Online Business Tip: How 3 Blog Posts Cause Explosive Traffic, Engagement, And Profits

Today’s lesson is the most important one in the series so far.

In case you haven’t been following along, I suggest you get yourself up to speed first. Because it’ll make what you’re going to read here much more powerful and useful to you.

We started on last Friday with a blog post made up entirely of questions. It’s titled, “A Daring Blog Post.” (Click on it and read this one first).

Next, on Monday we continued the conversation with a post that answered the riddle of whose successful marketing starts with a single sentence. It’s titled, “Entrepreneurial Success in a Sentence.” (Click on this and read it second).

Then yesterday, I showed you the single biggest mistake both entrepreneurs and marketers are making online today and what you need to do to solve it. It’s titled, “Greater Empathy = Greater Rapport = Greater Profits.” (Click on this and read this third).

Good. Now you’re up to speed…and primed to get the most out of this post.

It’s now 7:45 a.m. and I’m writing this post from my ocean office. In fact, here’s a picture of it.

writing-todays-post-at-the beach.jpg
Yep, I’m writing this on the beach on a yellow legal pad.

Why am I not pecking away on my laptop?

Because I discovered long ago I get my best writing done far way from a computer. It’s no secret that I have ADD and its simply too tempting to have access to too many files when the task at hand is writing. Plus it seems much more personal to me to write to you in freehand.

Why am I at the beach?

Because it’s the most inspiring place for me to be. In fact, I start every morning here (unless it’s raining). I always start by writing in my journal first for about an hour. Next, I tacked the most important business task at hand. And today that’s writing this here post to you.

Now you might be saying to yourself “well, that’s all well and good Rich, but how does what you’re doing relate to me improving my marketing and making a lot more money online?”

And you know what? That’s a fair question…so let me clear that up for you right here.

YOU’LL LEARN AS MUCH (IF NOT MORE) WATCHING…
WHAT I DO RATHER THEN JUST READING WHAT I TEACH!

You see, believe it or not, in just 3 days of blog posting I’ve already accomplished quite a few objectives. Some of them are the same goals others struggle with for months to achieve. So the most valuable advice I can give you today is to lift up my skirt, so to speak, and show you the method behind my madness.

O.K. now before I begin I should admit you’re probably not starting out at the same place I did last Friday. Heck, I’ve got a reputation, I’m a known entity, and I’ve got a substantial list. But so what?

Even if it took you ten times as long and you got only 1/2 the result I did, would it be so bad?

Ten times as long would be 30 days instead of 3, big deal right? But what results am I talking about? Well, brothers and sisters, read on to find out…

Last Thursday, I was looking over our website stats. It wasn’t hard to notice our traffic was way down, engagement was sort of non-existent and our sales were less than I’d like them to be.

Also, I felt I have become a little out of touch with what the markets’ concerns, questions and desires were.

So, I decided to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

And you can learn more from what I did in these past 3 posts than what you’ve learned from reading them.

On Friday, we had more traffic to the blog than we’ve had over the past three months. And more visitors engaged (judging by the number of comments) than we’ve had in over SEVEN motnhs.

In addition, I immediately plugged into the concerns, questions and desires you had, my dear reader, by reading all the comments you graciously shared with me.

Now, if that wasn’t enough, we also saw sales shoot up a bit. All-in-all not too shabby from a single blog post.

So on Friday and throughout the weekend, we achieved positive momentum in all the key areas I was concerned about.

And to an entrepreneur like me, positive results in any marketing is more addictive than crack to a junkie, so I entered this week like a man on a mission.

Next, on Monday I added to the momentum. How so? Our traffic on Monday more than doubled again, engagement continued and ancillary sales inched up even higher. And I got an even clearer picture of what was on your mind.

Then, yesterday (Tuesday) our traffic doubled again. In fact, yesterday’s post hit Alexa top 10 most popular pages on the entire Internet at least 3 separate times!

