In the words of Alexander Pope, “To err is human; to forgive, Divine.” I’m sure most of my readers will recognise that quote which actually dates back to 1711 but is just as relevant as ever. Many of us have experiences and situations in our past history when things definitely didn’t go according to plan. As a performing musician, myself, I have many memories of the hiccups of live performance. The concert platform can be a very ‘dangerous’ place, like every other live performance situation. Whatever our working life has been, there will be times when we have slipped up and hope that our shortcomings will be forgiven, especially by those above us in the food chain.
So what has sent me off on this particular tangent today? During my busy spell last week when I was preparing the sales material for two new products, I tried to keep up regular postings on this website. Although I didn’t manage an article every day, I only missed about three days. I realised yesterday that, in my striving to keep up the flow of articles, I wrote about the same thing twice within four days of one another. My apologies to anyone who noticed this; I hope you will forgive me. It did, however, give me a topic to write about.
To reiterate the title of this article, “we all make mistakes.” In an internet marketing business this will be just as true as anywhere else. Although the process of selling online is straight-forward there are a number of steps to take in putting together a sales campaign. Errors will occasionally occur. This may be as simple as a howler of a spelling mistake in your sales material or forgetting to put a hyperlink on a crucial word on a webpage. The former may irritate or amuse a reader whereas the latter could lose you sales.
It is so important to double-check everything, even get other people to check what you have done (just in case), but blips will still get through the safety net. When these things happen, don’t let it get you down. The best players of individual sports learn an important mind-set. If golfers or snooker players, for instance, make a really bad shot they don’t dwell on it and go into a sulk, they immediately put it out of their mind and concentrate on making the next shot. This is a difficult thing to do and takes training. This is the sort of thing that Sports Psychologists deal with all the time with their clients. Try to think the same way yourself, if you drop a clanger, put it right and then forget it! In the words of the song: “Pick yourself up; dust yourself off and start all over again.”
When you begin an online business you will probably be going into unchartered territory. To continue that analogy, you will need a map. Having advice and support from a mentor is the obvious ideal. If that isn’t possible then follow a carefully conceived plan because much of what you do in the early stages will have an element of trial and error about it. Perseverance is important in running an internet marketing business, especially when you are just starting out. You will make mistakes! That is almost inevitable, but be prepared to accept it, just as a performing musician knows that problems will occur from time to time in concerts; it is the very nature of live performance. If a musician is not able to cope with that fact, he/she would never be able to get up on a concert platform in the first place.
So, keep plugging away and accept any errors which occur; – because they will! Keep your eye on the ball and keep reminding yourself why you are doing it and what ultimate success will mean to you and your family. As Robert the Bruce is reported to have said to his troops before the Battle of Bannockburn after watching a spider attempting to build a web: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”