How to handle "newbie" questions

48 replies
In light of a different thread, I thought it might be good to discuss different ways of handling help requests from newer people.

Normally, I tell them that I don't answer one-on-one questions that can't be answered quickly or require a lot of details but I do try and give them some guidance or a simple answer. I can't remember anyone ever getting mad over it.

I have considered having pre-written emails ready for the typical questions and then promote something with my reply. It may end up causing more problems though because they will think you are providing one-on-one help.

Now tell me...

How do YOU handle questions for help?

Garrie
#handle #newbie #questions
  • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
    Generally I link to free resources like blog posts rather than typing out a full personalized response. I may answer one on one questions if it's a very specific question, but generally I get a lot of very vague questions that there is no simple answer to.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
    'How do YOU handle questions for help?'

    With patience and honesty. Give good info where I can and refer to other sources if required. Not hard to do, IMO.
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  • Profile picture of the author Larry Leggett
    Newbies always asks a lot of questions but experts always try to answer them through simple answers which may not give them all the answers. If you are falling short of time answering them, try to provide them some good resources which will be easier for them to understood.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Of course I can't tell everyone the best way to handle newbie questions, as there is no one size fits all answer.

      I can however, share how I do it personally and that is to remember when I was a newbie and asked questions myself. I recall the graciousness I received at that point in my journey and can easily empathize. So out of thankfulness, I answer the best that I can.

      I'm of the pass it forward mindset.

      Terra
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      • Profile picture of the author Tim3
        Originally Posted by MissTerraK View Post

        Of course I can't tell everyone the best way to handle newbie questions, as there is no one size fits all answer.

        I can however, share how I do it personally and that is to remember when I was a newbie and asked questions myself. I recall the graciousness I received at that point in my journey and can easily empathize. So out of thankfulness, I answer the best that I can.

        I'm of the pass it forward mindset.

        Terra

        ^ ^

        Is the best example to everyone, your answers may be short but politeness costs nothing.
        Timely help and advice to a someone who is struggling may well give you a customer for life.
        If you cannot stand the heat get out of the kitchen. :p
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  • Profile picture of the author datingworld
    Please don't take it as a burden if someone ask question, thats one of the reason people join this forum to learn.
    And also remember one day we were all "Newbies"
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  • Profile picture of the author zakizarifah
    The more question these newbie ask, the more credit the newbie is giving you.

    You have built trust from these newbie. This is good for business.

    What ever tool you use that works for you till today, you can be a affiliate and sell it to them. ( WIN- WIN ) Build more trust..



    ME a newbie as well.
    Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by GarrieWilson View Post

    How do YOU handle questions for help?
    Inconsistently. :rolleyes:

    Sometimes I write a long and detailed reply.

    Sometimes I write a short one enclosing links to posts that "give the answer" (sometimes people even ask specifically for this).

    Sometimes I write a shorter and less detailed reply.

    Occasionally (mostly due to intermittent poor concentration, attention and memory arising from less than optimal health and "all the drugs") I fail to reply altogether . I think I never do this with initial inquiries: more often with people's third/fourth messages. People are mostly really polite about it, but it must come across dreadfully badly.

    I never interpret it as a "burden" that people ask for help. I wish I'd done it more, myself, when I was starting out - it could have saved me a lot of time. I'm always pleased to be asked, but still sometimes let people down, over this.

    In short, I have exactly the same attitude as Terra, above, but its execution is sometimes deficient, in my case. It's a problem. The reality is that I'm better at answering questions on the board than I am by p.m., because you can pick and choose and answer whenever you want, and are feeling up to it! I'm glad you started this thread, Garrie.
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    • Profile picture of the author critterman
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      Inconsistently. :rolleyes:


      Occasionally (mostly due to intermittent poor concentration, attention and memory arising from less than optimal health) I fail to reply altogether . I think I never do this with initial inquiries: more often with people's third/fourth messages. People are mostly really polite about it, but it must come across dreadfully badly.
      HAHA I thought it was just against me lol!!
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by critterman View Post

