Why is it some people are incredibly successful at utilizing the power of the Internet in their marketing while others can’t seem to figure out the winning formula?
How often do entrepreneurs and salespeople look for that next magic formula to build their business and increasing revenues, never quite making any of it work? Many people make it much more difficult to succeed than it need be while others know exactly what to do — and they do it.
Ask anyone who has effectively integrated the use of the Internet into their overall marketing strategy and they will tell you success in building your business, both online and off, is about systems. Simple as that.
Developing and utilizing systems is nothing new. Yet, the great search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and getting rich quick continues.
The place you’ll find more gold than virtually anywhere else is in doing something many people just don’t find appealing. It is in developing and maintaining a solid database. Unfortunately, many people don’t find database management sexy enough. So they continually buy into that next secret formula.
Fact is, with a well-groomed database you can increase your revenues and decrease your marketing costs. You can build customer relations and keep your name fresh in the minds of your market by keeping in touch. This establishes excellent position within your market.
Most people would be amazed at how simple it is to build an incredibly profitable database by applying a few simple strategies. Remember, simple is not always easy. It will take time, commitment and focus.
Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to your database. Depending on your industry and what you sell you may be well served to focus on the few dozen or few hundred who want to buy from you rather than thousands who don’t care about what you offer.
On the other hand, there will be situations where building a massive list is exactly what you need to do. Especially if you have mass quantity products you are selling at a very low price. Then you may want to go for the numbers.
Driving traffic to your site is an ongoing process as is building and maintaining your database. If you are serious about using the Internet in your marketing you need to lay the groundwork to optimize your opportunities.
-Develop a fully operational web site
-Have a way to capture contact information such as a sign up form
-Give people a reason for leaving their contact information such as an Ezine, free report or ebook, an article of interest to your target market or anything that is of benefit to the reader
-Develop a series of content driven messages that address your customers’ needs
-Keep your name in front of your market consistently without being annoying
-Write and distribute articles to various online resources that are pertinent to your market
-Create a byline that contains your web address
-Do not make the articles a hard sell. Rather, provide information that positions you as a resource before you are a vendor
-Develop a list of forums and discussion groups you can participate in
-Commit to the long-term.
By focusing on developing a solid database and providing incredible value to your market you can and will achieve success in your business. Guaranteed!
Kathleen Gage, aka The Street Smarts Speaker and Author, is an award winning entreuprunuer, keynote speaker and bestselling author. Gain More Leads, Better Prospects, Close More Sales F*R*E*E eBook by Kathleen Gage shows you how. STREET SMARTS EMARKETING Online Success Strategies Guaranteed to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition! http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm
NOTE: You may publish this article for your magazine, trade journal, newspapers, business journals, website and/or Ezine provided you keep it in its original form and include the resource box at the end.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Are you waiting for the "perfect" opportunity
Recently I began a project to organize some of my files. I do this in order to stay on top of the never-ending mountain of information I gather day in and day out.
More times than not, I end up throwing out more than I keep. I find this allow me to be extremely productive and accomplish more of my short-term and long-term goals.
As I was reading through some of my articles (many written several years ago) I came across one that gave me one of those "warm and fuzzy" feelings.
Permit me to explain.
Every day I talk with people who have the dream of writing a book whether as an eBook or a physical book. I also hear from people who want to launch a business, a teleseminar, or just about anything that is an expression of who they are.
Daily I hear the frustration of those who have talked about their dream for longer than they can remember. Often their frustration stems from their inability to take action and/or to try to get it “perfect”.
My recommendation is often the same regardless of whom I am talking with. I say, “Rather than simply dream about something and try to get it perfect be willing to take some type of action to fulfill your dream.”
Over the years I have heard virtually every type of excuse there is as to why this is not possible. On the one hand it saddens me to think about the countless numbers of people who have a dream and never fulfill it. On the other hand, I simply smile because I used to be one of those who had more excuses than there are hours in a day.
What I came to realize is that the excuses will always be there and it is up to me to fulfill my destiny; as it is up to each of us to fulfill our destiny.
The only way dreams come true is to take some kind of action on them. Something, anything, but an action.
Again, we can always find excuses as to why something is not possible. Or we can wait until something is perfect to the point you will never take any action.
Find reasons why you can do something
Rather than looking for excuses as to why something can’t happen seek reasons why it IS possible.
Below is the article that gave me pause for thought. Since the time this article was written I have published two books, at least six information eProducts, developed several new mentoring courses, launched dozens of Teleseminars and made a major relocation to a beautiful location.
The information products have been hugely successful, I love my location, I have a great team of people I am working with and my last book became an Amazon bestseller.
I don’t say this to boast or to impress you, rather to impress upon you that excuses will always be waiting for us around the next corner. So will our ability to fulfill a dream, a destiny, a purpose.
