#9 – Is the Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?

Consider this Seriously:

Maybe your job isn’t so bad after all?

This may take someone very mature to admit, but at work:

You get paid to tweet,
You get paid to facebook,
You get paid to be sick
You get paid to go on vacations.

You then…

come home watch American Idol, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Just don’t make any mistakes. Working for yourself means you need to find ways to INVENT money. Working for someone else means they are doing that for you.

I admit – when you work online, it is VERY hard to set boundaries.

There is no such thing as night or day. Therefore I feel like I am always working…

Sometimes 9 to 5 consistent, reliable, health insurance covered work, DOES seem attractive!

Are you still working another job and exploring the online world? (aka burning the midnight oil)

Here are some suggestions for you:

• Find Networking Opportunities. If you can work with a team of motivated people, who are accountable to one another, your entry into internet marketing will be easier, while working your job. Everyone brings their skills to the table.

  I am a big fan of burning the midnight oil for necessary periods of time in order to change your current situation, improve your life, etc.. but not a big fan of burning too many bridges. Maybe you are more of a risk taker and success involves taking risks. Then it’s just about being honest with yourself and making the decision (or failing hard which is also a necessary experience sometimes for ultimate success )

• Let your job invest in your endeavors. When I took an 18 hour course in HTML, I split the cost with my former employers. Then they were able to benefit from my interest, as I built them a website.. until I was ready to move on. It was a win-win. I committed to at least building them the site before considering moving on (which is the right thing to do, since they invested in my education)

Either way, I like to say … “The Grass is Always Greener on MY SIDE”

#8 – Perfection Will Cripple You

Blame it on the graphic artist from India who disappeared (this happened to me) …

Blame it on not having an upsell, OTO, downsell in place, so you have to get all that sorted out first (idiot – yes talking to myself since I have been there too!)

Blame it on visiting relatives who interrupted your creative process.

The Real Culprit?
PERFECTION.

If you would be willing to get it online:
without a graphic
with just a name and address and one e-mail ready,

…..and work from momentum,

.
You can only go in one direction from Action…

but inaction breeds NOTHING.

Even failure is a better result than never trying (don’t trust me on this one – ask every single successful person you know to confirm this belief!)

As Woody Allen so aptly said – “80% of success is just showing up”

Example: I made a camtasia video sharing a traffic SECRET that I KNOW is HOT. Then I made a 2nd one, since the first one truly was not good enough. Was the 2nd one perfect? No way! There are still edit jumps, some screens are not perfectly lined up, but the content was clearly laid out, and it was DONE. I went with it, and sold over 70 copies in under 2 days. The feedback has been amazing! I know you are curious, so go check this out…. (and seriously, BUY IT. You WON’T Regret it )

NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU BEING PERFECT. ONLY YOU DO!!!!,

(Example 2: this report is a prime example of me turning my ideas into action and not thinking about all the possible ways I could monetize this information. That will happen.. in due course, but for now! It’s here, and you are reading it! – SCORE!)

#7 – What is the difference between being a serious marketer & a Mickey Mouse marketer?

Affiliate Marketing can be fun and risky
Blogging is cathartic, but rarely a breadwinner on it’s own 2 legs,
Social marketing is a tool (not a business)

….but Information Marketing is what puts you in the big leagues.

You don’t NEED to have your own product, but seriously…

Unless you are IN THE BIG affiliate game, the only reliable money comes from having your own products.

WHY?

You can get affiliates
You can Joint Venture
You can build a serious business from it.

(and if you don’t believe me – ask Frank Kern, he just said the same thing, and everyone loves Frank, definitely maybe)

I put my money where my mouth is –

I think that this is so important, that I devoted several months ALONE to creating a product which teaches you exactly how to build your own information product FAST, like 24 hours fast. This program covers it all – very Step by Step, detail for detail, no fluff, yet packed with easy to use tools (yes, I am damn proud of my hard work. This information is timeless and priceless!)..

And if you are thinking it’s hard, you would be wrong. It is very very easy!

IF you happen to be reading this report or blog, You are invited to view this SPECIAL link to get this product at $100 OFF the regular asking price (which makes it TOO GOOD TO PASS !).

See for yourself.

$100 off (or go ahead and pay full price HERE )

DISCLAIMER – This does not mean that you can not make millions of dollars in client services and affiliate marketing. I know people who kill it in both, but the words “publish or perish” have universal meanings. Get it?

DISCLAIMER part 2: Oh and btw – Mickey Mouse is like the most famous character of all time and even wealthier than me, so it’s not all that bad to be Mickey

I used to think this was hokey stuff, but imagine being involved in a project

and being interrupted,
again and again, and
having family visit,
maybe getting sick,
a holiday,
a computer technical glitch that sets you back

Being able to GET THINGS DONE and Good time management skills will set you apart.

Time Management is NOT just A TO DO LIST

It has to do with Mindmapping. (an incredible process I discovered that allows you to visualize everything that’s placed in your head onto literally ONE sheet of paper called a mindmap.)

In fact – here is a bonus – a visual of the mindmap that facilitated me to organize my thoughts for these 9 ways, while viewing the project at large and ultimately – write this report in a few hours:

Managing your time effectively also has to do with Procrastination.

How do I overcome this challenge? (honestly, I head it on daily, it’s not a natural skill of mine)

My favorite strategy? I love Reverse Engineering. Here is how it works:

‘I see what I want to accomplish by the end of the day and I work backwards to figure out exactly how to allot my time accordingly. ‘

This way I have goals and drive to meet them.

My friend has crafted an incredible source – 12 proven strategies to kiss procrastination “BYE! BYE!” , it’s just 19 action packed pages long. And it’s a fast and life changing read: (REALLY!) See HERE ….

VERY IMPORTANT P.S. - Some people, including yours truly, has long thought that if you struggle with time management, it is more beneficial to spend your time actually making things happen, then sit down and really study how to manage time better. I mean the irony of actually ‘WASTING’ my time learning how to Maximize my time??

This is a mistake.

Like ANY skill, setting aside some time to learn it will have long lasting rewards. Without learning HOW to better manage your time, you may just resort back to your old habits very quickly, with no learned skills to keep that from happening!

Internet Marketing Gets  a BUM RAP!

Imagine you want to get a million twitter followers in a day
Imagine You want to discover all the ads your competitors are running in 60 seconds or less
imagine you want 1000 articles written from one line of text faster than you can say Andrea Yager is Awesome

Well you can get all this now. Ok, true, the pages you land on may be pitching the product by profusely pitching how you will finally be able to make money online, (remember the importance of copy mentioned in #1) but there is still VALUE in the products themselves (remember to stop whining as stated in #3)

Here is a great example – Robert Plank. Check out his site (link above opens in new window) and all the tools he has created to simplify making money online (which may be the end goal, even if it is pitched to get more leads, more comments, more subscribers, more anything).

If YOU don’t make money online when purchasing one of his products, will you blame him?

If you were to create these tools on your own, …first of all you would not even think to come up with them!!
OR…
it would cost you 10x the price.

When marketers sell their tools to 100’s of people, it’s no different than mass produced furniture, or t-shirts sold at affordable prices, and therefore a deal for someone who benefits from it, but just like it’s not the Gap’s fault if you don’t ever wear the t-shirt you bought, it’s not Robert’s fault if you never use the tool you purchased to advance your online career.

I am Just being totally honest.

You will read sales letters where people say…

“I didn’t know how to type,
I could barely tie my shoes
and LOOK AT ME TODAY!!
I am making all this money and I STILL have no idea how it all works..“

Honestly, that’s RARE.

Not impossible, just RARE.

Most of the successful net-preneuers have some skills backing them up.

Some people know nothing, but they are skilled in other areas that most people are not (like capital or major action taking) .

which brings me to the next point

……If you don’t have the skills, then you MUST be good at managing and spending some money to get stuff done.

……If you are broke with no skills, then you are in a tougher spot. This is the truth!

BONUS:
YOU MUST Put any learned skill into  practice right away or you will lose IT.

