Social Media Is Not A Fad, It is For Real

With over 600 million users and thousands being added every minute, Facebook is the most powerful communication platform on earth. It recently passed Google in terms of number of searches and has fast become more of a business platform versus a platform of embarrassing pictures of your high school prom. Twitter is adding 10,000 users a day and has become the dominant way to become discovered again by search. YouTube is the dominant video platform on earth. Just think, you can create a video and reach billions of people with one click. Wikpedia is THE Encyclopedia, the domimant resource in the world. Sound like a fad, I think not.

Colleges and universities are adding Social Media as a certification and even as a bachelor's program, marketing programs are changing, journalism degrees are going away and 99% of all college students use Facebook and Wikipedia for all of their research. Is this a fad? Pretty Powerful...

In the business world, Social Media Management is a job now and every company that is serious about surviving today's economy needs to divert their marketing and advertising budget toward personnel and social media tools to help stay relevant. It baffles me today when I meet someone and they don't have a website or think Facebook is for kids. Well, I hope they will be ready for retirement considering they will probably be out of business soon. Businesses still need to have a balance of print advertisement and online social media promotions but the shift is on. Where social media distiguishes itself is that it helps business build a relationship with their affiliates, partners and customers that a print advertisement does not do.

Social Media is the real deal just as the mobile device is today and electricity was long ago. It is simply the new age of sales, marketing and communication. Enjoy the ride!

Are We Really Ready to Join The Cloud?

The hottest buzz word in Information Technology today is Cloud Computing. Read any technical magazine from CIO to ComputerWorld to Information Week and the word on the street is that everyone is migrating from client/server applications running in their own data center to a cloud computing environment at an infrastructure provider. We are currently going through the same transition and technology paradigm we did back in the early 1990s when companies were migrating critical applications from large distributed systems like mainframes and AS/400s to client /server on Windows or UNIX servers.

Cloud Computing, in particular Elastic Cloud Computing, makes a tremendous amount of sense for companies that have business applications that are cyclical in demand (i.e. retailers or accounting firms). I know from experience working as a system administrator at a large retailer that on Black Friday, we really put our infrastructure and network bandwidth to test. But then there are other times in the year where the systems sit at 10-15% utilization. A big waste of green money from an environmental and financial perspective. Paying for computing resources like we do for electricity is a great concept. In terms of risk, the thinking is that data security and control of the environment are the reasons not to move critical applications to the cloud. Both risks have been addressed recently by leading vendors like Amazon, Google and others.

The reason I am asking the question if we are really ready to join the cloud is a result of the huge outage Amazon had yesterday with their EC2 platform. The outage affected the web properties for over a hundred companies. I do not know the details why there was such a big outage but my thought regarding risk in addition to security and control is availability. When working with a cloud vendor, understand the contingencies in place to make sure the cloud vendor meets service levels. It is always assumed that you should have a service and operational level agreement in place and if they are not met, then the cloud vendor should be financially responsible. One of the contingencies that should be in place are multiple electrical grids and internet service providers available in the data center facility where the cloud infrastructure are supporting your critical applications.

So in a nutshell, if you take into account security, control and availability, the cloud is the way to go especially if you are a web property and are running a Software As a Service. Don't let yesterday's outage make you run back to a mainframe, learn from it, and make your cloud vendor accountable so you do not experience an outage like that with your own applications.

China is Kicking Our Butt, So What Are You Going to Do About It?

China is now the second largest economy in the world, right behind the USA, after passing Japan in 2010. Their economy is growing 9% annually while ours is stagnant, with little or no employment growth and terrifying debt. While we are having problems with foreclosures and jobs getting sent offshore, China's residential growth is astronomical and they are adding jobs in a frenzied pace. Shanghai will be the world's largest city by 2025 passing Tokyo. New York City is not even close. China owns around 60% of the USA debt. So those are the some of the economic facts, however, China is kicking our butt in network marketing too.

I was at the Market America convention in North Carolina this past year and learned a lot. I was excited for new developments in my network marketing business, but was also alarmed at the same time how there was a distinct difference in the success of my Chinese colleagues versus the Americans in the business. On a Friday night after the convention was done for the day, back at the hotel, the difference was pretty evident. The American distributors were busy drinking at the bar, swimming in the pool, and generally wasting time doing nothing. The Chinese distributors were having business meetings otherwise known as corings, were mingling with the executives of Market America and generally doing everything they can to make sure they bring their business to the next level after the convention.

At Market America, we have something called The Power Profiles (http://www.thepowerprofiles.com) which showcases successful people in our business. Take a look and what do you notice? The majority of the big money earners are Chinese. Some have come to America with nothing but the clothes on their back and are now making over a million dollars with their Market America business.

I am always looking for entrepreneurial professionals to partner with in my business. I am determined that my Market America business will help me and my business partners retire much earlier than they would if they worked the typical corporate career. The challenge I have had is finding the right people. When I introduce my business to an American colleague, the usual excuses why they cannot do the business always come up. They have no time, no money, they are all set and most of all "is it a pyramid?"... Dumb, just dumb. Meanwhile, they are wasting time watching "Dancing With the Stars" or comfortable with their stagnant life of going to their job making the top of their pyramid (the president or owner of their company) richer. Another example? Go to a Casino. Americans want the easy way out and hope they hit a jackpot even after they dumped their paycheck on a little video poker. By the way... how many Chinese people you see there?

I am sure I am striking a nerve with some people. Instead of getting angry about it, do something about it. Look to China and their drive to be successful and duplicate it yourself. Small business is alive and well and will be the only thing to get us out of this terrible economy. So do want China to claim that they are number one in 2025 or are you going to shut your TV off and look at ways to become more successful whether it is through network marketing or other entrepreneurial ventures?

China is Kicking Our Butt, So What Are You Going to Do About It?

I'll Pat Your Back and You Can Pat Mine, But Please Don't Burp

I have been going to Networking Events for the past four years and think I have evolved into a pretty decent networker. Even though I have a couple of businesses that are my lifeblood toward hopefully a nice retirement, I do not go to events today thinking of how many prospects, business cards and follow-ups I can get. However, that was not the case a few years ago, when I would go to an event, meet some business owners, and before I even know their name, I would spill the beans about what I do. An example is this scenario, "Hello I am Jeff DeSocio, I sell Isotonix, Torch, Transitions supplements, save money for my customers shopping online, help small businesses with their websites and are looking for people that want to start a network marketing business. Uh, and what is your name.....". How would I know what their interests are, why are they even there, and if anything I said register?

What I learned over the years, is the art of networking is just like politics. You know, the old "I'll pat your back if you pat mine" Politics have been around for centuries so why did it take me years to figure it out? So, instead now, I like to go to events and simply get to know the people I meet on a personal basis and always ask what they like to accomplish at the networking event. My rule of thumb is to pat their back first. With the following I have today with over 1100 LinkedIn connections and 500 Facebook friends, chances are, I will know somebody that they can connect to, to accomplish their goal. After the connection, they would have a good feeling about me and when they come across a referral that needs my services, I would be the first person they think of and they will go ahead and pat my back.

So what do I mean by the saying "Please Don't Burp". It simply states that you should try to balance how much you and a networking contact/referral help each other out. Don't ask for ten favors while they only ask for one or two. Maintain a balance. If you cannot do that, move onto to another networking connection you have. So, take a look at the people you have met so far and always work toward trying to help them out first before thinking of yourself. While meeting new people at an upcoming networking event, listen, learn and think about how you can help them. If you do, you will get help in return, no questions asked.

Leaders Need to Listen More

I went to Tri State Expo in Rhode Island this past week and the keynote speaker was Barry Libert, an entrepreneur/ investor and founder of Open Matters. Barry focused on why leaders of companies, small businesses and even sales teams need to listen more. I have seen a lot of inspirational speakers in the past, but this simple statement made more sense than anything else I have heard in a while.

As a small business owner, I am generally guilty of not listening enough. At a networking event, I used to go right into my sixty second elevator pitch before I have any idea why the other person is even at the networking event. I would mention that I sell websites & social media solutions for small businesses and also sell health & wellness products to consumers, before even knowing if the person I am talking to is even there. Honestly, how would I even know if the person I am talking to even needs what I have to offer? So I adjusted my sixty second pitch to ask more questions and build a relationship with the people I meet at networking events. I learned that as a leader in my industry and/or at my company when I am in a management/ director role, I need to listen to potential clients/employees before offering a solution. It only makes sense as Barry mentioned.