My book becoming a bestseller was no small feat in that my co-author was burdened with a very traumatic experience during the time we wrote the book, got it published and took it to market. Rather than finding a reason not to write our book, The Law of Achievement, she was compelled to put her thoughts to paper in what is now one of the books we are both most proud of.
Will your life be filled with excuses or the ability to take action? To discover a strategy for success take a few minutes to read about how you can “Take Your Idea From Thought to Reality.”
ARTICLE
Take Your Idea From Thought to Reality
My business associate and I were recently on a business trip to New Orleans, scheduled to speak at a leadership conference. Taking full advantage of our travel time, we worked on a plan for one of many products we are introducing to our markets. The plan included how to market our soon-to-be released book, “101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door.”
As fate would have it, the gentleman driving the cab both to and from the airport and hotel shared some incredible words of wisdom during our 30 minute drive. He said, “When you get a vision (an idea), it is your responsibility to explore that vision. If you don’t, it’s a sin.”
One definition of sin is ‘to miss the mark.’ How often does someone miss the mark and fail to achieve their greatest potential by simply not pursuing their ideas?
Our driver, Jerome “PopAgee” Johnson, believes that with the vision comes the responsibility of putting a plan together to determine the most feasible way to achieve the outcome. He went on to advise that you must take action and not let obstacles stop you.
You might wonder why the words of this humble yet talkative cab driver would have such an impact on me. Like a great number of people, I have often been guilty of shutting out “words of wisdom” given by others. Sadly, people will miss incredible messages from others because they don’t take the time to listen to what is being shared. Perhaps they judge the messenger and miss the message. On this particular day, I was fortunate to be very receptive and hear what was being said.
Turns out PopAgee had gotten an idea many years before that he just knew he had been “chosen” to pursue. An idea that would take commitment, belief, plans, overcoming numerous obstacles, dealing with ridicule from others and so much more. We had no inkling when we got into this man’s cab that we would be sharing our time with the founder of the New Orleans Hall of Fame, Inc.
Truth be told, I felt as if there were no mistake we had ended up in this man’s cab on this particular day. I believe that we are often fated to connect with people of every description and station in life in order to share and receive valuable information.
As if he could read my mind, PopAgee said the reason he loves driving a cab is because of the people he meets. People he knows he is meant to connect with and who have been instrumental in fulfilling his vision and mission. Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt his idea was divinely inspired, he never strayed from the belief that his idea would one day come to fruition.
As fate would have it, just that day funding for the major historical jazz project he founded came through. Funding he and others have been working on obtaining for years.
As I boarded the plane I couldn’t help but think about the number of people I have met over the years who have ideas and yet do nothing with them. Here I just met a man who has worked on his idea for over 20 years and wouldn’t give up.
So what’s the difference between those who either won’t try or give up at the slightest obstacle and those who just won’t quit? Resolve. A commitment and determination so strong that regardless of what comes their way they figure out how to get to the other side of any challenge.
Knowing it is only a matter of days until the release of “101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door,” I am reflecting on what my co-authors and I have done to turn our idea into a final product. It may appear as if this book happened overnight, but the fact is that it took several months of planning, writing, budgeting, preparation, design, vision, and dedication to make this happen. A dedication that took an idea from a thought and turned it into a product.
As you reflect on your business, what idea have you been thinking about? Perhaps now is the time to develop, plan and turn your idea into something until now you have only dreamed of.
-end-
More times than not, I end up throwing out more than I keep. I find this allow me to be extremely productive and accomplish more of my short-term and long-term goals.
As I was reading through some of my articles (many written several years ago) I came across one that gave me one of those "warm and fuzzy" feelings.
Permit me to explain.
Every day I talk with people who have the dream of writing a book whether as an eBook or a physical book. I also hear from people who want to launch a business, a teleseminar, or just about anything that is an expression of who they are.
Daily I hear the frustration of those who have talked about their dream for longer than they can remember. Often their frustration stems from their inability to take action and/or to try to get it “perfect”.
My recommendation is often the same regardless of whom I am talking with. I say, “Rather than simply dream about something and try to get it perfect be willing to take some type of action to fulfill your dream.”
Over the years I have heard virtually every type of excuse there is as to why this is not possible. On the one hand it saddens me to think about the countless numbers of people who have a dream and never fulfill it. On the other hand, I simply smile because I used to be one of those who had more excuses than there are hours in a day.
What I came to realize is that the excuses will always be there and it is up to me to fulfill my destiny; as it is up to each of us to fulfill our destiny.
The only way dreams come true is to take some kind of action on them. Something, anything, but an action.
Again, we can always find excuses as to why something is not possible. Or we can wait until something is perfect to the point you will never take any action.
Find reasons why you can do something
Rather than looking for excuses as to why something can’t happen seek reasons why it IS possible.
Below is the article that gave me pause for thought. Since the time this article was written I have published two books, at least six information eProducts, developed several new mentoring courses, launched dozens of Teleseminars and made a major relocation to a beautiful location.
