Everything Interesting

Andy Murray of the United Kingdom publishes an up-to-date and informative blog on Internet marketing that I highly recommend. It's called Everything Interesting. Check it out.

Freedomfinder's PIF4P Team Success Tips

Maury Wilks has a nice blog, PIF4P Team Success Tips, with advice and strategies specifically designed to help associates in the PayItForward4Profits program.

Maury is also a distributor for the very popular Isagenix company (nutritional supplements and weight loss with some uniqe marketing strategies).

Desktop Lightning

I commented on another blog earlier today, responding to a criticism of the new Desktop Lightning marketing and list-building program. The criticism is that a program like DesktopLightning benefits only those at the top and that the little guy is stuck at the bottom, drowning in emails from above.

Having just published a detailed review of Desktop Lightning, I knew that while that is a valid critique of many such programs that it does not apply to Desktop Lightning.

Here's what I said:

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I think Brent’s criticism is true of many list building programs. However, a couple of unique aspects of Desktop Lightning make it a different proposition altogether.

1) As a Platinum member ($14.99 per month if you upgrade immediately upon joining) your messages will be sent to 57 randomly selected members. You can send out messages twice a week.

2) The maximum number of messages any member will receive in a week is 14, whether they joined two days or two years after they released the product. DesktopLightning explains the mathematics behind this number on their help/support site if you’re interested in why the max is 14.

In most list building programs if you join late in the game you receive a slew of messages but you don’t have many folks to send messages to, at least not for awhile. Desktop Lightning has eliminated both of those problems for Platinum members.

I think the only question is if you believe $14.99 per month is worth it to send out messages to upwards of 513 people (if each message goes to 57 different people, which will become increasingly likely as the membership expands) whom you don’t have to recruit yourself, along with your own downline.

I think it’s worth it but of course it’s an individual decision.

Note that if you decide to get DesktopLightning, that you have only one chance to lock-in the 14.99 per month price. If you decline the one-time offer that appears after you sign up and you come back two minutes later to upgrade the price will be $19.99.

Not only does Desktop Lightning tell you this is the case, but being a skeptic at heart I tested it out myself and discovered that the price indeed went up to $19.99 even though I clicked on an upgrade link literally seconds after declining the $14.99 offer.
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Mark Worthen

P.S. Desktop Lightning does not have an affiliate program. I mention this fact so that you know that I'm not recommending the Platinum version in order to earn a commission.

Click here for more information about Desktop Lightning

The Dilbert Blog: In Over My Head

Scott Adams, the Creator of the Dilbert cartoons has a terrific blog post today regarding success and (perceived) failure. When you start reading his post you might think, "Gosh, this guy is a braggart." But read on, there's a point to his citations of success. Mr. Adams writes:

I mention these stories because over the course of my life, every time I try something different or unlikely, someone says the equivalent of “don’t quit your day job.” When I venture into areas clearly outside of my expertise, I hear “You’re in way over your head.” You’ve probably seen some of those comments in this blog.

Somehow I have to square that seemingly good advice with the fact that I’ve so often been successful against long odds, especially when I’m in way over my head. In fact, that’s when I do my best work. I gave you several examples, but trust me when I say there are plenty more. To put all of this in context, and before you start . . . [emphasis added]

and don't miss this crucial point:

To put all of this in context, and before you start to vomit at my bragging, I must confess that I fail miserably about ten times for every one success. (That’s an accurate estimate. I’ve literally kept score.) But interestingly, the failures always involved activities that seemed entirely feasible. I was completely qualified for all of the things that failed. Ironically, I couldn’t even “keep my day job.” [emphasis added]

I've included the main points here so you understand why I think this is an important read. But you've got to check out his description of his successes. They're inspiring when read in the proper context.

Another Gem from Kim Klaver

If you have worked hard to develop your prospecting skills, e.g., you've studied Tim Sales' Professional Inviter until you sound as relaxed and confident as Mr. Sales himself but you feel like you're still not persuading enough prospects, read Kim's blog post.

