Infotips » Book Marketing

Never Throw Business Away

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:15:01 +0000

You have permission to publish this article electronically
or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are
included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be
appreciated – send to: info@DebbieAllen.com

Never Throw Business Away

While writing my book, Confessions of Shameless Internet
Promoters, I contacted dozens of Internet marketing experts from
around the world. During just one hour via e-mail I had written
to and received e-mails from all over the US, Canada, Mexico, the
UK and Australia. That is five countries around the globe in
just ONE HOUR. The power and the access to the world is now
available to all of us at lightening speed.

Here’s an example of how the amazing power of the Internet can
find endless opportunities:

A year ago I had a client in Australia that was in search of another
speaker like myself who is an expert in marketing and retail, but that
lived in Australia.

Since I live in Phoenix, Arizona US, I did not know a soul in
Australia, much less a great speaker in the same niche market and
the same topic of expertise my client was looking for. But,
following my motto to “Never Throw Business Away”, I set out to
find my Australian client a dynamic expert that lived in her
country.

First I did a search on Yahoo – Australia. Since my site comes
up very high on the search engines and directories when typing in
the keywords retail speaker, I was surprised that another speaker
appeared first on the list. John Stanley – who is this John
Stanley I thought. I clicked onto his site and viewed it in great
detail. I had discovered that I had some tough competition on the
other side of the world. Not only was John an expert in retail,
he was the perfect fit for my client. So I sent him an email with
the client’s contact information. Now you may be thinking, why
would you send your client to your competition?

Here are 5 BIG reasons why:

1.My client would have found this speaker on her own doing a
search on the Internet or by contacting a Speakers Bureau anyway.
So, why not be the hero and help out the client at the same time.

2.Servicing my clients is first and foremost on my list of
priorities. I take ordinary service and turn it into
extraordinary results. This is easy to do, just stop selling and
start servicing and you reap amazing results.

3.My clients are pleasantly surprised that I would not only
refer them to a competitor, but that I would take the time to
personally introduce them. My referrals are often sent in the
form of an email (first choice because it is quick, easy and
effective), personalized letters or one on one in person.

4.Business will comes back to you many times over when using
this method effectively. I have personally experienced this for
years in the many different businesses I have owned. Most people
are afraid of their competition and therefore avoid them. This
builds up a wall around you and a competitor who happens to have
the same core customer base as you do. Don’t’ fight ‘em – join
‘em! Build alliances and send them business. It is a win-win
for everyone involved!

You service your customer, help out your competition and they in
turn will most likely turn around and help you back. Note: If
after sending numerous referrals to my competition with no
reciprocating action, I simply stop sending the referrals and
find another expert competitor that is willing to trade referrals
fairly.

5.People like to do business with people that they like, and
they like people that treat them fair, honesty and who

truly care
about making personal connections and offering supportive
service. That’s just good business!

And now for the rest of the story .

When I sent my newfound competitor, John Stanley my clients
contact information, I never knew if I would her back from him or
not. And I did not know that he would want to reach out
instantly and help me back. At the time I was just helping a
client in need. But, John returned with an email to me within 24
hours. John thanked me for the referral and mentioned that he
would be in Arizona, just 20 minutes from my home in two weeks.
He said he would give me a call when he arrived. Now what are the
chances of this happening with someone I just met via the
Internet from the other side of the world?

A couple of weeks went by and the phone call came. John was in
town and wanted me to stop by where he was presenting to meet
and chat up a bit.

We chatted up a bit all right – two hours later of not stop
chatting we had discovered more and more ways to refer one
another. During our conversation, John told me he had to confess
to something that he could not tell me via email or by phone.

“Just two days before I got your email, I did a search on Yahoo
and found Debbie Allen. I thought, who is this Debbie Allen and
why am I not coming up first on the search engines under retail
speaker? So I went onto your site and discovered your
expertise. I thought, this lady is some tough competition on the
other side of the world. They I printed out a couple pages from
your Web site. Those pages were sitting on my desk when I got
your email!”

Wow! Makes the hair on your arms stand up, doesn’t it? What are
the chances? The chances my friends, for this type of
opportunity to happen to you, are endless now with the World Wide
Web. Oh yes, and if that is not enough to convince you to do
more marketing via email and passing on referrals to your
competitors, let me share with you what happened with those
referral leads.

John and I have shared many contacts and created business
opportunities in many countries including the US, Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, Singapore, UK and Africa. We have even
presented together on the same platform in England and were
dubbed the “The Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire Of The Speaking
Business”. In addition, John has become one of my most successful
distributors and resellers of my books in his part of the world.

DON’T EVER THROW BUSINESS AWAY AGAIN! Seek out, connect and refer
your clients to another expert if you can’t take the business for
some reason. Become the resource for referrals and connections -
the Internet Rolodex. When passing business along make sure that
you keep yourself in the referral loop. Send an email
introduction to your client with a copy to the person you are
referring so that they can see the contact was made. Pass on all
the contact information for the referral. Then wait for it to
come back around to you with TONS of personalized referrals and
increased business.

