In 1996, I needed a change.
I hated my job. I lived in a small apartment because it was all I could afford. I drove a piece of crap car for the same reason.
In short, I was in pain. My pain stemmed from the fact that others controlled my life. I felt like a slave. I worked my butt off just to pay the rent and feed myself. What kind of life is that?
My pain, however, propelled me to something better. The minute a friend of mine brought up network marketing, I jumped on it. I didn’t know you could make that much money without being a real estate mogul or an investment genius.
Like most marketers, I failed miserably at first. I made every mistake a network marketer can possible make. Yet, the alternative kept me going. I knew that if I didn’t succeed in network marketing, I faced a life of slavery.
That was enough for me.
I literally marketed as if my life depended on it because, in a very real sense, it did. Whenever I felt like quitting (which was quite often at first), I’d picture my boss’ scowling face, saying, “I need you to work a double today.” I can think of no greater motivator.
They say we’re either motivated by pain or pleasure. If either the pain of your current situation or the pleasure of making a change is not great enough, you’ll probably have a difficult time finding the necessary motivation.
Of the two, I think pain motivates me more. Sure, sitting on a beach sipping a cool drink while working a couple hours a day on my laptop would be nice, but it’s nothing compared to avoiding the gray, lifeless existence that comes with working for someone else.
If you want to change, find your pain.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Only 2 Steps to Success
I read an article recently that said success consists of only 2 things.
These two things are very basic, and can be broken down into several subcategories, depending on how complicated you wanted to make it. I like to keep it simple, so let's look at these two things.
The first quality of success is hard work. This should be obvious, but the number of sites that promise you millions of dollars for doing nothing tells me that this is a step a lot of people don't see as necessary.
Do yourself a favor. If somebody tells you to plug into their system for 25 bucks a month and collect your million dollars next week, just walk away. Don't ponder how it's possible; forget that it defies all logic. Take a hike.
If you want to be successful, you'll have to work hard. There's no way around it.
The other quality, possibly even more important than the first, is knowing WHAT to work on. This is a lesson network marketers need to pay close attention to. When I first started in network marketing back in 1996, I worked hard.
I did everything my upline told me to, and then some. I made my list, called my friends and family, struck up conversations in the grocery market checkout lines, and even called opportunity leads for hours on end.
Nobody told me how to generate targeted traffic, or that building relationships with people FIRST was the best way to build an effective downline.
The net result from all my hard work? Zero.
Like many network marketers today, I only had half the equation. I was ready to do it, but I didn't know exactly what to do.
The good news is that once you know what to do, even if you work at it all day, it's not really hard. I actually find it enjoyable.
These two things are very basic, and can be broken down into several subcategories, depending on how complicated you wanted to make it. I like to keep it simple, so let's look at these two things.
The first quality of success is hard work. This should be obvious, but the number of sites that promise you millions of dollars for doing nothing tells me that this is a step a lot of people don't see as necessary.
Do yourself a favor. If somebody tells you to plug into their system for 25 bucks a month and collect your million dollars next week, just walk away. Don't ponder how it's possible; forget that it defies all logic. Take a hike.
If you want to be successful, you'll have to work hard. There's no way around it.
The other quality, possibly even more important than the first, is knowing WHAT to work on. This is a lesson network marketers need to pay close attention to. When I first started in network marketing back in 1996, I worked hard.
I did everything my upline told me to, and then some. I made my list, called my friends and family, struck up conversations in the grocery market checkout lines, and even called opportunity leads for hours on end.
Nobody told me how to generate targeted traffic, or that building relationships with people FIRST was the best way to build an effective downline.
The net result from all my hard work? Zero.
Like many network marketers today, I only had half the equation. I was ready to do it, but I didn't know exactly what to do.
The good news is that once you know what to do, even if you work at it all day, it's not really hard. I actually find it enjoyable.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
RIP Steve McNair
Even though I live just outside of Nashville, I've never really considered myself a Tennessee Titans fan.
I guess it's because my wife has always loved the Indianapolis Colts, especially Peyton Manning. Now, I'm not near as into football as she is, but I do enjoy watching a good game.
