TAP INTO THE MINDSET OF YOUR MARKET

By Mike Johnston | Published: September 11, 2010

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Copyright © Mike Johnston

Having your own business is one of the greatest blessings in the world. This is especially so if your business is providing all the income you desire. If you have no income, then you have no business. However, if you’re still not making the kind of money you’d like, what can you do? Yes, how can you tap into the mindset of your market?

First off ask yourself some questions.

  • What does my target market or niche want?
  • What is their biggest pain, problem, or concern?
  • How can I provide a solution for their needs?

You’ll find the answer to those questions by thinking about the needs of your market and by doing some research. Once you answer those questions you’re in a position to present a solution. Also, at that point you’ve come to know your market, thus creating a situation that will lead to more and more sales. But now let’s cover the matter of research.

Finding places to research your market or niche is relatively easy. Check out the following ideas.

  • Do keyword research using the Google keyword tool
  • Use Amazon.com for research
  • Search Google groups within your market
  • Use forums such as the Warrior Forum

Search those resources and you’ll see what people are thinking and talking about, and what they want. At that point you’ll have tapped into the mindset of your market. That is when you’ll be able to create a business plan tailor-made for your market. Also, if you wish to create your own product, you’ll know what your market wants.

Without a doubt, to be effective in your marketing efforts, making all the money you want, you have to know the mindset of your market or niche. With an abundance of resources at your fingertips it’s not hard to discover what people want. You merely have to put some effort into it and you’re there. By knowing the mindset of your market and acting on it, you’ll accomplish all that you desire.

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IS IT WORTH THE MONEY?

By Mike Johnston | Published: August 28, 2010

Bob Jenkins (a.k.a. Bob the Teacher) recently posted a very interesting article on his blog. He made specific reference to those pricey $1997 programs we’ve all seen. Are they really worth the money? Bob’s answer might surprise you. Check out the post and read it for yourself.

I found this article to be an excellent read, one that will make you stop and think. I particularly like what he said about the purchase of programs in general. In essence he said that no matter what the cost, a program will only work if a person applies the contents. I agree. That can be true of a $27 dollar product, as well as a program costing $1997.

So be sure to read the post and while you’re there, subscribe to Bob’s blog. There you’ll discover a goldmine of helpful information. Enjoy.

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DO YOU KEEP A LIST?

By Mike Johnston | Published: August 21, 2010

‘Yes, of course I do. In fact, I have several marketing lists.’ That’s great! We should build a list or lists, but there’s one list that many fail to build or to keep. What’s that? A list of MLM or internet marketing associates. This list isn’t necessarily the same as an email list, though some of those associates may be on such a list, or you may be on their email list. No, this list is much like a contact list that you’d file electronically or keep filed on index cards.

Something to keep in mind is that some parts of your list may not even appear to be a list in the traditional sense. That’s because you’ll have bookmarked several blog and social sites, as well as joining email lists to keep up to date with the activities of some of those associates.

So, who are these associates? There are at least three possibilities.

  1. Someone you’ve bought an affiliate product from.
  2. Someone who provided you with a valuable free report or product giveaway.
  3. Those who are active in network marketing—your company or another one.

Thus far we’ve covered an associate list and who’s included on the list. Now let’s tackle the importance of keeping such a list.

Yes, why would you keep such a list? After all, some of the people in your company are in another leader’s group and are building their own group, or are involved in another opportunity altogether. So, once again, why would you keep them on a list? Well, take a moment to ponder the following points.

  • Network marketing companies come and go
  • A network marketer may wish to join another company
  • One of your associates may want to do a joint venture

Just a few points listed, but you get the idea. Circumstances change and progressive thinkers are always moving forward. One of your associates may be forced to look for another venture because his or her company shut down. That person may choose to join your company and work with you. Or it could be that one of your associates is expanding his or her horizons and is looking for another company to join or to do a joint venture with someone. That someone may very well be you if you’ve kept up to date with that person.

So be sure to keep a list of such individuals and keep track of what they’re doing. By doing so your business will expand and eventually some of the associates on your list may join you in your venture.

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INVEST IN YOURSELF

By Mike Johnston | Published: August 1, 2010

Being a marketer you may find this hard to believe, but there is something more important than your products, company or compensation plan. What is it? It’s YOU! That’s right; YOU are more important and more valuable than those things. You might wonder how that could be since a great product and comp plan can be very lucrative. Well, let’s explore why it can be said that YOU are more valuable than any product or comp plan.

For starters, read the following sentence and afterward stop and carefully think about it. As you continually invest in yourself, your value to others always increases, and in turn, you’ll attract a never ending line of prospects. Does that make sense to you? How can that be true in your case? You’re right; you need to continually invest in yourself. But what does it mean to invest in yourself?

Investing in yourself doesn’t always have to cost money, and in many cases it costs very little to do so. For example, the book “Magnetic Sponsoring” is a modest investment, but if you study and apply its contents, you’ll personally gain far more in value than the initial cost of the book. Of course, this value reaches far beyond any monetary measure. In part that’s because once you’ve applied the material, you’ll be in a position to educate individuals who will also become leaders in your group. They’ll also follow your fine example by creating well-educated leaders.

But your investment in yourself doesn’t stop there. No, you’ll want to continue to study and apply material pertinent to your market. In fact, you’ll never regret the time and money spent to educate yourself, because the money you’ll make will far out weigh any cost spent on courses or materials.

