectively increase your business.

The basic premise of a funnel is that it has a very wide opening at the top and a very narrow opening towards the bottom. Funnels are great to get things to travel from a starting point to an end point very effectively without losing anything. You do this when you change the oil in your car or when you're trying to fill a bottle with a smaller opening. I guess you don't have to use the funnel, but we all know what happens when you don't. You get oil, milk or kool-aid all over the place, but hey you got it done!

Unfortunately in business the, "Hey, I got it done" approach usually puts people out of business. This is because in business all of the oil, milk or kool-aid you spilled all over the place represents your money! I hope you're beginning to understand the importance.

An internet marketing sales funnel works the same way. It takes your leads into the wide opening at the top. Then, through a series of multiple pages, takes them through to the finished product. Which, in our case is your offer. Now, there may be multiple offers along the way, but the end result is usually a repeat customer who is now on your list and buys from you on a regular basis. All of this, I must add, is done with very little of your personal involvement.

Now it's important to note that not all of your prospects are going to join you or buy from you. With an internet marketing sales funnel, however, you have at least been able to capture the prospects name and information. Even if this person decides not to continue on through the process (which is meant to weed out those who don't buy) it's okay because you still have contact with that prospect. And, in the world of internet marketing the saying goes like this, "the money is in the list."

Internet marketing sales funnels can single handily do the work of an entire sales office. There isn't someone doing the cold calls to transfer you to an associate who then transfers you to an account manager who ultimately closes the deal. Did anyone else just get that dirty feeling of being on a used car lot!! It's the same process!! The advertising gets you there, the guy on the lot will tell you ANYTHING to get you to the next step until you are ultimately sitting with the financing agent. This exists in every business. Normally, however, it takes a full staff and huge overhead. You can have a beautifully set up internet marketing sales funnel that operates with just you.

I hope this helps put some things into perspective for you. The internet marketing sales funnel is an instrumental piece of the puzzle. Make sure yours is up and running. Make sure to check back often for more info. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Convert Internet Marketing Leads Into Sales

2009-11-30T11:21:00.003-05:00

You're out doing a great job of generating leads. You're beginning to see the fruits of your labors. Now you're wondering why your leads are not turning into sales or recruits. There could be a number of things that are taking place for there to be a break down. I am going to give you a few tips to convert internet marketing leads into sales.

1) Sales Copy: The first thing I think about when the sales from a new campaign are weak is my sales copy. What am I saying, or in many cases, what am I not saying? You have to understand that in the world of internet marketing, you have about 5 seconds to grab the attention of your prospect. I know you want to thank them and make them feel good, etc. but the truth is your prospect wants to know 3 things and they want to know them NOW!! What are you offering? What can it do for me? How do I get it? These are the questions your prospect wants answered and they want it quickly. You have to understand that your prospect has already found themselves on your Landing Page. This means you have already given them enough information to get them there. Now it is time to make the sale. If sales copy is not your thing, work on it! Yes, you can outsource, but how will you ever know if what you're buying is good work? You could spend months testing and tens of thousands of dollars lost by not having good sales copy. Refine your sales copy and give your prospect what they are looking for. You already have them there, now give it to them!

2) Clear Message: If your Marketing or Advertising talks about being about being able to help you grow world class tomatoes in 2 weeks and I end up at your Landing Page and you're trying to sell me watermelons, I'm gonna leave. I know this may seem like a no-brainer, however, most people are not giving clear messages on their landing pages. If you are running multiple different marketing strategies and advertising messages, you need to have multiple different Landing Pages with correlating messages. If you do this not only will the search engines like you a whole lot more, you will conversions will sky rocket. Each piece of marketing needs to act like a map for your prospect. Start here, take these directions and end here. We're talking about being able to convert internet marketing leads into sales, not just having a blog and landing page up and hoping for the best. You must plan, test, reevaluate and make changes constantly.

3) Offer: If you've worked on your sales copy and you have a clear message on your landing page that corresponds with all of your marketing and you still can't convert internet marketing leads into traffic, your offer sucks. I don't say this to be rude, it simply is what it is. There is a possibility that there simply isn't a market for what you are selling. If this is the case your problem is much greater than simply conversions. Go back through your entire process as if you were a prospect. What are you looking for? Do you have what I want? Have you given me enough previous information? What will it do for me? Does the offer make me reach for my Credit Card? Put yourself in the shoes of your prospects. We are all consumers. We all have some of the same most very basic needs that we feel need to be met. Make sure you are giving your prospect the same in terms of your offer.

Being able to convert internet marketing leads into sales is a science. There is most definitely a method to the madness. In order for you to be able to convert like the big boys, you need to be able to understand how it all works together. The sooner you can pick apart your own marketing and sales system the sooner you'll be converting internet marketing leads into sales. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Make sure to check back often for more info. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Succeed With An Internet Marketing Blueprint

2009-11-30T10:10:00.004-05:00

Everyone is looking for that one final piece to the puzzle. That one crucial item that they are leaving out. You know, that secret that the pros use and don't tell anybody about. Well, I can tell you that it's not one piece, item or special secret that produce top earner results. It is, however, a winning internet marketing blueprint. So, my goal today is to give you some information about the different pieces that come together to give you a successful internet marketing blueprint.

1) Blog: First and foremost you are going to need a blog. Let me explain why this is such an important piece of the puzzle. A blog serves as your HUB. This is where everything comes to and flows from. So, if you have an article, video or any other type of CONTENT RICH marketing out there, it will bring you back to your blog. Take for instance, an individual does a Google search and comes across your article. This prospect reads your article, is impressed and follows the link to your blog. Up until the point of them going to your blog, you were just some person with a nice article. Now that they are on your blog, they are introduced to EVERYTHING related to your particular market/industry. Thus, positioning yourself as an expert in this field. Now, on the other side of the Marketing coin. Let's say a prospect clicks on one of your ads of a PPC (Pay Per Click) campaign and is taken directly to Landing Page. After your prospect is done with your Landing Page, I promise you that prospect is going to Google your name to find out who you are. Are they going to find anything? If you have a blog with lots of CONTENT RICH information they will. If not, you are just another talking head trying to take someone's money. Be an expert and get a blog!

2) Landing Page: This is also known as a Capture Page or a Squeeze Page. This is basically your sales page. A prospect can find themselves on this page through multiple different avenues. Take for instance this blog, when you click on this link you'll be taken to my Landing Page for an opportunity to work directly with me. Some marketers will have you link directly to their landing page from an article, video or other form of Marketing. This is completely up to you and depends on where you are trying to drive traffic and what you are trying to sell. Your Landing Page is not a blog! Your Landing Page does not have to be pretty. Your Landing Page does need to be a great piece of Sales writing. Let's not mix words here, your Landing page and all of your marketing is sales! If it's not it's a waste of time. Your not in Marketing as a hobby, you're in marketing to sell a product or help others sell a product. So understanding it is a sales process, your Landing page needs to entice your prospect to BUY NOW.

3) Auto Responders: Although we would all like to think everyone who goes to the landing page is going to buy, the truth is the vast majority will not. Somewhere along the way you have done a good enough job to actually get them to your landing page, so there is a certain amount of interest. It has been researched that most people need to see something up to 7 times before they make a purchase. So, since none of us are good with follow up, we need auto responders. And I can hear you now, "I pride myself on following up with everyone, I don't need auto responders." Really, these are the words of someone who doesn't get 300-500 leads per week. If you're keeping up with the follow up with all of those people, that has become your full time job. Go to http://www.aweber.com and set up an account and get your auto responders in place. There's nothing like making money in the middle of the night due to the work of the auto responders and the system.

Obviously with limited space I can't go into great detail about a successful internet marketing blueprint. These are, however, some of the basics that ALL top producers have in place. Each one of these pieces serves a purpose of a larger goal. Use each of these pieces as they are meant to be used and you'll be designing your own internet marketing blueprint. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Make sure to check back often to get more information. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Dominate Your Online Market

2009-11-23T10:18:00.003-05:00

Online Business is more competitive now than ever before. And, I've got news for you, I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. So, if you want to dominate your online market, there are a few things you are going to need to do on a consistent basis. While it is true that you can have a great Marketing and Sales system in place that requires little involvement of you, truly dominating your online market is going to require some hands on work. Let's get started!

1) Content: This is so important it's ridiculous. I don't care what industry, market or line of work you're in, if you want good rankings and quality traffic to your business, you need to produce good quality content. I spent some time over the weekend with a friend of mine in the insurance business. We got to talking about manufacturing leads, driving traffic and all the other good stuff I love to talk about. I took a look at his site and immediately saw a few mistakes. The first being content. Look, nobody cares how nice your office, how long the company has been around, what part of town your located, etc. You know what people want? They want FREE content that they can actually use. Now, the better the content, the more information you should get. In the case of my insurance buddy, why not give out the 10 most commonly asked questions about buying Health insurance, or the 10 most common questions that SHOULD be asked. Or, a report on how new Government guidelines can and will effect your insurance policies. I have no idea what it is for your business, but what ever it is, make it relevant to your industry and make it so that it helps people make a decision to buy. When you have given them enough information to buy, they will buy from you.

2) SPECIFIC Keywords: Keywords are great, but specific keywords are even better. Some call these long tailed keywords. I like to just say specific. So, if you're a mechanic that specializes in the restoration of '65 Mustangs and you live and work in Orlando, FL, you should be HAMMERING those specific keywords. "Orlando, FL '65 Mustang restoration." Get creative with this. Add words like "how to" or "did you know" maybe "you'll never believe." Again, whatever it is, make it as specific and as relevant to you and your business as possible. The previously mentioned keywords would get you much better results that simply "Mustang restoration." You may get more traffic with the broad keyword, but it won't turn into more revenue for you. So what do you want, a lot of traffic or a lot of money?

3) Media: You have multiple outlets to distribute your content and you should take advantage of all of them. Currently the most effective medias to get your message out to your market are: Articles, Blogs, Videos, Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and of course PPC (Pay Per Click). 4 of the 5 of these are free by the way. It doesn't take a genius to dominate your online market, it just takes a little work. And when I say a little work, I'm serious. You should be able to do all of your Marketing work in less than 2-3 hours. If your best skill set is not marketing, outsource. I don't care how you do it, just make sure you do it. Like I said before, anyone can put together a great Marketing and Sales system and generate a good revenue. However, if you're a business owner who wants to dominate your online market, you will have your message out on as many medias as possible.

Online Marketing is a lot like the news. Messages change, offers come and go and tools soon become out dated. Make sure this is something that is done regularly. I'm not telling you that you've got to do these things 4-5 hours a day every day, but it should be done minimum 3 times a week. Yesterday's news is old news and with the speed of information these days, it truly pays to be in front of the curve. I hope these tips help you dominate your online market. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Holy Cow..I Just Won The Lottery!!

2009-11-19T10:49:00.002-05:00

"The odds of a "Lotto" style lottery can be found with the formula: n! / (n - r)! r! where n is the highest numbered ball and r is the number of balls chosen. This is called in math a combination. An easier way to think about it is if there are 40 balls and 6 are chosen, there are 40 possible numbers that can come up first, leaving 39 that can come up second, then 38, 37, 36, and finally 35 on the final number. To find out how many numbers that is you multiply 40 ×39 ×38 ×37 ×36 × 35 = 2,763,633,600 making the odds 2 and a half billion to one."

So, would you rather play the Lotto or systematically build your Online Business? I can tell you if you are diligent about building your Online Business and have put together enough capital to do it right your chances of winning are almost set in stone for you. the greatest part about generating revenue in Direct Sales is that you don't have to re-create the wheel. All you have to do is get out of your own way, follow the system, put in the work and cash the checks. This is not rocket science and it is not the Lotto mentality. We aren't gambling here, we're winning!

Ask yourself how much better you'd feel if you could bank on an extra $10k per month. No wondering, no stressing, no doubting. You KNOW that you have done the necessary work to be able to produce $10k per month income from your business. A lot of you right now are thinking there is no way to do that. I'm here to tell you that not only is there a way, but $10k per month is just getting started.

Do you think McDonalds stresses about whether or not they are going to sell more cheeseburgers? do you think they sit around and doubt that the Big Mac is going to sell? The answer to both of these are an emphatic NO!! This company, as yours should, has marketing and sales systems in place. When you have implemented the correct marketing and sales systems it becomes a matter of fine tuning to get better, not wondering if you're going to succeed. When you've become proficient with your marketing and sales systems you think about how you can increase profits, not how your going to get your neighbor to join your business.

Now you see why I said I've won the lottery. In the formula above the average pay out is a NEGATIVE 74 cents. With a proven Marketing and Sales system paired with a great product and comp plan, your profit margin should be no less than 75%. What sounds better, losing money or making money?

Treat your business like a business and it will pay you like the lottery. There are thousands of people in the Direct Sales industry who make money like clock work. I guarantee all of these people have a repeatable sales and marketing system. Do you? And if you do, are you maximizing the system or are you trying to punch holes in it? What I'm trying to get across to you is that there is a TON of abundance out there waiting for you. Unfortunately, most would rather do something like play the Lotto. My guess is most would rather play the Lotto because it's a dream and deep down they know they aren't going to win.

Building a massively successful Online Business, on the other hand is real. Along with having something real comes responsibility to make it work. I know you've got what it takes. The great part about it is your Online Business can be far more reliable than the Lotto. Take a look at this example. You have an Online Business that generates $100k per year. You see an investment property you can pick up for pennies on the dollar. This investment will double your net worth and give you a positive cash flow starting the first month. The only problem is you don't have the money to put it together.

No worries, you simply go to the bank and show them how stable and repeatable your business is and you are awarded with favorable financing to make your deal work. Try this with a Lotto ticket. Seriously, walk into your bank, explain to them the deal you want to put together and when they ask about your financing simply show them the Lotto ticket!

So what are you going to do? Are you going to play the Lotto or become the Lotto? My money is on becoming the Lotto and securing your future forever. Plug into a proven Sales and Marketing System and watch your Online Business explode. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Loving The Frustration of Building An Online Business

2009-11-18T09:43:00.002-05:00

That's right, I love the frustration! If you are doing everything you can to stay away from frustration, you are staying away from the things that are going to take you to the next level. There are no if's ands or buts about it.

Tell me if this sounds familiar. "I'm getting involved with company X. Yeah, there's this guy who has a system and he says you only need two! This guy's making like $50k per month and I'll I've got to do is get my 2 and use the system."

Is this true? Sure, if you're experienced in building a business, recruiting, communication (let me say that one more time) communication, and taking on a leadership role to continue the success of your team. It's no secret that the success rate in Direct Sales, or any business for that matter, is relatively small. This is not because the company isn't real, the system doesn't work or your upline is a liar. It's because you are spending your time doing the things you WANT to do instead of the things that drive you crazy and frustrate you. Fact is, most people are simply afraid of doing something they are unfamiliar with because they are unsure of the outcome. This is when you hear things like, "I'm not sure I'm doing it right, so I'm gonna wait." That's the kiss of death. Of course you're not going to do it right the first time, but you'll never be able to do it right until you DO IT!!

Frustration is just like any other emotion. It is giving you feedback. In the case of frustration, it is simply telling you that what you're doing isn't working. This is usually the point when most give up. Further, if they don't give up, they usually tend to just get angry and possibly throw a fit. Both of these behaviors are counter productive to you accomplishing your goal. I can tell you personally that it took me close to 4 hours to get a website up and functional. I'm not talking about actually building the site and doing all the HTML, coding and fun stuff I still have a hard time with. No, I was just simply trying to get it to go live. This is a task that takes people "in the know" about 20 minutes.

I can tell you that I was VERY frustrated. However, the site is up, running and producing revenue. Better yet, I now have a skill set that I can relate to the rest of my organization as well as a better understanding of what it's going to take for all of us to truly succeed with our businesses. So now I love the frustration. The more frustration the better. Those who know me, know that I like to have results quickly. So, anything that slows that process down is frustrating. On the flip side of that, frustration in my online business simply means I'm growing as a Biz Builder and an organizational leader.

I can now help my team through certain things because I have been there and I can tell them what to do and what not to do. Just like most of you, there is someone trying to help you reach your goals. Chances are, that person has given you a list of things to do. And, just like most people, you stray from the tasks that frustrate you or "you aren't good at." This isn't up for debate, you must do all aspects of the game if you want to be like the guy in the previous example who is making $50k per month.

Embrace what you don't know because what you don't know will take you to where you currently are not. Building an Online Business is just as much, or more, about personal growth as it is about bottom line growth. Understand frustration is going to happen. Learn to manage your emotions, stay on point and continue towards your goal. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Winners Never Cheat & Cheaters Never Win...Bull@#*!

2009-11-17T15:36:00.001-05:00

Okay, the headline was simply meant to get your attention. I do, however, have an interesting theory. You hear whispers in the wind of this person or that person who wins big and..."Has to Be Cheating" or "Taking advantage of someone" and my personal favorite..."Yeah but...anything including luck." The real fact of the matter is most people who win big, and do so on a regular basis, simply understand the rules of the game as a whole far better than most.

Every winner in any industry is an absolute Master of their craft. Think of any outstanding basketball player you can think of. Chances are that person is a professional basketball player. I want you to think of that person as a middle school basketball player. At some point between the beginning and landing them as a Pro, this person has come to understand ALL facets of the game. It starts from developing one skill after another. All "good" young players can shoot. Well, at the next level they can also pass. Even further still, all players at the next level can shoot, pass and play defense...etc until the professional level.

As someone gets better at their craft, the more effective they become with producing results. Trust me, nothing ever comes without giving something. In our little example the athlete gave time, practice and focus to continue to become a Master. There is no difference between the winning athlete, entrepreneur or architect. The traits and habits of a winner don't differ, the rules of the game are simply different.

Let's look at the Direct Sales industry or building your Online Business. Again, I want you to think of an individual in your market or your company who is just killin' it. You hear about them all the time, they are always on stage of your regional meetings...you know who they are! I promise you that person has a VERY good understanding of the ENTIRE process of winning in their industry. Please note I said industry. I don't simply mean your particular MLM business of selling lotions and potions, I mean the entire Direct Sales industry. You could put this person in ANY company and they would be a Top Producer. This is not because this person cheats, takes advantage of anyone, or has anything to do with luck. They are Masters of some basic fundamentals of EACH facet of the game, such as:

Lead Manufacturing

Sales & Marketing System

Recruiting

Duplication

Leadership

Mentor

Consistent Action

The list can keep going and going but I think you see my point.

It's time for you to take a step back and evaluate where you are inside your business. Are you utilizing everything that is offered? Do you learn as much as you can about everything you can? Then, the next time one of these Masters comes to you with an offer, you'll understand exactly what it's going to take. Is the end result possible? Of course it is, but you have to understand the rules of the game to win. Go out there and continue to learn. Listen to your Mentors and become the best all around player in the Game! I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Leadership Equals Success For Your Online Business

2009-11-16T09:57:00.002-05:00

I want you to stop right now and think of some people in your company who are successful leaders. Did you think of yourself? If so, congratulations. If not, why? This is a HUGE hurdle most people face when they begin to develop their careers in Direct Sales. It is what I call the..."When it happens, then I will" syndrome. I've got news for you if this is your mindset, you're always going to be waiting! The time is NOW and the person is YOU! The only thing standing in your way are the decisions you make and the actions you take. When it comes time for you to make a decision based on the growth of your company, make that decision as the successful leader that you ARE. The biggest mistake you can make is to wait until something happens first and then act. I promise you, the latter process will get you to where you are and where you have always been...looking to others as the successful leader. I'm going to give you a few tips to help get you on the right track.

1) Team Training: When some of you read that you immediately thought, "I already attend team trainings." That is not what I'm getting at. I want YOU to start holding team trainings for YOUR team. Don't sit back and simply invite your team to join a team training done by someone else, get your team together and start to rally the troops on your own! This one move will immediately position you as a leader. You will breath an air of confidence into your entire team and results will start to happen. This is something that should be scheduled every week. Same time same place every week. This will make you prepare and hold your entire team accountable. Imagine a new individual coming into your team and they immediately have a training schedule laid out in front of them. I promise your new individual stands a much greater chance of success this way. Don't wait, do it now! I don't care if you have to do this by yourself, DO IT!

2) Assertive: How many times have you been on the phone or in email conversation with a new prospect and you're trying to nail down a time to follow up? Conversations tend to go back and forth with no clear cut time or definitive answer. Those days are over! Along with your team training, you also have overview times and follow up schedules. Instead of saying weak statements like, "What time works best for you"...or "Whenever you're available I'll be there." Don't act like you haven't used one or both of these statements. Do yourself and your business a favor and take control. When scheduling a follow up or some sort of overview, your response is something like this, "I have time at 4:00 on Tuesday and noon on Thursday. Am I going to talk to you Tuesday at 4:00 or Thursday at noon?" That's it. No hemming or hawing. Your time is valuable. If you just tell people you'll be at their beckon call, you lose all control of the situation and have given up any leadership. Not to mention the fact you look like you have nothing else going on.

It's often said that people don't join companies, opportunities or products. People join people. So while your establishing yourself in Direct Sales and building your online business, make sure you are the person everyone wants to join in business. Take initiative to help others succeed and your success will simply be a bi-product of your efforts. You can begin to be the successful leader in your business today! I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Why Do You Want To Build an Online Business?

2009-11-13T14:56:00.003-05:00

Why Do You Want to Build an Online Business? Or any business for that matter. I simply ask because it's important to be able to evaluate what you want out of it to be able to evaluate if you're on the right track. I think far too many people get involved in some sort of business activity for some obscure reason and no real clear path of where they're going or, more importantly, why.

I would say that first and foremost you must figure out what your contribution is going to be out of all of this. That's right, what are you going to give in return for building your successful Online Business? If you haven't thought of this, you should stop right now and dig a little deeper. If your only focus is to make more money, you're in for a long trip. Money will not do it. At some point the overall goal needs to become larger than just the money and larger than any of your own particular goals. Unfortunately, 97%+ of the people who begin a business simply want to make more money. I guess it's no question why in 5 years 95% of businesses fail. So what are you going to do? Better yet, what are you going to contribute?

