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Your Barrier To Entry

barrier to entryWhat I've seen over the years here is people learn of an idea: the magic bullet (of the week). They put it into action ONCE and it doesn't work (for whatever reason...poor quality traffic; insufficient traffic--key issue, that one; lousy conversion tool; insufficient followup; poor target market definition; etc.)

And then they announce, "It DIDN'T WORK!!" to the world.

They really have convinced themselves that because they tried this thing one time, one way (imagine, trying only a single headline and then saying the whole project was a failure) it doesn't work. Ever. For anyone.

Then they jump on after the next shiny object...the new magic bullet of the week.

That's the silliness I'm fighting against here. It's rampant.

Many variables are involved in online marketing. Basic math is required to be good at online marketing. Based on the evidence I've seen, people want to remain ignorant of both and yet still be successful.

People: that ain't gonna happen.

Stick with something longer than three days. Test one variable change at a time. Yes, keep your eyes open for what works and what doesn't, and why.

Imagine there's a fence you have to jump.

That's the fence you need to get over to start making sales and being successful (BTW, did anyone ever tell you Making Sales is the RESULT, not the guts of, internet marketing? Kinda changes your perspective...there are all these things that need to be done and go right BEFORE you make a sale).

Now imagine all the wannapreneurs, here they are, running full tilt at that fence. Some of them don't even know the fence is there. Many underestimate how tall it is. But there they are, full of false and highly temporary enthusiasm based on some magic bullet they heard about and have awkwardly (how else are you gonna do it the first time) put into practice.

And WHAMMY!

Sure are a lot of broken bodies fallen at the foot of and atop that fence.

What Barrier To Entry Means For You

This is called, in professional marketing terminology, Barrier To Entry.

Most people lack the perspective, the stick-to-itiveness to pass that Barrier To Entry.

What does this mean for you, the individual?

Don't be like the herd. The herd is all beat up and broken in front of that fence.

If you can behave differently, and get over that fence, you'll be Inside.

And Inside is where the money is.

Once you figure it out...how to get over that fence, that Barrier To Entry...you keep that knowledge forever. You know what the process is.

Oh sure, some little techie this or that may change. A variable may need a dial or level adjustment. But you know what the variables are.

Stick with it. Measure and manage. Be intelligent.

Blindly and mindlessly following magic bullets is stupid. You'll end up crashed on the fence every time. Even if you do "succeed" you'll have no idea how to duplicate what you just did.

Barrier To Entry Today

This post was first published in 2016. Is there an update for today?

My impression is that this concept is part of human nature. It is unchanging. We all know "the information is out there", often free of charge. Yet few people will knuckle down and do the research, personal learning and testing necessary to develop skill. They randomly try something once, and when it doesn't work everything related to it is a "scam".

Remember that this is a hurdle separating the wheat from the chaff, the successful from the wannapreneur. Those who expect success from magic beans, rather than developing skill through persistence, are welcome to their fate.

If you are a founder and find yourself sharing information that you know is available out there from other sources, you might be worried about how you're going to "break into" the marketplace. Let me share with you a reframing: you don't need to have unique information to get clients and build a business today. What you need is to find your tribe. People can get information from anywhere. So what do they do? They find a source of that information who they like, who they resonate with. They want to learn from this person. And that is why they buy. When your barrier to entry changes from trying to make your information unique to working on being yourself and attracting your tribe, the game changes.

>> For business strategy that gets you past the barrier to entry, get the Sales On Fire program. <<

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How Will You Go Into 2021 As A New Business Owner?

Blind or with Vision?

The new business owner often flies blind.

You see this in the questions. "What's working?" "What tool should I use?" "How do I do this?"

These are the wrong questions.

Oh, it's likely that someone will be nice enough to offer you a suggestion in answer. But even if you apply what they say, it probably won't work for you as a new business owner.

Q: "What's working?"
A: They probably spent a lot of time and effort focusing on making their recommendation work. But you think the thing is going to make you money right out of the box. Nope. You'll give up fast and never get there.

Q: "What tool should I use?"
A: Not relevant to your situation. A fit for theirs, perhaps. And they spent the time getting through the learning curve, which I'll call syntax. You won't. Your eyes will cross seeing the thing on the screen, and you'll leave.

Q: "How do I do this?" (eg. How do I use the forum?)
A: Its an experiential thing. You have to invest time and develop your 'ear'. Discernment. My market is not your market. Your market is not their market. Those other, more experienced business owners, have skills, interests and opportunities you do not: what works for them probably won't work for you.

new business owner focus clarity idea picture

What To Expect As A New Business Owner

So what should you be doing as a newbie, then? As we go into 2021, what perspective will best serve you?

1. Be in it for the long haul.

Expect that this is going to be a journey. You are going to have to develop several different skills and learn many things. There are no magic bullets or push button wonders. This is a job like any other, and you are going to have to learn how to do it.

2. Focus on an audience.

Your audience. Who are these people? Know them in detail. What do they want? What do they hate? What do they watch?

If you don't know, or what you offer is 'for everyone', you're sunk.

And most importantly: where are they? Where is your audience, where can you find them? You need to encounter them somewhere, and then work to bring them from there to your own turf.

