You don’t have to be a social media expert to make money on Facebook. Some people are using Facebook in a way that’s very similar to Craig’s List. They’re listing cars for sale, apartments or homes for rent… and even little knickknacks.  If you have quite a few friends, you’d be surprised how quickly the word can get out among your network.

Many people on Facebook make the mistake of immediately trying to sell things to people they don’t actually know and overlook the “social aspect” of the site completely. If you want to make money online and intend on using Facebook as a tool for doing so, you’re going to have to take the time to be social with others! There isn’t a shortcut. Imagine meeting someone for the first time and they immediately try to sell their product or service. There are millions of websites already doing the same thing. Regardless of what you’re selling, there are already crowds of people out there with the same or similar products.

Take the time to say, “Hello” and interact with people. If they seem uninterested in doing the same, move on. Generally, people have the “what’s in it for me” approach times ten when it comes to their online activities, what they support and buy into… and what they pass on in favor of something else.

The same social skills that enable you to connect with people offline will come into play when you interact with them on Facebook. If you try too hard, people will sense it and what could have been a good opportunity will be wasted. When it comes to the photos you upload into your photo albums, consider the message you may inadvertently be sending to others. In many cases, it would be better to keep one profile for friends and family… and another for your business.

In some cases, Facebook profiles will play a large part in determining who “not to do business with” at a future point in time. Whatever you say or whatever pictures are posted in public on Facebook have come back to haunt more than just a few people!

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*(Artwork – Camaro Parking Only, By Lori Frary – www.FraryGallery.com. Art Sarasota)

When I started my first business as a young 20-something, I worked a lot of hours for very little profit. Come to think of it, there wasn’t any profit at all. Not when you total in the total amount of hours and time spent trying to “sell stuff.” In the terms of dollars and cents, there wasn’t a profit at all. The real profit, however, that didn’t become apparent until years later could ultimately summed up with one word.

Experience.

Some things you can learn from the mistakes of others. There are a lot of things you can learn from the experiences other people. Other things, however, we only seem destined to learn through our own personal experiences. I like the term, “school of hard knocks.” It implies that you’ve paid your dues in some way shape or form. That’s because when you get right down to it, there’s a price attached to everything in the way of time, money or both.
In my own experience, my own personal school of hard knocks came in the form of a direct marketing, mail order business I started at the age of 21.

Next came an office cleaning company. I guess you could call it “Hard knocks 102.”
A graphic design business followed that.

With each effort, I came away with another singular piece to a puzzle. For the longest time, however, there never seemed to be enough pieces to form any type of clear cut picture or direction. There were just enough clues to send me in a general direction.

The first phase of my business life ultimately led to the next. I call this the “blue print phrase.” Following a business “blueprint” allowed me to build my first successful publishing business. Basically, a blueprint for a business is very similar to any other type of blueprint. It shows you what goes where and how the pieces fit together.
Once you start putting everything together with your own information, however, the paint-by-numbers aspect of the process ends and the “real work” begins.

Today, I’ve found my perfect business. Does it involve work? Sure, it definitely does. It’s the kind I can usually start and stop more often than not, however, according to my schedule. I can choose for the most part, whether I do my work in the morning, afternoon or night. There have been times I’ve worked from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. Other times, I’ve worked from 10:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. in the morning. I’m more of a night person… so for me, it’s easier for me to work past midnight than it is to rise at 6:00 a.m.

It’s taken quite a few years to get to this place. Many in which I’ve worked morning, noon and night until I was so tired I practically passed out at my desk!

Every day out there in the real brick and mortar world, millions and millions of people drag themselves from the warm, warm beds, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee, and head off to their jobs as they are thinking that there has got to be an easier way to make a living.

Working from home sounds like an ideal solution to them. Many dissatisfied people quit their jobs and plunge head-first into internet marketing with no preparation, no knowledge of what they are doing. The laws of business do not change whether you’re talking about the online or offline world.

The fact is that according to many sources, more than 90% (Ninety percent) of all Internet business start-ups end in failure within the first 120 (one hundred twenty) days.

It is strange but somehow the same people who wouldn’t dream of starting a real world business, think they can make a go of an internet business even though they have no business background.

People will go into an internet business with the idea that they no longer have to get up and go to work. They think they can simply work when the feel like it and still make a good living. They simply do not expect to have to work hard or work long hours.

Internet businesses do not run completely on auto-pilot. There are many processes you can learn to automate effectively over time, but it usually doesn’t happen overnight. Most people are totally unprepared for the time investment that must be made in order for an internet business to become successful.

1. Having a solid business plan in place BEFORE you launch your online business. There is an old saying: “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”. A detailed plan mapping out the steps for getting from point A to point B should be in place. Very seldom can you “wing it” and have things turn out the way you want them to in your life. This is especially true in business. Be sure to include realistic cost estimates for accomplishing each step.

2. Expecting to work hard in order to succeed. I’m not saying you should expect the worst, but you need to be prepared for it. Don’t expect anything to be easy. You will be right most of the time because things are rarely as easy as they look. Each step toward success usually requires work, time and patience. Sometimes things don’t work out right on the first try. You have to be willing to try again and again until you do succeed.

