Ouch!

My head literally hurts from reading so much. I've been studying copywriting, almost non-stop, for about 3 days now. There's so much more to it than I'd imagined. I'd never dreamed words could be so powerful.

I'm reading ebooks, ezines, online courses, and a couple of offline books. I've downloaded and studied swipe files. I've become an information sponge, and it feels great. Well, except for my head.

The Best Thing I've Done in a While

I must admit to being a skeptic about informational affiliate programs. It seems too easy for Joe off the street to write a few pages about a subject he may or may not know a lot about, then lead you to believe he's an expert on the subject, and charge you fifty bucks for his ebook.

All that's beginning to change, however. Less than a week ago, I purchased Magnetic Sponsoring, a book and affiliate program created by Mike Dillard. Does it work? Is it too early to tell?

I paid about $40 for this book. Just 5 days after my purchase, I've made more than 5 times that amount! Not only that, but I've generated 6 leads, and I didn't pay a dime for them.

Where else can you get a 500% return on your investment? Does this stuff work? You bet. I still keep my inner skeptic around because yes, there's still a lot of crap out there. This program, however, stands out as a rock solid investment.

Why Do Most Network Marketers Fail?

Network marketers know failure. Most of us have survived horrendous uplines, collapsing downlines, and companies going out of business. Some become cynical, and vow never to be a part of network marketing again.

Still others persevere, despite repeatedly being kicked in the face. They believe in the whole network marketing model, even though it’s not worked well for them in the past.

Those of us who keep going learn. We learn that cold calling is an act of self-torture. We learn that no matter how many presentations we give to our friends and family, none are going to join our business. We learn that by converting every normal conversation we’re a part of into an opportunity to talk about our business, we lose friends.

Now, many network marketers reading this are scratching their heads, telling themselves, “But those are the things my upline says to do.” Unfortunately, most of the time this is true. Therein lies the reason 97% of people who get involved with network marketing fail in the first few months.

Improper training, no training, or just not enough training account for almost all failures in network marketing. It doesn’t matter how motivated you are. If you’re using outdated, ineffective marketing and sales techniques, you will fail.

Unfortunately, the “tried and true” marketing systems taught by most network marketing companies are comprised of just such outdated techniques. When the poor distributor wonders what to do next, they’re told, “You’re doing great, just do more of it.”

Despite what your upline tells you, rambling on and on about how great your products are will not build your business. People are bombarded all day long with this stuff, and have learned to tune it out. And, with so many other options available today, why would you even want to market that way?

Back to Basics

A few years ago my friend Stephanie wanted to lose about 75 pounds. She tried every diet out there, went to aerobics class 3 nights a week, and imagined how she would look minus the 75 pounds. Despite her enthusiasm, however, she failed every time.

She blamed the diets, the aerobics class, and her hectic work schedule. Worst of all, she blamed herself. I never saw a person’s self-esteem sink so low in such a short period of time. She cycled through periods of “Yes, I can do this!” to “I’m such a loser,” every few months.

Stephanie overcomplicated things. She would talk about portions, and after such-and-such week she could eat this, and then she would move on to the next step of the program which would open up a whole new set of possibilities, ad infinitum.

She forgot about the basics. She had gotten so far off track that each time she failed she found it more difficult to rediscover her original commitment. This frustrated her; she lost her focus and panicked.

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Motivation Killers

I hate it when this happens: I'm all psyched, ready to make that first call of the evening, sure this night will be profitable. With cup of hot chocolate by my side and smile on my face, I dial that first number.

I usually expect voicemail, and am ready to leave an inviting message. Last night, however, my first call answered. I couldn't tell if the voice was male or female, but it was quite loud. "Don't you call here no more, you sumbitch!," it boomed. The TV and other loud voices could be heard in the background.

I hung up, just a little dejected. I found it difficult to dial the next number. I stopped, read some Zig Ziglar, and listened to a Leader's Club audio. I pretended I was Donald Trump. I was ready to go again.

I find it sad that we're so bombarded with advertising crap all day that we reject almost everything. Most of us have been fooled enough by various ploys that seemed legitimate that we believe almost everything is some kind of scam.

Last night ended on a high note--I signed a new downline associate. Had I stopped prospecting when I wanted to, that wouldn't have happened. My thanks to Zig Ziglar, Leader's Club, and The Donald.

Three Traits that are Essential for Network Marketing Success

My friend Jason called from San Diego a couple days ago. For some reason, I kept calling him Mark, who is another friend from Sarasota, Florida. The two have never met, and have almost nothing in common. Well, almost nothing.

Jason has no ties. He frequently travels the world, and has called me from Hong Kong, Moscow, and Johannesburg. He owns houses in California, Vancouver, Boulder, and Vermont. He's never been married, and has no plans to wed in the future.

Mark, on the other hand, was born and raised in Sarasota. He married his high school girlfriend. They have 3 kids, a big house, 2 cats, and a dog named Jiminy. To my knowledge, neither he nor his wife have lived outside the state of Florida.

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Four Mistakes That Can Kill Your Network Marketing Business

Do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels? I mean, you've done what your upline has told you, memorized scripts, learned all about your company's products. Why, then, aren't you making progress? Why is there more money going into your business than you're getting out of it?

If you're like me, you're probably making some of the most common mistakes in network marketing. These mistakes destroy more network marketing businesses than anything else. Fortunately, after you've identified them, correcting them is easy.

Have you ever posted in a network marketing forum? I have, and I've gotten some prospects that way. Does it mean I use forums exclusively, however? Of course not. Too many of us find something we're good at or that we enjoy doing, and use that as our only marketing medium. This is a huge mistake.

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How to Supercharge Your Dreams

For years, I sang for a heavy metal band. Most of the 80's and 90's found me onstage, in rehearsal, or in the studio. My life in those days consisted of little more than rock and roll. When I wasn't playing or writing, I dreamt of rock stardom. Unfortunately, I never made it out of that dream stage.

Sure, my fellow musicians and I talked about how things would be different when we "made it," but nobody seemed to know how we would get there. We just imagined one day we'd wake up and everybody would know who we were. We'd play sold-out arenas before adoring fans. We'd be Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, all rolled into one.

We dreamed that a big-time record exec would wander into a club we were playing (they do that all the time in Southeastern Ohio ), fall in love with our vision, and sign us to a lucrative contract on the spot. Finally, we'd be rock stars.

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