Jordan Belfort's Straight Line System

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"Very few people in the world have a bold vision for their future, and everybody is thirsty for one. So what do we do if we don't have our own vision? We gravitate towards someone that has a strong vision...As an entreprenuer you need to have a bold vision for your future, and then a strategy to make that vision known to others so they buy in."

Joe Polish interviews Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of Wall Street) who explains the straight line system. You'll see how he sells prospects on what he discovers during the qualifying stage, how he makes sure the prospects believe in him AND his company and much more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS5fLPvDHSQ

Jordan Belfort: The REAL Wolf Of Wall Street (interviewed by Joe Polish) - YouTube
Keep in mind he scammed people bad, some of them regular investors that needed the money for retirement or whatever. So take the good and leave the bad.

Some people are still po'd:
http://www.timothysykes.com/2014/01/...f-wall-street/

http://www.designntrend.com/articles...eeches-dvd.htm

Some think he has changed for the better:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/even...ge-better.html


************************************************** *************************

Trivia: How did Tommy Chong play a role in the publication of Belfort's book and subsequent movie?

"Belfort was indicted in 1998 for securities fraud and money laundering. After cooperating with the FBI, he served 22 months in federal prison for a pump and dump scheme, which resulted in investor losses of approximately $200 million. Belfort was ordered to pay back $110.4 million that he swindled from stock buyers. In prison he met Tommy Chong, who encouraged Belfort to write down his stories and subsequently publish them. They remained friends after their release from prison."

Courtesy Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Belfort
#offline marketing #belfort #jordan #line #straight #system
  • His system (which is essentially the system he learned while at Lehmen Brothers)
    is about the same as any in home sales presentation at the time. He just applied it to sell stocks..then selling near worthless penny stocks.

    The lesson here is that if you dedicate yourself to a system, and learn it thoroughly, and get on the phone for 10 hours a day, or more...and sell a high ticket item (like stocks)...and call a targeted list (like millionaires)...and learn how to sell...and never stop closing.....

    You'll get rich. You will.

    I'm now adapting his methods to sell high end seminar seats. A few internet guys are doing this now.

    I'm not sure why Belfort just doesn't open a Boiler room selling something for the same amount as his stock offers...and do it again. No idea.
    You can sell a real product just as successfully as you can sell worthless paper.

    Man, I watched the video. He's still delusional. He talks about unethical selling like it's "trying to sell something they don't need". No. He sold stocks knowing 100% that they were near worthless.
    It was fraud, not cutting corners.

    If I was selling like he was, when I sold vacuum cleaners...I would have got paid for the vacuum cleaner, and then delivered a picture of a vacuum cleaner.

    The difference between hard selling, and what he was doing...is the difference between seduction and rape.

    Sorry, I've done very thorough research of what he did. Great selling system. And I'm still learning from his system. But man...he was a douche.
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    • Jordan has actually done this with a number of things.

      He and Frank Kern ran a boiler room selling local marketing, which once they were upsold would end up at like $10-30k lifetime value.

      He's also done it in insurance and a few other things.

      I've personally done his straight line system, and theres no doubt its good.

      But there's someone way better out there.

      A guy named Thor Saleswarlord is absolutely smashing it. I used to work with him and be his #1 sales guy.

      He's the guy Frank recommends when needing to improve your sales, he helped Perry Belcher and Ryan Diess sell $75k on the first day of his team using his scripts.

      He's the best sales guy in the world at the moment.

      In fact he actually spoke at Traffic and Conversion. He then ran an event where they had 30 people in the room. 1st day was training, the 2nd day they were on the phone selling. The room sold $180,000 CASH within the day.

      One of Frank Kerns clients was really struggling, about to shut up shop. He did one of Thors trainings and made over $80k cash in the next few weeks.

      Now I don't say this for my benefit, I get nothing from it.

      Infact I havent even spoken to him in about 6 months.

      But I HIGHLY recommend checking him out on Facebook. Or even just liking their page: https://www.facebook.com/leelarocks

      His wife is a marketing genius too.