        HAHA I thought it was just against me lol!!
        Eew, I'm so sorry ... and you're always so friendly and tactful, too! I'll have to go back through my inbox again ... :rolleyes:
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    • Profile picture of the author MP80
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      Inconsistently. :rolleyes: Occasionally (mostly due to intermittent poor concentration, attention and memory arising from less than optimal health and "all the drugs") I fail to reply altogether
      Hmmn.. So you are on drugs, Alexa.. Well that explains a few things! (joke )

      All jokes aside though, sorry to hear you aren't well.. I didn't know that.
      I suspect there are also a lot of others here who have created an internet business due to injury/illness.

      I have very similar problems (from a brain injury) and so I tend to gravitate towards business models that require very little interaction with others. For example, writing for Kindle is a great one, whereas blogging and email marketing are less predictable, and may require a lot of responses and interaction at times. Unfortunately, when they do, it often seems to be at the times I am struggling the most, and/or have very low energy.

      It's not that I don't want to interact; I just know how unreliable and inconsistent I can be at the moment, so I'm careful not to take on more than I can handle. For me, writing books is still a great way to help others, while staying more or less 'behind the scenes.'

      Although there is nothing wrong with a bit (or a lot! ) of trial-and-error, I do think that people need to take things like this into account, and weigh up what their strengths and weaknesses are before committing too heavily to a particular path.
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    • Profile picture of the author zakizarifah
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post


      I think I never do this with initial inquiries: more often with people's third/fourth messages. People are mostly really polite about it, but it must come across dreadfully badly.
      I thought I have done something wrong. :rolleyes:


      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      I never interpret it as a "burden" that people ask for help. I wish I'd done it more, myself, when I was starting out - it could have saved me a lot of time. I'm always pleased to be asked, but still sometimes let people down, over this.
      Thanks Alexa for not interpret the question as burden.

      You have help me and many others by explain in the post, and answering our question.

      You are a GREAT GURU.
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      • Profile picture of the author aprilm
        I get lots of questions from newbies, and though it can be a huge time suck answering them with thought, I always try to give the very best answer I can at the time. I know how it feels to want information really badly, and not know where to turn to get it.

        If someone asks me something I either can't answer or would rather not, I simply tell them so. If their question is too involved and would take up a huge amount of my time, I tell them that as well. I always, at least, try to link to some kind of free info that would get them one step closer to an answer.

        I have not yet been in a situation where I got slammed for not providing enough of an answer.....yet.....I'm sure it will happen though. You can't please everyone. I hope, when it does happen, I will be able to just let it roll off my back and move on. Probably easier said than done, but as long as I have *cool*, I will always try to keep it! :p
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        • Profile picture of the author StacyGal
          When I am asked questions from newbies, I try to handle them as graciously as possible. My main method of helping an unknown person who contacts me is to provide a little dialogue and then share some free links that I may know of in their niche to get them off on the right track.

          I always put myself in their shoes because when I started out, I was petrified and so absolutely confused and overwhelmed. I never reached out to anyone when I started out, though, because I prefer to learn things on my own and find the information myself.
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  • Profile picture of the author Corey Geer
    Originally Posted by GarrieWilson View Post

    In light of a different thread, I thought it might be good to discuss different ways of handling help requests from newer people.

    Normally, I tell them that I don't answer one-on-one questions that can't be answered quickly or require a lot of details but I do try and give them some guidance or a simple answer. I can't remember anyone ever getting mad over it.

    I have considered having pre-written emails ready for the typical questions and then promote something with my reply. It may end up causing more problems though because they will think you are providing one-on-one help.

    Now tell me...

    How do YOU handle questions for help?

    Garrie
    It depends on a couple of things

    1 - How vague or detailed the question is. Questions like "How do I make money on the internet" or "Should I buy this product to make money" are usually ignored. I get added on Skype usually and asked stuff like this from time to time.

    2 - What kind of help they're looking for as well.

