SuperTips Ezine: Issue 26
IN THIS ISSUE
2. Readers Forum
3. "How To Develop Killer Online Products
That SELL!"
4. More "Super" Tips
5. Next Issue
1. Greetings! Hello Folks, It's been encouraging to read from your feedback that you enjoy the short 'technical' tips we provide, in addition to marketing advice, for example free software tools and useful features in Windows. Anything that makes your job simpler or provides more automation can only help your marketing efforts. So we'll try to make these a regular feature and I welcome any submissions. Well it's the end of yet another millennium and to celebrate we feature a bumper article - the longest ever to appear in this newsletter. I'm sure it will provide you with some stimulating ideas. Here's wishing all our readers a happy New Year. Regards, Harvey
2. Readers Forum 2.1 Who is our mystery reader ?
Remember my article in the last issue "How NOT to provide customer service"
? It was based on my experience in getting a response from Logitech about a problem with my mouse. The main intention of the article was to point out all the things we should not be doing in selling our products - rather than an outburst against the company in question. However, one of our readers has taken it further - as you will see now. The day after the article appeared I received an automated Email message from Logitech saying that my question had been successfully submitted to their Online Customer Support System. Strange - I thought. One of the problems had been that I was UNABLE to submit my question at their site - it kept getting rejected. And besides, that was 2 weeks ago - why send an acknowledgement now ? The Email stated where I could see the submission and that the response would remain posted for 30 days before being deleted. So I paid a visit and this is what I saw:
Original Question There then followed a copy of the relevant parts of my last newsletter. So obviously one of our readers has posted this - but I don't know who.
Now what is really weird is that the whole posting is preceded by the
heading
and it ends There's no actual response.
So it's just as if say the ABC Company had posted a page at their own
web site saying And after two weeks the Logitech posting remains the same. Don't they check their customer's questions - or does it take two weeks ? So let's add this to our rules about providing good Customer service:respond immediately to your customer's problems - bad publicity travels fast.
2.2 A question about archives Gabrielle Thurlow asks ... why don't you have back issues of your newsletter... you can set them up automatically with Onelist It turns out that Gabrielle had not noticed the final paragraph I always put at the end of my newsletter, that we do in fact have archives, viz e00@sendfree.com The reason that I don't use the Onelist facility ? Well whenever I've subscribed to newsletters and wanted to read the back issues I end up trawling through page after (slow moving) page on the net trying to extract the information I want. So I decided that for SuperTips I would provide the archives on autoresponders so that you can read them offline at your leisure. And I wanted to have an index of all the issues showing the articles and tips in each one for selective reading. So if you are new to this ezine my autoresponders would love to show off their contents to you. Send off for the index with e00@sendfree.com
Similarly I have an index of all my articles. Two great advantages of
having such an index are Unlike a person who has just sent me unannounced a collection of all his articles as two huge Email files (62K and 177K) which took several minutes to download. And to pour oil on troubled water he addressed these to "Dear Sir/madam". By the way if you want to copy these methods the autoresponders I use are free - and the more they get used the more times your ads are seen. To see how this works visit this page.
