How Do You Achieve Duplication in Your Network Marketing Business?

Originally posted in… an email from Ann Sieg

“Once You Know How To Sell To 10,000
People In The Same Amount Of Time It Personally
Takes You To Sell To One Person…
You Will Never Have A “Duplication Problem” Again”

You know that feeling when you’re out having coffee with a friend… or you bump into someone you know at the grocery store… and you think to yourself, “I really need to talk to this person about my opportunity. I haven’t done anything yet to build my business today?”

And then, afterwards, when you fail to share your opportunity with them, you feel really guilty about it because you know you’re not any closer to your dreams of residual income?

How would you like to never have that feeling again?

Let’s face it.

We all hate talking to people who aren’t interested in our opportunity, and none of us would do it if we knew there was a better option available.

It’s about as enjoyable as chewing on broken glass and somehow, at a gut level it just doesn’t feel right.

So Why Do We Force Ourselves To Do It?

Well, a lot of us have been given the impression that it’s simply the only way to do this business.

Many of us have been told that the very core of network marketing, the very reason it’s so powerful, are the one-to-one relationships that allow us to immediately connect with our prospects and have our message heard above everyone else’s.

Remove the “one-on-one” aspect and you no longer have network marketing.

There are three main reasons we’re repeatedly ingrained with the idea that this form of direct selling is superior to all others:

• *t’s more effective than other forms of advertising.
• It’s the only way “the little guy” can compete with the big companies and build a business today.
• It’s duplicateable.

But is all this really true?

Let’s take a look at each one of these arguments.

#1. “Direct selling is more effective than other forms of advertising.”

The average person today is busier than ever before and the amount of things competing for our attention is at an all time high.

We’re constantly bombarded with as many as 1,600 to 3,000 different ads or marketing messages every single day.

Because of this, we’re told that the only way to cut through all the noise and get people’s attention is through personal, pre-existing relationships.

An individual is actually able to get much better market penetration with their “circle of influence” than a big company with a huge advertising budget because “people buy from those they know, like and trust.”

Right?

Now, at face value, this seems to make really good sense.

But if you’ve made even the smallest attempt at expanding your business through your warm market, you know that something’s not quite right with this picture.

Were you greeted with open arms by every friend, family member, coworker, referral and
acquaintance you’ve ever tried to prospect?

Did they happily whip out their checkbook and immediately buy from you because they know you or because you’re a friend of a friend?

Probably not.

In fact, you’re probably more familiar with the experience of being avoided or shunned by people the moment they found out what your real motives for talking with them were.

So much for “cutting through all the noise” right?

So why doesn’t it all play out perfectly the way it should? Why the big disconnect between theory and reality?

It’s because…

Direct Selling, Regardless Of Whether
Or Not You Already Know Someone, Is
Still A Form Of Interruption Marketing

You’re still intruding on people’s lives with the one thing people hate almost more than anything else: An unwanted sales pitch.

Sure, you’ll be able to get your foot in the door because they know who you are… but it doesn’t matter if you’re their best friend or a total stranger, once you hit them up with a sales pitch, all of that goes out the window!

You’ve just placed yourself in the same category as all the other solicitors they ignore! It completely voids the fact that you have any kind of relationship with them.

Any trust between the two of you has been damaged because people don’t like being taken advantage of. And that’s how they feel when you assume that they’ll automatically give you their money just by virtue of the fact that you know them.

Especially if you’ve used some sneaky, bait-and-switch “I just want you to evaluate what I’m doing” or “I can’t explain it, you’ve just gotta come and see it for yourself” tactic that many uplines teach and employ.

(Deep down inside we all know this instinctively because that’s not how we would want to be treated. That’s why it just doesn’t feel right when we push our stuff on people.)

More importantly…

Any Pre-Existing Relationship You Have With
Anyone Is Completely Meaningless If They
Don’t Already Want What You’re Selling

This is the most important and fundamental rule of marketing and it’s prerequisite to everything else.

If you’re not abiding by this rule, NO form of advertising is going to work.

In fact, person-to-person is actually the worst form of advertising for practicing this sort of “interruption marketing” because with something like television or a magazine ad, your prospect can simply change channels or turn the page if they’re not interested. No big deal.

But nothing is more uncomfortable than having to turn someone down who won’t take “no” for an answer. Especially when you’re trying to be careful and polite about it because that someone is your friend.

It’s also a lot harder and more wearing on you because you personally have to deal with the rejection over and over again (another thing that we humans don’t do well with), as opposed to an ad that couldn’t care less.

While the whole point of direct selling is supposed to be to allow you to breakthrough all the other advertising clutter, there’s actually a much better and more natural way to accomplish this.

Effectively getting someone to listen to you has nothing to do with communicating at a one-to-one level.

It’s all about whether or not you’re tapping into a need or desire that already exists.

