There is a lack of true mentorship available in the world today.  This is especially true, in the world of network marketing.  There are people thirsting to learn what it takes to build a successful and profitable business, just waiting for someone to coach them towards success.  Without question, if they had a mentor in their life, they could get it done, and get it done right.

I’m not talking to those people today.  I’m also not talking to those “mentors” who aren’t quite sure how to be the best mentor they can possibly be.  Some people find themselves in a mentor capacity based solely on their position in the line of sponsorship.  They didn’t sign up to be a leader, they signed up to make a few extra bucks selling _________.  Those are both topics I’ll cover another day.

Today, I’m talking to a group of people who most likely don’t even know they’re a group.  Who, you may ask, is that?  These are the people who actually do have a mentor in their life, but have no clue how to ACCEPT mentorship.  Uh oh, I can hear the crickets chirping.  I realize I may have lost a few of you here, but I’m going to keep going anyway.

First, let’s carve out a working definition of what mentorship actually is.  Wikipedia calls mentorship “a personal development relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.   So ask yourself this question:  In my business, right now, do I have someone more experienced or knowledgeable than I am, who is willing to help me personally develop?

If the answer is yes, but you’re not growing, then I hate to break it to you, but the problem is YOU.  See, here’s what I know.  Most people don’t want a mentor.  What they actually want is an acceptor.  They want someone who will validate the dumb decisions that they’ve already decided to move forward with before they even speak to their mentor.

Most people just have the completely wrong view of mentorship.  They view any form of feedback as criticism.  They don’t want to be told that the way they’re doing things could be wrong, that the ideas they have that thousands of people tried before them that didn’t work won’t work for them either, and they CERTAINLY don’t want to be told that they’re not the perfect examples of everything perfect they believe themselves to be.

A mentor, a coach, a Yoda, whatever you want to call them, has one role and one role only.  Their charge is to provide you with what you NEED to achieve your greatest level of success.  But what happens is that when they focus on giving you what you need, and your focus is on getting from them what you WANT, there’s a disconnect.  But understand, the disconnect is on YOUR end.

A long time ago, I learned about what’s called the Four Window Panes of Your Life.  I’m going to warn you now, I’m going to mention God in this post, so if the mention of God offends you, don’t read it.  Maybe the information in this post doesn’t apply to you anyway, and maybe it won’t help you grow your business.  I’m just telling it the way that I heard it

The first window pane in your life is the things you know about yourself that everybody knows.  You have red hair, you’re skinny, you look like Beyonce, you need a haircut, etc.  All of the things that can be determined by your 5 senses are contained in this window pane.  It takes little to no effort to figure these out.

The second window pane is the things only you and God know about you.  That you’re afraid of the dark, that you cheated on the SAT’s, that you secretly listen to Barry Manilow albums and cried at the Care Bears movie.

That you sometimes doubt whether you’re good enough, smart enough, brave enough, wise enough, good looking enough or funny enough to do what it is that you need to do in order to be successful.  Until you’re ready to be honest with yourself about what’s in this window pane, it will be next to impossible for you to experience any real growth.

Then, there are the things God knows about you, that you don’t even know about yourself.  What you were put on the Earth to do, the people’s lives you were sent to have an impact on, when and how you’re going to die, the full potential of the greatness that lives inside you.  All done with my references to God, unless you want to chat about him personally with me.  Then, just feel free to shoot me a message.

For the purposes of this post, I’ve switched these last two around, so that it makes sense, but the final window pane is the things I know about you that you don’t know about you.  And when I say I, let’s substitute I out with YOUR MENTOR’S NAME.  It’s in your ability to receive feedback in this last pane that your rate of success is determined.

We all have blind spots in our lives, not one of us is exempt from them.

Your mentor should have taken time to get to know you, and is most likely also working with you to grow your business.  And if they’re more experienced than you are, they’ve likely seen other people in very similar situations to yours before.  So when they provide you feedback, it’s probably not just based on your situation, but countless others.

But they’ve also had a chance to observe you, and make assessments based on your actions.  It’s not always about the latest and greatest marketing strategies, tools, gadgets and widgets, although that’s what most people THINK they need.

What marketing strategy, tool, gadget or widget will help you grow your business, if when people finally get to talk to you they realize that your personality sucks?  What if you’re a really abrasive person, and you need to fix THAT before you can be effective with prospecting?  If your mentor doesn’t have your trust, then they really can’t help you achieve genuine success.

All they can do is pat you on the head, smile and nod at everything you tell them, and tell you that you have everything it takes to be successful already inside of you.  And they’re right, you do, you just have to get over your own ego long enough to allow them to help you bring it out for the rest of the world to see.

So if you have a real mentor in your life, whose feedback you trust as accurate, but you’ve been going in the exact opposite direction of where they’ve been leading you, here’s what you should do if you really want success.

Call that person immediately, and apologize for being stupid.  It’s ok to be stupid, but acknowledging that you’ve been stupid is a sign of maturity, and of your willingness to be unstupified.  Then, let them know that you want their TOTAL AND HONEST feedback on your growth, your business, and what it is that you’ll need to do in order to reach your goals.

