Saturday, December 29, 2007

MLM - The Last Hope For The Little Guy?

by Joseph Demasi

I have probably spoken to over a thousand individuals over the last 2 years about various businesses and opportunities. Sadly most of them never did find a business to start. A variety of different reasons, any where from no money to no time to my favorite: zero risk tolerance.

We have all heard the following quote."if you continue do the same thing for the next 3 years as the last 3, you will be in the same place that you are today except 3 years older." You may gag when you read this, but it is absolutely true. People want something different, they want something better - they frely admit that they are looking for something better: more money, more time - a better life. The only problem is, that all they do is look.

Do you know anyone that contnues to shop for clothes, but never buys any. Of course not, people need clothes, at the very least they will buy underwear even if they wear donated clothes. The reality is, that people are shopping for HOPE! It is just like buying a lottery ticket. It is nice to dream about winning, in fact you hope you win. Deep down you know that you probably won't win, but the cost of a dream is cheap at a buck. That dollar gives them the right to dream about what they will do with that million dollar jackpot: A new home, new cars, never step foot in their workplace again. People need HOPE!

People spend their whole lives building someone else's dream. They punch a clock and spend 8-10 hours a day working to make their boss's dream a reality. Their boss controls their life- tells them when to work, when to leave and when to go on vacation. Is this a life YOU WANT! Of course not , but what can you do? The traditional business costs thousands of dollars to start and even more for a known franchise. A McDonalds franchise can cost over 1 Million dollars. Yikes! Everyday working people don't have that kind of money, nor do they know how to get it.

There is hope for the little guy. It is called Multi Level Marketing, Network Marketing, Referral Marketing, etc. I have heard it called many things, including a pyramid scheme, a scam, an illegal enterprise. I am not here to argue whether MLM is legal. That was decided by the courts in 1979. In 1975 the Federal Trade Commission accused and sued Amway Corporation for operating as an illegal pyramid. After four years of litigation the court ruled that Amway’s multi-level-marketing program was a legitimate business and not a pyramid scheme. As far as I am concerned that ship has sailed.

Let's examine what MLM does for the everyday person. People can get involved and start a business for a fraction of what a stand alone business costs. Since most people are not business savvy, training and education is provided, usually for no cost or sometimes with a nominal fee.
It is true that you are a distributor of that organization and must distribute their product. That is not any different than owning a McDonalds franchise. Can you imagine going into a McDonalds and seeing a menu for Burger King?

Let's get one thing straight here. You must realize that the reason MLM exists is to give ordinary people an opportunity that they would not normally have. That is, the opportunity to participate in the profit structure of the retail sales model. No matter how you slice it, products must get into the consumer's hands. Tim Sales does a great job of explaining MLM on his site First Class MLM . The MLM companies are paying you (the distributor) to get the products into people's hands. The more product you move the more money you make- simple! This is a business after all and you are paid based on your production. This is how it should be.

After all, the company can spend millions of dollars on advertising to get the products out in the market place, but a few smart people over 40 years ago thought it would be a better model to trust word of mouth and reward the people that spread the word. You should appreciate the opportunity to make a living from this model. I do. I am thankful that I could start a business for less than $500 with the potential to make a good 6 figure income.

Next: Not all companies are created equal- what to look for when choosing a business.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Top 10 Benefits Of Owning a Home Based Business

Be Your Own Boss - You set your hours. Work where you want, when you want, part time or full time.

Work at Home - No commute or rush hour traffic. Live where you want to live…your business moves with you. Spend more time with your family.

Great Income Potential - You are paid what you're worth. You decide how much you earn.

Available for Everyone - No previous experience necessary. Training is provided, allowing you to earn as you learn…regardless of age, sex, race, or education. Watch Robert Kiyosaki describe the PerfectBusiness Model

Immediate Income - Earnings can come your first week with a realistic opportunity to earn an above-average income every week.

Lasting Income - You can build a successful income-generating business that can last a lifetime.

No Franchise Fees or Royalties - No fees. Minimal overhead. No need to rent an office or buy expensive equipment.

No Employees - No employee-related hassle or paperwork.

Significant Potential Tax Benefits - Legally save thousands of dollars with home-based business deductions*. You Can't Afford Not To Have a Business

Live as You Please - Freedom at last. Travel and spend time with your family. You control your time and lifestyle.

Friday, October 19, 2007

IF SUCCESS WAS EASY....

by Joseph Demasi

I know you have seen it all before. The big time promises of fast money and guaranteed wealth online. It sounds so appealing, just plug in and go. Your check is in the mail! Every day there is a new program launched that "is sweeping the net". Yeah, it's sweeping alright! Sweeping all the money out of people's bank accounts with another promise of easy money! I want you to understand something: THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO WEALTH! If there was then everybody would be wealthy and driving the car of their dreams.

