My Internet Marketing Journey

Internet Marketing doesn't work!

2011-12-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

Actually, it does. Unfortunately, 19 out of 20 people will not, cannot and won't learn and do what is required to succeed at online business. That is why, for many out there, the best idea is to get a job! There is a new job-search website that looks kind of interesting because it's world-wide.

It's called Jooble. (new window)

If a job is what you really need, then maybe you'll find it there. Best of luck!

Get response with an autoresponder

2011-09-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

"What do I need an autoresponder for?" That's a question that you will face over and over again as a TrafficWave affiliate. Of course, TrafficWave is an MLM business with a digital product. But that product just happens to be what every Internet Marketing pro uses on a daily basis. In other words, if someone asks, "Why do I need an autoresponder?", you should answer with a question of your own: "Are you truly serious about online business?"

If you have a website, blog or online ad without a capture form (or at least a link to one), then you are throwing all your work and money right down the drain. You work so hard to get traffic to your sites, but if you can't (or won't) capture the email addresses of those visitors, how will you ever market to them again? Your autoresponder should be the foundation of everything that you do with online business.

As far as which autoresponder to use, my choice is obviously TrafficWave - and that's for three reasons:

1) The affiliate plan blows everyone else away.
2) Flat-Rate pricing for endless campaigns.
3) The software works great!

Whether or not you are interested in the Team co-op that I talk about on this blog, and whether or not you care about any other program or tool that I have discussed or recommened in the past, TrafficWave is just a no-brainer. Because if you don't think you need an autoresponder in this industry, then I just don't believe that you're truly serious.

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#72)

2011-07-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

I am convinced that success in online affiliate marketing generally comes when you learn to do one thing well - just one thing. That guy in the picture to the left is world-famous for building things out of toothpicks. He just chose one thing and got extremely good at it. Now, building things out of toothpicks earns him continuing fame & fortune! You also need to pick one key aspect of Internet Marketing and get really, really good at it - be it list-building, setting up websites, driving traffic, creating your own products and services or whatever.

What makes this simple notion so powerful is that, if you are really good at something (I mean, you TRULY excel at it), then it should become the cornerstone to your success. That's how you get paid what you're truly worth. For example, if creativity is your strongest area but you aren't doing anything creative, then it may explain why you're 'stuck' or failing to enjoy real success. You have to take a personal inventory, decide what interests you and (most important of all), what you really excel at. Then simply develop your skills in this area to a high level. Thus, you're creating value within your own life and, consequently, you're more valuable to others... and they will pay you for that value.

Most people that are new to online business suffer from a lack of confidence, but that's usually the result of disorganized thinking and majoring in minors. What do I mean by 'majoring in minors'? I mean spending hours of time every day reading emails, checking Facebook, checking Twitter or blasting tweets, following forum threads, Skyping, going back to the emails, etc. It feels like you're working but you're not being productive. See, you've got to get better at something that actually produces results. It doesn't much matter what it is, but becoming an expert at just one aspect of Internet Marketing can create a magical spark in your business!

It is common knowledge that 95% of Internet Marketers earn no money for all their hard work. Another 3% earns a little and the last 2% actually succeed in earning a real living online. What does the 2% know that you don't know? Absolutely nothing, because all of the knowledge that you will ever need is readily available out there. The difference is that they use their time far more productively than you do and they have become very, very good at (at least) one particular aspect of this industry. I would ask every single member of Team OceanSwell to give this some serious thought.

Lastly, I am very grateful to those who are doing their part with the continuing Team Ad marketing. Like everyone else, I wish that things worked 'faster' and more consistently, but they work as fast as they work and that's just reality. That said, the $40.00 cash bonus goes to Team Member Jennifer Reed (jenreed3). Jennifer has been with us a long time and has always done more than her share. So, congratulations Jennifer. Just shoot me an email with your PayPal or AlertPay address and I will get your bonus out to you right away!

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#71)

2011-05-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

I just want everyone to know that I have updated the rotating URL's again for both TrafficWave and Global NPN. To be perfectly honest with you, we've had a lot of drops. Yes, you wish that people wouldn't join affiliate programs and then drop like flies within 90 days (or less). But that's just reality. They do, and they will. That's because everyone's chasing that feather in the wind, and serious players are few and far between. For those of you who are in this for the long-term (as in forever), it just means that your affiliate link is more likely to come up in the rotating system that we use with Team OceanSwell.

With any kind of MLM-style affiliate program, it's really pretty simple - if everybody does it, everybody gets rich. But everybody won't do it. Most simply can't. That is why it is my belief that the best chance you will ever have for building an affiliate downline is by having a plan and a system that others can duplicate without much 'thinking'. If there's a better system out there than what our team is using, I haven't seen it. Believe me, I've seen it all... and I've joined many of them. But one thing people tell me a lot is that 'I don't have time to promote'. Well, don't tell it to me. In my job, I work seven (yes, 7) days a week. So I don't want to hear it. We ALL work hard and nobody has enough time.

Anyway, we still have many active team members who are working their butts off every month. This month's $40.00 team member, promotion bonus goes out to Leo Watson (hardjudge). Leo is a long-time team member who actually uses TrafficWave in his online business activities. Leo, just send me your AlertPay or PayPal address and I'll get that $40.00 bonus to you pronto!

What the #1 key to success with affiliate marketing?

2011-04-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, rule number one is to have a strategy... and stick to it. I also happen to trade stocks on my days off, and I can tell you for certain that only fools approach the stock market without a strategy in mind. When people aren't earning any, or enough, money online (or in the stock market), they want to know, "What am I doing wrong?" And they want someone to tell them what they're doing wrong.

I know. I've BEEN there.

The very first thing to remember is what you're doing right. Just the mere act of getting into Internet marketing is a smart move. Online business has only been around for about 15 years, and so we're really only at the beginning. The fact that you've taken some action is something to be proud of and build upon! It means you're in the game. Still... you must have a strategy (i.e. a grand plan) and commit to it. When I first started out online (and it wasn't that long ago!), I didn't know what I was doing. And it didn't take long to become overwhelmed and frustrated by all of the things that I felt like I 'had to be doing' every day. Though I thought I did, I didn't really have an online business. All I had was a mountain of busy work that I thought that somehow, some way, would eventually start earning me money. Down here in Texas, we say, "You're doin' a lot of choppin', but no chips are flyin'."

This is where most people will burn out, throw up their hands and quit - especially if there's been a lot of money spent in the process. What I realized is that I needed some kind of organized plan or system for recruiting and retention (rentention actually being more important). That's when I created a team-build promotion system for the TrafficWave affiliate plan. It's still working today and has spun off numerous 'sub-teams' that are creating their own plans and systems. The organized plan of Team OceanSwell is what finally created success for me online. Suddenly, all of the things that I had been trying so hard to do - i.e. list-building, branding, advertising in TE's, etc. - suddently started working. It was like night and day!

My point is simply this: You'll never earn any kind of significant full or part-time income online unless you have a unique strategy and stay with it. If you are a Team OceanSwell member for the purpose of promoting affiliate links for TrafficWave (and now Global NPN), that's excellent. It's the strategy that I developed and many are using. But guess what? You need your own. I have found that real success online comes from new ideas. In fact, all you really need is ONE fresh idea, and an organized plan that's based upon it. That requires creative thinking. If you need help with creative thinking, then seek it out and make a study of it.

The book below is one that I've read recently, and recommend as a means to stir the creative juices (but there are many others like it). If you've read this far, please think carefully about what I've said. Because I've just given you the key to the success that I've had online...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#70)

2011-03-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

Is online MLM an investment? Of course it is! Take Global NPN for example. Let's say (for example) that you earn $200.00 a month with your recurring affiliate sales. That is $2,400 annually - pre-tax, of course. To earn $2,400 annually from a conservative investment of savings - let's just say 5% - you would need to have accumulated almost $50,000 in cash.

Think about that.

$200 a month in online income is roughly the same as having $50,000 invested in treasury bills. THAT'S why online business is worth the time and effort. You're creating your own pension! To think of it another way... how long would it take you to save up $50,000 to invest? Would it take a long time? For most people, the answer is yes! That's why it's so silly to complain about 'how long' it takes to create dependable, online cash flows. You'll either do it or you won't. But 'how long' it takes is relative to 'how long' it would take you to amass a cash fortune that could throw off interest income that you could live on. At least, this is how I tend to look at it. For example, I can earn close to $30.00 an hour in my work (depending on a number of factors). My wife works too, and so we do alright. In fact, we just moved into a bigger house. But I've calculated that my online business activities pay around $3.00 and hour - that's right, about 1/10th of what I earn at my regular job. So why do it, right? Don't you ever ask yourself that question: "Why the hell am I still doing this?"

It's because of the AWESOME long-term earning potential. Remember, once your online cash-flows are up and running, they tend to stay there and grow! What if you earned $1,000 a month online? Again, that's the rough equivalent of having almost 1/4 MILLION ($250,000) invested in treasury bills. Are you starting to see the light?

So my point today is to remind you of why you're in this business and the incredible power that the affiliate programs of both TrafficWave and Global NPN possess. And despite anything you've heard or read, Team OceanSwell is here to stay and we are simply going to continue to function the way we've always functioned. I may tweek the letters in the core AR series now and then (as well as our ads), but you are in the Rotator (these days, a revolving URL) so long as you are a member. And that's a good investment in your future. Never, never forget that!

As for February's $40.00 bonus recipient, that award goes out to Ms. Maria Melas (TW username 'Houstongreek'). Maria has been a Team Member for over a year and has been promoting very aggressively lately. Congratulations, Maria!

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#69)

2011-02-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

From the standpoint of time, Internet Marketing can be very challenging. That's especially true if you have a full-time job, children, a home to look after, etc.. And once you start enjoying some success with your online business, it only gets worse! Of course, you need to take breaks once in awhile - otherwise, you will get burned-out. I've basically been on a two week 'break', though it's been more necessity than choice. But just because life might pull you away from your online business once in awhile, it doesn't mean you have to stress out over it. In fact, if you've got things set up right, most of it will run on autopilot anyway. That is why if I've said it once, I've said it a million times: your autoresponder is the foundation of everything you will do online. It keeps working when you don't have the time to!

There are only so many hours in a day and there's only one of you. You will drive yourself insane if you don't learn how to automate your business (or at least as much of it as possible). Another advantage to being part of a well-branded marketing group like Team OceanSwell is that the team is working for you night and day, all year long - even when YOU have to take some time off.

The Internet isn't going anywhere and there's an infinite supply of whatever it is that you're looking for online, be it sales, new subscribers, affiliate referrals or whatever. Just don't take on too much and push yourself too hard. If you've made the decision to build an online business, then you simply must stand by your decision. You could be buried in snow (as half the U.S. currently is), underwater in Australia or watching rioting mobs from your front door, like they're doing in Egypt. It doesn't matter. I'm going through a bit of a tough spell right now myself because of how many hours I'm being asked to work at my job. Some weeks, it seems like I'm either at the hospital working... or I'm asleep.

My point is that life will throw all kinds of obstacles and challenges in your path. The danger is that many of these circumstances can become heroic reasons for you to give up on your dreams. Do you know what I mean? "I tried, but look what I had to deal with!" Guess what. You have to deal with it. Anyway, I don't want to blather on and on - but you get my point. Everyone has problems, and that's never going to change. Just don't let your problems become excuses that turn into dream killers. DON'T do it.

Anyway, we actually had a decent January as far as new Team Members joining us - both in TrafficWave and Global NPN - and January's winner of the $40.00 promotional cash award is Ms. Zita Skurka (goldstarz). She is a tireless promoter and is very deserving of the cash bonus! Zita, send me your PayPal or AlertPay address and I will get your cash out to you right away!

Something special is going on with Team Utopia

2011-01-21T02:35:00.000-08:00

Team Atlantis is a sub-group of Team OceanSwell and Team Utopia is a sub-group of Team Atlantis. Confused yet? (laughing) It can get confusing! Anyway, I promised Didi (OceanSwell Team Leader) that I would put this email exchange on my blog about this new thing... and so here it is.

I hope you LIKE reading (smile):

Hi Rusty, This is fantastic news. People are already making big bucks. Here is my latest broadcast. You will notice that since I sent the first email to you, there was a new "step up" program added. Thanks so much,

~Didi

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Everybody,

What I am about to tell you in going to blow your mind. But first, I would like to ask all of you who are not receiving the Team Utopia updates to please complete the squeeze page via the link below. If you haven't been receiving Team Utopia updates, you have missed the fact that we have had 32 members cycle from EZ-BizBuilder (EBB) intoEZ-Biz1000 (EB1000). And better yet, 5 of those members have cycled from EBB1000 and have received $500.00 deposited into the AlertPay accounts. This program is absolutely outstanding. I truly don't have the words to express how very exciting this is to myself and to our members.

Our most recent member to receive the $500.00 sent me the following email...

"Hi Didi Is this for real?? I am so excited. Thank you for telling me about EzBizBuilder. I joined at your suggestion and I just can't believe it! I came home from a pretty ordinary day at work to find $500 in my AlertPay account... and all from cycling through EzBizBuilder. This is just amazing and so are you. Thank you so much for everything you do. I love Team Utopia and I can't wait to get my next $1000. Thank you, thank you, thank you...woooo hoooo. I am so happy..can'tyou tell? LOL

Take care, Rae Collier"

And what did it cost her?... $39.95 plus AlertPay fees and time promoting Team Utopia. You gotta love it!!! Don't miss another exciting update from Team Utopia. Please complete this squeeze page. :-) http://www.adkreator.com/squeezepagehit.php?bid=24439&sp=Y

And now for the HUGE announcement. Whoooo Hooooo!! Most of you have received information regarding EBB in a previous broadcast, so I will start with the announcement of a great new program. For those of you who have not read about EBB yet, you will find full details near the end of this email and you will have two options to choose from. 1. Join EZ-Biz Builder directly or 2. Join EZ-Biz Builder Quick Cash (EBBQC) Now then, EBB has launched a pre-program to EBB. The pre-program is called EZ-Biz Builder Quick Cash. The cost for this program is only $22.00 and the first time you cycle, you will receive $10.00 back and a new position in EBB. So in essence, the cost is $12.00. Now then, the second time you cycle in EBBQC and every time thereafter, you will receive $50.00. Plus every time that someone you have sponsored cycles, you will receive a bonus of $10.00. This is beyond fantastic.

This new program allows those who are leery about spending $39.95 and for those who perhaps just don't have the funds available for entering EBB directly to start with EZ-BizQuickCash to join for half the cost and cycle into EBB. You can call this a "step up" program. This new program will not only put quick cash in your pocket, it will push all members already in EBB to cycle faster. So, if you already have an account with EBB, it would be very much in your best interest to go ahead and join this program also. You can believe that I did. Whoooo Hooooooo!!! If you are currently an EBB member, It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you add your affiliate ID number directly behind your last name when completing your info in EBBQC. I will also need you to send me your EBBQC ID number once you have received it. Please allow 24 hours to receive confirmation from EBBQC. Please use this link to join EBBQC. You may also choose to join EBB directly through the link provided near the end of this email. One time fee of $22.00 even.

I feel the need to explain EBB for those that are reading about it for the first time. Ez-BizBulder has a quick 2x3 matrix (which means you'll receive 2members, then they will receive 2, and then their two will receive 2 and you cycle). When you cycle, you get a free entry into "Ez-Biz1000" (a value of 350 dollars) which is based on an infinite number of personal 2x2 cyclers. The cyclers that will fill your 2 x 2 will be your downline from EZ-BizBuilder. It is a follow your sponsor system. :-)

A 2x2 cycle requires only 6 members to complete. When cycling the first time from EZBiz1000, you will receive $500 cash, an auto re-entry of your original position into the next available spot and also a bonus position. And this is only the beginning, because each time your original position cycles again, you receive $1,000 cash and each time your bonus position cycles, you receive another $1,000 cash, an autore-entry of that bonus position, plus another bonus position. This will eventually create for you numerous positions and therefore numerous payments of $500 and $1,000 over and over again. And if you think that's something, keep reading because the best part hasn't even started yet. As we build the team and your original 2X3 matrix (the "Ez-Bizbuilder") cycles for the second time, you get a free entry into Sunrise Travel (a value of $325.00 dollars). This is where it really becomes exciting, as you can earn $10.00 dollars over and over again. Sunrise Travel also reward their members with laptops and even cars. The entire Sunrise Travel Compensation Plan can beviewed at the end of this email via a link to their site.

In a nutshell, with a one time fee of $39.95 (plus AlertPay processor fee) you will be on your way to earn $500, $1000 and $10.000 over and over again for life. You might be thinking that $39.95 is a lot to ask, but hold that thought and think of it this way. This is a one time fee, it is not a monthly fee program. You pay once. That's right, only one payment of $39.,95 and you're in for life. Let's put it this way, what Ez-Bizbuilder offers for that price is the most affordable one-timecost available program for this level of return.

This is going to be huge folks. And it's only just begun. Now then, as many of you know, I also lead up Team Utopia. Team Utopia is now promoting EBB. We have already had thirty two (32) members cycle from EBB into EBB1000. And it gets even better; five (5) of thethirty two (32) that have cycled from EBB into EBB1000 have cycled again and have received their first $500.00 payment. And what did it cost them? $39.95. You got it; just $39.95. Team Utopia will assign members to anybody (non TA members, free trial TA members and upgraded TA members) who join Team Utopia and Ez-BizBuilder. New members will be placed from top to bottom, left to right in the matrix. Each member will receive two (2) affiliates beneath them. Remember, your first two will also be receiving signups from the team and their signups will be receiving signups from the team. This will fill your matrix so you only need 2 directs. :-)

To join EBB directly, please use this link. Also, be sure to send meyour affiliate link. http://www.ez-bizbuilder.com/index.php?spon=652

My Team Utopia email: ourteamutopia@gmail.com

Remember, once you cycle from EZ-BizBuilder, you will receive freeentry into EZ-Biz100o and then once you cycle from there, you will receive free entry into Sundrise Travel Club.

Sunrise Travel link: https://www.sunrisetravelclub.com/MarketingPlan/

Truly EZ-Biz Quick Cash and/or Ez-BizBuilder are the way to go. A onetime fee for a lifetime of cycling members beneath you. You owe it to yourself to make 2011 a very prosperous new year. If you have any questions at all, please ask away. Looking forward to hearing from you. Didi Wargo, Atlantis Team Leader & Utopia Team Leader

oceanswellatlantis@gmail.com

ourteamutopia@gmail.com

On 1/19/11, Rusty Shelton wrote: I signed up and paid my money. My link is: http://www.ez-bizbuilder.com/index.php?spon=1112

Go ahead and send me your broadcasts. I'll make them into blog posts and put whatever link (or links) you want. My blogs are starting to get more and more traffic - and that's good! I really don't have time for another Team-Build. NO way. But I can certainly help bring in new referrals. When they join, I'll just send them to you so that you can interact with them. ~Rusty

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:07:46 -0600; Subject: Re: Team Atlantis - EZBizBuilder; From: oceanswellatlantis@gmail.com To: twoceanswell@hotmail.com

Hi Rusty; Thank you for requesting to join EZBizBuilder (EBB). It's true, you do not have to personally sponsor anybody to either of these two programs. :-) This link is a generic link to join and upgrade through. You will be placed> in the correct position and receive your EBB ID once you have joined and upgraded. Please allow up to 24 hours to receive confirmation from Cathrine Feehley, owner of EBB. Also, please join with an email address other than Yahoo. If you do not, there's a good chance that you will not receive the email wherein your link will be provided. It is highly recommended that you use a gmail address.

Once you have joined, please send me your EBB affiliate link.

If you would like to have the broadcasts that I have sent to my people please just let me know. It would probably be easier for you to copy and & paste than to write it yourself. Also, I need to know if you will be doing a team build with it or if you will be sending your folks to me. This is really really taking off.

Didi Wargo, Utopia Team Leader

ourteamutopia@gmail.com On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 9:15 AM, Rusty Shelton; Hey Didi, I have been SUPER busy at my job and we're also in the middle of moving to a new house. Anyway, give me the link you want me to enroll through and I'll do it today for you ~Me

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:56:18 -0600> Subject: Team Atlantis - EZBizBuilder From: oceanswellatlantis@gmail.com> To: stshirey65@gmail.com; twoceanswell@hotmail.com

Hi Guys, Recently, Team Utopia has switched from AD6 to EZBizBuilder. I have shared it with my members and the response has been overwhelming. I am sharing it with you today because I really think that you ought to consider EZBizBuilder. You can either share this with your contacts and have them contact me or you can start your own team build. Obviously, I would like you to start by joining under one of our Team Utopia members. This is excellent. I'm not kidding either of you. I joined just over three weeks ago and have made $1,000.00 and the money is in my AP account. Please get back with me after reading the details below. Obviously, the sooner folks get in, the better. Below is an email that I sent to our members.

All the best, ~Didi

Two MORE ways to promote your TrafficWave affiliate link

2011-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Besides the flat-rate pricing, good deliverability and other features, the #1 reason to use TrafficWave is (of course) the affiliate pay plan. That's what Team OceanSwell is all about and that's why you're reading this. TrafficWave's famous affiliate plan is well-known throughout the industry and there are numerous other programs and systems designed to help build your TrafficWave affiliate downline as well.

Team OceanSwell isn't the only one, and there will no doubt be more in the future.

The purpose of this blog post is to briefly make you aware of two that I use. These two are for advanced marketers who have the time, resources and dedication to devote to them. What I mean to say is that they're not for everybody. There are numerous, labor-intensive steps involved in getting them set up and they're just a lot of work in general. I am involved with both of these because some people like one better than the other one, and visa versa.

However, the creators of both of these systems understand the potential of TrafficWave's comp plan and you can use your existing account with either one. In addition to that, these are both complete and self-contained businesses.

As I said, I'm not telling you to join one of them (or even suggesting it). But you should at least be aware that they exist - as one of the two may or may not interest you as your Email Marketing business continues to evolve.

If you care to take a glance at these, here are the links:

Secret Stash Factory and Infinity Cash Formula

All the best,

Rusty L. Shelton (OceanSwell Team Leader and Founder)

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#68)

2011-01-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

What's the magic 'secret' to earning money online? 80% of it is showing up. Everything else is the other 20%. That much, I can assure you is true. By the way, this applies to anything - be it going to a college class, taking guitar lessons, or starting an online business. That is where the overwhelming vast majority of people 'fail'. By fail, what I really mean is quit. They get all excited about something they want to do or achieve, but then when it comes time to actually work for it, they never even get started. They plan, think, talk, dream, and fantasize about all the success they are going to have (and all the money they are going to make!), but that's about all that they'll ever do. They just talk about doing it.

In fact, most people fail at everything because most people quit at everything.

After taking that first step (i.e. showing up to work), which 80% of people fail to do regardless of how badly they say they want something, it then becomes an issue of consistence, persistence and continuous adjustment. What do I mean by this? Well, obviously persistence is continuing to do something until you succeed and being consistent means doing it on a schedule. But is this in itself enough? Of course not. If you're doing something and it's not working at all, you need to change your approach - maybe not even all that much! You must study and analyze why what you're doing is failing and modify your game plan. This is called learning and it's how you succeed.

There is no magic potion, formula or secret. Sorry. That's just an illusion. There is no fast, easy shortcut to success. Nor is there a replacement for hard work and intelligent thought. There is no other way to succeed than to throw yourself into something, stick with it, learn while you go, and continually modify your approach until you reach your desired results. That's about all there is to it.

Think it over, and then ask yourself where what you're doing right now will get you. The choice is yours, but just remember that you don't "fail" in life, you quit. As long as you learn from not achieving a goal you set out to accomplish and use what you've learned to properly modify your game plan and keep going, there is no such thing as failure. The only time you will ever "fail" in life is when you either never get started, or you say, "I quit."

In my own 'Internet Marketing Journey', I've come to believe that using systems that others can duplicate is the best method for building MLM affiliate downlines. Team Oceanswell is one such system, as it applies to TrafficWave and Global NPN.

