Click Here to Download the video.
Just to clarify: I personally believe strongly in making investments in your business. The “only if it’s free” mindset is not very conductive to growing a business. That’s why I’m a big fan of automation tools, services and anything else that can save some time or money. And that’s also why I make recommendations whenever I come across really good products.
For those interested, here’s the WSO of “Offer Countdown“.
And here’s the link to our webinar recording for SECockpit, the amazing search marketing tool made by Sam Haenni.
And here’s the link to the big huge blog post about membership site software.
Hi Shane
Thanks for your pearls of wisdom…
I think you hit the nail right on the head. The only way to invest in products/services is if it fits in with your plans/goals.
I used to get sucked up with the pretty clever sales letters and thought I couldn’t miss this opportunity of a lifetime. Now I’m clear and focused it’s much easier to skip things.
The reality is of course that there’s rarely a case where one misses out. In most cases products get relaunched, products get improved and new products are just around the corner.
A real life example exists – Whether Market Samurai was or is the best research tool is open to interpretation. SECockpit is a new kid on the block and seems to offer something that is possibly better than MS.
I think it’s vital that people set goals and have a vision and stick at it (assumes you have done market research).
Humans are built to look for the easy route… the cost is significant from both a money and time standpoint (as in wasted).
I really hope people stop buying into hype and see reality for what it is.
Regards
Steve
Exactly!
There’s never going to be a shortage of awesome new stuff. Glad to learn that you’ve found your focus, Steve. No doubt the greatest asset an entrepreneur can have.
I agree Shane, you first need to know what business model you are using, and if the tool fits into your model? Of course, any business must have a budget. You can’t be spending money, thinking that this “New & Improved” tool is really going to start bringing in the money, it doesn’t work like that!
I also want to say, that I appreciate your honest and direct approach. Unlike many other Internet Guru’s, who are always trying to sale you something that you don’t need, or will ever use!
Thanks again Shane!
Have a nice day…
Clifton
I don’t see any problem or conflict with reviewing and recommending products. I think your reviews are thorough and fair, so I want more of them! For example – neurolinker, UAW etc
It might be good too to look at some different business models. it took me ages online to realise that there were different models and I needed to choose one!
BTW sheer nosiness Shane, but what was the background noise? Let’s hope it’s sunny enough next Sunday too!
:-)
All The Best
Alex
Hi Alex,
Oh gosh, even more reviews?! :P
It’s difficult to keep up, quite frankly.
Concerning different business models, I have this post on the topic. I’m putting it on my video to-do list as well, though, as I think it’s a very good idea.
Shane,
I really enjoyed your explanation of when to buy and when not to buy. It took quite awhile for me to get past the point of buying everything under the sun myself.
I’m glad that you put this video out there and explained so clearly that we do not need to, nor should we, buy every new shiny thing that gets released.
This is a confusing subject for most marketers that are just starting out. Again, thanks for clearing things up!
I have to confess, I actually still really like buying shiny objects, just to try them out.
For example, as mentioned in the video, I’m going to test a new video delivery product, even though the one I have is already awesome.
However, I only buy stuff that’s related to my business and I never stretch my budget, so it’s all good. :)
You shouldn’t need to explain about your recommendation. As you say, we should know if it fits our budget and plans.
Keep it up
Peter
Shane,
Loud and clear on the recommendations. Of course it’s just common sense stuff that people should have been able to figure out without you telling them that. But that’s how it is.
Ebay finally approved my partner application on my vintage guitar site so I’ll probably be working on getting that site loaded up with relevant ads and start using Backlink Battleplan to get some links built and traffic going to it.
Later,
Brian
Good to hear, Brian. Let me know how the site does for you. :)
I think it is important to have mentioned the thing about the recommendations, though. You have to consider that especially those who are very new to the online marketing game might not have the same perspective as you do.
I enjoyed hearing what you got done in a week. Umm, way more than I could… of that sort of stuff, anyway!
One thing I would like is if you could make your videos in a way that I could start a video playing, then hit pause, and it would continue to load to the end… and then I would listen! I’m in a rural part of the US which is often slow or may have little gaps and it’s hard to follow your videos.
Zana
Hi Zana,
Thanks for the comment! So, the video doesn’t keep loading when you hit pause? That’s surprising, I didn’t know that.
Well, I’ll be testing Easy Video Player 2 next week and maybe that has such a function built in. If it turns out to be better than the service I’m using now (bitsontherun – which is already pretty awesome), I’ll switch to that on future videos.
Regards,
Shane
Hi Shane,
I love reviews and recommendations from someone I trust such as you.
I think what could be a problem for some is the mere fact that YOU are recommending the product. They think to themselves well I’m not making much money doing what I’m doing…so if Shane whom I trust recommends this maybe I should change my business model and use it too. These people have not settled on a business model yet or are using many business models and spreading themselves too thin. I am guilty of that too..having several irons in the fire at once or another way to put it is “a jack of all trades…master of none” It is hard to stay focused on one thing especially if you are not making a lot of money with it…you just seem to think you are missing something or the grass is greener with the other model.
Maybe a better approach would be:
“I highly recommend this product as opposed to others that are similar if you are doing this in your business model. This is how I utilize this product in my business. Or……………..
I don’t personally use this because my business model is different. However since I have followers from all over the world with different business models I know this will apply to several of you and that is why I reviewed this and gave you my professional opinion.
