Training via Digital Distribution?
A concept frequently espoused by some critics of Quixtar-affiliated training systems is that of digital distribution of training materials, particularly in regards to audio training. The contention is that, in a digital age, there is no legitimate reason to maintain the old CD distribution method, and that the sole reason for IBO training systems to continue doing so is that tool distribution is the profit center for so-called "kingpin" Diamonds. Proposed methods include website or email distribution of MP3 files via the internet.
Let me say first that there is great merit to the concept of digital distribution of training materials, and I whole-heartedly embrace the concept. As time goes by and digital audio technology becomes more ubiquitous and more accessable to a larger section of the population, migration to a mostly digital distribution system just makes sense. It's frankly inevitable.
There are, however, legitimate needs that currently require some physical tools to continue to be professionally produced (and a system in place to distribute them), and will likely continue to be required in some circumstances. The failure to acknowlege those needs represent a shortsighted, self-serving, consumer mentality approach on the part of the critics, where a longterm, others-serving business mentality is required. (Perhaps this is another case where the experience of mismanagement is driving their judgement.)
The main advantages of digital distribution are that it's 1) Less costly to produce, 2) Less costly to distribute, 3) provides easier, more flexible availability to the tech-savvy end-user.
All significant advantages, right? Ready to make the switchover for your entire organization? WOAH there, cowboy-- before you do that, let's take a look at how you will need to run your business under an all-digital distribution model for training:
First, any current IBOs you have registered who do not have a computer with a broadband internet connection, either a CD burner & CD-R/W-compatible CD player or an iPod AND the knowledge to use all of the above-- well, they're out. Too bad about that volume they were running, but otherwise, you just signed yourself up for a full-time job downloading & burning CDs for all your no- or low-tech IBOs, or tutoring them on buying and using all the equipment to do it themselves.
Second, in prospecting, the first question you'll need to ask is not whether they have a need/want/desire in their lives or if they're keeping their options open for opportunity, but whether they already have-- you guessed it, a computer with a broadband internet connection, either a CD burner & CD-R/W-compatible CD player or an iPod AND the knowledge to use all of the above. You'll have to screen prospective business partners based on technology levels first, and on ambition, attitude or desire, second. Otherwise, again, you just signed yourself up for a full-time job producing CDs yourself or tutoring prospects on technology before you can even get to the business plan.
Either way your job is harder: You choose between eliminating a huge percentage of prospects and partners, or compounding the WASTING OF PRODUCTIVE TIME throughout your organization by essentially replacing one existing centralized professional production & distribution system with a compounding number of in-home, unstandardized, amateur CD burning systems. BRILLIANT MOVE!
Third, since most training tools also double as prospecting tools, you will no longer have professionaly produced tools with which to introduce your business model to prospects. After you've SCREENED OUT all the potentially ambitious but unfortunately less tech-savvy prospects, you'll be representing your cutting edge e-commerce business project with... a home-burned, hand-scribbled CD! Woohoo! The only thing that would scream "Professionalism!" louder would to be to wear a checkered faux-suede elbow-patched blazer, striped high-water pants, white tube socks, and taped-up black hornrimmed glasses when you hand them that gem of a CD.
Two questions spring to the prospect's mind-- 1, If they're so cutting edge, why don't they have any professional material? and 2, Do I really want to join a business where I spend all my time burning and scribbling on CD's to hand out to the next guy who's no more impressed than I?
Because, since you will now have to produce those prospecting CDs yourself, you'll still have to spend much of your formerly productive business building time doing exactly that-- downloading, burning and labeling CDs.
Still excited?
I recently showed the plan to a couple who were excited about my business concept but had made a family decision long ago that they would not own a computer or internet connection because of the potential time wasting that would take away from their family time, and because of all the risks the internet presents to families (porn, chatroom liasons, sexual predators, etc.)
I respect that. And since my business model caters to the gamut of technology levels (no-, low-, and high-tech) we can still accomodate them, do one or two sessions to set them up with an e-commerce website to which they can send their clients and prospects, get them printouts of the webtour & training materials, set them up for either automatic product shipments or standard fulfillment, etc., all without them ever owning a computer.
However, under a pure digital distribution model, they can't get the latest training tools. No internet, no email, no computer.
