I don’t consider myself to be as naive as most in the internet marketing crowd appear to be these days, though I’ve been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt. After all, back in the day, Google Cash is the make money ebook that got my ball rolling to start with.

That said, until quite recently I had at least a semblance (and in some cases, a bit more than that) of respect for the likes of StomperNet, Kern & Co and some of the other big names in our industry.

That was until I was introduced to the Salty Droid. Yes, it is indeed quite salty, but at the same time, a bit of an eye opener. Regardless of what you may think of the Droid himself, his writing style, or his caustic method of name-calling, you can’t really argue too much with the PDFs he’s posted of actual legal documents that reveal some of the goings-on behind the scenes at StomperNet. Feel free to read for yourself, if you’re bored or interested. It’s not really the thrust of this post.

All that got me to thinking though. These gooroos, when was the last time you saw them running a PPC campaign? How about out-seoing each other for top spot in one of the launches? Nope, the only action you see from them is via their list.

These guys have built up massive lists, mostly back in the heyday, and now their prime contribution to the internet marketing niche is their ability to drive traffic via their list to whatever offer they choose.

Which got me to thinking… what’s the real winning strategy in internet marketing?

Well, you might say it is SEO, or PPC, or PPV, CPV, or some other acronym with a couple hundred dollar price tag, but in reality the winning strategy is having a list, and knowing what to do with it. Add to that having your own product.

The best education you can get from these gooroos is to watch them rather than transact with them.

At the end of the day, your long term security comes from having a list. Google can slap you silly, but they can’t take your list. Perhaps an affiliate manager dumps you – still they can’t take your list. It doesn’t really matter what kind of nasties come your way, if you can hang onto your list, and maintain a trustworthy connection with them, then you will be ok, long term.

Sure, there are many different means of listbuilding. I’ve chosen PPC primarily for my own, because it is *fairly* dependable. Ideal? No, free would be nice. But SEO is a wizardry that I’ve yet to master, and in the meantime, I’ve got PPC. Perhaps you choose JV traffic, or something else. But build yourself a list.

Next up, have a product. Having your own list puts cards in your hand. Having your own product(s) gives you jokers. Or aces. Or whatever is good in your game of choice.

If you look closely, this is the true strategy that the gooroos are using. They’ve got products, and they’ve got lists. Between those two things, their methods vary slightly, but that is the basic idea. You can bet your bottom dollar they didn’t get rich by gaming the system with some new-fangled software that now rules the interwebz. Afterall – how often have you even seen them using these tactics they flaunt so frequently?

Ok, time for review:

Build a list, get a product. Order is not important.