July MLM Mastermind Blog--Week 1
"Robert Rants & Raves"
The plan is to rant and rave every week.
Hey, I'm also working on my own Radio show here in Okla. and I'm talking with a lawyer friend
of mine who owns a cable company as well for some Informerical time....
Who knows what will happen there!
Each week I talk with hundreds of prospects and distributors all over the country about their MLM business.
Rather that be Affiliate Marketing or Network Marketing or even Traditional Business.
By doing so I feel I have the "pulse" of what people are doing and saying.
And, more importantly, what people are doing "right" and "wrong" when it comes to their business.
Like my Dad always told me in our Printing Manufacturing business:
"Son, if you want to know what's going on, get off your butt and get out in the plant!"
He was right.
With 3 shifts working 'round the clock and with 200 people clocking in and out every day, it's amazing what I learned about both "business" and "people" by "hanging out" in the plant.
Today's Rant & Rave is simple--it's about:
"TELLING YOURSELF THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT CHOICES YOU CAN MAKE FOR YOUR LIFE!"
What "set me off" this week was a series
of questions like these:
"What's the best program to join, a product
driven program or a pay plan driven program?"
"What's the best phone deal out there?"
"I'm ready to join, but I don't have any money
can you pay my way in?"
"I'll bring my whole group of 300 to you,
Robert, if you pay my way?"
"You're spamming me, stop it, and where's
my book I ordered?"
"I have to cancel out of your leads program
because I'm going in another direction...
(what direction is that? What business
in the WORLD can you do without a consistent
list of prospects?)
Most of the time people are looking
for an "excuse" to quit.
In the last four days I've put 21
people in my MLMMastermind.com program
personally and 4 others quit.
I had a net gain of 17.
About 11 other "newbies" came in from
the efforts of others in my organization
that I had personally sponsored.
Not a great week.
But, not a bad week.
I call it a "normal" week.
STAYING IN FOR LIFE!
Early on in my career I tried to
blame everyone.
My upline.
My wife.
My employees.
My banker.
My dog.
I was subject to starting at a
moments notice the next:
"Deal of the week".
I was so "uncommitted" to my business
that I divorced it everyday.
Then, every payday I re-married it
all over again.
It's a cycle.
It's a cycle until you make a personal
committment to FACE THE FACTS!
Face the facts Robert?
What do you mean?
The facts are these:
--More say no than yes.
--98% are not as excited as you.
--It's going to take at least 6 months
of working your butt off, spending time
and money you don't have to see what
you've got. Then, and only then are you
"allowed" to re-evaluate what you're doing.
--If you're not willing to stay in my
leads program for at least 24 weeks (6 months
in Oklahoma) and give me your "Bootcamp Best"
then don't waste your time and mine. Why
should we "pander to each other" and stroke
each other's ego when you're not serious
about TAKING ACTION and I know you're not?
--You're going to die someday and what kind
of experience did you have down here and what
kind of impact are you going to make when you live
and when you leave?
I know, why Robert, it's because, "I'm in
the pipeline" and someday I will be ready
to take action.
You're right--good answer!
The point today is simple.
--More say no than yes.
So, if that's the case, why not create
a system that will turn those no's into
more yes's?
And, why not also go to the next level
and say this:
"80% of those that initially say yes,
say no to doing anything at all or taking
any kind of action and will end up quiting
in 90 days or less"
Too brutal?
Not in my book.
You see, I HAD to make this business work.
My back was out and I could not run a printing
press any longer.
Have you ever been in the bathroom floor at 5:00 am
in so much pain you can't even scream help
to your wife?
That was me in 1988.
No back.
No printing.
No printing.
No bills being paid.
End of story.
The most life revealing 2 hours of my life
was spent on that bathroom floor on 1553
Hickory Drive in 1988.
At 7:00 am my wife stumbles in and finds me
in tears and all 210 lbs of me laying
face first on the floor.
I couldn't move me.
She couldn't move me.
3 more hours later a "Back Cracker" showed
up at the house.
To this day I'll never know what he did.
