Everything you ever want
Welcome Back To Dean Holland Dot Com... Be Sure To Look Around And Get Involved In The Discussions Going On!
Hey peeps,
I believe this is the most important post I have ever written and hope those which it applies to take help from it
** WARNING **
This post contains hard hitting and extremely helpful advice
If you are feeling stuck then read EVERY single word
My aim is to help YOU
Do NOT take offence – Take ACTION !!
Just recently I have done quite a lot of blog hopping around the blogs of fellow students of Alex Jeffrey’s coaching course. To my disappointment it seems a LOT have lost their passion for success. The drive that I could sense only weeks ago just doesn’t seem to be there, many have not even posted to their blogs for many weeks !!
Although you always have to expect that some will not continue with the skills they learn it is still upsetting to see as every one of the 500 students has been given the same information and the same chances to build a success online business. Well I want to help, I want to turn things around for those that are watching there initial efforts wash away !!
First off we need to address why this is happening, can I just say to begin with if you are reading this and you are one of those that has lost a bit of your ‘sparkle’ please come forward… Don’t allow it to happen, there are many of us here to advise and help you. Help us to help you !
Here’s my 2 cents on what’s occurring ….
The main reason I think some may be losing interest is the lack of results showing. Ok, fair enough but why ?? I have read a lot stating they are seeing no traffic to their blogs, in answer to that I would be very interested to know exactly what those people are doing to drive traffic. We have all been taught to visit other blogs and comment on them giving value, we have also been told to join in on forums in our niche. I have recommended many times for everyone to join the Warrior Forum and with VERY good reason, let me reveal something I have never let out before … In around 4 months that my blog has been running I have had 10′s of thousands of visits and get this, the Warrior Forum accounts for around 15% of that traffic !! Do you see how MASSIVE the impact of this 1 site is having on my blog ?? And remember this is all highly targeted traffic, so how do I do it ? Simple, you join for free and you submit helpful threads.. Easy right ?!
Ok, you may think you have nothing to write about… Being fair to all maybe at this exact moment you don’t but that doesn’t mean do nothing.. Read other peoples threads and post comments on them, there are literally 100′s of thousands of value packed threads in this single forum. Take advantage of it, learn from it and eventually you will profit from it !
A bit of advice, the Warrior Forum is all about building a reputation for yourself so don’t just blast out new threads for the sake of trying to get traffic. But your threads can be very simple, tell people about your experiences, share what you are doing, inform others about what is or isn’t working for you…. You get the idea.
I know I may be giving a lot of emphasis on just this 1 forum but it has SO much POWER in the IM world, once you learn to harness it you can make it VERY profitable over the long term. Yes I know many of you reading this may know all this already but this is aimed at those that seem to have gone quiet over recent weeks and need that extra bit of guidance. If you haven’t already go join at www.WarriorForum.com and start taking part REGULARLY, remember this 1 single tactic has sent 1000′s of visitors to my blog in just a few months !!
So there, I’ve addressed with one simple tactic how to resolve a lack of traffic to your blog, I challenge anyone to use the Warrior Forum properly and consistently and not get traffic… It wont happen, just have a signature that has a link back to you blog and you WILL see results !
Let’s move on….
I would also stick my neck out and say some students may be disheartened by not earning money yet, I cannot push this enough… Forget the money, focus on building a business and helping others. Money will come to you !! Here’s an example – Lets say someone that wants to start a blog finds your site… They read your posts and in those posts you have offered advice on how you built your blog, ok now they see you as someone to listen to and the person that can help them start their own blog !! Then they look and you have a resource page that tells them the services you personally use ( i.e- Hosting ) Voila… you make money ! That’s how it can work but that wont happen unless you are providing the help and information to begin with ! It is going to take time, but consistency is the key to success.
From personal experience I know for a lot of you that time or lack of it is a factor of less work online. Everyone’s circumstances are different but everyone if they really want to can put in some commitment to grow their business… Lack of time is not an excuse, it is a restraint… Something to work around. I have actually just come across a free tool online that you can use that will help you with time management, I only just found this today so have not put it to use yet.
It is called ‘Your day in a pie chart’ and what you basically do is to enter the activities you do in a day along with the amount of hours you spend doing them. This will then show you the amount of hours you have left in a day, I believe it will then also tell you how many hours in the year you take up and have spare but just focus on the daily chart. I suggest entering the hours you work in your job, the hours you sleep and any other key daily activities. If this shows you have 1 hour spare then that is what you should put into your business, if it shows 3 hours even better. If it shows you really have no hours left in a day then assess what activity you could reduce by an hour so you can give at least that.
http://www.numbercrunched.com/time.html
My personal thought is you would want to be dedicating at least 7-10 hours a week to growing your business but whatever it is you can do just be consistent with your efforts. I know you may have heard this before but do not allow distractions to take you away from the work you should be doing, this is even more critical if you don’t have much time to give !
After my blog travels I feel strongly that now is the time where peeps will either flourish or fall … The only reason to fall is if you allow that to happen !
Think back 2 months, remember how your mindset was then ?! In fact go back to your very own first ever blog post, read every word of it.. What do you think ?
Have you lost your sparkle, do you really want to let this opportunity pass you by ?? There are people that would of done ANYTHING to get on the coaching with Alex that we are in, so what are you gunna do with it ??
If I were to sit here and beg you to work to become a success it would not work unless you want it to happen… And believe me you have to REALLY want it because it is going to take much more effort and time than you have given it so far.
I remember throughout 2007 and 2008 ‘DREAMING’ about the internet lifestyle and I had this big DREAM about how I could work online full time and be my own boss….. Now we are in 2009 and that dream is now a GOAL, a goal to work to and reach !
Do you DREAM, or do you have GOALS ??
I don’t know how many of the initial 500 are left and willing, but if you are one of those lucky ones I want nothing more than to see you succeed online. If I can help in any way at all then please PLEASE either post a comment here or contact me through my contact form. Do not sit and wonder ‘what if’, come forward and claim your place now !
2009 …. Our year to shine
Together all of us can have what we want
Dean 
Bookmark
Related Posts
About the Author
Dean Holland Is A Successful Internet Marketer, Entrepreneur And Business Mentor. Through his internet marketing expertise, his shear passion to achieve higher levels of success and strong desire to help others Dean Holland can and will help you gain the knowledge and skills needed to get you started making money online or improve your current business to make even more money with the internet.
