• This shows the customer that you still care about them after they pay you.
• This will decrease complaints and your return rate.
• This helps make the customer like the product more, by having you reiterate the benefits.
• This forces you to make sure that you’re only selling the highest quality product.

Got a little treat for you today. I know it’s been a little while since we’ve last talked. I got in a huge fight with my hosting company about the volume of email I was sending and had to switch email providers.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about different business tips via email and instead of sending back a one-off reply I figured that I’d post it for everyone to see, so that all the Underdogs can take a look.

So, I’m going to make this a periodic event on the Tip Sheet as well… the Underdog Millionaire Mail Bag.

The most recent letter is from an entrepreneurial guy that’s still in school, which can be one of the best places to start a business, because you have yet to become beat up by the real world for too many years and the fight is still in your eyes.

So, without further adieu, here’s the letter I got. The personal stuff has been redacted to protect the innocent.

Message:
Hello Josh,

My name is XXXX and I’m an entrepreneur studying at XXXX College.
I’m writing to you today in hopes that I could have just 3 minutes
of your time to ask you 3 questions about online business strategies.

I just launched an online business for a product called XXXX For Cars
(It’s a car wax alternative using XXXXX). I was hoping for
some insight from your experiences that would help me maximize my
efforts, and the sales, of my new product. I wanted to ask you…

1.    What are the best online or offline mediums to promote my website?
I use adwords, but that’s about it. I’m trying to figure out how
to get the best traffic for the least amount of money (I know, not an
easy question)

2.    Should I seek out affiliates as I’m just starting to sell my
product? If so, what’s the best way in your experience to seek out
affiliates and establish a mutually beneficial partnership?

3.    And finally, could you recommend your favorite sales/marketing
books/resources? I’ve spent a long time reading up on web copy as
well; do you have any reading suggestions in that realm?

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. Any insight you
could provide would be very helpful. Please let me know if there is
anything I can do to help you further your endeavors.

Best Regards,

XXXX XXXX

Let’s tackle question 1 first.  By the way, this is my opinion and there are many OTHER ways to accomplish the same thing.

• I hate ADwords. Mostly becuase I don’t believe you have enough control over where the ads are placed and I don’t like paying for advertising if I don’t have to. However, I did start my business using this technique about 6 years ago, but I have not used ADwords since.

• I would do this instead- If you want on-line traffic, you MUST build a list and create a dialog with your customer. Anyone can make a single sale, but businesses are built on repeat customers. Create a SQUEEZE page, grab emails, and keep the dialog going with valuable information… not CRAP.

• Create an INFORMATION PRODUCT that is a valuable gift to your customer in return for them giving you their information. My business is built around the sales of information products, but you don’t have to sell them to benefit from their value.

• You can create a multi-page report (in this case) on the 10-step, perfect way to wash a car without getting water spots, using a little-known secret that you learned from your grandfather. Give the product away once the person sends you their email.

• The EASIEST way to create an information product is to use the method that I use for each of the products I’ve made. Heck, I even made an information product for less than ten bucks, which walks you through the whole process. See it here:  www.information-product-report.com 

• If you want off-line traffic, you need to learn to write sales copy or pay someone to write it for you. A good sales letter can bring in a response of 7-20%

On to question number 2. Here’s where a lot of people won’t agree with me, but I think my answer will make sense in a second:

• Do not get affiliates if you’re just starting out. You have nothing to offer the affiliate at that point. You don’t have a proven sales letter. You don’t have accurate sales figure, and you don’t have a system to make it easy for the affiliate to pitch your stuff.

• I personally HATE most affiliate programs out there, becuase they take most of your money and water down the availability of your product. You don’t have control over the marketing and the promises that other yahoo makes about you, but you get the pleasure of keeping all the liability and having to make all the returns based on the bad promises.

• Market your product yourself. Keep all the glory and all the money. If you end up obtaining Ipod-like popularity, someday you can think about affiliates, but for most of us, it’s just not worth it.  Partnerships that are mutually-beneficial arise from having something valuable to offer the other person, and with that, you already need to be successful.

• Here’s another dirty secret of the affiliate industry (which is why I don’t do it)- Most people sign up to become affiliates so they can buy your product and get a discount/commision applied back to themselves, with no intention of selling it to anyone else.

Question number 3- This is my favorite question!

