“Are You Too Busy Earning a Living To Make Any Real Money?”
Hello,
Marlon here.
This week's ARTICLE:
“Are You Too Busy Earning a Living To Make Any Real Money?”
Subtitle: The wisest man I ever met told me something I'll
never forget
IN THIS ISSUE:
— Why did all the “gurus” die in WW II?
— The real secret of not working for a living
— The ONLY thing you should trade for money
— What differentiates my Formula from everything else?
— What have I “done” lately?
— How did Marlon “freaking” Sanders find his way back into my life?
— Who should you listen to?
— why big gross product launches may not NET a lot
— The single consistent message I've had since 1998
— What the “trap” is and how to escape it
If you're too busy working at a job or running your online
business to make any real money, then today's article may
be the most important you'll read ALL year.
It holds nothing back, so you may be taken back a bit.
Take the article, change the URL in the resource box at the
end to a reseller ID and stick it on your web site, blog,
Facebook blog, Myspace blog, Hub Page, Squidoo lens, or Google
Pages.
Put it up and announce it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog,
email, or whatever else you have.
This IS an article people will want to read. You WILL make
sales from the link in the resource box.
If you don't have a reseller ID, just go to:
http://www.getyourprofits.com and sign up. It only takes
2 minutes.
There are 4 ADS at the end of this ezine. You can replace
all THOSE with reseller links if you want.
Marlon Sanders
P.S. After you read today's article, please pass it along
on your blog, email or just to a few close friends.
Then hit me back on my blog.
I personally comment back. Let me hear from YOU!
https://www.marlonsnews.com/
PPS: Other marketers ONLY send you good content during their
product launch. I'm with you every week, motivating, inspiring,
educating. Where are THEY when a product launch isn't going
down?
I'm here every week delivering rock solid content based on years
of experience. If you like what you get here, and want more of
it, please pass the word along on forums, blogs and so forth…
that THIS is the ezine to come to for real world marketing help.
******************************************
Marlon's Marketing Minute
Electronic Newsletter
http://www.promotemarlon.com
Vol. 4, #20, June 6, 2009
******************************************
This issue contains:
A. Sponsor Advertisement: How To Save BIG On a Bundle of
My Products. The NEW Cash Like Clockwork System
B. Announcements from Marlon (Important)
C. Main Article: Are you too busy earning a living to make any
real money?
D. Services You Can Use
Brought to you by: Marlon Sanders – Publisher
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A. Sponsor Advertisement
Introducing the NEW Cash Like Clockwork System.
How to Save a BUNDLE on my products
These savings may not last long.
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B. Announcements from Marlon
==> Do NOT email us for customer support
Do NOT email us for customer support. We are anxious to
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We have LIVE CHAT to serve you better. Most people in this
business skimp on this. I don't. Tim is an award winning
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I've just released “The Best Of Marlon Sanders”
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==> Download your FREEBIE ebook now.
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There is a squeeze page. The idea is for you to enter
the email address you actually READ! I'll send out a version
later where you can bypass the squeeze if it bugs you.
===> I'm hiring a new staff member to replace Danny so
the last recording ain't gonna make it up till someone new
is in his chair.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
C. MAIN ARTICLE
Are You Too Busy Earning a Living to Make Any Real Money?
Subtitle: The wisest man I ever met told me something
I'll never forget
By Marlon Sanders
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Joe Karbo wrote this question in a famous ad many years
ago.
Are you too busy earning a living to make any money?
See, Joe was one of the originals to discover the real
secret of the direct response marketing business.
If you're working hard, it means you're trading your time
for dollars. Since there's a limit on your time, there's a
limit on your dollars.
It's the problem I have with the way a LOT of people teach
what they call “Internet marketing.” Really, all they do
is trade time for MORE dollars.
Why?
Because they don't really do Internet marketing. They do
sales pitches on webinars, teleseminars and from the
stage. Which is all fine and dandy — if you know how to
automate it.
But if you're just slaving away trading time for dollars,
even if it's more dollars, you're STILL in the TRAP.
Have you ever wondered why so many gurus and Internet
marketers spring up one day as an overnight success then
just as quickly fade away into oblivion?
That's because they work within the TRAP and have never
discovered how to get OUT of the fundamental time for
dollars trap.
I'm going to be the first to admit there ARE Internet
marketers who put more in the bank month in and out than I
do. Why? Because almost without fail, they're working
really hard for that money.
They're still IN the TRAP.
And here they are pretending to get others out of the trap
when they're still IN it.
Others say that the only way to get out of the TRAP is to
get a big office, lots of overhead and lots of employees.
Since 1996, I ran this business from home. I have a small,
relatively modest office now, and it's 2X or 3X the size I
really need.
It's true that you can work your tail end off and make a
zillion dollars on a launch. But it took 3-6 months of
hard labor before the launch and another 3-6 months AFTER
the launch.
That's nothing but a glorified job.
Every day there's a new Johnny-Come-Lately with glowing
screen caps blaring out massive numbers with some new
method. Now, apart from the questionable legalities of
what is often done, notice how these people also tend to
vanish off the face of the earth after a year or so.
I've been doing my “Amazing Formula” of online marketing
since 1998, and really before then on AOL and Compuserve
using my early beta methods of the Formula.
=======================================
Do You Want Out Of The Trap Of Having
To Trade Your Time For Dollars?
=======================================
Whether you have a “real” job or your home business IS a
job, sucking up all your time, I'm the only person I know
who has proven my “Amazing Formula” for personal freedom,
income and success over time works — because I've been
LIVING IT since before many “gurus” even knew about
Internet marketing.
Gosh, some of them were 12 years old when I started doing
this full time.
Here are my 7 steps to get out of the time for dollars
trap:
1. You're either at the top of the food chain or the
bottom.
I've been teaching and preaching this since 1998 and
before. See, you either own your own products, software
programs, iphone apps, membership sites and intellectual
property that OTHERS sell.
Or you sell products FOR others.
I'm probably the ONLY person who consistently for years
and years has steadfastly advocated that you get on the
side of the coin where you're the one with the products
that OTHERS sell.
It's cost me money in some ways to teach and preach this.
Why?
Because many of my top affiliates “got it” and went on to
become famous gurus in their own right. In the past, my
top affiliates have included Russ Brunson, Ewen Chia, Mike
Mertz, Kevin Wilke and Matt Gill, Jim Edwards, Yanik
Silver — and many others.
Now obviously, while I'd LIKE to take credit for their
success, I can't. But I'd like to think that consistently
hammering home my theme over and over of create and sell
your own products has had an influence.
I'm all for being an affiliate to learn the Internet
marketing game. But at some point, you need to climb the
food chain and be on top, not on bottom.
A lady the other day wrote my customer support and asked
what the credibility was behind Amazing Formula. How about
the fact that it was selling $200,000 a year+ before most
gurus were gurus.
I had to chuckle.
How about the fact that many of the top gurus were once my
top affiliates and affiliates for Amazing Formula?
Then on rare occasion someone will say, “Well, what's
Marlon done since Amazing Formula?” This doesn't happen
often. It's more like behind closed doors with a few
insecure, jealous wannabe gurus.
Uhhh, I guess they forget about creating a whole genre of
software with Push Button Letters. They forget I created
the 2-page web site model with Gimme My Money Now. They
forget I created the first product on how to create big
tickets (actiongrid.com).