3. Not falling for ‘get-rich-quick schemes. The Internet is filled with people who prey upon those who are looking for quick, easy ways to become rich. Those ways do not exist for most people. Going into business with a lottery mentality is no different that walking into a casino with the objective of walking out with a personal fortune. They odds are with “the house,” not you.

If you’re new to Internet Marketing and looking to get off to a fast start – contact me and ask for more information on my “Business Blogging” Program. It’s one of the most affordable ways to get off to a quick start to marketing and publicizing your local business online.

That’s it for now. Take notes… and I’ll see you next time

-Jim

I originally signed up with Facebook back in September of 2009. I wasn’t in a hurry to engage in social networking because I was already running over a dozen websites and had built quite a few mailing lists since original start back in 1997. By having existing business sites that were already established (not to mention the ones I run for others) I really didn’t see the need to spend a lot of time social networking.

Back in the 1990’s niche forums were very popular (and still are). It was through these forums that I established groups of clients, buyers and networks of business associates. At the foundation of all of this was one of the most effective methods I’ve used over the years to secure new clients, customers and contacts. The method is known as “conversation marketing.” Conversation Marketing is a phrase used to describe the art of “connecting with another through two-way dialog.”

Communication (the effective exchange of thoughts, ideas, concepts and desires) is one of the key factors that ultimately determines whether or not money exchanges hands. Questions and answers flow back and forth in an easy, free-flowing manner until a decision is reached. That decision can be anything from ordering a product or service to setting up a meeting which takes the entire process to the next level.

It was with this in mind that I decided to enter the Facebook arena back in 09’ – using Conversation Marketing method – “Facebook Style.”

If you want to use Conversation Marketing on Facebook successfully, there are certain rules you must follow.

• Know your audience: In my world, 84.5% of my audience exits within the business sector. In other words, companies and organizations are responsible for 84.5% of my company’s income. The rest come from the public sector. The public sector are the individuals who buy my digital publications and software products.

On Facebook, besides your friends and family, you are often unaware of who does what. You can be speaking to a multi-millionaire who looks like a bum and has 15 friends. As is often the case, many business owners will not spend a lot of time posting pictures and comments on Facebook because they have too many other responsibilities and projects they are “tied to.”  The busier they are, the more likely they outsource their Facebook and Twitter accounts to others to manage. I personally do the same, having others take care of the friending and following processes to one degree or another. Regardless, you can still make the connection by conversation marketing with the next person in the chain of command.

• Don’t hard-sell anything: Let’s face it, you don’t have the solutions to everyone’s problems. You can, however, meet the needs of a select group, so realize that right up front. “Stay on message” and don’t try to be everything to everyone.  If you’re a restaurant owner, don’t get caught up in political conversations. That won’t help your business and may actually hurt you in the long run. Instead, realize that you’re the person who serves the food and wine to the crowd – so let them do the arguing! Communicating with people means taking an interest in who they are and what they’re doing. Very few people actually do this on a consistent basis.

Be memorable for the right reasons.

• Make the Connection: Over the years, my business associates have also become my friends. That’s because I’ve enjoyed connecting with them and getting to know them as people. I’m not saying I send them a card on their birthday or anything like that… but I’ve established a level of trust with them and vica-versa. I have no problems asking them for their opinions on matters where my expertise ends and theirs begins.

• Modestly Promote Yourself: If you’re a star in your niche and you’ve been there for awhile, everything you say relative to your accomplishments may sound like bragging to some (especially your competition). But let’s face it; they’re the competition, they’re probably not going to like what you’re saying regardless. Unless hype is naturally built into your personality type, allowing friends and associates to promote you to others will go a long way towards securing future business through Facebook.

• Adjust and Readjust: Life is full of adjustments and readjustments. Nothing stays the same and everything changes – from the landscape outside your window to the topics that interest people at any given moment. Right now, certain topics are hot. Tomorrow, they may be as cold as a web site design from 1995. Conversation marketing will give you the “pulse” of any topic at a grassroots level in any niche you can think of. Find out what people are or are not interested in… and make your adjustments accordingly.

There is perhaps no greater skill you possibly employ within a social network like Facebook than Conversation Marketing.  Author, Ian Lurie, first coined the phrase back in 2006 in his book on the subject – but the topic itself is as old as the topic of marketing itself.

Conversation wins the masses, influences nations, starts or stops wars and generates hordes of followers, friends and customers.  Use it correctly within the Facebook forum to reap the benefits in your own life or business.

As an Internet Publicity and Publishing Consultant, I field a variety of questions each and every month. Below are just a few I’ve recently received from clients and prospective clients from around the world.

I hope you will benefit from the answers as much as the original “askers” did!

Question: Can you still make money publishing eBooks or do you think the big craze is over?

Answer: Well, I think the days of writing a “standard” ebook in crowded niche and making a lot of money are just about done for now. For instance, you can’t write a book on how to publish your own ebook and have customer’s beating a path to your door right now. If you pick a topic on which a “glut” of information already exists, you may want to consider another topic.

One possibility you may want to consider is – choosing a niche topic within the niche itself. In other words, forget generalities and go for specifics. You have to know your topic inside out in order to get the real pulse of the market and what the consumers in that market are looking for. In other words, you have to really do your homework before you get started. Preparation is imperative or else you’ll be spending your time writing about a topic people lost interest in twelve months ago.

