If you said “it’s a Strat”… In most cases, you’re dead on!
John plays several different guitars and I’ve seen notes on the web stating that he has a couple hundred guitars or more. Poor soul! Can you imagine?
Every time I’ve seen John burning it up, it’s been on a Fender Stratocaster and from what I understand, they have produced special versions for John himself – not a bad fit for John or Fender in my opinion.
One thing is for sure. When John Mayer grabs a guitar, it seems to just “leak” killer blues guitar licks.
Unfortunately, most folks are smoke-screened by the mainstream stuff John constantly has ringing on the radio. This is all “well and good” but for you more serious “pickers”, I highly encourage you to pick up some of his more raw stuff where it’s just him, a drummer, and a bass player. He’s nothing short of amazing!
Here are some other guitars he’s used in concert:
- cents Collins
- cents Novax Custom (Sweet!)
- cents Cherry Red Gibson
- cents Various Stratocasters (with blues being choked out of them
- cents Martin Guitars
John also plays a Martin D-18 large body acoustic as well as an OM-EC Eric Clapton acoustic.
And last but not least, John’s been seen playing the strings off a black bodied Guild acoustic.
Whatever you see in Johns hands, rest assured, it’s fixin’ to take a serious beating on the neck. He knows how to travel the neck and do it very fluently and easily.
In my honest opinion, John is way ahead of his years and he has been for as long as I can remember.
Check out all his stuff and learn as much of it as you can. It will serve you well!
[As an aside...] At the time of this writing, I saw John playing with David Ryan Harris as his backup guitarist.
HEADS UP!!!!
David is NO slouch. In fact, David is a amazing as a player and writer. Saw him at jazz club soloing and he was absolutely unreal. find him on the web and check him out!
Take it easy,
Jerry
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The essential theme of the Coffee House Letter is that because of the advent and progression of the internet, MLM is becoming obsolete as a business model. (We’ll get more into that later).
Before we start, I need to take a minute to help you understand exactly what Carbon Copy Pro is, and how the surrounding business model works.
Essentially, Carbon Copy Pro is an attraction marketing system built around a direct selling company called ‘Wealth Masters International.’ In 2007, Jay Kubassek developed a marketing system that would allow people in Wealth Masters to recruit team members using modern online marketing systems. The result has been nothing short of incredible – and today CCP (Carbon Copy Pro) is worth $20 million dollars and has customers in more than 160 countries.
Carbon Copy Pro Vs. MLM, Continued…
When you visit a Carbon Copy Pro website, you’ll have an opportunity to opt in to a newsletter, and then you’ll be taken through a sales page where you can read the Coffee House Letter for yourself. When you’re done reading the site, you have an option of buying a DVD interview with Mike Dillard and Jay Kubassek, and you can opt in to be interviewed to see if you ‘Qualify’ to be involved with the Carbon Copy Pro System. The cost of the interview and DVD is $49, and the purpose is to ‘pre-qualify’ prospects to see if they’re serious.
If you decide to join Carbon Copy Pro, these are the expenses you can expect to incur (Please note that this does not include ongoing marketing expenses, such as Pay Per Click advertising, etc):
- $49 fee to join (This is in addition to the interview fee)
- Monthly Fee: $49 fee for the website, back office features, and other support services. There is an additional monthly fee of $149.
- It is also recommended to have $300 or more each for advertisements. (If you do not do advertisement then how can you get people to join? Carbon Copy Pro does not promote your site for you. You must promote it yourself.)
- Yearly Fee: $149 Consulting Fee. This fee is optional. You can join as a “Free Member without paying the $149 fee.
Remember how I said that Carbon Copy Pro is an Attraction Marketing System for Wealth Masters International? When you join, you also will sign up with one of the following 3 WMI packages:
* M1 – Masters Program: $1,995
* M2 – Wealth Conference: $8,495 or $8,995 for a combination of both M1 and M2 package
* M3 – Lifestyle Experience: $19,995
So to break it down, the total initial cost to become involved in Carbon Copy Pro is the following:
$49 (start up fee)
$49 (website and other fees)
$149 (monthly fee)
$149 (yearly if you choose to have the consulting fee)
$1995 (the M1 package fee)
For a total of $2381, and possibly exceeding $20,000 (If you get involved in M1-M3 all at once)
Now, while that start up cost may be alarming to someone who’s not familiar with traditional business, for the potential income that you can earn as a Carbon Copy Pro team member makes the investment well worth while. However, just because you can earn money with CCP, does that mean that it is better than MLM? While I don’t have the time to refute all of the claims made by The Coffee House Letter and other Carbon Copy Pro Reps, there’s a few main ones that I’d like to address.