I was in so much pain I would of joined
"Amway" if they told me if I could stand
up on my own!
Seriously, though, on the bathroom floor,
this guy started touching my head and my
back and did some kind of "tapping" thing
with his hands.
In 5 minutes and in a forceful voice he said:
"Robert, stand up!"
Saying to myself, "what the hell, I'll
try to stand up".....
To my amazement, I DID!
Over the next few weeks I got on an excercise
program with him and today I am a "reformed
back cracker" graduate and no, I didn't have
to join Amway to do it.
The MORAL of today's Ranting and Raving?
With my face buried in the tile of the
bathroom floor in the pitch dark for 2
hours I found myself and I was forced
to be truthful with myself.
After feeling sorry for myself and crying
for about 30 minutes I started getting
mad at "me".
I visualized my wife walking in on this
whimpering shell of a man and wondered
what her reaction would be.
Knowing she'd still love me was one thing,
but I started to think:
"What am I so concerned about what she'll
think? Why am I not concerend about what
I THINK?"
You see, at that point in my life, I had
so many of my dreams "squashed" in my face
that I had almost given up "hope" of ever
making enough money to sleep in on Monday
if I wanted.
Or, take off all day Friday just to go
to Six Flags if I wanted.
I had lost hope.
I had given up on myself.
I had brushed my dreams under the carpet.
I was bitter.
I was a first class "Know it all and smart ASS!"
I was no where near where I wanted to be at age 26.
I was a broken spirited man, with no money, no
hope, no support system, no faith and no prospects
of every getting myself out of my meager living.
It was only when my "meager" way of life was
THREATENED, that I began to start my recovery.
Now, step back and take a deep breath and think
about that statement for a moment.
"My Meager Lifestyle Was Threatened"
How?
Simple.
I ran a printing press for $10 an hour.
I lived in a house that cost $210 a month
that I was two months behind in rent.
If I missed two days of work in a row, I'd
lose my job.
As I visualized myself walking down to
the unemployement line, not because of
choice, but because my back went out, I
realized QUICKLY that I had to face reality.
UNLESS I was willing to start that DAY to
build a business that would pay me
REGARDLESS if I was standing upright or
laying on the floor, I would always be
in a position for my body to threaten my
lifestyle.
Granted, $10 an hour wasn't much of a
lifestyle back in 1988.
But, it was all I had.
And, when it was threatened, I cried
through my pride and attitude and
GOT REAL with myself for the first
time in my adult life.
"Build a damn downline Robert!"
I kept saying to myself.
"Others are doing it, why aren't you?"
I filed bankruptcy that same year.
I also committed myself to a lifelong
pursuit of a:
"Passive, Walk-Away Residual Income"
It became my "QUEST".
An income that pays me for work I did
years before.
Residual income was the goal.
Putting my pride, my chip on my shoulder
and my "smart ass attitude" on the bench
was the answer.
I became a massive "Student" of direct mail
and of Network Marketing.
Today, I'm making money from that decision
I made on that dark, cold, tile floor on
1553 Hickory back in 1988.
I hope and I pray that you can come to your
own "reality check" today.
"My Life As I knew it was over", I said to
myself.
Why?
Because I could never look at myself in the
mirror again without knowing that I knew what
my future held unless I changed my direction
and my attitude.
Me.
I had to change.
Not my wife.
Not the industry.
Not the product.
Not the service.
Not the system.
And, by all means, not the pay plan.
Plain, old simple me.
Unless I changed, I saw myself running
a printing press until I was 62.
I saw myself bent over with a bad back
and food stamps with no hope or dreams
left, due to my stubborness and unwillingness
to change and go the extra mile.
You need to understand the significance of
what I telling you today.
It's you that has the power.
Not your upline.
Not your company President.
Not your products.
Not your service.
Not your website.
Not your system.
Not your pay plan.
YOU are the driving force.
And, until YOU figure that out,
you'll be in and out of "deals" for
the rest of your life trying to find
the pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow!
You are the rainbow and you are
the pot of gold.
It's time you realized that.
