There Is More To Results Than Effort

The level of effort you apply to your business is important, sure.  However, the road to (profitability) is paved with a lot more things that need to be in place - independent of how hard you intend to work at it.

• Mentorship - enables you to avoid unproductive activity and provides a support system that teaches how to transition from a newbie to a professional Home Business Owner.  It is the proverbial "shoulder to lean on".  However, it is a shoulder you are paying for and this is an important dynamic for both the mentor and mentee to understand.
• Leverage - there have to be components of the overall "system" that leverage your time and money.  You can leverage your time with tools and technology.  You can leverage money by understanding and ensuring that you are involved with platforms that employ compensation systems that have a leverage component.
• Onboarding - allied with mentorship, there has to be a "structure" that (at least in theory) provides you with everything you need to know, has guidelines and expectations for your involvement, has tools to accelerate relationship development.. and. goal setting, budgets, and much more.  This can't take place in a willy-nilly "hope it happens" manner.  It needs to be structured and articulated in writing.
  
• Understanding and Choosing Marketing Methods - marketing is intentional.  If you don't know what you are doing in terms of specific activities that gets "what you have" in front of people for them to evaluate - you are not in business.
  
• Understanding Time Commitment - The reality is this:  if you "take on" a home business, your life changes.  You add something that didn't exist before.  No matter how you slice it, this will take time out of your day that previously did not require definition.  To be successful, again, requires intentionality.

This is a shortlist and is not exhaustive.  It all requires effort.

The Liability of Preconceptions

This will all make sense at the end...

Preconceptions and predispositions relate to opinions and attitudes.  Both attitudes and opinions can be thought of on a linear scale from negative to neutral to positive.  In our industry, we deal with preconceptions, all day - every day.  

To drill down one level deeper, an attitude is an established (predisposed) way of thinking about someone or something.  It exists as something that is pre-verbal.  It is also known as a mindset.  Everyone has attitudes and opinions that are a matter of degree - in someone's willingness to speak up (or) remain silent.  Either way, attitudes and opinions exist.

As stated, once an attitude is articulated into words, it becomes an opinion.  The important thing to understand is that an opinion is something that is not necessarily based on facts or knowledge.  

OK...  So, what is the point here...

We build organizations in the context of person-to-person commerce.  We use Affiliate Offers to create a residual income engine.  This is not akin to anything.  It is its own "animal".  We are in the Network Marketing Space because we do build networks based on our marketing efforts.  However, we ARE NOT in the MLM space.  Multi-Level Marketing uses a completely different compensation and organizational structure, although they too are a Network Marketing business as they employ marketing to build networks (organizations).

The liability we have in our business is that people "meet" what we do with a whole host of preconceptions and misconceptions.  Fair or unfair, it is the reality.  We are lumped in with MLM's like one of those "pyramid things".  The fact is, we are not a pyramid-like most conventional businesses, we utilize Referral Lines.  These are vastly different.

The real liability here is yours if you do not understand the difference (and) have the ability to explain and differentiate between the two.

Be the One They Choose to Work With

You can't blink credibility into existence.  It needs to be scraped and clawed for through the passage of time.  

Therefore, for anyone new to Affiliate Marketing (in our niche and the way we do it) this is the reason we recruit people with whom you have something in common, with the supposition that they may not have a deep credibility base in our industry either.  Historically, this is why ventures typically fail.  It is a matter of the blind leading the blind.  With Vertical Industry Marketing, we start with our Relationship Building Accelerator and, (at least) we develop an understanding of each others' lived experience (as best we can).

So, this begs the question, "What sets you apart from the pack?"  What makes you exceptional to the extent that someone would want to choose you as the person they want to work with?   Especially if you are just getting started, you may think there is nothing that makes you "special".

I want to challenge this notion.  Our model is intentionally highly selective.  We screen and choose people we want to work with.  We ARE NOT in the business of taking people's money, letting them fend for themselves, flailing around, and finally fail-out.

You need to own and understand that someone will "choose you" because of their gut telling them you are sincere and committed to helping them grow into profitability, through their growth - both personally and professionally.  People will choose to work with you because they can sense you have integrity and are worthy of earning their trust.

Over time and as your organization grows, at some future date, your credibility (based on your body of work) will become implicit.  You will be a known quantity in our industry.

However, getting to that point is really a matter of mindset.  It is in the "knowing" of who you are, what you stand for, how you conduct yourself... in posturing yourself as "being the one they choose to work with".

A Real Solution for the Vast Majority?

Everything should be simple.  Why isn't it?

There is nothing hard to understand about truth and integrity.  It follows that if you are perceived as one who is honest and adheres to virtue, you should be someone worthy of trust.  So where does everything break down?  

I think it boils down to understanding that trust is built over time.  It is not implicit, it is earned.  It is a thousand micro-actions that lead to the macro of trust.  It is something that evolves, it is not something that is granted, in most cases, especially when two people do not know each other, initially.

Corresponding to this, "A Real Solution" is simply a statement and perception that (like trust) needs to be earned.  We have every confidence that our solution IS real for the vast majority.  However, in the process of getting people to adopt what we do as something they embrace, there is a significant amount of education that is necessary.  It is a thousand micro-actions of building credibility, one individual at a time.

As such. the "Vast Majority" is more aligned with something that would appear in a Mission Statement.  It is not an operational construct.  Even though what we do may make sense to most people if they take the time to understand what we do, it nonetheless is "operationalized" one person at a time - through the establishment of credibility and the earning of trust.

