The 4 Types Of Online Marketing Pros
There are four types of online marketing pros. Guppies, Tuna, Sharks, and Whales. Here are the characteristics of each one, and what it takes for guppies to become whales!
Guppies. Guppies are small and uninspiring fish. Discovery channel doesn’t have a single show about guppies. But in the online network marketing world, most people start out as a Guppy.
Characteristics of Guppies:
Small. Translation: They have a small or non-existent marketing budget. They want to become a bigger fish, but are just learning the ropes. There are two types of Guppies: Those that truly want to improve their skills and income, and those that are always looking for somebody or some software that will increase their income without requiring more skills. The former will grow, the latter will always remain feeder fish for the Tuna, Sharks, and Whales.
Insignificant. Poor Guppies. They are unknown. They have a very small marketing list. The bigger fish either ignore them or eat them, and even the other Guppies don’t care much about Guppies, they want to become Tuna, Sharks, or Whales one day, so they’re paying attention to bigger fish.
Advice for Guppies:
- Take responsibility.
- Stop being needy. Don’t use loser language like, “If I could just find somebody to show me…”
- Stop looking for quick fixes and “outside” solutions.
- Look in the mirror, what you see is your problem AND your solution.
- Stop expecting others to do anything for you. Until you take 100% responsibility you will always be a feeder fish.
- A limited budget just means you have to work harder and be more consistent.
- Don’t let anybody steal your dream.
- Find a way to make money outside of marketing. This is a business you have to feed for a while before it feeds you. Stop wishing for it to be otherwise.
- Attend all the events you can.
- Don’t take advice from other Guppies.
- Read “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. If you’ve already read it, read it again.
Tuna. Tuna are Guppies that have taken responsibility. They have found a way to build their list and make some money, usually on a limited budget.
Characteristics of Tuna:
Tuna understand the basics of online marketing. They often make their money marketing to Guppies and other Tuna. They usually wear all the hats in their business: Director of product development, marketing, content creation, accounting, promotion etc. They have a limited skill set.
Advice for Tuna:
- Don’t pretend you’re something you’re not.
- Be humble.
- Don’t blindly trust Sharks and Whales. Do your own thinking.
- Develop your own marketing plan.
- Don’t let Sharks and Whales product launches dictate your online marketing tool set.
- Master the fundamentals: Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click, and Social Marketing.
- Don’t spend your money, put it back into your business.
- Use professionals as often as possible. Find the inexpensive online services that can build your sites and do some marketing for you.
- Learn the difference between being a small time marketer and a business owner.
- Get a part time Executive Assistant to do your busy work.
- Focus on accomplishing at least one core money making activity every day.
- Connect with Sharks and Whales.
- Attend all the events you can.
- Read “The Four Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss
Sharks. Sharks make money. They can quit their job. They control their personal financial world. Sharks organize the events that Guppies, Tunas, and other Sharks attend. They invite Whales and other Sharks to speak. Sometimes, they accidentally invite a Tuna or Guppy to speak, but they are eaten immediately afterwards.
Characteristics of Sharks: 
They are independent. They are proud. They are successful. They can eat whatever smaller fish they want to. They may decide to remain a shark forever, not realizing that they could be a whale.
Advice for Sharks:
- You can now eat Guppies and Tuna and make a great living, but to become a whale you ought feed them instead.
- You probably have a big list full of Guppies and Tuna. Respect them, love them, and provide real value to them, and you will become a Whale through a natural process.
- NEVER abuse their trust by offering them something that you haven’t tested and proven yourself.
- Don’t talk down to them.
- Focus on giving value.
- Build your business team. Surround yourself with achievers.
- Outsource everything humanly possible.
- Remember, humility is a virtue, not a weakness. You aren’t always the smartest person in the room.
- Join Stompernet (It’s not open all the time, but click here to join the mailing list and be notified when you can get a membership)
- Read “Good To Great” by Jim Collins
Whales. Whales cruise slowly through the oceans of the world with no worries about any other fish. They are 
rich. They are untouchable. They make millions of dollars a year. They can put up a new offer, announce it, and Voila! They get rich again. They are connected. They hang out with sharks and whales, and have almost unlimited Joint Venture possibilities.