I also use a system for promoting TW Power Revolution and for Infinity Downline as well. Why promote more than one thing? Because some people will like one system but won't like another, that's why. That's sales. If you can't get 'em with one, them get 'em with the other one. I am telling you this because it's something that I've learned over time... because I didn't quit. And because I didn't quit, I began to learn what works and what doesn't - and also to accept how long it really takes to get anywhere with online business. As a result, I've developed patterns I repeat over and over to get results. I call this having a plan and a system. If you've got a plan and a system that been proven to work (even if it's just a little!), then your job is to amplify those results in every way that you can.

For example, if your website or blog is beginning to pick up a little web traffic everyday, then your job is to: A) Increase that traffic B) Get more out of the traffic when visitors come to your site C) Create more websites!

By now, I'm sure that many of you have made something called a 'New Year's Resolution' (such as losing weight or quitting smoking). Those resolutions typically don't last for more than a week and I never make them. In fact, I made my resolution a long time ago - and that's to earn a full-time living online and be Free as a result. I'm on my way! So or a lot of you... I know you are! So what are my goals for 2011, with regard to my online business and (of course) Team OceanSwell? I've decided that my personal goal for 2011 is to create one new money-making website a day. You read that right: 365 websites! And most of these will links to our Team URL's. You can look at one of them here. (new window) Why am I doing this? Because I never quit and I never stop LEARNING. One of the things I have learned is that it takes a truly massive amount of advertising to get anywhere in this business. That's what spawned the idea of the original Oceanswell Team Ads and the process of collective advertising and recruiting. It's still a great idea and that's why everybody and his brother has a Team like ours now. That's fine, but we have to keep growing and expanding and I know that I have to keep doing more to drive huge amounts of web traffic to our Team links.

I WILL...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#67)

2010-12-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with TrafficWave early on in my Internet Marketing career. Like everybody else who's first starting out, I kept reading and reading, and watching videos and watching videos, and spending money and spending money. But the one thing I kept hearing - over and over again - was that I needed a 'list' and that would require something called an 'autoresponder'. Therefore, I made it my mission in life to learn everything I could about both items. And that's what brought me to TrafficWave and eventually inspired me to create the now-famous Team OceanSwell.

In my opinion, you're not serious about Internet Marketing unless you are using an autoresponder and building your list. You also need your own website or blog (same thing) that receives search engine traffic on a daily basis. But if you are intent upon building an affiliate downline, you should also be a part of a Team co-op. It's silly not to. As of Christmas 2010, the team ad link for my group has been seen almost 700,000 times. Is that a 'lot'? I don't know, but I can tell you that it's not enough. Oh, it's been enough to create, grow and sustain Team affiliate downlines in TrafficWave and Global NPN, but it will need to be a LOT more in order to propel our idea to the next level. However, 700,000 page hits is far more than any one individual can accomplish... and that's the awesome power of collective recruiting.

I have big plans for our Team in 2011 that will take that 700,000 number far higher. Basically, our system isn't going to change. We still have the 'rotator' concept, though it's now rolled into a revolving URL that promotes everyone continuously. What's going to be new is the sheer volume of advertising that we are about to unleash after the first of the year. If you're one of the ones who's quit (but still reads these updates), then you're going to miss out. If you're one of those who 'gets it' and refuses to quit, you will be rewarded. It's just that simple. And remember, when Team Members quit, it simply shortens the number of people in the revolving team URL's - which increases the chances of receiving a new referral on any given day.

Speaking of rewards, this month's $40.00 cash bonus goes out to Ms. Norma Schella, who's been an OceanSwell Team member and active promoter for a long time. She's also one of the smart ones who's asked for a unique & personal Team Ad to include in her promotions. You can see it here (new window). I am happy to provide one for any Team Member who asks. This is important because it helps you get noticed more within the context of our Team promotion. We have lots and lots of highly creative, focused and energetic people in Team OceanSwell. We also have some who could (and should) be doing more to help themselves in a variety of ways. So please take advantage of every opportunity to promote yourself. You can't be timid and shy in this business and hope to hide behind your computer screen. Be bold. Get out there and say 'Hello' to the world with your blog, your emails, your forum posts and your ads.

Year's end is a time to take stock of where you're at and develop a fresh attitude for the coming year. That's what I'm doing with regard to Team Oceanswell, and I know that everyone is going to be pleased. But what about... you?

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." ~Anais Nin

The NEW Stress Free Salary?

2010-12-23T01:35:00.000-08:00

In 2010, there was a system for promoting Teamwork Revolution Power System (TWRPS) called Stress Free Salary. It's still around, by the way, and they've made quite a few improvements to it. I've been including it in my promotions for a long time now and it's helped me build a nice little downline that (amazingly) keeps growing at a slow & steady pace. Stress Free Salary wasn't and isn't a 'Team-Build', or any other form of collective recruiting. It's simply a complete promotional system for building an affiliate downline with TWRPS, that's all. The 'problem' with it is that the steps involved are apparantly too complicated for many who try to use it and they simply can't or won't follow the instructions. At least, that's what I've noticed.

So what the creators of Stress Free Salary have done is to design a new and much simpler version for 2011, called TWR Power Team. I think it's better, because it's simple - and simple is always best. In case you've never heard of TWRPS, it's a web host that's packaged with other online marketing tools, much like Global NPN. But it's intriguing because of it's 2x8 affiliate matrix structure that forces more matrix spill-over and pays eight(8) dollars per affiliate on level eight! TWRPS is all about the level eight. Some people really like that and some don't. Like all of these affiliate programs, it just comes down to a matter of personal taste.

Anyway, if TWRPS has ever interested you, and/or you like the idea of turn-key promotion systems that don't ask you to think, then this NEW TWR Power Team promo may be what you've been searching for. It can't hurt to look, right?

How often should I email my list?

2010-12-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

So you're using TrafficWave and some excellent pre-built squeeze pages from adkreator to build your opt-in contact list. Excellent. That's what you should be doing! But then the question arises, 'How often should I email my list?' Your relationship with your subscribers, what you share with them and the style with which you do it are critical, as far as making money in your home business is concerned. But in particular, this post is really centered on one aspect: frequency of mailing

There are a lot of opinions on this subject, and mine isn't necessarily better than anyone else's. I'll give you an example. I get a few new subscribers a day through the OceanSwell Team Ads, but I also probably lose one subscriber a day as well. Do I care? Not really. They weren't going to do anything anyway and the purpose of acquiring my list (at least this particular one) is to explain our Team co-op, provide marketing tips for Team Members, make notifications about Team Updates and similar things. Very rarely, I will broadcast an idea/biz-opp of some sort, but it's related to helping Team Members with TrafficWave (or in some other way) 99% of the time. But that's an important thing to remember when broadcasting to your list - i.e. what brought them in to begin with? Any messages you send out should generally be on that subject alone, or you risk running people off. That's why, over time, you will likely end up having multiple 'lists'.

Some people believe that you should never broadcast at all, and that your autoresponder should do all the work. They'll set up an AR series that runs for a year! They'll never send a single broadcast. For the most part, I think that's what I tend to do. The upside to this is that it's pretty much a hands-free process that runs on autopilot. With your messages spaced out every few days or once a week, you're less likely to drive people away than with relentless sales messages.

Other people take the exact opposite view. Their take on it is since everyone else is blasting offers every day, so should you. Otherwise, your competition will get the sale first! I believe that this approach is better suited to mass lead-generation techniques aimed at generic 'bizz opp seekers', rather than those who subscribe for a specific reason. Personally, I don't like it because it's the equivalent of clear-cutting a forest or strip-mining the side of a mountain. It's also bad for the industry as a whole. Not that anyone cares... which they don't. You may win now, but not in the long term. You’ll burn through your list fast with high unsubscribe and complaint rates - which ultimately can get you blocked by major ISPs. Generally the practitioner of this hard-ball tactic lives and dies by their lead flow. Because if it drops from one month to the next, so will their quick-turn profits.

The third approach is obviously some combination of the first two. You'll have a baseline autoresponder sequence and commit to bi-weekly or weekly broadcasts as well. Some marketers, such as myself, also like to do a personal welcome message, outside of the AR sequence. In my humble opinion, this is better than the first two ideas alone for the beginning entrepreneur.

Honestly, I think the main thing is to be consistent and stay on topic with both your AR series and inter-mediate broadcast messages. It's my opinion that daily sales messages are a big mistake, but that's just my opinion. This is a post that I'd really welcome comments on.

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#66)

2010-12-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

Global NPN was chosen as a second program for the Team Oceanswell co-op because of it's remarkable purity as an MLM-style affiliate program. Speaking strictly from the MLM side of it alone, Global NPN is excellent. For one thing, the company (and ownership) has a great reputation and has been around a long time. That's really, really important for major promotions! Secondly, the affiliate pay plan is easy to understand, it's easy to get into profit fast and it's also scalable. Because of it's simplicity, it was (and remains) the perfect compliment to the primary affiliate program of Team OceanSwell, which is (of course) TrafficWave.

But in the past month or so, a few issues have arisen that need to be addressed and/or cleared up. First and foremost is the very nature of the Team OceanSwell idea itself. We're over a year old now, and have evolved considerably in a number of ways. So much has changed (and contiues to) that about the only thing that binds us all together is the name (Team OceanSwell), the general idea of the Team Ad/Team Rotator system, our core programs (TrafficWave and Global NPN) and the fact that we are all in the same downlines. Other than that, there are numerous Teams within the Team. It can be confusing, I admit! But in order to keep these Rotator lists from becoming too long, we have routinely broken up into smaller groups over the past year. Besides me, there are other well-known Team Leaders as well. But as these sub-teams are formed, they also tend to evolve on their own. That is why Didi runs her team differently than I do and Terrence says different things in his ads then I do. We're different people with different ideas. The problem arises, though, when Didi's methods get confused with mine or somebody reads a letter that Terrence wrote and thinks he got it from me. We are different teams within a larger team, understand?

Think of it like car dealerships. They can all be General Motors dealers, but they will run their businesses in very different ways!

The other thing I want to address here is the fact that some people will join our Team-Build for Global NPN and then quit. I get lots and lots of emails from people upset that they've lost downline members and want to know 'what I'm going to do about it' or 'how I'm going to make it up to them'. The answer to both questions should be obvious, but here it is anyway: I'm not going to do anything other than what I've been doing, I am doing and will continue to do. And that is promote our Team Ads and Team URL links anywhere and everywhere I can, and in every conceivable way. What I would like to know is, why don't more people do the same thing? The Team-Build co-op can only do so much, so fast... and I am only one person and there are only 24 hours in a day. There is nothing stopping any Team Member from making their own squeeze/splash pages, creating their own website, blog, etc.

If you have a downline in Global NPN, then good for you! There are many Team Members who are still waiting for their turn through the Rotator. They don't want to hear about your lost referrals and neither do I. I just don't have the time for it, and I can't spend all day answering emails. There is no time. If you have a downline already, then you - yes, you - should be doing everything in your power to maintain and grow it. That involves energy, creativity and (above all else) leadership. The system obviously works, otherwise nobody would have referrals to begin with. But if the Rotator placed new Team Members beneath you, then you've had your turn and my PRIORITY is working for those who haven't had their turn yet. That's only fair, right? Would you expect something different?

And the fact that people join and then quit isn't such a bad thing. I audit the Rotator on a weekly basis (which is a big job in itself) and dead accounts get dropped by NPN after 60 days of idle status. That means that the Rotator list shortens for those who stick around and you can suddenly get new downline members from the action of compression and spillover within the matrix.

Last but not least, there is some confusion about whether or not being a TrafficWave affiliate is a pre-requisite to joining the Team-Build for Global NPN. For my group, it isn't. But Didi may have a different rule for her organization. As far as Team OceanSwell is concerned, we are all one big Global NPN team. But there are teams within the team, acting and promoting in different ways. Please remember that. Also, remember that (so long as you are part of this team) there is nobody on earth working harder to help you than I am - every single day of the week.

"If thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason, seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure as if thou shouldest be bound to give it back immediately,--if thou boldest to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this." ~ MARCUS ANTONINUS.

What's the trick to making safelists work?

2010-12-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

Do safelists really work? Yes, they do. But if they aren't working for you, then I can virtually guarantee what your two problems are. There are really only two reasons why you aren't getting more (or anything at all) from your safelist marketing efforts:

1) You've got a bad email.

2) Your link doesn't go to a capture page.

Like their cousins, Traffic Exchanges, safelists can be very tedious, time-consuming and even completely worthless. But getting consistent results with safelists isn't terribly hard. You just need to know what to do, and then be willing to put in the up-front work before you start marketing. This is where most people will probably stop reading this post, because I said that dreaded word, 'work'. But it is necessary to get your email ad crafted properly, your capture page set up correctly and have a well-sculpted AR series behind it before you ever start advertising! And you know what? It might just take you a week or two in order to get it all set up and ready. Let it take as long as it takes because you'll waste a whole lot more time than that if you don't.

First of all, let's talk about the email itself. The very first thing to remember about safelists is that you are marketing to other marketers! Don't bother trying to get them to join your program through a link to an affiliate page. And whatever you do, don't load up the subject line with hype. If this is the way you are using safelists, it's a big part of the reason why the results you are seeing have been slow or non-existent. Nobody cares about your 'Get rich in 30 days' headline and nobody wants to join your program. They want you to join theirs! There are important exceptions to this, however. People will join your program if - IF - you can show them a plan and a system for using and promoting it as an affiliate. That's what other marketers want. They want tools and systems that work. But explaining your approach to a particular company's program is more than you can (or should) do in a single email. That is why the link in your ad should go to a page with your TrafficWave capture form. In short, what you want to do is take the prospect out of the safelist and place her or him in front of YOUR message on a regular basis, and in an automated way. That's why the autoresponder is so critical to email marketing. It's also why 97% of 'Internet Marketers' fail. They never bother to learn how to use it.

Anyway, getting back to the email itself...

Your message will get opened, read and acted upon far more often if the subject line and text are written correctly. Rule #1: Make it a conversational style. In other words, write the headline and the text as if you were talking to someone at a lunch counter. Speak the words out loud, so that you are writing in the way that you would talk to somebody in person. If you wouldn't say something in a natural way (to a real person sitting beside you), then don't write it!

Secondly, get to the point fast. Tell the reader what you want them to do, what the defined benefit is for doing it and then tell them how you've made it easy for them to do it. If you need some examples, just email me at twoceanswell@hotmail.com and I can help you out. And if you simply can't create a capture page that gives a compelling reason to opt-in, adkreator has a plethora of splendid templates and all of the work has been done for you.

So that's it. Take the TIME to learn about effective email sales copy, create a compelling lead-capture page and back it with a persuasive autoresponder series. Do these three things (and do them well) and I promise that your fortunes will change when it comes to safelist advertising.

E-Mail ad copy that produces sales

2010-12-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

If email marketing is at the core of your affiliate sales business (as it should be!), then what you are dealing with is percentages. If you're getting a 1% response rate and, from that, a 5% conversion rate, then what you want is for those percentages to go UP! Simple, right? But how do you do that? Why is that one email sent to 2,000 opt-in leads generates one kind of response and a different email ad achieves far better results?

One word: EMOTION

You can do 'OK' by simply presenting all of the sensible & logical reasons why a product or should be purchased and used. That makes sense when you're selling, say... a vacuum cleaner. But when you are prospecting for new affiliates in money-makers like TrafficWave and Global NPN, it takes more than that. In fact, there's a little secret to it. You have to appeal to the reader's emotions. Naturally, there's a right way and a wrong way to do that.

Think of it this way: unless your prospect has a broken leg and you're the only doctor for miles around, she or he doesn't really 'need' whatever it is you're selling. While human beings 'want' many things, we only truly need food, clothing and shelter... and damned little else. So how do you sell something that nobody really needs? You do it by communicating how it will make them FEEL. For example, feeling 'secure', 'worry-free', 'independent', 'attractive', 'loved', 'in control of your life' and so on are powerful emotional appeals.

So when you're writing your email sales copy, always remember the appeal to emotion. Another good example is the fear of loss. Nobody wants to 'miss out' on something that's potentially life-changing. Just remember that satisfying emotional needs should be the general focus of your sales copy. I promise that if you do it correctly, it will multiply your response rates. Ramp up the intensity of your message by targeting the part of your prospect's psyche that is actually making the purchase decision, and you will make more sales. What I mean to say is that you must ensure that every benefit you offer... every "reason why" you present... connects directly with your prospects' strongest emotions. If you're not sure what they are, the Seven Deadly Sins are a good place to start because that's raw, basic human nature.

Now there's a delicate balance between a strong appeal to emotion and the same-old, overblown hype that everyone routinely ignores. That is why your email sales letters need to be carefully crafted works of art. Even if it's a 20 letter series in your TrafficWave autoresponder, each and every one of them needs to be a psychological masterpiece. Just do it right. There's no need for false, misleading, or unbelievable advertising claims. Falling into that mental rut has been the undoing of many otherwise savvy marketers. If any component of your sales message is less than believable, more prospects will be turned off than will buy. And if your product doesn't live up to your sales message, those who do become customers will be one-time customers only. They'll never believe you again and that's the WORST thing that you can do.

Just remember that the gut has long been considered the 'second brain', because that's where your emotions come from and it's where and why a lot of buying decisions get made. Remember that when you're writing or revising your best email sales letters!

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#65)

2010-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Team building for TrafficWave is my passion. That's because, in 'My Internet Marketing Journey', I have learned the true value of an autoresponder and how precious of an asset your opt-in email contact list really is. I didn't know it before, but I know it now. But more than that, I've come to realize the power of collective-recruiting and what Napoleon Hill always referred to as 'your mastermind group'. That's because (in my opinion) you cannot succeed in an MLM-style affiliate sales program without being part of an organized team. That doesn't guarantee quick success, but it does guarantee a legitimate chance at it. You have to put yourself in a position to win before you'll ever have a shot at victory.

You see, when you are running a business you can count your assets. Your building, your inventory, your established customer base, your name recognition & good will, your un-collected receipts, and so on, are all assets. Online, it's similar in some ways, though quite different in others. For example, your email subscriber list is a major asset. If you are a part of Team OceanSwell, then having the entire Team working for you is definitely an asset as well. In any business, your assets are a measure of your success, your worth and your potential. Unfortunately, most people who fancy themselves to be Internet Marketers simply don't think about these assets... or even care about them. They don't don't want to 'build a list'. It's too much work and too much trouble. They don't want to join Team OceanSwell or stick around long enough for it to help them. It just 'takes too long'. I work in a hospital and I see it there too. People come in with chronic illnesses and expect a quick fix via a 'pill' or something. That, and they expect fast miracles from the medical staff (and sometimes get very angry when it doesn't happen). It just isn't reality - i.e. that thing that nobody wants to accept.

I believe in having a personal philosophy and mine has evolved from reading biographies. I like quotes too, and General George Patton has some that I like. One of them (speaking about himself) was, "I am the master of the possible." So what does that mean? It means that if it can get done, he'll make it happen. But if it isn't possible, then don't bitch about it.

That's what each of needs to become; 'a master of the possible'. Did you know that this blog receives about 30-50 unique visitors from around the world on a daily basis because of it's content and page-depth? It's true, but it didn't happen overnight. Do you also notice that the links to TrafficWave (and Global NPN) are the rotating Team URL's and not mine (though I am in the Rotator too)? Do you think that's a valuable aspect of being part of my Team? These blog posts don't write themselves. I do it for you - ME. By the way, do you think it's possible that you could create a blog of your own like this one? Of course it is. As a demonstration, my buddy (Jeff) & I have created a generic Internet Marketing blog that you can see here:

Home Business Ideas for the 21st Century

Take a look at this thing. Right up at the top, there is a banner that links to our Team URL for Global NPN. In fact, there are links to Global NPN and TrafficWave throughout, and all of them (without exception) link to the Team URL's, rather than Jeff's or mine alone. That means that, so long as you are part of the Team, that blog is working for you 24/7, 365 days a year. That blog is going to grow, and grow and grow. In 2011, even more are coming! That's what I'm talking about by 'mastering the art of the possible'. We also threw Amazon & click-bank stuff in there too to show everyone how to set up a blogger.com site like this and what you can do with it. This is something that everyone who is reading this can do. Did you know that blogger.com will give you stats on how many visitors your site is receiving and from where? It will even give you the keyword searches used to find your site! That's another asset.

Last, but not least, I want to recognize a loyal Team Member and good promoter, Mr. Bud Hall. This month, he receives the $40.00 cash bonus to help with his marketing efforts - yet one more benefit of being a member of the now-famous Team OceanSwell. If you're reading this and still haven't joined us yet, what in the world are you waiting for?

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Take a break from Internet Marketing, enjoy the feast and the time off. We are going to have a very good 2011...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#64)

2010-10-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

If you are involved with Team OceanSwell's optional second program (Global NPN), and sent me a personal photo and the other info I asked for, you will be receiving your unique, hosted ad shortly. Some of you have already received yours, but everyone who has asked will get one. This weekend, I've been side-tracked by getting set up with this new promotional system that all TrafficWave members can use, called, Infinity Cash Formula. While on the surface, it doesn't appear to have anything to do with TrafficWave, it actually IS designed to help you grow your affiliate downline with TrafficWave, specifically.

Obviously, the Team OceanSwell co-op is a plan and a system for growing your TrafficWave affiliate business that strongly encourages the use of the autoresponder itself. I highly recommend Get Referrals Fast for similar reasons. It's a downline-builder for TrafficWave and it has systems and training to help anyone get the most out of the product and email marketing in general.

Infinity Cash Formula is a variation of these ideas in that it's a downline-builder that's packed with training material. The difference is that the system is first and foremost, a marketing plan for a famous program called, Infinity Dowline. In fact, if you have no intention of joining Infinity Downline, then this system isn't for you. However, getting set-up with with new promotion plan is a multi-step process in which the system asks you to join Infinity Downline and TrafficWave (along with a couple of free lead-generation programs). The catch is, that the software won't let you advance to the next step until you complete the each one, in order. The goal is to have the prospect join all these programs, in order to receive a special link to their own personal back-office through which they too can market this system. It's quite clever and, overall, this is a very slick package and effective presentation! But it's not for everybody. For one thing, it's a lot of work to set up and the promotional activities that they recommend take a lot of thought and a LOT of effort. Also, the concept behind Infinity Downline's comp plan is very complex and hard for many to wrap their heads around at first. Of course, you have to ask yourself the question, "How bad do I wanna' be rich?" Only you can answer that, but your answer will determine what you're willing to learn and do in order to get there.

But speaking of questions, you may be asking, "Well, what if I'm already in TrafficWave or Infinity Downline? Can I still use this program? Technically, the answer is no. However, it's really up to your sponsor. Since I'm putting this Team Update out to existing TrafficWave members, I clearly don't care if you join this program with your existing TW account. If I'm your sponsor, it's fine with me! Which brings me to the final topic regarding this new promotion system. In the back office, you are supplied with a very compelling squeeze page, a letter series and detailed instructions on how to plug the letters into your TrafficWave AR. However, if you do this, take your time and do it right. This is a crucial part of getting set up with the system and doing it right means that you won't regret doing it wrong later! Trust me, this thing is complicated enough. If you get excited about how much you can earn and then start rushing things, you can end up with an AR series that's a sloppy, screwed up mess. If you're really going to do this, think, plan and act... carefully.

To be honest, I'm not exactly in love with the AR series they've written for this thing. I think that there's too many letters and they are they sent out too often. But that's just a matter of personal taste. Also, the original author put his own name in there from time to time and includes some irrelevant links in the p.s. in some letters. I deleted some of those p.s. comments and even a couple of the letters too. There are spelling errors as well (even in some of the headlines) that lead me to suspect that writing the AR series was a hurried affair done towards the end of this thing's development process. If you are going to use the squeeze page with this letter series, you will have to slowly and methodically go through the letters, line by line, in order to switch out the links, change all references to name & gender to yours, and correct grammar and punctuation where necessary. Like I said, it's a big job but you only have to do it right one time. And one more thing, they very oddly instruct you to convert the letters to plain-text format, though I see no need to.

Oh, and before I wrap-up this Update, I need to mention that Ms. Marla Scipio has been awarded the $40.00 cash bonus this month for being a long-time, loyal Team promoter. She can do with it what she wishes but (as always), I suggest that it be used to purchase a share in Brian Rooney's December co-op. What would be a better Christmas present than some new, Active referrals, huh?

