dbarnum

Tire-kicking here and have a few things to point out with regards to comments here and above.

1) influence engine - had questions but found answers. Neat


2) On the "genius business model" mentioned above, this is actually a model similar to that offered by several others there like GoDaddy where you pay to be a reseller, then earn a percentage of hosting, domains, etc. that you sell while you remain in their paid reseller program. Ditto with any of us needing to have our own subscription to many other affiliate programs out there, so there is nothing inherently wrong in the business model in those regards - ie nothing shady, etc. Or again here, maybe I'm missing something to the model (very well could be, so let me know)...? My company participates in the GoDaddy one, for instance, and for years and it has been and still is very rewarding. Having a partnering company to help with all types of technical software and tasks, and entering into a business partnership is done in various forms, even offline for ages past, and works fine for many a business relationship.

In the worst case scenario, move content and re-point the DNS for your clients and self and don’t renew programs. It might take a little time, but add that into your planning and pricing for your clients, a close-out package or something. It’s your baby, so model what you’d like.

3. Another item not mentioned in the features is the use of SalesForce software for leads handling with this Influence engine component, nothing cheap in that software or service in itself. So kudos to MSMM for this exciting feature / tool. I'm guessing more enhanced SalesForce features could follow for an even better communication experience as well as lead handling experience for MSMM folks and their clients.

Here again, worst case scenario: move your data or handle it differently (or in duplicate), setting up shop equally using Gmail or other communications avenue. Develop your own model and have a "moving" package for clients.

My own other points to add into the evaluation mix:

A) Local Search Marketing

This overall theme is a focus with the program and its materials, but I see a much broader view. You can certainly make websites, blogs, mini-sites, videos (there's a neat slide-show creator tool inside, too), articles, etc. for Internet marketing with a broader range and not focus on a local angle. Forget the Influence engine and other local components, if you like, and go worldwide using the tools in that capacity.

You may find a client or two who'd like a local search focus and would have the tools if you need them, but seriously this could be optional.

B) Lead Generation

While there are tools and a focus here to get leads, there are certainly many other tools and features to use for clients and your own projects. Video marketing, social media marketing, blog marketing, article marketing, mobile marketing…add your own unique products and services and go to town here with all they offer in tools, professional developed and tested materials, etc. You’re not selling Google Maps placements or don’t have to have any focus on this, in other words. For those Warriors here with outsourcing services already set up, this can be a handy helper.

C) Price

As to the overall price, as that's a big question here, think about this: if you pick up a current Business Opportunities Handbook magazine (head to Amazon), check out prices to buy into a franchise or to become a distributor. When you find anything at all in the $3000 range, do the math on your other costs, many of which are not one-time (like royalty fees, co-op advertising with your brand name, etc) and compare. This is a business, not a $7 ebook here, and that seems to be ignored by some here.

Consider MSMM as you would consider an investment in a franchise or paid subscription where you have to be a paid member in order to be an affiliate. There is nothing wrong in these models, as you are paying others to handle a lot of work on a continued basis, and that does bear costs. Install any script like a forum of this type, and let it go and run itself, and you'll find in a very short time that it's overtaken with spammers.

From what I see to date from MSMM and the company / owners' history, they are around to tackle tech and Internet evolution. And they're inviting others along to team up, or not. It's a choice to consider, and the products and services they offer are top notch, no one is denying this - - so it's up to you and what you want to do with it.

If you need to take out a 2nd mortgage to buy into it, no. Do as Dexx says and pick up a couple books and dig in here at this forum for plenty of help.

If you have the funds in your budget and are considering a new joint venture or partnership, I'd do some tire-kicking and math and see if this fits in with your plans. Nothing wrong with that

JimOrr

I fully appreciate yours and ever one else's opinion and thoughts concerning MSMM fusion. However it is a a little discerning when opinions are based on misinformation. Which yours I can assure you is. You mentioned you read through everything very carefully. I might suggest you go back and read it again.

Traffic Geyser does NOT charge you $300 to $600 a month for the clients you sign up. That is what is recommended that YOU should be charging your client.

Once you sign up your client you have two options.

1. Do the work yourself that the report says needs to be done for that month and keep ALL the money yourself.

2. Pay a fee of $500 which Traffic Geyser will do the work for you for THREE months, not one. This also includes other services like tweeting and posting the positive reviews the client recives.

That comes out to $166.00 per month. That is also a 12 month option for $1797.00 which comes out to just under $150.00 per month.

Again if you want to do the work yourself or you have a VA that is well versed in all of this and can do it for less then that more power to you.

However, if you are still feeling your way through this and are not confident that you know how to do this yourself yet and deliver for your clients then have TG do the work for you.

Really the only piece of work you will need to do is for this is run the updated report once a month and collect the check. You can just roll with this if you want or add on other services that that you can learn along the way with other Money Maps or simply go with other services you are familiar with. Up to you.

Marty S

I did not mention Traffic Geyser once, but there are other ongoing monthly services with this program, of which I cannot go back and review because I cancelled as soon as I caught on to the clever details of the program. But rest assured, there are ongoing charges per client you sign up, in addition to the $3,000 you pay for the well presented content.

I am not an affiliate, nor was I involved in the amazingly professional re-incarnation of basic knowledge that is the MSMM FUSION. However, I can assure you, that your opinion is valid to you.