2 Trackbacks
- SH*t, I’ve Turned Into @Alex_Jeffreys !!!
February 12, 2009 12:33 PM - The Latest With My Challenge | ThatCantWork.com
February 23, 2009 4:29 PM
February 11, 2009
2:30 pm #comment-1
Awesome post Dean,
it takes a lot to keep motivated especially when you’re not seeing immediate results, but you just have to stick with it and keep it going.
People need to realize it’s a business and it takes a little while for any business to pick up steam and get it going.
Hopefully everyone stays motivated and inspired
- TRENDS
February 11, 2009
2:56 pm #comment-2
Hi Dean,
First off, want to thank you for this post. It was quite motivational. I’m a fellow student and yes there have been days when I said aww, forget it. Your post helped alot! Thanks.
Sandy
February 11, 2009
2:59 pm #comment-3
hey dean
great post
i do agree, some people have lost a bit of motivation….
im as always still fired up, im like a steam roller nothing can stop
me lol
i always like to say to people if they are not sure what to do to get traffic or if they really are stuck then at least do some research on youtube, this is how ive learned, by watching thousands of videos over the last 12 months
by doing this you can start to at least learn as you go about how to drive more traffic to your site or blog
your blog is looking cool dean, keep up the great work mate
i still need some of those cool gizmo widgets though
i always stroll by on a regular basis to see what your up to as i know
your always enthusiastic and motivated.
speak to ya soon man
take it easy
paul
February 11, 2009
3:08 pm #comment-4
Hi Dean
Great post my friend that has given me motivation mate.
cheers
Marcus
February 11, 2009
3:10 pm #comment-5
Dean,
You are inspiration to us all. And just to let you know I have been through a lot of really sad situations in my life time. I will not disclose them here however. I got married at a very young age lost both my parents in there fifties. so I basically had to learn on my own. I am now married to the same wonderful wife for over 25yrs. I have learned that marriage like life is a lot of give and take. Why am I telling you this because I believe that I am not the only one out there who has had to learn on there own. Why will I be successful on the Internet because I also learned that life is not always fair and you will hit bums in the road you just have to stay on path and have a goal whatever that goal maybe. For those of you who do not know me yet you will find I like to help others that is why I sell furniture, I get great satisfaction when my customers tell me thanks for making their buying process so easy for them. You will also find that I am not a quitter. I will have bums in the road that’s to be expected however I will get there maybe not today but it will happen.Sorry if this post is a little to personal for some of you but dean I thought you hit home with this one.
Your friend John.
February 11, 2009
3:13 pm #comment-6
Hi Dean,
Well said mate! There are people struggling. I am struggling, but I am not giving up. It’s been said elsewhere, but it’s worth repeating. AJ’s coaching is about teaching us the skills that we need to start and run a business. It’s not a get rich quick scheme, if it was I for one would not be involved with it.
There will be fluctuations in traffic. But if people aren’t active they will not get traffic. If they don’t make posts they will not have the content on their blogs that the search engines love. Nor will there be valuable information to keep people returning for updates.
The most important thing at this stage is to get content on your blog and build your brand. The money is not important.
Building your list is important and that will eventually lead to you making money. But you have to provide a good reason and incentive for people to subscribe to your list. And yes, you need traffic.
So the peeps need to get posting and get active on the forums and elsewhere to generate backlinks and traffic.
I wonder if those that need to hear this the most will get to read this though?
That’s just my twopennyworth!
Keep up the good work.
Ken
February 11, 2009
3:19 pm #comment-7
Hey Dean,
Good post, thanks.
I have been thinking about this a while.
It seems to me that several of our fellow students have not set a direction for themselves. Alot of us came in without a product to market. Many did not jump on and PROMOTE the product that came with the platform. Shoot how many actually read the whole package…and further how many watched the video…
Sorry bout the preaching…but go back review everything, use it.
Look on fellow student blogs like Dean’s for some extra step by step guidance that fits your personality and risk meter…
Enough ranting…
Scott
February 11, 2009
3:20 pm #comment-8
Dean,
A very good post. I believe you have restated in yet another manner what several have also presented. If someone has missed the message in the collective efforts of these posts I am not sure what can be done to offer further encouragement. My only question is regarding the Warrior forum. I have also read several negative comments about this forum. Gazz-Man has been quite vocal. Having seen such a mixture of remarks I have been hesitant to visit that forum.
Personally, my hurdles relate to time issues. These are not going to create a negative attitude. I recognize that my progress will not be as rapid as others because I am not devoting the same amount of time. This said, I will succeed just at a slower pace or perhaps a lower volume based upon my immediate needs.
Again, a great post.
Ken
February 11, 2009
3:28 pm #comment-9
Hey Dean…
You did it again!! Excellent motivational post and yeah it’s quite interesting about the traffic issue and how you generate traffic. You know, what… you made me check my Google analytics stats which I’ve neglected to check over the past week or so.
And bro, I don’t want to toot anything or have anything comparable to your 10′s of thousands of visits you’ve been consistently getting, but to date since the first day of blogging and judging from my current stats of which I was quite surprise to find out, I’ll be hitting the past the 8,000 visits mark this weekend and have my 5,000th unique visitors.
I think I best upgrade my blog to incorporate what I’m doing and currently working on, before even venturing onto the warrior forum. I’ve been trying to get round to it for the past month. bah need to be more focus!!! Thanks again for the warrior forum tip help Dean, much appreciated!
All the best
Nigel
February 11, 2009
3:28 pm #comment-10
Brilliant insights Dean ~ Keep going like this and you’ll be unstoppable.
Actually I think the reason that many aren’t getting results is because they don’t know what they want, (and I don’t mean a successful on-line business ~ I mean what they would be if I gave them a magic pill and all their problems went away).
Secondly, many deviated from Alex’s path early on. I very nearly went off track several times in the early days.
Now to be fair to a few folks Alex isn’t that hot on areas like SEO, or any of the techie stuff for that matter. He’s admitted that several times. There are things people could be doing, however, that would make their websites more SEO friendly. Mine for one, it has lots of problems that I need to iron out if I go on in the same vein.
But, in fact, I’m changing my blog soon . . . well in the next six months
Several people have been over there making suggestions about how I should proceed. Did you know that anyone posting there can get some great free goodies based on what I discovered at some other place that I hang out.
Anyway, I really like the style of your post Dean. I think pretty soon you’ll be giving your day job the heave ho!
Stephen
February 11, 2009
3:28 pm #comment-11
Hi Dean,
Thanks for your excellent post – very inspiring!
Personally I haven’t used ‘Warrior Forum’ yet. So thanks for the tip. I’ll get right on that.
To add to the traffic generation tips. I’ve had some success through Twitter. Get some good traffic and my list is building slowly but surely. The traffic generation ideas do work that we’ve been given!
Take the advice from the last Module#6 – setup a Twitter account, create an interesting bio and a link to your blog and then create an interesting automatic re-follow message through TweetLater.com or SocialToo.com. Then start following people find out what they’re up to and build relationships.
I also post on the blogs that I get e-mails to visit that come into my Inbox.
I’ve also just published an article on information publishing in a biz opps mag (had to invest some cash) and am waiting to see the response. I’ll post an update on my blog next week.
I’m about to start writing ‘press releases’ too – to local newspapers, to get FREE publicity. I’ll be writing a post explaining how to do it in more detail, after I’ve submitted it.
The prize is worth the effort (financial freedom in my case) – just keep your VISION in mind and take ACTION! Failure to success!
Regards,
Dave
P.S. Dean would appreciate you following me back on Twitter. I’m following you. My Twitter ID is ‘davepumfrey’.
February 11, 2009
3:34 pm #comment-12
Hi Dean,
Thanks for the post. I believe that we all from time to time need
a little bit of an encouragement and yes your post helps for sure.
It is obviuos that by now initial euphoria has disappeared once students were making less and less comments on each others blogs as we realised that it is outside our blogs we need to look for traffic to come. We were playing business and going from blog to blog making comments about this and that. We still do but nowhere near like we did during December.
It is like taking the arm-bands off a child that has never been in the water without them. Some of them will fight to stay on surface, some of them will be under the water in a second and some of them will scream to get out.
That is how we all reacted. We reacted in many different ways and that is all normal. We just need to sit down and replan, make some adjustments and continue with full speed forward.
Gordan
http://www.gordanbos.com
February 11, 2009
4:08 pm #comment-13
Great post!
Like you I am a student of Alex but but a variety reasons have not set up my blog yet.
But this weekend sat down to write out my goals and tasks for the day, week, month…etc…
Need to tweek a little but I’m getting the right track.
I have a plan and am not working so I no I can put in 10-12 hrs a day.
That should get me somewhere!
Keep up the good work and I’ll be following you on Twitter, blog and forum.
Thanks
Joe
February 11, 2009
4:17 pm #comment-14
Hi Dean,
Great post it gave me the motivation I need. There are days when I get frustrated when I cannot see any signs of traffic getting to the site. There are sp many different ways that they all take time so I now do 1 traffic action per day instead of all together
I too have been wondering how many of the 500 are still left.
Good Luck
Christine
February 11, 2009
4:19 pm #comment-15
Hi Dean
Great post mate.
As you say, the Warrior Forum is a great place to be active. I only started using it about a week ago but will post on a regular basis. Putting traffic aside for a minute, there is a wealth of information on this forum. If you are finding a particular aspect of IM difficult, you will find lots of advice and soultions in this forum.
All the best
Mark
February 11, 2009
4:29 pm #comment-16
Hey Dean, whenever I get down I know where to come – cos you really lift my spirits.
You are certainly an inspiration to us all as I know I have said before.
It can be very demoralising because there are so many so called “gurus” out there saying they made this and they made that – but what they forget is that they were once in our position starting from scratch – they have built their list and they are where they are today because of that.
Many people starting online want to see an immediate return – the truth is unless you have found something very special it’s aint gonna happen – like any self employed business you gotta work at it and put in the time.
So well done – hopefully you have re-motivated these people and they will stick to it because I’m sure it’s gonna pay off for them in the end.
All the best
Elaine
February 11, 2009
5:18 pm #comment-17
Hi Dean,
Great post, thanks for putting it out there in a time when I needed some encouragement! I’ve been struggling and not getting along as fast as I’d like to and your post reminded me that it’s mostly my fault for not doing all of the things we’ve been taught in our coaching classes with Alex.
Most of my challenges have come from blog issues and not being able to get those challenges fixed. As of last week, I found someone who can help me and is very responsive to my cries for help when something goes wrong in WordPress!
One of the main reasons I hadn’t done any blog posting in a couple of weeks is that the comments portion of my blog wasn’t working so no one could leave any comments, which, as you know is terrible! It’s working now and I’ll be posting today to tell everyone about my newest friends who’ve helped me so much with the technical side of the blog challenges.
Keep doing what you’re doing and I know you’ll be doing this full-time before you know it! You’ve done a lot to help me so far and I appreciate all that you’ve done. You’re a generous person!
Have an excellent day,
Kevin
February 11, 2009
5:20 pm #comment-18
Hi Dean,
We’re on the same page, but you said it better.
I posted on this subject yesterday. Remember the fellow from Cardiff, Wales who wanted to sing opera and won the Britain’s Got Talent contest? The video from that program is one of the most watched videos on Youtube with over 40 million views. I think it’s because people love seeing other people achieve their dreams (besides his magnificent voice).
Thank you for addressing this issue . . . it’s not only great content, but your readers know where your heart is.
All the best,
Theresa
February 11, 2009
5:25 pm #comment-19
Deano Deano Deano,
Great post matey!
While I appreciate all different views that I have heard over the last while ….
I understand your frustrations, given the passion that you have to make it in 2009 ….
Everyone is different and have different goals ….
The Gazz-Man sums it up so sweetly in his first vid, you think negative, you will get negative …. think positive & powerful thoughts that is what you will get ….
I am racking my brains where I seen the same sort of format he uses, …
Just Got it … showing my age it would have been 70′s or 80′s or something like Late Call where it was a motivational spiritual message at around 12am before you turn in for night….
The Late Rikki Fulton did a spoof version in ‘Scotch & Wry’ sketch show …
Gazz-Man, get yourself a big green leather chair matey ha ha ha !! …
Anyhoos, back on topic …. there are a lot of people willing to help others …. I did mention on my blog back in December …. just ask …. and I will help if I can ….. as will others
Share the knowledge …..
I will give my personal opinion on the last while, I also do not want to sound harsh ….
Everyone has choices, and I will always respect them ….and support those decisions …. might not agree with them … but ….
Wether it is the Alex J Mentoring or whatever the course , you have all invested in yourselves ….
