The Easiest Way to Handle Friends That Want You to Teach Them Internet Marketing

If you have become successful at internet marketing, then there is a chance that at least one friend or acquaintance has asked you to teach them how to do it too. This can seem like a tricky situation if you have no idea how to handle it. You don't want to say no outright because they are your friends, but you don't want to waste your time either. Teaching them would either cut into your free time or your work time, both of which are extremely valuable. Fortunately, if you know how to handle this type of situation, it doesn't have to be difficult. By following these steps, these types of situations don't have to be uncomfortable or strain your friendship.

1. The Brief Overview

The first thing that you need to do is set aside 30 minutes to an hour to have an honest discussion about what you do and what your friend should expect. Remember, they are your friend so you can spare 30 minutes. If anything else, go out to a bar and make them pay for a few rounds while you talk or get your families together for a BBQ and make them do all the work. Take this time to seriously talk to them about how you started, the problems that you have had to overcome, and the expectations that they should have for themselves.

It is important to keep it casual at this point. The goal is not to push them towards or away from internet marketing, but rather give them a feel for the business. Then tell them to sleep on it for a day or two and then get back to you if they are interested.

2. Make Them Show That They Are Serious

Once they have decided to go ahead and try their hand at internet marketing, you need to make them do some work before you actually invest your time into them. The easiest way to do this is to share some of your learning tools such as eBooks, videos, etc. Tell them to read everything (a few times) and get back with you. If they do decide to bring it up again, give them a quick quiz over the content that you gave them. The questions don't need to be too tricky, just specific enough that they would have had to read the material in order to answer them. If they didn't read them, then tell them that if they are not going to take it seriously, then you won't help. At this point, give them one more chance to take it seriously. If they prove that they have read the material, then it is time to move on to the next step.

3. Your Turn

Once they have shown that they are serious about learning how to become an internet marketer, it is time for you to make a decision. Your first option is to use this opportunity to establish your credibility as a coach. If this is what you want to do, then it is imperative that you make sure that your friend succeeds. Give them all of the time and attention that they need. While you are doing this, you can record your sessions and sell them later, or use them as free “preview materials” for your new coaching program.

Your other option is to continue to provide him with educational resources, have a couple of detailed chats (about once a week – you could once again do this over a round of beers at the bar), and let him do a bulk of the learning on his own. You would simply act as guide, answering questions along the way. This approach is much more hands off, and will require less time and effort. However, you will not get to film your lectures or use your neighbor to build a coaching program.

The key to the 3rd step is to make sure that you benefit from it as well. While charity is a good thing, there is no reason not to benefit from your kindness as well. If anything else, just point them to some quality affiliate products so that you both will benefit. The good thing about affiliate products is that you can profit without your friends actually paying you directly.

In Review

There are three basic steps to how you handle a friend that wants you to teach them internet marketing. First, you give them a good idea about what you do and what the internet marketing game is all about – try to be as unbiased as possible, let them know that most people fail. Second, give them an assignment. If they are not willing to do a little work in the beginning, they definitely won't do the harder work later on. If everything is still going well, then you likely have a quality student on your hands and you can gain a lot by teaching them. The key is figuring out what you want to gain and how you can help them at the same time.

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