Getting Focused

Thu, Sep 4, 2008

So, did you get organized? I hope you were able to figure out what it is you needed to do to get yourself organized - everybody is a little different except in one critical way. Everyone needs their own self-determined level of organization in order to function optimally.

The next step is getting focused - yeah, it really does go hand-in-hand with getting organized, but it is a little different. You need to focus grasshopper so that you have clarity in what it is you are going to accomplish as well as how you are getting there. ”Hey, that sounds like a goal” you say. Bingo! Oh, but wait, the step after this is the planning stage, isn’t that where goals come in? No, these first three steps are the creation of your goals. This is not a GOAL:

I am going to start a business online

-Start internet marketing business by August 15, 2009

-Spend 2 hours each day on business

I am going to make $105,000 by December 15, 2008

-Need to make $15,000 per month ($3750 per week, $535.71 per day)

etc, etc, etc…

You know, some stupid little thing that you wrote down on a piece of paper, then taped it to your computer to look at everyday. You see people all the time telling you to write down your basic goals and review them daily. Bull puckey! That is an over-simplification, and in and of itself will not work. You need to get more specific about things…..and…..you need to get in a mindset for accomplishing these things. The simple fact is that most people are going to fail. You are greatly increasing you odds of success by starting out with some organization, focus, and planning. I know that I have already said these things, but I am trying to pound it into your head. If you have a thick skull like me, it’ll take a couple of times.

So how can this guy who seemingly has ADD tell me anything about focus? Well, quite simply, because before I learned to focus, everything about internet marketing was a blur to me. So many programs, systems, gurus, all coming from different directions telling me what I need to do. I was wasting money and more importantly time on program after program without dedicating my efforts to any one program because I lacked the discipline of focus. Once I learned to focus, things started to fall into place.

So how do you focus? One of the most important things to do is organize (step 1). Specifically, reduce the amount of information that is coming at you - remember, unsubscribe from lists (I am sure I am going to get a lot of guru love for that recommendation). Un-clutter you life. We are primarily talking about your life as it pertains to online business, so you workspace and your computer. Also, if you can make it clear to your loved ones that you are taking on a part-time business, and your time needs to be respected (good luck with that one), do this as well.

Here is the hardest part about focus. What are you promoting with your business? Do you have your own products? If so, this is easy. Forget about all the ancillary stuff (marketing programs, etc) just focus on your product and making it the best product you can. Simple, the rest will fall into place (with time).

But you don’t have a product do you? Of course not, you are a newbie. None-the-less, you have seen several products that you really like, maybe even purchased and you are doing your part to promote them. So you probably have your favorite five or six programs that you want to focus on - right? Wrong! You need to pick ONE and focus on it. ”But, but, but how can I pick just one?” you ask. Let me ask you, are you reading this because you are making a lot of money promoting those five or six products? Not very likely. The more likely story is that you want to succeed, but lack the focus and knowledge and that is why you are here. Thinking perhaps this guy might be able to give me that magic bullet. Well, sorry, but there is no magic bullet. It is a bunch of bullets that you need to gather and use effectively in order to succeed.

So how do you choose? Well, that depends on what specific market segment you are going after. You probably want to make a go at it in the Make Money Online segment. After all, that seems like a natural fit for your interests. If this is not your chosen niche or category, congratulations, you are way ahead of the game. You need to NOT go at your new business trying to take on the most hotly contested “niche” and it ain’t really a niche - it is the Walmart of niches - humongous (returned 43,500,000 search results on Google as of this writing), and lots of competition. You will get crushed. Now once you have some experience, you can get into this game, but trust me. Stay away until you know what you are doing.

So, hopefully you have some interests that you can pursue making money online with. Such as dog training, basket weaving, exercise, whatever you interests are. Just about every niche out there unless it is really, really tiny will have opportunities for you to make money off of other people’s products. So do some research on what it is you want to focus on- hopefully it is something for which you have a passion - this will make it easier to be a success. Get a list of the affiliate programs you find in that niche, and put them on your excel spreadsheet that you created (you know, in the getting organized section). Don’t pick you product just yet, I am going to give you some information later on about how to pick these products. The main point here if for you to at least get a direction on where you are going to FOCUS your efforts.

So you know what focus is. You need to get into that mindset of being able to focus. Clear the distractions, clear the noise, it will only hinder your efforts. Work on this. It is not easy, but it will pay off.

And just so you understand what it is I am doing here, is that I am laying out information for critical thinking. You need to think about what is being discussed, determine how it applies to your situation, and derive what useful information you can for yourself…and most importantly apply it. I cannot write down all the details. The details are where you come in…

Next time, putting together a plan.

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