Wednesday, October 7, 2009

HOW TO SUCCEED IN NETWORK MARKETING WITHOUT PERSONAL SELLING

So you have started your career in network marketing or intend to but are not sure you have what it takes to succeed because of the prospect of personal selling involved? The good news is you can definitely succeed; however, the challenge is you need to look for the right business opportunity and to change your mindset. The way forward in network marketing is slowly evolving from the traditional MLM model. Here are a few ways of succeeding in your business without personal selling.

Find a company that does not preach the need for a warm market

Traditional MLM companies that ask you to write an exhaustive list of your friends, relatives and work colleagues and try to recruit them into your business should be avoided, especially if you are concerned this may lead to strained relationships and a great deal of embarrassment.

New network marketing companies are springing up which abhor this practice and instead teach you how to generate leads with little or no cost. Some of these systems do all the sales work for you. For example, for a small monthly fee, one company uses call centre operators who call applicants on your behalf to answer any questions they may have about the business. These companies base their unique selling point on the time freed up for members to focus on marketing their business rather than trying to sell the opportunity.

Find a system designed to make leads come to you

New network marketing companies moving away from traditional MLM design their entire system around reducing or eliminating the need to call leads. With effective auto-responder strategy, leads are prompted at pre-determined intervals about the opportunity using effectively designed email messages. In a nutshell, you will not fail in this type of opportunity solely by not calling your leads.

The only people this type of system requires you to call are those who have already joined your team to mentor and coach them. This is the key to their strategy, i.e. retaining existing team members is more profitable than recruiting new ones.

Learn the art of providing a service or opportunity instead of trying to close a sale

Ok, you are with a traditional MLM or ‘new Age’ network marketing company or are planning on joining one? In recruiting new team members you need to learn the art of providing a service or opportunity instead of trying to close a sale. This is very important because when you joined a network marketing company you did not do so to enrich your sponsor but to be successful yourself. You must develop the mindset that you are offering a service that would help your prospect achieve their goals, this will influence the level of confidence you have in communicating the opportunity. Bear in mind and convince yourself that if one prospect doesn’t join you another will. That is one of the secrets to recruiting success. For example, a plumber markets his business and if you call him to book an appointment he knows if you don’t want his services someone else does and this is true. You need to develop that mindset. If you did not believe you were offering an opportunity to someone else then you are most probably with the wrong opportunity for you. Get out now.

If you are looking at taking the plunge into network marketing or have recently started, I hope you have gained some insight into how you can overcome the weakness you may have in personal selling. You do not need to run the risk of alienating friends and family to succeed in this industry. Be patient and choose the right opportunity for you. Develop the mindset that empowers you to believe you are trying to help yourself and others and ensure you take the necessary action to back your claims in terms of offering coaching, mentoring and support.

Monday, September 21, 2009

MARKETING GUIDELINES FOR NETWORK MARKETING BUSINESS

Here are some marketing guidelines, which are especially useful to new starters in network marketing business online. New online marketers must ensure their marketing efforts are targeted and effective to be successful in the industry. This comes with effective budgetary planning and control and the use of marketing management information to direct marketing efforts.

Budget effectively

• Plan your budget over a period of say six months

• Depending on your funds available set your lead generation targets based on your budget and not the other way round initially

• In the first few months, plough back as close to 100% of your profits as possible – remember you are building a business

• As your business grows and you start to make excellent profits, reverse the strategy – now you can tailor your marketing budget based on the number of leads you wish to generate

Measure marketing efforts

• Identify the different marketing strategies you have adopted, e.g. pay-per-click (PPC), videos, social networking sites

• Measure conversion rates from leads to team member

• New starters should stay away from PPC initially as much as possible due to the high costs involved – unless you have a high budget, e.g. $1k a month or more

Increase your conversions

• By trying different marketing strategies, the aim is to choose the most effective ones over a given period

• For example, if PPC generates the most leads for you, as your marketing budget grows and you become successful you may want to focus entirely on PPC

• By measuring marketing efforts you also know which of these strategies results in high conversions – you will need to focus your marketing on this too. You will need to look at this in conjunction with number of leads as well. For example if PPC leads is 200 per month with 10% conversion, which article marketing is 4 leads a month with 25% conversion, PPC is more attractive, especially to someone with a decent marketing budget as the number of team members gained are 20 and 1 respectively.

As a new starter the key is to cut your coat according to your size. If you have a large marketing budget, it would help your business grow quicker. Even with little or no marketing budget, you can succeed in the industry with a lot of effort and a targeted marketing strategy. The key however is, whether the budget is large or small, it should be properly managed and not used recklessly. Use business profits, as much as possible to plough back into the marketing budget.

Friday, September 11, 2009

MAINTAINING YOUR LIFESTYLE IN THE CREDIT CRUNCH

Increasingly, people are looking at ways of beating the credit crunch as more jobs are lost and consumer confidence is low. Surely, there must be other ways of beating the credit crunch apart from the usual money saving ideas.

The credit crunch tips all seem to focus on ways of saving money. From dumping the car in favour of a bicycle, to shopping at discount stores, these tips although useful, indirectly advocate a change in our lifestyle. It’s all about being market savvy, opening savings accounts and making do with less for most commentators. This is mainly because it is more difficult for people to obtain credit from banks to supplement their income and maintain their lifestyle.

Beating the credit crunch should not mean changing or downsizing our lifestyle. We can still maintain or even improve our lifestyle during the credit crunch by earning more. Let’s face it, we complain that our jobs take a lot of our time but we still find enough time to watch TV, use the Internet and generally do nothing. Why not use time more productively instead by starting a home based business as a means of supplementing your income?

By starting your home based business, you could make enough money to buy that new car or go on that holiday you probably couldn’t by just focusing on saving and cutting back. Secondly, it will conquer your dependency on credit as you would not require loans or credit cards for your expenditure. If you become very successful in your home based business you could even replace it full time with your current job, enabling you to have more time for yourself, your close friends and family.

Saving and cutting back tips are not ways to beat the credit crunch. Instead they are ways of raising the white flag and accepting that the current economic crisis has impacted on our lifestyle adversely. This period is a fantastic time to start a home based business, especially internet-based, for example network marketing.

More people are losing their jobs and are evaluating what they want to do next. The lure of having more time and financial independence is appealing to these people, so recruiting them is easier than in times of buoyant economies. Therefore, now is a good time to start your business.

It is very important that in the current global financial crisis, people pay a great deal of attention to their finances. Money saving ideas are usually ways of adjusting to the credit crunch but they are not ways of beating it. Beating the credit crunch means finding ways of maintaining or improving our lifestyle prior to the crunch and this can be achieved by supplementing our incomes to cover the shortfall due to banks tightening their lending criteria.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

WHAT TO DO IF YOU WANT TO START YOUR INTERNET BUSINESS BUT HAVE NO MONEY?

Right, so you have found what you believe to be the right internet business opportunity but you don’t have the start-up capital and enough money to stay afloat until you start making a profit.

You need to be really sure about this because several options are open to you to get that start-up capital. Here are three of these options, bearing in mind the costs of repayment and timeliness.

Save Up for the opportunity

This is the least risky way of obtaining start-up and working capital. You will have pressure to succeed but not as much as you would if you had to repay a creditor. The downside to this option is that it may take you a while to save up. Would the delay make the opportunity less attractive in terms of profit potential? Would the market be saturated before you enrol? You need to do thorough research to establish this.

Loan from friends and family

This is a quick way to get funds required to start your business. However, it is important that you are totally honest in letting them know what the money is for.

If they know it is for you to start a network marketing business, they may not want to lend you the money due to the low success rate in the industry as a whole. On the other hand, they may lend you with the expectation that the risk exists you may not pay them any time soon. Thirdly, they may opt to give you the money instead, with a caveat to repay only if you re successful.

Their decision may be influenced by how much you require. Bear in mind that there is a significant risk of alienating your friends and family if you do not manage your finances appropriately causing you to default on your repayment or failing in the business.

Loans from banks

This is another option especially after you’ve exhausted the avenues above and maxed out your credit card. Depending on your creditworthiness, you may be able to get a personal loan from your bank.

However, many banks do not do personal loans for business purposes. They may also be unwilling to offer a business loan for what they would undoubtedly consider a risky project. Read their terms and conditions carefully, paying particular attention of term of the loan and interest rates. Also answer all questions as honestly as you can.

Another option is to secure the loan on your home if you have one. You should think carefully about doing this, as you may risk losing your home if you fail to keep up with repayments.

If you have spotted that business opportunity and you are itching to start but do not have the funds, all is not lost. You just need to be very careful you do not overextend yourself, put you and your family at risk, alienate your friends and family or risk losing your home as you chase your dream.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

HOW TO BECOME A WEB 2.0 LEADER

Web 2.0 is a recent World Wide Web buzz term that refers to the next or second generation web. There has been growing debate on whether Web 2.0 relates to new Internet technology or whether it is to do with changing behaviour patterns of Internet users. The argument seems to be settling on the latter insinuating that Internet users with little or no technical expertise can create their websites, publish their materials and interact in other ways including the uploading of videos and the sharing of photos and other information among other things.

