Archive for Internet Marketing Coaching
Poor Time Management Flows From Lack Of Purpose
Posted by: | CommentsI started a coaching call yesterday by saying I was feeling bogged down with everything I have on my plate at the moment. Supervising the outsource worker is taking way more energy and time than I imagined it would. Then there’s my own work I’m trying to keep on top of. Plus keeping an eye on The Challenge by Ed Dale. And, then there’s all the personal stuff.
However, there’s been a niggling thought at the back of mind lately, that some of this activity is just filling in time. I’m doing it because it’s there. Not because I’m consciously choosing to do it. I drift into it and the tasks expand to fill the space.
During the course of the call my coach mentioned she had a few potential internet marketing coaching clients she would like to send my way and would I, during the next week, think about whether or not I’d like to take them on and if I had the time to do so.
My response was a very decisive “I will make the time”.
Suddenly all this being bogged down was out the window and I knew, without a doubt, I would do whatever I needed to in order to make space for these coaching clients. And, in the prcoess I reconnected with what is really important to me.
The focus shifted from an internet marketing business in its own right, to an internet marketing business as grist for the mill of my life. I remembered what it is I’m about. What I’m truly trying to create here, and in that moment the time management issues fell away.
If you’re feeling bogged down or find you don’t have enough hours in the day, it’s usually because you’re not clear about what you’re really about. When you know what you’re up to it’s easier to say “no” to those things that aren’t really moving you towards your goal.
If you don’t have a strong sense of purpose for your day – no personal mission – you will be pulled in all directions. It’s very hard to say “no” when there’s no real “yes” that you’ve created for yourself.
When you have something in your life that really excites you it’s easier to say “no” to the other stuff.
Coaching is that thing for me. And I will make time for it.
What is it for you? And, more importantly, are you actively creating it?
Internet Marketing Memberships Sites Reviews
Posted by: | CommentsSince starting this website and my mentoring with Ed Dale I have tried 3 different internet marketing membership sites.
The first was Michelle McPherson’s Crowd Mountain
I joined this membership site after downloading a couple of Michelle’s free tools that were made available joing the launch. My primary interest was to try out her promotion tools but once inside I discovered, that despite the sales pitch saying otherwise, not all the tools were available before the trail period ran out which defeated the object somewhat.
That, together with pretty confusing website usability led me to ditch that subscription. There are different levels of membership and since I was on the basic level I kept clicking on links to end up on a page that said I didn’t have permission to visit that part of the site. I found that very frustrating since it was like have a carrot dangled in front of you and then snatched away again.
However, her training is very comprehensive and, if you’re a newbie looking for clear and easy to follow training, then Michelle McPherson is worth checking out. She certainly knows her stuff and it’s refreshing to have a woman at the helm for a change and a rest from the surfer dude hype that permeates a number of internet marketing products.
~~~~~~
The Immediate Edge
This is Dan Raine’s and Ed Dale’s membership site. I took advantage of the $1, 7 days trial offered earlier this month and was very impressed with what I saw inside. I simply don’t have time at the moment to take advantage of all that was in there but I would definitely consider signing up again, once I have more of a regular system going.
This is cutting edge stuff most suited, in my opinion, to marketers with some experience and success who want to take their business to the next level.
~~~~~~
Jason Katzenback and Jason Potash are the people behind this one. They were offering a $1, 14 day trial which I signed up to because I’ve had dealings with them in the past and like their products and their customer service. My intention was a sneak peak inside to see what they were doing with the possibility of signing up again once I was making more money from the internet marketing business.
However, I was so impressed with the way their training is organised and the very fast and excellent reponses you get to questions in the forum that I decided to stay in for another month. Also, there was a promise of the 5 Day Traffic Blitz which is a fast way to familiarise yourself with the promotion tools and, hopefully, a way to make some quick cash.
I decided a while back not to join any more monthly subscription sites until I had the money upfront to do so but I thought it was worth the risk with this one since I might make the money back through the traffic blitz. Alas, that was not to be. At least not so far anyway. But I did win $25 for a forum post so it’s not all bad.
Not to mention I was inspired to get all poetic. Since my win was announced in rhyme I thought I should respond in kind. You can read my efforts in my next post.
Bet you can hardly contain your excitement in anticipation . . .
Hoorah, hoorah, I’ve Something To Say
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s been 2 weeks since my last post and for a moment there I thought I might never have anything interesting to report again! There’s been a bit of a lull in the mentoring, so no 1 on 1′s with Ed or webinars to write about.