If you have a pet subject or topic that you really want to write about, go ahead and give it a shot. Test your idea. If you have a passion for a topic, I would be the last person to try talking you out of it. That’s what I did with my publication: How to Write, Publish and Market a Self-Help Book. It was just one of those topics I had to “get off my chest.” But that’s just how I am sometimes!

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Question: Should I have a blog, a website or a combination of the two to really be successful in my niche?

Answer: First, I would tell you that success isn’t the result of having one or the other – or even a combination of the two. There are people who have every combination you just mentioned who don’t make any money at all. If you’re just starting out or are getting ready to redesign an existing site – you should consider soliciting the help of someone who knows what they’re doing. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, look into buying and formatting a template or possibly basing your design layout on one that already exists. What I’m saying is, don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

A blog is much easier to maintain than a full-blown website. If you’re going to update content regularly, you may want to seriously consider this route. You can create a sales page on your domain “outside” of your blog and then have your blog linked to the page. In other words, the blog will contain an advertisement for your product. Or, you can sell the item directly from your blog.

I personally have over 15 websites that I sell different products and services from. Half are the traditional web sites. The other half are blog-type sites built over WordPress.

Beyond the website, you have to have good sales copy. All the tools you need to do all the above is available for only $37.00 in my newly released “Guru” course (unless you’re going to go the traditional site route).

If you don’t have a product people want at the price that’s within your market’s reach – everything else will not be enough to carry your business.

You need the right product and the right offer. Then – you can build your site and/or blog around that.

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Question: When first starting out, whose “system” did you use? Also, are the changes you’ve made over time been the result of your own testing or ideas you’ve picked up from others?

Answer: I’ve never followed someone’s system – point by point. I have adopted and used principles learned from a variety of courses, however, with good success. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from following a paint by numbers system, though, if they’re just getting started. It will certainly save you time and prompt you to take action.

Another thing to consider is the fact that no two businesses are exactly alike. Each faces its own unique set of circumstances and challenges and has to react accordingly.

Over time, I’ve made changes and adjustments based upon my own testing and ideas shared with others. I’ve personally found that listening to my own instincts has worked the best in most situations. If I had to break it down by percentages, I’d say it would be about 80/20. Eighty percent of the changes I’ve made have been the result of my own testing. About twenty percent have come from the ideas I’ve implemented from others.

Remember, the Internet and the economies are always in a state of constant flux. By the time you read about Webinars being successful in your niche, they may already be “dying out.” That’s why I would recommend trying a few methods out and see what type of return they bring. Then, you can build your own system from there.

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Question: What is the cheapest and fastest way to make money online?

Answer: If I needed to make money in a hurry and I was just starting out, I’d probably join an affiliate program of some kind. To me, the Internet is about building a business – not making a fast buck. Basically, making a fast buck is a losing proposition for most people. Making “fast money” has led many a poor chump to ruin throughout history and it’s no different today.

If paying next month’s rent is the goal and you’re just starting out, you may want to consider some “offline” options, too!

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Question: How aggressive should you be when it comes to email marketing? Do you send out a lot of offers or a limited amount per month?

Answer: It all depends upon the tone of your email messages. The hard-sell turns a lot of people off these days. If people are unsubscribing from your list, you know some adjustments need to be made. All things being equal, people will always subscribe and unsubscribe from mailing lists. That’s just the nature of the beast.

In my own case, there are certain emails I look forward to reading every time they show up in my inbox. In most cases, these individuals or companies share solid to semi-solid information on a regular basis. Let’s face it, people are in business because they have families to feed and bills to pay. But like the old saying goes, you have to give in order to put yourself in a position to receive.

So make sure you follow this principle with your email marketing methods.

Minimally, you should be in contact with people at least once a month. Anything less and they’ll probably forget who you are and why they signed up for your list to begin with.

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Question: How effective is social media like Facebook and Twitter. I heard that very few people are actually converting friends and followers into paying customers. Do you have any information on the subject or test results?

Answer: Social media is has taken the world by storm. After the dust settles, some people have their fill with it and move back to traditional email and cell phone communication. I’ve talked to people who’ve deleted their Facebook accounts because it became too “time consuming.”

Others didn’t exactly relish the proposition of being in contact with people from the past on an ongoing basis. It’s funny because it reminds me of the subject of fame. Actors and Actresses strive to be noticed wherever they go. Then, once they have their fill, they to the opposite because they miss having their privacy.

Social networking can be like that and is for a growing number of people. As a business person, social networking can put you in contact with people in your hometown as well as others from around the world.

As far as putting you in contact with potential clients, I think it’s great. But realize this, converting Facebook and Twitter friends and followers into buyers isn’t any easier because you’re communicating with them on these social networks. In fact, people on these networks are inundated with advertisements all the time. It may actually be harder to convert them there!

Just like everything else, there isn’t any “magic” in the tool itself. It all depends upon how you use it.

If you’re serious about finding what works for you – personally, in your online business… there are a few things you have to think about and realize first.

