Increase your Twitter followers by eleventy-billion in seconds

I didn’t create the page that I’m writing about today but I’ve been wanting to do someting similar for more than two years!  Because my site is G-Rated, I can’t put a link to it but if you don’t mind a little free expression, colorful language, and want a good laugh, I encourage you to search for the site using the title of this post to find it.    

Increase your Twitter followers by eleventy-billion in seconds uses all the tactics that experienced internet marketers have ever used, so far as I am aware.  There is an animated roll down script on the corner of the page, a bodacious lead in claim, multiple rave reviews, and a purchase option.  It even employs a tactic that I’ve noticed rising in trends and don’t much like.  There is no price given on the landing page.  But they admit they aren’t selling anything, which is part of the fun. 

From an educational point of view, this is a great example of what NOT to do on your sales pages.  From a social media perspective, it touches upon another source of my dismay, which is the automation of friend finding on social networks.  I mean, if you have to automate relationships, what is the point to them? 

Oh yeah … selling something!   

Recently, Michael Fortin had a much more politically correct post on the same idea.  Even a respected professional who has gained from product launch tactics sounds nauseated by them. 

The internet product launch formula needs a tune-up, I believe.  Maybe more internet marketers could try more honesty with a smidge of reality next time around.  Why not leave out the “hot spices” from the recipe so everyone can digest the cuisine without getting heartburn? 

I dislike citing problems without imagining possible solutions.  While I can’t say that I’ve been party to a huge product launch … yet … I certainly hope to see a trending upwards of these things. 

Forget the Bonuses 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that the worth of the bonuses is overstated if they are willing to give them away or sell them at 1/1000 of their supposed value.  A brief time spent on the internet will tell you that these products are approaching obsolescence.  Very few internet marketers have been up-front about the fact that they are clearing old product. 

Stand Behind Your Product 

This week, I listened to a webinar hosted by Frank Kern, who is working with Brendon Bouchard on a program called the Experts Academy.  While I decided against opting into their membership, I found their offer to refund all purchases, regardless of how far in the future the request was made, quite fascinating. 

This demonstrates two important things.

1. They truly believe in their product
2. They are genuinely concerned about customer satisfaction

Guarantees like that are the exception among internet marketers.  Clickbank products abide by the 56-day refund rule.  Sellers of software, that was misrepresented or has proven to be buggy or not working at all, have refused my requests for refunds less that 30-days after my purchase.  Although it is irritating, it isn’t worth the dispute and negativity it would create in my life to pursue it any further. 

Even with my desire to see product promoters offer extended refund policies, I do understand that the buyer of anything can’t just change their mind and claim something didn’t work for them.  If they’ve never tried the product, there is no flaw and no basis for requesting a refund.  If there is accountability coupled with lifetime guarantees, then it is fair for all parties involved. 

Don’t Promote … Campaign 

Something that Brendon Bouchard said during the webinar really made sense.  Even though the idea of a new product is exciting to the developers and they want as many sales possible in the least amount of time, the persistent promotion emails are tedious. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  People don’t like being sold.  They prefer to use their best judgment and make a decision on their own.  Promotions are like putting the giant inflatable gorilla on the roof of a building.  They attract attention but they look silly. 

Build interest through a series of explanations about what the product overcomes or improves.  Leave out the links in the notes once in a while.  Request email inquiries and avail a mailbox that will be read and responded to.  People like to ask questions and to get answers. 

Real Testimonials Only,  Please… 

The FCC has endeavored to clamp down on false testimonials and paid reviews in the USA but who knows how that ruling is policed?  Do they prey on known offenders or randomly pick them out?  Either way, this ruling has as much “beef” in it as the anti-spam laws, based on the bulk email that I receive every day. 

