If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

What have I done in 2008 (not 2009), that really impacted my business - either at a core profit level, or a core efficiency level. Here’s my Top three things I’ve done that have had a huge effect on my business. If you’re starting a business, or growing your business, these might make a big difference!

1) Apple, Gmail, and the Ultimate Shift in my tools and resources…

Ever seen those Apple commercials? Ever wonder if maybe they were right? 2008 was the year of the Apple, and while I still use my PC for certain things, my switch to Apple, and Apple products, proved hugely beneficial to my business!

I can get into specifics about why Apple versus PC, and why, and what tools I use on each, but I’ll save that for a longer, specific post. Suffice it to say, this was a huge time saver, and my business works better on Apple. now have 3 Imacs, 2 Powerbooks … and no headache.

2) Gmail and Google’s paid suite of business tools.

I may live to regret this, but since I was on PC, I used Outlook. Outlook is a horrible program, but I was so stuck in it. So many years wasted… so many emails lost…

Outlook is… quite possibly, the devil.

With my switch to Mac, I made the switch to Gmail, which was very difficult, laborious, and to my way of thinking, a waste of time. Yet, no single thing has catapulted me in productivity than switching to Gmail, and Google Docs, spreadsheets, etc…

Yes, I may live to regret this, putting so much faith into one company, but the paid version (pay the paltry $50 per person), is amazing beneficial to me, my employees, my company, and our productivity.

They simply work, and they work anywhere.  I can travel, and be completely connected to my business. Does anyone still actually use Outlook? I feel like I was a late adopter of Gmail, but it has catapulted me to a better Internet Lifestyle (work and play together).

3) Focus on fewer sites…

We have hundreds of websites. Yes, hundreds. Sometimes it feels like even more!

In 2008, we trimmed it down. Fewer, larger sites were the word of the day, and guess what? It’s working! Follow our lead … this is the wave of the future.

Ever notice how hard it’s getting to rank in Google? Yep - big sites win. Focussed sites win. I’m not saying the ocassional sales letter site can’t garner an easy 20-100k, but if you’re around for the long run - think big, and think, single or small group of sites.

What about link farms? Blog Farms? Etc…  Been there, done that!

Save those for the people whom want to work harder than you do!  You simple won’t need them if you work on creating a big site, with big content, and big community. That’s a fact!

What’s your top 3-5 business changers? What have you done in your business to blow up your productivity or bottom line? We’re getting our 2009 list ready, but would love to get your thoughts and insights first.

What are your game changers?

Good lord, I am so close to spending another 5k on my "continuing education", I can’t tell ya’. Between Amrand’s Internet Marketing Explained and John Reeeses 3 Day "IM" training course, it’s really crazy. I’m chomping at the bit to buy these courses. 

Both course are probably quite good, but, as always, it boils down to execution, and not the courses themselves. Armand’s is definitely more comprehensive, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Here’s the ONLY thing holding me back from giving these people my money…

I understand that this is about execution, and not about more learning! Hello? Don’t get these if you haven’t actually done the work from your past courses. They are probably great, but buying courses (more courses) does not equate to greater profit, unless you do the work first.

Do I need another course to tell me to write more articles and distribute them? Do more press releases? Make a video and get it on YouTube, make more AR messages, converse with my list more? No!  I know what to do, and now I (and you) have to keep doing it a very high level.  Are these people practicing what they preach? Well, yes and no!  John is very forthcoming about that, and Armand…well, Armand is in a league all his own.

These are great courses, and honestly, reading the sales letters, and hearing the videos, I want them both. I want them both badly. Yet I won’t do it. I will not succumb. I will not purchases these courses. Will I feel better off? Probably not. Will my business benefit from NOT getting the courses? Strangely enough yes. Because I’ll be able to keep my "eye on the ball", and not spend countless time learning new techniques, or different things to do, when I haven’t accomplished my last batch.

Good Luck - those sales letters are SO convincing!    

Ah, the life of an internet marketer!

This is definitely the year of internet launch madness. I mean, really. As I mentioned before, I really only think one course will be worthwhile, but I have not seen, nor asked to see, any of the courses at all. My promise to you is I won’t strongly recommend anything, ever, without seeing it first.

You should know, firs thing, that it’s rare in internet marketing circles. Almost everyone recommends items that they do not see. It’s crazy! Next time you trust your friendly internet marketing advice source, why don’t you ask him if he’s actually seen, or read, the course that their pitching you. The likely answer is no.

Perhaps I’ll ask for a review copy of Armand’s course, since it seems the most likely candidate for a real course, with solid value, however, it’s hard to envision I’d ever have time to see it, and use it.

