Are you growing an audience online, or are you trying to?

If so, this article is for you.

Would you like a brilliant customer base as your audience, or an irrational & ignorant mob?

An “irrational & ignorant” mob audience will…

• buy from you once and then lose interest
• threaten you and make demands
• love you one day and hate you the next
• have serious “shiny object” syndrome
• expect immediate results and benefits for as little work as possible
• treat you like they treat their lottery tickets
• smile to your face and stab you in the back

A brilliant customer base will…

• challenge you
• keep you honest
• suggest improvements
• point out flaws
• produce fantastic partnerships
• build a legacy
• produce leaders who produce more leaders
• genuinely love you for leading
• send you amazing success stories and testimonials

It’s a true pleasure to gather these customers into one area together and watch them build each other up and crank out new ideas. This is how the Internet is supposed to work, and this is what I’m building every day.

How do you grow the sort of audience you want?

It’s not easy, but in my opinion it comes down to a few basic concepts.

• Treat every customer as if they are a good friend or partner (they soon will be anyway).
• Be irrationally generous (even to the ignorant).
• Fire and send away any “irrational” customers with a kind, yet firm pat on the back.
• Only produce fantastic content, products and services. If you don’t do this, you DESERVE what you get!
• Expect your customers to act rational, or don’t sell to them. Refund them and fire them if necessary.
• As top customers become your top advocates, reward them for helping spread your message. Partner with them in unique ways. Let them help drive the ship.

Did I leave anything out? What thoughts do you have on this topic?

I get this sort of letter all the time. Disillusioned, confused & misled online entrepreneurs that are waking up to realize that the path they’ve been on so far has been 98% a waste of time. Typically they’ve been mislead into thinking that “affiliate marketing” is the golden ticket.

Affiliate marketing? Sell an ebook? Build a website? Don't build a website? I'm confused!

I’ve removed all names and specific websites as a professional courtesy, but you could insert any of dozens of names/websites in where you see “********”.

Check out the email I got from Allen below, and then click the “comment” button to leave Allen your best advice. I’ll pick one winner on Monday April 30th May 7th (postponed because there was no newsletter last week.) The winner gets MySilentTeam.com or OfflineBiz.com membership for life and a signed copy of my best selling “Free Marketing” book (101FreeMarketing.com):

I just wanted to say a big ‘Thank You’ Jim for opening my eyes today. I had never heard of you before but thankfully, I was prompted to visit a video you made for anyone interested in Internet Marketing. For me, your sincerity, humility and integrity was clear to see. That’s when I clicked on a further link to 2 free chapters of Silent Sales Machine, and found out very quickly, that I have been doing a lot of things wrong for the past 16 months. This is the amount of time I have been trying to build an online business! The alarm bells are now ringing loudly thanks to you.

Sixteen months ago I began searching for internet marketing opportunities. I was determined to start a home based online business, which eventually led me to **********.  I paid for ******** but I haven’t made a single penny!

•    Do I have a website now? Yes. Based on the training I got I’m currently blindly trying to sell one of the ebooks they gave me from that site.
•    Am I eagerly following a celebrity “Guru”?  Yep, that’s me!
•    Am I doing Affiliate Marketing? Absolutely – mainly links back to the website of  ********** (to sell the same “system” I bought that isn’t working)

I am so grateful that I came across your site (SilentSalesMachine.com) today, it has been both a shock to the system and a huge wake – up call.

Jim, I have never doubted once that it was possible for me to make a reasonable living online but what I did not realize is just how long it takes to make any money at all. Even though 16 months have passed, I still click on what appears to be the latest or greatest system or “Guru” and have so many follow up emails in my inbox each day, I should be in the Guinness Book of Records.

Thankfully, I haven’t given up. Well not yet anyway. I’m still searching and clicking away, hoping that something will work someday. I signed up for ******** (a different program).  I’ve followed the procedures and installed word press and watched the step by step videos and unsurprisingly,
nothing has happened.

Jim, I really appreciated listening to your story and for the advice in the 2 free chapters of “SilentSalesMachine”. I would be so grateful for any and all advice on how to move forward from here in as short a time scale as possible. My wife thinks I’m stupid, and yet she still is so supportive. I’m 50 something now, full of passion and still look forward to success.

Warmest Regards,

Allen

What’s your best advice for Allen?