For anyone in sales, the first tip you learn is you need to listen to your potential client before even mentioning what you do. I always wished furniture and car salesman drill this in their head and stop selling and start listening. Make sure you get all the detail first before offering a solution.

At the corporate level, the communication between leaders and their subordinates are in dire straits. I have personally worked in corporate in various levels for the past twenty years and everywhere I worked, there always seems to be the old Berlin wall between anyone at a VP level or higher and the individual contributors. A leader at the executive level needs to listen to the professionals that work their job day in and day out to be able to gather enough data to make intelligent strategic decisions. So many times, leaders make decisions that put their companies in precarious situations that could have been avoided only if they listen. I have personally worked in five corporations so far in my career and only at one place, a large retailer based in Framingham, MA, did the president and CEO have an open breakfast with anyone that wanted to provide feedback, advice or ideas. It just so happens that of all the places I worked, this retailer based in Framingham is the most successful and to this day, the best place I have worked. Leaders here listened to their colleagues whether they were a director, manager, or individual contributor.

Finally, at the business expo, Barry kept referring to the people that did not attend his presentation that they were not listening or open to new ideas. He was right because no matter how much you know, you will never know enough. So whenever, you can, listen. Listen to others and you will build strong relationships and at the end have more success in what you do.

The Only Pyramids are in Egypt or Are They?

The word pyramid is synonymous with the network and internet marketing industry. Chances are if you own a network marketing business and are introducing the business to a prospect, the first question they ask is "Is it a Pyramid Scheme?". Unfortunately, you spend the next five to ten minutes explaining that it is not and that a Pyramid is the shape of pretty much every corporate or non-profit organization out there today. In loose terms it means the people at the top make all of the money.

So, sit back and think about your job, your real estate office, your church... who makes the most money? Chances are, it is the ones at the top of the "pyramid". So to answer the question in the title, yes the only pyramids are not in Egypt, they are all around us.

So what is network marketing anyway? I like to explain it as a way to market a product or service to your network. Your network can be family, friends, business associates, or even strangers. There are thousands of network marketing companies out there and it is considered the business of the 21st century. Why? Because it is much easier to have people in a 100% commission/ contractor role to move a product or service than to hire full-time employees to do the same. The contractor or distributor (which is the common term) runs it like a business where they spend money on training, marketing and products and make money through retail profit and commissions. A real network marketing company should not compensate for recruiting people into their organization. If it does, then it could actually be considered a pyramid in a different way, such as a Ponzi Scheme. I personally do not recommend network or internet marketing company that compensate for recruitment since there is less focus on the products and more on signing people into the business.

So the next time, you are approached about a network marketing opportunity, ask the appropriate questions such as what are products/ services, how is the training and organization, how does the compensation plan work and not is it a pyramid? You may figure it if the network marketing company is for you by asking intelligent questions. After all a network marketing company is a business just like pyramids like Target, Walmart, GE and others, but it gives the professionals at the bottom of the organization to make money like the people at the top of the pyramids!

Why Everyone Needs to Network More Than Ever

The concept of networking to meet people has been around since the Model T, however it has taken a new concept in the past two or three years with all of the social media tools available since you can meet more people in shorter time. Networking is the number one way to make connections today whether is to get a job, get a client, build a relationship, heck even to meet the love of your life. Heck, I met my wife through a friend which technically is networking!

The world is a different place today. There is a lot of competition out there, globally and even in your town. You may have the best product, be the best looking, are the best speaker, but if you do not know anybody, what good is it? The more people know about you the better chance you have to be more successful in what you do.

I am hoping my message goes out to the people that prefer to network when they only really have to, when they are unemployed, when their back is against the wall whether it is with their business or their personal life. One of the first statements I make to people when they mention they have a great new job, or landed the most lucrative client, is that they should network MORE THAN EVER. Networking is a great way to build a contingency plan if the great new job or new client falls through. You will be ahead of the game and be able to recover quickly since you would have a list of contacts that you can reach out for help.

To repeat, the world is a different place today. We may never go back to being a job creating machine like we were in the mid 1990s or mid 2000s. There is too much competition globally. Professionals in places like China, India, Romania are just as smart as us and they are much more cost effective. You need to build a contingency plan for yourself and diversify what you can do and most of all, WHO YOU KNOW. Since it isn't what you know, it is WHO YOU KNOW that will lead you to your ultimate success.