Why cant newbies!!?

[Danny Cutts]

Hello Warriors,

Over the last few montsh I have been watchinga few members and have been helping a few newbies and well I am puzzled as to why they dont listen.

So you sit them down and say do X Y & Z and the they come back and they have done teh complete opposite or have had a better idea.

How the hell does that work? you come to me for help then you start telling me you have a better way to get an income. Then a week later they are telling you about this great new method.... and it just goes on and on!

I am just puzzled as to why this is the case, we all like to make our own way but when you are trying to put food on teh table for your family you kinder need to listen to those that have some idea...

I have been saying for weeks even months FOCUS!!

F = Follow
O = One
C = Cause
U = Until
S = Success

This is all it takes!! even writing just 2 articles a day which is about 40 mins work makes the difference!!

OK rant over

Danny

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by Danny Cutts

Hello Warriors,

Over the last few montsh I have been watchinga few members and have been helping a few newbies and well I am puzzled as to why they dont listen.

So you sit them down and say do X Y & Z and the they come back and they have done teh complete opposite or have had a better idea.

How the hell does that work? you come to me for help then you start telling me you have a better way to get an income. Then a week later they are telling you about this great new method.... and it just goes on and on!

I am just puzzled as to why this is the case, we all like to make our own way but when you are trying to put food on teh table for your family you kinder need to listen to those that have some idea...

I have been saying for weeks even months FOCUS!!

F = Follow
O = One
C = Cause
U = Until
S = Success

This is all it takes!! even writing just 2 articles a day which is about 40 mins work makes the difference!!

OK rant over

Danny

Hi Danny,

I think the bolded part of your quote is the key to the problem.

Why?

Because you are showing them what to DO.

They want the easy way out. They think there is a way to not do ANYTHING and make big money online. So, you tell them what works and how to do it, but it takes work.

Then they see some other "program" that promises easy riches. At that point they could care less about your "opinions" (even though you know it's fact).

That's my guess.

All the best,
Michael

[DogScout]

It's like my wife who asks me a question. When I answer it she replies "No. That's not right."
My thought is always, 'If you already knew the answer... why'd ya ask?'

lol

[Gios]

Hey if you told me how to do x, y and z I would listen and not come back with a different approach....?

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Gios

Hey if you told me how to do x, y and z I would listen and not come back with a different approach....?

Some of us make things harder for ourselves than it should be.

I tend to over think things sometimes. I see a great technique and my mind starts racing immediately and I start thinking wait, how can I do this better. It's like you got the exact plans on how to make your own wheel, but you try to reinvent it before even finishing your first try of doing it to completion the way someone else told you to do it.

So your wheel comes out all kinds of screwy and you waste a lot of time doing it, where if you had just really followed the initial plan you would have completed it and been on your way to making a second wheel.

You see these sales pages where someone says "Bob Jones did this method for the first time and made money in 2 weeks"

Well, that's because Bob Jones is a simpleton - which in the IM world can be a very good thing. He likely had a very specific plan laid out in front of him and had some hand holding going on when he needed it. He is able to maintain a high level of focus and is not thinking too far ahead.

(don't think, just do = easier said than done)

I on the other hand have Ricochet Rabbit bouncing around in my head and like most I think I am clever.

If you can really follow and not get distracted, you will have a faster road to success.

Oh! I think I smell something burning on the stove! Need to go over there now and attend to it.

[John Cabral]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

Some of us make things harder for ourselves than it should be.

I tend to over think things sometimes. I see a great technique and my mind starts racing immediately and I start thinking wait, how can I do this better. It's like you got the exact plans on how to make your own wheel, but you try to reinvent it before even finishing your first try of doing it to completion the way someone else told you to do it.

So your wheel comes out all kinds of screwy and you waste a lot of time doing it, where if you had just really followed the initial plan you would have completed it and been on your way to making a second wheel.

You see these sales pages where someone says "Bob Jones did this method for the first time and made money in 2 weeks"

Well, that's because Bob Jones is a simpleton - which in the IM world can be a very good thing. He likely had a very specific plan laid out in front of him and had some hand holding going on when he needed it. He is able to maintain a high level of focus and is not thinking too far ahead.

(don't think, just do = easier said than done)

I on the other hand have Ricochet Rabbit bouncing around in my head and like most I think I am clever.

If you can really follow and not get distracted, you will have a faster road to success.

