How to Build a Successful Information Marketing Business Online Without Getting Scammed

by Barry Plaskow

These are difficult economic times for almost everybody. Many people are looking to the Internet to find an easy way to build an information marketing business that will solve their problems.

Unfortunately, there are too many scams that are successful in luring people into joining opportunities that do not provide real value. However, many are unaware of any real alternatives.

But, because you're reading this article you'll be able to build a successful online business without spending thousands of dollars on little informational value.

3 Steps to Building an Information Marketing Business Online

Step# 1: Understand the World of Information Marketing

You can only be successful online when you understand what people are looking for on the Internet. People use search engines in order to look for information on a variety of topics. Ranging from a review of a specific product to details about a holiday resort, the Internet has become the source of information.

Many people are prepared to pay for this information for various reasons. Firstly there is a higher perceived value for paid material. Many potential customers will not even look at your free information, as it is perceived as being cheap and lacking. There is a large market that will only buy information that the author feels comfortable to charge for.

Here is the key: If you know what people are looking for then all you need to do is create a product and market it. Plain and simple. And, this is easier than it seems as long as you follow the next two steps.

Step 2: Learn only from real marketers

Real marketers are aware of which niches are profitable to go into and they are aware of the marketing strategies needed to succeed in those areas. You need a complete plan.

The problem is that there is so much fluff on the Internet today even in the real business world of information marketing. There are people who claim that they can make you rich if only you follow their systems.

They claim that they can teach you how to create a product and market it as well.

With experience, I can tell you that many of these "marketers" are not telling you the entire truth. Many of these systems are selling you the dream. But they lack real informational value. They merely want to take you to the next level of purchase. It often turns into a never-ending circle of buying.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that you should not buy e-Books and other products online. I'm just opening your eyes to the real truth and suggesting that you be careful before you buy. Do your homework and make sure the person or company you want to buy products from are real experts and NOT self-proclaimed experts.

Step #3 -Find out who the real marketers are

There are some great marketers out there. The problem is that in order to employ them you would be charged anywhere between $500-$2000/hour for their services. Most people starting on a small budget cannot afford such high prices.

Fortunately, a low budget alternative does exist. There are teleseminars available that offer advice from some of the best-known marketers often for free.

Teleseminars make sense for marketers as they get exposure to a wider audience. The audience wins because they receive some fantastic training from marketers who often reveal some of their best information. If you want to succeed on line then you will need to receive an education from true marketers. Before buying any material, you will want to review what is being offered. One of the best ways of doing this is through a teleseminar.

If you follow these steps, you will build a successful information marketing business online. It's how I'm growing my business and I'm a newbie. So, I'm learning just like you. But the difference is I'm following the above three steps and I'm learning from real experts.

Don't you think it's time for a change?

Although Barry Plaskow-is a relative newbie to internet marketing, he has succeeded in getting 12 of the world's top Internet marketers including Jay Conrad Levinson, Kenneth A Macarthur and Dan Janal to appear on his teleseminar series. Now you can discover the tactics, strategies and secrets needed to create and sell products, build a huge list and generate a mountain of cash on the Internet at http://www.prleads.com/IM4Newbies

Real Business Networking Doesn't happen Just at Networking Events

Real networking isn’t about handing out business cards at a networking event, or seeing how many you can collect before the event is over. Real networking is about relationships that, when cultivated properly, will breed referrals and positive word of mouth about you and your company.

Too often I hear the famous networking complaint: “networking doesn’t work for me.” There are a variety of reasons why someone might feel this way. 90% of the time it has nothing to do with them or their business; it has to do with what they think networking really is. Networking IS NOT simply going to networking events and hoping that you’ll get some new clients or referrals. Let’s say you join your local Chamber of Commerce and go to every lunch meeting that they offer. You do this for a solid year. Are you likely to get any business? If all you did was go to the lunch meetings then the answer is either probably not, or very little.

Networking events are just the beginning of the most important part of networking; Building Relationships. You’re not going to be able to build strong relationships simply by saying hello to a few people once a month at lunch. The relationships that are likely to generate those precious referrals you’re looking for are built outside of the networking event. These business events are really just a great place to meet people with whom you’d like to build a relationship. Certainly there’s a little more to it than that, but identifying these prospects is the primary benefit of these meetings.

The key to building real, profitable business relationships is what happens outside these networking events. It’s the one on one personal interaction with the gentleman or lady that you met at that last event where you’ll find the gold. It’s difficult to get to know someone, and learn what they’re truly passionate about in a noisy room with dozens or even hundreds of other people. If you sit down with that same person for coffee, or lunch you’ll have a much better chance to get to know who they really are.

