- Procrastination
- Shiny object syndrome
- Not being organized
- Depending on third parties
- Believing all traffic is same
- Sending direct traffic to offers
- Not building a list
- No goal setting
- Not having a hawk’s eye overview
- Not networking
- Not connecting on social media
- Perseverance
- Not investing
- Not mapping
- Consistency lost
- Not having a mentor
- Not using video
- Not having funnels
- Not spending on education
- Overthinking
1.Procrastination is the easy excuse for putting tasks aside, hoping the timing will be right in the future to start or complete a project.Procrastination is not always down to laziness, but can be symptoms of being overworked, overawed, unorganized, easily distracted while trying to strive for perfection. The best way to address theses issues is to accept you can only do your best by putting in a concerted effort when energized within an allocated time and breaking your tasks down to achievable increments. Only give yourself a break when you have achieved a planned section.
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” ― Neil Armstrong
2.The ‘Shiny Object Syndrome‘ gets to most newbie marketers or entrepreneurs at some stage of their journey seeking that ‘one push button’ to riches or riding on the adrenaline rush of new trendy ideas or products, only to abandon it for the next ‘new’ idea. The enthusiasm soon buried under all the unfinished ideas and products.
To overcome these distractions you need to set yourself goals, belief in your capabilities and push any FOMO (fear of missing out) out of your memory. Evaluate these shiny objects first and only if you are positive it will improve your business and help to advance what you are existingly doing, then only consider acquiring it.
If it is only going to bring more confusion to yourself and your staff (if you are that lucky) without definite contribution to conclude projects, then leave well alone. Basic principles always remain the same and trends will rise and go, so staying focussed is more important.
3.Not being organized will create havoc in any business situation or entrepreneurial life. Whether it is lacklustre goal setting or purely overhyped creativity leading to this disruptive behaviour, it is of utter importance to recognise the important structures to achieve success. Dot this down, structure it and stick to the plan. Only deviate once you have hit your targets, but only if you can proof that the deviation is actually superimposing goals.
4.Depending on third parties solely for income, traffic and operational activities must be avoided at all cost. The wider you cast your net, the more you can secure your business, whether it is offline, online or affiliate marketing. Always expect terms and conditions to change, rules to change and impulsive behaviour. Conform to regulations of these third parties to give you any chance of appeal should the worst happen. This is the best advice not to become another casualty of Google, PayPal or YouTube, etc. Furthermore, always set yourself up with concurrently running alternatives.
5.Believing all traffic is the same is a misconception. Sending hordes of cold traffic to product sales pages or offers will basically not convert, unless you are lucky. No business can be built on luck. You need to profile your customers to reach a targeted audience. Only then send traffic and you will be surprised with what can be achieved with targeted customers that are willing to spend. Using free Facebook Analytics will quickly give you an understanding who your customers are and an insight to your audience.
6.Sending direct traffic to offers will cost you money, deprive you from building an online business and will need a hard continuous effort. It is recommended to use a bridge page or squeeze page to capture the emails of your hard-earned traffic before sending them off to the other vendors. You do get software that lets you build YOUR buyers email list when you sell other people’s products.
7.Not building a list goes hand in hand with sending traffic directly to offer and will prevent you from earning a passive income.You always hear ‘the money is in the list’ and that truly reflects in any online venture. List building needs to start from the outset. You need to master list building to get a nurtured, responsive list. Having a proper list will also guarantee future income in case of third party rejection as previously mentioned. Having an online business is having your own list that cannot be taken away from you! Set up a squeeze page today, link your autoresponder, set up your list with follow up emails and you will never regret it.
8.No goal setting is very detrimental to any online venture.Reverse engineering your main goal into smaller increments, will provide you with an achievable pathway. It will also increase motivation as a main goal in the too far future may leave you jaded and dejected.For example, if you want to earn $60000 in a year, $5000 per month, $1250 per week, roughly $180 per day, then you can achieve this by selling a single product or multiple products.Multiple products will relief pressure and reaching achievement easier.Never get blinded by the end target.
