I once taught a middle school computer programming class as an elective for 7^th and 8^th graders. I remember the first day of class. They all had this look in their eyes that made me wonder why they were so excited to be in that class. Then it finally emerged. One of them said, “When are we going to get to design video games??”

Aha! No wonder they were so enchanted. It was because they had NO IDEA the amount of boring math and flowcharting they were going to be doing long before they even thought of designing a video game. I had to break the news to them and only a few really stuck with it.

They had a good excuse for their misguided excitement – they were just young kids.

But I often see that same mentality on the Internet Marketing world. So many think they can sign up for one magic program that will make it all happen tomorrow – or that one incredible system that will only require a few hours of Internet surfing. The ones who actually make it big are the ones with an accurate perspective on what is ahead of them.

There is a learning curve for everything worthwhile and making a success of your business venture is no exception.

Now go do your homework.  There will be a test in the morning.

People trust people that they can rely on. You trust someone that keeps their promises, is on time when they say they will be somewhere; returns a call (or email) as promised; delivers the goods they sold you and so on. Be someone people can count on.

This consistency in reliability is called INTEGRITY – and while it can be practiced immediately, it can only be appreciated over time. Your followers will need to EXPERIENCE your reliability – not just be promised it.

People make most of their decisions based on prior experience, so give them a long history of good experiences and they will have a good reference point in you.

You also build this trust by delivering high quality goods and services. It’s easy to sell garbage – but you only get to make one sale with that scenario. If you sell high quality, you will make endless sales.

Remember that people who buy from you and like what they get are likely to buy again. Most people do not purchase just one item or book in an area of interest. They buy many.

If you are interested in magic tricks, you don’t buy one book or DVD about magic. You look for opportunities to buy more and you keep collecting them as long as you maintain that interest. This is true for almost every niche (even Internet Marketing). So once someone buys from you – they are more valuable than the prospects on your list that have not purchased – so treat them that way and surprise them with excellent service and high quality. It will make you rich.

I was a teenager in the 1970’s living in Santa Cruz California, and growing up in Silicon Valley. If you do a little historical research about what happened in the 70’s and 80’s in that neck of the woods, it will not surprise you that I turned out to be a computer geek without even trying to be.

My friends were guys that went on to develop processors for Intel and software for Microsoft. One of my high school field trips was to an Expo in San Francisco, where the year prior, two men from San Jose had a booth showing off their new personal computer company they called “Apple Computer”. Their names were Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.

We just thought their stuff was cool. We had no idea how this technology would change our own lives forever….let alone the whole world as we know it.

I got involved in the direct marketing industry in the early 80’s – long before most of us knew about the Internet. I sold actual products the old fashioned way. I marketed everything including sewing thread to little old ladies in Iowa through nickel ad newspapers ….to consumer benefit memberships via an 800 number through display ads in opportunity marketing magazines.

I created sales materials on audio cassettes before there was any such thing as a CD – let alone an MP3 file or Podcast!

But, still obsessed with learning how to program computers, I wrote simple linear programs in a language called BASIC for my “high tech” Commodore 64 (which I quickly upgraded to a 128) that created invoices for billing the customers for my family’s construction business.

In the late 80’s I was fascinated with the graphical interface Apple Computer had marketed in a computer system called a Macintosh. So in 1987, I began writing HyperCard Stacks. It was my first exposure to Object Oriented Programming – a way to create functional computer programs in a more visual and artistic way.

Then, in 1996, I discovered the Internet and found a hidden treasure that I toyed with for some time and it actually produced some success in a way that was much easier than my previous marketing efforts had produced. It was a “free classifieds” area on AOL’s newly developing online community.

I had a slow Mac computer, a slow (14.4 K) dial-up connection (there was no such thing as any other kind of connection) and an AOL floppy disk – with AOL version 1.0

After learning how to place live, free class ads, I sold physical books by mail without a website, no merchant account or ability to process a credit card. People had to send me checks in the mail – and they did – from as far away as Japan. I got the bug.