Simply making the statement of being "worthy of trust" falls well short of it being actualized.  We deal with the Vast Majority one person at a time, and this requires time and effort, repeated over and over until your individual goals have been met.

Thanks, but No Ranks

This post is a point of clarification.  

Our business is in the Affiliate Marketing space.  Yes, we build organizations, however, Rank Advancement is a Multi-Level Marketing concept.  MLM's "rank advance" through the growth of business volume, which is typically associated with organizational size.

As one advances in rank, they get a bigger piece of the pie.  If the first level is 5%, the rank advance may mean 3% or a total of 8%... along with a title change from (in metals) Bronze to Silver to Gold to Platinum.  The company tracks these transactions and pays the distributor on a predetermined schedule.

This is not our model.  We earn 100%, paid directly - peer to peer.  The company tracks these transactions as an accounting and "scorekeeping" function, however, money is paid directly to you.  The company is not a middle man that holds your money, it simply is a portal for your transaction to take place.

This is a huge difference.  We grow, but Rank Advancement is not included in what we do, we are all at the top level of our compensation structure, based on the level you choose to participate.

Funding Life and Financial Literacy

Many people want or need more money and know if they simply "found" something to plug into... that actually worked, it would provide the all-important grease that would make life a whole lot easier. I have used the expression many times, "There are a million ways to make money, you only need one". I have also said, "Money is the grease that lubricates life". Both obviously infer the "idea" that money plays a huge role in people's lives.

Most people have a job to fund their life. It is a fixed income approach, working for a salary or a wage. Their only "leverage" is getting a 401K match from their employer and then hoping the Stock Market performs in a manner that supports growth. The goal of a 401K is retirement, so it is of little use until you are 59 1/2, unless you want to borrow against it and incur stiff penalties for doing so.

So what are the alternatives in the "million ways" to make money? A second and/or third job > Real Estate Investing > Bitcoin > being a reseller on Amazon, or selling your own stuff on eBay or Etsy > you can do manual labor side jobs from babysitting to painting a house... Each of these help "fund life" and provide "grease".

Then, there is what we do. We employ financial mechanics. We utilize leverage. In the initial stages of what we do, there is no avoiding the WORK of putting (people and their money) in place to enable leverage, however, once an organization is built (and you have the savvy to maintain it) the income continues month to month and year to year.

Understanding how this takes place is a function of financial literacy. Financial literacy is the set of skills and knowledge that allows someone to make informed and effective decisions with their money.

In other words, it goes beyond "making a buck". It assumes that once you have a "buck" - you make conscious decisions about how to use it. You can: 1) spend it, 2) save it, or; 3) invest it (put it to work for you). What we do is most aligned with #3.

Another statement we use in our Community is, "We organize knowledge, people and money for everyone's benefit". Here is another definition of financial literacy: Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Financial literacy is the foundation of your relationship with money, and it is a lifelong journey of learning.

Fundamentally, we ask people to change their relationship with money. We ask them to "add" the perspective of leverage. We utilize leverage by organizing knowledge, people, and money into a process designed to enable this to happen.

This "adding and learning" defines literacy. It is Financial Literacy that enables people to fund their lives.

Plant a Flag on Your Dreams

What follows may or may not apply to you.  Perhaps you are self-actualized and wealthy; both spiritually and financially.  Most people fall short of this.  If so, my wish is that these thoughts instill some hope and some clarity.

There are a lot of things that take place inside of our specific Community as well as the Communities of our Affiliate Partners.  Ultimately, we are "in the business" of helping people rise above their current circumstances, to the extent that additional financial resources can make this happen.

"Planting a Flag" essentially means making a commitment.  The question is, whether something is worthy of your commitmenmt of time and resources?  Does something you evaluate as a "means" to earn additional income hold up to scrutiny?  Does it make sense?  Can you justify and defend your involvement in whatever you choose to do?  Do you have the conviction and moral authority of "knowing" that what you are commiting to - is worthy?

At the end of the day, our business is about relationships and trust.  After you have done your homework regarding the credibility and viability of something - that "something" becomes secondary to the person/people you are in business with.  Are they there helping you plant your flag?  Do you trust that they will be there in the future?  Business (our business) is about relationships and building trust.  

Speaking of flags, it is a huge RED FLAG if you are not working WITH someone who is there to help, support and teach you.  Now, turning this on it's head, the real quesiton is are you willing to be that mentor?  Here is the reality: this is what you sign up for; to evolve from student to teacher.

Combining these thoughts, in "planting a flag" you are commiting to being a person of value.  You evolve into someone who has something to give to those with whom you work.  If you can genuinely make this commitment, "success:" will grow out of this foundation of commitment.

Plant your flag.  Work on your dreams.  Nothing magically happens without effort.  Learn.  Apply.  Teach.  Support.  These are the things dreams are made of.

A Means to an End

You can make money doing just about anything if someone is willing to pay you for it.  In a general way, this defines commerce.

In the new world of Digital Commerce, there is something called an NFT (Non-Fungible Token).  It is a "unique unit of data" on a digital ledger, typically associated with something... artwork, music, sports trading cards, or even just ideas.  So, it is a digital representation of something - stored on the blockchain.

So let me ask, where is the value here?  Something is unique.  OK.  Something is scarce.  All right.  Something that two parties agree that has value... How? I am not sure, but it is happening in real time, right in front of our eyes.  I am in no real position to judge, so I will not.  This all seems kind of "made up" to me, however my opinion of it is irrelevant.  If people agree to it - so be it.  It is a means to an end.  More power to them.