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#63)

2010-10-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

A hearty welcome to our newest Team Members! And since everybody wants to know about our Team-Build for Global NPN, I am pleased to say that we've had eight(8) new ones within the last week or so. They have enrolled through the Team Ads and so the system is working as intended, and will continue to do so indefinitely. I cheer these new Team Members and wish each of them the best during the remainder of 2010 and beyond! And to make certain that they have every resource available to them, I have decided to start helping people on a one-on-one basis when it comes to self-promotion. To show you what I mean, here is an ad that I created. (new window) If creating an ad for yourself is an area where you could use some help, then send me a picture and your location (town, state and country) and I will set you up with a hosted ad.

You see, when it comes to our proven concept of the Team Ad/Team Rotator system, what everybody wants to know is, 'How fast does it work?' Of course, that's a question I can't answer because it's impossible to do so. But if you're a part of the Team-Build, there is something that (as an individual) you can do to make it work faster. You can promote for yourself in addition to promoting the standard Team Ads! I've been suggesting this to many of you individually, but it seems that hardly anybody understands what I'm talking about, or they just 'don't get it', can't do it or simply won't do it. It's that last group that irritates me the most, because (in my experience, at least) the ones who complain the most are generally the ones who will DO the least. It's always the same.

Will they create their own unique ads and promote themselves? They will not.

Will they concentrate upon building their email contact list? They will not.

Will they create their own blogs and add unique content regularly? They will not.

Will they use social networking to build contacts and back-links? They will not.

I could go on, but... you get the idea. What I have found is that the people who join Team OceanSwell, follow our Internet Marketing tips, treat this like a business, never stop learning, and refuse to quit, will experience similar success to what I am having. However, those who won't accept this, refuse to learn anything new and don’t treat this like a business - will fail. And when they fail, they complain about everything! However, those that are out there learning, growing and applying creativity and personal initiative, I rarely hear from. I just see them having success when I look at the matrix reports. They understand that this business is all about having a plan and a system you can follow, a system that is duplicatible- and, if followed long enough, will bring rewards and continue to flourish. I believe that we have that system, but please (whatever you do) don't limit yourself with a 'poor me' mentality. We're all capable of being and doing so much more than we think we are. Don't doubt yourself and don't cling to the notion that you'll never make it in this business. It isn't true. Avoid such thoughts as you would avoid being miserable.

Lastly, with regard to your downlines in Global NPN, please tell me when someone cancels an account, because they need to come out of the Rotator. This is important, because I can't maintain the list accurately without the help of everyone involved. I'm help you, so please help me too!

Quote for the day: “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” —James Allen

Does social networking really pay off?

2010-10-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

It absolutely does! But like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. In fact, it's an area of specialization when it comes to Internet Marketing. You can spend 100% of your marketing efforts on working forums and social networking sites, and that's what many people do. It's a good idea to get good at it!

By the way, never, Ever, EVER combine your personal social networking profiles with your business activities. On Facebook, for example, that will lead to your friends and family unwittingly 'friending' network marketing people who will then deluge them with daily offers and other incredibly annoying messages. If you make a social networking profile, make it for your personal (i.e. real life) self - OR - for your business (i.e. internet marketing) self. Don't ever combine them!

Anyway, on this subject, I am going to recommend a site other than the obvious choice of Facebook (which is superb, by the way). If you are a Team OceanSwell member, then you've seen this before. But I seriously recommend MyNetworkworking Pro if you want to go all-out when it comes to social networking in order to gain fresh affiliate referrals. They used to be called 'DirectMatches', but that doesn't matter. In my humble opinion, this is the thicket in which to test your strength if you are really and truly hungry for success. This place is nothing but Internet Marketers marketing to each other. It's intense, it's brutal, and you're down there in the pits battling for attention. In fact, it's like a bunch of dogs running up a pile of raw meat. BUT... that's where your customers are - especially newbies, because there's plenty of those there too (trust me). It's definitely a thick, rich vein of ore in which you can mine for gold.

Everyone's always looking for new places to advertise and new ways to get their message before potential customers/recruits. Well this is it, I can assure of that. But there's a couple of 'problems' that I'd like to warn you about:

1) Your inbox will get bombarded with 'hello' messages from those who always mail to new profiles. Expect it. But that's a good thing. If you dive into MyNetworkworking Pro, then your sole purpose is to make contact with as many fellow marketers as possible - on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Respond to every email with a professional, easy-going style and include a link (or signature line) to whatever it is you want them to see. Do this in a robotic fashion, on a daily basis, and you will get referrals sooner or later. It's a mathematical certainty.

2) The Free account doesn't get you very far. Yeah, yeah... nobody wants to spend any money. Well I'm here to tell you that you have to spend some to get some. Anyway, it's Free to set up your profile, so you might as well do that. But the upgrade gives you unlimited internal messages (which is what you're after) and ads that get shown to other members - and the membership is in the hundreds of thousands. Naturally, it has an MLM-style affiliate plan too.

Anyway, if you're looking for new ideas, if you're 'stuck', if you need more leads, etc., then this is something you should consider exploring.

MyNetworkworking Pro : Check it out!

An essential tool for serious Internet Marketers

2010-10-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

I cannot say enough good things about adkreator. This product keeps getting better every month. In fact, it's so MUCH better than anything else like it, nothing else even compares. There's just so many things that you can do with this and truly creative people are making spectacular-looking ads with the infinite combinations that are available. Bottom line: I can't recommend this product strongly enough. Did I mention that you can use it for FREE?

Check it out...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#62)

2010-10-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

"What's going on with Global NPN? I haven't heard anything in days!"

"I don't have any referrals yet and I've been in this thing for three weeks already!"

"Is this program dead? You said it was going to be big!"

These are a sampling of some of the questions/comments that I've been receiving lately with regard to the (optional) second Team-Build launched by the famous Team OceanSwell this fall. Fair enough, but this one is the best one of all. In fact, I'm going to base this entire Team Update on it. Are you ready for this one? Received 10/2/10:

"I joined Global NPN through Team OceanSwell almost 30 days ago. I paid $11.00 once and am about to be charged again. $11.00 might not be a lot to you, but it's a LOT to me and that's why you owe me some answers right now! I want to know, from you, what you DO on a daily basis to promote this Team. Do you just count money all day, or do you actually work like you expect the rest of us to? What I want is an ACCOUNTING of what you actually do on a daily basis. If you expect to receive $11.00 from me every month, sir, I expect a detailed list of your promotional activities. Because I don't think you do a damned thing. And If I don't hear from you in 24 hours, you will hear from ME again and again until I get the answers that you owe me."

OK, that email is a word for word copy-and-paste but it's simply a more elaborate version of, "I joined the Team but I'm not making money. Why?"

So here's your answer. If you joined Team OceanSwell and you want to know why you haven't received direct referrals yet, it's because: 1) It takes longer than you imagine it should. 2) You aren't doing anything to help yourself.

The Team Ad/Team Rotator system that we use is a proven concept. It's worked in the past. It's working today and it will continue to work. The proof is the fact that this month will be our one-year anniversary and Team OceanSwell has gone from three people to over 1,500 in that span of time. Are those people direct referrals to me in TrafficWave and Global NPN? Of course not. Our plan and our system sequentially placed them under participating Team Members, over and over again until we are where we are today. Has it been perfect? No. Show me something perfect. Has it been 'fast'? I don't know, because 'fast' means different things to different people. What I can tell you with 100% certainty is that there is the speed that people imagine things should happen (and demand!) and then there is reality. The reality that about 97% of the people involved with Internet Marketing REFUSE to accept, is that this business takes time... and quite a bit of it. But did you know that you (as in you) can control that?

There is absolutely nothing - nothing - preventing any Team Member from promoting an ad of his or her own creation that links to their affiliate page for TrafficWave or NPN. You can make your own ad, put your picture in it and even link it to an AR series in order to build your critically important email-contact list. All the ad needs to be is a picture of your smiling face with a headline that says, "I joined Global NPN through Team OceanSwell and so should you!". When someone enrolls as an affiliate through your unique ad, they are free to join the Team and become active downline members with my help, and the help of the other Team Members! All they would have to do is contact me.

Yes, yes, yes... the Team Ads are the core of our promotional system. And the minimum, expected weekly page-count from each Team Member is necessary for order and continuity. But beyond that, there's about a MILLION things that you can do on your own to help your affiliate sales force grow faster! Like, why not do those things? If you need suggestions, our Marketing Tips series gives you plenty.

As for what I (as in ME) 'do' on a daily basis, here's a short synopsis:

1) I have a JOB, that I am obliged to go to - sometimes up to seven(7) days a week - and that includes the drive back and forth. I also have to eat, sleep and occasionally interact with family members. Believe it nor not, just these few things take a significant amount of time. And that assumes that I never have any family emergencies, car breakdowns, catching a cold or whatever. Oh yeah, and I have to mow the law and stuff like that too.

2) I answer emails - dozens a day - from people demanding to know what I'm doing. The bigger the Team gets, the more of them I receive. I do my very best to answer any kind of anticipated question here on the blog or in the AR series, but it doesn't matter. A certain number of people will want to hear from ME (personally) on a regular basis and nothing short of that will satisfy them. If I didn't care, I wouldn't asnwer this daily deluge in my inbox. But because I DO care, I answer each and every message in the best way I can. That takes an enormous amount of time. In fact, it takes so much time that I could literally do nothing else every single day and still never finish it.

3) Like you, I surf the TE's and open safelist emails for credits. That takes time, and I can only give it about 2 hours a day - MAX - sometimes more on weekends. I wish I could do more, but there's not enough time.

4) I add content to my blogs (this isn't the only one, BTW), comment on other blogs, skyping with Didi, build back-links to this blog (and the others), constantly revise my AR series, maintain my Adwords campaign, work some forums, work my multiple Twitter accounts, update the Team OceanSwell Ads, check out new products and software that might help us promote (i.e. endless webinars and videos)... and about a million other things, as time allows. I advertise this Team in a lot of places and am always looking for new ones! And you know what? If there's something ELSE I should be doing, but am neglecting to do, I'm all ears and my email inbox is open to suggestions. Please let me know!

Now I realize that what I've just written isn't going to satisfy those who are desperate for me to supply them with downline members today, but the truth is still the truth and our Team-Build system is what it is. What else can I say? But for now, I've got to slip away and get back to work. I'm simply out of time...

Are you a prisoner of your own mind?

2010-10-05T04:53:00.000-07:00

Like the ghost of Jacob Marley, everyone is dragging around an unseen ball and chain or two. Life is hard, and so is this business. But successful people cast off their chains as they grow with knowledge, ability and (above all else) faith. Speaking from personal experience, your invisible ball and chains can be any number of things: lack of knowledge and experience, low self esteem or lack of confidence (both of which stem from lack of knowledge and experience), laziness, substance-abuse, guilt, regret, a family member, friend or partner who want to share all their “drama” with you on an hourly basis - i.e. energy vampires. All of these things WILL slow you down and you can’t get on with life or online business because you can’t walk down life’s road comfortably dragging all those chains.

In short, you can find a form of freedom through online business, but you will never, ever find it if you are holding yourself back in the process of striving for it. If there's one thing about online business and MLM-affiliate programs in particular, it's that the eternal window-lookers, doubting tire-kickers, new-hot-program junkies, the lazy, the lightning-fast quitters, the stupid and/or illiterate or (my personal favorite) the why-haven't-YOU-changed-my-life-yet beggars all share one common trait: They are holding themselves back. It's not anyone else or anything else. What I am trying to communicate, in my own unique way, is that if I have any kind of success online (and I do enjoy a little), it's because I unclipped a lot of those chains from my legs over the past few years. And I also know that you don't give a damn about me. You want to know 'what's in it for you' when it comes to Team OceanSwell. But that's not a mystery, is it? If you read my AR series, exchange emails with me and keep up with this blog at all, what I do for the Team and how I do it should be obvious.

The point of my message today is simply this: if you're a Team Member who's feeling disenchanted, disillusioned or even angry at your results so far, don't blame our Team. The Team is what it is and will continue to do what it does. But if you feel helpless to grow your online business at the speed in which you 'somehow know' it should be growing, all I can tell you is that YOU hold the key to the cage that you imagine surrounding you. By becoming an OceanSwell Team Leader yourself, you can control your own destiny and I will help you in every conceivable way.

So what about you? Are YOU ready to unclip the chains, unlock the cage and fly free as a Team Leader? And if not that, then how about in some other way? I know that everybody remains excited about the possibilities with our Team and they will always want (and expect) things to happen faster, faster, faster. But if things aren't happening fast enough for you, don't email me every other day asking why. Look in the mirror and ask yourself why. Our Team is very real and it has produced real results for hundreds and hundreds of people. That isn't going to stop. But my guess is that most folks who have read this far are capable of so much more than they think they are. I'm not any 'luckier' or smarter than anybody else, but I finally 'got' Internet Marketing after a two hard years of struggle. I don't know much, but if I can do it then anybody can. With TrafficWave, Global NPN and our famous Team OceanSwell, you have everything you need to break the chains and fly free.

But there's a problem. The problem is that you have to start... TODAY.

(By Jim Rohn) The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did we do with its opportunity? All too often we will waste tomorrow as we wasted yesterday, and as we are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude us, despite our intentions, until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from our embrace a single, unused day at a time. Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease.

Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency. When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game. Regardless of a person's current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now—this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives—moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.

We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances, lots of opportunities, lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. There isn't an endless supply! So, as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

At the end of the day, it's YOU who holds the key...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#61)

2010-09-22T08:52:00.001-07:00

Automating your email marketing (and your Internet Marketing in general) is what gives you the freedom to expand your business, take on new projects or even have some spare time for a change! In fact, freedom is why we're all drawn to online business in the first place. In this industry, automation and systems = FREEDOM. The Team-Ad/Rotator system at the core of Team OceanSwell is one such system, and it continues to attract new freedom-seekers on a weekly basis. That is why, today, I would like to welcome our newest Team Members in both TrafficWave and Global NPN: Dante Trimble, Steve Hassell, Roosevelt Crawford, Helma Maagdeleyn, Margaret M. Ellington and Nik Mohamed Saufi! Welcome to the Team!

But when it finally comes, freedom in Internet Marketing doesn't come from automation and systems alone. Before you can have those things in place, you need information, you need to actually learn from it (and follow through on it!), you absolutely need personal initiative and, most important of all, you just need some HELP sometimes. So this month, the $40.00 monthly cash bonus goes out to Ms. Brenda Gray. Brenda has been with the Team since it's earliest days. She's been loyal and patient. She's also a hard-worker and quite creative. These are all qualities that you need in your personal quest for financial freedom online! So that $40.00 bonus, from me to a random Team Member every month, is one more way in which I am committed to your freedom, just as much as I am to mine. Since everyone is looking for that elusive 'secret' to building MLM affiliate downlines, here's a big one: Help your downline members build THEIR downlines, rather than focusing on yours.

That's going to have to be it for this update - short & sweet. I'm running short on TIME, just like the rest of you. Keep the faith, keep working and keep learning. We can't all soar with the eagles when we're just getting started, but we all have to learn how to fly on our own - and you cannot do that unless you are committed to continuing education on email marketing and online promotion systems in general. If you never stop learning and never stop growing, no one can keep you caged!

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#60)

2010-09-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Are you the right fit for Internet Marketing? I'm moved to ask this question due the large numbers of similar emails I've received over the last ten months from members of Team OceanSwell. In fact, I'm still receiving them. Basically, they are variations of the same question, "What are YOU going to do about my situation... and WHEN?" My answer, of course, is always the same, "I am going to keep doing what I've been doing and I invite you to do the same."

If our Team-Build idea just doesn't satisfy you, or if it isn't 'fast' enough for you, then you're just going have to do something extra on your own. Sounds logical, doesn't it? The fact that Team OceanSwell has grown to over 1,500 Team Members (and continues to grow on a weekly basis) is proof of the concept that was born in November of 2009. The fact that we now have six(6) Team Members among the Top 20 earners in TrafficWave is even more proof. Will this Team help you in your online business? You bet it will! Will it change your life all by itself, and do it overnight? Absolutely not. If you're already a veteran of online business, you should know better. If you're new to all of this, then those are the facts. One person wrote me, saying, "I've received some direct referrals through the Rotator, but they quit. What are YOU going to do about that?" One thing that I need to remind everybody of is that your referrals are real people, just like you. And they want and need the same things that you do. You should be communicating and networking with them in order to build relationships. Communication is such a huge part of this business. In fact, it IS the business! And it's the thing that nobody wants to do. Why? Because it involves 'doing something' - i.e. work. That's why I feel that some people just need to do a gut check and ask themselves if this business is really the right fit for them. I really and truly don't think this is for everyone.

Another thing I hear a lot is that I (me) need to increase the weekly advertising minimums for Team Members. But if you think I should double it, then why don't you do the minimum for the Team and spend the rest of that energy promoting your OWN affiliate links in addition to the Team Ads? You can also be an OceanSwell Team Leader and design your own ads, write your own letters, advertise in your own way, etc. and I will help you do that! But unless you're willing to do any of those things, what's the point in writing me and complaining?

Seriously.

You want the 'secret' to building some kind of meaningful income online? Here it is. You need an affiliate product to promote, preferably one with a recurring monthly payment, such as TrafficWave. You need to be an advertising MACHINE, using as much automation as possible, and you should be building your email contact list so that you can share future products and services with your subscribers. You also need a 'gimmick', an angle or a system - something that makes you new or different in a compelling way. You have got to move, think, create and do your own research. Don't believe everything you hear, not even from me. Everyone reading this has a computer and access to the Internet and all of the information that's out there for everyone to learn. But ultimately, personal success only comes to those who put forth the time and effort to produce results. You can join program after program, but the 'join and hope' strategy will fail every single time.

It's amazing. People don't want to do anything, yet they expect to have everything anyway. And I also understand about having a job, kids, funerals or whatever else that you have to deal with in your life. We're all the same in that way, but I don't want to hear about it. I also know that times are hard and some Team Members can barely scrape together $20.00 a month for online business. I don't want to hear about that either because it's not my problem. That might sound cold and maybe not what you're expecting to hear from me, but it is the truth and you need to know the truth. I'm not here to lecture anybody or talk down to anyone, but there seem to be quite a few people out there who aren't quite in touch with the realities of Internet business. I think it's all the outrageous claims and flashy websites with expensive cars, mansions, piles of gemstones etc.. It's ridiculous. Obviously, the TrafficWave autoresponder is indispensable when it comes to list-building and automation. And TrafficWave is a real company that's been around for a decade and isn't going anywhere. With this one, single tool and affiliate program - combined with your own imagination, personal initiative and the help of Team OceanSwell - there really are no limits to what you can conceive and achieve.

Now, as far as our Team progress, we have made the full transition to folding the triple-rotator system into the new revolving URL's and it's working as intended - both for TrafficWave and the optional NPN Team-Build that so many are taking advantage of. And yes, we have new Team Members joining every week. Unfortunately, we have some that leave every week as well. That's part of affiliate marketing. But, overall, our Team Continues to grow and I don't see that ever changing since more and more people across the country (and around the world!) are either discovering Internet Marketing for the very first time, or are coming back to it after some early failures. From the Team Leader perspective, I plan to keep doing what I've always been doing and just keep getting better and better at it. That's my plan. That's all I can ever do and it's the only 'guarantee' I can ever give you. The rest... is up to YOU.

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#59)

2010-08-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

TrafficWave has been around for ten years and many users and affiliates have been using it to create their online incomes since the very beginning. Some of them have done quite well for themselves online and are also consistently among the Top 20 affiliates every month. Team OceanSwell, on the other hand, is not even a year-old yet and six of our Team Members were among that Top 20 in July, 2010. I predict that one day it will be ALL 20! Why is this? Because times change and newer and better methods of promotion will always appear - sometimes in a revolutionary way.

Henry Ford didn't invent the automobile. He simply conceived of and created a way to mass-produce them and make his product affordable for average Americans. He didn't accomplish this overnight and there were PLENTY of obstacles in his path. But he did it and (as a result) the Model T changed America and the world forever. It's my opinion that the Internet itself is a lot like the Model T in 2010. It has transformed America and the world in such a way that things will never be the same. But, like the Model T, it will seem primitive in the future. However, like the early days of the automotive industry, those who embrace it now and learn how to build businesses around it will be well-rewarded in the future. In fact, it's a must. The Internet is destroying whole industries as it simultaneously spawns new ones. It's a huge societal shift that is very painful in many ways - just like being in the horse and buggy business was at the turn of the last century. But, of course, others came along and built upon Ford's innovation to create even greater success... especially those who produced the oil and gasoline to power these new, mass-produced machines!

OK, so why am I telling you this? Because the future of online business is rushing toward us and it is imperative that everyone who wants to be a successful part of it must be pro-active. That means learning everything there is to know about email marketing, contact list-building, online advertising & promotion in general, and all that goes with it. Team OceanSwell has been such a big success (and will continue to be!) because the workable Team-Build idea has transformed the affiliate-MLM landscape and given average people a chance at real affiliate downlines. And like the Model T, our Team has many imitators and is motivating people to come up even newer and better ideas of their own. For example, a famous quote regarding MLM is that, 'Only the people at the top earn all the money'. Well, I created Team OceanSwell but other Team Members earned more than me in July! Now, why is that? It's because they have improved upon the original idea and are using additional strategies that I don't even know about. In fact, it's none of my business what they're doing and I congratulate them for doing it! My point is that ANYONE can do what I've done if they will apply themselves, keep learning about online business and (most important of all) think!!! What you think about, you bring about and 'As a man thinketh, so shall he be.'

Let the Team-Build help grow your matrix downlines over time, but don't use it as a crutch. Rather, use it as a tool (just one tool) to help create a lasting online income that will never stop growing. But if you think about nothing else, refuse to learn anything else or do anything else, then you are limiting yourself in so many ways and there's not a whole lot more that the Team can do for you. Henry Ford built the factory and the cars, but he couldn't get people to come to work on time, learn to drive safely or maintain their automobiles properly. I'm not Henry Ford, but you get my point. There's only so much I can do and I get lots and lots of pleading or angry emails from people begging or demanding that I somehow change their lives for them. The people who are among TrafficWave's Top 20 earners every month are those who do what other people talk about doing. They are there because of their hard work and their IDEAS. That's because the Internet is a dimension of thought and that's why it's possible (like never before) to think yourself to riches.

Well, enough with the speech. Just so everybody knows, we are getting new Team Members in the triple-rotator system for TrafficWave and we will be moving to a revolving URL type of system very, very soon to give newer members a shot at direct referrals quicker than in the past. It's part of embracing change and using new tech as the Team-Build continues to evolve. Also, the new paid advertising campaign is running and I hope to have some positive results from this throughout September. As for the optional NPN program, my priority remains the same - and that is to get direct referrals under those who don't have any yet. We do have new people coming in, but it's not 'hundreds a day', so your patience is appreciated.

~Rusty

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#58)

2010-08-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Online business isn't for everyone. Neither is hospital radiology - what I do seven (yes, it's now SEVEN!) days a week, at least as of this writing. Not that anybody cares what I do for a living, but I remind everyone of it anyway because it definitely affects how much time I have to interact with people and see what's going on out there in the TE's, Safelists and so on. You see, I've reached a 'plateau' of sorts, when it comes to Internet Marketing. No longer do I spend all of my free time surfing, crafting sales letters, writing long forum posts, studying (or writing!) ebooks and so on. I still do those things, mind you, but now I tend to just buy what I need instead of spending long hours doing it manually. I've paid my online dues and I've been rewarded. Not only that, anyone reading this can do what I've done if - IF - you're willing to pay the same dues that I've paid.

And you know what? I'm still paying them.

But in order to take my business to the next level, I must help each and every one of you get to where I'm at. To achieve this, I have to take a big brush and paint with broad strokes - i.e. SPEND MONEY. That means that I am buying more credits for Team Ads and (this week) I am going to hire an online publicist, of sorts, to help promote the story of our Team in a way that I think will generate some fresh interest out there.

