My 2011 New Year’s Resolution

December 31st, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

Dear Diary (er, Blog),

It’s been a LONG time since I checked in.  I’ve been busy.  My day job.  The family.  Stuff.  You know how life is…

But I’m in a writing mood.  I just wrote two long letters to some of my SuccessQUIK prospects and downline members, and even if I don’t manage to inspire them, I’ve already inspired ME.

I wrote about how sad it is that people aren’t willing to invest $10 is signing up because they’re saving up to waste $100 when (IF) they do sign up later to “position themselves better”.  Come on…  Where’s the sense in that.  The whole point of the program is to be able to sign up for $10 and earn money through the program to “position yourself better”.

I’m sorry if I offend anyone, but every time I hear about how someone’s jumping through hoops to pull together $10 to join in 2 weeks, I hear bullshit.

I hear how someone “gets it”.  Really has interest (the nice thing about online marketing is that people don’t need to make excuses like that if they really are afraid to join because they think it won’t work; in online marketing, people like that just don’t respond, so EVERY RESPONSE YOU DO GET is a GENUINELY INTERESTED PROSPECT.  I wish offline marketing made it so easy to differentiate between the two…  But I’m getting off topic).

They really do want it.  But they’re afraid.  Afraid of failure.  Afraid of self-inflicted failure.  Afraid of self-inflicted failure because they know in their deepest hearts up front, that they have no intention of putting effort into it.  But they’re willing to save up 100 dollars so they can dump it in later and say “Well, look how hard I tried.  I invested a LOT of money!  Of course I put in effort, because who would throw away so much money!”

I’ve quoted him before, and I’ll quote him again and again:  Randy “It’s Self Sabotage, Baby!” Gage.  Self sabotage is how you waste your money, ruin your financial situation, and excuse your self from the blame.  It’s premeditated blame of a third party for a problem you make for yourself.  And the online marketing business is full of people who love to do it to themselves.

I know I’m getting off topic a bit, but let me rant a little bit more about the people who love to suffer in our little industry.

Traffic Exchanges.  Safelists.  Social Marketing.

90% of people who use 2 or more of the above, will swear up and down that they’re sincerely trying to make significant money.  I don’t mean 7-figure money.  I mean 3 or 4 figure money, would REALLY make these folks happy.

So what do they do.  They click, click, click. Click.  Click  Click Click.  Spend hours surfing.  Spend hours clicking on safelist credit pages.  Spend hours reading what every one else has to say on facebook and twitter.

Then their payday comes.  They’ve saved up 10,000 page impressions.  They’ve saved up 2,500 email blasts.  They’ve really, honestly earned their hard-worked free advertising resources, and they’ve done it the right way.  Really – no cynicism (yet).

And then what do they do?  They see 10 new programs.  They salivate over them.  They might join for free.  They might pay a little money.  They might pay a lot of money.  And then, they get to work.  They copy and paste some emails together, and slap them into the safelists without even glancing at what’s in the email.   They don’t want to waste their hard earned credits, so they’ll take 10 of these cookie cutter emails and send each out to 100 or 200 people.  Then, they’ll do the same and give 10 landing pages 100 credits each at the 10 different exchanges.  And it’s ok that they’re using these cookie cutter pages and emails and tweets and stuff…  Because they’re saving valuable time to really work on the important part of their business: the endless click, click, click.

And they swear to themselves that they’re honestly, by G-d surprised, that the programs just don’t work out for them.  The landing pages must suck.  The emails must suck (only in hindsight, of course – NOW maybe they’ll read what they sent).  The program must not convert.  I mean, it’s not their fault.  They put in the effort, right?  And surely, they didn’t – couldn’t possibly have – premeditated this failure!

Yep, we sure do pity those people.

But guess what?  They’re the minority.

The more clever marketers are much better at the game.  They know that you need to do your own thing.  So these enlightened folks make their own little landing page.  They write their own email.  They mix THAT in with the cookie-cutter stuff (because deep down inside, we all know that program owners put SO much effort into writing emails and pages that will work for YOUR audience, right?  Those pages got so much effort, and look so nice, it would be a shame to not use them at all).  And they surf LOTS of exchanges.  LOTS of safelists.  So they’ll send to 300 people across 40 safelists, and they’ll even do that 4 times based on the assumption (sorry, but it’s wrong) that they’ve hit critical mass of 12,000 recipients (even the gurus send the same email to massive lists of tens of thousands lots of times, because it takes a LOT to do the numbers game), and they’ll promote it for a whole WEEK on their 4 favorite traffic exchanges.

