One of the best ways to learn the internet marketing business is of course to be mentored by those already successful. Being mentored by, or associated with, a successful person has another seldom talked about side. People assume that if you associate with successful people, that you are also successful. It’s no secret that being seen with famous or successful people can help to bolster your success image too. Knowing this, one way to speed your way to success is to systematically associate yourself with successful people. Aggressively use the principle of “success by association.”
I have observed this not only in the internet marketing arena, but in many other businesses too. In the military and politics ambitious individuals make a point of getting known by and seen with the rising stars. Among the rich, those not as rich make a point of showing up at functions hosted by, and being seen with, the super-rich. That’s part of the reason some people are more than happy to have photos snapped of them at celebrity events.
In the marketing arena, Dan Kennedy gives an example of how this can be used. He speaks in his seminars of the fact that his promotional materials often mentions he appeared on the same stage with former presidents, celebrities, and top-paid speakers. He admits that he didn’t really know these people but could honestly say that he was on the same program with them. In the mind of many prospects, his appearing on the same program, puts him in the same ” success league.”
You can apply this same success by association principle in your marketing. This is done in several fairly easy to implement ways. The easiest ways is to show that a famous person agrees with you about a product that you are marketing. If you can’t get a direct endorsement from them, you can still quote something they said about the product. Your customers will naturally connect you to this famous person in their subconscious minds.
Of course, if you can get a direct endorsement, that so much better. If it addresses you by name it lend credibility to the product AND lets your prospect know that you are successful enough to know these “big names.” An endorsement from a big name carries much more weight that a testimonial from an unknown, so make a habit of asking for testimonials from “big names” when they use your products or services.
Another way to use success by association is by joining the same clubs, membership sites, or efforts as personalities that you want to be associated with. As an example, I am a supporter of the Internet Toy Drive. My name appears on their website at: http://internettoydrive.com/ along with many better-known supporters. People browsing the site, subconsciously assume that the supporters share similarities. We are all lumped together and the lesser name individuals do get some added credibility in the mind of those reading the site.
Joining any membership site or organization can have this effect. This is especially true if the site has stringent membership standards. You gain from being associated with a group of successful people who have banned together for a common cause. Every member of the group impacts the group by his behavior. Every member of the group benefits from being associated with a group which is supported by successful individuals.
It really pay to “court” success. Make it a habit to get to know successful people. Make it a habit to get known by successful people in your business or field. In the internet marketing arena, one of my favorite ways to do this is through seminars, workshops and even tele-seminars. At these events you get to know people whom you can form mutually beneficial relationships with. Get to know people at these events, and deals and partnerships naturally flow from these relationships.
This concept is so important that I recently created a portal site where people can go just to locate events where they can network with appropriate people. The site is called “Internet Marketing Seminar Schedule.Com” The url is: http://InternetMarketingSeminarSchedule.Com Go there to locate tele-seminars and on-location events to further your business building efforts. It’s a great place to find something close to home. Also, feel free to submit your events for a free listing on the site. Instructions are on the site.
The concept of success by association is rarely openly discussed but frequently practiced. If you aren’t actively using this principle, then your business isn’t growing at a fraction of the speed that it could be growing. Start using this “business secret” today and watch your business take off. It’s one of my big “success secrets.”
Willie Crawford has been teaching Internet marketing for
over 9 years. Take advantage of his uncanny insights and
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