ProBizTips Newsletter
** ISSUE #230 **

February 17th, 2003

The shocking truth about internet marketing revealed!

SEE THE PROOF! Discover exactly how we made $82,144.87 in
ClickBank earnings in just 3½ months and how we continue to
make over $30,000.00 a month in net cashprofits.

These are insane profits - see the undeniable proof!

Hey!

Good Day to you and I hope your day is going well so far! :)
Welcome to all our new subscribers this week and I hope you grow
to love us as so many have ... we couldn't do this without you!

So how was YOUR Valentine's Day? Mine was great! I got home from a meeting at around 5 pm and walked into a candlelit house and the smell of a steak dinner.

WOW! Was that MY husband in the kitchen cooking a steak dinner?!
LOL -- needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised ... :)

Also, I still have openings from our special contest last week. Gavin of http://www.expertmakeovers.com (who made over the ProBizTips site as well as a few of my others) is willing to offer 5 subscribers a HUGE discount and lifetime support to make over your existing website. Yes, you must have your own website on your own host ... you will be responsible for the uploading after they are done with the new design. This is not done from scratch, so you have to have an existing design and text that they can plug into your new design.

The regular price for a makeover is $297. He is willing to give 5 of you the price of $147 ... this is an AWESOME deal! Just check out the site above and you will see the quality of their designs and graphics. The only stipulation will be that you pay via PayPal in advance before they start.

So here's a breakdown of the rules:

1. Must have an existing website
2. $147 must be paid via PayPal in advance.

The 1st, 5th, and 10th person to email me with SITE MAKEOVER in the subject line will be the winners. You must have SITE MAKEOVER in your subject line or I will overlook it. Please do not email for the makeover if you are not willing to pay the $147 by PayPal within the next few days. I will give you all the details if you are one of the winners. :)

In the meantime ... sit back, relax and enjoy today's issue!

Your Friend,

Diane Hughes
ProBizTips Weekly

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How I Squeeze 26 Hours Out of Every Day
by Willie Crawford

If you're like me, good time management skills and tools are an absolute necessity. We often have so many "alligators snapping out our heels" that we don't know where to start. Here's my "extreme time management system." Adopt it as your own and you'll feel like you've gained several hours a day. It's how I squeeze 26 hours out of every day.

The system calls for extreme organization and a lot of discipline. It's NECESSARY for me. This is the system that allows me to run an affiliate program, manage 22 websites, publish a weekly ezine, publish 2 daily niche lists, visit an average of 15 discussion forums a day (3 of which I help moderate), write 2 new ezine articles per week, process over 800 emails a day, do off-line consulting, fit in a daily workout, and still find time to spend with my family and friends.

The system has 2 parts - organization and discipline.

First the discipline. The discipline is nothing more than following a few simple, self-imposed rules. These rules are:

1) Whenever opening any email (or snail mail) process it right then. That simply means replying to the email or adding it to your "to-do" list (in a specific place) if it will fit into your schedule better later. Make notes in your organizer of any correspondence that may need tracking. Add any new contact to your contact database if appropriate. If the email contains a gem for an article or post, make a note in your organizer or even make an online post. If the email contains any data you will need to refer to later such as website urls or passwords, enter them into your cross-referenced database.

Every time that you read an email, you have to decide what needs to be done with the information. Making and acting on that decision once is an amazing time-saver! If you don't do this, then you have to go through the exact same decision process the next time that you examine the email.

2) Whenever presented with any task, ask if it makes sense for you to do it or if you're better off hiring someone else to do it. We have to recognize our skills and get others to do those things that would cost us too much time and energy. Some things are better done by professionals we can hire or even family members we can get to pitch in. Learning to delegate and "farm out" chores is essential to getting any significant job done.

3) Identify what are the most important tasks you need to get done FIRST and then do first things first. Balance is also necessary here because things like exercise and maintaining personal relationships must be priorities. I schedule these right into my day. I print out my to-do list and refer to it often to avoid getting sidetracked.

4) Learn to say no when appropriate. Realize that with this system you can do much more in the same time but, there is a limit to what you should obligate yourself to do. Don't get into the habit of taking on more obligations than you can possibly accomplish. As you get known online you will soon discover yourself being asked to review numerous websites, ebooks, and pieces of software. Politely decline when you have all you can currently handle. This allows you to focus and get more tasks actually completed!

After mastering the discipline required, organization is a MUST. I have one primary tool that keeps me extremely organized. It's a piece of software called the Internet Information Manager. If you have ever spent half an hour sifting through emails looking for a url or password you'll find this tool an answer to your prayer. If you have ever searched frantically for an email so that you could intelligently respond to another email, you will appreciate this tool. If you have ever tried to remember the name of an individual, website, or ezine associated with a particular project, you'll absolutely love this tool.

