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If you’re still struggling to make your Internet business a success or, as yet, haven’t managed to get on the ladder and make a sale, although you see people day in and day out making sales who have neither your skills nor ability, then you’re probably thinking that this game just isn’t for you. What’s worse is that there are loads of people out there just telling you to hang on and you’ll get it in the end if you just never give up. Then you start to wonder just how much longer you can stay in the game before losing your home.

Sound familiar? I’d be surprised if it didn’t because there are a whole load of strugglers trying to make their Internet business work. This is not difficult to comprehend as there are countless articles out there on how to be the best and most successful person if you only would follow whoever is writing said article. The sheer volume of stuff suggests that most are not winning ( so at least you are not alone).

I’ll touch on that in a moment but let me just explain how I intend to run this series of articles about why your Internet business isn’t performing as you’d like ( despite feeling you’ve done everything you’ve been told so far ). Simply put, there is a three step process to this:

1. Identify with the prospect and their problem
2. Help show them how to overcome said problem
3. Include a Call To Action.

I intend to cover each point in more detail in future articles as well as further articles on the more peripheral aspects which I mention further along in this article.

Now, I don’t doubt that you’ve heard a lot of this before ( and even mention of those points in particular ). The problem is they are very often misinterpreted or misunderstood completely. Broadly speaking, we’re talking about teaching people a skill here and to do that there has to be an understanding of why people buy before you can even consider passing this knowledge on to others.

So in this article, let’s take a look at why people buy from somebody, rather than them buying something – because they do, believe me ( and, yes, I know – you’ve been told all about selling yourself so you’ve put yourself on Facebook, Twitter and all manner of social networking sites but still, people just don’t buy it – or you, do they? ).This isn’t wrong, but it is not enough in itself to make somebody want to buy from you.

The problem is this – you’re telling them all about yourself with mandatory picture of the dog and you taking part in activities etc., but most people are not actually looking for a friend ( well, ok., some may be but those people who buy into your business just because they want a friendly chat now and again won’t keep the mortgage people happy).

No, what you have to do is not just show everyone how wonderful and interesting you are or astound them with you intelligence, but show them ( note, I say show – not tell ) that you are the person to help move them forward in their goal. Simply put, you have to teach them Actually, the buzz word is educational marketing, but it all comes down to pure and simple teaching ( if teaching could ever be describes thus ).

You may have twigged by now that we have just covered step 2 ( if not inadvertently ) in the process I mentioned above as well as covering the topic as to why people will buy from you. I.e., helping to show them, the prospect, how to overcome the problem by teaching rather than pitching. I also hope that you can see the two are inseparable in that to help people and so attract them, you have to understand what you are doing yourself – and that means knowing what your prospect expects from you.

I intend to cover the other points of identifying with prospects and calls to action in a future article as well as ways in which people learn and what makes them read your article in the first place. These are all part of the Attraction Marketing Process and I suspect that most people are exercising some of these things but in order for the process to work, it is imperative that each aspect is not just implemented but understood as well.

This will lead you to not only having more confidence which will reflect in your postings, but will show you to be a better leader over all, so perpetuating your success.

Using Blogs And Articles In Your Internet Marketing Business Plan

In order to maximise web site search engines, it might be tempting to post pieces of writing to as many sites as possible. This may include your own blogs, article marketing sites, social networking sites as well as your own customised web site. All very well and good, you may think.

Or is it?

Quite apart from the fact that many article publishers only like to see original content and not something that is ploughed out here there and everywhere, there is also the question of whether something is actually an article or a blog. Indeed, does anyone actually know enough about this to even notice? Let’s look at what the Internet says about both articles and blogs and then I shall expand in a little more depth about my own theory.

Blog.
Let’s look at this first of all. Just our of interest, the absolutely correct way of spelling it is ‘blog. This is because the word is a derivative of two words i.e., web and log. The apostrophe replaces the word web. Not wishing to sound pedantic, however, it shall be referred to as blog for the purposes of this article. Generally speaking, it would seem that the accepted norm is to describe a blog as a commentary. This implies a certain amount of bias and could be described more of a point of view than a factual description of events.

Article.
This refers to an unbiased description of events. In other words, a news item. Quite whether any event can be said to be described in an unbiased way, of course, is open to argument and clearly a topic for another article as opposed to something that should be included in here.

Perhaps the difference can be made clearer by looking at how the subject of this article was introduced in the opening paragraph. Had it been written for the purposes of a blog, it might have begun as follows – - As one who is always looking for the easiest, most productive way to generate more website traffic, I can be relied upon to maximise any piece of writing by having it posted to many high quality sites as possible. The difference is not just viewpoint being biased or otherwise, rather that the subject and object change. In the case of the blog, the subject is the writer. In the case of the article, the discussion about blog and articles is the subject ( of the piece ).

