How to Succeed in an Online Business

Going from Newbie to Profitability in a few Short Months…Instead of Years!

The journey from what they call a “newbie” to profitability has been an interesting one, one that has taken many hours, days, weeks, and months. Making money with an online business has taken quite a bit more time and effort than most would have you believe while they attempt to rope you into the latest “get rick quick” scheme.

The road to Internet marketing profitability has been full of ups and downs, with quite a few moments when I simply wanted to throw my computer right out the window…and then track down each and every person who had introduced me to the computer age…to “thank” them, of course!

Sound a bit harsh? Not if you have been in the Internet marketing world for any length of time, either attempting to make money in an online business or with an Internet presence for a traditional brick and mortar business!

Before we get into the highs and lows, the strategies that work and the schemes to avoid, let’s define a few terms:

Newbie: The word newbie is a slang term for a person new to some form of online activity. For our purposes, the definition we will use applies to an individual engaged in Internet marketing and online business for the first time…with little or no experience. While in some corners it has derogatory connotations, for our purposes and in the manner most people online use the term, it is for descriptive purposes only. Of course that is not to say there aren’t those out there who won’t use it in a derogatory fashion; this is, after all, the real world and there are people like that in every walk of life. But for our purposes, it simply means an individual just starting down the road to an Internet marketing education, usually to build and online business of some kind.

Guru: The word guru, and I am using it with a small “g” on purpose, has entered the online lexicon, conferring the status of “more-than-expert” on an individual. While the original usage of the word had religious connotations and was bestowed on an individual with great authority through wisdom and knowledge, particularly in India with Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. In much of the Western world, the term or designation of guru generally applies to anyone who amasses a number of followers, not always in the religious or philosophical sense…but in business and academia, as well. In it’s latest incarnation, the Internet Marketing and online business usage, the term guru is used to denote authority due to a particular set of skills…in this case building online businesses and marketing on the Internet.

The above terms are used in various ways by the Internet marketing crowd. Suffice it to say, they are not universally recognized or applied, often meaning different things to different people. The term “guru” being particularly problematic, as the designation of one with great authority and wisdom has carried over from the original usage and meaning; and, this use of the word has been encouraged by many Internet marketers today, for obvious reasons!

Significantly, as a beginner or newbie online, and one not completely understanding the nuances of the jargon and the history behind the evolution of the usage of the words above, this often leads people to chose to follow someone who has not earned the designation conferred or bestowed upon them…a designation either bestowed by others or, just as often, by the person himself or herself!

So Newbie Beware!

Things are not always as they appear online…but this is true in the offline world, as well. The problem online is many of the Internet marketing “gurus” are often quite adept at pushing all the right buttons in just the right way, creating a sense of desire and urgency, a powerful combination and an often irresistible force! Some of them are true gurus, at least in the sense that they are excellent marketers, fully capable and willing to part a budding newbie from his or her hard earned, and often limited resources!

So, how do you succeed at Internet marketing? In fact, who do you believe and who do you learn from if you don’t know who is a legitimate Guru and not simply a self-appointed, or self-anointed “guru”?

The best advice I can give you is to talk to other newbies. Most newbies will tell you if they have had a bad experience with a certain Internet marketer (see The Law of 250 below) and will usually be forthcoming about what works, and what doesn’t, as well.

Also, follow the conversations on social media, many of the conversations, and I am not referring to the recent unending linkfest over at Twitter, what a spamfest that has become, I am talking about reading the articles posted on LinkedIn and Mashable, just to name two excellent resources for newbies. Another wonderful resource is the free material provided by some of the more established Internet marketing firms, including TrafficGeyser, StomperNet, and HubSpot. (see the links below)

Opt-in to the email lists of the recommended programs (below), read their free material and follow the advice. When ready, they are some of the best programs on Internet marketing and they will teach you everything you need to know once you join…and they will help with implementation too, a rare combination.

The first steps to take in building your online business:

1) Decide on a niche. There are literally thousands of niches, so pick one you can get excited about. But also make sure it will pay!

2) Do the necessary keyword research and competitive analysis before jumping into an unprofitable niche. (I use Market Samurai, Google, and Wordtracker)

3) Only after the first 2 steps are completed should you purchase your own domain name. (I use GoDaddy)

4) Make sure you have a hosting company, a good one, one with 24/7 support. I use HostGator and SEOHosting (Both owned by the same company and they offer Fantastico…a must)

5) Get an email account set up, for your email marketing and your autoresponder. (I use a branch of AWeber)

6) Set up your profile for your social media image and make sure it is appropriate to and for your business model.

7) Set up an account at EzineArticles and a couple of others and begin to write a few articles. (We will get into this in an upcoming article)

Set up your YouTube, Break, and Viddler Channels for video. When ready, go to TrafficGeyser-link below-don’t try to “go it on the cheap” with the
freebie services, they all have major drawbacks and hooks! You get what you pay for, especially with implementation!

9) Find a great SEO course and apply yourself immediately. Get the SEO right from the beginning because it is huge and once everything is set up correctly, it will be your biggest asset! Get it wrong and you will pay for it in a myriad of ways and over the life of your business.

