A very frustrated woman wrote to me on my blog and I’m going to show you her note in a minute.
Me Drinking
Pink Koolaid
But before I do, a quick bullet:
- If I were to do what a lot of guys do – and teach newbies that the way to make a lot of money on the Internet is by being my affiliate and selling my products – I would be committing some kind of crime.
(A lot of people teach this, and since there’s an endless supply of newbies, a lot of people going through the revolving door get taken advantage of.)
Yes I have a good affiliate program, and yes my products sell well, but:
If you don’t have an established market presence already, it may make you lunch money but it’s not going to be megabucks. Might be good target practice, but it ain’t going to make you rich.
Same is true of ANY other program or product you might promote. You have to 1) know how to play the game, and 2) enter a niche you can actually compete in.
Today I’m going to give you some straight talk about:
1) How ordinary real people get scammed out of their money online, and
2) How ordinary real people actually make money online, or in any new business for that matter.
I don’t endorse very many other peoples’ products, especially “beginner” products. Much of what I deliver is designed for marketers who already ‘get it.’
Onward to Gia’s cry for help.
I got this very frustrated blog comment from Gia, a woman who has attempted all the usual stuff ‘they’ teach you about how to make money on the Internet:
I’m tired of trying, I really am. What’s left to do? I’m wondering. You are very good with what you do, and I know you’ve made a bundle, but little entrepreneurs like me, nothing, absolutely nothing! No matter what the product or ebook cost, I’ve never seen the profits. And it took me this long to read this email, because I’m loaded with emails, about 5000 of them actually, so I read them slowly to make sure I get some type of benefits, and so far nothing! No matter how very well I follow the instructions. I’m starting to believe they are all over sold out and outdated products.
Gia Lactchman, Brooklyn, NY
Here’s what I wrote back to her:
Gia,
I looked at your website, and if the general gist of what I see there is indicative of what you’re doing, I can tell you exactly what the problem is.
The problem is you’re selling “how to make money on the Internet” information, and that’s how you’re attempting to succeed online.
There is a whole host of problems with that:
1) If you do this the way you’ve probably been taught, it’s nothing but a glorified chain letter.
2) You haven’t succeeded yourself, so you have no business teaching others how to succeed.
3) This general ‘get rich on the Internet’ topic is one of the most competitive categories in e-commerce, period. Telling a regular guy off the street he can get rich on the Internet by showing other people how to get rich on the Internet is like telling your grandmother that she can go down to the local martial arts dojang, take on 3 black belts at one time and kick their ass.
Fat chance. The marketing and make-money niche is a game for razor sharp, A-level marketers. Not for entry level people.
All that happens to entry level people is, one way or another their money ends up in the hands of razor sharp, A-level marketers and you have nothing to show for it. All kinds of razor sharp, A-level marketers take advantage of this fact without the slightest twinge of guilt.
(Their rationalization for exploiting peoples’ ignorance is: “Well if I don’t take their money they’ll just waste it on some other equally stupid thing.” Well hey, it’s not like they’re exactly wrong about that…even piranhas have their rightful place in the food chain, right? Hey pal, I’m just saying, if you’re not a piranha, don’t swim with them. Find a pond that just has regular frogs and dragonflies and hang out there.)
4) Carbon copying other peoples’ product is a doomed strategy, no matter what niche you’re in. Sure you might try to be the guy who makes El Cheapo knockoff products in China and sure, some people make a lot of money doing that, but the bottom line is: If you don’t have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) then sooner or later you’re dead.
My advice to you:
Abandon this niche entirely. Stop selling “get rich” stuff.
Stop selling “how to market stuff on the Internet” stuff.
Do a thorough inventory of yourself and your knowledge and your skills.
Relax. Stop striving to “Get Rich” and just make ONE DOLLAR first. A modest goal. One dollar of honest profit that you can be proud of.
Find some OTHER niche (hey, there are only a MILLION other things you could sell on the Internet – yes, literally a million). Find some other product to sell. Find something that has NOTHING to do with making money on the Internet.
Maybe there’s some odd thing you collect, like pink flamingos or wrought iron furniture. Maybe you’re familiar with specialized motor parts or some sort of industrial equipment. Or you grow orchids or collect 16th century romance novels or movies from the 1930’s.
Or maybe you go to a trade show and find manufacturers in some market where most people are clueless about marketing, and build them an online presence. Work out some kind of profit sharing deal, or get them to put you on retainer. Sell that product.
(That’s a real useful tip I just gave you there.)
Or sell some kind of information about that topic. Like I said, do a thorough inventory of what you know and where you’ve been and go into a niche you’re intimately familiar with.
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My nephew Josh asked me for broad advice about starting a home business and here’s what I told him:
Josh,
1. Don’t get into a pre-packaged business. There are LOTS of them out there. Network Marketing deals, Internet deals, etc. You should capitalize on your individuality.
2. Doing something online…. boy I deal with that ALL THE TIME. Is is VERY competitive. An at-home online business is the white picket fence of the 21st century. Super great – if you can pull it off. Most common things are things like selling ebooks or selling things on ebay. If you do something like that you have to specialize in some particular niche.
The people who do best at that 1) know their subject and their customers EXTREMELY well; and/or are 2) very in-tune and comfortable with the whole online scene and culture and websites and everything.
The more nichy your topic, the more you can rely on #1 instead of #2.
3. Offline: Anything you know how to do – like plumbing or handyman stuff or swimming pools or repair hang-gliders… or knowing how to cook or take care of kids or organize a house… as soon as you have a way of advertising and getting customers, you have a business. Might not necessarily be an “at home” business, but it’s a business.
Oh, and by the way if you do a business like handyman stuff or repair or remodeling, all you have to do is show up on time, answer the phone, tell people the truth, finish projects on-time and on-budget, and you’ll kick everybody else’s ass in town. In a business like that, half the secret to success is literally “showing up.” You’ll get lots of referrals, customers will love you, and you’ll make a good living. Even in an economy that sucks.
4. If you know what you want to do, then I can advise you about promoting it. Let’s take plumbing for example… to advertise yourself as a plumber you need all the certifications and everything. Doesn’t
keep you from doing it when people need it and getting paid for it, if you’re a ‘handyman’ instead of a plumber.5. Any business that is going to work for you is based on the gifts and skills that you mostly already have. So it’s actually kind of sitting under your nose all along. You just need to start taking inventory. Asking other people what they see you being good at. Listing your skills and looking at all the things you’ve done etc.
