Novice to Advanced Marketing System

NAMS | Building an Online Business to Support Your Dreams

NAMS6 Schedule

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How to prepare for your NAMS6 workshop

The NAMS6 workshop is just around the corner.

Yesterday, we talked about networking - or not - at NAMS6. Today we’re looking at the video I recorded about how to get the most from NAMS6. And tomorrow, we’re focused on the new MyNAMS membership site and why that’s important to your NAMS experience.

And as always, I'm futzing with the schedule a little more and making adjustments based on expertise and availability.

Today, I thought today it would be good to replay the webinar I ran a few nights ago for folks who are  coming to NAMS6. (And by the way, you can still get in with this special coupon code - 100special - to get a $100 discount before Friday, 8/19.)

During the webinar session (which you can watch below), we discussed everything from how to take the MARTA  train from the airport to where the nearest grocery store is and these other topics to make sure you're prepared for NAMS6 workshop:

  • What questions should you be asking?
  • Getting to the hotel?
  • Where to stay?
  • What's the schedule?
  • What's happing on Thursday and Monday?
  • What to bring?
  • How to network?
  • How to win the contest?
  • Sign up for your 15 minutes with Mark
  • How to get the NAMS6 workshop materials?
  • Will there be more Giveaways?
  • Where to sign up if you haven't?

Be sure to watch the video by clicking the Youtube link below after you download the presentation here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ZA9oMJRfY

This hotel has fantastic conference facilities and we have almost all of the place to ourselves for the entire NAMS6 workshop.

But it's almost 20 miles from the airport. Your transportation choices are these:

  1. Rent a car
  2. Take a cab
  3. Choose an express shuttle service
  4. Con Dan Morris into picking you up
  5. Take MARTA

Let's talk about MARTA for a minute.

I HIGHLY recommend taking MARTA as the easiest way to get to the NAMS6 workshop . It's a very good and reliable rail transit system using a simple 2-step process: Get on. Then Get Off! People who ride it are friendly. Maps are well marked. And you can get on the system at the end of baggage claim inside the airport.

Best all, it's $2.

Two key things to remember:

  1. Get on the GOLD line at the airport
  2. Get off at Brookhaven station

Click on the map image at the right to go to the MARTA website for the Brookhaven station.

Once you get to the station, the hotel shuttle arrives on the hour to transport people to and from the hotel. Or you can grab a cab at the station for much less than the $35 to $55 from the airport.

To get more information and be well prepared for the NAMS6 workshop, watch the webinar above and ask more questions in the forum.

Why the MyNAMS Insiders Club is EXACTLY
what you're looking for!

MyNAMS Team

MyNAMS TEAM - You never have to work in isolation again!

The MyNAMS Team goes way beyond the staff and support personnel. We've put together a group of people who make it their mission to ensure your success. With more than 75 instructors and 100s of members, you find people who can answer your questions quickly, partner with you to create products, and build relationships that help you launch your business or take it to the next level.

We've worked diligently to ensure you have the ability to communicate with us, instructors, and peers (at your own experience level) in a safe environment and find the right mentors or coaches just for you. We make the introductions that you want.

Look for the icon at the left in the benefits grid to see the specific team options we offer. 

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MyNAMS Training - Learn what you need when you need to learn it!

The MyNAMS Training system is focused on thorough step-by-step instruction with that meets you where you are. It makes no sense to teach you advanced strategies and techniques when you don't have a blog or website. And teaching you how to install a blog when you have dozens already is ridiculous. First, we determine where you are in your experience and then we point you to the right level of training that will enhance your business experience from Novice to Advanced.

Yes! We teach marketing, traffic generation, technology, keyword research and much more, but only when you're ready. And if you need help just getting the technical aspects of doing business online, we have more than 1300 tutorial videos in the Library.

Look for the icon at the left in the benefits grid to see the specific training options we offer.

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MyNAMS Tools - Content, graphics, audio, checklists - we've got it for you!

The MyNAMS Tool belt comes with just about everything you need to get a business up and running. In fact, you can be selling products from the Niche Mall even if you've never sold anything before and don't have a website. One of the most frustrating parts about doing business online is realizing you have to nickel and dime yourself to bankrupcy before you can actually get a site up. Not with us.

