6 Stages to Become an Online Marketer

1. Discovery

You’ve discovered what internet marketing is about for the first time. Everything is new and exciting, and the possibilities seem endless. You just

want to learn as much as possible. You’re buzzing with anticipation.

For me, this stage began when I attended a 4-day seminar in August. It was full-on and the first time I’d heard about making money online with e-books, about PLR, about Clickbank, about landing pages, and so on. I thought the

presenters were ‘God’, tho’ now – with the benefit of hindsight – I know they’re far from Godly!

Nevertheless, the seminar got me motivated to give it a go. It helped to get me started on this amazing journey.

2. Information Overload.

For weeks you’ve been cramming your head with loads of new information, trying heaps of different things, working long, long hours, and listening to every Tom, Dick and Harry who had something to say. It’s no wonder your

head is a jumble.

During this stage, I was a blithering mess. I became a hermit, neglected my friends, missed important meetings and talked gibberish. I felt totally out of

control.

I beat information overload by stepping away, regrouping myself and getting organized.

3. Realization.

Getting over information overload is no easy feat. But once you’ve cleared your head of the clutter, you realize what’s working for you and what’s not. Which then enables you to make conscious decisions about your next move.

At this stage of my development I realized I was on the wrong path. I was following the advice of the “gurus” and realized I was uncomfortable with

their tactics – they just didn’t match my values. So I changed directions. I’d always loved business and helping others in their businesses, and that’s

how the Online Marketing Rookie got started.

4. Burn Out.

Yep, we’re all human. And after working mega-long hours to get a business going – without seeing any major results – you run out of steam. You realize there’s more to life than work – and all that hard effort you put in over the

last few months just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. You kinda feel like giving up.

I’d lost focus. I’d rediscovered life – which seemed a whole lot more fun at the time than grinding away on my computer.

But there was always a nagging feeling that I’d get back on track. And so I did some research, changed my attitude and got support from friends (both

offline and online). This helped wonders and brought me to where I am today…

5. Perspective.

After experiencing burn out you become more aware of how important life is. You start to gain some balance in life and learn to juggle priorities

better, enabling you to enjoy both your work and your life, in unison. You feel more in control and more positive about your business.

I’d neglected my friends and family – as well as myself – for too long. Now I’m enjoying my business far more as I’ve gained some work-life balance.

Realizing that it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t spend 15 hours a day on social media, or blog twice a week, was a biggie to changing my

perspective.

I’ve now found my rhythm and am looking forward to the next stage of my business…

6. Growth.

This is when everything starts to ramp up. You’re now clearer on your business goals and have a good idea of how you’ll get there. You start to

take steps to grow your business. The world’s your oyster!

Yahoo! I’m looking forward to 2013 and am taking a well-deserved break from blogging to focus on planning for the coming year.

What About You?

So what stage are you at? Have you had similar experiences to me? Perhaps you’ve passed stage 6 and are experiencing something totally not on my

radar? I’d love to know – please leave me a comment below…

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