About Travis… our fearless leader

I never really intended to be any type of figure in the internet marketing business. Getting here has been entirely random, and unexpected. Like most confused young adults in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I was going in life. I went to the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania, and sat bored through all of my classes. The only classes i was concerned about were mixed martial arts related, and fighting did not have any type of positive impact on my grades.

Irritated by the simple thought of corporate culture, I started a private training business, and I happily taught people the self-defense and martial skills that i had built in years of training. I enjoyed what I did, and converted my passion into dollars, but I didn’t make any significant money. Word of mouth brought me clients, but they came and went. I kept my prices way too low, so that trainees would be easier to get. I hoped that since i was awesome, they would continue to refer me to whomever. I was forced to rely on the power of my clients happenstance conversations with others who might be interested, and the hope that they would speak very highly of me. This worked for a little while, but when I reached my late 20’s I wanted more, out of my business, and out of my life… plus i wanted to have money to spend on stuff.

I started researching the heck out of Internet marketing and specifically SEO, or search engine optimization. My uncle was the grand high pioneer of “worlds best vacuum” dot com, in addition to several other marginal e- commerce sites. Put together, they made some cash… ALL of which he spent on internet marketing educational DVDs. He covered his shelves with programs for all conceivable elements of internet marketing: copywriting, SEO, web design, consumer psychology, etc.

The list of topics went on and on, and his DVDs were piled everywhere. It sounds ridiculous, but i started watching every single one of them, one program after another, for literally hundreds of hours. It was kinda silly, my uncle had become ‘hoarder’ of internet marketing programs, (many of which actually cost 1000s of dollars) and I was doing a combination of riding his informational coattails while cleaning up his informational mess.

I was actually mind-blown at how informative this stuff was. I felt as if i was having multiple revelations every day, and it became an emotional roller coaster of sorts.
At this point, you’re probably wondering if my bio is truly going to admit that my internet marketing expertise came from a series of DVDs; that perhaps business success can be purchased with a collection of shiny plastic discs, containing some invaluable tidbits of knowledge. Sadly, i don’t think it can.

These programs exposed me to the awareness that I went to the number one business school in the world and i didn’t know shit about business, at least not anything useful. We were taught how to jump through corporate hoops, and how to be politically correct. Sidenote: screw political correctness and behaving to fit a mold. When it came to the world wide web, and the way that people actually FIND businesses and choose them. I knew nothing, and I went on a quest to move to the forefront of this industry.

I contacted the best of the people to whom I was exposed in the material I covered. I forged personal relationships with them. I participated in their conference calls, I created mastermind groups with other folks in the programs so that we could work together in our business strategies. I went to seminars, and I read every single piece of literature that any of my teachers recommended…. all the while balancing my career as a personal trainer. It was exhausting, but this was what it took to pay my dues in the internet marketing world.

I implemented everything that i learned, bit by bit. I applied the design principles to build sleek and sexy websites (like the one you’re looking at), I started SEO campaigns to drive my sites to the top, and i started writing sales copy (like the sales copy you’re reading). That’s right. You think this is a bio, but its not… This is totally sales copy and I’ve been trying to influence you with it since the very first sentence. You don’t believe me? Lets take a look back, and I’ll show you what I’ve done along the way.

“I remember vividly when i struggled to get enough clients. The frustration of having entire days without a single customer was humbling, and terrifying.”

This sentence was made for two reasons: The first is to make you feel an emotion, and one that you DON’T want to feel. The situation that I mention having gone through is scary. Failed businesses are enough to shake your personal foundation and change your life. Lack of cash stifles your freedom. Most entrepreneurs have had SOME experience with this, and if you have, you have not forgotten what it felt like.

This ties right in with the next reason for the jarring sentence, I want you to empathize with me, and know that I can empathize with you. We’ve shared the same struggle. The emotion of empathy is one of the most powerful tools any marketer can use.

Again, not only do I scare you a little bit with the reminder of potential failure, but i tell you that I’ve BEEN there before. Now we have something in common, and if you’re STILL In this place of fear, you’re MIGHT be starting to assume that i have the solution to get you out of it (which I do). This is a natural tendency of consumers, if you can both empathize with and describe their problem, they immediately assume that you have the solution.

I’m digressing a little bit. The fact remains, I’ve attempted to build an emotional connection, so that you trust me to do business with you. On top of that, I’m being totally honest about it after the fact. Now you REALLY trust me I bet. I realize that this isn’t really a bio anymore, but whatever… You’re still learning about me in some shape or form.

The next thing I did in my bio, which is 100 percent honest by the way, is be very clear how accidental my path in this business has been. People respond very well to the accidental, ‘reluctant hero’ approach to marketing. I could have said, “I’ve studied this stuff for thousands of hours, I understand it more thoroughly than ANYONE, and Ill give you the best service available for the least amount of money.”. That statement might be true, but its not at all the best way to get customers.

A much more appealing approach is to say something like, “I discovered this knowledge accidentally, I used it, and it worked. Now other people want me to help them do the same thing for them. It all happened so fast that Im kinda freaked out”. People just respond better to this because they like this CHARACTER better than the cocky and over confident one.

The last thing that i’ll say about myself, or whatever the hell I’m talking about, is that I’m honest. From a business standpoint, you’re going to get what you pay for when dealing with SEO Powerhouse. I actually make it a point to over-deliver whenever possible. If you want to rank on the first page for selling viagra, I’m going to tell you beyond a doubt that I can’t possibly help you, the competition is too well rooted, and I won’t take your money.

People have intuition, and they can sense positivity and authenticity. If you have a good feeling while reading my words, thats a good sign. I encourage people to trust their intuition, to speak plainly from the heart, and to approach every situation with positive intentions. If you do, people will flock to you, and your success will be effortless (when coupled with a few other tight little strategies. If you have any questions for me, email me at travis@seopowerhouse.com or call my cell phone at (908) 902-8475. I have no set hours of operation, just call whenever.