Twitter

Are you on Twitter? So am I; send me a Tweet: http://twitter.com/ralphbass

I am on the far right of the picture. My son Roger is to my right, my son Ralph is to his right, my dad is next and my son Robert on the very end.

Your Not the Only One Who is Tired of All This

Are you tired of working too long for too little with too few hopes that it will ever get better? So what will you do?

Are you tired of the unspoken but always implied threat of being laid off? So what will you do?

Are you tired of the fear of hitting your 50's and then waiting for the "excuse" to get rid of you so the company can keep medical insurance and retirement benefits at a minimum? So what will you do?

Are you tired of working for people who are too lazy to really understand what you do but not too lazy to criticize for poor performance? So what will you do?

Are you tired of watching precious time slip away separated from your family while you trade life for money? So what will you do?

Are you tired of the encroaching fear of retirement without enough money to live on? So what will you do?

So What Will you do?

What are your options?

1) Stick with your current job and hope it gets better. Lots of luck!

2) Look for a new and better job. In this economy?

3) Pray a lot. That's always good to do.

4) Take charge of your life and your future. Now you are on to something.

Of course, most people will do the first three in different variations and combinations. All of which means they will simply wait for the hammer to fall, and then act surprised and angry when it does.

Take Charge of Your Life and Your Future

But what does this mean? And how would you go about doing it?

Well, it means finding a new self-generated and dependable income, one that in time will fully replace the one you now have and soon thereafter go well beyond your current income.

How you do this is the trick. A new business is expensive and as a result of the expense--dangerous. Let's face it, 9 out of 10 new businesses fail in the first 5 years of operation. Those are not encouraging statistics.

Is there a way to do this with little capital and with a greater chance of success than 1 out of 10?

There Is Good News

So, is this what you are looking for?

1) Low cost to get started

2) Higher probability of success than average

3) A successful plan for growth

Low Cost Entry: This is what Network Marketing provides. With most companies you can get started for less than $200 to $300 dollars. There are marketing expenses beyond this, of course, but if done right, your total investment in this new business will be less than $1,000. If you have ever put 100K, 200K even 300K in a new venture, this will seem incredible, even impossible. But, in fact, it is very possible.

High Probability of Success: Now let me make an important point here-not all Network Marketing ventures have a high probability of success. In fact, let me go further; Network Marketing in general does not have a higher than 1 out of 10 success ratio.

So, why do I list this point? It is simply this: if you do this right, the chances of success in Network Marketing are exceedingly good. Now, what do me mean by "do this right?"

Well let's start with the wrong way of building your business.
1) Contacting your mother, brother and others--the significant people in your life, and attempting to get them interested in building a large multi level marketing business. This is almost certain to fail.
2) Pulling out your Christmas card list in order to pitch them on your new business. This is about as likely as the previous one to result in success.
3) "If they have a pulse they are a prospect"-only makes clear the desperate measure people will go to when they have no idea what to do-but are desperate for success. Of course there are many other variations on these methods.

Do any of these things work? For some people all of them work. The question is: do you fall into the "some people" category? Most people are simply not that sophisticated in their style or powerful in their demeanor or influential in their community to build a business this way.

A Successful Plan for Growth: So, what is this Better Way that increases the likelihood of success so dramatically? It is this: build your business with people interested in building a business.

This pretty much eliminates everyone under points 1, 2, and 3 above. So, where do I find these people? Go to the place where these people go to look for a business; the Internet.

The single most important element in success in this business is identifying people who are already interested in starting a business-and introducing them to what you are doing. It's called Attraction Network Marketing

Now, I grant you, there are other elements of importance.
1) How do you contact them?
2) What do you do to get them to contact you?
3) How do you present your plan to them? And of course there are many more important points one would need to cover.

How do you figure all this out? The answer is this: Partner up with someone who has marched down this road already. All this information will be willingly shared. In doing this, you increase your chance of success dramatically.

We Have a Story Too.

Like many, we "signed up" for several Network Marketing / MLM companies over the years. We did this either to make some friend happy or to obtain products we had developed an interest in. Yet, we never tried to build a business with any company. But, the time did come when we become interested in the business opportunity of one company.

Well, the product was incredible, the company was most impressive and the money was everything we wanted it to be. So, for the first time in our life, we went beyond just using a product to building a business.

