16 replies
I started trying to do IM several years ago and started out by buying into program that was supposed to teach me everything I needed to know to do IM. It taught me a lot and thought it was a good plan but I always felt like there was something missing and I re read all the text based information and re watched all the video instructions.

I still felt like something was missing like the final piece of the puzzle to make everything work, eventually I quite that program and started trying to figure everything I didn't know out myself by reading as much on this forum and asking questions here. I got a lot of great answers as well as answers that made me think what was that person even doing on this site as well as people bashing me which happens pretty much everywhere because some people are just jerks and bash everyone.

So I am to the point now where I just can't seem to get the rest of the answers I need to feel like I have it figured out and was thinking about joining another IM group, company whatever you want to call it that teaches IM but there are just so many people out there that show their click bank info showing how they made 25 hundred dollars every day or 10 to 25 thousand a month. Most of them would go on to say I could be making money by tomorrow which we all know is a crock just based on how much time it takes to put together a web site and everything else that needs to be done.

I am not saying I don't trust them but I can take a snapshot of my click bank account and run it through my photo editing program and make it look like I made that much as well. I did find a guy doing a webinar giving out pretty much the same information as all the other guys but this guy had photos of him getting a 2.5 million dollar check on a stage in front of many people. This doesn't rally make me think of him a lot different the the others but was working his webinar a little different.

Anyhow he like so many of these IM school guys was willing to let me join his program at more then 50% off but I had to join with 10 hours or something like that and after that it would go way up because this was a one time offer.

All these guys did something similar with a time thing and they all said they had good customer service but was thinking if their programs were so good then how do they have customer service. Why wouldn't these workers join the program they are working for start making 10 grand a month and quite there jobs.

So I guess after my too long of a note my question here is just how does someone decide whether or not to join one of these programs and with so many out there that all seem so good how does someone decide which one to join and how do I know they wouldn't leave something out and I need to buy something else from them.

How have most of you who really make good money doing IM do it, did you figure it out by yourself or through a program.

Thanks Mark
#buy
  • Profile picture of the author Jennifer Boyatt
    I chose to join a particular educational program and I have been happy with it although it hasn't stopped the need for me to do my own research about the directions I want to go in. But since I was starting from zero and knew nothing, it was good for me to get a basic education. Still figuring it all out! Still a noob!
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
    Develop your own business plan.

    Forget their system.

    (I'm not sure which system it is, but I find it's always better to have an independent business of your own).

    If you're not hard working enough to develop your own unique business plan, I honestly recommend working for someone else.
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    • Profile picture of the author marks2424
      Originally Posted by Sarevok View Post

      Develop your own business plan.


      If you're not hard working enough to develop your own unique business plan, I honestly recommend working for someone else.
      Kay King and Kilgore, this is the comment I was talking about first off I never said how long I have been doing this I said several years so someone said something about 5 years.

      Now This guy knows nothing about me or pretty much anyone he answers a question for or how hard anyone works so why make a statement like the one above, that is just being nasty to people whether it is me or someone else. That is why I said if someone doesn't have anything good to say then don't say it. So how would that statement help anyone at all saying if you don't work hard enough go work for someone else.

      Someone said I am not the only person who reads the answers and that is true but if someone is trying to start out and needs guidance we know they can't get all the answers here and how would someone know what to buy and where to buy it if they get answers like his.

      Not everyone can figure everything out themselves and buying into one of the learn to make money on line courses would at least get them going in the right direction

      And come on anyone on this site that has had a normal job knows that hard work doesn't automatically mean success. How many bosses have you had that got where they are not by hard work but by but kissing.

      There are a lot of people who catch on really fast at this and other who may need to read the same thing 10 times to really understand what is going on I read a lot trying to get more information and work a lot making things as good as they can be, others might have given up only after a couple years but I am still here so when I am looking for advice or anyone else is looking for advice they aren't looking for someone to tell them they aren't working hard enough and go work for someone else they are looking for help in trying to understand why their hard work isn't paying off.

