3 Strikes and I'm Out - Long Post

[alertinvestor]

Four years ago on an Internet not so very far away I took the plunge and started marketing on the Internet.

I wrote a free report on how to avoid bankruptcy. It was a hot topic at the time...and still is with the economic crapstorm raging around us.

I used this report to build a list, but being new to this business, I had no sales funnel, no back-end product, and I really did not do much marketing of affiliate products to this list, at least not at first. I did start to come up with other ideas, but they were in niches that were unrelated and my domain name was very specific. After a year or so, I gave up on this domain and moved on.

My next idea was a personal finance product which I had been working on for over a year. I had read an article somewhere about using a generic domain name and then setting up sub-domains for specific products, so I tried it. As I put the final touches on my investing system, created spreadsheets, and resource lists for my new product, I wrote articles for my blog, as well as the major article directories. I also wrote a free report to encourage folks to subscribe to my list.

Apparently this was another hot niche because it wasn't long before I had a list of over 1200 people. I sent them an email about my new product and encouraged them to subscribe to a special announcement list so that they could get their copy as soon as it was ready. That list quickly grew to over 1000 subscribers. I got excited and worked to finish up as quickly as I could.

Now I need to explain that because I didn't have any money, I was using a free autoresponder service. The first list continued to grow and I continued to add articles to the autoresponder. The announcement list just sat there accumulating names as I rushed to finish my new product.

Well, the day finally arrived and I prepared an announcement to go out to my list complete with a special web site where they could grab their copy of my new product.

I went to log in and my list was gone. Apparently, after a period of no activity they delete your list. I was devastated, but I still had my first list and I sent emails to that list advertising my new investment product. The result...no sales. Not a single one.

I continued writing posts to my blog, writing articles, and even participating in give aways in an effort to build my lists. I tried a brief test with co-registration and built a list of over 500 in a single month. These lists I built using a script on my web site. I did not want to lose all of those new subscribers due to a glitch with a free service.

As I always do, I included a couple of my email addresses in every list so that I can make sure everything is working as it should. One day I sent a broadcast message to one of my lists and did not get an email to my personal email account.

A quick email to my hosting service revealed that they only allow 100 emails per hour to go out. You know, to prevent spam complaints. That meant that most of my emails were not getting to my list. I bit the bullet and signed up for a three month trial to GetResponse. I figured 3 months would give me time to get a couple of sales and raise the funds necessary to continue my subscription.

The 3 month trial also coincided with the end of my domain registration and the end of my hosting account contract. After two years of trying everything I could to make a sale, I decided that these last 3 months were now or never for me.

The result of three months of intensive writing, emailing, and marketing? Nada, zilch. I let my domain name expire in frustration.

Along about December of 2008, I decided to try again. New ideas, new products and I was excited to make it work again. This time, I read a very good post right here on the Warrior Forum about setting up a membership site using Word Press and a couple of free plug-ins.

I had a domain name that I had never used so I signed up for hosting and plunged head first into the fray. I wrote more articles, moved my blogs from free sites to my new domain. I actually created two membership sites. One concentrating on Internet marketing and the other on personal investing.

I received a $250 coupon in the mail for Adwords and so I set up a couple of adwords campaigns. I joined more give aways as well.

I tried a $1, 30-day trial offer followed by $19 per month membership dues and a $37 life-time membership fee. The results, one person tried the $1 trial offer and then didn't renew.

My domain name registration expired on September 5th. I decided that I just couldn't keep going.

I did learn a lot though. I learned how to set up a web site, how to design pages using Kompozer and Front Page, how to install scripts for autoresponders and split testing. How to set up Word Press blogs, how to move blogs to new domains. I learned how to set up an autoresponder series including how to use tracking links. I learned how to create an e-book cover using Gimp, how to set up a squeeze page, a one-time offer page, the $7 dollar script, and much more.

What I was never able to master, was how to convince people to purchase my products or anyone else's products for that matter.

I made lot's of mistakes as most of you have noticed if you have suffered through this long article, but we all make mistakes. What is important is learning from those mistakes and moving forward. My later sites were much more professional than my earliest sites.

I've often wondered about all of the mentoring programs that are offered all of the time. One on one coaching that doesn't end until you have a profitable product. I have my doubts, but I am not in a position to spend any more money to find out. If it works it would have been well worth the money.

In closing, I wanted to thank everyone here who gives so freely. I have learned a lot from all of you. I certainly don't blame anyone for my failure but myself.

For those of your just starting out, I wish you luck and offer one piece of advice: Don't try this business on the cheap. Pay the money and get professional help. It will shorten your learning curve and diminish the frustration...and just maybe make you lots of money. Oh, and don't just let your domains expire. Sell them before they go away. They may not be worth much to you, but someone else might want them bad enough to pay you for them.

[SusanneUK]

You appear from your post and from what you say you have done in the past to be a good writer, how about offering your services, perhaps in some kind of writing capacity?