I learned HTML and built sites immediately. I can code without a fancy HTML editor, because I am so comfortable with the code (ok, granted nowadays most 3rd graders learn what I know in school)

On the other hand, I took a day long course in CSS, fell in love with the possibilities, and never did anything with it, and I am still severly CSS challenged

My HTML knowledge is liberating. I can make web changes on the fly, my lack of CSS is debilitating, since the code is so much cleaner and easier to manipulate when you know what you are doing..

You get the idea.

What is the good news??

The GREAT, FANTASTIC, AMAZING NEWS is that you can acquire some of these skills by sometimes devoting a DAY or possibly a week to really studying a skill. My HTML course – the liberating one? Took 18 hours total (and it was a lot more than just HTML, including FTP, animated gifs (which were HOT then), and more.)

Do you have 18 hours to learn something that will give you an EDGE forEVER?

By the way… many of these courses are available online, many FOR FREE, or close to it! This includes even more complex skills like Graphic design (photoshop tutorials).

WAY #3
You will be learning invaluable skills that will benefit you in all future endeavors as the internet IS the future.

Don’t BLAME THE INDUSTRY!

If you follow through on most products, following their advice, you WILL MAKE MONEY. Just because it didn’t earn you money does not mean all products are rip offs.

If you didn’t earn anything, it is USUALLY because

…you didn’t get it
…you got lazy
…you gave up (while jumping to the next opportunity)

Does this following text look familiar –

“Are you tired of spending money on programs that do not work?.. If you want to drive a Fancy hot looking car like I do, and vacation whenever and wherever you want… then you you have come to the right place.., yada yada yada..”…

I am guilty of writing similar myself…, I would even advise it!

Which of these thoughts are going through your mind when you read this copy?

• Wow, Where do I sign up? I just know this is exactly what I need to solve all my financial problems and make lots of money! (….welcome newbie to the world of online marketing)

• No way am I going to give any of these people my money anymore. I am sick of wasting my money and not earning anything back!

Let me provide you with a THIRD OPTION.

Regardless of which category you are in above, this option will drastically change your approach, your attitude, and your chances of success.

So… you are seeking extra income? a new career? a dream come true?

Then why do you expect it to be delivered in one $27 ebook?

I can not calculate how much I have spent throughout the years, and the truth is that I am very similar to YOU – I usually did not earn money directly from the ideas I purchased.

However, each and every single product has advanced my overall skills, so when I purchased the next program, I was that much more equipped with all the knowledge I was accumulating. The POINT is that while our society has programmed that is acceptable to drop tons of money on college and grad school… I have ‘purchased’ a degree in online marketing.

….Not from one University,
….not from one teacher,
….but from some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the field!

I have been able to be extremely selective, and can proudly say that it may not be ‘official’, but I have my Certificate on my wall – and I have graduated (with honor$$).

Tell me another career path that offers such affordable education and provides the results you can achieve online.

WAY #2
You will get discouraged if you do not earn some money quickly.

This is a fact. Yet most online ventures take some time to see the serious money coming in.

…so either realize this and persevere, or make sure to get paid quickly!

WHAT DO earning Money and Losing weight have in common?

Most people operate by impulses.

They need positive impulses to keep them moving forward.

….A girl has to say YES or give you her number to keep the momentum moving
….You need to see the numbers on the scale go down in order to keep working out.

So too with working online.

…..You need to start earning money in order to keep this going.

How do I advise you do this?

2 Suggestions for now – Go for the positive cash flow right away!:

1) Find some items in your house you don’t need anymore and sell them on Ebay. Ebay is not even on my top 10 ways of making money online, but it is a very simple, no brainer way to sign up, and see some money trickling in. The entry costs are also negligible (meaning it’s free to join, but you have to pay to list)

2) If you have some resources, go ahead and buy a website that is already generating revenue. It is not difficult to purchase a site for $1000, that is earning around $100 per month. Instead of laying out similar amounts on make money online programs, here you have an asset, money coming in, a site that can be worked on to improve, and you are much better positioned to then move forward.

So, you want to make an online income? You want the internet to just SPIT cash back at you, so you can order nice drinks with little umbrellas in any country you choose?

…. Not so fast…

Here are the 9 things you NEED to know before you consider the internet an option for you.

Why am I telling you this?

