Internet Marketing Basics

How to make more sales before Christmas
By Anna-Marie Stewart

Wow, life just keeps getting busier and busier at this time of year, have you noticed? Kids are back in school, the lazy days of the summer holidays are over and everybody`s starting to think about Christmas. The shops are full of Christmas stuff, ads on tv are showing pressies for the kids, even the World Wide Web is overflowing with Christmas.

Do you realise there's only about 14 weeks between mid-September and mid-December? When you think of it that way, it's understandable that everybody's really starting to promote their stuff hard. Especially on the web, because things tend to happen so fast online compared to in real life.

If you don't get going there in time, you risk missing out. So whatever it is you're marketing: Go for gold, pull out all the stops, get the best copy you possibly can, and promote, promote, promote!

We all want to make sales at this time of year, so that we've got money in our own pockets for Christmas. So how do you go about getting as many sales as possible?

First of all, take a good, long hard look at yourself. What IS it that makes you want to buy something? What makes you say 'I've just got to have that!' Why do you want it? Is it the price? Is it because it's simple and easy to use? Does it solve a problem for you? Maybe it's just because it's outright fun?

Guess what you've just done? You've looked at yourself as your own prospective customer! You KNOW what draws you, and you KNOW you can't possibly be the only person on earth that get's drawn by those things, so you now KNOW what buyers want.

There are a few proven methods to getting your customers to buy more from you once they've made that first purchase, such as offering a freebie with it. Giving them that little bit more than what they bought can really work wonders. Of course, something worthwhile, and preferrably related to what they ordered from you usually works best.

After-sales follow-up is also extremely important. Write them an email asking if they're happy with their purchase, or ask if there's anything they need explaining about the product etc. Make sure you're available to answer any questions they might have about the products they've bought.

If you sell actual hands-on products that you have to send through the post, then drop a business card with all your contact info into the parcel. Or add a little extra something to the package, trust me, they'll remember you. How do I know this?

At times, I buy small wholesale lots on Ebay. One of my favourite items to buy happens to be belly bars (they're actually good sellers for me). So anyway, I've been happy with most of my purchases, but this one time I'd bought some belly bars and waited for them to come to my door. Impatiently, as always..

When they arrived, I opened up the package, and inside was a small polythene bag, with 3 small candies in it and a 'Thanks for your purchase' note. Just a tiny gesture, but guess what? It made me remember the seller, and I've bought from her time and time again.

I read somewhere that if you under-promise, and over-deliver, then you're onto a winner. I think whoever wrote that may just have been knowing what they were talking about.

So get going. Christmas is close, and time is running out. If you're useless at ad copy, then PAY someone to write your ads for you. It IS worth it, and there are a lot of extremely reasonably priced copywriters out there.

Give your website a holiday feel, full of red and green, just don't overdo it. Make people feel comfortable, give them a reason to trust you, and you WILL make those Christmas sales!

===============Resource Box===========
What? You’re Not Making Money Yet? Find out
how REAL PEOPLE are making REAL MONEY Right
Now by grabbing your copy of Real Life Marketer
Interviews Vol. II http://annamarketing.com/int2x3.htm
======================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Anna-Marie Stewart All Rights Reserved



Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Six ways to make extra money for Christmas
By Anna-Marie Stewart

Christmas time can be stressful and hard if you're running low on cash. Here are 6 tips for making some extra money so you too can have a joyful season.

1. Root around your house, from attic to basement. Find EVERYTHING that you don't need and don't use, then list them on Ebay.com It's amazing what people actually buy. Remember, one mans junk is another mans treasure.

2. If you find Ebay too confusing, or you feel the need to get out more, take all your new-found items along to the nearest flea market or car boot sale. If you don't want to travel to find customers, throw up a big old 'Yard Sale' sign outside your house.

3. If you haven't got your own stuff, or want to sell more, ask your friends for THEIR junk. Tell them you'll sell it for them if you get a percentage of what you make. That way, both you AND your friends make money for Christmas.