• Best resource for creating an information product easily, which you can then turn around and use as a give-away to build a list, or you can use to build a business- This is really teaching you how to fish- www.information-product-report.com  and it’s less than ten bux for the whole she-bang.

• If you want a really fast education on building a sales letter that can be used to sell ANY product or service and possiby double or triple your current response, check out: www.sales-letter-system.com

• If you want to further your education in copywriting, buy ANYTHING you can get your hands on from the following people” Gary Halbert, Robert Collier, Eugene Schwartz, John Caples, and Claude Hopkins.

• Note: He made a statement in this email where you need to pay CLOSE attention… he said “web” copy. There is no such thing as web copy… It’s ALL copywriting and is all selling in print. The medium doesn’t matter, so once you get good at creating copy, you can use those tools to sell on-line and off.

Ok, we’re over 1100 words, so I should probably call it a day. Don’t forget, if you’re interested in building your business, you need to create a customer list and keep talking to your customers, reminding then that you’re still in business.

I give away a lot more free information on my site than most people do, but in return, some people are thankful, want to know even more, and end up purchasing a few of my products.

If you want to create a customer list and need something valuable to give away, you can create you own information products in just a few days, using my course here: www.information-product-report.com 

In your service,

Joshua Black

Let’s get down to “brass tacks” shall we?  The economy is starting to fire up again slowly. Businesses are starting to hire again, but wages aren’t going to go anywhere for awhile.

This means that as an Underdog small business owner, you’re gonna have to work twice as hard to get those customers to part with their hard-earned greenbacks.

Here are seven things that you can do to give your marketing a little kick in the pants, and to bring in some more sales in the process… get the paddles ready… CLEAR!

1. Don’t lose a potential customer through the cracks- Data is a powerful thing and if there is any way that you can grab even just a prospect’s email address, then you can follow up with them until they buy. Look at your processes and try to find “holes” where the prospects may be leaking out.

2. Treat the “golden customers” like royalty- Don’t take your top 20% for granted. Give them gifts out of the blue. Hold their hand when they have random questions that might annoy you. These are people that feed you. Give them special treatment and they will keep coming back. Getting new customers is a LOT more expensive than keeping old ones.

3. It’s all about your copy- Everything that you do to engage with your customers is copywriting. From your business cards, to your email messages, to your fliers, to your web site. If you don’t engage and motivate your customers according to their wants and their problems, then you won’t motivate them to buy.

You don’t have to be the best in the world in order to benefit from a good copywriting education. Any small business owner can become much better at creating solid copy that will motivate sales.

In fact, if you’re interested, I’ve got a little copywriting course that I created just with you in mind. You’ll be motivating your customers to make a purchase in no time: www.sales-letter-system.com

4. You have to close the sale- If you don’t ask for the sale, the customer may not ask for you. You’re in business to make money and there is no reason that you should give away the farm.

If you have a customer that’s trying to steamroll you into giving them all kinds of stuff for free (like I just recently went through), just be straight with him and explain that you’d love to do business and explain your fee for that particular task.

If you get a freebie grabber, it’s OK to “fire” them. They’re not going to be a good customer anyway, so don’t waste your time trying to please them.

5. RUN the other direction, FAST! If everyone in your niche is tripping over each other to compete for the same customers in the same manner, then how long do you think before that ugly pyramid comes crashing down like a pile of rookie cheerleaders?

Instead, take the easier route and zig when the others are zagging. Borrow from other industries. Look at the marketing techniques of non-related groups are doing and mirror them.

6. Branch out your business into other niches- One of the best ways to make an AUTOMATED income from your current business, is to teach others how to do the same thing, by writing a e-book.

If you can take your many years of experience and give someone else the tools to learn “how to fish” (so to speak), people will pay top dollar for that information.

Best of all, the more specific your niche, the smaller the competition, and the more money for you. Almost anyone can create an information product (e-book) for their business and once you put in the hours to set it up, the books sell automatically.

I’ve been able to add a bunch of tiny income streams to my business doing the same thing with niche e-books. If you want to find out exactly how I do it, (and at a total STEAL for less than ten bucks, click here: www.information-product-report.com

7. Give BEFORE you can get- I know that I harp on this a lot in the book that you got for becoming a subscriber. There is a rule of reciprocity that takes effect when you genuinely help another person without expecting to get anything in return.

