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The
IMC Insider
Helping
Real People create wealth and freedom with Internet businesses
since 1998 |
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April
30, 2007
Issue #145 |
Editorial:
Outsourcing 101 -- How to get your site built for as little
as $200
By
Derek Gehl
Many people think it costs thousands of dollars to hire
other people to build a business on the Internet.
That's a myth!
In reality, you can outsource the "drudge work"
of building your business -- and get twice as much done
in half the time -- for as little as $200.
But in order to do this cheaply and effectively, you
have to know which jobs to outsource -- and how to choose
the right person for the job.
Here's how you do it...
Derek Gehl's Top 3 Jobs to Outsource:
1. Website Design: Good news! Site design costs
a fraction of what it used to. You can hire great designers to build
terrific sites for as little as $100.
Just post a "designer wanted" ad at one of these two popular freelance sites:
eLance.com
RentACoder.com
Web designers from all over the world will bid on your ad. You can choose the
person or company who will do the best job for the lowest price. Best of all,
it's free to post an ad at these two sites -- and there's no obligation for you
to use anyone who bids on your job.
2. Programming: If you're not a computer programmer and your
site needs some programming -- say, to set up a shopping cart or add a custom
feature like an opt-in form -- then hire someone to do it!
Computer programming isn't the sort of thing you learn how to do overnight --
no matter how smart you are. If you hire a freelancer through Rentacoder.com,
you'll find someone who can do the job in hours instead of days.
Fact: I have met many entrepreneurs who hired a programmer or designer through
eLance.com or RentACoder.com -- and have continued to use them for years
with massive success!
3. Writing: If you want to write an eBook, a book, or a course
-- and you're not a professional writer yourself -- put together an outline
describing what you want and then hire someone else to write it for you. You're
guaranteed to get a better product faster.
How much will it cost you? Well, we have lots of clients who have hired
professional to write and edit 100+ page eBooks -- for less than $650. (Okay...
so it ain't "dirt cheap" -- but when you work out the hourly rate it's still
pretty darn good).
Just remember -- you'll save yourself money and get a better product if you present
the writer with a detailed outline of what you want them to write.
And where can you find good writers for the job? You guessed it... eLance.com.
You may be asking yourself, "How much will it cost to get my entire
site done by other people?" Well, I did a little searching on
eLance.com and found the following info, based on all of their
transactions in 2005:
| Service |
Lowest
Cost |
Average
Cost |
| Web Development |
$100 |
$622 |
| Graphic Design |
$50 |
$264 |
| Writing |
$50 |
$376 |
| Audio, Video, Multimedia |
$50 |
$832 |
... And prices have come down since 2005!
In my experience, the money I spend outsourcing jobs nearly always results in
greater profits. That's because it frees up my time so I can stay one step ahead of the competition and bring a
best-selling product to market before anyone else does.
When you find someone you think you want to hire, remember
these important tips:
- Take the time to set your expectations down in writing
-- so the person you hire knows exactly what they are. That way, you'll eliminate confusion or
misunderstanding -- which will save you time and money in the long run.
- Before you hire people, check their references! Pick up
the phone and actually call their previous employers. If I'm going to hire
someone to write an ebook for me, I want to be 100% sure they're good writers
who can do the job! The only way to know for sure is to interview people who
hired them in the past.
- Set deadlines -- and make sure penalties are in
place if
the
deadlines are missed. This may sound harsh, but if you are trying to
run a business you want to make sure everyone involved is motivated
to work towards the same goal.
Now, if you're on a real shoe-string budget and the prices quoted above seem a
bit steep, don't despair. You don't HAVE to outsource any work.
It's totally possible
to do everything yourself -- even if you don't know the first thing about programming
or website design. You'll just have to invest more time in learning how to do
these things yourself, which means it'll take you a bit longer to get to the finish
line.
But once your profits start rolling in... you can reinvest some of them in your
business and start outsourcing your "drudge work," too! It's a great way to grow
your business bigger, FASTER.
Have YOU ever outsourced any work? Tell us about it! Was it a good experience
for you? Or did you end up paying too much for work that wasn't what you wanted?
And if you have any favorite outsourcing resources I didn't
mention here, please share them with us on my blog.
Happy outsourcing! |
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Start-up
tip: Top 7 ways to identify "no-fail" affiliate
opportunities
By
Chris Reynolds
Last week, Derek gave you an eBook on the
3 fastest ways to make money online. If you've read
the eBook, by now you know the fastest way to earn profits
online is to join affiliate programs.