When I see a plethora of testimonials on a page with no dates or full names, I cannot help but wonder about the vintage and credibility of the testimonial.  Since I am fully aware that many internet marketers give away copies of their products to their inner circle for trials before they are made available to the public at large, I feel that full disclosure would clear up any confusion.  Therefore, segregating raves given by people who got a trial version at no cost seems like a good idea.  It also would be wonderful if that round of reviews were updated within 3 – 6 months of the product launch. 

Say Thank You! 

Would it be too much to ask that the product owner take a little personal time to write a thank you email?  We are human beings, doing business with human beings, and someone has believed that our product was worth spending some money on.  Courtesy should not be automated. 

While we’re at it, is it to much to ask that follow up emails inquire as to how we are doing rather than continuing to promote more products for sale?

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Listen, Learn and Earn

It is too bad that most Internet Marketers don’t understand the mechanics of a human-to-human sales relationship. If they actually had to talk to their prospects and customers, rather than dwelling in a two-dimensional world, would this improve their income potential or diminish it?

Building relationships takes time and attention, no matter which way you spin things. Developing rapport and gaining an understanding of each other ought to be a mutual effort or the equity of the relationship becomes uneven. Just as an expert should not condescend to a customer who doesn’t know all the ins and outs of their area of expertise, a customer should not condescend to the expert and treat them as a servant.

It is quite satisfying when there is cooperation and mutual respect in a business relationship. In this scenario, the customer appreciates the expertise that the professional is bringing to the table and respects the fact that such expertise has a value for which they are being paid. The professional appreciates the fact that the customer has chosen to work with them, in spite of the fact that they had other choices, and values their customer through responsiveness and, most importantly, through listening to the customer’s concerns and ideas. To that end, the most important tool that any entrepreneur has at their disposal is their ability to listen.

Listening is an active skill. People who are communicating with you need to know that they have been heard so it is important to acknowledge them, whether or not you agree with what they’ve said. In addition, if you are not clear about what you’ve heard, asking questions that explore the issue in such a way that no conclusions are assumed can lead your customers to telling you much more about their needs. This has potential to grant you further sales, if your products and services are aligned with those needs. If not, you may be able to refer them to a colleague of yours who specializes in that niche.

Today, while conferring with a new client, they were expressing discontent about another person in my same field who came to her expecting a retainer payment to commence work. When the prospect informed this website designer that they had questions, the designer’s response was: “I know all your questions and I have all the answers.” It didn’t surprise me that this prospect has continued to look for a website designer. That sort of reply totally invalidated this nice lady, making her feel as if her feelings and questions were completely irrelevant.

Communication is an art, and the most important aspect of communicating with anyone is listening to what they are saying. While a college degree isn’t required to enter any entrepreneurial arena, effective business people will educate themselves in the things that will further their business and increase their referrals.

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The Secret about The Secret

James Arthur Ray was featured on Nightline this week. It seems that some of the participants of his Spiritual Warrior Retreat, held in Sedona in early October, died in a sweat lodge exercise at the end of a grueling week of motivational activities. The sweat lodge exercise was mandated after the people had spent days in the beautiful canyons of Sedona, without food or adequate rest, to connect with their inner truth … supposedly.

Human physiology is fragile. It didn’t seem at all odd that some people might have been dehydrated and unfit to go into a sweat lodge for hours on the heels of their Sedona experience. I’ve wandered through the trails of Sedona. The trails to the vortexes are not paved and most of them involve a climb. As I listened to the statements on Nightline, made by survivors of this experience, as well as from family members whose loved ones had died, I pondered the huge industry that has grown around The Law of Attraction and The Secret over the past couple of years. If you are operating in this niche, you are well advised to monitor the progress of this story!

Don’t get me wrong, I watched The Secret, in the fall of 2007, and the movie was nothing other than inspirational. The underlying message of this movie, and others like it, is that you have the ability to change your viewpoint, and in so doing, have an opportunity to change your life’s course. If you are under the tutelage of a charismatic leader, like James Arthur Ray must be, it’s probably easy to get swept into a belief system that causes you to want the success he says is so easily attainable. And, to his credit, he has a large following.