Analagously, the "detractors" of our industry "judge" that person-to-person commerce is somehow inherently scam-my.  They contend it is about people taking advantage of others; and people getting "burnt" as a result of their participaton.  In many places, you are admonished to "run" from certain business models.

Here's the reality:  all of the negative inferences abound because many people can not (do not) make things work.  "How" things work is governed by systems and contracts that people agree to.  But nonetheless, people persist in denigrating the Social Commerce industry.  This is not a fault of the industry, it is the fault of the people in the industry and the supports that are in place to bolster success.

This is why we go to such great lengths to ensure those we recruit have a solid understanding of what they are getting themselves into.  What we do is not for everyone, otherwise, everyone would be doing it.  However, let me be clear, the "system" works.  The proof is real.  The unfortunate reality, it that people are not taught "what it takes" to make the system work for them.

However, the real point I want to make here is that we are in the business of consensus and agreement.  What we do is simply a means to an end.  This "end" is profitability and income. Everything we do is designed as a means to this end through teaching and mentorship.

This is another way to explain what we do:  we find (recruit) people and organize (pair) knowledge, and money with a system designed specifically to enable this to take place.  The "system" could be anything.  What we do was simply a "choice" someone made at some point in time.  We simply agree to jump on the bandwagon and participate "in a way" to make money.

And, to bring this full circle, the "means" we use, compared to an NFT is highly tangible and rock solid.  The "end" is income.  The question you need to ask yourself is "if" our ends justify our means inherent in the systems and tactics we use?

Look yourself in the mirror and answer this question honestly.  This moral underpinning and sense of clairity will drive your business in terms of your confidence and conviction in conveying the value in what we do.

No Time is Ever the Right TIme

This will be short.  It is about procrastination.  It is about being stuck in life.

There is a song by Adele named Easy on Me.  The refrain of the song is, "I had no time to choose what I chose to do".  It is a lament about youth and being stuck in her ways.  Later in the song she talks about having good intentions and the highest hopes.  Nonetheless, it is a song of regret - of an older self reflecting on a younger self.

From my perspective, her song speaks to the "plight of the commoner".  It is a life resigned to the way things are, even with the best-of-intentions.  It is "knowing" things can be different, but doing nothing about it, and this realization coming only from the wisdom of the passage of time.

Many times people get swept along by the inertia of family, social, or cultural expectations and as Adele says, "I had no time to choose what I chose to do".  Eveything in life is reduced to an unconscious whirlwind, in the absence of affirmative choices being made.  No time is ever the right time and days and weeks turn into months and years.  In the end, nothing changes.

This song captures a small slice of "why" people get stuck in life.  Our business simply poses an option - that includes a plan to follow for people to get un-stuck.

"A" Product is Critical - "The" Product is Not

For our purposes in what we do, first, let's define commerce.  It is the exchange of money for something of value.  This "something of value" can be broadly defined as a product or a service.  

You pay a Lawyer for his knowledge.  You pay a carpenter for building you a shed.  You pay College tuition to attend a school.  OK.  I don't need to go on.  The point is money is paid in exchange for something of value.

Ultimately, everyone chooses how to make a living.  If a grown man imports children's toys from Taiwan, there is no requirement for him to have an affinity for the toys.  He uses toys as a vehicle to make a profit and earn an income.  Year after year, there may be slight product variations, but ultimately the "toy business" is the toy business.

We sell Tools and Education.  Just as in the toy business, these products remain relatively consistent from year to year.  There are innovations.  There are upgrades.  Again, ultimately the products we offer are relatively consistent over time.

The point here is that you and I could choose to be in the toy business... or the shed business... "the" product does not really matter.  We are in the education and mentoring business.  At the end of the day, we are in business to make a profit and earn an income.  It is what we agree to, rally around, support, and advocate for.  

To be legal, a product or service has to be exchanged for money.  "A" product is critical, "the" product could be anything.

One a Week - For a Year

 

This post is a perspective-builder.

I don't want to insult anyones' intelligence here, but one a week for a year is 52, right?  In our business we use an initial "cash now" offer that is followed by a subscription offer, which is funded out of profit.

For the sake of simple math, let's say a subscription is $200 a month.  This (times) 52 is $10,400 a month in gross income.  After taxes at 25% the net income is $7800.  This replaces most people's incomes, and if not, is a welcomed "bump" in income for anyone.

Now, given the leverage components of a Referral Line Compensation Structure, to realize a group of 52, you do not need 52 direct recruits because people are referred to you as a part of the business model.  Again, this is a leverage component stipulated by a contract.  Realistically, a group of 20-25 direct recruits can produce a group of 52 (give or take).  

Then you need to account for the realities.  Eventhough we do our best to ensure people's success, in reality, not everyone will "stick".  Therefore, in getting to these numbers, you need to account for attrition (fall out).  Your level of attrition is directly correlated to your ability to nurture and support your organization.

That said, everything comes full circle back to "how" you get one-a-week?  First,it happens through activity (exposures) in telling others about what we do. This is the grunt and grind part of the business.  Second, it happens through working with your referrals (poeple you do not directly sponsor, but are referred to you).

We work with people in terms of what people "bring to the table" in regard to time, budget, previous experience and knowledge.  A plan needs to be tailored to these "variables".  Not everyone will have the same plan.  It has to be highly customized to be a "fit" to integrate with what someone can realistidally "give" in terms of time and resources - to make a business work.

This is all in pursuit of "One a Week - For a Year".

Hope Tethered to a Strategy

No doubt, you have heard the expression, "Hope is not a strategy".  Just so you know, I am not "going there".  The expression is somewhat flippant and unserious. The statement offers little of value.  I simply wanted to mention it to frame something that is of value.