The information products have been hugely successful, I love my location, I have a great team of people I am working with and my last book became an Amazon bestseller.
I don’t say this to boast or to impress you, rather to impress upon you that excuses will always be waiting for us around the next corner. So will our ability to fulfill a dream, a destiny, a purpose.
My book becoming a bestseller was no small feat in that my co-author was burdened with a very traumatic experience during the time we wrote the book, got it published and took it to market. Rather than finding a reason not to write our book, The Law of Achievement, she was compelled to put her thoughts to paper in what is now one of the books we are both most proud of.
Will your life be filled with excuses or the ability to take action? To discover a strategy for success take a few minutes to read about how you can “Take Your Idea From Thought to Reality.”
ARTICLE
Take Your Idea From Thought to Reality
My business associate and I were recently on a business trip to New Orleans, scheduled to speak at a leadership conference. Taking full advantage of our travel time, we worked on a plan for one of many products we are introducing to our markets. The plan included how to market our soon-to-be released book, “101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door.”
As fate would have it, the gentleman driving the cab both to and from the airport and hotel shared some incredible words of wisdom during our 30 minute drive. He said, “When you get a vision (an idea), it is your responsibility to explore that vision. If you don’t, it’s a sin.”
One definition of sin is ‘to miss the mark.’ How often does someone miss the mark and fail to achieve their greatest potential by simply not pursuing their ideas?
Our driver, Jerome “PopAgee” Johnson, believes that with the vision comes the responsibility of putting a plan together to determine the most feasible way to achieve the outcome. He went on to advise that you must take action and not let obstacles stop you.
You might wonder why the words of this humble yet talkative cab driver would have such an impact on me. Like a great number of people, I have often been guilty of shutting out “words of wisdom” given by others. Sadly, people will miss incredible messages from others because they don’t take the time to listen to what is being shared. Perhaps they judge the messenger and miss the message. On this particular day, I was fortunate to be very receptive and hear what was being said.
Turns out PopAgee had gotten an idea many years before that he just knew he had been “chosen” to pursue. An idea that would take commitment, belief, plans, overcoming numerous obstacles, dealing with ridicule from others and so much more. We had no inkling when we got into this man’s cab that we would be sharing our time with the founder of the New Orleans Hall of Fame, Inc.
Truth be told, I felt as if there were no mistake we had ended up in this man’s cab on this particular day. I believe that we are often fated to connect with people of every description and station in life in order to share and receive valuable information.
As if he could read my mind, PopAgee said the reason he loves driving a cab is because of the people he meets. People he knows he is meant to connect with and who have been instrumental in fulfilling his vision and mission. Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt his idea was divinely inspired, he never strayed from the belief that his idea would one day come to fruition.
As fate would have it, just that day funding for the major historical jazz project he founded came through. Funding he and others have been working on obtaining for years.
As I boarded the plane I couldn’t help but think about the number of people I have met over the years who have ideas and yet do nothing with them. Here I just met a man who has worked on his idea for over 20 years and wouldn’t give up.
So what’s the difference between those who either won’t try or give up at the slightest obstacle and those who just won’t quit? Resolve. A commitment and determination so strong that regardless of what comes their way they figure out how to get to the other side of any challenge.
Knowing it is only a matter of days until the release of “101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door,” I am reflecting on what my co-authors and I have done to turn our idea into a final product. It may appear as if this book happened overnight, but the fact is that it took several months of planning, writing, budgeting, preparation, design, vision, and dedication to make this happen. A dedication that took an idea from a thought and turned it into a product.
As you reflect on your business, what idea have you been thinking about? Perhaps now is the time to develop, plan and turn your idea into something until now you have only dreamed of.
-end-
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Getting Your Blog Noticed
The following information is from Penny of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. The information is not just for authors. Rather, anyone who wants to gain maximum benefit from a Blog.
Penny's newsletter is always filled with outstanding tips and strategies. I subscribe and highly recommend the newsletter to you. Subscription instructions below.
Getting Your Blog Noticed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you'd like to get your blog noticed by reporters, there might be a few things you could do increase your chances. First and foremost, the media wants to know that your blog is verifiable, not just a smattering of opinions (while this is good, verification of your statements will always be important). Whenever possible, add links to your blog to other stories or statistics that relate to what you're saying. You can add as many links as you want, and depending on the story, it might behoove you to find a lot of on-line references. Another good use for your blog might be for the posting of press releases and announcements. Remember, the more activity the better, if you are having a lot of news make sure and add it to your blog. It shows activity in your blog and in your promotional efforts!
from Penny at
Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
Author Marketing Experts has an excellent newsletter for anyone who is interested in the world of publishing, writing and authorship. I subscribe and recommend you do too.
To subscribe to their newsletter, click here: subscribe@amarketingexpert.com.
