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jeffp87
Forums Member
Joined: 21 Feb 2007
Posts: 3
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#1 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 12:28
Hi there everybody,
I would just like to start by saying that I am a very persistant person. I have always worked very hard for the things that I want ( including Internet Marketing ). I am not the type of person to give up easily, I'm stubborn that way. I never expected to get rich by pushing a button and then sitting back waiting for the cash to come rolling in ( I hate those get rich quick schemes some marketers are always pushing ). However, after 10 very long years of busting my butt and trying everything under the sun ( and I do mean everything, mlm's, direct and network marketing, paid surveys, paid to surf, paid to click and affiliate marketing) to make money online, sadly I think it's time for me to concede that it's just not gonna happen for me. In my entire 10 years at this business the only money that I have managed to make was from Ebay for a grand whopping total of $286.
Now I am confident there are plenty of people out there that are making money with Internet Marketing, however I am equally confident that those people are not going to showing you exactly how they are doing it. Oh sure, they will tell you all of the same re-hashed redundant stuff you hear all over the internet, such as find a niche, do keyword research, build a site or blog full of quality content, submit articles or use PPC or SEO to drive traffic. I've been there done that and it didn't work for me, I didn't make a single dime in 10 years doing those things. Everything you read on those subjects are always so vague, nobody will give you the real gems or missing pieces of the puzzle that really make those techniques work, like a step by step, go here do this type of instruction.
I guess maybe it is the fear of added competition that keeps people from showing others the true way, and thats cool. I can understand people not wanting to have any more extra competition than they have to. Thats just smart business, and I don't mean to sound like I'm bagging on anyone here, because I'm very happy for anyone that is achieving their dream of having the life that they want. I for some reason just could not achieve the same result for me and my family. I'm not a dumb person or anything, I think it's just that I'm the type of person that needs someone to take me by the hand and say "go here and do this, next go here and do that" and unfortunately I just could never find that.
I really hate to throw in the towel but after 10 years I really don't know what else to do at this point. If anybody has any suggestions, I'm open to hearing them.
Well I have rambled on in this post way longer than I intended to, so I'll shut up now. I'll just close by saying Thank you to everyone out there that has tried to help me, and also say Congrats to everyone that has made this Internet Marketing work for them.
Take care,
Jeff
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VictoriaNTC
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 755
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#2 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 16:00
Oh Jeff,
I am so sorry to hear this.
What if you just gave it one more chance.
You may be on the brink of success here.
After 10 years of effort...
Some have had a lot of success with Squidoo.
Or you could take the Thirty Day Challenge.
There may just be one little thing you learn that could make a difference.
I am not making a fortune, you but am here if I can help in any way.
Victoria
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Jake23
Forums Member
Joined: 11 Jun 2009
Posts: 7
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#3 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 17:56
Oh geez, I am so sorry to hear this. I believe in positive thinking and this is how I get through my downfalls. I know one day I will be making more than I ever thought. I will just keep going through my trial and errors.
I wish you well in what ever journey you may venture in
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A8ch
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 838
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#4 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 19:15
jeffp87: However, after 10 very long years of busting my butt and trying everything under the sun... sadly I think it's time for me to concede that it's just not gonna happen for me.
I empathize with your feelings at the moment. Any "reasonable" person would probably come to a similar conclusion after 10 years of trying.
According to your resume you've tried quite a number of money-making methods with scant success. But here's a question you should spend some time pondering. Please note that I'm not trying to diminish your efforts, only offer an alternate perspective which may shed some light on your situation.
Did you really spend 10 long years trying, or was it more like 1 year 10 times?
There is a significant difference and only you can answer that question honestly.
How targeted and structured were your attempts? Did you have a plan? Did you seek guidance from others with more experience and success? Were your efforts true and consistent?
See, it's not so much about how much time you put in, but the quality of time and effort that determines your results.
After 10 years, you may only need to tweak one or two things to experience the success that has eluded you so far. If that turns out to be the case, I can promise you'll taste success in a surprisingly short time.
It's never over till it's over!
Hermas
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mountainmom5
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 2859
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#5 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 20:25
I hear you. I feel your pain. I know exactly what you are trying to tell us.
And I am not going to say that maybe if you had tried this or that as I remember that it would make me so mad when people would tell me that - lol
I dialed leads for mlm till I got burned out. I DID make money though so I can't say I never made any money. I mean, I dialed leads EVERY DAY for two whole years, except for Sundays... but what I got burned out on was that I had a hard time getting others to have any success at it and just because I could do it, didn't mean they could.