And then…  then… then…

“I put in the effort.  It’s not my fault!  Really!”

Self Sabotauge.

I’ll say it again: SELF SABOTAUGE.

Honestly, you can have the suckiest page in the world (look at mine) and it will convert if you keep pushing, month in and month out, week in and week out.  You don’t have to change it every day, but you DO have to keep going at it.  Keep adding MORE pages.  Keep writing new copy.  Keep sending new emails.  But keep going at it.  Don’t assume that because it didn’t work in the one or two week period that you’re hyped about it, it’s not going to work.

Because, while an initial blast is a critical and proven way of making money in marketing, the majority of success comes from the continual ACTION you take over time.  And when I say time, I mean over a YEAR.

Take a program.  ANY program.  Use the most generic and crappiest cookie cutter materials that you can find for it.  And promote that, and ONLY that for 12 months.  I promise you’ll have a downline (or whatever) at the end of it.

Are you one of those people?  Honestly?

Then you have the elite cream (and I include myself in this bunch).  We know how to play the numbers game.  We might have more money to spend.  We understand the branding value of keeping the same opportunity focused over a long period of time.  We do everything right.  And in 20 years, we might hit 5 figures at the rate we’re going (IF we keep putting the same effort over that 20 year period and the program doesn’t dissappear by then).  But deep down, we also know that the same things grow boring eventually.  How often do we really put in the time to write a NEW email.  Make a NEW splash page.  Make a RENEWED marketing surge for ourselves?  I know I personally do it few enough times a year that I can count it on both hands – on a good year maybe I can add my toes in to the count, but surely no more than that.

Because it’s hard.  And I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m personally lazy.  Very, very lazy.

So My 2011 resolution starts now, in 2010.  TAKE ACTION!  And STOP the self sabotage.

I’m going to hit the next level in 2011.  Will you join me?

Happy 2011,

Issac

  1. Gina Sands
    January 10th, 2011 at 04:37 | #1

    An instant email list should not require that I have 100′s of emails daily. The only problems I see with traffic exchanges is that it takes too much time to get enough traffic. Instant email list =Instant traffic.Reply – Quote

  2. imlivinginadream
    January 9th, 2011 at 20:06 | #2

    Hope you’re having fun this weekend!! Also, hopefully you’re feeling a bit better. I’m behind on my Google Reader so I’m only reading about you being sick now- but that’s just the worst. My first weekend of 2011 has been pretty great I think! Lots of seeing friends & taking it easy :)

  3. Wayne Z
    January 9th, 2011 at 05:22 | #3

    No idea who he is.

    From his website, he seems to be involved in Network Marketing and Motivational Products.

    If that is the case, he may not be that rich. Network Marketing "professionals" tend to be 90% hype and 10% substance.

  4. gbuddah
    January 8th, 2011 at 16:08 | #4

    Nice man, I look forward to hearing the results from this…

  5. moodymangagirl
    January 8th, 2011 at 09:39 | #5

    i want to get the toilet out of my head

  6. Danya
    January 7th, 2011 at 15:19 | #6

    Happy New Year! You’ve started 2011 with a big creative bang!

  7. Obama spent 3 TRILLION $ Say What?
    January 7th, 2011 at 02:21 | #7

    Gotta love these rhetorical rants.

  8. January 5th, 2011 at 21:05 | #8

    You always know how to make me stop and think Issac and get my mind rolling on what I could or should be doing.

  9. Sam Pfanstiel
    January 5th, 2011 at 10:11 | #9

    Fellow entrepreneur here, working my butt off this week as well. But like you both, doing so with full recognition of the more important things in life. I remember working the week between XM and NYE several years in a row at Oncore thinking “why isn't everyone else here?”. I guess old habits die hard. And when you “eat what you kill” you learn to sleep less and appreciate your quality time with family more when you do get it.

  10. LadieDon7
    January 4th, 2011 at 22:23 | #10

    New Year's resolution? — Didn't make one .