4. If you've got a website and digital products such as software and ebooks that you have full resale rights to, see if you can bundle up lots of goodies together for an unbelievably low price. Make sure you let people know it's a one-off Christmas Special that will end soon. Be aware of copywrite and license agreements that may prohibit bundling of certain software products.

5. If you've got a website and you sell physical products, bundle a few together, make up a good price and offer free shipping. Or offer free shipping for purchasing a certain amount. Offering free products such as 'buy 3 get 1 free' also works well.

6. Try to get a 'stand-in' job in a busy resturant, pub or club. Maybe even a pizza delivery job. There's big tips to be had at Christmas time, and never enough staff.

Try out one, two, or even all of these ideas NOW and you'll have that little bit of extra cash in your pocket in time for Christmas. Feel free to let me know how it works for you, I'd love to hear it!

===============Resource Box===========
What? You’re Not Making Money Yet? Find out
how REAL PEOPLE are making REAL MONEY Right
Now by grabbing your copy of Real Life Marketer
Interviews Vol. II http://annamarketing.com/int2x3.htm
======================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Anna-Marie Stewart All Rights Reserved

Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Interview with Audio Expert Quentin Brown

http://www.mp3soundstream.com
I have a number of websites but this is my primary one at present.
******************************

1. Can you tell me about your business background?

I have spent most of my life in administration of some kind or another. Basically office type work. I branched out once and started a few businesses, however a few years later we had a wild economic ride here in Australia and I was forced into bankruptcy with 24% interest rates. I quickly retreated back to office work.

So my background is as a worker for companies. I started my Internet career with no real contacts or big data bases. I had very limited experience with computers except accounting packages.

2. As a person on the Internet, how did you get started?

Naturally after going bankrupt I had very little self esteem so I went back to the safe office work. I tinkered with MLM every now and then but with such a low self esteem I was destined for failure.

I started to use the internet about 7 years ago and while learning how to build websites started meeting a lot of great people online. As I started talking to them I was introduced to Internet marketing and tried my hand at a few affiliate programs.

Three months later I received my first cheque for $56 and I was hooked. It was the most fun I had ever had making money even though it was very small.

As I learned more how to market other people products I then started to build my own. E-books and how to manuals. I then branched out into software and other products which has resulted in my business having a wide range of products which has built in a good sustainable income.

I don't think you can do this initially because you would just get overloaded, however as you meet people and share what you know opportunities present themselves and you weigh up what is worth doing and what not to do.

It’s the old saying that when the student is ready the teacher will arrive.

3. How long have you been in business online?

Well I guess you could say 7 years but the first five were only part time just earning a little extra income to supplement my wage. I worked for a charity during this time so my income was not great.

As an accounts clerk I was getting pretty bored so I offered to build the charity a web page and so they bought me Front Page and I built my first web site.
People liked it so much I started to get other enquiries.

As I started to build more sites people wanted extra functionality so I simply went and did an online course and learned how to do it. I then wrote my first e-book called My Website and it sold and still sells quite well.

I have been a full time Internet marketer now since December 2002.

4. How did you learn what it takes to succeed?

Forums, online courses and tutorials

I was learning a lot form the forums so I also started fixing computers in the office etc. After five years I had moved from accounts clerk to IT manager. I used to get asked to fix something and I would say I have to think a bit on that one and race back to my desk and post the question on a forum. Within minutes there was an answer and the business thought I was a genius.

After a while most problems started to repeat so I was able just to fix problems without going to the forums.

I then started to apply all of this to my online business I had started and found that most of the same things were available for the business side. I started to do business online courses and tutorials and just started applying it all to my online business.

There are so many great mini courses and tutorials around today and many with videos so you can see exactly how to do things. When I started i had to work out a lot of it myself and use the hit and miss technique. While there were some great forums around people were a little more reserved about sharing their information.

5. Do you do all of your business online?

Initially yes, most of my Internet based business was online however as I became more successful I started to get asked to do seminars etc. So today it is about 80% online and the rest offline. I was retrenched in 2002 from the charity as I had built the IT side into quite a complex unit and they felt they needed someone with some qualifications. It was a joint decision and this is when I went full time. They now contract me back as a consultant. Plus I also do some other consulting work.

