May 29, 2006

Home Business Advertising Success...

The wrong "objective" will totally cripple your advertising. So why do some ads pull so many more responses than other ads do?

Simple. They have the correct advertising objective in mind!

Home Business Advertising Objective

Get your prospects to call YOU!

Remember, the purpose of your home business advertisement is NOT to sell your prospects on your opportunity.

The purpose of any good home business ad is to get your prospects to call you for more information on your home business opportunity.

The difference is absolutely monumental!

It's simply so much easier to motivate prospects to call you when you don't have to worry about "selling" your home business opportunity to them. :)

May 27, 2006

BioPerformance Investigated by Florida Attorney General...

BioPerformance Investigated Yet Again
Florida Attorney General Joins In

Wow, looks like more bad news for BioPerformance, Inc. Now the Attorney General of Florida, Charlie Crist, is investigating as well.

And BioPerformance doesn't even know it yet! Just read the "Subject's position" section below. They're still unaware that the Florida Attorney General has stepped in as well.

You heard it here first!

From the Office of the Attorney General of Florida:

Case Number: L06-3-1083

Subject of investigation:
Bio Performance, Inc. and Lowell Mims, Director

Subject's address:
1300 W. Walnut Hill Ln, Irving, TX 75038

Subject's business:
Multilevel marketing

Allegation or issue being investigated:
Unfair/deceptive business practices in the sale of product that purports to make gasoline burn with greater efficiency without independent scientific testing to substantiate claim. Further, product is sold/distrbuted by means of multi-level marketing whereby the compensation is not based primarily on volume of bona fide sales. Possible violations of Florida Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices Act, F.S. 501.201, et. seq., production and/or dissemination of misleading advertisements (F.S. 817.40 & 817.41), and operating, participating in, or soliciting on behalf of a chain letter or pyramid club (F.S. 849.091).

Status of case:
Investigation opened

Subject's position:
Unaware of investigation.

AG unit handling case:
Economic Crimes Division in Orlando, Florida

Direct link: Florida Attorney General's Office

More on BioPerformance:

May 26, 2006

Liberty League Scam Hit and Exposed...

Liberty League Hit and Exposed
Arizona Attorney General Hits Hard

The BAD news: The 2-up Liberty League has now been exposed via a strong hit by Arizona Attorney General, Terry Goddard.

The GOOD news: There is a chance for those who've lost money in Liberty League to get all of it back. And if not all of fit, then most of it. That's definitely some good news.

But do keep your fingers crossed as I'm sure the, "I WANT MY MONEY BACK!" line might be a bit lengthy, to say the least.

For example, here's an idea of some of the most recent complaints Rod Cook, the MLMWatchDog, has received:

He's had a complaint from a gentleman who was taken for $63,000, a complaint from a blind couple that was encouraged to mortgage their house for $40,000, and a complaint from a single Mom who was taken for $23,000.

Attorney General's News Release:

Office of Attorney General Terry Goddard

Terry Goddard Settles with Personal Development Marketing Company

(Phoenix, Ariz. – May 24, 2006) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced a settlement with Liberty League International, LLC, and its principals, Brent Payne and Shane Krider. The consent judgment resolves complaints that the multi-level marketing corporation tricked customers into spending substantial amounts of money by promising “sizable commissions” if they helped market three “personal development” products and recruit new participants into the program.

The settlement requires Liberty League International, based in Scottsdale, to pay $115,000 which will be used to pay for consumer education, attorneys' fees and investigation costs, and victim restitution to be determined by the court at a later date.

According to documents filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, Payne and Krider said customers had the potential to earn large sums of money if they used and recruited new participants to use Liberty League’s “personal development” products. In fact, the majority of participants did not earn enough to cover the amount they paid to buy the products sold to them.

The personal development products included a home-study course, a four-day personal development conference and a five-day personal finance and development conference. Prices ranged from $1,495 to $12,995 per person.

