I guess you could say that I'm an "old timer" when it comes to marketing on the internet. I was a partner in an internet company that was an exhibitor at the very first Internet World Conference in Los Angeles WAY before the turn of the century. I've made a good living building income on the internet in various ways … marketing my "brick and mortar" businesses on the internet, selling my books on the internet, doing affiliate marketing on the internet, and as an independent representative for a network marketing company that I marketed exclusively on the internet, all of which, I have generated substantial revenue.
So, why is a guy like me doing serious introspection about what I would do differently? First and foremost, I have wasted a whole lot of time, money and effort learning what works and what doesn't. I spend a great deal of my time these days coaching others who want to earn good livings using the internet, and, consequently, I have time to consider how I would do things differently. So, for those of you who have found this article, I thought I'd just propose a few things to consider, if you are in the process of building a business that will either increase your profits via the internet, or you are building an exclusively internet-based business.
1. The Rules of Internet Business Really Aren't That Different Than Any Other Business.
I would encourage you to think of the internet in two ways. In any business, you need the right tools to do the job. The same is true with internet business. The internet is a tool, which, when used properly, will help you to accomplish a goal. The internet, in an of itself is not a magic genie, a miracle problem solver or a crystal ball. It's a tool. Second, the internet is primarily a marketing tool. Just like brochures or commercials or pharmacy bags, the internet is a tool for you to market. What does this mean? It means that you still have to have a solid product or service that people want to buy. Thinking more of your business as a marketing tool will help to alleviate what I like to call the "magic lamp" syndrome … just rub the magic internet lamp and your wishes will come true. I suggest you eliminate that kind of thinking if you want to be successful.
2. My wonderful mentor, Bill Gower, an incredibly successful entrepreneur used to tell me this every time we got together: To be successful, you have to identify other successful people, and copy what they do.
For some reason, there's a natural distaste for this advice. We all want to think that we are smarter than that other guy, and we'll do it "our way". Well, with deference to Frank Sinatra, success in any business, and especially internet business, is best accomplished by finding others who are successful and copying them. The money is not in re-inventing the wheel. Success comes from copying the wheel. Seek out others who are successful, let them be your mentors, and do it "their way". Find a pattern of success and copy it. The great thing is that my experience has been that the people I know who are successful in internet business are amazingly generous with their time and their systems. Yes, many would really like to make money helping you, but, then, what's wrong with that? If they are successful, and they have a system that works, they should be paid for their work. Pay them, copy them, and you will have the very best possibility of being successful yourself.
3. Find a way to spend money on the right things. I, like many others, have, at times, fallen into the trap of believing that everything good on the internet is free. It's not. Plain and simple. Just like every other business that anyone has ever been successful at, you have to invest not just your time (which I believe is substantial) but also your money. If you aren't willing to spend money making your business successful, you just won't be successful. Sorry to have to break it to you, but the internet is not free. At least marketing on the internet is not free. The good news is, that if you spend strategically, you can use the internet to leverage your dollars, so that you can, actually be successful without spending a fortune. And if you have a good mentor, you'll spend the right amount of money on the right things, and you will do just find.
There you go. The truth as I see it, and I'm sorry if it bursts your bubble. I truly believe the internet is a wonderful tool for accomplishing your business goals. Now take down the blinders, and go for it!
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Mark "Slim" Albertson is an internet marketing coach, lecturer, and author of 5 books on internet marketing. Having turned to internet marketing in th 1990's, life has never been the same for this internet entrepreneur. You can read Slim's articles, subscribe to a regular internet marketing newsletter, and learn more about Slim's books at ==== > http://slimzblog.com
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