Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category
Posted on June 26, 2009 - by Greg Poulos
Why IM marketing gimmicks are like “hippie crack”
I’ve been online since 1983, way back in the days of BBS’s, Apple //e’s, and Commodore 64’s, and I’ve been marketing online since 1996. Starting in 2004, I’ve spent over $100,000 on internet marketing (IM) education.
Here’s what I’ve observed: there’s a RIGHT way, and a WRONG way to use IM education.
Here’s the WRONG way, which I’ve been guilty of myself, and this is how I see most people operate:
You learn a new marketing technique, trick, or gimmick. Then you go an implement it, and maybe you make a little money. Hopefully, you make a lot of money. It’s new. It’s exciting. It’s a challenge. It’s cool.
You keep implementing this with varying degrees of success… until the next gimmick comes along. Then you spend time on the new technique, trying it out, making some more money… but you spend less time on the first technique that was working fine just a few months ago. Ultimately, you stop implementing the first technique, focusing on the latest & greatest thing you just learned.
And this cycle repeats, again and again, until you become so overwhelmed, you don’t know where you focus your time.
Why do people operate this way? I think a big part of it has to do with the “high” you get implementing a new marketing technique and watching money come in. Or, it may be the promise and hope of riches based on some great marketing. Or, maybe it’s just a way to keep yourself entertained and away from the otherwise boring “work” you know makes you money.
It’s like people are constantly chasing a “high” or a “buzz” for the next big thing, when all along they have PLENTY of marketing know-how to make 10 figures or more. It’s like an addiction.
Back in my days of following the Grateful Dead, I’d see lines of hippies in the parking lot queued up to buy a balloon of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). We used to call it “hippie crack”, because the hippies would scavenge the parking lot looking for their next balloon fix like fiends.
I think the IM market is kind of like that, with droves of wanna-be marketers looking for their next “hit” of marketing gimmicks, tricks, and techniques.
So what’s the RIGHT way to use all this marketing stuff?
It depends on what your goals are, but here are some thoughts.
First, you don’t need to do everything. As an example, if there are 100 proven ways to make money online, I probably am aware of 80 of them, know enough to implement 50 of them, but only actively use 10 of them. Why? Because those 10 work for me consistently, and they allow me to consistently pull in 7 to 8 figures a year or more in sales.
I don’t need to implement the other 90 tricks. Sure, those extra things might work, but the way I see it, they’ll just create noise in my business and distract me from focusing on what works.
So focus is the issue here.
The only way I would put any time into implementing new marketing techniques on top of what I’m already doing is this way:
First, when you’ve proven that a technique works for yourself, put a system behind it, then find somebody else to implement for you. Hire or outsource.
Only then should you even consider putting time into researching or testing new techniques.
Then, when you find something else that works, put a system behind it and have someone else do it.
Not you.
Again, this gets back to your goals. I’m assuming you want to build a “sellable asset” - a business that runs and grows without you that you have the option to sell one day. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to sell your business. Unless you want to be forever trapped in Kiyosaki’s “S” quadrant of a self-employed slave, you need to get yourself out of your business.
So, by all means, get educated, spend money on education, and try stuff out. But stay focused and put systems behind what works for you while you investigate new ways to market.
To your success,
Greg Poulos
Posted on June 12, 2009 - by Greg Poulos
Armand Morin’s FREE Internet Marketing Training is about to begin
Internet marketing “heavyweight” Armand Morin is about to begin his spectacular, FREE internet marketing training.
Now, to be fair, Armand IS trying to “warm you up” and get you to attend his next Big Seminar (#13) in Las Vegas in November.
HOWEVER… even if you have NO INTENTION of going to the Big Seminar, Armand makes all his speakers give away some great training in advance of the event…. so, you should definitely plan on listening in to every one of them.
I participate every time he does this, and I ALWAYS pick up at least a handful of new marketing “nuggets” that turn into MONEY for my businesses.
Now, about the Big Seminar…
Aside from what I thought was a very goofy name the first time I heard it, this seminar is a TON of fun. I’ve personally been to about half of them, and I always arrive home with new connections and new ideas that always make me more money. Period.
But here’s the way to attend…
If you’re a newbie, spend more time INSIDE the seminar, because you will learn a lot. I find that the content delivered is better for beginners, but there are some occasional “bombshell” ideas that I pounce on.
