Why is focus the key?

by Mike Paetzold

The one thing in common with all of the successful people I have known is the ability to focus. It is probably the KEY to being successful marketing on the internet.

It is also the absolute hardest thing to do for the average marketer. I know that lack of focus at times has put me at least a year behind where I should be on my marketing efforts.

If you market using free or low cost methods regardless of which way or the product that you market you are consistently bombarded with a variety of ads for an easier, better, guaranteed way to get rich. This causes you to always be changing horses in midstream ( a sure way to get wet:-). After all the two hours I spent promoting the last program hasn’t gotten me rich so this new one must be the one that will retire me.

The very first thing you have to do is decide where you want to go. After all if you don’t know where you are going the odds are real slim that you will get there. For most of us that will be as an affiliate of a program at least to start with. It is how I do it and most successful people, even the program owners, use affiliate programs for additional income.

If this is the way you decide to go make sure that you avoid the biggest mistake. Learn to focus on the primary thing it takes to be successful. Promote YOU.

Everything you do to market any program ask the question “How can this promote me?” There are lots of ways to do this but if you grasp the concept that everything revolves around promoting you and that becomes your focus then you will be amazed at how things change for the better.

As long as you and your business are the focus of your marketing efforts good things will happen for you.

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Mike Paetzold is one of the creators of Opt-in Master Course, a complete guide to building and managing a profitable mailing list

   

The Value of Associations

by Tim Whiston

This past week I ran into a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in quite some time. It was good to see him again, at least for a few minutes.

Then I remembered why I stopped associating with him in the first place.

The guy has a big heart, and you can't help but love him. Unfortunately, he is also an incessant whiner.

He is always going on about how he doesn't make enough money with his job, and how things never seem to go right for him in life. No matter what you say to him there is no shaking his loser mentality. He has chosen to be the victim in life, and to be quite honest I think he enjoys it.

But it doesn't stop there. It's not enough for him to mope and complain about his own life, he does his best to bring the people around him down as well.

He asked me how my 'little internet business' was going. Remember it's been a long time since we had spoken last.

I certainly didn't want to rub anything in here, so I just told him politely that things were moving along and that I had quit my job as a delivery driver last year.

I could see the irritation in his face. This guy was genuinely distraught over my success.

He gave a grunt and said "Well good luck."

But he didn't really mean 'Good luck'. What he meant was 'I hope you fall flat on your face and have to go back to your old job so I can feel better about who I am'.

He's a loser because he projects nothing but negative energy into his own life, and he wants everyone around him fail and be miserable alongside him. No thanks.

I spent just a couple more minutes chatting with him, then told him I had to run.

I really do wish him the best, but I'm certainly not going to spend my precious time letting him sap the life out of me with his pity party no-hoper mentality. There are plenty of positive, success-minded people for me to hang out with and that's where I prefer to spend my time.

There is a lesson to all this, and here it is.

Think of the most successful person you know. For our purposes today, let's define success as financial and emotional prosperity. This should be someone you know on a personal level, and not a character you've read about in your favorite business or glamour magazine.

Now, ask yourself who this highly productive individual associates with. Chances are the group of folks you identify with this question won't be a bunch of lazy, negative, self-pity freaks.

Now try the same excercise with the least successful individual you know. It's not too likely that your selection for "least successful" is a person who surrounds themselves with positive, productive human beings.

The kind of people we surround ourselves with will have a profound effect on our thought patterns. Since it's safe to say our reality starts with our thoughts, the value of our personal associations can hardly be overstated.

To spend the majority of our time around people who offer us doubt and discouragement is to limit ourselves to a bleak shadow of our full potential. Alternatively, by mingling with those who project confidence and optimism, we are sure to absorb an attitude of determination and tenacity. It's good practice to socialize with individuals who reflect our aspirations.

People who want to whine and complain about how unfair life is, and how they just can't seem to 'get a break' are bad company. Especially when these people want to project their misery and negativity onto you.

One of the best things you can do for your own success and happiness is give these losers the boot and find some happier, more productive people to associate with.