Good luck
Sue

[George Wright]

Hi,

I'm going to make a post in your thread. I'm going to make it not just for you but for others who feel as you do, my post may or may not help, but it's sincere. I'll be saying things that many other Warriors will not agree with, but, I'll be spilling my guts and tell you what I think you haven't done that would have and IMHO will help you have better results in Internet Marketing.

I'm going to go away for a while to get my thoughts together. I'm posting this to try to get your attention to come back in a couple of hours or even maybe tomorrow. It sounds as if in your post you might not be back here tomorrow so I wanted to get your attention.

George Wright

[SusanneUK]

Wanted to add, please do all read what George is going to say, I don't know what it will say but I suspect it will be good and I suspect no fluff.

And by the way, I also started on the internet about 5 years ago now, maybe 6 but it has taken me until now to really see my way, find my "speciality" if you like and am starting to make some money - some times it really does take a lot of determination not to just give up, I know that, got the Tshirt, video, now the DVD, etc etc..

Cheers
Sue

[Zeus66]

I did learn a lot though. I learned how to set up a web site, how to design pages using Kompozer and Front Page, how to install scripts for autoresponders and split testing. How to set up Word Press blogs, how to move blogs to new domains. I learned how to set up an autoresponder series including how to use tracking links. I learned how to create an e-book cover using Gimp, how to set up a squeeze page, a one-time offer page, the $7 dollar script, and much more.

Dude... Did you think about this a lot as you wrote it? Your answer lies in that laundry list of new skills you acquired in your journey. I count at least 6-7 info products in that list! You're sitting on a GOLDMINE! Write up some quick guides / tutorials / reports and post a WSO or 5. Seriously. What YOU have learned you can TEACH to others. And get paid to do it. This forum right here under your nose is full of people itching to learn 1/10th of what you already know how to do. TEACH IT, BABY!!!

John

[Intrepreneur]

It was so easy for you to say that at the end, but for most professional help is appearing to be too exspensive.

I do think Zeus is right, become a teacher, if you know how.

Mark

[hotlinkz]

You may be doing what I did for a long time; taking your specialized knowledge for granted. Just because you know it does NOT mean everybody else knows it.

Get to work! Quit now and you join the masses that litter the Internet/web. Keep pushing and you join the small percentage who go on to succeed.

I'm sure you've heard the old saying that Knowledge Is Power -- wrong!

"Action is Power - Knowledge is the Fuel!"

[Zeus66]

"Action is Power - Knowledge is the Fuel!"

I LOVE THAT! I'm stealing it. Sorry. Sue me. It's too good to let you have it all to yourself, hotlinkz.

John

[George Wright]

Hi alertinvestor

OK, John said in a few words what I’ve taken a couple of hours to compose. You can skip this post and take action on what John (Zeus66) says and you’ll do just fine. I’m posting this anyway. I hope it helps.

I promised to tell you what I think you have done wrong.

There are many things your post reveals that you have done right and wrong but the focus of this post is the Warrior Forum.

First here is what you did right: You joined the Warrior Forum. You joined the Warriors over 700 days ago. I have no idea how many times you have come here and read the information, at least you had the good judgment to join and I’ll assume you have read here some.

Now to what you have done wrong. I realize many of the things I will say here will not be agreed with. That’s OK. To me everything I say below is true. It’s my reality.

Post count matters. Over the years here I’ve heard over and over again that post count doesn’t matter. That’s a myth. Post count does matter.

I can’t help but notice that you have posted only 23 times in 700 days. Further investigation reveals that you have 19 posts on this forum so 4 of your posts were on the old forum.

Don’t get me wrong. Posting for the sake of building up post count or only for the sake of hearing your head rattle doesn’t matter much, however hundreds or thousand of posts that for the most part are sincere efforts to learn, inform, encourage, motivate and any other number of noble purposes do count. And excuse me for daring to say this, those posts and that large post count translates directly into money in your pocket. I bet that most Warriors with high post count could simply divide money made by post count and come up with a dollar value for each post.

Even if the money made was made elsewhere the fact is that posting and reading here influences just about everything else we do in IM in a posivite way.

As I write this post there are 2670 visitors to this forum. That’s 2670 sets of eyes that just might read your subject line. 2670 live people that just might be impressed with your post enough to check out your other posts, your signature (read free advertising) your WSO (read guaranteed views for a fraction of PPC) your classified section ad and a whole lot more.

You don’t have a sig file. You don’t post anything to speak of. Don’t say you don’t have anything to post. In the 19 posts you have here you have Warriors who have clicked the thank you button 6 times. This means something. On another negative note you have not thanked one time. Have you really not ever read anything here and liked it enough to say “Thank You?”

Yes, I know that it might seem opportunistic and sleazy to dare to think of the Warrior Forum as a tool to help you make money. To this day people are chastised for such thoughts, in spite of Allen’s Post “How this forum can make you $50,000,” In spite of his providing the sig file area, in spite of him providing the WSO section and classified section and in spite of many honest successful people publicly stating that they have started big money businesses right here. There are still people who criticize those who “Make money off of the WF.”
Judging from your activity here for the past 700 days you do not see the WF as a moneymaking opportunity for you.

