What's YOUR Biggest Challenge?

[Rosalind Gardner]

Greetings All!

I've just had an interesting albeit somewhat challenging week trying to figure out how to best implement my new Amember software to get all previous purchasers of the Super Affiliate Handbook registered as members so they can receive free updates of the book in future.

The 'problem' (as I saw it) was not having a built an opt-in mailing list for customers right from the very beginning. I only automated that when I incorporated DLGuard sometime in late 2005.

Well, I managed to get all the names and addresses together, but with so many different options for contacting previous owners (Aweber, Amember, a one-off mailing through my server, etc.) I've been wracking my brain on how best to set things up so that everyone gets their notices and is happy... and I'm STILL working on 'the problem'.

But is THAT the real problem?

Or is it the fact that I'm such a control freak that I didn't just ASK someone how to solve the issue or outsource the project to someone who would have solved 'the problem' and figured out the best way to handle things in a second - then implemented them.

You guessed it.

I'm the problem in this case... or my insistence on knowing how to do everything myself wastes time and energy that would be better spent elsewhere.

So, tell me..

What's YOUR biggest challenge when it comes to doing business online?

Do you get in your own way like I do? (Fail to outsource your challenging tasks and concentrate on those things at which you excel?)

Maybe you let things slide? (Not posting to your blog often enough? Put off building that list or implementing that new PPC campaign?)

Or skip essential steps? (There's those nasty mailing list and PPC issues again!)

Or, maybe you feel a little shy about putting your thoughts and opinions on your blog out there --- for all the world to see?

Are there days when you feel so frustrated, confused or overwhelmed that you don't know where to start so you choose to plop down in front of the tube to watch Oprah and Dr. Phil instead? (Oh, I HEAR ya!)

Go ahead, get a load off your mind and share your biggest challenge with your Internet marketing ventures.

I'm willing to bet that the good NPT Forumites will have some very helpful suggestions to lighten your load.

I'll be around to help as well... 'cause in 9 years in this business I've picked up a tip or two (about things other than outsourcing).

Being long in the tooth also helps.

[Jacqueline Dunn]

You could say this (this message) is one of them. I have read about blogs, and looked at blogs, and couldn't for the life of me work out what to do first, so guess what? I did nothing. Until now.
I've also discovered that some of the stuff coming through my email - at my request let me say - gives me a headache. One of my biggest challenges is finding my way through an avalanche of "you-must-haves" sent to me by affiliate marketers marketing their ebooks.
Sorting the wheat from the chaff is happening, albeit slowly.
I must say that Ros's book is calm and clear, and I'm hoping the update will be in the same tone.

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hi Jacqui,

Excellent! I think you'll be delighted to discover how simple it really is to set up a blog.

Just follow the instructions ste-by-step. Try not to get bogged down by ALL that you think has to come next. Just one foot in front of the other - or one click at a time - will get you there!

Cheers,
Ros

[catherinel]

I hate admitting that i have any problems - until I've actually sorted them out, but here goes. Maybe now that I've admitted this problem online, I will do something about it.

Being organised has never been something that comes naturally to me - so i use colour coded lists, and do the most horrid job first - the Brian Tracy way.

The problem is, when I have something truly horrendous at the top of the list, I avoid looking at the list, or temporarily lose it. Right now, i have a horrid job at the top of my list, which actually involves chasing a massive debt. The job in itself is not too difficult, as I'm going through the courts online. But, the reason that I'm avoiding it, is that things have gone wrong through the start - my password went into the spam folder, then I had to fill in some more forms, and I made a mistake on them etc etc etc.

Getting the job done would mean I would get the money which is owed to me - enough to buy a very nice car. So why am I avoiding it? I suppose I'm expecting something else to go wrong.

This is a bit like AA isn't it? Thanks Roz. Now that your post has made me admit my current problem in public - I'm definitely going to eat this particular frog today - I hope.

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hi Catherine,

Oh, I HEAR ya!

I am the queen of procratination and finding 'better' things to do than what I really should be doing.

My excuses include 'it's too nice to be inside', 'that'll take too much time', 'Dr. Phil is on' and 'I need to check and see whether that daisy is finally blooming'. LOL

I'm really good at getting the 'tough' things done only when it comes down to the wire and I absolutely MUST.

The likelihood of action increases exponentially when I've made a commitment to someone else to have something done by a certain day or time.

Brian Tracy's way is indeed the prefered method for accomplishing things, but unless one is truly exceptional and manages to learn the lesson and incorporate it each and every day henceforth - it takes practice, practice, practice.

That said, recognizing the problem is the first step to fixing it - so good on you for putting yourself out there. I've no doubt that you'll have this issue solved in short order!

Cheers,
Ros

[walker22]

My biggest challenge by far is researching and finding profitable niches that I can be passionate about creating content for and marketing.

I can always see what's missing in other people's projects and can always offer pretty solid advice for others who are struggling to find their niche or corner of the market but when it comes to my own ideas, I just seem to draw blanks no matter how long I type in words into Yahoo's keyword search.

For example, I have began creating a website on 1930's writer Thorne Smith http://www.ThorneSmith.net and it's slowly beginning to get traffic but it's such a small niche that I doubt it'll ever cover my hosting costs each year. I'm still struggling to find that real profitable niche.

I can brainstorm for everyone but myself.

Michael

[catherinel]

Thank you Rosalind. This post your post has pushed me into action, and I've done the dreaded task. Wel, admittedly, I delegated most of it, but it's done!

Michael. How about expanding your small niche slightly? Maybe you could get more traffic from adding other writers to your site. You'd probably need to change the domain name, but you could always point your old domain at the new site.