There is one irrefutable fact that is bandied about online all the time, and it is this: 95% of people that start a business or get involved in an opportunity will quit. That's right I said QUIT, I did not say fail. The biggest myth out there is that people are failing online. People are not failing, most of the people that say they failed, actually quit. There are those unfortunate people that get involved with actual scams and had no chance of success. I am not speaking of those people here. Yes the internet is full of people and opportunities that just want your money so they can laugh all the way to the bank. That is a fact we all need to deal with. In a moment I will show you how to safeguard yourself against those thieves.

I know for a fact that some of you reading this right now have been in at least 2-3 programs over the last 6-8 months looking for that magic bullet that will take you to easy street! I should know, when I first started online I was in the same boat- jumping from opportunity to opportunity looking for the one that would work. Let me explain something, not withstanding the scams out there, most of the opportunities out there work if you work as well. There is no free lunch, you have to put in the effort. When you go to work everyday, does your boss expect you to do something? What would happen if you came in and sat down at your desk and fell asleep for 3 hours? Would expect to get paid for that? How many employees would last at a job if they treated it like that? The answer is none! Then why do you expect the same thing from your own business?

If you expect to succeed online or in your own home business, there will be a learning curve. Do not expect to make millions overnight. All the Guru's online you see that claim to be making millions have been around for years and have taken the time and money to learn about what they are doing. Let me say that this way: If you expect to be successful in this area then you must be willing to learn about it first. Now that is not saying that you cannot earn while you learn. in fact that is the best part about a home business, you can earn some money part time while you learn about what it takes to make the big money. Unfortunately, people don't want to learn first, they want the money first and as long as that is the case they will always be looking for that get rich quick plan that looks so enticing. You know, the one that never works!

In order to be successful online you must expect the following:

1. Expect to spend at least 6-9 months with your business, doing all the activities it takes to be successful. You must be consistent and willing to learn.

2. Expect that you will have bad days. Just keep going because it will get better.

3. You will need to spend money. If you are not willing to spend money then don't start a business.

4. You will need to spend at least 10 hours a week on your business with activities designed to produce results.

5. People will say NO! That is a fact you will never change.

6. If you quit you will not be successful! The only way to fail is to quit.

I hope this helps you, my next post will be: What you should look for in a business that will maximize your success.

Friday, September 14, 2007

FOCUS - This Means Success!

I want to tell you how five little letters can mean big profits for you online. I know that a lot of you trying to start an internet business are doing this part time, since you have other 'commitments' full time.

It can be difficult to juggle everything in your normal day to day life and then try and build a business online. Whether you have a full time job, or stay at home raising your kids, or even (like me) you're a full time student...... If there's one word that's vital to your success, it's this one...

FOCUS

Five letters than can make a BIG difference. If you want to be successful you need to have laser focus and follow a step by step plan to achieve your goals.

It's all too easy to get distracted online with literally hundreds of opportunitiesa week. If you try spending a little bit of time on lots of different things, you wont get anywhere. But once you focus on one thing, and put your efforts towards that, you'll be surprised how quickly you can achieve success. It takes discipline to stay focused but the rewards are more than worth it, so stick with one thing that works for you and build on it even further.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

The following Article was written by one of my business partners, Karl Airey, it does a great job of showing how you can actually benefit from working with both and combining the strengths from each to generate a substantial income online.
Click Here to learn about funded proposals and internet Marketing

The Difference Between Internet Marketing & Network Marketing

There is a huge difference between Affiliate Marketing (AM) and Network Marketing (NM).

AM basically boils down to "bring 'em in, bring 'em in, bring 'em in!" There are plenty of these types of companies out there too, all ready and willing to take your money and lead you down a long path of frustration and wasted energy. Almost all of them will be around today and gone tomorrow. Only a few offer value to the end-user.

I suppose a few of them are worthy of joining simply for the exposure to AM methods one would receive. But none of these companies offer what we do in MLM... personal access to some of the greatest NM minds on the planet!

It's true that we have a whole wide world out there waiting for us to reach out and touch them via our Affiliate Marketing businesses. But more important I think is our strengthened ability to find so many, many more highly qualified people to introduce to our Primary NM business.
Here is a great example (I get several of these types of calls every week). A wonderful woman called me up last night. Now let me tell you this girl was fired up about her primary MLM business! I could tell right away I was talking to a really great prospect! The reason she was calling was simply to find out what she had got herself into with our AM franchise. You see, she was on the Net searching for leads for her primary Network Marketing business and she found my link on Google and clicked on it and the only reason I spent 20 minutes on the phone with her is because of the passion I heard in her voice.

So I spent some time explaining the benefits of AM to her and helped her to see how this will benefit her and her Team. The use of a Funded Proposal (an inexpensive offer with added value for the prospect) with a commission attached will help her bring cold leads into a warmer 'partner' relationship, and fund her future advertising campaigns. List building, using AM methods is by far the best way to generate high-quality leads for a NM business.

