January 30, 2006

Genealogy Lists... Do They Work?

That seems to be the question on some peoples' minds recently. And it came up again today on the HomeBasedBusinessForums.

So, do genealogy lists work?

Basically, genealogy lists don't work at all. Here's some of what I covered on the forum about them:

MLM genealogy leads are basically the names of people from an MLM company that's no longer in business.

They can be acquired through contacts within the MLM company that dissolved, or a list can be purchased from a third party company.

But because of how they're harvested, and because they didn't actually request to hear from anyone, I'd suggest staying far away from them... especially with the fines one can get these days for unsolicited phone calls (up to $11,000 per incident or violation)!

Bottom line, they really just waste your time and money so stay away from them. Instead, get leads that are exclusive to you and fresh (24-48 hours old is recommended).

You'll save yourself a lot of time and headaches that way - plus your dialing finger won't get as tired! :P"

January 27, 2006

Guaranteed Top 10 Exposure on 150+ Search Engines???

Guaranteed Top 10 Exposure on 150+ Search Engines...
Real? Or Just a Wiener of a Deal?

OK, so here it is...A few months ago ExactSeek.com began running a major ad campaign for their, "No Bidding, No PPC, No Hassle" advertising service.

The service promises to, well, guarantee that your ad is in the top 10 of all featured listings -And you get all of this for one flat fee starting at just $12 per listing!

Hmmm. Is this a good advertising avenue to try out for your home based business? ...Or is it just a wiener of a deal?

Well, let's just find out...

In order to help you save your hard-earned money, as well as help you avoid any potential advertising headaches, I tested it out myself. And after all was said and done, my opinion of this one is...

It's a total wiener!

Now as people know, I certainly know my way around online advertising - but this one was simply one of the worst ad service I've ever used. It was so bad that I'd rather just take my $12 and burn it. Well maybe not, but you get the idea.

Basically, for 3 whole months of TOP exposure, my very best ExactSeek ad received only around 250 impressions and 60 actual clicks. Absolutely pitiful.

Now, you must of course know that my "search terms" were terms that are searched for over 40,000 times per month in the search engine - not just some obscure thinga-ma-bobs.

And since I always pull major hits and clicks elsewhere from the very same ads that I ran on ExactSeek, it undoubtedly proves that it wasn't the ads that were the problem.

So if you were thinking about trying out the ExactSeek advertising service for your home based business, I strongly advise against it. In my opinion, it's not worth a penny.

January 24, 2006

Great Marketing Headlines and Opening Sentences...

Here are 4 great headlines and opening sentences you can use to immediately get your prospect's attention.

From Tom "Big Al" Schreiter's newsletter...

Four great headlines and opening sentences.

1. "My part-time business pays more than my regular job!"
2. "Give your car a rest -- work from home."
3. "Lose weight and never miss another meal."
4. "Guess what my boss said when I told him, 'I quit.'"

In marketing, your first sentence or headline is everything. You have to grab your prospects' attention. If you don't capture their interest immediately, you'll most likely lose those prospects!
Want to create your very own custom first sentences and headlines? Just go to: http://www.fortunenow.com/headlines

Here's to your home based business success! :)

January 22, 2006

Scam Alert! Superior Lead Systems Rip-off?

Super Lead Systems (SLS) Rip-off?

Something Sure Smells Fishy!!!

I was doing a little reading on a friend's blog today and came across the following disturbing info. Wanted to pass it on to prevent anyone else from potentially losing their money in what looks in my opinion to be a scam/rip-off so far.

From Michael's blog (blog no longer published): "Scam Alert....Superior Leads Systems Rip-Off"
I'm passing on a heads up to be VERY careful if you're considering dealing with a leads source called SuperiorLeadSystems.com. I've a number of friends who've indicated they've been taken advantage of by this compnay. Payed a lot of dinero....and no leads.

In the specific case of my friends at SendOutCards.....Superior Lead System promised to deliver a commercial on National Television and quality leads that had watched the commercial, and were looking for what SendOutCards offered.

They did produce the commercial.... but then failed to air it to produce the leads. Since then the Send Out Cards folks have had nothing but empty promises....since last May. That's right....7 MONTHS.

Payed their money....and no "product".

I understand they made the same promises to people from Xango, and Fruta Vida, Xooma and many others. They've also since RAISED the price on what they collected from my friends.....and now it's more.

Don't say you weren't warned.

January 15, 2006

Glowing Green Pigs Bred In Taiwan...What the?!?



Glowing Green Pigs Bred In Taiwan???
What the?!?

Well, obvsously this doesn't have anything at all to do with MLM or Network Marketing. But with weird news like this, how can one resist?

So are the pigs really green? And do they really glow? The answer: Yes! In the daylight their eyes and skin are green-tinged. And in the dark, if you shine a blue light onto them, they glow green! Just check out the article from CBSNews.com...

"(CBS) Pigs may not be able to fly just yet,
but at least three of them glow.

