Saturday
Apr032010
A Tribute To the Super-Guides: An End of An Era And The Beginning Of A New One!
Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 09:50PM Hello Super Guides!
We've sure been through a lot together.
Those of you who have been Super Guides from the beginning, have seen us grow and adapt with the changing seasons. And you have grown and adapted right a long with us!
Those of you who have been Super Guides from the beginning, have seen us grow and adapt with the changing seasons. And you have grown and adapted right a long with us!
We've been through learning experiences, teaching experiences, leadership growth--Everyone who has consistently been a part of the Super Guide program has done all 3 of these things.And then there were Super Guides who really dug in and grew some roots! Eric Walker, Barbara Silva, Patrice Walker--they and others jumped in with both feet and created something bigger from it. And that's admirable! It also helped make them more valuable, which is evident when you run across them 'out there' in their work both online and off.
While Eric is now heading a new direction to expand his reach outside the walls of Marketing Merge, Inc., he led the Super Guides far and provided tremendous supplemental training, particularly in the area of SEO. Thank you Eric for your outstanding leadership.
Others realized they couldn't do it all and stepped down earlier, but went on to discover themselves in community programs like Coaching Cognition and PBN.
Many have grown and have become leaders with successful business models, or at least businesses in development that have all the makings for long-term success.
So while the Super Guides program never did all that it could, it did something noteworthy...
It inspired leadership, challenged people to do more and learn new skills than they would have, and people grew from it -- Leaders sprung from it.
And leads were distributed.
Over 4000 leads were shared with the Super Guides in lead rotation.
With a 12% upgrade rate into Renegade Professional (our average) that's nearly 500 Professional upgrades generated through the Super Guides program while people learned together.
It didn't reach the 400,000+ leads I aimed for, but we're not actually done.
In essence the Super Guide program will continue but it will not be called Super Guides and won't be the same guidelines. It will have a more fluid structure but still will faciliate team work, collaboration, partnering and opportunities.
In essence the Super Guide program will continue but it will not be called Super Guides and won't be the same guidelines. It will have a more fluid structure but still will faciliate team work, collaboration, partnering and opportunities.
It's going into a metamorphis--something greater than it has before. With less need for management and a bigger emphasis on contribution through your own unique strengths.
With the coming of The School of Online Business, RU Toolz and a customizable Renegade Professional where you can create your own community, the 'spirit' of the Super Guides will remain. Very much so. You'll be able to continue your partnership and contribution with Marketing Merge by contributing training and value in exchange for us helping you build your list and attract clients through our community.
However, it won't be branded the Super Guides any longer. You will do it through Coaching Cognition, PBN Marketing Consultant, RU Toolz Specialist, or Renegade Professional Trainer / Content Contributor (email trainers@marketingmerge.com if interested in continuing the partnership with the subject "I Want to Grow With You" and we'll email you back)!
Those of you in lead rotation will remain in lead rotation. Though I'll be starting new campaigns and offering a lot of new products related to the new platforms coming out and those will be separate from the SG lead rotation.
If you've been getting leads, you'll keep seeing them come in from the same lead capture pages. And you don't have to give anything more to the SG program.
And again, if you want to continue contributing and growing with us in the new, more optimized programs, just email us at the address I gave above and we'd love to continue the partnership with you!
Thank you for contributions and for those who gave it (and many of you did) for your leadership!
We're going to keep going and growing and I sincerely hope our paths keep crossing as we do!
Partners in success,
Mike Klingler
Reader Comments (16)
Hey Mike,
The bugle calls its retreat score. Nice post.
Thank you for the Super Guide program. It positively shaped me in so many ways.
I still remember the urgent feeling I had back in July of 2008 when I saw the post announcing Super Guide requirements. I went from five pieces of content to 30 in about two and a half weeks. But in hindsight, it was the fact that what you wrote made me feel that sense of urgency. Something all great leaders have the ability to do.
Little did I know that was the first of many challenges and lessons I'd receive from you.
And I still remember how nervous I was the first time I hosted a webinar for Super Guides. I had such a feeling of triumph when it was over. Now I can't imagine not hosting regular webinars. It seems so natural.
More than anything tho, it was the Super Guide program that brought me closer to everyone in the Renegade Professional community. It was the Super Guide program that "guided" me closer to this authentic Renegade Professional community.