Be sure to sign up for Penny's ezine as soon as you can. It is a great resource
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com
Penny's newsletter is always filled with outstanding tips and strategies. I subscribe and highly recommend the newsletter to you. Subscription instructions below.
Getting Your Blog Noticed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you'd like to get your blog noticed by reporters, there might be a few things you could do increase your chances. First and foremost, the media wants to know that your blog is verifiable, not just a smattering of opinions (while this is good, verification of your statements will always be important). Whenever possible, add links to your blog to other stories or statistics that relate to what you're saying. You can add as many links as you want, and depending on the story, it might behoove you to find a lot of on-line references. Another good use for your blog might be for the posting of press releases and announcements. Remember, the more activity the better, if you are having a lot of news make sure and add it to your blog. It shows activity in your blog and in your promotional efforts!
from Penny at
Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
Author Marketing Experts has an excellent newsletter for anyone who is interested in the world of publishing, writing and authorship. I subscribe and recommend you do too.
To subscribe to their newsletter, click here: subscribe@amarketingexpert.com.
Be sure to sign up for Penny's ezine as soon as you can. It is a great resource
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Your postings can come back to haunt you
Here's an interesting fact:
35% of executive recruiters, who use the Internet to check out prospects, say they have eliminated candidates based on what they have found online (up from 26% in 2005). Although 82% of job candidates expect recruiters to look them up online, 33% of job candidates have never conducted a Web search on themselves.
Sources: BusinessWeek, June 26, 2006 and March 27, 2006, U.S. News & World Report, December 25, 2006
This is not only for job seekers. It applies to anyone who owns and operates a business. You never know what clients may find that could turn a deal sour.
Before posting information in various social network environments, on blogs or on your website, think about the long-term. Who might see your information?
Think things through before you leap into action with your postings.
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com
35% of executive recruiters, who use the Internet to check out prospects, say they have eliminated candidates based on what they have found online (up from 26% in 2005). Although 82% of job candidates expect recruiters to look them up online, 33% of job candidates have never conducted a Web search on themselves.
Sources: BusinessWeek, June 26, 2006 and March 27, 2006, U.S. News & World Report, December 25, 2006
This is not only for job seekers. It applies to anyone who owns and operates a business. You never know what clients may find that could turn a deal sour.
Before posting information in various social network environments, on blogs or on your website, think about the long-term. Who might see your information?
Think things through before you leap into action with your postings.
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com
Monday, January 15, 2007
Featured author
I am the featured author this month
Boomer Women Speak.com
Check out my postings, ask a question and get to know me at
http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=105085&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1&nt=7
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
Boomer Women Speak.com
Check out my postings, ask a question and get to know me at
http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=105085&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1&nt=7
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Article by Internet Guru Willie Crawford
Kathleen's Recommended Reading - Another excellent article by Internet Marketing Guru and Expert - Willie Crawford
Will 2007 Really Be Different For Your Online Business?
Copyright 2006 by Willie Crawford
"Will 2007 really be different for your online business?"
That's a question that I asked myself, and that I had many
of my clients honestly evaluate at the end of 2006.
The answer has to be that unless you do something differently
in 2007 than you did in 2006, then 2007 is very likely to be
a repeat of 2006.
That reality should horrify many people!
For many "Internet marketers," which is the category that
most of my clients put themselves in, having 2007 be
drastically different means focusing on making five major
changes. Here they are:
1) Better Time Management
We all have only 24 hours in a day, yet some of us get 100
times more done in those 24 hours than others. There are a
number of secrets to getting more done in less time. One of
those secrets is to actually calculate the value of your
time. Simply take your income goal and divide it by the number
of hours that you are willing to invest to reach that goal.
That will give you a crude dollar figure to use for the
"value of your time." It will also make it easier for you
to end "time-wasters" such as calls from tele-marketers.
Once you have a dollar value for your time, then you only
need to DO those things that you can't afford to get
someone else to do cheaper (provided it's something that
merits doing). For example, if you value your time at $100 per
hour, then you should not spend 2 hours designing a web graphic
that you can hire someone else to do for $25. Although that
makes perfect sense, many people worth $1000 per hour spend
a lot of time doing $5 per hour work.
Don't you fall into that trap.
To learn to properly value your time, I recommend getting,
reading, and implementing things taught in Dan Kennedy's
time management book. It's called "No BS Time Management
For Entrepreneurs - The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt
Take NO Prisoners Guide To Time Productivity & Sanity.
It's a great book that you can order through online bookstores.
2) Focusing On Things That Provide The Best Return On Investment
This is closely related to number one, but it means that
you need to decide which of the hundreds of possible business
models and methodologies you should be using as your business
model.
Everyday, you'll be exposed to dozens of proven ways to grow
your business, your website and your income. You can only
realistically learn and implement a few of them!
