I don’t know about you but I’ve just completed my new year vacation, I’ve eaten more than enough junk food, I’ve relaxed, taken time out and now I’m ready to rip into ’08 like there’s no tomorrow!
I just want to warn you that if you’re someone on my list, if you read my blog or have bought my products… you’re in for a big year.
I’ve got so much stuff ready for you it’s ridiculous – so much money making advice and tools are about to come your way, it’ll make your head spin… but in a good way 
Anyhow…
I was going to write a post about setting goals at this time of the year but as a friend of mine said in his goal setting post, its something that we hear so often we get desensitized to it and it doesn’t mean as much to us. (that post is a great one by the way, highly recommended)
I thought instead I’d write something on planning, because where it’s easy to set a goal, it’s harder to craft a detailed plan on exactly how you’re going to achieve the thing. And of course, when you have a plan of HOW you’re actually going to make something happen, the likelihood that you actually WILL do it jumps 100%…
A subscriber of mine said recently how she started around midway through 07 with a simple plan..
Not necessarily a goal but a solid plan.
She’d decided to finally start marketing with some bum marketing and NMOC techniques so she set herself an action step.
She was going to research keywords and write X amount of articles a day on those keywords then submit them to directories.
I can’t remember how many it was but not alot – maybe 4 or 5 articles per day.
She decided that if she did only that for 6 months she’d surely be achieving SOME results, even though she didn’t know what results they’d be specifically.
6 months later, after following that action step with consistency she had her first $500 day online and was pocketing checks of mid to high 4 figure sums per month!
All she did was that same thing for 6 months! This is a real lady who just used techniques you probably already know!
If you know them, why haven’t you made $500 days yet? I’ll tell you…
Because you didn’t do what you know consistently without fail every day for 6 months!
And if you did you’d have the $500 days too!
Two points:
1. I’m not saying don’t set a goal obviously. Goals are great because they set your focus, they inspire you and they dictate your course of action. The point I’m trying to get across here is the importance of having even just ONE small actionable step that accompanies the goal that will be your means to getting the thing done! Sometimes just one task over and over is all it takes!
2. Making money online is a science – its not rocket science but it’s scientific in that there are certain things that if you do them and do them long enough they HAVE TO yield results – it’s not a question of whether or not they will – they HAVE TO because they follow scientific laws – things fall to the ground when you drop them, 1 plus 1 equals two – submitting articles consistently for 6 months = MONEY – it’s the same thing!
Ok back to planning.
If you’re reading this and you haven’t already (assuming you’ve got some goals for the new year), try setting yourself just a few small action steps that you’re going to take on a consistent basis. Whether it’s once a day, once a week or once a month, set something consistent.
Ask yourself “What would I have to do consistently to ensure that this goal becomes a reality”?
Some of the things I’m going to be concentrating on making consistent are:
1. Posting good information to my blog every day
2. Spending an hour researching and learning from other people who are ahead of me in the (online marketing) game every day.
It’s inevitable that if I make a post of great content here every day that by the end of the year I’ll have an enormous readership base and more traffic not only to this blog but all my product sites – a goal of mine.
It’s inevitable that if I research an hour each day and focus on implementing relevant things I learn, I’ll be a better marketer, be able to drive more traffic and make more money from my sites – it can’t NOT happen.
Find an action or actions that will make the achievement of your goals INEVITABLE.
I’m going to leave it there so hopefully this message sinks in.
As always, love to hear your thoughts.
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Fail to plan is to plan to fail!
Good post, Andrew! I myself need to be more focused to get results. I’ll do my best to achieve my goals!
Thanks.
Marian
Seeing how cliche’s seem to be the order of the day…
“Plan the work and work the plan!”
Good post!
Hi, Andrew
As always a really great and inspiring post from you.
The biggest mistake that the majority of new and some old marketers will make in my opinion, is that they will join programs, traffic exchanges, buy resale products etc, and they will fail to use and promote them. These products, links to money making courses etc, will just sit on their hard drives and stagnate.
To these people, the best advice available from myself to them is, make sure that if you join or buy anything this year, then you must put in the effort to promote these things. Otherwise you will not make any progress in becoming a profitable marketing entity and will only have yourself to blame. So i say to you, either use it or dump it…
Vince Andrews
Hey Guys,
Yeah, cliche’orama it will probably become.
It’s the same ol story though – we all know what to do but ask how many people will actually make a plan and follow it – so few.
PLEASE don’t get caught in the trap of thinking you know something and forgetting to actually do it!
Andrew
thanks for the post, it helped to confirm my intention for this year & reminded me to concentrate on focus.
Weather hot, around 40 to 43, causing bush fires & many houses destroyed near Perth. Three people burned & died in their trucks near Kalgoorlie where we were visiting our son & daughter in law & grandchild Matilda. Pemberton 5 degrees cooler.
