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View Full Version : I feel like a White Belt- A thought for newbies like me



danr
07-30-2009, 03:55 PM
Hey guys
I have to say that being new in any area or niche really helps you develop your character.

I'm pretty successful and blessed in the other areas of my life. I have a beautiful and supportive wife and healthy children (the most important things you can ask for IMO). I run a successful technology company and I've been fortunate enough to have been able to train in a Traditional Martial Arts for 20 years. I respect the people that surround me and I return the same respect to them. I am often looked at as a mentor or an "expert" for the stuff that I do. Over the last month or so, entering the IM field, I've had a real wake up call or dose of reality..."I'm not that important", or as one of my students would say "I ain't all that".

Now this isn’t a “poor me” rant, it’s actually a revelation that I wanted to share. I’m sure many “newbies” feel the same way as well. I have spent many years and a lot of money on technology built to make it easier for my clients to manage their websites and run a web business. I have been very successful at it; in fact I have built and sold many such companies to Investors and associations. So when I decided to enter the IM field, I thought that it would be easy. Surely with the software I have to offer, I would have no problem achieving success quickly. Boy was I wrong! The fact of the matter is I made a mistake that all my years of training should have taught me otherwise not to do. I underestimated the situation and was over confident.

I have been following Internet Marketers since the early days but always said to myself “I know that” or “That won’t work for my business”. My problem was that I was such a techie, I didn’t think that the basic principles applied to me. Again, another mistake that I should have been prepared for. My Martial Arts trainings ingrained into me to always start with the basics before trying something advance. Why did I forget this? We can walk through life in a comfort zone where we are masters of our domain, and the top dog, (as long as we stay in an environment that we are familiar with). I am grateful to be reminded of the basic principles that I supposedly lived by. In reality, I forgot what it was all about.

I don’t want to go to much more into it, except that for all of you who are new to the industry and who have had success in other fields, don’t naturally assume that it will automatically carry over into this one. There are a lot of real successful people in this market who have gotten there with hard work, genuine enthusiasm and the desire to succeed, just like any other profession. All of us have to put in our time, just like starting in the Martial Arts. Before you can train with the senior students, you have to learn the ropes, pay your dues and earn respect of your peers.

Just my 2 cents.

Daniel

BrandonFredrickson
07-30-2009, 06:16 PM
This will seem sort of self promotional, and it's not by design. But look around you and see how all of the big guys pull of their launches. Even though they are able to do it themselves, people like Kern, Walker, Stompernet, Kennedy-Glazer, Brad Callon etc all hire people in to do certain aspects of their business for them, the launches for example. It's always good and useful to have a fresh set of eyes in there, and the fact is you can only be excellent at so many things. It makes a lot of sense, and a huge part of what separates the A players from the B and C players is that the A players don't try to do it all for themselves.
Brandon

danr
07-30-2009, 11:46 PM
Thanks Brandon,
I've actually tried to hire a few people, but with little success. I find that the traditional tactics I use (that have been successful in the past) don't have the same results when it comes to promoting/selling my technology to Internet Marketers. I've even tried the one on one coaching programs, newsblast to a specific target audience with nothing to show for it.
So, I decided that if you want something done right...(you know the rest)

It's also good for me to be able to relate to the audience that I'm trying to attract by going through and sharing the same experience, obstacles and successes.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Cheers
Daniel

Michael Hiles
08-27-2009, 10:54 AM
Daniel, I used to be a cynical, techie analyst type as well. I did pretty well for myself considering.

But I took a look around and asked myself, "What in the heck is the difference between me and the guys that hit grand slam business home runs?"

I realized that the analyst in me always looked for the flaw, and sought to create a better solution, rather than just sell what's there to someone who already thinks it's good enough to buy.

Paralysis by perfectionism.

That doesn't cut it when it comes to getting things to market to sell.

So, I adopted the attitide that I am not my customer, and therefore, I am going to look past obvious flaws (that would be a letigimate deal breaker for someone like me) and sell something to people that aren't as picky as myself.

Not that I want to sell crap, mind you. But I have set the bar so high for myself that what I perceive to be flawed is probably awesome to a lot of other people.

It's been a tough hurdle to overcome, but I am doing it.

Melford Bibens
09-10-2009, 10:36 PM
Ditto to Brandons' well meaning and highly correct remarks!

Get some help from the pros!

I'm planning a big launch in November and let me tell you...I'm calling in the troops!

Just like anything else in life, you need to hire the best to get the best results.

You'll meet the best on here, both friends and "contractors"

I've been in the martial arts for most of my life too...everybody starts from the beginning my friend!

Melford Bibens