As a business coach to entrepreneurs and business people who want to increase sales and expand their businesses, I advocate the 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine. It’s a concept that is covered on Day 3 of my Bootcamp events when we cover the concepts of Pathways To Profits™ and determining your Next Best Step™. With Internet strategies there are so many things to do, the most important question is “what should I focus on?”

That is the “million dollar question”.

At my upcoming Exponential Internet Marketing Bootcamp, I will, for the last time, reveal how to do this for non-Platinum Program Members. The process takes a few hours to learn, but once mastered, you will always do the right thing, at the right time for the right reason/outcome.

It’s a simple, easy-to-learn methodology that I’ve developed to re-create success for over 2,000 businesses across 200 industries over the past 20 years. In fact, the strategies are so effective that I now GUARANTEE RESULTS when you attend the Bootcamp as a VIP Ticket holder.

As a business coach I don’t just reveal strategies, techniques and tactics that work, I advise and mentor my clients to learn to do it themselves. That is why I am The Exponential Growth Strategist and not “just a business coach“.

The saying “teach a man how to fish and he’ll feed himself for a lifetime” is true with business coaching, but most coaches don’t have the competency to teach, they consult and create a dependency with their clients to ensure they need them so their personal income is “secured”. I don’t do that. I make sure I teach people how to think exponentially leveraging a MasterMind Group of the most ambitious entrepreneurs around.

Why is this important? Because success on the Internet is about doing what works. Finding that out is a process. If you want to know how my clients do it, contact us and we’ll reveal the secrets to you, but you should know that this upcoming Exponential Internet Marketing Bootcamp is the last one I’m doing. That means in 2011, you’ll have to be a Platinum Program Member to learn these strategies.

I’m going ‘upmarket’ with my most valuable information and strategies. I will still have introductory seminars and workshops, but the most powerful will be reserved exclusively for those willing to pay for it. Their reward will be that I GUARANTEE RESULTS. I would think you’d agree that’s not just fair, that makes good business sense.

That’s the whole point, it’s win-win.. Ka-Ching!

Google Page 2 ‘Almost’ As Good As Page 1? Google recently reported that 38 to 45% of people searching on Google immediately click to page 2 because too many people are manipulating keywords to be on Page 1. That means you now need to be both on Page 1 and Page 2…

“The Internet is the easiest thing that is hard to do.”

As a business coach, advisor and mentor, I teach my clients little known facts like these to make sure they are always one step ahead of the competition. There’s a joke that explains this metaphorically:

There are two guys in the forest and they come across a bear. One says to the other “Oh SH_ _! We have to out-run the bear!” when the other says “No mate, all I have to do is out-run you!”

That’s the reality of Google rankings. If you want to make sure you’re always one step ahead of your competition, contact us. Most of our programs now come with a RESULTS-BASED GUARANTEE.

That says it all don’t you think?

At our upcoming (and last ever) Exponential Internet Marketing Bootcamp, we’re going to go well beyond explaining Social Networking as shown in the video below. We’re going to cover the risks and pitfalls of getting sucked into the Vortex Of Mediocrity where countless hours are wasted by people who fundamentally don’t have a life and therefore have no cash to spend. That being said it doesn’t mean it can’t be leveraged – it surely can, but not in the way the Internet Spruikers want you to think. Internet Spruikers want to sell you systems and solutions so they can make a fortune.

What we do for our clients is cut through all the CR_ _ to uncover what works. Like the $25, 15-minute strategy that increased a jeweller’s web traffic by 25% within a week. These are real results for real brick and mortar businesses. The strategies are so good and easy to implement, that we now guarantee them… That’s right, when you become a VIP Bootcamp ticket holder, we GUARANTEE you’ll make at least $30,000 in the next 12 months. That’s putting our money where our mouth is.

There is a great article on CNN’s website that summarises Nicholas Carr’s new book called “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains“. It reflects what I see in business people and entrepreneurs every day. People struggling to cope with more and more information, lacking the cognitive and reasoning skills to handle it. In this day and age, deep knowledge is increasingly important when technology and Internet allows us to be intellectually lazy and superficial. This is exacerbated with social networking where people spend countless hours with like-minded people, further narrowing their breadth of exposure to (the lack of) differing viewpoints and perspectives.

This is one of the foundational principles I teach my clients as a business coach, advisor and mentor. I challenge people to think, evaluate and analyse problems and situations differently. My process, methodology and framework will be presented at my upcoming event “Etch-A-Sketch Thinking In The iPad Age“. If you want to learn how to learn, think and reason in this quickly changing world, attend the event. The strategies are so good, I actually back them up with a $5,000 results-based guarantee.

This blog does a great job introducing you to ideas and concepts, but it’s superficial, just an overview. That’s the problem today. People wrongly consider information as intelligence and knowledge. Information is just bits and bytes of data. Intellect and knowledge is the ability to do something with that information.

It’s what engineers do when they problem solve.

It’s what lawyers do when they interpret the law.

