Why some marketers are successful and the rest are information overload "victims"

15 years ago

Great post. I struggled with the same issues when I first started out in IM. Without a marketing plan I wold be in the same place I was years ago. I have to thank "Steve Wagenheim" for setting me straight a while back.

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Shawn Tester
Site: www.zenzyn.com

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AfteraDream

15 years ago

Very good post! I as a newbie find it useful

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Jeff_Gardner

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Colin Evans

Next you start looking for information to help you carry out each step. Anything you come accross which does not fit into your plan you ignore.

This is so important, I want to make sure it's not missed.

Over the last 22+ years, I've bought 1,000's of marketing, copywriting, business, sales, etc. courses, systems, programs, etc. Been a part of Dan Kennedy's Platinum Group in the 90's... in Russell Brunson's MasterMind last year... and you'd think all of that info would be overwhelming.

But before I "ingest" new information, I start with my goal in mind: To find something actionable I can either implement immediately - and, with any luck, systematize.

So, if I'm buying a book on PPC, my goal is to pull out the "Action Steps", create a checklist, and maybe even create a step-by-step system that I can hand off to a staff member OR to someone I outsource to.

If it's something I'll have to do myself, I don't rely on my memory. After all, have you ever "known" a hot marketing technique, but then forgot it - only to be reminded months or years later when you hear it again at a seminar or mastermind?

Instead, I create checklists. A copywriting checklist. Product development checklist. Offer creation checklist. Business model checklist. etc.

When I learn any hot new idea, I don't expect my braincells to absorb it and be able to spit it out. I edit the appropriate checklist - so it's always available.

Using this system, I've built multiple businesses that keep on rockin' and rollin'

Great post, Colin. People try to make "making money" too difficult.

Find a plan. Work it. Stick with it. And constantly work to make it better. And, if you can, systematize as much as possible (so you can get AWAY from your business, while still banking.)

Best,
Jeff

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jamsferguson

15 years ago

Jeff...
You post gave me hope. I have stuff IM on my computer that I don't even remember what it does. I really liked the idea of you checklists and your approaching any new product offering with the mindset of what immediate actionable items you could get out of it - and then adding then to your checklist so you don't forget them. Do you find using a mind mapping type program useful in building /adding onto your checklists?
Thanks,
Jim

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Jeff_Gardner

15 years ago

Originally Posted by jamsferguson

Jeff...
You post gave me hope. I have stuff IM on my computer that I don't even remember what it does. I really liked the idea of you checklists and your approaching any new product offering with the mindset of what immediate actionable items you could get out of it - and then adding then to your checklist so you don't forget them. Do you find using a mind mapping type program useful in building /adding onto your checklists?
Thanks,
Jim

Actually, I keep it simple. Just a word doc I continuously update. I always keep hard copies offline, just in case the computer goes bust. They're too valuable for me to lose. I've been keeping these for years and years - and they've got the best secrets from countless books, courses, seminars, and masterminds. And made me millions along the way.

Start yours now. They're a valuable tool you get to create.

Best,
Jeff

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Colin Evans

15 years ago

Jeff, that's a great way to put information from related products into action.

I'm a firm believer in check lists - they really do make life easier.

Thanks

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Andyhenry

15 years ago

There are many reasons why people don't succeed despite the information for success being abundant.

They're often more to do with psychology than anything else.

It's the same reason why fat people who have all the information they need about how to become thin, and will honestly say they desire to be thin - still stay fat or get even fatter.

Success in life has very little to do with anything other than your psychology.

Making money online is very simple and literally just requires focused consistent action.

The only time where that is not enough to get great results is when it is placed within the context of a limited model.

You can make money with almost any business model online - but some do have limited capacities, and therefore it's also important to have realistic expectations about the model you choose so that you don't lock yourself in to a limited model that doesn't have any leverage points to get the results you desire. The ability to repeat a model that works on a small scale and continue to repeat small successes is a great way to gro your income regardless of your model, so there are no excuses really.

Lack of action is most peoples problem - but their psychology is the cause.

Andy

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Colin Evans

15 years ago

It's the same reason why fat people who have all the information they need about how to become thin, and will honestly say they desire to be thin - still stay fat or get even fatter.