So being a Scotsman ( who said tight? lol !!)
I can tell you I am not tight, but I did wake up during the night to see if I had lost any sleep ha ha ha !!
Back on topic ….
You give up you are sort of giving up on yourself …. you do need to take action …. that is why you have invested in YOU
Without that you will not get far ….
I have spoke previously on my blog about building foundations, now the Deanos, Gazz’s Parkesy Nikkis, and others are part of this for me ….
You have the Gary Parkes Newsletter packed with tips and step by step instructions on some tasks …. it is free – use it
To harp back to the Gazz-man & Linda brilliant advice in the Mp3 ….
Use Youtube full of tutorials, it does all again come down to take action ….
As frustating as it may seem for those people that are taking action …
remember “you can lead a horse to water, but you can not make it drink”
Let me publicly state here, if anyone needs assistance or help, drop by my blog or email me ….
As others will testify I will reply and where I can sort out your problem ….
If means creating a tutorial, not a problem ….. I have spent a lifetime helping others in some way or another … and have the same ethos online as offline …..
If you don’t want help, that is ok as well ….
I am mad excited with my plans, some of which will help you in one way or another I hope ….
You can be everything you want to be and more, just continue to push through your ‘barriers’
Think of an athlete, training for a race, they push and push themselves until they win the race ….
I believe that everyone has it in them to win their personal race …
Just do it !
If anyone needs me, just call my name and I will come running
(well maybe just a light jog 
)
Again, well done Deano !
Cheers
Tommy
February 11, 2009
5:51 pm #comment-20
Well done Dean. I got your email and checked out your post. I’m not sure how many are left from the 500, but something tells me it’s only a fraction. Stay in touch and keep up with the advice!
February 11, 2009
5:54 pm #comment-21
Thanks Dean,
It’s true, when you’re working so hard and not seeing the results you desire, it’s easy to think about giving up.
Your post helped put me back in the mindset I need to be in to keep pushing through.
Thanks again.
February 11, 2009
6:52 pm #comment-22
Hi Dean,
Great Post
Don’t ever give up students, some of us are at a slower pace than others but keep with it.
I know a few students with less than 10 subscribers.
don,t panic, think more about driving traffic to your squeeze pages.
If you have forgotton what Alex said.
Go to every students blog you can find, read there posts and add a comment, not just ‘come to my site’ but you may be able to add value to there post.
This will encourage people to visit your site and you will increase your own traffic.
I have found this website that shows you a way of getting 1000′s of new followers on twitter its working already, it is free and not spam.
http://tinyurl.com/cg96oh
Mark Terrell
February 11, 2009
7:06 pm #comment-23
Dean,
Awesome post!!! I to have been slacking a little. But I want to be my own boss, I can’t give up. Your words have motivated me Dean to try even harder now. I think we all should stick together and learn from each other. The F500 could be a POWERHOUSE on the internet if we do this. Come to my blog and ask for help and if I can’t help, I might know someone who can :O) Let’s all stay focus and keep our dreams and goals alive. Like Alex said, this is very simple but HARD. We just need to keep plugging away and ask for help and support from each other. I’m here!!! Just ask!!! :O)
February 11, 2009
7:20 pm #comment-24
Hi Dean:
I do agree with everyone that you are a great motivation to every student!! You speak from your heart and that quality will take you places. You will definitely be a success and being able to fire your boss very soon! Congrads!!!
The rest of my comment will be different from the others you recieved and I am sure there are at least a few people that feel the same way as I do but don’t feel they want to step on any toes and/or hurt anyones feelings; thats not my intent either. I just feel its very important to get all the facts out there and not just the ones that others want to hear/see. And hopefully you will not unapprove my comment just because my comments are not the most popular preferred to see…
I do believe what you are saying could be true… i.e. the fact that visiting forums will bring in thousands of targeted visitors but I do not agree it would only take 7-10 hours a WEEK … more like maybe 3-4 hours a DAY! It takes time to read through a post and then to give a good thorough comment…especially for those that all this is new to.
Where I believe the disconnect came from is at the very beginning. The fact that on the original sales video by AJ he grossly mislead us. He clearly stated that this would be a fast paced program with about 3-4 weeks to its completion (it is now in week 11 and it isnt’ because we’ve received additional training), we would receive one on one attention (except for you and maybe a few others that I have heard have talked to him outside of the class), we would be getting 2-3 times a week training from him (there has been at least 4 weeks throughout the course that we didn’t hear a word from him), recieve comprehensive guides weekly (no clue what that even is), and we would be making money by Christmas…none of which he has followed through with. The bar was set extremely too high and too many promises were made — and broken. I for one paid the fee with all those expectations being followed through with mainly because he seemed so sincere and different than the others and I whole heartedly believed every word he said and paid the fee that I really did not have to spare.
While I appreciate your methods and proof that it can happen, I (and at least three other students I know of) feel like I have done every single thing I’ve been taught but haven’t seen the results. It is very discouraging when you do all those steps (forums, blog postings, blog hopping, signatures, advertising, Squidoo, social bookmarking are just a few that I have done) and have weeks separated from the next class, the momentum and faith in the program disappears.
The bottom line is that the lack of receiving what was promised is the reason for many not becoming successful. I for one have continued my education on my own (I know others have done the same) and will find my way through the IM world by using better resources that have a proven track record.
I wish you and each and every one of the AJ coaching program survivors success and will pray that it works out according to the plan He has for them.
God Bless You
Robin
February 11, 2009
7:21 pm #comment-25
Hi Dean
Totally agree with what you say mate. I thinl alot of students may have been concentrating too much on Alex’s competitions rather than maybe turning their attention to their own niche, product or service.
All I can say is KEEP FOCUSED
February 11, 2009
7:31 pm #comment-26
Hi Dean,
Really good post. I think that there is however one aspect you did not touch on which may well be a reason why some are not succeeding. That is that a lot of people are aiming for the make money online niche. This niche is highly competitive and perhaps what many do not know is that there are thousands of niches available and some even more lucrative than the make money niche. they should think about and research other areas.
Regards,
Rod
February 11, 2009
7:33 pm #comment-27
Carry on from previous comment -
People have to keep posting regularly amd use the likes of YouTube and Viddler. These shoot up your ranking. The Warrior Forum takes time before you can place backlinks to your site. I think you have to make a certain amount of posts before they allow you to do that.