  11. Gina Sands
    January 4th, 2011 at 22:11 | #11

    An instant email list should not require that I have 100′s of emails daily. The only problems I see with traffic exchanges is that it takes too much time to get enough traffic. Instant email list =Instant – Quote

  12. January 3rd, 2011 at 09:55 | #12

    Good stuff here, Isaac. Thanks for confirming the overall picture that I was getting as I work myself from ground zero in internet marketing. I believe the 80/20 rule works here as well as anywhere. I’ve seen lots of groaners and complainers who “haven’t been paid yet from xyz program” that they have gotten into “for free” and haven’t even put sweat- or click-equity into. It’s really great that you’re willing to present your expertise for anyone who is business-minded to pick up and utilize. It is your determination and persistence that has gotten you where you are. Nothing happens without action, so Go For It! Hope I can follow in your path.

  13. ral1334
    January 2nd, 2011 at 12:01 | #13

    Look at the tags in the description, he really expressed himself there.Thumbs up

  14. developerstct
    January 2nd, 2011 at 06:39 | #14

    "Your life is the harvest of your thoughts." -Randy Gage

  15. Galen Pearl
    January 2nd, 2011 at 00:38 | #15

    Big thanks! This is exactly what has been on my mind. I spent some time during my New Year’s Eve retreat at my cabin thinking about this precise issue. I’m starting this year by making some decisions about the boundaries that are right for me. So ironic that I blog about staying in my happy place, and that sometimes it is the blogging itself that takes me away from my happy place! Hmm, what’s wrong with this picture?! So my focus is going to be first on living in my happy place, practicing what I preach, so to speak. Thanks for the sobering questions. Can we say mirror?!

  16. ourtypicallife
    January 1st, 2011 at 13:01 | #16

    Thanks! I am joining Goals Meetup, from your blog. Maybe it will help me succeed in 2011!

  17. Hugh
    January 1st, 2011 at 10:15 | #17

    Randy Gage is one of my favourite authors, he featured in a recent documentary ''The YES by Louis Lautman. Cool film check it out.

  18. Gina Sands
    January 1st, 2011 at 05:55 | #18

    An instant email list should not require that I have 100′s of emails daily. The only problems I see with traffic exchanges is that it takes too much time to get enough traffic. Instant email list =Instant – Quote

  19. jhon
    January 1st, 2011 at 04:17 | #19

    Hello
    I am glad you released your self sabotage, I came here many times today just to check if you released it or not. I think this the reason why whenever I try to do something I fail it or I'll give up half way. If you want to really do something but you get bored of it so you don't accomplish it, is that self sabotage? I am glad it's based on hypnosis because recently I brought a product deal with self sabotage but strangely it involved alot of work and you have to do it for atleast 45 days that de-motivated me and put me off. If you want to use a program to overcome self sabotage, shouldn't that program be simple and easy to use? I believe you achieved that.
    Do you think it's best to use one program per day or you can use 3 or 4 programs per day?, I mean if use more than one program, do you think our mind would able to handle so much information?

  20. DaHustleKid
    December 31st, 2010 at 19:15 | #20

    I an going try my best to succeed in everything I do in 2011.

  21. imabowler1
    December 31st, 2010 at 17:33 | #21

    When it comes to traffic exchanges, do you consider yourself the hunter… or the hunted?

  22. DemonicSymphonic
    December 31st, 2010 at 13:26 | #22

    I have watched so many of your videos and loved everyone of them you are a great person and I thank you for making them and hope you don't take long in making another because of you I started my diet 6 days ago!!!You INSPIRE and you are fabulous!!!!

  23. Wayne Z
    December 31st, 2010 at 13:24 | #24

    Randy Gage?

    No idea who he is.

    From his website, he seems to be involved in Network Marketing and Motivational Products.

    If that is the case, he may not be that rich. Network Marketing "professionals" tend to be 90% hype and 10% substance.

  24. Geeedup
    December 31st, 2010 at 12:31 | #26

    Resolution # 1: Will try my very best to cut down on my (credit card) expenses.

  25. architekker
    December 31st, 2010 at 12:30 | #27

    Resolution for one party's goal to achieve. More partisan than being bipartisan.

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