My outsourcing project has also ground to a halt so, for the most part, I’ve been plodding on, head down. After trying out 2 different outsource workers and having them both disappear on me I decided to take a break and rethink my strategy as I was spending huge amounts of energy on it without positive results. I’ve been trying out 2 automatic submission tools and, once I decide which one I’m going to go with, I’ll probably, outsource that work, one piece at a time and build from there.
I’ve made a change to how I organise my CFT blocks, after doing the exercise I mentioned in my “critical focus time backwards” post . Putting pen to paper I realised that working at the pace I was, with the time I have available, I was already at full capacity both in terms of sites and tasks. So I reduced my CFT block length from 45 to 30 minutes which gave me more available work slots. This also had the added bonus of speeding up my work. So now I’m getting more done in less time and with more time to do it! The result is I now have 4 sites in my work rotation.
I feel I’m making real progess now in putting together a system that works for me and the discipline of keeping on, keeping on, is paying off.
The brilliant news is my plugging away is bringing measurable results.
Fan fare of trumpets please . . .
I’ve hit the top 5 on page one of Google and, although my main keyword only has average traffic potential, I am expecting that traffic to pick up from here on in. So more people should be finding me through the search engines who are looking for coaching. This means it’s now time to turn my mind to what internet marketing coaching packages I’d like to offer.
Ed has suggested that any mentees taking the 2010 Challenge should lead a group so that’s one possibility. I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I’m most interested in coaching people who, although not newbies, are having very little success so I could form a group around that. Hmmmm. Wonder if I could set up a forum we could use on this site . . .
Long term, I would like some local clients so I could do some face-to-face group coaching.
If you have any thoughts about what coaching packages you would like to see or what has worked for you in the past, please leave a comment below. I’m all ears! 
Critical Focus Time Backwards
Posted by: | CommentsJust had a 1:1 session with Ed Dale as part of the mentoring program. As far as this site is concerned I was a little concerned since I’ve been pretty much stuck at the bottom of page 1/top of page 2 for my main keywords, since April. However, Ed thinks I’m doing well, since I’m not going to get much traction from the search engines without a lot of time and effort as my main keyword terms are so competitive. So that’s encouraging.
I’m building this site for the long haul so, whilst more traffic and “conversation” would be great, I’m happy to keep at it and tell the tale whilst building the money-making part of the business elsewhere (for the time-being). One of my biggest challenges at the moment is not being able to get all the work done.
I’m much better at following a system and keeping to my CFTs but it’s still not enough to do it all. I’m still in the process of getting my outsourcing project sorted but that is taking longer than I anticipated. If I keep building sites the way I’m doing I’m just going to end up with a bigger log jam. Not to mention the other sites that I already had, before the start of the mentoring, that I’m not working on at all.
Ed was a great help with this by giving me a different way to look at the problem. I’ve always recognised getting a change of prospective to be one of the great benefits of working with a life coach and now I see that internet marketing coaching is no different.
I’ve built 2 sites so far, following the 5 CFT Challenge parameters, and, whilst I built the second one faster than the first, I’m struggling to keep up with the link building stuff necessary to keep them ticking over. The recommendation in the Challenge is to write, spin and syndicate one article a week and that’s what I’ve been trying to do. But I’m pretty much working at full capacity so there’s no room to build more sites and test new markets or to implement other sorts of promotion.
Ed’s suggestion was this. Instead of starting with the method first (in this case article promotion once a week) and trying to make it fit the CFT available, start with the CFT and allocate specific blocks to each of the sites, keeping some clear for new sites or development of old ones. This means that I won’t be able to write, spin and syndicate one article per site per week but I will be able to keep all my sites ticking over. So my next move is a plain sheet of paper, lots of coloured pens and a trip to my favourite cafe to sketch out the new plan.
Internet Marketing – My Personal Grist For The Mill
Posted by: | CommentsI am a great believer that whatever we need in life to progress is right there for the taking. Most of the time we simply don’t notice and other times, we choose not to.
I wrote about internet marketing overwhelm a couple of weeks ago and I have been in and out of that until today. There has been a lot of stuff swirling around my brain and I’ve taken a number of false steps to deal with it but, this morning, I feel I am back on track.
Last week I stalled around moving my outsourcing projects forward and, in true “who wants to be a millionaire” style, I phoned a friend. I thought the discussion was going to be about my next step regarding the outsourcing but I ended up realising, that more critical, was my need to do something about the overwhelm and muddled thinking. And right here is an example of a “choosing not to” situation. I’ve been “choosing not to” because I’ve been wanting my external situation to change, without having to change myself/mind.
