Terry Neraasen on Attraction and Affiliate Marketing Principles
Terry Neraasen has a PHd and was an Executive at a major Canadian Conservation organization when he discovered internet marketing. Read his unique story below in our exclusive interview.
Thank you so much, Terry for doing this interview! You will help out a lot of people that are struggling with internet marketing and actually making money from it. So, let’s get started with the interviewing questions!
You are obviously a smart guy having earned a PhD and climbing to executive in a major conservation organization. But first, what was life like growing up and were your parents Entrepreneurs?
I grew up and went to school in small towns in Southern Alberta except for a couple of years (Grades 7 and 8) when we lived in Southeastern British Columbia.
My Dad was an aircraft mechanic during WWII and after the war worked at various jobs that had us moving from one place to another.
The majority of his employment was with agricultural implement manufacturers as truck driver and then salesman.
After I left home to go to the University of Alberta in Edmonton, my folks and younger siblings moved to the US, living variously in Colorado, Washington State, Montana and Oklahoma.
My High School graduating class totaled 10 people so the schools I attended were quite small. The only athletic program we had was basketball which was the biggest sport in the area.
Outside of the school baseball was a big draw so even our little towns fielded some pretty good Little League teams.
In that country the outdoor rinks for hockey were very short lived because the the really cold winter period was pretty short and often interrupted by Chinook winds that melted the ice or at the least coated it with dust so skating on it felt like your blades were glued to the surface.
The closest my folks got to entrepreneurship was a failed attempt to run a gas station and auto repair shop. My dad went into partnership with his uncle, who turned out to like his drink way too much and the business never really got off the ground.
So I really had no exposure to business from that angle. I was always at the top of my classes so I was encouraged to head of to University after high school.
I really liked science and biology so that was the direction I was channeled. In retrospect I sure could have used some advice regarding the professions like medicine, engineering and business commerce.
When was the first time you were introduced to network marketing, and did you go “all in” when you started?
One of my cousins introduced me to network marketing about 15 years ago. While the business model appealed to me and I liked the products (both my wife and I still use a couple of them), I really only joined her as a favor to her.
And I wanted to check this MLM thing out. I had never been exposed to it and knew nothing about it. I probably would have ignored it completely had I been exposed to it while I was in corporate life. I was doing what I liked and was enjoying it immensely.
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What was the first couple years like in network marketing and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?
I learned quickly that you cannot convince anyone they need a network marketing business anymore than you can coerce anyone into quitting smoking. They must have a strong desire do it on their own.
I also quickly realized that the traditional methods everyone taught were ineffective. I thought that was more related to the people I knew then it was to the systems themselves.
But I have come to realize snowing people under with a presentation about the product the plan and the company, regardless of how slick and professional it might be, was absolutely useless. It was undoubtedly why 90% plus of aspiring network marketers failed.
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You realized at one point, that leading with the “income” or the “product” didn’t matter. You needed to offer something else, which you discovered through Attraction Marketing. What is Attraction Marketing and how do you implement it?
Actually I realized that if all you have to offer is your network marketing opportunity, using the traditional MLM recruiting methods did not work very well. Playing what amounted to a numbers game in multi-level marketing wasn’t something I wanted to do any more.
Attraction marketing is based on the Law of Attraction. I like Haanel’s definition (The Master Key System Part Two).
Simply put the Law is that Mind is creative and will automatically correlate with its object. Since thinking is the only activity Mind possesses, then thoughts are creative also.
Consequently the predominant thoughts you persistently hold in your mind, either positive or negative, will create your reality.
Like attracts like so if you earnestly desire some objective and think about it always, then this mind force will attract to you the people, methods and resources necessary for its achievement.
So attraction marketing borrows from this concept and is based on the idea that your marketing efforts are aimed at a group of people who are specifically looking for what you have to offer.
You target such people with content and advertising that appeals to their needs and wants. They are thus attracted to you and what you have.
This target market is usually very much like you, with similar likes, dislikes and needs, adding to the like attracts like idea.
Attraction marketing is most often touted as the way to get free leads as a result of organic traffic from people searching for a solution to a problem they want to solve. Once attracted, the job of the marketer is to make it clear he or she has the solution and to establish a relationship so the potential “customer” buys from them rather than the hundreds of other places it can be obtained.
One of the best ways to attract potential customers is through a blog that provides good content related to what your customers want.
You can collect names and emails and build a list that you own with a self hosted blog. Following up with a good autoresponder series and continuing to provide content on the blog will help establish long term relationships with the members on your list. You have heard that “the money’s in the list” and that is absolutely true.
How long did you do MLM before you discovered Elite Marketing Pro and what is it?
I worked at MLM for a couple of years before I began to go online and experiment with internet marketing. In the process I looked at, participated in and eventually rejected a number of “systems”. I was guilty of chasing shiny objects.
I settled on Elite Marketing Pro (EMP) in early 2014. I had purchased a couple of products created by Ferny Ceballos, one of the EMP founders.
I liked and found the products useful and that influenced my decision. Elite Marketing Pro is a marketing platform that provides training, coaching and a blogging platform.
There are training courses and webinars that provide training in various marketing strategies. Social Media, Video, Pay Per View, blogging, etc were crucial. It has something for beginners right on up to experts.
