Hi again.  I would have made this post a lot earlier but my computer died (RIP lol) and I have just got a replacement.  In my last post I discussed getting started online.  In this post I’will discuss how I found my mentor (coach).

Now, there are various schools of thought on this subject.  Some people believe you don’t need a mentor.  I have heard some people I know say “Why would you want to pay for someone to teach you?  You can just Google it for free.”"  If getting started online was that easy then we’d all be doing it, right?  There are some people out there who don’t need help and good luck to them.  However, your chances of success are greatly increased if you have someone helping you.  So it is with that thought that I’ll share with you how I found my mentor.

It was late August last year and I remember I was becoming frustrated with my online efforts.  I was heavily into eBay at the time and I felt I was missing ”something.”  I could not say exactly what it was but I could see I had little direction.  I was doing things ad hoc and not really getting any measurable results.  I remember hearing someone say they had made their start online in internet marketing.  At the time I knew NOTHING about IM so I “Googled it” and found an internet marketer from the UK.  His name was John Thornhill and he is still my mentor today.

So, getting back to the original question “Do you need a mentor?” I believe you do.  Even if you have been in business “offline”  doing business “online” is very different.  A mentor can steer you in the right direction and offer advice when needed as they have been there before you.  A mentor can also fast track your progress and help you achieve success.  I guess the next question is a bit obvious. lol

How do you choose a mentor?

This is one question that I have been asked quite a bit.  My answer has always been – it’s your choice.  In saying this here are a few tips to help you choose.

Do you connect with them ie do you have similar views?  Its much easier to listen to someone if you have similar views.

Do they tell the truth?  This is very important as you don’t want to have someone teaching you if they are deceptive or use dishonest practices.

Do they tell you straight?  Sometimes we all need a reality check and if your mentor is telling you you’re dreaming then you probably are.

Do they reply to your emails, phone calls etc?  If they are the real deal they will have open lines of communication.

Do your homework.  Check them out online in forums and product reviews.  Who do they associate with?  Birds of a feather?  If your proposed mentor is offering something that is too good to be true, then it probably is. (eg  Ï’ll show you how to make a gazillion dollars with 2 minutes work a day” As if!)

I know it is not easy to find a mentor online you can trust.  I actually emailed John after a webinar and he replied to me.  (Some people don’t reply.)  This showed me he was interested in me and each time I have needed to contact him, he has ALWAYS replied.  That is the mark of an honest business man.

I hope you have found this post informative.  As usual if you have any questions please drop me a line.

Craig

Hello again.  It seems like years ago that I started online.  But in fact it has only been a short 14months.  And what a 14 months it has been.  It has been a huge learning curve but an enjoyable one.  So how do you get started online?

Well, part of my story starts just over 14 months ago when I made the plunge into the online world with eBay.  I love eBay and there is some great bargains to be had on this site.  I sold just about everything around the house and didn’t really make much money.  I was looking for something more. However,  eBay was just the beginning of my overall income strategy.

In September I branched out in internet marketing as I believed this complemented my other income strategies.  I just typed  the search term “internet marketing” into Google and then began the merry-go-round of product after product after product.  In the first few weeks I bought that many programs and signed up to that many list that I didn’t know what I was doing.

It was then I came across a group of marketers who all chanted the same song; honest, ethical marketing with no hype or BS.  This appealed to me because I was sick and tired of being promised riches with the push of a few buttons.  (If someone is telling you you can make money online by pushing a few buttons and working a few minutes a day then DO NOT believe them.  This is NOT TRUE).

One of the marketers had a coaching program.  He offered to teach me how to set up a website, make a product, market that product and build a list.  This was exactly what I needed.  I knew nothing about how to do this and I needed guidance. So I joined his program and am still part of that program today.  I am currently producing a product that will be ready in the near future.

So, the first step in the quest to getting started online is to get a mentor.   A mentor will guide you in your quest to become successful online as they have been there before.  Do you think a mentor will help you?

In my next post I will discuss how I found my mentor.

Until next time…

Craig

Hello again.  My topic for discussion today “Social Media – Misuse by internet marketers?” is sure to ruffle a few feathers.

I am on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube which, as you probably know, are all SM platforms.  I enjoy spending time catching up with friends and family and most of the people I contact using FB live away, so for me its a very convenient way to say “hi”.

