Does This Sound Like You?
Time to check my email to see if I sold anything….nothing. Rats.
I have a great idea for a product!
This product is going to be awesome and is going to make me MILLIONS!
I quickly hop over to freekeywords to do some research. While there I notice that they have a 7 day FREE trial to WordTracker. I decide that if I’m going to be a big “guru” in this niche I need to have guru tools and so I sign up for the trial. Then I check my email to confirm my address, while there I see an interesting from __(insert name of any marketer here) about a membership site!
PERFECT! That will fit in exactly with my product and help me make even more $$! So I sign up for the membership site. Boy, lots of stuff in this membership site! I really need to get a grasp of all the information here if my product has any chance of being a success!
COOL! The membership site has some free software for me to try. I download and install it right away. Hmmm, it seems something is wrong. The software doesn’t work so I check out the support link.
Ok, support is a help desk so I need to register for it. I do so and fill out my problem.
Time to check my email to see if I sold anything….nothing. Rats.
While in my email I see an offer for an awesome set of sales templates! The other 4,712 templates I have just won’t cut the mustard with my new product. So I quickly buy them.
Hmmm… the templates are beautiful but I need to be able to edit them. I can’t afford Photoshop (yet!) so maybe there is a free Photoshop “like” program out there. I jump over to Google to find out.
Yes! There is an alternative to PS. I quickly download and install it. Rats, it’s running real slow. I really need to add memory to this computer if I am going to be serious about my online business.
My wife asks me how I am doing. I tell her, “fine.” It drives me nuts when she distracts me like that!
Time to check my email to see if I sold anything….nothing. Rats.
While in my email I see that a help desk has sent me a reply. What was that software I was having trouble with anyway? Oh, now I remember! I have to download a new copy of the software. No problem, I return to the membership site to download it and..COOL a video course! I really should learn the things in this video first before I work on my product.
**Seven Days Later**
Time to check my email to see if I sold anything….nothing. Rats.
Why the heck did WordTracker charge my credit card $29?
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Comments
I understand that well enough. I used to suffer from the same thing until I decided that enough was enough. Now I don’t belong to any membership sites, rarely read forums except in areas I selling products in, and very seldom do those idiotic things that keep people from making money online. Funny how my income went up when I started actually spending time working instead of being distracted and procrastinating.
Mike,
First, you have a great ezine that is down to earth and practical. So many people need that online today! I can definitely relate to this post BUT I am finally doing something about it (It’s that A-C-T-I-O-N thing).
A little advice to many of you out there following the “I’ve got the next greatest product guru” - STOP! Unsubscribe from those e-zines that are not bringing you value. You know the ones - they are constantly promoting the next best thing.
At that point, step back and THINK about what you really want to do online (too much to elaborate in this post) and then find a mentor that you can work with or follow through their ezines (such as Mikes here 
) and apply what they are teaching you.
There are truly many mentors (not gurus - is anyone really a guru anyway?) out there that will help you as you show the initiative to take ACTION. So make that first step today.
Patrick
The Comic Collector
Hey Mike,
Ouch!
Do you have a secret video camera filming me or what?
Ouch again!
I think you hit the nail on the head and so many of us holding the nail didn’t move our hand fast enough and got hit.
You did an awesome job of describing the biggest trap that many of us that trying to get ahead online fall into.
One key to making progress is to get focused and stay focused on one project at a time, and then follow through til it’s completed. Then start the next project.
Thanks for holding the mirror in front of us, sometimes we need to take a better look at ourselves (and our work habits) to effect the needed change.
Keep bring on those suddle kicks in the butt… I need them.
Cheers, Smiles and Laughs,
Crazy J
a.k.a. Johnny Hollywood
Comedian turned Internet Marketer
http://www.ComediansAnonymous.com
I know what you’re talking about…Now that I’m focused I’m actually building my business. I stop to hop from one thing to another and I can tell you my profits went up.
Hilarious! Fortunately I am very focused and never get distracted no matter how good the offers might look.
I don’t remember…have I signed up for your 10 free gifts yet?
So true, Michael. I cringe at the amount of stuff I have sitting gathering dust on my hard-drive. Too many distractions…!
Best wishes
Paula Brett
http://www.PaulaBrettBlog.com
Oh yes, I’ve been there too…made me laugh!!
Just got be strict and focus on what you really want to do…and do it!
I need to print this and post next to my computer, guilty!
Sometimes we need a slap in the face!Great post!
I echo the “ouch.” This just sounds too much like me and my issues. If you want to know why at least one person did not buy your Aweber videos, here’s the reason - I just can’t build a list to save my soul. Given, that, I don’t feel an overwhelming need to learn more about Aweber than I already know.
dougger1
Good post on a timely topic!
Everyone on the internet wants your attention and while most are trying to “help” it’s best if you have an action plan and stick to it. As you point out so well in your post, it’s very hard not to get distracted.
Thanks for the reminder.
Lewis
LOL The free trials get me-because I forget to unsubscribe until I’m billed! Ken has a good idea–Everyone has good words, Michelle
Well, you sure nailed that one. I used to be like that but I’ve been working on reforming me and find it is not easy.
How about some ‘how to get out of the rut’ tips? I can tell you merely unsubscribing isn’t the key because there are so many rationalizations as to why you should stay subscribed. How to sort the good from the almost-good (awfuls are easy to decide on…it’s the in-betweeners that are hard).
The memberships are hard to decide on until you’ve actually seen the site etc. Any clues to selecting the good ones?
Thanks for your great articles…they really do get one to thinking!
Sandi
PMSL Michael….
I was going to ask if you have an old video spy cam from my desk a couple of years ago….
But I see there are plenty here who beat me to it….LOL
Yep I used to be exactly like that!
AND - as has been stated already … when I started to focus and convince myself to just get going and make everything nicer afterwards …. as others have said - the income levels began to rise!
In fact on one of my sites I have left some of the pages and never updated them - as I use them as examples of how bad a site can be and still make money … IF we just focus on getting done what needs doing!
Great Post Michael 
Best Regards
Randy
http://www.7KeyElements.com
Great article Michael.
That USED to be me, but just recently I have joined the great 1kaday membership site http://earn1kaday.com and started to focus my effort on one of the business models there.
Very amusing, and so…. true!