The fact that our mental approach to a problem can either resolve it or lead us further astray isn’t new information. In the United States, this was discovered by a couple of drunks as they commiserated with each other over a cup of coffee, so the story goes. The relief these two men felt led them to start a movement called Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) that has helped millions of people all over the world for nearly a century. AA text suggests “stinking thinking” is the source of emotional problems that lead people to make bad decisions, in this case, drinking. In fact, AA could possibly be the very first Law of Attraction program!

The big difference between AA and programs like James Arthur Ray’s is that AA doesn’t define its membership by the amount of money they have to spend to join. This is written into their 12 Traditions at article six, which is a spiritual tradition recognizing that money, property and prestige can distract an AA group from its primary purpose … to help people.

James Arthur Ray’s Spiritual Warrior Retreat was selling for a whopping fee of $9,695! This adventure built on a previous product offering called Practical Mysticism which sold for $5,295. The funny thing about reading Ray’s promotional materials is that they are merely sales letters, no different in psychology than the sales letters that compel one to purchase anything they’ve never heard about before. Personally, I doubt that Ray is any different than any other person who knows the truth about mindset; he’s just used his connection to The Secret to create a multi-million dollar enterprise.

One person might say this is clever. Another might say it is opportunistic. In the end, only James Arthur Ray knows his motivations and, in light of civil suits already filed against his organization after the Spiritual Warrior debacle, with the strong possibility of forthcoming criminal charges, the law will intervene to make judgment. This judgment could lead to a need to regulate the industry which will wash out a lot of self-help charlatans.

What disturbs me most about Law of Attraction practitioners-for-profit is the disparity of their words against their self-serving style. Last year, I observed this in a “joint venture” where the time I spent developing technology wasn’t recognized as having value and my “partner” asked me to pay for an EFT session. Without exception, every client that I’ve worked with who practices a “wealth attraction” coaching or information business has seemed to be the most tight-fisted and demanding client on my list for, when it comes to completing a project paying the final bill, they will always manufacture excuse after excuse for not producing a final payment when the terms of our contract have been fulfilled.

Is this indicative of the industry at large? One can only hope it isn’t…

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Stretching Your Mind Can Change Your Life

Personally, I find it enjoyable when something occurs that seems synchronous to events in present time. The other night, such an event occurred. While rifling through papers in my desk drawer, an old fortune from a fortune cookie surfaced. It read:

One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

Not only is this synchronous, it also is quite profound in its simple truth. Once we are introduced to a something new, and the idea takes root in our minds and inspires us, it is virtually impossible to operate as we did before we made our important discovery. Our eager minds pursue the idea and follow it through permutations and twists in the road. Through every turn, the core substance of the idea remains solid and the starting point to which you always will return, should you find a need to adjust your strategy.

Take Internet Marketing, for example. A few years ago, I decided that I would get income through online means. In pursuit of that vision, I began subscribing to newsletters and purchasing products that would teach me more about what people were doing online. Some of the methods that I evaluated are not ones that I use or would recommend but knowing what not to do is almost as important as knowing what to do, isn’t it? Due to my interest and attention, I am able to spot trends and, when it comes to opportunity offers, I have a pretty good system for separating the wheat from the chaff.

As I put my own business plan into motion, it became obvious that my time spent learning about internet marketing was extremely helpful to people who retained my services for Online Branding and wanted to get income online. Although my primary source of income is still from my consulting services, the fact that I am personally involved with my customers doesn’t imply that I am not an internet marketer. I source all of my business through Web 2.0 methods and enjoy working with people.  And, the best part is that my business is totally portable!

My mind was stretched by this self-induced learning. When I approach a potential business liaison or client, it is nearly impossible for me to talk merely about traditional means of sourcing new business. When I set up ecommerce websites, for instance, I make recommendations beyond layout, technology, and graphics. My degree is in business and that knowledge, coupled with the education I’ve received through personal learning, are assets to any project that I undertake and I’ve heard this repeatedly from my customers.