It is important to understand that what we do is noble.  What we do is important.  We help people by showing them a path to improve their financial condition.  We inherently instill "hope".  It is the aspirational idea that things can and will be different.  It is the promise of money being a lubricant to life by providing the means for security, and ultimately with time and effort, prosperity.

However, hope is not enough.  It needs to be tied to a strategy that is realistic and can be implemented with a reasonable amount of learning and effort.  This entire blog talks about all of the variables that constitute this "strategy".

If your head and heart are in the right place, you know that we care for the welfare of others.  We offer and instill hope in people through our guidance and mentorship, teaching others to engage in behaviors to form solid professional relationships that produce income, based on the strength and longevity of these relationships.  We are in the business of people helping people.

Seek to work with people from a true sense of altruism, with a concern for their well-being.  You need to trust this advice:  YOUR long-term security in building a business is directly tied to the loyalty of the people you are in business with.  This means loyalty to you, loyalty to the business proposition, and loyalty to the pledge of caring for the organizational culture we espouse.  What we do is not about the money.  The money (your security) happens when you ensure others are prosperous and secure.  Everything is driven by mutual welfare with money being the by-product.

This is the foundation of our Community and culture.

Competence and Compensation

 I created this graphic as a Facebook and Instagram post.  I simply wanted to include it as a post.

It speaks for itself. No explanation is necessary.

Recurring versus Residual Income

I am splitting hairs here a bit, however, I want to point out a difference between two terms based on the income platforms we employ.  Many times, recurring and residual income are used interchangeably.  From my perspective, they are not the same.  

Both are also referred to as "passive" income because both continue to pay regardless of whether there is still active work being done.  However, in the models we use, for income to recur (periodically), an effort has to be applied to make it happen.  

In other words, if you need to work with people to get paid, it is not automatic.  It is "earned" in the true sense of the word.  It can and will recur, based on the business model, but it is not automatic.  It is dependent on people doing something in order for you to derive any income.

Residual Income, on the other hand, is "automatic".  It is tied to automatic payments on a calendar basis and linked to someone's bank account, credit/debit card, PayPal, Zelle, CashApp, Bitcoin... account.  It is more aligned with a subscription, royalties, rentals, etc.  

As long as people do not "cancel" their contract, they will continue to be billed and you will be paid.  Like any of these:

On the other hand, recurring income looks more like this:

You need to work with people to ensure the results "recur".  Again, it is built into the model to make it possible, but it does not happen all on its own.

We include both in our core offers.  We start with recurring income because this is a people's business.  We then migrate to subscriptions whenever money is flowing and the pressure of a monthly subscription is eliminated due to paying for the subscription comfortably out of profits.

Our Hamburgers are Education & Tools

Odd title, right?  Let me explain.

Franchises exist for all types of things... massages, hardware, storage, any type of fast food... including hamburgers.  Law Offices, Insurance Agencies, Real Estate Brokerages, Physical Therapy Clinics, H&R Block... OK, you get it.

What all these have in common is a set of processes for operations, policies and procedures, standards, and best practices... all culminating in a replicable model that can be repeated over and over.  Simply put, all franchises provide a business template.

What we do is the same.  We market digital franchises.  Our product is eLearning, sometimes referred to as Digital Education.  We deliver our product over the internet and affiliate with Online Platforms that have a business template in place for us to follow.  In addition, these platforms also provide all of the business functionality to handle payments, organizational tracking, management, training, and a host of other functions, depending on the individual platform.

Given that all is "digital", our business model is easy to understand and implement.  It is transacted by mind and mouse.  There is no complicating your life with UPS or FedEx deliveries.  No dining room tables or garages full of "stuff".  In the context of commerce (the exchange of money) our model is to learn information and implement what you have learned.

You are the Owner/Manager of a franchise.  Ultimately, this does involve recruitment and training of employees.  In our case, we refer to these people as Client Partners, but the process is the same in regard to interviewing and onboarding.  It is the same in regard to ongoing support and management.  However, there is one big difference:  we have no payroll.  We are a commission structure like any Insurance or Real Estate Agency.

To bring this all together, understand this:  knowledge and education lead to competence.  Competent Client Partners are your most valuable asset.  Your business is not the Platforms we affiliate with.  Your business is the loyalty (longevity) and competence of the people in your organization who have the ability to articulate and transact our Digital Franchise business model.

Emotional Energy and a Second Job

Whether you define it as emotional energy, or simply as just energy, this is a simple component of your success to understand.  Most people we recruit already have a primary job, as you probably do as well.

Inherently, what we are asking people to do is to jam something "extra" into their lives.  No matter how thoughtfully and constructively we frame it, no matter how much we can preach time management, regardless of how we define business-building activities - at the end of the day we add "something else" to peoples' lives.

I am not going to go down the "why" path, e.g. people need to have a strong enough "why" to compel them to action.  Fundamentally, what precedes this is emotional energy.  It is the internal transfer of energy from your head and your heart to your hands, feet, and will to communicate.  In other words, knowing what to do is not enough.  Doing it is everything. (And) this requires fortitude (emotional energy).

At his point, I could talk about all of the hallmarks of procrastination.  I will not.  In many other places on this blog, I have talked about making choices in modifying your lifestyle.  That doesn't get to the point here either.  The point is how you feel about what you are doing.  It is more akin to mood.

