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November 30, 2005
A Powerful Home Business Career Tip
Today, a cherished dreams is coming true. For at least two years I have wanted my own weight machine, or as they're known today, a Home Gym. That yearning has grown and today it's being delivered. Here is my new treasure, the Hoist V-3:
Why is this a home business career tip? In fact, what is this topic doing in a home business blog at all?
Simply this: the healthier you are, the better you feel, the more energy you have, the more successful your home business will be.
There are four 'parts' or facets to a human being: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Of course, these four faces are really all one and each affects each other, but there is no way to talk about this subject without this artificial division.
At every moment of our lives we are either expanding or contracting, growing or withering, evolving or devolving and this definitely applied to our four parts. For quite some time I have been satisfied that I am evolving spiritually and emotionally. I keep my mind active, but can see that it could be sharper and clearer if it weren't for my weakest area: my physical development. Due to some of my eating habits and less exercise than I need, I am sometimes mentally foggy, dull, lethargic. And my physical embodiment has definitely gotten weaker over the last decade.
The truth is that my business - and my life in every area - suffers from physical decline and my home business career will definitely skyrocket when I am more physically fit.
Hence, my new Hoist V-3.
So, don't make the error I have made and allow yourself to decline either physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, and expect a fantastic home business career. It will always be less than you want. The good news is: it's never too late! So stay tuned for future developments!
My prediction: as I improve physically, so will my home business.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:24 PM | TrackBack
November 28, 2005
The Sad Truth About Online Thieves
One of the dark sides of the Force - that is, information marketing - is that thieves sadly do abound. There are a lot of losers out there who buy products with every intention of refunding, before they even buy. Obviously I have no problem with honest folks whose needs simply aren't met by something I've done. I'm talking about the thieves who refund minutes after ordering or act in other obvious ways.
Does it annoy me? Yes, although I've learned to let it go. A column by author Charles Burke has given me another insight, though. He calls them "impoverished in spirit" and he's absolutely right. Take it away, Charles ...
- - -
It happens fairly often. About one customer in 50 steals from me.
But I'm not alone. Virtually every person I know who sells information products says they have the same experience.
No matter how good your product, no matter how much value you pile on, about two percent of your customers will order your product, download it, then immediately request a refund. And usually there's only a delay of a few minutes between download and refund demand.
"Sorry this isn't what I expected."
"I didn't find anything new in your book."
"I was curious, but it didn't meet my expectations."
"It wasn't worth the money."
And my all-time favorite:
"Give me a refund, then eat **** and die."
I think of them as "professional refunders." But some of my friends aren't that polite -- thieves they call 'em.
Now I'm not talking about the occasional person who reads a book thoughtfully and truly does find it lacking. This happens; nobody's writing style is a perfect fit for every reader, not even mine. But these cases account for only about half my refunds, and most other info marketers find the proportion is about the same.
Do I resent these thieves? I used to. When I first began selling online, the first few refunds were a slap in the face to me.
Now, however, I just feel sorry for these people. They're so poor, so utterly impoverished in spirit, that they have to resort to stealing just to try and keep up with the world around them.
They're telling the entire world: "I'm such I loser that I can't compete on fair terms. I need an edge. I have to take unfair advantage just to try and stay even with others. Without cheating, I'd have no hope at all. I'm pitiful."
So what's my point here? It's about cutting corners.
That's what my "professional refunders" -- my thieves -- are doing. They're just cutting corners. And to them it's nothing more than a slick little shortcut. An edge.
"After all, it doesn't hurt anybody. Those guys in business, have plenty of money, so it's okay if I lift a bit of value for nothing. That's why they offer guarantees -- I say I'm not satisfied, and I get my money back. That's the way the game is played."
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 10:30 AM | TrackBack
November 25, 2005
IVR Technology And How To Bypass It
Ever want to chew nails with your teeth when you get on the phone with a big company, trying to talk to a real, live human being - and being shuffled through endless numbers:
* For English, press 1. For Spanish, press 2.
* To find out your balance, press 1. To pay a bill over the phone, press 2. To curse the company in a loud voice, press 3.
* Etc., etc., etc.
Those annoying number-messages are known as "IVR", orr Interactive Voice Response. And one enterprising netizen has put together the IVR Cheat Sheet to let us bypass all the damned numbers and get to a human. Very useful and worth a contribution from any of us. Thanks, Paul English!
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:30 AM | TrackBack
November 24, 2005
Gratitude Quotes & The Law Of Abundance
Thanksgiving Day is my favorite holiday of the year. There's no stress or strain (except for those prepaing the feast - not me, thank heavens! What are restaurants for, anyway? :-) and it doesn't cost a lot of money. The main reason that I like Thanksgiving, though, is that it focuses on gratitude. If you are reading this, it's because you are rich enough to have a computer, which puts you at the top of the economic ladder in the world. We have SO much to be grateful for!
Here's the thing about gratitude: the more we are aware of our many blessings, the more blessings will come to us. It's the way the Universe works. It's called the Law Of Abundance, and it simply means that what we focus on expands. Can I prove this to you? No, but you can prove it to yourself. Go on a 90 day Gratitude Diet and see what happens.
How do you do a Gratitude Diet, anyway? It's easy ...
1. Simply choose a set number of times a day that you will focus on what you have, on what you appreciate in your life. Choose 10. 2 & 4, like the famous Dr. Pepper ad. Or you can choose to write 10 things you're grateful for at the end of the day. Or whatever works for you. The timing doesn't matter in the least - the point is to focus on gratitude as frequently and often as possible.
2. During the day when you get grumpy, irritated, mad at the kids or your significant other, cursing in traffic or whatever, just take a 'gratitude break'. Gently pull your attention away from your grievance and remember one of your many blessings. Can't do it you say? Sure you can and here's an example:
My ex husband was a semi-finalist in 'The Most Unahppy Man In The World' contest. Well, OK, there's no such thing but he was a champion at insisting that he could only be happy when his life was absolutely perfect. No problems, everything exactly the way he wanted it. [That happened to me once. It was 4:31 PM in June of 1999. Didn't last out the afternoon, though.}. One day he was complaining about having to go to the grocery store to pick up an overlooked item and I tartly reminded him that Christopher Reeves would love to get in the car and drive to the grocery store!
I received a sour look in reply, but my observation made a big impression on me. There's always something to be grateful for, in the very worst of situations. Victor Frankl found joy in a German concentration camp. Alexander Solzhenitsyn's famous One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is about a prisoner in a Soviet gulag who has cause for gratitude in a freezing prison camp. If they can find a reason for gratitutde in the most extreme conditions on earth, how can we do less?
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
- - -
'If the only prayer you ever said was 'Thank You', that would be enough'
Meister Eckhart
- - -
'Appreciate anything - even if it seems silly. Look around you for something to appreciate. Look at a lamp and appreciate Thomas Edison. Look at the carpet and be glad it's not cement. Look at a chair and be happy you don't have to sit on the floor all the time. Appreciate yourself for trying to appreciate. Anything can be appreciated.'
Doc Lew Childre
- - -
'Being grateful. That's the first step to the path of Joy.'
Sarah Ban Breathnach
- - -
'The Word 'appreciation' means to be thankful and express admiration, approval or gratitude. It also means to grow or appreciate in value. As you appreciate life, you become more valuable - both to yourself and others.'
Sara Paddison
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 10:16 AM | TrackBack
November 22, 2005
How NOT To Sell On eBay (Or Anywhere Else): Part 2
Yesterday, I picked a choice example of an eBay seller who knows 'How NOT To Sell On eBay (Or Anywhere Else)'. Today, I received another fascinating example and since it was addressed to me personally, I decided to reproduce it here and be even more forceful about why these two people aren't succeeding:
- - -
Hello Sydney,
I can't afford any investment in more marketing programs right now. I could use some promotion for the ones I have a lot of time a fair amount of money invested already.
I also haven't been able to produce with eBay!
Please visit my links: (3 URLs here)
Also, if you'd really like to help, please encourage others to visit my sites as well. I haven't been able to make a dime on the Internet yet. I also am having great difficulty finding a job as well; this is no money from anywhere!
I have child support to pay and if I go much longer without paying, I'm looking at 1-3 years in prison for non-payment. Yes, debtors prison is still alive and very well here in Northern Michigan.
So, I'm asking you to please help me in this way and I won't have any problem with rewarding you handsomely!
- - -
There are so, so many problems here that it's hard to even know where to start. I did check out one of his URLs, though, and it says to 'click here to enter the site' which I did - and nothing happened. Nothing at all. How does this guy think he will make money with that?
This writer is completely focused on himself, rather than his customer. Clearly, he cares nothing for anyone else. He basically insults me by saying, "I have spent all my money with other people, and now that I have nothing left, I expect you to help me for free'. He has no respect for my time or my business - yet he wants me to 'save' him. He says nothing about why I should send people to his site, or what they might expect to gain from going there. It's all about me, me, me - and wonders why he isn't making money.