Taiwanese researchers said Friday they have bred the pigs, all of them males, with a fluorescent material in a move they hope will benefit the island's stem cell research effort.

The fluorescent pigs are green from inside out, including their hearts and internal organs, said Wu Shinn-Chih, assistant professor of animal science at the prestigious National Taiwan University.

There are partially green pigs elsewhere in the world but the Taiwanese pigs are said to be the only ones that are green from inside out.

From the outside, the pigs appear to be bathed in a light green tint, particularly their eyes, mouths and knuckles.

Wu said the pigs are bred by injecting their embryos with fluorescent green protein taken from jelly fish.

"Only one in a hundred (injected embryos) will successfully be transgenic," Wu said. "When the embryo grows and becomes a pig, the pig will be fluorescent that glows in the dark."

Full Article and Green Pigs Video

Wow, how bizarre. Glowing green pigs. Certainly brings a whole new meaning to the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham! I just hope this type of genetic engineering doesn't lead to some bad things down the line, like other things have in the past. Guess we'll see!

January 13, 2006

Gold Calling...A Good MLM Recruiting Tool?

Since my last post, several people have asked me what my opinion is of GoldCalling.

Well, that's hard to say. I see the good, as well as the possible bad. So to clarify that a little, below is what I posted about it on the Home Based Business Forums. And unless some new things come to my attention, I'm sticking with this analysis...

"Personally, I'm staying far away from this one, specifically because of the legal aspects...

First of all, "Federal law prohibits, with limited exceptions, calls to any wireless telephone number using an automatic dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded message."

Since many people register and/or sign up for information on home based business opportunities using their cell phone numbers, any marketing or sales call placed to those numbers is illegal, and therefore, subject to some pretty hefty fines.

And further, "Under the DNC rules, sellers or telemarketers will not be liable for violating the DNC rules if they can demonstrate that they have made a good faith effort to comply with the rules and follow certain procedures, including accessing the DNC database no more than 31 days before the call."

And that's the clincher right there. If you use GC, then YOU are the seller, NOT them. So if you're not accessing the Do-Not-Call database on your OWN, then you're violating the rules as well, and possibly putting yourself in a bad legal situation. And with fines of up to $11,000 per incident or violation, it's simply not worth it.

Also, if you're calling someone via an autodialer or prerecorded message to sell or market something, then by law you must provide them with a toll-free phone number with which to call you back. So there's another thing you must consider.

Anyway, those are a few of the issues that arise here. Personally, I wouldn't touch this one with a ten-foot pole, especially since the fines for a DNC list violation are so big."

So that's my current take on it. And with the DNC fines as they are, it's simply too risky to take any chances at all with my businesses.

Now if they could absolutely guarantee (100%) that no illegal calls would be made in my name (which they DO NOT), then I'd possibly consider it. But that's not the case here. And when just one wrong call can result in a fine of up to $11,000, I simply cannot see taking a chance on using such a system.

January 11, 2006

Is Gold Calling Really the Best MLM Recruiting Tool?!?

There's been a lot of talk these days about an online autodialer system called Gold Calling. Supposedly, it dials as many prospects as you want, gives them a Voicemail overview of your business, and directs them to your online movie, product, lead capture page or website.

According to those promoting it, it's an online autodialer system that will get you signups without your having to lift very many fingers!

Hmmm, sound too good to be true? Or worse, could it land you in some huge legal situations due to the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry regulations?

Well, that's certainly very possible. Here's an excerpt from the discussion taking place on one of the home business forums regarding it all...

Sounds good...at first glance. But be very careful about whether or not you decide to use it for your home business. Look past the hype and excitement and make a practical evaluation on what makes business sense...to YOU.

Simply put, a tool is a tool is a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't matter if it's an MLM leads source, an article blaster, or an online autodialer system like Gold Calling. Any success in applying it in your business efforts is ultimately only as good as your skill in using it...and the tool's ability to deliver on its basic promise.

For example, using an MLM lead source is only as good as your ability to contact, engage, qualify, follow-up, and close those leads you receive. Period.

Another example...an article blaster is only as good as your ability to write quality articles, as well as the quality of the article directories the articles you've sweat over are submitted to. Then...publishers need to see the value of actually publishing those articles you've written.

An online autodialer like Gold Calling is no different. There are many practical considerations to understand and be able to adequately deal with before making any decision on whether or not to use it.

One aspect I want to point out is to be sure that you are comfortable with the aspect of "scrubbing the call list against the DNC list". Just 1 mistake doing this can cost you dearly. The fine for a single DNC complaint is not cheap.

======

This has become a HOT topic on several mlm forums recently. I, myself, haven't bought GoldCalling, so let me be 100% upfront and say that I have no experience with it.

But let me point out something that most GoldCalling reps do not...When you hear about some lady (usually Pam B.) who is blasting out 2,000 messages a day and getting 40 callbacks (which sounds impressive) you have to understand that such marketing results are due solely to the quality of her outgoing message, NOT the GoldCalling system itself.

