Frau zeigt Kreditkarte hinter ComputerOne of the most common problems I see people make when starting out is they don’t think they can create a product that others would want to buy. “Why would anyone want to buy my product when I’m just starting out myself?” is something I hear a lot, and once someone has got that doubt in their mind then it’s very hard to overcome it. I mean if you’re having doubts before you even get started you’ll probably never get going.

My answer is always the same and that is as long as your product delivers what the sales page says it does it makes no difference if you’re just starting out or if you are a 10 year marketing veteran. In fact in a lot of circumstances it actually helps if you are just starting out, especially if you’re teaching something from a newbies point of view.

Imagine this scenario.

You have a squeeze page online and you’ve been studying traffic generation for about 6 weeks. You’re at a stage where you are constantly getting 100+ visitors per day to your squeeze page and as a result you are adding 50+ new subscribers per day to your list, you’ve learned this yourself in just 6 weeks. So you release a product that reveals exactly how you do it.

BTW, I believe anyone could learn how to drive 100 visitors per day in 6 weeks so there’s a product idea right there. In fact I can see the title now, “Newbie Cracks The List Building Code”, a title like that would sell like crazy.

Most beginners would be all over this as they would rather learn from someone who is just ahead of them instead of a guru with a comprehensive course as the info you reveal will appear, and will be more achievable. If you have cracked something in 6 weeks and are sharing the info people who are where you were 6 weeks ago will chomping at the bit to consume your product.

My product isn’t good enough.

Another common misconception is that you may think there are better products out there and that you can’t compete. This may be true, there may be better products out there but why should that stop you releasing your product? As long as you give 100% and make sure your product delivers what the sales page says it does there is absolutely no reason why you can’t release it. So just because a guru has released something similar to what you have planned don’t let that stop you.

It’s already been done.

This is probably the biggest reason people don’t create a product of their own. So what if your traffic generation product covers methods that you have seen in other products. As I have already said, as long as your product delivers you have nothing to worry about. So many people try to re-invent the wheel when there’s no need to.

It won’t be original.

Yes it will, it will be 100% original as it will be your work. As long as you don’t plagiarize there will be no product like yours in the world. Remember that whatever you teach will be from your perspective and you will have your own teaching style, because of this no one else will have a product like yours.

Who would promote my product?

Just because you are a relative unknown doesn’t mean you can’t have a successful launch, most affiliates are actually looking for quality products to promote and as long as your product delivers there is every chance it could be picked up by tons of affiliates. Again, because you are an unknown and are revealing something that works from a newbies perspective affiliates will be all over it.

If I can leave you with any advice it is this. If you have doubts, make excuses and generally think you can’t do it then you wont do it, but if you actually go and create something then there’s every chance that people will buy it.

What’s the worst that can happen?


    63 replies to "Who Would Buy a Product From Me?"

    • andy moore

      Love this, thank you. I am just at the point of releasing my first product so this helps enormously with those nagging doubts. It’s oh so simple to fall into all those traps and excuses you mention above. Once these are overcome, the impetus to get going and keep on keeping on is enormous. Like a runaway train.
      Thank you.
      Andy

    • Ken Soszka

      Hi John,

      Yes, the old phrase “Just Do It” applies here for sure. While it is not 100% original, I just completed a giveaway product. Although it was a long, sometimes frustrating journey, I feel great that it’s done now and I have already generated subscribers and sales of a one-time-offer in just two days!

      So, if anyone is procrastinating out there… Just Do It!

    • Lewis

      Thanks for sharing John!

      You have answered all my fears about creating my own products.

      From start to finish I get random thoughts like the ones mentiond and it’s difficult to get rid of them. With advice like this it gives me that push I need to just get on with it.

      Also creating a product for the first time adds experience.

    • Steve King

      Hi John,

      Good advice not only to all the people just staring out, but all those still thinking about creating a product.

      Don’t put it off a day longer than you need to. The longer it takes you to take the plunge and get stuck in, the longer it will take for you to see any financial return as well.

      I took about 9 months to create my first product and I was fretting about it the whole time. These days I can create a decent product in about a week…repetition of a proven system and learning what’s worked previously.

