This is ACTUALLY the reason why you fail, and this is what you can do about it [INTERESTING]

28 replies
I'll try and keep this short, but was pondering this the other day.

If you're not getting anywhere in internet marketing this is for you... bear with me:

You FAIL because you don't do ANYTHING.

You buy the course, you'll start a site, maybe put up a couple of articles, build a couple links, write the first couple of pages of that ebook...

But then you don't finish.

Why?

Because you doubt that it's the right thing you should be doing.

You've heard about a new method, a new course. So you buy and try that.

You may find a way around this by trying to juggle multiple projects at once. This is even harder, and a lot more stressful. You end up getting nothing done.

Does this sound familiar?

Here's what to do:

DECLARE PROJECT BANKRUPTCY

Sometimes it's best to start fresh if you have little bits of stuff you've started and nothing REAL.

PICK SOMETHING - a project. Just pick one.

You'll feel a bit of pain, because you'll feel like your missing out on all the other methods. Just embrace this pain and focus on the one project. You can move onto others once you've mastered this one... or you can at least tell yourself this.

The project can be a method you've learned in a course, or maybe something you've always wanted to do like start that blog, or start that membership site or ebook.

Whatever you START, understand it will be an EDUCATED GUESS. You cannot possibly KNOW it will make you a lot of money if any at all. This is why business isn't easy.

Whatever you start make sure it's a real business and not a little fly by night method. If you're trying to take shortcuts and earn OVERNIGHT it just isn't going to work. You may make some money but not a long term business.

Pick something real and expect to work 10-14 hours a day to start with.

Even if you have the idea of this outsourcing heaven where you sit there and just click a couple of buttons a day. Forget it. That may happen eventually, but to start with outsourcing will only add to the learning curve.

Get it working first then outsource.

If there's some bits you REALLY cant do, then outsource by all means, but don't outsource for the wrong reasons, ie LAZYNESS.

Have a 3 month plan, and a rough goal as to how much you SHOULD be earning.

It wont happen over night, or next week, or next month.

Have a 3 month goal.

$1K / Month in 3 months is REALISTIC. It depends on your business model and resources, but be realistic.

If you're tired of failure...

Try REBOOTING your IM career today with this plan in mind, I promise you will feel better and more FOCUSED

When it comes to time to work on your business you will know exactly what you need to do from a HIGH HIGH level. Because you'll know where you want to be in 3 months time and how much you want to be earning. With your educated guessing you shouldn't be far off.

TAKE AWAY THIS: Picking a business, an idea, a model is an art. It takes MORE power to PICK an idea than to come up with one.

Oh, and another takeaway:

CARE LESS. <-- just think about that one. It helps when you've sat there for an hour trying to decide what colour to do the banner on your site. (that's happened to me ha)

Hope this helps some people who are looking to get STARTED properly.

Thoughts?
#fail #interesting #reason
  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Great advice that will certainly be ignored.

    They will read it, say that is awesome advice, then move on to the next shiny magic button.
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    • Profile picture of the author haze
      Awesome advice. I'm going to print it. But I'm curious... I have started making good (well, for me, good) money online - about a sale a day. For some idiotic reason, I quit. I start up again when I need some spending $.

      Is it possible to be AFRAID of making money? It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard when I say it, but I do it. As soon as I start making it, I quit working.

      CARE LESS. <-- just think about that one. It helps when you've sat there for an hour trying to decide what colour to do the banner on your site. (that's happened to me ha)
      That is so definitely true.

      ~Haze
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      • Profile picture of the author Joseph Michael
        Originally Posted by haze View Post

        Awesome advice. I'm going to print it. But I'm curious... I have started making good (well, for me, good) money online - about a sale a day. For some idiotic reason, I quit. I start up again when I need some spending $.

        Is it possible to be AFRAID of making money? It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard when I say it, but I do it. As soon as I start making it, I quit working.

        That is so definitely true.

        ~Haze
        Cheers for the kind words... It definately possible to be afraid of making money, because you don't want to be afraid of losing it, and you don't want the responsibility.

