Carl Eric Johnson

I have become an active social networker, participating in group discussions on LinkedIn and Facebook. Just now I replied to a post in one of my network marketing (MLM) threads, and I felt it would make for a good blog post. Here is the original discussion post:

Is representing more than one MLM company (at the same time) hurtful or helpful to your home-based business?

I’ve been involved in MLM for a bit over three years now and have already experienced the fact that I have found myself representing more than one company at the same time. Much of this is due to the shifting around of my immediate upline and their upline leadership. I have gotten to know many other network marketers, who say, with pride, how many other companies they’ve been involved with. I met one guy who say’s he is currently with 12 different companies—all at the same time! How is this possible? Or, more importantly, how is this profitable?

I am perplexed how I could even commit my time and energy to promoting only two “opportunities” with success.

Am I alone here? Does anyone else out there have suggestions on how to best succeed with presenting more than one opportunity?

Thanks,
Guy

Hi Guy:

Here’s my experience, and I look forward to hearing others’ experiences, as well.

I joined my first network marketing company in 2002 and immediately started seeing other opportunities all over the place. I joined a few, and most fell by the wayside, but over time I found myself juggling multiple opportunities at once, and none of them profitably.

By January of 2008 I was actively trying to promote four opportunities. Then I got the great idea of writing a book about network marketing, figuring I must be an expert by now. I outlined my book and started writing the chapter on how to evaluate a network marketing opportunity.

It occurred to me that I should plug my four opportunities in to my own criteria and see how they measured up against one another. Guy, it wasn’t even close: my first opportunity, the one I joined way back in 2002, was head and shoulders better than all the others combined.

I could have kicked myself. If only I had stuck to my guns with the first one instead of letting myself get sidetracked by “greener pastures” elsewhere, I would have found myself in a much better financial position. I stopped promoting the other three opportunities and focused on my first love. It was definitely the right thing to do.

I strongly encourage you to focus on one opportunity at a time. I have developed great relationships with my colleagues in other companies, and when I speak with a prospect who I think would do better in one of their opportunities, I am more than happy to refer him or her on to my counterpart. Over time, I’m sure my counterparts will start passing me their prospects whom they think would be a better fit in my company. In my opinion, this is a better way to juggle multiple opportunities—with multiple people!

I’m still plugging away at my book. I invite you to sign up for email alerts at demystifyingprosperity.com and I’ll keep you posted as to my progress.

Best wishes to you for massive success in 2010! The more of us who make network marketing work for us, the better off we’ll all be.

The recently departed Jim Rohn, one of my most influential mentors (rest in peace, dear friend), was an ardent proponent of network marketing, not to mention health and wellness and proper nutrition. His passing has prompted many glowing tributes.

I just read one in the form of a great blog post from Randy Gage, a fellow network marketer. He explains brilliantly and succinctly what makes network marketing so different from any other profession in the world. Here it is in its entirety:

http://www.networkmarketingtimes.com/blog/the-power-of-your-testimonial/

To summarize the points that Randy makes:

• The basis of what we do is duplication. We make money by helping lots of other people make money. In other words, this is a business model based on cooperation and not competition.
• Self-development is key. Network marketing makes us better people. I was not aware of this byproduct when I signed up.
• The people you sign up may very well earn more than you. What other business model has people lower on the “totem pole” making more money? Network marketing rewards effort wherever you find yourself in the hierarchy.

If you are already involved in a network marketing opportunity, good for you! Stick with it. The only people who make no money are the people who quit. Also, unless you are totally dissatisfied with your company or your team, don’t let other opportunities lure you away from your primary focus. You joined your company for a reason. Stay the course, follow the directions of your successful upline and crossline, and reap the benefits, one of which, as you know, is helping lots of others achieve their financial dreams along the way.

If you are not yet involved in network marketing, what are you waiting for? It is absolutely genius. Find an industry and a product that you are passionate about, sign up, and then spread the word. Paid word-of-mouth advertising makes so much sense. Most people start part-time, working their business in the nooks and crannies of their lives. As their commission checks grow, then they experience true financial freedom, continuing with their “day jobs” only if they want to, not because they have to.