Solid networking relationships are built on trust. The best time to do this is while sipping latte’s, slurping spaghetti, or slugging Shiner (a local Texas beer). Of course a meal doesn’t have to be involved. You might call and ask if you can take a tour of their business operation. Invite them to another coming event that they might be interested in, and schedule time afterwards to sit down and share what you though of the event with each other. Even a phone conversation will get the ball rolling. The point is you’ve got to take the time outside of these networking events to get to know these folks

The next time you go back to your office from a networking event take out the stack of business cards you collected. Find a couple of people that you’d like to really network with. Now pick up the phone and give them a call. Take a few minutes to get to know them a little bit better and schedule a time to get together. Coffee, lunch, beers, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure you’ll have enough time in a suitable environment that you can learn more about each other and your respective businesses. This is the beginning of real networking.

Once you’ve really gotten to know someone the possibilities are unlimited. Just remember that networking with someone is not a one time event. It’s an ongoing process. You’ve got to communicate regularly and follow-up on the things you say you’re going to do.

Happy networking!

About the Author

Scott Ingram is the founder of NetworkInAustin.com (http://www.NetworkInAustin.com), a networking resource for networkers in Austin, Texas who use networking as a business development and marketing strategy. You can find more business networking tips on Scott's Blog: Business Networking Blog (http://www.NetworkInAustin.com/Scott_Ingram_Blog.htm)

Your Business is a Cereal Box: Attract, then Inform

Cereal manufacturers know how to grab your attention: bright colors,
simple and compelling messages ("Source of 5 essential nutrients"),
catchy headlines. What about the ingredient list with all the
nutritional information? That's on the side; easily found, but obviously
secondary.

The lesson: Ingredient lists don't sell cereal. Look at your business
features as you would the nutritional information on a cereal box:
people only look at it when they are already considering buying the box. It
displays important information that needs to be communicated, but it
does not answer the first questions in the client's mind.

For service providers, marketing is a challenge: you know your service
is useful and has value, but because you don't have a physical product,
the benefits may be harder to define. After all, your client will only
experience what you do once they actually hire you, which they won't
do if the benefits of using your services are not convincing.

How will you, as a service professional, deal with this fact? You must
communicate with your clients by being focused on their needs first.

Attract, then Inform
I notice that many of my clients put too much emphasis on what they do
instead of emphasizing why their audience should choose them over the
competition -- or choose them at all.

Note these claims:
- We offer a 90-day guarantee
- I have over 15 years experience in my field of expertise
- I give 10% off all first-time buyers
- We'll set you a free e-mail account when you purchase our 1-year
plan.
- I'll send you my 20-page report when you sign up for my newsletter
- My office is fully equipped to fill your needs.
- I've done research in this field and found.
- I am a member of these organizations: .

What's wrong with these claims? Absolutely nothing, if they are true.
In fact, these are features your clients should be aware of. They are
part of what you are offering (the "what" of your business), but they are
independent of your clients and their personal concerns.

Benefits are effective in attracting people because they speak to what
they can gain personally. Once you have their attention, then you can
enhance your selling proposition with features. Features can close a
sale, but they will usually not be your client's first point of entry.

Your benefits should:
- Show the value of your services,
- Tell your audience what problems you will solve, and
- Describe what they stand to gain by doing business with you

I vs. You
In the features list above, notice how many times "I", "we", "our",
"my", and "me" are used. People are naturally concerned with their own
needs first. By presenting them with a list of reasons why you are so
great, you are sending them the wrong message: that their needs are
secondary to what you think they should know. Don't make the mistake of
turning your marketing into a giant résumé of your accomplishments. Use
words like "you" and "your" more often.

Be your own client
What do your clients look for? Try a little role playing: Pretend you
are your own prospective client and objectively evaluate your
communication material.

Ask yourself: Would I buy from myself? What would keep me interested?
What am I looking for? What do I really want?

Learn from how you search the web: If you were looking for
administrative help, would you be searching Google for "15 years of experience"?
Probably not. You would be more likely to search for terms like "database
entry" or "transcription services". If that's what you look for,
chances are most of your clients will do the same. Give them what they want
and organize your information accordingly.

As you create any communication material, answer these questions:
- What is the value of my service?
- What distinct problem will my service solve?
- What will my client gain?
- What does my client stand to lose by not using my service?
- How will my client feel after buying/using my service?
- What pain will it take away?
- What goal will my client achieve?
- What desire does it fulfill?

