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80-20 Baby!

By Christian

80-20-rule-saves-you-time — The 80-20 Rule saves you loads of time. It amazes me how few business owners use it!

We’ve most likely all heard of the Pareto principle. The law of 80-20. Also known as the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity. It means that very few things are responsible for most of what we see out there. Of course, we see this in business every day. There are the top performers in any business who seem to attract all the success, and then there’s everyone else. Why are some of us highly effective while others of us struggle to get even small results? There are answers.

Do What Works

The 80-20 rule is not just an observation of how the world works, it’s also a business strategy. It’s a strategy very few of us follow. If I had to guess, I’d guess that 20% of business owners follow it, and they’re the ones who get 80% of the results. Oddly enough, following the 80-20 rule puts you into it’s favor. Test it and see how it works for you.

To get the results of a high achiever you must do what works. You must do what gets results. This seems logical enough, right? Yet when you look closely, so few of us follow this basic business principle. We do some things that work, and we also do a lot of other things that don’t work. Have you ever had a day where you spent running around like a crazy person, and at the end of the day you’re exhausted, yet you didn’t accomplish hardly anything? That’s what I’m talking about! That’s not effective. That’s what it feels like when you spend time on the 80% of crap that only gets 20% of the results. We’ve all done it.

I see businesses all the time that have a lot going for them, but they’re so bogged down in minutia that they can barely function. It they simply stripped themselves free of all the junk that’s wasting their time and did more of what worked, they would explode. As we all know, working hard is not the key. We’re in agreement on that, right? It’s about getting results. Sometimes you need to push yourself, and there is value in that, but at the end of the day, the world doesn’t care if you’re exhausted or not…it only wants to know if you’ve made a difference. That’s all that matters.

A Few Examples of 80% Time Wasting in Action

Are you spending time working with clients that beat the crap out of you every day?
Are you doing more jobs for customers who haven’t paid you for the first job?
Are you spending time on the phone working old leads that never call you back?
Are you still spending $1500 a month on that print ad? How many calls is it bringing in? Have you checked?
Are you allowing yourself to be interrupted with calls throughout the day to deal with mundane stuff that doesn’t grow your business?
Are you checking your email 20 times a day?
Do your agents, salespeople, employees, etc have to go through you for every single little thing? Do you have to approve, for example, an order for more post-it notes before it can be taken care of?

The preceding are all examples of 80% stuff…the stuff that only gets a small result, if any. Yet it requires the bulk of our time. What would happen (I know it’s a radical idea!) if you just stopped doing it? What would happen if you empowered your people to make decisions on their own (maybe if you can’t trust em to order post-it notes, they shouldn’t be working for you)? What would happen if you just spent your time focusing on building and streamlining your business? What if you took all those old leads that never call you, and you just put them on a responder campaign?

Would the world implode? Not likely. In fact, those horrible clients that beat you up would probably stop working with you. How nice would THAT be? I bet the post-its would get ordered just fine, don’t you think?

Can you imagine how much time could be freed up? Can you imagine how many resources could be freed up…if you only freed them up? What are you doing now that’s not getting results?

A Proposed Solution

I propose simply stopping the stuff in your business that you’ve been grinding away at, that’s not producing a discernible, meaningful result. Instead, focus on the 20% that’s getting the results. Do more of THAT, and nothing else. It’s easy to think more sales, more systems, more ads, more, more, more is always the answer. But the fact is that no matter how many people you hire, if they’re working on stuff that sucks, you’re wasting your money. More isn’t always better. Sometimes simply focusing on the 20% will let you see where your business is REALLY at. Maybe you’ll see you actually have enough time to enjoy yourself a bit…or start another business with all the time you save. What do you think?

Why Blogging and Bodybuilding are Both Seriously Broken

By Christian

blogging-is-broken — Are you wasting your time with blog tactics that don't work?