      I say go for it, create your product…and then tell as many people as you can all about it.

      Cheers
      Steve

      • John Thornhill

        That’s fantastic advice Steve

    • Carl Picot

      This is a great example of what I thought when starting (and still do to some extent).

      Thanks for the encouragement John – it is good to know a marketer like you is still behind beginner marketers to help them move forward 🙂

      cheers

      xxxxcarlxxxx

    • Dave

      Hey John,

      I’ve known you since your early eBay days.

      My question is: Would this apply to a Kindle book I’ve written and I know can be a Best Seller?

      Thanks,

      Dave

      • John Thornhill

        Of course Dave.

    • Hello John
      Your products are very pretty,i’m a member of simple traffic solutions and affiliate promo Formula,I never regret to invest my money.Great job,High Value,Cheapest price.
      Congrats Brother
      Raphael

    • Dominick Zirilli

      Thanks John….I’ve been “stuck on start” plenty of times because of what I THINK won’t be valuable to others. I am often amazed that what I have is exactly what others want

    • John Michael Christian

      Excellent points John. If you never try you’ll never succeed, so you may as well just go for it and see what happens. Worse case scenario is you learn from it and do it again! 🙂
      Cheers,
      John

    • Jenny Wren

      I have those kinds of thoughts all the time and it is a struggle to complete my first product. I have had several goes at it and now have completed a first draft. Waiting for someone to read it and then work on adding other formats. Can’t help but still wonder if I will sell enough to even break even, lol.

      Jenny Wren

    • Dave Card

      Thanks for the just in time post
      I was just having this conversation with my fiance about an hour before I saw this post. weird
      She’s very skeptical about the whole IM thing and can’t get past it for some reason.
      I’ve been working on my ebook for a few days now. I would say I am a veteran newbie and just starting to crawl out of my shell. I’ve purchased a lot of your products, Including PDC (love it)followed your blog, and am ready to start getting on with it.
      I know I’ve had the feeling of not being knowledgeable or experienced enough, but hey! I know a lot more than somebody how about it!
      Time to execute.
      Dave

    • Zailinah Safiee

      My,

      How did you know what I was thinking? Those things you said …kind of struck a chord with me.

      Thank you for that jab of confidence.

    • Zora

      Hi John

      Thanks for the great guide post .You have overcome the entire objections. You did a great job with this good advice.
      Have a good day!

      Regards

      Zora

    • vinton samms

      Thanks John, This post has answered all my questions and allayed my fears about creating my own products. You have made it so simple that I have become anxious and fired up to go. Thanks guy.

    • Dita @ BlogginSpree

      Hi John,

      You have touched upon all the insecurities people who would like to create products but are afraid to have.

      Many of us us who have been online for a bit, read and learned a lot have it in us but somehow the insecurities.

      It took me a long time to create my own info product. But I never dared to sell it. I use it as a freebie to get subscribers. I know that it helps me build a list but a list based on freebies is not a very responsive list.

      Creating a product to sell is the way to go because you know that the list wants answers and are willing to pay for it.

      Thanks for reminding me.

      Cheers,

      Dita

    • Des Menz

      When I started a couple of years ago John my plan was ( and still is) on info-product creation. But I did things about-face so to speak. I wanted to get the feel of writing and creating products, and to learn how to add great value, so that’s what I did, before I got my site up and running.
      It was a good exercise, but I took a couple months – on and off. Now I have 3 products into the marketplace, a freebie, and a heap of short reports yet to be published.

      What I’m saying to everyone is just stick at it. Trust in yourself. Whatever you create will never be a lost cause. There’s always someone somewhere who will buy what you write – if it’s good!

    • Bill Keidan

      Thanks John,
      As with all your contributions, this post is very helpful and inspiring.

    • Gareth Kentish

      Thanks John,
      For your persuasion and persistence when it came to reassuring me that I could write a product. The start was difficult.
      However, the difference it can make when you have your own stuff to sell, rather than 3rd party is amazing. For me it has been a real “step-change” for my business and I hope to have my next product available for launch in April.
      Once you get started, it becomes addictive.
      Gareth

    • Val Waldeck

      Spot on, John. Just got to keep remembering to fish in the pond where they love your kind of bait, I guess..

