A Definitive Word About Newbies and Newbie Products

[BizBoost]

(Full Disclosure: I aim to release a newbie-based series in the near future, but do not mistake what I'm about to say as any kind of advertisement for it. I don't believe in trying to be "clever" like that. What I'm about to say will stand on it's own merit.)

On numerous occasions, I have told countless people that the lack of results experienced by newbies is NOT a "lack of knowledge" issue, but, most often, a "lack of focus" and a "lack of willpower" issue, for there is something to be said for "aim" and "passion."

For example, I really LOVE internet marketing. I am passionate about it and I believe that is always conveyed in my communications. There's something about knowing that anyone with an ounce of creativity and a willingness to learn can just turn on their computer and, within 20 days, make $20,000... it CAN be done and it IS being done. But it helps to find a REASON to be doing this that makes you passionate more so than just "I want to make lots of money!"

But, I would gladly make this bet, almost ALL newbies make the same mistake over and over and over and over again. They want to eat the WHOLE pie. So they come on a forum and read and read and read and read, and then the buy, and buy and buy and buy. And, more often than not, what happens is that a newbie gets

"internet marketing indigestion"

and this causes them to become jaded. It's not only that there are hyped up claims and inflated promises thinly veiled by disclaimers stating, "your results may vary", but also that no one really teaches the newbies HOW to learn. Marketers title things, "for newbies" but, in reality, many of them are afraid that if they REALLY made the course at the NEWBIE level, they would be called a fraud, or have those intermediate marketers who still have a newbie mentality, bad-mouthing their product as not giving enough information.

But newbies do NOT need more information on WHAT to do... that's all over the place. They need to be schooled and RESCHOOLED on the most simple of internet marketing basics, AND, to be helped to cultivate an attitude of sincerity, curiousity and, most importantly of all, patience.

What MOST newbies end up becoming like, though, is the online marketing version of a disgruntled spouse.

After failing X times, they start blaming this, or that, marketer and this, or that, product, instead of patiently searching for the largest amount of true success stories and then investigating, like a true explorer.

A friend who is VERY successful in marketing is in the middle of a coaching program as I write this. I am in on it because, even with my experience and knowledge, I feel there's still more I can learn.. not just about marketing, but about those who are even taking the program.

Fifteen minutes into the first webinar, I became truly disturbed. Why? Because of the ignorance of many taking the course. And YET, I'm no stranger to the fact that there are challenged people. Early in my online marketing career, I'd spoken with MANY of them by phone and was horrified that even the most BASIC stuff was not being comprehended by such people and yet they honestly believed that I was going to be able to flick a magic switch and lead them on the road to royal riches.

In the coaching course, a dozen or so people were asking, "I spent all my money on this course and funds are tight. Where can I find some good, free PLR?" and this was AFTER they were told several times that there would, obviously, be further expenses for ANY person going into business... coaching was just ONE cost, but there would be others... PLR, hosting, autoresponders, etc.

But here were people who spend $400-$700 for coaching but were stopped short in their tracks because they had no money for graphics designers, hosting, plr, etc...

So, it's not like NEWBIES need more programs, better programs, more information, or bigger promises.

What newbies need to learn is how to SUFFER like adults... stop expecting that everything that says its for newbies is really for newbies... or that a newbie product should EVER lead to quick profits.

What newbies need are BITE-SIZED pieces of internet marketing FUNDAMENTALS so that, eventually, they become strong, and secure, enough to REALLY move forward and REALLY pursue a course of action that will start making them money on a regular basis.

While SOME newbies will have the right stuff to start makng money fairly soon, MOST newbies should focus LESS on making money and MORE on FUNDAMENTALS and staightforward education. That way, even if they're not passionate to begin with, they'll have a better shot at BECOMING passionate because they won't have been burned, and jaded, by 30 different hyped-up products (actually suited for intermediates) during their most formative online days.

If anyone needs me to elaborate on anything in this post, please don't hesitate to ask.

[jestershaw]

The disclosure seems like reverse psychology to me. If you wouldn't have mentioned the fact that you are coming out with a product for newbies then we would have never known. Now we know, and we also know that you make a great point...so, if a newbie reads this then they would be smart to buy your product which means the disclosure did exactly what you didn't mean it to do.

Smart marketing.

[BizBoost]

Originally Posted by jestershaw

The disclosure seems like reverse psychology to me. If you wouldn't have mentioned the fact that you are coming out with a product for newbies then we would have never known. Now we know, and we also know that you make a great point...so, if a newbie reads this then they would be smart to buy your product which means the disclosure did exactly what you didn't mean it to do.
Smart marketing.

