Internet Newbies Checklist - Remove Your Distractions

Calling all internet newbies! This is sound advice for you to make sure you don't lose your way when you first start out. Or maybe you have been on the internet marketing trail for a while but you feel you have lost your focus and you are just stumbling around in the dark.

Whichever situation applies to you (and I stumbled around for years until I learnt this lesson) the objective of this article is to help you find or regain your focus and enable you to successfully launch your business or, if you are already operating, to help you increase your profits.

However, before you can achieve focus, you first need to be honest enough to accept that you have distractions, and then be strong enough to remove all those distractions because they are a major factor that is interfering with your progress.

So, what sort of distractions am I talking about? Well, one example of the things you could do is unsubscribe from those unnecessary newsletters, memberships and networking groups. But let's not try to do everything in one go. I believe there are several things you need to do and in this article we'll start at the top:....

Finding Your Most Suitable Mentor

There is no doubt it is very helpful (I would go so far as to say I believe it is essential) to have mentors (people to turn to for advice, good recommendations and motivation) to help keep you moving forward in your business. Why should you try re-invent the wheel when there are perfectly good ones you can use that have worked for someone else? However, it is a huge mistake to listen to advice from all and sundry. The internet is a big market place with lots of different marketing methods. One size does NOT fit all. Letting every self-proclaimed guru invade your inbox with their latest great product will destroy your focus and undermine the progress of your business.

Mentors can be found in many places and can include:

- Your peers: Online business owners just like you that you meet and connect with on forums, networking groups, etc.
- Gurus & Teachers: You are unlikely to know these people personally, but they are providers of valuable free and/or paid advice and lessons for your online business.
- Coaches: A coach will work one-to-one with you and help you to make the right decisions for your the advancement of your business.
- Successful Websites/Companies in your niche: Even if you don't know these people, you can learn from them by observing and understanding their marketing process.

But How Do You Know Who To Trust?

One of the biggest issues for internet marketing newbies is knowing who to trust or who to learn from. It is not easy to make sense of it all when there are literally hundreds of people posing as authority figures. How do you determine who is the real thing at first glance? Not only that, but you really want to find someone who shares your values and will deliver information to you in a way that you can digest and act on.


If you are brand new to Internet Marketing, I suggest the first thing you need to do is concentrate on finding just one person you can trust who has sufficient experience to be able to guide you in the right direction. This could be someone who publishes a newsletter, or maybe someone from a forum you frequent. It could be the author of an e-book that includes good, solid advice to get your business off the ground.

Once you find that person you can trust and whose advice rings true, focus and concentrate on their advice alone initially. You will soon find who your mentor's mentors are. Then you will be exposed to more potential  mentors who are able to take you forward to where you need to be in your business.

If you find yourself in the situation I once was in, where you have become snowed under with mentors, you should take asomewhat different approach. This is not an easy solution, but if you really want to clear the path you have to be tough. Take a good, close look at all of your mentors and decide which one is your best bet. This might not necessarily be simple decision to make, but if you are resolved to move your business forward it shouldn't be too difficult. Once you have made that decision, stick with it and stick with them and then learn who they turn to for advice!

Yes, whether you are starting from scratch or pruning a long list, it can be very hard to choose that one person…but, once you are over that hurdle, it will become easier to meet and connect with more people who can truly be beneficial to your business. And, of course, as you gain more experience, it will become easier to decide who is worth listening to and who is blowing hot air.

If you feel you really just can’t find that one person you trust, just try getting out there into the big wide internet world and check out one or two forums. Join a message board and start talking to people. Observe how different people interact, the value they bring to the community and identify who is recognised and trusted as a valued advisor. You will soon start to see who knows what they’re doing.

Another good way of learning about mentors is to go to live events where you can see them onstage, listen to what they have to say and quite often meet them in person. Whlist these veents are not as easily accessible as online forums, it is well worth the effort of going along and seeing for yourself. The first time I went to one of these events, I came away with a short list of three which I then narrowed down to just one mentor. This is a big and very important decision for you. Take your time and find someone you feel comfortable with.

Just one thing to remember: Even the greatest guru is a real person with a busy life. The best mentors will have coaching programs you can join which will tell you what you need to know. Respect people’s time and right to privacy and don’t start sending private messages asking for free personal help. If you want to build a connection to someone, interact with them on the forum and be patient.

Ok, whether you already have your mentors or you’re still working on finding them, there are more steps to take to remove more of your distractions. Find your next step here.