Advice for Whales: I have no advice for whales. I’m just trying to become one. Once I do, maybe I’ll come back and finish this article. Until then, I’ll focus on helping more Guppies and Tuna!
To your success,
Dave Sherwin
Friendly neighborhood Shark.
Wannabe Whale.
Was eaten more than once as a Guppy.
P.S. Get the tools you need to progress from Guppy to Whale at:
Twitter Traffic Guide
This is the slickest e-book of the year. I usually slap down my credit card reluctantly when I buy any e-book online, but this is easily the best 12 bucks I’ve spent online in a LONG time.
The Twitter Traffic Guide by Warner Carter (The Original Adventures In Internet Marketing guy) is a great book, and has tons of great twitter tools, resources, and ideas I’d never even thought of.
If you are wanting to build your twitter following, your e-mail list, and make more money, get it here:
Download the Twitter Traffic Guide here!
Enjoy!
Dave Sherwin
November 11: Lest we forget
And now for something completely different: this post has nothing to do with marketing. It’s about Veterans Day, or Remembrance day as it’s called in Canada, and Flanders Fields.
Growing up in Canada, Remembrance Day was always a day off school, but I would get annoyed with my dad because he would make us go down to the Senataph for the services conducted by the military. At that time I had no understanding or respect for what was going on.
Everybody wore a poppy. I haven’t been in Canada on November 11th for 17 years, but I hope they still wear poppies. The poppy is symbolic of Flanders Fields, and the tragic loss of life there in World War 1.
I think all Canadian children must have been taught the Poem: Flander Fields. If you haven’t heard it, here it is:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow 
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Now I’m a little older, I have a lot more respect for November 11th and why my dad dragged us kids down to a service that was very meaningful to him, who lost his favorite uncle and many other family members in World War 2.
So, I’m writing this blog post to honor all those that died, in many different countries, that you and I can be free. I’m also writing it to remind us all that November 11th is a day of Remembrance, a day of respect, and we should all spend some time honoring it, and remembering those that died, and continue to die, for our freedoms.
I’ll end with this Bryan Adams tribute song- if you live outside of Canada it’s likely the only Bryan Adams song you’ve never heard:
With respect,
Dave Sherwin
The 5 Best Personal Development Books Of All Time
What are the five best personal development books ever written? Well, I’m going to tell you. And you’re going to argue with me. And that’s fine, because, obviously, this is a very subjective topic. What’s best for me may not be best for you. But at the same time, there are those books that endure, that make huge impacts in many peoples lives, that are re-printed time and time again. Those books obviously have great influence if millions of people read them.
So without further ado, here is my list:
1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This book has probably influenced more people to achieve and be successful than any other book, and I’m not the only one who considers if one of the best personal development books ever written. Originally printed in 1937, it is STILL available in any book store, and is one of the top selling personal development books of all time. Many ultra-successful men and women consider the reading of this book one of the great milestones on their journey.
2. 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey. Voted the “#1 most influential book of the 20th Century, Dr. Covey’s book as a life-changer. If the definition of a good book is how much personal change it can create in one reading, this one has that kind of power. Definitely a must read.
3. As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. Published in 1902, this book has also withstood the test of time. Mark Victor Hansen says, “I have personally read As a Man Thinketh over 25 times. Timeless material.” You can find this one free online, but I recommend you buy a copy and read it with a hi-liter!
4. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Another book that has made an impact on society. To be frank, I only include it on the list because so many other people has been strongly influenced by it. I personally like it, and have read it more than once. I think there are now better relationship building books on the market. But hey, it’s hard to argue with the many decades of success this book has enjoyed.
5. Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins. He’s good. Get your hands on the book, or any other books or tapes by Anthony Robbins, and you won’t be disappointed. Tony Robbins is a master communicator and motivator. And hey, he can walk on hot coals.
So that’s my list, but I’d love to hear your comments, arguments, rebuttals, etc.
All I know is that a really good book can change your life forever, and all of these books have that kind of power. Please leave a comment, and add any books that you think belong on the list.
