David Bloom's Internet Marketing Blog

New Years Eve Ad - Don't Drop The Ball

David Bloom — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:43:49 -0800

We've made a new ad for New Years Eve called "Don't Drop The Ball".

Click here to learn how to get people calling YOU.

Calling in the Nick of Time - New Ad

David Bloom — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:00:33 -0800

Find out how to avoid calling people at the wrong time. In fact, don't call people at all! Have them call you!

Twas The Night Before Christmas - New Ad for The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing

David Bloom — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:57:12 -0800

Find out the better way to get people who want to talk with you.

New ad for The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing

David Bloom — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:14:06 -0800

My son Jonathan has created a new video for our promotional campaign of The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing. This video was written from my experience before I found The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing.

Find out why cold calling leads doesn't work

Count the Cost

David Bloom — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:17:52 -0700

As a child, I loved to play in the big woods near our home. There never seemed to be an end to the exciting adventures we could have there. We rode our bikes on the dirt roads that went through the woods. We climbed on, made forts out of, and hid behind the many rock formations that dotted the woods.

One day some men and equipment appeared in the woods. The men began to dig a big hole, which we gradually came to realize was to be the basement of a house. We went to the site each day after the men had finished to see the progress they had made that day. The work went on for many days. and that hole got bigger and bigger.

One day the men packed up their equipment and left. We watched and waited for them to return. They did not. After about a week our curiosity got the best of us, and we slowly approached the place the men had been digging, to get a closer look at what had happened. We played in and around that hole for the next several weeks until we became bored and moved on to another part of the woods. Although we wondered what had become of the plans to build the house, we never saw anyone at that place again.

I have no idea why that house was never built. I have often wondered over the years why someone would begin a project like that and not complete it. Whatever the reason, it has always served as an example to me that whatever I am going to do I need to count the cost before I begin. That cost can include money, time, energy or any other resources. Sometimes the costs are simple obstacles that we can't overcome no matter what we do. I would love to get my private airplane pilot’s license, but I have a visual impairment that would keep me from ever passing that portion of the examination. At other times, the cost may simply require an ability we do not possess. My wife is a Certified Public Accountant. While I have gained a true appreciation for what she does, I just do not have the ability with numbers to even consider pursuing that or any similar field of study.

A cost we decide is too great might involve something we simply are not willing to invest the time money and effort into accomplishing. On at least two occasions in my life I have seriously considered pursuing a Ph D. In each case I had the opportunity and enough interest to begin the process. In each case, and for different reasons, I decided that the time and energy and money in my life would produce more of the things I want by investing them in other pursuits. I am over simplifying what, in each case, was a deliberate involved process, but the underlying principle remains the same. Counting the cost involves understanding what I really want to accomplish and then determining what I am willing to do that will most effectively get me to where I want to be.

This sounds so simple and so obvious. Yet it is amazing how often we do exactly the opposite. We get caught up in a dynamic presentation of an exciting business opportunity, and we think of all the things we could do with the amazing amounts of money we are told others are making in this fantastic, once in a lifetime business that is being presented to us. What do we want to do with the money? Are we interested in the things we will have to do if we pursue this business opportunity? Do we have the dedication and motivation to learn the things we will need to learn in order to be successful at this business opportunity? Do we believe we can do what it will take to be successful? These are some of the fundamental questions we must ask ourselves when we count the cost of any endeavor or business opportunity we are considering.

No one can know exactly what will happen when we begin a new venture. This makes a deliberate, systematic process of counting the cost even more important. What did the people who bought the land and had the hole dug near my childhood home hope to accomplish with what they began? Were they building a family home, a retirement home, a vacation home? Did they underestimate the difficulty of digging in an area as filled with rocks as the woods near my home? Did something unforeseen happened in their lives that suddenly took the money they had earmarked for this project and required them to use it somewhere else? Was there a death in the family? Was there a divorce? Did they simply lose the interest or the motivation that would've allowed them to finish this project that they had started?