Speaking of money, I am no longer paying out the $10.00 weekly prize for top promoter. I've got a better idea. The new idea is to pay $40.00 (near the end of every month) to the top promoter so that he or she can invest in one share of Brian Rooney's co-op on the 1st of the following month. Rooney's co-op usually sells out within 48 hours and a share typically produces around three downline referrals within 30 days. Who knows, maybe this time next year I'll be passing out enough cash for 3-5 shares a month. WHY give away money? Because I've discovered a little secret about online MLM-style affiliate programs: you can't win unless you help your downline win. That's the entire idea behind Team OceanSwell. Anyway, this month's recipient of the $40.00 bonus award is Mr. Paul Samuelson. Penny's already in the Rotator 'hot seat' and getting referalls, so I'm doing this for Paul, instead. I'll send him the money through AlertPay and he can buy himself a steak dinner if he wants. But a better idea would be to apply it to Rooney's co-op on September 1st. And when Paul gets new referrals in this way, it will be up to him to explain how he uses the TrafficWave autoresponder in his business and how the Team OceanSwell idea can help with affiliate referrals over time. It's like I tell everybody: if you want to do this business, then DO this business.

I will be passing out this cash every month forever, so next month it will be somebody else's turn - but 'not' if you aren't promoting the Team Ads as you are expected to.

Now, as for the Global NPN program, this thing caught me off guard because I really and truly didn't expect the 400+ people who jumped in all at once. But be that as it may, things are going pretty well and I think that most people are starting to see some downline development. But one element of the 'Pre' Team-Build plan didn't exactly work out like I expected. I'm talking about those who took a second account. IF you did, and if you still have it, you are my #1 priority right now and I will be spending money this coming week on some advertising for the second Rotator.

But here's something important. The URL I will be sending paid advertising to isn't a Team OceanSwell ad. It's simply the revolving URL for the Rotator. So if when you get direct referrals in your NPN downline, be sure to contact them and ask how they came to join and if they are interested in Team OceanSwell or already know about it! Also (and as always!) I NEED TO KNOW whenever you receive a new NPN referral or see one go Inactive in your downline. This is critical for maintaining Rotator data on an MLM matrix that's only five levels deep. Help me help you!

Teamwork makes the dream work. Let's do it. Let's make it happen.

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#57)

2010-08-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

One of the secrets to online business is learning how to manage your time. If you don't do it correctly (or not at all), a million little distractions will tie you down so that it 'seems' as if you're getting something done but you're really frozen in place. This is an appropriate subject to bring up with regard to bringing in Global NPN as an optional, second program for those involved in the Team OceanSwell co-op for TrafficWave. Getting this off the ground has taken a solid 30 days, during which (other than going to work every day) I have done very little else. It hasn't exactly gone as 'smoothly' as I had planned either. In particular - the two-phase Pre-Team-Build idea that I had.

Notice the title of this blog, 'My Internet Marketing Journey'. If you skim through all the posts in this blog, you will notice several things. The first, of course, is that I like to write - when I have the time, that is! The second thing you will observe is that I have recommended and/or actively promoted online programs, tools and systems in the past that I no longer use or are currently defunct. But the most important thing of all is that the blog posts are a written history of what I've done and had to say about it. I haven't deleted any of them. Why am I telling you this? Because in Internet Marketing terms, I'm already an 'old timer' who has experience to share... for those who will pay to attention to it. I'm not a guru or an expert on anything. In fact, I really don't know very much about Internet Marketing. That's the truth! Worse still, I'm not very tech-savvy at all. I STILL can't build a website, the latest high-tech social networking and SEO techniques are all incomprehensible to me and I don't even know what 'skype' is. And yet (apparently), I'm one of those famous 3% that you always hear about - the ones who actually succeed online.

The reason that I am starting off the Team Update in this way is because I have had SO MANY people shouting at me over the last 30 days about how things 'should' work, what I 'should' be doing and how 'fast' I should be doing it. My point is this: I'm not sitting in the OceanSwell Towers, overlooking the Hudson Bay, with a busy office staff managing my online empire. I'm just some guy in Texas who works in a hospital and got interested in online affiliate marketing awhile back and decided to make a study of it. As of today's date, I earn over $1,000.00 a month online in my spare time. I have accomplished this in basically three(3) ways: 1) Communicating well - through personal emails to prospects, the various autoresponder series that I have written and (of course) my blog posts. 2) Ideas that no one else has thought of. This is the most important one of all, since original ideas are one of the Golden Keys to actually earning money in business (online or offline). And BTW, they don't always work! 3) Designing ads that convey my new ideas and compel people to click-through and subscribe to my AR series and learn more. That's why the TrafficWave product is so important.

That's about it. That's the 'grand secret' to my success.

Now, if you aren't a writer, you don't have ideas of your own and you can't create compelling ads, then you are looking at joining some existing marketing system that supplies all of that for you. But even that isn't enough for most people to have any success with. And that is why we have Team OceanSwell. And for all those who tell me how 'I'm doing everything wrong' or 'not fast enough', I can say with authority that they are wrong. First of all, if there's a faster way to build matrix downlines, I'm all ears. Tell me all about it. Better yet, do it yourself, show me how to do it right and I will learn from YOU! As for 'doing it wrong', three recently crashed Team-Builds come to mind: TE Teams, 4u2earn and SuccessQuick. Am I criticizing the people behind those ideas? No, though the founders of two of those programs have criticized me directly. The bottom line is that Team OceanSwell is here and they're not. So who's the expert? I don't know... you tell me, because I'm dumb.

Look at GDI PowerPath. This month is their one-year anniversary. My wife (Juli) joined in August of '09 (and I joined in January of this year). '$9,000.00 a month within one year' sounded pretty good a year ago! Juli's GDI check this month will be about $50.00. Is she complaining? No. Is she sending them emails every day 'demanding answers'? No. Because she and I both know that things don't always work out the way you plan them to and we're all learning as we go along. I haven't even gone through the Rotator yet. In fact, I think I'm number 140, or something, in line! But GDI PowerPath is STILL HERE, and that tells me everything I need to know about them - i.e. they're for real. In fact, they're actually only just now getting the systems into place that they've been thinking about for a long time. There's that word again... TIME. This business takes time. Also, things change rapidly online and that often requires you to change your tactics, which takes even more time!

And one of the things that aggravates me the MOST are people who come into Team OceanSwell and bombard me with daily messages about 'how long' it's taking them to get direct affiliate referrals through the Team-Build process. As incredibly annoying as that is, the question itself is comparative. 'It's taking a long time', compared to... what? Medical imaging school (combined with all the pre-requisite classes, hospital volunteering, etc.) took three(3) years. It took an additional seven months to secure employment! Did I mention that I went back to college in my 40's to achieve this? Do you know what it's like to try and support yourself while going to school in mid-life for this length of time? Do I think that it 'took too long'? No, because it took as much time as was required. And I run into people at social gatherings who will inevitably make a comment along the lines of 'Oh, you're lucky to have such a nice job in this economy.' Really? 'Lucky'??? If I'm 'lucky' in life, it's because I'm not in one those hospital beds that my patients occupy.

I don't mean to ramble but people need to understand the REALITY of online business and what to expect from the Team OceanSwell co-op. It ain't gonna' happen overnight!!! And if you can't treat this as a business, at least treat it as an investment. And if that still doesn't satisfy you, then go away and don't bother me, because that'll be best for both of us. The absolute worst thing about managing a large group of strangers online is the incessant whining and complaining - and believe me, it never, Never, NEVER stops.

NOW... about the NPN program.

It's now officially part of the Team OceanSwell co-op. And what I'm going to try and do right now is answer the bulk of the 'questions' that I've been getting showered with on a daily basis - for the most part, from the several dozen people who email me EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

1) "Do I still need two accounts?" You don't have to open two accounts anymore. The two account thing was part of the 'Pre' Team-Build idea that I designed so that everyone involved could have an immediate profit position before we actually started advertising this. That's done with now and was moderately successful.

2) "I don't have signups under my second account. Why?" Instead of the 75-100 people I thought would be interested in this, it was HUNDREDS! When I got behind on answering every email and assigning links, Didi stepped in and started passing out links on her own in order to speed things up. That helped a lot, but it disrupted the sequence of assigned links. It solved the immediate problem of people screaming that things were happening 'too slow', but it created a whole NEW chorus of screaming that people 'weren't getting their signups' as I (Rusty) had planned them in advance.

3) "When will I have my turn in the Rotator?" You won't have your 'turn' in the traditional sense because we are employing something new with the optional NPN program - a revolving URL. In fact, there's going to be more than one and the the FIRST one will be for those who don't have directs yet or have only one. Those Team Members are the priority right now - especially if they were part of the 'Pre' Team-Build and got skipped in the initial chaos.

4) "What Ads should I be promoting?" All that you have to do is continue to promote the same Team Ads that you've always promoted. Individual Team Leaders are changing their ads and AR series to mention the optional NPN program. I still haven't changed mine yet because I haven't had the TIME.

5) "I haven't heard from you in days. Why?" First of all, I have a job and I don't sit in front of the computer 24/7 answering emails. Secondly, many people send me messages with lists of 'questions' and demand answers to each and every one of them. Typically, emails like that can take 20 minutes to type out an answer for - and that assumes interrupted time. So think along with me. If it takes 20 minutes to craft a personal reply to an email, then I can do three of those an hour. If I have four hours of time available, then I can answer 11 more similar emails in an evening. Over the last 30 days, I have averaged over 300 personal emails a day in my inbox.

6) "Why is this taking so long?" It takes as long as it takes. It would have come together much faster if everyone had followed my instructions, been patient, and done what they said they would do. The Internet isn't a machine where you can insert a coin and a gumball rolls out. It's a simply a means of communication - between people with different motives, motivation and levels of intelligence. That's all it is and that's all it ever will be. While I would LIKE to spend the bulk of my time developing new ways to market and promote our Team-Build, I'm not allowed to do that because I am forced to spend most of my available TIME responding to people demanding to know 'what's taking so long'.

Anyway, my next task is to begin designing new Team Ads and to audit our NPN organization as it currently exists. One extremely complicated thing about this program, as it applies to the Team-Build, is that it is a 5-Level matrix. That means I'm blind below the 5th Level. Not only that, I don't have the TIME to do a daily audit of the downline that I can see! For this I need everyone's continuing assistance.

Here is what I need EVERYONE to do if you are part of the optional NPN Team-Build. I need for you to tell me how many directs you have currently and who they are. I also need everyone to notify me when somebody goes Inactive in your downline so that I can take them out of the Rotating URL immediately. Please know that I will not respond to these emails!!! But I need this data right now and on a continuing basis in order to manage a large team on levels far below my level five! Without a Team effort, this will not be possible.

Please, my TIME is limited. Help me make the most of it so that I can help you build a real online business.

Total time to create this blog post: about 3.5 hours

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#56)

2010-07-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

The addition of Global NPN to the Team OceanSwell advertising co-op is proceeding 'more or less' as I had planned. However, since my last Update, I've had to contend with a storm of unanticipated problems that have both hindered and altered the original concept. What began as a disciplined, pre-planned process, quickly became chaotic as Team Members wouldn't enroll when it was their turn, or they'd enroll out of turn, or more than once, or... simply disappear and not enroll at all. Four people on the list of participants actually turned out to be only two, as (for reasons unknown to me), each of them go by two different names and use two different email addresses. Then, of course, there are the ones who will follow through on their previously stated intentions only if 'I answer a few more questions.' But that merry dance often resulted in late-nights of endless email flurries between me and a dozen or so people that usually proved fruitless. Naturally, while all of this is going on, I'm receiving angry messages from those demanding to know 'why is this going so slow?' Not surprisingly, others are emailing me complaining that 'you're going too fast'!

Questions, concerns, more questions, complaints and even more questions. That's what my inbox has been filled with since last Sunday. I've been told everything from 'thank you' to 'screw you', and everything in between. But overall, this first part of the pre-positioning plan has gone reasonably well. The final picture isn't shaping up to look like my original vision, but it's still pretty good. All of the enrollment links have been sent, yet many have still not followed-through and joined NPN through the links that I assigned. That means there are a lot of holes in the tapestry I was trying to weave. Some are only just now responding to the initial enrollment emails that I sent out on the 4th and on Monday and Tuesday. So before we move to 'Phase II' of this now INCREDIBLY complicated puzzle assembly, I need to wait for everybody who is going to take part to actually do so. I'm setting a deadline of midnight (CST) on Sunday, the 11th. That's the cut-off. If you haven't enrolled through the assigned link by then, I can only assume that you're never going to. At that point, I will tabulate who we actually have and build the first Rotator list based upon the order of enrollment.

The second round of signups will be far easier, since I will know who the serious & responsive people are and I will already have everything lined up in order. For everyone who remains confused as to what it is we're trying to do, let me explain it again here and now. Global NPN is going to be added to the Team OceanSwell co-op that was created for TrafficWave. TrafficWave is still our top priority since so many team Members have downlines that they need to protect and grow. We're not 'changing' to NPN. It's in addition to TrafficWave and it's going to be completely optional for new Team members to join, alongside TrafficWave... IF they chose to, and can afford two programs at the same time. But that's in the future. We're not there yet!

Right now, we're only doing one thing. We're setting things up so that existing OceanSwell team Members who wish to, can be pre-positioned with NPN accounts before we start bringing in the general public through the Team Ad/Rotator system that has worked so well in 2010. That's all we're doing right now. After the Sunday night cut-off, I will start the second round of NPN enrollments, and that might well take all week. If it does, it does. Accept it. But once it's done, and everybody has her or his two accounts, then we have two(2) new Rotators for NPN that will be fed by EVERY OceanSwell Team for the rest of 2010, on into 2011 and for all time. Those of you participating in this 'pre-launch' should end up with a few directs and maybe some downline to help cover your costs or even put you in profit immediately. My plan was for everybody to be in profit immediately, but I can't force people to do what I ask them to do or force them to keep their end of the bargain. Because of that, things aren't 'perfect'. I'm not perfect either and do make mistakes. But we're all adults and we're all business people with big dreams. The Team system that we've evolved hasn't worked out for everybody. That's true. But it's worked out well for an awful lot of people and will continue to do so.

However, some pieces of the puzzle will still be missing here and there once the second round of NPN signups is complete. I've already explained why. Once the dust settles, the Rotators are in place and we are ready to 'officially' add NPN to our Ads, AR series, etc. then let me know if you feel that you got a raw deal. In the end, I believe that everybody will be pretty much satisfied as things move forward. But if you feel you've been seriously wronged, then politely make your case and I'll do whatever it takes to make things right. I want everyone to feel good about the end result of all this and feel like they're getting a fair deal. We're all in this together, and we will win or lose... together.

Lastly, I just want to compliment everyone on the hard work of promoting the Team Ads. Last week, Terrence Hopkins came in first place (again!) and just did a marvelous job. Speaking of jobs, I'm starting a new one next week at a long-term, acute care center. It's going to be an exhausting week, so please go easy on me. :)

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#55)

2010-06-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

The fireworks are about to begin! On Sunday, the 4th of July, we are adding a new program to the Team OceanSwell co-op. Of course, Team OceanSwell is all about TrafficWave (both the affiliate plan and the product itself). That's how it's always been, that's how it is and that's how it will stay. But the purpose of the additional program is to accomplish three things: 1) Keep the co-op energized and exciting, because things get stale after awhile. 2) A lot of people like the idea of a 'premium' membership and a chance to have the awesome power of the entire Team building two affiliate plans instead of just one. 3) I want to REWARD every loyal Team Member who is currently part of the OceanSwell downline, or who joins us before the 4th of July.

It's that last part that's the most important. I've finalized a plan through which any existing OceanSwell members can join this program FIRST and be guaranteed a profitable position immediately. What did I just say? I said that any current OceanSwell Team Member can be pre-positioned in such as way as to make guaranteed money. How is this possible, you ask. How can I make this promise? Let me explain. Every current OceanSwell Team Member who wants a guaranteed, profitable downline in this new program need only do three things. First, let me know that you want in! Second, you must get an AlertPay account before the 4th of July, if you don't already have one. Third, you MUST commit to taking two positions. Since you're going to be in profit immediately, there's no reason not to! BTW, a matrix position in this second program costs less than 10 bucks.

I've chosen a program that I think is a great fit as an optional, second team-build income stream for new members to be a part of if they wish to. I am convinced that it will help everyone cover the cost of their TrafficWave subscription, and be another profitable venture in it's own right. Though we have to keep the TrafficWave element of our Team Ad/Rotator on seperate Teams (mine, Didi's, etc.), this second program will be managed by me alone - at least in the very beginning. That will help keep things simple, the way I like it. That's because when I come home from work, I don't always have a lot of time to sort out complicated 'issues' that people have with this, that and the other. That said, let me make this real simple today: If you want to be among those who will be set up with guaranteed profit positions, you must let me know before Sunday. If you want to look at the program, see who's on the list to join (and in what order), just send me an email. Once everyone takes their two positions, in the order that I prescribe, we will then have two new Rotators that will be added to the ones we have for TrafficWave.

Please, don't make this more complicated than it is. It's really quite simple. The way this going to be put together, you can NOT lose money. And I've never been able to make that claim before! If you want to be part of this 4th of July OceanSwell celebration, then please get in touch with me right away at: twoceanswell@hotmail.com or rustyshelton@peoplestring.com

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#54)

2010-06-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Good job on the advertising last week, everybody. Very good! Our top-promoter was Mr. Terrence Hopkins and so he wins the weekly $10.00 prize! With the new-look ads, the new message and the increased level of advertising, we're doing alright. But I've got a new idea that I think everyone's going to like. I want to add another program to the Team OceanSwell promotion, in addition to TrafficWave. Now this has been suggested to me in the past and I rejected the idea because I thought it would be confusing and distracting. But it's always been in the back of my mind and I've finally had a change of heart.

I haven't decided on the program yet, and that's where I need everyone's input. I've got a couple of ideas, but I'd like to hear everyone's suggestions as well. This additional program will be OPTIONAL to join when a new Team Member joins TrafficWave through our Team co-op. She or he won't have to join it. It will simply be optional. Ideally, this will be an MLM-style program, it will be inexpensive (or maybe just a small, one-time fee) and it will mesh well with what we're already doing. But here's the part that will make a lot of people happy (and some people 'less' happy). To kick this off and get it started, I plan to 'flip' the Team upside down, as it concerns this new program only. That way, the people who are at the bottom of the Rotator will join first and I will join LAST. But hey, even if you join second-to last, you'll still have me hooked directly to you on your first level and I'd like to think that I'm a half-way decent promoter (smile).

So, to sum it up: I'm looking for input on which program this should be, I'm going to make a decision this week and (to kick it off with an exciting start), our newest Team Members get in first - and that includes those who join us today, or any time before I put this into place. So if you're reading this and are ready to join Team OceanSwell, there has never been a better time than right now. This could be the most exciting week we've ever had!

Please email with your thoughts at: twoceanswell@hotmail.com

I finally joined PeopleString (Boy, was I dumb!)

2010-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Boy, was I dumb. I've been looking at the ads for this thing for about two years (it seems like) and I never gave a thought to joining it. I finally did today and it's really quite amazing. Quite impressive, actually! I SHOULD have joined it when it was new but, that was then and this is now. Even though I suspect that 99% of those who will ever read this are already PeopleString users, if you're not... you should be. It's just an email service like hotmail, gmail, yahoo or whatever, but they pay you to use it. It's not a 'lot' (laughing), but it can become a lot over time. In this business, I've found that you need to do two things constantly: 1) Think long-term. 2) Constantly develop additional streams of income.

This thing is FREE and it's a high quality service. I was dumb not to join it a long time ago. Free money is what everyone wants, right? Anyway, this is going to be my new email service of choice and I believe that everyone involved in Internet Marketing should be using it as well. I've got so many email accounts, ads and so on out there. It's going to take me awhile to move it all over to PeopleString because it takes a long time to turn a big ship around. But making the change is going to be worth it in the months and years ahead.

If you haven't already done it (unlike stupid me!), check it out for yourself...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#53)

2010-06-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Team and 'thank you' to everyone who worked so hard last week! The changes that were put into place last Sunday, combined with the hard work of so many of us (including me!) have put a new Team Member into the 'hot seat' in Rotator #1 - and everyone else moves up a notch too! We had plenty of inquiries (i.e. autoresponder hits) last week and multiple new Team Members joining us. That's the way it's supposed to work and I'm very proud of everyone. On the other hand, I did have to send out twelve(12) '1st Warnings' this morning regarding the minimum weekly hit-count to the Team Ad URLs.

Sometimes, life just gets in the way of your Internet Marketing tasks. Sometimes, you just get burned out. I understand that as much as anybody else does. I understand it better than most, I think. We had a couple of technical issues with the Team ads in the last few days as well. One of those, I couldn't do anything about. The other problem I am dealing with, by gradually re-doing all of our Team Ads with AdKreator. That is a WONDERFUL tool!!! I give it five gold stars. Splendid software, and the new-look ads I am going to create will be even more effective than in the past.

Folks, everybody wants their turn in the three Rotators and everybody wants it to happen as soon as possible. For that to happen, EVERYBODY needs to participate equally, at least at a minimum level of involvement. That's pretty easy to understand, right? Oh, by the way, I've increased the weekly page view minimum to 700 instead of 500. It's necessary, and I know that those of you who are truly dedicated to achieving your dreams are cheering this decision. In this business, you have to make up your mind to WIN. You have to push yourself past what you thought you were capable of. This requires a lot of things. It takes learning, trial & error, spending money, focus, dedication, discipline, flexibility & adaptability, and tons and tons of hard work. There is no easy path to online success. Sorry, it just ain't there.

You think Internet Marketing is tough? Try being with the infantry on a foot-patrol in Afghanistan or working in the fields in south Texas during the summer. If you're going to send me an email complaining about how 'hard' this is or 'how long it takes', you won't get a whole lot of sympathy from me. On the other hand, if you are willing to do the work, study, prepare yourself, learn what you need to learn and form good business habits, you will never have a better friend and partner than me. I am tireless, relentless and unstoppable when it comes to growing my online business. You must be exactly the same way if you really and truly want to win. And with this Team OceanSwell co-op, I am working tirelessly for YOU. But more than that, we are working for each other. Teamwork is a magical thing and it produces results that you could never achieve on your own.

Let's work as a TEAM this week. I don't want to send out any 'second warnings' next week.

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#52)

2010-06-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's a launch! 'OceanSwell 2.0' is now blazing into orbit with all new ads, a new letter series, a new attitude, a HOT Triple-Rotator system, rigidly enforced advertising requirements for Team members and... a new AdWords campaign to back it all up. And the reason for all this: To SPEED UP the action of our Team Ad/Rotator system for building TrafficWave downlines! How will these new changes speed things up? For one thing, strictly enforcing the minimum weekly page view requirements will make a big difference. In the past, I felt that since we're all adults (and we all want the same things) that an honor system would suffice. That was a mistake. I know now that it has got to be enforced, and everyone has to be treated the same, without any exceptions.

The weekly page view requirement for your Team Ad link is a mere 500 hits. Many think that's WAY too few! Yet others complain that it's too much to ask and they don't want to do it!!! So here's how we're going to handle it. This Team now requires a certain number of new Active referrals every week, produced as a result of Team advertising and the Adwords campaign that I (as in ME) pay for. This week, the requirement is only 500 hits to each Team member's team URL. This is a good test week for that number, as everyone is going to be actively promoting again and I am taking my personal efforts out of the TE's and into the expensive keyword game. But... if next Sunday finds us with too few referrals from the week's effort, than the number will be increased to 700 the week after that. And I will be increasing it by 200 a week (if necessary) until these Rotators move at the speed they should be moving.

A question I get asked a lot is, "What are YOU going to do to make these Rotators work faster?" My answer is that I'm going to ask the Team to work harder! What other answer is there? Can you think of one? This is a TEAM co-op. It's isn't 'RustySwell' (smile), it's TEAM OceanSwell. And the $300.00 dollars or more a month (every month) that this new AdWords campaign is going to cost isn't coming from anyone's pocket but mine!

