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?
Outsourcing Tears and Fears and Meeting the Challenge
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s hard to believe it’s almost 2 weeks since I last posted. But it’s been a real “head down” time for me. I’ve had my son to get sorted for the new term and his Woodcraft camp, wedding dressings to peruse with my daughter, friends and relatives staying and re-engagement with the whole oustourcing thing.
So, here I am again in my favourite cafe, skinny cappuccinno and ham and mozorella panini ordered, ready to write. If I’d stayed at home the tasks of the day would have taken over and it would have been an even longer gap between posts.
So, where did I leave off?
. . . I was off to find 20 likely candidates to email.
This time I foccused most on English language skills. I sent 20 emails and received 11 responses, 2 of which were to say they were no employed elsewhere. After some emails back and forth where I was looking primarily for examples of content they’d written, I chose 2 people from the remaining 9 to take on on a trial basis. John Jonas of Replace Myself recommends taking on 3 to 4 with a view to finding 1 good candiate. But I’m glad I only chose 2. Even that was a lot to manage.
One was primarily a writer (I’ll call her Elaine) and I had most hopes for her. The second (I’ll call her Ann) had some SEO experience as well so I set her off with a 5 Day Traffic Blitz project from Web2Mayhem.
After 2 days I could see that that Ann was going to be a better choice. They were both very keen and both worked hard but Ann followed directions more precisely and actually had a better standard of English. To be fair, Elaine’s English was very good compared to other writers I have tried over the years but I found myself editing more of it.
I’m the first to admit that my standards are very high and I was tempted to go with “good enough” and keep Elaine on but my gut was telling me not to. That opened a whole ‘nother can of worms.
I felt really, really bad telling Elaine I didn’t want to keep her on when I knew she was desparate for the job and had tried her best.
I normally deal with this type of situation by coming up with a load of rational reasons as to why I should keep her on and then doing so. This just makes matters worse as I’m really just delaying the inevitable.
This is an old pattern of behaviour that doesn’t work.
I could see the most likely result of ignoring my feelings now would be that I would have to tell her later, anyway, that I didn’t want to employ her. And it would feel even worse, having raised her hopes and I would have grown more and more frustrated.
I was surprised how hard this was for me and ended up becoming very tearful over the whole thing. But, better out than in!
The next time I have to do this it will be less emotional and the time after that, easier again. So I feel I’ve made a big step forward with this.
I’m never going to have a successful business if I can’t make the hard decisions. And, of course, that is also true for you.
Although, what’s hard for me may be easy for you, whatever your personal challenges are, they will need to be faced and taken on.
But, ultimately, this is good. This is what makes us feel alive. It’s a bit scarey at first but there’s such a sense of achievement and movement that it’s well worth doing.
So, if anyone needs a bit of a support with a challenge they’re feeling stuck with, please feel free to contact me and I’ll do my best to help you tackle it.
5 Day Traffic Blitz
Posted by: | CommentsAs if I didn’t have enough on my plate with managing this website, bringing back to life a couple of old sites, doing the 2010 Challenge, taking part in the mentoring and starting to do more internet marketing coaching I started another mini challenge yesterday called the 5 day traffic blitz. But, although there’s a danger of creating some internet marketing overwhelm again I not too worried about it as it’s only 5 days and it is related to what I’m already doing. It’s more of a strategy experiment than a wandering off in a new direction.
All my sites need traffic and I’m still working on nailing down the approach that works best for me. I have my article marketing ticking over nicely and my bookmarking by hand so now I’m looking for other things to add to the mix.
My taking part in the blitz came about because Jasons Katzenback and Potash opened up their Web 2 Mayhem membership for a 14 day $1 trial. I joined because I was curious to see what their strategy is, fully expecting to leave after 14 days. It’s a monthly subscription and I didn’t want to take on another one of those but I was so impressed with their product, support and expertise and with the community in general, that I decided to stay on for another month. Especially as the 5 Day Traffic Blitz was looming.
Apparently, when Jason K asked the people who were not renewing after the 14 days why they weren’t doing so, the number one reason given was that they wanted faster results. Nothing new there then! 
As a result they put together a “quick-start training designed specifically to get results within a few short days”. Since I was already using the tools and was very impressed with them I decided it was worth risking one month’s membership to see what I could achieve with the blitz.
Yesterday we got an introduction video which brought out 2 key points:
- You need to already have a web site or page such as a Hub page, Squidoo lens, or Ezine article to promote. So it’s not for total newbies.
- You need to allow 2 hours a day to work on this.
After watching the video I did some keyword and market research to determine which site/page I would be promoting, as from past results, the choice isn’t obvious.
I have chosen to promote a new affiliate product within a niche that I’ve had some success with in the past but I don’t, as yet, have a page up for it. So that will be the next thing to get done before the blitz proper begins later today. And, yes, before you ask I’ve already done my CFT blocks for today so this isn’t a diversion.
I will have to fit in today’s 2010 challenge lesson though.
