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In this newsletter:
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1. NO Website, NO Traffic, NO List, No Problem
2. One of my dirty little secrets of success
3. Quick tips:
- Blogging for all
- A website that is ultra cool
Here’s a sure fire success tip based on nearly a decade of seeing some ideas flourish and other fail (mine and others):
Success nearly ALWAYS happens when you drill an inch wide and a mile deep in a mega trend.
I’ll explain…
Several years ago I came to a very critical decision point in my online career.
At that time I was an average eBay seller with a few creative ideas, but nothing earth shattering. My feedback score was low and the income from my efforts was barely more than a nice supplement to my full time job.
I wasn’t doing anything on eBay that wasn’t being done by others. After all, eBay is a place where your entire business is on display for all to see and copycats are EVERYWHERE.
Here’s the critical decision I made:
I decided to write down what I was doing in a 20 page report and start passing it around. The topic choice was narrow and specific. I actually thought it was sort of lame and “narrow”.
Here are the odds that were stacked against me:
o There were MANY other books (in print and ebooks) on the topic of eBay flooding the market
o I was giving away my secrets to any competitor that wanted to copy me
o I had no mailing list, no connections, no website and no ideas on marketing the book I’d written
My simple action taken in ignorance lead to great things for me though.
I now have what many would consider to be a virtual empire online and have taught thousands of others how to build their own success stories. My book, now revised and expanded still serves a niche of the most “creative eBay sellers” and yet has outsold nearly all books on the topic!
There are MANY lessons in that short story, but I want to get back to the point of this article.
There was a TON of competition in the “how to do eBay” book market, but I did well anyway. Why is this?
Was my book the best? I don’t think so.
Way my marketing the best? I’m sure it wasn’t.
Was my customer follow up better than most? Yes, but that’s not why my book did so well.
The lesson?
I’m convinced now that one of the biggest reasons for my success was the simple and obvious fact that there were a lot of people interested in the topic of eBay (mega trend) and I chose to focus in on a slightly off-beat (inch wide) topic within the mega trend and pursue it with excellence as a foremost expert (a mile deep).
Within every mega trend there will be a lot of scam artists. Be one of the good guys and the world will beat a path to your door because you’ll stand out.
To find ideas on what mega trends are happening now do a google search for “business trends” or “2008 trends”. You can also pay attention to what magazine topics are selling well. Hot keywords and websites give you clues as well. Check alexa.com for ideas.
What other ideas do you have?
Leave a comment…or ask a question. Use the comment button below.
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In this newsletter:
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1. Auctioning “me” on eBay
2. Jim prognosticates
3. Quick tips:
- Split testing - the difference between average and amazing
- Revolutionary report
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In this newsletter:
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1. Jim’s big publicity stunt on eBay
2. A business that needs your help NOW.
3. Quick tips:
- Quick niche income idea
- Does anyone do this?
I’m in the mood to get your advice these days.
Here’s what I’m planning…see what you think of the idea:
I’m going to run an auction on eBay using my personal eBay account with a VERY INTERESTING twist…make sure to read to the end of this post to get “the twist”.
The auction will go to the highest single bidder and bidding will start at $1.
It will include:
The auction description on eBay will be full of testimonials and a video that I’ll make just for the eBay auction.The video will show off the membership sites, the books, the DVD, etc. and will run on YouTube so I can grow my mailing list by mentioning my squeeze page there. I’m not allowed to mention websites in any way anywhere else in my auction.
THE PLOT:
Jim is proving that he can help anyone be successful on the Internet. He’s taking one person by the hand and coaching them for two months, turning them into a success story, getting their testimonial and then doing it again.
THE TWIST:
I’m considering offering the readers of my newsletter and blog a discount to give them incentive to drive up the price. Perceived value should go higher that way! This will also drive subscribers to my mailing list (getting any ideas here?)
QUESTIONS for you:
Thanks for helping me think through this “stunt” and look for it soon! Click the comment button below to leave me your thoughts.
P.S. There’s also an article just below this one that I want your feedback on. I didn’t announce it in the newsletter so few have seen it so far.
10/16 UPDATE: Many of you have given me a heads up about the eBay definition of shill bidding. I’ve decided I won’t be offering a discount to my subscribers so as not to offend anyone or violate eBay policies. Thanks for pointing that out! I love bouncing ideas off you guys. I did however get clearance from eBay to offer a refund to anyone that wins the auction and has already paid for any of the items included in the package. As long as the full terms of the auction are revealed in the auction there is no violation.
I’d like your input on something.
I’ve always relied on the ideas and needs of my READERS for direction. The things you need, the things that confuse you, the questions you have about success online…
That’s what drives me.
So here I am on the tail end of the “hard work” of my last four big projects (MySilentTeam.com, OfflineBiz.com, re-writing the best seller SilentSalesMachine.com, automating and ramping up my own eBay business) and I have a question to pose to you.
Or think of it this way - if you were in my shoes what would you do next?
Don’t get me wrong - a good portion of my effort goes into what I’ve already got going. If you are a member of either of my two membership sites you know that’s true…
Also-
I’m not saying I don’t already have about 47 good ideas and 12 more GREAT ideas and 3 more pending projects, BUT I want YOU my loyal readers steering the ship…not me. That’s YOUR job!
So tell me…what would you do?
The tools you have to work with:
We are adding members fast! The free option seems to be popular and the forums are buzzing because of it, but our Gold Members are blown away with the other features and content.
Congrats to all that have taken advantage of this “down economy” opportunity!
Haven’t seen it yet? Check out OfflineBiz