Oh! I think I smell something burning on the stove! Need to go over there now and attend to it.

Avenuegirl you sound like a female version of me LOL This expalins why I haven't yet started anything. Attention span of a bumble bee, always going from flower to flower or I have adult ADHD.

[tommen]

People are looking to see results instantly without having to do any work, that is the problem and this is why there are coming out more and more "get-rich-quick" products all the time.

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by Danny Cutts

I am just puzzled as to why this is the case,
Danny

I will have a go at why this happens. First as newbie one is exited and thats OK, but more so is most do not understand a good wine takes time, so when they first start, because there is no instant $ in most cases, then it is that people are very quick to jump on the next band wagon and try that looking for the golden goose

This pattern continues for some time regardless of what the mentor says, and this causes them to come back with a 1 2 3 buckle my shoe instead of the xyz.

The clever ones will learn to then strip it right back to one focus and work with that until it has been mastered, the rest will cry IM does not work.

[phil.wheatley]

Another thing you can do is look at websites you already have up and running, and see how you can make more money from them rather than creating another one...or even flipping them for some quick cash which could be used for your main project.

...man, if only I could take my own advice, I'd be a millionaire 10 times over ;-)

[Kate Anderson]

I don't think (at least for the majority) that it's a matter of them not wanting to do the work, but rather not wanting to risk the time doing the work if it doesn't yield results.

I get a lot of questions from newbies who have purchased someone's WSO on say, website flipping, and for some reason come to me asking if I can help "verify" whether the information will actually help them make money. They aren't always willing to test things out, to do the legwork with trial & error, and instead, want a guaranteed formula for making money (and with certain WSO's in my industry claiming guaranteed income, it's no wonder).

I don't mind helping newcomers at all, but what irks me is those that don't understand that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. We can give them direction, offer a detailed overview of steps to take, and even give them an A-Z blueprint to follow, but they'll still need to actually go through the motions, learning and improving as they go before they'll see results.

[Nick Brighton]

Danny,

In m opinion, it's down to a few things:

#1 ego
#2 beliefs
#3 desperation
#4 lazyness

Here's why:

#1 ego

Some people will have a hard time accepting direct "orders", even when they know it will benefit them. Getting them to just do it because you say so may bruise their ego and furthermore, they may want to boost their ego by showing you how smart they are for finding a better way to do what you told them to do.

We all want to be innovative and sharp marketers, so when being told to do something as if you're living in someone else's shoes is a hard pill to swallow for the bigger egos you are dealing with.

#2 beliefs

They may have existing beliefs that what you're telling them doesn't work, or isn't worth the hassle. Getting them to change their beliefs can only happen when they see it for themselves, and tell themselves it to be true.

#3 desperation

When times are hard, and the pressure is on, some people use their focus to thrive, and other people simple freeze or panic. People who are desperate for results will be in the latter group a lot of the time, and will clamber around for a quicker way to get to the finish line, because of their fears, desperation and pressures.

#4 lazyness

Some people just want a faster, easier solution, and even though your solution will work, they cannot wait. However, the reality is that doing things faster or easier usually requires more energy at first, and often more learning too, and therefore lazy people will crack at the seems trying to be "faster".

Ironic, but sadly true.

[Nick Brighton]

Originally Posted by Kate Anderson

I don't think (at least for the majority) that it's a matter of them not wanting to do the work, but rather not wanting to risk the time doing the work if it doesn't yield results.

That is SO true. Marketers think that it's all about the guaranteed money back, or how much money can be made etc...

...when in reality, people just don't want to waste precious time trying to do something that may or may not work.

So, so true.

[tschlotter]

I tend to agree with AvenueGirl - "I tend to over think things sometimes." That often leads to classic information overload and inevitably - frustration - in my case.

Especially when you're a newbie (which I still consider myself because I haven't made my first million!) it's so easy to become distracted and jump from one thing to the other trying to figure out which will work the quickest. Add to that scenario the fact that lots of people trying to make money online are trying to make money quickly - out of desperation. It's kind of hard to focus when you're operating in 'survival mode' if you know what I mean!

[Kay King]

So you sit them down and say do X Y & Z and the they come back and they have done teh complete opposite or have had a better idea.

For some reason in IM there is a desire to be "in the know" - and people will ask for advice then go to other forums and ask people whether it's good advice. Of course, those answering haven't done anything themselves and they have all kinds of "answers".