Wishing you a super 2008 – Ronald
Hi Andrew.
I appreciate your post. Yes, sometimes it seems that what you are doing does not work, but you really have to have faith in it. That means that I have to look at what will happen and not what seems not to be happening right now. As an example, I made a couple sales at CB about 3 weeks ago, and up to yesterday, nothing else!..MM.
Then, while reading your post, I slipped away just for a minute to check my CB account and Viola! There it was! Another sale. So here’s my goal…oops, I mean “plan”.
I will write 1 article a day and publish it to 5 PR4-6 article directory.
I will write 1article..a…..
Ok, you get the idea.
Thanks again for your post.
Anthony
How do you determine who’s in front of you Andrew.?
Who do you want to emulate?
Hey, I can’t wait for what you’ve got for us, I hope all will be as good as Plug in Profits.
Happy 2008!
Regards, BP
happy to hear that you have lots of good things planned for us!
The example of writing 5 articles a day Andrew is a common one.
And it boggles me!
Yes I have bought your book on article speed writing, heck, I have just written a book on article marketing and writing but writing 5 articles a day is beyond me and beyond all but a tiny percentage of writers.
Over 6 months that’s 900 articles…how on earth do I get 900 ideas for writing an article on Tahitan Noni or whatever?
End of boggling!
Alex
Great post! It echos what I wrote in my blog about this great quote I found from Zig Ziglar.
He said, “Goals are dreams we Convert to Plans and take Action to Fulfill it!”
The subscriber did not just dream. She made a plan and executed it and look where she is now.
Well done! And a motivation to all of us.
Abundance Always!
Gordon
If I would put to action what I desire to do, I would not only be a better marketer and achieve my dreams of being an “online authority” and more time with my kids..
I am hoping maybe this will happen with your product once I learn it.. and use it
I love your post. I realized today that my blog and my buiz. website needs much improvement so I going to set a goal to fix them soon.
Nice post Andrew,
I started my blog http://www.cd-bills.blogspot.com after downloading and then studying very little from your Building Niche Empire, but still i’m not successful, ‘coz not following all of the material in that ebook. But i belive that this works, I’m just writing 1 artcle per week (approx.), but not sure how to market. I send emails to many ppl. and earn arround ……….. no i feeeeel shame to tell you spacially on this public blog… .. nothing.. that approches to nothing.. even in my view.. in your and your friends’ view it will be less then nothing.. But I think if i could spare some additional time this income will increase. But don’t have enough courage to quit my day job and put my full attantion on blogging or addsense
.
I’m moving very slowly, beliving Slow and Steady wins the race, but even I’m not steady.. i hope i will
.
still i’ve not studied the full article above. and saved it for studying laterz. that laterz will never come.. any way, very nice work from you.
Regards
Iqbal Sajid
Hats off to the lady you mentioned in your post and I’m glad she is seeing results. It stories like that, that make my days online easy. Thanks for another great post, I’m always looking for the next one – You the man Andrew!
Jerry Martin
You’re so right, Andrew! Be persistent and consistent and you will find success. I know I’m on the right path, but my problem is between my full time job & being a single mom I find myself challenged by getting through all of the tasks I set for myself each day! *argh* But failure is not an option, so I keep pushing forward. I always remember The Ultimate Success Formula:
FOCUS + COMMITMENT + CONSISTENT ACTION = SUCCESS
damn dude, you are so full of “5hit”!
we all have far too many “IMPORTANT” email newsletters from “REAL” guru’s to read (and buy their new must have thingumy) to actually make a plan and take action…..
lol!
ok, your “5hit” is the pure “6old” “5hit” that is actually real…
my suggestion for “plan A” is that we should all unsubscribe from all but one or two of the best email newsletters we get each week, that will probably free up enough spare time to not only work out Plan B, but start putting in action as well…
Happy New Year Mate!
Sorry, but I was unable to get through by ‘reply’. This just to let you know that “And So ’08 Begins…”. was sent to me about 10 times. You might like to check to see what your autoresponder is on, perhaps you could patent it…
Ron
Hi,
I think that Matt Garrett’s post is one that many of us should take heed from. He makes a very good point saying that many of us have far too many subscriptions to newsletters, that take up way too much time and leave us with not enough time for the things that are so important to our success.
Streamline what you receive and use the time you save to improve the things that really count…
Thanks Matt
Vince Andrews
You sound highly focused Andrew
I like your use of the word inevitable, a good way to live life. If you continue along this path there is no possible way you can fail.
Here’s to a prosperous 2008
Interesting blog post. What would you say was the most important marketing factor?
lol!
In answer to Johnm it may not be the most important, but finding good quality blog posts and leaving good quality comments is a V. good marketing time spend..
Matt
I think John might be using an outsourced blog commenter
No disrespect.