What do you hope to accomplish as you consider a business opportunity? What do you want or need in your life that you don't have already? Do you have a hobby or some other interest that you believe would translate successfully into a profitable business? Do you have some specialized knowledge or ability that you see as marketable and profitable? What skills do you have or are willing to acquire that will give you the possibility of being successful in this new venture?

None of this is intended to discourage you from starting a business. It can be an incredibly satisfying, rewarding experience. If you don't count the cost, it can turn into a disaster that will consume your time your energy and your money and leave you frustrated discouraged and in debt.

Those who successfully begin new businesses start with that critical self-examination. Knowing what you want to accomplish must come before even examining your skills and your interests. This will logically lead to an understanding of what you know or are willing to learn. This flows logically and naturally into a realization of what you are willing to invest yourself in to achieve this success you desire and the realization of your dreams.

Are You Afraid to Go Into the Water?

David Bloom — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:55:24 -0700

Even though I grew up on one of the Great Lakes, I did not learn to swim as a child. My wife, who is a good swimmer, and I made sure our children learned to swim. My own efforts have been hampered by something I had not counted on--fear of the water. My own fear has been aided by a few adult attempts at swimming that ended in helpless flailing in water over my head and needing to be rescued from drowning. I have come to realize it is not water I am afraid of. I drink water. I bathe and play in water. My fear is based on my lack of knowledge of how to move myself successfully through water, no matter whether it is over my head or not.

I am learning to swim because I want the health benefits of exercising in the water. I want that enough to overcome the lack of knowledge that has held me back all my life. I had to identify the specific benefit I wanted and to decide I want it enough to acquire the knowledge I need to overcome my old fear. That sounds simple, and it is, but it is not easy.

I talk with people all the time who have not learned how to successfully launch their own business. Some of these people tell me they are afraid of the internet. I can understand that. The internet can be frightening, especially for those of us who grew up before it was a normal part of learning.

Others tell me they afraid of all the predators out there whose only goal is to separate us from our money. I have spoken to people who tearfully tell me they feel like failures because everyone seems able to make a success out of an online business but them. The more people I talk with who express these frustrations, the more certain things keep standing out in my mind.

When I ask people why they want to start a business, the number one answer I get is to make money. I have been studying entrepreneurship for more than twenty years. Every author or speaker who seems to grasp the subject says the same thing. Money cannot be the primary goal of any business venture in which you want to be successful. It does not identify a primary need in anyone's life and does not provide sufficient motivation to gain the knowledge and do the work required to acquire and maintain lasting wealth.

I did not begin to learn to swim as an adult until I realized that what I wanted was the satisfaction of doing part of my exercise program in the water. I want the exercise to help me gain and maintain good health as far into my life as I can. Therefore, swimming is a way to gain and keep good health. That is what I want. Swimming is a way to get that. That provides sufficient motivation to get me over my fear of water.

Asking yourself what you really want from your own business is so important, it can't be treated too lightly. It isn't money, a new house, a new car. It isn't even freedom from a job. Those are benefits, and they are important, but they will not motivate you to learn and do what you need to acquire and maintain the wealth you are seeking. What you do want will guide you in selecting what type of business you will begin.

You may have to overcome things like fear of the internet, anxiety about the people out there who want to take advantage of you, fear that you will make mistakes. All of these may happen. These are some of the reasons most people who start this journey do not finish.

I want to help you find and achieve your dream. That is one of the things I came to realize as I struggled with the same things you may be facing. I like working things out, sorting through all the things that keep people from succeeding to point the way to the choices that can open the doors for you and others to achieve your dreams. I like teaching, and I like communicating. Teachers seek knowledge so they can share it with others. That is why I am working to develop a place where you and others can find what your real motivation is and then look for the information that will give you the knowledge to fulfill your dreams.

It is exciting because there are some really good people doing some really great things. It makes sorting through the rest worthwhile. I welcome you to this journey to find your dream and then find the ways you will reach your dream. I am interested in how the journey goes for you, and I will offer whatever help and guidance I can. Thanks for sharing a part of your journey with me.