Back in Lesson #3, I talked about the need to be willing to be a marketer. Now I’m going to expand on that idea, because it’s important to have a solid grasp on it before you dive into building your business.
After this lesson, we’ll be developing the vision and plan for your business, so I’m taking the time to cover this now BEFORE we begin, because I feel it’s really an all too forgotten prerequisite for becoming a successful internet marketer.
I would even say it’s THE missing piece…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
Action steps:
First ask yourself if you know how to think like a marketer, and if your answer is no, begin the learning process.
1) Read some books, such as…
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Secrets of Closing the Sale
How to Master the Art of Selling
Selling for Dummies
How to Sell Anything to Anybody
The Irresistible Offer
(And thousands of others!)
You can find some of the above titles at your local library.
2) Make a conscious effort to look at the world through a marketer’s lens.
When you look at the world through a marketer’s lens, you will start seeing million dollar opportunities all around you.
So now that you know what kind of a mindset you’re going to need, it’s time to start developing a vision for business, and I’ll be talking about that in the next lesson.
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.
Have a great day!
Hi, Just been through this video and went into my bin and retrieved all the others you had sent me. At last, At last a marketing guru who talks sense and not superficial hype. I am now a raving fan!!
Hi — thanks for helping me think clearly. Your ‘course’ is the only one I can follow, dealing with basics (especially the emotional and mental preparedness to be an internet marketer) before jumping to detailed strategies. The so-called gurus ‘enroll’ us in an IM Masters level course, when we haven’t even finished IM high school. Thank you for being a good teacher, who truly understands what a ‘newbie’ really is. I’ve barely started a blog, and will stick to the niche I know, till I pick up expertise in other areas.
hey,eric i guess you could say ineed to start this class over,my computer been down since thursday and this is sunday night.i didnt get all your lessons down;oaded,can i still get them?and do i have 2 websites?
Hi, thanks for the tips. There is lot of reading, but I guess that´s what we have to do???
Kari
Eric good information comes from good mind and u have both of them plus good hart thanks again
You don’t have to read all the books. But I’d recommend reading one or two, particularly if you don’t have a sales/marketing background.
You can get them here:
http://www.ericstips.com/tips/category/lessons/
thanks
Hi Eric,
Your “tips” are far better than most of the paid programs I’ve seen or used online.
You are obviously one guy who is not hesitant to “give back” from your marketing success.
Throwing out a bone to us once in awhile is to be expected. And coming from you, we can rest assured that whatever you recommend is genuine … the real deal.
Best,
Ray
Hi Eric,
Thank you so much for all your video lessons. Your way of teaching and sharing seem to come from the heart and the more they make me understand them. I hope to become a good salesperson after the free training, thanks to you.
My light bulb is now on!
Good lesson to be a marketer
Hi Eric,
As always the lesson was spot on.
Hi Eric,
Great lesson .My lightbulb is glowing
I wish to thank you Sir. I have tried many programs with a lot of out pocket expense and this is the best. I am at only #12 and have learned more in this short time than years of and expense in past. I sincerely do wish to thank you for this program. Is a very great experience. Thank You..
Is Amazon affialiate programme a good one? I am not from USA so I do not know whether people buy book online. But Amazon is still developing so probably there is some money to get 😉
Amazon basically popularized online affiliate marketing with their associate program, and some of their affiliates have made massive amounts of money.
The nice thing is that they have a LOT of stuff to promote.
The bad thing is that there’s a lot of competition from other affiliates, so you really have to be creative to make sales.
It takes a lot of volume to make a lot of money with Amazon.
The other bad thing is that they may screw you at any time by ending your affiliate account, like they did to me and all their other affiliates in Colorado.
Great stuff, Eric. I can hardly wait…..
thanks for the link, Kit. I’m always looking for tips to improve my marketing skills. The information on the site you gave will probably help me make my membership site I’ll be launching soon that much more profitable based on increasing the conversion rate of my sales page.
Hi Eric, I have read – Think and grow rich, the secret, the power, and many others. Yes I am a marketer and ready to go on…JAD
Hi eric, million of thanks of this tips. As a newbie, these are useful to me.
Eric, I have been trying to make $$$,$$$ online for about 6 years. Spent thousands of $$,$$$ and a LOT of time. Seminars, sales & marketing training, etc. etc. My wife is still VERY supportive, but I am broke and frustrated. Even so, I still believe that internet marketing holds my answers. I can be a passionate marketer of things I care about, but most of the things I care about are not on most guru’s list of money-making opps. E.g., I am a former college teacher in biblical studies (Greek, Hebrew, the works). Loved it! Still do. I am now developing a unique and substantial new approach to Bible study that has very great promise for addressing the growing crisis of biblical illiteracy among Christians. But when I have presented this to a few internet marketing gurus, they just look at me dumbfounded, as if: “Why would anybody in his right mind care about that?!!” One told me I should make a fortune in affiliate marketing and then do my “hobby.” Another at a high-powered training seminar told me, “You cannot make money on Bible related stuff.” My reply is “REALLY? Have you seen Max Lucado’s house?” (Not that he’s into that stuff, because he isn’t. But he still has a nice house, supports missionaries, and more, and all because of his publishing.) The Xian market is huge, if properly tapped. I don’t want to go the traditional Xian publishing route–it is dying, they take all your control, and your profits. On the other hand, the internet marketing techniques I have learned via courses and seminars often make what I do look cheap or mercenary. (The typical sales page is ghastly!) I could care less about being an affiliate marketer for the latest gadget to help you go green, but I am jazzed about getting in front of people with the approach I am developing.