10) Find a mentor! I cannot overstate this point!!! Even Michael Jordan, Kareem, Tiger Woods, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron had/have their coaches and mentors. The major Internet marketing Gurus have coaches and mentors. They may not always talk about them but they all have them! Once you have a mentor? Follow their advice! If you play for Don Shula or Pat Riley or Joe Paterno and you don’t follow their advice…you are off the team! The same holds true for following a mentor! If you don’t think enough of the mentor or coach you have to follow their advice…find another one, because you obviously don’t need the one you have, or you would apply what they teach you. Lombardi, Hayes, Jackson, Paterno, Riley, Rupp, whomever…if you don’t play by their rules, you don’t play on their team. So, once you are fortunate to find a quality coach or mentor, one willing to spend their precious time on you, apply what they teach you because good coaches are hard to come by! Every Tom, Dick, and Mary is calling themselves a coach, mentor or “life coach” nowadays…make sure you have a good one, and then hold on for dear life!

11) Keep learning! Internet marketing and online business building is as fluid as any marketing and business endeavor I have ever been involved in. If you do not continue your education, and I am talking about daily, you will be left in the dust. Internet marketing is active, vibrant, and engaging. If you do not stay current, you will not prosper.

OK!

That’s a lot to cover and we have quite a way to go, yet! However, if you lay the proper foundation, if you get the bare bones stuff right, you will be on your way to profitability! Get it wrong and you will be struggling a year from now…if you last that long.

This is not rocket science! All you have to do is listen to some of the people who have made it, and made it big, to know that you can do it. It simply takes a concerted effort, application on a daily basis, constant education, and what Tony Robbins calls CANI!

Constant and neverending improvement!

If you build each day upon the one before, you will prosper. It will take time but if you apply yourself and understand that there is a learning curve and that The Law of 250 is a make or break proposition, you will do well. In fact, there may come a day when someone refers to you as an Internet marketing Guru…capital G!

One last thing…and this is the biggest of all!

Stop listening to the siren’s song and the promises of “Instant Wealth” every Tom, Dick, and “guru” that comes along is making! Get with a mentor or a quality program, learn it, stick with it, and build it! The tools are available, you simply have to educate yourself and then apply the knowledge to your Internet marketing endeavor. If you do? Your online business will be amazing, and so will your profitability!

REMEMBER: DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SIREN’S CALL!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
866-835-2913 (toll free)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

PS, Here are the resources I promised. Quality Internet marketing and online business programs:

1) Video Marketing: There is only one for video marketing, the rest all feed off of this one in one way or another! Or they just don’t measure up!

2) Article Marketing: There is only one number one!

3) SEO or search engine optimization: Again, there are a lot of wannabes…but only one quality program and it addresses it all and offers an amazing Internet marketing and SEO education! I didn’t realize how much I had yet to learn until I joined this program!

4) Domain Manager: GoDaddy (see icon on side panel and type in “diggnation” at checkout for the best deal) If you are purchasing more than one domain name? Check only the .com and .info boxes (how can you not buy .info for less than a buck?). Then at checkout you will be offered the remainder of the .org .net and .us or whatever at 50% to 75% savings! Do NOT check them ahead of time…only as part of the upsell process after you proceed to checkout. Then, add “diggnation” into the promo code box for additional savings.

5) Hosting: If you are building one website and/or blog, stay with HostGator (on the sidepanel again). Purchase the “Business” account, not the cheapy ones! You will get a dedicated IP address and an 800 number free. These two add-ons are well worth the extra 4-5 bucks! The psychological impact of being able to offer an 800 number, even if you rarely use it, is huge! The little cues make or break a business early! Take advantage of this cue and apply it!

6) Social Media Marketing: HubSpot is super for social media education…they have it down to a science! Do you need their service? No, at least not at first. But you do need their education. They also have a couple of cool tools for grading your efficacy online…so use them!

PPS, There are a lot more tips and I will pass them along in the weeks to come. January 2010 watch for a new online business building tool for any niche in Internet marketing….it will be comprehensive and it will be all you need!

Frank Kern Says A Lot of Smart Things!

I was walking late last night with TuffGuy, actually it was early this morning…about 4am, as a matter of fact! I was in one of those philosophical moods I get in every once and a while but this time I happened to look up.

There was a gorgeous full moon encircled by a ring of cirrus clouds. Just gorgeous and full, or as close to full as you can get without it being completely, just a sliver beyond but still amazing.

Frank Kern’s conversation with Tony Robbins during an interview for The New Money Masters came back in a flash!

You see, Frank was talking about his success in the Internet marketing world and his sense of positive expectancy. The sense of all things possible is something he, I, and probably many of you reading this got from Tony’s Personal Power II program…if you were fortunate enough to buy a copy and put it into action.

During the conversation Frank said something that has been playing over and over in my mind for the last 2 months:

“Anything is possible! If that hasn’t been proven repeatedly throughout history then you are not paying attention. We’ve got people going to the moon, for gosh sakes, so surely I could make a couple more ebooks!”