First, you have to find the right audience for your product. All traffic is not created equal and you want to make sure a better percentage of the traffic coming to your site are the people who are genuinely interested in your kind of product or services. Think about it from the other side of the spectrum. How many websites have you been to once that you’ve never revisited again? A lot, right? How many websites have you visited more than 5 times? Only the ones you were really interested it. Now think about this as a business owner or website owner. What can you do to attract the people who want what you have?

How can you get these same people to return to your site on a regular or semi-regular basis? Now, switch positions again and become a web “surfer” in your thinking. What do the sites that you visit regularly or semi-regularly do or have that makes you return? Now, you’re starting to think like someone who can be successful with their Internet marketing efforts.

Now, let’s move on a little further. If you’re in the food industry (for example), invest a little time visiting cooking and fine dining forums. If you’re going to be involved in social network sites such as Facebook, make sure you join the groups that reflect your niche. Hey, it’s great to talk to and meet new people… but don’t lose sight of your marketing goals.

When I started www.TheBoxingMagazine.com, I was already a member of boxing forums throughout the Internet. Getting traffic was a breeze. Within 8-months, the traffic had quadrupled. Now, it’s true that I did use a few insider marketing tricks here and there, but that didn’t build the foundation of the site. My previously existing connections through the forums did.

Back in 1998 I published a lot of little eBook publications. Once again, I used the same blueprint of visiting and participating in marketing forums. Within a year, I had a targeted list of people who were INTERESTED in just about everything I published.

Was it easy? Well, yes and no. I did spend about an hour or two a day in those forums. It didn’t seem like work because I was talking to people who shared the same interests as me. When you hate doing something, maybe you need to consider another line of work. No matter what you do, there will always be certain elements you may not exactly care for. But that goes for anything in life.

When I had pets, I hated walking them in the rain and bad weather. I hated cleaning up after them. But I loved them because they were nice animals who were always happy to see me – unless there was a rolled up newspaper in my hand.

Pricing Your Products

You should always have at least two price-points for your products and services. Lower priced products and services can be used to bring people to the table. Once they’re there, if they “like what you’re serving,” they’ll be more apt to spend the money on the higher priced products.

Selling strictly cheap stuff isn’t going to pay for much of anything for you. A simple example is Pizza. My friend who is an accountant in Jersey once told me, “Jim, I have a few clients who own pizza joints… and you know what? You’ve gotta sell a lot of pizza to make any money.”

There’s nothing worse than working hard and having nothing to show for it. That’s the whole purpose of being in business for yourself – so you can avoid that scenario altogether!

On the other hand, if people are not familiar with what you have to offer, they may not be willing to part with hundreds or thousands of dollars without “testing the waters” first.

Putting A FACE to Your Business

Sooner or later, everyone needs to add a little “Personality” to their business. I don’t care if it’s online or offline. Personality sells. That’s where the old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” comes from. If people like you, they’ll do business with you. It can be your personal style… or perhaps you’re entertaining in some way.

It could be something as simple as making people laugh and having them enjoy your company. All of this puts “a face” to your business. Colonel Harland Sanders became the face of his Kentucky Fried Chicken business. Dave Thomas became the face of Wendy’s. Donald Trump doesn’t even own or run most of his old companies anymore, but the board keeps him on because he (his personality) connects with the general public. The list can go on and on in this area. Big or small, you can still come across as personal in all of your marketing, publicity and promotion efforts. I remember the original Arthur Perdue. He was so bland and dry; he made people laugh without trying when he was on TV talking about his chicken. When you ate Arthur’s chicken, you weren’t just eating any chicken, you were eating a well-fed, Perdue chicken!

I’ve worked with many different business types over the years and have found that – no matter what the business or what the niche; the simplest marketing plans seem to work the best. The less moving parts, the better.

Trial and error are a part of just about everything we do in life. To some extent, the same holds true with business. It’s true that we’re in the midst of trying times, financially speaking as both a nation… and as a world. People are still spending money; they’re just spending less of it which brings me to the last point…

Creating Value

I have a webmaster program that includes SEO marketing, webhosting, email marketing and some other “goodies” thrown in there that starts at $60 a month. It’s one of my best-selling services because it provides a total solution for my clients.

First, they don’t have to pay someone to be a webmaster on their books. They get an hour’s worth of free updates each month. Then, they get a mass mailing system that’s included with their site. They also get a press release sending service (for publicity throughout the state of Florida – or the rest of the USA if they need it). On top of it all, I’m their resident consultant that they can call, talk to and bounce ideas off of.

In your business, you have to know what people want before you can provide it for them. You have to make adjustments. People are willing to pay for products and services that are problem solvers. When they can clearly see the benefits that come from doing business with your company, that’s the blueprint for Internet success. Obvious you can see them, because you know and are acutely aware of the finer details of what you have to offer. The question is – is everyone else seeing what you’re seeing?

If not, then you must continue to change and adjust until they do!

Getting traffic to your website isn’t as difficult as some people think. Once they’re there, if they’re not buying, you modify your sales copy and offers until they do. That’s internet marketing made as simple as possible. In most cases, I stick with subjects I already know about in the areas I’m already involved with. This makes the whole process much easier.