The engagement continued and miscellaneous sales were even higher than I expected. So, you can see why I am so excited to share these results with you and help you translate them to your own business.

O.K, enough bragging. It doesn’t really suit me, but I thought it was important to share with you the achievements so you’d be even more motivated to use what you’re learning here.

So, what are the lessons?

Well young grasshopper, I’m glad you asked. Let’s…

BREAK DOWN THE MAJOR OBJECT-LESSONS

In Friday’s post:

I did something different and unexpected – (a blog post made up of entirely just questions). That’s important because doing something that is (1) unexpected and (2) unique, are two key ways to get a lot more attention than you would do otherwise…

I teased you a bit (sorry) with something you might want to know. Do you remember? I said, “Would you like to know how I learned more about my prospects problems?” And many of you said yes! Which immediately increased engagement and also laid the groundwork to get you coming back to the blog so I could deliver on what I teased you about…

I engaged in the conversation by responding to commenters in the comment section. Showing readers there’s a real benefit to commenting…

In Monday’s post:

I delivered on what I teased you about in Friday. So I came through for you. Some of you thought – hey I told Rich what I wanted to know and he did what I asked and then asked yourself what other things you might want to know and asked me. So I showed you that I’m a stand up guy that you can trust and gave you an even bigger incentive to share your desires…

I taught you something new, showing you that I can provide value and that coming to the blog was worth your time…

I promised you more posts at a specific time and a specific frequency which gave you a clear reason and time to check back and read the next installment. This is incredibly important if you want to build your traffic and you don’t have a large list like I do to rely on. In fact, by Tuesday we already were getting lots of readers coming back to see if the post was published at 10 A.M. on the button…

I gave you an example from my work, showing you I practice what I preach while at the same time getting quite a few readers to download the report which was a nice secondary benefit…

I continued to engage by replying to comments – turning the blog post into more of a conversation than a dialogue. This gets you more comments because it gives readers another reason to participate because they can see that you are reading their comments and replying…

I ended the post with two questions – one about your biggest takeaway (to get you to acknowledge publicly what value you got from the post – a form of social proof and commitment) and the second about what you wanted me to focus on in future posts (once again giving you another reason to check back tomorrow)…

In Tuesday’s post:

I delivered again just as I promised I would regarding the time, day, and providing value once again. Showing you that you could count on me to honor my promises and giving you an even greater incentive to check back tomorrow…

I started the post with a link back to the prior post with a strong recommendation that it be read first. This increased the amount of time on the site and number of pages the average visitor read for the day. It also helped new visitors get up to speed on the conversation that was already taking place…

I pulled 18 comments from the previous day and incorporated them into the post, highlighting one as being the primary motivation for the entire post. Once again this shows readers (1) there’s a strong reason to comment, (2) that the series is really an ongoing conversation and not a static monologue, and most importantly (3) that I really care about you and what you are saying and I take it to heart when I write the next post. Obviously, this enhances the bond between me and you (a reader of the blog), and gives an even stronger incentive to comment and interact with me and others on the blog…

I taught you a new distinction. This one might have explained why you’ve gotten less than ideal performance in the past, and showed you a way to remedy it in the future. Proving to you the time you spend reading my posts is time well spent. You can probably see how this increases repeat visitors, traffic and engagement all in one fell swoop…

I continued to engage by replying to comments…

I ended the post with the same two questions again for the same reason I had done it the day before…

I also asked you (at the end of the post) to retweet the message which helped bring a plethora of new visitors to the blog – new prospects that I could begin to introduce myself to.

So, there you have it. What do you think?

And more importantly… CAN’T YOU DO THE SAME?

Like I said, often times you can learn more from watching what I do.

O.K., now even though I’ve shown you the method behind my madness – I would REALLY appreciate your feedback on this post. Especially since tomorrow is a clean slate. And I got to figure out what I am going to teach you next.