We provide you graphics, article content, images, audio clips, reports, sales funnels, turnkey websites, and even adsense website portals so you can begin immediately to create or improve your business with confidence that you don't have to spend a ton more cash.

Look for the icon at the left in the benefits grid to see the specific tools options we offer.

To find out more about the MyNAMS Insiders Club, click the link below!

Networking at NAMS6

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How to build relationships without “networking” at NAMS6!

Yesterday, I released the NAMS6 workshop schedule. Today we’re talking about networking and how to really make connections. And tomorrow, we’re focused on the new MyNAMS membership site and why that’s important to your NAMS experience.

I hate networking.

Hate the concept.

Hate the schmoozing.

Hate the guy networking me with a fake smile and a business card in his out-stretched hand.

Years ago, when I was doing business development work (also known as sales) for a technology company, part of my job was to attend business networking functions.

I was a miserable failure at that because I seemed to have SALES stamped on my forehead. I WAS the guy with the fake smile and business card in hand.

So, imagine my surprise when one of my mentors told me that one of my strengths is building profitable relationships by connecting people.

In fact, the quote was,

“Obviously, you’re a great connector. You bring people together and help them be successful.”

Really? It didn’t seem obvious to me, but that’s why I solicit other people’s views. I’m usually wrong in my self-assessments.

So, if I’m such a good connector, what am I doing right and why do I hate networking?

It’s because I have wrong perceptions about what real networking is. Even the word “NETWORKING” feels manipulative, and I don’t like that.

My new perception (and the one  you should adopt to build real relationships at the NAMS workshop) is that I’m meeting people and making new friends.

I like that. I love discovering interesting things about people. The journalist in me gets a real charge out of asking a lot of questions.

I also like to find the commonalities between us. And when I say us, I mean between me and one other person. Building relationships is a duet that’s performed by two people, not a chorus.

I can’t build a relationship with a list. I can build a relationship with you.

And finally, I don’t want you to help me. I’m not there to figure out how to get my hand in your pocket. I listen for opportunities to help you.

Those are some pretty good guidelines there.

Mark Hendricks uses these exact techniques, as do all of the instructors. During NAMS, Mark is all about helping you and build a relationship by giving you 15 minutes of free coaching to go over your biggest issue.

Mark gives NAMS attendees a 15-min strategy review, or whatever else you want to talk about. He’s done this since NAMS3 and it’s been a huge success. Fifteen minutes of focused conversation can turn your business around or help you target the most important goals for your business.

He’s done this with others and in usually 15 minutes together he can put together an action plan that you can focus on to help you have the breakthrough that you’re looking for. Prior to your conversation with him at NAMS, you will write down what you are wanting to accomplish and what you believe are your three biggest obstacles keeping you from your goals. It runs like clockwork, so do not be late!

This has been a very popular event at NAMS previously and fills up quickly – take a look at the responses below.

Thanks so much for the 15-minute “Empowering” consultation you gave me.

I am still blown away at the amount of valuable information you gave me in such a short amount of time. I now have a whole new business model to work with and ways to implement the very things that have been holding me back.

I can’t wait to have another consultation with you in the future.

Securely yours,

Regina Smola
WPSecurityLock.com

Mark Hendricks is one of the real guys. He was able to understand and get to the heart of what I needed to do in less time than anyone I have ever met.

I only had a short time with Mark, but the way he helped me get clear in my head what I needed to do, is more than hours of listing to audios, watching videos and reading other peoples stuff has ever done. I am looking forward to working with Mark on other projects and finally breaking through the barriers that have kept me from success.

If you can get close to one person and get some of his insight – by whatever means possible – make it Mark Hendricks.

Tate Burns
TateBurns.com

Mark, I want to thank you so much for the 15 minute session.

What surprised me was that what you showed us, I thought I already knew – but then you made me realize I have not actually been DOING it!

You helped me realize that I must plan strategically, actually WRITE IT DOWN and then take action on the plan, and finish what I start.

