Big mistakes that starters make!

Selling something no one wants.

Internet Marketers who are new generally let everyone know that they are brand new to the industry thus making it near impossible to make any money because of lack of credibility. Instead of telling everyone that your brand new and don't know ****, find a way to add value or ask really intuitive questions. That will set you apart from that pack.

Another thing you should do as a newbie is find ONE product that you love, buy it, use it, have success with it, document it and then promote the crap out of it showing how it has worked for you. That will also set you apart from the heard.

NOTE: If you follow the heard, you're bound to step in a lot of ****

Here's my input:

They don't start list building, that was the biggest mistake I personally made when I got started, your list can be your money maker.

One other big mistake is being a bit of a scatter brain. In other words you start a project but then half way through come up with another great idea and abandon what you were doing, it soon turns into a snowball effect. You soon find yourself never actually finishing anything, spending far too much money and overwhelmed with all your unfinished work. Again this is from personal experience.

It's easier said than done though, with so many avenues to explore! Took me 2-3 years to finally say "I have to see things through to the end", I wasted so much time and money jumping from one idea to the next.

I'd say believing the hype. Alot of garbage information can be spread about. I always like to go against the grain because one thing is for sure IMO, everything can be saturated. To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Talking to your peers instead of your customers. That was my big mistake when I started. I remember starting out (in web design) and writing all these articles about browser compatibility, integrateing seo with design, etc -- only to realize they weren't bringing me customers and my list was full of designers not business owners. lol

Funny thing is, I see small business owners doing the same thing. I coached the owner of a small coffee plantation - her "networking" was joining coffee associations instead of reaching out to consumers.

Making some thing that is already present on internet. Means making duplicate stuffs.

#1 Information overload
#2 Trying to make things too complicated (keep it simple!)
#3 Focusing on too many projects at once

Getting into the trap of "Become a millionaire within 30 days" and those kind of stuff..

Not stopping to think about ethics and morals in there quest to make money.

A lot of good answers so far. The people who actually get through the hype and BS minefield and actually give it a shot make a couple of major, self defeting mistakes. These can be easily corrected but many resist. These are:

1. They assume everyone makes a buying decision the same way they do. They don't consider the many motivators that move people, only their own. Their offers are then one dimensional and many people click away because the presentation doesn’t appeal to them.

2. This one is huge. They don't take the time to describe their stuff properly. Again, they assume that because they know all about something (or think they do) that everyone else in the Galaxy does.

For example, Internet Marketing is a freekin' fruit salad of acronyms. How many times have you seen people selling something with only the acronym and not even once mention what it stands for?

Considering how many newbies are out there with money in their hot little hands to spend, wouldn't it make sense to do a good job explaining your offer? Pretend you don't know a thing about it and then write up the offer so you could actually make a buying decision.

I review sites all the time and those are probably the two most common mistakes I see other than really stupid things like not proofing the content or copy.

Whoa. Some really great answers and advice so far! I agree with all of it!

But I do lean toward the lack of focus thing as being at the top of this list. It was certainly my biggest mistake, and I've now observed way too many others making the same mistake.

I also think anyone new to the field should try to get an overview first, i.e., try to understand the big picture first -- there are too many just taking this and that advice piecemeal, and paying big bucks and spending enormous time and energy for products and courses, etc., without yet even understanding how the differing pieces are supposed to fit together.

Great tips, I've recently learned to cut back on the number of things I'm actively focusing on and/or trying to build up. Like others have said it really gets in the way, especially in a mental fashion that is very draining (esp when you're use to being behind the pc virtually all day *motivation*).

Another thing, I've taken a step back on is reading far too closely into things... and considering what everyone else says about something, however much fragmented the bits and pieces may be. This kinda stuff can really throw ya. With heavy thought I'm beginning to think the VIPs out there (that don't actively comment always) probably are testing theories and dismissing the ones that don't work, hence developing something that works and works very well.

It may make the work longer and maybe even a bit harder which is def apart from the "easy work" mentality that most new comers to the IM field may have.

Just my opinion and experiences of course. Hope this helps.

Since you mentioned graphics and web design, I'll share my two cents. If you are new, you probably haven't been burned before. Some of what I am about to share is from personal experience, and some is from the experience of my friends.

You MUST have a contract that spells out clearly what you will do and what the other person will do. It is important to have benchmarks that are like mini-deadlines (these are also called "deliverables.") The contract also needs a payment structure. Most people agree to start the work with 50% of payment upfront and the rest at delivery, or they use an escrow account for the whole thing. That way, if there is a disagreement, an independent third party can look at the contract and the deliverables and determine if the developer is entitled to payment.

The other thing you need to watch out for is "scope creep." This is when the client says, "Oh, I just want you to change the color of this, and I thought I liked that logo but my partner hates it, and can you make this one part have a form instead of a picture... etc. etc. etc. The contract needs to specify how many changes the customer is entitled to have before it starts to cost extra.

