Posted in Online Publishing Strategy	November 2, 2006

Our Mequoda Library editor-at-large, Peter Schaible, says he has identified three types of seminar attendees.

The prisoner doesn’t want to be at the event; the boss has assigned him to attend, but the prisoner is too arrogant to think he should learn anything new.

The vacationer is physically in attendance at the workshop, but he’s not fully engaged. He enjoys visiting new places and having a few meals out on the company expense account, but he is too lazy to learn new skills that challenge his old habits or take him out of his comfort zone.

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The adventurer is open-minded, intellectually curious, and eager to learn. Regardless of how much experience he may have, he sits at the presentations with pen and pad in hand, furiously taking notes, hanging on the speaker’s every word, and hoping to learn any new technique or strategy.

These European publishers and writers are adventurers

Don Nicholas and Peter are in Bonn, Germany this week for meetings with our friends at VNR, a publisher of numerous information products that are marketed on the Continent.

Peter has never been abroad before and is enjoying German culture (and German beer). He reports—to his delight— that everyone he meets is friendly and eager to learn more about Internet marketing, in general, and the Mequoda Method, in particular.

On Tuesday, Peter presented a copywriting workshop and is working with individual copywriters and publishers who produce newsletters and sales letters in several European languages.

In addition to Germany, the attendees at these meetings include VNR employees and associates from England, France, Poland and Romania. All are marketers, most are experienced copywriters, and many have previous experience as journalists in other media.

Peter says that without exception, they are exceedingly bright, interesting and well traveled. For Peter, who has not traveled widely, their sophistication and experience are impressive.

“I can’t help wondering whether all Europeans are so well traveled and worldly wise, or simply whether highly energetic, intellectually engaged and adventuresome individuals are drawn to journalism,” he says. “Then again, perhaps VNR has simply become a magnet for the best and the brightest copywriters and journalists.”

The refreshing attitudes and mindsets of our international colleagues are remarkable and inspiring. The Mequoda Marketing System is an enormously effective method for growing your publishing enterprise, but it does require a change in attitudes.

If you’re stuck in the old habits and unable to embrace new (albeit proven) ways of doing things, you’re headed for extinction, says Peter. He calls this “marketing myopia.” Those who suffer with “marketing myopia” will not have a long career in publishing, he says.

Fortunately, our friends at VNR are open and receptive to learning the indispensable new skills needed to succeed in the 21st century publishing environment—much more so than many of their American colleagues, Peter observes.

There are no prisoners or vacationers at these seminars, says Peter.