After taking several years off from the MLM or Network Marketing industry, I’ve recently found a product that I love and decided to re-enter this nebulous industry. This time with a renewed interest in building a group primarily online.  There is a learning curve, which takes a little time to climb, but the rewards are definitely worth the effort!

One of my previous posts identifies how marketing online and offline are similar.  The methods are different but the rules are basically the same.  Since, you can’t completely ignore your local market, I thought I’d pass along a saying I heard a long time ago. “The pain of regret is worse than the fear of failure.” I’m not exactly sure that is a quote, but the message is definitely there.

Several years ago, I let a “friend” talk me out of pursuing an opportunity that I really liked. Well, several months later this same “friend” recruited me into the same opportunity that they talked me out of earlier. Because of the marketing plan in that company, my decision to be recruited by him instead of recruiting him cost me a rather large fortune.  Now, I want to make sure you know that I am not angry about that situation, but I’ve tried to learn from it.

Just tonight, I listened in on a conference call from one of my up-line partners and one of the presenters is (was) on my list. In fact, his business rents a building from my company. I just haven’t gotten around to talk with him yet. Again, not angry, but it makes you want to give yourself a swift kick for not being as active as you know you should.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to this business, always remember this, “the pain of regret is worse than the fear of failure.” Don’t regret that you didn’t make that call. Don’t regret that you forgot to send that e-mail or write that blog post. Don’t regret that you let that big opportunity pass you by. Take your fear of rejection and toss it out. Take action instead of sitting on the sidelines. Whether you earn one dollar or a million, at least you will not have to face the “pain of regret” by not taking ACTION!

Michael

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I’m not really sure how to preface this video. We all have challenges in our lives that make us grow. God sometimes has to trim us up to get us growing in the right direction. In growing your business, there will be times when you feel like giving up. In those times, sometimes we need a reminder that giving up should not be an option.

The law of attraction says that whatever you concentrate on you will attract. Do you concentrate on your failures or on your successes? I guarantee that Tony, shown in the video below, does NOT concentrate on his lack, but of his abundance. This is a wonderful testament to the power of human achievement and overcoming all odds. I hope you enjoy this message as much as I did. I’m an emotional person, but I dare you to watch and keep dry eyes!

Thanks for stopping by!

Michael A. Lindsay

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As one of the owners of a “brick and mortar” business as well as a budding Internet Entrepreneur, its interesting to see all the “different” ways the “Guru’s” in the Internet business come up with to get new customers.

I have been lucky enough to be able to work with my Father in our business for the last 25 years. Undoubtedly, one of the BEST marketers that I have ever met.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING has ever been to “over the top” for him.  He even rode a bull during a Rodeo event that we sponsored as a fund raiser for the local Fire Dept. People still talk about that years later! I have come to the conclusion that marketing is marketing is marketing.  It doesn’t mater if you are creating blogs, capture pages, videos, writing tweets, posting on MySpace or running newspaper ads, having giveaway promotions, running specials, or even riding bulls. It is ALL the same! It’s building relationships! While certainly there are many many differences, when it gets down to the bottom line, it’s “what kind of impact” can we have on others, that will make them want them to do business with US!

There is a tremendous amount of competition in the Internet world as well as in the brick and mortar world. We happen to be in the grocery industry. If you think you have a lot of competition in cyberspace (and we all do) try being a small independent grocery retailer going up against WalMart or other regional or national chains. Competition is good. It makes you better. Online marketers need a way to differentiate themselves.  To stand out from the others. Make yourself a leaders. How do we do that. We have to find a way to serve. We serve in the retail world by having products that our customers want at a competitive price. We (our company) serves by still taking groceries to our customers cars. Yes, it’s a little old fashioned and costs us a considerable amount in extra wages, however it also “differentiates us from the Mega stores. We give better customer service. We have to in order to survive.

Online, we have to serve as well. Become a giver instead of a taker. Take the time to answer that question someone posts, give them a URL to a site that will help them, help them learn a new skill. All with NO AGENDA! I have been involved in the network marketing business for many years. I’ve always had some moderate success but never become a “heavy hitter”. One may ask why I still love network marketing if I’ve never made a huge amount of money in it. The MAIN reason? I have friends all over the country. Some going back nearly 20 years, that I would have never met, if not for network marketing.  I’ve built groups the old fashioned way and online.  For me all this social marketing, Web 2.0 stuff is simply networking. It’s just relationship building taken to the next logical step.

Learn your craft (and there is a learning curve). Don’t jump in and oversell every contact you get in your inbox. That would be like me following customers around in our stores and putting an extra rib eye in their cart. I don’t think they would appreciate that. Help them, learn from them, establish a relationship. Let them know what you do of course, but let them decide how they want to do business with you.  I love to show our customers how much better our rib eyes are and we will cut them just like they want. Establish your niche, show how you do it better, and they WILL buy. Then, they are your customer for life! I’m still doing what I did 20 years ago. Building relationships. The ONLY difference is, we now call it Web 2.0 or Social Media Marketing, and we do it online.

Michael Lindsay

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