Quick – what did you spend on continuing education in 2007?
Don’t know. Neither do I.
Wendy’s post about just saying no to overspending on useless Internet marketing products prompted me to put together this 2008 continuing education buyer’s guide. I have to admit I was in the room and in on that conversation about spending $50,000 on Internet marketing “business development.”
Yep, that $50k was quite a jaw-dropper. But, easy to add up when you consider expensive monthly memberships at $500 and up; conference registrations and packages that promise to cure-it-all, all-at-once. Implementing all of it and taking action would take, uh, years.
Wendy’s post prompted me to come up with a continuing education buyer’s guide to help you plan for 2008.
Here’s what you need to do . . .
– build in an annual continuing education component
– focus on one theme like becoming an expert
– carefully evaluate each product’s match to your theme
– listen to a preview call to see if the product is right for you
– don’t believe in the fast cash come on – it’s a fairly rare fairy tale
– research the author/creator/vendor – who are they and where did they come from?
– match the system to your learning style – readers won’t want to watch 20 hours of DVDs and iPod users won’t want to slog through a manual
– never buy anything from a site that has a car or glamorous models on it
– email the creator and ask if the product’s right for you for your situation
– set aside time to take action – don’t have time? Don’t buy the product.
– read every sales letter with a critical eye – don’t get hypnotized by hype
– contact or Google the testimonials – are they really real people or imposters?
– check out the guarantee – and get your money back if you can’t use the product
– be honest: will you be the 1/10 that takes action?
– Tell your spouse or a friend what you expect to get out of taking the course, going to the conference or joining the club. If you can’t convince them that it’s worth it, it’s probably not.
I do believe there is a place for solid content that saves people time and money. That’s why I’m working on a PR course for entrepreneurs and bloggers. And, I will continue to recommend information products I use and like.
What’s your continuing education plan for 2008?
English 
7 thoughts on “2008 Internet Marketing Education Buyer’s Guide”
wow, 50k on continuing ed. not sure i get even close with that. and i don’t think the church would allow it. &:~)
i probably have about 3000k for my own & our teams education (books, speakers, conferences, retreats, videos, subscriptions).
Gavin:
Thanks for stopping by! Good to know the church is investing in advancing your professional development – and your congregation’s growth.
Barbara
Barbara,
Great suggestions! Especially picking one theme to study and being honest about the time you have to invest in continuing education. There are so many resources out there to help us grow our businesses that it’s easy to get distracted by studying too many things at once.
And if you never crack open the books, your investment is wasted. 😉
I’m posting this list next to my computer and reading it before I’m tempted to buy anything else!
Jenny
Jenny:
That’s quite a compliment – coming from someone whose own continuing education course about seminar marketing is continually held up as the best in its class. Didn’t I get the one theme from you? 🙂
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