Note about the contest: Responses to Allen don’t have to be long or thorough, although I’m not discouraging that type of answer at all – let’s really help him out!  For the purposes of the contest though, I could just as likely chose a pithy short answer over a detailed one. The only qualification is “my favorite answer wins”. I might have more than one winner as well…we’ll see what sort of advice rolls in for Allen.

UPDATE 4/30: If you view the comments left on this blog post (link is at the top of the page) you’ll see a response from Alan (his real name is spelled “Alan” -  I was protecting his identity by using “Allen” in the blog post). Be sure to see what he and others have to say about the advice he’s getting from my audience.

You’ve heard it a million times. The secret to success online is driving traffic – without it you are sunk.

I say that’s nonsense.

I’m growing weary of many of the trends and terms associated with Internet Marketing including the the consistently misleading driving traffic myth.

Who wants to be driven anywhere?

The suckers (you and me) that have bought into the driving traffic hype have made a good number of supposed guru’s rich because, as wide eyed and willing guinea pigs just enough of us (not you or me of course) struck it lucky and kept the rest of us excited enough to keep digging for “traffic gold”.

Driving traffic has been sort of like the lottery in that respect. All the guru’s need is a few success stories to keep the masses emptying their wallets.

Sure, I use a few tools to help spread my message as efficiently as possible, but there are no magic buttons you can push to become a success online.

Here’s my theory:

Fewer websites matter now than they did ten years ago – and the list of sites that actually matter is getting shorter not longer. The skill of driving traffic is becoming irrelevant quickly.

That may seem like bad news, but it’s not if you are a using common sense in your online business efforts.

You don’t need a huge following or even steady stream of traffic to succeed online. It’s nice to have these things, but just like in the “real world” very few people achieve success using a trick or a secret tool.

I’m done being driven or driving anyone anywhere on the Internet and whether you realize it or yet or not, so are you – as is everyone else. The game is drying up.

Internet prospects typically know what they are looking for, and they go find it from sources they trust. They spend the vast majority of their “surfing” time on the same handful of sites. The wow factor of the Internet is fading. Virtually no one is randomly surfing from site to site looking for something random to purchase.

Banner ads, interruptions, and pushed/forced advertising of any kind is a dying institution online just as much as it is in the “real world”. As anecdotal evidence I have a serious question: Have you bought ANYTHING as a result of a Facebook ad? Advertisers are spending money every time you see an ad, but you aren’t clicking or buying are you? I didn’t think so (and that’s supposedly “cutting edge” – give me a break).

You may find this hard to believe, but I do VERY well in my businesses online while not relying on any of the traditional marketing and advertising tactics that you (and nearly all of your friends and neighbors) are already instinctually ignoring. My students and readers are taking the same approach.

Stop learning “traffic tips” and start building something real.

Some examples of what I teach and endorse currently:

1. Many success stories are as simple as deciding to hang out where the crowd is already hanging out (i.e. eBay, Amazon etc.) and giving customers what they already want and need. Getting an advantage here is easy. The crowd is ready to buy.

2. Find a little niche and delight your fans. You don’t need SEO, driving traffic skills or any other ninja skills in order to create great content and engage your fans. If you can get 10 strangers online excited about what you do, you are onto something huge – build on it by delighting them, engaging in conversation, and creating content to attract more followers. That’s not driving traffic or SEO – that’s being a leader.

3. Take your basic skills OFFLINE and help businesses apply the basics. (offlinebiz.com teaches you these skills)

Check out SilentSalesMachine.com for more ideas along these lines.

Let’s talk about it. Leave a comment using the link at the top of this article.

MOST RECENT UPDATES

Mon, April 9th 2:30PM We have many people now asking how they can improve their odds of acceptance in round two of our “LIT” course offering. There are a few things you can do and ALL of them are good for you even IF you don’t get in next time. First, ramp up your eBay and Amazon selling efforts. New to Amazon? Check out ProvenAmazonCourse.com. That course has created more success stories than any other course we’ve put out in the last 18 months. Next, listen to the call recording below, and then FILL OUT THE APPLICATION offered at the bottom of the LiquidationInvestmentTraining.com page (look for the “take the first step” button). We are going through these apps in the order they were/are submitted.   Third, save up. This course isn’t cheap (thousands, not hundreds), and you need to be positioned to purchase inventory if/when accepted.

