I know exactly what he means, because I feel that way sometimes about some people's attitude towards the Internet.
So this article is a bit of a rant. Of course, I'm not talking to you. But perhaps you could pass this on to somebody who needs to read it.
The Internet is here to stay.
I've been using the Internet for 20 years. When I first started my business 10 years ago, I could understand people wondering whether the Internet was just a passing fad. But it's here to stay!
And it's not just for spotty teenagers building MySpace pages and unethical marketers sending piles of junk mail. It's a serious, credible, professional business tool.
And if you're not using it, you'll be left behind.
If you're a speaker, trainer, coach, consultant, author or other information expert, you'd better be using the Internet actively in your business.
And that means creating an on-line presence.
Not just a Web site. But more ...
Do you have an e-mail newsletter?
Are you publishing a blog?
Have you started podcasting?
Are you publishing articles on your Web site?
Are your articles appearing on other Web sites?
Do people find you when they search for your topic on Google?
Are you active in on-line communities?
Are you LinkedIn?
Do you even know what "LinkedIn" means?
Do you have a Facebook profile?
These things are no longer optional!
Well, OK, Facebook is optional. But the others are things you must be doing to demonstrate credibility, expertise and authority.
Have you ever done a Google search on a client before a presentation, workshop or consulting session? Well, guess what - they are doing the same to you! They want to know who you are, what you stand for, what you say, and why they should choose you. And if they don't find it, they'll find somebody else.
Your clients have the remote, and they're switching you off.
Here's an example ...
Are you a coach, trainer, consultant or speaker who works with sales professionals?
The REIQ - the Real Estate Institute of Queensland - has just launched a new Web site for its members. Instead of them going to workshops, seminars and training courses, they'll be doing their education on the Internet. The Web site has blogs, video, audio, podcasts, online courses, self-assessment tools, forums and much more.
I know, because I'm a joint venture partner in this project.
And there are thousands like it that I don't know about - and you don't know about - but they might be rapidly eroding your business.
So what can you do?
Glad you asked. Here are a few things ...
Collect e-mail address and send a newsletter.
Publish a blog.
Write articles and put them on your Web site.
Put them on other people's Web sites.
Create a short, sharp informative e-book and give it away.
"But I don't have the time."
Yeah, yeah. I hear that often.
Build a bridge and get over it.
If you don't have the time to be seen as the expert in your field, your clients and customers will find somebody who does!
Sorry if that sounds harsh. Well, no, I'm not really sorry. Maybe it's time to tell it like it is. This really is important. And I'm pulling no punches because it could make or break your business.
Get Over It Online
Knowing what to do to make a living online can be tough. You might have tried your hand at Internet marketing before. Maybe you've heard all the hype from one program or product and found out it was tough to make any sales from your site you were given. What happened? Why didn't your website generate sales?
Firstly, what is your product? Is it a good one? Do people need it? How about the support? Is there a training site? How bout live training?
The problem with many online companies is their lack of a good product and lack of support itself. Let's pretend that you want to join a company on the Internet that sells logos on sportswear. You sign up and receive your very own website where people can order sports wear with custom logos. You make a great commission of each sale. Plus, each person who orders logo wear from your site also gets a site. And a portion of sales from each new site under yours delivers you a commission. Sounds wonderful. And it is. It really does work and very well and efficiently for the companies and for many of their members, but certainly not all. Assume you have a great product. There should be no problem making sales right? But does the company offer training? No matter how great the product is, if you can't get traffic to your site, your logos site will be hanging a vacancy sign in the window.
What's the secret? What does it take to drive traffic to your site short of lots and lots of money? Doing one or both of 2 things can make a big difference. They are one, implementing certain tactics to drive many thousands of people to their site in a cost-effective way and 2, they are giving support to their down line so they are successful. Doing these two things makes sales for you and especially, those below you that then pay you again.
Generate traffic to your site as quickly and efficiently as possible. That is your primary job. We want to do this with as little effort and pain as possible. Get more and more people to visit your site and join or buy. To get traffic to your site, you must get your site out in front of people's eyes. That is the first thing you must do.
The second thing is so crucial is what you provide for your down line, the new person who just bought into your company through your site. Will they know what to do? Of course probably not. Are they going to make sales and make you rich? That's the hope, but they probably won't without your help. And that seems like a waste of time and money.
So what can you do? How can you find out how to drive traffic to your site? Do e-books do the job? How about a DVD? I can say that these can surely help and reading never hurt anyone. But that's a lot of DVDs to watch and e-books to read.
I am going to suggest a far more rapid way to get up and running. A better way to do it is to find a mentor who knows how to drive traffic to a site and generate sales. Do you know one? How about the guy down the street? What would he charge to teach you how to market online? Maybe there's some service out there that for a nominal charge would teach you everything you needed to know. But how likely is that to happen. The secret is finding a mentor who is willing to teach these tactics. The secrets aren't hard necessarily. You want them to succeed.
In conclusion, you have several things you can do to get well on our way wit Internet marketing. First, find a product that has a good reputation for the product itself and the support that is provided. Gather a plan. To find a plan, using a mentor can greatly increase your chance for success by using only a handful of things you need to implement to succeed in driving traffic to your site. And finally, make sure your down line has the same support you needed to get started. Providing them with a link to a mentor can greatly increase their sales and therefore your commissions as well. Implementing this simplified plan can help you stay on the right track and succeed where others fail.
Both Gihan Perera & Eric Latocki are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gihan Perera has sinced written about articles on various topics from Website Traffic, Pets and Online Business. Gihan Perera is the author of "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Most Web Site Owners Make - And How To Avoid Them" and "Spin: Turn One Idea Into Hundreds of Information Products". Visit. Gihan Perera's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Eric Latocki has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Based Business, Internet Marketing and Writing. Eric Latocki Offering advice for success online. Daily Training Webinars, training callsOnline Business Owner, Internet Sales and Marketing
Career In Sales And Marketing Even when you are striving to meet objectives, keeping your chin up will convey to your employers that you are an energetic person with confidence and drive