To your success,
Dave Sherwin
Lighthouse Marketer
Blogging and personal development goof-off.
5 Myths Of Warm Market Prospecting
I’ve heard a lot of debate about the whole “Warm Market” thing. Traditional network marketing guru’s seem to have a strong opinion that warm market prospecting is the only effective method, while the new marketers of the digital age think they’re crazy and can’t imagine going to their “friends and family” when they can access over a billion people online.
Here are the top five myths I’ve heard, and my take on each one:
1. You can only build a network marketing business in your warm market.
This one should simply be re-phrased to, “I can only build a network marketing business in MY warm market.” Because this is only said by traditionalists who don’t know any other way. There are just too many success stories in the online network marketing arena to back up that claim, here are just a few examples:
Mike Ray: 35,000 associates, million dollar club in his company
Mike Dillard: Million dollar plus yearly income
Mike Kentrolis: 6 months to $10,000 a month
Dan Putnam: Over 80,000 distributors in 2 years
Jaz Lai: 2,012 members in 18 months
Daegan Smith: $100,000 a month income within 3 years.
Harry Singh: $250,000 a year income within 2 years.
Dale Calvert: Million dollar plus yearly income using online systems.
Had enough? All of these people have created big teams and huge incomes using online systems like The Lighthouse Marketing System.
2. Nobody has built a big team online or with leads.
Again, this statement should simply be re-phrased to, “I don’t know anybody who builds online who’s successful.” Well, this is simply a matter of you not educating yourself on the current marketplace. They’re out there, but you haven’t met them yet.
3. Home meetings are the best way to build your business
This one is purely subjective. Have home meetings built massive teams? Absolutely. And if you love home meetings, go for it. But that doesn’t make it the best method for everybody, it just makes it the best for you. For me, home meetings are the WORST way to build my business. I’m a family man, and when I’m home I’m home. I love time with my wife and kids, and I’m busy with their sports, singing, church activities etc, and I want to keep it that way. Because I build my business online, my home remains a home, and my online systems work for me 24/7, building my business automatically.
4. Weekly hotel meetings are essential for network marketing growth.
This is another very subjective thing. According to Randy Gage, weekly meetings are only effective in the start up phase of a business. After that they become a hang out for “professional meeting attenders,” and the meeting numbers stay fairly flat while core people meet weekly to show off their new clothes and cars to each other. But the ratio of guests to distributors is terrible.
So if you love a weekly meeting, go for it! But to assume it’s essential for growth is to deny the success of the list cited above (which is a list off the top of my head, if I put some effort into it I could give you countless other examples.)
5. It’s a relationship business.
Now here’s where I’m going to get in some hot water. What if that statement isn’t true? It’s one of the core beliefs of traditional network marketers, but let’s analyze it for a minute.
Why is network marketing considered a relationship business? I mean, all network marketing is is a network of distributors recommending products or services to others, who then do the same. In the end, will these people buy the products or services because of a relationship, or because of the merits of the products themselves? Remember, every company out there believes their product or service is strong enough to stand up in the marketplace regardless of whether there’s a compensation plan attached or not, right? So it stands to reason that people will continue to use a good product even if they DISLIKE the person who told them about it.
So the fact is that the person who actually will make the most money isn’t the one who builds the most relationships, but the person who has the most volume in their organization. It’s a brutal reality, but there it is.
But before you go screaming that Dave Sherwin is some heartless marketing monster, I’m really not. I love people. I just choose to build my business online. And the fascinating paradox of this warm market vs. online marketing debate, is that my “warm market” is bigger than it’s ever been! I have friends all over the WORLD! I have distributors in countries I haven’t even visited! After all is said and done, I have more relationships than ever before because of online network marketing.
So if you are fascinated by the world of online network marketing, go for it! It works, it’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it’s VERY profitable.
To your success,
Dave Sherwin
Lighthouse Marketer
Blogging and online network marketing junky.