Fri, April 6th 11AM We’ve had what can only be called an overwhelming response. I wish we could accommodate many more of my amazing customers and readers, but we are pretty much full with a waiting list at this point. We are determined to give top level support and training to those we let in so we had to cut it off at 40.  PLEASE CONTINUE TO GET ON THE NOTIFICATION LIST AND SEND IN YOUR “TAKE THE FIRST STEP” APPLICATIONS THOUGH. This will ensure your spot for round 2, 3 etc. if/when we do it.

The reality is this, within a few minutes of wrapping up the live phone call we had over 90 qualified applications…and the number is still rising.  The good news: If things go the way we are hoping they will, we’ll have plenty of room (and plenty of sources/leads) for dozens more members over time.

Thur April 5th 6:15 PM (just a couple hours after the live phone call): We’ve had 14 members sign up already (with dozens of qualified applications still to call on) and that’s an old update. This class is filling up quickly. Considering that it takes us 30 minutes or so to sign someone one up, answer any questions, and do the Non-Disclosure agreement etc., and there’s a waiting list of over 100…it’s pretty much full before we even begin.

If you missed the live call on “launch day”, Thursday April 5th, here’s a link to the full full mp3 recording.

Or use this play button:

This call was also recorded and sent via email asap after the call to everyone on the notification list.

The class is going to be capped, and will fill quickly. To get started please visit LiquidationInvestmentTraining.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, click the “take the first step” button, & fill out the short questionnaire we have there – someone will contact you asap in the order requests are received.

We suggest you not wait more than a short time before listening to this call and then making a decision. We will be talking directly with each person who is considering the LIT course in order to help qualify each candidate. If you are aren’t sure if this is for you, or if you aren’t quite qualified at this time for the LIT course, you might find another option better suited for your situation – please go ahead and fill out the form at the bottom of the LiquidationInvestmentTraining.com page (click the “take the first step” button on that page to get started).

====original post follows====

One of my top students (Linda) has successfully launched two six-figure hands free businesses online based on the ideas she’s learned from my book “SilentSalesMachine.com” and this newsletter. One of her businesses has a unique spin that allows us to share it with a good handful of others without ANY risk of competition saturation, so we are forming a class now that is due to launch next month (April 2012).

We are calling it “Liquidation Investment Training” or LIT.

This blog post will contain updates as more information becomes available.

If you’d like to keep up to date by email as more details are released, we’ve set up an email list exclusively for those wanting further info. Feel free to ask questions by clicking the comment button above.

Visit this page and we’ll email you more info:

CLICK HERE TO GET ON THE EMAIL LIST

SOME DETAILS

Who is this opportunity ideal for? Check it out if…

o This is for you if you have experience selling on eBay or Amazon (not really for newbies without investment cash, but we’ll talk to you on a case by case basis to see if it’s a fit and/or offer you other great ideas)

OR

o This is for you if you have funds to invest in bulk profitable inventory. You don’t even have to be the one to sell it! If you have investment cash this is a great opportunity to flip “pennies on the dollar” inventory to eager buyers. All student accepted into our “LIT” training program will form a “buyers group” with multiple opportunities for all.

Don’t join this informational list unless…

o You live in the U.S. (for now this is U.S. only, but we’ll expand it soon to other readers)

Over the years I’ve launched some of the most successful classes and courses online. What makes my courses different from so many others are these factors:

o We form a community among our students each time. It’s not a “hit and run” launch.
o It’s not “theory” – it’s real world stuff that works.
o We bring in true experts that stick with our students long term. It’s bigger than me or my ideas.
o We get results for our students. For example, the number of people earning daily from joining ProvenAmazonCourse.com (the last course we launched) is now in the hundreds and growing daily.

Don’t expect a big flashy launch production from me. I don’t do those. I just teach what works and get results for my students. If you’ve come to trust that, then this might be for you. Get on the informational list and we’ll go from there.

Interested in the LIT course? Go here for details and to get started:  LiquidationInvestmentTraining.com (look for the “take the first step” button toward the bottom of the page)

50 second video showing the house we had to rent as our biz grew quickly:

While there are many ways to expand your circle of influence online, by far the fastest way to grow an audience in this age of influence is to partner up with influential leaders (I’ll call them VIP’s or “Very INFLUENTIAL People) that already have the attention of an audience you are trying to connect with.