We talked to family and friends. We got a web page or two. We went to a multitude of meetings. We printed and passed out business cards and company literature. We talked to waitresses and any stranger we bumped into. We listened to innumerable CD's and watched a variety of DVD's. And do you know what happened? Practically speaking-nothing happened. Oh, we signed up a few people, not many. But we did not build the business that we had set our heart on.

Considering the time, money and work we put into this effort, we were rather surprised at how little we accomplished. We were doing something wrong. What was it? Well, the short version was this: we were trying to sell a business idea to people who had no interest in a business idea. And that brings us to this site.

When we realized we were simply talking to the wrong people, we decided to talk to the right people. We decided to talk to people who were actually interested in a business. We realized that on the Internet there were tens of thousands of people interested in Internet Marketing. So we made a point of finding out "How to do network marking" on the internet.

In Time We Got It

We found out the hard way that the "how to" of others did not work for us. Not all have the charm, charisma and winsome spirit to talk to friends, family and strangers in a way that generates new business partners in large quantities-or any business partners in any quantity! The shocking facts are-we didn't either (or if you know us-not so shocking.)

Then we became aware that many were building their MLM business on the Internet. That sounded great. So we talked to some people doing that, read material from others, listened to a few audios and watched some videos. To be quite frank, we couldn't tell the fiction from the facts, the foolish from the wise and the crooked from the honest.

And to make it worse, in doing all this we put a lot of money into "courses," "reports" and "secret" info. And that does not count the money spent on web programmers, email / autoresponder programs and a vast array of other confusing and expensive elements we thought necessary to make money on the Internet.

But then we discovered the TWO elements we needed to make our business work.

The FIRST element was a proven, developed and powerful marketing plan. On my web site, I've written several articles about the importance of first rate marketing. And what is the conclusion to all those articles? It's all about the plan! With a great marketing plan you experience success and without one you fail. And all this has nothing to do with the quality of your product. Get this: bad marketing plans with good products-fail. Good marketing plans with poor products succeed. Good marketing plans with good products succeed even better.

Now there are two ways to get this marketing plan; one is to take several years and develop it yourself. I didn't like that one; I don't have several years (or money) to experiment, test and determine what are the best tools and methods to use in marketing my business. The other is to tap into a proven and successful plan. This would be something like obtaining a franchise with McDonald's instead of starting "Joe's Hamburger Emporium" in the hope that in time you could do as well or better than you would with a McDonald's franchise. I'm thinking that "Joe's Hamburger Emporium" would be a vain hope and that the McDonald's name, operational procedures and, most importantly, marketing plan would far outsell your own hamburger restaurant.

We were nearly at the point of quitting when we came across a free e-book that explained everything we was doing wrong. So, we now recommend this same free book to you. It is called 'The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing.' In it you'll discover some of the biggest myths that cause the vast majority of Network Marketers, like me, to lose money, waste years of effort and generally fail. And you will discover how to build a MLM business the right way-the way that works.

I pursued this new information and came up with a powerful method to build my MLM business. I was on the way. Just click here to learn more.

The SECOND element was a plan to work the plan. I know that sounds crazy but, in fact, it is true. With 'The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing' we were on the way to success. But we did run into problems. I guess you could sum those problems up with one word--complexity. The plan was great, but I got bogged down and confused at various points. It was then that I came across the plan to work the plan. It is called 'The 90 Day Marketer' and its sole purpose is to get you up and running with 'The Renegade Network Marketer.' This is exactly what I needed. And it is what you need as well. Just click here to learn more.

MLM - Try, Try Again

How many times have you attempted to build a Network Marketing business? How many different methods have you used in this effort? I don't have any stats here, but my best guess is that the average networker involves himself with 5 or 6 companies over a lifetime and uses 2, 3, or 4 different "methods" to find clients and build the business. How many succeed. Well, not a lot actually. Why?

I believe that most people trying to build a MLM Business are using methods that only a few people can use successfully.

1) Take, what I like to call, the life insurance method. Here you make a list of 100 family, friends, neighbors, etc. Then you begin to make your calls and some sales. A year later, you are out of the insurance business. But the insurance company is doing fine. Why? They took the next generation of sales people, had them make lists and they sell to their list. Then a year later they are out of business, but then the next generation of sales people…. Well, you get the idea.

"But don't' people make good careers in the insurance industry?" Yes, about 3% of them do. But those are not odds I want to take. The fact of the matter is there aren't many of us gregarious enough, winsome enough, and glib enough to be a success this way.

2) Although the method above is the one used by most MLM's, it is not the only one. There are those that don't do well at this method but because they are so determined to succeed they pursue new directions. a. They hold opportunity meetings in their home. b. They rent space at seminars to talk to people. c. They do direct mail, sharing their product and opportunity. d. They buy mailing list. e. They place ads in the paper. f. And the list goes on.

Do some of them succeed? Oh yes, some do, most don't.

3) I believe the number one reason people fail at MLM is the number one reason people fail at fishing. They are not fishing where the fish are!

So, the point is this: you need to fish where the fish are.

But here is an even better method; fish were the fish are fishing for you! Now, I don't' know of any fish that are trying to get caught, but if there were any, wouldn't this be a great place to fish? No, let me change that, wouldn't this be the very best place in the world to fish? It would indeed. So, where is that? It is the Internet. There are multitudes of people on the Internet looking for a home based business. So, if this is your "method" of building a home based business, a) you are fishing where the fish are and b) you are fishing where the fish are fishing!

I can't stress this point enough. Look for MLM partners where people are looking for a home based business. Where is that? The Internet! You need to market on the Internet.

4) Don't join a team where you have to pay for the help you need to succeed. If you are a part of the team, all the material and time needed to succeed that your mentor posses should be provided at no cost to you. If you are working hard to make your business succeed, and thereby make your mentor a success, then all the help you need should be provided free of charge.

Partner up with someone who will make it their mission to help you succeed. Make sure you get the help you need to succeed using the Internet. If you can't get a personal phone number and email address to use to get help--well let's face it, they don't need you that much. Find someone who does need you that much. Partner with them for network marketing success.

But We Aren't Supposed to Fail

As I understand it, 9 out of 10 people fail within five years after starting a new business. Then in the next five years 9 out of 10 of the survivors fail. Pondering these numbers, one wonders why anyone would start a new business. I am sure that the Network Marketing business experiences the same level of failure.

Now I can't speak to every form of business and to what makes them fail, but I suspect the reasons are very similar to Network Marketing. The best I can tell, these are the major reasons people fail at Network Marketing.

Lack of Commitment

Now why would someone start a new business and then fail for lack of commitment? If you don't have the commitment to make it go, why start at all?

Well, some people approach a new business with a one foot in and one foot out mentality. "This new business idea is good, but if it doesn't work, well, I've got my regular job." That is a lack of commitment.

Then there is the income issue. "You know, I'm making pretty good money here. I can't jeopardize that, etc, etc and so on." That's a lack of commitment.

"You know, things are tight now, I can't spend a lot of money on things like this." That's a lack of commitment.

"A bird in the hand is better than two birds in a bush. If I'm not careful, I'm afraid I'll lose this job and I can't do that." That's a lack of commitment.

"I don't spend enough time with my kids now; I don't have that much time for this new business." That is lack of commitment.

Insufficient Funds

New ventures cost money. Many cost $100K, $200K and more. You can see why a person may not be able to start a business with the need of this kind of startup capital. But what's confusing is when they ask "How much is this going to cost?" And you honestly respond saying, "At least $1,000 and maybe a little more than that." At which point they respond, "Oh, I can't spend that kind of money right now; that's way over my head." You wonder just home much money they think you need to start a new business. The startup cost in Network Marketing can be very minimal--but it does cost something!

Poor Marketing

This is a critical point. Marketing strikes to the heart of the topic. You may not represent the best of all products (still, you may), but you must have a first class marketing plan. Take note of McDonalds, Starbucks and many other companies that make OK products. Yet they are incredibly successful. Why? They have a first rate marketing plan.

Most people only have vague ideas on how to build their business, and the results show it. If you don't have access to quality marketing, don't bother starting a new business. It's all about marketing. Where will you find this quality marketing plan? Partner up with a successful MLM'r and use his/her plan. Why go around Cape Horn (the Southern tip of South America) when you can go through the Panama Cannel? A smart man wouldn't. Be smart; that the short cut!

Lack of Skills

Picture this: a football player has the responsibility of tackling a ball carrier. The ball carrier runs all over him. At this point the coach runs out on the field and hands him a CD on "Seven Ways to Improve Your Attitude" or "The Power of Positive Thinking." Is this the key to addressing his failure? As important as it may be, it does not address the fundamental problem; a lack of tackling skill. The successful coach would talk to the player about things like, where to place his feet. How to create a center of balance that gives him an edge over the runner. Which shoulder he must use on a slant run like this. In other words, he would teach skills.

In fact, most MLM'r don't know how to approach a prospect, who is a prospect, what should be said and what should be avoided and what tools are most effective to generate interest? These represent the necessary skills to turn the right person into a powerful business partner. They are skills. All the confidence, attitude, and positive thinking in the world, as great as they are, in and of themselves, will not make the tackle or the sale. Who will help you identify and employ the proper skills? As I said before, a successful business partner is the answer to that question. Partner up with success and become a success

This May Not Be Right for You

Not everybody is right for every business. Many people are not right for any business. If you lack the commitment, funds, marketing vision and skills then do one of two things.

1) Run and don't look back. You simply are not ready to start your own business--someday maybe, but not yet, not now.

2) Partner up with someone who can teach you what you need to know. Pick a person who has a vested interest in helping you to become a success.

If you do this, you will likely become a Network Marketing success.

Are Your Social Sites Getting You SEO Benefit?

In studying on how to build a web site to attract prospects, I became aware of the importance of interacting on other social sites that were Do Follow. But I didn't know what Do Follow meant. So I did a little research.

Do Follow means that the search engine web crawlers follow the material on that web page. The default setting for a web page is Do Follow or on. One might ask, “Why would a web page want a setting of off?” And really the answer is simply. Many web pages are “in house” sources of information for various corporations. Others are government sites. In these and others cases, the owners do not want to open their sites to the public. So they set their web pages as No Follow.

Do Follow Social Bookmarking

SocialMarker.com has a nice list of social bookmarking sites which includes many that are not do follow for the simple fact that some of the most useful social bookmarking sites are not do follow. However, here is a larger list of do follow social bookmarking sites.

· a1-webmarks

· Backflip

· Bibsonomy

· Blinkbits

· Blinklist

· Blogger

· Blogmarks

· Blogmemes

· Blue Dot

· Bmaccess

· Bookmarktracker

· Bringr

· Buddymarks

· Business-planet

· Connectedy

· Connotea

· Corank

· de.lirio.us

· Digg

· Diigo.com

· DZone

· Excites

· Folkd

· Fritterware

· Furl

· Getigadget

· Google Bookmarks

· Healthranker

· Hugg

· Indianpad

· Jumptags

· Linkagogo

· Linkatopia

· Linkroll

· Looklater

· ma.gnolia

· Markaboo

· Marktd

· Millionsofgames

· Mr Wong

· Mixx

· Myjeeves

· Mylinkvault.com

· Myvmarks

· Oyax.com

· Pixelmo

· Plugim

· Postonfire

· Propeller

· Rawsugar

· Reddit

· Relevantlogs

· Searchallinone

· Searchles

· Shadows

· Shoutwire

· Slashdot

· Socialogs

· Spurl

· Squidoo

· Tumblr

· Unalog

· Upchukr

· Wink

· Wirefan

· Xilinus

Do Follow Blogs

The thing about do follow blogs is that the comments on these blogs are almost always blocked as no follow. The purpose is simply to eliminate the spam that attempts to use blogging sites to promote porn, gambling and other undesirable agendas. So a do follow blog is at the same time generally a no follow on blogging comments. However, there are a variety of blog sites that have disabled the no follow line on the comments section. But keep this in mind, if you are “commenting” on a do follow blog with links back to your sites, you might want to make sure the “comment” section is not set to no follow.

Do Follow Forums

Like blogs, forums can be a great source of links back to your sites. Not only are there many do follow forums, but many allow signature links, which means that you can get several links for every post you make.

On do follow forums, every post will link back to your profile where you can usually link back to your home page as well.

But don’t ever spam these forums. By contributing to them, you can build up a lot more back links.