Use the WF wisely, honestly, ethically, when you make mistakes and you will, apologize, pick yourself up, dust off, keep on keepin on and the Warrior Forum will be a life-changing tool for you.

Or just do what John said, and you will do just fine.

George Wright

[Talinn]

Alertinvestor,

I have been making money online for something like 1.5 months now. But I had started Internet Marketing a lot before. Without making a CENT on the Internet.

But with everything I did that failed, I never felt like I was wasting my time for nothing. Yes, it was super frustrating not being able to sell anything. But I knew that I was gaining some tremendous experience. I knew that sooner or later I'd crack the IM chest wide open and collect what's inside.

I insisted and got rewarded. Now I am making approx. $3000 a month. Not an unbelievable amount but I make a living and I feel that I have just started.

There is so much to learn in IM. But the rewards are much more than worth all the effort you spend learning. You learn to be your own boss. You run your own money-making machine and you don't work your a$$ off every day to make him rich, only to be paid a meager paycheck.

No doubt it's not as easy as just visiting your McDonalds and taking a job there. Insist on everything - sooner or later you will crack it.

[Randy Meirndorf]

"More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known, told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach." Napolean Hill - Think and grow Rich

I agree with everyone else, you have paid your dues, your on the verge man. Take that one extra step!

Randal Meirndorf

[Sacha Sargoni]

An idea would be to take a small step back. I sense that you just need to get some cash rolling in to get your head streight!

Put a sig file togther and start writing articles. Write 4 for samples. Start at $2 per 500 words. When you deliver ask for testamonials. Raise your price exponentialy as the good reviews come in.

By the time the months out you will have great momentum going!

[Daniel Brock]

I agree. You learned a lot of good stuff in the process right?

Keep trying.

What I recommend you do is take break from trying to sell your own products and try to sell someone elses stuff as an affiliate first. This way you aren't wasting half your time making products you dont know how to sell.

Your products are probably good, it just sounds like you are having trouble finding a way to sell it to people.

If you start a couple affiliate marketing websites, you will start to learn the basics behind selling and marketing. From what I can tell, this is the area you need to most work in.

How can you sell if you dont know how to market?

[Floyd Fisher]

Check your PM box.

[Jason_V]

I'd just like to say, that I hope you saved all the content that you did write.

What you could do is get yourself another couple of domains, based on the niches your previous sites were around. You can get a .info for I think $.99.

Go to Clickbank and pick products related to the content you've already wrote. Set up your domains to do a re-direct to the Clickbank sales page.

Take the content that you already wrote and submit it to ezinearticles and other article directories. Make a good bio box, there's plenty of advice on here on how to to that. Put a link to your domain in your bio box.

You said that you can't convince people to buy your products, with this method, you'll be sending them directly to a site that most likely paid a professional copywriter to write a sales letter to make sales.

You do know how to build a list, you may want to consider instead of re-directing to the Clickbank products simply putting a squeeze page up and then create a 7 day auto responder series based on the subject and put your affiliate link to the Clickbank product at the end of every email. Make the last auto-responder message a product review of the product you're an affiliate of at Clickbank.

I think you will find success if you try this.

I

[Sonja]

Originally Posted by alertinvestor

In closing, I wanted to thank everyone here who gives so freely. I have learned a lot from all of you. I certainly don't blame anyone for my failure but myself.

For those of your just starting out, I wish you luck and offer one piece of advice: Don't try this business on the cheap. Pay the money and get professional help. It will shorten your learning curve and diminish the frustration...and just maybe make you lots of money. Oh, and don't just let your domains expire. Sell them before they go away. They may not be worth much to you, but someone else might want them bad enough to pay you for them.

This is no time to give up now. Think about all those people who have said that just about when they were ready to give up from so many failures, little did they know that success was just a few short steps away. And if they had given up they never would have known what they truly could have accomplished.

Do you still have an internet connection and PC? Obviously so...

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, take a deep breath and re-examine all that you have just said. You have some gems in the fact that you have first hand experience doing something, have learned some valuable information from it and even managed to build some skills.

You are just at the point where you can't see the forest because the trees are in the way. Just step back and take a good long look and you just may see what all of us see.

[JMB Marketing Group]

Hi Alert Investor,

THANK YOU so much for posting your trials & tribulations and opening your soul to all.

Do you realize HOW MUCH you have to offer? TONS! and TONS!

There are people here that know how to market and know what they need to do, BUT don't have the time or inclination to learn how to. They are too busy to even think or even have the time to do what you can do for them.

Hopefully those people on here will see, read, appreciate your post and contact you to JV (partner up) with you. It would be a win/win situation.

So, please don't despair Alert Investor, I see things turning around for you. Just keep the faith; people will contact you.

Wishing you MASSIVE success in your "new found, just-around-the-corner" ventures!

JMB

[SurviveUnemployment]

You know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like you tried to follow in someone else's footsteps rather than blaze your own path. It also sounds like you're a good informational writer but not a good inspirational writer (your post really bummed me out), and to sell you need to inspire. Logic tells people not to buy, to hang on to their money. Emotion tells them to buy.

