Wish you all could have made it.

On Friday, I gave it my all with a 2-hour presentation on finding a niche market, creating products, getting more done in less time, and on writing sales copy.

It was pretty intense. But a lot of fun.

As you know, I think being in a Mastermind group is the most important step in your path to success, so that’s why you hear about me going to so many of these meetings.

You get a chance to network with some real sharp people, and they’ll give you powerful feedback on what you need to do to improve your products and marketing. (Plus, they are always a ton of fun.)

I’ll be talking more about our mastermind later, but over the weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about some keys to success that almost no one talks about…and here they are:

1) Delayed gratification

People who want everything NOW always seem to struggle at building a successful business. After all, there’s pretty much no such thing as overnight success.

All of the big time successful guys and gals that I know, like Bedros Keuilian, Carrie Wilkerson, Mike Geary, Vince Del Monte, and Holly Rigsby, ALL put in their “time” and paid their dues to work hard to get where they are now.

So don’t “demand” miracles. Be patient and do your work everyday. Success will come.

2) People who make the most money are the most prolific – the ones who create the most products.

Last week I added product #123 to my Turbulence Training Clickbank account. Plus, I have 3 other fitness websites that sell product, as well internet business coaching and my Online Second Paycheck System.

This gives me almost 150 entry points into “my world”, where I can continue to build powerful relationships with my new clients and friends.

Contrast that to a business that revolves around just one product.

Unless you miraculously crack the ad words code, being a prolific product provider will CRUSH a single product business every time.

3) Successful people do a million things at once

Now don’t get me wrong, I want you to stay focused, but you need to be doing a million things to get people to know about your products, to promote your products, and to keep your clients happy.

Plus, you must always be thinking about the future and creating a long-term vision and moving towards it.

It may seem chaotic, but if you have systems in place, you can be involved in “millions of things” that will move you to your goal.

4) Saying, “May I interview you please”

Carrie Wilkerson taught me this one, and it’s a killer tip. One of the best ways to break into an “inner circle” is by offering help first, and that includes interviewing big name experts to promote them to your list first, before you go asking them for help.

This is a killer action tip you can put into practice today.

5) People are interested in people with passion – and the most successful people are extremely passionate about what they do.

As I taught on the weekend, when choosing your niche market, you need to focus on an area where you are passionate.

For example, I love helping and teaching people, and that’s why I’m writing this message on a Sunday afternoon while I have a couple hour break between social events. I love doing this.

And that’s how you need to feel about your business.

If you let your passion die, then you business will too.

Stay passionate!

PS – Passion + a mentor = success!

Never forget, the easiest way to succeed is to get help from someone who is already successful and has made mistakes so that you don’t have to make the same ones.

Get involved in a mastermind group or with a coach as soon as you can.

…sitting in the Vegas airport waiting for the overnight flight back to Toronto…but it was worth it to have a full Sunday at home rather than spending all day in the Vegas airport and on a plane.

I had a good time in Vegas – low key, with the exception of a wild and crazy handstand pushup party on Friday night. But that’s a long story for another time.

And I had some pretty cool conversations with other business owners, so here are a few things that I learned in Vegas that will help you…

1) You are going to annoy someone.

Always.

Guaranteed.

So get over it.

What am I talking about?

A lot of folks are scared to email. They are worried it might annoy someone and then people will unsubscribe from their email list.

Well, if you’re worried that you’re going to annoy someone, I have good news for you. You’re right.

Even Mother Theresa annoyed people. So I guarantee that you will too.

You can’t please everyone. So just give great value, make it fun to be a part of your world, and make a call to action so that you can sell your products.

Some people won’t like it, don’t worry, because 100x’s more people WILL LOVE the message you send out. And those are the folks you need to focus on.

Bottom line:
Don’t be afraid to contact your readers when you have great information to share.

2) Quit being boring. Start being entertaining, personable, like-able, and “easy to relate to”.

People don’t want to do business with someone who is perfect because it makes them feel like they can’t succeed.

So if you’re perfectly polished and trying to teach people how to accomplish what you’ve done, it’s going to intimidate them and they won’t even try.

My friends Bedros Keuilian and Steve Hochman are two of the funnest, easy-going, “like-able-est” guys I know and that’s one of the main reasons they are so successful selling their Fit Body Bootcamp Licenses.

