Are You Changing With The Times?

"The times, they are a-changin.'"

The old fashioned way of doing things is not working as well any more.

In fact, anything "old" is growing older faster now than ever. Meaning, things are changing faster than ever.

Are you keeping up?

This video is VERY enlightening. It's not specifically about MLM, but it is about the world in which we conduct our business.

Watch it!

glumbert.com - Shift Happens

Marketing Your MLM on the Internet

What's so hard about doing MLM online?

All you have to do is get a replicating web site from your company or upline, and people on the Internet will start coming and signing up. Right?

Wrong.

2 problems:

1. No one knows your web site exists. There are literally MILLIONS of web sites. How will people find yours? Through the search engines? Not likely. Type "MLM" into Google and you get over 17 million listings! Yours will never be found.
2. Search engines hate replicating web sites so much that they penalize them! So not only is it nearly impossible to be found online, but using a replicating site makes you an enemy of the search engines!

If you insist on using a replicating site, you'll simply have to buy your traffic. How do you do that?

1. You can buy opt-in leads and email them. This is worse than useless because not only are email leads you buy terrible quality, but they are most likely spam. Therefore you can get into a lot of trouble using those types of leads.
   
2. You can place ads in e-zines or on web sites. This can provide some results, but gets expensive.
   
3. You can use Pay-Per-Click. This can also produce results, but the keywords related to MLM are extremely competitive, so you'll be paying a premium price.

The best online traffic is the free traffic!

Ironic?

Perhaps, but very, very true.

A person who finds your site through a search engine rather than from an ad, is a superior prospect because they were actively searching for you.

A person who responds to an ad, passively came across your advertisement and then decided to click on it after seeing it.

The difference is - when did the thought enter their head:

• Before they heard of you, they took the initiative to actively search for you.
• After passively stumbling upon your ad, they responded to it.
  

The former are obviously the more qualified leads.

For this reason, free leads are better than leads you pay for.

But here's the catch:

It's EASIER to get leads through advertising. You simply buy ad space and you're set. But you pay, and there's no guarantee that people will click your ad, or that those who do will buy from you.

Generating leads "organically" by learning how to naturally place high in the search engines requires more knowledge, skill and time. So it's more difficult, but the rewards are far, far superior.

You do pay for "free" traffic, but the cost is not money, it's TIME. It takes more time to do everything you need to do to generate free traffic. It also takes more time for the search engines to index you and rank you higher and higher over time.

But the whole process is worth it.

If you'd like to learn the details of how to generate free leads online, get my Special Report: "HOW TO GENERATE YOUR OWN TOP-QUALITY LEADS ONLINE."

The best article I've ever read about this topic is free: "PUT THE 'NET' INTO NETWORK MARKETING."

If you don't want to go through the learning curve yourself, and want a step-by-step system that will hold your hand, help you create a site and generate free, natural online traffic, I only recommend SITE-SELL. In fact I use it myself!

"You, Inc.?"

It's been a popular idea lately among Network Marketing trainers to teach their students that they should be promoting THEMSELVES instead of their COMPANY.

I read about this in Blogs and articles all the time.

The underlying idea is that you can't trust your MLM company to stay in business or not "do you wrong," so don't put too much effort into promoting your company. That way if something happens and you want, or have, to move to another company your people will be loyal to you and follow.

I've been there ...

• I had several companies go out of business.
• I had one company hit by a hurricane.
• I had one company steal downline legs any time they became successful.

... so I understand their concerns and the intention for the teaching.

However, the approach has some SERIOUS problems.

1. If you are hesitant to promote your company with complete enthusiasm, your prospects will subconsciously pick up on your mistrust in your company ... and they will not join.
2. What are you doing in a company you don't trust?!

Yes, I made my mistakes. That was at a time when I was young and foolish in the industry. I chased whatever was new and exciting at the time.

But I've since learned my lessons.

Don't get entranced by the glitter and dazzle of the latest start-up or the company that has the most attention right now. That attention will fade ... and you'll still be wanting to build your business long after the hype has died down.

Choose your company for its long-term merits. Take your time and choose right the first time!

Look for a solid company that:

• Has already been in business for 5 years or more. Preferably 10 years or more.
• Has management you trust.
• Has reputable products (hype products don't have a long shelf-life).
• Doesn't make overly strong claims about their products (it's only a matter of time until the regulators come down on them in a big way).

If possible, get to know the ownership of the company. Rather than building your business on a foundation of mistrust that they may do something to hurt you, become partners with the owners. Better yet, become FRIENDS with them on a personal level.

If the owners are so distant that it isn't a possibility to interact with them personally, perhaps the company isn't focused on the right things (it's people). While you can't expect to call the CEO and chat with her or him at any time, the company should make opportunities available where you have access periodically to develop a social relationship.

An "us against them" attitude between you and your company is a lose/lose for you and them.

Take the opposite attitude. A "we're partners in this together" attitude will benefit you much more.

You're a Genius!

I saw Robert Kiyosaki on PBS today. He's the author of the best-selling book Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

By the way, if you don't have the book, get it now. It is financial genius!

... and speaking of "genius," Robert was talking about how EVERYONE IS A GENIUS.

He's right.

I love how he explained it. He used a play on words, and said that being a genius is about the "Genie-in-us." Cute, but right on.

You may not be a rocket scientist.

You may not be a brain surgeon.

But you have a NATURAL talent or inclination toward something.

It may not be academic, but you're a genius, you're a "natural" at something. Whatever it is ... that is magic. That's your "genie" that can perform miracles. Wishes you make around that natural talent will come true!