- 30 –

Debbie Allen is one of the world’s top sales and marketing
experts. As an international speaker she has presented to
thousands of people in nine countries around the world. She is
the author of the best seller, Confessions of Shameless Self
Promoters. Download a free chapter and sign up for her free
newsletters on shameless marketing at http://www.DebbieAllen.com
Contact Debbie directly to learn more about her dynamic keynote
presentations at 800-359-4544.

About the Author

None

Negotiating to Buy a New Car the Easy Way

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:15:02 +0000

Do you hate the thought of buying a new car because of the struggle you have to go through negotiating with the dealership? Relax. Negotiating to buy a new car is easy. Sure their sales people receive negotiation training, but you have the upper hand. Why? Because you can easily find out everything that they want to keep hidden. Information is the key to winning any negotiation. If you use the resources and approaches outlined below, you will negotiate the lowest possible price and drive away with a great new car.

First Find Out What the Dealer Paid for the Car

The true dealer cost is made up of two components – the Dealer Invoice less the Holdback.

What the dealer actually paid for the vehicle is the Dealer Invoice. There are a number of good on-line sources for this including Kelly Blue Book (KBB.com) and Edmunds.com. (Be aware that the invoice may include an advertising charge for joint advertising campaigns. It is a real per car cost to the dealer, i.e. it is not overhead since it is paid only when a car is sold. It does show up on the invoice that the dealer gets from the manufacture, but it is not found on the online sites that give you dealer cost. It tends to run around $300-400.)
The Holdback is the second component of true dealer cost. The holdback is a rebate that is paid directly to the dealer by the manufacturer for each car sold. Holdbacks for Chrysler, Ford and GM are 3% of the total price of the car. Holdbacks for foreign makes are 2%-3% depending on the manufacturer. Edmunds has a good Data Base of these.

Add In the Hidden Incentives to the Dealer and the Advertised Rebates

Dealer Incentives: Surprise! In addition to the holdback there may be other hidden incentives to the dealer that you can only get if you know they are there. Otherwise the dealer keeps the incentive.
Rebates: There may also be Cash Back advertised rebates which they must give to you if you buy the car. (However, you need to know what the rebate is in advance since it will effect your opening offer to the dealer.)

These rebates change from month to month so you need current information. A good source for hidden incentives is CarDeals, published by the Center for the Study of Services. Call (800) 475-7283 and for a few dollars they will mail/fax you the most recent copy. Edmunds also has a good information set for both advertised and hidden rebates (which they call marketing support).

Determine Final Dealer Cost

Lets say that you have decided on a Roadster Supreme with a sticker price, including all options and delivery, of $23,000. Your research comes up with the following information:


Dealer cost          $20,000 

Advertising charge        400 

Holdback - 3% of MSRP    -600 

Hidden incentive       -1,000 

Actual dealer cost    $18,800

Making the Offer to the Dealer

So what do you offer the dealer? My experience is that in general the dealer’s bottom line will be a 3% profit, which in this case would be $600 or a final sales price of $19,400. You could start at $18,800, and work your way up or you could start at $19,400 and just sit there.

Hardball Dealer Negotiating Tactics

Authority Limits: This is the standard ploy where the salesperson says, Ill have to go ask the sales manager. One way to handle this is to simply treat the salesperson as a messenger. Or you might play the broken record game, repeating your initial offer and telling the sales representative to go

talk to the manager.
Keeping You Waiting: Its a common tactic to keep the buyer waiting, hoping that it will make him or her anxious and nervous. The counter to this is to be totally prepared, bring a book or some work to do, or make some phone calls on your cell phone. This shows that you are totally relaxed and unconcerned and will not be affected by their waiting game. One person I know brings an alarm and tells the salesperson that they have an hour to close this deal or she’s leaving.
The Offer Check: Some dealerships demand that you give them a check to show your good faith. This is ludicrous. If they tell you that they wont negotiate unless you give them a check, get up and head for the door. Their policy will change fast.
Lowball/Bait and Switch: The idea is to quote you an unusually low price over the phone (or in an ad) to get you into the dealership and then, when you get to there, the salesperson says that the sales manager wouldnt accept the price or the salesperson discovers that he left out a thousand dollar option package or that you don’t qualify for all the rebates in the ad. If you know your pricing, you should be able to spot the lowball right away. Deals that are too good to be true are always bait and switch.

Other Issues

Add-ons You Should Not Buy: There are a number of items that some dealerships try to sell that you absolutely do not need. These can include undercoating, which can even damage the car; Scotchguarding, which you can do yourself for a few dollars; paint sealant and preparation charges (The factory pays the dealer for preparation).
Extended Warranties: An extended warranty is insurance. We generally buy insurance for risks that we cannot tolerate. We accept a $500 collision insurance deductible because we can tolerate the risk of a $500 loss. Are auto repairs, once the car comes out of warranty, an expense you feel you cannot tolerate?
Selling Your Used Car: You will almost always get a better price if you sell your used car yourself. The advantage of selling to the dealer is that you dont have the hassle, and in most states you only pay sales tax on the net amount that you actually pay to the dealership.

