Plus, I got to meet several of my customers. (Waving to you!)

I even hung out at the hotel gym with a customer who had
my undivided attention for the entire hour we exercised.
There will be NO sweaty-looking pictures of that, though! eek!
How'd that happen? Simple. She came up to me, told me that
she was a customer, and asked if I would have any time to chat
during the weekend. I said “Well, I've already got lunch plans,
but I'm going to the hotel gym after lunch. Want to meet me there?”
And, she said “Sure.” (Wow. Networking is so hard, right?)

If you're not attending live events yet – you are sooooo
missing out on money (and fun!). I get to meet customers,
find new affiliates, make deals, and build lasting relationships
at every event I've been to — even the bad ones. (Don't ask. lol!)

I know that it can be scary. I know it can be an expense.

But it is CRITICAL to growing your business quickly.

Each event I've gone to has directly increased my income
in some way. Either through the presentations, being able to
ask questions about things I was struggling with, or in meeting
people who ended up being friends (and promoting me).

My absolute favorite event to go to is the NAMS conference in Atlanta.

I've been to three of them and it's something I look forward to every six months.

Yes, even if you're a TOTAL beginner – you need to be there.

The next NAMS is coming up soon in Atlanta – and yes, I'll be there.
How to join me: Click here for Details

If you're a beginner, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions
and connect with others who you'll stay in contact with for years.

If you're at the intermediate level or feeling like you've
reached a plateau, you'll learn how to move past it.

And, if you're at an advanced level, you'll have the opportunity
to connect with all 25 instructors – who are all potential
JV partners for you.

It's a win, no matter where you are in your business.

Please come and meet me, Willie Crawford, Connie Green,
Susanne Myers, Paul Evans, Bob Jenkins,
Lynn Terry, and a slew of my other amazing friends.

• Bring your spouse.
• Bring your parents.
• Bring your favorite sibling.
• Bring your kids.

It's fun and learning for the whole family! (And, unlike some
events – it's clean so you don't have to worry about young
ears hearing things they shouldn't.)

Many people bring the people they love to NAMS. Not just once,
but every single time they go. I've brought my mom and my son. Bob Jenkins
brought his brother. Lynn Terry brought her daughter.

No excuses. Go to this page now – and make plans to attend. It can be a total game-changer for you.

Here's where you can learn more: Click here for Details

If you're coming to the NAMS conference, please let me know by commenting below so I can watch for you.

Have a fantastic day! You deserve it.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Well, I'm backing it.

I sent this note to my lists last week…

To sum it up — the January 2011 event will be virtual (totally online). But, the August 2011 one will be live and in person (and bigger and better than ever).

The cool thing is that you can get both for the price of one right now.

Here's the link to check it out: NAMS 2011

You can hang out with me, Lynn Terry, Willie Crawford, and a bunch more of my favorite peeps for the weekend. I look forward to it very much, and have gone through withdrawal every time I've gone home.

Unlike most marketing events – this one is family.

I'd love to meet you in person in August.

After I sent that mailing, I got a really good question from one of my customers:

Question for you?  Over the last couple years I keep hearing you and others talk about NAMS.  I didn't really think it was something I'd be interested until I just listened to this video (on the new sales page).

For 2011 I want to take affiliate marketing to the next level to produce recurring income.   I think this could be a step in the right direction.

Am I thinking correctly that this really is for beginners like myself?  I've been searching for some audio workshops to get started with affiliate marketing.  Again it sounds like this could be perfect.  It's a chunk of change so I'd love to get your feedback.

And this is the reply that I sent to her….

Yes, NAMS (the live event) has several tracks – beginner (levels 1&2), intermediate, and advanced. You'd get a ton of info. Some will soak in now, while other pieces will soak in the second or third time you go through the material.

The last NAMS was set up like this…

• Beginner Level 1 is for people who don't have a blog or anything yet.
• Beginner Level 2 is for people who have a niche and a blog and just aren't making any money.
• Intermediate gets into a higher level with video marketing and product creation.
• Advanced is about systems and growth.

David (Perdew) has said the August event will have 5 tracks, so not sure how it'll expand.

You'll also get the recordings for the previous NAMS events as well, too. (Not sure how long that'll last, though, but David mentions it in the sales video, so at this time you will.)

