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Avoiding the School of Hard Knocks should be much easier today than it has been in the past. In all likelihood, someone else has already figured out how to do so or all of what you are trying accomplish. Why not learn from them. With the level of access we know have to information through the Internet, researching is getting easier. But to avoid learning from the wrong people, or learning the wrong lessons, here are some suggestions:

• Be clear about what you are trying to accomplish. The old saying that if you don’t know where you are headed any road will lead you there rings true here. Make sure you can not only articulate what you want to do but also what you are trying to accomplish.

I have an affiliate program for my coaching services and membership program and was recently researching the best tools to use to execute it. During my research, I found out that many of the affiliate marketing tools are for people who are looking for products created by other to sell on their sites. For these people, sites like ClickBank are a great resource. I wanted a way to track referrals and support people in selling my products. Same name, very different set of tools and/or different ways to use the same tools.

• Find people you believe are doing the same thing you are and see what they use. I selected my auto-responder by checking out the services used by people who have tens of thousand – or even hundreds of thousands of people on their lists. If it works for them, it will likely work for me. I made the services used by those who appear to be successful high priorities on my research list.

• Don’t over-react to negative feedback. Some people provide negative feedback on processes, services, and products because they do not work for them. Maybe there was nothing wrong with the product but the person was not in the target market. Use some discernment before you through out an approach because of one person’s bad experience.

• Be curious. I found out about Ning, which is the platform I use for the Partners InPower social media site, by clicking on a “learn more” button on someone else’s Ning site. There are so many clues available on the web for you to find out about just about everything – if you are curious enough to dig deeper when you spot something interesting.

• Get references from real people. Just because we have access to people on the web doesn’t mean we need to stop speaking to each other. People still have lots of value to add. After you’ve done a little research, talk to someone directly. Most people will be happy to share if you express a genuine interest in something they are doing. You may even have an opportunity to enter into a mentor relationship if you are a receptive apprentice.

• Get help from a coach. Coaches are there to guide you through the journey of accomplishing your goals. Find a coach who is experienced in what you are trying to do and use them. Good coaches don’t have their own agenda, just a dogged commitment to your success unlike anyone else you will encounter.

Follow these tips and graduate from the School of Hard Knocks.

Have a powerful day!