It’s what physicians do when they diagnose illness.

It takes time, skill and a PROCESS.

Otherwise you’re just “surfing the web” thinking you can build your own house, defend your own case and cure your disease.

That’s the problem in a nutshell.

The solution is right between your ears. The question is will you do anything about it?

Today’s post will become a classic because it’s so relevant for anyone who is in technical support or has to deal with customer service requests. It’s a contribution from Daniel Pinter of B Technologies. There are so many lessons that we all can learn from… Of course AFTER we stop laughing (at ourselves)!

In a previous post, I explained the risks of phishing.  In the 2009 Annual Study Australian cost of data breach report, they state that the average cost per compromised record is $123. Can you imagine that? If you have 10,000 records in your database, that’s a whopping $1,230,000. Which is why the common statement holds true… “80% of businesses that suffer a catastrophic data breach incident close their doors within 18 months.

Pretty sobering stuff isn’t it?

What can you do to ensure you and you’re data are safe? Be diligent about LIMITING access to data and ensuring you have the best and latest technology possible.

I don’t want to get into the details today, just thought I would share the statistic for you – it sure makes more “real” doesn’t it?

“Phishing” (also known as “carding” or “spoofing”) refers to email that attempts to fraudulently acquire personal information from you, such as your account password or credit card information. On the surface, the email may appear to be from a legitimate company or individual, but it’s not. I came across this particular explanation of phishing that I thought was helpful and valuable enough to share with you.

There are so many people I know who don’t take necessary precautions to protect themselves – for example they don’t shred their personal documents. They just throw them in the trash… this is ESPECIALLY dangerous with apartment buildings. Let’s face it – if YOU were trying to steal people’s identities would you go through the trash to steal ONE person’s or 100, 200 or even 300 all in one go? Sure the pile would be BIGGER with 100, 200, 300, but so will be the payoff!

I am not a paranoid person, just cautious – on the Internet it’s just so much easier for people continents away to be malicious.

Facebook - Reputation Destruction Case Study

This was recently posted on Facebook by someone who thinks Facebook is a great place to sell his product…. How many clients do you think this post got him? Interesting isn’t it?

We are in a new era where our PRIVATE LIVES are melding into our PROFESSIONAL lives… Enough said.

Trying to keep up with Google’s policy changes is getting harder and harder. Ray Keefe of Successful Endeavours sent me this update that I thought you should be aware of – it concerns trademark use in Google Ads. We address these issues in detail with our clients, which is beyond the scope of this blog post, but I thought it timely and important for you to know about it. Information is power as they say. Of course what you do with that power is another story! When you come across news like this, please forward it to me by posting a comment on the blog. I make a point of making sure that ALL contributors are rewarded with a backlink, often more than one!

I’ve been using Skype more and more, but as I do, some people just don’t get it. New technology means NEW ways of working. Not OLD wine in new bottles as one of my Ph.D. professors used to keep saying when academic research was just a re-hash of what we already knew…

Skype is powerful technology – but it can also KILL your productivity if you let it. BECAUSE it has IM chat capabilities, some people think they can just send me chat messages and EXPECT A RESPONSE….

Y’see that’s the same as taking all your phone or mobile calls directly – you end up being a receptionist.

Time value… I’ve discussed this so many times before, but it bears repeating…

What do you value your time at?

At the upcoming Exponential Extravaganza event, I’m going to go into this into more detail, but essentially it’s summarised that if you want to make $100,000/year, every hour you need to create $100 of value per hour. If you want to make $250,000/year, you need to create $250 of value per hour…

So how can you do that if you answer IM or TXT messages in real time?

Something to think about… Something someone with an Exponential Mindset™ considers VERY seriously…

Ray Keefe of Successful Endeavours came across new data that shows Google searches are getting longer and more specific. Attached are a few pointers on how you can adapt.

The data reveals that the percentage of clicks based on search term length is changing. Clicks made through searches over eight words grew by 8.3%, with searches over seven words growing by 5.3%.

In contrast, clicks made through searches using one word fell by 1.1%, with clicks made by searches over two words falling by 1.5%. Searches using three words remained flat.

The data isn’t surprising as the growth of the Internet as a business tool results in more users searching for more specific data, such as brands and product names.

Google reports that 20% of searches are absolutely brand new, meaning they have never been typed into the search engine before. Users are having to think about being more specific to get through jargon and get to what they really want.

This is important for you, as you must think about what keywords you can use in order to show up in as many searches as possible when your target market is looking to acquire your product or service.

One of the biggest trends ignored by small businesses is search-by-location. You must start to use keywords relating to your  location, as users are more and more searching for specific brands and products by suburb.

Not enough small businesses think about ranking for their suburb name, which is an extremely easy thing to rank for and people will use it in very specific searches. This is necessary even though Google is getting better with that sort of thing, with both maps as well as business listings.

At eight words, which is pretty high, think about the things people would be searching for and the combinations they would prefer…

That means you must consider what you think users will be searching for and that means not just what you think should be an appropriate keyword.

