It doesn’t have to be complicated.

In fact, sometimes the solution is obvious.

Too often we miss the simple answer because we’re searching for some earthshattering new insight.

I read a book early in my Internet career called, “Obvious Adams: The Story Of A Successful Businessman.”

It was originally published in 1916.

It’s a short book about an advertising man and there’s not a lot to it.

But it drives one major point home. Sometimes the right answer is an obvious one.

One of the stories is about how the Monarch Hat Company had two retail stores in a city. One store was performing well and the other wasn’t. Adams was asked to visit the city and figure out which store was the poor performer and why.

It didn’t take him long to discover the answer. The poor performing store was on a popular street, but he passed it three times before noticing it. Its display was hidden and the store was hard to find.

That’s a rather obvious conclusion, but of course that’s the point of the book.

What’s so obvious that you’re overlooking it right now?

What problems are so obvious that you’re missing them?

What solutions are so obvious that you skip right over them?

Let me give you a few examples.

Let’s say a client tells me their new landing page isn’t getting any opt-ins.

I visit it. It looks pretty good. Can you guess what I do next?

I opt-in to the form to make sure it works.

Because yes, I’ve seen several times where the form wasn’t working!

Or how about this one?

A well-written sales page isn’t converting. When checking the website, one problem was obvious.

The sales page looked great. All the colors flowed perfectly. In fact, the order buttons fit into the design so well that it was easy to miss them.

Changing the order buttons to a contrasting color immediately improved sales.

That wasn’t the only thing we fixed, but it was an easy first step.

Here’s a dilemma I’ve helped clients solve many times.

Let’s say you sell courses. You’re making sales, but your income is inconsistent. Your monthly revenue is unpredictable and relies too much on constantly running new launches.

It’s a common problem.

One of the first things I might suggest is a monthly continuity such as a membership site.

That’s not the only solution, because while a membership works well in most markets, there are markets like weight loss where it’s more difficult. Again, the reason for that is obvious. In weight loss, customers either give up and quit or they lose the weight and don’t need your membership anymore. Retention is difficult. You need to either collect more money upfront or use more of a ‘fitness/look great’ approach for the membership. 

Get to know your customers. The more you can look at your website and your entire industry from their point of view, the more obvious answer you’ll find.

There is a reason why I focus so much on the 3 essentials to online business.

Attract a hungry buying audience.

Communicate consistently with them by email.

Make more offers.

Check out Authority Lists & Traffic to attract ready-to-buy subscribers using a personalized list building blueprint that’s quick, easy, and fun for YOU to implement.

Because the ‘real’ money is often obvious. 

It’s in the relationship you build with your email list…


Terry Dean
Terry Dean

Terry Dean has been in full-time internet business since 1996 and has helped thousands of entrepreneurs get started online through his articles and products. He lives in Ocala, Florida with his wife and 2 dogs. Find out more about how his book How to Sell Without Selling on Amazon today.