Here’s something I sent to a personal friend of mine, Anita, last summer when she asked me pretty much the same question:
Anita,
OK, here’s some things I’d like you to do… Good stuff to do over your morning coffee or whatever.
BTW what we’re ultimately looking for here is intimate knowledge of various microcosms in the world, where you may have sell-able skills.
BUT….. right now I don’t want you to think in terms of selling or jobs or all that while you’re doing this. That would be a limiting way to think of it right now.That can fall out of it later. For now, just
crank out the list o’ stuff.-List every magazine you’ve ever subscribed to for any length of time
-Same for newsletters & various publications that you consistently enjoyed reading
-Every job or industry you worked in long enough to become really familiar – even if you’ve been out of it for a long time
-Every “group” that you’ve been a member of. Examples could be – golf, Presbyterian church, girl scouts, cancer survivors support group, bowling league, pottery making class, David Hasselhoff Fan
Club, horsemanship, stamp collecting, backgammon, owning rental property, investing, chess club, etc.-Every major schooling / training / educational experience you’ve had (like travel to Africa or airplane mechanic school or nursing degree)
-Every hobby or fascination you’ve had
-5 topics you know a lot about, that most people don’t know you know a lot about
-Specific products, services or experiences that you have great familiarity with (like a washing machine that broke down so much, pretty soon you knew how to fix it better than the repairman)
-Topics you own more than 5 books on
-A story of 2 major personal victories from each of the following: childhood; teen years; early adult; recent adult. Tell what happened and what made you feel GOOD about it.
Why don’t you chunk on that for awhile and let me know what you come up with. I bet somewhere buried in that list is a marketplace that would pay money for your skills.
From that you can form a USP, determine something unique to sell, have a ready-made understanding of the customers who buy that sort of thing, and have a MUCH easier go of it.
Finally: Take the Marketing DNA Test and pay very close attention to your results.
If you in fact do have a solid grasp of basic direct marketing principles, then I DARE you to do this homework assignment – and I mean, do *everything* I just said to do right here – I dare you to do that and not have some kind of successful business that you are really proud of, 1 year from today.
Perry Marshall
P.S.: If some endeavor you’re pursuing has failed and failed and failed and is making you feel utterly sick on the inside, then STOP. Cut the ball and chain. It’s like that sad Stevie Nicks song “Stop dragging my heart around.” Don’t waste another minute on it, until you’ve found a completely and totally different way to approach it. Or just drop it entirely and find something else. No more Pink Koolaid.
P.P.S.: All the advice I gave to Josh and Anita and Gia applies to any marketing project. Before you spend another dollar on education, promise yourself you’re going to take the inventory I just gave you above. Your success depends on you finding a NICHE that matches your passions and your expertise to a hungry crowd.
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
126 Comments on “Memo from a Pink Kool-aid Drinker”
Message on time and on target.
I had to think through my notebook this morning only to discover that I’ve not been thinking in 80/20s. Reading this email was a second confirmation—in the midst of two witnesses, a truth is established.
Everything you said is oozing out 80/20. Rights now, my new found habit is thinking in 80/20s.
This blog has provided a myriad of angles for this opportunity.
I see good news, coming very soon!
Great time to find my orbit.
Thanks to planet Perry!
Welcome aboard!!!
What I coincidence…I just dug up this memorable email, saved on my computer, and did the exercises, including taking the Marketing DNA Test for the third time. (I’m a Renaissance 12 member). Now it lands in my inbox this morning (yes, I subscribe to all Perry’s emails and he DOES recycle his series…they stand the test of time).
Anyway – here’s what happened. My marketing DNA test changed slightly reflecting the fact that I am way more of a people person now. One number changed. AND it completely explained the successes that I wrote about! After reading my Marketing DNA report several times, it hit me: My DSP centers around being equally an ALCHEMIST and a PRODUCER (a rare combination), and having a psychic ability to read what others actually want. Suddenly, everything was clear. I wrote something Perry suggested to me when a won 30-min with him in a contest last year. I wrote a letter that I will mail to organizations I want to work with that outlines my DSP, which tracks straight down the first three items on the report. I added a few kickers about the threats these organizations face, the difficulty of solving them without a holistic skill set that someone like me has, and the devastating cost of not solving them. (Straight Glenn Livingston).
I’ll be really surprised if I don’t get a few nibbles. I don’t expect anyone will be questioning my age or career zig-zags.
Brilliance is brilliance, Mr. Marshall. Thank you!!
FANTASTIC and good on you for diligently digging in!
And let us know how things turn out!
Out of all the marketing advice that I’ve read, your ideas and stories somehow stuck with me. Thanks Perry.
Brilliant! even I had a new AHA! moment just from reading this post from the email you sent me. Savvy!
This is the most real best advice I have read in awhile, HIGH quality,, thank you.
Simple but powerful words of advice Perry. Thanks for sharing this post again in 2018.
Have splendid year 2018 Perry, all the best!
Donald
Thank you for your thoughts Perry. It’s a jungle out there for people looking for a place to get a hand or foot hold. Your honest insights and comments on how things really work is helpful. I read it all the way through. Thank you again for your attempt to help.
Thanks for this very valuable post, which gave me a great deal to think about. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of emails I get and ignore some of them. I’m so glad I opened yours.
Hi Perry,
You are certainly the guru of internet marketing with Google Adwords, and probably other services too, like Facebook or Twitter. I first learned how-to, with you, your Adwords Guide, years ago. I have been advertising on Google, and Bing now for about 12 years, I think. I have seen a lot of changes and I have made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of money in our niche, seen a lot of it go away like smoke. And now Perry, honestly, my phone has not rang for a job in about a month. Can you believe that? I’m advertising on Google, Bing, Craigslist, and we have gotten absolutely NOTHING. I am so discouraged, so depressed right now because our savings is flying away before my eyes. I have listened to your to Adwords Academy courses thus far, and I’m sincerely impressed. You even dealt with a guy on the program in my niche, Brett Cadiente. Never heard of him til listening to your program. But I note that he is local in our area. I’m trying to hang in there Perry. I want to make your class coming up. But, I’m so afraid because our savings is flying away. My wife is dealing with lower sciatica nerve pain. I was forced to sign up for HealthCare, which we previously didn’t have. There went $255/mo. My wife’s car is stuck in our garage, just started with an issue of not starting (put on hold), I’m spending money to Google, about $455-$500/mo. There is living expenses, and everything else. You know the story. I certainly need help. Google is killing us Perry. I’m paying the dreaded idiot tax now. It’s horrible.