I think many new marketers see IM as much more freewheeling than it is. In truth, there are different ways to work but those methods have been proven again and again. If you insist on reinventing the wheel based on "I think" or "I heard" you'll end up with a flat tire. Do what works!

It's also a personality thing - your personality and work habits transfer to IM. If you don't like being told what to do - you will argue with everything (and maybe that's why you can't hold a job?).

I also over think things - but what I do is make everything harder. I will spend 20 minutes trying to figure out how to do something with a program and then realize when it says "hit this button" - it does mean all I have to do is "hit the button". I don't have to know who built the button, where it came from or where it goes after I hit it - I just have to do it!

kay

[Lisa Gergets]

F = Follow
O = One
C = Cause
U = Until
S = Success

I. Love. This.

[Mark-Dickenson]

Originally Posted by Danny Cutts

Hello Warriors,

Over the last few montsh I have been watchinga few members and have been helping a few newbies and well I am puzzled as to why they dont listen.

So you sit them down and say do X Y & Z and the they come back and they have done teh complete opposite or have had a better idea.

How the hell does that work? you come to me for help then you start telling me you have a better way to get an income. Then a week later they are telling you about this great new method.... and it just goes on and on!

I am just puzzled as to why this is the case, we all like to make our own way but when you are trying to put food on teh table for your family you kinder need to listen to those that have some idea...

I have been saying for weeks even months FOCUS!!

F = Follow
O = One
C = Cause
U = Until
S = Success

This is all it takes!! even writing just 2 articles a day which is about 40 mins work makes the difference!!

OK rant over

Danny

Your Focus acronym is money!!!

I hear ya...I get the same thing

Its frustrating when you spend your time trying to help someone and they don't take action

Even more frustrating is I have friends who think what I do is the coolest thing on earth, and even $500 extra a month would really benefit them...and I offer to help them, but they don;t want to take action

Now THAT is frustrating

[Shawn Mason]

It's internet marketing ADD..

Oh look at this hot new thing.. maybe I'll try that.. oh now look at this ..

Focus is definitely the key, but can you teach it?

It's hard to stick to a simple plan with so many distractions out there

I've been there, filling my mind up instead of my websites..

Luckily I've learned a little self control.

[Lisa Gergets]

Even more frustrating is I have friends who think what I do is the coolest thing on earth, and even $500 extra a month would really benefit them...and I offer to help them, but they don;t want to take action

Yup, so true, Mark! This happens to me all the time, and it IS frustrating.

[uncle randy 71]

I would definitely agree that being lazy is one of the main reasons newbies struggle. But I also think that confusion plays a big part.

When I first started reading the forums, I purchased one of those "newbie" books that had a 30 day action plan. I could not get past day 3 because I did not fully understand what the author was instructing me to do about choosing a product at clickbank. When I emailed him and asked him for clarification he said, "Yeah, I wish I could help you, but I don't really know myself."

I think maybe newbies should spend about 3 months reading posts, asking a FEW questions, reading some more, and networking with a small number of folks that can hold their hand until they make a decision about where to put their FOCUS.

[JMPruitt]

I think A lot of marketers suffer from add which hampers their success. I know I do.

How do you overcome it? it will take a lot longer to make your business but in the end it works. I started few websites, when i start losing focus on one, I try to force myself go back to one of my other sites. I still am doing the same things, but the topic is different and it helps some.

Doing this I took 3 websites from nothing to making a little money in about 6 months. Still working on scaling up. Once you get to the point you can outsource, it is not so bad. The big part about add is that it is almost impossible to force yourself to do something you hate doing. Once you can outsource those parts, the rest becomes easier.

[tschlotter]

Originally Posted by Shawn Mason

It's internet marketing ADD..

Oh look at this hot new thing.. maybe I'll try that.. oh now look at this ..

Focus is definitely the key, but can you teach it?

It's hard to stick to a simple plan with so many distractions out there

I've been there, filling my mind up instead of my websites..

Luckily I've learned a little self control.

I've finally figured out what I suffer from!!! Thanks Shawn!

[James Clark]

Well, to me the answer is simple. People have irrational fears, and success is based on following a simple concept. But their emotions get in the way. Here it is. Master one thing at a time then go on to the next. The rest will fall in place.

Based on my experience, I have not found anything difficult about IM, but you must get your hands on the correct information. The best advice that I have heard over the years is don't fall in love with your Marketing ideas. When you try something and it does not work, try another tactic until you find the one that works over and over. Now how hard is that?