Unfortunately, every used car is different and every market is different. Both Edmunds and Kelly have good pricing information. You will discover variations in what they say your car is worth, but they will proved some guidance.

Think through your used car negotiation strategy before you go into the dealership. You might want to get an offer on the used car first, and then go on to the new car because, once they recognizes just how serious you are about getting a rock bottom price for the new car, they may become extremely stubborn on the used car price.

Putting It All Together

The bottom line is relax. Let all their tactics roll off you like water off a ducks back. It may take an hour or so for them to become convinced that to sell you a car they will have to drop to their bottom line, but eventually they will give in. You will get a great price and drive away with that wonderful new car. Enjoy!

Michael Schatzki is a master negotiator who, for over 20 years, has provided sales negotiation training and coaching for thousands of people in the U.S. and globally. More than 75% of Mikes programs are for satisfied, repeat customers. The Negotiation Dynamics? system really works. Check out all of Mikes articles at: http://www.NegotiationDynamics.com. Mike can be reached at (888) 766-3530.

My First Month Online

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:00:02 +0000

Before I start, I want to say that you can use this information however you would like. If you want to start your online business the same way I have, that is great, if you do not, that is fine too. All the links will be provided if you wish to do so.

I started my online business on December 26, 2004. Just like everyone else, I have dreams of a better life for my family and myself. I have no special background in anything related to computers or marketing. I do own a small restoration business in Dallas, TX.

When I started my online business, I was told the same lie everyone else has been, or will be told. “It is easy to make money online.” Please stay away from anyone who tells you this! There is absolutely no “magic pill” to this business of internet marketing. Luckily, I only wasted about $150 before I discovered what was legitimate and what wasnt. So here is how I did it.

After I wasted my initial $150, I saw an advertisment on the “Trafficswarm” traffic exchange for a website system called, “Plug in Profit”. If you are like me and know nothing about internet marketing, this is the perfect way to start. The reason why is because it does everything for you.

When I signed up for the site, and then to all the programs that it required, I honestly did not know what or why I was joining the programs that it mentioned. I now see the purpose that it serves. At http://www.homebiz365.com/pips.html you can see the same sales letter that I saw when I joined. You will also get a copy of this sales letter personalized with all of your affiliate Id numbers.

An affiliate Id is a number and a website link you are assigned to promote the company you joined. When someone signs up for a Plug in Profit website, they also sign up for all the same programs you did. The only difference is all of your Id numbers are baked into one sales letter, so the person signing up does not have to manually go to each site to join the required programs.

This website has all instructions needed for you to start making money. There are a lot of successful people on the internet that have one of these sites. I do not have time to name them all, but I will tell you one person that has one, and other successful businesses, his name is Willie Crawford, and if you stay online long enough, you will hear his name, his site is http://www.williecrawford.com He has many free resources there. I personally talk to him through email on a daily basis, he is a very nice guy and has helped me with my business when he really did not have to.

After I joined the Plug in Profit website, I simply followed the instructions step by step, and did not SKIP ANY STEPS. Stone Evans, the maker of the program, has a book he wrote called “30

Days to Online Success” which gives you a quick start to your first month online. Do EXACTLY what he says to do each and every day. This is my secret, I did exactly what he told me to do.

Most people are not willing to do what it takes to be successful, they simply want to sit on their butts and let the money magically start rolling in. If that is what you are waiting for, then do not waste any of your time! The easy work will come after you have established what youve built.

I will also say to never pick a product before you see what the market is buying. This is the first mistake most people make. Products are incapable of giving you money, only people can pay you, and “markets” are made up of people. I recently joined an affiliate program with this philosophy in mind, and it has already paid off, BIG TIME!

The website is http://www.perrymarshall.active.ws and they have a course that teaches you how to make money using Google Adwords. If you have ever done a Google search and look to the right side of the screen, the advertisments you see are Google Adwords, and they can have a big impact on your business making money or not.

Google Adwords are not easy to use, so this course shows you the secrets to advertising with this system. It is in very high demand right now, because if used right, is a very cheap form of advertising. I recently started selling this course, without spending a dime of my own money.

Perry Marshalls site provides all the resources you need to get started for free.
I have only been promoting this site for two days and Ive already made a $97 sale! The way I sell this program are through marketing forums and writing articles that I publish online.

I also have a Google Adwords campaign that I started on my own, and it has already increased my website traffic by 20% These are just a couple of ways to advertise, I will eventually do other forms of paid advertisments like solo ads, ezine ads, and classified ads.

I want to leave you my personal cell phone number if you need more information or other secrets I have learned online. (972) 571-6755, I screen all my calls, so you will have to leave a message with your name and phone number and why you are calling, and I will call you right back. If you wish to email instead, my address is support@homebiz365.com
Bobby WalkerInternet MarketerDallas,TexasWebsites:http://www. spot-cleaning.com & http://www. homebiz365.comDirect Response Website: http://www.homebiz365.com/pips.htmlEmail: support@homebiz365.com & support@ spot-cleaning.comPhone: (972) 571-6755Favorite Affiliate Program: http://www. googlesystem.official.wsHobbies: Singing, bowling, playing with kids & of course, the Internet.