EMP is an affiliate program so the products inside can be marketed by all affiliates to earn income; earn as you learn so to speak.
There is a ready made personalized blog available to all affiliates. It allows people to learn how to build a list and make some money while doing it.
Most members are network marketers who need to have something to offer the leads they attract in order to build a list. The idea is that some of those people will also be interested in the network marketing opportunity as well.
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You state that you “master one lead generation technique, and move on to the next.” How do you do that with EMP?
EMP provides basic training in various marketing methods as I said. Members can also purchase the products they are interested in and really immerse themselves in the method of choice.
At the Elite level all products are available to the members for use and for sale. When I say move on to the next I don’t want to leave the impression one should try to master many.
Choose one o maybe two such as social media marketing and blogging, and concentrate on them. It is a mistake to spread yourself too thin.
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Also, I have heard a lot of top marketers say this: “It is just as easy selling a $10,000 dollar product as it is a $27 dollar product.” Is that true and how can people sell these high-ticket products effectively?
It is basically true but regardless of sticker price, you have to know what you are doing. If you have done a great job of identifying the target market for a high ticket item it doesn’t take any more time or effort than a $27 ebook.
That is the big IF because there are probably fewer people willing and able to purchase a $10,000 item. However, the payoff with a high ticket item is so much greater. You also have to look at the time and expense as a relative thing.
For instance, if I were marketing a $10K item (and I do as a matter of fact) I could spend a lot more on a PPC campaign than I could if the payoff was a few bucks. The effort and expertise required for either would be about the same.
There is another reason marketers say that. Many people have fallen for the “free road to riches” story perpetrated online.
As a result those people have an aversion to spending any money on marketing or training. The fact is there is no such thing as a free lead, free ride or anything free in marketing. There is a cost to everything. The saying that time is money is very true.
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You are on a “mental diet” right now. What does that mean to you, and how important is mindset for online business success?
A positive mental attitude and a definite purpose are essential for success in any endeavor, business or otherwise.
I have learned that the mantra you hear so often of “take massive action and don’t give up and you will succeed” is really NOT the ticket to success. What you need first is a very clearly defined purpose for doing what you do backed by a burning desire for its attainment.
Once that is clearly established you will need a plan backed by continuous action, a mind closed tightly to negative suggestions and discouraging comments of friends and acquaintances, and finally, a friendly mastermind of one or more people who will encourage and assist you with both plan and purpose. That should be familiar if you have read Think and Grow Rich. That is an exercise, not a book.
Any idea (purpose) you hold in your mind and charge it with emotion (desire) becomes a belief. You develop faith that you can achieve your objectives as a result of that. Actions you take then will eventually lead to achievement.
That is cause and effect; the Law of Attraction in operation. Most people who think massive action and a never quit attitude is the road to success end up working on the actions (changing up the marketing methods), rather than on their beliefs and defining their purpose (the cause, the world within).
That is backwards and leads to self perpetuating failure. Just ask anyone who has made resolution after resolution about losing weight or quitting smoking how well that works.
What is the main benefit of promoting both MLM and an Affiliate product?
As I said earlier, the advantage of combining and affiliate program like Elite Marketing Pro with a network marketing opportunity is twofold.
The EMP program provides training and an opportunity to create an income stream fairly quickly and to build a list of people, some of whom will join your networking business.
The affiliate income can offset marketing costs as you get your business up and running. Having more than one income stream provides important diversity.
If one stream dries up for some reason the others will help keep you going while you make adjustments.
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How old is your blog, how many posts are on it, and what is your daily traffic like?
I have several blogs and have had a number of others over the past 8 years. I must admit this is not a good situation. When I began online, the approach I took was to develop a blog focused on a particular product or niche and so put up several.
That was a mistake because when any of those went sideways, I had to develop something else. And having several at the same time diluted my efforts.
That continues to be the case. As a result the traffic I get is well below what I need or want. I’m in the process of consolidating and focusing on my main site.
Two of my blogs are a about a year old while the third one is about three years old. They generate an average of 200 unique visits per week.
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Does your blog generate leads and how many?
They generate a trickle of leads (1-2 leads/day at best) but over time they will improve my lead gen.
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What is your favorite book right now and why?
Three are at the top of my list: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Standing Tall – Acquiring The 13 Riches of Life Effortlessly by Mark Januszewski.
The first two are classics and are also the parent material for the personal develop industry that burgeoned after their publication. Both are designed to be read and assimilated as courses for development and manifestation of your true potential.
They are textbooks not diversions. The third is similar and will in time be a classic as well. Why are these my favorites right now; because I am done with failure and achieving below my potential.
These books and the exercises they push me to undertake in conjunction with The Master Key Master Mind Alliance and Go90Grow, are making a huge difference in my life right now.
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What are your goals for 2023?
In short to generate the equivalent of $100,000 per year from affiliate and network marketing by the end of 2023. That would be an ideal MLM and direct selling income goal for the year, or at least by early 2024.
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What is your favorite quote and why?
I ask not for gold or garments or even opportunities equal to my ability; instead guide me so that I may acquire ability equal to my opportunities. (Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman In The World).
I like this because I agree that success comes only with growth, stepping out of your comfort zone into the unknown and meeting challenges as opportunities. I take responsibility for my life.
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Thank you so much for this interview, Terry! I learned a lot from this interview and I am sure my readers did also!