You know those “good” friends who tell you an outfit looks good on you, when it doesn’t?

Well consider me your TRUE friend. The one who tells you that you could look better in something else.

Earning an online income is liberating, wonderful and it is not hard to see the benefits… so it makes sense that you want to do this… but I have been working online since the year 2000. I am an internet maven and feel compelled to offer some free advice.

What you do with this information is up to you

Why did you click the buy now button?

is it the offer? it’s possible

Is it the graphics? not likely

It’s probably the copy – understanding this reality and how important copy can be is essential!

I have clicked buy now, and NEVER even opened (or downloaded) what I bought. Can you explain that behaviour other than saying the copy spoke to me? If you think I am the only one to do this, you are extremely naïve.

I just sent out a survey to 1000+ people asking them to select what information they wanted from me for free. The options were traffic, affiliate marketing, copywriting, and 3 or 4 others. Copywriting was the LEAST popular choice, and I could have predicted this, but this is #1 on this list of 9, because it’s THAT important.

This means if you are involved in an online career, you must either Study Copy so you can write it yourself, or Outsource your copy. Your offer / service / product has to be rock solid, but it will just collect dust on your shelves if you don’t sort out the copy.

I have spoken about the importance of copy many times.

I change my mind a lot.

But not on this.

Today I decided I am sick of cleaning my home and wanted to outsource the task.

However, I was very wary.

After my loyal amazing cleaner decided to ditch me for another gig, (my fault for traveling too much), I felt like I was giving charity to everyone who stepped foot in my house – they were all THAT bad.

So when I woke up today and decided that this house IS getting cleaned and NOT by me, I realized what had to be done.

I had to use basic copywriting principles in my everyday life to communicate to someone what I wanted them to do, and how i wanted them to do it.

My subject line (to a local mailing list) was:

This had a touch of humor, and yet was clearly evident that I am seeking talent. (and I know you may have just lost your job at intel, but that does not make you a great cleaner). It generated a LOT of replies, so now I can try people out and decide who gets the Gold.

The quick point I want to make is that I have recently considered copy in almost all aspects of my everyday life. Not only my online life, and you should too.

Start thinking about this next to you:

• Speak to people on the phone
• Speaking to significant (even insignificant) others
• Speaking to your children
• Potential clients.

Examples:

1. You ask your child to throw out the garbage and he/she complains:

Not so Great:Too bad, everyone has to help out around here, just do it and be quiet

The copywriter says: “Come on friend throw away that frown and slap on a wide grin. Why? Because you’re going to get to go outside. Do you realize how many people don’t get to breathe real air? Think of all the people in the world who right now are in hospital laying on a hospital bed. Not only can they not go out and breathe fresh air they can’t throw out the trash. So let’s celebrate. Let’s breathe every cubic square centimeter of the fresh air into your lungs (with that wide smirk placed firmly on your face) and let’s be done with the trash and have a nice big empty can to put all our waste-in until the next time”

They may roll your eyes, but the positivity will be infectious and will get them thinking!

2. You want to provide someone with unsolicited feedback (this comes to mind as I just learned this lesson with my brother)

Not so Great: What I sent my brother: “THIS COPY IS BORING” (I was just ASKING him to be defensive

The copywriter says: Consider being more conversational; you could say something like, “How do you feel about this section?” and first get a gist of their goals that they want to achieve and then work from there.

3. Someone asks how you are feeling and they are not your best friend, spouse, parent. (or even so)

Not so Great: “I Could be better”, “Fine”, “Ok”

The copywriter says: You’re always feeling great thank you. Whenever anybody asks you how you are you are always something positive even when you’re not. If you feel bad and someone asks how are you don’t respond with “you don’t want to know” or worse with venom like “what does it matter to you?”. Instead say “I am getting better” (or if you’re really bad say “I have been better”). And if you are just “good” don’t say good that’s boring, say you are “absolutely outrageously fantastic.” Do it. Compare how you feel and how the other persons respond to “good” as opposed to “absolutely outrageously fantastic”. And of course, always ask them how they are as well.

I would LOVE to add to this list, but I have to go now. Do you have any examples to share?