6. What can you tell me about your business in 7 sentences?

Basically my business is based around helping people to start their own online business. I also provide a whole range of software and tutorials which show people how to add streaming audio and video to their sites.

I guess this is becoming the main thrust of my business. I love technology and the different things you can do online.

Over the last couple of years I have seen a great demand for different media streaming techniques so I have been doing this more and more.

Because I also have a lot of my own websites I have my own hosting company and so I provide hosting for different people and also teach how to set up your own hosting business.

All this coupled with the consulting provides a good steady income. My favorite part though is helping people to do it themselves.

7. How do YOU get traffic to your website?

Traffic is always something people ask about. There are so many ways to drive traffic. Google adwords, articles, forums, seminars, affiliate programs, mini courses, newsletters etc. No one is more important than the other. Lets face it if you had a traditional business you would not just put an add in the newspaper. It is all about trying different things and then measuring the response.

When I started I used to depend just on search engine placement however I soon learnt that a great article or a mini course or a quality newsletter can drive a lot more traffic than just a search engine listing. Today search engines only bring in about 20% of my traffic.

Also it is important not to get too hung up on traffic. It is conversion we are really after. If I only got a 100 visitors and 80% of them converted into a sale I would be much happier than getting 1000 visitors with a conversion rate of 2% which is what a lot of people put up with.

I notice today that a lot of people get hung up on keywords when in reality it is the add that people see. If your add does not convert then it wont matter how many great keywords you have.

Traffic is great but conversions is what we are after so I spend a lot of my time on trying to improve my copy writing and adds to increase my conversions.

8. What do you like most, and least, about the Internet?

I think the best thing about the Internet is the ability to automate a lot of the daily functions of your business.

I think the worst thing is the same in that so many businesses automate so much that there is no service. I have developed a lot of word of mouth sales because I simply add personal service and answer my emails when people ask questions.

Of course when something is so easy to use and cheap you also get everything else that goes with that such as spam, rip off merchants etc. Much of this can be avoided so they are just downsides to the business and all businesses have some sort of downside.

I have sold more products because people have asked a question and I have responded in a personal email than anything else. They have then gone and told their friends and this has resulted in another sale.

The other thing I love is the ability to touch a global marketplace. I have sold products in over 41 different countries. I have developed relationships with people all over the world and this is totally unthinkable in any other format for the price which is basically free.

Finally the ability to research products and do market surveys for next to nothing is invaluable. A simple page asking some questions with a bonus for their time can tell you a lot about a product and what to develop. After all is is about supplying a need and to get this type of information can save you thousands.

9. Do you have any tips or advice you would like to offer?

My main tip is to give it time and look at everything you do over a period. I like to put everything in a spreadsheet and then you can see graphically how your business is going.

For example last year I was watching my sales and noticed I got some disturbing spikes every now and then over a six month period. I simply went out and purchased another ecommerce product and this balanced out those spikes so now my sales are a lot more consistent.

Many people dumped that particular program but over time it still has performed very well just has these occasional spikes. Without watching it over time I would have reacted the same way, but because I had good stats I was able to respond to the problem.

The other main tip is to track and watch what you do. It is not much use spending 50% of your time in trying to get your site perfected for search engines if it is only bringing in 10% of your traffic.

The Internet is a very fluid system and things are constantly changing so you must be prepared to incorporate these changes.

I think the other thing is to pick a niche or certain area and then become the expert in that area.
This narrows down what you look at and stops you jumping form one great program to another and really not achieving anything at all.

I always suggest people read From Good to Great by Jim Collins. This book outlines how you can not only grow a great business but build in some sustainability to it.

10. What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

My goals and aspirations for the future are very simple. I like doing charity work and I am involved in orphanages in Thailand, Mozambique and the Philippines. I want to keep making money online so I am free to visit these places and offer my services.