      Also you are correct is saying I shouldn't say what kind of comments others make but as I said earlier people are looking for help and are looking for a helpful comment and if someone is doing something wrong it is great if people tell them what they are doing wrong and it helps them. However saying something that isn't helpful in any way, then again I say why make it.
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      • Profile picture of the author kilgore
        Originally Posted by marks2424 View Post

        Kay King and Kilgore, this is the comment I was talking about
        I read the comment above and I actually think it was a helpful. OK, true he doesn't know you and doesn't know how hard you work. But I do think he's right with his real point which is that if a business doesn't create its own business plan, it's a lost cause. And in that case, the entrepreneurs starting that business would most likely be much better off working for someone else. You don't just take some course, read some book or buy some business plan in a box then follow the steps from Step 1 to Step 54,952 like you would if you were building a bookshelf from IKEA. And judging from your comments, you're still thinking that way.

        You keep talking about "answers" and "understanding what's going on" -- but I said it early and I'll say it again. Business is simple. Really, really simple:
        • Find a need.
        • Meet that need.
        • Monetize the value you've created meeting the need.

        The rest is just details. Important details, naturally. But the point is that you won't get the level of details that you need to be successful in business in any guide, book or course. You really do need to develop your own business plan. And then you need to implement it. Again, business is simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy!

        This isn't to say that guides, books and courses can't be helpful. As you pointed out, they may get you on the right path. But getting you on the right path is different than laying out for you which turns to make, where to buy gas along the road, and how many pairs of underwear you need to pack. You may get ideas of things to try. You may be warned of things that probably aren't worth your time. You may get a sense of what sorts of things have worked for others in the past. But all that is far short of saying that you'll learn what you need to do right now. You really have to figure that out for yourself. And then adjust and innovate when things don't go as well as you've hoped or when your business environment changes, which will be constantly.

        All that said, I totally get what you said about hard work not automatically meaning success. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just trying to tell you something. But that's also true for knowledge. You can read every book there is on online business 100 times and still not be successful. It's why some of the best business professors out there would make lousy entrepreneurs. Just because they understand business doesn't mean they an do it.

        I think that Sid gave you some interesting advice above. Like him, I think the phrases "just do it" or "take action" are waaaaaay overused around here. But while I can't know for certain, I wonder if he's right that you need to stop learning and start doing. You seem to be overly focused on having all the right answers, when in truth, there are no right answers to be had. Instead business usually goes like this:
        • You make a plan based on what you think will work
        • As soon as your product/website/service comes into contact with real customers, you discover 384 gazillion things that are wrong with your product/website/service. In short your plan was flawed. Hopefully, however, there are also some good things that you've done that you can learn from too!
        • You revise your plan and fix your product/website/service.
        • As soon as your new and improved product/website/service comes into contact with real customers you find another 227 gazillion things that are wrong with it (and some other things you did right!)
        • You revise again.
        • You release again.
        • You discover new flaws.
        • You revise again.
        • You release again.
        • You discover new flaws.

        And so on and so on and so on.

        The point is that you never "get it right". You never ever know "all you need to know". You try something out, learn from your successes and learn from your mistakes. And even if somehow you did "get it right" you'd quickly find 1,000 new competitors or that Facebook has changed its EdgeRank algorithm or that Apple just released the iBrain so that everyone is now surfing the net using direct neural pathways. So guess what? Time to revise again!

        Based on everything you've said, it seems to me that you've read enough. Now, as Sarevok said, it's time for you to develop your own business plan. Use what you learned to find a real need that some group of people has. Use what you've learned to think about ways that you are particularly qualified to meet that need for people. Are you a great writer? Are you a great coder? Are you great at putting together and managing teams? Whatever your gifts are, make sure that your plan is using those to the fullest (and at the same time isn't depending on gifts or skills that you don't have!)

        Then try it out. And learn from your successes and your failures. Listen to your customers. Look your analytics to see what's catching on. And then revise. And then learn again. And then revise again and again and again...

        It's not the information that you have or don't have that's going to make or break you. It's what you do with that information.
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  • Profile picture of the author kk075
    Originally Posted by marks2424 View Post

    How have most of you who really make good money doing IM do it, did you figure it out by yourself or through a program.

    Thanks Mark
    Hey Mark-

    Here's the deal; people advertising "get rich quick" programs for internet marketing are usually terrible at internet marketing...but they take advantage of people desperate for information. That industry makes me think of the cure-all salesmen back in the 1800's that would sell small jars filled with some concoction- most people knew it was complete BS, for for a dime a bottle, why not give it a try?