Most people view Warren Buffet and Bill Gates as extremely wealthy and successful people. Obviously, these are two of the wealthiest individuals on the face of the planet. Did you know they are also two of the largest philanthropists on the face of the planet? That's right, they give away more money than most of us will see in a lifetime. Not to mention the fact that both of these individuals run companies that better millions of peoples lives. So, do you think it is just about the money for these two, or do you think the money is just a bi-product of what they have created. And now, what they have created has enabled them to be able to help even more people through their giving.

So, if you start with a goal in mind of wanting to help 100,000 people, you will attain success with 1,000 people relatively easy. However, if you set out to make $100,000.00, you will always wonder what's taking so long to get to dollar amount. First, set bigger goals, second make your goals larger than just the money. Be a creator for other people to begin to prosper and you will prosper in the process.

If we took 2 people of the same physical stature and began them on a training regimen, one would out-perform the other simply based on expectation. Let me explain:

We take one individual and tell them there goal is to be able to do one pull up in 2 weeks. This individual IMMEDIATELY assumes one pull up is a HUGE task. So, they go about doing all the necessary strength work to build up to that one pull up and they may or may not accomplish their goal.

The second individual is told that their goal is to do 10 pull ups in two weeks. Again, this individual IMMEDIATELY assumes 10 pull ups is a HUGE task. However, this individual (with the same physical stature) does two pull ups the second day.

Do you see how increasing your goals can literally place you light years ahead of where you currently think you can be. This is the only difference between you and the Top Earners in Online Business. They EXPECT to make millions and help others achieve the same success. While most everyone else just waits to hear what they have to say and then HOPE to make an extra thousand bucks. Do yourself a favor and EXPECT to make millions and if you come up half short, you still just made $500k!!! Take it up a notch and start thinking on a larger scale. The only thing separating you from them is you. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Who Wants a Million Dollar Online Business?

2009-11-04T13:25:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't want a million dollar online business would be a better question. Everyone seems to think that as long as they set up a website, maybe a blog, do some advertising and do a couple videos that the money is going to come rolling in. I'm going to give you a heads up of what it really takes to have a Million Dollar Online Business.

Market: Is there a big enough market for you to earn a million dollars online? For instance, if you sell a specialized food to a specialized animal, chances are you won't do a ton of volume. You may be the best in that particular market, but when you have your market share how many customers do you really have? So when starting an online business you need to make sure you are in a market that will produce the amount of volume it's going to take for you to earn the amount of revenue you want. Do a little research and find one that can provide for you.

Systems: Okay, now you've found the perfect market for all of your dreams to come true. Do you have the proper systems in place? When I say systems I mean a sales process that takes someone from prospect, to customer, to repeat customer virtually without you being a part of the equation. Now, if you're in Networking and/or MLM you would want that person to go from prospect to customer to distributor to taking some sort of promotional action without you being a part of the equation. If you're confused right now it's okay, it just means you need to do a little more homework or find someone to teach you these details. Trust me, when running a Million Dollar Online Business you simply don't have the time to talk to the amount of prospects that will be coming. Your job is to develop leaders and have them duplicate your systems for a successful business.

Focus: This should actually be the first thing on the list. Especially in the Direct Sales industry. You are bombarded with opportunity after opportunity claiming you can go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow rich! I know you know what I'm talking about and I know you've been involved with at least one of these opportunities. I want you to, right now, think of someone in your market who is having the results you want. Do you ever see them doing anything else other than what they do? No, they are focused on building that one business and have become successful in doing so because of their focus. You need to be in control of your time and focus or it will control you.

Marketing/Advertising: Yup, here we go again. You must always be Marketing and/or Advertising your business. Yes, there is a difference. Advertising is just that, an ad for your business. Marketing can be a number of different mediums from an article about your industry, product or service or videos teaching people how to become proficient at something you teach. However you look at it, Marketing is not a blatant sales pitch, it is always more informative. I'll also tell you right now that ALL of the Top Earners online use paid advertising such as Google Adwords or other forms of PPC (Pay Per Click) Can you manufacture 15-20 FREE leads a day with consistent marketing...Yup, but you can manufacture 100+ leads a day with paid advertising. Remember, we're talking about a Million Dollar Online Business, not a part time hobby. You're going to need that type of volume.

Consistency: You are going to have to do something everyday in your business if you expect it to continue to produce results. Now, you don't have to work 10-12 hrs a day, but you need to make sure something is always getting done to promote the growth of your business. Your time should be focused on the 20% of the activities that account for 80% of your results. The 80/20 rule exists everywhere in all instances of any business. It happens in your life too, but that's for another topic all together. As an Online Business owner, if it doesn't pertain to that 20%, outsource it to someone else because it is a waste of your time. This was hard for me to do at first because I thought I had to control everything. The best thing to ever happen to me personally and professionally was to outsource.

Keep these things in mind when you're building your business. This is not Rocket Science, it's just volume of qualified prospects, that's it. The more qualified prospects who go through your system the better. At the end of the day it's all about sales and sales is simply a numbers game. As your numbers grow you will understand the importance of systems and outsourcing. So get out there and start building your Million Dollar Online Business. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How Do You Generate Your Leads?

2009-11-03T11:39:00.002-05:00

I'd like to hear from some other people about the topic of lead generation.

Do you use FREE methods of generating leads like articles, videos, press releases, etc? Do you get in to the paid advertising with Google, Yahoo, Bing and any other PPC? Do you use offline approaches like Direct Mail postcards?

I'm curious to know what others are doing, how they are tracking and what seems to be working the best for you and your business.

This day and age it's crucially important to have a sales system and process in place. I have been a part of companies in the past that had entire departments that would simply field calls or make calls to and from prospects. With the internet, you should be utilizing these very same tools without all of the employees.

You, as the owner, have better things to do. Marketing and lead generation should be the #1 focus. After Marketing, leadership development of your team is the next most important tool in your arsenal. So, the question remains the same...How Do You Generate Your Leads? I'm curious to see the responses. Feel free to leave them in the comments or shoot me an email. Also, if you have any questions that you would like to have answered, feel free to ask.

I promise if you have a question, you aren't the only one who has that question. By you asking, you have helped everyone else learn as well. I look forward to your questions and will answer some of the best questions in the coming posts.

Top Tier Direct Sales vs. MLM

2009-11-03T10:03:00.002-05:00

Top Tier Direct Sales or MLM, what's it gonna be? While both fall in the category of the Direct Sales industry, they are very different business models that both carry advantages and disadvantages. So, for the purpose of this little piece, I'm going to help clarify a few things for you. Maybe after this you will be able to decide which is the best direction for you.

Top Tier Direct Sales: If you're simply a sales person, this is for you. If you're used to being paid commission only and your income is determined on your production only, this is for you. Do keep in mind, however, that a good majority of Top Tier Direct Sales companies do offer a residual incentive. The residual incentive is not going to be the bulk of your income, your straight sales volume and commission will be the determining factor of your success. The reason it is called Top Tier is simply because of the price of your item. This ranges from anywhere on the low end of $2,000 up to, and possibly over, $20,000. If you are someone who is involved in MLM this may seem like a very high price to get involved with an opportunity, especially if you're having difficulties selling $40 bottles of vitamins. I want you to keep in mind that it is just as easy, if not easier, to sell a $20,000 item as it is a $20 item. I'm serious! You've already done all of the Marketing and Advertising. If your sales process is well thought out and effective, it becomes the same game only with more zeros!! Also, most Top Tier Direct Sales companies pay great commissions. For instance, if I sell a $20,000 item, I have the opportunity to walk away with over $10k. Not bad for one sale. Now, think about turning up the advertising and Marketing and averaging one or two of those a week and you begin to see the draw towards this business model.

MLM: Now, with this business model, the payouts are practically complete opposites. Your largest up front pay day might be $50. And let's face it, that's pretty much paid out to gain enthusiasm and recoup some up front costs. Your residual on the other hand can grow to be an absolutely staggering amount of money. It is not uncommon in this industry to see Top Earners in MLM companies making 6 figures a month from residuals. If you're planning to go this route and have your dreams set on this type of business model, you are going to need to have a system in place that duplicates your success. The fact is 80% or more of your team will do little to nothing. So, you have to be an extremely good leader and motivator to enable your teams success. Get yourself 5-10 great leaders on your team and you'll have yourself one heck of an organization. Simply do the math...If each of you can personally sponsor 50 people per year, your business grows to 250-500 people based on the amount of leaders you have. If you sponsor this many people and have that many leaders, I promise you your organization will be much larger than just 500, it would probably be closer to 5,000 or more. At this point you're walking on stage and becoming a star in your company.

So, the decision is yours. What sounds better to you? Making huge up front commissions and smaller residuals, or making small up front commissions and huge residuals? There are many factors to think about when deciding which direction to head with your Direct Sales career. Keep in mind, whether it's Top Tier Direct Sales or MLM, this industry always rewards leaders and those wanting to work to build a big business that generates a lot of Volume. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Think And Grow Rich Persistence

2009-11-02T11:14:00.002-05:00

In the timeless classic "Think and Grow Rich" you are given a story called A Fifty Cent Lesson in Persistence. In this story, which takes place in the early 1900's, a young female tenant uses the Power of Persistence to get what she wants from the owner of the Sharecrop for which her family worked and lived.

The story goes on to tell how the young child insisted on getting 50 cents from the Older Gentleman. Even after he had said no multiple times and had even threatened to take a switch to her. The whole time she stood and said, "Yes sir," but never moved and ultimately came away with the Half Dollar.

How in the world, in that day and age, could a young girl completely conquer an older gentlemen? This is a similar question you may be having with your business right now. Or possibly a question that arises from you when you see other people's success. It is no different now as it was in the story. The girl knew what she wanted, made it very clear and was willing to stand there and receive punishment in the process.

Success in anything ultimately comes down to your persistence. Nobody ever achieves their greatest rewards the first time they try. I actually watched a story about Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream last night that was full of persistence. If it wasn't the financing it was the competition. If it wasn't the competition it was themselves, etc, etc. Everyone is faced with adversity and difficult times. Only after realizing your rewards do you reflect back on how easy it would be to do again.

Why do you think roughly 98% of the wealth is controlled by less than 3% of the population? You can't tell me it's all because someone was born into wealth. That may attribute for a small percentage, but there is a new millionaire created online everyday!! It's probably far more often than that, I just can't remember the actual statistic. What is it then? It's simply because those at the top understand that when other people say no, it's usually out of their own fears and/or lack of understanding. And, for some, hearing no enough will lead you to a place where you don't even bother.

So, today is the day!! Get your dreams out of the closet, dust them off and make just ONE action towards it's attainment...TODAY!!! Is someone going to tell you no, of course because that person is a sissy who still lives in their mothers basement (by choice). The only thing that matters is your persistence to never be denied. The only thing that can stop you is you.

It's amazing to hear people after only one attempt at something that doesn't go there way. The next few phrases out of their mouth are filled with excuses..."I'm not strong enough anyway," "It wasn't that good of an idea" "You're better at this sort of thing" "Well, he said he MIGHT call and I don't want to bug him" etc, etc, etc. Unless it is an action towards your attainment of that goal or intention, it's an excuse or a story, and neither one of those has ever paid the bills. Stop making excuses and start making money.

So, you have a choice right now! Will you keep going towards the attainment of your Dreams or are you going to look at your dreams and tell them, "It wasn't really that important." What's it gonna be, persistence and achievement or another good story at the bar with your buddy who lives in his Mom's basement (by choice)? Only you can decide and you only have you to blame or you to thank. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Network Marketing Online Training Simplified

2009-11-02T10:06:00.003-05:00

The internet has changed the way we do everything. You can buy movie tickets, rent cars, pay bills, get bills and even have your dinner delivered online. So, you, as a Network Marketer need to be right on top of the curve with your marketing efforts and building your business Online. I must admit that after spending time training people who are new to the internet in general, there are a few things that get taken for granted. So I'm going to try and break this down to it's most simple and give you an overview of HOW it all pieces together and HOW it positions you in front of every prospect you could possibly want. So sit back, relax and enjoy Network Marketing Online Training Simplified.

First and foremost, don't fight it. It's here and it's here to stay. Yes, there may be certain tools on the internet that may prove themselves to be a flash in the pan, but how someone gets information and ultimately makes a decision has changed and is never going back. It has been said that over 500,000 people per month look for other ways to earn income online. That's quite a staggering amount of people. Not to mention there are over a Billion people doing basic searches daily. So, even if you don't attract all of the opportunity seekers, you still have a HUGE pool to choose from in terms of your product. Too often your product and your retail sales get overlooked. I consider this a HUGE mistake. 80% of your team will drop out. That's just something you have to come to grips with. However, people will stick with the product forever if they love it and have loyalty towards it. DO NOT overlook this aspect of your business and realize WHERE these people will be doing searches to either find your product or one similar to it. So set up your Real Estate

Your Real Estate online can be Times Square or Mexico, MO. The decision is completely up to you. Yes, there are some expensive pieces of Real Estate online, but there are also areas of high traffic that you can obtain for free. The more people who are attracted to your "Store Front" the better. So, when someone does a search for either your particular product/service or your opportunity, are they going to see you or are they going to see the other guy? Again, the choice is completely up to you. Paid advertising gives you immediate results in terms of landing on that piece of Real Estate. However, it's not the easiest matrix to figure out and could cost you an entire years worth of Marketing budget if not done correctly. The bottom line is this, do you want people to find you or not? If you do, make it your intention to Dominate certain Keywords and Keyword Phrases. Then give a TON of content related to those particular Keywords and Phrases. As you progress you will gain a better feel fro what you're doing, but right now, just find your areas of expertise and give valuable content

You don't need to speak to everyone in a 3 Foot circle. As a matter of fact, online you will only be speaking with people who are interested. That was a paradigm shift in and of itself for me when I got started. You see, your message and/or your content may differ from the next person. This means your prospect has a choice. This also means if your prospect does choose you, they have done so because they already like what you have to say or what you're about. This is great for your conversion rates and ultimately your business as a whole. Trust me, you can do some pretty amazing things with a small group of dedicated people. Think about the numbers again from the beginning...500,000/month and over a Billion daily. You don't have to get them all, just a very small percentage will help you retire on your terms!!

So, for you newbies out there, take time to learn the entire process. Sometimes we have a tendency to throw out terms and resources expecting them to be everyday uses without taking into account the amount of overall knowledge. Network Marketing Online is here and is here to stay. There is no other place on the planet to get as much highly targeted traffic. Learn from it, don't be afraid of it. You never know, it could turn out to be your best tool. I hope this helps you on Your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Building Your Online Business From Scratch

2009-10-30T14:16:00.002-04:00

Too often I hear people talk about not having enough time or money to get started in this industry. The real reason would be that these people are afraid to start their business. You can't have it in your head that it's not the right time or you don't have enough money or you want to see how it goes, etc. If you're serious about the Direct Sales industry and building an Online Business, the time is always right and the time is NOW. As far as not having enough money, that's the exact reason why you need to take action right NOW!!! So, I've put together a few tips about how to Build Your Online Business From Scratch. I know, that's how I did it!

1) Content: I mention this so much I'm starting to get tired of hearing myself say it, I can only imagine what you must be thinking. However, it's the truth. You can never give too much content, and it's free to do. You can get your content out in multiple different ways. You can do articles, videos, press releases, blogs and even online classified ads. Do a Google search on distribution sites for articles and press releases. Youtube is a great place to start uploading your videos and a blog is the most simple tool you can get. The more content you can give the bigger following you will become. The best part about this is that it doesn't, nor should it be, company specific. This means you can have these followers and fans with you regardless of the company you're affiliated with. So start giving.

2) Reinvest: If you are Building Your Online Business From Scratch, you are going to have to reinvest your earnings back in to your business. I know this is business 101 and should be done regardless, but especially in the beginning. Remember, if you're building your business this way, that means you have little to no money. So, when your income starts flowing in, you need to start to upgrade. Maybe you begin to dabble in PPC or other types of paid advertising. I guess what I'm really trying to say is Don't go Spend that money on new shoes or a new iphone!! I know, this is not a popular mentality, but it is a must. Trust me, if you just hold out and continue to reinvest in yourself and your business, you'll be able to buy anything you want very shortly. In the beginning, you must remain focused and humble.

3) Training: This is for both you and your team. Most people think it is up to their upline or their sponsor to do all of the training. This is not the case. It is never too early for you to start training your team. The faster you can begin to implement this the faster you will begin to see bigger results. Not only that, but it will make you a better leader and a better Marketer. You will begin to understand what people truly need and where the void is that you need to fill. You also need to continue to train yourself. You will never stop this process. The minute you say something like, "I already know this," is the minute you stop growing and you have just limited yourself. NEVER stop growing!

Building Your Online Business From Scratch actually puts you at an advantage. Everyone else will not have the same sense of urgency and importance as you do. You MUST do things often and well or your business dwindles. Take the reigns and drive this thing all the way to the top. As your business begins to grow you'll notice people begin to thank you for your leadership and you won't even realize your doing it. Don't make excuses, make money and build your business. Let other people be nervous and timid, you need to be the leader and continue to climb. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Building Your Online Business Part Time

2009-10-28T11:02:00.001-04:00

I have to consider myself fortunate that I am able to work my business full time. I understand that you may not be able to work your business the same hours that I work my business. Today, I write this to give you an idea of what most Top Earners do on a daily basis to continue to manufacture leads and build our businesses.

1) Marketing: First and foremost marketing is the #1 part of your business that ALWAYS needs to be done. Whatever media s of marketing you choose, they must be done everyday…no exceptions. This is what continues to keep “The Wheel Turning” as I like to say. If you stop your marketing efforts, you might as well stop counting your money. If you don’t have a constant amount of prospects entering in your pipeline, you have basically shut your doors.

2) Time Leadership: I talk about this often. If you don’t have leadership of your time, your time will control you. ALL top producers in ANY industry know exactly what they are going to do down to the hour. And, I can promise you, the majority of their time is spent doing Income Producing Activities. For us, in the industry we are in, those activities are Marketing. So, if you are not working this business full time and you are doing this on your spare time, you have to MAKE time to work this business. TURN THE T.V. OFF when you get home. If you work a J.O.B. and then come home to this business, you have to make some changes to your evening plans. Enjoy some time with the family and then let them know that you HAVE to go to work to set you and the rest of the family FREE. So many times I will send emails and phone calls to folks about things to get done in the evening. Then, I talk to them the next day and they still haven’t done the work!! My only response is,” get used to the results you have because they won’t change until you do.” DO IT NOW!!! Stay ahead of the game and the game will change your life!

3) Teaching and Recruiting: Let’s face it; you aren’t going to build a huge business by yourself. You are going to have to be able to have a few leaders who want to duplicate your success. This means you have to first do the things that get you in front of the leaders. Trust me, if you do recruit a leader and you don’t work as much as they do, they will leave you. I understand this may not be your main source of income YET. That doesn’t mean it should take a back seat. You need to work this business HARDER than you work your J.O.B. This beautiful industry will pay you 10 fold what your J.O.B. will pay you. When you have taken the time to become an expert, you will be able to teach the same concepts and principles to those whom you recruit. “Fake it ‘till you make it” is the WORST advice I’ve ever heard. Work it ‘till you make it will always give you the results you want and will be evident to your recruits and your income!

Don’t fall into the victim mentality of not having enough time. That’s an excuse you’ve told yourself or your family for not having the results you want. This industry is full of individuals who worked their J.O.B during the day and then from 7 p.m. – 1 a.m. worked their Online Business. The only thing that separates them from you is the story they have told themselves. Don’t tell stories, no results and a story will never get you to your goals. Make it your story to work this business and become a Top Producer and I’ll see you at the top. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

3 Feet From Gold & Your Online Business

2009-10-26T12:18:00.002-04:00

If you're not familiar with the story of 3 Feet From Gold, I'll give you a brief overview. It is about a man named Mr. Darby. Mr. Darby decided he was going to head west and mine for Gold. So, he headed west and started what he had set out to do. Sure enough, he struck Gold. He then headed back home to the East Coast so he could get funding for all of the proper equipment.

Back in the mountains of Colorado, Darby worked like crazy to get all of the Gold he could. He was at a break even point and was thrilled that the rest of the Gold would bring him pure profit. Then, a funny thing happened. He kept drilling but there was no more Gold! What had happened? He was so disappointed with time spent and not finding any more Gold that he quit. He sold all of his equipment to a junk guy and headed home to the East Coast.

The Junk man, on the other hand, decided to get some expert advice from engineers and the like and found that Mr. Darby just didn't know enough about the fault lines and that there was more Gold 3 FEET AWAY!! So the junk guy ended up pulling millions of dollars worth of Gold out of the same place Darby had quit.

Can you relate to this story? How many times have you been working away at something and it seems like you are getting nowhere? Trust me, you are getting somewhere. You are digging your ditches expecting it to rain.

Too many times in this industry, people hear stories of great wealth and extravagant lifestyles. Then they jump in head first wanting the same results in their life and in their business. However, when faced with the road blocks of success, they lose sight of what had brought them there and they quit. You have got to keep going! You have got to keep working! Your attitude and mindset during rough times are when your attitude and mindset matter most. Rough times are the times when the fortunes are made or lost.

Gold is waiting for you too. All you need to do is keep drilling. Do you think the same people you hear about who are manufacturing 100+ leads a day were doing that the first day they got involved in this business. NO! They mastered a skill and sought out the advice of those who knew what they were doing. Just like the junk guy in the story sought out expert advice to get what he wanted. It's time for you to do the same. Find a mentor, find a leader, one who will give you all the tools necessary for you to dig up your Gold. This game is easier played when you know the rules and have a good coach. Don't let anything stand in the way of your desires. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Are You Making The Most of Your MLM Compensation Plan?