Before we continue, however, understand that I’m not opposed to Carbon Copy Pro – in fact I work hand in hand with several of CCP’s top producers to help create online marketing systems and training. I think it’s a great opportunity for the right person. However, there are some things that people in Carbon Copy Pro say that are pure B.S. that can distract a distributor from making money from their business.
Now don’t get me wrong, MLM has it’s issues too – but when I’m presented with the opportunity to participate in MLM or Carbon Copy Pro – I’ll choose MLM any day of the week. The reason CCP reps say the things they do is because they are EXCELLENT marketers who are trained, and they know how to prick your emotions. Here are a few questions people have about MLM after they read one of Jay Kubassek’s well written letters:
Is MLM Dead?
To put it bluntly, I don’t know where someone came up with that idea. Since the inception of the MLM profession, there have been good companies and bad companies – good marketing systems and poorly designed ones. In fact, according to the Direct Selling Association, MLM as a profession is growing faster than it ever has in any point in history. Since the advent of the internet, MLM has grown faster, not slower, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. In fact, 100% of all of my success has been earned AFTER the internet boom, not before, and the same is true for hundreds of thousands of Network Marketers all over the world.
In fact, the fastest growing, most profitable MLM companies of all time have all been created in the last 5 years. Even Amway is growing right now, and they’re a 57 year old company. In fact, over the last year their growth has taken off again like it did 15 years ago. (No, I’m not an Amway Rep.) It is true that someone can go online and when they search for your company, they are plagued with advertisements from your competitors. However, that is an enhancement to our industry, not a problem, and it ensures that the best marketers will always win – regardless of whether they’re in Amway, Carbon Copy Pro, or anything else for that matter. Your goal is to learn how to be the best marketer that you can.
What About Attrition?
Will you have people quit your organization? Sure. But the same thing will happen in Carbon Copy Pro, or any other direct sales business that you ever build. People quit things all the time. Some of the most promising people you’ll sponsor will quit. However, that’s no more true than it was in 1970. However, that’s not going to stop you if you become a leader, and it won’t hurt your checks if your in an excellent company (which you should be).
Top Tier programs work the same. Jay Kubassek quit Liberty League International to join Wealth Masters International. People quit Carbon Copy Pro to join MLM companies. The fact is, that people quit things and join new things. For some reason, though, I’ve still been making a six figure income through people quitting, and so have a LOT of my friends. Interesting…
The reason people quit isn’t because the opportunity doesn’t work – it’s because they aren’t making any money because what they’re doing is stupid. Now don’t get me wrong – they’re not stupid – they’ve just been fed a bag of outdated 1970 potato chips and quite frankly, it makes them frustrated.
But Don’t 97% of the People in MLM Fail?
Sure. But 97% of the people in Carbon Copy Pro fail, too. Also, it depends on the statistic that you look at. 97% of the people who stick in ONE MLM COMPANY for 10 years or more are earning a six figure income according to Dr. Charles King, who has more than 15 years of dedicated research on the subject.
Failure is a result of inconsistent behavior and ineffective marketing, nothing more. If you are engaging in effective marketing, and stay consistent, you’ll eventually earn the money you’re looking for.
Want to know the funny thing? 97% of people who are licensed insurance agents make less than $200 per month. The same goes with Real Estate and ANY OTHER direct selling profession. Let’s stop with the Bull-Shit already and stop trying to pretend that MLM is any different.
Unfortunately, we all usually go through a period of failing in life before we reach our success breakthrough. Are you going to let the failure of someone who QUITS EVERYTHING stop you from mastering a profession that can make you more in a month than a doctor makes in a year? MLM is a great profession, and I enjoy it more than anything else I’ve ever done, and I’m proud to be involved in it.
