What's your biggest frustration/challenge getting started?

I won't speak for anyone else, but it most likely comes down to overload.

Anyone taking action can probably go and find a client within a week (ie cold calling 100 cold companies every day).

But positioning the right way sounds like a daunting task. Especially if you don't "know someone who knows someone that has a business" and can give you your first success that you can leverage after.

I read the offline thread way late (started reading it last week) and it sounds like something I can do, more profitably than IM itself. Takes a lot of digital product sales to match what some of the posters reported extracting from clients.

Setting up the operation the right way (somewhat ranked website, sales funnel, "book", networking, other credibility stuff), however, seem like a PITA. Well worth it mid term, for sure, but it's not like you can get up one morning, get a bunch of clients and make 20k/month.

I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. Very interested but intimidated at the initial set-up, especially if they don't start with contacts to use. Same as Bob Serling's stuff, which I think I've seen you comment on in another thread.

i like your suggestion of "turned to a more consultive approach, listening to the prospect to identify where they currently were, where they want to go, and what they were currently doing to get there...then I'd make one suggestion for proceeding forward with (removes the overwhelming confusion of providing multiple ideas at once) and then after the suggestion was implemented, would proceed to suggest the next! =)
"

Mostly it's the fear of rejection or the fear of meeting new people that stops people from offline marketing.. the method may be solid or bring in millions a year but as long as there's cold calling, personal visits, face to face negotiation etc. most people get turned off immediately.. It's a mental block that's all it is really..

For me it was much the same as a few mentioned above. Sadly, I was actually fired by a client about 6 weeks into a job several years ago when I first started. Humiliating, sure, but it taught me a very valuable and perhaps business saving lesson.

I went out there with my "business in a box" mentality selling the business owners on my one-size-fits-all package, watching them get all lathered up about how many searches were done on a keyword and how getting them on Google page 1 was the end all answer to unlock the riches never seen before. :/

When that didn't turn into customers and I was faced with a really humiliating conversation, I did a 180 on my approach to offline marketing, and I'll never look back.

Now, I look at the value I can bring to business owners, based on my full marketing "toolbox" and customize my strategies for each client. Yes, it is primarily about listening. I found such freedom, and authenticity when I put down my little business in a box, and started being a real consultant. A trusted adviser.

I was less interested in landing the client, and more interested in how I might be able to build a solid marketing strategy, specific to that client, that absolutely crushes their competition. The paradigm change brought with it unexpected bonuses.

1. A sincere desire to help a business owner removes the need for a sales pitch... it just naturally forms through a genuine consultative relationship. (at least that's my experience)

2. I felt empowered, to the point where I've walked away from 2 nice chunks of business simply because I didn't believe the owners were ready for a consultant. They wanted a "yes man" that they could still hold accountable for any lack of fulfilled expectations. No thanks.

3. It's a completely awesome feeling to have the freedom to creatively customize a strategy, where I can mix and match all the diverse marketing knowledge I've gathered over time. To me, it's what floats my boat. My creative outlet.

So overall, my failure became my greatest motivation for change. I love the offline businesses, and I love it even more when you can just be yourself, while looking out for the business owners best interest.

Win-win.

Coach John Wooden said it best for me; "Happiness begins, where selfishness ends."

Will

"Happiness begins, where selfishness ends." John Wooden

I'm stealing that one and putting it in the "quote" text document of mine.

I agree with what others have said. When I first started out, I was honestly just afraid of coming across "salesy" in any of my lead-generating approaches. I know everyone hates "sales guys", but I realllllllly hate "salesy-hypey-in your face" stuff.

The problem comes when you are trying to be confidant in your approach and abilities, but still use the "consultant" angle, well sometimes I'd get paranoid I was being "salesy". I think all of the over-saturation of HYPE BUY ME NOW INTERNET MARKETING mentality really makes question my approaches sometimes too. If anything, being exposed to all of the GENERAL IM HOOLAH on the daily, I feel that it allows me to develop a unique consultant approach that is essentially the opposite of the "BUY ME NOW" stuff that gets pushed online. But I still second-guess myself sometimes.

Basically, a lot of what people hate about internet marketing in general (but it obviously works/converts), simply does not translate well in the "real world". Though this is obvious to many, it still affects my lead generation approaches in a heavy way.

- Jim

My biggest frustration in getting going is that I keep second guessing myself. I'll find a method and if there is a gap in the information I start thinking the 'what if'.

I need to just get one method down on paper and give that a shot. try it and see how it goes. I can always change it at a later date.