Is your "pain" or dissatisfaction with how your life is currently functioning strong enough to compel you to be doing something "extra".  Or, are you really money motivated and want a new boat or a second home (and) does this give you the emotional energy to add something to your life?  It all kind of sounds like a motivation thing.  But what I am getting at here even precedes motivation.  Again, it is more akin to the pervasive "mood" of your life.

This is about having a thought in the context of the "mood" of your life - and migrating that thought through a whole process - that results in money in your bank account.  At every step in this process, emotional energy is necessary.  It is the "thing" that overcomes complacency, procrastination, and self-doubt.  It is the spark that lights the motivation fire - and there has to be a reservoir of these "sparks" available to you on a daily basis, day in and day out.

So, the name of this post is, "Emotional Energy and a Second Job".  The reality is this:  until you build your business into a recurring, residual income stream, it is exactly the same as having a second job in terms of time invested, things to learn, etc. - until that point when you can prudently make a decision to "can" your primary job based on the amount of money you are making.

The bottom line is this:  thoughts tuned into actions are linked by emotional energy.  It is the connective tissue that turns desires into reality.

Vertical Industry Marketing

The core strategy of Agreement Seekers is a method called Vertical Industry Marketing.  This bears some explanation. 

First, a vertical industry is a group of companies that focus on a specialized market.  For purposes here, let's talk about Landscapers as an example.  Landscapers obviously have expertise in turf management and shrub/tree maintenance.  They have skill sets in equipment care and are generally multi-taskers and problem solvers... are industrious and entrepreneurial. They have relationships with equipment vendors, landscape architects, lawn sprinkler companies, nurseries, arborists... and of course, all of their customers, however, customers are not included here.

All of these companies are in the same "vertical", however the most important is the one not mentioned.  It is a landscaper's competition - other landscapers.  This is the main opportunity for this marketing method. Essentially we give every "industry vertical" the opportunity to capitalize on their competition in a positive manner.  How and why is this so?

One of the primary dynamics of communication and the establishment of trust is perceived similarity.  The technical term for this is called "homophily".  It is the tendency for people to seek out people who are similar to themselves.  When a Landscaper talks to another Landscaper, there is instant "street cred" based on assumed common experience.  These common experiences, in addition to what is mentioned above, are the frustrations of finding good and reliable help, managing the books and payroll, managing taxes... not even mentioning the best practices for sharpening mower blades or servicing customers.

Fill in the blank(s) for any industry, job, trade or profession.  Peoples' work is a common frame of reference and establishes a baseline for affinity between two people.  Suffice it to say, when two industry professionals talk to each other, on a credibility and trust level, it is a much different conversation than with those who are not in that same industry.

Therefore, when a Landscaper calls a Landscaper to talk about a new supplemental income method, there is a much higher probability that there will be a reception to the message.  This is true for any industry vertical - both blue-collar and white-collar.  

So, the conversation would go something like this: "Hi Name, I own my own Landscaping business like you and I am also a Recruiter for Agreement Seekers.com.  I don't want to take any of your time now, but thought you would be interested in how I make extra money as a supplemental income source.  Do you have a pen and paper handy?  First, you can go to this website:  AgreementSeekers.com and read just that one page.  Then, if this piques your interest, follow up with me by emailing "whatever@gmail.com".  Or if they do not have a pen handy, tell them to hang up and you will call them right back and leave the instructions in their voice mail.

Sidebar:  Just so you know, "whatever@gmail.com" is an email account that you set up, put permanently on Vacation Response and acts as single message autorespnder.  This email exists only for this one purpose.  (We teach how to do this as a part of our on-boarding process.)  This email provides insturctions for taking the next steps in our three step process:  1) outreach, 2) qualification and assessment, and; 3) business model disclosure.  (Note:  we do not lead with a business opportunity.  What we do is much larger than a single biz opp.)  

Also, we do not "give away the store" early in the process because what we do is quasi-proprietary.  We want to work with people who understand our culture and community and have a relatively high level of buy-in - on both pragmatic and conceptual levels - before we talk about how we make money.  We don't want to be perceived as money grabbers looking for warm bodies to "sign up".

In any event, I digress.  To get back on track, for someone who is not in a vertical, the conversation would go something like this:  "Hi Name, I am a Recruiter for Agreement Seekers.com and I am looking for Landscapers interested in supplemental income to market to other Landscapers on a national basis.  I don't want to take any of your time right now.  Do you have a paper and pen handy...

To close, it is important to note that we posture ourselves as Recruiters for a Business System specifically designed for income enhancement /  supplemental income creation marketing specifically to focused markets on a national scale.  

Footnote:  The rest of this blog speaks to many of the elements that make our Business Model viable in terms of culture, character, and "what it takes" to be successful.  It is a store of practical, pithy, and no-nonsense guidelines of how our organization works within the Home Business industry.  Combine this with our Systems, Best-Practices, and onboarding that are talked about on this blog, you will get a solid sense of why our approach is significantly different than any other "opportunity" in the Social Commerce Industry.

The Gnats and Fruit Flies of Social Commerce

I have written about this topic once before with a different and more straightforward take.  I called that post "Scam and Pyramid Marketing".   This time I want to frame things as irritating - like a gnat.

Gnats and Fruit Flies buzz around your head.  You swipe at them, but they persist.  They are annoyances that can drive you to distraction. They have no real value in the scheme of things.  They are simply pesky little undesirable critters.

For just about any non-traditional business model such as Affiliate Marketing, you can typically find a Google-ranked reference to such businesses as being a scam, a pyramid, or a cash gifting "scheme".  These "gnat" articles are sleazy and self-serving due to nearly 100% of the time their sole purpose is to trash the company cited and then tell you how great their opportunity is as an alternative.

