Anyone ever tried a mentor?

Good advice from Jason. Flitting from one idea to the next can be the worst path to take but it is often the result of feeling that the are not getting anywhere when you need to get somewhere fast. There are some free coaching-like guides online that might help. One that springs to mind is some 'live' coaching that was done on nichepursuits.com at the end of last year. The 'student' was shown how to build up an Amazon site to the point of a decent monthly income.

Glenys

I think mentoring and coaching has got the potential to have excellent value.

Although I would have thought there is a certain stage to get to by yourself in terms have already found a direction, are getting daily leads etc. And then the mentoring can be more of value to take you to the next level rather than something that is needed right away if there are no results to work with yet.

Definitely agree.

This is also one of the reasons to approach someone directly about getting mentored. Those that have the time to chase new clients by running ads offering mentoring are not as likely to be what you need.

A tip for directly approaching someone and asking for mentoring is to create a video or write a lengthy email about WHY you are approaching them, and WHY they should share their time and knowledge with you.

A mentor to some degree is invaluable. I'd direct you to the quote... "You don't know what you don't know"

As someone that has spent years doing just that, I can tell you that it would have saved me thousands of dollars and an insane amount of time and hard work if I had used a mentor in the first 6 months.

You are correct in saying that you learn the details of how to do things from forums and blogs, but they do not provide you with direction that is relevant to your individual situation.

I'm sorry, but this is incredibly short-sighted. (Sigh...)

As Jamie SEO noted, direct mentoring/coaching will save you A TON of time, money and frustration. Just look at all of the questions here asking for help: how to do something, something's not working according to the directions, etc.

Google and forums are like a giant barn full of a huge pile of puzzle pieces -- for multiple puzzles! Sure, the pieces you need are there. But how long will it take you to find the ones for YOUR puzzle? And if/when you do, how long will it take to put it all together? How much money will you spend to figure it out?

To be fair, you're making the mistake I used to make: equating coaching with learning how to do something or about something (like you would learn in a paid course).

An article, video, forum post or course sharing how-to info is NOT the same as coaching. These things impart the knowledge. But coaching goes beyond that. It addresses your individual questions and unique situation.

A good coach will offer tailored advice and resources, often not mentioned in an info product. No matter how comprehensive the info is, it almost always leads to further questions. Coaching will help you get those all-important questions answered.

A coach can offer a valuable second opinion, see your weakness and blind spots. (They've got your back!) An experienced coach will also offer valuable input on any mindset issues you have. (And we all have them.)

A good coach can also introduce you to their network of friends and colleagues who might otherwise never give you the time of day.

We see posts here regularly about how to get some "guru" to JV with them. Well, one way is to pay for some coaching and get an introduction! Or they can offer their insights on how to get JVs, how to approach them, what to say, what their own experiences are, etc.

These are all benefits an article, video or self-study course can't provide.

I'm very much a DIY person myself and was very skeptical of coaching myself. As I said, I made the mistake of equating it with information (articles, videos, courses, etc.). It's NOT the same.

However, to get the most out of your coaching (and the most for your money), I typically recommend studying the best information you can find on whatever it is that you're learning first. Do your homework! Then, you can come to the coaching and ask intelligent questions, skip the stuff you already know or have no problem doing and focus on your problem areas.

I've paid THOUSANDS of dollars for coaching as I mentioned earlier in this thread. It's been one of the very best business decisions I ever made. My coach is a multimillionaire and her personal advice and input has just been invaluable!

I hope that helps!

Michelle

How much do you make and how long did it take you to learn everything you need to know to make consistent money?

Curious to know.

I paid my mentor $3K in 2010 and $8K this year, for a total of $11K. Well worth it! She's fabulous!

It's good to see that you've put in effort and are willing to spend some money. But with no job, I'd save your money and go looking for a job. The closer you get to running out of money, the more desperate you'll feel and it will reflect in your work.

Even with a mentor, the learning curve may well mean you lose the $1K plus whatever you spend to implement what they tell you to do. Without a job and further funds, that's not a good place to be in.

Even if just from a strictly mental and emotional perspective, having a job will do wonders for your IM efforts in the beginning. You won't feel desperate and will make better business decisions.

That said, it sounds like you're jumping all over the place. Focus is key!

Clarity is a HUGE part of IM success. It's so simple when you know it -- and darn difficult when you don't! I owe my mentors a world of thanks for bringing this clarity.

IM is actually pretty simple: you can sell only one of two things:

1. Products
2. Services

That's it!

And selling products or services online happens in the same basic way for everyone, no matter what they're selling:

Traffic > Opt-in page > Autoresponder series (or e-zine) > Sales page

That's it! It's just that simple. (We IMers tend to overcomplicate things.)

But no matter what your niche is, or whether you're selling a product or a service, do you know what your business model is?