I think alot of people are going for the ‘make money online’, ‘affiliate’ and ‘Adwords’ route as well. I would suggest,if you can try and and stay clear from that and concentrate on the smaller niches that aren’t so tapped. Remember alot of these ‘gurus’ have been doing this for years and do have a large slice of the pie.
This is what the basic training is all about. You can take what you’ve learnt so far into any niche. If you’re not interested in a niche that’s looking good then outsource and get someone to write the articles for you. I’m in the middle of compiling good niches at the moment for email so if anyone would like to receive that, just head on over to my blog and sign up.
Great post Dean as always.
Doug
February 11, 2009
7:33 pm #comment-28
Hello Dean, good post and a nice new website. I am behind a lot of people with where I am up tofor 2 reasons: 1. Tech stuff, like Kevin up above this causes me no end of grief and time ( I work 15- 17 hours a day X 7 days) but the techstuff is bigger for me ie: it can take me 4 hours figuring out how to put what where, so do I get time to concentrate on traffic when the foundations are not in place? No cos I cannot do 1 without the other. BUT I am not going away. Never. now Stephen mentions Alex here who admits he is not techy, but Alex had help either from Rick his guru mentor or he paid for it. Maybe he borrowed the money and on the basis that his mentor said “you will be successful, stick with me” he would make money and could pay his borrowings back. Good luck to him. He had the b…ls to get to a seminar, get noticed and get mentored. Either way he is where he is. But all of us are not going to get down the road the same way, so we should keep at it, build a business and hope that the money will follow. Finally, the 500 comprise of a varying bag of tricks, experience wise. Some have backgrounds in I.T, some have been online already before this and know their way round site design etc and the rest come from various backgrounds, so that we cannot all match each other for skills and experience. But like any business, if you get the basics right things will happen, slowly for some maybe, but so what. Once you learn what works through trial and error then you will get some where. I have now decided to stop beating myself up about the tech stuff and panicking cos I was not keeping up. I will keep at it and I will get there. So dont leave who ever you are, that may be thinking about it, some are worse off than you but going nowhere, and I am probobly 1 of them.
February 11, 2009
7:53 pm #comment-29
Hey Dean, great post, i missed out on Alex Jeffery’s coaching program, but have diligently read every post and comment on your blog, which lead me to the blogs of all the other coaching students, and have subscribed to as many as i can find via google rss reader and put them in a folder, so while i missed out, i can still follow what they are doing.
Can you beleive alex was just here in the bahamas, i wish i was a student, and then maybe i could have hung out for an hour or two with him, lol, but i digress.
Like i commented in your last post, time management is key, but you also have to keep learning and show integrity – if you only post affiliate links and not much else people won’t hang around – you have to build a relationship.
much like you dean, i actually look over my mailing lists once in a while and pick 2-3 people to personally email and chat with, many are still friends 3 years later, and will try out almost anything that i have tried and recommend.
how many marketers take the time to talk one on one with their followers?
(this is an excellent way to meet great JV partners and to really find out what they are frustrated with – plus since they personally know you they will recommend you with less resistance)
my strategy is pretty simple – i have set days that i do certain recurring activities, so i don’t have to wonder what i’ll do each day – this involves many things, but more importantly it keeps me laser focused for 1-2 hours each day, i tend to spend one hour doing that day’s activity and an hour answering email and surfing for new ideas.
some days i just watch recorded seminars on youtube, or listen to audio, or read ebooks,
others i work on tweaking my sites, or creating articles, or market research – there is an endless amount of things to do – so set up a schedule to them on one particular day each week so you don’t focus on one area – but track your results so you can drop or improve what is not working well.
remember real goals have deadlines and should be measurable – everything else is just a thought or a dream.
February 11, 2009
7:59 pm #comment-30
like the very first comment suggests you have to build momentum, think of it like planting a fruit tree – it takes a lot of time caring for it and protecting it and grooming it, but eventually you won’t need to water it anymore or protect it, and it will keep bearing fruit and even provide you with shade.
so you just have to stick with it – and if you don’t have a green thumb then find someone who does and get help(a mentor or educational product)
February 11, 2009
8:08 pm #comment-31
Dean, good advice as always. I’m one of the ones still hanging in there and trying to make it work. But is Warrior Forum mainly for people who are *selling* IM? I am increasingly convinced that I shouldn’t be in that niche, so am currently researching others and will try hard to apply what I’ve learned. But I have to hang out in forums that I can contribute to who will (hopefully) eventually contribute to me in terms of customers earned – so I don’t have a lot of time to visit forums that are “off-topic” so to speak.
BTW, I emailed you a graphic the other day in response to your wish that you had a smaller Aweber banner – did you not get it, or should I have not sent it? Hope you aren’t bothered that I used a private email address…only way I knew how to get an attachment to you…
(
Cheers,
Susan
February 11, 2009
8:10 pm #comment-32
Excellent post Dean,
I don’t feel I’ve lost my sparkle at all, and hey I’m barely getting any traffic at all. This is something that has to develope over time, it isn’t going to happen overnight. As far as a blog goes it also is going to take time, it takes time to learn the things you need to learn to write quality content.
That said, for me, the biggest issue we have had is our internet. We don’t have high speed, we have satellite internet…and when we reach a certain bandwidth they basically shut our internet down to slower than dial up. The result of this is I never seem to get anything finished…then I have to go back and try to remember “What was I doing”?? (yesterday it took me all day to download an hour and a half video)!!
I’m still trying to learn an awful lot at one time…I am still getting information overload. My husband and I are working on other websites and programs as well. We are in the process of totally overhauling our e-commerce store which is taking weeks of work. I’ve also had to get my inventory done…just finished yesterday..and now I’ve got to start working on my taxes for 2008.
So even though I’m basically in the office full time, I do have other things I am doing.
I was blog hopping a couple of weeks ago, I found it very time consuming. Also, something I just recently heard was you want to do link building over a period of time…if you do it too quickly..google may think you are link farming. Has enyone else heard something like this???
I will never never give up…the internet is in my heart and soul, I am addicted…one way or another we will make it work.
Cheers everyone!