But it's not 'just' about speed. It's about getting the most out of a system that is proven to work (ours) and getting the most out of TrafficWave's affiliate pay plan. Team OceanSwell's new Triple-Rotator configuration, combined with highly aggresive advertising, is the best possible way that I can think of for average people to finally realize an online income that can keep growing for years and years. Another thing people keep coming at me with is how 'fast' the Rotator moves with GDI PowerPath, and 'why doesn't our Rotator move that fast'? Another one is, 'Didi says she gets a new signup every 1.7 days'. Why don't you?' It's so annoying, that I'm going to address both items, right here and right now.

1) GDI PowerPath 'ain't' that fast. Don't get me wrong, I BELIEVE in what they're doing and our family has three(3) positions! I love those guys!!! But Juli joined in August of '09 and I 'don't' think she'll be earning $9,330 a month sixty days from now. Her GDI check last month was $47.00. Mom & I joined in January 2010 and we are still many weeks away from going through their Rotator. But you know what? We love their system, we believe in it and we know that it will work over time... and we'll never quit!

2) I love Didi. Didi is an amazing person and she is going to be a HUGE success with TrafficWave. But that one ad that everyone keeps bugging me about is worded in a way that confuses people. 'A new signup every 1.7 days' refers to her entire downline, not to every person at the top of her three Rotator lists. I could make the same claim in our ads. In fact, since my downline is larger than hers, I could say that we get 'two new referrals every day!' See what I mean?

My point isn't to say anything negative about PowerPath or Didi. It's to bring people around to the REALITY of how these Team Ad/Rotator systems work and what you can reasonably expect from them. By now, I hope that you realize that I am doing every single thing that one human being can do to help each and every one of you realize your dreams and have a functioning online business. But please never forget that I am just one person and we win or lose as a TEAM. That's the way it is today and that's the way it shall remain forever. Rusty cannot change your life all by himself. Sorry.

And another thing: I still have a whole bunch of emails to answer. If I haven't answered your email yet, I will. But this update had to come first. A lot of these emails have to do with the updated Rotator lists, defunct Team Leaders, Inactive accounts (or Inactive accounts that are Active again) and so forth. If I haven't already, I will send a personal email to every single Team Member within the next 24 hours. But I type with two fingers and I've been typing ALL frikkin' day long.

Here are the OFFICIAL Rotator lists. Anyone who wants updated copies can see them anytime, if you just send me an email and ask. It's not a big deal. Here they are...

Rotator #1 (i.e. the MAIN one):
James Blackburn (jimbee63)
Russell Williams (redfox1)
Penny Cannon (wiggie1226)
Terrence Hopkins (thopkins889)
Trevor Cheetham (buildyourbiz)
Marla Scipio (marlissa)
Richard Wells (newealth4all)
Maria Melas (Houstongreek)
Heather Gerres (heathergerres)
Shyama Mehta (rchandra)
Birgit Jurock (bcj)
Eileen Lisbon (magee)
Eric Smith (erixonline)
Lorel Life (llife1)
Michael Logan (fwmike)
Dowin Shelton (dcshelton)
BW Holmes (holmesbw)
Gregg Allington (gregga)
Bud Hall (themarketeer)
Brian Allerton (elldawn)
Zita Skurka (goldstarz)
Kirk Powers (kapan1012)
Paul Samuelson (paulsam13)
James Young (stayhomegetrich)
David Lee Y S (davidleeys)
Brian Perisho (brianp125)

Rotator #2 ('Graduates' list):
Charles Rush (rush1947)
Ella Sisco (lockland)
Miguel Januario (teamoceanswell)
Bill Reed (redbill)
Kenneth Watkins (realhomeriches)
Michael Olszewski (mjo)
Jim King (askjimking)
Terry Ladouceur (terrylad)
James Warren (successjw)
Brenda Gray (beachgal)
Silvia Hunsucker (silsbiz)

Rotator #3 (For those who need replacements):
Charles Rush (rush1947)
Ella Sisco (lockland)
Miguel Januario (teamoceanswell)
Bill Reed (redbill)
Kenneth Watkins (realhomeriches)
Michael Olszewski (mjo)
Jim King (askjimking)
Terry Ladouceur (terrylad)
James Warren (successjw)
Brenda Gray (beachgal)
Silvia Hunsucker (silsbiz)

Oh, one last thing: I haven't been paying out the weekly $10.00 prize for top promoter because I've been saving it up for the 'launch of Team OceanSwell 2.0' (LOL). Anyway, next Sunday (June 20th), I will award a prize of $50.00 - yes FIFTY DOLLARS - to the Team's top promoter for the coming week.

So let's start kicking some ass...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#51)

2010-06-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

Earning money with TrafficWave's affiliate plan is impossible without an organized plan and system. That's been my belief since October of 2009. And it's all about leadership. Leading is about sharing your vision for the future, and getting your team motivated to make it happen. Managing is about making sure everyone is doing what they should, the way they should, on a day-to-day basis. It's also about LISTENING - and I've been listening to various Team Members all week long. And based on that input, plus some ideas of my own, I've decided to make some major changes to my OceanSwell Team for the second half of 2010 and beyond... as well as some personal sacrifice.

Regarding that last subject: Starting after next Tuesday (June 15th), I will be running an AdWords campaign for both this Team and Juli's Team. That's not going to be cheap, but I'm not asking for any money. But it is necessary as the kind of enrollment numbers that we're going to need in the coming months cannot come from TE's and Safelists alone.

So, the enhanced advertising budget is a big change. The other two big changes are this: The weekly Ad Hit count of 500 (at a MINIMUM) is going to be strictly enforced. If that's just too much of a burden for you, then you cannot participate in this Team co-op and you will have to seek out some other opportunity that requires no work on your part. I will start counting this Sunday (the 13th) and will review the hits to everyone's tracking URL every Sunday thereafter. Those who don't do what's required (or do NOTHING) will receive three warnings before being removed from the Rotator lists permanently. And I did say lists, as in plural. From this day forward, we are moving to a triple-Rotator system. The first one is the same as before and 50% of all new enrollees will be placed under whatever Team Member is on top of it. The second Rotator is for those who have 'graduated' from the first one, and this includes every person who has ever gone through my Rotator who is still an Active member of TrafficWave! 25% of all new signups will be sent there. The third Rotator receives the other 25% and is for those who have had a useless downline member quit the program.

We've got all new ads, a new letter series (that is still evolving) a new triple Rotator system (designed to get you to Tsunami Level and KEEP you there) and an Adwords campaign (payed for BY me) and strict enforcement of the deadbeat rule to back it all up. The bottom line is that I'm confident enough to be in charge, but humble enough to realize when I'm wrong. I believe that leaders should make up their minds quickly and change them slowly, if at all. Perhaps I've taken too long to make these changes, but I'm making them now - as of today. By the way, anyone who wishes to see these updated Rotator lists can get a copy by sending me an email

Now let's earn some REAL money with TrafficWave this year...

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#50)

2010-06-04T15:44:00.001-07:00

"Where is Team OceanSwell headed?" "Where is this thing going?" "Why doesn't the Rotator move as fast as it used to and what's up with these Oceanswell Teams playing the one-upmanship game of promising ten referrals instead of five, or even fifteen?" "Is some other Team going to start promising 25... or 50?" "Are there any new and creative ways other than Get Referrals Fast to promote my personal TrafficWave URL?" "Does this Team co-op idea for TrafficWave have a future?"

These are the questions I get asked every single day. But before I can give my thoughts on any of that, it's important to review a little history. Fact: Before November of 2009, there simply wasn't much in the way of concentrated advertising for TrafficWave in the Traffic Exchanges other than the My Instant Biz promotion. I'd see some of Chase Swift's ads occasionally (which are very good, by the way) and the odd affiliate page thrown up there, but that's about it. However, with splash pages that I designed on my own, plus a viral ebook I wrote and with the TrafficWave co-op (and some other stuff), I personally referred over 70 people in 2009. Didn't matter. Almost every single one of them quit, and it cost me a small fortune in time, energy and money. But I didn't quit. That's because winners never quit and quitters never win. But that's when I started observing the phenomenon of the GDI Team-Builds. And when I tested one and it worked, I got real excited because I realized that nobody had tried this with the TrafficWave affiliate plan yet. So, over the course of a few days, I conceived a loosely organized idea for a TrafficWave Team-Build that I decided to call 'Team OceanSwell'... and I think Brian Rooney should give me a medal for it.

Today, the Team OceanSwell idea is six months old and it has set TrafficWave on fire! A year ago, you could buy shares in the TrafficWave affiliate co-op all month long. Today they sell out in 24 hours. In the span of six short months, the concepts incorporated within Team OceanSwell have spawned multiple 'me-too' copycat programs and various other systems centered around the awesome potential of TrafficWave's affiliate sales program. It's simply amazing how the thoughts of one person can change the online landscape in such a way.... and it happens real, real FAST. It's like chain-lightning in this business. If you're talking to me about 90 days ago, you're talking through a cloud of trail dust. Take this brand new program for example: SuccessQuick

Evidently, it was inspired by Team OceanSwell since they reference the promotion more than once in their product description! But you know what? SuccessQuick is a really good idea!!! It's a downline-builder, Traffic Exchange and red-hot money maker. That they would actually compare it to Team OceanSwell in their product description tells you what can happen in six short months when just one person comes up with a new idea. Amazing, isn't it? Internet Marketing is a dimension of thought as well as action, and you'd better be prepared for both - and be prepared to move FAST.

As for our Team Ad & Team Rotator method, it will continue indefinitely and continue to evolve. But because of the rapidly changing landscape, the pendulum is now swinging backward, toward a renewed emphasis upon learning how to actually USE the TrafficWave product and establishing systems for promoting your own affiliate URL outside of the Team-Build. Yes, the Team co-op will continue to work, but it will be slower now. Accept that. That's because interest in TrafficWave is now at an all-time high.

That is why it's important right now to quickly sum up a few basics for online business success with TraffcWave (and/or anything else):

1) PLEASE... treat your business as a business, and do it at all times. You need to get serious.

2) You need a website and/or blog within which you can place your TrafficWave advertising banner or subscription form. To get automated traffic to it, I recommend three things: ExitFire, TweetTrafficRush and Link Referral.

3) Follow-up personally with your referrals. There's a real person on the other side of your computer screen, so don't try to hide from them. Get to know the people you're doing business with and are partnering with. You will do SO much better if you do! This is a people business, as ALL business is!

4) Most important of all, it you're in this for the long-haul (and presumably for the rest of your life!), then you must commit to the task of building a large opt-in mail list - and TrafficWave just happens to be the perfect tool for that. List-building is going to be the central pillar of your Internet Marketing career and TrafficWave has an excellent affiliate plan to go along with it.

To be a part of TrafficWave and our OceanSwell Team co-op, you will need to enroll contact me (twoceanswell@hotmail.com), and I will give you the link to enroll through. Then you can begin your own 'Internet Marketing Journey' with TrafficWave... and maybe even get rich.

Have a good and productive weekend!

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#49)

2010-05-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Can you get rich with TrafficWave? I believe that you can. It's the theme of my new video! And I'm not alone in this belief. Have you noticed that everybody - and I mean everybody - is using TrafficWave now as their list-builder and mailer? It's also my belief that the Team OceanSwell co-op (that began in November of '09) has had a lot to do with that. It's drawn a lot of attention to the affiliate sales plan of this crucial marketing tool. But our team-promotion idea isn't the first of its kind, nor will it be the last. Other programs are (or were) featuring TrafficWave's affiliate plan - programs such as My Instant Biz, The Big Dogs, Bear Marketing, Free & Powerful, Insomnia Marketing, TE Teams and, of course, Get Referrals Fast.

Now, of all the affiliate programs out there, why would so many focus on TrafficWave? Clearly, it's hot, and (ultimately) the earning potential is staggering. But when you look at the affiliate plan and start scanning the potential numbers on levels nine and ten, you have to ask yourself, "Is this even possible?" Of course it's possible. You just have to stick with it. Personally, I consider it a challenge, such as a great mountain that has never been climbed. Did you know that until May 29, 1953, nobody had ever scaled Mt. Everest? Sir Edmund Hillary proved it could be done. Did you also know that it was considered scientifically impossible for a human to run a four-minute mile before Roger Bannister did it in 1954? What about powered manned-flight or a manned mission to the moon? 'Science' held that both were impossible shortly before they both happened!

I'm mentioning those examples to show that NOTHING is impossible if you put your mind to it. And it's from your mind where your online success must come. The cyber-world of the Internet is a dimension of thought, more than anything else. With it, you can literally 'think' yourself to a fortune. Which brings me back to the affiliate pay plan of TrafficWave. Other than Brian Rooney, nobody is earning 5-figures a month with TrafficWave. And like the top of Mt. Everest or the surface of the moon, it's just sitting there - an elusive dream, just waiting for someone to come up and be the first to plant his or her flag. Now, of course, you need to become an expert at list-building and email marketing. When you're good at that, you can write your own paycheck - and TrafficWave is the tool that will help you get there! But today, I'm talking about the affiliate plan and challenge (the race!) of being the first affiliate in history to earn 5-figures a month with it.

When you look at those potential numbers, such as 50,000 people in your downline, it's obvious that you can't recruit them all yourself. The secret, the golden key, is DUPLICATION. Naturally, I think that if you are going to choose TrafficWave as your autoresponder, you should be a part of our Team OceanSwell idea as well. Why not? But did you know that if you - you - referred only one new affiliate a month who did the same (and so on, down the line) that you'd have 6,000 people in your downline within a year? That's why systems that other people can duplicate are so important. Nobody's going to climb Mt. Everest without a plan and a system for getting to the top. The OceanSwell co-op can and will help you over time, but it ain't gonna' carry you to the top of that 5-figure a month mountain. You'll have to find your own way to such heights. For me, it's the great challenge of this new decade. I've already started my climb to the summit. All I want to know is, "Who's coming with me?"

To be a part of TrafficWave and our OceanSwell Team co-op, you will need to enroll contact me (twoceanswell@hotmail.com), and I will give you the link to enroll through. Then you can begin your own 'Internet Marketing Journey' with TrafficWave... and maybe even get rich.

Have a good and productive weekend!

Some good advice for earning money online

2010-05-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

Fast, easy, money online doesn't exist. Well, actually it does, but you need a good opt-in mail list. And to build such a list, you simply have to have a product like TrafficWave. What I mean to say is that if you have a large enough (and responsive) list, you can earn money every time you hit the 'send' button. That's how the pro's do it. And anybody can be a pro, by the way. All it takes is time and determination. But the great, laughable mystery of Internet Marketing is (and always will be) the vast number of people who think that because 'it's online' that it's easy and requires no effort... or no money.

That's funny.

Internet Marketing isn't easy, but it is simple if you let it be. What do I mean by that? I mean that the methods for establishing and growing an online business are well-established. In fact, business is business - online or offline. It doesn't matter. You need a product that people want and a way to tell them about it. That's what I mean by simple. The part that's not easy is learning how to tell people about your online product or service and then DOING it. Below is an email I just received from my sponsor in Stress Free Salary. He's a good guy. I'm publishing it exactly the way he wrote it - typos and everything - because it's from the heart and reinforces what I've been saying in this post. Although it regards Stress Free Salary, it naturally applies to promoting Team OceanSwell or your personal TrafficWave affiliate link as well.

From Mr. Brent Bertsch (enjoy)...

Hello team,

This email is going out to all members in my SFS team so it's not directed at anyone particularly, but you should know if it applies to you or not. I also realize some of you are no longer in TWR, I don't know why not as this is one of the easiest business to build that I have ever been in, but this email also doesn't apply to you, unless you decide to join use again of course, which you are always welcome to do. This email is kinda on the long side but it just contains a few thoughts I had about the mindset you should be in and the general mindset that some people have when they come online as well as a way to improve your business.

Ok, so, lets talk about spillover. Over the past few weeks I have gotten a lot of you quite a bit of spillover, some a lot more then others, and some not so much, and some of you are yet to get any. However, just because you are getting spillover doesn't mean you sit back and watch the signups come in without doing anything. This is not some ponzi scheme where you pay money without doing anything and the owners take money from the people who join after you to pay you. This is a real business and if you aren't doing anything then don't expect to gain much in return. After all, you reap what you sow, and if you don't sow, or don't sow very much, then you are defiantly not going to reap anything. I don't mean this to upset anyone or anything like that, I am not even angry or anything as I write this. I just realize that relying on someone else to build your business for you is not sustainable and ethical and in the end you will lose out.

I try and get everyone spillover, but it's impossible to get spillover for everyone as I can't recruit the thousands of people necessary to do that. SFS allows me to see how many leads you bring in and how many signups you have brought into SFS, so I know exactly those of you who have spillover under you but have 0 leads and 0 signups. If you haven't gotten a signup with Yahoo yet, then you should really go through the instructions again and make sure your account is setup and that you are getting clicks and impressions. I personally setup an ad in my Yahoo account after hearing many of you having troubles and I assigned $30 to my account and got leads and a signup, and over 10,000 impressions in just under a week from first setting up my account and that is not even counting the the few extra tricks I sent out the other day as I ran out of funds before I got a chance to fully implement them . Of course, I don't qualify for the $100 free credit as I already had a Yahoo account previously but with $100 you should easily be getting those 4 signups with that $100.

Bringing in a new member into TWR is VERY easy, so if you are having trouble doing so, then you defiantly aren't doing enough or are doing something wrong, not trying to offend anyone, just making a point. Over a week ago I sent out an email to all of you about the EXACT resources that I am using to build my team to over 180 members. And let me repeat that, EXACTLY, what I am doing to build my team to over 180 members. Well, there you go, there is no secret to getting tons of signups. It takes, money investment, hardwork, dedication, and also maybe giving up on a few luxury's in life to build your business and attain that goal of working from home or earning additional supplemental income. You don't start a McDonalds franchise with 0 investment, and you don't start any brick and mortar business with no investment, so why should it be any different online? The idea that people think the internet is full of free money is quite shocking to me and that people come online thinking that they can get money for doing next to nothing is mind blowing, but then when these people don't get their money for doing little to no work they get angry, and what's even more astounding, is that THEY actually think they earned the right to receive money for doing next to no work! How does that work out? On top of that people have to realize that just because they are paying monthly for a product or service with an income opportunity attached that they earn the right to earn whatever arbitrary number a company mentions without doing any work. I have had more then a few people email me saying, " I just noticed I have been paying so and so company for the past few months but this hasn't payed me any money yet. Is this a scam?" I reply back asking them what they have been doing to advertise and if they have been trying safelists, listbuilders, solo ads or whatever and most of the time I won't get any reply and in a few days they cancel there accounts. Other people seem kinda shocked that they have to do work, and they will ask me what a safelist is and what they have to do and I will see them send a few hits for awhile, but not enough to get any signups and they will reply back and complain after a few days that they get no signups and then they too will quit.

If you decided to not work at your day job, you get fired! If you own a business and decide you don't want to go out do bids for jobs, guess what, you won't get any job, and you won't earn any money! I recently been seeing biblical quote from a traffic exchange guy, and I have to say I agree with it fully. ".....that if any would not work, neither should he eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Some of you might be saying, well, it's easy for you to upgrade in all of those listbuilders and send out the solo ads as you probably are making a ton of money already! Well, I work as a landscaper and I make less then $2000/month doing that AND my online business, so it's not like I am rich or anything like that and I also juggle landscape side jobs, and also fix computers on the side as well and still earn less then $2000/month. Back in 2006 and 2007 I was like most of you and struggling to get signups into my business and I thought I was doing a lot, I was posting to about 10 safelists a week and doing some traffic exchange surfing, when in reality I had no idea that what I was doing wasn't even close what I had to do to even start seeing success.

I finally decided, that it wasn't the programs fault for me not getting signups, but it was my own fault and that I was doing something wrong. Back then I was unemployed for about 8 months after the company I was working for went out of business so I literally had zero income, but I decided to take an upgrade in ListJoe so that I could mail to 5000 members every 3 days. So mailed to list joe, added some more safelists to the mix, ALOT more, and sent out a solo ad or two, and low and behold, I got signups and in my first month I made $700 minus the $200/year for Listjoe and $20 or so for the solo ads. Cool!

Since, figuring that out, I have slowly been adding new listbuilders to my list as money allows and my income has slowly been growing as well with each new resource I add. And now, I have a list of over 2 dozen sites that I mail too every 2-5 days (as often as they allow me to mail) and I get signups pretty much every time I mail. So, the moral of all this is that if you don't have any cash what so ever you need to be posting to over a dozen free credit safelists on a DAILY basis and using that $100 Yahoo ppc and doing everything you can to get those signups. If you are posting to less then a dozen sites a day, well, you probably already know what kind of results you will get. So, just keep that in mind when you are working online and just remember, that most of the time it's not the programs fault, though I do realize that SFS isn't perfect and that there has been some issue with the Yahoo lately, but it's no excuse not to get out there and post on to some of the thousands of safelists that are out there.

To your success,

Brent Bertsch

Stress Free Salary is the real deal.

2010-05-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

This is a hot, little money-making program. An easy 2x8 matrix, the affiliate pay plan doesn't have the gigantic earning potential of TrafficWave, and the $30.00 monthly charge is a turn-off for those who like to do everything on the cheap. But, your first level (i.e. two referrals) cover your costs and the spillover is really happening right now. Your first level pays $15.00 each and everyone else basically pays a dollar each... except on level eight. There, they pay EIGHT(8) dollars each - and this thing is starting to catch fire. I don't want to 'over-hype' this deal, but it's actually working, and that's a fact.

Of course, Stress Free Salary isn't the product or the company. Stress Free Salary is simply a system for promoting it. I like systems. I believe in them. Another thing I believe in is being open to earning money from more than one area, whether it's Internet Marketing or life in general. I realize that (currently) most visitors to this blog are interested in our TrafficWave downline and what's going on with our OceanSwell co-op promotion. I understand that. But at the end of the day, we're all in this for the money. We want the money! As I've said in the past, I'll take it any (legal) way I can get it - stuffed camels, bottle tops... I don't care.

I plan to earn my online fortune with TrafficWave - both through the amazing affiliate program and by growing my opt-in list over the coming months and years. I'm a 'lifer'. I'll be building my TrafficWave business for as long as it's around and I'm around. But, I will occasionally be adding new programs to my affiliate portfolio as well. If you can afford it and can get your mind around promoting more than one thing at a time, then you should definitely include Stress Free Salary in your promotions. This one's a winner.

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#48)

2010-05-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Internet Marketing can be a very taxing experience! The best thing about it is that there is always something else that you can do to further the growth of your business. The worst thing about it is that it seems like there are too many things to do and it's easy to get OVERLOADED! I'm the kind of person who tends to take on too many projects at once, but I'm also the type who is driven to succeed. Anyway, I've been so busy this week on some new things that I've fallen behind on everything. I feel like the poor animal in the photo to the left! So, in order to make up for lost time, we have two weekly top-promoters instead of just one.

The two $10.00 prize winners are: Heather Gerres & Sylvie Lamarre

Congratulations to both of them! The Team Ads continue to work well and James Blackburn has started receiving his referrals. After James, it will be Russell's turn, and then Penny. I love this Team Ad - Team Rotator idea so much because it's really helping a lot of people get a solid start in what can be an extremely frustrating industry. It frustrated ME for a long time. But I found that refusing to quit and a commitment to learning work wonders over the long term. Now, I'm learning all about something called 'time management' (LOL).

In this update, though, there is one thing that I need to mention. And that is what I have invested both time and money in as experiments for increasing the speed of these Team Rotators. I promote the Team Ads in the TE's and Safelists just like everybody else does. But I'm always looking for new ideas. That's what everybody wants, right? New ideas. Well, I can tell you that there really aren't that many out there, as the fundamental principles of Internet Marketing are already well established. For example, this blog brings me web traffic and my mailing list allows me to share it with my subscribers. Those are two HUGE concepts right there! There isn't one 'key' to online success. It's more like a set of keys. But one of them is the ability to communicate with large numbers of people all at once and continually. That is why the TrafficWave product is such a vital component of any online business-building strategy.

