That post could be packaged up and sold for $xx and I'd be happy to pay it.

This isn't quite for total beginners, seeing as you'd need to be able to do some market research and have some knowledge of sales funnels, not to mention outsourcing and other basic-intermediate stuff.

But I think anyone who has been around for at least a few months can do this.

It's weird...the overwhelming majority of IM beginners go the exact same path: they stick up a blog, slap a few Adsense ads on it, make a few posts, and submit a couple articles.

Two years later, they're still wondering about stuff like "what autoresponder is best" and "how do I do keyword research".

Ok, now I'm going a bit off-topic :P

I guess what I'm trying to get at is to think big picture, like Rob said.

Also, don't be afraid of the experts. Gurus don't bite...most of them are human beings as well ;D

One excuse that people often make for not contacting gurus is that "oh, they probably wouldn't reply anyway". It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

Plus, anybody worth contacting would be easily contactable, whether through email, support desk, phone, or otherwise. Perhaps that wording was a little strong..but still, you know what I mean.

Also, experts love helping people, especially those who are proactive. While most of them are in it to help people as well as to make money, making money is still obviously a pretty big priority.

That's why Rob's strategy is so good:
-find out what they might want/need
-come up with a solution and do it for them (their time is valuable - don't waste it)
-all you ask for is a tiny cut (or not) and access to the leads

They get all the work done for them. They get exclusive rights to a (quality) product that they didn't have to pay a dime for. They get a warm fuzzy feeling from helping someone (you) who obviously deserves to be helped.

Best of all for you, this is relatively easy to do. And fun.

Within a year (or less) of implementing this uber ninja strategy, you could easily find yourself in the "inner circle" of IM. Your name will be recognized, your list will be sizeable and responsive (provided you don't screw up your email marketing), you'll attract the attention of other players in the market, and people will be asking you to promote their stuff.

And that's quite realistic. I'm getting ideas as I type this. I feel like I just robbed somebody...I got something really valuable without paying ;D

Best,
Curtis