eComm Tips

I received a newsletter from Perry Marshall today (author of the Definitive Guide to Google AdWords) and he shared some really good insights that I thought I’d pass on.

“You can’t learn to ride a bicycle at a seminar.”

It really doesn’t matter what aspect of life we’re talking about, there’s an enormous difference between learning from a guru and actually doing it yourself. The bottom-line truth about really talented marketers comes down to one word.

Just one.

That word is: TESTING.

If you don’t test - if you don’t develop an idea, run it up the flagpole and see who salutes, with hard numbers and percentages - you really don’t know anything.

If you DO test - then you know what you know. And nobody can argue with you. That’s all there is to it.

Does long copy work or is short copy better? Should I have a sales letter website or a traditional one? Should I price this at $500 or $1000? Should I use a soft-sell approach or is hard-sell better?

The answer to every question is: test and find out.

The point is that you can read and learn and read and learn and never really know what you should be doing. It all comes down to action. It comes down to being willing to try something even if there is a possibility of it failing.

Have you ever been held back because you thought that something might not work? Have you ever been afraid to put $100 into a marketing campaign because there was a chance that you might make the money back, but there was also a chance that you might not?

I think all of us (myself included) have been in any of these situations before. The lesson that we have to learn at some point or another is that at times you have to be willing to take the step, even though it might fail. And even then, you can still learn from what happened and do better on the next step you take!

• Comments (51)

So 2008 is almost upon us. I don’t know if any of you believe in New Years Resolutions, but I think they’re basically a good idea. The problem with these Resolutions is that most people just casually set some type of goal and that’s why they never really achieve it.

How about doing things differently this year? What if instead of setting a New Year’s Resolution, you set a “2008 Plan of Attack”? In other words, you set some goals that you are actually planning on achieving and even set up a game plan for how you’re going to do it.

I’d like to give you a short quote from the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, then we’ll talk about how this applies to setting this Plan of Attack:

First. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient to merely say ‘I want plenty of money.’ Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter).

Second. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as ’something for nothing.’)

Third. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.

Fourth. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.

Fifth. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

Sixth. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. AS YOU READ– SEE AND FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.

So how does this apply to setting a Plan of Attack or Resolution for 2008? Well, most likely when you’re set goals or resolutions in the past you haven’t gone through all of these steps. Follow these steps for getting your internet business going this coming year. Set a definitely goal, decide when you want it to happen (being realistic of course), create your plan for carrying it out, and then keep that goal in your thoughts every day.

These steps apply to other areas of your life as well. You can use these steps for fitness goals, relationship goals, etc. Use these steps in the coming year and watch how your life changes!

• Comments (9)

I was reading a post today from Yaro Starak on his great blog Entrepreneur’s Journey. The post was 4 Tips For Becoming A More Productive Entrepreneur. The tips are pretty simple, but it’s with simple things that we make big changes. Here are the 4 tips that he suggests:

1. Don’t Watch Television
2. Hire A House Cleaner
3. Don’t Eat Processed Sugar
4. Don’t Respond To Email

I’d like to take these tips and break them down a little bit into some other general ideas for you. I would break his 4 tips into 3 main categories:

1. Don’t waste time with meaningless activities
2. Spend your time doing the most important activities
3. Take care of your health

Don’t Waste Time With Meaningless Activities

Watching TV and a ton of other activities are in essence a waste of time. Does that mean that they don’t have their place in life? I’m sure they do, but make sure that you’re putting first things first. Too many people these days make the excuse that they “don’t have enough time” to build a business or any other worth-while activity, and yet they wouldn’t miss American Idol for anything. It’s a matter of priorities.

Spend Your Time Doing the Most Important Activities

Emails can take up a ton of your time. Set up spam filters and anything else you can to limit spam and pointless emails. Also, only respond to those email that necessitate a response. There are other “busy work” activities that can take up your whole day if you like them. Sure they’re important, but prioritize your time to do the most important activities before doing the busy work stuff.

Take Care of Your Health

What good would it be to become a wealthy individual and not have the health to enjoy it? Not only that, but when you’re healthy you work better. You feel better and can work harder when you feel better physically, and also when you feel better about yourself. So take care of yourself!

I know these are simple points, but I think that a lot of us forget these simple things. Check your life and see if you need to make some adjustments somewhere.

• Comments (34)

Have you ever started a project, and then after a week you get bored of it and only come back to it once every couple of months? I think that we are all guilty of this from time to time. Whether it’s building a model, learning a new hobby, or whatever, we all know that this is not the best way to learn how to do something or to become good at it.

The sad thing is that this is how some of us will approach starting a new online business. Let me give you an example:

So you get all excited about your new online venture, and for the first couple of weeks you are working on it pretty good. You’re starting to get the site built, or maybe you have it built and you’re in the initial stages of marketing. Then something comes up. Maybe you have to put in more time at work. Maybe one of the kids gets sick. Whatever it is, something comes along and takes your time. And before you know it, you haven’t worked on your site for about two weeks.

Here’s the thing: things will come up in life. Heck, things come up in my life all the time. But if you had a business that was doing well and you left it for two weeks, what would happen? Personally, I don’t think any of us would leave it alone for that long if we know that it was making money! But have you noticed that it’s so much easier to do that when we’re just getting started?

So here’s what I want all of you (and myself at times ) to consider: how do you expect the site to be a good, successful business if you don’t work it like it already is one?

If you want your site to become a success, you’re going to have to work at it. Otherwise you won’t be able to handle it when it does!

• Comments (15)

Ok, I admit that money is a great motivator. But I also know that if money is your only motivation, you probably won’t stay motivated too long.

I’m a big believer that you have to be able to see more than just the dollar signs. What I’ve found is that when the going gets rough (or boring ), you need to be able to rely on something else. That’s one reason why I also believe that you should have other things that you are striving for that give your business and life meaning.

Maybe it’s a trip to Hawaii, maybe it’s being able to pay off the debt that you have. Whatever it is, try to find a bigger cause than just the money.

Money can do a lot of things for you. It can talk care of a lot of the troubles that you have. But in the end it is just paper. Think more about what you can do with it. How can you enrich your life or the life of loved ones. What really motivates you?

I think it’s worth your time to sit down and figure this one out. I’ve worked with a lot of people to help them get their new businesses set up. And one thing that I’ve found is that the ones that always tell me “I just gotta make more money” are the ones that also get the most frustrated when it doesn’t happen overnight. Having a good, solid internet business is not an overnight project. It’s going to take work. So find yourself a good motivator. You’ll be glad that you did!

• Comments (14)

I don’t know what it is, but I’ve noticed that a lot of people get involved with starting a new internet business and expect that it is just going to be an overnight success just because it’s online. It’s almost like there is a magic URL out there that has an “Easy Button” that will make all of your wildest dreams come true. (If any of you have this URL, please send it my way )

Jeremy Schoemaker, the guy behind ShoeMoney.com, made a great little video a while back that I think illustrates his thoughts on this topic perfectly. Here’s the video.

Here’s something I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time: being successful in anything is going to take working at it. Whether its an online or offline venture, you’re still going to have to treat it like a business. You’re going to have to learn new things, try new things and see what happens, and as with most businesses you may lose a little money along the way. But keep going. If you keep going and keep working at it you’re going to get there. Don’t give up on what you’re trying to achieve.

Anyway, this is just something that I’ve been thinking about quite a bit over the last couple of weeks and thought I’d share the though here. Feel free to share any of your thoughts or comments as well!

• Comments (8)