They forget about our highly innovative Dashboard line,
including Marketing Dashboard, Product Dashboard, Design
Dashboard and Promo Dashboard.
I've innovated so many things in this industry I forget
about half of them. There are some people who think that
the ONLY marketers who are worth anything are those who do
big product launches. But your real players realize that a
LOT of those launches don't NET what they GROSS.
And if you're working your tail end off to DO the launch,
you're STILL in the time for dollars trap!
It's NOT how many people promote your offer.
It's NOT what you gross because after affiliate
commissions, product fulfillment, refunds and chargebacks,
that net often quickly diminishes.
It's NOT about bragging rights to the biggest launch.
It's about the lifestyle. Do you trade time for dollars or
products? Do you wear a watch or don't you?
I laugh about a lot of this stuff because it's so
blatantly obvious to me. You know, I'm at Starbucks
drinking ice tea, shopping at the mall, hanging out
reading in bookstores, talking to friends on the phone,
and doing other things I enjoy while they're slaving away
trying HARD to be this big celebrity.
That's what I call working hard for a living. It's a
well-paying job but still a job.
2. You either trade time for dollars or products
I don't care if your products are Facebook apps, iPhone
apps, membership sites, stuff you sell on ebay, ebooks,
cd's, dvd's, coaching programs, or physically delivered
products.
You still have to trade something for dollars OTHER than
your time.
3. If you're spending all your time selling other people's
products, then you're STILL trading your time for dollars.
Hardly anyone has the guts to be honest about this.
Because the moment you're honest about it, you cut your
own throat a bit.
Why? Because basically I'm telling my own resellers that
ultimately they're best served by creating their own
products and affiliate base. So I'm in the business of
making my affiliates very successful but at some point
they aren't my affiliates any longer.
So many people will gloss over this truth. I choose not
to.
4. Nothing happens until someone sells something
We're in the SALES business. Yes, we get our leads and
prospective buyers mostly on the Internet. Yes, parts of
it are automated. But at the end of the day, this is NOT
some highly complicated business.
We get or create products.
We create sales presentations that show people how it'll
benefit them if they trade their money for our products.
Then we encapsulate those sales presentations in Power
Point videos, podcasts, blog posts, teleseminars,
webinars, stage presentations or sales letters.
It's ALL a sales presentation or sales MESSAGE. Do you get
that? The SAME formula I taught in Amazing Formula back in
1998 or 1999 is the SAME formula that STILL sells like
crazy.
Only difference is, now you can do it in webinars, Youtube
videos, Ustream presentations, podcasts and so forth.
Or, in the case of a product launch, you post it
sequentially to a blog. But it's STILL the same basic
sales process and sequence.
It ALL boils down to a sales message.
And you know what? You'll find out there are ONLY 12 steps
to such a message. And it's easier, faster and simpler to
learn and do than you quite possibly think.
It's more PRACTICE than anything. And if there's any
bugaboo that holds people back in this business it's fear
of practicing at delivering a sales message because it
might not work. Then they'd feel like a failure!
That's got NOTHING to do with it.
If the sales message doesn't work, you change the message
and who you're delivering to. One or both. This isn't
rocket science!
Sheez. See, people have a huge VESTED interest in making
themselves and their processes out to be rocket science
because that substantiates big prices. Which is a great
sales tactic.
But the TRUTH is, you create and deliver sales messages
using a 12-step formula. It works or it doesn't work. If
it doesn't, you change or tweak it. Or find someone else
to deliver the message to.
Where? Wherever they hang out. That's where. You can quote
me on this bit of rocket science here:
You fish where the fish are.
If they don't bite, you change the bait. The message. I
make this HUGELY clear in Amazing Formula. Some people
don't get that. A few. Not a lot. But a few people think
it needs to be all rocket science and stuff with 45,000
flow charts that are really super duper impressive.
Surely it can't be as simple as a 12-step formula, can it?
This is not a complicated business. People make this thing
complex to get people to spend more money. Which isn't a
bad sales tactic. But let's get real here.
We find or create products.
We create sale messages.
We then DELIVER those sales messages via:
a. Email
b. Teleseminars
c. Webinars
d. Sales letters
e. Blog posts
f. Online videos
g. DVD's
h. Power Point
presentations
i. Ustream events
j. 1-on-1 “strategy” sessions
But do I need some whole new sales message because I'm
delivering it via a teleseminar vs. posting it in chunks
on my blog or delivering it in a PDF or series of online
videos?
It's the SAME message!
The delivery vehicle changes. But 90% or more of that
message is the same.
This business is ALL about the sales message. It's funny that
some people reading this right this very minute will realize
how far they've strayed from the truth.
How they've been sent on a goose chase by people who have a
vested interested in making things complex.
And the question pops into their mind, “How did Marlon freakin'
Sanders find his way back into my life?”
And the answer is that I'm a truth teller.
The answer is that I speak the essence.
We sell things.
We sell things via sales messages.
There's a 12-step proven formula for such messages.
But the delivery changes.
5. Therefore, you need to get good at crafting sales
messages
This is one of the “elephants in the room” you won't hear
a lot of “gurus” talk about. Why? Because most people are
a little bit uncomfortable with or intimidated by the idea
of creating a “sales” message.
I'd rather do blog posts. I'd rather do a webinar. I'd
rather have some automated dealeo that somehow sells
people.
Yes, you CAN automate it. But you STILL have to craft and
create that sales message BEFORE you automate the delivery
OF the message. Do you get that?
Why don't more “gurus” tell you the truth: Internet
marketing is all about selling stuff. It's all about
creating messages that give people reasons to spend their
money and buy stuff?
It cracks me up that people get all pissed off at “gurus”
for selling stuff. What do you THINK they're going to do?
It's ALL about sales.
And if your guru doesn't know how to sell something, you
better find a new guru.
6. Remember that all the real gurus died in World World II
My mentor is Lew Williams. He was personally trained by
one of the greatest old time copywriters Thomas Hall who
Gary Halbert said was also his mentor. I don't know if
Gary ever met Thomas but I do know he read his direct mail
guides.
Lew worked for Thomas and was trained by him. Thomas Hall
sold seminars and consulting for $5,000 and $10,000 way
back in the 50's or 60's.
Lew produced the first seminar E. Joseph Cossman ever
spoke at.
Anyway, Lew taught me from day one that all the real gurus
died in World War II. Robert Collier. Claude Hopkins.
Thomas Hall. John Caples.
These were the real gurus. The real teachers. My friend,
they're all dead and gone. The word “guru” simply means
teacher. We all are a teacher to someone else at some
point in time. That makes us all gurus.
Never put someone else on such a high pedestal that you
think they have some magical powers you don't. They do ONE
thing better than you do:
Convince other people to give them money. A lot of money.
And this IS a skill you can learn. Yes, there ARE secrets
to it. There ARE tricks. But it's NOT something you can't
learn.
7. The single biggest secret of online marketing is simply
learning by doing
You learn to sell by selling. You create or craft a sales
message. You find a way to deliver that message to a
target audience.
If they don't respond, do you cry in your milk, go on
Twitter and bitch at Perry Belcher or whoever your guru
is? Do you go on a forum and proclaim that all the gurus
are lying to you and that Internet marketing doesn't work?
