Are Internet Marketing Seminars, Conferences And Workshops Worth the money?

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.