Jeff Atkins on 25 Years in MLM and Attraction Marketing Secrets
Jeff Atkins is a network and internet marketing warrior. In our interview we discuss his struggle in MLM, Attraction Marketing and SEO secrets.
Thank you so much for doing this interview, Jeff! I have been watching your blog over the years and truly am impressed with your tenacity, expertise, and personal story.
So, let’s get started!
How old is your blog, how many posts are on it, and what kind of Leads is it generating on a daily basis?
After 2 months of studying online marketing from the time I woke up until I went to bed I purchased my domain (jeffatkinsblog.com) on March 10th, 2014… so about 2 and a half years old now.
I would say I have less than 100 posts currently which goes to show its about quality not quantity. I know of blogs with thousands of posts that don’t get quality traffic.
That being said it is an area I’d like to dedicate more time to developing… As you start to grow and your team grows time becomes more and more of a commodity… I have incredible respect for bloggers who create daily content.
As for the kind of leads there are mainly 3 categories of people I regularly get but they are all very similar in that they have hit a brick wall in their recruiting in their warm market and are actively searching for a solution…
So what I know about these folks right away are 1.) they are sold out on Network Marketing 2.) they’re frustrated but they’re not a quitter 3.) they are coachable and looking for answers. Sounds like a great partner to be in business with doesn’t it?
Most people aren’t looking to leave their company though… they love their company, product, service, upline, etc…
They just need to be pointed in the right direction… So I point… I never try to break up a happy marriage… Some people however, call me up after reading some articles or watching a video and they are asking me to be their sponsor and teach them online marketing…
Completely different world today than when I used to try to convince my friends and family to join my opportunity…
What has been the best free SEO hack that you’ve implemented on your blog?
I wouldn’t exactly call them hacks but Yoast SEO makes things much easier and prevents oversights… AMI Headline Analyzer is also a great tool to help you create captivating headlines that get people to click on your search results…
You mention on your “About” page that you failed 19 times in network marketing over 24 years. That’s a novel in itself! What finally changed for you to start finding success in MLM?
Well a couple things actually and ironically they kind of contradict each other…
My number one breakthrough was when I stopped trying to do it all myself… I grew up doing sales jobs and eventually started my own marketing company… not bragging but I know how to sell…
I would look at the people fumbling their presentations and not knowing the answers to simple comp plan questions who were building massive teams and I immediately thought “If they are having success I’m going to crush this thing…”
My pride and ego got in the way of plugging into a system… so I would do a bang up job SELLING my prospect and they would sign up on the spot…
Then they would go missing never sponsoring a single person and therefore there wasn’t any duplication… they couldn’t see themselves doing what I did… I was the problem…
When I finally got a mentor who was willing to show me some tough love in a masterful way I made the decision to become a student… I learned to be interested instead of interesting… a farmer not a hunter… and my results followed suit…
#2 was embracing online marketing… I wanted to do it for years but every time I attempted to dive into the online world my upline would discourage it… and because of my decision to be a good student I followed my upline’s advice…
Even though I knew the world we live in today was much different than the world he had developed his success in and he wasn’t tech savvy so he couldn’t offer any value to me in the online area… I don’t blame him…
You can’t teach something you don’t understand… but I saw what Ray Higdon was doing and the MASSIVE success he was having and decided to follow an additional mentor. I got connected to Ray through Steve Krivda and MLSP and I haven’t looked back.
What were the 3 hardest lessons you learned from failing 19 times?
Definitely getting out of my own way was the hardest… Learning to Say LESS to MORE People and improving my listening skills… and learning to discipline my disappointment when it came to certain friends and family not joining me…
It’s funny how we can look at MLM differently than we do other ways of earning money… If I was a teacher or attorney I wouldn’t expect my friends and family to join me as a teacher or attorney… its for anyone but not for everyone…
Are you promoting just MLM with your blog, or do you also promote an educational platform, such as My Lead System Pro, Elite Marketing Pro, or another Affiliate offer?
So many of the tools we need to use in order to create success or to make processes more convenient are offered through companies that offer affiliate commissions…
I think it only makes sense to offer those types of services… MLSP is a great example… They offer a tremendous value from both an educational standpoint and from what you save from purchasing the tools separately…
I know there are bloggers that will offer whatever the offer of the day is but I have to not only believe in the offer I also have to use it on a regular basis… anything I offer on my blog I would also offer if they didn’t pay a commission.
What’s your favorite social media platform right now and why?
Social Media is an ever changing environment… There are opportunities to utilize all of the top platforms… For me and my target audience I think it’s hard to beat facebook for the level of engagement you can create and the ease of advertising to a very targeted demographic… that being said the one that’s best for you is the one you are going to be actively engaged with…
What’s your favorite product to promote and why?
This is an easy one… ME… The one and ONLY thing I have to offer people that they can’t get anywhere else is me…
If you think about it Erik, your prospects can join your company through countless other reps… the products and services you offer are available all over the internet… as professional networkers the only variable is YOU…
So making time for those who need and deserve your time is crucial… Out friend everyone else and provide massive value… when you give someone more value than they are receiving from their next door neighbor, their co-worker, or whoever sponsored them, you become their mentor by default… focus on the relationship and it will lead to results.
If someone is new to MLM and wants to do everything through blogging, what would you tell them?
Blogging is a great, if not the best, foundational tool i’ve discovered… You can accomplish great things with just a blog itself… but once you build the foundation I would encourage them to consider adding complimentary supplements…
Social media, YouTube, and paid advertisements all have their merits and amplify your results… in the online marketing world 1+1=3
You also offer coaching and mentoring. What option would you suggest to a beginner in internet marketing and also someone who is more advanced?
Everyone needs a mentor… anyone who can be classified as successful can point to at least one person, but more likely several, in their lives they can call mentors…
I would suggest an introductory call for the beginner to get set on the appropriate course of action to begin their education on solid ground…
There’s so much bad or outdated information out there it’s hard to discern the difference when you’re first getting started.
For the more advanced marketer it may be that you just need an accountability partner and a sounding board for ideas just to make sure your not missing something…
I know for myself all of my ideas sound great in my mind at first but some end up being tossed out after conversing for a few minutes with someone else who understands online marketing…
Sometimes just hearing yourself talk through the project helps you to realize a better direction or confirms that its an incredible idea.
What’s your favorite business book right now and why?
The trendy answer would probably be The 10X Rule but I enjoy more esoteric books so my latest recommendation is Antifragile by Nassim Taleb.
Taleb states that the 3 most harmful addictions are Heroin, Carbohydrates, and a monthly salary… America has gotten away from taking risks… we need to re-familiarize ourselves with taking educated risks…
We have risks all around us and because they are part of our daily lives we overlook them while other risks we don’t take are often much less risky than the ones we take daily… we are too fragile and need to become Antifragile and his book is a must read.
What are your goals for 2017?
2016 has been a great year… we’ve been able to build our team over 10,000 people… transitioning from full-time recruiter to supporting other leaders while maintaining a degree of recruiting is a challenge I’m looking forward to conquering… My big hairy audacious goal for 2017 is helping 100 people earn a 6 figure income…
What is your favorite quote and why?
I have many favorites but the one I use most often is “Do something each day that your future self will thank you for.”
I believe that you have a obligation to society to be the best YOU that you can be and to do that we must take daily deliberate actions in an attempt to improve the future for not only ourselves and our family but the world in general…
If you can go to bed knowing that you made progress towards a worthwhile goal then you had a successful day, otherwise decide to do better tomorrow.
This has been an incredible interview, Jeff! So many nuggets of wisdom.