In my mind, there are three kinds of entrepreneur: inventors, modelers and marketers. All can be successful, but in my mind, only one kind of entrepreneur is on the surest path to building a business that survives… and thrives.

So what’s the difference between the three? Well, keep in mind that the three terms ‘innovators’, ‘modelers’ and ‘marketers’ are just labels. I think, though, that as you read my definitions, you’ll get the distinction between each entrepreneurial type. And, sure, I’m generalizing - there are probably people who fit into each category in different situations.

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Yesterday, my husband and I had a little chat about Internet marketing products - ebooks, programs, systems, courses, etc - aimed at teaching you how to perform some aspect of Internet marketing. This, in turn, led to a discussion about ‘the dirty little secret of Internet marketing products’…

Now, Simon is a rather skeptical guy. And he generally shies away from any kind of ‘how to make money online’ product. That said, he has certainly invested in a number of products over the years that, while not promising to turn you into a millionaire overnight, teach practical skills e.g. how to do Google Adwords, how to do search engine optimization, and so on.

So, I guess he’s that breed of Internet marketing customer that is turned OFF by cheesy headlines. I’m similar, but since I’m more familiar with who’s who in Internet marketing I’m probably not as skeptical as he is about certain things (although I’m probably more skeptical about others!).

When it comes to high profile Internet marketing products, Simon says that, by default, he doesn’t believe most of the claims made in sales letters and other promotional materials.

And that’s where we differ. Depending on the Internet marketing product in question - and, in particular, the Internet marketer behind the product - my default position is that I DO believe the claims made in the sales letter.

But here’s the thing: while I believe that so-and-so Internet marketing guru probably made the money they said they did by following the system or using the program they’re selling… I also think there’s a rather significant piece of information missing from the sales letter.

It’s the dirty little secret of all, if not most, Internet marketing products, and it’s simply this: for the system or program to work… YOU have to work.

YOU have to roll up your sleeves and put time, sweat, tears and perhaps even money into learning, understanding and applying the steps… YOU have to persist when the program or system doesn’t yield instant results… YOU have to innovate when, for whatever reason, the cookie cutter approach is no longer effective.

Search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, copywriting, affiliate marketing, article marketing… they all require work!

Now, admittedly, there IS an alternative to you doing work. It’s called: paying someone else to do the work.

But even that doesn’t let you off the hook. Having worked purely as a consultant to at least one large organization where just about every aspect of Internet marketing is outsourced to various different agencies, I can honestly say there is STILL a lot of work to be done.

Coming up with new ideas… strategic planning… managing all the agencies… evaluating their results… reporting to other parts of the business… troubleshooting… and that’s just SOME of what the Internet marketing people do. It doesn’t even approach what everyone else does in the business - producing the products, delivering customer support, building the business, and so on.

So if we need to do work - and often a lot of work - to achieve the results so-and-so Internet marketing guru has achieved… why don’t they tell us that in the sales letter?

Well, firstly, if you read through the sales letters put out by the most respected Internet marketers you’ll see that some DO actually mention that work is involved. They might say something along the lines of “Don’t read this unless you’re serious about making 7 figures this year and are prepared to do what it takes to make it…”

But that doesn’t sound too much like hard work does it? I mean it’s not as if the copy says “Don’t read this unless you’re serious about making 7 figures this year and are prepared to: stop watching TV, halve the time you normally spend with family and friends, work at least 60 hours per week, cold-call at least 10 people a day…”

(Am I exaggerating? Well, depending on the aim of the Internet marketing product in question, I’m just touching the surface…)

That said, there are two main reasons why Internet marketing product sales letters - and, indeed, sales letters for most other ‘how-to’ products - don’t and SHOULD NOT emphasize the work involved.

Firstly, as indicated above, you CAN indicate that work is involved without needing to spell it out. Anyone who’s hot for your product will still see what they want to see, and will likely skim over the ‘work’ bit and focus on the ‘end result’ bit.

Secondly, what IS selling if it’s not harnessing the prospect’s emotions - their hopes, desires, fears, etc - in order to persuade them to take a certain action step (e.g. buy your product). You’re not seriously going to do anything - like talk about how hard it is to make your system work - that sabotages your ability to sell, are you?

I mean, does anyone really expect ads for Coca-Cola to talk about how much sugar the drink contains, and how excess sugar intake is linked to tooth decay and obesity?

It just makes sense to emphasize the positives, and avoid or neutralize the negatives, in order to persuade someone to buy.

BUT… if you’re both an Internet marketer who sells stuff AND an entrepreneur who looks for tools and information to help build your business… it probably doesn’t hurt to occasionally repeat the dirty little secret of Internet marketing products!

Wow, a high profile Internet marketer - dare I say “guru” - has lashed out at what she regards as 15 Internet marketing sins.

Sylvie Fortin, president and founder of outsourcing outfit, Workaholics4Hire, and wife of renown Internet copywriter, Michel Fortin, has released a report where she unleashes her rage over a number of tactics commonly used in the Internet marketing niche and elsewhere.

