SEPTEMBER 2006
Greetings & Salutations:
As I told you last month, I have found a ho'bunch more questions
I received a couple years ago from wannabee publishers planning
on publishing an anthology of my answers. They never got
published but they are worth sharing with you.
Here's this month's batch ...
Q: What's the best way to
maximize my online advertising on a very limited budget?
A: Back when Attorneys
in the U.S. couldn't advertise ... it was against their "Rules
of Practice" ... they had a saying:
"When you can't advertise, socialize."
It's the same when you can advertise, but have a limited
budget.
Find the discussion groups, boards and forums about
your product or service. Then, start interacting
with the other participants. Build upon those relationships
to develop your own email list... to which you can market your
products by email.
By the way, I fully explain the methods to employ in
my book, "How You Really Can ... Make Your Internet
Fortune as an Affiliate Marketer!" --
Q: If you were to start
again with nothing, not even a list, what would be your plan
of attack to get your product out there, on a limited budget
and WITHOUT joint ventures?
A: Believe it or
don't ... in those circumstance, I would never create any
products of my own. I would only market other people's
products. I would slowly but surely build my
email list and market to that list.
Using the methods I explain in my book, "How You
Really Can ... Make Your Internet Fortune as an Affiliate
Marketer!" --
-- I would be making money within 30-60 days and would be in
high cotton within 6 months.
Q: Can you tell us about
how you first got started on the internet? What was your first
web site, and how did you grow from there?
A: Back in 1999, a great
many of my paper & ink newsletter subscribers
were asking where they could buy my products online -- so --
I created my website ... businesslyceum.com
... as mostly a catalog where my subscribers could buy my products
online.
When I announced the web site in my paper & ink newsletter,
I had about 200 of my readers sign up for my "Business Lyceum
e-Letter." -- Then, I added the URL to every piece
of sales material leaving our office.
The Business Lyceum had covered all of its initial costs and
was "profitable" by January, 2000.
Seeing the potential profits, I simply began adding
more and more names to my email list and emailing them offers
for my products.
In mid-2003, I became an affiliate for the best related products
I could find. Within 3 months, I was picking
up a few extra thousand dollars per week in affiliate commissions.
-- That's when I decided to write my new book, "How You
Really Can ... Make Your Internet Fortune as an Affiliate
Marketer!" --
-- in which I explain how just about anyone can do the same thing.
Q: Your bio says that
"Today, Straw is making a new ... bigger ... fortune on
the Internet." Has internet marketing surpassed direct
marketing, and if yes, why?
A: Yes & No ... Internet
marketing IS direct marketing, electronically.
Although Internet marketing has proven to be a viable marketing
medium ... and a good number of old mailorder pros (like me)
are using it very successfully ... mailorder is still
alive and well. As a matter of fact, with so many
small mailorder people moving more & more of
their efforts to the Internet, mailorder is actually
getting stronger and stronger because there is less and less
competition.
Remember: Although there are millions of people who
order on the Internet, there are even more millions of
people who are NOT on the Internet and must rely upon offers
they receive in the mail.
Q: What do you consider
to be the biggest barrier to starting out on the net today, and
how would you overcome this?
A: It is the same
barrier that has always been the downfall of business wannabees.
-- Fear. (Fear of failure. Fear of loss.) Coupled
with an insatiable desire to make money "the easy way"
over night.
The only way to over come that barrier is to confront your
fears; enbrace your failures and losses as learning experiences
and accept the fact that making money requires WORK ... there
ain't no easy way.
Too many beginners must honestly believe that they are better
than me and all the others who have made fortunes. -- We had
to pay our dues, take our licks, suffer our losses and
live with our disappointments until we finally achieved
our goals. For some reason, they think they don't have
to.
Q: What are your specific
tools for managing the ever-increasing crush of email?
Since you obviously contend with huge amounts of email, what
are your processes, and yet still keeping your communications
personal and meaningful to those in your group(s)?
A: My specific tool is
B2C ... I apply my Butt to a Chair.
For the life of me, I cannot understand people who have
time to complain about spam or too many emails.
The time they spend complaining would be far better spent
making money.
I just sit down at my computer and start opening emails ...
with my cursor on the delete key. Then, I open each
email and either delete it, answer it, or leave
it in my inbox for future action (answer, follow up, whatever).