In addition to the civil penalties, attorney’s fees and restitution, the defendants are also required to:

  • Refrain from making unsubstantiated income claims.
  • Advise potential customers of the correct percentage of participants who have made a profit through their participation in the Liberty League program.
  • Refrain from making any false or deceptive statements in their marketing materials."

Assistant Attorney General Nancy V. Anger handled this case.

Victim of Fraud?

If you believe you've been a victim of fraud, contact the Attorney General's office in Phoenix at: 602-542-5763; in Tuscon at: 520-628-6504; or outside the metro areas at: 1-800-352-8431.

To file a consumer fraud complaint online with the Arizona Attorney General, go here.

To file a complaint in person, the Attorney General's office has 22 satellite offices throughout the state with volunteers available to help. Locations and hours of operations are posted on the Attorney General's website at: www.azag.gov.

Consumers are also encouraged to sign up on the website to receive consumer advisories from the Attorney General.

May 25, 2006

Home Business Distributors Overcome Failure...

Network Marketing
Home Business
MLM

Home Business Distributors Overcome Failure

Most marketers are pretty familiar with the acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep It Stupid, Simple). Oh wait, I have that backwards. :P

Anyway, my point is this: If you're trying to help your downline succeed, then by all means, keep things as simple as possible.

If you're giving them marketing tips for their MLM business, keep it simple. If you're giving them marketing tips on their prospecting, keep it simple. If you're giving them marketing tips for lead generation, keep it simple.

Simple, simple, simple!

By keeping things simple, as opposed to overwhelming your distributors with details and needless information, you will find that your distributors will be:

  • More confident in themselves
  • More excited about their business
  • More productive in their sales and recruiting
  • More successful overall in their business

Now, what do I mean exactly about keeping it simple?

The following marketing tip is an excellent example. It's a marketing tip that was shared by Orjan Saele on one of the annual MLM cruises.

Help Your Distributors Overcome Failure

Orjan helps his new distributors overcome failure and negative thoughts by saying this to them:

"So what if your first six months might be bad, or if
you have some embarrassing failures. So how long did
it take you to learn to talk? To learn to drive?

"It took a while, and there were some embarrassing
failures, but now you enjoy the benefits of talking
and driving. It was worth it."


It's a simple explanation that's totally easy for newbies to grasp. And guess what? It works! So keep it stupid, simple. Dang, I did it again! :P

For more great free tips, check out Tom "Big Al" Schreiter's FortuneNow.com website. Big Al is one of the most respected in the industry and he offers loads of helpful marketing tips and info.

BTW, if you haven't already registered for this year's MLM cruise, you can do so by going to: MLMCruise.com.

May 24, 2006

BioPerformance Lawsuit Explained...

BioPerformance Shut Down By Feds
BioPerformance Lawsuit Explained

As many people now know, BioPerformance, Inc. was ordered to shut down its operations. Its assets were frozen, pending resolution of the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

But what's it all about? Here's great explanation of all of the issues...

Marketers of Gas Additive Shut Down

By JOHN MORITZ
STAR-TELEGRAM AUSTIN BUREAU

"Abbott, who filed his lawsuit in Bexar County because BioPerformance had held sales seminars in San Antonio, hired a University of Texas at Austin mechanical engineering professor to test the product claims. Abbott said numerous complaints about BioPerformance had come to the attention of his office. The professor, Ronald Matthews, said in an interview that as soon as he analyzed the chemical makeup of the product, it was clear that any claims of improved fuel efficiency or lower emissions were false.

"The findings were pretty straightforward," Matthews said. "The main chemical was naphthalene, and it does nothing for fuel economy."

According to BioPerformance's Web site, the additive is nontoxic. However, the Environmental Protection Agency says exposure to naphthalene can result in serious health problems.

Short-term exposure, which includes inhalation, ingestion and skin contact, can cause anemia, liver damage and neurological damage, according to the EPA. Long-term exposure has been reported to cause cataracts and retina damage."