That said, here are two products I've bought and tested that I actually don't recommend:

Lead Scraper Pro and Magic Traffic Bot. I'm both a user and an affiliate in both of these programs, but I'm not even going to bother putting my links here. In both cases, they are very well thought-out and highly creative pieces of software. They help me in some ways, that's true. They just aren't going to help promote Team OceanSwell the way that I expected them to. But I spent the money and tried them out. That's something I'm going to keep doing! But I am telling you this so that you know what I'm up to. I've also joined a new Team promotion for another product that uses Yahoo ads as their sole method of promotion. I think this is going to be HUGE, but that's just my opinion. However, if it works well, then we might be able to borrow the idea a little bit to move our Rotators even faster. I'm working on it but, like everything else, it takes time to test.

I know that a third of the country is suffering from floods and tornadoes tonight and the southern coast is about to be one giant eco-disaster. What's more, too many people are out of work and our money doesn't buy what it used to. It's an incredibly stressful time in America this weekend. So that's why my message this week is not to get overwhelmed by everything and don't try to do too much. Just stay with the plan, give it the time you can and always have a student's mindset. Never stop learning and never stop growing. Try to do just one thing a day (or even a week) that helps build your list, such as a TrafficWave-exclusive Twitter account set to automation through SocialOomph. You want to automate as much as possible. Afterall, that's what an autoresponder is for. But if you can automate traffic to your lead-capture page, so much the better!

If you're reading this and have developed an interest in TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell, why not join us today? The newest Team member being featured in the Team Rotator is James G Blackburn and his TrafficWave affiliate link is: http://www.trafficwave.net/members/jimbee63

To be a part of the OceanSwell Team, you will need to enroll through his link and then contact me (twoceanswell@hotmail.com), let me know what your new TW username is, and I'll put you in line for our Team Rotator.

As always, take care of yourselves and your online businesses - and have a productive week!

A great new idea for earning money online

2010-05-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

As each one of us goes through the trials and tribulations of Internet Marketing, we're always looking and always searching for new and effective marketing ideas. I think I've found one. Having been doing this for awhile, there are two things that I am becoming absolutely convinced of with regards to success at online business:

1) You need a plan and a system that others can duplicate.

2) You need to jump on something good when it's new.

There are other elements to success too, such as taking risks, being open to new ideas and (of course), undying PERSISTENCE. Anyway, I'm blown away by something I've recently joined called StressFreeSalary. Like the Team OceanSwell idea for promoting TrafficWave, this is a plan and a system for promoting a company - in this case, a web host. What's so brilliant about it is the Team promotion idea. It's amazingly clever, it works, and I am very, very excited about it! In fact, I like it so much that within a month or so, I plan to use the same concept (to the extent that I can) in order to help grow our TrafficWave team promotion even faster.

This is very, very clever and everyone should check it out. If you can afford it, this is something that I would recommend joining, in addition to TrafficWave - and I'd do it now... while it's NEW.

Take a look and listen for yourself: StressFreeSalary

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#47)

2010-04-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

What's the key to online success? That's what everyone wants to know! The truth is that there isn't one single 'key' because the rules to the game are always changing. That is why you must be flexible and adaptable at all times. Getting locked into one strategy or one method of doing things spells DOOM in this business. Like water, you must flow over and around obstacles on your way downstream. Obviously, I have decided to make a change and begin publishing my Team OceanSwell updates here on my blog, rather than through the autoresponder broadcast function.

Why? Because blog posts have far more visibility! Secondly, you can drive traffic to a blog post but you can't drive traffic to an email! Thirdly, my html template wasn't properly viewable through some email servers, so putting the updates here makes a LOT more sense. On top of that, it affords a whole lot more exposure for the affiliate link of the Team Member currently in the Rotator. In this case, that's Jim Blackburn. And now that his TrafficWave affiliate link is immortalized on my blog, people all over the world have a chance to see it and join TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell through Jim's link! This is a substantial improvement over the way I have been doing things since early November of last year. But we learn as we go, right? Remember what I said: flexible and adaptable

Here is something on the subject written by my late hero, Mr. Jim Rohn: "Over the years, I’ve been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept: the Ant Philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy. Here is the first part: Ants never quit. That’s a good philosophy. If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over. They’ll climb under. They’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy—to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants gather their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. The third part of the Ant Philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.

And here’s the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-you-possibly-can” philosophy. Wow, what a great philosophy to have—the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can." Speaking of which, the winner of last week's hit-count contest is Ms. Penny Cannon. Congratulations Penny, and THANK YOU for promoting. Your $10.00 prize is on the way!

So there you have it. If you are serious about Internet Marketing, you need an autoresponder like TrafficWave. If you are serious about TrafficWave's generous affiliate pay plan and promoting your affiliate link, then you need Team OceanSwell. You'll have both me and the entire Team promoting for you!

If you're reading this and have developed an interest in TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell, why not join us today? The newest Team member being featured in the Team Rotator is James G Blackburn and his TrafficWave affiliate link is: http://www.trafficwave.net/members/jimbee63

To be a part of the OceanSwell Team, you will need to enroll through his link and then contact me (twoceanswell@hotmail.com), let me know what your new TW username is, and I'll put you in line for our Team Rotator.

As always, take care of yourselves and your online businesses - and have a productive week!

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part XI

2010-04-19T23:42:00.001-07:00

Social Networking: Shaking hands and making business contacts online

That's my definition. And if you don't know it by now, online social networking is exploding. In fact, this phenomenon is so huge and changing so rapidly, that to not be a part of it means being left behind as far as Internet Marketing is concerned. Yes, it's THAT important. Though it's 99.9% likely that anyone reading this knows all about the idea of online social networking, it's worth reviewing the basics - especially for those of you are are just getting started.

Social networking is an ongoing and never ending process in which you are doing four essential things:

1) Expanding your circle of influence

2) Building good relationships

3) 'Branding' yourself

4) Driving traffic

You have simply GOT to get your name, message and/or product out there for the whole world to see. And that's what the Internet is - the whole world! It doesn't matter what business you're in, you can never know too many people (especially the right ones) and you can never have too much publicity. You want to build a real and lasting online business that will grow enough to fuel all of your dreams, right? Well that's a long-term project, so it's not too early to start thinking about the months and years (yes, years!) to come.

One thing that is critical to your long-term strategy is to start building a branded presence within the Internet Marketing community at large. In short, your face and your name need to be EVERYWHERE - with both linked to your blog or other business website. Social networking sites are springing up so fast now, that there is seemingly one major new one every single week. If on the off chance that you have never seen one of these, here are two random links to explore (both old and new):

Direct Matches

Swom

The truth is that I am a part of many such sites and I seem to keep joining new ones every day. In time, there are probably going to be an infinite number of them! But guess what? That means that there will be an infinite number of ways to promote yourself.

Social Networking is very serious business. Ignore it at your peril!

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part X

2010-04-04T23:28:00.000-07:00

Some people (like me) only have one business blog. Others have many. But the first step towards having a useful and productive blog is to ask yourself the question, 'What am I blogging... ABOUT?'

Too many blogs wander from one subject to another, or are cluttered with a visually irritating amount of advertising banners or icons, to really achieve any purpose. If your blog isn't about one specific thing (or if it lacks a theme) then it can't really be called a business blog. What I mean to say is that you must always be mindful of your blog's ultimate purpose while adding content to it. Ask yourself, 'Why would anyone read what I'm writing?' You need a good answer to that question before you start adding any kind of blog content! Remember the basic goals of any business blog: 1) To build brand awareness. 2) SEO. 3) To act as a newsletter and improve customer relations. 4) To establish credibility.

But at the end of the day, a business blog has only one function:

SALES

Nothing happens until something is sold. If somebody comes to your blog, then they probably came there for a reason. If (for whatever reason) someone is exposed to your business blog and comes away having their want or need met, then there is chance that you've made a sale - or at least established the kind of author/readership link that might lead to a future transaction. Bottom line: You're blogging for your visitors and not yourself.

Lastly, always, Always, ALWAYS drive traffic to your blog. Do it in every conceivable way. A couple of free programs are TweetTrafficRush and ExitFire. Those are free to use and they are merely two ideas for bringing viral traffic to your blog. Blogging is a vast universe and becoming an expert at it is something that will serve you well when it comes to online business. Just remember to never stop learning and never stop growing. Most important of all, never, never, never quit!

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part IX

2010-03-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

When it comes to driving web traffic, blogging is truly gigantic. There are just so many ways to make a blog (or multiple blogs) work for you. Over and over again, you will see me talking about 'the long term' approach to Internet Marketing. Building up a blog is no exception. It takes a long time to truly bring one to life and get real business benefits from it. But the results are worth it. If they weren't, you wouldn't see so MANY of them out there! For one thing, not everybody can create a sales website. On the other hand, anybody can put up a blog - and a blog can function in the same way as any other website can. Even better, blogging platforms like Google's blogger.com are FREE to use, and they are hosted for free.

Have you ever noticed how your Google searches turn up results that aren't necessarily a relevant website, but are (instead) a blog? Have you noticed that this happens a LOT? The reason for this is that there are many more blog posts that apply to any given topic than there are specific websites related to it! Those magic little 'search engine spiders' (or whatever they are) are constantly probing and scanning the web - picking up content, sorting it, ranking it, sifting it, etc.. But one thing is for certain: Blog content gets picked up by search engines. For example, google the phrase Team OceanSwell.

You NEED a business blog and you need to add content to it regularly. This post isn't designed to tell you how, but that's not a great mystery. A quick look around the Internet will turn up thousands of tutorials for setting up and promoting a blog. It's incredible! But the beauty of promoting your blog is that it's uniquely 'you'. It changes every time that you update it with new content and it's a fantastic way to connect (on a human level) with you visitors or affiliate downline. And what I like about it is that there really aren't any rules. Creativity and inventiveness is very, VERY important in this business! On your blog, you can be yourself, tell stories, add pictures of you and your family, your pets or whatever! As far as TrafficWave is concerned, it's easy to add the subscription form to a blog. In fact, it's a MUST.

Just remember, the Internet is a cold and lifeless thing. It's a machine. Like a toaster or washing machine, it's a robot. Signing up affiliate referrals in your TrafficWave downline is a lot of work!Retaining them (and helping them to do the same with their referrals) is just as much work. And, of course, it never ends. But when your associates and referrals can see you and get to know you through your blog, it adds a personal/human element that would otherwise be lacking. One of the greatest things about the whole Team OceanSwell idea is the way in which it forges new relationships between people who wouldn't normally interact with each other. A good blog will amplify and enhance that effect. Even though it's 'the Internet' where we are digging for gold, those with whom you do business are living and breathing souls. You need to connect with them online just like you would if you were face to face - by letting them into your world a little bit and getting to know each other.

I know you're tired of reading by now, but there's one more vitally important thing to mention. You must constantly strive to drive traffic to your business blog, in every conceivable way! Always, always, ALWAYS be searching for new ways to add back-links to your blog. Never, ever stop. Add new content as often as possible and pack your post titles and content with key words. But most important of all, design your blog as the kind of site that YOU would like to visit -especially if you were just getting started with Internet Marketing. The key to success with your blog is to pay attention to it and make a study of driving traffic to it. It's a never-ending learning process and it is fundamental to your success with TrafficWave and/or anything else having to do with online business.

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part VIII

2010-03-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here's what I call a Major Rule in Internet Marketing: Know Your Product

Why do you expect that people will desire to buy the product or service that you are marketing online? What's the primary benefit? Like, why SHOULD they do it, rather than just keeping their money? I'm serious. There needs to be a reason that you can explain, both distinctly and succinctly. In the case of TrafficWave and/or the Team OceanSwell idea, what exactly is it that you're selling and why should anyone pay for TrafficWave or be a part of this Team promotion system? If asked these questions directly, do you have a ready answer?

If not, don't feel bad. MOST people can't sum up the primary benefit of whatever they're promoting in a few simple words. But think about it. If you can't do that, how on earth can you convince average people to get out their credit cards and join your programs or buy your products and services? Obviously, as a Team OceanSwell member, the letters, Updates and blog will do a lot of that for you - not to mention the mountain of information available in the TW Back Office and Discussion Forum. But imagine that a friend or relative is sitting there with you and is genuinely interested in what you are 'doing online'. What if they ask you to explain it? What if others are there listening as well? Could you do it?

I'm asking you these questions for a reason. Most people 'freeze up' when asked about their online business because they simply aren't prepared to explain it. If you can't briefly explain to someone else (in a face-to face setting) what it is that you do online, then it could be that you don't truly believe in it. It's my contention that the PRIMARY reason people give up and quit so quickly in this business is because - deep down - they don't really believe in it. I've been around MLM for a long time and I can tell you that most people who try their hand at it are lazy and afraid, in that order. The Internet only exasperates the problem.

Bottom line: Become an EXPERT on your product, service or program. Know it inside and out. Actually use it and become good at using it. That's fundamental to success with any sales program. The Internet creates the fantasy of 'click, click, clicking' your way to a fortune. But that fantasy ignores the fundamental rules of selling anything - and there aren't any new fundamentals. Always remember this phrase, 'Nothing happens until something is sold', because you'll never successfully sell anything that you don't understand and believe in. Have a student's mindset at all times. Make this business a STUDY and you will be one of those who seems so 'lucky' to everyone else.

TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell - Part VI

2010-03-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of Mel Fisher? He was a very famous treasure hunter who remains one of my heroes and who's story is a must-read for anyone in the online affiliate/MLM business. You can learn a little bit about him here, though I recommend reading his autobiography. Mel's signature saying was 'Today's the day!'. He said that every single time his crew went out to search for sunken, treasure-laden ships that he KNEW were there.

He'd go out to sea and the weather would send him back. He would organize one expedition after another as people mocked and ridiculed his efforts. 'You're a crackpot 'till you hit the jackpot', Mel would say. And then one day... he did. When he finally discovered his quest, the sunken treasure ship called 'Nuestra Señora de Atocha', he and his team saw gold bars strewn across the sea bed as far as the eye could see. In fact, a lot of it's still there! His personal story is AMAZING and should serve as a constant inspiration for anyone searching for online riches.

I bring up Mel Fisher's life story because, unlike Mel, most people will give up searching long before they ever find the online treasure chest that they're seeking. That's because it's well hidden, as are the keys to open it! But there are treasure maps and other clues available to all who will relentlessly seek for them. And the ones who will never, never quit are the ones who will find them.

About me: I've built a successful online business using the ideas, methods and programs contained in this blog. So can you. What do I mean by 'successful'? I mean that I am in the profit every month and that profit continues to grow steadily (slowly, but steadily) every single month - and will keep growing forever. Has it been easy? No, it has not. I won't lie to you. It has NOT been easy. It feels great now, but it didn't for a long time! Like Mel Fisher, I 'went out to sea' many times and returned empty handed and poorer for having funded the trip. But, like Mel, I'm one of those crazy people who kept at it even when it wasn't working. And that's how I am able to share my experiences with you.

Here are some truths about online success:

~ It's going to take longer than you think
~ It WILL work if you stay with it
~ You have to spend a little before earning anything (i.e. take risks)
~ You need a system
~ You must be CONSISTENT and PERSISTENT
~ You must have patience
~ You must continuously improve your methods
~ IT WILL BE WORTH IT

Of course, it goes without saying: Don't quit! To be honest with you, most people fail because they gave up way too soon. That's really the 'secret' that everyone seems to be searching for and it's the ultimate clue that will lead you to online riches. Given good, solid companies and marketing plans, the VAST majority of those who fail simply gave up too quickly. There is this strange illusion that online business is different from offline ('brick and mortar') businesses. It isn’t. Just because it's 'online' doesn't coat it with magic pixie dust. It's the same thing. Be realistic, treat your business as a BUSINESS and never, never quit.

The treasure awaits. Why not let Team OceanSwell help you in your quest to uncover it?

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part VII

2010-03-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

In this business, one thing that you're going to want to do on a continual basis is track the results of your various ads and/or ad campaigns in any way you can. These days, there are plenty of good marketing systems out there which include a tracking feature - TrafficWave and TE Tool Box, for example. There are plenty of others.

You might as well know that you're limiting your success if you don't test and re-test various versions of your ads to see which pull the best results. Things like ad headlines, graphics, special offers or even where you are running the ad - all of that should be tracked. Do NOT ignore these tools! I realize that for many people, Internet Marketing is more of an interesting hobby or diversion than anything else. But if you're truly serious about this, then you are going to need to use ad-tracking so that you can fine-tune your marketing message for MAXIMUM impact. You do want maximum impact, right? Of course you do!

On another note, you do know that you can market off-line, right? Yeah, I know. It's the thing that nobody wants to do. But that's why nobody does it. Charity groups, church fundraisers, little league clubs, college business clubs and many similar groups would be perfect places to give a little presentation to. I've actually had some success with old-school business cards and fliers. If you're clever and inventive, you might be surprised at the results you can get! One of the keys to successful advertising is to do it where nobody else is. If you really, really want want you think you want (online success, a better job or even a mate!), then marketing needs to become a part of your every day life. In fact, it should actually BE a lifestyle. Whether you are selling a product, selling a service (such as Team OceanSwell) or selling yourself, you need to be using every available tool at your disposal. But remember, these tools and tactics only work if you USE them.

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part VI

2010-03-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

When you are using your autoresponder for a letter series and/or broadcast messages, one of the basic things that we all need to understand is how to inform, teach and motivate in an honest and professional manner. As they say, "PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING". If you don't believe what you're saying, people can sense it. There are a lot of liars in this business and the fastest way to ruin your subscriber list is to become one yourself. Never try to sell something to your readers that YOU don't believe in. That's the worst thing you could do.

So don't publish misleading ads in order to entice opt-in subscribers and don't make promises (in your ads or letters) that you can't keep. Speaking of ads, TrafficWave has many good templates and the newer video and Matrix-Buster pages are very good. I use Instant Splash Page Maker (not free), Instant Squeeze Page Generator (free) and there's a newer one out there that's also free - Instant Splash.

You're not going to get many subscribers unless you have good-looking, eye-catching ads that entice potential subscribers with a good REASON to opt-in. With the Team OceanSwell Ads, the reason for opting in is to learn about a service (i.e. the Team Rotator) that will help build a real affiliate income with TrafficWave's pay plan. That's information that a lot of people want! So, in order to build your list, your ads must offer something that people WANT - especially the kind of people that you are marketing to. Give the people what they want, be honest and informative and you will have a growing and loyal subscriber base.

There are essentially two reasons for having a large mailing list on your autoresponder:

1) To sell 'em stuff.

2) In the case of a program like Team OceanSwell, to inform, update, coach, etc.

In either situation, the TrafficWave autoresponder is a MUST. So if you haven't started yet, please begin building your list today. List-building (and all that goes with it) is really the central pillar of creating a long-term, satisfying online income. It's THAT important...

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part V

2010-02-28T07:51:00.000-08:00

When I was first planning Team OceanSwell, back in October of '09, I considered more than one affiliate program before deciding on TrafficWave. But I made my choice for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that you NEED an autoresponder if you plan to earn a living online - especially long term.

You simply have got to have one. Which brings me to the subject of today's topic...

############################################

List Building: The fundamental key to your online success

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Affiliate Funnel holds a weekly class on the basics of list-building and what it all means. In fact, it's a revolving four-part series. I recommend it! With the TrafficWave autoresponder tool, you are able to put lead-capture forms in your ads, on your blog, etc. so that readers can 'opt-in' to your letter series, newsletters or whatever in return for a giveaway, an ebook, an information package or any other kind of online product.

Whether you are an OceanSwell Team Leader or you've gone through the Rotator and are promoting on your own, your subscriber list is something that you will want to grow forever. And your relationship with the people on that list is CRITICAL. I've got a saying that applies to list-building and autoresponder letters: 'Either do something worth writing about, or write something worth reading about'. If you can do either one, your subscribers will have a reason to open your emails and read what you have to say. That's when you will have a productive mailing list.

Most of us, myself included, are just ordinary people with ordinary lives. We're not all 'writers', and most of us have had no training in marketing. What we know has come from the school of hard knocks and lessons learned along the way. But that's good information to share with others! What's more, virtually all of us only have a few hours a week to devote to our businesses at first - i.e. we all start out as part-timers. just about all of your online sales prospects are the same way, and it's important to remember that. But an autoresponder is the ultimate TIME-SAVER - for everyone involved. It allows you to communicate with others 24/7, world-wide.

Of course, you still have to know how to use it!

To be an Internet Marketer, we are told, is a few easy 'clicks' away. Just turn on the computer, hit the enter key and watch the money start rolling in! Of course, you soon learn that it's much harder than that. You have to learn a whole LOT and you have to develop systems for everything you do. But an autoresponder is an INVALUABLE tool that helps make things easier and more profitable for you over time. In fact, it's the foundation of everything that you will do online and so that's why TrafficWave (and it's famous affiliate pay plan) was my choice for TeamOceanSwell.

If you are reading this and have joined TrafficWave, you should have set up your DEFAULT autoresponder by now. If not, then please do so today. Brian Rooney's stock letters are fine, though you can modify them if you want - or add more! But if you haven't done this yet, that's your first mistake. It is crucial that you set up the DEFAULT autoresponder that links to your TW affiliate pages. You'll never get anywhere with TrafficWave if you don't know how to use the product!

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part IV

2010-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

While you are awaiting your turn to go through the OceanSwell Team Rotator, your mission is really quite simple: Promote the Team Ad links anywhere and everywhere possible, as often as possible. However, if you are marketing something else at the same time, or if you have graduated from the Rotator, or if you are one of those with the time, skills and resources to be a Team Leader, then you need to focus upon: Lead Generation, E-Mail Marketing and Prospecting in general.

If you expect to have a big online income, then you have got to BE big. You have to do a lot of different things and you must reach out and contact large numbers of people. For me, that has always meant email marketing - either bulk mailing, safelists or a combination of both. There are plenty of good safelists featured within Affiliate Funnel. And under the Tools tab, there is one particularly good information product that you can look
at here:

Email Promos Exposed

It is very good! Of course, you can pay for services that will 'blast' your message to hundreds of safelists at a time. But that isn't free either, and you can't buy everything when you're just getting started. And don't forget what I said before: This isn't a race! If you're getting
overwhelmed, take a step back and slow down.

Anyway, there are lots and lots of resources out there for gathering double-optin email leads. If they are free, then the 'leads' are probably not very good. But hey, free's free, right? It's always a numbers game, and you can sell ice to Eskimos if you advertise ENOUGH.

A little searching around online can turn up numerous 'free leads' outlets. Here are three examples:

Orange Leads

Free Survey Leads

Free-Leads

Given the time and resources that are available to you, it will be necessary to develop a regular schedule of marketing tasks - things that you do on a regular (or even daily) basis. Email marketing should be a part of that. Just take it hour by hour, one task at a time, one day at a time. And please, don't get discouraged if you aren't getting dozens of signups right away. It takes TIME, so let it take time.

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part III

2010-02-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

Love 'em or hate 'em, Traffic Exchanges (TE's) are vital to the Team OceanSwell approach of promoting the TrafficWave product and affiliate pay plan. When Team OceanSwell was created, the idea was to provide a plan and a system that average people could use to finally have some success at building an online business. Traffic Exchanges are something that everybody understands how to use.

And if you took my advice and explored Affiliate Funnel a little bit, then you noticed that they have an entire tab devoted to TE's. That only makes sense. Affiliate Funnel was created by TE owners!

I'll be honest with you right up front. A LOT of people don't like TE's. Personally, I love them. It's a variation of the Safelist concept (which I also use), but they are like the trading pits in the Chicago Futures Market - it's raw competition at it's best! They are also communities, but I'll get into the important subject of social networking later on.

BTW, I think that everyone should sign up for Jon Olson's newsletter. Another one of my mentors, I've read his book and chatted with him in the affiliate funnel forum many times in the past. Jon is the king of Traffic Exchanges and, IMO, his word is gospel. He's also a TrafficWave user!

You can check out his newsletter here: http://www.hitexchangenews.com/

Doing this one thing will teach you everything you need to know about this often misunderstand method of advertising and Jon's newsletter will also keep you updated on current events in the industry.

You know, there's kind of a stigma to using TE's. A lot of people consider it 'beneath them' to ever go near one. For one thing, they can be VERY labor intensive - prohibitively so for many. And there is also the legitimate fear of catching viruses from malicious advertisers. Word of advice: Use good security programs like Norton Anti-Virus when visiting ANY online marketing sites.