Compound those facts with the general trend of the blog moderators to lean towards blogs being used to describe the more personal aspects of our lives, it would make sense to assume that the article should be kept for the article marketing sites alone.

This will, of course, be in the interests of the people managing the article writing sites as well for the reason mentioned above ( they prefer original content that has not been shared with any number sites out there ) and so resulting in a win – - win situation. This is something that should be aimed for when making your Internet marketing business plan as you start your Internet business.

Is Teaching The New Selling?

If teaching is, as I suggest, the new selling, then I might be in trouble running my own Internet business – not because I disagree with the concept, but rather because all those teachers out there may want to have a share in what I am doing! Allow me to explain how I have arrived at this theory. To do so, we need to go back almost twenty years when I was at a party talking with a chap who was just that little bit older ( naturally ) and wiser than I was.

If I remember correctly, he was either a  social worker or salesman – I forget which but it doesn’t matter for now. The bottom line is he had a theory that if you could teach, you could do social work and selling as well. I was actually considering becoming a driving instructor at the time and I assumed he was just padding the conversation to appear interested in my future goal.

In retrospect, I don’t think I could have been more wrong – and yes, I know some people will say that they have living proof that what I am suggesting isn’t so but there will, of course, always be exceptions to prove the rule. Anyway, allow me to explain in a more practical way why these three professions have such a transferable skill. In order to help somebody, we need to be a good listener. This ins not just to ascertain where the client is “coming from” but also to allow them to try and work out the answer for themselves. In teaching, a popular method is the use of Socratic questioning whereby one would ask  the pupil a series of questions until they worked out the answer for themselves. It is not difficult to see how this method can be used in the aforementioned professions.

So, to come back to the original point as to whether teaching is, indeed, the new selling or not, we need to consider just what selling really is in relation to marketing as well because  there always seems to be a fine line in distinguishing the two. I, personally, see marketing as the written word or advert that draws a potential customer in and the selling part that whereby you actually speak with said client. The  buzz word of the last few years in marketing has been that of Educational Marketing – whereby  one would offer a piece of information that worked to educate the potential customer in order to interest them enough to want to learn more.

Does it not make sense, then, to suggest that the selling process which inevitably follows the marketing should be done in a teaching manner? For example, you might follow up with a short  question and answer ( Socratic ) session to allow the client to come up with his own solution ( which just happens to be what you are offering him ). OK., so perhaps this has been happening for longer than I have been involved in starting a marketing business on the Internet, and so one might not, perhaps, be able to say that the concept is a new one at all. It does, however, put into perspective the argument that the three jobs I mention above are all one and the same thing anyway so that the teaching is in the selling, new or not!

One question that is paramount in people’s minds right now ( in just about every country in the world ) is, of course, whether it is actually very wise to start an Internet business in the current economic climate. To this query I’m tempted to use an old cliché here and say, ‘Well, yes, actually because there’s no time like the present is there?’  I doubt, however, that that is likely to wash with most potential clients.  Rather than going into a detailed explanation/argument about the economy and world events that is likely to send y our prospect to sleep, I would be inclined to keep everything very simple ( as ever ).

Explain that there are either of two things that can happen in the immediate future:

1.The economy can turn around either slowly or rapidly

2. The economy can get worse.

Whichever of the two it happens to be, I really cannot see any disadvantage to starting your own business either from a practical or psychological aspect.  Let’s take point one to begin with. Imagine that things start to pick up and you have just set up in business – people will suddenly start to feel buoyant again and the thrill will allow them to feel that the world is their oyster. Psychologically, then, they are likely to be feeling a little elated and keen to get in on something that is growing – before all their friends beat them to it, perhaps? I would anticipate that if this becomes the case, there will be a surge in people wanting to come ‘on board.’ The practical  reasons are obvious because people will see the bottom of the recession as  the right time to start investing ( in a new businesses, shares or other venture ). From a psychological viewpoint, they are now more likely to go into something a little bit more entrepreneurial than your usual run of the mill stocks and shares and banking alternatives than they may have in the past. This is, of course, due to the fact that trust has been lost within those sectors and we all know that trust is what you build a successful business on, don’t we?

Let’s now assume that the economy gets worse ( as in point 2 ). Well, psychologically, it’s my view that the worse it gets, the more likely people are to jump ship from where ever they are operating and not wait to be pushed – rather take the initiative ( people love to feel they are doing that ) and find a new situation over which they hold more control. From a practical point of view, they are also likely to see ‘the writing on the wall’ for conventional businesses as a whole and so reinforcing the view that getting out is better than being pushed out while they still have some cash to play with!

