What Do you Do For A Living?
By Jason in Business, Product Launches | 25 comments
What Do You Do For A Living? I have been asked that question so many times and have probabaly never given the same answer. As an Internet marketer this is a really tough question to answer.
What brings this question up is, im going through the loan approval process right now for a new house and the bank underwriter called me and wanted to know what I did for a living and how I was going to find work after moving 500+ miles.
I was worried that that this guy (who is pretty much responsible for approving me for this loan) would think I was crazy if I told him I: Sold information on the internet, did some affiliate marketing, ran Warrior Special Offers, made money with email marketing, wrote and sold ebooks, launched products, ran my own affiliate program, etc.
I think from now on I am going to tell people. “I am a reseller of information and software on the Internet. I make money marketing other companies products.”
Which is true really, affiliate marketing is a large part of my business. Sad part of the matter is that there is still a stigma associated with an Internet business. Many are quick to assume I am running some kind of scam, Im selling x-rated material, or I’m doing something unethical even after I explain what I do.
What do you think? If you click on comments above you can leave your feedback. I’d love to hear what you thoughts are!
Speaking of email and affiliate marketing, on April 10th, 2008 I am launching version 2 of my Greedy Giveaway. I love giveaways, they are an amazing way to build your list and make money at the same time. A deadly combination!
I was able to add 12,000+ subscribers in the first round. I am hoping to double that this time around. Here is a link to check out the giveaway:
Greedygiveaway.com
Later on this month Shawn Casey and Tellman Knudson launch ListBuilding.com which is a huge course on different techniques to build your list. You can check out their free case study videos here.
Finally, my good friend and an all around great guy David Guindon is launching a really cool piece of software called “Virtual Smart Agent” An awesome piece of software that can increase your online sales up to 40%. Basically you just add a few lines of code to your site and you will have your own “intelligent” virtual agent making sales for you 24/7 … with NO commissions to pay or NO monthly fees EVER!
Check out virtual Smart Agent Here:
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I’ve always taken the time...
John Tan | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi James,
Sometime is really hard to explain what we are doing to other people as they will think that it is too good to be true but it is true. LOL
Terry Jett | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
I like your answer.
It is very hard to tell people what I do. As you said, they aways think the worst.
Always told people that I am self employed as a reseller of software and telecommunications. I
have marketed telecom since about 1997, so use
to people who only wish they could do the same
thing:)
Thanks Jason.
Terry
Ryan From Internet Marketing Blog | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
I know what you mean. I just attended a cousin’s wedding this weekend and was asked by several relatives that I haven’t seen in some time what I do for a living and I struggled to answer each time.
Jim Orr | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
For anyone in Internet Markering or plans on doing it, a must read is the 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Tim addresses this very question. “What I do has nothing to do with what I am.” What he does depends on what day of the week it is and where he is at. He says when asked at parties he usually says he is a drug dealer and that generally ends the conversation right there. don’t know if I would put that on a loan app though.
Jessalynn Coolbaugh | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Jason,
Best of luck with the mortgage!
Though I’ve only tossed my hat into the internet marketing ring in the last year or so, I’ve had trouble explaining to people what I do for a living for years.
As a copywriter, I get people all the time asking me if I can help them *copyright* their niece’s son’s girlfriend’s poetry, and the like. Most people simply stare with this odd look on their faces when I try to explain to them that I create marketing materials for businesses.
So once I’ve tried and failed to explain what I do to them a few times, I simply smile and say ever so sweetly, “You know all that junk mail you get every week? I write THAT.”
Funny…but they never seem to call again after that :p
Great post, and keep up the good work!
Jessalynn
Dan | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi
I tell people I am a painter.
They assume that I will do
there walls.I should just
be proud and say artist.
Dan
Davion | Secrets of Affiliate Marketing | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Internet marketing or rather affiliate marketing is still something very new in the country I live in. But this is the explanation I tell my friends and relatives whenever they ask me. “I sell digital products online, ebooks and software.” That’s it.
It is hard sometimes for people to understand but I guess with eBay and stuff, people start to catch a glimpse of what we do. I will be quiting corporate life this June to focus on IM. Guess it is another round to explain to people what I am doing from home. Easy to be mistaken as a “BUM”. Ha Ha!