"BioPerformance's Web site remained active Wednesday afternoon despite an order by state District Judge Andy Mireles that all of the company's business activities be shut down."

"Abbott said that if the owners are found to have violated state deceptive-trade laws, they would face fines of up to $20,000 for each violation.

And he urged consumers to be skeptical of any money-saving venture that sounds too good to be true."

More on BioPerformance:

May 21, 2006

MLM Business Opportunities Weblog...

I wanted to post a sincere thank you to the MLM Business Opportunities Weblog for using one of my recent posts on their website. It's definitely quite an honor!

Now, just in case you're not completely familiar with the MLM Business Opportunities Weblog, here's the skinny on it...

The Business Opportunities Weblog is made up of eleven niche business blogs. And it's run by these two friendly gentlemen:

Dane Carlson

Ty Tribble

"The Business Opportunities Weblog is a moderated list of legitimate business opportunities for entrepreneurs. It is presented like a weblog with chronological archives and extensive outbound links."

"...Since 2001 this site has helped thousands of individuals in their quest for self-employment and business ownership. Our mission is simple: to help entrepreneurs like yourself find the business that’s right for YOU!"

Bottom line... the MLM Business Opportunities Weblog is a wealth of helpful information. It's definitely worth a look!

Dual Monitors Increase Productivity...

Dual Monitors Increase Productivity

New York Times:

"Recent Windows and Mac computers (and some Linux systems) can operate with multiple monitors; with my computer's Windows XP operating system, it took only a few keystrokes and mouse movements to set things up. Once I saw how it improved my productivity, I was an instant convert.

I should not have been surprised. Survey after survey shows that whether you measure your productivity in facts researched, alien spaceships vaporized, or articles written, adding an extra monitor will give your output a considerable boost — 20 percent to 30 percent, according to a survey by Jon Peddie Research."

Find dual monitors on Amazon.com.

Related Terms: DoubleSight, Multiple LCD Displays

May 20, 2006

Most Popular Home Business Keywords...

Don't Be Stumped!

Know Your Home Based Business Keywords...

If you have a home based business, then you definitely need to advertise your business in one way or another. That's a given.

If you choose online advertising as one of your marketing approaches, then you certainly need to know which keywords (search terms) people are searching for when they're looking to join a home based business opportunity.

If you use PPC advertising (Pay-Per-Click advertising) for example, then knowing these keywords will greatly benefit you and your home business in SEVERAL ways.

At the very least, knowing them will:

  • Help you to "target" your audience
  • Improve your ad effectiveness
  • Reduce wasted clicks on your ads
  • Lower your cost per click
  • Lower your overall advertising costs
  • Improve your conversion rates
  • Improve your ROI (Return On Investment)

The above 7 are VERY important to your home based business success, especially if you want to excel in the home based business arena. And duh, which home based business owner doesn't want to excel? :P

To find which keywords are being searched, use Overture's Keyword Selector Tool. I can't say enough about this valuable tool. It'll really give you a marketing edge in your home based business opportunity. Plus, it's free!

Happy Marketing!

May 17, 2006

BioPerformance Scam Shut Down! Attorney General...

BioPerformance, Inc. Shut Down!
Attorney General Freezes Assets...

In an earlier post, "BioPerformance Scam Revealed?" I wrote about a recent TV expose on the BioPerformance company and the BioPerformance gas pills.

Well, now the Feds are involved. And the Texas State Attorney General has shut down BioPerformance. He's also filed a lawsuit against them, obtained a temporary restraining order and frozen all the assets of BioPerformance, Inc.

Hmmm, can't say that I'm the least bit surprised!

The lawsuit alleges, "violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the promotion of an illegal pyramid scheme, which can result in penalties of $20,000 per violation."

VIDEO: Greg Abbott Speaks About BioPerformance Scam

From Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott's News Release:

"Abbott Shuts Down Dallas-based Bioperformance For Peddling Fake Fuel Pills In Pyramid Scheme..."

"AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today filed a lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order and asset freeze against Texas-based BioPerformance Inc. The company, organized as an illegal pyramid scheme, markets a fuel pill it falsely claims will boost gas mileage and save consumers money.

BioPerformance Inc., president and owner Lowell Mims and co-owner Gustavo Romero of Irving advertise nationally via the Internet and through seminars around Texas and other states, exploiting the climate of today’s high fuel prices. The company’s ads claim the gasoline pills and powders they offer have a non-toxic “top secret gas pill” that can increase fuel efficiency by 30 percent or more and cut harmful emissions by up to 50 percent. In fact, the additive is basically the chemical equivalent of mothballs, which are toxic.

"BioPerformance claims its top-secret gas pills can save consumers big bucks at the gas pump," said Attorney General Abbott. “These claims are bogus; the pill does absolutely nothing to improve gas mileage. The company is merely a smokescreen to trigger the recruitment of more and more paying members into what appears to be an illegal pyramid scheme.”

Scientists who tested the product at the University of Texas at Austin and at a Florida university concluded that the pills are mainly naphthalene, the chemical found in mothballs. The Attorney General’s laboratory expert actually concluded BioPerformance’s product could decrease engine performance..."

Consumer Complaint Form - Fill this out if you've been scammed!

More on BioPerformance:

May 15, 2006

FFI Gas Pills - Consumer Alert...

From MLMWatchDog...

FFI Gas Pills Pounded

"11 May 2006 – It seems the Media hates gas pills right or wrong. FFI and their gasoline pills just went through the media thresher like BP Below did. It seems that the Media and the law just have it in for gas savings... That is because this is probably the 3 wave of "save gas" stuff to roll through the U.S. in the last 30 years!"

VIDEO: TV Expose of FFI Gas Pills

May 14, 2006

Network Neutrality - Keep the Internet Free!!!

I don't normally post about current issues on here, but this is pretty scary. It's so scary, in fact, that it's hit the news, and bloggers all over the world are rapidly blogging about it right as I type this.

It's called Network Neutrality (equivalently "Net Neutrality," "Internet Neutrality" or "NN"). And quite frankly, the Internet as we know it, may be coming to an end very soon - unless we do something about it.

It's become such a HOT issue recently that popular rock bands like R.E.M. have joined the broadening coalition of people demanding that Congress pass a law to protect Network Neutrality.

Network Neutrality In a Nutshell:

Currently, you can "freely" pick and choose which websites you want to visit. For example, if you like Google better than you do Yahoo!, then you go to Google. If you prefer amazon.com over barnsandnoble.com, you go to amazon.com. Pretty simple.

BUT, if Network Neutrality is abandoned, then you won't be able to choose! Your access to one of your favorite websites could be painfully slowed down, or worse yet, blocked completely!

Yep, and that's a fact, Jack!

So welcome to the fight over "Network Neutrality," which is unfortunately, one of Washington's most recent obsessions.

Network Neutrality is a debate centered on whether or not it's more "neutral" to let consumers (i.e., you and me) access all Internet websites equally, or to let providers (in most cases, a duopoly of the local phone & cable companies) discriminate against our choices if they feel it'll make them more money. This is a real threat!

From SaveTheInternet.com:

"Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment -- a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on what site pays them the most. If the public doesn't speak up now, our elected officials will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign."

Recent Videos:

  • This video quickly details the entire issue on Network Neutrality.
  • This video is a very informative and crucial look at Network Neutrality.

Network Neutrality Facts:

A House committee has twice voted AGAINST preserving your Internet freedom. However, the second vote was much closer because of a major public uprising instigated by the SavetheInternet.com Coalition.

Net Neutrality Coalition Members:

Craig from Craigslist, MoveOn.org, Gun Owners of America, consumer watchdogs, church groups, etc. So far, over 650,000 people have signed a petition to Congress. Over 5,000 friends have joined Savetheinternet.com’s MySpace page, and thousands of blogs, vlogs and websites have linked to the coalition.

