This is what the TED website says about this performer:

Kaki King, the first female on Rolling Stone’s “guitar god” list, rocks out to a full live set at TED2008, including her breakout single, “Playing with Pink Noise.” Jaw-dropping virtuosity meets a guitar technique that truly stands out.

This is a Saleen S7. It’s an American sports car. Want to hear what it sounds like? Click here.

Yes, it’s my dream car. The dream is still alive. Not realized just yet, but still alive.

Since this post is a clear winner for LONGEST POST TITLE EVER I suppose I’d better make the content equally winning. You judge. For now, I’ll give you a recap and in future posts I’ll dive into things a bit deeper.

So, here’s the first part of the story in this quest to learn what Internet marketers are doing. Let me explain.

About 2 years ago my marketing itch grew increasingly by all the launches I was seeing among Internet Marketers (IM’s). I’m a business guy. I’ve been in marketing and business my entire life. I was NOT interested in becoming an IM. I was simply interested in how they marketed so I set about to learn.

It didn’t take long to figure out who was who and what was what. For quite sometime I’ve been a fan of Early To Rise and Michael Masterson. I’ve read his books and even purchased some other resources from ETR over the years (long before this quest to learn what IM’s are doing). I started by looking closer at the offerings of ETR. Since I had invested in some of their products in the past, I ponied up some more dough and became an even more loyal customer.

Many off-line names of my past have migrated into even greater guru status in the online world. For instance, Dan Kennedy, Jay Abraham and Mark Joyner. All 3 of these men (and quite a few others) have been around for many years sharing their marketing expertise. The internet has allowed these guys – and many others like them – to reach a wider audience and become even more popular. They’re what I’ll call the “old guard.” They’re seasoned veterans of the off-line world who went viral when the Internet became King. Old dogs can learn new tricks. These guys prove it.

True confession time: I’ve read and followed all 3 of these men for many years – long before this journey into IM’s began. While they’ve embraced technology, the basics of their marketing remain intact. They are considered by the “new guard” (the new dogs, if you please) as the guru mentors. Their names are tossed about quite freely by less known names (to the general public).

Enter the new guard with names like Rich Schefren, Frank Kern, John Reese, Jeff Walker (no, not Jerry Jeff Walker), Armand Morin, Yanik Silver, Ed Dale and a slew of others. Many of these fellas have been around for 10 years or less, but that’s a lifetime in Internet years! It’s funny to hear some of these guys talk about “way back in 2004.” But that’s the reality of the web. Things are still quite young.

I’m a learning and leaning freak. Part of leaning toward wisdom involves learning. A big part of it. When I still pretty young I figured out the basic ways of learning. I don’t mean visual vs. auditory, etc. I mean more simple methodology like:

1. Trial and error. Lots of errors. Just learn by doing it without really knowing or understanding anything.

2. Instruction. Let somebody teach you. If they can show you, all the better.

3. Modeling. This is like #2, but amped up. You learn by instruction, but you seek out somebody who really does it well and try to copy what they do. (NLP lovers know all about this.)

Being the lazy sort, I decided to set aside some money and find the guys who seemed to be the most capable of teaching – and the guys who had great word-of-mouth reputations.

That proved harder than it looked. For starters, IM’s run in their own crowd. It’s been suggested by some that they spend their time peddling each other’s products and I can attest there is tremendous truth to that…thanks in large part to affililate marketing (think of commission sales for online products). It’s true that if one of these guys sneezes, they all sneeze (or reach for a Kleenex). I have been entertained watching it all though.

Let me digress momentarily and tell you that I love seminars and conferences IF the speakers are solid. I’m not much for crowds or spending big bucks to fly somewhere, but if there’s a conference worth going to – with great speakers – I’m always tempted. Part of it is my passion for great speakers. Part of it is my lust for learning.

One of the first things I invested in long before this 2-year journey began were some DVD’s from ETR (Early To Rise) because they were videos of a conference. Most of them were pretty good, some were better than good. A few were only fair, but all in all – it was worth the money. It wasn’t so geared toward Internet marketing as it was business in general though.

