Gurus Endorsing One Another’s Products

Someone posted about a tight nit of Internet Marketers not letting any newbies. I have to say, why would you want to be in that particular group? No one has the market cornered for any one subject anymore these days. If this group endorses each others products and you yourself already realize this, how many other people do so as well?

Once it appears to people that a group of writer/marketers are basically just trading endorsements and marketing to one another’s lists… the effect becomes diluted and eventually, a regression occurs as it has with you. Just remember, when one person realizes something, there’s a whole mass of people out there who realize and think the same thing.

Once you believe one person is just endorsing another’s product because they’re either making a commission or they’re regular endorsement traders… the power of the endorsement is basically null and void. You no longer believe the sincerity behind the endorsement. Once that happens, belief in the sincerity behind the sales letters wanes as well. Sales drop, people unsubscribe and they need the power of 5 lists to do what they used to be able to accomplish with 1 list. Their own!

Once you jump on “this is the latest technique and we’re all doing this” you’re on a fast moving train that’ll lose a lot of people along the way. It’s like multi-level marketing guys who jump from one product to the next and take their “list” with them.

Someone (or a bunch of people) mentioned twitter. Nothing against Twitter, so don’t call out the lynch mob on me, but… wasn’t MySpace Marketing supposed to be all the craze just a year or two ago? Or was it FaceBook or that Internet SEO craze? The point is, when something is NEW, it gets attention. I thought all the experts we’re talking to one another on MySpace?

There are no clubs worth joining or no inner-circles worth joining to lament being frozen out of. There hasn’t been one in the last 13 years (the time that I’ve been online) that I know of.

I used to feel bad because my money was made offline back in the 90’s when everyone was making money online – or so it seemed. I was publishing booklets back then and felt like I was missing out on everything! Can you imagine that? I felt like I was missing out because all my money was being made offline instead of online.

Today I use my online publications to market my services to offline clients. Yes, they have websites, but they’re not “Online Businesses” if you follow what I’m saying.

Some may not agree, but from where I’m sitting it seems much wiser to become an “Internet Marketing Expert” to your local community and the businesses and organizations located there than it would be to concentrate on doing the same thing online. Either way, you’re online, so that’s a constant. Local businesses, however, have the cold hard cash to buy your services much more readily than the poor guy working 3 jobs by day and putting $197 dollar packages on his credit card by night.

Not only that, but local businesses will recommend you to others in the community and will give you repeat business. Poor 3-Job Joe doesn’t have enough room on any of his credit cards for repeat business these days.

I have to run because I should be working on a client’s project instead of typing in a discussion board right now… (some habits are hard to break once you get started), but I’ll leave you with this –

Some of the most talented people I know are also the most frustrated and make the least amount of money. If you fit that category, consider this – “You have too many options.” I’m currently working with a guy who played in the 80’s band TOTO. He’s from Cleveland, Ohio. He played Keyboards in the studio for them and was with them when they were making their big comeback in the 80’s, playing the Hollywood Bowl and other places. He was going to be their new keyboard player. Then the drummer died, the whole thing blew up, and he went on to write songs and design movie sets for movies like Stallone’s forgettable flick – “Over the Top.”

He has more talent than any one single person I’ve ever met in my life. He has so many good ideas… but none of them are making any real money because every time one thing gets started, something else distracts him and dilutes his efforts (like Twitter may for some of you guys). He bounces from one idea to the next.
Here’s a video link of him playing around on the keyboards. I didn’t tell him I put this on YouTube yet because I was just testing the video camera out and was learning how to use it. (http://www.mynationalpublicity.com/gary)

Well, I have to get going on 3 client publicity projects that will keep my going fast and furious over the next two weeks.

I hope everyone gets something out of this post. No disrespect intended to the Twitter, MySpace, FaceBook, Seminar fans out there.

And of course, be sure to buy a few of my books, programs and services. If I ever start doing seminars or run for office I will then have to explain why I was really wasn’t saying everything I appeared to be saying in this post.

This seems to be one of the last, up-to-date marketing forums left from the past century. Anthony Blake is still around, but the old names that I remember seem long gone.