You showed me how I need to be more disciplined and balanced to be able to achieve any type of long-term sustainable business success.

You also helped me to see different options for positioning my website and business to be more effective in making sales online.

I am daily using and referring to the planning tool you gave us, which is helping me stay on track and work toward my goals of a sustainable online business and more balanced and prioritized life.

Mark, I really appreciate your help, your wisdom and insight, your gift of teaching, your spirit of service and giving back, and most of all your heart and the inspiration that you bring to me and many others.

Thank you!

Sheri Dresser
FindingOpportunity.com

Breaking news! Google is getting Slapped!

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And this ain’t just going to be a love tap either, Google!

Watch as Google takes an uppercut to the chin.

From Bloomberg News Site today:

“U.S. Federal Trade Commission has begun a review of its business practices, kicking off what’s likely to be a broad antitrust investigation.

The company received a subpoena on June 23 “relating to a review by the FTC of Google’s business practices, including search and advertising,” according to a regulatory filing today. Google said it is cooperating with the probe.”

Is it wrong that I was doing the happy dance in my office when I read this?Google

Monopolies, benevolent dictators, religious fanatics, right- or left-wing zealots, bankers in collusion with mortgage companies that crippled our economy…I’m not a fan of any of them.

But Google? Why Google? Aren’t they the tech darlings with the only good ideas left? Or at least don’t they want us all to think so? The only other company with that much hubris these days is Facebook.

And they’ll get their’s as well as they get cockier.

I’m not a fan of anyone who will shut you down without notice and a vague non-explanation: You violated our terms of service.

Okay, how? Let’s fix it. Tell me what to do.

Heeeelllloooooo! Anybody in there?

Talking to Google is like putting a message in a bottle and pushing it out to sea in hopes that someone who can do something about your situation picks it off the beach on the other side of the world.

I absolutely believe in the every business’s right to do business with whom they want unless it violates our basic equal protection laws.

But, there’s basic decency laws too. (More like laws of nature.) And pompous, all powerful companies who become moral arbiters are way out of line.

Google, Facebook, PayPal, others: Listen UP!

My dad used to call it getting to big for your britches. Monopolies, by definition, are the only game in town. Yes, there’s Yahoo and Bing and 1000s of smaller search engine and advertising providers.

And they’re hungry. Read that as more customer friendly. But they’re also inconsequential – relatively. Google is the big dog. If you want to maximize your profit, you have to play with Google.

Until they take their ball and go home.

Yesterday, I saw an open letter from my friend Jeff Herring to Google because they shut down his Youtube.com account. They did that to Kevin Riley as well last year. Both are outstanding business educators and trainers.

In Jeff’s case, he lost about 125 videos over night, and tons of traffic from those to his sites. Google lost tons of traffic to Youtube and their advertisers. Jeff had 550 subscribers; that’s a really respectable number of subscribers who want his videos and want to be notified when he delivers another. Maybe it ain’t Britney Spears, but with that audience, it still seems to indicate a real following.

Gone.

No explanation.

Okay, I’m getting a little guilty pleasure out of this rant because Google banned my Adsense account 5 years ago. And I still don’t know why. The form letter was just that, and there’s no way to talk to anyone who can help you. I did notice that it was two days after I received my first check.

Part of me feels like I’m driving through my ex-wife’s neighborhood. I really hope and pray I don’t run into her, but I sure wonder what she’s doing sometimes. After all, I loved her once.

And I still love Google. They are incredibly innovative. They make tools like Google Analytics, Adwords and the External Keyword Tool. And they keep getting better and better.

They’re incredibly smart. I know a lot of people who are incredibly smart – many of them come to the NAMS workshop as students and instructors. No one, no matter how smart, is authorized to run my life. To me, that is abhorrent in the extreme.

So, what’s next for Google? At this point, it’s pretty predictable and costly.

The answer is lots of lawyers.

This paragraph from the Mashable.com article predicts the future pretty well based on the Microsoft experience many years ago.