The answer may be different for each target market, so it is important
to know who your prospective clients are before asking yourself these
questions.

Being completely objective about your own business is not easy; you've
worked hard to build it and you know it inside out. Defining your
benefits from an outside perspective can enable you to better understand how
other people view your business. Getting a view of your own "big
picture" is something a professional business coach can help you achieve.

Whether you do it alone or get outside help, it never hurts to think
about what you have to offer to potential clients. So, next time you're
at the grocery store, stop by the cereal aisle and ask yourself: "What
are MY 5 essential nutrients?"

Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.


Cristina Favreau specializes in helping passionate & motivated service
professionals who love what they do, but struggle with marketing &
self-promotion. Using the Get Clients NOW (TM) program, she makes it easy
to understand. Within 3 hours, she'll help you identify where you're
stuck in the marketing process & come up with an action plan to gain
immediate momentum. Join Cristina on her blog, The Savvy Entrepreneur, as
she calls things the way she sees them at http://blog.cristinafavreau.com.

Test Your Marketing

Marketing 'out of the stomach' is of no value if you strive to
'conquer' markets/market segments really. In order to test YOUR approach, the
following 'basic' questions should be answered in abt. 2 - 3 hours. This
should give you an idea whether you really are aware and possess the
necessary data of the most important facts of YOUR market/s - worldwide

Company in General 

Which targets – referring to the turnover and the profit resp. the
personnel needed and the production means – do you intend to reach with
your company within 3 years from today ?

Broken-down into sales region/country as well as product group and
sales route – and in which steps – e. g. massive marketing investment and
then switching to a permanent business or step-by-step-increase ?


Present resp. Last years’ turnover structure 

- Which turnover is generated by each sales region/country/sales route
– with reference to the individual products ?
- Which contribution margin/profit is generated for each sales region/
country/sales route referring to each product ?
- Which sales routes should be envisaged/are necessary to reach the
targets as per 1. above ?


Client structure 

- Which client groups/market segments do you supply today ?
Do you have an analysis of the existing/potential clients per field of
activity/product ?
- Which client groups/marketsegments (for each sales region/country)
are missing then (e. g. compared to your presently ‚strongest/most
successful’ market ?
- Are you aware of the total number of potential clients for each sales
region/country/market segment ?
- Is/Would ‘key-accounting’ be important for you and which information
is available about such potential clients ?
- Which is your market portion/coverage (as percentage of all clients
available in the respective sales region/country/market segment ?


Competition 

- Who is your competition – listed from ‚most important’ to ‚nearly
negligible’ ?
- Where are they better/worse compared to you (with reference to
products and sales routes) – and why ?
- Would it be advisable to adapt possibly any of the procedures of the
competition for you without becoming untrustworthy to your clients ?


Products 

- Which are the most successful products – as well in your own
portfolio as compared to the competition - and why ?
- Which new products are requested by the clients already today,
respectively which tendencies are shown in the market with regard to HIS new
developments, i. e. is known which market segment is going to develop
how and do you think you will remain the suppliers to this market (even
if the final products are changed) ?
- Is there any kind of replacement/substitution of your products
already available and – if so – would it be advisable to produce these
yourself or cooperate with others ?
- With whom and would possibily some kind of exclusivity be available –
especially e. g. for foreign markets … or any other … ?
- Which new products do you intend to produce and why ?
- Which products are so small in turnover/quantity that they could
possibly be eliminated from your range – or are there any good reasons to
go on to produce them ?


Pricing/profit 

- Which contribution margins/product per client group/market segment
are reached by you and could they/how possibly be increased ?
- Which contribution margin/profit generates each of the products
checked on which sales route - Internet, direct sales, project orders, via
representatives, … ?
- Could possibly the ‚most successful’ sales route/product be adapted
for other sales regions or how could this be solved ‘at the lowest
possible cost’ ?


Sales department 

- Do you know which cost per sales region/representative are spent in
total and have you elaborated a comparison regarding the profitabiltiy
of the sales regions/sales routes with reference to the total profit,
the products sold there and the total cost spent ?
- Which new sales regions/countries - with reference to the client
groups/markets segments should be developed in addition umtil when – based
on which sales projections ?
- How have the necessary sales regions to be structured – and why this
way ?
Sales through own personnel, subsidiaries, representatives,
synergy-partners/alliances, Internet ?
- Which additional contribution margin/profit can be expected by them
and which investment would be necessary to develop such new sales
regions/market segments ?
- Which sales areas have to be re-structured due to the potential
available in order to reach a better/optimum coverage of the market ?
- Are all representatives well informed regarding their present
clientele, i. e. not only to know the decisive people of the client but also
their future plans - with regard to products, sales regions, etc. ?
- How is their success in winning new clients and who is responsible
for the respective data ?

