Now I’m not going to bash anyone in these articles.
But between you and me, have you ever noticed how some of the well-known gurus in “Internet Marketing” make it sound like any chimp can create an information product?
Find a keyword phrase on some weird niche topic, scatter some mildly informative content around the Web to rank on Google.
Then spend a tequila-soaked weekend slapping something together that answers your market’s 10 Most Blindingly Obvious Questions.
The gurus tell you to sell this thing for $27 to one billion people, thus making $27 billion. From there on out, it’s all beachfront mansions and Lamborghinis.
I hate to tell you this, I really do. But, at least in 2010, it just plain doesn’t work.
Also, there’s no Easter Bunny. Sorry.
I know, it’s pretty brutal to have to hear all of this from me this way. But trust me, life is better when you’re not living a lie.
Quality counts
You probably actually could make that strategy work, say, 5 or 6 years ago. As the corporate cliché goes, all that low-hanging fruit was just … well, hanging there.
But in 2010, you’re going to have to get real.
If you want to make a serious, professional living, you have to create a product that offers significant value. And that takes more than slapping together a 30-page eBook that’s 25 pages of blurry screen shots.
You have to solve real problems. You have to have real answers. And you have to position yourself as a thoughtful authority who’s going to be around longer than the next Google Slap.
It’s time to put the Big Boy Pants on
As tempting as it may be, real businesses don’t come from products that take a few hours to create.
Real businesses come from a deep understanding of your market and what drives them. They come from delivering high-quality answers to pressing problems. And they come from a commitment to your customers that no slap-dash product can ever give.
If you want to compete today, you have to be better than the
ten thousand guys who buy “get rich quick” products
and put cheap junk into the marketplace.
I’m not saying get rich slow. I’m saying get rich smart.
Sure it’s harder
If you’ve ever succumbed and bought one of the “any lazy idiot can do it” products, you probably feel pretty dumb about it.
Because it turns out that a lazy idiot can’t create a serious online business. Or anyway, he can’t do it well.
In today’s environment, there’s just too much competition. Customers are too skeptical. Pay-per-click is too expensive. And every month, information entrepreneurs are competing with more and more information that’s available for free.
Fortunately, you aren’t a lazy idiot. You’ve read all of this post, for example. Even though several of the words had multiple syllables.
You’re not looking for magical fairy dust. You’re not a get-rich-quick dreamer. You’re just looking for a serious, reliable system that gives you the structure for an enduring business.
A system that does what it says it will do, at a fair price.
And hey, what do you know, we have some thoughts on that. 🙂
This is the first article in a series on building real businesses, based on actual business principles and not get-rich-quick fantasies. So stay tuned … we’ve got lots more coming.
P.S.
Get here via a link from a friend, or twitter? We’ve got a lot more to share with you, including articles, case studies, a nifty process map so you can do it yourself, and a great video on getting more traffic.
All this is to let you know more about our flagship program, Teaching Sells. We think it’s the best online business model for the 21st century, period.
But whether or not you decide to join us in Teaching Sells, we still want you to get all the great free stuff!
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