It's that time of year again! The time when millions of Christians from around the world take a pen to paper and make our their Christmas list to Santa Claus.
Rather than give Santa my personal list of needs and wants (that giant screen TV for my new living room!), today I thought I'd write a Letter to Santa asking him to help my fellow marketers.
I've been lucky enough to align myself with some really quality Marketers out on the Internet, people who just plain “get it”!
But for every one of those, there are hundreds if not thousands who don't have a clue!
When I see other online marketers who are either unaware of how to build a successful business or worse, trying to scam the system and shortcut their way to a fortune, I admit it — it drives me a bit crazy.
For the scammers out there, what can I say?
Ultimately, you will get what you deserve… a Christmas stocking full of coal.
But for those that are simply inexperienced and don't understand the way things work in the world of Online Marketing, I have turned to SANTA.
My Letter To Santa
When I was a kid, I used to write a letter to Santa every year, telling him what gifts I wanted most. It was a totally self-serving exercise.
It was all ME, ME, ME.
But this year, I want to offer to Santa a different kind of list.
My letter to Santa is for others… specifically other Online Marketers who need help.
Desperately.
Here below, in it's entirety is My Letter to Santa for 2012.
Dear Santa,
I don't wish for anything for myself this year. But if you have time, could you please help some of my misguided friends?
They have lost their way and could use some direction.
1. A Conscience
Santa, my biggest wish for my fellow Online Marketers is to uncover their conscience. You know, that little voice that tells them when they're doing something that will most likely end up hurting others.
Everyone has one, but some have buried it so deep within that they can't seem to find it.
They are so driven to make money that they've lost their direction and, sometimes even their sense of right and wrong.
Help my fellow marketers understand that misleading income claims, empty promises of help and that “make the sale at any cost” mentality can actually hurt people, especially in today's economy.
2. A New Vocabulary
Santa, please help my fellow marketers to stop using the words, “Easy”, “Quick”, “Insane”, “Free”, and “Explosive” in their marketing message. These words are inaccurate, overused, and mostly ignored anyway, and they make them look amateurish and phony.
Instead, provide them a dictionary so they can find words and phrases like “Truth”, “Invest”, “Consistent Effort”, “Takes Time” and “No Shortcuts”.
Heck, people are sick of the hype and just want to know the truth. Santa, guide my fellow marketers to tell people the simple truths and they'll be more successful for their efforts.
3. More Knowledge
Santa, please bless my fellow marketers with more knowledge. Place books like Twelve Pillars
, How To Win Friends and Influence People
, and Think and Grow Rich
into their stockings this Christmas.
But also Santa, help my friends to understand that they must not only read these books but implement what they learn into their business.
Give them the thirst for knowledge.. it will never lead them wrong.
4. The Gift of Helping Others
Santa, help my fellow marketers understand that when you help others first, you will find far more success in life than if you place your own priorities and needs ahead of everything and everyone else.
There seems to be an unexplainable karma in the universe — those that help others are in turn, helped the most.
Show my friends that if you want to make a lot of money in online marketing, help others first.
The rest will follow.
5. Their Own Niche
Santa, please, please, please help my fellow marketers understand that not everyone is their customer or prospect!
They can waste so much of their valuable time and money trying to attract everyone to their business.
Help my friends understand that there is a niche for everyone out there and that there are more than enough potential customers out there for us all.
If I had one wish for the upcoming year, it would be for all my online marketing friends to find their own niche.
6. A Mentor to Help Them Navigate the Obstacles
Santa, there are obstacles everywhere in life, and online marketing is no different. Please help my business friends understand the value of a mentor and the fact that they shouldn't try to do it alone.
I have been fortunate to find many terrific mentors in my life and they have helped me in so many ways. They have saved me time, money, and even talked me out of quitting when I felt the ruge.
Santa, give my fellow marketers the wisdom to recognize great mentors and understand how to attract them.
7. More Energy and Less Laziness
Santa, please help my fellow marketers to understand that laziness is the killer of any business. Laziness will expose you for the fraud that you are.
Dearest Santa, please tell my lazy friends that I see when you are using “swipe copy” in your emails to your list, and I am not impressed.
Please tell my lazy friends that when they hire an outsourcer to do their blog commenting or build a million backlinks for $10, their reputation is at stake and their laziness is exposed.
Please give my fellow marketers more energy to find their own way, to do the work that is required and… the understanding that there are NO shortcuts to success.
Santa, I know you are especially busy this time of year and this is an exceptionally challenging list, but if you could see your way to just grant even ONE of these things to each and every online marketer out there, the marketing world would be a much better place.
My Christmas wish is for all online marketers to find the success they covet, by doing things the right way, by earning their success and by doing so with the primary goal of helping others in their struggles.
Add To My List
What's on YOUR Christmas (or Holiday) list this year?
Leave a Comment and Join in the Discussion!
11 replies to "Dear Santa! My Holiday Wish List for Online Marketing Pretenders"
Okay so I’m a little late getting here, but couldn’t let this one pass!
Hehe – I love your sense of humour and ohhhhh…… wouldn’t it be NICE if this could really happen!
Loved it, read every word and nothing to add – just perfect!!
Nicky
Hi Bob,
what a wonderful list, thanks for sharing. If everybody followed your advice, it would help all of us in this industry because of the increasing reputation and professionalism. Anyway, as long as people are unwilling to learn, there’s not much Santa can do for them, right ?
How many people do you know who have the truth right in front of them – and they know it – and yet don’t act according to it ?
I meet many of them on a daily basis.
Thanks again for sharing.
Be blessed and a Happy New Year
Oliver
Yes, Oliver… they are everywhere. People who know what the right things to do are, but for some reason are fearful of doing them.
Or maybe it’s laziness, or whatever.
It’s sad, but hopefully if we can all influence just one person this week, or this month or this year… just one… we can change the world for that person.
Who knows, maybe it will even start a “movement” of some kind!@ 🙂
Happy New Year to you and your family, Oliver!
Here’s wishing that 2012 is the best year ever!
Hehehehe & Hohohoho
I got a good chuckle out of this wishlist to Santa, Bob. I like the angle on the letter too. The points are well-taken for me too! So many of the tactics of other “online marketers” has demonstrated the lack of professionalism that has given so many people fear and misgivings about what professional marketing should look like and what the experience should feel like.
If I were going to add one thing to this wishlist, it would be stick-to-it-ivness: the ability to have a longterm vision of what they are doing here and the tenacity to hang in there while building a weather-proof business. As the wise folks say, Rome was not built in a day. In the true spirit of building your own Colosseum (something sincerely worthy of the term “epic”), it will require diligent planning, consistent work, team efforts, and a bit of sweat…but if it’s done right, it may still be standing and revered for years to come.
🙂
Thanks for the fun approach to marketing with sensibility!
Cat
Great addition, Cat! I will add that to my WISH LIST — Dear Santa, PLEASE give people the foresight to understand the reward for longevity and consistent effort.
Thanks for your insights, Cat!
Bob, aloha. What a wonderful message and list. To it I would add:
Apply the Golden Rule at All times
Know WHY you want to build a business. If you don’t have a compelling reason to build a business, there are definitely “easier” ways to make money. Financial growth comes as a result of personal growth. If you won’t invest in the latter, you will never achieve the former.
Ditch the desperation. People can feel it and smell it
Bob, wishing you, rosemary and all the rest of your family a Mele Kalikimaka. Janet
Bob, aloha. What a wonderful message and list. To it I would add:
Apply the Golden Rule at All times
Know WHY you want to build a business. If you don’t have a compelling reason to build a business, there are definitely “easier” ways to make money. Financial growth comes as a result of personal growth. If you won’t invest in the latter, you will never achieve the former.
Ditch the desperation. People can feel it and smell it
Bob, wishing you, rosemary and all the rest of yourfamily a Mele Kalikimaka. Janet
Oh Bob, what a joyous message you bring us this day! I absolutely love it and I don’t think anyone could ask for more. From your written word to God’s ears, may he help all of those people who remain misguided.
I pray that 2012 wakes a lot of people up to how to truly have success online and that’s by giving so freely of their time and their content. By truly helping others get what they want, they will see the pure joy in it coming full circle. Not for selfish reasons mind you, but for the pure joy of giving.
Thank you for spreading the word this Christmas Eve! I wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and the right path to a prosperous New Year!
God Bless,
~Adrienne
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Adrienne… wishing you all good things in 2012!
Thank you for your many contributions to this blog, Adrienne… it’s so great that we can learn from each other!
Dr. Bob,
I’ve been offline most of the week with only 5 minutes here and there on the computer due to being sick. I HAD to come comment on this post. I love it! Absolutely love it. 2012 I hope will be the year that everyone, including myself, remains steadfast in their growth to help others and realize that this industry takes a lot of hard work and effort. If you’re in it for a quick buck, please don’t bother. If you’re in it because your desperate, please don’t buy into the hype. And yes, finding a good mentor is critical to your success. Don’t go it alone, it will be a long hard road – harder than it needs to be.
As always, a pleasure to visit here. I’m now going back to my box of Kleenex.
All the best,
VaNessa
Somehow I knew you would resonate with this post, Vanessa. Probably because we’ve had these discussions before!
Thanks so much for taking the time to post a comment here when you are feeling so poorly. Please go back to bed, regain your strength and come out swinging next week! 🙂