Avoidable and UNavoidable Mistakes...

[Lumos]

OK, since this appeared right away, I'm now editing and adding content to it...!
(See the next post if you want to see what I've written...)

[Lumos]

This needs to be said 1st:
Self-confessed Newbie here.

Pretty much zero experience at selling, marketing, IM - all this stuff.
Making no claims of being ahead of the game on anything here - merely wanting to share my own observations, so take 'em or leave 'em - as you wish.

I've spent countless hours of my days for months now seeking out and examining lots of IM sorts of stuff.
Someone recommended WF, and I immediately fell prey to a quick case of Shiny Object Syndrome and wasted some of the little $ on hand on pretty much useless stuff just because I was so clueless.

Lucky for me - a member from here saw me wandering around in the dark and showed me the light leading to BBHF - for which I again say a huge 'Thanks !!' to that person.

The itchy case of SOS ended VERY quickly after that along with the start of collecting the observations which soon follow (with more to come, I'm certain).

So here's a list of some stuff which may take a bit of thinking before it makes any sense;
I say that because it did takes LOTS of thinking for me to see this stuff at all:

1. Systems; They aren't. Really.
We're all living in a time when things have been made to resemble machinery and folks seem mostly used to being looked upon and treated as bits of machinery themselves.
When it comes to machines that actually work right - they DO whatever certain thing they were built for, and that's it.
As far as I know, machinery does not think, have opinions or any sense of 'self'.

The idea of a 'system' is the promoting of machine-like functionality as it may be applied to living beings.

There is a serious problem in such an idea - and that is simply that we all are NOT machines - rather, we are living beings with our own thoughts, ideas, concepts, habits, etc.; this list could go on almost forever and has all sorts of random possibilities.

So, when we try to systematize selling stuff to living people, to refine 'success' down to a list of "A, B, C + 1, 2, 3 = Success !!" - we are trying to relate with randomness by imposing order onto it.

This may even bring some of the desired successes some of the time, which may get one thinking 'IT WORKS !!' when in reality it was some sort(s) of matching randomness.

2. Memorizing vs. any sorts of geniune learning...
One aspect of this life is how we've too often picked up and are running with a notion that we are actually 'learning' stuff.
What escapes us too often is that we've been put through some sort of school system (Ahem).
That system forced us to accept it when we were too young to see what it really is=>
To memorize endless amounts of stuff, then regurgitate it upon command to be graded by yet another pretty much bloodless and thoughtless 'system'.

Of course, being young and wanting to also be wild and free we might have despised this system of punishments vs. rewards - but it still tends to work rather well at imposing a glass ceiling upon our lives which is (of course) quite unseen by us for the most part as we move through our lives.

Contrasting to this is any sort of genuine learning, which tends to be a very personal, subjective process of discoveries, clarity and depth which become part of us.
When it IS real learning, there tends to be a certain sense of pleasure when we 'get it' - whatever 'it' may be.

3. How all this explains alot about 'Shiny Object Syndrome'.
If we haven't yet figured out that the ideas pertaining to using systems need matching random stuff in order to work as we'd like to see it do - then we grab onto promised results minus any critical thought processes and proceed to memorize this terrific new process so as to reach our desired 'success' thereby;
When it fails to deliver, we can simply attribute that 'failure' to something unseen or unknown or even to blame ourself for not doing it right, etc., etc. - and go grab another shiny object instead.

Thus we keep our very own self oblivious to the obvious (and stuck in uncertainties).

4. We've been 'taught' that most folks are natually inclined towards goodness and honesty.
No way.
Leaves us wide open to being fleeced over and over and left out in the rain, shivering and wondering what happened to our nice, waterproof wool coat ?!?

5. We fail to see that 'rules' and 'laws' simply do not work.
See the item about systems up above.
This matters ALOT in trying to set up a business because we really need to be looking at how and where such 'rules' and 'laws' do not apply as those are always made to defeat our efforts.

6. Honesty, openness and full disclosure are generally not part of selling stuff.
Honesty would mean letting the buyer know that what you paid a penny for you are now asking him to pay $100 for; openness would demand sharing rather than profiting and full disclosure would eliminate drip-feeding info to the buyer in hopes of increasing profits.

Is there any way to make a balance of things such that it doesn't feel in any way like dishonesty ??
I don't know - this is what has always kept me away from selling stuff for profits before.

7. Niche precision.
Find your niche according to your passion !!
Never mind such precision - targeting your market too closely is limiting.
Huh ?!?
Seriously - read enough systems and you'll see these contradictory statements made with great certainties behind them.
How to avoid making a mistake somehow on this ??
Beats me.

8. Domain Name Precision.
It matters vs. does not matter much at all.
Let me know when you have a precise formula for this that works 100%, OK ??

9. Follow and pay the gurus because they know and can tell you how.
Baloney.
Distill whatever there is and mostly it shows that timing, clever observations, being in the right place to get something done, and other things which may or may not repeat have made those folks take that title.

Maybe you or I will also get lucky with repeatable results - or maybe not.

10. I need to accept that the other person knows more than I do.
Baloney twice.
Chances are he or she was just blundering around like anyone else, had a small idea, ran with it and after having a very good day - made it into a system so as to keep making $$$.

There's really not much new to be found - mostly things are just variations of already existing stuff.

Most systems really seem to boil down to the following few things with some twisty stuff added from time to time:

- Get a domain name, hosting, install WP;
- Jazz it up however you (or someone else...) may think is best;
- Add content...often;
- Get folks to look there somehow;
- Get their email info if you can;
- Get 'em to buy stuff from you or via affiliates;
- Keep working at it until you see some gains from this;
- Make some sort of systems out of the above to sell it for $$$
- Repeat most of this as long as you are able to make it work for you.

Most of the IM stuff I've seen thus far reminds me o term paper writing=>
Make a couple of sentences to describe what you're after, then...
Fluff it out to 20 pages of small print to 'sell' to the teacher for grading.

I'd turn this into a cheat sheet and try selling it - but I really must doubt that anyone would pay me for it !!

[bestblackhatterZZ]

+1
entertaining read thankyou

[Lumos]

Thanks for replying.
Looks like you need some more rep - added !!

[taharoyal52]

Smithnowt, I must say you did a great job revealing the truth. Andit is bitter as well.

---

Max reps for you.

[Lumos]

Hi Taharoyal52 !!
I just re-visited this thread after some time has passed and haven't used up all my reps yet today - and you need some, so here's the most I can give, which is +3 !!