The Project Marketer Chronicles

Have You Made This Important “Shift” Yet?

It is time for a new addition to the Project Marketer Chronicles. Sunday Coffee!  Todays topic is a good one I think, and it is the #1 reason I went from struggling online to making a full-time income I could be proud of. I hope it will somehow aid you as well.

With the holiday season upon us all, it finally hit me one day how the smallest shifts in perception make the biggest difference in the success or failure of our businesses.  I say this in all honesty, although I would venture to say that many who have not felt any success in their online endeavors may NOT actually have a business, although they may feel they are IN business.

I am not sure how I can explain myself more thoroughly, but there is a major mental shift that anyone aspiring to earn an income online must make or they will never get out in front of anything. I remember so clearly when I made this oh-so important shift in my thinking and how it literally changed me overnight and set me on the path to building a successful business and earning a full-time income from home as both a full-time networker and a part-time affiliate marketer.
(Yes I still love sales.  :-))

This imporant shift was brought to my attention again this week as my wife and I continued our Christmas shopping.  The key word here is “shopping”, because I feel that is the best word to describe what most people are doing, and continue to do online, much to their own detriment.  Could it be that you have not found the success you seek online because you ARE still shopping? 

I have had many business mentors throughout my journey, but one statement one of them made to me a couple years ago is still fresh in my mind, just like he was speaking to me now.  Here is what he said:

“Adam, there are only two roads in this industry for you to take.  There are many different paths moving out from each of the major two roads, with many stops along the way on both.  It is simple to recognize what road you are on by the actions you are consistently taking. The two roads cannot be directly named, since they both have many different facets, but the best way to explain them is this way….

You are either in someone’s sales funnel or YOU operate the sales funnel.  The rest you will have to figure out for yourself.”

I guess it took me a couple years to figure out what my mentor was trying to tell me, and he dropped many more hints along the way and still does to this day. I think I know what he meant and still means to impart to me.  I like to sum it up by asking myself a question…

Am I a consumer or a producer?  Am I shopping for what someone has or are they shopping for what I have to give?  But even that is not it.  If it was not such a subtle shift in thinking it would probably be so blatantly obvious. I catch myself even to this day on the “other” path. I say the other, because it is not a “bad” path to be on, it is just not the one I want to spend most of my time traveling upon. There are times when I must “shop” for my business, but the majority of my time is not to be spent here.

When people come online looking to make money somehow, and better themselves financially, they immediately fall into the consumer or shopper category.  There really is no place else for them to go.
 
They are looking and trying to decide how to reach their goals of earning extra money or in building a business.  If you honestly look at all of the products and services out there being advertised, they are catering to “shoppers”…those who have no clue what they wish to do except that they would like to earn tons of money doing something other than what they are doing. But at some point, they have to make a decision…to BUILD a business and not just keep shopping for something year after year.

I am afraid that this shift from consumer to producer, or shopper to business owner is so subtle of a shift that many simply miss it, never consciously make it, and thus continue to jump around from one thing to another, like they are buying groceries or other consumable products.

Make no mistake about it…The “Make Money Online” thing IS an industry.  It has a consumable product and a commodity for sale.  There is no shortage of “products” out there to buy. It is no different than shopping for anything else at the store. 

Marketers create and produce products for people to buy and consume.  The “Internet Marketing” industry or “home business” industry is an industry, with products for people to consume…and consume they will, over and over again until they don’t even know that this is all they are doing.

So, how does one make that shift?  I think my mentor, in one way said it best.  I think one needs to consistently get in the habit of asking themselves whether they are in someone’s sales funnel or not, first.  Get out of everyone else’s sales funnels and start to focus on building YOUR business.  Sure, it may take some “shopping” at first to find out exactly what you want to do…affiliate markting, network marketing etc. 

BUT, once you make the mental shift from consumer to producer - from shopper ot business owner, the Internet does not seem like such a cold and hard place to navigate anymore. 

So where are you at currently? How can you make this shift? Are you daily adding to the growth of your own business or just shopping around, waiting for the next possible money extravaganza?

Only you can decide this since it requires brutal honesty with oneself. 

I wish you a most wonderous holiday season and an equally spectacular New Year!

With Gratitude,

Adam Bauthues
“The Project Marketer”
http://www.ProjectMarketer.com