Heather:)
February 11, 2009
8:12 pm #comment-33
Hi dean,
i can agree with your comments that some people are having a problem staying motivated. i don’t have that problem but I did have a problem with not having the technical skills. I know Alex’s support site cannot sort out technical probs for everyone. Some of us are complete beginners and it’s ok to say put up a blog you will have traffic but this doesn’t happen. you have to work to get your traffic. Not everybody has the time or the skills to do this. I joined another training program called BloggingBeginners as I just didn’t know what i was doing wrong. I got a vidoe made for me buy randy one of the guys telling me where I was going wrong with my blog and how to put it right. I have done this but I need to do a lot more work to get more traffic. i have also helped a few other people with small things and another student has also now joined bloggingbeginners as he was also given a 30min chat with mark on Skype on how to sort his problems out with his blog.I think this is problem with a lot of students. They do not have anywhere to go to ask questions and get help with blogging etc. If anyone wants more info on Blogging Beginners just e-mail me.Ask Kevin above as he has also Joined.
[LINK REMOVED] and tell them Des sent you
Des
February 11, 2009
8:17 pm #comment-34
Dean
The main problem I see is that a lot of us are writing to our blogs an a regular basis (I know I have slipped up recently) but getting discouraged when although people visit the blog they do not leave any comments so you can have a great post but see no obvious return.
I did a post recently about Less Friends and using it to remove non followers from your twitter following or add ones you are not following to your followers list. Result 20+ clicks on the link in the post ZERO comments. This is discouraging to say the least.
Richard
February 11, 2009
8:47 pm #comment-35
Hi Dean
Thank you for your great post, and encouragement!!
It is the tech stuff; like Jo’s previous comment which slows me up. I watch how-to-do videos, but it seldom goes to plan?? To pay someone to help seems to be the only answer, but the money is not always there!!
I don’t know where everyone lives, but if some of us live near enough to each other; perhaps we could meet up from time to time to support, and encourage each other?? Even have telephone, or Skype contact??
I live in Bangor, N.Ireland. Retired with time to spare!!
Thanks Dean; you are amazing.
John
February 11, 2009
9:16 pm #comment-36
I hope you guys (Dean and Nigel Kip) will post more specifics about how you are generating so much traffic. hint, hint.
= )
i’m gonna check out youtube.com for some videos. if you find any good ones on traffic generation that is not one big advert, click on my name and post a link on my new site. It’s new but already has subscribers and has generated 35 click-throughs since yesterday, i’ll be adding a few very targetted ads soon to monetize the site, but it is gonna remain 90% content based.
February 11, 2009
9:26 pm #comment-37
Hi Dean,
Great post mate!
I’m one of the guilty ones I must sadly admit. I lost my way there for a bit and have been concentrating in other areas.
With your little jolt of reality, I will now get back to doing what I started out to do.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheers,
Dean Hohn
February 11, 2009
9:28 pm #comment-38
Hey peeps !
Amazing responses … Thankyou to all of you !
This post was written straight from the heart ya know
I guess I kind of feel real close to you all which is odd given that we have never met lol.. I just want everyone to do the best they can and not to get disheartened !! I know we can all do it, we are all here to help each other and thats worth more than money can buy !
I guess what I want to say is break everything into small steps, if you just look at the end picture then it seems like too much of a big challenge… However if you start with small steps then eventually you will reach your goal.
@ Trends… Thanks man, your right and thats why we gotta push each other.. As you say we are building a business here, it will take time but each of us can succeed !
@ Sandra… Glad I could help Sandra !! Thats what Im here for right
Keep at it and never stop !
@ Paul… Glad you dropped by brother, thanks for the advice and input… You got it right, there is always something that can be done.. Just learn, plan and work the plan ! Speak soon bro
@ Marcus… Great !! Hope you keep pushing yourself man, anyone can do this… All it takes is time and consistency !! Keep in touch
@ John… Hey John, thankyou for sharing your story with us my friend. The great thing about your post is you are genuine and it is clear that you will reach your goals ! You have the passion I can tell, keep doing what you are doing sir and you will go far. Thanks once again John
@ Ken… Excellent comment Ken.. Thankyou !! Everything you have put is spot on, I do hope those that need to get to read this post ! I fear it may be too late for some who have passed by already
Keep in touch mate, thanks for the input !
@ Scott… Thanks for the comment Scott.. Your so right, I would guess a LOT havent even used the information that has been given to us ! Shame huh ?! Good stuff mate, thanks a bunch !
@ Ken… Thanks Ken, your question about the Warrior Forum… I cant understand why there would be anything negative about it mate ??!! That forum is packed full of probably anything you could ever want to know about internet marketing, how could that be bad brother
Let me know whats bad incase im missing something mate, like you say Ken, you can go as fast or slow as you want ! As long as you do something you will head in the right direction, it is not a race right ?! Speak soon brother
@ Nigel… Mr Yip !! Good to have you here brother … Amazing results you are getting bro
Nice 1 man, wait till you hit the forum !! Keep in touch .. Miss ya man 
@ Stephen… Thanks mate… The 2 points you make I feel are very true, seems daft as the main focus at the start was the fact we need to build a business ! I think many should go back and watch the training from step 1, in fact I think I will do that too ! Hope the day job goes soon man, thanks for the encouragement !
@ Dave… Thanks Dave, great information you have shared here !! Im interested in hearing the results from your efforts, let me know man ! Speak soon
@ Gordan… Perfect man !! You have just told it exactly how it has happened, well put my friend ! Thanks for the comment, I hope people notice what you have said !
@ Joe… Hey bro, no worries man.. You have set plans and goals so now is time to take action and make them happen
Now im jealous.. lol .. 10-12 hrs a day !! Your gunna fly past us all soon then huh ?!
@ Christine… Thanks Christine ! We al get frustrated and thats not something to worry about, just make sure you dont give up … We have the skills to make a big success from this !! You can do it, just use analytics to assess which of your efforts work then focus on them
@ Mark… Thanks mate, thats very true so everyone take notice ! The information contained within the Warrior forum is *priceless* .. Seriously, you could probably take the info in there and build a business from it ! Take advantage peeps !
@ Elaine… Thats very kind Elaine, thankyou very much ! Your so right, its not going to happen in days or weeks.. Its gunna take months and months !! Like you say it will pay off though so keep at it
Thanks for the kind comment
@ Kevin… Glad it could push you forward bro ! Sounds like you are now in a position to really go forward with your business so take it at your pace and go man !!! I look forward to seeing your blog flourish
@ Teresa… Thanks Teresa, lol.. Yes I know the guy, Paul Potts right ?? I think your right, people do like to see that and people also like to see the story of the success ! Thankyou for your kind words once again !