You can make Residual income from
your passion and your ability to
communicate that passion to others.
It's like a wildfire.
If you're not on FIRE, neither will
those you talk to about your business.
If you're not turning some people off
then, you're not in the game, in my opinion.
You're not looking for everyone.
Even though you may think that "everyone"
needs or can use what you have--they won't.
You're looking for "winners" or people with
a winning attitude and then you're going
to teach them "a" business.
End of story.
Find winners.
Teach them your business and cash the checks.
End of story.
The journey or "fun" is finding and teaching
these winners.
That's what I call "life".
That's the dynamic that will keep
you interested and willing to wake up
every morning with a purpose.
Within you is the ability to make
a decision and stick with it.
I and nobody else will follow a man
or woman who is indecisive.
Neither will you.
And, that means you have to make a decision
today.
Get with it, or get over it.
Get IN the industry or get out of it.
It's a simple decision.
Being a "lifer" means never quitting.
Being a "lifer" means being dynamic in
some ways and forever consistent in others.
Action always defeats inaction.
My "key" to selling out to Residual Income?
Social Security.
I saw Network Marketing as my own form of
Social Security.
I had this thought:
"If I can make $2,000 a month at age 62
with Social Securing and another $2,000
a month with my business at age 62, then
I can live comfortably at $4,000 a month
and not have to work."
My plan was to "disprove" Social Security
and the 40 year "fight" would be:
Network Marketing vs. Social Security.
I knew what Social Security would pay
me if I worked 8-5 for 40 years.
What intrigued me was what could Network
Marketing pay me for working 10 hours
a week for 40 years?
Was I up for the challange?
Yes, I made a game of it.
Hey, that's $1,000 a week for a poor
okie.
That was my dream I started with at age
26 when I realized my life was over unless
I changed.
You see, I got a glimpse of myself at age
62 without Residual Income.
I saw myself working 5 days a week for 40
years for someone else.
I saw myself selling ouy to somebody elses
dream--not mine.
I sold my soul to someone else.
I didn't feel that I was worthy of such
greatness, so I went the path most traveled.
I worked for a living.
Once I saw myself at age 62 without Residual
Income it was easy to convince myself to
buck up and change and to stop making excuses
for the way I lived--or the lack there of.
I'm not talking about living lavishly.
Hey, if you have a problem with money, then
make lots of it and give it away to your favorite
charity or Church.
Stop making excuses and do the work.
That's what I did and that's what I'm recommending
you do today.
Stop listening to everyone elses success story
and feeling sorry for yourself.
If you compare your worst to their best you'll
always feel like quitting.
Instead, find out within what YOUR best is and
work towards that.
Life is dynamic.
It is not stagnet.
Giving up on your dreams is easy.
Anyone can do that.
It's the individual that faces their fear
and works through that with a game plan
that lives and experience life.
It's my contention (and don't get offended
if you don't believe the way I do, but hey,
this is me ranting and raving anway :>)
It is my contention that God is living through
me.
He got bored, in my opinion.
Really.
Think about.
You wake up tomorrow and can do anything that
you think about.
Poof, a planet.
Poof, a new species.
Poof, a star system.
Poof, no challange.
If God is in me, then how can I fail?
He wants me to try new things.
He needs me to experience life for him
as He's perfect and cannot feel love or pain
without me.
I take great pride in pushing the limit on life.
I also take great pride in reading a great book
on the beach.
I'm experiencing life, my friend.
I can't take my downline with me, nor my Residual
Monthly check.
My downline and my monthly check is for my
family to use how the choose so they can help
God experience life through them.
That's my gift to my family.
Sure, I could still be a great Dad and person
without Residual income.
But, that's not my destiny.
My destiny is clear. I've seen it.
I've seen two choices for my life.
I spent two hours alone with myself and God
one gloomy morning sorting this stuff out
in 1988.
I made a decision of what path I wanted to
take and asked for his help.
God accepted my offer.
He's having fun living through Robert Blackman.
How about you?
Sincerely,
Robert Blackman
"Robert Rants & Raves"
The plan is to rant and rave every week.
