I'm here in London getting ready for the System Intensive
this weekend.
Part of "getting ready" for me means getting used to the time
change so I'm not a zombie when the weekend rolls around.
It's 11 AM as I write this which is really 5 AM Chicago time.
Bit by bit, I'm resetting my internal clock.
I don't really know how people who travel a lot internationally
for business do it. It usually takes me a couple of days to get
normal when the time zone jump is so big.
*** Report from Chicago
The Boot Camp went off just like I'd hoped. Better actually.
James Martell gave an amazing presentation on SEO.
As an affiliate marketer, SEO is literally his bread and butter
and for the last nearly ten years he's mastered every method
that worked...emphasis on the past tense.
As anyone who has been involved in Internet marketing
for a while knows, SEO has been a fast moving, ever-shifting
field.
The big search companies were forever re-shuffling the cards
and in the process blowing up people's online businesses.
But James had very good news for us.
It took him less than an hour to lay out the current
state-of-the-art in SEO.
Google, the 800 pound gorilla that owns the search business,
has actually *simplified* SEO.
One condition through...you have to have relevant, fresh,
well-produced content.
This is great news for NORMAL people and bad news for the
SEO scammers...you know those guys who spend hours obsessing
over how to trick search engines.
Now the SEO scammers have a new game...spending hours and hours
obsessing over how to trick "newbies" into giving them thousands
of dollars to learn overly complicated SEO schemes that are not
only not necessary, they're counter-productive.
James blew away all the smoke on that.
*** But that's not all
For a lot of us, James' talk on SEO was worth the price of
admission, but then he showed us two other weapons in his arsenal.
Using PR to get "free" traffic to his sites and out-sourcing
the right way.
I've heard a lot of presentations on out-sourcing over the
years. The problem is in the Internet world most of them have
been given by guys who don't care about quality. Their idea of
success is finding someone in India to produced articles
for $1 each.
In contrast, James' business is based on quality.
His core strategy is that ultimately, excellent content
is the best traffic magnet there is. (And Google agrees by
the way. Learning to recognize quality sites and give them
high rankings is their #1 strategy.)
Recruiting, screening, training and managing high quality/low cost
vendors is not an easy task and too many people who talk about the
wonders of out-sourcing just gloss over the difficulties.
As a guy who used to make his living in the real world of
building contracting, James has out-sourcing down to a science.
Imagine you're building a building...
Can you really afford to have a flaky plumber who does a
half-baked job?
No you can't. Building a house requires that every tradesman -
the foundation guy, the framing guy, the plumber, the electrician,
the roofer, the finish carpentry guy etc. - show up on time and
produce excellent work at a price that works for the business.
James has taken all that discipline and smarts from home building
and applied it to Internet business building.
Another session that was worth the price of admission all by
itself.
*** Just the tip of the iceberg
And that wasn't all that James talked about.
And that doesn't even include Howie Jacobson's talks on online
research and getting the most from your AdWords traffic.
Or Kristie McDonald's talk on how to build a successful online
store using low cost tools.
Howie was originally a teacher (he even has a PhD, in education)
and Kristie was an IT consultant for McKinsey, the New York
Yankees of corporate consulting firms.
They not only know their businesses inside and out, they also
have the skill to explain what they're doing so other people
can understand it.
*** The big picture
We had a number of very experienced business people and Internet
marketers in the audience.
One man was deeply involved in the multi-million a year side
of the direct mail business - a tough business that requires
you know *exactly* what you're doing.
Another guy has been in business for over thirty years and in the
last four has become a very savvy Internet marketer.
Why did pros like this come to Chicago come to a *beginners*
seminar?
Because they took me at my word that it would be worth
everyone's while to attend.
Both made a personal point to thank people and express their
shock and amazement at how much they learned.
Of course, we also had a lot of beginners and the thing I liked
about this particular training was that the beginners got the
solid intro they needed and the pros learned some high value fine
points that made the weekend worth their time.
In my session, I talked about how to set up a business from Day
One so it's on the right track and can make mo.ney for years.
I also shared the details of a little "hobby" site I have that
accidentally produces over six figures a year net with 15 to
20 minutes of attention a day.
When I say "accidentally", I mean just that.
I originally created the site just as a convenient reference
for myself.
Then applying the Internet marketing principles I've been teaching
the last 15 years, I optimized it a bit.
One day, I realized that the traffic and opt-ins were really
growing and started paying daily attention to it.
Then - pretty late in the game - I slapped up some AdSense ads
and the next thing I knew my hobby was generating more money
in a month than some people make all year.
That's the power of following System principles and I showed
how this simple little site used all the major System strategies
and tactics that we've been teaching for years.
*** More than just a seminar
The seminar was only part of the program.
Attendees also received a complete A-to-Z home study
course that covers all the foundation skills of Internet
marketing.
After the seminar, attendees will get three months of
free coaching from the director of the System Smart Beginners
coaching program, Cindy Kappler.