I realize that I should never count others' lack of success as my fault but because I was marketing a big ticket item and to see them not make it after paying me thousands of dollars was too much so I decided I needed to find something that did not involve people -
Or at least not the team effort thing.
Please get me right - I know team effort is great - it is actually what we have on this forum to a degree... but as far as in network marketing, it just was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life!
But there is something inside some of us and we may be a tad wacked , I don't know, but we just know that we can do it.
I started looking into affiliate marketing as I knew Affiliate Marketing is for real. I mean every local store does it.
Buy wholesale and sell retail...
But I did not want to do shipping and handling on products.
So I started checking out dropshipping on Ebay first - that was a joke for me as every other Tom Dick and Harry was doing it.
So I went a step further and actually got permission from a local furniture shop to sell THEIR stuff on Ebay. That was a godsend as it got us thru many a tough time and because it was in a niche all it's own there was not much competition. I have made THOUSANDS on Ebay with that.
But I was still not satisfied so I started checking out other affiliate stuff online... and ways to market it... and long story short, it did not happen overnight but through persistency and yes, I try to work at it most every day at least a couple hours... I have found ways to make money on the internet without calling leads or having contact with people. without having to go to meetings and listen to seminars....I can do it midnoght if I want to
except for the dialogue I have with the wonderful folks I meet thru the forum...that is but that is different!
I am telling you all this to let you know that I know exactly what you are saying, but I also know that it can be done.... and although I will not go into detail on here about what I do, I have various posts on my blog and site below about it all....
Good luck!
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Casper
Forums Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 302
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#6 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 20:45
I'm sorry to hear about the situation you are having but remember working from home is not a glamors there is a lot of hard work involved, I do some computer tech support jobs around the small town where I live & although I don't get jobs on a weekly basis it's still good to make a bit of money on the side & I do this in conjunction with my 2 home based businesses.
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getagrip
Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 2075
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#7 · Posted: 14 Jun 2009 22:21
Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times in his quest to invent the light bulb. He saw each failed attempt not as an obstacle, but as a way NOT to create a working light bulb. Imagine how much the world would be different today if he had given up on the 9,000th try...
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cherie27
Forums Member
Joined: 27 Nov 2007
Posts: 676
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#8 · Posted: 15 Jun 2009 22:34
So sad to hear on what happen to you.
If you are given another chance, would you try again?
Maybe you have a different kind of perception? And succeed this time round.
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Sonni
Forums Member
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
Posts: 448
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#9 · Posted: 16 Jun 2009 02:27
Maybe if you focused on just one of the methods that you have ventured into while on the journey and make it one that you really liked. You may have done too much jumping around.
I have noticed that it takes super focus on one thing to really make money online and not be distracted from it by anything else. Also you need to have a quality mentor follow their lead and do as they do.
If you have a great mentor, focused and determined it will happen if you don't quit.
Sonni
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robinincarolina
Forums Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 379
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#10 · Posted: 16 Jun 2009 08:17
I think if I can do this anyone can do this. 3 years ago I did not even know how to minimize a screen with the little - and x in the top left corner of the page. There are lots of programs out there that will show you step by step how to do it. Some free, some cost a few bucks, but you don't have to spend fortunes. Click on the signature links here, you will be amazed at what you learn.
I went 4 months without a dime, and then I changed ups a few things thanks to the people here and now it gets better every day.
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Newbie Shield
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 2231
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#11 · Posted: 16 Jun 2009 10:16
Hi Jeff,
I feel for you.
Let me start out by saying that you have probably learned a lot in 10 years both in theory and in practice. Nothing is lost. You've gained a lot. Income isn't the deciding factor here. It's all about commitment.
You never fail until you give up.
M5's personal story should be a helpful inspiration. She's quite seasoned at making money online.
As Hermas pointed out, you just need to tweak a thing or two. It also has to do with the quality of your focus.
Sonni is right - narrow your focus to a single method. I strongly recommend affiliate marketing. Drive traffic however you like but don't use PPC until you feel you are an expert on the subject. It's better to start out with free traffic. PPC comes later.
Go back and study the fundamentals again and figure out what needs to be tweaked.
You might consider taking the free 30 Day Challenge. We have a thread on the forum here:
30 Day Challenge - Post Your Experiences Here
Don't bother with MLM or Get Paid To Surf, or Paid Surveys. Just focus on affiliate marketing once it is time to monetize. You can toss in Adsense later on if you feel that it will help your strategy.
