Unexpected Resolution for 2006

Needless to say, my gym was packed on New Year’s Day. Hmmm. I wonder how busy it will be in February? How many people who make resolutions on January 1 actually pull them off? Not many.

Why is that?? We’ve all been there. That feeling of a fresh start seems magically implanted into our psyche (or is that the headache from New Year’s Eve?) and we start looking at life and how it can be improved. “I want a better body” … “I want to make more money” … “I want to give up smoking” … “I’m not going to go to those swinger parties anymore.” The list is endless.

Our intentions are honorable and our will is forged of iron. So, what goes wrong? Stay with me. I’m about to tell you about an enormous profit opportunity for 2006. But first, I want to make sure I can help you pull it off by equipping you to go the distance …

I believe there are 3 explanations as to what goes wrong:

1. “Old habits die hard,” as the saying goes.

2. You don’t want it badly enough.

3. Like everyone else, you are uncomfortable with new things/places/situations.

Let’s look at each one of these possibilities …

1. Old habits die hard. As I explain in The Billionaire Way, if you can religiously keep up a new regimen for just 30 days, it becomes habit. You see, habits are double-edged swords. You can develop good ones just the same way as you can develop bad ones. The trick is to undo the “bad” cycle. Going to the gym is a good example. At first, it feels like hard work just to get out the door and go. But do it each and every day for 30 days solid, and it feels abnormal NOT to go. The first fence is the hardest … but the most critical.

2. You don’t want it enough. The difficulty here is that we all want a quick fix. We need to see immediate results to spur us on to keep at it. So you have to employ an element of faith … and patience, too. Using the gym analogy again, it will seem like nothing is happening for 2-3 weeks. Then, all of a sudden, you’ll actually SEE and FEEL improvement. Results! This will encourage you to go the distance. Your desire will have been jumpstarted by the promise of a payoff. But, again, at the beginning you just have to stick with it.

3. Like everyone else, you are uncomfortable with new things/places/situations. This is the one I want to focus on: your discomfort with new situations. Because today’s greatest money-making opportunity is passing many people by … simply because of their fear of the unknown … their fear of the Internet. So I would like you to make this New Year’s resolution for 2006: I will learn basic Internet marketing … and put it to use! And you really do need to learn just BASIC Internet marketing in order to take advantage of this opportunity. When it comes to the Internet, we’re still in the days of the “Wild West” – with plenty of openings for new players to get firmly established. But the Pony Express is leaving.

The fear of Internet marketing is caused by nothing more than a web of myths and misdirection. Here are the classic false assumptions that most people make:

1. I have to be technically minded and know how to build a website.

2. I need an original idea and product of my own.

3. I need a huge advertising budget like all the big “dot-coms.”

4. I can’t compete against the big players.

That’s right. They’re all baloney. BUT, it’s this general fear and confusion that creates a HUGE opportunity for you in 2006 … Many people and corporations want to get in on the Internet ATM, but are frightened off. And wherever there’s fear of the unknown, there’s a need for consultants. In this case, Internet marketing consultants. “Me? An Internet marketing consultant?” Yes, you! Listen, there are still many companies that are doing very nicely but don’t have a website. And even if they do, they don’t do any online marketing.

Your opportunity is to become a no-fee consultant to these existing businesses that have no interest or inclination to do Internet marketing. You would offer them a deal they can’t refuse by getting just 10% of whatever you make for them online. I know people who make a 6-figure income doing the most basic stuff … which you can learn in a very short time indeed. A little networking, a few referrals … and you’re on your way. In addition to that, you can have your own website … selling completely unoriginal products and going head to head with the “big boys.” And all of this is possible when you make a commitment to understand basic Internet marketing.

[Ed. Note: Jim Sheridan, a retired 737 airline captain, is owner and president of multi-million-dollar direct-marketing companies in the U.S. and Europe. He is a professional copywriter … public speaker … commercial property developer … regular trader of world currencies and commodities … and Internet marketing consultant to a Nasdaq-listed corporation.]