    • Katie S

      Thanks, John. I’m cautiously poking at my first info product. This covers a lot of the worries I had. Now to get the thing written…

    • Steven Paul Green

      Thank you John, you’ve got me thinking! Up to now, I’ve been so busy doing, that I didn’t stop to think about what I’m doing! You’ve given me something to think about, so that’s what I’m going to do next! Here’s to success!

    • Phill Godridge

      Cheers John, you make a great case there but I’d like to take it just one step further…

      I’m sure like many people, I’ve created products in the past but done nothing with them. Probably for many of the reasons you listed… not good enough, already done, who am I? etc.

      The point is I could go on editing or recreating updates for EVER… It will NEVER be perfect. No product is.

      As soon as I realised this I started selling instead of creating… and you know what? Selling makes more money!

      Who’d have thought?

      All the best,
      Phill G.
      http://www.SmarterMarketers.com

    • Anne

      Someone mentioned ‘nagging doubts’ – thanks John those are what you are quashing with the sane light of logic. What you say about a simple product from someone who has just got going appearing so much more real and achievable than a big course is right. And with a good little product, they will come back for the next step, right?
      Thanks for finding time to inspire us!

    • Erwin

      Hi everyone,

      and you are absolutely right John, if we just find excuses to do nothnig we will never do it.
      But if we will commite to somethnig and we put some work on the table we will creat oure first product.

      And when we will have success selling it the next our product will be piece of cake.

      Thank for the motivation.

      All the best.

      Erwin

    • Guy Martin

      All good points, John. I’ve struggled with that very same question in times past. It comes down to confidence and what we choose to believe. Thanks for squashing the myths.

    • Glen

      It’s definitely the toughest hurdle to overcome.

      I’m was so guilty of ‘sweating the small stuff’.

      I want everything absolutely perfectly before I ever launched any of my software products.

      Of course you have to make it perfect when it come to the software product itself, but I carried that mentality over to the marketing side..

      I’ want the design to be just right…..tweaking here and there..

      I’d want to test different squeeze pages…..different sales copy….you name it I’d anted perfection.

      But that delayed getting the product out into market place. And I lost so much because of that mentality.

      I’m gradually getting over that, and I’m not so ‘anal’ about as many things as I used to be

    • Rob Corrigan

      Hi John,

      Good sound advice as always, we do tend to be apprehensive about out first few products, is it good enough, will anyone buy it, has it been done before. But if we never do it we will never sell it, I think the point here is just get on with it as Steve said it becomes much easier and quicker to do with practice.

      Cheers
      Rob

    • Kath Ibbetson

      Great stuff John but how about when you have created what you think is a fabulous product but you just can’t get it out there? tried JVZoo, yet to try warrior forum.

      • John Thornhill

        How can you not get it out there Kath?

    • Carol Lamoreaux

      John- This is a great post! I worried and almost talked myself out of creating my first give away and first product because others had something similar. But I had an epiphany one day — I am unique and see things differently than others do. There are people who can relate to me and my style while the others out there don’t really appeal to them. Just keep my ideal customer in mind and serve them! Just do it and see what happens. You probably will surprise yourself! 🙂

    • Jeff Ackerman

      John:

      You have hit on many of my thoughts so I appreciate the blog. Do you think this sage advice would also apply to a fear of public speaking?!

      Jeff

      • John Thornhill

        I’m not sure Jeff as that is one fear I have, however I suppose once you ‘do it’ you would wonder what all the fuss was about.

    • Steve Nelson

      Hi everyone…

      I created my first product in 2007 and it was NOT an IM product (none of mine are) 🙂

      It still sells today, although not in the same numbers, but hey, work once and earn for 6 years can’t be bed… 🙂

      My two penny’s of advice is the same, with one proviso, give yourself a time scale ( I have it down to a week now) and STICK to it!

      Most people start this as a ‘hobby’ it’s not, it’s a business, so act like it is. If you had a boss breathing down your neck, you would get on with it so act as if you have… It’s just self discipline…

      I wish everybody well who is new to this journey, and please don’t follow the lemmings into the IM market, there is a whole world outside it, and a VERY profitable one too…

      Oh, and don’t forget…

      Have fun… 🙂

      Steve

    • Cararta

      Just Do It! Should be stamped on every Newbie’s hand.