Here’s what is wrong with this whole blogging business…the advice most blogging A-listers can offer you is hugely valuable, but if you don’t put things into context, you are WASTING YOUR TIME. Context is everything! Without context, the information is useless, and that is a problem you need to address if blog marketing is part of your business. Are you putting things into context, or are you wasting your time trying to get results with techniques that WON’T work for you? If time is valuable to you, read on!

So many of us read Problogger (or any other popular meta blog) and rush out to win our fortunes online with a fancy new blog. Then what happens? Nothing. That’s what happens. We work our tails off and don’t see the results we expect. What’s wrong? There are two things that happen that cause failure to get results from your blog.

You didn’t follow the advice you got
You DID follow the advice you got

I feel compelled to submit that either way, you’re going to be thrown for a loop at some point! Why? Because the rules change. It used to be that you could follow a simple formula to get on the front page of Digg, and that would bring you a massive influx of traffic. It was a little hit and miss of course, and wouldn’t work every single time, but the fact is that you used to be able to get on Digg without a monumental effort. Today, it’s not the case.

It used to be that getting Stumbled could bring you a significant amount of traffic as well. Today, not so. I know guys like Darren Rowse (and many others; I’m certainly not trying to single him out here) have talked about the benefits of StumbleUpon as a traffic generator, and he’s telling you the TRUTH! This can’t be overstated. The blogging A-listers of today know what works for them, and they share what they’ve learned selflessly. You should pay attention to them. And you should also realize that what works for them may not necessarily be what works for you. Again, context is everything! The question for today is this: are you putting the elements of your blog marketing into context, or are you just blindly following someone else’s advice?

Building something significant requires you to be a trailblazer. Don’t expect following a generic formula to get you anything other than generic results.

Opportunities come and go. They are dynamic. They don’t remain the same year after year. What worked in 2006 doesn’t work anymore for the most part. Getting on Digg used to be a big deal, now I’d argue there are much better uses of your time.

How Bodybuilding is Broken as Well (and how it relates to blogging of course!)

This whole situation reminds me of being young, reading bodybuilding magazines. I always wanted muscles like Arnold…who the heck didn’t, right? So you read these articles that outline his workouts. It makes sense, right? If you want the same results as Arnold, do what he does. The logic is sound. Of course you’ll probably have to use lighter weights, but if you duplicate the workouts, and you’ll get great results, right? No, actually. It doesn’t work that way in most cases. Not at all.

Why is this a problem? The problem is that a number of factors are not being taken into account. First, genetics. Some people literally have a genetic ability to be able to lift very heavy weights. Also, having the ability to recuperate from workouts that intense is not something everyone can do. Additionally, the bodybuilding pros most young boys try to emulate are using drugs. No offense, but they are.

The fact is that the workouts outlined in most bodybuilding magazines are in fact, the truth. It is actually what the pros do. And if YOU do it, you won’t be able to walk for a week, you won’t be able to recuperate from it, and it might even lead to a significant injury. You have no business doing workouts like that.

So do you see the problem? Copying what the pros do does not necessarily mean you’re going to get the same results. In fact, it may very well be a colossal waste of your time. So what gives?

The Magic of Understanding the Difference Between Principle and Technique

So where does all this lead us? If modeling A-listers doesn’t work, how can you ensure you will get results with your blog? This is an important question, and it comes down to context. If you have context, you have power. Here’s how you do it.

First, let’s be clear of the difference between Principle and Technique. A lot of articles and blog posts out there talk about techniques. Techniques for generating traffic. Techniques for building a blog. Techniques for converting email subscribers into paying customers, etc. Specific step by step tutorials are techniques. They are important. But they must be put into context.

For example, if you’re reading an article from 1998 about how to build a static html website, it may have been a great tutorial…in 1998. But is it contextually valid for you NOW? You must answer this question before implementing it into your plan. Tutorials convey techniques. They are very valuable, but you have to put them into the context of your plan. No one else can do that for you. You have to do it yourself.