(That's when you sell another company's products for them, in exchange
for a commission fee. It's a great way to add instant revenues to a
website, whether you're just starting out or already running a
profitable business.)
When you're researching possible affiliate programs to
join, here are the 7 most important questions to ask yourself...
(Note: This information is all taken from the free
eBook Derek sent out last week. I've just turned it
into an easy reference list, so you can print it up and
have it beside you as you do your research.)
1. Is the product actually valuable?
Any product you promote is going to reflect directly on you.
If you choose a good-quality product that's reasonably priced, your customers
and subscribers will continue to trust you and be interested in future
product recommendations you make.
2. Does the company have a good reputation?
Before you join an affiliate program, check out the company's
reputation. They should offer good customer service and
be very professional at all times. You don't want to offend
people by referring to a company that treats them like
dirt!
3. Can you provide an honest and informed
recommendation of the product?
Sincerity sells. It's hard to be genuine when you recommend
a product you've never actually tried. Do your
homework -- buy the product and try it out yourself. At
the very least, talk to a number of people who have tried
it, so when you promote it, you sound like you know what
you're talking about.
4. Does the affiliate program pay a
good commission?
You should expect to be paid 20% to 50% of the net profit
for every product you sell. Don't waste your time on programs
that offer only 5% to 10% -- they'll never earn you the
kind of money you want.
5. Is the product a "best-seller"?
There's no point trying to sell a product that nobody
wants to buy.
Look for sites that have at least a 1% conversion ratio. (That means
they'll get a sale from 1 out of every 100 visitors you send them).
It's your job to send them targeted visitors -- but it's their
job to convince those visitors to buy their product.
6. Do they pay you for every sale you help them make?
Look for a program that
tracks all of your sales --whether they're made online or
through the phone, fax, or email. (Many
companies only track online orders, and this means you'll never
get credit for 5% – 10% of your affiliate sales!)
The company should also give you access to your own real-time
statistics, so you can see how well your promotions are
doing. You should be able to see…
- How many visitors have clicked through from your
site to theirs
- How many of those visitors made a purchase
- Your sales totals for that month and previous months
- How many sub-affiliates you have (if you belong
to a "two-tiered" affiliate program)
7. Do they give you free promotional tools, tips, and strategies?
A good affiliate program will provide you with
everything you need to be successful -- such as traffic-generating
banner ads, text links, and salescopy. They should offer to teach you
everything you need to know to earn good money. After all, their
success is directly based on YOUR success!
Here's something else to keep in mind: Affiliate websites are just
like any other kind of online business -- they're only successful if
they appeal to a focused niche market. Make sure your site targets a
specific group of people who are all trying to solve the same problem.
And then make sure the affiliate product you promote really does
solve that problem.
If you do these two things -- and are able to answer "yes" to these 7
important questions -- then you're guaranteed to make money
recommending affiliate products.
One last thing -- if you haven't downloaded your copy of the free eBook
we gave away last
week -- "Derek Gehl's Three Proven Strategies to Making Money Online,"
it's not too late. Simply click here now:
http://www.marketingtips.com/foolproofstrategies
... And you can start putting our information to work for your business
right away.
[Ed. note: Chris Reynolds is IMC's Director of Business
Development and manages our own successful affiliate program.] |
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Writing tips from "The Club": Features vs. Benefits
By
Andrew Mallory
Since Mitch Tarr wrote an article about headlines a couple of weeks ago,
a lot of people have written in asking us, "What's the difference between a feature and a benefit?"
Good question! When it comes to writing your salescopy (the words you use to sell your product on your website),
knowing the difference between a feature and a benefit is essential.
Coincidentally enough, I started a discussion thread on this exact topic in the
"Internet Entrepreneur Club" forum just the other day.
(It's like I'm psychic or something... =)
I'll give you the link so you can visit the discussion thread in a moment. But first,
I want you to participate in a short copywriting exercise, so you can determine how well
YOU know the difference between features and benefits.
Here's the exercise: Imagine your business sells red waterproof boots.
Now come up with a list of benefits associated with your product. What would people "get"
out of buying your product? How would it improve their lives?
(Remember: Keep the focus on them -- not the product itself. Your benefits should answer
the most important question in your potential buyers minds: "What's in it for ME?")
So. Red waterproof boots. What's good about them?
Grab a pen and some paper and brainstorm your list of benefits. Then come visit this week's
featured discussion thread in The Entrepreneur Club and see how your list compares with the
benefits some of our top Club members came up with.
Click here
to visit the discussion thread:
www.internetentrepreneurclubforum/featuredthread
... And get a FREE crash course in salescopy writing.
