by Matt Wadsworth on 10/06/2010
Hi everybody,
I thought I’d write this post, as I’m going through a process at the moment of developing a new project, and I wanted to share some insights with you.
One of the major things which holds people back in life and in business, is lack of clarity… not lack of expertese or knowledge, as you might think.
Now, being “clear” doesn’t at all mean that you need to have every nut and bolt in place before you start… far from it in fact.
For me, being clear about something is knowing exactly what it is I want to achieve…
What value proposition am I bringing to the table…
Who exactly is the person or group of people I am targeting my message to…
What is my end goal with the project…
So the way I do this, surprising though it may sound, is to work backwards.
Start from the end and work your way back to the beginning.
It’s actually no different than knowing where you’re going while you drive your car, or exactly what you are going to bring back from the grocery store.
If you don’t have a clear idea of the final outcome, how can you possibly figure out how to get there?
So how do you do this?
Well, my method certainly isn’t the only way, but here are some of the things I do to help get my journey mapped out.
1. Spend as little time at the computer as possible.
I find my best ideas come to me when I am away from the distraction of the keyboard.
2. Work in short bursts.
I find it really helps me to have to work against the clock sometimes, so I’ll set an alarm for 25 minutes to half an hour, and then really “go for it”.
Once the time is up, I take a 5 to 10 minute break. I’ll sometimes have ideas during the break as well, and I commit those to memory, and then write them down at the beginning of the next session.
I recommend reading
The Pomodoro Technique
3. Talk things through with other people.
This is a biggy: actually having to “verbalise” your ideas has to be one of the best ways to strip away all the unnecessaries.
This evening, I was talking an idea through with somebody from my mastermind group, and I was amazed at how unclear I managed to sound.
It doesn’t make you feel good at the time, but I can tell you, there is probably no faster way to sculpt your idea in to shape than when you have to try and explain it to somebody else.
As ever, your comments and feedback are most welcome… I learn a lot from other people.
Enjoy!
-Matt
by Matt Wadsworth on 21/03/2010
Due to popular demand, I wanted to do a quick post on how I run my business each day, and the decisions I take.
Focus (or lack of it) can be a huge barrier to seeing results, which often then leads to chasing new shiny objects.
So, here’s what works for me…
Know the purpose behind what you are doing…
Before I do anything, whether it’s related to developing a product, building a relationship, or driving traffic to an offer, I am always extremely clear on what the intended outcome is going to be.
So for instance, if I want to get a site ranked in Google, I’ll effectively start from the end and work backwards.
My end result (or goal) on serious projects, is to rank in the top 3 of Google.
So I’ll do my homework before firing the rocket…
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by Matt Wadsworth on 10/03/2010
Hi guys,
Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet over the last couple of weeks, it’s been a busy old time.
Last week, I was at Keith Baxtor and Jon Shugart’s Traffic Domination Workshop in Atlanta, which was absolutely awesome.
I can’t tell you how important it is to try and get out there and meet people face to face.
Of all the things in my business, it’s personal contact, both with colleagues, competitors and customers which has brought me the furthest in the shortest space of time, and made me the most money as well.
This week, I’m at Yanik Silver’s Underground Seminar in Washington DC.
I went last year for the first time, as an attendee, and it’s the best IM event I’ve ever been too, in terms of the calibre of people there.
This year, I’m actually speaking, so am busy putting my presentation together, with the sole aim of giving some serious value to people who paid to be there.
You’ll be pleased to know I won’t be pitching from the stage (I can’t stand those events), and that’s what makes Underground so special: it’s just a bunch of passionate people getting together and sharing ideas.
Anyway, I’ve got something special for you today…
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by Matt Wadsworth on 26/02/2010
Thanks to everybody who commented on the posts below. I really appreciate you taking the time, and ultimately we’ll hopefully all benefit.
There were two main questions posed:
What do you find most difficult?
What do you think would help you most in moving forward?
The answers and feedback were pretty unanimous, and very revealing as well.
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by Matt Wadsworth on 19/02/2010
Thanks for all the responses on the post below.
This is hugely beneficial, and really helps to give me an overview of where people are at.
What I’d really like you to do now is answer 2 very fundamental questions.
This is your chance to really get the best out of me, and the more you push me, the more you will get.
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by Matt Wadsworth on 16/02/2010
For well over a year now, I’ve been hanging out with, and getting to know, some of the top people in the IM market.
Ask any successful business owner what the most important thing is in their business, and I can almost guarantee they will say…
Relationships…
Relationships with customers, and relationships with other business owners.
With relationships, you get a depth of knowledge and understanding that you could never get from a book or home study course, and this is definitely one of the reasons I have been able to progress so quickly.
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by Matt Wadsworth on 03/02/2010
People have been doing business together in one way or another for tens of thousands of years.
In our age of wiz-bang technology, product launches and constant bombardment with the latest “must-have” methods, it’s actually refreshing to remember that the internet is a frighteningly new medium.
People do business with those who they know like and trust, and this has been a constant since business began.
In our often virtual world, it is even more important to make the effort to meet potential business allies, dare I say it… face-to-face.
I’ll even go a step further… real-life connections will do more for your business than any home study course, PPC, SEO, or any other traffic method you can think of.
If you want to play on the mountain, then you need to hang with the gang, and there is no better place to do this than at seminars and marketing events.
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by Matt Wadsworth on 09/12/2009
In May 2009, I attended Jeff Johnson’s traffic seminar in Detroit.
Now, while Detroit didn’t really “do it” for me, I certainly learned a lot from the event.
I also made some excellent contacts in the IM world, and if you want to do the same, then events and seminars are the best place to do just that… the fun usually happens in the bar 
Photo of Matt Wadsworth with James Schramko
One of the guest presenters at the event was James Schramko. James is a brilliant (and I mean brilliant) marketer from Sydney, Australia.
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by Matt Wadsworth on 09/09/2009