51 thoughts to “The Luck Formula [VIDEO]”

  1. Very good topic and presentation. Interesting that the late “guest” on the show exhibited this mentality so well (sadly) – “its not fair” because TE owners are cocky, TE owners don’t promote residual income (say what?), TE owners bash “my program”, TE owners don’t help the newbie, etc. etc. etc.

    You are responsible for your business and making your own luck. Obscure TE owners have no adverse affect on your business.

    Self improvement is critical in any entrepreneurial venture because there are so many whiners and haters out there – gotta keep the positive mojo flowing!

    Thanks for another great P1D Jon!

  2. The fact remains, as I pointed out to you a little while back, the starting line isn’t the same for everyone in this little market genre. There’s absolutely no denying that. And in any other field, that would indeed be considered not fair. In the stock market, insider trading is consider illegal. In sports, it would certainly wouldn’t happen. Only in this biz it seems okay. And pointing out this fact doesn’t make anyone part of any brigade as you’ve characterized. It’s merely pointing out that the same few people in this biz get a head start over the rest, every single time. Full stop. Now if you really want to change attitudes, why don’t you level the playing field? Now THAT would be a positive move!

      1. Am not entirely sure but the obvious would be to announce in advance a program is going to launch on a certain date down the road – a pre-launch maybe? Like when public companies announce material changes to everyone at once so everyone can react at the same time…?

          1. Yeah man, this is a good community šŸ™‚ A lot different from days of old lol I was the worst back then lol

    1. The starting line in this little market genre, as you call it, IS being a total newbie when it comes to online marketing. For traffic exchanges in particular, it’s learning how to use those exchanges to your advantage. In sports, it’s learning the physical skills necessary to perform that sport at the highest level you can. Trading? You learn the skills so that trading is profitable for you (and in this caae, you definitely need resources…can’t start here for free!) You use the examples of insider trading and sports, where they punish those who use ILLEGAL means to take advantage in their field…what is the “unfair advantage” present in this community that you think no one else can aspire to or achieve???

      1. Thanks for the response, Ellyn…..re: “…what is the ā€œunfair advantageā€ present in this community that you think no one else can aspire to or achieve???”

        Let’s say there is a race. And let’s say 3 people get informed in advance. Of course they show up early with the right shoes (tools) get warmed up and when the start whistle goes off – they’re off! The rest of the racers are not even aware the race is on – until AFTER it’s underway! Of course, nobody would stand for this. But this is Precisely what is happening in this genre. The same few people are “in the know” and spend days preparing in advance to “hit the ground running” the instant the race begins. But everyone else is caught flat footed. So of course, there is no way they can compete! I suspect this, and one or two other very glaring dysfunctions associated with this genre is why so many people are discouraged and leaving in DROVES….. look at the Alexa ratings – they speak volumes! I hope that helps…

        1. I appreciate your well thought out comments Louis – obviously this is something that you have observed for awhile. You may find out, or will discover over time, this true of ALL industries in which sales are involved.

          I wanted to be on the early announcement list that my favorite author’s new book was free for 2 days – I found out late. Why? Because I never bothered to sign up for her list. My friend Rip received a free beta version of a cool new software while I had to pay $29 for it. Why? Because he is a top affiliate with the software producer already. My friend Susan got free tickets to a VIP wine tasting event and I never even got notice of it. Why? Because she has bought cases of wine from this producer already.

          Do I have a right to get made in any of these scenarios? Not really. I could get mad anyway and scream at how the systems in life are completely unfair.

          In regards to the TE industry. If you have left and moved on to the blogging world or the IM industry or MLM, or whatever, you will find the exact same thing you found in the TE industry – a system that is far from imperfect. The reality is that most “systems” over-compensate top producers (look at the movie industry) while under-compensating up and comers.

          If you want to find injustice – you will find it. If you want to find success – you will find it. The path is yours to take.

          Lastly, as Jon mentioned – you really need to find a solution to your dilemma and SHARE it with the entire world.

