As an internet marketer and web designer, I am frequently contacted by, I’m sure, well-meaning folks who just want to ‘Ask me a quick question.’  Kathleen Gage recently posted about this topic on her blog. She sums up the issue we internet marketers have with ‘quick questions’ that folks want answered for free, and why we can not do this without going broke.

I love to help people. My personal motto is: Honor God. Help People. I do that every day; of the time and place of my choosing. I’m in control of my time – I have to be. My free information is located right here on this blog (genesisblogging.com) and I have a lot of free information here. I also post in Lynn Terry’s free public forum, as well as her Private Elite forum, and of course on Twitter and Facebook. However, there has to be limits on what I share and when.

Why the limits?
Because time is money. I could literally spend all day answering everyone’s questions for free, then would have no time to actually make the money I need to help support my family and pay my bills.

If you want a free internet marketing consultant, try Google.
I don’t mean to sound snarky or ugly, but Google is your friend when it comes to finding free information.  I know most folks are not intentionally taking someone’s time without considering the cost; but it is something that needs to be said.

Searching for the Easy Button
For those few folks that are contacting internet marketers and asking questions in search of an ‘Easy Button’, or a short-cut to their own success to find the missing puzzle piece as to why they are not successful themselves; or assuming that the internet marketing ‘guru’ as some missing ‘It’ that they don’t have…. NEWS FLASH: there is no missing anything – except you taking action. The only ‘Easy Button’ is this one you can buy at Staples for $4.99.

Internet Marketing Consultant One-on-One Coaching
If you need one-on-one help, most internet marketers have a coaching program (me included) and you can get the help you need. Yes, it costs money – but if you are not able to make progress using Google to provide you with the information you need, and/or you need more specific questions answered to help you move to the taking action phase so you can get to profit in your business – then invest in coaching! It’s worth it.

To YOUR Success,

Traci Knoppe

P.S. If you need coaching, I have coaching time slots available.

Internet Marketing SEO Method = Google Page One

Wow! This is so amazing! Six weeks ago I attended the NAMS workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. While there, one of the many useful things we were taught was this Google Page One formula method to get a web site on the first page of Google in less than 24 hours. One woman actually accomplished this while at the workshop!

So here it is, six weeks later, and I am just now getting around to applying this method. What I did was take a brand new domain, that obviously had no web site built yet, no backlinks or anything (this is actually a brand new outsourcing service business that I started) and I followed the steps in this report and sure enough – it worked!!

Check out the video to see proof:

Now go get the report and try it for yourself!

Google Page One Fast

To YOUR Success,

Traci Knoppe

P.S. After you have gotten the report and applied the methods, please come back here and comment and let me know your results.

Do you have a small business, or online business? Is it profitable? If not – why not? What are you doing to make your business bring in profits? How long have you been doing your business? A day, week, month, or perhaps a year or more?

I ask these questions because I see them asked time and time again by individuals all over the web; and even in Lynn Terry’s message forum in both the public and private Elite forums.

No doubt, starting a new business (online or offline) is serious; but, the one thing I see repeatedly is that folks get that ‘deer in the headlights’ stance and don’t move and take profitable action.

What’s profitable action? It’s actions and steps that will move you and your business closer to your goals. We can easily get busy setting up our Quickbooks, tweaking our web site, our this, that and the other thing – and all of that is fine, but those are merely distractions from doing the real purpose: to make money.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everything is about money; but unless you’re starting a free help business, then you’re in business to make money for doing or selling whatever your real business is about – right?

If that’s true (and it is!), then why are you still sitting at the starting line picking out curtains for your virtual Windows?! Forget the window dressing (aka: picking the ‘perfect’ blog theme) and start doing what you need to so your business will bring in some money.

After you are making sales, then you can go back and tweak things down the road.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying go out of your way to make your site so folks can’t use it.

7 Minimum Key Steps to Reach the Shortest Distance to Profitability

1. A plan. Call it a business plan, an action plan or goals – whatever you call it, you need it. Write it down. You can’t get where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’re headed and how you intend to get there.
2. Product or service to offer: whether your own, or via an affiliate program.
3. A web site or blog. You need a place to put your message/notification of what you do/offer and thus a place to direct people so they can buy.
4. Site content/sales copy that clearly and succinctly states what it is you do and/or services you offer
5. Include a clear call to action: i.e. you need to tell your site visitors what action they need to take next
6. Organized site navigation. If you use WordPress, this is usually done for you, but don’t hide your content and make visitors hunt it down – make it uber easy for them to find and get to. A confused site visitor will not buy – they will leave! Make sure you include an easily visible way for folks to be able to contact you.
7. Enough confidence, drive, ambition and desire to take action and just do it!

There are obviously more things that could be listed above, but these are the core basics.  Point #7 is critical for the success or failure in your business, and actually is what creates the shortest distance to profitability.

My mentor, Lynn Terry, posted recently in her message forum on this very topic. When the chips were down, and her back against the wall and there was no other choice but to succeed or watch her kids starve – she persevered and did it! Her Grandmother was a huge influence and personal inspiration for her.

It’s easy to sit and watch the famous ‘guru’ from afar and not realize what action steps they took to get there. Don’t be fooled, it takes hard work to become an ‘overnight success’.

No Whining  or Procrastinating Allowed

So what’s your excuse for not making a profit in your small business? Everyone has excuses, or reasons, why they aren’t taking action and making a profit in their business.  These excuses and reasons are what’s holding you back.

Here’s a few I see often:

• Fear Fear of failure. Worrying that they’ll do something wrong, they then do nothing.
• Approval and Permission Not taking any action without first getting approval or permission from someone else.
• Excuses These are wide and varied, and yes there are certain situations that come up that truly do require your full attention, but often these are excuses to avoid taking action.
• Lack of Focus Being too easily distracted by the ’shiny object syndrome’ and not staying focused with your eye on your planned goal.

Believe It to Achieve It

All of the above are reasons why many folks have ‘failure to launch’ and never reach profitability for their business. The root of it all is disbelief. They do not truly believe they can succeed; so they use fear, approval seeking, excuses and distractions to keep them from success. The bottom line is they don’t truly believe they can. So they don’t.

Our psyche is powerful and is the true root of our belief system. Call it confidence, self-assurance or belief.

Belief + Action = Achievment

Believe It and You Will Achieve It.

To YOUR Success,

Traci Knoppe

P.S. Listen to my radio interview on 8 Tips for Business Success

P.P.S. A guide I highly recommend that will help you achieve the shortest distance to profitability Homepreneur Habits: How To Run A Successful Home Business