LOL - Been there - it wasn't until I bought a multigym and started eating properly that I converted the fat into muscle - never lost much weight so I'm glad that wasn't my goal.

Lack of action is most peoples problem - but their psychology is the cause.

I'm not clued up on psychology, but I do know that wanting something is not enough. It only after making a decision to change and then doing something about it that failure can be turned into success. The reason to want to change change has to be really compelling though.

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DeadGuy 15 years ago

Great post! Last weekend I took some household junk to our local reclamation center and was impressed by the incredibly hulking mountain of discarded exercise equipment of ever imaginable type. The parallel between the multigym reference and the IM info we purchase but don't fully consume brought an unexpected smile.

Does the IM world have the equivalent of a reclamation center for underused or discarded marketing info? I have this vision of some ponderous mountain of discarded 1's and 0's somewhere in this universe.
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- Colin Evans 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by DeadGuy
  
  I have this vision of some ponderous mountain of discarded 1's and 0's somewhere in this universe.
  
  LOL - try my hard drives...
  
  Thanks
  
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Andyhenry

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Colin Evans

LOL - Been there - it wasn't until I bought a multigym and started eating properly that I converted the fat into muscle - never lost much weight so I'm glad that wasn't my goal.

I'm not clued up on psychology, but I do know that wanting something is not enough. It only after making a decision to change and then doing something about it that failure can be turned into success. The reason to want to change change has to be really compelling though.

Maybe I should have used the term mindset then - you have a mindset and are intimately familiar with it

This stuff is simple - anyone who takes a look at their goals and then compares them to what they actually do each day will quickly see whether they're really doing what they need to in order to create the success they say they want.

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Kevin AKA Hubcap

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

Maybe I should have used the term mindset then - you have a mindset and are intimately familiar with it

This stuff is simple - anyone who takes a look at their goals and then compares them to what they actually do each day will quickly see whether they're really doing what they need to in order to create the success they say they want.

I also think that too many people try to do exactly what the gurus do. When they don't have the same results they get frustrated and drip without realizing that they have to play to their strengths and weaknesses.

I can't be anybody else but me (strengths and weaknesses included). My plan has to take advantage of my strengths and minimize my weaknesses.

Kevin

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Andyhenry

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kevin AKA Hubcap

I also think that too many people try to do exactly what the gurus do. When they don't have the same results they get frustrated and drip without realizing that they have to play to their strengths and weaknesses.

I can't be anybody else but me (strengths and weaknesses included). My plan has to take advantage of my strengths and minimize my weaknesses.

Kevin

Good call.

The only plan that will get you the best results possible is the plan that has you leveraging your strengths.

Afterall - who wants to end up making money doing things they don't enjoy and others can do better?

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Nick Brighton

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

Good call.

The only plan that will get you the best results possible is the plan that has you leveraging your strengths.

Afterall - who wants to end up making money doing things they don't enjoy and others can do better?

Spot on.

This forum gone and went and got good again...

Thanks

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sylviad

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

Maybe I should have used the term mindset then - you have a mindset and are intimately familiar with it

This stuff is simple - anyone who takes a look at their goals and then compares them to what they actually do each day will quickly see whether they're really doing what they need to in order to create the success they say they want.

As a long-suffering procrastinator, I fully agree with the whole success/failure issue being directly linked to your psyche or mindset. I'm still trying to figure out why I cannot stick to my list - I have lots of them. With each successive list, my progress through it increases but it's inevitable that a new list is soon started, the old one buried and incomplete - and my success stuck in idle.

Why? I have no idea but I will keep an eye on this thread to see if the answer pops up.

Sylvia

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Andyhenry

15 years ago

Originally Posted by sylviad

As a long-suffering procrastinator, I fully agree with the whole success/failure issue being directly linked to your psyche or mindset. I'm still trying to figure out why I cannot stick to my list - I have lots of them. With each successive list, my progress through it increases but it's inevitable that a new list is soon started, the old one buried and incomplete - and my success stuck in idle.

Why? I have no idea but I will keep an eye on this thread to see if the answer pops up.

Sylvia

It's actually simple.

You're getting an emotional benefit from doing things the way you do, and at some level there's pain associated with changing.