Good luck,
~Newbie Shield~
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happywife
Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 1359
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#12 · Posted: 16 Jun 2009 21:21
Hi Jeff,
I add my condolences to those of the rest of these lovely and encouraging people. Your disappointment and discouragement is so obvious that it makes my heart twinge.
I spent a few months feeling a bit of what you are feeling. I'm a college graduate, love to learn new things, and believe I'm pretty smart (she says with a cheeky grin). But I was bamboozled by this whole internet marketing/make money online stuff.
I felt as you feel that there must be something that works if only someone would REALLY tell you the very basic exact step by step methods of what you need to do in a language that someone who ISN'T computer savvy can actually understand.
Fortunately for me (and I believe thanks to the grace of God), I came across that "take me by the hand" program I needed to walk me through the whole thing.
I was filled with nervous trepidation, excitement, eagerness, hope, and whole host of other emotions as I started following the instructions and step by step Action Guide to build my first website business chocolate-candy-mall.com.
I'm not one who makes a fortune online. I don't know if I ever will be (one can always hope ), but that first site (now 2 1/2 years old) brings in several hundred dollars per month with very little continual effort.
Now I'm repeating the process by building additional sites following that same step by step instruction manual I used the first time.
I'm not sharing this to heighten your sense of discouragement, but rather to raise your level of hope. I didn't have a mentor or anyone in my area to talk to about what I was doing or how to do it. I simply followed the Action Guide provided and went to the forums when I got stuck. There still are a LOT of generous people in this world who DO share their expertise and knowledge to help one another out. I've experienced their generosity of spirit on many occasions that have helped me over the "humps" along the way.
If you decide to give it "one more shot" I'm more than happy to point you down the path of stepping stones that I followed and continue to follow.
Blessings,
Angie
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PavelBecker
Forums Member
Joined: 1 Feb 2009
Posts: 36
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#13 · Posted: 19 Jun 2009 07:51
Honestly, I didn't want to respond to this post. I came back two or three times, re-read it and again thought "..Weakest link... Just let the guy go... It's not for everybody..."
Then I looked at it again today and realized that I still feel the same way I did when I first read it.
Are you f...g kidding me?!!!
Are you f...g kidding me?!!!
You spent 10 years trying and now you just decided to throw in a towel?!!!
I've seen people giving up after the first punch, after the second attempt, after the third slip, but 10 f...g years!!!
Is there even an option to give up after 10 f...g years? Did you read the contract? Are you sure you are not going to loose your deposit?
I'll tell you this thing: There is no way you are going to give up!
Never!
I know your type! I am from the same club!
It feels this way some time, like it's over, that's it, no more, but guess what? "Nothing is over! You just don't turn it off!!!"
"I'm a fighter, Adrian, that's the way I'm made. We can't change who we are!"
"It's not about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit, how much you can take, and keep moving forward! That's how winning is done!"
You are absolutely correct, you are a very persistent person. You spent 10 years trying and didn't give up. Do you even realize how enormous the army of actual failures is ? People in comparison with who you are a real hero? People who is still wondering why you didn't join them after the first month of not making money online? Their comfortable "Professional Failure Club."
Persistence is the backbone of any business.
This is the main ingredient of success in any field and, guess what, you have plenty of it!
Allow me to ask you this, though:
Would you agree that thousands of people are shopping online every day and every minute?
Would you agree that thousands of transactions are being conducted online every day and every minute?
Would you agree that in most cases literally any product or service you can find on the Internet for far less money than in any retail location?
Somehow I think your answers were YES for all those questions.
Than, with all due respect, you were the reason of your own failure (which is yet to be confirmed). The sooner you realize it - the sooner you will be able to fix the problem.
You, obviously, know by now all the necessary techniques for marketing online, but I think what you need to do is to step back and actually start from the square one.
The matter of fact, forget about the Internet.
You market to people! That's it! Alive people!
Evaluate all the possible ways of presenting your product or service to your customer and, if the Internet is the most cost-effective vehicle, go with it, but before...
1. Identify the PRODUCT that you want to promote.
2. Identify your IDEAL CLIENT.
Who is it? Male, female, a child, a handicapped person, a cab-driver, a transvestite, etc.
3. What are their HOT BUTTONS?
What is the problem or dilemma that they are having that your product or service is going to cure?
Do they gather somewhere where you can "attack" them?