So the point here is that although I gathered this new partner through passive AM methods, it wasn't until I had that personal contact with her that I could convey the true benefits of joining up with me. See?? The most powerful AM system out there is still faceless and void of character, until you throw in some good old-fashioned NM skills in the mix. Without them, you will likely never build a long-term residual income from it. That leads me to expand upon NM and look at what the Mission of a Network Marketer is:"Spend time with those for whom working with you is the Right thing, among the masses of the Wrong People... and then avoid all the Wrong People."It’s simple time management. A good manager will firstly surround himself or herself with all the best people because that makes him/her look good (-:Then that manager will build up those people and promote their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses...But time management in Network Marketing means you only work with those people who deserve your time! The only people who normally get any of my time are those members who take their futures seriously enough to upgrade their affiliate accounts and are actively working at promoting their AM franchise, purchasing leads from a reputable company, or otherwise investing in their business.

If you do this business right, do you know what the best thing to happen to 5,000 people will be over the next few years? THEY GET TO MEET YOU!!That’s right! And meeting you via an automated system rather than in person or even over the phone, isn't going to serve you well unless you make the effort to say hello in person and offer your assistance… Autoresponders can do alot of the explaining and encouraging for you, but they will still leave he prospect/partner at an emotional distance.Just imagine if only 5% - that's 1 in 20 - of all the thousands of people you enroll in an Affiliate Marleting program over the next few years joined you in your Primary. 5% of 5000 is 250 people! All personally enrolled by you into that most important of income streams, your Primary Network Marketing business!

250 times 10% commission on $100 worth of product bought by each person every month is $2500 monthly residual payment to you!And since almost every existing and historical large NM organization (or downline) was built by having an average only 6 good people in it, chances are, out of 250 people , I'm positive you will find 6 good leaders.

In Network Marketing we build downlines. And we build people up. In Affiliate Marketing you find the people who will prove themselves to you - or not - as to how worthy they are of your very valuable time. From that you will not waste your energy trying to bring un-qualified people into your Network Marketing business. Take advantage of an AM vehicle! Use it to drive your Primary NM business as fast and furious as the top NASCAR performers drive their cars on race day!

Have a Great Day,
Joseph Demasi

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Fear - The Dream Killer
by Joseph Demasi

Most people say that FEAR is the False Expectations Appearing Real. Our mind is the most powerful computer on the planet. God has created what no man has been able to match. It has the ability to dictate our actions. What I mean by that is what the mind creates seems so real to us. Fear is one thing that we allow to dictate out actions. Most people fail to move forward because of the fear they have about what may happen. It could be something they experienced in the past or something that someone else experienced. We sabatoge ourselves by anticipating what may go wrong before we even take any action. We have all heard the following: "whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right!"

What are people afraid of? Some are afraid of failure. They are so afraid of failing that they do not take any action. They spend their time researching every opportunity, looking at and examining every compenstion plan, all the products and all the ingredients. Looking for something that will prevent them from being successful. Now, I admit that you do need to do your due diligence and make sure that the company and products as well as your business partners are the right fit for you. If you do not believe in the product and cannot be proud of the company you will not be successful. That, of course, is normal research and is neccessary for your belief in the system and company. Some people will be over analyzing everything to the point that they will not take any action. They always find something that they do not like, something that does not "work" for them. The bottom line is that they are afraid that they will not succeed. So instead of moving forward, they allow the FEAR to paralyze them into taking no action.

This is the fact of generating money from home: there are many good companies with great products- and people are making good money working those programs. If they can do it, so can you. Do not allow FEAR to steal your dreams. That is what is at stake here. There is a reason that you are trying to make money online. maybe you are in debt, hate your job or want something more out of life. What we must remember is that each of us has the power to control our thoughts. It is never easy, but if you want to be successful it is something that you must do. The one way to control fear is by believing in yourself. Belief will conquer fear, every time!

Remember that fear is a false expectation appearing real. It has not happened yet and we are obsessed with it. Fear will hold you back in life and will prevent you from realizing your dreams. Next time you have a Fear about not being able to do something, replace that thought with an "I can do" whatever it is that you feel you cannot do. Delete the fear and replace it. The most successful people in business and in life have fear, they have learned to control it and continue to move forward.

"If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying"
--Coleman Hawkings

"It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement. And at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
--President Theodore Roosevelt

I love those 2 quotes because they let me know where the focus should be. You will never get where you want to go until you start moving. Success will not come to you, you must go and get it.

Have a Great Day!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Beware- The Internet Is Full Of Scams And Scammers
by Joseph Demasi

This is basically a follow up to me previous post. It is true that the internet is full of great information. But did you know that most of the information online is inaccurate. For example, take Wikipedia, for the longest time I actually thought that this was an online encyclopedia, kind of like Britanica or Americana, you know the kind you find in the library. I was actually astounded to find out that ANYONE can make changes to articles and even post articles. Furthermore there is no verification necessary. No-one is going to check the facts. It is really like a huge long running opinion peice where anyone can put their 2 cents in. And to think I was using it to help my daughter with her report!