All things being equal, anyone who has a business website is an internet marketer. Here is the caveat; The prettiest site in the world cannot manufacture new business and cash flow. If you haven’t done so already, it would serve you well to either learn about, or retain the services of someone who knows about techniques that will improve your website’s visibility through Web 2.0 techniques that drive targeted traffic, as well as performing the time-consuming SEO methods that will get it listed and ranked by search engines. If you are in business and have no website, you are missing an incredible opportunity. Personally, I feel that it is sheer folly to be in business without a website. It is statistically proven that people look online prior to making any purchase decision.

Even though this is not business related, our minds can also be stretched by ideas that present themselves in everyday life. The ingenuity of a child who is working out a difficult “engineering” problem related to the sand castle they are building at the beach is a good example. It is not an unimportant side note to remind you to take time to relax your mind so as to re-charge your creative juices.  If we are fortunate, we retain our sense of awe about things that are remarkable and have nothing to do with making money, like watching swallows soaring high above us or witnessing the oceans that undulate through forces unseen. At times when you need to restore yourself, it is good to have easy access to those things that opened your mind as a child.

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Occam’s razor and internet marketing

The other night, while watching a movie entitled “Contact”, the dialogue referenced a principle called Occam’s Razor. Call me crazed, but I’m always pondering the aspects of internet marketing that I hear people complain about most frequently. When I considered Occam’s Razor, I suddenly realized that this principle covers most of those complaints quite handily.

Wikipedia describes Occam’s Razor in this way:

“The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory.”

Now, let’s test this principle against some complaints I’ve heard recently, for the sake of making my point.

Complaint #1 seems to be; “I don’t have time for fill-in-the-blank.”

Let’s assume that all of us have about one third of our day to spend on business building activities, which leaves 8 hours for working, if one has a job, and 8 hours for sleeping. If you are inspired to create an online income with a product or business opportunity, you must break down the tasks related to your vision that need to be completed so you can do this into manageable chunks and prioritize them to reach your goal.

Consider your time to be like a household budget. There is only so much time that you have to spend. Sometimes, we begin by tracking how we are currently spending our finite resources. This study can reveal unnecessary “expenses” and provide insights as to how to stretch our constrained resources.

It doesn’t matter if the study is about money or time; the principle that leads to correct action is the same. If you are spending your “free time” on things that do not further your financial goals, you need to make better choices about how much of your time you are investing on those things.

If you honestly evaluate your time, I’m sure you will find that the only thing standing between you and success is yourself.

Complaint #2 seems to be; “This is a scam.”

I’m sure many of you have heard the quote, “There is a sucker born every minute.” As an aside, you may be interested in the history of this quote according to History Buff’s website. For all intent and purpose, the story told here perfectly describes some of what I’ve witnessed with some internet marketing opportunities.

Having learned quite a bit about internet marketing, SEO, and keyword research, I am better armed for checking out any online offer. The first thing that I always do is to find out how many people are offering the same thing to find out if the market is saturated. This can be done quite easily using Google. If this passes my scrutiny, I will invest time in evaluating how I might better monetize the same offer.

Applying the principles of Occam’s Razor, however, the simplest truth is that there are no scams and it is up to us, as consumers, to perform due diligence on any business opportunity, product offering, or other proposal that we choose to accept and pay money for. I’m not necessarily an advocate who claims you must work hard to earn money but hype marketing messages that suggest vast earnings with NO involvement or personal effort always fail the sniff test for me. On the other hand, some free things that claimed to be helpful have really been free and also provided significant benefit.

Complaint #3 seems to be; “I can’t stay focused!”

We are bombarded daily by Skype and Email offers so it is very hard to not get distracted. Although a little rambleitis can be fun and lead us to exciting new ideas we hadn’t previously imagined, it is up to us to ensure that the business opportunities that we choose to join dovetail with our personal or business passions and interests.

