Dave Vass Network Marketing Blog

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Helping Local Business Owners Advertise Online...

So, some of you may be wondering what I've been up to lately.  It's been a while since I last posted and I've sort of been quiet in the MLM industry for the last few months.

My brother and I started a company called, Local Online Advertising Experts (http://LocalOnlineAdvertisingExperts.com) , and we've been having a lot of fun helping local business owners advertise online.  Like any good business we saw a need and fulfilled it. 

So many business owners have no idea how to harness the power of the Internet... we had friends who owned local businesses coming to us all the time and asking us to help them with their online marketing.

We are entrepreneurs...

How can an entrepreneur see a HUGE opportunity and ingore it?  We are in network marketing because we see opportunity, it's fun and can be rewarding.

Well, building our company this last year has been a blast.  It is growing like crazy and helping local business owners grow has been one of the most satisfying things I've ever done (yes, even more than MLM).

Online marketing has always been something I loved and I'm good at.  I've used it for many years with MLM.  Now, I'm using it to benefit local business owners. 

Does that mean I'm not doing MLM anymore?

No, not at all.  Although, I must say that owning a company that is growing at a rapid pace by helping other business owners is probably the most thrilling thing I've ever done... it never gets old.  It is "right up my alley" so to speak.

What I've experienced in MLM is that a lot of distributors own or know someone who owns a local business.  So the purpose of this blog post is to update you on what I've been spending most of my time on lately and also to let you know that http://LocalOnlineAdvertisingExperts.com is PERFECT for any local business owner who wants to grow in the 21st century.

Our model is unique and very refreshing.

That's all for now...

 

 

My Little Rant On People Who Leave Recorded Voice Messages Pitching Their Opportunity ...

Okay, I've had enough... I can't take it anymore.  I need to vent to the world how I feel about people who join these MLM opportunities where they call and leave voice messages on your cell or home phone.

Let me just be blunt...

It's pure stupidity.

So, just when spam email is getting under control by using great spam filters, now some genius has figured out how to spam people on their phones.

I get like two phone calls a day from people who are spamming me about their opportunity.  Every single time I get one of those "voice messages" I want to throw my phone at someone.  It is SO infuriating that someone actually thinks it is okay to interrupt my day with their stupid sales pitch.

I just can't believe anyone would be so foolish to use this new "tool".  There is NOT one single leader I know of in network marketing that would ever dream of joining somebody who spams them by leaving a voice mail.  In fact, there is no reasonable person on the planet earth that would join from those voice messages.

Honestly, do people who leave these voice messages think I'm going to be so excited that they interrupted my day to pitch me on my personal phone?  Not only that, they don't even have the kahunas to do it in person... they hide beind a recorded voice message.

Anyone who responds to a voice message like this is NOT going to do well in any business.  So why are people wasting their time even doing it?  What good is it to annoy 99.99% of people?  Why use spam methods to build your business? 

Seriously, this new gimmick is the most retarded thing I've ever seen.

Don't ruin your reputation by becoming a voice mail spammer.  Trust me, nothing good will come of it.  Learn to build your business on solid marketing principles.

Well, there's my rant for today :-)

P.s. Always remember, "do unto others what you would have them do to you".  How would you like receiving two voice mail calls a day pitching you on some ponzi scheme?  I don't know of anyone who likes spam of any sort... so please do not become a spammer!

How To Make Money ...

I've spent the last 5 years of my life learning how to make money.  They don't teach you this in High School or University.  You can't take a course on "How to make money" at any school I've ever attended or even heard of.

Most people reading this blog post want to know how to make money.  Sure, you might think you are here to learn more about network marketing or whatever... but the bottom line is that you want to make money, right?

Making money is harder than I originally thought.  Let me explain ...

A lot of people have this mindset that they can quickly and easily make money.  I've learned from my personal experience that this is NOT true.  Sure, there is the odd chance (like 0.001%) that you will win the lottery or whatever but that is not the secret to learning how to make money.  

Now, a lot of people are led to believe that making money has to do with the "opportunity" that you are involved in.  For instance, in network marketing you are convinced that you have to be in at the beginning or your company has to have a binary comp plan, etc.

While there are legitimate factors that do play a role in making money such as integrity, innovation, timing, etc, most of the time these are NOT why you are not making money.

So what is the secret to making money?

Simple ...

Become really good at something.

I don't need to write a book to tell you the biggest secret I've learned in my life about making money. I'm telling you it for FREE!  And it is so simple, yet so hard.

Just think about this for a moment.  Think of all the people you know who have and continue to make a lot of money.  Are they really good at something?  I can almost guarantee you they are really good at something.

What do I mean by really good at something?

