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Discover your personality to gain business focus

Hi,

Today I want to bring your attention to a certain section of a very popular newsletter, but I must post the entire newsletter per the author’s instructions. That author is Jim Cockrum of CES (Creative eBay Selling) News and eBay & Internet Marketing expert. I want you to pay particular attention to 3. Are you monochronic or polychronic? I found this very helpful in helping me focus better. By understanding your own personality type, you will be better able to create the ever important, laser-targeted focus that is so vital to business success. Here it is:

Creative eBay Selling Newsletter

Brought to you by the top selling author of:
“The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay”

Exclusively available at:
http://www.SilentSalesMachine.com

In this newsletter:
========================================
1. The MPIRE strikes again
FREE PROMO Offer ends soon Ken
2. Diet Coke, Mentos and …eBay.
3. Are you MONOchronic or POLYchronic?
Knowing can really help!
4. Quick Tips (and news)
-AOL users be aware…
-class videos from eBay LIVE 2006
========================================
Please pass this newsletter on to a friend!

========================================
1. The MPIRE strikes again FREE PROMO
========================================
How would you like all this for your auction biz free?

*Professional listing designs (templates)
*Scheduled auction listings for eBay and other auction
sites
*10MB image hosting
*Unlimited Listings
*Full financial reporting for your eBay biz
*Simple consignment seller management
*Product sourcing
(fantastic drop ship database membership)
*250MB image hosting available

Use the below promotional link to sign up for MPIRE
BUILDER. You get the first four features above (plus a
lot more) FREE for life and the bottom four features
free for 30 days while you check it all out.

This is a steal Ken- MPIRE is auction
management, automation, product sourcing, great
templates and more.

Use this promo link:
http://tx.offerfusion.com/x/?op=cl&crid=2826&ooid=13216

========================================
2. Diet Coke, Mentos and …eBay.
========================================
I’ve recently been asked by the highly popular free
seller resource GoWholesale.com to be one of a handful of
contributing authors who submit articles to their blog
site. I only have two posts so far, but I think you’ll
really enjoy the article I wrote yesterday for them.

The article is about “The explosive results of adding
Mentos candy to Diet Coke” and how you can actually cash
in on such ideas…

Here’s a link to the article…including a hilarious
video of a rocketing Diet Coke bottle:

http://blogs.gowholesale.com/jcockrum/?p=2

Check it out and leave me a blog comment as feedback…

========================================
3. Are you monochronic or polychronic?
========================================
Are you monochronic or polychronic in your work style?

You need to know and it’s easy to find out.

Does the thought of facing several tasks at once make you
uneasy? You are likely monochronic.

Do you systematically move from one completed task to
another? …monochronic

OR…

Are you capable of moving from one partially completed
task to another easily? You are likely polychronic.

Is your desk a maze of half completed projects?
…polychronic

Get the idea?

Do a google search on these terms for a more clinical
study of what it means, but I have some specific advice
for both personality types as it pertains to success with
your online business.

It’s important to understand the difference if you want
to maximize your success in business offline or online!

NOTE: There has never been a definitive study conducted
that shows that one work style is superior. It’s just a
matter of personality and cultural differences.

Here’s my advice for both groups:

For the POLYs
=============
Those of us who are clearly polychronic have a bit of an
advantage online (in my opinion) in SOME areas. A teacher
of mine once said that “a good computer program is never
done”. The same applies to a website or just about any
online project. A good website is never truly finished.
That doesn’t bother us “polys”.  We are fine moving on
and coming back later to add improvements.

We are also likely to be perceived as (and usually are)
master procrastinators. Don’t let this bug you, just be
aware that you are prone to taking on more than you can
handle and it will drag down multiple projects when you do.

Setting up a thriving “multiple streams of income”
business online requires you to be flexible with your
business priorities as well as the ability to change
tasks and direction quickly. These are our strengths as
polys.

Our weakness? We are CONSTANTLY replacing the items on
top of our priority list with NEW ideas and projects.
This can lead to “failure to launch” anything.

TOP TIP: Guard the top priorities in your life and work.
Don’t let ANYTHING shake them. Tackle them FIRST everyday
before a distraction can pull you away.

Keep a list of TOP PRIORITIES for the month posted where
you can see it everyday.

Mark the “must do’s” on your daily list and DO THEM
FIRST.

For the MONOs:
==============
It’s harder for me to understand the way you think, but
I’ve met enough of you to have some advice and
observations.