-- I don't waste my time trying to search for the culprit who
sent me spam ... I just delete it and go on
to the next email, until I come to an email that requires
an answer. Then, I answer the email and go on.
For emails that ask a complex question that will take
some thought or research to answer, I just leave
them in the inbox and go back to answer them when my email box
is empty.
My email is for the purpose of making money ... NOT
trying to rid the world of spammers.
Q: Should a business focus
on just one product, or should it try to diversify its offerings?
A: Both ... as in mailorder,
you find one product that sells well. Keep selling it;
over & over & over. While it is selling,
you locate other products that would sell to the same buyers.
When you find another product that sells well to the same
buyers, you add it to your stable and continue locating
other products.
Eventually, you will have a stable of products along the same
lines that you can sell to an ever-increasing customer base.
Q: What would you say
are the secrets to writing reports, books, booklets, manuals,
courses and articles about doing business?
A: As my Daddy used to
say, "There aren't any secrets in this old world.
Just things you don't happen to know, yet." - Over
50 years in business, I have added to what my Daddy used to say
... "Even after you have learned what you didn't know,
it still remains a secret until you can use what
you have learned successfully."
There is more and more crap on the Internet about writing
reports, books, booklets, manuals, courses and articles about
doing business. Most of it is based upon the idea
of researching a subject, then simply rewording what you have
read. -- The only problem with that is, it doesn't take
long for the buying public to get onto your game and label
you a fraud.
If you really "know" something
you can share with others, then, all you have to do is sit down
and write what you know.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't even have to know how
to use proper grammar or even punctuation. As long as you
can tell the reader something that you know, that they want to
know, you will have an audience.
To do it ... find something you want to do in business.
Read everything you can find on the subject. Then, DO IT
until you are successful at doing it ... writing down what you
did and how you did it.
ONLY then can you write a report, book, booklet,
manual, course or whatever about doing it.
Q: Would you mind sharing
a simple step by step plan for beginners to start a mail order
business - from creating the product, marketing and delivering
the product as well as the follow up to keep customer loyal?
A: Over the past 15 years,
I have told hundreds (maybe even thousands) of people wanting
to get into mailorder that ... "If I had
to do it all over again, I would never create my own products.
-- I would simply sell other people's products and eliminate
the hassles of production, fulfillment, inventory control, and
other costs that eat away at profits."
In other words, I would only become a drop ship dealer for
other people's products and services.
As a drop ship dealer, I could use the advertising copy supplied
by the drop shipper and simply rent a list of people who were
demographically profiled as having bought similar products, or
services, in the past. Then, I would just mail the
drop shipper's advertising to those people... building
my own list of known buyers (those who bought the product from
me) to whom I would mail similar offers.
In my mailorder course ... "Own Your Own Mailorder Business.
- A More Scientific Approach" --
-- I tell the story of a young man who was making $600,000 per
year from his basement office; all by himself, doing only that.
Q: Has there been any
particular person that you feel has given you the most help in
your business?
A: Yes ... only one ...
my wife, Delores. Although I have developed some people
skills over the years, she is my people person. She
takes care of all those little things that would get in my way
of doing business and making money.
Stay tuned ... next month we will contine with
more questions and answers. Maybe some of them will be
questions you would have asked; maybe not - but - you can
always ASK me any question you want about making
money.
I may not tell you what you want to hear ... like the
"gurus" do ... but, I will tell you the truth of the
matter as I have seen it over the past 50+ years.
Now, let's do some ...
Questions and Answers, Comments
and Other Good Stuff!
As you know, if you've been reading my e-Letter
for very long ...
I just love unique and/or novel business
ideas!
Well, this month, I have found two (2) of the most unique
and novel businesses for you.
First ...
The World's Newest & Most Unique Home-Based Business Opportunity!
Sleep under the stars ... every night ... in the comfor of your
own bedroom.
Johnathan Mays
told me about a business he has been making tons of money
doing - The Original 3-D Star-Filled Night time Sky Ceiling
Mural Business ... That anyone can do!
Now he has written a book about it. -- So ... I read the book.
It is one of the most detailed book of instructions I have
read in a very long time.
You can find out all about it at: http://www.freewebs.com/sprinklym/
And ... I made a special deal for you.
After you read all about it, just click on the "JStraw"
link on the left side of the page for a very special
deal I got for you.
By the way, the only other course on this subject sells for nearly
30 times the price.
Now, if that ain't unique and novel enough for you ...