Too Nervous To Think Up A Title
Posted by: | CommentsI got up this morning wearing my internet marketing coach hat, primed and ready (or so I thought) to offer coaching during Ed Dale’s 2010 challenge. I went to the computer and, next thing I know, I look up and an hour has passed. And since then 2 more hours!
This is a classic example of fear and procrastination working their evil and stopping me before I even start.
At times like these, I’m not even able to notice the thoughts that are operating but I know they are there because I feel nauseous and my hands are shaking slightly – classic symptoms of fear.
Blimey, you may be thinking, what an earth is she preparing to offer that has her in such a tizzy?
- – - Nothing that I haven’t done in other forms, hundreds of times before.
- – - Nothing that isn’t a great love of mine.
But that’s the thing about fear of course, it’s not rational!
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My intention had been to write a blog post about preparing to fail the 2010 challenge but I was stopped in my tracks.
So, being a believer in the old adage to “practice what you preach” I have taken myself off to a more productive environment. And I’m writing this in my favourite cafe armed with a capucchino and panini.
But, even the lure of those treats was not enough to move me initially so I had to resort to another favourite tactic of mine – dipping into my “inspiration file”.
Today I chose to rewatch Jonathan Fields’s video ‘Turning Fear Into Fuel‘ and that finally got me moving.
Towards the end of the video he addresses the audience and asks who’s sitting there, NOT doing something that has the opportunity to make them come alive and yet would do it if they were 100% certain they would not fail?
Well, that would be me then.
I love coaching.
It certainly makes me come alive.
My client’s love my coaching.
So what’s there’s to fear?
Well, this is Ed’s baby and he may be mad at me for offering coaching without asking his permission and this may be the one time when my coaching is crap and people might send me hate mail and I might get really, really bored with it and other people taking the challenge may resent my offer and question who the hell I think I am to step in here and I could be wildly successful and find that there is no way back and I might discover that internet marketing coaching is not as great as I think it might be and I’ll have spent all this time and energy on a website that is now redundant and way too personal to sell and then what the hell will I do for the rest of my year of mentoring with Ed and . . . and . . . and . . .
Well, I think you get the picture.
So, let’s cut to the chase here . . .
Do I want to do this?
. . . Yes!
So what’s the next step?
Create a Skype account solely for the 2010 challenge and tweet about this post . . .
. . . done!
Details of my 2010 Challenge coaching will follow. Unless, of course, Ed contacts me and tells me to remove this post and/or my inbox starts to fill with hate mail and . . . no . . . wait . . . hang on . . . done that. Been there.
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If you are reading this and NOT doing something that has the opportunity to make you come alive please Skype me on challenge.100 and let’s get you onto the next step.
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.
Ed Dale’s 2010 Challenge
Posted by: | Comments(This post assumes you’re familiar with Ed Dale’s Thirty Day Challenge. If you’re not please visit Rob Somerville‘s blog for an excellent history and explanation of what the 30DC is/was.)
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If you thought the 30 day challenge was good you’re going to love what Ed Dale has in store for us this year.
Back in April Ed posted that the 30DC was over. But . . . he went on to explain . . .
“There is no way I’m going to leave you hanging. What will replace the Thirty Day Challenge will be radical.
It will be state of the art.
It will be beautiful
It will be fun.
It will be easier.
I will make the same lame jokes…
Even Drummers will be able to do it.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY
It will be 100% free.
AND
It will be more EFFECTIVE.”
And now he’s finally announced the shape of what’s to come.
Gone are the thirty days. And in their place are 3 blocks of 7 working days with 7 days off in between.
The format has been changed because of Ed’s frustration, in the past, with how few people actually stuck it to the end of the 30 days. And yes. Mea Culpa. Again! I started the 30DC on 4 different occasions and never got to the end of the first week.
Ed’s take on why people don’t make it to the end, and my thoughts on that, are because of:
1. A lack of time – This has been addressed by limiting each day to just 30 minutes work which includes both watching the videos and completing the tasks that need to be done.
2. The Expectation that they will have a business after just 30 days. The focus of the original challenge was to make your first dollar that has now shifted to more of a business mindset - “the whole point of the challenge is to build the foundations of a business that will last. A business that will replace your 9-5 pay packet over time.”
3. Lack of Stickability – Keeping going for 30 days on the trot is a big ask for many of us so now all we have to do is make it to 7 days. Then take a break and make it to the end of another 7 days. I’m going to be really interested to see how this works out because the downside of having a break is loss of momentum. I’m going to stick my neck out here and predict that the same number of people will drop out after the initial 7 days as did in the past. (Sorry Ed). I think the key to this is to have a balance between the amount of work, which has been met by the 30 minutes a day change, and keeping momentum going.
4. We Hate Getting Left Behind – This is addressed by the 7 day break which will allow people to catch up if necessary. However, Ed feels “This is the number 1 reason anybody quits any challenge.” I disagree. I think it makes it harder but I don’t think it is the reason. I think it is just one of any number of excuses we use when we meet resistance. If this is my excuse of choice then no matter how long you give me to catch up, I won’t. It is a symptom but not the cause.