If you’re not offering them something that they’re already highly interested in, you’re not going to be able to hold their attention and you’re certainly not going to get them to take action.

The REAL KEY to getting and keeping your prospect’s undivided attention is to deliver laser-targeted messages to them at the exact moment that they’re looking for answers.

Good Marketing Is About Delivering The Right
Message, To The Right Person, At The Right Time.

This is how you stand out from the crowd and the internet allows you to do this like no other advertising medium in history because what are people doing when they go on the internet?

Searching for information!

This is the exact state of mind you need someone to be in in order for them to be receptive to your offer – not when they’re having dinner or out grocery shopping.

The very nature of the internet is that people go on it to look for answers. It’s like a giant virtual yellow pages, except infinitely better and more powerful (in ways that I’ll talk about more in future emails).

It’s THE perfect pool of prospects – warmer and more receptive than any “warm” market.

Which brings us to the next point…

#2. “One-to-one marketing is the only way “the little guy” can compete with the big companies and build a business today.”

We would all love to advertise and have business come to us if we could right?

However, we’re told that the average person just can’t afford to do normal advertising like “the big boys” can and one-to-one, word of mouth marketing is really the only option available to us small home based business owners who don’t have a lot of money to start with.

Now, 20 years ago when everything was offline this *MIGHT* have been true…

But today with the internet, this argument is simply outdated and no longer valid.

Reaching mass audiences of hundreds of thousands of people with an advertising campaign in the offline world can cost as much as a small house.

With The Internet, These Same Numbers And Results
Can Be Achieved For Nothing Or Next To Nothing

Let me give you some examples…

• To take out a full page ad in The Washington Post, which has over 2.4 million readers, you will need to fork over a hefty $100,000.
  On the other hand, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has a circulation of about 370,000 readers, will only cost you $15,000.

  * A typical full page ad in most magazines will cost you anywhere from $20-40 CPM. This means ‘Cost Per Thousand’ – the cost per thousand viewers or readers. So if you want your ad to be seen by roughly 100,000 people, it may cost anywhere from
  $2-4,000.

• * Depending on the type of postage you use and a few other things like printing, paper, mailing list rental and lettershopping, having your offer sent to 100,000 people through direct mail can be in the neighborhood of $50,000 or more.
  * With production costs and air time, a 28 minute infomercial can easily run you up a good $200,000.

Now, compare this with similar methods on the internet:

Youtube
Cost: Free.

Reach: Sky’s the limit. Just now as I’m writing this email I went and looked up some videos about how to start a home based business and found a bunch that have gotten
54,542 views… 34,197 views… 74,907 views… 12,959 views… etc. All of them were done by individuals in their home. None of them were done by big corporations.

Article Marketing
Cost: Free if done manually, or for less than $200 you can have a good professional service do it for you for an entire year.

Reach: Hundreds of websites with thousands of regular visitors pick up your articles and distribute them.

Here are some recent comments about article marketing from someone who purchased the Renegade Network Marketer:

“Averaging About $4,000/mo In Sales”

“Ann…

By the way, I am averaging about $4,000 a month in sales, and only spending about $28/month to do that. Out of that, $19 is to keep Aweber getting my newsletter out, and the rest is my monthly fees for my website and blog. Really, I don’t spend anything
on marketing yet.

It’s all article marketing, blogging, and newsletter stuff.

I’m averaging about a 94% profit margin!”

-Scott Rogers
Duncanville, TX

Banner Advertising
Cost: $1-5 per thousand impressions, depending on the websites you advertise with (an impression is when your ad is shown) So to have your ad shown 100,000 times would cost between $100-500.

Natural search engine listings (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc)
Cost: Time.

Reach: Thousands to millions depending on the search terms you’re targeting.

Ezine Advertising
An “ezine” is an online newsletter and when you advertise with one, your offer gets emailed to the entire list of subscribers. This is one of the most effective methods for targeting huge crowds of people who are interested in your offer. There are
hundreds of home based business/network marketing ezines you can advertise with, but here are just a few examples that I found in about 10 minutes of looking through an ezine directory:
-$150 to have your ad sent to 470,000 subscribers
-$135 to have your ad sent to 280,000 subscribers
-$99 to have your ad sent to 100,000 subscribers
-$50 to have your ad sent to 37,000 subscribers
-$35 to have your ad sent to 20,000 subscribers

With the internet, anyone can advertise like the big companies, and in fact, in many cases, the “little guy” can do it a lot better.

Most Fortune 500 companies are just now starting to get up to speed on strategies and techniques that were being talked about and used with tremendous success 5-10 years ago by pioneering individuals and small home based business owners.

This may sound surprising, but did you know that during the 21st Century, 90% of the most significant breakthroughs and discoveries in science and business came from small businesses?

Why?

Because it’s very difficult for large, slow-moving, bureaucratic corporations to adapt and change.

