Shiny Object Syndrome AKA (SOS)

There is an awful sometimes unstoppable disease that affects internet marketers and it’s called “Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS).

Some of the symptoms include the inability to finish projects, bad planned ideas with no direction, spending all the money that has been budgeted for existing projects.

The definition among internet marketers of SOS is a “disease of distraction”.

It affects entrepreneurs especially hard as they are unique, tend to be extremely motivated, and are always looking out for new innovations in tech and software as they are fearless when it comes to initiating and creating new systems and products.

These attributes are great to have except when they can’t stop the onset of SOS as they also can’t stop going from change to another change, plan to another plan, product or project to another. They have a hard time focusing and working on one thing at a time.

It is an actual physiological problem that has been become a popular term used for women who keep shopping for that next pair of shoes, earrings, purse, dress, and so on when they have a closet full at home. They get the precious items home and are no longer interested, the buzz is gone and they remember that other pair of shoes, that other purse, those other earrings and dress they saw and must have them too.

They become obsessed with shopping.

The same goes for internet marketers, especially newbies as soon as they get that next great thing they lose interest and will start all over again chasing after the next big thing they read about in an email or see it on Google, Youtube or Facebook.

SOS is out of control when the marketer starts to do the following:

– Does not complete projects keep moving onto the next and the next shiny project before the first or second one is finished ending up with no results or a clear picture of what is or is not working.

– Inadequate planning of ideas, directions and end up putting all their energy into going after the idea of something without thinking it through, putting together the step by step how they are going to achieve it, what is required, how long will it take, what is the end result which leads to unfinished projects and a total waste of time.

– Spending all the money on buying the next greatest wonderful and fun to use the tool and signing up for new software all they end up with is monthly bills, unused tools, and software, still getting nowhere and ending up being frustrated and broke.

But Not All Is Lost Marketers, not to worry, I have your prescription right here.

Start immediately and follow these steps every day, listen to your fellow marketer who has been infected with SOS and is currently on her meds.

– Sit on new ideas, don’t sign up or launch, step back and put the time into doing solid research. Is it the best use of your time and money as not everything that you see or that comes to mind should be pursued.

– Before moving forward with any new plan talk to someone in the biz, mentor, others you know doing marketing online or offline.

– If you are already signed up to a training or system and you haven’t completed all the steps you have no idea how it is going to work so you need to follow through till the end, promote it to your list, place ads and then see the results and change and tweak what is not working and keep building on that.

There are always challenges online for internet marketers but we are a tough bunch and as long as we plan our days, stick to the plan, work at it every day and not lose our way we will come out on top and achieve our goals.

Click here if you would like to learn how to succeed and not be taken down by SOS.

This is a guest post from Sue MacMillan, if you would like to be considered for a guest post please contact me.