Do you have Internet Marketing Attention Deficit Disorder? Are you crazily pursing everything that comes to your attention with the hopes that one of them will be the one that finally works? If you are involved with a dozen different business opportunities that have nothing to do with each other, creating a scenario where you cannot leverage either time or content, how in the world do you expect to maintain focus?

I recommend that you ask yourself these questions about every new idea that is presented:

1) Does the business model make sense?
2) Does this opportunity agree with my needs, passions or interests?
3) Will it be possible to leverage content or knowledge from anything else I’m involved in so I can economize on my time spent building the business?

Complaint #4, my personal favorite, is; “I can’t seem to get anything done!”

Here is where we really can rely on the principle of Occam’s Razor! If we are not getting anything done, there can only be one of two causes:

1) What we think we need to do isn’t important enough to do
2) We aren’t doing what we must to finish it.

The bottom line is, the decision to succeed is ours to make everyday.

Speaking of not getting anything done, I must get back to my work. Thanks for stopping by!

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Are You Swarming Upstream?

As a person involved with internet marketing, I hear about new programs every day of the week. Always, there is the first wave of notification via Skype broadcasting tools for immediate attention. Next are the emails from affiliate marketers or internet marketers whose lists I have opted into. I’ve mentioned before that my initial reaction to these sorts of offers is to Google the opportunity name and see what is out there to read, as well as analyze how many people have jumped on it already. I have no statistical analysis to offer but it is crystal clear that there is a huge group of people involved by the time any information reaches my inbox.

Recently, a colleague of mine explained a mindset of success that included being part of the group who created the hype surrounding new business launches and moving forward quickly, from new business opportunity to new business opportunity as part of an entourage as a means of creating wealth. The first metaphor that came to mind was killer bees. Then I started wondering: How Many People are Swarming Upstream?

I’d like to explain the entire thought process of my associate. By their explanation, the people who made the most money in any business opportunity were those who got in early, attracted the first round of initiates and moved on quickly to the next launch to promote it. I knew folks who joined a program early made the most money but it had not occurred to me that they moved in swarms. I confess to having a visceral reaction. Following it through, I could only imagine a lifestyle of promotion mania and capitalistic avarice.

I’m a retired hippy, for goodness sakes! My generation shunned materialism!

I acknowledge that the success or failure of any business venture rests with the person who decides to join it. However, I firmly believe that those who are swarming and hyping the business venture must assume some responsibility for its ultimate longevity and success. If the founders are swarming forward to the next thing as soon as they’ve made their millions, are they creating wealth or havoc?

Sadly, the mindless pursuit of money and distance from the masses who join these programs seem to make some top guns calloused. Like a salmon swimming upstream, a new marketer who is caught up in the hype can become nothing more than a tasty snack for the bear that waits upstream.

Internet Marketing Sharks

Among the circles that I frequent, there has been a lot of recent discussion about all of the internet marketing scams. Each of us have our own opinions about what constitutes a scam but one thing is certain, new internet marketers are easy prey for Internet Marketing Sharks.

As a Realtor®, I was acquainted with many sharks. Although I found them difficult to work with, I understood their bravado and learned a lot from observing them. Unlike Internet Marketers, all Realtors® are bound by similar ethical guidelines that are policed by regional and local boards. One of the first things that good Realtors® do when they connect with a potential buyer is to qualify them for their ability to purchase in the price range they wish to shop.

Internet marketing has no enforced guidelines or regulations and the ethical choices are left up to the marketer. Internet Marketers rarely, if ever, provide a phone number to call but a credible marketer will and, if it is there and the marketer is credible, it will lead to more than a recorded call from some opportunity meeting in the past.

When considering the Reverse Funnel System years ago, I decided to use Google to locate all the people promoting the product. I found a page with a phone number and called to ask how much one REALLY needed to invest in this system to obtain the fantastic earnings that were described on their page. Not surprisingly, the cash outlay was vastly understated, as well as the amount of time that it would take to be in profit. I will always be grateful to these Internet Marketers for their honesty.