There’s certainly a marketing (list building and sales) motive behind the release of Sylvie’s report. Come on, we’re all marketers, right? But I was truly surprised - and impressed - by Sylvie’s brutal honesty in the report.

Surprise, surprise, a “guru” - who no doubt rubs shoulders with some of the biggest marketing sinners - genuinely lashes out at practices she believes are undermining Internet marketing. I mean really. She even lets loose a few expletives!

Frankly, I would love to see everyone in the Internet marketing niche (and other niches) take Sylvie’s ideas to heart. Regardless of whether or not this is partly a marketing exercise (and heck, I’ve signed up as an affiliate) I agree with her when she says that the fewer people engaged in shady marketing tactics, the better it is for all of us.

Download a copy of Sylvie’s Internet Marketing Sins report here (yep, it’s an affiliate link):

==> Free copy of Sylvie Fortin’s Internet Marketing Sins report

Source: Sylvie Fortin, Internet Marketing Sins, July 2008

Yesterday, well known Internet marketer John Reese launched his much anticipated Traffic Secrets 2.0 internet marketing course.

I was impressed with the original Traffic Secrets course (bought a few years ago) and have since respected John Reese for both the way he thinks and the way he run his business. Although I have not seen the new version, I have every reason to believe that it will be a high quality course.

But who else would like to see a genuine, objective review of this (and other courses put out by Internet marketers) to help inform their buying decision?

No, not a “review” by an affiliate or a friend… an objective review by someone who is (a) qualified to comment, and (b) doesn’t have anything to lose or gain by giving us their honest opinion.

Do high profile Internet marketers actually make their products available to respected, independent people to review? My guess is no - mainly because they probably have little to gain, and possibly a great deal to lose, by providing their products for review.

Perhaps Internet marketers are smarter than those in the software and entertainment industries where product reviews are prevalent. Perhaps they know that there’s more to gain by turning reviewers into affiliates and affiliates into reviewers. And perhaps would-be reviewers also like the idea of providing a review that ends with an affiliate link.

But I still see the potential for this to change. Product reviews - both by experts and peers - are being used by an estimated 83 percent of online consumers. And with the growing popularity of Internet marketing product review forums such as the Warrior Forum’s Internet Marketing Product Reviews & Ratings sub-forum, we may see more info-product consumers demanding objective guidance before they hand over their hard earned cash for something.

If this happens, expect to see more product launches involving a pre-release to non-affiliate, independent, reviewers, as occurs in the publishing, music and movie industries.

In the meantime, I WAS impressed by the audio review of Traffic Secrets 2 given by Andy Jenkins, co-founder of StomperNet. StomperNet IS an affiliate for Traffic Secrets but the review was very thorough and convincing. You can listen to it here: http://www.stompernet.net/TSReview/ (and no, this is NOT an affiliate link!)

Source: Anna Johnson, “83 Percent of Consumers Use Online Product Reviews”, Kikabink News, July 10, 2008

Occasionally, I see discussions on various Internet marketing forums about whether or not the Internet marketing niche – the market for “how-to” Internet marketing information – is saturated.

In my view the answer is two-fold: yes, the Internet market is saturated with rubbishy, “me-too” products… and no, there is plenty of room for products and services that provide value to the target market.

So if someone plans to enter this niche with yet another low-value ebook, or course, or some other information product that delivers nothing more than regurgitated, out-of-date, or just plain wrong information… they’ll have plenty of competition!

If, on the other hand, they plan to deliver a product or service that is better and unique… there will likely be a market for that solution. The only real issue is how to cost-effectively reach the target market. That’s where traffic generation and conversion strategies and tactics are the keys to success.

Of course, Internet marketers with a low-value product but a few super-affiliates to promote for them - or some other highly effective means of generating traffic, building a list and converting it and so on - can probably still make some good money from their crappy products. But, as in most markets, the “survival of the fittest” rule prevails: over time, the crap sinks to the bottom and the cream rises to the top. After all, there are only so many refunds and complaints a super affiliate will take before they realize that promoting so-and-so’s product just isn’t worth it.

Of course, what exactly is rubbish… and what is better and unique? As you might imagine, it all depends on the target market. What is better and unique to someone just learning about how to build an Internet business is entirely different to what is better and unique to an accomplished Internet marketer.

So even though you may loathe those long-running infomercials promoting the products of certain high-profile Internet marketers and believe that what they’re selling is pure schlock… those products really are delivering value to their target markets. If they weren’t, these guys wouldn’t be running those expensive infomercials year after year.

Likewise, a certain ebook released by a high profile Internet marketer a couple of years ago yielded significant sales… even though it was riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes. The guy behind it has only grown his business ever since. Which indicates, once again, that, to the target market, the product delivered value.

Yet, even though the quality of a given product or service may be in the eyes of the beholder… there is an objective indicator as well. It’s called: SALES!

And although it’s possible to have a fantastic product or service and still find it difficult to reach your market (in which case your sales may not reflect the quality of your product)… we are talking about the Internet marketing niche here. If you can’t market your own product or service online… is your product or service on how to market online really that good?