Loopholes, superstition (H1 tags, meta tags, duplicate content), shortcuts/hacks, or a "good" user experience? Dwell time and human reviewers. Consistently put out content (at least once a week), promote it using Facebook, Twitter, eClincher, Zapier -- save "temporary" content like webinars, Periscopes, Snapchats, FB live into YouTube, iTunes, etc.
1. Use WordPress and a mobile theme (built-in or WP Touch) 2. Install All in One SEO Pack and Google XML Sitemaps plugins 3. Install W3 Total Cache and set it to minify JavaScript and CSS -- this will shave a few seconds off load time and give you a boost (and use Google PageSpeed Insights and tools.pingdom.com) 4. Add 10 years on the domain (only gives a slight boost but is easy to do) 5. Verify the site with Google Webmaster Tools (and Add Google Analytics code if you know how to do that) 6. Buy an SSL certificate and redirect the site to 100% forced SSL (a little bit of work) 7. Link to your legal pages at the bottom of every page. Terms and conditions, earnings disclaimer, and especially a privacy policy (PaperTemplate.com is great for this) 8. Add a physical mailing address and a phone number at the bottom of every page, even if it's just a PO box and a Google Voice number. 9. Load up your WordPress ping list 10. The next step for my blog: Signup for Facebook Instant Articles and install the plugin (this is new and I haven't done it yet)
Find the intersection of: what people want, what people need, what you're good at, and what's fun for you -- forum search, Amazon table of contents, ask your list if you have one
Build a better mousetrap than your competitors, find their holes, absorb the changes, combine things from two competitors, give away one piece that your competitors normally charge for
Important: teach something you've already known for several years, that way you're saying "something" (as opposed to bizopp stuff), and you don't have to do any new learning
Stage 2: Find Competitors Making Money
Are there high ticket items, seminars, and membership sites about this?
Paid ads?
Do the high profile guys keep promoting it and keep their websites around for a long time?
Stage 3: Is There a Future In It?
Why is weight loss a good idea but back pain isn't? Weight loss is an ongoing problem you can continuously help them with, back pain isn't.
Huge offer: what can you sell for $100 that's worth $1000 to $10,000?
What can you checklist and systematize to "dumb it down" and make it super easy
Today's Sponsor:Profit Dashboard (Make Money on Fiverr course) "You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks." -- Winston Churchill
Phase 1: day job (get some income rolling in, overlap skills with your internet business if possible, find the win-win scenario)
Phase 2: freelancing (small jobs, don't become a monthly employee, get good at just one hour per day, avoid scope creep)
Phase 3: information products (solutions to real problems, find the sweet spot between power, simplicity, and speed)
Phase 4: membership sites & passive income (use the untapped potential of your list, 2 week mini-launch & pitch webinar, keep piling in a batch of members)
List, Traffic, and Offers
list: prospects and buyers (email autoresponder, opt-in page, follow-up sequence)
traffic: bigger community than yours, joint ventures, SEO (blog posts, guest posts, YouTube videos, podcasts), PPC (retargeting, AdWords, Facebook, Bing)
goal: one hour, 1 dollar per minute, 10 repeat clients
ranking: deliver fast (easy if you enjoy what you're doing), leave feedback, tweak gig description, get ratings
process: wake up to orders (knock out audios, videos, written material, software reports), tweak those numbers to grow and avoid a slump, upsell and scale (i.e. charge higher rates for the same time/effort)
You should be excited to get out of bed in the morning. You should be itching to knock out 40 minutes of money-making tasks on the computer, then leave the computer.
If you're feeling unmotivated, get off the computer until you do.
THE LONG GAME 1. Treat your business like a real business: boundaries for "focused" time (Four Daily Tasks) -- no split focus 2. Anytime you're making a decision or deciding to commit time to a task, ask yourself: will doing this really earn me more money? If you're not sure, then is it worth risking an hour or 5 minutes to find out? (Usually: yes.) 3. Look to put yourself out of business, because if you won't, someone else will. (Which means: move your business to the next logical step.) Complete what you start, but after completing and getting the low hanging fruit, don't rely on that income stream to keep paying you for 10 years.
SETBACKS 4. Support System & Mastermind: have someone to talk to who understands you 5. Light at the end of the tunnel: don't plan more than your next product, next book, next three podcast episodes, etc. Go back and connect the dots later. 6. Make Money: you'll be more excited (and have an easier time justifying what you're doing to others) if you're making some initial money
MINDSET 7. Take Time Off the Computer to Think: Either weekends, or specific days of the week. Don't just "zone out" all day and all week staring at the screen. Take quiet walks or drives to think, too. Exercise to clear your head and reduce stress. 8. Be an Above-Average Person: Actually listen to what people say in your everyday life. Avoid being the zombie who drifts through things. Don't watch so much of the news, and avoid live TV if possible. Quit gossip and complaining. You take actions, things don't happen to you. 9. Have an Abundance Mindset: Provide lots of help for free to others, not to feel superior or to get credit, just because it makes you feel good.
ACTIONS 10. Traffic: most people setup their site hoping everyone will find it. WSO's, seminars, viral affiliate program, retargeted traffic -- get lots of people to your site 11. Strengthen Your Content Muscle: this doesn't necessary mean writing. It can be webinars, podcasts, YouTube videos, product creation. Get used to producing "something" helpful to others at least every few days -- paid or free. Note: build content on sites you control, not forums and Facebook. 12. Minimum viable product: What's most important is that you take action, that it leads you to making more money, and that you complete and follow-through. Getting it "done" and 80% right is better than getting it perfect and 100% right, which is impossible.
"Be big enough to admit your mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them." -- John C Maxwell
Traps you fall into: perfectionist, self doubt, self defeatist, the stars have to align. I need to "force" myself into getting motivated. Yeah, right. "Usual" advice I'll skip over: Four Daily Tasks + Camtasia babysitter + accountability partner + computer hotseat + one take content Usually, the "thing" you have to do is just 5 minutes, or just 1 hour: speak out book, run webinar, send email Stop multitasking with the phone, email, Facebook, TV. Leave it out of the room.
Stop watching TV: biggest time waster (or at least put it off for a couple weeks)
Schedule time on the calendar to get it done
Throw away the old notes and papers, you don't need that clogging up your mind
Don't walk into the office after a specific hour: this forces you to get more done
Anchoring: associate your office, sitting at the computer with fun, creativity, productivity, flow state (leave windows open so you can sit down and go)
Take short breaks without the phone: it'll be easier to multitask when you get back (take up walking during your breaks if you can)
Spend just 5 minutes doing something you love like playing the piano
Read a lot more: just one page per night
Leisure goals: running a certain distance, scoring high at a certain sport (create something).
Enjoy the "fun" of building your business. The meaning is what you make it. Get to the making-money phase and get to stoppable/resumable milestones.
Bonus: Wake up one hour early for an "easy" boost to the day.
Build something undeniably great with your name on it
Crack the code (or nut) using your intelligence
Help others to build their business, write a book, lose weight, etc. Change lives.
Get the high score
Reasons You're Trapped in That Money Zone
self-esteem (you think you're not smart enough or don't deserve it), too old or too young, fear of change, fear of losing friends, comparisons to your parents and friends
scarcity mindset insetad of an abundance mindset
it's hard to speed towards a brick wall: you tend to slow down when those bills get paid, instead you need 10
problem: what we resist persists
Quick & Easy Solutions
Meanings don't exist: any meanings or conclusions you come up with are in your own head. There is no absolute truth. Only many truths you have created.
Locate the source: Write down the specific issues that are holding you back from making more money -- people, attitude, obligations
Counter example: Find the exception that proves the rule: when were you productive? When did you have more money than you needed at the time?
Provide real value for others
Cut out the negative people (and customers) in your life
Write down a daily metric for how you're doing (as in, money, sales, content created)
Write down issues to correct them
Socratic Questions
Clarification: why do you say that?
Assumption: what could we assume instead?
Evidence: what's an example?
Perspective: what would be an alternative?
Consequences: how does it affect other things?
Meaning: what does it mean and where does it come from?
Questions to Correct Mistaken Beliefs
What's the evidence for this?
Does this ALWAYS hold true or has it ever been wrong?
Does this take the big picture into account, both positive and negative?
Are you being fully objective? Where did this idea come from? Or is it only emotional?
Negative Self Talk
Worrier: anxiety. Worst case scenario, overestimate the bad, exaggerated images of that. What if? Change to: so what?
Critic: self esteem. Judging. Ignores positive qualities and emphasizes the bad. I'm ok with the way I am.
Victim: depression. Helpless, powerless, regret. Belief that nothing will change or is too difficult. One step at a time.
Perfectionist: burnout. Says you should be working harder. Intolerant of mistakes and setbacks. It's ok to make mistakes.
If you do the things you've always done, you'll get the results you've always gotten.
Questions must be answered. Ask your "computer" brain for more negative answers and it will provide this to you. Ask for positive things and it also can't stop.