First, you need about 10,000 hours of experience in that "something" to be really good.  This is not a number I just pulled out of my bum... this seems to be the common number for most people who are considered experts in a subject.

Okay, STOP right now!

Now do you understand why I said making money is harder than I originally thought?  You see, a lot of people (especially MLM'ers) want to convince you that you can quickly make money if you just buy their product or join their opportunity.

Won't happen.

From my personal experience I've learned that you can only start making a lot of money when you become an expert at something.

Most people don't want to put in the time.  They want to make money quick.  They have no patience or vision (or just haven't been taught) to master a skill.

I know this might not be what you were wanting to hear... after all, 10,000 hours is a LOT of time to put into something.  But, I'm telling you the truth.  If you put in the time and become an expert at something you will make lots of money and it will be VERY rewarding.

So, my question to you is, "Will you put in the time?"

 

Proof That Network Marketing Works

So many times you hear network marketers tell you that they have the hottest thing ever and that their business is exploding... blah, blah, blah.

How many actually show you PROOF?

Well, the new product for my company just launched this month and I wanted to show you screenshots of our volume... keep in mind this is just ONE month (the month of September).  This is NOT a binary... we get paid on ALL the volume.  I'd love to tell you what our check will be this month with all the bonuses and stuff but I can't (for legal reasons).

When network marketing works... it works!  I know this sounds sort of obvious but so many people get caught up in the "new" deal and they don't realize they can produce this kind of volume in a solid, older company.  Of course, it isn't really chance that we produced this volume... the product that launched this month is based off a multi-billion dollar discovery in genetic science.

What does this prove?

I've been saying it FOREVER but I don't think very many people have been listening ...

Network marketing is NOT about the compensation plan.  It is about having an innovative product that people WANT.  If you produce HUGE volume and you get paid on ALL of it then I promise you, you will make a big check.

In the end, I'm convinced most people in network marketing are missing out on the best thing they could ever be a part of simply because of pre-conceived notions (but I will save that rant for another day).

Here's the screenshots of our volume for this month (the first one is before the product launch and then the other ones are right after the launch):

** Please double click on each image to so that you can see the numbers clearly

 

Not bad, eh?

$140,000 and still counting. 

Who says you can't build a business in a twenty-five year old company?

The secret?  Integrity, Innovation, and Inspiration.

The best part is this is just the beginning... our team goal is to hit $1 billion in volume by 2020.  I know you may think this is crazy but I believe it is possible (partly because I've hit a window of opportunity with my company that is unparalleled in network marketing).

To Your Success!!

UPDATE!!

Only two days later and take a look at our volume now!  Did I mention I LOVE this company??  I was going to quit network marketing after my first experience (even though I made a LOT of money) but now I'm having the time of my life!  When the company's values align with yours there is no telling how far you can go!

 

My thoughts on leadership and what it means to be a leader

What's a leader?

There have been hundreds of books written on the subject of leadership and for good reason - being a leader is one of the most important skills you can learn in the twenty first century.

Leaders create change.  Leaders change themselves, those around them, and eventually the world.

What's interesting is most people hate change.

Just look at network marketing.  When I first got started in network marketing I brought a fresh perspective, one that focused on sound principles of marketing rather than the "same old, same old".  I leveraged EVERYTHING I could possible think of, including the Internet.

Guess what happened?

I met HUGE resistance.  You have no idea how much crap was thrown at me by other so called, "leaders". 

Why?

Because I was creating change.  People don't feel comfortable with change.  It creates fear.  And of course, if the change is good they still don't embrace it for a LONG time because they think it's still wrong.

My brother and I brought in over 3000 people in our FIRST month of network marketing (after two and a half months of pre-launch) and did $975,000 in volume!  And we did all of that from scratch.  I'm pretty sure we set a record.  Yet, in the midst of our success, we were ridiculed for how we did things.

Ironic isn't it?  We had success but it wasn't good enough.  The change we were bringing was too scary, too unknown.

Why am I telling you this?

Because if you want to be a leader then you MUST embrace change (actually embrace change with open arms) and not get discouraged when others don't buy into your vision and don't want to change.

You will meet resistance.  If you are a true leader then just expect it.  You cannot have a vision for something NEW and not meet resistance.  It's going to happen... so just be prepared.  But, always remember you are in good company.  Every leader has met opposition.

Now let's get personal ...

How are you leading?  What is your vision?  What change are you creating?  Are you scared what others think?  Are you scared of the unknown? 

When I decided to join a twenty-five year old company I was told that I was naive and stupid.  But, I had a vision... I knew what I wanted, I knew where I was going, and I wasn't looking back.

Nine months later and I'm still going strong... my vision even more clear.  And the best part is the RIGHT people have followed.