From that pioneering effort, I learned much and finally started and grew an actual thriving online business. By March of 2001, I had launched my own web hosting company and have since then helped literally thousands of people set up websites for their businesses, churches, clubs, charities, e-books, membership sites, software products, wedding announcements, blogs, video libraries, podcasts and whatever else they want on the Internet.

I started a company called Teknon Media, and built several websites that looked terrible. When I launched my hosting company website under the name 5dollarwebs.com, I hit pay dirt. Lots of people were looking for cheap hosting in those days (they still are) and as far as I can tell, we were the first to sell 500MB storage for under 5 bucks. Now, of course, there are hundreds of such offers.

That venture led me to “meet” many other marketers who have now become rather famous for their success. (I put the word meet in quotes because I never actually looked at these people face-to-face, but rather, exchanged hundreds of emails back and forth so many times, that I literally developed relationships with people who I had no idea what they looked like.)

The most significant relationship I developed was with a man named Bryan Winters. Bryan found my 5dollarwebs.com website and sent me an email one day that we would now call a classic “Joint Venture Opportunity.” In those days, it was just an email from a guy named Bryan who wondered if I would give him a deal on web hosting. He was planning to provide free hosting service to his many customers who would be joining his new up and coming membership site: pushbuttonpublishing.com – and wanted me to be that wholesale provider.

We made an agreement. Then we made history. Now it may not be important Internet Marketing history forYOU, but for ME , it started a journey I would only be able to explain if I wrote a book about it someday…. And what do you know?…Here we are!

Over the course of the next few months I would begin to acquire hosting customers through Bryan’s joint effort. The guys that came through our doors for hosting service in those days were people like Ewen Chia, Jeff Dedrick, Stone Evans, Priya Shah, and an amazing young man by the name of Russell Brunson.

I got to know Russell as a customer, but eventually as a friend and joint venture partner. Russell’s secret to success was a lot like Bryan Winters’ secret – they were both two of the nicest people in the world. It’s always fun to see kindness rewarded with financial success, but beyond that, I’m convinced that their attitudes, character and genuine ability to care about people is HOW and WHY they became far more successful in business than most people dream of.

If you learn nothing else about marketing – learn from people like these.

I have had a unique vantage point. You see, I am NOT a famous Internet Marketer (yet ? ). I have had the privilege of watching these incredibly successful marketers rise to the top from my behind-the-scenes point of view.

In the “real” world, I was an amateur (and eventually a professional) magician for a short time. But in the Internet Marketing world, I was more like the magician’s assistant that know one ever knows. I was the hidden guy that pulled the trap door open or who made sure the music played on cue. I have been able to watch as these Internet Marketing Magicians perform their amazing miracles….except that I had a backstage pass and could see all the gaffs, gimmicks and secrets.

Because I was providing a practical service (web hosting) to the folks who were really making it big online, I was able to watch what they did to achieve their success.

The most important lessons I learned from them were these:

1. They all worked hard. They never gave up and you couldn’t stop these guys from pushing on no matter what obstacle you put in their way. They were tenacious. In fact, they were downright obsessive about succeeding.

2. The other lesson, which I touched on already, is that in each case, these “gurus” (as they are affectionately called), were always great at being loved by people. I know that sounds weird, but in business, it is essential to create a following of people who trust you and like you. And the only way to do this, is to truly be a nice person who likes people. That means you have to be generous and selfless to reach the status these folks did.

3. Finally, they all had a common humility about them. Each one made sure you knew their stories of being basic, simple average everyday people, who happen to find some good information and acted on it to achieve wealth.

Hard workers.

Kind people.

Humble attitudes.

You may have noticed that these “secrets” are all character traits more than marketing techniques.