Google, Amazon, Yahoo, eBay, and others are also fighting on the side of Net Neutrality. With a vote by the full House coming soon, and with the Senate bill just starting to move, your support in favor of Net Neutrality is crucial.

What You Can Do:

The Nonsense:

AT&T's CEO says, "The Internet can't be free."

Apparently, he's on a different planet than we are. Not to mention, AT&T had nothing to do with creating the Internet. In fact, AT&T actually turned down the contract to build it! And likewise, Verizon and Bellsouth both had ZERO involvement.

These companies had DIDDELY-SQUAT to do with making the Internet, yet, now they want to CONTROL it.

So...

You can also email the jerks at: AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Bellsouth to let them know how you feel about their greedy actions!

For I, and I alone, will choose which websites I like, and which websites I visit. Not them!

Additional Silly Nonsense:

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, consumers began to attach new devices to their Internet connections, and use Internet services that were not in existence in the mid-1990s.

The reaction of many broadband operators was to impose various contractual limits on the activities of their subscribers. In the best known examples, Cox Cable disciplined users of virtual private networks, and AT&T, as a cable operator, warned customers that using a WiFi service for home-networking constituted "theft of service" and was a federal crime!

Hmmm, how interesting. Corporate scumbags.

May 11, 2006

Free Home Based Business Resources...

Here are some really excellent FREE home based business resources to use to your advantage. They can help you build and manage your home based business, no matter what it is!

1. Home Based Business Show
Here's in an Internet Radio Show on Tom Chenault's site, TomChenault.com. It covers a lot of very useful home based business information, tips, etc.

The topics discussed revolve around the needs of home based business owners, and home based business "experts" are frequent guests on the show.

2. Tom "Big Al" Schreiter's Newsletter & Live Workshop
Big Al offers tons and tons of great Network Marketing information on his site, FortuneNow.com. He even offers live training, with a focus on recruiting and leadership.

Tom "Big Al" Schreiter is an icon in the MLM and Network Marketing industry and one of the best Network Marketing/home based business trainers around.

3. The World Clock
This is a great tool that'll give you the time in every time zone across the world. It's great for determining when to call your leads, your team members, your friends, The Ghost Busters, you name it! :P

You can find The World Clock - Time Zones site here!

4. NetMLMArticles
This is a directory of some great home based business, MLM and Network Marketing articles. It's the premier place for FREE Internet and Network Marketing information and currently houses over 1,750 excellent articles.

NetMLMArticles.com is great if you're looking for information (OR, if want to promote your home business by posting your own home based business, MLM and Network Marketing articles!

I'll be posting more helpful free home business resources again soon, so stay tuned!

BioPerformance Scam Revealed? - Little Green Pill Mothballs?

BioPerformance Revealed
Little Green Pill FLUNKS TV Test!

After watching the news story (see video link below), are these BioPerformance gas pills similar to the "Green Beas" that hit as an MLM scam way back in 1989?

The BioPerformance gas pills, according to the news story, are little more than napthalene - dyed green and made into pill shape. Their lab test showed the chemical makeup to be virtually 100% Napthalene, which is what mothballs were made of decades ago.

And what's possibly worse, they pointed out that BioPerformance states (right on the bottle) that the little green pill is Non Toxic. BUT Napthalene IS TOXIC! In fact, it's not only is it poisonous, it also has links to cancer!

VIDEO: TV Expose of BioPerformance

These days, there are tons of gas business opportunities popping up in every which way, shape and form. But the fact is, they don't seem to work once put to the real test.

And now BioPerformance, also know as the "Little Green Pill" has entered MLM as one of the more well-known of the recent gas pill business opportunities. Well...

Below is the investigative report by an Orlando area TV news crew that recently exposed BioPerformance and the little green pill. According to them, "the little green pill was a bust."