For example, back in 1978, I bought a boxing game called “Title Bout Boxing.” It was a board game that used cards and charts to determine what type of action was happening in the ring. The game came with modern and all-time great fighter cards and ratings. Eventually, a computerized version of the game was created. When that happened, the creators of the game designed their own website which included a forum where fans of the game could meet and discuss the game and professional boxing in general.

I joined the discussion and found fans of the game from around the world, many of them who’d been playing the game for as long as I had.

It wasn’t long before I had a new group of online buddies. It was then that I realized an opportunity existed to create a boxing website around the “dream fight” concept that made the game so popular. The rest was history. My online boxing magazine was born with a built-in readership – practically existing from day one.

Whatever your interests are, if you’ve been online for awhile, you probably already frequent an online community or two where people share a common theme or interest. These communities are great places to make new acquaintances and get a real feel for the types of products, services or even the types of entertainment people are looking for. From there, you can build a site around that particular idea or subject.

How do you make money with such a site? You can sell products or services from the site – directly, or even – indirectly. For instance, if your “real” business has nothing to do with the site you’ve created, you can use the site as a base to advertise you other products and services.

Believe it or not, I have ads on some of my websites that have absolutely nothing to do with the site’s theme or topic and they work great! My father was the one who gave me that idea. One day, he said, “Why don’t you put an ad for the one site on the other?” I told him that didn’t make sense because the subject matter was so different – it just wouldn’t work. A year later I figured – it couldn’t hurt. The decision resulted in instant sales!

The moral of the story is – you’ll never know until you try!

If you’re just starting out with a new web site idea for your business in 2010, the choices you face are about 50-times what they were 10 to 15 years ago. It sort of reminds of the 1970’s. If someone asked what kind of ice cream you’d like to have, they meant – would you like chocolate, vanilla or strawberry? Back then, that was about it!

By the time the 80’s arrived, there were about a zillion different flavors available. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry were considered “boring” flavors by most people! Same thing was true of the toppings. Whipped cream, chocolate and fudge were the original standards. Ice cream sure has come a long way! So have a lot of other things.

When it comes to Internet Marketing, your business is faced with so many “flavors” or marketing methods to choose from, it can be tempting to try a little of everything, especially if you’re just getting started with a new site or project. Starting out with a blog-based site can be a decent idea, IF you’re going to update it regularly. By regularly I mean – at least once a month. If you’re going to update it every six months or longer, (or can’t stick with it beyond the first 2-3 months) forget about having a regular readership.

Blogging can be used as a plug and play type of system – great for some companies, not so great for others.

Many companies new to Internet marketing and publicity decide to go all out when starting a new site because they don’t want to leave any of the hottest trends out of the mix. They want to have a large Facebook following, a large Twitter following, loads of information on their site, etc. Even if they have enough staff to dedicate towards accomplishing this, they usually (9 times out of 10) leave out the most important element in the entire process.  A real marketing plan.

At the end of the day, marketing is about making money for your company – not anything else. Successful marketing plans boost the bottom line. Build it and they will come? In some cases that actually can happen, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to spend a dime once they get there!

Successful marketing is, at its very core, an enticement. It’s an enticement to try… and buy.

Upper-scale restaurants, such as Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, use this method to perfection. Everything from the colors on the wall, to the font style used in their menu is designed as an enticement to experience the pleasures of fine dining.

When people hear the word, “entice,” they usually think of something sexual in nature because our society has used sexual allure as part of the attention getting process for years.

No, enticement goes beyond the obvious to the not-so-obvious.

Disney World and theme parks in general are designed to entice children and the younger crowd with a variety of sights, sounds and even – scents, to enter into an overall experience in which the sum is greater than the parts. Parents, not wanting to disappoint their children, part with their money accordingly.

A successful enticement elicits the intended response. For example, it could suggest ease where there would normally be – effort. It offers enjoyment instead of boredom.  Style for blandness.  Recognition over obscurity. Wellness over weakness. Success over failure. The list can go on and on.

Internet marketing and publicity encompasses everything from the color combinations, to the type fonts… the social media to the ezines, the brochures to the video – all these things need to harmonize to create the overall enticement to – TRY & BUY.

One of my clients sells a product called the “Forearm Forklift.” The product is designed to help to people move heavy, awkward objects without injuring themselves. It’s a great concept and the enticement – suggesting ease over strenuousness lifting is clear and well-defined.

Some enticements are more obvious than others. Years ago there was an expensive information type of product on the market by an older marketing veteran that was basically “copycatted” by a younger upstart who was just getting into the business. The older man was very vocal about it, saying the younger guy was just parroting what he said and had no real world experience. I took a look at the younger guy’s website. Sure enough, the wording and sales copy were very similar. The price, however, was drastically different.  How much different? Basically the newbie was selling his product for $19.95 while the original was around $197.00.

Would you believe I bought the $19.95 product? My thinking was, I had no intention on buying the more expensive product to begin with… but the idea of getting such “expensive” information so cheaply was a strong enticement. And the fact that the older fellow was so mad told me the information had to be very similar. The younger marketer didn’t plagiarize the product; he just created a similar version with the same facts – using his own words.

It was actually pretty good, too. Had the older marketing veteran not said anything, the enticement to check out the younger guy’s product would have been non-existent. After all, the site was definitely a “poor-man’s version” of the original. Sort of like buying an off-brand soap or brillo pad from a dollar store. Sometimes curiosity kills the cat, other times – it gets the cat a pretty good deal!