So, to come back to the old clichés, I’m tempted to use another and say ‘The time is right’ to start your own show. Indeed, one has to ask the question as to whether we can afford not to start our own businesses rather than trust  ourselves to a system that has let the majority of the world down so badly. I know which side of the fence I’m on so perhaps I may finish with a slight amendment to the latter cliché above and that is ‘The time is always right to start your own  ( Internet ) business.

If you’re interested in joining me as you start an Internet Business in less than a week, then please come to my website where you can get involved straight away or request more information.

Hoping to hear from you soon

If you’re interested in joining me as you start an Internet Business in less than a week, then please come to my website where you can get involved straight away or request more information.

Hoping to hear from you soon

Article Number 8

The Fundamentals Of Running An Internet Business

There are three fundamental things to consider when starting an Internet Business though some would say four – I touch on that later – and we’ll look at these individually in the article. These are :

1. Your product or service.

2. Your sales/marketing process.

3. Book keeping.

Let’s take each point individually.

1. Your own product or service.

There are two ways of looking at this. Some would say that if you have a fantastic product, then it will sell itself. Others will tell you that it doesn’t matter what the product is, if you have he right sales person. As ever, I have to disagree with both norms and say that for the best results they both matter to a degree. I would suggest that the ultimate business machine is one where the seller is second to none and also the product is one about which he feels passionate. Chances are if he does, then someone else will too. Realistically, though, it’s likely that you will have minor deficiencies in either the sales technique or the product itself. In this case, I would say that combination of average product and sales process is better than an imbalance of one or the other.

2. Next is your sales and marketing.

Once you have your product, this is where we sort the wheat form the chaff. Some people say that sales and marketing are one and the same thing – I say that marketing is the sales process in print that draws the client in and ready to close. Having said that, there are occasions when the marketing will complete the sales process, as well. The marketing should be done in small stages, thereby slowly revealing a little more about the product or service a little at a time – so keeping the customer fascinated enough to keep wanting to know more. Sometimes, the customer will need a telephone call to complete and this is he part I cal the sales process. A good system will have people for you to call on to carry out this procedure if you are not comfortable with it ( and most people are not ).

3. Your book keeping.

This should be kept as simple as possible and you do not have to splash out on the latest computer software to start a small Internet business – particularly if you are a sole trader within the service industry where no stock is required. Indeed, all that is required in that case, is a small cash book to show what comes in and what goes out. Get an accountant to do the balance sheet and profit and loss account. They are pretty cheap for very small businesses and some will even do your books for free for the first year – or at least a larger discount.

If you keep things simple to begin with, setting up on your own Internet business should not be an arduous or stressful task. Begin by finding a system that offers you the things mentioned above and you shouldn’t go far wrong. Having said that, you will most likely have to work very hard for the first year or so – indeed, I should have made that number four in the of the fundamental point shown above. Most of all, however, enjoy yourself!

The problem with giving advice when people want to set up an Internet business is when you come to have a problem and you can’t actually follow that same advice yourself. Actually, that’s not entirely true because the advice to which I refer concerns an article I did about deciding what to write  about when your chosen method of marketing was writing articles. It has to be said in my case that the problem is not knowing what to write about but rather what to write. Indeed, is there any difference?  Let us look at that point in more detail.

I have no shortage of subject matter. In fact, anyone that has had even a modicum of success in business should have something they can put pen to paper about. There will always be someone out there who is at a similar stage  of learning to you who can benefit from your newly found expertise! No, the problem here is just a mental block on actually writing anything down at  all. In other words, a severe case of writer’s block. I suspect that there is no one out there that has not suffered form this at some time or other and it  might be a good idea to look first at the cause and then the cure.

One of the most common is probably having to write under pressure – in other words, when you have a deadline to meet and an editor that does not ( or will not ) understand this particular condition as something that is real. The other cause ( and this is most certainly the case with me ) is when I have a lot on my mind. That doesn’t mean to say when you have  a backlog of stuff  to deal with – rather a lot of emotional problems that just seem to cause a complete barrier to any creative flow.

Let us now consider the cures for these two cases. With the first example, my advice is get into a routine every day/week as required so that your creativity actually becomes a habit. If you remember being at school and having to be there the same time each day and doing certain lessons on certain days, that was not only to the advantage of the organisation but to enable the requisite part of your brain to kick in at the right time, in the right way, out of sheer habit – if nothing else. The answer then is to find a routine that suits you best and stick to it. The more you practice,  the easier it gets.