Or as close to that as I can remember off the top of my head.

It’s brilliant!

On so many levels, this seemingly simplistic observations hits the nail on the head. He are not only capable of great things, history bears it out. And the fact that we are only constrained by our imaginations means our future is infinite, limitless in its possibilities!

Certainly we can create a few more ebooks turned into an awesome business for Frank Kern and his model for doing business has been copied successfully by hundreds, probably thousands of marketers inspired by the laid back but thoroughly competent entrepreneur and marketing genius behind the Surfer Dud persona.

Ebooks and certainly more! But it doesn’t stop there…we are capable of great things!

That was the crux of the message, all wrapped up in a very clear and concise interview of one of The New Money Masters, Frank Kern.

On to business!

Frank is opening up his Mass Control for a limited time and he has shared the early bird link with me via email. I am NOT an affiliate, I just think Frank Kern is one of the people online you need to pay attention to…one of The New Money Masters! So, I am posting the link here for anyone who wishes to learn from one of the best. It is my understanding that their are only 140 Mass Control courses available, so don’t wait because Frank really does shut his down once he has sold out.

Frank Kern’s Mass Control 2.0

Enjoy it and let me know what you think as you write your ebook…and plan your very own trip to the moon!

John

216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@ythequestrevealed.com

Dan Hollings was brilliant tonight, talking about the Twitter marketing portion of StomperNet’s new Internet marketing platform.

As has been the case with every member of the StomperNet faculty over the past month, Dan was fantastic! The ladies and gentlemen of the StomperNet faculty have defined Internet marketing and online business success; and, they have also demonstrated the professional way to launch an Internet marketing product, with first-class information and a quality platform!

If you follow me anywhere on social media, you know that I am a big advocate of implementation. In other words, taking action using the proper tools, and to do so in the most efficient and effective way possible. I am talking about an Internet marketing business system, combining the necessary tools to make money online, along with those necessary to run a business effectively, not just in the sort run…but for years to come, should that be your desire.

I am always skeptical when I read some of the sales letters written by people calling themselves “gurus.” In some instances, these tomes are written by people barely able to keep their businesses afloat, offering this program or that, many of the words bandied about are:

Guru, and you may already know how I feel about that term as a descriptive adjective for most marketers!

Mentor, always at a prices that would make a Vegas Madam blush!

Coach, I wonder what John Wooden or Joe Paterno would say?

“Life” Coach, as opposed to what?

And many more!

Many of the people using these appellations have never built a lasting business of their own, in good times or bad, and fewer still have any real idea what it takes to be successful in the long-term. Yet we are bombarded daily with parroted advice from those among us…

“Faking it, until making it!”

Don’t get me wrong!

I am 100% behind people making a go of it online, in Internet marketing proper or in affiliate or niche marketing, because it’s all really the same thing (or is it?), they have my respect and admiration!

The problem I have is with people attempting to run before they have a good understanding of what it takes to walk…and attempting to lead others over the same cliff you may be heading for. The drop is steep and unforgiving.

So, my question is this:

If you aren’t sure of what you are doing, how in the world are you going to teach others?

The answer:

You can’t, at least not without pulling the both of you down together!

You see, sales and marketing is a lot more complex than most people maintain in their books with the catchy phrases. While many throw around names like Hill, Nightingale, Ziglar, Hopkins, Girard, and now Robbins and Tracy, they have little understanding of what drives people to act on a consistent and continuous basis, on both sides of the equation; sales/marketing; and, the purchasing-target audience/market.

Unfortunately, certain Internet marketing “gurus” have created an air of positive expectancy that doesn’t always match up with reality.

Some marketing “gurus” claim the “chosen few” will make from $10,000 to $100,000 per month in a matter of a few weeks, implying that all you have to do is:

1) Spend $X dollars for an application fee…that one kills me!

2) Spend $Y dollars an ebook…usually written in vague generalities in order to sell more, you guessed it, stuff!

AND

3) Spend $Z dollars for a monthly membership…and we get what for that? More stuff!

FINALLY

4) The heavens will open and all will be made clear from one high!

After all, their sales letter maintains…just look what Gee Willacres did in just 6 months after:

1) Having a leg removed…the wrong one!

2) Being trampled by a horse…a pony from the traveling carnival really!

AND

3) Having open-heart surgery…when he was supposed to have a kidney transplant!

If Gee can do it…well, gosh…so can you!

Pile on top of this line of whooey, whooey being a technical term I learned at the George Carlin School of Internet Marketing and Online Shenanigans Annual Conference, in suburban Tehran, the idea that a web presence (nice word for mass produced website) set up as some sort of a cookie-cutter, big scheme Internet marketing (Read: MLM) template is going to do draw the thousands to tens of thousands of victims, I mean visitors, per month necessary, based on even the best conversion numbers online, to generate that sort of income is flat out tom-foolery!

Another Carlin school term! Being a graduate, I am allowed to thrown them around!

And I am being very kind with the descriptive adjectives…sans the four letter ones!

Reality?

