How much money can you really make in IM??

24 replies
Hi

I have just registered under my real name! Don't know why, but to start with I was here using a pen name, as I didn't feel comfortable using my real name. Had some weird idea that it might backfire on me in my normal day to day business. No, I'm not telling you what my other account is!

Now that I am actually doing IM as well as my daytime job, rather than lurking here and wondering, I have come clean.

So, my question.

How much do some of the guys here, and I assume many who aren't, actually make? nd how many of them actually make that? How easy is it?

We all see figures from the big launches of $1 million here and $10 million there, but in those cases, many are giving away at least half in affiliate commissions and must have loads of upfront costs. Sure, the margins are immense for digital products, but they have costs too.

Also, it seems to me that some of the big guys are actually making loads of money from things that they never talk about - Is Mike Filsaime behind paydotcom for instance? That's got to be massive for him.

So, after paying costs (and let's face it, Eben Pagan, must have a fair few staff now), how much are these guys making?

Oh, and how quickly did most of them go from skinted to minted, as we say in Blighty?

Please explain why you think what you think too.

I'm looking for something to aim at and also a realistically achievable goal.

BTW, I am technologially uselss but good at product creation.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Ian
#affiliate #launch #make #money
  • Profile picture of the author freecashman
    Well its fair to say that some are making quite a lot of money. However, they didn't do it overnight, and that is where people get 'twisted' about making money online. Yes of course there are the few that do make some big money fast, but that's like the person that wins the lottery. Most just have to put in the work, stay consistent and determined in their efforts.

    Proof is out there that there is a ton of money to be made online, but you do that by continuously doing the things that build your online presence, drive traffic to your website(s), and grow your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Imran Naseem
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author dnb700
      True - the money is in the list! Someone offered to buy my list the other day. My list would do them no good, as they would have no relationship with my subscribers.

      I have a personal relationship with the folks who have subscribed to my newsletter. Build your own list and develop trust - the money will be there!
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  • Profile picture of the author patJ
    There is no real limit... which is why IM is so great.
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    • Profile picture of the author perryny
      Hi Ian,

      You've posted the exact question I would have liked to post. The reason I didn't was because I was certain I'd get the answer "work hard, build a list and there's no limit!"

      I'll continue following this post in the hopes that someone with some true success behind him/her will be able to share with us a fair representation of what reward we can expect financially and how long it might take, assuming we work smart and dedicate the time required.

      Here's an exampe of how I'd answer someone posing this question to me about my offline business, in the hopes to show them what NOT to do:
      "I started in 1998 with a few customers and no overhead. I provided a high level of service, and therefore grew rather quickly through referrals. I rented an office and hired employees. My expenses quickly outpaced my income and for the past decade I've kept my head barely above water. My current annual salary is somewhere in the $60K range, which doesn't come remotely close in my eyes to what I should be earning based on my efforts. My big mistakes were:

      1. Starting out with zero experience on running a business and not seeking mentor assistance early on.
      2. Not seeking a capital investment early on. It is very, very difficult to build my offline business without capital.

      I believe there's a ton of money to be made in my business, but no one's going to hand you fistfulls of cash just because you hung a sign on the door. Now that I have a TON of experience, I intend to begin a new venture in IM (I intend to work very hard at it and there is PLENTY of information available to the newbie to get me off to a good start) and with the proceeds I make with my IM efforts, I will continue to invest in my offline business and hopefully will be a great success in both ventures."
      Hopefully someone on WF will be able to post something about what CAN be achieved with the right effort.
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      • Profile picture of the author Susan Hope
        Well you are probably not going to like my reply then.. because your question of:

        "How much money can you really make in IM??"

        Just makes me want to answer..

        "Well how long is a piece of string?"

        Because, surely the answer is going to be different for everyone, both established and newbie. All I know is, having hung around this forum for I think a year now (no not all the time, I have got off my backside and taken action) is that, you need to have a good work ethic, a business plan, the will to learn from your mistakes and move on and to work hard and not to give up.

        So I guess the real answer, well for me anyway, is..

        From zero to infinity..

        Dibs on the infinity LOL

        Sue
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        • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
          You can make as much money as you ever want! By that I mean with hard work and dedication there's no reason why anyone can't be a 8 figure a year earner. Of course that's not easy but anyone earning that sort of figure a year probably hasn't had it easy regardless of whether it's online or not.


          Rich
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  • Provide value, build your list, stay consistent with the strategies that work for YOUR business, and put in what you can afford (in terms of both time and money) and a lot is possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author Balanced
    Its correct that there is no limit to the money that one can make in IM

    But as for every Great thing it needs to put the time effort and passion on the table.

    But its a lot easier as Your are working from the comfort of your home.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr McDonald
    You can make as much as you really want. Thats if you can take on advice, put in the effort and commit a certain part of your life to your business.

    Best wishes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Soulsby
    Hi

    I did just a big produt launch and sold 850 copies of an ebook in 3 weeks at £17 GBP a pop.

    I did an affiliate competition and what with that and all the over heads we made £3300 toal net profit from the launch (spent about £6800) so not bad.

    Currently getting about £500 a week with no over heads now from that launch but I expect that to go down until our marketing properly kicks in.

    But I got 1600 fresh leads from the launch and that can make me another £10,000 estimated over the next 12 months.

    Hope that helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    Information products only? People are making everywhere from a couple bucks a month to hundreds of millions of dollars a year(Agora).

    Tyrus
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  • An affiliate close to me is making about $18,000 a day.

    So, umm, a lot?

    The average person won't make a cent with IM. If you are the kind of person that couldn't cut it in a real job, couldn't make it through school, couldn't finish that shed you started to build, than you will fail in this realm too.

    The people who make it big in IM, could have made it big anywhere else.