If you already know the basics, focus your time on networking between the speakers, at lunch, and dinner… and most importantly: IN THE BAR. Even if you don’t drink, the bar is where the action happens and where the connections are made.
I met one of my top affiliates at the Big Seminar in 2005, and since then we have each sent nearly $1M in sales to each other. Do you think that was a good use of my time? Uh, I think so. 
I also met Stephen Pierce for the first time at the Big Seminar, and he went on to mentor me in ways too numerous to mention… but one of his best ideas helped me exceed all of 2005’s sales in just ONE WEEK in March of 2006. That was a fun week
So, you never know what’s going to happen at the Big Seminar, but it’s a near certainty that nothing will happen if you stay at home.
(Plus, this year it’s in Vegas! I was kind of getting tired of going to same hotel in Atlanta, so I think this will be a LOT of fun.)
Anyway, go grab Armand’s FREE training here.
To your success,
Greg Poulos
Posted on June 11, 2009 - by Greg Poulos
Spy on my “what works now” $100,000 marketing education
Dear Fellow Marketer,
Since 2004, I’ve spent well over $100,000 on marketing education.
Much of it was mediocre.
Some of it was crap.
Some still, a downright “ripoff”.
But, a small portion of it was PURE GOLD.
Now, for the first time ever, I’m going to share with a small group of like-minded marketers the “what works now” marketing tips and techniques that I used to go from being $50,000 in debt in 2004, to running a multi-million dollar info product business today.
The best part is - it’s all FREE.
Why am I doing this? Good question. Mainly because I love talking with smart people about smart marketing, and there aren’t a lot of local people around here where I live that fall into that category. So, this is a fun and easy way for me to feed my marketing jones and “geek out” on this stuff.
Want to join me? Just click here and join my private “Wealth Archive” list.
I’m only going to share my best stuff with this list, and I’ll probably close the list at some point, too.
So, get in now. It’s free. And it should be a lot of fun.
To your success,
Greg Poulos
Posted on April 10, 2009 - by Greg Poulos
I’m giving away my 8-figure product re-launch spreadsheets…
Over the past few years, I’ve used a top secret spreadsheet to help me predict with a high level of accuracy how much money my product re-launches would make.
You can use this same spreadsheet to keep track of YOUR product launch data, so that when you re-launch a product, you’ll have a really good idea of how much money you can expect to make.
This information is critical to help you plan for inventory, server bandwidth, and customer support issues. It helps you catch problems quickly and early, so that you don’t have problems during your actual launch.
In fact, this data is so important, it could mean the difference between a successful re-launch… or a complete disaster.
Now, I’d like to give it to you as a gift for following me on Twitter.
Click here to learn how to get it for FREE.
To your success,
Greg Poulos
Posted on March 4, 2009 - by Greg Poulos
Warren Buffett’s 4 goals
Eben Pagan posted a link to Warren Buffett’s new report just published last week to Berkshire shareholders. It’s a pretty interesting read, but I found one part of special interest to anyone interested in growing their business.
On page 4, he says, “In good years & bad, Charlie [his partner] & I simply focus on four goals:
1. Maintaining Berkshire’s Gibraltar-like financial position, which features huge amounts of excess liquidity, near-term obligations that are modest, and dozens of sources of earnings and cash;
2. Widening the “moats” around our operating businesses that give them durable competitive advantages;
3. Acquiring and developing new and varied streams of earnings;
4. Expanding and nurturing the cadre of outstanding operating managers who, over the years, have delivered Berkshire exceptional results.”
This is fascinating, and these 4 goals tie directly into a lot of the marketing education taught by many of the “gurus”.
Here’s my simple marketing-mind translation of these goals:
1. Have ready access to cash, and borrow as little as possible.
2. Keep adding to your competitive advantages.
3. Bring on new sources of income streams (new affiliate relationships, new products in your funnel, etc.)
4. Hire STARS for your team.
I would also add that you as the business owner should focus your time on strategizing around these 4 tasks, and getting yourself out of doing the actual work as quickly as possible.
I first started to taste the success of working like this last year when one of our business partners started to wire weekly payments directly to one of our bank accounts. My time involved in making this money was almost nonexistent AFTER the initial hard work was done upfront.