2009-10-26T11:24:00.003-04:00

Are you making the most of your MLM compensation plan? Most plans these days are set up for you to make money multiple different ways. In most there are 8-10 or even more ways for you to make money. The purpose of most of the different areas to earn are for you to be able to make money while you're building your business. I've heard it called all sorts of different names, but whatever you are getting paid on a first order or new distributor/member, etc is set up for you to be able to put money in your pocket while you're building your business. Let's take a look at how this is all put together.

1) Initial Money: This is never a very large payment and isn't intended to be the main driver of your income. What this does is enable you to continue to promote your business. If you're doing any sort of paid advertising like PPC, banner ads, or anything similar, you are going to have to earn a little money to help offset those costs. For most companies this is a relatively small amount of money, sometimes in the $40 range. Do not over look this as chump change. This alone can help keep you in business.

2) Residual: This would be the bread and butter of a typical MLM compensation plan. This is all based on volume. So, the larger your organization, the more volume you are going to produce. The more volume you produce, the larger your residual commission check is going to be. This is why it is a MUST that you are an expert at recruiting other leaders. I would rather personally recruit 10 solid leaders a year than 100 individuals who where wishy washy about the business. A leader is going to produce the same results you do. They will take direction very well and will be hungry to begin to utilize the same strategies that you use. This is key in building a large sustainable organization.

3) Leadership Pools: At some rank in your company, you will probably be eligible for a certain percentage of the overall company volume. This can be substantial. Especially considering you have already been taking advantage of every other way to get paid within your company. Just put it like this...if you're receiving the leadership pool, you are making a fantastic income. This is like getting CEO type bonuses at the end of the year, so don't take this for granted.

So often people get caught up in just the recruiting aspect that they forget the company has put together an MLM compensation plan that will not only keep them in business, but will help them towards financial freedom. There are going to be times in your business when you just want to recruit like crazy in order to stack some chips. Then, take your stack and begin to drive TONS of traffic into your lead manufacturing system and sales process. After you've made it to this point, you are looking to recruit leaders to duplicate your success and take you to the huge residuals and ultimately the leadership pools. Understand how your MLM compensation plan works so you can take full advantage of it. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Think and Grow Rich Desire

2009-10-23T10:03:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you are familiar with the great Napoleon Hill and his most famous work "Think and Grow Rich." If you have not read this book you need to stop everything you're doing and go read it! This booked is based on his research of predominant qualities of some of the most successful and wealthiest individuals of his time.

Today I'm going to talk about the second chapter...Desire. In this chapter Mr. Hill describes desire as The Starting Point of All Achievement. He goes on to say that it's not a hope, want or a wish. No, it's something much greater than that, it's a burning desire. I'm going to try and give a couple examples of how this comes into play with the Direct Sales industry.

Everyone who decides to take the leap and join a particular company does so with the best of intentions. I talk to people in this business and other businesses who use terms like, want and wish. While these terms are again meant with the best intentions, they will always leave you with more want and wishes. It is very easy to use terms like this because if something doesn't go your way or you are met with a road block you can simply justify it to yourself and others by saying it was just a wish. I've got news for you...wishes come true when you make them come true.

When you have Desire for something, nothing stands in your way. This isn't a "fired up" feeling. Quite the opposite. It's almost a calmness, a feeling of knowing it has already happened. You see, the problem with being fired up is that it is usually (at least in this industry) geared towards simply making more money. You have to understand that if your energy is all placed around making more money so you can pay next months bills or you can buy that new toy or whatever the case may be, you will often be disappointed and that same energy will work against you. Why do you think there is a 97% failure rate in this industry, it's not because of the "systems."

You have got to get yourself to a place of wanting a larger picture. Make your why something that truly moves you. Do you really think Russel Simmons cares about making another million dollars, or is he now out to see how far he can go and how much change he can bring to the world. It's time for you to do the same. Look inside yourself and start to think BIG! I'm not talking about changing your dream car from a Benz to a Bentley, but how many people can you take with you!

Have a desire to change the industry. Have a desire to be respected by the other Top Earners in this industry. Have a desire to make change so that everyone can experience the joy and freedom that this industry offers when done correctly with passion for others success. It's been said a hundred times that if you make it an intention to go to the moon and only make it half way, that's still pretty remarkable!

So look in the mirror. Do you have the Desire Napoleon Hill talks of in Think and Grow Rich? Or, do you daydream about new cars, toys and paying your bills? Make this a must and it will give you all of your Dreams. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

What Is An MLM Sponsoring System

2009-10-23T09:06:00.002-04:00

What is an MLM Sponsoring System? As many of you know I'm a huge believer in systems. This is by no means a new process or one that even needs to be over thought. For business, it is simply the process by which your customer, or potential customer, goes from starting point to sale and ultimately repeat customer. EVERY good business on the planet is set up this way. Think about it next time your at the Grocery store, Bank or your favorite restaurant.

So how does this relate to you and your business. Well, if you're in MLM, Network Marketing or any other form of Direct Sales it's important for you to build a good organization. There are three types of people who you will do business with in this industry. There are the consumers, the dead spots and your producers. Depending on what your compensation plan looks like it's not a bad thing to have all of them.

Now, with a good MLM Sponsoring System in place, you can add another type of consumer to your business...a retail consumer. This is someone who isn't involved in the business with you, they just simply love your product and continue to buy. They may buy once and they may be a repeat buyer. If this person turns into a repeat buyer, you should do them a favor and have them become a distributor of your product so they can see a discount. The best part about the retail buyer is the fact that you make a little money. I know, it's not much money at all when compared to the real money to be made with the comp plan, but it allows you money to offset your Marketing costs.

Too many people get in this industry and look at one thing and one thing only...sponsor anyone and everyone. You have to be able to break this thing down just like any other business. You need to be able to make money on the front end with your leads even if they DON'T join your business. This simple process, which is commonly referred to as a funded proposal, is what enables the Top Earners to continue to do more expensive avenues of Marketing and generate even more leads!

So, how do you start to do this on your own? Easy, it's the same as everything I always talk about. You have to give Value to your prospect in the form of relevant content! The more you do this, the more people will notice. The more people take notice, the larger your following becomes. The larger your following, the more interested people become in what your doing and how you're doing it. This is a perfect opportunity to offer them something. Something free but still jammed with Value and content. This could be a report, newsletter, video, etc. Whatever it is, make sure to give value and relevant content. Do not pitch them.

Congratulations, you now have a lead. This is a lead who has seen or read some of your Marketing (valuable relevant content) and has made their way to your blog or page and has requested more information. Do you see the shift starting to take place? You are not harassing this person, you gave this person enough information until they can make their own decision. Now, this person is on your personal list and will be receiving emails from you for as long and as often as you choose. THIS is when you continue to give valuable relevant content but you begin to let them know what else is available. This is when you could begin to mention some sort of "funded proposal." Nothing overboard or expensive, just something to introduce them into your business. And this, is the beginning of your MLM Sponsoring System.

This process has been going on for more than 100 years. For some reason it's only until recently people in the Direct Sales industry have decided to implement this into their businesses. And, as you can see, there are relative newcomers to your business that are knocking it out of the park. This is a business, and should be treated as such. If you're expecting to simply sign up and hit the highest rank in your comp plan without some sort of system and structure, go play the lottery.

As the days and the weeks go by I'll begin to dive a little deeper into What Is An MLM Sponsoring System, but for right now just the overall concept needs to be understood. Get your ducks in a row and do some research. Find a system that works for you and that you'll be able to manage. This isn't rocket science, it's actually quite simple when you let the system do the sifting, sorting, telling and selling. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

There Are More Pieces To This Puzzle

2009-10-22T20:27:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here on a Thursday night doing keyword research and getting ready to start reading a book and it hit me! You, as a reader and/or "student of the game," have so many resources to learn the how to of building a successful business online and begin to build a large organization.

What very few of us really talk about are the habitual day-to-days that help Build the mentality of stepping in to the role of a Huge Leader of Leaders! That is exactly what this whole business is about. You aren't in the business of pitching someone or closing someone, you are in the business of cultivating leaders to replicate your success. You DON'T want to sponsor everyone. You want to develop leaders!

The subject of mentality and mindset come up and are talked about like catch phrases. I don't know about any of you, but I spend time EVERYDAY cultivating myself into a better Leader of Leaders. This, my friends, is the missing key. If you haven't become the person it takes to build a million dollar business, it's gonna be a long road! It's often been said people need to "Dig Ditches." Do want it to rain or not!

It's not a sometimes process. That's not what we're about around here. So, from now on I'm going to take jewels of wisdom from some of the greats in the past to be discussed here about how they correlate to the business you're trying to build. I welcome comments from anyone. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Find your Network Marketing MARKET

2009-10-22T11:36:00.003-04:00

Do you know who your customer is? And I don't mean his/her name and where they come from. I mean do you know what demographic they fall in? When your were first introduced into The Direct Sales industry or Network Marketing, you were probably told to "build a list" and to use a "memory jogger" to help build that list. Now, you hear things like, "the money is in the list." Well I can only imagine if I were just starting out I'd have some questions about this "list" and where do I get one or how do I build one. So today I'm going to give you just a quick example of what I'm talking about.

Every Market in every industry has top earners and leaders. Think of any brand in any market in any industry and I'm sure you can think of a few companies right off the top of your head. So let me ask you this...when was the last time you saw an ad for Gucci in a Field & Stream magazine? If you're stumped, the answer is NEVER! This Billion Dollar company understands who buys their product and where their money and time is wasted. You say, "Well that's great Dave, those companies have entire departments that track the conversion data." So do you! Look, one of the greatest things about this industry is that in most cases it only consists of you and sometimes one assistant (if you're a Heavy Hitter.) You get to make the decisions of where your Marketing and advertising shows up. You also get to look at the data and find out where you are profitable and where you are wasting time and money.

I'd bet that if you were to look at your tracking conversions, you would increase profitability by at least 20%. Please understand this is not a claim, just an observation. If you spend time, money and resources in an area that does not bring back any sort of revenue, kill it! I don't care how much time you spent or how much money it costs, it doesn't work and they don't buy! On the other hand, if you find an area that is producing revenue and it is happening consistently, split test that area. You may find that one certain type of Marketing and Advertising works better than others. This will again help you increase your profitability by increasing your conversions and cutting your costs.

When getting into Network Marketing, people want to just throw mud against the wall and see what sticks. This is not how you want to approach your Marketing efforts. At first, yes, you are going to over pay and over work yourself to find things that work. The key is to find what works and the make it better. How much more confident would you be in your Marketing efforts if you KNEW you were going to make money and serve a highly targeted number of customers? I'd bet if you knew you were going to win, you'd play more often and you'd play bigger.

So get smart about your business. Treat it like a business and it will treat you like a piggy bank. The best part about this piggy bank is that you get to decide how large the denominations are!! Find your Network Marketing Market and start to control your business and your future. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Are You Using Social Media Correctly?

2009-10-22T10:26:00.004-04:00

Let me start this by asking a very simple question to find out if Your Using Social Media Correctly. Would you rather have 10,000 followers who SOMETIMES see what you say, or, would you rather have 1,000 followers who hang on EVERY word you say? You see for us as Biz Builders, and specifically Marketers in the Direct Sales industry, it's all about conversion. I can promise you a person with a list of 5,000 laser targeted subscribers will outperform someone with a list of 50,000 hodgepodge subscribers. This is simply because of the conversion rate.

Think about this from your own perspective for just a moment. How many emails do you get from individuals that you have subscribed to? Of those people, how many do you actually read? Better yet, how many of them come to your primary email address? You see, we are all going through the same thing and playing the same game. So why is it that there are some people in this industry who are followed like Rock Stars and everyone else is spinning their wheels? It's like Time Square. You definitely notice everything on the Billboards and all of the flashing lights. But it almost seems that the HUGE amount of traffic from both people and vehicles is secondary (unless your crossing the street.)

Seriously, think about it for just a minute. Is your message getting communicated correctly and effectively, or, are you just another one of the "talking heads?" I know you're expecting me to unveil this long kept secret that has some of the most respected individuals in your market wearing the crown of a King. And your right, I will tell you what the difference is...Quality Content done on a consistent basis.

I know, I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record but it's the truth. People gravitate towards individuals who have done it and are willing and gracious to give their advice. You know what you do when you give someone the Keys to The Kingdom? You teach them how to put the key in the door, how to turn it just right (because the door is not centered), how to open the door (does it pull out or do you push in) and then you make sure they step over the door frame. I'm dead serious! And this is what separates the Rock Stars in your industry from the other 97%. Now I'm going to give you another secret about HOW they are able to do that...

They all have experience that has lead them to where they are. That's right Ladies and Gentlemen, they all worked their way to where they are. Now, for them, this stuff is easy. One, because they don't repeat the same mistakes, and two, (The Big One) they have wrapped their MINDS around the fact that it is possible because they have done it before!

So, this all comes back around to Are You Using Social Media Correctly? Next time you decide to send a "Tweet" or post on your Facebook page, make sure you GIVE something that people want to see. Also, be selective of the people you decide to Friend and Follow. Don't be afraid to un-follow someone or remove someone as a friend. Don't get caught up in the Ego of it all. Who cares if you have 30,000 followers if your Marketing converts at less than .001% If you're in Social Media as a business, you don't care about the Quantity of your followers and friends, you care about the Quality. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Gain Twitter Followers While You Sleep

2009-10-21T11:12:00.003-04:00

Twitter has quickly become one of the most visited sites on the internet. We all know that in order for people (traffic) to see what you have to say or what you have to offer, you need to have Followers. With Twitter, a Follower is simply someone who will receive your "tweets" or your messages as you post them. So, what I'm going to do today is give you one VERY effective way to gain followers even while you sleep. For some of you this may be old news, but for those of you just getting started, you can literally end up with 2,000 followers in a week without software that Twitter will frown upon.

First things first, get an account. This is probably the easiest account I've ever set up in my life so I'm not going to walk you through it. You should choose a user name that is YOU or the same as your Blog. I have two, one of me and one that corresponds to this blog. This is going to help you later in your internet marketing career as you get more in touch with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). You are making it easier for the Search Engines to find more relevant content about you and/or your blog so you can get higher natural rankings! This is a good thing.

Next, set up a picture. DO NOT use the standard issue picture that Twitter gives you. This is how people know you're not for real and/or you're just going to be spamming them all day. Find a nice picture that ties into the rest of your theme. This is the beginning process of Branding YOU. If you notice, I've got the same picture on Twitter, Facebook and this Blog. It's like a nice suit being pulled together by the shoes. Okay, that's a joke but just do it, you want that picture to be recognized and affiliated with you and all of your great content.

After you've got your account set up it's time to get to work. You are going to visit 2 different sites to get your Twitter page customized for YOU. The first is www.twitterimage.com where you can get free twitter backgrounds. This is going to help fit right in with the rest of your theme and give people the idea that you take your business seriously and you are going to be giving professional stuff here.

The next is www.tweetlater.com This site will allow you to automatically set up an auto welcome. So, when someone decides to follow you, they get an automatic response from you that says whatever you want it to say. This should be something nice and inviting, you are NOT selling them anything with this message, just saying hi and thanks.

Here's where it gets interesting. Most people have this feature and will also have it set up to automatically follow you in return. So what you're gonna want to do next is find 3 people per day that are in your industry, market or you otherwise just think are badass. After you follow them, go through 3-5 pages of their followers and follow those who you have something in common with. Don't do more than 3 people per day and don't do more than 5 pages of followers per person. Fly under the radar and you'll be just fine. Not only will you be fine, but you'll end up with 100+ followers in a day or so!

So there you have it. This is what I talk about when I say give valuable content. You can have your Twitter account set up RIGHT NOW and generating followers in a matter of one hour. Do the math yourself. How long will it take you to get 2,000 followers if you are consistent with this approach each day. In marketing, it's all a numbers game, the more eyes the better. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Use Social Media To Build Your Business

2009-10-21T10:37:00.003-04:00

Today I'm going to shed some light on How To Use Social Media To Build Your Business. Okay, we all know that sites like Twitter and Facebook have a massive following right now. Some of you, if not all of you, probably visit these sites from time to time. And, some of you are probably Junkies! Admit it, you update your profile more often than you change socks. So, with all of this traffic, how do we use it to benefit our business? Good question, here are a few quick tips.

1) Make Friends: The first thing you need to do is make friends. You can do this by simply getting to know other people who are in the same industry as you. Or, you can find people whom you admire and/or enjoy their work. On Facebook, this is as easy as sending them a "Friend request" and on twitter, the easiest thing to do is to simply follow that person. It's okay on Twitter, following someone will not get you in trouble with the law! I don't think!! There are tools available so you can set up your replies automatically to follow or friend someone in return when they decide to follow of friend you. I know, it gets a little confusing, but if you're going to use this as a means to drive traffic, you've got to set up some systems or you'll spend all day doing nothing.

2) Value: This is no different than anything we've talked about before. If someone is following you or has become your friend, they are already interested. DO NOT go out and place advertisements all over your Facebook page. This is a sure fire way for people to remove you from their list and for the others to just ignore your posts. How would you like to drive into a Jiffy Lube and without even seeing your car, the guy at the desk lists off 40 items that need work and you should buy? Something tells me you'd be confused and a little turned off. Get to know people before you assume they would be a right fit for you or your business. This is a process that takes a little time. You can post links to your blog and/or articles as long as those posts are giving relevant content and provide some value.

3) Personable: Facebook especially is a place for people to get to know you. Someone may have seen an article of yours or have read a blog post about your industry or market, and now they go to Facebook to get a good idea of YOU. So be yourself, as long as yourself isn't hammered in every photo and all of your posts are profanity laden rants that are just going to scare people. If that is you, maybe being in an industry where your #1 product is you, isn't the right choice. So, keep to a theme that is helpful mixed in with some current events of your life. Keep people interested, not bored or irritated.

As you spend more time and see other people you admire work this thing called Social Media, you to will gain an understanding of How To Use Social Media To Build Your Business. Get out there and make some friends (Anyone else have flashbacks to 4th Grade.) Provide people with valuable content and you'll have this Social Media thing working in your favor in no time flat. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Are You Afraid To Build Your Network Marketing Business?

2009-10-20T12:11:00.003-04:00

Are you? There is more opportunity right now than ever before. That's right, I said it and I'll say it again...There is more opportunity right now than ever before. So, are You Afraid To Build Your Network Marketing Business? You could spend 10 minutes right now and find dozens of resources for you to systematically build your business. Why don't you do it? If you know me very well, you know I have no problem telling you why, because you're afraid! That's right, you are outright scared. I'm not going to dive into your psychology, you probably should. But I am going to point out two of the biggest hurdles I see standing in front of people and building their businesses today.

1) Not Knowing: Back in the day you were supposed to simply make a list of your "warm market." This consists of your closest 200 people who barely know you and could care less about your product/opportunity. This in and of itself is why there is a stigma surrounding this beautiful industry called Direct Sales. Now, we are in the internet age where generating leads and driving traffic to your page is easier than ever. However, now I hear, "I don't know how to use a computer that well." Or, "I'm not a very technical person." I've got three words for you...GET OVER IT!! Look, this whole process is very simple and easy to understand. We are a society built on great individuals that came before us like Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, The Wright Brothers, Henry Ford and more recently guys like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. I'm not asking you to discover electricity or come out with the next iphone (which I'd bet money most of you own.) No, I'm asking you to take a system that someone else developed and all you need to do is implement it. What you're really telling me is you don't want it that bad.

2) Failure: Okay, this time I won't tell you to get over it. I am, however, going to tell you to DEAL WITH IT! Face it, it's a part of life and without it you would never learn how to beat it. Nobody ever succeeded at anything worth a damn the first time they tried. Did you walk gracefully the first time you tried? How about the first time you tried hitting a golf ball or riding a unicycle? NO, you busted your butt every time and looked like an idiot. The reward, however, seemed magical to you so you kept going. I'm talking to you about building a Million Dollar business and you don't want to because it might not work?!? Because some people you know might think you're silly?!? Fate and Success Favor the Bold my friends.

So there you have it, the two biggest obstacles I see daily from people trying to build their Network Marketing Business. Get out of your own way and begin to thrive! You aren't the first and you won't be the last. We're talking about building a Hugely Successful Network Marketing Business, not jumping off the roof into a 5 gallon bucket of water. Something tells me if I offered to show you TO THE DETAIL how I operate my business, most would give some lame answer or another. The few who do say YES, are the few who you see and read about as "Overnight Success." Take the Fear out and replace it with the FUN when you are Building Your Network Marketing Business. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Wanna Know How To Sponsor More Network Marketing Reps?

2009-10-20T11:37:00.004-04:00

Do you really wanna know How To Sponsor More Network Marketing Reps? The only reason I ask is simply because most people ask but few people do. For some reason or another people think they can come in to the Direct Sales industry and live a vacation. They hear the stories of someone working 3 hrs a day and they read The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. Then they jump into this business and within 90 days they are gone wondering why so many people lied to them. So, I'm going to answer two of the biggest questions I get asked:

1) How Do I Sponsor More Reps?: Well the simple answer is to generate more leads! This is the DIRECT SALES industry and sales is simply a huge numbers game. It is true that the vast majority of the individuals who see your product/opportunity are going to say no. So, you need to set up a lead generation system that does all of the sifting and sorting for you. Then when you do find yourself on the phone or in person with your prospect, the SYSTEM has pre-qualified them. Imagine how much more profitable your business would be if you only talked to interested people. The confidence and enthusiasm alone are worth a million dollars. This is the #1 difference between the top 2% of earners and everyone else, they always have people to talk to. What makes this even more exciting is that the system is repeatable. Which means your team, that is now growing by leaps and bounds, has access to the same system you do so they can grow their team just as you do! Are you beginning to see the possibilities!?

2) Will I Ever Get To Work 3 hrs/Day?: Yes, and probably 4, 5, 6 & 7! Look, yes it is possible to get to a place where you simply don't need to put in the hours anymore. But I've got news for you, it's gonna take some time, effort and money before you get there. This is a business and should be treated as such. There will come a time when you have figured out all of your systems and the only thing you have to do is recruit, teach and earn money. However, until you get to a position where your team is that big and your income is that substantial, you are going to have to dig your ditches if you ever expect it to rain!! Work as though you expect greatness and greatness will appear.

