The Unrealistic Expectations of “Newbies”

Most people attempting to market on the Internet for the first
time have unrealistic expectations, which are fueled by all the
‘hype’ they see in ads and on websites. These “newbies” initially
have no clue that they are viewing ‘hype’ that is simply meant to
separate them from the contents of their wallets by unscrupulous
marketers. The poor saps believe what they see in these ads, and
shell out their hard earned dollars for an unending parade of
eBooks, membership sites, and eCourses, the contents of which are
almost all available for Free on the Internet if they knew where
to research the topics! They are led, like lambs to the
slaughter, on an endless road in search of the magic formula that
will put them in the top 5% of marketers online who actually do
succeed. These “newbies” truly believe they can realistically
earn a six-figure income within 90 days as some “opportunities”
claim!

Because they believe the ‘hyped’ information they are seeing on
the Internet – on websites, and in Newsletters and eBooks, they
spend unnecessary money and waste far too much time digging for
that one big secret that will let them earn big bucks by setting
up one website that will pump money into their bank accounts on
autopilot! After all, isn’t that what the gurus they have
constantly paid keep telling them?

Within the last four weeks of this post I have received 100’s of
emails for Internet products that go from free to thousands of
dollars! The expensive ones stand out because I feel so sorry
for newbies that buy these things. Now I am not saying they are
not good products, but I am saying they are over priced.

There was one awhile ago that taught you how you could be your own
video boss. Do you realize how many courses there are on making
Internet videos? I have an awesome course that I bought for $47.00
instead of $1997.00, that has taught me everything I need to know.

There was another course out on a really hot topic, helping
offline businesses get online. You know kink of a main street
marketing type course. Again another topic that has courses
made out of courses from other courses. There are so many
of these out there I have private label rights to one. You
don’t need a $2000 course to tell you how to do something
on the Internet that you already know how to do. The only
difference is you are doing it for someone else instead of
yourself.

I can’t stop until I mention this one. Have you noticed how
everybody is talking about outsourcing and how many people
there are selling courses on it? Yes you can spend $1997.00!
Here’s a tip for you, go to Craig’s List, over on the right
click on Philippines,then click on Manila, then click on
services. BAM! Outsourcers. Send me $1997.00 through Paypal
if you want.

Let’s Be Realistic Here…

First of all, “gurus” have lists of thousand that they have built
up over several months or years. The guru develops a new
“revolutionary, secret” informational product that is then
promoted to these people who have opted-in to the mailing list.
The members on these lists, also, are probably “newbies” paying
for that bit of magic information that, once revealed, will make
them rich beyond their wildest dreams! No wonder these “gurus”
make six figures! They have the right tools (autoresponders,
squeeze pages, presell pages, bonus offers, back-end offers,
Newsletters, affiliate products, eBooks, and back links, joint
ventures and ad-tracking software to tell them which ads and
advertising resources actually work), and that makes all the
difference.

Information Overload…

Most “Newbies” waste far too much of their precious time
searching for the magic bullet that will blow away every obstacle
in the way of their six-figure goal. Basic information that they
already have is probably more than enough to get started, but
they will not earn six-figures in 90 days…that much is
certain.

The three most important factors the 95% fail to realize:

1. Never get bogged down in ‘information overload’. Time spent on
gathering information on marketing should be limited to reading
only a handful of newsletters and information sent from their
opt-in lists. Too much of either is bogging a marketer down and
is a veritable waste of time. If a Newsletter or opt-in list is
only sending you an endless list of links that sell you stuff,
and give very little valuable marketing information, they should
be dropped like a hot potato. Such things are designed to do only
one thing – to separate a trusting “newbie” from his/her hard
earned cash.

2. Marketers should spend their valuable, and often limited, time
on the Internet where it will offer the most benefit. If it will
not earn you money, it probably is a waste of your time. A wise
marketer always will refrain from “program hopping” and will pick
only one or two long running, proven money making programs to
promote.

3. Take things step by step and focus on actively promoting your
chosen (one or two – not dozens at a time)programs that have
proven to endure the test of time. Choose those programs
carefully. A good program, if promoted, tested and tweaked
properly, will be successful at earning a substantial income. The
best programs are to be found in a product that is in a niche
that is popular and selling well. How does one find this
information?
Hint: look at the product listings in the ClickBank Marketplace.
Each listing has different criteria that rank each product by
popularity, and the percentage of sales that result from
affiliate efforts, along with other information. One look at the
product title and you will be able to determine the niche that is
popular and selling well for affiliate members of ClickBank.
Knowing your target niche will help you with Adwords, and other
PPC programs. Just remember that the narrower and more focused
your targeting is, the less your clicks will cost and the more
money you will keep in your pocket.