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hey catherinel,

Getting it done is great - congrats! Delegating what needed to be done is brilliant!

Cheers,
Ros

[catherinel]

Thanks Roz - this thread has helped a lot. One problem that you're struggling to tackle can affect every other thing you're working on can't it.

Did you sort out your problem yet? If not, it's probably best to delegate or outsource, as it does sound quite complicated.

By the way, what is Amember - is it part of Aweber or a different thing entirely?

[A Posse Ad Esse]

Hey all,

Ya know, I'm really starting to believe in the law of attraction lol - I was just thinking how I needed to vent my anxieties somewhere.

Walker22, I'm in pretty much the same rut. My biggest problem is finidng a profitable niche that I can be really passionate about.

I feel as if I've got one now but the keyword research doesn't exactly back my feeling up.

I've been warned many times about the dreaded 'ready, fire,aim' syndrome, but here are a couple of reasons I feel I've got a niche.

I know first hand that there are thousands of people interested in this niche in the UK

I've found affiliate programs that, while not directly intended for the niche, are extremely well suited

I've got access to a large amount of content, constant news related to the niche and a few possibilites for user submitted content

It's something I've been doing since I was a small child, so it's close to the heart.

It's just that problem of finding the keywords to attract traffic. It's all very well having a solid site with solid content and having a large group who would be interested in the site...but if I can't bring the two together, what chance would it stand?

I've been chipping away at getting started in AM for almost a year and a half now. I'm pretty sureI've gotta get somewhere soon lol

Safe journeys,
-Mark

P.S. AMember is memership script (software?) that, whilst not directly connected to Aweber, can be integrated (PayPal too I believe)

[Griff Grumbein]

Are there other sites that show up for this niche? If so, visit them, view their source code and see what keywords they're using. Do they correspond with yours? If you haven't already, try researching and finding some long-tail keywords that may show potential. If nothing else, put up a test site with YOUR keywords and relevant content and play with it to see what kind of results you get.

I have what I call my "playdough" site where I do a lot of testing on different keywords/phrases, fonts, colors, everything just to see what kind of responses it gets and how it ranks. I've learned a lot through tinkering with it. Enough so that I am VERY confident about my first REAL site that I am putting together now. I still have much to learn, but even my "playdough" site has earned a little money, and helped me zero in on what methods work for me and what don't. (BTW, my "playdough" site has a VERY narrowly targeted audience, with little available internet content or suitable affiliate programs, so for me to get results on it really excites me for my real site which has much larger and more receptive audience.)

Keep at it, it WILL come togther!

[Brett]

My biggest challenge is convincing myself that this is real because I've never actually met anyone who has had the slightest bit of success with AM. In fact, most of the people I've talked to have discouraged me from getting into it because they failed miserably. They say the "glory days" of making money on the 'net are over.

I read people's stories online and, no offense to anyone here or to Ros, they could be blowing smoke for all I know. My cynicism has led me to be skeptical because as we all know, EVERYTHING on the Internet MUST be true, right?

This self-assessment puts me square in the pessimist crowd; I can come up with every reason NOT to do something, or why something won't work. This always seems to destroy my enthusiasm right off the bat.

I know that positive thinking is very powerful, it's been demonstrated many times throughout my life, so I CAN do it. I just keep feeling that all these great things that I hear about AM are just too good to be true.

BTW...I just joined the site, I guess I should say Hi now that I've depressed everybody in here.

Brett

[Griff Grumbein]

No offense intended but you're talking to the wrong people.

The ones who are saying the "glory days" are over are the ones who aren't adapting to change. I know a few people who are earning 6 & 7 figures a year, and while I'm not (yet), these same people are indirectly showing me the ropes and helping me become successful. AM is alive and well except for those who don't want to do the work required to make it a success (and it's not even HARD work)!

[Brett]

Please don't misunderstand me...I'm NOT saying that nobody makes any money or that you can't be successful on the net. If that were the case then there would be no affiliate programs, or eBays etc. I'm simply expressing what MY biggest challenge is...overcoming my own mindset. We're inundated with get-rich-quick crap everywhere we turn; who hasn't seen the infomercials that say you can make zillions every month if you'll just send them $199.99 for their program?

And before you get upset; I'm not saying this is a get-rich-quick scheme. I know it's a real business. I know it takes time to get a biz off the ground; I ran a pretty successful consulting company for six years until my circumstances changed and I had to get a 9to5, working for 'The Man' again. Those six years were the absolute best years of my career and I can't wait until I can do it again. That's why I'm looking into AM. I'm a very contented person, I don't need a lot of 'stuff' to make me happy. If I can pay my bills and have a little bit left over to travel with, etc, then I'm all set.

My challenge is basically to overcome myself and take the first step. It's just that figuring out what the first step is is proving frustrating.

Thanks for your reply GriffG; and, No, I'm not offended. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone here either. Hopefully you see where I'm coming from.

[Griff Grumbein]

I'm sorry Brett, I should have stated that differently!

What I meant was: you should be talking to people who are ENcouraging your efforts, not DIScouraging them. There are as many ways to profit from AM as there are people putting their hand to it. A person's success depends upon their outlook of it. Some would hear the "glory days" lamenters and give up, others would see it as a challenge to be overcome.

It's obvious from your last post that you have what it takes to run your own business, so regain that confidence in yourself and take that step! It doesn't have to be a big step, just take it.

The way I see it, if I'm not moving at all, I won't get anywhere. If I'm not moving forward (whether it's crawling, walking or running), I'm moving in the wrong direction.

Think about all the great things you are capable of and put 'em into action. You CAN do this, we are our own worst enemies!

Here's to your success!