Principles on the other hand, are underlying concepts that work in all situations. I spend a good bit of time conveying business concepts on this blog, because my goal is to have at least 50% of the content on Next Level Blogger be content that is relevant long into the future.

Do you see the difference between Principle and Technique? Put things into context when you’re reading about how to build your blog and get the results you’re looking for. Is what you’re reading conveying a Principle or a Technique? And if it’s a Technique, does it apply to your business? Is it relevant to your present situation? If so, employ it. Use it, benefit from it, and learn from it. But first, put things into context. There is a wealth of information out there that will help you get huge results from blog marketing. However, if you don’t put the information into context, you’re wasting your time!

How to Find Your Passion

By Christian

We talk a lot about passion in this business. What is your passion? It’s not any specific thing. There’s not just one thing you can be passionate about. It’s not about fate or birthrights or the alignment of the stars. What is your passion? I’ll tell you right now what your passion is. It’s whatever you want it to be.

Subject matter doesn’t matter. At the core of every industry, no matter how exciting or innocuous and boring that industry might be, are people making things and people buying things. What is the core of any business? People. That’s it.

You don’t need to be passionate about the product. You have to be passionate about the people who are passionate about the product.

At the core or every human need and want, no matter how mundane the subject matter, is a human being. Believe it or not, people buy sexy products like Stratocasters (best rock n roll guitar EVAR, don’t argue with me on this!) and vacations to the Bahamas for the SAME REASONS they buy life insurance or a higher grade fertilizer for their crops. People buy out of love, fear, greed, envy…the classic human triggers.

It doesn’t matter what your industry is, if you’re a passionate person, any industry can be your passion. If you’re not, you’ll never find your passion, because passion doesn’t come from out there, it comes from you.

Pick a business, any business, and make it yours.

Why Simple Blogs are Better for Business

By Christian

simple-blogs-rock — When it comes to business blogging, simple rules. Keep it simple. You'll have more fun, and your success will come as a result of that 🙂

When it comes to so many things in life, we over-complicate. Wouldn’t you agree? Don’t you think we do this with blogging as well? We make it way too hard.

We run too many plugins
We push ourselves to post more often than we really want to
We spend too much time on our blog
We concentrate too much on our design
We spend too much time trying to “get traffic” than in just “talking to people”

Look if your blog isn’t fun, you’re not going to stick with it. And that means you’re not going to be successful. Pick a simple topic that you love, and stick with it for the long haul. Here are some principles that will help you simplify and love every minute you spend building your blog.

Plugins are a beautiful thing. That said, run a handful of them. After 10-15 plugins, give serious consideration to simply cutting yourself off. You don’t need more. You really, really don’t.
Blogging should not take all day. In fact, it shouldn’t take too long at all. If you’re new, and you’re spending more than a couple hours a WEEK on your blog, you’re spending too much time on it.
Design matters. It does. But it doesn’t make or break your site. If you think your blog needs to be snazzy to be successful…if you think the perfect layout matters to the point that it will affect the success of your blog…if you think readers really give a damn about ANYTHING other than content, take a look at this very successful blog and get back to me with your thoughts.
Traffic matters. That said, it doesn’t matter nearly as much as you may think. I haven’t checked my analytics in weeks. I’m growing. That’s what matters. It may seem odd that I’ll spout the gospel of traffic not mattering and then later on launch a tutorial on how to get more traffic. Is this hypocrisy? I don’t think so. I just like to put things in perspective. You need traffic, but should you spend more than a few hours here and there on “traffic generating” techniques? I really don’t think so.

If all you want is traffic, just buy a bunch of pop-under hits for $100. Done. You’ll have a hundred thousand visitors a month overnight, and it will translate ZERO to your bottom line of course. Traffic matters, but we spend WAY too much time on SEO and traffic generation. We don’t need more traffic, we need GOOD traffic, and that comes via social networking. Just talk to people. Talk to people, and the traffic will come.