I think, if you CAN afford it and it isn't going to hurt you financially to get it, that you would certainly benefit. I actually brought my mom to the January NAMS (2010). She's a beginner blogger and really enjoyed it a lot, made some great connections, and learned a ton. She's actually starting to see more traffic to her blog, more sales, and is really excited about this upcoming year. (I'm proud of her. Can you tell?!)

If you want to learn affiliate marketing, I can't think of a better offer to recommend to you at this time.

I hope that helps.
N

Here are just a few of the instructors (other than me) that you can learn from at NAMS.

My Dear Friend & Brilliant Niche Marketer Susanne Myers. Learn more about Susanne Myers in this Interview	The Super Smart, Super Affiliate Lynn Terry. Learn more about Lynn Terry in this Interview
The Guru to the Gurus Willie Crawford  Learn more about Willie Crawford in this Interview	The Outstanding Paul Evans Learn more about Paul Evans in this Interview
The Awesome Article Marketer Jeff Herring  Learn more about Jeff Herring in this Interview	The Super Duper Bob “the Teacher” Jenkins  Learn more about Bob Jenkins in this Interview

Here's my link if you'd like to check it out:
NAMS 2011 Conference

And, because I keep getting questions about WHO should go to NAMS, let's see if this helps.

NAMS is not for you if any of these apply…

– Your focus is eBay or drop-shipping. As far as I know, those topics will not be covered.

– You want to make money but don't want to work or put in any effort.

– You blame “gurus” as the reason you're not making money yet, rather than looking at how you can improve.

– You're thinking of attending just so you can hand out business cards.

– You've spent your savings buying courses but haven't implemented anything. (I can't encourage people to spend money they don't have or to buy courses unless they're going to profit from them. )

NAMS may be right for you if some of these apply…

– You want to build a business online with affiliate marketing as a part of it and want to learn from awesome people.

– You're READY and willing to take action.

– You're a total beginner and want to start out right OR you've already got a blog and are making some money online and want to learn how to grow that into more.

– You're a service provider and need to figure out how to get some passive income.

– You want a total immersion experience where you can just focus and soak in a ton of info over the course of a few days without distraction.

– You would  like to go to an internet marketing event, and don't want to be sold to and asked to buy a bunch of stuff over the weekend.

– You want to meet positive people who actually understand what you're trying to do in your business and are willing to brainstorm with you.

– You want to make connections with affiliate marketers who might promote your products.

If you'd like to join us at NAMS – I'd love to meet you there.

Here's my link: NAMS 2011 Conference

If you have ANY questions about whether NAMS is for you, just post them below.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Well, I realized that I've interviewed several of the instructors that will be teaching at NAMS, so this is a great opportunity for you to get to know the quality, warmth, and integrity of the people who teach there.

Now, I'm not sure if there have been any last minute cancellations, but I believe all of the following will be at NAMS this time (or have been or will be if they're missing this one for some reason).

Teaching will Be…

The Amazing Lynn Terry:

Learn more about Lynn Terry in this Interview

The Cool and Confident Connie Green:

Learn more about Connie Green in this Interview

Click here to learn more about NAMS.

The Awesome Jeff Herring:

Learn more about Jeff Herring in this Interview

The Super Duper Bob “the Teacher” Jenkins:

Learn more about Bob Jenkins in this Interview

The Guru to the Gurus Willie Crawford:

Learn more about Willie Crawford in this Interview

Click here to learn more about NAMS.

The Outstanding Paul Evans:

Learn more about Paul Evans in this Interview

My Dear Dear Friend & Brilliant Marketer Susanne Myers.
Learn more about Susanne Myers in this Interview

So, load up your iPod and get to know these amazing people before you show up at NAMS.

If you haven't checked out NAMS yet – do so soon. You're missing out.

Click here to learn more about NAMS.

I'm working on getting more of the amazing folks at NAMS interviewed so you'll get to know even more wonderful successful marketers soon.

Have a wonderful day!
Nicole

PS. You may also like these related blog posts:

• What to Wear at NAMS Conference
• What to Pack for the NAMS Conference

Don't miss the fun! Be sure to join us at the next NAMS Conference

No, I won't be showing the undies from Expert Marketers (although that would certainly be funny) – but I will be grabbing my friends who I respect and admire and will be asking them to give brief replies to your burning questions about internet marketing and online business success. (Get it? Briefs? Yes, I am easily amused.)

I've been wanting to do this series for some time, and, thankfully, I have a great Virtual Assistant who is helping me to put this together or it may never have gotten done.

So, let's jump in. Today's topic is Link Building, specifically how to get one-way incoming links to your website or blog.

If you recall, I've posted a few blog posts about Link Building recently that you can go back and review if you're wondering what all the fuss is about Link Building and why on earth it's important.

• What is Link Building? Into for Beginners.
• What to do Before You Begin Link Building.
• Link Building FAQ: Questions and Answers

The question I asked our experts today is:

“What is your favorite method for building incoming links
to your website or blog? Why?”

I only asked people who I know are actively link-building. Of course, I have plenty of other friends who use other methods of generating traffic, but this blog post is about one-way link building so these are the experts I chose to ask along with their replies.

Willie Crawford of SellMoreBigTicket.com says:

My favorite method is writing and distributing articles.  I've written over 1500.

The reason is that not only do I get lots of inbound links from some fairly high page-ranked sites, but the articles also actually bring me in visitors who have read my material and arrive at my site pre-sold on me.

Lynn Terry of ClickNewz.com says:

My favorite method of link-building is to get featured on blogs that reach my market. There are a couple of ways you can do that. You can write guests posts for those blogs, or offer to let the blogger interview you. Text interviews are best for creating relevant content to go along with your backlink, but audio interviews with a description and live link work well too.

With blog interviews, I email the blog owner and introduce myself (with credentials, basically selling myself as a good match for their audience). I give them the option to reply with 3-5 questions (or more if they like) on a topic related to their current theme. I then reply with the answers, creating a very nice blog post for them to publish.

If you have an affiliate program, you can offer to let them sign up as an affiliate so that they can earn commissions on the interview as well.

This is one of my favorite methods for 2 reasons:

1) Bloggers need content. It's the one thing they are constantly searching for, or working on. You can step in and help them out, and help yourself out at the same time.

2) This is one of the BEST types of inbound links you can possibly get. You have control over the topic, so you get a relevant backlink from a related page. And you control the link, meaning you can deep link to an internal page on your site or blog – and use specific Anchor Text with that link.

Plus… it's easy!

The trick is to make it highly relevant to their current theme of content, or to expand on a topic they recently blogged about. You just want to find a good tie-in that makes sense both for the blogger and for their readers.

Mark Mason of MasonWorld.com says:

Nicole — getting links is all about a tradeoff between effort, quality and quality.  Often, especially when people are just starting out, they will make the mistake of spending lots of time (or money) on low quality links.

For me, time is my most precious resource.  So, when I go after a link my efforts need to be highly leveraged.  That means that for my investment of time, I need to get lots of links or really great (powerful links).  The answer almost always lies in quality content.

For example, I can write one piece of quality content and syndicate it to multiple high quality article directories using automated tools.  This get's me multiple quality backlinks in addition to whatever click-through traffic the article generates.

Or, I can write a great article for a guest response post on a high traffic blog like NicoleOnTheNet.com in exchange for a backlink from the article.  That get's me a quality backlink and clickthrough traffic as well.

Either way, the key is great content out on the internet pointing back to my site.

Susanne Myers of EasyLinkLove.com says:

My favorite way to build links is to create what I like to call a link magnet. It’s a piece of REALLY GOOD content that you post freely on your website. This could be a report, an article, a list, even an audio file or a video. You want to give away some of your favorite stuff here.

Start by thinking about what your target audience really wants. You can also do some research by asking your current readers and visitors or using sites like Yahoo answer or forums in your market to get a feel for what your audience wants.

Spend some time creating exceptional content and post it to your site. Do some keyword research and optimize the page for those keywords so you can build some free search engine. Start promoting the content by blogging about it, mentioning it on twitter and other social media outlets. Tell our lists about it and always invite people to share the link to the content.

Monetize your link magnet by adding a link somewhere toward the end of the content for one of your products. It’s important not to be pushy here or people will be less likely to link to it.

Here are a few examples of good link magnets:

$40 Emergency Menu
This is on one of my own sites. The basic idea is a low cost emergency menu that people can turn to when grocery money is extremely low.

Online Success Podcasts by Nicole Dean
Nicole has recorded several hour long interviews with various experts in the Internet Marketing Field. She focuses on delivering high quality content and does an amazing job coaxing all kinds of useful information from her guests.

Quick Extra Tip –

I always like to get the most mileage out of everything I do, especially link building. Don’t do this just for the sake of building links, take it a step further and reap even more rewards. An easy way to do this is to keep tabs on who is linking to this new page. Contact the owners of some of the best sites and see if you can collaborate even further.

And, here's my 2 cents. I wrote this before reading the others just to make sure I wouldn't let their ideas sway mine.

Nicole Dean of .. well, here! .. says:

My favorite method of building incoming links is simply sharing content. I know, it's kind of a cheater answer, but let me finish here and you'll see what I mean.

All of the most effective methods, in my opinion, revolve around sharing your own expertise. Let me demonstrate…

-> Article Marketing is simply sharing content.

-> Guest Blogging (or even hosting a kick-butt Blog Tour) is sharing content.

-> Video marketing (recording and posting videos to sites like YouTube) – again, is nothing more than sharing content.

-> Podcasts (being a guest on other people's podcasts) – is simply sharing your expertise, again.

-> Doing quick interviews like this one – you'll notice all of my experts are receiving links to their sites. Badda bing, badda boom! I'll bet those are some of the easiest links they've gotten.

-> And, blog commenting works, too. Blog commenting means just leaving comments on blog posts like this one. (Hint, hint.) Although I honestly believe that it's not the most effective method of generating incoming links, at least not compared to the methods outlined above, it's still worth doing.

Of course, you can tie in social media and link to all of these sites where you've got your content to really boost your effectiveness. But, it all starts by doing what you're already doing as a blogger – sharing your thoughts — just doing it on other websites.

In fact, that's one of the biggest mistakes that I see online business owners make is keeping all of their content on their own sites and not sharing it on others.

How Can You Learn More about How to Get One-Way Links?

Again – Susanne is the queen link builder. If you want to learn the basics of Link Building, again, here’s here course  -> Beginner Link Building Course

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Please post your favorite method for building incoming links to your site below. Thank you!

It got me to thinking a bit. Willie always does!

So, here's a little history lesson lied to a marketing lesson.

First a little online store called Netflix opened their doors. They decided to offer a service allowing people to rent movies on the internet and receive the DVDs in the mail. Their big benefits were —

• You no longer had to drive to the video store (some of them are pretty gross) in the cold, heat, rain, snow, or traffic.
• No more wandering around the video store looking for a movie, wishing you could think of the one that you wanted to see. (Movies can be added to the Netflix queue when you first think of them.)
• No more covering your 4 year old's eyes every 3 minutes when the preview for “Saw” plays on the 20 TV screens around the video store. (Seriously, Blockbuster – get a CLUE!)
• You can now avoid the nasty bathrooms in the video stores because no matter how much you tell the kids to use the restroom at home before you go you still end up having to enter them.
• And, you can avoid paying late fees when you get busy and forget to return the movie on time.

I may have been Netflix's first customer! I jumped on that – NO need for a sales page.

Here's how it works –

• You signup for the service.
• You “shop” in their online store and pick all the movies that you want.
• You'll receive an envelope in the mail with the disc in it.
• Enjoy the  movie.
• Then, when you're done, just slip it into the envelope that came with the movie and close it and drop it in the mail. The envelope has pre-paid shipping.

It usually works pretty smoothly.

Netflix grew like crazy and now has over 12 MILLION members. I'd say it's a pretty successful business model.

What happens when people see a successful business model? They start to duplicate it. Others have tried, but no one is doing it as well as Netflix.

The smart marketers, though, see a business model and “innovate“. Which is where we're going with this…

You can do this in a number of ways, but the two on my mind today are  –

• Reach a different, more targeted market.
• Offer a similar service but with a different product.

I'm about to show you examples of both. Of course!

Some smart business people realized that Netflix may be missing the boat with the Christian folks. So, there are now at least two sites that offer DVD rentals but focus on family-friendly movies and movies of faith.