Michael Richter - International Marketing- and sales consultant -
concentrates for more than 35 years on marketing and selling of investment
goods and long-lasting consumer goods to/in all 5 continents - since
1991 he works as an independent marketing consultant, especially for SMEs
worldwide.

He offers practical 'hand-on' assistance to his worldwide clientele.

Michael Richter - International marketing and sales consultant
Hauptstrasse 27
88422 Seekirch/Germany
http://www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/
http://www.internationales-marketingkonzept.de/en/

What a "No-Show" says about you

In being CEO of BusinessIIBusiness I have many meetings, lead a few mentoring groups and BusinessIIBusiness Networking chapters. I find it amazing that so many "Decision Makers" are ruining their reputations by not showing up to either meetings or scheduled events.

I have been very shocked lately in seeing a rise in "No-Shows" among so-called professionals. Why do you think this is? Why would a person go through the trouble of either connecting with people for business or signing up for a workshop/seminar and just "flake-out", as I would term it?

I have always been intrigued by the power of Psychology and after experiencing more than my share of the "No-Show Syndrome" lately, I've had to dig deep into the Psychology of it to get the answers I am looking for. Although to me, no answer is a good one, I still want an explanation of some sort.

Here are some things that a "No Show" says about you, not only as a business person, but an individual:

Messages it tells others about you:

• Rude (Not socially acceptable)
  
• Lazy (Too lazy to call or show)
  
• In-considerate (Do not care about others time and money)
  
• Careless in business (Do not closely monitor your business activities)
  
• Non committed (Shows lack of commitment in business)
  
• Non Successful (How can you be successful if your all of the above?)
  
• Prideful (Only care about your current needs so you don't show)

Messages you are "telling" the person who invited you or you said "yes" to:

• I am really rude to you
• I am so lazy..show me something worth getting up for
• I could care less about the time it took you to plan or buy things to make it happen
• I am totally careless in my business. "Want to exchange business cards?"
• I am not committed to you or my business...and so what? who cares?
• I say I'm an entrepreneur, but really I'm quite unsuccessful....but "Can you refer me to your friends and family anyway?"
• Honestly...I care only about myself...it's all about "me"! If something comes up or I just don't feel like it....don't expect me to show or even call you because my life is way more important than you.
  

I know this is harsh...but it's time to get back to honest business people and create a business we can all be proud of....I hope this opened your eyes to see yourself in a new light. If this has helped...please comment below...and don't forget to link back to our blog. http://businessiibusiness.blogspot.com Visit our website today and sign up for a free business profile: http://www.BusinessIIBusiness.com

Jennifer Cannon
CEO
BusinessIIBusiness

Easy Web 2.0 Internet Marketing: Strategies For Quickly Building an Audience with Social Media

Submitted to BusinessIIBusiness by Gary Smith

The Web 2.0 social media revolution is in full steam. Are people finding your website?

As an entrepreneur, how do you make your business website stand out amongst 435 million other websites and more than 1 million blogs competing for your audience's attention?

It's not as hard as you might think.

To begin, let's look at the demographics of Web 2.0 social networking sites, Myspace.com, Facebook and YouTube.com. This will give you an idea on how to position your message in the Web 2.0 World.

The Web 2.0 Social Networking Revolution

Web 2.0 is a real revolution on the Internet. And these aren't just college kids...

- 62% of MySpace visitors are older than 25 (40% are 35+), and 83% are making over $30,000 a year. Nineteen percent (19%) are making $100,000 and up..

- On Facebook.com 46% are over 25 and 34% are 35+, but they've got deep pockets. Eighty-eight percent (88%) make more than $30,000 and twenty-three percent (23%) make $100,000 or more.

In the years ahead these numbers will get ridiculous...

- Social media giant Facebook is currently ADDING a million 25+ (non-student) adults per week to their rosters. That's 52 million new users a year.

- YouTube.com gets over 50 million unique visitors per month. That equals over half a billion a year.

- Facebook and MySpace have the equal daily traffic of Google. Experts predict within the next year they will DOUBLE the daily traffic of Google search.

So your prospects are there. The traffic is there. The spending power is there. So NOW is the time you want to establish your presence on the social networking websites.

Web 2.0 Strategy: Why You Should Be a Maven, Not a Marketer

As a website owner, how should you position your message in the Web 2.0 world?