My First $0 Check In 365 Days

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:00:01 +0000

Yes, the title is strange. In fact, it amused me when I saw the confusion on the faces of my three best friends. Finally, they spoke, “Deep, do you mean you earn nothing for full one year while you were on internet”.

I said “BOTH”

Let me reveal you today, my dear friend, I earned almost NOTHING for full one year but loose more than $50,000 by promoting affiliate programs. Now, that is a big money for an average guy from India.

I am not saying that one cannot earn if you are into affiliate marketing. There are living proofs who are earning thousands of dollars every month by promoting others products. Let me mention few of them here.

Associate programs.com
Affiliateshowcase.com
Cbmall.com.

These sites have one thing in common. They have directories/links of products or services, web surfers visit their sites, browse through their directories, clicks on few links, and buys the product or service if they like it. And, the affiliate gets his commission. Sounds simple..

But, here comes a million dollar question. If the whole thing is so simple, why the heck not every affiliate is getting fat checks in his mailbox every month.

I took almost one year to understand.

This article saves you little time, if not one year. I’ll tell you, what all it takes to become a successful affiliate. In fact, I’ll be telling you, what all you should not be doing to become an affiliate failure.

Biggest Mistake Number1:

Promote the ready-to-use affiliate site given to you by the vendor, whom you joined as an affiliate.

NEVER-EVER DO IT AGAIN, is all I can say.

I’ll explain in a bit procedural way so that it becomes easy for you to understand.

Let’s assume this.

You, as an affiliate joined a product (P) of some XYZ vendor. Now, XYZ gives you an affiliate URL to promote.

This URL points to a section of the XYZ website which explains the product with a buying link.

You become all excited, and started promoting the link, dreaming of big money at your door-step next month. You pay for google ad words, pay for several ezines where you sent your affiliate URL, pay for some more advertisement. Then comes the next month..BUT. Where is your affiliate check..

You become frustrated, already spent more than $100-$150. then a thought comes to your mind. “May be people don’t like the product you are promoting”. And, second month you join some other affiliate program, follow the same cycle, again dreaming of big check in your mailbox, but disaster strikes.

NO CHECKS.

You are all set to joining your 3rd affiliate program.

But wait, here is my guarantee to you. You won’t receive your affiliate checks the next month also.

WHO THE HECK I AM TO GUARANTEE ON YOUR CHECKS!

Listen carefully, affiliate system doesn’t work like this, hard to accept but that is the truth. They will not work for you until you take this approach.

“One killer step to sky rocket your career as an affiliate.”

But before telling you that, let me ask you a question. How many times you have searched for a product or a service on google, visit the homepage where the product is being explained, and bought the product.

Think honestly.

Your one visit to some website can not force you to buy You may land up in buying the product on your 1st visit, but then the industry conversion rates, gives you the actual picture.

Now, compare it to a site where the products of similar categories are shown, they are already bought by someone, with the proof if they worked for him or not. Would you buy from that website, after reading the reviews, after having the first hand knowledge of the facts that they have worked for someone.

Of course.

I hope you got my point.

STOP PROMOTING THE AFFILIATE URLS given to you. Instead create your own website, of 1-2 page(s), and have your affiliate links there. Try to include the pictures of the product, you are promoting, write a small review about the product or the service. And let people click on your affiliate links. You have better

chances that they will buy as they have prior knowledge of the product from your site, before they go to the actual site.

This works as – you recommend a product to your friends, if they like it and find it useful, they buy it.

You win HALF the battle.

Try this, and see the results in 30 days-or- less.

To jump start your career as an affiliate, I am telling you the top 2 membership sites. I personally use them and they give you a new product every month to sell. This means, you have 2 new products at the end of every month.

What more you could be looking for?

Here are the URLs for my top 2 membership sites.

http://www.isoregister.com/9810354341/tysic/

http://monthlysoftwareprofits.com

Now, managing your affiliate links in standard html files, and then updating the files with your new affiliate links, uploading them again and again on your web server could be a very time consuming job. There should be a better way to manage your affiliate links.

My answer is – DIRECTORY.

Imagine, joining new affiliate programs daily, then update your directory from your web browser in minutes, with a review for the program, keeping track of the number of hits on your affiliate links. Yes, all this can be easily done with a directory software.

Now, there are many directory software, available for free or paid ones. You can search on google for the term “free directory script”.

But I prefer you purchase the software instead of a free version. Reason is simple, you won’t get tech. support, and upgrades in the free version.

Biggest Mistake Number2:

Dont capture the email id of your site visitor.

Now, you’ve set up an affiliate site and you are all set to promote it. But wait.

Do you know, you can create a very strong back end income, if you create one more web page just before your actual affiliate page.

Simply, create one html page which captures your visitors email id and once your web site-visitor gives his/her mail id to you, redirect him/her to your main affiliate site.

Did you get what I am trying to tell you?

