August 12, 2008

The Most Profitable Product In The World You Can Ever Sell!

Filed under: makemoney1.1_200 — admin @ 6:28 am

Thank goodness, the most profitable product in the world you can ever sell… also happens to be the easiest product to create.

Can you guess what I’m talking about?

Give up?

Well, that product is…

“Information”!

Let me give you some examples of what I mean: Most information is sold either through written words (books, e-books, magazines and newspapers)… pictures (DVD’s and VHS tapes)… or through computer programs (like software).

And can you guess how much it costs to burn a DVD once your product is made? Or what it costs to assemble a book?

The exciting truth is, in most situations it costs literally less than $2 dollars. And… if you’re selling stuff online, it gets even better, because…

Your disribution costs are even less!

Because if you’re selling information that can be downloaded online by your buyer, outside of a few pennies on the dollar for your merchant account and maybe $25 to $35 dollars a month to keep your website going, your costs are virtually “ZERO”!

That’s why selling “information” is the most profitable product in the world, you can ever sell.

Plus, the amount of money you can make selling information isn’t limited to your store hours… your billable hours… or your inventory.

Just look at Microsoft. Last year they did over $32 Million Dollars in gross annual sales. Not a big deal, other companies are bigger. But… there are few (if any) companies this size, that also have over $49 Million Dollars of cash on-hand, and only a hair more than $1 Million Dollars in long-term liabilities.

I don’t know how familiar you are with asset-to-liability ratios, but this is virtually unheardof.

Reason why?

It’s because of how much cash their products generate and how little it costs them to make it. Just think about it: It costs you $199.99 to buy the new Windows XP Home system at Office Max. How much do you think it cost Microsoft to burn a few CD’s and toss in a manual or 2?

Maybe $10 bucks?

Not bad, hey?

So…

How can you use this to make money in your business?

Well, let’s say you sell software. Most software isn’t very easy to use, right out-of-the-box. And most of the manuals that come with software programs are horrible.

So how about if you produce an e-book or a DVD showing your customers how to use the software? Even if you only sold the book for $19.95 each, at almost 100% profit, it sure doesn’t take long for this project to start lining your pockets with some serious extra cash, right?

And it’s not like you need to do research to write the book or produce the DVD either. That’s the beauty of this.

What if you’re a massage therapist?

A book about “Top 10 Ways To Keep Your Back Nimble And Pain-Free” surely would be something your customers would want.

Maybe you could couple it with “5 Ways To Make Sure Your Golfing Game Doesn’t Cost You More Than A Day Out: How To Eliminate Back Pain While Golfing”

Collect flowers as a hobby? How about a book identifying different flowers in different areas of the world? Or maybe you can reveal “The Secret Locations Of Rare Wild Flowers!”

What if you sell industrial-sized turbine motors? I bet a good VHS or DVD showing your customers how to use those motors, and how to keep them running maintenance-free, would be a big hit.

Maybe this is the way to go with it: “3 Ways To Avoid Costly Repairs To Your Turbine And How To Extend Its Life By As Much As 7 Years!”

You can pretty much come up with a related product for almost any business you have.

What’s that you say — you’ve got a land-based dry cleaners so you can’t use this idea?

Not True!

How about a book that explains how to remove certain stains from a variety of materials and carpeting, or maybe a video that explains the caring and storage of high-end wedding dresses.

Or even better, how about a book along with some software, for the dry-cleaning industry about how to increase profits and streamline losses, directed at other people who own dry-cleaning businesses?

You see, the possibilities are endless.

And remember, nothing is ever set in stone. Even if you can’t sell your products, you can definitely give them away as premiums to your customers, to enhance the value of your goods and services.

For example, don’t you think if you owned a pet shop, you’d have a better chance of selling your kitty litter if you gave away a FREE report along with every single purchase, called “7 Ways To Eliminate Cat Odor!”

Or, let’s say you’re an accountant — wouldn’t your clients love to know “How To Beat The IRS At Their Own Game!”

You could even use this technique if you’re doing something that really makes everyone’s hair stand up on the end of their arms: Like… what if you sell cemetery plots?

I bet you’re customers would love to know, “Everything You Must Know, About Buying Cemetery Plots”

So before we wrap up, let’s recap what you learned today:

First, the most profitable product to sell is information.

Second, you can sell information directly or indirectly related to what you do, to your customers and to new prospects.

And lastly, another thing you can do with information products is to start using them as premiums or bonuses to either entice new people into doing business with you, or to bundle along with your “real” products, enhancing their perceived value. This gives you the “edge” in selling for higher prices than you are now.

Remember, there’s not a product you can sell that’s as easy to put your hands on to develop, as information… and there’s no product that’s worth as much to your customers and clients as information, either.
P.S. There’s also no “limit” on what people will pay for information. And the truth is, the more “niched” your information is… the more it’ll be worth!