What are their specific features that would allow you to identify and, therefore, capture them?
4. What is your UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION?
Can you even formulate it? Have you spent any time working on it? Is your copy compelling enough, or it's just one of those White-Background-Black-Letters-Red-Large-Font-Every-Five-Lines-"Whouldn't-You-Agree.. ."-Kind-Of-Bolony, that nobody even reads anymore?
Figure all this main items out and it should be really easy for you to generate much more than $286.
Maybe chose the product you have some emotions with.
Two examples.
I'm promoting this affiliate product about endurance and strength training.
Me and a friend of mine got a bottle of whisky, went to the gym and shot a few videos about strength and endurance training. (Thank God we pack enough muscles to look appropriate for the cause), then I posted all those videos all over the place using TrafficGeyser, or you can use TubeMogul, and linked them to an affiliate product.
Standard amount of work was done regarding the keywords. Somehow negative comments are not getting through and only positive ones are being posted. Looking at what we do people are purchasing all those e-books and equipment from the affiliate site. Pretty easy. Like I said, we look compelling enough to believe that we achieved some results from using the products we promote, even though we were under the influence when we were shooting those videos.
Another item.
My travel business.
I enjoy traveling myself, I know the costs associated with it, I can figure the predicament of today's travelers and timeshare buyers, where to find them and what to tell them in order to make my proposition clear. Attached business opportunity is simple enough to be explained to the opportunity seekers anywhere.
Here I have to be honest and admit that probably half of my sales came from off-line marketing.
What I do is I order a whole bunch of business cards and business card-sized magnets from Vista Print.com (they always have sales, so the cost is next to nothing). I'm located close to LA and there is tons of all kinds of business conventions going on all the time in all those fancy hotels over there.
I pay $20 - $30 to local kids to post my business cards on the cars in the parking lot of the hotels and also, and this is the most creative way of promoting my product, I place the magnetic business cards on the inside of each stall door in each restroom of the hotel. The janitors do not remove them, because when they clean the stall the door is opened towards the inside and they don't see it, each customer gets a few minutes of having to stare at it since there isn't anything else to do, the website is easy to remember so they do not have to remove the magnet to take it with them.
Also, I ordered large magnetic signs for my car and for $20 any valet-guy from any hotel would park my car strategically in front of the main entrance of the hotel where the convention is taking place for the entire day.
I have a few other streams of income so it's never such a dramatic situation for me as "Oh, my God, It's not working!", but, come on, just put yourself in the shoes of your customers and understand what they need and why and it should be a no-brainer to you.
All I'm trying to say is There should be no problems with marketing anything as long as you have a clear understanding regarding what you are marketing, who to and why they need it.
One of my favorite quotes is this:
"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself."
Go back home, find your balls, slap them back on and go back in the ring!
You will never give up!
"You know it, I know it, and f...g Antuan should've f...g better known f...g better!"
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rosa41
Forums Member
Joined: 28 May 2009
Posts: 28
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#14 · Posted: 9 Jul 2009 11:22
I can't say that I understand exactly how you feel with regard to affiliate marketing because it's only been three months for me, but I do know that it's always darkest before the dawn. Many times in my life when something is not working and I'm ready to quit, I end up realizing that I was my own worst enemy.
Instead of asking yourself why it's not working, ask yourself what IS working? What can I do differently? Have I talked to the right people? Have I really listened to what is being said? For me, thinking differently about something is the key and that means you need to start asking different questions. I've read, listened to and talked to many people that have "made" it (in the real world as well) and they all say basically that same thing. Do what other people are not doing and you'll succeed.
Most people would have given up long ago. Most people would blame something or someone else for their failure and then tell everyone they know that it doesn't work. Most people say everything like this is a scam and that no one is making money. Etc. etc. all this is true if you never talk to the right people or do the right things or just give up.
Personally, I have something that just tells me that I CAN do this and that I will eventually figure it out. It's just a matter of lasting longer than anyone else and asking different questions.
The only other thing that I think merits some thought is that most people that succeed do one thing and one thing only. Chose one thing and do it well. Focus on making one thing work and making $50. Them repeat. Not everything will work for everyone. Chose the thing that you are most interested in and just do it.
What kind of exceptional story would you have if you made it after 10 years of effort? Think about using your own success story to market the product that got you there? Easy as pie! That's when you are going to start laughing and say "I can't believe it took me 10 years.....and here's how I did it!"
Good Luck!....Ahh...but there's no such thing as luck....time for you to create it!