Now, you have the email id of your site visitor. And you can contact him, daily, weekly, month-after-month, year-after-year to promote the new programs. Just one email to them and see a quick surge of cash in your bank account.

All you need is a good auto responder account.

Again, there are both paid & free versions of the service, but as I said earlier. I always believe in paid versions when it comes to using software programs.

All said, now the ball is in your court.

Wake up and get set go.

Mega Success and God bless, Deep Kumar

P.S: Download this 33 pages amazing book FREE, “This Book is for anyone wanting to learn how to run affiliate programs!”

“Darryl has discovered everything from A to Z, making affiliate program marketing easy as 1-2-3!”

“Learn what you need to do and in what order you need to do it so you can be successful in the affiliate marketing business.”

Important Download Info:

Download URL:

http://turnyoursiteintocash.com/downloads/giveaway/affiliatehandbook.pdf

Username: user | Password: password

Deep Kumar of http://deepkumar.com is a leading new wave Netpreneur and a published author from India. He runs 3 highly profitable websites under the brands “TYSIC”. The “TYSIC” is your guarantee of high value, quality Marketing Products, Services and Resources.

http://deepkumar.com

http://monthlysoftwareprofits.com

http://asphostingexperts.com

partners@deepkumar.com

Multiple Sources of Income

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:15:01 +0000

It is a common say today that there is now job security whatsoever – that is true fact worldwide – US, Europe (see what is happening in Germany), Australia or any other developed country.

What basically happens is that globalization causes our jobs to be relocated to countries which have cheaper labor. For example, many programmer jobs are being moved to India, Russia, Estonia etc… where labor might cost only ten percent of its cost in a developed country.

So – its time to forget the golden watch and the dream of easy sweet retirement at 65. And as far as that is concerned things are getting even more complicated since we tend to live longer years but have less children – who is going to pay for our pensions?

Governments are already in the process of changing the laws and we could reasonably expect the official retirement age to be raised to 67 and perhaps 70 in the next few years. Also the social benefits system of some countries is in dire straits with too many claims by the impoverished and a too small contribution of the middle working class.

Robert Kayosaki in his book Rich Dad Poor Dad has pointed out that we live in an age where we must ensure that we have Multiple Sources of Income. He correctly

identified four ways of earning money:

Employment (i.e. a normal tradional job)
Self Employment (working for yourself)
Business (having a system that makes money)
Investment (earning money of accumulated capital)

Kayosaki argues that an individual seeking financial freedom should try to position himself in both nos. (3) and (4), which is exactly what the rich do – they either own a business (its management can be outsourced at a cost to a professional manager) , or invest surplus capital in other peoples business – and both these do not require an individual to work (i.e. trade time for money).

The point is basically to be free from being wholly dependent of an employer.

A wise man does not work for money, but lets money work for him.

Liron Rose (MBA) has been in the Internet Marketing scene since 1999. He served as the Business Development Manager of Suntrader Interactive, a full service interactive agency based in Canada, and as the Online Marketing Manager for Zootec Innovations, a start-up company in the gaming arena. http://www.rainbowmaster.com

Mining For Gold With The Best Affiliate Programs And Hitting Pay Dirt

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:15:02 +0000

Colin McDougall tinkered around with affiliate programs earning a few dollars, nothing much to write home about, even had his own e-commerce site, known as the man’s mall. In theory that site was supposed to offer all sorts of gadgets for guys. Colin created the site with the concept “build it they will come” but in reality no one did. Like so many dot.com ventures, it was a huge disappointment, lots of hard work and no pay off.

Colin says, “The man’s mall failed because I started the venture blindly, I didn’t have a clue how the search engines worked or how to make money with affiliate programs. Without an action plan and a map on how to get the gold it was all pointless. But not anymore, I hit the internet gold mine, a virtual moneymaking machine.”

Read on to learn the facts about affiliate marketing and how Colin went from failing on the Internet to making serious money with affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is paying off for retailers

2003 online sales are bucking the retail trend. With traditional retail sales down, retailers are forced to do more with less. They’ve shifted budgets away from expensive portal deals to performance-based affiliate marketing and search engine marketing and it’s paying off. (Source: Forrester Research)

It’s no surprise that traditional advertisers such as American Express, National Geographic, Toshiba and even Disney are flocking to the emerging affiliate marketing model. Advertisers have a very low risk with affiliate marketing; they simply pay a commission for actual sales. No sales, no commission.

Affiliates love it too

Affiliates who understand the affiliate marketing business are earning huge incomes, even those who are doing it as a hobby, in many cases, are earning a few hundred to a few thousand extra dollars each month.

Jeff Pullen, President of Commission Junction, a third party provider of infrastructure and tracking told the crowd at a recent conference held in Santa Barbara that, “Commissions are up 80% over the previous year”. According to the Affiliate Summit, held in early November 2003 in New York City, affiliate marketing is already a $14 billion industry. (Source: Marketing Sherpa)

Online shopping is booming – the future is bright

Affiliate marketing works because the pay for performance model makes sense. Plus, people are flocking to the Internet in droves to shop online. According to Forrester Research, a Massachusetts-based research firm, nationally online sales are expected to total $96 billion this year and climb to $229 billion by 2008.