I remember Michael Ross from way back. I followed his New Year’s Eve post from 2000 when the world was supposed to end. I still have it. He wrote about a dog barking and fireworks going off… and all else was hush…

I think he was eating pizza, too, if I remember correctly? It was a great, great post. One that could be put in a history book a hundred years from now if anyone wanted to know what it was like and when the clock strikes midnight and Armageddon was supposed to begin.

If I remember right, Anthony Blake said it would be unwise to make you angry because you’d tear someone’s head off? Was that you? It was the Y2K hype that was getting to you, wasn’t it? Poor Gary North lost his whole direct marketing biz by 12:05 a.m. Poof! It was gone.

I’ve read posts by Dien Rice way back when and I remember thinking, “Now this is a laid back, relaxed fellow you’d probably want to have a beer and pretzels with.”

And, of course, Gordon. Gordon do you know I bought your eBooks when I was first getting started? You divided the Internet up into pools. I think that was how you phrased it? There was spiritual, business, etc.

It was YOUR post way back when helped me get started believe it or not. I was just getting started and you wrote – “Keep an eye on Jimmy Krug, he’s out there DOING things… not just talking.” When I read that, to me, that was an endorsement of a Guru who’d been raised by Guru’s! That post gave me more encouragement than I can tell you. I told everyone I knew (all 4 people) that you gave me the thumbs up.”

You just ask if you ever want any of the books or software programs I sell. I’ll send them to you on the house.

I’ll check back here on this board from time to time.

Best wishes for good success to all of you in 2009!

Take care,
Jimmy Krug

[GordonJ]

Originally Posted by JimmyKrug

You just ask if you ever want any of the books or software programs I sell. I’ll send them to you on the house.


Take care,
Jimmy Krug

Jimmy,

Do check back. NOW you tell me, I already have eWriterPro and the How to become a Guru work...great stuff.

Your booklets inspired many of my HOTSHEETS, some of which are still producing monthly income afer all these years.

Go and get some work done...and come back and share some more of your wisdom and TESTED AND PROVEN methods. It is appreciated.

Gordon (why am I feeling so OLD now) Alexander

PS. Jimmy's reports are excellent, if you haven't read any, start with The Secret Path...it made me want to become a guru. HA!

Originally Posted by GordonJ

Jimmy,

Do check back. NOW you tell me, I already have eWriterPro and the How to become a Guru work...great stuff.

Your booklets inspired many of my HOTSHEETS, some of which are still producing monthly income afer all these years.

Go and get some work done...and come back and share some more of your wisdom and TESTED AND PROVEN methods. It is appreciated.

Gordon (why am I feeling so OLD now) Alexander

PS. Jimmy's reports are excellent, if you haven't read any, start with The Secret Path...it made me want to become a guru. HA!

You have all that stuff?
That's great! Even better that you liked and benefited from it! Well, let me do this for you, then… let me load your Toll Positions product into my media cannon. This is the product I advertise at: http://www.simplepublications.com/media. This can move right along with your timetable. You'll need to get that product out there into the limelight as soon as it's ready anyway, so I'll be happy to send it to the media for you. Local, National, or both.

This is the same media service that sells for $425 and up elsewhere. The same editors, TV stations, cable stations, Radio Shows, Newspapers and Magazines, etc. Check out the list at www.mynationalpublicity.com and download the sample media list so you can see the type of exposure a product can get. The old press release methods with faxes and no pictures – that style is now as dated as a pair of parachute pants from the 80’s. I’ll put your contact info in there so they (media people) can contact you directly.

It's funny but, people were telling me for years that I was on to something with some of the ideas I had floating around out there on the net back in the 90's. When you said the same thing in post a decade ago, the people around me asked why I was taking your opinion in such high regard because they had told me the same basic thing. My answer was, “Because if the idea ‘sucks,’ he’s not going to say it’s good to spare my feelings! He’ll either give it the thumbs down or not say anything at all.”

And that was that.

I sure have covered a lot of miles since then.

Anyway, I’ll stop back when I can with some positive Guruisms.

