Why newbies fail...

I'm with you on that.

I don't want to tell you that it is not possible to make a lot of money really fast, but surely if it were really easy, then none of us would be too worried about making more money, because we would already have lots of money.

But what can really sell in a place like this is the IDEA that making money is fast and easy. Creating the belief that all you have to do is buy a product and follow a few easy steps, and you'll have money can be EXTREMELY appealing. But as you think about buying something that MIGHT make you money, it is easy to start to dream. There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but it is important to recognize that often we are an buying idea or a tool, and that fulfilling the dream may take time and effort, and the money may not arrive quickly.

I think sometimes people can get really excited about an idea, only to be let down when the time frame is much longer than expected, and the money flow is either slower than expected, or actually in the red for quite some time.

To make things even more complicated, sometimes people have little or no experience running a business of their own, and mistakes are bound to happen. Some of those mistakes may prove costly.

For me, everything I mentioned above happened to me, and looking back, I am so glad that it did, because it gave me insight into so much that I can now apply to running my business and helping others too. I was in the red or break even for 2-3 years. It took much longer than expected. I didn't know how to run a business, and made many mistakes early on.

But what I never tried to do was HURRY the business forward. There were lots of times where I delayed a product release, or chose not to spend money because I wasn't sure I could afford it, or totally scrapped something that wasn't working and took a loss. I spent hours and hours posting on forums, and submitting to directories, and doing lots of boring little stuff.

Over time, things got much easier. I was able to have a better feeling for what a good product needed. I now have a clearer understanding about budgeting advertising and development costs. I have people helping me, and I have developed processes for doing things. And I have a STRONG customer base (that took a long time to build).

None of this came to me all at once. It took time, hard work, careful study, and of course, money, that I earned as my business has grown.

I just want to encourage people to not lose sight of their dreams, yet take an approach this is smart, and involves logical steps forward. It may take a little longer than you like, but if you spend more time developing your plan, and doing all the necessary small but important details, you'll start to see a plan that has a strong likelihood of success, and a plan that is impervious to small setbacks.

I hope this will be helpful to some of you who are getting started, or who had some early setbacks. Being successful ABSOLUTELY is possible, and you have to believe in yourself, but don't get discouraged if it takes a little longer, and by all means study what others are doing and make small steps forward, and in time you will see you have come a long way.

I think the main problem of newbies is that they don't consider IM as BUSINESS. If you wish to succeed in internet or affiliate marketing you must consider it as business, as a serious job. They don't know the cold truth: there will be a lot of hard work, many mistakes, many days with zero sales. But if they are serious about it and if they will continuously develop products, niches, channels, and sites step-by-step then they will definitely succeed ... Maybe not in the first try yet

Hi Adam,

This is just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth...

Far too many folks who get on the IM bandwagon are in denial.

They are fooling themselves about a lot of aspects of IM, but the main delusion is the lack of understanding that the core of IM is *MARKETING*.

Yes, the internet is involved, but it is still a 'sales' vocation. If anyone tries IM with the thoughts that the money is easy, you just need a few web properties, it only takes a few hours a day, etc, etc, and they fail to understand the marketing side of the equation, they are in for a long haul.

IM is a sales position or job. Plain and simple. You can learn to build websites, learn to write copy, learn to create graphics, and host of other skills, but in order to get people to trade you money for what you know or do you need to be able to 'market' or sell your output.

Believe it or not, a lot of folks who get into IM whould NEVER take a sales position in any industry.

WHY?

Because the thought of having to become a salesperson is the last thing they would ever want to think about.

Whether they fear it, detest it, look down on it, or whatever, they flat out don't see the value in salesmanship as a craft or a vocation. And they certainly don't fancy themselves as a salesperson.

Too many newbies sit around mentally masterbating that IM is a way to make huge sums of money without the need get involved in what they percieve as an ugly profession. Namely salesmanship.