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Dr_Boo
Forums Member
Joined: 12 May 2009
Posts: 46
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#15 · Posted: 9 Jul 2009 14:24
Pavel,
That was the best f...g post I've read in a long time.
Excellent use of movie quotes too.
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MailbagMedia
Forums Member
Joined: 9 Jul 2009
Posts: 2
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#16 · Posted: 9 Jul 2009 20:47
Jeff Pavel is right.
There is working hard and there is working smart! Pavel has provided you numerous tips on how to target your efforts and get you on the right path. With your proven persistence, if done correctly you will find the success that has eluded you.
Best of luck Jeff!
P.S. Pavel I love the Rocky reference!
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twnuck
Forums Member
Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 119
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#17 · Posted: 9 Jul 2009 23:53
Online business or offline business there is pain either way. In my experience the person with the most unique solution who is willing to work hard and market themselves will always win the battle. Sometimes there is a bump in the road and they get sidetracked by someone stealing their idea but in the long run you WILL prevail.
The formula I've used for business success is simple:
1. Differentiate your product or service
2. Find a hungry audience to sell it to
3. NEVER stop selling!
Just keep filling the funnel, building your personal brand and giving knowledge without want. It WILL come back to benefit you in the long run - I truly believe that.
Keep the faith and hang in there!
Todd
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gowriter
Forums Member
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 173
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#18 · Posted: 25 Jul 2009 05:56
I feel your pain, dude. I dumped $20,000 into programs that were vague, vague, vague, vague, vague, vague and vague.
So I started thinking WTF? How can 10,000 programs on the internet get away with being vague? It's the internet. Nobody's regulating it (although tat could change somewhat in the near future).
I came to the conclusion that these same 10,000 programs cannot market worth a s**t because they're teaching the same rehashed stuff that was useful 5 years ago but doesn't keep up with Google today. So they make their money by you selling their product and by you being the guinea pig.
A real guru teaches from experience, not from experimentation. That is the only possible way they are making their money.
However, there is a good program out there that is worth the money, and I'm actually learning something the correct way this time. I'm not confused any more. The mentor I have is good and he knows his stuff and he teaches you no kidding real internet marketing skills like:
---how to build a proper website according to Google's rules
--proper and CURRENT SEO according to Google's rules
---how to do proper keyword research that doesn't even involve your keyword tools and how to get accurate data, not estimated data
--This guy has all kinds of experience: he was a certified science teacher for 5 years, net administrator, he sold in MLM, affiliate marketing, he's got all kinds of adsense sites which he does as a hobby
--he has his own coaching course
--he can actually teach because he was a science teacher so he's so nuts and bolts, especially when it comes to building a website from scratch (the dude is like a website making nut)
--he blogs, Twitters, article markets, etc.
--any question you have about web hosting, FTP, Go Daddy, autorespnders...pretty much anything technical...he's got an answer for it on the spot
--He knows Google's rules for real and talk the talk as well as walk the walk. No BSing. For real.
I bought a couple of his ebooks and then I upgraded to his 6 month coaching course which was dirt cheap compared to the industry average, and I found out after a year and $20,000, that all along I have been doing my whole internet marketing campaign completely backwards.
If you've ever done these steps: (1) Got an affiliate link (2) Created a website or blog (3) Went to look for traffic to your website You did it backwards.
You left out a very crucial step that makes a difference in everything, and those ebooks you bought didn't tell you jack squat because they don't f-ing know how to do it themselves.
If you're willing to give it one more shot, then I'm going to mention one name for you to go look up. I'm not even going to try to affiliate this one.
Steve Weber. This guy is your answer.
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diannakelly04
Forums Member
Joined: 3 Apr 2009
Posts: 10
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#19 · Posted: 27 Jul 2009 11:24
twnuck: Differentiate your product or service
I believe this is the number one reason for success or failure online. No matter what you try to do, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people doing the same thing. If you can take one thing you've tried, find an innovative twist to it and try again, you just might succeed!
Whether you decide to continue the fight, or throw in the towel, I wish you the best of luck!
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truby
Forums Member
Joined: 6 Jul 2009
Posts: 15
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#20 · Posted: 27 Jul 2009 17:36
Seem to me that you need yourself a good mentor using up to date tips, tools, and strategies. You said that you are the type of person who need to be told, " do this or do that", a good mentor can guide you in the right direction. You can find some good mentors inside of membership sites also. I hope all goes well with you.
Truby
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