So here is my question: this lesson on the missing piece, thinking like a marketer, makes it sound like that anything can be marketed, if done properly; not simply that marketers only think about “hot” items, however meaningless. Is that correct? Or would you say “The hard truth is, the Bible will not sell!”
Next question, how can I talk to you about this one on one? Is that possible. I’d like to show you this approach and get your ideas for something that is out of the ordinary. It is not at all typical, nor is it some little thing in the corner.
Will the Bible sell? Yes. Is a Bible-related niche the best niche to pursue? Maybe, maybe not.
The Bible itself is known as the world’s all-time best selling book. And as you’ve mentioned, there are some Christian products that have made a lot of money.
The Christian market is a huge market, Christians do spend money on Christian products. Therefore, the market itself is viable. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to go into a Christian market for the mere sake of exploiting it and making money (that’s just wrong), but if you have a good product and good motives, I see nothing wrong with it.
But I believe it is a difficult market to tap into– probably more so than the secular market. In order to sell a Christian niche product, you have to meet all the SAME criteria that you would have to meet for any other product (ie. the stuff I teach in these lessons. It must be a product that meets a need… something they WANT… that they are willing to PAY for… must deliver value, etc.) But on top of that, you have to take other things into consideration.
Your product may be met with more criticism than usual, even from Christians. You’ll also have Christians that expect you to give it away for free. From what I understand, the majority of Christian books are not profitable.
That having been said, I DO think that this lesson is a missing piece for many Christian authors and publishers. Some Christians think all marketing is unethical. But if you want to sell something, you do have to think like a marketer.
For example… a product that merely “combats Bible illiteracy” will not sell. However, you can take that same product and SELL it by thinking like a marketer and selling the benefits. It’s a product that improves your life, improves your relationships, gives you peace, etc.
So my advice would be to not spend another 6 years learning about Internet marketing. Take what you’ve learned, along with what you’re going to learn from the rest of my lessons, and if you believe your product has a ripe market who are hungering for it, by all means launch it.
In the end, there’s only one way to find out if a product is going to be profitable, and that’s to make a go of it. If it fails, you move on to something else.
Regarding your second question, I’m not doing any one-on-one consulting, as I just don’t have time. Thanks!
Hi Gary,
I understand your plight about targeting a niche product. I have a Christian page on Facebook that is being primed for a blog currently. If you would like to dialogue about your situation, I love brainstorming and helping others if I’m able.Go to my Facebook page and message me, it’s “Christian Resource Cafe.”
God Bless, Doug
Thanks for the personal reply. I fully agree against exploitation. You are the first marketing teacher not to simply trash, or look like a deer in headlights on, my idea. I understand your message. I did not pick the niche for marketing purposes; I picked it because there is a crying need and I have something to offer in it, based on a lot of experience. I’m trying to learn how to monetize it responsibly and appropriately. (Actually, I’m a very successful marketer, it’s just that nobody knows it but me. 🙁 ). Whatever the case, I don’t think the typical “sales page” works here. But I’m here to learn. This is my 2nd time through your material. I started reading it a year ago.
Depends what you mean by typical. If you mean the typical hyped up stuff with lies and ridiculous claims, then yes that’s not a good approach. But I think the principles of a good sales page still apply (build benefit-driven value, give compelling reason why the need it, ask for the order).
Another great lesson!!…Double header lessons today!!…Yes, that is something rarely mentioned as a prerequisite in marketing, even in offline be in your own business offers they fail at mentioning this as well many times!!…Look forward to the next lesson, Merry Christmas Eric…Friends, Lloyd.
Eric
From one old independent marketer (salesman) to another, you are right on, the sad part of that is after spending some 40 years in sales……I had not even thought about this simple mind set.
An old quote goes like this “I would rather be a master prospector than a wizard of speech with no one to tell my story to” I intend to apply that to my internet marketing tool chest and get on with it……, and thanks again for jogging my intellect, see you on top.
Russ
actually what i have to do for marketing.many of the emails are comming and they are saying that give this much and you will earn this much much iam not going to believe.can you explain me which type of progme is this can you explain me briefly.
Hi Michael!
I couldn’t help but to make a comment on your comment. I am pretty much in the same boat as far as the wife and the business and how the wife tries to spew venom towards the children because it wasn’t a quick success.
Reading your comments help me to realize one thing and that is my wife is not entitled to any of my success since she didn’t stick by me. Actually my not succeeding fast has shown me the true nature of the person and that they are there only for the good times.
So, I will not be trying to put us back together again and will find someone I am more compatible with.