Whether you go above and beyond with helping a new customer, or you give an existing customer “white glove” service even if they didn’t pay for it… they will remember your actions in their subconscious.

The next time that you need “help” (aka. ask for the sale), your customer will be much more inclined to buy from your if you’ve already made the first move and helped them gratis.

OK, that’s about it for me today. Add some comments below and let the rest of the Underdog Millionaire audience know what you’ve been doing to create more customer traffic.

In your service,

Joshua Black

______________________________

Since it’s Friday, I thought that I would stir up the pot a little and give ya’ll something to think about for the weekend. I’m going to tell you why I no longer believe in, or sell joint ventures or affiliate products.

Yep, I know that is probably going to upset a lot of people who have heard, or believe that the world of JVs and affiliate products is the bees knees… to that I say- It’s just not for me.

Now, if you are not a purveyor of information products, this doesn’t mean that today’s post will not apply to you.  This information can work for anyone that is thinking about doing some kind of JV with another business.

Anyway, onward and upward. I have been getting literally bombarded by JV offers from around the world lately and most of them I ignore completely. If I can tell that the person is sincere, I at least send a “no thanks” email back, but for the most part the delete button is my best friend.

Let me tell you a story first, and then the headline of this post will make a little more sense.

I believe that the best use of the Inter-web is when it mimics the downtown of a large metropolitan city. Here, you have individual boutique shops, each one selling the stuff that it specializes in. In one shop you can get shoes. In another shop they sell music or clothing.

Each shop that you visit contains an expert that knows more about that particular product or service than anyone else in the area and you know that you are buying the perfect solution to your probalem, based on the quality of the service you receive.

The most successful shops sell things that you can only get in that shop. Nowhere else nearby.

This is why I don’t do JVs or sell affiliate products. I look around at the Internet and I see tons of websites that are all pushing the same thing. Instead of selling their own products or services, they are trying to leverage the work of others.

This would be fine, except that you can get that stuff ANYWHERE. There is no small boutique shop feeling when you go to an affiliate’s web site. You feel like you are in Wal-Mart.

If you have ever been in a car for more than 30 minutes (in the US at least), you can get off the highway and see almost the same thing each time you get out. There will be the same chain of hotels, the same fast food, and the same gas stations.

That is what affiliate marketing and joint ventures have turned the Internet into. Now, I know that you can make a crap-ton of money by leveraging your customer list with someone else. In fact, it’s something that I occasionally suggest to other people.  If you don’t have a product, or you can compliment your services with others’ that is great.  I just don’t do it myself.

I want to keep the Underdog Millionaire as one of those shops. I want to be that smiling shopkeeper that you go to visit when you have a very specific underdog small business problem.

Is there a time when you might want to be an affiliate? Sure. Getting your feet wet selling other people’s stuff is a great way to start an Internet business, but you are always at the mercy of someone else. When you are your own, complete shopkeeper you have all the control.

I can go in and update any of my information products at the drop of a hat, if there is something new and useful that I would like to add. 

Sure, I have tried that stuff in the past. I have tried advertising for a few minutes as well and I know that is how the six-figure bloggers make most of their money. However, I just found it to be a distraction. I think that anything you put on your website that has the opportunity to take YOUR customer and lead them to someone else’s business is taking away more than it helps.

But alas, that it just my humble opinion.

If you are struggling with creating your own information product, or you are looking for a way to develop a new income stream for your business, info-products are perfect for just that.  I developed a system where you can create your own information product entirely for FREE and the whole course will set you back less than 10 bucks.

Check out the Ultimate Information Product Report here.

Now it’s your turn… are you going to tell me to stuff it? Do you think there is merit in what I just said? Is there room out there for everyone to be successful if they focus on their own niche really hard, creating an Internet of virtual boutiques instead of clones? Tell me what you think.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Click the image to get the FREE  Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack! 

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved. 

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah: 

http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com
http://www.how-to-business-network.com
http://www.ranking-higher-seo.com
http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com/blog
http://www.sales-letter-system.com
http://www.closing-the-sale.com
http://www.information-product-report.com
http://www.UltimateUSPcreator.com
http://www.underdog-success-formula.com 

_________________________________________

Today’s post is going to be the last of the birthday blog posts. I thought I would share a few blogs with you that I think are really going the extra mile.

These guys (and gals) don’t just re-hash the current flavor-of-the-month content that can be seen on many of the blogs out there. Instead, they are hard-hitting, unique business owners that have really developed a niche name for themselves.