5. Lack of Results – This is most definitely a biggie when it comes to staying motivated. This is tackled by having a number of different outcomes, namely:
- You’ll have made your first dollar and built the foundation of your online empire!
- You’ll sell your website on Flippa.com and make some money back that way.
- You do all seven sections and you’ll be able to work as an SEO specialist
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So, that’s the new format and, although I disagree with Ed on some of his reasoning, I can’t wait to give it a go. It’s a brilliant opportunity to learn from a master and, if I don’t make it through to the end, it will not be due to lack of quality on the part of the materials!
As with the 5 CFT Challenge I’ll be reporting my progress here so you can follow along. But why not join me (and thousands of others) this time? Ed Dale’s 2010 Challenge is due to start on July 1st but you can sign up now and stay up to date with what’s happening. It’s free and now it’s only going to take 30 minutes a day there really is no excuse not to give it a go. Sign Up Here and I’ll see you on the inside.
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”!
Outsourcing Projects Take 2
Posted by: | CommentsThis weekend I went ahead and placed an ad at bestjobs.ph as mentioned in outsourcing firms reviews.
On Sunday I thought of a couple of other skills I wanted to add and so went back to my submission to add them. What I found, however, was that my account had been deleted. John Reese mentioned in a video interview that you might not be able to use this service from the US but as I’m in the UK I thought I’d give it a go. I emailed bestjobs support to find out why the account had gone but have had not heard back yet. I can only assume that the free ads are not available to UK users although it doesn’t actually say so on the site. I will, of course, keep you updated if I find out more.
So . . . where does that leave me with my outsourcing projects campaign?
The 3 months options for both bestjobs.ph and onlinejobs.ph are similar but, as I want to take someone on asap and I’m only looking for one person at this stage, I’m going to go with the onlinejobs one month offer. Not to mention I’m feeling more than a little miffed with bestjobs for wasting my time! At least, by writing the ad, I know exactly what I’m looking for so that should save a few hours.
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Tip
If you’re going to go straight for a paid service and look at people’s full resumes I recommend that you spend some time writing a job/person specification so you know exactly what you are looking for. Let it sit for a couple of days because you’re sure to think of extra things. BUT, remember fail in the field. So balance your preparation with just getting on with it.
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25.5.10 Update
I signed up to onlinejobs yesterday and spent 45 minutes looking for likely candidates. Then emailed 5 of them.
Outsourcing Project Setup
Posted by: | Comments
Having made the decision to set up an internet marketing outsourcing project it’s time to plan what steps I need to take in order to make that happen. I’m feeling quite nervous about this as I’ve never taken on a full-time worker before and I have hundreds of questions and concerns going round in my mind. However, applying the dictum of ”Fail in the Field and Not in Your Head” I’m just going to get on with it and take it one step at a time.
1. The first step is to answer the question:
“What work could someone do for me today that would allow me to generate income fastest?”
In my case, the answer is:
- article marketing – consisting of writing, spinning and submitting to article directories
- creating backlinks – by commenting in forums and blogs.
Since my site is new, I am still trying to build up traffic to 100 uniques a day. The above is the web marketing strategy I’m currently using and this is where I’m spending the bulk of my time. They are tasks that are easily outsourced.
Depending where you are in your online business some other answers might be:
- building a website
- creating a product
- video production
- customer service
- accounting etc. etc.
2. Next I need to look at how long it would take them to do those tasks to determine whether or not I have enough work for a full-time worker or whether, perhaps, I could share their time with another internet marketer. If you have an established business you may have more work than can be carried out in a month, in which case you will need to prioritise what will make the most difference to your bottom line, and either get those tasks outsourced first or consider hiring more than one worker.
My task break down looks like this:
| Task | Hrs |
| Write article/edit PLR article | 1 |
| Submit to Ezine Arts | 1/4 |
| Social Bookmark | 1/4 |
| Spin and submit to MAS | 3/4 |
| Spin and submit to AMA | 3/4 |
| Spin and submit to FTS | 3/4 |
| Add to Art Dash and Base | 1/2 |
| Total Time Per Article | 4 1/4 |
| . | . |
| Hand Commenting | 1 |
| Directory Submissions | 1/2 |
| . | . |
The directory submissions are low down on my list of priorities and could be if and when all other tasks are completed. So, as a starting point, if I do one article marketing cycle a week plus hand commenting, I’m going to need a minimum of 7 websites to keep someone busy full-time or 3 to 4 if I do 2 articles per week. I have this, although article marketing wouldn’t necessarily be the best strategy for all of them but at least this gives me a place to start and allows me to get on with the business of finding someone to oursource to and training them to do this first task.
3. I need to decide where I am going to look for a worker.
4. I need to decide what system I will use to manage the work.
5. I need to decide what system I will use to manage communication between myself and a worker.
Since there are a number of possibilities I want to look into, and I’m trying not to go into overwhelm, I’ll cover these points in future posts.