My determination is strong and I am sure I will succeed-especially with this training. Better stop talking about how good they are before Eric starts charging. This is so good that I have a membership site that I am going to advise my members to go here to fill in the gaps that they are missing.
If you want I am not sure the link will show up I have a site about anger – it is NoMoreAngerForYou dot Com of course change the dot to a period. I believe that my mental outlook goes a long way towards anything I do. So I need to be calm in order to succeed. If I am all wound up everything is going to be a mess. Getting that stuff out helps a lot.
Stay strong Michael and all the best to you,
Daniel
Hello Barry,
I am going to need a place to go after I start making some money. So get that resort up and running and send me the information on it. You got you first guest.
All the best,
Daniel
Name correction
After spending years of trying to learn this business and listening to people. After spending money on information that is not as good as you are giving me for free I just want to say thank you…………………..
thank you…………………
When the student is ready the teacher will appear – thanks for showing up teach.
Thanks,
Daniel
Hi Sagar,
Promotions that make claims that you may/will earn a certain amount of money, are not always honest.
It’s better to buy products that you know you can immediately use to help you with your online business.
I was always wondering what it was that I was missing. I have been trained in Engineering and have worked it this field for 12yrs. I know much about engineering but I have never been taught about marketing or even how to sell something.I just needed to solve technical problems. Thanx Eric, for showing me what the missing piece of the puzzle was. I will start increasing my knowledge on marketing and from today start changing my mindset. GBU (God Bless You)(maybe another acronym for your list?)
Good acronym
Hi Eric, I thought you made some excellent points on this lesson. As you mentioned there are literally thousands of “sales” situations around us everyday. I have always felt that sales was a wonderful job. I feel sales is 95% mental and 5% work. The old sayin the says – sale is one of two things to everyone. It is either the easiest hard work or the hardest easy work. It is totally mentaland the way you feel about it. It is a wonderful industry. Yoy get paid to visit with people and have a coffee and enjoy the company of a host of great people and the kicker is I always got paid to do it. Pretty good way to make a living.
Thanks again for your enthusiasm and enjoyment of people. You are a natural sales person.
Bob
Hi Eric, I have been listening to your training sessions daily. I am in the process of trying to get the website I purchased from GoDaddy published. I have not yet published it because I can’t get the layout quite right yet. It seems that I now have to “upgrade” to get more selections on things to do with my website. I am considering canceling but I really want to get started with my affiliate offers. I have already signed up for some campagins and really need my site up and running. I am wondering should I upgrade my account or cancel and find another site to go with? Any suggestions?
thanks for sharing kit.
I know I can sell stuff as I do it in my store all the time. Now all I have to do it apply it to online. Willing to leap over… now all I have to do is keep listening to you so I can figure it out and put it together. I want to hear all your info before I spend another dime and I am going to make sure your lessons sink in. Will take your advice before I buy everything you tell me to and am sure by the end of your lessons I will be an affiliate of yours lol. Thanks Eric. Looking forward to the end and here we are only on lesson 12.
Godaddy is fine for registering your domains, but I am not at all a fan of them for web hosting. You can keep your domain registered at Godaddy, but cancel your web hosting with them and easily host it elsewhere. I talk about my recommended host in this lesson:
I also cover several methods of website building in lessons #27-33. The easiest option for most people is to use WordPress, which can be installed with a few clicks on my recommended web host. I would recommend getting to at least lesson #34 before investing more time in building your site, because it is likely you’re going to want to build it on a different platform than what you’re using now.
I am glad I retrieved your email from my junk filter or this valuable lesson would have been lost.
Dan Kennedy’s book “The Sales Letter” is great for marketers trying to create a online salespage. A very good resource for thinking like a salesperson.
Hi Eric,
You really know your stuff – so glad I’ve chosen you as my teacher. I shall certainly recommend you to others.
Well done!
Kind regards,
Prue
I was loving this free course but it seems to have dried up at lesson 12. Is that it??
Hello Greg,
There are definitely many more lessons.
Here is the link to lesson #13:
If your email happens to block some of the lessons, we recommend that you view this tip on whitelisting an email address:
Desde mi personal punto de vista, hay una diferencia fundamental entre “Salesman” y “Marketer”:
Salesman: Desarrolla habilidades y sistemas competitivos de comercialización de productos y servicios.
Marketer: Desarrolla habilidades y sistemas colaborativos (asociativos) en beneficio de su nicho de mercado.
Thanks Eric!
To be a marketer is really not easy as everyone talks. Especially for me. I have a very different type background of mine. Yes, you are right, the first step I have to do is to change my mindset: from a thinker (creator) to be a marketer. However, I’ll do it as soon as I can.
Lesson 12 should be lesson ONE 🙂
Right on Eric, you are totally right. I’ve been a salesman and a marketer too, I loved advertising and graphic arts since I was a child and I know those are great skills to have to have a prosperous society. I can also see the abuse and misuse of them, but the good always tends to come forward above the rest always.
I will spend the rest of July 4th with my nose in the book – ‘The Irrestible Offer’ Thanks again.
You can buy some of his ebook on his website to show your appreciation.