Sherm
Warrants an all hands on deck effort to get to the ROOT of what the problem really is. Could be any number of things. I suggest (not joking here) you spend your last so to speak $99 on Mastermind Club. Go in the forum and get some help. Then Our next Mastermind Hangout is February 27. If you contact josh at perrymarshall dot com he’ll give you a hot seat. The help you need is in there somewhere. This is a situation where you execute 5 or 6 simultaneous plans expecting 1 or 2 to pan out. Doing the same old thing will not solve it, must get to root of problem.
Hi Perry,
I’ve known you for a while and I recently bought your “Ultimate Guide to Adwords” from Amazon.com. I still have to go through all content but it looks good.
I do not have my own products or services and I know that Google is very harsh for affiliates. But there are some people doing affiliate marketing successfully using Adwords. I think the key is to provide great content value on your site.
Do you recommend any course or program which shows me how to promote other people stuff using Adwords in a ethical way?
Appreciate your reply.
Thanks,
Shan
I think that promoting standard plain vanilla affiliate programs is an exercise in futility for all but the most sophisticated marketers. However there are MANY MANY brick and mortar products and companies who have no idea how to sell their product on Google and personal arrangements with them (think walking a trade show and talking to sales managers) could hold all kinds of legitimate, slap-proof possibilities for you.
Thanks Perry for writing back to me. I really appreciate it.
I understand there are many companies out there to make special arrangements but getting them to work with me is another part of the story.
Commission Junction is one of those places where I can find affiliate programs and work for them. The problem is Google is becoming quite tough on the type of sites they allow for Adwords. I know that they don’t like hypey sales pages but what if I provide valuable pre-sell content on the subject and then redirect them to the merchant’s site, would that be acceptable by Google.
I never had Adwords account and now to get into the online world I am planning to open one. Any advice on how I keep my account to avoid slaps and bans?
Thanks,
Shan
Don’t do Commission Junction.
Make those other companies an offer they can’t refuse. Go to a trade show and talk to 100 vendors. Someone will work with you.
well, I actually read both the post and the comments. All of them, yes.
And would like to point out a few things from own experience.
Re you can and you can’t
you can start from virtually 0$ but it makes your road longer. If you do, make sure you have plenty of time. You need to have plenty of something (time or $$)
You can even market to marketers. And even if you aren’t big dog yourself. However
you can’t have “how to make money site” if you aren’t making at least five figures a month. I don’t see how it would be possible. Am I going to listen to you? Of course not. I’ve already found a couple of top dogs in the niche, Perry and non-Perry, lol:). Why on earth would I listen to you then? Even if I do a bit with my left ear, I wouldn’t buy from you. If the guys mentioned have already given me for free what I can buy from you. Or wrote a book I pay a couple of dollars. Then when I grow, I’ll enroll a course with these guys.
However, this is where the context matters and not everything is lost – you can market to aspiring marketers within your own niche. IF you commit to provide them with useful info, since you already possess combined knowledge of niche+marketing within it. That’s possible.
Hey Perry,
I looked into the A-Z you recommended. I looks good, but it 3 years old.
Would you still recommend it as the best program? Especially the AdWords info?
Don’t buy it for the AdWords info per se. But overall it’ll probably still be a good course 5 years from now.
Thanks so much for the response!
Another website that does what pulse.ebay.com did is:
http://popularproducts.co
This website is very useful. It displays the most watched & most popular products, right now, on eBay. It displays the top keyword searches being used on eBay. It also displays the auctions containing the most bids.
This article was really helpful! I have a few friends trying to get their businesses going and this is a great resource for them. Thanks!
Dang, Perry. That was an awesome post. As someone who competes online for real estate presence, I know how tough it can be to break into a competitive niche. Thanks for the sound advice!
I usually delete most marketing emails, but this guy is truly honest in everything he wrote. His post about doing something you know about really struck a chord.
Please read this before you do anything else:
Today, the competition in many niches is so competitive that you need tons of cash to really make a splash.
Google is stacked against the small guy. Search engine results in anything remotely profitable point to established authority sites. Everyday the algorithms are tuned to strengthen that.
If you are creating an Ebook to to liter train your pet lion you have a chance to rank (everyone has one of those!). PPC is pretty much a losing battle for the new person, UNLESS they have a serious product or service to sell. You are also competing with mega corps like Amazon, Walmart, etc. Most of the affiliate courses are virtually impossible to make profitable, unless you can scale them with 100’s of thousands dollars and offshore workers. Sure, you can make few bucks but be prepared for 14 hour days and lots of disappointment. When adwords started you could advertise almost ANYTHING for pennies! It was almost like printing money. They also had few guidelines, quality scores, etc.
Today you need real business sense to find places to market your product online.
I think the statement “everyone can make money online” is a total lie. The internet is a powerful tool – If I bought every Single tool in the Home Depot tool dept and left it by the average guy’s door could he build a house? Most likely he would have trouble fixing a leaky sink! But he he has great tools! So what – he has no skills! Could he learn? Maybe – Maybe not honestly some people have skills in different areas. Some people are great socially, some are great on the computer. Some are mechanically inclined. I know people who couldn’t turn a screw into a piece of wood if you threatened their life. Some people couldn’t sell a new Iphone on its release day. You get the idea.
When people first Google “making money online” they are falling into the snake pit/vulture desert/lions den/(add yours) of the internet. They are trained charlatans using every psychological trick in the book to make money. They play on your laziness and quick reward centers in your brain. Will you make 100K in 30 days as a newbie – probably the same chance as winning the lottery. UNLESS you have some very in demand product you have to sell. It is unlikely then you will be searching for “making money products!”
When you see fancy cars, tons of currency, 1-10 click solutions, clickbank stats just RUN!!! You aren’t seeing the big picture by far! They assume the newbie has no idea of how a business works! They may spend 90K to make 100K, knowing newbs will salivate over those stats(assuming they are real). And guess what! They could sell 1000s of copies of that useless info to newbs – and make 100s of thousands in the process! These guys also have massive networks of other marketers that help achieve their goals. As a newb you have nothing like that. Also, their business is not based on selling value – They are in essence telling you to sell the product to others and keep the cycle going. Would you give away a million dollar secret for a mere $49 bucks ;) – lets get real here!
Now, I’m not trying to discourage anyone. If you look at the millionaires in history they all have one thing in common. They 1) solve a problem 2) Make life easier.
I know Harvard MBAs that make less than 50K/yr, and HS dropouts who make 8 figures. People just have to have a knack to sense markets and know what people want.
