We only consider posting guest articles from the very best sources and information available online - and this is one of those articles.

Marlon Sanders is often known as an internet marketing guru, but he is more, he is a busines buildier, entrepreneur, someone who builds a business as it should be built - based on identifying a strong target market, dedicate himself to a 5-year plan and continue to build value for his customers.

Study this article from Marlon closely - it is chalk-full of tips that we, as information product entrepreneurs need to hear more than ever.

By Marlon Sanders

Pretend it's five years from now.

Are you still in the marketing game? Are you in the game or out of the game? Are you still at your job or not at your job? Are you burnt out or not burnt out?

Or have you moved on to turning a buck via real estate, vending machines or whatever the hot opportunity of the month flavor is?

What's the difference between those who were doing well online 5 years ago but today are "out of the game." They are doing somethin' else for a living.

What's the difference?

I want to point out the 3 "longevity factors" that make a difference.

LONGEVITY FACTOR ONE: The Time For Dollars Trap

You've heard the saying "All that glitters isn't gold." Nothing could be more true online.

There are a plethora of gimmicks on the web. You get a new one almost every day on the Internet. The people I personally know who are still in the game have 1 thing in common -- A LIST.

You either have a business that is list-based or transaction-based. An list-based business builds up value as your list grows. A transaction business means five years from now you're still hustling to turn that seo buck or that ppc buck.

If you have a list, and you cultivate a relationship, five years from now, you have a source of income. You are better off than you were 5 years before. Without a list, 5 years from now, you're still "turning transactions" to bank some coin.

I said it years ago in Amazing Formula. "The money is in the list."

If you're in a transaction business, that means each day you're trading your time for dollars or money. To make more transactions, you gotta spend time.

The only way to escape that is to have a list and to have products.

That way, you escape the trap of having to trade YOUR time for dollars. The products sold to your list do it for you.

LONGEVITY FACTOR TWO: The Rainbow Trap

You've heard the expression "chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." That's pretty much what we all do.

But if you're always chasing and never doing, you've fallen into the trap. The fortune is in selling the tickets to go see the rainbow. That's how the dude at the end of the rainbow got his pot of gold -- HE SOLD SOMETHIN!

My friend Jonathan Mizel lives in Maui, Hawaii. And when you're in Maui, there are some gorgeous rainbows. But the price of seein' rainbows isn't cheap!

No one makes any money until someone sells somethin' to someone and someone else buys it. I talking at the end of the day. For example, there'd be no adsense income if someone else wasn't buyin' those clicks.

Funny thing is, even the people who say you can bank some currency without sellin' something have GOT something to sell to YOU to show you how to bank money without selling!

How's THAT for interesting logic!

The people who are in the game and stay in the game have their own exclusive product or service to sell most of the time.

Ask Google. Ask Bill Gates. Ask Yahoo.

You gotta have a product or service to sell. You gotta sell it. And in most cases, you need to have an exclusive on it.

LONGEVITY FACTOR THREE: The Quick Start Trap

People wanna get off to a quick start.

So the desire is to take shortcuts. I won't create my own product. I'll just buy this super duper reprint rights package to 1,000,000 products or whatever. (Not that reprint right packages are bad...it's all about the person's mindset buying them>)

Or this method doesn't require a product, a sales letter or anything else. You just watch the video and click the buttons on the software. And money comes in.

What a deal, eh?

Truth is, at the end of the day, no one is makin' any money until someone sells and someone buys.

Simplify your life and skip the quick fix pitches. Stop searching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbox.

Start SELLING rainbows on cards, tickets to SEE the rainbow, rainbow concerts, rainbow hats, ebook on best places to find rainbows. Stories of people who FOUND the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Years ago I said "the money is in the list." Today, I add to that.

The money is in the selling.

The money is in the selling.

The money is in the selling.

Don't believe me? Look at all the people SELLING YOU a way to stack some paper without you having to sell anything to anyone else.

Five years from now, will you be in business or won't you?

1. Will you have your own list?

2. Will you have your own exclusive products?

3. Will you still be hunting the quick fix or will you have laid a foundation for the future?

One of the things I've tried to do since day 1 is to boil out the fluff and turn the complex into the simple and give you simple action steps to do it.

Bottom line: Marketing is about finding demand, that is finding markets for products and services and filling the demand for a profit.

You wanna be in business 5 years from now? You wanna be sittin' by the beach or being able to enjoy freedom?

Then discover the secrets of finding markets and fulfilling wants at a profit.

Folks, at the end of the day, ain't nobody makin' no money 'till somebody sells somethin' to somebody. And if you wanna buy yourself the FREEDOM you want, you gotta have products that earn bux for you, so you don't gotta earn 'em yourself by tradin' time for dollars.

How's that for an esoteric secret of success?

I hope this article gave you ideas and is useful to you.

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Marlon Sanders is the author of "The Amazing Formula That Sells Products Like Crazy." If you'd like to get on his mailing list and receive tips, articles and information about online marketing, visit:
http://www.amazingformula.com

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