Increasingly, being a successful leader in online marketing means understanding and mastering Web 2.0 and effectively implementing relevant strategies to gain and maintain competitive advantage. Consequently, the marketing environment has changed over the Internet as savvy entrepreneurs look to online lead generation in favour of traditional multi-level marketing methods of cold calling and utilizing warm markets.

The use of social networking is on the increase with leaders utilising Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to name a few to build their online presence with a view of marketing through these media. Apparently, Facebook has similar traffic to Google presently, so comes as no surprise that entrepreneurs are exploiting the opportunities presented as a result. Social networking is no longer the confines of teenagers willing to massage their egos publishing their status updates or current activities.

The use of videos to promote products is also on the increase with YouTube a particular favourite at the moment. Internet marketers focus on the lifestyle benefits on these videos, aiming to entice prospects to join their programs on the back of their successes. The videos range from a successful leader lounging on the beach somewhere to spending time at home with the family while most people are at work, while his automated system is making money for him in the background.

Web 2.0 leaders who love to write focus on article marketing and blogs, where they post on various topics, directly or indirectly related to their opportunity. The aim here is to develop a loyal following over a period of time that may become customers or recommend their products or services to others when trust has been established. Various sites publish these articles for free including Amazines, EzineArticles and GoArticles. The two most popular blog sites are Blogger and Wordpress.

The key to their success is not just confined to Web 2.0 leaders implementing these lead generation strategies for their own benefit. They teach their team members to do the same thereby leveraging their efforts. As they and their team members attract prospects to their business the potential upfront and residual income increases. More importantly, these leads are targeted which implies that conversion rate to actual customers or team members is most likely to be higher than traditional MLM methods of cold calling and warm market, as these people may not have the remotest interest in the business opportunity.

Web 2.0 leaders currently have competitive advantage in terms of lead generation over the traditional MLM leaders as their strategy is based on effective targeting. By utilising social networking, video marketing, article marketing and blogging, and teaching their downline to do the same, they are giving their businesses every change to grow and meet their objectives.

Monday, September 7, 2009

HOW SUCCESSFUL INTERNET MARKETING ENTREPRENEURS BEHAVE

Successful internet market entrepreneurs do not become so by chance. They demonstrate mindsets, attributes and qualities that are too numerous to mention all. However, they all demonstrate three common behaviours which ensure their continual success and these are discussed below.

Being cool under pressure

There are two ways to behave when things are not going well in your internet marketing business. One way is to give up and tell yourself you were right all along and it was too good to be true and disappear back to the corporate world and all its frustrations. The successful internet marketer does not think like that.

Instead, she is concerned about learning the lessons from her setbacks. She is determined to know why the strategy she employed did not pay off with a view of putting remedial action in place to change around her fortunes for the better. The successful internet marketer is dedicated to using management information to drive her business. For example, by knowing that her marketing expenditure in article marketing is not providing her anticipated number of leads, she may decide to allocate the article marketing budget to something that is delivering results like video marketing for example.

This coolness under pressure comes from good planning, organisation and management of the business. By understanding how her business works and how it is performing, she is able to take action to influence results in her favour.

Never resting on their laurels

The successful internet market entrepreneur celebrates his successes hard but not for too long. He is always thinking ahead as to how to replicate or better his current success. He learns from his successes as much as he learns from his failures. From every success, he looks at what he could have done better to have performed even better.

They always love a challenge and would see the challenge of performing better exciting. They are so competitive that they compete with themselves. They look at success the same way they look at failure. They build on their strengths and look to eliminate their weaknesses.

Pushing the Boat Out

Traditionally, we’ve been conditioned to believe that in business, we need to start small and grow the business gradually. Not the internet marketing entrepreneur. They go for the jugular once they see an opportunity. If for example, there are three entry levels into a business opportunity, they will go for the highest level entry, which although may cost the most will yield the highest in commission payments. They do not believe they should enter at the least level and see whether the business opportunity is for them or not.

The reason they go in big is because they have self belief. They believe an opportunity is as profitable or as good as the entrepreneur. They are conditioned for success and will therefore do all it takes. They are convinced that as long as the opportunity works for one person, it can work for them.

These three behaviour patterns are consistent to successful internet market entrepreneurs. Failure is not an option in their eyes as they have belief in their ability and will do whatever it takes to succeed. It is no coincidence that successful entrepreneurs are consistently successful in different ventures they undertake. It’s all to do with the mindset.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

BUSINESS ONLINE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Increasingly, more people own or are growing their businesses online with varying degrees of success. It is important for internet entrepreneurs to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of doing business online as this knowledge will empower them to make the right decisions and implement the correct strategies if they do go ahead and start a business on the internet. Below are the main advantages and disadvantages of running an online business.

Advantages

Start-up costs are relatively cheaper than bricks and mortar businesses. Some business-in-a-box programs cost as little as $400, some even cheaper. If you are setting up your own website with your business plan you may only need to pay for a domain name and web hosting which would cost you less than $100. Even for the most expensive opportunities, they are still way cheaper than other businesses. The top scale start up costs for internet business could be $20k, which might seem expensive but when compared with businesses like the MacDonald’s franchise which cost over a quarter of a million dollars, then it puts things into better perspective.

Operational costs and administrative expenses are also relatively lower than other businesses with little or no staff required. Many internet entrepreneurs work from home which means that expenses like lighting and heating and office expenses which would normally be incurred in an office block, are saved.

Running a business online gives great flexibility. This is because the business can be run from anywhere. An entrepreneur could be on the beach on holiday with her family and still be running her business normally. This flexibility helps the entrepreneur does as she pleases with her time. She may decide to work between 12 midnight and 6 am if that is her most productive hours.

Online businesses can reap the rewards of free and cheap advertising, through videos, article marketing and social marketing. Even with more expensive advertising options like pay per click, due to the number of Internet users, to potential to grow your business is very high especially if you can effectively drive traffic to your website.

Disadvantages

Competition is high as increasingly people are becoming switched on to the advantages of running an online business and also more technology savvy and are growing their businesses. The number of people starting a business online is increasing at high levels and they are all competing for traffic which makes it harder to break through.

The Internet is a very dynamic marketplace. Consumer tastes vary widely and change frequently. Therefore, by focusing on one business idea or income stream, the entrepreneur risks being left behind by new products and services as consumers chase the next best product or service.

Even when the entrepreneur has a winning business model, competitors can easily copy it and therefore impact negatively on profits.

Getting to grips with technology to sustain competitive advantage can be a limiting factor especially if the entrepreneur depends on himself and hires no staff. This disadvantage can be overcome by either outsourcing or employing staff full time or on contract basis.

It may take time for the business to get off the ground as the entrepreneur builds his online presence and if the business is not run properly cash flow problems may hinder the success of the business. It is important that the marketing and other costs are very carefully budgeted for over a period to take into account the possibility that profits may take a while to materialise.

Running an online business is empowering and can be profitable. A lot of these businesses fail because entrepreneurs are not mindful of the advantages and disadvantages and have not planned accordingly. While it is relatively easier and cheaper to start and grow an online business than a traditional bricks and mortar business, that advantage can also be an advantage as competitors enjoy the same benefits.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

4 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN WRITING A KEYWORD RICH ONLINE PRESS RELEASE

One of the great things about online press releases is they can be accessible to new readers over long periods of time. This is great because this can lead to a good flow of traffic to your website or blog who could be converted to paying customers or team members. It is therefore important to write keyword rich press releases which increase the chances of them being found by your target audience.

Below are four important things to remember when writing your online press release.

1. Your press release should be announcing a specific event. It is not a ‘how to’ announcement – you could do articles for these. Press releases are ideal to announce the launch of a new book, product, website or blog. An example of a press release is ‘John Smith launches Advertising Enterprises’.

2. Your press release must be brief and to the point. More importantly, ensure it contains one primary keyword which must be including in both the title and the body of the release. Ensure that you don’t overdo including the keywords in the body as it comes across as tacky and unprofessional – 3 or 4 times is fine. The keyword could be your name, the name of your business or one that relates to the industry you are operating in. Do keyword research and choose the one that has the highest number of searches.

3. Try to use quotes in your press releases, preferably 2 or 3 per release. The quotes should be from the person you are interviewing. If the release is about your business, provide quotes from yourself as if you were being interviewed by someone else. For example, if you are John Doe, one of the quotes could be: John Doe was quoted as saying “I am delighted to announce the launch of my new business…”

4. Once you have completed your press release you need to find distribution sites and distribute the press release to as many as possible. Some good sites are Free-Press-Release, Webwire and 24-7 Press Release. Some of these are free distribution sites.