One thing I learnt once I became successful online is that while I had no money it was all important. Once I made enough that I did not have to worry about bills etc I had a lot of free head space. We see lots of people getting a lot of money and then crashing because they did not have something bigger than themselves to invest their time and energy into.

I was privileged to interview 5 millionaires once including Robert Kiosaki. Each one said that personal development was critical to their success. They would spend almost 70% of their time on developing themselves through tapes, lectures and books. When you look at the average person working I guess you could say they spend less than 10% of their time on personal development.

This is a key and something I do regularly.

11. Do you have an all-time favourite book?

Rich Dad Poor Dad Series. Robert Kiosaki
From Good to Great Jim Collins
The E-Myth Michael Gurber
The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell (Epidemics)

12. Can you tell me a little about YOU, as a real everyday person? (likes, dislikes, hobbies, pet peeves, fave food etc.)

I have been married for 30 years to my wife Pam. We have 4 boys of which two just got married. They are my best friends. I love travelling and meeting people which used to be something that scared me a lot. Have a staffy dog called mini and my dream car a white BMW.

I am in a ten pin bowling league that plays every week. My highest score is 267.

I love surfing, reading and good food. Favorite food is Spaghetti Bolognaise and Steak Diane with a Caesar salad.

I guess my pet peeve is politics. After working in large corporations most of my life I learnt to hate political justification in business, church, governments and family. I guess that why I love the Internet business so much because people can't get away with too much before they are found out.

Copyright © 2004 Anna-Marie Stewart. All rights reserved. This is one of 20 interviews that you can read today by downloading your free copy of Real Life Marketer Interviews Volume 1. To download, rightclick this link: Volume 1 and choose save file as.

Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Just before I finished my Real Life Marketer Interviews Volume 2 I got interviewed by Melissa, a fellow AdlandPro member and owner of TheWriteTimes.com

Thought I'd post it here so you could get to know me a little better. Melissa is TWT and I am AMS ;) Enjoy!

TWT: Are you currently working from home at all?

AMS: I am, but not yet making a living from it. Although it's getting there

TWT: What was the driving force that led you to investigate working from home?

AMS: Hmm, I guess that would be the fact that I moved back to the UK after 18 years of being in Norway. That, and being dependent on state benefits which barely gives enough to survive in this part of Wales.

TWT: Do you work outside the home as well, I mean, what is your day job?

AMS: No. I don't really have the chance to work outside of the home as I home-educate the 3rd of my 4 kids. He's nine and suffers from ADHD, so that presents me with a lot of hard work. lol

TWT: Tell me a little about your family and about your book of marketing interviews?

AMS: My family? Where do I start? I have my 4 kids and they are the most fantastic people on earth - along with my fiancée. The kids range in age between 5 and 16, so there's never a dull day here. (In fact, there's rarely ever even a quiet day hahahaha!) My fiancée and I got engaged on Christmas day last year (I had a terrible experience in marriage before, so it's quite surprising that I'm ready to take the chance again) but we haven't set a date yet, just sometime before Christmas 2008. LOL

As for the interviews e-book I'm working on, (it's just about ready too, yippie!) that came about because I'd done a free one before, partly to gain subscribers to my e-zine and partly to show people that it IS possible to make money online and it worked really well. I've had LOTS of great feedback from it.

People still download Volume One to this day. I think it's probably the most popular freebie on my site.

TWT: Let’s talk about Not Just Another E-Zine. Is this your own concept? How did you come up with it?

AMS: I like to think that most of it is my own concept, although parts are taken from other newsletters that I've learned from. I used to be well into affiliate marketing and down line building etc. before I started the e-zine. In fact, they were how I first became involved with internet marketing.

Unfortunately it went the way it usually does with newbies online. I got a bunch of hyped up mails offering riches and wealth. (How was I to know they were commonly known as spam mails?) Well, anyway, I got sucked into the great big dream, used some money, made a little money then lost a whole lot more until I realized I was being scammed.

I decided there and then that I wanted to publish a newsletter to help others avoid the mistakes that I had made, and hopefully that's exactly what it does.