So, in order to accomodate them under that system, *I* would have to spend all my business building time and personal money burning off CD's for them, or worse, take up BOTH my AND their productive time over at my house doing training that can otherwise be done in their car with a CD in their non-productive time. (BTW, compounded ineffeciency...? Not so smart, critics. Don't do me any favors with your next bright idea.)
Also, despite that critic bloggers may be internet and computer savvy themselves, there are still more people in the US who do NOT know how to download and burn MP3 files into an audio CD, than there are people who do. In addition, the digital method, particularly for those on dialup, requires taking productive time that could be spent building a business that is instead spent downloading and burning audio files-- again, no thanks!
Don't get me wrong, I'm flat-out excited about digitally distributed training materials. As I posted earlier, all WWDB IBOs with a my.biz ecommerce website now have a training module within their personal website where downline can access training materials, including printable, downloadable documentation & mp3 audio training, with cross-references to existing CDs for further indepth training.
But I'm also excited that I still have access to those professionaly produced, efficiently distributed, time-saving, economical CDs from WWDB.
I have the best of both worlds.
Technorati Tags: Home Based Business, Internet Marketing, Internet Business, Quixtar, WWDB, Affiliate Marketing, Private Franchise
Let me say first that there is great merit to the concept of digital distribution of training materials, and I whole-heartedly embrace the concept. As time goes by and digital audio technology becomes more ubiquitous and more accessable to a larger section of the population, migration to a mostly digital distribution system just makes sense. It's frankly inevitable.
There are, however, legitimate needs that currently require some physical tools to continue to be professionally produced (and a system in place to distribute them), and will likely continue to be required in some circumstances. The failure to acknowlege those needs represent a shortsighted, self-serving, consumer mentality approach on the part of the critics, where a longterm, others-serving business mentality is required. (Perhaps this is another case where the experience of mismanagement is driving their judgement.)
The main advantages of digital distribution are that it's 1) Less costly to produce, 2) Less costly to distribute, 3) provides easier, more flexible availability to the tech-savvy end-user.
All significant advantages, right? Ready to make the switchover for your entire organization? WOAH there, cowboy-- before you do that, let's take a look at how you will need to run your business under an all-digital distribution model for training:
First, any current IBOs you have registered who do not have a computer with a broadband internet connection, either a CD burner & CD-R/W-compatible CD player or an iPod AND the knowledge to use all of the above-- well, they're out. Too bad about that volume they were running, but otherwise, you just signed yourself up for a full-time job downloading & burning CDs for all your no- or low-tech IBOs, or tutoring them on buying and using all the equipment to do it themselves.
Second, in prospecting, the first question you'll need to ask is not whether they have a need/want/desire in their lives or if they're keeping their options open for opportunity, but whether they already have-- you guessed it, a computer with a broadband internet connection, either a CD burner & CD-R/W-compatible CD player or an iPod AND the knowledge to use all of the above. You'll have to screen prospective business partners based on technology levels first, and on ambition, attitude or desire, second. Otherwise, again, you just signed yourself up for a full-time job producing CDs yourself or tutoring prospects on technology before you can even get to the business plan.
Either way your job is harder: You choose between eliminating a huge percentage of prospects and partners, or compounding the WASTING OF PRODUCTIVE TIME throughout your organization by essentially replacing one existing centralized professional production & distribution system with a compounding number of in-home, unstandardized, amateur CD burning systems. BRILLIANT MOVE!
Third, since most training tools also double as prospecting tools, you will no longer have professionaly produced tools with which to introduce your business model to prospects. After you've SCREENED OUT all the potentially ambitious but unfortunately less tech-savvy prospects, you'll be representing your cutting edge e-commerce business project with... a home-burned, hand-scribbled CD! Woohoo! The only thing that would scream "Professionalism!" louder would to be to wear a checkered faux-suede elbow-patched blazer, striped high-water pants, white tube socks, and taped-up black hornrimmed glasses when you hand them that gem of a CD.
Two questions spring to the prospect's mind-- 1, If they're so cutting edge, why don't they have any professional material? and 2, Do I really want to join a business where I spend all my time burning and scribbling on CD's to hand out to the next guy who's no more impressed than I?
Because, since you will now have to produce those prospecting CDs yourself, you'll still have to spend much of your formerly productive business building time doing exactly that-- downloading, burning and labeling CDs.
Still excited?
I recently showed the plan to a couple who were excited about my business concept but had made a family decision long ago that they would not own a computer or internet connection because of the potential time wasting that would take away from their family time, and because of all the risks the internet presents to families (porn, chatroom liasons, sexual predators, etc.)
I respect that. And since my business model caters to the gamut of technology levels (no-, low-, and high-tech) we can still accomodate them, do one or two sessions to set them up with an e-commerce website to which they can send their clients and prospects, get them printouts of the webtour & training materials, set them up for either automatic product shipments or standard fulfillment, etc., all without them ever owning a computer.
However, under a pure digital distribution model, they can't get the latest training tools. No internet, no email, no computer.
So, in order to accomodate them under that system, *I* would have to spend all my business building time and personal money burning off CD's for them, or worse, take up BOTH my AND their productive time over at my house doing training that can otherwise be done in their car with a CD in their non-productive time. (BTW, compounded ineffeciency...? Not so smart, critics. Don't do me any favors with your next bright idea.)
Also, despite that critic bloggers may be internet and computer savvy themselves, there are still more people in the US who do NOT know how to download and burn MP3 files into an audio CD, than there are people who do. In addition, the digital method, particularly for those on dialup, requires taking productive time that could be spent building a business that is instead spent downloading and burning audio files-- again, no thanks!
Don't get me wrong, I'm flat-out excited about digitally distributed training materials. As I posted earlier, all WWDB IBOs with a my.biz ecommerce website now have a training module within their personal website where downline can access training materials, including printable, downloadable documentation & mp3 audio training, with cross-references to existing CDs for further indepth training.
But I'm also excited that I still have access to those professionaly produced, efficiently distributed, time-saving, economical CDs from WWDB.
I have the best of both worlds.
Technorati Tags: Home Based Business, Internet Marketing, Internet Business, Quixtar, WWDB, Affiliate Marketing, Private Franchise
posted by anonibo at 11:17
3 Comments:
Thanks for the compliment, Ty!
1-2 tapes: Even before his association with World Wide via the Goads, John C. Maxwell has advocated a habit of regular tape/CD listening for personal growth, a habit which he himself claims to have.
Steven R. Covey also talks about "Sharpening the saw", which for many people, a tape/CD habit allows them to do.
You may personally be at a point in your personal growth where you can do quite well on your existing attitude and interpersonal skills levels. Not everyone is, so your statement that 1-2 tapes/CDs a week are not necessary is a very relative opinion based on your personal perspective.
You may disagree with me on that, but I think I'm in pretty good company with my opinion.
Now, assuming one has chosen to have such a personal growth habit, the next question is where to get them? There are plenty of sources for positive attitude and people skills audio, but tapes from a system take those skils a step further into the application of them as they specifically relate to a business model, and is based on experience of people who have been successful in that model. To me, that's a significant enough value-add to choose them as the source.
As for your other question, your assumption implies that since a person (in this case, Diamond leaders) who is making money from source A have also been making money from source B, source A must not be any good.
That's like saying, since Tiger Woods/P. Diddy/J Lo, who were making money golfing/rapping/acting are now making money with endorsements, clothing lines, jewelry, perfume, etc, then there must be no money in golf/rapping/acting.
See my comment here.
Orange meet Banana.
Tiger Woods is involved in a business that pays him money based on the success of people on his team. Sure, he does the majority of the legwork but he alone in not soley responsible to take full credit for the money he earns. Take your pick of the area: on the field, start with his caddy who helps with club selection, look at the design team of workers who outfit Tiger with the latest and greatest technological innovation to help him swing harder and fly the ball father. He might have imput into some elements of the designs but not to the entire production.
Not to mention... the little people that pay Tiger the big bucks to play in the first place, us the clients watching him on TV, in person, in the ads. We buy what he sells and he keeps getting the opportunity to make more money.
No different no matter where you apply this principle. Except in Quixtar or Oasis or Usana or whatever your corporate vice for MLM I-commerce module everyone gets the 'chance' to make it happen.
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