Here's the story:

Pain At The Pump: The Little Green Pill

ORLANDO, Fla. - POSTED: 3:43 pm EDT May 4, 2006

"At a recent BioPerformance pep rally in Orlando, the WESH 2 I- News Team went undercover. WESH 2 I-Team reporter Michelle Meredith asked BioPerformance president Lowell Mims, a pastor out of Dallas, and a multilevel marketing veteran, if she could ask some questions about the product.

"You have to get a disclosure form", he said.

"For hours, we've been hearing you have nothing to hide. So, why can't you talk to me right now?" she said.

"We have to legally make sure everything is covered so you all won't hurt our company," Mims said. In fact, Mims couldn't get away from her fast enough.

Why are they running? Maybe the answer is printed on the bottle. In tiny print is a bizarre disclaimer. "BioPerformance, Inc., doesn't guarantee anyone any results," it says.

Little Green Pill Put To
Test

So to get to the bottom of the little green pill, we enlisted the help of two experts at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Kevin Belfield, the head of chemistry department, was brought on board to find out what's in the pill.

And to find out if the little green pill works, we recruited Dr. Bob Hoekstra. His lab at UCF tests race car engines.

Hoekstra's plan was very straightforward. We took our car to a shop called KDK Performance and strapped our minivan to what's essentially a treadmill for cars.

Hoekstra put in a very measured amount of plain old regular unleaded gas, and then ran the engine at approximately 70 mph. We did this over and over again until we got a baseline. The minivan runs out of gas after about 10 minutes.

To prove BioPerformance's claim, the little green pill needs to run that motor 25 percent longer.

"We should go about 12 ½ minutes," Hoekstra said.

But there's a catch. Before we can test the little green pill, first, we have to feed our minivan a bunch of pills, according to the directions you get online. You are supposed to give your car a "boostershot" -- feed your gas tank double the number of pills normally needed.

So before we see any results, we need to burn four tanks of gas.

While we're burning those miles, Dr. Belfield and his UCF students made an interesting discovery...

Full story on WESH 2 News:

Additional Links:
RIP-OFF Report.com - See what consumers are saying.
Consumer Complaint Form - Fill this out if you think you've been scammed!

Related terms: Bio Performance, BioPerformance Gas Pills, BioPerformance Scam, Green Pills, Gas Pills, BioPerformance Fuel Additive, Fuel Additive

May 6, 2006

Spam, Spam and More Spam... Those Bastards!

If you've noticed recently that you're getting a lot more spam than you used to get, then there may just be a very good reason for it...

Your blog.

Yeah, that's right. Your blog may be (and probably is) contributing to the amount of spam you're getting... especially porn spam!

Why?

Because spammers can (and are) "harvesting" your email address from your blog in several ways.

This is a fact. And recently, I ran several experiments involving a few different blogs of mine in order to test this.

And the result?

The spammers WILL find and use your email address for spam, no questions asked.

And what a shame. These dicknozzles will take anything good and eventually make it problemsome.

Anyway, be wary of where your personal information is so readily available. Don't allow these spammers and identity thieves such easy pickins' if you don't have to.

May 2, 2006

Top Keyword Terms - Home Business Searches...


If you're marketing anything online, then here's a killer tool you absolutely need to have in your e-toolbelt at all times!

It's the Overture Keyword Selector Tool... and it'll tell you exactly what people are searching for online!

How will this type of information help you? Well, it'll help you:

  • Get more visitors to your website
  • Get more visitors to your blog
  • Rank higher in the search engines
  • Increase you ROI (Return on Investment)

And it will also help you:

  • Increase your Conversion Rates
  • Streamline your PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Campaigns
  • Spend less money on advertising

And the list goes on and on and on. No matter what you're marketing online, this tool WILL help you!

And it's definitely worth its weight in gold... Especially if you're running something like a PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising campaign.

Why?

Because it'll give you a precise idea of which keywords to bid on by showing you exactly which keywords have been searched for recently!

And just as importantly, it'll also tell you how many times they've been searched for!

Bottom line... Using this tool will help make you money... and NOT using it will cost you.