Do you go on blog posts and complain how you're broke and
can you please have the next magical product as a freebie?
NO! You simply craft a new what?
Sales message.
And you see if you can find a way to deliver it to a
little more targeted audience. To a greater percentage of
your target buyers.
You can even TALK to your potential buyers and ASK them
about the sales message. Does it communicate to them or
not?
The legendary Gary Halbert used to say that you knew you
had a BAD sales letter if people complimented you on it.
You knew you had a GREAT sales letter if after reading it
to someone they asked how they could buy that product.
Compliments on your blog, sales letters and web sites mean
NOTHING. The ONLY votes that count are sales.
Now, make no mistake. Over the years I HAVE learned new things
and secrets. For example, EVERYONE teaches my 12-step formula
for creating sales messages. But they regurgitate it. They don't
have the ability to create formulas from scratch.
I've created new formulas that make it even faster, simpler and
easier to create sales messages that work.
There ARE new ways to deliver sales messages and putting these in
your arsenal can haul in lots of sales.
There ARE new types of products you can create that have greater
perceived value and are easier to get more bux for.
So this business is dynamic, changing and growing. I was the FIRST
person to create a product on using Amazon Kindle to get business.
And that just KEEPS growing as they innovate new versions.
This is a great and exciting time to be involved in Internet
marketing. Just understand WHAT the Game really is and don't let
people pull the wool over your eyes and make it something it's not.
How do you STOP working hard for a living?
You trade products for dollars instead of time. And you get really
good at selling them using automated systems to DELIVER your well-
crafted sales message.
Years ago the late, great Joe Karbo wrote: The wisest man I ever
met told me something I'll never forget. Most people are too busy
earning a living to make any money.
I hope you don't wait too long to discover how true that is. And
how to escape the TRAP and get on the path to freedom. I don't
consider myself a guru but a guide to light the path and show the
way.
If we see clearly, it is because we stand on the shoulders of the
true gurus. Giants like E. Joseph Cossman, Jerry Buchanan, Thomas
Hall, Gary Halbert, Robert Collier, Dean Dax Duvall, Harvey Brody
and many others I don't have time to mention. There are even
people like Sheila Danzig and Michael Enlow not to mention Corey
Rudl that we owe more to than almost anyone knows. I'd add my pal
in there Jonathan Mizel who wrote the first newsletter in print
about online marketing.
If we see clearly today….
———————————————————–
Marlon Sanders is the author of “The Amazing Formula That
Sells Products Like Crazy.”
To get on his killer ezine list, to get cheat sheets and all kinds
of other goodies every Saturday and during the week, to get simple,
to-the-point Internet marketing know that works real world without
all the hype, go to: https://www.marlonsnews.com and subscribe
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REPRINT RIGHTS: You have permission to use the above
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You have the right to insert your reseller URL for any
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D. Resources for continuing education
(If you want to post this ENTIRE ezine, you can replace the
following links with your RESELLER links)
1. Save 100's on graphic design. FREEBIE report:
http://www.designdashboard.com/top10
2. The big picture of how a marketing process or system operates:
http://www.amazingformula.com
3. How to create your lead capture pages and follow up sequence:
http://www.promodashboard.com
4. How to create info products, so you have something to sell
http://www.productdashboard.com
==============================
E. Tinu finally will hold you by the hand and teach you the
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All rights reserved.
Thank for you article.
I feel this article like all your articles
are to the point and very thorough.
Thank you again.
Dear Marlon,
I did not read all your content. I really dont have time to read.
I started this company with little money.
My products are damn good. My goal is to sell 3600 bottles a month to stay afloat.
What can you do for me.
Thank you.
Mathi
Please do not post our communication until i reach a shore and catch a breath.
Thank you sir for your valuable guidance and personally replying to my comment. I will act as per your advise and make try to be successful in my goal.
Hello once again Marlon and everyone. After reading Eddies response, I had to jump in and say that I agree with him about the whole 'carrot in front of the horse' business that a lot of the IM gurus constantly pull.
Like Eddie says, their ebook or membership is all you need to make money online. That's what they almost always tell you, untill…
You buy their ebook or membership. Then right after you do, they tell you that you need other things they are selling and that basically what they just told you in their sales material was a lie.
What you just bought isn't all you need. Now you need half a dozen other products they are selling also.
THen there is also the fact that the ebook you just bought is only 40 pages of information and 35 of those pages are there only as something to stick affiliate links in.
So it's just Eddie said. We all know the 'carrot in front of the horse' situation, don't we?
You know, it's where you hold a carrot out to a horse, and leading that horse to wherever you want the horse to go, except that you have no intention of ever giving the horse the carrot.
Many of the IM gurus do exactly they same thing. They sell you a little something here and a little something there, always claiming that if you just buy their latest internet marketing thingy, then you will be set for life, yet they never, ever sell or offer you everyhing that you need to know or have.
The goal is to keep you dependent on them, so that next week or next month, you will once again be dumb enough to buy their wares.
Now obviously there are exceptions. There are a small number ( very small number ) of internet marketers, such as yourself, who provide useful and adequate information, but I have to say Marlon, you all are in the minority.
You know this to be true, because IM gurus are now even using that as a selling point in a lot of their sales material. You know, the 'You need to buy from me because everybody else is a crook' sales pitch. This has become a very common marketing tactic in the last few years.
Honest, ethical IMers will often wonder why it is so hard to develope credibility and trust, and it's because they are stuck in the 'guilt by association' predicament.
You know how that is. You are honest and ethical, but because the vast majority of the people in you profession aren't, you are automatically assumed to be just another scammer, and establishing trust is much more of a hassle than it should be.
It might not be right, and it might not be fair, but that's the reality. And just for the record, when you think about it, this is also a huge stumbling block for newbie IMers, and truth be told, I think it is a much bigger obsticle than the 'not having enough time' thing.
Misato K.
[Hi Misato, I hear what you're saying. The flip side is that a few people want to spend $39.95 for an ebook that is basically the equivalent of a $250,000 franchise complete with all the support. Ain't gonna happen. You spend $100 a month for a membership site and you should get $1000 a month in value as I see it. But NOT $50,000 a month in value as some people expect. By the same token, some people lie and misrepresent and that's wrong. Look at it this way. People spend $100,000 to $250,000 for a college degree and 4 years of hard studying. Yet statistics show 80% of the people can't even get a job in the field they got the degree in. Yet there's a small minority of people who want a $100 ebook or $100 a month membership site to overnight give them the income that a 4 year college degree can't. You see? It's a matter of realistic expectations.]
Hi Marlon,
Like me lots of people (I wonder how many) have completed projects or almost completed projects on their hard drive in the TOO BUSY FOLDER that should be renamed the FEAR OF FALURE folder.
With me it started before the internet with a "How to take pictures for money" Booklet and even a computer program for Ansel Adams Zone system and the darn thing worked. But to sell any of it, oh no, I better start something new and hope someone finds out how great it is and sells it for me.
Now my whole family thinks I'm nuts and wasting my time playing games or something.
Thanks to people like Marlon for setting me on the right path. My new invention is the string less Yo-Yo.
Walt
[Walter, at least you have self insight. That counts for something. So here's what you do. Take the ONE project you can complete the fastest with a reasonable payoff and do THAT. Pick ONE. Finish it. Put it out there and SEE if the market embraces it. If not, NEXT.]