      Just my 2 cents. Everyone talks about Jordan Belforts sales. And I've done it, and I've done Thors. Thor wins 100% of the time.
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    • You left out the part about having 1,000 salespeople under you.
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    • There is a reason why Belfort, Kern, Deiss, and all the other "gurus" sell stuff to internet marketers - it's the same reason why you see so many WSO's with rehashed stuff: It's because there is a sucker born every day. And every day, more new suckers with that hopeful gleam in their eye and a little cash are willing to listen (and sometimes pay) someone else to teach them rather than doing their due diligence and trying things out for themselves.

      Of course, we can't say that some of the principles their "systems" use can't work but the principals that actually DO work are nothing new. And, it's just that it's unlikely to work most of the time for us ordinary folk.

      Actually, I would like to see Belfort, Kern and some of these other guys slang some vacuum cleaners like Claude suggests. Let's see how well they would do then.

      Doesn't the 'ol Kirby Vacuum Cleaners go for about $1k a pop? That's about as much as some of Kern's training seminars - so he should be able to make a killing right? :rolleyes:

      But hey......I'm just a dude grinding out chump change on the internet, it's all just my $0.02
      • [2] replies
  • Good question. He may be restricted in what he can sell, but I couldn't find anything that supports that. I did find this interesting stuff:

    Wolf of Wall Street True Story - Real Jordan Belfort, Donnie Azoff

    Like Captain Phillips, the facts were massaged to make it a better movie. Still a wild story.
  • Anyone heard of Stan Billue? Apparently he's the highest paid salesman on earth and his material was used by Zig Ziglar and Tom Hopkins to sell seats to their own seminars.

    The Highest Paid Salesman On Earth
    The Highest Paid Salesman On Earth (Hard to Find Seminars)

    He has a course which is cheaper than SLS and has more value (according to the Hard to Find Seminars guy), though that comment may just be to try to sell more.
  • Stan is the man. Here he is in action back in the day.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO-mblXbDig

    Talk like They Talk - YouTube
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    • Stan Billue is amazing. If you listen to the way he speaks, he conveys Certainty. No "word whiskers" like "Um".."OK?"...or "let me ask you this..."

      Hypnotists and radio announcers talk the same way.
  • Sell me this pen...
  • I met Jordan at Internet Marketing Event in Vegas years back and also was just at Traffic and Conversion Summit with Frank Kern and Ryan Diess here in San Diego last month.
    Take what you can from experts in this industry, you will know in your heart if you are doing anything unethical or not.
    Internet Marketing is great..but if you want to do this for a living and earn a solid 6-7 Figure Income, you better learn how to sell.....
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    • Mr. Hickey;

      You were at the Deiss event and you didn't say "Hi"? You could have easily found me by listening for the guy that was bragging the loudest, and slurping his soup. :rolleyes:

      I would have loved to have met you.
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  • What I liked about Straight Line System is the concept of looping, the concept of actually not knowing what the objection is but assuming it's one of the big three, and the more advanced use of tonality.

    I found some of Thor's stuff in a sales forum from 2009, and to be frank he was mentioning a lot of stuff eerily similar to what I was exposed to during a stint as a car salesperson. If that's all there is to Thor's thunder, then by Odin's beard I declare I'm not impressed!
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    • I think the "Tonality" and pacing stuff in Straight Line Selling is what was new to me.

      His phone approach strikes me as "Selling is Theater". Which isn't a bad approach.
    • I looked all over last night and I couldn't find anything of value from Thor. Found a single audio where he talks about overcoming sales anxiety as well as a few youtube videos where he goes off on a non-sensical, drunken slur about sales, but thats about it.

      The concept of looping was a real eye opener to me. The only thing I don't like about The Straight Line is how assumptive and high pressure it seems to be. Then again, I have always been a fan of a more low pressure, trust based style of closing.
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  • Here is part of the module on Prospecting.