I used to try and help everyone who sent me emails like this, but I gave that up long ago. What almost always happens is that they want to argue with me and convince me that once they're making money, then they will be able to think about the needs of others. I've got news for them - it doesn't work that way. He doesn't even seem to care about his own children! What about the mother of his kids who is trying to make it without the financial help of their father? No way would I help this man. That's what the delete key is for.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:09 AM | TrackBack
November 21, 2005
How NOT To Sell On eBay (Or Anywhere Else)
Looking at a recent auction, I came across a great lesson in how NOT to sell on eBay or anywhere else - and it reminded me of why so many good folks sadly fail. An auction seller had posted this on her auction:
Help me get the ball rolling. I'm a stay at home mom with a new baby, trying to build my own home based business. I've got a wonderful husband who works three jobs just so that we can give the best to our son. Your purchases will help me take up some of the slack, and allow my husband to spend more time with his son!
So many would-be sellers either forget, or don't know, the top three rules of marketing:
1. Focus on your customer
2. Focus on your customer
3. Focus on your customer
Really good - translation: successful - sales women & men focus on on the needs of the customer. In fact, this primary rule is often referred to by the acronmy WIIFM, or What's In It For Me. That is what's on the mind of the buyers and those who forget this will absolutely not succeed.
Don't misunderstand my point. Humans have big hearts and will often be exceedingly generous to victims of tragedy of those in need. But many of this lady's would-be buyers are working more than one job, or long hours or at positions they detest, themselves. So they're not likely to be sympathetic enough to buy her goods 'just because'.
The bottom line: if she wants to sell on eBay - or anywhere else - she'd better focus on finding products that people really want, rather than posting appeals like the one above. Even if a few people respond, that kind of mindset has a limited duration.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 2:02 PM | TrackBack
November 19, 2005
PayPal Expands To Yahoo Stores
PayPal has long been a mostly-eBay-only payment processor. That is, PayPal is THE currency of choice on eBay, but hasn't been well accepted elsewhere. Paypal, however, is working hard to change this situation.
1. PayPal is now an accepted payment method on Yahoo Stores
2. Apple's wildly popular i-Tunes has accepted PayPal since 2004
3. Dell is also climbing on board the PayPal train
4. Paypal recently bought Verisign for $370 million. Verisign is a payment gateway that facilitates the acceptance of merchant accounts for online vendors
This is good news for e-tailers. The more payment methods we accept, the more business we can and will process.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 18, 2005
eBay Powerseller Fed Up With Foolish Questions!!!
My good friend and superstar Auction Genius Course student, Todd Taylor gets fed up with really ridiculous emails, just like we all do. Of course we all know that losing our cool isn't a smart business practice, but this eBay powerseller answered a really ridiculous email in an amusing - and scathing - way:
hi are these authentic? if i buy them and take them to the ralph lauren store and they turn out to be fake i am going to be very mad ... let me know i will take your word for it
Todd's answer ...
Well, I was actually sworn to secrecy during the eon of the Hoover years to never reveal my methods, but, since you asserted your ideas so gracefully I'll have to give it to you straight. I sell nothing but imitation items. In fact, what I normally do is buy salvage shirts that are garbage quality and then I buy iron on patches of horses at wal-mart and attach those. You'd be surprised by the number of people who fall for that. I'm giggling right now thinking of these retards!
But I'm so glad you asked. You have no idea how many times each day I'm approached by honorable Nigerian businessmen that I have to turn away. And the money they want to pay me would just blow you away!
Wow, so anyway I'm glad we've had this chat. I feel like I know you and I've never met you! Ha! That almost rhymes!
So take care and I'm sure we'll meet soon and become lifelong friends!
As Todd says, "After a while you just get tired of these same old stupid questions over and over. This guy just
caught me at the wrong time . . ." Yes, and I understand how he feels. In this morning's email I received a long, incoherent and senseless ramble accusing me of cheating people when selling wholesale products. The amazing part was that the moron was responding to an article I wrote about ... how to recognize fake wholesalers! I don't sell any wholesale products personally, and I never have. This guy didn't even read what I had written. Hey, that's what the 'delete' key is for!
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:09 AM | TrackBack
November 16, 2005
Personal Stun Gun Sales On eBay Illegal In New York
While looking for a personal stun gun for my daughter, who is often out late at night alone, I discovered a restriction faced by eBay sellers of personal stun guns. Not only do they have to worry about competition, demand, sales, eBay rules & fees, etc., but they must also worry about the law.
New York state forbids the sale and possession of personal stun guns to its inhabitants. In October of 2005, the Attorney General of NY, Eliot Spitzer checked out stun gun sales on eBay. Investigators posing as ordinary eBay buyers were able to buy 16 stun guns from 16 different sellers on eBay.
Fourteen of the stun gun sellers are outside New York and according to Spitzer these eBayers are believed to have sold 1,100+ stun guns to New Yorkers from September 2003 to August 2005. Included in the sales were a Taser International stun gun valued at $57 and a $400 Air Taser that delivers a 50,000-volt disabling shock through darts connected by wires to the weapon.