Jason | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
A a reseller of software and telecommunications. I like that Terry!
Nahhh Jim, I dont think putting drug dealer on the loan app is a good idea either!
Hey and Davion, good luck in June! Maybe you can get Jess to copywrite for you!
Great feedback guys and gals! Thanks for reading.
Richard Koury | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi, Jason! So true, however, most don’t even bother to add “for a living” anymore. It’s just “What do YOU do?”
Well, for ME, it’s quite a bit different. You see, I have recently(approx. 2 1/2 years ago)made a decision to Live life totally for God, NOT “Live to ‘make a living’”, but, as Jesus taught: “Seek, FIRST, the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these THINGS(needed for living: food, clothes, shelter)WILL BE ADDED to you(by GOD!)”. I’ve found, in that short time(out of 59 total years so far), that if you “Live to please God”(His “Life Manual” or “Love Letter” to/for us states that the very purpose each one of us is created, given LIFE, & continue to receive “each breath He holds forth for us” IS “to bring Glory to HIM”), HE fills your heart, mind & soul with a Joy, & Peace, & Love for all people - an overall sense of WellBeing, that is not only indescribable, but is incomparable by any of this worlds normal standards.
Oh, yes, there have been a few periods of time in my life when I have lived this way, but I always seemed to slowly drift back into that “Living to make a living” routine, and, depending on my “job” at the time, I would answer the normal - “I’m a salesman…”, “…Customer Service Manager”, “Registered Nurse”, “Minister of The Gospel”, etc. I was, at those times, “…DOing for a living”.
Oh, Jason, my friend, I would really like to turn you on to THIS way of Living. Not even 10 7-figure Launches compare to the TREASURE that Living for HIM brings your heart & soul.
Want to “chat” more about LIVING? Anytime! That’s WHAT I DO.
In HIS Love & Service,
Richard Koury(kor’-ee)-TheTruthBrigade.com
Albert Grande | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
For now, I say I’m a teacher. I explain I’m a pizzaman. I also say I do some stuff on the Internet to anyone who seems interested.
I promote my on-line business any time I can…
Going through the third degree with those bank loan officers can be tricky, however. They want to know how much you make, how long you have been employed, who you work for etc. etc. … Good luck, Jason. Just smile and slide them a copy of the taxes you filed.
Mike Hill | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Jason,
Yeah I too get this questions a lot. I’ve tried to explain exactly what I do in the past but they always seemed to respond “You actually make money doing that?”
So now I use another retort and it never gets a response and kills the conversation dead in it’s tracks.
I tell people who ask, that I make money online with porn.
You should see the expressions on people’s faces… It’s priceless. ROFL…
Mike Hill
Mike | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Jason;
To me what you do is “Electronic Marketing Motivating”, or maybe “Internet Business Publishing” or maybe combination there of.
The reason it is difficult to answer is that we are like the bank and mortgage forms, confined to a box on a piece of paper. That carries over into most peoples thinking and difficulties develop when people can Not put you and what you do in a box.
The great Charlton Heston died last week and the movie channel had an interview of him on today. Charlton said that when his son was in grade school, the teacher asked each of the kids, “what does your dad do for a living?”
Charlton’s little son answered, “My daddy acts like he is someone else.”
Charlton said he has never been able to describe his acting career in any better or any shorter terms.
So maybe you need to talk with some children and explain to them what you do and then let them give an answer back. The best things come from a child.
Keep up the good work.
By the way, my wife and I love Virginia Beach and would like to meet you when we get back there, hopefully soon. Our favorite time there is early September, just after all of the ‘tourists’.
Mike
Ricardo | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi Jason,
You’re exactly right, that is a hard question to answer; I get asked that same question, all I can say is that I’m an Internet Marketer who makes there living from the internet.
Thank You
Ricardo
Johnson Tay | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Just mention that you’re an Information Marketer. From my experience, most people who got this reply from me understand what it means.
If somehow they still don’t get it, then you just proceed to say that you sell information, everything from how to lose weight to how to make money, on the Internet.
Simple?
Bodil | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
What I am doing is not so difficult to explain; I am helping people to change their life if they want it, get rid of health challenges and get finansial sequrity for themselves and family.