I point this out for one reason- DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ! Far too often people are caught up in what they 'believe' to be true about the internet and for that matter anything they hear or read at all. The internet is continuosly changing and it is so easy nowadays to put up a website and make outrageous claims that some people will actually believe. Unfortunately people are falling victim to this time and time again. It is affecting everything we do. People are so desperate to believe they can actually make $1000's a month without any real effort that they will fork over $500, $1000, $2000 even $10,000. to someone that they do not know with money that they do not have. They do this on what I call the 2 H's, Hype and Hope.

The latest craze these days seems to be gifting programs These are a form of an illegal pyramid where in order to get paid you must get people to 'buy in' to the program. There is no real product being offered, in fact in a gifting program there is no product at all. You are just going to go ut and find charitable people to gift you money so they can go out and find people to gift them money and so on and so on. People are making $1000's monthly- so they say, with proof- pictures of fed-ex envelopes stuffed with cash. The life of a gifting program is averaging about 6-9 months, when one is closed another pops up with new websites and a slick logo.

My advice- stay away from gifting programs, you may make some money, but someone down the road will get burned.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

How To Avoid Getting Scammed
by Joseph Demasi

I am really getting tired of seeing all the scammers out there ruining it for the rest of us. There are ways to make money online that is moral, ethical and legal. There are also ways to make money that are immoral, unethical and illegal. A question for you to ponder: Which camp would you like to be in?

That may seem like a strange question and of course you would answer that you want to be in the first camp, right? Of course any self respecting person would answer that question that way. If you ask that question of your business partners and they answer this way: "As long as I make money, what difference does it make." If they actually said that to you I hope you would run like h*** away from that person. The problem you run into is that most of the time they want to be in the first camp, but they may actually be in the second camp without even knowing it. Everyone wanting to make money with a home based business needs to do research into the company that they want to be a part of.

Let me give you the definition of a scam: A fraudulent business scheme. Fraudulent comes from the Latin word fraud, which means deceit. Deceiving someone means to trick them.

Some people have also been asking me about pyramids, meaning illegal pyramids:

Illegal Pyramid Scheme
An illegal business that involves the exchange of money primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, usually without any product or service being delivered.

Sometimes there may appear to be a product - but it’s only there to “look” like a real business. Few people outside of the pyramid desire the product or they can get the same product elsewhere at a less expensive price.

If you enrolled me into your business and I paid $300 to join BUT THERE WAS NO VALUABLE PRODUCT THAT WAS EXCHANGED - that could be an illegal pyramid.


Network Marketing or MLM as an industry is not a Pyramid scheme, although there are companies that pop up that run a pyramid scheme. In 1979 the courts ruled that the Business of Network Marketing/MLM was a legitamate business practice see AMWAY v FTC 1979

If you are looking at a business that is set up in such a way that it rewards you for recruiting and the only people actually buying the products are in it for the business, you need to take another look at it. The FTC ruled that the product must have 'value' and be desired by people outside of the organization. There are many 'business' programs out there that offer products that have no real value or have a 'me too' aspect to it with inflated prices so they pay out huge bonuses for recruiting people. Anybody remember Prosperity Automated System that was shut down by the SEC, over 5000 members lost the $4k it cost to buy the system. The FTC has its sights on BurnLounge that it has determined to be an illegal pyramid, rewarding members for recruiting others heavily. BurnLounge has dismantled the MLM aspect of its business and left thousands of distributors out in the cold.

You must always do your due diligence and research before you join any company. The old saying always works- "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"

Keep in mind, it will always be easy to find people that have "failed" in any particular business. No matter what business you are researching. People get into businesses all the time and either don't do anything or feel they shouldn't have to do anything to succeed. That is a problem that we as business people need to deal with. The internet is full of great things and bad things. One of the bad things is that there are many people online that actually believe you can get rich by doing nothing. This myth is perpetuated by the endless ads and sites touting this very thing as a sales pitch. Let me say this only once IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN MAKE MONEY BY DOING NOTHING THEN YOU DESERVE TO LOSE YOUR MONEY!

There are many great businesses out there and ones that require only part time commitment, but don't think that there is some magic formula to achieve success. If you are willing to work hard and put in a consistent effort with the right company and business model your chances for success are greatly improved. When you do find a business and company you want to partner up with, make a decision to give at least 1 year of constant effort. I feel for the people who do not realize that these are businesses that we are talking about, and like any business it will take time and a focused effort to succeed. If you are looking to get rich quick- you will have better luck with the lottery!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Stop Being An Amateur & Start Being A Professional


Poor networkers are amateurs and wealthy networkers are professionals!

Are YOU a professional or an amateur?

Keep reading and find out.....

1) A professional is someone who gets paid. An amateur is someone who doesn't.

Many people in this industry are really busy browsing the internet, holding mastermind meetings, training, visiting with the competition, emailing associates, watching American Idol, listening to their ipods, or just sitting around in a daze staring at their call display screen. Unfortunately, that's what the amateurs are doing and that's why they don't get paid.

If you want to start making a pile of money in this industry, just focus on recruiting and retailing (marketing - more on that if future articles) to prospective customers. So, in other words...JUST GO PRO!

2) Professional (wealthy) networkers are proud of the MLM industry. Amateur (poor) networkers are embarrassed to be in MLM.

