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.