The second one was just a unique and novel ...
If you hadn't noticed, here lately a good many young people are
getting "tattoos" ... my nephew has a number of them
- and - there has to be someone doing the tattoos for them.
Well ... as far as I know, this is the ONLY "Tattoo
School" in the world. -- In 2 weeks, they can train
you to be a tattoo artist.
http://www.tattooschool-piercingschool.com
Betcha you hadn't even thought of that one.
Mathew Frank
tells me ...
"There is a 'dirty little secret' that
top copy writers keep to themselves... a secret that few mere
mortals learn by themselves... and those top guys love it that
way. -- What is this dirty little secret that will put your copywriting
right up there with the best? -- What do they know that you don't
... or if you do, you don't know what to do about it? -- The
PRO copywriters get inside the mind of their
prospect... understand what makes them tick, then write
copy to suit that market. "
Are You Fed Up With hearing About The Next Big Thing To Get
You Laser Targetted Traffic?
Here's A Discovery So Startling It Will Leave You Speechless...
Make More Money With Your Existing Traffic ... Without
Using Adsense Or Affiliate Programs!
Convert a ton more of your current traffic with sales copy your
'Target market' loves!
Hey ... I put it to the test and it works. -- Check
it out at:
Intratrakker
Perry Blouin
says you can ...
"Quickly CASH IN promoting your website for FREE!"
Check it out for your ownself at:
http://www.bigdaddypays.com/10cats
Curtis Ackerman
asked ...
"Want to increase your exposure to your target
market? -- Connect direcly to them anytime, anywhere using 'Go2'
... a solutions provider for mobile marketing. 'Go2' can
be found on the deck of every major U.S. wireless operator throughout
the wireless web. It's similar to the Yellow Pages but
with 11 different vertical directories."
Do your marketing efforts a favor ... check it out, today,
at:
http://www.go2.com
Philip Birchley
told me ...
"I'm one of your loyal subscribers (great newsletter)
and was wondering if you'd like to give away totally free copies
of my latest trading ebook -- KillerPatterns.pdf -- to keep your
subscribers happy."
Okay, Philip.
You guys can get your FREE copy at:
http://www.killerpatterns.com
Anony Mouse wanted to know ...
"I am happy to have found your ezine. I have been
researching internet marketing for about a month. I do not know
much about it but am slowly learning and am interested in trying
to make a "better living" for my family. I currently
work in the medical billing field; for 20 years, and I would
like to help the seniors out there who do not understand their
benefits such as Medicare, Medicare HMO's ect. ... Do you think
an ezine of this type would profit at all? -- If so, where would
I begin? -- Any response would be greatly appreciated.
-- Also, one other question, I have had a product
in my mind for years I wanted to design and market. --
If I designed it where would I begin manufacturing it?
-- I hope this all doesn't sound stupid to you, but any info
you have to offer would be most appreciatied."
Mouse:
First ... find out how many other newsletters offer the same
or similar information. Your success will be determined
by how much better your newsletter will be than any of the others.
-- You can learn all about newsletter publishing in the
January, 2003, issue of my eLetter -- Jan03.html
Can't really help you with the product until I know what it is.
Joe Trevison
asked me ...
"What if you could know, before spending a dime on marketing,
whether your business was destined to fail or succeed? -- What
would that be worth to you? -- Just think, you could save yourself
a small fortune. Wouldn t be great to know your outcome
before you start marketing? -- My new software foretells whether
your business will succeed of fail."
So ... if'n you need to know whether your business has
a chance to succeed or not, check it out at:
http://jimstrawslyceum.blogspot.com/
Well ... that's it for this month. -- In order to make every
issue responsive to YOUR needs, please send me your questions;
or tell me what sources or resources you need to build your business;
or give me any thoughts you want to share with your fellow members.
Believe it or don't ... I ain t a mind-reader. -- If n you
doesn't tell me what you need, I may never touch upon the information,
sources or resources you need.
This is your publication for you to use to your benefit ...
I am just your moderator.
Until next month, keep well ...
J.F. (Jim) STRAW
Grande Panjandrum
Thought For The Month!
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by
us Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences
himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from
the restta kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This
delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal
desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our
task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our
circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the
whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this
completely, but striving for such achievement is in itself a
part of the liberation and a <>foundation for inner
security." -- Albert Einstein
Copyright - 2006, J.F. (Jim) Straw. All rights reserved.