    There's people genuinely looking for advice on a particular question and then there's people looking for "help" as in they're looking for you to make money for them or give them some ultimate secret solution that'll make them money.

    I don't see anything wrong with "newbie" questions really if they're just genuinely looking for help. Most of the time however, this usually isn't the case.
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  • Profile picture of the author icoachu
    I love helping newbies since I am a newbie, at one level or another, myself. You reap what you sow. I choose to sow good seed-seeds of understanding, helpfulness, and COMPASSION.

    It may annoy you now but think of the time when you needed help. Besides, all of us need help with some aspects of our life, right? So why not exercise a little humility and HELP OUT?

    I wish you nothing but peace
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  • Profile picture of the author Dustin Blevins
    I am a newbie in the IM world, but on other topics that I am well versed in I tend to use the site Let me google that for you

    You type in their question in google then the website googles it for you
    Let me google that for you
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Gray
    Hi,

    I always try to give good honest meaningful assistance but i also have a little alarm that when a certain line gets crossed i politely inform the "newbie" that i am not their personal coach, not for the kind of time they demand.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    It depends on how busy I am. I typically have no fewer than a dozen or so things going on with multiple paying clients and my PM inbox is almost always full. If I get some down time, I go through and try to answer a few of the easier ones. PMs that are 3 paragraphs long, many times, go unanswered. Although I wish I did, I simply don't have the time.

    My answers are usually fairly short and to the point but always polite.
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    • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
      I too sometimes give short replies, but honestly I have no trouble with setting boundaries, as long as I'm polite about it. Not to say that I haven't gotten angry before at certain behaviors, but I try to always control myself, act professionally, and treat people with courtesy.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    If I have time I'll give a detailed answer. I've done that fairly often. I'll usually answer as best I can, time permitting. It's been rare for me to not answer at all. As others have said, if I know where the answer can be found, I'll send a link.

    Sometimes I just don't know the answer and admit it. Though I might send the link to the Google results page. I've found most people who have asked me stuff thank me. Very seldom have I not had an appreciative response. There have been plenty of times here when I've asked for help via PM. Most often I've gotten friendly and helpful replies.

    It's a circle game folks. You gotta put stuff in the kindness pool if you ever want to make withdrawls.
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  • Profile picture of the author Craig B
    By staying out of this section of the forum...errr...damnit
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    • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
      Blog posts all the way.

      When you really know your niche, you know each and every question that they have, but more importantly, you know how to provide value through a step by step (partial) solution.

      Plus by sending them to your blog, depending on how you set up your site, you can easily get them on your list half the time from just providing value
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  • Profile picture of the author David Keith
    Probably the easiest thing to do is to avoid ever becoming or at least appearing to be proficient enough to warrant someone asking for your help.

    Of course once you make the mistake of sounding smart, you will get people wanting to pick your brain. For me, I am like Alexa, my responses are kinda random as to the amount of time and effort i put into each.

    That being said, as a general rule, I try to match the effort of the person who is asking for help. Sometimes i get one-liner questions and those generally get one-liner answers.

    If its obvious someone has put in some time researching something and they are genuinely looking for a "expert" opinion, then i will usually do what i can to oblige.

    For me, if a person can't be bothered to go to page 6 of google to do their own research then i can't be bothered to put much time into a response to a question that i only know the answer to because i have been well past page 10 of google researching.
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  • Profile picture of the author CustomDevo
    It is really depend on the question, if they asked sincere question, detailed and seems like he / she has done research before asking, I'd gladly to help. Depends on my mood as well I'd answer with short to the point answer or quite long to suit their need.

    But for a broad general question like for example ;
    "What is the best way to make money with my blog, please share your experience, thanks"

    It's just a lazy question and it's clear that the newb didn't do any research before asking. I'd just ignore it or point them to google where they can research the topic they need.

    The point is, if you want answer, you have to make effort for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author cbwarrior
    There are a few ways you can approach this. If possible, you should never be handling your own support, because your time is quite simply worth more than that. If you want to be a customer support agent, you can go get a job answering support calls for Verizon at $10 / hr.