Hi Marlon,
The Article is great like all your stuff and you strike me as a trustworthy person. Wish I had the money to buy more of your stuff but I'm poor because my first product was a scratching post for Meerkats.
How was I to know Merkats don't have any money.
OK, I'm going to take all the advice plus outsourse the things I cant do.
Thanks for your hard work,
Walter Minton
[Hey Walter, well, not all products are successful, so what you do is just hop back on the horse fast as you can.]
Hi Marlon,
Great stuff… again! I have certainly made quite a bit online over the last 10 years trading time for dollars with helping others as a webmaster. Yet, the elusive goal of "selling my own product" still remains. You have inspired me to work on that in 2009.
Whatever happened to Michael Enlow? He was one of the best at making you anticipate his next newsletter!
[Hey Jim, dunno WHAT happened to Michael. I think he had real health issues. Jim, it shouldn't take you months to get a product out. A week or two should do it. Do webinars or teleseminars.]
Hey Marlon,
Just a few comments on the ezine article that you posted. It is very true that most of us normal working people exchange hours for dollars. It is also true that most of us are too busy trying to make a living and paying the bills to do anything else.
As for the article it was a well written piece and easy reading. I will tell you this Marlon, everything I have looked at to help me start an online business has been over hyped.
And here is why I say that. Nothing irritates me more than to join a membership site or buy their product and immediately begin getting shelled with other product promotions.
You know the next greatest tool, coaching, etc. This tells me that I just wasted my money joining your membership site.
That membership site by the way was going to teach me everything I needed to know to make money on line. I can see how most people can just get so damn frustrated and say the hell with it.
At least I was smart enough to see that this particular membership site was nothing but a scam before it took too much of my money.
Thanks,
Eddie Howell
[Hi Eddie, ok, so you want to learn how to make money by selling stuff from people who are not aggressive about selling stuff. That's not going to get you very far but go ahead and try it. What I do is SAVE those pitches to my hard drive so I can go back and study them when I do MY pitch. They're FREE training in what works. Like it or not, business is all about selling stuff. No one makes any money until somebody sells something. If a country doesn't sell goods, there's nothing to tax. So literally, even countries don't make money without sales.]
Imagine that, Marlon, Helping Others Achieve THEIR Success! Your unique perspective and DESIRE to help and SHOW people how THEY can take what they learn from you and truly Create success for themselves, is, in itself, the formula for Success!
Congratulations to everyone who GETS that. I know your students do, but we must continue to spread the word!
RS Mallory
Austin Texas
http://Compassionatemarketing.com
Good solid information. You've won a new follower. Thanks. Most of the other information in the internet is just hype. And it leaves me more confused.
Hi Marlon –
I agree with your theme. Your article was a
bit boring because, in my opinion, you used
about 4X the number of words needed to present your position. Nit pickin? Maybe, but I like a shorter version with less hype.
Marlon, I've read your emails for years, bought many of your products but have gotten bogged down in the world of spending time learning and not DOING. I have my own product – a 250 page book, an accompanying video and MP3 that is entitled "Caring For Your Loved One at Home". I wrote this in 2005 and have yet to do anything with it. Life takes time – caring for parents takes time – caring for children takes time and by the time everything is dong around the house, the yard, and everyone else — well you get the drift….now every day I tell myself that I need to break away and take that first step and I know I will BUT this blog post motivated me and for that I thank you.
[Hi Terri: 1. Find forums people go to on this topic. 2. Buy banner ads there. 3. See who else sells to the market and see if they will sell your product for a commission. 4. Start a small ppc campaign on 3 word phrases. You can find them using the "Google Keyword Tool"]
Hey Marlon,
Awesome post as usual!
you give just about the best info on
IM out there. No kidding.
your right, the trading time for dollar thing is not talked about enough in the IM world.
I personally know people who are working
14 hour days and they make more $ than the job they had, but the lifestyle is missing.
it's all about the lifestyle. I tend to forget that.
Thanks
Ray
[Hi Ray, I couldn't agree more. Thanks for sharing here.]
Hi Marlon, I found your email stimulating, and truthful to a point of being painful. A lot of people will feel uncomfortable after reading it..cos as they say…the truth hurts.
I have been reading your emails for about a year now and I think its about time I came clean with you. After reading what I have to say you can unsubscribe me if you so wish.
I am a 70 yr old disabled pensioner who has never saved all his life and now realise what an ass I have been. I live on a measly pension from the UK government and have no savings at all. How I have wished over the past year of reading your emails that I had realised that one day I would need a nest egg. I dont have any money to invest in your internet projects and deeply regret this fact. I know only too well that to earn money you need to invest money…even if its only a few hundred pounds. I have spent what money I have had on vacations. Vacations are all I live for…and now I have reached the stage where I cannot afford to take any more.
Thankyou Marlon for all your emails and for all the inspiring and motivating messages you have sent me. To be able to put them to work for me if just a pipe-dream for me.
Regards and many thanks once again,
Tom Whalley
[Hi Tom, can you do a webinar? Can you record audio? Can you write? If you can, it's time you start PRODUCING something you can EXCHANGE for money. Ask yourself this question: What can you PRODUCE that people might exchange money for? And since you love VACATIONS, think about doing something on that. Start a blog about vacations. Send out emails about vacations. Promote affiliate products about vacations….ebooks….cruises….etc. There are plenty of products you can promote about vacations. Go to clickbank.com, commissionjunction.com, paydotcom.com and associateprograms.com. That's a good start.]
Excellent Marlon, and thank you for keeping us in the "reality based" online community. Your articles and the A-Team meetings have literally kept me sane in world of hype and overpromising.
I own 9 of your products – was just working on infoproduct the other day – and don't know how I overlooked Amazing Formula. It must be time…
Thank you again,
Nancy
[Hi Nancy, and you've been a wonderful contributor to the Ateam calls. I look forward to seeing wonderful things from you.]
Dearest Marlon,
Thank you for that massive amount of reading of which I could not Finish as I cannot find my glasses My Good Man .
I am a very cynical reader of your work and quite frankly I have No Idea of What You Are Talking About Marlon.
So perhaps maybe you might stop sending to me by mail please
Your s Trully Ms Julie Surtees
[Hi Julie, how are you? If you want to stop receiving emails, it's VERY easy. Just click the LINK at the bottom of the email that says UNSUBSCRIBE. I don't blame you for being cynical of something you don't understand. If you get any more emails from me, just click the unsubscribe link. The reason is that unsubscribes you from the email address you're subscribed under.]
Hi Marlon,
I love the articles you send us every week. I am a Texas born New Yorker. (Born in Del Rio) I like this one in particular because at 52 years old, I have been in the work force long enough now. Time to let the younger guys take over.
I see you have many products to help me get the job done. I have been dabbling in the business for a while now, but can't seem to stay focussed on one thing long enough to see it make me any money.
What product do you recommend that I get to start me on the path to freedom. Also where can I get info on getting my affiliate link embedded in the links in the resource box. I am a newbie that needs some guidance here.
Thanks a bunch.