So I continue to figure out ways to get myself out of the picture and bring in smart people that end up doing a better job than I ever did with specific tasks, and then rewarding them accordingly.
To your success,
Greg Poulos
Posted on February 4, 2009 - by Greg Poulos
I paid $10,000 for this… and & I’d pay it again.
Way way back in September of 2007, I coughed up $10,000 to attend Eben Pagan’s “Get Altitude” program in Los Angeles.
I think that is still to this day the most money I have spent on education for the time involved (5 days).
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I walked away from that event a changed person.
Here’s what the program did for me:
1. Made me see what was truly possible. I felt like the “little guy” in the room, as I had coffee & chatted with folks just like me who are doing tens of millions of dollars a year in sales, and working WAY LESS than I do.
2. Made me get very clear about the major parts of my business. Prior to this, I had a hard time seeing the components in my business. Now, when I’m working, I know EXACTLY what part of my business I’m growing, and WHY.
3. Made me much more serious about my business. Not that I wasn’t serious before, but this event made me realize that I was building a “real business” and not just an “online business”. That single distinction was profound.
4. Made me appreciate even more how it’s my duty to build my business to help as many people as possible. I knew I was helping people out with my business, but after this event, I got a deep understanding of how, because of the position I am in with my business, it’s really my duty to keep building it, for everyone’s benefit. That might be a little “deep”, and Eben does a much better job describing this concept, but it was “heavy”.
5. Get clear on systems. I have to admit, I’m still working hard on this one, but I’m getting better. This is the key to building a “sellable asset”, whether you want to sell your business or not. And it’s my #1 roadblock of growth.
There was a lot more, but those items strike me as highlights.
I would totally pay $10,000 again to experience it with what I’ve learned since last attending.
I’ve spent easily over $100,000 in business education since 2004, and Eben Pagan’s “Get Altitude” program is easily in my “Top 3″.
If you’re serious about your business, click here and check it out.
To your success,
Greg Poulos
Posted on December 3, 2008 - by Greg Poulos
I paid $10,000 for this… you can get some of it for FREE.
Last Fall, in September, 2007, I coughed up $10,000 and attended Eben Pagan’s Altitude training in Los Angeles. He called it “top gun” marketing, and it was. He helped me step away from my business for 5 solid days and look at it from different angles to see where the gaps were and how I could improve things.
Now it’s a year a later and I’m getting very close to having an 8-figure business - that’s pretty cool.
If you haven’t experienced Eben’s training before, check it out. He’s paving the road for delivering a ton of free content to prove to his prospects that he knows what he’s talking about.
Eben just posted a 47-minute FREE marketing training video.
Click here to see it and go make some money.
To your success,
Greg
Posted on November 10, 2008 - by Greg Poulos
Product Launch Formula - Top 5 Mistakes
Hi there.
Jeff Walker is at it again and re-launching his Product Lauch Formula course again. If you know my story, then you know Jeff likes to call me the “king of the re-launch”, or something like that, because I LOVE to re-launch the same product multiple times.
(I actually re-launched one product 5 times over 12 months.)
Since March, 2006, I’ve done over 10 15 major product launches and just under over $10M in sales. I’ve learned a lot during those launches, so I thought I’d record a quick video that reveals the Top 5 Mistakes I see people make during Product Launches.
Watch it here:
After you watch the video, click here to get more free Product Launch Formula videos from Jeff Walker. Depending on when you visit that link, there may or may not be any available.
I hope you enjoy the video!
To your success,
Greg
Posted on October 24, 2008 - by Greg Poulos
Fun with the Neti Pot
Eben Pagan is a pretty damn brilliant marketer. If you haven’t heard of him, you will.
He uses very obscure memory devices so you don’t forget him. I’m certain he does this on purpose, and one such device is actually a physical device I thought I’d try out. It’s called a Neti Pot.
I had never heard of this strange thing before Eben talked about it, and I’m open to trying out new things, and this thing sounded strange enough… so why not?
It’s basically a glorified way to pour water up your nose. Here’s a little video I made.
CAUTION: If you are offended by snot, or nose-blowing in general, DO NOT watch this video. I’m serious. For real. Stop it.
Enjoy,
Greg