I recommend taking a page out of their books. Here’s a personal example…I received a lot of positive feedback when people saw that I drive an old 1997 Nissan Maxima.

Why?

Because they are sick of being promised fancy cars and instant riches. If you give the impression that you are a “slick rick” and perfectly polished, then you’re going to repel clients rather than attract them.

Keep it real. And have some fun.

3) Crush It

I bought copies of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book, “Crush It” for about 10 friends of mine and I’ve never received as much positive feedback about a book as I have with this one.

Get your copy NOW. And crush it, in your own way.

4) Go deeper

Take your passion and your niche and specialize in it first. I want you to completely Crush It as the expert to your chosen market before you try and become the guru to another market.

Make it known that you are a market leader.

Not sure how to position yourself as the market leader – even if you have tons of experience?

It’s easy.

Just create a 2010 “predictions” report for your industry.

For example, if you’re an expert on time management for moms, then write a report on the 7 hottest new trends and technologies that are going to help moms save time in 2010.

That will immediately position you as the go to person for your niche. Everyone else will be a follower. And people LOVE to read about predictions so your report should get passed around to a lot of new readers.

5) Take ACTION and follow instructions from your coach and mentors.

A novel concept, huh?

But surprise-surprise, the folks in the Vegas Mastermind who made the most progress since the last meeting were the ones that used the advice they were given last time.

Massive action = massive progress.

This is why you need to be in a Mastermind – because you get proven advice from mentors, coaches, and colleagues who have been there and done that – and you get to learn from all their mistakes and experiences so that you succeed faster.

If you think you can sit at home in isolation by yourself and somehow continue to grow your business every month, you are sadly mistaken – and not making as many sales as you could be.

So get out there and get involved. Get a coach. Talk to others. Make alliances. Meet affiliates. Connect on joint ventures.

Take action today!

This time I’m off to Vegas, last week it was San Antonio.

And I wonder if I’ll see anyone famous this week? Last week it was Chuck “The Iceman” Lidell in the San Antonio aiport (at 5:30am!), the week before it was one of the guys from Metallica at my hotel pool in South Beach.

Surely in Vegas I’ll come across someone who is famous…at the very least I’ll be hanging out with Vince Del Monte. He’s “almost famous”.

Ha! No doubt it will be good times this week. A mastermind group always is.

Some of the biggest benefits to a Mastermind group (which you can set up even in your hometown with other ambitious business owners) are…

1) They hold you accountable.

If you say you are going to do something, you sure as heck better come to the next meeting with it done. Otherwise your fellow group members are going to be disappointed. If you need some inspiration to get things done and follow through, a good mastermind group is the solution to your problem.

2) A mastermind group breeds healthy competition.

If you have any ego at all – and every successful business owner that I know wants to be the best – then you’ll get fired up when you hear about the grand plans of other members.

Of course, this is healthy competition. First of all, you’ll get fired up to help your fellow members, but their success will also motivate you to step up your game.

If you are feeling complacent, there’s nothing more powerful for getting you out of a rut than hanging around guys and gals who are kicking butt while you drag your butt.

3) A mastermind group will help you take your biz to next level.

If you isolate yourself from other business owners, I guarantee that you won’t be thinking BIG enough. You’ll be holding yourself back by staying in your comfort zone. That’s fine if you are happy with “getting by”, but if you really want to excel, you need to be around the best of the best – and that’s what a mastermind group provides.

Again, you can set one up in your hometown or even online with like-minded business owners. It doesn’t have to be the same industry.

In fact, sometimes it’s better to have outside viewpoints from folks in completely different businesses. And the great thing is that you can get powerful new ideas by transferring what’s working in other industries over to your business.

So those are the 3 main reasons I’m going to Vegas this weekend.

When I’m there, I’ll be getting some help from my group on how to get more continuity in my business and on creating 2 new products for my Turbulence Training biz.

Plus, I’ll be sharing killer tips on…

1) How to pick the right price for your product
2) The best upsell strategies
3) How to do more promos in your business
4) The truth about SEO (and the most important factor for traffic)
5) My 7 step launch sequence

(I shared a few of those last night on the Website Webinar for Online Second Paycheck clients.)

I’m stoked about Vegas this weekend, even though I don’t even care if I go to any restaurants or clubs. (In fact, I’m flying in Thursday night and flying out on Saturday night on the red-eye.)