          1. Lot’s of valid points there Kent… let me address this though… “Lastly, as Jon mentioned ā€“ you really need to find a solution to your dilemma and SHARE it with the entire world.” I have, thank you! Jon characterized and over generalized when he placed me into this group of losers he mentioned during this last podcast. This is simply not the case. Because I have found new, better sources of traffic, organic traffic which is not motivated by incentives to click – but click out of pure interest – THIS source is practically unknown but I suspect the word will spread soon enough – with this and using some other programs and working with owners (I manage FB pages for owners too busy to) I earn a good living. I am not complaining about life in general. I do though believe there are a couple of issues which create a great deal of dysfunction in this genre – which is in dire need of reforms. I mean – how else would you explain the horrendous turnover rates? I know, I know, owners always love to blame the victim here – call the members lazy, shiny object chasers – and that this explains the turnover. While that explains some of the problem, I can show how it is owners themselves and the horrendous recruiting methods they use which are also a large reason for the high turnover….

        2. OK, using your race analogy….

          A race is made up of runners (you said shoes, so I’m going with runners LOL). If one is going to call him/herself a runner and wants to participate in races, then I would think it would be THEIR responsibility to find out when and where those races are. They train with a coach to develop their skills, and most likely the coach lets them KNOW about the races. If they are brand new to running (like the newbie online marketer), the focus is on skill development first….learning what they need to know in order to compete.

          Now, I guess you could say what many do…”I don’t know what I don’t know, so I don’t know the right questions to ask” to find out about that race, or to be at that starting line with the others. Again, it’s a LEARNING process…just like a beginning runner would emulate the elite ones, newbie marketers start following and observing what the successful ones are doing.

          Here’s an example: There’s a guy I know from Facebook who was having bad luck in various opportunities/programs. He was in severe debt due to divorce, child support in arrears, etc., whole shooting match. He ended up joining the revshare/TE program, Traffic Monsoon, in April of last year. Now, this program is looked down upon by MANY in this community. Well, he started from scratch with that program, buying one ad pack at a time when he could, and promoting it to get referrals. He was watching what other marketers in other businesses were doing to get referrals (building a list, branding, etc), but adapted the methods to his situation. Long story short, a year later (yeah it took time…a process), you can call him a success: he was maintaining over 1000 ad packs and had over 450 referrals. Needless to say, he paid off his debt and is now himself considered one of those “successful” marketers. He came from nowhere, just an average guy. But he went to WORK, and worked it daily. He has said numerous times that it wasn’t easy, but he kept pressing forward (his favorite line that he tells everyone). NO WHINING OR COMPLAINING, and he doesn’t take it from anyone else.

    2. I understand what you are saying Louis, but don’t quite agree with you. You say the starting line isn’t the same for everyone… I disagree. The starting line is the same, but you should think of it more along the lines of everyone starting at different times and not everyone runs at the same pace or knows the same people. Instead of taking the attitude of it’s not a level playing field, and don’t even try… I think you should work towards putting yourself in a position to succeed by building your list, building your relationships, building your network, etc. The people that are out in front of the crowd, didn’t start out in front. They worked their way to the front.

      1. Hey Eric – sounds good .. except the pool to recruit from is smaller for the late comers, therefore they are operating at a distinct disadvantage. It’s a zero sum game. If a few people sign up the first 1,000 people – those people are no longer available…. and you know how people like to rush into something when it’s new – that is no longer the case when it’s not new…

        1. Interesting you bring that up….Fun story, my wife just joined Mary Kay, which for all intensive purposes has been around forever and one could argue…The pool is dried up.

          I’m showing her and ‘teaching’ her that the pool never dries up, people’s focus and passion dries up.

          And the key to sponsoring new recruits / referrals is to stay the course and be out there more than your competition. I agree with Eric completely on this….The starting line is the same, and the pool is never ‘running dry’.

          The numbers from our back end, shows thousands of new people joining our programs alone every week. Thousands. How are we, putting ourselves out there to attract these new members…

          That’s how you win, regardless of when you start!

          1. John, half of the world’s population are potential prospects for Mary Kay. But TE’s? Maybe a million people in total? This massive difference in the size of pool of potential prospects would help to explain why first movers advantage is not as important you the case of Mary Kay.

        2. The pool is smaller, so you can’t make money?

          I’m not going to close down or stop bringing new members into TopHits4U because EasyHits4U has 1.3 million members and delivers millions of hits a day. I have a distinct disadvantage, but that doesn’t stop me from making money and building my business.

