Network Marketing Doesn’t Work (For Me)

I’m sure it’s great for lots of people but I’ve come to the conclusion – yet again – that Network Marketing is not for me.  The potential earnings / profit margin just are not big enough to justify my time and effort.  So we are closing this catagory of the blog again.  Please do not contact me with any more so-called opportunites.  I’m done with it.

MLM / Network Marketing – Attracting Leads Online

So I’m working through the emails from Success University and from G, my upline introducer, and I find a link he’s sent me about a guy called Daegan Smith, in the USA, the self-styled “King Of Never Calling A Single Lead” and who has created an online system for generating leads to his SU business.

The interesting thing about Daegan is that he’s harnessing the power of the every growing online community, and linking network marketing with internet marketing – exactly what I want to do.

He’s offering a free CD to get you started but the main page you go to is offering the CD with a continuity programme (membership site) on the back end.

I’m liking what I’m seeing so far but I’m not ready to sign up for anything else that is a regular monthly outgoing yet even if it is only $37 a month.  And when I do, I want an affiliate link!

He’s obviously an experienced internet marketer as he’s using blogging, online video, autoresponder follow up and all the usual stuff.

I clicked on his home page and found somewhere to order the free CD (you just pay shipping) and get some nice bonuses, without having to commit to the membership payment. It’s on it’s way and I’ll let you know if it’s any good.

When you buy the CD, you get to watch a video before going on to download your bonuses.  It’s interesting watching.

Then you get offered his whole system for $297, managed to resist that.  Then when you say no, you are offered a $47 product, said yes to that (want to take some action this weekend and can’t wait for CD) then you get offered the Platinum version for $77!

Phew – managed to get away with buying just an ebook I think!  Where’s the bloomin’ affiliate link eh?  Ah, here it is.  Blimey, you need to be approved and it’s takes 72 hours!

While I’m looking for ways to get started with my new Network Marketing business, also called MLM, I’m mulling over the whole top level concept of network marketing.

I tried other companies, in the past, like the water and air filters, and flirted briefly with video email, specifically because I loved the products and I knew I could sell them, but I never quite “got” the concept of building a business downline….

I don’t want to be involved in something where the ONLY point is the recruiting of other people…I want the product to be good enough to stand up on it’s own.

So I’ve also been for a mooch about to make sure there is stuff in the Learning Centre that I want to listen to and watch.

And there is.  But when, eh?

** This post is sponsored by The Money Gym @ Success University If you want to join Nicola in her journey to Network Marketing success, click the link above to try out a 2 week trial membership and get access to our private email support group **

Network Marketing | Where To Start?

Well you have probably read that The Money Gym has signed up with Success University and I’m going to be the main driver of this arm of our activities.  There are two goals – one is to see if Network Marketing works, and the second is to get our Money Gym materials to a wider audience and Success University has over 100,000 success hungry students in the UK alone.

I’m also going to keep a “warts and all” record of my network marketing journey so that any of you that are interested, can follow my progress and see if it “works”.

I’m very interested to see if it works!

Another income stream is always welcome but I’m not about to do anything I don’t feel comfortable about….so this attracted me because I can see that it could be built entirely online – I’m not about to start going to ra-ra kind of meetings all the time!

So why did we sign up?  It’s not like we haven’t got enough to do!

1.  We believe in network marketing intellectually, as a good vehicle for someone who has a job but hates it, to get started in the world of business.

2.  We can see it’s a good business model, being paid a little bit for the efforts of those you work with and help, not a million miles away from the affiliate marketing business model online.

3.  We like things where people can get started in building a business for a very low initial investment.

4.  We believe in personal development and positive thinking and network marketing tends to attract go-getting people

5.  I like the product – they have great overall content at and are adding more all the time.

6.  I like the person who gently and persistently encouraged me to join, never pushy, and want to help him “get out from the dark side” as we say in The Money Gym.

7.  I can see the potential for The Money Gym in getting our material in front of the Success University faculty.

So where do I start?

ACTION STEPS:

I signed up at Success University upgraded our account from the $2 offer and then recruited five others from my friends and family onto the $2 offer themselves – so far, so easy.

I then put a Success University badge on our blog and wrote a blog posting about it.  I’ve also set up a network marketing support group, for our Money Gym Gold & Silver members who might be into network marketing of any kind.  I know we have some Agel people and Telecom Plus people at least.

One person tried to click on the blog badge, but i’d changed the referral name subsequently, so even though I emailed her back to tell her, she doesn’t seem to have signed up. Also, we have now changed the blog theme and had to prune back on sidebar items.  The Success University badge seems to be one of those casualties.

Hmmmm, I can see this is not going to be as easy as I thought LOL

The first month passed (my friends and family’s $2 trial period) and I made it up the first level which is Counsellor.  I got an email confirming that and congratulating me.

I also got some phone calls from my “upline” as it’s called which was a bit disconcerting as I bloomin’ hate getting random phone calls.  At least it was on the office line, which is on answerphone most of the time.

I am getting lots of emails from various people and Success University itself, which have been going into a seperate folder ready for me to peruse at my leisure.  Today is “at my leisure”, so I’ll look at them now along which having a mooch around the site to see if I can puzzle out what to do next!

I could call the person who recruited me, but he’s a creative furness, and just comes up with more and more ideas, so I’ll leave that for now.

What I’m looking for is a practical step-by-step guide to building my Success University business online, not a step by step guide to building a great life!  I know how to do that LOL.

I’ll come back to you later and let you know if I found one!

