Your problem is NOT technical.

21 replies
Over the last few days I've read numerous posts filled seemingly with desperate members asking ...

1. I have a website, and its not making money, what should I do?
2. I have $1,000 to spend, where should I spend it?
3. How can I decide which market to pick that will make me money?
4. Should I do blog comment, or blast thousands of profile backlinks?
5. Ive been at this for 2 years, and Im not making any money, help!

To which there are usually a large number of replies that go a little something like this ....

1. You should install Wordpress, then build a list
2. Put your meta tags at the bottom and the top and make sure your keyword density is 3%
3. The best way to get affiliates is to just start emailing everyone
4. You should outsource to Odesk, or Fiverr and ask for additional code
5. Do something, take action, rinse and repeat
6. Start posting on Youtube, offer a free report or bonus
7. Start a Facebook fanpage, and force them to click LIKE

...and so on and so on and so on :rolleyes:

Do you see the trend here?

They're struggling, with quite possibly NO IDEA of what they're doing, and yet they're being bombarded with TECHNICAL ADVICE.

For those that are struggling, here's a tip.

YOUR PROBLEM IS NOT TECHNICAL.

Forget about tweaking your website
Forget about installing wordpress
Forget about how aweber works and how many days apart your emails should be sent

The issue is ...YOUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

For anyone that is stuck in this rut, heres the best advice I can give you.

Write a COMPLETE LIST of NON TECHNICAL stuff, in areas that you feel you need to improve upon.....then

INVEST YOUR TIME AND MONEY TOWARDS EDUCATING YOURSELF.

Stop tweaking php code and messing around with marketing graphics.
Stop guessing, hoping that something MIGHT work.
Stop using useless methods that you KNOW aren't right.

You're wasting your time.

Ask yourself this....

1. Do I really know what Im doing?
2. Should I stop doing what Im doing and start investing more time towards my education?
3. Do I really have the right mindset?
4. How much time do I spend messing around building sites and spamming the internet, as opposed to actually sitting down with a book, or attending marketing seminars where I might just LEARN SOMETHING

The most valuable tool you can have in this industry is KNOWLEDGE.

That is one of the biggest differences between someone that is making $50,000 a month, compared to your $2

Stop messing around and start investing towards EDUCATING yourself.

Learn how to do things properly, instead of just hoping something might give.

Once I did this myself, the money came much, much easier.
#problem #technical
  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    As an operations management guy (continuous improvement, process re-engineering) prior to my sales career, it's been my experience that technology is the final thing you should apply. It's the "glue" that holds things together, but if you don't have the right things in place first, all you get is a mess.

    If I can make an observation, most Warriors have excellent technical skills in some area. However, they lack business management and sales & marketing skills.

    Example: I got a call today from a graphic designer I know. He was all excited about partnering with a videographer and an SEO expert, and together they'd offer a super package of a custom website, 30 second video commercial, and SEO for 3 months...all for the low price of $15,000. Great, I said. Who's your target market?

    Silence. Then, "We haven't thought that far ahead." Sheepishly, "That's why I thought I should talk to you, a Sales guy."

    Notice the problem here? All technical skill, up front. No idea where to get the clients to pay for the work. A business idea built completely the wrong way around. Figure out who you're trying to solve problems for FIRST. Apply technological expertise LAST.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jarrod
      Originally Posted by kaniganj View Post

      If I can make an observation, most Warriors have excellent technical skills in some area. However, they lack business management and sales & marketing skills.
      My 2 cents: anyone that fits this description, please take the time to shut everything else down and watch through this series of videos and take notes:

      youtube.com/user/selfhelp4unow#p/u/39/E7NAiyB9738 (Scroll down to the bottom for the first one and click your way up.)

      Then go to your local library and pick up a copy of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People".

      And make consuming such information a regular part of your routine.

      Then come back and learn some technical stuff (maybe) and apply it along with the lessons on influence and salesmanship.
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      • Profile picture of the author JettH
        Originally Posted by Jedi Jarrod View Post

        My 2 cents: anyone that fits this description, please take the time to shut everything else down and watch through this series of videos and take notes:

        youtube.com/user/selfhelp4unow#p/u/39/E7NAiyB9738 (Scroll down to the bottom for the first one and click your way up.)
        Thats me - great at the technical, but not so good at the marketing.

        Thanks for the heads up.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    I recall attending an seminar once and was surrounded by housewives in their mid 40s - all of which had little or NO technical skills.

    They were all making over $5,000 a month online, a few in excess of $20,000.

    They asked me "What do you do?" ...and I replied "Im a web designer..."

    They laughed and said "Ahh, you're one of those tech guys that helps makes us money"

    Here I was, surrounded by women who didnt even know what HTML was, with 10 years of technical skills, and was making about $200 a month.

    My issue was I had no KNOWLEDGE of marketing. The technical stuff was completely irrelevant.
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  • Profile picture of the author twilightofidols
    This is my problem exactly. I don't expect anyone to hold my hand and say promote this offer form this network in this way and use these keywords and make money. I know that no IM in their right mind will do that.

    I can do the wordpress junk, I can make the mailing list, I create the graphics, I can design the page, I can develop the content, but the thing is I still can't sell.

    I don't expect anybody here to teach me how to do it. I keep making mistakes, it's the only way I've ever learned anything. I expect to lose money so I'm not so disappointed when I do, but I hope to gain a lesson each time. There are some things that can not be taught like intuition and foresight. This wisdom I hope to achieve through my failures even more than my successes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zaheera
    Yes, you should keep educate your self from all aspects of, not only for advertising but for any job.

    Keep searching the latest techniques, and use it. Surely, you get success!

    All the Best!

    Regards,
    Zaheera
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  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    You are a marketer... not a web master.

    That's it... no more to say.

    Master the above and the world is your oyster.
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    You Won't See The Light Until You Open Your Eyes.
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    • Profile picture of the author swilliams09
      Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

      You are a marketer... not a web master.

      That's it... no more to say.

      Master the above and the world is your oyster.

      This came close. You aren't even a marketer.

      You are a person with a vision.
      You are a person with a goal.
      You are a business owner.
      You are a marketer.
      You may or may not have technical skills depending on your resources.

      My vision is to own my own media company that creates beautiful images and videos that help my customers sale their products and services.

      My goal is to be debt free in 3 years.

      My business is video production, graphic design, web design internet marketing and video marketing.

      As a marketer I market my services in several niches including IM but also offline, and other niche markets.

      Technically I can shoot video, edit, create sales videos and motion graphics, create wp sites and do print design. Everything I can't do I try to find people who can.
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  • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
    Originally Posted by ramone_johnny View Post

    ..............
    They're struggling, with quite possibly NO IDEA of what they're doing, and yet they're being bombarded with TECHNICAL ADVICE.
    ...................

    The issue is ...YOUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

    .................

    INVEST YOUR TIME AND MONEY TOWARDS EDUCATING YOURSELF.

    .............Ask yourself this....

    1. Do I really know what Im doing?
    2. Should I stop doing what Im doing and start investing more time towards my education?
    3. Do I really have the right mindset?
    4. How much time do I spend messing around building sites and spamming the internet, as opposed to actually sitting down with a book, or attending marketing seminars where I might just LEARN SOMETHING

    The most valuable tool you can have in this industry is KNOWLEDGE.

    ........

    Stop messing around and start investing towards EDUCATING yourself.

    Learn how to do things properly, instead of just hoping something might give.
    I'm the one that often tells complete beginners with no knowledge to start with a blogger blog.


    LEARN what is involved in running a site. Learn about adding content. Learn about researching your market. Learn about finding visitors. Learn about researching your products.


    To this day, I don't think anyone has ever supported me when I say that.


    (teacher here )
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    • Profile picture of the author DaveWildash
      It's true that many successful internet marketers have limited technical expertise.

      Ask Lee McIntyre a technical question and he'll not always be sure what software his company uses. He'll often ask you to email someone on his team for an answer to a technical question.

      I seem to recall Jim Edwards had a similar response to technical questions unless he was prepared for the topic.

      A system for what to do is the essential component to a business. How to get it done can always be passed to someone with technical skills.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
      Originally Posted by rosetrees View Post

      I'm the one that often tells complete beginners with no knowledge to start with a blogger blog.

