The “why” behind what you do is much more transparent than you may think.

It will make your brand if you have a strong, unique, passionate, admirable or interesting motivation to provide value in the marketplace.

Good news is that so many are sleepwalking through the 5 Questions exercise in this article, which creates opportunity for YOU.

Answer the 5 Questions and recalibrate as needed.

Nice move by YouTube. Makes them fair game for hosting bonus videos and other stuff meant for a select few.

http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2010/05/youtube-gets-unlisted-a-step-in-the-right-direction-for-privacy.html

Posted via email from Tony Zayas – Posterous

Brilliant TED talk by Simon Sinek. The “Why” inspires action and gives genuine identity…if you’re looking to lead or influence, make sure yours is defined. Love the Golden Circle (which reminded me of Stephen Covey’s Circle of Influence).

Posted via email from Tony Zayas – Posterous

We’re now living in a time period which may end up being the most challenging economic period of a generation, yet at the same time, the most opportune and abundant time in the history of the world.

It Was The Worst Of Times

First, let’s talk about the gloomy stuff…I know we all hear it all the time.  Turn on the TV, surf the web, listen to the radio…gloom and doom talk about the economy, the job market, unemployment, political corruption, war, etc.

It’s hammered into our head, day-in and day-out, and unconsciously, we absorb and retain this thinking.  This leads to increased stress rates, anxiety and all the mental and physical ailments that come with it.

Now, I’m not suggesting that we live in easy times and that this bad news is contrived while things are all cheery.

Rather, while things are a-changin’, it’s not all darkness…as a matter of fact, there’s a whole lot of opportunity right in front of your eyes.

It Was The Best Of Times

All that being said, interestingly enough, we live in the most advanced, abundant, and rich period in the history of mankind.

Through the incredible advancement of technology, we have virtually instantaneous access to information, goods, friends, family…you name it, you can get it on demand.

And if you can’t, watch out!…someone’s going to be pissed, since we simply cannot wrap our heads around the idea of waiting for something in this age of instant reward and gratification.

In business, this translates to being able to research, pinpoint and survey your market and competition before even opening up shop.  Read the last sentence again… We can actually gather ALL of this crucial intelligence BEFORE even creating your product, service, etc.

It Was The Age Of Foolishness

The knee jerk reaction for many businesses — small, medium and large, alike — is to cut sales and marketing during rough times.

If you think about that, it’s actually pretty illogical… “Eh, the market is slow, business is slow, let’s be less aggressive in selling our products and services.” Seriously?

It Was The Age Of Wisdom

Entrepreneurs and Business Owners: You’re the innovators in our society.  Challenging times are the time for innovation, ideas, out of the box thinking.

So…let’s work smarter.  Let’s leverage the incredible communication tools that are in front of us today, such as real-time conversation and trend reports.  Let’s make appropriate cuts where there are inefficiencies — Newspaper advertising and Yellow Page ads tend to be expensive, and are your best prospects really looking for you there?

If not, it’s time to move on.  The world of New Media is much brighter than dying print mediums, and even better, they’re much cheaper to utilize!

…

If you’re a small business owner, the Dickens quote sums up the current climate facing your situation today.  The question is, which city will you choose…it is your choice.

Enter your email address in the “Subscribe to my blog” box on the upper right hand side and I’ll share with you my best New Media Marketing ideas, strategies, trainings and tutorials for small business!

You know you’ve done something right when Tony Robbins interviews you on the topics of success, wealth and having breakthroughs, as he recently did with two of my mentors, Frank Kern and John Reese.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Frank and John, they’re two of the most accomplished and pioneering Internet marketers around.

Two big things I reflected upon after watching this was that the roadblock for SO MANY, is not having the ideas, it’s not the resources either, but the fear that we’re faced with that causes us to get stuck is often so great, that it paralyzes us.

Personally, I realize that I would have never made the gains and breakthroughs if I didn’t have a support group, friends and partners to help me see the big picture, when I was too close to the subject matter to see objectively.  This is where the importance of mastermind groups and coaching comes into play…if you aren’t involved in either and you’ve hit a roadblock, it’s seriously time to consider.

Secondly, this is mainstream validation for the skeptics that Internet marketing is something that ALL business owners intent on having success from this point forward (even if you’re already successful) must include in their bag o’ tricks.

Whether you run campaigns yourself or outsource everything, you need an effective online business strategy that is in alignment and congruent with your core business — and this is relevant to all offline businesses.  I’m blown away when I tell someone a bit about online marketing and they mention, “Yeah, that’s pretty powerful stuff, it just doesn’t fit my business model.”  BS!  Unless telephones, business cards, yellow page listings, word of mouth communication (I could go on and on) don’t fit your business model either, you’re totally missing what Internet marketing is all about.

Admittedly, the third thing was I thought it was cool that just a couple months back I was spending a weekend sitting next to both Frank and John, as Frank led his final mastermind session down in La Jolla.  I had the great fortune to be invited, learn and hang out with this small, elite group of good people and brilliant minds.  And what my wife reminds me about it is that I’m now just one degree of separation from Tony Robbins…someone I’ve studied and followed for very long.

Check out the interview, it’s good stuff!

Enjoy,

Tony

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Truth be told, for years, dating back to waaaaay before he got much media attention, I couldn’t stand the late, great Billy Mays.  Yes, the ultimately likeable guy who was just in the midst of a surge in popularity due to his hit show, Pitchmen.  Yet, for the longest time, the sight and inescapable sound of him made me cringe.

At the core of my issue with Mr. Mays, I don’t like being shouted at, and here was this burly guy with his neatly trimmed beard bellowing about Oxyclean and Orange Glo like I cared.

Even his name, Billy Mays…was that a bait and switch play off of the great American baseball hero, Willie Mays, I’d think to myself.

Well, in the end, I was wrong about the man.  And, in retrospect I’ve learned much in the way of brand positioning and presentation — two areas I’d consider strengths of mine.

