What skills do you need to succeed in IM?

I've had a couple of email discussions with members recently who were worried about their ability to succeed in Internet Marketing because they lack what they perceive as the necessary skills.

This got me thinking about what skills/abilities you really do need to succeed. If someone had to draw up a Person Specification for an IMer what would it be like? I know from the contacts I have with others who earn their living online that there are all kinds of people from widely differing backgrounds who are trying to make money from Internet Marketing - some very successfully and others not quite so successful yet. So I thought about what, if anything, the successful ones had in common and here are some of the qualities I came up with :

Imaginative : yes there are well established methods for promotion and marketing online but of course a lot of people are already using them! Now that doesn't mean you won't have success with them but anything that makes you stand out from the crowd or makes you a little different has got to be to your advantage. Look on any Traffic Exchange for example and you will see hundreds (if not thousands!) of sales pages that all look the same. Anything you can do to attract attention to yours has got to be a good thing. I recommend that everyone has a go at creating their own website (or a blog which tends to be easier) to promote any affiliate programs you are involved with and ideally also a sales page or fast loading splash page that you can use for things like Traffic Exchanges to catch people's attention. These things are not difficult or expensive to do and if anyone in my downline in any program needs help with this or needs more information just ask and I'll do what I can. Also think about how and where you are promoting your program(s). I was speaking with someone yesterday who is currently having loads of success marketing on mySpace despite the fact that most Internet Marketers tend to dismiss mySpace as a bunch of kids wasting time. Don't just follow the crowd - find out what works for you.

Enthusiastic : you need to believe in what you're doing. If you think a program is a waste of time or not up to much then how can you sell it to others? I have actually been in this situation as recently as last year. PIPs changed some of their programs and added Success University. Now don't get me wrong - I know of lots of people who think SU is just the greatest thing and have lots of success with it, but for me it just wasn't my "cup of tea". Try as hard as I might I just couldn't get enthusiastic about it and that lack of enthusiasm obviously showed to others because in the 6 months I promoted it I didn't get one single sign up! I finally dropped that aspect of PIPs because it was never going to work for me. I gave it 6 months because I needed to make sure it wasn't for me. I had a similar experience with Empowerism when I first started out with PIPs but now I absolutely love it! I've learned so much from being a member of Empowerism I can't believe I wasn't that impressed with it at the beginning but sometimes a program can grown on you I guess!

Tenacity : of all the qualities I actually think this is the most important - probably in any kind of selling/marketing but especially in IM. The dictionary definition is "the determination to continue what you are doing" and there are times when you really, really need that determination! It's so easy to get discouraged when you're going through a "quiet spell" or even more difficult if you've not seen any results at all from your efforts yet! Everyone I know who is active in IM has gone through these periods, and I mean everyone - no exceptions. Unfortunately the hype surrounding so many online programs promises easy, fast money and for most of us that's just not how it happens. It's hard work and it takes time - you're building a business and that doesn't happen overnight no matter what the sales pitch may say!

Anyway those are just my thoughts - if you have any others to add I'd be pleased to hear them.

Get The Credit You Deserve

For anyone starting up their own business cash flow is always a problem and the ready availability of credit is a life saver for many small businesses. If your credit rating is less than perfect this can prove to be a major obstacle but there are things you can do to help improve your standing. I came across a site called http://www.seasonedcredit.org/ today which certainly caught my interest and will, I think, be of interest to many others trying to get their own business going.

Seasoned Trade Lines have been trading since 2004 and have been featured on Fox TV and the Wall Street Journal so unlike many others out there who claim to be able to "repair" your credit rating they are a reputable, established company who work with both individuals and investors. Seasoned Trade Lines offer both advice and practical assistance through a technique commonly referred to as "piggyback credit". Read more about it here.

When you go to http://www.seasonedcredit.org/ you will be asked for your basic details (name, email and telephone number) all of which are treated confidentially and then allowed immediate access to further information without any obligation. Whether you decide to find out more about the credit options they offer or you just want more information about the way the credit bureaus work, how to spot fraudsters and how to repair your credit and raise your credit score without spending any money Seasoned Trade Lines is definitely worth taking a look at.

The London Advertising Directory

Despite the fact that I'm in the UK I seem to spend most of my time focusing on international marketing - particularly with the US - so it makes a nice change to be able to write about a new online resource I found that's also based in the UK.

I just discovered www.LondonAdvertisingDirectory.com yesterday but then it's only been online since 5th February 2007 so for once I'm not that far behind everyone else. This website, as the name suggests, is a directory of businesses in advertising and related industries based in the City of London. There are more than 50 categories available including Direct Marketing, Promotional Materials, CD/DVD Services, Animation Agencies, Search Engine Marketing, Pay Per Click Advertising, Web Hosting and Web Design. Lots of useful contacts for those of us making our living online and if you're based in the UK anyway it's just so much easier (and saves on international phone calls!) if you're dealing with another UK business.

The London Advertising Directory already contains more than 1000 links and is a nicely laid out site, easy to navigate and each category is clearly labelled and appropriately organised. I found what I was looking for very quickly using the site search box. You also have the ability to rate the advertised sites and add comments so if you've used a site that's advertised you can recommend it (or not as the case may be). I suspect within the next few weeks the London Advertising Directory will get much busier so this will prove to be a useful feature to have for reference.

If you want to advertise on the London Advertising Directory there is a link for advertisers at the bottom of the screen which takes you to a contact form. Alternatively there is also a "Suggest Link" tab along the top of the screen where you can submit your own link. Although there are plenty to choose from, if you can't find a suitable category there is also a "Suggest Category" tab that you can use. Remember it's an advertising directory so your website will have to be relevant to that subject. Anyway I've bookmarked it for future use - I can't advertise on it as I don't provide any of the relevant services but if it saves me time trawling through the search engine listings then that's fine by me!