Choose one or two methods,or tactics, to grow your business,
and then IGNORE the rest. My friend Russell Brunson does
this brilliantly. For example, when he looks at website
traffic generation, he works on just the things that does
best. He actually has staff members who each specialize
in different methods of traffic generation. This is
something Russell recently shared with my subscribers on a
teleseminar.
Russell is a master at doing the things that provide him with
the best return-on-investment. He is also a master at
outsourcing the rest. You should check out this brilliant young
marketers system! You'll find it at:
http://DotComSecrets.com/willie/
3) Stop Jumping From Project To Project
Inability to focus on one project, and see it through
to completion, "kills" more Internet marketers than anything
that I've observed. We all have dozens of brilliant idea,
and we don't know which one to focus on. We're afraid that
if we focus on one, we'll miss out on another.
By failing to select ONE of our ideas/projects and focusing
on implementing it, we end up not seeing anything through
to profitability. That tells you that the very simple
solution is to "just choose one." It's a little more
complicated than that, in that you should choose the one
that means the most to you, and that fits in most with
your long-term objectives. However, you DO at some point
have to simply choose.
Don't worry about making the wrong choice. We live in a
universe with millions of choices, and any of them can
take you down a different path. Being too paralyzed by fear
to choose, is making the decision to make no changes.
If it helps, allow me to share with you several of my choices
that I made while transitioning to 2007.
One choice was to spend less time in the minutia, and to spend
more time on high value transactions. To do that I turned to a
friend who has earned 8-figures online in the past two years. I
figured that he could teach me a thing or two, so I'm learning
from him. I'm so committed to the projects, that he's leading
me to, that I registered a domain just for that purpose...
http://8FiguresIn2007.com
The domain name above shows you why I focused on that choice.
I saw the level of potential and committed to making it a
reality.
A second choice that I made was to revamp my coaching and
mentoring program. I coach and mentor aspiring online marketers
primarily because I enjoy seeing struggling individuals with
dreams make those dreams a reality.
Where I revamped my coaching program was to change my pricing
structure, and the application process, so that only those
willing to put in the necessary effort are inducted into my
coaching program. That way, my new clients and I don't waste a
lot of time dealing with people whom we shouldn't be dealing
with. This frees up more time for me to work with very focused
people who have "a burning desire," a willingness to put in the
effort, and simply the right personality that enables us to work
together.
With coaching and mentoring in particular, it is a one-on-one
venture, and you should only work with those that are appropriate
for you to work with. Doing otherwise merely cheats you, and
those that you should be working with instead.
4) Get A Manager/Mentor or Accountability Partner
Back in 2002, one of my "heroes" told me that I needed "a
manager." That shocked me at first, but then he explained that,
left to our own devices, most of us will spend most of our time
doing things that aren't the highest and best use of our time.
He went on to explain that this is why top athletes, politician,
celebrities, and savvy executives have "managers."
Reflecting upon my career in the military, I once served as an
"executive office" to a commander. My job was to plan and
control his schedule. He would come to work and I'd tell him who
he was meeting with that day or that week... and why. I even
told him when he had lunch appointments with family :-)
Not all of us are so in-demand that we need someone to help
decide what we should be spending our time on. Some of us just
need an "accountability partner"... someone that we can tell our
plans to and then ask them to hold us accountable for
accomplishing them. This would be a person that we give
permission to push us a little. We give them permission to tell
us when we're doing ourselves a disservice.
An accountability partner can be someone you meet at a seminar,
or even on an online discussion forum. It can also be a formal
coach or mentor. I serve as an accountability partner for
several dozen people. They ALL have to go through an application
process (set up on my website) first. You can see the process
at: http://WillieCrawford.com/mentoring.html
A coach, mentor, or accountability partner can help you to get
more done is many areas of your life. For example, many people
make resolutions this time of the year to exercise more. The
secret is to have a workout partner (an accountability partner)
that you jointly make that commitment with. Then, on those
mornings when you'd really rather sleep late, it's knowing that
you have someone at the track or gym waiting for you that will
get you motivated.
5) Form Strategic Partnerships and Joint Ventures
We all learned long ago that "no man is an Island unto himself."
If you're trying to do everything yourself, you're not going to
get very much done. In the online world "lone wolves" never
succeed massively ... that I've seen.
You need to partner and form joint ventures with others who
compliment your skills and interests. For example, if you are
great a starting projects, but never finish them, then you need
to partner with "a finisher" (generally someone who pays close
attention to the details.
Over the past 2 months I've interviewed DOZENS of the top
online marketers. I often asked them how they got to where they
are. Our conversations also often drifted to other online
marketers and those marketers' secrets to success.
Without exception, all of the top marketers that we discussed,
and that I've studied, did NOT get their all by themselves.
They had mentors, they formed alliances, and they sometimes
had people who gave them a big break.