Upon complaining to eBay, NY and the auction site reached the following agreement on stun gun sales:
1. Any New Yorker bidding on a stun gun will receive notice that possession of the weapon is illegal and any completed sale will be reported to the police
2. Sellers of the personal stun guns have been warned that NY sales are illegal
3. eBay will suspend sellers who continue to sell the guns to residents of NY
Besides NY, there are six other states where personal stun guns are illegal:
* Hawaii
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* New Jersey
* Rhode Island
* Wisconsin
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:02 AM | TrackBack
November 14, 2005
New Chinese Office For Global Sources
A Global Sources press release announced that they are opening a new 9,000 square foot facility in China. One of the many purposes is to make it easier for eBayesr to import small amounts of goods from China. This is great news and a boon to everyone interested in inexpensive Asian products.
http://www.prleap.com/pr/17828/
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:35 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 12, 2005
Joint Venture Definition For Ignorant JV Partner
I offer this joint venture definition for all those roaming the Net who think that a joint venture is the road to fame and fortune:
* A joint venture is a partnership!
* You need good relationships with your partner(s)!
* It has to work for both sides!
Seems obvious that is the definition of a successful joint venture, doesn't it? Well, I was surprised when I ran into this Web version of a stalker ...
A guy named Mike (not his real name, naturally) sent me an unsolicited offer for a joint venture involving an ebook. I agreed to take a look at it but made it clear - as I always do - that if it didn't suit my list's needs, I wouldn't be promoting it. He sent the book, followed by a long list of questions, requesting much information about my list which I was not prepared to give, and wanting to know when - not 'if' - I would be promoting the book in a solo ad. I informed him that I never, ever do solo ads for other people's products and I wouldn't be doing one for him or anyone else. However, I might promote it to my list if it was appropriate.
I quickly looked over the book and discovered:
1. I wasn't all that impressed
2. It wasn't relevant to my list
3. The percentage was only 30% which is low for an Internet marketing book
4. The book wasn't especially lucrative - there are many projects that will make me more money
5. Apparently he isn't the owner of the book, but is promoting someone else's. Nothing wrong with that, but I would rather deal with the author, or at least check with him before selling in such a third hand way.
I informed him that I wouldn't be promoting his book. But ignorant me ... I thought that would be the end of it. Not so. I have been receiving emails with alarming regularity. Here is the last one:
ANSWER ME ON MY BELOW LISTED QUESTIONS!
Nobody ever told this loser that you don't make money by being rude and nasty to prospective partners. Under no circumstances would I deal with this guy, even if I liked his book. He had better re-read the "Joint Venture Definition 101" course manual!
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:25 AM | TrackBack
November 10, 2005
Wholesale Stores Sell Below Wholesale?
There is a strong belief (translation: hope, wish, prayer) that wholesale stores will truly sell items below wholesale. For the most part, all it is is wishful thinking! Sorry to those who don't want to hear this news, but it's the truth and making a pal of Reality is the #1 requirement for internet success.
Yes, there is way below wholesale pricing but it's called liquidation, closeout, shelf pulls, store returns, refurbs, etc. It isn't new merchandise, but it can be bought for pennies on the dollar.
However, if you want wholesale stores & distributors to sell you brand new merchandise below wholesale prices, you're gonna be disappointed. Naturally, there is an occasional exception, but wholesale suppliers who buy huge amounts of merchandise have trouble getting these kinds of prices. And they never obtain them on all items unless their name is WalMart, Macys, Best Buy and the like. You can understand why this is so in this article:
Don't despair, though. That certainly doesn't mean you can't make all kinds of money selling physical products on the Net!
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 10:33 AM | TrackBack
November 8, 2005
Affiliate Sales Programs Have Their Dark Side
My good friend Chris Malta has written a great article on the dark side of affiliate marketing.
What is the dark side? Simply this - recommending anything. Anything at all. Just for the sake of a paycheck. There are marketers who send out so-called "newsletters' that have nothing in them but offer after offer after offer. I unsubscribe quickly from those.
Of course, there are many legitimate promotions. Legitimate because the marketer in question truly believes in the product. I personally am very careful with what I recommend because I don't want to mislead the people who trust me. If what we put out comes back to us - and I am positive that it does - then those marketers who promote anything at all are creating some really bad karma for themselves.
- - -
"Beware Information Products 'Recommended' by Internet Marketers"
by Chris Malta
Most Internet Marketing is a well-oiled machine designed to separate you from your money.
Whether you're looking for information on how to sell on eBay, how to build your online business, or anything else that has to do with getting into business online, you're going to see all kinds of web sites "recommending" other web sites.