** This post is sponsored by Success University.  If you want to join Nicola in her journey to Network Marketing success, click the link above to try out a 2 week trial membership and get access to our private email support group **

Burglaries, Bootcamps & Brilliant Sunsets

Well, there is only eight hours to go to find out if I’ve won a trip to Florida to visit Rich Schefren’s office for a weekend and work with his team.

Week One I didn’t feel I’d achieved enough to enter (even though I HAD restarted my live wealth creation surgery / TV show on www.MoneyGym.tv),
Week Two I had techie challenges before giving up as it was all too stressful and the natural daylight gave out….but Week Three I thought ok, here we go.  Taking no chances I started work on Wednesday!

Three weeks in, three live internet TV shows under my belt, the latter two with live video skype interviews of Money Gym Gold clients, it’s got to be worth a shot.

Add that to the fact that an odd but great side effect is that I’m exercising nearly every day, going to the gym just to able to listen to the coaching again and better absorb it.

Add that to the fact that I’ve secured a joint venture partner who can get me in front of 85,000 people in the UK, 100,000 worldwide….surely that’s enough to get me in the running?

So I made my video, edited fiercely, added music front and back (yes! my cheesy theme tune!) and annotated throughout…then uploaded to Viddler.com and I’ve tried to remain unattached to the outcome ever since.

I realised of course that I was submitting it wrongly, direct by email, the first two times, so I have resubmitted by online form, so fingers crossed.
(Learning takeaway is to always read the instructions…….yeah, as a 7-9 on the Kolbe Quickstart Index that does NOT come naturally)

What else has been happening this week?

I’ve recorded a video introduction to the Money Gym which we will be split testing on a welcome page, for cold traffic, along with our other two welcome / squeeze pages – the old fashioned one which used to convert at 14% and the more modern one converting at 2.64%.

We are honing our “potential new customer journey” all the time and Steve is constantly working on refining the experience the new customer has with us.  There is a bit of a tug of war between the marketing dept (me) and the customer service dept (him) but he largely wins.

The Membership Site Bootcamp day went very well, with Mike Crowe filming, and he got some GREAT pics – I even liked how I looked when caught unawares, which is a miracle.  Wonder how many Mike had to ditch before coming up with the final 20 or so.  We are just waiting on permission from all concerned, before uploading them to Facebook & Flickr.  Mike really managed to capture the informal but focused style of our workshops, so I’m very pleased.

Now, once Mike has got the DVD’s to Steve for editing into a virtual version of the day, we can create a product out of that, the webinars, the blog and membership site installation videos that we are having created…and then it’s onto an info page.  Eeeeuuuuuwwwww, my least favourite bit.  We usually write one ourselves so we have a control/test, then go and talk to some copywriters…….!!

My goal for 2009 is 10 x high quality cutting edge / evergreen info products like that, then I will have a whole armoury of products to go out speaking with.

As Autumn progresses, we have had some BRILLIANT sunsets in Shoreham this last couple of weeks.  You always forget the sunsets are better in winter – why is that?  I have often had to stop work and take some video but the quality is not as good as a camera would be.  So just for this ezine, I’ve borrowed Steve’s camera and taken one as the sun sets…..look at that!  I love the view from my office.

And I’ve had a bit of a larf with the “36 Things You Never Knew About….” list on the blog today, which reminded me of the most awful dream I had last night…I got burgled while I was living in a flat in Brighton (say what?) and came home to find a whole burglarising family stripping my possessions out and loading them into a van up the hill, and I woke up as I was running up the road after them shouting…

“Take the lot, but please not my lappie……………”

Have fun, we usually are!

Cheers
Nicola

Money Gym Joins Success University!

I’m about to dip my toe (well, more like dive right in!) to a network marketing opportunity for the first time in years. Oooooooo, I can just hear the squeals of horror now!

I’ve long been aware that we, at the Money Gym, rather neglect this highly regarded but much  misunderstood part of the business lane of the wealth highway which Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump both say they would start with, if they had to start from scratch and make all their money again.

Judith has been getting well ensconced in the Cartel opportunity, which resonated with her because it helps folks get out of debt and recover a small bit from the financial institutions, and she’s loving that and building a great team underneath her.

I played with Hello World video mail a couple of years ago, but they screwed up when they made their site impenetrable and when I kept getting complaints that folks couldn’t view my emails.

But I have chosen one now – Success University

For the next year, I will only be working on this one opportunity alongside the Money Gym and the Next Level Programme with Brett.

To help me get off to a flying start and keep up the momentum, I’ve created a Money Gym Network Marketing Google group.

If you are a Silver or Gold Money Gym member you are welcome to join that Google Group for free (of course) to discuss your NM journey – whichever company you are with – your wins, your challenges, your opportunity even (but no “cut and paste” promotion though!)

To work with me in Success University, I’m also looking for 9-12 front line people who have

Particularly if your site/list is aimed at women or those interested in improving themselves, making money online and working from home.

Anyone who signs up under me will benefit from “spillover” from the Money Gym mailing list signups, as I won’t be able to place everyone directly under me, Steve and Judith, so will be placing extra people under those who sign up under me. Success University pays commissions on unlimited levels.

This would make a great first affiliate product for anyone with a website, particularly our new Membership Site Bootcamp people so I would welcome you guys with open arms.

$2 to get started and gain access to the materials, then $49 a month after that, and you can start earning. Then just put a banner on your blog / site sidebar and/or add a link to your email signature. Then you can go from there if you want to.

Check it out at

http://moneygym.successuniversity.com/specialoffer

I’m going along to meet the founder Matt Morris on Saturday if you want to join me for the day in London.