Going back to my career as a military office, the single biggest
identifiable factor that I saw that enabled an office to rise
from "Second Lieutenant" to "General" was having a "sponsor."
This was someone at the top who took an interest in them
and guided them.
When I look at Internet marketing, I DO see a similar system.
When someone already near the top reaches out and guides you,
and introduces you to their influential friends, it does
increase your chances of moving up the ladder. This is only
common sense.
I'll close this article by sharing with you that the online
community set up to facilitate many of the things outlined
above is called "The Internet Marketing Inner Circle."
Yes, there is such a creature. You'll find it at:
http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
Now back to the original question...
"Will 2007 Really Be Different For Your Online Business?"
It can't be different unless you do things differently.
Just food for though as we transition into a new year.
---------------------
Willie Crawford has taught thousands how to build successful
online businesses since late-1996. His membership site
contains dozens of interviews featuring leading online
marketers sharing their views on "How To Break Into The
Internet Marketing Inner Circle." Access those powerful
interview at: http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
Will 2007 Really Be Different For Your Online Business?
Copyright 2006 by Willie Crawford
"Will 2007 really be different for your online business?"
That's a question that I asked myself, and that I had many
of my clients honestly evaluate at the end of 2006.
The answer has to be that unless you do something differently
in 2007 than you did in 2006, then 2007 is very likely to be
a repeat of 2006.
That reality should horrify many people!
For many "Internet marketers," which is the category that
most of my clients put themselves in, having 2007 be
drastically different means focusing on making five major
changes. Here they are:
1) Better Time Management
We all have only 24 hours in a day, yet some of us get 100
times more done in those 24 hours than others. There are a
number of secrets to getting more done in less time. One of
those secrets is to actually calculate the value of your
time. Simply take your income goal and divide it by the number
of hours that you are willing to invest to reach that goal.
That will give you a crude dollar figure to use for the
"value of your time." It will also make it easier for you
to end "time-wasters" such as calls from tele-marketers.
Once you have a dollar value for your time, then you only
need to DO those things that you can't afford to get
someone else to do cheaper (provided it's something that
merits doing). For example, if you value your time at $100 per
hour, then you should not spend 2 hours designing a web graphic
that you can hire someone else to do for $25. Although that
makes perfect sense, many people worth $1000 per hour spend
a lot of time doing $5 per hour work.
Don't you fall into that trap.
To learn to properly value your time, I recommend getting,
reading, and implementing things taught in Dan Kennedy's
time management book. It's called "No BS Time Management
For Entrepreneurs - The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt
Take NO Prisoners Guide To Time Productivity & Sanity.
It's a great book that you can order through online bookstores.
2) Focusing On Things That Provide The Best Return On Investment
This is closely related to number one, but it means that
you need to decide which of the hundreds of possible business
models and methodologies you should be using as your business
model.
Everyday, you'll be exposed to dozens of proven ways to grow
your business, your website and your income. You can only
realistically learn and implement a few of them!
Choose one or two methods,or tactics, to grow your business,
and then IGNORE the rest. My friend Russell Brunson does
this brilliantly. For example, when he looks at website
traffic generation, he works on just the things that does
best. He actually has staff members who each specialize
in different methods of traffic generation. This is
something Russell recently shared with my subscribers on a
teleseminar.
Russell is a master at doing the things that provide him with
the best return-on-investment. He is also a master at
outsourcing the rest. You should check out this brilliant young
marketers system! You'll find it at:
http://DotComSecrets.com/willie/
3) Stop Jumping From Project To Project
Inability to focus on one project, and see it through
to completion, "kills" more Internet marketers than anything
that I've observed. We all have dozens of brilliant idea,
and we don't know which one to focus on. We're afraid that
if we focus on one, we'll miss out on another.
By failing to select ONE of our ideas/projects and focusing
on implementing it, we end up not seeing anything through
to profitability. That tells you that the very simple
solution is to "just choose one." It's a little more
complicated than that, in that you should choose the one
that means the most to you, and that fits in most with
your long-term objectives. However, you DO at some point
have to simply choose.
Don't worry about making the wrong choice. We live in a
universe with millions of choices, and any of them can
take you down a different path. Being too paralyzed by fear
to choose, is making the decision to make no changes.
If it helps, allow me to share with you several of my choices
that I made while transitioning to 2007.
One choice was to spend less time in the minutia, and to spend
more time on high value transactions. To do that I turned to a
friend who has earned 8-figures online in the past two years. I
figured that he could teach me a thing or two, so I'm learning
from him. I'm so committed to the projects, that he's leading
me to, that I registered a domain just for that purpose...
http://8FiguresIn2007.com
The domain name above shows you why I focused on that choice.
I saw the level of potential and committed to making it a
reality.
A second choice that I made was to revamp my coaching and
mentoring program. I coach and mentor aspiring online marketers
primarily because I enjoy seeing struggling individuals with
dreams make those dreams a reality.