The Fortune 500s and the Inc 500s – just like the vast majority of MLM companies – failed to adapt to the internet and are now playing catch up. (Actually, they failed to allow their
DISTRIBUTORS to adapt to the internet).

Is it really any surprise that the warm/cold market approach has become outdated?

After all, network marketing was first conceived of well over 50 years ago.

Things change. Techniques change. That’s okay.

This does NOT mean that MLM itself is outdated, just the methods that people are being taught to use. It’s more powerful now than ever, when combined with effective marketing strategies.

One more thing about this idea that home based business owners can’t advertise like the big companies can…

Notice how I said that “20 years ago when everything was offline this *MIGHT* have been
true…?”

Well, the reason I say “might” is because if you advertise like MOST distributors do, this statement is true.

You WILL lose money. Every time.

When Done Wrong, Any Kind Of Marketing
Is Expensive – Even Warm Market Prospecting
Which Is Supposed To Be Free

Most MLMers lose money because they don’t know WHAT to advertise (hint: it’s not your
opportunity).

However, when done correctly, all of your advertising expenses become a complete non-
issue.

Read that again.

WHEN DONE RIGHT…

COST IS IRRELEVANT.

Yes, even the most expensive kinds like direct mail.

If this sounds like something you’d like to learn how to do, you need to check out my book The Renegade Network Marketer.

In it, I show you EXACTLY how to have all of your advertising immediately pay for itself so that you have no out-of-pocket expenses – regardless of how big or small it is.

You’re really at a huge disadvantage if you’re not using this strategy in your business. Other people are every day and they’re finding they’re able to expand their advertising endlessly as a result.

Just click here to learn how to do this right now.

On to number three…

#3. “Warm/cold market prospecting is duplicateable.”

This argument goes right along with the first one.

If we’ve already established that prospecting people who don’t care about our opportunity one at a time is NOT an effective form of marketing (and in some cases, one of the worst forms when done incorrectly), why would you want to duplicate it?

Of course the whole point is supposed to be that making a names list and calling those people is supposed to be something that absolutely ANYONE can do without needing any money, skills, or experience whatsoever (not true, by the way)…

But in reality:

2nd Rate Methods Lead To
2nd Rate Results

Many MLMers might look at this and ask (as I would have in the past), “but didn’t John Paul Getty say that he would rather have 1% of the efforts of a hundred men than 100% of his own?”

And he did. But what he left out of that famous saying is that in order for it to apply, that 1% has to at least amount to SOMETHING.

The fact is, the old school techniques of trying to sell to unqualified prospects usually yield zero or even negative results for most MLMers and only ends up in frustration and failure.

And this is all assuming that the warm/cold market approach really is duplicateable in the first place.

But this is hardly the case.

It’s too dependent on how big your warm market is… what kind of people it consists of… and how much influence you have with them.

The problem is, most of us are not positioned very well as someone who our family and friends would see as a good person to follow into a business venture.

And in either case – whether you’re trying to recruit in your warm or cold market – when you’re prospecting people who have expressed little or no interest in your product or opportunity, only the most tenacious and pitbull-like reps can achieve any kind of consistent, ongoing success. Usually those who have had lots of experience in previous
sales positions.

Does This Mean That One-To-One
Communication Is Completely Out?

Absolutely not.

It’s simply a matter of shifting and redefining your idea of how and when to use it.

It’s just as important today as it ever has been – WHEN used correctly, with the RIGHT people at the RIGHT time.

Developing one-to-one relationships with your top business builders and your best prospects is very important…

But it’s definitely not needed for ALL your prospects. This tedious grunt work of sifting and sorting can and should be automated.

Most people find that when they do this, they literally get TEN TIMES the results.

No exaggeration. In fact that’s quite normal.

Here’s an example of just one such success story:

“I’ve Already Made Over $6,000 In
Commission Checks And I Have Attracted
Over 500 Prospects Who Came To Me”

“I’m a 22 year old Bulgarian and I came to this country about two and a half years ago. I came here to go to college and I’m pretty lucky because in my first few days of coming into this country I was introduced to the network marketing industry.

I was really enchanted by the idea of being in business by myself and having a residual income every month and all the different things that come with it. And so I was very motivated to make that happen. I started doing everything I was told I should do. I started prospecting everyone in my college, everyone in the gym, I started cold calling leads – a lot of leads. Many hours. And then I started investing a lot of money in inspirational and educational materials. Inspirational materials particularly to keep me cold calling…

I flew to California, I went to a $1,500 event with Jeffrey Combs – “Breakthroughs.” And then I flew to Las Vegas. I spent hundreds of dollars there for “First steps to success” – Danni Johnson, a big industry coach. I spent a lot of money on these CDs as well. In fact, after coming back from this event I had put scripts all over my wall because that’s what I had learned at that event. I had everything on the wall so I knew what to say in every different scenario…

And you know… this has been great. It has helped me grow a lot… but the fact is that in my two years of trying to build my business I spent a lot of money. Too much money. And I did not get back in return even a fraction of what I spent. So this was really a very unsuccessful way to build my business. And when I came across Ann Sieg’s book The Renegade Network Marketer, I was given hope.

