Guru Run-around

If you’ve ever tried to make money online, you’ve likely experienced this major problem:

You do a quick search on google, find an interesting looking page, and surf over there. The copy is GREAT, it pulls you in, and you sign up for a free report from a “guru”. Next, you surf away (maybe you read the report, or maybe it just collects digital dust on your hard drive) to find another compelling site, and repeat the process.

Over a few days or weeks, you repeat this process, learning some valuable (but extremely disjointed) information, and in the process are on 10 to 20 lists. You continue to get some valuable information that way, but it is usually loaded with the next “silver bullet” software or training program.  From here, you are introduced to many more gurus.

At this point, you are plugged firmly into what I call the “guru run-around”. They will spin you in circles until you are dizzy. You’ll have many e-books loaded onto your computer, and quite possibly some very expensive programs being shipped to you, or ready for instant download.

There are several problems with this, but the biggest one by far is the LACK OF FOCUS it causes you. There are MANY ways to make legitimate money online, but they only work when you focus intently on mastering one avenue FIRST.  (Some of the other issues are getting contradictory information, having expectations built up to an unrealistic level, and not being aware of how much work will truly be involved.  Every been to an Amway meeting? Picture being at 10 different ones at the same time!)

Now, I’m not saying that any guru specifically is giving bad advice, or shouldn’t be listened to in terms of what their message and methods are. BUT, you must focus on one path first. In fact, these people achieved “guru” status by truly becoming exceptional marketers and mastering their skill. They should rightly be respected and emulated as much as possible, but you need to selectively tune them out too or you will very quickly be broke and frustrated.

If you are looking to make money online, the way I recommend is to consider your various options and business models, do some research as to what market you’d like to start in, and then follow just one or two gurus who are experts in your chosen method. (And learning from 3 to 4 different programs to get a solid perspective.) Later, as your business develops and you want to add other revenue and traffic sources, expand your view as needed.

If you have some money to invest, I stronly recommend starting with pay per click search engines, particularly google’s adwords and yahoo’s search marketing programs. This will give you skills that you can use for the rest of your life, as well as teaching you how to write effective ads and give you extremely valuable test data as you accumulate your first failures.

(Yes, I said failures! Your initial campaigns will almost certainly NOT make money. They will provide a learning experience, and with the right tracking and analysis will allow you to tweak your loser into a winner.)

To learn the ropes here, I highly recommend four sources: Google’s training itself, Perry Marshall’s Adwords,  Mindvalley’s Adwords Exposed, and Chris Carpenter’s Google Cash System.

By building profitable campaigns, you can refine and maximize your websites for conversions, as well as know what are your highest value keywords. Once you know that, you can build other keyword dependent traffic sources like SEO, around those proven winners.

That being said, there are many internet business models to follow. I highlight 9 of them here. And, I cover the critical skills needed to succeed in an online business here.

FYI, I myself am on many guru lists, and pay attention to what they say, what is going on, and how they market. Between this (free) information and the concept of “moving the free line” (giving away solid info as part of the marketing process), you can get ALOT of really GREAT information at no financial cost. Just be mindful that your attention DOES cost you time, and DON’T let it take your focus away from your core, chosen business.

My favorite guru’s are: Gauher Chauncy, Eben Pagan, Chris Carpenter, Frank Kern, John Reese, Brad Fallon and Andy Jenkins (StomperNet), Ryan Deiss, and the guys at MindValley. If I get an e-mail from any one of them, I will always read it, watch the video, and incorporate that knowledge into my business WHEN I CAN and IF APPLICABLE.

I hope you take this advice to heart. With a focus on mastering one skill at a time, and applying your skill sets to mastering one business model at a time, you can best leverage your most powerful asset: the ability to FOCUS your mind.