• Puritan Picks: “Not only have we sought to compile a list of solid educational Christian videos; we have also sought to make them more accessible. These videos range from christian living to apologetics, theology, history, and various seminary grade curicullum. Oh and lets not forget the Christian movies, children's videos and cartoons.”
• Christian Cinema: “Faith-affirming and family-friendly DVDs”

So that's one angle that I found in niching to a more targeted market. I also ran across a few sites that are attempting to target other groups of people who love movies, but none really stood out to me. They weren't doing it well enough to use them as an example.

So, then the creators of Gamefly, see the success that Netflix enjoyed and opened their doors, providing video game rental in the mail rather than movies.

I pay both Netflix and Gamefly each and every month GLADLY as it saves me a ton of money compared to what I would otherwise spend buying movies and video games. Plus, if I don't like a movie or the kids don't care for a video game, we just send it back. No big deal. It WAS a big deal when we'd buy a $40 or $50 Wii game and the kids were bored with it the same day – or my son solved the darn thing the same day. Ouch. Now, we just drop it in the mail and get a new one. That's smart shopping!

Plus, even more important to me than the money is the time. I value my time more than anything, so anything that can make my life easier and save me the hassle of driving around town unnecessarily – and I'm sold.

ok. Back to the niche that I planned to talk about in this post.

When you see a business that's kickin' it in terms of growth, figure out a way to do it, but do it differently! That's what Gamefly did.

AND.. that's what this other company did.

Two smart  business people saw these service companies growing like crazy. And, they came up with BookSwim. They're targeting Book Addicts.

From the site: Their service is based on the “simple philosophy” of helping people to read more while spending less. Subscribers pay a monthly fee, similar to Netflix, and receive a pool of books limited only by how fast they can read them.

Interesting.

So, WHO is the target market for Book Swim?

Me! I looooooove books.

ok, who else?

Romance novel junkies. Tracy Roberts – you there?

Moms! My kids read like crazy. So, I can easily drop $50/week at Barnes and Nobles every visit – before buying coffee.

People who are trying to declutter. Me, again. I already have several bookshelves in my home, all full of books. So, unless I love a book, I don't need to add more clutter. This way, I get the books without the high cost and without the clutter. It's like a library, but online. (Our local library is not the best in the world.)

Green folks. I'm a bit crunchy on the green scale. Any time I can save a tree. I'm all for it.

Elderly people who can't get out to the library eaasily.

Anyone who's bedridden during a pregnancy.

Parents who have children who are in and out of the hospital frequently.

And those who love any of the people mentioned above. Gift certificates are the perfect gift.

So, this is my find. And, so far, I've already received several books and we're diving in. I'm reading a book Stumbling on Happiness – and no, it's not about StumbleUpon. My husband is reading The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It and my son has a book that he's enjoying, as well.

Plus, I just found this banner ad way too cute. Thank GOODNESS they aren't shipping kittens. That does not sound like a good online business to open at all.

Rent bestsellers from BookSwim! FREE $50 Restaurant.com Gift Card

Let me know what you think about this marketing lesson and if it gives you any ideas for your own business.

Have a great day!

Warmly,
Nicole

PS. Of course, if you want to find a profitable online niche, I recommend:

This week, I have the amazing Willie Crawford, with me.

Yes, that Willie Crawford. The very same Willie Crawford who is an icon in the internet marketing world. I've admired Willie from afar for many years and have recently had the opportunity to get to know him and his beautiful wife better at live internet marketing events like his 50th Birthday Bash. We're actually neighbors and live only 30 minutes apart. (Lucky me!)

In the beginning of this interview, I was giggling like crazy because I was so nervous! But, then I got into my groove. I even got a scoop — Willie shared a tidbit that has never been shared in any interview – ever.  And, it's something handy to know in case you ever get lost in the woods with him.

The audio recording of our interview is at the end of this blog post. Just look for the “play” button and listen. It’s free! Also, be sure to check out all of the resources listed below.

If you're not familiar with Willie yet, here's more about him…

Willie Crawford was raised on a tobacco farm in North Carolina, living off welfare most of his youth. His family was so poor that he once wore his grandmother’s shoes to school while working to earn money to replace his only dilapidated pair. This built a burning desire in Willie to break away from the poverty and build his own business.

