How Do People With Strong People Skills Succeed With IM?

Hey SeanyG,

I think offering services to offline clients would be a perfect fit for her! One of the biggest hurdles that Offline Marketers have trouble getting over is talking to prospects and turning them into clients. I didn't want to say "talking to prospects and selling them marketing services" because even though there are some sales skills that are needed to be successful in the offliner world, the real success stories come from people with great people skills... People who can talk to a prospect, build rapport with a prospect, and show the prospects how they can improve their business with their services. I guess that's kinda like selling, but if your friend has great people skills, it won't seem like selling at all. It will seem like "helping for a monthly fee". Like my twist?

You said she can't afford to invest too much into getting started (link building/traffic), but most offliners take an approach where we get a fee up front that is enough (or more than enough) to fulfill the services they promise to the local business.

So, she can use her people skills to show how SEO, Social Media, Mobile Marketing, etc... can help local businesses, collect an up-front payment, then outsource the services that were promised.

There is always a different between online business and offline business. The business approach maybe different. She may has the excellent skill in her sales job to convince any buyers or customers because she was dealing in the actual physical condition where she could feel the emotion and see the thing going on in the surrounding. That is the huge different when you come to the online marketing. The competition was so huge as there are millions of the same niche website that every IM have to compete with and there is no physical involvement. Perhaps, she should try out with Video Marketing where she could have presentation or having the product demo with showing her face on or she could have record her voice to impress the customers online. It will be a waste to give up as she has been in the IM for so many years. I believe she does gained something. Do not compare the earning figure, She does gain her freedom in her working life. She don't have to sell her time to any employer now.

Maybe she is in the wrong business? You just need to spend a lot of time behind your pc with this job. Does she really like it? I have to say she really doesn't make a lot after 7(!) years of experience in IM. Is she trying new techniques at all, or just making old-fashioned websites?

As far as the link building...automate! It might not be perfect, but is definitely the way to go for someone without the proper resources to pay a linkbuilder. Also, you can find reasonable link builders for $1 an hour (just instruct them well). Why not hire one for 10 hours a week? That's $40 a month and gets you a nice amount of links.

Let's face it, not all people with great skill succeed in their endeavor. But with the right and proper way of applying strategies... you will succeed.

Amazing feedback you guys! Thanks. I'm going to go through these posts 1 by 1. Do you think this is a reason why some people fail at IM?

O-F-F-L-I-N-E
L-O-C-A-L
M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G is what I would tell her....

I am the same way as she is - very much a people person, and have found traditional online marketing too isolating for my personality. There is more opportunity offline than online, especially if she wants to ramp up quickly.
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Bruce

If she has great people skills she should put out her own product and then start going to live events. At live events she will meet other people in her niche, and if she has good people skills she will not have any problem finding JVs and affiliates.

one word. Outsource what you can't or don't want to do.