Ross Goldberg, Carrie Wilkerson, Coach Deb, Kevin Riley, Brad Semp, Lee & Robin Collins, Colin McDougall, Warren Whitlock, Yanik Silver, Erik Stafford & Alan Bechtold, Mari Smith, Joel Comm, David Preston, Mark Joyner, Kevin Nations, Stuart Tan, Simon Leung, Howie Schwartz, Michel & Sylvie Fortin, Matt Bacak, Andrew Sundstrom, Patric Chan, Ray Edwards, Bob Jenkins, Dan Nickerson, David Wilkinson, and Micheal Savoie.

So as you can see from the list, this was definitely worth the small investment of $10 for those who took immediate action and $20 for everyone else. Either way, Ross undercharged and overdelivered!

And it wasn’t just Ross who overdelivered. Every speaker I heard (still catching up on speakers I missed through the available replays) overdelivered with great content and actionable steps.

Yes they all had products to promote, but the special offers they put together for Ross to offer us were more than generous. As if their time, expertise, and tips weren’t enough. The only problem I had was deciding what and who I was to spend my limited funds on.

From what I hear, Ross plans on doing this again sometime in 2009. If he does, I would strongly suggest you make the investment and attend. Ross thought of everything when he put this event together, he had some of the most sought after speakers, a forum for attendees to network, chat sessions for attendees to network and ask questions, and replays to accommodate all schedules.

The Virtual Masters Seminar was an awesome event that was filled with out of this world speakers, offers, and new friends. I can not say enough good things about the Virtual Masters Seminar and Ross Goldberg.

Thank you Ross for an Experience of a Lifetime!

Always Grateful!

I had heard Howie a few months ago on a teleseminar with another well-known Social Marketing Web 2.0 genius,  Jack Humphrey.   I was simply amazed to hear what they had to say, but in retrospect, I was not ready for the content they delivered.  It just sat there in the back of my brain as I continued to focus my efforts in other areas.  The impression lasted however and the names would not be forgotten.  I continued to keep up with Jack through his Friday Traffic Report and heard Howie maybe one other time (not really sure of this as I think I had him mixed up with someone else).  In any case, I liked the quality of content they delivered and put them on my “worth following” list.

Then I heard Joel Comm on Ask.JoelComm.com answer the popular question,  ”What’s the fastest way to make money online?”  You can watch the clip here if you like but the short answer was, “Go to a conference!”  “Go to a conference!”  

According to Joel . . .conferences are a great way to Learn and Network.  At conferences you not only get great content from people of authority, you’re able to meet and network with like minds.  Who knows, you may just find your next JV partner or even mentor.

So when I heard about the Online Profit Workshop and that it was being held in NYC (local for me) I really gave it a second thought and decided to take advantage.  Must say, “NO regrets!”  Probably one of the best things I could have done for myself so far since starting online.  The energy, the content, and the resources were unbelievable.  And the fact that this was a small group setting really worked to my advantage. 

When the workshop was over and done with and I was walking out of the room, all I could think of was, “This man just handed us (on a sliver platter) what he does repeatedly to succeed.  While I’ve only been online now for 7 months, if I apply what I learned from Howie Schwartz at the Online Profit Workshop, I’ll be at least 6 months ahead of the average marketer. Hmmm,  I’d be a fool not to apply what I’ve just learned.”

That’s how intense and beneficial the content he delivered at the workshop was.  He gave us a sense of how his mind works and actually walked us through the exact process he uses to find a niche market and then dominate. 

In closing, if you can get yourself to a live event, step outside your house/office and go!   If you hear Howie Schwartz is in town, get there faster! 

We all know that working online can be difficult in the sense that others really don’t understand what we do and we can start to feel isolated and alone.  At least that’s my experience.  But live events have benefits galore – resources, networking, knowledge, and energy just to name a few. 

Peace and Prosperity!

Are they honest?  Can I trust them?  Will their product or service truly benefit me?  Why them and not competitor XYZ?  If all these questions are not answered to their satisfaction, they will move on to your competitor.

This is precisely why you should work on building up a customer base.  When you have a group of people who trust you and know from experience that you deliver quality and value, they’re more likely to be repeat buyers.   This will ensure that you have a recurring and consistent source of income. When you release a product or make an endorsement, you have a group of people always ready to hear what you have to say.

There are several sources that you can tap into to start building a customer base. For example, you can participate in an online discussion forum and give advice and help for free. It won’t be long before people start to recognize your name and stop and listen every time you have something to say. You will become a valuable friend and teacher, and gain the trust of these people. Wouldn’t you buy something your close friend recommends?

Another way to build a customer base is to build a mailing list. There are a gazillion methods to collect subscribers, but the bottom line is, it’s all about proving your value to the crowd and offering an incentive to make them become part of your mailing list. A typical example would be a website choke-full of freely available, helpful and quality articles on a certain subject plus a “special report” that can be downloaded for free provided you give your email address. The rich content provides value, and the “special report” is the extra incentive.

Yet another source for your customer base, which is often forgotten, is your existing customers.  Consider Proactive Customer Service for the Online Business .  If you bought a product from a particular person and s/he was available to answer all your questions (an indication of quality customer service), would you buy from them again in the future?  Definitely. When a customer gives you their money, don’t look at it as a done deal and the end of the affair.  Instead, look at it as the beginning of a new relationship.  Consider keeping in touch with them by sending them updates to new products, holiday cards, birthday card, and newsletters.  If you can build on the “like” and “trust” factors (people buy from those they like and trust) and develop a relationship with them, you will have a lifetime source of income.

Imagine if 100, 1000 or even 10000 customers are waiting to grab your newest products even before they are released! Hence, it’s vital to build a customer base because it simply saves a lot of time and effort.

Peace and Prosperity!