You might be on a site that sells some wonderful "system" that will make you "$5,000 a week" on eBay, and see advertising for other information that claims to tell you where to get an instant Internet Storefront. You might be talking to a company you bought an Internet Storefront system form, and they tell you to go buy a business software program from some other company. The list goes on and on an on.
These are called Affiliate Relationships. The web site or company that recommends that you go buy something additional from another web site, is usually making a commission for sending you over to buy that other product.
Now, Affiliate Relationships in themselves are not a bad thing. They are a good and necessary part of getting information to you that you need, and that you might not find otherwise. It's the people who ABUSE Affiliate Relationships that are the problem here.
At Worldwide Brands, we have a relatively small number of companies we recommend in other areas of EBiz Information. We KNOW those companies. We work with them, we've talked with them, we've tried and tested their products and know that they are on the level, and do what they say they will. Those companies that we recommend ALSO only recommend other companies in turn that are honest and market good products and information. Over the years, we've located a small group of providers of Internet Marketing information that are honest. Unfortunately, that is RARE.
Worldwide Brands has a wide marketing reach on the Internet. We're a very well known and trusted company. Because of that, we are constantly approached by people who want us to promote their products and information on our web site, through our Radio Shows, etc.
Many of them offer us very large commissions ($1,000 or more per sale) to promote their "Internet Business Systems". We've checked out those "systems", and found that they cost the average EBiz consumer as much as $10,000, for information and training that can be found elsewhere for free, or much less. We always turn them down.
Others offer us large sums of money for advertising space on our web site, and on our Entrepreneur Magazine Radio Shows. We know that those who come to us offering lots of money are MAKING lots of money selling these "EBiz Systems". We check them out, and find the same thing...they're not worth it. So we turn them down, too. We don't sell advertising space on our web site at this time to begin with, and we have "right of refusal" for any commercials that are submitted to our Radio Shows.
Still others who have a wide-reaching audience already (TV infomercial producers, etc.) have offered us money and promotional partnerships if we will change certain parts of our web site (like our Scam Watch page). Those changes they want made are always things that we tell people that reflect poorly on the company in question. In other words, we tell our site visitors to beware of certain things on the Internet. The people who sell those things try to buy us off and get us to stop warning people about them. We turn them down, too.
Even a couple of our own Affiliates (people who promote our Worldwide Brands products on their sites) have come to us and said "Your competitor, Joe Smith, is willing to give us a higher commission on his lower quality product if we stop promoting Worldwide Brands, and promote him instead. If you increase the money you pay us, we'll keep promoting Worldwide Brands". Well, we at Worldwide Brands do not need Affiliates whose morals are for sale to the highest bidder, so we turn them down, too.
We always take the high road, and do not get involved in selling out our name and recommendations to the highest bidder. That's dishonest and immoral, and we won't do it. The few companies we DO recommend on our site are the same way, or they wouldn't be on our site.
However, it's unfortunate that the majority of Internet Marketing IS involved in this "recommendations for sale" mentality. Most Internet Marketers are in business for a quick buck, and don't really care whether the products they recommend to you are good for you or not.
I'm not saying that all Internet Marketing is like this. I just want you to be aware that you have a responsibility to YOURSELF when following the recommendations of others. You need to make sure that the recommendation you follow is a GOOD one, because very few others are going to look out for you in this area.
Here's how you do that:
1. Always check out the reputaiton of the person MAKING the recommendation first. Search the web site or company name on Google. Look for complaints, warnings, or lots of posts from people who are dissatisfied with them. Remeber that even good companies get SOME small amount of "bad press" online. What you're lokoing for is a larger number of unhappy people. If you find that, don't follow the recommendations of that company. If they themselves have a bad rep, they certainly won't care if they recommend and make money from others with a bad rep.
2. Do the same thing with the company that has been recommended to you. Before you buy any kind of internet Marketing or EBiz information, check it out thoroughly through Google. Again, you may find some very small amount of dissatisfaction with even the best companies, but when you come across one that really is bad, you'll know it after a short time searching Google.
3. Watch for web sites that recommend huge numbers of unrelated products, or recommend more than just a couple of poducts in any given subject area. When you find a web site, for example, that recommends 15 different Internet Store platforms, you can be pretty sure that they're only making recommendations for the money, and have probably not checked out even one of those store platforms to see if they're any good.
Always keep in mind that Internet Marketing recommendations themselves are a money-generating business for those doing the recommending. Those companies who only recommend other products based on how much money they can earn by doing so are the ones to stay away from.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:27 PM | TrackBack
November 5, 2005
What Is A Feed (And Why Should I Care?)
Do you want to sell Anything at all on the Internet? If the answer is 'Yes', then you'd better care about feeds.