Many of these blogs are geared towards small business owners, but not all. I think that if you are going to be a competitive entrepreneur, you really need to look at a variety of sources for inspiration.

Now, I am not going to over-load you with the over 50 different blogs that I try to follow on a regular basis, but I do have a special handful for you that really do something above and beyond.

So, without further adieu, here they are:

Heavy Hitters That Blog About Blogging:

If you have been in the blogging world for any length of time, then you already know about these guys, but if you are just getting started, this is the kind of blogging that you can aspire to.

Problogger- This is a site started by Darren Rowse. He has been blogging for years and has grown his empire to over a million dollars a year, just from blogging, advertising, and selling products.

Entrepreneur’s Journey- This site is run by another Aussie, Yaro Starak. He is a real underdog story, who is now one of the biggest independent bloggers out there, providing TONS of free content and audio interviews from rags-to-riches stories of Internet entrepreneurs all over the world.

Specialists:

This is a group of bloggers that have picked a successful niche and have gained a really solid following, due to the content they provide, the atmosphere they create, and the personality that really comes through in their blogs.

Ittybiz- This is the marketing blog of Naomi Dunford.  She has created a cult-like following all based around her razor-sharp personality and her sailor’s mouth. This is not re-hashed marketing advice. Almost every blog post that she writes should be printed out and saved as reference material. Plus, she’s freakin’ hilarious.

The World’s Strongest Librarian- This blog is home to one of the most eclectic guys on the blogging scene. It’s run by Josh Hanagarne, a strong-man/librarian that is also battling with a cure for Tourettes Syndrome. His posts range from spectacular book reviews, to random thoughts, from weight lifting advice, to sage wisdom. Always worth a look on a daily basis.

Men With Pens- This is a site for writers. Not only does this group own their own web design and consulting company, but the frequent posts here offer some really good advice for fine-tuning your writing and improving your value to your market.

ProCopy Tips- This is a copywriting blog that, in my humble opinion is a place that is a hidden gem, discovered by only a few.  It’s run by a life-long direct-response copywriter named Dean Rieck.  He gives away some great basic copywriting advice and even posts frequently on Copyblogger.

The Simple Dollar- This is a personal finance/money blog by Trent Hamm. He has a cult-like following as well. He covers everything from investing, to debt removal, to bankruptcy and has authored a few books. Great site if you like money at all.

My Friends and Underdogs:

This is a group of up-and-coming bloggers that is really trying to make a difference in their respective markets. They haven’t hit the big time just yet, but I know they will, just based on the content and services they provide. These guys are definitely people to keep and eye on.

Tommy DePietro- This guy is serious business. He runs a MLM marketing advice blog, has a ton of videos and is very passionate about his work. Tommy is really going somewhere.  He has been a frequent commenter on the Underdog Millionaire since the beginning.

Alex Whalley- Alex is a really honest guy with a big heart. His blog focuses on keywords, SEO, and niche marketing. His posts are very thorough and he has come a LONG way in a short time.

The Big Red Tomato Company- This is a small business blog run by Matthew Needham.  He’s got some great ideas about consulting, small business marketing, and creating information products. Matthew is a real stand-up guy and we occasionally bounce ideas off each other since we are in the same niche.

Josh Garcia- This guy is another one that has slowly grown alongside the Underdog Millionaire. Josh is all about generating leads and giving great marketing advice. Definitely worth a look. You will see his blog comments all over the Internet.

I think that should just about do it. Hope you enjoyed the list. Of course I’m sure I missed a few great blogs out there. Give me the name of someone that you really think is doing an amazing job of creating content?

Help your fellow Underdogs out and let’s get this post Tweeted all over the Net!

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Click the image to get the FREE  Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack! 

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved. 

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah: 

http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com
http://www.how-to-business-network.com
http://www.ranking-higher-seo.com
http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com/blog
http://www.sales-letter-system.com
http://www.closing-the-sale.com
http://www.information-product-report.com
http://www.UltimateUSPcreator.com
http://www.underdog-success-formula.com 

_________________________________________

One of the key things about owning a business, for me at least, is the ability to have it work for me while I am doing something else.

Yes, there are components of my business,
such as consulting, where I am the one that
has to do the work, but the main components
are working for me 24/7/365 all over the
world.

…and you can do the same thing.

If you are a small business owner or you are
just thinking about getting started in small
business, you understand how tough it can be,
how you need to be in 120 places at the same
time, and you may feel the need to be in
control of every situation.

This can really burn a person out, and is a
very tough way to grow a business, almost
impossible.

There is a better way.

No matter what kind of crazy hobby you have
and in most cases, no matter what kind of
job you have, there is a business opportunity
there.

I’m talking about information products.

No, this is not just selling e-books. This is
creating an entire course where you take a person
step-by-step to teach them a specific skill.

When you are working for yourself or someone
else, you are just trading your precious personal
time for cold-hard-smackeroos.

If you are not working, you are not getting paid.

Information products don’t care when you are working.
Once you set up an info-product sales system, you
can operate an international business from your
kitchen table.

Let’s take an example:

Suppose you owned a window washing company. The
only way you currently make money is to wash windows
one by one, correct?

What if you multiplied your efforts and taught other
people how to wash windows?

This would be extra money coming in on its own in
addition to the money you still made while washing
windows.

You aren’t really creating competition, because you
are selling to people all over the world, where your
business would never be in the first place.

Things you would need to include:

1. Complete videos of you washing windows of different
sizes from start to finish.

2. A complete equipment list from A to Squeegee

3. A e-book manual that explained all of your secret
tips and how to get a pile fo customers for free.

4. Audio transcripts of the e-book so that the person
could learn how to operate their new business while
they were driving to their current job.

Once you have a large course like this, you could
easily sell it for $397 or more, if you were teaching
something that could make people a lot of money.

Remember this- People don’t give a flying monkey’s
butt about philosophy. They want to have their hand
held and they want someone to show them the easiest
way, step-by-step, to learn something new.

If you can solve their problem, you can make a
TON of money. Once you have spent the time to set up
your business, you will have the ability to generate
an automatic income for as long as your product is
relevant.

Think about it…

What are you doing right now that you could multiply
and train people how to do in a information product?

If you want to know more about creating your own
information product empire, and to learn the easiest
way to write your own e-book in as little as 5 days
download my Information Product Report here:

http://www.information-product-report.com

 Today I want t make a huge list that will help all of  the other would-be Underdog Millionaires out there. Add a comment below with another idea of a job or hobby, where is could be turned into an information product that could be sold for hundreds of dollars.

Until Tomorrow,

Joshua Black
http://www.information-product-report.com

P.S. After you create your own product I would love
to hear about it. I will even showcase it on the
blog, after you have used the course.

Click the image to get the FREE  Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

_________________________________________

We both are probably in our businesses for a similar reason. We want to make life a little better for us and our families, while at the same time provide something of value to enhance the lives of our customers.

Somehow along the way, the journey of owning
a business gets muddled with random issues.

We end up thinking that we know exactly what
our customers will want. We invent things that
we are sure will be the “next big thing” and
sometimes we even get a few winners under our
belts.

However, the road to amazing-ness is sometimes
paved with razor blades and broken glass.

We get knocked down, dragged out, and occasionally
even lit on fire as you try to claw your way to
your amazing idea that will change the world.

Well, there is an EASIER way.

You don’t have to take the hard, obscure road
where there might only be a couple of customers.

The other way is not as glamorous.

The other way will not get you invited to fancy
parties with limos and rock stars.

However, the other way is a much closer guarantee
towards success than trying to develop a unique
idea.

What is that way?

The 10% rule.

Take something that is ALREADY a rock-star success
and tweak it by just 10%.

If you can improve a product or service by just 10%
with things that the customers actually WANT (not
like a Swiss Army cell phone), then you can almost
ensure your success.

If you want to show your customers how you are
the only on on the planet with that 10% improvement,
then you have to start with a unique selling
proposition or USP.

Your USP is the foundation of what your business
stands for and the biggest promise that you can
make to your customers.

Click here if you want to know more about creating
your own USP with my custom-designed course:

http://www.ultimateUSPcreator.com

What can you tweak just 10% in order to take
your small business to the level you want to
become?

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com
http://www.how-to-business-network.com
http://www.ranking-higher-seo.com
http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com/blog
http://www.sales-letter-system.com
http://www.closing-the-sale.com
http://www.information-product-report.com
http://www.UltimateUSPcreator.com
http://www.underdog-success-formula.com

_________________________________________