Do You Have Questions About Internet Marketing?

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I know that’s a silly question because you are bound to have some problem, uncertainty, or confusion related to selling on the Internet. We all do because Internet Marketing is so broad and still relatively new. For many of us, it was not a subject taught in school. In fact, Internet Marketing as you may understand it, didn’t even exist before the 21st century!

The earlier pioneers of Internet Marketing had questions. And they had to figure out the answers for themselves, just like many of us have done for ourselves, and so many more are having to do today. But there is a brand new resource available that can help with the learning curve. It’s called Internet Marketing Frequently Asked Questions.

The answers to questions you have probably asked yourself, and gone in search of, can be found at IMFAQ.com. Do yourself a huge favor and sign up to become a free member of IMFAQ. Not only will you get the answers to those nagging questions that have been bothering you, but I PROMISE you will learn more than you thought you even needed to know.

May 8, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Internet Marketing News  No Comments

Beware When Moving Your Website to Another Hosting Company

I want to share a summary of what I experienced this past weekend when I decided to move this website from my existing host (Company A) to a different host (Company B).  The reason I made that decision was because I had just bought two new domains and had them hosted with Company B.  I had even started building a site on one of those domains.

However, I have now canceled the service with Company B.   Without going into all the details that I had to painstakingly document in the numerous emails with Company B’s support team, I am sharing some of the lessons I learned throughout my ordeal.  My hope is to spare you from experiencing anything similar.

  • When thinking about transferring an existing site to another hosting company, be sure that you fully understand what the new hosting company will (or will not) do for you with regard to your existing site.  If they offer a free transfer, make sure you completely understand what that means.
  • Be sure to back up your existing website(s) BEFORE attempting to transfer (move) to a new hosting company.  It is best to do a FULL backup of everything and restore it on the new hosting company’s servers, if you are doing the moving of files yourself. Also make sure that your backup is also on your own computer.
  • Do NOT change the name servers (DNS) until you are completely certain that your site is working as expected on the new host’s server.
  • Know that while bigger and more well-known hosting companies may offer what seems like a really good deal in terms of cost, what matters MOST is the customer support you have access to when you really need it.
  • Although being able to speak with someone on the phone to get your questions answered may seem like a plus, getting incorrect information is quite possible.
  • When you are not totally sure about ANYTHING related to transferring your existing site, be sure you call back for clarification.  Chances are great you will get different information than what you got the first time you called.  If you’re still not clear, call again, but understand you may still get conflicting information.
  • If you find that the person you are speaking to does not clearly understand your questions or the problem you are experiencing, and cannot provide the assistance you need, politely thank them and hang up.  Then, take a deep breath, and call back with the hope that the next person you speak with can be of real assistance.
  • Do not waste hours on the phone with the front-line person who is trying to help (but obviously does not have the skill set to do so).  Instead, open a support ticket with ALL the details necessary for a more skilled support person to be able to respond to intelligently.
  • Do not allow the front-line person to open a support ticket for you because that person will not accurately describe the issues discussed during the conversation they just had with you.
  • When the email responses comes back (from the support tickets that you opened and the one that the front-line person opened with a different ticket number) and it’s clear that the person responding either did not read or understand either of the support tickets, be calm.
  • Take some more deep breaths and proceed to reply to the ticket YOU opened, with a kind, but very controlled level of frustration, making it clear that you want someone who knows how to resolve the issues to CALL you immediately since written communication seems to be a problem.
  • When that senior support person does call you, be very kind and courteous while calming explaining all that you had already written in the support ticket that you opened.
  • Allow that person to do whatever they can to resolve the issues.
  • When it becomes apparent that their resolution has not fixed the problem, politely email the person who tried, but failed, and let them know you’ve decided to remain with your current host (Company A).  Also ask for instructions for not only canceling your service with Company B, but for receiving a refund as well.
  • Then contact Company A (whose support is only online through their help desk system) and humbly explain the mess that has ensued by clearly stating the problem, and asking that the new site you had hosted on Company B’s server be moved to Company A’s server.

In retrospect, it’s obvious that my decision to go with Company B was flawed to begin with.  The ONLY reason I chose to go with a different host (Company B) rather than sticking with Company A (that has served me well for almost three years) is because I was trying to cut my expenses and save money on hosting.  But the time spent trying to accomplish that goal made it abundantly clear that spending less money is NOT necessarily the best reason for making and acting on a decision.

Had I thoroughly thought through the idea of switch hosting companies, I could have avoided two days worth of wasted time and effort, not to mention, total frustration with Company B.

The smarter choice would have been to simply add the two new domains to Company A’s hosting service and then ask to have my hosting plan downgraded to one that offers exactly what I already have, but without all the other features that I am not even using.  So, as of today, while I haven’t yet downgraded, all my sites (including the new one that I started building) are FINALLY back online and functioning correctly.  And Company A’s support took care of it all in a matter of hours (not days)!

Hindsight truly is 20/20 . . .

April 5, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: General  No Comments

Reflecting . . .

When I first created this blog, the intention was to provide a central location for resources and tools for people who are new to Internet Marketing. These people are Affiliates, Network Marketers, or those who have their own offline business and want to promote it online.

The vision was to help cut through the clutter and noise that the Internet can be when you do not know what you may need, where to find it, or how to learn to use whatever it is that will help you. My goal was to provide useful information aimed at beginners (newbies) so they could learn the things that are necessary when getting started online. Admittedly, I have not been consistent in keeping up with my initial intention, vision or goal.

Yes, I too, suffer from distractions, and sometimes lose my way along this journey of working for oneself without any clear direction or guidelines. It takes time and energy (and sometimes money) to promote any program or business. And when you are involved in more than one, focus is naturally diluted. I know that focusing on one particular project is still a challenge for me.

I remember starting 2009 excited about having finished my first ebook and speaking before a group of strangers. Shortly thereafter, I found myself promoting the relaunch of a particular affiliate program for a few months. Then another two months went by as I took an online workshop to learn a complex piece of software. After that, I participated in a teleseminar training class. All the while, my Network Marketing business was never a priority.

Since the last time I posted to my blog, I have redirected my time, energy and focus on what I have ignored all year. I meant to write about what I was doing, but instead, was totally immersed in rediscovering all the things I love about my Network Marketing company’s product. In the process, I have also realized that I never got completely comfortable with what it takes to build a Network Marketing organization.

I know the simple steps to take to introduce the product to others, but I don’t want to come off as a pushy sales person. I understand that I need to expose the product to as many people as possible, but do not like the feeling of rejection that sometimes happens when the right words are not said, or when dealing with the wrong people. So I’m having to relearn what it takes to overcome these feelings I have while staying positive about the big picture.

Every now and again, those of us who are charting unknown territory (translated, not employed by someone else, but working for ourselves) we just need to reflect on why we do what we do. And right now, that’s what I’m doing.

November 5, 2009   Posted in: General  3 Comments