Affiliate marketing in a nutshell

An affiliate program is a business relationship where one website owner (a “merchant”) agrees to pay another website owner (an “affiliate”) a commission simply for referring customers.

Merchants typically manage their affiliate program by joining a commission network such as Commission Junction or LinkShare who provide third-party tracking and infrastructure or by purchasing and installing specialized tracking software on their own server.

See Commission Junction and LinkShare.com for a list of merchants who are looking for affiliates to promote their products and services.

How Colin got involved with affiliate marketing

Colin says: “I found the treasure map; the Affiliate Marketers Handbook written by James Martell,” an entrepreneur and successful affiliate marketer. The first time Colin read the Affiliate Marketers Handbook he mentions, that it was like looking at the horizon through binoculars; he could see where he was headed. The second time reading the book Colin, it was like looking at a road map and seeing how to reach the riches on the horizon.

Colin says, “With the book, you learn how to get organized, plan the site, run the business, and focus on the riches along the horizon.”

Colin learned firsthand, with the man’s mall, that without understanding the search engines, your business is dead in the water. The “build it they will come” mind set, just doesn’t cut it.

As Colin says: “The book’s system for using keywords really makes sense, after my prior experience it’s like this light bulb went off…so that’s how I’m

going to attract visitors and making money. In my old business, I was set up to fail, with the handbook I’m set up to win.”

Got Dot: How did you go from failing at the Internet to make money?

Colin explains, “By reading James’ handbook. His book is real, it’s not the stuff of Internet legends, but it’s an honest, to goodness road map. James really shares what works. I’ve followed his 8-step system™ and now have a bigger house, a bigger car and financial independence.

At first, I was amazed at how much the book gives away, but that’s James He really wants everybody to succeed, he’s got things all laid out in his book. If you follow it the money’s there, it’s up to the reader to go for the gold.”

Got Dot: What was it like getting started?

Colin says, “In the beginning I was skeptical, making money with affiliate marketing, just seemed unreal. After attending James’ original class in Vancouver, at the prodding of a friend Chuck Anderson, and actually meeting with other people, earning lots of money with affiliate marketing, the whole process really resonated. I knew I could do it, if they could.”

Got Dot: Why was that so hard to grasp?

Colin: “As a system tech I was working 50% harder for a measly 5% raise, all of $250/month. It was awful. In the class all these people were making a lot more money than me, working just a few hours a day. What a wake up call. I felt like a dummy slaving away at 60 hours a week, with practically nothing to show for it.”

Colin adds, “The hard part for me was getting over my past, removing the skepticism, and just running. My disbelief held me back four months. So I started off small spending one hour a day doing affiliate marketing.

The beginning search engine traffic and commission checks…just blew me away, talk about a real eye-opener. Nothing like numbers to get a techie excited.”

Got Dot: What’s the money like?

Colin: “When I first started I earned $400 a month, nearly double my raise as a system tech. By the end of the year I hoped to make $5k a month (my system tech salary). I hit that mark in six months. Within 9 months I earned $120K. The day job is now history. The money’s astounding, it just keeps growing.”

Got Dot: What is your product niche?

Colin says, “In the beginning, I went after the big paycheck, like credit cards. My newer sites feature things I want to learn more about or hobbies.”

Colin follows the same methods for web site construction developed by James Martell. These principals are incorporated into Colin’s successful sites featuring: mortgage loans, furniture slip covers and credit card applications.

Got Dot: What is a typical day like?

Colin says, “Its ideal. How many fathers can say they have time to play Barbie’s with their daughter? Everyday I work for two hours and spend an afternoon in the park with the family, then another hour or two of work and its dinner time, what a day!”

Got Dot: What tips do have for someone starting out?

Colin says: “Buy the Affiliate Marketers Handbook, follow it step-by-step. Don’t jump ahead. Devote one hour a day to affiliate marketing, when you get home from work. Make the sacrifice. The short term pain is worth the long term gain. Don’t settle for fool’s gold, searching through the “best affiliate programs”, find the real gold, James Martell’s 8-step system™, it’s within your grasp. Go for the gold.”

Colin McDougall followed a simple 8-step-system™ for affiliate marketing created by James Martell, entrepreneur, successful affiliate marketer, and developer of over 70 specialty shopping sites with topics that range from motorized scooters to treadmill comparisons; and also educates people who want to start a homebased business using affiliate programs and the Internet!

Colin McDougall is the editor of the credit review site, Only the best credit cards online. You can visit this site at http://www.only-the-best-credit-cards-online.com/

mcdoog2112@shaw.ca

Media Star Power Book Review

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:15:02 +0000

Media Star Power: ABCs to Successful TV, Radio, Print & Net Interviews
Judy Jernudd
MindShelf Publishing
270 North Canon Drive, #1175, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 310-306-6999
June 2003, ISBN: 0-9722398-3-9
194 pages, $14.95
http://www.MediaStarPower.com

Judy Jernudd is a former newscaster and television talk show host turned professional speaker and media coach. Her unique background has given Ms. Jernudd the insight into what makes a great media interview and she shares this insight in her book.