Are ‘Top Tier’ Programs Like CCP Better Than MLM?
That depends on your goal. Both industries have their unique selling propositions, and what kind of lifestyle you want should determine what opportunity you choose. The one advantage of Carbon Copy Pro and other Top Tier programs is that you can make more money initially with less effort and sales. However, let me briefly cover the reasons why I personally prefer MLM:
Reason #1: The Start Up Cost
Quite frankly, the thing that I love about Network Marketing is that the low start up cost levels the playing field for the average person. Someone can get involved in MLM today usually for $500 or less. To be honest, I even prefer less. My first successful organization was built with a $1,000 buy in package, and honestly, I prefer that new people come in today at a lower price and invest more time and money in marketing than they do the companies products. This ensures that people get started right and they stay active and involved.
Reason #2: The Residual Income Factor
If you are investing the kind of time, energy, and money that you need to be successful in Carbon Copy Pro, it has been my personal experience that monthly, residual income has grown 10 times faster for me than any of my friends involved in any Top Tier Program. In The Coffee House Letter, Jay Kubassek argues that if you earn an initial commission of $1000, it’s like you’re getting paid on a years worth of residuals. That’s true, if you only count that one person – but there’s something that’s being left out in saying that:
Because of the lower start up cost, it has been my experience that I can sponsor 5-10 people into my team with the same amount of marketing and effort that it takes to sponsor one person in Carbon Copy Pro. Also, typically I’ll see that one out of five people who become involved with me eventually go out and build a huge MLM downline, which gives me residual income off of hundreds, or thousands of more people. Quite simply – you can’t compare residual income from one person to the residual income from 100 people.
Reason #3: I Can Make Up Front Money Anyway
The fact is, that the major attraction to Carbon Copy Pro is that you can make fast, huge, up front money. Well, if you learn how to market yourself online (which is the future of the MLM profession), you can do that anyways after you’ve developed a sizeable list by marketing affiliate programs, seminars, marketing tools, and other useful information to your list. I don’t need an initial buy in package of $2-$20k to make up front profits. My goal in MLM is residual, passive drink out of a coconut money that comes in year after year, month after month with no effort whatsoever once it’s established. However, being able to earn $50,000 or $100,000 in a weekend is nice, too.
If you add up front money to the mix from strategies that you learn as you go along, you now have the perfect business model that can have you earning seven figures year after year after year if you put in the time, effort, and energy to learn the strategies that will get you there. Imagine earning a residual income of $50,000 per month, and then learning how to make an additional $250,000 from product creation, seminars, or – use your imagination. The possibilities are endless.
Reason #5: MLM Products Rock
One of the most common complaints about MLM is that the products are too expensive. Unfortunately, a lot of times this is true, as you can purchase a similar product locally for 60-70% less than through most MLM companies. However, that being said – the quality of MLM products that I’ve purchased from various companies over the years has been unsurpassed, and it would be a disservice to our country to cease offering them to the public.
From soaps that are so much better than Tide that you won’t believe until you try all the way through Pre Paid Legal services and Personal Development products, MLM products have been the most competitive, value packed commodities I’ve purchased from anywhere, period.
The fact is – I would rather pay a little bit more and be using something that gets REAL RESULTS, which is what you get with a good MLM company.
If you want to make money with MLM, ignore all of the hype about the newest, best thing. There are three things that you need, and three things only. If you master these, you can write your own check in this profession. They are:
1. You need to choose a KILLER MLM company, and stick with it once you do. (Stop changing companies. Do your research, base your decision on business (not emotion), and COMMIT to stick to one company once you’ve decided.
2. You need a PERSONALIZED system that is compatible with modern day marketing methods that will put your prospecting, presenting, and training on autopilot to free up wasted time and get you more consistent results. By far the BEST system on the internet is the one we’ve developed on our website. You can learn more by visiting the link in my author resource box below.
3. You need to STAY FOCUSED on becoming a master at marketing techniques that get you the results your looking for. 100% of your focus should be on one thing, which is building a list of prospects that you can build a relationship with, market to, and cultivate into a team over a period of time. There are a lot of marketing techniques, and your goal is to find one that works for you and STICK WITH IT until you are a master at that one method, then learn something new.
