How to Hire an Internet Marketing Mentor - Internet Marketing Australia

I speak from experience, having done just that. Though I had a particular reason above and beyond the following, I went through the same methodology once I decided I needed a mentor. And this brings us to point one.

Do I need a mentor? Perhaps not. Perhaps you are are so skilled in so many areas and have enough friends around who are doing the same thing that you determine you do not need a mentor and will rely on your friends largesse to see you through anything you don't know. Here's the problem: there is an old saying MY mentor uses when she talks about her experience without a mentor: "I didn't know what I didn't know (until it happened and then it was too late)." This is so true - we don't know (everything) until we get stuck and often times we realize we think we know a lot more than it appears we do.

I am a believer in not re-inventing the wheel. Even if I have substantial knowledge in an area, I will explore classes or extended learning anyway and every time I have, I found out I didn't know what I didn't know because there is no way I could have known exactly how much there was TO know! PLus, just because you can bake Christmas cookies does not mean you can be a pastry chef in a French restaurant. In the end, I usually find that there is so much TO KNOW that I couldn't possibly learn it all even with a mentor. But a mentor gives you a great advantage - you can ask and usually get a quick answer.

Trying to track down a friend who 'may' know why a web page looks different on I.E. than Firefox may cost you hours or days and often you find they actually don't know anyway. So off you go to find that friend of a friend (who no doubt is going to be absolutely floored with gratitude to have you contact them out of the blue with a request for free help) and this can take days also. In the end, you might get lucky and find an answer (free) but there is SO MUCH involved with internet marketing that you can't expect to simply worm your way through the worlds of sales copy, e-book writing or product set-up, shopping carts, AR's, PR announcements, AdWords, AdSense, Blogging, marketing, legal issues, teleseminars, social media interaction - the list is virtually endless because the wheel is often still being built in this arena. Not to mention that you may need someone to encourage you along the way because there is so much to learn.

I have found THAT to be as valuable as quick answers in all honesty. It is estimated that one out of every three people who try internet marketing give up within a year. I suspect many tried it on their own and found that after all the trial and error, let-downs and delays, victories and successes, they still weren't anywhere near making money and they gave up. A good mentor will lay out the benchmarks for you and advise you to take it one step at a time. The extra value a good mentor holds for you is that they have been there-done that, felt everything you have felt (and will feel) and above all they know what works and what doesn't. Knowing what to do and knowing what NOT to do can often save you money as well as time.