The rest is a focused drive to implement their dream at any cost. Can everyone do it – NO! But it is certainly worth to try.
So – to end this – 1) Re- read Perry’s article at least 3 times.
2) make a list of your innovative skills. Focus on how you could improve on things, or make life easier with them.
3) do market research (if you are driven you can find most of the info online for free). Determine market size, and if people actually pay for that info.
4) Size up competition. Weight loss is an extreme example. Unless you are an MD who gets interviewed by CNN and has books, it is likely this niche is not for you.
5) find out which of those skills translate into searches, clicks, money, etc.
6) (you may not want to see this one). It may turn out you have no marketable skills. At this point you either 1) Have to learn something (which depends on your abilities) 2) Maybe you are just meant for the 9-5 world.
Finally – assess your skills. Could you create a website that adds true value to the internet? Does it solve a problem? Could you afford to have one created?Do you have a few grand to play with (forget the myth of starting a business on a $10 domain, unless you have a product that stops truly stops aging or something).
Amen.
Thank you for the informative and heartfelt content, Perry.
I believe you are underestimating women. Many of us hunger for “honor” as much as men do.
And issues of honor, respect, self-worth and self-esteem are gender non-specific, in my opinion.
As a mature woman what’s most on my mind is not how “lovely” I am, or “am I worth fighting for” but what can I do to contribute positively to the world and ease some of the suffering; how well am I allowing Spirit to work through me?
How well am I living the golden rule?
I am content enough with my appearance and if there is something worth fighting for above and beyond my ability to do so myself, I ask for support.
I agree a strong spiritual foundation is paramount.
Then the rest of the pyramid grows in Spirit – is imbued with Spirit, naturally.
Dang Perry, give me some of your pink koolaid and let’s toast another great article.
A case of asking for forgiveness (if needed) instead of permission: Here’s my tip-of-the-hat effort to sharing your wisdom with my readers, Perry. Hope I’ve credited you appropriately … http://sharonoday.com/perry-marshall-pink-koolaid/
Thanks for the shoutout!
For the people who have talked about putting all the work in, making marginal profits, and being stuck and not knowing where to go, there’s another answer besides buying more “how-to” marketing products.
Hire a coach – find someone who has done it already, and pay them to work with you. Sometimes you just need an outside perspective. Or get a business partner. Find someone who has the skills you lack and has demonstrated their abilities, and, of course, who believes in the products or services you are offering.
Most people make the mistake of trying to do it all alone, and it’s tough. Sitting down with $100,000 worth of internet marketing materials isn’t a fraction as valuable as having a good partner. It’s possible to do it alone, of course, but it will take a lot more effort and trial-and-error.
its informative indeed.
LOL…LOVE the little photo of You holding a glass of sweet&tangy liquid refreshment with the caption…
“Me drinking pink koolaid (no one is immune)”
Lemonade…even Pink Lemonade…
ON HOT & DRY DAYS–IS GOOD FOR YOU.
Koolaid…of ANY color/flavor is…
MUCH less nutritious…AND…
IS…”artificial”…
AND–CARRIES THE REMINDER THAT–
IT COULD BE A MEANS of DELIVERING POISON
…BUT…
Packaged Powder DOES HAVE CERTAIN ADVANTAGES OVER…Fresh Citrus:
1. MUCH Less Expen$ive
2. MUCH Longer Shelf Life
3. MUCH Easier To Transport
When We’re HOT & Thirsty–
And Starting To Wilt…
MOST of US WILL–Drink Koolaid–
IF We Can’t Find ANY SOURCES of Fresh&REAL…
ReHydration & Cooling…
It’s Better Than nuthin’…
Just wondering, is the beginners guide from Terry Dean that you recommend in this post still up to date or outdated? Thanks for a short note.
Still up to date. Good product.
Great advice. People need to just sit back and do some research before they act.
Before I read this post I was confused about what niche to pursue because I’ve accumulated experience in several different niches throughout my career. Your advice to Anita made it crystal clear which direction would be the path of least resistance. Thank you for continuing to deliver exceptional value, Perry.
Great stuff, Perry.
Looking forward to the Difinitive Guide 2010.
nice advice perry. do what it is you love, is how my mom used to put it.
i used to be able to ignore her sage advice by convincing myself, “the market’s too small for that here”, or some other excuse for not putting myself out there.
the “interwebs” changed everything.
they are such a great low-cost, wide distribution, channel (esp for things that can be delivered cheaply) it enables almost anyone to find a market for “what it is you love” — no matter how nichey.
r8r
Hi Perry, thank you for this great and candid advice. I have been around internet business for 5 years now. But only recently got into sharing how I made a few bucks just to help friends and acquaintances on their own.
I couldn’t agree more with the way you gave those points and to do list.
I am still looking to make my earning reach the 5 figures a month level. Your thoughts are always like a fresh dew among the smog of pollution.
Thanks and more power!
Perry,
Late to this gem of yours, but you’re entirely right.
In fact, a startling fact is most of the IM “Make Money Online” Gurus actually had other businesses they were successful in FIRST, BEFORE becoming teachers in IM.
It’s about business ownership and development, not about “making money online” IMHO.
Joseph Ratliff
Joseph,
Yes, exactly. I can think of few exceptions. When you have a real success story under your belt from some previous business you have a MUCH better story to tell if you want to become a guru.
Amen to that Perry :)
I had 2 successful offline businesses before I started consulting for anyone using the Internet…you gotta earn the stripes before passing rank :)
I have always respected your clear and concise insights Perry. You’re a great teacher yourself. :)
I wouldn’t recommend someone stay away from any market, that is not simply the best advice.
Even though going into the Internet Marketing niche requires a lot of knowledge to earn money, it is also true that this niche is huge, so the total money that exists behind this market is extremely huge. Putting myself as an example: I decided several years ago to market the most competitive products in the english market because there is much more room to be creative, even though english is not my mother language (I don’t write the content myself).
I have some spanish websites that do well selling hosting and Internet marketing advice, but there is much more things to do in english than in spanish.
So, the winning advice is this: Pick a huge and profitable market but (and I see it now very clear after several years) you should go for a market size that you could dominate within your testing budget, and the “testing budget” is very important, because you don’t know if the market is profitable or not.
For example: you could take a budget of $100, but you have to target a keyword typically with
fewer than 2,000 searches a month (or less if you are a newbie) and it will take a lot of days to see clicks, even more time to get 1 sale, but you should target hundreds or thousands of this type of keywords, if your total budget is low, it will take a lot of time, but is a surefire way to success even if you are going after the toughtest markets in the world.
It helps if you guess right most of the time with your keywords, but you need to know some things about market research for this or you will be able to learn this by yourself with your testing after some time.
The problem is that it takes a LOT of work and a lot of time to see results, but is the only way if you have a very low budget. This doesn’t seem attractive at all and people prefer to believe lies, instead of the truth.
I found that Adwords is better when used in new markets that you could find in gigantic markets. Then Adwords is easy and even a moron could be profitable with it and if you apply Perry’s advice you will be indestructible for some time (competition will ruin your business at some point, but you could enjoy some profitable years).
“Reply to hostmonster review”..
I would figure that if your goal was to obtain status as an ‘online guru’, calling people mor-ons is probably NOT the best way to go about it..?
Hi Perry,
This post really got to me. You see, I am at the cross road…do I continue or let it go. The past (7) months I have poured my heart and soul into writing an eBook about online dating and creating a website to market it. It is my true passion for two reasons 1) I met and married my husband after years spent on online dating sites 2)I was a confirmed serial dater up until the age of 45. It is a subject I have a lot of experience with and enjoy.
I was laid off in January ’09 from a company I worked for 12 years. This, it seemed to me, was a good time to do something that I felt real PASSION for. I get up at 7am daily and work on the stie, content, SEO, until 11pm with a few breaks for exercise and food. It doesn’t feel like work – I love it.
I have read many books, including yours, and put into practice all that I have read. In two weeks I will be attending a Google Adwords training seminar.
I couldn’t be more proud of my creation however, it is not going to replace (financially) my full time job, as hoped.
With the help of books and analytics I believe the issue is landing page content. I commissioned an experienced, professional content writer to re-write all of my landing pages and afterward plan to start-up an intensive PPC campaign.
If this doesn’t work…would you say it’s time to “drop it entirely and find something else”?
I’m not a quitter but it is starting to get to me…not reaching my goals.
Thanks,
Dawn
Dawn,
I think that just selling an e-book won’t cut the mustard, especially in a market that’s as thick with competition as yours. To get full economic benefit you probably need coaching & consulting programs and live events.
Might not be a bad idea to niche yourself to some under-served segment of that market.
You MUST have a USP that is clearly identifiable, otherwise you’re roadkill. See http://www.perrymarshall.com/usp
I hope this helps!
Perry
Thanks Perry,
I have 10 other “relationship” eBook on my website as well as 20 online dating sites, all that I am an affilate for.
Thanks for you advice and I will work on the USP as you suggested.
Dawn
Perry – Besides the obvious, being able to make money, how does someone know that they know all they can about basic direct marketing principles? What would a checklist look like?
Perry,
Always great advice! Don’t drink too much kool-aid!
Drayton
Hey Perry,
I’m a big fan! I missed you when you were in Dublin Recently! I was gutted I did… But I’ll be in Chicago in the next few months and I might call in to say hello! :)
I bought your adwords book last year and got a lot of value out of it!!
Thanks for all the value you offer!
Sean ;)
Sometimes you can have a passion for something that is very profitable in a land-based business, but over the internet, it requires specialized marketing skills that are not required off the internet. It’s not really the same thing. Traffic is key in both circumstances, however, over the net, you have to maneuver through a particularly saturated and somewhat jaded crowd. If you have something wonderful and unique to offer the folks, I’m sure people will respond, but first, people have to know you are there. Now, if the teaching pundits want to zero in on exactly what the newbies really need, they will focus on just that.
Perry-
What inspired truth you write! The sad state of this “Internet Marketing” niche is very real. I loved the comment earlier where the person weeds out who to listen to by running from the money and Lamborghini graphics… What a sham–
And these tactics are taught to new wanna-bes as the way to do it!
I try to encourage new people to “think like a marketer instead of a mark” and LEARN from the graphics, text, hypnotic wording, urgency, fear tactics, etc instead of falling for them.
Marketing to marketers about marketing is really a specialty, and dominated by the very best. I understand why so many new people take this path:
1. They are told to by the courses and products they buy… (sell THIS product today and have an instant business!)
2. They are moved to as they battle their way through all the endless information and tricks a newbie faces, innocently hoping to make a difference in the madness-
3. They are drawn to the “easy”concept being pushed about reselling, affiliate marketing, PLR…
Whatever it is, it is truly unfortunate that those who know next to nothing about making money online are now trying to tell everyone else how to do it. This is a large part of the problem in your inbox— the truly adventurous and action takers get an autoresponder set up and a ‘minisite’ and start trying to build a list with Giveaways (a whole other problem).
There is wisdom on this page. Marketing is marketing, online or off. This is not easy. This is work. Anyone saying otherwise is blatantly lying to you and you should opt out immediately! Find two to five marketers who you resonate with, and listen to what they say.
Action is the single shortcut to building a successful business, and if you are following fifteen gurus and buying four ebooks a month, you are kidding yourself. And killing your chances.
Find one system that seems like something you can do, and then DO IT. As you progress, you will discover what things you need to know and THEN you can go out and learn those things. When you need them.
Building a business is building a BUSINESS. We tend to forget that when we see money falling from the sky and yachts and mansions and words like “riches on auto-pilot” and crap like that…
Thanks for laying it out, Perry– from one Chicagoan to another: you are the best!
Keith deBolt
Hi Christine,
You mention that you like to share your personal stories and have been told you have a gift of writing. You might find that today.com provides an outlet for your stories, as it does mine.
http://grandmastreasures.today.com/2009/05/18/strong-man/
Great article. Very informative. I am wondering how do you narrow down your niche. I know you explained it earlier but, I am interested in so much and the things I think I am good at I would not know how to monetize. Like I love to negotiate prices for things. And have even thought of a website to get people that want to buy the same thing let’s say a computer if I could get 5 people to buy then go to the supplier and negotiate a better price since there would be 5 purchased instead of 1. But I would not know if that is already being done or how to go about doing it.
I also love finding or researching the best of anything like I needed a bed 3 years ago. I went to every mattress store within the 100 mile radius and looked at and tried out the mattresses until I found the perfect one. Even my husband still comments how comfortable our bed is. But it took a long time and it consumed me. We needed a lawn mower and so did my mother-in-law so again I called and visited every lawn mower place within 100 miles and learned all about mowers and negotiated a very good price because we bought 2 riding mowers at the same time. And we did it at the end of season for lawn mowers.
I also love to research things and tell people about them.