      Lack of confidence is a hurdle seldom addressed the way it is in this post. You get a lot of “brand yourself, establish your authority etc.” in programs….

      It can be the cause of apparent procrastination, road blocks to implementing needed changes or improvements……

      There is nothing new under the sun…Well maybe not, but it can look new, with a different slant, with my point of view and How I used it….

      Thanks John,

      Sometimes it takes awhile!!!!

    • Mark McCabe

      Great blog post John and what a coincidence for me as I launched my first product last weekend having just completed your 1 Month Mentor Course or in my case 4 Month Mentor Course.
      I believe that when you are starting out in any new venture you are going to question your ability and worry about failing, but its how you deal with it that will ultimately decide your success or failure.
      When I pushed the button last Friday and my first product went live on Clickbank I was very excited but then I began to have doubts if I would make a single sale or if people would think it was rubbish.
      But after reading this blog post I now know it was the right thing to do and I am more determined than ever to succeed. I have only jumped the first hurdle and promoting the product is the next major step I have to take but I believe I can and will do it.

    • Tasleem

      Great advise as always John.

      Thank you. I ALWAYS have my doubts when I do something, glad to see I’m not the only one. 🙂

      Thanks!

    • Paul Henderson

      Hey John,

      that’s a truly inspirational post, and one I hope to be able to say “I listened” to in a few days time once my first product is completed. You answered ALL the questions that stall newcomers. There’s no excuse for them not moving forward after that.

      Thanks for posting 🙂

    • Donald Brown

      So many people when starting out have great difficulty in creating their first product due to the reasons stated above in the post. However, information products aren’t just written ones. They can be audios, videos, and even teleseminars.

      A matter of fact, if you’re not a writer, and you don’t mind speaking, then maybe an audio or teleseminar might be the product to create. Teleseminars are excellent information products to create because they’re instant, and you can make money with them as well.

      Like was mentioned from the others who have commented on this post, just get out there and do it. Worrying about it and fretting about it isn’t going to get anything done. You must take action and create the product. Taking action is the first step in the right direction towards true success online.

      Everybody had to start from somewhere. The gurus didn’t become gurus over night. They too had to work their way up to the success level that they’re at now.

      You see, as a newbie, you do have an advantage because like one commenter said; your approach is from a newbie’s standpoint which is what most people are looking for. Sure learning from the gurus is great, but if you can get a newbie to share his or her experience in a format that is truly newbie-friendly, the better it is.

      The reason for this is because the newbie who is trying to help another newbie has had firsthand experience with the situation, and they can definitely relate in a way that only newbies can fully understand.

      When you speak to a guru as a newbie, the gurus tend to overcomplicate things because they have had years of experience under their belts, and therefore, have forgotten how to simplify communications between themselves and the newbies. Not all gurus do this, but many of them do.

      That is why as a newbie, you have an advantage over the gurus because you are closer to the other newbies and you can share things with them on their level.

      So if you’re having trouble creating your first product, then follow the advice given here and that is; just get out there and do it. Just do it and give it your very best. Don’t worry about perfection and stuff like that. Just create the product, release it and see what happens.

    • John Koen

      John, that’s some great market intelligence you have there! As a newbie I have experienced every one of those fears and all the resistance that goes along with it. Hell, this blog post could be developed into a product on it’s own!

      Feel the fear and do it anyway!

    • John

      John,

      You have some excellent points on why people don’t create their first product but the question I have is does anybody buy info products anymore. The reality seems to me that info products are dying off. One of the clues is the fact that all these big name gurus are ditching the products and getting into “coaching programs” and do you really think that somebody can create an ebook on a topic today who is new to info creation and have people jumping at the chance to buy their product when they can go to a million other websites that have more Authority on the topic and get the info for free. You can practically type any question into google and get an answer for free, why would anybody pay for that.

      Oh and on the topic of affiliates, sure you can get a ton of affiliates to promote your products but they are struggling along with you trying to make sales which most don’t.