I read the book and in my first month by applying the teachings of The Renegade Network Marketer I’ve already started making money and attracting prospects to me. And it has now been over six months and I’ve already made over $6,000 in commission checks and I have attracted over 500 prospects who came to me… are calling me… emailing me… and want to talk to me… this is really empowering. I’m making money even when they don’t join my network marketing opportunity and this is great because that’s what a real business is. Thank you Ann Sieg for teaching me and providing this book to the network marketing world.”

-Diyana Alcheva
Gresham, OR

To Your Success,

Ann Sieg

P.S. – If you haven’t read The Renegade Network Marketer yet, then go and pick up a copy for yourself. You can download it and begin reading it within three minutes.

It’s the best introduction to online marketing available for network marketers and it will show you how to truly stand out from the rest of the crowd so that you are THE only logical choice in your prospect’s mind.

Get your Copy of The Renegade Network Marketer and Free Bonuses for Just $1 Here:

“Well Worth Ten Times The Price”

“I’ve been in (and out) of the network marketing industry for over 7 years. After reading this ebook, I now realize the reasons why I was never truly successful. This is an amazing ebook!

It’s simply the most complete ensemble of information on how to market on the internet that I’ve ever seen. It’s well worth ten times the price.”

-Terry Shafer

Originally posted by Melanie Milletics at: MLM Duplication

Your Desires and Dreams Were Planted in You, and Your Talents Given to You, So That You Would Work to Live Your Dreams

I am going to hit a soft spot here, but you really need to think about this because it is very true.

Remember when you were little and anything was possible? What did
you want to be? A doctor, a fireman, a pro athlete, a rock star, a
teacher… what was it? You remember…

I love watching my kids play because their minds have no limitations.

Thinking about this made me ask myself a while back, “Why do so
few people have dreams these days?”
It’s because people are afraid and think, ‘Dreams cost money.’
But dreams are what make us succeed in life.
Dreams are what we all deserve to reach in our lives!

One of the more important values I have found with ViSalus^(TM) is how
they stress the importance of living your dreams. The top producers
not only show off what their success has bought them, but even more
they speak of the lifestyles they have achieved and show others how
they too can have the same kind of life. ViSalus is about great
products; it is also simply about HOPE. It’s about inspiring others
to go for their dreams. It is exactly what the name stands for -
impacting life, health, and prosperity around the world.

Too often, I hear people look at something they want and say, “I
can’t afford it.”

How about instead saying, “How can I afford it?”

There are too many dream stealers out there these days. We need to
look out for the people who may innocently say negative things
like:

“You can’t do that!”
“That is too risky.”
“Don’t be silly!”
“If this is such a good idea, why hasn’t someone else done it
before?”
“Oh I tried that years ago, let me tell you why that won’t work
for you.”
Empowered people have big dreams that they have every chance to
achieve, while people who are afraid to grab their dreams simply
spend their lives moaning about what they never have. If you want
to change who you are and how you live, begin by changing the size
of your dream.

What is it that you really want?

Why not go for it? You really have nothing to lose!

ViSalus is an opportunity, giving you the vehicle that can take you
down the road to achieving your dreams while providing you with the
fuel to keep you moving toward your destination!

I know you have a dream worth looking at. And it begins here!

Take a further look and let yourself THINK BIG!
Then call me…I want to help make your real dreams come true!

Originally posted by Melanie Milletics at: Personal Development

The Law of Sowing and Reaping As Applied to Network Marketing, by Jim Rohn

The Law of Sowing and Reaping is so very clearly played out in growing a Network Marketing Business. It is the thorough understanding of how it works that enables us to discipline our disappointment and keep sowing, and ultimately succeed in Network Marketing.

In Mark 4:3-8, Jesus says:
There went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

You, as a Network Marketer are the ambitious sower with excellent seed. You have drive, determination and are ready to spread the word. Your seed is good. You have an excellent company, with an excellent product and you have been given just the right words to say.

But the facts are the facts, and we are told clearly how this world works in the parable above. There are some things that are indeed, inevitable.

#1 The birds are going to get some of the seed.
You can give the invitations, and even get confirmation that some guests will attend… but then they will not show.

Oh well! Some will, some wont, so what!

Don’t chase those birds,for if you do, you will leave the field. You aren’t sowing if you are chasing. Chasing will distract from your future, not add.

Its better to just accept it as it is… for you were told: The birds will get some of your seed.

