Partnering for beginners

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Partnering is one of the best ways to grow your list. In fact, anyone who tells you he/she grew a big list without partnering is probably lying. I once did some joint webinars and grew my list by 800 people in one week. It’s powerful!

online-business-partnering-for-beginners-1Going it alone is just not the way to succeed

If you’re scared of joint affiliate arrangements, don’t have any products yet and have a very small list, there are still some ways you can partner with others.

First, you need to create some relationships with colleagues who target a similar market but offer a somewhat different service or product from you. Get into LinkedIn groups where your colleagues might hangout, join some Facebook groups, look for marketing forums, and you’ll find people.

One of the best ways to find people is to go to a conference and meet people in person. But whatever you do, you need to follow up and keep trying — even if you’re ready, not everyone else is. Soon, you’ll find some people to work with. And the search never ends. Part of having a business is developing relationships.

2 quick partnering ideas you can implement tomorrow

Here are 2 quick and easy ways you can partner: Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Find the information you need to move forward

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I’m responding to the survey I posted — providing those of you who filled it out with content to help you with your most pressing needs.

internet-marketing-information-to-move-forward-1If you haven’t completed it yet, click here to complete it. Why? Well, if you read this post, you’ll see how I’m helping those who did complete it. Why not get your concerns addressed too?

Below, you’ll see the most common responses so far and the resources I have on my website to address those issues. Each topic’s content is like a mini-course; you could easily pay $97 or more for this information — on each topic!

Not enough time

Perhaps you’re working full time or have small children at home. You may just have taken on a lot. Whatever the reason, it’s common for Internet marketers and small business owners to get overwhelmed.

And after all, if you’re trying to change the world, that can be a daunting task!

If time is an issue for you, here are some posts that can help you.

The technology overwhelms me

There’s no getting around the fact that an online business involves technology. Unless you have employees to take care of all the technology, you’ll need to learn some of it yourself.

In fact, even if you do have employees to do a lot of the technology, you still need to understand it. So here are some technology tips and tools to make it easier.

That said, if there’s a specific technological issue that’s holding you back, leave a comment and I’ll try to address it.

I don’t know which marketing strategy to use

Some people spend lots of time and money trying out a strategy only to find that it doesn’t work for them. Maybe it was the strategy, maybe it was the implementation, but either way, it wasn’t successful.

This issue can be especially frustrating because we are bombarded by Internet marketing gurus telling you, “This is what I did. I know it can work for you, too.” Well, if that were true, there would be a lot more success stories.

The truth is that everyone has different skills and passions. Some people need more hand-holding than others. Some strategies work better for one niche than for others. So many variables!

This is truly an area in which it’s helpful to have personalized guidance, but still, I have some posts that can help you.

These topics were the most commonly brought up in the survey, although there were others, such as lack of money and getting noticed.

Was this helpful for you? Contact me if you’d like personalized business coaching.

Please complete the survey to add your own 2¢!

 

by Ellen Finkelstein

How to get your work done!

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Do you have things that you want to accomplish in life? Of course you do!

internet-marketing-get-your-work-done-1Do you have projects for your business that you want to get done — but are lingering uncompleted for weeks, months, even years?

How about the essential projects that will grow your business? For example:

  • Your first (or second) e-book
  • Your first (or next) webinar
  • Your first (or next) course
  • A joint venture program
  • Your first (or next) video

Do you have trouble getting even the basics done? For example:

  • Blogging at least weekly
  • Sending out a regular newsletter
  • Posting to social media regularly

Whether it’s a first-time project or ongoing basics, if you aren’t getting your work done, your business isn’t moving forward as much as it should be.

Some people attack their projects and get them done. If they get waylaid, the come back later and finish. They persevere. But many people procrastinate and don’t get their work done. They find all sorts of excuses:

  • I don’t have time
  • Something came up
  • I got involved in something else

But if you really want to move your business forward, you have to find a way to get your work done. Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Are you having a problem writing? Here are 5 solutions!

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When you have an Internet-based business, you need to write. There’s no getting around it. You need to write:

  • internet-marketing-problems-writing-1Web page content
  • Blog posts
  • One or more free reports
  • Sales pages
  • Squeeze pages
  • Emails

Plus you may want to write:

  • Webinar scripts
  • Video scripts
  • Course scripts
  • Course handouts
  • E-books

That’s a lot of writing!

I’m a writer and I rarely have a problem writing. I’ve also noticed that most successful marketers find writing pretty easy.

But writing can be hard!

I’ve learned that my situation isn’t typical. Many people have difficulty writing, so if you’re in that boat, you aren’t alone!

Here are 5 reasons you may have difficulty writing: Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Create an automated business — or maybe not

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Internet marketing-automation-robotInternet marketing gurus often tell you to automate your business. They say you can make money working 4 hours a day or even 4 hours a week by outsourcing your work.

But, is this really what you want to do?

It sounds enticing to make money without working. That’s what many Internet marketers promise.

It is possible to create an automated business. For example, you can do the following:

  1. Find or create products to sell.
  2. Train an assistant to set up and place ads
  3. Set up an autoresponder system to upsell to other products

There’s obviously some initial work to be done, but then it runs itself.

But it rarely works. That’s because YOU aren’t really in the business. People want good products, but they also want to connect with a person. Especially customers interested in buying products from a social entrepreneur or heart-based entrepreneur.

And will you be happy doing business this way? Maybe, maybe not. You have to decide.

Not all businesses can run in an automated way. Some businesses rely on an entrepreneur’s expertise and judgment. Coaching and training are examples.

That doesn’t mean you can’t outsource or automate. You can. But don’t assume that you should remove yourself from being connected with your business and your customers.

In the next couple of posts, I’ll talk about both outsourcing and automation.

How involved are you in your business? Do you automate your processes? Do you outsource some of your work?

by Ellen Finkelstein