Media Star Power covers the terminology of the media world with concise descriptions, quotes and gold star tips. The book starts with “Advance Work” and ends with “ZZZ” and covers just about everything you need to know about media interviews in between. This book will help you become a media savvy guest,

market your product and business, position yourself in the media, improve your confidence and help you prepare for a crisis.

All of the topics covered are helpful but some of the most interesting are: creating an on camera look with tips on dressing and jewelry for both men and women, how to react to the media covering your company crisis and how to manage on camera anxiety. This book is a must have for anyone seeking or preparing for media coverage and is sized just right to fit into a purse or briefcase. Readers can use this guide while launching their own media campaign on a budget or to prepare themselves for working with a media coaching company.

About the Author

Bonnie Jo Davis is a Virtual Assistant specializing in frugal marketing for her clients. She can be reached at http://www.DavisVirtualAssistance.com.

“Maximizing The True Value Of Your Traffic”

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:30:41 +0000

You may be shocked to hear this.

You DONT need a lot of traffic to make your website a screaming success.

Many new marketers are led to believe the key to profits lies in throwing as much traffic as possible at their sites. Hence increasing the popularity of traffic blasting programs which are inevitably money-drainers for the honest marketers.

If only it was that easy.

The truth of the matter is, therere only two basic ways to increase the profitability of any website, and in turn maximize the true value of your traffic.

One is by targeting the traffic you get, the other is by generating a call to action from that traffic.

Lets look at each one in more detail:

(1) Targeting your traffic

What you need is the right kind of traffic. To put it another way – what you need to make more money right now is highly targeted traffic.

As mentioned, the true value of traffic is in how you can maximize it to achieve certain positive outcomes you desire – be it higher sales or more quality subscribers.

Such outcomes are only possible if the traffic is highly targeted to what you are offering.

The question is in how you can receive such targeted visitors quickly and easily.

You can do this by using certain proven traffic generation strategies such as writing articles, joint ventures with targeted marketers/e-zine publishers, search engines, your own affiliate programs, etc.

Side note:

“Autopilot Traffic Streams” reveals hidden ways to generate your own automatic streams of targeted traffic quickly and easily. You can download this $37 ebook here free, simply right click and choose save target as.. from this link: http://TurnkeyMoney.com/AutopilotTrafficStreams.pdf

These highly effective methods attract pre-qualified visitors who

are mostly pre-sold before arriving at your site.

(2) Generating positive responses

The hands down easiest way to maximize any traffic is by increasing your websites conversion rates.

You can achieve double, triple or even 10X more profits by converting more visitors into customers.

Let us look at a very basic example:

If your current website converts at 1% (meaning 1 sale for every 100 visitors), you would make 5 sales for every 500 targeted visitors you sent there.

Lets say you managed to increase this conversion rate to 3%, the same 500 visitors will give you 15 sales, an addition of 10 sales from just a 2% increase in the conversion rate!

While this sounds every ideal, how do you heighten your sites conversion rates and maximize each visitors value?

There are many ways to achieve this, some of which include:

Faster loading time; Easier navigation; Easier reading; Flexible payment options; Packaging of unique offers; Increasing product value and of course creation of more effective copy, etc.

In summary, generating highly targeted traffic and then motivating positive calls to action from it is the way to achieving more profits quicker and easier.

Its a powerful and synergic strategy you cant afford to ignore as an internet marketer – so start maximizing the true value of your traffic today!

Discover The Profit-Pulling Marketing Secrets Of The Gurus To Instantly Skyrocket Your Profits And Turn Your Website Into A 24/7 Cash Vault Quickly And Easily…Guaranteed! FREE eCourse worth $297: http://www.InstantMarketingSecrets.com

Ewen is the editor of “Web Marketing Exposed” which reveals specific techniques you can use to get more traffic, subscribers and sales to your websites quickly and easily!

Marking Your Territory

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:15:11 +0000

We all know the familiar adage “if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…” its nearly always a duck. The same is true with image, particularly when it comes to the images we portray of ourselves as writers.

My e-book “Articles That Sell”, teaches the how-tos of effectively marketing your business by writing and publishing articles. These ideas will help you literally take your marketing act to the street by presenting yourself as a professional writer.

A professional writer? Of course…the last image that you want to convey is that youre an amateur. If you want to brand yourself and your business professionally, then youve got to conduct all your marketing efforts with the perspective of a skilled and accomplished pro.

First, youll need to erase any stereotypical images of writers. They arent all philosophical types in glasses and black turtlenecks. Writers are real people, just like you. They come from all walks of life and have their own mortgages to pay. Very few writers are able to boast successful careers based only upon the words they have authored. In fact, most of the prominent writers we read today all have certain elements in common.

What are the marks of a professional Writer?

Business Cards – Does yours make any mention of the fact that youre a writer? If it doesnt, then youre sending an alarming signal that you write as a hobby.

