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It hasn’t started yet for 2008 but the boys are already beginning to gear up.
The Thirty Day Challenge training materials for 2007 are still in place and are still very valid. Registration is completely free - no strings attached.
In fact running through the 2007 materials now would be an excellent preparation for the excitement when the whistle blows on 1st August this year!
This is another example of successful web entrepreneurs offering valuable material for free. There really are no strings attached (I can hear the cynics out there muttering). Yes, there is another programme run by Ed and Dan over at the Immediate Edge but no arms are twisted to make you join, quite the opposite in fact.
If you have struggled to make your first $10 on line you would be hard pressed to find a better grounding in IM techniques than that provided by Ed and Dan. Pop over and take a look.
My business is in marketing, keeping abreast of what’s hot and what’s not. I receive a mountain of email everyday which needs to be scanned and assimilated or discarded so I can remain informed!
Well, it all sounds good in theory!
The reality is that I have recently found myself walking in treacle when navigating my way through my working day. Working hours have grown longer as I struggle to manage the beast I have created.
Taking time for thought and reflection has brought me to a place where I have found myself unsubscribing from all but the most valuable lists.
Now, for some I confess that I have substituted an RSS feed into Bloglines, which can then be read at a time to suit me without gumming up my inbox, but my unsubscribing has also had a ruthless side to it!
I simply no longer have time to listen to the blandishments and offers.
It has been like trying to operate in a Moroccan market with traders constantly calling out offers, trying to outdo each other in the race for my attention - well for my credit card actually. What none of them seem to realise is that I don’t want to live in a bazaar. I want peace to allow me to get on with my business.
Now, this of course sets up a dichotomy. Is this a case of pot calling kettle black? Am I not condemning my peer group?
Well, I think not, but you of course are entitled to your views.
Yes, I have email lists and yes I communicate with them but my messages offer free information interspersed with the occasional link to a product I can personally recommend. Not all of these products pay a commission to me, some do and I have no hesitation in accepting those funds, but if the product sucked, I would not be promoting it - fee or no fee.
Where is this fine line we marketers walk that allows us to run an authentic business without spamming and royally pissing people off? How do we offset our need to earn a living from our desire not to alienate subscribers?
The mastermind group to which I belong has a new mantra - real people, real products, real money - and I think this is the key.
Our aim is to provide a real offering to those real people out there who have a real interest in our subject matter and in return we can charge real money. There will be no smoke and mirrors; no hype, no empty promises, no misleading statements, no bullshit.
Will we become instant millionaires?…I think not.
Will we build a sustainable business with a strong reputation to which people return time and time again?….I think we have a good chance.
So, what is that I am trying to say in hundreds of words that could possibly have been said in less?
1. Be clear about your intentions, your plan, your priorities and unsubscribe from all lists that cannot contribute in a positive way to those.
2. Be authentic and real in your business. The joy of working for yourself is that you say ‘who’, ‘when’ and ‘how much’. By flogging second or third rate affiliate products all you do is damage your own good name. Frankly, you may as well have a job.
3. Have the courage to be who you are and not who you think the market expects you to be. Follow your passion and your interests and put the fun back into your working life.
It may just be possible for you to emulate the success claimed by some of the gurus by operating in a different manner (although some of the claimed successes are surely questionable) but it is far more likely that you will continually crash and burn, becoming increasingly demoralised at your lack of success.
Base your business on real people, real products and real money and I believe your long term future is assured.
I was a passive participant in a conference call earlier today. The presenter was very articulate and charming.
The essence of the call was how important it is to start your Internet Marketing business on the right foot. The presenter went on to point out how difficult it was for newbies to discern which were the right products and services to buy, which would help and which would sit stagnating on their hard drive.
There was a lot of content about how much money could be wasted by those who were too inexperienced to be able to judge what would be useful and what would not.
The call ended with a heavy, very time limited sell of a very expensive mentoring program.
Now, the first thing I want to say is that I have no view on whether the mentoring program provides value or not. I know insufficient about it to comment. What hit me was the very clever psychological approach taken by the presenter who declared the problem, empathised and then came in with a solution - all classic sales techniques.