I will miss the Super Guide program, but what's really most powerful, is that I now know how to build my own "Super Guide" team. The model will last forever.
Thanks Mike for all the opportunity that came with being a Super Guide. It was my anchor when I needed one. It kept me from drifting from program to program like so many "lost souls" do.
There was a monetary benefit. There were months where I earned just over $500 in commissions from upgraded Super Guide leads. That money went a LONG way.
But the biggest benefit wasn't the money, it was the open window the program provided me to cultivate my leadership abilities, to provide value toward a singular cause, and pick up a essential must-have skills through the process.
It brought me closer to you too, and that has been priceless.
Thank you!
Eric Walker
P.S. As you mentioned, I am heading a new direction to further expand my reach outside the walls of Marketing Merge, Inc., but I will still be an active member in our community. I still will contribute value in big ways. Our community will always be a home on the internet for me.
Mike, as one of the original SuperGuides it is with a combination of sadness and yet excitement and anticipation that we say goodbye to the SuperGuide Program.
As always you had a vision and it began as an embryonic thought that developed into the SuperGuides. Now, that vision has expanded further with even greater vision and it's time to move on to something bigger than before.
Eric has given so much of himself to SuperGuides and Renegade Professional and I know he will continue to contribute to the community at large as he has and we have not heard the last of Eric Walker.
Patrice has grown and has demonstrated her passion into PBN. Those that are part of PBN would say the same, I'm certain.
Barbara Silva is amazing and her contribution of Coaching Cognition is beyond words. It is her passion and the coaches that are developing as a result of her vision will be and are shining stars.
Others of us have moved forward at our own pace, expressing ourselves in product or service production and we haven't heard the last of them either.
All the students of Renegade Professional have been given the tools to help them move forward with their dreams. Everyone goes at their own speed yet the dream is still there for all. Renegade Professional encourages this growth and individualism.
You have planted the seeds in everyone's minds about what is yet to come so I encourage everyone to stay tuned and watch this space as it unfolds.
Hi Mike,
Thank you so much for the tribute to super guides! I am sooo thankful for the super guide program of yesteryear :) because without it I would not have experienced what I call my first launch into generating traffic, leads, and sales.
Before being accepted into the super guide program, there were so many mysteries that I simply could not grasp. The language of internet network marketing was completely foreign to me.
I remember looking at the term URL for the first time after deciding to get into Internet MLM and thinking, "What in the world is an "earl?" :)
But then I found you. You were presenting in a live webinar that completely captivated my attention. I still remember the relief and hope of that night. I finally found a mentor that understood the missing link for so many of us. It was your step by step, click by click mentoring that launched my online business.
Because of your tutorials and the super guide application process, I had tons of optimized content, traffic, leads and even sales long before I understood SEO. I just did what I saw you do, was accepted into lead rotation, and my business was launched!
Thank you, dear friend. Now I'm totally thrilled with how much I continue to learn inside Renegade Pro and Coaching Cognition. You'll never be rid of me. I just hope I can keep up and contribute more and more along the way.
Gratefully yours,
Terri Stallcop
Hi Mike,
All good things must come to an end. That's what growth is all about. We've all certainly seen you grow, and because of your growth, we've also grown as well. It's an amazing process.
I personally want to thank you for all that you have imparted to me that began way back long before Renegade was on the horizon. Then Renegade was birthed and soon thereafter, the Super Guides program. Talk about being out of my league -- but you, Didi, Eric, and others were so faithful to coax me along. Because of that faithfulness on everybody's part, I can truthfully say that just about everything I know about attraction marketing, affiliate marketing, and Internet marketing, I learned (or at least was exposed to it) through your leadership.
I'm excited about what the future holds because of the past. I look forward to continued growth which I know will come as I choose to stay affiliated in one way or another with this amazing community.
Thank you for all you've done. It's been a great ride. My seat belt is still fastened -- let's roll!
God bless,
Jerry Graham
Well Mike I don't know were to begin, words can't express the gratitude admiration and respect that I'll always have for you for offering your time resources and leadership for helping so many people discover the world of online home based business opportunities.
It took me 8 years to finally find a place were I felt comfortable in knowing that I'd found a training platform that was the real deal. Renegade University and specifically the Super Guides Program opened up possibilities that I'd never that imaginable.