TWT: What about Anna Marketing most excites you?

AMS: That has to be the relationships I have managed to build with my subscribers. I like to think of each and every one of them more as a friend than 'just a subscriber'. I'm also really excited about the fact that I'm constantly learning new things and meeting new people.

TWT: What is your favorite part of working Anna Marketing?

AMS: My all time favorite part of Anna Marketing is the fact that I finally got the courage to start creating my own e-books. I've created a few that I give away for free and also a few that I sell. My second favorite part is, again, the relationship building. I just love people and love getting to know them. I also think it's great when I get a mail from somebody telling me that I've helped them in some way or other. It's brilliant!

TWT: What is your least favorite Anna Marketing aspect, if there is one?

AMS: Programming! Anything to do with programming LOL! I'm decisively blonde with techie stuff so I get my friend/business partner to do all the programming cuz that's what he does best.

TWT: I like that, “decisively blonde”. How do you feel that Adland helps you in your profession?

AMS: I haven't actually had a chance to make much use of Adland as of yet due to the fact that I have been really ill the past year and only just getting back into the swing of things now. I must say though, I've had an incredibly warm welcome and already have many new friends and contacts just from the past month or two which is just great!

TWT: How long have you been a member of the Adland community?

AMS: I've actually been a member since March 2005 and if I remember rightly it was because somebody sometime recommended the forum and the newsletter that was available back in those days. Due to my illness I've only just come back and it's changed a lot, so it's taking some getting used to.

TWT: Tell me how you use the Adland community features and have you found support, friends, relationships here?

AMS: I've used the free ads, and created my own forum. I'm also a member of the traffic exchange but rarely used it. I've already found a couple of good, helpful friends here and even had some help with the new sales page which I'm busy creating for Real Life Marketer Interviews Volume II. I know I've also had a few people subscribe to my e-zine after seeing my profile here on Adland.

TWT: Do you use print advertising (ads in papers, magazines, periodicals) and do you find it productive?

AMS: I've never tried offline advertising, but I have participated in e-zine ad swaps and also bought some ads in a few e-zines for some of my e-books.

TWT: Are there any other sources of advertising or promotion that you find particularly useful?

AMS: Articles! Articles are, in my opinion, THE best way to promote yourself, your products and your websites. It's fantastic viral marketing and it's free too. People will pick up your articles to use on their websites and they will bring you traffic for years to come.

TWT: Where do you see yourself in five years?

AMS: I see myself as a person people will have heard of in the internet marketing community and a successful e-book publisher with more than just the 3 or 4 e-books I sell right now. In my personal life, I see myself as happily married and possibly with only two or three of the kids living at home. Hopefully, the older ones will be in full time college/university by then, funded by sales of my publications.

TWT: You have it all together! I have enjoyed your interview and wish you the best of success!

AMS: Thanks so much for the interview Melissa, it was fun!


If you feel like checking out AdlandPro, please do look me up there too ;)
Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

As you know I rarely recommend anything, but this is different.

I'm a frequent visitor/user of the Warrior Forum and the owner, Allen Says, has just released his new social networking site.

If you're stuck finding the right people to network with for your business, then I definitely highly recommend that you check this out.

It's so new I haven't even had time to set up my profile in there yet, but I'm there, so add me to your friends, ok? http://www.mywarriornetwork.com/profiles/annamarie

Here's the standard invite mail so you can get a better idea of what it's all about:

I want to invite you to join a new social and business networking website MyWarriorNetwork.

After joining this site you'll be able to:

Connect with other people that you already know within the network

Keep in touch with your friends and business contacts online

Network with new business partners and colleagues to help grow your business

Find someone you know who works for a particular company or in a certain industry

Find old friends and work colleagues

Buy and sell products and services or get advice and recommendations

Get credible introductions to decision makers through your new contacts

Publicize and find forthcoming Business and Social Events

Promote yourself, your company and your services

Find new business deals and opportunities

Get referrals for new jobs or hard to find staff

To join MyWarriorNetwork and become one of my personal network contacts, please, click on the link below.

http://www.mywarriornetwork.com/profiles/annamarie

Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Real Life Marketer Interviews

20 Successful Internet Marketers Tell All

• Tips for getting traffic to your website
  
• The good and the bad sides of the internet
  
• Do you need a certain type of background to become successful?
  