So when it comes to your Network Marketing business, don't be locked in to what your upline says, or your company says, or the latest book in MLM says, or even what I say.

Ask yourself, "How can I use my genius, my natural talents, toward my business?"

One man in my downline is a direct mail genius. But he never does Internet sponsoring, phone sponsoring and he never, ever goes to meetings. But he's in the top 2% of all networkers. Why? because he's using his genius.

A woman in my organization has a passion for our products because they changed her life after suffering extreme health challenges. She's a natural at talking about the product, and she does it face-to-face. She's reached the top of our compensation plan. But if you asked her to do it using direct mail, she probably couldn't.

Human beings are individuals, each person is different and unique. MLM is not "one size fits all." The old wisdom of you need "one simple duplicatable system that everyone does" isn't true and NEVER was!

If you try to fit everyone into the same mold, you violate human nature itself. You're saying the system is more important than the person.

No matter what your "philosophy," you will lose top leaders from joining you, or being successful with you, if you don't allow them to approach the business in a way that fits them best.

In fact, not only "allow" them to do it, but ENCOURAGE them to do it. This needs to be built right into your training.

If you say, "Well, I'm not a genius at anything," I have 2 harsh words to way to you:

YOU'RE WRONG!

... and understand that's a compliment!

You ARE a genius at something, whether you know it or not. A skilled upline leader can help you discover what it is, and then help you apply that genius to your MLM business.

Sometimes it takes guts to follow your genius because it may not fall into a traditional role. That's when things are the most exciting! It means you have something new and original to contribute.

By the way ...

Mick Jagger went to school to become an accountant! Can you imagine?

I INVITE YOUR COMMENTS

I've enabled comments on my blog again after a long time of not allowing them. This was due to daily spamming, and also because so many people were using it to simply promote their own business in the most crude manner (translation: HYPE!).

After many emails requesting I enable comments again, I've decided to do so.

To help with security, all comments must be approved by the moderator before they will be published on the site. In addition, there is a word verification process to keep the spam "robots" at bay.

You're welcome to include a link to your web site with each post so that interested readers can click on it and be directed to your MLM opportunity.

However no comments that directly promote an opportunity or are not on target with the topic of the post will be approved.

So add your comments, include your links, just make sure you keep the discussion itself on topic.

You're also welcome to post comments to ask any QUESTIONS you may have. Myself and the readers of this Blog will put our heads together to come up with solutions for you.

Thanks everyone.

MLM: Multi-Level MADNESS!

I love MLM. It's been very good to me; paying me millions of dollars.

But I'll never forget the early days.

Make that the early "years."

They were incredibly FRUSTRATING ... sometimes literally to the point of tears.

I would go mad with frustration wondering why prospects didn't see the great opportunity I was offering them.

• Why was everyone so skeptical?
• Was my product unappealing?
• Was I a terrible presenter?
• Was I talking to the wrong people?
• Who are the "right" people?

Do you have questions like this too?

Remembering how much I SUFFERED early in my MLM career, I've made it my mission to help others through the process from failure to fortune!

What do you need help with? What do you wish a mentor would help you understand or help you do?

Send me an email at: barry@mademillionsinmlm.com and let me know, or simply leave a comment on this post. I'll do my best to help ... NO CHARGE!

They Ripped Me Off!

One of my favorite Network Marketers recently published a response to a letter he received.

The woman who wrote the letter was hesitating to join this man's (Mike) MLM company because she had been "ripped off" so many times before. Now she was skeptical about everything.

Ever hear that from a prospect?

Sure, all the time.

I expected Mike to respond with the typical:

• "I understand what you mean ..."
• "I've had the same experience ..."
• "Here's what I've found ..."

... But he didn't.

His response was quite the opposite: He responded that he had NEVER been ripped off. While not every business he joined or training he bought resulted in him making money, he learned something helpful from them all and didn't regret any of them!

I love that answer!

You may not like this, but the truth is, many people who get "ripped off" can blame themselves.

What's amazing is that it's the same people who complain over and over about how others take advantage of them.

But it's these same people who are attracted to HYPE.

• They avoid the good, stable, solid, well-established companies that have been around for many decades and have established good, conservative business practices.
• They aren't interested in sponsors who offer help, but tell them that they're responsible for their own success.
• They won't join organizations that tell them they'll have to work hard ... maybe harder than they ever have in their life ... if they want financial freedom.

They avoid these things because they perceive them as "boring," or they think the "timing is wrong," or there's no "sizzle" left.

... and of course there's always someone in another "deal" who is willing to offer something else that sounds much more exciting.

A genuine businesses' reality cannot compete with the rip-off artist's hype.

So, they turn away from the legitimate opportunities and join the new start-up company, with the marketing system that's "easy," and with the upline that tells them how they'll do most of the work for them.

If that's what you're attracted to, then you're making your own bed and should not be surprised when things don't work out.

Get real.

Get real and you'll make real money.

Stop looking for the easier way. It's not easy.

However, if you're with a good, solid company, and you're sponsored by an upline that has integrity, Network Marketing can be a lot of fun and outrageously profitable.

You can be successful by using this simple recipe:

• Choose a company that has established itself over time.
• Promote products that you like.
  
• Choose an upline that doesn't make things sound "too good to be true," but have already done what you want to do, and who will work with you one-on-one.
  
• Choose a marketing system that fits your personality.
• Apply elbow grease for 1-5 years and never look back.