That's crazy!

The network marketing (MLM) industry is the ONLY ethical, decent industry left for value-based humans who prefer to become wealthy by elevating others to their highest potential!

How would you like to be a lawyer and spend your life engaged in the orderly tranfer of wealth from those who earned it to those who didn't, or helping people literally get away with murder. Or how about a banker who loans money at interest which, in most Christian denominations, is defined as the venial sin "usury" and punishable by eternal damnation.

Folks, network marketing is a win/win, not a win/lose. Be proud of your profession. I'd rather jump of a bridge than do anything less admirable than MLM.

3) Professional networkers know business and marketing is a numbers game. Amatuers think there is some trick or secret they will discover that will make it easy for them to have success, so they don't have to work hard.

Here's my professional formula for working the numbers...

A) Prospect 25 people a day five days a week that you send to your "funded proposal". Never try and present your MLM company first to "opportunity seekers" (leads)!

B) Follow-up with only the prospects that purchase the funded proposal.

C) When the prospects that you followed up become involved with the network marketing opportunity you are marketing, get them plugged into your teams training system (this starts creating the duplication). My teams training system is called Fast Track.

If you follow the above formula for one full year...POOF!!! You're at $20,000 to $30,000 a month in virtually any company out there. Those numbers don't vary and I've seen dozens of people succeed by sheer effort and tenacity once they learned this simple secret. It's all a numbers game.

I'll get much more specific about this in future articles.
repinted with permission -Paul Birdsall

Monday, April 23, 2007

Is Shaklee The Sleeping Giant That Has Been Awoken By Oprah?
by Joseph Demasi

Shaklee is a story that has been told for many years, but why hasn't anyone heard of them until now? 50 years ago Dr. Shaklee was going from store to store to try and get his natural vitamin line put on the shelves. After several hundred no's he decided to market his product a very unique way - direct through the consumer with incentives to tell others about it- Network Marketing or MLM was born! Dr. Shaklee put the best marketing there was (word of mouth) to work for him and rewarded those that told the most people. He figured instead of have a few stores in the neighborhood touting his products he could have hundreds and possibly thousands of Independent Distributors doing the same.

Thousands of entreprenuerial minded folks joined in and Shaklee started it's 50 year journey to today. Very few Network Marketing companies have enjoyed such a long and successful life. That is probably the reason Oprah recommends the company and the products on her show. Sh has experience with Shaklee's Get Clean line of non-toxic natural cleaners. Even though Shaklee has enjoyed a long and successful life, it is estimated that only 40% of the USA, where Shaklee is based in Pleasanton Calif., have ever heard of the company or used its products. With Oprah, that will all change. Roger Barnett, CEO of the Shaklee Corp., has a 10 year plan to expand Shaklee internationally from its current 6 countries to over 40. This means monumental growth for anyone that wants to take advantage of this sleeping giant.

Although there are many groups currently promoting Shaklee, I have found a great marketing system that anyone can plug into and be successful. HelpingPeople was founded about a year ago and is the fastest growing Team in Shaklee. Everyone should know that products do not sell themselves. There are plenty of great products that distributors are trying to sell that are not getting the desired result. You need all three components to succeed in this business; 1. A Great Company, 2. Great High Quality Products and 3. A Top Notch Marketing System Designed To Be Used By The Masses.

Now that Oprah has aired, Keep your eye out for Shaklee , the Sleeping Giant has awoken.

Watch Oprah and Shaklee CEO Roger Barnett and Get Clean with the OPRAH SPECIAL

Monday, April 02, 2007

Don't go blind into the home business arena blinded by all the hype and lofty claims. Do your homeowork and choose a company and a sponsor that are commited to YOUR success. Here is a good guideline to follow and of course if you have any questions do not hesistae to contact me ( mailto: support@mlmprofitsonline.com ):

Top 10 Ways to Choose a Great Network Marketing Opportunity

From John Venezia, CLU, ChFC

There are a few network marketing opportunities that are just scams. There are far more that may be well-intentioned, but have a poor track record, for any number of reasons. So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? Here are ten tips to help you pick the right network marketing opportunity for you.

1. Has the company been around for at least 5 years?
If you want the efforts you put in today to pay off for many years in the future, choose a company that has proven that it will be around for the long term. 90% of all network marketing companies FAIL within their first 2 years. You don't want to invest your precious time and resources (not to mention your future) in something that may not be in business next month, do you?

2. Is the company well capitalized?
In other words, does it have the cash that it will need to grow, to maintain a solid infrastructure, to attract talented management, to keep pace with technology — and, of course, to pay your commissions! (I prefer publicly traded companies because they're required to disclose their financial condition in DETAIL every 90 days to the SEC and other governmental agencies.
You may not be able to obtain this information on a private company, so you'll be taking a risk on its financial condition.)

3. Does the company offer products or services that are unique?
That is, they're not readily available elsewhere (especially at a discount) and they're not just another "me too" product that has loads of competition.

4. Is there a genuine need for the product or service?
You've probably heard horror stories about people ending up with a garage full of expensive water filters - the reason that happens is because only other distributors will purchase the product at that price! Your product or service must fill a REAL need at a fair price - and there should be a large untapped market for it. In other words, it MUST provide tremendous value, so the customer is the biggest winner.

5. Is the product or service trendy or a fad?
You can't build long term residual income (i.e., your retirement!) if the product or service only has short term appeal (e.g., beany babies, etc.). Think long term instead. Is the product or service something that your customers will continue to use for a long time?

6. Can you generate immediate income?
So that you can finance your marketing and expansion efforts from cash flow.

7. Does the marketing system take full advantage of technology?
Not everyone is a sales type, but ANYBODY can plug into a system and tools that do the selling and sorting for you!

8. Is the person who is introducing you to the opportunity committed to YOUR success?
If they are, the company is strong, and the product or service is a winner, (and, of course, you're willing to learn) you WILL succeed. There's a big difference between a "sponsor" and a "recruiter." A sponsor coaches. motivates and trains and a recruiter just signs people up and in most cases, abandons them.

9. Is there a way to build your business part-time without losing your full time income?
The company must have automated systems that can do the heavy lifting (i.e., selling and sorting) for you so that you can use your limited time efficiently.

10. Will you have FUN?
Although this may not be an element of your current JOB, we think it's important! You should have a lot of fun with your business partners while you work together to build a long term business and your financial army.

So there you have it — ten criteria for selecting a superior network marketing opportunity. Of course, even with a great company, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You WILL have to work! But, with the right opportunity (unlike your job), it won't have to be forever!
___________________________
John Venezia is a career insurance and financial services professional, both a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant(ChFC), who after 24 years in the Insurance industry decided to also explore network marketing as a business model. Since finding a company that met his criteria, he has built a team of 1,600 people in the last 6 or so years, many of whom are also insurance and financial services agent

Have a Great Day,
Joseph Demasi

Friday, March 30, 2007

Is Network Marketing Just a Scam?

This article is more relevant today that when it was written especially since the advent of all those so called opportunities popping up online everyday. This is valuable information that you need to make an informed decision about that opportunity. For information on what to look for in a network marketing company see Mastering Your Primary

This article appeared at entrepreneur.com on Dec 25, 2000

There's a huge difference between network marketing and pyramid schemes. Learn the truth here.
By Michael L. Sheffield
December 25, 2000


Marketplace
Q: Some friends continue to try to recruit me into network marketing deals that seem like some type of money game or pyramid. Other friends tell me they're illegal and I'll get into trouble. How do I know what's legal and legitimate?

A: To help you understand what network marketing is, I must first explain what it isn't. First, network marketing isn't a pyramid scheme. Pyramids are programs similar to chain letters where people just invest money based on the promise that other people will put in money that will filtrate back to them and somehow, they'll get rich. A pyramid is strictly a money game and has no basis in real commerce. Normally, there's no product involved at all, just money changing hands. Modern-day pyramids may have a product, but it's clearly there just to disguise the money game.

Network marketing is a legitimate business. First, it's based on providing people with real, legitimate products they need and want at a fair price. While some people do make a lot of money through network marketing, their financial benefit is always the result of their own dedicated efforts in building an organization that sells real products and services.

Pyramids are illegal and are based on taking advantage of people. For a person to actually make money in a pyramid scheme, someone else has to lose money. But in network marketing, each person can multiply his or her efforts, skills and talents by helping others be successful. Network marketing has proved itself as part of the new economy and a preferred way to do business here and around the world.

Network marketing isn't about taking advantage of your friends and relatives. Only a few years ago, network marketing meant retailing to, and sponsoring people from, your "warm list" of prospects. Although sharing the products or services and the opportunity with people you know is still the basic foundation of the business, today we see more people using sophisticated marketing techniques such as the Internet, conference calling and other long-distance sponsoring techniques to extend their network across the country.

Network marketing isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. Of course some people do make large amounts of money very quickly. Many would say those people are lucky. But success in networking isn't based on luck. (Unfortunately, money won't sprout wings and fly into your bank account no matter what someone has promised you.) Success in network marketing is based on following some very basic yet dynamic principles.

Now let's discuss what network marketing is. Network marketing is a serious business for serious people. It's a proven system where the design, creation and expense the corporate team has gone through becomes a road map for your own success. Just follow the simple, proven and duplicable system that the good companies provide.

The real key is this: Network marketing is all about leverage. You can leverage your time and increase the number of hours of work effort on which you can be paid by sponsoring other people and earning a small income on their efforts. J. Paul Getty, who created one of the world's greatest fortunes, said "I would rather make 1 percent on the efforts of 100 people than 100 percent on my own efforts." This very basic concept is the cornerstone of network marketing.
For example, most successful people building a network marketing business do so in an organized method. They work a few dedicated hours each week, with each hour of effort serving as a building block for their long-term business growth. Then they sponsor other people and teach those people how to sell the company product and sponsor others who duplicate the process.