In other words, as a delivery system, GoldCalling will only do its job if it:

  • Adequately delivers messages
  • Makes and keeps a good connection while delivering the messages
  • Accurately scrubs the call list against the DNC list and the city/states where autodialing is illegal
  • Bills you correctly for the number of successful calls

And that's it. But NO ONE can guarantee that you'll get any calls back because your outgoing message is up to you. If you load a crappy message, you'll get crappy results, no matter how great the system is.

Just something to keep in mind.

January 6, 2006

Guaranteed Ways to Convert Leads Into Distributors and Customers...

One thing that every marketer and home business owner wonders about is how you convert leads into distributors and/or customers.

Well, here's a simple one for you - so simple that it'll knock your socks off. And in the process, it'll help you convert your leads like nothing else has ever done before.

What To Do

Send three (3) separate prospecting letters and one (1) small, inexpensive gift to your prospect BEFORE you even make the first telephone contact with him or her.

By doing this you've done two VERY important things:

  • You've set yourself apart from the countless other marketers trying to gain their attention at the same time you are.
  • You've shown them that you're willing to invest a lot of time into the growth of their business and in helping them succeed.

These are crucial! One of the main reasons people join your business is because they trust that you will help them - help get them on the "fast-track" to success.

Beyond that, you've also shown that you are:

  • Serious about your business and its success
  • A very reliable business partner
  • Committed to success (both theirs and yours)
  • Different from all the other "so-called" marketers

Basically, you've set yourself apart from all the other nonsense that your prospects come in contact with day in and day out. And so, you've greatly improved your chances of landing new distributors and customers. And this gives you an edge that your competitors do not have!

Important Prospecting Tips

Here are some of the most important prospecting advice I can give you:

1. Take your time with your prospects.
2. Be sure to properly qualify your prospects.
3. Spend the extra time needed with your prospects.
4. Be very personable. This is a relationship business, and good relationships will surely grow your business to great levels.

If you complete these steps, you'll certainly be successful in your home business - or in any business, for that mater.

Think Global - Work Local...

Here's a good thing to keep in mind when marketing your business and using leads. It's from Big Al's newsletter...

Think global - work local.

Barb Pitcock told me her strategy for people who work leads. She advises distributors to get leads that are local. Many lead companies and providers of Internet leads can sort their leads by area.

If the leads are local, it is easier to telephone them and build a relationship. Why try to fly 1,000 miles to meet good leads when you can meet them locally over a cup of coffee?

And speaking of Internet leads, I once heard an Internet guru say that the first thing you should do with an Internet lead is to get them off the Internet. Contact them by telephone or mail to distinguish yourself from all the e-mails they get daily."

And take if from me, this works! MLM IS a relationship business, no two ways about it. And the best way to start actually building your business relationships is to actually begin talking with your leads.

This immediately does two things:

1. It sets you apart from the one million other marketers who are constantly sending them emails about their own home businesses.

And,

2. It gives you a chance to show your prospects that you truly want to help them improve their financial lives, which allows you to begin forming that "relationship" that can lead to a new and excited prospect for you!

Basically, this all gives your prospect the chance to get to know you better and to learn that he or she can trust you to help them earn money from home.

So while you can certainly build a very successful home business with leads that are from all over the world, local leads certainly have some perks to them! So just remember, "Think global - work local!"

Who's Big Al?

Take a peak here to find out. If it's MLM, Network Marketing and home business tips and secrets that you're after, Big Al is definitely of the best sources you could come by.

January 3, 2006

What's On the Minds of Consumers for 2006?

In case you want to know a little about what's on the minds of consumers for 2006 (as any marketer should), here are the results of a worldwide poll taken by AOL.

I find these results to be very useful as they can definitely help you figure out where to focus more of your marketing efforts this year - which could definitely make you more money.

Poll Question:

What is your New Year's resolution for 2006?

  • Get in shape
  • Quit smoking
  • Find a new job
  • Save money
  • None of the above

Poll Results:

  • Get in shape - 44%
  • None of the above - 27%
  • Save money - 14%
  • Find a new job - 8%
  • Quit smoking - 7%
The vast majority of people (nearly half) obviously want to get in better shape than they're in now. So if you market and sell anything dealing with health, wellness, nutrition, exercise, etc., you have a rather large market of people wanting improve their lives and health.

So what do you do?

Get out there and show people what you have to offer! Make contacts, find prospects, show people how you can help them. With a market like this there's no reason you can't make 2006 your most successful year ever. So get crackin'!

January 1, 2006

And A Happy New Year to YOU!!!





I want to wish you and your loved ones a very happy,
safe, enriching and prosperous New Year!

Get ready for 2006...the best
is yet to come!!! :)

In celebration of the times, here are two Irish blessings for you. May they help you start the year off right!

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the
road downhill all the way to your door.


May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each
morning and night.


And here are two Irish toasts for your New Year as well!

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and
never in want.

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know
where you're going and the insight to know when you're going too far.


Shine on,
Aaron