If you have dealt with many people in the Internet marketing
field, you have undoubtedly run across "The Whine".
This is an attitude filled with self pity, the desire to have
the rewards of Net marketing without paying the price, and often
a great deal of hostility. It is an almost 100% certain path to
small business failure.
If you aren't familiar with The Whine, two examples will clarify
this deadly attitude that you want to avoid at all costs.
I reward those who subscribe to my auction ezine with a free
ebook that I wrote. One morning when I opened my email I found
two emails from new subscribers - apparently the link to my book
was broken. One subscriber simply explained the situation and
asked for a remedy. The other sent me the email below:
- - -
Subject line: SPAM Complaint
I WAS PROMISED "HOW TO SUCK UP CUSTOMERS FASTER THAN A
VACUUM CLEANER ON STEROIDS" FOR SIGNING UP FOR 'AUCTION
GOLD' BUT WAS TAKEN TO A PAGE TELLING ME THE ITEM NO LONGER
EXISTS...
DON'T YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD NO ABOUT THIS ON DISCUSSIONS
BOARDS EVERYWHERE? I DO!
- - -
My response was courteous and professional – and very
firm. I explained the link problem and assured him that the book
did indeed exist. I also expressed my curiosity over how this
was a SPAM complaint when HE contacted us and not the other way
around.
I expressed my dismay over the aggressive and hostile stance he
had taken before even bothering to ask about the book. And
further, I politely told him that we would not be a good match
and I would make certain he would not be bothered by emails from
us in the future.
In other words, I did not want him as an ezine subscriber or
customer.
I received a reply from him which said he reacted that way
because he had been “ripped off in the past”.
Further, he “demanded” a copy of my book.
There it is ... The Whine. He's been ripped off in the past, and
that's a justification for rudeness and hostility (though he
could be cheated when the book was free was a mystery to me).
Have you ever been “ripped off”? If you haven't,
it's because you haven't bought much of anything. I have wasted
thousands of dollars on material that has gained me nothing.
But you know what? I don't regret it. It's a necessary part of
the apprenticeship fee that I paid to learn the net marketing
business. I still buy things often – ebooks, software,
services. But I rarely buy wrongly anymore. Why? Because I've
learned the business well enough to recognize value when I see
it. I am so blessed to be in this exciting, wonderful Internet
world. Some wasted money is a small price to pay.
As a little girl, once I got past the fairy princess and movie
star stages, all I ever wanted to be was a teacher. To realize
that dream cost me four years of hard work in college and many
thousands of my parents' dollars.
Further, once I had a teaching position I went on to get
advanced degrees. That cost me many summers, most weekends,
thousands more dollars and long days of going to class after
working all day. No complaints – it's just part of the
price I paid to do what I wanted.
So, why do people assume that having a net business should
require no sacrifice or preparation? Once I was coaching a new
auction student, explaining how she could get started. I asked
her if she had any questions and there was a long, long silence.
Finally, in a whiny voice she replied, “That sounds like a
lot of work”.
Well, guess what ... it is! And here's the analogy I used for
her: If I created a $10,000/month auction business and just
handed it over to her .. free gratis ... “Here, it's all
yours.” - what would happen?
I can assure you that in a very short time it would all fall
apart, because she didn't have the skills she needed to keep it
going! It's like starting the first grade and being assigned to
an algebra class. Skills build on each other and there's no way
around the learning curve.
So, The Whine will kill you in this business. Don't blame
others, no matter what. Take responsibility for your actions and
get to work. Decide what you want, and start looking for mentors
who can help you find it.
About the author:
Starting an eBay business is easier with mentoring from an eBay
expert. Learn from our offers an 11 Day Course that teaches how
to sell on ebay:
http://auction-genius-course.com/11days.shtml