Don’t get me wrong. These people also have practical tips tricks and tools they use in their businesses, but I am suggesting to you that if you pay attention to the bigger life lessons here, you will begin to see a pattern to successful people that exceed their mere advertising tactics. It’s really about the kind of people they are.
Over the years, of I’ve observed folks who try growing serious businesses in an industry that is still in its infancy. I’ve watched a raging technology that advances so rapidly it leaves the casualties of marketing war behind in its wake faster than we can keep track of. Sadly, more people who embark on the journey to wealth, get left behind with emptier wallets than they began with – discouraged and feeling ripped off… (Because many probably were.)

And out of all that commotion, that only a frenzied gold rush can create, there seems to emerge a few striking, successful people. I’m talking about that handful of entrepreneurs that rise FAR above everyone else in their efforts of success.

So, I know first hand that some of these success stories you read about that seem like fairy tales are actually true. I have been watching them unfold over the months and years as someone who services the marketing experts with my technical knowledge.

Again, I’m in a unique position. I do business with literally THOUSANDS (that’s not an exaggeration) of people who do business on the Internet. So I have the unique privilege of watching who “makes it” and who doesn’t.

I’ve seen (and helped) people set up websites that I thought were pretty dull and uninteresting become so rich and famous, I can no longer get in touch with them without getting screened by their secretaries and staff. (Again, this is no exaggeration.)

But I’ve also seen many MORE people spend thousands on e-books, scripts, programs, memberships, software, DVDs, teleseminars, webinars and more…who never accomplish much of anything except build a website that gets most of it’s traffic from the owner. Sad story, huh?

So, because of my vantage point, I’ve been able to make some observations over a period of about five to ten years that I believe most people would find to be at least fascinating, if not extremely valuable information!

Why? Because for these years as I watch some people succeed beyond their wildest dreams and others fail miserably – and still others fall somewhere in between, I’ve been taking some serious notes; these are detailed, specific observations of what the “gurus” do that they all have in common – and what the average wannabe does (or doesn’t do) that almost assures failure.

To put it bluntly, I have seen what works and what doesn’t. And it almost NEVER changes. In fact, the principles and concepts that the Internet’s “Rich and Famous” are using today to make even more money than they did last year – are the same principles they were using five years ago.

What does change are the TOOLS they utilize. What does NOT change are the PEOPLE they are getting their money from. You see these, success stories are created because the gurus know about PEOPLE more than they know about technology.

When they were using email lists and pop-ups, they were getting rich.

When squeeze pages became the rage, they made money.

When it was cool to write an e-book (it actually once was)…they sold thousands of them.

When videos and DVD’s were the big hit, these guys just got richer.

Whether it’s Podcasts, Online Auctions or Private Label Blow Out Source Code One Time Offer Google Adsense Affiliate Deals….it doesn’t matter WHAT tools they use to make their money as much as it matters WHO they make money with (and from.)

In fact, WHAT they sell doesn’t matter as much as HOW they sell it and to WHOM they sell to, because that is where their money comes from.

Strangely, the more money that they make, the more they are able to make.

While most people sit on the sidelines hoping to capture a subscriber or sell an e-book through an affiliate link, the real successful people keep making more money than they did the previous time. Their lists get bigger and the prices of the products they sell get higher. They no longer sell a $37 e-book – now they want $1,997 in 4 easy payments for their information.

Their success multiplies exponentially. The more they make – the more they CAN make.

These Gurus have mastered the timeless art and science of marketing. I call it: The Snowball Factor.

Having grown up in Santa Cruz California, we often found ourselves visiting the beautiful and quiet town nearby known as Carmel. Carmel is most famous for it’s luxurious setting “by the sea” with famous residents and visitors. At one time the actor Clint Eastwood was the town’s mayor and anytime he would drive through the main square it would cause quite a stir.

We saw a few famous faces among our visits there; such as musician Kenny Loggins, actress Doris Day, actor George Lindsey (“Goober” from the Andy Griffith Show) just to name a few. With Pacific Grove nearby (home of the famous PGA golf tournaments), it’s no surprise that many well know personalities graced the streets of Carmel By the Sea.

Because of Carmel’s “ritzy” atmosphere, it was not uncommon to find small parties of rather snobbish people with money. You know the kind. Those who have just enough money that they think they have license to be rude and demanding to the waitress.

But the person I remember most during our short day trips to Carmel was not famous at all. He was just a young college-aged boy working behind the counter of a bakery.

As I walked into that little shop one day just to see if I could find a cookie, I instead found absolute chaos.

The place was crowded with mostly older women who all wanted the attention of this young boy behind the counter – all at the same time. It was as if each one thought they were the only customer of importance. They were each calling out orders for cookies, cakes, bread, pastries and a plethora of other baked goods – all talking louder than the next. Clearly, he needed some help behind the counter as his customers were showing him no mercy. Like a crowd of screaming Beatlemainia fans they kept pushing at each other to get to him as if it was a race to see who could get service.

I was amazed. I wondered if there was a convention in town of rude people. Somehow all of the pushy people of the world showed up in this tiny little bakery all at the same time just to annoy this young man. I didn’t understand how this room was so full of noise.

In fact, I stood silent and amazed at this scene, and as the young man stood still behind the counter, paralyzed by the predicament he was in, he caught my eye and I caught his.

Somehow he knew I was his friend because I was the only person in the shop NOT demanding his attention. He must have been able to tell by the look on my face that I was full of pity for him and wondered how he would react to this ridiculous commotion.

Without missing a beat, he grinned and spoke directly to me as if no one else was in the room.

He said to me, “It’s not a job…it’s an adventure.”

I burst into laughter. I was so delighted by his incredibly positive attitude. What would have annoyed me enough to make me immediately quit that job – he found entertaining!

Instead of rolling up his apron and throwing it to the ground in frustration and walking out…he smiled and calmly helped each customer, no matter how rude, irritating or selfish each one was.

I will never forget what a great response he had and how friendly he was to each self-absorbed customer.

I don’t know where that bakery employee is today, but my guess is that he is not an employee anymore. He had all the makings of an Entrepreneur!

Spiders are amazing creatures. They never give up.

One day, I was watching a spider on the back deck at our home in the Pacific Northwest while it was building its web. It did so at an incredible pace and with such an unstoppable tenacity, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it.

The sun shone through like a spot light into our backyard in such a way that it perfectly illuminated the scene for me for just a few moments. I could see each strand of silk being woven by the spider as she spiraled herself around a work of art. She spot-welded each joint like a crazed construction worker.

At the same time, I had a terribly cruel mental image. I thought about how easy it would be for me to destroy all of this hard work in just seconds with one fell swoop of my hand. (I’m not really that mean of a person…but the thought did cross my mind.) But I let her continue and I studied her work.

However, while this web was wonderfully engineered to trap any one of many kinds of flying insects, it was no match for my size – and with one swipe of my hand I could ruin what was probably hours of work.

But you and I both know what would have happened if I did. She would build another one…. immediately. And if I broke that next web – she would start over again.

Spiders are the best kind of entrepreneurs. They work hard with a specific goal in mind. They follow the blueprint of past success and carry out their plan in a regimented and disciplined stride.

Then they wait. Patiently, a spider will wait for her web traffic to arrive, so she can sustain herself and do it again.

If her web site goes down – she builds another one. Nothing can stop her quest – because it is who she is – and how she lives.

If would-be Internet entrepreneurs thought and behaved more like the spider, we would be reading many more true success stories than we do.

Successful entrepreneurs are funny people. They never get PERMANENTLY discouraged – just temporarily set back. Their downtime just causes them reason to stop, re-group, learn from the past and do it again.

History and/or legend tells us that Thomas Edison created something like 2,000 light bulbs that failed before he finally hit on the perfect combination when his first bulb lit up. But Thomas Edison, didn’t consider his 2,000 attempts failures. He said, “Now I know 2,000 ways NOT to do it.”

That is the making of a success story.

Opportunities are like coins in your pocket.  You lose them from sitting on the couch.