The increasingly savvy buying public will quickly shun marketers. Internet readers want information from the Internet. They don't want advertising, marketing, or a "pitch".

According to Schefren in his Attention Age Doctrine, the solution is to become a social media "Maven".

A Maven is a trusted authority, like a friend, on the social media websites. As you gain their trust, your audience will return to you over and over again wanting to invest in your advice.

Five Steps to Becoming a Social Media Maven

Social Media Maven Step 1: Get in the Game Begin blogging immediately. Create a video explaining how to solve a problem and put it on YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook with links back to your main website. Just those two things alone will establish more Web 2.0 presence than 90% of your competition.

Social Media Maven Step 2: Share your passion Build your Web 2.0 website around your passions. Thirty-two year old Gary Vaynerchuk transformed his wine knowledge to his video blog, http://Tv.Winelibrary.com. It now has thousands of subscribers and does $50 million dollars a year in wine sales.

Social Media Maven Step 3: Be Controversial! Your audience will remember you more when you challenge the status quo. Controversy sells. Think like the tabloids and the local news channels here. For example, Web 2.0 Business Coach Rich Schefren challenges traditional marketing wisdom in each release of his Attention Age Doctrine special reports at www.attentionage.net/doctrine

Social Media Maven Step 4: Create World Class Content You will drive repeat traffic to your website by offering top notch "how to" information. Gary's wine tastings are highly educational on the benefits of wine, how to cook with wine, and how to choose a wine for your special occasion. Rich's reports teach Web 2.0 marketing principles. Remember, as soon as your audience feels that you are "pitching" them, you've lost them. So provide content not advertising.

Social Media Maven Step 5: Engage in the Conversation Web 2.0 is a dialogue not a monologue. Internet businesses profit more when they observe and listen to their communities first before they broadcast their messages. Savvy mavens such as Gary and Rich encourage their audience to ask questions. The answers to these questions then become part of their user-generated content. How Marketing in a Web 2.0 Social Media Environment Is Exciting. Visualize it like a big radio or television station or movie screen where you're the star. You're building a fan base so you need to entertain, inform, and deliver consistently for your audience. You have more publishing power at your fingertips right now than at any time in history. So use it. Share your passions. Reveal your trials and tribulations Tell your story. And, watch how quickly your audience builds.

Master Copywriter, Gary Smith (www.rightbraincopy.com) has taught thousands of entrepreneurs how to write copy that persuades, motivates and inspires prospects to buy. He strongly suggests using Web 2.0 Internet Marketing Strategies revealed in Richard Schefren's Attention Age Doctrine. Get it now for FREE at: http://www.attentionage.com/doctrine & discover never-before-revealed Web 2.0 tools and techniques to win in the Attention Age

The CEO and the Yellow Notepad

It was just a Yellow, Legal sized Notepad, but it made this millionaire CEO's sales force more productive, less stressed and happier, at work and at home.

How could a simple yellow notepad have such power?

Here is the story:

The millionaire CEO gave each of his employees a yellow, legal sized notepad and a pen. He also gave
them these instructions:

1. Carry the notepad and pen with you at all times during your workday. Keep it handy, and within reach.

2. In the morning write down a short "To Do" list in the notepad,list the things you want to accomplish that day.

3. During the day use the notepad to capture every name and phone number of anyone you talk to, write down email addresses, flight times and reservation numbers, meeting times and dates, record virtually every bit of important data into your yellow notepad.

Here is how they benefited from this simple positive habit, and how you can also, regardless of who you are, or what you do. (businessmen,housewives, students, CEO's, etc.)

1. When you need to call someone back, their number is always just a glance away.

2. What was that fight number again? What was that policy number
the insurance agent gave you 3 days ago? What were the directions to the wedding? It's all in your yellow notepad!

3. It helps you keep track of your "To Do" list action items.

Your yellow notepad becomes a Rolodex, Meeting Planner, Map, and one stop source for all of your important information that you gather every day. (Remember how you used to jot down that information on little bits of paper? Remember how you could never find that one piece of paper with the phone number you needed?)

You will not believe how many ways this little positive habit will benefit your life! You will be less stressed, more efficient at everything you do, and your friends, relatives and co-workers will always know that you have the important information at your fingertips.

Buy a Yellow Legal Notepad today and get started!

About the Author:

Dan Robey is the author of the Best-Selling book "The Power of Positive Habits" now published in 22 countries worldwide.To learn more about Positive Habits and subscribe to a complementary e-course on Positive Habits go to: http://www.thepowerofpositivehabits.com