Steve
[Hi Steve, you get your affiliate link at: http://www.getyourprofits.com. The Amazing Formula is a good product to promote. As a newbie, start with my freebie ebooks: bestofmarlonsanders.com and http://www.marlonsanders.com/newbiereport/ Amazing Formula is a very good big picture product but it isn't step by step. It paints the big picture.]
Hi Marlon,
An inspiring read, all your articles are easy to follow without the jargon that I think confuses people, myself being one.
Keep up the great writing
Best regards
Stephen
[Hi Stephen, appreciate you saying that. I try to write in terms that are easy to understand.]
Hi there Marlon, TrudyVan here.
I love your article and your training. As I am a Trainer in a live Voip Conference room, our members range from total newbies to advanced marketers. Thank you so very much for all the information and guidence
Kindest TrudyVan
[Hi TrudyVan, so you work with a variety of people and appreciate the challenges newbies have. Very nice.]
Keep preaching the Gospel of Trading Products for Money and not time.
Ditto on the key is to sell products to make money on the Internet.
Ditto on the necessity to learn the Internet Sales Process.
Simple, but powerful.
We all need to hear them repeatedly until it sinks in and we apply them.
[Hi Carlos, appreciate you saying that. I don't want to repeat too much but do want to get the message out.]
Hi Marlon,
I just started in this internet business a little bit over 3 months ago, and I didn't have no money to do this and still don't have no money after 3 months in this business, didn't have no real understanding of what this stuff is, but now I have alot more understanding of it. Now, let me share this with you, I told this Internet teacher, what I just express here to you, He said to me if I had about $500.00 I could get a website done for me and setup and traffic driven to the site to make me some money, but then he said if you don't have any money you will have to build your own site and you can and I will help you, I went that route and I got a blog site up and another site with his content on it, Now, I can say that he has left me on my own to mess up which I have, I've spent some money on other systems, money that is for life issues, money that I needed,I'am saying that I'am stuck and spent money on systems trying to become unstuck, and I'am still stuck. Here's the deal Marlon,I came into this thinking I was going to make money in the first few days as these Marketer's claimed "you Can be Making Moneying Within The Next Few Hours" Now, You Can,but realistic, It Takes some time, The truth is refreshing,because it gives a person some sort of time frame of when somthing might come through, I did not know What links mean or even know how to down load or upload, all I knew was to turn on the computer read a few e-mails and send some e-mail and get on the internet,I didn't Know That someone could steal your comission you make as a affilate, I didn't know what affilate was, I have a autoresponder on my blog site that I don't even have it setup properly with no help from the hosting company or web designer to put it in play,I hear the marketers say you have to cloak your links, I want to understand
what they mean by that, and can someone in the marketing world help me, and others
understand that. That's a lot of the example of what I've experienced so far in this Internet business in the 3 months I've been in it.I can tell you, by not having alot of money in the beginning, I've learn alot even though I haven't made any money yet,The truth you bring in this makes me want to go fully at this and get your system when I make money,but for now I appericate your wisdom and truth, Right now,I'am trading time for dollars, hopefully in the future It will be dollars and products, before I go I want to put this on my blog,but I don't know how to transfer this over, Thank you, for letting us speak on this forum! See Ya!
[Hi Isaac, so you're starting from scratch. Alright. Get bestofmarlonsanders.com and read it. I also have a newbie ebook. http://www.marlonsanders.com/newbiereport/ Both of those are FREE.]
Hi Marlon
This is a great message especially for me. As a "newbie" to internet marketing, so new I am just putting my site together, it was refreshing to read some plain speaking.It becomes obvious that even starting out as an affiliate will not produce everything. Can really appreciate the need now to get my own products. My problem will be creating good sales`messages but I am sure that perserverance will bring results.
Thanks for the comments you make.
[Tony, it's fine to start as an affiliate. But eventually you create one product, sell it and then sell affiliate products as a follow up. Then you work your way to having your own stable of products.]
Hello Marlon,
I think the whole "don't trade your time for dollars" thing is a lot easier said than done, don't you think?
I don't think that it's simply a matter of not realizing they are in this trap, as much as I thnk this whole viral marketing thing just eludes many of them.
I think a lot of people don't trade time for dollars because all of society tells everybody trading time for dollars is the correct way to make money.
Me and you both know how much of a crock that is, but this is what is taught to us our whole lives.
Society tells us that we have to go to school. We have go to college for at least 4 years. We have to grab the first entry level job becomes available. We have ti make our job our new family.
Then maybe when it is time for us to retire, if we have done all of this, we will then be able to collect enough in pension to support ourselves as long as we don't try to have any lifestyle above the poverty level, and this is the way society says it is suppose to be.
So we are all basically brainwashed from birth, and most of us don't figure out that things can be better for us than that, which in turn is probably a big reason why most people are just a medical bill away from bamkruptcy.
I think that most people just don't realize that there is more than one way to generate an income, and I think society in general needs to drastically change the financial education that it gives to everybody.
Misato K.
[Hi Misato, those are all VERY good points. A good little product would be something on how to overcome that brainwashing.]
Marlon? This email I received 6June09, from you with the link to the article, just may be the most important one I have ever read from you. Thanks for sharing.
[Hi Mae, thanks for taking the time to share and I'm glad to hear it!]
This is so true you can only work so many hours in a day but you can sell more than a million products in the same amount of time it's all but doing research and getting the right product to the right people.
[Jeffrey, it's a simple point that I think is starting to dawn on a lot of people!]
Marlon I love you! I just recently unsubscribed from 90 ezine/newsletters (yes 90!) to become more efficient with my time. Yours was not one of them. In fact I have a file dedicated just for your stuff (a printed file)-it's that good!
I have also purchased 2 of your dashboards and Ockham's Razor. Great stuff.
As a Product Creation Coach who teaches coaches and consultants to create their products I love when you say "Nothing happens until someone sells something". For my students who get this concept they do really really well and those who don't get it, continue to learn and learn and…well you know.
Implementation is so important and I see a consistent message from you regarding this very subject all the time.
Just a quick thank you for always having consistent messages and for creating fantastic products (those of you who have not bought from Marlon – you're missing out!)
Kind Regards!
[Hi Tammy, thanks for posting here. And yes, we're in total agreement on product creation. Glad you're helping people and spreading the word.]
[…] support placed an interesting blog post on Learn Internet Marketing » Blog Archive » “Are You Too Busy …Here’s a brief overviewThose are all useful things. Now, find a target market, start building your list, and promote affiliate products with the end goal of creating your own. Learn to SELL via webinar, teleseminars, emails, sales letters, etc.] … […]
Hi, Marlon!
I am a Bulgarian businessmen and a big fan of yours. Years ago they fired me and I couldn't find a job for years. Thanks to God I would say now.
Because the unemployment forced me to learn Internet marketing and right now I am the owner of 4 mini sites that made me rich.
I am since 2004 in this business and YOU helped me a lot with your advices! Thank you! If you visit Bulgaria, call me and be my guest!
[Hi Apostol, wow. Great story. I'll get a testimonial from you sometime. Thanks for sharing here and inspiring others.]
Marlon Sir, Not everyone may be able to create his own products and I have noticed that almost 80% products are about selling the poducts that tell how to befool others by luring them to spend money for earning money.
I want some affiliate program of your products so that I may also succeed to some extent in earnings some dollars. Is it possible? I have tried a lot but failed everytime. I have earned some money only by writing and rewriting articles. May I get some help?