· 6pins.com/blog/

· acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/

· atdinner.com/excellent-forums/

· bzimage.org/

· forum.hittail.com/phpbb2/index.php

· forum.hot4s.com.au/

· forum.vbulletinsetup.com

· forums.amd.com/forum/categori…=11&entercat=y

· forums.cnet.com/

· forums.comicbookresources.com/

· forums.digitalpoint.com

· forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/def…ID=20&SiteID=1

· forums.mysql.com/

· forums.onlinebookclub.org/

· forums.oracle.com/forums/cate…?categoryID=84

· forums.seroundtable.com/

· forums.ukwebmasterworld.com/

· forums.webcosmo.com

· iq69.com/forums/

· paymentprocessing.cc/

· siteownersforums.com/index.php

· softwarecommunity.intel.com/i…/en-us/Forums/

· 9mb.com

· ableton.com/forum/

· acorndomains.co.uk/

· affiliateseeking.com/forums

· bodybuildingweb.net/forum/

· businesss-forum.com

· clicks.ws/

· davidcastle.org/BB/

· dnforum.com/

· earnersforum.com/forumsindex.php

· experienceadvertising.com/forum/

· irishwebmasterforum.com

· musclesweb.net/forum/

· pakadtrader.com/forum/index.php

· sitepoint.com/forums/

· smallbusinessforums.org/

· startups.co.uk/

· submitexpress.com/bbs/

· v7n.com/forums/

· wareswapper.com/

· warriorforum.com/forum/

· warriorforum.com/forum/default.asp

· webicy.com/

· webmaster-forums.net/

· webmaster-talk.com/

· computerbb.org/

· geekpoint.net

Do Follow Video Sharing

I was able to locate this list of do follow video sharing sites.

• Blip.tv
• VideoJug
• VideoBomb
• Viddler
• WonderHowTo
• Ovi.com
• Graspr
• ConstantComedy
• ImBroadCast
• Daily Motion
• JustVideo.ca
• Viewdo.com

Interestingly I did not find YouTube on the do follow list. Would you have any feedback on this?

I hope this is helpful; however you may have additional information of value on this topic. Please provide it in the comments section.

When, How and How Often?

In the field of iron working we learn that to properly mold the metal one must hit the iron:

1) while it's hot,

2) in the right way and

3) many times.

In fact building a MLM business is much like this as well. Although we don’t hit anything, let’s use this outline to make three important points.

You Must Hit While It Is Hot

One of the main reasons many MLM’r fail is simply because they neglect their incoming leads. They’re so busy—or so they think, they simply don’t have time to get back with people. And guess what, someone else does have time to get back with them and signs them up.

Don’t confuse busy work with managing and building your business. There is little, perhaps nothing, more important than working with your prospects when they are ready to work. That time is the optimum time to communicate with them and get them on board as a part of your team.

You Must Hit In the Right Way

What’s the right way? Well let’s note what a wrong way is.

In a word (or words), don’t chase the prospect. We call what we do attraction marketing for a reason. If you “make your move” before you have educated the prospect properly, you will end up chasing them. Instead, provide value through your autoresponder emails, through your blogs, through your web pages, through your Squidoo pages, through your Hub pages, through your videos, etc. This is called by some “sellacation” or selling by means of education. In fact, people want to do business with knowledgeable professionals. Demonstrate that you are that kind of person. In response to that demonstration, many will want to partner with you; they will be convinced that your experience, your knowledge and your helpful attitude is just what they are looking for.

You Must Hit Many Times

How often do you do all this? You do it until they tell you to stop doing it by unsubscribing to your sites. In fact, they may want to stay on your mailing list for a very long time for a reason. Many are interested in a new business; however they believe that the time is not yet right for them right. But they want to stay informed, they want to learn more, they want to keep their options open. What does it cost you to keep them on your email list? Nothing. So, hit time after time, for months, even years. It will in fact pay off.

And remember this, although your prospects have not yet come on board your Network Marketing opportunity that does not mean they are not great prospects for your affiliate marketing options. They want to study, they want to learn. They will often purchase many things from you in the course of months and years and in doing so, fund your marketing expense.

In Conclusion

You can grow your MLM business if you will remember these important points: 1) strike while the prospect is hot, 2) in the right way, which is the attraction marketing way, and 3) as often as they will allow you to.

Does MLM Eliminate Selling?

Let me guess, they told you that you don’t do any selling, that what you do is “share.” Right? Yea, I don’t think so! And it is here that we have identified a problem. If you don’t’ even know your selling something, what are the chances that you will do a good job at it? I’d say rather unlikely. So let’s get on track and admit that we are indeed selling something.

What Are You Selling?

So, just what are you selling? As amazing as it seems, a lot of people don’t know the answer. Some will tell you they are selling their companies product. Others will identify the object of the sale as some vague “opportunity,” something that will allow you to make a few hundred extra dollars each month.

But let’s make it clear; what you are selling is an entirely new business, or better yet a new vocation for their life. Let’s face it, if they don’t “make it big” with your company, you don’t make much money. And you are in the business of making money.

So, when you talk to your grandmother about this “opportunity,” ask yourself, is she a high probability prospect for a six or seven figure income with this business? For MOST of the people you talk to the answer is no. If you really understood what you were selling, you wouldn’t even bother talking to 90% or more of the people you are now approaching. The bottom line is simple: they would never build a business out of this.

Now don’t get me wrong, if what you are selling would help these people, please talk to them about it for their sake, but not for your own sake. They simply will never help you become a successful business person.

Who Are You Selling Too?

So what is the bottom line? It’s this: the product is not the product. The product is an entirely new vocation. If you aren’t talking to people interested in a new vocation, an entirely new business for their life, you are talking to the wrong people. You are spinning your wheels—and you’re not having fun.

Where do you find people looking for a new business? Many places I suppose, but one of them is the Internet. That is where you want to be most active. This is where you want to fish because this is where your fish are to be found. When you clarify just exactly what you are selling, then who you need to see becomes easier to figure out. The Internet is a gathering place for people looking to start a new business and a new career.

What Are They Buying?

And what are they buying? That depends on who the “they” are. If the “they” is your aunt, the waitress at the local restaurant, your brother Fred and your neighbor Tom, then they are buying simply what the “product” will do for them. And they aren’t buying anything else.

But if the “they” is a person looking to start a business and make a significant income, then they are buying a new career, an entirely new life.

The bottom line is this: if you want to help people, then sell the product. But if you want to build your MLM business, then sell a new career, a new business and do it to people who want to hear about this sort of thing. Stop confusing what you are selling and what your audience is buying.

Solving MLM Problems, Not Creating Them

Internet marketing is a great way to build a MLM business. There really is no comparison of Internet Marketing and what one might call Ambush Marketing. Ambush Marketing is simply finding a warm body and then ambushing them with your “opportunity.” Although Ambush Marketing rarely works, at least for the average guy on the street, Internet Marketing works for a great variety of people. But it has its problems and some people fail at it.

I Would Rather Maintain a Low Profile

Many people, attracted to network marketing, seek ambiguity. They want to stay hidden behind the Internet. Some are not very sociable. They just aren’t “people oriented.” They like to hide behind company names, web pages and email addresses.

Now there is a problem here, Internet consumers have an instinctive fear of Internet ambiguity. They don’t know who is behind the ads and, as a result, they simply do not trust them. People seek some kind of relationship with Internet companies. This relationship relieves their fear of getting ripped off. If they have a problem with a suite they bought at a local men’s store, that store will be there next week to deal with that problem. But will this mysterious web company be there? Will they even respond to the email you send them?

So, if you persist in maintaining this Internet ambiguity you will find it hard to build an Internet business. In fact, you will probably fail.

What is the solution? There is really only one solution; you must make yourself transparent to your audience. You must become visible; people need to become comfortable with you. How would you do this?

First, I would put my picture on all my ads. Make sure you are smiling in this picture. Look like you are a warm and friendly guy (or gal).

Second, I would put my phone number and, very importantly, my street address on my ads. And remember, PO boxes look very suspicious and suggests a transient company—the very opposite image you are trying to generate. Become assessable to people. If you do, they may just become assessable to you. And on your phone number, answer the phone if you can, if possible, don’t have a “machine” do it for you. But if you do receive a message, return the call quickly.

Third, add information and pictures on your family on your web sites. This humanizes you; you look like a normal guy with a wife, kids, grandchildren, etc.

Fourth, add pictures of your office, pets, hobbies, etc on your web site. In doing so, you become increasingly real and trustworthy.

Fifth, don’t hide behind a company name if you can avoid it. Use your name as the company name. Car dealers have done this for years with great success. And if you must use a company name, make it clear who you, the owner, are.

In short, be as transparent as you possibly can.

