It’s way too easy to get ahead of yourself when you’re making plans to take over the world, where to sell, what price and who to. Think about this for one second, you’ve got great plans to release all these amazing products and you spend an hour or two actually trying to think of your pricing and whether to sell them as affiliates etc, all that us useless if you don’t actually get your products finished.
- Priorities
You need to have something to sell to make money, seems obvious right? Well stop looking at all the different ways of selling your stuff and start producing it. I have just finished my tutorial, which will be released soon, but I haven’t paid that much attention into how I’m going to sell it, that may seem the wrong move to a lot of business minds out there, but think about what I am saying, you can’t sell anything unless you have something to sell.
Seriously stop looking at whether clickbank is the way to go or whether you should actually launch an affiliate system or not, or even how much you should be charging for a product, if you haven’t got a finished product in your hands ready to start selling, then forget all that other stuff and get it finished.
- Don’t Think
Ever been involved in a task at work or at college or even with your family, which involved the group you are part of trying to figure out a solution to something? Whether it be wedding preparations or simply where to hold this years work Christmas function, whatever it was, did a few people annoy you at the shear amount of time they spent deliberating over things that really did not matter?
The same thing can be applied to producing your own services or products, don’t spend too much time over analysing your market or whether your product is capture all, just produce it then see. Now I know you have to research your market and to an extent that should never be overlooked, but please don’t over analyse things, ultimately if you would buy it then produce it, job done.
If you are half way through producing some sort of tutorial, book or a set of services then focus on the task in hand. This is the one time you need tunnel vision, you absolutely need to get it done and right now. I can hear so many people reading this right now saying, yeah but I don’t have the time and I get that. I’m short on time too guys and the way I did it was to batch write some posts to take me through almost a weeks worth of posting, this left me with enough time to get the tutorial finished.
Another thing that might be stopping you finish is when you come back to it you really struggle to take it forward, easy fix for this is to read it from the beginning and get back into the grove you were in when you started to write it, simple.
photo credit: therapycatguardian
So what does everyone think?
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Yes and no, I think a bit of market research is important. I currently have a survey running to find out more about the wants/needs of my visitors. I plan to write an ebook about a particular aspect I have seen overlooked again and again in my niche – but I want to make sure people are going to be interested as well…
I am also about half way through my freebie that is part of a squeeze to get people on the list… I will be asking my list what their thoughts are as well…
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Mar 15, Time Management Books: A Collection of Books on Time Management With Reviews =-.
Hi Michelle,
Yeah I say in the post you need to research your market and it shouldn’t be overlooked, I think the biggest problem is people tend to focus too much time and energy on it.
James I simply love the way you write. It’s so motivating and believe it or not I have been almost doubling my traffic in the last week. I would like to partly attribute it to you
Now back to the post 
I totally agree with you here. It’s good to have a plan but the plan should also be executed. I have had the problem myself and that’s why I now always right down what I want to do today. I don’t write too many tasks down but only tasks that I know I can achieve in a single day.
I will soon post a page on my blog which is called “Invest in Your Blog”. The page isn’t perfect yet but if I spend too much time on trying to make it perfect than I will never get anywhere. That’s why I will post it soon and then from time to time, update it.
.-= Julius Kuhn-Regnier´s last blog ..The 3 Unwritten Rules of Blogging =-.
There is no such thing as perfect brother, get it out there dude.
Man I need to start hitting people up for referal statements like that lol, your comment is the reason I do this the way I do it, to make sure when you take the time out of your busy schedule you have something you are going to like
The under-lying message in this post isn’t market research shoulds or shouldn’ts. It’s about getting on and doing something that will move your goal forward. I took this advice a few days ago when I read a post on here that talks about SAPAP. I read it, commented and then apparently disappeared for a few days
I’m in the final straight of Carlos’ pre-writing challenge. That is my focus right now. Everything else in on hold until after Sunday.
So why on earth have I stopped by here this morning? Aren’t I completely contradicting myself by even taking the time to comment? Not at all because along with tunnel vision, we also need to be aware that priorities shift slightly from time to time.