A press release is a very effective way to drive traffic to your site. It is important however, that you understand that for the full benefits to be gained they must be keyword rich but at the same time not littered with keywords. It should be written as though by someone else if you are promoting your business and to maximise exposure, you must distribute to as many sites as possible.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR LEARNING STYLE FOR BETTER RESULTS IN INTERNET MARKETING

One of the most popular models of learning styles is the VAK model which stands for Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. It is important for Internet entrepreneurs to be aware of their learning styles as this would help them tailor their training and development accordingly. Let’s look at each in turn:

• Visual – an individual learns best by sight, e.g. watching demos, videos and pictures; and reading books and articles
• Auditory – an individual learns best by sound, e.g. listening to audio tapes and conference calls and participating in conference calls
• Kinesthetic – an individual learns best by physical activities, e.g. touching, feeling, rehearsing scripts

It is important to note at this point that an individual may have a strong preference for one learning style or a combination of learning styles. Increasingly, online marketing businesses offer various training options to assist their entrepreneurs, e.g. conference calls, articles, webinars and videos. By knowing her preferred learning style, an entrepreneur could then decide which training methods to prioritise. She does not need to do all training as it would be a waste of time.

Here’s a simple method to determine your learning style. Below is a list of questions with three possible answers to each question. Choose the answer which closely resembles you for each question. All A answers are visual, B, auditory and C kinaesthetic. At the end add up the scores. The highest score is your preferred learning style. If the scores are similar or the same it indicates that you have a near perfect mix of learning styles and you may wish to use all training methods. If you have one clear winner that’s your preferred learning style and so on.

1. My favourite way of teaching someone something new is to:
a. Write them a step by step guide
b. Teach them orally
c. Show them how it’s done

2. My best way of learning a new skill is by:
a. Watching a demonstration
b. Seeking clarification of what I am required to do
c. Practising or rehearsing the skill until it is perfect

3. The easiest way I can remember something is by:
a. Making notes
b. Reciting
c. Practising or rehearsing

4. My favourite revision technique is:
a. Making revision notes
b. Recording my notes and playing them over and over
c. Doing mock exams

5. My favourite pastimes include:
a. Watching television
b. Talking on the phone
c. Cleaning the house or playing sports

6. I concentrate best by:
a. Focusing on objects
b. Talking through issues
c. Pacing up and down

This is just a simple technique. There are more advanced techniques. One example, is to rate each answer by order of preference instead of just picking the favourite one. Either way, it is important for the entrepreneur to identify his learning style as this will ensure he picks the right training methods to drive his business forward.

Monday, July 20, 2009

WHY A SUCCESSFUL INTERNET MARKETING BUSINESS IS BETTER AT SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS THAN SUCCESSFUL CORPORATE JOBS

Nearly all online marketing business opportunities compare the favourable lifestyle being enjoyed by successful internet entrepreneurs with the supposedly more stressful and society-dictated lifestyle being endured in the corporate world as a means to entice new entrepreneurs to start an online business.

The question does remain whether generally, an internet marketing business is better at satisfying the needs of individuals than a 9-5 job. If we look at Abraham Maslow’s motivation theory to understand what motivates employees, he developed a five stage model needed to be satisfied in order, beginning with the lower order needs. The five needs are:

1. Physiological needs – need for food, air and water
2. Security – need for safe living environment, job security
3. Social Needs – belonging, family, love, work groups
4. Self esteem – the need for achievement, status and recognition
5. Self actualisation – achieving one’s true potential

According to Maslow, Physiological needs must be satisfied, before security needs. Security needs must be satisfied before social needs and so on.

Maslow’s theory cannot be confined to an individual’s place of work alone. His theory was focused on how employers can motivate their employees in the workplace by identifying their motivational needs that need to be satisfied. However, these needs cannot always be satisfied in the corporate world.

For example, it would be very difficult for a manager to motivate an individual to improve on his sales figures (Esteem needs) if he is worrying about his marriage collapsing (Social needs). Although the manager can demonstrate some understanding up to a point and give the employee time off, this cannot continue indefinitely. Perhaps, the nature of the job demands the employee work unsociable hours and this could be the main reason for the marital problems. Moving to another job is not easy and may not solve the problem.

However, an online marketing entrepreneur has control of his time and could adjust accordingly to meet the demands of his family. Perhaps their problems are exacerbated by the husband not having enough time to spend with the kids. As a work from home dad, he would have the time to take his kids to school and attend school functions as often as required.

Realistically, most of the needs of people are satisfied outside the work environment. However, the work environment does impose constraints on people in terms of time and money. In the case of internet marketing, although monetary success is not guaranteed, the internet entrepreneur does have the time to do as he pleases, which makes it a better bet than the corporate world. Having said that, money, although not a motivator per se, is just as important as time as a means to an end. An individual who is the sole breadwinner may need job security (Security needs) for obvious reasons. No amount of promise of high achievement (Esteem) will entice him to pack up his job for an online marketing business. Not at that point in time anyway. The security needs will need to be addressed before he starts thinking about achievement.

As a compromise, he may decide to start the internet business part time. The main motivation here will not be Esteem but Security still as the extra income from the part-time online business opportunity will help his household financially.

However, if looked at from the context of a successful internet business and a successful corporate job, there can only be one winner. In terms of time and money, a successful internet business gives the entrepreneur a good standard of living and a lot of free time to do as he pleases and live a high quality of life. A successful corporate job could be a brilliant standard of living but a lot of time constraints which could affect the quality of life.

Individuals increasingly satisfy their needs outside their work environment. Therefore, the more time they spend at work, the less they are working towards satisfying their needs. Although the road to success in an online marketing business may be a slow and painful one the rewards in terms of quality of life and satisfying needs seem to be higher than a successful corporate job.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

3 TOP QUALITIES OF THE TOP 3% OF INTERNET MARKETING LEADERS

People enter the Internet marketing industry for various reasons. Some want to supplement their income, while some want to replicate their 9-5 income. Others are tired of trading time for dollars and need to spend more time doing the things they love. Some are after the flashy cars, exotic holidays and the dream mansion. What do the top 3% of internet marketers have in common?

It’s called leadership. In the industry, it is believed only 3% of the population achieve exceptional success. These 3% demonstrate qualities associated with good leadership, which leads to consistently excellent results. Their motivation or inspiration has little to do with the money they make, the cars they drive, the places they visit or the houses they live in. These are all by products of their success.

What really drives the top earners in the online marketing business is providing leadership to their downline. By helping others succeed, they are accomplishing two things at once. Firstly, they are increasing their own residual income. Secondly, and more importantly, they are self-actualising. The top earners look beyond making money. Their goal is focused on fulfilling their potential to the fullest. Self actualising is about helping others and giving back to society and that is what the top leaders do.

While less successful or unsuccessful entrepreneurs focus on how much money they can or are making, the top 3% of leaders look at how many people they have helped become a success. That is what truly excites and inspires them. The rest takes care of itself.

The top earners demonstrate three top qualities – passion, love and integrity to their downline. They display a passion for the business of their promising team members to the point where they are willing to spend their valuable time helping them grow their business. They enjoy reliving the journey from budding entrepreneur to a successful one, therefore, it is little wonder they demonstrate so much passion.

The love they demonstrate to their team members need to be experienced to be believed. The really successful internet marketers are generally more accessible than the wannabees. The only caveat is your business must show promise through your efforts for them to gift you their valuable time on a more consistent basis. They look after the interests of their members or downline as if they were family members. These leaders look beyond the business relationship with their downline, act as mentors and can be depended upon to offer other forms of support.

In terms of integrity, the top 3% of leaders demonstrate it to the highest degree. The success of any leader is dependent on the trust and respect they enjoy from those who they lead. Trust and respect needs to be earned and on a consistent basis. A top earner’s word is her bond. If she says she is going to do something, she pulls out all the stops to make it happen.

The top leaders in the internet marketing industry have these three qualities of passion, love and integrity fully developed and ingrained in their psyche. Their main inspiration and motivation is to help others succeed and the rest takes care of itself. It is little wonder only 3% of internet marketing entrepreneurs enjoy exceptional results. This is because they demonstrate qualities of unselfishness which does not come naturally to a lot of people.

HAVING A WINNING MENTALITY HELPS YOU TO SCORE IN INTERNET MARKETING

So what is the secret to the success of Internet marketing’s top earners? Is it the fantastic system they use to grow their business? Is it the high start up capital they can inject into their business? Is it their seemingly bottomless pit of a marketing budget? All of these help but none of these is the top reason. The top reason is mindset. If you have a winning mentality you are likely to succeed, if you have an excuse mentality, things will hardly to right for you.

Your mindset determines your level of success. If you fail for take responsibility for your actions, instead of doing whatever it takes to improve your business performance, you will instead focus on complaining about how unlucky you are or blaming others for your misfortunes. By adopting a defeatist mentality, any project or activity you undertake is doomed to failure – this is also known as the law of attraction.