SO, I propose that you switch up your tactics a bit. Write informational pieces, and sprinkle them with affiliate links. Heck, flat-out recommend products. If your readers trust you, they will buy the products. You don't have to do a big GREATEST PROFITS SINCE EDISON INVENTED ELECTRIC LIGHTS!!!-type sales page. Just inform people, and every once in a while, say, "Hey, you know, this product works. Check it out." And they will!

You see what I'm getting at? I don't think you should give up. You should just start to think a little differently about things. Instead of being a salesman, be a respected teacher whose endorsement helps salesmen sell.

Good luck, man. You're gonna make it!

[512 Designs]

I agree with everyone else here. You've already learned an enormous amount of skills with list building and article writing. You just seem to have troubles with execution.

Maybe instead of going for a homerun with a huge product launch, you should have just been been trying to get a few base hits with a simple Blogger blog that created traffic that sold your product as well as affilate products.

Heck. With what you already know about generating traffic and building lists, you could provide some one-on-one coaching right here at WF.

I really hope you come back. We'd all love to see you succeed.

Mike

[scrofford]

I understand that it has been a long time and you haven't made any money. But what are you going to do if you give up? Do you have some other money making idea? Or are you just going to work a job? To be honest, I would rather keep going and not quit than be trapped in a "job" for the rest of my life. At least you are moving forward and sooner or later you will make money. There are a lot of people on here that have gone through failure after failure in order to become successful. They have "failed forward". So if you give up, then you are allowing defeat to overtake you and you LOSE! Don't EVER give up!

[AndrewCavanagh]

Of all the things that you can spend money on online probably the most important is a paid autoresponder service like Aweber.

Free autoresponder lists are usually a waste of your time as you've discovered.

Had you been willing to pay a few dollars starting out you would probably have a serious list now that you could make some serious sales from.


The good news is you now have some skills.

If you choose just one niche and really focus on effective marketing you'll make serious money.

Or you could use those skills you've acquired to help regular brick and mortar business with their online marketing...those guys are desperate for the help and will pay you good money to help them.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[katiec]

I think several Warriors have mentioned this, but your writing IS exceptional. I would absolutely explore hiring yourself as an article/blog writer.

[peteinoz]

Originally Posted by alertinvestor

Four years ago on an Internet not so very far away I took the plunge and started marketing on the Internet.

I wrote a free report on how to avoid bankruptcy. It was a hot topic at the time...and still is with the economic crapstorm raging around us.

I used this report to build a list, but being new to this business, I had no sales funnel, no back-end product, and I really did not do much marketing of affiliate products to this list, at least not at first. I did start to come up with other ideas, but they were in niches that were unrelated and my domain name was very specific. After a year or so, I gave up on this domain and moved on.

My next idea was a personal finance product which I had been working on for over a year. I had read an article somewhere about using a generic domain name and then setting up sub-domains for specific products, so I tried it. As I put the final touches on my investing system, created spreadsheets, and resource lists for my new product, I wrote articles for my blog, as well as the major article directories. I also wrote a free report to encourage folks to subscribe to my list.

Apparently this was another hot niche because it wasn't long before I had a list of over 1200 people. I sent them an email about my new product and encouraged them to subscribe to a special announcement list so that they could get their copy as soon as it was ready. That list quickly grew to over 1000 subscribers. I got excited and worked to finish up as quickly as I could.

Now I need to explain that because I didn't have any money, I was using a free autoresponder service. The first list continued to grow and I continued to add articles to the autoresponder. The announcement list just sat there accumulating names as I rushed to finish my new product.

Well, the day finally arrived and I prepared an announcement to go out to my list complete with a special web site where they could grab their copy of my new product.

I went to log in and my list was gone. Apparently, after a period of no activity they delete your list. I was devastated, but I still had my first list and I sent emails to that list advertising my new investment product. The result...no sales. Not a single one.

I continued writing posts to my blog, writing articles, and even participating in give aways in an effort to build my lists. I tried a brief test with co-registration and built a list of over 500 in a single month. These lists I built using a script on my web site. I did not want to lose all of those new subscribers due to a glitch with a free service.

As I always do, I included a couple of my email addresses in every list so that I can make sure everything is working as it should. One day I sent a broadcast message to one of my lists and did not get an email to my personal email account.

A quick email to my hosting service revealed that they only allow 100 emails per hour to go out. You know, to prevent spam complaints. That meant that most of my emails were not getting to my list. I bit the bullet and signed up for a three month trial to GetResponse. I figured 3 months would give me time to get a couple of sales and raise the funds necessary to continue my subscription.

The 3 month trial also coincided with the end of my domain registration and the end of my hosting account contract. After two years of trying everything I could to make a sale, I decided that these last 3 months were now or never for me.

The result of three months of intensive writing, emailing, and marketing? Nada, zilch. I let my domain name expire in frustration.

Along about December of 2008, I decided to try again. New ideas, new products and I was excited to make it work again. This time, I read a very good post right here on the Warrior Forum about setting up a membership site using Word Press and a couple of free plug-ins.

