I was just thinking about something I'd like to share with
you, and hopefully it'll give you something to think about
as well. I was remembering when I took a motorcycle riding
safety class when I was 23 years old. I had no previous
riding experience, aside from a bit of mountain biking with
a 21-speed, and I figured it wouldn't be too much different
going from that to a motorcycle. Yes, it gives me slight
grin now, too.
Boy was it was crazy, I couldn't have been more wrong! I
imagined myself just climbing on and riding off into the
sunset like a pro. But when the time came and I actually
sat on the bike for the first time and rode a few hundred
feet, it was quite an eye-opener, to say the least. I felt
like I was 15 years old again, with a driving permit in my
wallet and my mom in the passenger seat. Those familiar
emotions were running through me again -- apprehension,
confusion, excitement and fear -- only this time I had more
life-experience under my belt to better manage them all.
Sure, having driven a manual transmission car for many years
did help control the motorcycle, but it was still pretty
foreign. But with time, practice, and making plenty of
mistakes, I got pretty good at it. Eventually, it became
second nature. And even now, after all the experience I've
gained, I'm planning on taking an advanced riders safety
course.
This reminds me of internet marketing. Maybe you are just
starting your first online business, or maybe you are on to
your second or third and are now marketing those. Where
ever you are at, the amount of business experience you have
will vary from most everyone else; but here's a fact no
matter how long you've been doing it: if you don't practice
internet marketing, it will never get any easier.
Internet marketing is just like learning to ride a
motorcycle or drive a car. Before actually getting into the
thick of it, people may tell you "Oh, it's so easy!" or "All
you have to know is this, that's it." Even when you think
about the steps and procedures beforehand, you can convince
yourself that you have it all planned out and it'll go off
without a hitch. But once you actually do it, you get that
much needed reality check.
Internet marketing isn't something you can just "do" and get
right the first time around. Yes, it is important to take
advice from professionals you trust and who are where you
want to be, and to read their eBooks and what not. But it
is much more important to actually get out there and do it
yourself. Guru's can point they way, but they can't give
you experience. To be successful at internet marketing, it
takes focus, concentration, and especially practice.
Just like using a clutch, you will mess up your marketing.
You may gun it, and offer your customers a product that
would've sold better had you waited. You might pick a
product you are not really qualified to market. Whatever it
is, be it headlines, sales copy, product placement -- you
will get it wrong some of the time. But the more you
practice marketing, the more you read about people who are
doing it correctly and effectively, the more you write and
rewrite, the better you will get.
Eventually, you will develop a "sixth-sense" of what is good
or bad -- marketing will become second nature to you.
Most people are looking for the easy way out. That's why
"get-rich quick" schemes are selling so well (and ruining it
for us legitimate netizens, damn it!). But those people
never reach their ultimate goals, because there is no
legitimate, fool-proof quick way -- especially one where you
can keep your conscience clean!
All those who are determined to succeed, who try and try
again and do not stop despite all the obstacles in their
path -- those are the ones that will succeed, guaranteed.
You can do anything you want in life; no one can stop you
but you, and this does include financial independence.
Ask yourself what you really want out of life. Would you
rather catch the new episode of 'Friends,' or spend time
strengthening your sales copy? It's easy to get distracted,
but stick to your guns and re-do it for the tenth time.
Just remember, for every time you get something wrong, you
are that much closer to getting it right.
About the Author
Palyn Peterson publishes the acclaimed Advanced Internet
Marketing News. A professional newsletter with a
refreshing perspective and a strong focus on no-cost
techniques.
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