Hey, I'm also working on my own Radio show here in Okla. and I'm talking with a lawyer friend
of mine who owns a cable company as well for some Informerical time....
Who knows what will happen there!
Each week I talk with hundreds of prospects and distributors all over the country about their MLM business.
Rather that be Affiliate Marketing or Network Marketing or even Traditional Business.
By doing so I feel I have the "pulse" of what people are doing and saying.
And, more importantly, what people are doing "right" and "wrong" when it comes to their business.
Like my Dad always told me in our Printing Manufacturing business:
"Son, if you want to know what's going on, get off your butt and get out in the plant!"
He was right.
With 3 shifts working 'round the clock and with 200 people clocking in and out every day, it's amazing what I learned about both "business" and "people" by "hanging out" in the plant.
Today's Rant & Rave is simple--it's about:
"TELLING YOURSELF THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT CHOICES YOU CAN MAKE FOR YOUR LIFE!"
What "set me off" this week was a series
of questions like these:
"What's the best program to join, a product
driven program or a pay plan driven program?"
"What's the best phone deal out there?"
"I'm ready to join, but I don't have any money
can you pay my way in?"
"I'll bring my whole group of 300 to you,
Robert, if you pay my way?"
"You're spamming me, stop it, and where's
my book I ordered?"
"I have to cancel out of your leads program
because I'm going in another direction...
(what direction is that? What business
in the WORLD can you do without a consistent
list of prospects?)
Most of the time people are looking
for an "excuse" to quit.
In the last four days I've put 21
people in my MLMMastermind.com program
personally and 4 others quit.
I had a net gain of 17.
About 11 other "newbies" came in from
the efforts of others in my organization
that I had personally sponsored.
Not a great week.
But, not a bad week.
I call it a "normal" week.
STAYING IN FOR LIFE!
Early on in my career I tried to
blame everyone.
My upline.
My wife.
My employees.
My banker.
My dog.
I was subject to starting at a
moments notice the next:
"Deal of the week".
I was so "uncommitted" to my business
that I divorced it everyday.
Then, every payday I re-married it
all over again.
It's a cycle.
It's a cycle until you make a personal
committment to FACE THE FACTS!
Face the facts Robert?
What do you mean?
The facts are these:
--More say no than yes.
--98% are not as excited as you.
--It's going to take at least 6 months
of working your butt off, spending time
and money you don't have to see what
you've got. Then, and only then are you
"allowed" to re-evaluate what you're doing.
--If you're not willing to stay in my
leads program for at least 24 weeks (6 months
in Oklahoma) and give me your "Bootcamp Best"
then don't waste your time and mine. Why
should we "pander to each other" and stroke
each other's ego when you're not serious
about TAKING ACTION and I know you're not?
--You're going to die someday and what kind
of experience did you have down here and what
kind of impact are you going to make when you live
and when you leave?
I know, why Robert, it's because, "I'm in
the pipeline" and someday I will be ready
to take action.
You're right--good answer!
The point today is simple.
--More say no than yes.
So, if that's the case, why not create
a system that will turn those no's into
more yes's?
And, why not also go to the next level
and say this:
"80% of those that initially say yes,
say no to doing anything at all or taking
any kind of action and will end up quiting
in 90 days or less"
Too brutal?
Not in my book.
You see, I HAD to make this business work.
My back was out and I could not run a printing
press any longer.
Have you ever been in the bathroom floor at 5:00 am
in so much pain you can't even scream help
to your wife?
That was me in 1988.
No back.
No printing.
No printing.
No bills being paid.
End of story.
The most life revealing 2 hours of my life
was spent on that bathroom floor on 1553
Hickory Drive in 1988.
At 7:00 am my wife stumbles in and finds me
in tears and all 210 lbs of me laying
face first on the floor.
I couldn't move me.
She couldn't move me.
3 more hours later a "Back Cracker" showed
up at the house.
To this day I'll never know what he did.
I was in so much pain I would of joined
"Amway" if they told me if I could stand
up on my own!