If you follow this simple set of three steps, online success will
definitely follow. Just break all this down to three words.

1. Focus – Focus on less to achieve more
2. Time – Manage your time to ROI ratio – Use time, do not waste
it.
3. Target – Target to the smallest niche possible and you will
keep more money in your bank account.

Keep things simple. That practice alone has worked for hundreds
of successful online marketers. Quite a few successful marketers
have practiced the above principles all the way to the bank to
deposit six-figure incomes. Are you next?

Have an idea for a new business but are unsure about how to proceed?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, this article could be of benefit to you.

Many people are looking at ways to become self-employed. They’ve had enough of being dictated to and fed up with long and frustrating commutes to work. They want the freedom of being their own boss and to be able to choose their own hours of work.

Leaving a full time career can be quite a scary prospect however. The security of having a regular income and other benefits such as a pension  and health insurance can be hard to let go. I am sure many people  right or wrong have opted to stick with job security and to merely keep their business plan as an idea, which they never see through or use.

Other people are willing and happy to take the risk and see it as a way of getting out of the rat race.

When you have an idea for a new business you will need to think of a name to call it. I would keep it short as it makes it easier to remember. It obviously needs to have something to do with the business sector you are entering. It should tell people what you do, don’t name it after yourself.

You will need to work out how much money you will need to set up your business. This can be quite daunting but is essential. In the short term I would advise to keep these start up costs as low as possible,test the water so to speak.

The next stage is to market your product or service. This is the area where most businesses fail. Just because you have a good idea doesn’t mean it will sell by it self. You really need to study up on this topic or get some help.

I would advise finding out where other people from your industry advertise as they will have tried and tested many of the above options. Study them to see what they are doing, but be aware what they are doing may not be working. How can you improve on what your competition is doing?

You also need to work out how much to charge for your product or service. This really depends on the competition, how unique your product is, what value your bring to the customer and so forth. One thought when you are just starting out is to keep these charges fairly low in order to attract as many people as I can and to get some income in. Think of it as building your army of customers that will give you testimonials and spread the word about your fantastic business. Then you will be in a position to increase my fees.

It is also important to realise that you will make mistakes along the way. When this happens you must think positive and not to beat yourself up. It is an experience we can learn from. Just keep moving forward.

Always believe in yourself. At times any business will go through rocky periods, this is when you need to be strong. The more work you put in, the more rewards you are likely to obtain.

Self-discipline is one of the keys to your success. Being able to choose your own hours of work may seem like a dream but it can prove to be your downfall if you are not careful. You have to ensure that you work the hours that are required to get your business up and running and to keep it there. It is far too easy to stay in bed for that extra hour or to arrange yet another game of golf. These things are fine once you are established, but this is a long way off at this stage.

Hope these thoughts help,
Blase & Paul

But being a successful entrepreneur requires that you look at the big picture and follow a plan through from beginning to end. Rieva Lesonsky, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine gives some practical guidelines that can help you when beginning your own enterprise:

1. Don’t Quit Your Day Job.
Consider starting your business part-time, especially if it’s online, while you’re working and have a steady income. It usually takes six months to a year to get a business going and you don’t want your ability to make your house payment to hinge upon your company being an overnight success. Start with what you can manage, financially and time-wise, and scale up as your business grows.

2. Find Your Niche.
The days of general stores are over. Particularly online, consumers are looking for stores that specialize. You have to find a need—something a specific group of people want, but can’t get at the big chain stores—and fill it. Advises Lesonsky, “You can’t compete with the big guys, so you have to find where the big guys aren’t and go into your niches.”

3. Have an Online Presence.
Even if you’re not planning to start an online retail business, consider that the internet can still play a valuable role in your company. Having an online presence eliminates the limitations of physical location and broadens your customer base by, literally, millions. It’s also a great tool for promoting yourself and letting people, even in your own area, know that you’re there, and what you’re doing.

4. Refuse to Quit.
Successful entrepreneurship requires creativity, energy, and a drive to keep going when you fail. Few people realize that before Bill Gates created the extremely successful Microsoft 3.0, he created a Microsoft 1.0 and 2.0, both of which flopped—but he kept at it. And that determination and refusal to give up is what will separate successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones. Says Lesonsky, “Arm yourself with optimism to get beyond the ‘No’ or the trouble. There’s nothing wrong in failure—just don’t repeat the same mistake!”

Blase & Paul

All The Best

Blase and Paul

photo credit: permanently scatterbrained