I had a domain name that I had never used so I signed up for hosting and plunged head first into the fray. I wrote more articles, moved my blogs from free sites to my new domain. I actually created two membership sites. One concentrating on Internet marketing and the other on personal investing.

I received a $250 coupon in the mail for Adwords and so I set up a couple of adwords campaigns. I joined more give aways as well.

I tried a $1, 30-day trial offer followed by $19 per month membership dues and a $37 life-time membership fee. The results, one person tried the $1 trial offer and then didn't renew.

My domain name registration expired on September 5th. I decided that I just couldn't keep going.

I did learn a lot though. I learned how to set up a web site, how to design pages using Kompozer and Front Page, how to install scripts for autoresponders and split testing. How to set up Word Press blogs, how to move blogs to new domains. I learned how to set up an autoresponder series including how to use tracking links. I learned how to create an e-book cover using Gimp, how to set up a squeeze page, a one-time offer page, the $7 dollar script, and much more.

What I was never able to master, was how to convince people to purchase my products or anyone else's products for that matter.

I made lot's of mistakes as most of you have noticed if you have suffered through this long article, but we all make mistakes. What is important is learning from those mistakes and moving forward. My later sites were much more professional than my earliest sites.

I've often wondered about all of the mentoring programs that are offered all of the time. One on one coaching that doesn't end until you have a profitable product. I have my doubts, but I am not in a position to spend any more money to find out. If it works it would have been well worth the money.

In closing, I wanted to thank everyone here who gives so freely. I have learned a lot from all of you. I certainly don't blame anyone for my failure but myself.

For those of your just starting out, I wish you luck and offer one piece of advice: Don't try this business on the cheap. Pay the money and get professional help. It will shorten your learning curve and diminish the frustration...and just maybe make you lots of money. Oh, and don't just let your domains expire. Sell them before they go away. They may not be worth much to you, but someone else might want them bad enough to pay you for them.

As others have noted, you "are" on the verge, of breaking that barrier to success online.

Ive been doing this for a very long time, and seen others on the verge also "many" times, some go back to 9 to 5, others hang in till they are doing very well.

Personally I was on the "verge" for close to 10 years, cutting my teeth so to speak in the business world. all before I got online luckily.. It took my wife and I to go bankrupt till we got the lesson about the value of a $.

In relation to your post, you seem to have a good attitude to the work involved in what it takes to do well online. Though mis directed IMO.

You have your own skill sets that your trying to use in IM. this is good and bad.. relying on previously learned skills in IM can be a big benefit down the track, but innitially you need to learn new skill sets to be able to profit from your existing skills being writing.

e.g no good being the best writer on the planet supplying the best information possible if you have no readers of your content.

Foremost skills required..

1. Niche Research.
Specifically including finding "buying niches" finding a niche that people "want" to pay for.

2. SEO work or traffic generation. me I love seo, why? once its done the traffic is pretty much free forever, with occasional top ups.

Once you have traffic to any site, you can tweak your site to get the conversions happening.. but you NEED traffic to be able to do this.. There are a million things you can do to a page/site to increase its sales conversions, though you need the traffic first to be able to test your modifications. Though all the mods will not help if your initial niche is not one that people will pay for, which goes back to point 1.


If you do nothing else now.. learn how to identify a great niche, that you can create a product for.. the less competitive this term is in the search engines the better. this is where you need to focus your attention on.

as an aside I know people still doing very well in the bankruptcy niche, so maybe it was popular before, but very much still is. at very minium, chuck up your old product on CB (after some niche research for branding purposes) you'll make some sales based on niche name , from the 3rd party sites listing your product on their scrapper sites.

hth's

Pete

[KenThompson]

Hey alertinvestor...

It's good that you posted your experiences and story. And the posts made
by everyone else are really great. You have lots to think about and it's ALL
good. I'm telling you from tons of personal experience that you have many
options. You really do.

Right now, perhaps it's a good idea to just try to relax and let it soak. Maybe
write down all of the things you've learned, your strengths, interests, etc.

Then walk away from it for a day or so and return. As a writer of many things,
there's tremendous value in letting it soak a little. I always think of it as letting
it bake.

There are lots of people who know the kind of pain you're going through. Not
trying to diminish your feelings, frustrations, possible anger, or sense of maybe
hopelessness. Those are all very natural feelings, and you would not be human
if you didn't have them.

I won't tell you all I've been through in the past 12+ yrs with online business. And
I went through total hell from 07 until just this past March. All resulting from my
pursuit of online success. You maybe would be floored if you knew.

But having come this far, and learned a tremendous amount about almost every
aspect of online marketing, and becoming a pretty decent copywriter... I don't
know. Thoughts of giving up or failing do not ever, ever enter my mind. That's
the honest truth.

You just put one foot in front of the other every day.

I don't know all the details of your business endeavors. There could be a number
of reasons why it didn't work out. No matter, now. Turn the page. Just turn the
page and today, or tomorrow, you have a brand new one that is blank. And you
are the creator of what fills that page.