I thought about doing a website on Love. How to love and what love really means. Birthday ideas for men to give to their wives, etc. And relate it to scripture out of the Bible.
Then I wanted to be a writer of Christian Romance. Maybe relate it too real life similar to the Fire Proof movie. But I did not think that would make money since most authors work full time elsewhere.
But then I am still confused on what really makes me happy. I am good at telling other people what they would be good at – just not myself. I do not have any real hobbies other than reading and I can not seem to find the time for that.
I am a stay at home mom and I home school my kids. So my question again how do I narrow it down or really focus on what I am passionate about? I have struggled for 5 years now and still do not know.
Thanks for your time and your great information. It has motivated me again I just do not know what else to do.
Confused,
Rosemary
Hi Perry and Glenn
This has been a great lesson in personal development. You need that as a sole Internet Marketer working from home. I work only part time, – yet, and hope, no plan :-), that this will continue even when I leave the corporate world.
Mindset is the keyword. Ask yourself if you know yourself, and you most often get a yes or yes certainly, but it is when facing obstacles greater than before or lofty goals set by yourself, you can test if the “yes” was right. I have been there (testing), and I use this experience to make an income in my own business. This is the first step on the ladder.
The next step is to teach others do the same work. It do take time to change your inner voice and to make it louder than the ones you surround your self with.
Seminars is a great place to start, but on the long run you have to have a blogpost like this, or a (virtual?) office shared by several
likeminded infopreneurs.
Skills can be learned. Someone above mentioned it was difficult to break even. You can level out flaws. It costs a lot of sweat. If you focus on your strength it is much easier, and you can reach the top. Not my strengths or Perrys strength, – your own!
It leads back your post Perry, where you ask the readers to list all that have been achieved or focused on since the early years.
I am about half way through your Definitive Guide determined to go to the next level either it be learning an experience or earning a living. You and Glenn are lighthouses on that path and not just for your marketing skills.
Marie
Copenhagen, Denmark
Hi Perry,
Just read the “Urgent question from a marketer who’s just starting out….” and followed up with the pink-koolaid post. I really appreciate the honesty in your responses.
My question and I didn’t see it addressed in either of the above posts is: what do you do if you find your true passion or calling in life and discover there’s no money in it?
I believe one of the first steps any marketer should take is determine how much money other folks are making in the same market before investing your own money on a marketing campaign.
Thanks for all your information!
Steve,
There are MANY markets and passions where there is no money. Just because you’re interested in something doesn’t mean it has the potential to be profitable. 30 second, over-simplified sanity check: How many Google advertisers? I just typed in “sociology” and there were zero. Not promising. “Drumming” – 6 advertisers and 5-10 cent clicks; hardly any better. On the other hand, a market that’s $1-10 per click and 50+ advertisers means there’s lots of money to be had by a shrewd marketer.
Perry
Hey Perry
Well that’s given me plenty of food for thought! Sorry about being a bit off topic (we both are I think), I really don’t want to pollute this blog with worthless meanderings. But this stuff IS the big question, and so its pertinent to followers of this blog, because if you can get a good understanding of all this then you can make a **** load of money and be successful, which is kind of what we all dream about? The mistake is to think that this is the be all and end all, its not. You can have all the money and success and still be a misery guts. You have to enjoy it, have passion for what you are doing, enjoy the journey, live for the moment. If I’m on this blog it’s because I too am fascinated by all the possibilities that the internet offers, and I am also trying to figure out which avenue to take. Ill go away now, delve into the material you cited and figure on a bit more!
Hi Perry
I’ve been following your blog now for a couple of months, and have been taking your advice acquiring and reading several of your quoted books, Claude Hopkins Scientific Marketing classic, Howie Jacobsons Adwords for Dummies and another one on marketing psychology you recommended in one of your MP3s, which i have yet to read, I d already read the 80/20 book by Koch.
I posted a comment on this blog a while back and I must say I was massively impressed that you responded to it (I don’t expect you to respond to all my ramblings). In fact I’m curious how you seem to be so omnipresent – do you sleep at night?
But seriously what would be really interesting for us guys is « a day in the life of » to get an idea of how you manage to fit in all that you do, and live a balanced life, you’ve got a wife (I think) and kids like me, how do you do it? Could this be other people who write the stuff for you? Be honest Perry – you are very good at this!
Now what is really bizarre, well there are several things. Firstly I just never, generally, do posts on blogs, this is about the third time ever in my life (I’m the same age as you by the way, nearly the same birthday plus 2 years!) , and here I am doing it again?
Why, well its fascinating what you say, sometimes what the others say, but above all the info I get from you does seem to read very true. Now the second bizarre thing is that I came across you before because obviously I was interested in learning how to successfully market on the internet, which is still the case (my situation is a bit unusual, Im a brit living and working in France).
But I have another even stronger interest/passion and that is one of « spirituality » which I have been studying now for about 3 or 4 years fairly intensely, and when I came back to your blog, what are you talking about – spirituality! If I’m saying all this my aim here I suppose is to help and guide other people.
Because I think all this stuff fits in, and I must stress I am in no way a religious person, I do not go church or adhere to any kind of organized religion of any sort. My religion is my business! So initially I was very interested by success, making a buck, people like Anthony Robbins, Jack Canfield, then I came across Eckhart Tolle and Wayne Dwyer (particularly his book « there is a spiritual solution to every problem » and Louise Hays books. As someone recently reminded me, « Jesus never said you have to be poor », look how well John Templeton did.
Anyway, I’m straying from my point, which is this : your work and writings has spiritual integrity, in a word ‘truth’ which is just so refreshing. So there’s a pat on the back for you, but you already seem to get plenty of this. What I would really like to see is more of this.
You’re giving it me on the internet side, and Im also exploring what your colleagues e.g. Glen Livingston have to say. But I’ve surfed around the internet a fair bit over the last few months and it’s hard to find in other areas. So if anybody has any tips Im all ears.
Lloyd,
I guess I respond to blog posts that I think are especially interesting. Not that they’re necessarily on-topic :^>
Balanced life: I’m not sure anyone could accuse me of pulling that off but I do stay sane. I take Sundays off, I try not to even open my computer, cuz it’s a tar-baby. I spend a reasonable amount of time with my wife and kids and I have friends and people I have beers with and all that.
Spirituality stuff: I have a very definite center core built around this and it permeates everything I do. Unlike Pilate who tried Jesus and said “What is truth, anyway?” I believe that truth exists in all realms and that it is discoverable. The best single place on my site where I talk about my spiritual views is http://www.perrymarshall.com/articles/perry-marshall-interview/ – my interview with Ralph Zuranski. There’s also some interesting little articles tucked away in the /articles/religion section on the site.
