So what is the biggest stumbling block for internet marketers, both new and old? It’s a question that many people ask, and it seems there are many answers. In my honest opinion few are right!
The answers I have heard include:
Shinny Object Syndrome – this is where people jump from one idea to another believing that the next launch, the next ebook, the next software product is “the one” that will make them rich
Not having a list – certainly this is a stumbling block, as we all know “the money is in the list.” However even without a list you can potentially make money
Lack of traffic – oh yeah this one is said a lot. You see people say “but if I had more traffic I would make (more) money.” But again that is not always true, as even if you had 200 people a day visiting your site if they are not targeted or not buyers you won’t make money
“They” have all the luck – many people blame others thinking that they have more luck, they have special skills, they were born to the right family etc, etc, however again all of this is poppycock!
Lack of knowledge – kind of like the above. People will blame the fact that they don’t know everything thus they can’t possibly launch a product or service
My product is not yet perfect – oh the “don’t release it till it’s perfect” answer. Let me tell you there is no such thing as perfection! Since this is your product you will always see fault with it, you will always want to improve it. The important thing is that you launch the product when it is good enough for the market. I don’t mean you should produce half finished products, I mean you need to know when a product is ready, and not always strive for perfection
You see when a person wants to find an excuse for not putting something out there they will. However, sometimes people don’t even realise that they are undertaking self sabotage.
But let me in on what I believe is the big secret to success!
Planning and Taking Action Fast!
They say money likes speed. The quicker you are the more you make. But you know the problem a lot of people have, in my opinion, is they don’t plan. They see an internet business as being different from any other business out there! For some reason many people believe you can just start a business like that, super quick, no planning involved. And then they wonder why they don’t make money
With an offline business before you open your doors, you are planning all the way. Planning your premises, presentation of your goods, what you will sell, how you will make money out of each customer … the list goes on.
When it comes to the online world it seems most people forget about this. They don’t plan. And let me in on a secret – I have been guilty of this too.
Here’s what has happened to me:
- Decided to launch a product
- Created the product
- Created the sales page
- Made a lot of sales
Then suddenly thought, shoot I never:
- created an upsell
- darn I forgot collect email addresses and put them on my autoresponder
- oh man I never put any ads on a download page
Honestly I did not have a process in place. And it is not just me. I have seen other people who have had great launches end up being what one one might call “one hit wonders.” They have one success and then disappear. Why? No succession planning.
It’s down to the planning
The truth is that some people create a product simply for a quick fix, to get them out of a hole they are in. Imagine a shop opening up for a week, then once the initial stock was sold doing nothing as they just needed to make some quick money.
People would soon think how odd it was, that they are not following up with customers, restocking the shelves etc. But this is what so many people online do. They create a product, sell it then they kind of disappear because they have made the 3k that they needed to cover the rent or other expenses.
Those who succeed are those who plan, who take the time to think like a chess player, they think 3 or 4 products ahead. They have all of the pieces of their game lined up.
Look at the big players out there, or even the medium players. They have a well oiled process when they sell a product. Watch the next launch or promotion one of the big dogs do and learn from it.
Getting back to basics
Ok so by now you know you need to plan. However, there is planning and there is planning. This is something I found out the hard way. You need to create a plan and stick to it. Don’t use the excuse of not having time, as one hour a day used wisely is better than 7 hours a day wasted browsing Facebook!
Over the years I have refined my plan and finally decided that I was going to share it with others in the form of my FastActionPlanner series. These planners take you through the first 4 important stages of your document:
- Niche Research Planning
- Product Name Planning
- Product Creation Planning
- Sales Page Planning
Each planner prompts you to take action and guides you each step of the way. However more than that, once you have your plan and launch your product you then have a blue print to do it all over again. But this time you will able to do it quicker!
If you’re serious about building an online business I recommend you check out Fast Action Planner.
This is a guest post written by Richard Butler. If you’d like to be considered for a guest post please contact me.
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