Irate guy leaves voicemail, says if you're so good why sell teaching?

I appreciate your response.

I took the "offline business" idea (providing online marketing/consulting for offline businesses) that was so hot here for a while and ran with it, with my own twist. Instead of targeting local businesses, I went by industry and choose to work virtually. And I VERY DELIBERATELY chose an audience NOT in the business consulting/make-money industry AT ALL.

I think telling others how to make money by doing what YOU do to make money can be legitimate, but it can also be a fine line and is very incestuous a lot of the time. So I steered clear of that completely by going after clients providing something very different than what I provide.

And I love that. It makes for a clearer, cleaner business and avoids questions like this -- as well as a lot of the "yuck" factor.

Michelle

Some people love to teach, to pass along what they know.

Some people believe it is wrong to keep important truths to oneself.

As someone else said, some people like to have a variety of income streams.

Some people learn more by teaching, and enjoy that process.

Some people enjoy creating courses and are good at it.

Someone who would ask the question probably wouldn't understand any of the above, so I'm not sure it's worth the time to try to explain to them.

Marcia Yudkin

I like that you called back in order to take the high road - it showed concern for someone else's opinion and changed a mind along the way.

The knee jerk reaction of most marketers when confronted with a critical or skeptical person is to go into defensive mode and bark back...or try to present a "superior" appearance by claiming high income or superior knowledge.

You disarmed him - kudos.

I agree. I have received a couple of derogatory posts in different forums, both along the same line as the one the OP wrote about. One was so irrational and agressive, with comments about my motives and my website that it showed that if he had looked at my site at all he could not have read for more than 5 seconds.

Regarding your second point, I see that quite often. For example, a free WSO I looked at dealing with my specialist field (importing), contained some seriously incorrect information and some advice that would be very risky to follow.

Great thread, thanks for all the thoughtful comments... you're right on the money.

Scalability is the main reason to teach via the internet. People can potentially earn much more per hour of work, by leveraging and selling (courses, dvds, webinars that share knowledge with a large audience), than if doing brick-and-mortar consulting and 1-on-1 teaching.

Many times, people who can do, also teach... but I think proof elements (individual what you've done, to earn the position of being able to teach correctly, plus testimonials from students/customers), are important to help weed out the people who can't actually do what they teach, which in some niches is a big percentage. Or at least help customers decide who is best to learn from.

I think teaching and training is the best profession, if you can combine it with what you have a passion and knowledge for, (or at least lessons learned from), and offer at a reasonable price with great service and authenticity. The internet's just a distribution channel, and what a grand one it is.

There is indeed a lot of people who can't do, and even for that matter, can't teach (though they act like they can); like many of my competitors. There's some that can't do, and can teach ok. There's some of us who can do, at least up to a certain level, and like to teach. Proof elements, testimonials, all helps customers differentiate. Educating customers to ask for that, is helpful.

Who was it, Greek philosopher who said, "to learn, teach", helps you improve whatever you're trying to do anyways, as a side benefit, by having to articulate, organize and present your thoughts. And doing your craft in isolation is never as fun as doing things publicly, with legacy/impact, to help many people; social responsibility as well as productive business.

-k

A very good point.

I don't agree that those who can't, teach. I learned a "difficult" foreign language and I teach English as a second language. I cured myself of tendon pain and now market in that niche. If I hadn't done it I wouldn't be nearly as in tune with my students'/customers' problems. Sure, there are some fakers out there...but the students tend to be able to spot them pretty easily, especially once they've been taught by the real thing.

And Marcia's point about taking pleasure in seeing someone else succeed is right on.

"You should have ask him..."

"You should have said...."

"Teachers can't do anything else...."

Wrong approaches. Comments designed to "make me look better than", "put someone in his place", or to put down a career you've seen only from the outside looking in.

From an educator's site giving Chicago teaching salaries....

median high school teacher earns $54k

Instructor level at U of Chicago - $59k

Full Professor - Ph.D. and tenured - $197k

There's a reason some of the best labs are found on college campuses (and some of the best libraries, too) - to lure top people to come to that university and pursue their research while also teaching a certain number or hours each year.

Add in excellent benefits, good job security, grants and access to government funded research projects....and take away the competitive nature and oversight of the corporate or business world. And then there is the chance to explain your field in your own way to students entering the business or scientific world.

Point is - like every trade or business, there are "levels" in the field of education. That's true in IM, too, because it takes more than knowledge to teach. It takes patience, empathy and the ability to connect with others and encourage them to succeed.

Not a bad gig.

I am 74 years of age, with a lifetime experience in exporting and importing. A few years ago I had heart surgery that had bad after effects, so I had no option but to sell my successful importing and marketing business that I had run for 22 years, franchising it in four countries.

Being a Type A personality, I would have gone crazy in retirement, so I wrote my book on importing, and I take pleasure in the success stories of people I have helped as a result.

I have never found on the internet any mention of a freight scam of the kind I was stung with in 1978, my first year of operating my importing business. I know the scam still operates in many countries, so I teach how to avoid it. That is just one of the things that people are willing to pay for. Learning from the experience of others is like buying an extremely low cost insurance policy.