You might consider signing up for email alerts at the website for my upcoming book, Demystifying Prosperity™: Why You Should Take a Serious Look at Network Marketing. And please post your comments below.

Here’s to your massive success!

How blessed am I! As I write this (Wednesday afternoon, December 9, 2009), I am gazing out at the Pacific Ocean, waves crashing to shore in the Bahía del Descanso—the Bay of Rest. The weather could not possibly be more perfect: crystal blue skies, warm sun, and the sounds and smells of the ocean.

Sanoviv Medical Institute, about which you can read much more at sanoviv.com, is located in Rosarito Beach, Baja California del Norte, Mexico, about an hour south of San Diego. Its founder, Dr. Myron Wentz, chose the place for a variety of reasons, one of which was simply to be in Mexico where he is much freer to practice his state-of-the-art alternative therapies than he would be in the United States, such is the state of overregulation there.

But why Rosarito Beach? Dr. Wentz was fortunate to be able to procure the former Levi Strauss estate, which is situated on a cliff noted for its positive energy frequencies. (Yes, energy medicine is one of Dr. Wentz’s alternative therapies.) It could not possibly be a more beautiful location.

Yesterday was my birthday. My friend Nick has come to Sanoviv several times before and is here now for some follow-up treatments. He invited me to be here with him as his “companion.” Sanoviv has a wonderful companion program, where people not receiving treatments are able to accompany people who are for $100 a night. This covers lodging, all meals, even clothing (more later). As Usana associates, however, we were able to take advantage of a Convention special, where companions are able to stay for free during the month of December. So, as it turns out, it was cheaper for me to come here for five nights than it would have been for me to stay at home!

How blessed am I that this just so happened to coincide with my birthday!

Sanoviv’s primary focus is detoxification. We live in such a toxic world. Of course, industrial pollution is the most obvious example, but it actually goes way deeper. From the synthetic clothes we wear to the synthetic foods we ingest, our modern life styles are anything but healthful. So during our stays at Sanoviv, we are provided 100% cotton loungewear and foot-massaging sandals. The meals are absolutely delicious—and completely devoid of the most common allergens: gluten, animal meats, starches, etc. Everything is vegetarian, with fish at lunchtime.

There is no coffee in the morning and no alcohol in the evening. Martini man that I am, I thought this might be difficult for me, but it hasn’t been. I had a slight headache the second morning I was here, which I attribute to caffeine withdrawal, but other than that it has been a breeze. I can hardly wait to weigh myself Friday morning, as I know I have dropped a few pounds. (OK, I have a few more to shed, I know. Baby steps.)

So this is how I have spent my birthday. I received many wonderful birthday greetings on my Facebook wall. Thanks to all of you who wrote. How blessed am I to have so many beautiful friends!

Thank you, Dr. Wentz, for your vision that created both Usana Health Sciences and Sanoviv Medical Institute. And thank you, Robert Allen, for introducing me, quite by accident, to Usana while I was investigating real estate investing.

I used to think that 35 was old. Now I know that 55 is young.

This is the text of a speech I gave earlier this week at my Toastmasters club. I spoke from an outline, and I did not have my digital voice recorder with me, so this is not verbatim. However, I believe I captured the gist of what I said.

I just recently joined Toastmasters, although it had been first recommended to me probably 25 years ago. Although I am very comfortable speaking in front of an audience, I have already learned so much. I wonder what took me so long to join? Don’t you make the same mistake I made. Find a Toastmasters club near you and join!

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy my speech.

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My professional life has been a series of fortuitous accidents. I received an M.B.A. in International Management, so it’s only natural that my first job out of college would be in … information technology? Actually, we called it data processing back then.

When I graduated from college in 1978, the Northeast was in the middle of a recession, and I was unable to find a job. My brother was working for Boeing in Seattle at the time, and he said they were hiring. He invited me to come out there and look for work. So I bought myself a one-way plane ticket on United and started my first post-college adventure. Within a week I had a job. I had the one quality they were looking for: I was breathing.

The first thing Boeing had me do was attend five weeks of bootcamp to get up to speed in the computer technologies they were using. I distinctly remember thinking to myself as I observed the instructors at the front of the classroom, I could do that. In fact, I would enjoy teaching technical subjects. Nevertheless, when the five weeks were up, I was a programmer/analyst, and I went from contract to contract and ultimately company to company over the next nine years.

One of my contracts was a 16-month gig teaching computer technologies to a group of Saudi Arabians. That was when I realized that I had both an aptitude and a desire for teaching. When I saw a teaching job in the classified ads, I applied and got it. So in 1987 my career officially switched to technical training, which I still do to a certain extent to this day.

In 1989 I accepted a job offer with Platinum Technology and moved to Illinois. Of all the jobs I’ve had over the years, this was my dream job. Sadly, after six years’ time, it had become The Job From Hell due to regime changes and policy changes. It was so bad that I ultimately had to quit. I formed my own corporation and then contracted myself back to Platinum.

This contract lasted a year, at the end of which time I had formed a new business relationship with a company in New Jersey, and they had a lot of work for me. At the same time, I was dissatisfied with the quality of their courseware, so I wrote my own series of SQL courses. I spent the bulk of 1996 writing my courses and working a reduced workload, but I then discovered the joys of royalty income. To this day I earn royalty checks on the courses I wrote back in 1996. I like this idea, I thought to myself: work once, get paid multiple times. It was my first experience of true residual income.

From 1999 to 2001 I was directly employed by this same New Jersey company, then they downsized me. I had a chunk of change to live on, so I was in no hurry to find a new job. Instead, I looked into investments as a source of income. I studied stock investing, commodities, and real estate. I bought a CD series from Robert Allen, a famous real estate investor, titled “Multiple Streams of Income.” He spoke mostly about various ways to earn money with real estate, but his last CD in the series dealt entirely with network marketing as another source of income to pursue.

Immediately the defenses went up. I had had a bad experience with multilevel marketing some twenty-odd years before, so it took someone with Robert Allen’s reputation for me even to take a look. But I liked what he had to say. He explained what network marketing was all about, and then he outlined how to evaluate a network marketing opportunity.

I was intrigued, but I didn’t know where to begin to find a network marketing company for me. Lo and behold, at the very end he said, “And if you’d like to learn about the one network marketing opportunity I endorse, call this 800 number and we’ll send you out an info packet.” I thought to myself, What do I have to lose? So I called the number, found out the company was USANA Health Sciences, got the info packet a few days later, liked what I read, and at the end of a week’s time I had signed up at the highest level.

I am fond of saying that I got into network marketing through real estate … and then watching people’s quizzical looks on their faces.

So you see, my professional life has been a series of fortuitous accidents. I originally got into information technology because it was the only industry hiring at the time. Then I got into technical training when I discovered that I had a knack for it. Then I got into network marketing via real estate investing. Even as I seek employment back in information technology, I plan to stay with USANA for life. The products are exceptional, and I am proud to be associated with such an ethical company. I now see why USANA is the one company Robert Allen endorses.

Thank God for accidents.

I just came across an eye-opening 4-minute 22-second YouTube video titled “Social Media Revolution” and thought you’d enjoy watching it, too.

We’re halfway through my network marketing company’s annual International Convention, and a lot of the presentations so far have mentioned (if not stressed) social media and how to use them for promoting yourself and building your business. Even more extraordinary is how much the Generation Y population of my fellow associates has grown in recent years. It seems as if a quarter of the people in attendance are in their twenties.

If you’re not using social media, you’re missing out on perhaps the largest paradigm shift (yes, I’ll use that term) since the establishment of the Internet, itself. This is what I teach the people I bring into this business, and it will be featured widely in my book on network marketing.