By helping the people you personally sponsor to sponsor others, you duplicate yourself. As this process continues, you create compound growth that can lead to hundreds or even thousands of people coming into your business. You leverage your time by helping others be successful and earn an income from all their efforts.

With network marketing, there are no big capital requirements, no geographical limitations, no minimum quotas required and no special education or skills needed. Network marketing is a low-overhead, homebased business that can actually offer many of the tax advantages associated with owning your own business. Network marketing is a people-to-people business that can significantly expand your circle of friends. It's a business that enables you to travel and have fun as well as enjoy the lifestyle that extra income can provide.

LearnMoreRead On The Level for more information on how to investigate a multilevel marketing opportunity.

Michael L. Sheffield is the founder of Sheffield Resource Network, a full-service multilevel marketing consulting firm in Tempe, Arizona. He is also the co-founder and chair of the Multi Level Marketing International Association (MLMIA), whose members represent companies throughout the world.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Network Marketing for the New Generation

Network marketing has always been a great way to get the word out about any business. No matter if you are selling a product or a service, with network marketing you can increase your sales in no time at all. And in today’s day and age, network marketing is more effective than ever before. In the past network marketing was a great way to make contacts as well as sales, but this has grown more than anybody could have expected. If you do not take advantage of network marketing, you will never reach your fullest potential.

If you do not know what network marketing is there is no reason to give up. The fact of the matter is that network marketing is quite easy to understand; it is exactly what it sounds like. With network marketing you get your name out there by talking with other people, and making industry contacts. The more people that you know, the better chance you have of making sales. And remember, the contacts that you make have contacts of their own. So in time word begins to spread about your offerings.

Network marketing is all about getting in touch with the people that can help you out the most. Of course your number one target should be people in your direct industry. In other words, people that would be interested in buying your product are people that you should network with.

The best way to get started in network marketing is by making yourself accessible to a large amount of people. Believe it or not, social networking sites such as Myspace have become quite popular for individuals and businesses alike. With these services you can introduce yourself to millions of people without ever having to do too much work. And of course with each person that you meet, you have added another person to your network.

The good thing about network marketing is that you may not make a sale today from somebody that you meet. But down the line that same person may be looking for a product or service and remember the conversation that they had with you. But none of this is possible unless you get the word out, and are not afraid to network in an aggressive manner.

If you want to make big profits, network marketing can help to put you on the right track. For many years businesses have been using network marketing as a way to reach the next level, and today this still holds true.

Generally speaking, network marketing does not cost a thing. All you have to do is find people to network with and get started. It does not get much easier, and cost efficient than that.

Something to think about!

To Great Success,
Joseph Demasi

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Do I Really Have To Sell Soap?

by Joseph Demasi

One thing you must realize is that any Home Based Business is still a business. Goods and Services must flow through it in order for it to be successful. There are many opportunities on the internet that are viable and will make you money. Most of these are product and service driven. Understand this loud and clear. If there is no product and/or service that flows through that business, it is not a business- it is a money game and those are being shut down left and right here in the US. Somebody will get burned-maybe not you-but somebody will.

You may have started a business or maybe you are looking at one. The most improtant thing you must do in order to succeed, YOU MUST BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING! If you do not fully believe in what you are doing, you will never get a prospect to believe in it either. Do you believe in yur products? Would you use them if there was no business attached to it. If all you are doing is moving products through because the business demands it, and you really wouldn't be buying them if the business was not there- that could be a problem. There are a lot of opportunities out there with copy cat products you could literally buy at the corner store. What is keeping people in the business and buying the products?

Naturally if you are invested in the business and are building it, you will be buying product. How about the person that you sponsored and quit the next month, is he/she still ordering the product? Would you order the product if you could not do the business any longer? That is something to think about. In order for anyone to make any money products have to move through the system. There was a great quote from someone in network marketing years ago: when asked if she was a sales person she responded: " I am not a natural sales person, but in this business if you want to get paid-'somebody's got to sell soap'.

So, you don't like sales? You don't like to sell? Hate to break it to you, you are selling everyday. Whenever you go to a job interview, go to work, out with your friends. You are selling yourself. Ever talk about a great movie you saw, and told your friend they just have to see it- SELLING! How about that new store that opened up with those great deals - SELLING! It is all around you. YOU ARE A GREAT SALESPERSON! Let's turn that Selling into Telling! You are used to telling people about things and recommending things to your friends. That is a form of selling, even though you hate to sell. This business is all about TELLING. So remember if you want to succeed in network marketing - 'somebody's got to sell soap'.

For Great training and support for network marketers GO HERE

To Great Success

Monday, February 05, 2007

Don't Believe Everything You Read On The Web!

by Joseph Demasi

Information is now moving at the speed of light across the World Wide Web. You are making a mistake if you truly believe that all that information is correct. It is too easy for someone to pay for a domain name and publish a site. The total cost for something like that is less than $100. pretty cheap for someone to put up their opinions on a web site that can be designed to look professional.

