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Accountability Partners For Internet Marketers

Guest post by: Denise Griffitts

Article Overview: The phrase “accountability partner” is quite broad and encompasses a lot of territory. At its most basic, an accountability partner is someone you set up a formal relationship with, who will help provide support for your online business creation and growth. He or she is an unpaid consultant, someone you agree to work with to provide mutually beneficial support. In its simplest terms, it’s like having a business consultant who you don’t pay. Instead you trade for each others consulting services. You make it your goal to help each other to succeed.

Accountability Partners For Internet Marketers

Internet marketing can be a lonely lifestyle. Sure, there are hundreds of forums, blogs, and conferences where you can connect with others, but even when you've been around for a while you can feel like you're all alone in your business. When you have little or no in-person connection with others who are in your position, you can start to feel like you are the only one on the Internet who's worried about how Google's latest decisions will affect your page rank, or who's having trouble updating to the latest version of WordPress. You can forget that there are thousands of others in a similar situation, asking themselves the same questions, struggling with the same issues. Not only that, but those in your day-to-day life, who know you in the "offline world" do not have a clue what you're talking about, and oftentimes tend to bring more negativity than helpfulness to the picture even when they try to be on your side. Unfortunately, that can make you feel even more alone, especially when you have a setback and no one to help pull you through or to even just say "that happened to me, too!"

That's where having an accountability partner (or a small accountability group) can save the day.

Definition: Accountability partners are formalized relationships with one or more people who help keep you on task.

Here's what Wikipedia.org says:

An accountability partner is a person who coaches another person in terms of helping the other person keep a commitment. (The term) was originally used in connection with weight loss programs in the 1960's.

What Is An Accountability Partner?

The phrase "accountability partner" is quite broad and encompasses a lot of territory. At its most basic, an accountability partner is someone you set up a formal relationship with, who will help provide support for your online business creation and growth. He or she is an unpaid consultant, someone you agree to work with to provide mutually beneficial support.

In its simplest terms, it's like having a business consultant who you don't pay. Instead you trade for each others consulting services. You make it your goal to help each other to succeed.

Accountability partners are like personal trainers for your business - different trainers have different personalities and different specialties. And you have different needs, too. If you're at the beginning of your business creation, you may need someone to help cheer you on. As you become more experienced and confident, you may need someone to push your boundaries and tell you when you're slacking.

Here are the main roles accountability partners can fulfill:

Cheerleader.

This type of partner can boost your confidence, give you assistance when you need it, and help you celebrate your successes. Think of running a marathon and having someone to hand you a cool drink at Mile 5, hold up a sign with your name on it at Mile 16, and greet you with a towel and a bag of ice at the finish line.

Co-traveler.

Co-travelers are at approximately the same point in their journey as you are. They're like students in the same year in high school or college; you're learning the same topics and implementing the same strategies and tools. Sometimes you help them, sometimes they help you, and sometimes you just muddle along, secure in the fact that you're both in the same place. (Picture a "Study Buddy".)

Drill sergeant.

Everyone from Oprah to Olympian Michael Phelps has a trainer or coach who pushes them just a bit farther than they think they can go. Drill sergeant accountability partners serve as a whip-cracking, rear-end-kicker to keep you on task to the goals you've set and committed to.

Shoulder to cry on.

Every once in a while (hopefully, a very LONG while), things go nuts. Plans derail, projects fail, or you just want to tear your hair out because of technical issues. When Murphy's Law proves true, you may just need to vent to someone who knows what you're going through. That person can be your accountability partner.

Brainstorming partner.

Wondering what headline will convert best? Need some thoughts on what to offer as an opt-in "bribe" on your new mailing list? Trying to figure out the shortest path between Point A and Point B? Grab your accountability partner and start brainstorming.

Some of these roles probably appeal to you more than others. It all depends on your own personal needs and personality. Remember that your accountability partnership is determined by you and your partner - it can incorporate whatever you decide, including 6 AM jogging buddy, lunch date, or blogging partner.

Stay tuned for the rest of this article which has of necessity been broken into a series:

1. Setting up An Accountability Partnership
2. Live and In Person: Setting up an "IRL" Accountability Partner
3. Virtual Accountability Partners
4. Mentoring Partnerships
5. The More the Merrier? Partners versus Groups
6. Five Tips for Great Accountability Partnerships
7. Trouble-shooting Your Accountability Partnership
8. Online Resources For Accountability Partners
9. Next Steps In Your Accountability Partnership
10. Conclusion

Related Articles
  Accountability Partnerships Series Conclusion
  Virtual Accountability Partners
  Setting up An Accountability Partnership
  Accountability Partners Versus Groups
  Next Steps In Your Accountability Partnership
  Live and In Person: Setting Up an "IRL" Accountability Partner
  Accountability Mentoring Partnerships
  Online Resources For Accountability Partners
  Trouble-shooting Your Accountability Partnership
  Five Tips for Great Accountability Partnerships
  Daily Method of Operation of Internet Marketers
  Building Supportive Relationships with Accountability Partners
  DISTRACTION STOPS ALL ESSENTIAL ACTION
  Values
  A culture of accountability is the key to business and organisational success
  Improving a Business Through Masterminding
  Home Business Ideas: Make Money Using Your Writing Skills
  What does a typical day look like for an internet marketer ?
  Making Money through Affiliate Marketing Programs Tips and Tricks
  Accountability for your Career

Article Tags: accountability buddies, accountability coachesaccountability partners, accountability mentors, accountability partner, accountability partners, business consultant, business creation, consulting services, internet marketers
Referred by: http://www.onlinebizu.com



Related Forum Posts
How many mambers of this forum are also member of WF? - Hi Everyone, Are you also a member of Warrior Forum? The forum for Internet Marketers. I know GT and David are members. Please indicate if your are a member.
Re: 3 Signs That I Need To Get Serious About IM... - Hi David and GT, I can totally sympathise with your dilemma. For those Internet Marketers who work from home full time, you have my admiration, for those of us still trying to get there we are stuck between two stools. I have my regular job in training which keeps the wolf from the door but because I have to do a fair amount of travelling I sometimes arrive home late. I spend most of my days talking and organising classes and administration so I find that I am mentally not physically tired and it is sometimes difficult to focus. My plan is to redress the balance so that eventually I can reduce my regular work to part time in order to put in the extra time that IM demands. Until that time comes I will always be chasing the clock and always feel guilty if I haven’t spent enough time on the Internet when I get home. regards, Mal.
Re: Bank statements... - [quote="OmnivoreInk":12f4f94q]I don't think I've ever seen an ad where someone [i:12f4f94q]did [/i:12f4f94q]show their bank statement... But it would take a bit more than that to convince me...[/quote:12f4f94q] It's the latest fad among Internet Marketers. It's replaced the tactic of using pictures of Ferraris on one's site to impress.
Re: Partnership questions - Thats a tough one. Partners are not my favorite. How much development do you have left and how much time and cost will it take to get you to a finished product?
Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Sept 10, 2010 - Hi Evan, I have been reading a few of those blog posts and find them very thought provoking. I especially liked the ‘What I believe about…. Work’ post by Perry Marshall and can relate to that very much. In the ‘old days’ whenever they were when we had no gadgets and worked five or six days a week and took Sunday off whether we waned to or not, it was easier to switch off at least for one day of the week. As Internet Marketers we are never more than a few metres away from the tools of our trade and they are all telling us to come back and ‘switch me on’, we have work to do. As I type this it is Sunday morning and I should take Perry’s advice on board and take at least one day off completely to recharge the batteries. regards, Mal.


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