Niche research is so important but it’s also time consuming and tedious work so I was ALL over Massive Niche List!

Take a look inside look Massive Niche List…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to check it out!

Alexander Graham Bell, the credited inventor of the telephone would later on in life, come to view his famous invention as an intrusion on his real work as a scientist. In order to avoid being distracted and interrupted by his own invention, he refused to have a telephone in his office! I find that fascinating/ironic. But it also struck a chord. How many times have I sat down to work on my Internet business only to be distracted by, well, the Internet.

I thought about this as I went to do a search for a writing project I’m working on, only to see the “Google Doodle” homage to Art Cloakey (the creater of Gumby).  Next thing I knew, I had clicked on the doodle abandoning my work to read about Art Cloakly and his stop-motion cartoon character Gumby. Then I went to You Tube and watched a video about Gumby.

I spent about 20 minutes that I had carved to work on Gumby. And I wasn’t even a huge Gumby fan when I was a kid! What the hell just happened?

The Internet just intruded on my Internet marketing business. How ironic is that?

I’m happy to report that I got back on track and finished what I set out to do but it really made me think how the very thing that makes my online business possible can also be a serious time suck. Unlike Mr. Bell and his invention, the telephone – I can’t not have an Internet connection in my office. So it’s important to have the discipline to work from home. Sure they’ll be Gumby-like intrusions but the key is to keep those at a minimum to make sure that you recognize when you’re slipping so you can snap out of it.

Time management is crucial so here are some things you can do to keep the Gumby intrusions down…

Creating a regular schedule – You don’t have to be extremely strict about when you start and stop working, but it does help once you get going to give yourself a carved out amount of time for you to continue before taking a break.

Plan Your Day In Advance – Set aside time each day to plan for tomorrow. You’ll notice your productivity increase when you plan your day the night before.

Track your time – When you’re tracking your time you can snap out of non-productive shenanigans. There are techie ways to do this like using Rescue Time (a real eye-opener) or just go old school with a two-column spreadsheet, one side time blocs and the other side activities. Break down your time blocks by how you work best. I prefer to in 30 minutes blocks so my time block rows would by 8:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and so on.

There are countless strategies about working in time blocks. Unfortunately you will simply have to try a few to find which works best for you. One highly effective strategy is to work for 45 minutes and then allow yourself a 10-15 minute break. This doesn’t mean go watch some TV or surf the web! Get up, walk around, play with your dogs or take them on a 10-15 minute walk, get a snack. Once your 10-15 minute break is over tackle the next time block.

Avoiding Talkers And Visitors – when you’re working, don’t answer the telephone (Mr. Bell would be proud of you). Don’t have buddies come over just because your work from home.

Get that mindset right and you’ll be able to survive Gumby-like intrusions.

photo credit: Tambako the Jaguar

If you’ve been trying to learn Internet marketing for more than a nano-second, you already know there is a lot of “advice” from a lot of info marketers on how to make it. The foundation might be solid but folks get wrapped up into following the messenger vs. paying attention to the message. Thus folks suffer from what’s known as “shiny object syndrome”. Jumping one system/blueprint/product to the next.

Reminds me of that funny scene from Life of Brian…

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you find you’re constantly jumping from one thing to the next and you’re wondering why you’re failing… there is your answer. For example, don’t try to master all the gazillion ways there is to drive traffic to your web properties. Pick 2 or 3 and get really good at those. And whatever you do being yourself and putting your own spin on things will lead to better things in your business than just trying to copy the guru or person whose course or e-book you just purchased.

The popularity of social media has really put an emphasis of being yourself than trying to copy someone else. So, repeat after me: “we’re all individuals”.

Note: if you repeated it, don’t pass go, don’t collect $200.

Guess how many exit pop-up’s this dude threw at me?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Exit pop-up’s… they’re annoying. Most people do not like them but they can be effective. I don’t get bent when I’m throw one maybe two exit pop-up’s. Anymore than that and you’re going into d-bag territory. And when you start dropping the price (so the person who buys off the sales copy pays full price but the person who exits get’s a discount) then yep, you are a d-bag.

These are the folks that are the scourge of our industry… they give all of us in Internet marketing a bad name. Offer bonuses or other incentives to save the sale but to automatically drop the price so the person who try to leave gets a discount but the person who bought from the main page is forced to pay a higher price for trusting you? Shame.