Take in that feedback, no matter how painful it may feel.  Look yourself in the eyes, and really assess the truth in the feedback.

Then, commit to applying that feedback.  Simple.  Not easy, but simple.

How do you feel about my thoughts on mentorship?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Jamie

PS-Connect with me on Facebook at Jamie’s Fan Page

If you want me to be your Yoda, the first step is to partner with me here.

At some point in time, I’m going to create information products out of everything I’ve learned about blogging, internet marketing, network marketing and attraction marketing, and I’m going to sell about a billion copies of it for $97 apiece.

Then, I’m going to BUY an island, and that’s where me and my family will live, far from the hustle and bustle of the bright lights and big city.

That day isn’t today, though! Today is the day that I show some love to the websites I currently gain inspiration, motivation and education from. These sites are the best resources for information that you can find online, and if you will just take a little piece from each of them AND apply it, you’ll be well on your way to getting a matching island with me.

And don’t misquote me, I am not making island buying money…yet. But without a roadmap to get there, no one ever earns island buying money. So in that regard, with my roadmap in hand that I’m actually applying, I’m much further along the road to that island than most people in this world will ever be.

But enough about me and my island, you came here today to learn from the masters of the online marketing world, and learn you shall! I’m going to break this up by the particular area of this website which has had the greatest impact on me. Most of these blogs could appear in multiple categories, but in the interest of time, I’m only going to put them in one.

And, I’d like to do one more thing for the authors of each of the websites I list here. If you happen to read this post, please let me know what anchor text you would like me to use for the link to your site, and I will absolutely make it happen for you.

Your site, whether you know it or not, has helped me to learn skills which will impact me and my family for generations and generations to come. No amount I could ever give you could ever repay what you’ve already given, and continue to give everyday. This is just my small way of saying thanks!

Network Marketing

The sites in this category, of course, are nearest and dearest to my heart. Above all else, I’m a network marketer, and there are some trendsetters out here who are providing guru level value on their blogs for FREE. The greatest server always ends up being the greatest leaders, and these bloggers are absolutely leaders in our field.

Larry Beacham

Eric Worre

Todd Falcone

Ray Higdon

David Wood

Lawrence Tam

Toby and Layla Black

Tracey Walker

Nicole Cooper

Cesar Ramirez

Search Engine Optimization

The more I’ve learned about SEO, the more fascinated by it I’ve become. Despite what many people think, SEO is not determined by the luck of the draw, or voodoo rituals involving chicken bones and body paint. There’s a definite skill needed, and these folks are some of the most skilled doing it today.

Ana Hoffman

Jared Croslow I’m going to be doing a webinar very soon about two strategies I learned from Jared that you WILL NOT want to miss. One I’ve already implemented with unbelievable results, and the other I’m implementing right now. Stay tuned

Kim Roach-by the way, if you don’t have Kim’s Traffic Dashboard product, and you say you’re serious about getting traffic to your site, I would seriously have to question your intelligence. Seriously.

Website Link Building Now

Blogging

Write about what you’re passionate about, sure, but if you don’t do it in such a way that OTHER people want to read about it, you’re just talking to yourself. Which is fine, but I want to make money with my blog, and these next blogs are the ones that teach on that!

Problogger

CopyBlogger

Yaro Starak

Adrienne Smith

Katie Freiling

Attraction Marketing Online

Mari Smith

This is my first time doing this, and certainly not my last. Many might ask me “Jamie, aren’t you scared that these people will steal your prospects?” It’s sad, but many people really do believe that there are a finite number of opportunities out there, that you have to “get yours before someone else does. Isn’t that a terrible way to live?

I prefer to believe that there are endless opportunities, that there are people on my list who may never join me in business, but would be a perfect fit for someone else, and vice versa. That new people are learning about network marketing, about building a business online, every single day. My point is this: there’s enough to go around, so why not make sure that the ones who are already in are learning from the best?

Here’s the real secret-let’s focus on making the network marketing profession the “employer of choice” for the next generation. By introducing greater training, greater education and greater standards of professionalism in our industry, more and more people will see our industry as the answer to the obviously failing job economy.

Instead of fighting over the one slice of the American dream that’s remaining, how about we realize that this truly is the land of opportunity. Our opportunities are only limited by our own vision and creativity. We can create as many opportunity pies as we want!

Again, to the blogs I’ve highlighted today, I thank you for helping create a standard of excellence in our industry. I look forward to learning more from you, and hope that I can contribute valuable content at the level that you are as well.

What are some of your favorite sites to learn from?

I wanted to take a quick moment to wish you and your family a very Happy and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

If you are a veteran of the US military, or are currently enlisted in our Armed Forces, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service and dedication to keeping our country safe from all who would threaten our safety.

But even if you’re not a veteran, I know that it’s highly likely that someone close to you is, so please deliver my sincere thanks to them as well.