Well, it looks like the address I had was the wrong one. The email I sent bounced. I have to have 5 posts to send a private email and wouldn't you know... this is my 5th.

Good timing.

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by JimmyKrug

Some of the most talented people I know are also the most frustrated and make the least amount of money. If you fit that category, consider this – “You have too many options.” I’m currently working with a guy who played in the 80’s band TOTO. He’s from Cleveland, Ohio. He played Keyboards in the studio for them and was with them when they were making their big comeback in the 80’s, playing the Hollywood Bowl and other places. He was going to be their new keyboard player. Then the drummer died, the whole thing blew up, and he went on to write songs and design movie sets for movies like Stallone’s forgettable flick – “Over the Top.”

He has more talent than any one single person I’ve ever met in my life. He has so many good ideas… but none of them are making any real money because every time one thing gets started, something else distracts him and dilutes his efforts (like Twitter may for some of you guys). He bounces from one idea to the next.
Here’s a video link of him playing around on the keyboards. I didn’t tell him I put this on YouTube yet because I was just testing the video camera out and was learning how to use it. (http://www.mynationalpublicity.com/gary)

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience!

I also own a lot of your products... They're consistently GREAT! And I highly recommend them to everyone...

It's funny, since what you wrote here "meshes" with something I just read elsewhere...

John Carlton (a well-known and successful copywriter) writes on his blog...

Part of the reason it took me so long to get my act together (I was 34 before I got serious about becoming a professional copywriter) is that I have multiple talents above mediocre levels, and pursuing them kept me distracted. I wrote my first novel in the sixth grade. (It was horrible, but a real story with plot, character development, and coherent ending.) By high school, my cartooning was so good I was forcibly given a weekly cartoon strip in the school newspaper (which lasted for two years). I was shy, and actually resented the celebrity that brought. Then the same thing happened in college, and for 2 years I was the staff cartoonist for the school daily. It was hard work. I also played guitar well enough to carry a band, and I’ve been writing pretty damned good pop songs since I was 17. I also played baseball deep into my teens, and thought I wanted to be a jock. (Really bad idea for a guy with my poor eyesight.) I’d be broke today if I had followed any of those professions. I miss cartooning, though.

That seems to agree with what you said, about...

Some of the most talented people I know are also the most frustrated and make the least amount of money. If you fit that category, consider this – “You have too many options.”

Too many options can sometimes be a problem, because it can cause you to lose focus...

Thanks again, Jimmy. I really appreciate your insights!

(And thanks for the kind words too!)

Best wishes,

Dien

Boy, can I relate to those posts! Describes me to a 'T'....everyone wants something from my multiple talents so I have no time to develop any one of them to a maximally profitable point. Frustrating isn't the word for it. I've been trying to learn to say 'No' more often but it doesn't help much. Any other tips?

Thanks for the refresher insight...I needed it about now.

Sandi Bowman

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Sandi Bowman

Boy, can I relate to those posts! Describes me to a 'T'....everyone wants something from my multiple talents so I have no time to develop any one of them to a maximally profitable point. Frustrating isn't the word for it. I've been trying to learn to say 'No' more often but it doesn't help much. Any other tips?

Thanks for the refresher insight...I needed it about now.

Hi Sandi,

I think on the "plus" side, you can always do "something" to bring some income in... If talent "A" doesn't work, try talent "B". So I think there's a "plus" and a "minus" side to it...

The problem with being good at just one thing is that the "market" for that talent could disappear...

Best wishes

Dien

Thanks for the 'other side of the story', Dien. You're definitely right on that. Certainly been true for me.

Being multi-talented can be a blessing...especially when times are hard and you have to be resourceful. Those out of work should consider doing freelance work in something they are knowledgeable about and have some skills in that might pay the freight temporarily. It doesn't have to be in your regular line of work...it can even be a hobby or interest of yours. If it's feasible and there is some demand for it ordinarily, you can probably find some freelance work.

A lot of businesses that normally would have positions filled by full-timers, are desperate for part-time, temporary, or freelance help to keep things rolling during bad times.

Sandi Bowman

Here's a book title that cashes in on that idea...

www.AreYouDumbEnoughToBeRich.com

-- TW