The other day I was checking out the refunds rates on some of the top money-making info products on ClickBank and I almost fell off  my chair! There were several of them with refund rates of over 50%… some well over, like the one with an almost 74% refund rate.

Caveat- I got these refund rates from my CB Engine pro account and they make it very clear it is not scientific AT ALL. They just plug in some numbers and do some basic math to come up with the refund rate but since ClickBank does not release the refund rate statistics it is pretty much just a guess.

I posted about this on the #1 Internet marketing forum, the Warrior Forum and few folks got bent about it. I just couldn’t believe it could be that high. But I’ve heard the “average” refund rates for ClickBank is over 20% so with all these ClickBank crap-fest products hitting the marketplace it wouldn’t surprise me that although that 73.86% may not be accurate, it’s not far-fetched that a 50% refund rate is possible.

There was a common thread in the products with refund rates of over 50%… these are the rash of products now following the same formula. They purport to have a super secret software or that they found some loop-hole to make a ton of money by just pushing a few buttons. Although they’re very stingy with the details of what it is that they’re actually selling.

The actual realty is that what’s on the sales page isn’t really what is being sold. So customers get pissed and ask for a refund (as they should if the product isn’t what was advertised).

I’m a ClickBank vendor myself so I know firsthand about those who abuse ClickBank’s generous refund guarantee to rob vendors but those creeps aren’t the ones inflating these 30%-50% refund rates. It’s crappy or falsely advertised products sold by powerfully written copy.

There has been a few threads on the Warrior Forum about all this. Some say the products are good even if they sales copy is BS. And that Warrior forum members aren’t the target audience so we shouldn’t get offended. They’re going after the totally, clueless newbie who just got off the bus with big dreams of making money online. I guess you need to rationalize those type of aggressive marketing tactics.

And I’m not saying these guys are purposely ripping off folks. They’re just trying to hit the buttons to make the most sales possible. It’s greed. The product might be awesome but if it’s marketed accurately they might only make 500 sales vs 5,000 if they work the “snake oil” angle. So off they go… and one makes buku bucks so the others follow along.

The solution to all this nonsense would be if people would stop falling for the manipulation copy. If these products wouldn’t sell well, these marketers wouldn’t use these techniques. The realty is that if we get mad about this and we roll our eyes then we’re not the target audience. Why do we get so much spam? Believe it or not someone buys those fake Viagra pills peddled by the spammers. Why are are political ads so negative? They work. So there you have it.  We really do have power to stop it but we don’t. They’re given the market what they want. The problem, I believe… is that they do it with their copy vs. the actual product.

Now the ironic or karma part of this? One of the reasons folks give it a try and order is because they know they can easily get that refund thus these big buck, mega launches, end up with refund rates of 30%, 40%, 50%, maybe even 73.86%.  But in the end the merchant still ends up with some cash in his pocket. A huge new list of buyers to churn and burn through with their buddies own secret software, loop-hole, yada, yada, yada product and round and round we go.

Wow, 10 days into 2011 already! And this is my first blog post of the year. Tsk, tsk. Something I plan to do more of in 2011… blog more. Which is a good segue to this… my buddy Peggy Baron blogged about her response to these two questions:

• What was one of your biggest accomplishments last year?

• What are some of your big or small goals for 2011?

You can read her answers over at her Internet marketing blog. She then asked her readers the same questions. I was already already mulling over my first post for 2011 so I figured this was a perfect topic and a way to answer the questions.

So as Jack Handy would say… now deep thoughts by Alan Petersen…

What was one of your biggest accomplishments last year (2010)?

I was able to continue to grow my business and keep on plugging along as a full-time Internet marketer publishing info products and niche sites. In an industry where the masters of illusion want to give us the impression that you can just a push a button to riches the reality is that it does take work. It’s fun work but work nonetheless.

So closing out 2010 with 3 – 1/2 years of doing this full time gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

Specific projects that stand out for me in 2010… I got more connected. Working from home is a lonely job and you really do need help from friends. I made some good friends in this business in 2010 which is always a good thing. I’ve been organizing a local meetup for Internet marketers in Minnesota since 2008 and the group grew in size a lot during 2010 which was nice to see. I highly recommend you check out Meetup.com and do a search for “internet marketing”, “affiliate marketing”, “information marketing”, etc. Getting out to meet with like-minded individuals is awesome and it can have a huge impact on your online business.

