It doesn’t matter if they are real or perceived, we all have gaps in our knowledge that keep us from producing the best that we can. There is always that “thing” that if we just knew a bit more about, we would do a much better job. None of us are perfect, and we can all learn something new that will help us take our businesses to the next level.
The biggest gap I found for myself was actually a big surprise to me. I though I was rocking it in the world of online marketing. I had a lot of the tactics figured out and as I am quite technically competent, I had an advantage over other people. That wasn’t quite the case. I actually had less of an advantage of someone who wasn’t a technical wiz.
The big problem I quickly realized is that I didn’t have a clue in 50% of the equation of Internet Marketing. I didn’t know anything about marketing! Being a technical wiz kid on Internet technologies doesn’t do a whole lot for you when you try to sell a product or service online.
The world of sales and marketing was completely foreign to me. It really showed when you look at some of the early sales pages and websites I had online in my early days. Having a technical and engineering background, I didn’t understand why things were the way they were in the world of marketing. Understanding human emotion and what makes people buy is something I’m still learning more and more about each day.
Sadly, I see this quite a bit in the make money online crowd. There are too many marketers that prey on people that don’t have a grasp on basic marketing fundamentals. They sell these push button solutions that promise exactly what these people are looking for, easy money. Just follow a few simple steps and money will automatically start flowing into your account.
But I digress….
Closing that knowledge gap has made a huge difference for me in my business. I can say it’s been one of the most effective things I’ve done in my business is to fully understand marketing from an old school offline perspective. It’s easy to translate the old school selling techniques to fit the online world.
In fact, I can pinpoint the marketing subjects that have had the biggest impact on my business:
- Physchology of selling
- Copywriting
- Finding the needs & wants of the market
- Understanding a customers biggest frustrations and deepest desires
I know I’m not alone in my gaps in knowledge. Tell me about yours. What areas did you need to improve on early in your business? What areas do you still need to work on today? Share you story will us in the comment below…
Hi John,
Excellent post, John! It really gets you prepared to take stock of yourself.
We all have our different skill levels. Some are better at certain things than others.
I’m the complete opposite from you, my friend. I’ve been in sales & marketing for almost 30 years now. I have it nailed down.
However, with the tech side of things, I’m a total dunce.
Just keep plugging away. It appears that you have a good sense of where you want to go. You’ll get there, my friend!
Good luck to you in 2013!
George