I Hate the Telephone

Along with ambiguity comes an aversion to the telephone. Why call when you can send an email? But the call sets you apart; you put a voice behind the picture. You become increasingly human, likable and trustworthy.

But, just why do you hate the telephone? Isn’t the main reason because you are calling people you don’t’ know and who probably have zero interest in starting a new business. You find yourself trying to beat life into a dead horse with this “prospect.” They don’t like it and tell you so. Well, who wouldn’t hate this kind of phone work?

But what if the person first contacted you and asked about your business? How hard would it be to call a person like this and simply answer their questions? The bottom line is this, phone work to people who first come to you asking for information is not anywhere near the odious “cold calls” so many tell us we must make. In fact, they are a waste of time. Don’t do them. But do call people who want to be called!

And here is another step that will humanize you and set you apart from your competition, send them a note in the US Mail. You say that’s not done any more? But it is done by many successful Internet marketers who know the value of this personal touch. A note or a card will often send you to the head of the line in a prospects mind as he/she considers who to work with.

I Don’t Like to Sell

And who does like “to sell.” Maybe some do, but I don’t. And I bet you don’t either. But when you do attraction marketing on the Internet, people contact you and ask for information about what you are doing and how well it works. Simply answer their questions and in time invite them to partner with you in your MLM Internet business. If they want to “think about it” or simply say no, don’t’ let it bother you, you have a dozen other people behind them interested in learning more about what you are doing!

Now compare that to the few people you corner with your Ambush Marketing methods. How desperate do you feel with these rare few leads, knowing that you simply “must” sign them up? Don’t you think they sense that desperation as well? They do and it sends them running.

Now compare that to the guy responding to dozens of contacts about his business, each asking for more information on how it works. When people pursue you and what you are doing, where is the sense of desperation? There is none. Not everyone will be interested in partnering with you, but then again, you don’t need everyone. You only have so much time in a day anyhow, so spend it with people who appear to be serious about their future and let the others “think about it.”

There are many mistakes the Network Marketing distributor makes. There is a right way and wrong way to do Network Marketing on the Internet. Do it the right way.

Network Marketing Education--A Problem

I bet you didn’t see that one coming; problems with Network marketing education? Come on, that’s the one point we never stop making; education is critical to our success. Where is the danger?

Well there are dangers.

There are dangers in the wrong kind of education

In fact there are many network marketing philosophies on the Internet. Attraction marketing is my favorite but by no means the only thing available to study. Consider telephone skills; I know one lady who is indescribably effective in this area and provides many tools to teach you how to be effective as well. Then there are mailing lists you can purchase and call or mail to. And don’t forget the quality education available on how to sit down one on one and make a “presentation.” With that course comes all the needed instructions on how to get people to sit down with you in the first place.

Dangers in the amount of education

Just how much education do you need to get moving in Internet marketing? There are courses on most any subject you can imagine and, according to the gurus in that industry; you simply can’t make it unless you master their field of expertise. So, they have courses to sell you. And those courses suggest other courses which in turn…. Well you get the point. Take copy writing for instance; here is a field that could take years of study and coaching before you could consider yourself “ready” to market or employ your skills in the real world. Do you have years? No, you do not. This is also true of computer “programming.” Are you a first rate programmer? Probably you aren’t. Would it “help” if you were? Yes, of course it would. So, what is the right amount? When do you get adequately educated to step out and actually do it?

Dangers in the variety of education options

There are a great many ways to study. There are home study courses for instance. Certain college courses are valuable. Online video courses are probably the most popular thing going now, having recently replaced the audio courses so fashionable just a few months ago. And having said this, let’s not forget the $2,000 seminars guaranteed to change your life, which in three months you will be able to buy on CD for $200.

In addition, we must ask ourselves what to study. It seems like web programming might be valuable. Video creation and marketing are big now. Copy writing is always important. And the list goes on.

In Conclusion

What is my recommendation? I suggest you get in touch with one and only one successful Internet marketing coach doing online education. Follow the plan marked out by this one person to the tee. I’m particularly fond of Renegade University. But whichever one you use, be a faithful student. Don’t skip anything. Don’t do “your thing.” Remember, they are the experts. This plan limits your education to what is most essential in getting you into the money now. There will be time and a need to expand the knowledge base later. But for now, focus on one plan and stay faithful to it till completion. If you do, I’m thinking you will be a success in Internet marketing.