Rule #1: Invest in Yourself
By far the most important rule in Internet Marketing, and one that you MUST remember, is that you should always “Invest in Yourself!”
You have very likely heard this mantra repeated over and over and over again and yet you still don’t have the first clue about what it means. Let me explain.
An internet business isn’t a building. It isn’t a place…not a real physical place. An internet business exists only in cyber space and in the heart and mind of the owner of that internet business.
In short: YOU are your internet business. You are all that your internet business really consists of.
If you had a real world business you could make improvements to the building or to the landscaping and people would see that improvements had been made and be drawn in to see what kind of improvements had been made in the merchandise that was being offered.
With an internet business you cannot make those kinds of changes. The most important changes you can make are to yourself. This is what it means to “Invest in Yourself”. In order to improve your internet business you need to improve yourself first.
Commonly people ask, “How and what do I invest in myself?” The answer isn’t a $150 haircut or a designer suit. The answer is knowledge. You need to know more. The more you know, the better quality decisions you will make, which your online business will benefit from.
If you devote only one single hour a day to reading newsletters or articles that pertain to your business, it will add up to a lot of hours every month and you will be investing in yourself.
You can take courses. You can participate in teleseminars and webinars that will increase your knowledge. All of these things are what is meant by ‘Invest in Yourself’ and that is rule #1 in the internet marketing game.
The next natural step is the principle of ‘Abundance Thinking’.
What in the world is ‘Abundance Thinking’, you might ask? Well, there are really two ways to look at the world of internet marketing. One way is that that there is only so much business out there and I should get what is mine without regard for anybody else. I call this ‘Limited-supply Thinking’.
This type of thinking might allow you to make a reasonable income, but it doesn’t allow you to maximize your income. It is the opposite of Abundance Thinking.
‘Abundance Thinking’ believes that there is a more than enough business to go around and that we will do best by working with others to provide customers with the best possible experience. Customers aren’t stupid, they know that when you advise them to buy something from someone else it costs you a sale. This very fact that you value their welfare over you making a sale earns you trust, which can reward you with more sales from them over the longer term.
Abundance thinking believes in working as a team rather than as individuals. This is where symbiotic, or mutually beneficial two-way business relationships tend to do better than one man bands. In internet marketing this thinking has proven to be especially true.
Limited Supply thinking is characterized by holding on firmly to what is yours, and refusing to share anything with anyone. A great deal of decisions are made according to what your competitors are doing. It is a very defensive method of thinking and very rarely are the customers welfare taken into account.
Abundance thinking is an offensive position. Abundance thinking is what builds relationships. Sharing leads and information…even promoting another marketer…makes us happier, better adjusted, and less stressed.
If you believe that there is plenty of business out there (Abundance Thinking) then you will have no problem in sharing.
Abundance thinking is contagious. People will consider changing their methods of business when they see the way it works, plus many people will consider doing business with you since you will have earned their trust.
Joint ventures will develop more readily once you adopt an Abundance mentality, and you will see for yourself that there is more success in Abundance Thinking than in Limited Supply thinking.