That second problem of feeling stressed out is what affects my writing more than anything. Without doubt, the cure is to sit down with pen and paper and allow everything (all those niggly little problems) to come out onto the page. It won’t be long – I  promise you -  before your mind clears and you’re actually writing about something a little more enlightening. And, you never know, you might just end up with a piece of writing that you can actually publish. Never forget, people love to read about something to which they can relate at a personal level.

Just in case you haven’t already guessed, I sat down before writing this article with a case of writer’s block and realised half way through that it could well be of use to somebody else. Indeed, one of the rules of writing is that people like to see a conflict or problem with which they can associate in order for them to read on. It is well worth remembering that as you peruse your article marketing with a view to getting off to a good start with your Internet business – with or without writer’s block!

Starting Your Internet Business Routine

We’ll assume that you have not been self employed before as you now start up in your own Internet Business. One thing that is likely to happen is that you will start to put off the more onerous aspects of the job – by onerous, you may find that even those tasks which you once found enjoyable become rather a trial when you have to take full responsibility for their completion, come rain or shine.

The idea is to aim for consistency.  I would recommend that your goals are quite easily achievable in the first instance. This is for three reasons.

1. You will become demotivated if you fail badly.

2. If you achieve comfortably in the first week what you have set out to do (a projection ) on paper, you can then record your actual achievement and use it as a guide for the  following week’s goals. Remember, if your goals are too ambitions, you will feel too exhausted to even bother to get stuck  back in.

3. Having an achievable plan allows you to project how much output you will be able to achieve. This will provide some assessment fodder ( as I call it ) for the next few weeks.

I will go into assessment a little bit because this is how you are going to analyse your routine and so give you a chance of providing the information you will need to project the future course of your business. Let’s imagine you have come up with a projected hour a day to cover each of the following tasks over the course of a week:

1. Write article.

2. Renew free classified advertisements.

3. Revise and upload article.

4. Create new Google Ads campaign.

5. Deal with e mails and book keeping.

6. Re set goals for next week and any other bits nod bobs.

7. Day off – very important this!

Write each tasks down the side of a spread sheet and place a column after each one entitled – Projected Time and then one for Actual Time. Complete the projected and at the end of each day, fill in the actual time taken. After the first week, re set the goals which, hopefully, can now be more realistically set for the next week.

Just a word of warning here – I should try to set your hour per day at the same time as you will then automatically begin to switch in to working mode without even realising it. You want this state to become automatic so that you spend more time doing and less procrastinating about it!

This simple plan will allow you to become consistent  very quickly when starting an Internet business. This is because you will find out what you can do comfortably ( not what everyone else thinks you should or shouldn’t be doing ) as well as providing you with a realistic vision of what is achievable. This will enable you to extend your goal setting  to include such aspects as projected incomes and outcomes amongst other things. It will also allow you to aim for your maximum  potential  output level per hours worked whilst keeping the consistency which is so important to your new venture.

To find out more about about creating traffic and other crucial aspects of running an online business, check out my site to see how I became involved in a business that deals with all the education you will need to be successful.

An Internet Business For The Young At Heart

Are you feeling like I was – ready for a new challenge of generating an easier income on the Internet that actually seems like fun?

Knowledge Is power

Coming for a family background of teachers, I believe that the answer to happiness and success is in education. I have seen time and time again people lacking in confidence grow and achieve what was once beyond their wildest dreams, once they received the benefit of knowledge.

A Company That Knows Its Marketing

Oddly enough, there are people at the other end of the spectrum who came out of school feeling over educated and unable to cope with the demands of the more people based problems in the world.

Just so we know where we stand here, I felt I came out with neither a classical nor street wise education and made mistake after mistake in life to prove it ( quite a hopeless case really ). More of that below.

What is required to be successful are the appropriate skills to be a success ( and if that sounds obvious, you have to ask why so many people are not a success in Internet Business – young at heart of otherwise! ).

The Skills To Success

I really don’t whether there is a magic ingredient to this but I have noticed that the top earners all seem to have their fair share of the following. Some computer skills, empathy and an ability to present themselves well either in the written word or on camera.

Something else seems to come out of all this as well and that is their ability to be comfortable in their own skin. In other words, they are not frightened to lead.

Can I Really Become All These Things?

If I can do this, I defy anyone who has got as far as reading this article on a computer not to. After all, as I said above, my education was non existent. The good news is that you can learn all of these skills and make money at the same time! Indeed, once you grasp it, you can earn as much or as little as you choose – depending on the lifestyle you prefer to adopt.

If you’re still feeling young at heart enough to learn to run a business on the internet, then I’d love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in joining me as you start an Internet Business in less than a week, then please come to my website where you can get involved straight away or request more information.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Article Number 1