I love Memorial Day, it’s absolutely one of my favorite holidays of the year. Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of race, color or creed, we can all agree that those serving in our military are worthy of a day of remembrance.

And in particular, those who we celebrate today have paid the ultimate price, who have died to protect the ideals America was built upon, are even that much more deserving. They died so that we can disagree, argue, share discourse on the issues of the day, and generally enjoy the basic freedoms so many of us take for granted.

Their sacrifice and diligence isn’t based on whether they agree with our ideals or not, but rather, on the principle that it is our unalienable right to have our own ideals at all.

Some of us will have barbeques, and pool parties. Still others of us will go to the beach to catch a few rays. Many of us will do absolutely nothing, other than catch up on some TV, and enjoy the fact that we have an extra day off from work.

Doesn’t that thought make you a little bit sad? Someone gave their life so that you could enjoy freedom unlike any other nation in the world has, in every area of your life, and yet in the area of your life where most Americans spend most of their day, you’re eternally thankful for just ONE day away from it?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking jobs at all. What I’m knocking is the lack of freedom most jobs create for people,
both financially and physically.

The one thing that each one of us has, regardless of race, color or creed is time. And no matter what we do, what tricks we know or what strings we pull, we CANNOT slow the flow of time.

Each of us has 24 hours in a day, and 7 days in a week. 168 hours per week, the same amount of time that Michelangelo, Harriet Tubman, Gandhi and Da Vinci had in a week. But what do we do with our time?

- 60 hours per week are spent at work, preparing for work or commuting to work
- 56 hours per week are spent sleeping

This leaves you with 52 hours per week to eat, go to the bathroom, spend time with your friends and family, run errands, pay bills, and live your “lifestyle.”

Most of us will have a 40 year career. Clearly, in today’s economy, not with the same company, but you get the idea. If you have a 40-year career, mathematically that then equates to you spending 83,200 hours of your life at work.

And for what? Here’s what I know about the average American’s employment situation. Please raise your hand to all of the following that apply to you:

- Over 20% of the people reading this post are CURRENTLY
unemployed
- 87% of the people reading this post do not like their job
- 50% do not feel satisfied or fulfilled
- 25% of you say that your job is the #1 stress factor in
your life
- 41% of you are living from paycheck to paycheck
- 70% of you are not motivated by what it is that you do
- 50% of you are woefully underpaid
- 67% of you are in the wrong field
- 72% of you are in a place where you are being undermined
so you will not succeed

And yet, like lemmings chasing each other over the side of a cliff, most people willfully submit themselves to these circumstances because they believe they have NO OTHER CHOICE. The only reason that
they’re doing this is because they believe the only way they
can provide for themselves and their families is to continue
going to that “good job.”

But let me give you a quick American history lesson. The 2nd Industrial Revolution sparked significant changes in our country, one of the largest being the shift from an agricultural nation to a predominantly industrial one. Progress is good, right?

Of course it is, but you have to take EVERYTHING into consideration. When we were primarily an agricultural nation, we were also predominantly a self-employed nation. And with slavery firmly in place, the need for “employees” wasn’t a real consideration in most places.

But now that all of these large companies are being created, employees were an outright necessity. There has to be someone to crank out all of these widgets, right?

So how do you convince a nation of self employed people to trade in their business for a “good job?” Simple, you play upon one of the simplest, most basic human emotions there is: FEAR.

If you can get an entrepreneur focused on how much he can LOSE vs. how much he can EARN, you can lead him or her down any path you’d like. And the promise of a consistent pay scale, vs. the ebbs and flows of running your own shop has a certain appeal to most of us.

Please keep in mind, this is an abbreviated version of the full story. If you want to learn more about how this actually happened, research it!

And in the beginning, it worked out fine. Companies provided an opportunity where a person could work, earn enough to provide a basic existence for their family, and still be able to save some money away for the future.

At the same time, our educational system was shifting as well. When we were a self employed culture, children learned at the side of their parents, or they were selected to be an apprentice to one of the other local entrepreneurs. They received a hands on education on how to run that particular business.

And even with school in place, the schedule was built around the schedule of crop working seasons, with that home based business always receiving top priority. Once the Industrial Revolution hit, though, the educational system took a turn, and started aligning much more with the interests of big business.

I could go into another post about the decay of our educational system, but I will summarize by asking these two simple questions. Think back on your education, kindergarten up through senior year in high school. Do you remember EVER being taught in school how the economic system of the United States works? Why do you think that isn’t happening?

Everyday, billions of people around the world are electrically shocked out of an unrestful sleep by their Electric Rooster. They get in their car, pin their knees to their steering wheel, and fight through traffic to go to a job they hate for a pay they tolerate.

All in the name of providing for their families, or their own lifestyle, yet, what do the statistics show? Most employees in most industries can’t make ends meet, period. Personal savings in America are at an all time low, and if you don’t believe me, just look around at the people you know.

And that’s assuming you can even GET a job, and since we know the average person today switches careers upwards of 7 times, we all know it’s clearly much more difficult to KEEP a job once you actually get it.

