5 Tips to Overcome the Shiny Object Syndrome

We all have been victims of the shiny object syndrome

Does the shiny object syndrome sound familiar? For some more than for others, but we have all been there. You buy something based on emotions or an impulse from somebody or somewhere.

Let’s first identify what shiny object syndrome really means. In a way, it is something very intangible and difficult to clearly identify. But doing a try, I would say that the outcome of the suffering of the shiny object syndrome is to be in a constant distraction.

Take a small child, for example, who is playing with a toy and even being heavily engaged in whatever kind of game the toy provides. Suddenly, another toy appears, that is bigger, different color and different in all aspects. The first, perhaps very didactical toy is abandoned. This new “shiny” toy catches the child’s eyes, and just for being different and having some sort of attraction, the game changes.

Adults are not acting differently. You can be OK with what you have, but when something different turns out to impress you, the shiny object syndrome takes over.

As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to fall into the trap of the shiny object syndrome.

Shortcuts could be the complete opposite

Let’s say that you have been struggling to get your business up and running the way you want. A shortcut is offered to you on the Internet, promising you to solve all your problems easily and fast. Just viewing in your mind how the money will start to roll into your bank account is enough to jump on the train and try it out.

Once the seller gets your credit card number and you pay (which usually is a low price), starts the so-called up-selling. In a nutshell, the product, software, app, or whatever it can be will not work as described in the advertisement unless you buy additional features. As you already fell into the trap, it’s not difficult to get your credit card number again. And here we go.

As a newbie in the online business industry, I have to admit that I have made all these errors a couple of times. The worst-case (and you can laugh at it now) was an app to help you get an “unlimited” number of customers. The cost was only $16.95. Once inside, the upselling process started as a gun machine. Before setting a stop to this completely unserious approach, I had already spent more than $100.

Digitalization of commerce is here to stay, grow, and even outcompete many traditional offline retail businesses. That is good in the long run, but until there are mandatory rules on how to market online, you need to be awake and learn how to avoid the traps.

Big platforms, like Google and Facebook, are doing their very best to create some sort of regulations. Today you can at least get hold of some text to figure out if the offer seems to be serious or a scam.

How to Know if the Shiny Object Syndrome is Lurking Around the Corner

You can do some things to minimize the risk of being a victim of the shiny object syndrome.

#1. Check the URL and address bar

The URL should always start with https://. If the “s” at the end is not there, the probability is high that the website isn’t secure. Additionally, there should also be a lock symbol at the beginning of the address bar. All this at least indicates that the owner of the site is using a secured encryption process. It will help to keep hackers away.

#2. Privacy policy, disclaimer, and cookie information

All serious websites should have these pages, as heavily promoted by platforms like Google and Facebook, to minimize the risk of hackers and scammers.

Read the tiny and, to be honest, boring text. It provides visitors with policies and procedures on how data is collected, used, protected, and stored. Read this text carefully before any purchase. If no policies available, the probability of coming across a shiny object scam is high.

#3. Money-back guarantee

In today’s competitive Internet market, all serious sellers have a money-back guarantee to help the customer to make a purchase decision. If, for any reason, you as a customer aren’t satisfied with your purchase, you can return your product and get a 100% refund.

Check the conditions for the money-back guarantee carefully. If no money-back guarantee at all, watch out and double-check before giving your credit card number.

#4. Review the social media presence and contact page

If it is a seller with a good reputation, you should easily check their social media presence. Being available through various contact points is key to a successful online business. Social media presence is always of high priority.

A professional website should always have various social media icons visible on the front page.

In the same manner, it should be easy to get in contact with the seller through a well-edited and defined contact page. Be alert if you can’t find any way to get direct contact with the seller.

#4. Watch out for the price

All that is mentioned so far could, of course, have a lot of variations and doesn’t necessarily indicate if it is a scam or not. However, my personal experience tells me to be careful with offers lacking the above.

Finally, I would like to mention something that I have been a victim of several times and for that reason taught me a particular way of behaving.

A low price is frequently used as a hook to get the customer to buy. Then comes the upsell, and without even reacting, you have spent 5 to 10 times more than the initial price approach. Always resonate with yourself in a clear and unemotional way. Ask yourself if the price looks reasonable. I mean, an app for $16.95 “making you a millionaire in record time,” why is the seller making an effort to sell these apps when the app itself allows you “becoming a millionaire?”

As a rule of thumb, I do not even spend time analyzing any offer unless it has a minimum price, and for me, that is $29.95. The time I’m saving is vast by just deleting all offers below that price landing daily in my inbox.

Related to these low price offers appears the free of charge approaches. First of all, nothing is for free in life. But in some cases, you come across promotions where you can get a free trial month. Before investing time, check out how much the price is if you would like to continue after the trial month.

Doing Business Online and at the same Time getting Rid of the Shiny Object Syndrome

Suppose you are an active online marketer or planning to go into this fantastic industry. In that case, there are many pitfalls as well as outstanding opportunities.

There are many more traps (unfortunately) than those you find in this article, but these are most probably among the most common ones. The five mentioned in this article do all represent traps I personally have felt into.

Since almost 8 years ago, I belong to a system and platform that can be considered a complete opposite of a scam. You will find a broad range of prices, from $29.95 to several thousands of dollars. And yes, if you prefer, you can get a free trial month.

On the other side of the coin, I have never seen such a complete system. Once inside the system, you get literally everything you need to build your own online business. You get everything from basic training, advanced training, coaching, and support to a high-tech platform to run your business on.

Although there is a price variation fitting all financial statuses, you need to figure out the value and the benefit before judging the price.

“Nowadays, people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” – Oscar Wilde

After being approached by so many online marketing offers, there is a reason I stay firm with the system, platform, and community I belong to. The belief that my choice is the correct one gets stronger every day. What about you?

What will be your choice: