Sit back and relax…

Do to my error, the last newsletter went out a day late.  Not such a big deal had it not been for the announcement of the Live Radio Broadcast we did.  Almost 200 tuned in and some from across the seas.  But unfortunately many others wanted to listen live and for that, I do apologize and hope that you can make the new one, this Tuesday night.

The response was wonderful, after the broadcast I received emails and phone calls from fellow vendors wanting more.  Well guess what?  We went ahead and splurged, bought a contract with BlogTalk and now we can do shows at better times and even longer shows.  Thirty minutes was not quite long enough.  Our guest host Rob joined us live, from his cart.  Yup, he was actually slinging dogs while he shared some great information for us vendors but due to all the info he was sharing, time flew by and we ran out of time before we had covered the topics.

Some callers held on the line for the entire show and I was only able to take one call in.  This Tuesday – I promise to do better.    You can join us by clicking here or down at the bottom.

Now for some, this may rub you the wrong way, but after I received a few emails from others, I have thought about it and agree for the most part with those who called my attention to it.  Hopefully you would agree.  If not, please feel free to comment below.  Different opinions are enlightening and bring about better conditions and understanding.

“Ben… over 45 different sites exist – just on facebook”    What “John” is talking about is the amount of hot  dog vendor sites.  I was surprised to find that many, some I've known about for awhile; but there are blocked,  private    and open sites all over Facebook.  I think it's wonderful that so many people are gathering and sharing  information  with one another.  What doesn't make sense is that one group will attract vendors and for reasons  unknown to me,  someone will think; “I'm going to start another group”.

Now don't get me wrong, a few groups may be required to keep the peace.  I have seen 4 different groups implode due to egotistical psychopaths.  There are always going to be differing opinions, but wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all share together in one place.  Much of what is discussed could help us all.  As the past year has shown though, quite a few have broken off and started their own little groups, often at the detriment of others.  What's even more disconcerting is that – then they will begin some sort of backhanded attempt at gaining new members by sending private messages and even joining them automatically.

Let's say for example; there's a group of vendors on facebook.  The group admins have paid to advertise to gain many of these members.  Everything is going fine and one member decides to start his own group.  He starts inviting others from the current group.  At the very least, even if you don't consider this act dishonest, it hurts the whole group.  Comments once posted in one group now are posted between two.  Some vendors like Lynn, states that it's too much of a headache to keep up with multiple groups.

The results hurt all groups, but the dishonest tactics should not be ignored.  There is a group in Florida that started, they were doing fine, they advertised, they even ran pay per click ads on Google.  They invested their money to gain more and more members.  Then a couple of the members decided, hey, look, here's some free members.  Let's invite them to our new group.  Mind you that these two people would have not even known these other vendors had it not been for those that spent their hard earned dollars obtaining them.  Eventually both groups collapsed.

Keep in mind, these facebook groups don't make money.  They are there for the greater good of all.  So why on earth would someone ruin or hurt one group?  I don't get it.  I'm not completely blameless, I am currently listed on about 9 different groups.  I'm not here to tell you what to do or what group to join, but for me, I will focus on one group to make it the best it can be. Together we can make a difference. There is power in numbers.  Unfortunately, there will always be those whose ego's demand more attention.

Benefits of having one large group:

•  With numbers comes power – one group can command attention
•  One group creates a collective, knowledge is spread rapidly
•  One group allows for a broader opinion base
•  One group commands benefits
•  One group can demand rights
•  46 groups can only expect – laughter

If you want to sell something, are you better off posting in one large group or 16 smaller groups?  If you have a question, are you better off posting in one large group or posting in a few smaller groups?

Tuesday night, the 17th of January, we are hosting the 2nd of many shows to come.  Thanks to the many that requested a longer show, this upcoming show is schedule for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Wooooooo Hoooooo!   We have a special co-host, we're going to take live calls and answer vendor questions and there's a new format.  Don't want to talk, chat with other vendors on the chat box.

Please join us.  It's easy, doesn't cost a dime and you can call in to listen, listen online or a mobile device.   It's going to be fun and maybe, just maybe, we will all learn a thing or two.  Click the HERE  or  HERE  for show details.

I know this has been a very long blog entry, but I thank you for reading, I thank you for supporting me and for encouraging me to continue.  I love helping others and listening to all the success stories.

For those of you that don't know yet:  Just above are several links in the header.  Check 'em out, we are hoping to increase the used cart listings and are already hearing great things about the 1 on 1 training.