      It’s nice to see people reply to these posts with their RA-RA-RA SIS BOOM BA attitude but are they making money with their own products and products that are NOT How to make money stuff.

      Sorry if this is a little harsh just stating an opinion.

      • John Thornhill

        “does anybody buy info products anymore”

        I actually don’t know what to say to that but if they don’t then I’m out of business.

    • steven guy

      Hi john im glad you can give a great post thats true because thats the point we want to get this product online but im shaw i and others get bogged down with other infomation overload thats stops us in our tracks but i have to say i always lookforward to your honest marketing emails not like micheal cheaney robbing me of 400 pound. ever wondered why some people fale to move forward is because some marketers “not you by the way john” but others take ye money and run. This stopped me from bying some software to invest in my ebook. but anyway ill suppose im on winner with your info because you are a true marketer that gives true info .Thanks again Steve

    • Glenn Shepherd

      Hi John,

      This is fantastic advice. I used to have pretty much all the objections mentioned here but thanks to great advice and encouragement from great resources such as this I now have a totally different outlook. The only thing for me to do now is to actually get a product out there!

      Thanks for such a great post 🙂

    • Joy Healey

      Hi John

      That’s a great post covering a lot of the worries I had about getting started.

      I did create that product (two in fact) so now I’m at the “get them out there” stage, looking forward to reaping the rewards of work done.

      Joy

    • David Caudill

      Hello John,

      Really great stuff and it is all so true. I know from experience and I do admit that I’m still guilty of leaning towards falling into those traps from time to time myself.

      Then I slow down, step back and breath and take a look at what is really going on and most of the time I realize I’m putting out better quality than allot of so called creators out there that use plr material that just slap their names on a product and put it back online.

      Really good stuff John, “Thanks”

      To your continued success,

      David Caudill

      • vinton samms

        Hi David,

        I just read your comments. I do believe that what it takes is confidence and self assuredness. Once you have these then you can mix it with creativity and innovation to come up excellent products that persons might want to purchase. I say ‘might’ for the simple reason that research has to be done in your chosen niche to determine the number of persons searching for info on the product you have decided to produce.
        On the matter of the PLR products, I don’t entirely agree with you because one can find excellent PLR products to put on the market, you just have look carefully and if you see one that you like but think it is lacking,then fix it. You have the license to do so.

    • Paul Guilfoyle

      Great advice as ever John.
      There are so many products out there that don’t deliver what is promised on the sales page- crazy.

      So many products provide info that simply doesn’t work.

      Your advice here is a simple formula for the new person to work very ethically providing something of great value ie delivers on promises and works. Key to long term success in this business.

      All the best,
      Paul

    • George Nieves

      This is great and timely advice. I’ve been playing around with some ideas for a product, but I think it is time to get serious and get with the program. As someone else said, I need to just “Do It!”

    • Kenneth C Young

      As in regards to “Who Would Buy A Product From Me” and “If It will Not Be Original. How can it be original if my product that I just made and now trying to sellcame from ideas from something already out there. Won’t that make it just (Re-hashed material)

      Kenneth C Young

      • John Thornhill

        That’s a common misconception Kenneth, but just about everything out there has been done before.

        However, when you create a product of your own it’s your opinion and your training and that’s what makes it unique.

      • John

        well it’s obvious that’s it’s unique because you created it but your refund rate will probably go through the roof because of the ” I heard this all before” mentality.

        • John Thornhill

          Its thoughts like that what stop you moving forward.

          As long as your product delivers what the sales page states why would people have a reason to refund?

          I’m not for a minute saying copy other products but you can research and make the methods your own.

          EG. The traffic methods I reveal in Simple Traffic Solutions are not ground breaking yet people love it and the refund rate is well below 2% and that includes upsells.

    • Michael Cook

      Very good and solid post John. You know it wasn’t until I stopped chasing the shiny objects that this post became all to apparent to me. With over $9,000 spent on my marketing education and now knowing that your post is 100% right on im now creating my own products, building my own list and just have recently published my blog to build my brand.. Thanks for the very informative post and keep em coming…

      Michael Cook

    • Brian Oliver

      Hi John,
      Some of the factors you touch on in this post were limiting me in my business. Until I realized that people do actually value my content I would have just carried on trying to promote other peoples businesses without building my own.