Here’s what I’m asking you to do this Memorial Day. In between the hot dogs and beers and time in the pool, I want you to take some time out, and evaluate exactly what it is that you’re doing in regard to your finances. I want you to look in the mirror, and ask yourself a couple of really difficult questions.

- How much money will I need in the bank to be able to retire? NEWS FLASH: Despite what you’ve been taught, retirement is NOT an age, it’s a number.
- When do I WANT to retire?
- How much money will I need to put away each month to make that happen?
- Is what I’m currently doing to earn income providing me what I NEED to make that happen?
- X FACTOR QUESTION: If I was X’ed out of the equation today, would my family be able to make it financially without me, or would they have to undergo extreme changes to stay afloat?

Just a quick note-when you’re thinking about these questions, please remember a few things:

- The cost of things today is not the cost of things tomorrow, so you will need to figure out how much money you’ll need at retirement age, and how much those dollars will be worth. If you need help with that, just send me an email at jamie@jamiegaymon.com.

- Healthcare costs continue to rise, and more than likely, you will be on your own to take care of your own healthcare in retirement. Have any idea how much a long term care facility costs each month?

- Are you ok with greeting people at Walmart, or do you actually want to retire when you retire? If you’re planning on Social Security, the biggest, longest, most successful Pyramid Scheme ever created to save you, pack a BIG LUNCH.

The network marketing industry is not for everyone. It’s simple enough that anyone CAN do it, but quite honestly, the average person lacks the discipline, vision, work ethic, motivation and outright GUTS to make it as an MLMer.

It’s not the only option in self employment, that’s for sure. But, it is the only one that comes with a built in system to teach you how to own and operate your own profitable business.

Franchising does too, but do you have the $250,000 in cash that’s required for the McDonald’s corporation to even have a conversation with you about owning one?

Again, I wish you the happiest of Happy Memorial Days, and I hope that you’re enjoying your day off from work. But sometime between now and 8 O’ Clock, your permission to enjoy time with your friends and family gets revoked by your boss, and the crazy thing is, he doesn’t even need to be there to tell you to get back to work, you already know.

You’ll start to iron your clothes, get your work gear by the front door so you can run out and do it all again tomorrow. And maybe you love and are passionately excited about the work that you do, and if you do, I’m honestly surprised that you made it this far down in this post, LOL!!

But I know that there’s a percentage of people reading this for whom the love affair with their job ended sometime in the first hour of your first day on the job, and to you, I just wanted to let you know that their are other options available to you, to leverage that small free time you have available outside of work each week to generate an income to supplement, and eventually replace what it is that you currently do for income.

If that’s you, then I think you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at something that several people I know have done to do just that. You may be interested in working with us, and we may have an interest in working with you, but we’ll never find out unless you go here.

What are your thoughts about this post?

Jamie

Where I come from, there’s a certain level of respect given to your elders.  When you address them, you “put a handle on it,” as my Aunt Pearl calls it.  All that means is that you address every adult with a Miss or Mister, an Aunt or an Uncle, even a Cousin if that cousin is older than you.  For a child to refer to an elder by just their first name is just not something that is done, tolerated or approved of in my family.

So I have to tell you that my Uncle Rich was not technically my uncle.  He was actually my Mother’s first cousin.  I’ve always known that.  But he’s always been Uncle Rich, because that’s the type of respect that I had for him.  Always have, always will.

You know how some people TRY to be cool, and some people just ARE cool?  That was Uncle Rich.  He wasn’t the type of person that made you respect him, you just did because you could tell he was the kind of person who you just respected, no questions asked.

A big part of the reason I fight so hard to be a successful entrepreneur is because my Uncle Rich was one.  Anyone from this part of New Jersey will tell you that Holmes’ Lounge was the spot to be, for a meal, for a drink, for a good family atmosphere in an adult setting.  He and his brothers created a legacy of memories, and tradition of entrepreneurial excellence that’s been passed down throughout our family.

If you asked me to point to any one significant thing he did that changed my life, or one poignant conversation that we had that gave me a new perspective on life, I can’t give you ONE.  People throw out the terms “role model” and “hero” about people they’ve never met, they know nothing about and base it on such meaningless things.  “He can shoot a basketball,” or “She’s a great singer,” or “Insert other talent that tells you NOTHING about a person’s character here.”

I watched Uncle Rich raise his kids, I watched him run his business, and I watched him care for his family.  And I can honestly say that the only other man I have this much genuine admiration and respect for is my late grandfather, William Gaymon.

There’s a tip for you to grow your business in here somewhere, but I’m just not in the mood to spell it out for you today.  Right now, I just wanted to let my Uncle Rich know that I love him, that I respect him, and that I appreciate him being the man that he was.  And I’m happy that I told him that before it was too late.

