Thursday, February 02, 2006
Are You Cocooning Your Internet Business into Oblivion?
Cocooning is a major trend that leads what used to be luxuries into mainstream living. It brings attractions that used to require people to leave their home (entertainment, fine dining, spa-like pampering) right into the home itself.
And cocooning is a major force behind people leaving outside jobs and and starting their own home business. But there's a mental aspect of cocooning that is killing many of those home businesses before they start.
It's an unwillingness to venture outside your comfort zone.
There's a great feeling of freedom when you don't have to commute to work every day. I enjoy being able to set my own schedule and priorities. But I also have to guard against occupying my time with familiar little tasks that feel like work, but accomplish little toward building my business.
You still need a vision of where you want your business to go. And you need to stretch yourself to get there. Being willing to do only what comes easy doesn't work when you work for someone else and it works no better when you work for yourself.
Your business always does one of two things: grow or die. If you sink into occupying your time with nothing but the easy, the familiar, the comfortable tasks, your business dies. Only when you grow by venturing into unfamiliar territory can your business grow.
So what are you doing to grow right now? Are you finding new challenges in things you've never tried before? Are you seeking out a new customer base? Or are you finding new ways to maintain and nurture your existing customers? Whatever you do, keep yourself growing—and your business will grow, too.
Jeff
Cocooning is a major trend that leads what used to be luxuries into mainstream living. It brings attractions that used to require people to leave their home (entertainment, fine dining, spa-like pampering) right into the home itself.
And cocooning is a major force behind people leaving outside jobs and and starting their own home business. But there's a mental aspect of cocooning that is killing many of those home businesses before they start.
It's an unwillingness to venture outside your comfort zone.
There's a great feeling of freedom when you don't have to commute to work every day. I enjoy being able to set my own schedule and priorities. But I also have to guard against occupying my time with familiar little tasks that feel like work, but accomplish little toward building my business.
You still need a vision of where you want your business to go. And you need to stretch yourself to get there. Being willing to do only what comes easy doesn't work when you work for someone else and it works no better when you work for yourself.
Your business always does one of two things: grow or die. If you sink into occupying your time with nothing but the easy, the familiar, the comfortable tasks, your business dies. Only when you grow by venturing into unfamiliar territory can your business grow.
So what are you doing to grow right now? Are you finding new challenges in things you've never tried before? Are you seeking out a new customer base? Or are you finding new ways to maintain and nurture your existing customers? Whatever you do, keep yourself growing—and your business will grow, too.
Jeff
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Back on Track
As I expected, a good night's sleep allowed me to clear my head of the comparison game between myself and the hypemeisters who claim impossibly high amounts of business by selling people on a get-rich scheme instead of on building a sound business.
Depression turns to anger and anger turns to energy that thrusts me back into productive work. At least that how it works with me. Anyone else have any other good ways of getting back on track after a downcast day? Feel free to share it in the comments below.
Jeff
As I expected, a good night's sleep allowed me to clear my head of the comparison game between myself and the hypemeisters who claim impossibly high amounts of business by selling people on a get-rich scheme instead of on building a sound business.
Depression turns to anger and anger turns to energy that thrusts me back into productive work. At least that how it works with me. Anyone else have any other good ways of getting back on track after a downcast day? Feel free to share it in the comments below.
Jeff
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Just Venting Tonight
I had a whole bunch of great topics jotted down to choose from for tonight, but I'm in the dumps tonight. It just doesn't seem honest for me to dole out optimism and encouragement when my confidence is shaken.
The reason I got this way is pretty stupid, really. I've been observing the buzz for a major product launch by another marketer to see how he handles it. Last night I listened in on a teleconference that served as his final effort to work people up to a fever pitch to BUY, BUY, BUY the second he unveiled the sales page this morning.
I had long since decided I was not interested in his product. A number of email lists from which I recently unsubscribed were built with advance versions of the software he was selling, and I was totally unimpressed with those businesses. Those sites were zero value sites whose only content was sales pitches exhorting members to go out and get more people to pay for membership.