How To Create A Channel On Youtube
Want to create a channel on youtube? It’s easy, even for a 40+ wannabe geek like me. Creating your own custom channel allows you to differentiate yourself by having a unique page designed with your own look and feel. You can see what I did here:
http://www.youtube.com/lighthousemarketer
I actually did it all by myself, I didn’t even need my kids to help me. Wow. You can probably tell how proud I am of myself. But enough about me! Let me tell you step by step how to create your own channel on youtube.
All youtube accounts include a channel. But it’s BORING! Lame! It needs work!
So here’s what you do:
Preparation: Open a youtube account, and fill in a COMPLETE profile, including a picture of yourself. If you’re a marketer, DON’T be obnoxious and put a picture of your product or a pile of cash or something- use a real picture of yourself. Even if you think you’re ugly. People like people that are REAL. Throw your self conscious baggage out the window and show yourself!
Creating your channel on youtube:
Step 1: Log into youtube.com
Step 2: Click on the “Account” icon in the upper right, then choose the More option.
Step 3: On the left, under the “My Channel” heading, choose the Channel Design option.
Step 4: Choose a theme. This is really just the color scheme. Choose the colors you like best.
Step 5: Choose the “Layout Properties.” This is where you choose what boxes you want to display, just go ahead and choose all the options you want. As you make changes, they will be reflected on the right side of the screen, so you can see how it will look when you’re done.
Step 6: Advanced Design options. Here you can choose things like specialized color schemes, background images, etc. I have an avatar I used as a background, and was even able to adjust the background transparency so that my avatar shows through. That did require me to change the color of the font though so you could still read it. Just play around with these settings until it looks good to you. If you want a custom background image but don’t have one handy, go to www.photobucket.com or www.blingee.com to get yourself an image. When you’re done designing, hit the Update Channel icon in the lower left.
Step 7: Take note of your video channel URL so you can show off your new channel! Just click on the “Channel Info” icon in the My Account area and your URL will display at the very top of the window. It will look something like mine:
http://www.youtube.com/lighthousemarketer
Now all of the videos you create can show up in your channel, along with any other videos of you choose! It’s a great way to show off your own videos, and display them in a unique way that doesn’t look just like every other boring page on youtube.
To your success,
Dave Sherwin
Lighthouse Marketer
Blogging and online network marketing junky.
Personal Development Success Through 3 Simple Habits
Achieving personal development success has been a 20 year challenge for me. I was introduced to the concept of personal development when a company I worked for sent me to a seminar. A gentleman by the name of Mort Utley spoke, and it was something else! I was totally inspired. Of course, the enthusiasm ended abruptly at the first door I had to knock on for that company. Motivation gone.
Since that time I have experienced years of unstructured personal development and sporadic self growth.
The turning point came when I was introduced to Jim Rohn, and learned the “habits” of personal development, which are:
1. Read 10 pages of a good book every day.
2. Listen to 20 minutes of a good audio every day.
3. Attend a self improvement seminar every 90 days.
Wow! When I heard that I realized that was the missing link for me. I liked personal development, it helped me be more positive and optimistic, more organized, a better husband and father, and over come negative thinking; but I had never made a habit of it. The really powerful part of this simple plan was the realization that I could do it. It sounded easy. I realized that I could easily fit that simple program into my life.
Since that time, I’ve really been able to implement personal development into my life, and have read a ton of books, like:
You Were Born Rich- Bob Proctor
Think And Grow Rich- Napoleon Hill
As A Man Thinketh- James Allen
The Attractor Factor- Joe Vitale
The Dream Giver- Bruce Wilkinson
Seeing Is Believing- Wayne Dyer
I also love biographies, and have read the life stories of Andrew Carnegie, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Einstein, Steve Jobs, Lance Armstrong, Buddha, Benjamin Franklin, Henry David Thoreau, and many others. Each of these has inspired and helped me in every area, spiritually, mentally, socially, and in my health and wealth.
So I hope these three habits motivate you like they did me. Because personal development success is kind of like taking a shower, it’s not something you can do monthly! It has to be done daily to really work.
