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"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." How
many times have we heard that
Golden Rule? And certainly
it is golden, and a good rule
to live by! But with all due
respect, God never had to
market on the Internet! And
there are probably more than
seven solid principles we
should all be following, but
these seven should get you
well on your way down the
"Golden Path to Prosperity."
So let's get started! Golden
Rule Number One: Be willing
to talk to "real" people.
Come on, now, what are you
afraid of? Don't you have
a unique product with a large
appeal? And didn't you make
sure and get something you'd
be proud to have your name
on? Then open your mouth!
I'm not saying you should
be obnoxious or pushy about
it, but don't be afraid to
mention it, either. I guarantee
you that one "yes" will make
up for all of the "no"s that
came before it. Tell your
friends you're trying something
new, and wouldn't they like
to check it out just to be
nice to you? Talk to telemarketers.
Talk to wrong numbers. Talk
to your mother. Ok, be careful
about talking to your mother,
but you should still consider
it! Make up business cards
and pass them out to people
who smile and nod as they
walk by. So what if they drop
it as soon as you're out of
sight? Maybe someone else
will pick it up and be interested.
Please allow me to get on
a soap box for a minute. I
am sick and tired of hearing
"I don't like to sell, I'm
not good at selling, and I
hate sales people!" Successful
people in ANY field are people
who realized early on that
all of life is a sales pitch.
When you apply for a job,
you are selling yourself to
the employer. Why do you think
there's such emphasis on a
good resume and a well-groomed
appearance? When you debate
issues that you care deeply
about, you’re making a sales
pitch. You are doing your
best to convince someone that
you are right! Sales ability
is something that everyone
has to some extent. How convincing
is your son/daughter or nephew/niece,
when they want something you
have? Do you think they went
to school to learn that? NOPE,
they were born with it! So
if you've used any negative
phrases about your own ability
or willingness to sell, I
want you to give yourself
a sharp slap on the hand and
sternly say, "I am a natural
at sales!" If you ever want
to make money on the internet,
you're going to have to develop
that ability. Period. Golden
Rule Number Two: Be willing
to make use of free and paid
advertising sources. Advertising
is the life-blood of the retailing
world. Now YOU are a retailer.
You have a product to sell!
But nobody will ever know
or care unless you advertise.
On the internet, there are
probably more free sources
of advertising than there
are paid sources. And when
it comes to free advertising,
the secret is quantity, not
quality. If you want quality,
pull out your wallet, and
we'll talk about that in a
minute. (Just kidding!) But
when it comes to free, all
you have to do is pull up
your favorite search engine
and type in "free advertising."
More on that in another chapter.
Golden Rule Number Three:
Be willing to invest a significant
amount of time and effort.
Meaning, you are going to
have to SWEAT! Oh no, you
won't be out digging ditches
and getting sunburned, but
by the time you've stared
at a computer screen for eight
or ten hours, you may wish
you had. Marketing on the
Internet takes work, commitment,
and patience. It's a shorter
road to riches than some others,
but it still isn't a free
ride by any means. If you
want to make money on the
Internet, be sure you're prepared
to spend almost as much time
in front of your computer
after work as you spent at
work. It may pay off quickly,
but then again it may not.
Make sure you're in it for
the long haul, and you'll
be more likely to succeed
early. Golden Rule Number
Four: Be willing to learn
from your experiences. Just
as all of life is a sales
pitch, every experience in
life can be a lesson learned,
if you'll look at it that
way. Never allow yourself
to believe you've "arrived"
and there's no more left for
you to learn. The world of
technology is moving way too
fast for anyone to ever be
content without taking a class
or two, but for those of us
who can't afford to stay in
college, the next best thing
is to glean lessons from your
life experience. Listen to
people who know. Read articles,
read books, read sales solicitations.
All these are sources of knowledge
that will add to your ability
to market your own product.
Click your heels together
three times and then repeat
this to yourself over and
over: "I WILL NEVER STOP LEARNING...
I WILL NEVER STOP LEARNING...
I WILL NEVER STOP LEARNING..."
Golden Rule Number Five: Be
willing to form relationships
with other marketers. One
thing I wish I had more time
for, and probably should MAKE
more time for, is the building
of friendships with people
who are making money on the
Internet. The reason is because
I understand the principle
of association. You tend to
become like the people you
spend time with - not because
you're easily influenced,
but simply because that's
how human beings are designed.
Once in a while, I open my
mouth and hear my father speaking.
I HATE that! But I realize
the simple truth, that we
absorb the habits and attitudes
of other people in our lives.
SO, if you want to learn success
in marketing, form a solid
habit of association with
successful marketers. Join
and attend forums where these
types of people hang out.
Get access to phone numbers
and conference calls where
you can speak with these people
and absorb their knowledge
and experience. The fact is
that you will not regret the
time you spent "shooting the
breeze" with someone who,
without even realizing it,
gave you secrets to success
that you were able to put
to work in your own life.
Golden Rule Number Six: Remember
the principle of increasing
returns. In other words, what
comes around, goes around.
Or in more traditional words,
you reap what you sow. How
does this apply to marketing,
you ask? Let me explain. I
believe that it is a basic
law of the universe that you
get back what you put into
it. If you live your life
with honesty and consideration,
then it will pay off in dividends
of trust and beneficial relationships.
In the Internet, it's a small
world even though it's a large
universe. People who market
tend to associate with other
marketers. If you run your
business with integrity, you
will be known as such, and
people who respect integrity
will send business your way.
But if you don't, believe
me it will get around, and
your name will be mud. Unless
it already is mud, and then
it'll be something worse.
Just don't do it. Remember
that it all comes back to
you one way or another, sooner
or later. Golden Rule Number
Seven: Be willing to deal
positively with disappointments.
This actually goes well with
other Golden Rules, but I
think it's important enough
to be discussed separately.
Life is full of disappointments
- if you're over the age of
12, you should already understand
that. But in the world of
marketing, you may actually
suffer quite a few failures
before you succeed. But remember
this - THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY
FAIL IS TO FAIL TO TRY AGAIN.
There may come a point where
you decide it simply isn't
what you want to do, and you'd
rather pursue other possibilities.
But unless or until you reach
that point, don't give up.
Don't give up. Don't give
up. And let me emphasize to
you, DON'T GIVE UP! If you
give up, you will never know
whether you would one day
have made it. So - don't give
up! But it's just as important
that you determine to learn
from your mistakes and disappointments.
A lesson learned turns a failure
into a success, because you
actually gained something
positive from the experience.
Determine to come up fighting
every time you fall, and then
look at what made you fall
so you can figure out how
not to fall again. This is
how we learn, and this is
how we get strong - through
falling and getting up, taking
a hit and learning how to
duck or block the next one.
One more time, just so you
can remember... DON'T GIVE
UP!!! This article excerpted
from "Internet Marketing In
A Nutshell" The FREE course
offered at http://www.fightforyourfreedom.net
By Gene Ballou |