    Jordan Belfort - Art Of Prospecting, 5 Keys To Sales Mastery - YouTube
    He says you have 4 seconds when cold calling to achieve 3 things--that you are (around 25mins):

    1. Enthusiastic as hell
    2. Sharp as a tack
    3. A figure of authority

    That shows you are a person who can help them achieve their goals and gain control of their lives in some fashion. Everyone wants more control of their life. They want to meet people who can help them gain more control.
  • I never say "bingo" unless I'm first in a very frickin' cheery mood.

    Stay on topic will ya?
  • Jordan Belfort is currently in Australia on a speaking tour. He claims that he is on track to pay his 110.4 Million Dollar fine back this year but the U.S. Government can’t garnish his earnings because they have no jurisdiction over the Australian booking agent he uses. If he really plans on paying it why isn’t he turning at least part of the money over now? He paid nothing in 2010 and only $21,000 in 2011. Very clever of him to set things up the way he has. Talk is cheap… let’s see if he keeps his word… but a leopard very seldom changes his spots.

    You can read how slick he is at: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/r...-1226939378006

    Jordan Belfort Interview | 60 Minutes | The Wolf [FULL] - YouTube
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    • Thanks for sharing that, Steve.

      I've been around long enough to know that when someone starts proclaiming their honesty - or how they've changed - it't time to cover your pockets.

      That old guy had to work extra years to repay the bank - and Jordan is lving the life o - oceanfront in Hermosa Beach - dolar wise - pretty top shelf life in the Southern California.

      That said, the piece wasn't very nuanced

      After all, who gets a phone call from a not very well known firm (unknown?) and invests hundreds of thousands of dollars just because the other guy "won't let him hang up"?

      There seems to be no shortage of suckers - i.e. people who are not responsible for their own lives.

      Not saying JB isn't a scumbag - he is - but really - not being able to say no to the tune of hundreds of thousands of borrowed dollars?




      [QUOTE=SteveSki;9239583]Jordan Belfort is currently in Australia on a speaking tour. He claims that he is on track to pay his 110.4 Million Dollar fine back this year but the U.S. Government can’t garnish his earnings because they have no jurisdiction over the Australian booking agent he uses. If he really plans on paying it why isn’t he turning at least part of the money over now? He paid nothing in 2010 and only $21,000 in 2011. Very clever of him to set things up the way he has. Talk is cheap… let’s see if he keeps his word… but a leopard very seldom changes his spots.

      You can read how slick he is at: No Cookies | The Courier-Mail
  • One thing to keep in mind is that we may have some preconceived notions/ideas about how these guys actually operate (or operated) with many of these approaches. I know when reading Oren Klaff or watching Jordan's videos, I continually had to pull myself out and force the thought that their interactions with prospects were likely very subtle and not this hard-charging, ABC type situation.

    Oren Klaff mentions it a few times in his materials but I am not sure that Jordan Belfort spends a lot of time explaining this. For example, he talks about "loop back" in his straight-line system --- which that makes me believe this is a much more gentle/subtle conversation that what we might be envisioning a hard-closing wall streeter making 800 calls.
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    • Really? Because that makes me think of the bulldog-gotcha-by-the-ankle-won't-let-you-go type of sales where the prospect just said "no I don't think so" and the salesperson doesn't stop and goes right on with "but it makes sense to ya, right? Ya know, that's the true beauty of this..."
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    • I agree, and don't know why trainers do that. I hear dialog that makes me think "I'd laugh at someone, if they said that".

      Some of this dialog isn't so much to sell the customer, but to impress the audience.

      Some of the techniques come in very concentrated form. And most salespeople don't talk to customers in a dynamic speaking voice. I sure don't.

      By the way, everything in my book on selling is taken from recording of what I actually say when selling. There is no need to modify anything.

      It's interesting to me that most books on selling give dialog that is so theatrical.

      When I was more actively selling, I would attend training sessions of other sales organizations. Their top rep would go with me for a day or two, and I would go with them...on appointments. It was a great exchange of information.

      But I noticed that what the rep (or manager) said in the sales training class...was sometimes way different from what they said when selling. They were much more subservient in actual selling situations. Their techniques would generally leave them, and they would stumble around...and usually just lower their price. It was kind of sad.

