I posted a QR (Quick Response) Code for my MarketingChick.com website to my facebook wall about a month ago… Gosh, was I excited to finally have one of those ugly, funky, square squiggle things of my own! I even downloaded a qr code reader app and went scan happy for a little bit

However, it was quickly brought to my attention that having a qr code for your website is pointless unless it’s been optimized for mobile viewing because traditional, non optimized sites are ginormous and difficult to read/navigate using a mobile device. *sad face*

So I finally grabbed the WPtouch Pro plugin for my blog… played around with it for a few minutes… and voila! My blog is mobile/iPad friendly!! Hurray!!!

It’s easy peasy to install and setup… and my blog looks super clean when viewed on my iPhone! Oh, and if you’re wondering, the mobile theme is totally independent from the theme currently used for your regular, “desktop version” of your site. Here, lookie >>>

And that qr code at the beginning of this post… I used the FREE qr code generator at http://goqr.me. Create unlimited qr codes, select your own colors, and NO registration required!

Okay, now before I close this up, I wanna give a shout-out to Shawn Warren who told me about WPtouch Pro and Rich Patt who kindly explained to me the importance of having a mobile version of your site. These guys are rock stars… gracias, mi amigos!!

Alrightie… if you don’t have a mobile version of your site, I suggest you whip one up… and WPtouch makes it simple! Then generate your qr-code for free at http://goqr.me!! Seriously, I pretty much do everything on my phone… dunno why it’s taken me so long to make my sites mobile friendly! Now, excuse me while I do this to all my sites Ciao!

I saw the neat notice saying there’s a new version of WordPress… clicked on the auto install button… and there went TEN YEARS worth of my blog posts. WTFreak!!

I have no idea what the heck happened… my entire blog was gone. I tried restoring from a backup I made last month (because we all know how frequently I’ve been posting…) and that did NOTHING. Not sure if it’s because this version of WordPress is completely different from the previous… but all I know is my freakin blog was GONE.

So I reinstalled the script… reinstalled the Thesis framework… re-customized the darn thing from scratch… and this is what I’ve got so far. OHHH EMMM GEEE.

I can’t remember all that I’ve posted about in the last 10 years… let alone what I was thinking about just 20 seconds ago (which is a total lie because I’ve got photographic memory). So my poor blog is getting a re-fill of some articles I’ve written in the past that I think are still pretty kick azz and will be posting new entries as quickly as possible to get this blog filled up again…

Holy Sheeze!!

< update >

I was able to reinstall the backup on a test site, so it looks like it was a plugin conflict. What a pain in the butt. Whatever, I’ve reposted most of my favorite stories back on here anyway, so I’m going to keep this blog as is for now… of course I’ll be posting more often now that I’ve been reminded of just how entertaining I can be (at least to myself)… and I’ve been running backups every 15 minutes… obsessive compulsive much?

You’ve seen it… when a marketing guru is asked what the
secret to Internet success is, he/she immediately answers
in the most “I’m going to tell you something so shocking,
you’re gonna pee a raging river in your pants!” tone…

“The secret is… there are NO secrets at all.”

Alright, so I’m guilty of saying that at least once,
and I do apologize for the immense pain you must’ve
felt you in your underpants. But as B.S.-ish as it
sounds to me now, at the time I said it, it was
in all SINCERITY.

Look at it this way… we don’t have any secret
“magic buttons” that we push to pull in the sales.
The only button we have is marked “Send” and if
you’re reading this, you have it too.

And the special “insider tips” we have access to
that allow us to know which products will sell before
we even begin promoting it? Us seasoned marketers
like to call it – TESTING.

So, in that respect, there are NO secrets.

However…

Those *are* some of the very SECRETS all successful
online marketers use to rake in the profits. But because
they’re so “obvious” and “boring”, most people dismiss
them completely. After all, “Take Action” ain’t exciting…

But, there must be at least ONE hidden technique that can
catapult your sales overnight, right? I mean, heaven forbid
these millionaire marketers put some effort into their
business! There’s gotta be an EASIER way!

And there is.

Anyway, back to that “There’s gotta be an EASIER way!” part…

Let me be completely honest with you. I DO have SEVERAL
“secrets” to which I owe my own success to…

Secrets that enables me to work part-time for a
more-than-full-time income, pay off my mortgage, cars,
my parents’ cars, etc…. (And YES, I *am* showing off…
I worked my butt off to get here! But, that’s what I’m
here for – to SPARE you from chafing YOUR booty while
you build your ebusiness.)

Anyway, the reason why I said, “There are no secrets,”
is because these are simple, daily things that you probably
already do… but most people don’t put much importance
on them because they don’t realize that these ho-hum,
everyday actions can make or break their businesses.

So here are *MY* secrets. They come with no guarantees
except that if you regularly follow through with them,
your business will shift in the direction you’re
guiding it towards…

Secret #1: Have a GOAL

Even if you’re holding the world’s highest quality
road map, it’s hard to get anywhere if you don’t
know where you want to go.

You need to decide on a destination. And a
very *specific* one at that.

When planning a family vacation, you don’t just stop
your planning at “we’re going SOMEWHERE”, do you? No,
because if you did that, you’ll most likely end up nowhere.
To make the most out of your vacation, you decide on exactly
where you’re going, which airline to take, where you’re going
to stay, and most likely a spending budget and what you want
to do while you’re there as well.

Same with planning your business goals.

Avoid vague goal setting statements like, “I want
to be rich by the end of this year”, “I want a huge
subscriber list”, “I’m going to launch a product.”

Your goal must be specific and measurable. “I’m going
to make $50,000, $100,000, or $1000,000+ in profit by
the end of 12 months”, “I will increase my subscriber
list by 30,000 in the next 90 days”, “I’ll launch my
product within the next 6 months”.

This will make your goal crystal clear for YOU.

Secret #2: Use EARPLUGS

No matter how excited YOU are about your goals,
don’t expect others to share your enthusiasm.

I’ve been told too many times, “You can’t do that!” And
I’ve never understood how anyone can say that to another
person. Only YOU can decide what you can or cannot do, and
even that’s determined by the limitations you put on yourself.

There’s absolutely no reason why someone else’s limits
should stop you from reaching your goals and making
your dreams a reality.

Your goals are yours alone… don’t let other talk
you out of it just because they doubt themselves.

Secret #3: Work BACKWARDS

Let’s say your goal is to make a total of $50,000
in profit from your online business by the end of
12 months.

That comes out to about $4,167 per month – $1,042
per week – and $149 per day.

$50,000 may seem out of reach at first, but $149 per
day sounds less intimidating, doesn’t it?

Next, figure out how you can pull in that $149 a day…
You have master resell rights to a $49 ebook, a logo
design service where you charge a minimum of $150, and
you’re an affiliate for 2 products paying you $30 each.

To make $149, you can sell 3 of your ebooks, design
one logo, or 3 of each of the affiliate products.

To make $1,042 per week, you can sell 21 ebooks,
design 7 logos, or 17 of each of the affiliate
products.

Mix and match it!

So, even if you don’t sell any ebooks or make any
affiliate sales, you’ll be okay if you design 7 logos.

Do you see where I’m going with this? Once you have it
all mapped out backwards, it’s time to move forward!

You’ve created your own action plan =)

However… remember to be flexible with this. Your
“ultimate goal” is to achieve the goal you’ve set for
yourself. So if you find a way to get there faster,
(maybe you’ve added web design package at $500 a pop)
by all means, TAKE IT!

Secret #4: Put it into ACTION

Imagine this… The world’s most renowned
architect sits down with you to design your
Millions Dollar dream home and hands you
the blueprint.

If you go home and simply admire the blueprint
without doing anything else, does that put you
IN the house?

Let’s say you put a bit of effort into this and
you meet with the cabinet supplier and pick out
your perfect style, and do nothing more, does
THAT put you IN the house?

What if you do a little more and visit the bank…
if your bank approves your Million Dollar loan,
but you stop there, does that put you IN the
beautiful house?

No.

You can’t do just a little of this, a little of that,
and expect COMPLETE results.

Now that you’ve custom designed your action plan, you
can’t just let it sit there… or even read it over and
over again without taking action, and expect results.