Obviously it worked. Now Willie Crawford is a corporate president, published author, seminar speaker and host, tele-seminar speaker and host, retired military officer, karate black belt, network marketing trainer, and lifetime student of marketing. In addition he has written and published a best-selling cookbook, Soul Food Recipes Learned On a North Carolina Tobacco Farm, and a best-selling inspirational biography, Git Off The Porch.

Willie is now one of the world’s leading internet marketing experts, having spoken at dozens of seminars in the United States, Malaysia, Singapore and the U.K.

Willie has created dozens of information products, written over 1300 articles and 50 ebooks on ecommerce. He’s hosted seminars, and now hosts his own radio show several times per week.

Willie also does a lot of group mentoring at The Internet Marketing Inner Circle.

When Willie is not busy teaching ecommerce online via The Internet Marketing Inner Circle, or teaching local businesses to use the internet to drive more business through their doors, he enjoys deep sea fishing in The Gulf of Mexico… not too far from his Florida home.

Here's a picture of me and Willie together that was taken a few weeks ago at the NAMS: Niche Affiliate Marketing System Conference in Atlanta right after we taught together on a panel about Affiliate Management. You'll notice that cute smiley face in the middle is my bud Lynn Terry who was also on the panel as an expert.

Me, Lynn Terry, Willie Crawford

The focus of NAMS is all about building your online business, growing it, and experiencing the kind of lifestyle you're working towards.

Guess what? I'll be leading some of the workshops next year. (Yay me!)

If you're interested, be sure to grab your spot now for the January 31st event.  There's a huge discount that you can save a ton of money on the ticket. (Plus, it's 100% fully refundable if something comes up and you can't attend.)

Click here to learn more about NAMS.

Here are some pics from the event:

That's me and Lynn Terry. Don't you just love her shirt?!
You can order that shirt “I’m Blogging This” at Think Geek.

That's Susanne (The Hillbilly Housewife), Tracy Roberts (Love Impossible), and me.

ok. The full scoop.

What I really liked about NAMS:

1. One of the things that I really loved about the event was the fact that it was a workshop, not just lectures. I saw a lot of attendees actually making progress and trying new things while they were at the event. Usually at these types of events, people take a bunch of notes, go home and then do nothing because they either forget the details or they get overwhelmed. So, this type of setting really pushes you to make progress.

2. Another aspect that I liked was that the workshops were broken down by skill level. After our big pep talk in the morning, we broke into smaller rooms of beginners, intermediate, and advanced. I was in the advanced room, which was a pretty intense, serious business masterminding experience. Intense but with serious results. I popped into the intermediate room to hear one of Willie Crawford's talks (about arranging JV partners) – and those were a lot more relaxed. The beginner room was a lot of fun.

3. I also enjoyed the fact that we ended each day in the same big room again as a group. It allowed David Perdew to wrap up the day, give away some goodies, and let us know what we were in for the next day. Then, we all left the room together and headed out to dinner and drinks and discussion. It kept us from becoming too segmented and made sure that the beginners and intermediates walked out of the room with the people who could help them.

4. Good people. I was thrilled at the level of helpfulness and overall goodwill at the event. Some events feel “closed” and this was like family. In fact, David's lovely bride (an Opera singer) sang “Amazing Grace” on Sunday morning and brought tears to the eyes of many of the people in the room.

5. Mostly Pitch-free Weekend. At many seminars you feel slimy at the end of every presentation because it's nothing but a sales pitch – no real value. This was not that way at all. The entire weekend was packed with actionable content and only one or two product/coaching suggestions tossed in, which I didn't mind one bit.

What could be improved for next time?

I've already said all of this to David, and he's really receptive to feedback so I'm happy to share my thoughts in public here.

1. The theme of the weekend got a bit confusing. Although the event was called “Niche Affiliate Marketing” the lectures/workshops included all kinds of info-product creation, too. While this was fine for the advanced group, I think it confused some of the newer marketers.

2. I would have liked to see the beginners & intermediates have more list-marketing workshops. My lists are my livelihood and I think that really should have been included.

3. The hotel had WONDERFUL staff and they went above and beyond on every front except for one minor thing. The internet was not reliable, which becomes a big thing when you've got 100 plus people all trying to be online at the same time. Not good. I understand that the event will be at a different location in January, which is unfortunate, since the staff was fabulous. However, an internet marketing workshop really needs internet access.