So there you've got it, the two most common questions I get. This may not have been exactly what you had in mind about How To Sponsor More Network Marketing Reps, but it's the truth about what it takes. I've got a question for you...If I showed you EVERYTHING I've got that I use to build my business, including me walking you through step by step, would you do it? Would You? Most people say, "Yeah, I'd see if it works," or, "I'd give it a shot." If these are your answers, keep looking. I know, just like those before me knew, it works. The missing ingredient isn't the system, strategy or magic pill. The missing link in How To Sponsor More Network Marketing Reps is you. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Network Marketing Lead Generation System Less than $20

2009-10-19T11:23:00.003-04:00

Yes, you can have a fully functioning Network Marketing Lead Generation System set up for less than $20! Most people assume that in order for them to have a great lead generation system, they are going to have to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Well, today, I've got the budget concise Biz Builders in mind. I'm going to take you through one simple processes to have you up and running for less than $20.

I am going to assume that you have already done enough research or read enough of my stuff to know that you are already doing AT LEAST two different methods of FREE Marketing. Whether you are writing articles, press releases or doing videos and social media, you are doing something. So, I'm also going to assume you have been able to get a few visitors to your site and are just simply waiting for the leads to come rushing in. This all brings us to today's topic...Auto Responders.

No business, online or off, can convert as much business as they need without some sort of follow up. It's been proven that the majority of individuals don't buy something until they have seen it 7 times. Also, if you've spent any time in sales, you know that the majority of your business comes from follow up. However, in this day and age, we are all focused on what we are doing right now. Call this an immediate justification or what have you. Whatever the case, most people suck at follow up. So, I'm going to go over Auto Responders.

My personal favorite comes from www.aweber.com They are very well respected around this industry and I don't have one colleague or respected friend in the industry who doesn't use them. An auto responder allows you to do two things, if not more: capture information and continually follow up with your potential lead, client, etc.

You are able to have multiple lists. This just simply means however many different offers you've got, you can have a list and a subsequent message, that corresponds to that particular list. You can literally set it up so that your prospect hears from you everyday for a year! It is also automatically set up so that when the email goes out, your prospects name appears everywhere you wan to use their name in the message. If you've spent any time in sales or no anything about communication, you know how sweet it is for someone to hear their own name.

Now you have the ability, within your messages, to make different offers and send different messages throughout the process. If you spend enough time and think this through, you can actually begin to run promotions this way. Say you offer a 25% discount on your offer over the next week. You can make it so that each email for the next week continues to remind them of the time that is running out. Whatever you want it to be, you can customize it accordingly.

Linkbacks! It is extremely important for you to have linkbacks in your messages. I promise you, your prospect has forgotten what website they visited to start getting your messages. Do all of the work for them. Always remind them why they are hearing from you and where you guys got to know each other and most importantly why they want to do business with you. Make sure you've always got your call to action in your message. It's a shame when someone is ready to say yes and there is no Linkback to your sales page.

I say this is a Network Marketing Lead Generation System for less than $20 because your auto responder is going to cost $19.99. You are also going to be driving traffic to your page through FREE Marketing that you have learned from some of my other writings. All of this will give your prospect the impression that you are running a million dollar organization with tons of help. The funny thing is that you will run a million dollar organization this way and you will have tons of help, it's called outsourcing. Begin to utilize these tools and you will have your own Network Marketing Lead Generation System for less Than $20. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Generate Network Marketing Leads in 24hrs!

2009-10-19T11:08:00.003-04:00

The purpose of this article is to pull back the curtain a little and have you up and running in no time flat! 24 hrs or less to be precise. There are a few things that need to be in place in order for you to be fully integrated and ready to drive traffic to your Landing Page in 2009. After implementing these items you will be ready to begin to Generate Network Marketing Leads in 24 hrs. So, here we go.

1) Social Media: Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, Myspace, Betternetworker and any other social networking site is somewhere you need to be. As I write this article, there are some that are more popular than others but we all know that can change very quickly, so get used to all of them and use your favorite. The purpose of the social media sites is to let your leads/prospects to get a chance to understand who you are. You DO NOT want to sell anything on these sites, you want to give as much relevant content as possible. So, think of the company, product/service you're affiliated with. What are some of the benefits associated with your company. Whatever it is for you, make yourself the expert. So, if you have a natural shampoo you're promoting, become an expert about shampoo. Not just your shampoo, but all of them. It's much easier for a consumer to choose you if they understand how your product stands up against everything else that is on the market. Good ways to get your information onto Social Media sites would be to write an article or do a video and then post that article or video to, say, your Facebook page. This way, if a prospect reads one of your articles and does some research about you, they can find a TON of info that you have written on your Social Media pages. This gives you social proof and credit.

2) Blog: This is an outlet for all things both YOU and YOUR industry. This is NOT a place for your company or product/opportunity. This is simply a place to again give tons of relevant content to your reader. All of this is positioning yourself as a leader in your industry so when your prospect does decide to go with someone, they decide you. I would recommend having two blogs. A blog that is about you and a blog that is just about your industry. Remember, if someone reads just one of your articles, you are nothing to that person. I hate to sound direct, but it's true. Now, if that prospect likes what he/she has read or seen they may follow you to one of your blogs. After they have done this, now they get a better understanding of who you are and what you're about. Suddenly you have just become The Man! or The Woman! Either way, you have positioned yourself as a leader who knows what they are talking about. The more relevant content the better. Make sure you're giving quality information. This isn't All about selling something. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care, so GIVE!!!

3) Articles & Videos: You should write AT LEAST one article a day! You should do AT LEAST one video a day! Do your research and find your "money spot" keywords/phrases and hammer them. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, nobody ever dominated the natural rankings of Google in a day. Content, content, content is the name of this game. The more relevant and the better quality, the more the search engines like you. The more the search engines like you, the easier it is for your prospects to find you. This is easier than you think. Your articles should be less than about 800 words and your videos should be less than 5 minutes. The easiest process would be to do a video about the article you just wrote. This makes sure you don't run out of ideas. You follow that schedule for 1 month and you will DOMINATE your particular niche keyword phrase!

4) Auto Responders: It has been researched and proven that individuals buy after seeing something 7 times. So, on your blogs you need to have what is called an opt-in form. This is where you headline it with something like, "Tired of unhealthy roots and dry split ends!? Leave your information below and I'll rush you a 3 part series about one-step Healthier Hair!" I'm sticking with the Shampoo theme we're working with here, so bear with me! Now, when your prospect enters his/her information they are immediately emailed a confirmation and they will receive your report in the interval dates of your choice. The emails should not stop after the report. Set up your auto responders to continue to email them for a few months. You never know when someone will be ready to say YES! Again, just like with everything else, make sure your Auto responder emails contain relevant quality content.

So, to have you ready to Generate Network Marketing Leads in 24 hrs you need to set up your Social Media accounts, start AT LEAST one blog, start writing articles and doing videos, and get your auto responder account set up and emails written. Setting all of this up will only take you a couple hours. After which, you will have a system set up that generates leads FOR you while you work to continue to crank the Marketing Wheel. So get out there and get these items done and you'll be set up to Generate Network Marketing Leads in 24 hrs. I hope this helps on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Does Your Home Based Business Work?

2009-10-16T10:57:00.002-04:00

I get asked questions like, "Is this a scam?" "How do I know it's going to work?" "Is there anyone making any money?" My initial thought is that the people asking these types of questions have no business getting in this industry. The Top Earners in this industry automatically see opportunity in the industry. These individuals understand that when they join a certain company or sale a certain product, the success they have is completely up to them. The company has supplied you with a product, has done there own promotion and marketing and given you a lucrative compensation plan. Now, it's up to you to make this thing work. So, what are you going to do to ensure you have some success with this thing? I've got a couple ideas to help you get off the ground.

1) Don't Reinvent The Wheel: There are successful individuals in your company. What are they doing to have as much success as they do? Whatever you see them doing, you want to do that. Now please keep in mind you should be doing what they are doing. If the tell you to do something they are not doing, this should be a red flag. Most top earners are experts at recruiting other leaders. This is the #1 factor in the success of your business. Sure, at the end of the day it's all about volume, but if you want to start to see larger residual money, and who doesn't, you need to begin to recruit other leaders. This isn't something staggering either. You are going to want to recruit 3-5 leaders per year. When it's broken down like that it doesn't seem so bad does it? Please understand, however, you will need far more "consumers" in your organization than just 3-5 per year.

2) Repeatable System: This is when you truly begin to flourish! Remember I said find a leader and do what they do? Now, you have become that person. It is now up to you to give the same system and strategies you use to your team. In the corporate world this is unheard of. Someone may steal your glory! In this industry, it is the only way to glory. Your team has to produce..PERIOD. Remember, this is all about volume the more superstar producers on your team, the better for your business. The best way to do that is to have a system in place that works for you and that you can implement with you team.

3) Don't Wast Time: A long time ago I heard the theory of the 4 SW's: Some Will, Some Won't, So What, Someone's Waiting! At first, you live and die with every single person who says they may or may not join your organization. No other company on the planet operates this way, why on Earth are you. You are running a business! If someone says yes, fantastic, get them plugged into the system and get them started the right way and nurture them. If someone says no, so what, someone's waiting! If you get over involved with each prospect you are killing yourself mentally. You are basically telling yourself you have nobody else to talk to and if this person doesn't join your business is over. This is a Bad place to be mentally. This will also help position you as a leader. If someone says no, no sweat! This type of attitude will actually attract more people into your business. Trust me, EVERYONE has been approached about a Home Based Business Opportunity. They just haven't been approached about one by a Pro like yourself.

So the next time you hear someone say, "Does Your Home Based Business Work?" Laugh it off and just so, "No, I actually think the whole thing is a scam!" And watch as their face lights up with worry. Let them worry, and let yourself reap all the rewards this industry has to offer. And yes, Your Home Based Business Works!! Do You? I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Your Network Marketing Success

2009-10-16T10:09:00.002-04:00

Every year hundreds of thousands, if not millions, or people decide to throw their hat in the ring of Network Marketing. Each of them coming in to the opportunity with Big dreams and an unwavering desire to make things happen. This excitement is what brought all of us to the Direct Sales industry. The problem I see happen to most peoples dreams is that they fade away when they don't see immediate success. On one hand I want to say, "Get over it, it's just like every other business and it's gonna take some time." Then I realize this type of individual will weed themselves out so I should save my energy for my next comment. "Your dreams can come true, you just haven't been shown how to properly generate leads and recruit into your organization." I'm going to try to shed some light on how to generate some free leads and help you with your recruiting process. My disclaimer is this, however, there is no magic pill, course or program that will replace your hard work and effort. Even the best courses and systems out there, and there are some good courses, won't do it for you. It all starts and ends with you. Having said that, here we go!

1) Leadership: This is such a broad topic it ought to be written about on its own. For the purposes of today I'm simply talking about what YOU do to build your business. It's not necessary for you to try to act like a leader or read a script or come across as something you're not. What is important is when you speak with a new prospect you do certain things like keep control of the conversation. Without a doubt your new prospect is going to ask you about your success with company XYZ. How do you handle this? Do you sense his/her nervousness and get on their level and answer with something like, "Well, I just kinda got started and I'm giving it a shot and we'll see." Most of you reading this are thinking that's a horrible answer, but most of you reading this answer those sort of questions just like that. I know, I've been sitting right next to people when they do. I've even had someone say it to me! That, my friends, is not leadership. You immediately turn that, and any other similar question, right back on your prospect. "This isn't about me, I am here to help you succeed, let's talk about what you're looking for and what has brought you to a place where you're ready to build this business!" You may think I'm crazy or forward, but you have IMMEDIATELY positioned yourself as a leader!

2) Ownership: This doesn't simply mean you have a Distributor I.D. # and that makes you an owner. I mean when your friends ask you what you've been up to, you don't hide the fact that you're in direct sales! Own the fact that you have taken your life and financial future back in your hands. This is something to be very proud of and something very few actually believe and own! This simple little tip is what separates the top 3% from the other 97% who continue to bounce from opportunity to opportunity thinking the next one will work, it's gotta be the company. Wrong, it's YOU! If you just landed your dream job you'd be telling everyone on the face of the planet about it. Why don't you do the same when you get involved with your product/opportunity. Because you're afraid of someone stealing your dream and telling you no. I'm sorry, but this is again where I would have to say, "Get over it." People are going to say no. You have to understand that most people aren't willing to put themselves out there to make things happen. Why do you think 3% of the population controls 97%-98% of all the wealth. It's not luck. These people took ownership of what they believe and let nobody tell them any different. This includes the Top Earners in your company.

3) Consistency: You have to have a Marketing plan. At this point I don't even care what it is. You just need to have one and you need to be consistent with it. You should have a time line in mind of when you decide to pull that plan in exchange for a new one if it isn't converting, but you've got to start and you've got to follow through with it. Most people decide to do one thing one day and something different the next. How are you ever going to find a process that consistently works? Do some research about lead generation and marketing specific to your company. Pick one or two tactics and run like you just escaped from prison (your J.O.B).

Network Marketing Success is waiting for you, you just have to go get it. These companies and this industry are set up for you to win. There is no other industry in the world that allows you this type of freedom and the ability to build organizations the size of Microsoft without all of the overhead but with all the profits. So get yourself positioned as a leader, own what you doe and get consistent with your Marketing and Your Network Marketing Success will happen before you know it. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Do You Want Less Stress & More Success

2009-10-15T17:57:00.002-04:00

For some people, stress is categorized differently. Some, the thought of having to go to work and listen to the sound of your Boss's voice give you anxiety. For others, it's the fact that the end of the money comes before the end of the month. Whatever it is for you, I'm going to try to get you on the fast track to Less Stress & More Success.

1) Passion: You need to figure out what it is you truly love to do. You'd be surprised, there are people making obscene amounts of money doing some of the most absurd things. I'm not kidding, I think there is actually a T.V. show about it. The problem with most people is they find themselves going to a Job they truly can't stand. They sit there all day wishing they were doing something different. This usually leads to activities like solitaire and Facebooking all day instead of actually producing any kind of results at work. On the other hand, there are the fortunate people who have decided to make there life's passion their career. These are the people who seem to always be working, even when it seems like they are playing. Please know that if this is not you, it can be simply by making the decision.

2) Mentor: Life is SO much easier when you've got a mentor to help you along the way. This is easier than you might think. It doesn't need to be someone who you know personally and have the ability to see everyday. This can come in the form of an industry leader or simply someone you respect that has books, articles or blogs you can read and study. Don't try to go at this alone. Those who have come before you have already screwed up where you are about to. Do yourself a favor and take their advice.

3) Thoughts & Actions: Don't fight your thoughts. You know what you should be doing. It's those who take action on their thoughts that always seem to have the most success. If you're sitting there and a great thought comes to you..DO IT!! This is what's known as the creative process. Keep in mind, Fate Favors the Bold. So when you get that feeling in your stomach that you should, or shouldn't, do something, listen to it and by all means ACT!! Even if you aren't sure how or why, you need to ACT. You will never get to where you want to go by simply thinking your way there. Remember, we're talking about Less Stress & More Success. What do you think will feel better..taking massive action or wishing you would have. I can tell you right now regret will always leave you stressed.

4) Discipline & Structure: These two words seem to turn off the majority of people. When in actuality these two words will set you free! Personally I keep myself on a 6-8 work schedule (sometimes it's a lot more but this is average). During those hours I have highly prioritized Money Making Activities scheduled. My email and phone are not either of those things. On top of that, I break my hours into 50 minute blocks. This allows at least two things: I know for a fact I will accomplish at least 6-8 highly prioritized tasks throughout the day and by giving myself 50 minutes, I have no time to mess around doing some B.S. that drains my time. Tomorrow, monitor yourself. It's been researched that in an 8 hour day an employee does less than 2 hours of actual work! C'mon, there was a game last night I need to talk about, Lindsey Lohan got put in jail, my best friend just put new pics on their Facebook page, etc, etc, etc. And you wonder why people are stressed about income and freedom!!

This Life and all Business opportunities are journeys. These journeys should be enjoyed. Take the time to set yourself up to win and you will most certainly be living a life and/or operating a Business with Less Stress and More Success. The above mentioned items are easy to do and have been around long before I was here. Start easy and implement them one at a time if you have to. Just make sure you implement them. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

The Truth About Home Based Business

2009-10-15T16:52:00.002-04:00

People flock to this industry with big dreams of Mansions, Yachts and fancy cars. Thinking that if they just simply join XYZ company and tell all of their friends and family about it, they too will soon be crossing the stage and seeing their names in lights. As you know, I am a HUGE fan of the Direct Sales Industry. What I get tired of are individuals who come into this industry with a Lottery mentality thinking that their registration fee entitles them to the top pay ranks of their company. So, what I'm going to do for you us give you the Truth About Home Based Business.

1) Business: Yes, this is a BUSINESS!! For most of us, we build a big organizations through Network Marketing. I want you to look closely at those two words. Net-WORK being the first word. Somewhere along the way people got it in their head that if you simply join and get your brother and Aunt to join you're going to be Rich. I've got news for you, it doesn't work that way. EVERY top earner works his/her Home Based Business just as hard (probably harder) than any other job they have ever had. The Second word is MARKETING. It's not Inviting, pitching, harassing or my personal favorite, attending. No, it's MARKETING. I know I always hound this point, but if you stop Marketing your business, you have no business. There is a reason the Top Producers in your company are at the top, they always have people to talk to.

2) Expectations: You're results are going to be right in line with your efforts. So, if you expect to get involved with a particular company and have no intentions of putting forth anymore capital or resources, you are going to get the same in return. However, on the other hand, if you go into your opportunity expecting to have to fund it like any other business and you understand there are going to be travel, marketing, promotional and product expenses, you will get the same in return. Too many people come into this industry simply looking for an answer to a problem. What these individuals need to be conscious of is that this is an opportunity and what happens with that opportunity is what they make of it.

3) Thoughts: You are no longer an employee of someone else. You are now your own boss. For many this is an absolute nightmare. Do you know why all successful companies continue to be successful? Because they are all run on disciplined systems. Can you imagine if McDonalds just decided not to make fries for a day? No, you always expect there to be someone there making fries. So, why do so many get into the Home Based Business industry and think they can go a few days without doing something like Marketing. If this is you, you need to take a hard look at what you're doing and why you're doing it. It is now up to you to start thinking like the Founder, CEO and President of YOU inc. That means you get to do all of the work until you are profitable enough to outsource that work. One more piece of advice about thoughts...DO NOT start to think about your hourly rate in the beginning. Yes, you could be making more money cooking those fries we just talked about. Stick with it and continue down your structured path of success and you can buy one of those Franchises (not that you would want to).

I truly do believe there is no other industry like the Home Based Business Industry. My goal here is to make you aware of what it's really going to take for this industry to produce all of your dreams. As long as you come into this focused and understand that it is the same as any other business on the planet, you will have success. Like I've said before, if you treat this like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby. So, I hope this has shed some light on The Truth About Home Based Business. Until next time, Happy Marketing.

Time Leadership For Entrepreneurs

2009-10-13T13:49:00.004-04:00

Okay, today's writing about Time Leadership comes out of pure necessity and my own experiences of Today. You see, normally I have a scheduled day of prioritized money making activities. In case you're not familiar, money making activities are the activities that lead to money being deposited in your bank account. For me, 80% of that is Marketing. Without Marketing the wheel stops turning and the money stops flowing. EVERYTHING else is a distraction. Today, on the other hand, I have spent the entire day walking people through a process of them spending money. Now, I know you're thinking, "C'mon man, these people are spending money which means you're making money..isn't that what it's all about?" Well yes and (emphatically) NO! Let me explain some things that need to be in place so this happens without you, or in today's case me.

1) Landing Page: This is where all of your traffic is driven. It doesn't matter if you're doing Article Marketing, Press Releases, Facebook, Twitter, Google Adwords or writing blogs; all of your traffic gets driven to a Landing Page. And just so you know, a Landing Page is different than a Website. Websites have a lot going on. There are lots of bells and whistles, areas for you to learn about the company and hear the story of the product, etc. That is what your companies website is for. Your goal is to generate leads through a Landing Page that is VERY simple and focused on one thing...generating a lead.

2) Opt-in: This is a simple form on your Landing Page that actually allows you to generate a lead. You see, when you have done a good job of capturing your prospects attention on your Landing Page, they will have the opportunity to get more information. This is done through an Opt-in form. After your prospect fills out the form, they are given more information. This could be in the form of a Newsletter or some sort of report. Whatever it is, make sure it is relevant to what you just talked about and relevant to your specific Niche and industry. Oh, and by the way, that prospect just took the necessary steps to turn THEMSELVES into a lead. Congratulations, you're well on your way!

3) Thank You Page: This is the next page your prospect is taken to. On this page they will get even more information about what you had talked about during your Landing Page. This is where the curtain is pulled back a little further and your prospect again has the opportunity to take themselves through the process or not. On this page, the prospect is given a very clear understanding of what it is you do and how you can help them. Remember, all leaders help others achieve their goals. Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. However, on this page, you are still not asking them to spend any money. You are simply giving them a better understanding of either how your entire industry works or just your business. Either way, you give them an idea of how they fit in the scenario and again, how you can help.

4) Sales Process: This is where the transaction happens, and it happens without you. This doesn't necessarily have to be your big ticket item or even the end all be all of your entire Sales Process. It should, however, be a spot where this lead either becomes a Tire Kicker or a Qualified Lead. This doesn't have to be expensive either by the way. It could be a simple $10 ebook that teaches them how to do what you just took them through. Whatever it is, it is systemically done while you are working on Money Making Activities.