So they try the latest *Make Money In Your PJs* gimmic that caters to their lack of understanding that the second word in IM is Marketing (I think many believe it is Money), and hope to make money in an arena that demands sales skills to be successful.

In fact, some of these folks have no clue about the 'behind the scenes' activities the so called 'gurus' participate in and believe that those folks make their fortunes sitting in front of a computer screen in their birthday suit. They never see or imagine how much salesmanship is involved in their success (the gurus).

And while it is true that you can make money with Adsense, Affiliate Marketing, CPAs and the like, if your 'marketing' skills are not up to par you will end up with dismal results at best.

Here's a little test that most newbies can do to save themselves months or perhaps years of struggling and hundreds or thousands of dollars wasted...

The next time you see a sales position advertised in your area selling a legitimate product or service you are familiar with, ask yourself "Would I want to take a stab at that position?"

If the answer is NO, then that moment would be a good time for some serious reflection on WHY you wouldn't want to sell that product or service.

Take a look at how you answered that question and if you found more reasons why you couldn't sell it...the market sucks, it takes too much work, nobody will buy that, I hate talking to people, this is not a good time, etc, etc, then you found reasons or beliefs on why you could make money selling it, then here's a little tip from Ol' KJ...

You're not cut out to make any real money on the internet, either.

They call it Internet Marketing for a reason. It's MARKETING. The internet is only the vehicle not the substance. If MARKETING doesn't make your juices flow, well don't feel bad. 95% of the population feels that way so you're in good company.

Just don't kid yourself that you'll make a fortune in marketing because it has the word internet in front of it and you like computers. Ain't gonna happen no matter how many magic bullets you put in the gun.

You can't fool life...

KJ

Imagine you spent all that time building a list...

Article marketing if you're broke. PPC if you're not.

Information Overload Syndrome is the #1 reason why newbies fail along with the misconception that somehow out there there is a "Quick Fix" or "Magic Secret" to make it all happen overnight.

Knowledge + Plan + Action + Perseverance + WORK = Success!

The basic thing about lot of newbies is that they want to master all before starting a business. This results in acquiring information overload and in the end they are doing everything halfway. Expecting quick result is another drawback with the newbies.

Anyone can't succeed without facing failures and success is a process. The process time depends on the methods you are employing. Success has no destination. If you have accomplished one goal, set another one and this only keeps you moving up the success ladder.

Um,

I think you just answered your question here.

As for the core value of business?

I'd put it in this order.

1.) Be different...unique. Go off the beaten path.
2.) Create a business plan, have it evaluated by someone experienced...then you'll know if it is worth sticking with it.
3.) Get a partner...one tech person, one marketing person. (depends on your expertise)
4.) Find a "want"....and fulfill that desire in a market.
5.) Do what you love....and the money will follow.
6.) Be entertaining...people love to be entertained, and will spend lots of money to do it.

....and remember, I put them in order of importance.

Cheers,
Ken

you're 100% on the right track. AND: You already made some money and you tried and try methods. The MAJORITY of them might fail, this might not even be a surprising.

There is people who say its very important to have an exact plan and follow this plan consistently. This is true.

But its also true that IM also is a constant game of trial/error and weeding out duds from whatever makes money. Every "failure" is a step towards success because you are learning. You are learning what works and what doesn't.

Things can work for you but not for others - and others can make a killing with this or that method/niche...but you/me wont. It's perfectly normal, i see it all the time.

All you need to be a success --

1. Focus. Stop trying to do everything, stop jumping from one method to another. Pick a traffic source, choose a niche and work at it until you start making money.

I truly believe that *almost* every product/niche is worth trying, and testing does not have to be expensive. Just pick one and make it work (it can take months).

2. You must be comfortable financially. Learning (testing) takes time AND costs money. If you treat Internet Marketing as your "last hope" and you're barely getting by -- go out and get a job, save up some money, get yourself back on track and then come back to IM.

