Technology brings new twist to powerful old concept 14 November, 2007 By Dave Chappelle

JP Maroney, founder of Brain Trust

While success comes in many forms, all successful people attribute success to two factors:

1. The thoughts that occupy your mind.

2. The people you associate with.

Imagine if you could access the minds of hundreds of successful people, each experienced in different areas of business -- conversion, copywriting, Adwords, fulfillment, print, Web 2.0, social networking, marketing, sales -- together in one place, all sharing ideas. You'd have a vault full of valuable, connected thinking.

To keep your knowledge vault fresh and relevant, add a membership stipulation -- each member must contribute at least one red-hot idea for profitable marketing each month, or a new way to leverage and profit from existing media and products.

Finally, allow other members of the group to vote out those who don't contribute.

Thanks to new software technology, the line is forming to enter such a vault . . . a limited group of "charter members" of the Brain Trust.

"I've lived this and experienced it, but never had the technology to back it on a grand scale," said Brain Trust founder JP Maroney (http://jpmaroney.com).

"We now have our software in place. It's huge in terms of the ability to share inside the membership site -- case studies, best practices, what's working or not, tags, links to videos, audio, suggestions and recommendations -- members can break off into sub groups for their own mini brain trusts. We're really excited about it."

Readers of Napoleon Hill's success manual "Think and Grow Rich" might recognize the resemblance of Brain Trust to Mastermind. The Mastermind concept is popularly attributed to Hill, who wrote that "No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."

Calling the third mind Mastermind, Hill defined it as "Coordination of knowledge and effort in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose."

So how does Brain Trust differ from Mastermind?

"In spirit it's exactly the same -- in fact there's a copy of 'Think and Grow Rich' on my desk," Maroney said.

"Mr. Hill provided an amazing concept that thousands of entrepreneurs have built their businesses around. He fell short, however, in that he didn't provide a model. With the Brain Trust we're building a model -- we're following thinking with action."

Not only can text be posted, but also video and audio content, PowerPoint presentations, Web pages, and more. Members will watch videoconferences, from which they'll break into peer groups to work on a concept, then return and report on their findings. Advisory board members also have content to share.

"For example, I talk a whole lot better than I write, so I can definitely see the value of posting audio content," he said. "And all of the sessions will be recorded and posted instantly."

"Posting" makes it sound like a forum, with one important difference: Members will receive insights. Brain Trust provides a means for submitting focused as well as expert input. Over 30 of the best and brightest high-income achievers provide advice on sales, marketing, advertising, product development, conversion strategies, and more.

Contributions will arrive spontaneously, while paid moderators employ rapid response contact with advisor-experts via e-mail or telephone. If, for example, someone is struggling in an area, the moderator will contact the appropriate advisor for a solution. The exchanges will be recorded and transcribed, and then posted. That way the member gets needed advice, other members can access it, and busy expert advisors don't waste time answering the same questions.

"We're all overloaded with content anyway," Maroney continued. "The benefit will be answers to the problems you're facing. If you don't find any, post your difficulty and get specific answers."

The software provides ways to recommend, tag, and rate content. It also allows moderators to track who the top contributors are.

"In forums you can see 'post junkies' -- those who post simply to boost their numbers," he said. "Our paid moderators will know when, for example, great articles or case studies have been posted that are applicable. They'll also spot when someone posts mediocre articles simply to boost numbers. Any fluff will be smacked down with a vengeance."

In addition to sharing ideas online, Brain Trust members will attend physical meetings and live videoconferences. Common pains and challenges will be addressed, and when necessary outside experts invited to speak. An example would be spam and legitimate email delivery issues. Someone familiar with the technology could explain why e-mail marketing messages aren't getting through, and show what helps increase deliverability.

Membership costs are still being determined, but Brain Trust is targeted at entrepreneurs who recognize the value of such an investment.

"A program like this is not about cost, it's about return on investment," he said. "Savvy entrepreneurs understand that any time they can invest a dollar and get back five, 10, 50, or a 100 dollars, the initial cost is irrelevant."

Reader comments at Maroney's blog (http://www.jpmaroney.net/) have been unanimously favorable.

So far several Brain Trust membership levels have been outlined -- from Basic, for beginners, up to Diamond level for six, seven, and eight-figure income earners. At every level the advisory panel will help with specific issues and problems.

"Let's examine for example, your newest promotional products on your front end, your backend, what's working, and what's not," he said.

"Meet with your advisory group. Then set some goals, specify take-aways, and what you plan to do. The worst thing about not having a boss is not having a boss -- day-to-day minutiae takes over your life, and before you realize it, you're swamped in activity that isn't earning you money. Accountability provides further incentive because your reputation is on the line. If you told the group you were going to do X within a month, everyone in the group will see where you are a month later."

There may be more levels, and other special interest groups within those. A function of the software allows people to be matched based on preferences. An example might be a group of women entrepreneurs, which may or may not be a specific Brain Trust group.

To learn more about Brain Trust, please visit http://www.IMBrainTrust.com