KeithStauffer.com

Today I received an email from my friend and colleague Katie Freiling.  As I read over her “10 biggest mistakes internet newbies make” list, I realized that I needed to share this with as many people as possible.

Being a member of the Mastermind Community, I spend a lot of time personally encouraging members to stay clear off all on this list.  Naturally all of my business partners and coaching clients learn from me immediately that these 10 things will result in certain death of your business.  People I connect with on twitter, facebook and all the other wonderful social networks out there will hear from me quick smart when they fall into one of these 10 bad habits…..

But Guys, there are only so many hours in the day.  I’ve been spreading this message one on one for too long.  It’s time to speak to the masses.  I encourage you right now to forward this list of the 10 biggest mistakes to everyone you know, and everyone you have influence with.  It’s just too important not to.

Want the list now?

Ok – from number 10 to number 1……

10. SPENDING TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE MONEY:

When you’re new, you want to make sure you set a marketing and training budget that is within your financial capabilities.  Do not spend a ton of money on buying leads…
(Big no no!)  And also, do not make the mistake of thinking you can skate by without investing anything in your own education.

9.  TRYING TO DO IT ALL ALONE:

Get a mentor or a coach… Or find a group or community online that you can connect with, mastermind with, and learn from.  This will save you an immense amount of time and energy from having to figure everything out on your own.  Partner up with people whom you can learn from and surround yourself with motivated, positive, and successful people.

8.  SPAMMING THE SOCIAL NETWORKS:

Do not spam… It is literally ‘business suicide’ if you do.  Spamming means posting your biz opp link or website all over other people’s facebook, myspace, or twitter profiles… And doing so without providing any content or value will throw you into a hole so deep, it will literally take a miracle to get you out.
(No joke!)

7.  NOT BEING GENUINE:

People can inherently sense your inner motivations.  If you are only concerned with your pocketbook and see others online as only ‘commodities’… You will seriously repel people rather than attract them.

Make sure you are authentic and genuine when you network or meet others online, and instead of thinking about what you can ‘get’… think about what you can ‘GIVE’.

6.  BEING TOO ATTACHED AND NEEDY:

The biggest mistake I see people make when prospecting is being too overly attached and needy.  Stay detached from the outcome of whether or not someone joins you or buys something from you… This means that it’s great to set goals and intentions, but don’t be attached to HOW your goals manifest.

Trust that life will provide you the exact people, challenges, and situations to help you grow and create success when the time is right.

5.  STAYING STUCK IN THE EMPLOYEE MINDSET:

In order to become a successful entrepreneur, you have to let go of the conditioned employee mindset that society has imposed upon us.  As an entrepreneur, you no longer have anyone telling you what to do, when to do it, or how…

So you have to take responsibility for your success, set goals, create self-discipline, and realize that success does not happen overnight.

4.  NOT TAKING ENOUGH ACTION:

When are you first getting started in online marketing, it’s almost like pushing a heavy boulder up a hill… You have to work hard and exert a massive amount of energy.  If you don’t, you’ll never gain the momentum to actually get to the top.  But the good news is… Once you make it to the top, it’s all downhill from there and your income and success becomes more and more automated with each passing day.  So make sure you take a MASSIVE amount of action!

3.  UN-TARGETED MARKETING:

If you made golf clubs for example, would you ever expect to make a ton of sales by selling to football players?  Of course not. So with online marketing, you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t target the ‘right’ people for your niche.  The more targeted your marketing, the better conversion rates you will have, and the more income you will create.

2.  NOT GIVING ENOUGH VALUE:

In the world of business and entrepreneurship, the person who provides the most real VALUE will be the one of top, period.  I see so many newbies out there making videos and facebook messages about their ‘amazing new opportunity’. (*SIGH*)… When will they ever learn?  Value means sharing content, knowledge, training, inspiration, or anything else that will actually help better someone else’s life.

1.  NOT MAKING SELF GROWTH A PRIORITY:

This is the #1 biggest mistake you can make as an entrepreneur…  Successful people make self growth a priority.  They actually seek out situations and experiences that will CHALLENGE them and help them grow.  They do not avoid hardship or new terrain, they do not put their focus solely on their bank accts, and they do not see themselves as failures when things don’t go as expected.

They do not quit after a setback or challenge, but persevere and stay committed to themselves.

A highly evolved person will not see success as making a ton of money, but only in how much they actually GROW in the process…

Enjoy the learning process, be authentic and share your own unique value with others.

To Your Success,

Keith