Tony Robbins' Six Human Needs: certainty, uncertainty, significance, love, growth, contribution
Robbins' Classes of Experiences: feels good, good for you, good for others, serves the greater good. Transform Class 2 experiences into Class 1 experiences. Throw away Class 3 and Class 4
Helpless: Get some control back by making your bed. It's at least one thing you can control and one accomplishment you made today
Disorganized: Four Daily Tasks: write down those quick goals. Break your problem down into component parts.
Alarmed: Play it out to the logical conclusion. As in, if you're worried about money, take it to the most extreme conclusion. Will you be homeless? No, then it's not super terrible.
Indifferent/Unmotivated: Journal what you're feeling: sounds cheesy and is time consuming but works as a makeshift therapist. Combine something you don't like to do with what you do like to do, like play music while writing.
Lonely: Be more social, find a mastermind or mentor
Annoyed & Negative: Redirect Automatic Negative Thoughts and Absolutes ("this always happens"). Ask yourself, what's good about this or what could be good about this?
Depressed: smile, laugh, change your usual "predictable" reaction. Confuse your mind and break out of that pattern. Be careful with the "negative" words you use.
Bored: Move to a new location. Get your writing done in a coffee shop today, with a laptop and no charger
Distracted: shut out noise and create boundaries. Develop better habits, i.e. not checking FB, stats, email when you get bored. Separate the forest from the trees to get that clarity.
Conclusion: which is the reason you feel overwhelmed?
a. you perform best under pressure (you need a way to relax and unplug but this mode works for you): tweak those deadlines so it's interesting but you deliver on time b. you're worried of what others think: do your best, you do you. You need more confidence which you get as feedback from your victories. c. you simply can't decide: scale down so that you make lots of small decisions (i.e. just decide on the book title)
"The worst people to serve are the poor people. Give them free, they think it's a trap. Tell them it's a small investment, they'll say can't earn much. Tell them to come in big, they'll say no money. Tell them try new things, they'll say no experience. Tell them it's traditional business, they'll say hard to do. Tell them it's a new business model, they'll say it's MLM. Tell them to run a shop, they'll say no freedom. Tell them run new business, they'll say no expertise. Just ask them, what can they do? They won’t be able to answer you. Poor people fail because of one common behavior: Their Whole Life is About Waiting." -- Jack Ma
"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails." -- John Maxwell
Thought #1: Wealth is a choice: make up your mind. If money was distributed equally, it would be back in the "old" hands within 90 days
Thought #2: Stop fooling yourself about what you're after. Peace of mind, being able to do good in the world, is easier with money
Thought #3: Realize that you're the one holding yourself back, but don't be "happily miserable" about it
Factor #1: Relationships
Mastermind: associate with successful people (who challenge you) and not miserable people
Gossip, jealousy, nastiness. It's easy to be a critic. Why not do something if it's so easy?
Do a nice thing because it makes you feel good, before you need help, not just to use people
Be 100% there: don't try to "balance" business, family, day job, and fun
Factor #2: Abundance Mindset (skeptical vs. trusting)
Avoid the transactional trap where you either do something and expect a favor, or you play chicken to see who can do the least "work"
"Don't buy any courses... why would they give away their secret sauce?"
Zero sum: I'll have to steal money or sucker someone into working for me to make money
Factor #3: Take Control of Your Own Destiny (enjoy problems instead of placing the blame or making excuses)
Self-sabotage: one foot on the brake, the wrong kind of control, leads to "misery loves company" and trying to "save" others
Be coachable: Make some mistakes, or go into coaching with "what I've already built and here's where I'm stuck" as opposed to "I don't know where to start." Instead of a long-winded sob story, get to the point and tell me the one area where you need help.
Limiting beliefs, confirmation bias, self fulfilling prophecy, shooting yourself in the foot vs. The Four Minute Mile & The Mastermind
Find a way to enjoy building websites and making money
Minimum viable product and proof of concept: complete something so that you can contribute value
Let go of what doesn't matter
Factor #4: Time Management
Appointment Based Business: I have enough questions answered that I can now act (the calendar is immovable)
Anchoring: you become what you focus on, and your daily "time system" is only effective if you take it seriously
Train your brain. For example, set a timer for 10 minutes, start writing, and don't stop writing. The instant the timer stops, leave the computer. Don't act like you're smarter than the system. Don't just shrug it off and say "I got it."
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." -- Steve Jobs "A real decision is meausred by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided." -- Tony Robbins
Criteria for updating a course you're selling:
Has it be at least 1 year since I launched this?
Is it still selling, or have sales dropped off slightly? (as I'm promoting it heavily?)