Billy obviously lived by the noble and logical theorem that if you had a legitimate product, good or service that could help others out in some way, then you’re actually do a complete dis-service by not stepping out in a big way.

No selling from the heels for Billy, he put it out there and MILLIONS of people became satisfied customers.  His products became iconic, as did he.  He achieved massive success, for a guy who started out as a street pitchman, hawking products to passersby on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.  Now, he’s left a legacy as a pop icon, a true salesman, and where it truly counts, a good guy and father.

I have nothing but love for Billy these days, and I actually have to credit another excellent salesman, businessman and all-around good guy, a friend of mine named Joe, for changing my mind on Billy.  Joe once said to me in response to a rant of mine on Facebook, “How can you dislike a guy who’s always smiling?”

I can’t…haven’t been able to since Joe said that to me.  Billy appeared to love what he did, loved the people he encountered, and loved life, living it voraciously.

And when I saw this YouTube video a few months back, I became a raving fan of the Pitchmen star.

In the end, I know Billy is smiling down on everyone who is bold enough to stand tall and provide value to those who need it.  Sales is at the heart of all business & commerce, and the negative connotation attached to it is unfair.  As the saying goes, everyone loves to buy, but no one likes to be sold.

Billy was so charismatic that you were entertained to the point of forgetting that he was even selling.  People do like to be sold when they don’t realize it (read: people like to buy from people who have a passion for what they do, belief in their brand, especially if they like and trust them.  They don’t like slimy salesman that aren’t there to service their clients first, but rather are just focused on making a few bucks for themselves.)

There are many lessons that I’ve touched on in this post, and many others not mentioned, but I guess I’m writing to pay my respects, and as a way to say “thanks” to the charismatic pitchman that made us all smile.  Make THAT your brand and you can’t help but succeed.

Quick Video Marketing Report

After having a week to reflect on everything I observed at Frank Kern’s Mass Control 2.0 seminar in San Diego, it’s pretty easy to see how influential Frank is to his audience — not a new revelation, but something deeper struck me.

Not only does his following hang onto his every word when he dishes out strategy (of course, in a highly entertaining way), but the ones serious about it go out into the world and make it happen.

That was the common theme amongst those who, like me, attended both last year and again this year.  If you “get it”, you know it’s not all that difficult, but you have to take action.  I can go ahead and re-phrase that statement in about six different ways, but here’s the bottom line…take action.

My favorite example of this is my good buddy, Jeff “Herschy” Schwerdt.  In two years of pedal to the metal, no messing around fashion, he’s managed to generate over 1 million dollars.  Overnight success…luck…I don’t think so.  The dude doesn’t play.  He straight up makes things happen. (THEN he goes and parties like a rockstar…and he doesn’t mess around there either LOL)

Anyway, he’s Frank Kern’s protégé and delivers in a way that makes Frank proud.  Check out the awesome, 40 page report he put together on how he went from having his dream career as an F-16 Fighter Pilot and Instructor torn away from him, to where he stands today as the go-to guy when it comes to using video online.

photo by Julie Lindsay

Welcome to the Great Anxiety (not the new Depression). It’s no secret that were facing a serious economic situation throughout the country, with global repercussions.

A lot of fingers can be pointed in a lot of different places for total and what got us here. But none of that matters, to be honest. What matters is recovery, IMHO.

In order for there to be financial security, we must come from a place of stability.   And herein lies the heart of the matter.   How can we expect to get to that place a financial security when every media outlet is crying like Chicken Little that the sky is falling?

While I’m not one to point fingers at who started this mess, I am happy to point out that the media and politicians love the attention of a crisis.  Kind of like how you get suckered into reading the headlines of those trashy tabloids that you see while you’re in line at the grocery store. Our media and politicians aren’t much classier.

The point is that there were not in a great place economically, or financially,  we’re not going to turn things around if we continue to pay attention to all the fear that the would-be puppet masters are trying to inject.

How come no one has pointed out that (the basic economic ideal) of buy low? Wouldn’t that mean that opportunities are a plenty for the bold and the brave?  Instead, we hear rants of how things are just getting worse.

What do you think would happen if there was a bit more  consumer confidence?  Meaning, those who still have their jobs, haven’t lost or still have time to build their retirement savings  went about things, as normal –  Not with fear of financial doom lurking in their subconscious?

Perhaps they would buy a few more gifts and/or services for their friends or loved ones, or they would treat themselves to a tree here or there. All the while, if you small businesses  rack up a few extra sales. While it might not sound like much, never underestimate the power of compounding — meaning role this scenario out to a large-scale and we would already have some financial turn around, as small businesses may have healthy enough margins to cutback on cutting back, and perhaps even grow a bit.  This, my friends, is economic stimulus and our ticket out of this down economy.

As simple as this sounds, it is very real. I hold the media and many of our appointed government officials responsible for this mass injection of fear and the downfall in consumer confidence, ensuring continued ratings and headlines for them, and tough times of struggle for the average person.

So, turn off the TV, stop reading the headlines, and get back to doing the things that you would do if we weren’t all stricken with anxiety.  And for the risk-takers out there, opportunity is always around, just keep your eyeballs open.

What I do want to focus on is a general world view that’s held by many in our society, related to business. See, recently a friend of mine referenced me in his blog post and joked about my inherent salesmanship. Interestingly enough, that kind of struck a curiosity chord with me, as I’ve never held an official sales capacity in my entire stint in corporate America, used car sales aside. (I mean, I surely didn’t think the heinous 3 months during summer break of my early college years when I worked at a used car lot would haunt my into my 30’s…and let’s hope that wasn’t what he was talking about.)

photo by rick

It was interesting to me, because I realized that to the people who know me – my coaching clients, good friends and colleagues I mastermind with – I am a salesman. I’m an idea person…and I’m always winning people over with new ideas. I pitch suggestions, ways to improve results, efficiencies, boost traffic, conversions, training methodologies, better branding, yada yada.

While I would admit to my enthusiasm over these topics, I just never thought of it as selling.