I see way too many people spending their last money on the latest WSO or a course/coaching... Bad, bad idea.

3. This is very important. Get a group of friends or like-minded people together and share ideas, brainstorm, discuss.

Very few people are going to help you on an open forum like this (or any other IM forum), and for every helpful reply you'll get at least 5 others pushing their latest "make 10k a month in 30 days - no work required" WSO and a bunch of people looking to steal/copy what you are doing.

4. Stop buying WSOs. Unless you're 100% certain that a WSO contains valuable information (relevant to what you are working on at the time). A good rule is to completely ignore every WSO that has "make xxxx.xx in x-xx days, guaranteed" in the title (flame on, I don't care).

Excellent post, MKons. Right on the money.

Just like any other business, you should start with all hard work. This is the only stepping stone to make you reach the top or to succeed. Most of the times, newbies intend to quit because they think they fail but they are in fact, in the process of going through the top.

I totally agree with Sam! It's all about the "Benjamin's". If they aren't buying anything, it's not a business.

I wasted the first 3 3/4 years of my IM "career" chasing traffic instead of learning how to make money online.

I finally got it, jettisoned the business model I started out with and started over. I feel like I've gotten farther in the last 3 months than the whole previous years in IM.

But I don't look at that time I spent as a waste. I will be able to use what I've learned from experience as I move forward. And I'll also be able to help others, too. That's something I want to do because for the right people, this is a great business with a lot of potential.

Just be realistic, as Sam said, and if you really love what you're doing, don't give up!

I think that people get too caught up in chasing the "next big thing."

Next big money making technique, next big niche, next big product, etc...

Really, I think the most important thing is to:

1) Find a niche
2) Find high paying/converting products in that niche
3) Create money pages (landing pages)
4) Monetize those suckers (ads, cpa, affiliate offers, whatever)
5) Get traffic to that page, either free (social bookmarking) or paid (ppc, ezines, whatever)

Once that page has been tweaked properly and is making you a consistent amount of dough, then move onto something else and monetize it.

It's called a "continuous profit cycle" and it's one of the best models.

Hey man thats a nice post to have. I am a newbie probably this is my 4th post and I got this interesting and helpful thread. Nice for me and worthy for me at the same time.

I Think a lot of newbies fail because of less knowledge & experience in the area of business.With more knowledge,
comes confidence and with confidence comes better vision, decision making and whole lot others..which all
boils down to making more money.But one thing should be clear,that business online should first address
adding values to peoples lives and money will start flowing (either thr'adsense,chitika,affiliates or monthly
subscriptions)..so any newbie..think about adding value,making a difference

Here's a pdf by Dan Kennedy on the subject of "Why People Fail"--courtesy of Perry Marshall.

https://m171.infusionsoft.com/link/3f280aeac60/7270e0

I tihnk your looking at it from the wrond perspective.

EVERYONE FAILS!

The difference is how we DEAL with those failures. The age old story of Thomas Edison is still the best.

When Thomas Edison was interviewed by a young reporter who boldly asked Mr. Edison if he felt like a failure and if he thought he should just give up by now. Perplexed, Edison replied, "Young man, why would I feel like a failure? And why would I ever give up? I now know definitively over 9,000 ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp." And shortly after that, and over 10,000 attempts, Edison invented the light bulb.

Edison believed "there is no such thing as failure, only feedback"

We all fail at something every single day. I fail to wake up on time. I fail to listen to my GF all the time. I fail to make the bed, etc....

But I still keep going every morning. One step at a time. Learn from your mistakes and continue to adjust the things you do.

Do not look upon failure as failure, but instead look upon every single failure as being one step closer to success.

The fact that you're still here and haven't packed it in should tell you something. The only way to TRULY fail is to quit!

Your story is a very common one...sounds very familiar.

Would it be safe to say you've hopped around from offer to offer? Or method to method?

