Are Internet Marketing Seminars, Conferences And Workshops Worth

I just came back from the Internet Marketing Power Workshop and wanted to share the experience with you. Part of the reason I wanted to do this is because I am sure many of you wonder about the real value of all of the workshops, seminars, and conferences you see advertised. I attended as a speaker/instructor, but also because I knew I could, and did, learn a lot from all of the other instructors.

I've seen these seminars advertised since I first came on-line in 1996. Most of the time I reasoned that they were just trying to sell me "stuff" and that I couldn't afford to go. So I haven't attended very many! I attended this one primarily because the workshop was set up to generate its own product and because I wanted to bounce some ideas off of a few attendees. We recorded all of the sessions, and all of the presenters, and all of the attendees got reprint rights to a really valuable product.

But what is the real value of these events, and should you consider going to some in the future? All of the attendees at this workshop got to "rub elbows with the likes of Jonathan Mizel, Carl Galletti, Armand Morin and a number of others who earned and continue to earn millions on-line. I honestly felt that just brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of these people was worth the workshop fee many times over. We spend so much time discussing our on-line business ideas with those who have experienced relatively little success. Talking to the mega-successfuls redefines our frame of reference.

There's something invigorating about talking to someone who hired a freelance coder to design a piece of software, which he then sold millions of dollars worth - in weeks. That's what Armand Morin did, and having him explain step-by-step how he did it lets you see that you really can too. There's still plenty of room for new software packages. Most of us just need some confirmation that the task is not too big for us. Armand proved how easy it really is and even tells where and how to negotiate with programmers. He's so "real" that any marketer attending the conference who doesn't release a piece of software over the next year doesn't really want to be successful.

Ramon Williamson masterfully confirmed how easy it is to build a software empire - and the value of a good coach. He presented success stories who went from obscurity to software giants in weeks. It's boggles the mind what can be done with a little guidance and prodding.

Many people who are building on-line businesses actually don't want to succeed. They are afraid of success. They have pre-conceived notions of what they can accomplish - of "how high they can jump." Networking with others who are just like you and who lend you support, encouragement and even a helping hand is what I discovered these seminars and workshops to be about. They enable attendees to shake off the limitations that unwitting family members convince us are all we're capable of becoming.

I listened to Jonathan Mizel tell exactly how he generates millions of hits to his sites every month - often without any cost or risk. I think every person in the audience who heard Jonathan's presentation said to themselves, that's really simple. It was brilliant, but really simple and can easily be done by any webmaster. Jonathan also told how he regularly sends out millions of emails to opt-in lists. He freely shared where to go and how to approach list owners to get your message in front of incredible audiences.

Bob Silber demonstrated that he really knows his stuff when it comes to internet law and to the role of international law. His presentation was extremely eye-opening. I think that every webmaster in the audience started implementing many of the tips that Bob passed along, before they even left the workshop. Many of the things that we do open us up to very costly law suits, and most online business people don't even know how exposed they are. It's both frightening and eye-opening. Many of the international agreements our countries are partners to directly apply to our web businesses. Just this knowledge made the workshop worthwhile. Bob gained a number of new clients, include me :-)

"Ordinary people" like Marty Foley, Frank Garon, and "yours truly" showed the audience how earning $100,000 to $200,000 a year is incredibly simple. It just takes doing a few things right and it doesn't mean changing who you are. Frank is an former truck driver with a winning style with his ezine audience. Marty has testing down to such an exact science that everyone held him in awe. He tests everything and I've already implemented a few tips that he passed along.... and it has already increased my conversion rates.

This workshop, like most that you can attend had a variety of talents. Carl Galletti is such a masterful copywriter that Jay Abraham hires him. I can't think of a greater recommendation. You can believe I hung on his every word and took copious notes :-) I learned so much about using all forms of the media from Fred Gleeck and Lori Procop that I will finish that set of cooking videos I've been "working on" within the next few months. They both showed me just how easy it is, and how to do it at no cost or risk.

This workshop reaffirmed my belief that building a successful internet-based business is all about packaging and marketing information. Back-of-the-room sale of products that the speakers had produced prior to the conference showed me how this really applied on-line and off-line though. Information products sell and these workshops and seminars teach us how to create and market those information products masterfully.

So getting back to the question of are those conferences and seminars worth the money. My answer is a resounding yes. I easily left there with enough ideas to make me millions. However, nothing will happen until I take action. The same is true for you. If you are the type that takes lots of notes but can't seem to get going, then maybe you should save your money. You do have to come up with a plan of action and then implement it. My plan of action includes some coaching from someone already earning tens of millions of dollars. Who better to learn from?

This editorial is a teaser of sorts in that I did not tell you everything that was said. That would destroy the value of the recordings made at the workshop. Besides, it would take me a book to tell you everything said in those two days. The audio and video tapes from the seminar are amazing! I'm actually having an early bird sale on them but am not really pushing them yet. You can check them out at: http://williecrawford.com/workshop-videos.html

To show how powerful and immediate the results of attending a workshop like this is, I have already put together a tele-seminar where I taught my pay-per-clicks strategy. You see, part of the reason I was invited to speak at the workshop is that I earned over $100,000 this past year just from selling a simple country cookbook. Much of my website traffic generating those sales was from the pay-per-clicks. My tele-seminar was on Saturday, November 23rd, 2002. After the tele-seminar, I began marketing the recordings and transcripts as an info-product, just as I was taught at the workshop. That's how useful a workshop or seminar can be when you use the information taught at them. Check out my pay-per-clicks product at:

http://williecrawford.com/pay-per-clicks.html My strategy actually turns every $1000 invested at the pay-per-clicks promoting my cookbook into $7000. The only limitation is how fast the search engines can deliver the very targeted traffic I generate.

Look around for a seminar or two, and if plan on attending at least one. I know you will find them life-changing. I know I did. There's also something very special about sitting around brainstorming with people who have generated incredible wealth - at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. That's what I did my last night at the workshop. I actually felt like there was something wrong with me explaining that I needed to go to bed because I had a long drive ahead of me in a few hours. I felt like I was putting a plug in some incredible fountain of knowledge... but I now tap into that fountain regularly.

You really can build the kind of life most people don't even dare to dream of. You do have to dare to dream and then act upon your dreams. I look forward to meeting many of you at future conferences and to watching your dreams blossom into reality.

About the author: Willie Crawford has taught thousands the secrets of operating a successful on-line business through his free Internet Business Success Course. It's more extensive than many $197 courses. Sign up today and start building your *successful* online business: www.williecrawford.com