Wish you a wealthy and healthy life .-)
Rosie Cottis | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
I say that I’m a kind of online journalist - making money by writing articles for the internet. It’s only a part of what I do but it’s true and people seem to understand it better than anything else.
Sharon | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
I prefer to simply say I’m in Advertising and Marketing. That would be the simplest thing for other people to understand. Because that’s considered a field on it’s own with enough power to rank as a separate category in ‘job’ forms.
Since most people I know have regular jobs this makes sense to them.
But I tend to think of myself as a teacher cum creative person. So what I say to others is what they can understand that I do.
Jay Jenkins | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi Jason, as you try to formulate your reply to the loan officer, keep in mind his job is to loan money. What this means to you is that all you need to show him is that you are self-employed with a substantial income (validated by your PayPal or ClickBank payment notices). You see, if a loan officer makes a bad loan, he takes the hit, but, and you need to get this, if he doesn’t make a good loan, he really takes a hit.
Just something I picked up when doing real estate appraisals. Good luck with your loan!
Jay
Jason | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hey Jay,
Great advice. Always a good idea to look at a situation from the other parties point of view. Thanks for reading.
Steve Rechel | Apr 8, 2008 | Reply
Hello Jason and all successfull internet marketers.I actually never have to reply to a question as to what I do.Why you ask,well I hardly ever go to a party where there are just friends attending.All of my family knows what I do and most of my friends know what I do so this is why I don’t ever get asked the question
.But while I don’t really understand the point of the blog I can say that I have probably prevented a lot of people from even trying internet marketing because of my partial knowledge of how in a lot of cases people will post the same affiliate link over and over to the point where “oversaturation”occurs in my oppinion.And I would be willing to bet that even a lot of the successful marketers that have posted on this blog have at times noticed this affect even if they know a better way to drive traffic to their link in ways that the people will not notice oversaturation in say a free ad site.And I also would be willing to bet that hardly anyone is actually promoting the same link for more that a few years if that because after a certain period of time where you have sort of rode out the peak popularity of a new program ,it sort of becomes old hat and a lot of people are turned away for this reason alone at times.But in closing of this extra long comment I would like to say that even though I myself have only sold some ebooks as well as oil paintings etc but have not had any success attempting to make money with internet marketing,I wanted to say good luck and continued success to all that may read this.
Steve
Amy | Apr 9, 2008 | Reply
I’m just getting started but when asked what business I’m trying to start, I tell people internet marketing and more recently information marketing. For some reason people get the “marketing” part and it sounds legit.
My sister has been in the internet business for over 10 years working as an information architect. That is seriously her job title. It took me 5 years just to figure out how to explain what the heck she does!
If you can ground it in something people already know (marketing, publishing, etc) you don’t get the deer in the headlights reaction!
Amy
Temogen | Apr 9, 2008 | Reply
I like most of the comments here and your answers were also good.
Another convincing and reasonable answer quite simply is that:
We teach people how to start, build and grow an Online/Internet Biz; do Coaching, Seminars, Workshops, Speaking Engagements/Lectures, and Selling Books (Better to leave out-the word online eBooks).
Even Loan People know that this kind of business makes large amounts of cash.
I also agree that showing social proof works well when submitted with this description.
TEMOGEN
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg | Apr 9, 2008 | Reply
I just tell people the truth… I am a writer.
Melissa Burton | Apr 10, 2008 | Reply
I tell people I train internet marketers. Then I go on to explain, if even necessary, that I guide people through the process of starting and maintaining their own home internet business.
Loan officers these days are so savvy about internet marketing already, it usually just strikes up a conversation about “somebody they know” that either has or wants to have a business of their own.
Hey, best of luck!!
Melissa
Crystal | May 18, 2008 | Reply
I’d be interested to find out what you did end up telling him - since I found this through the firesale I’m presuming it went through ok.
You got me thinking, though, since I aspire to be in the same situation (and it’s motivating for me to see an IM person who’s not afraid to mention that they didn’t buy their latest mansion in cash upfront…) I love playing with words - how about giving people an answer that lets their own assumptions twist it into something they find acceptable:
“I own & operate an electronic business”
Most RL-junkies will assume you sell calculators.
Crystal