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Nick Brighton

15 years ago

This is probably one of my favourite posts on the Warrior Forum to date.

Why? Because it perfectly sums up the simplicity of IM (or at least the simplicity of a sound online business model).

This is what I would call popcorn bitesize business planning...a small kernel of a plan that works perfectly as you've described.

Sure, the devil is in the detail (as is the profit and overall success), but once you follow this through, you can't really go wrong.

In fact, steps 1-3 are what I do for my membership site because it saves a lot of time and my members can dump or turn up the volume without spending ages doing it all themselves.

I'm not self promoting, just saying that this process is proven and they are the exact steps I take to roll out small profit centers regularly for myself and others.

Great Post ;->

Originally Posted by Colin Evans

I have watched marketers who have gone from earning nothing to earning more than they could ever earn in a normal job, while others who started at the same time have not made much, if anything, and still ask the same questions - many complain of information overload but never actually do anything (I've been there and done that).

What's the difference between the two?

The successful marketers follow a plan.

A plan doesn't have to be complicated and can be mapped out in a few lines. Here's a simple example:

1) Choose an affiliate product to promote.
2) Build a squeeze page.
3) Create an autoresponder series promoting the product.
4) Promote the squeeze page.
5) Decide whether to improve with testing or dump project.
6) Start new project.

Next you start looking for information to help you carry out each step. Anything you come accross which does not fit into your plan you ignore.

As you get the necessary information you create check lists for each step. These check lists contain the step-by-step nitty-gritty details you will follow for each step in your plan. Here's an example of a checklist:

Daily checklist for _______________

[ ] Write new article promoting squeeze page (Use Article Check List).

[ ] Publish to blog

[ ] Submit to EzineArticles

[ ] Submit to ArticleBase

[ ] Bookmark blog article on Digg

[ ] Bookmark blog article on StumbleUpon

[ ] Create PDF of article

[ ] Submit PDF to Scribd

[ ] Creat Podcast from article

[ ] Submit to PodShow

[ ] Submit to MyPodCasts

[ ] etc...

Your plan doesn't change, but your checklists evolve. As you discover easier or more effective ways of accomplishing each step in your plan so you edit the relevant check list. You also start putting together templates so you save time by only having to do a little editing instead of re-creating from the ground up.

After a while you will be earning enough from your plan to outsource the grunt work. Your templates and checklists can be used by your "employees" to carry out the work you used to do.

Only at this point are you ready to start looking for a new way to make money online. Once you've found a suitable system you create a simple plan for it, write the necessary checklists and start working your plan.

Thanks

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Robert Puddy

15 years ago

Succesful people always start with the end result in mind...

Easy to work out your plan when you know the final destination. Then when something new comes up your one question is will this help me get to my destination.

If the answer is yes you use it... If the answer is no or not sure you ignore it

The analogy i use when I'm speaking or doing a coaching call with clients is google maps

when you go to google to get map directions they ask you 2 questions...

1. where are you now
2. where is your destination

Once google know those 2 pieces of information, its dead easy to work out the steps and directions to complete the journey.

Robert

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Steven Fullman 15 years ago

Originally Posted by Robert Puddy

Succesful people always start with the end result in mind...

Robert

Bob P...the Puddmeister...

Is this an inappropriate place to declare my undying love for you?

If so, I'll just say: "Cool post"

Steve
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Not promoting right now
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- Robert Puddy 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Steven Fullman
  
  Bob P...the Puddmeister...
  
  Is this an inappropriate place to declare my undying love for you?
  
  If so, I'll just say: "Cool post"
  
  Steve
  
  An appropriate place to declare your undying love for me is here
  in my sig file hahahahaha
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  Signature
  
  Testing and tracking is a great way to give yourself a pay raise & itâ€™s easier than ever with hitsconnect
  
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  Steven Fullman 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Robert Puddy
  
  An appropriate place to declare your undying love for me is here
  in my sig file hahahahaha
  
  Smooth.
  
  I'll try my best. Sounds great.
  
  I've heard nothing but "Puddy Is A Feckin' Genius" for years...so, I'm already pre-sold.
  
  ...Just need to convince the missus.
  