I was doing well in the early days of the mentoring but, if you’ve followed this blog, you will know that things began to slip fairly rapidly. The last time I sent in a CFT report was 11th May and last time I did a full weeks worth of 5 consecutive days was . . . wait for it . . . week beginning 21st March!!!!!! And, truthfully, I’ve only completed 2 full weeks of CFTs since I started.
Blimey, I thought I was bad but I didn’t realise I was that bad!
But . . . and here’s the good bit . . . I’m learning. And that is why Internet Marketing is my personal grist for the mill. By committing to this year of mentoring and to building an online business I have created a framework within which I can work and learn and develop. Each day I discover more about how I operate, how I sabotage my efforts, which habits I need to replace with better ones, where I’m deceiving myself, what I do well, what I really enjoy etc. etc. And when I take the time to stand back and recognise this, I love it. It’s fun and worthwhile and I’m having a ball.
When I’m stuck in the overwhelm, or boredom, or questioning of why I’m doing this, it feels really naff! But that’s OK. I’m learning and, beginning to accept, that it’s just part of the process.
And today, with the sun streaming through the window and a wonderful weekend spent with family still fresh in my mind, I say “bring it on”!
Internet Marketing Overwhelm Is Kicked Into Touch
Posted by: | CommentsI looked at my inbox first thing and felt my energy drop as I was bombarded with the latest Internet Marketers plying their wares. As I’ve been feeling overwhelmed recently, I’ve not been opening these emails so they’re just sitting there, torturing me.
Here are just a few:
- Really cool opportunity (get in now)
- Life Changing (I Promise)
- Ready to TURBOCHARGE your web visitors and profits??
- Webinar That Will Change You (Seriously)
- I’ve got something BIG I WANT TO GIVE YOU
Why do I do this to myself? Why even read them?
I am haunted by a fear of missing something important – of missing the one big thing that’s going to make the difference. It seems to be part of my cells now, an almost instinctive response that makes it hard to let go. And yet, if I only stop to think about it this fear has no validity whatsoever because THERE IS NO ONE BIG THING.
I know from personal experience that there is always another “life changing” opportunity in internet marketing. Not to mention that, all the ones I’ve signed up for, in the past, never actually changed my life. But that’s all part of the internet marketing dream isn’t it? The magical promise that some product is going to be the big thing that changes everything. It’s the same erroneous mentality as winning the lottery. And we all know that the vast majority of the big “winners” can’t hold onto the money or end up miserable. But still we chase the dream.
Well not me. Not any more!
Behaving as though there is something important out there to miss is slowing me down, confusing me and is counter productive to my achieving what I’m really after. I have caused this internet marketing overwhelm so I can get out of it too. Here’s how:
- take a deep breath.
- unsubscribe from all “just in case I miss something” email lists – not just internet marketing but coaching as well.
- unsubscribe from all teaching lists apart from Ed Dale’s.
- cancel all teaching products apart from Ed Dale’s mentoring.
- filter automated emails from my coach Elese Coit and from Michael Neill so they don’t hit my inbox. Read only when I need a bit of a motivational push.
- DO NOT SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING NEW unless it forms an intrinsic part of my CURRENT (as in RIGHT NOW) web marketing strategy.
- take a deep breath.
. . . Done!
Internet Marketing Overwhelm or Oops! I Did It Again
Posted by: | CommentsAs last week drew to a close and my stress levels increased. I realised I’d made the classic Internet Marketers mistake (again!) and was trying to focus in too many directions.
One of the reasons for joining Ed Dale’s mentoring programme was so I would have a structure to work within that might contain my tendency to jump from one thing to the other. Alas, in the short-term, this has not been the case. I’m still tempted by “shiny new” and, as a result, I find myself in a position of having to make some decisions about what to drop and what to keep.
There’s a fine balance to be drawn between focussing on a single thing (e.g. this website) and bringing other things into the mix to add a bit of variety which helps me stay interested and motivated. However, I need to work at something long enough to create a system around it, so I can outsource it. I’ve reached that point with the link building for this site so I’m ready to add something else into the mix.
Since I’ve never outsourced work full-time before, this process in itself has to be learned and is, therefore, a project in it’s own right.
So, currently I have this website and setting up an outsourcing project to focus on.