Where I revamped my coaching program was to change my pricing
structure, and the application process, so that only those
willing to put in the necessary effort are inducted into my
coaching program. That way, my new clients and I don't waste a
lot of time dealing with people whom we shouldn't be dealing
with. This frees up more time for me to work with very focused
people who have "a burning desire," a willingness to put in the
effort, and simply the right personality that enables us to work
together.
With coaching and mentoring in particular, it is a one-on-one
venture, and you should only work with those that are appropriate
for you to work with. Doing otherwise merely cheats you, and
those that you should be working with instead.
4) Get A Manager/Mentor or Accountability Partner
Back in 2002, one of my "heroes" told me that I needed "a
manager." That shocked me at first, but then he explained that,
left to our own devices, most of us will spend most of our time
doing things that aren't the highest and best use of our time.
He went on to explain that this is why top athletes, politician,
celebrities, and savvy executives have "managers."
Reflecting upon my career in the military, I once served as an
"executive office" to a commander. My job was to plan and
control his schedule. He would come to work and I'd tell him who
he was meeting with that day or that week... and why. I even
told him when he had lunch appointments with family :-)
Not all of us are so in-demand that we need someone to help
decide what we should be spending our time on. Some of us just
need an "accountability partner"... someone that we can tell our
plans to and then ask them to hold us accountable for
accomplishing them. This would be a person that we give
permission to push us a little. We give them permission to tell
us when we're doing ourselves a disservice.
An accountability partner can be someone you meet at a seminar,
or even on an online discussion forum. It can also be a formal
coach or mentor. I serve as an accountability partner for
several dozen people. They ALL have to go through an application
process (set up on my website) first. You can see the process
at: http://WillieCrawford.com/mentoring.html
A coach, mentor, or accountability partner can help you to get
more done is many areas of your life. For example, many people
make resolutions this time of the year to exercise more. The
secret is to have a workout partner (an accountability partner)
that you jointly make that commitment with. Then, on those
mornings when you'd really rather sleep late, it's knowing that
you have someone at the track or gym waiting for you that will
get you motivated.
5) Form Strategic Partnerships and Joint Ventures
We all learned long ago that "no man is an Island unto himself."
If you're trying to do everything yourself, you're not going to
get very much done. In the online world "lone wolves" never
succeed massively ... that I've seen.
You need to partner and form joint ventures with others who
compliment your skills and interests. For example, if you are
great a starting projects, but never finish them, then you need
to partner with "a finisher" (generally someone who pays close
attention to the details.
Over the past 2 months I've interviewed DOZENS of the top
online marketers. I often asked them how they got to where they
are. Our conversations also often drifted to other online
marketers and those marketers' secrets to success.
Without exception, all of the top marketers that we discussed,
and that I've studied, did NOT get their all by themselves.
They had mentors, they formed alliances, and they sometimes
had people who gave them a big break.
Going back to my career as a military office, the single biggest
identifiable factor that I saw that enabled an office to rise
from "Second Lieutenant" to "General" was having a "sponsor."
This was someone at the top who took an interest in them
and guided them.
When I look at Internet marketing, I DO see a similar system.
When someone already near the top reaches out and guides you,
and introduces you to their influential friends, it does
increase your chances of moving up the ladder. This is only
common sense.
I'll close this article by sharing with you that the online
community set up to facilitate many of the things outlined
above is called "The Internet Marketing Inner Circle."
Yes, there is such a creature. You'll find it at:
http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
Now back to the original question...
"Will 2007 Really Be Different For Your Online Business?"
It can't be different unless you do things differently.
Just food for though as we transition into a new year.
---------------------
Willie Crawford has taught thousands how to build successful
online businesses since late-1996. His membership site
contains dozens of interviews featuring leading online
marketers sharing their views on "How To Break Into The
Internet Marketing Inner Circle." Access those powerful
interview at: http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
Monday, January 08, 2007
Time waster or time well spent?
Social Networks can be great for gaining visibility. However, they can also be a huge waste of time.
Social networks connect people with all different types of interests, and one area that is expanding in the use of these networks is the corporate environment. This makes them searchable and be connected to other business professionals. One example of a business social network is LinkedIn, a network that connects businesses by industry, functions, geography and areas of interest.
Networks are usually free for businesses or at a low cost; this is very beneficial for small businesses looking to expand their contact base. These networks act as a customer relationship management tool for companies selling products and services. Companies can also use social networks for advertising in the form of banners and text ads. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world.
Some of the well known social networks are:
-MySpace.com
-Friendster
-LinkedIn
-Ryze
A quick search under "social networks online" will bring up plenty more.
Success tips for Social Networks
-Know why you are spending time there. You can waste an incredible amount of
time if you just "cruise" around.