That stated… Can you please share with me (in the comments below):

1 – the most valuable take-away you had from this post…

2 – how you’ll use what I taught you today…

3 – what you want me to write about tomorrow (even if you’ve already told me in prior posts)

And, oh yeah, can you please retweet this post (it’s below the title and to the right, remember?) and feel free to repost it on your blog (as long as you credit me and link to the site) if you so desire.

till tomorrow at 10 AM (sharp)…

To higher profits and beyond,

Rich Schefren

UPDATE — THE SERIES CONTINUES — YOU CAN READ THE NEXT POST IN THE SERIES BY CLICKING HERE!!!

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Comments:

walter daniels

The comment about relationships, just became that rare “Aha” moment for for me. I’ve always looked at having a relationship with my customers, but never thought of it in terms of personal relationships. Even though I apply many of the same techniques to both, they never crossed.
A few weeks ago, I ran across a saying that applies to personal relationships.
You fall in Love by chance.
You stay in Love by Work.
You fall out of Love by choice.
These are related to personal relationships, but they also apply to business. Customers/clients come to us by “chance.” We keep them by working to meet their needs, and wants, just as we do with those close to us. Then, they stop buying, because we quit caring about them. Just we we stop loving someone, because we choose to. Both cases lead to losing someone. One is a loss of income, the other to emotional pain, for one or both involved.
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

thanks nahyan… please keep me (and everyone else) informed on the results you get from modeling what i’ve done
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

thanks fisayo… as long as readers come back and continue to comment (that’s the real important one to me) it’ll be extremely hard to stop.

never fear being transparent… in the end, there are no secrets anyway (smile)
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

hector – you’ve got to get to the beach if you’re that close! but it took me a long time living here before it occurred to me too.

about the journal – in one of my posts i am going to have to write about journaling… i’d say it has been the most influential and biggest cause of my success, happiness, and achievements in life. so stay tuned…
http://doonlinebusiness.com Sandeep Nath

Rich, I am wondering about the ‘popularity’ of your posts (that little widget). How’s it recorded and what does it indicate?
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

ken – i consider that a HUGE compliment that i was able to get you engaged…

and as far as me commenting back – the comments to me are what the post are all about. nothing gets me more excited to come back to the post and see a bunch of new comments… and when i don’t see any, i hear the voice in head say “bummer, maybe that post wasn’t as good as you thought.”

also, commenting back takes very little time for me – funny how writing the post can take me so long but the comments seem to come out of my mind as quickly as i can type – (hmmm…. note to self – i need to understand why that is… sounds like i may have some issue i need to deal with about how i think about the posts)

but if i ever wanted to stop i would do it slowly… a little less each day – but i think it would be unwise to ever stop completely because it does send a message and it’s probably not a message anyone would want to send to their readers
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

sandeep, that’s a good question. i have no idea! i think todd installed it – i guess i’ve got another question for todd.
walter daniels

I can understand Noel’s reaction. He’s too lost the constant “what’s in it for me.” I doubt that you did this because you needed more sales, not that you don’t always look for them. Noel would never understand the idea of giving away valuable product, to gain trust and eventually generate sales, because of his single minded focus.
Once I have my site up, RSN, I will give away the core of the book, in condensed form. I hope that people will get two things from doing that. 1) The core ideas in the book. 2) Decide they want the remaining information and how to apply, from the the book (and pay me for it :-)). So, yes it hopefully will increase sales, but it will help people. The latter reason is the most important, as I’m sure it would be for you.
IOW, people who don’t understand how it needs to be, will probably never do so. Ideally they would wake up to the why’s and what’s, but many can’t. No amount of explaining an get it across, because it requires a complete mental change.
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

i am about to go to bed – so i can’t write as lengthy as a reply as i’d like to your comment.

