(Here’s a post from my newsletter of about a year ago – I was reading it this morning and thought it made a lot of sense so published it here for you…)
We’re internet marketers right?
We’re in it to make money.
Those of use that are in the ‘make money online’ niche actually teach other people how to make money online.
So why the Hell do 95% of all marketers spend 95% of their time doing things that DON’T make them money?
It’s time to get harsh with yourselves people!
The recession is not going to go away for years.
Which means that more people are going to want to make money online to supplement their incomes or go full-time.
Some of those people will be your customers.
But some of them will be your competitors, and guess what?
Some of them will be smarter, more creative and more motivated than you (and me)
And they’re coming into YOUR niche right now!
At the moment you have the advantage of experience and knowledge over them, but that won’t last long.
So this is the time to take a long hard look at your business and DUMP everything that isn’t making you money, and instead focus and expand on the things that ARE.
You no longer have the time to fanny around with that authority site you ‘really want’ to build.
It’s no good bunging an odd post on it every month and a half.
Instead force yourself to make one post every single day for 30 days, and to slap some banner ads, AdSense and other forms of monetization on it right now!
If it’s not making you money, or working toward that goal then it’s just mental masturbation.
(Told you this would be harsh, but what a great phrase though!!)
Ah! You say…
‘But most of my sites ARE working towards making me some money’
What I would say to that is, if you’ve not seen any results from your efforts in a month then dump it.
Unless you’re working on a huge software product or other project that going to take a lot of time, you need to limit yourself to 30 days’ worth of action then you need to see results.
Creating a product and launching it does NOT take more than 30 days unless you’re playing at it.
You can’t make excuses for yourself any longer guys. You need to get established in IM as quickly as you can.
The longer you leave it the harder it gets.
And people who are RIGHT NOW seeing their first IM site will be working hard to establish themselves.
And it could only take a matter of WEEKS before they get to your level then surpass you.
You see yourself in any of the following scenarios? I did.
See if you use any of these excuses (I’ve used them ALL before I started kicking my own arse)
‘It’s taking me forever to create this content’
Outsource it.
‘I’m finding it really difficult to drive traffic to my site’
Buy some
‘I don’t have enough time to work on my IM business because I have a full-time job’
Get up an hour earlier and go to bed an hour later
‘I don’t know which part of internet marketing I want to go into’
Go do some research and decide, or go do something else with your life
I don’t especially like ranting but I’ll be honest, it was a rant that kicked my arse in the early days and prompted me to do the one thing that has kept me going more than any other:
‘Just Find A Way!’
The old example is that you’d ‘find a way’ if someone was pointing a gun at your head.
They’re not now. Not literally of course, but give it another 12 months and the state of the US and Europe might get to the point where you need to rely on your IM income.
And by then it might be too late.
Like I said, I don’t like motivation through fear.
I much prefer help and encouragement. But it was someone ranting like this that actually got me going in the early days.
I hope you take it in the spirit it’s intended and start making the move today 🙂
Comments welcome below – what do you think?
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Thanks to Carl for the heads up – he tried to leave a comment but his firewall at work reckoned my mention of ‘mental masturb….thingy’ meant this was a dodgy blog LOL
Tony
Spot on!
I’m like most IMers I know – i.e. I’ve played around with lots of stuff online, probably because it felt more comfortable learning new stuff rather than trying to make money.
Learning new stuff makes you feel clever – “Look at me – I have created a Facebook page etc…”.
Trying to make money makes you feel exposed and vulnerable – “What if I don’t make any money? Everyone will know I’ve failed!”
I’m still suffering from this ‘illness’ to some extent. My kick up the arse was the frightening realisation that my day job (freelance business consulting) is getting harder and harder. Work is more scarce. Rates are getting lower. The competition is getting tougher (and younger) – I’m old enough to be the dad of a lot of my competition :o(
Cheers, Gary – aka The Old Fart.
Thanks Gary – i liked this point:
‘Trying to make money makes you feel exposed and vulnerable’
Very true – you;re right out in the spotlight and it;s not a comfy feeling.
You DO have to develop an attitude of not caring so much what other people think and getting on with it, which is easier said than done but it works.
Thanks for posting
Tony
Tony,
I do like your occasional ‘tell it like it really is ‘ rants.
The thing is it’s the truth, and I automatically started to think about focusing on the business of selling.
(Becker also talks a lot about mental masturbation, maybe you got that term from him)
All the best,
Ray
I’m not sure where I first heard the term, but it’s a great way of describing something that is vaguely pleasurable but has no real purpose or worthwhile outcome…
…sort of like browsing the Worrier Forum.
Thanks for posting Ray
Tony
Tony,
Thanks for the virtual kick up my far from virtual rear end.
Good advice as always, especially as regards eliminating excuses.
The Worrier Forum indeed! :-)How much time do we waste there, worrying about what others are doing and what we’re not!?
Cathal
Hi Tony,
I have been guilty MM; being a constant student. I only started making money when I made and released my own products, and with emailing my list too and, since taking your advice about solo ads, my response is getting better.
So my focus would have to be creating products (with funnels) and mailing my list.
Thanks for the rant. Much needed I feel. Many good points.
I agree with Gary as well. It is more comfortable learning new stuff. But there is not much money in comfort, and lots of comfort with money. (I just made that up).
Thanks again,
David
David hit the nail on the head when he says:”I only started making money when I made and released my own products, and with emailing my list too and, since taking your advice about solo ads”
and ALL the above mean coming out of your comfort zone, although to be fair getting a funnel together and buying solo ads is a lot easier than creating your own products
right again by saying ‘there’s not much money in comfort’…
…well it actually gets easier coming out of your comfort zone with practice.
I just do it a bit at a time – I don’t like too much discomfort 🙂
Thanks for posting
Tony
Hi Tony,
Hope you n family are all fab and okay…
Loved this blog post very much!
But which in your opinion should come first: 1) The Squeeze Page set-up or 2) The Authority Blog set up??
Question No 2 for me has always been perplexing as if you start driving traffic to a newly hosted blog with very little by way of posts etc: people may not think much of your “Authority within the IM Industry”
Your thoughts?
Best wishes
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Nice to hear from you.
I’d always go for the squeeze page / sales funnel set up first because it brings money in faster and frees you up from your job quicker if that’s what you want.
If you populate an authority blog with a lot of content then most people will assume you;re an authority even if you’re not.
In my view an ‘authority’ is someone who is worth reading and whose opinions make sense whether they’ve been in the industry ten years or ten minutes.
Comes back to the same vein that’s been running through these comments – stop worrying about what other people think 🙂
Thanks for posting
Tony
Good post, hopefully some people to take it to heart and run with it. After 10+ years online I still have my times and things I don’t get done.
To Gary: Who’s going to know you failed? I doubt you show everyone your master plan and they sit at their computers watching to see how it goes. Seriously, who’s going to know?
I also think one of the biggest problems is people don’t believe 100% in themselves and what they are doing. If you don’t believe you CAN do it, it’s hard to get motivated and take action. Just my opinion of course.
When I got started online, I used my frustration and lack of money from working for some one else (didn’t really matter who) as the fuel to motivate myself and take massive action. I also believed without a doubt that it was going to work, and well.. it did.
I am no genuis, no guru gave me some uber secrets, I just worked plans that worked.
Like You said Tony, I got up earlier and stayed up later before and after the day job. Some days I didn’t even sleep.
Sorry if this was too long 🙂
I can’t believe what absolute GEMS are coming out in this thread.
Ron said:
“When I got started online, I used my frustration and lack of money from working for some one else (didn’t really matter who) as the fuel to motivate myself and take massive action.”
Me too mate – if you ever need a sharp stick to keep you going in IM it;s a job you hate
Thanks for posting
Tony
Hi Tony,
Your posts always make me laugh, and that’s what keeps me coming back! 😉
My IM marketing problems absolutely vanished into thin air when I put this one word into practice: FOCUS!
You cannot move forward in life on anything unless you focus in like a laser beam on ONE THING AT A TIME! If your car is leaking gasoline and ready to explode, you don’t go over and work on the radiator.
That means quit jumping around on every webinar that comes along–focus on the one thing that thrills you the most, and get the book written, or the product developed, or the darn site created, or whatever the top priority item is on your list that is gonna make you $$, and chuck the rest.
Complete one thing and then move onto #2. Rinse ‘n repeat.
Thanks bro!