Stop looking for shortcuts

Like my mentor Less Brown says "The How To's Are Non Of Your Business"

Just get started and you will figure out the howtos

If you're just starting out, then my advice would be to start as an affiliate in your chosen niche. Build your business and get to know your list and their buying habits. If you establish a website around your niche then you will get ideas about what products you could produce yourself from the feedback you get on your website. For example, look at the comments people leave on your articles and blogs - do the same questions come up over and over again? Could you write and sell an ebook answering those questions and adding an in-depth, bigger solution? Could you then build up to writing and delivering your own e-course? Start small, but look at the bigger picture

The key when you are making your own products is to over-deliver. This means that you have to go above and beyond the basics, to provide real value for money. This will build trust in your own brand and will give people an added incentive to buy your products.

I hope this helps

A lot of people here are suggesting you need to learn to teach an Internet marketing technique before you can create a product.

I think the main problem with the mindset here (most of the time), is that people want the quickest (even if it's dirty) way to some $$, so they'll resort to tricking whatever systems and desperate/gullible searchers that will allow them to reach that.

If you want a more solid approach which is really all about you and what you have to offer, then I would take the advice to create a product.

I've realized there are several layers of learning curves to build yourself up to really being a player in a particular market. And yet, just doing it is good advice, but the people who are accomplishing things seem to forget that there's little seeds of insight that are indispensable to (somewhat) believing that you aren't going off on a terrible long detour to your goal.

I think the most fundamental advice is to just think to yourself "what can I show someone how to do?"

I always think of it this way. Everyone dismisses tying your shoe as something everyone knows. Well babies and toddlers don't know.
So just use that model and ramp it up.. what else do you know that other people don't know.
And just lay it out in a how to document or video.
Just doing that is 'experiential knowledge' and will finally get you on to a real path to business. Trying to sift through mounds of ebooks and videos for the ultimate trick is really not of value if you don't know what you are promoting.
Why promote other people's business? Promote your own!

So that leads to the main thing you should always have.. no matter what level you are at. Always have an offer!

Even if it is a free offer for a checklist, or a list of resources.
Even if nobody ever takes you up on it. Just have an offer.
Once you have it.. then it's always just a matter of spicing it up as you learn more ideas and learn more about what people want and need.

Having an offer at least positions you slightly above the info seeker waiting to start.

That's something a lot of 'behind the scenes' IMers don't do.. which is position themselves in a market.

Whenever you see those anonymous sales pages, whether you realize it or not, there are people wondering, Who did this? and then they just position in their mind the 'kind' of person who would do that.

Why not intentionally position yourself instead of accepting the de-facto positioning that people unconsciously give you?

So anyway, you have an offer and something to show people.

Just keep adding to it.

The tech (web) and design (graphics) should be the least of your worries.. although I believe in something called "imputed values" which is basically saying.. whatever you present.. that's what people will assume how you do "everything"!

So if you are really an underground kind of person, then an underground looking website makes sense.

But try to find something that really represents you in accuracy, aesthetics and design but no need to go overboard and impress too much.

If you really are in the early stages but can still represent your style somewhat, then that's pretty transparent.. so go for it.

I think assembling ideas and packaging them can take some trials and errors.

To me the most valuable thing you can have in your development is some very objective and thorough feedback.. and always take the bad news as next step, take action news! Think hard and then take it to the next level.

Family and friends who say.. it's great.. actually aren't helping you at all!

One of the warriors named Sean Mize had some great blog posts and emails will connected some major dots for me on how to create value from coaching and creating a product, even from the lowest starting point.. "What can you show someone how to do!"

He has an outlining method for products which made total sense to me and his article about offering coaching to make selling products easier kind of clinched it for me.

I hope this helps!

Because your "critique" was silly. If you have more meat to add to what I posted, I'm sure everyone will appreciate you taking the time to give the details for free.

I'm always amused by people who think this forum should include hundreds or thousands of dollars' worth of free coaching.

Had an email subscriber email me and take me to task for the brevity of an email I sent out. (Yep, it was free, and it was basically how to do something that will make money, and it was the end result...not the mistakes along the way, no explanation, just do this, do that sort of thing.)

I answered his email.

"I think you're confusing length for value. My goal was to give you the tip of the iceberg, not the part that holds it up. Best of luck."

Same thing here. Those three steps are really the whole business in a nutshell.

you handled that like a pro, John - was going to intervene on your behalf - but I can't top your response -
kudos!

Thanks Zeus for an overall solid plan of action.

I was like that in the beginning, but now as I'm focusing it's all about what you said. Become the product creator, build a list, and market to that list.

Eric

by delivering value repeatedly

-Ike Paz