I-Marketer Blog and Newsletter

Have you been feeling a little discouraged lately?  If so, playing might just be the solution.

I was brought up with a Puritan work ethic—work is noble, play is folly.  Maybe you were too.

The surprising reality is that a balanced combination of the two will lead you to more productivity, more peace, better health and a more positive state of mind.

When we play our mind relaxes and our creativity increases.  This mental rest continues even after we return to our “work” leaving us able to think more clearly, make better decisions, work harder and be more productive.

So, if you are feeling a little discouraged or overwhelmed by “all you need to get done” maybe the best solution is to watch a baseball game.  Or play in one.  Or shoot some hoops, crochet a rug, tackle the next level on Doom III or even spend time with your family.

You might just find your life is more fun as you play your way to success.

Want to generate more traffic and higher sales?  Start looking at customer service as a way to get you there.

Look, no one I know really “enjoys” customer service emails.  In general they are a pain.  As a result some web businesses just ignore customer service emails, figuring the “few” people they ignore won’t hurt the bottom line too much.

But let me give you a surprising statistic:  In 2005 I did a study comparing pre-sale customer service inquiries in my business to sales and found that those who sent a pre-sale email were likely to spend 7x as much as the average subscriber.

That’s a boatload of money to just chuck overboard.

Here are some tips and tricks to turn customer service emails into sales:

1. Offer a special bonus to those who inquire about a product.

When someone writes with a product question, have a special bonus you can offer them when they buy.  End your email something like this:

“I do appreciate your asking about our widgets.  When you place your order drop me an email and I will send you a free copy of my new book ‘Widget Success.’  This book normally sells for $17, but I will give it to you free as my way of saying thanks.”

2. Use a compelling signature line to tell them about a product

If someone writes with a routine question, have a pre-crafted signature line designed to direct them to one of your lower price-point products.  Here is one of ours:

What silly idea made Adam $4,126 from just one
email? [It's so simple anyone can do it--you'll kick
yourself for not thinking of it sooner!]  Find out:
http://All-In-One-Business.com/pi
3. Use forward-looking statements

When I first set up my business online I had a contact form.  When someone filled out the form it sent me an email saying “Non-Buyer Question.”  Often when I would reply to the email the subject remained the same.

Not good.  Who wants to be told they are a non-buyer?

So now the subject of my email reads “Pre-Enrollment Question.”  That tells the recipient they are about to enroll.  It sets up an expectation in their mind.

When someone writes with a question about my courses, I typically end with the statement “I’m looking forward to working with you.”  Again, this gives the expectation we will be working together in the future.

4. Direct them to solutions that have obvious value

When someone has a question I try to use that as an opportunity to send them to a resource on my site where they can see obvious value.  If someone asks about how to stay focused I might send them to the free resource here:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/motivation

If someone asks how to supplement their income, I might send them to this paid option:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/passive
5. Limit your answers and point them to a more complete option

Often when you are in the consulting business people will email you asking for free advice.  There’s nothing wrong with this—heck, often the person looking for advice is my best prospect.

However, you can’t spend all your days answering emails for free and expect to make any money.

One solution that produces sales for me is to answer a question that is brief and can be answered in a few sentences, then point them to a paid resource.  Here’s how that looks.

“This level of help I reserve for my students and clients.  If you want further help I would love to work with you as one of my future success stories.  You can go here to enroll:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/index6.php

Putting a few of these five pointers to work can greatly increase the amount of money you make from your best prospects—those who are interested enough to write or call.

How many years have you been struggling to start a business from home? Come on, be honest…2? 3? 5 years?

Sometimes it can get a little discouraging to look back. When we see our failures in the past we often expect to fail in the future. The steps to start a business from home seemed so simple before we tried it. Now it seems impossible.

How do you combat self-doubt and find the motivation to do it “just one more time” when you have failed in the past? Here are some keys:

1. Get a solid step-by-step plan

The biggest reason for failure online is lack of focus—this week you pursue one plan, next week another. Getting a single, step-by-step plan from start to finish allows you to feel confident. Your commitment is to following the plan (which has been demonstrated to work) rather than simply depending on the “latest and greatest” offering.

You can get a step-by-step plan in several places. I recommend a number of them here:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/rec-rec

2. Read about the success others are having

Roy (one of my students) is a 35 year old unemployed guy. He just completed his first month of a new promotion and made over $6,000 using other people’s products. A month ago he was wondering how he could make just $9,000 a year—now he’s in a position to be making that in just a couple months.

When you hear about other people who are succeeding, you begin to believe you can succeed as well. To read some other success stories, go here:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/sots

3. Get some cheerleaders

There are lots of folks out there who will tell you all the reasons why you WON’T make money online. They will tell you how foolish it is. Find people who can believe in you, who can give you encouragement. You will succeed if you try, I know it. Find others who can encourage you to help you along.

Online forums are a great way to find those cheerleaders. Use Google to search for forums in your target market or try a couple of my favorites:

http://www.Ablake.net/forum
http://www.HowToCorp.com/forum

How do you start a business from home in 2006? The first step might just be to shake off the cobwebs of past failure and start again. To find out more on keys to staying motivated, I have put together this free guide:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/motivation

If you want to learn how to start a business from home you need to begin by understanding what is possible in starting a business online.

For most people, this is pretty tough.  They have seen the hype: “Make $10,000 overnight,” “Retire next week,” “$1,000 a day just returning phone calls.”

Guess what folks? It ain’t that easy.

I discourage my students from setting up these kinds of goals.  It’s like being a 250 lb couch potato and deciding you will run a marathon in 30 days—it’s just not reasobale.  Often these almost impossible goals leave you frustrated and ready to give up on online business.

So let’s look at a reality:

It will take most people at least 18 months of consistent, part-time effort to reach the $10,000 per month level.

But consider this…

To start an offline business and generate a profit of $10,000 per month typically requires an investment of $100,000 into storefront, inventory, advertising and operating capital.   In most cases it takes an offline business 5 years to generate a PROFIT, let alone a profit over 6-figures per year.

You can do it much faster, much cheaper online.

So what’s reasonable for someone just starting a business online?  Here are some goals you can attain even if you have never done anything like this before:

Month One:  

Complete market research and have a product and website completed and ready to sell.

Month Two:

Make 10 sales of your product or service.

Month Three:

$1,000 in gross income.

Month Four:

$2,000 in gross income.

Month Six:

$4,000 in gross income—at least $1,500 profit.

Month Nine:

$8,000 in gross income—at least $3,000 profit.

Month Twelve:

$10,000 in gross income—at least $4,000 profit.

While this isn’t setting any records, these are workable goals.  Things the average person can achieve in starting a new business online.  Business that is sustainable.  Online business that can grow.

How to start an online business—begin with reachable, encouraging goals.

For more information on setting reasonable goals I have this online resource you can download.  When you download this free resource you will be amazed how simple the process can be:

http://www.All-In-One-Business.com/getdirection