          Just curious on what you think about the latest big launch (tePays for example)… do you think the top 5 on the referral contest leader board would not still be the top five if they were forced to wait 2 weeks longer than everyone else to promote?

    3. I missed your insider trading parallel you were pointing out Louis, but here’s the difference: insider trading means someone takes advantage of privileged information to MANIPULATE PRICE of a stock in their favor, and as a DIRECT result INFLICTING LOSS to other shareholders. Plus, insider trading doesn’t exist for non-publicly traded companies. While in this business there are owners having access to information or deals not available broadly (and they worked hard for this privilege), their actions will not make others lose money, but create an opportunity for themselves. What would mean to level the play field in automotive industry, for instance? All cars the same class? A terrible driver in a great car is worse than a good driver in a lousy car…

      1. Hi Adrian… re: “…their actions will not make others lose money,” I have to agree to disagree on this one – having the jump on the rest allows these insiders to recruit far better, leaving a smaller pool to recruit from for the rest. Your point that fair disclosure is not required since these are non-public entities is true! Does it make it right though? Integrity is doing the right thing – even when you don’t have to. And this genre is sorely lacking in integrity and transparency…. I know no other with as high a turnover rate as this one…

        1. Hi Louis,

          You say about fair disclosure. But again, there are differences. Why is a company publicly traded? Because it seeks funding on the stock market. Therefore, its shareholders have the right to know, question and decide on the company’s proposed action plans, proportionally with their investment (funding).

          A closed company secures its funding in different ways, and therefore and again it will be accountable to its lenders or private investors.

          Since we are talking about TE niche, a TE member is not an investor, not a lender, but he or she buys a service (or even uses it for free). I don’t think we have the right to dictate the business politics of our web-hosting or our phone company, just because we are their subscribers or clients, do we?

          As one who has rare access to information before the official launching, I have to wonder: why should I? Am I a partner? Do I own part of the business? The answer comes straight-forward: no.

  3. One thing I would do to level this playing field is to create a second DC each day . That way people that have been banned from Surfing the DC site can still complete the Daily Challenge by surf the secondary DC site.

    One total prick in Traffic Exchange Land likes to be an asshole when he has the DC and keep people banned that have stood up him and his crap . We all know who I’m talking about .

    1. And because people have been banned from a TE u think another DC is the answer….. What about the value for the TE owner that purchased the DC….. with another DC out there it devalues his investment…. and what is to say they will not get banned from another TE… Most TE owners do not ban people unless they have violated their TOS…..

  4. Luck? What luck?

    Show up every day, build your list, build your brand, build your reputation.

    Don’t expect it to happen in 10 minutes.

    Network with the right people and take their advice.

    It’s hard work, long hours and lots of dedication. Be prepared to make it happen for yourself
    and it will happen.

    1. Agree with much of that Leone. Except, have you look at the Alexa ratings for these TE’s? The last six months they’ve been plunging! So I may not be the only one who sees this as a level playing field and have become discouraged! Now, genre leaders can deny this and make excuses. But will this help? I don’t believe so. This genre needs to be reformed. Badly! IMHO.

      1. TE’s go through cycles. I bet if you take numbers from the early 2000’s you’ll see up years and down years. It’s been happening forever. You can’t judge an entire industry by a 6 month window….Take a bigger picture and you’ll see, new members joining in droves….

        The problem is we indoctrinated these people to surf for pennies….That’s the issue.

      1. Yes, it is a good thing try out various markets. Some will work better for us than others. But the results will fluctuate in the long run, so at times we need to reconsider markets we ignored because they didn’t produce the results we expected.

        However, I still don’t agree with your argument for leveling playing fields. You made a sports analogy. Do the sports teams have different budgets? Can a rich team afford the services of superstars? Can a poor team afford them? Is the playing field leveled for them? In a rich team vs. poor team match, does the rich team usually wins? But the poor team has the chance to grow. Show passion and fans will be there for them. Then, sponsors will come up. Then poor team becomes rich team.

        Also, if you look at the stories of billionaires, you’ll see many come from broken families or were poor as children. What separated them from those who are not billionaires was their desire to get out of poverty, their determination to succeed. Again, that’s not a leveled playing field.