The law of attraction is a theory which argues that an individual can attract whatever it is she desires by thinking about it. In other words, our thoughts have energy which attracts things into our lives. The beauty about this is that we can control this energy by:

• Deciding what it is we want
• Asking for it mentality
• Behaving as if you have already achieved what it is we really want
• Being mentally prepared to receive what it is we desire

The law of attraction shows that we can will the good things but also unfortunately, the bad things into our lives. If we consistently think of ourselves as failures and that nothing good happens to us, in all likelihood this is exactly what will happen. Conversely, if we think we can achieve anything we set our mind to, then we are willing a winning mentality into our lives and no matter what we want to achieve, we are more than likely to succeed.

When we are faced with problems or challenges come our way, the successful internet entrepreneurs look for empowering ways to overcome them. They switch straight into solution mode, finding answers to questions such as:

• What tools and resources can I use to overcome these challenges?
• Am I approaching things from the right perspective?
• Is this a challenge or actually an opportunity to learn something new?

These questions spur the top earners in the industry into action and more often than not, they come up with solutions and sometimes innovative ideas that will grow their businesses further.

Having a winning mentality also means taking appropriate steps to enhance your personal growth. Your business grows faster the more you self develop as personal development helps you learn new ideas and techniques; overcome weaknesses; build on strengths; and exploit opportunities. Self development is a personal thing. Do only what works for you. If you learn better by watching training videos, reading books or listening to conference calls, as long as you are getting value from it, that is all that matters.

It is time to stop acting like the victim. Be a winner and think like a champion. Take steps to keep you ahead of the game and be responsible for your actions. Growing your business should share top billing with your self development. Developing a winning mentality is the most important factor required for success in the internet marketing industry.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL INTERNET MARKETING ENTREPRENEUR

The successful internet marketing entrepreneur is one who is confident in his ability, always striving to grow his business and to grow personally in terms of self development and takes responsibility for his actions and results. They consistently achieve good results by good judgment rather than luck and they have a mindset that is based on consistency and persistence.

Below are 7 main characteristics demonstrated by these successful entrepreneurs. It is important to note that not all entrepreneurs possess all these characteristics. However, each entrepreneur does possess the majority of them. The list is not exhaustive.

1. An internet marketing entrepreneur as with all good entrepreneurs does not see problems or issues as something to worry about but rather as challenges which need to be overcome. Instead of looking for excuses why they cannot achieve something, they spend their time looking at ways in which they can solve their problems.

2. He is very comfortable in his own skill and skin and has principles and beliefs which he adheres to. The successful internet entrepreneur is not a fan of doing something just because it is culturally accepted to do it, especially if he disagrees with it. He is very independent and does not bow easily to peer pressure.

3. Is not a fan of trying to change people. Instead, he believes in moulding individuals in a way that would make them more effectively use their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. As far as he is concerned leaders are developed not born; he believes anyone can become a leader.

4. They are kids at heart, excited by new challenges, with a zest for learning. They love to improve and do not have the capacity to rest on their laurels. Standing still to an internet marketing entrepreneur is as bad as regressing.

5. The successful internet marketing entrepreneur is selective of people he spends time with. He usually allocates the majority of his time to people who and activities which add value to him or his business – this could be his family, his mentor, his top team members or friends. He does not like to waste his time on people whose words speak louder than their actions.

6. Possesses a great deal of humanity. An internet marketing entrepreneur whose only aim is to become as rich as possible, even at the expense of others can never fulfil their potential. The successful ones are those who also pay a keen interest in helping others achieve the success they have. Not only does it help them self actualise, it also could translate into considerable residual income.

7. He is authentic and original, always looking for innovative ways of growing his business. He will learn from the best but is also committed to being the best and that includes leading the way in new technology, processes or activities.

The successful internet marketing entrepreneur displays the majority of these seven characteristics. They are always striving for ways to fulfil their potential but it is important to point out that they will never achieve their full potential due to their nature. By design, they are always looking to improve and never stand still. They may achieve all their goals and their dreams but will always look for a new challenge to be overcome.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

HOW INTERNET MARKETING HELPS THE ENTREPRENEUR TO SELF ACTUALISE

According to Abraham Maslow, a US behavioural scientist developed a five stage model of motivation which is called the Hierarchy of Needs. In his model, Maslow identified five needs which must be satisfied in order, i.e. the lowest order need must first be satisfied, before the second lowest order needs and so on. The five stages are as follows:

1. Physiological need is the first need that needs to be satisfied. This relates to the need for air, food and water.
2. Safety needs – once the physiological need has been satisfied, the individual will need to satisfy his safety needs, which include the need for safe living environment and job security
3. Social needs – these include the need for belonging, family and love
4. Self esteem needs – the need for achievement, recognition and status
5. Self actualisation – this is the highest order need relating to an individual’s quest to achieve her full potential.

Many internet marketers start their business to address either security, social or self esteem needs. The successful internet marketers end up satisfying these needs. According to Maslow, once these needs have been satisfied, it implies that the successful internet marketer will now want to achieve her full potential or self actualise.

Although Maslow’s theory was based on employers in the workplace identifying the motivational needs of their employees, the internet marketer as both employee and employer of herself can self actualise through a good online marketing business.

The best opportunities out there teach their entrepreneurs certain things which help them to fulfil their potential. Seven of these things are outlined below:

1. A good online marketing program teaches its entrepreneurs to look beyond their cultural background and limiting beliefs and helps them condition themselves to think as winners. One key message drummed into the psyche of successful entrepreneurs is that they can achieve anything they want as long as they are focused, determined and tenacious.

2. Successful internet marketing entrepreneurs have been taught to believe in themselves and be independent in their thoughts and actions. They should be willing to learn from their mistakes and use failure as an opportunity to learn

3. Successful entrepreneurs typically earn a fortune and work very few hours. This gives them the opportunity to contribute more meaningfully to society by focusing on activities that would enhance their personal growth and help them fulfil their potential. For example, with enough time on his hands, an entrepreneur could spend that time on charity work, helping team members grow their business or doing voluntary work.

4. Self actualisation, as aforementioned is about contributing to society. A quality internet marketing program will equip its entrepreneurs with the skills and mindset required to teach and mentor others about becoming the best they can. Secondly, by being a role model that team members aspire to emulate, the successful entrepreneur will be contributing to the development of others without seeming to do so.

5. The successful internet entrepreneur learns the importance of being disciplined, focused, persistent and consistent in achieving her goals from a good online business opportunity. This mindset is transferable and therefore can be used in other projects outside of her business.

6. One of the most important lessons taught by quality online business opportunities is the need to priorities. Take for example, an entrepreneur’s budget being allocated to video marketing, article marketing and pay per click. If pay-per-click is converting the highest number of leads to team members, the entrepreneur is taught to reduce advertising spend to video and article marketing and allocate more funds to pay-per-click. Similarly, an online marketing business with quality teaches the entrepreneur to prioritise marketing before training. Although both are important, one adds more value to the business than the other. This is also a very important transferable skill.

7. Finally, a successful internet marketer is taught to love and appreciate himself and to help others to do the same. He knows that each individual has ultimate responsibility for him or herself and must therefore take relevant actions to ensure they are fulfilling their purpose in life.

The list above is not exhaustive. However, a good online business opportunity teaches its entrepreneurs these very valuable lessons which are transferable to other aspects of their lives and which can be taught to others. They help the internet marketer fulfil his true potential and help others do the same.

Monday, July 13, 2009

WHY MONEY IS NOT AN IMPORTANT MOTIVATOR IN INTERNET MARKETING

So why do we try so hard to be successful in our online marketing business? What energises us so much that we do whatever it takes to succeed? Why don’t we just pack up and return to the corporate 9-5 world when the going gets tough? What motivates us to keep on going? Money is certainly not the reason.

Earning lots of money, sometimes in the six-figure income category is not the motivation behind our desire to succeed. After all, there are lots of examples of people from the corporate world earning that sort of money, packing it in, in favour of starting an internet marketing business, which has less certainty and security. If money is not the reason, there must certainly be a reason or few why we are motivated.

The answer lies in the theory of a man known as Abraham Maslow who in 1943 published ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’. Although Maslow’s theory focused on employers’ responsibility to their employees in terms of understanding their motivation needs with a view of helping them achieve their potential, the same principles apply for the internet entrepreneur who is effectively both employer and employee of himself.

Maslow identified five motivation needs and placed them in a hierarchical order. According to the theory, the needs must be satisfied in turn starting with the lower order needs. It is only when one need is satisfied that we can focus on the other. The five stage model developed by Maslow is, starting with the lowest order need:

• Biological and Physiological Needs – these are basic need for survival and include things like the need for food, shelter, air and sleep

• Safety needs – the need for security, law and order, stability

• Love and Social – the need for family, relationships, marriage, work groups, social clubs

• Esteem needs – these are needs associated with recognition, status, reputation and achievement

• Self Actualisation – the need for personal growth, fulfilling potential

At a basic level what Maslow is trying to say is that if an employee has been evicted from her home and is looking for somewhere to stay (Safety needs), it would be difficult for her manager to motivate her to join a work group (Love and social needs) or to improve her sales targets (Esteem needs).