None of what you have learned is a loss. It was not in vain unless you walk away
and never use it again in your life. But if you do that, then that's your decision
and it's cool if that's what you really want.

You can STILL pursue the exact same methodology that you did before. There
are tons of niches out there. Tons. You can still be successful if you want. It
really is a decision you can make. You may try in 6 more niches and not do well.
And maybe, just maybe the 7th will be a home run.

All the world is still available to you. Do you believe that? If not, then my fellow
Warrior I would heartily and warmly suggest you turn inward and try to assess
why you don't.

That is a huge lesson I had to learn. But I did learn it and it had a profound impact
on everything.

I took the time to cultivate my mind in certain ways. I gave attention to my mental
game that was holding me back and allowing me to sabotage my efforts.

I'm not suggesting you did that. But I don't know, and I'd have to ask you if you do.

I believe you have everything it takes to be bigger than the most successful people
doing this stuff online, today. I know I do and that's not bs talking or digital machismo.
It is what I believe and know.

Feel free to pm me anytime.

[rondo]

Originally Posted by Jason_V

you may want to consider instead of re-directing to the Clickbank products simply putting a squeeze page up...

I think you will find success if you try this.

Yes build a list.

The bare minimum you need is domain name $8/yr and an autoresponder subscription $15/mth. A web hosting account is always preferable but you can start with a blogger blog or other free blog.

Seriously, just a blog and a list can make a lot of money.


Andrew

[CarolStep]

Thank you Warriors for all the supportive posts. Your positive attitudes and support were indeed uplifting.

Carol Smith

[Alican Yenidogan]

You have learned a lot but you don't take action? Are you afraid that you may fail? What have you lost in those 4 years? What have you learned? Do you have anything positive to tell to your friends related to your online journal? Do you think that quiting now would solve anything or make you any money or is it worth your 4 years of efford?

Take a paper and pen. Write this:

I was unable to make money till today, but I'll change it today. If I can't, that's another day lost. I MUST TAKE ACTION! NOW!

Believe in yourself, if you don't, no one will. Everyone has the potential, it's just how you use it..

Hope you don't quit that quick...

[Patrick Mader]

Originally Posted by George Wright

Hi alertinvestor

OK, John said in a few words what I’ve taken a couple of hours to compose. You can skip this post and take action on what John (Zeus66) says and you’ll do just fine. I’m posting this anyway. I hope it helps.

I promised to tell you what I think you have done wrong.

There are many things your post reveals that you have done right and wrong but the focus of this post is the Warrior Forum.

First here is what you did right: You joined the Warrior Forum. You joined the Warriors over 700 days ago. I have no idea how many times you have come here and read the information, at least you had the good judgment to join and I’ll assume you have read here some.

Now to what you have done wrong. I realize many of the things I will say here will not be agreed with. That’s OK. To me everything I say below is true. It’s my reality.

Post count matters. Over the years here I’ve heard over and over again that post count doesn’t matter. That’s a myth. Post count does matter.

I can’t help but notice that you have posted only 23 times in 700 days. Further investigation reveals that you have 19 posts on this forum so 4 of your posts were on the old forum.

Don’t get me wrong. Posting for the sake of building up post count or only for the sake of hearing your head rattle doesn’t matter much, however hundreds or thousand of posts that for the most part are sincere efforts to learn, inform, encourage, motivate and any other number of noble purposes do count. And excuse me for daring to say this, those posts and that large post count translates directly into money in your pocket. I bet that most Warriors with high post count could simply divide money made by post count and come up with a dollar value for each post.

Even if the money made was made elsewhere the fact is that posting and reading here influences just about everything else we do in IM in a posivite way.

As I write this post there are 2670 visitors to this forum. That’s 2670 sets of eyes that just might read your subject line. 2670 live people that just might be impressed with your post enough to check out your other posts, your signature (read free advertising) your WSO (read guaranteed views for a fraction of PPC) your classified section ad and a whole lot more.

You don’t have a sig file. You don’t post anything to speak of. Don’t say you don’t have anything to post. In the 19 posts you have here you have Warriors who have clicked the thank you button 6 times. This means something. On another negative note you have not thanked one time. Have you really not ever read anything here and liked it enough to say “Thank You?”

Yes, I know that it might seem opportunistic and sleazy to dare to think of the Warrior Forum as a tool to help you make money. To this day people are chastised for such thoughts, in spite of Allen’s Post “How this forum can make you $50,000,” In spite of his providing the sig file area, in spite of him providing the WSO section and classified section and in spite of many honest successful people publicly stating that they have started big money businesses right here. There are still people who criticize those who “Make money off of the WF.”
Judging from your activity here for the past 700 days you do not see the WF as a moneymaking opportunity for you.

Use the WF wisely, honestly, ethically, when you make mistakes and you will, apologize, pick yourself up, dust off, keep on keepin on and the Warrior Forum will be a life-changing tool for you.

Or just do what John said, and you will do just fine.