Which is the main purpose behind today’s triumphant return to the blogosphere after working covertly on other projects for the past few months, neglecting ole’ TZ.com.

Every communication we have with anyone and everyone is selling of some sort. When we were kids, we had to sell yourself as someone fun, cool or exciting to hang out with in order to make friends. To our parents, teachers and other authority figures, we had to sell the idea that we were responsible, trustworthy, respectful. When we met someone of the opposite sex, we had to sell the idea that we were interesting, good looking and whatever else thought it was they were looking for.

And so it goes, throughout life…at job interviews, at daily/weekly meetings, at social gatherings and family events. We’re always selling something…an idea, a message, a persona. What’s being sold is at minimum, what we’re about and how we’d like to be perceived. Usually it’s more than that, but never less.

So, why is the sound of “salesman” (or if I was trying to be PC — “salesperson”) like nails on a chalkboard to many of our ears? Simply, it’s how we’ve been conditioned by being whacked over the head by too many lousy salesmen who use ineffective, in-your-face, overt selling strategies on us, in a commercial heavy society. That’s why. If more people learned to sell in a manner that was congruent with their personality (ala Frank Kern — an absolute master of this strategy), selling would come off as natural, much more powerful and with much less disdain from those being sold to.

But, just think about the core of what “selling” is really about, and you just may have a new found appreciation for sales (if you didn’t already)…and just maybe, even realize that it’s a crucial success skill for anyone who would like to get what they want out of this invigorating world we live in.

Alright…before you peg me as some ungrateful fool, I just want to clarify the title of this post, on this day of celebrating thanks in the US.

First off, I love turkeys!  They’re entertaining when they gobble and taste great!!

But in all seriousness, Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday (and I’ve found myself telling a bunch of people this story already, as I’ve felt obligated).  I like it so much for a very simple reason…the basic meaning behind it – be thankful for what you have. And when you really do think about all there is to be thankful for, it’s overwhelming, no matter if you’re in a good place or striving for more.

What a tingling message on this special day.  What a great way to feel good about life, the people in your life, the places, experiences and things that give (and have given) you happiness and inspire you to have more to share.

The only question I have is…

Why Do We Only Do This Once a Year?

Why not wake up and go to bed and give thanks for the beautiful things that enrich your life, each and every day?  There’s no rule saying you can’t….in fact, many very successful (and by “successful” I mean people who are happy, fulfilled and satisfied by life) make a habit, a ritual, a practice of visualizing all of the things they’re grateful for on a daily basis.  I encourage you to give it a try; if nothing else it will brighten your day.

Top 10 Things I’m Thankful For:

1. My wonderful, beautiful, funny and awesome wife, Monica!
2. My small (but incredible) circle of close friends
3. My mentors and teachers
4. My family – Zayas’, Faia’s, Patryn’s, Scaffide’s and the rest
5. My country
6. Rock music
7. Good health
8. Laughs
9. The ability to hold a memory close
10. Turkeys 

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Take this political season, for instance.  A bit further out, candidates were focusing on a variety of issues and their respective takes and proposed plans…la-di-da.  Within the past month or so, we’ve seen the focus shift towards one thing: The Economy.  Why?  Well, the mortgage companies provided tremendous fodder for this huge shift, but Bill Clinton did the same thing when he ran against Bush 41 in ‘93 – “It’s the economy, stupid!”

Of course the economy is important, especially in the midst of a global financial meltdown.  But, the real reason it’s effective for politicians to talk about the economy is because it can be used to induce psychological triggers that either a) remove pain and increase pleasure (i.e. promises of a brighter future, turn the economy around, take care of the working class, etc.) OR triggers can be used to anchor the politicians opponent to the opposite b) increase pain and remove pleasure (i.e. suggesting that opponent will raise taxes, get the country into costly and dangerous conflicts, spend on unnecessary programs).  Effectively moving voters either closer to comfort or away from comfort.

Pain vs. Pleasure – It comes down to emotion.

Human instinct is based on emotion.  That’s why pain and pleasure is so important to us.  We either want to move away from pain, or towards pleasure.  And most of the time, we’d be more proactive in staying away from pain than from getting pleasure, especially if getting involves some work!

But the bottom line is that we all, at a very core level, think the same way.  We make decisions based on emotion, then justify them with reason.  Comfort can often be a crutch, an excuse, so you have to tread carefully.

To me, this is what makes the study of psychology, marketing, influence and persuasion all so interesting.  There really are formulas to tap into that work like clockwork once you understand how to apply them.

I’ll leave it at that for now, but let’s just say that part 2 of this post is coming soon – the piece that any one of us can implement to help break these triggers, break out of their comfort zone and get so much more done in a day.  We’ll discuss this success principle can make you a bundle, done correctly, and how, if not followed, the same principle can break you…especially in the world of web 2.0 marketing where there’s a ton of busy work at any given time that can be done.

It’s about an hour and twenty minutes, so grab a cold beverage, some snacks, a note pad and enjoy!

The huge markets are generally considered to be health, wealth and relationships. Niche markets would be anything that doesn’t fit into one of those.

No matter what you choose, do your research and make sure you have buyers in the market you choose…and that there are enough of them to sustain your business if you go for a small niche.

Here is some helpful additional reading:

Internet Marketing – Quick Start Tips

Choosing your niche is a key element in the success of Internet marketing companies. In fact, you should be very careful in ensuring that & 39; they are both a necessity and a significant number of people who want the product or & 39; …

How Important Is Picking A Niche?

More importantly, are they WILLING to spend it? If there is a lot of free info on the subject, maybe not. So yes, it is important to pick a niche that has a demand and lots of hungry buyers willing to dig into their wallets. …

How to know if the niche market has buyers.

Many newbie marketers know that they must pick a niche market to target when they want to launch their internet business. They know the market must has a lot of passionate people that are seriously crazy about the market and anything in …

Okay, okay…so I’m over exaggerating it a bit. But there is plenty of truth to all of those points. The greater point I’m getting to is that you and your business needs to stop advertising and start getting involved in the conversation!