I joined FB before I became involved in IM . I joined Twitter and YouTube after IM but now I’m not so sure I should have done so.

Keeping your personal and professional lives separate can be very difficult these days.  On the internet, people need to take a ‘leap of faith’ when making contact with others.  There is too many reports to mention about the amount of scam artists on the net.  Set up a Google Alert and you’ll get tons of articles on the subject.

Now, back to the topic at hand.  As a marketer I have to be careful not to upset my FB friends when I post offers etc relating to IM.  So far I haven’t had any complaints (fingers crossed).   My concern is that there are some marketers out  there that think its OK to continually bombard their FB friends with offers that they aren’t interested in.  Has this happened to you?

And the same goes for Twitter.  In a recent article I read, Twitter had filed an anti-spam lawsuit against one of its users.  Must have been pretty bad for Twitter to take action.  After all, its their service. That got me to thinking, why did I join Twitter?  I joined so I could keep in contact with my customers by sending them offers… Can you see where this is headed?

And it was the same for me and YouTube.  I have used YouTube to post product reviews.  Will YouTube do the same as Twitter and file lawsuits? (I don’t think so) After all its the subscribers’ choice to receive updates from these services.

In summary, I do think its OK to use social media platforms to make offers to customers, just don’t over do it!  To mix it up a bit I make posts about my personal life so I can connect with my customers. That way when I do make an offer it has more impact and I’m not coming across as pushy.

For those marketers spamming their social media friends, do so at your own peril.

I would love to here what people think about this topic as I’m sure there’s more than one side to this story!

Until next time…

Craig

Hello.  Talk about busy busy!  I’ve been madly researching for my new product and have found some great resources which have sped up the development process.  But more about this later…

I have recently started a 30 day challenge  and I can say that this challenge is unlike anything I have done in my life.  It is internet marketing related and is run by one of the biggest names in the business.

So, what’s it all about?

Well,  the challenge involves 30 days of coaching  by an internet millionaire which basically guarantees to build your list.  Now,  I am normally skeptical of these sorts of claims and rightly so.  There is so much ‘junk’ out there in IM land, claims of easy riches with minimal work.  These claims are simply not true. Yes, I’ve bought some of those shiny new objects that promise everything but deliver nothing. (I got refunds and won’t be dealing with those vendors again).

However,  this challenge is the real deal.  With my hand on my heart I honestly believe this to be true.  I have tried some of the methods in this challenge and they do work.

What’s the catch?

There is no catch.  If you go and check out the challenge you can make up your own mind if its for you.  For me, I’m in.

If I don’t get results  after  30 days then all I have to do is cancel my subscription.  It’s that simple.

(This is not some fly by night program. You have to do what the challenge says to get results.  You have to put in the effort to get the results).

For those of you game enough to have a go check it out here;

I’m up for the challenge!

Until next time,

Craig

Hello again.  I had a very interesting day today.  I went to the Wiggles concert  with my wife and kids.  Had a great time but got a bit too much sun.  The kids were extremely excited and had a ball and even received some ‘freebies’ after the concert had finished.

So what has this got to do with internet marketing?  Everything!  You see, normally when you go to a concert you are not allowed to film it or take photos.  Obviously, the performers want to protect their brand name from bootleggers and rightly so.   I would be the same if I was in their position.  But today was very different.  The Wiggles actually encouraged the audience to take photos and film the performance!  I was quite shocked but then I thought about why this might be the case.

A few thoughts ran through my mind but the answer was staring me right in the face.  The Wiggles are the biggest kids band in the world – they actively encourage ‘freebies’ because it increases their brand awareness.  Thousands of people attended the concert today and all the kids left with a bag of  free promotional material.  The cost of this material would have been quite small but the effect it would have on the bands popularity would be immense.

So what is the lesson learned?  Value – and tons of it!  As an internet marketer it is my job to create value for my loyal subscribers by giving them good content they can use.  The Wiggles created value by giving the kids something they did not expect (promo bags) and also allowing everyone at the concert to take photos and video. (Fortunately I have some video footage as my eldest took her ipod and filmed some of the action )  The Wiggles could see the value in over delivering as their loyal customers (the kids) went home happy and this will translate to increased merchandise sales and brand awareness.

I hope I have created value in this post by giving a real life example on the art of creating value for your loyal customers.

Until next time,

Craig