Now, if you keep on sowing, you will eventually plant enough that the birds cannot eat it all, and you will get sign ups into your business. Unfortunately…

#2 The seed falls on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. On the first hot day it withers and dies.

Those wonderful signups who seem so gung-ho? Some are going to drop just as soon as the excitement wears off. The hot weather is gonna get some – this is not of your making.

Some don’t stay. Attrition is real. Sure, there are things you can do to make sure your people have everything they need to stick if they are going to… but some wont no matter what you do!

You cant solve this. You can only cooperate with things the way they are…

And keep on sowing! You need to discipline your own disappointment and keep on prospecting and showing the plan.

You will sign up more people, and make more money, as long as you continue to sow. You will enroll more people and you will find that…

#3The seed falls on thorny ground. The plant starts to grow again, but the thorns choke it and it dies.

Some of your new people will let cares and distractions choke their business. The unfortunate fact is that people will let little things cheat them out of big opportunities.
They wont listen to the conference calls, won’t make it to the local training events. They’ll let ‘real life’ as they see it get in the way of their dreams. They wont make the dream money either… and then they will choke, and fall away.

Its just the way it is…

The good news?

The sower keeps on sowing, and

#4 some of the seed will fall on fertile ground and will spring up and grow.

As long as you keep on sharing the story, keep on giving the invitation – finally the seed falls on good ground.

The fact is, it always will, if you keep sowing.

This is the way the world was made.

Dont try to figure out WHY, just work with it!

Now the last piece of this is that the people you enroll will work their business with differing intensities. You cannot change them, and should not push them.

The parable says that some will work at 30%, some at 60% and some at 100%. You can never expect a 30%er to do the work of a 100%er. Instead, you must acknowledge and water the sprouts of the 30%ers… and keep on sowing!

A beautiful effect of your continuing to sow? Your skill level will inevitably increase. You have be be bad before you are good and good before you are great. So initially, you may find that you aren’t very good at inviting… but you totally make up in numbers what you lack in skill! And the act of running the numbers will result in your getting better at prospecting and closing.

In short – get to work sowing, and don’t quit! Just understand the way the world works, and roll with it!

You can access more personal development audio from Jim Rohn in your Success Library Online, part of your ViSalus Vi-Net.

Personal development is a master key that will help you in all areas of your life. It will help you to find a power within to do amazing things in life. To know that your childhood dreams were meant to be your reality.
If you have been living a less than vibrant life, get started as a ViSalus rep today and dive into the personal development training that is included in the Fusion Academy.
You have a full audio and book library worth thousands from Success Magazine available to you!

Originally posted by Melanie Milletics at: Law of Sowing and Reaping

My Birthday Wish : Participate In the Social Media Challenge to Feed Hungry Kids

Its truly good to give out of your abundance. It can give you great joy and increase your giving spirit. And just in case you aren’t aware of how things work right here on planet earth – when you give out of your abundance, the law of 10 fold returns applies. That is, when you give – you claim a 10 fold return, knowing that it will come back to you – and abundance will flow back into your life. Try it

Today is my birthday, and I have just one desire. I desire that more children in need across the USA would have full bellies, and healthy minds. I desire that they would recieve the donations of the ViSalus Community Challenge through their local foodbanks. That their parents would have a healthy, nutrition loaded shake to give them each day that has everything their beautifully designed minds need to develope properly. That those same children would grow into the greatness they are meant to be – and ultimately – give out of their abundance!

When you donate $24 out of your abundance through the ViSalus Community Challenge, you provide 30 meals for children in need in the USA. ViSalus will then match your donation and give another 30 meals – so in fact, your $24 donation will give 60 meals to children in need!

All across our country, food banks are in desperate need for donations to feed the growing numbers of hungry people. As the unemployment rate exceeds 10% nationwide, more and more children go without a decent meal – and many are starving for protein. Protein is needed for growth, intellectual development and a healthy immune system. The children who are going hungry are not only suffering now, they are bound to experience the long term results of a protein deficiency – stunted growth, decrease in mental function and a lifetime of health problems.

Why would I bring this to your attention, and on my birthday?

Because each and every morning I give thanks for the ability to feed my children a healthy, substantial meal before they head off to school. I pray for those who go without ~ and I am moved to help them.

The ViSalus Community Challenge has a goal to feed 100,000 meals by the end of 2009. On this day, I would hope that my wide internet reach will help to reach this goal. If you would find it in your heart to give, out of your abundance, you would be part of a movement to eradicate hunger right here, in our own cities and towns across the USA.

By sharing this post through a retweet on Twitter or a Facebook share, you will be participating in a model of charitable giving that that has never been available to us before social media.