Craig Garber is America’s Top Direct-Response Copywriter. You’ll find hundreds of marketing tips to increase your sales, and his insanely popular FREE Unconventional and Irreverent Daily Direct-Response Marketing Tips, on his website, http://www.KingOfCopy.com

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July 31, 2008

Growing Sales Through Creating Connections

Filed under: makemoney1.1_200 — admin @ 5:07 am

Your mission as a business owner is to develop a marketing strategy which offers your potential clients/customers a way to improve their situation in a certain way, solve a problem, provide more value, or open new opportunities for them which will motivate them to pick up the phone and buy from you. This requires that the focus of your marketing plan be placed on your customer - NOT ON YOU! Taken from The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z these ten powerful tools will support you in creating meaningful connections with your clients/customers and providing real time solutions to their challenges of the today.

1. Custom Assessments.

By using a tool such as Assessment Generator you can build custom assessments which will allow the visitors to your website the opportunity to engage with you while providing value which is memorable. With Assessment Generator you as the business owner will receive the basic results of the survey to see if clients are where they want to be in their lives or their businesses.

2. Online Survey Tools.

A well-designed online survey can greatly empower business, academic, and charitable organizations by finding out quickly what is on the minds of your current and prospective customers/clients. Creating an online survey can be extremely simple and convenient with a free survey tool such as Advanced Survey or Zoomerang. By designing a survey and sending this to your database, you can poll targeted groups quickly and in detail while obtaining real time results.

3. “Feedback” Hot Links.

As you update your website, author articles, or launch new products and services, add a “feedback hot link” to your site or to your e-mail signature. This link can state “Send me feedback” or “Send me your comments” and will automatically link to an e-mail which can be used for your website visitors to provide you with insight into what is working and what is not with your products and services. The key is to make communicating with you as easy as possible.

4. Weblogs With Comments.

A weblog is a simple yet compelling online environment, which will allow you to put your thoughts, ideas, and experiences on the web via a journal, photo album, or diary. With a tool such as Typepad you can provide your clients and customers with access to your online journal AND allow them the ability to comment to your posts. If you are blogging around a topic which creates discussion or a topic which can generate ideas for your new products and services, you will find that blogging with a tool which allows for comments will take your products and services to a more advanced and sophisticated level quickly and with the support of your customers/clients.

5. Client Scenarios That Create an Emotional Tug.

What are the typical challenges of your clients, what do they complain about to others, and what do they really want in life? Do they say things such as:

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July 25, 2008

The Dos and Dont’s of an Elevator Pitch

Filed under: makemoney1.1_200 — admin @ 2:05 am

The dreaded question: “What exactly does your company do?” It’s a simple question, but do you find that every time you answer it you give a different answer?

One of the first steps in positioning and branding a new company is to craft an elevator pitch. Simply put, an elevator pitch is a clear, compelling description of your business that is short enough to be understood (by your mother no less) in the time it takes to ride an elevator. That’s about 60 seconds or 150 to 225 words. This is not an easy as it sounds. To do it well requires a great amount of thought, strategizing, and finesse.

Here are some quick Dos and Don’ts:

- Do start with a hook: what is most compelling about your story?

- Do show how you solve a problem. Too many companies offer a solution, but never identify the problem they are solving?

- Do briefly describe what you sell but don’t kill them with details at this point.

- Do tell them who you are: who is behind the company and why you will succeed. (Got a great advisory board? Mention it.)

- Do briefly describe the target market: who it is; what industry; how big.

- Do mention how you will get revenue.

- Do note your competitive advantage be it intellectual property, distribution, partners, or whatever.

- Do speak in plain English. Don’t use acronyms, technospeak, hype, or marketing babble.

- Do show enthusiasm and passion (if you don’t believe it, who will?) but don’t go over the top. (That’s why used-car salesmen are forced to sell used cars.)

- Do practice, practice, practice. It should roll off your tongue naturally and consistently. No ums or uhs.

- Do make sure everyone in the company has the same story. Don’t forget the receptionist. You don’t want to be in a position where members of your own team have contradictory descriptions of your company.

- Do adjust for your audience. Customers are more interested in what problem you are solving for them than how you plan to make money. Save those details for potential investors.

- Do close with a call to action. Get a business card, schedule a follow-up call, set up a presentation, something.

- Do write it down. This will have a million uses–from the boilerplate in your press releases to online directory listings–to get your company description in the world consistently. Do shorter versions as well.

Jennifer Guinan, president of Sage Strategic Marketing, offers 19 years of experience in marketing, communications, Internet and search engine marketing, and PR for companies and organizations large and small. Guinan’s background includes national and international marketing and communications executive management and strategy, PR and media relations, and consulting. Her experience spans multiple industries from financial, healthcare, and life sciences to technology segments including software, networking, telecommunications, embedded systems, and wireless. She has developed M&A communications strategies, executed crisis management campaigns, successfully launched a number of startup companies, and strategized and implemented company repositioning, product launches, and issues campaigns. Contact us: http://www.sagestrat.com or jennifer@sagestrat.com

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