Enticement coupled with intrigue is a powerful magnet whose pull is… practically inescapable. It’s the element that can give more strength to a whisper than it does to a shout.

This principle can be applied to any and every type of product and service you can think of. Some people use this principle unconsciously as they mimic and copy other ads and techniques they see around them.

Believe me; you’ll know when you’re doing it right. The results will speak for themselves.

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JimGaliano.com
Internet Marketing, Publishing & Publicity Consultant

Over the past year I’ve noticed certain businesses within my home state of Florida who’ve continued to grow and thrive – in spite of a poor overall economy. On the other hand, many others who share the exact same niche have either closed their doors completely or seem to be barely hanging on.  Are the successful businesses doing things differently from the others? They definitely are. It only becomes more apparent in the face of a recession.

Obviously, there’s not a one-size-fits-all fix for every business type.  The auto industry and the housing market are good examples of how some industries will naturally be hit much harder than others.

There are plenty of businesses, however, who can benefit from the piece of advice I’m about to share with you. It’s the same “golden nugget” that was shared with me by a Multi-Millionaire Investor who imparted it to me while sitting at his kitchen table (of all places), talking about his latest business venture.

For me, it was nothing short of a revelation that wound up transforming my own marketing methods from that point forward. It continues to work – to this very day. In fact, it’s working better today than it ever has before. Hopefully, you’re awake enough to catch this as you’re reading this. If the bell goes off, you’ve got it. If not, well, let’s just say – I tried!

One day, we were having a snack together, talking about business and he said, “I don’t buy products or services.  Try selling me products and services and up goes my buying resistance.  I buy value. Approach me with ‘value’ and you’ll get my attention. If I can see or calculate the value of what you’re talking about… or see it clearly in my mind, I don’t mind paying a higher price. If I don’t immediately see the value, I don’t even want to part with $5.00.”

Did you understand what he said?

Let me fill in one of the blanks.  You have to know the people who’ll potentially be spending their money with you and understand what they’re looking for before you’ll be able to provide them with what they’re looking for. Perception is everything. If they can’t see value, they’ll move on and spend their money somewhere else.

Understanding this will make can have a huge impact upon your business…  and ultimately, how much money you make. For me, it was a lesson to last a lifetime.  A glass of water may have a fixed value in the city, but bring that same amount of water to a desert and suddenly its value begins to soar.

More than ever, people are measuring the value of the products and services they’re considering buying before parting with their hard-earned money.  They’re spending less on entertainment and are spending more and more time at home.  The birth of the $1.00 video machines (Rebox, Blockbuster) and services such as Netflix (which provides convenient “movies in the mail” without late fees attached) has brought video stores to the brink of extinction. The days of Blockbuster stores charging almost $6.00 for a one-night rental are gone. In fact, it seems as through Blockbuster stores in general are just about gone.

The video rental model is just one of many examples of perceived value and how to sell products and services during a recession.

People still buy things “they can’t afford,” they’re just doing it more moderately. People want entertainment. In many ways, they need it.  They just want it in a more affordable form because the value they’ve placed on paying a premium amount for “entertainment” has greatly diminished.

How about your business? In the eyes of your clients, what type of value do your products and services provide? It’s not so much your own perception; it’s what your customers or clients believe that matters in the end.  You may think you have the best products in your market, but unless your clients feel the same, you’ll bottom line will reflect their beliefs – not yours.

It’s not a matter of providing the cheapest products as some inexperienced or new business people might believe. It’s a matter of creating the proper “perceived value” with what you’re offering. In marketing, perception is everything. If people believe something, to them it’s true – even if (in reality) it isn’t. And they act accordingly. If you have the best product and service on the market, but people believe that a competitor’s is better, they’ll respond accordingly.

How do you change people’s perception of what you’re selling? You start by changing the way you’re marketing.

For years, “Better Ingredients, Better Pizza” propelled Papa John’s to the head of the ultra-competitive “Pizza-pack.”

How much better where the ingredients?  That’s anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain, you DID pay a little bit more for a Papa John’s pizza. Now, all that’s changed.

Dominos Pizza is successfully changing their image with their “totally new recipe” pizza that has allegedly been reengineered from the ground up. They have struck back with a vengeance and are generating winner numbers both with their customers and the company stock.

With your own business, you may find yourself in a similar position – having the change your product’s “ingredients.” Or, possibly a few tweaks here and there to the company “menu?”

As you can see by these examples, times change, buying habits change, the competition changes, etc. Sometimes, though, all it takes is a few small adjustments and you can turn everything around and be back in business again. In Domino’s case, their pizzas are still made out of dough, cheese and sauce.  Right? Same ingredients – just put together via a different recipe.

As a consultant, I meet people all the time who are in the right business – using the wrong recipe. They make enough sales to pay some bills, but not enough to really thrive in their niche. Whether you develop this marketing method on your own, or with the help of someone like myself, learning how to create value in the eyes of your customers may very well be the best piece of “crossroads marketing advice” you’ll ever receive.