Step One:
———–
You like just reading the words “step one” don’t you?

Break your list of jobs down into smaller tasks and list
them out.

For example, consider an idea you might have for an eBook
about say,  “how to quit smoking”.

The “to do” item on your list should not say “write an
eBook about how to quit smoking”. Instead your “to do”
list should consist of multiple smaller tasks like:

1. Go to library and scan through 2 popular books about
quitting smoking for ideas
2. Do 20 minutes of Google research about “quitting
smoking”
2. Make a simple 5 point outline of what my book will
contain
3. Record myself talking about the 5 points revealing
everything I’ve learned
4. Find an expert to interview who will agree to appear
in my book
5. Set an appointment to interview my expert
etc.

This could go on and on…it’s actually quite painful for
me to think that way, but for you it’s a good thing!

The task of making a “to do” list is tedious, but
necessary and powerful. You could probably sell your “to
do” list as a great ebook when you are done!

As a POLY I would simply write “work on smoking ebook” on
my “to do” list. You don’t have that luxury as a MONO.

Since your personality type struggles to “move on” before
a task is “done” you need to shorten your definition of a
“task” to smaller, more easily completed tasks. This
allows you to mentally consider the task complete and it
frees you psychologically to take on other things.

You can also add a number of tasks to your daily “to do”
list and get them all done. This is quite rewarding for
your personality type.

Step Two:
———–
Rewrite your master “to do” list frequently looking to
eliminate “dead ideas” and “dead ends”.

Be aware that you are much more likely to get married to
one idea and “go down with the ship” if it doesn’t work
out.

Realize that you need to be constantly learning so rather
than ignoring new opportunities that come along while you
are “busy” make a file to hold them and reserve an hour
per week to go through the “ideas” folder and consider
adding a new idea to your priority list.

Step Three:
————-
Embrace failure as part of a good online education.

Failure is part of this business. Be willing to leave a
project undone and just chalk it up to “a lesson learned”
and move on. You actually can go back to it later if
you’d like and rework it (just ask any POLY – we do it
all the time).

Step Four:
———–
Redefine “completion”.

In the Internet world the “perfectionists” finish last.
Sad but true…

Accept the fact that your project will likely never be
perfectly “finished”. You have to get your satisfaction
in the process of completing the smaller steps.
Recognizing this early on in a project will help you
mentally be more prepared to take on simultaneous
projects that can lead to multiple streams of income.

Step Five:
———–
Go clean a POLY’s desk just for the fun of it and watch
them FREAK.

Jim Cockrum
The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay
http://www.SilentSalesMachine.com

========================================
4. Quick Tips
========================================

***QUICK**TIPS***
=================
AOL users be aware…

We use a couple of “URL” clipping services that allow us
to shorten long links in our newsletters.

These services are found at snipurl.com and tinyurl.com

The problem is that your friendly host AOL now blocks any
links that pass through either of these services (yet
another reason we “LOVE” AOL).

Here are two recent links that you COULDN’T access
because of the AOL block:

I recently sent a newsletter to you that had an article
about Barbara’s book that has allowed her to live off the
web “behind the scenes” for years. Here’s the full link:

http://www.richhermit.com/click.php?p=2&a=1daypromo

The other link that didn’t work for you was to my
personal finance and debt expert Leo:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=421576

***QUICK**TIPS***
=================
Didn’t attend eBay live? Here are the online recordings
of the top classes offered:

http://www.ebayuniversity.com/features/ebay_live_2006/?ssPageName=CMDV:AB

==================================
Thank you for subscribing!
==================================
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The information we have on file from when you subscribed
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Your name: Ken Schumacher
Your email: schumacher.ken@gmail.com

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=====================
Copyright Information
=====================
Copyright 2006 CCS,LLC

You MAY reprint any of the articles in this newsletter
for any purpose as long as no portion of the article is
modified without permission. You must also include this
tag line at the bottom:

Jim Cockrum

Author-”The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay”

Editor-”Creative eBay Selling Newsletter”

The most popular free eBay success ezine on the web!

http://www.SilentSalesMachine.com

* Please pass this newsletter on to a friend! *

CCS,LLC,2862 Shadwell Pl,Greenwood,IN, 46143,
United States

________________

DREAM

Ken

Should I Unsubscribe?

Today I want to start my post with a graphic.