    If you MUST handle the customer support, you should never offend any of your customers, but before they can interact with you, you need to make sure you have a few things set up.

    1) A detailed FAQ page on your site (cutting down on your customer support tickets) try answering every question they may have here. Before they email you or ask you for help, make sure they've seen this page (link to it on the support form).

    2) Have macros set up with pre-defined replies to common questions for ticket based systems like h2desk.com or zendesk.com.

    3) If it gets to this point, and you are the next layer, it is probably a semi-valid question. Many times, less is more. Explain the answer to their question, as clearly and directly as possible... if you don't, it could lead to more questions.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    One sure way to get a whole lot more requests for help. Post your comment in a thread telling people you are happy to help when people contact you randomly. :-)

    I have a business to run. I concentrate my time on helping my paying customers. Someone who has made an investment in myself and my product are generally going to take the advice more seriously than some random person messaging you on the forum. I tend to find those people expect a lot from you and the more you reply, the more questions they will keep firing at you.

    To me it's about being smart. If they ask a simple question such as what did you use for this then I will generally tell them. If they send me a message telling me they have a WSO to launch and what tips do I have for them, I generally will not reply. Those just lead to more questions and the reality is I don't have the time for that stuff. My paying customers always come first.

    Besides, I would much rather people ask their questions in the forum rather than PM them to people. That way even if the person asking the question does not go and put your information into practice, others can still benefit from that information so you haven't completely wasted your time.

    I think that's what most of us should be doing. Encouraging people to ask their questions on the forum rather than via private messages because it really doesn't benefit anyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayo
    "Questions? You actually get questions from your customers?
    You might want to modify your faq/help sections in your products/sites to limit this"
    That was a reply I received from a Mentor when I asked.

    The answer I received was correct but also neglected to tell me anything useful. As a newbie at the time, the answer was just to basic and gave me nothing to work with.

    I choose to reply with honest answers. The results are mixed but in the end, it's the way to go.

    Hope that Helps,
    Have a Great Day!
    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author aizaku
    I'd Tim Ferriss it.

    Create an auto-responder for your contact us page telling your customers:

    1.you have certain times that you answer emails

    2.you have many emails to go through

    3.check common Q&A for your answers

    4."please be patient"

    Then have your VA hack those emails down for you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
      I know what it's like to be a newbie looking for solid info and every expert being so unapproachable.

      I've recently been receiving more and more e-mails and PMs, asking for help. It's flattering, but it's also extremely time-consuming. I may begin limiting my personalized responses and put up some sort of FAQ on my site for such people. For now though, I answer each and every e-mail/PM with a personalized, detailed reply because I really DO sympathize with the newbies. I've been there and know how it feels.

      So far, everyone has been appreciative and I even got a new member out of the deal. But, if any of the seekers were ever rude, demanding or unappreciative, the well would dry up real quick.

      I have a new business I'm trying to get off the ground and it's extremely time-consuming. Warriors aren't my market at all. I respond out of sympathy and compassion (having been there and done that) and take quite a bit of time doing it. The endless questions from very green newbies who aren't native English speakers are difficult though. Not only is their English atrocious, their complete, VERY newbie status just makes me sigh. (SO much to learn....)

      My current seeker isn't a native English speaker and my answers to his questions led to asking me to re-write his squeeze page. Too bad I don't do copywriting for outside clients anymore -- or that I don't have time for such projects to begin with. I referred him to the WF to look for a copywriter.

      But as Tiffany Dow points out on her blog's FAQ for newbies, what may seem simple and quick on the outside really isn't simple and quick at all. Even a simple squeeze page isn't quick. It involves delving into your business, getting to know your niche, your uniqueness in your market, helping you to craft a compelling enticing offer -- and THEN writing a good squeeze page. The writing itself isn't so hard or time-consuming. It's all of the background work that precedes it.

      I just don't have the time -- or the inclination -- for it. My own projects are much more interesting.