Seriously, though, on the bathroom floor,
this guy started touching my head and my
back and did some kind of "tapping" thing
with his hands.
In 5 minutes and in a forceful voice he said:
"Robert, stand up!"
Saying to myself, "what the hell, I'll
try to stand up".....
To my amazement, I DID!
Over the next few weeks I got on an excercise
program with him and today I am a "reformed
back cracker" graduate and no, I didn't have
to join Amway to do it.
The MORAL of today's Ranting and Raving?
With my face buried in the tile of the
bathroom floor in the pitch dark for 2
hours I found myself and I was forced
to be truthful with myself.
After feeling sorry for myself and crying
for about 30 minutes I started getting
mad at "me".
I visualized my wife walking in on this
whimpering shell of a man and wondered
what her reaction would be.
Knowing she'd still love me was one thing,
but I started to think:
"What am I so concerned about what she'll
think? Why am I not concerend about what
I THINK?"
You see, at that point in my life, I had
so many of my dreams "squashed" in my face
that I had almost given up "hope" of ever
making enough money to sleep in on Monday
if I wanted.
Or, take off all day Friday just to go
to Six Flags if I wanted.
I had lost hope.
I had given up on myself.
I had brushed my dreams under the carpet.
I was bitter.
I was a first class "Know it all and smart ASS!"
I was no where near where I wanted to be at age 26.
I was a broken spirited man, with no money, no
hope, no support system, no faith and no prospects
of every getting myself out of my meager living.
It was only when my "meager" way of life was
THREATENED, that I began to start my recovery.
Now, step back and take a deep breath and think
about that statement for a moment.
"My Meager Lifestyle Was Threatened"
How?
Simple.
I ran a printing press for $10 an hour.
I lived in a house that cost $210 a month
that I was two months behind in rent.
If I missed two days of work in a row, I'd
lose my job.
As I visualized myself walking down to
the unemployement line, not because of
choice, but because my back went out, I
realized QUICKLY that I had to face reality.
UNLESS I was willing to start that DAY to
build a business that would pay me
REGARDLESS if I was standing upright or
laying on the floor, I would always be
in a position for my body to threaten my
lifestyle.
Granted, $10 an hour wasn't much of a
lifestyle back in 1988.
But, it was all I had.
And, when it was threatened, I cried
through my pride and attitude and
GOT REAL with myself for the first
time in my adult life.
"Build a damn downline Robert!"
I kept saying to myself.
"Others are doing it, why aren't you?"
I filed bankruptcy that same year.
I also committed myself to a lifelong
pursuit of a:
"Passive, Walk-Away Residual Income"
It became my "QUEST".
An income that pays me for work I did
years before.
Residual income was the goal.
Putting my pride, my chip on my shoulder
and my "smart ass attitude" on the bench
was the answer.
I became a massive "Student" of direct mail
and of Network Marketing.
Today, I'm making money from that decision
I made on that dark, cold, tile floor on
1553 Hickory back in 1988.
I hope and I pray that you can come to your
own "reality check" today.
"My Life As I knew it was over", I said to
myself.
Why?
Because I could never look at myself in the
mirror again without knowing that I knew what
my future held unless I changed my direction
and my attitude.
Me.
I had to change.
Not my wife.
Not the industry.
Not the product.
Not the service.
Not the system.
And, by all means, not the pay plan.
Plain, old simple me.
Unless I changed, I saw myself running
a printing press until I was 62.
I saw myself bent over with a bad back
and food stamps with no hope or dreams
left, due to my stubborness and unwillingness
to change and go the extra mile.
You need to understand the significance of
what I telling you today.
It's you that has the power.
Not your upline.
Not your company President.
Not your products.
Not your service.
Not your website.
Not your system.
Not your pay plan.
YOU are the driving force.
And, until YOU figure that out,
you'll be in and out of "deals" for
the rest of your life trying to find
the pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow!
You are the rainbow and you are
the pot of gold.
It's time you realized that.
You can make Residual income from
your passion and your ability to
communicate that passion to others.