Another thing to watch out for is people who have amazing domain names and no business plan who think money will fall out of the sky just because they have a premium domain name. It doesn't work that way. They will try to get you to do work for them with the promise of shared revenue. Well, what happens if there is no revenue? You did all that work for free. If they offer you a percentage of sales of the domain name, and you don't have a contract, they can say, "oh, nobody wanted it" and sell it to someone else and forgot they promised to help you.

One more thing: watch your customer service. If you don't plan to communicate with your customers, either hire a virtual assistant to do it for you or get out before you kill your reputation. When emails and pm's don't get answered, expect people to call you out on forums and twitter and everywhere else. I've seen people get banned from forums for not taking care of their customers (as they should be).

Hope that helps.

Don't buy anything that comes across as a 'Shiny Object'.

Save your money for more important things.

Some really great advice on here! I certainly agree with how mentally draining IM can be, I've found myself sitting at a PC virtually all day and it's only until my wife gives me a clip around the ear do I get off!

List building - seems to be different strokes for different folks. I purchased some software 7 days ago, over that 7 day period the seller has sent out 14 emails. I read in another post here on the Warriors of someone receiving 120 emails over one month! That's incredibly aggressive. And it makes me think "They're either desperate or they actually do very well with that method". I couldn't personally do that.

You've got three very different people listed there, none of which are similiar in any way.

1. Internet Marketers
2. Web Designers
3. Graphic Designers

Which are you really referring to?

this is a simple on.

NOT GETTING OFF THEIR ASS

and NOT TAKING ACTION.

action breeds results. But if you dont take any action, how do you expect to see any results.

Newbies usually uses way too much ppc campaigns .....I was a victim of that crap..Just don't take time out to read/research and get to know the business jus all about making a quick buck..

One of the biggest mistakes is NOT TAKING ACTION .

They consume too much information and they don't take an action .

So , beginners should be aware that unless you take an action , there will not be any change .

Reading and reading and justifying why what they read can't work... without actually IMPLEMENTING to see if it does...

"Taking action" means little.

Taking PURPOSEFUL action is everything.

pretending to be an expert i would think.

Underselling themselves & not knowing how to ask their price point. Knowing how to ask for enough without being afraid of losing cheap clients is the way to survive in the beginning.

reading too much instead of taking action and doing it.
Also buying too many info products

cheers
Arturo

Being distracted...looking at the shiny things and purchasing all the ebook guides and etc. You have to stick with one formula for awhile. They jump from ship to ship.

Think i've done most of these in my time lol However my biggest mistake was researching too much! The best way to learn is through your own mistakes, not reading about endless strategy

- Method/business hopping and not giving focus to a specific area.
- Not starting to build lists from the start
- Expecting instant results and becoming disillusioned too easily

Best,
C

Selling something that they have no idea what it is about.

read read read an do not getting up something at the same time to gain own experiences

and of course being afraid to loss and so do not make any investions (i am not talking about throwing your money out of the window). you can buy some real good service for nearly no money...

The biggest problem that I see is people often try to become an expert at every strategy at once. Doing this, they will NEVER be an expert at hardly any of the strategies. People starting out in IM should concentrate on, at most, 2 strategies and become an expert on them before moving to a different strategy.

It is better to be an expert in a couple strategies than to be only "good" at a lot of strategies.

Good post Jan, well said!

I've been working with a guy online for the past year, he has something like 500 domains but only uses 5 of them! I asked him "Why so many?" and he replied "Because everyday I think of something new", that's a lot of domains and a lot of money spent on domains he isn't even using!

I totally agree about feeling desperate about making money online, I had to advise a member of mine to stop spending money on those "Push Button Wealth Amazing Piece Of Software" products, rather invest in several courses from trusted sources and really see it through.

One of the mistakes I've made was spending way too much time on the details. I spent a few weeks just choosing hosting providers because I was worrying about getting too much traffic and being shut down. And of course I had no traffic because I wasn't building any!

That first site wasn't the huge money maker of my dreams anyway - it just started me going and was a learning experience that took months to learn because of my insistence on getting the details just right.

I learned the hard way, thinking about doing something is not action no matter how hard I tried to justify it. Doing something is action.

~Paula Mae

Chasing the next "shiny object" is a typical mistake.

There is always some great new Internet marketing product, WSO, special technique or new traffic source popping up somewhere...the temptation is to flit from project to project and end up with nothing making money.

You need to focus - decide what information is truly useful, then go out and take massive action.

I think selling something that they do not personally believe in can be a huge mistake. If you don't see yourself using the product or service, you shouldn't be selling it to others.