  5. Luck
    I have a simple formula
    Everyday I wake up is a lucky day everything after that is a bonus

    Whingers, The So Called Unlucky, It’s Unfair Brigade, Negative Nancy’s, Blah Blah Blah
    Wake up smell the roses and smile and get on with life.
    There is always someone doing it harder and that can be through no fault of theirs and they get on with life.
    Go to your local soup kitchen and if you are living better than that your are already lucky.

    Don’t like some one smile at them tell them have a nice day and walk away.

    Oppurtunity knocks on your door everyday it is just what you do with it today, you might not wake up tomorrow.
    If you do it is another lucky day.

  6. Level playing field? What are they asking for? Take from the rich who have worked hard to get what they got and spread it around to all the poor people who want everything given to them on a silver platter? I would agree that those who have built up a list of followers that know like and trust them have an advantage over someone who has ust started in the industry. Is that a bad thing? No! If you want what they have do what they did. work for it!

    1. Ken, it sounds as if you didn’t catch the actual issue… “take…” from anybody – of course not…. we have enough of that already don’t we? (taxtion). I am simply saying make the starting point the same where there is a race! I’m surprised people have so much difficulty with this concept! ANY other genre – fairness is considered to be essential… if for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do…

  7. This has been an awesome topic and I hear this so often from people but everyday when you get up there are choices – you have NO ONE to blame at the end of the day of the choices that you made but YOURSELF

    If you didn’t or don’t like the choices that you made today or your day didn’t go like you expected it to, then maybe you should go back and look at the choices YOU made and change them tomorrow to make it a better.

    Everyday people make choices and mine is I choose to NOT to listen to people that think the world is treating them so unfairly – maybe there is a reason – my mom always told me when you are pointing your finger at someone else – watch how many are pointing back at you.

    I have been called “old school” and I’m very proud of that title. We don’t live in a perfect world but we can make a choice to learn to deal with what life throws us. YOUR CHOICE

    Ok enough ranting and will leave you with one of my favorite quotes
    “In Life you are given 3 choices – GIVE UP, GIVE IN, or GIVE IT YOUR ALL”

      1. Sport competition and business are two different things. But they do share the same end goal….To win!

      2. If you can make money with it, and you believe in the product… who cares if you are late to the party or not? Crush it, and maybe you’ll be invited to the next party… if you don’t, as long as you are making money, than why not?!

        Maybe it’s this mindset that is doing the damage to the genre and not the other way around?

  8. No one ever said life was fair. There will always be some born with greater advantages than others. Money, social position, intelligence, etc.. Just the way it is. So why would you expect it to be different in business?

    In business, you strive to place yourself in a -better- position than your competitors. Even before you open the doors, you need to do market research and see how you can compete in the marketplace. What strategic advantages/alliances can you develop? How will you structure your business to take advantage of your competitor’s weakness? What can you do better/differently to place your business above the others? And the list continues.

    You do have one significant -advantage- in this arena over most typical business ventures. Your competitor is NOT aggressively trying to put you OUT of business! In many cases, they are the ones helping you! That doesn’t happen in most traditional market venues.

    Just as in any venture, you should seek to increase the -positives- you have, and overcome the -negatives- you will encounter. If you allow the negatives to become the focus or deciding factor, then you lose. And there WILL be many obstacles to deal with as you grow. Develop the mindset and skills to do this as you progress.

    Ask for help, it’s not a sin. As I said, there are MANY here who will offer assistance. Be willing to LISTEN to what is offered. Seek out the means to grow towards the future. Or, conversely, continue down a path that is not working as you want, just don’t expect a different result.

    Just as in life, some will do very well in business while others will not. It is not an inherently -bad- thing, just how it works. Not everyone is a Steve Jobs. In fact, most are a Winton Friend (guy that owns a small repair shop here. Doesn’t make millions, but pays his bills.)

    I could elaborate at length about the differing mindset between business owner and employee that either empowers or limits people. Determine -where- you are in that progression and work to effectively improve on whichever skill you are currently limited in. It can be difficult to transition from one to the other.

    No matter the position you find yourself in today, as mentioned in another post, it is directly related to choices YOU have already made. Only YOU can change that. Begin TODAY!

