The Secret To A Profitable
Business!
by: Anthony Stillwell
I was recently asked if I could provide a
step-by-step guide to making money on the Internet that goes into explicit
detail of exactly what it takes for ANYONE to succeed.
The answer to that question is simply no and here's why...
You will not find ONE course that is complete in every way. You will not
find ONE course that breaks down and analyzes every aspect of creating a
profitable business on or off the Internet and the reason is two-fold.
- You wouldn't read a 5,000 page manual.
- Every person who has a successful business didn't do it the exact same
way. Even if there WAS a course that detailed every click you needed to
make, every step you needed to take... There would be no guarantee that it
would work for you.
There IS however a "skeleton" (if you will) that most successful businesses
are built on and it's the same one YOU can use to get the results you want.
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ONE - An Existing Need or Strong Want
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I know you hear it all the time, but it's worth repeating. "Find or create a
need for a product before you write it or buy the rights to it". Just
because it seems like everyone is selling "How To Make Money" information
doesn't mean YOU have to.
The people who visit your site are the same ones who buy products from "The
Home Shopping Network", sweets they know they shouldn't be eating and every
type of fitness/self-improvement product out there. In other words they have
interests outside of learning the "secrets" to making money.
Some of the things people buy online:
http://www.sharperimage.com - Mainly built around the "need" us guys
have to own cool stuff.
http://www.figis.com - I
wish I could resist, but I can't.
http://www.musclemedia.com - Women love men with muscles and that's all
the motivation I need. ;-) Why else would I willingly put a barbell across
my chest that weighs 100+ pounds more than I do and lift it repeatedly? This
site understands my "crazy need" to lift heavy things and has products that
help me do it better.
Let people tell you what they want...
A simple way to find out what people want is to create a series of articles
based on what you hear people constantly asking questions about and track
the response. Use a tracking code in your articles to see which ones
generate the most interest.
I know from feedback and traffic I get from some of the articles I've
written that people are really interested in the subject matter and want to
know more. When people show a strong interest in a subject I will either
write a more detailed report or "hook up" with an affiliate program and
offer people an 'extra' for buying through my affiliate link.
Other ways to peek inside the minds of your target market:
http://www.forumone.com
- Use the search feature to find topics
http://www.ezinelocater.com - Subscribe to newsletters that interest YOU
and pay attention to what's being presented.
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TWO - A Way To Reach The People Who Want What You Have.
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This step is all about "The List". The one who controls the list controls
his/her future. How many people (interested in the products you sell) can
you reach in the next 10 minutes without SPAMMING? The answer to THAT
question will determine if you and your business will be around in a year.
If you don't have a BIG list right now don't worry. It's really not about
the size. It's about the focus.
When you locate people who tell you what they're looking for that's the ONLY
time you should even consider creating or acquiring the rights to a product.
You need an audience before you make sales. You have to get it out of your
mind that you need to create a massive course on something before you can
make money with your own product.
Think focused information.
* An example would be an article I wrote titled... "A Simple Way To Get Free
Advertising". Since people wrote to me and told me how much they enjoyed
this article I'm adding to it and putting it inside my membership site.
Adding to this information doesn't mean diluting it's power. I'm adding
relevant resources and making it easy for people to do what I suggest. Any
product that gives people an easy way to implement the steps presented is a
winner in my book.
This report also gives me another 'hot' button to push so that I can draw
more people to my site when I advertise. And since my site is setup to
capture leads it works well. I attract people interested in getting Free
Advertising by using simple reports as bait.
Solo Ads get attention so here's a good place to start:
http://bigdogpit.com/adv-solos.html
* How to do something specific with a software program. - There are hundreds
of software programs out there that don't give any details on their various
uses. Find out how to do something useful with any of these programs based
on what you KNOW people want to learn how to do and there's a product.
A simple report on how to do something specific that fits in line with what
people want is easy to produce and more importantly it puts you on the road
to profits quickly. Check out download sites for popular software
programs...
http://www.upload.com
http://www.download.com
People download programs then have NO IDEA what to do with them. Show
them how to do something that helps their business or saves them time. Time
is valuable so anything you can come up with to help people do something
faster (save time) is valuable.
The best way to use a product like this to generate leads would be to let
other people sell it for you. You can't sell the actual software program,
but you CAN sell your information on what to do with the program.
The only thing you have to do is design your information so that the people
who read it have to go to your site and give you their email address to get
extra free information on the subject.
* How to get more out of a product you're an affiliate for. An example would
be a product I'm an affiliate for that let's people create their own ebooks.
This program also lets you create your own ebook icons, but doesn't give you
the software to do it. I found the software so I show people how to use
after they give me their email address.
People want condensed information that helps them achieve a goal, not a HUGE
resource that leads them in every direction. ClickBank.com gives you
the name and email address of the people who order through your affiliate
link.
The best way to approach this is to offer additional information to the
people who buy through your link and have them contact you to get it. This
keeps you out of trouble because THEY will make contact with YOU first. When
you deliver your 'extra'... offer information on the same subject for
joining your mailing list.
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THREE - The Ability To Persuade Others
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Words paint a picture in the minds of your potential customers. It's
not enough that you have what people want. You have to show them with words
why they need what you're selling.
Great articles all about persuasion
http://www.mrfire.com/profitcenter.html
You should also read... "It's Free and It Can Make You Money"
http://www.getfreeadvertising.com/free/writingcopy.html
The ability to persuade is something that most people you see marketing
online simply overlook. An "ugly" site with persuasive copy will outsell the
"pretty" site with poor copy any day of the week. Learning how to write in a
way that gets people excited about what you're offering is the single
greatest thing you can do for your business.
The "secret" to a profitable business?
1) Find Out What People Want
2) Once You Have What They Want Get Them On Your Mailing List
3) Tell Them (In a compelling way) Why They Should Buy From You
4) Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
_____________________
Anthony Stillwell is the author of "Unlimited Free Traffic"
and publisher of the EnterNet P R O F I T S newsletter where you'll
get the hottest tips and the coolest resources to give you the advantage.
http://www.getfreeadvertising.com
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