Clearly, there are great advantages to investing in yourself. Your investment of money spent on educational and marketing courses will more than pay for itself. Also, the time invested to acquire further marketing skills will be time well spent. Your group will grow and emulate your actions, while your leadership gains notoriety. So continue to invest in yourself and the result will be heightened prosperity.

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A SIMPLE, YET POWERFUL TECHNIQUE YOU CAN USE FOR UNIQUE BRANDING

By Mike Johnston | Published: July 25, 2010

When it comes to establishing yourself in business, whether online or offline, you’ve probably been told that it’s important to brand yourself. Although opinions on this topic vary, it’s generally agreed that branding oneself is a good business move. That being the case, one might wonder how to go about doing it. Following is a simple, yet powerful technique to use for your own one-of-a-kind brand.    

Set up and operate a blog using a domain with your  name or as close to it as possible….

That’s it. Simple, yet powerful because your name will come to be recognized and associated with your niche or market. This branding technique is also easy due to the fact that most people have access to the Internet. Furthermore, setting up a blog platform is not hard to do.

What to use for a blog platform is up to you, and there are a few choices available. I’ve personally found that Word Press provides a good system. You can set up a Word Press site with little to no cost, and there are several plugins available for enhancing the functionality of your site. Also, you’ll find that a copious amount of blog theme selections are provided. So, Word Press is a good choice.

In order to have complete control over your blog, you’ll want to set it up on your own domain and server. This isn’t as hard to do as it may seem. You simply go to a domain name provider and purchase a domain name. The hard part is deciding which options you want, whether to register the domain for one or more years, and so forth. In most cases you can also get hosting through your domain provider, but you may choose to get hosting somewhere else.

Whatever you decide to do just remember that the process is not that complicated, and you can be set up and running in a short time. Also, if you’re not the techie type there are programs available that will walk you through the entire process from beginning to end. On this note too your domain and hosting provider(s) will provide some instructions.

So there you have it; a simple, yet powerful technique for branding yourself. As you post meaningful comments on your blog, more and more people will read it and your name will become readily recognized in your market.

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7 KEYS FOR OPERATING AN EXTRAORDINARY BLOG

By Mike Johnston | Published: July 20, 2010

Copyblogger has an amazing article posted on its site explaining how to operate a wildly successful blog. The article was written by Dean Rieck and it provides good insight as to what to do and what not to do when running a blog. If you’re relatively new to blogging, the gems you’ll find in that article will put you light-years ahead of the game. The seven points that are highlighted are these….

  1. Have a conversation
  2. Lighten up
  3. Be yourself
  4. Be nice
  5. Get over yourself
  6. Help People
  7. Stop trying so hard

Each point is well-covered, leaving you with a good understanding of the subject. I highly recommend you read this article even if you’ve been blogging for a while. You’re sure to gain some valuable gems from it. You’ll also want to visit Dean’s ProCopyTips site for some of the best copywriting methods around.

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5 COMPELLING REASONS TO BRAND YOURSELF

By Mike Johnston | Published: July 17, 2010

To brand or not to brand…. that is the question. Yes, that is a question sometimes pondered by those who begin marketing products or an opportunity online. Also noteworthy is the fact that more and more college students are told about the importance of branding themselves. Maybe it’s a question you’ve pondered, and you’re still weighing the matter. Well, listed here are 5 compelling reasons to do so. Let’s jump in shall we?

  1. One of the most compelling reasons to brand yourself has to do with leadership. To be perceived and recognized as a leader, people need to know you. Your product or service can still be associated with you, but you need to be the leader people are looking to follow.
  2. By branding yourself as a leader, you’re simultaneously branding yourself as an expert in your field or niche. That being the case your popularity and sales will increase. You’ll be the expert people will seek to solve their problems.
  3. Your mindset and approach to marketing are better thought out because your reputation is involved. This will build trust in those who work with you, as well as attract new prospects and customers. You’ll also exhibit greater confidence, which in turn will flow to those who become your customers or a part of your marketing team.
  4. Being a well-known expert in your niche will open up new partnerships and joint venture (JV) opportunities. Such ventures can certainly expand your bank account. Another benefit is that you’ll expend more creative energy and imagination to produce new products for your niche or market.
  5. Once you’re well established, your brand is an asset that cannot be taken. Products and companies come and go, but your brand will remain in force in your niche or market.

There you have 5 compelling reasons to brand yourself. Are there more? Yes. In fact, you could probably extract more out the 5 listed here, but the point is branding yourself is a good marketing move no matter what niche or market you’re in. So the answer to question To Brand or not to Brand is Do It, you’ll be glad you did.

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Brand Yourself

By Mike Johnston | Published: July 5, 2010

With so many programs and items to sell online it’s easy to forget about one of the most important things, namely branding yourself. Take a look at the following names. Mike Filsaime, Frank Kern, John Reese, Mike Dillard,  and Ann Sieg, just to name a few. Do you recognize them? Why? Because they’ve all branded themselves and continue to build on that branding. In order to enjoy long-term success we all need to do the same thing. There’s certainly nothing wrong with selling ClickBank products or the like, and that should be done. However, for long-term success one should concentrate on branding. A good start is to get a blog set up and begin posting to it on a regular basis.

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