  She doesn't know you from Adam.
  
  Steve
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  Not promoting right now
  
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Matt Bard

15 years ago

I think once you get through or past the information overload phase you start your success stage.

You have to stop signing up for every freebie out there.

Once you start asking yourself if you really need this information and being honest about the difference between needing it and wanting it then you can start to filter the amount of information based on your business model.

If you don't have a business model or at least some idea of how you are going to make your money then you are lost and at the mercy of your own desires and curiosity.

Some days I come here to the forum and am taking a break so I will just read the thread titles and drift in and out of them based on curiosity. While other days when I am working on a project I will come in here and look for specific information and specific titles related to my research.

Most of the "lost" marketers are just drifting around an endless sea of "cool stuff".

The inner desire part of the brain justifies the jumping around from one thing to another with the rationale of finding the solution to the lack of success.

It becomes an cycle of lack of success due to jumping around and more jumping around looking for the solution to lack of success.

So your success begins with stopping the jumping around.

Find something and work on it. If you find that you lack the information needed to make your model work find the solution to the specific problem within your model.
Don't throw away the entire model and start over.

Every time you start over you lose all of the steps you took to that point.
You waste effort and time and become more desperate to succeed and therefore more likely to keep jumping around.

Pick one doable project and do it. From the start to finish. Start with something small and manageable to make it easier for you to accomplish.

Once you have a few accomplishments under your belt you develop more confidence in your ability to succeed. The more confidence you have in your abilities the less relying on the abilities of others for your success.

Once you rely more on your abilities to succeed and less on others then they become advisers instead of leaders and then you will not feel it necessary to grab every bit of information they provide.

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Neil Morgan

15 years ago

I think that some people get past the information overload stage earlier because they're quicker to realise that the elusive "secret" to making money online doesn't actually exist.

Then they get started.

But there are demons waiting around the corner - for example, the procrastination demon where you busy yourself doing easy stuff to avoid getting stuck into the things you know you need to do.

I guess some people are just better at hacking their way through the mental jungle.

Cheers,

Neil

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Shlomi Khutoretsky

15 years ago

sticking to a plan is not that easy, but that's the way to do it

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Neil Morgan

15 years ago

Hi Sylvia

When I was developing the original AutoResponse Plus, it took me a year of working every night after a long day's work at the J-O-B I had at the time.

Like you, I was a procrastinator.

But I got over it.

I didn't make lists.

I didn't set timers.

I didn't read books on avoiding procrastination.

All these things are procrastination in themselves!

And I didn't set myself stress-inducing, self-inflicted deadlines.

Here's what I DID do.

When I sat down to work each night, I simply told myself that I had to move things on. No matter how little, I switched off my PC late at night knowing that the thing was further on than when I started.

By doing this, you get there.

Cheers,

Neil

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firstdrum

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Neil Morgan

Hi Sylvia

When I was developing the original AutoResponse Plus, it took me a year of working every night after a long day's work at the J-O-B I had at the time.

Like you, I was a procrastinator.

But I got over it.

I didn't make lists.

I didn't set timers.

I didn't read books on avoiding procrastination.

All these things are procrastination in themselves!

And I didn't set myself stress-inducing, self-inflicted deadlines.

Here's what I DID do.

When I sat down to work each night, I simply told myself that I had to move things on. No matter how little, I switched off my PC late at night knowing that the thing was further on than when I started.

By doing this, you get there.

Cheers,

Neil

Neil,

I think you make an excellent point. You're not contradicting the others but showing another facet of what helps someone to achieve success. In your case the goal was to make at least one step forward every day until you got there.

I love looking at goals this way because it accommodates good and bad days. But no matter what, you still moved closer to the result you desire. It's like having a small success every single day no matter what else happens!

Jody

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esr

15 years ago

I think a lot of people who are new to earning money online have this unrealistic expectation: "I'll make a fortune in no time at all!"

They hear so much hype about the "lucky" ones who struck gold on their first try and that's what they think will happen. If it doesn't happen immediately, they go on to something else, and over and over again looking for that one thing that will make them a millionaire.

It just don't work that way. Wish it did.

Thanks

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Why some marketers are successful and the rest are information overload "victims"

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