This article goes into a bit of detail on how to make that initial connection happen.

The Goal:  Create a three-way-win* (you, the VIP, and the VIP’s contacts/audience). This also allows you to add new followers to your email list (ideal result), or add twitter or facebook fans etc.  In most cases, selling something shouldn’t be your initial goal (that comes later in most cases).

Some tips for making a connection with VIP’s:

Start With A List
Early on in the process you’ll want to research using sites like Klout.com, peerindex.com, google and youtube to identify which VIP’s with large audiences you’ll be targeting. Make a list!  Once you have this list in hand begin to tap into their social network and support them while there.  This process could take days, weeks or longer.  Sending brief handwritten notes thanking them for the contributions etc. will go a long way in opening up doors for further communication. Everyone welcomes additional “fans” into their life no matter how much they’ve already achieved. Be sincere and be persistent. Have the VIP’s best interests in mind at each step.

Do a Bit of Homework
Before seeking out a win/win partnership with a VIP you should get to know their business model, and find out about their personal interests just a bit. What makes them tick? What are they trying to accomplish? Do you have something in common with them? Have they inspired you in some way?  Can you help make them meet their goals somehow?

Start out your connection with them on a friendly note that shows you have a connection and proves you’ve done your homework.

After that, most VIP’s are looking for two things: first they want content that they can share with their audiences, and next they are trying to grow their audience. If you can help them do one, or ideally BOTH of those things you are far more likely to get their attention. In pursuing Dave Ramsey, I told him in my request that I would be expanding his audience by placing his endorsement prominently on the back cover of my book where hopefully thousands of potential new followers would see it. As your own influence expands you’ll be able to make such promises as well, but if you are just starting out you’ll have to play the angle of providing the VIP with fantastic content that they give to their audience.  For additional great ideas on creating content that attracts crowds check out the “email marketing” and “reputation and influence” categories on my blog.

First Contact Should Be Brief
I rarely send anyone a long email, but I never send a long email when initiating contact with a VIP. It’s a pain to get, send or read long emails or letters so just don’t do it.  Keep it short and sweet.  A few sentences will do and you’ll be far more likely to get a response that way as well. Earn the right to spout the details – that time will come later.

Leverage What You’ve Already Got
Use social media to make your intentions clear and recruit assistance from your current connections. You’ll likely find help from unexpected places. A great example of this was my recent successful attempt to get an endorsement from world famous syndicated talk show host and top selling author Dave Ramsey. Before I started tracking him down I made it clear to my entire social network (facebook and twitter followers) that I was attempting to get Dave to endorse my new book. Several of my social network friends knew people that were close to Dave and they went to bat for me to help make first contact. I did get the endorsement, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened without the help of my online community.   Get the full story here:  http://www.offlinebiz.com/public/From_Jim_Cockrum_to_Dave_Ramsey_2.cfm

Follow Up
If you do get a reply from a VIP (or their assistant) be sure to follow through quickly and thoroughly. Nothing scares off a VIP like an unpredictable, scattered or disorganized potential partner.

Use a Written Note to Improve Your Odds
Handwritten notes or cards are rare these days. The same rule of brevity applies here though. Don’t assume that just because you took the time to write a letter that someone will read it.  I have countless long letters from subscribers and others that I’ve never gotten to. I don’t have time to read several pages of information from a stranger that didn’t do their homework.  These notes always get opened though and earn the write a minimum of a few seconds of consideration. The same is true at nearly all levels of “VIP” I’m sure.

“No Reply” is a Reply…For Now.
There have been many instances where I’ve gotten behind on answering my personal email due to a project, vacation etc.  Some of the “ignored” senders quickly become offended or rude and assume that I’m not replying because I don’t like them etc. It’s human nature to assume that a lack of response indicates rudeness or lack of interest when in fact it’s just as likely that there just isn’t time to respond right now.  I also expect persistence as a sign of commitment. Even if I like your idea initially I may or may not reply just to test your resolve. I like working with determined people and it’s just another way we filter out the “masses” from the true winners that we eagerly partner with.  Every VIP at every level has their own “filters” to keep out the weak. Don’t be weak.

What do you think? Any questions or feedback? Let’s chat about it. Use the comment button above to share your thoughts.

