1 Concept Lost on Struggling Marketers

10 replies
Sow.

Reap.

Many take to WF asking to REAP but do not want to SOW.

Give before you get.

If you impress this idea on your mind you can find out all the technical stuff you need to know.

Unfortunately some IMers sell a "get before you give" philosophy which confuses newbies.

I like hanging with folks who work intelligently and persistently to raise the collective reputation of our niche.

Give.

Get.

Write blog posts, newsletters....publish videos or podcasts. Practice your copy.

Meet new people by promoting their work and commenting on their blogs....(more giving)...

The getting can happen if you give, give, give, because if you are screwing up, and ask for help, fellow givers will be more than happy to give help to you and promote your success.

I was on the getting end of much help from kind givers and I have also been on the other side of the fence as I gained experience.

Keep giving guys, keep promoting others, keep assisting, and even if you are failing, good, kind, free-giving people will lead you in the right direction.

Example; my blog has serious design flaws. 2 of my friends uploaded a new theme - free of charge - tweaked it, and continually tweak my blog, to improve its performance, free of charge.

Of course I became friends with these folks over a period of months and years, promoting their stuff, commenting on their blogs, and shouting them out....but they were critical to my blogging success because they tied up some lose ends for me.
#concept #lost #marketers #struggling
  • Profile picture of the author awledd
    Ya we heard this many times the problem is when you don't have anything to give and you still need to make money. BTW I believe I am a giver but the reality is sometimes you don't have anything to give then maybe good to shut up and learn.
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    • Profile picture of the author RWBiggs
      Originally Posted by awledd View Post

      Ya we heard this many times the problem is when you don't have anything to give and you still need to make money. BTW I believe I am a giver but the reality is sometimes you don't have anything to give then maybe good to shut up and learn.
      You may not think you have anything to give, but chances are you probably do. Maybe you just haven't found the right person or persons, or the right subject to give to.

      Even in the product or service that you sell, that is a form of giving. Giving doesn't always mean for free. So in my mind you can be selling and giving at the same time.
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
      Originally Posted by awledd View Post

      Ya we heard this many times the problem is when you don't have anything to give and you still need to make money. BTW I believe I am a giver but the reality is sometimes you don't have anything to give then maybe good to shut up and learn.
      Ummm....if you are a giver, you have something to give, correct?

      You are alive, so you have a story to tell. Connect your life lessons with your niche. Practice. You can write 5 to 10 blog posts about today, alone, relating to your niche.

      The Nothing To Give excuse is the worst cop out going.....just saying For your benefit.....all the best!
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      Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
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    • Profile picture of the author yakim1
      Originally Posted by awledd View Post

      Ya we heard this many times the problem is when you don't have anything to give and you still need to make money. BTW I believe I am a giver but the reality is sometimes you don't have anything to give then maybe good to shut up and learn.
      Let's look at what giving really means. I would say that what you give needs to be of high value. But you must understand that value is not the same to everyone. Here's an example...

      Suppose you were stranded on a deserted island. On that island you find an old pirate chest filled with gold. You know that to most people the gold would be considered to be of high value. But, to you it has no value because you need a boat to get off the island.

      So you input or giving may not be of high value to some but it may be to others.

      Also giving does not have to be free. Some time a simple link to a product a person has been looking for will provide great value to that customer when they purchase the product.

      So if you approach your business as a way to help other people but at the same time applying the things you need to also make an income, you will be more successful if money is not the main or only driving reason for being in business.

      Just remember that you can't help everyone you come in contact with.

      If someone unsubscribes from my list it does not hurt my feelings because I must not be able to supply the value the person is looking for any more.

      I know that I will gain 2 or 3 additional list members that will value what I have to say for every one person that does not and unsubscribes.

      I hope this has been helpful,
      Steve Yakim
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  • Profile picture of the author Zack Lim
    I totally agree with the point on giving before getting anything back. I personally feel the biggest benefit of giving first is the potential of knowing new friends and customers.

    Having a network of people who trust each other is one of the most powerful way to grow the business too
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  • Profile picture of the author markaedwards
    Great post and wise words indeed, thanks for sharing.
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  • Profile picture of the author sierracharlie
    Great post.

    I have got some of my best customers from marketing work which was slow and very time consuming.

    You really do reap what you sow in marketing. But, it is also important to pause along the way and reflect on your work? Is your product or service still relevant? Are you using the right medium? Are you addressing the right people? et cetera.
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  • Profile picture of the author cyberzolo
    You do reap what you sow and most people don't sow anything but expect success
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    • Profile picture of the author Shadowflux
      Good post, I'm a big fan of the sow THEN reap strategy. A lot of newbies are too used to working at a job. The money they make isn't always tied directly to the work they do. With IM it's totally different.

      The amount of work you do determines the amount of money you make. Sometimes you need to plant seeds and work on that farm for a while before anything starts to grow. Just like a farm, you need to cultivate the soil, make sure the plants grow healthy and strong. Only after you've done all that work can you harvest what you've grown.

      IM is sometimes all about work now, get paid later. Everyone wants an "instant win" but only casino games offer that sort of thing.
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  • This is such an excellent point to make about how generosity of spirit in the online business world can actually benefit your site and make you a success. So many people are skeptical in the online world now and just expect to be scammed. They automatically think there is evil motive behind even the best intentions. You have to keep offering value (for free often) to gain the trust of these people. And, that doesn't mean giving away worthless ebooks to email lists, but real solid, in depth information; contributing to other people's blogs with the best quality comments (not intended for SEO but to actually become involved in the blog's community). Any of these things will make a huge difference in the trust level you share with your readers.
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