The reality of an individual with no clear idea of what to do and how to do it, just laid off from his or her job at Bob’s Burger Palace and Horseshoeing Emporium, a gig they’ve had for the last 20 years, and turning to the Internet in desperation is very different from the reality of an individual who has a marketing background, a stable home life, time to build a proper foundation before going full time, which includes the time educate one’s self, the moxie to network properly, and plenty of resources to spend on education and to fall back on if he or she takes a header off of one of those Internet marketing, online business cliffs!

Yet Internet marketing “gurus” seem to focus on the target market en mass…without realizing that Joe Palooka’s Internet marketing needs are very different from Betsey Homecki’s online business aspirations! Very few people (read: gurus with a small “g”) actually take the time to build any version of “Bob” (watch The New Money Masters with Frank Kern and Tony Robbins, brilliant!), and if they are, they must be way off the mark, because most of the people I talk to are frustrated, angry, disenchanted, and even bitter…tracking back to their experiences with the “gurus!” They want to make it, many want it with a white hot desire! The problem is with the delivery of information at a reasonable cost and in a way that is truly user friendly.

I don’t believe many of the “gurus” have a clue how people learn, much less what it takes to teach them! The end result is a support nightmare, a lot of people referring to “gurus” as scam artists, and a stadium full of people (Read: Joe Girard) screaming don’t buy from so-and-so! More to come on this topic!

So, getting back to Internet marketing, online business success, coaching, mentoring, and implementation!

The problem most people have starting out is not a lack of information, there is plenty of good information available if you know how to research and know what you are looking for; it’s not that there isn’t a proven template for success, there are several successful online business models available; and, it’s not that there is a lack of quality software to implement even the most ambitious strategies, there are some great Internet marketing implementation platforms available. The challenge is in knowing who to listen to, understanding what they are saying, which means cutting through all the hype; and finally, which program to invest in…in order to pull it all together…or at least start on the right path.

Who: Who to listen to and, more importantly, who to believe!

What: Understanding what they are saying. This means understanding the basics of marketing in general and Internet marketing specifically!

Which: Which way to go! There is no shortage of voices in the wilderness, some as soothing and convincing as any Siren’s call! Knowing which program to invest in has with it its own set of qualifiers and traps to avoid!

Beware!

Or better yet: Buyer Beware!

The reality…ah, back to reality…is that you can go any which way and get to where you are going. Or, as the old one-liner goes:

“You can’t get there from here!”

Ultimately, you have to put your faith, if trust is too big a word right now, in someone and something…both of them!

You must deal with the 3 Ws:

Who
What
Which

Back to Stompernet!

I have recommended a handful of programs over the last year, the ones I have wholeheartedly endorsed, and still use, I can count on one hand!

Enter StomperNet!

At $10,000 per year, it was just not in my make-up to invest that kind of money, even at $800 per month, in a marketing program, particularly at the stage of development I was in when StomperNet appeared on my radar. I have followed Brad Fallon, and he back, almost from day one of my involvement on Twitter, so I knew of Brad and StomperNet…and had heard nothing but good about both the man and the Internet marketing opportunity, because StomperNet is much more than a program, it is a complete system!

Ah, finally! The final piece of the puzzle:

System!

Like TrafficGeyser, a much more specialized system, one I endorse wholeheartedly, StomperNet is not only an Internet marketing system, it is a community, a university of sorts…in a very real way, a bit of academia on the Internet.

StomperNet is perhaps the only true Internet marketing university!

For that reason, and because I am so impressed with the StomperNet system and it’s community, including its amazing faculty, I am going to make the following offer:

If you purchase StomperNet using my affiliate link, you may contact me at any time, day or night 24/7 for the next 365 days, no kidding, for the next year, and we will work through the implementation together! I will always get back to you in short order, always!

PLEASE!

Do not take this as some sort of a “I am the greatest, I will lead you” ego trip!

I will be starting with StomperNet just like you, from the beginning! However, I do have experience with some of the components as individual products, so we will not be flying blind. What I am offering is a mastermind of at least two, open almost at your beck and call, and all you have to do is make your purchase through my link.

We will do the rest together.

In fact , I will make this even better:

For the next 90 days, we will meet online, via Skype, 3 evenings a week…for at least an hour a session…perhaps longer!

After the first 90 days we will see how things go. You never know, we may find we enjoy the mastermind sessions and simply expand upon it.

That’s my offer! I am so impressed with StomperNet, I think this is something that can serve to push a bunch of new “stompers” up all at once!

Once you get your email confirmation, and I get mine, we will set up our first session!

I am looking forward to having you as a fellow Stomper, as a colleague, and as a member of a mastermind focused solely on our collective success in Internet marekting!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., PhD
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com (my very personal email address)

PS, In case you missed it, the links toward the top of the article above are for the webinar series, the ones down the page are going straight to the StomperNet main page! Either way, see you soon!

The August Internet Marketing Quest Revealed Newsletter was a huge success!

September’s newsletter promises to be even better and will be out the week of September 14, 2009. It is my hope you will join me as we build our subscriber base. It is my intention to continue offering the newsletter as a free service, with an eye towards building a big subscriber case and creating a free and open forum for the exchange of ideas among subscribers.