      The courses I learned from are currently off the market, so I guess I need to refer them to my book, which was published in 2010. It will save a LOT of time. I've spent literally around $20K since '06 on my IM education. If they can't buy a $20 book, I can't help them.

      Michelle
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    • Profile picture of the author celente
      Originally Posted by aizaku View Post

      I'd Tim Ferriss it.

      Create an auto-responder for your contact us page telling your customers:

      1.you have certain times that you answer emails

      2.you have many emails to go through
      .
      yes, this is an important one. I went to bed one night and thought, Man I am on email for far too long each day.

      I thought when I wake up in the morning I am going to time myself.

      To my SHOCK I spend about 80 minutes just on email. YES!! 80 mins. So I had to change this quickly.

      80 mins per day, = almost 10 hours per week.

      I thought, wow! insane. I could create a whole product in that time!! Instead of emailing.

      Tis insane when you think about it like this.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    The reality of the situation is that there is way way more information on this very forum than someone could ever possibly need to get started making money online. There is an intelligent answer(s) for almost every question you could possibly have... you just need to look for it.

    I think a lot of those who contact you privately are just lazy people looking for an answer they could actually find if they pulled their thumb out and spent some time doing their own research on the forum.

    That's another reason why I am less inclined to help those people. They don't tend to be the hard workers they tend more often to be those always looking for a quick fix or shortcut.
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    • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
      I'm going to be contrary and disagree with you WillR.

      Yes, there's a lot of information here. And yes, if you want to get technical about it, all of the information you need to succeed is here. (Well, actually, I'm not so sure about that.)

      Google and places like the WF are great resources for finding quick answers to short, simple questions or a needed reference or resource.

      The biggest problem with the "Google and the WF have all I need to know" mindset is that it's all just a bunch of jumbled-up puzzle pieces. There's no comprehensive, step-by-step blueprint. You're sort of left to figure it out on your own.

      And what's good about the WF is also bad about the WF: ANYONE can answer your questions, regardless of how knowledgeable or experienced, or thorough in their answer they are. So of course, some answers are more valuable than others.

      (Too many people post super short answers that leave out more than they give. Worse, some wet-behind-the-ears newbie asks a general question like "How can I make money online?" (a problem in itself) and some "genius" Warrior answers "Article marketing!" It makes me want to SCREAM. Article marketing is a marketing METHOD, NOT a business!!!!)

      These kinds of things create real problems.

      Also, this mindset ignores the opportunity cost of the time spent searching for info. Business moves at the speed of light these days. By the time you're done finding all of the info (on places like Google and the WF) on your own about something, it's probably obsolete.

      It's why I HIGHLY recommend everyone invest in at least one good, comprehensive A-Z IM course. It will save you a LOT of time, money and frustration. It's also much easier to sort the wheat from the chaff when you have a solid foundation in IM. It will create clarity and clarity is an amazing thing in business.

      I purchased such an IM marketing course in '08 and it was the best thing I ever did. It pulled me out of all of the hype and confusion of the "make money online!" info out there. It was $1500, but one of the very BEST purchases I ever made.

      As with ANY information though, there are ALWAYS going to be follow up questions. An information product or Google doesn't answer individual questions. People do.

      So I would argue that people need to do their homework first. THEN feel free to ask questions.

      Michelle
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      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Michelle,

        I know what you are saying and agree to an extent. But as you mentioned there is the cost of time. It's either going to be on the newbie trying to find the information or me when they contact me and ask questions they expect detailed answers from.

        I don't have the time to spend doing that otherwise my business and my paying customers start to suffer. I love to help people and that's why I try and come here and spend a bit of time every few days answering questions on the forum where I can. That way everyone can see the answers and they are there for others to search further down the line. I think it's a much better use of my time rather than sitting there and replying to one persons private questions.

        I figured out most of what I know by watching and buying courses. I'm not saying people can't or shouldn't ask questions but I can tell you a lot of the questions that have been asked to me via PM over the years are things that could easily have been answered with a quick Google search or search of the forum. They haven't always been people asking for mentoring type advice but rather people asking how to do this or how to do that. Things that are easily searched for on the forum but would take me quite a while to have to re-explain to them.

