I remember as boy, I used to travel with my dad to the neighborhood drugstore. While he was picking up a prescription or possibly something that my mom requested, I made a beeline to the toy section.
I was probably 10 or 11 years old and I loved building models – not that I was any good at it. I think I was more intrigued by the fabulous images on the outside of the boxes from companies such as Aurora, AMT, Monogram and Revell. I was saving my allowance for a maroon 1958 Volvo. Next visit, I would have enough money.
“It’s interesting how fascinated we are with shiny, new objects. And that includes all the shiny new items that are alive and well in the internet marketing world.”
When the next visit finally came, I once again ran to the toy area and found my beloved Volvo still patiently sitting on the shelf for me… but, wait, what was that next to the Volvo on the shelf? A brand new, jet black model of the X-15 rocket plane! And with a picture on the box of the X-15 flying at the edge of space. Wow!
It’s interesting how fascinated we are by shiny, new objects and how they can pull our attention from yesterday’s latest and greatest gizmo. And that includes all the shiny new items that are alive and well in the internet marketing world. If you have ever found yourself guilty of this visual and mental redirection, then you have Shiny Object Syndrome.
But don’t feel alone. I must confess. I suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome and I am learning how to refocus my attention.
What exactly is Shiny Object Syndrome?
How does it affect you?
And what can you do to prevent it from impacting you?
What Is Shiny Object Syndrome And How Can You Recognize It
Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) is generally accepted as the behavior of a person who is chasing something new. It plays on the mind of the entrepreneur, which is really what internet marketers are. SOS is easy to catch. New thoughts and ideas are constantly whizzing through your head. You are distracted by that last new email that just popped into your box five seconds 
ago. Meanwhile, social media is pulling at you to check your Facebook page and your Twitter account. And on top of all that, you suddenly receive an invitation to attend a webinar about a brand new, easy-to-learn new software product that will convert you into the next six figure internet marketer and follow the procedures exactly as they are taught. Now, your brain is bulls-eye focused on the upcoming webinar and the anticipated treasures awaiting you if you purchase that new, shiny software app.
Shiny Object Syndrome is like that old proverb that there is always something greener on the other side of the hill. And that new shiny object snagging your attention may be a just launched training course, a new software package that will give you a competitive edge, or a new tool to grow your email list faster than a speeding bullet.
The new object is usually introduced by the product creator through a webinar with a sales presentation that snags you emotionally and then presents you with all of the logical reasons why you need to grab it now. And, it’s tough to blame yourself because, yes, many of those product creators selling the sizzle in those webinars are damn good sales people!
Shiny Object Syndrome can get out of hand and have serious consequences for you and your business. Kim Garst of kimgarst.com has identified the following SOS risks you can jeopardize you and your business:
- Lost productivity,
- Lost money,
- Your current projects are not given the time needed to pay off,
- You are not fully invested in any one thing, and
- People may begin thinking you can’t commit and their trust in you plummets.
But all is not lost. There are ways to overcome Shiny Object Syndrome and protect yourself. In my next post, I will offer you treatments that can immunize you from SOS.
Until then,
Keep your list building growing.
Warmest regards,
Jay
P.S. By the way, if you are looking for a great training course that has taught thousands of internet marketers how to succeed in internet marketing, you need to take a look at John Thornhill’s Partnership To Success.
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