Social media is growing at a ridiculous pace, literally taking over the Internet. Get involved, show your chops and offer some advice, become a contributing part of the community and people will listen (and buy)!

Here is some helpful info on getting your business on board in the social media landscape:

Social Media Test: Find the Holy Grail – Advertising 2.0 …

For all the social media marketers out there you need watch this video. Why because of all the noice out there in social media this video panel discussion is the most relevevant information for you. …

Still Doing Press Releases The Traditional Way?, Consider Social …

PRWeb kind of pioneered the use of SEO in press releases, complimenting the traditional distribution mechanisms. Countless marketers(including myself) and companies benefited from this service. Today, PRWeb and many other release …

Start A Social Media Campaign

Successful social media marketing (SMM) campaigns will likely be a key catalyst i for a small to medium sized business to grow their business strategy. Without a great deal of expense, and if implemented correctly, it will increase …

How Social Media Can Help Your Small Business

Laura Spencer at Business and Blogging shares the story of Tracey Lee Wallace, a web developer who lost internet access. She accessed Twitter, a microblogging social media tool (using her Blackberry) and vented her frustration leaving a …

One of my best friends built an AWESOME site…you can check it out right here – whostough.com — It’s basically a really fun (and funny) social network with the premise of “who would win in a fight?”

Through my brainstorming with my buddy Dave, I realized that he’s built a business that’s so much fun that it feels like we’re monkeying around all the entire time we spend discussing it. I realized that there have to be tons of great sites like this, that are really fun, entertaining or just really cool…but, that no one knows about. What a shame.

I’d imagine this leads to a lot of great sites never being able to sustain, and subsequently, be shut down.

Well, my newest project is geared towards exposing these kind of sites and getting a ton of eyeballs on those sites, showing the site owners some crafty ways to use viral marketing to grow their sites, develop some custom monetization models for these sites, and more.

So stay tuned as I get this project ready for launch in the next few weeks. If you have a cool site you want the world to know about, be sure to come back regularly…you WON’T want to miss out on this!

Much is often said about “an election year,” for all the reasons that immediately come to mind: The Possibility of Change, Reflection on What Has Been, Ideas of Hope and Fear looking into the Future, and much more.

Though Ron Paul has been most effective in using social media to gain a huge following (I commend Rep. Paul on his efforts and his successes), the Presidential hopefuls have boiled down to just two, for all practical purposes, in each party.

I believe that our two parties help to make America great, as we’re given two choices, two voices, two directions and two distinct options…or at least that’s how it’s suppose to be in theory.

In this Election Year, take the political process seriously, as every election year has implications and repercussions for many many years to come. Don’t buy into the “inevitable candidate” – on either side – pick who you think will best represent America as our leader.

And, when you’re at the polls (actually do some reading and research beforehand), as All Politics Are Local. Your choices on local issues will probably affect YOU much more than a national figurehead. (Sometimes people act like the President is The Wizard of Oz…and responsible for everything that happens in this country, good and bad. Truth is that the citizens are much more responsible for most.)

So I’ll leave you with two videos…two candidates…one from each side. Each are the alternative to the inevitable candidate, so perhaps they’re worth looking at unless you like how the DC Machine continues to run itself.

Luckily, for those who missed it, Gawker.com is the sole site that has refused to pull the video down (linked above), citing “fair use” as an exception to copyright, as reported by Fox News.

I tend to believe that the Scientologists need to learn a bit about the marketing theory of “moving the free line,” as this leaked video is probably giving a more widespread mainstream exposure to this group than, dare I say, one of good ol’ L. Ron’s books.

As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, perhaps Gawker.com is in cahoots w/ LRH’s people, as their refusal to take the video down keeps this story newsworthy both through mainstream media, as well as smaller places on the net like this simple blog.

Perhaps the good people at the church of Scientology would like to learn how to harness the power of social media marketing, so they can further harness the power of more human minds ! (I keed, I keed… In all seriousness, I know very little about Scientology other than the fact that Tom Cruise is a nut.)

On a heavier note, I once mentioned Mark Joyner’s Simpleology program to a group of colleagues. One, who happens to be a devoutly religious person, said with a bit of fear in his voice, “That’s not like Scientology, is it?”

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While that sounds all fine and dandy…which it is…traditional marketing and advertising approaches have become much more challenging, as users have grown accustomed to simply tuning out any ad on their screen (many use technology that actually does that for them…ads don’t even show up on their screen). This is cause for concern if you’ve been using PPC campaigns, email marketing, banner ads, or any of the other types of traditional Internet Marketing tactics.

It does not mean that Internet Marketing is a lost cause, quite to the contrary actually.

But the rules of engagement have changed. No longer can you blatantly hit someone over the head with an ad…asking your battered prospect to take some action in their impaired state. I’d venture to say that it becomes more intellectual, in a sense.

What getting an audience and gaining attention requires nowadays is a bit different. Web surfers are looking for value and efficiency. With the sensory overload that is the Internet today, users want the precise information they’re looking for, from a trustworthy source, and they aren’t going to go on a witch hunt to get it…they want it quickly, as time is everyone’s most valuable resource.

Sound difficult? It may, as this is a paradigm shift that all Internet marketers are dealing with.

If you’re looking to learn from the best on this topic, my recommendation for a comprehensive and extremely affordable training is Jack Humphrey’s Social PowerLinking Program. I just wrote a review of the program at MarketingProductReview.com, in case you’d like some more details on the program.

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This is why prospecting is difficult, unless you learn consultative selling methods, where you’re focused on the prospect (not making a sale) and trying to find a solution to problem that your prospect is having. This requires asking questions, getting to know your prospect, find out what is important to him or her.

In a nutshell, it’s giving a little bit of guidance and learning about that person. It’s giving something of value, whether that be your time or a recommendation or a free software program, etc., and learning about what you can do for this person.It’s about developing relationships, before anything else.

Greed will kill this process, if you let it. It will kill your business if you can’t control it. Focus instead on giving to your prospects…serving them. And then on learning, not only about your prospects and how you can best serve them, but on marketing, on sales, on relationship and rapport.

Personal growth will have a direct correlation to your businesses growth.And lastly, to keep it in the theme of my NetWeb Marketing musings, develop an online presence, and grow your Web 2.0 marketing to attract the kind of people that you can best serve…that will learn the most from you…that are willing to take what you have to offer.

The Law of Attraction is a beautiful thing, and it’s always at work, whether you like it or not. I’d say it’s best to get on it’s good side! 

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First and foremost, I’ll be focusing on just one of my new business models at a time (then moving to the next, only as the first is properly nutured).

Seondly, I’ll be blogging more, and with greater focus. I plan on giving away a lot of free knowledge here, and hope readers find value in what I have to share.

Thirdly, I’ll be spending more time as an active forum participant at JobCrusher.com, SocialPowerLinking.com, and NetWebMarketing.com as these are all new, but excellent communities where I hope to create some lasting relationships.

There’s a ton more I have in the hopper for the New Year, but I’ll leave the resolutions as that for now.

I wish you much happiness, health and prosperity in 2008!

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The focus is on using Web 2.0 tactics to build your Network Marketing business…quicker and more effectively than through traditional methods.

If you’d like to tap into the hundreds of millions of potential prospects you have access through via the Internet, I’d recommend Jack Humphrey’s Social Powerlinking course to start. Jack, one of the leading authorities on Web 2.0 marketing tactics, shows you how to generate traffic, leads and ultimately customers utilizing free Web 2 properties such as Social Bookmarking and Social Networking sites.

Unless you enjoy the hotel meetings and cold calls of the Network Marketing of old, check out SocialPowerLinking.com and be prepared to look at the web and your NM business in a whole new way.

Happy Holidays!!

The truth is that most people aren’t afraid of hard work, they just want it to pay off. In fact, most people would bust it up if given a solid opportunity, a clear path, and not have to do demoralizing tasks like cold calling.

Enter Network Marketing 2.0.

The hopeful next generation of online business is rooted in attraction marketing and utilizing Web 2.0 properties to engage others in conversation. Prospecting occurs naturally and endlessly, and NetWeb Marketers never have to cold call or pitch anything uncomfortably.

Check out the video challenge I put together below…

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Model the masters and become one yourself.

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In place, relationship building and automation has allowed NetWebMarketers to create successful businesses from home by following the simple strategies of Internet Relationship Marketing .…See the video below

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Since my mid-teens, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday. The reason is for the positive and hopeful nature of this very special holiday, and all that it has come to represent.

On Thanksgiving, we typically surround ourselves with those whom we love and are loved by, enjoy a plentiful meal, reflect on all the good we have in our lives, and are grateful for what we have. I’ve always thought of the possibilities of if I treated everyday as I do Thanksgiving…and I’ve made a point to actually do some daily incantations that condition me to do so.

So, why not revisit everything we’ve seen and heard about the Law of Attraction this Thanksgiving. A major focus of the entire LOA movement is gratitude! Many personal development and peak performance trainers have been focusing on gratitude for years.

Why is gratitude so important? I believe it comes down to happiness…and purpose. If we can’t find anything to be grateful for, we never will. Our passion comes from the hope of finding something that we will be grateful for, so if we’re incapable of gratitude, we’re incapable of hope, in turn we have no passion. Without passion we can never serve our defined purpose effectively. On the flip side, if we focus on what we are grateful for, we’ll evoke the passion to attain more of whatever that is, we’ll find purpose and the passion to fuel our actions. That is why it is so important. It’s bigger than “goals” and “achievement” in a generic sense; it’s about life, love and happiness…all those grandiose and wonderful things that are important to us all.

So, this year consider prolonging “Thanksgiving”…carry the spirit on throught the year. And to spark it all, maybe watching The Secret (or your favorite movie that takes you to a state of gratitude) becomes a new Thanksgiving tradition.

I wish you all a most wonderful Thanksgiving!!

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The conclusion OR secret OR whatever YOU choose to call it is that success is found by those who have three essential qualities. Though certain case studies may show that individuals possessed other attributes as well, the three I’m about to mention are universal and absolutely necessary.

The three success attributes are:

1. Leadership
2. Uniqueness
3. Vision

To define and dig deeper, let’s look at each individually.

Leadership – People want someone to look up to and follow, hence the term and way of life for most in our culture, “Follow the leader.” How, you ask, does one become a leader? Declare yourself one. That’s all, see yourself as a leader and from that point forward make decisions and act like a leader. It’s a choice really: Do you want to take direction or determine the direction that’s taken?

Uniqueness – In Godin’s book he uses “Purple Cow” to refer to a product that is remarkable…it stands out from the crowd. This goes hand-in-hand with leadership. You must make decisions to be different, to be better, more memorable, etc. Whatever your uniqueness, you’ll be lauded and applauded for it, worst case you’ll have critics…any of these cases are better than being ignored. “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” –Goethe

Vision – To make it all come together, you must have the foresight to look beyond where you are right here and now. Beyond the potential of an affiliate program, network marketing distributorship, or joint venture. These things are just the beginning…develop an empire…it all starts with an idea. Be in the moment, but anticipate and plan for the future, and always set your goals and standards higher than what you believe to be possible. No one who’s ever pushed the bounds of possibility has aimed too low.
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If you’ve ever done any searches for an online biz, I’m sure you’re well aware of how marketers like to throw out big, enticing numbers, theoretical of what you could make, or an example of what some star marketer makes. And then, the hook is something like this, “With our system YOU TOO can generate $XXX in your first week!”

Sounds great, but HOW? The big, exciting dollar value is the Outcome, but what is the Behavior that I have to follow? Do I have to bribe, harm or annoy friends and family??? That would be a behavior, and if you found out that is what the SYSTEM teaches, then I’d bet that your excitement would wane.

Another example would be placing ads…this is often what’s required for some business models and it’s important you find out in the beginning, the Behavior model required for success.

Today marked the official launch of iBizTraining.com, where we focus on teaching just these type of incites — the things you need to know before investing your hard earned dollars — to get you started on the right foot in your Internet endeavors. I invite you to visit the site to claim a free membership.

For instance, don’t just give the customer a fish…instead, give them a light-weight, high-quality fishing rod, a heavily populated lake, a grill, fire, lemon, butter, other fresh seasonings that will make the fish taste delicious, an easy to follow series of Camtasia videos that walk them through using all the things you just gave him to catch and make a delicious fish dinner, instructions on how to watch the videos, a support line or helpdesk in case there are any questions, and then on top of that, offer to cook the fish for them if they’d rather not learn how to fish themselves, and also offer all of the above for some great side dishes and dessert!

Buttons…not just products or services. Make sense? It does to me, and that’s what I’ve tried to do with my latest site, iBizTraining.com. I’ve tried to put all the pieces together for online business newbies so they can do the equivalent of cooking up a delicious gourmet dinner.

The site will launch on November 6th, and I invite you to check it out. It is free to join and I hope you find it to be a button!

I’m fascinated by the apparent disconnect between the “techies” and everybody else. It seems you either can and do everything on and with a computer, or you’re afraid to turn one on. The perception is that there are two polar extremes, and not a whole lot of middle ground. Sounds kinda like politics doesn’t it…

Well, I tend to disagree with that perception. While there are people who still refuse to embrace technology, everyday, someone’s mom or grandfather gets setup with email, and takes off from there. Learning the basics is the most crucial component to how well that person does, and how encouraged they are to embrace further use of technology.

And that’s where iBizTraining.com comes into play. I guess I enjoy programming and all things online, because it came fairly easy to me; yet, that’s not the case for many. iBizTraining.com is going to go back to basics and walk every member through the steps, A thru Z in understanding, getting started in, and growing a successful online business.

In the coming weeks and months, I hope to see many more testimonials like the ones that can already be seen at iBizTraining.com

The point is that what you put out in the world in the form of Energy, comes back to you in a similar form of Energy. How does this have anything to do with online business and Internet marketing? Everything!

Take viral marketing for instance. To give a specific example, let’s take a YouTube video that gets forwarded around amongst friends. If you put out a YouTube video to promote your product, service or good, the most import element in that video is your Energy, because once you go on camera, the viewer is looking to YOU for encouragement — if they first pick up on a positive, warm, good Energy. Otherwise, the viewer will want to shoot you down or find a hole in your argument from the start. YouTube marketing is becoming one of the most powerful forms of Internet Relationship Marketing to date.

So, then how do you vibrate at a level that is Attractive? Well, consider marketing on the basis of VALUE…truly show others the value in what you’re promoting, how it will benefit THEM, without thinking of you. This is different than the typical marketer who is thinking about their benefit first and foremost (the sale). Believe, get excited, see the value in your product or service.

Along the way, of course you’ll want to inject some mental triggers to get them to take action or to create some influence (in plain language, you’ll use some marketing tactics ), but ultimately convey the real value for your customers. But first, the belief in the value must start with you.

By over-hyping opportunities, placing too much emphasis on automated processes and making everything seem so incredibly fool-proof, as marketers we’re not only setting up others for failure, but ourselves, as well, in the long run.

Completely missing, is an emphasis on the fundamentals of doing business online. Whether it be affiliate marketing, network marketing, reselling, eBay or some other business model, there are foundational basics that must be mastered for success, with no exception. Completely lost is guidance on how to choose a good model, how to generate free and natural traffic, how to structure and protect our assets, how to choose and penetrate a niche…I can go on and on.

On November 6, 2007, I’ll be launching a training system that addresses these shortcomings that plague our industry. iBizTraining.com will act as a free boot camp for aspiring online business people or those who need a boost. We’ll go back to basics, correct habits and start from a fresh perspective.

Let begin to be honest with ourselves, our prospects and our customers. We’ll all benefit from it in the long run…and remember, if you want to make a real living working from home with an online business, our discipline is a marathon, not a sprint.

With the pre-launch of my newest (and most exciting) service looming this weekend — iBizTraining.com/October 20, 2007, and subsequent launch on November 6, 20007 — I’m looking for ways to maximize my time and check, double check, test, retest and do as much quality control at the new site as humanly possible.

For that reason, I’ve been fairly silent here, but after 10/20, I’m going to be back, full-time in a big way!

My coaching practice is growing and I’m elated with all the progress and success we’ve had. iBizTraining.com will be the cornerstone of what I do on the web, so I invite you to check it out, come Saturday, October 20, 2007. It is a free comprehensive training resource for anyone looking to build a successful online business. I’ve basically taken all of my experience and that of my partners, put what you need to know, warned you what to watch out for, and have give you some inside tips onto dramatically improving your learning curve, so you can achieve lasting success with an Internet business a lot quicker than you would have on your own.

I encourage you to join the teleseminar I’ll be featured on this weekend to promote the pre-launch campaign. It will give you more insight and also allude to some other exciting things to come. You can join via telephone or the web. Details can be found at: http://www.smartincome.biz

While his focus is strictly on Network Marketing & MLM, my focus is more on digital products and direct sales. Nevertheless, he’s one who gets it right when prospecting and driving traffic to his site and his system. His most up to date version of Magnetic Sponsoring is a social network…of network marketers.

I applaude his efforts, but an industry that was fundamentally built on greed disguised as guidance, I remain a bit skeptical…a bit too little, too late. But if anyone can prove me wrong, it’s Mike Dillard. He’s been putting himself in harms way for years now, trying to disarm the MLM Bomb.

I encourage you to check out his tremendous community just for the fun and magetic appeal…it truly is a cool site. I recommend all of Mike’s books and services. He is one marketer who knows how to deliver.

There’s no doubt that video will be the norm for any iBiz in the very near future. Problem for independent marketers is that many don’t realize how easy it is to use video. One of the coolest video sites out there is FreeIQ.com.