I have no much money to spend but a lot of time to work hard.
Regards
[Hi, actually go to clickbank.com and click the marketplace. You'll find tons of products that have NOTHING to do with Internet marketing. Go to shareasale.com and paydotcom and affiliatefuel.com and many other affiliate sites and directories and you'll find hundreds and thousands of non IM products. Oh, commissionjunction.com. What you want to do is very possible. I don't have the training to provide you. It isn't my specialty. Go to warriorforum.com in the WSO section and you'll find help there. Sean Mize is a good one to read on article marketing. It DOES work. You need to target keywords with under 10,000 competitors in Google in "quotes". And you need to write and submit 5-10 articles a day targeting different keywords. Sean has some free ebooks on it. Grab those.]
I have heard this many times before, but not until you finally produce a product that you realize the power in having your own "stuff".
I still work a "regular" job while setting up wordpress sites mostly promoting ebay.
Last month I figured out a way to quickly clone wordpress sites with free software, spent two days making a 15 minute video, a powerpoint presentation and an ebook with detailed instructions and was able to quintuple my ebay affiliate sales production.
Not bad!
I think I got the bug!
[That's an AWESOME example and I hope everyone reads it and pays attention!]
great article, this is what I needed to hear, strayed from the pursuit of my site and product, ended up in the last couple of months trading time for money,I am getting back on the wagon and move forward with my own .
thanks for your insights and practical applications.
[Hi Tautau, glad to hear you're back on track.]
I have friends and colleagues who are making a 6-figure income, and they confide to me that they are burnt out and exhausted. It's so true. Running around the cuontry is NOT living the lifestyle!
It's not what I want to do and am currently changing my business model to do exactly what you are saying! I look forward to hearing more on this subject!
[Hi Ellen, glad you're seeing the light here! Actually, going around the country can be fun. I've done that deal before. But you know, when it isn't fun anymore, it's time for a different model. It's very realistic to have a model where you just sell your stuff online. And maybe you do some teleseminars and webinars. But eventually you can fully or partly automate those also.]
I have been receiving emails from you for several years under a different email.
I receive information from number internet marketers and unless you act on the information you receive nothing happens.
The last two weeks and next week is crunch time for me to start my new business. I am running out of time, I am 56 this year. I've had my share of success and failure.
One of my biggest limitations has been my fear of writing but, do you no what I am going to produce a book and it will be a fantastic book. I am overcoming my fear just by doing it. It's hard and I struggle and sometimes I almost give up but, I just keep sticking my goals out in front of me and believing that I can do it. Your education never stops until the day you die.
I have found a number of products that will be in the market place over the next several weeks. I am starting of with my local market (non-internet) and then package them for the internet. They are not unique but they will be in niche markets.
A lot of the time it is just having a go and keeps on having a go, because you're a long time dead
Thanks Marlon for your emails I do not read them all the time. Every bit helps to keep focused
Much appreciated
Ian Cleland
The walking man from OZ
[Ian, wow! I think you'll be an inspiration to MANY just by sharing here. Consider doing webinars for products and also teleseminars. Then there are workshops and seminars. LOTS of ways to sell information. Not just writing. But writing is good too. If you get too bogged down, the try STARTING out selling 4-week webinars.]
Finished Ockhams a little while back…been meaning to say thanks.
…Thanks
"A Tolarance for Ambiguity" concept,
was like a breath of fresh air for an..
perfectanist,perfectanst,perfactionist
Awe stuff it a guy who likes to get things right all the time.
AL.. Australia
[Hey Al, thanks so much for taking the time to share here. It DOES encourage me to hear positive feedback.]
A lot of good advice. I wish I had more time to implement it all.
[Hi, keep reading my stuff. It really shouldn't take weeks or months to implement. I believe in creating products in under 2 weeks.]
Dear Marlon,
You tell it like it is! Your article has just saved me thousands of dollars. A guru whose name ends in W almost convinced me to spend $5000 plus air to LA and hotel and expenses for a week. His pitch was to teach me his secret formula to launch products that would make both of us rich.
In one article, you just described what I would learn in 5 days, at a much higher cost.
Internet marketing is a second career for me, but you reminded me of how I made my living in the construction industry for over 40 years. Thanks again for making what appeared difficult simple.
I am still in need of advice, and am looking for an experienced mentor. Sean Mize, who I have spoken to and bought products from speaks very highly of you.
I would appreciate a personal answer where we could discuss the possibility of you helping me launch my second career
regards
Joel Helfer
[Joel, I don't have a coaching program right now. Maybe in the future. Sean has one I believe. And I like his angle. In fact, I have one of his cd's right here on my coffee table.]
Marlon, I couldn't piggyback off the success of others for two reasons. In my personal life I chose alongside that of my wife Sylvia that we would both reach out and help a number of local charities around Western Australia and abroad by simply giving everything we had away. The same now could be said for my Ad-Sense account. I set it up purely on the basis that with incoming revenue it would facilitate a form of recurring Income that would furnish and supply a number of online charities that need direct funding. Where I go from here depends on my abilities and if I fail, I would die knowing I tried. All that anyone could expect is that a person does his/her best and if I don't make any form of progress for myself, but I am able to create a sustainable cash flow for charity then I haven't failed.
Call it my mindset or whatever else that you could describe it but, a man's worth or woman's worth is equal to the hard work and dedication that is put into their primary goals. Thank You for your offer but it has to be one of clear conscience that over rides the piggyback effect.
[Frank, I don't think we communicated clearly here. You aren't piggybacking off of anyone. You create products and sell them. That's a very noble endeavor and even spiritual, depending on your world view. I think something I said got lost in the translation. But you have a great project there. I wish you great success.]
Marlon Hows it going sir?
As usual your words are like a masterpiece of marketing.
your words are so real and to the point, I really appreciate your wisdom and the fact that you so freely share it.
as you say, you truly give great content on a regular basis not just during a special promotion.
You seem like a really cool person to share so much.
I know sales make the world go round and you have bills to pay like everyone, but your style is both straightforward and refreshing.
I constantly need to check myself to make sure that I am spending my time wisely. (whats going to move me forward and be the best use of my time right now.)
as you say time for dollars or products.
thank you!
Dennis Howard
P.S. I am doing a audio interview with Ewen the 12th and would like to invite you to include a product or your own interview with a link back to your site
Sincerely
Dennis Howard
[Dennis, contact Tim on getyoursupport.com and tell him I approved forwarding it. Thanks for your comments.]
Well thanks for breaking it down like that. For one reason or another I really like you.
Take care
[Hey Michael, thanks. That's very kind of you.]
I want to thank you for being blunt and being honest. Now to not fall into the category of people who do the wrong things and don't learn. I won't complain. I won't "compliment" the article as that is not a sign of value as you stated. As for where do I go to get the product. I have followed you for sometime and know where to look for it. I have finally written my first book of a series and also shoot from the hip. The book is meant to destroy the myths that hold so many back and give encouragement that everyone has the right to have a business either online or offline if they desire it. The series is a destruction of all the lies and fool proof reasons and methods that I have researched and found to be valid. No more looking at the touted speils and "snake oil charms". I will only give credit to methods, reasoning and information that has proof behind it. For that reason I planned to recommend several of your products within my books. The blog is underconstruction as the book was only finished a few days ago and I am now working on the sales pages. Thank you for the reminders about what I needed. I hope you will look over the first few pages of the book at http://tinyurl.com/s-ttbtmm and then decide you would like to know more and purchase it from my storefront at http://tinyurl.com/r5luju The blog will be found at http://heartfeltglobal.info and will contain membership that will allow members to get the series and other information free. Hope you will check it out and pass along the info. Will see you again in the next post to your blog and maybe (just maybe) someday in real life to thank you in person.
makingmagic
[Your taking action. I congratulate you and wish you success.]