Once again, Kim Klaver talks about the real deal--the stuff hardly anyone else discusses. And the ultimate result of reading her blog posts and books or participating in one of her training programs is that you feel more optimistic and energized because you have a realistic, effective approach to building a network marketing business.

Note: Kim Klaver produces many excellent products. After you have benefitted from them you will undoubtedly recommend them to others. Before doing so, be sure to join Kim's affiliate program, which pays a generous 30% commission! Then use your affiliate link when you send an email or post a notice on your blog about her wonderful products.

Mannatech Introduces New Product: MannaBar

COPPELL, TX, Oct 03, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- (MTEX) -- Mannatech, Incorporated has introduced MannaBar, a healthy, low-glycemic nutritional alternative for those looking for a portable, between-meals snack.

Even if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat properly, you probably do not ingest enough glyconutrients or omega-3 essential fatty acids to maintain optimum health. MannaBar provides these valuable nutrients in a delicious, healthy snack.

For more information about the new MannaBar, see the Press Release or consult one of the Mannatech representatives listed on the Mannatech Distributors Directory. You must order MannaBar from an independent Mannatech distributor.

STREET STYLE Gives Silpada Designs Nice Press

STREET STYLE
- Column in the Oregonian newspaper discusses contempary style by interviewing locals. See the first entry on Ilana Mitchell, a Silpada rep who gives her company some nice positive press. (Hope it gets her some referrals too).

Although I tried to set up a Silpada Distributors Directory, if you visit that page you'll see why Silpada has a reputation for one of the strictest no Internet marketing policies among MLM Network Marketing companies.

So to find a Silpada representative, MLM-News-Blog recommends consulting the "Find a Silpada Representative" page on the corporate web site.

Shaklee's Basic-H Recommended in Newspaper Article

Wisconsin State Journal Article recommends Shaklee's Basic-H product. You have to look at the second to last item in the article to find the recommendation, among a list of other products one can use to ensure an environmentally safe home.

Blogger.com Rescued Me from the Evil Splogger

In an item last week, I reported my woeful tale about being splogged (my blog being spammed). The Evil Splogger hijacked my blogspot.com URL when I decided to host this blog myself with its own domain name.
I filled out the support form on Blogger.com and clicked on the link in the confirmation email but didn't expect a response.

Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise: Two business days after submitting my request a friendly Blogger guy wrote me back with the good news that the Evil Splogger had been vanquished from the realm, my blogspot.com URL was now available for me to claim, and I no longer had to worry that my friends, customers, and business associates would think that I'd gone off the deep end selling off-shore pharmaceuticals (the product the Evil Splogger pushed on my blogspot.com pages).

My faith in one of my favorite companies (Google) has been restored and I'm a happy camper once again.

Become a "Reporter" for the MLM News Blog!

Would you like to contribute items to the MLM News Blog about the network marketing company you represent?

Send me an email (mark at markworthen dot com) with a brief note about yourself and the company (or companies) you represent. Please include a link to your company-provided web site so that I can confirm that you are indeed a current distributor for the company. I'll also ask you to follow some basic guidelines, such as minimize promotional language in your posts; don't bash other companies; don't edit any other Member's posts, etc.

After receiving your request, if all looks okay, I will add you as a Member to this blog. I will send you the login information so that you can post news items about your company. When you do so, feel free to link to your distributor web site. Make sure that you add me as a contact in your email program or otherwise "whitelist" email from me so that it does not get blocked by your email or ISP's spam filter. 

If you have a blog, I would greatly appreciate it if you would post an item about my request for contributors. The more distributors contributing to the blog, the better the mlm news coverage.

To keep up with news about your company, consider subscribing to Google News Alerts (Yahoo, MSN, and others have similar services). You enter a keyword or phrase and every time that keyword appears in a news item (newspaper article, press release, television broadcast) you will receive an email with a link to the news item.

Of course, your company will also send you information about product updates, new initiatives, charitable efforts, etc. Now, if you become a contributor to the MLM News Blog, you can "get the word out" about all the good stuff your company is doing and give yourself a little behind-the-scenes promotion at the same time.