Don't ever be scared of what others think when you make a decision based on your vision.  You will always have the right people who will be attracted to the movement you've created.

We need more REAL leaders... people who have a clear vision, know what they want, and are willing to step out and do it even if they are laughed or scorned at.

Are you a leader?

What works better?

It's the biggest debate in network marketing... conventional versus unconventional; Internet versus face-to-face; traditional versus new.

Some argue that you absolutely MUST do network marketing a certain way in order for it to work.  To a certain degree they are right but they are also very wrong.  There are guiding principles in network marketing that will never change and any tactic or system must take these principles into account.

Let me tell you a quick story that just happened:

I met a lady a month and a half ago over the Internet.  She found one of my websites online and became very interested in the opportunity.  So, we had many conversations over the phone and emails were sent back and forth for a period of 6 weeks.

Eventually, this woman decided to join our team.  She had NEVER used the products and she never met me face-to-face.  Yet, I already felt a special bond with her and felt like I "knew" her.

Anyway, she went to a Fast Start Training today near where she lives in the United States.  As she was in the training she sent me an email that said,

"Everyone here is fascinated by the fact that my sponsor lives in Canada and I became a distributor without ever having used the products. The Vass brothers are now urban legends in the Atlanta market."

I couldn't help but smile to myself as I read this email and I had to respond,

"LOL... I love it!!!!!!!

See, anything is possible.  I've been told 1000x in my network marketing career that "you can't build a business that way" and I simply say, "Watch me!".

Anything is possible to those who believe.

Here's the main lesson in all of this.  It is NOT the action that matters as much as the intent of the heart.  So, you can have someone meeting people face to face all day long and the intent of their heart is to simply make money and not build a meaningful relationship - and even though they are doing networking the "conventional" way it will NOT work for them. 

Then you can have another person that builds their business online, through the phone and skype, and the intent of their heart is to truly connect with the other person and hopefully meet them face to face one day.  Even though this person is building "unconventionally", they will get amazing results.

It's never the tactic that works or doesn't work (although some tactics definitely work better than others), it's usually the person behind the tactic that makes it work or not."

Let me know what you think.  Leave a comment below.

New network marketing company directory just launched ...

After more than six months of a lot of time, work, and money I've finally finished my latest project where I created a network marketing company directory.

Here are a few notes:

- It is brand new so please be patient as we finalize all the details. However, it is 90% complete and fully functional.

- I created a Network Marketing blog where you can create blog posts and get HUGE exposure (just make sure to follow the guidelines)

- You can buy an exclusive company profile ad - click on the Advertise tab and watch the video to learn more.

Okay, so here's the deal. You are the first to really know about this site. I've already had quite a few orders (people buying company profile ads) just from having it live for 3 weeks and sending out a message to my Facebook group.

Because you are among the first to know about it you have the opportunity to grab the exclusive ad space for your company listing (hopefully it isn't already taken).

And I wanted to give you a special offer that I am only giving to members of my Facebook group and of course readers of my blog (you). We have about 6 Home page, featured spots available right now. Normally they cost $69/month. However, the first 6 people to buy an exclusive company profile ad (the Gold package) will get 3 months FREE on the Home page.

BUT ONLY THE FIRST SIX PEOPLE WILL GET THIS DEAL! Once the spots are filled, they are gone. But, that doesn't mean the exclusive company ad isn't worth it - I'm just giving a very generous offer since it's the official launch of my site.

Go here now to check out my new site.  And don't forget to click the Advertise tab and also the Network marketing blog.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me at 403-978-1914.

P.s. If you have a company that does not have a complete listing (i.e. video, description, etc.) don't worry - just let me know and it will only take a few minutes to update.

P.p.s. When you buy an ad make sure you click on the PayPal button to complete your order.

I've always had a problem with The Secret

Ever since the movie, "The Secret" came out and there was a huge movement towards the power of positive thinking, I've always had a problem with it that I couldn't quite put my finger on.  You know how sometimes in your gut you just know that something isn't quite right with something?

It's not that I don't appreciate the power of thoughts.  I believe most people underestimate the power of their thoughts.  It's just the way The Secret draws this out to conclude that we attract whatever we have from the universe.  Almost like we are gods.

Hmmm...

I don't know about you but reality speaks LOUD and CLEAR that this is not the case.  I'm reminded of the story where the disciples come to Jesus and say about the blind man, "Who sinned that he became blind?  Him or his parents?" (paraphrase)

In other words, the disciples bought into this kind of thinking that it MUST have been someone's fault that he was blind.  Somebody must have done something bad or had negative thoughts.  You know the law of cause and effect, right?

Well, Jesus response is, "Neither him or his parents sinned but he is blind that the glory of God might be revealed through him".

Wow!

