April 30, 2008
Could This Be the Problem?
One of my Twitter friends, Chele Neisler recently used 140 alloted characters to post a very poignant observation. For the record, I don’t know precisely what made her post this.
But in working with online entrepreneurs and really trying to give them the PUSH to actually do stuff - her comment illustrated perfectly what holds a lot of people back:
It seems like a lot of people want everything laid out for them when it comes to this online marketing stuff. If they receive general step-by-step instructions, they get tied up on one detail and can’t just come up with a solution for themselves.
Here’s just a couple of the things I see people get bogged down with, but I see similar brain farts like this all the time.
“I have written an ebook and want to sell it, but not sure if I should use ClickBank, PayPal or something else.” - Ummm…your ebook is written, pick a processor and get on with it. Sure, you can get opinions from people, but people use questions like this as a crutch to do nothing.
“I am not sure if I should post other people’s articles on my site because I hear conflicting things about duplicate content.” - If you like the article, post it. It’s that simple…and seriously, since when is a search engine allowed to dictate how you run your website? Besides, who cares what other people argue endlessly about?
Sure, it’s good to get advice from other online entrepreneurs, pick up some how-to information, but taking action and getting results is YOUR responsibility. If you run into something you don’t understand search Google. It’s really easy and you can find information to help YOU answer your questions there IMMEDIATELY, instead of waiting for someone to come to your rescue.
Making decisions and deciding what will work for you and your business is up to YOU only. Sure, some decisions will result in some errors, but correct them and move on.
Free Marketing Course
Alice you hit it on the head. My business is all about helping new businesses online but many times new business owners feel that once a site is set up they can forget about it, I wish that were true we all would be rich lol. Running a successful business online takes more, it takes research, testing and more testing and time. Google is a HUGE source of information and I use it all the time to help out my own clients as well as run my 5 online businesses. While I help get my clients with building websites or wordpress sites/blogs catered to their unique business concepts, basic SEO, resources, counseling and more it is their business and you are so right those decisions on the next step to take is theirs.
Best advice I can give, is for them to do their own research. They know their budgets better than I do and they know what their vision is for their business. Thank you for sharing your post.
While I can give suggestions and offer advice, like you said it is up to YOU to make the best business decisions for YOUR business. What works for one business owner may not work for another, it just takes time and testing to find out what works for YOUR business and you.
-Rebecca White
Oh boy is this ever right up my ranting alley. You know I have come to the conclusion that people who ask for an opinion all the time are folks who don’t like to take responsibility for things. If you give an opinion and they follow it and it does not work the way they think it should, they can just shift the blame.
When I run into a person who ask for opinions all the time, I often reverse the question back to them and let them know that ultimately it is their decision. Or if they ask a question about something that I know you can Google or look at an FAQ on, then I point them in that direction.
I work hard everyday to make a living at home. I research, pray, talk to my husband and maybe my mom, and consult with other like-minded people. However,I make the final decision based on the first two (research and prayer) more than anything else. Because ultimately, the choice really is mine.
Along with lack of imagination are sub-standard or non-existent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. It’s not just online, either. I’ve dealt with electricians, other contractors and handymen (yep, all guys) and auto repair technicians. Out of dozens, only one is good at creative thinking, which is what is necessary to solve problems that require investigation and experimentation. One guy charges for his lack of success. Others just shrug and say, “Duh…I dunno what’s causing that.”
Alice, would you say women are just as guilty of this as men, in your experience? I’ve found women tend to come up with workarounds more often because as moms we have to “make do” so much of the time.
That said, I’m guilty of getting stuck on things, although not decisions. In my case, I certainly don’t lack imagination. But in defense of those who get stuck chronically (raising hand timidly) Internet Marketing is intimidating. This stuff is second nature to you, Alice. You’re not afraid of just getting something out there because you’ve done it over and over.
Not so for someone starting out. EVERYTHING is new and unfamiliar. Everything requires at least one step outside the comfort zone. Every element of building a site, developing a product, creating a sales page, getting PayPal integrated, etc., appears to be of equal importance with all the other 10,000 things an IMer needs to handle (unless you can afford to pay someone else to do them).
A lot is dependent on how our brains are wired. To me, with a brain that goes 100 miles an hour in 100 directions at once and who sees the ENORMITY of getting a product launched, if I get stuck on one step, it’s like hitting a wall at 100 miles an hour.
Let that image sink in. Envision the “car” after the impact. Picture the driver who walked away from the crash. That would be me — battered and bruised, but still alive.
“Just get ‘er done” is a good kick in the pants for people who are merely futzing around, playing at starting a business. And I hear the frustration and irritation you feel, but I wonder how many of those people who get stuck are reeling from the impact of running into yet another wall?
Just something to think about.
Deb Gallardo
Thanks for your comments everyone.
Rebecca, I’ve had to give clients real nudge too…to really connect the dots for themselves.
Latara, good for you. If I’m correct, you haven’t been doing this for a very long time, so good for you for really taking responsibility and making strides.
Deb, I work with more women than men and I see th problem very prevalent in both. Sure, in everyday life, women have to make creative decisions, but the freeze when it comes to online biz decisions.
BUT Deb, Deb, Deb, the “new at this” thing is such a cop out. I haven’t been at this so long that I can’t remember my early days. I followed the advice I set out here:
Do some research.
Make a decision.
Correct mistakes.
For example, when I made my first ebook, I didn’t know how to do a digital download. I did some research and decided on Payloadz.com and got my product on the market fast. If I were to start today with my current knowledge, I wouldn’t choose that system, but at the time, it was what got me to take action. I have no regrets.
My biz history is filled with decisions that I would make differently today, but that doesn’t mean my early decisions were wrong. Those decisions allowed me to gain experience, learn from errors and make even better decsions.
You can’t get experience by doing nothing.
So much of this comes down to fear of failure. When did we get so scared of making a mistake? Very few things cannot be undone or at least modified. We learn as much if not more from our mistakes than from our successes so why cannot we just see them as the valuable learning tools they are?
There goes Chele again - telling it like it is! Not a word wasted and right on the dollar! (Is this Ontarian sounding Texan yet?)
@ Katherine
Some of us aren’t as much afraid of failure as tired of failure and not anxious to add another notch to our belts. Many of us are more afraid of success, because it’s a total unknown. Therefore, it’s more about fear of the unknown than of success or failure, per se. And while failure isn’t fun, if it’s FAMILIAR, guess what people choose unconsciously?
@ Alice
It sounds to me as though you’re just a go-getter by nature. I have a feeling nothing gets in your way. A lot of this is personality, combined with experience, combined with personal demons, combined with whether or not “the moon is in the second house and Jupiter’s aligned with Mars.” *grin*
All I know is that I STRUGGLE DAILY with myself and some days (maybe most days) I lose. If that’s a cop-out then so be it.
Sometimes I think what I need is a keeper. That or a straight jacket.
Deb, this time you have it more right. I believe it is more of a personality thing than an experience thing, but that was the original point. We’re trying to give a good virtual shaking to people who are holding themselves back because they can’t make creative or even practical decisions.
No excuses allowed…just stop the vicious cycle and get on with business!
Everyone’s comments are very poignant for me. I drag my feet at a lot of things, more afraid of the responsibility of success than failing!
This discussion is moving me more in the direction of taking responsibility and taking action. You can’t make progress if you don’t practice and you can’t learn if you don’t make mistakes. I make lots and self-correct as I see them or am told about them.
I’ve heard it said that “You can’t get it wrong and you’ll never get it done” so why not enjoy the process?
Thank you and I’ll be back,
Mary
Yea Mary! Let’s see some more action!