UPDATE: I asked for a review copy of Armand Morrin’s product, Internet Marketing Explained, and was told they don’t have any.  Let me translate - the course is probably not done, or in the process of being completed. No one, not the million of people promoting it have seen word one of it, and have no idea what they are telling you to buy.

Now, I know Armand, and he’s the real deal for making money on the net, and I was part of his mastermind, yet we don’t sit down for dinner every other week. Can you trust me to tell you whether the course is what you need? Is good for you? My advice. Stop being a lemming. No review copies, means no reviews, means … watch where you step.

It’s so ludicrous to not offer review copies…really. I mean, you can order the course and return it with a full guarantee, so what is the point of not providing one? Sir, I was just following orders…

So, will my forthcoming course have review copies. Of course! For every "serious" affiliate, I wouldn’t expect you to promote it without seeing it first.  Of course, I’ll have an edge, because I’ll also have a book out…

END OF UPDATE…

Ya’ see, I am a successful, travelling, internet marketing madman (as most of you know), and when someone tells me their course is 56 hours long, that is not a selling point for me. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. You should look for concise, well organized, courses – only!

In addition, you should never buy a course when you haven’t finished a previous one. Ever! No matter how good it sounds. No matter they tell you it will never be offered again. There is not a course that’s ever been released that you couldn’t find on Ebay, a month later. Did ya’ know that?

Anyway, I received a, rather heartbreaking letter, from an internet marketing friend recently. I’ll be following her advice and allowing comments on all my posts from here on out (so please, feel free to comment below), but she’s been taken to the cleaners, year after year, via various supposed “internet marketing” gurus. She’s sick of it – but unfortunately, caught in the circular web of spending, and re-spending, versus sticking with one thing, until it works, and never moving on to the next thing until it’s done.  

Anyway, long story short, she recommended I let people in on exactly what the life of a successful internet marketer is. Not a fake life – like most of the supposed gurus would have you believe, but an honest to god, real life, day by day, marketing lifestyle reality check. So, here’s my first chapter in the life of an internet marketing superstar, MarketingCrazy style. Perhaps I should have capitalized the first letter of every word eh?

Anyway, here I sit in Sydney, and as I previously documented, I have been barely able to run my business since I got here. Luckily, my business runs very well on autopilot (a trick I’ll share with you in years to come), and produces me solid income, day in and day out. I just left the Four Seasons hotel in Sydney and took a train to Olympic Park where I am attending the Sydney Salsa Congress,  and basically living my passion (dancing), while working my business from the road.

My internet marketing friend also recommended I share pictures of my travels, to personalize the experience, so here’s picture number one and, of me in front of the Bridge and of the beautiful Sydney Opera House in the Harbor:

 

Whoops, that one came out crooked, but I’m too lazy too fix. But I bet you want a movie too eh? So how about this – this is the beautiful view of the bridge from aboard the Sydney Ferry, travelling to Darling Harbor (you’ll love this):

 

And finally, a couple of special movies, just for my Internet Marketing friend, a little Sydney Salsa, from the Sydney Festival. The Sydney Festival was a day in the park, this time featuring Grammy Award Musicians, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. I arrived expecting a small crowd, but what I got, blew me away. Take a look:

 

and if that weren’t enough, when the band started playing (the sound was excellent), it became really, really, crazy. This is truly one of my favorite bands, and they sounded exceptional - here’s a clip:

 

No dancing clips this time everyone. Sorry about that. So, there’s a peak at an internet marketing life, and as I travel around the world (and you’ve seen my schedule so ya’ know I’m going to be doing some significant travelling), I’ll try to give people a glimpse of that, in between talking about internet marketing, and giving you what advice and help I can offer.

For me, this business offers me the ability to control my time, and through this business I have learned that time is truly the only commodity we have that can’t, generally, be made more of. We have a limited amount, and it’s going by at a steady rate. I want to be able to use it as I see fit - be it family, travel, charity or just meandering around the world.

I really do want more people to be able to experience this lifestyle - even if but for selfish reason of simply wanting more friends to travel the globe with. No, honestly, it’s an attainable lifestlyle, and business for everyone, and I plan on spreading the joy before the end of 2008.

There, I said it. It’s in print. I have a date now, and there’s something coming…

Hope all are well in the New Year, and attacking their dreams…

MC (MarketingCrazy)

Oh, here’ s some useful info and some answers to some questions:

I find that it takes a minimum of 1.5 serious hours per day to stay on top of my business (ya’ see, real work). I could limit that, and do less, but I’d start falling behind, since I need to setup the right systems to automate more (which, since I’m a control freak, I haven’t done yet).

It takes 5 hours a day if I want to move forward (make more, do more…). Treating it like a business.

It takes 12+ to be a leader (at least at times)…Don’t believe the hype!  It’s real work…

Ok, as a special bonus, just for reading this far, here’s a dance clip for you: