| In 1271, Marco Polo (at seventeen years of age), his | | | | That's when I told him about the coaching UnWebinar. |
| father, and his uncle set off for Asia on the series of | | | | A lot of my coaching students have the same |
| adventures that were later documented in Marco's | | | | problem. They worked, in some cases, months putting |
| book. They returned to Venice in 1295, 24 years later, | | | | together their ebook or audio. Then they marketed it, |
| with many riches and treasures. (From WikiPedia) | | | | and had some success. |
| I've seen the future, and it's happening right now. | | | | That's the good news. |
| Do you spend much time reading tech blogs? | | | | The less good news is that they aren't making enough |
| I'm waiting for my iPad, and not a bit patiently. Since I | | | | money to live on from that one product. |
| can't actually play with it yet, I started out reading blog | | | | The solution is obvious. |
| posts about it. That led me to some other blog posts, | | | | So, to drive my point home, I did something I would only |
| and down the rabbit hole I scampered. It's kinda cool | | | | do for my coaching students, whom I love. I logged |
| down here. | | | | onto my 1shoppingcart account and showed them |
| One thing I learned is that I'm guilty of tunnel vision. See | | | | where my money was coming from. |
| if this sounds like you: "I work in, basically, two niches. I | | | | I've got about 100 active products, and about 75% of |
| make products in those niches, and pretty much ignore | | | | them are on 1shoppingcart. So, I brought up my sales |
| all other opportunities." | | | | for the last month. It wasn't an exceptional month, but it |
| Sound familiar? You frame yourself as an internet | | | | was several times what I used to make in a year. |
| marketer who makes internet marketing products, and | | | | That wasn't the point. |
| you're probably up-to-the-minute informed about | | | | The point was that each of those products contributed |
| what's going on in that niche. Me, too. I've seen the | | | | something to my income. Some- the new ones that I'm |
| "latest technology" that the front-running marketers are | | | | promoting heavily- contributed more. Others only |
| using, and have adapted same to my business. | | | | contribute a few hundred dollars a month. It adds up. |
| Friend, we don't know beans. | | | | The income was a result of the cumulative effect of |
| (My other niche is making inspirational and meditation | | | | having all those websites promoting all those products. |
| audios, and I do most of my research on Pandora's | | | | Each time somebody buys a product, they're placed |
| New Age Instrumental channel.) | | | | on a (confirmed opt-in) autoresponder list, and I use my |
| So, it took me a while to get my bearings in this exotic | | | | autoresponder to help them learn about other products |
| foreign country. Flash/Adobe vs iPad/Apple. Twitter is | | | | that they might enjoy. This is the old "product funnel" |
| embedding meta-data (soon). Chatroulette, and its 17 | | | | system, although I'm not as disciplined at it as some |
| year-old developer. Start ups. Venture capital funding. | | | | marketers. In my case, the funnel is very wide but not |
| App developing across multiple platforms. Twitter | | | | all that deep. |
| blocking developers, Apple erecting a "Great Wall" | | | | Traditionally, you'd want to start with a free product, |
| around its app store, Facebook (of all things) becoming | | | | upsell to a cheap product, and gradually upsell to a |
| more open and developer friendly. | | | | stunningly expensive product. I tend to sell horizontally- I |
| All of those data points represent a money-making | | | | have a lot of products in the low to mid price range. It |
| opportunity for somebody. Is that somebody you? | | | | works for me. |
| Basically, I quickly realized that there are a LOT of | | | | Either way will work for you. |
| ways to make money online. In fact, I kinda feel like | | | | I don't know any successful Internet Marketer who |
| Marco Polo, here. I've seen some other countries, and | | | | makes his living from just one product. |
| they're way cool. They do things differently, and it | | | | Back to the conversation- the objection raised was "it |
| works. | | | | takes a long time to make a product." |
| So, first word of advice: get out more. Leave your | | | | My response was, "put your flip cam on a tripod and |
| niche behind for a day and talk a walk on the wild side. | | | | start talking. Can you say something in an hour that's |
| I think you'll find it inspirational. | | | | worth $20? Sell five of those and you've made $100." |
| Then, come home. Crawl out of the rabbit hole, and | | | | "Can you do it two hours in a row? Can you do it four |
| put what you've learned to work for you. | | | | times a day?" |
| The first way to reframe your business with your new | | | | If you've got something of value to say, you should be |
| knowledge is to "go mainstream." | | | | able to crank out products that fast. |
| What I mean by "mainstream" is, if you're like me, you | | | | If you want to make a product that will sell for more |
| create products for a specific and finite market. In my | | | | money, find an expert and interview them. Do it on the |
| case, I know what beginning Internet Marketers need | | | | phone and record it, if they're too far away for a flip |
| to know because 1) I've been teaching them for years | | | | cam. You can do one of these a day, and still have |
| and 2) I've got an active forum and coaching program | | | | time to play with your new iPad. |
| full of beginning Internet Marketers. We have coaching | | | | Just remember that the money is in solving problems. |
| (un)Webinars every Tuesday night and I spend up to | | | | People will pay for solutions. If you don't know that |
| two hours answering questions. | | | | solution, find somebody who does and stick a |
| The big question is, "who else could use this | | | | recording device in front of them. |
| information?" | | | | Over time, you can build an inventory of products. |
| For example, I'm working on some video instruction | | | | Some will be home runs, and if you can predict which |
| products. Internet Marketers need to know how to | | | | ones, you're smarter than I am. Most will be "base hits." |
| make a good video. It turns out that, with minor | | | | You can win the game with base hits. More |
| tweaking, that product can also be of benefit to a LOT | | | | importantly, you can't hit a home run unless you |
| of other people besides Internet Marketers. I can serve | | | | actually grab a bat with both hands and swing at a |
| my customers, and also serve the world at large. The | | | | few pitches. I don't think you can actually strike out. I've |
| "mainstream." | | | | never made a product that sold zero. You probably |
| So- how can you reframe your products so that they | | | | won't, either. |
| can be of interest to more people? I think you'll be | | | | That's pretty much the talk I gave to my coaching |
| surprised. Everybody is online, and the same skills that, | | | | students. Some of them got it right away. At first, I |
| for example, you need to make a good marketing | | | | thought they were all playing with their iPads or |
| video are also valuable for making a video of a kid (or | | | | watching TV... it got real quiet. When I asked them if |
| grandkid), or a vacation, or a big date, or.... see what I | | | | they were still there, the general response was "shut |
| mean? | | | | up, I'm thinking!" |
| While we're on the subject of making money, let me | | | | Some of them have actually made a few new |
| tell you about a coaching UnWebinar we had a couple | | | | products since then. My goal, as a coach, is to |
| of weeks ago. | | | | motivate them all. I'm working on it. |
| Actually, let me tell you about a conversation I had with | | | | Now, I'm going back to cruising the tech blogs. If a 17 |
| a very bright beginning Internet Marketer. | | | | year old Russian kid can come up with a mult-million |
| He's got one product. It's a continuity program. His plan | | | | dollar idea, so can I. Eventually. |
| is to rule the galaxy by getting 1,000 people signed up | | | | In the meantime, I'm making a few more products. |
| for his continuity program. To put it gently, he's got a | | | | They may be base hits, but you never know until you |
| long way to go. | | | | swing at the ball. |
| He asked me what I thought he should do. | | | | Keep swinging. |