Despite what you may hear on the news, the typical American millionaire, according to the book “The Millionaire Next Door,” is a 57-year-old man in a business that would be considered normal…even boring.
It turns out that most of them are “paving contractors, auctioneers, welding contractors, pest controllers, mobile home park owners, rice farmers, coin and stamp dealers.”
Maybe this will surprise you. It was definitely a revelation for me. After all, I would have thought that the top earners would be the most “stylish” and “glamorous” people.
From what I’ve been able to observe, it’s also true online.
The average salesperson who does very well for himself… is not necessarily this great guru you see everywhere. In fact, I know from a good source that…
Most of these flashy gurus are broke!
Yes, that is correct. The so-called gurus who talk a lot and show off their big shiny Lamborghinis are mostly just words. There are certainly exceptions, but for the most part, the brighter they are, the more you should stay away.
So who, then, does well?
This is the interesting part, because just like people who are successful offline, more often than not, successful online people do things that most wide-eyed, bushy-tailed marketing newbies would find boring and boring.
Look, it’s part of our nature to want to be entertained. This is especially true in the information age we live in today.
But the reality is that most of the hits online run the same basics over and over again. While other people chase one shiny object after another, the hits remain low-key, running the same things that move needles every day without fail.
It’s not bright, it doesn’t make the heart beat, but absolutely works, And that is the point. After all, wouldn’t you rather go with something that’s proven to work than keep getting hooked on shiny things that are hot today but gone tomorrow?
At this point, you’re probably thinking… “Enough with the lecture, just tell me what I have to do now!”
I’m so glad you asked!
Let’s start with some examples.
There are marketers who have had incredible success simply helping brands sell online. Amazon. It’s not the job that gets them any recognition or throws a bunch of money in their lap right away. Their goal is to make the stack bigger for everyone, and when they do that, they win and their customers win. (Amazon also wins).
As a result, your passive income stream grows.
However, they remain unknown, have no followers, or whatever the gurus brag about today. They just go about their lives happily, enjoying their passive income stream while quietly working on the system steadily and without fail.
There are other sellers who focus on affiliate marketing – like me. I’m still working to get to where I want to be, however, the success I’ve had so far can be attributed to simply executing a handful of steps that move the needle on my business. Uncool.
However, take people whose approach is traffic.
This is probably the most interesting example, by the way. You would think that people who are in the spotlight with a lot of followers can drive a lot of traffic.
Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on the following. More importantly, are your followers buying something?
The thing is, more often than not, most sales are driven by people who are relatively unknown, but have a loyal and dedicated audience.
I could go on and on, but you’re starting to see the pattern, right?
The conclusion is the following.
Simple foundational steps that everyone else finds too boring, repeated often enough, will help you succeed faster and with more certainty than trying to be internet famous and chasing shiny objects.
You will be successful, however most people will not think you are. This is fine, as it can be a blessing in itself. You don’t have to be the flashy guru who just talks but has no substance. Instead, you are exactly the ‘millionaire next door’: ordinary on the outside, but extraordinary on the inside!
So if you want to get something out of this, this is it. Focus on one thing, don’t get distracted by shiny objects. The only thing that runs daily over and over again without fail is what separates you from the rest who can’t do it simply because it’s not exciting enough.
This “one thing” mentality will get you further than anything else. So identify today the most important lever that really makes a difference in your business and focus on it.
Remember, consistency is the key. Slow and steady will win the race eventually!