But . . . I’ve also been tempted by other stuff since I started the mentoring, some of which I’ve not mentioned before. These include – list control, the free “Take Over Page One” video course, John Reese’s Outsourcing videos, Crowd Mountain and the addition of Ed’s teaching on buying and selling websites. Oh yeah. And then there’s the stuff in 30 Day Challenge+ which is included in the mentoring package. So, with all these things swimming round in my head, you can see why my mind is beginning to get more than a little muddled.
There’s simply not enough time for me to do all those things – soooooo – how do I sort out the mess and narrow down my focus again?
Well, as I said – this website and setting up an internet marketing outsourcing project are in. This website is the current focus for my mentoring and I definitely need to outsource stuff if I want to create a business that I really enjoy. There is only one more John Reese outsourcing video so I’ll watch that later once my CFT is completed and then I can delete that from my list.
The 30 Day Challenge+ I can follow as and when I need it. I have created an index of what is available so I can check there when I have questions or am starting a new process.
List control, which has been on the back burner, will have to be dropped. I don’t have enough traffic to be building a list a this point and it just takes focus from what I need to be doing right now.
The “Take Over Page One” video course will be moved to the back burner. I will look at that once I’m actually in the position of making a video. Seems pretty obvious when you write it down, but it’s so easy to get sucked in and distracted when you have emails tempting you and what you’re currently doing is more than a little tedious!
What else . . .
Crowd Mountain. Hmmmm. Bit tricky this one.
My main motivation for signing up was to have an opportunity to try out the CM tools. However, the sales message was misleading. In the guarantee Michelle McPherson stated that, amongst other things, we would have 30 days to try out the tools. Once inside, this is not the case. Three weeks in and only one tool is available. We won’t have full access until week 6 apparently, so I’m not going to be able to test them out until after the guarantee has passed. That said, I like Michelle’s approach, so I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and pay the money so I can try out the tools.
That results is a bit of a dilemma though. I’m tempted to follow the Crowd Mountain process as well as wait for the tools, which ties in quite nicely with what I’m doing since it has bits in common with the 30 Day Challenge. But there simply aren’t enough hours in a day. I think I’m just going to have to try and fit this is once my critical focus time blocks are completed.
Once I’ve got some outsourcing sorted I’ll be able to spend more time in Crowd Mountain and, possibly, apply the strategy to my old sites.
More On Critical Focus Time
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate on CFT . . .
So far, I’m doing well with my critical focus time blocks. I am keeping to my targets of the amount of time spent and I’m doing tasks within it that are critical relative to internet marketing, as outlined in my earlier critical focus time post. However, I’m noticing that I am still spending a lot of time faffing around and doing stuff that, hand on heart, I would have to say is time-wasting.
So something new I am going to add this week is to add a non critical focus time block each day, NCFT, and then stop “work” when that is complete. That way I will be able to do other work related stuff but I will know when to stop. The way I’m working at the moment means the work day stretches out and the rest of my life gets put on hold unless I have specific appointments calendared in.
In relation to this I’m also noticing that the faffing around happens first thing in the morning before I settle down and get to work. So this week I will try and build in more routine and see how that works, as follows:
1. Write list of actions for the day.
2. Write for 30 minutes (= 1 block CFT).
breakfast
3. 1 x 45 minutes CFT.
15 minutes break
4. 1 x 45 minutes CFT.
15 minutes break
5. 1 x 45 minutes NCFT.
life outside work!
This just a starting point. I don’t expect it to work out straight away as I will need to make adjustments depending upon whether or not I’m working at home or if I have appointments etc. But it’s a good move towards establishing a routine that works for me and that is my goal here.
I’ll report back next week . . .
Critical Focus Time In Internet Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsThe first “lesson” from Ed Dale’s mentoring program was on what he calls Critical Focus Time or CFT. Basically it’s about committing yourself every work day to a certain amount of time during which you will only work on actions critical to your business.
This is something I’ve frequently struggled with for 2 reasons:
- I’ve not been committed enough to the outcome to practice getting good at CFT (see internal motivation post for more on this).
- I’ve misunderstood, in realtion to internet marketing at least, exactly which activities should/shouldn’t be done during my CFT blocks.
~~~~~~~~
1. Critical Focus Time Takes Practice
A mistake I’ve made in the past is to think that a commitment to being focussed is sufficient to make me so. I’d start out all keen and determined and then discover that creating a new habit was not as simple as saying as I was going to do so. I’ve learned that, like any new skill it requires consistent effort.