    Those are mostly the types of people you're dealing with when you talk about buying training products. Not all of them are frauds but the vast, vast majority are. There are even people here that will sell you the exact same page that made you buy in the first place, and their whole business model says to spam Craigslist and rake in the idiots. But they make killer money doing it because they have no ethics.

    So when you say there's something missing- of course there is! They're making $5k a week hustling people into buying a generic money making system while you're trying to build a legitimate business. It's like comparing apples and elephants.

    To build a legitimate passive income, you need an actual brand that people believe in and trust. And that takes time; there's no way around that. And guess what- that's the "thing you're missing"...there's no genie in a bottle that can make you an instant millionaire unless you want to be a con artist. If that's the route you want to go, then sell vitamins, weight loss pills, make money online courses or hair growth products. For everything else though, it's going to take more than a high pressure squeeze page and some flashing banners.

    I hope that helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
      What do you want people to say if you don't want any tough love? Do you want us to bash every seller in the WSO subforum as scammers and that will make you feel better about your own failings?

      If all the WSO and similar sellers are scammers then the answer must still be out there right? Where is that answer? And how do you know that guy isn't a scammer that says he has the answers and everyone else is a scammer?

      For example, lots of people will claim that almost all courses or WSOs are scams. How in the world do they know if they haven't bought every one of them, and tried them with a faithful and diligent effort for a long enough period of time? Isn't what they are saying a lie otherwise? Doesn't that make those that make claims like this a "scammer" as well? I mean if "Joe Guru" is a lying scammer for stating XYZ then "Joe Protecter" making untrue statements is a liar too with unsubstantiated claims. Fair is fair. Hype, on either side, is hype and many times lies. Both kinds can potentially hurt others.

      As far as customer service reps joining the business instead of working for peanuts, it's kind of like bank tellers or people that work at respected Wall Street firms. There are people with a bunch of money in their accounts but that doesn't mean that the receptionist can do it too. Maybe she doesn't have the know how or the capital or the personality to risk losing it all for a big score.

      Nothing worked for me until I realized a couple of things:

      1. Most of the methods and programs that I have had access to DID potentially work. Now, I've run into a lot of incomplete information. I've run into a lot of hype. I've run into a lot of outdated, rehashed, junk. But the base methods and programs work for the most part (I'm excluding anything obviously illegal or even anything that goes against another company's TOS because those normally will fail in the end one way or another).

      2. There are three main reasons those programs that do work (potentially most in my experience) haven't worked for me in the past:
      • I never try it. For example, I don't actually make a video and put it up on YouTube so I have no clue if I can really make $100 a day in affiliate commissions.
      • I quit too soon looking for something easier, faster, etc. In other words, I get to the part of the book I'm writing and I start having some writer's block. I get frustrated and figure I ought to try something else so I abandon that project looking for greener pastures elsewhere. Also known as shiny object syndrome.
      • Getting caught up in non-essential details, trivia, thinking the information isn't complete, not believing (without reason), etc. and wasting a lot of time and money going around in circles. For example, I saw something the other day that explained how you could start making money the same day you put this into play. Everything was laid out pretty clearly and I knew it worked because I had done this exact thing several times. I also know a bunch of people that use this exact method. Then I got to the deal breaker: the guy said if you had writer's block you can just go "borrow" someone else's stuff, rewrite it a little, and go. I closed the PDF and haven't opened it again. That one sentence, though, doesn't kill the proven method because I can do 99.9% of the rest and not do that little piece. So is the guy a scamming thief and his program doesn't work or is it me getting caught up in too much of the little stuff? Why not use the part that's good and proven?
      I would suggest looking inside to see where the problem lies. I've found for me that it was hardly ever an external problem with an incomplete product or whatever.

      Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author marks2424
    Thanks for all the comments and thanks kk075, I have been doing this for a few years now so I was never looking for a get rich thing I know it will take time but also am looking for some light at the end of the tunnel.

    And thanks Sarevok but no thanks, you are exactly the type I am tired of seeing on this site, if you don't have anything good to say then don't say anything. I work at least 8 hours a day reading things writing things and trying to figure more things that I don't know, but buying into a plan isn't joining something that you all make money from it is a plan that teaches you what you need to know to make your own business. It is great for you to say figure it out yourself but for some people if you say come up with a business plan they may have no idea where to start or how to implement it.