      And back in the sales office, the next day, they were the same old "Dragon Slayer" they were before.

      A facet of human nature that I've never understood is the frequency of a salesperson saying "And then I say....(random thing they got out of a book)"...when, in reality, they never say those things.
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  • i don't like this book

  • Quite interested to see if he will be allowed back into the financial industry after all...
  • Yeah Jordan's methods are definitely not gentle.
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    • Bob,

      I'm waiting for you to do an interview with Belfort.
      You can cover his "gentle nature". Ha! Ha!

      I'm only half-kidding. You've got the interview skills.
      You'd do a great job with Belfort or Polish.

      I've not seen anyone cover Belfort's pit bull sales style.
      He tries to mask it, but it oozes out of him.

      The fact is...it works! He makes millions of dollars with it.
      So do others. Grant Cardone comes to mind. He'd be a
      heck of an interview too, Bob.

      Ron
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    • I have his system. that style worked for him back in the day. Let me see anyone make it happen now. People change and evolve, hard selling won't work in most selling situations anymore.
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  • I knew that. As a matter of fact I thought the idea behind it was smart, not so much the execution unless you're doing boiler room type sales. The idea being you don't have to figure out where the objection is exactly, getting into digging for the "real" reason and dealing with smokescreens, but that the real reason will be one of a handful of the same ol' reasons, so just loop around til you hit the nerve.

    I tried it but with my prospective clients you need to wear big soft furry mittens and maintain a non sales persona so I could only loop once and try for a close again before they start to feel pressured.
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  • Jordan was the king of scamworld at a time, but his system was perfect. He turned young 20 year olds into expert closers.

    It doesn't matter what he is selling, as long as he trained them to sell which proves that The system works perfect.

    Anyways, he has changed a lot now!!!

    Focuses a lot on helping the sales community.

    Love his system!!!
  • I recently came across a deal on ebay for a fraction of the price for the Complete Straight Line System and a bunch of extra's. Knowing that my friend wanted it, I bought it as a surprise gift. Well my timing was horrible, as he had already purchased. I don't do anything offline or dialing for dollars, so I have no real interest in keeping. If anyone is interested in it, PM me.
  • i think what you need to clear is anyone sellnig a complete scam where you could promise huge rewards, get rich, no risk at all, etc...will have a far easier job than someone selling the truth. That contributed massivley to his success. let's not forget this. I am sure he would have done ok selling legit. products but no nearly as well.

    Look at any boiler room and the figures are fantastic....simply because they are selling a complete lie.
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    • You are completely wrong. You think something is easier to sell, when it's a lie?

      Are lies easier to believe? Do salespeople sound more confident when they are lying?
      Is it easier to show proof when it's a lie?
      Is it easier to answer questions consistently, when you are lying?

      Boiler room figures are great because they are working...hard. That's why the money is being made.

      Do you think that companies that are selling a scam are the most successful? Do you think it's easier to keep great salespeople when they are told to lie?

      When your entire pitch is a lie, how many repeat sales do you make? How many referrals for you get? What kind of sales momentum do you build?

      And, young man..do you know who says the word "Legit"? People who just got out of prison.
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  • he has no choice. If he ever delved back into his scam world he'd be locked away for-ever.
  • This thread is interesting. I do resist learning from scuzzballs, but there are nuggets here from the Warriors - and more to study for the next levels of my businesses.
  • yeah me might have scraped by..might have. He would have had serious competition from the major broker houses as he was simply a stock broker....so instead of making $100k+ off some sucker he would have made tops about $5,000 per annum..if he got them to churn and burn their accounts. You don't even understand what it was he was doing yet try to convince others it's easier to make so much profit going legit. NO WAY!

    Yes it would have been longer term and more senible running REAl busines but he had no edge and I doubt he would have made enough to pay his oiverheads never mind making $50m+ personal profits.


    r.
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    • I think I'm actually going to give this a shot.