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Tim Whiston is one of the creators of Opt-in Master Course, a complete guide to building and managing a profitable mailing list.

   

Branding - What is it and why do I need it?

by Mike Paetzold

If you are marketing on the internet the odds are that you are an affiliate of some programs. This is a great way to get started and even to continue making an online income. The problem comes when you start promoting the various programs. All affiliate programs make it extremely easy to promote their programs. They give you a replicated web site and tell you what a favor they are doing for you because you don’t need your own site to make money and this is true.

What? You are not sure you are an affiliate?

Do you belong to a traffic exchange and promote it to build a downline?

You are an affiliate.

Promote clickbank products?

You are an affiliate.

Do you belong to any program that pays you if you promote and get sign ups?

You are an affiliate.

The problem comes in when you do the promotion of their site you are increasing the brand awareness of their site. Yes, they pay you if you get the sign up but you have now created a customer for them. As you advertise using their page you are creating branding for them. Everyone that sees your promotion gets to see that page which promotes that program not YOU.

Now, why should this matter to you?

I guess the answer to that is really decided by answering the following question.

Do you want to be successful?

Seems like a stupid question doesn’t it. But if you want to be successful you have to do the things that successful people do. That is to brand themselves.

How much better to send people to a page that promotes both you and your affiliate program. It is easily done. Create a logo or signature that carries through on all your promotions. Use that and run people through your own website and give away something to get them to sign up for your newsletter before you send them to the program you are promoting. If you get them to do that you then have the way to continue to build a relationship with that person. If you treat them with respect and give them valuable information they will stick with you.

So the choice is yours. You can give away your prospects or you can create an awareness of you and your business. Which do you think will be more successful?

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Mike Paetzold is one of the creators of Opt-in Master Course, a complete guide to building and managing a profitable mailing list.

   

Co-registration - The secret to exploding your list.

by Mike Paetzold

Co-registrations are one of the items misunderstood by the average new marketer. They are widely and consistently used however by those that realize how effective they can be in exploding the growth of your list.

Lets discuss how co-registrations work. For this discussion we will use Advertising Know How as an example. Each time a member of the list builder at AKH gets a validation they send that person to a thank you page that lists 8-10 other newsletters and offers the subscriber the chance to pick and choose the newsletters that they are interested in.

Now the power of this is that unlike leads that have no idea when you first contact them of who and what you are talking about people signing up this way have actually made a conscious decision to subscribe to your newsletter.

The next question is why should you send your prospects to a place where they can sign up for other peoples newsletters? The reason is actually quite simple - They will do the same for you. Using AKH as an example each time a free member shows that thank you page they will have their newsletter shown 3 times on other peoples pages. Upgrading your account will increase your page views on other peoples pages to 6 instead of 3.

The other thing is that as stated in my previous article 3 Reasons Why You Should Love Unsubscribes not every one that signs up for your newsletter will like your style or personality. Well, the same thing applies to every one else too. Therefore, those that like your style will stay and those that don't will leave. This will strengthen your list.

The real key to jump starting your list with co-registrations is in setting up a budget and buying extra page views. This can actually become a profit center if you have a strong opening series of emails.

Here is how I work that in my business. Go and purchase a credit package for $40. Send all of the subscribers through my viral series (the same series we have made available for free to rebranders) which will promote rebranding Opt In Master Course. Now the worst case is that I end up with 60-100 extra subscribers on my list for my $40.

It has been shown that the average value of a subscriber is about $1 a year if used properly. That leaves me in a good position even in this case as I am in this for the long term. However, if one person rebrands Opt In Master Course I receive a payment of $27. That has lowered my cost for these subscribers to $13. If I get a second rebrand from this group I will actually be at a profit and can then go spend the $40 again and pocket the difference.

The more you budget and the better your e-mail series does in generating a return the faster you can grow your list.

How much are you going to budget this month?

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Mike Paetzold is one of the creators of Opt-in Master Course, a complete guide to building and managing a profitable mailing list.