Good Old Email Marketing
Good Old Email Marketing

Now if you notice, there are 19 emails so far in the month of August. And my calculations tell me that it is currently the 17th day of August, so I have received more than 1 email per day!! This marketer is taking the saying, “the money is in the list” to the extreme. I mean come on. And the worst part is that very few of these are just free content with the intention of helping the subscriber. Instead almost all of these emails are promoting one product or another.

Now I may ruffle some feathers but I don’t care. I think that is completely ridiculous. I understand that one of the huge benefits of creating an email list is to be able to make some money from it but there needs to be a balance. I firmly believe that you need to provide lots of quality content for free without any strings attached. And I don’t mind the occasional product promotion because I do understand that and expect it, but it is a huge turn off when I get bombarded with only product promotions and the frequency is more than 1 email a day.

In internet marketing, you really need to treat your subscriber list with respect. In my eyes, having a list of subscribers is also an honor and privilege and I personally plan to take that very seriously and provide value with helpful content with only the best of intentions.

I am very tempted to unsubscribe from the above referenced marketer. The only reason I might not, is that this person is in the know, so it is a good way to keep up with the current buzz in the IM world.

Should I unsubscribe? Please leave me your comments below and tell me your opinion. Thanks for your time.

Take care,

Ken

Marketing lessons from a dandelion?

The following post shows that I tend to make analogies and observations of seemingly ordinary objects, events, nature, etc. and start thinking if there are any lessons to be learned from what I am observing. I truly believe there are many lessons all around us, and usually I can come up with several different lessons about the same thing just by changing the aspect I am focusing on. So today, I am going to notice some lessons contained in a weed. (Stay with me – I promise I haven’t lost it).

Have you ever stopped to really observe a dandelion? You’re probably thinking, “yea, long enough to attack them with weed killer”. And yes, while they are somewhat troublesome in your yard, there are some marketing lessons to be learned.

Now one of the first things that I usually notice is the great numbers of them. They appear quickly, mature quickly and spread their seeds and multiply quickly. As I was thinking more about this topic, I was curious if they grew all over the world. So, after a quick bit of research, I found a site that provided a bit of information about this plant.

One quote stated, “…the perseverance of this plant despite our best efforts to eradicate it is almost legendary in itself.” * Yet another quote says, “ Dandelions are perennials that grow freely all over the world.  Individual plants, if left undisturbed, can form very large clumps.  The plants are quite invasive and tough, often taking over large areas in a short time and crowding out weaker plants – not their most desirable trait.” * (From a marketing perspective, I would say it is a very desirable trait, i.e. crushing the competition in your niche).

And there are other observations that can be related to internet marketing. As I mentioned above, they appear quickly. When you first “appear” on the internet (or any business) with your new products and web presence, it seems like it is out of nowhere. People wonder who is he/she? Now this is normal and nothing to worry about because this is the way for everyone, you have to start somewhere. There was a time that people had never heard of internet gurus like Rich Schefren, Mike Filsaime, John Reese, Mark Joyner, Jim Cockrum or John Thornhill, just to name a few. Or anyone else considered famous for that matter. So the important thing is to just start. Get that Nike attitude and just do it.

As for maturing, you will need to continue to learn new strategies and techniques to constantly improve you business and your personal development. Ultimately this can happen quickly but if not, it is important to do it consistently. The best way to make this happen quickly is to find someone who is already successful, study their model and processes and duplicate this with your own style and branding. Or you can become a coaching student of such a marketer. No reason to re-invent the wheel.

Now for the most fun and exciting part – multiplying quickly. Like wildfire! Just as the dandelion seed. If you have ever looked at a dandelion seed you will notice that it not only has the seed needed to grow a new plant but it has its own delivery system. It has that little puffy thing at the top that allows it to travel far and wide. This should also be a part of your marketing plan. It is called Viral Marketing and if done correctly can be wildly successful over time as it too will spread far and wide.

For illustration, if you had just one product or service in the hands of just 2 people and each of them gave it to 2 people. If this pattern of 2 continued only 5 times, you would have a total of 32 people that would be customers or prospects. If it recurred 10 times instead of 5, the total would be 1024; from just 2 people at a time!

What if it was more than 2 people, which is obviously very possible and realistic? How about doing this repeatedly with more than one product or service? Imagine the possibilities and massive number of people that can be reached!

Giving away valuable reports, eBooks, videos, etc. with links to other backend products is one way to do this. And there needs to be some incentive for everyone to continue to pass this along. An example would be to allow them to rebrand the book or report with their affiliate links to those same backend products. In this way, they can make some money for just giving away this product. There are many possibilities for making something viral so think about how to get creative. Remember the power of the word “free”. Combine that with something creatively new and you’ve got something!