I also perfected a new strategy for my business that is fun and has worked out well for me. I published several “real books” as a self-publisher with Amazon. Not a lot of people are doing this so it’s one of my accomplishments that I’m pretty proud about for 2010.

Although a lot of those books are under pen names, one I’m proud about is my book about my home country, Costa Rica. It’s called 101 Frequently Asked Questions About Costa Rica and I sold over 200 copies in 2010. Now, Stephen King doesn’t have to worry about me knocking him out of the best sellers list but it’s been a fun ride – even though someone gave me a one-star review – boo-hoo.

I’ve been publishing e-books since 2008 but something about holding my book in my own hands, man it’s just a great sense of accomplishment. Especially since I wrote the first draft back in 2007! Finally I figured out how to self-publish it easily in 2010.

On the personal side

After 23 years of swearing each year would be my last Minnesota winter, in November of 2010, my wife and I packed up a rental SUV.  We loaded up our three dogs, and drove 2,000+ miles as we moved to San Francisco, California. You can check out my “Moving to San Francisco” blog for more info on the move and life in San Francisco.

View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks - About 2 miles form our place.

The dogs are liking the California sun!

Now we move into some serious stuff…

What were your biggest disappointments in 2010?

I did not meet my 2010 income goals. Whew, there I said it. And I need to focus my energy and time on things that work for my business. As I’m sure you probably know, there is a nasty syndrome that afflicts most Internet marketers from newbies to old timers. It’s a dangerous disease that will generate havoc if you’re not careful. It’s called the “new shiny thing” syndrome. You see there might be a million and one ways to make money online and I have to stop trying to master them all and just focus on what works for me. I need to focus on what makes me money not all the other coulda, shoulda, woulda, stuff out there.

Moving to a new state 2,000+ miles away didn’t help since the last few months of 2010 I was busy getting ready to move, sell our house, find a new place to live, etc. But I can’t put the blame on the move for it but thought I would throw it out there as a semi-excuse.

I also let procrastination get in the way of releasing several new info products I had planned for 2010. That didn’t help with my 2010 income goals.

What are some of your big or small goals for 2011?

My big goal is to focus on what works and makes money for my business and cut out the fat. I plan in releasing more info products. I’m also going to be doing my first coaching program. That is something I kicked around for most of 2010 but never did it. I really enjoy teaching and helping people out so I’m looking forward to kicking that off real soon. I want to do that the first quarter of 2011.

I’m really feeling the pressure to meet/exceed my income goals for 2011 since I’m now living in the 3rd most expensive city in the US! So no time to mess around in 2011!

I’ll pass along Peggy’s questions to you… so your turn:

• What was one of your biggest accomplishments last year?
• What are some of your big or small goals for 2011?

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton recently announced he is no longer going to be a cyber bully on his popular celeb gossip website. Perez is well-known for being down-right mean in his coverage of celebrities. He would photoshop pictures with his nasty comments or drawings and just be mean. The recent spat of suicides from victims of cyber-bullies led to his change of heart.

I couldn’t help but think about the Salty Droid. I posted last week his video on the recording of a private call between a couple gurus. The idea of watch dog sites protecting consumers is a good idea and needed in our industry but I’ve never been a fan on the way the droid does it. He is just down-right mean. A cyber-bully.

Now I doubt any members of “the syndicate” are going to take themselves deep but they are humans. You can be critical of their products or their business practices without being so nasty.

I actually started this blog one day when I was frustrated and annoyed with the hype and BS we see in the IM space and there are a few sites popping up that in my opinion are doing it right.

IM Report Card allows people to rate Internet marketers and products. The Warrior Forum has a review section. The Warrior Forum does not allow the personal attacks as seen on other places online. They’re often crtitized for “censoring” or that they “protect” the gurus but I think it’s a good policy. Keep the focus on the task of hand vs. gossiping or getting personal.

Ryan Healy is a copywriter who has a blog where he is not afraid to take the gurus to task without the nastiness. In another private call the droid leaked Jeff Walker said that Ryan Healy wanted to become the “public droid”. But I think that’s the way to go. You can still be critical and initiate discussion in a constructive way vs. photoshopping pictures and calling people names. That’s just pandering to the mob mentailty.

