May 10 2009
The Reality Gap
mis-conceptions of internet marketing
Many new-comers enter the world of internet marketing lured by promises of ‘riches to be made on the net’. Firstly let me make it clear, some people are working exclusively online, and making a very comfortable living doing so; but the majority are not!
So what is going wrong – what happened to those fabulous riches for all that we keep hearing about? The majority of these programs are designed to make themselves appealing (it’s called marketing folks) but the reality is not quite the same – it is possible for anyone to acheive the results promised, but they have to be extremely dedicated, and know what they are doing! Lets face it – virtually anyone can learn to read, but if you are not taught how to do it – the chances of acheiving it just by looking at a book are pretty small.
There are some programs which are sadly designed solely to attract as much money as possible for the program owner, with no intention of sharing that wealth – the old adages of
“buyer beware”
and
“if it looks too good to be true, it probably is”
are just as true online as they are offline.
More interesting is the case of the ‘offers’ where they tell you that this ebook, or program is worth $57 or $89 (or whatever price they pluck from the air) but they are offering it for only $9 but you have to buy RIGHT NOW or you will miss this fabulous offer! Next time you see one of these offers, STOP and think – if I buy a burger for $1 and tell you I would normally sell it to you for $5 but as a special, one time only offer, I will sell you it for $2 how much is this burger worth? If you said anything other than $1 then you have been hoodwinked!
Too often people lead with their wallets and not their common sense – a “great deal” is only a great deal if it is actually worth it to you. Do you need what they are offering, or could your time and money be better spent learning to use those tools you already have more efficiently?
I often hear people saying that they are leaving online marketing because they are making no money at it, and yet when you examine what they have been doing, too often you see that what they are experiencing is a lack of realisation of a dream because they were not understanding what they were doing, or what they needed to be doing to change things; or just simply had unrealistic expectations.
Remember, in all business there will be a hierarchy – some businesses will be bigger and do better; and some will do not so well; and some sadly will fail. Many times these failures are due to poor preparation or unrealistic expectations.
Again consider your realistic expectations – a corner store is not going to have the same turnover that a giant supermarket chain will have. In the same way – be realistic about what you can expect; both from yourself, and from your programs. Have a plan, work at it, review it, and be prepared to adapt your plans and expectations based on your results.