What are most people looking for when they fire up their computers?
INFORMATION!
The Net started as a way of sharing information and that's what it is today. Believe it or not, most people don't log onto their computers to buy something from you and me! :-)
So, how do you give them the information they crave? Well, what if you could have new content that is:
1. Frequent (several times a week)
2. Written by experts in the subject
3. Easily placed on your web site to make your customers happy and the search engines happy
4. You don't have to write it
5. You don't have to pay for it
6. You don't even have to update it
With feeds you can have all this. Free, constantly updated new content.
Would that would help your site? Isn't that the hardest part of creating great web sites - creating content?
Here's another cool thing. . . what if you could take thousands of products from major on-line sites and put all of these products in your own store? And you get paid on each purchase. And you do all this in SECONDS!
Sound cool? It is! And it's all possible through a wonderful development called a Product Datafeed.
Product datafeeds are nothing more than a spreadsheet with information about every product in a store. They're getting more and more popular, which means that in a few years there will be a problem ... other people will be building stores and sites, too. Then there will be dozens of sites that are just alike so how can we make our own stores unique, make them different from everyone else's?
Well here's how ... after we build our datafeeds pages, we add content feeds to that same page. By doing this we are certain to have unique pages because there are hundreds of thousands, probably millions, of feeds on the Internet. What are the chances that somebody else is going to choose the exact same feeds you are? Not many. And even if somebody does it won't be very many.
So the beauty of this is you can create thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of pages in a very brief time that advertise products from big-name stores, your pages will be unique, and you will profit on each one.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 5:12 PM | TrackBack
November 3, 2005
Decorative Wall Clock Bring Big Prices on eBay
There are decorative wall clocks on eBay that truly bring astonishing prices. Astonishing to me, at any rate. Take a look at this ...
That is the detail from a clock that sold on eBay for GBP 675.50 which is approximately US $1,199.35. And it definitely isn't the most expensive price for a wall clock on eBay. Naturally, the more unique the wall clock is the higher the price, but even lots of ordinary ones sell very well. As always, the skill of the seller affects the ultimate price, of course.
Learn more about decorative wall clocks
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:18 PM | TrackBack
November 2, 2005
A Valuable Online Marketing Service by Gary Bencivenga
Every once in a while, I read an article that leaves me in awe - and those are often from Gary Bencivenga. This time he has offered a valuable online marketing service with an article that would solve a huge percentage of the online marketing problems online. Want to learn how to sell? This fundamental strategy should be your guide whenever you plan any site or store.
But actually, it's much more than a strategy. It's an entire online marketing mindset. Take my advice: print this out and read it again and again and again. And when you think you know it by heart - read it again. I know that I will!
- - -
A master salesman, one of the most successful in America, once told me that selling is simple, unless you make it complicated. He then taught me his greatest secrets for keeping it simple.
I found that his secrets worked like a charm in advertising as well, because advertising is nothing more than multiplied salesmanship—one good salesperson working his or her magic with thousands, even millions, at once. In fact, it's this mighty multiplication factor that empowers advertising to rapidly enrich Top Guns who know how to use the simple secrets shared in these Bullets.
So let's take a look at one of the greatest secrets this wise old salesman taught me. Just as I did, you'll find it's one of the easiest things you can do to increase your response. It seems so obvious, you may well think that you're doing it already. But let me assure you of two things...
First, 98% of all marketers, even savvy ones who think they may know this, can do a much better job of applying it (most have barely scratched the surface). Second, once you do apply this in your market, you'll be able to attract customers the way a large magnet draws metal filings. Or, merrily mixing my metaphors (I love doing that), you'll be tossing your hook right in front of a ravenously hungry school of fish.
So what's the big secret?
Well, the wise old salesman told me you'll corral lots more customers by intercepting them wherever they are looking for someone like you.
Sounds simple, and it is, but we often complicate it to the point where we're not doing this at all. Let me illustrate with an example I came upon recently, which I've dubbed...
The Fuzzy Dice Secret
My best "aha!" moment last year hit me when I learned the smartest way to sell just about anything online.
I learned it from Andy Jenkins, a supersuccessful internet entrepreneur who's created a sprawling online empire of more than 80 sites that sell everything from information to specialized electronics to medieval suits of armor at $7,000 a pop.
For months, I had been trying to figure out for a business partner the best way to sell products online. Where to begin? What marketing strategy would work best? Should we create one big website selling all our products—in effect, an online catalog?
Or would separate websites for each main product be better? And how should we drive traffic—with ezines, Google ads, search optimization, banner ads, blogs, podcasts, a little of everything, or what?
The marketing questions seemed endless, and the answers elusive...until Andy clarified everything by sharing what I have come to call "The Fuzzy Dice Secret."