(Just be aware that you're starting at the bottom of the thread. In order to see how the
conversation progresses, you'll want to scroll UP.)
Let the benefits begin!
[Ed. note: Andrew Mallory is one of IMC's advanced
mentors and a regular expert contributor in the Internet
Entrepreneur Club. To learn more about how you can join
this exclusive private members' club, click here
now.] |
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Ask
the IMC Expert: How to use the Internet to promote an
offline business
By
Ric Mazereeuw
Here's a question
recently sent in by Phylis. She wants to know if the information
we offer can be used to promote her offline flower shop.
(In a word: YES!) I've asked my Director of Mentoring,
Ric Mazereeuw, to answer her.
Phylis asks:
I am the owner of a Flower & Gift Shop. I also have
a website for the shop (adannas.com).
I have been subscribing to your marketing tips for the
last few years but have not taken it seriously until now.
I never considered my business an Internet business, but
I'm beginning to think otherwise. (hope this is not a
stupid question) Can the tips you offer be used for my
business? If so, can you let me know exactly how?
Ric answers:
That's actually an excellent question, Phylis -- and one
I'm happy to answer.
Here's something I can't stress enough: The Internet is
a necessary part of any successful business nowadays.
Your store is a perfect example. You run a flower shop.
In order to keep your customers returning to your store,
you want to stay in touch with them. You need to communicate
with them.
Well, the Internet is the ULTIMATE communication tool.
Here's how you can use it: From now on, every time a customer
buys flowers from you, you should collect five very important
pieces of information:
- Their first names
- Their last names
- Their email address
- The name of the person they're buying flowers for
- The REASON they're buying flowers
Let's say one of your customers buys flowers for his mother
on her birthday. About 11 1/2 months after that purchase,
you send him an email reminding him his mother's birthday
is coming up soon.
Then you offer him a 25% discount off one of your nicest
floral arrangements if he calls you to place an order
in the next 48 hours.
Your phones will be ringing off the hook!
Not only will you be giving your customer a highly compelling
reason to take you up on your offer, you may also be doing
him a HUGE favor by reminding him his mother's birthday's
coming up.
With that kind of customer service, you'll really stand
apart from your competitors.
Of course, once you have your customers' email addresses,
you can send them occasional promotional messages all
year long. For instance, you can let them know when...
- You have rare or hard-to-find flowers in stock
- When you're having an "end of season" or "clearance"
sale
- You're running holiday specials (for Valentine's
Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation, Secretary's
Day, and so on.)
You can even send them friendly follow-up tips after they
make a purchase, telling them how to care for the flowers
they just bought.
Again, it's all about providing excellent customer service
-- so the next time one of your customers needs to buy
flowers, yours is the first store that comes to mind.
Hope that helps, Phylis!
[Ed. note: Ric
Mazereeuw is IMC's Director of Mentoring. To learn how
you can apply for a spot in our Advanced Mentoring program
-- and get "round the clock" advice from your own personal
Internet marketing mentor, click here: http://www.marketingtips.com/advancedcoaching.] |
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Meet
the IMC team of experts
Meet the IMC team of experts -- join us for an exclusive
two-day "Wealth-Building Bootcamp" coming soon to a city
near you!
For two full days in each of the cities listed below,
my IMC team will speak live on stage, giving away the
exact step-by-step blueprint you need to grow a lucrative
Internet business...
... Using the most current, most advanced Internet marketing
secrets, strategies, and technologies that we've used
to generate over $60,000,000 in online sales.
Upcoming Bootcamps:
San
Francisco, CA -- May 5 & 6 (Click
here for more details)
Toronto,
ON -- May 12 & 13 (Click
here for more details)
Philadelphia,
PA -- May 12 & 13 (Click
here for more details)
Edmonton,
AB -- May 26 & 27 (Click
here for more details)
To claim your tickets, click on the links above -- or
call my team, who will be happy to answer any of your
questions about these exclusive events -- at 1-800-595-9855. |
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Reprint
IMC's up-to-the-minute marketing advice on YOUR website
or blog -- free!
Click
here to find out how you can use our content
to help grow your business! |
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Do
you have an idea or comment you'd like to share with the
IMC community?
Leave a comment on Derek's blog: http://blog.marketingtips.com/derek/
And let's get the conversation started! |
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To
contact us...
If you have any questions, email info@marketingtips.com
Or, if you would prefer to use postal mail,
please contact us at:
The Internet Marketing Center
1123 Fir Ave
Blaine, WA
98230 |
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