Please join us and subscribe to the newsletter! The video will describe the upcoming edition more completely, I hope you enjoy it…and and it useful!

If you would like to see any issues covered in an upcoming newsletter, just leave a comment below and I will work to make it happen!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

The debate continues into what constitutes a social media expert or “guru?” Internet marketing, in all of its manifestations is incomplete without including a social media strategy. As Internet marketing and in fact all online business changes, social media marketing is one of the fastest growing facets of entrepreneurship. What defines an expert is one of the central debates in all of Internet marketing. This article is Part III in a series on social media and Part II into this specific debate.

What qualifies an individual as an expert, mentor, coach or, my least favorite of all terms, a guru? It’s a funny thing, almost dialectic, of sorts. A thesis, an antithesis, leading to a synthesis. On one end we have the newbie expert (there’s an oxymoron!), the poser, the wanna-be faking it until they make it. This individual is clearly the thesis, positioned at one end of a spectrum with no clear rules or boundaries. On the other end, we have the indignant, self-righteous, perhaps justifiably so, true expert, the expert who feels he or she has earned his stripes on the field of battle, so to speak, and cannot believe all these wanna-bes and posers are running around here and there attempting to dispense knowledge only HE (notice the caps) should be privileged enough to share! On the middle ground, the ground no one wants to inhabit for too long, neither newbie nor guru, a no-man’s land with absolutely no power or credibility, no chance of making it and no chance or being heard, stand the vast multitudes. A transitionary state from newbie to guru no one wants to be stuck in for too long.

There is a conundrum here, a puzzle to beat all puzzles. How do you get from thesis to antithesis, how do we reconcile the two and come to a synthesis? I know this analogy is a stretch…but work with me here. It is kind of like the kid with a lot of moxie but no experience, you just know he has it, that intangible it everyone wishes they have just a small amount of. You know he’ll make a heck of a salesman but he has no experience, plenty of street smarts but no actual nuts and bolts experience to back up his application into the bigs. Do you hire him? If so, what sort of accounts does he work on until ready for the mythic 7Figureland client? Do you throw him right in and have him consulting with your prize accounts or do you place him under someone else’s wing and allow him to shut up and listen, learn, and perhaps role play a bit until he is ready to get his feet wet.

On the other hand you have a nice young couple, just had their first child, he has a great job, perhaps just out of the Army as a first lieutenant, but they have no credit and little savings. Are you going to lend them money? No actual credit experience, just a lot of promise! In both instances, we have people who, given the right opportunity and the right set of circumstances, may prove themselves worthy of the trust they need, and perhaps deserve, to rise to the appropriate station or level…or just get that new house!

So, what does this have to do with social media, LinkedIn, dialectics, and conundrums?

Glad you asked! It’s really very simple.

How do you get from A to Z without going through the rest of the alphabet?

How do you get experience without someone allowing you to play at actually being a salesman?

How did the ball player get to the minors, much less the big league, The Show?

How do you buy your dream house if you can’t get a signature loan or your first credit card?

How many baseball players never, not ever, make it out of the minors?

How many college football players never go pro but end up coaches, or life insurance salesmen from Lima, Ohio? Sorry Lima life insurance salesmen!

How many coaches are there at all levels?

What makes one coach NCAA Division One stuff and another a DIII coach barely winning a game? Ha! If you can answer that in ten words or less we can all retire!

The fact is, there is no simple answer and there is no right or wrong path, no clear-cut, proven highway to becoming a social media expert either, because, in my humble opinion, there are no experts!

Get that?

There are no real experts!

This is all too new, it’s kind of like spending 4 years at a prestigious university to learn how to write in C or how to use reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in DNA processing, and you find out that as soon as you have mastered the technique, the language, it has all changed, evolved into something altogether new and different. Thankfully for a lot of DNA scientists, they haven’t experienced that quite yet, at least not to any level they can’t keep up with and adjust to, and they are a pretty bright group, so they will adapt. C on the other hand? Well…

And that brings me to my final point. Bet you thought I would never get here! Many of the wanna-bes learning to spread their wings on Twitter and facebook and the other social media platforms, at least the ones who stick, the people who aren’t part in the 60% who quit, because 60% of the people quit everything, they are learning, they are playing little league on their way to the bigs…maybe. And, just like any newbie knows, the best way to learn something is to teach it! In teaching others, a social media experiment of sorts is taking place. How great is it that these people are practicing on each other? The strong are rising to the top and the weak, quitting (the 60% again). All the time, the strong are sharpening their skills, not on some 7 figure client but on each other, to the benefit of whom?

Yup! All of us!

We all benefit from this laboratory, this social media and social media marketing (an oxymoron) experiment.

