Keep your hands in your pockets, you marketers
They say you have to lay out some money to make some money - but first you have to learn where to invest it. The great thing about working online is that the overheads are peanuts compared with a conventional business, and it really is possible to start up on a shoe-string budget. Trouble is, it is a great big market place, full of people trying to sell you products to help you succeed in your business.
A great piece of advice I read said 'Stop being a buyer, and become a seller'. That's it, you have to cross that line. But, of course you want some information to help you along the way. First off, don't forget the internet is full of free information. If you are short of money, you need to spend time. I got to learn FTP free - free software, free tutorial. It just takes time.
If you have some money, how do you choose what to spend it on? If you have the budget, then mentoring or coaching can speed up your learning big time. But you have to make the right choice. Whether you are going to buy a how-to e-book, video training or coaching, you need to spend some time first - check out the person for some time before spending. There are few people I trust, simply because trust takes time and honesty to build. There are plenty of good people out there offering good products. There's a limit to how many we need, and how many we can afford. So, curb your enthusiasm, and spend some time. Read freebie emails and reports, look at what the person is selling and how. Is theirs the type of business you want to use as a model for yours?
Urgency is key to sales pages - buy it now! Before it's gone! Fear of losing out is a big motivator. How do we resist? I have emailed a marketer to ask if I can buy a product at a later date. Usually, things will come around again, or someone else will offer something similar. And check your hard-drive before you buy, in case you have already bought something very similar. Some offers are genuinely one-time. Many are not. Only you can decide - but knowing some marketers you trust can help.
There is every enticement to overspend and overload yourself with information. It is very hard to resist - I've been there plenty of times. However, to move from consumer to marketer, you have to cross that line, and sell more than you buy. Helps to have your budget written down too. I have this taped to the computer screen - 'Be a Seller not a Buyer'. It works sometimes ; )
July 17th, 2010 - 01:05
Hello Anne,
Great, practical, down to earth advice, and a very nice post. I stopped by to say hello and wish you well with coaching.
I look forward to working together in the future, and celebrating our success.
Best wishes,
David Maddux
July 20th, 2010 - 18:25
Hi Anne,
Fellow student Robert here… 🙂
Nice post, I wish you all the very best with Dave’s coaching program, I’ve just hit week 9 don’t know about you but it’s definitely my best investment in over 2 years!
Dave definitely gives us all the training to become great sellers but, I think we will always be buyers of information products as the learning never stops. 😉
Robert
July 26th, 2010 - 07:54
Anne,
This is a really good post for all marketers out three. You have great points on information and changing buyer to seller.
August 4th, 2010 - 21:22
Hey Anne – you’ve progressed really well – well done! My whole site went AWOL for a while, the whole thing disappeared into an optin form! and I am still much behind but undaunted. Good for you. Gianna.
August 10th, 2010 - 18:53
Hi Anne
Just completed reading your post and I agree be the one that sells don’t always be the buyer. You say it is a small outlay but you have to be prepared to spend a few dollars to set yourself up right in the beginning.
A little about me – My name is Sue McDonald and I am a student of Mark Terrell and actually going through the course a second time – by invitation. I love it and know if I do all he says, I will be right out in front. I am Australian but the US is my second home as I have family there and visit quite often. This is why I started Internet Marketing so I can travel whenever I want and have the money to do what I want.
Well I hope you are doing well and you become very successful. I would love you to come visit my blog and leave a comment.
Kind regards
Sue
August 10th, 2010 - 18:56
Hi Anne
You have just hit the nail on the head. It is a small outlay in comparison to the earnings you can make if you have the right product and you market it correctly.
Keep up the good work.
Regards
Mark
August 12th, 2010 - 22:03
HI Anne! I know too many newbie marketers that need to read this and I must admit I am guilty of past overspending. Good post to those just starting out. I retweeted it. Keep up the good advice and studying! See you in class! Bonnie
August 14th, 2010 - 08:42
Hi Anne,
this is a very well written blog. I hope there are more to come. You haven’t blogged for some time so I hope you are ok.
I agree with you and know how you feel about the trust bit. That is what it is all about. There are some bad people online but thankfully also lots of good genuine people. We are learning to filter thru and find the good ones.
We are currently doing coaching with Mark Terrell and he is definetely a “good guy”. He was referred to us by a friend. As you say tho not everyone can afford coaching however what we have discovered is that there is a lot of goodwill amongst the newbie community. Building relationships with a couple of good pals I believe is invaluable in moving you forward and helping each other.
I would love it if you could find the time to visit our blog and place a comment. Tell us what you like or don’t like and that way we can work on improving it for our readers.
kindest regards
Dawn
August 18th, 2010 - 05:08
Anne,
I agree. Getting a coach is the best way to spend money and learn what to do.
Cheryl
August 23rd, 2010 - 17:10
Hi Anne!
I agree that info overload and wasting money are part of the dangers of start off online.
I’ve been pretty lucky, not with overload I had that big time, but with spending my money wisely. I think finding a good coach, mine is Mark Terrell, is the key to avoiding overload and cutting down on the learning curve so you can make the move from buying to selling.
To your success,
Lesley
November 27th, 2010 - 14:25
Thanks Dawn, I am okay thanks, just need to get back in the groove & get balance in life! Thanks to all the people who have left comments. Keep going, we’ll get there!