Hi Jester, what's smart, to me anyways, is just being honest. I realized that when, down the road, my newbie series came out, there would be those who would consider my posts about newbies to have been a clever pre-sell. So, I figured either way, someone, somewhere, would somehow think something similar so I decided the best way was to be straightforward with a full disclosure statement and then just let people think whatever they want.

I believe sane people are in far greater supply than those who are mad with suspicion.

Full Disclosure: I aim to charge you for psychological analysis if we keep this up any longer.

Eric

[ktlasm]

I can see both points made thus far about the disclosure...Good if you ask me, and honest(as it seems)...

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by BizBoost

While SOME newbies will have the right stuff to start makng money fairly soon, MOST newbies should focus LESS on making money and MORE on FUNDAMENTALS and staightforward education.

Agree. Without solid basics, 90% of them will fail. BUT telling them this statement its a hell of a task.

[helenback]

Originally Posted by BizBoost

(Full Disclosure: I aim to release a newbie-based series in the near future, but do not mistake what I'm about to say as any kind of advertisement for it. I don't believe in trying to be "clever" like that. What I'm about to say will stand on it's own merit.)

On numerous occasions, I have told countless people that the lack of results experienced by newbies is NOT a "lack of knowledge" issue, but, most often, a "lack of focus" and a "lack of willpower" issue, for there is something to be said for "aim" and "passion."

For example, I really LOVE internet marketing. I am passionate about it and I believe that is always conveyed in my communications. There's something about knowing that anyone with an ounce of creativity and a willingness to learn can just turn on their computer and, within 20 days, make $20,000... it CAN be done and it IS being done. But it helps to find a REASON to be doing this that makes you passionate more so than just "I want to make lots of money!"

But, I would gladly make this bet, almost ALL newbies make the same mistake over and over and over and over again. They want to eat the WHOLE pie. So they come on a forum and read and read and read and read, and then the buy, and buy and buy and buy. And, more often than not, what happens is that a newbie gets

"internet marketing indigestion"

and this causes them to become jaded. It's not only that there are hyped up claims and inflated promises thinly veiled by disclaimers stating, "your results may vary", but also that no one really teaches the newbies HOW to learn. Marketers title things, "for newbies" but, in reality, many of them are afraid that if they REALLY made the course at the NEWBIE level, they would be called a fraud, or have those intermediate marketers who still have a newbie mentality, bad-mouthing their product as not giving enough information.

But newbies do NOT need more information on WHAT to do... that's all over the place. They need to be schooled and RESCHOOLED on the most simple of internet marketing basics, AND, to be helped to cultivate an attitude of sincerity, curiousity and, most importantly of all, patience.

What MOST newbies end up becoming like, though, is the online marketing version of a disgruntled spouse.

After failing X times, they start blaming this, or that, marketer and this, or that, product, instead of patiently searching for the largest amount of true success stories and then investigating, like a true explorer.

A friend who is VERY successful in marketing is in the middle of a coaching program as I write this. I am in on it because, even with my experience and knowledge, I feel there's still more I can learn.. not just about marketing, but about those who are even taking the program.

Fifteen minutes into the first webinar, I became truly disturbed. Why? Because of the ignorance of many taking the course. And YET, I'm no stranger to the fact that there are challenged people. Early in my online marketing career, I'd spoken with MANY of them by phone and was horrified that even the most BASIC stuff was not being comprehended by such people and yet they honestly believed that I was going to be able to flick a magic switch and lead them on the road to royal riches.

In the coaching course, a dozen or so people were asking, "I spent all my money on this course and funds are tight. Where can I find some good, free PLR?" and this was AFTER they were told several times that there would, obviously, be further expenses for ANY person going into business... coaching was just ONE cost, but there would be others... PLR, hosting, autoresponders, etc.

But here were people who spend $400-$700 for coaching but were stopped short in their tracks because they had no money for graphics designers, hosting, plr, etc...

So, it's not like NEWBIES need more programs, better programs, more information, or bigger promises.

What newbies need to learn is how to SUFFER like adults... stop expecting that everything that says its for newbies is really for newbies... or that a newbie product should EVER lead to quick profits.

What newbies need are BITE-SIZED pieces of internet marketing FUNDAMENTALS so that, eventually, they become strong, and secure, enough to REALLY move forward and REALLY pursue a course of action that will start making them money on a regular basis.

While SOME newbies will have the right stuff to start makng money fairly soon, MOST newbies should focus LESS on making money and MORE on FUNDAMENTALS and staightforward education. That way, even if they're not passionate to begin with, they'll have a better shot at BECOMING passionate because they won't have been burned, and jaded, by 30 different hyped-up products (actually suited for intermediates) during their most formative online days.

If anyone needs me to elaborate on anything in this post, please don't hesitate to ask.

I am a newbie and quite frankly I am overwhelmed by the size of IM, It is a mind feild there is so much to learn from scratch, including myself newbies tend to go round in circles not knowing where to start. I was almost conned by AR and am a little bit suspicious of all people selling packages for newbies.
I am slowly working my way through this forum. but by god is it massive.

[jasonl70]

Unfortunately, what you are saying will probably fall on deaf ears

I spent a year offline trying to sell car dealerships what they NEEDED (regarding their internet operations), backed by reams of data from real-world testing - and did not have any luck. Things did a complete 180 when I gave up and sold them what they WANTED.

[iplusgold]

Yup well said! The difference between a newbie succeeding and failing has littel to do with the materials they have and more to do with focus.

[AlexR]

Call them whatever you want, but a beginner/newb in any field of business has to have some understanding of the business to be successful.

Focus is not the main issue. The main issue is understanding what to focus on. Without knowledge of commerce and marketing there are too many aspects of IM to confuse the beginner.

What do they focus on first?

Should it be in developing a product, defining a lucrative market, or simply learning as much as they can about marketing?

The one aspect of any good business that the OP has not mentioned is a business plan. On their own none of the focus points mentioned previously are of any value because they do not paint the "big picture".

No matter how broad a plan, every business should have a plan of action looking at the long term.

Without one, all actions are reactive, not proactive. Instead of leading, the beginner reacts to things that have already happened instead of making things happen.

Any successful business person will tell you that there is a huge difference of leading the market or following the market. That's not to say that following the market is pointless, but reaction in following a market has to be quick and you have to know how to react immediately if you want to jump on a good market. Three months or more could very well be too late.

This topic gets flogged at least a couple of times every year and nothing has changed since I started in this field. Knowledge and understanding is essential. Without it, you have nothing to focus on.

The success stories we read about are of dubious value and every marketer has his/her own way of making things happen.

Disclaimers are there for a reason. there is no guarantee that following the original marketer's (who made $xxxxx.00 in a week or less) methods meticulously will bring the same results. Too much depends on the individual.

Beginners have to start with the basics and learn what is needed for success. Focus comes after they already have the knowledge. Understanding the basics of IM also teaches them what they should focus on.

There is no shortcut to sure success. Understanding, planning and action is what will give results.

Lets look at just some of the important but frequently overlooked aspects of IM...

You are an individual...Just because a particular method of marketing worked for someone else, doesn't mean it will work for you.

Psychology...What makes the people buy. Are you selling or marketing?

Planning,...developing products, market and marketing strategy.

Research...learning what people want.

Product selection...wrong choice and you have no sales.

Focus...stick to the plan. Don't jump arounf from "great" idea to great idea.

Understanding...Knowing when a "great" idea sucks and you should try something else.

Knowing when to quit...because you still haven't got that grasp of IM and have wasted $thousands on various courses. Not everyone is a born marketer.

Knowing what you don't know...being able to source information or help from the right people.

Understanding your limitations...There's no point in trying to do everything yourself when you can outsource to experts.

Breaking into/starting any business will cost (some) money...There's no free lunch.

There are other options to selling "virtual" products...Didn't you know that?

Alex

[BizBoost]

Responding to each of the previous replies so far:

Originally Posted by ktlasm

I can see both points made thus far about the disclosure...Good if you ask me, and honest(as it seems)...

Thank you

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Agree. Without solid basics, 90% of them will fail. BUT telling them this statement its a hell of a task.

Exactly! This guy KNOWS!

Originally Posted by helenback

I am a newbie and quite frankly I am overwhelmed by the size of IM, It is a mind feild there is so much to learn from scratch, including myself newbies tend to go round in circles not knowing where to start. I was almost conned by AR and am a little bit suspicious of all people selling packages for newbies. I am slowly working my way through this forum. but by god is it massive.

Hi Helen, thank you for stepping up and validating the original post. As someone else said, it is not exactly new, but I believe it needs to be restated, and often. There are always new waves of newbies coming in and the information overload hasn't gotten any less overwhelming.

Thanks again, for confirming and I wish you well.

Originally Posted by jasonl70

Unfortunately, what you are saying will probably fall on deaf ears

I spent a year offline trying to sell car dealerships what they NEEDED (regarding their internet operations), backed by reams of data from real-world testing - and did not have any luck. Things did a complete 180 when I gave up and sold them what they WANTED.

lol Jason, thanks for the kind warning! I understand your dilemma very well as I have been through similar. As intermediate, to advanced, marketers, it's incumbent upon us to learn how to target our potential clients better. Certainly, there are car dealerships out there who, though few and far between, might have also WANTED what they NEEDED... once you found them, however, I believe you could have charged a premium for they would listen to how it would give them the edge over their competition.

Key here is to take newbs who only want what they want and give them a free primer explaining how they'll get burnt if they only go after what their uneducated minds want. Thanks, brother.

Originally Posted by iplusgold

Yup well said! The difference between a newbie succeeding and failing has littel to do with the materials they have and more to do with focus.

This is EXACTLY right. Some people say it has nothing to do with focus but rather knowing where to start. The fact is, it has to do with both... as I said in the original post, it seems there's no one interested in helping the newbies to settle down, giving them a place to START, and then helping to keep them focused. But that soon might change.

Originally Posted by AlexR

Call them whatever you want, but a beginner/newb in any field of business has to have some understanding of the business to be successful.

Focus is not the main issue. The main issue is understanding what to focus on. Without knowledge of commerce and marketing there are too many aspects of IM to confuse the beginner.

What do they focus on first?

Hi Alex, I covered this in the original post:

But, I would gladly make this bet, almost ALL newbies make the same mistake over and over and over and over again. They want to eat the WHOLE pie. So they come on a forum and read and read and read and read, and then the buy, and buy and buy and buy. And, more often than not, what happens is that a newbie gets

"internet marketing indigestion"

and this causes them to become jaded. It's not only that there are hyped up claims and inflated promises thinly veiled by disclaimers stating, "your results may vary", but also that no one really teaches the newbies HOW to learn. Marketers title things, "for newbies" but, in reality, many of them are afraid that if they REALLY made the course at the NEWBIE level, they would be called a fraud, or have those intermediate marketers who still have a newbie mentality, bad-mouthing their product as not giving enough information.

But focus is certainly a main factor because even when someone convinces a newbie to start with a newbie product, the newbie is, often, dragged away by the temptation of a thousand other products. They should be brought to the internet version of a monk's cave and told, "READ"... there'll be a quiz afterwards.

Originally Posted by AlexR

No matter how broad a plan, every business should have a plan of action looking at the long term.

Without one, all actions are reactive, not proactive. Instead of leading, the beginner reacts to things that have already happened instead of making things happen.

Any successful business person will tell you that there is a huge difference of leading the market or following the market. That's not to say that following the market is pointless, but reaction in following a market has to be quick and you have to know how to react immediately if you want to jump on a good market. Three months or more could very well be too late.

This topic gets flogged at least a couple of times every year and nothing has changed since I started in this field. Knowledge and understanding is essential. Without it, you have nothing to focus on.

The success stories we read about are of dubious value and every marketer has his/her own way of making things happen.

Disclaimers are there for a reason. there is no guarantee that following the original marketer's (who made .00 in a week or less) methods meticulously will bring the same results. Too much depends on the individual.

Beginners have to start with the basics and learn what is needed for success. Focus comes after they already have the knowledge. Understanding the basics of IM also teaches them what they should focus on.

There is no shortcut to sure success. Understanding, planning and action is what will give results.

Lets look at just some of the important but frequently overlooked aspects of IM...

You are an individual...Just because a particular method of marketing worked for someone else, doesn't mean it will work for you.

Psychology...What makes the people buy. Are you selling or marketing?

Planning,...developing products, market and marketing strategy.

Research...learning what people want.

Product selection...wrong choice and you have no sales.

Focus...stick to the plan. Don't jump arounf from "great" idea to great idea.

Understanding...Knowing when a "great" idea sucks and you should try something else.

Knowing when to quit...because you still haven't got that grasp of IM and have wasted on various courses. Not everyone is a born marketer.

Knowing what you don't know...being able to source information or help from the right people.

Understanding your limitations...There's no point in trying to do everything yourself when you can outsource to experts.

Breaking into/starting any business will cost (some) money...There's no free lunch.

There are other options to selling "virtual" products...Didn't you know that?

People, please forgive me for what I'm about to say. I don't like to "get into it" with people on marketing forums and consider it bad practice, really, but when what I believe is my freely and sincerely sharing of sound, experience-based information is challenged, I believe it's important to at least, to amount an initial defense. I believe, if done respectfully, anyways, the passing reader has an even better opportunity to learn.

That being said, Alex, while I respect your contribution here of, at present, an almost, rather hefty, 6k posts. I have to point out that you have received only 3 thank you's for the entire time. I realize that the "thank you" button might not have been in play during some of your earlier days, but just about everyone else in this thread has, not only significantly less posts than you, but also significantly more "thanks" than you.

Could it be in the way you came on gangbusters to tell me I was wrong rather than to dialogue with me and explore the topic further? After all, I'm sure there ARE plenty of newbies who'll be viewing this thread, and your long, cluttered style of posting is, I maintain, the very sort of thing that goes on to confuse them.

In specific, it was a little disconcerting for me to see you state that one of my main points was wrong, only to validate it again later. And then to state that this topic is old when there's never any shortage of posts here, and elsewhere, of frustrated newbies who, for one reason or another, still need help with that "old" topic.

Anyways, I'm still open to what else you have to say. I just wish you were a little more sociable about it.

Best wishes to all,
Eric

[jamesviago]

Eric, thanks for the post. I agree with you about focus!

I know almost nothing about almost every area of IM that is debated on this forum.

But i know quite a bit now about the area i chose to focus on, after doing a rough investigation of IM 3 years ago. i feel comfortable adding value here in that one area, and i feel completely ignorant in other areas.

by focusing, i am doing just fine making money via IM, in my chosen area.

so, newbies - read Eric's post a few times, and choose. Focus on one area of IM and get good enough to be cash flow positive. Then you'll have time to mess around learning more about more areas.

i agree with some of Alex's comments as well - just studying a specific field of IM will help you with IM overload - but you might still be a business novice (i mean that kindly not critically). success in IM was easier for me, as i have already built successful "autopilot" businesses offline. most newbies don't have that experience... so it's not IM mistakes that get you, it's basic business mistakes: read and re-read alex's comments from "you are an individual..." to "breaking into..." - i think there's important stuff in there, for any business not just IM.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by BizBoost

Responding to each of the previous replies so far:

People, please forgive me for what I'm about to say. I don't like to "get into it" with people on marketing forums and consider it bad practice, really, but when what I believe is my freely and sincerely sharing of sound, experience-based information is challenged, I believe it's important to at least, to amount an initial defense. I believe, if done respectfully, anyways, the passing reader has an even better opportunity to learn.

That being said, Alex, while I respect your contribution here of, at present, an almost, rather hefty, 6k posts. I have to point out that you have received only 3 thank you's for the entire time. I realize that the "thank you" button might not have been in play during some of your earlier days, but just about everyone else in this thread has, not only significantly less posts than you, but also significantly more "thanks" than you.

Could it be in the way you came on gangbusters to tell me I was wrong rather than to dialogue with me and explore the topic further? After all, I'm sure there ARE plenty of newbies who'll be viewing this thread, and your long, cluttered style of posting is, I maintain, the very sort of thing that goes on to confuse them.

In specific, it was a little disconcerting for me to see you state that one of my main points was wrong, only to validate it again later. And then to state that this topic is old when there's never any shortage of posts here, and elsewhere, of frustrated newbies who, for one reason or another, still need help with that "old" topic.

Anyways, I'm still open to what else you have to say. I just wish you were a little more sociable about it.

Best wishes to all,
Eric

Actually, Eric, I have no real problems with most of your post. In some aspects I do agree with you, but I do disagree...

...that the lack of results experienced by newbies is NOT a "lack of knowledge" issue, but, most often, a "lack of focus" and a "lack of willpower" issue, for there is something to be said for "aim" and "passion."

...and that's all I was trying to point out. Without knowledge, there is no identified or identifiable focal point so focus becomes irrelevant. Seems to me that asking someone to focus on something that they don't understand has little value.

Perhaps I lost the plot half way through your post, but the way I read it (as you say in the quote above) beginners don't need knowledge...then you go on to say that "they need to be schooled and reschooled on the basics". Isn't that to give them knowledge so that they can focus?

But, I would gladly make this bet, almost ALL newbies make the same mistake over and over and over and over again. They want to eat the WHOLE pie. So they come on a forum and read and read and read and read, and then the buy, and buy and buy and buy. And, more often than not, what happens is that a newbie gets

"internet marketing indigestion"

and this causes them to become jaded. It's not only that there are hyped up claims and inflated promises thinly veiled by disclaimers stating, "your results may vary", but also that no one really teaches the newbies HOW to learn. Marketers title things, "for newbies" but, in reality, many of them are afraid that if they REALLY made the course at the NEWBIE level, they would be called a fraud, or have those intermediate marketers who still have a newbie mentality, bad-mouthing their product as not giving enough information.

