A mentor is described as a trusted guide or advisor who is sometimes older but always more experienced, and is willing to help another individual develop his or her knowledge and skills. The history of this dates back to the days of Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus’ friend was named Mentor, and he went to Troy to teach his son, Telemachus. A mentor is a teacher, in the true sense of the word.

My very first business mentor was Raymond Aaron, whom I now consider to be one of my closest friends and allies on the Internet and in my life. He has always been confident in his own expertise, and brings as much commitment to our relationship as I do. Without this expert mentoring and guidance I would never have had the courage to change my life in the ways that bring me so much joy today. I now also have several people in my life whom I consider to be my business and personal mentors. I look up to them and continue to grow and change based on our interactions.

You most likely have already experienced the supportive feeling of having a mentor, even if it was not a formal relationship. Think of a person in your life who was encouraging to you, someone you looked up to and respected, or someone you aspired to be like. This may have been one or both of your parents, or the parent of a close friend. It could have been a teacher, a coach, or a supervisor or boss at your job. Mentors are special people who give us examples to model ourselves after, and many times, they are able to guide us specifically with a skill set we need in order to be successful.

So, what’s the difference between a mentor and a coach?

Coaching has been defined by the International Coach Federation to be “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” This concept first began to take off in the 1990s. Coaches most often work independently from organizations and help individuals, teams in a workplace, or specific groups of people to improve their relationships and grow stronger. This is different from mentoring in that mentors are more likely to spend more quality time with individuals with whom they share a common bond or goal.

A coach, unlike a mentor, does not

I attend many events each year, and I’d love to meet you in person. I find that connecting with people at live events is the very best way to get to know them, and I’m sure you would agree.

If you want to meet Connie Ragen Green during 2011, here are some of the places I will be:

UnSeminar 9 – This is an event hosted by Pat O’Bryan, creator of the ‘Portable Empire’ coaching program. This is the third time I have spoken at this amazing event, and there will be another one announced in the near future.

August 18-22 – NAMS (The Niche Affiliate Marketing System) This event is in Atlanta, and I’d love to meet you there. Go here to sign up, and use the code 100special to save $100 off the cost of the event.

November 11-13 – the Armand Live event – this will be in San Francisco this time, and you can sign up through my link here.

Jim Boat Caribbean Cruise – December 1-8 – I’ll be speaking on the topic of ‘Targeted Traffic to Your Sites Through Article Marketing and Content Syndication’. Contact me for more information on attending.

I will be adding two more events to this list, but I have not confirmed them yet. I always say that I would not have the business I have today if I had not started attending live events in 2008. What about you? Have you started attending conferences and workshops to build your online business?

Hosting your own teleseminars is the next best thing to meeting people in person at a live event. When we only connect with the people on our list through our email messages, we are just like everyone else – flat and one-dimensional. It is easy for them to quickly scan our message, ignore it, delete it, or unsubscribe.

Once they hear our voice, everything changes. Now we have become a fully fleshed out, three dimensional human being who is there to answer our questions and serve our needs. Now when they receive our emails they are able to put a voice to the words. This can bring about a dramatic change in the relationship we can build.

I’ve been using the Instant Teleseminar recording service since it began back in May of 2007. I have now made hundreds of thousands of dollars by hosting my own teleseminars here, creating products that are hosted on this site, and interviewing hundreds of people. It’s only $1 for the first 21 days, so you can give it a try. I can honestly say that my business would still be creeping along slowly if I had not been willing to allow my prospects to hear my voice.

Have you seen the testimonials on sales letters and web sites? I love to read through them to see what other people have said about a product or service I am considering. The best ones include the first and last name of the person offering the testimonial, as well as their web site address.

Have you ever given someone a testimonial? I first did this in 2006, and I was amazed at the result. Soon after my picture, testimonial, and web site URL appeared on the sales letter, people began to opt in to my list. What I had said about someone else’s course was building my credibility and visibility.

Offer your testimonial any time you purchase a product or take a course that you can rave about. Don’t wait to be asked; jump right in and tell them how their product or course helped you to achieve specific goals. You will find that your opinion makes a huge difference to others who are looking for help with the same thing.

Another way to build your business is to stay connected with the people who have had an impact on your life. The very first person to mentor me was Raymond Aaron, and I continue to learn from him to this day. We met while I was still teaching in the classroom and working part-time in real estate. His level of energy and enthusiasm, along with his knowledge of how to change your life, made him the perfect person to mentor me.

Raymond has been there for me during some pivotal times in my life. One was when we shared the stage at an Internet marketing event last year. Another was when I won the ‘Better Your Best’ contest at Big Seminar in Las Vegas. And now that I have completed my first book, Raymond has written the foreward.

Stay in touch with your mentors throughout your life. You will continue to learn from them, and their lives will be enriched by seeing you achieve your goals.

An e-course is a series of short lessons that teach your prospect some basic information on your area of expertise. I love e-courses. They have proved to be extremely profitable for me and thousands of others who are working on the Internet. When you are creating your own e-course, think about the topic, what else you will promote, and how you will follow up with the people who sign up to learn from you.

The only mistake you can make is in trying to provide too much information on too wide a topic. Instead, choose just one slice of your niche and create about 5 lessons on it. Each lesson can be two or three paragraphs long – just enough to fit comfortable into an email message that is set in your autoresponder sequence. Each lesson can include a recommendation for one of your products or that of an affiliate. You may want to also include an assignment for them to do to encourage them to connect with you by email. Here is an example of an e-course that has done very well for me in terms of building my list and increasing my income.

I am a former classroom teacher, so the idea of teaching people on the Internet was a natural progression for me. Sharing great resources that teach valuable concepts is part of what I love to do. Today I want to teach you more about how membership sites can change your online business model.

My colleague Heather Seitz has been online longer than I have, and is brilliant at what she teaches. Here is the way she teaches you how to use a newsletter as part of a membership site to build recurring, residual income. I have 6 of these membership sites so far, and they are extremely profitable for me. Watch it and see how it can work for you.

I have also written a short report on membership sites that I would like for you to read. This is how I have been able to set up my sites so quickly and easily.

Even if you have already done this in the past, write another e-course for your list. This is a great way to generate additonal income over time. Choose a topic your list wants to know more about and create an e-course with five lessons. Each lesson should only be about four paragraphs long, so it will fit easily into an email. You can deliver this e-course over a period of days through your autoresponder system.

At the end of each lesson include a link to an appropriate affiliate product, or own of your own if you have a product or course that would make sense. I have written an e-course for you here, titled “How To Write A Free E-Course For Ongoing Profits“. Eventually you can create paid e-courses, but start with free ones when you are just getting started online.

Building your list is the most important thing you can do to increase your online income. Even though I teach you how to maximize your profit from your current list, no matter how small, you must always remember that your ultimate goal is to keep growing your list of subscribers.

Public speaking is one way to build your list and gain credibility with your target audience. When I spoke in March at Matt Bacak’s Marketing Madness event, I not only added names to my list, but also built rapport with the people who were already on my list. They saw me differently when I was one of the speakers

When someone signs up to be on your list by leaving their name and email address, they are expecting to receive the report or recording that you have promised them. It is up to you to deliver fully on that promise to begin establishing trust between the two of you.

Many people are cautious before opting in to anything new. They are already receiving more emails than they would like, but they do want to receive what you are offering them. That first email will set the tone for your future relationship, so make sure to provide them with a download link to your free giveaway, as well as thanking them for joining your list.

We generally do not remember someone’s second or third autoresponder message to us, but we all remember if we received our free gift or not. Make the connection immediately so your list knows that you will keep your word.