Resume – Does yours note the names and dates of the publications that have featured your work? No listed works, no credibility.

Portfolio – Do you have a beyond-your-hard-drive collection of the articles you have written? All writers should have a hands-on cd or floppy portfolio. If possible, you should also have a physical portfolio containing your work, particularly any work that has been published in print.

Current Contact List or Database – Can you put your hands on a complete list of contact information? Were not talking sticky-notes here. This should include the names, addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web site addresses of any publications to which you have submitted an article. Ideally, you should also include the contact information for any new publications about which you learn. Make certain to include the name of the article you have submitted and whether it was published. If you sold an article, list the price for which you sold it. Review your information regularly and

follow-up with each publication periodically.

Letterhead and Envelopes – Think its too expensive? If its a business expense then its tax deductible. While its true that editors are primarily interested in the content of your work, unprofessional correspondence sends up a red flag that youre trying to break-in to writing. You probably have a software program on your computer that you can use to create an impressive letterhead for yourself. Visit your local office supply store to find a quality paper to print it.

Editor – Now, were talking some real money, arent we? As Ive said before in a previous ATSU Newsletter, there are affordable editors out there. You can even find one at a local college who might be willing to work for a nominal fee. If using a “for-pay” editor isnt an option, you should at least have all your work proofed for grammar, spelling, and flow of content by someone who is qualified and is objective. Its important that you be open-minded to constructive criticism.

Library Card – Who has time to read? The best way to learn to better express our own thoughts and further develop our writing is through reading the thoughts of others. Ask anyone whom you consider to be a professional writer. That person will always tell you that they have either always been or have become an avid reader. In the area of reading, venture out and read beyond your normal scope of preferences. Youll be amazed at how expanding your horizons can truly fine-tune your own writing skills.

Success in marketing with articles is a reciprocating enterprise. The more you write and publish articles to market your business, the more exposure you will gain as an author. Presenting yourself as an across-the-board professional in your area of writing will propel your success even further. Maximize the mileage you can earn through your writing!

About the Author

Bonnie Jo Davis has been using the “marketing with articles” technique for over ten years. She and her clients have been published in hundreds publications both on the internet and in print. Learn more about this free technique to garner publicity and establish yourself as an expert by visiting her site.

Marketing Your Product as Everything, Often Does Nothing

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:15:05 +0000

Marketing Your Product as Everything, Often Does Nothing
By Matthew Yubas

A common marketing mistake I see over and over is trying to sell a product as a multi-purpose solution. A product that can do many different tasks usually doesn’t do any one task better than the competition. Herein lies part of the problem. As consumers we typically experience one problem at a time and then shop for a single solution.
Ask yourself as a buyer, do you specifically look for multi-purpose products or do you look for a specific solution? Your good steak knives can be used to prune a tree, open letters, and to cut fishing bait. But don’t you usually buy a separate pruner, letter opener, and fishing bait knife?

Exceptions to the Rule
There are a few exceptions to this rule. There is the clock radio, boom box, Swiss Army Knife, and all-in-one printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine. If products are typically physically placed next to each other, there is the possibility of combining them. For example, a clock and radio often sits next to each other on the nightstand. By combining them together, it saves space, shares certain components to save costs, and adds the extra feature of waking up to the radio.

Where Does it Fit?
In most cases, your customer wants the best solution among the alternatives. Tailor your product to solve a specific problem or satisfy a particular need or want. Imagine shopping for a coffee maker. You might be looking for the top-of-the-line model, least expensive, or one considered the best value. Or, suppose there was a multi-purpose coffee maker, popcorn popper, and waffle iron? But you’re looking for just a coffee maker. You look at the multi-purpose machine but it’s more expensive and doesn’t have all the specific coffee maker features you want. And using the multi-purpose

machine might prove difficult if at the same time one person wanted coffee and another wanted to make waffles.
The other big problem is for the retailer. Retailers and distributors prefer a product that fits into one category. Where to they place the multi-purpose machine? Does it go in the coffee maker section? Next to popcorn poppers? Or, the waffle iron section?
When marketing a multi-purpose product, there’s the issue of not focusing on a target market. If a multi-purpose product caters to many different people, the cost of marketing simultaneously to each segment raises significantly. With a fixed budget, instead of making a big noise in one market, you end up making a small noise in many markets.

Conclusion
For success, create a product that solves a problem or satisfies a need or want better than anyone else at a reasonable price. During early development, talk to potential customers and ask what features are important and what features are not important. Eliminate all the features that do not make your product sellable. And make the important features more attractive than the competition. Then you’ll be on your way to product success

Next Step
This article offers you just one aspect Product Marketing. Using my book Product Idea to Product Success, you’ll gain much more information on how to develop and market your product idea.

About the Author

Matthew Yubas is a Product Specialist who assists inventors and entrepreneurs in turning their ideas into winning products. Mr. Yubas is a Certified Professional Marketing Consultant for the Small Business Development and International Trade Center. He has earned a B.S. in Engineering and an M.B.A. in Management. Articles and information about his new book, Product Idea to Product Success, are available at www.Product-Coach.com.