If you’re looking for your blog to blow your business up over night, you’re barking up the wrong tree. If you want to build a powerful community that supports you through thick and thin, that grows your base slow and steady over time, that opens up new income streams and gives you a considerable creative outlet, then blogging is your man. Do it, but take it for what it is. It’s really very simple. Let it be fun, and it will pay you handsomely in the long run 🙂

Why Unsubscriptions are Good for Business

By Christian

email-unsubscriptions-are-cool — Email unsubscriptions...I'm cool with em!

Pay attention to who unsubscribes from your list and why. One of the many advantages of using a system like Aweber is that it gives people an option to comment on why they’re unsubscribing. This is valuable feedback, but unsubscriptions should not be viewed as a loss.

In fact, they are good for business in every way. Here’s why:

They’re clearly not someone who wants to be on your list, so why should you want them anyway?
Your list shouldn’t be padded with people who aren’t into what you’re doing anyway. Whoever said you need a big list in order for it to be valuable? It’s not true. You don’t need a big list. You need a quality list. Big numbers can be nice. But only if the quality is there.
If the unsubscriber offers feedback, you can use that to improve your business. It’s a win for you either way when someone unsubscribes.

It’s important not to look at losing people as a negative thing. Did you really think 100% of the people would stick around forever? Besides, a lot of the comments you’ll likely get will be like the one I just received. It must have been in response to a sales message I sent out. It went something like this:

“I’m only interested in bloggers who appreciate me for just being a subscriber.”

Ok, then. Clearly the fact that I share new content 2-3 times a week on this site for free isn’t enough. You know, there will always be people who complain no matter what you do. Put up an ad, they will complain. Change your design, they will complain. Do something (god forbid!) to monetize what you’re doing in any way, they will complain.

I remember when Darren Rowse changed the design on Twitip he got a load of comments saying they would unsubscribe because they didn’t like the background he’d selected for his new layout. I laughed out loud when I read those comments. To me it was proof that there is no limit to what some people will choose to complain about. To internalize this is madness. You have to learn all you can from every interaction and realize this stuff is just part of doing business! Make up your mind now that it won’t affect you negatively in the least. It WILL happen. And it’s good for business when it does.

A New Tool for Disclosing Affiliate Links on Twitter

By Christian

As I’m a follower of @unmarketing and @copyblogger on Twitter, I was lucky enough to see a cool discussion just now regarding the disclosure of affiliate links on Twitter. It’s an important topic. Are you revisiting how you disclose your compensation as a blogger? If not, it’s time to do so. The new FTC guidelines are old news by now, but it’s easy to let certain things slip to the back of our minds. This just isn’t an area where I’d recommend slacking. Make sure your disclosures measure up.

I want to thank Scott Stratten for sending out a link to https://discl.us/. With new FTC guidelines looming with regards to how we disclose affiliate links and such on Twitter and other social media platforms, this is a great tool to consider using.

How exactly are you to disclose to your followers on Twitter that you’re sending out an affiliate link in a tweet? Since you’re limited to 140 characters…some form of shorthand simply must be invented. As @copyblogger pointed out in this conversation, the FTC does not differentiate on their policy from one platform to the next. Bottom line, if you’re use social media for business, there’s a good chance you use affiliate marketing as a part of your income strategy, and if you’re linking to an affiliate, or if you’ve received compensation of any type, it must be disclosed.

Scott made a great point that maybe the best solution is to simply link to a post on our blog, which in turn links to an affiliate. This way, we have ample space for disclosure. Another tool for disclosure is https://discl.us/. It provides a way of disclosing right within the tweet itself.

Will it stand up in court? Ha. Don’t even ask me. But it’s a nice tool. I will consider using it, and I wanted you to be aware of it as an option.

For more information on this important topic, I recommend reading Brian Clark’s article “How to Turn Affiliate Marketing Disclosure Into a Selling Point“.