Dale King Interviews Business & Lifestyle Coach, Melanie Benson Strick

Melanie: My company provides cutting edge mentoring and training for busy, overwhelmed entrepreneurs who would rather be enjoying a 6 & 7 figure lifestyle business. We help them accomplish that through easy to use
self-guided education like our Virtual Team Building Secrets interviews or
the Get Out of Overwhelm CDs or for more go-getters we have advanced
programs like the Fast-Track to a 6 & 7 Figure Lifestyle Business.

Dale King: Melanie, tell our readers how and when you got started marketing on the Internet.

Melanie: I got started about four years ago when I learned from my mentor why the website I put together wasn't working. It was a very expensive graphical site that told people nothing. I learned the power of good sales copy and providing a compelling gift to encourage people to join my ezine list. That single awareness transformed my entire business strategy and led me to creating a very profitable and rewarding business.

Dale King: Some Internet Marketing experts advise newbies to
steer clear of certains areas of Internet Marketing, like selling
e-books on how to make money, advertising services, SEO services,
copywriting, etc., because those particular niches are deemed to be
"too competitive." Do you agree with that assessment?

Melanie: I don't give blanket advice. My job as someone's mentor is to
identify what it is that they want to accomplish (their lifestyle dream) and
what is the best online and offline strategies to achieve that dream. For
some people, SEO is the best bet while for others, it would be too expensive out of the gate and they need more organic strategies to get the ball rolling.

The most important thing a mentor should do is match the strategies to the
person and their offerings. My clients improve their revenue by over 150%
regularly, and that happens because we know it's not one-stop-shopping when it comes to marketing and business building strategies.

Dale King: I definitely agree with that. How is Internet Marketing different now, as opposed to when you first got started online?

Melanie: The biggest difference from my point of view is two-fold. First,
online marketing is very saturated so you must be able to a) be completely
authentic cause people will see through anything fake and b) really stand
out with more advanced internet presence. Second, with all the spam
problems, email marketing will never be the same and can't be relied on
anymore as an exclusive way to market to your list.

Dale King: How important has goal-setting been to your overall
success?

Melanie: Setting goals is key. But it's more than just setting a goal that
separates the successful from the strugglers. It's creating crystal-clear
vision of what you want your life and business to be like, then breaking it
down into some kind of roadmap with appropriate strategies to achieve the desired end-game.

If you just set a goal, it will probably stay just that -- a goal. This is
such an important distinction that I created an entire system around helping
people discover the difference in the ULTIMATE Success Generator.

Dale King: How important has reading been to your overall
success?

Melanie: I read voraciously. I also listen to a ton of CDs from experts. It
always kills me when people tell me they don't have time. It's like saying,
"I don't have time to breathe today."

Dale King: If you could recommend one book that all Internet
marketers should read, what would it be?

Melanie: I would recommend Michael Gerber's E-Myth Revisited. I've been following Gerber's work for a long time. Many internet marketers get
confused about what their business really is. It's not just to market on the
internet...it's to run a profitable business. Gerber's work has been very
clarifying for me and has allowed me to truly leap ahead of many would-be
success stories.

Dale King: In your opinion, what technology has changed Internet
Marketing the most over the last 5 years?

Melanie: Web 2.0 Social marketing sites. What can be done with social
marketing has given me a huge leap forward in my online lead generation.

Dale King: What new technology do you see changing Internet
Marketing over the next 5 years?

Melanie: Wow, don't know on this one. I'll admit, I'm more of an early
adopter than a trend-setter. I watch what works and what fits in my Return
on Investment strategies and jump in early.

Dale King: What person or persons have influenced you the most in your
lifetime, and how?

Melanie: I've been influenced by so many powerful people I'm not exactly sure where to start. Oprah Winfrey has probably been big for me as she has overcome so many adversities and is such a huge rock in the personal development community.

I'd also have to say Alexandria Brown and Adam Urbanski. Both friends of mine who took me under their wing at a crucial time and helped me make my online and offline marketing work.

Dale King: If you could give my readers one piece of advice,
what would it be?

Melanie: Get a mentor. There is a saying that you can't solve a problem
with the same level of thinking it was created. No matter how good you are, you won't skyrocket alone. Be willing to invest in your success by aligning with a powerful mentor who has created a business you admire.

Dale King: Thank you very much, Melanie. I appreciate you taking the
time to do this interview.

Melanie Absolutely! I'm happy to share my insights, thanks again for having me.

Melanie's website: http://www.successconnections.com

Melanie's Blog: http://www.successconnections.com/articles/

This interview is the exclusive property of Melanie Benson Strick. It may not be republished in any format - period.