        Originally Posted by Nightengale View Post

        I'm going to be contrary and disagree with you WillR.

        Yes, there's a lot of information here. And yes, if you want to get technical about it, all of the information you need to succeed is here. (Well, actually, I'm not so sure about that.)

        Google and places like the WF are great resources for finding quick answers to short, simple questions or a needed reference or resource.

        The biggest problem with the "Google and the WF have all I need to know" mindset is that it's all just a bunch of jumbled-up puzzle pieces. There's no comprehensive, step-by-step blueprint. You're sort of left to figure it out on your own.

        And what's good about the WF is also bad about the WF: ANYONE can answer your questions, regardless of how knowledgeable or experienced, or thorough in their answer they are. So of course, some answers are more valuable than others.

        (Too many people post super short answers that leave out more than they give. Worse, some wet-behind-the-ears newbie asks a general question like "How can I make money online?" (a problem in itself) and some "genius" Warrior answers "Article marketing!" It makes me want to SCREAM. Article marketing is a marketing METHOD, NOT a business!!!!)

        These kinds of things create real problems.

        Also, this mindset ignores the opportunity cost of the time spent searching for info. Business moves at the speed of light these days. By the time you're done finding all of the info (on places like Google and the WF) on your own about something, it's probably obsolete.

        It's why I HIGHLY recommend everyone invest in at least one good, comprehensive A-Z IM course. It will save you a LOT of time, money and frustration. It's also much easier to sort the wheat from the chaff when you have a solid foundation in IM. It will create clarity and clarity is an amazing thing in business.

        I purchased such an IM marketing course in '08 and it was the best thing I ever did. It pulled me out of all of the hype and confusion of the "make money online!" info out there. It was $1500, but one of the very BEST purchases I ever made.

        As with ANY information though, there are ALWAYS going to be follow up questions. An information product or Google doesn't answer individual questions. People do.

        So I would argue that people need to do their homework first. THEN feel free to ask questions.

        Michelle
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  • Profile picture of the author GarrieWilson
    Guess I don't post enough quality content or maybe because I don't run WSOs but I rarely get PMs asking for help. I get a lot of emails but not PMs.

    Garrie
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by GarrieWilson View Post

      Guess I don't post enough quality content or maybe because I don't run WSOs but I rarely get PMs asking for help. I get a lot of emails but not PMs.

      Garrie
      I don't get many either, maybe once or twice every 2 weeks but it wasn't always the case. I think it depends where you hang out in the forum. I also NEVER write reviews in the WSO forum for other people's products now. That's just an invitation for people to start contacting you and asking you questions or to review their new WSO. When I stopped doing that the number of contacts dropped big time. It only makes sense. Majority of the newbies are going to be hanging around that WSO forum and its offers.
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  • Profile picture of the author pepper81
    Banned
    It all depends on the questions being asked by the newbie, but if you are putting yourself out there as an 'expert' on a particular topic then you have to expect that someone new to the game might want to ask you some questions. If they are expecting you to do all of the work for them without any effort on their part, then this is obviously unreasonable and you should let them know that they have the wrong mindset if they are planning on being successful with whatever they are trying to achieve.

    However, there's no need to fly off the handle and start being abusive to the newbie like the person did in that "different thread" you are referring to in your OP..
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Hess
    First, there's no such thing as a "newbie" either you want to be in business and make money on the Internet or you don't. Grow up.

    Once "newbies" stop referring to themselves as "newbies" you'd be surprised at what can be accomplished. For some people, labeling themselves like this is a crutch or an excuse not to move forward. There's knowledge everywhere - MUCH more now than when some of us first started years and years ago. This very forum is a massive knowledgebase. If you use the advanced search function, the vast majority of questions have been answered at one time or another.

    I spent countless hours helping people out, even getting on the phone with some people. I don't mind most of the time. In the process I've been burned, so I'm a lot more cautious now. I've built good relationships with some people which started out by me answering a question for them. When everything goes like it should it's awesome. They actually thank you and you move on.