@ Tommy… Great to hear from you mate, Dec 17th really ??!! lol… Your right with what you say, horse to water and all that ! Looking forward to seeing your product land brother !!!!
@ Matt… Thanks for joining us Matt ! Great to hear from you, Im guessing your right about the 500.. Shame huh !
@ Randi… Thanks for the comment Randi, please never give it up !! Just stick at it and you will see the results in the end, its going to be hard and we are going to have bad times but in the end its gunna be worth it ! Keep n touch mate
@ Mark… Thanks man, thats what we all need to remember, between the community we have there is nothing that can stop us !! Thanks Mark
@ Steven.. POW man ! You got it !! Now go for it brother, I want what you want.. Success !! Be our own boss, earn loads ! We can do it man, never stop till you get it ! Stay in contact
@ Robin… Hi Robin, thanks for the comment.. Im a little saddened by what you say, I actually thought by the coaching going on this long Alex has over delivered.. Appart from that I am having trouble keeping up now let alone if it was crammed into a shorter time frame. What you have done so far is very good Robin but Im not entirely sure where your frustrations come from my friend, its the first time I have heard bad things said about the coaching
I guess you feel let down, I know Alex has taken a few weeks holiday but that actually gave me chance to crack on with tasks. I hope you do succeed and I look forward to seeing what you do. Please stay in touch no matter what
@ Doug… Hey man, thanks for the comment ! I think you may be right but its those competitions that actually taught people how to do certain things… More importantly it got peeps to take action !! Thanks Doug
@ Rod… Hey man, maybe you are correct but I think it is the skills we have that means we can go into any niche and be successful. Thing with this niche is there are SO many buyers and I dont believe in too much competition, I guess its down to what you are comfortable with ! Good point man, thankyou
@ Jo… Hey Jo .. Great comment, its good you know what has held you back but even better that you have stated that you will no longer worry but instead just do it ! Thankyou for the encouragement that you have given people here with your comment, its really appreciated. Glad you are going to become a success, make it happen !!
Well once again thankyou to you all for your comments !
You make it all worth it !
Speak soon
Dean
February 11, 2009
10:24 pm #comment-39
Hi Dean
I like your information and I like the responses that it has generated – several nuggests of useful information to work on here.
As Robin says there has been a mismatch between what Alex promised in his video and what has happened, but I for one was struggling to keep up with all the information that was coming my way, so I wouldn’t have liked it to go at full speed. I’m exhausted as it is! I’m still not up to speed with some of the things that I would like to be doing.
However, although I know that we should not promise one thing and then not deliver on that promise, common sense also has to prevail when the original plan is clearly not going to work. We know that this is the first course that Alex has run and hopefully he has learned certain lessons from it that he will implement for his next course.
I always take any promises with a pinch of salt and don’t rely too heavily on them because there are so many variables attached. We all need to remember that and take responsibility for ourselves.
So my situation is that I have had a fair amount of traffic, I have posted on several blogs, forums etc am reasonably active on Twitter but as yet I do not have a single name on my mailing list nor have I made a sale.
Am I worried by it? Although of course I would like to be making money and see my list growing before my eyes, I am a complete newbie to all of this. I have learned so much and travelled so much further than I would ever have believed possible in the past 3 months and so just being on this course has made a difference to me in that. I wouldn’t be doing any of this yet if I hadn’t signed up.
So think about the positive side of this. We are all human and we all make mistakes, wishing that we had done things differently. It is what we do with our knowledge that makes all the difference.
So now we need to find our own niche, build our relationships with others, build our knowledge and take action.
I subscribe to an email list about sorting out our homes and lives and one of the comments from that site is “You can do anything for 15 minutes, except whine”. So let us ask for help where we need it – there are plenty of people who are ready and willing to help. Let us question what we are doing by all means, but make decsions to move forward, not stagnate.
We are all individuals. Let us make the decisions for our own lives. If you want to know more about me check out my last blog post which was inspired by Gary Simpson and is a great way to let people get to know one another better.
I am preparing a new post which will let you know where I am going to focus my attention and will be looking for your help to give me ideas, so I will let you know when it is ready.
Meanwhile DEAN – you have been TAGGED. Pop over to my blog to see what this means!
Hilary
February 11, 2009
10:33 pm #comment-40
Hi Dean,
I guess I’ll have to be a “badie” and agree with Robin and her post.
I think she has hit on the reason a lot have been slowing down, or getting a little lost in the course.
Alex, I believe you have been letting the students down a little lately, too, and have not been delivering some of the things you promised at the start of the program. You really started out great and really got us involved and very interested in what you were teaching, but in January things really slowed down and became a little disconnected. Some could probably have been caused by the Support problems you were having, to be fair.
Also, you were traveling with your family on a well deserved vacation, that you postponed from Christmas time to be able to help out the slower students catch up, which was good.
But, I think you were trying to do too many things at once and things suffered all around, and the Support problems didn’t help, either
Personally, I would like to learn more about getting Traffic to my sites, but I feel this hasn’t really been touched on enough in the course.
I appreciate what you were trying to do with the “contests”, but they should have been set up with a little more detail on what the rules or objectives were. I haven’t heard any “official” word on who won, other than the little mention on a couple of blogs on the Google one.
Perhaps things will get back to the way of the early part of the course, Alex, after you get a little rest from your travels
You are a good teacher and have lots of great wisdom to past on to us, and I think we’re all waiting for a great finish!
Carl
February 11, 2009
11:20 pm #comment-41
Hey Dean,
I just read the email you sent me so I came over here to read your blog.
First off, I can’t believe I just did what I did. I violated my own cardinal rule. I didn’t save this comment before I sent it.
Yep, you guessed it. I lost it all, and it was a long one. Probably would have bored you all to death anyway. So I’m going to make this one shorter because there’s no way I’m writing that over again.
Dean, I think you’ve hit the nail right on the head about a lot of people losing their fire. I know because I’m guilty of it myself. But I won’t quit. I’ve been at this full time for almost 2 years now and I’ve been frustrated before and will be again I’m sure. But at least I know what my problem is. It’s called FOCUS.
I’ve done everything Alex has asked us to do except two things. The two most important things. I did make up a yearly plan and broke it down into quarterly and finally monthly but I stopped there.