For the internet marketer, especially the one who leaves the six-figure income corporate job, he may have achieved the biological, safety, love and esteem needs but feels like he is not fulfilling his own unique potential. He may not feel he is contributing to society or achieving his life goals. Therefore, his need to self actualise will be his chief motivator. He is willing to achieve this even to the expense of losing his six-figure income.

We all have our motivation. Some people work very long hours which impacts on the amount of time they spend with their families. Their love and social needs will force them to turn their backs on reputation (self esteem) and money and opt for internet marketing business where they could address the social needs first and still be in a position to satisfy the self esteem and self actualisation needs after the lower order need has been satisfied.

Conversely, the reason why some people decide against starting an online business is not always because they do not have the money to do so or because they do not believe in the opportunity. One reason could be that their security needs have not been met. They need a stable job in the meantime to pay off that nagging debt or to support their household as they are the only breadwinners. The promise of earning a fortune in a relatively short space of time may be tempting but their safety needs will act as a stronger motivator than the lure of money.

Money is a means to an end. It is not required for the sake of it but to satisfy a need. In a war torn country for example, the need for security may appear the most important. However, if for example, a family has been holed up in a safe haven for a week without food, the dad may risk his life by coming out of hiding to scour for food (physiological need) even in the heat of battle. If he had money hidden with him, it may help him get food quicker especially if he knows where to look.

As internet marketers, it is important we understand what our motivational needs are at any given point in time and tailor our goals and plans accordingly. As our needs change we must review our goals. It is much easier to achieve our goals if we are motivated to do so.

INTERNET MARKETING ENTREPRENEUR ANNOUNCES VIDEO RELEASES

Carbon Copy PRO entrepreneur, Festus Sowah today announced plans to release a series of training videos over the next 12 months aimed at inspiring and motivating prospects, who are still undecided about starting their Carbon Copy PRO business.

Mr Sowah, who recently joined the internet marketing company that is the talk of the industry, said in a statement, “I am committed to helping as many people as possible achieve their life goals by providing them with tips, advice and information on internet marketing and self development”.

The internet marketer has published close to 100 articles on online marketing and self development and sees diversification into video production as a logical next step. He said “My plan is to reach people with different learning styles. The articles appeal to those who have a visual learning style, while the videos will reach those who respond to sight, sound and feelings”.

Unveiling his plans, Mr Sowah said “From August 1 2009, I will release one video a month on various aspects of leadership, motivation, entrepreneurial lifestyle, developing the right mindset and overcoming obstacles. The videos will teach budding entrepreneurs that success or failure in the industry depends on no one but themselves. I will teach them how to take action and do whatever it takes to succeed.

Festus Sowah is a member of Carbon Copy PRO based in New York. For more information, click here

Sunday, July 12, 2009

ONLINE MARKETING LIFESTYLE - AARON AND SOPHIA RASHKIN

This is the first in a series of articles about the lifestyle enjoyed by successful online marketing entrepreneurs. These articles are aimed at inspiring potential and new internet marketers by showing how ordinary people are achieving success and living the lives of their dreams through hard work, focus, commitment and personal development.

Aaron and Sophia Rashkin, a husband and wife team, have seen and done it all in online marketing. They have recruited over 1000 people from cold and warm markets and built lots of successful teams over their combined 15 year career in the industry using traditional multi-level marketing (MLM) methods.

They have now moved from the traditional methods as they had run out of family members to recruit, and increasingly prospects are reacting more negatively to being cold called. They have ditched the home parties and the high level of attrition in their business for Carbon Copy Pro, which is considered one of the best and fastest growing online marketing systems today.

In explaining the difference between the traditional and the Carbon Copy Pro ways, Aaron says, “Join any traditional network marketing company and they will teach you how to make your list, pitch your family and friends, cold call leads, host home parties and attend hotel events. This is called prospecting”. The former health and nutritional professional continues, “When you join Carbon Copy Pro, you will learn how to position yourself on the Internet, in front of a tremendous audience of online entrepreneurs or soon to be entrepreneurs, who are already looking for what you have to offer. This is not called prospecting, but marketing – big difference.

It has not been smooth sailing for the Rashkins. Before joining Carbon Copy Pro in 2008, they spent 5 years with a popular MLM company. They did everything to be successful including hosting parties, even when Sophia was pregnant with their second son. Having kept their own side of the bargain and recruited a large team, they were very disappointed and discouraged to realise they only made $4k a month.

Consequently, they took the decision to join Carbon Copy Pro, a decision that judging by their results, has been nothing short of inspired. In only their second month with the company marketing its business in a box, BiB and promoting financial and wealth management products, the Rashkins made nearly $6k. That was little compared to subsequent months, notably approximately $12k, $40k, $60k and $80k in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th months respectively.

The Rashkins are now living the life of their dreams. In early 2009, the top producing entrepreneurs announced their attendance at the Wealth Masters International – the company which owns the financial and wealth management products that they market – Private Wealth Group Conference at the fabulous Paradisus Palma Real resort in the breathtaking Dominican Republic. There, they will mingle with some of the most successful people in the industry like Jay Kubassek and Aaron Parkinson, co-founders of Carbon Copy Pro and learn the secrets to wealth creation and protection that is not readily accessible to the general public. They will be in an environment where they will work hard and play hard too.

Most importantly, their two boys and their nanny will be in tow. As Aaron points out, “what we love about working with Carbon Copy Pro is that even making this type of income, we are able to take a lot of time off and spend it with our two boys”. Recently, the couple have been to The Bahamas, Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Cancun, Mexican Riviera and Thailand to name a few. What’s more, they never miss a school event or field trip as they have the time to do it. Their time is not traded for dollars either. They have lots of it to spend on their needs and desires and those of their kids. “We have trips planned to New York, Las Vegas and wherever else we want to go in between, thanks to Carbon Copy Pro”, Aaron said.

The Rashkins believe anyone can be successful in the online marketing industry as long as they have the desire, are willing to learn new skills and work as hard as possible and more so with Carbon Copy Pro as the automated system backing them up. Final word goes to Sophia, “if you are looking for a major life change, have a huge desire to succeed, are coachable and teachable and willing to put forth the effort, we would consider you for our winning team.” These are not empty words either. The couple have been known to turn down applicants who they do not believe have what it takes to be successful in the industry.

Carbon Copy Pro’s mission is to create 100 millionaires by 2012. If the Rashkin’s progress is anything to go by, then the company should only be looking for 99 people now.

To see the business Aaron and Sophia have been building, click here

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

GOING OUT OF SALES ONLINE BUSINESS

So you have tried everything possible and you cannot control your business’ slide into the abyss? You’ve tried everything your sponsor and your system have taught you but to no avail? You are slowly coming to the realisation that you are going out of business? You’ve decided that striking it rich through online sales is not all it is cracked up to be? Well, think again.

It is true that on average only 3% of online businesses succeed. What is strange is that usually those who succeed and fail with a given opportunity have the same websites and system to promote and their sales copies are identical. Even more frustratingly, in exceptional circumstances, the successful entrepreneurs generate identical numbers of leads as some entrepreneurs who subsequently fail.

Strange as these might seem, there is a plausible explanation and it has nothing to do with luck. It’s called an ability to close the sale. Closing the sale refers to completing the sale of a product or opportunity on the one hand, and closing the sale of yourself on the other. Let us look at each in turn.

Closing the sale of the product or opportunity refers to an entrepreneur’s ability to convert leads to paying customers or team members. Traditionally, this depended on an entrepreneur’s personal selling skills either over the phone or in person. Recently, with the growth of and innovation in, the online marketing industry, this function can be outsourced to professional sales call centres, a service which normally comes as part of the opportunity package. These call centres, with their experienced sales professionals, call the leads on behalf of the entrepreneurs to affect the sale. The use of professionally written sales copies also performs the sales function well.

The most important sale is the sale of ‘You’. In the industry, it is also referred to as ‘marketing yourself’ or ‘self branding’. Increasingly, the successful entrepreneurs have proved that leads join the entrepreneur rather than the business. The entrepreneur who is better able to convince leads or prospects about their leadership, results and their ability to help the prospect or customer achieve their goals will get more team members and customers. It’s as simple as that.

The tools they use to self promote include video marketing, article marketing or blogs. Every marketer could use these tools but it is important that each entrepreneur identifies which tool works best for them.

It is also important for the struggling entrepreneur to identify his strengths. If personal selling is a weakness, for example, it would be advisable to join a company that can handle this for you through a dedicated call centre or professional written sales copy.