FreeIQ’s tagline is, “The Marketplace for Ideas.” This is what differentiates it from YouTube, Google Video, or the rest. FreeIQ is where you go for good information, or to upload good information and is the brainchild of Brad Fallon, the coolest guy on the planet (do a Google search…it’s actually an SEO experiment he’s been doing, and I see that he’s actually fallen to become the second coolest guy on the planet…lol.)

Below is a video of Brad at Mike Filsaime’s 2007 Figure Business event from earlier in the year. He explains more about Free IQ. BTW, the video is 90 minutes, but well worth every second. Brad is, without a doubt, one of the best Internet marketers around. (P.S. I paid over $500 for a 20 set DVD series that included the video below, and this is one of the very best sessions. So consider this my gift to you.)

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

The latest came from a character named Juan. He’s been emailing me for the past few days. Now, normally I’d just delete this type of spam and go about my day, but I thought I’d read these…if only to get inside his head and try to find what would make him think I would bite.

A consistent trait throughout his series of messages is that they all appeals to my inner Lazy Hank. Juan talks about the “Secrets to Riches” and tells me that “We did everything for you” so I can just fork over some “start up” cash to good ol’ Juan and sit back and relax, expecting the money to come rolling in.

Well sign me up! Or no, don’t, wait…

What is it that he’s even trying to get me to join into? Why would I be interested in this email advertisement? Why would he think I’d do anything but delete the email or blog about how senseless the approach is?

Now, I don’t know Juan, so I’ll imagine he’s a good guy who probably got suckered into this and is now sending these desperate sounding emails to people he hasn’t even pre-qualified or gotten to opt-in to his mailing. In a sense, I feel for the guy because his approach very clearly shows that he has limited training or experience in Internet Marketing, and that’s a sign to me that he’s involved with a company that offers weak training (which is of utmost importance for that type of business model).

I have no problem with Juan’s MLM or Network Marketing business. What I do have a problem with is how here is Juan, left out in the cold, spamming an untargeted list, probably wasting a ton of advertising dollars, while someone’s having dinner on Juan’s dime that he forked over to join the scheme. All of this when there’s another, vastly superior way…though it involves work (but it also WORKS!).

Internet Relationship Marketing is the alternate route, the anti-Amway method, if you will. You can be involved in a fairly turnkey online business and not have to drop the MLM Bomb on your brother, uncle, niece, neighbor and auto mechanic. No one likes being f’d by the MLM Bomb, and Internet Relationship Marketing humanizes all of the beauty and potential of the Internet and gracefully works magic for business building.

This is an important and almost completely dismissed way of business building, especially in the arena of MLM & Network Marketing — the two models that could probably benefit most from this tactic. I’ll be dissecting it further over my next several posts.

Until then, say no to drugs…and offers from guys like Juan.

A few weeks back while at the Authority Summit in Las Vegas, I was having lunch with Dave Lakhani (a genius in his own right) and a few others who were in attendance, and Eben’s name came up. Turns out, Eben is a friend of Dave’s and he was telling us about Altitude’s upcoming event. I was sitting with some of the brightest minds in the Internet Marketing world, and we all agreed that this guy is an absolute phenom. It was at that moment that I realized that I probably wasn’t the only one who had been feverishly taking notes while watching his YouTube videos.

And I thought Eben was my discovery!

I encourage you to watch his series of videos titled, “Keys to Success”, (beginning with part one shown above). They’re interesting, enlightening and dead on. Eben is a dynamo and his material is a fabulous place to start if you’re looking to significantly grow your business, no matter where you’re at right now.

On top of persistence, entrepreneurs also need to take ACTION! They can be patient about processes, testing and strategy, but not about getting started. You have to jump right in, learn as you go, make changes on the fly. The truth remains that taking the first step is the biggest challenge.

Enjoy the story below, as there are always lessons to be learned. Remember, success leaves clues!

Cerner co-founder Illig says persistence key to entrepreneurship

The worst part may be what a total jerk this guy was, completely devoid of any redeeming human qualities, albeit in my limited interactions with this clown. I very vividly remember him once busting into our building, to begin an expletive-laced tirade on our receptionist as to the whereabouts of our corporate attorney. He walked around like he owned the place, and on that very occasion, when he walked up to his limo to leave, he began pounding on the windows, swearing at his driver because he was locked out.

Neal, you had it coming…don’t drop the soap when you get in the big house. Read all about it here:

3 ex-GoInternet execs named in $75M swindle of customers

P.S. Let’s all consider the lack of integrity and the complete void of any type of relationship building that existed in the GoInternet online business model. Let’s consider that the exact way not to do it!

During the early 1900`s 6 men in Chicago formed a Mastermind Group. These men put Chicago on the map. When these 6 started their Mastermind, which later became known as the CHICAGO6, none of them had any money. They met every Saturday at a local restaurant over dinner,
and after a very few years each one was worth several millions of dollars (at a time when that was a lot of money!).

One was Charles Wrigley, who created the Wrigley`s Chewing Gum empire. Another was William Hertz, who built the Yellow Cab Company. Their businesses were started and succeeded with the great help of their Mastermind Alliance.

Have you ever been in a situation in a social setting with friends of friends who didn’t really know you? Sometimes this can be a great place to make new friends and engage in interesting conversation, but have you ever experienced this type setting where you wanted to contribute to a conversation, but you weren’t really heard because you were viewed as an outsider? Frustrating, isn’t it. Especially if the topic of conversation was something that you’re well-versed on, or have an incredible story to tell.

The reason this happens goes back to basic social dynamics such as rapport, credibility, familiarity and expertise. Perhaps in that social setting, your good friend who invited you chimes in to end your frustration to mention how you have a great story while that fits right into the situation.

But who can do this for you in the online business setting? No one can and no one will, only you can position yourself as a familiar, credible, approachable subject matter expert.

Wondering how…well, the best way is through having immediately available (because we have to respect the immediate nature of the web) resources that position you as that knowledgeable and recognized party.