but i guess where we sort of split in our perspectives is this – i wasn’t sharing what i had done to show you a “gotchya” – far from it… what i was doing (aside from showing a model that works) was giving you the experience from both sides. first as your readers might feel as they get swept up in the engagement, second as someone who markets- because you can do a much better job marketing when you’ve been effectively marketed to.

i guess, i don’t see it as a trick – because i do care – and i know that always has to come first, then it needs to be displayed, etc… plus if it was purely economical i’d launch a new product, or do a quick promotion for one of the many great products we have – and i’d certainly make more money doing that than this.

so, why am i doing this? because i want to (for one) and because i felt it was necessary to – for many reasons, some i’ve already given others i need to keep close to the vest (so to speak) for a while longer – and don’t go jumping to conclusion noel about what i mean by that… it’s not a trick, or some scheme, just something i feel too personal about right now, and need to let it breathe for a while before i open that can of worms.

regarding the rest of the points…. i’ll need to get back to you on those.
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

i’m not sure i agree with you walter, although i appreciate the support. i didn’t think noel was that far out there. but the dialogue will continue, and you might be right, or he might just be trying to convey his message in a way that might make him appear naive.
http://mrfairgo.com Mr Fair Go

Mesmerised…. Read through the complete thing – all your previous blog posts on this topic and all the replies, starting with the “Questions” post. Took a couple of hours out of an already very busy day.

But only because it was worthwhile.

You see, I recently read How to be Invisible by J.J. Luna, that suggested to me a completely different line of product for one of my companies. A different way of positioning us in the marketplace. I am pretty sure it is a greatly desired service. But I wondered how to find the market that I know is out there, how to engage them, and how to explain something that can be quite complicated. And I am currently reading No B.S. Business Success in the New Economy by Dan Kennedy (having been a “Planet Dan” dweller for years) and trying to figure how to apply Dan’s great ideas to this particular niche.

Your series has awoken an idea that perhaps driving traffic to a blog is the way to go. I will install another blog this afternoon and set about applying these ideas. You’ve motivated me that far already! :)

So yes, please add my voice to the chorus requesting how to do this with a completely new blog and a relatively unknown product.

Thank you Rich.
MA

Dear Rich,
I would like let you know that your teaching method has literally changed my life You are a very different kind of mentor and educator… that is why i was attracted to strategic profits …. i have spent a lot of years in colleges and universities but i haven’t found anywhere else what I learned from you …. this is an acknowledgment to your entire free reports and products on the founders club… when i first saw your vedio about the founders club… i couldn’t believe what i was watching b/s my mind is wired just like a founder. but it didn’t occur to me that was where i was heading … so I just felt like i found a mentor who just understands what i am going thorough … :)

on the other hand,
i can see how people can miss interpret your teaching
but i think you give away so many valuable lessons b/s you have so much to give …. when people start to be greedy they dont grow exponentially!! they dont look for new ways to improve themselves . They are hung up in one little asset they have and they demand more to give that away, but i think you dont hold back b/s you already know so much more !

enjoy the beach :) i wish i can be there too …
living on the beach is under my ” wants list ” …. i am going to design and build a house by the beach one day and i will send you a big thank you then :) please keep up the good work!!

Rich,
**** P.S ” As i mentioned above, i have been inspired by your teaching methods, and I strongly believe you can take it to a whole new level ! I am working on a fascinating project that I would like you to consider seriously. I highly recommend this project for you! I think you have the power to change so many lives! If you are interested please let me know how to contact you so we can discuss more about the project! **** Thank you ! MA
http://DreamStyleVacations4You.com Roger Due

1. Doing something different and unexpected gets noticed. Following through with a specific action to engage prospects & customers reading the posts gives valuable feedback. Answering the questions helps understand what the market wants and results in increased sales.

2. I had already planned to engage readers of my blog with questions that I would answer. Now I have more ideas on how to do this better. Thanks.