What is this Internet Information Manager? It's a piece of software you install on your computer that allows you to store all of the information you use frequently in one place. Everything from projects, to articles, to contacts, to website urls are stored in a cross-referenced database. It is my big organization and productivity secret. I've used it for a while - as I tinkered with the beta version. It's now such a part of my daily system that I wonder how I ever got along without it. If my computer is turned on, this tool is open. You need a similar tool. I use it to:

- Keep track of all ongoing projects
- Manage my to do lists
- Store all of my contacts. These contacts are cross referenced so that with the click of a button I can go to an associated affiliate program, website, ezine, ad campaign, searchengine, or project.
- Start an email in my default email program with the click of a button.
- Launch my default browser and whisk me to my favorite discussion forum. This is how I jump from forum to forum at dizzying speeds. A cable internet connection helps too :-)

The key to the system being so productive and so easy to use is that it's all cross-referenced. So as I surf the boards and come across an idea for an article, a project, or some research data, I can quickly plug it into the appropriate place in my database. This keeps the information always at my fingertips. When I am ready to write an article or complete a project, all of the data is in one place (waiting to be processed).

The other productivity tool that is a must is email filters. Most email clients allow you to easily filter your incoming email into folders you create. Use this feature to store emails on a specific topic, or specific groups of people all in the same folder. Use it to filter all incoming ezines into one place, all orders into one place, all personal email into another place. I transfer data from most of my email to my Internet Information Manager, but I store the original email in my email program (Pegasus).

Similar to filters are email aliases. Create special email addresses for specific purposes. It difficult to get all of your contacts to use the correct address but this is a real time saver. For example, if you have an assistant that handles your mailing list, use an email alias to send all of those emails directly to them. There is no need for you to waste time reading emails you don't need to read if you have properly trained your assistants. Train them, empower them and then trust them to get it done.

Speaking of training - it is another tool for increasing your productivity. Learn to really use software you know you will frequently use as soon as practical. You'll discover many tasks this software can help with that you would otherwise miss. Also consider time spent training an assistant to properly do a task an investment. Avoid the temptation to just do it yourself. It will save you much more time in the long-run and frees up your time to do the things you should be doing.

I've shared with you how I squeeze an inordinate amount of work into my day (when necessary). I'm also careful not to overload myself and damage my health. This is also something you need to watch. Success at the expense of your health and happiness is not success in my estimation.

Adopt this system today and you'll soon be amazed at what you can accomplish in very little time. You'll also be pleasantly surprised at the amount of free time you find. The Internet Information Manager was created by my very good friend Gary Knuckles. Grab a copy now at:

http://wetrack.it/budgetware/af.cgi?18

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Willie Crawford has taught thousands the secrets of operating
a successful on-line business through his free Internet
Business Success Course. It's more extensive than many $197
courses. Sign up today and start building your *successful*
on-line business: http://williecrawford.com/

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Communicating, Not Manipulating

We all have been pressured at one time or another to buy something we didn't really want, and were angry at ourselves later. Maybe the sales person or ad over-exaggerated your need to have the product or service. Or, perhaps important considerations were glossed over or hidden by a crafty sales pitch. You didn't realize the pitfalls until you had already forked over the cash.

Although selling is trying to get someone else to think or do something, it should not be manipulative. Instead, give the customer information that will help them make a wise decision. When a good product or service meets a prospect who can use its benefits, a sale almost always happens--no deceit required.

The problem comes when we manipulate a customer into buying something that won't be good for them. You might make the sale, but in the long run it doesn't pay off. The customer won't use it, will probably return it, and will not do business with you in the future. They may even say negative things about your company to others, and nothing travels faster than negative word-of-mouth.

The solution is to only sell things you strongly feel can benefit your customers. Find prospects who will get real use out of the purchase. They'll turn into repeat customers and spread the word about the value of doing business with you.

Draw the line when it comes to a prospect who won't benefit from your product or service, or who can't really afford it.

------------------------------

Kevin WRITES your professional copy--web site copy, sales
letters, ads, press release and more! See http://DrNunley.com.
Reach Kevin at kevin@drnunley.com or 801-253-4536.

What Is The Best Affiliate Program?
by Bob McElwain

Hey, that's an easy one. It's the program that works best for you. It's the one that earns you the greatest return for least effort.

Note your results are quite likely to be different from those of others. But this is of no concern to you at all. If it works for you, that's it. Period.

The key in this is not really the program, but you. Who you are. What you believe in. What your visitors and subscribers want most. And so forth. All such factors collectively point to the affiliate programs that will work best for you. And not everyone will reach the same conclusion, for we're all different from one another, as are the visitors each of us draws.

The Best Approach

Decide on a program you feel fits your needs. If it doesn't work, try another. Repeat until you find one that does work.

Keep a keen eye on results. They will vary month to month, and you need to get a feeling for this variation. At some point, sales will begin to slow for you. It's inevitable. And this can happen for you, even while others continue to have success with the same product.

A common happening with most programs is at some point the product becomes known to most everybody interested. And most of those who might buy it, have done so. What remains as potential customers are those new to the Web, those who haven't heard about it, and people who discover a need for it in developing something new in their program.

While some will be content with sales from people in these groups, many will prefer to turn to a different program, a newer one maybe, seeking a better return on their time and effort.