    As far as coming up with a unique business plan really, almost everything on IM seems to revolve around capturing e-mails and doing e-mail marketing so how unique can someone get with that anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author kilgore
      Originally Posted by marks2424 View Post

      if you don't have anything good to say then don't say anything.
      As Kay said, you don't get to tell others what to post and what not to. If you don't like the answers you get, you can certainly ignore them. Heck, that's what most newbies seem to do whenever someone tells them something they don't want to hear. I think it goes a long way to explaining why most newbies fail over and over again. But maybe that's just me...

      I also think it's worth noting that while you started this post, the answers here aren't just for you. Other people are reading this thread, people who may actually be willing to listen to the advice that you seem so closed to. Because while you may disagree, I think there's a lot to be said for Saverok's point: it's always better to have an independent business plan.

      Here's the thing. In your posts you say lots of things like:
      • "buying into program that was supposed to teach me everything I needed to know to do IM"
      • "I just can't seem to get the rest of the answers I need to feel like I have it figured out"
      • "how do I know they wouldn't leave something out"
      • "buying into a plan isn't joining something that you all make money from it is a plan that teaches you what you need to know to make your own business."

      It's as if you expect that all you need to suceed in business is knowledge. But this is just plain wrong. You need a lot more than that.

      Imagine, for instance, that you're building a house. You buy yourself an extremely detailed blueprint. Does this mean that you're going to be able to build a house and build it well? Not at all. To be sure, some people could do it. They have a natural talent for building things, they have experience with woodworking, installing dry wall, plumbing and electrical work. They have a passion for building things.

      Then there are people like me. People who aren't naturally very handy. People who don't have much experience building things, who don't have the patience to make sure that every angle is 100% perfect and have no passion whatsoever for building things. How successful do you think I'd be? Heck, I'd be willing to wager that even if I were to hire out every aspect of the construction process, my house would still be a disaster: I'd choose the wrong materials, I'd hire the wrong people, I'd fail to get the right permits, so that even if I actually got my house built it would be way behind schedule and way over budget and probably of questionable quality.

      My analogy, of course, isn't perfect. But actually, I think in a lot of ways it's harder to build a business than a house, because with a business -- especially online business -- new technologies are constantly emerging, new competitors are constantly popping up, and in short, what works today in one situation may not work tomorrow. It's as if you were trying to build a house and the ground was literally moving underneath the worksite. How useful are those blueprints now?

      Maybe this qualifies as "having nothing good to say", but it also happens to be true. Business isn't complicated -- you find a need, you figure out how to meet that need, you figure out how to monetize the value you're creating. But just because it's not complicated, doesn't mean it's easy. And just as you don't read a book on playing the piano and suddenly have all the knowledge you need to be a concert pianist, you'll never be able to read some guide or take some course and suddenly know everything you need to know to be successful at business.

      It takes a certain amount of knowledge, yes. But it also takes a natural aptitude; it takes a variety of skills, some of which can be easily learned and others of which cannot; it takes a lot of hard work; and it takes creativity, the ability to think for yourself and to think on your feet, to be able to respond as the marketplace shifts under you, as Google's algorithms change, as online advertising becomes more or less expensive, as new competitors and new technologies emerge. If you're expecting to get all that from one course, I think you're going to be disappointed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    How have most of you who really make good money doing IM do it, did you figure it out by yourself or through a program.
    Both. I bought some information and then developed my own system using what I learned.

    if you don't have anything good to say then don't say anything.
    Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

    If you only want to hear "yes" answers, then you are closing yourself off to a lot.
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  • Profile picture of the author marks2424
    Brent Stangel, I couldn't disagree more with Wrong Wrong as there is a big difference between something that is not an yes answer and someone being mean or nasty which I see here. I don't see it a lot but people come here to get information and ask questions and if someone is just saying something to be a jerk that is when I think if someone can't say anything good not to say anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author stackman
    I have purchased a few IM products which were helpful in a generic way but soon learned that there is no step-by-step cookbook approach to success. I have learned 90% of everything I know from trial-and-error experience. It takes time, it takes patience, and it takes adaptability -- the ability to constantly adjust your plan when needed. I've seen too many people make a plan, have it fail, but stick with it anyway and continue to fail --- possibly because some IM guru said it would work.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      OP -

      It doesn't matter if you agree or not with responses - you don't get to tell others what they are allowed to post or what answers they are allowed to give you.