Still, though, I was affected by the constant hype on the call. They kept hammering at how easy it would be for the totally inexperienced web marketers who made up most of the audience on the call to duplicate the spectacular results that the testers. (Incidentally, all of the testers were highly experienced web marketers who routinely get spectacular results with or without this software).
Hearing an hour-and-a-half litany of "This marketer made $50,000 of sales in a 15-minute period," or "That marketer averages 1,000 newsletter opt-ins every day," got me playing the comparison game, and it sapped my confidence big-time.
Really stupid. But days where you feel down times come with the territory. It'll just take a day or two to snap out of it, clear the hype out of my head, and get back to the normal business of building a business step by step instead of expecting the next Amazon to plop down in my lap.
One thing, though. The next time a big product launch comes around for a questionable product, I think I'll observe it from a bit more distance.
Jeff
I had a whole bunch of great topics jotted down to choose from for tonight, but I'm in the dumps tonight. It just doesn't seem honest for me to dole out optimism and encouragement when my confidence is shaken.
The reason I got this way is pretty stupid, really. I've been observing the buzz for a major product launch by another marketer to see how he handles it. Last night I listened in on a teleconference that served as his final effort to work people up to a fever pitch to BUY, BUY, BUY the second he unveiled the sales page this morning.
I had long since decided I was not interested in his product. A number of email lists from which I recently unsubscribed were built with advance versions of the software he was selling, and I was totally unimpressed with those businesses. Those sites were zero value sites whose only content was sales pitches exhorting members to go out and get more people to pay for membership.
Still, though, I was affected by the constant hype on the call. They kept hammering at how easy it would be for the totally inexperienced web marketers who made up most of the audience on the call to duplicate the spectacular results that the testers. (Incidentally, all of the testers were highly experienced web marketers who routinely get spectacular results with or without this software).
Hearing an hour-and-a-half litany of "This marketer made $50,000 of sales in a 15-minute period," or "That marketer averages 1,000 newsletter opt-ins every day," got me playing the comparison game, and it sapped my confidence big-time.
Really stupid. But days where you feel down times come with the territory. It'll just take a day or two to snap out of it, clear the hype out of my head, and get back to the normal business of building a business step by step instead of expecting the next Amazon to plop down in my lap.
One thing, though. The next time a big product launch comes around for a questionable product, I think I'll observe it from a bit more distance.
Jeff
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Performing Advanced Search Functions on Multiple Search Engines with SearchIt!
The SearchIt! free research tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
Rather than repeat the introductory info about SearchIt! that I shared previously, I suggest that you see the October 2nd blog for this information. Or simply realize that it is important to click all the links and read all the instructions that SearchIt! tells you to do.
You'll find SearchIt! A LOT easier and more valuable to use if you do that.
Using SearchIt!
Last week we continued covering some site research tools, including ways that SearchIt! helps you learn how many other sites are linking to you (backlinks). This week we'll look at how SearchIt! lets you perform advanced search functions on multiple search engines and directories right from SearchIt!, without you needing to navigate from one site to another to conduct your searches.
In the Step 1 dropdown box, scroll down under Advanced Search and select Straight Up.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options.
All of the "no quotes" searches operate the same way. Similarly, all of the "with quotes" searches and "Two Search Terms" searches are also identical except for an interesting twist on Vivisimo Clusty that I'll mention in the next paragraph. So I'll break them down into these different types of searches instead of repeating the same information for each option.
Vivisimo Clusty is a different type of search engine that sorts each search into related categories. Rather than finding results for the word "apple," for example, returning pages for both the fruit and the computer, Vivisimo Clusty also provides a list of categories on the left. Click on one of those categories and you get sites that both match your search term and the category that you selected.
"No Quotes" searches
Type your keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. SearchIt! will search the search engine or directory for your keywords in any combination in which they appear on any pages. Your results will appear immediately, without any intro page.