If you haven’t already connected with me, here are some links to follow, as appropriate:

• Facebook—http://www.facebook.com/carl.eric.johnson or http://profile.to/carleric—I use Facebook primarily to (re)connect with friends and family and to keep everyone apprised of what’s going on in my life.
• LinkedIn—http://www.linkedin.com/in/carleric—On LinkedIn I focus primarily on my DB2 experience and that I am in the market for full-time DB2 work (either contract or salaried).
• Twitter—http://twitter.com/carleric—I tweet maybe once a day (and have it set to update my Facebook profile), but I use Twitter primarily to subscribe to others’ tweets, especially if they have anything to do with network marketing, home-based businesses, training, and the like.

You may find me on other sites as well, but these three are the ones I use daily.

This discussion fits with a great acronym I learned a few years back:

TEAM—Together Everyone Achieves More

Social networking is a great way to expand your teams. So start building your own teams with social media.

As most of my readers know, in addition to being a self-declared “network marketing evangelist,” I am also seeking work in my primary area of expertise, IBM’s database DB2. To that end I have joined a local networking group specifically for work-seekers. For the most part I find it illuminating and helpful. But this is the second week in a row that something has happened that I find quite offensive.

The leader of the group is very proficient in LinkedIn and has joined and participates in multiple LinkedIn Groups. She was lamenting how some of the Groups she has joined have excessive self-serving messages coming through. The good news is that you can adjust your e-mail settings to minimize or eliminate such unwanted correspondence, which she has done. The bad news is how she explained her disgust for “nothing but a bunch of business opportunities” or “yet another network marketing come-on.” I may not have quoted her verbatim, but I hope her disdain comes through loud and clear.

On both occasions I was visibly taken aback. Yes, I often hear people speaking negatively of this industry that I have grown to love so much. Many people have legitimate gripes based on negative past experiences. Indeed, I was one of them, myself. But for the leader of a networking group to speak with such contempt about an industry that I can only assume she knows little or nothing about strikes me as being massively inappropriate.

In her defense, I’ll admit that even I tire of some of my counterparts in other companies who send out too-frequent e-mails to an audience that really hasn’t opted in to hear that sort of pitch. Fortunately, my colleagues have taught me to promote my company in a much less in-your-face manner. Still, I share my counterparts’ enthusiasm for the industry.

And why am I such an “evangelist” for network marketing? Primarily because it is such a great equalizer. It does take skill—primarily sales savvy—but this is a skill that anyone can learn, and that everyone should learn. Let’s face it: we’re all in sales. Any time we open our mouths, we hope to persuade our listeners to our point of view. And the people who make it big in network marketing often come from the most modest backgrounds. One indispensable trait they all have is a large WHY—an overarching reason or need to succeed.

On top of that, I have grown as a person in the seven years that I have been involved in network marketing. I am more confident. I am more outgoing (and this from a near total Introvert on the Myers-Briggs scale). I complain less, and I surround myself with others who rarely complain. After all, we’re striving to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. So there are innumerable intangible benefits to be gained by becoming involved in network marketing—at least with a reputable company that stresses training and personal development, as the best of them do.

I plan to continue my involvement in this networking group for work-seekers, despite its founder’s closed-mindedness about alternate ways to make money. For myself, I’m all for multiple streams of income. I pursue DB2 work because I love DB2 and I love solving SQL problems. But my financial dreams are larger than having only linear income can realize, so I plan to continue pursuing avenues of residual income—primarily network marketing but also some investing.

Won’t you join me on this journey? I love to help others achieve their goals and dreams. Let me know how I can help you.

I received an automatic Direct Message (DM) from someone I just followed on Twitter. I don’t have a major problem with setting up automatic DM’s when someone follows you, although it’s a practice I choose not to participate in. Most of these messages give me a chuckle as they are blatant self-promotion, and I can’t help but think that the click-through rate on the links they provide must be infinitesimal.

This particular DM, though, caught my attention. I followed this person as a fellow associate in my network marketing company. To my surprise, his automatic message invited me to check out a different opportunity. In my experience, it is next to impossible to juggle two or more network marketing opportunities at the same time. It is even worse if they are both in the same industry. Yes, both opportunities (our shared opportunity and his secondary business) are in the health-and-wellness industry.