My concern is for the newbies who were on the call reaching for credit cards, which are possibly already nudging the max setting, in the hope that this new offering would be the solution to their problems - and I really hope that it proves to be just that if they have decided to buy.
So many expectations have been raised by stories of certain names making incredible amounts of money in a single day through Internet Marketing and I don’t doubt for a moment the veracity of their figures but I do question whether these stories represent the full picture. Revenue is only half of the profit equation and until these names start to reveal their cost of sales I for one am not impressed by their numbers.
There is no doubt in my mind that good, solid businesses can be built using the Internet as a platform - I’ve done it - but as in businesses everywhere, on and off line, there is no quick answer. Every business needs time and attention spent on it for it to thrive and prosper.
As an aside, I think what most offended me about the conference call was the use of the word ‘mentor’. Perhaps I have been fortunate but my mentors have never charged me a red cent. They have been happy to share their wisdom with someone who knew less than them but who was also eager to learn.
So, personally, I’ve had enough of people who have allegedly ‘made it’ further lining their pockets with cash from those who have not. I am savvy enough to know that this is an economic model found everywhere but I really would like to see a change. I appreciate that skills have a tradeable value. My objection stems from the fact that only half the story is told regarding possible outcomes. Most people could earn $1million a day if they spent a huge percentage of that on promotion.
Now, please don’t think I am against every Internet Marketing product. I am surely not. I am just saddened by the lack of transparency and the confusion caused in the mind of the newbie by the constant barrage of offers that arrive every day.
The secret to Internet Marketing success is in researching what the market wants and then taking action to supply a product or service that promises to satisfy that want. It really is that simple. This is how so many of the Internet Marketing products succeed - they are peddling promises and hope to people who want it.
To go some small way in addressing the balance I have an offer for you.
There is a free membership area behind this blog populated by some new and some experienced Internet Marketers and, if you are looking for a community to join you will be welcome. No fees, no upsells, nothing but an open offer to mix with people who are earning a genuine living through their web marketing efforts and with others who are new to the concept.
This is the place to get your questions answered and to learn from the experience of those who have been around the IM block a few times. It matters not to me whether you join or not - the offer is simply made perhaps specifically for those who would like support but no longer have the funds to buy into expensive programs.
So, that’s today’s rant well and truly vented.
There are some wonderful people operating in the Internet Marketing niche and none of my comments are aimed at anyone in particular. Well, that’s not true - my comments are aimed at the newbie who keeps buying product after product and coaching program after coaching program.
My message to you is that there is no magic bullet here. You are going to have to do some work and you are going to need to be in a community - you cannot do this on your own!
…….amongst other things - excellent customer service.
Recent experiences have proved this for me beyond a shadow of a doubt.
There is an Indian gentleman, currently living in the USA who is responsible for designing this blog template. You will find a link to his site in the footer of the page.
The template is free to download and use. It works perfectly and does exactly what I want it to do.
Now, whilst I was setting this little site up I ran into a problem caused by my own lack of understanding so I posted a comment on this gentleman’s blog to see if any of his readers might have an idea of how I could fix the problem I had caused for myself.
Within 10 minutes I had an email from the designer himself giving me very simple, concise instructions and I was up and running in no time.
This for me is excellent customer service given to someone who hasn’t even entered into a financial transaction with this gentleman.
It was an outstanding experience and he now has a loyal fan.
Compare this to another experience with an organisation to whom I have been paying an obscene amount of money for many months.
I had cause to cancel a credit card and am awaiting delivery of a replacement. Unfortunately the timing of this coincided with the date when their monthly payment was due. I emailed them to explain the situation only to be told that the service is either prepaid by midnight tonight or it will be cut off until the account is in good order.
They have been unable to offer me any alternative payment methods. They will not accept Paypal nor will they accept my Bank debit card as it will not process through the Visa network. How customer friendly is that?
Two very different experiences. Two very different outcomes. Guess which business I shall be using again and recommending…and guess which one I most certainly won’t?