3. "How To Develop Killer Online Products That
SELL!" With more than 6 billion dollars of online revenue being produced in 1999 alone, the chance of e-commerce and global sales is now remarked as a definite reality. To put it bluntly, the Internet is producing a heck of a lot of profits for many Internet Marketers worldwide. For example, take a glance at my situation. I'm Lee Benson, the 'infamous' CyberProsper Internet Marketer @ http://cyberprosper.com I live in Europe, a continent known for it's high phone charges and it's sense of conservative human morality. Unlike the USA, many people take the "It won't work" approach to lots of things in life, and so the talk of producing hundreds of thousands of dollars of profits online every year would tickle anyone's skeptical side. However, despite the dull, non-entrepreneurial environment that I'm forced to live in, I still manage to collectively earn a gross profit of over $50,000 dollars EVERY year online. It's the same with my friend (and co-author of this article), Dr. Bill Nieporte @ http://ezinesuccess.com We virtually live on the Internet, spending hours per day 'tweaking' our sites and actively studying the Internet Marketing process. Allow me to add that we also: * Work from home, which is both flexible and needless to say, comfortable. * Have no need to travel to work at inhumane hours, facing the challenge of daily traffic jams and the 9-5 rat-race atmosphere that so many of us are sucked into. * Have no bosses - that's right, no need to suck up to anyone in the effort to invoke a pay rise or to be told what to do and when to do it. This means we're not working to contribute to anyone else's success but our own. * Produce thousands of dollars of online profits, by simply using a home computer and having the 'right' website and sales system in place. I could go on and on, the benefits are endless. We know that and you probably know that. The point of this article is to set your life in line with these benefits so you CAN and WILL start living like this. It's about HOW you need to start.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Unfortunately for a lot of people seeking Internet riches, the talk of money clouds their vision to see the TRUE reason why E-commerce is now producing billions of dollars online every year. It's all about the customer. They want QUALITY products or services, and they're willing to pay good money to receive those products. So if the customer WANTS good products or services, why do people continue to promote rubbish? Quite simply, because they don't CARE. The talk of the 'quick buck' is their only goal, and that's all they'll consider... Not only is this a completely stupid move, but it's also the quickest path to failure. Your clever sales letter may initially dupe your customer into spending their hard-earned dollars, but you can bet your life you'll end up paying in lost credibility and returns. What I'm about to show you is the simple 5-step approach to achieving online success by producing your OWN products or services. Dump those zillion-and-one worthless affiliate programs, and develop your own solid program. If you're serious about creating an impact on the 'net, then this is the only way to go. The benefits are amazing. Don't get me wrong, a LOT of money is being produced with affiliate programs. But to be honest if you're ONLY promoting an affiliate program, you're not really owning your own business. To me, affiliate programs are great side-line income produces, and I've developed many profitable techniques to integrate them into my every day business life. However, what I'm about to teach you now will produce the basis for which all future online ventures will build upon.
---------------------------------------------------------- Step 1 - Defining Your Product I'm constantly asked the reoccurring question of 'what sells online'. To be honest, there is no one single answer to this question. However, the question of 'what sells BEST online' can be defined more easily. Quite simply, information-rich products or services are the HOTTEST online sellers. Let's consider Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. His company is built entirely on information-rich products. Their biggest money-earner is software, which is just data. Nothing more than information, a collection of binary digits that forms a program. Microsoft earned over 19 billion dollars this year selling software (amongst other products). See the potential here? But it's not just software that sells like hot cakes. The old saying that 'knowledge is power' is becoming more and more believable, because it's knowledge and information that sells so well on the Internet. If you have the *information* to create a solution to someone's problem, and there's a HIGH demand for this type of info, then Hey Presto. You've struck gold. You've found the PERFECT product to sell. Why? Let's find out...