I remember the year the Titans went to the Super Bowl. I think the entire state of Tennessee was on fire that day. I was in college, and worked part time at a local convenience store. The man who owned the store had tickets to the game and was taking his son.
Even though they lost, the game was awesome. Just one yard short of winning the Super Bowl, and that was their first year in Tennessee.
Steve McNair was a huge part of that.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing yesterday afternoon when I turned on the local news. McNair was dead.
They didn't give many details, except that it was a shooting. He retired from football last year and had just opened up a restaurant in Nashville, planning to settle down here. He was 36 years old.
I must admit, I didn't really know what an awesome player he was. Former teammates and even opponents described him as a super-intense, but cool headed quarterback who was not afraid to run the ball.
Nashville is numb today. Steve will be missed.
I guess it's because my wife has always loved the Indianapolis Colts, especially Peyton Manning. Now, I'm not near as into football as she is, but I do enjoy watching a good game.
I remember the year the Titans went to the Super Bowl. I think the entire state of Tennessee was on fire that day. I was in college, and worked part time at a local convenience store. The man who owned the store had tickets to the game and was taking his son.
Even though they lost, the game was awesome. Just one yard short of winning the Super Bowl, and that was their first year in Tennessee.
Steve McNair was a huge part of that.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing yesterday afternoon when I turned on the local news. McNair was dead.
They didn't give many details, except that it was a shooting. He retired from football last year and had just opened up a restaurant in Nashville, planning to settle down here. He was 36 years old.
I must admit, I didn't really know what an awesome player he was. Former teammates and even opponents described him as a super-intense, but cool headed quarterback who was not afraid to run the ball.
Nashville is numb today. Steve will be missed.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Getting Traffic To Your Site
You want people to see your website.
Assuming that’s true, how do you make it happen? Is there maybe a traffic genie you can call? How come some sites get thousands of hits a day, and yours averages about 15? Is there something others know that you don’t?
The good news is that getting traffic to your site is simple. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always cheap, but it’s simple.
Some methods I’ve used have included traffic exchanges, safelists, and solo ads. These are all relatively inexpensive, but there’s something you need to keep in mind . . .
Nothing is really free. Even the “free” traffic exchanges and safelists will cost you many hours of viewing or submitting ads.
The most organic, natural way to generate traffic and leads is by using attraction marketing. I know, these days attraction marketing is more popular than Brangelina’s twins, but there’s really not that much to it.
Attraction marketing simply focuses on building relationships first. You realize that most people you build relationships with are not going to do business with you, but many will. Plus, the time you spend building these relationships is enjoyable. It’s just like making friends. Compare that to spending hours cold-calling people who have little or no interest in what you have to say.
The downright easiest way to get traffic to your site is to just pay for it. For about fifty bucks, you can get 10,000 or more semi-targeted leads to your site. You can spend a lot more, depending on your budget, and a lot more results.
Assuming that’s true, how do you make it happen? Is there maybe a traffic genie you can call? How come some sites get thousands of hits a day, and yours averages about 15? Is there something others know that you don’t?
The good news is that getting traffic to your site is simple. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always cheap, but it’s simple.
Some methods I’ve used have included traffic exchanges, safelists, and solo ads. These are all relatively inexpensive, but there’s something you need to keep in mind . . .
Nothing is really free. Even the “free” traffic exchanges and safelists will cost you many hours of viewing or submitting ads.
The most organic, natural way to generate traffic and leads is by using attraction marketing. I know, these days attraction marketing is more popular than Brangelina’s twins, but there’s really not that much to it.
Attraction marketing simply focuses on building relationships first. You realize that most people you build relationships with are not going to do business with you, but many will. Plus, the time you spend building these relationships is enjoyable. It’s just like making friends. Compare that to spending hours cold-calling people who have little or no interest in what you have to say.
The downright easiest way to get traffic to your site is to just pay for it. For about fifty bucks, you can get 10,000 or more semi-targeted leads to your site. You can spend a lot more, depending on your budget, and a lot more results.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
