A few riffs, rants and notes about ways to make eBusiness easier, faster, more profitable and more fun!
My background is big-corporate sales, marketing and product management. My current business model is a mix of eCommerce (I run a number of small and very niche eCom sites), Outsourced Services (we wholesale backlinks, articles and content) and eBusiness Coaching/Consulting - both online and offline.
When not reading or writing blogs I can normally be found doing something much more active and interesting (extreme bonsai for beginners being the current hobby ;-)
My background is big-corporate sales, marketing and product management. My current business model is a mix of eCommerce (I run a number of small and very niche eCom sites), Outsourced Services (we wholesale backlinks, articles and content) and eBusiness Coaching/Consulting - both online and offline.
When not reading or writing blogs I can normally be found doing something much more active and interesting (extreme bonsai for beginners being the current hobby ;-)
Why Most Internet Marketeers Will Fail...
Posted 6th November 2008 at 05:13 AM by IM Starter
I know, a provocative headline but I am serious.
There is a simple reason why many of the Guru's continue to be successful and continue to do Million Dollar launches and it is the same reason that you see a few names explode on the scene and than fade quicker than a festive firework...
Internet Marketing is not a business, for many it is an activity, for others it is a hobby and for most it is a permanent drain on their cash resources!
Before you spend your next dollar on a product or Guru launch I strongly encourage you to do something really boring. Take a note pad and pencil (or notepad and your keyboard) and work out what you want.
When you know what you want you can select a business model that will finance that outcome. If you want a few hundred a month with almost no effort then that will lead you to pick a different business model to someone who wants to earn $10-50K per month (and trust me that is never going to be a completely hands off operation!).
It has been said time and time again but the fastest route to success is to start with the end in mind. The really good news is that there are only a few basic business models. Every business has to sell something, whether it is a product or a service (even adsense on a blog can be described in this way).
And given the IM landscape it should be relatively easy. Pick a role model, someone who has the lifestyle you want, examine their business model (and you can almost always do this without buying a thing) and then copy how they do what they do.
Take Mike Filsaime for example. I met Mike at my first IM conference here in the UK. I managed to get a few minutes with him during the weekend and was really impressed. Here was a down to earth, straight talking guy who ran a multi-million dollar business.
IM for him is a market place (the majority of his products are targeted at IM'ers) and a route to market (though a few of his recent ventures have included direct mail newsletters).
He understands what his market place want, his team build the products and then sells them. Oh and he happens to make several million a year!
In simple terms he runs a business that sells things to people who want to buy them.
So, when you next read a sales email or sales letter or even a WSO please ask yourself "Will this product/service/ebook (or magic button to instant wealth and happiness) actually benefit my business model?"
Don't buy something because it's cool, funky or is the latest fad. All you will succeed in doing is fund someone else's business model.
You may want to ask yourself are you in business to make money for yourself or for someone else?
Oh and I almost forgot...if you don't have a business model please stop spending money and take out that notepad and pencil and start building one. It's a lot easier and simpler than you may think and I guarantee it will make you more money than anything else on the market!
There is a simple reason why many of the Guru's continue to be successful and continue to do Million Dollar launches and it is the same reason that you see a few names explode on the scene and than fade quicker than a festive firework...
Internet Marketing is not a business, for many it is an activity, for others it is a hobby and for most it is a permanent drain on their cash resources!
Before you spend your next dollar on a product or Guru launch I strongly encourage you to do something really boring. Take a note pad and pencil (or notepad and your keyboard) and work out what you want.
When you know what you want you can select a business model that will finance that outcome. If you want a few hundred a month with almost no effort then that will lead you to pick a different business model to someone who wants to earn $10-50K per month (and trust me that is never going to be a completely hands off operation!).
It has been said time and time again but the fastest route to success is to start with the end in mind. The really good news is that there are only a few basic business models. Every business has to sell something, whether it is a product or a service (even adsense on a blog can be described in this way).
And given the IM landscape it should be relatively easy. Pick a role model, someone who has the lifestyle you want, examine their business model (and you can almost always do this without buying a thing) and then copy how they do what they do.
Take Mike Filsaime for example. I met Mike at my first IM conference here in the UK. I managed to get a few minutes with him during the weekend and was really impressed. Here was a down to earth, straight talking guy who ran a multi-million dollar business.
IM for him is a market place (the majority of his products are targeted at IM'ers) and a route to market (though a few of his recent ventures have included direct mail newsletters).
He understands what his market place want, his team build the products and then sells them. Oh and he happens to make several million a year!
In simple terms he runs a business that sells things to people who want to buy them.
So, when you next read a sales email or sales letter or even a WSO please ask yourself "Will this product/service/ebook (or magic button to instant wealth and happiness) actually benefit my business model?"
Don't buy something because it's cool, funky or is the latest fad. All you will succeed in doing is fund someone else's business model.
You may want to ask yourself are you in business to make money for yourself or for someone else?
Oh and I almost forgot...if you don't have a business model please stop spending money and take out that notepad and pencil and start building one. It's a lot easier and simpler than you may think and I guarantee it will make you more money than anything else on the market!
Total Comments 3
Comments
-
Johnny
Your post is full of logic and sense. You have described exactly what most "newbies" go through (I know I did). Even now, it's easy to follow the "next best thing" and get caught up in the emotion of getting what you want.
Great post. I am sure it will inspire many people to follow their goals.Posted 26th March 2009 at 10:00 AM by Roger Mayne
-
Thanks for this great and very insightful post AJ I really really liked it.Posted 21st October 2010 at 03:51 PM by jfrates -
Hey AJ, I just read your post and man you hit the nail on the head hard, more than a couple times. I just started posting too and sharing some of my own tips and knowledge in this crazy, yet exciting world of marketing. If I was a newbie I would have benefitted from your post even more, so as to avoid some of the mistakes I've made.Posted 26th February 2012 at 09:57 PM by femchie2