George Wright

thanks to george for this uselfull post

cheers,

Patrick

[alertinvestor]

First of all, I would like to thank all of your for your kind words of encouragement. I wondered when I posted this if anyone would reply or worse, accuse me of prepping for a big product launch or something.

Right now I am taking the advice of several of you fellow warriors and just relaxing. Taking a step back and just letting it all soak in.

When I first decided to give this business a go, I did not have big dreams. I was not out to build a seven figure business or anything like that. Like my nickname implies, I am into all things financial. It is a hobby, and interest of mine, and has been for many years.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I give is to diversify. Not just investments, but retirement income and current income. The present condition of things is such that we cannot depend on any single source of income to see us through. If you are expecting a single source of retirement income, whether that be a defined pension plan from work, or Social Security, or whatever to provide for you in your retirement years, you are jeopardizing your future. It is the same with a 9-5 job. Nothing is safe, so it makes sense to create multiple sources of income...just in case.

With that in mind, I began this adventure with hopes of creating a small second income. Two or three hundred a month, just to help out the family budget. If you have raised or are raising teenage boys or girls, you know what I mean.

That's not to say that I didn't dream of someday replacing my 9-5 income with something more enjoyable and less time consuming, but it was not my motivation going in.

I am not into the whole get-rich-quick scheme, but I thought that within a year or two, I would hit my stride. It seems that the first list, or successful product is the hardest. After you have some success, you have a base to build on. For example, I understand that assembling a team of joint venture partners is a great way to make sales and build a list, but I could never ask someone to promote one of my products if I haven't even sold one yet. It is tough when you split test 2 or 3 sales pages and you can't even get a few sales to determine which page converts, because none of them do.

Anyway, thanks again for all of your advice and comments. Maybe I'm not out after all.

[SakeSushi]

Success always come after failure dude,

Out of the 1000 people trying to invent light, only thomas edison did it. why?

He perserver (correct spelling? seems weird to me) while the rest gave up.

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by scrofford

I understand that it has been a long time and you haven't made any money. But what are you going to do if you give up? Do you have some other money making idea? Or are you just going to work a job? To be honest, I would rather keep going and not quit than be trapped in a "job" for the rest of my life. At least you are moving forward and sooner or later you will make money. There are a lot of people on here that have gone through failure after failure in order to become successful. They have "failed forward". So if you give up, then you are allowing defeat to overtake you and you LOSE! Don't EVER give up!

Perfect post.

Your choice is to give up and make no money or keep trying and make money.

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by alertinvestor

First of all, I would like to thank all of your for your kind words of encouragement. I wondered when I posted this if anyone would reply or worse, accuse me of prepping for a big product launch or something.

Right now I am taking the advice of several of you fellow warriors and just relaxing. Taking a step back and just letting it all soak in.

When I first decided to give this business a go, I did not have big dreams. I was not out to build a seven figure business or anything like that. Like my nickname implies, I am into all things financial. It is a hobby, and interest of mine, and has been for many years.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I give is to diversify. Not just investments, but retirement income and current income. The present condition of things is such that we cannot depend on any single source of income to see us through. If you are expecting a single source of retirement income, whether that be a defined pension plan from work, or Social Security, or whatever to provide for you in your retirement years, you are jeopardizing your future. It is the same with a 9-5 job. Nothing is safe, so it makes sense to create multiple sources of income...just in case.

With that in mind, I began this adventure with hopes of creating a small second income. Two or three hundred a month, just to help out the family budget. If you have raised or are raising teenage boys or girls, you know what I mean.

That's not to say that I didn't dream of someday replacing my 9-5 income with something more enjoyable and less time consuming, but it was not my motivation going in.

I am not into the whole get-rich-quick scheme, but I thought that within a year or two, I would hit my stride. It seems that the first list, or successful product is the hardest. After you have some success, you have a base to build on. For example, I understand that assembling a team of joint venture partners is a great way to make sales and build a list, but I could never ask someone to promote one of my products if I haven't even sold one yet. It is tough when you split test 2 or 3 sales pages and you can't even get a few sales to determine which page converts, because none of them do.

Anyway, thanks again for all of your advice and comments. Maybe I'm not out after all.

Why don't you share your sales pages with us so we can see if you are heading in the right direction?

[DrewG]

Originally Posted by alertinvestor

I did learn a lot though. I learned how to set up a web site, how to design pages using Kompozer and Front Page, how to install scripts for autoresponders and split testing. How to set up Word Press blogs, how to move blogs to new domains. I learned how to set up an autoresponder series including how to use tracking links. I learned how to create an e-book cover using Gimp, how to set up a squeeze page, a one-time offer page, the $7 dollar script, and much more.

Sounds like you're just gettin' started

But seriously though, never take those skills for granted. Hell, you could open up a service in the Warriors for Hire section just doing what you think are 'basic' tasks that some people can't figure out for the life of them! You know how many people have no idea how to install a script or create an ebook cover, and are willing to pay good money for someone to implement is properly for them?

I would recommend you keep reading and learning, this business is exponential. Learn copywriting, learn different techniques to selling, learn how to track, and do keyword research. Then come back, sit down, and implement a proven and workable business strategy for yourself.