Now, that is liberating.  To me, this is far more liberating then The Secret ideology.  To know that everything happens for a reason (even the bad) and that something good can always come out of something we consider bad.

Maybe you find yourself in a financial situation that you aren't pleased with.  Maybe you are totally broke or bankrupt.  The Secret would have you believe that it is really your fault... you need to change the way you think.

Of course, there is always partial truths in a lie.  Maybe you do need to change your thinking.  But, that is all part of the process...that is what it means to build character in suffering.

But, my take on it is that you are where you are for a reason.  Not that you have to be content and give up.  No!  But, that you can be relieved knowing that it isn't your fault.  Take what you have and where you are and make the most of it all the while believing and knowing that something wonderful is going to come out of it all.

Anyway, here's a video that I just watched that got me thinking about this.  I really enjoyed this video and I'm glad she decided to stand up and voice her thoughts on this matter.

Russ DeVan Shares One of the Best Lines I've Heard In Network Marketing

I'm sitting here at Pirates Cove, a $40 million property with my team (check out my facebook profile to see some amazing pictures).  One of the guys that joined us here is Russ DeVan, the founder of Success By Design.

We were just sitting around the kitchen this morning talking about network marketing and Russ shared something that I thought was absolutely amazing!

He said that when someone asks us what we do, instead of stumbling around and coming from a perspective of weakness (such as, "I'm a distributor of XYZ company" or "I'm a network marketer that sells XYZ") we should come from an angle of POWER!

Here's what Russ suggested ...

"I own my own company, Prosperty Freedom Network, and I have the global marketing rights to a billion dollar discovery in anti-aging".

Holy smokes!

Think of how much more powerful that is for the person listening.  You OWN it instead of just being a rep of some company (of course, I used my specific company name and the characteristics of the product we have... you would just substitute your own).

So next time your talking to someone come from an angle of POWER instead of weakness!

The Best Way To Sell Something

I just read somewhere that the best way to sell something is to learn how to write killer copy. 

I disagree.

Obviously, great copy does help to sell things.  But, I'm going to challenge this way of thinking.  I used to buy into this thinking and so I spent a lot of money learning how to write good copy and I hired professional copy writers (spent thousands of dollars).

But, then I started looking around and here's what I noticed.  The people who focus on selling stuff through good copy make a decent living (if they really know how to write good copy).  And there are the very few who make millions.

Have you ever stopped and wondered who is making the hundreds of millions?  Or is that thinking too big?  Well, I'd rather aim at the stars and land on the moon then aim lower and get nowhere. 

So who is making the hundreds of millions?  Do you see the guys on the Internet that are creating lists and "selling" their people on their list through good copy making the BIG money? 

Nope.

Last I checked it is the ones who create innovative products that are really making the BIG money.  In other words, the marketing is in the product.  Instead of having to "market" the product through good "sales copy" it simply spreads on its own because of how innovative it is and ultimately because of it's popularity.

We live in a day and age where the product IS the most important aspect of the marketing.  If you create the right product then the marketing will happen on its own. 

Maybe you're not following me so I'll use some well known examples.

Everyone knows Star Bucks (you know... the coffee shop).  Okay, but when was the last time you saw Start Bucks writing ad copy to sell you?  Or when was the last time you saw an advertisement on T.V. for Star Bucks?  Then how come it is so popular and such a BIG business? 

What about Google?   Did Google get you on a list and "sell" you through good sales copy to use their search engine?  Obviously not.  What Google did do is invest tens of millions of dollars WITHOUT even knowing how they were going to make money and provide YOU with the best search engine.  After they created the best search engine it spread like crazy on its own.  Did you know Google is now one of the most powerful and profitable corporations in the world?

Take a look at Facebook.  No advertising (well, they did some ppc but they did not use a sales letter or anything).  The guys who created Facebook probably have never taken a course on writing good sales copy.  Yet, Facebook is now a billion dollar brand.

I could keep going on and on but I think you get the point.  Now, I can almost hear you saying, "Well, Dave, that is fine and dandy but I cannot create an innovative product.  I have to stick to selling someone else's product so I need to learn to write good sales copy."

Wrong!

You CAN create products people want.  It used to be that you needed a factory to create products (which meant you needed a LOT of capital).  Not anymore.  All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and the guts to dream up new ideas and implement them.  Sure, you might not be a computer whiz but you don't need to start by creating a Google or Facebook.  You can start by creating a unique blog or you can hire someone to create your idea.

But, even if you don't create your own product you can still learn from this.  If you decide to market a product then pick something that is innovative and will naturally spread on its own.  In other words, if you need to hire an expert copywriter to sell your product then you probably have picked the wrong product.  An innovative product that people truly want will make up for lousy copy any day.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?