A business model is the framework or skeleton of your business. Essentially there are three types of online business models:

1. Membership-based model

A membership-based business model allows you to build a community of people (your members) who are as passionate about your subject as you are. Your membership fees can be monthly or annual, but either way, you're building recurring, passive income.

There are a lot of resources and information out there to help you build a membership-based business if you're interested in doing this.

2. Product-based model

Selling products allows you to maximize your time and effort by selling items over and over again. This can be hard goods or it can be information products. Information marketing is it's own business model under the product-based model. Information marketing allows you to take your brain to the bank by creating a product ONCE based on what you know and selling it over and over again.

Affiliate marketing falls under both models. You can choose to market either products or services as an affiliate.

3. Service-based model

Selling services can be great for 1) generating quick cash (as in the case of article writing or video producing) and 2) establishing your expertise and getting testimonials.

However, in the long run, your goal should be to offer services at a PREMIUM. The biggest advantage of IM is LEVERAGE. You're able to leverage your time, money and expertise exponentially online. We all have just 24 hours each day. Time to get ruthless about what you expect for those hours you spend in IM each day. Expect more of yourself and more from your business friends, clients, partners, etc.

What results are you getting for those hours you spend online each day? Ultimately, your services should be at the bottom of your funnel and cost the most since they involve your time and personal attention. (We all have a limited amount of time each day.)

The fun (and confusion) comes in with all of the endless mix-and-match possibilities of the above models. If you're just starting or still struggling to make money, keep it simple:

Pick just ONE!

1. Pick ONE niche. (Something you're interested in and know something about.)

2. Pick ONE target market for your product or service. (Who will buy what you're offering? The more specific you are, the more you narrow it down, the more successful you'll be.)

3. Pick ONE business model.

Now that you're clear about what business you're in, FOCUS! (And stop buying any info not related to your niche and target market, period!)

F -- Follow
O -- One
C -- Course
U -- Until
S -- Successful

And remember: build a list, Build a List, BUILD A LIST!

In IM, it's easy to put the cart before the horse. Take a deep breath, step back and consider what type of business you REALLY want. Don't worry about getting traffic or buying that expensive traffic product until you know 1) what your business model is, 2) what niche you're in and 3) WHO your target market is!

Successful business people will tell you that MARKETING is more than half the effort that's needed for success anyway. So pick a niche, target market and business model. Then spend most of your time and effort marketing it.

If you DON'T have a solid plan or system, THAT'S when it's hard. A good system will shave YEARS (and save you big $$$) off of your learning curve

That's why I recommend investing in at least one good, comprehensive IM course (or mentor who will give you such a system) instead of jumping from one $37 e-book to the next. A lot of people here complain about not being able to make any money. But neither are they willing to invest in their business. (Buying a random bunch of $37 e-books doesn't count.)

The best thing I ever did was invest in a comprehensive IM course aimed at REAL business owners, not just other IM wannabes. Yes it was $1500. (It's no longer available.) But it was truly some of the best A-Z IM info I ever bought. Everything else I've learned (from the $37 e-books) since has simply been plugged into this system.

Get a solid plan or system and then work the plan!

Hope this helps!

Michelle

Sadly my first mentor was a scam which completely turned me off to paying or joining in on any other IM program thereafter.

There are quite a few programs on the forum that could seriously help you. There's even a guy that specializes in Amazon in the WSO section. I'm sure if you dig around a bit you could find him. Not too expensive either

Of course a mentor can help...it always helps to leverage experience to get shortcuts, connections and avoid the pitfalls that they themselves may have experienced on the way up.

I have always used mentors as a critical part of my growth - some have been paid, others are reciprocal relationships and still others I emulate through studying what they are doing and respecting their approach.

All of that said, what is critically important in the beginning is that you figure out (largely this is something you must take control of, a mentor can help if they get this part of the process) what your passion and strengths on your way to building an online business.

For example, a guy like Gary Vaynerchuck's passion is sales and converting interest into buying activity, while his strength is communication (video, audio) - so what he takes is something he knows (from his father's business) - Wine - sets a goal to pull in millions online with his own wine business and then leverages his strengths of communication by doing it through WinelibraryTV - his own video blog.

Another example is Tim Ferris (author of the 4-hour work weed) - his passion is to learn and teach, he found the most effective way of doing that on mass was writing his books (even though he didn't start off thrilled with writing he pushed through because he had an even bigger passion for sharing his ideas with the world). His strengths are in testing and using feedback to improve systems so you get the 4-hour work week concept applied to diet and overall learning.

We can go down the line, each successful business person has tapped into a big WHY and their own desire to share something with their market.

I only say this because so many people follow a system, business model or mentor only to discover that Amazon marketing, affiliate marketing, mlm, or whatever model they choose does not excite them in any way...they have set themselves up for complete failure in these types of situations.

To succeed in business you need a WHY, you need passion, you need a purpose and you need a strategy for making money.

Jeff