It should go without saying that this is duplicitous and disingenuous, not to mention that most of these posts are written at about an eighth-grade level.

Then, there is the issue of "what to do about it".  It is not like any of these people offering their opinions have integrity.  Otherwise, they would not engage in this form of bait-and-switch marketing in the first place.  As well, these people are obviously desperate to have to resort to this type of marketing.  As such, there is really nothing to "go after" legally in terms of bringing a suit for slander.  It is simply not worth the time, energy, and expense to go after these sleazeballs.

As such, just like Gnats and Fruit Flies, we learn to live with them - annoying as they are - and being a huge disservice to the Social Commerce industry.

However, before I close let me simply say this.  If a transaction exists between two people and an override or administration fee is paid to a company for use of their platform, it is legal.  The fact that different packages exist at different prices points is irrelevant as long as a transaction takes place for something of value.  In our industry, this thing of value is typically a digital, eLearning product.  Again, the perceived value of these products is irrelevant - a point on which many of the gnats want to harp.

If anyone wants to argue the point of value, you would need to explain to me how joining Mar-a-Logo is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars as an initiation fee, and then $14K a year.  This is a matter of scale at any Country Club.  So let me ask, are Country Clubs widely known as scams?  Yes, you are paying for the pool, the tennis courts, the golf course, the clubhouse where you can throw a party.  But is it a scam because people choose to belong?  The answer is pretty obvious.

We sell access to digital information in a peer-to-peer business model.  It is no less legitimate than any act of commerce no matter what the gnats and fruit flies have to say about it.

Referral Line Compensation Explained

First, a little background to set the stage for what follows.

A contract is something that all parties agree to that governs the rights and duties of those involved.  A contract can stipulate anything, however, there is no contract unless there is an agreement between two parties.  It is a statement of expectations and “how things will work”.  The business platforms we affiliate with have contracts, also known as “Terms of Service”. You agree to these terms in participating in our business.

In the world of Affiliate and Online Marketing, there are many compensation models.  Among these are subscription, referral line, power leg, matrix, uni-level… and the list goes on.  (Most) all provide incentives for some type of leverage.  Leverage is defined in different ways:  1) overall volume, 2) individual transaction margin, and/or; 3) organization size.  Obviously, in many cases, these go hand-in-hand.

With eLearning courses, products are based on tiers of content complexity - from beginner content to more technical “how to” content across all facets of information.  Each tier of content has a different price point.

  

With one of the platforms we affiliate with, a referral sale is made to the Recruiter. The industry "nickname" for this is a One-Up,  This “one up” is simply a structured leverage component of the contract.  (It is how the contract works.  It is what is agreed to.)  In real terms, it is a one-time, secondary/referral payment to a Recruiter with recurring (but not contractually guaranteed) outcomes. 

These potential recurring payments are collected through a Line Structure with successive payments being made by individuals, not on the basis of automatic [time frame] payments like a subscription (this is why it is not guaranteed).  It is a leverage component that is built into the structure of the contract, however, it is effort-driven. If you want to ensure subsequent "powerline" payments you need to ensure the success of individuals who are in that line. As in all Social Commerce, you get paid by helping to ensure the success of people in your organization.

One last angle here. In money jargon, a Referral Line is a financial engineering component. Most all compensation models in the Social Commerce space (that are not one-time, straight percentage commissions) have some form or leverage component. What the compensation model being explained here does - is akin to compound interest (paying interest on interest). With a Referral LIne, instead of paying interest on interest, the component is people paying people at their participation level in a "Line". People at their given (investment) level are positioned structurally and contractually. This defines how the overall leverage of this "compensation structure" functions.

This is not a gift as some critics purport. It is a contractually stipulated, legally compliant payment governed by the compensation structure - again, a part of the contract which is agreed to by all parties.

Once this is understood, it is your "job" to drive success down the depth in multiple powerlines that will be available to you - based on your organizational growth (width) in recruiting Client/Partners that are front line (direct) to you. This combines with each second sale being "referred" to you; inherently creating new powerlines - creating leverage. You then work with the people in each line to your financial benefit as everyone in these lines pass up their second sale in the depth of that line. This can (and should) happen for many generations of depth - theoretically to infinity.

A Referral Line is a POWERFUL recurring income generator if worked to its potential. However, to maximize its financial potential, it needs to be combined with people who can competently replicate a process [across and down] a referral line structure.

When this takes place, a Referral Line compensation structure can yield significant results. This is why it was chosen to be in our portfolio of offers.

Moral and Philosophical Underpinning

We build groups of people who choose to collaborate to make money together.  Fundamentally, this is what we market and "sell".  The individual businesses and platforms we employ to fuel the economic engine do not really matter (given they are sound).  Essentially, they could be anything.  As such, we are not hawking a "biz opp", we are creating understanding about the benefits of "agreement" and of being in business together.

This agreement, at its core, has a moral and philosophical underpinning.  Without "agreement", a viable, long-term business will not exist.  No consensus, no shared values, and commitment... no long-term business.  Therefore, to re-state, we build consensus within groups of people who choose to be in business and make money together.  The asset you build is a group of competent, committed people who (ultimately) participate in monthly subscriptions, long-term -with you being the recipient/beneficiary.

To back up a step, morality is about something being "right or wrong".  As such, in regard to the morality of things, you must ask yourself if you agree with the premise of building groups of people who choose to collaborate to make money together?  This is our business model.  We educate and provide supports for people to engage in this process.  If you are not on board at this fundamental level, you are in the wrong place.

