I thought it was going to start shooting at any moment.
Normally reserved, he had suddenly taken on an almost…crime-fighting persona.
Her passionate response to our discussion made me sit up and take notice. Let me tick the clock a bit to bring you up to speed.
My friend, let’s call him Mr. X, is what I would consider an internet marketing guru. Now he would be mad at me for calling him that; After all, that was a big reason why he was so hot. But in my mind it is.
Mr. X has been on the internet marketing block and has been running a growth business for over a decade. He is literally on the “speed dial” of every major player in the market.
You get the idea.
So why would you object to being slapped with the “guru tag” you deserve?
Simple.
Because he doesn’t want to be lumped in with the current batch of “illuminati guru”. Which, by the way, was the topic of our…conversation.
And that’s what I want to talk to you about today. If you’re on any of the top internet marketing gurus lists, then you’ve no doubt noticed a disturbing trend. You receive email after email after email, each one doing one thing: promoting a friend’s product launch.
They no longer provide valuable content to their lists. Every email is a pitch: if it’s not for your own product, then it’s from some friend (who also returns the favor by pimping your list).
I call it incestuous marketing.
The goal seems to be to squeeze the last penny out of your list, rather than provide really useful content that could make someone’s life better.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that they or anyone else should run a charity. I believe in making a profit. It’s more about making a tactical mistake than a moral mistake.
You see, the final problem is that eventually the law of diminishing returns comes into play. If all you do is pitch pitch pitch, people start ignoring you. So they stop buying your product (or the one you’re pimping).
And incestuous marketing will put you out of business.
This is what had Mr. X so feisty. He felt that as internet marketers we should know better.
But it reminded me of my long wasted days selling insurance. Now, if there was ever a product that people don’t want to buy, it’s insurance.
You see, the insurance industry had suffered from the same stigma as used car salesmen… sly-talking snake oil salesmen who are not to be trusted under any circumstances.
Fortunately, I had a manager who taught me the most valuable lesson I’ve ever learned about sales, and I think more than one Internet marketing “rock star” could bear to learn it, too.
The lesson was simple. Get on the same side of the table as your prospect.
Think about it. In face-to-face sales, when you sit on the other side of the table, you are the adversary and defenses are raised. But when you come and sit on their side of the table, you become the trusted adviser who only wants the best, whether you make the sale or not.
This kind of selfless attitude did amazing things. He created an instant relationship and credibility…and led to many more sales.
I think providing good, useful content that really helps (whether you make a sale or not) is the same as “being on the same side of the table.” Eben Pagan calls it “pushing the line free.”
And no matter what niche or market you’re in, you’ll build a strong and deeply loyal fan base that will keep you in business for decades to come.
Just like my undercover guru friend Mr. X.