Retweet on Twitter :
Click on the green ‘tweetmeme’ button on the top right of this post, or copy and paste this into your status:

My Birthday Gift? Share thru RT, and Feed Hungry Kids! http://bit.ly/4CZIMy

Share on Facebook :
You can find my post on my profile wall and share that, or post this to your wall:

The Social Media Birthday Giving Challenge : Please Share, to Feed Hungry Kids in the USA!

http://budurl.com/birthdaywish

The more of us who post, retweet, and share this message of giving out of our abundance- the more meals will be provided to children in need.

So please, don’t give me a facebook virtual gift – instead, give me a gift by donating to the cause, posting that link to your wall, using Ping.fm to share and tweeting my birthday wish

When you do, you will be participating in a movement to truly impact children!

LOS ANGELES, CA – November 18th, 2009 – ViSalus Sciences has made another step towards bringing
its mission of Prosperity to families in need. From Fusion Academy, a ViSalus national convention in Tampa, Florida, CEO Ryan Blair announced a new initiative that will leverage the company’s Vi-Shape® Nutritional Shake Mix to provide, healthy nutrition to children from coast to coast.
The Body by Vi™ Community Challenge has set a goal of donating 100,000 children’s meals through a network of local Distributors working with charitable organizations in their communities. For as little as 50 cents per meal, ViSalus Distributors and Customers can make a donation to be matched meal for meal by ViSalus.

The Challenge was given a head start towards this goal by Co-Founders Ryan Blair, Nick Sarnicola, and Blake Mallen, who together pledged the first 15,000 meals on stage today.
“Our company is founded in name and spirit on the pillars of Life, Health, and Prosperity,” said ViSalus Chief Marketing Officer Blake Mallen. “To us, Prosperity is about much more than financial freedom; it’s about the ability to give back to the people and causes that touch your heart.”

Chief Sales Officer Nick Sarnicola is humbled to have an opportunity to combine the benefits of
ViSalus products with the giving spirit of the ViSalus community. “To have great products is one thing,”
said Sarnicola. “To have a great product that children can benefit from and enjoy is another. For our
community to make this product available for free to the children who need it most is the ultimate
form of contribution we can achieve.”

ViSalus Founder Ryan Blair was inspired to take this cause to the masses after a recent trip to Jamaica
showed him what a difference the ViSalus community could make. “There are too many children in this
world who don’t have a fighting chance because they simply don’t have the means to get the nutrition
their bodies need each day. To succeed at school, on the athletic field, or simply to grow up to be
healthy, nothing is more important than nutrition, and I hope the children of the world know we don’t
plan on stopping at 100,000 meals,” said Blair.

– Press Release–

About ViSalus Sciences®
ViSalus Sciences®, with headquarters in Troy, Michigan and Los Angeles, CA, is a leading Weight
Management and Nutritional Supplement maker utilizing the direct selling channel to distribute its
products. ViSalus is the company behind the Body by Vi™ Challenge, a health transformation program
helping people achieve their weight loss and fitness goals for a chance to win over $100,000 per year
in total prizes.

Originally posted at : My Birthday Gift? Use Social Media to Share, and Feed Hungry Kids!

Future Shock: Why Online Content Syndication Is the Premature Arrival of The Future

In the world of Internet Marketing, it is said that ‘content is king’.
That’s only half the story, of course, because if your content is buried, it cannot be found- that is, unless there are lots of good maps back to it, through social media marketing!

Those who are at the forefront of marketing knowledge have been doing something called ’syndication’ of their content and using social media marketing for quite some time. It’s how we appear to be everywhere at once, and also how we dominate the search results for whatever keywords we choose. Until just a few short weeks ago I achieved this syndication of my content by outsourcing my marketing – to my VA.
Effective? To a point, yes. But the results are absolutely minuscule compared to what I have found by implementing the SYNND system put together by the guys over at Social Media Science to outsource my marketing.

I am humbled at the power of what they have put into our hands. I am also well aware that those of us who implement this level of syndication by outsourcing your marketing will steamroll our competitors!
This is truly the Future of Online Marketing.

Read below an interview of the SYNND creators, Thomas Rozof & Charles Heflin, SocialMediaScience.com

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In preparation for our upcoming book, Charles Heflin and I were asked the following question by the other co-author, Richard Dennis:

“Charles and Tom, what is it about content syndication that blows your mind?”

Since I’m older and cuter I went first…

OK, I know, having your “mind blown” is a rather dated colloquialism, but it still manages to get the job done, and just about everyone knows what Richard was after by his question. So here is my answer. Actually, to be honest, it’s a SUMMARY of my answer. You must read the book to get the complete picture (you knew that was coming, didn’t you?).

What blows my mind about content syndication is that it is the ultimate END GAME for all current and future successful online marketing; yet only a minuscule number of people understand its immediate and long term effects and implications. Even fewer know how to execute a successful content syndication campaign. Now stop for a second… and read this sentence again. I’ll wait…

If this statement is ANYWHERE NEAR true then you have every reason to dissect, explore, test and literally devour what I’m about to share.