9.Not having a hawk’s eye overview you will miss what you want to achieve and you may lose the plot. Stand back and evaluate what you are doing, whether you are reaching your goals or why you are missing your goals. Is your goal set, achievable? Do you have the right plan in place? Can you see progress?Working too intensely may cause you to lose track of your surroundings and spending a few minutes a week evaluating, will allow you to connect with your project again. Sometimes this can inject energy into a project when noticeable progress has already been achieved.
10.Not networking, whether it is online or offline, will severely hinder sales. Many people may be introverts, but will need to overcome this as being in an online business surely requires connections like JV partners or affiliates and even communication with a potential following. You just need a few well connected partners to make a huge success and then you will surely reciprocate. It is a win-win situation. Reach out today!
11.Not connecting on social media goes hand in hand with networking and is a channel not to be missed.The growth of social media is phenomenal and influencers can make or break a business.Donald Trump’s election as president has shown the power of social media. Even a ‘tweet’can bring massive results!Just beware, do not get distracted and spend too much time here. Allocate your time and stick to it.
12.Perseverance is of utmost importance. How many marketers have actually given up not knowing how close to a breakthrough they really were? Countless! Frustration, lack of results, lack of sleep and breakdown of relationships cause many a marketer just to give up. In the back of their minds the failure will stick, though they know achieving success online is possible.
Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path. Phillip Sweet
13.Not investing in your business because it is online is detrimental to any progress and success. Like any other business you need the right equipment and tools. The cost of an online business startup is only a fraction of what a real bricks and mortar business will require. By investing wisely initially, long term costs will come down and can be scaled up later. Investing in tools and software of well established companies will mean a long secured future and regular updates, thus keeping your business current. Skimping on the building blocks of your online business will only prove to be costly later. If you are on a tight budget, be patient, invest wisely when you can afford it.
14.Not mapping out your projects will leave you in the dark. Set dates, goals and use mindmap software to set out your flow, ideas and integrations. This will allow you to grasp immediately what you are trying to achieve and how you are going about it. This will allow you to change direction or add more steps if needed.
15.Consistency lost by not following a routine will detract from your achievements. Plan your daily, weekly, monthly, yearly routine in advance and stick to it. Refining it is acceptable, until you can and want to outsource. Knowing the effort and time needed for each section of your routine, you will be able to identify what can be outsourced economically to save you time. Money can always be made, but time is lost forever.
16.Not having a mentor will mean you have to put in way more time and effort into research what is working or not working. This will also put you on a path of trial and error that can prove to be more costly than having a mentor that has done it all before. Following a successful blueprint is much easier than trying to ‘invent the wheel again’. That is one of the reasons why I have signed up to the Partnership to Success program.
17.Not using video today is a big , big mistake. Video marketing is hot. YouTube has become one of the quickest growing search engines. People are more responsive to video. HubSpot figures indicate that 500 million people are watching videos on Facebook every day and Snapchatters are watching 10 billion videos every day. 85% of video watched on Facebook is without sound! So, videos with transcription must be a huge market?
18.Not having funnels in place mean losing out massively! The money is in the back-end offers and will substantially multiply your income. When planning your product offer, you need to know beforehand what your back-end offer will be. You need to have your sales funnels in place. When people are buying your products they are more likely liking them and will surely buy relevant products when introduced to them. By not offering the other products in your sales funnel, you are missing out big time.
19.Not spending on education mean you are losing out on potentially growing your business with newly acquired knowledge and methods. Attending courses with like minded entrepreneurs is worth every penny. You will find a fountain of ideas and network partners. The buzz and the mindset at most events normally provide energy for a few weeks after the event. One golden nugget can easily cover your course fees.
20.Overthinking normally leads to procrastination and the lack of starting any projects. Waiting on timing to create the ideal project will never happen. As no product will ever be perfect, put that mindset to the side and just go out there and do it! Just make a start from what you have taken away from any course, put it in place and be determined to complete it. There is never going to be a better time then now.
Please feel free to add your obstacles you have experienced by commenting below.