    But in some cases, like you saw on that other thread. It may be the case of "the straw that broke the camels back".

    Here's what I woke up to this morning, some guy giving me crap about a site we're building for a FREE plugin:



    Two months ago, I went bat shit crazy on a guy (this went viral on Facebook): http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ml#post6878281

    If you're wondering why some people are jaded, this could be the answer. After dealing with nonsense day after day, there's a breaking point.

    Now it seems everyone has an agenda or an angle. It's beyond even a sense of entitlement...

    People like Alexa, WillR, and countless others sacrifice their time answering questions on the forum which benefits the entire community. "Newbies" should always start with a search. If you find conflicting information and want the opinion of someone more experienced, at least that tells the person you're asking you put in some time trying to find a solution on your own.

    Increase transparency.. if your forum user name is pinkybooboo4738 and that's how you sign your name below the question, chances are you're going to get the short version of an answer.

    Show that you're serious, there's a lot of us that want you to take action and succeed. Value the person's time and actually say 'thank you' (you wouldn't believe how rare that is).
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    • Profile picture of the author pepper81
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Mark Hess View Post

      First, there's no such thing as a "newbie" either you want to be in business and make money on the Internet or you don't. Grow up.

      Once "newbies" stop referring to themselves as "newbies" you'd be surprised at what can be accomplished. For some people, labeling themselves like this is a crutch or an excuse not to move forward. There's knowledge everywhere - MUCH more now than when some of us first started years and years ago. This very forum is a massive knowledgebase. If you use the advanced search function, the vast majority of questions have been answered at one time or another.

      I spent countless hours helping people out, even getting on the phone with some people. I don't mind most of the time. In the process I've been burned, so I'm a lot more cautious now. I've built good relationships with some people which started out by me answering a question for them. When everything goes like it should it's awesome. They actually thank you and you move on.

      But in some cases, like you saw on that other thread. It may be the case of "the straw that broke the camels back".

      Here's what I woke up to this morning, some guy giving me crap about a site we're building for a FREE plugin:



      Two months ago, I went bat shit crazy on a guy (this went viral on Facebook): http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ml#post6878281

      If you're wondering why some people are jaded, this could be the answer. After dealing with nonsense day after day, there's a breaking point.

      Now it seems everyone has an agenda or an angle. It's beyond even a sense of entitlement...

      People like Alexa, WillR, and countless others sacrifice their time answering questions on the forum which benefits the entire community. "Newbies" should always start with a search. If you find conflicting information and want the opinion of someone more experienced, at least that tells the person you're asking you put in some time trying to find a solution on your own.

      Increase transparency.. if your forum user name is pinkybooboo4738 and that's how you sign your name below the question, chances are you're going to get the short version of an answer.

      Show that you're serious, there's a lot of us that want you to take action and succeed. Value the person's time and actually say 'thank you' (you wouldn't believe how rare that is).
      I guess the way you are going to respond to any questions has a lot to do with how you interpret what the other person is trying to say. With that example you gave I personally don't see how he was trying to insult you or give you "crap", but that is just my interpretation of what was said. To me it sounded like he was only trying to give you a heads up that you had a link going to a blank page and he was asking if your offer was still available because he was excited about using it.

      Like you say though, that email for you was probably the "straw that broke the camels back" and that has probably influenced the way you interpreted that email. It's your right to respond anyway you like because that's your prerogative, but lashing out and being abusive or condescending on a personal level is probably not the most professional thing to do. (Not saying you did that BTW)

      The bottom line is, if you are the person who put in all the hard work to start and maintain your own business then you can pretty much do and say whatever you want when people want to ask you questions. I just don't see the need to get personal with insults like "I hope you fail" and "you're an idiot" as was said by the person in that 'other thread'. If you are saying that you can't answer personalized questions because it takes up too much of your time, why would you bother to sit there and write a spiteful reply to someone you don't want to help. Ignore them and move on.
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      • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
        Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

        If you are saying that you can't answer personalized questions because it takes up too much of your time, why would you bother to sit there and write a spiteful reply to someone you don't want to help.
        Beautifully put Pepper!