• What do people do to succeed?
  
• And MUCH more....
  

Get your hands on your very own copy
of "Real Life Marketer Interviews" today!

Beware! This book contains TONS of information that a lot of gurus either charge big bucks for or just simply will NOT tell you at all...
RightClick Here To Download Your copy Right Now! © Copyright 2005, AnnaMarketing.com All Rights Reserved.



Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

When you've got a website it's always good to add a little colour, especially when you're selling something from the site. Here's a good list of some of the graphics designers who hang out on the Warrior Forum and some free graphics programs for you to check out.

The list is in no particular order, although I have used quite a few of them myself and been happy with the results.

Warriors who create graphics:

http://ecoverexpert.com/
http://www.ecoverartist.com/
http://graphics4marketers.com/
http://ecoverfrog.com/
http://www.ebookgraphics.com/
http://www.ecoverslab.com/
http://www.trendyecovers.com/
http://www.affordablegraphicsandbanners.com/
http://www.HiDefCovers.com
http://www.BlingCovers.com
http://www.eCoverFX.com
http://www.eCoverDesign.com
http://www.Amazing-eCovers.com

For creating your own graphics:

Graphics programs
http://www.irfanview.com/
http://www.gimp.org/windows/

Free banner templates:
http://www.animationonline.com/S/banner_templates.html
http://www.pysoft.com/GIF_Designer_Banners1.html
http://www.clickfire.com/content/graphics/banners

Free logo, button and banner creators:
http://www.cooltext.com
http://www.coder.com/creations/banner/
http://www.quickbanner.com/
http://www.3dtextmaker.com/
http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/logo_creator.shtml
http://www.animationonline.com
http://www.addesigner.com/

Have fun
Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Click Here To Download Your Copy Today! (rightclick and choose save as to download file)

Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment. Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Interview With Sam Stephens

http://www.dlguard.com
http://www.cbaffiliatepro.com
http://www.tacticalsuccess.com
http://www.samstephens.net
******************************

1. Can you tell me about your business background?

I started my own business when I was 17. I needed a way to pay for my university degree, and companies would not pay me a decent wage. So I went into business for myself. I made mistakes and learned from them. That was 8 years ago, and I'm still going strong.

I run an internet consultancy business, an internet business development service, and I write and sell my own software and e-books.

2. As a person on the Internet, how did you get started?

I started out trying to sell affiliate programs. I had no idea what I was doing, and so I didn't make a cent. From there I dug up as much free information as I could find. Once I educated myself enough, I pinpointed what I needed to know, and I bought specific e-books that described what I needed to know.

3. How long have you been in business online?

About 4 years

4. How did you learn what it takes to succeed?

Through PAIN and lots of it! Just kidding, it wasn't that bad. However I did learn the hard way. I've made mistakes, but I've also learned from those same mistakes. Mostly, I talked to people. Other peoples experience is a great way to shortcut your own.

5. Do you do all of your business online?

Yes I do.

6. What can you tell me about your business in 7 sentences?

I've built my business around helping other peoples businesses succeed. Very well known marketers and internet business people have, and still do, pay for my services - anything from business development, software development, client support, marketing and promotions, upgrades and bug stomping.

Basically I run their online businesses for them, so that they have two hands free to count their money. My business is 95% serviced based, however I also run websites such as www.cbaffiliatepro.com to bring in passive income.

Here's a quick tip - if you want to become rich, it's all about passive income and multiple income streams.

7. How do YOU get traffic to your website?

A combination:
- affiliates promote my products
- I sign up for joint ventures with other businesses
- I advertise my site on directories
- I participate in online forums, with my website address in my signature

8. What do you like most, and least, about the Internet?

Mostly, I love the ability to wake up whenever I want and walk into my home office wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and go to work.

