Using a mentor in your business often makes the difference between getting (at best) mediocre results and actually achieving the potential that’s often hidden in your internet marketing business. This is especially true when you’re just starting out but it’s equally true when you need to take your business to the next level. So if it feels like you can’t see the wood for the trees or that you’ve been stuck on a plateau for longer than you’d care to remember, it could well be time to get an internet marketing mentor.

1. Interview them

This is a bit like having a job interview with your mentor. It may sound a slightly odd idea at first but actually you are going to be hiring them, so you need to make sure that you’ve found the right person.

This includes a number of things.

For a start, can they keep an appointment to call you or be in when you first call. If the answer is no, think long and hard. If they can’t be there when they are pitching for your business, can you really expect them to be available when they’ve closed the sale?

Next, do you actually get on with their general attitude and outlook? No-one gets on with everyone. If the sound of their voice grates with you or if you find their way of explaining things too wooly or too complicated, that is probably a negative sign.

2. Check out their history

Not every mentor is a real expert. Sometimes this is a plus point – “blue sky” thinking could be just what you need to take your internet marketing business to the next level. But often it means that they are faking it until they make it. Which is fine so long as it’s not your business they’re experimenting with!

That said, no-one knows everything. So if you ask a question and get an honest “I don’t know but I can find out or point you in the right direction” answer, that’s actually a good sign. So long as it doesn’t happen on every single topic that you ask about, of course.

3. Check testimonials

If they are present, testimonials on the mentor’s website are bound to be positive. After all, the site is under the potential mentor’s control. But check that they are from real people – a first name plus an initial for a surname isn’t an encouraging sign. Photos next to the testimonials are an encouraging sign although, as with everything on the internet, not entirely a guarantee.

Places like LinkedIn can be a good source of testimonials and they’ve also had a recent idea of including endorsements. So, again, that’s worth checking.

If your proposed mentor is a regular contributor to a forum, check out how often they’ve been thanked for their posts – if they have positive feedback, that’s a good sign.

4. Price is actually secondary

Choosing a mentor isn’t the same as choosing a can of food from the supermarket. It’s closer to the decision you make when you’re buying a car or a property.

There’s no one size fits all option.

Some people may get along well with a relatively cheap mentor who offers a fairly hands-off approach and is there as a sounding board when they’re needed.

Other people need a more hands-on approach where their mentor will do the equivalent of leading a horse to water.

Or some point between.

The decision of what you’re actually wanting from your mentor – and the level of experience you’re expecting – should be a larger factor than the hourly cost. You can probably negotiate ways to keep the number of hours down anyway. And it’s unlikely that your proposed internet marketing mentor will want to work full time hours in your business.

5. Actually do it!

There’s no point in procrastinating on the decision.

Otherwise, at best, your business will be in the same state this time next year. Or maybe worse off as the internet changes rapidly.

You can always have a dummy run – committing to maybe three months of mentoring at first. Anything less is probably not long enough to judge the results.

And of course I’d love you to contact me as a possible internet marketing mentor for your business!