Step 2 - Creating A Product With A HIGH Profit Margin The Internet is making more millionaires than any other invention in history. Never before has it been so possible for the average person to go international and to earn excessive amounts of money selling products and services online. And why? Because virtually ALL of the overheard and production costs are eliminated with many online products. You can get started for less than $250 a year (that's to cover the website hosting costs) and then you simply purchase a domain name and design your site for free by yourself. Once you're up and accessible on the WWW, the potential for global sales exists. Compare that to the costs of an offline shop, and you'll see why the Internet is being favored. In the real-world you have to pay for land rental fees (which can be hundreds of thousands of dollars), hiring staff and staff training, interior decorating, product inventory and much, much more. On the Internet however, none of these costs need exist. You can create a powerful website for free using your home computer, and get your own domain name and website setup for a few hundred bucks a year. With this in mind, why should your production costs be any different? You can create an information-rich product from home that provides valuable information, and produce and replicate the SAME informational products at no extra cost. It's only data, and data costs nothing to produce. However, that doesn't mean people aren't willing to pay BIG money for valuable information. For instance, if you sold a 10 page book that told people how to earn $2000 with the stock exchange, then chances are an investor would be willing to pay $500+ for that valuable information, even though it costs only pennies to reproduce. It's the quality that counts, not the quantity. Even if your product takes only 10 minutes to reproduce and no-cost, your customer will still pay BIG for valuable information. Notice that I say 'valuable information'. Not just any old product will sell. Forget those 'Buy 5000 reports for $30' programs. Create a BRAND NEW informational product that's guaranteed to satisfy. A 'Splat In Your Face' Example: Have you noticed the amount of Internet Marketing courses being advertised at the minute? And why do you think that is? Simply because a LOT of people want to know how to successfully sell on the Internet, and the people who can teach them that will earn a lot of money (and are doing). And this is exactly what you should be aiming to do. Create a product based on your OWN expertise and offer that advice for a fee.
Step 3 - Automation Is The Key To Success "The Secrets To Internet Marketing Success. Order NOW and you can be reading our POWERFUL marketing course within 30 seconds." What do you think of the statement above? Better still, what do you think a customer would think of the above statement? People are impatient creatures. When they want things, they want them NOW. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now. And if you can give them that information NOW, you're already half-way toward making the sale. Automation is the key to success with any online business. If you sell an information product, then why not offer an IMMEDIATE download for your customer as soon as they've ordered the product? Not only will this satisfy your customer a great deal (They get INSTANT access to the info they're eager to read) but it'll save you a lot of hassle too. Your website is a VERY powerful selling machine. If you have the right knowledge, you can automate the process of virtually every business task. For instance, once a customer fills out their payment information, you can create an online ordering system that: * Automatically verifies the customers' credit card information. Once accepted, the payment is immediately added to your account and a thank you screen is presented to your customer. * Automatically emails the customer thanking them for their order, and gives them information on how to download your online product. And you have no intervention with this process. The money that the customer spent is yours, without ANY inventory/overhead costs whatsoever. Plus your customer gets INSTANT access to your quality product. The result? You're both happy-chaps. Therefore, your product margin can be HUGE. Whether you make 1 or 101 sales per day, your costs stay the same. Making 10 sales per day with a product that you charge $49 for would make you $490 every day - with NO production costs.
Step 4 - Encourage Repeat Sales If your customer is happy with their purchase, chances are they'll buy more from you in the future. Therefore, starting your own customer announcement list is a smart and worthwhile move. If you have a database of 250 happy customers who trust you for the quality of your products, then making monthly or bi-monthly announcements to them for further quality products that you sell will likely result in a high response rate. Keep track of your customers and contact them regularly to keep tabs on their progress and to find out how your product is helping them. If you show that you care, chances are that they'll be comfortable making future purchases with you so the process of convincing needn't exist.
Step 5 - Niche Markets Are The Biggest Money Earners Niche markets are smaller, specialized fields of people looking for particular things. There seems to be a rule on the Internet that shows a definite trend toward niche markets. Quite simply, if you target specific people, you're almost guaranteed to earn more money than someone who offers general services. Think about it. If you're wanting to hire an accountant for your new travel agency, would you go to a general accounting firm or would you find an accountant that specializes in offering services to travel agents? The latter, right? So this is a positive indication of how you should target your market. Try and offer information-rich products to people with specific problems and needs. Not only does niche marketing attract more targeted, specific people, but your website and sales literature will speak to the prospect in a more personal way.