Right now this morning my priority has shifted for a short time from the pre-writing challenge to getting a certain blog post in front of the eye balls of Sir Richard Branson. That is the one thing I want to get done today ahead of all other things today so I’m taking Tim Ferris’ advice and doing all I can right now to make that a reality before 11am
If you want to help me achieve today’s goal, feel free to read the aforementioned blog post and tell Sir R
And in the worlds of Arni, “I’ll be back!” (after Sunday
)
.-= Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..Virgin to the rescue? It’s possible but we’ll need your help =-.
Eleanor you have a lot on your plate and it’s all for a fantastic cause, all this with a family too… simply amazing
Awww, thanks James
.-= Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..From acts of random kindness to taking over the world, it must be our Winter round-up 2010 =-.
Busy. Lol, not even saying it as a cop-out either (wish I was, that’d be easier); at the moment if I worked much harder on things aside from trying to fit in the pre-writing challenge and my numerous offline stuff I may actually explode and abandon everything!
Avoiding that like the plague.
That said, it’ll still be done fairly soon, then I can stop worrying about it so much. More concerned with guest posts at the moment though to tell you the truth.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..A Question of Manga; Whose side are you on? =-.
I interviewed someone who said that they don’t research before starting a business. I was shocked, but his answer really made sense. He stated that by doing research, you find all the negatives and in the end you decide not to do it because it seems impossible. I agree mostly James–make your product, have something ready that people are going to want. It will sell as long as you have it and you find a great way to get it out there.
.-= Alex Monroe´s last blog ..Are you trying to be New Coke? =-.
Yeah man, my methods won’t be applicable to everything as I’m learn to swim when you hit the bottom, but for me it totally works, produce it then figure out how to sell it after
I don’t believe in research at all.
Nowadays it’s even written that people don’t know what they want.
Did people years ago really need an Ipod ?
IF you’re truly passionate about your service/product, and it has some genuine value to your audience, than you’ll always find a way.
Authenticity and Passion will flood statistics every time.
Just bring your whole heart into it.
.-= Mars Dorian´s last blog ..The state of mind you need to rock the web galaxy =-.
Mars it is scary how alike we are ! off to visit your latest post
Hi James,
Sometimes you just make good sense!
As you know from yesterday’s comment, I’m in too big of a rush sometimes. It makes me crazy. I’m trying to do it all at once which keeps most of my products on the drawing board. I originally stated out with the intent of making affiliate sales with my Blogs, don’t I can’t really find the quality products to go with the Blogs.
.-= Jeffrey´s last blog ..Meg Hourihan =-.
”Sometimes” Jeffrey? ha ha Yeah it can be difficult when you are busy as you clearly are brother, I find when I’m like that (which is all the time) just take 5 minutes out and put it on paper
Results are what’s important in any situation, really. So getting something going and then figuring out what to do and where to go from there is a very good thing. If you mess up, Great, you’ll learn. If you make it, great, you’re going somewhere even faster.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Want To Fail With Me: Lets Help Each Other Succeed =-.
Exactly right my man, the momentum keeps you going even if you trip you will fall forwards instead of flat still
James,
You keep getting in my head and shouting at me. “Why are you still sitting on your ass?” Stop it now. Can’t you be nice?
ha ha Ralph I’ll be nice when you have got where you are going, till then it’s ”Give me another 20” !
Hi James,
I completely get your first point on ‘Priorities’. I think one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard for business was “make one, sell one”. More straightforward I don’t think it can be.
Adrian
.-= Adrian Swinscoe´s last blog ..Are You a Creative or a Reactive Leader? =-.
I love that Adrian, make one sell one…. Awesome, I’m going to live by that
so true this one. was just sneaking a quick go on twitter, when I read yr post. I am really supposed to be re-writing stuff for new website. Cant find a big chunk of time to do it, and have been really dissatisfied with ‘dipping in and out’. I have lost focus, lost pride in the job, and lost interest. BUT it is a vital task, and the lifeblood to our business. thanks for helping me stay motivated. Better get going (again!)
Jane make sure you stick to it! Remember I’m only round the corner from you so I can make sure you are working rather than skiving lol. If you need any help just shout
Wow. I have four big projects underway simultaneously. I have time scheduled everyday to work on them but it seems like sometimes I lack the tunnel vision necessary to push the projects over the line to completion. Look back at what I said at the beginning: four underway simultaneously. I think that what I just got from this was that I need to push one to completion and circle back to the next one.