      YOU are the one complaining about lack of success after five years. You are responding to people who ARE making money by calling them jerks?

      Wow, great recipe for success.

      I looked at previous threads and I see someone who is analyzing, reading, asking, discussing, thinking about, making excuses. So many of the threads you start mention what "friends" think or say or write - many other thread are "I read..." or "on another forum I saw". I get the impression of someone holding back, not fully committing himself, keeping a distance by talking about what others say/think or how analytics works or what google wants.

      You can spend 8 - or 16 - hrs a day doing that and get nowhere. You can spend 4 hrs a day working an effective plan of action and succeed. It's your choice - always has been your choice.

      You know enough to succeed online but you do not seem fully committed to your own success. You have to be willing to risk your pride, ego...to risk people criticizing your work, to listen to critiques and suggestions without being embarrassed or defensive.

      Before you label me as another "jerk" - try this:

      Pull up your own profile, click on 'statistics' and click on 'posts'. Then read your responses on that page of your previous posts. Look at how often you deflect by starting to analyze an answer. Look at how you respond by almost taking both sides of your own answer.

      Most of all, look at how many times you start to post in a positive way...and then add "but" and start offering excuses or talking about what some guru wrote or what some program advises.

      You need to TRUST yourself and grow a thicker skin when people offer advice you don't like.

      Whether you like the answers you get or not - what you are doing isn't working after five years...according to you. Do you have another five years to do the same?
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
    Hey Mark,

    I think you've gotten some good advice here.

    The phrases "just do it" or "take action" are much over-used here on the WF, and often it is the wrong advice for the situation, but...

    It sounds to me like that's where you may be in getting your new business/career launched.


    I was born in a very small rural town in Alabama, and spent my early childhood there.

    We had a few paved roads, but mostly a lot of dirt/gravel roads.
    The local grocery store was also the hardware store, the post office, and the local "hangout". They had oaken barrels in the middle of the floor filled with peanuts that patrons were free to enjoy while they shopped and traded gossip

    We didn't have indoor plumbing.

    Families were typically larger back then, so I literally grew up with the saying, "shit or get off the pot".

    Maybe it's time to quit "learning" and start "doing".
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    Sid Hale
    Coming Soon... Rapid Action Profits (Pro)

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  • Profile picture of the author C. Sierra Love
    Congratulations on stepping up and asking a real question that most in your position are a bit too timid to ask - if for no other reason than getting beat up for asking the question.

    I completely relate to your situation - and now being on the other side, I can tell you with 100% certainty that your lack of success has nothing to do with how much money you've invested, how much time you've invested or how hard you've worked.

    Also, your lack of success has nothing to do with the gurus as most really are teaching you what they know - most people are good so don't let the few weasels distract you from your goals.

    Now... I'm going to tell you what's holding you back and why you haven't achieved the level of success you've been working for - even though you've made the serious commitment of your time, energy and financial resources over the last five years.

    Here's the problem:

    You have no context for the success you want. That's not a slam - that's the truth as I know it. I went through the exact same experience. It took me (at least) seven years before I started making a profit - and it took another seven years before I was making a significant profit without destroying my health & relationships.

    Here's what that has to do with you...

    When you came into this "make money" industry (online or off), you bought into an idea of how money is made. Unfortunately, you just get the surface information - not because anything is being withheld, but because your life is not organized in a way to receive everything that's being taught - so you jump in with both feet and you may get a little results, but it doesn't look like what you bought into so you think you "failed".

    You didn't fail. You just don't know what was working and what wasn't working because you don't have the context to know. That's what the last five years has been about - you've been getting context. You probably know 85% of what you need to know to achieve the success you want because you've gained many distinctions/insights that you didn't have five years ago.

