I have a guideline that, if something produces one sale per year
and costs less than my profit for that sale, then it may well be
worth doing. In fact, that's part of my formula for marketing
success: try everything you've learned about and that you can
make up. I promote in many different ways; there's no one major
method that most of my hits come from. And I'm always
experimenting. (Good thing, because things keep changing
online.)
But I have another guideline:
Of the methods that are worth doing, do those that produce the
most amount of net profit using the least amount of my time.
(Just too brilliant for words, isn't it?)
And that's why you should hire a maid.
"What?!!!"
Success And Your Hourly Worth
Two questions:
What is the least amount of money you want to make, or make per
week, or make whenever?
What is the largest number of hours per week or whenever you are
willing to devote to earning that?
Divide your answer to the first question by your answer to the
second question.
(Do it. Really. I'm not busy I'll wait.)
That gives you what I'll call "your hourly worth."
Now, chances are you want to treat that number, instead, as what
you wish to make. That is known not as hourly worth but as a
"wish." Here's how to make that wish into a reality:
Step One
Don't treat it as a wish.
Treat it as your hourly worth. Say "This is what that hour is
worth to me." Not just once, but always, for everything on which
you spend time. It's should be your answer even especially!
when someone asks what you charge.
If you do that consistently enough, and refuse any and all
alternatives and naysayers, eventually the world will have no
choice but to agree with you.
For example, I just bought a new computer. Do I have enough
money to pay for it? Perhaps strangely, I think that question is
irrelevant!
Instead, I think these are the useful questions:
a) If you include the time it takes to set up and mess with the
computer, will it actually speed up your work enough to save you
time? If so, how much time per day, per week, per month, or per
year? (For this question, you do have to decide what the
relevant time period is "per day," "per week," "per month,"
or "per year.")
b) Multiply the number of hours you just came up with by your
hourly worth. Now you know how much the computer is worth to
you. So just compare how much the computer is worth (to you) to
the actual selling price of the computer.
Please don't say, "Well, sure, you can afford it!"
I'm telling you the kind of decision-making that got
me to where I can afford it... more than once.
And I'm not trying to get you to buy a computer. That's not the
point at all.
Apply the same process to online marketing. For example "Is the
net profit from advertising with XYZ more or less than my
hourly worth for the time I spend creating and placing that
advertising?" If the answer is "yes," then do it even if you
think you can't afford it. If the answer is "no," then don't do
it even if you do make net profit.
One last example:
It takes you an hour to clean something. A maid does it in an
hour or less! and better. Yet the maid only charges
[whatever] per hour, while you hourly worth is [such and such].
The maid will be less. Now, spend that hour earning more than
the maid charges!
Which reminds me...
Step Two.
I suggest you limit the number of categories you personally
participate in to two: a) things you do to make money; and b)
sleep, recreation, and things you enjoy, that make your life
worth living.
(Ideally, "things you do to make money" should fall under
"things you enjoy.")
Get rid of everything else!
About the Author
Dale Armin Miller. The author is Master At Arms of the Internet Marketing Success
Arsenal![sm] "What works online... guaranteed." Get free,
detailed online-marketing strategies at
http://www.successarsenal.com