That's where I'm going to leave it for today. You can see that by putting together your own Sales System you have taken control of your Time Leadership. This process isn't new by the way. Next time you go in to get a $15 Oil change, you'll understand why you left spending $100 on filters, wipers, and upgraded oil. All the while the owner sat in an office and figured out how to get more people in the door for a $15 oil change. Do yourself a favor and get control of your Time Leadership and watch your income grow like weeds. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing.

Who Are The Modern Entrepreneurs?

2009-10-07T11:25:00.002-04:00

The last figure I heard was 17 million unemployed people in the United States. Also, the last figure I heard was 500,000 per MONTH look to the internet to find a way to make more money and/or start a business. So, what does this tell you? People are looking, and you now know where they are looking. So what does a Modern Entrepreneur do? The same thing Entrepreneurs have been doing since the beginning of time, filling a void. The only difference now is that we have the ability to leverage the power of the internet. If you've read anything else I've written, you know I'm a huge fan of the Direct Sales industry. This is the only industry that allows a single individual to build an organization as large as some of the biggest companies in the world. Below I'm going to give you a few points to remember while you go out and fill the void en route to becoming a Modern Entrepreneur.

1) Systems: This is not a new concept. McDonalds is McDonalds because of the systems it runs on. I know you know it's not because of the quality of food, it's because you can go to a McDonalds in Manhattan and expect the same thing from a McDonalds in Mexico, MO. The beauty of systems allows you, the owner, to focus on growth of the business and not flipping the burgers. In the Direct Sales Industry your system is set up to produce highly qualified prospects looking to join you in business. You could do it the old, hard way by trying to recruit everyone with a pulse. However, this leaves you know time to continue to build your business because you're too busy "flipping burgers." Let your prospect take themselves through a series of steps and either weed themselves out or pop out the other end as a nice shinny qualified prospect looking to build a business. Then, and only then, you get to know them, understand who they are and teach them the same system that has brought them to you. That in and of itself is a system!

2) Leadership: In the Direct Sales Industry, individuals are not looking to join businesses or opportunities. Individuals are looking to join people who they think can lead them to where they want to go. So, how do you position yourself as a leader? Work! Nothing will ever replace work. Let's say someone finds themselves in the middle of one of your sales systems. They like everything they're hearing and are feeling good about the possibility of moving forward with you. I promise you the next step they take is to go to Google and find out who you are. When they do this, what are they going to find? Do you know what you're talking about? Do you have a TON of content on the web about your particular niche market? Have you produced results? If your prospect goes to Google and can't find you, you are in trouble. It is VERY simple these days to position yourself as a leader, but you're going to have to work. What came first, the Chicken or the Egg? Nothing ever happened without a gestation period.

3) Marketing: I've written so much about this topic I should start column solely on Marketing. The very basic concept here is content. Remember, I'm not talking about advertising I'm talking about Marketing. Nobody likes to be sold, but everyone likes to buy. If you have a product to sell, don't sell them your product, sell them your knowledge and let them decide to buy your product. I know I just lost a bunch of you so here's an example. You walk in to Best Buy and want a T.V. If you're anything like me the only thing you know about a T.V. is whether or not you like it. So, the sales clerk takes you on a myriad of entertainment KNOWLEDGE and by the time he/she is done you're just taking his/her word for it because he/she is the expert. I know some of you are thinking, "not me, he/she is just trying to take advantage of me...I'll show him." Then you buy what you LIKE and end up with lesser quality and a problem setting everything up because it's not compatible. Trust me, people WANT to buy from an expert who they can trust. This should be your #1 focus during your Marketing.

The greatest part about all of these tips and what connects them to The Modern Entrepreneur is that you can do all of this from your house. If you have an internet connection and a computer you can begin to build a HUGE business, no matter what industry or niche market you're involved with. The internet has changed the way we shop, make reservations, order food and get phone numbers. It's about time you become a Modern Entrepreneur and begin to leverage the power of the internet. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

What is a Millionaire Mindset For Entrepreneurs?

2009-09-30T11:39:00.003-04:00

I think too often people misuse the term "Mindset." I'm not talking about the positive thinking, head in the clouds The Secret type of stuff. Now, don't get me wrong, I think The Secret is a great video and one everyone should watch. However, it leaves out some other fundamental principles of a successful "Mindset." Especially a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs. So what I'm going to try and do is separate the simple thought process from the actual mindset.

Visualization is a great part of developing who you are and who you are becoming. However, without some sort of action to actually become that individual, it will never happen. I've had people close to me talk about how they have visualized this or that to "come into" their lives. Maybe a gift of some sort. And then, on a special holiday, birthday or anniversary that gift came into their lives. I don't call this having a great Mindset, in fact I would consider this false confidence. Until you are able to produce the results you desire through your own thoughts and actions, you have only set yourself up to be dependent on other people's thoughts and actions. This, my friends, will NEVER get you to achieve a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs. I'm going to list some distinctions between what is and what isn't.

1) Thoughts vs. Actions: I've talked to a lot of people who ask for certain things in their business career and then when it comes time to take action it disappears. It's great to have goals and even better to have intentions. A goal will continue to give you something to think about and an intention will give you something to start taking action on. Positive thinking with no action leaves you in the same place you were before you started thinking...on the couch dreaming! If your actions are not in line with your thoughts and vice versa, you will end up wondering why you aren't getting the results you're after. Make a thought an intention and then go do it!

2) Accountability vs. Blaming: Developing a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs sometimes means you have to take it on the chin from time to time. You see, you're not going to get very far if you continue to take the easy road. And, when you decide to take the road less traveled, sometimes you make mistakes or try to take short cuts. Face it, you're going to screw up. This is a part of learning and growing. What matters is what you do when you screw up. If you say things like, "You said I should..." or "You made me do this..." then you have a long road ahead of you. On the other hand, the sooner you take accountability for your actions and your results, the quicker you will get to where you're headed. You are where you are because of YOU!

3) Leading vs. Following: Do you find yourself always agreeing with the crowd? Do you try and talk friends and colleagues out of an idea? If this fits your personality, you are a follower. You need to start being the person who makes claims and believes that there are bigger and better things waiting for you. Don't worry about the people in your life who say things like, "C'mon, that stuff doesn't really happen" or "Maybe you should take the easy way first before you go for it." DO NOT let these people's nervousness and weakness affect your mindset. Just because these people are afraid doesn't mean you should be. In fact, this is the perfect time for you to be a leader and show them it IS possible and there is nothing to be afraid of.

So I hope this helps. Having a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs is more than just wishful thinking. It is about getting your mind-SET on your intentions and making that happen one way or the other. When a road block happens, take accountability and go around. When someone tries to talk you out of it, stay focused on your intentions and keep your mind-SET. Turn those thoughts into actions and you'll be well on your way to having a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs. I hope this helps on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing.

Tips on Writing Your Own Entrepreneur Success Stories

2009-09-30T10:14:00.002-04:00

To me, there isn't anything more exciting than hearing Entrepreneur Success Stories from first timers. You know, the person who is either brand new in business or has been struggling in business and then it happens. Maybe they do something different and it unlocks a whole new shift in thought process. Or, possibly they have been continually doing the same thing and all of the small successes have now built into a VERY large business. Some people might even want to call this "overnight success" or "getting lucky." You and I know different. You and I know it's just a matter of putting the pieces together and doing it consistently. Below are a few things to keep in mind when writing your Entrepreneur Success Stories.

1) Get a Mentor: This can come in the form of an industry titan or your local business man. Whoever it is, make sure their successes and principles are in line with your own. Learning from someone with different principles than you will ultimately lead to your failure. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't follow blindly. If what they say makes sense to you and you can see yourself living that life, then do it. However, if what they say and do isn't in alignment with who you are or what you know is right, run for the hills. Just as the old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Once you've found the right mentor for you, hit it hard. This is the quickest path to success. Don't reinvent the wheel. You may make it more effective but the ground work is done.

2) Action Plan: Most people I talk to say they are going to achieve this great feat and have huge success. I think this thought process is awesome! Then I ask how they are going to do that and the normal response is, "Well, I'm just gonna do it." This is where #1 comes in REALLY handy. Let me give you this example...Two people leave N.Y. en route to L.A. One of them immediately hops in their car and they are GONE! Driving 100 mph, weaving North and South. They see everything from Atlanta to Detroit back down through New Orleans up through Chicago, etc, etc and 3 months later they arrive in L.A. The second individual goes and talks to a mentor who gives them a proven plan to get there. The second person takes the advice, drives to the airport and arrives in L.A. 6 hours later. If these two trips were businesses and L.A. represented what your goal is, which trip would you take? The answer is simple but when it comes to business everyone seems to think the road trip route is better. Get a PLAN!

3) Follow your Plan: Did you know, when most people get lost it's simply because they stopped too soon? Think about that for a minute. Have you ever been headed somewhere and you just knew you should have been there already? What normally happens? You turn around to see if you missed your turn or stop and ask directions or possibly the ultimate worst, you just take a different route. This is a common case of second guessing. You couldn't do yourself a bigger disservice than this. You've basically just abandoned ship and given up on your plan before actually seeing it through. Don't let this happen to you. Trust me, in business, very few things are going to work out as you originally thought. You've got to keep going and see your plan through.

4) Consistent Action: This isn't something you get to do 3 days then take a couple days off. Well, I guess you could but you'll never get to where you're going. Let's face the facts here, you will never achieve any kind of good results, in anything, without consistent action. You wouldn't expect to be a great Basketball player without practice, so why is business different? It's not! The only way you're going to get good and achieve the results you want are to consistently take action towards your goal. Here comes the fun news...If you have a 9-5 business your day isn't over at 5. That is working IN your business. When the work day is over now you get to work ON your business. Working ON your business is what will actually set you free. So here's some advice, let someone else work IN your business while you work ON your business! Get smart and have systems in place that make your business run like clock work and you'll be happier and wealthier.

I hope these points have given you some insight about writing your own Entrepreneur Success Stories. This stuff really isn't that difficult. Find a mentor who will help you develop a plan. Then work your plan all the way through by doing something consistent everyday. Stop wondering and start doing. There is more than enough Real Estate at the top because fewer people are looking for it. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

From J.O.B. To Fire Your Boss!!

2009-09-24T11:34:00.002-04:00

So your tired of your J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) and you want to Fire Your Boss. I want to help prepare you for what lies ahead. Some of you will have done a bunch of preparation for the big day. Others will simply find themselves at a point one day at work when they say, "I've had it, this is it I'm outta here!!" While I can't say I didn't have the latter, I did, however, prepare myself for what was to come. Only to find out I didn't prepare enough. So I'm going to give you a few quick points to have in line before you Fire Your Boss.

1) Do what you Love: I know, I know this is almost a cliche. However, it is the most truthful statement in forging out your own piece of the pie. Some of the most highly paid individuals are doing what most would consider a vacation. Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady. Each of these people play a game and make hundreds of millions of dollars. The same is said for entertainers; go ahead, think of your favorite musician or actor. These people sing, dance and play make believe and are compensated VERY well. Granted, these people also have a tremendous amount of talent to go along with their chosen profession. I've got a question for you, what came first, the talent or the profession.

2) Work: Be prepared to work more now than you did when you had a boss. That's right, now you have to do the same amount of work that the entire business was doing before. It won't be like this for long, but in the beginning you have to be the one to set up everything. This is normally when we lose most people. People tend to leave their J.O.B. for greener pastures of days on the beach and sleeping late. Saying things like, "What's gonna happen, I'm not gonna get fired." This is the kiss of death. Let's go back to the athletes and entertainers for a moment. Do you think they just decided they were going to choose that profession and then the next day they were signing contracts with the Yankees. NO, they spent their entire lives WORKING to be the best and now their compensation reflects that work. Some may say they are overpaid, but they are only getting what the market will allow.

3) Change: That's right, what made you good at your J.O.B. is not enough for you to Fire Your Boss. While you might have been stressed at work, the stress of owning and operating your own business is completely different. Your boss treating you like an incompetent child may be frustrating, but not having any money to pay your bills is more frustrating. The only difference is that now you have nobody to point the finger at except yourself. This is by far the most difficult process new entrepreneurs have. They expect that the mindset they've had is going to be good enough. Wrong!! Take the athletes and entertainers again. Everyone of them is used to being the best player or star on there team or cast. Then they hit the big time and EVERYONE is the best. It's time to take your game to another level. This means your mentality has to change, which means you have to change. What you are doing now is what has gotten you to where you are. So, in order to go further you have to do something different! Keep practicing, this game is never over and there are no time outs.

Making the transition from J.O.B. to Fire Your Boss truly is a life changing experience. You'll notice things you once thought were huge deals barely even matter. Your ability to make decisions and handle large tasks will begin to grow. And as you practice and practice and practice, your compensation will also garner what the market will allow. This process can absolutely free up your life if you're willing to take the necessary steps. Do yourself a favor and find a mentor, this always helps to shorten the learning curve. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Real Estate Investing &. Direct Sales a Winning Combination!

2009-09-23T12:26:00.005-04:00

Today I'm going to dive into two areas of income I've got a good amount of experience with...Real Estate Investing & Direct Sales. For the purposes of this blog I'm going to speak about REAL Real Estate Investing (not speculation) and I'm going to keep it simple and easy to understand.

If I had to choose just one to build my income and liquid cash it would be Direct Sales. There is no other industry or business model that allows you to generate as much cash as this industry. Big business, according to Forbes, are 500 employees or more. This is where it is said to be that the truly wealthy make money. Do you have any idea the amount of money, blood, sweat and tears it would take to build a traditional company with 500 employees? Not to mention the sacrifices of your day to day life. In the Direct Sales industry you can build an organization of 500 people in less than a year. Think about that for a minute, you can have the power to leverage other people's efforts as easily as some of the largest businesses in the world. The major differences are: You don't pay insurance, rent, liabilities, overhead or employees. Yet you do the same amount of volume and have higher profits. Not to mention the fact your income can compete with some of the top CEO's. If you think I'm full of it, do the research and see for yourself.

I've said this a hundred times, if you want to get ahead you have to be able to leverage time and money. In the Direct Sales industry you are able to do both. Your time is leveraged by the efforts of your organization. When you are successful with this you can take your money and leverage it in the same way. Which leads me to...

Real Estate Investing. Remember, I'm not talking about flipping houses. I'm talking about the true investment of Real income producing property. This is not as sexy as "Flip This House," but the long term benefits are far more exciting. Do you realize you can add to your Net Worth 10 fold by investing simply 20% of a purchase price of a property. So, for easy numbers sake, if you bought a $100,000 property (that had a positive cash flow) you could buy this using only $20k of your own money and add to your net worth $100,000. Now keep in mind this is a VERY simple model and there is no "how to" here, this is just an example.

How do you think the wealthy seem to continue to get more and more wealthy? Do you realize that with just a few of these deals your net worth is going to be pushing a million dollars. On top of that, you are viewed by your bank as someone who they WANT to lend money to. Guess what that enables you to do...buy more income producing properties and continue to add to your Net Worth!!

This simple little strategy allows you both time freedom and financial freedom. Now we're getting somewhere. There is no other industry like Direct Sales for generating large amounts of cash quickly and Real Estate (bought correctly) is a great place to grow your money. Yes, even in these times, Real Estate is a smart investment. Please keep in mind I'm speaking of Income Producing property, not single family flips. People are always going to need a place to live and businesses are always going to need a place to work.

This is a formula for the average person just like you and me to go out and make a small fortune. As with anything in life, it pays to have a mentor. Someone who can shorten your learning curve and teach you the in's & out's. I'd love to be able to work with you and show you just how lovely Life can be. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

I Used To Invest in Foreclosures, Now Business is MUCH Simpler!

2009-09-23T11:11:00.004-04:00

At the ripe old Age of 23 I made my first offer on a piece of property. I had officially thrown my hat in the ring to Invest in Foreclosures. I'll never forget the weeks leading up to this day. I had the highest hopes and everything I had been reading was telling me how terrific my life was going to be and how simple it was to make BIG money! Then it happened...my offer got accepted!

You wanna talk about emotional overload. I'll never forget it, I was literally in my backyard tossing a Frisbee with my roommates when my Realtor called. I thought I'd be tossing a Frisbee and making money hand over fist for the rest of my life! Then the second wave of emotions and thoughts came. How am I going to actually buy this house? Who can I flip my contract and make money? Why did my offer get accepted so quickly? Needless to say I put the Frisbee down and got in my car to go see my "Deal."

Keep in mind, I was getting in the business of selling my contracts. Or better known as "wholesaling" in the Real Estate Investing circles. This simply means I find deals, structure the buying end, put them under contract and "assign" my contract for an assignment fee. Beautiful in principle, however, sometimes horrible in Reality.

To make a long, stressful, uneducated story short; I had overpaid on the property and no investor in their right mind would buy my "Deal." After weeks of unbearable stress and anxiety I was blessed. Fortunately for me, there was a Title issue and I had the option of getting my deposit back and not closing on the property. This sort of business model went on for years until I had enough money to actually buy property and Invest in Foreclosures.

Any stress and not knowing how it was going to turn out was only magnified when I began to push my chips in. Now there were contractors, painters, unexpected expenses...EVERY TIME!! Not to mention the major flaw in the entire business model..I WAS ONLY AS GOOD AS MY LAST DEAL!! If I didn't keep doing deals I didn't make any money. I had gotten into this business to set myself free of real work. Now I had found myself married to the business 24/7. No vacations, long weekends, etc. Something had to change. Unfortunately that change came for me in the way of a Real Estate collapse. In hindsight it's the best thing that has happened to me and my business.

Now I understand the value of Leverage. Both time and money. You see, without one you can't have the other. If you truly want to LIVE this life, you have to be able to Leverage both. I became a Master at Marketing and understood the beauty of the Direct Sales business model. Insane amounts of profitability and time freedom to be able to actually LIVE life. No longer do I worry about whether or not a Contractor is going to show up, if there are going to be $10k worth of foundation problems that just "appeared." Oh no! Now I simply go through my daily tasks that keep my business and opportunity in front of people who are looking for it. How crazy is that!?! My business life went from stressful and uncertainty to stress free and predictable profits! Now I can get used to this.

So, I thought I'd shed a little light on what it's really like to Invest in Foreclosures. You really want to build a profitable business that will give you your life back? If so, I'd love to show you the ropes and work with you. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Network Marketing Help..Get Proper Training Don't Give Up!

2009-09-18T11:13:00.005-04:00

It's no secret that this industry has a 3% success rate. This stems from a couple different reasons. One of them is that people continue to try to build a business the same way that has gotten us this 3% success rate. Second is nobody is ever given proper training to help build their organizations. So I've decided to give some insight with Network Marketing Help..Get Proper Training Don't Give Up!

Every time you get involved with a new company you hear the same old song and dance about making a list of 200 people you barely know to get in to business with you. I see two immediate problems with this strategy: 1) Most, if not all, of those people have no idea what it takes to build a business and 2) Chances are you have never been taught how to recruit or sell. If you haven't made a living selling, you can't sell. I know this sounds blunt but it's true. You can't recruit people because in your previous jobs you may have never had to sell anything! Now you're in an industry that is 100% based on sales volume. You can listen to whatever makes you feel better but the bottom line is this; if nothing sells there are no commissions period. So what are you supposed to do? I can think of two things right off the bat that will help any average person with big dreams become successful in Network Marketing.

Lead Generation: Instead of talking to 200 people in your "warm market" who have no desire to get involved with the newest business opportunity, why not set up lead generation systems that allow you to talk to 200 people/week who ARE interested in joining you in business. Now that is a crazy concept isn't it? I understand the concept of the warm market. It allows you to talk with people you're comfortable with and these people may join based on sheer emotion of wanting to help you. That's great, but they won't help you achieve your dreams. Get a lead generation system in place and recruit business builders and then give them your same lead generation system so they can repeat your success. Now we're talking some SERIOUS growth!!

Recruiting: Most people get involved in this industry and have never even sold a glass of lemonade. Go get a job as a telemarketer where you are forced to make 100+ cold calls everyday. Not only that, but you'll get some training with sales. Most people have no idea about posture and positioning. Let alone maintaining control of a conversation and leading to the close. If you think going out and getting a sales job is beneath you, buy some sort of course that teaches you everything you need to know about recruiting for your business. It is not uncommon for a trained individual to recruit 15-20 personally sponsored individuals into their organization through proper training.

Do yourself a favor and start treating your business like a business. If you treat this like a hobby, it will do what all hobbies do...cost you money! Stop messing around get Network Marketing Help..Get Proper Training & Don't Give Up! Learn how to generate leads and then learn how to properly recruit those leads. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

It's NOT About Your Network Marketing Company, Business, Product or Opportunity

2009-09-18T10:10:00.003-04:00

I hate to be forward, okay maybe I don't, but nobody cares about Your Network Marketing Company, Business, Product or Opportunity! Face the facts, people will join or not join your business because of you! Why do the Top Producers in your organization have such large teams? They have the same Comp plan, product and opportunity yet they seem to be knocking the cover off the ball while you're still treading water. What's the difference? It's YOU!

What do you have to offer that the other million plus people in your organization don't offer? Have you proven yourself to be a leader? If not, why would someone want to join your team? Do you have a repeatable system in place for your team to plug in to that will produce leads and results? If not, why would someone want to join your team? Have you grown as a person and developed the skills and traits that make you a winner in Life? If not, why would someone want to join your team?

These are just a few simple questions you should be asking yourself. Don't stop there however. Now that you've answered some of these questions the REALLY important step is to ACT. Getting ready to get ready has gotten a whole lot of people nowhere. If your afraid to take the shot, you'll never win. So where do we start?

Leadership: Some leaders are born, most are developed. Here's a good litmus test. If you know more about your favorite T.V. show, sports team, Reality Star, etc than you do about your own business opportunity and/or your own personal development, go get a job! If your DVD collection is bigger than your book collection something is out of alignment. Please keep in mind I'm talking about those who want to be TRUE leaders. If you're not interested in being in the top 1% stop reading because you'll just get upset. Start reading some books about Leadership, start reading books on personal development. Nobody will follow someone until they themselves are a proven leader. If this is out of your comfort zone, work on it. Leadership is the #1 factor between becoming a success and being mediocre.

