There's an old saying which you may have heard. "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man HOW to fish and he can feed himself for the rest of his life."

My wife brought up a very good point today. I have written essays, articles, and poetry for years. I write what I enjoy writing and write about what I want to write about, and write it in my own unique and personal style.

Nothing wrong with that, but, when it comes to articles on business, marketing, internet businesses, etc., I have missed an entire audience. As my wife pointed out, I have always written at a certain level, and, at that level, I always assumed a certain knowledge or experience in the people I was writing for or to. I'm not talking about intelligence. I'm talking about knowledge and experience.

That's how I have missed my audience! If you are already knowledgeable about internet marketing or network marketing, let's say, you can read my article, agree with it, disagree with it, comment on it, and, maybe even get an insight or piece of information that you didn't already know.

However, what about the person with NO experience or real knowledge of internet or network marketing? My entire article, my carefully contrived web of words and masterful turn of phrase, my recital of personal experiences is meaningless to this person! They have no clue, or only a vague conception, of what I am talking about.

Additionally, the experienced individual probably already has some sort of internet business with which they are involved. If they take anything away after reading my article, they are going to apply it to THEIR BUSINESS! I may get a thank-you. I may get an award, but, I DON'T GET THEIR BUSINESS because they already have one.

On the other hand, if my article is structured and designed to provide useful information to the individual who has not yet learned about how to market things on the internet, and if I include basic, yet helpful information to that individual, I now have a reader who not only wishes to read more of what I have written, but who will follow my guidance in the selection of an internet or network marketing business...probably in my downline.

Now, not only do I have a new recruit in my business, but this is someone who is motivated to follow my lead, willingly accepting the guidance and training I offer.

There are many principles which have been around a long time in the recruiting of new people into network marketing, but I'll just mention three here.

• First, you can get people's attention and draw their interest to your business opportunity by offering something of value for free.

• Second, you need to be able to train the new recruit.

• Third, they are more likely to be successful if you can provide a system which can be duplicated, even by the inexperienced!

Sounds like we are on the verge of creating a "perpetual motion machine" of sorts. It also sounds a lot like the "Plug-In Profit" system designed by Stone Evans.

As Spock would say, "Fascinating."

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. To learn more about improving your marketing performance, please visit http://marketingsecrets.xtramoney4me.net To read more articles by the author, please visit his blog at http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com/