Some people are “into Golf.”  Others are “into computers.”  Everyone’s into something, right?  It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t have an above average interest with a particular subject, hobby or pastime.  Some call this a “passion.”  Passion may be too strong a word for others, though.  Especially today.  That’s because the average person has so many demands upon their time, day-in and day-out, they don’t usually set aside time to pursue the things they’d really like to be pursuing.

If you ask the average person what their passion is, they’ll probably just stare at you with a dumbfounded look upon their face for a moment or two.  Ask them what their interests are or what type of things they’re “into to,” though, and you’ll start getting some feedback.

Why am I bringing this up? Because the Internet may be the easiest place there is to actually make money pursuing something you enjoy or love being involved with.  In other words, you can make money by doing something you’re “into to!” For some, it’s a concept they’ve abandoned long ago.

Finding the bridge between what you’re currently doing and what you’d like to be doing may not be as hard as you think. Whatever your interests are, the easiest way to start online and create your first website is by creating a blog.  The movie “Julie and Julia” is a true story about a young woman who began writing a blog about Julia Child’s infamous cookbook.  She set out to make every recipe in the book within a year.  She used a blog to record her journey and was catapulted to fame as a result. The movie that followed was based on her story.

She became famous as made and recorded the results of every one of Julia Child’s recipes in 365-days. The blog remains as a testament to her journey. Here’s the link if you’d like to see how simple her idea was: http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/

Julie’s secret was in pursuing a topic that she loved at night, while toiling away at her other job by day. There is no reason you can’t do the same, is there?

Whatever your interests, a blog can be created to –

1. Attract other people across the world with the same interests.
2. Sell products or services based upon those interests.
3. Draw enough traffic to the site and sell advertising space to advertisers.

You can set up the Blog yourself or have partners join you.

I took the Blogging concept a step further by creating what I call – “Online Magazines.”  With multiple writers contributing articles, it’s very easy for me to maintain.  One of my favorite creations is – www.TheBoxingMagazine.com.  This site is actually a WordPress Blogging script with a nice, updated design.

Designs or templates can be purchased very inexpensively.  Just look up “WordPress Templates” on Google or Yahoo and you’ll find all sorts of interesting designs.  Some free, some not.

The important thing about pursuing a topic or area you’re “really into” is the fact that you’ll be updating your site, writing articles, marketing the site – after-hours.  That means, instead of watching TV until you fall asleep, your site will take the place of your television time.

Getting traffic to come to your site won’t be nearly as difficult if you pick a topic you thoroughly enjoy and have been into for most of your adult life.  That’s because you’ll already be familiar with the groups and social sites where other like-minded people congregate.  In my case, I was already visiting boxing discussion forums and had made many friends in that niche over the years.  Once my site was complete, I announced it at the boards I frequented. I also began spending time at Yahoo Answers (do a search on Yahoo Answers if you’re not familiar with the service).

Yahoo Answers is comprised of groups of people who ask and answer questions on every topic under the sun.  In my case, I went to the sports section… then, to the boxing sub-category.  I put the link to my site under each of my postings and just like that – even more traffic.  People asked questions about the sport of boxing and different fighters from the past and I gave my own answers.

Now, here’s the big difference between doing something you love and doing something – just for the money, or because you “have to.” Had I been doing everything I mentioned above – working with a topic I wasn’t really into, I wouldn’t have been able to put half the energy into the site that I did.  Do you see how that works?

That’s the problem I see with people in MLM.  They don’t love their products.  They love the potential the compensation plan has.  In the end, that’s not enough for most people.  Why, after spending all day long at a day-job you despise, would you want to invest the rest of your free time doing something your heart isn’t really into?  The desire to make money just isn’t enough.

When you’re into something, that’s where you’ll really shine.

Let’s face it, everyone wants to make money.  The Internet is filled with Get-Rich-Quick gimmicks that are here one moment and gone the next.  That’s because marketing professionals figured out long ago that “fast money” appeals to the masses.  And like a pyramid, most of the people are sweating on the bottom to make the few at the top – rich.

If you’re really serious about making money online, starting out part-time, you need to be involved with a topic you really enjoy talking about and being involved with. If not, you’ll burn out “chasing a buck” with all these ridiculous programs out there.

This also works if you bring a friend or two on-board.

A few friends approached me last spring with an idea they had.  One has a cooking spot on Channel-7 everyday at noon.  The other has been an editor and magazine writer for years.  They wanted to create a different kind of cooking site.  We brainstormed together.  I’m the Internet Marketing Consultant, so my job was to make the project “flesh itself out” online and create a marketing plan.  The result was www.FlavorsandMore.com.

I used the same methods I teach to others.

Within 2 months I became involved in 3 online magazines (blog sites).

When you’re enthusiastic about a subject or project, it shines through everything you do.  There’s a sense of excitement that will otherwise be absent. That’s what you need! Imagine turning a hobby into a business?  Can you picture what it would be like to watch your site grow and develop from one month to the next?  Before I did this full-time, I’d be thinking during the day about my business and what I would do when I got home that night.

I remember my first sales and how exciting that was.  I remember watching as 20 page views in 30 days grew to 10,000 page views.  The “You’ve Received Money” messages started coming in from PayPal. It felt great to be selling my own products and services instead of someone else’s.

Finally, I had learned so much; other people started paying me to help them, too.  And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since – consulting for others and creating my own products and services.