Regardless of how much money is invested in the business and the quality of the product or opportunity being promoted, an entrepreneur’s focus should be how effective is his sales process and his marketing of self.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

SPOTLIGHT ON A MILLIONAIRE – DONALD TRUMP


This is the third article of the ‘Spotlight on a millionaire’ series aimed at showcasing the secrets to a millionaire’s success in different spheres around the world to prove my theory that anybody could be a successful entrepreneur with the right attributes and mindset.

This piece concentrates on one quality of Donald Trump the flamboyant billionaire business mogul – resilience or what I will call ‘bouncebackability’.

Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946 and is the son of wealthy real estate developer Fred Trump. From an early age, young Donald followed his dad’s footsteps by making a name for himself in real estate. His first big gig was renovating the Commodore Hotel in Grand Hyatt, quickly followed by the Trump Tower in Fifth Avenue, New York City in 1982. He diversified into other industries like the entertainment industry owing casinos and the airline industry purchasing the Eastern shuttle routes.

He was as popular for his extravagant lifestyle as he was for his business successes. Flamboyant and outspoken, he had an eye for the ladies and enjoyed the celebrity lifestyle.

Trump’s fortune took a turn for the worse at the start of the 1990s, struggling under a mountain of debt and on the verge of bankruptcy with debts in excess of $900m. His love life also became a media circus with the public divorce with his wife Czech Ivana Zelnicek in 1992, after 15 years of marriage. He then married and divorced Marla Maples between 1993 – 1999.

The stress of both his business and personal lives may have been too much for most people but not for ‘The Donald’ as he is affectionately called by the media, a nickname coined after his ex-wife Ivana, referred to him as such in an interview. He did whatever it took to recover, brokering deals to protect his interests, restructuring his debt and even working for free. Failure was not an option to him. He regarded his losses not as threats to his livelihood but as challenges to be overcome and opportunities to grow more successfully.

By 2000, his recovery was astonishing and complete and worth over a billion dollars. In 2001, the 72 storey building, Trump’s World Tower was completed close to UN headquarters. Trump’s recovery was so remarkable that he was named the 278th richest man in the world by Forbes magazine. His businesses continue to grow from strength to strength.

The father of four is now married to the Slovenian model Melania Knauss. He is back in the media spotlight for the right reasons and is famous for his catchphrase “You’re fired” in the hit TV reality show, The Apprentice.

The keen golfer’s resurgence has not been coincidental. He has a knack of looking for solutions, rather than worrying about problems. This is a very important quality consistently demonstrated by successful entrepreneurs. His turnaround has been remarkable but also well planned and the success has been due to hard work, flair and his charisma. Trump would undoubtedly hate to return to the position he was in 1990, especially if it happened beyond his control. However, as a great entrepreneur, he would have learnt from his mistakes. Even in the unlikely event that the worst does happen, he has the attributes to bounce back once again.

Trump has seen both success and failure as an entrepreneur and he is one of the best of all time. It is important, therefore for entrepreneurs to realise that they should not rest on their laurels. More importantly, they must develop a mindset which ensures they never give up even when the going gets tough.

Monday, July 6, 2009

THE INTERNET ENTREPRENEUR MUST AVOID JUDGMENTAL PEOPLE

I find it difficult to appreciate judgmental people both as a man and as an internet entrepreneur. Do you not find them the most hypocritical of people?

Growing up, I learnt that when I point a finger at someone, the other three are pointed towards me. Even the thumb is pointing in my direction. That left an indelible impression on my psyche because now when I witness someone criticising, gossiping or judging another person, I mentally see the fingers and think, “I wonder what is there to criticise and gossip about you”.

No one is perfect. One of the top attributes of a human being is our ability to make mistakes and an even better attribute is to learn from our mistakes. When a woman cheats on her husband, for example, that does not make her a whore in my eyes. I would not stop talking to her or treat her any different as a result. If she chooses to learn from it with or without getting caught, good luck to her. If she doesn’t, I will not treat her differently, end of story.

When we judge people, we almost always use limited information. If we were privy to all the information, our judgment might change. This is why it is not advisable to waste time passing judgment in the first place. It is less complicated accepting people the way they are. If they do something that truly shocks me, I process the information within and come to the conclusion that we are human and capable of anything.

A friend of mine has recently started as an internet marketing entrepreneur and he is finding the going tough. I hope he succeeds because I admire his determination and his courage. When he spoke to his friends about starting his business, they ridiculed him and placed bets that if he started he would fail.

Bizarrely, they judged him before he even started. That he had the courage to get out of his comfort zone and ignore his peers already demonstrates that he is a man who has what it takes to succeed. In fact, my friend has pasted pictures of his friends in his home office that serves as motivation for his success.

Do you know what his friends do for a living? Two are unemployed and one works in a bar. Not that I am judging them. My message to judgmental people is judge not, unless you judge yourself first.

For those who listen to what others say as a guide as to how they live their lives, all I’ll say is I hope the person you are listening to has a track record of success. If not, I suspect that the person you are listening to is one who does not have the courage to change his undesirable situation and instead spends his life away discouraging others to step out and make their dreams come true. Not that I am one to judge.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF KEYWORDS IN ONLINE MARKETING

Understanding the value of keywords in online marketing and taking the relevant actions is the key to making significant profits in the industry. Understanding the power of keywords means picking the right keywords, leveraging them effectively and continuously reviewing their conversion rates.

Google is not an automatic money making machine on its own. The power of Google is in the keywords, not on Google itself. The reason that keywords are so important is simple. Keywords represent a custom built service for the Internet searcher. They ask the search engine for information on specific words and the information is returned to them. Hence the reason why the premium is attached to keywords.

The success of the online marketer is therefore linked to how well she leverages her keywords. She needs to plan them very carefully and do a lot of research. Picking effective keywords takes skill and patience. Acquiring the skill helps the online marketer remain calm under pressure.

To pick the right keywords, the online marketer must constantly watch for traffic and searches for the relevant words. If she is pursuing a cost per click advertising strategy, she must also ensure she is not paying over the odds to the point where the keywords are not delivering sufficient value to her business. To gain an indication of the value of the keywords, seek competitor information on what they are spending on the keywords.

It is also very important to note that loyalty to keywords based on an online marketer’s hunch is suicidal to her business. Over 90% of keywords lose money in cost per click advertising; therefore it is very important that the online marketer has management information on conversion rates for her keywords. She should quickly identify the ones that her making her money and ditch the rest as quickly as possible. This should be an ongoing review process as keywords do run their course. The online marketer should aim to spend the bulk of her advertising budget on around the best 5% of her keywords. This is how she can consistently make money.

Keywords and not Google is the key to making money in an online marketing business. Understanding the power of keyword leverage, being consistent and unsentimental in the use of keywords and picking the right ones are the keys to success in the industry.

Friday, July 3, 2009

THE HABITS AND MINDSET OF A MILLIONAIRE ENTREPRENEUR

A typical millionaire Internet marketer has certain habits and mindset that ensures their consistent success. For these entrepreneurs, success is not coincidental. These habits or mindset may be gained innately or by developing them through training and self development.

Below are just three of these habits or mindset.

Time is extremely precious to the millionaire online marketer

The millionaire online marketer is always guarded with the use of his time. In almost every single activity that he is engaged in, he will analyse either deliberately or mentally how effectively he is using his time. Many millionaires will have an estimate of how much they are worth per hour and set goals around increasing their value per hour. This is the reason why successful Internet marketing trainers, for example, charge high prices to deliver training. As they get more successful and people make more demands on their time, they charge even higher prices.

They also split up their days into revenue and non-revenue producing times. Non-revenue producing times are usually late at night, where they afford themselves the treat of actually watching television for example. Revenue producing time is when they are hard at work, either growing their business or helping others do the same. Even their personal development is undertaken in their non-revenue producing time. This implies a high level of planning and organising on their part. They are very consistent and persistent and in control of their actions and words. If you ask an online marketing entrepreneur for help or have a chat with him, he is likely to bring time into your conversation. Do not be surprised if he asked you something like, “what can I do for you in the next minute?” He is probably in his revenue producing period and you are infringing on his time.

Making Money is not enough

The common mistake of new Internet marketers is to be seduced by the amount of earnings they could potentially make with an online marketing business. This is simply not good enough for the millionaires in the industry. They are more interested in profits. For them managing the money they make is what really counts. They are always looking at ways of improving their returns for every $1 spent.

Helping others make money is very important to them as well. This is the reason they are likely to spend the bulk of their time with only relatively few members of their teams. These are the members who they have identified as demonstrating the habits and mindset required to be successful. In online marketing, the success of these team members means residual income for the millionaire, so that is all the justification they require.


They are psychologically unemployable

This is a very important mindset in online marketing. The majority of the success stories in online marketing will tell you they fired their boss before striking it rich and spent the next couple of weeks or months questioning their own sanity. However, they have the mindset that failure is not an option in their business and will do whatever it takes to succeed. They use the fear of going back to work for somebody else as motivation to succeed. In their minds, quitting and returning to work is one of the worst things that could happen to them. The strength in potential adversity drives them on.