Content syndication currently exists in a kind of “FUTURE SHOCK” state, to borrow Alvin Toffler’s description. He defined Future Shock as the “The premature arrival of the future.” This is exactly how I view the current state of content syndication.

It’s “premature” only in the sense that the online world is not ready for nor do they expect the outcomes and massive success that content syndication will generate, especially when it’s executed properly, as we have demonstrated and continue to perfect at SocialMediaScience.com.

It’s the “future” in that content syndication is where ALL future online marketing is heading, regardless of whether people like it or not. In the very near future EVERYONE will be forced to abide by what will seem to be a very stringent code. But it’s not stringent to those of us who have practiced these syndication protocols for years and LOVE THEM because of the results we get, time and time again.

Even the words, “Content Syndication”, both alone and together are packed with stellar meaning. Quality, relevant “Content” describes the number one motive and goal for every person engaging in an online SEARCH. The primary goal of ALL search engines therefore is to deliver this quality, relevant and easily digestible CONTENT to all its users. The search engines KNOW that this is the ultimate end GOAL.

What is mysterious and baffling here is that most online marketers also know about the role of quality content. Around the world millions engage in various kinds of SEO strategies as a costly and often unpredictable solution. They understand the “trees” but for many reasons they have yet to see the “forest.” Believe me, once you see the FOREST and you understand what this vantage point offers, you will kick yourself for not seeing it sooner. It’s as if Fort Knox has stacked its gold bullion onto the center of Times Square and day by day people walk by and see only shiny metallic images, with less than 1% of 1% ever stuffing one of those valuable gold bricks into their backpack. The FOREST and the GOLD BULLION is CONTENT SYNDICATION.

In the next few years the search engines will finally perfect their search architecture to such a degree that they can superimpose their MASSIVE CONTENT SIEVE onto every combination of words and phrases that people so glibly submit as CONTENT. Expect the Net as we know it today to undergo the most massive and complete CONTENT HOUSE CLEANING since its inception. We have already seen smaller versions of this grand WORD PURGE; but you ain’t seen nothing yet! Expect this grand daddy of them all to be on the horizon soon.

Online marketers are fond of calling this “The Google Slap.” Well, call me a seasoned sadist, because I LOVE it whenever Google slaps me (and rest of the net). “It hurts soooo good!” Why? Because when they do this I see yet ANOTHER reason why content syndication blows my mind and another reason why it SHOULD blow yours. It’s like cleaning up the streets of New York City so that the hard working, honest and law abiding citizens can walk freely and enjoy the fruits of their labors; which for us content syndication advocates means more READERS and more SALES. Whenever the net get’s SLAPPED I win, because I know how to leverage my content by syndicating it on the new and cleanly swept syndication sidewalks that Google cleared off just for me and for everyone else who VALUES true content. And just think; now we get to do this without all the hindrances and trash that used to line the content roadways of cyberspace. Do you get the picture?

Lastly, what blows my mind is the word “SYNDICATION” itself, and the various meanings it conveys. Have you ever done a study on this word? Do you know what it means to “syndicate” something? For example when applied to online content I discovered that to syndicate means all of the following:

1. To BROADCAST through multiple channels.

2. To CONTINUE to broadcast through multiple channels on a REGULAR basis.

3. To syndicate so often and so well that you DOMINATE your content niche, topic or keyword. For example, when we say things like, “Las Vegas is still run by the Syndicate,” we are implying that a “Syndicate” is a group of people who have established themselves as a powerful multichannel force, one that will not be EASILY MOVED.

4. Isn’t this EXACTLY what we want our content to accomplish…to dominate our chosen niche so that NO ONE can move us aside…ever?

Now consider this. When most people think of content they automatically think of something written, like an article, blog post, press release, etc. But as my friend, Russell Wright, reminded me recently, content means any “item” that is capable of embodying meaning and can be distributed through typical online channels. When you consider the implications of this you have to get excited. As the average online business owner begins to explore and understand the value and the mechanics of content syndication expect to see a tidal wave of new approaches to online marketing.

OK, if you have followed me this far you have either concluded that this guy is on to something historic and monumental or that he is a complete idiot mind freak toying with my lack of knowledge and worse yet, my emotions. Obviously, you must be the final judge, and I welcome that. I’m not trying to be cute or flamboyant about all this…(OK, so maybe I am a little). The point is that you owe it to yourself to find out if these predictions and forecasts are based in truth. If you discover they are then I suggest you begin now to learn how to live and succeed in the state of CONTENT SYNDICATION FUTURE SHOCK…because it has already arrived and it’s here to stay.

Now for a word from my partner Charles Heflin on this “Future Shock”…

The facet of content syndication that blows my mind is its leveraging power.

There is no other single thing in Internet marketing that you can do that holds more leverage than content syndication.

Why?