Are there casualties? Some, but not many! You see, people are a lot smarter than most other people give them credit for being, at least when it comes to sniffing out a phony, a false prophet, a wanna-be-but-not-quite-guru. And yes, there are a lot of phonies…but there are also a lot of very bright people cutting their teeth and spreading their wings, you gotta love these little clichés, while all the time doing it in a social media marketing laboratory, and not on some 5 star, 7 figure client. They learn, they grow, they prosper, they quit, they evolve, they adapt, and they learn some more! Sounds like it’s right up my alley, sounds like evolution and natural selection at work in a social medium…

Sounds like life!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

Success in Internet marketing of any kind is about the little things adding up to a big picture. It’s kind of like a jigsaw puzzle, if you miss one of the pieces, the picture is incomplete. The same is true for building you online business. One of the most important components of any business building process is knowing who your target market is and how to reach them. Additionally, you must understand how to promote effective not only within the niche you select but across niches. The sort of cross promotion I am talking about will be discusses in the video below. if you have any questions after you watch it, please don’t hesitate to contact me, I am always available.

Keyword research, as well as target market/audience research must be focused and applied with an eye towards profitability and the ability to optimize, and monetize, you blog and its message! Without proper research, you are simply another average online business…and 97% of all blogs fail to ever generate a profit, much less a living for its owner. So, research is key!

I use several tools, some free and the others very reasonable considering the results:

Google’s Insights for Search is a powerful tool that, when applied properly, will provide valuable information about your prospective niche or niches, the target audience you hope to focus on, and much more!

Google’s keyword tool is a valuable tool, one that will save you time and effort, it will also help ensure that your domain name, articles, posts, tags, categories, in other words everything associated with you Internet marketing platform, your blog, is fully optimized.

Google Analytics, while a bit ahead of where we are at this moment, is also an integral component and will help you fully optimize your web presence. Interestingly, many of these tools and techniques are totally ignored by the “gurus” when they develop their Internet marketing courses. Perhaps it is because they don’t offer affiliate programs? Who knows, I would hope not!

Wordtracker is by far the finest keyword tools I have used. For a small monthly membership fee, this tool will prove an invaluable asset when doing research of any kind related to understanding search tendencies across the web, and for optimization of domain names, blog posts, articles, and so much more!

Some of my other favorite Internet marketing resources are:

EzineArticles.com is by far the best ezine article directory on the Internet! Now, that’s a pretty bold statement, and should raise a few eyebrows! But when you consider the fact that they do not have an affiliate program, so I am not getting a cent for telling you about them, the statement gains weight! In fact, they are just that good! EzineArticles.com is by far the class of the Internet and you should develop a relationship with them first and foremost!

Jeff Herring, The Article Guy, is the man responsible for my picking up the pen again, figuratively speaking, and beginning to write once more! He made it interesting, fun, and easy…his course is nothing short of fantastic. Jeff has the best program on the market for article marketing, hands down! You can do no better, and you can do a heck of a lot worse! And that’s why I have used his course and I endorse it whole-heartedly here. Jeff Herring is indeed The Article Guy!

Tellman Knudson’s List Building Club – Free Trial Offer is Amazing! You may even win an amazing Ferrari 360 Spyder! This is the program I started with and it is complete and very reasonable. I am and absolute fan Tellman Knudson and his products. This is a must for anyone serious about Internet marketing. Invest in The List Building Club Gold Membership, if you can swing it, it is well worth the extra $30 a month and will pay for itself with great ideas that are easy to set up and apply to the Internet.

Russell Brunson’s Absolutely Amazing 27 Day Challenge! Just cover S&H and you will have invested in a program worth thousands! This is as good an offer as I’ve seen from DotComSecrets…don’t miss this one!

Marc Joyner’s Simpleology will do what the name implies and so much more! This program will focus that energy to a knife point and you will experience productivity like never before! The best part? It’s totally free! That’s right, free…always! No trial period, no hitch, just free and absolutely awesome! Sign up today!

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and, if you are interested in pursuing the offer I mentioned to work along side me, and along with the rest of the Ultimate Internet Image Mastermind Group…and the business that goes along with it? Contact me at the email below!

Best wishes and I am available for personal consultation any time!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

This is an actual transcript of a chat I had with a friend on facebook about Internet marketing in general, and and my newest Internet marketing venture. We also discussed my online business building mentoring program.

Here is part of the discussion:

May 17
2:20am “Casey” (not his real name)
Hey John, you able to chat now?

Today
1:55am
facebook noted that Casey changed his profile picture.

2:51amCasey
Hey John!

2:54amJohn
Hi Casey! What’s up! Just about to call it quits for the night.

2:54amCasey
sweet, we have to find a time to network and chat?

2:54amJohn
A little bit. I have been at it for 16 hours straight but what’s up?

2:55amCasey
just wondering about your marketing and what forms of marketing you do and stuff like that? Doesn’t have to be specific, can be just brief, can you help me?

2:58amJohn
Sure “Casey” I am more than happy to help in any way I can. Basically, I use just about everything for marketing. I focus a lot on social media, particularly Twitter and facebook, but I also use YouTube quite a bit. I have about 30 blogs in different niches and have just started a new company, as you know, where I am taking key people on, mentoring them, starting them out in their own businesses and then helping them build them it. It’s fun!

2:58amCasey
wow, sounds like a lot of fun

2:59amJohn
It is challenging and I enjoy the people, helping people who have been ripped off and/or are struggling to make it. They appreciate it and I can feel good about what I do for a living.