And if you’ve never heard Jim Rohn speak before, you’re missing out! See what I mean:
To your personal development success,
Dave Sherwin
Lighthouse Marketer
Twitwall, another great twitter tool
Just found twitwall, and I’m adding it to my list of “cool twitter tools.” Let’s put it in the “Why didn’t I think of that!?” category. It’s a must have tool for anybody in the online network marketing arena.
A very simple idea, it’s just like funwall in Facebook. Twitwall is great for anything that’s too long to tweet, or short posts that you might want to embed video or include media in.
If you already have a twitter account, you don’t even have to do anything! It uses your existing twitter login info. Go there now and check it out!
And make sure and follow me on twitter! http://twitter.com/escapethematrix
Dave Sherwin
Twittering, social marketing fool.
5 Kewl, FREE Twitter Tools
5 Kewl Twitter Tools
If you’re “Twittering,” here’s five twitter tools that you’ll really enjoy. (If you’re not Twittering, ouch! Time to get moving!)
Twitter is one of the most powerful, fun, and effective online network marketing tools available today, and it’s only going to get more popular and powerful. These tools will help you maximize it:
1. Tweetlater. This handy, free twitter tool allows you to schedule multiple tweets for later posting. It also allows you to auto-follow and auto-welcome others. Of course, it’s a great idea to give a free gift to those that follow you.
2. Twittergrader. This tools grades your profile. I got a grade of 92 out of 100. That would be an “A” in High School, so I’m proud of myself. Of course, if it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t tell you about it! Go there now and get your grade!
3. Twitdir. This Twitter Directory helps you find people, either by real name or screen name. Use it to serach for people in your niche, or centers of influence. Then go ahead and follow them, and if you’re sneaky, go ahead and follow those that follow them!
4. Your Twitter Karma. Un-follow those that don’t follow you. Twitter has a max of 2,000 people that you can follow until 2,000 are following you! So use this tool to get rid of the dead wood.
5. Tweetbeep. This tool is similar to Google alerts. Just register, then enter what you want to keep track of, such as industry specific key-terms, your company, web-site, even your own name. That way, You’ll always know what’s going on in your web world.
So enjoy these free twitter tools, and feel free to follow me on twitter! http://twitter.com/escapethematrix
To your “Twitter” success! Dave Sherwin
Generating FREE MLM Leads
Do you generate your own MLM leads? The fact is, most network marketers stop building their business after burning through their “warm market,” and now they either become a good prospector or they hound the same people over and over and become a member of the NFL (No Friends Left!) Generating your own MLM leads can be the difference between owning and renting your prospecting efforts.
Here’s some good reasons to generate your own mlm leads:
1. You will always have fresh prospects to talk to.
2. Your prospects will be more qualified than “purchased” leads. (No more data entry or furniture assembly “work from home” leads!)
3. Your leads will always be real time, something lead stores charge extra for.
4. Once you master the skill, you can scale up your efforts, the more leads you get, the more recruits!
So how to you do it? Well, you just need a few tools and a little bit of internet savvy. Here are the things you’ll need:
1. A capture page that offers something of interest to your target audience.
2. A “Back Office” that stores your leads, and allows you to take notes, categorize, e-mail, and sort.
3. An auto-responder that automatically sends follow up messages to your prospects.
The easiest way to get a capture page is to simply use an existing one. You can either join an affiliate program that offers an item for sale that only MLM marketers are interested in, or purchase an online lead generation system. If you have the skills, you can build your own, just make sure the headline is great, your offer is strong, and that your lead capture box converts visitors into leads.
The back office should have plenty of boxes to capture info into, such as additional e-mails, phone numbers, spouse information, categorization methods (hot leads, drip file, source, etc.) and should allow you to take notes on your contact with the prospect.
The auto-responder should contain pre-written e-mails, and must be well written and give your prospect information that they want, not just the sales pitches that you want to give them. You should also be able to send out regular “blasts,” one time messages that go out to all your leads at the same time, offering specials, news, announcements etc.
And if you don’t feel like building this all yourself, and you want a duplicable user friendly system, just go to:
http://escapethematrix.net/lms
To your success,
Dave Sherwin
Lighthouse Marketer
Blogging and online network marketing junky.