  9. Richard, re: “So why would you expect it to be different in business?” What I am saying is, that stock markets and economies flourish when the rule of law is enforced and people believe they are competing on a level, fair playing field where the rules apply equally to all. However, markets and economies decline when there is corruption, dysfunction and the rules are applied differently to different people. So why would you expect it to be different in this business genre?

    1. So, you believe that the stock market is a ‘level’ playing field for all investors? Overall, there are far more people that lose money or make a minimal gain over YEARS of investment, than winners. Like most things, it is weighted for the -big- players to score the most. And that is perfectly -legal- in the market. Is it fair? Nope! But reality.

      Most of the ‘business’ we see in this market segment is, basically, unregulated. Except for FTC Regs/Rules about affiliate structure, and basic business law, there really is no governing body to oversee it. Calling for ‘fair’ business practices is, for the most part, based upon our own opinion of what that is. Right/wrong, it is the environment into which we are immersed at this point. No amount of foot stamping will make it change.

      Only by following our own ethics, and choosing the manner in which we conduct ourselves, can we find a place to work within. In return, should what you do be seen as an effective means to achieve results, the -etiquette- of business may be influenced and changed over time. At a minimum, you will attract like-minded people to work with, and develop your own network(s).

      The only truly limiting factor is one’s own abilities. There is no realistic -cap- on membership potential of any online (or offline, for that matter) program at this point in time. Over a billion people access the internet multiple times daily around the globe. New people coming in are exposed to a myriad of programs/business opp’s as well. The market potential is currently expanding, not diminishing. Your segment of that market base is up to you, and how well you develop your business. In that aspect, it is fair. If you are good at what you do, you prosper from the environment.

      Other than the obvious scams we see, the large majority of people operate in an ethical manner. Everyone has equal access to grow. The only -level- playing field is that we all have the same chance to realize our dreams, or fail.

      I choose to take the positives I find/develop to overcome the negatives. I work to gain knowledge from my mistakes, and turn those into opportunities. Much like you take your losses on the stock market in stride, double down and become smarter to move forward, so it goes here. If I had cried that business (or the stock market – I once lost $150K in less than an hour while others made millions) wasn’t -fair- 30 years ago, I would not have worked harder to ultimately achieve what I sought.

      It is, after all, UP TO YOU to find/develop that -level- playing field to compete on.

  10. Newsflash I studied Judo which makes me a Judoka Judo to me was and is not just a sport it’s a way of Life.

    It’s a way of thinking. And I will say this A white Belt that steps onto the Judo Mat expecting to beat a Black Belt is a fool and most likely will get killed in the first round, However if one is a seasoned player and another person assuming there Black Belt challenge me a 1st Kyu Brown Belt and tells me to simply bow to them and hand them the match I’m going to challenge them to bow onto the mat. Reason I have the skill set to complete and win. What is happening in this Industry is White Belt’s are stepping onto the Mat without even knowing how take a break fall and getting hurt badly. Why you didn’t take the time to hire a sensei aka a teacher and learn the skill sets you needed to learn first before stepping on the Mat.

    However We Don’t compete with line Judges and a Referee inside the mat watching the action. TE Land and the business world has no Honor code and no rules of combat.

    It’s fight or be killed . Live or die by the sword. One Samurai is always going to be a better match then the other one.

    But in a contest one does not supply one side or one competitor with an unfair advantage over the other. Now I admit when I was competing in Judo the Black Belt had an Unfair advantage over me when I stepped onto the mat. But I walked onto the mat knowing this . My advantage was when he got cocky I had him and I won a lot of matches against people I was no match for because they got cocky.

    But the unfair advantage is when there are people that are determined in this industry to make it impossible for other’s to complete against them.

  11. Richard you addressed a lot of issues, let me respond to at least some of them…
    “So, you believe that the stock market is a ā€˜levelā€™ playing field for all investors?”

    Am not saying that. When it comes to the handling of material information, they seem to have a decent system that all the parties agree is okay and it seems reasonable to me. That specific item I was referring to. Whether it’s overall a good place to be am not saying either way..

    “Most of the ā€˜businessā€™ we see in this market segment is, basically, unregulated.”