        But the bigger reason is for entrepreneurs, who create ART... (A business is art. You blog is art. Your price comparison brand is art, your voucher site is art, your ebook is art, your newsletter is art) MONETARY REWARDS ARE NOT THE PRIMARY DRIVING FORCE FOR US TO DO WORK ... we have to be doing something we BELIEVE IN, and ENJOY, and FEEL PROUD OF.

        In other words... artists don't work for money... although it is nice.

        I always measure something like that with the following:

        If you can tell your mother about your business and she understands and feels proud, you're on to a winner.

        Imagine telling your mother you have 346 ad-sense sites on various subjects all making a dollar a day. This is not art. Entrepreneurs will get bored with this model, however profitable it can be.

        If you are an entrepreneur you have no choice but to make your art, or else you will never lose that FRUSTRATION you are feeling right now.

        Declare project bankruptcy and start a business you can tell your mother about. Today
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        • Profile picture of the author bgmacaw
          Originally Posted by Joseph Michael View Post

          In other words... artists don't work for money... although it is nice.
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          • Profile picture of the author bitriot
            I am nowhere close to where I want to be but I think my experience this year in IM makes the point.

            I have 4 IM domains, all focused on affiliate selling. The first one I started is dedicated to selling baseball caps for a particular team. The other 3 it doesnt really matter. These other three sites are thin.

            Having started in July, my Hats site has made roughly 45 bucks in comissions and another 5 in adsense clicks. My other 3 sites to date have made nothing. I think this illustrates a few things:

            1. It takes time to get the ball rolling on Internet Marketing.
            2. I have one good site because I stuck with it over the last 5 months and 3 mediocre sites because I was jumping around various affiliate strategies.
            3. Had I just focused on this one good baseball hats site (raising the serps, more content) I think I could have at least doubled my earnings to date.

            Long story short, it is all about taking action and following through. The weird thing is, despite only having made about $50 from internet marketing, I can at the very least, see clearly how I can improve and reproduce these results into a respectable side income in the next few years.
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      • Profile picture of the author Perumom
        Originally Posted by haze View Post

        Is it possible to be AFRAID of making money? It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard when I say it, but I do it. As soon as I start making it, I quit working
        I don't know if I'm afraid of making money, but I think I may have a fear of success.
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      • Profile picture of the author ContentPro
        Wow. I thought I was the only one that's let go of sites that make money to only chase my tail on other projects. Rinse and repeat. All of my friends that are succeeding are doing so by focusing on one thing and being their best at that. All the jumping is tiring (and not producing very good results).

        Thanks for the advice.



        Originally Posted by haze View Post

        Awesome advice. I'm going to print it. But I'm curious... I have started making good (well, for me, good) money online - about a sale a day. For some idiotic reason, I quit. I start up again when I need some spending $.

        Is it possible to be AFRAID of making money? It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard when I say it, but I do it. As soon as I start making it, I quit working.

        That is so definitely true.

        ~Haze
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        • Profile picture of the author triplesix
          yea..that's also happen to me..
          just few month ago i earn thousands of dollars constantly per month with a method that i focused on for almost a year..then..i found a new method from a "guru"..i move out with that new method..
          u know what..now i'm not making money at all..!
          i've to start from scratch again..!


          i think focus is one of the key of success in IM..there are hundreds of new method emerges everyday..there are hundreds of ebooks and tools launched everyday...if you don't focus on 1 method, you'll get overload and not making money at all (at least it happen to me..lol)

          Thanks for remind me..this post is really useful
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  • Profile picture of the author sitback
    Hi Joseph,

    A great post and one that I am taking note of as I have just started afresh after chasing my tail for to long. So I will be taking your advice and sticking with my new plan.

    Regards
    Rob
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  • Profile picture of the author KevinFranz
    Great Post!

    I would add one thing to your list: UNSUBSCRIBE to 95% of the email lists you are probably on.

    As newbies, we sign up for everything, and suddenly our inbox is a wasteland of valueless offers, and endless prattle. The problem is - while some of the material is actually good - it all takes us away from the single focus we need. I used to spend way too much time chasing these offers and reading each email. It was a great day when I just went down the list and clicked "unsubscribe" about 20 times.

    Now, I have a core set of folks whose emails really do help me, and the rest are gone.
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  • Profile picture of the author f4ll3rs
    Winners never quit. Just a 3 words sentence but that's what you have to do to create a "success". Keep telling yourself not to lose faith.
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    • Profile picture of the author bernandin
      Originally Posted by f4ll3rs View Post

      Winners never quit. Just a 3 words sentence but that's what you have to do to create a "success". Keep telling yourself not to lose faith.

      winner never quit..... very inspiration
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Ward
    Yes, I'm fighting against this exact scenario right now. I have my first site up and it's getting minimal traffic so far, but I'm starting to question whether I'm doing the right thing, or wasting my time or not. It's hard to swallow the fact that so much time and effort could go into this without any result at all. I admit I've already started looking at other niches, etc. I guess I'll have to buckle down and see this one site to the bitter end, whether it's successful or not. Hopefully it's the former and not the latter.
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    "Keep moving forward."
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary King
    Read just about any product and it says over and over "take action".

    Yet, even though we all see it and hear it, most still ignore it.

    I've taken to saying it like this... whenever I have the "take action" conversation with someone I tell them:

    "Let THIS Be The LAST Time You Need to Hear These Words. Do SOMETHING, even if it's wrong."
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  • Profile picture of the author thebitbotdotcom
    I like the care less point. This is so true. You can waste WAY too much time with little details that nobody cares about that you think are important but really aren't that only gobble up time and impede progress.
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  • Profile picture of the author Slade556
    This isn't always the reason why marketers fail but I agree with you that it is the case over ninety percent of the time. The biggest pitfall of internet marketing in my opinion is that there are too many 'shiny objects' pulling you in every direction. Many become seduced by the marketing (shocking!) and are onto the next thing before even sinking their teeth into the first thing. Following a proven model from beginning to end and then scaling up is the best course of action for success.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Michael
    Very true comments.

    Just to add another thing about the 'not caring'...

    I started to succeed more when I SCRAPPED my to do list.

    Every day now I simply write 1 big thing I want to get done, and get it done.

    the rest of the day I do little things like phone calls, emails and maybe play a bit of jazz.

    You'll get more done if you plan to do ONE THING.

    If you plan to do 10 things, you probably won't even get ONE thing done... That's the case with me anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author fated82
    I think you just hit the nail Joseph. I am at one time doing exactly what you said. Trying out many different methods and see which one works. In the end, nothing get done.

    Now, I am more down to earth. I have picked one industry, one business model and will work on it to see it through! Thanks for the reminder....
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  • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
    Joseph

    You've captured the mindset of many struggling IMers beautifully. Every person who is trying to find that perfect thing that will make them a lot of money should read this thread.

    There are a lot of GOLDEN CARROTS that will be filled with promises of easy wealth. Those carrots are constantly being waved in your face. But, developing a resistance to them is essential to IM success. You really do have to focus on learning and mastering one thing before you can move on to something else.

    Focus on making $5 at something, then set a goal for $10, $20 and so on.

    I've learned this the hard way.
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    Focus+Smart Work+Persistence=Success

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  • Profile picture of the author kimberly Aita
    I actually do follow through quite often only to find that google changes something and I have to start all over again. I did take the time this morning to actually do something I have been thinking about for a long time because you are right as far as not finishing.

    I am easily distracted and find myself hanging out here (this is my new bar hehe) quite a bit because I like to see what is going on and what's new etc.

    Still, I started something that needs more work but I did complete at least something that I could put online. Yippee!!

    Thanks for the post as it is motivating although I do think tpw is correct in that we will read it and move on but still a reminder to stay focused surely couldn't hurt anyone.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joseph Michael
      Don't focus on stuff thats based on loopholes else you will run into this problem,

      but congrats on completing something!

      Good luck to ya

      Originally Posted by kimberly Aita View Post

      I actually do follow through quite often only to find that google changes something and I have to start all over again. I did take the time this morning to actually do something I have been thinking about for a long time because you are right as far as not finishing.

      I am easily distracted and find myself hanging out here (this is my new bar hehe) quite a bit because I like to see what is going on and what's new etc.

      Still, I started something that needs more work but I did complete at least something that I could put online. Yippee!!

      Thanks for the post as it is motivating although I do think tpw is correct in that we will read it and move on but still a reminder to stay focused surely couldn't hurt anyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Michael
    Originally Posted by Ken Rogers View Post

    I actually did something just like this a while back. I was overwhelmed and had way to many ideas and didn't know what was good and always looked for more ways to make money instead of sticking to one.

    So I unsubscribed from every email list, deleted every ebook off of my computer, got rid of all my bookmarks and picked one method. That method happened to be Bum Marketing.

    I only focused on this and nothing else. A few weeks later I had my first sale. It was awesome and now I am making consistent money every day.

    I don't do as much article marketing anymore but the point is I stuck to one thing and used it to make money.
    Yeah Ken, mastering one method and then moving on is the key
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  • Profile picture of the author source47
    I have experienced some of these exact things! I have about 5 years experience with online marketing but I go from one project to the next in a similar fashion. There are a lot of my own projects that I don't finish because after a while, I begin to have doubts about the project or I even have unrealistic expectations (especially, earlier on).

    So by all accounts, I should be able to make a living as an online marketer but because of some of things that you mentioned above, it hasn't happened yet.

    Over the past few months, I've been changing the way that I approach my online business and I have seen more success over the past 3 months than I have over the past 5 years.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joseph Michael
      Can you share what you've changed?

      I'm guessing focus... a wild guess I know lol

      Originally Posted by source47 View Post

      I have experienced some of these exact things! I have about 5 years experience with online marketing but I go from one project to the next in a similar fashion. There are a lot of my own projects that I don't finish because after a while, I begin to have doubts about the project or I even have unrealistic expectations (especially, earlier on).

      So by all accounts, I should be able to make a living as an online marketer but because of some of things that you mentioned above, it hasn't happened yet.

      Over the past few months, I've been changing the way that I approach my online business and I have seen more success over the past 3 months than I have over the past 5 years.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Brighton
    Can I offer my additional thoughts and reasonings to why people don't get anything done, and subsequently fail?

    I'll take that as a yes. They are...

    1. They're set up to fail before they even start.

    If you went to college and the tutor told you that you'll be a hired architect/doctor/laywer/(insert desired profession here) within 3 months, then how would you feel when you start seeing 3 years worth of work involved once you've got started? Would you be more or less encouraged to continue?

    Or how would you feel about the tutor themselves? They've tricked you from the start... giving you less confidence in their training from here on out. If you don't trust your teacher, you won't listen to their teachings.

    How would you feel when, after 6 months, you're still not done learning, let alone actually graduating and finding a job.

    This is basically what many training products do to their students, before they buy the course. No wonder they don't complete it.

    2. They get bored.

    Just because professional boxers get paid a lot of money and fame, it doesn't mean I want to be punched in the face for a living too.

    3. They can't adapt or handle responsibility

    Most people spend at least 5-10 years in some kind of "traditional" employee situation. That means being told what to do, getting help when you need it, and even delegating or sidestepping any learning curves.

    When something goes wrong, there's always someone's hand to hold. In a self employed world, you have to deal with problems off your own back, including accepting responsibility... and that's a tough mental shift for many people.

    4. The training sucks.

    Even a well targeted, dedicated, stubborn student can only go so far with bad training material. There's a reason why the teaching profession requires structure, professional teachers, curriculum... and it's not just to keep the tax payer broke.

    The problem is, there are many people trying to teach great ideas, but in a way that doesn't connect with the student... much less actually allow them to absorb and APPLY that information.

    Then there's the bad teachers who teach bad ideas... .... ....
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  • Profile picture of the author bertyounger
    Good submission. I think we all get enamored with the latest IM gimmick or technology or when we come up with some new wrinkle in our marketing plans. Unfortunately, the success of any given campaign is not necessarily dependent on how innovative or clever we are but instead is almost always tied to our execution of that campaign. Unfortunately, execution is both tedious and time consuming so we tned to drift away thinking of...
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  • Profile picture of the author assertiveone
    Useful.Thank you.
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