Anyway, Traffic Exchanges are good and bad. Useful and useless. Effective and ineffective. It just depends on your approach. The challenging thing is, there really aren't any rules! However, here are some universal guidelines to using TE's effectively. Notice that most or all of them are incorporated into the Team OceanSwell system.

1) Remember that you are marketing to other marketers. Marketing affiliate programs in the exchanges is largely a waste of time. Instead, market the things that other marketers NEED, such as tools, services, systems and other information products.

2) Use squeeze/splash pages and keep them real simple. Think of your ads like billboards on a busy freeway. The drivers are speeding by and concentrating on driving. Your 'billboard' had better be eye-catching and it had better get the message across QUICKLY! Humor works very well in the TE's too, by the way.

3) Brand yourself by putting your face and name in your ads. People like that! They like to see you and (if you stay at this long enough) your face eventually becomes recognizable within the TE community. That helps you in a variety of ways, long-term. If you can't put your face in your ad, use one of the brandable ad-rotators that many of the TE's provide for free.

4) Use banners, because they work! Banners will generate a click-through about every 3000-5000 impressions, depending on the banner. Some exchanges really allow you to pile up the banner credits with bonuses, surf rewards and upgraded accounts. Amazingly, a large number of people simply ignore them! That's a mistake because you should be using every resource at your disposal. We've had numerous Team OceanSwell Members come up with GREAT banner designs, but here is a link to one Team Member's page that is really worth a look:

http://erixonline.ws/TWOS.html

5) Keep your ads in rotation 24/7. Be consistent. They say it takes 6 or 7 times for a consumer to see an ad before making a buying decision. That may or may not be true on TV, but it takes a LOT more than that on the TE's! You need to keep your ad in their face every day.

6) Did I mention that you have to be patient? TE advertising is sloooooooow, but it DOES work - and there are new people coming into the exchanges every month, not to mention those who leave and come back.

Lastly, it's always a good idea to promote the TE's that you are a part of. In your blog, email signature lines or wherever. Getting referrals in the exchanges is another long-term marketing strategy because (in most cases) you can email them, they earn credits for you and some will upgrade and help cover your online expenses.

Speaking of which, there is a new TE that's kind of interesting in that there is NO free membership. Basic membership is 3 bucks a month and it's an affiliate matrix, like TrafficWave. I bring it up because there are those who like the idea of earning money by getting TE referrals and PowerPath GDI has encouraged their entire membership to join. Anyway, if you want to look at that, you can go here: 3x6surf

To your success,

~Rusty (TW OceanSwell Admin)

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part II

2010-02-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

In my previous post, I wrote about the importance of approaching Team OceanSwell and any other Online venture as a long-term project. Today, I want to briefly start on the subject of Traffic Exchanges (TE's). But before I do, I want to revisit the earlier topic on more time. It's THAT important.

Team OceanSwell isn't the 'Guru Formula for Instant Riches' that everyone seems to think is out there somewhere. In my experience with the affiliate programs such as TrafficWave, the magic formula for long-term success boils down to two basic things:

1) Having a plan and a system that someone else can easily duplicate.

2) PATIENCE.

Yep, there's that word again. And do you know why? Because upon that word rests everything else. Sometimes in life, you just have to wait. It's like that in every business. Nothing happens overnight. Yes, I'm a broken record, but I'm going to say it AGAIN: Be reasonable and give yourself a year (that's right, a YEAR) before you decide that TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell aren't for you. And the same rule applies to anything else that you are doing online, so long as it's something decent.

At any rate, the subject of TE's is one that I can't cover in one letter. It would be too long. The first thing I would say about them is to go to a central source for links, reviews, advice and coaching. For me, that place is Affiliate Funnel. 100% FREE to join, Affiliate Funnel (AF) is an absolute MUST for beginners. It is many things, including an impressive array of marketing tools, weekly training seminars (live and on the web), a list-builder and a means to promote programs that you like, such as TrafficWave. It's also a 'tools store' of sorts, because all manner of systems and programs for online promotion are featured there. Do I use them all? Absolutely NOT. There are some that I just outright don't like or are duplicates of others.

In addition, signing up for a number of these can be a tedious process as you wade through OTO after OTO. Still, I have found Affiliate Funnel to be a great resource in a lot of different ways. In fact, the most important thing about AF has always been the Saturday webinars on topic such as how to use TE's properly, how to approach social networking, how to build a list, build a website or even create your own product. In short, just about every topic related to online business is routinely covered. Much of what I know today was gleaned from those webinars - especially my current approach to using Traffic Exchanges.

You and your referrals need to know these things. Getting set up with the components of AF that you choose to use can be a time-consuming process, so take your time with it. Remember, what we're doing is a long-term project rather than a race. Trying to do too much too fast will only result in headaches and the feeling of being overwhelmed. That's bad.

Speaking of overwhelmed, this is enough reading and writing for one blog post. We'll get deep into the subject of Traffic Exchanges in the next section...

Internet Marketing Tips from Team OceanSwell - Part I

2010-02-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

This is going to be the first in a series of tips, 'lessons' (if you want to call them that) and general advice on Internet Marketing. And I'm not just talking about the Team OceanSwell promotion system for TrafficWave. This applies to any and EVERYTHING that you promote online.

In this first piece, what I want to talk about is THE most important subject of all - and that is: PATIENCE

There is no single quality that is more important to success. You simply must grasp and understand that marketing anything online is a long-term project. If you cannot accept that, then abandon Internet Marketing altogether and do it today, because it will save you a lot of grief. I don't care what you've been told. I don't care what you believe. The truth is still the TRUTH.

Sadly, most people will not stick with an online marketing program for more than 60-90 days before giving up and trying something else. Repeated over and over again, this behavior pattern is a guaranteed recipe for eternal failure.

Take the Team OceanSwell Rotator, for example. Obviously, it takes longer than a month to go through it. In fact, it averages about 8-10 weeks. So WHAT? Once you pass through the Rotator, you get your money back (with a profit) in the form of Fast-Start bonuses - AND - you have a functioning downline with members who are using a duplicatable marketing system.

My God, if that's not worth waiting for, what is?

And yet, I still have people (angrily, in some cases!) insisting that 'it's just not good enough'. REALLY? So doing this on your own is faster than our Team system?

Mike Paetzhold is a man I respect and who's opinions I hold in high regard. I've never met the guy, but he's one of my mentors nonetheless and I've chatted with him online many times. Almost two years ago (when I was just getting started), he told me, "Rusty, the hardest thing you will ever do online is reach the point where you are consistently earning $200-$300 a month. But... after that... it's quite a bit easier to reach $1,000 and so on."

Then you know what he told me? "Give it a year, and you'll be OK."

And you what? He was right. It took me a year to really 'get' Internet Marketing. It took longer still for me to conceive and create Team OceanSwell so that anyone reading this can have online success in FAR less time than it took me.

So no matter what you are promoting online, I tell everybody the same thing:

Commit to a YEAR.

A year is a good benchmark for any online affiliate program and/or marketing system. Not only that, a lot of ads, links, articles, blog posts, etc. will STILL be getting click-throughs years after you put them online!

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Never, never, never quit! ~Winston Churchill

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Quitting too soon is so expensive and destructive. Not only have you wasted your money, but you've wasted your time. And if that's not enough, you've also destroyed future opportunity for sales and growth. Worse still, you've wasted the time of those who tried to help you. It's just a TRAIL of destruction and waste. It would have been better not to start at all.

This is 'Part I' in a series, but it's the most important part. Because if you don't approach Internet Marketing (and that includes Team OceanSwell) as a long-term project, then you don't need to read 'Part II'. You're already finished.

TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell - Part V

2010-02-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

Working from home is the dream of a great many people in the United States and around the world. If you're clever and you work very, very hard, it's certainly feasible. But at the end of the day, 'working from home' means starting and running a business.

It's complicated and requires a great deal of determination.

Starting and then successfully running a business is what many people talk about doing and very few people actually DO. Most never even get their dream off the ground and those who do usually fail for one of two reasons: They didn't have enough money and they didn't have a good plan.

Of course, there are other reasons why businesses fail (including home-based businesses), but those are the two primary ones.

Fortunately, the rise of the Internet makes it possible for average people (with little to practically nothing in the way of start-up capital) to create a functioning home-based business. Buying and selling on Ebay is a good example. And since Internet businesses can be launched with little to nothing in the way of 'start-up capital', the marketing PLAN becomes the most important element with regards to ultimate success or failure.

That's why Team OceanSwell was created for those wishing to market TrafficWave's famous affiliate pay plan. You see, it takes an ENORMOUS amount of advertising in order to have any hope of success with an online affiliate business. If you are one of those who have tried one program after another and failed, it probably wasn't your fault. You just didn't advertise enough.

That's the genius of the Team advertising co-op. An organized group of like-minded people can succeed with an affiliate marketing program FAR more easily than the average person can on their own.

If you tried to build a business with TrafficWave (or any other MLM affiliate plan) before, the future doesn't have to be like the past. If you're ready, you can join our team and start down the road to having something that very few ever actually attain; a real Internet business that pays you money every single month and never stops growing.

How about it? Are YOU ready?

TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell - Part IV

2010-01-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not rich. If you're reading this, you're probably not rich either. And unless you ARE rich already, it takes lots and lots of time to build an online business from scratch. Even small 'brick and mortar' businesses take a minimum of $25,000 to $100,000 to get off the ground. That is why starting an online business without an investment of similar size requires a great deal of patience.

That's because you can trade time for money, especially online where you have little to no overhead costs. People who are successful online have lots and lots of patience. In fact, it's the single most important thing when it comes to earning money online. Without it, you don't stand a chance. However, with patience and determination, nothing can stop you.

Any follower of this blog (or anyone who scans its many posts) can see that 'My Internet Marketing Journey' was a good name for it. That's exactly what it's been; a journey. It's been a process of learning, testing, trying new things and (of course) spending bundles of money for countless ebooks, pdf's, software downloads, e-courses, etc.

I've been through the maze (wandering in all directions) and have come through the other side, finally understanding what it takes to combine patience with a definite plan of action that WILL produce results.

Team OceanSwell is the product of everything thing that I've learned as a result of having PATIENCE.

But the best part is, TrafficWave's Team OceanSwell makes it possible for the average person to actually develop an online income without having to spend the years it took me to put all the parts together. It STILL requires plenty of patience and effort, but I've found that most people will accept that so long as they have a set of specific directions to follow that actually work.

If you join us today, you'll be very glad you did by Christmas 2010. And if you don't, you'll wish you had...

TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell - Part III

2010-01-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

Team OceanSwell was born from the experiences catalogued in this blog. Specifically, the enormous success I've had over the last two years recruiting TrafficWave affiliates, only to see 95% of them let their accounts go inactive within 90 days.

I believe in Brian Rooney (owner of TrafficWave), I believe in the product and I've always understood the AWESOME potential of the affiliate pay plan. I just couldn't understand why nobody else could see it. How is it than one person could 'get it' in the midst of so many who couldn't, wouldn't or would not? Then I finally realized what the problem was - why so many will simply give up and quit.

It's because they feel LOST.

With Internet Marketing, people just don't know what to do. That, and they don't believe it's real. In fact, that sums up most people who join any online affiliate program. They think they're being lied to, and they're usually right. Like a stray dog who's been kicked a time or two, they just don't trust strangers anymore.

So how can you build a real TrafficWave downline this year? How can YOU be one of the rare successes in this confusing and frustrating industry?

You need a plan and you need a system - and you need to see both of them working with your own eyes. Most important of all, you need your referrals to have the same plan and use the same system. That's what Team OceanSwell is all about. It's simple, it's effective, and it is THE way for the average person to make TrafficWave work.

No, we aren't promising to build your downline for you. Plenty of people will tell you that LIE. You will be expected to work and you will be expected to have patience, especially in the beginning. But if saw the potential with TrafficWave before and just couldn't make it work, or if you've heard of TrafficWave and would like to give it a try, then I offer a way that you CAN make it work.

Like anything honest, our Team system requires patience and work. But if you follow the simple instructions (and can be PATIENT!), you will most definitely succeed with our surprisingly easy methods. We make it literally impossible for you to fail.

Why not check it out today?

TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell - Part II

2009-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of years ago, the Scots were a blood-thirty lot who liked to fight. They were good at it too and their favorite tactic was something called the 'Highland Charge'. Even though battles of this era involved gunpowder, the Highland Charge was (mostly) based upon weapon & shield use.

For a period of time, the Highland Charge was more or less invincible. Then a new kind of bayonet and some original thinking gave the British a chance to defeat it. To make a long story short, the British soldiers (formed in a battle line) would meet the oncoming Scotsmen with their bayonets ready - but were disciplined to attack the man on their right, instead of the one in front of them. Why? Because most people are right handed and the Scotsmen's shields were in their left hands.

In other words, each British soldier didn't defend himself. The man on his left did - and so on down the line. Not defending yourself in a fight (and counting on somebody to your left to do it for you) is definitely against human nature! But it provided a way to survive the famous Highland Charge.

I'm not here to give you a history lesson. Rather, to explain that the TrafficWave affiliate pay plan works in a similar way, with the help of the Team OceanSwell promotion and recruiting system. For many, it's a difficult concept to accept at first - the notion of advertising and promoting for someone other than yourself, but that's exactly what we do. Unselfishness, trust and TEAM WORK are how we operate a system that is enabling average people to succeed with TrafficWave's famous affiliate pay plan.

Unselfishness, trust and team work. That's how we win. Join us today and you'll see exactly what I mean...

TrafficWave and Team OceanSwell - Part I

2009-11-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

This blog is titled 'My Internet Marketing Journey' for a good reason: because it catalogues much of that journey step by step. And where that journey has finally lead me is to the creation of Team OceanSwell - THE way for anyone to be a success with my favorite MLM/affiliate program, TrafficWave. This new Team downline (as of today's date), has accomplished more in a few short weeks than few people will accomplish in a year or more (or EVER), and I know that to be a fact.

There are so many people out there who want to earn money online. They hate their jobs and our money buys less and less at the store. It's getting really bad. What I've seen in my two years of marketing online is that there is no shortage of people with the desire to succeed and the willingness to work at it in their spare time. The problem is that they're lost, overwhelmed by it all and simply don't know what to to.

TrafficWave's product and affiliate pay plan attracts an enormous number of new members on a regular basis because of the 30-Day Free Trial offer. The problem is that virtually EVERYONE lets their account go inactive after those 30 days. This is because they join to make money and if they don't see any progress in 30 days, they simply quit.

The TrafficWave autoresponder is great product that, long term, you really need in this business. However, very few people join TrafficWave for the autoresponder anymore than people join GDI for the web hosting. They join for the affiliate pay plan. They want the MONEY!

For that reason, TrafficWave's 'forced' matrix affiliate downline structure has a very strong appeal. For most people, the idea that their sponsor simply can't recruit indefinitely on her or his first level, but must provide 'matrix-spillover', sounds very good. In fact, it sounds so good that most affiliate members simply do nothing but sit there and wait for it. The problem is that, though it is a 'forced' matrix, nobody is forced to do anything - and most will not, can not and WON'T! And one or two people can't do it all by themselves. Trust me, I know.
That's why Team OceanSwell is so powerful. It takes the idea of a forced matrix and adds the element of forced teamwork and forced referrel success. It accomplishes this with an aggressive and caring Team Leader and a SIMPLE system that everyone uses consistently and perstistently. Because everyone in the Team downline is forced to help and motivate each other (they have no other choice) it works like a miracle. And that means that the 'fantasy' of earning online money that can actually PAY a bill or two becomes reality.

Check it out: Team OceanSwell

And follow our brand NEW profile on Twitter.

Some tips for using Twitter properly

2009-11-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

Twitter has become a world-wide phenomenon as both a social networking site and business-building tool. Incredibly, there are quite a few people who refuse to use it or are just turned off by the whole idea. From the standpoint of Internet Marketing, that's a mistake.

When you are marketing anything online, you will have both your automated systems and your 'daily punch list' of things that you do (every day) in order to promote and grow your business. Twitter should be BOTH.

Once you have a decent-sized following, you should 'tweet' out a little, compelling message at least once a day - but not too often, because that annoys people.

If you're just getting started with Twitter or would like to begin using it, there are three things you should do first:

1) Use the Free service at twitbacks to dress up your profile and focus your up-front message to all who will follow you.

2) Use the Free service at SocialOomph to automate your Twitter 'follow' and 'unfollow' system.

3) Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/rustylshelton

Well, that last one is optional (smile), but you should follow people who are active with Internet Marketing because then your followers will be like-minded souls. There's no point in 'tweeting' business ideas or suggestions to someone who has no interest in Internet Marketing.

So how can you use Twitter on a daily basis to advance your business goals? First of all, you have to understand what Twitter is and what it isn't. It is NOT a group of opt-in subscribers who agree to be bombarded with your sales messages day and night. Remember, it's easy to follow someone and it's also easy to UN-follow somebody. If you go in there like a bulldozer, trying to 'dominate the page' with 15 tweets at a time selling this thing or the other, you won't make any friends and you'll lose your followers.

Think of Twitter as a form of safe-list that you have to be very gentle with, or even as a 'micro-blog'. It's definitely a community in which you can become a known personality - for better or worse.

Remember, its followers that you want. That's your goal. You need followers so that you can communicate with them. Put a 'follow me' badge on your blog and just promote your link everywhere that you can. Ultimately, a gigantic Twitter following is an invaluable treasure in this business.

If you haven't started building your following yet, then start... TODAY.

Why you need to re-think TrafficWave

2009-11-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

They say that 97% percent of everyone who tries Internet Marketing will FAIL. I don't know if that's true or not but it almost certainly is if you're talking about TrafficWave's affiliate program. The number of people who try and then give up is amazing!

That's why I created Team OceanSwell and launched it on November 7th, 2009.

TrafficWave has an excellent affiliate pay plan for its members and countless people have tried to use it as a basis for an online business. Anyone who is familiar with it knows that the income potential is staggering. Unfortunately (like most online, MLM, affiliate programs), the average person cannot succeed with it.

There are a number of explanations for this but, in my opinion, the reasons why the average person fails basically fall into these categories:

1) No money for advertising.

2) No coherent plan for marketing.

3) Sign-ups aren't motivated.

4) Too impatient (with unrealistic expectations) and gives up too quickly.

Team OceanSwell was created to address and overcome these problems in a way that makes it possible for the average person to succeed with TrafficWave.

It will definitely work for you. That's my promise, and that's why I am 100% committed to it. If you're curious to learn more, simply click through one of the two links and try it for free. Once you see and understand it, I think that you will be quite pleased.

GDI Power Path actually WORKS!

2009-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

If you are interesting in actually succeeding with Global Domains International (GDI), then you need a plan. But not only do you need a plan, you also need a SYSTEM. GDI Power Path is both a plan and a system. In my two years of Internet Marketing, I can honestly say that I've never been more impressed with anything.

That's the truth.

I have promoted GDI in a variety of ways and have had varying degrees of success, though my signups (with a few notable exceptions) typically do very little with regards to getting signups on their own. It's not just GDI, of course, it's that way with every affiliate MLM.

GDI Power Path solves this problem in an absolutely brilliant way.

Just imagine having FIFTY motivated people finding recruits for you! GDI Power Path is a group of people willing to help you grow a real GDI business if you will help them grow theirs. There is no investment of money because it doesn't cost you anything to participate.

The current projected timeline to complete a 6x5 matrix ($9330/month) within the GDI pay plan is 9-10 months. THAT is exciting!

Since GDI only costs a lousy 10 bucks a month to participate in, why wouldn't you try this?

If you have tried GDI and failed, you have got to try this program. It is pure GENIUS in its design and function. If you're like me, your greatest challenge is getting your signups to sign up others. This incredible system solves that problem once and for all.

I'm not kidding. This is new, it's revolutionary and it is Red-HOT.

Check it out for yourself: GDI Power Path

p.s. This is NEW and the ones who are going to make the serious money the fastest are the ones who join today

The Seven REALITIES of Online MLM programs

2009-09-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

If you have been involved with multi-level affiliate plans for any length of time, you are now aware of what a challenge it is. For me, the biggest hurdle was the technical side of it and I'm still not 100% there yet from the 'techie' standpoint. And there is no doubt whatsoever that reaching the point (in November of last year) where I was finally earning a net profit was just about the hardest thing I've ever done!

This blog is about those hardships and the lessons I've learned (and what I still need to learn). I am writing this today, because what I see out there is an epidemic of people joining these programs and then quitting far to soon. Whether it's GDI, TrafficWave, Pyrabang, DirectMatches or whatever - it's always the same story: Everybody gives up and quits.

In my case, getting sign-ups isn't the problem. For example, so far in 2009 I have recruited more than 50 people into TrafficWave and I have a downline member who has signed up more than that. The problem? Far too many of them are long gone and most of those dropped out immediately after the Free 30-Day Trial period. Observing this phenomenon time and time again has shaped my thinking and I've come to several conclusions that might be of interest to anyone reading this.

First of all, there aren't any 'magic' programs that are going to suddenly start working where the other ones didn't. Every affiliate marketing program requires two things from its paid members: Time & Money

They're all the same. So long as the company is legitimate and solid (very important!), it doesn't particularly matter which one you promote. They don't have to be new either. You can start today and earn a fortune with Amway. So, all of this said, here are the Seven REALITIES of Online MLM programs:

1) It's a long-term thing. You cannot expect to get great, money-making results in weeks or even months. It takes YEARS (two at a minimum) to build up decent income streams with these types of programs. If you aren't going to commit to a multi-year time table, then get a job, get an extra job, join the army or whatever you have to do to pay your bills, because this isn't for you. You can spare yourself an enormous amount of mental anguish if you accept right up front that this is a long-term business building project.

2) Most people will say no to your opportunity or quit shortly after joining. (see: #1) It's a numbers game. If you stay at it long enough, you will be successful. I am telling you, it's a fact, that THE reason everyone fails in this business is because they quit. That's it. That's all there is to it.

3) It takes money to make money. Want GOOD advertising? Then you're going to have to buy it. Sure, there are plenty of free promotion methods that can help you, such as Traffic Python, Viral URL or even Twitter. But in the end, you really should be budgeting a minimum of, say, $75.00 to $100.00 per month in online (or offline!) advertising methods. Too many people are not willing to spend one single dime in an effort to promote their business. If you aren't willing to part with even one penny in order to advertise your affiliate program, then you don't believe in what you're doing, plain and simple.

4) Yes, you are going to have to interact with people. Another reality that I must point out is that you cannot do this anonymously. What everyone seems to want to do is to 'hide' behind the Internet and do all of this without ever talking to anyone or even emailing them! Everyone wants everything to be 100% automated and nobody wants to 'sell' anything. Write this down: Nothing happens until something is sold. You're in the selling business! But the key is not to sell the company or product. Let the company do that. What YOU are selling is leadership and faith. Those are two things that everybody will buy.

5) You must lead by example. It's hard to convince me of how great your program is if you just joined yesterday. If you've been in it for 2+ years, then I'll start listening. You've got to be a leader. Let's just use the example of Traffic Exchanges. They are a 'community' in which people are watching others. If you are a regular fixture there and people get to know your name and face, they start paying attention to what you promote. If you stand behind the same program for a year or more, that gets noticed. To win at this game, you can't be passive. You're going to have to be a leader and cultivate relationships with other leaders.

6) You must MOVE. Another reality of Internet Marketing is that it takes far more work than most people realize. In fact, it's an enormous amount of work! Just like getting off the couch and exercising, it takes a daily routine of activity that you won't always want to do. Still, you have to do it. And once you stop or 'skip a few days' then the whole thing starts to unravel. I've seen it a million times. You must be in motion and keep focused. That's hard for a lot of people to do for months on end (I know) but it's the reality of this business - or ANY business.

7) You must have a system for success - a daily 'punch-list' of things that you do consistently and persistently that you can share with others. For example, if you join one of my affiliate programs and ask for advice, I'm going to give it to you. I will tell you every single thing that I do and exactly how I do it, though you could just read my blog posts or my ebook and figure it out for yourself. My POINT is that you can't just sell a program. You must also sell the system for making it work. People like to be told what to do and, if you are honest and they believe you, they'll do what you tell them. But you'd better have something to say!

Have you ever considered a Press Release?

