The other day I discovered Bob Bly’s Internet Marketing Hall of Fame. When I reviewed the list on March 4, I found 80 names of successful gurus whom Bly believes “actually make a lot of money on the Internet instead of just bragging about it.”
I started scrolling down the list, identifying names I’m familiar with. Then it occurred to me: I sure recognize lots of these names. And even more revealing, I know a fair amount about quite a few of these people. Their marketing shtick. Like where they live. Pets and children who are ill.
Uh, what’s does all this “knowledge” mean?
I’d like to think it means I understand the marketplace and expose myself to the best ideas out there.
But it may mean I spend too much time reading and conversely, not enough time on my own business.
I did a count to see where I stand. I reviewed the list of 80 names again and checked off those whose list I know I am on or whom I know a fair amount about. My criteria are kind of hazy, but yielded a count of 30 yeses.
This translates into a score of 37.5% (30 individuals I “know” divided by 80 people on the list) if we’re going to go all scientific here.
This list also reveals something about Bob Bly. Though his knowledge of the market is substantial, given that he can list so many people whom he believes to earn at least $100,000 in net passive income a year, his list is exceptionally male-centric.
Now, I’m not saying this to be critical of Bob. I’m not calling him a male sexist pig or any such thing.
I am simply pointing out that the list of 80 includes only five women (as best I can identify gender).
There are two possible explanations.
One is that Bob focuses his attention on a certain corner of the market (and to be fair, he never claimed to be comprehensive in his selection).
A second possibility is the criterion of “passive income.” Some of the qualified-but-omitted names (I believe) have significant active streams from coaching tiers, resort events, etc. Still, I suspect they are so big that at least $100,000 annually is derived from the passive sale of their own products and affiliate offerings.
If I were developing an Internet Marketing Hall of Fame, I would add more names from the women-serving-women niche. Ali Brown is already on the list, but I’d like to think there are many other qualified women among those claiming to earn in the millions each year. And shouldn’t at least $100,000 of a multi-million income stream come from passive income, especially when these women proudly teach multiple-income streams?
The first name I throw out here is Kendall Summerhawk. And how about Bernadette Doyle and Milana Leshinsky?
Then there’s what I call the heart-centered / authenticity gang (which, by the way, overlaps significantly with the women-serving-women crowd).
I’d like to believe that some of them meet the financial criterion, but their fuzzier bragging makes it difficult to name names. (And no, they are not bragging, they assure us. They’re just telling the facts.)
Originally posted 3-9-10
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