And finally, let’s not forget about the legendary perseverance. This is so vital to the long term success of any internet business. To become such a continuous, persistent force and persevere through the multitude of challenges and changing times that you become legendary – WOW, just imagine being considered a legend. Many legends of internet marketing started out just like you and are no different so never underestimate yourself. You’re only limited by the limiting beliefs you put upon yourself.

So start thinking about how to become like a weed, spreading your own dandelion seeds and persevering.

Cheers to your success.

Ken

The Golden Rule of Customer Service

Let me start by stating that I hope this doesn’t sound like ranting and raving because there are some important lessons to be reminded of through this experience. So here goes.

My family and I went vehicle shopping this past Saturday and I must say it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience I could have had on a beautiful sunny day. We did come away with a nice ’06 Town & Country and a good deal, so we are grateful for that. We also came away with a customer service example – what NOT to do.

When we arrived (after getting lost), we truly realized this place was somewhat off the beaten path. When I first looked at a map, it looked like a suburb just a little south of Minneapolis. Well it was a little further south than I realized. Because of this and the fact we drove quite a ways from out of town, I have a feeling they used this remote location to their advantage.

After driving the van and giving a visual inspection, we asked for their best price but the salesman turned it around on us and asked for an offer. After we made one, he went to his general manager to discuss it. After that, there was one more counter offer made by us and another conference with the manager. This simple process took FOREVER. This was not due to indecision on our part either. They made us wait a very long time and I realize that they were trying to keep us there as long as possible so we wouldn’t have much time to look around elsewhere.

After finally agreeing on a price, the paperwork part also took a very long time and they were not busy. While waiting some more, I did happen to notice that nobody had taken the vehicle to fill the tank with gas. This was important because while test driving, I noticed the gas gauge was on E. So I asked him for a full tank of gas.

Now let me preface his response with just a little about the salesman. He was a very likeable guy to his credit. He continued to say how he was going to “earn your business” and “work for the customer” and make sure he “would do everything to gain referrals and a repeat customer”. Now we all know that talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words.

Yet when given the opportunity to prove it with a simple request for a full tank of gas, he blamed the management that he was only able to give a $10 gas allowance for pre-owned vehicles but he would see if he could get $20. And, I had to ask. I doubt he would have done it on his own. In the end he filled the tank ½ full.

OK, so there is a big customer service lesson there obviously. Now in his mind maybe he believed we would think he was going above and beyond by getting “the management” to double the gas allowance. But in reality it was not perceived that way at all. Think about what message it sends that he only went half way. Now whether it was true or not about what management allowed, he could have still given his new customers a full tank of gas and come up with the extra money from his own pocket. That’s what I would have done because I would have looked at the situation from the customer’s point of view and done the right thing.

Providing excellent customer service is such a strong belief and even a passion of mine and is why the company I am building is named Golden Rule. The phrase was taught to me like this: “do onto others as you would have them do onto you”. Now I know there is various different phrasing for the Golden Rule, but with relation to business and customer service, I think it simply means putting yourself in the customer’s shoes in any give situation.

Thinking, “would I be happy waiting this long through this sales process” or “how would I feel about the salesperson, if I knew he filled the tank and paid for part from his own pocket”.

Here’s wishing you all pleasant customer service experiences. And remember to provide excellent customer service as well. It goes a long way to help you stand out from the crowd and get valuable word-of-mouth referrals.

Ken

Marketing lessons from rock legends

OK, I have been away from this blog for awhile and busy with other projects so its time to once again spread my wisdom :) …or at least my take on things.

Initially I was thinking about pulling the last post about KISS off the blog because I initially just wanted to get some votes to bring KISS to Fargo. But then, as I thought about it, I realized there are things that can be learned about marketing from KISS. (Does that seem weird to you?)

One of the first things that comes to mind for me is branding. They have created such a – well I guess you could call it a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). KISS is so recognizable due to their makeup and ‘costumes’ that they have effectively branded themselves. And let’s not forget about the AWESOME stage show they provide! That’s why they can market and sell so many different products. Even young kids who don’t even really know anything about the band or their music will see KISS merchandise and want it because it is cool. In addition to mrechandise, they have been in comic books and even in kids cartoons, like Fairly Odd Parents and a classic episode of Scooby Doo.