It's like a wildfire.
If you're not on FIRE, neither will
those you talk to about your business.
If you're not turning some people off
then, you're not in the game, in my opinion.
You're not looking for everyone.
Even though you may think that "everyone"
needs or can use what you have--they won't.
You're looking for "winners" or people with
a winning attitude and then you're going
to teach them "a" business.
End of story.
Find winners.
Teach them your business and cash the checks.
End of story.
The journey or "fun" is finding and teaching
these winners.
That's what I call "life".
That's the dynamic that will keep
you interested and willing to wake up
every morning with a purpose.
Within you is the ability to make
a decision and stick with it.
I and nobody else will follow a man
or woman who is indecisive.
Neither will you.
And, that means you have to make a decision
today.
Get with it, or get over it.
Get IN the industry or get out of it.
It's a simple decision.
Being a "lifer" means never quitting.
Being a "lifer" means being dynamic in
some ways and forever consistent in others.
Action always defeats inaction.
My "key" to selling out to Residual Income?
Social Security.
I saw Network Marketing as my own form of
Social Security.
I had this thought:
"If I can make $2,000 a month at age 62
with Social Securing and another $2,000
a month with my business at age 62, then
I can live comfortably at $4,000 a month
and not have to work."
My plan was to "disprove" Social Security
and the 40 year "fight" would be:
Network Marketing vs. Social Security.
I knew what Social Security would pay
me if I worked 8-5 for 40 years.
What intrigued me was what could Network
Marketing pay me for working 10 hours
a week for 40 years?
Was I up for the challange?
Yes, I made a game of it.
Hey, that's $1,000 a week for a poor
okie.
That was my dream I started with at age
26 when I realized my life was over unless
I changed.
You see, I got a glimpse of myself at age
62 without Residual Income.
I saw myself working 5 days a week for 40
years for someone else.
I saw myself selling ouy to somebody elses
dream--not mine.
I sold my soul to someone else.
I didn't feel that I was worthy of such
greatness, so I went the path most traveled.
I worked for a living.
Once I saw myself at age 62 without Residual
Income it was easy to convince myself to
buck up and change and to stop making excuses
for the way I lived--or the lack there of.
I'm not talking about living lavishly.
Hey, if you have a problem with money, then
make lots of it and give it away to your favorite
charity or Church.
Stop making excuses and do the work.
That's what I did and that's what I'm recommending
you do today.
Stop listening to everyone elses success story
and feeling sorry for yourself.
If you compare your worst to their best you'll
always feel like quitting.
Instead, find out within what YOUR best is and
work towards that.
Life is dynamic.
It is not stagnet.
Giving up on your dreams is easy.
Anyone can do that.
It's the individual that faces their fear
and works through that with a game plan
that lives and experience life.
It's my contention (and don't get offended
if you don't believe the way I do, but hey,
this is me ranting and raving anway :>)
It is my contention that God is living through
me.
He got bored, in my opinion.
Really.
Think about.
You wake up tomorrow and can do anything that
you think about.
Poof, a planet.
Poof, a new species.
Poof, a star system.
Poof, no challange.
If God is in me, then how can I fail?
He wants me to try new things.
He needs me to experience life for him
as He's perfect and cannot feel love or pain
without me.
I take great pride in pushing the limit on life.
I also take great pride in reading a great book
on the beach.
I'm experiencing life, my friend.
I can't take my downline with me, nor my Residual
Monthly check.
My downline and my monthly check is for my
family to use how the choose so they can help
God experience life through them.
That's my gift to my family.
Sure, I could still be a great Dad and person
without Residual income.
But, that's not my destiny.
My destiny is clear. I've seen it.
I've seen two choices for my life.
I spent two hours alone with myself and God
one gloomy morning sorting this stuff out
in 1988.
I made a decision of what path I wanted to
take and asked for his help.
God accepted my offer.
He's having fun living through Robert Blackman.
How about you?
Sincerely,
Robert Blackman
(405) 833-6899
posted by Robert Blackman's BLOG! at 12:30 PM
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