As far as advice goes, if you don't like the answers then don't ask questions.

Jimmy.

[Intrepreneur]

It's called ADD.

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Intrepreneur

It's called ADD.

Hey! I don't have ADD - I can spend HOURS with all my attention on the computer.

[Oregonman]

I think people are always looking for the easy way and frankly, to the newbie, IM looks easy. There are plenty of people who are eager to sell (and buy) the get rich quick fantasy.

So if your plan requires effort, imagination, challenges to overcome and slow but steady progress, well there's gotta be a better way - Right? LOL That's why so many wannabe IM'ers never make a dime.

Anyway that's my opinion. How much did you pay for it? That's how much it's worth.

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by Nick Brighton

Here's why:

#1 ego

Some people will have a hard time accepting direct "orders", even when they know it will benefit them. Getting them to just do it because you say so may bruise their ego and furthermore, they may want to boost their ego by showing you how smart they are for finding a better way to do what you told them to do.

We all want to be innovative and sharp marketers, so when being told to do something as if you're living in someone else's shoes is a hard pill to swallow for the bigger egos you are dealing with.

I suspect ego is often a very big part of it.

Internet marketing isn't a career for people who like "being right". I think there's a conflict somewhere between "wanting to be right" and "wanting to learn" because on some level you have to "not know" things to want to learn them; people who like "being right" sometimes don't like admitting (including to themselves) that they "don't know" things.

[John Cabral]

Originally Posted by Oregonman

I think people are always looking for the easy way and frankly, to the newbie, IM looks easy. There are plenty of people who are eager to sell (and buy) the get rich quick fantasy.

So if your plan requires effort, imagination, challenges to overcome and slow but steady progress, well there's gotta be a better way - Right? LOL That's why so many wannabe IM'ers never make a dime.

Anyway that's my opinion. How much did you pay for it? That's how much it's worth.

Well I have learned in IM that I haven't learned a thing. I think for some its being afraid to try something and find out it does not work or not giving it enough time.

I think trying to learn to make money online when you are in a bind is not a good idea.

Also newbies are bombarded with so many ways to fast cash that the fall victim to that mentality. Nothing is fast unless you are one of the lucky ones which most of us aren't.

For me it has been information paralysis that has kept me from moving forward. Yes it's disappointing to try something that others claim to be making money with yet you don't make any. I gave twitter a shot and after about 3000 clicks and no sales I found out that my 5K followers are either just clickers or just looking for freebies..

So now I am trying to focus on 1 or 2 ideas and not 10 and get overwhelmed.

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by John Cabral

I gave twitter a shot and after about 3000 clicks and no sales I found out that my 5K followers are either just clickers or just looking for freebies..

I just went to look at the Twitter account you have linked to the forum. Not sure how many accounts you have but here was my assessment of that situation.

Almost every post on that twitter account I just looked at is a link. Doesn't feel like you are someone to talk with or who I could carry on some banter with back and forth. People are now very wise to constant link dropping.

4 links in a row under the latest post, all leading to sales pages - and a 5th link going to a dead page.

Twitter in itself is not just about getting a bunch of followers and dropping links until the cows come home. You have to actually converse with people. Drop real body building/fitness tips with that 140 characters and be extremely selective on what products you recommend.

Have some conversations with people and find out what help they need or what they are really looking for.

Build a following that is truly interested in what you do and how you can help.

It's all about building trust.

Your Joomla! site looks like it is off to a good start, but consider getting rid of the Joomla! logo in the banner. Create your own logo or branding. Add some regular articles and get that site ranked.

Your site screams "Yes! I started things here and just gave up mid stream - it's just not that important to me."

If it's not that important to you, why should it be to anyone else?

[John Cabral]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

Your site screams "Yes! I started things here and just gave up mid stream - it's just not that important to me."

If it's not that important to you, why should it be to anyone else?

Avenuegirl you are 100% right. I started site but have not done anything with it a a long time.

My twitter account did not start out that way but as I have found out you really can't build a relationship unless those following you are not following a whole bunch of people as if they do the chance of them reading your post is slim to none.

No one that is following more than 100 will ever see your post unless it is in their first page or it happens to be posted as the are reading posts.

A person that is following say 100 and those 100 only post 5 tweets thats 500 tweets. Who has the time to read 500 tweets let alone 1000, 2000, 3000 etc.