Marlon,
Love the searing honesty in saying – stop being my affiliate and create, acquire, grab your own products!
Very cool – tho both approaches can make money.
Makes sense to have others risking THEIR money in ppc, etc, creating links to YOUR site, to sell YOUR product!
Andrew Larder
MarketingSharks.com
[Hi Andrew, yeah, it hits you in your OWN pocketbook when you teach people that because your BEST affiliates soon launch careers of their own. But I've always tried to tell people the truth, even when it didn't work to my favor in the belief that the long term dominates the short term.]
That message is great Marlon!
I really think the biggest problem is that people are really to busy making a living(or Trying to) to make any real money.
You can't concentrate on anything long with all the confusion caused by these so called marketers Who email you 5 times a day with different products!
I join training lists of different marketers frequently to try and learn something more about the business, all this usually leads to are more sales pitches and very little if any training! OOpps… There goes my time…
Creating products is something I have been looking at closely but I cant seem to find a market that is not totally saturated or close to it. Can't seem to find the niche!
[Ben, you bring up a good issue. If you want to consult with me privately about this, it's $1,000 for an hour and you can schedule with Tim at getyoursupport.com. I have one info product that does a pretty good job of explaining how to find opportunity in any market. You can find profit pockets within any market, even the competitive ones. That product is myredfactor.com. It's also part of my CashLikeClockwork.com System. What I suggest you do is look within the market for TOPICS that are ignored or aren't covered. There are also ways to compete successfully within any one product category. But my favorite move is called the flanking move. There's a chance I have an article on it in bestofmarlonsanders.com. The idea is to find a slice of the market no one else occupies. Look at all the people who have carved out topics and niches within Internet marketing.]
Gday Marlon, bouquet – great content speaking to all the crabs trying to crawl out of the bucket, brickbat – getting an email with a long ugly aweber hyperlink to the post, nearly couldn't be bothered.
John
[Hi John how are you? I guess my comment request email was coded for the aweber tracking. I agree the links are ugly. I think that's what you're saying. I normally only use our in house tracking links. But sometimes I like to use one in aweber so I can see general click trends at a glance.]
How do I get off this fracking mailing list? I've sent dozens of e-mails trying to get removed and I keep getting this worthless spam in my inbox. I'm on the verge of seeking legal counsel.
[Hi David, I checked our autoresponder and the ONLY subscription under your email address was our double optin confirmation link we emailed you. That means you are NOT receiving emails from me under the email address you posted on this post. If you get any other emails from me or are subscribed under any OTHER name or email address, you CLICK the link that says UNSUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the email. Do NOT email us because we don't get emails often. You can ALSO post your REAL name and email to http://www.getyoursupport.com and we will be HAPPY to manually remove you. Finally, I have a real person on live chat M-F except when he's at lunch and you can chat him up and he'll manually remove you. Finally, we also publish a PHONE.]
You say everyone’s too busy to make money, Marlon. Which is true.
But there's something else.
Money flows to those who are creative and bold.
Most people lack creativity. They can't quite figure out how to offer something different or interesting.
And even fewer people are decisive. They spend their time reading and thinking.
The gurus are those who encapsulate some eternal truth in a novel way. And then act on it.
So, the message is: 1. Follow Marlon’s guidelines. 2. Develop a novel approval. 3. Be bold and decisive.
What do you think?
[Kit, I agree. Innovation and speed are 2 of my core values.]
Hi Marlon
Leonardo here from thr UK
Man you were right, I needed to read this article, get products out the door, nothing happens without a sale, its all so true.
I got my seo ebook out the door.
Now I'm getting my course ready, thanks for the dashboard.
Where's the best place to take my course, its for on/offline small business owners?
I really need someone with a phat list
Leonardo
[Hi Leonardo, I really couldn't give you a decent answer without research. I'd start with the stuff I talk about in pushbuttontargetmarket.com. The thing is, you START with where you're going to get customers and how you're going to get them BEFORE you create a product. That's why I put this in row 1 of Product Dashboard. One thing I'd do is talk to small business owners and see who sends them direct mail. That means those people have lists of business owners. I think you can find a lot of web sites online that target them if you search the same keywords in Google small business owners would search for. If you want to discuss this more, schedule a consultation at getyoursupport.com.]
Hi Marlon,
Bang! Right thru the heart!
Building a PRODUCT of any kind for a target market and selling it.
I like the idea.
Time…the real final frontier.
thanks for your astute words.
[Herb, sell webinars or teleseminars and record them. It's a very short product creation cycle.]
Awesome as usual Marlon.
Have you ever been to the point where you wanted to delete everything you've spent months, even years working on because the results were non-existent?
Just a question…
[Allen, I rather think that there's a good chance much of what you've done and learned WILL be useful in the future. I'm assuming you've learning some things about getting traffic, targeting markets and persuasion or selling. Those are all useful things. Now, find a target market, start building your list, and promote affiliate products with the end goal of creating your own. Learn to SELL via webinar, teleseminars, emails, sales letters, etc.]
Hi Marlon,
As always you give great content.After spending 2 years of guru and wannabee guru product hopping,I am [certainly not wiser]but certainly more cautious.
I now delete swathes of emails from my inbox with glee.I am going to ask you a leading question.After all this time,I believe that yourself,and World Profits Associates are the most "real" that I,ve come across.What,in your opinion,should sway me one way or the other?
Regards
Neil Thomas
[Hi Neil, how are you? What I'd say is grab my free ebook at bestofmarlonsanders. Read it and see if you resonate with my ideas or not. There is no one best teacher for everyone. All teachers come from different perspectives and offer different things. I also suspect there's a good deal of wisdom in those products you've already bought. Just look for the stuff in them that shows you how to create and sell products.]
Marlon, you always have an always will be my personal favorite teacher. Why? You tell it like it is.
Sales is the lifeblood and only path to true freedom. Doing and not talking about doing is the only real key.
I couldn't agree with you more. After reading this message you really made me feel like I don't need to worry about Twitter and Facebook and blogging.
I need to start crafting a product that people want buy and a method to sell those products consistently. AAHH I'm pretty sure I know who to listen to on THAT one!
Balance, satisfaction and profit with freedom is something we all want. But in reality, few will ever achieve it.
Thank you for your inspiring words, Marlon. They are heard, appreciated and embraced.
[Bill, it's so easy to get caught up in the technologies. So a reminder that all we're doing is finding people and selling stuff kinda helps put it all in perspective, doesn't it? Yes, I think if you spend 1-2 weeks creating a product people will buy and sell it, you'll be well served. Try doing a webinar.]
Hi Marlon,
You hit the nail on the head this time,
make the products than the money will follow.