The reason this is an extremely bad idea is that your credibility goes out the window. How can you put your reputation on the line standing behind one nutritional company while promoting another? At least the people who do this opportunity-juggling successfully (and they are few and far between) have the good sense to choose companies in entirely different industries. It’s one thing to stand behind a particular nutritional supplement and also recommend a phone service … or a travel opportunity … or a generic business-building affiliate program. It’s quite another to stand behind two essentially competing products.

So I sent him a DM in reply. I certainly have no business giving advice to a virtual stranger (pun intended). But writing a book on this very topic (essentially how to do network marketing right), I couldn’t let his lapse in judgment go uncontested. Will he learn from me? Who knows? I hope he at least signs up for e-mail notifications on my book, Demystifying Prosperity™: Why You Should Take a Serious Look at Network Marketing.

And how is it that I dare to present myself as an expert in network marketing? Quite simple: I am guilty of making this very mistake, myself. The only difference was that I was juggling four opportunities at the same time. Clearly, one’s own stupidity is the best teacher—and I had a good one! The good news is that I compared my four opportunities, and the one I am currently promoting exclusively was so obviously the winner of the competition, it wasn’t even close.

I enjoy helping others do a similar evaluation of their various opportunities. Let me know how I can help you. It gives me great joy to promote this exceptional industry of network marketing.

Lately I have adopted the discipline of reading 10–20 pages of a technical or inspirational book each day. I’ve enjoyed several current titles since the beginning of the year, and everything I’ve read is sure to serve me well. Some of the books are quick reads and others drag along ploddingly. Still, I force myself to read each day.

Right now, however, I am absolutely devouring a book that has been on my To Read list for years. I can’t remember how long ago I bought the book, but it had been gathering dust on my bookshelf ever since. In retrospect, I can’t imagine what took me so long to pick it up and start reading. It is absolutely magnificent.

As the title of this post suggests, I am talking about Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. It is geared mainly towards a sales audience, but its hints and tips apply to much of day-to-day living. Just yesterday I put some of its tactics to the test while dealing with an especially rude and negative person. If you haven’t yet treated yourself to this book, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Don’t do what I did and wait years and years before finally picking it up.

Of course, if you’re not in sales, you might think it will be of limited benefit to you. Well, think again. As I’ve always been quick to point out, we are all in sales whether we like it or not. If you’re married, then you successfully sold yourself to your spouse. If you’re employed, then you clearly sold yourself to your interviewers. So if you think you’re not in sales, think again.

My book, Demystifying Prosperity™: Why You Should Take a Serious Look at Network Marketing, is directed primarily towards an audience that is leery of network marketing, multilevel marketing, MLM, or whatever term is used to describe this part of the direct sales industry. One of the statements I hear all the time is, “I’m not interested in sales,” or, “I’m bad at sales.” Well, if you’re bad at sales, get good at it whether or not you become a network marketer.

How to Win Friends and Influence People can play a key role in improving your sales skills, however you end up using them. Go out and get this book today! Then add your Comment below and let me know what you think.

It seems wherever you go, someone has been negatively affected by the current recession. The economy is hard right now. People are scared, so they’re holding on to whatever money they have left. This in turn means lower receipts for retailers. In our capitalist society, when money isn’t changing hands, the economy is not expanding.

Now, not all industries are negatively affected by a recession. I recall one particularly memorable class in graduate school where a marketing rep from Revlon came up to Schenectady from New York City to tell us about his industry. He noted that we were currently in an economic downturn—it would have been either 1977 or 1978 (yes, I’ve been around the block once or twice). He had a smile on his face, though, as he remarked that women still wanted to look good regardless of the economy. I imagine this is still true to this day, and the cosmetics industry is going full force in spite of the recession.

The truth of the matter is that most industries have experienced a downturn in activity … with one exception near and dear to my heart: network marketing. In fact, any home-based business is doing well in this economy, precisely because of the economy. At my BNI meeting this morning I asked if anyone knew anyone who had been negatively affected by the current economy. Just about every hand went up. We all know someone who has lost his or her job, or whose hours have been cut back. Everyone is running scared.