"With Quotes" searches
Type your keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. SearchIt! will search the search engine or directory for your keywords with quotes (meaning that the exact phrase must appear on the page instead of any combination of the words). Your results will appear immediately, without any intro page.
"Two Search Terms" searches
Type one keyword phrase in the Step 3 box. Type another keyword phrase in the Step 4 box and click the SearchIt! button. SearchIt! will search the search engine or directory, putting both keyword phrases in quotes (meaning that each exact phrase must appear on the page instead of any combination of the words). Your results will appear immediately, without any intro page.
Next week
This Sunday, we looked at how SearchIt! lets you perform advanced search functions on multiple search engines and directories right from SearchIt!, without you needing to navigate from one site to another to conduct your searches. Next week we'll look at how SearchIt! can show you at a glance how you rank for specific search terms across multiple search engines.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of valuable information. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing arsenal.
Jeff
The SearchIt! free research tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
Rather than repeat the introductory info about SearchIt! that I shared previously, I suggest that you see the October 2nd blog for this information. Or simply realize that it is important to click all the links and read all the instructions that SearchIt! tells you to do.
You'll find SearchIt! A LOT easier and more valuable to use if you do that.
Using SearchIt!
Last week we continued covering some site research tools, including ways that SearchIt! helps you learn how many other sites are linking to you (backlinks). This week we'll look at how SearchIt! lets you perform advanced search functions on multiple search engines and directories right from SearchIt!, without you needing to navigate from one site to another to conduct your searches.
In the Step 1 dropdown box, scroll down under Advanced Search and select Straight Up.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options.
- Google, no quotes
- Google, with quotes
- Google, Two Search Terms
- Yahoo! Search, no quotes
- Yahoo! Search, with quotes
- Yahoo!, Two Search Terms
- MSN, no quotes
- MSN, with quotes
- Teoma, no quotes
- Teoma, with quotes
- Vivisimo Clusty, no quotes
- MSN, no quotes
- MSN, with quotes
- DMOZ (Open Directory), no quotes
- DMOZ (Open Directory), with quotes
- Yahoo! Directory, no quotes
- Yahoo! Directory, with quotes
- Zeal Directory, no quotes
- Zeal Directory, with quotes
All of the "no quotes" searches operate the same way. Similarly, all of the "with quotes" searches and "Two Search Terms" searches are also identical except for an interesting twist on Vivisimo Clusty that I'll mention in the next paragraph. So I'll break them down into these different types of searches instead of repeating the same information for each option.
Vivisimo Clusty is a different type of search engine that sorts each search into related categories. Rather than finding results for the word "apple," for example, returning pages for both the fruit and the computer, Vivisimo Clusty also provides a list of categories on the left. Click on one of those categories and you get sites that both match your search term and the category that you selected.
"No Quotes" searches
Type your keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. SearchIt! will search the search engine or directory for your keywords in any combination in which they appear on any pages. Your results will appear immediately, without any intro page.
"With Quotes" searches
Type your keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. SearchIt! will search the search engine or directory for your keywords with quotes (meaning that the exact phrase must appear on the page instead of any combination of the words). Your results will appear immediately, without any intro page.
"Two Search Terms" searches
Type one keyword phrase in the Step 3 box. Type another keyword phrase in the Step 4 box and click the SearchIt! button. SearchIt! will search the search engine or directory, putting both keyword phrases in quotes (meaning that each exact phrase must appear on the page instead of any combination of the words). Your results will appear immediately, without any intro page.
Next week
This Sunday, we looked at how SearchIt! lets you perform advanced search functions on multiple search engines and directories right from SearchIt!, without you needing to navigate from one site to another to conduct your searches. Next week we'll look at how SearchIt! can show you at a glance how you rank for specific search terms across multiple search engines.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of valuable information. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing arsenal.
Jeff
© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Jeff Baas, One Stop Web Support