And how about the recent appearance on American Idol. From the looks of their website, they have 40 pages of merchandise for sale for their hungry dedicated fans. Everything from apparel to glassware, home decor, jewelry, skateboards and wine – just to name a few. WOW, these guys know how to market.

So you can see how branding is a very important part of marketing your business. But I think there is one other very important key element that may not be as obvious. PASSION. It is very obvious to me that they truly have a passion for what they do. Just think about the dedication it takes to continue to put on the makeup and outfits all these years. And they have said many times over how they are all about doing this for the fans and how truly grateful they are for their fans. They have often said they go out to put on a show like no other, one that they would want to see. And if you have ever been to a KISS concert, you can really feel that passion – along with heart pounding rock n roll and explosions.

Now I have had heard many people say before that KISS keeps going on tour because they are just trying to make more money, etc. Well I say, duh! If you could do it wouldn’t you? I know I would. And as I stated before, I know their hearts are in the right place and they continue to perform because they love their fans and their fans love them.

I for one respect them for the all out effort they give to their fans and also respect them as excellent entrepreneurs.

So if you want the best, you got the best. A lot can be learned from their example.

Take care,

Ken

Bring KISS to Fargo, ND


Demand KISS in Fargo!
KISS in Fargo - Learn more about this Eventful Demand
View all Fargo events on Eventful
After all we’ve been thru around here, we need an awesome party! What better way than with “The Hotest Band In The World”. They also happen to be my absolute favorite band, so I just had to make a post about it.
Go vote now for Fargo, for me. Thanks.
Take care,
Ken

Do you remember your first online sale?

Hey,

I’m just sitting here wondering what experience other people had when they finally made their first online sale. The one that began an internet business. I’d like to briefly share my experience.

I have been studying entrepreneurship and most recently internet marketing for many years. I have been working on my current project for about a year, which included writing an ebook and building a website (which still is a work in progress). But I did get the book up onto my website and just sold 2 copies within the past week! I was uber excited :) Especially considering all the techie hurdles I had to get over. But I did it and so can you.

It also happens to be a passion of mine, and I am a true believer that having that passion makes a HUGE difference. Actually, all the difference in the world. It helps you keep going when you run into those hurdles. So pick a passion to build your business around and grab the success.

Anyway, my book is called “You Be The Judge – How To Identify an Authentic GTO Judge”. I know a lot about these muscle cars and also own a ‘70 GTO Judge. There’s a picture of it on my site at www.PontiacGTOs.com – check it out. You can also check out my book You Be The Judge.

It is such an incredible feeling to have the experience of writing a book, creating a website and getting a couple of sales under my belt! Please feel free to post your own experiences about getting those initial sales – online or offline. I would love to hear about them.

I’ll be completely honest though, sometimes it was a royal pain in the butt. But as I said before, that is where it is important to pick something that gives you that excited feeling – that PASSION. And that is what will get you thru the choppy waters. But despite the blood, sweat and tears, I highly recommend giving it a try if you have that entrepreneurial spirit.

In the coming weeks, I will share more about my experiences on my journey to financial freedom. So stay tuned and get some valuable insight. Soon, I am also going to focus my attention on learning everything I need to know about building a viral Butterfly Marketing site. I will be following my coach, John Thornhill, who is an awesome guy. He is truly one of the good guys of internet marketing and has an honest desire to help others achieve great success as he has. He walks the walk.

Check him out at his blog at planetsmsblog.com

That’s all for now. Have a great day.

Ken

A cloud with a silver lining

As you many know, Fargo, ND and the surrounding area is currently experiencing the flood of the century. I am one of the many residents of Fargo and for the past week, it has been difficult to focus on anything else except the rising water of the Red River. My wife and I, along with thousands of other volunteers, have been helping the sandbagging efforts to keep our community safe from flooding.

Over the weekend the river crested at 40.82 feet, breaking a 112 year old record by almost a foot. A couple of days before that, the predictions were as high as 43 feet. We are all thankful to God that it did not get to that extreme. We are also thankful for the tremendous response from all the volunteers. We got help from people, not only within the community, but also from many other states near and far.

I personally met someone named Dave who flew in from Washington D.C. to help in the sandbagging! He felt compelled to do his part to help save our homes. A special thanks goes out to you, Dave!