Is there something new I'd change in each module of this course?
Is there a new sexy hook I can add to justify this new course? (examples: transcripts for videos, tools/templates, coaching calls using TimeTrade)
Tune in to today's Robert Plank Show where we talk about taking action and how to decide between the "product launch frenzy" versus income streams that make you money for years to come...
Remember Four Daily Tasks? No matter how crazy or "complicated" you try to make your productivity and time management, this is what always keeps me productive:
10 minute early morning, 40 minute morning, 40 minute early afternoon, 40 minute afternoon
three day window: forget about the 100 item to-do list or 4-week plan. What's this week?
degrees of doneness: no chipping away, starting, continuing. What did you finish?
accountability & encryption: list out the acronyms of what you're going to do
distractions: don't check your phone, email, Twitter, or the news (it will find you)
Principle #1: Complete For Now / Minimum Viable Product
Keep it simple. Don't fool yourself into thinking complicated is better, or 100x half finished things are better than 1 finished thing (don't replicate the mistakes) -- get the bugs out
Abundance mindset: there's enough room for everybody. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Continuous learning, childlike curiosity
The Kid Test / The Mom Test: Can you describe what you're doing (list building, FB fan pages, Amazon FBA, etc.) to a five-year old?
It's okay to spend way more time taking action than spending time thinking
Principle #2: Publish 100 Actions
100 blog posts, 100 YouTube videos, 100 Kindle books, 100 podcast episodes (but COMPLETE one at a time)
100 Days: Give it at least 3 months (100 days) of consistent daily action (and make some progress every day)
Make some money as fast as possible as encouragement for you to keep going
Appointment based business
If you don't have your own system & schedule, everyone will pull you in all directions.
Don't plan it out ahead of time, but "put out" 100 things
Completion (day 1 isn't when you start learning, it's when your first "thing" is published)
Repetitions. Fail forward fast. Do what most people won't do.
You can't learn to drive by reading the owner's manual 1000 times.
Have a morning routine to get a jump on the day and do what matters before things distract you
Principle #3: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Know exactly what you're building towards (i.e. 20 sales a day, 5k/month Fiverr income)
Implement and experiment.
Don't learn just to learn, re-teach or criticize.
Focus on just one thing at a time. Improve just one variable.
Principle #4: Data Scientist
Track your efforts and results in a spreadsheet
Marketplace Need: Create blog posts, videos, podcasts, products, courses that deliver on what people are asking for
Crack the code: make all the mistakes, correct them, streamline that checklist (remove instead of add), stop doing what isn't working
Track it: You're fooling yourself into think you're doing so much
Principle #5: Computer Programmer Mentality
break the problem down into manageable sub-problems or milestones.
It's ok to admit you don't know. Find out what you need to know!
Some questions have no answer, or just aren't important.
Don't look for so many questions. Find "a" path to get where you need to go.
Principle #6: Rough Numbers
Know your rough numbers (this is how 4DT came out, number of help desk tickets answered, clicks from emails, webinar attendees)
Embrace the Chaos: you need some degree of "messiness" in your business. JVZoo, RAP, multiple membership sites instead of one
Separate the forest from the trees
Principle #7: Get a Coach
Admit when you don't know something: don't "juggle" it all in your head
See what someone more successful than you is doing.
Know what the "next" problem is that you're solving. Know how to ask a real question.
Role Modeling & Anti Role Modeling: what would X do in this situation? and what would this unsuccessful person say about this?
Pitfalls to Stay Away From
Don't go down the rabbit hole: learning to program when you just wanted to create an e-book
Don't let the tiniest thing hold you up
Don't wait. Just take the action. Don't fall into victimhood, martyrism, or "waiting" for the other person to do something
Don't just fill time: it takes just as much effort to do nothing as it is to do something
Don't be a pack rat: throw away your notes and "used up" bi-products Don't Sabotage Yourself: One foot on the brake. Reversion to a comfortable state. Be uncomfortable now + comfortable later, or comfortable now + uncomfortable later. Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.
Don't let the confirmation bias get the best of you: reinforcing what you already know or ask around until you find the answer you want
Don't let anyone take you for granted. Have a good support system of encouragement. Be an indispensable resource.
Get all the latest insights with membership sites, passive income, mindset, and more.
About Robert & The Podcast
The Marketer of the Day Podcast interviews entrepreneurs who have been through “the struggle.”
They’ve experienced the headaches of repeat failure, trial-and-error, scaling, delegating, course-correcting, and getting their online businesses to succeed beyond their wildest dreams… and want to help you get to where you need to go.