For example, one strategy I’ve found to be helpful is to work in 45 minute blocks – what I call the 45/15 rule. I’ve been applying this idea for a number of years, on and off, and reaping the benefits. But I forget to do this every day. It has not yet become a habit so I’m still practising. I have to remind myself each day to set the timer and then discipline myself to stop when it goes off.
So, don’t expect to get your CFT right the first time you try it. Chances are you will need to practise until it becomes a useful habit. While you’re learning accept that you will make mistakes and let that be OK. If you see this in the context of learning a new skill you will be more motivated to keep practising until you’ve cracked it.
In order to get the most from your Critical Focus Time:
- Remove All Distractions – turn off your phone, clost your office door, ask your family/colleagues not to be disturb you for your allotted time, etc.
- Set A Timer – start with 10 minute blocks is you’re new to this, working up to whatever you’re optimum work block length is. You will need to expereiment and find what works best for you. However, never go beyond 45 minutes as studies have shown that this the the maximum amount of time we can focus for effectively.
- Take Regular Breaks Between Sessions – up to a maximum of 15 minutes for the 45 minute block. Use that time to get up from the desk and away from the computer. Do something that requires you to move our body.
2. Critical Focus Time for Internet Marketing
Here are the tasks that Ed counts as IN:
- activities that directly relate to bringing money in
- content creation
- link building including using Market Samauri Rank Tracker for finding and making back links
- outsourcing guides
- prospecting, e.g. active Joint Venture making (by phone not email) or looking for clients
- creating/tweaking PPC campaigns
Tasks That Are Not Included in CFT
- anything passive
- learning
- answering emails
- editing writing
- ANY social media (I was a bit surprised at this one!)
- exploring new keywords
- checking ranking
So, now you know what and what not to do in your CFT sessions. Make a commitment to how many blocks you will do each day. Start small and work your way up and, remember, practice, practice, practice.
———– An update on this post can be found at more on critical focus time.
Fail in the Field Not in Your Head
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s the end of week 2 of Ed Dale’s mentoring program. It’s been a bit of a non-week work-wise. Well, that’s what it’s felt like anyway.
I emailed Ed last Monday with my Market Samauri (MS) keyword and competition research for the internet marketing coaching market, expecting him to look at the figures and give me his opinion on them. I was finding it difficult to find things that I wanted to write about in internet marketing/success coaching where the competition numbers weren’t really high and I also wasn’t sure what the strategy is re. the use of Market Samauri in relation to Market Leadership as opposed to 30DC.
Rather than look at the numbers, he emailed back saying – “There is a big difference between using MS for leadership and for SEO – I’ll cover this in group this week as it’s such an important point – bottom line your practicing leadership in a market -you are researching phrases for traffic.
Write about what you want to write about as a market leader – it’s not about SEO.”
And that was it as far as building a website went. I ground to a halt unsure as to whether I should be doing more market research so I just continued with writing stuff for future use in my Critical Focus Time time.
This week’s webinar was entitled “Market Selection and how it differs from Market Leadership”. There a number of issues that it addressed which clarified things for me a bit and I’m ready to get going again. Hoorah!
First and foremost was the message of:
Fail In The Field
Apparently, MS research should be only 5% of our testing. The other 95% should come from the field, by getting stuff out there, which means content.
I see now, I misunderstood Ed’s meaning in his emails. I thought he was saying do MORE research. That stopped me because I didn’t know what else to do (I’d already researched >150 potential keyword phrases). But I realise now that what he meant was use the research I’d already done.
After watching this week’s webinar I realise I just need to get on with it and test in the field.
Here are some of the key points:
- Fail in the Field and Not in Your Head
Apparently, 98% of people fail in their head. I’ve definitely been guilty of that this week, which connects nicely with another point:
- It’s Never Perfect
When doing market research you are never going to find the perfect keywords, competition figures etc. So take the best you find and, you’ve guessed it, test it in the field.
- Indecision is Resistance – Period
Switching from a “getting it right” mentality to one of “testing” is a big help here. I’ve been indecisive, this week, because I’ve been looking for the “right” theme and category keywords.
- YOU Need to Decide
I emailed Ed for his opinion about my theme/category keywords and when he didn’t respond specifically I ground to a halt. This is connected to the earlier points.
So, using the research I’ve already done, here’s what I plan to do next:
- Pick a theme phrase
- Pick a couple of category phrases
- Put a blog on WordPress Direct
- Get It Indexed
- Do Some Backlinking
AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS FOR MYSELF!
I’m excited to be moving again.