3. What are some of the strategies we can use to continue this engagement without it losing its effectiveness?
http://DreamStyleVacations4You.com Roger Due

I just viewed the source of this post and searched for ‘Popularity’ and found the following link that explains it:
http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest
http://www.soccermastermind.com Thomas

This is great stuff, border line Genius.

Thank you for doing this. Also the photo of you on the beach with the note pad, very inspiring.
http://www.webmasterhelpers.com Hans Henrik

Rich, great and inspiring post as always…

However, with the snow piling up outside and the coldest winter in more than 15 years, I believe I’ll just wait a week or two before going to the beach to write. :-)
But you know what… I think I’ll get dressed and take a walk down to the ice-covered Roskilde Fjord. When I get back, I’ll have a cup of tea and start writing.
http://www.datingsecretsfordivorcedwomen.com/blog/love-and-dating-predictions-for-2010 Suzy Weiss

Rich,

Great post and great series. I must admit, I’m late to the party.

I read your email yesterday with the subject line, “Blog This Way To Create A Traffic SURGE”.

I was curious so I clicked and read…. now I’m hooked, reading everything in the series.

I kept asking myself, “Why didn’t I know about your Friday post that started this avalanche of activity, interest and interaction?”
I read your blog sporadically, so I don’t go there unless an email triggers it.

Going back over your emails here what I have:
Friday: “Did you get your Makepeace Stimulus Package?”
Tuesday: “Here’s Your 5-Minute Marketing Breakthrough…” Which I didn’t read.

So, in reverse order:

3 – Write about tomorrow (Today)
If you are willing to share what were your stats day by day in terms of how readers got to your blog.
X number via email
y number via RSS
z number via Search Engine
t number via some other significant traffic source

Basically, answer how you got this ball of activity rolling

2 – How I’ll use…
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

1 – Most valuable take-aways (MVT)…. Can’t pick just one…
yellow legal pad, No computer, hand writing, at the beach (inspiring place), start every morning (Ritual) journal for an hour, Next, tacked (communicating taking priority over spelling perfection) the most important business task at hand, “WATCHING WHAT I DO vs. READING WHAT I TEACH”

Nice!

Suzy Weiss
DatingSecretsForDivorcedWomen.com
http://www.hakimjamali.blogspot.com Hakim Jamali

Hey hi rich,
felt great to read your articles & the way you have increased your traffic.I always wondered why i was not able to generate traffic on my blog http://www.hakimjamali.blogspot.com. & had left blogging for a year or so.

Now i came to know tht I did not make it as interactive as you have done it. I will surely apply all the techniques i have learnt & create some breakthroughs & share the results with you.

I am developing my e-commerce website to sell products which I currently sell at my shop, so wanted to know what different things I could implement to create awareness about my site & help people to buy products online.

Best Regards
Hakim Jamali
http://wwwcontractorblabblog.com Glen Kohlenberg

Gee Rich I don’t want to be the bad guy here but I thought you were spending to much time on the beach? For the longest time all we heard from was Todd.

Todd is good but when you get used to hearing from the master and then all of a sudden nothing? Maybe this is the main reason your traffic is down.

I understand we all need a break and glad once again your ass is in the seat and your toes in the sand and now we have something to look forward to again!

Thanks for the lessons!
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

You aren’t the first person to say that glen… so no offense taken… in fact, i wish more people would of said it sooner so i wouldn’t have made the mistake i made.

the good news is i’m refreshed, recharged, reinvigorated, and ready to tackle your most pressing challenges with you…
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

thanks hakim…

make sure to read the follow up post i wrote – it’s here:

http://www.strategicprofits.com/blog/a-formula-for-business-growth-vcx2p/

it’ll give you more guidance on how to make your blog more profitable faster!
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

thanks suzy,

one of my goals is to get lots more people who are where you are (don’t come unless an email triggers it) to the point when 10am rolls around they are anxious to read the next post.

so, far there’s been improvement, but not as dramatic as i’d like so i’ll be working more and more on that in upcoming posts… who knows i might incentivize it somehow… right now, i’m not sure.

glad you are getting value out of what i’m writing.