For example, Qantas probably use the keywords cheap flights, but they aren’t targeting cheap air fares. Similarly, you might want to use the words “cheap accommodation” but also consider most people won’t type that into Google, chances are they’ll type in “cheap hotels” or “cheap motel”.

As I’ve explained in previous blog posts, you must not get obsessed with adding as many keywords as possible, but instead should add the right types of keywords.

Google Adword strategies are beyond the scope of this blog post, I just wanted to highlight that BECAUSE searches are getting longer, you need to keep that in mind…

You can thank Ray Keefe of Successful Endeavours for the initial source of information – by going to his site and having a look around – that’ll help his SEO!

I previously blogged about this, I called it Stop Feeding The Piranhas… It’s one of my Internet pet peeves. Always use the Bcc when SENDING or FORWARDING to a group of people to protect the email identity and integrity of others. When someone does it to me too often. I take them off my list and literally won’t send them anything. This is a great image to insert whenever you’re forwarding on fun stuff that we all love to get…

Stop Feeding The Piranhas!

Small Sounds, Big Deals: How Do Number Sounds Influence Consumers? This article was so interesting I just had to share it with you. Instead of interpreting it for you, go to the original article by clicking the hyperlink – it’s brief and exceptionally well written! You’re welcome. It’s who I am and what I do… Find stuff that you otherwise wouldn’t find yourself!

I have to admit that the whole concept of things being free gets out of hand sometimes… I came across this cartoon when I was in San Francisco recently… It sure hits home when you think of all the stuff people download from the Internet and never read or watch. They just automatically download it because it’s free…

I teach my clients to value their time and concepts called “Concentration Of Focus” and the “1 Touch Rule” to make the effective and efficient with their time and resources so they can get 3 times more done in half the time…

Free!

Most companies automatically choose their company name as their domain name. While that’s a wise move, it’s often a BIG mistake to stop there. In fact you could be losing as much as 75% of your leads because of it – keep reading if you want to avoid making this Internet Marketing Mistake!

Testing multiple domain names and picking the one that performs best (for example, in Google AdWords ads) is a very profitable strategy. Read More »»

This blog’s main focus is Internet Mastery - anything that has to do with the Internet for business purposes. Today’s YouTube video is another example of the strides we’re making with Virtuality – doing things that were once impossible. Watch the video and I’ll get to why this is important for you and your business.

The reason this is important to you and your business is… Read More »»

Many new clients we deal with realise that a lot of what we do is NOT DOCUMENTED anywhere – they have to do it because they have to TRUST this stuff works. THEN once they do it, they need to TEST and track using what I call Management By Metrics. That being said, it takes an open mind and a low uncertainty avoidance predisposition to even CONSIDER it. Its been well documented in the Entrepreneurial literature that success is directly proportional to the level of Uncertainty you are able to embrace.

Think about that.

This is especially true BECAUSE…

Read More »»

This one is a quick blog post – just a reminder when sending e-mail to NEVER EVER c.c. a long list – always b.c.c. this feeds the spam piranhas that are constantly searching for e-mails. I know, it’s just 1%, but it makes a difference to your reputation. There is nothing worse than all your friends getting on a spammers list ‘immediately’ after getting a long c.c. list from you. TRUST ME – this happened to a friend of mine who ALMOST GOT FIRED because of it.

At a recent Professional Mastery event called Unleash The Speaker Within, we discussed and explained the power of using metaphors when presenting in public. On the Internet, it’s equally if not more important BECAUSE the exchange you have with suspects, prospects and clients is usually TEXTUAL. The following metaphor mistake is important to avoid.

Copywriting Mistake To Avoid: Don’t mention the metaphor

Don’t mention a metaphor when you use one – that’s a copywriting sin. That’s like telling a punchline BEFORE the joke, it RUINS it. Instead start with and continue using the metaphor that YOU know is the thread of your message or your story to get the message across.

That’s it for today – sometimes the simplest, most straight forward distinction is the most powerful – don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.

If you want to learn how to write copy that sells <— Click here to find out more about our Killer Kopywriting, Konversation and Keyword Workshops.

Todays’ blog post is another copywriting mistake you want to avoid – making these headlines TOO complicated – stick to the BASICS – the headline is all about getting the reader to start reading the copy. For some reason, many people think they have to be long – they don’t – they have to be to the POINT.

The POINT is to create enough intrigue and interest for the reader  to want to keep reading – THAT’S IT, THAT’S ALL.

In our Killer Kopywriting Workshops, we focus on Kopywriting, Keywords and Konversations. We use actual case studies, examples and samples as well as create new copy LIVE and INTERACTIVELY in what I call streams of consciousness that can create magical outcomes – like the testimonial that just ‘happened’ instantaneously (click on the hyperlink to view the 2 minute video). Contact us to find out when the next workshop is scheduled – or purchase the Killer Kopywriting System online.