Has it been easy?  Not at all! But most of it was my own fault.  I had learn everything myself.  Those of us who were the original online marketers and business owners from the mid-90’s didn’t have any “how-to” books to read back then.  The courses had yet to be written.  Most of the courses available today aren’t worth the megabytes they’re written on. That’s because many unscrupulous marketers take advantage of people’s desperation to make money during tough economic times.

In my own situation, I made everything too complicated. Instead of following a simple plan and staying with it, I unwittingly took the complex route. Instead of focusing on a few sites that made dollars, I created a whole bunch of sites that made dimes.

It took a little while to figure out what I was doing wrong, but it finally clicked. I’m just like you. Stubborn.

Everyone has their own unique path and focus.  And as maddening as it can be finding it, that’s the beauty of it, too. No one can tell you what’s right for you – because you have a setting deep down on the inside that tells you whether you’re on the right road or not. Some people are heading in the general direction but they need to refine things a bit.

If you point your car towards Florida and go, you’ll get there (all things being equal). But without the specifics, who knows exactly where you’ll end up?  Maybe the east coast, maybe the west?

Hey, please understand, you may be perfectly happy where you are, doing what you’re doing.  If you are, that’s great. If not, why not take a step of faith in a direction you’re better suited for? At worst, nothing changes.  At best… anything is possible.

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If this article has helped you, let me know.

I’d love to hear from you.

Feel free to post your comments or send me an email.

The concept of setting goals is, surprisingly enough, only about 100-years old.  This fact really surprises some people.  The term “goal-setting” became part of the American vernacular with the advent of sports into the American culture as the 20^th century got under way.  If you read the writings of self-help authors of the 1890’s and earlier, you won’t find any mention of the “goal-setting” at all.

Rather than debate the semantics surrounding this topic, let’s take a closer look at what it would take to accomplish something meaningful in your life. More precisely, what it takes to accomplish something meaningful in your own life over the next twelve months.

Although many analogies can be drawn from sporting events to illustrate the tests, trials and challenges of life, upon closer examination… you’ll find that life itself is really nothing like a sporting event at all.

In the real world there aren’t any off seasons, next seasons or starting over with game one.  It’s one continuing story.  Life doesn’t afford us timeouts or halftimes.  If you collapse in a heap along the sidelines, life just keeps on moving forward with the “ball” continuously in play, regardless.  Friends and loved ones have to pick you up off the floor because no one’s going to blow a whistle and stop the action, right?

In spite of all the uncertainties that go with life, people have risen up throughout the ages and have accomplished great things.  The majority are people who never attended a seminar or read a self-help book in their entire lives.  Some were educated, some weren’t.  People, educated and uneducated alike, have accomplished great things without using the goal setting processes that are so popular today.

People like Edison and Ford accomplished what they did without reading, “The Secret” or the book the secret was based upon “The Science of Getting Rich.” They did so without self-help books, life coaches, gurus and any of the other popular ideas people have today about achieving success in their business and in their lives.

How’d they do it?  What was their formula?

1. The decided what they wanted to accomplish.
2. They rearranged their priorities so they could focus their time and energy to accomplishing what they’d set out to do.
3. They had enough faith to take a step in that direction.

When you’re committed to the road that lies before you, your priorities change and your unconscious actions work with you instead of against you as you proceed along your path.

The problem is, most people never make a decision to take a specific course of action.  As a result, their priorities never really change.  And finally, as a result of the first two, they never commit 100% to a single course of action.  Many believe they’re keeping “their options open” by taking this approach, but more often than not – they’re simply sabotaging their own success without realizing it.

This was one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever learned in my lifetime.  It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you’re willing to change your priorities so they begin the mirror the things you’re saying you’d like to accomplish.  There was a time in my life that – when the going got tough, I’d just roll over and take a nap while trying to think positive thoughts.  Funny, but true!  And guess what?  Not much ever seemed to change.  Finally, it hit me.  I was investing my energy into so many different directions; I was going nowhere – fast!

Whether you’re trying to do a 180-degree turnaround in your life, or just trying to change one aspect of it, the principles work exactly the same.

1. Decide what you want to accomplish.
2. Make a commitment to sacrifice as many unimportant things as you need to in order to make progress – every single day for as long as necessary.
3. Take a step in faith in that direction.

Accomplishing anything worthwhile takes work.  And sometimes, the work is hard! There’s a price to pay to build a business.  There’s a price to pay to get into shape or lose weight.  There’s a price to pay to learn a new trade or skill.  Conversely, there’s a price to pay to sit back and do nothing, too.  And sometimes, you don’t realize you’ve been paying it until years later.

A New Year has begun.  What is it that you would like to accomplish in your business or personal life? Doing something because someone else thinks you should isn’t good enough.  You have to want this for yourself.  Then, decide what you’re going to sacrifice in order to daily progress.  That’s it in the nutshell.

Those are the basic principles I’ve used to grow a variety of online businesses and services since 1998.

If you decide to use these simple principles for yourself, send me an email and let me know.  I’d love to hear from you.

That’s all for now.  Here’s to new beginnings wherever you need them, and may 2010 be the year you’ll remember as the time your life truly changed for the better!