-Find areas where you can meet like minded folks or your target market
-Share valuable information in the forums and groups (there are thousands to
choose from)
-Make sure your profile has key information about you that leads people back to a website
-Look for people who seem that they would be valuable to know, send them a
personal email mentioning something on their profile you liked and that
should start a nice conversation. I have done this with some authors. If I
have read someone's book, I let him or her know and I let them know what I liked
about it.
Check out the possibilities of social networking. It may be a great business choice.
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
Social networks connect people with all different types of interests, and one area that is expanding in the use of these networks is the corporate environment. This makes them searchable and be connected to other business professionals. One example of a business social network is LinkedIn, a network that connects businesses by industry, functions, geography and areas of interest.
Networks are usually free for businesses or at a low cost; this is very beneficial for small businesses looking to expand their contact base. These networks act as a customer relationship management tool for companies selling products and services. Companies can also use social networks for advertising in the form of banners and text ads. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world.
Some of the well known social networks are:
-MySpace.com
-Friendster
-Ryze
A quick search under "social networks online" will bring up plenty more.
Success tips for Social Networks
-Know why you are spending time there. You can waste an incredible amount of
time if you just "cruise" around.
-Find areas where you can meet like minded folks or your target market
-Share valuable information in the forums and groups (there are thousands to
choose from)
-Make sure your profile has key information about you that leads people back to a website
-Look for people who seem that they would be valuable to know, send them a
personal email mentioning something on their profile you liked and that
should start a nice conversation. I have done this with some authors. If I
have read someone's book, I let him or her know and I let them know what I liked
about it.
Check out the possibilities of social networking. It may be a great business choice.
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
Friday, January 05, 2007
What's better... Street Smarts or Book Smarts?
That's the question that has come up on The Apprentice.
Click here to make your own decision
http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/yourefired.htm
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
Click here to make your own decision
http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/yourefired.htm
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
What you don't know about linking can hurt you
Many people are under the mistaken belief that the more link exchanging they do the better. This is not at all true.
To learn more about linking I recommend you read this article.
http://www.theinternetpresence.com/business-article-30.html
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
To learn more about linking I recommend you read this article.
http://www.theinternetpresence.com/business-article-30.html
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
Gaining Visibility for Your Blog
Blogging can be a great aspect of any marketing plan. I consider it key to Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions.
If you have a website, a blog is a tool you can use to drive traffic to your site. If you don't have a website you can effectively use a blog to post articles, ideas, tips, products you are selling and various other uses.
Here is what a blog is.
Blogs
A blog is a user generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
The term "blog" is derived from "Web log." "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Driving Traffic to Your Blog
As with anything, you have to do more than just have a blog. There are steps you can take to gain more visibility for your blog. One is to register your blog at various locations and in blog directories. This is all a part of your marketing process.
Although you can purchase software that automatically submits your blog to directories I DO NOT recommend this. Manual submission is the way to go. At least that is how I feel about it today. If something new and improved comes along that is a good way to automatically submit I will let you know.
Here are a few places you can begin submitting. You can either do the submission yourself or you can hire someone to do it for you.
http://www.toprankresults.com/blog-submit-list.htm
http://www.pingoat.com/
http://pingomatic.com/
You can find more places to post your blog by doing a quick google search with the words "Blog Posting Sites" or "Blog Directories" and watch what comes up.
The process can be time consuming and not all sites you pull up from the google search will actually be directory sites, but with an hour or two of focused effort you should be able to submit to at least 10 - 30 and have your blog begin to get some nice traffic.
Remember also, in order for a blog to be effective you have to keep your material fresh and current. Otherwise, why would people be interested in it.
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
If you have a website, a blog is a tool you can use to drive traffic to your site. If you don't have a website you can effectively use a blog to post articles, ideas, tips, products you are selling and various other uses.
Here is what a blog is.
Blogs
A blog is a user generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
The term "blog" is derived from "Web log." "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Driving Traffic to Your Blog
As with anything, you have to do more than just have a blog. There are steps you can take to gain more visibility for your blog. One is to register your blog at various locations and in blog directories. This is all a part of your marketing process.
Although you can purchase software that automatically submits your blog to directories I DO NOT recommend this. Manual submission is the way to go. At least that is how I feel about it today. If something new and improved comes along that is a good way to automatically submit I will let you know.
Here are a few places you can begin submitting. You can either do the submission yourself or you can hire someone to do it for you.
http://www.toprankresults.com/blog-submit-list.htm
http://www.pingoat.com/
http://pingomatic.com/
You can find more places to post your blog by doing a quick google search with the words "Blog Posting Sites" or "Blog Directories" and watch what comes up.
The process can be time consuming and not all sites you pull up from the google search will actually be directory sites, but with an hour or two of focused effort you should be able to submit to at least 10 - 30 and have your blog begin to get some nice traffic.
Remember also, in order for a blog to be effective you have to keep your material fresh and current. Otherwise, why would people be interested in it.
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker and Author
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