The worse thing about the internet is, well, it's addictive. Make sure you save time to PLAY...not just work.

9. Do you have any tips or advice you would like to offer?

First and foremost, take this seriously - it really is a business, and should be operated as a business. This isn't to say you can't have fun with it, I'm just saying that to maximise what you get out of it, run it like you would a bricks-and-mortar business.

10. What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

I want to be filthy stinking rich, and have a number of websites pulling in so much money that I'll start using it to insulate my ceiling.

11. Do you have an all-time favourite book?

It'd have to be Prey, by Michael Critchen. It's fiction, it's not going to help your business in anyway, but hey I love reading stories.

12. Can you tell me a little about YOU, as a real everyday person? (likes, dislikes, hobbies, pet peeves, fave food etc.)

I'll be honest. I'm a lazy bugger. I like to make money easily, without putting much effort into it. I'm 25 years old, been married for a few months now and loving it. I have a little pet bird called Evie that sits on my shoulder and craps down my back while I work. Suffice to say I don't wear good shirts while I work.

I LOVE playing PC or Xbox games. It's the ultimate relaxation. I really believe that the meaning of life is to enjoy it, and help others enjoy it. That means stop workaholism. Yes you, you know I'm talking to you. The workaholic. Stop it! Now!

Copyright © 2004 Anna-Marie Stewart. All rights reserved. This is one of 20 interviews that you can read today by downloading your free copy of Real Life Marketer Interviews Volume 1. To download, rightclick this link: Volume 1 and choose save file as.

Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing

Interview With Terry Gibbs

http://www.news.iwantcollectibles.com
Other sites are listed on
http://www.nalroo.com
******************************

1. Can you tell me about your business background?

I started buying and selling toy trains when I was 14. In my late teens and early 20s I ran a large waterproofing company with operations in 26 states. My dad owned the company and when he retired, I decided I didn’t want to continue with it. I went to college (I’d dropped out of high school when I was 14) and got a degree in economics.

After college, I worked as an analyst for a direct response marketer. While I was there I designed and oversaw testing campaigns alongside some of the world’s top copywriters and marketers. This exposure got me interested in direct marketing.

I ran the train business through all those years, and when eBay started, I started selling trains on eBay. Within a few months I stopped working for others, and did only the trains. For a few years I was a professional toy train layout builder. Many of the layouts I constructed were featured in magazines.

2. As a person on the Internet, how did you get started?

I started selling toy trains on eBay in 1997. By 1999, I was creating my own products to sell alongside my auctions. My first products were screen savers with pictures of my trains. I sold thousands of screen savers. I also produced a guide for Toy train operators. It was a printed source guide listing hundreds of mostly small manufacturers by type of product.

These two products really hammered home to me the idea of leveraging. Creating a product once and selling it over and over again. In the past five years, I have concentrated on creating and selling information products. I currently (Jan 2005) have 33 different books and reports I sell on the web. I still do the trains, but only as a hobby.

3. How long have you been in business online?

I started in 1997.

4. How did you learn what it takes to succeed?

I learned to succeed by failing. Many of my best selling products have been accidents. For example on my third product I put together a package of information about buying toy trains. The goal was to teach other trains collectors and dealers my system for finding used toy trains.

I spent months putting the package together. Interviewed other dealers, compiled all my advertisements, and wrote a manual explaining each technique.

I knew it was a valuable package, but it didn’t sell. I originally tried running ads for a free report and sending the report and sales letter to people who replied. In the first three months I was promoting the package I spent over $10,000 in order to bring in $2,300 in sales.

I was sure the package would sell if I could find a way to get it in front of people.

I decided I needed to create a low cost product I could wrap the sales letter around, so I did a video on how to sell toy trains on eBay. The video was designed as a lead generator, but quickly became a profit center in it’s own right. This was a very profitable accident.

A lot of my learning is from trial and error. Doing something, tracking the results, then seeking to improve the numbers by testing other things.