RETWEET THIS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I had every intention of posting a how to video today, and had no plans on ranting at all. But as I was doing some research online for some content I’ll be doing later, what I saw sent me off like a rocket ship. So, please know that if you’re personally offended by anything I’m about to say, GOOD. Either change or hate me forever, I couldn’t care less. Oh yeah, It’s going to be that kind of post.

As I was doing some research, I came across the following status update online: got a “job offer” from XXXXXXXXX. legal pyramid schemes aren’t my thing, neither is misleading job hunters.

Seeing that definitely irritated me, but I was fully prepared to file it away for another article at another time, until I saw “So remember when i said i had a 2nd interview it was at this insurance place called “XXXXXXXXX” so i was suppose to go to a class so i cud start working there but today i got home and googled there buisness and it sounds like A SCAM i dont know if i should try it if any1 has herd of them i would like to hear what you have to say bout that company.”

Once I saw the second one, I flipped, and now here we are.  From the bottom of my heart, you need to cut this crap out!  Pitching your network marketing opportunity as a “job opportunity” is a lie, plain and simple.

Me personally, I think what my business opportunity offers is BETTER than a job, so I would never want anyone to misconstrue it with a job AT ALL.  I’ll rant about jobs some other time, but for right now, let’s stay on topic.

But seriously, are you that weak minded and unwilling to learn real marketing skills that you have to lie to get prospects to view your opportunity?  The people in this particular opportunity are not the only ones guilty of this BY FAR.  And it is not something being taught by the companies themselves, but rather being handed down at the distributor level.

So if you’re confident that your opportunity is legit, why deceive people about it?  More often than not, you’re going to run into responses like either of the two above, treating your business this way.  But here’s where I have the biggest problem.

Brand new people, with no preconceived notion of network marketing, join our industry daily.  If that newbie is on my team, I’m going to teach my newbie to build a legitimate, ethical and profitable business.  He or she is going to go out into the cold, cruel world, ready to talk business, and is going to run into the prospect you completely blew out of the water with the lie approach.

My newbie is going to be honest and forthright about what it is we do, and you know what’s going to happen?  That negative person is going to shoot so much venom my newbie’s way that I’m going to have to pump them so full of Jim Rohn CD’s to build their positive mental attitude back up that it will make their ears bleed.

It’s not my newbie’s fault, and it’s not the negative prospect’s fault.  It’s certainly not my fault.  But you know whose fault it is?  YOURS.  It’s so easy to blame negative people for being negative, but how did they GET that way?  In many cases, they got that way from unethical recruiting practices.

You see friend, network marketing may be a game for you, a hobby, a “side thing.”  But for me, this is how I will provide generational income for my family.  This is how I’m going to put my kids through college.  This is how I’m going to take my lady on vacation next year.

This utter lack of professionalism has cast a dark cloud over our industry for far too long.  I don’t care that this is the way your upline taught you to market.  If you’re so much of a lemming that you can’t figure out that lying is bad, and don’t know the difference between a business opportunity and a job, you shouldn’t be in business for yourself.

Actually, you probably shouldn’t be allowed to do anything by yourself, because clearly your judgment is on the blink.  You shouldn’t be allowed to drive, and all sharp objects should be kept out of your reach.

Ignorance is no longer an excuse.  There’s so many network marketing professionals teaching how to build it the right way, that “I didn’t know ” just doesn’t cut it anymore.  And by the right way, I don’t mean JUST in terms of strategy.  I mean with honesty, integrity and truthfulness.

Enough is enough, I’m sick of seeing it, and I’m really not going to be nice about it anymore.  When I see it, I’m calling it out.  If you’re reading this, and you don’t like what I have to say, get off my list and stop reading my blog, seriously.  You’re not the type of person I want to be associated with anyway.

Am I up on my soapbox?  Absolutely I am, but not for my sake.  I’ve taken the time to learn how to market my business like a grown up, and am applying what I’ve learned and learning new things every day.

What i’m mostupset about is the opportunity that’s being stolen away from countless people by your recklessness.  I’m an intelligent, rational person, not just because I think so, but because it’s true:)  Network marketing is a business model that makes perfect sense to me.

Not because I can make a million dollars a day in one week, but because I can build a business over time that will generate a residual income for me and my family, with a minimal upfront cost investment.

But so many people are emotionally scarred by being prospected under false pretenses, that they never get the opportunity to view our industry through an objective lens.  Instead, I, and every upline who thinks the way I do, has to pull our prospects out of the oil spill YOU created, like some sort of endangered animal in the Gulf.

If you want to learn how to market like a professional, I’ll help you.  I truly believe everyone deserves a second chance, and I also believe that most people inherently want to do things the right way, they just don’t know how.  you can send me a private email message at jgaymon@live.com, and let’s talk.

If you don’t want to work with me directly, I can refer you to someone with a less polarizing personality who can get you all of the help you need to learn how to market like a pro.  Operators are standing by to assist you!

This post is not about SEO, or traffic generation, or anything like that.  It’s about identifying a problem in an industry that means a lot to me, and calling things for what they really are.