      You are talking about Belfort making so much money, because he was promising impossible returns, and he was keeping nearly all the money from the sale. In other words, instead of the regular broker commission, he was keeping everything (except the minuscule real value of the stock). Am I right?

      First, he only made 50 million one year. It wasn't what he normally earned. And he had 1,000 reps. That's $50,000 per rep to him, in one peak year.

      Do you know what can be sold by phone to generate $50,000 in net profits per rep?

      Almost anything.....selling almost any legitimate offer. Belfort didn't make these profits by selling personally. He made them from the cumulative efforts of a huge and eager sales force.

      Did he make more money on the sales he (and his office) made that year, by keeping 95% of the money, instead of a 5% commission? Yes. A ton more money. Di he make more sales by offering a 500% return, instead of a real return? Maybe. I'll even give you that.

      For example, I run a retail store. I sell $1,000 vacuum cleaners. Would I make more money if the vacuum cleaners were stolen, and I bought them for $25, instead of $500? Yes. For a very short time. But over a ten year period? No. Because I would lose everything, and go to jail. Just like Belfort.

      Promising a 500% return? Did it make more sales? Maybe. For a very short period of time. And remember, he only made..at peak...$50,000 per rep, per year.

      Any phone room manager will tell you, that's not even a lot. It isn't even enough to brag about. He attracted reps because of the promises of money. And they did make lots of money, for a short period. But there is no future in it.

      Lets pretend (because I don't have the figures), that an average phone rep with Belfort made $200,000 a year. I bet that's high, but we'll use that figure. They worked the phones all day. They sold big ticket offers. They called a good list. And they closed hard on the phone.

      You don't think a guy selling gym memberships could do that? Selling time shares? Selling franchises? Selling auto parts?

      Belfort talks about a few of his top reps making a million a year. I'm assuming it's true. Guess what? Top reps in many field make a million a year. And every year, that figure goes up for them...because they can be trusted with money.

      My best year, I made about a half a million dollars in net profit selling vacuum cleaners in people's homes. That's not a lie. Would it have been a million dollars, if the vacuum cleaners were stolen? or used? Or missing vital parts? Maybe. But then I would go to jail, or at least my business would be ruined. Not smart. And Belfort wasn't smart.

      And what about the reps being all excited about the vastly higher commissions?

      They were almost all very young. Young and stupid. They had no idea that it's impossible to maintain a business based on lies. This all occurred a couple of decades ago.


      Where are these guys now? Are they still living "The Life"? probably not.

      And please, for the love of God....stop saying "Legit". You sound like a two bit hustler.

      This post was meant to help you. I hope you got something out of it.



      Let me think.

      I have written 5 books on sales. Two are top 5 sellers, on Amazon, in their category.

      For 35 years I sold in people homes and offices, high ticket products and services.

      At 21 years old, I was the third top salesperson, selling life insurance, in the company. There were 2,200 agents. I've made about 12,000 sales presentations in the field. I have a tad more than 7,200 high end sales that I have made personally. In my town, there are two streets where everyone bought a high end vacuum cleaner from me.

      For the last 12 years, I've been a sales speaker and trainer. I charge $500 an hour for phone consulting...and I get it.

      In my core industry (vacuum cleaner sales), when I went to the conventions to speak, I was the only paid speaker there. I've been the Keynote speaker. I've made as much as $52,000 for a 90 minutes in front of a room of salespeople.

      When I walk into a room, with people in my business, I can hear them whisper "That's him. That's Whitacre".


      Google my name. I'm not the final authority, but I'm not entirely dim.

      Now...why should we listen to you?
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • based off your theory. You have no idea what he did or what the industry is about. The competition is fierce....

    Forget it. You've made up your minds. Unbelievable comments though form people that have no clue. Typical forum crap.
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    • hey pauljones99


      share your input.

      what makes what you do and/or what Jordan professes so valuable?

      how is competition fierce in what your doing and not others? sales is sales or not???


      * I'm just old and cranky (from losing money from guys like this)
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  • You are a joke Claude.