Being mislead by alot of rubbish products that make you believe that IM is as easy as pie. Do your homework well before jumping in the right places.

The biggest mistakes I see people making repeatedly are
A) Not Building a List
B) Not Branding themselves
C) Trying to sell useless ****
D) Selecting & Promoting Products based on Comp Plan, vs The Products Merit & Value
E) Thinking they don't have to spend money to make money
F) Giving up too early.. this is a business, treat it like one
G) Not having a plan

my number one mistake was not looking up my keywords at all... obviously the site went nowhere

Thanks for so many valuable informations.

Most think making this look good and "professional" is the key to success and it's not

I think that the number one thing that IM'ers make is not giving themselves enough time to make a method work. We all now there are endless ways to make money online. But in order to be successful, you must stick to one method until you are the expert at it.

Number two mistake that IM'ers make is not using The Law of Attraction to get the results they want. The mind moves the body to action. Control the mind and control what happens in your life. Everything in your life is in direct connection to the thoughts you have been thinking and the feelings you have been feeling. You must be in a Loving mindset to receive things that you love.

Peace and Love,

Anthony Spencer

This is a great question. First off, Internet marketing isn't for everyone. Most people get into it to make a lot of money but when they finally realize what they got themselves into, they back off. Its sad but its true.

Here is my list of mistakes:

1.) Instant Gradification. THis is a biggy. Poeple expect to start making money online as soon as they launch there first website. I explain to my clients that its like putting up a billboard in the middle of a desert. Nobody knows about it yet unless you market it. It takes a little time to get theball rolling.

2.) Not being educated. I remember when I started, I didn't know a thing about anything. Then two years later we launched our new site about making online money today. With all the trial and error we had our new site is getting a much bigger response and it is working for us. So become educated because its all bout working smart not hard.

3.) Not building a list and setting up a follow up system. This is a huge deal. you need to follow up with your prospects to sell to them later. You are missing the boat on alot of sales if you don't folllow up.

4.) Buying traffic from bad resources. This is a funny story.when we started also we bought a ton of traffic (that wasn't targeted) because we didnt understand that traffic needs to be targeted to make money.

5.) Consistant marketing. Keep your marketing efforts always going. Market everywhere. all the time.

Hope this helps. The list can go on and on but these are some of the good ones. ! enjoy

Reading and reading but not implementing!

I've seen starters make the mistake of expanding to quickly, and/or to broad. It is important to establish a solid foundation before you decide to grow. Also, it is vital that you know your niche and excel at what you do before you expand your brand.

If you are professional then you always think to do more and that's the mistake because you are expert all peoples are not so i think don't have try to impress people by fascinating it should go smooth

• Expecting to get rich fast!
• Doing something they are not passionate about. They just choose the most profitable niche on the Net instead of choosing the most profitable niche FOR THEM!
• No caring much about the quality of the product
• Over-pricing the product and thinking it is worth it!

I think one of the biggest mistakes new internet marketers make is operating from an opportunistic mindset, rather than a business building one. There is a huge difference in the “make money” mentality when compared to the real business building mind.

However, many new internet marketers today are still operation from the “make money” mindset, and that’s okay...

But the problem here is that opportunities come and go. The perfect example would be an inexperienced internet marketer posting Facebook spam trying to make a few lousy clickbank affiliate sales while a few elite entrepreneurs are easily crushing the competition in affiliate contests because they've actually spend some time in the trenches building their lists.

The difference lies in the business building mindset. The real winners online are the ones who know how to turn opportunities into business.

The secret here is to stop ‘reacting’ and start creating. I’ve wasted many years in reaction mode myself. It’s easy to get distracted by a shiny new product or business opportunity.

Focusing on critical business elements is necessary to insure your internet marketing success online in 2011 and beyond.

Spending money on unnecessary software - it is easier to spend then to make.
Use on their WS to many and/or to big pictures/graphic without compressing them - in result they load slowly.

Jumping from this to that and not doing anything well. There is no magic system.
You've got to build a list as well.

In my opinion spending tons of money on different products saying they will give " Overnight Millionaire Push Button Software" instead of using that money on things like new websites or one guide they can follow to the finish.

All the good points in this thread should be put into a little free guide to direct people asking for help on the forum to as a starting point of what not to do. Which should in turn help them make the right decisions.

Selling something that they have no idea what it is about.

I'd also like to add an observation.

Some have said it is a mistake not to charge enough, or to pose as an expert when you're new, or the opposite, i.e., to undervalue oneself ... something like that.

I think whether one is an expert at something or not is (obviously) important, but what is far more important is to be sure you are offering value, i.e., whether you are a beginner or not, or an expert or not, not offering sufficient value is a great mistake.

And when you are starting out, as you are trying to earn trust, it is especially important for newbies.

Give enough real value and very few are going to care whether you are an expert or not.