Systems: In Network Marketing it is very important to be able to teach your team how to duplicate your success. Remember, the majority of your income relies on the success of your team. If you simply recruit someone and leave them to figure it out on there own, your asking for failure. So, do you have a system in place that is producing results for you? If so, you need to share it with your ENTIRE team. This is where we lose most newcomers to Networking. The common response is, "Won't they take all of my leads and build a bigger business than me!?" This is the mindset of a worker bee, not a leader. You need to face the fact that you MIGHT get 10% of your leads into your business. That means 90 of 100 people will say no. What if your team could pick up another 5%-10% of what you don't get. Do you see how much your TEAM just grew. This is how you need to think. Get a system and teach your team.

I'm going to end it here for right now. This is enough for you to work on for the near future. Remember, nobody cares about Your Network Marketing Business, Company, Product or Opportunity until they are first impressed with you! So go out and work on your Leadership and get some Systems in place for your entire team to be successful. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Become a REAL Network Marketing Leader

2009-09-15T13:02:00.002-04:00

When I say Become a REAL Network Marketing Leader I don't simply mean build a large organization. In the Direct Sales industry your success is in direct relation to the quality of your leadership. If you can go out and recruit hundreds of people, that's fantastic. However, you need to keep in mind that you will benefit 10 fold if you position yourself as a REAL leader.

A leader is someone who has more intent on you becoming a success than themselves. Now at first glance this seems to be some of the same song and dance you always hear when you begin in this industry. Yes, we all know that leveraging other people's efforts is one of the greatest attributes this industry has to offer. However, what I'm really talking about is having the same sense of urgency for your team's goals as they do. Take your focus off of yourself and begin to help your team achieve their dreams. Not only will your goals happen during the process but it will be that much more rewarding in the end.

Normally a leader works more than the rest. Not necessarily in or on the business, but also on themselves. Constantly checking themselves to make sure that what they are doing is not only for the highest good of themselves, but of everyone else involved. It's easy for people to get caught up in the day to days of business and forget what they are really trying to accomplish. To become a REAL Network Marketing Leader it is on you to help your team stay focused on WHY they started this journey.

There will be times of frustration. This is common amongst Leaders. Frustration can simply be a sign that what you are trying to do is not working. This is where we lose most people, but not you! This is when a REAL leader takes a step back and figures out another strategy. Chances are you are not effectively communicating with others and you feel they should just, "Get it!" Trust me, this is the Kiss of Death and a sure fire way to build a business on your own. It's time for you to really make changes in yourself to be the person others can come to because you can maintain a focus on the end result for everyone. Snoop Dogg may have said it best when he said, "I've Paid the Cost to be The Boss."

When you Become a REAL Network Marketing Leader you will give everything you've got. I don't mean time, money, resources, calls, etc. I mean you will teach everyone how to do exactly what you do. Some people have a really hard time with this. Saying things like, "If I teach them everything, won't they steal my ideas and move past me!?" This is NOT the mindset of a Leader. Actually this is still the mindset of someone who's stuck in Corporate America where everyone is after #1, themselves. In this industry and in life, the more you give the more you get back in return.

If you think you're ready to take it to the top it's time to Let Go! Let go of the fear, let go of the excuses and let go of any past thoughts and actions that are keeping you where you are. It's time to Become a REAL Network Marketing Leader by giving of yourself and others to truly start to shine. I hope this helps you on your Journey in this great industry. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

How To Make Money in Network Marketing Being Yourself!

2009-09-15T12:02:00.002-04:00

How To Make Money in Network Marketing Being Yourself is something so easy and actually more natural for everyone that sometimes it doesn't even register with you. Everyone, at sometime in there life, has had a "feeling" that they should or shouldn't be doing something or that they should be doing it differently. Without getting too involved into the metaphysical, that feeling is always right! So today we're gonna talk about separating yourself from the masses.

Let's use shopping as an example. You walk in to your local store and start looking for a new shirt. As you're shopping around for shirts you like, you begin to notice that everyone who walks in is wearing the same shirt. Holy cow, even the person working at the store has the same shirt on! Now there may be a few subtle differences, but in essence they are all the same. Wouldn't this make your decision much easier? Enough of what everyone else is doing! That is what has gotten everyone where they are, just like everyone else. When learning how to Make Money in Network Marketing being Yourself, keep this example in the back of your head. Trust me, the person you're trying to pitch your business to has just heard the same song and dance from the last person wearing that same shirt!

So how do you stand out? Well, the first thing that pops in to my head would be to NOT lead with your product or opportunity. That's right, we aren't selling you a shovel, we're going to share with you HOW to dig a hole. I've said this a hundred times, nobody likes to be sold but everyone likes to buy. If you teach someone how to dig a hole they will CHOOSE to buy the shovel you sell. This is not a new concept. Businesses have been doing this forever. There's even an old saying that during the Gold Rush some of the most successful people were those selling the equipment.

Take yourself back to when you got involved with your Network Marketing company. Was it the product that really got you going or was it the possibilities of what your life could be like? Then do the same thing and think about some of the obstacles you faced along the way in the beginning. Would it help if someone pitched you a new product or taught you how to be successful with the product you've got?

Listen to you Gut! Do you feel awkward talking to your mechanic about starting a lotion business?! Do you think there has got to be a better way to build an organization of Business Builders? How to Make Money in Network Marketing Being Yourself is all about just that!! Start marketing using methods that best suit YOUR personality traits. Do you love your product and have a ton of knowledge of the industry? If so, teach that to others and let them decide they WANT to be in business with you. Do you love teaching others how to Build a Business? Fantastic, teach people the ABC's of business building and let them decide to be in business with you.

There are SO many ways for you to start building your business. Give yourself the proper education to learn how to effectively Market and promote what you have to offer. And remember, what you have to offer is not your Company. What you have to offer is YOU. This industry, just like every industry, is a people business. Attract the right kind of people, build relationships and teach them what you do. This is a formula of How to Make Money in Network Marketing Being Yourself. I hope this helps you on your journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Are You Sick of All The HYPE Around Home Business Opportunities!?

2009-09-15T11:18:00.003-04:00

Let me give you just a brief example of The Hype Around Home Business Opportunities I'm talking about. "The product is so good it sells itself," "Push through the no's to get to the yes's." Well, if the product was so good it sells itself, the company wouldn't need you. And yes, I completely understand you'll be hit with some resistance from time to time, however this is mostly due to speaking with unqualified individuals about your opportunity!

The Hype around Home Business Opportunities that drives me crazy the most are the claims of working 2 hrs a day and making millions! This may be true AFTER you've worked 40+ hrs a week for YEARS and have become the kind of LEADER that has duplicated his/her success. Instead of all of the claims and all of the Hype, this industry would be better served if we simply came out and equipped each of our recruits with the skills and techniques of what it really takes to be successful in this industry. It's not found in a bottle, at a convention, through your upline or in any of the shirts you buy. All of these things are great to keep you plugged in to your community and help build a sense of Team, but it's not helping you generate more leads.

If all of the usual strategies being taught worked there wouldn't be a 97% failure rate! Have you been taught how to generate multiple streams of income? Have you been taught how to generate QUALIFIED leads? Have you been taught how to make money from the leads you generate? Do you still think attraction marketing is something you learned from watching The Secret?

Take a look around your company. What are the Big Dogs doing? Are they attending the events or are the teaching the events? Do they have some sort of audio or book to sell you to help you build your business? Guess what that is...it's another stream of income...FOR THEM! Trust me, I have no problem with any of this. I do have a problem with you not being taught the same strategies to build your own business. It may take you some time to get on that stage, however that does not mean you can't start implementing those same strategies right now!

If you're still cold calling prospects, not generating leads, not getting paid to generate leads and have no repeatable system in place for your team you are following the path of the 97% Stop doing the same thing that has gotten such a terrible rate of success and start doing the things the Top Earners are doing! This industry WILL give you everything you're looking for when done properly.

How would you like to sponsor 15+ people a month into your business? How would you like to get paid from the leads that told you no? That strategy alone will give you enough income to continue Marketing for free!! It's time for you to begin to see the bigger picture and start living the life you came to this industry in search of. It's never too late or too early to become who you know you need to be. Get out there and carve out a piece of this Highly profitable business. No more Hype Around Home Business Opportunities, just proven successful strategies. I hope to see you at the top! Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Gnerate 10-20 Network Marketing Leads a Day? How To

2009-09-14T12:29:00.003-04:00

With so much information out there in regards to lead generation, I get asked if it's really possible to Generate 10-20 Network Marketing Leads a Day. Not only is it possible, but it's possible to do for FREE. Please keep in mind when starting any business it's important to keep your eye on your cash flow. Something I see beginners do is run out and spend all of their budget on fancy advertising that may or may not have a positive impact on their business. Without further adieu I give to you the 3 M's of Marketing. This has been around for as long as I can remember and probably longer.

Your Market: This is the "Who." Your Market is someone who is already spending money in your particular Niche, or people who are actively searching out your product or service today. That's it!! I don't care what the nice sales rep at your local Yellow Pages tells you, you DO NOT want to throw mud against the wall and just see what sticks. This is a sure fire way to spend yourself out of business. Find an industry outlet like a magazine, newsletter or open forum and begin to Market. Notice I said Market and not Advertise. Please remember, nobody likes to be sold, but everyone likes to buy. Put yourself in front of your Target Market and position yourself as an expert. I can promise you that the person looking has done their research, so you should do the same, you can't fake this.

Your Message: This is the "What." Your Message needs to speak to your prospect. What issues are they going through right now? What problems are they facing that you have the solution for? How can you relate to your prospect? What makes you different/better than everything else out there? Just because your out to Generate 10-20 Network Marketing Leads a Day doesn't mean your prospect isn't going through the same issues as anyone else in the open market. Can your product/service help? If so, how? Put yourself in the shoes of a beginner Networker. What questions/concerns did you have when you got started? What did you overcome and how can you help? Your job with your Message is to be a solutions provider. They have a problem, you have a solution.

Your Media: This is the "Where." If you ask me, there is only one place to Market and that is the Internet. Nowhere else on the planet Earth can you reach the sheer volume of people who are looking. EVERYDAY people are looking to start a new business. If I gave you the actual statistic you wouldn't believe me. So, who do you think has a better chance of building a large business: You with your Yellow pages and local newspaper, or me on the internet? I think you understand the scope. If you're unsure of HOW to market on the internet, it would be worth your while to get an education on this. Websites, blogs, videos, articles, press releases, social media, the list goes on and on. Do a Google search and figure it out or get in touch with someone who wants to mentor you.

These 3 M's are irrefutable when it comes to Marketing any business. Especially when you want to Generate 10-20 Network Marketing Leads a Day. Remember, most Network Marketing businesses are global so your reach should also be global. Marketing is something not to be taken lightly. Without it there are no leads and without any leads there are no sales and no sales equals no business. So do yourself a favor, put on the Marketing hat and leave it on!! I hope this helps you on your journey of building your business. Until next time, happy Marketing!

How To MARKET Your Network MARKETING Business

2009-09-14T11:03:00.002-04:00

When people get involved with a Network Marketing business, they are never properly taught how to Market your Network Marketing Business. You are told to go out and make a list of 200 of you closest friends family and acquaintances. Everyone from your neighbors, friends, family, Doctor and your mailman. While some, less than 1%, have had some success this way there is a much better and far easier way to build your business.

What if instead of talking to people with no business experience or desire you were talking with people who had both experience and desire to build a business. Do you think the success rate in this industry might go up? So here's what I'm going to do for you today. I'm going to give you an overview of how all of the top earners build there businesses and how you can begin to build your business just like a top earner.

Lists. All of your success is determined on the size and quality of your list. How do you think it's possible for someone to jump right into a Network Marketing business and within a couple months be one of the top producers earning the most money? Do you think he/she did this by talking to the mailman? No, this person has been building a list of qualified people over the course of their career. So when the time comes for them to "recommend" an opportunity, thousands of people opt-in right along with them. Then the next thing they do is teach their team how to do the same. This can be done through the sales of books, audios, training programs, etc. Each and every time some form of training material is sold, the list is getting bigger and bigger and their organization is growing and growing.

That's great, now how do you do the same? Easy, you position yourself in your marketplace as a leader! Do some research about your particular niche business. Do you sell lotions, pills, make up, creams, juice, etc.? Become THE expert people want to go to for advice about any of these particular areas. Set up a website and/or blog where people can visit and get FREE content and/or advice about your particular niche. Write a Newsletter or some sort of informational paper that your prospect can receive after they've given you their contact information. This is what is known as an opt-in. When someone gives you their information you in turn give them more FREE content about your niche market.

This is the very basic nuts and bolts of building a list. So the next time your opportunity comes around, you have a very large list of qualified people in your niche market to "recommend" something to. Then, have something in place that you can offer to your team to help them create the same sort of system you have built to ensure their success. If everyone were taught how to effectively Market your Network Marketing Business, there wouldn't be a 97% failure rate in this industry.

So before you go out and get slammed with rejection by your "warm market", go back through this blog and pick up on some techniques of how to Market your Network Marketing Business so you are able to speak with qualified leads who actually want to build a business with YOU! I hope this has been informative and leads you down a path of success instead of frustration which leads to failure. Until next time, happy Marketing!

Gratitude

2009-09-11T10:47:00.003-04:00

As I'm sure we all know, this is a day in history none of us will ever forget. With so many stories, memories and emotions tied to this day I wanted to take the time to reflect on what became of us after the fact.

I can't remember another time (at least in my history) where so many people came together. It's easy for all of us to get caught up in our own day to days. Each of us with our own agenda and not really giving much thought to anyone or anything else. While all of this togetherness had come from a place of tragedy, it also helped us realize not only what is truly important but what is truly possible when we decide to give of ourselves and each other for the good of a common goal. There doesn't have to be a tragedy that happens for each of us to realize something as easy and as powerful as this.

It's said that with every loss there comes a seed of equal or greater success. What did we get from this loss? Strength, connection, giving, honor and most of all a feeling of being united. Let this be a day for all of us to remember who we are and what we are capable of. Never in my life had I been so proud of those who protect and serve so that each of us can go on living our lives in abundance.

So let today serve as a reminder of what you're capable of and what you are truly grateful for. To all of those who spend their days protecting and serving so that we can all go out and live our lives, this one is for you...THANK YOU!!

How Are Leads Generated Part 3

2009-09-10T09:45:00.003-04:00

Now that you understand the basics of Article and Video Marketing, let's dive into the Blog. I'm sure you've guessed that you're going to want to use the same topic from your Article and your video to post a blog. Keep in mind, however, your blog post doesn't need to be in any certain type of format. It is simply you speaking (typing) your thoughts on a particular subject. I say use the same content simply because the more relevant content out there for a Search Engine to find the better. It also keeps your messages clear and consistent.

Your Blog serves as your overall HUB of your business. Your Articles, Videos and any other type of Marketing you've got out there should lead back to your Blog. This gives your prospect a place to come and "check you out." If a prospect sees one video or reads one article and likes what you have to say, he/she can click a link and be taken to your blog where he/she can read about EVERYTHING you have to offer and truly get a sense of who you are and how you can help them.

Avoid any sort of rants that could sway too far one direction or the other. Yes, you are attracting people like you who are interested in building the same type of business as you but you want that to be as open to as many people as possible. The minute you go off and start down a path of destruction, you have just limited your Market to others who may also be angry that day. Also remember that post is out on the World Wide Web forever. Lots of people will use what you say as a judge of your character and base this as who you are. Remember, the goal is to generate leads so stay on point about what your blog is, not what you dislike. If you want to generate leads for your flower business, don't go on a rant about how much you hate something that is a pet peeve of yours, stay focused on your flowers and your amazing abilities to produce pretty bouquets.

Blogging is easy. And, with enough Keyword research for your Articles and your Videos, you should never run out of topics to Blog about. The most important thing to remember is to give value to your prospect. Why on Earth would someone want to do business with you if they didn't see some sort of Value in what you had to offer. Don't be afraid to give away some good stuff, it can only help you.

So do me a favor. Read the last 5 Blog posts on this Blog and generate some leads. I know you may be thinking there is more to this and you're not ready. That is not the truth. You can absolutely go out there armed with what is in the last 5 Blog posts and generate leads. I hope this helps and I hope I can continue to help you in the future.

How are Leads Generated Part 2

2009-09-06T15:28:00.002-04:00

So yesterday we covered some good topics of Article Marketing in How Are Leads Generated Part 1. Today we're going to cover what makes for good Video Marketing. Video Marketing has quickly become a very effective way to get your message out. Videos give people an opportunity to put a face to the name and allows you to let your personality to come out. So, without further adieu we are on to Video Marketing.

The most simple process for producing Video Marketing is to simply use the same topic you wrote an article about. How much easier could it get? You've already done the Keyword research and found a nice little sweet spot, now just put those same topics you wrote about into video format. I know a lot of people worry about the quality of their videos and want to make sure they are saying the right things. While you do want to be professional, don't get too caught up in all of the hub bub of perfect video production. My first 40+ videos were done simply using the web cam on my computer.

If you think you need something a little better, The Flip is accepted by most in the industry as a great little tool that will definitely get the job done. So now that you're ready to shoot your video, it's as simple as sitting down in front of the camera and start rolling. Some people may want to read over their article and rehearse a few times. You'll find that after you've done a few videos this process will probably stop and you'll just start talking.

There are a few main points you'll want to remember while doing your video. The topic may be the same as your article but it's not the same outline. Below is the simple outline I use when doing my videos:

1. Introduction

2. ID the Problem: This IS your topic. This is a Hot Spot with your prospect. This is the reason he/she is watching your video.

3. Background/Relation: Tell them about yourself and how you know what they are going through because you yourself have been there and/or experienced. This should be real and believable. This should be natural because it's probably what has lead you to your chosen industry.

4. ID a Solution: This would be a lead in to your product. Again this should be something you have experienced and has lead you to making this video. "I was in your shoes, then I came across something that has helped me tremendously!" Do not mention your actual product. You could be vague about the actual product but not the specific brand or company name. The reason for this is two fold: 1) You are branding YOURSELF as a leader not your company. 2) Most companies don't want their distributors making claims about the product. Believe it or not some people may embellish a benefit.

5. Call to Action: This is when you would want to have them Opt-in to learn more information about you, your product/service or opportunity. After they have done this step, that person is now a LEAD!!

Congratulations!!! You have successfully done two pieces of Marketing that have cost you no money and are full of content. Not to mention that you could probably get both of these done in less than two hours. Just think how much content rich Marketing you can get out with this little process. Make sure you check back tomorrow for How are Leads Generated Part 3 when we cover Blogging.

How Are Leads Generated Part 1

2009-09-05T14:28:00.003-04:00

As promised this Blog Post is entirely set up so you can have a better understanding about how to generate leads of your own FOR FREE!!! I'm going to highlight three areas of interest: Articles, Videos and Blogs. These three areas should give you a foundation to have you up and rolling with your lead generation. However, since these three topics alone also have so much information involved I'm going to turn this into a 3 Part Mini-Series, one post for each topic (Articles, Videos and Blogs.) Please understand this information WILL allow you to immediately begin to get your information out to the world!

Let's go over some ground rules here. When writing articles, your objective is to position yourself in the market place as an authority in your particular Niche. This is not an opportunity for you to sell anything. Nobody likes to be sold but everyone likes to buy. Let your prospect CHOOSE you by giving them enough content so they are attracted to you as someone who can help them. So, what do you do first?

#1 Keyword Research: My personal favorite tool for Keyword Research is Google's keyword tool https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal This is a free service and honestly one of the best. You've got to understand that when you're putting content on the web it MUST be relevant content and not a blatant sales pitch. Using this tool, you are using Google's own recommendations of appropriate associated keywords. Never guess with keywords and just choose something you like, this is a surefire way to never get ranked naturally on any search engine. Your goal is to have your content on the FIRST PAGE of your chosen search engine. Considering this day and age, that search engine ought to be Google.

So let's use an example. If you're in the Skin Care industry and you're really wanting to promote a new hand cream don't write an article about that particular product. What you want to do is write Articles based on the benefits of that product. So give this some thought. Maybe you write an article about psoriasis, flaky skin, cracking skin, etc. (I am not an expert on this so bear with me.) After you've decided on a topic now you should think of a "long tailed keyword." This simply means instead of using psoriasis you write about "daily recommendations for psoriasis treatment." This will position you in a much smaller niche market where you will be one of the only individuals positioning yourself as an authority. What would you rather do, fish where everyone is fishing or fish where there is no competition?

Once you've decided on your keyword phrase it's time to write the actual article. Articles should be between 300-500 words and your keyword phrase should be used 3-4 times. This gives the search engines something relevant to search for. Don't concern yourself too much with proper grammar and punctuation. You should write like an adult and not some kid, remember you're trying to position yourself as an expert.

So start doing your homework and get your content out there. Remember, the more content the better. I've said this a bunch, but you are positioning yourself as the expert to go to for this particular niche. Write an article EVERYDAY for a couple months and you'll begin to see some noticeable gains in your leads. Don't get paralysis of analysis. Find your Niche, get your Keywords, write your articles and get it out!! The following are some great sites to publish your articles and they are all free. Go get 'em!

* www.EzineArticles.com
* www.Amazines.com
* www.GoArticles.com

Network Marketing Leads FAQs Part2

2009-09-04T11:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, so here we go with the second set of Network Marketing Leads FAQs. I'm sure to some of you this Q&A session is a little obvious, but for some of you it may be a whole new way of looking at your prospects and building your business. Learning these topics was the turning point for me and I hope it helps you as well.

#1 How Many Leads can I Really Get? Well, how much work do you want to do. It is not unlikely for you to be able to generate 15-20 leads/day. Now to some of you this looks like a big number and to others this number seems a little small. Let me clarify this..these are FREE leads. I'm not talking about leads that are generated through PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising. I'm talking about people who have seen some sort of marketing that you have done and have decided to take the next step. These are Qualified leads. So get out there and start working and there is no limit.