Tiffany Dow is also a straight-shooter who isn’t afraid to level criticism when she feels it’s warranted and to protect her subscribers and blog readers. And she does it out in the open like Ryan does without hiding behind a caricature/character.

Tiffany’s public criticism of Internet marketers has actually led to changes and healthy debates. Recently a well know Internet marketer began to address the complaints about his recent busness practices. Tiffany actually effected change that will hopefully help people in the long run. Had she been nasty and vile like SD the Internet marketer in question would probably have blown her off.

Most of us are open to constructive criticism but if we’re called names and bullied about, well then we shut down. So in the end SD doesn’t really change anything. It just becomes a cyber-bully entertaining the masses. So I guess if you find bullying funny then you can get a kick out of that but if you want to really try and make a change visit the other sites I’ve listed above.

After seeing in the news the suicide of that kid attending Rutgers who was cyber-bullied by his roommate, it just really opened my eyes to the dangers of being down-right mean.

If people feel victimized and if these gurus are really doing fraudulent stuff (I don’t know since I do not buy their products) they can file complaints with the Better Business Bureau or the FTC. Things the droid said he doesn’t do because without the gurus there is no droid.

Video shot with my new and first “smart phone” I’ve had the EVO (I’m so new to these phones that it recorded side-ways). I usually check my PO Box twice a month but I skipped all of June so there were a lot of commission checks from ClickBank and a couple other affiliate programs that I still get checks vs. direct deposit. So you can make money online.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’ve been trying to make money online for longer than a nano second I’m sure you’re aware that Internet marketing has a pretty steep learning curve. There is so much to learn… how to create a website, how to FTP, how to write articles, how to do PPC, how to add pictures and graphics, and on and on. The good news is that you can and will learn all these things, but there are three components you really need to learn about for your Internet marketing business to succeed.  Without all three of these, you won’t be as successful as you could be. You might make sales, but not near the number you could be making.

1.  You have to be trustworthy.
If your website screams “Buy, buy, buy!” and you don’t give them good content and show that you know what you’re talking about, they probably won’t trust you or buy from you.  If your site is one big walking, talking ad with the maximum number of AdSense ads, promotion pitch after promotion pitch, and banners stuck all over the place, potential customers are going to run the other way.  They need to trust you before they offer you their credit card info.  Take a look at your site through the customer’s eyes and see what they see.  Pull back on the AdSense, banner ads, etc. and make it a classy website. Be in this business for the long haul, not the short gain.

2.  You have to offer value.
Internet users are becoming a lot more savvy. We now have the first generation of people who grew up with the Internet and what they (and all us) are looking for online is value. So start with giving away something free, like a report, in exchange for their opting in to your list.  But make sure that report contains valuable information not just bunk. One of the best compliments I get is when someone reads one of my free reports or a blog post or perhaps they watch one of my videos and they contact me and say, wow, that’s better than some of the information I’ve paid for!

Think about it, that’s your first chance to show off what you know and offer incredible value.  You might argue that “free” doesn’t mean you have to give something valuable, but I disagree.  How would it make you feel if a carpet cleaning company who wants your business came out and cleaned one of your rooms for free, and did a lousy job? Do you want to purchase from them?

After they’re on your list, continue to send them free valuable info.  Perhaps a well-researched article or short PDF will make them open their eyes to just how much information you know.  The next product you produce and promote and over-deliver on will entice your “free” customers to become paying customers again and again.

3.  You need traffic.

This can be tough obstacle for any new marketer to overcome.  Getting quality traffic can be daunting. Getting the site up is actually the easy part. You can put together the most valuable, crazy, insane offer ever, but if no one knows about it, you won’t make those sales you’re dreaming of.  Make a point of studying how to get traffic a priority.  Research all the avenues of increasing your traffic and take action.  Invest in a course if need be – it’s that important to get traffic.  Of course it should be targeted traffic, not just any old traffic.  You want people who are looking for what you’ve got; they’re more likely to turn into buyers.

There are no guarantees that you will be wildly successful with Internet marketing, but if you spending time on these three components, you stand a good chance of getting results you can be happy with.

I’ve read that integrating your pets into your marketing campaings is an effective strategy. Which is why President Obama now has a dog for the first time running around in the White House and why all the other presidents have also had dogs.

So I’m trying it out. Watch this video then go buy all my stuff.

Click here to view the embedded video.