When I started the account I was careful to only pick those who were into fitness etc and sound realized that the majority of them were following to many to ever see my postings.

I am getting thousands of posting a day, no way I can or will ever read them with exception of those on my first page.

Personally I find the concept good but not practical unless its just for a few friends.

[dou9las]

Originally Posted by Danny Cutts

I have been saying for weeks even months FOCUS!!

F = Follow
O = One
C = Cause
U = Until
S = Success

I also love this, I might make this into a daily "mantra" until I get the results I am looking for.

Originally Posted by Danny Cutts

This is all it takes!! even writing just 2 articles a day which is about 40 mins work makes the difference!!

I am not "new" to IM by any stretch, and I "know" a lot about it, but I have never earned a full-time income from IM (SEO client work yes, but not my info product/affiliate marketing..) thus I still look at myself as a "newbie" as embarassing as it is.

I understand and agree with everything you are saying, YET I still feel like so much of my efforts do not get rewarded.

Case in point: I have a blog in a "health" sub-niche. Keep in mind, the main product I promote here has been in the top ten on clickbank in it's category for months on end, and the gravity of the product has been hovering consistantly at 100+. The product creator is obviously making a great living from it (refund rate is low, etc.)

I have created over 35 unique, content and graphic rich articles. Not "crank them out in 10 minutes" articles, or "sub them out to a freelancer at $5 per article" articles. Like, premium content, well written, informative, great images included articles that *took time* to write, and I social bookmarked the hell out of them.

I have posted some relevant re-purposed content (*very* little of it so this is not creating SEO problems), and am collecting relevant youtube videos (or just funny ones) under a "vlog" category.

I have created video product reviews and posted them at 10+ video sites (a la tubemogul which I love) in addition to putting them prominantly on the blog homepage.

I have very visible, relevant offers within the posts and in the "sponsors" section of the blog.

This blog looks attractive IMHO (i.e. thanks to the template), it is NOT spammy, I have used some pretty great images for the niche, placed very relevant offers.

Yet, I am lucky to get one sale every 3rd week. Yes, it has produced income, but hardly commensurate with the effort.

Considering it's promoting a top selling product on clickbank, the question then becomes, how long does a person continue to F-O-C-U-S before this becomes nothing more than kicking a dead horse? It's creating "dribble" money, not real money that can be life changing (yet anyway.)

Would writing 2 quick and dirty articles a day (indefinitely) make the difference here? Or would it just be wasting one's time? I'm already ranking in the top 10 for a major "buy" keyword (i.e. "product name review") along with other related serps.

Not being negative here - I just want to be smart about how I invest my time and effort, and I just wonder when and how to draw a line in the sand and cut one's losses on a project/niche - yet again, to even do that means all of that previous time spent just becomes a waste.

[tjcocker]

Originally Posted by dou9las

Not being negative here - I just want to be smart about how I invest my time and effort, and I just wonder when and how to draw a line in the sand and cut one's losses on a project/niche - yet again, to even do that means all of that previous time spent just becomes a waste.

BAM! I think you just exemplified this entire thread.

It sucks putting time into something and not see the reward. However, I believe what you got out of it is worth wayyyy more than a few bucks. You learned what to do, and to some extent, what not to do. Take that knowledge and move forward. Don't abandon your existing site, but definitely expand somehow.

I also have a "weight loss" niche site that I wrote many extremely helpful posts for, bookmarked and backlinked, etc, etc. I used to be a personal trainer, so the info was great. It's been 4 months and I think I've made a whopping $2 from it, total. I feel your pain. A few months ago I moved on and made some other websites, lesser quality, and have earned around $1/DAY with a few of them. I'm not sure what my point is, but you can never tell what will lead you to the next thing that actually works.

[Bodhitree]

I'm with you on that one Phil.....

[niac7]

Originally Posted by dou9las

I also love this, I might make this into a daily "mantra" until I get the results I am looking for.

I am not "new" to IM by any stretch, and I "know" a lot about it, but I have never earned a full-time income from IM (SEO client work yes, but not my info product/affiliate marketing..) thus I still look at myself as a "newbie" as embarassing as it is.

I understand and agree with everything you are saying, YET I still feel like so much of my efforts do not get rewarded.