Of course you need to take everything with a grain of salt. For example there are so many sites out there fanning the flames of scams on the internet. Now, of course, you need to make sure you know what you are looking for. How many 'scam report' sites have you seen that at the end of the report are guiding you to the #1 opportunity on the web. "Discovered and recommended after years of research". this is an example of a site that is promoting a program or product from the onset.

If you spend any time on the web - you have seen so many of these. The programs they are promoting, might be good and might be bad. One thing you MUST realize is that everything you run into on the web is selling something. They are always selling, no matter what they are telling you or how you see it. Either they are selling you off an opportunity or they are selling you an opportunity.

Whenever you look at a site you must realize that this is the case and do not take anything at face value. Make your own decision based on your own research. You will be the wealthier for it!

To Great Success,
Joseph Demasi

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

All Network Marketing Companies Are Not Created Equally

by Joseph Demasi

Did you know that every year over 500 new MLM/Network Marketing Companies are started. Within a 2 year period over 90% will fail. 5% will be treading water and the remaining 5% will last over 3 years. Can people make money? Yes. Those that get in first. The ones that get in near the end, well they lose and MLM/Network marketing gets another bad mark.

Did you know that in the US 90% of the businesses that are started on a yearly basis fail within the first 3 years. It is hard to run a business these days. It is very important to choose carefully when you start a business. There are really 7 critical elements that a MLM/Network Marketing company needs to give you the best chance for success.

Did you know there is a such thing as MLM Minimum Wage? That is when you are working like a dog to make $200-$300 a month. Is that any way to live? Of course not, we all want to work less, not more in our home based businesses.

What are the 7 things you should look for?

1. Unique Products: Products must serve multiple different Market Categories, Products must be unique enough to get Patents, and the Products have to serve the Masses. There is a problem if the company has only a few products or product lines. The more the better. Are the products something you will use regardless of the business opportunity? This is very important.

2. Company Stability: The ability to give you long-term business and financial security, based on their company and business history. Minimum 10 to 20 years using the network marketing as the primary method of distribution of products. This way the company has been proven and has survived the test of time.

3. Marketing System: The system must be Simple, Duplicatable and Proven successful for the average part-time person (NO SELLING). Can anyone plug into it and be successful? We are not talking about referring someone to a corporate website.

4. Company Management: Must be led by already Successful Leaders in Business with a Vision for the Future Growth. What kind of experience do the leaders have? Are they successful business people with a proven track record of success?

5. Global Reach: Must be groundfloor in their Global Expansion. Are they in every country already or are they in a few countries, but with plans for global expansion? You want a groundfloor global opportunity.

6. Compensation & Incentives: Maximize your income based on your efforts. Must payout at least 50% of Sales, must offer Unlimited Depth within compensation plan, must offer Fast Start Bonuses, must offer other Rewards and Recognition, you must be able to achieve $10,000/month true residual with less than 500 people in the organization. Do you know that with the average network marketing company you need over 1800 people in your organization to make $10,000 per month residual income.

7. Pay-It Forward: Does the company Pay-It Forward to the Masses. They must give back globally what they are taking out. The company's vision is to make an Impact on the World in a Positive Way. Are they a recognized leader in this area? They must care about the masses that they serve.

When choosing a company to align yourself with, make sure it is not just about the product. You may have heard the hype of the latest and the greatest product that literally sells itself. Let's be honest - no product sells itself. If it did, the company would not need you.

The bottom line is to be educated about the process and the company. This site will give you good information about choosing a company:

Mastering Your Primary

To Great Success,
Joseph Demasi

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Have You Ever Heard Of Donald Trump?

Of course you have. Have you been in a cave for the past 2 years? I think he is well known across the globe, especially with his hit TV show "The Apprentice".

Donald Trump knows that success begins in your own mind. As we kick off 2007 I'd like to offer you his thoughts on success, taken from his new book, Trump 101.

-"Ask yourself whether you're doing what you want and what is right for you."

-"Be positive every day. If you're not, no one will think you can succeed."

-"Believe in yourself, exude confidence, and get in your competitor's way. Project yourself into their picture and upset their status quo."

-"Break loose from your comfort zone by moving forward with the power and momentum that positive thinking creates."

-"Zap negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Whatever energy you expend will build the positive stamina that is vital for success."

-"Ignore the expectations of others. Stand up to your friends, family, teachers, colleagues and those who think that they know what's best for you. Plug into your own energy."

I thought that was great advice from him. You can't argue with a man that is worth over 2 billion $. The main focus for you should be maintainig focus on your goal and not letting anyone steal your dream. Always be positive and kill the negative or you will not succeed.

To Great Success,
Joseph Demasi

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

One thing I love about a blog is getting you the information that I find very worthwhile. I found this quote and thought I would pass it on. This is so relevant in our business:

ATTITUDE

by Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what hapens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our Attitudes."

And so it goes. Your attitude will have a lot to say about determining your success or failure. If you understand nothing else about this, or any other, business- Understand that!

To Great Success,
Joseph Demasi

Success is a mindset and the best way to change your mind is by going to SUCCESS UNIVERSITY