This week, we have a 3 part series where we're going to
literally go "under the hood" of some of the most potent
marketing techniques you can use in your business right now.
I want to show you how to really dig deeply into the problems
we face as internet marketers, and share how some talented and
successful people are solving those problems and creating great
products along the way.
But first, I want to "tease" you a little and let you know that
next week, we're going to be re-releasing a new and improved
version of our Stomper Scrutinizer website visualization
software. The code is leaner, meaner, faster, and BETTER! If
you missed our first release during the holidays at the end of
last year, you're going to get your chance in just a few days -
so keep your eyes peeled RIGHT HERE! (It's f'ree - DUH!)
Now, back to the topic at hand.
One of the primary problems we face when just starting out and
trying to build an online business is that it takes SO many
seemingly separate disciplines, and SO much study and
application… How many of us become paralyzed by this
overwhelming mass of STUFF we need to know to just get STARTED
already?!
Judging from the frustrations our members voice inside
StomperNet - a LOT of people struggle at this stage.
What we teach in StomperNet is how you need to take things like
traffic generation and conversion and teach your BUSINESS to be
good at those things. This frees us up as business owners to
really focus on building and growing the BUSINESS and ALSO
frees us to enjoy the fruits of our labors.
But when you're first starting out, it can be a struggle,
because there's no one there BUT you. You have NO employees to
delegate to, you have NO funds to outsource your tasks.
So how do you step it up? How do you start to make headway in
the day-to-day busy work required so you can actually get AHEAD?
It's a frustrating question, but it's got a really easy answer.
It's only one word. Automation.
And when you're an army of one working out of your basement
office, the one way you can use automation without any kind of
staff is to use SOFTWARE to automate the tasks that are eating
up your valuable time.
This isn't as daunting as it sounds. Software is already
making our lives easier and more efficient every single day.
Do you set up "rules" in your email client to sort your
emails? That's automation in action.Do you have a phone number that rings through to voicemail if
you're busy? That's automation too.
See, we all use technology to automate and streamline our
lives. It's so pervasive and ingrained in our culture,
sometimes we never even stop to think about all the little
"shortcuts" we use to make our lives run smoother.
Before the advent of the modern computer age, you would have
had to be a well-off big-shot to have that stuff done, because
you would have had to hire an assistant to sort your mail and
take your calls. Now, it's all done automatically by machine.
What I'm proposing to you is that if you're just starting your
online business, you need to take that same kind of thinking
and apply it to your WORK.
What software is out there to make you WORK easier, faster, and
automatic? How much time could you save yourself if things
like SEO, link building, site building, etc. were all automated.
How much MORE money could you be making online if you could
drastically shrink the amount of time between having a
profitable idea and actually executing the steps it takes to
put it into action?
So now that we've defined a common problem all of us face at
one time or another, let's take a crack at defining a solution.
You want your motto to be "figure something out ONCE and then
never do it yourself again if you don't have to." Let the
computers do what they are good at, so you can focus on what
YOU are good at.
And that's how a LOT of us started out.
But here's something you may not have thought of. When you
AUTOMATE, you also INNOVATE.
When you take a process or procedure and turn into a "system"
that you can execute automatically with software or an
employee, you've CREATED something of value that didn't exist
before.
There are very specific problems and roadblocks that we've all
faced when building our online income. It doesn't take any
kind of genius to realize that these are going to be common
problems to everyone trying to do what we do.
Right?
This is a great example of a fundamental principle of
StomperNet.
If you find a seemingly unsolvable problem and you create a
solution - a tested, repeatable solution - there is REAL VALUE
in that solution.
Not just in the fact that it solves YOUR problem, but in the
fact that it will solve the SAME problem for others. People
don't buy STUFF. They buy SOLUTIONS and BENEFITS.
That's how you make your KNOWLEDGE profitable. Like Faculty
Dave Taylor said at the last StomperNet event - someone asked
what his biggest lesson was in making money online, and he said
"learning to sell my knowledge and not my time".
However, it takes a special kind of mindset to be able to step
outside of yourself and take what YOU'VE learned and turn it
into a product designed to help OTHER people overcome the same
problems.
And we arrive at that mindset through AUTOMATION of repetitive
tasks. That's how you can do what Dave was talking about and
KEEP your time, and sell your KNOWLEDGE instead.
If you want to see some examples of this, look no further than
your inbox. If you've been doing online marketing for any
amount of time, you're probably on several mailing lists.
You DON'T need to un-subscribe from every marketing list you're
on like some people are saying. If you're busy, you can always
IGNORE the flood of emails you might be getting, …but save
them.
It's true that sometimes we can get overwhelmed with all those
kinds of promotions. But the truth is, they're more than just
promotions. They're LESSONS - all you need to do is think of
them that way.
When you need some inspiration, or you want some insight into
how this stuff is done at the HIGHEST level, check out these
offers with a CRITICAL eye.
What problem have they identified? What solution have they
developed? How have they packaged it? How are they promoting
it?
I would say that 99% of the time, when you look at the CORE of
what's being sold, it's going to be someone selling you their
knowledge, or a way to automate the application of their
knowledge.
Everything in this business can be a learning experience if you
approach it the right way - that's what this week's series is
all about.
And that's why I like Jeff Johnson's material as an example of
what I've been talking about.
Jeff's known as an SEO guy to some, as an Affiliate Marketing
guy to others. But what ol' J.J. is REALLY good at in my mind
is the kind of automation we talked about.
He's figured out plenty of stuff that works for his OWN
businesses as far as getting traffic and converting it - he's
acquired VALUABLE knowledge and experience. He's done this
stuff, he's hit the roadblocks we have, too.
But what Jeff is particularly good at is taking that knowledge
of complicated procedures and breaking them down in to tiny
repeatable steps.
Then, rather than doing those steps over and over himself, or
hiring someone to mindlessly push buttons, he designs and
creates software to do the work.
He's developed WORKING solutions. They work so well, and so
automatically, that he's freed up to turn his PERSONAL
solutions into a thriving software and coaching business.
But remember, it's real experience that he's passing on.
He's taken KNOWLEDGE and AUTOMATION and added real value to his
businesses. But he's also clever enough to see that there's
value in the knowledge and automation themselves.
You've probably seen several emails about this by now.
Currently, Jeff's promoting the launch of his Underground
Training Lab membership site. (It opened earlier today.)
Even if you're not interested in purchasing Jeff's stuff at
this point, I'm trying to show you that there's ALWAYS value in
seeing what other recognized, successful marketers are up to.
If you're a small operator, or even a lone operator, you might
be interested to learn how to think like Jeff and automate site
building, link building, and marketing. That's what he teaches.
He's offering some of his top-notch automation software for
f'ree as WELL as some deluxe pricey versions of his software as
bonuses for those who sign up to try his program.
Go check out the Underground Training Lab for yourself and see
if there isn't a thing or two (or seven) that you can learn
from Jeff. It doesn't matter if it's directly, by joining his
program, or indirectly, simply by studying his marketing as an
observer.
More to come this week! Coming up tomorrow, e-commerce and the
recession - how we have an ADVANTAGE over brick and mortar in
tough economic times.
Until next time, keep Stomping!
~Andy Jenkins