In no way do I disagree with that. We see that here quite frequently.

Re-reading my post, I can't see any reference to me saying that you were wrong. I don't know where you got that from. I simply posted my personal opinion in response to your post.

I feel that this thread has oversimplified the problems that newbs face and there is a lot more to IM than focus, willpower, aim and passion. Any newb who thinks that those four points that you stress are all that is required for success is in for a disappointment.

The reason I pointed out that this is an old topic is because if a search is done on this, you will find that there are many hundreds of quality posts addressing the problem in much greater detail than has been done here including step by step instructions on how to build a successful business.

Without writing a full page article on the subject it's difficult to cover every aspect of IM that a newb should know to be successful. Reading some of the old posts will help a lot though.

Gangbusters????

Wasn't intended that way. Are you a bit touchy when people disagree with you? I don't have beef with you or your post (although I do think that it was a clever bit of pre-marketing)...but I don't have to agree with it.

Since you seem to put so much credence into the number of times that people have been thanked, my low count is probably because I've only made 5 posts since the thankyou button came on line.

Alex

[Paul Myers]

Jason,

I spent a year offline trying to sell car dealerships what they NEEDED (regarding their internet operations), backed by reams of data from real-world testing - and did not have any luck. Things did a complete 180 when I gave up and sold them what they WANTED.

The beginnings of wisdom.

I got a call from a guy today who thought I was involved in a site with a program he was looking at. We got talking, and he's very much a newcomer to this field, despite having had 20+ years in face-to-face sales.

He used the phrase, "Find a need and fill it." I told him there was one word in there that would kill his chances of doing serious business online.

"Need."

Excellent point, sir. It will save people gtrief if they go back and think about your experience.


Paul

[BizBoost]

Hi Alex,

In case it's not obvious, I'm not taking offense... just going a few rounds to help clarify...

Originally Posted by AlexR

...and that's all I was trying to point out. Without knowledge, there is no identified or identifiable focal point so focus becomes irrelevant. Seems to me that asking someone to focus on something that they don't understand has little value.

Perhaps I lost the plot half way through your post, but the way I read it (as you say in the quote above) beginners don't need knowledge...then you go on to say that "they need to be schooled and reschooled on the basics". Isn't that to give them knowledge so that they can focus?

What I meant by "newbies" not needing more knowledge is that the fundamentals of internet marketing can be found for free all over the place. All throughout this forum, one can find all kinds of great, free, information and a real, lucrative business can be developed from it all without having to pay a dime more (except for resources needed to run it like AR and hosting, etc).

But all of this knowledge is like putting tons of water in the container that was suited for their ordinary, every day, offline lives. The increase in knowledge exposes weaknesses and outright leaks. These metaphors translate into a resultant lack of FOCUS and WILL, to name a couple.

If they're not already saturated with knowledge and on overload, they're usually on their way. That's why they need someone with authority to break it all down for them into bite-sized, manageable pieces. Most of the newbie stuff out there now assumes too much, and gives the reader a crash course in fundamentals just to plop them into a big "to do" list that, as we see and hear, rarely gets completed.

So, let me summarize this:

It's not a lack of knowledge is... it's a focus and will issue that is exposed and exacerbated by knowledge overload. The solution is in helping newbies qualify themselves for a given product/service and in knowledge *management*... making sure the knowledge is broken down into "bite-sized" digestible pieces.

Best wishes, Alex,
Eric

[NikkiM]

I am a newbie in IM and I personally thank and appreciate all of your comments. I have learned that you need to find someone who is willing to take you underneath their wing and guide you.

Not to say that you need to do this all the time, but it really helps you to understand what is important to focus on and what is not.

There is to a certain extent of newbies not being able to stay focused. There is so much information thrown at you in such a short time that it can be overwhelming if you try to do it all at once.

I have learned to have tunnel vision on certain issues or tasks at hand and not let new products interfere with my task at hand.

Best,
NikkiM

[carlos_a]

I think most newbies start one project and never finish it, because their email is always being bombarded with latest and greatest product out there. I've been there and realized a newbie has to learn how to say NO when it comes to the offer heading their way.I've learned that education is by far the best marketing tool you can have.There's a learning curve when it come to make money online, and there's no way around it.