In this difficult time, nationally and globally, it is amazing to see the outpouring of support that was witnessed. It really demonstrated what is truly important – helping your fellow human beings. People came together for some long hours of hard, back-breaking, manual labor but nobody seemed to even complain. Everybody knew they were here in Fargo and Moorhead, MN for a very important purpose. And even though it was hard work and there was the constant threat of being overtaken by raging flood waters, it had an upside. It was actually a welcome distraction in a way, to not have to think about the poor economic situations, or the ongoing wars, or any of the many other negative things happening. Even though the outcome of the Red River could have been (and in some cases was) very negative, the feeling of overwhelming support and the good feeling of helping your fellow man dominated all else.

Now, I just realized that I wrote much of this in the past tense, which isn’t completely the case. We are not out of the woods yet. Although our river level is slowly going down, we have to remain watchful that our dikes will continue to hold back the water and be ready to respond to any areas that need to be reinforced.

On top of that we are getting yet another snow storm as I am writing this. Hopefully this new snow will not cause another rise in the river.

So in closing, I just want to thank every citizen from near and far, as well as the National Guard, again for all the hard work and continued efforts. And again I want to just say that this experience has really shown the good in people when others are in need. It made me proud to live here and it really touched my heart to know that so many people traveled here specifically to help. There is hope for the human race after all :) .

Oh, I almost forgot, here in North Dakota we can still find a little bit of time to make the best of what Mother Nature provides us.

march_snowman3

God bless,

Ken

More about battling email info overload

As I was thinking more about my last post I thought I should maybe clarify and expand a little. I didn’t want to suggest that you should just start unsubscribing from list just to clean up your email, although that may be the ultimate goal for some, like me. I am the type of person that starts to lose focus when looking at something like the inbox I showed and can get overwhelmed. Maybe you are different and can handle or even thrive on all of that information – good for you!

 

Also, if you do need to unsubscribe, please think back to why you got onto this marketer’s list in the first place. Was it just to get access to a freebie? Does this particular gift fit into your marketing and business plans right at the current moment? Have you even read the product?

 

If you are getting all kinds of freebies because you might someday need them, that may not be the best reason and you may want to re-evaluate things. However, if you are getting valuable content that will help your current situation to increase or start your business, then it is worth it.

 

And as I mentioned before, please look at the methods behind how these marketers operate. You can learn valuable lessons buy just observing how they craft the emails, what types of things they promote, do they give away a lot of content in addition to promoting, etc?

 

Just FYI, a couple of my favorite marketers are, John Thornhill and Jim Cockrum. These guys both started out on eBay, which is not a bad idea considering the amount of traffic the site receives. Also, each is very sincere and trustworthy. They really take care of their subscribers and treat them with respect. They really care about helping with the success of their subscribers and customers.

 

You can check out John Thornhill’s blog at http://planetsmsblog.com/ and Jim Cockrum at http://www.jimcockrum.com/. It is a very good place to start for not only learning eBay but also learning building a business (both on and offline) and internet marketing.

 

Best wishes,

 

Ken

 

 

Help with information overload


OK, after many months of being out of commission so to speak, I am reviving my blog with some general tips for business success. I will provide a few related to information overload and just go with the flow from there.

The first one I want to talk about today is all the incoming information you are receiving through email as you study internet marketing in pursuit of building a home-based business. So, does your inbox look anything like this?

inbox1

That’s what mine looks like and to be honest, that’s the best it has looked in months. It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but it is the result of chasing the next shiny flashy thing in the internet marketing world. And from grabbing this and that free report. As I did this, I got on MANY lists of various internet marketers. It has gotten to the point where I have fallen into a trap of “well this looks like good information, so I’ll look at it later”.

I have begun to weed out some of the lists that I am on and have started to unsubscribe, although I usually keep 1 email of the marketer for future reference. You see, I realized (and you should too if this is an issue for you) that I was just grabbing these free products because I would need this information “someday”. And, well of course, they were free so that is hard to resist as well.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are many internet marketers out there that provide excellent content and product recommendations. It’s just, as I mentioned, I didn’t need information on traffic secrets, for example, when I didn’t even have a website. Or I didn’t need a product about a membership site if I hadn’t even decided my niche and if I was even going to create a membership site. I think you get my point.

I also learned something else valuable. I began to view these emails from a different perspective. I started to view them from the marketer’s side, not the prospect or customer. When you begin to do that you can learn a lot. You can study how various marketers present content and product recommendations to their lists. This will be helpful when you begin your own list building strategy.

Look for my additional tips to combat information overload in my next post.

Until next time,

Ken