“It’s inevitable that people will compare this investigation to the famous Microsoft antitrust investigation of the late 1990s. That case, United States vs. Microsoft, ended with a settlement that stopped Microsoft from using Windows to push its other products and lock out its competitors. Microsoft’s growth came to a halt after the case, and the company has never fully recovered.”

The Wall Street Journal also reported that the FTC fought the Justice Department for the right to handle this case. Yikes! This can’t be a good sign: Two mega government watchdogs with teeth wanting to take the first bite out of the fresh meat…

Google, it’s now time to eat a little humble pie. Take it like the mega giant you are Google.

Welcome to the 6 Steps to Implementing Big Ideas – Part 0

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Welcome to the 6 Steps to Implementing Big Ideas – Part 0

Since I was a kid, I fancied myself as a writer.  I loved writing. And baseball of course.

So became a journalist working in the newspaper business for nearly 20 years as a reporter, photographer, editor and publisher..

…in the opposite order actually. After graduating from journalism school nearly 35 years ago with a wife and 2 kids, I couldn’t afford to take a entry level reporting job.

News-Republican-Crew-1978
That’s my newspaper crew in 1978 – I’m the one in the middle with dark hair

I bought a newspaper and became the publisher. That’s me on the right in 1978 leading my team.

I had no idea what I was doing, but it seemed like one of my great big ideas

And besides, it made me a big man in hometown at just 26 years old (I’d been in the Air Force for 4 years prior to school which was why I had the wife and two kids at that tender age…)

Well, in my 6 Steps to Implementing Big Ideas, that would have been called the Dream / Execute 2-step and sure way to fail fast and spectacularly.

If you remember, the six steps to implementing big ideas are:

  • Dream
  • Prototype
  • Test
  • Execute
  • Feedback
  • Improve

I didn’t prototype or test my idea.

So I invested all my money up front on a whim. Even gamblers at the roulette table know better than to lay all your money down at once.

The newspaper was a huge success.

We increased the subscriptions by 130 percent in 9 months. And we won tons of state and national awards. I was on the map as a crusading journalist. And I began getting lots of career opportunities and attention. It seemed like this was one of those big ideas that might just pay off.

The newspaper was a disastrous failure.

Unfortunately, in that same period my expenses tripled (tripling your subscriptions cost a lot of money that advertisers must make up). My advertising revenue was limited by the per thousand price I could charge and still be competitive with the local daily with 10 times my circulation.

There are many hints to why this failed (and I lost all my money and then some) in that 9 months.

  1. Defining processes for growth never entered my mind. That’s what we call prototyping by the way. I just assumed all growth is good. My ego said we should be the paper of record in that town. And get as big as possible as fast as possible. The most profitable that paper was ever going to be was at the beginning circulation when I purchased it.
  2. I hadn’t tested the growth – One question is all I had to ask: What happens if we triple circulation? All I had to do was run a spreadsheet to discover that answer, but noooo….I was too busy executing to test.
  3. Advertisers didn’t care that we were winning journalistic awards. They wanted us to deliver more leads to their businesses for less money than the competition, not more. But I didn’t ask for their feedback...until it was too late. So, as the circulation went up and our advertising prices increased to cover expenses, our advertisers fled. In the newspaper business, advertising makes everything else possible. Newspaper subscription prices make only a small dent in the revenue flow.
  4. I ignored the competition because we were a “better” newspaper. The market was giving me great feedback and I ignored that to. And we when collapsed under debt, that ugly little daily was just cranking along.

The 6 Step process to implementing big ideas that we’re following here would have ensured my publishing success.

But I didn’t know about the process.

You will after you take this eCourse.

If you haven’t yet signed up for this free eCourse, do it now while it’s free. We’ll cover each of the six steps in much more detail.

Next, we’ll dig into the first of the 6 steps:

Dream – or the Big Idea.

Let’s hear what you think of this so far! Put your comments in the box below and tell me what your big ideas is.

How to get started in online business…

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Getting started can be the biggest issue, especially for beginners in online marketing.

What should I do first? When do I make money? How will I get traffic?

So many questions, so many tools, so much confusion!

I did a webinar today that I hope will help you begin from the beginning. Add your comments and questios below after you watch it. I’d love to hear from you.