subject: Why Does Online Marketing Intimidate People? [print this page] Whenever I meet new people, the one question I dread is, "What do you do for a living?"
Instead of the simple answers others give such as a dentist, teacher, or fireman, I always have to explain exactly what I do. Most people simply don't understand Internet marketing. Our industry is still in its infancy, where other occupations have been around for generations. These jobs are instantly recognized and understood by the general population.
I've discovered that even after an hour or more of explaining what I do, most people are still confused. After awhile they usually just pretend to understand, which to be honest makes things easier. Internet marketing is such a vast and expansive industry, that it would take days to fully explain it to someone.
With all of this in mind, is it any wonder people are so intimidated by Internet marketing? If a ten-year veteran like myself struggles to explain exactly what I do for a living, I can only imagine how aspiring Internet marketers must feel. It isn't a stretch to say that this industry can easily overwhelm the brightest of minds.
My biggest regret since I started in this business, is that I didn't focus on one thing at a time. It took me a couple of years before I finally stopped jumping from one opportunity to another. This one change in my attitude was directly responsible for my success. I called this my "focus factor".
Sadly, a majority of people who start out trying to market online, fall victim to information overload just as I did. This is why the single most important thing you can do is to learn to focus on one thing at a time. If you don't master the ability to stay focused from the beginning, you will find yourself pulled in several directions at once. This can and will lead to failure almost every time.
The one thing I always tell new marketers is to try and stick with something for a month. If you can stay consistent for that long, it will start to become second nature. Once you discover how effective the "focus factor" is, I guarantee you will never go back to being a scatterbrained marketer ever again!
