Since sharing this article on Becoming an SEO Reseller.. I have been receiving a lot of messages about the subject from people getting started and even from some veteran resellers. The questions aren’t so much about how to do the actual reselling, but more about how to get motivated and stay motivated.
Getting motivated to do something is very important and staying motivated is even more important if you want to be successful. Reselling SEO isn’t something you can automate and kick back and collect big checks. Even though you might not actually be doing the work there are so many operational things that have to be tended to if you want to sustain a business that makes you money.
You have to constantly fish for new clients, you have to maintain your customer support to make sure existing clients are happy and continue to pay you each month, you have to handle the billing and accounting.. it’s the same things you would need to do to run any business.
So many people are still under the impression that online businesses are a cake walk.. you just sit by the pool and collect money all day long. I wish it was that easy..
Is reselling SEO hard? Of course. Is it worth it? YES.. if you are very motivated. You see, the more motivated you are the easier it is to knock out big goals and reach the kind of success you want. Nobody starts a business wanting to just make a few bucks. You have to go all in and be motivated enough to want to build it into a real business!
I put together 7 ways to get motivated and stay on track to become a successful SEO reseller. It really comes down to how bad you want it and how hard you are willing to work. This thinking will actually work for any business, not just SEO reselling.. although I wrote it with that in mind specifically.
1. Set your goals and create a plan of action.
You have to set very specific goals and create a plan that you will follow to reach them. Some examples of goals when it comes to reselling SEO:
- How many clients do you want to sign up every month?
- What do you need to do in order to hit those numbers? How many emails per day do you need to send? How many cold calls do you need to make?
- What tools and software do you need every month to run your business? Phones, website hosting, software, advertising expense, etc.
- How much does each package cost you?
- How much profit do you want to make per sale?
- How many clients do you need to service every month to cover your operating expense?
- How many clients do you need to service each month in order to live comfortably while being able to reinvest some money into your business?
- How soon do you need to hit certain revenue goals?
- What numbers do you need to hit in order to meet those goals?
…the list could go on. You need to take the time to really write everything out. I see too many people go in blind without a plan and then they fail. They realize they aren’t charging enough money and when it breaks down they are earning less than minimum wage because they are putting in so many hours.
I get so many people ask me what to charge.. that is entirely up to you. You need to do local market research. What are other local SEO companies charging? What do YOU need to make in order to live your life, support your family and reach your goals? Nobody can give you that answer but yourself.
Don’t rush into it.. prepare for it.. do a lot of research.. have very specific goals and a plan written out before you even begin. When you have a solid plan to follow you will be much less likely to fail.
2. Use past success as motivation and a confidence booster.
Everyone has had a past success and reached some sort of accomplishment. This could include getting a promotion at a job.. graduating school.. winning a sporting event.. there are a million examples.
Think back to something that happened in your past that you accomplished. How did it feel? Pretty sweet right? Think back and relive that moment.. and use that feeling to motivate you. You can also look back and dissect how you accomplished the goal. What did you do?
For example, if you won a sporting event what contributed to your success? Were you practicing all the time and adhering to a strict schedule? Did you eat, sleep, shit, and breathe it.. thinking of winning nonstop?
Most importantly, your old accomplishments prove that you did it once before it you can do it again. When you start a SEO company with confidence you are going to be more likely to build a company that attracts clients and turns a nice profit. Confidence is big.. don’t start if you aren’t confident.
3. Get extra inspiration from other companies or individuals.
There are always going to be successful people and companies that started before you and have already reached a level of success that you would love to achieve. Don’t be afraid of using them as motivation.
Why do you think guru ding-dongs like Neil Patel kill it? Because there are thousands of people that drool over his success. They all want it so bad. They see him on all kinds of websites talking about building companies and doing SEO. The sad thing is that 99% of the lemmings that drool over him will never do anything about it. They will continue to wish they had his success and remain stuck in a rut.
There are some in the 1% that use him as motivation and think “if that guy can do it anyone can do it” and they set off to build a company. Instead of getting a boner over Neil Patel they use it as a benchmark. They set out to accomplish what he did. They follow him not to stroke his dick but to keep themselves motivated.
The same can be said for companies. Do you ever look on the INC 500/5000 list every year? There are a lot of SEO companies that do $XX MILLION a year in revenue. If you then look at their online reviews you will see they suck. Heck, most of them are just resellers (I can tell you that is a fact 
).. the only difference between them and you is that they have a call center with 100 reps cold calling businesses 24/7.
But they all started somewhere.. probably in a small 1 room office or in a spare bedroom in the evenings after work. Use successful companies as motivation as well. Look into what they do to market and advertise. I can promise you that these companies are not doing the work.. its too costly. They are outsourcing. Here is one solid pieces of advice.. your sales pitch is the most important thing in the beginning. You could be reselling the best service but if your pitch sucks you will have zero clients.