Trust me, I know how to write a blog post that ranks on Google.  I’ve written two this week that are already showing up on the first or second page of Google for the keywords I’m targeting.  Not because I’m so great, but because I was willing to humble myself and learn from people who know more than I do.

I learned a long time ago that the only way to stretch and grow in anything, is to surround yourself with people who know more than you do, who are further along the road you want to go down.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you need to suspend your moral compass when you’re doing something you know is wrong, or just plain doesn’t feel right.  Maintain your ability to discern things for yourself, that’s important.

Leave your comments below, I would love to know if I’m the only person in the industry feeling this way?

And in the holiday spirit, share this post with someone you love, LOL!!

I feel better now, about to go make a meal replacement shake.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{Jamie}

I Do Not Like Them, Sam I Am!! No, I’m not experiencing a second childhood, or anything remotely close to that. Although, I know a few people who would say I never gave up my first childhood! Anyway… let’s talk about Spam, and I don’t mean the product from Hormel. I mean the e-mails you receive on a daily basis about male enhancement, botox, increased memory, and Hungarian mail order wives. Yeah right, I’m not the only one who receives the Hungarian mail order wives messages……am I?

A few days ago, I was included on a Facebook message from another internet marketer to several people on his list. While the message was fairly harmless in nature, and I have no doubt this marketer was doing his best to add value, the first Not To Do (NTD) comes up rather quickly:

1 -Don’t send out e-mail messages to lists of people where EVERYONE ELSE can see who is on the message. This goes for Facebook and any other social media outlet with e-mail like capabilities. Until Facebook comes up with a BCC option for sending out messages, this should not be a weapon in your arsenal.
When a person receives a message like this, automatically they are thinking one thing: SPAM.

Argue this point if you want, but the truth of the matter is, we judge ourselves by our actions, and others by their actions. This message was viewed as spam by many of the recipients, even though that was clearly not the sender’s intention.

After this confusion was cleared up, some small talk was traded on the now growing thread, and someone asked the original sender how he was doing with his business. The person clearly had more than a passing relationship with the OS (Original Spammer), as he called out his business by name, even though it had never been mentioned in the thread by name or description.

A very innocent, genuine question, but this was the land mine that triggered an explosion the likes of which haven’t been seen since the first Gulf War. Ok, it really wasn’t all that serious, but this is my story, so if I want to embellish, you just have to go along with it

The next thing I know, I’m reading a message from another person on the e-mail chain, essentially bashing the OS’s primary company, in a very polite manner, and promoting her opportunity, which we’ll refer to as Now, I don’t know if the information spammer #2 provided is accurate, or if it isn’t. That doesn’t make a bit of difference, because the points here are:
2 -In any conversation-forum, e-mail chain, discussion board, or even offline-add relevant value to the conversation. Other than asking how spammer #1 was doing in his business, there was absolutely NOTHING about the thread relating to anyone’s primary business.

Question: if you are on a forum, and there’s a thread about cookies, and somewhere in that thread the word powder appears, would it be appropriate to then post about the benefits of using talcum powder in everyday life? Of course not, and it wasn’t appropriate here, either.

What this shows to me, in my humble but accurate opinion, is a person desperate to market their business at all costs. Without getting into the full psychology behind it, a person with a lack mentality does not know where there next lead is coming from, doesn’t believe they will ever get another lead, and is willing to do just about anything to get their message in front of anyone.

On the other hand, a person with an abundance mentality knows for certain that they will have ample opportunity to share their business opportunity with the right people, which the people on this list were clearly not. So point #3 is:
3 -Lack mentality Leads to Spam.

But there’s another point tied directly into point #3 that I don’t want to miss, and it’s this:
4-Being included on an e-mail, forum, etc.. with other people’s addresses visible does not give you permission to solicit them. If you want to spam your own list, that’s your choice. But go build your own list first. If spammer #1 wants to destroy his own credibility with marketing tactics that irritate his list, as painful as it can be to watch, he built the list, so he’s earned that right. Spammer #2? Stop being a lamprey , and go build your own stinkin’ list. Then irritate your list to your heart’s content, LOL.

Closely tied to these two points as well is point #5, which is:
5-Bashing another person’s company=deaf ears to everything you say, regardless of how true your statements are. Really? Do I really need to address this one? SMH….I feel like Kindergarten Cop right now. Who responds well to being told that anything they’re associated with sucks, no matter how nicely you but it? “Hey Mom, this dinner tastes like cow manure, can you add some Old Bay next time?” Try that tomorrow night and see what happens. This is about as bad as harassing the same 5 family members who didn’t want to get in your business last week about getting in it this week. Oh wait, that’s another post for another day.

6-People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I’ll be 100% honest. I know people right now who are involved with business opportunities that suck. Like, really suck. I mean, just awful, borderline FTC violating, substandard marketing system suck. I could list out reason after reason why their soul should feel heavy for being associated with a business like theirs. BUT UNTIL I HAVE EARNED the type of trust that allows you to be that honest with a person, I keep my mouth shut. How do you earn trust? Easy-add value with no expectation of return. YES, I said no return. Give someone an apple, not because you want to hold it over their head someday that you gave them an apple, but because they’re HUNGRY.