Oh yeah, here’s an update regarding the numbers… yesterday we grew our traffic by another 40% – so we’re getting close to a ten-fold increase from the start! if that’s not encouraging and motivating i don’t what is!
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

glad your getting value and distinctions roger…

i don’t know how to answer 3 yet… but just keep paying attention and i am sure i’ll come up with some new clever ways.
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

you can always get a sun lamp hans…. LOL!
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

genuis… huh? i’m going to have to show your comment to my wife debi

in the follow up post i show you what the beach office looks like from the outside looking in (sort of)

you can check it out here:

http://www.strategicprofits.com/blog/a-formula-for-business-growth-vcx2p/
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

you know living in on the beach is one of my dreams too. but the house (if you’d even call that – more like a castle) i have my eye on is still a little out of reach.

but it occurred to me a while back i didn’t have to wait to live on the beach to enjoy it! in fact the strategic profits office is only a few blocks away from the office so i just go to the beach first, do my work there and then head into the office.

while the goal has to wait… the enjoyment doesn’t!
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

Dan’s books are great! I’ve read them all!

I’m also a subscriber of his NO BS Info-Marketing newsletter which gets my highest recommendation…

in fact, i was quite honored this month because he started out the newsletter talking about a blog post that your truly wrote and how he agreed with it entirely.

thanks for the feedback – and keep reading because we are going to break these concepts down until they are easy – promise.
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

profound thought walker… i really like that saying and i couldn’t agree more.
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

don’t know if this is blog spam or not – but your blog isn’t designed for the reader it’s designed for search – so it’s no wonder you might be struggling – just saying…
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

you know andrew – just read the archives of this blog… i’ve done it so many times you’ll pick up on a thread that’ll deliver what you are seeking.
http://www.glennmagas.com Glenn Magas

My friend forwarded this to me and wow, what great ideas! I am so inspired! LOL

I’m now a huge fan of strategicprofits! KEEP EM COMING!
http://www.jcsedits.com Kerry W

thank you for your reply

Are you referring to “Intention Deficit Disorder?”
Reviewing it now.

If not, can you be more specific as to which post?
http://www.strategicprofits.com Rich Schefren

thanks glenn – and thank your friend for me too.

have you read the next post yet?
http://www.raybanstore.co.uk ray ban store

I enjoyed the article and thanks because of posting such valuable info seeing that all of us to skim, I become of come upon it both of speak and communicative and I blueprint to grill it as commonly as I can.
http://www.leadguitarzero2hero.com Charl

1. Most valuable was to see the desired outcome you had behind your actions.
2. I will start by posting a blog post each day for the next month for my readers who wants to Learn Lead Guitar
3. Could you write a bit more on ways to warm up prospects before we make offers?

Thanks Rich, you’re the man!
http://cheapgiftideas4u.blogspot.com siti

Hi Rich,

First of all I’d like to thank you for sharing us the golden nuggets in marketing. I’ve only open your e-mail today and I’ve read all your blog posts at one go. Something I’ve never done before. I must say you’re got the power to keep me glued.

The strategy of using questions,tapping in to readers minds and making into a two way session (dialogue) is very appealing. Something that i have not used much in my blogs. No wonder they suffer. Hopefully I’ll use these strategies now.

What I’m hoping from you is help on how to overcome this fear of not being able to deliver what my readers or customers wants. Thus my hesitation on building a list. Also how to get them to buy from me.
Anthony T. Lim

Dear Rich and Paul:

This conversation REALLY resonates with me, professionally and also personally.

About your questions Paul:

1) “So, how can we show our potential customers we really love them? How do we become the expert that really cares? The doctor that just isn’t interested in the new yacht he wants to buy?”

How can we show true care and love? I do believe that to prove this, one must establish trust first (below).