Along these same lines, philosophy can mean a lot of things.  For purposes here, let's say that philosophy simply means it is a "way" of thinking.  Again, it is the underpinning that is a foundation for common understanding and agreement.

These are important, baseline, fundamental concepts for you to grasp.  Our mission is long-term income, driven by a stable group of people with a common frame of reference who "buy into" a common set of beliefs and assumptions.

Your ability to articulate what is conveyed in this post will be a good predictor of the kind of group you will build and its long-term viability.

Squandering Existence

Let me start with a number of questions.

Who is accountable for your life?  Do you have anyone pushing you to excel?  Do you have your own standards that you strive to meet?

What benchmarks do you have that signify success?  Given that this blog is about home business and making money. are you satisfied with where you are with respect to your finances and earning potential?

Is any of this worth any thought?  Is it possible to be intentional and strategic about how you invest your time and resources, pursuant to stated objectives?

To squander is to waste foolishly.  If you are not "present" and intentional about what you want your life to be, you are squandering life (existence) and losing the potential of the moment.  Right now, you can make decisions that will propel your life in a more positive direction.  You simply need to do it.

These actions do not need to be massive.  They can be small and incremental, but need to be tied to some defined outcome and on a timeline - and in writing, because in essence, you are making a contract with yourself.

In other words, you need to put in writing what do you want to accomplish, and by when.  In a home business, this is defined by many things, but the bottom line is always the bottom line: how much money are you making, or more to the point, how profitable are you (income minus expenses)?  This is the end-point.

The starting point is getting after it.  It is a plan of action on a timeline.  Your mentor's job is to help you define this action plan.  It is not the same for everyone.  There is not a generic template that is one-size-fits-all.  Everything has to be customized to who you are and what you bring to the table.

If you are happy with your job and your wage or salary, this does not really apply to you.  Complacency and being "all set" is the way most people live their lives.  Many simply do not aspire to "be" and to "have" more.  This is perfectly fine for them.  No value judgments.  What we do is not for everyone.

In most of these cases, leaving an estate is not a consideration.  Having a Will is not on their radar.  Paying bills and staying afloat financially is how they play the game of life - without aspiration, without planning, and without any prospect of doing and having more.

The premise we work from is that people who join our Community do not fall into this category.  We attract people who are able and willing to put a plan in place and execute that plan.  This is done through a process of collaboration and mentorship and the process of learners becoming teachers.

It is a noble and worthy enterprise if done correctly, and done well.

Mentoring Fundamental #1: Asking, "How Can I Help?"

 I have written about this topic in other posts.  As such, I will be brief here.

Here is the lay of the land:

1. If you are in our Community, you are in a recruiting / organization-building business.
2. The real asset you build is people. These people are competent, and; committed to a common mission/vision regarding our business model.
3. You nurture competence through building relationships that are based on support and mentorship.  You build commitment through others' having success and thus sticking with our business.
4. Relationships involve communication, both formal (training) and informal (chatting).
5. The most fundamental act of communication is reaching out to someone and asking "How can I help?"

It is the responsibility of the enroller to structure the onboarding and continuing mentoring process.  This process has to be thoughtful and strategic.  In other words, there has to be a plan of when and what you will talk about as a business-building exercise.

Then, the rest is simply a function of asking, "How Can I Help?"

Costs of Doing Business Compared to Other Professions

I am officially "retired" but work about 25 hours a week at a Prometric Testing Center as a Test Center Administrator.   PTC is a worldwide organization that administers nearly 500 different tests across many professional disciplines.  

Some of these include the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) for physicians, NCARB is for Architects, ASE is Automotive Service Excellence.  Then we do the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)... all of the Praxis tests for teacher certifications.  We also do TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).  Massachusetts Insurance Licensing for Health, Life, P&C.  Certified Public Accountants need to take 4 tests...  FINRA licenses Stock Brokers (Securities Industry Essentials, Series 7... etc.)  And... many, many others.

Each of these tests costs money.  For example, to become a fully-fledged Architect, one is required to take 6 exams each costing $235 each, for a total of $1,410.

 A physician's total investment for the three tests they need to take is over $2K.  

Many foreign pharmacists wanting to practice in this country need to exhibit English proficiency and are required to take TOEFL.  This test has a few different variables (speaking, writing, listening) but costs in the ballpark of $250 every time.  Many need to take it multiple times and I know of one lovely Egyptian guy who has taken it about 15 times and can not pass the speaking section.  You do the math.

THESE ARE JUST THE EXAM FEES!  Then, there are the State Licensing Fees for many of the above which are an additional and (in many cases) an on-going annual or other periodic costs.

My point here is this:  to be in business or to function as a professional, costs money.  What we do is not unlike any of these other professions.  To start a business with us requires a  (typically small) investment that is much less money than many of the examples provided here.

The Role of Instant Pay Offers

This post pre-supposes that you are open to a portfolio approach to generating income with a range of diversified products and services.  This will not appeal to anyone with tunnel vision who thinks their product or opportunity is "their business".

In contrast, "your business" is the group of competent, committed people who agree with and participate in the same business strategy you ascribe to.  As such, the businesses themselves can be anything.  Your business is a cohesive group of people who share the same values and principles in a community of support and interdependence that is built on relationships.  That being said...

The natural market for what we do is the universe of people who are already familiar with Social Commerce.  Call it what you will... the global way to describe it is building organizations and sales teams through marketing and networking.  This includes the Multi-Level Marketing Industry, Affiliate Marketing, Network Marketing, Home Business Entrepreneurship... again, call it what you will.