It is up to the individual to perform due diligence for any purchase. Not everyone will persevere at this task for the amount of time it takes to gather all the facts about a product that has captured their interest. New internet marketers may not be savvy enough to read between the lines of the product or service claims. When I hear stories about new internet marketers who have over-extended their credit resources to purchase a program they could not afford, it is heart wrenching.

All too often, a website owner may have only recently stumbled upon the business opportunity and are using a replicated page to position themselves as experts in a field they know nothing about. Tiny print might include language that stipulates no earnings guarantees or cautions that income results from the testimonials are not typical. This is only good information if someone takes the time to read it.

Internet Marketers are taught that people are looking for solutions. As an authority in our niches, I feel it is important to be sincere about all our offers, regardless of the impact to our sales volumes. We know that most shoppers choose to buy on an emotional level and that our carefully crafted sales letters are specifically designed to overcome any objections. Some marketers circumvent rational judgment by imposing a fear of loss system to enforce immediate action on the part of the buyer. Sadly, as P.T. Barnum observed, there is a sucker born every minute. Even more tragic is the fact that some internet marketers will not stand behind their products or promises.

I sometimes pull pearls of wisdom from entertainment sources and confess to being an avid fan of Star Trek Next Generation so I hope you will appreciate what I feel is a relevant reference from that show. In one episode, Data criticized his captor by saying, “It is a pity that you have used your superior language skills for mere hucksterism and the advancement of your greed.”

There is a reason that people distrust internet marketers. Do your business practices support of debunk this point of view?

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Youtube Marketing Techniques

Recently, while working on a YouTube video, I happened across the most adorable video with related tags.  I have a cat that plays piano.  The video that amused and inspired me was about another piano playing cat.  The number of views for that video averaged 275,000 per month over the past year.  I’m betting that this piano teacher’s business also grew as her video went viral on the internet, even though she made only small mention about her area of expertise.

This video was awesome to me for several reasons.  In a moment of epiphany, I posted it to Public Skype Chat with my thoughts about how viral this sort of video could be if properly used in a marketing campaign.  A member of the group, who was similarly intrigued after doing some of her own research, asked me how I found myself using this sort of media to promote my business.

What is seemingly off-topic from business but is also cute or funny can be used to leverage your primary business, if it is done right.  Internet and Affiliate marketers have been using this tactic for years by employing misspelled or extremely similar domain names and keywords which leverage high volume searches on the internet.  If you would like to know what is hot on the internet in real time, I recommend checking out Google Trends.

From a consumer point of view, if we think of the things that attract us in marketing, we all know there are several.  Babies and animals may be at the top of the list.  They have a way of making most people feel comfortable or empathize with the marketing message.  Of course, some marketers still use sex in every advertisement, especially automobile companies and alcohol distributors.  Regardless of the psychological tool employed, humor is a wonderful way to capture and hold a prospect’s attention at your website.

The simple truth is, whether online or offline, there are certain things that resonate with consumers or business opportunity prospects and trigger their responses.  Traditional marketing understands and leverages this knowledge.  Market testing is not a luxury phase for any product launch.  If your product is digital, don’t overlook the power of Google Analytics while you are tweaking your sites.

If you have a perceived urgency to generate income or a limited budget, as a consumer of products and services, you know what works best when you stop and think about it.  Walk around to the other side of your virtual cash register and view things from that perspective.  Once you adapt your thinking to that point of view, your marketing message and techniques become obvious.  You must capture the attention of your target market and hold it without trying to sell them anything. 

This may sound counter intuitive but, if you think of your own reactions to sales, I know that you know that it isn’t.  Even if you are on a showroom floor, how do you feel when a sales person interrupts your train of thought while you are considering your choices?  Do you like being told the differences or would you rather quietly compare the features and functions of the product to the things on your wish list?  It may not be possible to create one message for both audiences but it is possible to put up two different sites with two different messages and find out which works best.     