The millionaire habits and mindset can be developed but it requires a lot of focus and discipline. Good planning and organising skills are also required as well as total respect for time and money. They develop a loathing for working for someone else that drives their success.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

CREATING YOUR OWN REALITY IN INTERNET BUSINESS

There are a lot of claims and counter claims relating to the perception of internet marketing. Some people claim the majority of these business opportunities are scams and should be avoided in favour of brick and mortar businesses, while others believe the high six figure incomes are easily achievable. The truth lies somewhere in between. However, that truth is not the same for everyone and depends on our versions of reality.

My reality is that high incomes are achievable but not easily. It requires me to be patient, persistent and consistent in order to achieve my goals. I am conditioned to believe that there will be frustrating times when it feels like my business is not going anywhere and that I must not quit at the first sign of a setback. In my world, I believe failure in internet marketing is mainly due to the internet entrepreneur not doing whatever it takes to be successful. My reality has also ensured I am confident of achieving anything I set my mind to.

We all have our realities. If there are six billion people in the world, there must be six billion different realities. Some may be similar but no two will ever be the same. For the people in poor developing nations for example, their reality is a life of constant struggle, where they may believe education is a privilege and not a right. In Western nations, the reverse is more likely true.

The beauty about realities is that it is not fixed. We could opt to change our realities at any moment. This involves challenging our beliefs and gradually changing them. To be successful in internet marketing, the buck must stop with you. If you believe you are fine but it is just the system, your sponsor or your team members that are causing you problems, you are bound to fail. Develop a mindset of always taking responsibility. If you believe your sponsor is not offering you enough support for example, instead of blaming him, consider how you could change the state of affairs. Do you need to contact him more regularly instead? Are you following the system or are you just doing your own thing? If your team members are dropping out of your business like flies, consider whether you are recruiting the right calibre of people in the first place. Are you offering them enough support?

One of the main realities that is important for the success of your business is believing you are a successful entrepreneur. If you do not believe this, then pack up and go home. Your reality reflects the way you see yourself inside. If you believe you are successful, your actions will be those of a successful person meaning you will spend more time with successful people, you will undergo self development training, and you will persevere until you get the breakthrough and so on.

The people that claim the six figure income are easily achievable in internet marketing and go on to achieve it are those who have probably done it before or who are supremely confident in their abilities. Those who believe internet marketing claims are scams are most probably those who are conditioned to believe that internet marketers are offering get-rich-quick schemes. They are not. Internet marketing requires a lot of hard work but unlike the brick and mortar business and traditional employment, the rewards could be high for relatively low investment of time and money, if you apply yourself correctly.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

3 REASONS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CARRY OUT KEYWORD RESEARCH BEFORE WRITING CONTENT

Many people make the mistake of writing content before adding their keywords. Not only is this time consuming, it also affects the quality of the content, which may appear disjointed. Here are 3 top reasons why it is better to do the keyword research before creating content.

Keywords help you structure the article better

Armed with your keywords for any given article you are in a better position to structure your article for maximum effect. You will know the keyword density required and this will help your decision on whether to just use your keywords or variations of them, so they are not obvious. You will be able to more effectively place the keywords at strategic points in your article. You article will appear more natural and free flowing if the keywords are produced with the rest of the content.

Confidence that people are interested in your subject matter

There is a marked difference between the quality of content of the confident writer as opposed to one lacking confidence. With keyword research, you will have a better idea of the most popular keywords as you would have noted their usage and ranked them accordingly. You will be writing free from the pressure of wondering whether your article would reach your targeted audience and enough of them to grow your business for that matter. Believe it or not, that would influence how you come across in your writing. Knowing your article will be read by many people helps you come across confidently and this in turn would ensure you gain a loyal following before long.

Keywords help you create content quickly

Effective keyword research means drawing up a list of keywords in your business, checking the popularity of each and ranking them accordingly. You can then match these keywords against a list of issues or problems faced by people in the business that needs to be addressed.

For example, if you are an online marketer and your chosen keyword is online marketing, you may identify an issue that a lot of people are scared to start a business because of their fear of failure. This could give rise to the article idea, Conquering Your Fear of Failure in Online marketing. You will also need to draw up the list of issues or problems before writing the content.

In online marketing, as a guide, aim for around 50 keywords at any point in time and develop a list of issues around areas like prospecting, training, start-up capital, marketing budget, warm lists, residual income and so on. By matching the keywords and the issues together, you should be equipped with many article ideas. You will also have lots of options which should help you choose articles you feel ready to write about at any given time, which also contributes to the quality of the work you produce.

It is essential that effective keyword research is carried out before you write your articles. This will enhance the quality of the work you produce and increase the probability that your content is read by your targeted audience. You will also be in a position of not worrying about running out of ideas.

Monday, June 29, 2009

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY IN INTERNET MARKETING

A lot of internet marketers seem to believe that by portraying themselves as mega-successful and mega-rich entrepreneurs, they stand a greater chance of growing their team and making a success of their business. They are suffering from short-termism. For longevity, honesty is the best policy. The following are three ways to ensure you build a strong foundation for your business that leads to sustainable long term growth.

BE YOURSELF

As a new internet marketer, it is tempting to present yourself as a Superstar or Overachiever. What I’m about to say may go against the grain of what you’ve been led to believe but using this tactic is not only risky but dishonest. It’s true that you are more likely to attract new members if they are impressed with your track record, but they will be very disappointed if they subsequently found out that you were lying. You may recruit a lot of members initially, based on your disinformation but it is highly likely that the level of attrition in your business will be high as you lose the trust and confidence of your team members.

The good news is that you can still market your business without using earnings as your unique selling proposition. You can instead, focus on the lifestyle your business helps you to achieve. Lifestyle is just as important as money, if not more. Is not one of the reasons why you want to be rich to have a better lifestyle? You could use how your business helps you to spend more time with your kids, helps you to pursue your hobbies, ensures you contribute better to your community and helps build your confidence as a person as examples.

You need to be yourself in your marketing activities and it will come across. Lie or be economical with the truth and you will be quickly found out.

BE OPEN ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

A lot of internet marketers hide the true costs of their business opportunity to convince leads to become team members. Yet, they profess to be focused on serving the interests of their team members. This is not only a dishonest act but also a poor tactic. It is better in the long run to recruit only the people who you are equipped to be in the business for a relatively long period of time. This is how we make money as residual income.

If a prospect knows the true cost of the opportunity, he will have the option to join now, join later or not join at all. That is entirely up to them. An internet marketer should not be trying just to get them to join so their income may be boosted. That is unethical and is the reason why the leaders in the industry are working so hard to change the negative perception influenced by some undesirable practices.

What an internet marketer should be doing instead is advising prospects on the best way to build their businesses based on their budget. If they do not have enough for the opportunity, tell them so. They will respect you more and there is a good chance they will find more money to enrol as they gain your trust.

BE A LEADER

The best way to be a success in internet marketer is to be a leader. A leader serves the interests of his team and a successful one is one who has grown a team with relatively low level of attrition. This success leads to wealth.

The leader must lead by example, by following the marketing plan she is teaching. Obviously, all team members will be at different stages of their development. However, the marketing plans for each team member of a certain level should be consistent. You need to demonstrate as openly and honestly as you can how successful your marketing strategies are. When something doesn’t work for you, share it with your team. This could serve as great motivation for some as they would realise that you do not have to be perfect to be successful in internet marketing.

It is advisable to let your team know your modus operandi as early as possible. Successful leaders spend the majority of the time they allocate to team members, coaching and mentoring those who are showing the desire to succeed and taking action. This should be independent of results to some extent. This is because, even in the case where two internet marketers are taking the exact same actions, both businesses will grow at a different rate. If the system is working as it should, then success will come. Once your team knows how you operate, they will understand better that it is their efforts and not yours that will lead to their success.

Being a successful internet marketer does not require one to be economical with the truth. Any successful entrepreneur will only want to work with people who are likely to succeed and not those who do not know what they are letting themselves in for. By being you, being open and demonstrating good leadership, the chances of being successful is greatly enhanced because in internet marketing, honesty is the best policy.

Friday, June 26, 2009

SPOTLIGHT ON A MILLIONAIRE - SIR RICHARD BRANSON


The second of my ‘Spotlight on a Millionaire’ series focuses on Sir Richard Branson. Sir Richard has demonstrated that anyone could be a successful entrepreneur with the right attitude and mindset. OK, so he’s a billionaire now, but the same principles apply.

In 2008, Forbes Magazine named Sir Richard among the 250 richest people in the world. Born on July 18 1950, the young Branson suffered from dyslexia and consequently, struggled academically. However, he identified his key strengths at a very early age. That skill was his ability to relate to people effortlessly and genuinely.

Sir Richard came from a reputable family with both father and grandfather working in the judiciary. That did not deter him from starting his entrepreneurship selling records out of the trunk of his car.