Now that being said…I DON’T recommend this product to you if you are …..yada, yada, yada….If you are on the fence with this product make note of the purchase date and take advantage of the refund period if you find it is not for you.”
In other word this IS a good product and this is who it is for and who it is not for…..or
This is a bad product and their are better alternatives for you out there such as:…………
An example would be a product you originally recommended like SEOLinkvine….you explained your reversal and gave alternatives.
Now the question for me today is should I get SECockpit or should I be satisfied with KWElite 2 and MNF.
The thing I don’t like about SECockpit is Not being able to see the actual numbers such as Search Volume, and Competition. I mean what if it goes off kilter? How would we know?
If we could right click the colored bars and see actual numbers that would be great.
What to do….lol
Stephen
Yes, that’s a good point. And that’s exactly why I emphasize focusing in on particular skills. Once you’ve found your focus, everything becomes so much easier.
And I agree that “grass is greener” thinking is difficult to overcome. Whatever you aren’t involved in yourself always tends to look simpler.
As for SECockpit, we’ll be implementing lots of training and additional features over the coming weeks and months. That’s one of the reasons we did this special and allowed early access at a low price: We want to get feedback and suggestions from real users to make the tool as useful as possible. Sitting there and thinking about features never yields ides that are as good as the feedback users can provide.
Hi, I just finished one round of Backlink BP and It was extremely helpful for me cause I was lost on where to begin to get backlinks.
my only question I have is in step 7 with article submission helper. Is it worth it to use article submission helpers list with the one you created?
Also with your video, I have known many people that have spent themselves out of business. (myself once) It’s very easy to do.
Concerning BBP: Stick to my short list of directories, the others are pretty much worthless.
Unfortunately, I also know of people who spent themselves out of business and into debt. Keeping a tight grip on your budget is extremely important when you’re running a business.
I have only just recently ‘discovered’ you and one of the things that I do appreciate, is your honesty when reviewing products. It is refreshing to hear someone give their honest opinion warts and all. This actually helps me decide whether to look at a product further, or just not waste my time – and that depends upon whether or not the product in question suits my purposes or not.
I think you do an excellent job of helping us sort through the huge array of internet ‘stuff’ out there. I do have a budget and a small one at that – so I need to choose what I invest in with care. Your reviews certainly help me with this.
Thank you.
Hey Shane,
I just recently purchased BBP and it’s awesome. Thanks for doing such a terrific job.
When it comes to recommending a product. I think it’s important to distinguish between if it’s a “tool” your recommending or another “marketing course”.
I think your absolutely right with regard to jumping from different product to different product without giving either a chance to work. It’s easy to fall into the trap of searching for the next “BIG” thing, that “Magic Bullet” that’s going to solve all your problems. I know………I’ve been there myself.
However, recommending “tools” to help save time and to make things easier is a completely separate beast.
I think it’s important for people to distinguish between the two.
Cheers
Derek
That’s a good point.
I mainly focus on tools and services, these days.
From time to time, I might also take a look at a “how-to” course and make a recommendation, but it’s becoming a rare occasion.
Training and how-to guides are really important, of course, but it’s so much rarer to find good ones than with tools and services…
Hi Shane,
Firstly, what happened in my business this week is that after your video last week, I outsourced some content for the first time. I was so hesitant about doing that because I hate to delegate but I am really pleased with the result and this is going to enable me to push on this week and focus better on what I need to get done to move forward rather than just ‘tread water’ – and again, this is as a result of watching last week’s video so a big thank you for that.
Second, I love the fact that you recommend ‘tools’ – like Derek said, they are things that actually make life easier. I have signed up to the paid version of Article Ranks and am getting good results with that. You said a very interesting thing in this week’s video. You said that you could not know our business plan or what we are trying to achieve (or words to that effect). I am going to email you about this as I have a suggestion that I think could be a real winner here!
Thirdly, I think SEOCockpit looks a realy STORMING product and I AM going to sign up to that too!
Cool, that’s great to hear, Alison!
I’m a bit of a control freak (<- understatement), so I also have difficulties with delegating. But it's a really essential part of running a proper business. As someone I can't remember the name of said: "If your business doesn't work without you in it, then you've got a job, not a business."
PS, so sorry, in my excitement I put in an ‘O’ in SECockpit – in this case the O does not stand for Optimisation – it stands for OMG THAT IS AMAZING!
Great video Shane. It does look very cold there – sure you don’t want to move to sunny Brisbane? (Queensland, Australia).
Moving on, it’s incredible that you even need to explain your philosophy on making recommendations. If I hadn’t worked so long in customer service, I would find it dumbfounding that you have to tell people not to buy something they can’t afford or won’t get any use from. Really, that should go without saying.
Rebecca
Rebecca’s Resource
Thanks for your comment.
Again, I think it’s not quite that simple.
I don’t know your background or how and when you got started in IM, but I know from personal experience that things can be very daunting and disorienting when you start out in this field.
Since almost everything in IM is being sold as the magic bullet that will finally make all the pieces come together and solve all your problems, that might kind of carry over to my own recommendations. Usually, when someone “recommends” something in IM, they recommend it as the ultimate must-have solution. It’s like you almost don’t have to be explicit about that anymore.
So when I recommend something, to those new to the game, it may seem like I must naturally be talking about such a magic bullet, just like everyone else.
That’s why I wanted to make this video, to clarify that this isn’t the case.
I hope you see what I mean.
Ok, when you put it that way, I have to agree you’re right :)
Rebecca