3:00amCasey
do you get paid to help/coach people like me or is it something you do just to help out?

3:03amJohn
No. We split whatever we make for the first six months or until they don’t need me any more to succeed, then I back off. They end up with something like a franchise and a business worth a lot of money and generating a significant income. We all benefit and it doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg to get going, basically a web hosting account and a domain name…and some business cards. That’s it! Oh yeah, an autoresponder. So it is attractive for people who aren’t afraid to work but have very limited funds.

3:09amCasey
so you just set it up and help them and then you go on to something else?

3:15amJohn
Well it is a little more complex than that but not much and they never have to pay me hundreds of dollars up front or anything like that, the business pays for the set up, their income, my assistance, and when they are ready to “cut the chord,” so to speak, I step back and then I am around if they need me or they can continue to be part of a company that is already doing amazing things! Then they have an awesome business, I have trained them from front to back, and it’s theirs for life!

3:21amCasey
wow, can I be a part of this or is it already too late?

3:24amJohn
Sure! We need to talk a bit more, so I can get to know you and see if this is the right fit for both of us but I am happy to explore the possibility if you are interested in getting some help with you Internet marketing business and aren’t afraid of some real work? This is a merging of off-line marketing and online techniques. We are the only ones I know of who are going about business in this way, so the firm is exploding and the interest is amazing!

3:27amCasey
sweet, how do I get started?

3:29amJohn
Not so fast! There are still some things I want to know, like how committed you are to making a change in your life…because I am going to be totally committed to you for the next few months, even years! I will send you my email address and we can talk later today. Do you have Skype? Send me you information to excellencepadforward@gmail.com and we will talk early this afternoon. OK?

At that point we said good night and Casey is going to contact me later today. And that’s fine, we will see. I asked him if I could use this conversation and he said “sure!” So, here is another perspective on what I am doing with one of my other companies…and what I am willing to discuss with anyone wishing to make a real change in their Internet marketing strategy and in their lives!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

The “Ultimate” steps leading to success in any online business, regardless of the niche or area of concentration are numbers 8 through 10! Without numbers 8-10 the picture is incomplete, without these key ingredients, success will remain elusive.

Number 8: Take Action

This is self-explanatory, taking action, and yet so many people falter at this step step in the business building process. It is remarkable to think how many Internet marketing programs are sold every year, simply to sit on someone’s hard drive! I tell the story of Howie Schwartz and a young lady to illustrate just how common this is…so I hope it brings home the point, and the possibilities.

Number 9: Follow Through

Without follow through, the picture is incomplete, the business only partially set up. Imagine a car being built and half the way through the assembly process it is pulled off the assembly line and sent to the dealer. Not a great idea? Yet, this is precisely what happens every day in the Internet marketing community, in fact it happens in every aspect of business…people fail to integrate all the components necessary for success. So, make sure you use a tested system (steps 2 and 3) and follow through, A to Z…and beyond!

Step #10: Determination or the quality that drives someone to “Never Quit!”

This is the most important piece in the entire puzzle, neglecting to integrate this mentality into your online business building mentality will lead to failure. When everything in you says quit, don’t! I tell the story of a speech Winston Churchill gave just below this “How to Start Your Own Online Business” article/video series, I hope it puts it in its proper perspective. I certainly can’t say it any better than Churchill did decades ago!

Hope you have enjoyed this video series, in fact, the entire blog! Please feel free to comment and contact me for more discussion on this or any topic of interest!

Jeff Herring, The Article Guy, is the man responsible for my picking up the pen again, figuratively speaking, and beginning to write once more! He made it interesting, fun, and easy…his course is nothing short of fantastic. Jeff has the best program on the market for article marketing, hands down! You can do no better, and you can do a heck of a lot worse! And that’s why I have used his course and I endorse it whole-heartedly here. Jeff Herring is indeed The Article Guy!

Marc Joyner’s Simpleology will do what the name implies and so much more! This program will focus that energy to a knife point and you will experience productivity like never before! The best part? It’s totally free! That’s right, free…always! No trial period, no hitch, just free and absolutely awesome! Sign up today!

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and, if you are interested in pursuing the offer I mentioned to work along side me, and along with the rest of the Ultimate Internet Image Mastermind Group…and the business that goes along with it? Contact me at the email below!

Best wishes and I am available for personal consultation any time!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

The Internet Marketing Quest Revealed has taken me from MLM, to Niche marketing, to mini-sites, to social media and social marketing, to affiliate marketing, and finally to my own companies, my own online businesses! What is the correct formula? What prepares you to succeed? What programs are the best and which ones should be avoided like the plague? Well, I will discuss the answers to all of those questions, and more, in the coming video series!

However, in this video we will discuss steps 5 through 7 of the 10 steps I feel are absolutely essential for success in any sort of online business, whether traditional Internet marketing or very specific and specialized niche marketing.