It’s all about the Mastermind,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

In addition to Carrie, she had well-known and highly respected Internet Marketer David Frey as one of the speakers, and his presentation gave me pages of ideas that I can’t wait to implement.

Carrie also let me speak for an hour on the Basics of Building a Better Website Business on Saturday afternoon.

I ended up finishing my session early and opened it up for Q’n'A to the crowd.

One woman asked me about what she should do if she didn’t have any bonuses to add to her incredible offer.

Instinctively I replied, “I would just get them done.” (What I should have said was, “I would have already had them done.”)

The crowd laughed and I apologized to make sure I didn’t offend her, but my point was that she needed to stop thinking so much and get to work on finishing her project.

Overall, one of the biggest mistakes beginners make is that they procrastinate. Sometimes folks like to lay the blame on “ADD” but I call “baloney” on that.

I’ve even used “ADD” as an excuse before, but to be honest, it was only a lame justification for being lazy and undisciplined.

“Work” isn’t always fun, even if you are working in your area of your life’s greatest passion.

There will be days when you need to give up the ADD excuse, force yourself to keep your butt on your chair and TAKE ACTION with ruthless implementation.

So that’s tip #1.

Here are 4 more tips – some that you might not want to hear – that will help you succeed online.

#2 – Have 100% clarity in business model (know what you will NOT do)

David Frey gave this great tip during his excellent presentation, and it sums up another beginner mistake.

Too many folks don’t know what they want their business to look like, and as a result they get pulled in many directions (often chasing the latest “bright shiny object” that promises them instant riches).

But if you have a clear, long-term vision for your business, it will help you say NO to the wrong projects and keep you focused on the right projects. Powerful, but simple stuff.

#3 – The more products you create the more money you will make.

Another one of my friends said the same thing at a Mastermind meeting last month, and I agree. That’s just one of the reasons I continue to create a new Turbulence Training program each month, plus at least one major new program each year.

Product creation is simple. From audio to video to leveraging your past work, you can put together a huge catalog of resources to help your clients.

And in most cases, you still won’t be able to create enough products to satisfy your top clients.

#4 – Get your first assistant ASAP!

David Frey said getting an assistant was one of the biggest breakthroughs in his business. Again, simple, but powerful.

Like me, David isn’t too quick to part with his money, but like David, I found business only goes up when you delegate the lower skill tasks to others so that you have more time to focus on your strengths – and that’s the only way to grow your business.

#5 – Go to seminars.

David said one of his other biggest regrets was not attending more seminars when he was just starting out.

Both David and I are not naturals at “in-person networking” but we both now realize the immense value of attending seminars, not only for the content, but probably MORE for the contacts you’ll make.

See you at a seminar soon,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – One other thing David wished he did earlier…

…was join a Mastermind group.

I’ll be back later this week with at least 5, if not 10 of the amazing reasons you should be in a Mastermind group.

Again, powerful, yet simple stuff that helps you succeed.

mastermind meeting

We just wrapped up another Online SuperProfits Mastermind meeting in Toronto last month, and it was the best one yet.

And I have 12 success tips I can share with you…these aren’t the advanced insider tips we share behind closed-doors, but these are some valuable time-management and business boosting tips that can help you get to the next level.

Overall, major breakthroughs were made in everyone’s businesses – even for veterans like Vince Del Monte. And it was great to see two of the best-ever OSP students – Adam Steer and Eric Wong – showing everyone how they are taking their unique fitness products to the world.

Alright, so here are 12 quick success tips that you can implement today…

1) Remove yourself from most of the mailing lists you are on

Most of us get way too much email…and we don’t need to be signed up for every business guru’s email. In fact, maybe this newsletter isn’t for you. If not, unsubscribe. It’s okay. As long as it helps your business. And if you need more time to work on projects, cutting back on guru emails is the first place to start.

2) Stop emails going to your blackberry

The only emails that should be going to your blackberry are urgent client emails or emergency family emails.

You shouldn’t be getting newsletters or friend’s emails sent here. That just wastes your time. Send all of that correspondence to a gmail account and do NOT connect that to your blackberry.

3) Just get it out. Fail forward.

Too many people are taking too long to get things done and out to the market. You are using your “perfectionism” as an excuse for your fear of failing.