Please post a comment, and let me know your take on this!

If you’ve been marketing online for any amount of time, I know that you’ve heard the phrase “Become the hunted, not the hunter.” So I thought we’d take a good look at the hunter in action:

In most cases, the person using this phrase is talking about Attraction Marketing, or positioning yourself as an expert, or in some way positioning yourself as a leader in your field. The thinking here is that when you do this, you will begin to attract like minded individuals to you, and generate business without having to use cold prospecting tactics. WRONG!

Attraction Marketing works ONLY when you first make yourself “Attractive.” One of the ugliest things you can be as a Network Marketer is a “Gotta Get Me One” Marketer. I am going to describe for you what this person does, and then I’m going to give you _____ tips on how NOT to be this person. How will you know if you’re exhibiting traits? Well, think about them, and if you can’t think of anyone who displays these traits, then the “Gotta Get Me One” Marketer on your team is probably you, LOL.

The “Gotta Get Me One” Marketer:

• Thinks their next prospect is the greatest thing since sliced bread
• Thinks they need their prospect more than their prospect needs a business opportunity
• Thinks that one prospect can send their business into the stratosphere
• Thinks they have to oversell the opportunity to make it more appealing to their prospect (exaggerated income claims, etc…)
• Sponsors one person, then sits on the new distributor’s head and waits for them to hatch into a millionaire
• Thinks their prospect is more important than their upline or mentor
• Markets their opportunity based on price, not value
• Comes across as desperate, rather than positioned as an expert.

So, now that you know what a “Gotta Get Me One” Network Marketer looks like, how can we make sure this dreaded disease doesn’t happen to you?  Here are 5 tips that can help keep you immune to the “Gotta Get Me One” syndrome:

1. Understand that the most important person in your business is YOU. Your team will duplicate 50% of what you do.  For some people, that’s super exciting, and for others, that thought will wake them up screaming in a cold sweat later tonight.
2. All prospects are suspects until they prove otherwise. In my humble but accurate opinion, all prospects have equal value.  A lady with a downline of 20,000 people considering joining my business is on equal terms with a man all by himself.  Their interactions with me is what will determine whether they qualify for my time or not.
3. You have something they want, and not the other way around. Once I really grasped this in my business, it made a tremendous difference in my own attitude, and in my business growth.  If a person is taking time out to look at your business opportunity, there is some hole in what they’re currently doing that your opportunity can fill.  Bob may be a multimillionaire, but working 80 hours a week to keep those millions may be getting pretty old.
4. Your mentor is always more important than your prospect. I don’t mean this in a hero worship sorta way.  Here’s the principle:  if you or your prospect had everything it took to get where your mentor is, wouldn’t you be there already?
5. RELAX! 823,000 people searched for the term “network marketing” on Google in March alone.  There are more than 15 million unemployed in the United States today.  There is an endless supply of people looking for an opportunity, you just need to learn how to find them.

Please leave comments on this post, I’m really curious to see what others in the industry think on this subject, because it’s nearly impossible to cover everything.

Also, if you’ve found value in the info presented here, please share it with the world!  If you’re going to re-post it, I just ask that you link back to http://jamiegaymon.com/uncategorized/how-to-eliminate-the-gotta-get-me-one-mentality-from-your-business.

As I was skimming through some article headlines the other day, one in particular caught my eye. It read “Justin Bieber fever: Careful, it’s catching.” My first question was “Who is Justin Bieber (Sorry folks, I don’t watch much TV, please forgive me)?”

The title stood out to me because as a professional network marketer, I want to create a viral marketing frenzy, and have as many people as possible catch Jamie Gaymon fever.  Many of the questions I receive in a given day are from frustrated network marketers wondering what it takes to grow their businesses virally.  Also, musicians are one of the clearest examples of the “build it now, get paid forever” philosophy that we as network marketers are striving to attain.  The title of the article made we want to take a closer look.

For those of you like me, Justin Bieber is a teen singing sensation, who was able to flip a strong YouTube following into a recording career. Now, I do have to say that Justin is a very talented singer, as he displays here.

But I also know that the recording industry is a tough one to get into, and that the world is full of talented people who didn’t make it. Here’s the simple blueprint for success that Justin Bieber and his management team put in place, that you can surely follow to success in network marketing.