Case in point: I have a blog in a "health" sub-niche. Keep in mind, the main product I promote here has been in the top ten on clickbank in it's category for months on end, and the gravity of the product has been hovering consistantly at 100+. The product creator is obviously making a great living from it (refund rate is low, etc.)

I have created over 35 unique, content and graphic rich articles. Not "crank them out in 10 minutes" articles, or "sub them out to a freelancer at $5 per article" articles. Like, premium content, well written, informative, great images included articles that *took time* to write, and I social bookmarked the hell out of them.

I have posted some relevant re-purposed content (*very* little of it so this is not creating SEO problems), and am collecting relevant youtube videos (or just funny ones) under a "vlog" category.

I have created video product reviews and posted them at 10+ video sites (a la tubemogul which I love) in addition to putting them prominantly on the blog homepage.

I have very visible, relevant offers within the posts and in the "sponsors" section of the blog.

This blog looks attractive IMHO (i.e. thanks to the template), it is NOT spammy, I have used some pretty great images for the niche, placed very relevant offers.

Yet, I am lucky to get one sale every 3rd week. Yes, it has produced income, but hardly commensurate with the effort.

Considering it's promoting a top selling product on clickbank, the question then becomes, how long does a person continue to F-O-C-U-S before this becomes nothing more than kicking a dead horse? It's creating "dribble" money, not real money that can be life changing (yet anyway.)

Would writing 2 quick and dirty articles a day (indefinitely) make the difference here? Or would it just be wasting one's time? I'm already ranking in the top 10 for a major "buy" keyword (i.e. "product name review") along with other related serps.

Not being negative here - I just want to be smart about how I invest my time and effort, and I just wonder when and how to draw a line in the sand and cut one's losses on a project/niche - yet again, to even do that means all of that previous time spent just becomes a waste.

I am sooo with you.

I've been into IM for years as a part-timer. Over the years, I've tried dozens of different methods.

Some were followed through to the end and some were not. But even the ones that were followed did not bear any fruit.

I guess I still consider myself a newbie as well since I haven't created a steady income yet either.

Many of us get burned so much by junk programs that are out there that we are afraid to waste more precious time on something that may not work.

Fortunately, I believe I've finally found the right combination, but it came from putting pieces together from multiple sources to create a whole.

Most "gurus" give you only part of the story, so you take info from several different sources and finally---WAH-LA! You are getting some income to come in, so you Rinse and Repeat until you reach your goal.

I see where it is frustrating as a teacher to have your student add or subtract things from your method, but if you limit creative thinking, you limit growth and discovery.

If they fail, they can't blame you. But if they discover something new, you could both learn.

Anyway, Much Success to all in this forum. I can say that I found many of the missing puzzle pieces in many of the forums here.

[Intrepreneur]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

Hey! I don't have ADD - I can spend HOURS with all my attention on the computer.

You seem focused to me so I won't encourage myself to ensure you are focusing on important tasks instead of dithering.

[CDarklock]

Whenever you start doing something new, you have to understand three things.

#1. You are an idiot. You do not know what you are doing. Whatever you think you know about this is probably wrong. Shut up and listen to the people who know what they're doing.

#2. You suck. Once you find out what to do, you will do an amazingly bad job at it. You might think you did exactly what you were supposed to do, but you probably screwed it up.

#3. You are not innovative. Once you get reasonably good at what you are doing, you will think that you have some radical new way to do things a lot better, and you will be wrong.

Nobody likes admitting these three things, and they try not to do it. They fight valiantly to prove that they are smart and capable and innovative. When they finally realise they are not, they will probably turn around and leave.

We've all been raised to think we can be rich and famous in whatever field we choose, and we can. It takes ten years of concentrated effort. If you're not willing to put in those ten years, it's not going to happen for you.

Yes, we hear a lot about the amazing 17 year old marketer or the guy who dropped out of college and got rich. The big example people yank out is Bill Gates, leaving Harvard at 21 to start Microsoft. What they miss is that Gates had started programming for pay in 1970, formed Microsoft in late 1975, and dropped PC-DOS into the marketplace in 1980. Ten years. Not a coincidence.

Look at the average college dropout or "instant star" in any field. Where is he the next year? The same place every other businessman is, usually. Statistically, about the same number of them will fail, and about the same number will struggle, and about the same number will succeed. Entering the business with a big splash doesn't make you better than the next guy. It doesn't make you more likely to succeed.