These IM’s all seem to love live events where they charge enormous amounts, or give tickets away free to a select number of customers who have spent $2000 on their latest info products. Never having been to one I can’t attest to their value. However, there is lots of talk about how great they are – uttered mostly by passionate groupies. Others bark about how they’re nothing more that “pitch fests” where a guru’s buddies give a speech, then pitch their latest, greatest info product on how to get rich on the Internet.

The Internet Lifestyle. That’s the rub. It’s the million dollar, Saleen S7 driving dream! Who doesn’t want it? Tim Ferris wrote of it in his book, “The 4-Hour Workweek.” Others continue to preach about it. Lifestyle Design some call it. Most people design their lifestyle around trying to make a living, provide for their family and having a life (of some sort). Not these guys (and gals). They want and yearn for the GOOD LIFE. Nothing lights up the imagination quite like the thought of living on a beach somewhere, logging into the Internet for a few hours a week and making millions of dollars so you’re free to go where you want, when you want, with whoever you want. Ah! The Internet Lifestyle (one of MANY sites, by the way).

That is what propels most people to chase what the IM’s are selling. And that is precisely what the successful IM’s are selling. The dream. The quest for a better life. A life where YOU are in control. Wouldn’t it be terrific? You bet.

There are some terrific marketing geniuses among them. There are some wonderful business ideas and practices. There are also some real snakes. We’ll continue our saga next time. In the meanwhile, I’m posting pictures of that bright yellow Saleen S7 all over my house to inspire me to make my own millions and live the lifestyle of my dreams.

NOTE: I am NOT an affiliate marketer for any of the aforementioned. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I first saw Jimmy Buffet in 1973. His Corral Reefer Band was one guitar player. It was right before his 3rd album was released, A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. A year later he’d release “Living and Dying in 3/4 Time” – the album containing his biggest hit (to that date), “Come Monday.” He sang that song the first time I heard him. Between 1973 and 1976 I saw him at least 8 time live – one of the hazards of living in a gulf coast state at the time.

We called it “progressive country.” It was Jerry Jeff Walker, Willis Alan Ramsey, Jimmy Buffett, Steve Goodman, Pure Prairie Leauge and others. I was steeped into that genre probably as much as I’d been into any genre – ever. Admittedly, by the time “Cheeseburger In Paradise” arrived, my Buffett ship had sailed to different oceans. I was never a big fan of Jimmy’s work once he left the gulf shores and headed to the mountains. He returned to Florida, but somehow I never really found my way back to him.

It’s been well over 30 years since I first heard him. I still listen to his early stuff – and I’m still enamored with the man’s ability to craft lyrics that put me in a different time, at another place. Unlike most Buffett fans (now called Parrotheads), drinking alcohol and living a party life were never part of my lifestyle. Still I was an enormous fan – still am, at least of the old stuff. So, I’m posting this. Just because.

Old school that never gets old. Nothing average here!

The late, great, strange-but-talented Michael Hedges. This December 3rd marks the 12th anniversary of his death. I’m in an acoustical guitar mood these days. Between Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges, I’m filling my earbuds today with great stuff. Enjoy.

This is more finger magic from Canuck Don Ross.

A friend of mine hates his job. Nothing so special about that. The people he works for are, in his words, “oppressive.” Like that 4th grade teacher who hovered over your shoulder while you tried to complete an exam, his management is stifling. Their presence hangs over the workplace like a dark storm cloud – actually, more like a lingering fog that won’t burn off. It sounds like a tough existence. I see it rob him of initiative. I don’t much think drudgery is a good work motivator, but I could be wrong.

Depression – not the clinical kind, but the emotional kind – is common in his life. Makes him really fun to be around. A real laugh riot. Flip a coin on his mood and more often than not it lands on “funk.” That’s how he describes his depression about his life and situation.