Andy explained his approach in an interview conducted by internet guru and my friend, Ken McCarthy, whose System Club features excellent interviews with successful internet marketers. Andy explained that all his years of testing have taught him the smartest way to sell anything online. And that is, to apply the same secret of the wise old salesman—intercept your customers precisely where they are looking for someone like you.
Applied to the internet, this means matching your selling process to the way people search online.
Let's say, for example, that you sell car accessories. Now, you could create a website, and a series of Google and banner ads, trumpeting your product line, "Car Accessories."
Logical enough, right? It's what most companies do. Trouble is, people don't go online searching for "a product line." Almost nobody searches for "Car Accessories." That's way too broad. When I typed those words into my search bar, I got more than 49 million results! If I were a thorough shopper and wanted to check out each of these vendors for just 20 seconds apiece, I'd have to sit at my computer 24/7 for the next 31 years (without a single bathroom break)!
More than 49,000,000 advertisers are offering their wares under "car accessories," yet almost nobody searches for "car accessories."
But people do go online searching for a single product.
For example, they go online searching for "Fuzzy Dice" (you know, those tacky, spongy dice that dangle gaudily from the rearview mirror).
Or they'll search specifically for "Leather Steering Wheel Covers." Or "Car Stereo Subwoofers." Or "Mercedes Replacement Hood Ornaments," etc.
Since that's how people search, that's how you should sell—with a mini website devoted exclusively to Fuzzy Dice. Or another devoted to Leather Steering Wheel Covers. Or another offering Car Stereo Subwoofers, or Replacement Hood Ornaments, etc.
Sell the way your prospects buy—with a rifle shot like "Fuzzy Dice," not a shotgun like "Car Accessories." Like the wise old salesman said, intercept your hot prospects where they are looking for someone like you!
There are some exceptions, of course. If you've got megabucks, you could try to become the next "horizontal" one-stop superstore, ala Amazon, Staples, or Wal-Mart. But at this stage of the internet's development, you'd probably go broke trying to muscle your way into dominance of any broad categories, even the medium-sized ones.
And, sure, it's usually desirable to have a "hub" or what I call a "kitchen sink" website, where you summarize everything your company is about, as well as all your offshoots and products, for those who happen to stumble onto your site and want an overview.
But if you really want to hear your cash register endlessly murmur its happiest mantra (ca-ching!), you must develop for each star product its own separate mini site, supported by equally vertical, dedicated, and specific Google ads and ezine marketing campaigns that drive traffic directly to that site, where prospects are then greeted with an in-depth sales presentation focused exclusively on that single product, fully explaining its compelling raison d'être.
This is exactly what my client and I wound up doing, and the program of narrow, "rifle-shot" campaigns we've developed is working beautifully.
Please listen to the wise old salesman...
Don't sell a "stock market newsletter." Sell a special report on "Three oil service stocks that may soar in the next 12 months because of the worsening worldwide oil squeeze," and give me all the reasons to buy into that story.
Don't sell "retirement planning." That phrase brings up more than 41 million results! Create a website offering a video on "How to Retire to Mexico and Live Like Royalty on $500 a Month or Less." Run a Google ad with the same headline, and everyone searching for "retirement in Mexico" can easily find you and respond.
Don't sell "gourmet foods." Sell, "Imported Smoked Scottish Salmon," and give me the full sales pitch on why it's the best I can buy.
Don't sell a report on "Hospital Trends." Sell a report on "How the New HIPAA Regs Will Change Your Hospital Emergency Room Procedures in the Next Six Months and What You Must Do Now to Reduce Your Potential Liability."
Don't sell "insurance." I'll find you faster and buy from you a lot more quickly if you run a Google ad that leads me to a website offering "Flood Insurance for Homes in the Hamptons" (where I live). Why? Because that's what I was just searching for online recently, not "insurance"!
That's it, the secret of how to sell anything online. Go vertical and go deep. Use highly specialized mini sites dedicated to a single star product, and deliver an in-depth, fully developed sales presentation to capture your prospects and convert them into customers. Once they are customers, you can then branch out, offering related follow-up sales pitches, via specialized ezines, which lead them to other highly targeted mini sites. And just keep repeating the process for every major product or service you want to sell.
Highly specialized, single-product, vertical mini sites automatically optimize your position in searches. They also make more people click on your links because, unlike most others in your market, you'll seem to specialize in exactly what that searcher came online to find. For the same reason, your highly specific Google headlines will trigger higher ad placement and higher click-through rates.
The internet is the ultimate vertical selling machine, a niche marketer's dream, but only if you use it right. The general rule: The sharper your focus, the better your results.