You are just like everyone else. You don't know what you're doing, you're not very good at what you know, and you're not going to change the world today. Accept it. Embrace it. And put the pieces together so you can change the world ten years down the road.

[Bodhitree]

that's always a sticky point - whether to continue or let it go. I find that if my heart is not in it it really makes it challenging to go beyond - I think that's a big part of the problem on the net - people looking to make some quick dollars and run out steam just as quick because the hearts not in it.

Any way just what I feel.......

[Bodhitree]

Nice one Danny - I like your take on FOCUS.... I think a lot of us need that reminder...
thanks.

[dou9las]

Originally Posted by Bodhitree

that's always a sticky point - whether to continue or let it go. I find that if my heart is not in it it really makes it challenging to go beyond - I think that's a big part of the problem on the net - people looking to make some quick dollars and run out steam just as quick because the hearts not in it.

Any way just what I feel.......

Bohidtree:
You made a couple of nice points in this thread, and I agree with you.

On a totally seperate subject, I have to mention this though: I have been hit hard on this forum by people accusing me of "spam" or other less than respectable practices, none of which was my intent.

One such time was when I had a Clickbank HopLink in my signature, way back when I was a fairly new member to WF.

At that time, direct linking to affiliate programs was not allowed, and I got slammed for it. I see that you have one in your sig, and I would suggest you change it out to a domain you own (even better if you have original content on the domain to presell with...) before some of the more aggressive WF members flame you, or the mod actually yanks the link altogether.

(Unless of course the forum rules have changed, I am not sure, would have to go re-read the rules.)

[Jonathan 2.0]

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Whenever you start doing something new, you have to understand three things.

#1. You are an idiot. You do not know what you are doing. Whatever you think you know about this is probably wrong. Shut up and listen to the people who know what they're doing.

#2. You suck. Once you find out what to do, you will do an amazingly bad job at it. You might think you did exactly what you were supposed to do, but you probably screwed it up.

#3. You are not innovative. Once you get reasonably good at what you are doing, you will think that you have some radical new way to do things a lot better, and you will be wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. And ... Oooo ... Nope, wrong.

Just because a person doesn't understand something doesn't mean they're an idiot. They don't suck, personally. And sometimes they are innovative.

[nicholasb]

this is very confusing to me too.

I even give step by step videos re corded with camtasia, setting up campaigns as I go.

then when they show me there work it is the complete opposite of what I told them to do, they do a things I didnt even mention in there.

it's like they watched a completely different video. even after I coach them on the phone and work out the problem they still go and do something completely different.

that is why I offer coaching because no matter how clear cut and step by step, some people just wont get it

but the people willing to actually do it and work hard I have no problem helping.

as far as the people who dont take action, which surprises me especially if they just paid $500 dollars for the class, I could really care less about.

my opinion is if they dont take action they arent willing to work hard for it or they just don't want it bad enough

[Online Bliss]

The problem newbie's have with FOCUS is that we keep
bombarding thier email with the newest thing and when they
purchase it (hopfully) they gravitate to what's new and abondon
the previous project. It's kind of our fault.

[David Allison]

Hello Everyone,

I am relatively new to WF-or I took a long sabbatical. I was a newbie a year and a half ago and in lots of ways still am. I still get easily tempted by great sales letters, scarcity and the like. I still buy stuff from time to time that serves little purpose but to distract me from my goals.

I have a partner, with which I had a wildly successful Adwords campaign to profit lots daily for 6 weeks until the great Google knocked us back to earth. Thought I was going to retire, but nooo....! As many of you probably suspect, we were promoting Google Money Tree offers. I am now banned from Adwords (I know there are ways to set up a new identity, but I have not gone to the trouble yet).

Anyway, my success has mainly come from my partner's IM experience. I am ready to learn to be self sufficient. Any pointers would be really appreciated!

I am here to learn and implement. I am actually an endodontist (a root canal specialist--the painless kind, of course :-). I am looking for a way out of my office and into cyberspace full time. I know I will do it because I will never give up trying.

Enough for now. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your forum.

David

[Tom Harvey]

I think that the main problem is that the "newbie" is so overwhelmed with information that he doesn't realize that the gurus are SELLING and not necessarily helping. There is always a torrent of programs that will make an instant success out of anything. then the next one and the next and the next and on and on and on. the end result is that nothing gets done..

[Stephen Chua]

4 years into IM and I still haven't fixed my IM ADD symptoms completely. It was worst in the first 2 years. Wasted a lot of time and money.