He’s thankful to have a paycheck though. The recession has oddly enough made matters worse for him at work because now he feels more trapped than ever. Which is really weird because he’s never looked at leaving his job. I guess just knowing there might be the possibility of leaving the morons he blames for his work situation gave him hope. Hope that he might one day be able to move beyond their craziness. Now, with people losing jobs and our president moving us faster and faster toward a socialist society he feels more trapped than ever.

We’ve spent lots of time talking about action, taking control of your own life and refusing to be victimized. Nothing seems to work. Exasperated I recently told him his life was just one big suck-session. It sucked because he was perfectly okay with letting it be that way. He was, I argued, a victim of his own design. At some level he saw it and understood it, but ultimately he concluded what so many conclude, “What else can I do?”

I only had two words for him, “Suck less.”

I live in Dallas. The Dallas Mavericks have made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Yawn.

Why the yawn. Well, there’s no way “we” can beat Cleveland or the Lakers. Why try if you’re not a shoe in for the championship?

In our quest to be the very best we often overlook the value of being good enough, perhaps even being great.

One team wins the championship. All others, by this logic, are losers!

One business dominates. All others are chasers. And losers.

It’s flawed logic. Real life isn’t like professional sports. The scoreboard we live by has many numbers. The largest numbers don’t always signify “best.”

What about the customers who couldn’t imagine their lives without your business?

What about your employees who rely on your business to feed their families?

What about the community that is made better because your business exists?

What about sustainable profits year after year?

And what about being the best at just one thing? I know small companies that are the best at simple things that matter. Okay, maybe they’re not the best in the universe, but they’re the best in my little universe – where I live and shop.

Dallas/Ft. Worth is an area with over 6 million people. There are vast areas of this metropolitan area that I never visit. I’m sure there are some terrific businesses all over the place, but they’re not nearby for me. So, I focus on the places near me that are best, great or just good enough.

We don’t always need or want the best. McDonald’s and other fast food joints have been wildly successful because they’re good enough. And the smart ones are always working to get better!

Some years ago I was consulting and helping a business in Kansas. They were in a retail trade and the stores were, uh…well, you just had to make sure your tetanus booster was up-to-date. Clutter was not so much a problem as filth. Peeling paint on the outside, including the sign. Dusty displays.

I sat down with the president of the company and asked him about his overall “maintenance strategy.” I think that may have been the first, and only time, I had used that phrase. But I wanted to sound high falutin’ you know. This guy was a $@! kicker from way back. He asked me what I meant, so I told him. “Man, your stores look like crap.” When you’re face to face with a $@! kicker, you’ve got to learn to do some kickin’ yourself. He appreciated my bluntness. But his answer surprised me.

“Hey, man. I don’t want to look too fancy. Folks might think we’re too expensive.”

Price was part of his strategy. That is, LOW prices were part of his strategy. I had personally seen guys come in from the Kansas prairie, wearing overalls while shirtless with Evergreen Feed Store baseball caps on their sweat soaked heads. I knew he was right. End of discussion.

Greasy, grimy and gritty were good for his business. It defied everything I knew to be true at the time. That was over 20 years ago. It was the first time poor appearance had been formally presented to me as a purposeful business strategy.

Fast forward to the last few years and enter my interest in web design – not doing it myself necessary (I know just enough web design to know I need to hire it out). Like most, I fancy all the coolest designs. My list of favorite designs grew, and grew and grew. I cut and pasted links to all of them, or bookmarked them and stored them in a folder named, “Favorite Website Designs.” You’re not laughing because you’ve got a folder like that, too – don’t you?

I discovered that my favorites changed. What I found appealing 3 years ago, doesn’t seem so great today. Great design I discovered was like chasing a rainbow. It was nice to think about, but impossible to achieve.

Don’t get me wrong. I love great designs. But as a businessman the reality is, it does not always translate into good business. It may not even often translate into good business. In fact, there is tremendous evidence – for many enterprises – that ugly is better. That has almost always been true in direct mail campaigns and it’s also true for many online businesses. Let me be clear that there’s a distinction between good navigation and good design. Something can be easy to navigate and look like crap. Just like something can look killer, but be tough to muddle through to find anything useful.