Although few people understand this, a good marketer leads a person to understand what they want.  Did you catch the most important word in that last sentence?  A good marketer is a leader, not a sales person.  Internet marketing is much more than formulaic sales, OTOs and pop-up offers.  People have written volumes about website design but none that I’ve read have discussed the psychology of marketing or how to really use it online.  

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Dirty Facts of Life

Many new people approach internet marketing with a belief that making money will be easier.  All you have to do is throw up a website and put a great product on it and the money will come rolling in 24/7.  Right?  Right!

Yesterday, my post discussed how I had spent time observing how people were doing things as internet marketers.  I spent plenty of money on their products too.  Even taking detailed notes during teleconferences and webinars or reading eBooks more than once did not prepare me for everything I needed to know.  Internet marketers, like most services, leave out just enough to whet your consumer appetite and keep you coming back for more.

Eventually, I turned to a mentoring program to help me put all the pieces together.  Yet, even those training calls specialized on things that had worked for them.  As the size of the group expanded, it became crystal clear that I would need to be able to point to bona fide proof of my abilities, as a leader, as well as differentiate myself somehow.

Having intimate knowledge of traditional marketing and customer relationship management gave me a lot of material with which to work.  Of course, my experience of being a technologist as the internet morphed into the World Wide Web helped me to understand the devils in the details of was necessary to operate an internet business.  This breadth of experience is of great benefit to those who come to me for help or services too.

Recently, I was conversing with a new internet marketer working with another coach who told me of their mission at a bookstore to find a book to pull everything together for them.  As they described the myriads of titles they had perused and how this caused their head to spin, it occurred to me that finding the “right book” required enough knowledge to be able to discern whether or not such a book existed. 

The dirty truth is that the language is new, the concepts aren’t fully understood and the questions that need to be answered aren’t clear at the beginning of an internet marketing career.  Sometimes the questions that need to be answered aren’t clear to the grizzled veterans.  (smile)  As you begin to practice your new skills and apply them to the trade, you will discover the questions that need to be answered.  And always remember: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear!”

The adventure lies in discovering something new to learn and, once it is figured out, having a bright and shiny new tool in your belt.  Establishing new friendships along the way and growing a business that has potential to survive any economic climate is both fun and satisfying.

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Even Internet Marketing Veterans Need Partners!

Although social network sites are a great venue for acquainting yourself with new people and finding potential business partners and recruits, each site has its own nuances.  If you are a blogger, some are much easier to feed through RSS than others.  MySpace makes it a little more difficult than most.

While researching the best method to feed my blog posts to my MySpace profile tonight, I happened upon the most useful site.  These wonderfully helpful people made it easy for me create a nice looking widget that stealthily produced an RSS feed to MySpace.  I would like to express Kudos to the folks at http://www.springwidgets.com! 

Although my interest in internet technology has led me to great proficiency with website design and delivery, my real skill lies in being curious enough to want to know how things work … and not giving up when it isn’t straight forward.  Technology may seem tedious to many but it is my belief that, even though some tasks can be outsourced, knowing how it is done helps a lot when negotiating services fees. 

Website delivery is a hobby that is also profitable for me but there are many more skills in my tool chest that my inherent curiosity has led me to develop.  As an internet marketing professional, I have spent a lot of time researching how other internet marketers conduct their businesses.  I wouldn’t recommend some methods but having awareness about them helped me determine what sort of internet marketer I wanted to be and how to go about attracting the sorts of people I’d like to be in business with me. 

If you keep in mind that you are the product, every communication you put on the internet is part of your brand image.  If you are consistent in your message and careful to not muddy your branding strategy, people who are researching you will see that.  If your goal is to be a leader, you must demonstrate that you have a vision others can follow and something that will help them accomplish their goals.

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