4. I wasn't crazy that the beginner group started off with Ning and Cagora. I felt that they should have addressed getting their first WordPress blog up and running first. However, I did discuss this with Lynn Terry on Friday night of the workshop and she made a point to find the attendees that had zero internet real estate of their own and get them started with a blog during the weekend.

Wrap up.

I can't even begin to tell you how cool it is to sit and talk with Willie Crawford, Jeff Herring, Kathleen Gage, and the rest of the brilliant people that were there. And, leaving was like the end of summer camp. I had tears when I hugged people good-bye. But, don't let that worry you. It wasn't cliquish at all. It was my first time attending, so it's not like being the new kid trying to get in with the others at all.

But – there are only a few days left to grab the hugely discounted NAMS tickets. If you even  *think* you might like to hang out with me, Willie Crawford, Bob the Teacher, and Lynn Terry in person and share a meal, a drink, and a conversation – then grab a 100% fully refundable spot (Three day workshop).

Here's the scoop: Click here to learn more about NAMS.

It's a fantastic event with wonderful people who truly care. If  you can swing it, I highly recommend attending.

Thanks so much for putting your trust in me. I appreciate it greatly!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Granted, I'm  speaking so I don't have to pay for this one other than my airplane ticket and hotel expenses, but I DID pay to attend earlier this month and I would again if I wasn't a speaker. So, I put my money where my mouth is.

And, just for fun, some more pics:

Loretta Oliver, me, Mary Blackburn, Gail Richardson.

Click here if you'd like to join us at NAMS.

Me having breakfast between Jeff Herring and Lynn Terry. Guess whose head is on the left side? Willie Crawford.

Me and a bunch of great people from this Masterminding Group.

Thanks for reading. I can't wait to hear your comments. And, I'd love to chat with you in person at NAMS.

The guest?

My friend, Lynn Terry – who went from struggling single mom to Super Affiliate.

If you're struggling to reach your online goals, go check it out. And, it's not just for moms…

Listen to the Lynn Terry Interview here

A few of Lynn’s Websites:

• Lynn Terry Internet Marketing Blog
• Lynn’s Messageboard
• Lynn’s Free Webinars
  

Resources Mentioned in this Call:

• Free Keyword Resarch Tool – Lynn uses this daily.
• Follow us on Twitter: Lynn Terry on Twitter | Nicole Dean on Twitter
• Free eBook: SEO Fast Start – Free Search Engine Optimization Guide

People who have Influenced Lynn

Most importantly –> Lynn’s Grandmother – who sounds like she was am amazing woman.

• Willie Crawford – for integrity.
• Rosalind Gardner – learned a lot about affiliate marketing.
• John Reese – overall business strategies.

Books Mentioned

• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
• The One Minute Millionaire: The Enlightened Way to Wealth

You can see them here:  Pictures from Willie Crawford's Birthday.

I've got more, as promised. Of course at the event, I woke up late (from being up all night talking with Lynn) so my hair is straight outta the shower. I guess the “throw the sunglasses on quick as a headband” look didn't go the way I'd hoped! Scary!!!

Now you know just how much I love you guys!

Nicole Dean meeting the amazing best-selling author, Shel Horowitz. We're chatting about business ethics. GREAT man!

Elizabeth Ashe, Lynn Terry & Kathleen Gage are in the background.

Nicole Dean & Paul “the Media Czar” Richardson.

A heck of a business man — I look forward to making lots of money with him. (More on that soon…)

Sam “Every Day is Saturday” Crowley.

I think this may be the only time I've seen him NOT smiling like a goober. He's an extremely energetic force of nature. To know him is to love him.

Me & My Tracy Roberts Friend laughin' our butts off. (It's my blog. I can say “butts” if I want!)

You know it. That's the one and only Stephen Pierce teaching the “Mo Money” gang calls. If you haven't seen him speak yet — find him and go. He's phenomenal. Both times I've seen him, I've laughed my butt off. (There I go again with the “butt” thing.) lol.

Me and Tracy Roberts brainstorming with Laura Fenamore.

Lynn Terry, Yvonne Lyon, and Me.

