I met Jim Turner on Twitter, just as I met the last person I interviewed, Diane Walker. He’s an internet marketer who’s done really well over the past 10 years, and since, for many folks, this is still a make money online blog at times, and because I’ve gotten to enjoy meeting Jim, I asked him to participate in my little interview series here. I hope you enjoy it; show him some love by commenting after you read what he has to say:

1. How long did it take you to make your first $10,000 via internet marketing?

That’s a pretty tough question to answer. My first attempts at marketing online were to attract my target market and begin building relationships. That s over 10 years ago, long before social networking was created. So, the money part was not at the top of my mind. But based upon the price of the item I was selling, a small marketing ebook, it could’ve been around 6 months.

2. When you first began, what kind of mistakes did you make that impeded you?

It was real popular to buy email addresses when I got started online back in 1998. So I wasted a lot of time with those purchased email addresses before I learned that it was best to build my own list through people who were interested in what I had to offer.

3. For someone brand new who has a product to sell, whether it’s their own or not, what are the first three steps they need to do to drive traffic to their product, or is that the most important thing to begin with in the first place?

Wow, I was ahead myself when I answered your first question. Creating sales should not be your primary goal from the beginning. In today’s climate, people are extremely skeptical. They’ve seen ALL the sales messages and angles. They are bombarded by sales messages throughout the day and night. So the first step should be to build relationships. The vast majority of the people I do business with are folks who I’ve become connected with online through social networking

4. What’s your general opinion on trying to make money selling affiliate products through companies like Clickbank, Commission Junction, etc?

It’s fine to have those as supplementary products and/or services. Many marketers have made a ton of money taking that route only. Those marketers are heavy into Pay Per Click advertising to drive traffic to your site. It can be done but just don’t think it’s a walk in the park!

5. Do you believe an autoresponder is important even for those who don’t have much traffic at the beginning?

Any targeted prospect you can capture is valuable, no matter if you’re a beginner or a veteran. The best time to start using an autoresponder is before you get a lot of subscribers.

6. Do you believe that most people have the opportunity to make good money via their blogs, or do you believe it’s best to have a website, then possibly direct traffic through a blog to the websites?

I view blogs as credibility enhancers. Unless you have a very unique niche it is extremely difficult to build heavy traffic volume to a blog. Use the blog to demonstrate your knowledge & expertise in the eyes of potential clients or business partners.

7. What do you think of programs like Jeff Paul’s Internet Millions that bring a lot of people into internet marketing that don’t really know what the internet is to begin with?

Not that familiar with his program. I’ve seen Jeff’s mail order programs before. Many times those programs are purchased by “dream chasers” and people looking to get something for nothing. There is a market segment out there who jumps on every ‘hot’ thing that comes onto the market. It’s a real market that has a need and if one can fill it – great!

8. Do you believe the market is getting too crowded, or is there room for everyone to make money online?

Have you ever seen a major intersection where you can find any and all kinds of fast food restaurants and other types of eateries? In those environments you have to distinguish yourself by doing something different than the other guys on the corner. Maybe you always get your customers order right the first time… or you don’t overcook the fries… or you make fresh coffee often. Your reputation will spread around and people will choose you over the other guys because they know what your special offering happens to be.

So you have to distinguish yourself from the crowd. There’s always room for a business that adds value at a higher level than the competition.

9. Take a moment for yourself; what are you working on now, or what would you like to promote?

During the last 18 months of marketing through social networking I picked up a lot of valuable experience. There is a method to the madness of social media marketing. I’ve put all my best practices into my social networking guide for home based business owners and entrepreneurs. It’s titled: “Social Networking: The 21st Century Way to Find New Clients!”

10. Any final words of encouragement you’d like to give to my visitors?

I like to keep it simple. Start small and shoot for the stars. Do something in your business everyday of the week, month and year.

Thanks for the opportunity to share with your visitors and hopefully they have gained something from this short message. They can follow me on Twitter at on Facebook.

I thank Jim for taking the time to talk to us. I hope y’all enjoyed the interview as much as I did.