The term guru is neither acceptable nor appropriate when talking about people who are successful.  They are teachers extraordinaire in some cases and they do have knowledge and skills you need to model in order to reach stardom online.  But they are not gods, nor do many of them refer to themselves in that way.  The ones who do, I either steer clear of or I write to them in a lecturing manner about the semantics of the term guru.

They are special people and you must show respect to them in order to gain their attention and willingness to work with you.  They have ingenuity – not godliness – and their methodology is usually rather simple and straightforward once you decide to pay the high price of joining their inner circle.

From this moment forward in this book, I will refer to these marketing geniuses as “maestros,” which they are.  A maestro, according to the dictionary, is an Italian term for “master.”  It is a title of courtesy and respect, given to conductors, composers and directors…a definition which perfectly matches the qualities of all mega-successful online marketers.

The video which follows is a spiritually-based understanding of choosing the right person/people who will make you shine. This formula does fit into the IM field as well.

Being a persistent person is often a virtue, unless we become a self-serving pest. The best way to sell anything is to first sell yourself. The “cut to the chase” approach may intimidate a potential client to grab your pricey product for fear of loss or just to get rid of you, but remember:

“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Good marketers online take this pithy piece of advice to heart. And heart is what you need. If a customer finds lasting value in you, in your information and in your style – he will not only be a lifetime purchaser and associate, but also a viral referrer to his circle of friends and business associates about you and about all you offer. That’s powerful stuff!

Most gurus completely embrace the idea that giving precedes taking. Learning to give first is part of the character-building process necessary to procure a long-term fortune on the Internet. Sadly, far too many people take the “screw your neighbor” approach to making a quick buck. While they may succeed in the short term, the Internet is the judge and jury for your long-term prosperity. Scamming people online will most certainly lead to being blacklisted and marginalized in due time.

In choosing marketers whom I admire and recommend, my main criteria is that they were truthful, generous and focused on giving you the tools and knowledge to reach your online goals. The super wealthy who love to stage hype campaigns that leave many people disgruntled or disillusioned with all online marketers are hopefully not in my top fifteen mentors.

Hopefully, the best mentors can take Rich Schefren’s complex and overwhelming view of the nuts and bolts of Internet Marketing (see below) and simplify them to a degree that a near simpleton can achieve success.  Many of the also-rans give you a software gadget and no clue how it should fit into the marketing scheme of things.

Be more selective and do your due diligence before buying a product or coaching from a squeaky-clean marketer.

The crème de la crème of marketing gurus always find opportunities in their initial setbacks and outright failures. The difference between their astounding success and mediocre results stem from how they deal more effectively with adversity than most people do.

Where many of us turn back permanently into a mudflow of mediocrity and predictability when facing a roadblock, the super successful marketers regroup and try again and again and again until one day adversity steps aside and success marches in.

I recently attended a three-day seminar in Orlando where some of the best marketing minds on the Internet gave powerful presentations and then hobnobbed around the lobby making mega-buck deals and forging new relationships for future joint venture products and events. To a man(and woman), they were intense, focused, congenial and extremely productive.

They love what they do and they do it with aplomb that leave most stragglers in awe. But my awe has quickly transformed into a firm determination to learn all the requisites for fantastic success by following their trails to a seven-figure income. Is it possible for us mortals?

Beyond doubt.

The path to the top begins by seeing the world through the eyes of an ant, always looking for a way to the destination. Our mind will either be our strongest ally or our worst enemy in the process of becoming the greatness which lies within us.

The men and women of success who I have met or experienced through seminars, books, tapes and websites each see the world from a prospective which stretches their limiting beliefs and actions.

To sell products, services or simply ourselves requires a willingness to see a world from the bottom up, the inside out and the upside down.

What we personally think or feel as marketers is of trivial concern to a multimillionaire guru. What concerns him/her is getting inside the minds and hearts of those they wish to sell to.

Weirdly enough, most of the gurus feel a tad squeamish about hyping, although some of them unwittingly resort to this tactic in launching their product or service. They realize, however, that this is a very important element for any business to succeed online or off.

The essential element when hyping is to ultimately over-deliver to the customer.

In our next message, let us briefly discuss what that secret element is.

Like it or not, time passes quickly. During that blink of an eye, a few of us will prosper astronomically, many of us will just get by, some of us will live hand to mouth, and unfortunately far too many of us will live in dire straits.

I don’t know where each of you is on that success scale, but I do know one humbling piece of truth: Complaining and moaning will not get you what you want out of life – that being economic freedom and soulful happiness.

It is my intent in the coming series of articles to show you meaningful glimpses into the personalities and strategies of some of the biggest stars in online marketing today. The names may change by the time you read this, but the stories have similar endings. Success indeed leaves traces, as Internet marketing superstar Armand Morin often loves to say.

I dedicate every word and every fact I write in these pages to a growing legion of aspiring Internet marketers – young, old, rich, poor, experienced, inexperienced, and of every race, creed and color – who are looking for people they can trust to teach them the intricate details of how to build a small to large cash flow online with a minimum of investment.

“I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than to adore me for telling you lies.” ~Pietro Aretino~

Unfortunately, Pietro is not well known and few marketers and self-help gurus would want to hear those words. Why? Because most people who are successful cannot honestly transmit their high self-esteem, high level of financial success, and pinpoint success systems to most of the people they wish to influence.

Life is a solo journey and each of us has a purpose to uncover during our sojourn. Other peoples’ methodology can never substitute for personal experience and, yes, failure. We must learn to trust our intuition rather than that of a man or woman who says that they have the key to the truth door.

With that in mind, I want to introduce you to an interview I did with Dan Hanneman, a life coach and hypnotist who also hosts a spiritual talk radio show. I hope I cut through some of the fluff…