Here are 10 tips for internet business newbies that may prevent you from falling in a heap. Review them on a regular basis and try to stay focused on planning ahead.
1. Stay Positive & Don’t Give Up
One advantage of creating and building an online income is that your business is "open all hours" so you work when and for as long as you want. Some regular tasks can be run on auto-pilot, offering a less stressful working environment and giving you more time to spend with family and doing the good things in life. However, when first starting you business, it may take many months or more to get to that stage. The earlier days of the learing curve can be quite long and tiring. In order to be successful, try to maintain a positive attitude and be persistent and committed. Beware of ‘Get-Rich-Quick’ schemes which will eat into your wallet and often show little results.
2. Keep a Journal
Keep a journal and list things to do, ticking them off as they are completed. Update your journal regularly, so you remember what you’ve done, how effective (or not) it was and how you can improve. Remember that failures are not the end. They simply give you lessons to learn. Just try different methods and strategies.
3. Keep Learning
In the early stages of your Internet career, try out a few programs in your spare time. Do some searches on YouTube and Google about "how to…" There is a lot of free help out there in cyberspace. Get a feel for what others are doing in the Internet marketing arena by visiting blogs and forums, reading stories and comments, even asking questions and leaving your own comments on other blogs. (Make sure you put a link to your own blog or website in your signature. This will help get you some traffic).
Take some time to learn a little about HTML, Scripts, creating images and even building websites and blogs. Attend Internet Marketing Seminars as often as possible. (I’m going to the 4 day World Internet Summit tomorrow. It is very affordable, highly regarded and held regularly in many parts of the world. To find out more click here . You’ll even get a free course just for visiting the site .) You’ll learn heaps and get the opportunity to meet gurus and like-minded people. It’s a great place to network, get ideas and find joint ventures.
Don’t give up your day job until you can confidently earn regular income. There may be a lot to learn but if you’re focused, your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.
4. Scams
‘Get paid to read email’ sites are usually scams, won’t earn you any money and if you complain you won’t receive a reply. Similarly, any sales pitch telling you that you’ll double or triple your "investment" in a few days, or that you’ll get rich overnight, are usually scams. Steer clear. MLM (multi-level marketing) programs can work if you get in VERY early but usually only make big money for the people at the top and then peter out, leaving people in the lower ranks losing their money. Not a good investment for the inexperienced newbie.
One simple way to check that traders are bona fide is to check that there is an offline contact point like an address or telephone number. Another is to ask questions in an email before you sign up to see how quickly and effectively they respond. Avoid the ‘Get-Rich-Quick’ schemes. They rarely, if ever, work!
Always read the small print in the Terms & Conditions that tells you that if you request a refund you will only get back a small percentage of your investment (to cover costs). A good program will offer a 100% money back guarantee - no questions asked.
5. Secrets?
You will inevitably come across those who will try to convince you they have discovered a loophole or secret that will make you a lot of money, if you buy in to it. Look at it this way: if you discovered a method of earning big money on the Internet, would YOU reveal your ’secret formula’? You wouldn’t need to sell it if it was constantly bringing in big bucks. Try to avoid the hype when you see the word ‘Secrets’. You will probably find that it’s a waste of your money and time.
Similarly, would a guy who says he’s earning several million dollars a year, bother to write and market an eBook describing how he did it? Think about it! They don’t need the extra few bucks.
6. Testimonials and Proof of Earnings
Don’t always believe images of earnings, cheques or bank statements showing how much the sales person has earned. It is easy to create these in Photoshop with a little creativity. Letters of recommendation or testimonials can also be rigged. Anyone can write them or get their collegues to do so! Don’t always take then at face value. I have seen videos where people actually log in to their accounts on screen and show you their earnings. These are more believable.
7. Dedication & Persistence
If you were to research how all the successful Internet marketers become wealthy, you would find that the common denominators are dedication and persistence. They are prepared to put in the "hard yards" to achieve their goals. If, at first, they didn’t succeed, they noted their failures and kept on trying. They are rarely influenced by the ‘quick buck’. This is so important. Fail forward!
8. Be Organised
Keep all your business activities and results in a journal - what worked and what didn’t. Keep a tidy computer with documents filed in recognizable folders. Check your email accounts at least daily and reply promptly. File the important ones. If you can quickly access any file, folder, software or email you will save so much valuable time.
9. Etiquette & Spamming
Stick to the basic etiquette of Internet Marketing. Don’t be tempted to send out high volume unsolicited email (spam). Always take the time to read the Terms and Conditions section before you decide to join a program. If you do sign up be sure adhere to those terms.
10. Withdraw Funds Regularly
Avoid leaving large amounts of money in any online marketing/promotion website or payment system. Most sites have strict rules and spamming policies and if you are ever accused (rightly or wrongly) of sending unsolicited emails or breaking any rule, you are likely to have your account closed, which could result in you losing all your funds too!
If you apply the above simple guidelines, your Internet Marketing experience will be a safer and more enjoyable experience.
So, now I’m really looking forward to the World Internet Summit - four days of intensive learning. I’ll be reporting back to tell you all about it next week.
PS. Just for visiting the World Internet Summit website, you’ll receive a FREE 12-part course featuring excellent advice from some of the best internet marketers in the world. This course alone could help you set up your own internet business! Click here to go to the site .
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Excellent article that contains awesome advice for newbies, it’s just a shame that you don’t realise you need to do these things when you’re a newbie.
Have just read Alex’s new report and your article reminded me of that.
How was the world internet summit for you?
Martin´s last blog post..Newbies Nightmare: Alex Jeffreys Releases The Solution