Additional reading:
*Creating 3 way wins http://www.jimcockrum.com/blog/2010/05/25/the-power-of-3-in-your-business/

Check out the note I just got from a long time reader now turned mega-success story:

“My online business is now generating as much as $200,000 a month and this figure is rising almost daily. Without the help of Jim Cockrum none of this would have happened.

Jim was one of only 3 mentors who I turned to when I was struggling to get my business started, and his help and advice has literally been worth millions of dollars to my business.

Right now my business has 9,238 registered affiliates, but the SECOND person to ever promote one of my products was Jim.

I owe him a lot which is why I’m always singing his praises to anyone who will listen!!

Sincerely,
Lee McIntyre”

That’s a cool endorsement isn’t it?

Here’s the best part for you…

I’ve gotten Lee’s permission to offer my readers his entire online business “blue print”  for $5!

Get it here:

http://www.MySilentTeam.com/LeesBlueprint.html

Some of my thoughts about Lee, his system and the note he left me:

•   Lee took a solid concept he learned from me and others and SYSTEMATIZED it.  No matter what you are trying to do online you can benefit from seeing Lee’s game plan spelled out. It’s a great example of automating, outsourcing, and auto-pilot growth.
• Lee is doing affiliate marketing the RIGHT WAY (I’m always teaching that concept as well). Visit the “affiliate marketing” category on my blog for more info on what I mean by “the right way”.
• Email marketing is at the heart of Lee’s success (You’ve heard that a thousand times from me as well right?) Again, I have an entire blog category dedicated to that as well.
• He’s having huge success using his strategies to attract “offline” businesses as well (i.e. OfflineBiz.com type of income).
• Quite often, the student becomes the mentor in this biz. I learned a lot from studying Lee’s blueprint, and I know you will as well.
• It can be quite lucrative to teach others how to succeed in the “wild west” that is “Online Business”. Lee earns money from several sources online, but teaching others the lessons he’s learned along the way is lucrative as well.
•  The greatest service I perform for my readers (that’s you) is to FILTER through the endless stream of junk, hype, exaggeration etc. and point out the “good guys” that can actually teach us something worth learning. This is one of those times.

After being a part of helping and observing thousands of people succeed (or fail) online I have detected some strong trends. Call me crazy, but you can’t prove me wrong on any of these.

1. Affiliate marketing IS NOT a business
Perhaps my most controversial point of the 7, but I’m not the one who said it first. One of the richest affiliate marketers of our time said it. Find the proof here.
2. Those of us who stuck it out with eBay are still making a lot of money. Amazon.com is full of opportunity too. It’s the “boring” stuff that really works.
I’m banking more than ever on eBay, and teaching others to do the same. Sure, it’s only a portion of my online income, but it’s steady!   When in doubt head to where all the buying traffic is. I still love eBay and love Amazon more all the time as an income geneartor.
3. Yes, you have been making others rich buying all those courses, membership sites and ebooks.
The good news is, you know more than you realize.  The solution? Go after some low hanging fruit. This blog post spells out where I think the low fruit is.
4. You don’t start with a website or even a “great” product. You need an audience first.
This blog post will get you thinking correctly about how to find and grow an audience as your FIRST focus.
5. Every new “marketing opportunity” that has come along since email marketing took hold has fallen in one of these three categories: 1. a fad that has (or likely will soon) pass,  2. is best used to grow your email mailing list (i.e. social media), or 3. has been a barely more than a waste of time entirely from day one. (The only possible exception to these three rules is mobile marketing)
6. Your skills don’t matter as much as you think they do.
Stop chasing skills and start building systems. Learn to outsource work to the highest performing/lowest price option. People with skills work for rich people with ideas. Possible exception:  The only possible “skill” you are likely to ever need to succeed online.
7. Relationships rule (not content).
Use your real name, show your face, and help people make hard decisions with the content you create.  Sure, I’m a fan of great content (what other kind is worth your effort?), but relationships earn you the right to even present your message.  Here’s a video of what happens when a bunch of people trust your advice because you’ve built a relationship (watch me earn $7K in a day in that short video).
8. Over-delivering REALLY pays off. Under-delivering is death online.
I call it irrational generosity. Notice I promised 7 harsh lessons. This eighth one is important.  Every customer who thinks your are amazing will tell potentially HUNDREDS of people. Amaze your customers even if it’s expensive.

