In the world of Internet Marketing, there are a number of gurus out there. Every internet marketer I know, regardless of how high or low they are on the scale, follows a group of other Internet Marketers. I’m no different where that is concerned. There are a few people who stand out in my mind. Guys like Yaro Starak, Gideon Shalwhick and Lee McIntyre come to mind. These guys have a system set up where they are making a ton of money on a monthly basis, but in a way where they are not overworked like many others.

businessgroupThe question then comes to mind – What does it take to make it to that level? Do you have to have a tremendously high I.Q, or are they just lucky? Are some people predestined to that accomplishing that level of success and others predestined to poverty? Lets take it a little further. Why is Tiger Woods so good at golf? Why is Michael Jordan DA MAN when it comes to basketball. Is it that their genetic makeup is so superior?

I’ve just finished reading the book “Talent is Overrated, by Geoff Colvin”, and it has opened my eyes to a new way of thinking. A way that can change the way you do business in a very good way, IF you really believe it and take action. In his book, Colvin addresses the common misconception that in order to become a high performer, it takes either hard work or natural talent. Based on an extensive amount of research, people who excel in different areas, business and otherwise, do so because of what he calls “deliberate practice”.
There are a few points I would like to share with you from the book about the concept of deliberate practice. It’s not as glamorous as what most people like to hear. It won’t make you an overnight success. In my opinions, most overnight successes are gone in the morning (figuratively speaking). However, as unsexy as it might seem, it’s what works and is the reason for the success of those gurus that you follow, and is why Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are so good at what they do. So lets get into what deliberate practice is and how it applies to your online business.

Your actions should be designed to improve performance

If you are trying to build an online business, there are certain activities that when you perform them over and over again, they increase your performance because you get better at doing them. When I first started online, I had no idea how to do web design. However, I soon found that there were many resources online that taught how to do all the things I wanted (and needed) to learn how to do.

Since the web is full of this kind of info on virtually any topic, I spent a lot of time going through tutorials and teaching myself HOW to do basic web design. Not only that, but I did those activities over and over again until they started becoming easier and I got significantly better at it. So tip number 1 is to find resources to teach you to do what you want to do and repeat the suggested activities over and over.

This concept applies to every aspect of your online business. There are activities that a specifically designed to helping you do better. You know the industry you are in, and should have an idea of what you need to become better at. Remember that practice makes perfect. The more you exercise, the stronger you become.

You should be guided by a teacher/Coach

There are many people out there who know more than you (and I) do about every topic. Not only that, but these people have, at some level, been where you (and I) are. One of the things many people do is they try to find people who are trying to do the same thing they are trying to do. For example, if I’m a blogger trying to make it, I connect with other bloggers who are also trying to make it. Now, don’t get me wrong, this does have its own benefits and I also encourage doing this. However, this is not the way successful people learn most of what they know.

If you want to learn how to be a top chef, you need to learn from top chefs. If you want to know how to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to learn from successful entrepreneurs. Those who have accomplished more than you have and can guide you on your journey to success. This can be done in many ways, some of which is FREE. The great thing about successful entrepreneurs (especially when it comes to internet marketing) is that you will notice that many are VERY willing to share what they know. The ones I follow are very willing to share this info on their public blogs and email newsletters FREE of charge.

TeachingAnother way of doing this is a little more pricey, but in many ways more valuable. When I started growing my business, I knew that I needed a blog. It is what works for what I’m trying to do. The simple fact that you are here reading this is a testament to that. Luckily, I stumbled onto Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind Coaching program, and joining it was one of the best decision I’ve made. In this coaching program, Yaro gave weekly lessons that really guided me along my path to blogging success, showed me what tasks I needed to complete and when, and eliminated all of the unnecessary stuff, reducing information overload and making me more effective.

There are many programs out there like Blog Mastermind, and I would encourage you that if you are interested in taking your business to the next level, and can afford to do so, give one a try and implement the things it teaches.

Feedback should be continuously available

One of the best ways to optimize your success is to have what you do scrutinized constantly. Yes, that’s what I said. Scrutinized! I know, you want to hear all the nice stuff like ohh . . . what you are doing is so great . . . everything you do is Awesome . . . Wow, that article was very well-written. Now, I get it! Whenever we hear those things, it makes us feel better about ourselves and gives us that warm fuzzy feeling.

Unfortunately, warm fuzzy feelings don’t necessarily translate to increased performance and success. Regardless of what we do, we can always do better. There are always going to be places where we fall short, and having someone to provide you with constructive criticism is invaluable.