#2 Should I be Using the Internet to Get Leads? Holy Cow YES!! This is my chosen media outlet for the vast majority of my Marketing. You should decide on three areas that you feel comfortable with (Videos, Blogs, Articles, Press Releases, Social Media, Squidoo, etc) and run with them. Understand this is just like anything else in Life, it's gonna take consistent action on your part to start seeing the results you want. So get online and make your presence known!

#3 I Got a Lead..Now What!?! This is a tricky one. Some people are advocats of calling EVERY lead they get, while others have systems set up to progressively weed out the tire kickers. Just like with the "opportunity seekers" from yesterday, tire kickers will wear you out with all of their uncertainty. If a person is unsure of what you're selling, that's one thing, but if they're unsure of whether or not they want to actually make a real change you may be in for a LONG battle of their own mental uncertainty. Do yourself a favor and have some sort of litmus test for your leads. Maybe a questionnaire or an application so you know their level of seriousness.

#4 What is Considered a Qualified Lead? This is where the questionnaire or application really becomes useful. Based on the responses you get you'll be able to tell if this person is for real or if they are just looking for something or someone to hang on to. I actually consider a lead to be qualified if they have already spent money. Nothing large, maybe $5-$10 on an e-book or newsletter. This shows me they are serious about not only the information, but they are willing to go to the next step.

#5 How are Leads Generated? This should be it's own separate Blog Post. In fact, I'm going to answer this question on it's own tomorrow. Simply because this is such a large subject. Fear not, however, tomorrow I will go through the ABC's of of an outline to get you up and rolling within a few days!

I hope this two part series of Network Marketing Leads FAQs has shed some light for you. Do me a favor and leave a comment and let me know either what your favorite method of lead generation is or what sorts of questions you've got about Network Marketing Leads. I hope to hear from you soon.

Network Marketing Leads FAQs Part 1

2009-09-03T13:55:00.003-04:00

It seems that Lead Generation for your Network Marketing business has become a very big topic. So, I've decided to write out the most Frequently Asked Questions I get about Network Marketing Leads. I have broken this into two parts (you'll get the other one tomorrow.)

#1 Should I be buying Leads? Short answer is NO. Most leads you buy are not worth the paper they're printed on. What you are looking for are Highly Targeted leads who are already interested in you or your product/service. This makes building a LASTING organization much easier. Purchased leads will wear you down with the hemming and hawing and all the rejection.

#2 How Much Should I Pay per Lead? Well if you just listened to the answer in #1 you know the answer to this question is $0. You should be generating your own leads. Every business owner in every business needs to understand that before he/she can sell the world the world's newest widget, they need to be able to have a Market to sell to. Put on, and leave on, the Marketing hat!

#3 Can I Generate Free Leads? Can you ever! It's easier today than ever before to attract highly targeted and qualified lead traffic to your Landing Page, Squeeze Page, 800#, whatever it is that is driving sales for your business. Do some digging and begin to learn how to generate FREE Leads. Free Leads are normally the best leads because they have come from some sort of content rich form of Marketing and they are already interested by the time you speak with them.

#4 Are "Opportunity Seekers" the Best Leads? Actually quite the opposite. Three months after they have joined you, they'll be out "Seeking" another opportunity. You want people who are seeking YOU or your Product, service or opportunity. Opportunity seekers jump from one system to the next always wondering why it didn't work for them.

#5 Is My "Warm Market" the Best Place for Leads? Only if you want to alienate yourself from everyone who knows you and trusts you. Let's face facts here; people don't want to get involved with Network Marketing because they hate this factor. You are always told to go talk to your friends and your family. I guess the logic is that they will feel guilt ridden into joining your business and the company will continue to grow. A better idea is to learn how to effectively generate your own Network Marketing Leads.

If you didn't notice, the reoccurring theme here is to learn how to generate your own leads. If this is something that is unfamiliar to you, take the time to learn. This is the biggest factor between the Top Earners and the other 97%. Make sure to check us out again tomorrow for the next 5 Network Marketing Leads FAQs.

MLM vs. Top Tier Direct Sales

2009-08-18T13:57:00.003-04:00

I get asked the questions all the time; which is better, MLM or Top Tier Direct Sales? Without just jumping right out and declaring one a victor over the other, there are some criteria you've got to go over. These to business models are very similar in the sense that you are going to be selling a product and be paid based on your volume. By the way, if you're going to join a business or opportunity and someone tells you that you won't be selling anything you should run. Without sales of some sort of product or service there would be no revenue except for the initiation fees and that is frowned upon by the government. I know, can you believe they actually want you to operate your business like a business!?! Anyway, let's get in to MLM vs. Top Tier Direct Sales.

Becoming Profitable: Many times with a Top Tier Direct Sales company you can be profitable after just one sale. This is simply because the amount of money you earn upfront is substantial (often in the thousands of dollars.) With your traditional MLM business it's going to take a lot of work a a very large producing downline before you begin to see thousands of dollars.

Residual Income: These days it's nearly impossible to research a company or an opportunity without being hit over the head a thousand times about residual income. I've got news for you, TRUE residual income produces whether you do or not. With traditional MLM if you stop recruiting and stop distributing you will eventually lose some of that hard earned residual income. And God forbid Johnny takes his wife and kids on a vacation, he's your #1 producer! What are you gonna do when he's not working. Or worse, what do you do when he decides to leave and do something else?

Lots Now, Lots Later or Both: Top Tier Direct Sales is known for allowing the relative new comer to stuff $5k-$10k/month in there pocket repeatedly. This is simply due to the commission structure. With a good Top Tier Direct Sales company it is realistic to make $400+k/yr. averaging one sale a week. Can you say the same about MLM? With MLM you need to build a HUGE organization before you begin to see big money.

At the end of the day it is up to you Mr./Mrs. Entrepreneur to do your due diligence and research the pros and cons on your own. However, if you want to get profitable right out of the gate and stay that way, I would strongly look into a career in Top Tier Direct Sales. There isn't a business model around that rewards those who want to work more than this industry. I've attached a video for your viewing pleasure. I hpe you like it. Until next time!

Money Making Secrets Revealed!

2009-08-13T17:53:00.001-04:00

Doesn’t that just sound exciting! I’m going to do my best to help you make heads or tails of making money. There are tons of ways that people just like you our out there every day making more money than they know what to do with. There are a few basic principles to keep in mind when trying to build a business. By the way, I’m just assuming you’re building a business or thinking about it. If not you should start down that thought process as it is next to impossible to amass any kind of real money working for someone else. So enough already, onto Money Making Secrets Revealed!

• Marketing: When I first started in business I wanted everyone to know what I did as a business. As time went buy I realized the #1 “hat” I had to wear in my business to make money was the Marketing hat. I don’t care if you have the best product in the world, if nobody knows about it your sales will never be what they could be or should be.

• Leverage: For the purposes of this article, Money Making Secrets Revealed, I’m going to talk specifically about leveraging your time. An easy example would be to have some sort of automated Marketing system that runs 24/7. If you’re going to have that going you may as well have a way to collect money 24/7. If you’re wondering how you’re going to do all of this, don’t worry it’s easier and more common than you think.

• Persistence: One of my favorite sayings is, “A shuttle burns most of its fuel during takeoff.” I’m certain this is why most businesses fail in the first year. Some sort of bump in the road happens and Mr./Mrs. Business owner throws their hands up and calls it quits. You’ve got to keep pushing if you’re ever going to make it.

This is by no means an end all be all article about making money. However pulling back the curtain on Money Making Secrets Revealed truly isn’t as complicated as most would have you believe. It is always the most simple yet practical plans and ideas that lead to the greatest successes. So as you move forward, keep these few key points in mind and you’ll be on your way to Making Money in no time.

What are the Best MLM Compensation Plans?

2009-08-13T15:41:00.002-04:00

When deciding to get into an MLM company, there are a few things to keep in mind. Do you have some sort of passion or interest in the actual product? Is it something that is going to take you months and a lot of money before you’re profitable? And of course what is the companies’ compensation plan? Below are just a few things to keep in mind while looking at MLM Compensation Plans.

• Upfront Money: Does the company you’re thinking about offer you an opportunity to become profitable as soon as possible? What I mean by that is, are you going to be able to make some upfront cash before all of your accumulated points, volume, etc kick in for your residual income. This is something to think about as you could very easily go broke before your residuals kick in leaving you out of business before you really get started.

• Downline Structure: What happens if you build a HUGE downline and the next day one of your superstars decides he/she is moving to Tibet and getting rid of all their Western possessions? Are you going to be able to replace that income quickly, or are you stuck having to start from scratch?

• Volume: How much volume and/or points are you going to have to accumulate before this thing is truly profitable? Believe it or not, there are some individuals who work like crazy and recruit, recruit, recruit only to find that it still isn’t enough. Make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. This is HUGE when reviewing MLM Compensation Plans.

• Rollover: Do your points/volume rollover to the next pay period or are you going to have to replicate what you did every single week, month, year? Being able to carry over points/volume makes it much easier for you to stay in the Black.

Hopefully this has shed some light on what you should keep in mind. Please don’t mistake this as anything other than a business. If you are not in the Black, you are losing money. It truly is that simple. Do yourself a favor when reviewing MLM Compensation Plans, make sure you’re always able to make money right off the bat and that you aren’t going to be completely wiped out if something happens to ONE member of your downline. There are many very profitable companies out there. Pick one that works for you and get Rockin’ and Rollin’!

Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs

2009-08-11T10:03:00.002-04:00

What are you thinking about right now? Are you thinking of some sort of problem or some sort of solution? Most successful entrepreneurs have a Solutions oriented Mindset. One of the greatest books on success, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill says it best with whatever the mind of a man can conceive and believe he can achieve. I’ve listed a few easy transitions to begin building a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs.

• Understand Your Time: You need to understand how much time you spend on certain activities and if that gave you the desired result you were looking for. For one week monitor your time. How much time is really being spent on activities that get you closer to your desired outcome and how much time is spent somewhere else? Get clear on this first.

• Evaluate & Make Changes: Now that you’re clear about where your time is spent, let’s begin to capitalize on your time. Start with something easy. This could be as simple as reading a book for an hour instead of watching the T.V. Maybe you get right into work in the morning instead of checking email and getting ready to get ready. Whatever it is make a plan you’ll stick to.

• Work your Plan: Repetition breeds success. As you continue to work your plan you’ll notice things begin to free up a little. This is usually when you begin to make bigger distinctions and come up with bigger and better solutions. As this becomes routine for you it is no longer something you have to make yourself do. This will actually help you free your time.

• Associations: Who spend your time with and take advice from plays a big role in cultivating a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs. You can’t be one person during work hours and then someone completely different the rest of the time. As an entrepreneur, this is who you are. Look for those who you would like to model yourself after in all aspects of your life. This again is where you will begin to make bigger distinctions and bigger and better solutions.

Beginning to make just a few small changes will begin to cultivate a Millionaire Mindset for Entrepreneurs. Get clear about your time, evaluate how and when you do certain things, be consistent with your plan and begin to attract like-minded individuals. As with anything else you’ve got to be committed. Implement your own plan and see how far you really can go.

Creating Wealth Building Credit for Entrepreneurs

2009-08-11T09:13:00.003-04:00

As an entrepreneur it is important to know where you stand in regards to your credit. With the way the Credit Reporting Agencies have become, your credit can help and hurt you. These days your credit is sometimes used as a judge of character. Not to mention the vast amounts of opportunity to be missed out on if your credit is not in good standing. Creating Wealth Building Credit for Entrepreneurs is easier when you know the rules. Here are a few items to keep in mind.

• Know your Credit Score: It’s hard to know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are! If you don’t know what your credit score is and what is on the report, how are you going to go about re-building it or making it stronger? There are many easy ways to get this done, one of them is www.annualcreditreport.com. Choose the tri-merge and know where you stand.

• Review Your Credit Score: Believe it or not, your credit report is not always accurate. Do yourself a favor and go over your report. You never know what may be on your report that you were not aware of or possibly something from the past you forgot about. In any case, it will benefit you to review your report.

• Understand your Options: If you are not sure what to do next in Creating Wealth Building Credit for Entrepreneurs, speak with a professional. Choosing someone with a proven track record is always a good idea. Just as with everything else, the pros usually know much more than we do. Talk to them about your particular situation and what it is you’d like to see as a result from their services. There are many rules and laws that the professional will be able to help you with.

• Maximize Your Credit: After dealing with any negative reports on your credit it is time to start the climb upwards. There are many ways to continue to build your credit. One simple thing is to make certain you stay ahead of the curve. Paying on time is something simple to do and can help build that rating. I’m sure after you’ve dealt with the professional you will have a great game plan for credit success.

Now that you’ve got a Blue Print in Creating Wealth Building Credit for Entrepreneurs it’s time to optimize that plan. Stay on board with your plan. The more consistent you are the better for your rating. It is a good idea to continue to know your credit score, review your report, understand your options and maximize on the potentials. With a little work you’ll be on your way to the top of the credit ratings. Imagine what simple things will be possible.

Secrets to Profitable Niche Markets

2009-06-22T11:03:00.001-04:00

The old saying “Riches are in the Niches” is very true. What would you rather do, dominate your specific area or be one of a million in a saturated area? If you said dominate an area, congratulations, you are one step closer to putting the pieces together.

I’m going to give you just a few pointers to think about while you’re trying to identify what your particular Profitable Niche Markets are. These are to be used as memory joggers, not quite exact niches.

• Product/Opportunity/Service: If you’re affiliated with a skin care product your Profitable Niche Market is not the name of your company or product. That would be the saturated area. What you would want to focus on would be some of the benefits of your particular product. Think a little deeper than just “hand cream”, maybe get specific like psoriasis or cuticle treatment. These things are out of my scope but you get where I’m going.

• Keyword Research: I’m just assuming you’re marketing online. You must do Keyword Research to find these sweet spots of profits. There are a number of free keyword research tools available. I suggest getting to know how to use them and become familiar with using them daily. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

• Consistency: This is the big one. You’ve got to be doing something every day in order for you to dominate your Profitable Niche Markets. This way you become an expert in that particular area and your prospects look at you as the place to go for all of their specific needs.

• Study: You’ve actually got to know what you’re talking about. Remember you’re in a specific niche with people who have specific needs. That means your prospect is already up to speed and needs to find someone who can take them to the finish line. This is a business, treat it as such and become the expert.

I hope these pointers have helped point you in the right direction. Just remember in order to dominate your Profitable Niche Market stay focused on the benefits of your Product/Opportunity/Service, do your keyword research, be consistent and do your homework. Putting these things together will help you become the go to guy/gal. Thanks, I’ll see you on the Flip-Side.

A Few Direct Response Copywriting Tips

2009-06-22T10:37:00.001-04:00

If you’ve been through any kind of Marketing training you know that no matter what your chosen media outlet is, if your message is garbage or only appeals to you, you’ve just wasted money.

I’ve spent the last few years going through the school of hard knocks with trial and error of my own Marketing. I have listed a couple pointers below to help you with your Direct Response Copywriting.

• Identify the Problem: This sets everything else up. Why does your prospect want to keep reading? Does your Marketing even pertain to them and their situation? You’ve got to make sure your Marketing has basically fallen out of the sky for your prospect and their problem or need.

• Identify the Solution: Now that you’ve been able to I.D. the problem the next cordial thing to do is to help I.D. a solution. This DOES NOT have to be your service or opportunity. As a matter of fact it’s probably best if it isn’t. Just give information to your prospect so they can make an informed decision. Obviously you are part of the solution, but let them figure that out.

• Options: Let your prospect know that they have options. Nothing turns a prospect away faster than the Hard Close. Nobody wants to be sold but everyone wants to buy something. Trust me, with enough options pointing in your solution, you will put deals together.

• Call to Action: This is the big one. This could be something as simple as having them opt-in for more info like a newsletter. Or prompting them to call you for a consultation. Whatever the Action is, make sure your prospect takes one while you’ve got their attention.

If you keep these things in mind while you’re writing your Direct Response Copywriting you’ll begin to see higher conversions. Remember to I.D. the problem, I.D. part of the solution, give them Options and have a Call to Action.

Marketing is the key to keeping your business in business. Without it you’re only as good as your last deal. For an example of what I’m talking about do yourself a favor and check out the link and get more information how you can begin to Master your Marketing and making more money. I’ll see you on the Flip-Side.

Are You in the Midst of Midlife Career Change?!

2009-06-22T10:34:00.001-04:00

Making a Midlife Career Change is more prominent now than ever before. In this uncertain economy people have lost their jobs in record numbers. I talk with people all the time who are either directly affected by job loss or know someone close to them who has been.

I know having to deal with something like that can seem overwhelming and almost seem as though you have no choice and you become uncertain about what to do or where to go next. I know right now might not be the time when you want to listen to someone who’s telling you you’re going to be ok.

However, that’s exactly what I’m here to tell you! A recent change of events such as suddenly losing your job could very well be the wake-up call you’ve been looking for. You see, most people only make drastic changes when there are drastic measures. When things are “fine” nobody does anything to better their situation, on the other hand, when someone feels like everything is slipping out of control, usually a solution comes from it.

If you are, right now, going through a Midlife Career Change, I want you to know you do have options. What am I talking about options; you have opportunities that are greater now than ever before!
You see if you’ve had a job for a number of years and you’ve just been let go that tells me a couple things about you. First you have a skill set that kept you around as long as you did. And two, you were a top producer, that’s normally who get’s let go first to be able to free up expenses. All of these things tell me you would be a commodity to any team.

Rest assured there are people everyday not only losing their job but actually leaving their job because they know something better FOR THEM waits. Our team is full of individuals who were successful prior to joining the team. What we want to do is offer you an invite to get to know us a little better, get to know me a little better and in turn, we get to know you a little better. If this is the time in your life when you make a change, do yourself a favor, check out the link and get a little more info. I look forward to seeing you on the Flip-Side.

Top Producers MLM Lead System

2009-06-20T16:27:00.001-04:00

With the world of Social Media, Blogs and everything else available, it is easier than ever to get your word out in front of Hundreds of Thousands of people. This is, if you know what you’re doing.

It’s like having a new Lamborghini and not knowing how to drive a manual transmission. All of the sudden your car has turned into something that takes up space in your garage. The same can be said for the vast majority of MLM Lead Systems. You have some of the greatest platforms on the planet to get your word out and you have no idea how to use them. Or worse, you are using them but not using them correctly.

A few years ago I started Marketing for a Real Estate company that I’ve got. I got a first -hand experience of how much nicer (and more profitable) life was when I began talking with prospects that needed to sell yesterday. Gone were the days of prospects haggling over this and haggling over that. Bottom line was if you didn’t have a property you NEEDED to sell chances are we never spoke.

As the years have gone by and Marketing has gotten much different with the advent of social media, blogs, google, etc, etc, you must change right along with it. Business truly is more fun (and more profitable) when you’re spending your time speaking with interested qualified prospects. There are a number of FREE options out there for the beginner.

If you are trying to build a big downline in your MLM business, or build a big business in any other industry for that matter, you must begin to have a presence online. It’s 2009 as I’m writing this article and I read yesterday that my local newspaper is down almost 50% in terms of its subscribed readers. Its online readers, on the other hand, have gone up 30% from this time last year.

If you’re new to business, or just looking to grow your business, I would like to encourage you to get to know me and our team a little better. We have developed one of the most powerful marketing systems available. Some of the strategies being used are generating hundreds of lead a day without having to pay for them! It’s time to get serious about your Lead generation and it’s time to get ahead of the curve. Do yourself a favor, check out the link. I look forward to seeing you on the Flip-Side.

Who Else Wants to Retire Young Retire Rich

2009-06-20T15:39:00.002-04:00

If you’re like me you just can’t stand the thought of punching a clock going through the same routines you hate day in and day out. Listening to people complain about the job they have but don’t ever really see themselves doing anything different. That is my definition of Purgatory!

Now, on the flip side of that is where I do see myself: Thriving in Life, absolutely loving what I do every day, surrounding myself with people who are on the same path I am. This is a big one. It’s much easier to climb a mountain with someone who’s already been there and is eager to show you the way.

You see, I was the first scenario when I was younger. A few years ago entering the workforce as a snot-nosed punk just following what everyone else was doing because that’s what we’d always been told we were going to do, “Get good grades, go to College and get a good job.” It’s said so much you don’t even stop to think about the process as a whole, you just do it.

What if I told you there was a better way…a way where you didn’t have to just fall into the same routine? Did you ever even stop to think if the person who told you to get good grades, go to College, and get a good job? Was that person happy and successful with what they did? Come on!! Let’s take the blinders off and get clear about what you want and where you’re headed.

I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to say it: You can only leverage two things in this world to get ahead, your Time and your Money. If you can get one to control the other you have truly set yourself up for Financial Freedom and who knows, you may Retire Young and Retire Rich!

I would like to take some time to get to know you, see what your visions are and what you’d like to accomplish. I’d also like for you to get to know our team a little better. To see how we’ve gotten to where we are and how we can show you the exact methods and systems we’ve used to get there. Today’s the day you decide to do something for you! Don’t worry, the worst thing that may happen is you get a little excited and normally that leads to positive results. I look forward to seeing you on the Flip-Side.

Closely Guarded Secrets of a Serious Entrepreneur

2009-06-20T14:27:00.001-04:00

I’d like to give you a few quick pointers on what it’s gonna take for you to become a Serious Entrepreneur. I know what it’s like to want something so bad you can taste and nothing is going to stand in your way of achieving it.

6 years ago I started on the journey of building my own business. I’ve had tremendous highs as well as some not so good moments. Through all of it I know there are a few things that must fall into place in order for you to become truly successful..CONSISTENTLY!! And that is what’s important. There’s nothing worse than doing a great job only to not be able to recreate it again for another month.

Marketing: Your Marketing needs to be specific and targeted. If you’re a realtor, I’m not talking about getting to know your local Farm area and just blanket the entire area. How would you ever know if any of those people are even interested in buying or selling a house? What if you had MOTIVATED prospects calling you already interested in doing business with you!? Wouldn’t your business be FAR more profitable? Not to mention your time and energy involved.