For years the model was to work for the same employer one’s whole working life, retiring comfortably with a pension and a pocket watch. My grandfather was one such man. He worked for General Electric his whole adult life. My father is another, having been a career Coast Guard officer. I, on the other hand, have had more employers than I can count on the fingers of one hand, and I am currently looking for work (contract or employment) in my primary field of DB2. I’ve had my own company since 1995, and my DB2 work has been slow since September 11^th, 2001, nearly eight years ago.

Fortunately for me I discovered network marketing in 2002. I realized that pursuing multiple streams of income was the way to go, so I purchased Robert Allen’s CD series of the same name: “Multiple Streams of Income.” He spoke primarily about real estate investing strategies, and that was my initial reason for purchasing the CD set. I’m fond of telling people that I got into network marketing through real estate.

I enjoy teaching other people about the merits of pursuing multiple streams of income, and I have become such a fan of network marketing as an income vehicle that I call myself a network marketing evangelist. What I love most about network marketing is that it levels the playing field: anyone can do it. In fact, as I’ve studied a variety of network marketing companies in research for my book, the top earners are often the most ordinary of folks. In my own company the top income earners were at one time (1) an underemployed single mother with two very ill children and skyrocketing hospital bills, and (2) a carpet installer who injured himself and could no longer work.

Actually, what they both had in common was a huge WHY. And that’s what it takes to succeed in network marketing. More and more people are looking into their alternatives, given the current recession, so now is actually a great time to grow your network marketing business. What could possibly be a bigger WHY than losing one’s primary source of income?

New Beginnings ’09 – Income Opportunity Expo

I am cosponsoring a local Income Opportunity Expo with twenty other network marketers. It takes place this coming Sunday right here in Portsmouth, and I hope The Frank Jones Center is packed from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. There are so many people hurting right now, I am honored to be a part of the solution instead of the problem. The best thing we can offer them is hope for a better future, a future in their own control. Check it out, and please help us spread the word:

http://newbeginnings-expo.com/

A recession is a terrible thing to waste. Let’s not waste this opportunity to help as many people as we can.

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P.S. Ann Sieg’s half-off deal on her excellent e-book The Renegade Network Marketer ends today. Do yourself a favor and get it right away:

http://carleric.therenegadenetworkmarketer.com/halfoff/

Ann Sieg’s classic e-book, The Renegade Network Marketer, is a must-read for any network marketer interested in using the Internet and social media to promote his or her business. So if you are not a network marketer, or if you are a network marketer but only work your local market, you can stop reading here.

Now, for those of you still reading (and I hope there are a lot of you), I have great news at the end of this post. Meanwhile, allow me to share with you my own experience of Ann Sieg’s seminal e-book.

I learned about The Renegade Network Marketer when someone shared a link with me. It sounded intriguing, filled with information that was sure to help me in my business, but I balked at the $67 price tag. “Sixty-seven dollars for an e-book? I’ll pass!” Still, I kept encountering marketing material for The Renegade Network Marketer and remained intrigued.

Ultimately I broke down and bought my own copy for $67. “I’ve squandered far more on products over the years,” I thought to myself. “I can afford to lose $67.” Not the most positive attitude, I’ll admit.

When I started reading Ann’s words, though, I was hooked. I started implementing some of her strategies, and my business began taking off. A recurring thought as I continued reading was, “This would have been a great deal at twice the price!”

Now here’s the good news. For four days and four days only, Ann is discounting her book by 50%. If you use the link below, you’ll spend only $33.50 instead of $67, and you’ll get some valuable (invaluable, really) bonuses to boot. Do it now!

http://carleric.therenegadenetworkmarketer.com/halfoff/

This offer is good through Thursday, July 23, 2009, only. So get your own copy, and then tell all of your friends to get theirs. Your network marketing businesses will thank you.

P.S. If you’re reading this after the deadline, do not despair. You can still get The Renegade Network Marketer at its regular price of $67, which, in my opinion, is still a significant bargain. Here’s the link to use after July 23:

http://carleric.therenegadenetworkmarketer.com/