Let me share something with you from my experience, and I hope no one takes offense to this. I’ve done a lot of different things online, especially within the Freebie Industry. Launching this blog, a Freebie Trading Forum and a Freebie Network. I’ve gotten into Affiliate Marketing and done a significant amount of Traffic generation. With almost every step that I’ve taken (up to this point), I’ve had many people let me know that they think I’m doing a great job. I’ve even started a website to help people who struggle in Biology and gotten tremendous feedback on that. When I get these compliments, they truly do make me feel good. I really do feel like I’m helping others, and yes . . . you guessed it . . . that warm fuzzy feeling comes to me.

However, that being said, when I want to improve what I’m doing, my tendency is not to go to the people who think what I’m doing is great. I go to the people who will tear my stuff apart. I post questions in places with people who are doing MUCH better than I am, and the feedback I get is exactly what I need to step up my game and take my success to the next level. I would encourage you to do the same. Many coaching programs have built in forums or other areas for discussion and feedback from mentors. This is a great avenue for such things.

You Activities should be Highly Demanding mentally

Uh ohh, I went there. Just because I do something over and over again, doesn’t mean that I am going to be successful. If what you are doing is not challenging you mentally, you probably aren’t learning much and as a result, your won’t reach your highest potential. In the world of internet marketing, there is SO MUCH to learn. This internet stuff is growing faster than anything else I can think of. Because of that, there are always going to be things you don’t know.

I’m not saying that you should go out there and try to learn everything. That would put you in a never-ending vicious cycle. However, if you are not being challenged, you are not going to reach your potential. If my goal is to get big and buff, and I am deliberately practicing lifting 3 pound dumbbells, I guarantee you that my level of buffness will be second only to Peewee Herman. If you are studying internet marketing and are thinking to yourself – “Man, this stuff is hard”, then GREAT, you are doing something right. Bill Gates did NOT make it to where he is today by doing a lot of easy, mentally relaxing stuff, and neither will you.

Your activities won’t always be a lot of fun

Here are a list of things I try to do on a regular basis: Deal with technical issues on my blogs, forums and other websites. Respond to support enquiries. Install new software on servers. Write blog posts. Watch training videos. Work on traffic generation. The list goes on and on. Do you think I enjoy all of those things? Heck no! I do them because I have an end goal. I enjoy learning, but some of the tasks are just boring andangryatcomputerrepetitive. However, those are some of the tasks that have really taken success to the next level, and they are the things that will continue to help me to grow.

Yes, I know that you’ve seen a lot of glamor-ridden websites, videos, ebooks and so on that promise you a lifestyle of success, sipping on iced tea in the Caribbean while making tons of money. Yes, I know that it is possible to have a a lifestyle of success without having to do much work, and yes I know that it is possible. IF you these Five points of Deliberate practice to heart, then you can accomplish your goal. The road might not be easy, but the destination is AWESOME.

So Leslie, Where Can I Start?

I hope that by now you can see that my goal here is to help you. Why do I do it this way? Well, it’s really simple. I believe that when you help others it will come back to you. Not only that, I think it’s our duty to help others and to be honest, I have fun doing it (it’s one of the things that makes me feel warm and fuzzy).

Keep following my blog. I have a lot of great content coming your way. That’s action step number one. A lot of the things that I will be talking about over the next few weeks are going to be concepts that people pay lots of money to learn. Trust me, I know. I’ve paid lots of money to learn them. However, I will be sharing what I can for Free!

Leslie, what if I want more?

Yes, I know that I can’t give you everything, because I don’t have everything to give. So what I’m going to do is share with you some coaching programs that have helped me. They cost money, but are very much worth it because of the way they are arranged, the content, and the action steps. Please remember that a coaching program is only as good as YOU make it. Knowledge is no longer power. The power comes when the knowledge is applied.

Resources Mentioned

Lee McIntye’s Point and Click Coaching
Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind Coaching
Yaro and Gideon's Become A Blogger Premium

About the Author Leslie Samuel


Leslie Samuel a business coach for high-performing entrepreneurs. As the host of the Leslie Samuel Show, he teaches how to build an online business. "Changing the world one post at a time” is the mission he strives towards. As a former university professor, he has a passion for education. He's the founder of Interactive Biology, a blog and YouTube channel dedicated to making biology fun for students and teachers. As the head of training for the Social Media Marketing Society, he helps social media marketers get the training they need to stay on the leading edge of social media.

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