I have a couple of sites http://www.coffeehousetheology.com and http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com which also have a fair amount of articles, MP3’s, interviews. If you do a Google search of those sites there’s quite a bit of stuff you can mine there. I am keenly interested in not just marketing and business but also science, theology, engineering, music, philosophy and culture. And how all of those things tie together. These things are not separate disciplines because we live in one single integrated world. I believe that all things are connected.
As of the last 2-3 years I’ve also developed a keen interest in inner belief systems and “head stuff.” Most personal development and self-help people would assume that to mean financial and prosperity consciousness and stuff like that. Yes, I’m interested in those things but it goes much deeper and wider. It crosses into “therapy” and “inner healing” and has to do with our core inner beliefs – what we *really* believe about ourselves and our relationships with others. The assumptions that are so hidden that even we ourselves are not aware. Stuff we took in from our parents and families that we were too young to question. Our ability to give and receive love. The things that make us angry. The irrational fears we have.
I have spent a lot of time on such things, particularly because my mid-life stuff swung around and smacked me HARD about 2 years ago. Some brain cell announced “OK Perry it’s time to shut down for repairs” and when that happens you don’t have much of a choice. I’m hopefully wiser as a result.
Too-short summary of my findings: The most useful, simple, self-therapy technique I’ve ever mastered is item #19 in http://www.perrymarshall.com/25-random-things/ which I learned from Abby Rohrer. Much more powerful than it looks, believe me, and produces very surprising answers sometimes. I’ve also gotten quite a bit of benefit from Theophostic Prayer. NLP is quite useful though it is complicated; most people make it even more complicated; and I suspect that most people who use it for therapy never get down to core beliefs, but merely install mental band-aids that achieve some desired behavior. Same comment for therapy and therapists in general. Most accomplish little and most people stay stuck. I also like Byron Katie’s method (www.thework.com) especially for its simplicity. Bryan Todd loves PJ Eby’s “Mindhacking” which is kind of like Bryan’s exploration of the same thing.
I think that people CAN heal from abuse, compulsions, addictions, crippling beliefs, bad parenting, mid life crises and bad relationships. But it takes focus and determination and above all, brutal honesty with oneself – both in what you say to yourself and in what you are willing to HEAR from yourself.
Until you get down to the core of what you really believe, you can’t change your beliefs much less your behavior.
I write the vast majority of my “stuff.” Bryan writes most of the material in the AdWords books; Joshua Boswell and John Fancher write some of my copy. I write 100% of my Perry Marshall Marketing Letter (snail mail for Renaissance Club members, it’s truly my art, my “baby”), and I write most of my emails and my blog posts. Writing is my #1 zone and I delegate a lot of things to make room so I can do it. It used to take me an hour to write 2 paragraphs, now it takes 5 minutes. Take your best skill now and hone it for the next 5 years with reckless abandon and people will marvel at you too.
Thanks for your interesting question!
Perry
Perry,
I’ve been following your writings with a great interest although I am not a internet marketer or heavily interested in Adwords techniques. For example, your email about entrepreneurs and honor was simply brilliant. I even have part of your other email posted at my office wall. You should expand your message and audience beyond your customer circle…
Your last post here about peoples “incompleteness” and “inner hunger” got me really intriqued. These are things that are not exactly in the Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs unless one counts them as “self-actualization” need. I believe what you wrote is very, very, true for certain ambitious and very driven people, if not all.
How does GOD fill the “inner hunger” of people? And how does one find his or hers true path in business and life if it is not through religion? (I’m not deeply religious, by the way).
Keep up the great work. I’m becoming a huge admirer of your writings.
Miki,
The “Culture of Honor” email was inspired by Paul Manwaring’s Culture of Honor seminar, which is based on the following foundational belief: All human beings are created in the image of God and are deeply loved by God. Therefore all people should be honored and respected. That businesses and organizations flourish in an environment that honors the intrinsic worth of their people.
People want to know if they’re worthwhile. We wonder if we are really valuable, truly important. I think women especially struggle with the question Am I lovely? Am I worth fighting for? Men especially struggle with the question Do I have what it takes? And in particular we strive to feel worthy of honor.
Ultimately I do not think the answers to these questions can come from the ever-shifting judgments of other people. They must come from an intrinsic knowing of who we are at our core. This is only answered in knowing where we came from and why.
There is a good reason why the U.S. Declaration of Independence asserts, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Human rights is not a matter of arbitrary political vote. Rather it is a fact based on the reality of a Divine Creator and Lawgiver. All human beings are intrinsically worthwhile and honorable.
I read a fascinating book called “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Highly recommended. Frankl tells the story of living in a concentration camp and surviving the Holocaust and seeing his fellow prisoners respond to such crushing circumstances in one of two ways:
They were either reduced to groveling animals and were destroyed by the experience; or else they transcended the horror of the experience and became even more dignified, more caring, less selfish, more brotherly. The prison guards could destroy their bodies but could not destroy their souls.
As I read his first-hand account of this horror, I had a giant epiphany:
Maslow got it backwards.
Maslow put spirituality at the top of the pyramid; he saw it as a sort of luxury that people might aspire to once their baser physical desires were satisfied.
Nope. Spirituality is at the bottom of the pyramid. It’s not an option, it’s the foundation. If we haven’t cultivated it, then when push comes to shove, it crumbles and we do become animals.
If we have cultivated our spiritual essence, then when everything is stripped away we do not become animals, we become spirits in a material world. We are able to set aside even our deepest, rawest hungers and share our one bowl of porridge that day with a friend who is ill in that miserable concentration camp. Our values transcend our circumstances.
How does God fill this void? I think of John chapter 15, where Jesus said:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”
Thank you for the informative and heartfelt content, Perry.
I believe you are underestimating women. Many of us hunger for “honor” as much as men do.
Issues of self-worth and self-esteem are gender non-specific, in my opinion.
As a mature woman what’s most on my mind is not how “lovely” I am, or “am I worth fighting for” but what can I do to contribute positively to the world and ease some of the suffering; how well am I allowing Spirit to work through me?
How well am I living the golden rule?
I am content enough with my appearance and if there is something worth fighting for above and beyond my ability to do so myself, I ask for support.
I agree a strong spiritual foundation is paramount.
Then the rest of the pyramid grows in Spirit – is imbued with Spirit, naturally.
