Are You Making These E-Commerce Excuses? (part 2)

Last time, we started to take a look at the most common reasons
why most people don't make progress on their e-commerce and
Internet marketing goals. Today, we continue the discussion. [See
part 1 of this article at http://ecommerce-guides.blogspot.com/2007/09/are-you-making-these-e-commerce-excuses.html]

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Excuse #5:
" I just don't have time. I'm too busy dealing with [customers,
clients, day job, family, etc.] to deal with my web site."

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Isn't it interesting that the folks who have the fewest orders to
fill or have the fewest clients to serve are usually the same
people who say they don't have time to market their products
or services?

That's because the most successful entrepreneurs - the ones with
all the orders and clients they can handle - know how important
marketing is to establishing and growing their business. They don't
put marketing at the bottom of their to-do lists, waiting until
everything else is done before they get to it. The successful ones
make the time; they schedule it in on an ongoing basis. It's a
winning habit.

THE REMEDY:

You can do the same! It's a matter of priority. Try this: Block out
some time on your schedule to do your marketing tasks. Make this
appointment with yourself, and keep it! Treat it as if it were a
hot date with the man or woman of your dreams, or an important
meeting with your biggest client. In other words, be on time,
be prepared when you get there, and be adamant about not
allowing interruptions or distractions.

Actually, I started doing this myself. I call it "Marketing
Mondays" and I block out a minimum of four hours each and
every Monday to work on my web site, write new articles, create
marketing materials, and the like. I've been doing it for several
months now, and the results have been phenomenal! I'm blazing
through all of the marketing stuff that got put on the back burner
last year, including my new web site,
http://www.EcommerceDiva.com, which launched earlier this year.

If you're looking at your Palm Pilot or DayPlanner and you're still
convinced you don't have enough time for marketing, check out Suzanne
Falter-Barns' list of "30 Guaranteed Time Wasters" from her book, "Living
Your Joy: A Practical Guide to Happiness." You can download a "Time
Wasters" excerpt here (PDF):
http://www.howmuchjoy.com/11GuaranteedTimeSavers.pdf

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Excuse #6:
"Every time I sit down to work on my marketing, I just can't seem
to stay focused."

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This one goes hand in hand with procrastination. You sit down to
work on your web site, all full of gusto and good intentions. But
the next thing you know, you're rearranging items on your desk,
sharpening pencils (which you probably don't even use!), checking
email, doodling, and everything else. Sound familiar?

THE REMEDY:

Let me tell you, I'm great at finding little meaningless things
to do when I'm dreading a particular task! But I'm going to share
three tricks that have really worked for me. Maybe they'll work
for you, too.

1. TIME IT.
If you know that a four-hour "Marketing Monday"-type block of time
is just not going to work for you, try it in one-hour increments,
four days a week. The shorter time frame will leave a smaller
opportunity for you to get distracted. Schedule the date and time
for it, then get yourself a timer. (My friend Janet Hall, "The
Organizing Wizard," [http://www.overhall.com] gave me this tip.)
Set the timer for 60 minutes, and work like crazy for those 60
minutes with total focus. When the timer goes off, put the
marketing away and work on something else. For best results, skip
the timer on your digital watch and get a regular old kitchen
timer. There's something about the ticking noise that really
gets me going, and when I hear that "ding!" at the end, I just
feel like celebrating because I know it's over!

2. PICTURE IT.
Sometimes we get too bogged down with tasks that we lose sight
of the big picture. What do you really want from your business?
What is it that you're working for? And what will your life look
like if you have a thriving, successful business? A certain house
or car? More time with your family? A tropical vacation? What
does success look like for you? Find a picture that represents
your "success" -- cut it out of a magazine or print it off the
Internet if you don't have an actual photograph -- and post it
at your desk, tape it to your computer, or place it wherever you
do your marketing work. And every time you feel like you're losing
focus on your marketing efforts, look at the image and think about
how completing the task will being you one step closer to
achieving your dream.

3. SMELL IT!
(Say what??) No, seriously. Try aromatherapy. Aside from all the
anecdotal evidence, scientific research now shows that really is
something to ancient art of using essential oils to heal the mind,
body and spirit. Specifically, oils of basil, geranium,
frankincense, lemon, peppermint, and rosemary can be used to
improve your ability to focus and concentrate. Be sure to use the
pure essential oils and not just "fragrance oils." Just add a few
drops to a tissue, and inhale. (NOTE: If you're pregnant, avoid
basil, peppermint, and rosemary altogether; and avoid frankincense
and geranium during the first trimester.)

For me, a combination of frankincense and geranium works best. I've
Been studying aromatherapy and creating all-natural products for
the past 21/2 years, so I create my own blends. But you can find all
kinds of pure oils, spritzes for the room and the body, and plug-in
diffusers for your home, office, and car at your local health food
store, retailers like The Body Shop, or online shops like Indigo
Wild (http://www.IndigoWild.com -- check out their "Zum Body Mist"
in Rosemary-Mint.) When I feel my mind wandering, I just get a good
whiff of frankincense and geranium, and I'm immediately good to go!

If you're too much of a skeptic to try aromatherapy, just pull out
a freshly minted $20 bill and inhale the scent of fresh money!

So there you have it...

You have no more excuses not to turn your web site into the
fabulous, cash-generating marketing vehicle that it can be.
What are you waiting for? GET TO WORK!!