In regards to true care and love, IF the person puts forth the effort to protect you (even if it means telling you that internet business may not be for you…. at least right now); IF the person has hopes for you (helps you build genuine hope in yourself and your own passions and abilities); and if the person continues to deliver and remain faithful over a long time,

…then you can almost surely “feel” and “believe” that the “care/love” is there. This is after trust has genuinely been established.

2) [BUT] “How do we really gain their trust? And how do you do that when nobody really knows who you are?”

As I find myself maturing more and more as a person and marketer, I find that oftentimes the HARSH reality is that it’s HARD to get people to trust you. Sometimes, for certain audiences, it will be IMPOSSIBLE (technically) for them to trust you EVEN IF they knew about you.

Generally, in order for someone (let’s say you) to gain a little trust in you, you must be in the same boat as they are. You know, you risk the same things they risk, you are paddling WITH them on the same rickety boat. In marketing terms, this often equates to money-back guarentees (FULL or 1-year or lifetime guarentees) and such.

The way to gain true trust is to have gone through exactly what your prospect/customer/audience have gone through in their life, but not ONLY have gone through it, but also have SOLVED it personally/professionally, even if it is just by a little bit.

Find a client. That’s the shortcut to becoming an expert. My mentor’s favorite quote is, “In the land of the blind, the guy with even just ONE eye is KING.”

Find a friend, church member, family member, friend’s employer who doesn’t know one lick of marketing/blogging facts (but could benefit from it). Just put your experience and Rich’s advice into practice, learn what works for you and what doesn’t work as often.

If your first client goes well, its easier to find the next client: Just tell them you solved 1 client’s struggles and you can accomplish the same for the new one.

Once you find 1 client, finding the next 2 is easier. Once you find 2, finding the next 4 gets easier. So on and so forth.

In all reality, all you need to get started is that ONE customer who is the first to believe/trust in you. Treasure them, Bond with them (as Rich suggests), for it’s that 1, 2, or first few… that are going to turn you into an expert over time.

Sometimes you can’t be an expert in the eyes of EVERYBODY. What makes really good experts different from mediocre experts (there are those out there) is realizing that they can’t help some people….

… SO they find some OTHER EXPERT who can help the “unhelpable.”

For example, I have a marketing mentor, right? I still highly respect my marketing mentor even after he honestly told me he couldn’t help me specifically with restaurant marketing nearly as well as other niches. However, rather than leaving me with a dead end, he does know SOMEONE who IS good with the restaurant niche and arranged for us 2 to meet. ^_^

@ Rich:
1) My take-away, this really cool chance to share my thoughts and ideas! It was a pleasure to meet both you and Paul. ^_^

2) I’ll make a little “cheatsheet” out of the principles you have kindly BOLDED for me to reference when I go on my own ventures.

3) How to make blog’s genuinely “You” (as in how to make my blog genuinely “me”)? Is “me” marketable, in a practical sense? Should I chase where everybody else is running towards? Or should I have some confidence to walk my own path?
http://www.bfreetomorrow.com Kris

Hi Rich

Finally got back to catch up on your posts, and what a remarkable read, Up to here in one sitting (also wrote a post on your posts at same time) I know this has been said many, many times before but you really hit the nail on the head. I now realise why I dont have may readers but that will now change all thanks to this highly insightful session.
The best take away, How you teased us and made reading compulsory it was so easy to create momentum.

Thanks Again
http://www.projecth2o.org/irohaproject ben

Thank you very much for the very interesting and informative 3 day blog post. I have to say yes I was lazy to not read it right away and copy paste the entire 3 days blog into a word document for later and today I finally read it. I learned that commenting on other peoples blogs especially those related to your own is worth their weight in gold but not just commenting but also interacting (replying to) with readers. So yes right now I am doing my part to be active rather than the majority of passive readers out there. It is true most readers are passive readers. Thank you a million times
ben
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