What a Billionaire Balloonist Taught Me About Internet Marketing
Billionaire Richard Branson, the entrepreneur behind the Virgin brand, is one of the world's most successful and adventurous businessmen. Not being satisfied to run several highly profitable businesses Branson also engages in occasional feats of courage, or stupidity, depending on your stand point!
I read his autobiography recently and discovered something that perfectly sums up what it takes to achieve success on the Internet.
To set the scene - Branson had called a meeting a few hours before he and his co-pilot were due to embark on an attempt to fly from Japan to America across the Pacific non-stop in a hot air balloon. The attempt would be fraught with countless difficulties, challenges and life-threatening risks. One last pre-take off meeting was held to talk through all eventualities of the flight and to discuss what Branson and his co-pilot needed to do to survive in each case.
After an intense 3-hours' briefing, covering everything that could go wrong, on this, one of the most complex and risky aviation record attempts in history, Richard Branson came away having written just eight words into his notepad;
"Keep the fire burning - that's all that matters."
How incredible is that? He's faced with almost certain death and has just been briefed on the technical details of which levers to pull when, which buttons to press to escape crashing and which actions to take to prevent the capsule from decompressing and yet all he writes down is "Keep the fire burning".
Why? Because that's all that matters! As long as he keeps the fire burning the balloon will stay in the air and he will eventually make it across the Pacific safely, nothing else matters.
So what has this got to do with Internet marketing? Let me explain..
** Do You Have The Energy To Keep The Fire Burning?
Being honest now - how many times have you stared at your website and thought;
"What ONE thing can I do to get more sales?"
You've probably thought this a few times right? Well, you're not alone. Unfortunately though, too many people make the mistake of thinking that;
- The one thing is getting a high search engine rankings
- The one thing is getting more subscribers
- The one thing is getting more traffic
- The one thing is getting accepted by Yahoo!
- The one thing is getting an article published
- Etc.
But the point is that none of these are the right 'one thing'! The ONLY right 'one thing' is to do what Branson knew - keep the fire burning. Keep going and never give up.
We all know how easy it is to do those tedious or those time-consuming tasks when the sales are flooding in, right? But what about when nothing is happening on your website? What about when the sales dry up and your phone stops ringing, what then? What motivates you then?
Well then - you need to keep the fire burning.
Keep on doing what it is you need to do - as ultimately, this is what will make your website a success and separate it from many around you that become failures. The people that achieve REAL success on the Internet have just done one thing. The same thing that Branson did.
** "I've Tried Everything!"
"But Michael, nothing is working - I have tried everything and still I'm not making any sales!"
Really? You've really tried EVERYTHING? How many things have you really tried? If you ever find yourself whinging like this force yourself to actually count how many different things you have tried. I bet you'll find it's often less than 20 and will always be a long way short of everything!
** So What Happened To Branson and His Balloon?
His attempt to cross the Pacific was abandoned even before take-off as sub-zero temperatures caused some of the balloon's outer layers to disintegrate. But did he give up? What do you think?
He tried again two years' later and despite freak weather storms and his capsule catching fire he flew 6,761 miles across the Pacific and landed safely in Canada having achieved the longest-ever balloon flight in history. He had kept the (right) fire burning..
Michael Cheney is Author of The Website Marketing BibleTM. Take the Free 7-Part Course "Internet Marketing Made Easy" and get your free sampler of 'The Bible' here: http://www.websitemarketingbible.com/marketing/
Latest News
Nationwide Credit Card Processing Provider, BankCard USA, Engages ... MarketWatch - "Internet marketing is a large source of revenue for many businesses today," notes Alan Griefer, President of BankCard USA. "Click-fraud is more prevalent ... |
Reply.com Launches World's First Marketplace for Enhanced Clicks(TM) MarketWatch - "We are on a mission to make Internet marketing available to businesses of any size by making it easy and profitable to generated locally-targeted and ... |
Tripology Appoints Internet Marketing and Lead Gen Expert to Board ... PR Web (press release), WA - "His success as an entrepreneur and innovator in the field of online lead generation and internet marketing means he's done this before. ... |
 AFP | Retailers rejoice: Cyber Monday sales figures rise Los Angeles Times, CA - "All online retailers are doing much more aggressive marketing," said Bernard Luthi, vice president of marketing and merchandising at Newegg, which offered ... Video: Online Retailers See Monday As Black Friday Consumers Benefit from a Frenzy of Around-the-Clock Online Shopping Online Retailers Dangle Free Shipping, Discounts |
Business road warrior opts for Internet marketing to keep family first DeSoto Appeal, TN - Around late April, Stephenson launched an Internet marketing company. Memphis Sudden Values could be coming to an inbox near you. "What I do is help local, ... |
Pontiflex Launches ROI Calculator, Enables Marketers to Easily ... MarketWatch - The calculator empowers online marketers and advertising agencies to proactively assess returns on their marketing dollars. This is useful especially in a ... |
As a Busy Mum of Three, Daniele Launched Her Successful Internet ... PR Web (press release), WA - Daniele started her Business following the Internet Marketing techniques taught in a course. Working from home on an Internet-based business is ideal when ... |
Zeer Announces Formation of Advisory Board MarketWatch - He has spent the bulk of his career in strategic marketing and consulting roles, and has been involved in Internet strategy since the early 1990s. ... |
 Internet Marketing News | Is the internet marketing future mobile? Business Feet, UK - Internet marketing gurus may have to learn how to make their adverts miniature in future, if the latest trends are anything to go by. ... 'Now is the time to address mobile online marketing' |
Procter & Gamble buys stake in British online grocer Ocado Bizjournals.com, NC - As far as consumer research goes, online advertising is considered more effective than other forms of marketing because shopper activity can be tracked. ... |
Resources
-
Power Profit Marketing
Empowering The Internet Marketing Community With Great Marketing Tools, Manuals & Software
-
35 Products For One LOW Price!
Get 35 Internet Marketing Products For The Price Of One!
-
Make money on the Internet
How to make money on the Internet through Internet Marketing and work from home
-
The Internet Marketing Master Plan!
How To Turn Your Passion or Hobby Into a $100,000 a Year Money Machine on the Internet.
-
The Truth About Internet Marketing.
Discover the astonishing whole truth and nothing but the truth about Internet Marketing!
-
NEW -- Marketing, Internet Marketing, email Marketing, Marketing plan, direct
Marketing, joint vent
Offers Marketing tools, tips, strategies and techniques for Internet, email, direct and joint venture Marketing.
-
The Esuccess Code - A Step By Step Guide.
Newest, Hottest, Most Cutting-Edge Internet Marketing Strategies You Can Use To Earn A Fortune With Little Or No Effort.
-
Internet Business Marketing - Sen Ze's Mini-Encyclopedia Of Low-Cost, High-Profit Internet Business
Discover 19 Top Internet Businesses as practised by Top Internet Marketers and Internet Entrepreneurs from around the world.
-
Internet Marketing - Pro Shop.
Internet Marketing.
-
Web Site Design and Development
Web site design, development, and promotion guide for business and Internet Marketing web sites.