This product is closed anyway now, and thank your lucky stars it is. Do a search for small business marketing on Amazon and choose any one of those top 5 $20 selections for a wealth of information MSMM is essentially based upon.

dbarnum

I’ll try to help here. First, long-time users of Traffic Geyser refer to Influences Engine, MSMM, etc. as Traffic Geyser. So while I can’t speak for JimOrr, that’s probably what he meant. Just a guess.
And second, to sum up Influences Engine, from what I understand, here goes (I don’t work there or anything, so hopefully this is correct):

- Influences Engines is a tool to target local search visibility and is only one component of MSMM, only one focus of more than 6 + components there. Other components are video making and submission tools, article submission tools, leads capture tools, blogging / RSS tools, social media tools, mobile marketing tools, biz in a box tools and templates for your IM biz and lots of others for clients' biz (these are focused on many main niches).

- Influences Engines generates very detailed stats; ie free search engine ranking / rating reports (N. American at this time, I believe). The reports can act as a guide to help you help your client improve ratings / and thus rank by pointing out search engines where their site is not listed and more. Show them their competitor’s ratings, too, while you’re at it - - for free - - and really close sales

- If you want to work with the report and your client on your own to improve ratings / rank, go for it. Again it’s free. Follow the report as a blueprint, tackling missing listings and other data that is focused on. Or outsource it or whatever.

- If you want to outsource via Influence Engines own staff, again totally optional at any point along the way, their costs are $497 for 3 months or $1797 for a year. For this price, the Influences Engines’ team will run reports each month and focus on the top 5 things that are holding the site back from higher ratings / rank, based upon a recent report they pull that month. Yes, there is set up involved: filling out a form with basic client info: description, logo, Twitter ID, Facebook ID, email, phone, etc. You can charge for this, as you might in any business set up (like $25 or more for account set ups with some membership plans). There is no trick or hidden agenda or anything here: it’s business, and their video training advises on this and helps guide you through pricing, working with clients, etc. in videos and Word doc proposals, follow ups, etc. (You get tons of forms and guidance for all their components).

And you can charge more than Influence Engines charges – for their service and / or bundle in other services, like build your client’s fan page, set up their Twitter page and blog, etc, even using some of MSMM’s own templates and tools (that are all in the $3000 package). Follow up each month and blog for them, create and submit videos and articles, etc. use the tools packaged in or not, again, up to you. The article submission tool is neat, just an FYI. Submit and find out fast if your content is accepted, and if not, submit it elsewhere in a click.

OK, someone can check my math, but over a year’s time, that means for about $30 a project task, a virtual assistant (VA) of Influence Engines will enter your entire updated profile info including photo, logo, business description, link, Facebook, Twitter IDs, etc. into a search engine directory or whatever one of the top 5 placement recommendations turn out to be. If a link is faulty, the post rejects, the logo is the wrong size, etc., these VAs will call, email, seek in-house Influence Engines help, etc. to get the job done without bothering you or your client. Sure, that may seem like a click to many of you, but it also could help when some submission sites are just stubborn and reject for multiple reasons (some of you know what I mean, I’m sure ). So again, do this yourself or outsource it - -or forget about this component, and focus on =all the other MSMM components.

Hope that helps clear things up some Again, I don’t work there or anything, so hopefully my tire-kicking has resulted in getting you accurate info. If not, someone will hopefully point out the errors.

Matthew Iannotti

Has anyone here purchased this and another Local Marketing Business with a high price tag and compared what you were given ?

celente

I was thinking of investing in this I hear that it was pretty good. I do not really invest in something these days, as I do not have teh time, but have some back time this week and wonder if more people can post their views.

dbarnum

Update here: we're still reviewing MSMM and have some questions on Influence Engines (IE). If anyone can shed light here, it would be appreciated.


1) Some companies with a large web presence rate very low with IE, in trials, not even showing Twitter and Facebook as linked, when in fact, they are. We've even experimented with using the "www" in the URL and not using it, the local phone versus the toll-free, etc. Regardless of profile, site shows at nearly non-existent when it has pretty high rank and has been around 10+ years with tons of links, etc. Running this wrong, perhaps?

2) For a month #2 IE report, nearly all of the 5 priority tasks are the same as for the first IE report (same URL, company data, etc). Yet we had completed all 5 of those from month 1 in-house. Does it take awhile to be noted in the IE system?

3) Very interested in detailed manual in print (not videos) in IE if there is something like this around. One issue we wonder about on this end is the phone number in IE profiles, for instance. In IE, there lacks a space, like:

(614)555 - 1212 (ie. no space before the first "5" here). Could that affect results, since there is a space there online everywhere it searches?




Questions pend with their support, too, so if anyone has info on this, that would be great. We take testing seriously and sure welcome any tests run by others with MSMM.

Thanks!

dbarnum

OK, found out details (and by using Chat - -don't wait weeks for support, my recommendation) - they say up to 3 biz days, but initial replies ofter only ask for more details or a repeat of info, then don't reply still. Not complaining, just reporting our research on this end in case you would like faster info.

OK update from their chat support:

So as I understand it, Influence Engines will NOT work unless you have a paid subscriber, meaning you MUST pay Influence Engines to do the work. Period. You cannot do the tasks in-house or anything. And the reports pulled as trials to even give a prospect are useless, as they will not have all the info presented accurately (like Twitter, Facebook, etc that they may have already set up), so you'll look bad trying to prove yourself as an SEO expert.


OK, open to feedback, could be wrong here, and happy to admit. This chat support person said, he has "... seen it work for hundreds of other merchants" ...so I'm hoping some of these people will jump on-board here to reply, too. Yes, it's wonderful that it may work, but it seems misleading to package it as a service we can do here in-house, when that's not true. And their support packages seem to point to using it yourself and / or with your own in-house virtual assistants, right? Or are others reading something different here?


Thanks

dbarnum

See my other posts. Found that you do NOT have 2 options:

#1 is an inaccurate report that you cannot use, plus the report for month #2 , #3, #4, and so on will be the same, regardless of what you do in-house.