What I need is a daily plan and I need it on paper so I can hold myself accountable. Well, I just did this a few days ago. I also started a daily journal which I didn’t believe I needed but boy was I wrong. In just a couple of days I can see how unproductive I have been. I’ve been busy as hell but I’ve been like a dog chasing his tail.
So Dean, you must have been reading my mind when you made this post. I’m back on track now and I know I’m going to make it in this business as long as I can stay focused.
So, now armed with my journal and daily plan, I’m ready to take this focus issue I have head on and I know I will be successful.
Thanks Dean,
Jeff Sargent
February 11, 2009
11:25 pm #comment-42
Thanks for the post, Dean.
All the best,
Joan
February 12, 2009
12:16 am #comment-43
Wow Dean,
Amazing post man. That’s inspired me to get myself in gear, and to use the Warrior Forum as a starting point. You probably noticed I hadn’t posted for a couple weeks, but I’ve posted today after moving house.
So it’s not a case of having lost the sparkle, just a temporary setback.
I don’t think anything will stop me ploughing my way to making my living online. I just wouldn’t know what else to do for a career!
Keep up the good work,
Ed
February 12, 2009
12:45 am #comment-44
Hi Dean
You make some valid points, but the fall-away is no real surprise. I can see both sides of the coin. I speak as an ex-Alex Jeffreys student myself. I quit the course because I came to a realization that made me re-evaluate my online efforts and led to a change in direction (don’t wanna bore you but I’m in the process of creating some products – and no they’re nothing to do with internet marketing – that should allow me differentiate my stuff from what is currently available).
That’s key because, the way I see it, the speed at which money can be made on the internet is in direct proportion to the:
amount of /
quality of /
uniqueness of /
innovation in
A) your products
amount of /
quality of /
credibility of
B) you and your advertising
Seems to me the more you have of the above the more money you can make and the faster you can make it. But if you’re starting out in IM with just a bog-standard blog, you’ve got none of the above. Small wonder people have got dispirited.
February 12, 2009
1:43 am #comment-45
Hi Dean,
I agree with you and with many other comments made. I think Robin hit the nail on the head with the comment re the timings. We have had a rather loose structure with days varying quite a lot and this does not help.
From my point of view the competitions are somewhat demotivating but hey that’s the way I am. Competitions always bring out the shark tendencies in people and their less likeable side shines through. I have never been a competitive sort, hate team games like rugby and football and have always preferred to take part in motor sport OK you drive against others but to please yourself. Perhaps I should let my darker side emerge and become more ruthless but its not in my nature.
I have worked very hard on this project and seen, I think good results in the traffic department from a site that did not exist until mid December. It took a dip for a couple of weeks but back in the hundreds of visits again last week.
The list is not building as rapidly as it did in the first couple of weeks but I expected it to take time. Was a bit peeved that Aweber automatically deleted the 200+ names that had not confirmed [see my blog post] so now have just under 100 there.
I have played the game here and done exactly as suggested during the course and not rushed off with promoting other products but last week the inference was that we should have.
I know it will take time, its like learning morse code, I still had to pass a Post Office morse test to become a Class A Radio Amateur and well remember the plateaus you reached on the way to being proficient at the 12 words a minute you had to achieve. First at around 5 wpm then 8, then 10 and you think you are never going to get it then all of a sudden BAM you are at 15+ wpm.
Just keep at it, try different traffic driving methods. I have joined the Warrior Forum incidentally and as another commenter mentioned tried to post a couple of replies only to be told you need 20 or 30 of your own threads to be posted first but Forums are very much a worthwhile place to gain exposure.
Rambling a bit now, it’s 1.40am again so getting tired sitting here in my bungalow with two large fans and two dehumidifiers still roaring away 24/7. Don’t recommend burst pipes in the loft guys, that has taken up quite a bit of my last few weekends trying to sort out the drenched linen in the airing cupboard and everything in the loft that has to be moved away etc and no sign of the builder yet until the drying is further advanced when that starts it will be 5 rooms and my hallway that are ripped to shreds! oh happy days.
Not lost the sparkle quite yet just on my rather damp plateau in Cornwall.
Never given up on anything remember the Tortoise and the Hare……….I’m Cornish so always going to get there dreckly me ansum!
Norman
February 12, 2009
3:58 am #comment-46
Hi Dean,
Wow. Brilliant and true facts this post you put up. First of all, I will use the warrior forum you suggested. Just join another forum the other day after seeing my traffics growing painfully slowly to my liking. If you remember, you did put a comment on my blog and let you know what new ways I am using? I will let you know after I tried a few more of the tricks Jimbo suggested.
Talk soon.
Jeffrey
http://jeffreyblogonline.com
February 12, 2009
4:02 am #comment-47
Hi Dean,
Just lost what I put here. Brilliant and true facts you put up here.
Thanks and I will try out Warrior Forum for a start. My traffics is growing uptrend but at a painfully slow trend to my liking.
Let you know the progress.
Thanks again.
Jeffrey
http://jeffreyblogonline.com
February 12, 2009
6:41 am #comment-48
Whats up dude how are you Dean?
Have to say I like what you done to your blog looks great. I am from Alex Jeffrey s class and I am pulling up the rear, moving slowly but moving forward. I got my first subscriber on Monday talk about my heart going though the roof I was so happy. I have to tell you I believe that getting into Alex’s class was the best thing I have done for myself in a long time now I just need to make sure to put what he taught me and turn it into a business. I have watched you grow from the first day Alex talked about you in module one keep it up Dean and I plan to keep coming back to watch you grow more.Take care or Cheers Mate
Thomas
P.S how do you add the items to your side bar.
PPS what does peeps mean?
February 12, 2009
8:09 am #comment-49
Hi dean, i really believe you are going to quit your JOB by the end of the year.I’m right behind you, that post was very helpful, i’ve slackened off a little and this just gave me a kick up the bum! thanxx.:) Your blog’s looking great and it’s good to know when i need something you’ve got the goods.
I’m goin to try and stay focused as there is so much going on in my life right now! Keep up the good work dean, good on ya maate!
February 12, 2009
10:43 am #comment-50
Hi Dean,
Well done on a very inspirational post. Have to admit I’ve lost momentum – not through choice but necessity. Daft as it may sound spending too long on the computer makes me ill so have had to drastically reduce my efforts online.
Everything you’ve written is correct though. Just keep plugging away and enjoy the journey. It’s a bit like the story of the hare and the tortoise – at the moment I’m the latter but eventually ………….
Best wishes
Jean