1. Build a list-Justin Bieber has over 1.7 million Twitter followers.  His videos on YouTube alone have received over 100 million views, and he has more than half a million YouTube subscribers.  He cut a video 5 days ago that ALREADY has over 3.4 million views on YouTube.  He has over 2.5 million fans on his official Facebook page.  I would say that Justin and his team have the list building business down pat.
2. Build a relationship with that List-In many ways, this step is how you create such a huge list.  By providing valuable content for free to all of your fans(readers, fellow marketers, etc…), you are giving them an opportunity to get to know you, and decide if you are someone they would want to be in business with.  For  Justin, this meant posting over 60 videos posted on YouTube alone, doing all sorts of things.  Some of them are him singing covers of songs by artists such as Kanye West, Drake and Justin Timberlake.  Some videos have moments with other artists, such as Usher, Taylor Swift and Diddy.  All of these provide candid moments that grow his fame, but show him to be a regular person also.  On Twitter, Justin is very responsive to his fans, replying to their messages, retweeting messages, and staying very close to the people responsible for his meteoric rise to stardom.
3. Monetize that list-Has this viral marketing push been a success?  His first album entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 6, selling 137,000 copies its first week, while the latter, “My World 2.0,” entered the charts at No. 1 with 280,000 albums sold in the first week.  His Twitter followers are organizing album buyout groups to go to stores and buy EVERY copy of his album in their local stores. He is the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Folks, there is no magic bullet out there.  If you can learn and master the associated skills necessary to accomplish these three tasks, you can build a successful network marketing business, no matter what company you’re with.

If you would like some help with developing the skills necessary to build an organization to the magnitude of Justin Bieber’s musical career, I would recommend you click here.

Insanity makes P90X look like Sweatin’ to the Oldies. Don’t believe me? Take a look below:

I was going to do a full blown review of this workout program, but the video speaks for itself. By the time you’ve finished watching it, you will either be ready to order your copy, or hiding behind your couch praying that Shaun T doesn’t come find you and make you do it.

If you’re still reading, click here to join the Insanity NOW.

When I first got the news about XELR8 cutting their network marketing arm in favor of direct sales, I was so tempted to write a blog post blasting them that I almost couldn’t see straight.  Then, when I just found out that iLearningGlobal is doing the exact same thing to their distributor force, I was tempted to go after them with both barrels blazing.  but, as I’ve looked over the MLM landscape in the wake of  these catastrophic events, an even larger target has reared its ugly head.

Have you ever heard the term “ambulance chaser?”  It’s a derogatory term,usually used to describe a lawyer who spends most of his time at the scene of accidents and disasters, looking for clients.  It would kinda be like following this cart around.  Not only is this behavior in extremely poor taste, but it is actually a violation of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Stop and think for a second:  if you were just in a catastrophic car accident, would you want to be represented by the lawyer who just “happened” to be at the scene?  For that matter, would you even be in a position to process anything that person said to you at that time?  Understand that what has just happened is not just a matter of dollars and cents.  People’s lives have been tremendously impacted by these situations.  Many have spent countless hours building large organizations, convincing people that ILG or XELR8 is the right opportunity for them, only to have the football pulled out from under them right before they get to kick it.  All kinds of emotions are running through these people right now:  shame, anger, guilt, humiliation, the list goes on and on.

How do I know this?  I was a professional recruiter for more than 12 years, and I’ve had to lay people off on more than one occasion.  I’ve also been laid off multiple times myself, and there were definitely times when I had no idea the axe was swinging my way.  Suffice it to say that I’ve been there on this one.  Maybe there is a better way to connect with them to help them see that than a full frontal assault?

At the same time, I do understand the lure of wanting to contact a fellow network marketer who is looking for a new company, and may or may not be bringing a group with them.  You believe passionately that your business can be their saving grace, if you could just get them to take a look at it.  So rather than use this as an opportunity to beat up on people, I’m going to use this as an opportunity to hopefully help you reach out to our friends in these other companies in a caring and compassionate manner, rather than the “bull in a china shop” approach I’ve been seeing and hearing the past few months.

Here is my list of Don’ts and Do’s:

1. DON’T post a message like this to a Facebook Group or Fan Page:  ”Man, so sorry that your company gave you the axe.  But here’s a link to my company instead, come join us!”  This will result in you receiving a message like this:  ”You are a vulture-your company may be great, but you suck as a person.”
2. DO reach out to people individually, and share your sympathy with them for the situation they’re in.  let them know that if they would like to discuss a potential opportunity once they’ve had a chance to recover, you will leave them with your contact information.
3. DON’T put a link to your opportunity anywhere near this message, that move would officially make you a spammer.  If a girl that you liked got jilted at the altar, would you ask her to marry you before you left the church?  Of course not, so use that same common sense in this situation also.
4. DO start as high up an upline group as you possibly can.  Out of respect, you want to afford that upline first opportunity to maintain continuity in their group should they decide to join you.
5. DON’T bash the offending organization.  As much as it sucks, this is business.  All network marketers should understand that although we consider ourselves business owners, we are ALL independent contractors.  That means the client can change the game on us at any time, with no approval needed by us.  There are only 2 things you own-your network and your brand.  Focus on branding you and the network will follow.

Network marketing gets a bad rap over a number of different issues, it would be a terrible thing to cause more infighting and bickering over something so preventable.  It’s as simple as this:  put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a second, and think before you act.  Really consider the way you are presenting your opportunity, and whether that is the way you would want to be presented to.

I would REALLY love to hear what others have to say on this topic, so please stop by and leave your comments below.