Cindy ran special extra sessions at the Boot Camp at lunch time,
in the evening, and in the morning to make sure everyone's
questions were answered and to add even more training to the
already packed weekend.
If I made one mistake with this thing it's that I didn't push
you hard enough to attend.
Not only should every Internet beginner have been there, but
really everyone in the business should have been there too.
I particularly admire the pros who were down-to-earth enough
to come to a "beginners" course.
I said it would be a good review of Internet marketing principles
and it was - but as you can see it was much more.
*** Time to get serious
I think perceptive people are starting to realize that the
long run of good times and easy money the world economy
has enjoyed the last 20 or so years is coming to an end.
That doesn't mean you can't make m.oney.
It just means that it's going to take more seriousness,
more focus, and more dedication to following real
business principles.
More than ever the QUALITY of your education is
going to matter.
Unfortunately...many people are still burning months and years
of their lives and hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on program
after program trying to "get" it when the whole thing is being
laid out clearly and simply at the System.
It's really too bad and unnecessary too.
If you're a beginner or are not too proud to admit there may
be some things you can still learn about Internet marketing, I have
good news and bad news.
The bad news first...
My schedule is so packed, I can't foresee offering another one
of these live beginners trainings any time soon.
The teaching is fun, but the gearing up for the seminars
(the logistics, the marketing, the travel, the expense) is not
much fun and it is incredibly time-consuming...
As an my accountant never ceases to remind me, I make more
money with less effort just staying home doing my own thing.
So if you missed this live beginner's training, you really did
miss out on something rare and wonderful that may never
be repeated.
*** The good news is...
The Smart Beginners Home study program which started out
as just a course, now comes with three months of coaching
included with it.
Members of the program will have access to all the material
we went over in Chicago last weekend through Cindy's
coaching.
If you're still trying to find your direction in Internet
marketing...if you still haven't replaced the income from
your J-O-B...if you're looking at the economy and wondering
about your future...
You really should be looking at the System Smart Beginners
program.
It's affordable for practically everyone and it's the most
thorough, no nonsense, real world training in Internet
marketing basics you're going to find anywhere.
Add the three months of free coaching and it's practically
a no brainer.
For DETAILS about Smart Beginners and its surprisingly low
cost, visit...
Ken
P.S. Last call for the UK System Intensive
which takes place this weekend in London.
This is another case where I kind of let you down
by not INSISTING that you do whatever it takes to
be here.
I'm torn because the fact is the smaller the group,
the easier it is to run the training, the better the
experience is for the attendees, and the more fun it
is for everybody, me included.
On the other hand, there are a lot of Internet marketers
who would have their lives changed dramatically
for the better by attending this truly once-in-a-lifetime
event.
I can pretty much guarantee that the chances of
me assembling a group of experts like this in
London are pretty slim and if I am ever able to
do something like this again, it will not happen for many
years.
The last time I was in the UK teaching was four
years ago.
I LOVE coming over here.
If you've never been to London, it's one of the
most fun and interesting places on earth..
but the logistics of doing a seminar here for a company
based in the States are pretty daunting.
In the past, we've tried working with partners over
here, but as I've learned the hard way, the only
way I can guarantee quality is if I personally
run the show.
If you live in the UK or Europe, it would be tragic
for you to miss this event.
I'm being deadly serious.
This is a faculty you will not be able to re-create
through any other means (unless of course you
have the time and funds to track down each member
separately.)
* Drayton Bird is one of the legends of direct marketing...
* Karl Blanks is the only Google-certified Google website
optimizer trainer based outside the US...
* Ben Hunt is one of the leading lights in Web 2.0 design...
And without being falsely modest, I'm objectively one
of the most effective Internet marketing trainers who's
ever lived.
The Fortune 500 with all their billions can't assemble a
team of this quality - and you've got the opportunity
to tap into it right now for a pretty modest sum (it's
much less than what I charge a business to come
in an give a short workshop on Internet marketing.)
If you live in the UK or Europe you are certifiably
nuts if you can attend this and you don't.
Even people from the States are flying over for it - which
has got to be a FIRST in Internet marketing history.
I'm being so emphatic about this because I feel I've been
a bit too casual in promoting this which is a disservice
to you in some ways.
The fact is, one more student won't mean much to me one
way or the other from a business point of view, but it could
easily be a life changer for you.
And if you live in the UK or Europe it's never going to
be easier.
Don't blow it.
Take a good look at what we're doing and think it through.
It starts Saturday and then it's over.
Info on the UK System Intensive:
http://www.SystemIntensive.com
Ken McCarthy
The System Seminar
---------------------------------------------------------
* The System Seminar March 27 - 29, 2009
The annual gathering of *serious* Internet entrepreneurs
http://www.TheSystemSeminar.com
* Home study solutions for Internet entrepreneurs
http://www.KensCatalog.com
* Serious marketing books for serious marketers
http://www.RealMarketingBooks.com
The System
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