It’s easy to get distracted. There are so many people out there hawking the next great list builder, viral submitter, or online business idea. At the end of the day, you need to pick something that you have passion about and create products or services from that passion. Market research is always needed but yo have to be careful about analysis paralysis or project stagnation. No one cares about how much you have going on. They do care about what you have and how it can help them. It’s about the benefits that you deliver. No benefits. No sale. No business. Pretty simple.
.-= Jeff Rutowski´s last blog ..How statistics can identify sales growth opportunities =-.
hey Jeff,
Yeah man totally right, do your research but the moment that takes over your losing the battle, get it done and get it finished. good point my man
Good post mate.
Sounds like a “virtual kick in the backside”
I’ll bet all of us have a ton of half done stuff on out PC’s, thing is it can be so easy to jump from one thing to another and you start forgetting the things that went before, they gather “virtual dust” so to speak..
I AM guilty of it myself…
Now go easy booting my arse mate!
.-= Rob Sellen´s last blog ..Should your posts be long or short? =-.
ha ha you sound like Ralph ! Yeah man we’re all guilty of it sometimes brother, just good to have the reminder !
Love this one! It goes with my “Ready, Fire, Aim” approach to pretty much everything in life. Sure you’re going to make mistakes, but just get the freakin thing done.
The one thing I would add is do a little research beforehand. You don’t want to waste your precious time creating something that nobody wants.
.-= Steve Scott Site´s last blog ..Successful Info Product Creation and Marketing [Part 1] =-.
Yep exactly right as we both say research it but don’t spend all year collecting data on it, good point brother
Exactly. Just get it done. Which reminds me that I have to start working on my first free report.
.-= Steve Scott Site´s last blog ..Successful Info Product Creation and Marketing [Part 3] =-.
Yeah man get it finished
I think we all have experienced wasting time on tasks that seem important but don’t really contribute to our main goal. What I do is I place notes about my priorities and most important tasks and place them where I can easily read them. This helps me avoid wandering off and doing other minor activities.
.-= Julius´s last blog ..>When Sound is not an Option: A review of Vibrating Devices for Deaf People =-.
I like notes too, little post-it stamps are a really good way of getting it out of your head and managing it properly
I’m currently writing a novel, and my blogging exploits are centered around the writing process and more and more how it and blogging intersect. With the blog I’m working on now it’s more of a means to get my name out there, collectively organize the best content in the niche, and guide people to some connections they might not have seen for themselves.
Is that worth something? I think so, but maybe from someone who has more experience and has at least written a published book. In my case I know I have a very difficult time listening to someone who pretends they’ve done something before, so there’s no way I would buy something from that person. That’s particularly why I’m not trying to sell until I’ve proven that I have done something. That’s at least the logic behind my waiting for the time being.
.-= Brian´s last blog ..“Art of the Week 3/10: ‘Assault Suits’ by Jim Hatama” =-.
Hey Brian,
I think that’s a good logic to have man, how far through the novel are you?
Closing in on 40,000 words at the moment. Taking a few much needed breaks here and there to comment on the cool blogs
.
That’s a lot of content brother, have you got a rough figure you’re aiming for?
For now I’ll let it go for as long as it needs to be to tell the story, then I’ll go in and remove all the fluff. I’m hoping for the finished product to be around 400 pages.
Switching between blogging and novel writing makes both processes less grueling, but knowing they’re both interconnected makes it seem less of a chore.
true..instead of wasting time thinking about end result like traffic, visitors , ranking etc we’d rather need to prioritize work for success…I started my blogging business before one month (28 days exact) and my friends and relatives always make fun of me and insist that I’m wasting time…Still I concentrate on my hardwork…Its my priority rather than concentrating on ROI at this point…(same as clickbank revenue example mentioned herein)
.-= infopediaonlinehere´s last blog ..Gmail Account Change Themes, Colourful Look And Feel Gmail =-.
You’re going at a great pace brother, keep going
Completely agree buddy.
Currently working a something myself and I’ve often falling into the trap of thinking to complete a step miles down the road.
Get your stuff finished and make it the best it can be, then find a way to sell it.
.-= Ben´s last blog ..It depends on the polar bears. =-.
Yeah man, how’s your stuff coming on?
Coming on nicely – but still keeping it under wraps
.-= Ben´s last blog ..It depends on the polar bears. =-.