How Do You Fight Shiny Object Syndrome?

I learned that I need to write down my goals and detailed plans on how to reach them. Once I did that, it became easier to tell myself NO. If the plan is right in front of my face then I have no choice but to focus.

I do still have a domain name registration addiction, but I can live with that.

I totally agree with you Niche Man, I was in that situation as well.

"What is the best way to make money online" or "Wow, this looks so easy, I have to know the secret"
You get into this endless loop with so much positive expectancy but at the end of the day you have nothing to show for it.

Once I found a mentor and stuck to one method, it was much easier to focus on developing the skills to master that method, which in turn gave me results.

Yes I also have this syndrome and Ms. BizQ was right in writing it down. Maybe I should start it now and display it everywhere. Maybe it will be perfect in my reading glass and put a little note in it;-)

I had it as well as I guess almost every marketer here on the Warrior Forum. I noticed after awhile that jumping from one offer two another is not bringing me money. And there is no point actually to buy a course about cpa when you do kindle books for example.

It was hard to get all the distractions out off sight but when you wanna be successful then you have to concentrate on just one method or product and stay with it until you successful with it.

I try to stick with my plan.
Shiny object syndrome was responsible to waste my couple weeks or months

Just remember, anything that promises instant profits, push button profits, automated profits, etc - anything like that at all - would not be being sold if it actually worked as described.

If I found a way to push a button at night and wake up with $1000 more in the bank, I sure as hell would keep that a secret to the grave.

Don't buy into that junk.

I think that every biz op person goes through this to some extent at some time, I certainly did, and still do to a much smaller extent.

I have spent hundreds of £ over the past 8 years from buying and running numerous biz op's and giving up or failing at most of them. Ironically the one business plan I started early on and kept going during all the others was email marketing. I have changed the business model dramatically since I started it 6years ago, and spent a massive amount of money trying to get it right, but I kept going and it is now my biggest success to date.

This is very addictive and i think there are a 2 phases to this.
1. When you are just starting there are the programs that promise you'll
make instant money within the next hour and push button stuff.
I had this one when i didnt know much about internet marketing.
Usually when you aducate yourself and understand that it takes time to build a stable business this one is gone.

2. When you already understood the first one. but lets say you already started building a business. but then there are many thing to learn like traffic, list building, facebook and more. This one is very tricky and I have to say i still fall into to this sometimes. Many times the products are actually good and helpfull. But its just ruins your focus when you get 10 wsos about traffic, social marketing and more. MY way is to remind myself that no matter how good looks the newest product, i wont buy it unless i already implemented what i bought before.

Start working a plan and then unsubscribe from every email list that
might be sending info about shiny objects.

Don't panic that you'll be missing anything because the shiny
object you miss in the next email will be out of fashion/out of date/ suerceded
in the email after that.

Ignore all the new stuff until you've made money with what you're working on.

Get a mentor...they'll tell you the same thing.

Good luck

.

It can be really hard to resist the temptation, especially for someone who is new. But this is usually what I do.

Take a step back, do some research about it and let it sit for a day or two. By then the hype would have hopefully died down so you'll be able to take a look at it more objectively.

Ask the usual questions: Do I really need this? How does this fit into my plan and strategies?

Most of the time you won't even have to do that because once you've done your research, you'll most likely realize that you don't really need or want it.

It's a real problem and as mentioned, you make recurring money out of consistency.

I consume very little content, I don't care about my competors, I focus only on my customer's problem and how to solve it greatly. That helps.

It's not a sprint, it's a marathon

You don't.

Shiny Object Syndrome is your friend, if you treat it right.

Buying products you'll likely never implement or put to use can still be wildly profitable. It's a great way to reverse engineer sales funnels and product structures, for one.

I set aside a budget every month for products that have great sales pages and are brought to the market by well known marketers so I can see the back end and all of the other elements. It really helps me organize my brain when it comes to product launches and trying to figure out what-goes-where.

SOS is something that I have embraced and made a strength and not a weakness.

Yeah! I totally agree with The Niche Man, Shiny Object Syndrome is a nightmare to get out of. The Grass is greener on the other side NOT!. But when you find a good ground its time to stop looking around at different products & considerate on your Goal.
I have found a Company called Inner Circle to Riches, Owned by Paul Lynch. This is a great platform & great products you can resell as your own with over 70% Commissions! Brilliant Step by Step Video's

Well, this syndrome mostly attack newbies who have got an idea in the back of their mind that internet is full of money. When something is too good to believe, you should never believe it unless you have any proof. . This is the only way to get rid of this kind of syndrome.