    Success really is a simple process. However, it gets murky when you buy into a belief system that's not based on your own understandings. For example, when I got into this game, I believed I had to be all over social media and attraction marketing was the only way to market - and after seven years, I had made enough of my own distinctions that I was able to profit. Unfortunately, I was running myself ragged and everything in my life suffered because instead of living my life I was documenting it for social media/attraction marketing.

    It took another seven years to gain more insights into the fact that there are other ways to market. Today, I do virtually zero social media and all of my marketing is 99% Offer-Based marketing. Meaning, I create kickass offers and put those offers in front of the right people and they buy...on the spot - even if I just met them!

    The bottom-line: You're on the right track so keep moving forward.

    If you want to expedite your success get a coach. A REAL Coach. Someone who is doing exactly what you want to do and living the lifestyle you want to live. It will not be cheap - but it will be worth it.

    How do I know?

    Because in my seventh year, I was where you're at now and I bit the bullet and hired my first coach (she was known for making millionaires). I paid her more than my annual mortgage, and it paid off the first month because she had distinctions and insights that I never would have discovered without her looking over my shoulder. She didn't do the work for me but she told me what to tweak and literally my first promotion paid her coaching fee for one year.

    No, I'm not offering to coach you. I am saying, after five years in this game you're really close but you may never cross the finish line without the distinctions you need that will make the difference for you.

    Hope this helps,
    Rain


    Originally Posted by marks2424 View Post

    I started trying to do IM several years ago and started out by buying into program that was supposed to teach me everything I needed to know to do IM. It taught me a lot and thought it was a good plan but I always felt like there was something missing and I re read all the text based information and re watched all the video instructions.

    What's missing is the context. The only way to get that context is through experience. Make sure you are actually following the steps and putting the plans into action because without the experience, you will never gain the context you need for success. (information without application leads to frustration)

    I still felt like something was missing like the final piece of the puzzle to make everything work, eventually I quite that program and started trying to figure everything I didn't know out myself by reading as much on this forum and asking questions here. I got a lot of great answers as well as answers that made me think what was that person even doing on this site as well as people bashing me which happens pretty much everywhere because some people are just jerks and bash everyone.

    Most don't figure it out on their own. Unfortunately, you can't judge whether the information you are following works or not by reading or watching it. You have to do it - and after you've implemented a few programs, you will have an idea - a glimpse of the truth.

    So I am to the point now where I just can't seem to get the rest of the answers I need to feel like I have it figured out and was thinking about joining another IM group, company whatever you want to call it that teaches IM but there are just so many people out there that show their click bank info showing how they made 25 hundred dollars every day or 10 to 25 thousand a month. Most of them would go on to say I could be making money by tomorrow which we all know is a crock just based on how much time it takes to put together a web site and everything else that needs to be done.

    Someone elses success is not an indicator of your potential success - it is simply an indicator of what's possible. Do not focus on the money proofs, focus on the experience of what that person is doing and would you want to do that - everyday.


    I am not saying I don't trust them but I can take a snapshot of my click bank account and run it through my photo editing program and make it look like I made that much as well. I did find a guy doing a webinar giving out pretty much the same information as all the other guys but this guy had photos of him getting a 2.5 million dollar check on a stage in front of many people. This doesn't rally make me think of him a lot different the the others but was working his webinar a little different.

    You will see the same thing with different twist because sales, marketing and business is the same across the board. The principles are the same. The processes are the same. The people are different - and that's why you have to stay in the game long enough to get your own distinctions to discover what the key is for you. That's the work.

    Anyhow he like so many of these IM school guys was willing to let me join his program at more then 50% off but I had to join with 10 hours or something like that and after that it would go way up because this was a one time offer.

    It's called giving you a sense of urgency. A reason to buy NOW. As humans, we all delay decision making as long as possible so if you want succeed, you're going to have to give your prospects and clients a reason to buy NOW when you make them an offer.

    All these guys did something similar with a time thing and they all said they had good customer service but was thinking if their programs were so good then how do they have customer service. Why wouldn't these workers join the program they are working for start making 10 grand a month and quite there jobs.

    Most people are not entrepreneurial. That's why so many people come in and out of this industry like a revolving door. Most people want security. There is no such thing as security when you are an entrepreneur. There is risk. We just learn to manage the risk - and take action in the face of it.