Perhaps the best way to do this is by having your own info products. Through books, audios and videos that showcase your know-how, talents, passions and experiences, your audience will gather around the table to listen to what you have to say, rather than you trying to interrupt the conversation from the outside to interject your two cents.

This best applies to small business owners, professional service providers, affiliate marketers, resellers and network marketers, since each of these type of business people could all use a voice and a competitive advantage.

Your work should be a labor of love. If it isn’t, make it. If it can’t be right now…I certainly understand, but make that the fuel that launches you out of your current situation and propels you into one where you’re better off, where you’re happy and where you’re rewarded.

Home is where the heart is. Today, my heart is still stuck in Cleveland. This weekend, I’m going to be in Las Vegas for the Authority Summit, in which I’m going to have the honor of meeting some of my greatest mentors in person for the first time…topping off the list is Mike Filsaime. I traded friendly emails last week with him and Tom Beal (his partner and another of my mentors), and wow, did that rejuvenate me, just to know that I’ll be soon meeting them. So, I’m sure Vegas will feel like home, because I truly believe I’ll be reborn there and come back rejuvenated towards my business goals!

But, the bottom line here is that in this day and age, we collectively work so hard, work so much, that it is important to take a moment to stop and smell the roses. Step back and enjoy what you have around you…nature, family, friends, accomplishments, teachers…no matter what it may be. And reflect on whatever it is that your surrounded by and what you’re appreciative of.

Life is a phenomenal journey, and balancing is one of the most important success skills on that journey.

Do the work to enable you to enjoy the trip to the best of your abilities.

Remember you CAN always go home.

I have a good friend, Lenny, who owns a very successful sports memorabilia company. He operates out of his beautiful Pasadena home with his awesome wife’s assistance. They have an incredible life filled with family, friends, travel and all the finer things that come with a level of affluence.

Recently I had a conversation with Len about creating some digital info products to both sell and to promote his business. I mentioned it to him in passing, just giving him a very low level description of the service and how I thought it could boost his business and sent along the link to eProductSource.com

Today I received an email from him and he loved the concept, but asked…”Do you think this could benefit me?” His concern was that he isn’t very tech savvy…as he said, “No i-phone, no i-book, no blackberry, I even hate my cell phone.” I chuckled at his comments…this guy is HILARIOUS in person, so it’s probably the only time he’ll just give me a chuckle.

So I replied to him, of course on my Blackberry, that YES, he’d absolutely be a prime candidate as my service could completely broaden his market by reaching the Internet base. He does incredibly well, so I told him, “unless you’re worried about too many customers!” Nice problem to have, I’d have to say.

Anyway, I know this hits home for some small biz owners, as making the jump to the online world might seem difficult. Even if you’re selling tangible goods, products, and/or services, you can broaden your market by creating digital products to supplement or overview your primary offerings.

If you have a “real” or tangible business and are looking to get involved in the online world, consider eProductSource.com. We’ll consult with you and explain how this will all work…plus we do all the heavy (tech) lifting. You just have to be able to use a phone (and no Lenny, you don’t have to use your cell!)

But this way, you get not only get into the game, but get ahead of the pack in the online business world.

Now think about it, time is our most valuable resource. Time is so powerful that we’re either seemingly imprisoned by it, or liberated by free time. Yet, when one truly examines this a bit more closely, how much of this all important resource do we waste, ad nauseum, every single day, AND THEN we tell our friends, family, colleagues, partners, etc. that, “we’re too busy.” But before we use that lame excuse again, let’s think about who ISN’T busy…who do you know, in this day and age, that doesn’t have a lot on their plate?

Yet, we clog up our days with mindless activities that only cause us to be that much further behind (like reading this blog J )

So…

How much reality TV or sensationalized news programming do we really have to sit through like zombies?
How many email jokes and YouTube videos do we have to devour in a day?

How many…

How much… on and on.

Now, I’m not saying we have to give up entertainment…quite the contrary, actually. If we were more focused and cut the fat out of our day, in terms of productivity, couldn’t we truly open up major chunks of time for fun, for friends, for family? Or how about making enough time to learn the skills necessary to take our businesses to the next level, rather than wasting our time and then complaining about our business struggles?

Of course, there are some incredibly diligent people out there who should be examples to the rest of us. But, I’m afraid that I know that I’m guilty of using the inexcusable excuse of being busy. Living thousands of miles away from many of my closest family members and friends, I hereby declare that I will no longer use this excuse. I’ll keep in touch regularly…I’ll work diligently on my business so that I can create even more abundance that will allow more time with the people and places that matter.

Ultimately, it comes down to priorities: We’ll always have time to do the things that we absolutely need and want to do. Perhaps we just need to reevaluate what is truly important.

Remember that old Frito Lay ad campaign, “Get your own bag”? It got me thinking. The importance of what is “ours.” We are more compelled, protective, and take greater strides in regards to something that is ours, as opposed to something shared or something borrowed…probably why we don’t like neighbors to borrow our stuff, and why homeowners take better care of their living space than those who rent.

So consider that in your career. Is your work yours? Or is it simply borrowed or assigned? If it was yours…your business, your product, your service, your idea, etc., how would you treat it…would your enthusiasm be different about your work than it is currently, I’m guessing so. If not, I salute you!

I encourage everyone to branch out and go into business for themselves—in one sense or another. Now, of course, that will never happen, but I can’t image a life and a future of working for the weekends and a paycheck that compares to bread crumbs, especially when it’s not a labor of love.

On top of this, I say that ever single person reading this has at least ONE, solid line of products or services in them… it just needs to be let out.

If you’re scratching your head at this, let’s go back to the idea that our passions drive us to take our greatest actions. We all have a love, an area of expertise or mastery, if nothing else, a hobby. Why not turn what we love, what we know, what we are masters of into something to put out into the world that is our own!

We’re only limited by our creativity. The world will always be in need of new products, information, resources, solutions, entertainment, shortcuts, etc., etc., etc.

Take a look at http://www.eProductSource.com and see if any light bulbs go off in your head.

I’m looking forward to seeing your grand contribution to the world.