Don't sell horizontally, sell vertically. Don't sell "Car Accessories." Sell "Fuzzy Dice." That's how you'll intercept the "hot pockets" of customers eagerly searching for someone just like you.
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Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:15 PM | TrackBack
November 1, 2005
John Reese Newsletter Response
John Reese, a really good guy, recently wrote a very touching newsletter. He went into depth about the past year of his life, a year that cost him several loved ones. Death isn't easy for any of us and John is no exception. Coincidentally, about the time I read John's newsletter, I also received this one. It is not only comforting, but Truth as I know it, too. Perhaps this will help anyone facing the same situation - which is all of us at some time in our lives.
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For the past couple of weeks I've been in my hometown with my family, gathering 'round my wonderful, beloved 95-year-old grandmother as she prepared for what one of my uncles -- her son -- described as "graduation day."
While there was, of course, a sense of sadness and loss, there was also a lot of laughter and humor as we held our vigil and told stories of Grandma -- stories most of us have told and heard again and again but never grow tired of hearing. And some unknown stories as well.
Stories from Grandma's early years -- her birth in a sod dugout house here in the then-young state of Oklahoma, traveling by covered wagon, chopping cotton.
Stories from our own childhoods when Grandma lit up our lives with fun.
Stories of how, at their small grocery store near Tulsa, she and my grandfather secretly extended credit that they knew could never be repaid to many families during this country's Great Depression so that those families would have food on their tables.
Stories from the not-too-distant past -- such as how Grandma (an avid baseball fan) played on a city softball league into her 70s, and bowled two perfect games in her mid-80s. Stories of her kindness to everyone who came into contact with her, of her wonderful cooking, of her remarkable beauty, and of the endless patience that allowed her to teach several generations of us how to drive a car. (In my own case, that was often a hair-raising experience for her!) ;-)
So many wonderful memories.
And there was my favorite story of accompanying her during her first downhill skiing lesson when she was 70 years old.
None of us who were there at the base of the mountain drinking hot chocolate will EVER forget hearing Grandma's familiar "Yoo hoo!" as she came scooting toward us in a way-too-big, powder blue ski suit borrowed from a friend of mine. Then, not knowing exactly how to stop, she simply sat down on her skiis and lay back to slide right under our picnic table. We all jumped up to see if she was OK and found her lying face-up there in the snow, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down into her ears!
There was also the amusing brand-new story I'd never heard before about her name. I'd always known that she had named herself. As one of 18 children of a farm family -- sharecroppers, really -- she'd been called Baby Girl and Sis and the like, and at age 12 had given herself the name Ruby Billie. But until a few nights ago I'd never known that she had taken matters into her own hands because she was a bit put out with her "official" name.
"Why would anyone name a girl 'William?'" she wanted to know!
Why indeed? ;-)
So as a remarkable and remarkably loving life came to its close in the wee hours of Saturday morning we all got to tell her once again how much we loved her and that while we sure would miss her, we'd all be OK. Always a very private and dignified person (although truly a hoot and loads of fun, as you can see), she waited until we'd all left the room and then peacefully slipped away.
Somewhere not long ago I read a lovely little piece on the death of a loved one that said it's like watching someone you love sail away across the sea, and that while we're standing here waving goodbye, just over the horizon on a distant shore there are others we can't see who are watching and suddenly, joyfully crying, "Look! Here she comes!"
So that's the Truth I see in these appearances. My wonderful Grandma has graduated from this life and into a new one. She was ready. She wanted to, as she put it, "go home." And now she has.
I tell you all this simply because I am SO filled with appreciation and gratitude that it just keeps spilling over. I could wish nothing better for you or anyone than that you have someone in your life like Grandma -- and that you know you get to BE like her, too. In fact, I am so blessed to have had TWO amazing, wonderful grandmothers, one of whom I shared a birthday with until she graduated 27 years ago. Today is the 107th anniversary of Ruth Todd Silvernail's birth, and I will celebrate that life as well.
In the messages readers sent in July to tell of their own appreciation experiences, many thanked me for giving them the opportunity to feel the joy of expressing their gratitude and appreciation to someone else. But all I gave was a REMINDER.
That opportunity is already yours in every single moment.
And so I hope that you will take a little time right now to go within and think of someone or perhaps several someones, someone still here with us or someone who has already graduated, someone who matters in your life in any way -- and that you will simply allow your heart to fill up with the wonderful feeling of appreciation. Then, if it feels right to you, go tell that person what a gift he or she is. Pick up the phone, or a pen, or someone's hand.
Allow all that good to flow into your heart and on out into circulation. Just let it in, my friend, for when you do, you will know, unquestionably, what it feels like to be rich.
By Rebecca Fine, The Science Of Getting Rich
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 10:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