      I love it when I get an email from a subscriber that I have helped, and this has spurred me on to create my own stuff.
      Thanks John

    • vinton samms

      Hi John,

      As an affiliate marketer I have to be positive and be realistic at the same time. I do not subscribe to most of the negative comments about info products. Yes, persons can Google any information but is it credible information?
      I would encourage anyone to produce their own products at any time they wish. We affiliates are always looking for products with credibility that can actually help our customers, and I am not talking about overnight get rich schemes. Despite the presence of the gurus, newbies can and should enter the market. What will set them apart and cause them to be successful is their honesty, credibility and believability. One these are taken care of they are pretty much on their way to becoming successful and affiliates will promote their products. People will always be searching for information, that will never stop, just check Amazon for example and you will discover the vast array and types of information and products that persons are searching for on a daily basis.
      These are not the times to be negative but rather to be innovation and creative, just think outside the box and not doing the same thing that everyone else is doing.
      Despite what others might think, there are many affiliates we do care about their reputation and actually protect their customers’ interest and trust. So with that said, newbies go ahead and do what you must but go with confidence, that will help you a lot.

    • Matt Morgan

      Hello John,

      Great post, which will get newbie product creators something to think about.

      I have added some tips, and pointers to your above points here below:

      MY PRODUCT ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH
      _____________________________
      -If you make the content in your product valuable and useful for your buyers that when they apply it, it works…then it should be good enough.
      -Make sure your sales page delivers what it offers, and use some powerful sales copy wording on it.
      -If you have put 100% efforts towards everything towards your product, it will be good enough.

      IT’S ALREADY BEEN DONE
      _______________________
      -You can create a product in this field, but make it Better than everyone else’s, by standing out.
      -Put a twist on it, by adding some creativity and uniqueness to your content in the product.
      -Don’t be afraid of competition, it can work to your advantage, for example when finding JV partners.

      IT WON’T BE ORIGINAL
      _____________________
      -You can make your product original, by making it different to everybody else’s, by having your own tweaked style.
      -By converting it into a step by step video series, that will make it more original than say an ebook.
      -Many things are not original, but have their own twist to make them stand out from the original.

      WHO WOULD PROMOTE MY PRODUCT ?
      _______________________________
      -There can be a handful of affiliates ready to promote a great product, you just have to find them.
      -If you provide a great affiliate page then you can get a good amount of affiliates promoting it.
      -Sign up your product and affiliate page to affiliate directories, where you can get a handful of affiliates promoting them. This will bring you traffic.

      Get going people, start your journey to starting to create your own product and remember product creation takes longer than expected.

      I hope you are doing fine John,

      Matt Morgan.

    • Galina St George

      Hi John,

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts. How interesting it is that overthinking affects so many… I believe that it is overthiking that kills even the greatest ideas and most importantly – stops us from putting them into practice, since it creates doubt that anything good can ever come out of it.

      When an idea comes to me, the best thing I have deiscovered is not to think about it for too long, but to start developing it to a working condition from the very beginning. Creating an action plan helps. And then just taking action, one step at a time.

      When I start thinking too much, I find all sorts of excuses not to proceed with it (someone else has done it better and how can I compete is one of them). An idea without action is just an idea, and no more than that. Now I am much more focused on action rather than ideas.

      Thank you again! 🙂

      Galina

    • igor Griffiths

      Well Hello John, thanks for the timely advice. Everything that we need to know has already been done, its just the implementation that changes and this is as you rightly point out where our personalities come into play.

      Some of us are heavily analytical by nature and a product that cuts to the chase will feel lightweight whereas the more graphical amongst us would be overwhelmed by the number heavy product.

      If you have any doubt then create a lightweight version, see how that goes and then go in for the kill with the opus version

    • David

      Thanks for the insight John. Great stuff as always.

      Looking forward to seeing you in Orlando.

      To your continued success,

      David Caudill

    • Zora

      Thanks John,
      for the great post as always.
      You have some good stuff in thier.

      Regards
      Zora Blume

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