If you don't understand what I mean... consider the possibility that your audience is on Facebook, in a large group. You have to get your target audience members out of there. Otherwise, you'll eventually (or sooner rather than later) get banned by the group owner. So your job is to make an initial connection in a non-sleazy way, and then interest them into connecting with you personally... and from there, get onto your email list so you can continue to market to them.

3. Have a picture of your business.

So many newbies go blank when they think about a picture of their business. If you can't imagine it, or can't draw it, it doesn't exist. You don't have anything.

A business, every business, has only three main pieces. Draw these out. Fill them in for your situation. Expect that it will take a little time to get clarity on these things (see point #1), but have doing so as a target.

Traffic

Conversion

Fulfillment.

Key Focus Points For You When You're New In Business

Just those three things. If you spend the first few months of 2021 focused on figuring out and being able to clearly draw a picture of your business with those three things, I guarantee you'll be much better off than if you just try to float through and magically get somewhere.

Who's your audience? Where do they come from? That's Traffic.

How will you turn some of your audience into Buyers? That's Conversion.

Conversion can be a sales letter, a video sales letter (VSL), a sales conversation on Zoom or by phone, or any other thing that helps turn an audience member into a buyer.

How do you deliver the result you've promised? That's Fulfillment.

For some people, this is a downloadable .zip file.

For others, it's a membership site.

Some do it by personal or group coaching.

Others go away and design or copywrite or do some other task that has a deliverable at the end.

If you don't have clarity on these, and a resulting picture of your business, you're in deep trouble. You won't know how to focus, and on to what. Everything will seem of equal importance to you, and that is the kiss of death my friend.

If you're planning to be an affiliate marketer, consider the picture:

Traffic is your problem. That's what you're bringing to the table. Where's the audience?

Conversion is the sales letter of your Clickbank seller you've affliated with. Probably a good idea to warm the audience up with an email sequence prior to sending them to that sales page, but there's the main Conversion tool.

Fulfillment is their problem. That's the thing you affiliated with to offer. Up to you to vett that this seller provides what they say they'll provide.

Note that Conversion and Fulfillment are not enough. They are not a business. Yet we see people every day who have set up a Clickfunnels account and page, or got approved for an affliate offer, and think they have a business. No. They have next to nothing. The AUDIENCE (Traffic) is key and that's why I've stressed it here.

Keep these three things in mind, keep striving to learn more and get greater clarity on them, and you'll build a great business going into 2021.

It's not about "what's working"--because what works for you is something you'll figure out as you go, and it'll be a combination just for you.

It's not about "what tools should I use"--because what's relevant to them is probably not relevant to you. And there are no magic bullets.

It's not about "how do you do this"--because, again, you're going to have to figure out your own way. There's no such thing as a Business In A Box. The map is definitely NOT the territory. Get your mucking boots on and get into the marsh yourself. You can't go there by only looking at the map.

Get started on developing that picture. Questions?

>> Jason Kanigan is a business strategist and process improvement expert. Book a time to consult with him here <<

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The Power of Using Business Fundamentals

Business fundamentals sound so boring. What about the magic bullets? Isn’t there One Right Way, a fast step I can take to success?

Maybe.

But the magic bullet, should it indeed turn out to be the right thing to apply, is based on business fundamentals. Most of the time, however, the magic bullet is simply a piece of business mythology.

Clarity Takes You Back To Business Fundamentals

Everyone--and that means you--needs just two things to make money.

One: Traffic

Two: Conversion.

That’s it.

And every magic bullet you see is actually only a single element of either of these two things. It’s either a piece of traffic, or a piece of conversion.

keys lock open door unlock business fundamentals marketing marketers how to reach affiliate marketers

Photo by Dids from Pexels

As you continue on your business journey, start looking through this lens. This thing that’s being marketed to you, shouted at you about, shoved in your face: what is it? Really?

Is it a piece of traffic?

Or a piece of conversion?

I assure you, despite the loud and persistent marketing, it is not “everything”. It is certainly not a ‘business in a box’.

Business fundamentals involve being willing to look at and understand basic math.

This is not calculus. It is simple addition and subtraction.

Yet in my experience over the past decade selling online, most people are unwilling to do this basic math.

Basic math is the language of marketers. To be recognized by one as one, you must speak this language. If you refuse to do so, you sound like an inept newbie to them and they will not interact with you.

If you have ever tried reaching out to affiliate marketers, and been surprised at their lack of response, now you know why.

Business Fundamentals Are The Key To Opening Doors To Affiliate Marketers

Learn the language of marketing and business. Learn to speak it. Doing so will open many doors for you that are closed right now.

Traffic…

...and Conversion.

How many leads do you need to bring in to get one sale?

The answer to this question--even if it is only a good estimate--is the kind of idea you must know to get the attention of serious marketers. You bumbling in, exclaiming about how great your product is, achieves nothing. They’ve heard all that before. They don’t care about your product. They care about how many leads it takes to get to a sale.

That will get their attention. You being able to say, with some justification, that it takes “X number of visitors to achieve a sale” is a key that will unlock many doors.

Of course there is more to this, but I have given you the starting point.

>> To have a strategy session with Jason to learn more about what marketers are really listening for, and how to get their attention, book a paid call here <<