Currently, I look for projects that will force me to increase my skills.

5. Do you do all of your business online?

I still sell toy trains at shows, but only as an extension of my hobby. I used to do a lot of off line advertising, but currently about 90 percent of my revenue comes from my online activities. I will be doing more offline marketing this spring.

6. What can you tell me about your business in 7 sentences?

My business is designed around my personality and my core strengths. This allows me to stay enthusiastic. I used to do things that just weren’t me. It was a constant struggle to keep going. Money isn’t enough. There has to be quality of life, and a feeling of personal fulfilment. My business suits me.

7. How do YOU get traffic to your website?

Most of my traffic is sent by affiliates. I also get a lot of visitors from my eBay auctions. This is explained at http://www.iwantcollectibles.com/ebay-me.shtml In the past few months I have been concentrating on offline traffic generators. I have done Radio, TV, and other media appearances. This is a growing part of my business.

8. What do you like most, and least, about the Internet?

I like the ability to do my own thing at any time of day. I like the ability to not work, and still have income. I can take a personal day or month, and the money keeps coming in.

My pet peeve is email. Not just because of the constant stream of spam that comes into my inbox, but the total lack of forethought of many emails. I think because it is so easy for people to send email, they don’t think about what they write.

9. Do you have any tips or advice you would like to offer?

Jump in, and start creating your future. Get to know yourself, and play to your strengths. Spend less time seeking advice, and more time working forward. Expect to succeed and plan to fail. Today, a lot of my newer products are just combinations of things that failed in the past. My skills are better and I reuse the work I did before.

One of the things that slowed my income growth was being scattered. I worked on projects geared towards different audiences, and had to duplicate the work for each niche. Now I concentrate on specific markets based on the profits and my plans for the future.

10. What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

I want to write a New York Times Bestseller. That is my plan for later this year, and I’ll have the book published in the spring of 2006. I am moving offline in order to build myself up as a brand. I read Jack Welch’s book about his time at GE. Welch decided early on that GE would only remain in sectors it could dominate. That makes a lot of sense to me.

11. Do you have an all-time favourite book?

Not that lasts. Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead,” and “Atlas Shrugged” are both on my repeat lists. Other books that seemed important the first time through usually lose their relevance on the second reading. Ursula K. LeGuin’s early books are wonderful – especially “The World For World Is Forest.”

12. Can you tell me a little about YOU, as a real everyday person? (likes, dislikes, hobbies, pet peeves, fave food etc.)

I like to cook, but don’t use recipes. Lately, I have been into soups. I just buy a piece of meat and select other items I think will go well with it. Sometimes it comes out wonderful, sometimes it is disgusting. Lately they have been much better so I am learning.

I collect toy trains made between 1895, and 1942 with an emphasis on the 1910-25 period. During this period trains became associated with Christmas.

The quantities produced increased, while at the same time the number of manufacturers decreased. By looking at the marketing materials, you can tell which companies will fail. Before 1910 electric trains were sold as novelties, rather than toys. By 1920, the novelty makers were gone and the toy makers were huge.

I read old novels by American authors like Sinclair Lewis, Theodore Dreiser, Frank Norris, and others from between 1890 and 1930. It is interesting to compare how they lived with the way we live today.

I hate the telephone even more than email. Do people really think because they want to talk to me, I should drop what I am doing and answer the phone? That’s not going to happen.

* * *

Terry Gibbs teaches collectors and dealers how to buy and sell antiques and collectibles. His website includes articles about antiques collectibles and eBay. http://www.news.iwantcollectibles.com/

Copyright © 2004 Anna-Marie Stewart. All rights reserved. This is one of 20 interviews that you can read today by downloading your free copy of Real Life Marketer Interviews Volume 1. To download, rightclick this link: Volume 1 and choose save file as.

Anna
http://annamarketing.com

Did you find this helpful? please leave a comment.
Thanks

p.s. Have you visited my Real Life Marketers Get-Together forum and posted your free ad yet?

marketing tips marketing online business information online marketing internet marketing