[Hey Kenneth, well you gotta sell the products you make. But I'm a big believer in creating and owning products. Or at least owning them. There are other ways to get em than creating them. But product creation really isn't all that difficult.]
It is interesting how many "gurus" deny being a "guru", and are critical of other gurus. I guess it's just not hip being a guru anymore.
Selling has gotten a bad rap because of all the bad salesmen. Marlon is a brilliant salesman because he has the ability to cultivate trust. His hand may be in your pocket, but at least he won't put it their while your back is turned.
[Mike, yes, the "guru" word does have a bad rap. And in some ways it's undeserved. We are all teachers. It's interesting, isn't it?]
Oh Marlon your message is soooo right on the mark today. I love that you are pointing out we are all teachers and we can all learn the skills we need.
So many of my students start out by being so discouraged, thinking they will never improve. That's definitely not the case if they will just take action and get moving.
Thanks for all you do Marlon!
Best,
Ellen
[Hi Ellen, thanks for sharing here. And keep your students on track as I know you are. They need guidance on staying on target.]
Alright Marlon, I have a lot to say on this one.
I purchased The Amazing Formula and Gimme My Money Now years ago. I worked through those e-books step by step and had incredible success.
My biggest mistake was not following through. I didn't continue to roll out new products and I just didn't continue to put work into my KSL sites.
I'm a professional stand-up comedian and magician. My first info product was geared toward other magicians. I basically didn't stick with the formula because I was more interested in booking shows than in selling info products to other performers.
Fast forward about five years later and I decided to get back into info product marketing. I got your Promo dashboard, revamped my old e-book and turned it into a course using screen captures and a variety of other media.
I went back through the Amazing Formula and Gimme My Money Now and then used the Promo Dashboard. Even though I hadn't contacted my list in years, it was still incredibly responsive!
I only have a little over 400 magicians on my list but I've made over 50 sales of my revamped product plus a couple of new products I've created. By the way, I raised the price on my original course from $71.00 to $154.00.
The whole thing took me a little over two weeks and I can tell you my average per transaction sale is $100.00. Multiply that times over 50 sales plus affiliate commissions I've earned from using your just press send tactic weekly and you can see I've made well over $5,000.
Remember, this is the second time I've used you formulas. I made close to $10,000 back in 2003 doing what you told me.
However, there is one thing that's bumming me out. Your products have made me a lot of money relative to the small investment I made.
Meanwhile, I'm now enrolled in a very expensive coaching program. The program is fantastic and I'm getting a lot out of it.
At the same time, I keep realizing that everything I've learned in this program by watching hours and hours of screen capture videos is the same information I learned from you quickly and simply for much less money.
Honestly, I'm sure I'll stick with this coaching program because it has made me take massive action and I know it's helping my business.
Still, I can't help but to feel I fell victim to looking for a magic bullet when I could have simply just kept repeating what you already taught me to earn several thousand dollars every month.
On a side note, the head of the coaching program I'm in mentioned you on one of the live calls. He praised you but said he wasn't sure if you were still selling The Amazing Formula!
I'll be sure to let him know you're alive and kicking!
Sorry that this is such a long comment, but you struck a nerve with me. I'm not sure if I should feel duped for spending so much money on this coaching program or if I should just appreciate that it's been keeping me motivated to do better in my business.
Thanks Marlon for putting out the best stuff out there…Hands down.
[Hey Zach, GLAD to hear you're producing and marketing products again. The magician's market is a good one. Keep at it!]
Dead on Marlon…
If only I had implemented Amazing Formula which I bought (Twice 🙂 )years ago…and had been able to tune out all the other voices who were screaming out to me at the same time and kept me in a tailspin.
I could be doing those same things you are doing right now.
I am going to get it done…but it's more of an up hill climb and the delay has cost me probably at least 15 good years.
Keep harping on the basics and share with us the valuable info from those copywriters you mention, because as you know, most of their books are now out of print or at best, are a rare find.
Best Regards,
Marge
[Hey Marge, how are you? There's no time like the present. And I'm sure you've learned many things in the past years that will serve your future well. Every loss carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit. So today is the day you decide to create your own info product or products. And thus you move forward into the future with anticipation and profit.]
Hey Marlon,
I've been your subscriber since 2005. But haven't bought lots of stuff from you 😉
There are very few Gurus who offer solid and quality free content beyond all those product launch hoopla's…
About trading time for dollars.
Although I'm successful online marketing (call me affiliate marketer) I think I still trade my time for dollar. 5 years back when I was working for a company I used to work 8 hours a day… now I work more than 12 hours a day!
But you know the difference?
I'm still happy… I'm happy to spend more than 12 hours infront of my computer. Because now I work for myself though indirectly I buid someone else's business.
And I can take a break or vacation whenever I want… don't have to wait for that weekend anymore!
Most importantly I don't have to deal with Psycho boss!
[Hey, I agree about the nice parts of being self employed. But really, trade products for dollars instead of your time. It's a less arduous route to putting money in your bank accounts.]
How true, Marlon! Selling is the name of the game! I am still struggling with my sales messages, but I am willing to learn and tweak to success. Thanks for your articles!
[Hi Judit, well keep practicing. It isn't all that complicated. Keep experimenting with different angles and messages.]
Thank you Marlon. Reminding me that it's all about SALES!
[Joe, it's a simple message I know. But really, it's so easy to go off on wild goose chases.]
I'm an inexperienced internet marketer and need all the help I can get.
[Robin, snag a free copy of bestofmarlonsanders.com to start with.]
Hi Marlon,
Your articles are so refreshing. I really appreciate hearing the truth from someone who has been there. And I am sick of all the hoopla over product launches. I prefer your process of providing continuous good advice and products that work. Just one question, as a brand newbie to the field, don't I have to trade a lot of hours for dollars just to get started? If there is a way out, I would love to know it.
Kind regards!
[Hi Laurie, how are you? Laurie, the search for shortcuts leads you to some degree on wild goose chases. Learn to create products and sell them. You can start by selling affiliate products. Amazing Formula is a good overview of the business. Then ProductDashboard.com or PromoDashboard.com would be next. Those are my best shortcuts.]
I feel this article like all your articles
are to the point and very thorough. You obviously practice what you preach.
[Hey Bert, appreciate your comments. I hope the article was of value to you.]
Hi Marlon,
What a great message today…
As my efforts online provide a great part time income, what is even more wonderful is that I am still out doing my regular work, which I thoroughly enjoy, and when I get home and check my in box, I find messages that say I have earned money while I was out.
What I would suggest is that people buy your products to get an idea about making money online and then sign up for your affiliate program and start promoting this to their own contacts and start building a bigger list.
Keep up the great work!
John Clark
http://www.lifetosuccess.com
[John, promoting my products as an affiliate to start with is good. But I'm really strong as onions in the belief that people need to create their own products as soon as they can. Of course, like u say it's never too soon to start building a list.]
I agree with you 100%. If you are criss-crossing the country on planes giving pitches at conferences all year long … or you are working 16-hour days for 6 months doing mega launches … you have merely traded one job for another. I truly live the Internet marketing lifestyle — work at home, one part-time employee, six figure income, putting in only a few hours a day.
[Hi Bob, honor to have your comments here. And you are a wonderful example of the lifestyle!]
That's wonderful Marlon…
How can I learn more about your 12-step sales message?
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