You've Got To Work It

Putting up some banner ads is not going to make it. You need to dig in, understand the product, and sell the heck out of it. Build some pages for your site. For sure, provide a review, including your personal evaluation of the product. Build other pages with related information as possible.

Note you must be enthusiastic about the product, else find another. Most are simply unable to effectively sell a product they are not excited about.

Once you've done the grunt work, you may only need a series of ads you rotate through your newsletter and site. Or maybe consider some offline advertising.

Ads for online products frequently pop up in print publications. And this stuff costs. So you can figure it works, else a person would give up on the idea very quickly.

But whatever the plan, put it all on auto-pilot, let it run, and get on to other things. However, do watch profits. When they begin to drop off, as they're bound to do at some point, you may want to consider another program to replace it.

Every Program Has Its Day

Affiliate programs all have a natural span, much like a living thing. Amazon.com was grown largely through an affiliate program. Over time, Amazon buttons popped up on a lot of sites. And one could get a feeling there was at least one on every site. But now this program's contribution to total profits is greatly diminished.

Back when the idea of buying books on the Web was new, most any webmaster could make sales by linking to Amazon.com. Some of their visitors were glad to know about this new option and a few probably thanked the webmaster for the recommendation. Even though commissions are not much over a buck per sale, while this idea was new, many made a lot of sales.

In time, however, as more people came to know of Amazon.com, they tended to go to the site directly. And commission sales dropped off correspondingly. Many webmasters dropped out of the program long ago.

But some still make it work. The best strategy I've seen is to mention or recommend a book within content, and reference this work on Amazon. If you have a site upon which people seek resources, this can bring sales.

However, the original program which built the site is largely history now. Both to Amazon and to webmasters. It has changed so dramatically, few will find this a profitable program today.

Don't Hesitate To Drop A Program

The key to successfully selling affiliate products is in focusing on just a few that work well for you. As suggested, these programs will be a function of who you are, and what your subscribers and visitors want.

You'll find people representing a dozen or more affiliate programs. This doesn't work well. The better plan is to promote only two or three. Try to add in more, and the credibility of your support for any one program is diminished.

I routinely toss programs that slow down on me. In some cases, the decrease in sales, is due to ...

>Saturation: So many people are now selling the product, my offer is of little or no interest to most.

>End Of Harvest: Those of my subscribers and visitors who were potential customers have already bought it or have no interest.

>The Latest Thing: A new program is launched that makes the current program less attractive.

>The Great Unknown: In some cases, the reason for the drop in sales remains unknown.

But a drop in sales in and of itself needs a close look. In fact the reason for the drop may mean little. And that others remain successful, may mean even less. For it's the success of the program for you that matters.

In The Real World

Nothing in the above about affiliate programs is news. The same is so of businesses offline. Hula hoops have been in and out of favor a couple of times. Nike is popular, but it won't last forever. Nothing does.

Business is all about keeping up, and anticipating your potential customer's needs. Or generating new ones. Treat promotion of affiliate programs in the same way, and it's tough to go wrong.

---------------------------------

Bob McElwain, author of "Your Path To Success" and
" Secrets To A Really Successful Website." For info,
see <http://sitetipsandtricks.com/webways/>
Get ANSWERS. Subscribe to "STAT News" now!

Emotion Verses Logic In Sales Copy .... Which Makes More Sales?
by InfoProductLab

What's better? Emotion or logic in sales copy?

Emotionally charged sales copy that gets the prospect excited and primed for buying?

Or... building your case around facts, specifications and tests so they can come to a 'logical' decision?

I don't think it's a question of one verses the other...

For example, I've always thought of the way I would like to be sold as a basis for my sales copy.

So I think about how I buy things. Yes, emotion plays in these neighborhoods. I want something that will make me excited to buy it. Even if it's a relatively mundane item. I want nicely designed packaging, a promise it will do the job, and a fair price (but not cheap - because I don't trust anything cheap. Do you?).

Then I want supporting facts. OK, this product is what I want, but what are the facts? What specifications can you give me?

If I was buying a car (which I've been looking into lately) I'd want to know it's repair history (if used) or it's reliability over time as a model (if new). I'd want to know gas mileage, annual estimated repair/maintenance costs, resale value, etc...

Then I would make a decision -- most likely a decision - with emotional influences to be sure, BUT supported by FACTS (the logic).

I look at it like Ying/Yang. One cannot live in harmony without the other one.

Anyway that's the way I've observed my own buying habits. I like products that 'turn me on' but won't buy until I know the facts about it.

In other words, I buy emotionally, but justify it with logic. At least I do when I 'sell' my wife on what I want to buy ;-)

"You see darling, the new BMW 520i is safer. And here are the crash tests. See for yourself honey. You deserve to ride in the safest car on the road."...etc...

In the meantime I'm salvating at the prospect of driving a sexy new BMW.. see what I mean?

So when you're creating your sales copy, get your prospects excited! But!! Give them every LOGICAL justification for buying.

Satisfy them emotionally and logically. Be in harmony with your buyers. No one is 100% emotional and no one is 100% logical all the time.

You have to understand human nature is a little of both. Put both sides to work for you and make more sales.

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© Copyright 2003 by InfoProductLab

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