        That really puts things into perspective doesn't it?

        Terra
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      • Profile picture of the author zakizarifah
        Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

        I guess the way you are going to respond to any questions has a lot to do with how you interpret what the other person is trying to say. With that example you gave I personally don't see how he was trying to insult you or give you "crap", but that is just my interpretation of what was said. To me it sounded like he was only trying to give you a heads up that you had a link going to a blank page and he was asking if your offer was still available because he was excited about using it.

        Like you say though, that email for you was probably the "straw that broke the camels back" and that has probably influenced the way you interpreted that email. It's your right to respond anyway you like because that's your prerogative, but lashing out and being abusive or condescending on a personal level is probably not the most professional thing to do. (Not saying you did that BTW)

        The bottom line is, if you are the person who put in all the hard work to start and maintain your own business then you can pretty much do and say whatever you want when people want to ask you questions. I just don't see the need to get personal with insults like "I hope you fail" and "you're an idiot" as was said by the person in that 'other thread'. If you are saying that you can't answer personalized questions because it takes up too much of your time, why would you bother to sit there and write a spiteful reply to someone you don't want to help. Ignore them and move on.

        Great Reply Pepper.

        You got my vote on this one.
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  • Profile picture of the author marketwarrior06
    Banned
    Making sticky thread with the newbie questions is a good idea. but we already have a lot of sticky threads. But making them in different categories is a good idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author nerdy88
    i think the best way to answer any question is to answer it.. arent we all newbies then????Since we are constantly learning new things everyday? How long will you stay a newbie anyway????
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  • Profile picture of the author zakizarifah
    Newbie in building rapport - LOL
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  • Profile picture of the author Krisz Rokk
    I have an FAQ tab where I answer the top 5 most common questions I got so far. Then there's blogging and certainly 1:1 via FB / Twitter / LinkedIn and Skype if it's very complex....
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  • Profile picture of the author Nazbir.Bd
    I love this forum because whenever a question arise in my mind related to IM, I come here for the answer. Though I do not always get the perfect answer I am looking for but better then what I can find somewhere else. I always have respects for the warriors who put their valuable time for helping others.

    But it looks like I have been missing a lot. I rarely send pm or emails to warriors for seeking help ( I don't remember the last time I sent pm ) and it's not because I don't need to, because I am not sure how they are taking it. And as I'm not a native English speaker, I thought they might ignore my pm after reading first two line.
    But it looks like I was wrong and many of the warriors taking those pms (seeking help pms) a lot more generously then I thought.

    I might send a few pms to some warriors about the questions left unanswered in my mind

    Nazbir
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    Contact: nazbir[@]live.co.uk
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    • Profile picture of the author zakizarifah
      Originally Posted by Nazbir.Bd View Post

      I love this forum because whenever a question arise in my mind related to IM, I come here for the answer. Though I do not always get the perfect answer I am looking for but better then what I can find somewhere else. I always have respects for the warriors who put their valuable time for helping others.

      But it looks like I have been missing a lot. I rarely send pm or emails to warriors for seeking help ( I don't remember the last time I sent pm ) and it's not because I don't need to, because I am not sure how they are taking it. And as I'm not a native English speaker, I thought they might ignore my pm after reading first two line.
      But it looks like I was wrong and many of the warriors taking those pms (seeking help pms) a lot more generously then I thought.

      I might send a few pms to some warriors about the questions left unanswered in my mind

      Nazbir

      Hi Nazbir.Bd

      As a newbie myself I have a lot of question to ask.

      I like to PM if I have slightly off topic from the thread that I'm reading.

      Sometime I don't get any respond, and sometimes I get my answer in detail including link that support they answer.

      Love those GURUs that don't mind helping other and they don't even try to sell anything to you.Even if they sell, it might be worth buying.

      My 2 cent anyway.
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