With hard work and a good team around him, he soon graduated to owning a record store in Oxford Street, London. He also co-owned the record label, Virgin Records which he sold in 1992 to grow his Virgin Airline business. Subsequently, he has entered the railway industry and continues to grow his airline business. For example, recently, the entrepreneur merged with SN Brussels Airline and has also formed a brand new national airline in Nigeria, Virgin Nigeria.

In 1992, Sir Richard demonstrated his people touch by splitting an out of court settlement of over £500k paid by British Airways for alleged libel, among his employees.

He received his knighthood in 1999 for his services to entrepreneurship. A man who never rests on his laurels, he has been involved in several world record attempts, including crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by sea and air and circumnavigating the globe.

Recently, he has worked with Nelson Mandela and musician Peter Gabriel to appoint prominent global leaders to form a group known as The Elders, tasked with finding solutions to some of the world’s long standing conflicts.

Several lessons can be learnt from the achievements of Sir Richard Branson. Firstly, his lack of academic achievement shows that we all have weaknesses, even the most successful entrepreneurs. However, we can overcome these weaknesses by focusing on our key strengths. His was relating to people in a positive way, demonstrated by his tremendous generosity towards his employees mentioned above. Secondly, the best entrepreneurs are those who demonstrate leadership – the better your leadership, the more likely you are to achieve results. Thirdly, a successful entrepreneur does not sit back and admire his achievements but instead is always looking for new challenges.

Watch out for the next ‘Spotlight on a Millionaire’.

RIP Michael Jackson

I am at a loss as to what to say regarding Michael Jackson's shock passing. I grew up loving his songs and never mastering the moonwalk. He had his problems along the way. However, it is clear Michael had achieved his purpose in life, touching so many lives with his music, love and vulnerability.

You will be sadly missed but it's clear you achieved your life goal of being the biggest entertainer of your time. May God grant you eternal rest.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

BUDDING INTERNET ENTREPRENEUR JOINS CARBON COPY PRO

Festus Sowah has become one of the latest Internet marketers to join CarbonCopyPRO. He expressed delight at joining the Internet marketing company. “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining an Internet marketing team that puts the success of its members at the heart of its vision”.

CarbonCopyPRO is revolutionizing the Internet marketing industry. With its turnkey business-in-a-box, co-founders Jay Kubassek and Aaron Parkinson are committed to creating 100 millionaires by 2012. They have moved away from the traditional MLM model like growing a business from a warm market and are providing their members with pre-designed websites, auto-responders, qualifying filters and a high quality call centre. These actions have dramatically increased the general success rate, with people from all backgrounds and experience levels getting results which they never thought possible.

Festus Sowah is quoted as saying, “in all my time in the Internet marketing industry, I have never seen a simpler way to make money online than with CarbonCopyPRO. They are here for the long haul as they constantly improve their marketing system to stay ahead of the competition”.

CarbonCopyPRO is based in New York. For further information visit: Victory Centre Opportunity

SPOTLIGHT ON A MILLIONAIRE - CURTIS JACKSON


This is the first of the ‘Spotlight on a Millionaire’ series where I will be showcasing the secrets to a millionaire’s success in different spheres around the world to prove my theory that anybody could be a successful entrepreneur with the right attributes and mindset.

The focus in this piece is on New York rapper 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson. By sharing his path to success, I will highlight the transferable attributes and mindset he demonstrated on the road to success that can be applied to internet marketing

Curtis Jackson was born on July 6 1975 and grew up without knowing his dad. His mum Sabrina, who gave birth to him as a 15 year old, was a drug dealer and was murdered when young Curtis was only 8 years old. Consequently, he was raised by his grandparents in a crowded house of uncles and aunts.

Young Curtis was constantly in trouble with the police for dealing drugs, culminating in a six months stint in a boot camp which helped him avoid serving 3 – 9 years in prison. He was also a keen boxer in his early teens and attributes his competitive nature in rap and life in general to the conditioning he got in boxing. He competed in the Junior Olympics in the mid 1980s. Here, you can see a young man demonstrating competitiveness and courage. Competitiveness in the context of internet marketing include continually looking for ways to enhance self development, learning new techniques to have better results from marketing and setting goals at periodic intervals.

He borrowed the stage name 50 Cent from Kelvin Martin who made a name for himself robbing gangsters. Curtis Jackson has explained that his stage name was a metaphor for change. The rapper commented in Stuff Magazine in 2005 that he chose the name because “I’m the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means”. This clearly shows a mindset of someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. In the context of internet marketing, doing whatever it takes to succeed could include listening to training calls, increasing your marketing budget, following the system and learning from successful entrepreneurs in your business.

His first break came when he was introduced to Jam Master Jay of Run DMC in 1996. The legendary DJ and producer taught him how to organise, structure and record his songs. Although they didn’t release an album together, 50 Cent credits Jam Master Jay as an important early influence in his career. Following 50 Cent’s lead, a budding entrepreneur must ensure he aligns himself with a successful entrepreneur as early as possible. He should try as much as possible to get a mentor, if not his sponsor but someone in his upline or he can get one through networking. It is also important to note that 50 Cent had moved away from his drug dealing colleagues by this time which implies that the new entrepreneur must as much as possible distance himself from people that bring little or no benefit to his business.

Three years later, 50 Cent was signed to Columbia Records by successful producers, Trackmasters. He completed the album, Power of the Dollar in 2000 although it was never officially released. By now, 50 Cent was gaining street acclaim, especially as a result of the single ‘How to Rob’, where the Southside Queens rapper talked about how and why he would rob the top artists of the time. With effort, dedication and hardwork comes success. 50 Cent had not achieved his main goal at this time of making the mainstream, but the little success he was having must have served as motivation for him to keep on going. As an entrepreneur, always have a main goal but also have interim goals or milestones that signpost you to achieving the main goal.

Just as he was about to make a breakthrough, on May 24 2000, 50 Cent was shot 9 times in front of his grandmother’s house. He mysteriously survived and began to convince himself he had a purpose in life which was as yet unfulfilled. Even though he was dropped by Columbia Records in the wake of the shooting 50 Cent did not give up and continued to make underground hits backed by the newly formed G-Unit comprising of fellow New Yorkers, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. The example we must learn here is that even in the face of considerable setback, we must not give up but continue to have faith in our ability to turn things around. We must persevere and be consistent and the break or success will come.

50 Cent’s big break finally arrived in 2002, when rap megastar, Eminem heard one of his mixtapes (underground album). Eminem was so impressed that he introduced the rapper to NWA legend Dr Dre by now a top producer. 50 Cent was subsequently signed to a $1m record deal. 50 Cent could have given up not knowing how close success was after he was shot. Incidentally, he was shot because some highly feared gangsters did not want him to succeed in the rap game as that would affect the sales of their artist’s records. 50 Cent ignored the threats and persisted. By being persistent and consistent, an entrepreneur’s break will come. We must learn to overcome our fear of failure and be courageous in pursuing our dreams.

In early 2003, the album which was to change his life forever, ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was released. The lead single from the album ‘In da Club’ broke all sorts of records, firmly establishing 50 Cent in the commercial mainstream. The album sold nearly 1 million copies in its first week alone, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard chart.

50 Cent has followed up the phenomenal success of ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by releasing two more platinum albums, the Massacre and Curtis and has also released albums with G-Unit and countless mixtapes. He is planning to release a new album in 2009, ‘Before I Self Destruct’. Clearly, 50 Cent is not a man to rest on his laurels. All successful entrepreneurs share this trait of also striving for more. They are never content with present successful and are always pushing themselves to new boundaries.

50 Cent frequently records mixtapes which he allows his fans to download for free over the internet. He is demonstrating a mindset which is crucial to the success of an internet marketer. By using his mixtapes as promotion, 50 Cent is basically offering something of value to his customers to gain customer loyalty. By doing this on a consistent basis, selling his products become easier. Entrepreneurs must firstly focus on providing value to their customers before trying to sell their products.

Mr Jackson’s success is not confined to the music business alone. He has other business projects. In 2007, Coca Cola purchased Glaceau, in which 50 Cent had a stake, netting him around $100m after tax, according to Forbes Magazine. He has also been involved in film projects like ‘Righteous Kill’ with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino and ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’, a film based on his life. A successful entrepreneur will always look to get out of her comfort zone as the motivation of stretching her boundaries to become the best she can drives her on.

50 Cent will undoubtedly continue to be a success. By approaching his music as a business instead of a hobby, the rapper is living the life of his dreams. His mindset and attributes are transferable and will almost guarantee his success in his projects outside of music. His belief and faith in his ability will help him to exercise patience when the going gets tough, his competitiveness will ensure he does whatever is required to succeed in whatever his set his mind to and his courage means failure is not an option.

50 Cent has qualities every entrepreneur needs to be successful and to achieve the life of their dreams and he certain is an example that supports my theory that with the right attributes and mindset anyone can be successful.