Archive | April, 2018

…when I first started online.

I don’t forget what it was like to get started online, and even today sometimes I have to remind myself of one or two of these things…

1. It’s okay to be scared of doing new things. I don’t care what your background is, there is going to be something about online marketing that frightens you, and that’s okay. It’s not the fear that’s relevant, it’s moving PAST your fear to achieve your goals.

The thing I had to learn over and over is that as soon as you move past your fear and do the thing that worried you so much, you realize there was no reason to worry at all. It’s like that big scary monster you saw in your closet as a kid. Turn on the light and you realize that monster is just the clothes you didn’t bother to hang up. It’s nothing.

Heck, it’s less than nothing. But you won’t get to know that until you do the things that make you nervous, whether it’s posting on a forum, writing articles, putting up a webpage, doing your first big launch, approaching people for joint ventures, etc.

2. Look for ways to push past your comfort zone. This is taking #1 even further – not only are you not allowing fear to get in your way, you’re actually thumbing your nose at fear by deliberately seeking out the things that aren’t currently in your comfort zone and doing them.

I know a lady who jumped out of a perfectly good airplane because she wondered if she had the guts to do it. Come to find out, it was even scarier than she imagined, so she did it twice more just to see if she still had the guts. She succeeded. It’s that kind of attitude that will break down every barrier standing between you and your success.

3. Perfection does not exist – at least not in the current realm. Perhaps in the afterlife we’ll find some kind of perfection, but not here and not now. So stop trying to achieve it.

I’ll give you a real life example – I had two students who were both creating their first products. One of them planned and strategized and researched and planned some more. Finally he got started, and he made sure to get every sentence just right, every period in the right place, every video made without a stutter or misstep.

That student is still working on his product. My other student made mistakes in grammar, mistakes in spelling, mistakes on his videos and you know what? He’s now released not just the one but three different products and he’s doing well. The first student hasn’t made a dime yet, and I fear that by the time he releases his product it will be out of date and un-sellable.

I’m not saying don’t do a good job – I am saying do the best you can and then finish it, whatever it is. If you’re always working to make it perfect, you’ll never finish and you’ll never reap the rewards. It’s like trying to create the perfect marriage proposal in the perfect setting at the perfect time with the perfect words – you’re going to die old and alone. Settle for really good, and you’ll not only achieve a whole lot more – you’ll also be a lot less stressed, too.

4. Celebrate your successes. Even if it’s a minor success, take time to celebrate it in your own way. Whether that’s doing a little dance or hugging your spouse, treat yourself – you deserve it. Plus, it gives you positive reinforcement so that you can achieve more and more success.

5. Take a break. If you’re working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, you’re going to burn out and get tired of the whole thing. Take it from someone who knows. Take time to rest, enjoy life and recharge your batteries.

Another day goes by and what have you accomplished in your business? If the answer is nothing, or not as much as you would have liked, here are several ways to reclaim your own time so that you are spending it wisely on your business, rather than frittering it away on meaningless activities.

Remember – time is the ONE commodity you cannot get MORE of, so you use wisely.

1. Stop wasting time on Internet marketing forums. Yes, you want to go there when you need help, when you have a question, when it’s something that will further your business.

But you also want to minimize the time you spend simply answering questions, agreeing or disagreeing with the threads topic, and generally joining in just for something to do. Forums can become an avoidance tactic when you’re stalling about working on your business. Use forums wisely and they can help you to succeed, rather than robbing you of valuable time you need to work in your business.

2. Minimize the time you spend on emails. Sure it’s addictive to see what the latest greatest offer is, or to see what Joe Marketer is up to. But the more lists you are subscribed to, and the more emails you open and read, the less time you have to do the things you SHOULD be doing instead.

If you need to, pare down the number of marketers you subscribe to, and only stay on the lists of those you really want to hear from. This tactic alone can save you as much as an hour a day.

3. Make a list of every IM product you’ve purchased in the last six months, and note beside each one whether or not you’ve read the product and used the product. The results may surprise you.

Add to that list how much you spent on each product and then add them all up. How much did you spend? How much of it was a waste of your money? Look at the money you could have saved and calculate how long it takes you to earn that much money.

The point I’m getting to should be obvious – unless you’re going to actually USE the product, then you shouldn’t be wasting your time or your money on it.

4. How many webinars do you attend each week? Again, unless the webinar actually has something to do with whatever it is you’re working on right now, don’t spend your time on it. Many webinars are simply glorified sales letters. Others do give great info, but unless you’re going to use it, then it’s simply a waste of your time.

5. This one is so important I just HAVE to say it twice. It’s a reiteration of what I said before – Only Buy Those IM Products That You Are Going To USE.

Here’s why: First, let’s say you purchase a 12 video package on list building. You make the transaction, you navigate to the download link, and you download, clicking on each file one by one and placing them in the folder you must made. How much time did this just take you?

Now then, you never watch the videos, never use the product – you’ve just spent that time AND money for nothing. It’s not just a waste, it’s a DOUBLE waste.

Don’t get me wrong – I am NOT saying you should never buy another Internet Marketing product. Whether it’s a plug-in, a program, whatever – if you’re going to use it within the next 30 days to build your business, then BUY IT. If not, then pass.

Once I started following these rules I wasted far less time and spent less money – AND I enjoyed less stress because I wasn’t constantly pulled in several different directions at once. I was able to focus on the task at hand, rather than running off to see what was happening on the forums, or buying a product with the intention of ‘maybe someday possibly’ using it.

Try it – and see if you don’t have more time for your Internet business AND for the other things in life – like your family and fiends.

If you offer a product or service, this may or may not work in your case, but it’s something to consider. If it is applicable and you start doing it, you can expect a big boost in sales.

Vacuum cleaner salesmen used to (or perhaps still do) show grossly enlarged photos of dust mites, explaining that there are millions of these critters in your bed feasting on dead skin and defecating all over the top and inside of the mattress. (Sorry, that was a nasty visual, wasn’t it?)
Then the vacuum cleaner salesman would tell them how his vacuum was the one and only solution to sucking those little bad boys out of there, as well as removing pounds of dead skin and more pounds of dust mite feces. (Again, apologies for that picture.)
Next, the salesman would ask to be taken to the bedroom, where he would ask the man which side he slept on. This is the side of the mattress the salesman would vacuum, purposely NOT vacuuming the woman’s side.
And another sale was made. Why? Because that lady did NOT want to sleep on dust mites and dust mite feces that night. Plus, if she didn’t get the vacuum them she was going to sleep on her husband’s side and her husband could sleep on the couch.
In another far removed business, a shoe shine man with a stand in a hotel lobby was hurting for business. So he put up a sign that read, “One shoe shined FREE.” There after he was inundated with business.
Do you see where this is going? Depending on what you sell, it’s entirely possible that you can make more money by giving away your service – or even your product – in a limited quantity.
After all, who’s going to walk around with just ONE shoe shined?
If you are a graphic artist, for example, you could give away one header. Of course if they want the matching footer, ebook cover, etc. then you’ll be happy to do that for them for a charge.
If you sell car wax, you could give away enough to do just the hood.
If you do remote virus removal on computers, remove one virus or malware for free. And so forth.
By giving away a portion of your product or service, you can effectively make it extremely difficult for the customer NOT to get the rest of your product or service.