2009-08-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when I worked in the advertising and promotion business, I learned something valuable. That is, newspapers and magazines (of all sorts) are always looking for a story. Let's face it, they've got to have something for the next issue. And if you make their job easy, by writing the story for them, you can get an awful lot of exposure for whatever it is that you want to share with the world.

Say, for example, that you want to promote your Global Domains Inernational (GDI) affiliate program. Your Press Release can be a story with a title such as "The Phenomenon of Internet Marketing" or " .ws, the other .com". In other words, you are creating a new story that speaks to a subject and gives you an author credit at the end that contains your referral link.

Now this is commonly done online with article marketing via article directories, submission services and so on. But those aren't Press Releases for print media publications. You 'story' printed in a small local paper, trade magazine etc. can give you tremendous exposure. And one of the secrets for promoting GDI is to do it -OFF-line.

There are lots of free resources out there those interested in this type of promotion. Learning how to write and submit a Press Release is not difficult. Many publications even have their own kit that they'd prefer you use. But anyway, here are three basic tips:

1) It should sound like a news story and not an ad.

2) The headline and first few sentences are VERY important as they must capture the reader's attention.

3) Proof-read it multiple times and get others to proof-read it also.

If you don't have any idea what to write about, here are a few suggestions:

~ New products or services that you're rolling out on your website

~ The results of an online poll that you've conducted

~ A virtual trade show or seminar that you're hosting

~ A free chat-room class that you're teaching

~ Your opening of a new website

~ A famous person that has used or endorses your business

~ An ebook review or the story behind one that you authored

~ A fund-raising event that you are running

The list goes on and on. It's really not that much work once you sit down and commit to doing it and the results just might surprise you!

Free and Powerful

2009-08-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

More and more, you will see people who promote GDI who are also promoting TrafficWave. It's very common. In fact, I included both affiliate programs in my new ebook, Internet Wildcatters. The reason is that they are both very real and potentially very lucrative.

Now comes a new marketing system called Free & Powerful that, once again, combines the awesome might of GDI and TrafficWave in the same marketing system. It's called 'Free & Powerful' because the entire system is 100% FREE to set up and put into motion. Some it remains free forever and it is indeed very powerful.

Any reader of this blog knows how much fondness I have for both TrafficWave and GDI. They are both genuinely useful products that allow any affiliate promoter to build a solid online income. Any marketing system that combines BOTH of them automatically gets my vote. The 'Free & Powerful' system does that by giving you downline-building tools to help grow both businesses, along with some others as well.

If you are currently in GDI, if you are currently promoting TrafficWave, or if you've neither heard of either one, you should check this out. You WILL like it: Free & Powerful

Get signed up today before EVERYONE ELSE finds out about it...

Solving the Internet Marketing Puzzle

2009-08-11T06:56:00.001-07:00

Whether your online business activities are more of a hobby than anything else, or whether they represent a genuine part-time to full-time income, you would like to see your business grow - specifically, your MLM affiliate businesses. The challenge for most people seems to be doing what's necessary in order to build their organizations. Personally, I feel that the reason for this is that very few people TRULY want what they say they want. Because if they did, they'd do whatever it took to get it.

Everybody wants more money but I don't believe that most folks can SEE themselves having it. Deep down, they don't believe it's possible. Your subconscious mind (the part of your brain that ACTUALLY runs your life) is defeating your conscious thoughts. What I'm trying to say is that most people don't have a 'Vision', and that's why they never get anywhere. Some might call it having a 'Core Desire' or 'A Reason Why'. I like the word 'Vision', but it all boils down to one thing: being DRIVEN to succeed.

I'm talking about an all-consuming, white-hot desire that rarely leaves your mind - a mental movie of what you want, why you want it and how your life looks once you have it. 'Hope' is what politicians have for you. I'm not talking about hoping for things to happen. You'll wait your life away. You got to MAKE them happen.

This is the first 'secret' of business success - online or off, and especially with MLM affiliate marketing.

The second 'secret' to the puzzle is tenacity. Closely related to the WILL to win, you have to stay around long enough. The vast, vast majority of those who attempt online marketing (or MLM in general) give up far too quickly. You might as well know up front that this type of business is a long term project and you will be frustrated time and time again with sign-ups that won't refer anyone else, sign-ups that drop out or companies that let you down. It's all part of it. But if you stay with it, if you DON'T QUIT, then life has a funny way of finally giving you what you want.

The third 'secret' to the puzzle is that Internet Marketing is a lot of work! And guess what? You have to do the work. This involves an enormous amount of trial & error, along with heartaches, heartbreaks, wasted time and wasted money. We all go through this 'online tunnel of despair'. But as you march on, you will get smarter, tougher and more experienced. It took me about a year to finally figure it all out and get my systems in place - a long and very frustrating year.

On thing that I have done to help out my signups is to create an ebook that they can read (and even USE!) and, hopefully, shorten that learning curve quite a bit. If you'd like to take a look at it, you can download it here: Internet Wildcatters

'Internet Wildcatters' is the result of much blood, sweat and tears but that's what this business is all about - having a Vision, being tenacious and doing the work. If you take the time to check it out, I am positive that it will (at least in some way) help guide you to the success that you deserve...

Making Your Sales Copy Sizzle in Four Easy Steps

2009-06-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

"Sell the sizzle, not the steak!"

How many times have you heard this advice, and what does that even mean? It means that your prospects need to be absolutely salivating at what you are showing and telling them. You've got to make them ravenously hungry for what you have to offer - drooling at the sight, sound and smell of that irresistible sizzle.

If they're sold on the sizzle, they'll gladly pay for the steak dinner!

Now, the suggestions I'm about to make to you are for email marketing with an autoresponder, my method of choice for building an online income. The one that I use and recommend is TrafficWave and you can try it FREE for 30 days: http://www.trafficwave.net/members/rustyshelton

But whether or not you use email marketing, direct mail, print ads or even telephone scripts, these four basic steps will improve the quality of your sales message. In time, you will build on them and become better and better at this. It's not 'hard' or 'easy'. Like throwing and catching a baseball, you're either used to doing it or not used to doing it. Once you get used to it, you'll be just fine.

STEP ONE: Have and use a clean and uncluttered work space with no distractions (such as the television, ringing phones, etc.). You need a clear mind as well. Both of these are crucial, as you are going to have to THINK. You need to loosen up, relax and get your mind ready before beginning.

First of all, only write when you are at your best. For me, that's first thing in the morning before the sun comes up. Whenever that time of day is for you, that's when you should compose your sales message - but never right after a meal or after a few drinks. You'll be sluggish.

Have a Positive Mental Attitude at all times while writing. YOU must believe in the benefits of your products and service or your prospects never will. Your attitudes and beliefs come across in your writing. Did you know that? If it helps, play some soft but inspirational music such 'Chariots of Fire', 'The Rocky Theme' or even soundtracks from superhero movies like 'Spiderman'. Maybe some gentle classical guitar or light piano classics would be best for you - whatever puts you in the mood to dream and to have that critical Positive Mental Attitude. For some, this is easily accomplished by playing a little computer game or something first to just lighten up and loosen up. For others, a walk around the block or 20 minutes on the exercise bike does the trick.

Do whatever works the best for you - just do it. Now you can start thinking...

So now that you are mentally centered and ready, you can take a proven and time-tested approach to crafting your piece with plenty of 'sizzle'. The first thing you do is take a sheet of clean white paper and draw a line down the middle. One side of that line list every single feature of your product or service. On the other side, list every single benefit. Features and benefits are two different things. By the way, this might be a good time to mention that you should scribble down ideas whenever and wherever they spring to mind. I have shoe boxes full of post-it notes and other scraps of paper with headlines, key sentences, key phrases and such that just came to me at one time or another. When something like that comes to you, write it down! The famous song writer and entertainer, Willie Nelson, once said "I've forgotten more great songs than I ever remembered to write down."

The next phase is similar. Get another sheet of paper and divide it into two columns. In one column, write down every imaginable problem that you think your prospects might be facing. In the other column, come up with every solution that your product or service provides.

Now grab a third sheet and make those familiar two columns. On one side, list every objection that you think any prospect might have to buying your product or service. On the other side, list the answer to every one of those objections.

By doing this, you have accomplished two things. You have thoroughly educated yourself about what you are selling and why and you have also taken the first step in writing convincing copy that 'sizzles' because you understand and believe in what you're saying.

Remember, at this point you are simply producing stream-of-consciousness words and phrases that have feeling behind them. Don't worry about anything else right now.

STEP TWO: Now that you know your product (very important!), you need to know who your prospects are. In the advertising business, they are called your 'target audience'. The fact is, whatever you have to sell will only appeal to a portion of the marketplace. You must tailor your message for those most likely to have a problem solved by what you have to offer.

Think of it another way. What motivated you to buy, use and promote the item in the first place? What was going through your mind when you signed up for the program, bought the product, downloaded the software or whatever it is that you are writing about? What impressed you about it or otherwise convinced you to buy? This is vitally important because your target audience is a whole bunch of people just like you!

In short, don't write sales copy for a general audience. Write it for the target audience. As an example, what I use, teach about and promote are marketing tools, money-making programs and the strategies and overall philosophy behind them. Because the vast majority of Internet Marketers are new to the business, I tailor everything towards them. I don't market to the veterans of this industry. I have a target audience - it's the 'newbies'.

You may choose to specialize in marketing to a different audience such as college students, retirees, church-goers, military people, single moms or what have you. The KEY is to go back to Step One in order to get inside their heads, identify their problems and write copy that explains who your product solves those problems.

And when writing to any particular demographic or category of people, let your words flow from the heart and don't tell any lies. Always be sincere! If Step One is done properly, you'll never have to lie.

STEP THREE: OK, here are some sales letter basics that are equally applicable to website design, phone scripts, newspaper ads or just about anything else. Make sure to review this checklist as you start organizing your thoughts into an actual sales piece that 'sizzles'...

1) The headline is everything! The primary benefit to the reader MUST be contained in the headline. If you can't answer the question 'What's in it for me?' in the headline, then you've already lost them. Ideally, your headline must accomplish a second goal. It needs to force your prospects to stop and think about it. It must be what is known as an 'interrupter'.

2) The first paragraph, or whatever ad copy that immediately follows the headline, must be just as strong as the headline. A good tactic is to simply restate the headline in different words. If you got them with the headline, you must hold them with the first paragraph. Be bold in what you say and always appeal to emotions, specifically the emotions of your target audience.

3) From there on, keep the reader's attention with action-oriented copy that uses lots of picture-painting verbs like 'Create your own business' and 'Discover these age-reversing secrets'. Paint mental pictures that are exciting and emotional and you will keep the reader's attention..

4) Keep the copy flowing with simple, short sentences. Never use big words. Use sub-headers and white space to break it up so that your message isn't one long block of copy.

5) Keep the ad clean and professional looking. Avoid fancy borders, cute cartoons, rainbows and other visual clutter. Keep it clean and direct - and make certain that your grammar and spelling are correct! If your piece looks like an amateur created it, nobody will buy your offer.

6) Have a strong close with a Call to Action. People like being told what to do. Tell them to 'sign-up today' and offer a bonus if they do it now. In fact, some kind of a 'bonus' or 'free gift' is just about mandatory these days. think and be creative!

7) Always, always, always include a p.s. People have way too much competing for their attention as it is and many will simply skip to the p.s. to get the 'summary' of what they didn't feel like reading all the way through. So what you do with the p.s. is basically restate the headline and remind them of any bonus or free gift that you are including.

STEP FOUR: Whenever possible, tell a story - especially about yourself. Remember that you are painting mental pictures with words and your keyboard is the paintbrush. People are more likely to buy from someone they 'feel' that that they know.

Your entire sales letter can be a single, gripping story that merely serves to rivet the reader's attention until and including the brief sales blurb at the end. Do NOT underestimate the power of a personal story!

Alright, so let's review...

~ You want to become as familiar with your product as possible - i.e. an expert.

~ Put the biggest benefit up front and get the prospect agreeing with you early in the ad by saying something like, "You and I both know what it's like to face a bill collector' or 'I know you've believed the lies too many times to ever be fooled again'.

~ Tell your prospect how your product solves their problem, tell them how to buy it and then tell them what to do after that.

~ Educate your prospect and answer their questions in your sales copy.

~ Use words that trigger emotional responses and paint mental pictures of the prospect's problem being solved and keeps reinforcing it.

~ Be professional and keep it both visually clean and easy to read.

That's it. These basics are all that you need to know in order to start writing sales pieces that actually convert and get the results that you desire. Keep at it, keep learning, never doubt yourself and keep getting better. Very soon, everything you write will SIZZLE - I guarantee it!

Why You Must Read Biographies

2009-06-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

"Don't worry, boy. It will be alright. I've took this road you are walkin' down. I've been in your shoes. It is just somethin' that you have to go through. I had this same talk with my dad."

Those were the words I heard from my dad at the age of twelve, when my heart had flushed my eyes with tears because the life of my dog was flickering out. Through the years, I have taken walks down the same road with my dad and I've heard different versions of the same speech when business was tough, friendships ended or I wasn't feeling my best.

Sometimes it's nice to know that what you're going through isn't unique to you. There is comfort in knowing that others have been there and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Often, when you are in the midst of the tunnel, the only thing that catches your focus is despair, discouragement and depression. Yet it can turn your day around when someone ventures into the tunnel, walks with you and grabs your hand to say, "I've been there. Hang in there. I turned out alright and you will as well."

Unfortunately, we don't all have someone who will tread into the tunnel and walk beside us with encouragement. This is why it is so important to read biographies! A biography is a unique way to have a successful person walk beside you as you examine the story of their life. You will often be suprised that the most successful people of all time experience the same struggles as you.

Einstein was divorced, Lincoln battled depression, Ronald Reagan had his heart broken by his first wife and Sam Walton went broke twice. Where did I learn these facts? From the biographies I read! Did it make me feel better because they had hard times? Yes and no. I never delight in someone else's pain. On the other hand, it is without question that Einstein, Lincoln, Reagan and Walton were monumental successes. It is refreshing and inspiring to read that they were also human and walked down the same road that you and I have.

What an encouragement it was when my business was struggling a few years ago to read Sam Walton's biography and my eyes halted on the page where I read that at the exact same age as I was, at the same time, he was in an almost identical financial spot! I put the book down and a smile spread across my face. If you don't know who Sam Walton is, he started a little company called Wal-Mart a few years ago and it turned out okay.

Reading Sam Walton's biography was a neat way to get inspired and reminded me that some pretty successful people have met discouragement head on and succeeded. In a sense, while reading that book, a message from the spirit of Sam Walton said, "Ron, I have been there. It is hard, but don't give up. The reward is worth it. Now press on." I did, and I will be forever glad that I did.

Now, go to the bookstore and pick up a biography. By the way, if you are in a rough spot or experiencing some heartache... "Don't worry boy. It will be alright. I've took this road you are walkin' down. I've been in your shoes. It is just somethin' that you have to go through. I had this same talk with my dad."

~ written by Mr. Ron White

Free Quality Traffic

2009-06-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

Free traffic and money: the two things every Internet Marketer wants.

Isn't that obvious? Of course it is. But what isn't so obvious to most people starting out in this business is that nothing is free. Even if your methods don't require money, such as surfing Traffic Exchanges (TE's for short), they require your time - and your time is worth something.

In the United States, the government says that your time is worth a 'minimum wage'. So it could be said that if the work you are doing online to establish and grow your business isn't paying you at least that much an hour, then you'd be better off applying for the minimum wage job. Now that isn't entirely accurate since the hardest and least rewarding part of your new Internet Marketing career is in the first year. If you can stick with it that long, it gets a lot better after that, trust me.

So anyway, if free (as in it costs no money) quality traffic is what you're after, then the first thing that you need to do is join Affiliate Funnel (AF) and actually use the programs and tools that are available there:

http://affiliatefunnel.com/?rid=20004

There are a wealth of resources at AF and quite a few of them require only an investment of your time in order to make use of them. But remember, when using time-intensive methods to generate free traffic, it is critical that you hold onto your dreams - every day, and at all times. Easy to say, not so easy to do.

Having a dream can change your life, but only if you hold onto it and keep it in mind as you work. It's the only way. If you are going to surf the TE's or read Safelist messages for credits, then that dream of freedom and financial independence needs to be at the forefront of your mind if you wish to succeed. What I'm trying to say is that getting free traffic to your site is a hell of a lot of work!

My suggestion is to do a little meditation to center yourself everyday before you start working and just keep those pictures in your mind - the images of your dream life. I'm not talking about living in the future, mind you (that's bad), I'm just saying that you have to stay focused. Why am I telling you this? Because that's what I had to do, especially during my first six months - the time period during which 19 out of 20 will give up and quit.

In closing, I'd like to share a quote from one of my mentors, Mr. Jon Olson: In my years of working with traffic exchanges, I have seen a lot of trends come and go, but something has remained the same. That same desire and dream that each surfer has when they start a session of surfing. They dream of a more fulfilling life. A chance to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. The dream of working for yourself. It's very empowering. Surfing a traffic exchange has never been glorious and at times it can be downright boring. However, the people that make up this industry all have a few things in common: desire, passion, vision and 'the dream'.

In short, if your goal is free traffic, then my suggestion is to join AF and keep your dreams alive. Do those two things and DON'T QUIT... and you'll be just fine.

How do you promote TrafficWave?

2009-06-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email from a new referral who wrote, "Thanks for the welcome email and slide show. I joined TrafficWave after seeing your splash page on one of the TE's. What method of promotion do you recommend for TrafficWave's Matrix-Buster concept?'

http://www.trafficwave.net/members/rustyshelton/matrix.html

Here is my reply...

Obviously, TE's do work. I admit, though, that they are sloooooooow. So patience is important. In fact, it's VITAL to this business in general because most people give up and quit way too soon. All of this takes longer than everybody thinks it does or should. Anyway, I'm upgraded in 6 or 7 TE's (I lose count) and I use them heavily.

I also have four hosted FFA pages with mailers that send out daily emails. One is at TrafficWave, one is at Monster-Traffic, one is at FFA Storm and one is at FFA Blaze.

I like Viral URL too and I like to keep at least 500 credits there at all times. The Free Traffic Bar is good. I also blog regularly and submit my posts to blog carnivals. I Tweet my posts as well. BTW, blog posts do (eventually) pick up search engine traffic. To that end, I use SpinSuccess to drive search engine traffic to my blog also.

Once a month, I buy the 50,000 Guaranteed Visitor package from TrafficWave for the main affiliate page, which seems to convert the best. That package comes with extra promotional goodies that they throw in as a bonus. To me, it's worth the cost.

I comment on other people's blogs and in forums and I just generally try to get as many back-links to my blog as possible out there. I also market with Pyrabang, Affiliate Funnel and other things through which I can send mailings and post links. Naturally, I mail to my list as well. Oh, and I also leave GDI business cards everywhere. You see, anyone who signs up for GDI, I send to my blog where they will be exposed to TrafficWave as well - and visa versa. I cross-promote, as most who join one will often join the other one too. That's what my '30-Day Success System' is all about.

And I've got some other permanent links and hosted pages out there too that, to be quite honest, I've forgotten about. About the only things I don't do very often are safelists and classifieds, although I am looking at some nationwide newspaper classifieds soon. It's just hard to be everywhere and do everything. I think it's best to find a few methods of advertising that work for you and then get better and better at doing those - and you have to be relentless! Another thing I like to do is find blogger.com profiles with the same interests as mine and become a 'follower'. It's kind of a sucker-fish strategy, but my face & link to my blog are on a LOT of other people's blogs out there!

As you know, that slideshow is up on YouTube now but since you are on my team I can send you the original PowerPoint to use anyway you see fit. Replace my picture and name with yours, change the wording - do whatever you want! The really great thing about the TrafficWave matrix is that we really aren't 'competing' against each other. Our efforts help each other as you will learn once you have your sign-ups and so on.

All told, I devote as much time as humanely possible to the laborious task of my promotions everyday (I'm also a full-time student!) and I spend about $300.00 a month on my program fees, advertising and advertising services - some months even more. One of my long term projects for '09/'10 is a viral ebook that will grow our matrix as well.

But all said and done, the single most important thing is to just stick with it and never, never quit.

http://www.website.ws/rustylshelton

http://affiliatefunnel.com/?rid=20004

http://www.pyrabang.com/go/rustylshelton

http://www.spinsuccess.com/affiliates/id/12247_1

http://www.monster-traffic.com/members/index.cgi?rustyshelton

http://www.ffastorm.com/p.cgi?rustyshelton/index.html

TrafficWave Matrix-Buster Slide Show

2009-05-19T18:55:00.001-07:00

For those who like their information on the hurry-up (and who doesn't?), I've put together the general overview of TrafficWave's 'Matrix-Buster' concept that you see above.

http://www.trafficwave.net/members/rustyshelton/matrix.html

Know Your Product Before You Start Marketing

2009-05-03T16:24:00.001-07:00

Why do you expect people to sign up in your new affiliate/MLM program?

Why should they do it?

Why should they pay money for your product or service?

If asked these questions, do you have a ready answer? If not, then don't feel bad. Most people can't sum up the primary benefit of whatever they're promoting in a few simple words. But think about it. If you can't do that, how on earth can you convince the average person to get out their credit card and join your program?

Seriously.

What if you have someone before you who is actually interested in what 'you've been doing online' and asks if you can explain it? What if there are several others sitting there listening as well? For far too many people, that's one of those 'deer in the headlights' moments where you just freeze. Your words stumble out and you're not convincing. You can't answer questions because you don't truly know what you're talking about.

RULE #1: Know your product.

With Global Domains International, it's easy to have an answer for anyone asking questions - whoever they are. Why? Because it's real easy to know and understand the product, which is a fundamental key to success in this business.

All you have to do is listen to the interview with the company's two founders to see what I mean: http://movie.ws/kvmlm2/founders16k.html

It takes about twenty minutes and it's worth it. Do that and you'll be able to explain (not 'sell') it to anybody. If you really and truly want to replace your job with mail-box money, then wouldn't twenty minutes of your time be worth it?

With Global Domains International (GDI), you have everything that you need to start a totally new business that requires a mere ten dollars a month to maintain. To make it work for you as a business, it's super simple: Know the product, be able to explain it in a few words and send people to your website by passing the GDI business cards and/or marketing online. That's all there is to it.

If you're ready, then why not get started today?

http://www.website.ws/rustylshelton

Repurpose your best thoughts

2009-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Your truly good ideas are worth using more than once and in different ways. This is called 'repurposing'. If you just spent several hours writing that perfect article on email marketing, then (of course) you will submit it to as many article directories as possible. But what about using that well-written text in other ways? In other words, squeezing the maximum yield out of it and getting the message before the widest possible audience. The idea is to take the same ingredients and employ them in different ways in order to save you TIME and to be far more effective.

Take that article we just mentioned. Obviously, it can be a blog post as well. Once on your blog, the post can be Tweeted and/or fed into every social networking site that you are a part of. For example, all of my blog posts go directly into my Facebook profile. If you are tech-savvy, that same content can be converted into a pod-cast that will reach an entirely new audience.

If your article is particularly instructive, it can be made into a PowerPoint slide show for your blog and/or incorporated into your email marketing campaign. And it goes without saying that you will want to mail the article to your list.

You can even take the same copy that you've written and simply read it into the camera on a You Tube video of your creation, thus reaching an even wider audience. Do you see where I'm going with this? That video can then become part of a new information product that you can package and sell later on.

What about great emails that you wrote to prospects, customers or recruits who had questions? I hope you saved those! Those emails (with some alteration) can easily become blog posts. Combined, they can become an article and then the whole process begins anew.

Don't waste your best work. And if you use it only once, you are wasting it.

Over time, volumes of articles and blog posts can become ebooks that you can dress-up and sell (or give away with rebrandable links) or even become a real book that you can publish and sell at Barns & Noble.

Of course, other ways to 'repurpose' include modifying the method for niche-marketing. Essentially the same message, you might structure your article on email marketing a little differently for restaurant owners than you would for, say, church fund-raising groups. You can also make it seasonal or tie it to current events.

The point of all this is to keep your best thoughts so that you get more out of your work. File and RE-USE them in as many ways as possible and you will be far more successful overall.