Sounds to me like you hit a few strings of bad luck. Keep on keepin' on.

[IShawn]

Thank you Alertinvestor for your post. I can completely empathise with the struggle you have had and IMHO think you must NOT under any circumstances stop now. I noticed your post when I came back to the Warrior forum out of curiosity to see what was going on - and with a compelling urge to get back into Internet Marketing again. My story is similar in many ways...

[FX: Wavy lines and ominous music]

Selfishly - Let me tell you my story :-)
I have been with the Internet since the early bulletin board days and was one in the beginning raving about the massive opportunities it held for us all. I knew all the technical geeky things you could know about it as it grew the World Wide Web. I created many of the first cgi apps in the financial industry as it became more and more noticed by business. I worked my life successfully in the technical fields until it went through the bubble. Then things changed in the world, I became less useful and was eventually discarded. I worked hard being an entrepreneur in the days before AdSense then finally saw the light...

But not completely...

I struggled getting sites noticed, failed at convincing Google to recognise my existence. There were products out there that seemed to be making money for others but I was TOO cautious to buy into them. I struggled on, writing my scripts for lists, developing programs to automate all the site building I could desire. Eventually after making some headway and getting remarkable results from people clicking on the ads on my site something happened. It changed, the revenue fell away and I could never work out why. I relented and paid out for one of these wonderful products that would earn me revenue, unfortunately drinking the 'Kool-Aid' of writing hundreds of very similar but different articles. Google slapped hard... I never recovered. I tried many sites, worked on wonderful ways to automate and rewrite posts and articles myself and made very little. It was heartbraking and very tiring, the wolf was at the door and there was nothing I could do - I was also morally uneasy with producing what ultimately was rubbish. So I began to start looking for niches, working out keywords that had little competition, put together useful information for each of the keywords or phrases, but didn't follow it through. I gave up - I was fooling myself and I was too tired of it all and looked elsewhere and did other things.

[FX: Crash, Wake Up Call!!!]

Well the 'other things' didn't really work out either and I missed the old days and found myself wandering back. What I have realised is that I WAS actually on the right path back in 2006. I was doing the right thing and that if I continued I would have test, revised and worked out the methods enough to have made it work. In fact I see from other posts that the same issues exist, just with a few more interesting solutions.

Well I'm back - and VERY hungry. I am determined this time not to give in. My plan for now is to get back on the ladder and try for some of the low hanging fruit that still exists. To raise the revenue enough to pay for professional teaching and services to take me to the next levels. I am thoroughly determined this time to do it! My ambition is to 'help as many people as possible' - seriously - in one of my own radical ideas I am struggling with - let me just say its 'beyond one world'. I am glad to be back in the Warrior Forums, I really misssed it - but like you I never really participated, maybe if I did I would not have given up those years ago. Again - I am not making the same mistakes - Let's both of us just get on with it until we win - We deserve it!!

An idea that seems positive at the moment is for us to network and anyone else for that matter at the same level of just starting out but DETERMINED to make it. Maybe a good verbal kick is needed now and again to get on with things - much like you (and me indirectly) have had in the excellent posts of Warriors here. Except I doubt they would be so keen to kick along every minor bump in the road, whereas a small network is ideal.

So, come one, these opportunities are not going to last forever. I've seen how many have made it way up the ladder in the time I have been floundering and it is time to join them.

Once again I meant only to make a short post - apologies for my ramblings... It felt inspired at the time of writing - I might cringe at it tomorrow morning.

[CDarklock]

I'm not going to bore you with a long story, but let's look at something real quick.

You had trouble getting people to buy your products.

I lost my house two months ago, and last week my wife took the kids and left me.

So come on, man. If I can keep going... what's your excuse? I mean, honestly. It can get bad. It can get hard. It can feel like you're on the express train to hell itself. But the only skill you need to get through it is the ability to get up just one more time than you get knocked down.

[TheNightOwl]

.....

Originally Posted by CDarklock

the only skill you need to get through it is the ability to get up just one more time than you get knocked down.

.....

[secretjustin]

It's wonderful that everyone is willing to inspire people who are down, struggling or calling it quits. But, maybe IM isn't for the OP. Sometimes it's smarter to cut the rope, rather than trying to drag a dead camel through the desert.

IMHO - Peace

[jencat]

Wow guys.
Thanks for all the insight and encouragement to keep going. I love the advise you have given to alertinvestor, you are all so open and kind to give your time to respond to his post. I am just beginning in this game and as i can see from the posts a lot of you have been in it for years. I assuming there must be a reason why you all think it is worth the while to keep going.
Keep going alertinvestor. Try some of the methods these guys have suggested. I use Market Samari to do market research its an awesome tool to do market research and cuts out a lot of the time that is needed to do it manually. You can get a free trial and watch the videos to learn how to use it. You then need to pay for it or I think they allow you to use the keyword tool but not the other features after the free trial. Even if you dont buy it use it for a month and get some new niches to work in.

All the best
Cheers