It's hard to believe that it's been close to two years now since those early live webnars were we all listened enthusiastically pondering all the possibilities of what the future would hold. Boy have we come a long way, Marketing Merge is now recognized as one the the premier resources for online marketing.
As I continue to make my transition from an offline entrepreneur to the online world and discover other JV's, partnerships and meet new people I'll always owe my online business foundation to Mike Klingler's Renegade University and of course the Super Guides Program.
Thank you Mike for all that you've done and will continue to do in the future, and so as the Super Guides Program rides of into the sunset I'm honored in knowing that I'll be a Super Guide forever.
It was the superguide program that pushed me beyond my comfort zone and it seems that although it has run its course, a new pheonix is rising to continue a greater vision.
I owe a lot of my success to this program and it feels good to know that there will still be challenges for us to mount, albeit under another name.
So thank you, Miike for being the visionary leader that you are and thank you, Eric for having always been our anchor.
I'm excited at the direction we are going and certainly will be part of its success in one form or another.
I echo your thought Marie. I remember when Irene Kirkman (who introduced me to Renegade Professional) told me about the Superguide opportunity and I thought I could never get in because I had only been online for a few months. But going for that really forced me to get my content up and get the ball rolling.
The best part about the Superguide program, and in fact Renegade Professional, is the community. I love what Eric said about this community being a home on the Internet. That is so true.
Many thanks for the opportunity and for the great friendships. I'm excited about the next phase. We will all find our own place (whether it be PBN, Coaching Cognition or other areas), but we will all still be here as a virtual team of support.
Cindy
When I arrived in Portland in January for the first ever Renegade Professional Live Event, I felt like I was coming to a family reunion. To me, that is highest value of being a Super Guide!
I entered Super Guides through the portal of my dear friend Eric, already knowing and utilizing much of what was then in the back office. I saw Marketing Merge and becoming a Super Guide as access to a wonderful set of tools and trainings not only for myself but even more so for the people that I was coaching and working with.
What I gained was much more important, beautiful and far less tangible. There are friendships and partnerships that exist in my life now that developed because we were Super Guides together. A family exists online (and also in real time) that never would have come together or even known of each other , because of the Super Guides. That will never change. Those relationships will only continue to grow and expand as we develop our business and as Marketing Merge morphs into its next chapter.
I'll see you my friends, in the next part of the story.
Peace and Abundance,
Deborah
Hi Mike,
Even though I've been out of the loop for quite some time now. being part of the Super Guides was such an amazing learning experience for me. Thank you so much for all you did to push us out of our comfort zone and into something bigger than just ourselves.
I know for me, being part of a group of people all working toward the same goal was more than just that. We became friends. Yes, we were working toward a goal, but these were such amazing people, friendships developed as well.
I want to thanks you for everything I learned and experienced with being a Super Guide. Thank you also to all my fellow Super Guides for helping me along the way when I got stuck. Thank you for being my friend.
Thank you, Eric, for your help on a few occasions and for all the many webinars I have attended and learned so much.
It's been a great ride!!
Michelle
Well, I can see where we are moving from one era to the next. However, do not expect that the "community" of SuperGuides will change much from the camaraderie and networking we enjoy now.
I can certainly echo many comments left about how the SuperGuides program shifted me from a student plugging away to an intensity that pushed me through barriers.
I remember relief in tears with the final affirmation of qualifying as one of the SuperGuides in the original group.
I remember a feeling of "what's happening out there in SuperGuide land among the other members?" to be galvanized by Eric in the spring of 2009 to a community of leadership and contribution to Marketing Merge.
All the while knowing and hearing that something bigger and better is on the horizon.
Mark Hoverson said something in his final webinar in Leadership Branding that was an aha moment for me. He spoke to the loyalty cemented with "first contact" in relationships in my case, leadership on the web. Mike, was referred and recommended to me in 2001 by someone I trust. Mike in turn established a mentoring relationship that has evolved over the years. The results is deep loyalty to Mike and all things Renegade.
As we move forward, I am sure to be found amongst the new happenings at Marketing Merge.
Eric, just as many other SuperGuides have spread their wings and launched new businesses that redirects focus and energy, I know you and Kaitlin will excel at every venture you pursue. I know we will see you both among the new activities of Marketing Merge.