Don’t be afraid to be envious of some people and companies.. just be part of the 1% that takes action and tries to get on the same level instead of staying on the sidelines.
4. Avoid burning out and don’t be afraid to try something new. (Including taking time off!)
Successful businesses are built by creating a process for everything: from getting new clients, to handling the onboarding process, the customer service follow up, the marketing, and your internal operations. Doing the same thing over and over will create boredom. There isn’t any way around it.. doing the same thing day in and day out (no matter how much money you are making) can get boring.
Don’t be afraid to mix things up. If you usually do your weekly accounting on Mondays in the evening start doing it Wednesday mornings.. if you usually do client status updates in the morning start doing them in the evening. There is only so much you can switch up, but even the smallest adjustment to mix up the schedule and still get everything accomplished can help.
You also need to take time off. It happens to everyone.. you start a new business and it completely sucks you in. You have a million things to do and want to get them done so you work 7 days a week, from the time you wake up until you can’t keep your eyes open any longer. I’m guilty of this, as I’m sure most are. This will only lead to complete burnout.
You have to set personal boundaries. End your day at a specific time and take at least one of the weekend days off. You owe it to yourself.. and especially your family. Your family and friends need your time as well. Trust me, it will keep you sane and the work that you feel you HAVE to get done will be waiting for you the next day anyway!
This is actually the most important piece of advice in this post.. always make time for your family and friends. If you disappear and just trap yourself in your office you will lose touch with the outside world. My business actually got better when I moved my family to Spain recently.. I stopped working nonstop and took more time to hang out with friends and spend more time with family. It’s so much healthier and your mind will be more clear.
5. Partner up with someone to hold each other accountable and keep each other motivated.
When you have someone to constantly push and motivate you it will help you achieve even the hardest goals. Partner up with another business owner.. and talk on a regular basis about your business and your goals. When someone is aware of what you set out to do they can push you and this holds you accountable.
Now you are pushing hard to meet your goals and because you don’t want to look like a failure to this other person. You can help push them as well. Use Skype to keep track of each other or shoot texts back and forth.. and jump on the phone for a few minutes at the end of the day.
You also get an inside look at other challenges business owners face and you learn what they did to solve their issues. My advice would be to not do this with someone else that is reselling SEO. Sure, you could learn some things, but I found it then becomes a contest about who can get more clients etc. and the motivation is to beat the other person.. not exactly the point of this.
You are going to learn more when you have someone that is in a totally different line of business. The business fundamentals are the same and you can motivate each other and hold each other accountable.. you just avoid the competition.
Heck, if you think that type of competition will motivate you then go for it.. from personal experience I have found that it works better when it isn’t an SEO related business.
If the person is a close friend that helps even more.. beers at the end of the day is a great way to unwind and also gain some business advice, learn lessons and stay extra motivated.
6. Find your motivational triggers and create a vision board.
There is nothing that will motivate you more than yourself. We all know this.
BUT.. there are triggers that help. This could be the goal of buying a bigger house.. taking a special vacation.. or buying a new car. It doesn’t have to be materialistic items though.. it could be to save a certain amount of money for a college fund for your kid.. anything.
We all have triggers. You need to identify yours and use them to your advantage. I’m a visual person.. if I see something then I get hungry for it. This is why I use a vision board. Yup, full on arts and crafts over here.
I like to add short term motivational goals as well as long term ones to my board. So, in addition to a car and house on your vision board you might put things like a new mobile phone or watch.. little goals to shoot for as well as your big goals. Put this where you will always see it. I have mine right above my desk.. it literally looks me in the eye all day. I see my board so much that the images are engraved in my mind, and I see them all the time.. even away from my desk.
7. Read every day.
If you study some of the most successful business owners you will learn one thing that they all do a lot of: they read. They read every single day. People with BILLIONS of dollars and not a worry in the world still carve time out of every day to read.
I used to think that was silly talk. I hated to read in school and if you would have told me a couple years ago that I would read every day I would have laughed in your face saying you were insane. I spend time every day reading, even if it’s just 15 – 30 minutes. The information you can learn through books is amazing and it gives you the knowledge and confidence to push though anything to reach your goals.
Yes, you read that right.. Tommy is telling you to read. I’m almost as shocked as you are 
Actually, if enough people are interested I will put together a list of really good books that I have read and share it with you all. If that is something that interests you just leave a comment in the thread. If enough are onboard I will take the time to write it up.
Conclusion
Reselling SEO is a way to start a business and do very well for yourself! There are plenty of people that do it.. and there are huge companies that do it and bring in $XX Million every year. You won’t reach any level of success though if you aren’t motivated and able to stay on track.
Use these tips and build a successful business. Even if you aren’t interested in reselling SEO you can use this information to help you with whatever venture you are pursuing.
Any questions, just leave them in the comments below and I will do my best to get back to you. As always I hope you enjoyed the read. Until next time..