The most Valuable Information is useless unless you
Act, Apply, and Follow Through.

Secret #5: Learn from MISTAKES

The fear of failing, or making mistakes, forces us to
protect and limit ourselves by playing it safe. By doing
this, you are cheating yourself from reaching your greatest
achievements. You only fail if you a) give up on your
goals by not jumping back into the game after making a
mistake, or b) jumping back into the game and continue
to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Making a mistakes doesn’t make you a failure. Your brain
can only learn by making mistakes… it leads to growth and
excellence. The trick is to take responsibility for it,
and learn and improve from it.

Secret #6: Keep An “IDEA Notebok”

Whenever a good idea popped into my head, I’d drop
what I was currently doing and start working on something
new. BAD IDEA! I was never able to complete anything and
constantly felt frustrated because I was always behind.

So, I started an “idea notebook” where I jotted down
these great ideas and disciplined myself not to look back
until I’ve finished what I’m currently working on.

This is actually more important than most people believe.
If you don’t finish a task you have on your “to-do” list,
you’re left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. When you
mark off a task and move on to the next, it helps you feel
like you’re accomplishing something, moving ahead, and not
wasting your time.

Did you know that completing even the simple task of making
your bed in the morning can make a difference in how you
look at your day?

Secret #7: Don’t stop until it’s COMPLETE

Let’s use another analogy, shall we?

You step out your front door with the intention
to walk straight down the road to your favorite
gourmet bakery. About two blocks… less
than 10 mins, right?

Well, almost as soon as you start moving, you spot
a candy sale across the street and head over for
some sweets.

Then you come back out and start heading towards
the bakery. But, you run into your friend and
decide to stop for coffee.

You leave the coffee shop and head back towards
the bakery. But, for reasons unknown, you stop
to ask someone if they can recommend a
different bakery to shop at.

Then as soon as you step back in the right track,
you decide to turn around and head back home because
it’s getting dark… and besides, whole wheat
bread is “good enough” for now…

You get back into the house and check your clock,
and to your surprise, you were out for over 4
hours! You take out the whole wheat bread but
you really don’t have a taste for it, so you end
up going to bed without dinner.

// That’s what happens when you don’t focus on
// reaching your goals and allow yourself to
// keep getting distracted.

I admit, there are goals I set YEARS ago, but have yet
to accomplish. Doing my 30-day pilates workout for one…
I keep stopping at day #10! If I just kept going for 20
more days, I’d have a body like Daisy Fuentes by now.

The worst part is, 20 days is NOTHING compared to the
4 years of missed opportunity since I last did pilates.
But no, I still go to bed shaped like a summer squash.

Seriously consider “opportunity costs” and “following
through”. Like I mentioned in the beginning of this
“lesson”, when you take action, your life has no
other choice but to shift in the direction you
are guiding it towards.

Finally…

Once you take everything I just told you and make it a
HABIT, it only gets easier. Set specific and measurable
goals, decide you’re going to get it no matter what happens
or what anyone might say, focus your eyes on it, and don’t
stop moving towards it until you’re sitting on top of it!

How do you think those marketing gurus keep whipping up
new products every month, and sell hundreds and thousands
of dollars worth their products every time? They’re
addicted to the feeling they get whenever they
achieve their goals.

Look at some of your favorite marketing sites… those you’ve bookmarked because the writer of the ad promised to teach you how to become successful.

“I’ll show you how to increase the number of your opt-in subscribers without paying for leads, using worthless free services, ad swaps, etc.”

“Get more traffic to your site quickly with my super duper 1-2-punch method that’s easy enough for even my legally blind, 91 year old grandmother to pull off!”

“Learn how to whip up sizzling ad copy that will increase your sales and have visitors begging you for more!”

You read over these magic pages with drool sliding down your chin, and excitement in your heart. You whisper under your breath, “This is definitely the solution to boost profit for my business!”.

You download the material (or access the membership site) and as soon as you get your burning eyeballs on the product, you shout in anger, “This is a scam! I’m not getting what I thought I was getting. I better get my money back!”.

