I cannot count how many blogs there are of people giving tips and ideas on how to use Twitter, how to blog effectively, how to make money online doing this, or online doing that. And I can tell you that 97% of these "so called experts" are hacks and blow hards. Look, I am far from an expert on SEO and Social Media (that is why the companies I own are hiring experts to do this for me), but I can safely say that from the advice I have read from all of these people looking to. become Internet Superstars and experts on SEO and Social Media, I am as intelligent on the matter as they are. And I am NO superstar on this stuff BELIEVE ME. However, what I am a superstar on and what I do know is how to market yourself and separate from the pack (your competition). Especially if your competition is a bunch of "wannabe" guru's sitting in their $ 500 a month apartments, talking into their $ 150 camera spouting off idiotic advice (which in your case is YOUR competition). Now, do you want get rich, obtain credibility and be looked upon as the expert in your industry? Then get OFFLINE and start marketing NOW.
Take me for example:. While I have a lot of entrepreneurial ventures going on at any one time my core business is still speaking to mass audiences globally on "outside the box" sales and marketing strategies for entrepreneurs. I am in a highly saturated industry but I have a few things going for me;
1. 99.97% of my competition (sales and marketing speakers) have virtually NO EXPERIENCE. on sales and marketing, and for them. selling out venues. on a global scale like I do is impossible because ticket buyers for the most part see through their. "no experience bull shit". and secondly, no promoters in these other countries that I have talked will touch them because they are not "sellable" to the public.
2. They all use the same tools to market themselves. (like sheep, they all follow the pack). Like the worthless National Association of Speakers and Speaker Bureaus.
I use none of the above and my seminars consistently SELL OUT all over the globe and the only competition I see or hear about on a regular basis is. Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy. (who I have shared the stage with in a few countries),. Tom Peters. (another one I have shared with in The Middle East),. Robert Kiyosaki. (ditto), etc.
The other wannabe hacks and speakers in my area of expertise? I hear nothing about them! Why? Besides the fact that. they have no real world experience. to share on sales and marketing, is that they are ignorant on how to market themselves or if they do know how to market themselves and / risk any money doing so. They want to try get the word out about their business using free media outlets and in doing so .... you GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
Folks ...... if you WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY in ANY entrepreneurial venture,. you have to be credible in the eyes of your target market and to do that they (your prospects). have to see you in marketing vehicles (newpapers, radio, TV, magazines, etc.) that are perceived to cost a lot of money and in doing so, let's them know that you are a "player". Period. You want to play in the Big Leagues ..... you have to start acting like a Big League Player.
The strategy I took to separate from the pack was very simple. I developed a reality TV pilot called. The Ruthless Entrepreneur. where I go into a company in dire straights and in need of a shot in the arm sales wise, roll up my sleeves and show them how it is done. Sort of like. Hells Kitchen meets The Apprentice! SonyBMG and Bravo. out of London came to me in 2006 to shoot this over seas and I shot the pilot for them and it was a hit, but we never pursued it any further as I had other business obligations in the States. But I loved the idea, tweaked it and tried it here in the States. Would my competition try this? HELL NO!! Why? Because they don't have the balls to invest in themselves THATS WHY! And neither does YOUR competition. We are now going back and editing the pilot a little more, and it too will be a hit on a major network in 2010!
From there I went out and developed TWO TV shows; The Mark McClure Show. which airs on Biz Television as we speak (.http://www.biztelevision.com/.) And. The Ruthless Entrepreneur Show. which airs on Biz and in December on. Oprah's Oxygen Channel. via DISH Network. Both shows talk about sales and marketing strategies for biz owners and entrepreneurs from a real world perspective. How did I do it? I put together an investment group who believed in the concept and we are now launching into the BIG TIME. Is my competition? HELL NO!!! Why? No balls, no expertise to sell to viewers and no desire to risk what little dollars they have on marketing themselves. Period!
And that is the same thing with YOUR competition. Take a look at the biggest players in your industry. The ones with the massive name recognition and credibility. You and everyone else look at them in awe, hold them to a higher standard, and perceive them to be the best. Why? Because you see their name and likeness in various media outlets other then just "online" and in doing so, they gain more credibility with customers.
Look at YouTube for crying out loud! Every hack, wannabe, and "expert" uses this outlet because it is FREE, trying like hell to promote their business, be witty and give advice. Well guess what? So is every single one of their competition and now what? Your potential client will look at you as just another hack too broke to spend money on REAL MARKETING and all credibility is lost. That's not an opinion, that is a fact. If all you are using is YouTube, Blogs, Twitter and Facebook to promote your business, at the end of the day your potential clients are going to see you as an undercaptitalized, broke entity not worth spending money on. They want ..... THEY NEED ..... to see you in other media outlets if you to gain any credibility at all and separate from the pack.
Now, before you start saying, "no Mark, it is all about quality and performance, not how much you spend on marketing or where.".
Really?
Tell that to Anthony Robbins. who spent tens of thousands of dollars early on his career "buying his way on TV" so he could create a celebrity persona and separate from the pathetic group of motivational speakers he was competing with. Did it work? That money he spent on national marketing helped create the $ 250 million a year empire he runs today.
I am another example. I was grouped in with sales and marketing speakers / "guru's" whereby 99.97% were wannabe's with almost zero talent and even less real world experience. They were the "teach because they could not do" bunch .... and these hacks were the last people I wanted to be associated with. So I followed Anthony Robbins model, bought 30 minute blocks of airtime to promote my products and advice on NATIONAL TV and the rest took care of itself. I am now booked solid all over the world, have two TV shows and am regularly featured in magazines and other periodicals in the US and abroad and the money I spent on this national marketing has paid me back 200X over!! My "so called competition"? They are still counting their pennies and focusing SOLELY on YouTube. Let'em.
Look .... I am all for SEO Marketing. As a matter of fact one of my next TV shows on The Ruthless Entrepreneur Show that will air on Oxygen in December is titled "SEO Unleashed!". On this show we will focus on outside the box SEO strategies entrepreneurs can use to propel their business. So I am a HUGE proponent of SEO. BUT ...... if you want to GET RICH and become a leader in your industry you need to start attacking the national media outlets. Develop a book / DVD program you can sell on air, and create a TWO INCOME ATTACK:.
1. Create significant cashflow from the DVD sales on TV and with this you will ...........
2. Create a "celebrity" persona that will allow you generate a high 6 figure speaking income.
You want to hit the big time,. then ATTACK THE BIG TIME! Find a niche, develop a USP, and do whatever it takes to get into the national media!!!! Yes, Internet marketing your business is one way, but thats also the way of your $ $ $ BROKE COMPETITION is trying to get themselves recognized! You get what you pay for. Credibility comes from getting into the national media stream and once you do THAT, the rest will take care of itself.
Remember this from here on out .... VERY IMPORTANT:. All of your marketing material RIGHT DOWN TO YOUR BUSINESS CARD needs to be able to answer the one question every prospect will ask themselves when they meet you ...
Why Should I Do Business With YOU!?
And if your marketing material does NOT answer that question, you can kiss that prospect good bye. Remember, their favorite radio station is WIFM ...What's In It For Me..... and when they come to YOUR station ..... which is your marketing material, make sure the station is playing their favorite tune.
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