Your Marketing also has GOT TO BE consistent. You see; if you’re doing things correctly your Marketing acts as a process; slowly taking people through enough information until they can make a good decision. This can often time take 2-3 weeks. If you stop your Marketing for a few days there will be a lag in the amount of business you do when that cycle catches up.

Profitable Business Model: I can’t stress this enough! What would you rather do: Work on 20%-30% margin or work on 80% profit margins? I know what I’d rather do. If you’re a serious entrepreneur and you are not involved with something paying you this kind of return you need to start looking at what you’re doing. I work on 80% profits and so do most of the people I work with!

Now, is it easier to sell a $100 item or a $10,000 item? NIETHER, it’s the same game if you’ve done your Marketing correctly and you’re already speaking with an interested prospect! Do you see how this is coming together? Now for the one that takes you over the top! What if you were consistently Marketing and talking with qualified interested prospects about a $10,000.00 item that pays you 80% profit margin!! How long is it going to take you to achieve some SERIOUS results?

This is exactly the kind of thing our team does on a daily basis! It’s your turn to see everything start to come together and start seeing the success you deserve. These methods and this system have truly changed the way I do business and are taking me to a level of success I’ve only dreamed of. If you’re a serious entrepreneur and want to start seeing results like this, you owe it to yourself to check out the link and get more information. I look forward to having the chance to build a business with you.

Secrets to Success in Top Tier Direct Sales

2009-06-20T14:19:00.002-04:00

Top Tier Direct Sales is, in my opinion, the most profitable business model around. Top Tier Direct Sales allows you to sell a product that sometimes carries a price tag as high as a car without having any inventory, insurance, employees or rent. On top of that, this industry is known for working on 80% margins! If you’re in sales, what was your last commission on $10,000.00? If you didn’t say at least $7,500.00, you need to start putting your skill set to work for you instead of your boss.

You see, I was just like you a few years ago. I was a young Executive with a fancy title and A LOT of responsibility. I was doing business with big industry corporations and in the eyes of most and sometimes myself I was for all intents and purposes, successful. That was until I was introduced to Top Tier Direct sales. I was already used to doing big deals but never in a million years was my employer going to pay me 80% of what I sold.

Right then and there I vowed to never trade my time for money. You’ve got two things you can leverage in this world to get ahead; your time and your money. I also believe that you should invest both of them wisely. I have spent the last 6 years devoting my time and my money in becoming a successful Entrepreneur.

I know it’s possible for you to become a success, I also know it’s easier for you not to re-create the wheel. If you read any book by any great author about success you will often hear to find a mentor and mimic what he/she does. If you want success, you’ve got to follow in the footsteps of those who have already created success.

That’s exactly what I’d like to share with you. You don’t have to spend the next 6 years of your life putting the pieces together. I want to encourage you to get to know me and some of our team. Let us show you what we know and what we’ve already been through to produce results and limit your losses. Click on the link and get to know us a little better.

Carbon Copy PRO Continuing to Write Entrepreneur Success Stories

2009-06-08T16:58:00.001-04:00

In an economy where nobody seems quite sure what to do, there is a company with an opportunity that continues to produce Entrepreneur Success Stories. While others continue to “wait it out” the entrepreneurs involved in Carbon Copy PRO are preparing for an early retirement.
Dave Greenlee, a successful Real Estate investor said, “I began investing in Real Estate because I could make such remarkable returns, Carbon Copy PRO works on 80% profit margins!” This is almost reminiscent of the early 1800’s Gold Rush, if you’re willing to work, the opportunities there.
Greenlee continues to say, “When I got started in business, I had to make my own systems through trial and error, this company has taken its proven successful business and Marketing systems and given them to you.” One could almost say it’s like having a business in a box. In fact that is exactly what Carbon Copy PRO has done. All of these Entrepreneur Success Stories have started with the simple purchase of a BIB (Business in a Box.)
To make things even sweeter, this tremendous opportunity with Carbon Copy PRO has teamed up with Wealth Masters International (WMI). WMI provides industry leading information and advice pertaining to what matters most to you…your money and finances. In a time where such little thought is given to the security of our financial futures and more is given to what car you drive. WMI is taking a lead position to help educate the average individual about creating wealth and then taking care of that wealth.
If you’re not sure what your money is doing or how you’re going to be able retire after this economic turmoil, maybe you should take a look at what all the excitement is about. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of the next Entrepreneur Success Stories.
Feel free to check out the informational website www.fromhomebizbuilders.com

Experienced Entrepreneur is Taking 12 Modern Entrepreneurs under His Wing

2009-06-08T16:52:00.003-04:00

The Direct Sales Industry was buzzing today as news leaked that experienced entrepreneur Dave Greenlee is personally going to guide 12 Modern Entrepreneurs to the top! Dave Greenlee has already experienced some of his own success and wants to help others along the way just as he was shown.
“I truly believe the Direct Sales Industry is the most profitable business model out there,” says Greenlee. “The unfortunate part is that most who get involved are never really shown how to properly position themselves for success.”
Dave Greenlee has made it his mission to help 12 Modern Entrepreneurs achieve the success they are looking for. Greenlee goes on to say, “I feel that with the proper guidance and being given the right systems and tools any driven entrepreneur is going to be vastly successful.” That’s one new business associate every month, which is something Greenlee says is easily achievable with the correct mindset.
Greenlee simply says, “Think about it, if you’re a young or struggling Modern Entrepreneur, wouldn’t it be a blessing if someone WANTED to take you under their wings and show you what they have learned from building their own successful business?”
Greenlee is located in Florida but says it doesn’t matter what part of the world you live in he can help you achieve success with the proven systems, products and marketing he has been taught. With so much success being achieved by relative new comers in this industry it ought to be fun for the fortunate 12 Greenlee decides to take under his wing.
Greenlee’s informational website can be found at http://www.fromhomebizbuilders.com

Modern Entrepreneurs

2009-06-08T11:25:00.002-04:00

I have friends in all different types of businesses: Builders, Real Estate Agents, Personal Trainers, Manufacturers, Distributors, etc. Each of them is successful in their own right. What I want to talk about are Modern Entrepreneurs and some of their characteristics.

• Branding: I know what you’re going to say, “Branding is nothing new it’s been around since the beginning of bartering.” I know, however the Modern Entrepreneurs are not branding their product, company or service, they are Branding themselves! This is something unheard of in the past. Imagine Phil Knight branding himself instead of NIKE or Ray Crock branding himself instead of McDonalds. Who knows how it would have worked.

• Online Presence: In this day and age if you and/or your company are not online you’re not in business! I had a rental property that needed yard work done and my normal guy is no longer in the business, so I had to find someone new. Where do you think I looked? I don’t even know if I have a phone book! You guessed it, Google and within 10 min I had a scheduled estimate for the next day. Don’t fight what is, just adapt and learn.

• Marketing: Again, something that isn’t new but the rules have changed. No longer is it necessary to spend thousands of dollars with an Ad Agency to get the word out. The Modern Entrepreneurs are using tools like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Youtube, Google, etc to get their marketing out. The Greatest part about these tools is that you don’t waste any of your Marketing. If you know what you’re doing, the people who respond to your Marketing may as well consider themselves sold!

• Overhead: Most traditional businesses require a substantial amount of overhead. Inventory, Insurance, Payroll, etc. In this day and age being profitable is easier than ever. You’ve got options like affiliates, MLM, Direct Sales. All of these business models are EXTREMELY profitable but you better understand the first three bullet points!

I hope you understand that as time changes so do the opportunities. The basic principles still remain the same but these are different times with different business models. I have a friend who works NON-STOP, literally. He is also very successful with tons of employees overhead and headaches with his traditional business. I’ve also got another friend, one of the Modern Entrepreneurs, who works about 30 hours/week with none of the above mentioned overhead and makes more money. It truly does pay to be one of the Modern Entrepreneurs.

Less Stress More Success

2009-06-08T10:30:00.001-04:00

Who wants Less Stress and More Success? If you didn’t jump out of your chair screaming, “Me, I do, tell me how.” I can only assume a couple things: 1) You’re retired and I should be reading your blog or 2) You haven’t begun the transition of becoming a Business Builder. I’m going to cover a few things that will show you how to live a life of Less Stress More Success.

• Time Leadership: I must be honest that this phrase is not my own but I think it works well. I know far too many people who get started on a task and the next thing they know an hour has gone by because while they were on Google researching they saw a great story on Dennis Rodman. Now I’m just as big a fan of sports as the next guy but that doesn’t help you achieve that task any more effectively. Congratulations you just wasted an hour! I know it doesn’t seem like much, however if this is a pattern you become better with news gossip than Building your Business. You must learn to Lead your Time!
• Preparation: Now this can tie directly into the last point but this is a little different. I’ve got a friend who’s gotten much better about showing up on time. Unfortunately this friend still requires 10-15 minutes to get ready before we can begin anything. When the time comes to go to that meeting or walk into that bank, BE PREPARED! Your level of successful meetings will sky rocket. You are now viewed as a professional who’s got their stuff together.
• Discipline: Now this is usually when I begin to lose people. This is not a four letter word folks. If you research any top earner in any industry you will see we are all creatures of habit. If something comes up that is not an emergency it get’s put on the back burner until we have finished the task at hand. I don’t even answer my phone while I’m in the middle of something and I only return emails at the end of the work day. STAY ON POINT!

Now I know to some of you these seem like rules that have now stressed you out and you’re saying, “Dave, I thought you said Less Stress More Success?” Trust me, when these things are implemented into your business, you will notice how much more effective you become which will lead to more success and that usually leads to less stress. When you can break down every variable and hold yourself accountable for your time, preparation and discipline you can truly measure your success. This becomes habit and you don’t wonder how much money you’ll make, you know.

Entrepreneur Success Stories

2009-06-04T14:53:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what are more prevalent, Entrepreneur Success Stories or Entrepreneur War Stories. I know that for me it’s about a 50/50 split. However without one it’s pretty hard to have the other. I’ve hired, and unfortunately fired, my share of people throughout the years and there are always a few key things to keep in mind when trying to weigh the scale to the Entrepreneur Success Stories side.

• EVERYTHING is a victory: This is something that can’t be said enough. I remember when I would get ecstatic when my phone would ring from some of my Marketing. As time goes on you begin to narrow your target and have fewer and fewer “Tire Kickers” but in the beginning that’s a sign that your work is working. Even if you lose BIG you’ve still got to be grateful that you were even in the game to begin with. Most people sit on the sidelines and never play.

• Enthusiasm: Without it you might as well go wait in line for Day Labor. It’s contagious. When your energy is high people around you feed on it and want more of it. This is an element to Entrepreneur Success Stories that requires no money, time or effort. Remember, you’re an entrepreneur by CHOICE so be happy about it and DECIDE to be successful

• Accountability: Remember, there is no more boss. The person to keep you on track now is YOU. If you have a habit of always looking for other reasons for your failures, you’re in the wrong field! There is nowhere to turn and nowhere to point that finger. EVERYTHING that happens in your business is a DIRECT reflection of YOU. Now look at the bright side, when something great happens you can say, “Hey, I did that!”

• Repetition: Now this is a two way street. If you are not producing the results you like, stop repeating the same behavior and actions. However, if you’re beginning to see some successes, keep doing what you’re doing. The book The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell has a terrific chapter in it about becoming a Master. In the book it says you must have 10,000 hours logged. Think about it, 10,000 hours of repeated success is in itself is an Entrepreneur Success Story.

• Complacence: I almost threw up as I wrote that word. The second you begin to rest on your laurels and pat yourself on the back you have allowed laziness to creep into your head. I don’t know what your goals are, but complacence is the death of all unachieved goals. ALWAYS be striving. It’s like a video game. OK, you beat level one now it’s time to continue to the next level.

Remember, this isn’t life or death, this is Business Building. So take the added pressure off and remember to celebrate your victories, bleed enthusiasm, hold yourself accountable, start your 10,000 hours and never stop striving for more success. Keeping these things in mind may help you write some of your own Entrepreneur Success Stories.

Entrepreneur Quiz

2009-06-04T13:58:00.002-04:00

Today let’s have a little fun and take an Entrepreneur Quiz to see where you’re threshold as an entrepreneur lies. Now before you get anxious and tell me you didn’t know we had a quiz, just relax, this is only for fun. Some of these questions are based on real life experiences and others are made up scenarios. Here we go!

1. You have a distribution business and you’ve got two interested buyers for your product. Here’s the catch: it’s 6:00 p.m. and your UPS driver has already come and gone for the day. One of the accounts is 5 hours north and the other is 3 hours south. They both need product by 10:00 a.m. the next day and it’s getting later and later as you try and decide what to do. The account up north will net you $20k and the buyer south will net you $18k. Please keep in mind you’re moving A LOT of product so a simple overnight envelope won’t cut it. You do however own a company box truck. What do you do?

If you answered BOTH consider yourself an entrepreneur. Hop in the box truck and start driving. Schedule a pick-up with both of the buyers and get the accounts! Congrats that’s two new accounts.

2. You’re just getting started in Real Estate Investing. You have very little capital to work with and your number one priority is to stack some chips to be able to sit at the Big Boy table. Your marketing is producing some okay results but you REALLY need to make some cash. Your marketing is so specific that you don’t contact ANYONE who doesn’t HAVE to sell a property. Knowing you have prospects but are getting poor results with your Marketing, what do you do?

If you answered get in your car and start knocking on doors, you just might make it as an entrepreneur. One more and this Entrepreneur Quiz is over.

3. You’re three hours from a closing where you’re going to pocket $10k. Your closing agent calls you to inform you your Seller isn’t going to show up because their payoff to the Bank doesn’t allow for enough profit to pay the Seller what they were expecting. At this moment you have no deal. What do you do?

I know most of you are going to say sue for Non-performance, but c’mon let’s be serious are you really gonna spend $5k-$10k to sue a Seller for $10k. No, you get on the phone with the Seller and TALK with them about their concerns and if need be offer to pay the Seller out of your own profit at closing. $8k is still a good days pay.

All of these scenarios are true stories and each of them made money. Keep in mind as an individual business owner you call the shots. Sometimes (most times) the deals don’t happen as planned. The days of looking for someone else to decide are over. It’s up to you to make the decision. Entrepreneurs work harder than most, that’s why they are also paid more than most. I hope this Entrepreneur Quiz helped shed some light about what you’re getting into.

I Need Help To Start My Own Business!!

2009-06-02T12:53:00.003-04:00

This statement is exactly why I started charging for my time instead of just giving free advice. EVERYONE says it; unfortunately very few follow through with it. I am going to go over just a few things you don’t get taught with a Formal education. Consider these “Tips from the Inside” so you can help your friends next time they say “I need help to start up my own business.”

• No Boss: Now before you get excited and start high fiving your buddies let me shed some light. For most people this is not a blessing. Believe it or not, your boss is the one who delivers pressure to you to help keep you on track. No schedule, no measureable goals and worst of all no fear of losing your job are HUGE downfalls of many would be entrepreneurs. Now is the time to be more focused, more organized and better prepared than you’ve ever been! Here’s a good link to look through http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/index.html
• Costs: It takes most beginners that first trip to Staples before they realize just how much everything REALLY costs. It’s not enough to just have the Start up Capital. You need more than just enough to do the first deal. Did you forget that the utility bill, phone bill, taxes and insurance are now in YOUR name? I know PLENTY of business owners that make a lot of money. Unfortunately most of those business owners also spend more than they make. This is a huge factor of going out of business. Be Accountable.
• Staff: Congratulations, you are now the CEO, receptionist, janitor, accounts payable, accounts receivable and your own assistant. I know what you’re thinking, “I’ll just hire someone to do all of that.” You must have forgotten the previous tip about COST!! Unless you make more revenue to off-set the cost of that new hire YOU ARE LOSING MONEY! It is that simple and no getting around it.
• Consistency: You’ll begin to laugh when someone asks how much vacation time you get or if you have paid leave. These are things of the past for Entrepreneurs. It’s time to face facts and understand that when you do start making money you need to re-invest that money both into your business and yourself. Keep your head down and keep working. Hopefully you’ve chosen an industry you love so this shouldn’t be an issue. You need to become an expert in your field and the only way to do that is through repetition. Keep at it my friend, you’ll get there.
• Persistence: Most people stop just before it gets good. It’s said that you only grow in direct correlation to the amount of resistance you can sustain. The larger the goal the larger the resistance. You must continue down your path regardless of what comes in your way. As long as you stay focused and are clear about what you really want out of this, you should have no problem moving forward. Chances are if you’ve got the passion persistence is secondary.

Hopefully this will give you a glimpse of some of the traits of successful entrepreneurs. Remember you are the boss now, keep your costs down and be prepared to wear ALL the hats, do something EVERYDAY

What is The Most Successful Direct Sales Company

2009-06-01T12:30:00.002-04:00

I think this is an area where many people get paralysis of analysis. Obviously you want to do your due diligence in determining which opportunity is going to be the most successful direct sales company for YOU.

This is something that can't be over stated. At the end of the day it's all about YOU! I know plenty of retailers who are authorized dealers of NIKE. NIKE is arguably the most recognizable shoe and apparel manufacturer on the planet. Then why is it that some businesses do better with the product than others?

This goes back to some of the earlier posts. It's not always the most successful Direct Sales companies that produce the most successful individuals. You must take it upon yourself to become an independent business owner. Just the shift in mindset alone is something that most people over look when deciding to hop into a Home Based Business. Just because you are affiliated with the most successful direct sales company does not assure you of success. It does give you a leg up on the competition for multiple reasons but you're still going to have to do the work.

Remember you must always be Marketing your business and treating it as such. No matter what company or opportunity you are involved with there are people out there looking for what you've got. You need to learn to put yourself in front of them so they can understand just how bad they really do want it.

So, today is the day! You know what Company you want to join. You know why you want to join. Heck, I'd even bet you've visioned yourself as a successful part of that organization. The only thing left to do is take action and become a successful Business Builder.

Are You With the Best Direct Sales Company to Work For

2009-06-01T11:57:00.001-04:00

This is a question that comes up all the time. People want to make sure that when getting involved with a Direct Sales company that they are getting involved with the best Direct Sales Company to Work for. There are a few things to consider when milling over the decision of joining an organization. I’ve listed below a few factors to keep in mind while making your decision.

• Product/Opportunity: This is something I talk about quite a bit. If the product/opportunity affiliated with the company you’re looking at is not in line with some of your own core values and interests, chances are it won’t be a successful venture for you. On the other hand, if the product/opportunity is something you feel strongly about there is a good possibility of success. It’s easier to talk about and promote something you like.
• Compensation: Let’s be honest, we are all in business to make money. There are so many different structures and comp plans that sometimes I get confused. I like to make sure there is always up front money to help off-set start up and/or monthly costs. Commission structure is also important, you want to be able to earn off all of your efforts. This means making residual money from the organization you worked so hard to build. There should be multiple ways for you to earn an income within your Direct Sales Company.
• Management: Who’s at the head of this beast? Is there a track record of success with the management team involved? What are the intentions of the future success of this company? At the end of the day a business (including your own) is only as good as the person behind the wheel. This may be the most important factor of choosing the Best Direct Sales Company to Work for you.
• Training: We are all overwhelmed by the amount of conference calls and webinars available to us. You want to make sure you are getting GOOD information and training that you can immediately begin to implement and see results. Nothing is more frustrating than spending an hour getting excited about something only to be left with more questions. Make sure your Direct Sales Company has an interest in training you to be successful in the INDUSTRY not just that particular Product/Opportunity.
• Mission Statements: This is something we’ve all heard hundreds of times. However, underneath all of the hype of getting you to Believe in the companies values lies the overall direction of the company. If the leader of your company continues to promote the same ideology of the basic principles of the company you are probably with a proven winner. On the other hand, if the leader’s direction changes with the wind I suggest jumping ship before it gets lost at sea.

I hope there has been some insight gained when trying to determine whether or not you’re with The Best Direct Sales Company to Work for. Try to think about the importance of the Product/Opportunity, how does the profitability of the Compensation plan stack up, who’s involved with Management, how much REAL training you receive and the overall Mission of the company.

5 Essential Direct Sales Tips

2009-05-31T14:57:00.001-04:00

When getting into a Direct Sales Opportunity it's important to keep a few things in mind. Like everything else in your life this is going to take some of your time and effort. Below are some Direct Sales Tips to keep in the forefront of your mind while Building your Buisness.

Marketing: Somewhere along the way people have gotten the notion that if they just join an organization it's gonna happen. I've got new for ya, it won't! If you are not actively Marketing your business/opportunity, your business/opportunity is dying. There are many different strategies, especially in this day and age with the internet and floods of information. Pick a method that best suits your style and your budget, impliment and track and watch the profits rise.
Business vs. Hobby: This is the death of most beginners. It is true that you should love what you do but if you're just going through the motions I suggest getting a job to support your hobby. Set measurable goals. Be accountable for your time and money.
Product: If you don't use the product/opportunity you sell how in the world do you expect to sell that product/opportunity to someone else!?! The most successful people in Direct Sales are passionate about their product/opportunity.
Leadership: If you want to gain the REAL money in this industry you need residual income. The best way to build residual income is to become a leader in the field others want to follow. If this is not your managemnet style, I suggest reading a few books or attending a course. Leadership is the key to a large organization.
Cause: There has to be something bigger than just money. What is your reason, or as it's so popular, what is your "why?" Is it for more time with the family? Is it for more money for vacations? Maybe you've got credit card debt you want to pay off. Whatever it is for you, get clear about it! It's got to be something bigger than just, "I want to make more money." Really, who doesn't.

I hope these Direct Sales Tips have cleared a few things up. Just remember to always be Marketing, treat this like a Business, love your Product/Opportunity, become a Leader and have a clear Cause. If you continue with the fundamentals, who knows, maybe I'll be reading your Direct Sales Tips.