Once again, I will suggest the best of the best…I simply will not put my name on anything else! I hope this helps and I hope you will take the time to comment. Should you wish to contact me, feel free to do so, all my contact information is listed below. It is my hope that this video, and Part I and Part III (coming soon) will help you formulate a plan of action. But I am getting ahead of myself! Enjoy the video and thank you for looking in!

Jeff Herring, The Article Guy, is the man responsible for my picking up the pen again, figuratively speaking, and beginning to write once more! He made it interesting, fun, and easy…his course is nothing short of fantastic. Jeff has the best program on the market for article marketing, hands down! You can do no better, and you can do a heck of a lot worse! And that’s why I have used his course and I endorse it whole-heartedly here. Jeff Herring is indeed The Article Guy!

Marc Joyner’s Simpleology will do what the name implies and so much more! This program will focus that energy to a knife point and you will experience productivity like never before! The best part? It’s totally free! That’s right, free…always! No trial period, no hitch, just free and absolutely awesome! Sign up today!

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and, if you are interested in pursuing the offer I mentioned to work along side me, and along with the rest of the Ultimate Internet Image Mastermind Group…and the business that goes along with it? Contact me at the email below!

Best wishes and I am available for personal consultation any time!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com

The Ultimate Internet Image: Internet Marketing and The Determination Factor

When you have a problem, one that is especially difficult and baffling, perhaps terribly discouraging, there is one basic principle to apply and keep on applying. It is simply this…never quit! A small college in the Midwest was about to graduate another senior class and they were up in the air as to who their commencement speaker should be. One of the students, someone long forgotten, suggested they invite Winston Churchill. The president of the small college laughed and many others scoffed at the suggestion, but the senior class president decided to take it upon himself to invite the great man. Deep down inside, even the young man sending the invitation had little hope that Churchill would actually accept, but he sent the invitation anyway. Low and behold, a few weeks before graduation the young man received a reply, Winston Churchill was coming to the graduation and he would speak at the commencement ceremony. Well, the day of the commencement ceremony arrived and so did Churchill. Shuffling along, chewing his cigar, he was cordial and greeted all with warmth and a handshake. The crowd was still and in awe as Churchill rose and walked slowly to the podium, you could have heard a pin drop. When the savior of Britain was sure he had everyone’s attention he gave one of the most memorable commencement speeches in history. This is what he said: “Never, never, never give up!” The crowd waited for Churchill to continue, his next words, but that was it. Churchill took one last look over the crowd, bowed slightly, and left the grounds. Those five words, that message so typical of Winston Churchill, reflected the mentality that saved a nation and shaped history, made history, are still remembered and talked about four decades later.

“Never, never, never give up!”

To give up is to invite complete defeat, and not only in connection with the matter at hand, building a business. Giving up contributes to an ultimate defeat of the personality, of the very soul. It tends to develop a defeat psychology, a defeatist personality. Facing an obstacle, a challenge? Go at the problem from a different direction if the approach or program you are using is not working! And if the new approach or methodology fails to generate the needed results, then go at it from still another direction until you find a solution. There is a solution, there is a key! There always is a solution, an answer! A persistent, intelligent, and determined approach, combined with imagination and thoughtfulness will yield results every time! How can you develop this relentless mindset, this not quitting, undefeatable attitude? Well, for one thing, never discuss defeat! If you do talk about losing, discuss defeat, you will actually talk yourself right into a defeatist mindset, the acceptance of defeat. In an article I read one time the author discussed the idea of the use of words, what she called “good” words and “bad” words, and how dangerous it is to use “negative” words. To speak negative or “bad” words is as dangerous as harboring negative thoughts, or worse. The author suggested to her readers, in this case yours truly, that we consider the word “no.” The word no denotes the closing or shutting of a door. It is negative and means defeat, failure, and delay. But spell “no” backwards and something amazing happens, backwards it spells “on.” Get really motivated! Push “on” with determination, unremittingly toward your goal until the challenge you are facing is gone, the problem solved, and your difficulties eliminated. The author also discussed the use of the word “teem.” In this context, the author noted that everything appears to be teeming in your life, and not in a positive way; teeming with difficulty, teeming with regrets, teeming with remorse, teeming with defeatist thoughts and actions, with ineffectiveness. So the author suggested we turn the word “teem” around to form the word “meet.” In doing so we commit to meet each challenge as it arises, never procrastinating!

Procrastination and Internet marketing, in fact, all business failure!

Procrastination is the surest avenue to failure. We are going to immediately remove procrastination from our lives. We will face situations head on and commit never to procrastinate again! You will no longer be teeming with negative thoughts, a defeatist attitude, and hopelessness. From now on you will become productive, innovative, imaginative, and creative. From this point forward you will vigorously “meet” each and every challenge as it arises, winning each and every time, carrying yourself and your business that much closer to you goal and ultimate toward success! Turn any “no” into “on” and turn “teem” into “meet.” Change your thoughts, your thinking, and meet your challenges in a positive and constructive fashion. Remember “The Determination Factor” it’s always too soon to quit!

Thinking about a change in focus, a new approach? Don’t know what direction to go in, what Internet marketing business is best for you? I invite you to explore the possibilities of joining the team at:

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros
johnz@TheQuestRevealed.com