By having a written plan of action.

gjabiz

You fight 'shiny object syndrome' by being your OWN shiny object!

Too many people want to create something that 'sells.'

Too many people want to promote something that 'has a good margin'

Too many people 'don't care what it is, so long as it makes them money.'

However, that is NOT an entrepreneur.

An Entrepreneur is someone that creates something that they are passionate about. Something that they would do for free. Something that truly benefits the world - and people are willing to trade their capital to learn, become, or use.

If you find yourself working at a job you hate - and then coming home and doing something in your free time a LOT, then learn how to capitalize on those things you do in your FREE time.

Why? Because that is what you're passionate about.

AT THAT MOMENT marketing the item becomes a part of you, and is INSTINCTUAL. It is automatic. You know your sales pitch, you know your market, and you cannot shut up about it.

It's not signing up for a program to market for you. It's not signing up 'under' someone.

It's you.

You're the shiny object that is going to change the world - because NOW you're hyper focused.

Something I really like to do is, wherever I work, I'll place encouraging sticky notes everywhere. Not to remind me of things to do, simply to keep me encouraged to continue down my current path.

You start to jump around when your mind believes you need something better. This kind of positive reinforcement keeps my mind believing that I'm doing the right thing.

Hey,

Thanks for your post!

When I was a newbie, this syndrome was heavy! I think this is because many people still continue to search for that "magic button" . . . . that just doesn't exist!

I believe many people have a lottery mindset with internet marketing, and don't expect to put tons of work in to get life changing results.

Really, I shifted my thinking and my focus to pick one business, and stick with it. Once I did this, not only did I start seeing results online, but I was able to overcome the "shiny object syndrome."

One tip that I would recommend for newbies is to completely ignore their email inbox and only watch for things that are important for their primary business because regular email inboxes are FLOODED with all sorts of spam and affiliate offers.

-Josh

Hire a mentor or coach - and pay good money. The investment itself will tell you to take one direction seriously. And the mentor should have the backbone to hold you accountable to your plan.

Simple:

Get a coach, check his testimonials and income proof.
Follow his steps and dont change anything from what works for them.
Keel repeating the copy until you master the system and skills needed to earn your first income.
Once you earned and proven to yourself it works, then you can investigate other passive income streams you can feed to your bank account

Joe

Hi,

For me it's having a clear cut and precise plan in place that I can follow every single
day and one that I truly believe in.

That way you're not spending time reading emails, clicking around and getting
sucked in by all the offers out there.

Truth is that something looks completely different and SHINY and NEW
because it has been created by someone who has made a certain system
or strategy their own.

All the best guys,
Gavin

“Identify with excellence, put your name on your work, and both your work and name will stand the test of time.”

I fought shiny object syndrome for almost 8 months. It's tough. When I was first starting out I was still in University so shiny object syndrome was terrible for me because I was so attracted to "overnight cash"

In reality though it doesn't exist. And funny enough it was a talk I had with my marketing professor that gave me clarity on this. The analogy he used was that all these products, all the information out there, all the opportunities, these are like doing your homework. So if you're taking a big math exam, but you end up studying for economics instead, well when it's exam time you're going to get smoked.

But, if you study the right material (ie. buy products that teach you something you need or that is useful) and then you walk into that exam super confident (start marketing and implementing the training you bought) then you're playing a whole different game. See, it's all about implementation. You can't just study and hope you get results, because you're not putting anything into practice.

Anyways, enough of my rant. Sorry to drag on but this analogy really helped me 4 years back, and it literally changed my life, so I hope it can do the same for you.

I did buy a fair few products to begin with (and still do not because I have the syndrome but to review and recommend / not recommend for my list) but thankfully I realized early on I had to be the one selling and not the one buying if I wanted to make cash so I started focusing a bit more.

Still sometimes I see myself being drawn in by a banner ad or sales copy and checking something out but not to the point of dropping everything I'm doing because it promises the world. Even when I see what could be golden opportunities today I usually won't get involved as I have my current projects to work on.

I must admit it. This has held me down for almost nine years. I was a newbie and didn't know much about IM.

But here are my lessons:

First, have a business plan for your online business.

Two, agree with Niche Man on passion. I've been married to the concept of internet wealth since 2005. I just made my first $3 last year. It's my heart.

Be realistic. If it's that easy, 95% of IMers will be rich. So for me, it begins with knowing the most important thing. My list.

And the need to train to develop the necessary skills.

That's all.

By reminding myself those shiny objects are just polished turds.

Have a clear goal in your mind. Write it down. Now pick a strategy, and only follow that thing. Ignore everything else that is a distraction.

The way to beat shiny object syndrome is to unsubscribe from anybody who just sends constant promotions. Try to distance yourself away from all that.

Also, only focus on one thing that you know will make you money (for ex: email marketing)

Good luck

I had it for several years until I learned what I needed from an online business, due in part to my SOS. I tried so many things, that I learned what I didn't want. So when I learned, through trial and error, what I felt I needed according to my personality and interests, I was finally able to find it and focus on that.

Action. Action. Action.
Stop buying, start selling.

Save money for advertising. This is how i break my shiny object sindrom. :-)

Keep focused on one project until it bears fruit.Stop being a bookworm and implement what you have learnt.

I have to admit....I fell prey to the exact same thing. It's pretty vicious. Until one realizes the issue is with him- or her-self (and not necessarily the "failed" opportunities), success won't be had. I had to realize that there was much more to learn about marketing before I even began to see little successes. I had to approach my online business just like a real business - because it is a real business!

Whether you find it stupid or it is lazy to you. Please write your goal and check it in.the morning. Break down the goals. Seriously, even if An Idea comes me at night. I woke up to write it. Because I know my mind will say, Hey sujit just sleep.man. You can write it tomorrow. dont worry you ll not forget. Eventually I always forget. By writing down you are pressurising yourself to do work. 98 percent of the people have this disease. You have to train your mind .

You are more likely to fall for SOS (pun intended) if you are in trouble.

In the dessert where it is hot and people are thirsty is the place where
most people see distant pools of cool refreshing water. People who are
mostly in need of money are the most vulnerable to fall for the trap that
there is an easy way to make money.

That's why most people would admit that they fell for this trap early in
their quest to make money online--they were in need of money. The worst
money decisions you can make is when you don't have much of it. It's
the nature of the beast.

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

-Ray Edwards

I put on all my calendars. BUY 1 WSO a year!!

Yes, 1 WSO that is it. Then make sure its going to help my business!! And work, and test the strategies until it does.

Everything else is just fodder!

Buying WSO's and products and then trying to go onto the next shiney object, will not make you money.

Sitting down, and pulling your finger out!! and building a real business, that gets fresh leads everyday, NOW that is a REAL business if ever I saw one. And again, the rest is all fodder.

Above I just gave you business fundamentals of Multimillion dollars companies which have been formed since 1800's....and practically nothing has changed, its just easy for us to do, becuase we have the internet.

I think the best way to fight shiny object syndrome is to sit down and calculate the amount of money you have spent on shiny objects, and then calculate how much money you have made from those shiny objects. If you've made less money from the shiny products than what you spent on them, then you'll probably come to your senses and see that you're just wasting money chasing a feeling instead of working towards real success.

The whole IM world is built on shiny object syndrome.. Lots of 'gurus' making lots of money with the latest 'best offer ever'. That's why it has such a poor reputation. The basics remain the same as ever and start with hard work and focus, just like a proper job. But we all spend varying amounts of cash before we realise it

I'll admit that it happened to me as well.

The sooner you realize that your decision to buy was based on emotions, and not on logic - the better for you. Frank Kern calls it Primary Driver Emotion (PDE) high. People get that "PDE high" by reading/watching that sales letter and for a moment they feel like that product will get them the desired outcome for sure [(cough) (cough) Thanks, marketers!]

But anyhow. One good cure would be to find yourself a good mentor. Do your research on who's a good mentor in your niche and invest that money in a mentor. That's a way to be more focused.

Now back to buying more WSO's!
Eugen

I love new shiny object, i don`t fight them, i embrace them lol

Seriously i just make sure i don`t spend too much on them, focussing on low price and on free stuff is my key.

Niche Man, I fell into it as well. I can tell how and why it happens.

It is a part of the system we use everyday. In any other niche, this process is harmless to the buyer, but in the IM, MMO niches, it poisons the buyers.

It is the sales funnel process, that we use and teach others to use. The problem with me was my first exposure. I found a free report and it had an upsell. I think I passed on the upsell, but when I confirmed my email address, I was taken to a download page with about 20 downloads for the product, and another unknown number of "free bonuses".

I did not understand that these bonuses were optional. I went to download them and had to leave my email for them. I started the process after work one evening when I got home about 6pm. I was up until 2AM downloading the "free" system with "Everthing" I needed to know.

It was all really exciting! I discovered that I needed a blog, and I had one. I needed SEO and a host of other things. And everyone was another book I had as a free bonus, or product.

The thing is, I went to bed thinking tomorrow I would get started. But I had email. My inbox was so full, I had time to eat dinner before it finished downloading the hundreds of emails. (internet was slow at that time for me.)

And there it was again. More information I needed right away to get started.

Call me slow if you like, but it took me two days to realize I was being 'played' by some strange system I would not learn about for another year.

By then, I was excited to have all this free information people paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for. But, guess what..... To this day, I have no clue what the first product was or from where I got it. That marketer never got a dime from me and lost me because he gave me free bonuses.

But the system worked. I had been conditioned to get the information before it was deleted or removed or increased in price. I started collecting it and going through it. But, every piece had some "secret" gem and I was trying to make sense of it all. Then I ran into a JV Giveaway.
This continued for over a year before I got a hint of what a sales funnel was from someone named "Brown". I spent over a year picking out the puzzle pieces from all the different reports and finally mapped out what I belived to be a typical email list profit funnel. I only knew it as the "brown" system.

I recently found my flow-chart sketch of my "Brown System". It was so complicated, I think I cried till I laughed. It was literally years of work that went no where. It was huge, it took up 6 pieces of paper taped together. there were funnels pouring into other funnels into other funnels and back into themselves again.

During that period, I diversified into many of the teachings of the courses. I had dozens of blogs, I started posting resale rights products on squeeze pages, I bought a lifetime autoresponder and had started trying to create this monster I had mapped out.

Finally, I got a hold of Liz Tomey's course that explained the simple affiliate marketers list building funnel. There weren't but six pieces to it, so how could it work?

I set up a few of them and they actually started to pay off. But, I had diversified so far and started working on some rather expensive courses. I invested about $800 into one counting the cost of the course, the services that were required and other materials and tools. Then, without warning, the people, which turned out to be one person, scrapped all those support systems and I was left explaining myself to my soon-to-be exwife over it.

I dropped out of IM entirely and we have barely managed to save the marriage, but I am now working in secret without involving money we need elsewhere.

The Successful marketers and gurus, teachers, whatever you call yourselves, are just doing what you are teaching and have learned is the most profitable approach to marketing. You aren't doing anything wrong, but the system we (including me) use can, and does, poison unsuspecting newbies every day.

I am not downing anyone here. I am just literally answering your question about why there is such a shiny object syndrome. We are all taught to give a way a freebie, get a name, send them offers, and exchange bonus links to make the most profit.

A golfer needing to know how to make a straight put will ignore all the offers on how to drive a ball further. He understands it is not a related product. But in MMO, I had no clue that I didn't need to worry about SEO and have a blog network or drive traffic from Google alerts or myspace, or hundreds of other things.

I combined all my resources I bought or aquired free and filled up a 500 GB hdd and had to move it to a Terabyte drive.

Today, almost 3 years after I had to drop out, I know what I need and what all the distractions are. I also learned in the past how so many gurus "discovered" these secrets to success.... They took courses from other gurus. In all the material I have, I am constantly seeing where some big name, instant millionaire is being referred to by name as one of the older marketer's students. And how they may have made 3000.00 in the first 30 days from scratch, but it was after they failed at it for nearly a year before they got it right. Or they failed miserably after that month and had to start all over again and change things to get it to repeat the performance.

Chasing Shiny Objects and PBR (Push Button Riches) is driven into the minds of newbies from their first introduction to the MMO business.

The answer? Now that we are aware of it, and how it happens, I can only keep it in mind when I build my system. If more gurus (not derogatory) can consider the consequences of using this system on their prospects and buyers, then maybe they can adapt their system to better protect their market.

I am not writing this to complain or neg anyone or downtalk the sales funnel process. It is important to our success. I am rebuilding mine.

Like I said, I am answering your question. It's a lot to think about.

I play golf. In baseball, if you miss three times, you are out. In golf, you can always finish the game.

Yes, I am over par in IM, but I am still in the game.

I'll meet you in the winner's box. till then, have a great day.

If we were just presented with the product, I guess there would be no SOS.

Shiny Object Syndrome happens when we stumble across a Sales page. Most sales pages highlight the very best aspects of a product, and as long as some sales pages are, they are quite small compared to the actual product.

So everything you end up reading about the product is only the good bits. Add to this overt salesmanship and hype of the typical sales page, and you are left with one huge adrenaline rush.

So when we buy the product, the main motivation may not even be the promise of making money. It may simply be to experience the same adrenaline rush we experienced when read our very first sales page.

The best thing to do when experiencing an adrenaline rush is to do some gentle exercise until the adrenaline dissipates.

So yes, my suggestion for overcoming Shiny Object Syndrome is exercise when you experience the first adrenaline rush. Seemingly little to with Internet Marketing, but it will keep you focused and save you a lot of money and distractions.