    You are the one absolutley stating as a fact Belfort could have made more legit than his boiler room scam.

    YET..you don't even know what is was he did?

    W.T.F. is that!!!! Kind of makes your whole argument mute.

    Go and learn his operation. Find out what he actually did then come back. How he swindled people out of their life savings before you post more B*S* Claude.

    Is f**** straight line system will work great for boiler room scams as well you know..he should know.

    You need to get a life away form this forum you are starting to believe your own crap.

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    • I gave it a real shot. I really gave an effort to try to help you. Too bad. You could have learned something here.
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  • BUt you have no clue as to what he did have you? And yet you go on and on about how right you are.

    Deluded man.

    wtf are ytou talking about? i used those figures as an example.....

    Oh forget this. it's going around in circles and i am not going to educate such a deleuded man.
    • [1] reply


    • Education is hard to pull off when emotionally invested in an idea.
      I'll even go so far as to say almost impossible when yelling and cursing.

      If you really have something of value to say - please - say it ...
      Just keep in mind it's in everybody's best interest to keep it civil.

      It's in your interest if you want people to understand what your saying.
      • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • I have read all this with interest. I have just found the complete works of Belfort. 3 training course's and six bonuses for just £60/$100 online.

    Is this worth the investment?
  • From my experience, that's just not going to do well. It might work in some markets but it really just screams, "phone sales guy! ....have got to find a way to hang up quick".

    Read Oren Klaff's ideas on how the brain processes things, especially as it relates to the Crocodile brain and how to quickly create hot cognitions. This works to stop that initial wall that goes up.
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    • But it worked well in that day and principle will always work.

      It's easy (much easier i should say) to sell things if you make dream claims.

      Like IM sales pages. Full of hype,fraud, false claims, dreams is much easier to sell than reality.

      All the cold calling scams these days are the same principle. Sell a non existent dream to the gullible with some money!
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  • I was reading this thread last night and didn't get all the way through it but I just wanted to say thanks to Claude Whitacre because the advice he gives is very good.

    I bought his book last night (link to Amazon in his sig) called One Call Closing. It's great!

    I really got a lot out of it and I would recommend it. I've never met Claude but if you are looking for a good book with some tips on selling, for $2.99 you can't go wrong.

    Thanks Claude!
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
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    • If you could leave a review on Amazon, I'll consider it a huge favor. Thanks.
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  • Belfort was not cold calling nor in penny stocks.

    He called clients in his brokerage house and got them to buy into thinly traded stocks Belfort had already loaded up on. Pump and dump. Imagine his company buys $6million worth of stocks under $10 then offloads it to clients at $20,$30,$40+

    Does it work? Of course it does and always will. Go and look/read about the many scams that get busted every day. Ponzi schemes,fraud, etc...it's not that difficult.

    Get on the phone, promise easy riches, throw in some techniques. Adapt,

    It wouldn't work today but something else will. You think scams will stop in 100 years when people get wise? Same old.

    Is it right?
  • Ron,

    I noticed your signature line. I've always wanted to ask someone this question.

    Once I take the fork in the road, what do I do with it?

    • [2] replies

    • In homage to the recently deceased Yogi Berra (RIP)...


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    • Excellent find, Barry!

      See! Yer ol' buddy Ron, told you it was there!

      Now, you're almost home, my friend. I'm so excited for ya, I almost wet myself.

      Start looking for a Round Tuit.

      Here's what they look like...




      Once you "take the fork in the road" and "get a round tuit" Barry, you'll have
      it "made in the shade".

      Ahhh Garooonteee!!
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
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  • 200

    "Very few people in the world have a bold vision for their future, and everybody is thirsty for one. So what do we do if we don't have our own vision? We gravitate towards someone that has a strong vision...As an entreprenuer you need to have a bold vision for your future, and then a strategy to make that vision known to others so they buy in." Joe Polish interviews Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of Wall Street) who explains the straight line system. You'll see how he sells prospects on what he discovers during the qualifying stage, how he makes sure the prospects believe in him AND his company and much more.