A niche within this Sea of Opportunity is in the Affiliate Marketing space with Cash-Now offers.  These programs are described with the following:

 

Cash-Now (Instant Pay) offers are a hedge against business models that are inherently slow-growth due to their compensation structures.  I write about this in a recent post, "MLM Myopia and a Call for Wider Vision".  I will not repeat myself here.

The important thing to note is that Cash-Now Offers are complementary in an overall Home Business structure.  They are a "pitch" for a cash infusion, as opposed to a "proposal" that is described in #2 in the graphic above:  Subscription Income.

As stated in the subtitle of the graphic: "simple to understand and implement... 100% payout, instantly, person to person."

Very simply, I encourage you to spend some time looking at the graphic above and "connecting the dots" in your head.  If you do not currently have a "cash-now" offer in your portfolio, you will note it is #1 (or the first step) we recommend. 

We are glad to share these platforms with you.

MLM Myopia and a Call for Wider Vision

The Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) business model is difficult to make work.  The success rate attests to this.  Or, conversely, the failure rate in the 90%+ range attests to this.

Regardless, many people intrepidly espouse their love of 1) the product or service, and/or; 2) their aspiration for time and financial freedom.  The inherent “rub” is simply a repeat of the first sentence:  it is difficult to make work (and) many starve-out due to lack of success – which translates to lack of organizational growth... and in turn means no profitability or income.

There is a way to fix this problem.  First, let’s compare and contrast the MLM business model with Affiliate Marketing where there are immediate payout, "cash now" offers.

As most know from the name of the industry, MLMs have many levels.  Typically, there is an up-front incentive bump like fast-start-bonuses for recruiting new enrollees, and then in the following month, percentages kick in for whatever rare gemstone, precious metal, or quasi corporate “rank” an MLM company ascribes to.  For example, precious metals would start you out a "rank" of  Bronze, then Silver, Gold, and Platinum.  Gemstones are typically Emerald, Ruby, Diamond... etc.

With each of these “rank advances”, the MLM team member gets increasingly larger portions of the pie, based on organizational size or business volume.  (And) typically this comes with a personal monthly volume requirement (subscription) to remain “active” in the compensation plan.  Yes, this monthly commitment is an elaborate subscription... which is great (everyone loves subscriptions) if you one can make the overall business model work.

Juxtapose this to Affiliate Marketing where there are many platforms with “cash now” components and pay 100% (and) with additional leverage features enabling/incentivizing organizational growth.  The MLM “fast start” bump is somewhat analogous to this in that it is an initial cash infusion to your business.  However, in the subsequent months, there is a huge difference in getting (say) 7-10% on your first level as a Bronze, then adding 3-5% when you reach Silver... etc. (sweeping generalization is acknowledged given other incentives in MLMs). In contrast, however, with Affiliate Marketing, the 100%’s keep coming to infinity if one is astute in driving organizational growth.

Based on many, many Affiliate Platforms, this “cash now” feature can sustain and support any MLM slow-growth curve.  As such, with a diversified portfolio of offerings, one can combine their MLM love-of-products with Affiliate Marketing cash infusion programs.  In doing so, you create a sustainable business growth trajectory for your MLM.  Said differently, you create an insurance policy so that you don't "starve out" of an MLM business.

Now, if you have "made it" in your MLM, congratulations!  Take this as advice for those you recruit in the future.  It simply makes sense for the 90%+  In addition, many of the moderately priced, mid-tier Affiliate Offers serve as lead generation tools for (the often) more expensive MLM  initial investment starting points.

So, to close, let me state the premise here clearly:  in a portfolio approach to income, MLM Businesses can (and many times should) be complemented with Affiliate “cash now” offers to sustain the growth curve of the MLM (and) to act as a lead source for any offer in your portfolio.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

Task Management is a Function of Time Management

 Fancy title... for not-so-complicated an idea.  This deals with To-Do lists and your schedule.  

To-do lists are tasks, e.g., stuff you need to get done that is written down somewhere.  Your schedule is the same.  It is a written accounting of how your time is and will be spent/invested.  Combining these is a "work plan":  when you plan on doing what.

Making a commitment to this kind of structure is a BIG change for many (most?) people.  It requires engagement and focus.  First, you need to "spell out" the plan and then execute your plan.  It requires forethought.  It requires projecting into the future. It requires discipline.  Otherwise, you are operating by the seat-of-your-pants.

Now, let me circle back to the title of this post.  Task Management is a Function of Time Management.  In other words, everything starts with your calendar (no matter how you keep it:  online, a calendar book, or weekly planner).  Task and time management are inextricably tied, but ultimately you need to carve out the time to bang out what is on your To-Do list.  Everything has a time component.  Having articulated what you need to get done; you then need to commit the time to do it.  There is nothing more critical to your success.

What and when.  

If you use a digital calendar, you can contract with yourself.  Set "events" with reminders for your business time.  Google Calendar has everything you need to keep organized, complete with task lists.

Once you have your first weekly schedule hammered out, it should pretty closely repeat.  If (for now) you work a full-time job, these hours are roughly accounted for.  Meal prep and eating, shower and getting ready for work, Doctor's appointments are all standards.

Then, when you are managing a growing business (which is the goal here) there will be company meetings and masterminds, creating personal and marketing resources (and all of the learning that is necessary to make this happen), teaching and supporting those you work with, engaging with people on social media (if you choose to do so), yadda, yadda...  There is and will be a ton To-Do.  The more granular and precise you can be, the better.

Again, what and when.