    Absolutely. And, at least with regard to a couple of ways it operates, IMO, badly in need of reform. The last think I think I’d want to see is actual government legislation. I would much prefer to see voluntary compliance. To do the right thing, not because some government uses cohesion to force you, but because it’s reasonable (my first test for anything) and would be beneficial for the health of the genre by attracting people to it, rather than driving them away from it. I somehow got characterized here as some sort of “complainer” and all around bad person. But in fact, I’m really just trying to help! And with a 97% turnover rate, the genre can use help in the way it operates.

    “Calling for ā€˜fairā€™ business practices is, for the most part, based upon our own opinion of what that is.”

    I believe given my background, that I have good qualifications to determine what is reasonable, and what is healthy and beneficial for the sector, and what is not. I’ve studied ethics at the university level, I’ve worked as a hockey referee, and I worked in the human resources field for over a decade in numerous sectors and settings, where I was applying rules and was tested on fairness, in a business setting’ on a regular basis, I’ve published a newsletter about the stock market for a decade, and I’ve owned numerous other businesses. Believe me in all of these roles, if I was every seen as not being fair – I heard about it immediately. I got to be pretty good at it. I believe with these things combined, I am damn qualified to voice an opinion about what is fair and reasonable, and what is not. Even though, I have been characterized in an extremely wrong, indeed quite a hostile way during the podcast. THAT, my friend was complete bullshit, and unnecessary.

    I don’t disagree with most of the rest you wrote about. And thanks for the discussion;-).

  12. Nancy,

    “GIVE UP, GIVE IN, or GIVE IT YOUR ALLā€

    Of course I believe in this. At the same time, I recognize a few things. For one, that the odds must be very much not in our favor of succeeding, given the horrendous 97% turnover rate, and, we have so many programs thrown at us, that we need to be selective about what we do, and to be attracted to programs and situations where the odd are most in our favor. That isn’t being negative as the Jon has tried to characterize me. It’s simply accepting the reality and reacting in a reasonable way. If the odds aren’t in my favor – I go where they are! Isn’t that a reasonable what to approach this? For instance, I am currently in a pre-launch we can advertise but nobody can buy until the launch in June. What’s wrong with that? Nobody could advertise ahead of anyone else. The starting line isn’t one place for a few, and then later for the rest. That makes me want to compete.

    Now here’s the part I don’t understand that kept coming up during the debate after Jon’s presentation.

    I made the point that a handful of guys would grab what, 500, 1,000, maybe 10,000 of the MOST predisposed people to join TE Pays (or whatever is being launched) and this leave non owners at a distinct disadvantage, because these early converters are gone. Jon and his pals retorted this is NOT the case – that you can start at any time after the launch, and that it doesn’t matter.

    Well let me ask you this then. If it doesn’t matter, then why don’t they open to the public first, and then Jon and his pals take their spots as affiliates a day after the launch, or a week or a month later? After all, like they all said, it “doesn’t matter” when your start in relation to the launch! Something just doesn’t add up here. Because, it’s sounding like it matters for the owners if they stand back and let the public go first. But it DOESN’T seem to matter when the public is forced to come in late? How can that be?

    “If you didnā€™t or donā€™t like the choices that you made today or your day didnā€™t go like you expected it to, then maybe you should go back and look at the choices YOU made and change them tomorrow to make it a better.”

    Of course, am constantly reviewing what works and what isn’t, and then put more effort into what works, move to where the odds are more in your favor, and away from places where the odds are against you. It’s an odds game. But we constantly learn and move forward.

    Thanks, I appreciate your comments, Nancy!

    1. Jon and his pals LOL Us Vs Them….

      When you stop believing there is an US vs Them….You will begin to succeed.

      1. Jon, present facts which dispute my claims! You can blow me off with your little one-liners all you want. And deny all of the valid points I’ve made. But with a 97% “failure rate” you can’t deny something is very wrong with this genre, and that it’s in need of reform. And I’m waiting to hear why it’s so important if you allowed the public first dibs on a launch for a change, but not when you get them. Because that defies logic.

        1. Take a good look around….The entire world is basically a 97% failure rate.

          So as an entrepreneur, I want to learn and grow to be a part of that 3%

          Be better, don’t be bitter.

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