Hope you enjoy!
Nicole

All photos were taken by the talented ElmerHurlstone

I've been a jet-setting queen the last few weeks — off to StomperNet Live 7 in Atlanta in early March and then down to Willie Crawford's 50th Birthday Bash in Orlando last weekend. (I might just be crazy enough to go to another event later this month!)

I've been asked about both events — if I had fun, who I met, and how they were overall.

Here's the scoop. The two events were complete opposites, so I feel that I benefited differently (and greatly) from each.

StomperNet Live 7

Where: Held in Downtown Atlanta in a Hyatt.

Who: I'd estimate about 200 people there, but could be totally off.

What: Friday – Saturday speakers from 9-6 each day.

My Roomie:  Tracy Roberts, my awesomest  Virtual Assistant and friend.

Speakers included: Dan Thies, David Bullock, Perry Belcher, and the amazing Stephen Pierce, as well as others from the Stompernet Faculty.

Content provided: Actionable internet marketing advice. Solid online tactics. Left with a to-do list a mile long.

Pitches: None. There was nothing for sale. Just solid content.

Networking: I'm not sure if it was the size of the crowd or the types of businesses that the others had, but I didn't find the networking to be very personal. Went to bed fairly early. No major “love” connections. (I'm married. I mean for my business!) Although I did meet Mr. George Williams who will be a long-time friend.

Highlights: Perry Belcher's speech was inspiring, informative, and entertaining to the tune of almost peeing my pants. Yes, it was THAT good.

Feeling afterward: Like I'd just finished my Final Exams and found out that there was another round. My brain was tired, but I also knew that there's more work to do. However, very excited to have actionable items on my list.

How was the Sushi? Excellent! I discovered a “Las Vegas” roll that has a jalapeno on top. YUMMY!

Photos: none

Willie Crawford's Birthday Event

Where: Held in Downtown Orlando in a  Crowne Plaza.

Who: I'd estimate about 40 people there, but could be off.

What: Friday – Saturday speakers from 9-6 each day.

My Roomie: Lynn Terry – Yes, THAT Lynn Terry. I was so nervous meeting her, but we were just like old friends in no time.

Speakers included: Felicia Slattery, The Niche Prof, Kathleen Gage, Rob Canyon, Mark Hendricks, David Preston, Sam Crowley, Kevin “Mr. Ebay” Johnson, Shel Horowitz, Laura Fenamore, and again, the amazing Stephen Pierce.

Content provided: Not really any advanced internet marketing information overall. More business sense and overall motivation strategies. However, I did leave motivated and ready to kick butt afterwards, so it's something that benefited me hugely, obviously.

Sales Pitches: Yes. Oddly, every speech (except Lynn's) ended with a pitch for an item around $2000. I guess I don't understand the speakers' circuit very well.  I would have easily dropped $100-300 on each of at least half of the speakers, but the larger packages that were offered were just “too much information”, mostly videos (which you guys know that I don't do) and would require my time — something that is worth more to me than money. Rob Canyon was the exception as he offered a really cool business coaching (one-on-one) plan that appealed to me very much.  So, I'll probably go check out some of their products and see if there's anything a bit more “bite-sized” for me.

Networking: Phenomenal. Seriously. I got to hang out with Bob the Teacher (who rocks!), Felicia, Lynn, Sam, Rob, and Willie Crawford (of course). I also got to meet Elizabeth Ashe (who I've known and emailed online for at least a year), Paul Richardson & Elmer Hurlstone the Photographer/Writer/Editor. Plus, my Tracy Roberts friend was there, too. And, that's just a few of the amazing, creative people there. I got to meet one of my affiliates who will now be helping me with some of my blogs. (Total sweetheart.)  I got about 4 hours of sleep every night and several times laughed until I cried. Leaving was very hard, almost like the last day of summer camp.

Feeling afterward: Like I'd been on vacation. Came back focused, energized, and ready to double my income. Feeling like a ROCK STAR!

How was the Sushi? Excellent! I discovered DEEP FRIED sushi! YUMMY!

Photos: Oh yeah! Coming soon… In the meantime, here's one to hold you over. This is me, watching Lynn's presentation onstage. (I'm the ponytail with the ears!)  Tracy is next to me in the blue shirt.

Note: I ran out of Twitter copy/paste energy. Those who aren't linked above, feel free to mention your Twitter URL and give your thoughts about the conference below.

More pics soon!

Nicole