One approach is to pick one system and stick with it until it makes you money but more importantly than that, I'd say to find a hungry group that need a solution, go find the solution and sell it to them.

I know it's easier said than done but think about it this way...if you listen to people, lots of the time they are complaining about something.

Online is no different...they're just typing the complaints "I wish I could...", "there has to be an easier way to..." etc.

Seek and ye shall find man....just DON'T give up!

You're almost there!

Honestly, success is just around the corner. I think you're right on in that it's not about you. If you are only thinking of yourself you may make some money, but you will not make a lot. As others have said you have to give others what they want...give people something that will actually help them...

I also agree that building a list would be a huge asset for you. With a few sites on the first page of google, you could build a targeted email list quickly.

Keep on moving forward. Once you break the barrier you are faced with now, you will wonder what took you so long and why it was so hard.

There are a lot of quality posts here, i just one to put my 2 cents into this discussion. I think newbies also fail because of confusion, and information overloading. There is just too much information out there, and there are different people called themselves internet marketing gurus and each guru has a different view about internet marketing. Thus when being pulled to different directions, newbies normally get confused, lost and just stay the same.

Hi, I am a newbie of 5 months and the best thing I ever did was to get myself a mentor who would guide me through the maze of marketing on the internet. I chose someone who was practising what they were preaching. I am not allowed to do anything without having it critiqued, tried and tested. Takes time but worth making alot of silly mistakes.

Having a mentor they take you thru developing your business plan, goal setting, and to set up a default diary to make sure your activities produce money not losing money. It is the quickest and easiest way to do any business when you have a mentor. They can see your problems quicker than yourself. A wise investment to bring these people on board to help you with your new business adventure.

Hope this helps.

Newbies fail when they quit too quickly. It takes time, effort, and determination to succeed and a lot of people would rather be watching reality TV than treating their online biz like a real biz.

I am newbie and trying to learn...this is good post. I am so glad I found this forum. The only thing...now I go to bed at 2 AM......

Thank goodness I'm not the only one! I've been at this for 11 months and have yet to have a $10 day.

I don't know why I've failed. Today AdSense counts over 1,500 impressions and no clicks -- NOT ONE. How can that possibly be?

I feel like such a loser.

The core values of a business? Well, not to sound too fague about the answer...but... I would say that would revolve a lot around what type of business you are running. Of course, some values I think hold steady no matter what, which are actually the simple values that you hold as a person. Honor, integrity, and honesty. Try to be true to those you serve, and you will get that truth back from them. 200 years and the golden rule is still at the heart of all things... even business.

Hi Adam, I am also new to this site and I have been studying affiliate marketing for about eight months now. I am just like you in the fact that I have bought so many of these so called get rich quick programs that it is not even funny. I absolutely think you are now on the right track. In all of my studying and reading the one thing that keeps consistently popping up in what I consider to be legitimate programs is the ability to add value and to have a genuine concern for providing that value to your potential customers. You need to establish a relationship with your list. It is when you do this you gain their loyalty and they see you as not just someone trying to sell them something. I hope this helps! Miriamhigg

Some of the answers here to your fustration has been answered from each person's perspective...but it's important that you understand this.

My opinion, or anybody elses here will ultimately influence the way you carry out your
actions on a day to day basis.

If I were to tell you that the key to my succes (personally) IS having a MENTALITY of someone who first, DESERVES the money they want to make...you'd think I was full of shit and your next question could be, "No really, whats your secret?"

People self-sabatoge themselves out of success and don't know they are doing it.

For example. I just made a quick $200 today from actions I took about a week ago that led up to the money that would take me 35-40 hours at a regular job to make...took me less than 20 minutes to set it up.

My mentality made this possible.

I SAW the opportunity most people simply don't or CAN'T see, and I ACT on the opportunity because in my minds eye, I SEE the item I want to be sold as already SOLD...there is also a spiritual influence that helps me make my decisions.