By Gene Ballou
"Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you." How
many times have we heard
that Golden Rule? And
certainly it is golden, and
a good rule to live by! But
with all due respect, God
never had to market on the
Internet! And there are
probably more than seven
solid principles we should
all be following, but these
seven should get you well on
your way down the "Golden
Path to Prosperity." So
let's get started!
Golden Rule Number One: Be
willing to talk to "real"
people. Come on, now, what
are you afraid of? Don't you
have a unique product with a
large appeal? And didn't you
make sure and get something
you'd be proud to have your
name on? Then open your
mouth! I'm not saying you
should be obnoxious or pushy
about it, but don't be
afraid to mention it,
either. I guarantee you that
one "yes" will make up for
all of the "no"s that came
before it. Tell your friends
you're trying something new,
and wouldn't they like to
check it out just to be nice
to you? Talk to
telemarketers. Talk to wrong
numbers. Talk to your
mother. Ok, be careful about
talking to your mother, but
you should still consider
it! Make up business cards
and pass them out to people
who smile and nod as they
walk by. So what if they
drop it as soon as you're
out of sight? Maybe someone
else will pick it up and be
interested.
Please allow me to get on a
soap box for a minute. I am
sick and tired of hearing "I
don't like to sell, I'm not
good at selling, and I hate
sales people!" Successful
people in ANY field are
people who realized early on
that all of life is a sales
pitch. When you apply for a
job, you are selling
yourself to the employer.
Why do you think there's
such emphasis on a good
resume and a well-groomed
appearance? When you debate
issues that you care deeply
about, you’re making a sales
pitch. You are doing your
best to convince someone
that you are right! Sales
ability is something that
everyone has to some extent.
How convincing is your
son/daughter or
nephew/niece, when they want
something you have? Do you
think they went to school to
learn that? NOPE, they were
born with it!
So if you've used any
negative phrases about your
own ability or willingness
to sell, I want you to give
yourself a sharp slap on the
hand and sternly say, "I am
a natural at sales!" If you
ever want to make money on
the internet, you're going
to have to develop that
ability. Period.
Golden Rule Number Two: Be
willing to make use of free
and paid advertising
sources. Advertising is the
life-blood of the retailing
world. Now YOU are a
retailer. You have a product
to sell! But nobody will
ever know or care unless you
advertise. On the internet,
there are probably more free
sources of advertising than
there are paid sources. And
when it comes to free
advertising, the secret is
quantity, not quality. If
you want quality, pull out
your wallet, and we'll talk
about that in a minute.
(Just kidding!) But when it
comes to free, all you have
to do is pull up your
favorite search engine and
type in "free advertising."
More on that in another
chapter.
Golden Rule Number Three: Be
willing to invest a
significant amount of time
and effort. Meaning, you are
going to have to SWEAT! Oh
no, you won't be out digging
ditches and getting
sunburned, but by the time
you've stared at a computer
screen for eight or ten
hours, you may wish you had.
Marketing on the Internet
takes work, commitment, and
patience. It's a shorter
road to riches than some
others, but it still isn't a
free ride by any means. If
you want to make money on
the Internet, be sure you're
prepared to spend almost as
much time in front of your
computer after work as you
spent at work. It may pay
off quickly, but then again
it may not. Make sure you're
in it for the long haul, and
you'll be more likely to
succeed early.
Golden Rule Number Four: Be
willing to learn from your
experiences. Just as all of
life is a sales pitch, every
experience in life can be a
lesson learned, if you'll
look at it that way. Never
allow yourself to believe
you've "arrived" and there's
no more left for you to
learn. The world of
technology is moving way too
fast for anyone to ever be
content without taking a
class or two, but for those
of us who can't afford to
stay in college, the next
best thing is to glean
lessons from your life
experience.