Please leave me a comment using the link at the top of this article. I want to know your favorite, or if you think I’m wrong or left something off the list.

While writing this article I asked my Facebook followers to chime in their ideas. Here’s what some of them said were the hard lessons they are learning. You are NOT alone if you are thinking any of these things!

Please JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Leave a comment.

• 
  Tom J Curtis Sometimes the gold is at the very bottom of where you are looking, but most people give up either way before the gold or a quarter inch from it. They’re quick to abandon what seems to not be working when all it takes is one more punch through that last quarter inch of conflict and…JACKPOT!!! I speak of my own experience of course.

• 

  Jose Lukes Trying to roll out your online biz until it is just “perfect”. If I had waited until every online biz venture I took was perfect, I would have never had any success.

• 
  Tom J CurtisBy the way Jim, I love this post. No sugar coating from you. People deserve to know that it takes good old fashion rolling up the sleeves and going to work to make anything online or off work in this world. There’s definite glory and joy to be had on the other side of it but not after paying the price, which price is unique to each person, there’s a price to pay nonetheless. I do believe there’s an enchants life once that price is paid…until the next set of challenges of course. But that’s where real accomplishment is found.

• 

  Roy Pickens Do not accept a set back as failure. Quitters never win and winners never quit.

• 

  Tom J Curtis That’s why you’re the real deal and I’ve always enjoyed that about you. I think that’s the only way people can build genuine relationships life. Especially with list building…the more authentic the person building it, the more quality the list.

  I’ve learned so much over the last year. I’ve learned it’s not the size of the list, but the quality. It’s a matter of creating raving fans from genuine, personalized content. You are the front runner Jim.

•  
  Jenni Rosing HuntYou simply can’t be everything to everyone… That’s a tough one I learned early on. Not only did it help me get into a tight niche, it also helps let some criticism roll off the back.

• 

  Roy Pickens That it takes more than a big pretty website. One of my first misconceptions.

• 

  Amitav BorahThe biggest point & one of the most common… Stop jumping from one project to another…and just concentrating on One and only One….and finish it up!! & Also..Never Quit!!..even if you fail the first second or third time….. Keep moving until you get it ! Be Stubborn…Be Persistent!

• 

  Marlo J McCarthy It’s easy to spend every dime you have learning from brilliant “gurus” but if you never take the jump and apply what you’ve learned it is all time and money wasted.

• 

  Marlo J McCarthy‎….incidentally – an excellent program can set you on the right path – I’ve just known too many wantrepreneurs that keep buying different programs but when it’s time to apply and work, they buy the next shiny program.

• 

  Martin Hurley ability to focus on one set goal until achieved

• 

  Andrew J Titcombe Even if you believe the claims that the “gurus” make it is absolutely no good to you financially unless you are prepared to work. 10% inspiration 90% perspiration comes to mind. THEIR money is safe in THEIR bank Their claims don’t make YOU rich!

• 

  Win Thomas A lot of it has already been mentioned. I would agree that keeping focused on one project and not being ‘seduced’ by the next life changing programme to come along, until you’ve completed it. Stay focused. Listen to people like yourself Jim who have integrity and practice what they preach.

• 

  Nikki Stephens FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful.

  Follows on from what some above have said – perseverance is key, & you won’t find success simply by buying into lots of different courses.

• 

  Dave Stevens When you wake up asking how can you help people rather than asking how I can make some money .

• 

  Michael Markuson Focus and Perseverance! Never Give up!

• 

  Jamie Smith Don’t believe the hype or the squeeze pages with “who else wants to put $25,987 in their bank account tonight with my black ops super secret CIA affiliate mega bomb success course that literally shoots thousands of dollars into your account effortlessly”. “click below to buy it for the limited time price of $1497″ and p.s. blah blah blah and p.p.s. blah blah blah

• 

  Todd Fetters You absolutely have to have a mentor who has succeeded online with a business that doesn’t sell how to be successful in an online biz. Find someone who is proven to succeed on their own before they became a teacher. I have taken the last 6 months away from this business just to clear my thoughts and regroup. It would be great to have a pool of resources to utilize so an idea can become a reality. Jim-you are definitely one of the few who has an amazing reputation in a business full of not so honest people. Then again, every business where money can be made is no different. Thanks for holding to your core values!