I am going to create an image with that FOCUS acronym and use it as my windows wallpaper to remind myself to stay focus.

stephen

[James_J]

A big issue i have with the whole IM industry is all the big-wig million dollar makers are making all there money selling the squeeze of internet marketing, not internet marketing themselves.

Eg, They say "affiliate sales are the way to go" and give you a course on how to make money from affiliate sales, but they arn't making any money from affiliate sales, only from selling you into a course about it!

You really have to watch out for these people because their advice can sometimes be tacky. Someone who I have followed personally, because he was REALLY successful at internet marketing before he ever started helping people with it and selling courses etc, is James Schramko. His work has been a perfect launching pad for me and the skills he teaches has allowed me to slowly generate an online income.

I totally agree that FOCUS is number one. FOCUS and low-cost testing.

I would never spend more than $100 on a site unless it has made a sale. You can get a domain, backlinks, unique content, a blog, bookmarking for less than that if you know where to look!

[Bodhitree]

dou9las....thanks for that, I'll will check it out and make changes before the warriors come over the hill .....all the best

[pcpupil]

Because of crap like this that peolepe are allowed to put all over the web:
This came in my email,im on a list so i suspect it.But this email leads to a certain product right now.
Has to do with the big G.

[QUOTE]
If you've ever wished you could make
more money from less effort, you need
to drop what you're doing and read this
message IMMEDIATELY.

Your about to see how you can make
a comfortable, *hands off* income, from
simple websites that take less than 2
hours to setup and generate you cash for
months, and even YEARS to come...

Check it out now, and you'll see how
an 18 year old ex-furniture remover has
been using sites like this to quietly rake
in an easy $15,000+ every month...

This is TRUE autopilot - real set and
forget stuff. You could take a vacation
for a month, and still be making the
exact same cash...

... and that's with no input from you,
and better yet, no expenditure either.

Once you get your sites up, you basically
get to sit back, and watch the money come
in.
[QUOTE]

This is copy and pasted in here.
Im just putting here to show what is truthfully being pushed around,you have seen it.
Instead of picking on newbies we should complain as a whole to the FTC about these people.If we did this,they would be spending so much time paying fines,ect,they couldnt put out crap like this.
Matt

[TimS]

I think that most people are under the general impression that those of us who work online don't do much during the day. We may have freedom that comes with working online but I would venture to say that the majority of us are driven enough not to take advantage of that freedom. That is why we are still here

Most people that have asked for personal help from me (friends, family members and offline acquaintences) have never done a thing with what I told them. Some did something but didn't stick with it long enough to see it to fruition.

There were a few, however, that really took the ball and ran with it. I have to admit, it feels really good when you see someone you taught doing well.

In every case where someone did well, the majority of what got them there was that they stayed focused. I couldn't agree with you more.

[Bodhitree]

dou9las....you were spot on with the signature and I have removed it for now..... thanks again....

[steveblum]

Originally Posted by Danny Cutts

Hello Warriors,

Over the last few montsh I have been watchinga few members and have been helping a few newbies and well I am puzzled as to why they dont listen.

So you sit them down and say do X Y & Z and the they come back and they have done teh complete opposite or have had a better idea.

How the hell does that work? you come to me for help then you start telling me you have a better way to get an income. Then a week later they are telling you about this great new method.... and it just goes on and on!

I am just puzzled as to why this is the case, we all like to make our own way but when you are trying to put food on teh table for your family you kinder need to listen to those that have some idea...

I have been saying for weeks even months FOCUS!!

F = Follow
O = One
C = Cause
U = Until
S = Success

This is all it takes!! even writing just 2 articles a day which is about 40 mins work makes the difference!!

OK rant over

Danny

I think the main problem is there's so many things out there distracting people (get rich quick programs, new programs, systems, etc.) that people start to lose, as you said, FOCUS.

Let's face it, most internet marketers both new and seasoned are bombarded by new offers and a better way of doing things, daily!

It can be very easy to get sidetracked, with all the temptation out there, no matter how focused you are.

Yes, there are a lot of lazy marketers and a lot of aspiring marketers just trying to make it. I know from experience how frustrating it can be to submit good, quality articles everyday and see little traffic and no sales - it sucks!

The key is to find what works, without hopping from one offer to another, learn from your mistakes and commit yourself to seeing it through to the end. Easier said than done, but it really comes down to the individual.