In the past few years I’ve paid close attention to the Internet marketers. Look at them carefully. Sure, some of them have good looking websites (see Michael Fortin or Yanik Silver). Then, there are those by Jeff Walker whose last blog entry is dated February 21, 2008 (over a year ago). And I really like Jeff (yeah, we’re on a first name basis). Seriously, the dude hasn’t a clue who I am, but I still like him. He just has a ugly website. But he’s in great company because so does Frank Kern. Hey, at least Frank (also a close personal friend) has blogged in the current calendar year!

I’m sure Fortin and Silver are doing well. I’m equally certain Walker and Kern aren’t starving either. And you know what? To their respective clients and prospective customers greasy, grimy and gritty may be better for business. Why? Because it means they don’t have high dollar websites, so I shouldn’t need one either. It means I can crank out something just as crappy as them, and it won’t hurt me because it doesn’t seem to hinder them. Low overhead, low cost and making money in spite of ugly is appealing. Don’t believe me? Then you’ve not seen Tellman Knudson.*

*And NO, I’m not an affiliate, but I wish I were.

What defines the perfect business model? Is it little work getting lots of money? Is it long-term passive income?

For years I’ve been involved in leasing various business space. Sometimes it’s retail space, sometimes it’s office and warehouse space. Every now and then I find myself in a space that is worth more than the business I operate. There’s something seemingly unfair about that.

I look at commercial space landlords and sometimes think THAT is the perfect business model. Month after month the tenants pay you. If your occupancy rate is high, the property is paid for in short order – and from then on, it’s just an ongoing revenue stream. Sure, there are some costs associated with being a landlord, but increasingly – the heavy lifting is done by the tenants. Does the HVAC have problems? Mr. Tenant, that’s your problem. Other than structural issues, the tenant is usually responsible for everything, including taxes and other expenses required to maintain the property. It’s the magic of common area maintenance (CAM) and other expenses that are part of every commercial lease.

Yes, I think that’s the perfect business model provided the space can stay leased and isn’t sitting empty for months or years at a time. Today, that’s a big IF.

There are other business models that intrigue me though. Lots of Internet based businesses intrigue me. The reason is simple: low cost, low barrier of entry. The downside to that is everybody and their dog can do it. So it can get crowded pretty quickly. But there are still solid opportunities there.

For a long time I’ve watched with great interest the marketing prowess of various Internet gurus. When I first began to study the techniques and tactics of these guys (and gals) I was smitten with the question that so few seem to ask, “If this person is making 5 figures every month, why would they sell me their blueprint for $1997?” Admittedly, throwing down a couple of grand is no small thing, but if you could earn 5 figures every month, it’s chump change. The fact is, if I were making 5 figures monthly in a business of any kind – I would not sell you the business model for 2 grand. I wouldn’t sell it to you for any amount of money. I’d keep my mouth shut and my bank account full.

Of course, that assumes the business model is doing something other than selling the $1997 blueprint. Ah, there’s the rub. That is the business model. Showing people how to make 5 figures a month is what people want to hear, and learn. So for 2 grand we’ll show you how. That will help us make 5 figures a month, but we don’t have a business really. We just tell you how you can have yours. It’s the business equivalent of kicking the can. It has its challenges, but you don’t accomplish anything. You just waste time.

I admire some of the Internet marketing gurus. They understand marketing. They know human psychology. Con men know the same things. I admire their skills, too. It doesn’t mean I want to be one though.

Sure, there are some pretty good and seemingly honest folks hawking the perfect business model, an Internet-based business. But boy is there a lot of loud noise? I confess that I’ve spent my share of money looking at a variety of Internet business offerings – primarily because as a student of marketing I’m smitten with their ability to tease, lure and deliver. Many of them have technical skills that I just don’t have (and skills I find terribly uninteresting).

Here’s the sum total of what I have learned – something that is truly worthwhile as you pursue the perfect business model. Create it once, and get paid for it over and over!

Now that is the genius of great Internet marketing. And I find it very attractive. Of course, the rub is – most people have little to no ability to create anything, once or otherwise. There’s always a rub.