Recently I was contacted by a client who was frustrated that her marketing efforts were not producing results like she expected. In an attempt to address her concerns, I realized how many other professionals are in the same boat. What follows is an open letter to professionals everywhere who are struggling to attract new clients and make money online.
Dear Entrepreneur and Professional:
First, let's address the issue of finances. I understand fully what it is like to invest in your own business, work hard, and see little income. Sometimes it seems as if you work for pleasure, and indeed there is much pleasure involved. It's not unusual for entrepreneurs to be passionate about their business and services and many would do what they love for free.
But it can't work that way, and you must see the money or your business will perish. Finally, after a couple of years of trickle income, we are now seeing results in our own online business, and are making a comfortable living solely from information and services sold on the Internet.
It takes time. And it involves having lots of digital information products people can buy and download instantly. In order to sell them, you have to have a powerful web presence and be easily findable to the millions of people who Google for solutions to their problems.
People can't find you with just a web site. You need a blog, and you need to write on it frequently – daily is best; two to three times per week is good. An electronic newsletter, or ezine, is also a great marketing tool, and it needs to be posted on the Web, or on your blog.
You need to write and submit articles to article directories so people can find you better. Your articles need to include contact information and links back to your website and products.
You need the infrastructure in place so you can follow up with automated email messages to people who contact you requesting information, purchase your products and register for your events.
It's a good idea to do teleclasses, some for free, so you build your list, connect with people and get them into your higher priced seminars.
There are other business models, and I am most familiar with what I have done myself, and helped other entrepreneurs to do.
When Denise and I joined Tom Antion's Mentee Program, it was a considerable financial commitment. We send him a check every month out of our earnings, which are steadily increasing thanks to his tutelage. It's worth it to learn and model what works from one who has been there and is a multi-millionaire.
As the saying goes, you can't get to Carnegie Hall without lots of practice, and that takes an investment of time, patience and money.
There are no easy solutions. Continue doing what works and invest in those areas of your business that provide the biggest payoff. Get training. Invest in the infrastructure and tools that allow you to save time and market effortlessly. Avoid overwhelm by implementing tools slowly, getting used to one and observing your results before going to the next step. Building a business on the Internet is not about getting rich quick. It's about hard work and persistent effort that will pay off in the long run.
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