Get over it.

The world isn’t going to end if you start selling your product and only make 5 sales.

In fact, getting it out there and “failing forward” will give you the necessary feedback to make it better. If you have a product and it’s done, start selling it now. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect so you can have a “big launch”.

4) Sell at $9.95 rather than not at all…

Big launches are over-rated for most people. Just make an amazing offer to your current list to get a few sales under your belt now.

If you have a product that you want to sell for $39.95 and you only have a small list, then offer it to them for only $9.95 as a “Thank You” to them for supporting you as you get started. With a list of 100 people you’ll probably get 30, 40 or event 50 people to order, and you’ll make a few hundred bucks.

On the other hand, you might not make any sales at $39.95 and you wouldn’t get any feedback on the product.

So stop procrastinating and get it out there.

When I first launched Turbulence Training in 2003, it sold for only $9.95…just so I could get it out there.

Even 10 sales of $9.95 is still a lot more than the zero sales you are making by not putting it on the market.

5) Take your deadline and cut it in half. Get it done now!

Here’s another way to attack procrastination…most people make the mistake of setting deadlines so far into the future that the deadline is no longer a part of reality.

The analogy is the college final term paper. Sure the professor announces it on the first day of class, but the end of term seems so far away, right? So no one starts working on it until the last week before it is due.

And that’s what many business owners do…they set a long-term deadline – “Oh, I’ll get my product done in the next 3 months” – but that is not a concrete deadline and time slips away and the project never gets finished.

So take your long-term deadline and cut in half – or more – and put some urgency into your work. Light a fire under your butt and you’ll get your work done a lot faster and you’ll be way ahead of the competition who is too afraid to fail and too lazy to set real deadlines.

6) Don’t worry about anyone that hates you.

Not everyone is going to like you. Sorry to burst your bubble. But this came up at the meeting and we all had to realize that some people are just going to be “haters” and you have to ignore those folks. Worry only about what your clients and prospects say about your products and services, and focus on making them happy.

7)    Leverage content (turn great emails into video into free report)

Take your best emails and videos and turn them into more in-depth content pieces such as free reports and future products. Track the response to everything you create and you’ll discover new hot topics that can turn into great sources of website traffic and even new products to offer your customers.

8)    Be the authority

You have to be the expert in your niche market. You need to have articles, videos, and interviews of you demonstrating your expertise. Use everything you have – magazine articles, interviews, TV spots, even Youtube videos – to demonstrate your credibility and overcome skepticism.

9)    No email till 3pm

In addition to cutting back on the number of emails you get, you also need to cut back on how often you check your email. After all, email sucks the productivity out of your day. The longer you can hold off on email, the more you will get done.

make money online

10) Spend 3 minutes every other day in Google Analytics to understand your online business

If you aren’t using Google Analytics or some other tool to track your website statistics, you’re leaving a lot of business on the table. It’s free, easy, and takes less than 15 minutes per week. Set up Analytics on your home page and thank you pages and find out where your traffic comes from and where it goes.

I have an entire chapter dedicated to testing and tracking website visitors in The Online Second Paycheck System.

11)    Tie in to holidays

Tying in your business promotions to current events and holidays is one of the easy ways to call more attention to your online business.

For example, in my Easy Veggie Meal Plans business, we’re having a sale to mark “World Vegetarian Day” on October 1st, and we’re creating special vegetarian eating bonuses for Thanksgiving (which I’m renaming “Thanksveganing”.)

Every week represents an opportunity for you to creatively tie-in your business to something going on in the world.

12)    How to get a full-time Virtual Assistant for only $250 per month!

This is a great tip from OSP Mastermind Member, Adam Steer of Bodyweight-Blueprint.com.

Adam went to the Manilla, Philippines version of Craigslist and advertised for a Virtual Assistant. Within a day he received several replies and worked out a deal with a VA to provide full-time service for only $250 per month.

Even though there are some small language barriers, this has freed up over 100 hours per month from Adam’s time so that he can work on the major factors in his business while delegating the minutae.

That’s a killer online success tip right there.

If you have any other tips, please let us know.

To your success,

OSP Audio Coaching Program

Craig Ballantyne
Creator, Online Second Paycheck System

PS – You also need to have passion and you need to be prolific.

More on those two success tips in a future post…