"Is This Shiny Object Syndrome or Exploring ones Options?"

Shiny object syndrome is when people dont stick at anything for longer than a week.

There is literally no point only trying to do something for a week and then giving up for something else.

You don't risk tonnes of time because you should have done adequate research to see if what you want is actually possible.

I think the SOS is much more I am doing one thing, oo this idea will make me more money, after a little while, they next idea/area of focus/scheme etc gets their attention, and nothing ever gets followed through.

I do however, agree with your point of view in regards to the dating analogy. The IM world is so vast with so many directions you can go in... it takes a little while to figure out what you enjoy doing, what will work for you and how to incorporate things properly into your plan.

There is value in what you say, shiny object vs exploring options. I think when you are starting out you may have to pickup quite a few shinny objects before you either give up or become refined in which shiny objects you choose.

But it can also become an addiction. If you are a recovering shiny object addict like me then you do not go hang in the places where shiny objects are plentiful.

My solution is not to buy anything that does not help me with my current plan of action. So if it is an ebook / software / resource that is going to help me with my current plan or with a particular problem that I am having then I will buy it. I do not even look at the rest. Shiny objects can be VERY shiny

That all depends upon which side of the fence you stand. Those that are selling into the frenzy are Internet Marketers too and they can do extremely well selling into the demand for new marketing tools and "make money" opportunities.


IMO, if a person makes a purchase with the intent to solve a specific problem and it's not a "spur of the moment" impulse-like buy, then I would classify that purchase as "exploring their options."

Alternatively, if a marketer had no intent or thought of making a purchase before hand, but is suddenly confronted with an offer that looks too good to pass on, that is SOS, IMO.

Calculated intent vs. impulse buy

Thanks for the thread.

Steve

I have been guilty of this syndrome when i first started.

It is very hard these days to stick to one thing with so much information out there, but as i learned once you do that is when you start to see results.

It's not just a matter of learning one method and sticking to that. If you're doing that then you're limiting yourself imo. It's not a bad thing to try out many things, there's just some things you need to do constantly to succeed.

So i would consider it a positive thing for most people.

As someone who has been through the shiny new object grinder, the likelihood isn't so much that the newbie marketer is exploring different ways of making a living, it is that they have been seduced by sales copy.

Veit Schenk discusses in his BareKnuckle Productivity course the process in which someone buys an e-book on making money online and they dream about how they are going to make thousands a week and life is going to be all rosy but what happens is they read or watch the videos and then don't do anything with it. The next day they see a new course advertised and their brain remembers that warm fuzzy feeling they got when they purchased the last book and the cycle continues. So basically it is a form of addiction.

So at some point you need to make one of these methods work and by work I mean make you money, once you are making money then I see no reason why you can't explore other avenues but there has to be some sort of foundation to build on.

Shiny Object Syndrome is when someone can't be successful with 1 method or strategy because they always chase the next big thing or never start. It is a follower, rather than a leader.

Shiny object syndrome is simply jumping from one 'solution' to the next without actually applying what the first product teaches. All too common.
'Exploring options' is a polite way of expressing the exact same pitfall.

How can you know if something else is 'better' until you've actually put the teachings of one method to use?

I think SOS is based on a desire to make fast money. People are either desperate for money or get a little greedy and dont want to put in long term effort. They get caught up bouncing bettween JVzoo, WF and FSO and they see and hear about all these successful launches and want the same badly. I ofcourse have had and continue to have SOS, but when a good ideas hits I commit and pound it out!

To Defeat SOS. Just make money in EVERY method!

LIke most people I bought into every product and was overwhelmed like shit.

Quit my job and said "Screw it, let's do this"

Started implementing EVERYTHING I STUDIED! Made some cash using different strategies but never like $10K a day or something rather.

But it turned out very good for me because I now know which method I enjoy the most and just ran with it.

I think the reason why most people fail due to SOS is because they just buy and NOT take action.

I really think most newbies or marketers who are starting out NEED to go through this stage to understand what's happening. Understand the funnel and product type so to speak. Understand who they should Avoid and who they should follow.

I'm pretty sure most successful marketers started out buying a crap load of product and took it from there.

To be successful as an internet marketer you need to be selling things. An occasional purchase can be a good thing, but everyone in here needs to become a seller of something. Most newbies buy product after product and get no where in the process.

Shiny Object syndrome can be part of the learning process or it can just keep you spinning in circles. If you are going to buy several products, try to at least keep it in the same niche and then actually read and test the products. Have a set budget per month if you are going to do this.

Then you can use what works to make money and also have the level of knowledge necessary to create your own products in that nice.

you can not put your eggs in one basket. now, i am building my list while i am ranking you tube videos. i have time for both because my sales funnels are building my list for me without me doing anything. if you can manage your time and money....you should be ok.
BUT
IF you are just starting out, stick and learn only one thing...i know the forum is addicting

Yes, sometimes what we call SOS can be someone just exploring their options.

Quite often though, it's a sign of someone being a lazy sissy.

"I just bought a $50 product and spent 4 hours consuming the content. It teaches me how to spend 4 hours spending $50 on a winning ad campaign. Heck no! That takes actual work, and the ad campaign might fail. Let me go buy this other $50 product instead and spend 4 hours seeing what it teaches."

I can openly say I suffered with Shiny Object Syndrome for some years. It's only when I decided to focus on one business type and focus all my energy in that, did I stop chasing new product after new product. I must say I was a little overwhelmed and scared when I first started.

I definitely fell for this trap when i first started IM, and I'll admit, sometimes I'm off track nowadays too. With newer and newer platforms becoming more and more available all the time (snapchat, vine, etc), it's hard to sit back and not try each and every new thing out there until something clicks. It does get overwhelming, because you see that many people are making money with different things when you're just left with little to nothing. The natural thing is to move on to the next

Shiny object syndrome.

Exploring one's options.

The grass is greener.

Endless dating.

All symptoms of one root cause - not knowing oneself
and doing the work necessary to know what you want.

People keep buying this, and that, and that and this
because they hope someone else will give them the
answer they haven't found.

Until you KNOW what you want, you will have little
success.

I learned this lesson when I basically gave up on
dating and decided it just wasn't meant to happen
for me.

And then a friend was like "What are you looking
for?"
Hell if I knew . . . "Fun in a good looking package?!"

That day I wrote 5 pages that detailed exactly what
I wanted.

Over the next 3 months I dated more than I had in
the previous three years because I was locked in.

Within 5 months I was engaged. Within 10 months
married. That was 15 years ago.

You can't look at every good looking woman who
comes through the door as a potential. You have to
decide "What I want is a smart, smoking hot,
5'7" brunette with blue eyes and a kind heart" and
ignore the rest.

It becomes clear.

I did the same thing with my business, and THEN I
created the business that fits the life I want.

X

Lots of valid points are being made here. I love how you researched the matter, Niche Man, complete with numbers and percentages!

I think it's entirely possible to find positive sides to SOS as long as you put the knowledge you gained to good use in your later pursuits. Say, you thought you would like to put all your efforts into SEO marketing and solicit offline customers. You may find after a while a) you don't like to spend all day on SEO, and b) you don't really want to go after offline mom and pops. You just got this new product you are going to create a niche site for. Well, what you learned about SEO is going to come in handy now, right? And maybe you even made some good contacts with offline small businesses, and they could be sending someone your way who could use this new product you are selling. So in this case, while you changed direction you also gained new skills and contacts that you will be using for years to come...

I think WillR puts it nicely - being a shiny object chaser means you are a consumer, not a marketer. But with the twist I just explained, you can be even an SOS "addict:" and still profit from it.

It reminds me of the generally negative connotation of ADHD. While it's true that this condition has its challenges, it's also true that having it often conveys originality, creativity, and a razor sharp mind that cuts through BS pretty quick and assimilate what's good and rejects the rest. And that's a good thing, at least in my book.

These are 2 different things
- shiny object syndrome pertains to people still in that make a million dollars in a week phase. Where emotions are hypnotized by great/hype sales copy.
- Someone exploring there options means that they have a conscious understanding of the options to begin with or is open minded and isn't falling for hyped up sales pages.


But just because you are new or experienced doesn't mean you wont fall for either.
- Shiny object syndrome in an experienced marketer could be buying video software, tracking software etc...
- exploring your options would be. Already having an idea of the profitable methods but never having an actionable step by step plan. So buying courses based on one profit method rather than buying on all profit methods as what newbies typically do would be exploring your options.

They are 2 completely different things each executed different on there own levels of experience. Have you thought to yourself that you may just be rationalizing over optimistically for people who have buying problems.


i don't think it is the shiny object syndrome that creates this exuberant form of creativity and ideation but being exposed to an idea that does. Constantly browsing hyped up sales pages that arouse emotions may have a part of it, but it is not the anxiety of wanting to buy something that does that, its the arousal of your emotions.

It can be a very thin line argument much like karma and the law of attraction. It is very distinct.


it being apart if the learning process is dependent on the dedication the person has to make it work. Cognitively/Evolutionary speaking than yes, it absolutely has something to do with the learning process but still it is based on the person's realizations of what they learned.


i personally tend to create my own curriculum's when it comes to learning one method. I will often buy 3/7/9 courses on one form of profiting, study all of it, create my own personal step by step action plan and implement it step by step.

in controlled moderation i choose those courses very carefully and never fall for any emotional selling triggers. I just don't care for them, if i want the course, i will buy it at any price after i have done my research.


That is the difference i found from being a newbie to making money online. The way you approach things. You go from a buying habit to a selling or buying attitude. Newbies buy only, those who are successfull learned how to control themselves.

If you get attracted by $$$ figures then you're after the shiny object syndrome and won't reach anywhere.

If you're interested about bettering your skills, then that is fine. Read proper quality material. You don't need to spend $$$. There are lots of good books on kindle.com for $10-30 each that cover at least one topic in great detail. They aren't get rich schemes but they teach you techniques that you can use in your business. They don't sell business models. They make you capable.

That is called exploring your options.