--------------------------------------------------- Looking for inspiration to create your own online products? Well if the above explanations haven't tickled your creativity, here are some specifics:
* Downloadable, Electronic Information
Books 'Earn An Extra $2500 With Their Website By Implementing 5 Little-Known, And Secretive Strategies' or 'Lose 10 lbs of Fat In 10 Days, And Pack-On Slabs of Solid Muscle' or anything else that fits into your line of expertise, then chances are there will be bunch of people who are interested in what you have to say. By offering this information as an IMMEDIATE download once the customer has paid, you: * Eliminate all production and delivery costs * Lose no money if the customer requests a refund (but of course, your product will be SO GOOD that this won't happen anyway, right?) * Have the chance to target repeat purchases Open your eyes and see the potential.
* Online Automated Services Take a look at http://GetResponse.com for an example of an automated online service. Simon, the owner, earns in excess of $100K per year offering this online service - which requires NO extra work on his part. All it takes is a good service.
Remember, electronic books and informational products require NO skill to produce. You can purchase e-book production software that turns informational products into downloadable program files. However, if you have the ability to offer software, then this is another GREAT product to sell. After all, the Internet is just purely data. Happy Marketing! Written by Lee Benson, and co-authored by Dr. Bill Nieporte - Internet Marketers.
---------------------------------------------------------- If so, then subscribe to Lee's and Dr. Bill's personal newsletters for tons of profit-building tips and real-world examples of how to turn your website into a global success. It's FREE! TO SUBSCRIBE: Blank email - mailto:subnow@cyberprosper.com
4.1 If you need search engine help ... Last issue I asked if anyone could resolve my problem in submitting to Open Directory (www.dmoz.org) - which claimed that I was already registered but conversely showed no finds when I searched for my site. I decided to ask this question also in the I-Search Discussion List. One of the readers happened to be an editor for one of the categories at Open Directory and, although it's not clear what the problem was, he has resubmitted my Url and hopefully it will soon be registered. I-Search is a great way of finding out the latest news about search engines and, obviously, getting help with your problems. To subscribe: mailto:join-i-search@list.mmgco.com
4.2 Mr SuperTips from the UK strikes ! That was the headline that greeted me when I read the latest edition of "The Five Pillar Affiliate Report" the newsletter produced by Ken Evoy of MYSS! fame. I had written to Ken pointing out a possible confusion in his previous issue when he announced the printed version of MYSS! (Make Your Site Sell) - the outstanding book on Internet marketing. If you have the electronic version and wish to purchase the print version you can get a CAD$10 discount by ordering here All other readers should go here where you can purchase either version or both (in which case you still get the discount). At this address you can also download a free preview (over 100 pages) of the book. By the way Ken's action-packed newsletter "The Five Pillar Affiliate Report" is free to all affiliates. And becoming an affiliate is also free. And you also receive a 224 page book to help you with any affiliate program. What more could you want ? Just visit this page.
4.3 A tip for Pegasus users As you know I'm a great fan of Pegasus Email software. There are so many great features in Pegasus that you can never know everything that's out there. For example, I'm not sure if they slipped this into a recent version or if it's always been present but here's a really useful option I've just come across. Similar to the recycle bin in Windows if you delete a mail message you can recover it. There are options to preserve deleted messages until the end of the session: also, better still, to retain the "deleted messages" folder between sessions. Phew ! I can now relax as I delete unwanted mail without the fear of my cursor slipping to the wrong item. Pegasus is free at http://www.pegasus.usa.com
Just up from the START button the FIND command on my PC gets a lot of use every day searching for files, folders and file content. More often than not, however, I'm already exploring a folder when I want to do a search and I would like to search only that folder and its subfolders. With the basic FIND command however you have to reposition to that folder all over again using the Browse button. Why can't you just search from the point where you are located ? Well you can - and it's a feature I've not seen documented. Just hit F3. Simple. But so useful.
5. Next Issue We're having an extra week's break here at SuperTips and our next issue will be on January 12th (2000 !). If you have any suggestions to improve this newsletter so that we can make it a great resource for all our readers please drop me a line.
Thanks,
To SUBSCRIBE to the SuperTips Ezine:Click here ARCHIVES: Click here Copyright (C) 1999 by Harvey Segal, SuperTips
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