Look, we’ve talked about a LOT of things in this letter, but to summarize, I just have a few things to say.
Carbon Copy Pro is a great company with a proven marketing system, and if you’re involved with CCP, I encourage you to continue in your business and become successful at it. Don’t consider joining an MLM company until you’ve mastered CCP – but the same goes for all of you who are looking at MLM.
Stick with it. This is a great industry, and don’t let some sales letter distract you from the truth of this profession – that it is the greatest single profession of all time, and that it can give you time freedom, financial leverage, and personal satisfaction beyond anything that you can imagine.
Stop looking for reasons why your MLM isn’t working, and start learning the skills that you need to learn to make it START working. Getting distracted by reading The Coffee House Letter, Ann Seig’s Materials, or even traditional books like those produced by Randy Gage will NEVER make you as much money as simply engaging in smart marketing. If you found this article helpful, let’s educate the network marketing public by sharing it with our teams and the world.
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The first thing that needs to be considered when looking at bottled vs tap water is why we think bottled is better. The whole marketing ploy really started with a French company who made people believe that it was good to drink bottled. The advertising used for bottled makes it seem that it cleaner as they always show perfect snow capped mountains and clear streams.
There have been many scientific tests done on bottled and tap. Of course there are some not so scientific tests that have been done as well. The fact that many people say that tap tastes bad compared to bottled has caused a flurry of blind taste tests. Shockingly it was found that tap did not actually taste the worst. There were some expensive brands of bottled that tasted worse.
The scientific tests that have been done on both tap and bottled have turned up some interesting results. It has been show that some kinds of bottled actually contain more contaminants than that from a tap. There are a number of reasons for why this could be the case.
Something that should be kept in mind is that all the liquid itself actually comes from the same place. Springs, lakes and aquifers are just a few of them. Additionally there are many bottled companies who use the same well. Bottled can sometimes just be tap that has been purified and treated.
Bottled is thought to be better and cleaner but there are in fact more rules for tap. Regulations on all the things that need to be done and everything that needs to be removed. It could be due to this that tap can actually be better than bottled. This does not mean that all tap is as good as or better than bottled.
The debate of bottled water vs tap water has gained importance in recent years. The fact that we are much more conscious of what we put into our bodies has caused many to question which is better. There are many things that need to be taken into account when looking at this. Jessica Mauboy – Been Waiting Album Review
Yet another Australian Idol contestant has attempted to make their mark in the Aussie music scene after the 15-minutes-of-fame buzz has faded. In this case it is Darwin girl Jessica Mauboy, the singer/songwriter who was the runner-up to Damien Leath in the fourth season of Australian Idol. Her album is Been Waiting and it is her second release after The Journey, a collection of her Australian Idol performances.
The first single from Been Waiting is Running Back which features American hip hop artist Flo Rida. The single is surprisingly good, possibly the best effort we have seen from an ex-Idoler. It has a professional sound, a catchy beat and shows that her vocal abilities are capable of more than her staple Whitney Houston covers. Who knew after those Head and Shoulders commercials that she had potential to actually bring it as an Australian R&B artist? Lyrically the song is impressive also. Props to Mauboy who had a hand in writing it as well as five of the other ten songs on the CD.
The rest of the album doesn’t feature any tracks that outdo Running Back, however, it’s a solid effort from the 19-year-old. All the songs are originals besides a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time, which though nice, is not particularly different from the classic. There are ballads as well as upbeat pop/R&B numbers. Been Waiting is the first real evidence that the girl can not only sing, but might also be able to hold her own, especially after her unsuccessful blink-and-you-missed-it stint with the Young Divas replacing Ricki Lee.
Mauboy’s staying power at this point is questionable, and we are yet to see whether she’s interesting enough to put her stamp out there but it’s a decent first real try. For now, she scrubs up well, and will turn a few heads on the cover which looks professional enough. She’s on the path to disentangling herself from the Australian Idol pigeonhole and Been Waiting will have its place even if, for now, it is being played in Valley Girl stores and part of 12-15-year-olds’ CD collections.
Available through Sony Music
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