In a SINGLE move you can (single being the KEY word)…

• Initiate the viral spread of your content to many, many networks and people
• Enhance the visibility of your content in social circles from other people propagating (spreading) your content.
• Enhance the visibility of your content in the search engines through multiple references all leading to your content
• Enhance the ranking of your content in the search engines because of all the ‘Social Buzz’ surrounding your content

There is simply NO other more efficient action you can take in Internet marketing today that has more leverage, none. You can effectively narrow your marketing tasks down to simply writing educational, enlightening and entertaining content for your target audience, syndicate that content and watch as your target audience begins to arrive at your website in perpetually growing numbers.

No other form of Internet marketing is this easy and none is more powerful in terms of time spent to reward gained.

Of course to use this leverage you have to go through a paradigm shift in what you “thought” Internet marketing was all about. To use this leverage you must forget marketing and start being educational, enlightening and entertaining to the audience you wish to attract. Then this audience will seek out your wares, no selling required… Sales just happen.

It is a shift away from the “pitch” and into quality of information which leads to sales. Internet consumers are VERY wise these days. They base their judgment of what to buy based on trust and social mention. Consumers are savvy now; they know how to research to find the answers they seek… Are you going to be one that answers those questions in an educational, enlightening or entertaining way or are you just looking for a sale
To harness the leverage of content syndication you MUST shift your thinking and forget about marketing. As you forget about marketing and focus on delivering quality content, marketing will happen for you automatically. How is this for counter intuitive?

Are you ready for some FUTURE SHOCK? … If not I suggest you get ready. It’s already here and Thomas and I (and our partners and staff) have spent over 4 years researching, testing and visiting Times Square, daily claiming our gold, which nobody else seems to notice…Honest, you should see OUR backpacks!

Thomas Rozof & Charles Heflin, SocialMediaScience.com

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You have 2 options now. you can bury your head in the sand and pretend you don’t understand the brevity of what has been revealed to you… or you can move forward at lightening speed to gain the advantage you need right now to absolutely CLAIM your gold online by outsourcing your marketing with SYNND.

I know you are an intelligent person ~ you are going to check out SYNND right now, arent you

Originally posted by Melanie Milletics at: Social Media Marketing

Thanksgiving, Live Life with an Attitude of Gratitude

Its that time of year, when families all across North America gather to celebrate “Thanksgiving”, a time to give thanks at the end of harvest time.

This year, let it really sink in that Gratitude will get you exactly where you want to be in life. It is an attitude of Gratitude for what you have, that will open the door for you to have more.

I am grateful to have learned this KEY. As a result of giving thanks and credit where it is due, I have completely transformed our lives.

There were a couple of KEY books that helped to solidify this truth in my mind. Of course I read and listed to “Think and Grow Rich”, but “The Science of Getting Rich” spoke volumes more to me about the importance of Gratitude.

It is said that a wise man’s prayer is one of Thanks.
Let that sink in…the prayer is one of thanks.
Not one of ‘please help’, but rather of ‘Thank you for taking care of this for me’, and a easy acceptance of the gifts bestowed, even if not yet received.

The highest understanding of how we are able to attract what we want into our lives is that you must see your life as it WILL BE. This is also the most difficult thing for humans to do… to see things differently than the eyes actually perceive – but it is the KEY.

When I learned the proper way to pray, things in my life began to shift. My ‘luck’ increased and I began to see the life I had envisioned take shape around me. Then I was told about another book with a goofy title – “I am Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams, I am, I am, I am”. This book is far easier to read and took me further than I had gone before. It gives very easy to follow instructions on how to become wealthy -seriously wealthy. Where Hill and Wattles speak an odd language, Thomas Pauley speaks just like you and I do… and gives it really straight: You need to ask, accept your gifts, and give thanks.

Please take my advice and read the “The Science of Getting Rich” now, and order yourself a copy of “I am Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams, I am, I am, I am”.

To change your life, you must first change your mind. There is no way around it. You are subject to God’s Law of Attraction whether you work with it, or not – so you may as well get with it!

Now back to that Thanksgiving thing, and Gratitude. Try this out, please!

Practice the feeling of gratitude NOW. Take just 20 seconds to relish in it. Know that you cannot be negative or feel sad when you are grateful. Its also impossible to criticize or complain when you are in a state of Gratitude. Gratitude opens up your ability to attract more of what you want, because you appreciate what you already have.

Gratitude is the way forward. Practice it today… and every day for the rest of your life. I can tell you with certainty that this practice will bring forth a future of abundance. Simply remember to ask, and be grateful, knowing that it is coming. Take inspired action when opportunity presents itself, and reap the rewards. You deserve it!

Please tell me what you are Thankful for in the comments below.

Blessings to You and Yours,
Melanie Milletics

GIVE out of your Abundance to those in Need

Originally posted by Melanie Milletics at: Law of Attraction