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My Online Confession

By Greg Vinson

This will be the first in a series of scribblings that I sincerely hope will help and inspire those who wish to make money online. I want to be totally honest, which will cause me some embarrassment, but is worth it if my story helps someone else have a smoother journey.

It will be a very personal, sometimes confessional chronicling of that part of my life which is a quest to create a successful online marketing career.

I have been a marketing and specifically online marketing student for years, with brilliant teachers, like Jay Abraham, Jason Fladlien, and Maria Gudelis, but self doubt always stopped me before I was able to really follow through and make a living online.

I would always find a reason to switch gears before gaining traction on whatever business model I was following at a given time.

In fact, I am still not making a living online, which is very frustrating to my friends and family, who are impressed by what I know, and have wondered why I don't pull the trigger and get a viable business going.

I probably only have the courage to admit this publicly because I am determined to change that, and I hope to create an inspiring success story right before the eyes of anyone who follows my writing.

My plan is to teach by example in real time, and frankly, it scares me, because I have not had much online success yet, and I could fall flat on my face.

I have always been told that the money is "in the list", and I am certain that it's true. More specifically some say, "the money is in your relationship with your list", and I think that is true too. I plan to test it with you watching over my shoulder.

To me, what those phrases imply is that you should give people a compelling reason to join your list, and then provide ongoing value to them, and treat them like loved ones, so that they will want to keep following you.

I'm giving myself a lot of pressure here, to start building a list, and guess what? I still don't have an opt-in page; just a basic site that people can download a free ebook from, but no mechanism to capture their contact information.

Don't get me wrong; I know it's possible to make money on every single sale one makes, even without a list, but it's just a lot harder if you don't build a list, because the hardest sale is to someone who's never heard of you.

From all my unused knowledge about internet marketing I understand that the most basic tool for list building is the squeeze, or opt-in page, because it gives people a reason and a mechanism for signing up to be on your list.

Therefore, until I get a squeeze page, I don't really have any business doing much else. Right now, the task I give myself over the next couple of days, is to get some good software for making squeeze pages, and then make one, get myself an auto-responder, and start building a list.

I will let you know how it goes. Until then, if you're in the same boat, I invite you to do the same. Go find yourself an opt-in page and something of value to give people that would make them want to join your list.

Greg Vinson is an avid guitarist and student of marketing genius Jay Abraham. He is embarking on a career in online marketing. He currently gives away an ebook that teaches newbies to make their first money online in as little as 24 hours. It can be found here: http://www.tinygianthorse.com/

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		nick agreed with this intel. Feb 28, 2011

It takes guts to admit that one isn't making a living online, especially since the net is full of aspiring marketers who don't make any but brag about their phantom incomes and sports cars and life on easy street in an attempt to grow their list.

Thanks a lot Nick. I must admit it makes me squirm to admit that personal issues-self doubts-worries about spending time and money and then failing, etc, have kept me in safe learning mode so far. I take solace though, in the fact that I'm not alone in that, and I hope making my inner battle public will help others like me get off their butts and take action too. I know what you mean about the fakers trying to get followers. I hope to build my list with people that find honesty refreshing-and I'll do my best to provide real value, and not just pitch products. I really appreciate the supportive remark.

I wish we had the ability to 'like' comments too. Because I would certainly 'like' Nick's comment. I agree with him completely. I think you're really courageous for writing this Greg. And your idea is great. I appreciate honest internet marketers.

In fact the only internet marketer I follow now is honest and down to earth. She says she's committed to helping people succeed (like so many do), but she actually does help people. She answers all the questions people post to her blog (and there are LOTS). It's so refreshing to find an internet marketer that's not all B.S., hype and pushing expensive affiliate products. I think there are now a ton of people like me out there, who are wise to those internet marketers who give internet marketing a bad name, yet who are still looking for someone they trust who knows a bit more than they do and is willing to teach and champion them on. I think you can do very well by using the honest approach.

Thanks a lot Donna, for your kind words. They are encouraging me that I'm on the right path...sharing my journey, warts and all, in the hopes of getting more clarity for myself, which hopefully will help others do the same. One of my best guitar teachers in the past said he started teaching when he was just a talented teen, and had to scramble to stay two weeks more advanced than his students-haha. Not a bad motivator.

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