When you're launching a business, the beginning is going to require the most fuel. After you have launched something that builds itself, then feel free to embrace the next new shiny object. Elon Musk is worth $12 billion because of shiny object syndrome.

Wow ! Thanks to The Niche Man for this great post and it seems to have sparked a whole host of discussion.

I have to say to some extent that I am still subject to the Shiny Object Syndrome as I still consider myself somewhat of a newbie.

I still buy the occasional WSO and the 'latest and greatest' toy out there to make life easier, but now I try and reflect on what I actually need.... DO I really need what's on offer and will it help me build my business ?

No instead of jumping into the infinite number of OTO's I get a notepad and copy the links to those pages and at a later time either the same day or later I go back and I look at those offers again, but from fresh eyes and usually after I have checked out the main offer. Of course the person selling you the new Shiny Object will tell you that you need their upsell, but I've often found that actually upon reflection I can get by or I already have something similar anyway.

The biggest thing for me is to make sure that it fits what I need and will benefit me.

The other things that a lot of people on here are saying are to get a mentor. I now have two ! They are both telling me to learn from my experiences and then tell others. I started a website this year and then got sidetracked from other Shiny Object that I thought I needed.

Now, after another kick up the backside, I've started to write about my experiences once again, I've cleared my inbox from all those people trying to sell me the next best thing and I'm concentrating on what I have.

If I need knowledge I can find it, yes it may mean I have to buy something, even a WSO. Now I embrace it and am better for it all.

Thank you for asking this question. I was in the process of thinking about writing this myself and now you and all the other fabulous people on here have spured me on to write about this on my own site.

Have confidence in what you are doing. Understand that Internet marketing is not flipping a switch and making money. You need to test, test, test or anotherwords optimize! Biggest thing I see newbies think is that they can simply not invest in their business and expect immediate results. Takes time my friend!

that is my struggle right now, i have a $1500 coach and he keeps telling me to focus. i am focused but i think i can do 2-3 things at one time. maybe i am gifted that way

The SOS is created and maintained by the online-money-dream as I've explained in several of my books. IF there was a WSO or whatever that could turn your $10 investment into a 6 figure income, they wouldn't be sold for $10 but they would be quoted on the NY stock exchange as the most profitable investment ever. The 'problem' with these offers is, that they are very low priced. So , fortunately (or unfortunately depending the way you look at it), people WILL buy these 'dreams'. But there is no free lunch on internet. Online business is.... a business. Like any other offline business. Image you had started a project to open a supermarket/shoeshop or whatever. You have found the location, borrowed $100k to renovate the shop, buy your stock etc. Now someone comes along and says:"I have this incredible opportunity XYZ, which will make you a LOT more than your current project". Would you say "Ohh, well, let's just forget about this 100k investment and try something else".

Of course not. And you should approach an online business exactly the same way. So what to do if you are hooked to SOS? Well, simply stated, forget all these "I sell you a $10 plan for a 6 figure income". But that's a bit like saying to a drug user that he "just has to stop " with his heroin. So what else? If you're into buying WSO's/courses etc. buy something really expensive: $1000 or $5000. And if that doesn't give you the promised 6 figure income (and I can already tell you, it won't), you will be very quickly healed from your SOS.

I've been there myself. The thing is you can only do one thing at a time anyway. I'd say it's best to start something then see how it goes without jumping around too much. Many will say you should only have one business or opportunity but I think you can have more than one. It's all about time management. Don't start a second one until your first one is making residual income or until you see the first one is not getting anywhere and is just a waste of time.

I think everyone goes through the shiny object syndrome at one point. Lengths vary, of course. People seek easy solutions. And, let's face it, GREED plays a big factor - we want big money, fast! Usually a product will promise "big money" and "easy" and "fast" ... Triple-Doozy!

This forum makes it even worse because most WSOs are "low priced" as well. A 4th very good reason! Crazy, right? Just another reason for some people to buy!

Simple answer focus on one project or business opportunity. We all fail and failing is part of this business. Stay laser focused till you make money.

Pick 3 (not the lotto) LOL

Follow 3 experts (proven and doing what you want to do)
Get off of everybody else's list (EVERY SINGLE ONE)
Limit your trips to the WF :-)
Follow the sage wisdom of your Chosen 3
And you WILL succeed online

Well, it's ok to shop around. Pick ones that are the lowest cost to start with and go with them first. You can always join the more expensive ones later after you are making money with the lower cost ones you started with. Then you use the traffic getting strategies(and sites)that you used to make money with and hopefully you will have more than one income stream.