    So I guess after my too long of a note my question here is just how does someone decide whether or not to join one of these programs and with so many out there that all seem so good how does someone decide which one to join and how do I know they wouldn't leave something out and I need to buy something else from them.

    We are all limited by what we know. It's what you don't know that's keeping you in the dark. If you're not in a position to get private coaching, consider a high end mastermind because you will hear questions that will answer problems you don't even know you have.

    How have most of you who really make good money doing IM do it, did you figure it out by yourself or through a program.

    Everyone has their own path. It's up to you blaze your own trail. Others can help - but in the end, it's all up to you.

    Thanks Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    Along with all the great advice here, you need to decide what "trying to do IM" means to you.

    There is no one way of "doing IM". This is what people mean when they say you need to create your own business plan.

    Kilgore gave the basics and you need to build the plan that executes. This can come from research and learning as well as your own interests and preferences.

    Find a need.
    What do people want? What niche attracts you? Shoes, Fitness, Stocks, raising chickens?

    What are people buying in that niche. BUYING. Not reading about, not talking about, buying.

    Meet that need
    How will you reach the market? How will you provide value? A blog, a squeeze page + a list, 150 niche sites, YouTube channel, facebook group?

    Where is your target market? Are they social and on facebook/twitter? Are they IMers on 100's of lists? Are they video watchers searching and searching YouTube?

    You won't find online MMORPG gamers in the same places you would find long distance runners.

    Monetize the value you've created meeting the need.
    How will you make money?

    Can you create your own products?
    Are there good selling affiliate products in the market?
    Do they buy all kinds of physical products you could promote with Amazon?
    Would a blog with AdSense be better than Amazon?


    For example:
    If you are in IM and starting a blog it will be a tough slog. There are many high quality blogs where experienced marketers are giving great info. You will need to fight your way and prove your knowledge.

    But if you are building a list, a squeeze page and a few hundred bucks on good solo ads will quickly build you a "following".

    IF you have a good funnel. IF you have a good follow-up sequence. IF you monetize your list and don't spend a year "building a relationship".

    My friend (who I keep telling to monetize more) makes $1,000 a month making YouTube videos about fixing guitars.

    He has never read a marketing book. He doesn't believe in "scamming people" with affiliate offers. He is not building a list. He does not have a blog.

    He just makes his videos and interacts with other guitar guys on YouTube. Easy-peasy and he gets direct deposit from Google every month.

    This is probably basic to you but it really is a matter of coordinating these three things so they work together to bring you customers and sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    Sorry about a double-post but I was thinking of where the "teaching gaps" are in all of the above that the OP may find helpful.

    All the products and WSO's teach you about researching a niche, Google keywords, whether it is profitable, how big it is, how to find an angle in, the best way to get traffic, how to search Clcikbank products, etc.

    What they don't usually teach you and where they leave you hanging (but not sure why) is:

    How to figure out what your market is actually buying beyond most searched keywords and gravity on Clickbank and WSO best seller list.

    This is huge and is difficult to teach, especially for the 99% of WSO sellers who do not do it on a regular basis across muliple niches. And not "buyer keywords" but how to find what products they are actually willing to pull out the CC for and plunk down $50 online.

    The other gap is where to actually find and engage your market. Where is everybody? Are they on facebook? Lurking in forums? On Linked In?

    How do you figure this out? Again it is difficult to teach if you really aren't doing it.

    How to best monetize. Few, really discuss how to narrow down the best way to monetize your niche. Just because there is a Clickbank product does not mean that is the best product for you to make money promoting.

    Which is better for your niche, Adsense or Amazon?

    After doing all the research, picking your niche, finding products available, knowing there is keyword traffic you need to dig into that niche and really get to know it.

    Read blogs, follow links, search facebook pages, beyond google SERPs search news, blogs, forums - google has filters for all of these.

    Then get in there. Visit the pages, start discussions, listen to recommendations, read the blogs, news, weather, sports, anything that helps you get inside the market.

    That is why most of the advice above is to "get going" and stop "reading and analyzing" you will learn all this stuff as you work on your blog, or our funnel or whatever business model you decide is best.

    Like- If building and maintaining a website is a pain- don't build 150+ niche blogs....


    That being said- there are some really good WSO's that do cover those things but they can be difficult to find in the weeds.
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