I received an interesting e-mail from a blog reader who is currently working his way through an audio home-study programme, that was recorded at a marketing seminar, at which I gave a 2-hour presentation on web marketing.

He’s basically asking me if I have a mentoring programme where he can get direct advice from me.

Yes I do have a mentoring programme, but in his case I actually advised he doesn’t sign up for it.

The reason is that in the same email he also told me he’s also working his way through material from some well-known, successful and highly respected Internet Marketers (in other words the material will be ‘good stuff’.)

So my advice was that he continues working through those programmes, and applies everything he possibly can before buying anything else.

He already understand the importance of building up a large email list so that he can work the back-end of his business and increase customer lifetime value and retension.

That really is one of the most critical concepts and it all boils down to this…

1. Create web sites that contains lot of great free information, and that give people strong incentives for volunteeering their name and email. Keep working on getting as many prospects as possible to that site, and signed up to your list.

2. Also capture names and emails of prospects offline in every way you can imagine.

3. Then relentlessly communicate with email — but focus on GIVING information first… sell less frequently.

4. Also, consider blogging … but only when you really want to devote a lot of time to Internet Marketing.

He mentioned that he’s accepting online payments using a facility called 1stShopping cart.

I’ve not used that, but I have heard it’s good, and I see a lot of other well respected Internet Marketers using it.

I sell a lot through PayPal and have used Worldpay in the past among other shopping systems (‘payment gateways’) — there are a lot of great systems out there.

The key is to use a recognised and trusted card processor, that has a simple interface, and that sends you money promptly and without deducting too much commission!

I’m sure the courses this reader mentions in his email cover all of this in a lot more detail.

And that’s the key.

All he has to do is really USE that information.

In fact, whatever Internet Marketing material you buy — audio, video, ebooks etc… — make sure you use it and exhaust the advice in it.

So many people buy information and end up never using it fully… and over the years that category of people has very much included me!

I’ve spent tens of thousands on training resources over the years, and to be brutally honest with myself… a lot of it was wasted, simply because I didn’t use it fully.

So, if you already have a tonne of training material, extract every ounce of advice and take immediate action and actually implement the advice.

That’s the only way you will ever…

1) Start to get results, and end up…

2) getting a great return on your investment, and also…

3) Don’t end up beating yourself up years later.

His email also mentioned that in addition to getting the Internet working properly for his ‘everyday’ business he also wants to create a stream of ‘passive’ web revenues.

There are lots of ways to do that, but the way I am doing it is straightforward enough:

1) Create information products (in my case DVD home-study programmes).

2) Here it is again… build up a BIG list of prospects names and email addresses.

3) Make the products available to your list… BUT focus on gifting lots of free information first and foremost — the ‘selling’ (if you can call it that) is secondary.

I have programmes that show how to do exactly that…

Shrink Wrap Your Brain! shows how to create DVD products.

My Ultimate Business Blogging shows the most dynamic way of communicating with your list.

And the programme I mentioned yesterday reveals some of the most powerful strategies for launching any type of product or service online.

But don’t buy ANY of them if you already have a tonne of unused education resource at your fingertips… leverage that BEFORE you pay for anything else.

-Ed.

PS. I only have have one Post-it note stuck to my monitor these days…
It says “Less input… more output”