Hi, I’m in this for a last few months. It’s peculiar that I have found your site only a few days ago.
I’m info overloaded and I’m slowly starting to figure out it myself. I mean that all these guys who bombard my email box everyday with all these bright offers are,.. Well they are who they are trying to make money themselves.
It usually is like that. Somebody suceeded a bit selling somthing and now they try to teach everybody else.
I do not have problem with that as long as they make a real money themselves. But that is just not so. They only try to make money by teaching how to make money. It usually take a while before person buying all these instant system figure it out. Although most of us will not, anyway. we are too busy running after instant gratification.
Now, I myself invested a lot of time reading ebooks, articles, listening to audios, absorbing all advice.
The way it looks is that little guys can make money in their niche, but they need to commit and stop running around after instant profit.
I have to admit that I am guilty myself because I haven’t exploited it though yet.
Why, because I’m interested in business itself. I got hook up with all these opportunities coming with a good marketing. I found this website wile exploring Jay Abraham resources. I guess I’m too much into learning, studding and too little into actually applying, taking action.
Anyway, the solution is pretty easy:
1. Choose your niche.
2. Then focus and commit.
Niche marketing is just one thing one can do on the Internet. But it is the best a little guy can do.
Hi Perry
You are so right about ‘just showing up’ if you are in the household services. Here in the UK, I can call the numbers of 6 joiners/brickies/plumbers from the yellow pages or local paper …
One will ring unanswered, two will be out (ansaphones take a message but they never call back) three will take your address and one will actually turn up
As an aside, what would you say to those legions of intelligent, well read, well educated people who believe organised religion is Kool Aid?
Dave Shillito:
There is a brilliant, fascinating book called “The True Believer: Thoughts on the nature of Mass Movements” by Eric Hoffer. This book is a must for advanced marketers and really anyone who is intensely interested in the inner workings of what makes human beings tick. It is a highly accurate, deeply cynical look at why people devote their very lives to causes, movements and organizations.
Mr. Hoffer de-constructs religious and political systems and the motivations behind them with deadly accuracy. The deep insecurities and dissatisfactions that all humans have; the various characters that come together to build a religious movement and the itches that it scratches.
In the end, Mr. Hoffer throws up his hands and basically asks, “Why is humanity such a senseless mess? This is HOW it is, but WHY? I have no idea. It makes no sense.” He is some sort of atheist or agnostic who ultimately finds no ultimate answers in any of this. He ends the book with all questions and no answers and interestingly, mentions that the first people to master this art of organized religion were the Jews.
I read this book and I came to a different conclusion. At least in broad strokes, it all DOES make sense to me. People feel the world is broken because…. it IS broken. We feel driven to commit ourselves to greater causes and forces because… greater causes and forces DO exist. We yearn for something outside of ourselves because… we are made to yearn for that.
If you are thirsty it doesn’t prove that water exists, but to suspect that there might be water somewhere that will quench your thirst – that is a pretty reasonable suspicion to have.
Religion and spirituality addresses this need because the need is real. A non-spiritual answer to a spiritual hunger will never satisfy. That is why atheists (the likes of Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett come to mind) are perpetually angry and dissatisfied in spite of the fact that they claim to have de-constructed the illusions and have all the answers. The real reason they are angry is because their hunger still is not satisfied. Claiming that your hunger is an illusion does not make the hunger go away.
To bring this full circle, what is often going on with the “pink koolaid” that I refer to in this blog post is this:
People believe that if they satisfy their financial hunger, if they quench their thirst for business success, that the Real Itch will finally be scratched. The “Real Itch” is our incompleteness. It is underneath the superficial financial ambitions. It is EASILY EXPLOITED and it is what drives us to do crazy, insane things, to drink whatever flavor of pink koolaid, to believe in all manner of false saviors and messiahs who really are just like the Wizard of Oz: They are all nothing more than “a man behind the curtain.”
Only you can find your true path in business and in life. The hunger you have is not merely in your imagination. It’s there for a reason and only God can satisfy your inner hunger.
Perry Marshall
My dad and I have been trying for about 4 years now to be successfully self-employed, with little or no success. This one blog post alone contains more useful information than all the ebooks and blogs I’ve read over the past few years, and just may be the jumpstart we need to finally find a successful niche. Thanks, Perry.
Perry,
Thank you so much for this post. I bought your book years ago while chasing the Adwords dream not really knowing what I was chasing or why I was after it.
Fast forward 4 years. My marketing is right on, my adwords skills allow me to test a market and get in/out within 5 days. A lot of this skill set I credit to you, thanks!
When I inventoried my skills, likes/dislikes etc. I found similar traits as you (an engineer, data tweaker, closet marketer, etc.) Your posts continue to reinforce my decision that I am on the right track.
Thank you again and blessings, K
I think the advice to “stop” is great…but should be coupled with the advice to listen.
My first business I was hustling so hard, trying to jam it down the market’s throat, that I couldn’t hear it talking to me. After I got heart-sick and frustrated, I did stop. When I got quiet, I heard it saying something to me I couldn’t believe…
What I knew and was trying to sell to one market, was more useful and easier to sell in another.
I’m not getting rich, but I’ve made $25k in the last 4 months and even in those moments when I’m praying desperately for more, I feel GREAT that I’ve been able to connect with and sell something I created.
So if you decide to stop, go back to your market. Ask them why they’re not buying. Then ask yourself, “Who else could use this that I’ve been ignoring?”
And give yourself a break…you are good enough, just keep throwing.
Thanks Perry :) I think you’re right, I’ve been under too much stress lately. I’m working on a sale of one of my sites now which will free up some time for me to re-discover what I love.
Thanks again!
Perry,
I think it’s important to reinforce that even IF you have a good grasp of direct marketing, AND you have a great niche (I have both), building a solid internet business takes TIME and WORK.
It also takes MONEY, because the systems, testing and set-up to do things properly cost plenty, and if you sell anything but information, developing your products probably costs plenty of money too.
One of the worst aspects of internet hype is that it sets up false expectations. (The cardinal sin that Tim Ferriss committed in his book, the 4 Hour Work Week.)
Entrepreneurs should not feel stupid or hopeless if their business does not take off overnight.
Since I run a business making a niche product as well another one writing direct sales copy, I know what things looks like on both sides of the fence.
That’s why I tell all my copywriting clients the following, “Yes, great copy and effective marketing systems will drive growth. But don’t expect any one technique to solve every business problem you have. Miracles sell books, but good, steady sales power the vast majority of small and mid-sized businesses.”