(Maybe you’re not all that dramatic and just quietly feel like you keep seeing the same old information that’s not exactly for you…)

Sound familiar?

PEOPLE… these sales letters are *NOT* lying to you!

* You CAN increase your subscribers for free.

* You CAN get more traffic to your site quickly and easily.

* You CAN write copy that will greatly increase your sales.

Yes, You Can!

“But, but, but… those ebooks and courses say I have to: write articles to show potential customers I really know what I’m talking about… team up with other webmasters… practice writing copy by rewriting an already proven copy on paper by hand… put subscription boxes and pop-ups on my sites… Conduct a split-test for all my marketing material… research my market… participate in forums…”

Why, you are absolutely correct!

It ain’t sexy, is it?

That’s because you were hoping that…

Revealed inside the product is the address to a secret website where hundreds of thousands of people gather and wait for you to find them so they can all subscribe to your newsletter and make you a millionaire.

Or maybe someone will finally confess that those “guaranteed hits” programs can really work, and the traffic you get from them are really targeted to exactly what you’re selling, and there really is a place where you can spend just $10 for a gazillionbillion “hits” that will convert to a bazilliontrillion new customers anxious to throw their life savings at you.

How about a magic word, number, or whatever else you fantasized about… that you simply insert into your existing site or copy, transforming it into a wild and uncontrollable money machine without having to put any effort into learning how to write…

Whoa there, hot stuff! Take a cold shower and come back in 10 minutes.

Look through your hard drive and see just how many marketing products you own. Have you read through them all? Do you put into practice, split test, and fine- tune all that they teach you?

How many articles have you written for the market you’re targeting? Are you testing different pay-per-click techniques? Do you split test your web and sales copy? Name 20 webmasters or online business owners you’ve contacted to possibly team up with.

What inspired me to write this is an e-mail I received from someone who asked to cancel his Internet Marketing Support Network membership.

“Cancel my account and refund my money [$1]. I need to make money ASAP, but, what you teach in there is how to find and create products and instructions on how to sell it on the Internet. That’s not what I’m looking for.”

So, what were you looking for? To pay a buck and wake up the next morning to find thousands of dollars in your bank account just for being a member?

It’s an inevitable fact. No matter what those sales letters say, you must be prepared to sweat. It takes effort, testing, persistence, perseverance and constant improvement and fine-tuning to be successful.

No matter how boring a technique or strategy may seem, give it a try. You won’t find it so dull once you start seeing the orders come in : )

I’m SO not sexy. I’ll leave that to JLo and Ben.

In high school, while my friends worked at the mall and
fast food places, I earned extra cash as a hula/Tahitian
dancer. I performed at weddings, birthdays, cotillions,
corporate Christmas parties, you name it – and charged
a hundred bucks a dance.

The parties would usually request 3 dances, each
dance around 3 minutes long, and I always had at
least 2 performances every weekend.

At $100 per 3 minute dance, and 3 dances each
performance = $300 for 9 minutes… twice a week
= $600 for 18 minutes

My friends were working their butts off, waiting on
tables and organizing the stockrooms, 4 hours after
school, three times a week… earning $5 per hour.
$5 x 4 = $20, at 3 times a week = $60.

Who worked harder? Who earned more?

One more example…

About 10 years ago, my little cousin, who was
5 years old at the time, played the role of “Tam”
in the “Miss Saigon” First National Tour.

If you’ve seen this breathtaking musical, you
know the kid stands there for a few seconds, get
carried around by a pretty girl, then bows his
head when someone is shot.

The little brat ear.ned $2,000 each week.

You’d have to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a
week, ear.ning $50 per hour to make that.

It’s like investing years of your life in research,
testing, and creating your product, spending hundreds
and thousands of dollars in marketing what could be
the most brilliant item ever to hit the market, and
making just enough to almost break even… while a
22 year old mixes some nail polish colors to match
a pair of sandals, and that idea quickly explodes
into a multi-million dollar business.

“Carmen, you’re rambling again. What’s your point?”

My point is… the amount of work you put into your
product doesn’t determine how much your market will
gladly pay to get it. Consider what products and
services have a high perceived value in the eyes
of your prospective customers, and cash in!