• 

  Doug Kramer You will be distracted before you are successful.

• 

  Joseph Carducci I think the biggest lessons are: 1) Be very very selective in who you follow and listen to (and keep this to a short list, at least in the beginning to avoid distractions) 2) Concentrate on something that you have passion for so that you will actually enjoy doing it (although be careful to do solid research ensuring it is a viable market) 3) While following a few selected “mentors” or trainers, still learn to think and decide for yourself (just because Frank Kern is doing something does not mean it is the right thing, tip or tactic for YOUR business)….this last one took me the longest to really get (and I still need to constantly remind myself)!

• 

  Leszek Cyfer Things won’t get done by themselves – you have to put yourself to them because no one will do them for you.
  The only way to automation is to make a system, but it needs to be constructed by you.

A kind reader that I met at a recent book signing sent me a note requesting my advice about an idea her niece had. Below is her request for help, along with my response. Let me know what you’d add to this my advice. (Note: I’ve kept her idea anonymous without removing the lessons from the story)

The email I got:

I recently received an idea on how to build a ******* on my farm for my cattle. The idea came from an article in a farming related publication (a subscription based paper). We actually contacted the gentleman that came up with the idea and he sent us one page of instructions on how to build it. I am really excited about the *******, it is going to save us a ton of resources, headaches, and time! I would like to share this idea with other cattle farmers across the world via a website and potentially sell a complete instruction manual with pictures outlining each step in the process and an exact list of material. We actually modified the original version as we built ours and really didn’t use the instructions that he sent because they were very difficult to follow.

Questions:

1. How would you recommend approaching the gentleman that gave us the overall concept/idea through the Farm Show? What does that conversation sound like?

2. The website: www.*********.com is currently available. Does this sound like a good web address to you? Who do you recommend using to build a basic web page?

3. How would I begin to determine a price to ask for this instruction manual (ebook)? And is there a certain tool to use to develop an ebook?

The above questions are just a few stepping stones I need to cross to get going, I would greatly appreciate any insight you have to offer.

Thanks in Advance! Alicia B.

My answers to the three questions:

1. Be open about your intentions and ask if he’s ok with it. He may only want his name tied to it. You’ll need to talk to him about it. First, ask where he got the idea. It may not be his to begin with. Do a bit more research as well to try to determine if there is another source for the concept. I wouldn’t get lawyers involved (that’s not legal advice), but I would ask him to put in writing his agreement to the idea of you sharing and possibly selling the idea to others. Consider getting a patent if you are concerned about others stealing the idea, but that’s certainly not anything I would advise until you feel like you have a real working idea that’s taking off in a big way. If your farmer friend wants a percentage of all sales, and you determine he is the guy that made the design, then give him a cut of your sales. The great thing about info-products is that they are very profitable when they are kept digital. I hope that gives you some ideas to consider.

2.The domain name you choose will not be a big factor in this venture. There is far too much emphasis put on the choosing of a domain name in most cases (you can always change it). My advice – don’t get “cute” with the name, and choose somewhat popular and recognizable words to make up the domain name. In the end, your marketing and other factors matter far more than the name. The only mistake you DON’T want to make is to choose a name that is difficult to spell and recall. Do keep in mind – shorter is always better and you want a “.com”. Building a website may not even be necessary though. You can deliver an info product via email initially as orders come in. Don’t build a website until you NEED one.

3. The pricing isn’t an important factor right now. Far more important factors are 1) FINDING and BUILDING an audience, and 2) finding out if this is something they want. Check out this article, “You don’t need a website, you need an audience“. Also review the “information marketing” section of my blog (categories shown on the right hand side of this page).

Some general advice:

• It’s not enough to have a good idea that people want (if this turns out to be such an idea). To succeed you need to find a proven way to get your idea in front of the targeted prospects that will be the most eager consumers of your info WITHOUT spending a bunch of money on advertising. The BEST way to do this is to give great info away to a “gatekeeper” that already has a waiting audience. All you ask in return is a link back to your email opt-in form. For example, write an article and show a picture of your invention. Show others how to do what you did and give them a lot of great info (for free). If they want to join your mailing list for more great ideas tell them how (see my “email marketing” tips blog section for help, or check out this simple video on growing a mailing list without a website). Once your prospects are on your mailing list you can easily survey to see what else they want from you. To process orders check out Clickbank.com, ejunkie.com, or paypal.com (paypal is overly simple perhaps). To have a simple site built and get a nice graphic cover etc. I suggest odesk.com and/or 99designs.com. Plan on making the product a “print on demand” book as well using createspace.com (this gets you on amazon.com as a “physical book” as well). To help approach the launch of your info product correctly check out my book ($5) sold out SilentSalesMachine.com.
• I know for a fact that “farming ideas and plans” like the one you are talking about can potentially do well on eBay as well. There’s one guy that has been selling chicken coop blueprints on eBay for nearly a decade now.
• I tracked down and updated an old blog post that features an eBay seller that’s been selling “info” products for years now. Here’s a link to that blog post: http://www.jimcockrum.com/blog/?p=174
• Become a collector of “good ideas” and feed your prospects and followers a steady stream of free great ideas. There will be plenty of way to “monetize” once you have a list. The true potential of this idea is the opportunity to grow an audience in a strong niche.

This is the only pic we have of Mr. S. I blurred it a bit to protect his identity. He's done a great job for over 2 months now - and he's THRILLED with the pay rate.

You’ve heard me rave about hiring workers from other countries to help work in different aspects of my online businesses. Below is a step by step story of one recent worker I found on odesk.com. I take a unique approach to finding and hiring the RIGHT PERSON the FIRST TIME.  This list will help you do the same thing.

I recently found and hired a fantastic worker in India (I’ll call him Mr S.) for just over $3 per hour. He’s THRILLED to have the work and he keeps us profitable on inventory that might otherwise be unsellable (thin profit margins).  He handles many of our listings on eBay. It took me less than an hour of total work, and under a 24 hours start to finish to find and hire him. A day later he was working.

Here’s how it worked:

1. I signed up with odesk.com. They allow you to post jobs for free.
2. To determine what sort of “talent” was available to meet our needs, I performed a “search contracts” search for the keywords “ebay listing” to see what sort of workers were out there. I found hundreds.
3. I read over the “bio’s” of a handful of the “contractors” that came up. (“Contractors” is what Odesk calls their outsource workers) I could have easily hired one of these worker on the spot, but I didn’t (you’ll cause yourself a big headache if you do that). I suggest you go a couple steps further to find the RIGHT worker the first time. The purpose of reviewing this list was to give me an idea of what keywords and descriptions to use when putting together a job description for my own worker.
4. I set up a brief job description using the “post a job” feature. I pulled some keywords from the “bio’s” of the contractors that I’d just seen.
5. IMPORTANT: As part of the job description I included a link to a simple “Jing“* video for each candidate to watch.  I made the video in under one minute and it instructed the candidates to provide me a link to a recent eBay auction that they had built and launched (since that would be their job). I also asked them to briefly explain in their own words how they felt about this project, and what their eBay experience was. This does several things for me. It confirms that the candidate has a good internet connection (they can see vide0), it confirms that they understand my spoken English instructions, it gets them to send a unique response back to me instead of just a copy/paste response that could have been written by anyone etc.  If I had so desired I could have also requested that they send me back a jing* video response to make communication that much easier (but I didn’t in this case).
6. I received over 60 responses within 12 hours. 80% of them did not follow my instructions to include a link to a recent eBay auction that they had launched. That same 80% was instantly eliminated from my list of potential candidates (Odesk makes it easy to keep track of which candidates are still in the running.)
7. Of the handful of applicants that did make the cut, only about 6-8 of them had good English writing skills. Of those, three were asking for a very competitive pay rate and also had fantastic feedback from other employers (Odesk uses a feedback system much like eBay to rate workers). The decision was easy from there.
8. Bottom line: Hire the most experienced, most qualified and least expensive worker you can find. Narrow down your list by requesting a simple task be performed in their application response.

*Jing is a free and VERY simple “screen capture” video recording tool. I require all my workers to learn to use it because it’s a fantastic way to “show and tell” instructions without a lot of typing. Get it here: techsmith.com/jing.html Watch the demo video here.

For more advanced training on hiring workers from other countries, as well as access to pre-screened and highly qualified workers, please check out the resources offered by John Jonas. He’s my “go to” expert on all things related to outsourcing. Here’s a link to his site: LocalBusinessOutsourcingHelp.com