    I make about $200,000 profit a year passively, and I easily see the potential for $1,000,000 a month with a good team and hard work and some luck. I know several marketers making more, but some of them have circumstances or investing capital well beyond normal means.
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    Money isn't real, George. It doesn't matter. It only seems like it does.

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  • Profile picture of the author Ross Dalangin
    Well it would depend on the kind of product you are promoting and the effort you are giving. It's limitless. If you have tons of affiliate armies then you can get good profit when you execute it right. Good luck!

    Ross
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  • Profile picture of the author Ian Clifford
    Thanks a lot guys.

    I've been running my own business for 16 years and have always made a profit in a very competitive industry. I think I have what it takes to succeed in any market, and I understand the need for education, application and innovation.

    I am still running my business outside IM and am slowly adding IM to what I do - starting off in my own market to learn the ropes. I work in the music industry and I see my clients and others making vast sums from creating new recordings or songs - i.e. they create a copyright and it earns for them forever with no continued effort.

    I see a parallel with IM in that I get to create a copyright (a product) and once it's out there it can sell forever. There is some difference as an IM product needs more continued marketing than a hit song, but the theory is very similar.

    Funnily enough, since posting I have made my first sales - 2 ebooks at $17 a pop and also my first affiliate sale of someone else's product to someone on my list - another $11. This is not going to compete with my day job just yet but I think it will in time.

    Plus, I love it, in a way that I loved my day job for many years - but now that's just what I do. I'm good at it and I enjoy it enough, but it doesn't give me the buzz that this does.

    I intend to keep learning from my products in my own market and then try my hand at teaching other newbies what I have learnt, but with the proof that I have done it in a non-IM/ Make Money market. A key part of that strategy is that we are quickly becoming an authority in the market that we are in and our blog has very quickly become an authority site in the niche. I'm very proud of that and we are building a list fast.

    I came to this with no technical skills whatsoever and very little time to dedicate to it but I have learnt so much and, in my mind, achieved so much, that I just want to do more and bigger.

    I agree that a lot of ther gurus would've done well in any business - talented, dedicated guys and gals - but I do think that IM is a very special opportunity and perhaps the rewards are easier and quicker to obtain than in other industries for those who have the ability.

    So, I'm keeping my day job, and I can't see me ever leaving the music industry completely, but I want to be the best in that market place selling IM products and I want to make a very significant second income in IM in the future.

    So come on, still answer the original question. How much are these big guys making. Frank Kern making $10 million clear per year after all costs or is that way off the mark?

    What do you think? Is it a vulgar question?
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
      Ian,
      It's very hard to say what the top earners make online. Many are underground and make a fortune with niches nothing to do with IM. There is a lady that sold her online website forum in the UK's rich list for £34m recently. Then you look at sites like lastminute.com, google etc that have made the owners more figures that have the half the worlds workforce will earn in theor lifetime! Of course the successful people that are know in the IM niche make 7 or 8 figures (thinking mike filsaime, Yanik Silver, Rich Shefren, Frank Kern) but it's difficult to verify figures unless they're revealed in accounts (like MIke Filsaime's company).
      Anyway at the end of the day Ian it's about you not what other people are achieving. Good luck.

      Rich
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      • Profile picture of the author Peter Bestel
        Ian

        I can appreciate that you'd like to set yourself a goal to aim at, but quite honestly your question is absurd and, if you really consider your reasoning behind asking it, my guess is that you'll discover that any answer you get will be irrelevant.

        Frank Kern wants to earn $20M this year. I've no idea if that is true but I guess it's a possibility, but so what?

        How can knowing this help your business?

        Given your own skills, experiences and desires you must come up with your own targets. You will be able to make more educated estimates at your potential once you decide upon your strategies and once you start selling. Until then you're simply sticking a finger in the air and making a wild guess.

        What any other person makes or claims to make has got nothing whatsoever to do with your business. You've got your business - they've got theirs.

        And just to clarify. IM is NOT a business - it's just a marketing method for your business. It ain't the business.

        Peter
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  • Profile picture of the author SolomonHuey
    You can make as much as you want, just like any "regular" business.

    There's a lot of marketers you'll never know about that are raking in mid-high 6 figure incomes.

    Solomon Huey
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  • Profile picture of the author annihilator
    I don't think it's much different from how much money you can make in other businesses.

    HOWEVER;

    IM is YOUR business, you don't work for a wage, you don't have a boss and someone to kiss up to in hopes of being promoted.

    How resourceful are you? How much can you learn from experience? How much can you put that experience into use (=ca$h)

    I'm a super newbie, but these facts won't change for any self business out there. If IM was easy money, then everybody in the planet would be doing it and then the total profits would be divided by huge amounts, and no one would make cash.

    It's just like every self business: If you're good enough, smart enough, you can get rich, and otherwise you might not be able to make a single cent.

    Me, I am confident in myself, so I'm not letting the super steep learning curve discourage me. I am confident that I will learn and be at the top of the heap eventually.
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  • Profile picture of the author marketing1012
    possibilites are endless, aim for the moon, you'll reach the sky, it's all about determination, dedication, positivity and hardwork to actually.. make it work! anywhere from 3 figures to 7 and beyond, just stick to it and you will see money, how much is up to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ian Clifford
    Thanks again for everyone making contributions.

    I just needed to hear it to make me believe that it's possible.

    Having now made two sales of my own product and an affiliate sale, I see the path!

    I know that's nothing, but scale it, test it, perfct it, and it can be.
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  • Profile picture of the author howudoin
    when it comes to making money from affiliate marketing, possibilities are endless. Internet marketing, in general, is just like any business-you get what you put into it in the first place. The only real advantage with IM is the low start up cost. With the explosion of free blog sites, now you can literally start with no big time hosting commitment along with minimal investment.

    Bhupinder
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