That is the beauty of Internet enterprise. It has no bounds and can be done from any location. So, I know we will "see" more of you.
Eric, I thank you for your excellent leadership as Team Coach and the Smart Beginner Webinars as resources for students of Renegade Professional . These webinars and all the trainings you have posted at Marketing Merge leave a huge imprint of influence.
So, Superguides now evolves. Mike is always at work developing value. This next phase will without doubt, be a nudge through new thresholds.
Mike,
You must know that Super Guides has touched me and had a significant impact on my development. It was a catalyst, a true turning point when I look back on it.
I agree with the sentiments expressed in the previous comments. Actually, that is a good example of why Super Guides was so important for me - it was the door that allowed me to meet and interact with so many like-minded people. That's why it feels like home ... it's a real community.
I know that Super Guides is not a person or an individual, but when I think of Super Guides ... I immediately think of Eric Walker. It may be because of his leadership when I was working to become a Super Guide. Or it might be because of the peer coaching and mentoring he provided to me, and so many others.
You know, it might just be because of the professional way he always carried himself and conducted his business. For whatever reason, Eric was the epitome of a Super Guide. I know I am better for having followed him into the Super Guide group!
I'm looking forward to what's next ... and thanking my lucky stars for the privilege of knowing so many Super Guides.
Michael Wilson
I too want to thank you for the Super Guides program. I value the community that grew from it as well as the learning and growing that was an inevitable part.
I have learned a lot--and am probably still in the game because of the SG program. Thanks to all the members and to Eric in particular for continual support and encouragement to grow beyond where we find ourselves.
I am also looking forward to the next phase and wondering where that will lead us.
Thanks so much to everyone.
Claire
One thing I forgot to mention -- Eric, you are an amazing leader and person. I know you're going to stay involved in some capacities and that is wonderful. One thing that would be great to maintain is the smart beginner webinars. I've heard such great feedback from people about the value they're getting from those webinars. Do you know if there are plans to keep those going? Thank you!
Mike,
Please know that even though in the SuperGuide program for the shortest period of time (6 months) is has been a learning experience that pushed me up and on. The friendships and joint venture partners I have gain through the community has been outstanding. They are ones that I know will last a lifetime.
Business as entrepreneurs has so many twists and turns - I am looking forward to where the unknown road is taking me and so many of us.
Eric and so many of you have helped to make me into the leader I have become and continue to develop every day. Thank you.
See you all on the beach!
Oh my! I was away for a week and came back to see this... I am not a Super Guide but I have been a "Renegade" for almost a year now and currently going through Coaching Cognition. I am truly honored to have witnessed the metamorphosis not only of Renegade Professional and Marketing Merge but the leaders who never ceases to give value. I have never seen a community that exuded mutual respect for each other and leaders who make sure they continue to evolve and grow and remain on the cutting edge without losing the "high touch" aspect of attraction and relationship marketing!
I am grateful for all our leaders especially those I have been truly fortunate to have worked with, who continue to provide me with such inspiration to be, do and give more: Mike Klingler, Ann Sieg, Eric Walker, DiDi Alcheva and Barbara Silva.
My heartfelt thanks to Eric Walker for all that he did for the community - for always encouraging and keeping a watchful eye out on all of us as we too, evolve. Prayers for a smooth and effortless transition to you and your family, Eric!
I look forward to what's ahead with joyful expectancy knowing that we have visionaries leading us to where we need to be....
Yes, "I Would Absolutely Want To Grow With You" and I will send my email to trainers@marketingmerge.com shortly. I will do my utmost best to contribute to this community for I know and believe that the best is yet to come!
Respectfully,
Emma Tiebens
As one door closes, another opens, one can only imagine how wonderful that too will be. Mike, Eric, DiDi Barbara, and Patrice, thank you all for the inspiration to continue and the thorough teaching skills that you all possess, no stone left unturned.
I have come so far and I remember in the beginning the words from you Mike that echo daily, "build a strong foundation first and from there you can only grow." No truer words have been spoken. The foundation that you taught us all to build does and will continue to allow us to grow for years to come.
Thank you so much for that. I wish all their continued success and I look forward to continuing to work with my friends here within this amazing community.
Sincerely,
Angela James