      LEARN what is involved in running a site. Learn about adding content. Learn about researching your market. Learn about finding visitors. Learn about researching your products.
      That is the OPPOSITE of what I would tell anyone wanting to make money online. Infact beginners need to understand theres NO point in having a website if you dont understand the ENTIRE process.

      The biggest concern I find when talking to anyone thats interested in making money online is without a doubt ....

      "I dont know how to build a website..."

      Building a website is a SMALL part of whats involved. Infact, building a website is probably 20% of what it takes to make money online. It may even be less, maybe 15%.

      This is where MOST people go wrong.

      They immediately think...

      1. I want to make money online
      2. I need to build a website

      ...and thats all they think they need to do.

      WRONG.

      THERE ARE SO MANY MORE STEPS INVOLVED!!!!

      What about....

      1. Market research
      2. Keyword research
      3. Product viability and pricing
      4. Driving traffic
      5. Sales copy
      6. Split testing
      7. Performance monitoring and conversion tracking
      8. Email marketing

      etc etc etc

      These are all essential elements that individually make up, what is INTERNET MARKETING as a whole.

      Building a website - is just ONE PART of that process.
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      • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
        and running a free, blogger blog gives you a chance to start learning all of those, and more, in a no-pressure environment where you can test and experiment at no cost.

        I think we're agreeing, not disagreeing
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        • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
          Originally Posted by rosetrees View Post

          and running a free, blogger blog gives you a chance to start learning all of those, and more, in a no-pressure environment where you can test and experiment at no cost
          How on earth does that even make sense?

          If someone asked....

          "How do I learn SEO?"

          Your response would be ..."Get a free blogger account?"

          Your focusing on the tool, rather than the knowledge.

          Its quite like suggesting that a builder should just "buy a hammer", instead of undergoing a 4 year apprenticeship to learn how to build a house.
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          • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
            Originally Posted by ramone_johnny View Post

            How on earth does that even make sense?

            If someone asked....

            "How do I learn SEO?"

            Your response would be ..."Get a free blogger account?"

            .
            Yup. All the knowledge in the world won't help unless you know how to put it into practice.


            No-one ever learnt to drive a car just by reading a book.
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            • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
              Originally Posted by rosetrees View Post

              Yup. All the knowledge in the world won't help unless you know how to put it into practice.
              If I only need a free blogger account, then why would I buy this course?

              Beginners SEO Course

              Not a personal attack, just making a point.
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          • Profile picture of the author Evishiko
            Originally Posted by ramone_johnny View Post

            How on earth does that even make sense?

            If someone asked....

            "How do I learn SEO?"

            Your response would be ..."Get a free blogger account?"

            Your focusing on the tool, rather than the knowledge.

            Its quite like suggesting that a builder should just "buy a hammer", instead of undergoing a 4 year apprenticeship to learn how to build a house.
            actually what rosetrees says do make sense to me
            I do not neglect the need to aquire knowledge, vice versa, this is very important, first of all the desire to learn, then the actuall learning.

            but what if a confectioner would keep studying and studying, he might be able to make great cakes! but unless he's trying to implement it, you and I will never see any of his cakes..

            im not saying people should rush and Do stuff, im saying they should start doing in order to base their learning
            and treat it the same way, as a learning material, not the actuall business (it might become part of it but not necessarily
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        • Profile picture of the author Gail_Curran
          Actually, your criticism should be directed to the people posting those irrelevant answers, rather than the people asking the questions. Why don't you rail on them?
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  • Profile picture of the author Teenage Genius
    Excellent advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
    Johnny, GREAT POST!...so on target. I believe the same when it comes to launching an IM business.

    Most seem hopelessly attracted to the technology, and never figure out the WHY of their budding business....and the market sees this, and endlessly shoves 'tools' in their face. And they buy, and buy and buy.

    I also think many believe (wrongly) that they already know 'the basics' so they are ready for the 'advanced' which they perceive as being tools and technology enhancements.

    Many newbees confuse being online trying to sell 'something', with being in business.
    ______
    Bruce
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  • Profile picture of the author WAWarrior
    The sharing here reminds me of what we learned about Henry Ford. No you don't have to be the professional designer or engineer. But you want to be good in knowing where to go for your resources and managing them

    I do feel that you need to be good in niche/market research in order not to land on hot soup. If ignorant both of your competition and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.
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